[Wendy Berber]
oh.. I wasn't -I didn't mean to um -*She's taken aback that he's bartering with as to whether he goes out or not. She hadn't meant to be that bold. When she realizes he's not putting her in her place, she tilts her head and peers at him through cat eyes glasses. Marcus?* oh. um. okay. F-from the bookstore?
[Boy]
"Yeah. Two Ravens. He's...sort of a friend. My first friend here in Chicago really. See, its against my custom to accept gifts if i don't have something of equal value to give in return. But Marcus, he's been nothing but kind to me. And it would be even more rude not to accept. So I sort of...broke my own custom. But only temporarily. What do you think?"
[Wendy Berber]
I've m-met Mr. Marcus. he.. he walked me home.. when there were rats. In the attic. And I stayed with um, Ms. maija. *she nods, nibbling her lip. *wh-what would he like?
[Boy]
"Mm. He's a half moon, like me. And the book he gave me was the collected works of Zhuangzi. So I think he'd be into philosophy, ethics, that kind of stuff. Only...I'm worried. What if I get him something he's read already?"
[Wendy Berber]
I c-can help with that..James's oddities. rare and used books. Wh-where i work. rare books.
[Boy]
"Excellent. Mm...Hmm."
He seems to think of something, considering Wendy for a while, but says nothing. He just stuffs his mouth once again.
"Yeah--Mm...That sounds good."
[Wendy Berber]
*She tilts her head, watching him back timidly, before nodding.* Um.. okay. I still have k-keys.. We can g-go now.. or tommorrow when its o-open.
[Boy]
Sluuuuurp! The last of the pasta gets slurped into his mouth and he chews while he thinks.
"Mm...I guess...No. You've already moved everything out, right? Better not risk going now. You could get in trouble. No, I've waited this long. I can wait until tomorrow."
[Wendy Berber]
Kay.. and, um. yup. Everythings here now.. except.. *she nibbles her lip.* Boy.. whens d-does marrick move in?
[Boy]
For whatever reason he didn't respond to that question, not for a long time. But she could see the wheels in his head turning, along with the his gaze that wandered from her to a blank spot on the ground. He seemed very thoughtful. Lost in thought in fact, until he blinked slowly and said "I don't know. I'll have to talk to her."
[Wendy Berber]
oh. kay. S-sorry..*she takes his plate and flees into the kitchen. Maybe marrick wasn't moving in anymore? Because of the problems with Alex? Could this be her fault somehow? she sure hoped not.*
[Boy]
For a while he's still standing there, thinking. Even after he's had his plate taken away. A moment later he's joining her in the kitchen, quiet as she washes. Staying far. And then eventually.
"Are you afraid of her?"
[Wendy Berber]
*She swallows, staring intently at the plate she's scrubbing. A shrug of shoulders as she considers.*Of c-course. um.. she's s-supposed to d-do that.. though. *She answers, to the cutlery.*
[Boy]
He doesn't really know what to say to that. She was right. As much as she didn't want her to be.
"Courage..." He said, but softly. So softly Wendy might wonder if he was really talking to her.
"Courage is action in the face of adversity. In the face of fear. In the face of pain. Do you know how I got hurt, Wendy? No, that's not what I'm asking. I told you how I got hurt. But do you know why I got hurt?"
[Wendy Berber]
*Wendy turns her chin slightly, facing him, eyes worried. She shakes her head. Hazarding a guess didn't seem right at the moment.* Wh-Why?
[Boy]
"I got hurt because...because it was the right thing to do. Marrick and Dietrich, two warriors, couldn't make a dent in that monster. They couldn't strip it of armor because it was armor. They couldn't find a weak spot because it meant opening themselves up to attack. I found it. I took a risk. I climbed the giant and clawed at its eyes, knowing that I'd gotten too close. It was only too easy for it to squash me. But I showed that it could be hurt. It had to be done."
He sighs, and to her turned back he touched at his the bruised side of his face. "Monsters...like the ones that hurt you, and the ones that hurt me...do the the things they do because they can. Because they want to. We do the things we do because we have to. Because its our duty. Because someone has to stand up for the defenseless ones, even if it means taking on their pain. And we endure....because it's too easy to just say "I can't" or "I'm too weak." We endure...."
He takes a breath, lets it go, lets it clear his head from the cloud of wondering that he was obviously speaking from.
"I don't expect it to be overnight. And...I don't want to sound cruel. But if you'll be staying with us you'll have to learn to act, in spite of your fear. In spite of your pain. You will have to endure."
[Wendy Berber]
*And she looks at him a moment like she's been slapped in the face. Shamed. Cheeks blossoming crimson as she looks down and bobs her head in a submissive nod. Fear spiking the air. It hadn't been a metal monster that had tossed her around like a rag doll. It had been a garou displeased with her performance. And now so too was Boy. Boy her mate. She nods her head a second time.* Y-yessir.
[Boy]
"No."
He takes a step forward.
"Look at me."
[Wendy Berber]
*She does so, eyes swimming with tears through her glasses. She doesn't flinch so much as twitch in place as he steps towards her.*
[Boy]
"Good. Better. Do you understand. You are kin. You are my mate. You are sister to the Ahroun Elder of Chicago's Caern. You. Are. Worthy."
