Currently the moon is in the waxing Crescent Moon phase (28% full).

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.

Obvious exits:
Tower Stairway Elder's Office Front Doors

The Dominion's front door opens wordlessly, admitting the young Get. Natalie's behind it, in Glabro, careful to stay out of sight of the grounds, even as secluded as they are.

Emma steps in and looks around, "Ya know I hate this place. But, I had to come check in on you. Find out what happened." She grins a little, though it is obviously a strained grin. She doesn't want to believe what happened.

Natalie lifts a hand to her injured shoulder, grimaces, then hip checks the door closed. "Joshua and I... took our disagreement to the next level." She heads toward the parlor, gesturing her packmate within. "You want something? OJ? Water? Coffee?"

Emma nods her head, "OJ I guess. So what happened? Why didn't you kick the shit outta him?" she asks with a little bit of disappointment.

Natalie hesitates at the parlor door, but heads down the hallway to the kitchen without saying anything. A few minutes of clattering passes before she returns, a glass of OJ in each hand. "He was faster?" she offers in a grumble made lower by dourness, handing one glass over. "Hell, Emma, I didn't just lie there and let him... whatever." She settles - carefully! - into one of the chair, wincing despite an effort to control them.

Emma nods, taking the glass. "Thanks. Well he is really pissing me off. More than usual. He takes everything, I mean everything as a challenge, then throws down his lame ass terms." She sighs, "I almost killed him the other day. Had we been in the barn and not on the porch, he'd have been dead."

Anthony trudges up the steps from the basement into the kitchen, roots around the cabinets and turns the sink on and off a couple times, then grabs something from the fridge and wanders out through the front hall towards the parlor.

There is a buzzing at the gate. Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

"You're telling me. He about lost it when I told him I knew things Sa - Thomas didn't." The Galliard snorts a laugh, winces again, and settles back in her chair, looking out over the grounds. "Bastard doesn't listen, that's his problem. No matter what you say, he twists it around to mean whatever he wants, and finds insult in it. He shoulda been a blowjob."

Emma blushes at the termanology, but nods. "That's the truth. So, what came out of this fight you had anyway?"

Anthony doesn't quite make it to the parlor, the intercom drawing him and his attention over instead; he cracks open the can of soda and frowns questioningly at the buzzer as he replies. "Yeah, who is it?"

"The bitch. Is Natalie here?" Artemis's voice, of course.

Natalie's about to answer when the intercom buzzes. "...Hell. Tony, that you? You can let her in. ...Please." She's twisted around just far enough to almost see the door out of the corner of one eye. "...Frankly, Emma? I dunno. He was blathering smugly about how this proved I didn't know more than Thomas, blah blah blah. I wasn't listening. I've gotta go back and talk to him, but. Eh. I've got things to do in town first. Maybe later this afternoon."

Emma gives a nod, "Oh lucky you, Ashley is here." She smiles at this, then reaches over to pat the Walkers arm. "Good luck."

"Yeah, she's here," Tony replies, a bit begrudgingly; he unlocks the gate and opens the door for the Fury.

Striding through the door, Artemis gives Tony a quick flash of the teeth, grinning wryly for a moment. "Long time no see, Stands-Around." She says teasingly. She looks to be in a good mood, perhaps due to the time of the month.

Natalie, on the other hand, looks like she's in a rotten mood, made even worse by the arrival of the Fury. She stands slowly enough to hide her stiffness and turns to face out into the hallway. "If you can't be polite to my tribemate, you can leave now," she rumbles. Well hello to you too.

"They're in the parlor, over there; do you want anything to drink?" Anthony asks politely, his gaze drifting uncomfortably to the floor covering.

"No thanks, I'm here on business and thats about it." Artemis says to the male as she makes her way into the parlor, arms crossing over her chest, eyeing Natalie and Emma for a moment. "And I'm being polite, for the record."

Emma nods, "She has a point, she didn't call him something worse." A slight grin presses to her lips as she sits there and sips her OJ.

Natalie crosses her arms over her chest - well, crosses the arm with the uninjured shoulder. She tries with the other one, winces, and has to settle for letting both arms hang and glower. Not nearly the same. "What do you want, Ashley?"

