![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Hooray for Glass Walkers
It is currently evening on Sat Apr 21 2012.
Currently the moon is in the waxing New (Ragabash) Moon phase (2% full).
It's pushing evening, the city just beginning to fade into dusk. It's the not-great area of the city close to where the highway lets off into the main city nearest the warehouse district. Being a Saturday, though, and having been a pleasant day, the streets are anything but empty: there still are some cheaper bars and food joints down this way.
Though Shelby ambles along the streets her eyes are anything but languid - the Ragabash may look easy-going but she's paying decided attention to her surroundings. Instead of her prized blue pumps she's wearing a more sensible pair of yellow heels that still click-clack satisfyingly against the concrete. She isn't heading anywhere in particular, pausing now and again to consider a window display or the smells wafting from an eatery.
Clarice seems to be sticking to Homid today, not wanting to raise too much of a notice. She's definitely dressed down, though, in her grungiest clothing. Not surprisingly - the Lupus is in an alley, dumpster diving for junk food, and not practicing her lessons like she should be.
There are two who are given a wider berth on the widewalk, and it could be due to their Garou nature.... but more likely from the way Javen is mowing down on her pizza slice as if it were of the Wyrm. She strides along with Jacey, not offering much by way of conversation save the occasional belch or breathless swallow of rapidly disappearing foodstuffs.
Jacey, in contrast, takes her time while eating, a little distracted and maybe just better manners. Slightly better. Her shoes scuff lightly against the sidewalk as she walks with Javen, occasionally glancing aside at some passer by or another.
Alexandra is out for a walk, or perhaps an informal patrol, as she gets to know the city a bit better starting with the areas that are relatively close to the Vault. She does pause from time to time to look at the window display in a storefront or give some consideration to an eatery, though she doesn't actually go in to any of them.
Clarice seems to have found a bag of ruffle chips, still mostly good. Score! The lupus hops out and heads to the street, squatting down as she human-watches. She begins stuffing her face with the junkfood, like she's trying to undo any physical conditioning she'd got thus-far.
From down the sidewalk there come two figures walking along with a young boy, looking to be somewhere in the mid-teens; these two are anything but nondescript and stick out like a sore thumb, and wherever they go, people avoid them in droves. One is a man in his late twenties, rough and scarred and dressed to avoid notice: a dark hoodie, a size too large, and pants that are equally the same. He stalks more than walks, awkward and like one who is completely out of place. The other, a woman, has her hand on the boy's arm, and is guiding him down toward the warehouse district, murmering something to him that cannot be heard. She is heavily tattooed, hair in dreads.
JT walks between the two, head bowed down as he looks to the ground. His face is the epitome of confusion. The words from the woman come into his ear and he turns his head to barely look at her and then looks back to the ground, body giving a sigh as he takes in her words. At something she says he looks up to her with a tiny bit of hope in his eyes that seems to fade oh so quickly as she finishes her words. A rock is on the sidewalk and he kicks at it. His whole body reads of tension.
Turning away from a bar that claims it has the coldest beer in town, Shelby eyes the face-stuffing Clarice across the street with faint disapproval. From there her eyes drift farther to the crowd-parting trio; those she watches with stronger (yet still mild) interest. She hasn't, of yet, noticed either Alexandra or Jacey and Javen.
Clarice hasn't noticed any of the relevant Garou, instead looking from human to human with a sort of wide eyed gaze akin to a squirrel looking out while it chews on some acorns.
Javen finishes what's left of her pizza with all the gusto of a shark taking bait. She licks her fingers and squints back at someone not moving out of her immediate path. "Someday, one of us should learn to drive," she points out to Jacey.
Jacey looks up to respond to Javen, in that motion catching sight of the trio. "Yeah. You're older, easier for you." Her response comes out a little oddly, as if trying to parse something, but follows her words with an elbow for the older Galliard's ribs and a nod toward the group.
Alexandra's route, on the other hand, brings her directly into Jacey and Javen's path. A little surprised to see a familiar face, she offers a smile and a wave to the former, moving over toward them. "Hey there. What brings you out this way?" Her expression suggests that she's not sure if she's met Javen or not, so she gets a polite enough nod and offers in the way of introduction, "Alexandra."
