The Grand Tour

[Boy]

The young philodox (in his birth form it seemed he couldn't be much older than 17) had asked Callie to come here, to the area known as Lincoln Park. Just south of Lakeview, it was a neighborhood that obviously aspired to great things, but had fallen woefully short somewhere along the way. In particular, that path that Callie was asked to take had her leaving the caern and travelling north-west until the industrial neighborhoods surrounding the wharf and waterside gave way to residential. It was cheap all cheap housing around here. Housing for the workers that kept that made the wharfs so efficient and kept places like Lakeview clean and well managed. The surrounding areas sucked life out of this place and gave nothing back. He's waiting for her at the edge of a park, a verdant splash of green that was home to the secret habits people couldn't hide at home. There was a jogging path that people were too afraid to run on at night, and game courts that were dominated by the neighborhood gang bangers most of the time. Its raining lightly. But the lean teenager waiting at the wall at the corner of the park doesn't seem to be bothered by it.

[Callie]

*She comes to the park. She doesn't cut a particularly imposing figure, small and still thin even now she's no longer on the road, she has a fragility to her appearance that gives the impression of something easily broken. Slightly pointed chin and wide-spaced eyes, dark green, over visible cheekbones. It all gives her an elfin quality. She makes her way down the path between the splashes of green that may be the closest some people come to the Wyld round here, ancient sneakers picking their way delicately between mud and surface water as she goes. As she comes closer he can see the gold rings that sit in her ears, the one through her nose, her left eyebrow . . the copper of her hair is darkened by rain and sticks to her head. An outsize charcoal grey hoodie hangs loose on her, smothering her figure and reaching almost to her knees as she turns off that path to join him by the wall*

[Boy]

to Boy He stands suddenly when he approaches, head and shoulders hold forward and low a bit as the water made wet rags of his hair and clothes. It comes down in intermittent droplets through the leaves of the tree he's standing under. He looks up at the cloudy sky through one eye, and settles both on Callie again. "I didn't actually think you'd come in the rain.

[Boy]

He stands suddenly when he approaches, head and shoulders hold forward and low a bit as the water made wet rags of his hair and clothes. It comes down in intermittent droplets through the leaves of the tree he's standing under. He looks up at the cloudy sky through one eye, and settles both on Callie again. "I didn't actually think you'd come in the rain. I guess we can wait here for a while until it stops. And in the meantime, maybe just...I dunno, talk a bit?"

[Callie]

*she steps under the tree to join him, he has her full attention, albeit sideways on. Up close it's clear she's older than him, by how much is difficult to ascertain, early twenties maybe . . One thing is clear, there's no attempt to hide the curiosity that burns in her eyes. She places her hands carefully behind her, mostly hidden by the over-long sleeves, and leans against the wall.* why would I not come? . . it's only rain. And in the meantime, yes, lets talk . .

[Boy]

His eyes were intent and they watched her perhaps a little too closely. It was a small comfort that somewhere in there he smiled, or thought of smiling, and his expression softened a bit. "This is Oz Park. You ever see that movie? Wizard of Oz? Well, apparently the guy that made it grew up around here. I call it lion park. People don't like coming here at night, they feel like they're being hunted. But...we took care of that. One of the first things La Familia did together was clean the gangs out of this park. There's a few tough guys that dominate the courts still, but they're just guys. They're just here to play ball. They're not robbing and raping. Not anymore. "This is the southernmost point of our territory. A few blocks south of here you'll find the northern border of the Eagle's territory. We've...sort of got a lot to live up to. Can't look bad in front of one of the oldest packs in the city, y'know?" He pursed his lips there and looked half about to stare off into space, but he shakes it off. "I'm sorry. I'm supposed to introduce myself better. Like I said before, I'm Brother of the Lost, Alpha of La Famila, Half-moon and Peacekeeper of the Uktena tribe. But you can just call me Boy. "

[Callie]

*she half-smiles herself, following where he points . . the run down apartment blocks, the basketball courts with their broken and twisted fencing, and the muddy and rain-spattered path through the surviving grass. One hand appears from behind the folds of her top, fingers raking wet hair back off her face so nothing obscures her features when she speaks* I never saw the movie. I'm Callie Morgan-McAlistair, called Walks-the-Line. Cliath, Ragabash, Fianna. *she enunciates each clearly but doesn't offer any qualifiers*

[Boy]

"Neither did I. Marrick says I would have liked it. Says its all about getting lost and finding things you needed most when you had it all along. There's a lion in this park. On the other side, I mean. I've seen it, always in the corner of my eye, always hiding." He shrugs and peers up at the water still falling through the leaves. "So how'd you get that name, Walks the Line?"