Another step forward.
"Now I want you to promise me that you will try and remember. I don't want you to submit. I need you Wendy. But I need you to be able to act. In spite of your pain. In spite of your fear. I need you to endure these things, and still act. Can you do that?"
[Wendy Berber]
*Its her first instinct to simply mindlessly acquiesce. To agree without thought, to simply obey an order and live another day. And so ingrained is that response that she begins to nod, before stopping herself. Her lips purse together, eyes struggling to stay on Boys. Wendy swallows hard, and stutters..* I.. I wil t-try. *No mindless promises to be a good and obedient little kin.. but honesty.*
[Boy]
And that elicits an equally honest smile, where once his face was serious. That, it seems, was the right answer.
Cautiously he takes two more steps and is right against her, mere inches apart, and his arms come up and around her, pulling their bodies close together.
"Its okay" he whispers. "Its okay to cry. That's nothing to be ashamed of."
[Wendy Berber]
*She tenses, then dissolves, all 6 feet of twiggy body, hugging him and crying quietly into his shoulder. She'd thought.. she didn't know what she'd thought. That maybe she wasn't going to be staying after all? Perhaps. It doesn't matter She is, and she's going to try her best to keep it that way.*
[Boy]
"Shhhhhhhhhh..." he says, and his hold her wait, and rocker her slowly side to side, as if he's done this before. His lips root through her hair and he lays a kiss as close to her scalp as he can.
"Its okay. It'll be hard, I know. But you can do it. I know you can."
And when she's quiet enough he draws back to look at her.
"Do you still feel like going out?"
[Wendy Berber]
*She nods, sniffing and leaning back from him. Reluctant? maybe. And that in itself was strange.*
[Boy]
"Maybe you want to get washed up first."
And then, as if he'd forgotten, he wipes a bit of spaghetti sauce from his mouth.
"Mm...Sorry about that. Food was great though."
[Wendy Berber]
I can make spaghetti. *She nods, as though that were where her culinary expertise ended. Go get washed up? Well..maybe she smelled. She definitely had spaghetti sauce in her hair now. So she nods and heads upstairs towards the bathroom* Ok. um.. Do you need to sh-shower?
[Marrick Fisher]
Speak of the devil and she does appear.
Marrick had come to the front door of the house; her nights at gaia-knew-where were getting longer and more erratic. When she came to the front door, she smelled like the docks. Well, today she smelled like the docks. yesterday she smelled like cut grass. The day before? She smelled like triumph and blood-
She hadn't gone into work that day. It was a good day.
The Fury dug through her pockets to find her key, only to realize that she had left it inside.
So, she knocked.
[Boy]
"I will. In a while."
He'd followed her as far as the foot of the stairs, watching as she headed up and smiling pleasantly, even with the massive bruise over one complete half of his face.
There's a knock at the door. Boy is the one who opens it. His half bruised face smiles, sort of relieved.
"Just in time. I think there's spaghetti left over."
[Marrick Fisher]
"Oh, kickass," she said. The Fury stepped into the house and took the moment to shut the door behind her. She kicked her shoes off on the doorstep as the did in hopes of not tracking dirt or mud or the city throughout their new house. She shot Boy a slight grin.
"Got anything that needs fixin'? Gonna go camp Home Depot tomorrow so I can pick up some crap while I'm there."
[Wendy Berber]
*She dissappears up the stairs, leaving Boy and Marrick to contend with one another. HER skinny ass was going to use the shower they'd finally gotten working.*
[Boy]
"Oh! Two Ravens came over. He helped with the wiring and the plumbing, but we're still gonna have to have an electrician come in and certify it, I think. We do need light fixtures though."
As he passed he considered Wendy's skinny, retreating figure, but continues into the kitchen.
"Oh, And...we didn't wallpaper your room. Don't know what you'd want. Did you know Wendy makes wallpaper? She makes t-shirts too!"
[Wendy Berber]
*Water turns on, the sounds of showering happening from upstairs.*
[Marrick Fisher]
"Wendy makes wallpaper?"
she paused for a moment, perking up and looking at him for a moment. She seemed to pause and reflect on this for the time being. The Fury was heading off to the kitchen, as that her stomach was making protests.
"She should do my bathroom, I would totally pay her. I didn't know she was all artistic and stuff."
[Wendy Berber]
*There's a spluttering, then simultaneously a loud metallic groan and a strange gurgling SCREECH from the upstairs bathroom. Like someone curb stomping a murloc.*
[Boy]
"Yeah, me either. But I came downstairs and there she was. So what, Bunnies? Flames? Flaming bunn-"
His eyes shoot upwards. More attacking metal? No, this was something else.
"Ugh...that sounds like a safety code violation right there."
And with his eyes watching the ceiling as if, any minute now, he'd be able to see through walls, he started walking toward the steps.
[Wendy Berber]
*There's stills spluttering and squeaking, perhaps it was a metal attack, as Wendy sure sounds like she's battling something up there.*
[Marrick Fisher]
Marrick took a moment, and her stomach turned. The Fury tensed, looking up at the ceiling and feeling a shuddering breath. The Fury then started to head up the stairs.
