By Jove, I think she's got it
Jun. 24th, 2011 05:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shelbyrouIt is currently 09:57 Pacific Time on Fri Jun 24 2011.
Currently the moon is in the waning Half (Philodox) Moon phase (44% full).
Around the Story Tree
This quiet little clearing is home to soft grasses and bright flowers almost year-round. Near the center stands the Story Tree. The squat pine has broad branches for sitting under, and a thick, climbable trunk for a Garou to sit in. Sharp, green needles can be found buried in the grass.
A pathway leads out to the northwest toward the Caern, and a much less-worn path leads into the forested foothills to the east.
Obvious exits:
Forest
Shelby paces around and around the base of the Story Tree, attention turned within. She's muttering under her breath and gesticulating; the moon is both too small and large to be the primary source of the Ragabash's agitation. Probably. Occasional words burst forth, keeping the shyer fauna well away from the clearing. "It's backwards. Backwards! Why didn't I see that before?"
Night's-Shadow quietly plods in, and the Shadow Lord looks tired. And thoughtful. And... well, he gives Shelby a bit of a weird look once he spots her. Hi, he greets. What's backwards?
It takes the Fang another half-circuit before she notices the Theurge, and really only because she's finally facing him. Blinking surprise, it takes her a moment to answer. "The dreams. You've had them, right? Zosia said so. The two women and the elevator, right?"
Night's-Shadow confirms this while still in wolf, but he shifts up before continuing the conversation. And, he finds a spot to plop down cross-legged at the base of the tree. "Yeah. I had another one, the night I spent at the caern. And-- Zosia said you had one, too."
Shelby takes the opportunity to shift her pacing from round-and-round to back-and-forth, a particularly distracted lecturer to a class of one. "I did. And another - but would you mind telling me yours? All of them you can remember. I've got a theory, but I want to make sure it holds up."
"The first one," he says, leaning back against the tree, "was about two sisters. They lived in this ...desert, with a river. A man comes through, and him and one of the sisters fall in love. The other sister doesn't like him much. Anyway, they leave together." He pauses, thinking. "The second one was about two sisters, again, except they were waiting on an elevator. A man comes up, and then he cuts the second sister off when the first one goes onto the elevator and goes down with the first one. The second one gets angry and jealous and screams. The last one--" He hesitates, glancing up toward the ragabash, "A woman, an old woman, was with me in a field of grass. And flowers. She had a fire going, and ...a stick, a clay bowl, a dandelion head. She gave me the stick, and said... wield the weapons your enemies have forsaken. Arm yourself against those they choose. Seek allies among those they have turned against."
"Hah," says the Ragabash after the elevator tale but waves off her interruption, listening intently to the rest of his story. "The elevator - were the sisters the same two as in your first dream?"
Xander thinks about this. "Literally? I'm not sure. They wore the same colors each time in the dreams, though. So figuratively, yes."
Shelby says, "You know how you can identify people in dreams, but when you wake up you realize they didn't look anything like that person? That's how I mean." Still, she nods at his explanation. "OK. Let me tell you mine, then I'll give you my theory. We can hammer this out and decide if I'm heading the right direction."
"Ah, well, yeah. I got the impression they were representing the same people. Just... in different times, kinda." Still, Xander nods. "Yeah, go for it."
Another nod and Shelby resumes pacing, though more slowly now. "All of mine have happened in a classroom. A big auditorium, really. I'm taking a class. Biology, I think. The first time, the book seemed wrong, but I couldn't tell what it was. In another one, I got a test back, and I got answers wrong on the test. Simple stuff, like 'where do plants get their energy from' and 'how many legs does a quadruped have'. Then the next time this guy was asked to read aloud, but he wasn't...," she pauses, frowning. "It's hard to explain. It didn't make any sense, but it's like it almost made sense. Like when you're learning another language. I remember he said 'Ria' and 'elsick' and 'retaw'. And finally," she stops, turning to face him, "this one came last night. I finally realized in the dream that everything was backwards. All the cycles and things. And there was this woman. The first time anyone talked to me in the dreams. She said...," she pauses, eyes closed to remember, "She said 'this is as it is, but not as it should be'. And then I woke up."
"Ria. Air. Retaw. Water. Elsick?" Xander closes his eyes, brows furrowing. "Sickle?" He looks a little doubtful, but then looks back up to Shelby. "That could be. I don't know how... backwardness... could play into the ones that I had. That we had. Hm."