Javen is a girl in her early twenties. She is about 5'10" and with the lithe build of either a dancer or fighter. Her skin is the pale, ghostly glow of someone not used to much sun. Her eyes are large and fringed with black lashes, her irises an icy blue, her penetrating gaze smoldering beneath delicate but lowered eyebrows. Her hair, long and straight to her mid-back, has been gathered into two braids to frame her face, the rest loose. The ends fade to a strange, almost purple hue. She is an attractive young girl with a range of expressions that can convey both innocence and lethality, but almost always tends to look a little haunted.
She wears simple, worn clothes that are dirty and ragged: a pair of jeans, soft shoes, a tee shirt and a jacket.
The woman of the trio relaxes a bit, and she elbows her companion hard in the ribs - he sends a glare at her that could only be described as a little feral. "Joe. Truck. Go." The man scratches at his patchy stubble and then diverts away from the two, skulking toward a set of warehouses. His stalk takes him past Clarice, though he entirely ignores her. The woman continues walking with the kid, entirely casually. She seems unconcerned with his problems.
JT pushes his hands into his pockets and keeps his head low. Even as he looks up just enough to make sure he doesn't knock into anyone, he shies away from walking with anyone around him except the woman. Still, should someone catch his gaze he'd look away as quickly as possible. As the woman orders the man to get the truck and elbows him, he flinches as if it was a slap across his own face. He relaxes a bit when he realizes it wasn't meant for him.
Shelby heads across the street toward the Glass Walker (checking both ways for traffic, of course). "Evening," she greets the Philodox just as Joe passes them both, and watches after him for a few seconds as she makes a show of digging in her purse. "They ours?" she asks in a low voice, meant to be only barely audible over the street noise.
Clarice stuffs her face with a few more chips, but her attention slowly goes to the trio with the dreadlocks. At first, there's a bit of a protective gesture from the lupus, like she's trying to keep the chips from the trio. When Shelby arrives, she only relaxes slightly. "Nu." She replies, brow furrowed.
Javen is just finishing downing her soda, Jacey's ribpoke causing the Skald to snort half of the carbonated beverage up her nose. She sputters for a moment, sneezes, and squints at the girl before finally realising what she's staring at. The soda gets tossed into the trashcan, and the Get scowls a little. When Alexandra shows up, the dirty-looking Get crosses her arms, peering briefly at the Cliath, before showing more concern with the trio of people across the road.
Jacey blinks when Alexandra steps out in front of her. "Hey," sounds equally in aside as she cranes her head around to keep watch on the... well, the two remaining. Though her gaze follows 'Joe' until he disappears into the crowd. "Project I'm working on," is her reply to the Shadow Lord. Then to Javen, "You recognize them?"
The one so dubbed "Joe" indeed disappears. Meanwhile, the woman directs the kid over toward the outside of one of the buildings nearest a large parking garage: waiting for the vehicle, apparently.
Alexandra steps out of the way, turning to see what it is that's drawn their attention.
Shelby echoes, confused, "New?" and stops looking for a handout all together. "--You mean 'no'?"
JT moves to where he is told. He doesn't say a word as he does so and merely nods as to let the woman know he is following her orders. He lifts his head little to see who else is around and ducks it back down immediately. He leans over and whispers to the woman next to him, a look of confusion on his face.
Clarice shakes her head again, this time trying to be more obvious about her reply to Shelby. "Not new." Her lips purse for a moment, as she thinks about it. A really focused look later, she slides on up against the wall, standing. "I feel rage from him. Clealy." She murmurs. "And... they... um... tell small one whe... whea to go."
That information perks up Shelby's metaphorical ears. "Really." She resumes finding a handout for the 'panhandler', eventually handing Clarice a crisply folded bill. Meanwhile she keeps an eye out for the trio-now-duo. "They eat bones, you think? Because I don't recognize them. And something seems a little strange, too, about how they're treating the boy."
Javen shakes her head at Jacey, her eyes moving to rest on Clarice. Gesturing at Alex, she speak to Jacey. "If she's one of us, she should probably come along." The next moment sees the Get is marching across the road to join Shelby and Clarice, all business.
Jacey flicks a glance to Alexandra and nods after Javen in a 'come on' gesture before following the Get herself. As she moves, she does keep a careful watch on the woman and boy.
The woman smiles broadly at the boy and murmers something back, patting him on the head like she was rewarding a young child or perhaps a good pet.
Clarice reaches out to take the dollar, but gets a really distracted look. Distracted enough that the free money isn't enough to have 100% of her attention. Then, something clicks in her brain. "Man eatahs." She all-but whispers.
