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

"No. It just means you have to Love the city." Josh retorts, still holding the bars in either hand. "There'z no such thing as a Walker who don' like the city. 'n if ya love the city, then why wouln' ya live in it? And I don't like them. Period."

"This coming from the guy that's been one for maybe three months," Tony retorts from the mansion side of the gate, turning and starting to head up the driveway, now.

"No!" Josh bellers after Tony. "That came from a guy who was one for five years! And then again from one who had been one for three! And then again from one who had been one for over six! Goddamnit, Tony! You think I made this decision blind?!"

"Fine, fine, go run off, join some other tribe, go romp around in the forest if it'll make you happy." Anthony doesn't turn around. "Is that what you want me to say?"

Natalie steps out of the mansion's front doors, clearly identifiable in the glow of the porch light. She pauses there, half-zipping her leather coat, then heads slowly for the gates, her hands tucked into her pockets.

"Goddamn..." The Ahroun growls. "I don't care what you say. I just don't want you thinking I'm do'n this ta spite ya, or because I don't get along with Natalie. Natalie only was what got this going. What the fuck happened afterwards got nothing to do with it!" He shakes the gate, getting it to rattle slightly. "I mean hell! Do you have any fucking idea how much this is fucking tearing me apart?! I can't even fucking begin to tell you how much the idea of having no people is killing me. It's fucking eating me alive!" Yep, that Gate is getting a through shaking. But it's a sturdy beast, and won't be damaged by the Homid... so long as he's in homid.

Alicia pages: Riiiing.

Not twenty feet from the door Nat stops, pulling out her cell phone.

Long distance to Alicia: Natalie answers with a wary, "Hello?"

Anthony stops, taking a nice long few moments to turn around to face the gate. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave the premises," he says evenly, brim of his cap hiding his narrowed eyes. "You're trespassing."

Alicia pages: Hey girlfriend. Its me, Lish. I got an... issue. Seems like yer boy, Josh, you know how much we love him? He dug a hole about six feet deep on the bawn and dumped beer bottles into it, then attacked my tribe mate. Is there a reason why I shouldn't shove my foot up his ass?" She is polite in her tone, despite the size of the moon.

"Give my my Laptop back, 'n I'll leave." The Ahroun calls back, taking his hands off the Gate. "I ain't leaving without it. My territory."

Long distance to Alicia: Natalie too seems amazingly calm, considering. "As far as I'm concerned, he's not my problem any more. He announced today - this afternoon - that he didn't want to be a Walker. This was without any prompting from me, and in front of the Ritemaster." There's the sound of faint footsteps. "He's currently standing outside our gates, yelling and screaming. I believe he's well and truly plastered. He's all yours."

Natalie, still talking to her phone, resumes her path toward the gates.

From afar, Alicia lets out a soft huff. "What the hell is wrong with him by the way? He got Emma all freaked out from what I was told."

You paged Alicia with 'He's a freaking nutcase, that's what's wrong with him. Trevor was all pity-party on him, but I'll be damned if I know why. He shifted in the house. The farmhouse. To crinos.'.

"The management is not responsible for personal belongings left in the building," he says politely, tipping his cap at the gate before resuming his pack back up towards the mansion.

From afar, Alicia sighs. "I'll be over there in a second Nat. Just hang tight for a bit. If he's fucked up right now, he could be a danger out in the open, a veil breech."

"This ain't fucking over." Josh calls out warningly, backing away from the Gate. "Oh hell it ain't over." The Dirty, smelly, blood and alcohol soaked Ahroun turns and heads down the street, away from the mansion.

You paged Alicia with 'Damn straight. If it were up to me, he'd be dead. Do not suffer thy people, and all that. If he's so far gone that he can't control himself anymore, then someone ought to take responsibility. ...I need to go. This is getting out of hand.'.

Alicia pages: I'm a few blocks away. See ya!