She gives him an almost pitying look. "Things aren't as they're supposed to be. Things are backwards. The two sisters didn't stay together, they split up. On the elevator they go the wrong direction. And yes, the cycles were backwards. My answers were wrong. Words are backwards - it's not 'sickle', it's cycle. But." Here she stops, looking uncertain. "I'm not sure about the woman who talked to you. What did she say? 'Take up the weapons your enemies have forgotten'? We're supposed to find allies among those our enemies have neglected?"
Xander quirks a brow upward at that look, but doesn't comment. "Yes. And arm yourself against those they choose. There were glyphs of cleansing, warding, pro--" and then he cuts himself off, a spark coming into his eyes. "--the young love thing. The-- yes, that has to be it. In the dreams? The man. He's the enemy. The woman he chose -- she turned against her sister. The ally is the sister that was rejected."
"And you had fire, earth, water, air," she supplies. "The four elements. Corresponding to the four directions. She gave you the stick, right? Wood. Earth. --No, wait. The fire is, well, fire. And the dandelion head has to be air. The bowl, though, that could be earth or water." Shelby starts pacing again, blue eyes vague. "And the stick, that's earth. But... isn't there... Don't some beliefs have wood as one of the elements? Damnit, I wish I could get to the library!"
"The stick was warm when she handed it to me, and a crack in it was glowing red. I think it was supposed to represent fire, as well. Contained fire. The woman--" Xander hesitates, thinking. "The old woman in the last dream wore red and orange, the same as the rejected sister in all the rest of them. I think--" he hesitates. "I think we need to be careful of water and air, and ally with earth and fire. That's... why she handed me that stick."
"Could be," she nods, finally coming to rest just outside his easy arm's reach. "What about the sister who went off the the guy? What was she wearing? Colors, I mean."
"Blue, white. She went off with the guy in the first one because he was well-versed in the spirits of water, and in the second one she wore a ring made out of waves and water." Xander shrugs a shoulder. "Seems pretty representative of opposing elements, to me."
"--Seems to be," the Ragabash agrees after a moment to think. "Huh. I wonder - in my last dream, the woman who spoke to me. She was the teacher, but I hadn't noticed her before. She was... hmm. Middle-Eastern? Ish? Looked more like Tim than me. And she was wearing this gorgeous scarf. It was all in black, white, and grey. Really dramatic. Cut velvet, I think, but I couldn't really make out the pattern, except to say it was organic. Not just leaves, you know?"
"Huh. This is all ... interesting. I can't help wondering if she's representing the other woman in your dreams." Xander considers Shelby for a moment or two. "Did Zosia have anything to say about any of this, or?"
She says with a shrug, "She hasn't heard about my last dream; I only had it last night and I haven't found her yet this morning. Apparently you, Norman-rhya and she have all had dreams about the two sisters - if not identical dreams, then very close. I haven't talked to anyone else who's had dreams about biology class. She thought maybe they were auspice-related." Another shrug: that explanation is as good as any. "Until this last one, we didn't have any idea what was going on. It was me finally realizing that everything was backwards, and her telling me 'this is as it is, but not as it's supposed to be' that things really clicked."
"Hm," Xander ponders. "I had assumed before that it was something about jealousy. You know, one sister getting rejected and then going dark side? But now I'm thinking it's probably the other way around, yeah. Like the dude forced the two sisters apart."
Shelby lets the silence stretch for a beat, two. "So. Now what? I still want to talk to as many people as have had these dreams. I mean, two points make a line and all, but that doesn't mean that I'm right yet. Have you heard about anyone else - not Norman or Zosia, I mean - who's had one of these dreams?"
"Nope," Xander admits. "Just you and those two. But-- I've been kinda busy with talen-making and stuff, so I haven't been talking to a ton of people lately. Most recent has been Marcos, but his only dreams have been the crossroads."
She at him at that, away from a study of the tree's bark. "Oh? For the Great Hunt? I never even thought about Talens. What sorts have you made?" She nods about her Tribemate, acknowledging words without adding to them.
"Yeah. One for long sight, with a kestrel spirit, and another for healing, from a water spirit." Xander pauses and adds with a hint of self-awareness, "I don't know Mother's Touch yet, so, yeah. Some sort of healing ability is nice."