"Oh god oh god, please don't let the ceiling cave or the pipes burst or-"
a break
"Hey, where's the emergency shut off?"
[Boy]
"Shit. The basement. I'll get it."
Since she was already headed up the stairs, he turned and headed down to the basement.
[Wendy Berber]
Blebbity! Bleck bleh! GAH!
[Marrick Fisher]
She headed up the stairs, and then knocked on the bathroom door. Marrick felt her stomach turn, and the Fury closed her eyes tightly.
"Weeeendyyyyy, that shower doesn't sound riii-iiiiight."
[Wendy Berber]
Bleble-Gleck-NO-its-ptoo-*
[Boy]
Boy knew exactly where the shut off valve was. He'd found it earlier that day, actually. A minute or so later the water flow wanes and dies off to nothing.
[Marrick Fisher]
Marrick stayed outside in the silence.
"Do you wanna towel?"
[Boy]
They could hear probably hear him trudging up the basement stairs after that. They could definitely hear him stomping up the stairs to the second floor. When he gets there he looks worried, almost panicked.
"Is she okay? Everything alright?"
[Wendy Berber]
I'm o-okay..and um.. yeah.. I'm sorry.. can.. *An ambarrassed pause.* can s-someone come help me..up?
[Marrick Fisher]
"I'll do it!" The Fury said.
And, with that, she headed into the bathroom with her eyes down and just approaching the whole situation like it was something in the locker room.
Potentially naked Wendy? Pfft!
[Boy]
Someone? Who was someone. It might as well have been both of them. And suddenly it was. When Marrick enters, Boy juts his head in through the open door.
"Wendy? You okay?"
[Wendy Berber]
*Sorta naked... She's orangey brown and covered in clumps of something, wrapped in a torn shower curtain with her knees hooked over the side of the tub. Unable to move due to the shower curtain wrapping her up like a cigar* um..I'm.. going to n-need a tet-tetnus shot. .. I PTOO.. I think. *She spits out some ..hair?*
[Wendy Berber]
*Hard to tell she's blushing furiously, given she looks like she's made out of rust.*
[Marrick Fisher]
She looked at Wend, and then reached down to help Wendy out of the tub. She was as easy with her as she could be, but it wasn't quite doing any good. Marrick looked at her for a moment, with all those clumps of brown and orangish stuff and.. was that a clump of... hair?
The Fury almost turned green for a minute, but she shook her head.
"Oh, dude, that's... Maybe we should hose you off in the kitchen or something."
[Boy]
His brows furrow at all the orange and brown, and the hair.
"Ugh...must be a...a clog or something? Something we knocked loose today. Oh, I'm sorry Wendy. It was working fine earlier, I swear."
[Marrick Fisher]
"... please tell me that's your hair, Wendy."
[Wendy Berber]
*She's hauled to her feet by the arm Not stuck inside the shower curtain, *It.. Its ok.. *She's ducked her head. There's not quite enough shower curtain for her to be entirely covered, 6 feet tall and all, her shoulder poking out, scars and all. * I.. yeah.. m-maybe.. just.. in the kitchen.. *she crinkles as she heads towards the stairs wrapped in plastic.*
[Wendy Berber]
*Wendy looks over her shoulder and grimaces. Shaking her head. Squinting without her specs on. Nope. Not her hair.*
[Marrick Fisher]
(Stamina: don't puke)
[Marrick Fisher]
Marrick Fisher doesn't eat enough to be able to throw up. She does, however, turn a shade paler, make a slightly unhappy sound, and turned to look at the toilet longingly.
[Boy]
He grimaces at Wendy as she shuffles out, and at Marrick as she ponders the toilet. In the end Boy just shakes his head and helps Wendy down the stairs. How were they going to wash her off in the kitchen? Hmm. There was a hose out back, wasn't there?
[Wendy Berber]
S.sorry..*she calls over her shoulder at Marrick, crinkling down the steps unsteadily. She goes to bite her lip and gets a mouthful of rust, grimacing.* w-well..we have lots of.. um.. wah-water.. *Water dribbles off her head and down her face as she shrugs at Boy.*
[Boy]
"Yeah. I'm sorry Wendy. I'll fix this."
And at once she's safely at the bottom of the steps.
"Do you always shower with your glasses on?"
[Wendy Berber]
(her glasses are off) *laughs*))
[Boy]
Well in that case, SCRATCH!
[Wendy Berber]
Just..just an old clog..everythings w-working ok now.. it just.. got me. *She sighs.*.. do we have.. a hose?
[Marrick Fisher]
Marrick eventually came down the stairs, having decided that she did not want to revisit her breakfast that badly so she would live. The Fury pushed up the sleeves on her shirt and waited for instructions.
[Boy]
"Yeah, just outside the back door."
He glanced in the direction of the back door, and at Wendy, naked except for her new plastic wrapping. And then he looked to Marrick, considering for a moment.
"Maybe you'd like Marrick to help you? Y'know, another girl and all."