Natalie's close enough now that her last words, "...I need to go. This is getting out of hand," are clearly audible. She stops some ten feet from the gate, feet shoulder-width apart and eyes locked on Joshua's retreating form. "What did he want, Tony?" she asks, not looking around.

"His laptop," Tony replies, taking a few steps towards the gate and squinting through the bars as Josh hobbles away.

"It's still here?" She sounds surprised, though her eyes don't leave the Ahroun. "Could you get it, please?" She doesn't wait for a reply, but takes two steps forward to holler, "Joshua!"

Joshua staggers down the street, now a block and a half away from the mansion, looking like hell on legs. And not in the normal Ahroun way. He's dirty, and probably hasn't washed since their rite. His shirt and pants are soaked in spilt beer and whiskey, and more than a little blood. Dark bags hang under his eyes, showing the quality and quantity of the sleep he's been getting. The shirt and pants are on their last run, frayed and on the verge of death as well. He shoves his hands in his pockets, muttering something about getting a drink, wiping sweat off his brow. And if he hears the Galliard from the mansion, he doesn't turn around.

"Sure," Tony replies, taking two steps before stopping. "But I don't know where it is," he adds. "Salem took it away from him like back in December or something."

"Look," she orders tersely, adding a, "Please," as she edges sideways through the door. "Alicia's coming." Then she's running after Josh - not at full speed, but half again as fast as a jog. "Joshua! Wait! ...Laptop!"

Headlights flash as the turn the corner of the street, soon revealing the speedy looking red Mustang with a familiar Child of Gaia behind the wheel. After putting on the high beams into Josh's face before they die off along with the car's engine. Sliding out of the car, she closes the door behind her and then starts over, trench coat fluttering across her body.

Anthony shrugs, and starts up the driveway once again, though he's certainly taking his time about it.

Joshua keeps on staggering forward down the street, only stopping when the head lights flash into his eyes. He brings his dirty arm up to block his eyes, curling his lips back. A moments hesitation, before he clumsily starts running forward, away from the two.

There's nothing clumsy about Natalie's stride; when Josh speeds up so does she, with the practiced ease of an athlete.

As the Walker starts barreling down the sidewalk, Alicia moves off in a quick streak, pushing herself across the street towards the running Ahroun. She throws her arms back, allowing the trench coat to slip off her body, fluttering to the ground behind her. She dives for his legs, hoping to take him across the knees and knock him down.

Anthony, meanwhile, makes it to the mansion, disappearing inside and presumably searching for the computer.

Joshua might be intoxicated, but he's still got some fight left in him. Alicia gets the concrete as he narrowly slips, running himself into the alley way. Finding his way blocked, the confused Ahroun spinning around as he realizes he's trapped. "You... Stay away! Stay away, Damnit!" He shouts panicked down the way, sweat becoming more profuse.

Natalie manages to side step the fallen Gaian, slowing once she's at the mouth of the alley. "Josh," her voice is calm, though not without an underlying tension. She doesn't approach him, but instead remains where she is, blocking his escape. "Tony was wrong about your laptop, Josh. He's going back inside to get it." All very reasonable.

Hitting the street as Joshua manages to slip past her, Ali's hands plant into the ground as she rolls forward, anticipating him to try and leap away. She flips herself over and lands on her feet, rising upwards and making her way into the alley with a growl in her throat, reaching behind her to slip her hand around the handle of her baretta strapped to her. She doesn't pull it though, but her eyes are giving off a feral glow as she advances within. Growling lightly in her throat, she rumbles out. "Josh, what the hell is going on with you?"

"Stay away!" He repeats desperately, glancing around the alley for a door, or other way out. However, aside from a high fire escape, beyond his reach, there is none for the Ahroun. "I didn't do nothin' wrong! Nothin'! Just lemme be!"

Natalie stays behind Alicia, her hands spread wide. "Josh - calm down. You're in no shape, hey?" Though by now - with the moon, Alicia's Rage, Joshua's fear - her attempt at calming may be like throwing a white ball into a blizzard.

