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 front door opens and Nat clomps inside. She's got a different look going today, the Johnny Cash thing. "Oi?" she calls - not loud enough to disturb the second floor, but enough to give the main floor a warning that someone's there - and heads back toward the kitchen.

But someone is already in the kitchen, sitting on the counter with a bowl of french toast crunch in his lap. The ahroun bravely attacks the bowl with his spoon, making loud crunching noises as he devours the milk soaked enemy. He's a lot cleaned up from when Natalie last saw him, casually using the spoon to give the Galliard a wave of a salute as she enters.

Joshua:

Just past his mid-teens, he stands a few inches over five and a half feet tall, slightly taller than other youth his age. Despite this, puberty has really yet to catch up with him in full, with not a wick of facial hair evident on his rather lined and rather featureless face. Dull and dark brown eyes and thin lips sandwich a small nose. His dirty red colored hair is pulled back into a short bob, having not been cut in forever. His frame is well worked and free fat: his shoulders not yet broad but his worked muscle quite evident under his skin. Despite his mostly bland looks and no matter how clean he keeps himself, Joshua has a constant disheveled and almost feral quality about him.

Currently, Joshua is wearing an abused white t-shirt tucked into a battered pair of blue jeans. His feet are clad in a pair of shin high muddy hiking boots, the pair broken in from overuse. Tossed over the t-shirt is a deep blue short sleeve over-shirt, always untucked and hanging open. Hidden under both shirts against his side is a broad leather sheath holding a long steel knife with a wooden handle.

And lo, the Galliard doth come upon the field of battle, wherein the Ahroun hath conquered the Mighty Bowl of Cereal. "Morning, Josh," she agrees, pulling up a chair at the table. "How's things? You're looking a hell of a lot better."

Joshua shrugs, jaw still chewing on the loud and crunch cereal. "Mmm, I am well I suppose." He attempts between bites, ignoring the 'no talking with your mouth full' rule.

Natalie stretches her legs out beneath the table, ankles crossing in front of her. "Good to hear. You talked to Leala yet?"

Crunch crunch chew. Joshua grunt out a 'nuh-huh', throat bobbing as he swallows. "Was out lookin' for Jer last night, so I did not catch her. Just woke up, so I suppose she is out working... where ever it is she works."

"Doing whatever it is she does," Nat agrees sourly, not bothering to hide her expression. "...Well. I just got back from talking to Jeremy, actually. Well, talking to Dakota, but he was there. He's probably still around, though I'd give them an hour or so before I went knocking. What do you need to talk to him about?"

Joshua shakes his head. "Nah, I ran down Jer. And saw Dak. And Sly." The last name is not so much stated as spitted... "Uh... swas looking to see if he knew any metal workers or machinists among kin or Garou in the area. I want to get started on a project, now that I have the time..."

Natalie's lips twitch. All she says, however, is a light and interested, "...Oh? What's the project? I can do a little welding - well, soldering, but the theory's the same."

Joshua smirks. "Thats what I told my uncle, and he laughed for 'bout an hour strait before he told me I still could not touch his Mig welder." Josh shrugs, adding. "Uh... guess it is not much of a secret. 'm Looking to get something about right sized fer Crinos. I figure, wood breaks too easily under the weight, so go metal."

Displeasure flicks across the Galliard's face, but when she speaks, there's no hint of it in her voice. "...Come again? What do you want to make that's right sized for Crinos?"

"Er... A spear?" Josh offers hesitantly, spoon hovering between the bowl and his mouth. He shoves it in after a moment, chewing as he adds. "Er, see, I figure it is not much use having all that training and not being able to use it, ya? 'n lots of Ahroun's have weapons they use in Crinos."

Natalie considers that - or something, anyway - for a few minutes, frowning at the table. "Why a welder, though? You need a shaft of some sort, then a poky bit. Wouldn't you want a blacksmith instead? There's plenty of SCA people around - I'd ask one of them."

Joshua's brow furrows, the youth clearly confused. "Uh, did I say Welder? I meant to say Metal worker 'er Machinist." Josh scrunches his head into his shoulder. "Er, sorry fer not being clear."