[Wendy Berber]
..I can.. hrm. *She sets that canny mind to working on a way to save her the humiliation of being naked. Some sort of ..nope.. Maybe she could attacke the curtain and then spin really..nope. She hangs her head.* ..crap.... ok.
[Marrick Fisher]
"Think 'bout it like a shower in gym class. 'cept your outside."
She nodded, as if this would help. Bless her heart, Marrick tried.
[Boy]
For whatever reason he was pleased with himself for having suggested this. Before letting the two of them go however, he squared Wendy in his vision and raised her chin slightly so he could look her in the eye.
And that face was serious again. Steady. Eerily calm.
"I'll go see about this clog then. You two have fun."
[Wendy Berber]
*Ah gym class.. Wendy revisits horrors in her head, wincing and crinkling her way out the back door. Marrick was probably really good at gym. She waddles over to the hose.*
[Wendy Berber]
*A swallow at boy's touch and look. She presses her lips together and waits to be hosed down.*
[Marrick Fisher]
Marrick headed on over to the water hose, turning it on at the base. She was still wearing her work boots. She still smelled like the docks and sunshine. The Fury took the water hose and got to watering Wendy like she was a pot of begonias.
"... dirt back home is this color," she says. As if this was the best conversation that she could come up with.
[Wendy Berber]
*She looks at the rust puddling around her feet in the grass, orange skin giving way to blushing pink.* ..Ok.. oklahoma.. or Arizona? *She asks. Yes. She apparently knows where that color of dirt must come from. Academics giving her something to think of aside from being naked, in public, getting doused in cold water by a fearsome black fury ahroun. If there was such a thing as Kinfolk Hazing, this would be it.*
[Marrick Fisher]
"Oklahoma," she said. "Ain't ever been 'tArizona though."
The capital was Phoenix. That was all she knew. Marrick just hosed Wendy off, looking as non-nonchalant as she possibly could. The nudity didn't bother her, not in the least bit. She didn't flinch, she didn't look away, and she wasn't entirely bothered by any of this. One would think this was the most normal thing on earth the way Marrick was acting.
"Where're you from?"
[Wendy Berber]
Maine.. *She says, picking a strand of slimey "not her hair" off of her hip. She's just as skinny as she looks, all bone and pale skin, with little in the way of fat or muscle to soften all her jarring angles. And then there's the scars, claw marks on one of her thighs, and the distinct pattern of teeth over her left shoulder, like a garou cousin snatched her and shook her like a ragdoll while she lay on her stomach. She pushes rust off small breasts with a huff.*... s-sorry. for this.
[Marrick Fisher]
"Shit happens," she said with a shrug.
Marrick looked at Wendy for a moment, and for the moment she didn't seem upset. She didn't seem critical, and she didn't seem judgmental of her scars. or anything to that effect. She looked at them with the same kind of interest that she looked at her own- they were battle scars. Pure and simple. Proof that Wendy had it in her to survive, that she could endure the worst of things.
Silence.
"What's the ocean like?"
[Wendy Berber]
Big. Cold. Full of j-jelly fish. And other fish. .. I'm.. a big fan of fish. *She's washing the sludge out of her hair now. Scrubbing rust out of thick black hair. She's beet red, but trying hard not to show how furiously shy she is standing naked in the backyard.* ... Hows.. oklahoma.. ?
[Marrick Fisher]
"You can taste the wind," she said. "You can see for miles, an' sometimes there's just an ocean of grass. Waves and falls an' whatev'. Real flat, too... grass dies in summer, though. None of this sixty degree bullshit in June."
She put her thumb over the nozzle, making the stream of water a little more forceful and, instead, she was trying to hose off a particularly stubborn clump of rust stuck to Wendy.
[Wendy Berber]
*She leans her head into the spray, rubbing the rust out of her hair., and lifting her face to tell Marrick she thinks she's alright for rust now..only to eat spray.* bleg-gah-gleck-St-STop! *She fends the water off with her hands then stumbles back and out of the way, laughing suddenly, hand still up.* I'm good! I'm g-good! Clean now. Thank you.
[Marrick Fisher]
"You're still pink- You're, like, stained-" she used it as an excuse to hose Wendy down from top to bottom once over, and then she dropped the hose. The fury couldn't help but laugh a little at this when she went tog go turn the water off.
"'sides, no problem. You couldn't go on all rusty an' shit."
[Wendy Berber]
*A squeak as she tries to fend off the water with bony appendages. She's pink alright, blushing as she moves towards the door. There were towels in the laundry room. It wasn't too much of a streak to risk.* Th-thanks. .. *she looks down at the curtain.* I'll.. get a new one... tomorrow after w-work.
[Marrick Fisher]
"It's no big, s'just a shower curtain," she said.
With that, the Fury started to head inside. She dropped her wook boots off by the door, and with that she was starting to head on up to her room. She walked as though she were a six foot tall man. Like she was a lumberjack and not a track star.
"Get some rest, Wendy, I'll see ya in the morning."
