Currently in Saint Claire, it is a cloudy day. The temperature is 42 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the southeast at 3 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 29.59 and steady, and the relative humidity is 96 percent. The dewpoint is 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius.)

Currently the moon is in the waxing Crescent Moon phase (26% full).

Dominion Estate

The Dominion estate spreads out over a small hill, giving the mansion built at the peak a view of the surrounding suburban countryside. The grassy lawn is dotted with statuary and encircled by hedges grown up to hide the stone wall which surrounds the estate. A gravel driveway snakes elliptically up from the front gate northward to the house, east from there to the garage, then back towards the front gate. Preparations for some sort of garden have been made on the western slope of the hill.

The house itself is old and appears to have had had work done it over the years. The original, main part of the house is made of gray stone and reaches four stories high with the tower. The east and west wings appear newer and are made of brick and wood. The previous decay and disrepair can still be seen, but there also seems to have been some effort put into fixing the place up.

(+views set)

Obvious exits:
Mansion Front Gate

Natalie's pacing up and back in front of the house, frowning alternately up at the edifice, the sun, and the few scattered trees which, with today's clouds, are casting no shadow at all.

After tapping the code into the gate, Jeremy makes his way up the path, shouldering his backpack, trudging with his head down low. Its still early in the morning and he looks tired.

Natalie's perambulations look like they'll take her smack into Jeremy's path - smack being the operative word. While the Galliard is looking all around, she doesn't appear to have taken any notice of the gate opening or the man heading toward the front door. Instead she's muttering to herself, things like, "Frost line," and "framing," and something quite rude about shade.

"Hey Nat. Working on this green house thing?" Jeremy asks as he pauses behind her, letting his eyes glance around as well, taking notice of the terrain about him. "Still looking for a place to put it?"

Natalie yelps and whirls, hands shifting out of a defensive posture to fall at her sides. "Cripes, Jer, give a girl a bit of warning! Yeah, I am. Salem wants it at the back of the house, only with the clouds I can't see how shady it gets back there. South side of the house," she nods back toward the gate, "Would be easier. It's always sunny up here. Well, when there's sun, that it."

Jeremy nods his head and chuckles faintly. "Well.. I'm sure I can dig up some digital pictures of the mansion and see if I have a couple of shots back in the summer time. Maybe that could help eh'?"

"A bit, maybe," the Galliard allows, crossing her arms. "Thing is, the sun's so much lower in the winter that what isn't shady in June's in practically full dark come December. But..." She squints at the sky as if commanding it to uncloud, dammit. "It'd be better than nothing. Is it always cloudy in the winter like this?"

Jeremy nods his head, glancing upwards. "Yup. Typically is. It was colder last year though." He admits iwth a slight shrug of his shoulders. "I thought it'd never stop raining and snowing. At least now we are getting just a few showers here and there."

"This isn't cold," Nat grins, though her cheeks and nose are rosy. "You'd die in Minnesota if you think this is cold. C'mon, geek boy, let's head inside. I think I'm about as done out here as I can get for now."

"Pff.. I wouldn't die. I just wouldn't leave the house." Jeremy says, making his way towards the front door again, eyes rolling upwards. "Sides', I would not live there.. everyone sounds like the cast of Fargo."

Natalie trails after. "That's just outstate. You hear me talking like that? Only when I want to, boyo." Or when she's tired. Shh. "If you'd like, though, I can slip into a nice broad Minnesota accent, let you know what you're missing."

Cockroach Mansion -- Downstairs

The heavy, dark opulence to this mansion known as Dominion is perfectly exemplified by the room vistors first enter, this front hall. Dark-stained wood serves as paneling on the walls, gleams with high gloss in the hardwood floor, and supports a semi-circular balcony in carved pillars. The heavy double doors, made of oak, open into the hall from the south, opposite the huge, hourglass-shaped staircase composed of red and black gneiss which soars up to the balcony; both are fenced in with a wooden railing of simple spiraled posts. Several doorways can be made out on the second floor, nearly blending in discreetly with the back wall. The wall to the left of the front doors is composed entirely of windows which run from the forty-foot-tall domed dark wood ceiling to the floor; if drawn, the heavy velvet drapes of deep red would completely mask them from view, but when parted, as they often are, one has a marvelous view of the grounds outside.