[Callie]

*She's listening, quite serious it seems, but when he asks about her deed name she drops her eyes and laughs. It's soft, almost under her breath, and though she shakes her head so that the rings flash gold she answers readily enough* it's what my mentor used to call me . . when I was a cub. It was one of his favourite warnings 'you're walking a fine line girly! . . be careful you don't fall'

[Boy]

There's that softening of his face again, but it comes before she speaks. It came when she laughed. "You still walk that line then?"

[Callie]

*she glances up briefly, shrugs, and for that second she seems undecided how to answer him. That relaxed posture, the amusement, the curiosity . . all those things still there but behind it something else. Behind her back one hand picks at the loose brick. Finally she stands up straighter, still not tall but with maybe more dignity, folds her arms in front of her and sighs* It seems so . . leastways, I haven't fallen all the way off yet

[Boy]

This time he smiled, but it didn't do much to soften the hungry curiosity and intense glare in his eyes. "So, what do you know about my tribe, the Uktena?"

[Callie]

*Good question. There's not much point dissembling or trying to put on a show. She tells it to him as she has seen it* not a great deal to be honest, except that in my experience your tribe and mine don't seem to get on too well . . but, I've always had a problem with just accepting other people's prejudice on blind faith

[Boy]

He nods his head, and his eyes dance with thought for a few moments. "Fair enough. And what about my packmate's tribe, The Black Furies. Do you know anything about them?"

[Callie]

yes *she says, she answers him fair and square now, they're not here to play riddle games or try to outsmart each other. Keeping her hands tucked out of the way she flicks her hair back again* some . . primarily female, originated (as far as anyone knows) in Ancient Greece, special duty to women etc . . and not, as some would have us believe, all violent man-hating lesbians

[Boy]

There's a bright flash of a smile on his face just then. "Yeah. That's right. Not all of them. The Black Furies, at least the ones that taught Marrick, are protectors. Defenders of those that can't defend themselves. That sounds like its talking about people, but it means places and things too. That's why we chose this place." He looks up at the leaves again. The water hangs to the edges and eventually falls off, but there's no new water pushing the other droplets along. The rain has stopped. Boy stands and rakes his hear back out of his face, but makes no attempt to dry his clothes. "C'mon, I'll show you." And with that he throws himself over the wall and starts walking north, checking over his shoulder to make sure she was following before he continues to speak. "We Uktena look for secrets and for the unknown. We're taught to do this constantly. Its why I ask so many questions." He turns to Callie then, but doesn't stop moving. "You haven't asked me any questions though. Its a little worrying."

[Callie]

*She scrambles over the wall, dropping down behind him and catching him up as he heads off at speed* I have questions . . just waiting, afterall . . you asked me, it's your pack . . figured it was only polite to let you ask first. The main question I have is . . why me? . . not like I've run with you and Marrick at all, hardly even met you, I've not distinguished myself particularly. Got myself gored nearly to death by a skull-pig but that's hardly something to boast about . . so, why me?

[Boy]

"If I wanted polite and fair I would have gone looking for another half moon. The truth is...no, we don't know you that well. Or at all, like you said. But the only reason anyone knows us is because we fight together; when we fight together anyway. That's where our strength lies. That's where the strength of any pack lies, I think. Not in one person, but in the group. I mean, Marrick's probably lost every formal challenge since she's been here. But in combat, I've only seen her go down once." His face takes a bit of a dark turn and there's a hitch in his step. He pauses once, but seems to shake off the thought. "And that was when I failed to fight by her side. My point is, I think you could distinguish yourself. But I don't think anyone can do it alone." And then he stops. They've come to a busy intersection. Cars jostle for position from six different directions as three streets meet and intersect at this one point. "This is the six corners. It's not the center of the territory, but its the heart. If its coming in or going out by road, it'll probably pass through here. There are road spirits on the other side. I think I might be able to send messages through them sometime, but I haven't quite figured out how to get their attentions short of clobbering them. And they're not really in a helpful mood after that. I'll figure it out though." And he's walking again, this time on a slightly north-east track.