"Oh, you did a few things wrong today, but I'm willing to figure out what the hell is wrong with you, before I kick your ass." Alicia says, advancing into the alley, glaring at the Ahroun. "So start talking."

Anthony apparently found something vaguely laptop-shaped in the mansion, keeping it tucked under his arm as he jogs down the driveway and out the gate.

Joshua's hand slips behind his back, reaching for... nothing. He wasn't armed, much to his chagrin. "I... I'm serious! Back off! I... I don't want ta hurt no one, honest!" He eyes the Fire escape, as if considering that seriously as an option... since it was just about his only.

Natalie's tongue clucks against her teeth; she takes a step forward. "Joshua, don't be more of an idiot. Come back with me to the house. We'll find your laptop and then you can go, right? Isn't that what you wanted?"

"I'm not real worried about you hurting anyone, just yourself." Alicia says as she continues to make her way into the alley, eyes shining a bit despite the poor light. "You are all fucked up. You left a mess on the frigg'n bawn Josh. Thats not cool, then you attacked my cousin and got yourself knocked out stupid. Now, I want to know why you think that you can get yourself all fucked up, run around in public housing in Crinos, now go all dumb out here in the streets. You are just screwing yourself in your own ass Josh. You need to calm the fuck down right now, or I'm going to do something painful."

"I didn't fucking touch Dak, I swear! What the hell? Why does everyone think I attacked Dak?!" Yeah, Natalie's calls for calm are probably totally lost on the Ahroun, he looks wild eye between the two, panic not fading. "I... I'll get the bottles out of the den! I swear! Jus... I didn't touch Dak!"

Natalie shakes her head and stops, perhaps ten feet from the mouth of the alley.

"She came home bleeding from her shoulder, Josh!" Snaps Alicia as she tightens one fist, the other still behind her back. "You are so lucky that all you did was give her a flesh wound. So help me God, if you would have hurt her even more than that, or even worse..." She hisses. "I wouldn't even bother talking to you right now." She continues to advance, staring him down with her angry eyes. "Calm the fuck down Josh. Now."

Anthony skids to a stop at the head of the alleyway, pulling the laptop out from under his arm and holding it in both hands. "So that's what you meant by 'Alicia's coming'."

"Me calm down? Shit! You tear outta no where... fuck, can ya let go of the gun already?! What the hell!" He backs up as far as he'll go, eyes now fixed on the hostile Gaian. "Seriously! Back off, please!"

"I'm not backing off until you got your shit together, Josh." Alicia says, advancing on him as her head lowers some, eyes staring directly into his. "You are freaking out and I'm going to protect myself in any means necessary if it comes down to it. So snap out of it and take a deep breath."

Natalie spares Tony enough of her attention to give him a quick flash of teeth, not precisely amusement. Then it's back to the showdown at the end of the alley, taking another pair of steps forward, her hands balling loosely into fists.

"I'm freaking out because you're scarin' the hell outta me!" He snaps back, balling his hands into fists. "Ya tear out of no where then start this shit... 'n now your threan' me witha gun! Back off 'n just lemme alone! Seriously... please!"

"I haven't pulled the gun yet, Josh, and I didn't come tearing out of no where. I got out of my car and you started taking off like a bat out of hell." Alicia says, her voice tense, but still steady. "Now, you got to the count of three.... until you sit your ass down, take a deep breath, and then start explaining your actions. Or.." She trails off, eyes flashing. "You will find out how many black talon bullets I put into this lil bad boy that Roger gave me."

"Sit down, Joshua," Nat seconds, once more attempting to be the voice of reason. "Just /sit down/."

Anthony leaves the admonitions to the women, remaining in the alley's intersection with the laptop, lest he find himself in the fray suddenly.

"Fuck! You come in and all flash'n that shit... how the fuck 'm I supposta calm the fuck down when yer fucking on the war path?!" He stumbles back a step from the Gaian, nearly falling flat on his butt, arm holding himself off the ground. "Jesus. Where that the hell is your problem?"