JT gives a little smile, the kind a kid does when they have done something good. Then his face falls once again as he nods his head, "All right." He says, giving all that are about a little bit of a look. His whole body is covered in dirt and grime. "We could." He speaks again and finishes his thought in a whisper.
Alexandra tilts her head in a nod of acknowledgement, falling into step behind Javen and Jacey without another word. The Shadow Lord keeps an eye on the woman and boy as well, though as yet she's not sure why they're of such interest.
The Walker is close enough to see Shelby's shoulders stiffen, and her jaw work. "Dear, dear." It takes her a moment to remember - oh yeah, money - and shove it instead into the pocket of her trousers. "Care to go for a little walk?" She looks again toward JT and company, spotting Jacey along the way. "Hmm. Looks like we have some backup. But want to call for more?"
Javen pulls up near Clarice and Shelby, the Get eyeing the Silver Fang curiously a moment before she addresses Clarice. "Think we're going to have problems?" she asks her, as if trying to find out if anyone else has the same reservations about the pair. She glances back towards Jacey and Alex, somewhat satisfied to see the presence of the second.
The woman looks at JT with consideration, eyes narrowed a fraction. It's hard to tell what's in her mind - whether it's approval or if she's going to strike him. Before she can say anything, though, she finally notices the looks they are getting; eyes cut suspiciously from each of those looking at her, but they don't linger. She brings out a phone, tapping a number in and waiting for the rings. The phone is hushed.
"Think we're going to have problems," Jacey says quietly, frowning a touch. "She's calling someone." Her eyes dart off in the direction the man had gone, then back to the woman and boy.
"Man eatahs." Doodle repeats, once Javen arrives. "Wif'... wage. Wage. w... you know." She says, frustratedly. That R sound strikes again. Clarice, brushes her hair back, stuffing her hands into the hoody pocket. "Talk about eating people. An'..." Doodle cuts herself off, eyes going wide. "Get silvah!"
One could easily see what happens in JT. He quickly looks back down to the ground and does his best to disappear into himself. The words from the woman into the phone don't make him feel any better.
Alexandra says, "Get silver. Lovely. So if we hit them fast, we're all in public, but if we don't, they're prepared for us."
Javen frowns a little, hands going to her hips. "What is the best way to clear a street? Skunk?" She cuts her gaze towards the woman on the phone. "Or shall someone play purse snatcher and start running?" Her voice is somewhat hushed.
Shelby looks from Javen to Alexandra and back, then focuses on Jacey as the only known entity. "Friends of ours?" she asks, still keeping her voice low, with a nod to the two new women. "My question is should we try and separate the boy, or are they all in it together? --I have a knife," she adds, jiggling her purse, "but I'm not good with it, so if someone else wants to use it...."
A truck rumbles out of the garage and parks nearby. Joe is not driving; he's hunkered in the backseat. Another man is driving, but he's impossible to see: the windows are a bit tinted and the man's entire face is wrapped up. The woman looks relieved. "Good. C'mon, let's get out of here." She starts directing the boy towards the truck.
Clarice shakes her head emphatically. She motions around high. When the truck pulls out, the walker starts to panic. And then, she focuses. Hard.
"Not my friends," Jacey says in response to Shelby. "Don't like the way..." And then there's the truck and a look at the others. "I'm not debating this. If they're ours, we should know. And if not..." Crowded streets suck, but the younger Galliard shakes her head and starts for the vehicle.
JT jolts his head up as the truck comes in closer. His head raises as he looks right at the truck. He looks like he hasn't seen a kind word in many years and like he's never shaved in his short time of a beard. His eyes dart this way and that and he catches the nearest person's eyes that is close to him. There is only one way to describe the look in them, abject fear.
Alexandra asks, "I don't suppose anyone has a gift to take out the lights in the area? Or the car? Because if not, I think our tactical options are about to become do nothing or charge and let the mess get sorted out afterward."
Javen emits a sound of frustration as the truck arrives. "This is not my playing field," the Skald admits. She hesitates. "I can try to speak to that poor boy over there..." From her tone, she suggests something other than going up and shaking his hand.
"No," Shelby answers Alexandra with a frustrated sigh and, "Let me try something." She shoves her purse at the nearest person and heads for JT and the truck calling loudly, "Jason? Is that you? Your sister is going to /freak/ when I tell her where I found you!" She's aim to get between the boy and his escort, ideally before the truck gets there.
Pack> Shelby blasts across the link, "Oh crap, I think there are Dancers or cannibals or something in town."