"I should learn how to detect Wyrm," the Ragabash admits, drawing up one leg. "Those sound useful, though. I already have the gift of long sight, so that will do someone else some good." Another pause. "Though wait. Kestrel and water? Maybe... maybe they shouldn't be used at all," she offers hesitantly.
Xander makes a sour face. "Yeah, I was just thinking that," the Shadow Lord admits. "But. That judgment'll have to be made at the place itself, so we'll see what happens."
"We can ask Zosia about it too," Shelby says consolingly. "I mean, I can see how awkward it'd get, doing all the work to create the Talen in the first place, then destroying it even before it gets used. How would you explain that to the spirits?" Something she's happy she won't have to do, if her head shake is any indication. Another track, then: "Have you been on a Great Hunt before?"
"Well. Releasing them before they have to do anything won't be bad, as long as it's respectful," Xander admits with a shrug. "The bad thing with talens is keeping them in the thing for too long, that'll piss 'em off." And then: "Here? No. I've been on one before, though. No telling how different it'll be in a different Sept, though."
Shelby half-grins. "No breaking them in half and yelling 'Your mom dresses you funny'?" She's shaking her head even as she says it, making the joke clear. "Oh? What was it like? And, this is sort of related, but not really, what did you think of Marcos?"
Xander grins and chuckles. "Yeah, I don't think it'd be cool to break open a talen and be like 'Your mom...!' anything. You'd be doing contrition for your next, like, lifetime." He looks amused, and then shrugs at her question. "He's alright. Seems kinda young and over-eager, but alright. He asked me if I was interested in packing. He wants war, though."
Shelby's eyes get big. "Why Xander, I don't know why you don't think that appropriate behavior...!" She can only remain shocked (shocked, I say!) for a moment more before the grin completely takes over her face. It too fades in turn, to a sympathetic wince. "Yeah, there are only a few - a very few - War totems I could see following. At least right now. Maybe in a few years, but right now? I'd look for Respect or Wisdom. Like Merlin, or Osprey. Dragonfly, if she'd have me."
Xander chuckles, and then: "Yeah, I like Merlin," he agrees, leaning back against the tree and propping one knee up. "I'm just ... not a huge war-totem person. Not too big on Cunning, either. Just difficult right now, 'cause I'm not real interested in the current packs up and running - they're either too-city or too-bawn or ...well, Unicorn, which doesn't particularly suit me." That's a bit wry.
"A Cunning pack wouldn't suit me," the Silver Fang says - primly? Maybe just a touch. "And I hear what you say. I'm a Guardian now because I got tired of just hanging about waiting for all the other unpacked people to either decide if they wanted to pack - period, not just with me - or wander here and gone again, or just generally be vague and unhelpful." She studies the Lord for a moment. "I think the two of us could pack together successfully. What do you think?"
"God, I hear that. I don't understand those who're like, 'welllll-- I dunno if I want to pack right now...' Not being in a pack has always felt like the weird thing to me." He makes a face, and then glances up to her at the offer, both brows raised. "Yeah? I do, too. I'd be willing to give it a shot. We'd need to find a third, though."
"Exactly," Shelby nods. "And at least a third, if not a couple more. That's the other hard part of starting a pack - finding compatible people. I think I could pack with Meg, though trying to talk to her about it is like trying to sneak up on a rabbit. Has to be done very gingerly. Otherwise... hmm. Tim-rhya, maybe that Glass Walker Philodox. Jack, I think. I don't know him very well, but I think we meshed. Possibly Marcos, though it sounds like our packing goals are different. Rat-Tale could be interesting, too. Who've you been thinking of?"
"Marcos might be able to be talked down outta War," Xander ponders. "He might bring in some... interesting dynamics, though. I don't really know any of the others. Uh. I know Jace was looking, but I got the impression you two don't get along great."
Shelby waggles her free hand, so-so. "Mmm... yes and no? We're not going the same way right now. It would be interesting dynamics, like you say." She switches legs, straightening the bent knee. "Tim's... well, Tim's a Strider. You see him when you see him. But you know who I'd love to pack with? Chandini. Except she's already packed, but. You should see if you can meet Rat-Tale. She's a Bone Gnawer Galliard, lupus born. From, hmn. India, I think."
