*Ring ring*

Signe picks up the phone and gruffly says hello.

"It's Nat. I, um..." The Galliard trails off for a moment before trying again. "Are you busy?"

Signe, recognizing the Walker's voice, becomes a bit more attentive. "Na, I'm not busy. You want me to come over to the mansion?"

Natalie: "Uh, sure, yeah. That'd be great. The, uh, greenhouse was delivered earlier, so I'm digging trenches in the back. Just give my cell a call when you get there, all right?"

Signe grunts into the phone again, assent. "Sure. I'll be by in a bit."

Natalie: "Right. See you soon."

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.

Obvious exits:

Mansion Front Gate

True to her word, Nat's no where in sight when the Get arrives. All seems completely normal at the Walkers' House.

Signe pulls her cell phone from a pocket and dials up the Walker galliard's number, letting it ring.t

Nat answers with a brief, "Be right there," before hanging up. She doesn't appear, but a buzz opens the gate. Seconds later Nat opens the front door and steps out, brushing her hands together.

Signe steps in, looking Natalie over for a minute, especially her hands. Jokingly, she says, "So, you need manual labor to help dig trenches?"

"I wouldn't mind it," the Galliard retorts with a smirk. "But no, if you just want to lie about and watch, that's fine with me. I, uh... I'm not ready for a break yet. D'you mind?"

Signe shrugs, moving to pull her jacket off. "I can help, sure. But I was more meaning you sounded like you had something serious you wanted to talk about." Following the galliard, she drops the jacket on the back of a convenient chair.

Natalie says, "I do. I just... it's easier when I'm doing something, y'know? C'mon." She jerks her head toward the back of the house, then heads that way - down the hall, through the kitchen, and from there into the back yard and a building site some distance from the house. "I wanna get the forms dug and filled today, if I can. Weather's supposed to be good."

"Yeah, I do," Signe answers, smirking a little sympathetically. She follows the galliard through the house and outside, hesitating as she looks over the project. "You've got a good start going," the Get comments, nodding as she moves forward again towards the trenches.

Natalie's got two trenches dug and is working on a third: the beginnings of a hexagon carved into the ground. Nearby rest three large cardboard boxes, only one of which is opened. A paper flyer - probably directions - sits in handy reference, pinned down by a fist-sized rock. "So, um, anyway." She picks up a spade from where it lay and starts digging, not looking back at the Get. "I wanted to apologize for, um, Friday."

Signe finds a shovel or spade to work with as well and sets herself to turning soil over and working on the trenches. "Apologize?" she asks. "What for, exactly?"

"Blabbing about Salem. Maybe it wasn't the right time, but..." She shuts her mouth on the rest of her sentence and concentrates on removing dirt. "...Anyway."

"Oh, that," Signe says, stabbing the blade harder into the dirt than she needed too, perhaps. "Don't worry about it. It's not your fault, and it's water under the bridge, anyway."

"Yeah, well." It takes concentration to get the bottom of the foot-deep trench perfectly flat; time Natalie seems willing to spend. "He's stepped down anyway. Today. This morning. Announced it in the, in the hallway. Said he sent an email."

Signe stops working for a moment, watching the galliard. "An email?" she echoes, slight disapproval in her voice. "Huh. Is that what has you so... restless? What did he do, leave the tribe to you?"

Natalie spears the earth, levers up the shocked sod, doesn't look up. "Yup."

Signe grins faintly. "I see," she says, returning to her digging. Though she gets work done, she seems much more interested in Natalie than the trenches. "you want to talk about it? Is there a problem?"

"Not a problem," Natalie answers immediately. "It's just... damn. He didn't give it to me so much as I took it. Had to. I just..." More sod-removal and silence follows. "--So you even interested in packing with me?" Whiplash subject changes, no charge.

Signe frowns, mouth half open and ready to ask a question about the exchange between the exiting Walker alpha and the new one, when the change of subject comes. It shuts the Get's mouth, quick. "Uh," she says, oh so eloquently when she regains her wits. "Actually, yes. I'd like that a lot. There are some details that need to be worked out. Salem's departure's thrown a wrench into pack plans. They haven't been worked out yet. But, I'm thinking, hell yes we could pack together."

Natalie says, "Good." She tosses the sod over to a pile already waiting, a forlorn heap of roots, stems, and dirt. "I figured, after I got here and sized things up, that I'd end up Tribe beta and pack... well hell, just pack. I figured I didn't have a shot at beta with both you and Salem in it and frankly, that suited me fine."

Signe considers the galliard further, eyes narrowed a little. "Why?" she asks.

Natalie snorts, keeps digging. "Pushy as I am? It'd do me good to get... pushed back a bit. I think either one of you could - could have done it; both is just a two-fer special." Whatever that means.