A doorway to the right of the front doors leads to a parlor, and towards the back are the kitchens, the large dining room, and Salem's office.

Contents:
Jeremy

Obvious exits:
Tower Stairway Salem's Office Front Doors

"I'm good, no thanks." Jeremy says with a laugh as he steps through the door, taking a few moments to look around the mansion, then heads for the parlor. "So, whats new?"

Natalie heads straight for the parlor, managing to slip inside before the Kin. "Well, Katrine liked my cookies so much she agreed to come live with me!" She flops into one of the chairs near the windows, grinning.

"She did? Was.. everything OK?" Jeremy asks a bit cautiously as he leans against the doorframe, blinking his eyes a bit owlishly, wettening his lips.

Natalie says, "Sure," sounding surprised that there'd even be a question. "Why wouldn't it be? I just laid it out for her: come back and I'd train her hard as I could, or stay out there and I'd train her when I could. Tried not to put pressure on her one way or the other. But if she's gonna be treated like an adult, she has to make decisions like one."

Jeremy nods his head and rubs the back of his neck some. "Alright. Well... that's cool. Um.. did she seem.... happy?" He asks.

She doesn't answer at first, instead studying the Kin's face. "...Maybe? Why're you so worried about her, Jer? You're not that upset about Josh."

"Josh is fucked up in the head. Katrine is a good kid." Jeremy says with a shift of his shoulders. "Been awhile since we had a good cub come through our ranks. One who paid attention, didn't fuck around, was well mannered. Quentin was cool, but he was always at odds with Salem. Dizzy never made it to her rite, nor did Sophia. Then there was.." He trails off. "Good frigg'n lord.. so many I can't even remember their names. Only Quentin made it to through to a Cliath, and he left to Los Angeles. He was a Galliard also... um... brought up by that Coggie."

"You gonna sit, or am I going to have to come over there and wrestle you?" Nat demands, all the while remaining safely ensconced in her chair. "What, we usually farm our cubs out to Cogs? Who did the raising of Katrine?"

"Alicia." Jeremy admits. "She's the Elder Galliard of the Sept. She um.. is mated to my best friend, Tom. A kin of their tribe. She's been here for a few years, longer than I have been."

Natalie says, "I'll definitely have to meet her sometime. And maybe this Tom, too. See what she thinks of Katrine. I got her started - a little - a very little - on the Garou tongue last night."

Jeremy blinks and makes his way for a chair to sit down, counting on his fingers. "There was... Corey... an Hops... they both... didn't make it to their Rite either. Shortly before John and Roger died." He says, thinking, eyes squinting. Jeremy looks to space out for a bit as he counts on his fingers, one by one.

Natalie slouches down in her chair and balances one heel atop her other toes as she waits. Every so often she looks over to him, but otherwise leaves him be.

"Um... oh? Garou tongue. Thats good. I don't think Kat was with Alicia long until Salem said she was to stay with him. Then... shit went down that caused everyone to lose their voice... an after that... er... I dunno. I've been training her in everything else." Jeremy says with a roll of his shoulders.

"How about guns?" asks Natalie.

Jeremy shakes his head. "I haven't shown yer guns yet. I don't do weapons without Salem's permission. I do know that we shoot our cubs at least once, so that they know how to handle a gunshot in public and how to deal with it."

Natalie switches her feet, so balanced becomes balancer, and vice versa. "Well, he suggested you larn me boomsticks. I guess it'd be all right if we included Katrine? Go ahead and clear it with him, I don't mind. ...Yeah, that's how they got me to first. Not a bad idea, 'cause if you take out a knee or thigh, it's kinda hard for them to... say, d'you know if she's frenzied yet?"

"She did her first time. Killed a guy that tried to rape her. Thats when the others found her." Jeremy admits. "The Children of Gaia at least. We almost didn't get her, because there was no Walkers but Rina and I in the city at the time. Salem was out on buisness and her kinfetch didn't know where to go. We got lucky when they went into the Umbra to peek at her. Otherwise, she may have been a lost cub." Jeremy admits. "At least that is the story we came up with. But... er... I'm trailing off topic. She lost her head once."

Natalie sits patiently through the story, listening. "Once is better than nothing. Which reminds me - I'd like to get some sort of... of Danger Room set up here, so we could train cubs in Crinos, that sort of thing. The basement's not that great, not with all those pipes all over the place. Is there something like that?"