[Callie]

*And finally she grins, eyes narrowing just slightly as she glances round at the cars, the traffic, the noise and pressure of fumes that surround them here. Then he's moving again and she picks up the pace not to get left behind* now that sounds like sense to me . . sounds like my old pack Alpha to be honest . . so, why d'you need a ragabash then? I'd've thought you'd be looking for a Theurge maybe

[Boy]

"A theurge huh? Great idea. You know any?" He doesn't stop walking, but he does slow down, and gives Callie an even, humorless stare as if he were waiting for an answer to his question. He doesn't actually wait though. Perhaps gladly. "I dunno. Maybe I'm expecting too much. See I've only really known one other ragabash. In our last pack. Our first pack. Danny kept us together. He kept us feeling human when we were busy becoming monsters. And...he kept us focussed on living. And laughing while we could. Marrick and me...we don't do that much anymore. Laughing I mean." And with that he stops at a street corner, pointing with his chin to a massive building, with reflective glass windows that seemed to reflect the sky and clouds, even beyond the height of the others. It needed no introduction. There was a statue out front that looked like a teardrop of shining mercury, and a large sign that announced the purpose of the building. Chicago Children's Memorial Hospital Boy didn't introduce it to Callie like he had the others. He simply pointed it out. The building itself did all the rest. "I'm not ashamed to admit that I might be making a huge mistake. I mean, we're strangers, and I'm here hoping that you can somehow come and...keep us together. But if I am making a mistake, I'd rather give you the opportunity to tell me. No. To show me." He seemed to have to physically struggle to tear his gaze away from the structure and to Callie, waiting for some sort of response. Or perhaps, just a sign that she was still listening. Still willing to listen.

[Callie]

*She listens to his explanation, while the shining metal reflects not just the sky but the surrounding structures, warped and twisted back on themsleves in its curving surface. Her hands plunged deep into the pockets of her hoody and her head slightly to one side as she considers what it is her really wants. At last, it seems she tears her eyes away from the teardrop and all it represents, dropping them down to the paving between her feet for a moment before she looks back to him again* that's a hell of a lot to ask, given the circumstances of our lives, day-to-day . . but . . surely, that's the duty of any pack member, to try and keep everyone sane and working together . . we just have our different ways of going about it. *there's a pause, it's another few long moments of silence, filled only by traffic noise and distant voices, before she speaks again* I'm not one for the jokes, y'know, water balloons and plastic dog-turds and stuff . . but somehow I don't think that's what you need, is it

[Boy]

He doesn't interrupt. This one had an appreciation for silence. An understanding that keeping the peace sometimes meant giving one the time they need to figure it out for themselves. And when Callie does he smiles, just a little, and shakes his head. "No pranks. Just...I dunno. Whatever it is you do." And then his attention turns again. He scans the streets and eventually settles on the path north from there. "Where are you staying, by the way? After this its home. We've got a couple extra beds. A whole room now that Dietrich's moved out. But...if you're not up for this...now's the time to back out."

[Callie]

The Brotherhood *she says, just that split second before it sinks in what he's offering. Then she grins.* I'm not backing out . . if you're sure it's ok, I mean, it's pretty quick . . but it's probably the best way to get to know each other

[Boy]

Another almost smile, though this time its more smile than almost. "Great. Lets go get you set up then." And again he starts walking, only this time he really was looking back, eager to see if she would follow.

[Callie]

*She follows*

[Boy]

And just as the view of the exterior had changed from the lasting semi-suburbia of the streets surrounding Oz Park to the choked and highly trafficked tangle of the six corners, it changes again the further they go on. Eventually commercial buildings give way to corner stores and offices become housing again, and even so, the housing becomes more sparse. There are more vacant lots than houses in this neighborhood, and those all seem to sport the last bit of debris from recent demolitions. The houses that are still standing all seem to sport boards over their windows and front doors and foreclosure signs on their meager, dry front lawns. The recession has hit this neighborhood hard. Even the streets are cracked and pockmarked, signs of a city that either can't afford to maintain it, or doesn't particularly care to. Its here that he comes to one house in particular that shows signs of recent repair: Fresh wood on the trimmings, doors and windowsills. A thin layer of whitewash on the bricks. Boy marches right up to it, taking out a keyring that only had two keys on it, and unlocking the heavy wooden door. As he opens it, he steps aside so Callie can see. "Here we are. Home."