"Artemis." The Fury polietly corrects. "Please, do not call me Ashley. That is the name the humans gave me." She hitches slightly, then eyes Natalie for a moment, critically. "I heard Josh gave you a spanking and he's puffing up his chest about it. You want me to cut his head off for you? I'm itching to use my battle axe."

Natalie's eyes flick to Tony. "What d'you say, Anthony?" Clearly she expects the judgement on the Fury's name to come from him.

"Call her what she wants to be called," Tony replies quietly, starting to drift back towards the kitchen.

"Good call, Shakes-The-Earth." The Fury says with a glower, rumbling in her throat as she squeezes her fists together slightly.

Natalie says, "What an interesting idea." The exchange of proper names earns the pair a nod, then beckons Artemis into the parlor. "Want to sit? Emma and I were just talking about the little twerp."

Emma grins, "I call her Always-on-the-Rag." Seems Emma is looking to goad the Fury a bit, though it's in fun. "But, I'd not recommend you doing that."

"Yer a real comedian, Bites-The-Ankles." Artemis says, smirking over towards Emma slightly, flipping her the bird, good naturedly.

Natalie keeps whatever names she has for the Fury safely under lock and teeth as she seats herself again. "If you want to take offense at his attitude, go right ahead. Don't need my permission to do that."

Anthony changes his mind about his retreat and decides to listen in on the Josh conversation, circling back around and taking a spot near the parlor doorway.

Emma nods. "He is getting out of hand. He called me out on a challenge, just because I offered him a quick brawl in the barn. Toyed at his knife, and so I called him a pussy that couldn't find his claws. Next thing ya know, he calls the terms. Staredown. What the fuck is that?"

"I take offense at most males' attitudes, it's just that his I find intolerable." Artemis says as she sits down in an empty seat, leaning back in a casual, jock like slouch. She listens to Emma for a moment, before letting out a huff. "Then maybe what he needs is a lesson in humility. Perhaps you should start pushing him around, become a real bitch and show him who is top dog around here. Don't let him goad you, you goad him." She grins slightly. "Now that he put a smack on Nat, I'm sure he's going to start thinking he is the shit, maybe even challenge you for tribal elder or some crap. You know what they say about 'bullys'. Soon as they get lucky, they take advantage of it. You don't want him to get too comfortable with his king for a day."

Natalie flicks a magnanimous hand toward the others, not looking back at Tony - if she's even realized he's there. "Pound the snot out of him, sure. Maybe then it'll stop clogging up his brains, but I doubt it. It's too late now for what should've happened. But sure, you two go right ahead and beat him."

Ashley shakes her head. "I can beat him up all day, but that won't make him respect you anymore." She states.

Emma shrugs, "I'd end up killing him, and I don't want Megan's wrath on me. She should deal with the fucker, since she is trying to give him all these chances."

"Then why'd you offer to do it?" Nat all but demands, looking between her two packmates. "You both come in here, offering - hell, threatening! - to take Josh down a peg or four, and when I tell you go right ahead, you both back off? The hell?"

"Oh, I'm not saying I won't do it, Natalie." Artemis says. "Hell, I was going to do that for fun anyways. I'm just saying that if you don't knock his ass out, he won't respect you. He's going to strut around and throw it in your face until you do it." She says.

Emma chuckles, "I did beat his ass. The other day. Only issue is, he considers it a win. So, I am kinda at a loss." She frowns now, "Sucks."

"And it doesn't help if you can't beat him up to begin with," Tony laments, leaning against the door frame and nursing his can of soda thoughtfully.

Natalie drops her eyes and sulks over her juice. Pouty pouty. "Y'know, Tony, that 9mm is looking better and better. I bet Rina or Jer could help out. Plus I'm already in the soup for Megan. How worse can it get? She tosses me out, Leala's elder, Josh is dead... I mean, win win situation."

Ashley snorts. "I don't think the Walkers are going to be in a win, win situation if you are tossed out of the Sept." She says. "You seem to be the only one with a pair of balls around here." She shifts her gaze to Tony. "No offense."

"Huh, I hadn't thought about that. Maybe I'll talk to Jer, see what he's got lying around... and besides, if I end up getting in trouble for killing Josh, no big loss--" He pauses, frowning at Ashley. "None taken," he lies. [Anthony]

Emma nods, "Josh will dig his own grave. Just, we have to put up with him till he does. Can't we do some ritual to him, some brainwashing thing or something?"