[Wendy Berber]
N-night. *She says, ducking into the laundry room, grateful for having done laundry before dinner. And wrapped in a towel, she slipped towards her shared room, to put on a t-shirt and sweats. She'd fall asleep on the bed, listening to Boy regale his ghosts with stories.*
oh.. I wasn't -I didn't mean to um -*She's taken aback that he's bartering with as to whether he goes out or not. She hadn't meant to be that bold. When she realizes he's not putting her in her place, she tilts her head and peers at him through cat eyes glasses. Marcus?* oh. um. okay. F-from the bookstore?
[Boy]
"Yeah. Two Ravens. He's...sort of a friend. My first friend here in Chicago really. See, its against my custom to accept gifts if i don't have something of equal value to give in return. But Marcus, he's been nothing but kind to me. And it would be even more rude not to accept. So I sort of...broke my own custom. But only temporarily. What do you think?"
[Wendy Berber]
I've m-met Mr. Marcus. he.. he walked me home.. when there were rats. In the attic. And I stayed with um, Ms. maija. *she nods, nibbling her lip. *wh-what would he like?
[Boy]
"Mm. He's a half moon, like me. And the book he gave me was the collected works of Zhuangzi. So I think he'd be into philosophy, ethics, that kind of stuff. Only...I'm worried. What if I get him something he's read already?"
[Wendy Berber]
I c-can help with that..James's oddities. rare and used books. Wh-where i work. rare books.
[Boy]
"Excellent. Mm...Hmm."
He seems to think of something, considering Wendy for a while, but says nothing. He just stuffs his mouth once again.
"Yeah--Mm...That sounds good."
[Wendy Berber]
*She tilts her head, watching him back timidly, before nodding.* Um.. okay. I still have k-keys.. We can g-go now.. or tommorrow when its o-open.
[Boy]
Sluuuuurp! The last of the pasta gets slurped into his mouth and he chews while he thinks.
"Mm...I guess...No. You've already moved everything out, right? Better not risk going now. You could get in trouble. No, I've waited this long. I can wait until tomorrow."
[Wendy Berber]
Kay.. and, um. yup. Everythings here now.. except.. *she nibbles her lip.* Boy.. whens d-does marrick move in?
[Boy]
For whatever reason he didn't respond to that question, not for a long time. But she could see the wheels in his head turning, along with the his gaze that wandered from her to a blank spot on the ground. He seemed very thoughtful. Lost in thought in fact, until he blinked slowly and said "I don't know. I'll have to talk to her."
[Wendy Berber]
oh. kay. S-sorry..*she takes his plate and flees into the kitchen. Maybe marrick wasn't moving in anymore? Because of the problems with Alex? Could this be her fault somehow? she sure hoped not.*
[Boy]
For a while he's still standing there, thinking. Even after he's had his plate taken away. A moment later he's joining her in the kitchen, quiet as she washes. Staying far. And then eventually.
"Are you afraid of her?"
[Wendy Berber]
*She swallows, staring intently at the plate she's scrubbing. A shrug of shoulders as she considers.*Of c-course. um.. she's s-supposed to d-do that.. though. *She answers, to the cutlery.*
[Boy]
He doesn't really know what to say to that. She was right. As much as she didn't want her to be.
"Courage..." He said, but softly. So softly Wendy might wonder if he was really talking to her.
"Courage is action in the face of adversity. In the face of fear. In the face of pain. Do you know how I got hurt, Wendy? No, that's not what I'm asking. I told you how I got hurt. But do you know why I got hurt?"
[Wendy Berber]
*Wendy turns her chin slightly, facing him, eyes worried. She shakes her head. Hazarding a guess didn't seem right at the moment.* Wh-Why?
[Boy]
"I got hurt because...because it was the right thing to do. Marrick and Dietrich, two warriors, couldn't make a dent in that monster. They couldn't strip it of armor because it was armor. They couldn't find a weak spot because it meant opening themselves up to attack. I found it. I took a risk. I climbed the giant and clawed at its eyes, knowing that I'd gotten too close. It was only too easy for it to squash me. But I showed that it could be hurt. It had to be done."
He sighs, and to her turned back he touched at his the bruised side of his face. "Monsters...like the ones that hurt you, and the ones that hurt me...do the the things they do because they can. Because they want to. We do the things we do because we have to. Because its our duty. Because someone has to stand up for the defenseless ones, even if it means taking on their pain. And we endure....because it's too easy to just say "I can't" or "I'm too weak." We endure...."
He takes a breath, lets it go, lets it clear his head from the cloud of wondering that he was obviously speaking from.
"I don't expect it to be overnight. And...I don't want to sound cruel. But if you'll be staying with us you'll have to learn to act, in spite of your fear. In spite of your pain. You will have to endure."
[Wendy Berber]
*And she looks at him a moment like she's been slapped in the face. Shamed. Cheeks blossoming crimson as she looks down and bobs her head in a submissive nod. Fear spiking the air. It hadn't been a metal monster that had tossed her around like a rag doll. It had been a garou displeased with her performance. And now so too was Boy. Boy her mate. She nods her head a second time.* Y-yessir.
[Boy]
"No."
He takes a step forward.
"Look at me."
[Wendy Berber]
*She does so, eyes swimming with tears through her glasses. She doesn't flinch so much as twitch in place as he steps towards her.*
[Boy]
"Good. Better. Do you understand. You are kin. You are my mate. You are sister to the Ahroun Elder of Chicago's Caern. You. Are. Worthy."