"Yeah, I'll see if I run across her," Xander agrees. "Huh. Well. That gives a couple options, anyway."
"We can think about other people as we go along," says Shelby, ever-gracious. "I can't tell you how much of a relief it is to have even this little much, though. Now we just have to consider what we want the pack to do, and who we might want to follow." She grimaces: such tiny obstacles! "I know I'm mostly thinking about things-with-wings, though if you've got other ideas, I'm willing to listen."
"Well, all the options you've listed have been good." Xander leans back against the tree, thinking. "Mostly, my concern is getting a pack that'd be good in both the city and the bawn and not be really so restricted to either. As far as totems go... uh, well. I'm not into the whole trickery thing, like I said, or the completely bitey-face ones. I'm not against Wyvern, as far as War totems go. Uh. The Wind Incarna are pretty good, especially for umbral-related things."
Shelby admits with a cute little shrug, "I consider the various Winds to have wings, even though technically I suppose they don't. I like the idea of a city and bawn pack, too. I'd rather think of ways to do things that don't involve fighting, but then again...." The ragabash's shoulders lift again. "I'm no Galliard or Ahroun. So. It looks like we have at least a basic idea of what and who we're looking for, right?"
Xander shoots her a wry grin, splaying his hands out. "Hey. I'm a theurge. And I'm not exactly a huge dude here. Working without fighting when I can help it is sorta my way of things." And, his hands flop in his lap. "Seems that way to me. It's a good start, anyway."
Shelby sighs, most piteously, and mock-pouts as she stands. "If only you weren't a Shadow Lord; you'd be perfect." Another grin breaks out as she dusts off her clothing. "Gaia watch, Xander, and I'll keep an eye out for, well, everything. I'll see you at the Great Hunt, if not before."
Xander gives a lackadaisical sort of grin. "What can I say, we all have our flaws." He doesn't seem offended. Or apologetic! "Yeah, you too. Walk safe."
The shame of it all. Shelby merely rolls her eyes as she shifts into lupus. A chuff and a mock-lunge at him (ankles beware) and she trots off deeper onto the bawn, tail flagged.
Xander pulls back by reflex, but doesn't seem particularly concerned. He gives a laugh, then resumes lounging where he is. Lots to think about, indeed!
Currently the moon is in the waning Half (Philodox) Moon phase (44% full).
Around the Story Tree
This quiet little clearing is home to soft grasses and bright flowers almost year-round. Near the center stands the Story Tree. The squat pine has broad branches for sitting under, and a thick, climbable trunk for a Garou to sit in. Sharp, green needles can be found buried in the grass.
A pathway leads out to the northwest toward the Caern, and a much less-worn path leads into the forested foothills to the east.
Obvious exits:
Forest
Shelby paces around and around the base of the Story Tree, attention turned within. She's muttering under her breath and gesticulating; the moon is both too small and large to be the primary source of the Ragabash's agitation. Probably. Occasional words burst forth, keeping the shyer fauna well away from the clearing. "It's backwards. Backwards! Why didn't I see that before?"
Night's-Shadow quietly plods in, and the Shadow Lord looks tired. And thoughtful. And... well, he gives Shelby a bit of a weird look once he spots her. Hi, he greets. What's backwards?
It takes the Fang another half-circuit before she notices the Theurge, and really only because she's finally facing him. Blinking surprise, it takes her a moment to answer. "The dreams. You've had them, right? Zosia said so. The two women and the elevator, right?"
Night's-Shadow confirms this while still in wolf, but he shifts up before continuing the conversation. And, he finds a spot to plop down cross-legged at the base of the tree. "Yeah. I had another one, the night I spent at the caern. And-- Zosia said you had one, too."
Shelby takes the opportunity to shift her pacing from round-and-round to back-and-forth, a particularly distracted lecturer to a class of one. "I did. And another - but would you mind telling me yours? All of them you can remember. I've got a theory, but I want to make sure it holds up."
"The first one," he says, leaning back against the tree, "was about two sisters. They lived in this ...desert, with a river. A man comes through, and him and one of the sisters fall in love. The other sister doesn't like him much. Anyway, they leave together." He pauses, thinking. "The second one was about two sisters, again, except they were waiting on an elevator. A man comes up, and then he cuts the second sister off when the first one goes onto the elevator and goes down with the first one. The second one gets angry and jealous and screams. The last one--" He hesitates, glancing up toward the ragabash, "A woman, an old woman, was with me in a field of grass. And flowers. She had a fire going, and ...a stick, a clay bowl, a dandelion head. She gave me the stick, and said... wield the weapons your enemies have forsaken. Arm yourself against those they choose. Seek allies among those they have turned against."