Natalie says, "...No, I think you said machinist. I just assumed you wanted a welder." She stretches her arms over her head before dropping them back to her lap. "Anyway. Are you planning on trying to make it a fetish, or do you just want a poky bit of wood - metal," she corrects herself, "To hit people with?"

Joshua coughs a little, choking on his french toast cruch. Using his arm to whipe his mouth, he shakes his head. "Uh... Spirits and I do not get along well. At all. In the least. I was a cub a whole, what 4 weeks before I peeved off Cougar a little. Point bit to poke wyrmy things with until they are... less wyrmy. I figure leave spirits to the Theurges. Safer that way, eh?"

Natalie smirks across the kitchen at him. "Hate to be the one to break this to you, Josh, but you peeved off practically -everyone- you met when you were a cub. Self included. ...I'm pleasantly surprised by you now, actually. You say this is because of Jacinta? Do I need to go buy her something?"

Joshua blushes. A lot. The youth brings the bowl up to his mouth, shoveling in a few spoonfulls to cover his embarrassment. "Jacinta-Rhya's cool." He states into the bowl, as if that was the answer.

Natalie can wait, yes indeed she can. "...Tell me about her," she invites after a moment of cereal-shoveling.

Joshua is throughly red in the face, working hard on the Cereal to try and stall. Seems like he has no such luck, though. "Uh... she's really strong. And really good fighter. And she's really smart. And, uh... she's really good at teaching stuff. And she's really really smart and strong. I think she's kinda cool." That last one seems like the understatement of the year.

Patience is Natalie's middle name. "...And she's a miracle worker, apparently. What happened to you, Josh? All I heard is that Jacinta had you in a cave, and Artemis summoned Cockroach who claimed you nice and firmly. She, by the by, is why I let you in Tuesday night. Cockroach got your foot in the door, so to speak."

Joshua grimaces at the mention of cockroach. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out he counts that on the list of 'spirits pissed off.' "It was, uh... well..." Josh fumbles for words for a moment before abandoning the safety of the bowl. "She showed 'n told me some stuff. That I wasn't right in the head. Uh... 'n spent a few days beating the crap out of me until I pulled out of it." Josh glances to the door real quick, adding even quieter. "I'm kinda glad she did. I wouldn't have admitted how depressed I was getting. But don't tell Alicia rhya that."

"That's Tribe," Nat answers firmly. "What's Tribe stays Tribe. So. This is the new and improved Josh? No more of the 'challenge it if it breathes at you' Joshua?"

"No, it's not. But 'm working on it." Josh mutters into the bowl, slurping down the last of the milk. He looks up from over the brim, swallowing the last bit before he adds, much stronger, "Do not expect me to take crap. 'm not going to let anyone push me around unless it is their right."

Natalie makes a show of settling back into her chair, all nice and non-threatening. "As far as I'm concerned, Josh, I've never given you crap. Granted, I've wandered through the aisles of crap and thought about buying you some, but it wasn't ever worth it. ...That said, have you gotten a new deed name yet? Wolf-Heart is, hmn. Is it you? Have you changed since you got it? Do you want to change, and thus want something to work for?"

Joshua shrugs, hopping off of the counter top. "Wolf-Heart is just what people call me since the full thing is kinda long." He says, matter of fact. "And I kinda hope I change seeing how that was back right after I started being a cub and all..."

"So," the Galliard says simply, "Let's figure out something else. I'm just gonna toss out ideas. I told you once I wasn't that good with names, but maybe we'll think of something that you can work with. Start with the teasing and get those out of the way: Sees the Light. Buys a Clue. Spear-thrower. Hmn... Net-hack?"

"Start calling me Net-Hack and Jeremy will die of laughter." Josh smirks slightly, leaning against the former seat and current counter top. "I told Uncle Walker that I once named a fish 'fish.' I think that sums it up pretty well." The youth shrugs in a kind of 'what can you do?' way.

"At least it's better than 'Angband'," Nat retorts with a grin. "C'mon, Josh, work with me here. So these first ones are stupid - so what? If you just wait for the perfect name to smack you in the forehead, you'll be Wolf-Heart at your memorial service."

Joshua gives one of those 'deep thought' frowns, the youth idly gathering the stray hair back in its proper place behind his head. "Well... what did Cat get named after his rite?" He tries, clearly grasping for inspiration.