Another step forward.
"Now I want you to promise me that you will try and remember. I don't want you to submit. I need you Wendy. But I need you to be able to act. In spite of your pain. In spite of your fear. I need you to endure these things, and still act. Can you do that?"
[Wendy Berber]
*Its her first instinct to simply mindlessly acquiesce. To agree without thought, to simply obey an order and live another day. And so ingrained is that response that she begins to nod, before stopping herself. Her lips purse together, eyes struggling to stay on Boys. Wendy swallows hard, and stutters..* I.. I wil t-try. *No mindless promises to be a good and obedient little kin.. but honesty.*
[Boy]
And that elicits an equally honest smile, where once his face was serious. That, it seems, was the right answer.
Cautiously he takes two more steps and is right against her, mere inches apart, and his arms come up and around her, pulling their bodies close together.
"Its okay" he whispers. "Its okay to cry. That's nothing to be ashamed of."
[Wendy Berber]
*She tenses, then dissolves, all 6 feet of twiggy body, hugging him and crying quietly into his shoulder. She'd thought.. she didn't know what she'd thought. That maybe she wasn't going to be staying after all? Perhaps. It doesn't matter She is, and she's going to try her best to keep it that way.*
[Boy]
"Shhhhhhhhhh..." he says, and his hold her wait, and rocker her slowly side to side, as if he's done this before. His lips root through her hair and he lays a kiss as close to her scalp as he can.
"Its okay. It'll be hard, I know. But you can do it. I know you can."
And when she's quiet enough he draws back to look at her.
"Do you still feel like going out?"
[Wendy Berber]
*She nods, sniffing and leaning back from him. Reluctant? maybe. And that in itself was strange.*
[Boy]
"Maybe you want to get washed up first."
And then, as if he'd forgotten, he wipes a bit of spaghetti sauce from his mouth.
"Mm...Sorry about that. Food was great though."
[Wendy Berber]
I can make spaghetti. *She nods, as though that were where her culinary expertise ended. Go get washed up? Well..maybe she smelled. She definitely had spaghetti sauce in her hair now. So she nods and heads upstairs towards the bathroom* Ok. um.. Do you need to sh-shower?
[Marrick Fisher]
Speak of the devil and she does appear.
Marrick had come to the front door of the house; her nights at gaia-knew-where were getting longer and more erratic. When she came to the front door, she smelled like the docks. Well, today she smelled like the docks. yesterday she smelled like cut grass. The day before? She smelled like triumph and blood-
She hadn't gone into work that day. It was a good day.
The Fury dug through her pockets to find her key, only to realize that she had left it inside.
So, she knocked.
[Boy]
"I will. In a while."
He'd followed her as far as the foot of the stairs, watching as she headed up and smiling pleasantly, even with the massive bruise over one complete half of his face.
There's a knock at the door. Boy is the one who opens it. His half bruised face smiles, sort of relieved.
"Just in time. I think there's spaghetti left over."
[Marrick Fisher]
"Oh, kickass," she said. The Fury stepped into the house and took the moment to shut the door behind her. She kicked her shoes off on the doorstep as the did in hopes of not tracking dirt or mud or the city throughout their new house. She shot Boy a slight grin.
"Got anything that needs fixin'? Gonna go camp Home Depot tomorrow so I can pick up some crap while I'm there."
[Wendy Berber]
*She dissappears up the stairs, leaving Boy and Marrick to contend with one another. HER skinny ass was going to use the shower they'd finally gotten working.*
[Boy]
"Oh! Two Ravens came over. He helped with the wiring and the plumbing, but we're still gonna have to have an electrician come in and certify it, I think. We do need light fixtures though."
As he passed he considered Wendy's skinny, retreating figure, but continues into the kitchen.
"Oh, And...we didn't wallpaper your room. Don't know what you'd want. Did you know Wendy makes wallpaper? She makes t-shirts too!"
[Wendy Berber]
*Water turns on, the sounds of showering happening from upstairs.*
[Marrick Fisher]
"Wendy makes wallpaper?"
she paused for a moment, perking up and looking at him for a moment. She seemed to pause and reflect on this for the time being. The Fury was heading off to the kitchen, as that her stomach was making protests.
"She should do my bathroom, I would totally pay her. I didn't know she was all artistic and stuff."
[Wendy Berber]
*There's a spluttering, then simultaneously a loud metallic groan and a strange gurgling SCREECH from the upstairs bathroom. Like someone curb stomping a murloc.*
[Boy]
"Yeah, me either. But I came downstairs and there she was. So what, Bunnies? Flames? Flaming bunn-"
His eyes shoot upwards. More attacking metal? No, this was something else.
"Ugh...that sounds like a safety code violation right there."
And with his eyes watching the ceiling as if, any minute now, he'd be able to see through walls, he started walking toward the steps.
[Wendy Berber]
*There's stills spluttering and squeaking, perhaps it was a metal attack, as Wendy sure sounds like she's battling something up there.*
[Marrick Fisher]
Marrick took a moment, and her stomach turned. The Fury tensed, looking up at the ceiling and feeling a shuddering breath. The Fury then started to head up the stairs.