"Hah," says the Ragabash after the elevator tale but waves off her interruption, listening intently to the rest of his story. "The elevator - were the sisters the same two as in your first dream?"
Xander thinks about this. "Literally? I'm not sure. They wore the same colors each time in the dreams, though. So figuratively, yes."
Shelby says, "You know how you can identify people in dreams, but when you wake up you realize they didn't look anything like that person? That's how I mean." Still, she nods at his explanation. "OK. Let me tell you mine, then I'll give you my theory. We can hammer this out and decide if I'm heading the right direction."
"Ah, well, yeah. I got the impression they were representing the same people. Just... in different times, kinda." Still, Xander nods. "Yeah, go for it."
Another nod and Shelby resumes pacing, though more slowly now. "All of mine have happened in a classroom. A big auditorium, really. I'm taking a class. Biology, I think. The first time, the book seemed wrong, but I couldn't tell what it was. In another one, I got a test back, and I got answers wrong on the test. Simple stuff, like 'where do plants get their energy from' and 'how many legs does a quadruped have'. Then the next time this guy was asked to read aloud, but he wasn't...," she pauses, frowning. "It's hard to explain. It didn't make any sense, but it's like it almost made sense. Like when you're learning another language. I remember he said 'Ria' and 'elsick' and 'retaw'. And finally," she stops, turning to face him, "this one came last night. I finally realized in the dream that everything was backwards. All the cycles and things. And there was this woman. The first time anyone talked to me in the dreams. She said...," she pauses, eyes closed to remember, "She said 'this is as it is, but not as it should be'. And then I woke up."
"Ria. Air. Retaw. Water. Elsick?" Xander closes his eyes, brows furrowing. "Sickle?" He looks a little doubtful, but then looks back up to Shelby. "That could be. I don't know how... backwardness... could play into the ones that I had. That we had. Hm."
She gives him an almost pitying look. "Things aren't as they're supposed to be. Things are backwards. The two sisters didn't stay together, they split up. On the elevator they go the wrong direction. And yes, the cycles were backwards. My answers were wrong. Words are backwards - it's not 'sickle', it's cycle. But." Here she stops, looking uncertain. "I'm not sure about the woman who talked to you. What did she say? 'Take up the weapons your enemies have forgotten'? We're supposed to find allies among those our enemies have neglected?"
Xander quirks a brow upward at that look, but doesn't comment. "Yes. And arm yourself against those they choose. There were glyphs of cleansing, warding, pro--" and then he cuts himself off, a spark coming into his eyes. "--the young love thing. The-- yes, that has to be it. In the dreams? The man. He's the enemy. The woman he chose -- she turned against her sister. The ally is the sister that was rejected."
"And you had fire, earth, water, air," she supplies. "The four elements. Corresponding to the four directions. She gave you the stick, right? Wood. Earth. --No, wait. The fire is, well, fire. And the dandelion head has to be air. The bowl, though, that could be earth or water." Shelby starts pacing again, blue eyes vague. "And the stick, that's earth. But... isn't there... Don't some beliefs have wood as one of the elements? Damnit, I wish I could get to the library!"
"The stick was warm when she handed it to me, and a crack in it was glowing red. I think it was supposed to represent fire, as well. Contained fire. The woman--" Xander hesitates, thinking. "The old woman in the last dream wore red and orange, the same as the rejected sister in all the rest of them. I think--" he hesitates. "I think we need to be careful of water and air, and ally with earth and fire. That's... why she handed me that stick."
"Could be," she nods, finally coming to rest just outside his easy arm's reach. "What about the sister who went off the the guy? What was she wearing? Colors, I mean."
"Blue, white. She went off with the guy in the first one because he was well-versed in the spirits of water, and in the second one she wore a ring made out of waves and water." Xander shrugs a shoulder. "Seems pretty representative of opposing elements, to me."