"You are my problem, Josh. You walked onto the bawn, my bawn, cuz I'm the Grounds Keeper, dug a hole, stuffed your beer bottles down it, went whack in the head, attacked my cousin, and you want me to be calm down? Boy, I am calmed down. I'm as calm as I can get." Alicia says, standing over him as she finally whips out the gun, aiming it at his head, her thumb sliding back to pull the hammer. "Now, sit down now. Two." She says, raising up a brow. Did she skip one? Who cares, you know what comes after two.

Negotiation only goes so far. Nat keeps quiet on this one, just stays ready in case Josh does something stupid and tries to get past her.

Anthony also keeps a ready eye on the situation, sidestepping to try to get a better view of what's happening in front of Alicia.

"Get... that fucking gun out of my face." The Ahroun's hands wander up to hold his head, shaking it as he tries to fight back the impending red-out. In the process, his butt hits the concrete, legs pulling in. "Please... Just... put the thing away." There's almost a pleading tone to his voice, despite the slur.

Click. Alicia drops the hammer back after slipping the safety home and then drops the gun back into her holster. She stands over him, staring at him. "Good boy. So, from the beginning. What is going on? You are drunk off your ass, you are attacking fellow Garou, you are tip toeing on veil breaking, and you are out of control. So, I'm going to give you a full minute to take a few deep breaths, and just get your head together. If I see you even so much as twitch wrong, I'm going to get mad." Her voice is gentle now, finally losing a bit of the edge.

Natalie lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, and begins backing - slowly - toward the street.

"I'll drink if I damn well want to. 'n 'm not drunk!" He snarls back, growing defensive. That last point could probably be debated. "I didn't attack Dak, and I was in the farmhouse... and well aware it ain't allowed there, but Emma was getting really physical, it was full moon, so I slipped. You would've too." He doesn't even bother addressing the other points, by design or otherwise.

As focused as they are on watching the street or dealing with the upset Ahroun, no one notices another set of eyes on the scene. A near-bald, undersized rat squeezes out of a small space and scuttles silently to hide within the trash and darkness.

"No, I wouldn't have slipped, because I would not have drunk myself stupid." Alicia says as calmly as she can. "You did attack Dakota, and I saw the wounds on her. She wouldn't lie to me, so we'll just assume the worst. You slipped twice." She cracks her neck to one side, hissing out a breath. "So what is going on? Stop making up accusations and talk."

"Emma grabbed you because you were falling down drunk," Nat cuts in, pausing at the end of the alley to make a quick check for witnesses. "You came stumbling down the stairs and she wanted to make sure you weren't going to break your neck as well as keep you from running."

Anthony takes a few steps further into the alley towards the interrogation, mostly out of curiosity, judging by the expresson on his face.

"Full moon." Josh answers with a serious edge to his voice. "'s the fucking moon. 'swas big 'n shit, in case you didn' notice. 'n 'll drink if I bloody well want to."

"I don't recall you being of the legal drinking age, Joshua." Alicia says with a smirk. "And if you were smart, you'd realize that drinking on the full moon is stupid. So.. why did you get smashed up for? I want some real answers here Josh."

"Looks clear, Alicia," Natalie reports, giving the street a last look-see. "If you need another set of hands, give me a ring. I'm gonna go back up his trail, make sure he didn't drop anything, then have some nice relaxing coffee. You gonna be all right with him?"

"I'm cool Natalie. Keep the gate open." Alicia says, snagging him by the collar, tugging him up to his feet, staring at him. "We're going inside as well."

Joshua starts to answer the question, when he's yanked up by Alicia. "Please... 'm serious. Stop it. Just... stop it." The Ahroun definitely is pleading with the Gaian, trying to pull back out of her grasp.

"Straight down to the basement," the Walker agrees, giving the Gaian a hard stare. "And he - and you - are out of there by dawn. You do any clean up." With that parting shot she heads back down the street. Hands in pockets, deceptively casual. Yup. Just a little walk before bedtime, honest.

[End of log]