No hope there. "Cat is also still running around in his cub name," the Galliard reports. "You'd think this was the LSAT or something."

Joshua blinks, looking up and over to Natalie. "Uh... El-Sat?" He echoes, brow creeping its way up. He quickly adds, "Uh, never mind..." A pause, then. "Name is supposta be representative of who you are or what you want to be, right?"

"Test to get you into law school," Nat explains, nodding to the second question. "In general, yes. It should - ideally - give a clue to who you are to the rest of us. Firewatcher is someone who probably does a lot of thinking, yes? Paints-with-Light gives us Leala's artistic side. Guards-the-Flame protects hearth and home. You see?"

Joshua hmms, thinning in his lip to chew on it idly. Finally, he looks carefully up to Natalie. "I, uh, cannot think of any name that is all Glass Walkery." He offers. "But, uh... I guess I can think about it some more er something?"

Natalie ftts. "That's waiting for it to smack you in the head, Josh. Come on, just toss out ideas. Brain storm."

Joshua keeps chewing on his lip, looking generally pensive. "Er... what about what you said, uh, two days ago that about slowing down 'n thinking?" He offers with another shrug. "Uh, or... I don't know... I mean I haven't done anything that impressive er anything yet."

"Takes-his-time," she offers. "Looks-before-leaping. Hmn... Kicks-Xbox-butt." "--Second-Chance? Second-Thought?"

Joshua shakes his head. "I already know... er, knew, a looks before leaping, and there's a second chance around... Bone Gnawer." A light bulb goes off in his face, but quickly fades. "Er, Nope. Not Walkerish either."

"...What? C'mon, toss it out, Josh. Drives-Under-The-Speed-Limit?"

"Er, I have never driven..." Josh blushes again, trying to return to subject at hand. "Well... something bearish? They are really smart, they just look dumb since they take their time about stuff?"

Natalie says, "...Could do, could do... I suppose Sleeps-all-winter isn't what you had in mind? Huh."

Joshua shrugs. "As I said. 'm not good at this stuff." He offers in responce with a quick sigh.

The Galliard pushes her chair back with a sharp squeak of legs against the floor. "You're not even trying, Josh. I'm not some trained monkey here. I've tossed out a bunch of ideas - silly ideas, granted, but something - and all you've done is say 'Oh, that's not Walker-y enough' or claim you can't do it. Screw that. This is your name. I'll help you with it, but I'll be damned if I'm going to do it for you."

Joshua blinks, the trained monkey reference clearly lost on the youth in the worst sort of way. "Uh. Well... 'swas just saying..." He verbally backpedals, thinning his lips again. "Well, I guess... Something 'bout... my temper. Or... I guess I faught that Vampire the one time all hand to hand 'n all... There's also... Guh, I don't know. Hell, does not feel right, naming myself." One. Two. Three. "White Bear."

Natalie stops her attempt to stand, tilts her head to the side. "White Bear," she repeats, clearly considering the idea. "Well, you're white, that's plain enough. And Polar bears can have a nasty temper on them. So it could fit. You're right, it doesn't have a lot of zing to it. But... it's something to work with. What about bears - Bear - do you, hmn, like best? Their temper? The way they don't have a temper unless it's needed?"

"'n I also 'm not brownish like the other Walkers in wolf." Josh adds, trying to 'explain' his 'creativity'. "Uh... I did not think of the polar bear thing, though... 'though that's kinda cool. I guess I came up with the bear stuff since Dakota says they're smart and so does Jamethon-Rhya and I was trying to think of something like that. And they're strong. Really strong."

"Bear is... wise, yes." She slips to her feet and begins pacing, booted feet clopping quietly. "Strong, wise... good connection to Gaia. Not particularly honorable, perhaps... Eh." Pace, pace, clip-clop. "And as you say, it doesn't... but that might not matter. Hmn. Winter's-Bear? ...Damn, there's some pun, some -connection- niggling at the corner of my mind, but I can't see it."

Joshua is still leaning against the counter, picking up the bowl and ildy fiddling with it the best he can. "Er.... Follows the White Bear... Snoozes at the Caern... the Full Moon formerly known as Keeps the heart of the wolf... the artist formerly known as prince... Thick as a boulder... boulder head... Hunts stuff down..."