Natalie mutters, "Until the end of the month, he's Guardian. Two months after that, he's a damn Walker, with full Walker privs. According to the," she twists the title mockingly, "Sept Alpha. But again: that completely screws over Leala's challenge for Elder. Maybe Megan's just trying to watch us all go boom."

Emma grumbles. "Josh won't make it as a Walker. What, you think he'd come down here? Right. Fucker wouldn't even let me eat spaghetti while I was on the bawn. Calls me urrah. I grew up on a fucking farm!"

Letting out a huff, Artemis thinks for a few moments, then rolls her eyes upwards to the ceiling. "I still think just flat out killing him would solve the problem. Chalk it up to self defense, get yourself a slap on the wrist and go on with it. Garou been killing each other by accident for years."

Natalie shifts her weight away from the others. "Well, I gave it my best shot. Tag."

Ashley snorts. "You did not!" The Fury says, swelling quickly to anger. "You are stronger and more experienced than he is. He just got lucky. Geezus Christ Nat, don't let this get to you. You know you can knock his stupid ass out."

Emma looks to the Fury and gives a rise of her brow, "Easy killer, geezus. It's not like she thinks this is funny ya know. Getting lucky huh? Well, just so you feel better Nat, I blew it too. That staredown... I budged. And as soon as I budged, I frenzied. Not exactly a win on my part either."

"And even if you had won it, he probably would've counted it as a win, anyway." Tony crumples the now-empty pop can.

What is it about the Walkers that makes them so damn sulky, anyway? "Damn straight, Tony. Bastard woulda twisted it in his head so I attacked him, and he would've gotten some damn martyr complex. He's a headcase. Anyway." She turns her entire torso back toward the others. "Stronger than him? Maybe. Haven't gone around comparing gym notes. More experienced? Sure. But he's an Ahroun. And yeah, anyone can get lucky." [Natalie]

"You are a Galliard!" Artemis says, getting louder by the moment, more angry. "You should kick the holy hell out of his fucking face, then brag to everyone in the Sept about it. Make it bigger than it really is, captivate your audience, make it sound like you nearly murdered him. You got to embarrass the hell out of him so he can't open his mouth up or anything. Its what your moon does, you embelish to get the Garou riled up and excited, or depressed out of our minds at times. Don't let him get away with this and then act like he can be top dog over you."

Emma huffs, "Artemis, god, you are making me want to go kill the boy, and ya know, you might get off on that - but I don't. As much as I talk about it, and he bugs me, I can't think of just killing him."

"I don't think getting in a fight over Josh is going to help anything," Tony points out annoyedly.

"I can," Nat delivers flatly, standing again. "'Scuse me."

Ashley huffs. "Then I will kill him and claim it was a Male Malfunction." It seems she finally learned how to turn a television on. "I'm a Fury, and well.. there you go. Maybe I can get him to talk shit about women or something, or have him call me a dyke. It'd be excusable."

"Hell, I'll do it," Tony announces, voice more resolute than before. "All I'd need are a few silver bullets. Self-defense and all that. I already know how to push his buttons."

Emma looks around, "Oh man, why do I have to have a fucking conscience? Some Get I am." She huffs.

Ashley smirks slightly. "We don't need silver to take him out Tony." She said we, didn't she? Planning out a lynching.

Natalie has to laugh, a snort chuff of a thing. "Damn. You realize, don't you, that if Megan finds out about this, we're all in hot water? What is this, murder one? But if it happens - if it happens - and we get caught, I'm not gonna lie about wishing for it. But I'm not gonna broadcast the fact either." She closes her mouth on a thought and studies Tony. "Hey Tony - you hear anything about what's happening with Boris Jr? He didn't show up at the warehouse that night."

Emma shakes her head, "Guys c'mon. He's a fuck up. We don't have to plot this out. It'll happen on it's own eh? Then no one gets caught with anything."

Anthony cracks a smile, a rare expression for him lately, at Ashley's comment. "Oh, uh, not really; I haven't heard anything at all since ... I think the last thing I heard about it was when Jeremy was going to go see if he could find that club what's-his-face was hanging out at." He shrugs, putting the crushed can on the floor. "Well, might as well get it over with now and reduce the chance of something stupid happening before then, I think," he says to Emma.