Signe lets out a raspy little laugh. "Yeah," she agrees. "Safe to say, that's true." Apparently the Get understands it, anyway. "Did you have ideas on who else to pack with? I'm thinking the one Salem and I set up is going to dissolve completely. The Lords won't pack with me--and frankly I have less interest packing with them --without Salem's influence. With the cubs finishing their Rite, I was thinking of asking Emma to pack with me. Have you met my cu--er, I guess I should stop calling her that. Have you met Fire-Dancer?"

Natalie finally looks up, considering the Get. "Don't think so? I may have seen her in the barn, but I don't think I have. Who else? That'd be... two Ahroun and a Galliard, right? Hnh." "--Oh, Alicia's asked me. Something about packing under Owl or Raven. I don't remember names of who else'd be there, but it sounds like all women. Tas-something was one of them, I think. I really wasn't paying attention."

"Alicia has a pack, yeah," Signe says with a nod. The greenhouse trench is all but forgotten for a moment, as the Get concentrates on planning pack stuff. "I don't think she'll move over for me. Besides, the pack I'm thinking of will be more city-based, and more of a war pack. I think it's time we cleaned up St. Claire at least a little bit. Here's what I had in mind. You, me, Emma. Emma's got a couple of friends who just Rited, too. Karl--he's a theurge. And Doc. She's a Fury. Another ahroun. Any pack can always use a theurge."

Natalie bares teeth briefly in what is definitely not a smile, but what is just as definitely amusement. "Kick butt. Maybe Cat - he's pretty decent as a Theurge, from what I hear. He's got issues, though; I don't think he's said more'n hello and goodbye to me. Definitely not Joshua, or Anthony. 'N that's pretty much it for the Walkers."

Signe snorts in response. "I knew we'd get along," she comments with a nod. Taking up her shovel again, she begins scraping at the ditch to smooth the floor out. "All theurges have issues," she adds, in comment about Cat. "And so does Josh, still. Yes."

Natalie shifts down her trench along the staked-and-tied line, starts cutting more sod. "So a Theurge for healing, and three Ahroun plus me. This Karl any good at scouting? Or is this gonna be a 'someone aims us at it and we kill it dead' sort of pack?"

Josh is out and enjoying the sunny day, boots crunching their way across the dried soil. He looks better, for the fresh air and nap, just idly wandering around the property until he makes his way to the back. He eyes the construction momentarily, nodding his head. "Evening, Rhyas." He calls, closing in their direction.

Signe shrugs, shaking her head. she pulls the blade along the bottom of the trench absently while thinking. "Honestly, I'm not sure yet. I don't know the kid well enough to say, yet. But Emma likes him. We'll have to see. It's all speculative. I haven't spoken to any of them yet, not even Em." Josh's arrival gets Signe's attention and she turns to greet him with a little wave.

"As long as they've got brains and aren't afraid to use 'em," Natalie says, turning to face Josh. The new cliath gets a nod and an, "Afternoon," but she doesn't encourage him to either stay or go.

Joshua looks over the construction easily, careful to stay a little distance away as he makes his way around it once. At the greetings of the two Elders, he doesn't say any more. Josh appears, instead, to be trying to mentally envision what the end product was supposed to be.

Signe comments to Natalie, "They're young, brand new cliaths. They have brains, but aren't sure how to use them yet. We may have to give them manuals." Glancing at Josh, she grins a little, teasing.

Natalie only grunts and returns to her work, removing the sod before actually digging the trench. After a moment or so she relents enough to ask Josh, "You given any thought to packing?"

Joshua arches a brow, crouching near the plans to read them. "Talking about Doc's new Guardian Pack, Signe-Rhya?" He asks distractedly. The rock gets moved around a little as he checks out the hidden portion. At Natalie's question, he looks up. "A little. I know the packs out there. Few have my eye, but I'm not too sure about it, yet."

Signe shakes her head, starting in on the digging again, further down the line of the trench. "Not exactly," she says. "More like thinking about my own pack designs. Doc's still thinking of a Guardian pack?"

Natalie goes quiet while the other two discuss packs. Sod removal's hard enough without adding conversation to it.

"Yeah. And Karl seemed really psyched over it. Dak lost interest and looks like she'll go with Alicia-Rhya, but from what I hear there's still the three of them wanting to do it." He looks back down to the plans, tracing a finger over one of the lines.

Signe grunts. "I see," she says, letting out a sigh. "Well, I'll talk to Emma tonight at the party." Flattening the spade out, she starts working to level the trench floor some more.

Natalie straightens up and stretches, fists on her hips, spade left stuck in the ground. "Heh. Fighting over who'll be in which pack. It's like a stock sale, only with fewer buyers and more people running around in the pen."