"Oh god oh god, please don't let the ceiling cave or the pipes burst or-"
a break
"Hey, where's the emergency shut off?"
[Boy]
"Shit. The basement. I'll get it."
Since she was already headed up the stairs, he turned and headed down to the basement.
[Wendy Berber]
Blebbity! Bleck bleh! GAH!
[Marrick Fisher]
She headed up the stairs, and then knocked on the bathroom door. Marrick felt her stomach turn, and the Fury closed her eyes tightly.
"Weeeendyyyyy, that shower doesn't sound riii-iiiiight."
[Wendy Berber]
Bleble-Gleck-NO-its-ptoo-*
[Boy]
Boy knew exactly where the shut off valve was. He'd found it earlier that day, actually. A minute or so later the water flow wanes and dies off to nothing.
[Marrick Fisher]
Marrick stayed outside in the silence.
"Do you wanna towel?"
[Boy]
They could hear probably hear him trudging up the basement stairs after that. They could definitely hear him stomping up the stairs to the second floor. When he gets there he looks worried, almost panicked.
"Is she okay? Everything alright?"
[Wendy Berber]
I'm o-okay..and um.. yeah.. I'm sorry.. can.. *An ambarrassed pause.* can s-someone come help me..up?
[Marrick Fisher]
"I'll do it!" The Fury said.
And, with that, she headed into the bathroom with her eyes down and just approaching the whole situation like it was something in the locker room.
Potentially naked Wendy? Pfft!
[Boy]
Someone? Who was someone. It might as well have been both of them. And suddenly it was. When Marrick enters, Boy juts his head in through the open door.
"Wendy? You okay?"
[Wendy Berber]
*Sorta naked... She's orangey brown and covered in clumps of something, wrapped in a torn shower curtain with her knees hooked over the side of the tub. Unable to move due to the shower curtain wrapping her up like a cigar* um..I'm.. going to n-need a tet-tetnus shot. .. I PTOO.. I think. *She spits out some ..hair?*
[Wendy Berber]
*Hard to tell she's blushing furiously, given she looks like she's made out of rust.*
[Marrick Fisher]
She looked at Wend, and then reached down to help Wendy out of the tub. She was as easy with her as she could be, but it wasn't quite doing any good. Marrick looked at her for a moment, with all those clumps of brown and orangish stuff and.. was that a clump of... hair?
The Fury almost turned green for a minute, but she shook her head.
"Oh, dude, that's... Maybe we should hose you off in the kitchen or something."
[Boy]
His brows furrow at all the orange and brown, and the hair.
"Ugh...must be a...a clog or something? Something we knocked loose today. Oh, I'm sorry Wendy. It was working fine earlier, I swear."
[Marrick Fisher]
"... please tell me that's your hair, Wendy."
[Wendy Berber]
*She's hauled to her feet by the arm Not stuck inside the shower curtain, *It.. Its ok.. *She's ducked her head. There's not quite enough shower curtain for her to be entirely covered, 6 feet tall and all, her shoulder poking out, scars and all. * I.. yeah.. m-maybe.. just.. in the kitchen.. *she crinkles as she heads towards the stairs wrapped in plastic.*
[Wendy Berber]
*Wendy looks over her shoulder and grimaces. Shaking her head. Squinting without her specs on. Nope. Not her hair.*
[Marrick Fisher]
(Stamina: don't puke)
[Marrick Fisher]
Marrick Fisher doesn't eat enough to be able to throw up. She does, however, turn a shade paler, make a slightly unhappy sound, and turned to look at the toilet longingly.
[Boy]
He grimaces at Wendy as she shuffles out, and at Marrick as she ponders the toilet. In the end Boy just shakes his head and helps Wendy down the stairs. How were they going to wash her off in the kitchen? Hmm. There was a hose out back, wasn't there?
[Wendy Berber]
S.sorry..*she calls over her shoulder at Marrick, crinkling down the steps unsteadily. She goes to bite her lip and gets a mouthful of rust, grimacing.* w-well..we have lots of.. um.. wah-water.. *Water dribbles off her head and down her face as she shrugs at Boy.*
[Boy]
"Yeah. I'm sorry Wendy. I'll fix this."
And at once she's safely at the bottom of the steps.
"Do you always shower with your glasses on?"
[Wendy Berber]
(her glasses are off) *laughs*))
[Boy]
Well in that case, SCRATCH!
[Wendy Berber]
Just..just an old clog..everythings w-working ok now.. it just.. got me. *She sighs.*.. do we have.. a hose?
[Marrick Fisher]
Marrick eventually came down the stairs, having decided that she did not want to revisit her breakfast that badly so she would live. The Fury pushed up the sleeves on her shirt and waited for instructions.
[Boy]
"Yeah, just outside the back door."
He glanced in the direction of the back door, and at Wendy, naked except for her new plastic wrapping. And then he looked to Marrick, considering for a moment.
"Maybe you'd like Marrick to help you? Y'know, another girl and all."