[Callie]

*A Pack-house. Callie tries not to think about how long it has been since she's had any kind of claim to live somewhere like this. Somebody has put time and effort into restoring this place, making it somewhere welcoming and homely, standing out amongst the dereliction and desolation of the surrounding streets. She looks up at the decorative work along the eaves, it must have been a beautiful place when it was built . . dreams and nightmares haunt such places . . and she turns back to Boy who stands with the keys still in hand* you've put a lot of hard work into it . . it's a house that deserves to be happy

[Boy]

He blinks at that, as if not sure how to respond to the statement, and in the end he gives a shy sort of smile. "It wasn't that hard. Whoever built it the first time built it to last. The foundation and most of the structure was intact. C'mon, I'll show you your room." Boy led her into the house, closing and locking the door behind him. As they made their way toward the stairs she might be able to spy into the living room where she'd see the large mural of a unicorn on the wall. Specifically a black unicorn. "We were staying at the Brotherhood too when we first got there. But Marrick sort of wanted her own space. Territory, really. Something to protect. And I was already fixing up things at the brotherhood as it was. I guess we both needed some kind of purpose, y'know?"

[Callie]

I know. *she nods, following him through the house. An eclectic mix of furniture and furnishings, a house that people have all contributed to. A joint effort.* The Brotherhood is great but I don't really feel I can stay there much longer anyway, like I should give up my place for others who are new in town. They're gonna need it more than me

[Boy]

"A lot of people wind up feeling that way I think. Its a good place, like you said, especially for kin. But if we can't figure out a way to keep it safe I think we might lose it." Boy bounds up the stairs and, once at the top, he waits for Callie to catch up before pointing out rooms. The first is right at the end of the stairway. The door is locked. "That's Marrick's room. She's sort of a heavy sleeper so you don't really have to worry about waking her up in the mornings." And across the hall, the door is slightly ajar, revealing two small beds in one room. "Thats our guest room. Soledad's been staying there. Sort of. Have you met Muerte Fria before?"

[Callie]

*Muerte Fria. Callie nods, just the once, but it is a definite yes. Not that she can claim to know the woman in any level except by name and reputation. She follows in Boy's wake as he points out which door is which . . afterall, this is about territory as much as the boundaries he showed her earlier on the street.* I've met her . . not that she actually spoke to me of course. I've seen her at the moot too. I guess I could pick her out of a line-up . . *she doesn't ask the obvious question that the two beds presents figuring Boy will tell ehr sooner or later anyway8

[Boy]

He continues down the hall. There is a room directly in front of them. The door is locked, unlike the rooms on either side. Boy points to one with a fairly small but comfortably made bed. "Wendy and me are over here. You'll meet her later." And then across the hall. "This is your new room." Only it isn't much of a room. Where all the others continue the theme of the cooperative interior design, this room is all straight corners and distinct contrasts. The bed is tucked away into a corner, and there's a small dresser and table across from it. The walls are white sheetrock, sans wallpapering. A course looking wool blanket is folded on the bed and the whole thing looks to be made so tight one could bounce a quarter off of it. Boy shrugs apologetically. "Its also Dietrich's old room. He was pretty bare bones. But you can do what you like with it. Wendy can show you how to do some screen printing and paper making. Add a bit of personal style to it, y'know?"

[Callie]

*He opens the door to reveal a room resembling a cross between a monks cell and a barracks. His apology is met with a wry smile and a shake of her head* it's great, honestly . . since I was 15 I spent most of my time stopping on couches in rooms other people decorated or sleeping in cellars. This is goin' to be the first chance I ever had to actually decorate from scratch . . I think it should be fun!

[Boy]

Boy's smiles were coming a lot more easier now, and with more intensity to them. He flashed one at Callie for a moment, but seemed almost uncomfortable doing so. "Alright then. I can give you a hand moving your stuff from the Brotherhood. The walking route we took is alright but, thankfully I also know how to get here and back by Public transport."

[Callie]

thanks, there's not much to fetch, I can carry it myself but it would definitely be useful to know how to get there and back *she grins and turns to start back down the stairs*