"Farmhouse barn." Jermey says with a shrug. "Its where most of the cubs go and they 'spar' with each other in all forms. Its a way of learning dominance as well over each other. I guess its popular. One of the cubs, Emma, a Fenrir, has set up a Fight Club type situation with a few of the cubs there. It seems to be working." He thinks for a moment. "I can look into a few of the warehouses downtown. See if Lee can contract one of them for private use. Maybe we can sound proof it, turn it into a rec room of sorts."

"I'd rather have something in town," the Galliard admits, bringing both heels back to the floor with a thump. "Driving all the way out there when all you want to do is punch somebody? Not good. Even a room or something out here. Maybe the garage if we have to."

"Well, in the last safe house, we had mattresses nailed to the walls of the basement, you know... in case shit got really heavy. We set up lighting and whatever. Even tho' there is pipes down there, its enough room for Crinos movement." Jermey says. "I have floor plans and records of the last safehouse before it blew up. I can see about turning it into something."

Natalie says, "That'd do. I can't believe that in a house this size we can't find one measly room to practice in." She studies her shoes, leans forward to brush a bit of something off. "Oh! I talked to Megan."

Jeremy tilts his head a bit. "Oh? About what?"

"The Russians, of course." Of course. "She doesn't think they're Gifts either. You had any more luck with them? Anyone down in the basement?"

Jeremy shrugs his shoulders. "I haven't had a chance to peek at the tapes in the last few days. Work is killing me. I plan on going through it tonight and see whats up."

The Galliard drawls, "Poor baby," not sounding terribly sympathetic. "Well, there's cookies from yesterday if you need to get your blood sugar up."

Jeremy smirks slightly, eyes rolling upwards. "It must be nice not having to work a full time job and get by on the income your kinfolk supply you."

Natalie's eyes narrow. "Must be nice," she tosses back, "To be able to keep jobs. To not be told, "Don't bother coming back tomorrow." To be treated like a person, not like a serial killer waiting for someone's back to turn."

"How come is it you can take jabs at me, but when I make one back, you get all serious and shit with me?" Jeremy asks, frowning.

At that, Nat looks away, down toward the floor. "Sorry."

"Well... er... it's... Ok. I just am used to goofing around with the family here I suppose. I kinda forget my place at times." Jeremy says with a rub of his neck, sighing.

Natalie opens her mouth as if to say something. Second thought - or perhaps third - causes her to just breathe out instead. "New face," she explains mildly, still studying the floor. "I'm still trying to figure out where I fit in. Trying to figure out where you fit in. You act like one of us, but then you don't. You push, and then you back off again. You're um... difficult."

"You shoulda seen the old me." Jeremy says with a faint shrug. "I was worse off... I was... a paper cup, so to speak. Easily crumbling. Only reason why I push now, is because Roger, John and Salem gave me the confidence to finally 'be' myself and to not be so scared that everything I say is going to erupt badly. I went nearly twelve years of being a kinfolk, afraid to even be in the same room unless ordered." He clears his throat. "Maybe I got spoiled living here, being in charge of things, gaven responsiblity when I didn't have it before. Sometimes I forget I'm a kin."

Natalie flares. "There's nothing wrong with being kin, dammit!" The Galliard makes a move as if to push herself out of her chair, but stops with her hands on the armrests. Waits. Carefully pushes herself back. "I wish you'd stop slapping yourself down like that," she finishes, tone very even.

"I know there is nothing wrong in being a kin." Jeremy says, leaning back into the chair some, watching her warily. "I'm just saying... I shouldn't be... well." He trails off, then clears his throat. "Maybe I'll just shove a cookie in my mouth. It tastes better than my foot."

Natalie says, "Nah, you're only at toes. But yeah." Chin's jerked toward the kitchen. "Tony had some last night and he's still alive, so they're safe. Think Salem'll eat any? While someone watches, anyway?"

"I got cameras in the kitchen. We can always find out later." Jeremy says, hopping to his feet and making his way in, grinning slightly. "He's a pretty cool guy once he loosens up you know."

Natalie waits until the kin's around the corner before saying, "So're you." Scant minutes later flute-y new age music's playing from the entertainment center. Tai chi heals all irritation.

[End of log]