[Wendy Berber]
..I can.. hrm. *She sets that canny mind to working on a way to save her the humiliation of being naked. Some sort of ..nope.. Maybe she could attacke the curtain and then spin really..nope. She hangs her head.* ..crap.... ok.
[Marrick Fisher]
"Think 'bout it like a shower in gym class. 'cept your outside."
She nodded, as if this would help. Bless her heart, Marrick tried.
[Boy]
For whatever reason he was pleased with himself for having suggested this. Before letting the two of them go however, he squared Wendy in his vision and raised her chin slightly so he could look her in the eye.
And that face was serious again. Steady. Eerily calm.
"I'll go see about this clog then. You two have fun."
[Wendy Berber]
*Ah gym class.. Wendy revisits horrors in her head, wincing and crinkling her way out the back door. Marrick was probably really good at gym. She waddles over to the hose.*
[Wendy Berber]
*A swallow at boy's touch and look. She presses her lips together and waits to be hosed down.*
[Marrick Fisher]
Marrick headed on over to the water hose, turning it on at the base. She was still wearing her work boots. She still smelled like the docks and sunshine. The Fury took the water hose and got to watering Wendy like she was a pot of begonias.
"... dirt back home is this color," she says. As if this was the best conversation that she could come up with.
[Wendy Berber]
*She looks at the rust puddling around her feet in the grass, orange skin giving way to blushing pink.* ..Ok.. oklahoma.. or Arizona? *She asks. Yes. She apparently knows where that color of dirt must come from. Academics giving her something to think of aside from being naked, in public, getting doused in cold water by a fearsome black fury ahroun. If there was such a thing as Kinfolk Hazing, this would be it.*
[Marrick Fisher]
"Oklahoma," she said. "Ain't ever been 'tArizona though."
The capital was Phoenix. That was all she knew. Marrick just hosed Wendy off, looking as non-nonchalant as she possibly could. The nudity didn't bother her, not in the least bit. She didn't flinch, she didn't look away, and she wasn't entirely bothered by any of this. One would think this was the most normal thing on earth the way Marrick was acting.
"Where're you from?"
[Wendy Berber]
Maine.. *She says, picking a strand of slimey "not her hair" off of her hip. She's just as skinny as she looks, all bone and pale skin, with little in the way of fat or muscle to soften all her jarring angles. And then there's the scars, claw marks on one of her thighs, and the distinct pattern of teeth over her left shoulder, like a garou cousin snatched her and shook her like a ragdoll while she lay on her stomach. She pushes rust off small breasts with a huff.*... s-sorry. for this.
[Marrick Fisher]
"Shit happens," she said with a shrug.
Marrick looked at Wendy for a moment, and for the moment she didn't seem upset. She didn't seem critical, and she didn't seem judgmental of her scars. or anything to that effect. She looked at them with the same kind of interest that she looked at her own- they were battle scars. Pure and simple. Proof that Wendy had it in her to survive, that she could endure the worst of things.
Silence.
"What's the ocean like?"
[Wendy Berber]
Big. Cold. Full of j-jelly fish. And other fish. .. I'm.. a big fan of fish. *She's washing the sludge out of her hair now. Scrubbing rust out of thick black hair. She's beet red, but trying hard not to show how furiously shy she is standing naked in the backyard.* ... Hows.. oklahoma.. ?
[Marrick Fisher]
"You can taste the wind," she said. "You can see for miles, an' sometimes there's just an ocean of grass. Waves and falls an' whatev'. Real flat, too... grass dies in summer, though. None of this sixty degree bullshit in June."
She put her thumb over the nozzle, making the stream of water a little more forceful and, instead, she was trying to hose off a particularly stubborn clump of rust stuck to Wendy.
[Wendy Berber]
*She leans her head into the spray, rubbing the rust out of her hair., and lifting her face to tell Marrick she thinks she's alright for rust now..only to eat spray.* bleg-gah-gleck-St-STop! *She fends the water off with her hands then stumbles back and out of the way, laughing suddenly, hand still up.* I'm good! I'm g-good! Clean now. Thank you.
[Marrick Fisher]
"You're still pink- You're, like, stained-" she used it as an excuse to hose Wendy down from top to bottom once over, and then she dropped the hose. The fury couldn't help but laugh a little at this when she went tog go turn the water off.
"'sides, no problem. You couldn't go on all rusty an' shit."
[Wendy Berber]
*A squeak as she tries to fend off the water with bony appendages. She's pink alright, blushing as she moves towards the door. There were towels in the laundry room. It wasn't too much of a streak to risk.* Th-thanks. .. *she looks down at the curtain.* I'll.. get a new one... tomorrow after w-work.
[Marrick Fisher]
"It's no big, s'just a shower curtain," she said.
With that, the Fury started to head inside. She dropped her wook boots off by the door, and with that she was starting to head on up to her room. She walked as though she were a six foot tall man. Like she was a lumberjack and not a track star.
"Get some rest, Wendy, I'll see ya in the morning."
[Wendy Berber]
N-night. *She says, ducking into the laundry room, grateful for having done laundry before dinner. And wrapped in a towel, she slipped towards her shared room, to put on a t-shirt and sweats. She'd fall asleep on the bed, listening to Boy regale his ghosts with stories.*
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