"He is a fuck up, a fuck up that should not have been made a Cliath. Now that he is an adult and capable of adult decisions and privledges, he could royally fuck things up. What do you want to do? Wait for him to become a Spiral dancer first, or kill him before he becomes one? Does anyone here in the room think he is going to ever wise up and redeem himself, raise your hand?" She pauses for all of a second. "No? I didn't think so. Megan needs to realize that and stop thinking things can solve themselves."

"I hardly think that another two months as a Walker is going to solve anything, Emma," Nat chimes in. "The time to try and fix him was before he was Rited. Not now. Maybe Thomas screwed up pushing him so hard - but if he did, it was because of Megan's decision to Rite 'em or kill 'em. He's a loose cannon. He doesn't have idea one of what Tribe is, or means. Hell, I'm surprised he hasn't decided to start the Tribe of Josh, 'cause I sure as hell don't know of any Tribe that'd take him as he is."

Emma sighs, "Well can't we petition this to Megan, make her see this?"

Ashley shrugs her shoulders. "Give him to the Gnawers. Perhaps the lowest of the low would take him in."

"Good luck with that," Tony says. "The one Gnawer who'd probably wanna take him in's in a body bag."

"...Think about that a minute," Nat suggests. "The Gnawers? For one thing, he hates the city. Period. Hard to be a Gnawer on the bawn. For two - like Tony says, they're currently without an Alpha - or at least, were the other day. So you know that the headcase would decide to elect himself. I don't think there's any of 'em that could take him. So then what do we have? The headcase as Gnawer Elder. That really sound like a good idea?"

Ashley shrugs her shoulders. "Then ship him off to Steel Angel down South, in Los Angeles. Let that blue haired guy deal with him."

Emma shakes her head, "Olga suggested it to him, and he got up in her face. He don't want the Gnawers."

Natalie says, "So. The Gnawers don't want him. Emma? You think the Get'd take him?" She adds wryly, "I'm not even going to ask you, Artemis."

Ashley starts to laugh, loudly at that question. She found it humorous.

Emma laughs aloud, "God, no, I don't think so. But, what do I know about the Get?"

"You know more than the rest of us." The Galliard gestures with her chin toward the others, Fury and Walker. "So. Wendigo? Gaians? They'll take anybody. Shadow Lords, maybe?"

"I don't think there's any tribe here that'd take him... well, maybe the Shadow Lords. Alicia's the elder of the Gaians, isn't she? I don't think she'd approve Josh joining. And the Wendigo... well, Josh has the right attitude but he's still pretty white..." Anthony's phone rings. "Eh, 'scuse me, be right back," he says, walking back towards the kitchen to answer the call.

Emma laughs, "Pretty white. We could tar and feather him, he'd be darker then."

"Wendigo will take no white boy." Artemis says with a chuckle, relaxing somewhat in her chair. "Hell, I'd be willing to take him in... " She pauses for a moment. "Only if he subjects himself to a few... cosmetic changes."

Anthony guffaws from down the hallway, then quickly apologizes to the person on the other end.

Natalie snorts as well. "He'd need a lifetime supply of estrogen. OK. So - anyone else think of a tribe that'd take him? Fianna, maybe? That'd be justice, for you, and no doubt. Megan loves him so much, let her deal with him."

"I don't think you need him to drink more." Artemis says with a grunt. "By the way, Olga asked me for advice last night on something weird that went down in the city and I can't make heads or tails out of it."

"Olga?" Nat returns to her chair, shoving it over so it's facing the others. "Yeah? What? Shoot."

Emma looks up more now, "The thing with the phone?"

Ashley nods her head. "Yup, that thing with the phone. She thinks it may be spirits but I am unconvinced. Spirits, even weaver spirits, don't call broken payphones and then talk to the Garou like that." She pauses. "Its obvious whatever called Olga, knows about us. Supernaturally of course... and that isn't good. Its been on my mind all night and I couldn't sleep."

"...What phone?" Nat demands, looking from face to face. "Someone wanna start at the beginning, here? I can't read minds."

Ashley clears her throat. "The broken payphone at the zoo. It rang and Olga said that someone was on the other end of it. Sounded like a machine voice with lots of buzzing, telling us to stop killing people and leaving dead bodies around."