"--Seems to be," the Ragabash agrees after a moment to think. "Huh. I wonder - in my last dream, the woman who spoke to me. She was the teacher, but I hadn't noticed her before. She was... hmm. Middle-Eastern? Ish? Looked more like Tim than me. And she was wearing this gorgeous scarf. It was all in black, white, and grey. Really dramatic. Cut velvet, I think, but I couldn't really make out the pattern, except to say it was organic. Not just leaves, you know?"
"Huh. This is all ... interesting. I can't help wondering if she's representing the other woman in your dreams." Xander considers Shelby for a moment or two. "Did Zosia have anything to say about any of this, or?"
She says with a shrug, "She hasn't heard about my last dream; I only had it last night and I haven't found her yet this morning. Apparently you, Norman-rhya and she have all had dreams about the two sisters - if not identical dreams, then very close. I haven't talked to anyone else who's had dreams about biology class. She thought maybe they were auspice-related." Another shrug: that explanation is as good as any. "Until this last one, we didn't have any idea what was going on. It was me finally realizing that everything was backwards, and her telling me 'this is as it is, but not as it's supposed to be' that things really clicked."
"Hm," Xander ponders. "I had assumed before that it was something about jealousy. You know, one sister getting rejected and then going dark side? But now I'm thinking it's probably the other way around, yeah. Like the dude forced the two sisters apart."
Shelby lets the silence stretch for a beat, two. "So. Now what? I still want to talk to as many people as have had these dreams. I mean, two points make a line and all, but that doesn't mean that I'm right yet. Have you heard about anyone else - not Norman or Zosia, I mean - who's had one of these dreams?"
"Nope," Xander admits. "Just you and those two. But-- I've been kinda busy with talen-making and stuff, so I haven't been talking to a ton of people lately. Most recent has been Marcos, but his only dreams have been the crossroads."
She at him at that, away from a study of the tree's bark. "Oh? For the Great Hunt? I never even thought about Talens. What sorts have you made?" She nods about her Tribemate, acknowledging words without adding to them.
"Yeah. One for long sight, with a kestrel spirit, and another for healing, from a water spirit." Xander pauses and adds with a hint of self-awareness, "I don't know Mother's Touch yet, so, yeah. Some sort of healing ability is nice."
"I should learn how to detect Wyrm," the Ragabash admits, drawing up one leg. "Those sound useful, though. I already have the gift of long sight, so that will do someone else some good." Another pause. "Though wait. Kestrel and water? Maybe... maybe they shouldn't be used at all," she offers hesitantly.
Xander makes a sour face. "Yeah, I was just thinking that," the Shadow Lord admits. "But. That judgment'll have to be made at the place itself, so we'll see what happens."
"We can ask Zosia about it too," Shelby says consolingly. "I mean, I can see how awkward it'd get, doing all the work to create the Talen in the first place, then destroying it even before it gets used. How would you explain that to the spirits?" Something she's happy she won't have to do, if her head shake is any indication. Another track, then: "Have you been on a Great Hunt before?"
"Well. Releasing them before they have to do anything won't be bad, as long as it's respectful," Xander admits with a shrug. "The bad thing with talens is keeping them in the thing for too long, that'll piss 'em off." And then: "Here? No. I've been on one before, though. No telling how different it'll be in a different Sept, though."
Shelby half-grins. "No breaking them in half and yelling 'Your mom dresses you funny'?" She's shaking her head even as she says it, making the joke clear. "Oh? What was it like? And, this is sort of related, but not really, what did you think of Marcos?"
Xander grins and chuckles. "Yeah, I don't think it'd be cool to break open a talen and be like 'Your mom...!' anything. You'd be doing contrition for your next, like, lifetime." He looks amused, and then shrugs at her question. "He's alright. Seems kinda young and over-eager, but alright. He asked me if I was interested in packing. He wants war, though."
Shelby's eyes get big. "Why Xander, I don't know why you don't think that appropriate behavior...!" She can only remain shocked (shocked, I say!) for a moment more before the grin completely takes over her face. It too fades in turn, to a sympathetic wince. "Yeah, there are only a few - a very few - War totems I could see following. At least right now. Maybe in a few years, but right now? I'd look for Respect or Wisdom. Like Merlin, or Osprey. Dragonfly, if she'd have me."