Well, fortunately, that point becomes moot. The woman whips around when Shelby calls after the boy, and she opens her mouth to say something. However, before she can, there's a 'hisspopop' from the truck, and there's a low explosion that sends out waves of heat over everyone involved. The truck is engulfed in flames, and there's a lot of shrieks as the driver bails, scrambling free. Joe, stuck in the backseat, is stuck trying to clamber over the divider.
Clarice shakes her head after the fire starts, and the Philodox gets a wicked grin. "Yippi Yi Kai Yay." She says, outloud. She watches to see where the Black Spiral Dancers go, instead of running across the street immediately.
JT looks right at the woman who calls for him. He backs up a couple of steps in anyway he can. As soon as the truck blows, he dives for any kind of cover he can find and almost curls up into a fetal ball of a boy.
Jacey breaks into a run once the vehicle explodes, running /toward/ the vehicle rather than away from it. She goes for the boy, despite the size difference, fingers digging into nasty clothing and making every effort to drag him away.
Shelby also has the idea of creating a human (well, human-shaped) shield over the boy, and half-tackles, half-falls across him, letting the others deal with the woman and burning truck.
The Skald curls her lip a little at the ball of fire that was once a van. Well, that'll clear out a street. Giving Clarice a browraise, she instead heads for where the boy had dove. Jacey DIVES past her, however, and so she just stops, crossing her arms as she watches. Her eyes settle on the woman.
Alexandra throws up her arm to shield her face from the blast, staggering backward. "What in the _hell_?!" Spontaneously exploding vehicles weren't something she was expecting, it seems, though once she's had a few moments to recover, she starts after Jacey, though she's more intent on looking for and intercepting any enemy who might try to keep Jacey from getting the boy out.
The driver bails clean out of the truck, on fire, and is running in circles beating at the flames and squealing. The woman sort of gapes, utterly shocked and a bit lost for a moment. "Fuck. Joe! JOE." She scrambles for the truck, yanking at the door-- and wrenching back with a hiss as it burns her. Joe, meanwhile, is up in flames and thrashing, trying to get free and failing.
JT is drug for a bit, then landed on. He cries out, "What are you doing? No, please! DON'T!" If his present situation wasn't enough for the lad, this is. The kid absolutely loses his mind and suddenly bulks up into a crinos form and swings as if his life depended on it. Which to him, it does.
Clarice gives a hearty "FUCK!" When the kid goes to Crinos. Looking around, she tries to think how to clear the street as fast as possible. And this turns out to be her focusing on another car. This time, a Beemer.
Oh hey, a frenzy. Javen smirks a little, stepping away from Clarice and heading for the vehicle. She marches up to the flaming man and moves to deck him, hopefully putting him out of his flailing misery. Or at least consciousness.
Jacey barely has time to get out an 'Oh no!' before snapping into crinos herself. An arm slings around, trying to catch the frenzy around the throat and into a headlock. Best to hold him off everyone else.
Alexandra lets out a curse under her breath, but on the other hand, things just got a lot easier, too. One more giant monster isn't going to make things any worse. Leaving Jacey to handle the frenzying cub, Alexandra blurs up to crinos, focusing her attention on the woman -- since the men are both on fire, and thus less likely to be threats -- before lunging in with a claw swipe at her.
Shelby yells in pain as the beast's claws slice into her. Her shrieks abruptly turn into a roar, which just as abruptly goes silent. The now-Crinos Silver Fang grimly closes her muzzle against any other sound and concentrates instead on keeping the frenzying boy down and under control, laying into him with fists whenever she gets a chance.
Down the street, another car blows: bystanders have... well. It's sort of like the place was full of people three seconds ago, and now it's devoid of everything except fire, flames, and werewolves. The woman shifts up to crinos at the blink of an eye: the huge bat ears and the spiral glyph carved into her chest is unmistakeable. ~You IDIOTS!~ She bellows, slinging up an arm to block the claw swipe and dealing a vicious punch to Seeks' muzzle.
Meanwhile, in-flames gets himself put out. Skeletal, this one is: his face is, basically, a furless, skinless skull. It's this that Javen faces, and the face turns toward her, a low gurgling hiss crawling through his throat. Briefly, the sounds in the car die; then they explode into a cacophony of snarls and rage. The window of the car blows out, and a crinos garou rages halfway through, his skin and fur melting as he is hideously burned and still on fire.
Shelby and Jacey restrain the cub for the most part.