Emma pipes in, "Thought it was that it said we were being indiscreet. Sounded more like a warning to me, a good warning, like, watch what you're doing."

"I don't suppose it identified itself?" Nat asks the question idly, her attention only half on the conversation. "...That sounds familiar."

Emma shrugs, "Kinda creepy. I think they should get out of the zoo, relocate. That place is no good." She kicks back to lean against her seat, sighing.

"Who should get out of the zoo?" Tony asks, trying to catch up on the conversation.

"That sounds familiar," Nat repeats, shaking her head and immediately regretting it. "Ow. Damn. The Gnawers, Tony. Apparently someone - or something - called at the disconnected pay phone last night. A buzzy - mechanical, I'm guessing?" she looks to Emma for confirmation, "voice told 'em to stop killing people and leaving bodies around. That sounds like something Jeremy told me about. Strong... bad? No, hell, that's not it."

Emma nods, "The way Olga said it, wasn't so much about it being bad we are killing, but that we were being sloppy with the clean up." She shrugs, "I dunno, glad I don't stay there."

Anthony is mostly clueless, offering a not-very-helpful shrug. "No idea. I didn't even know you could call payphones. Not most of them, anyway."

Nat says again, "...Damn. Jer'd know what I'm talking about." She shakes her head again and refocuses on the here and now. "Anyway, there's this... cripes, I dunno. Spirit, maybe. I can't remember what it's called; I'm blanking on the name. But it knows a lot. Everything, maybe. I remember Jer said it sounded like a robot if it called you on the phone."

Emma listens curiously to this, "Good, bad or indifferent kind of spirit?"

Natalie chooses to answer the question in a round-about fashion. "You said yourself it sounded like a good idea: clean up after yourselves. Has there been - has anything happened with the Gnawers, that they'd leave bodies behind? Last thing I know about is the strike on the warehouse, and frankly, I have no idea what sort of mess we left behind, if any."

Emma nods, "When that new cub got cubnapped. She was discovered after she Firsted and took out a couple of kids down in the shady parts of town. Olga said she didn't do much to clean up because getting the kid outta there was her first priority."

"Which new cub is this? I didn't know the Gnawers had a new cub. You mean that Joey?"

Emma nods. "Think so. And I guess she is not a Gnawer yet, but, I keep thinking of her as one." She shrugs.

"That's the only really big mess in the city lately that I know about," Tony agrees.

Natalie says, "Well, if this... hell, I'm gonna call it Bob, even though I know that's not it. If this 'Bob' was mad at Havoc for the warehouse, it woulda called one of us. So. Olga's mess must be what it's referring to. How are the Gnawers taking it?"

"I've only heard Olga mention it, it was last night. To Helen and Signe. So Signe knows about it too." Emma fusses with a hangnail, then drops her hand back to her lap.

Anthony's expression goes from thoughtful to mildly worried. "You know, I hate to bring this conversation back around to you-know-who, but he told me he's planning on coming to the city and killing some gang members for being partially responsible for Craig's death, and you know how trying to reason with him is," he says. "I'm hoping Bob isn't the vindictive sort..."

Natalie considers over the last of her juice. "Well. Headcase is not allowed off the bawn for now. After that, he's the Walkers' responsibility, and if he screws up that bad, we can do what we want with him. I dunno how vindictive Bob is, but I'll check with Jer, and maybe go talk to Olga too. Emma, will you tell Signe that I have an idea about Bob, so she doesn't get her shorts in a knot?"

Emma gives a nod, "Yah that's cool. I should get going anyway, thanks for the OJ." She grins and sets the glass down. "Take care of yourself guys, alright?"

Natalie says, "Did I mention he's a loose cannon? Thanks for the warning, Tony. You want someone to see you out, Emma?"

Emma thinks about it, "Uh, nah I'll be good. I'll see ya around guys." That said she begins her way out.

"That's the one good thing about getting Josh mad," Tony says thoughtfully. "When he's mad, he gets talky. Bye, Emma. I'm going to get back to work. Just a few more things to do and I'll be done, finally."

Natalie collects the glasses and grins over at Tony. "Yeah? Sweet. You need any help testing pressure or anything, give me a holler. I'm gonna go sit in the greenhouse, I think. S'better than a sauna."

[End of log]