Natalie stops just at the kitchen door, one toe tapping lightly behind her. "The Garou formerly known as Keeps the human mind with the heart of the wolf? Symbolina?"

"Huh? Symbolina?" Josh's brown furrows yet again. "Was ist das?"

Natalie turns an impish face toward the Ahroun. "Damn, I feel old. Symbolina is what Prince got dubbed - at home, anyway, since he's our wacko - when he changed his name to that weird symbol. Anyway. Neither here nor there. ...Heart of Winter? Awakening of Spring? Eats lots of fish and berries before bedtime?"

Joshua shrugs. "Before my time." And that doesn't look hard, for something to have been 'before Josh's time'. "Follows the White Bear. Cuz... Polar Bears are strong, And they're smart, and they are also really crummy at running." He looks up and over to Natalie with a look that reads that he throughly expects her to shoot that down.

Natalie doesn't look like she's about to do anything of the sort. Indeed, she looks thoughtfully impressed - definitely the first time the Ahroun's seen that particualr expression in her face where he's concerned. "...Could do, could very well do. Plus it's got a hint of, hmn, connection to _The Matrix_ and the White Rabbit. Follows the Bear of Winter might be more poetic, but it's not quite the same." Her attention sharpens, snaps to study his face. "You like it? Does it feel like you?"

Joshua snorts at the mention of the Matrix. "In that case Cat should be 'Mouse,' if we are going by movies..." At the sudden change in attention, Joshua likewise straiten considerably. "I am thinking... yes, but I am going to wear it around the tribe first... if it starts not feeling like me, then I will know it quick, ya?"

Natalie only shrugs at the suggestion of naming Cat. "Cat's another problem entirely. One thing at a time. So." A sharp nod. "Follows-the-White-Bear. Why don't you try it on for size? Gimme an intro, if you please."

Joshua lifts his chin slightly, setting the bowl back down yet again. "Follows the White Bear, Joshua. Full Moon of the Roach-Wolves." He states clearly, throat bobbing at the end. "Yes? No?"

Natalie doesn't have Salem's trick of lifting a single eyebrow; both of hers jump upwards at the introduction. "...Roach-Wolves? The hell?"

Joshua's brow goes down, so to balance the average eyebrow level. "What? I am still in the tribe. I sure the hell am not Ronin." An icy note with the last.

Natalie shakes her head. "It's not that. Just... what's up with 'Roach-Wolves'? What's wrong with 'Glass Walkers'? If you're going to be one of us, Josh, use the right name, huh?"

Joshua, for his part, blinks a few times as he clears his face. "Oh. Uh. I suppose so..." He half agrees. Josh looks up and over to Natalie again, shrugging.

Natalie takes the half agreement as a full one, her chin jerking up slightly. "Yes. So. Joshua Doyle, called Follows the White Bear, full moon of the Glass Walkers. You like?"

Joshua blinks a few more times, muttering something to himself about 'forgot about that...' before he clears his throat. "Ya. But... I am going to try it around for a bit before I go around as that in the Sept."

Natalie spreads her hands, clearly willing to wait. "Not a problem. Let me know when you decide it fits. I think I'm gonna go for a walk. Can't run in these boots for crap. I'll catch you later, hey?"

Joshua nods, turning to the sink to put the bowl in it, calling back behind him, "Oh, real quick. SCA people? What did you mean by that when you said to ask them about getting the little project started?"

Natalie ohs? and turns back to the kitchen. "I meant you should look into some SCA something or other. They like to dress up and play let's pretend, but some of them have skills to go with it. So, you know, find an SCA blacksmith and tell him you want a spear for your big Viking outfit, and... voila." She flashes him a grin. "You see?"

Joshua turns around from the sink, gesturing wide. "Got it... I have never heard of anyone or anything named 'SCA'. That is a new one on me... I guess... I could try that, if I cannot find something in Sept."

Natalie lets out a short, surprised laugh. "Learn something new... OK. Something for you and Google to talk about, then. Society for Creative Anachronism. And with that, I'm outta here. Don't drink all the orange juice." She touches one finger to her forehead in a vague sort of salute, then heads down the hallway for the door.

Joshua nods, offering a quick waves as he washes turns back to wash out the bowl, then put it in the Drying rack. This accomplished, it's off to the TV to wait some more for Leala...

[End of log]