Clarice does not run in to join the burning pile of Crinos around vehicle #1. Instead, she runs down the street, looking for cameras. With a pole. She intends to apply that to any outside cameras liberally.
JT
A mop of dirty blonde hair is atop this guy's head and is all matted and grown into dreadlocks. A scraggled and unkempt beard adorns his face. His hair is matted with blood and dirt as are his clothes. Pale grey eyes are probably his best feature, looking almost silver when the light catches them at certain angles and shine out from all the dirt and grime on this person. His build is lean, muscles standing out like whipcords. He stands at about six feet and from the look of him he looks as if he could grow more. His complexion beneath all the dirt and grime looks to be fair skin, possibly white.
He wears mostly well broken-in denim. A once-blue button-down shirt that has faded to a pale blue-grey colour, vaguely thread-bare about the cuffs and collar, but otherwise in good condition is worn over a black t-shirt that looks to have some sort of print on it, though it's mostly covered by the denim. Blue jeans look to be rather better maintained, though they too have been worn down to that almost silky level of comfort that only the best blue jeans can ever attain. His boots are old, and were probably once brown, but have seen much work and have faded to a kind of muddy grey colour that is caked in so densely that they'll never really look clean again.
Hearing the sounds of varous crinos popping is somewhat unsettling, and Javen is faced not with a man who could easily be overcome, but with a Dancer. Emitting a curse, she backpedals, but instead of popping into warform like so many others, she scrambles off to the side, bolting towards an alley. "Come get me, fucker!" She jeers over her shoulder.
Bright Eyes manages to get her balance over the frenzying cub's body, and continues to pummel his head. ~I've got him,~ Bright Eyes says grimly to Jacey as she applies a forearm to the once-boy's muzzle. ~Do the others need help?~
Three on two. Not exactly the kind of odds that Seeks-Raging-Water likes, even when one of the three is badly hurt and still on fire. ~Three of them still alive,~ she calls out to the two dogpiling the cub as she feints a blow to the female Dancer's right side, the pours rage into a series of claw strikes at her left arm and side.
JT is on the ground and is frothing for a bit until the one on top of him shifts to crinos as well. His claws still just slice and dice as fast as he can. The blows hit him in the head over and over he takes the damage and just keeps on going.
Cracked-Bones nods once to Shelby, using the frenzying furball as a springboard to launch herself at the skull-faced woman Dancer, shoulder dropped low and arms out to tackle her.
Poor Joe. It just never was to be. The crinos' struggles die down, and the body shrinks to lupus and sags out of the flaming car, burned to an almost unrecognizable crisp.
Skullface looks at Javen, and there is no expression on the white face. He drops to all fours, slowly stalking after her. He doesn't rush her, he doesn't leap. He just walks. With every step, things start bubbling out of his hide: hard protective scaled patches. And that hissing noise never stops.
Bat-ears is lithe and quick, and she jerks around to block the blows, one-two-three. She takes some damage as Alexandra ducks around to her slower side, one scoring deep on her side. However, she's quick, and she's clearly experienced; rage pours through her she attacks hard and fast, muzzle closing around the cliath's throat and ripping out a hearty chunk. Then she's tackled flat; she rolls, kicking and snarling at Cracked-Bones.
Clarice finds many cameras to disable; Shelby keeps clobbering at JT, and eventually one lands that slips the kid into unconsciousness.
Clarice continues to work on smashing cameras, rushing up and down the street, trying to stay out of the frame of them so that the last thing they see is just some 2x4 beating the crap out of them.
JT is knocked out right and sound. He pulls back to his human form there on the ground, blood still running off the side of his face from the beating he just took to it. So, he drools.
Cracked-Bones rolls with the Dancer, claws grabbing at whatever is closest. Her head snaps down, mouthful of teeth snapping at the other thing's throat.
Upon gaining the alley, the Get whirls on her persuer, only to find him ambling along at a slow pace. She grins, shifting up to crinos and reaching out to rake her claws across brick, sending sparks. ~Come in, I play nice.~ She continues to taunt the Dancer, giving him more berth to make sure they are both tucked out of sight.
Panting and still bleeding freely from the cub's claws, Bright Eyes pushes off his smaller form and regains her feet. She takes a second to eyeball the scene before launching at Bat-Ears' to join the dogpile there. As she does she looses the strange rattling cry of a Dragonfly pack, seeking to distract their foes.