Xander chuckles, and then: "Yeah, I like Merlin," he agrees, leaning back against the tree and propping one knee up. "I'm just ... not a huge war-totem person. Not too big on Cunning, either. Just difficult right now, 'cause I'm not real interested in the current packs up and running - they're either too-city or too-bawn or ...well, Unicorn, which doesn't particularly suit me." That's a bit wry.
"A Cunning pack wouldn't suit me," the Silver Fang says - primly? Maybe just a touch. "And I hear what you say. I'm a Guardian now because I got tired of just hanging about waiting for all the other unpacked people to either decide if they wanted to pack - period, not just with me - or wander here and gone again, or just generally be vague and unhelpful." She studies the Lord for a moment. "I think the two of us could pack together successfully. What do you think?"
"God, I hear that. I don't understand those who're like, 'welllll-- I dunno if I want to pack right now...' Not being in a pack has always felt like the weird thing to me." He makes a face, and then glances up to her at the offer, both brows raised. "Yeah? I do, too. I'd be willing to give it a shot. We'd need to find a third, though."
"Exactly," Shelby nods. "And at least a third, if not a couple more. That's the other hard part of starting a pack - finding compatible people. I think I could pack with Meg, though trying to talk to her about it is like trying to sneak up on a rabbit. Has to be done very gingerly. Otherwise... hmm. Tim-rhya, maybe that Glass Walker Philodox. Jack, I think. I don't know him very well, but I think we meshed. Possibly Marcos, though it sounds like our packing goals are different. Rat-Tale could be interesting, too. Who've you been thinking of?"
"Marcos might be able to be talked down outta War," Xander ponders. "He might bring in some... interesting dynamics, though. I don't really know any of the others. Uh. I know Jace was looking, but I got the impression you two don't get along great."
Shelby waggles her free hand, so-so. "Mmm... yes and no? We're not going the same way right now. It would be interesting dynamics, like you say." She switches legs, straightening the bent knee. "Tim's... well, Tim's a Strider. You see him when you see him. But you know who I'd love to pack with? Chandini. Except she's already packed, but. You should see if you can meet Rat-Tale. She's a Bone Gnawer Galliard, lupus born. From, hmn. India, I think."
"Yeah, I'll see if I run across her," Xander agrees. "Huh. Well. That gives a couple options, anyway."
"We can think about other people as we go along," says Shelby, ever-gracious. "I can't tell you how much of a relief it is to have even this little much, though. Now we just have to consider what we want the pack to do, and who we might want to follow." She grimaces: such tiny obstacles! "I know I'm mostly thinking about things-with-wings, though if you've got other ideas, I'm willing to listen."
"Well, all the options you've listed have been good." Xander leans back against the tree, thinking. "Mostly, my concern is getting a pack that'd be good in both the city and the bawn and not be really so restricted to either. As far as totems go... uh, well. I'm not into the whole trickery thing, like I said, or the completely bitey-face ones. I'm not against Wyvern, as far as War totems go. Uh. The Wind Incarna are pretty good, especially for umbral-related things."
Shelby admits with a cute little shrug, "I consider the various Winds to have wings, even though technically I suppose they don't. I like the idea of a city and bawn pack, too. I'd rather think of ways to do things that don't involve fighting, but then again...." The ragabash's shoulders lift again. "I'm no Galliard or Ahroun. So. It looks like we have at least a basic idea of what and who we're looking for, right?"
Xander shoots her a wry grin, splaying his hands out. "Hey. I'm a theurge. And I'm not exactly a huge dude here. Working without fighting when I can help it is sorta my way of things." And, his hands flop in his lap. "Seems that way to me. It's a good start, anyway."
Shelby sighs, most piteously, and mock-pouts as she stands. "If only you weren't a Shadow Lord; you'd be perfect." Another grin breaks out as she dusts off her clothing. "Gaia watch, Xander, and I'll keep an eye out for, well, everything. I'll see you at the Great Hunt, if not before."
Xander gives a lackadaisical sort of grin. "What can I say, we all have our flaws." He doesn't seem offended. Or apologetic! "Yeah, you too. Walk safe."
The shame of it all. Shelby merely rolls her eyes as she shifts into lupus. A chuff and a mock-lunge at him (ankles beware) and she trots off deeper onto the bawn, tail flagged.
Xander pulls back by reflex, but doesn't seem particularly concerned. He gives a laugh, then resumes lounging where he is. Lots to think about, indeed!