Joshua stands up from the plans, looking for a shovel. Finding one, he commences operation help Signe level out the ground. "Natalie-Rhya. Before it slips my mind... now that I reported to you and Salem-Rhya, do I got the all clear? As in... do I have my roaming privileges back?"

Natalie narrows her eyes, but doesn't protest the Ahroun's impromptu assistance. "Why don't you tell me what he told you first?" "...About the roaming, I mean. I don't know what you're talking about."

Anthony wanders around the corner of the house and towards the trenches in the ground, investigating the work site interestedly.

Signe greets Anthony with a lift of her chin before turning to watch the exchange between Josh and Natalie. The Get seems particularly interested in the way the galliard handles herself.

Joshua glances at Signe, although he doesn't stop. "Well... after I broke out of the place in the mess that was my early cubhood, I was put in the tower, told until I could handle myself, I couldn't leave. Then I got a handle on how to shift, but I had the whole 'Guides problem... so Salem sent me out to the Bawn with Signe-Rhya as kinda a keeper. After that whole debacle, I was told I had to stay on the Bawn until I rited. And, well, I rited. Considering how I'm Cliath and all, and ultimately responsible for my own actions, I'd like to be able to free range again."

Signe interrupts, though she gives the Walker elder an apologetic look as she does it. "Do you think you can handle yourself in the world, Josh?"

Natalie catches sight of Anthony out of the corner of one eye; Signe's interruption's overlooked - for the moment, at least - as she gives the Ragabash a lifted-hand wave.

Anthony looks up from the trenchwork, and waves back; he refrains from commenting on the situation at hand, instead grabbing the instructions from the grass and looking them over.

Joshua straiten out his back, looking at Signe. "Yes." The Ahroun answers simply. There's a heck of a lot of weight behind the word, and it sounds like he believes it wholeheartedly. "Yes, I know I can."

Natalie doesn't seem to be as bothered by Tony reading 'her' stuff as she was Joshua. Huh. "You're a cliath now." No, she wasn't ignoring them after all. "You think you can handle it, fine." She doesn't say word one about possible screw-ups or dire retribution.

Signe offers a toothy little grin and then goes back to working the trench. Josh gets a nod, but nothing more.

Joshua goes back to the trench a second after Signe does, quiet now. Now isn't the time to ask for the laptop back, he figures.

Anthony carefully puts the paper back where he found it, then covers it back up with the rock, then goes back to inspecting the work that's already been done.

Natalie doesn't offer to let Tony double-check her work this time; what she says instead is, "Why don't you take Signe's shovel and let her rest for a bit? It's not exactly polite to invite people over and then make them do work."

Signe lets out a little laugh and wipes her brow. She offers Anthony the shovel, saying, "Actually, I should probably get home. Nat, we can finish talking after I makes some calls. We're having a little get together for Emma's Riting. I'd like it if you stopped by?"

Anthony doesn't like this suggestion, but he complies quietly, taking the shovel and begrudgingly starting where she left off.

"What time?" Nat asks, pausing in her sod-chunk tossing.

Joshua tilts his head, keeping up the work despite the mention of the get together... the Ahroun listens intrestedly.

"Say, eight o'clock?" Signe says, brushing dirt from her hands. "Giving Em her deedname and probably ordering pizza, what not."

Natalie says, "Sounds good. I'll try and get there, but don't hold things up for me. Give her my congrats, will ya?"

Signe nods. "I will," she says, offering Josh a congratulatory nudge as well. "Either way, I'll call you when I have definitive numbers and plans about the pack, ok?"

Joshua, despite the nudge, looks all and all a little disappointed. He doesn't stop with the work, though, instead nodding his head in a brief note of its existence.

Anthony continues digging steadily, not paying attention to the conversation, apparently.

Signe grabs her jacket on the way back to the front gate and her bike.

Natalie taps her cell with an elbow, her hands all covered in dirt. "Even transitory ideas'd be good. I don't need everything set in stone."

Natalie eyes the sky, then her watch, then the ground, all with that same disgruntled expression. "Well, damn. Hey Tony - 've you talked to Salem yet today?"

"No." Another shovelful of sod is displaced; Tony doesn't take his eyes off the trench.

Joshua puts in another twenty minutes, before generally looking like he can't help out much more. The Ahroun then heads inside.

"Salem stepped down as Elder this morning. I've got it now." Nat's not one for easing people into things gradually, not today.

The shovel gets jammed into the turf. "Already?" Tony looks up, looking mildly surprised.

Natalie echoes flatly, "Already." She grabs her spade again and positively attacks the ground, showing neither sod nor shovel any mercy.

"And everyone else is fine with this?" Anthony asks next, again starting to clear the trenches.

[Anthony had to leave; end of log]