The Ahroun Shadow Lord is making a gurgling sound, air hissing from the hole in her throat and making bubbles in the blood flowing rom the wound with every breath, though she's still on her feet. Seeks-Raging-Water is content to let the Ronin keep the bulk of the Dancer's attention, stalking behind the rolling pair, waiting until she's got a good shot to lash out with her claws and rake the enemy's back.
Skullface still has no expression, and, matching Javen, he rakes his claws on either side of the alley, sending sparks scattering. He rumbles a hiss; it's like a snake whispering Mother's-Tongue, and it utters: ~Let's dance.~
Bat-Ears is beset upon by Cracked-Bones, and, though the ronin gets a mouthful, she also gets raked down the side by a lot of really sharp claws as the Dancer kicks, cat-like, into her side and belly. Shelby joins the fray, and between her and Alexandra they do some damage.
Clarice, meanwhile, finishes up with the cameras, at least the most obvious ones.
Cracked-Bones growls when claws bite into her belly and side, tearing flesh. Her head shakes, effort made to savage and tear up the throat. Her hands, though, remain grabbing and holding whatever she can to keep control of her perch.
Clarice starts running over as fast as she can, dropping the board in a pile of trash as she blitzes for the werewolf fight. She doesn't shift until she's in the alley, surging up to crinos and lunging for Skullface.
Bright Eyes continues to gouge and scratch at the fallen foe, aiming for the Dancer's head (when it's in reach) and limbs (when it isn't). All the while she continues to howl - perhaps it'll be interpreted as a really annoying car alarm?
Skeinweaver bares her teeth in silent amusement as Skullface advances, and then the Get sees the blurred form of Clarice attacking him from behind. She emits a growl of anticipation, coming at Skull from the front almost simultaneously, sharpened claws brought to bear.
Seeks-Raging-Water does her best to stay on the Dancer's left side, slashing when she has an opening and stepping back when she doesn't, doing her part now to help wear down the opponent bit by bit.
Skullface is taken a bit by surprise; apparently he'd discounted the Walker as being Busy. He's shoved forward right into Skeinweaver's grasp; her claws grasp onto him just as his gouge into her. The fight begins; his claws wrench downwards violently, ripping furrows from where he got ahold of her even as her claws draw blood. He jerks around, shoving her towards a wall. He's strong.
Bat-ears is quickly becoming overwhelmed; 3 on one will do that. Seeks' gets her arm pinned; Jacey manages to stay aboard, even through another kick that threatens to disembowel. Her free arm latches claws into Cracked-Bones' ear, jerking her head back and nearly sending her sprawling; the ronin has a fierce grip, though. Bright Eyes' call is indeed annoying, and the Dancer's head jerks around to /look/ at the Silver Fang, eyes blazing -- just in time to get a muzzle full of claws. She's weakening dramatically though, and thus her struggles become less to kill and more to get away.
Skeinweaver claws at the arm Skullface uses to push her against the wall, rage fueling her actions. Her jaws froth as she struggles, white fur already staining with blood.
Cheese Doodle's fetish hums, as the thing digs into her back, causing steel to boil out and replace her skin. Pistons, servos, and hydraulic lines replace muscle and veins, as the philodox goes full on cyborg on the Black Spiral Dancer. She lunches forward, sweeping her claws low to try and topple the foe.
Cracked-Bones twists, her growl into the Dancer's throat becoming more frantic. Her belly bleeds horribly, rends through flesh visible as she attempts to keep away from those claws. It creates a precarious grip, though she tries still to maintain it, teeth continuing to crush down on the throat, to rip it out once and finally.
Seeks-Raging-Water keeps hold of the arm that she has pinned, lifting it just enough that she can dip her head down and take it firmly in her jaws and bite down hard, beginning to shake her head back and forth in her effort to rip the offending limb from the Dancer's shoulder.
Still howling, Bright Eyes dodges about to the fallen Bat-ears' legs. There she starts to rend and rip at them with her claws, keeping them engaged and away from Cracked-Bones' belly.
Skullface seems a little startled by the whirring behind him (or, as startled as a werewolf without a face can look), and that allows him to be toppled by the Walker. The Get's claws have left rends on his arms, even through those scabby raised patches, and even as he falls he latches on to the Get, dragging her with him as claws dig in, puncture skin, and pull her on top in a way that makes it more difficult for the cyborg to reach him.
Bat-Ears is on her last legs, and she shrieks as her arm is latched onto and shook. It doesn't come free, but it sure disables it. Furious, she kicks out at the ripping garou on her legs, scoring Bright Eyes across the face and neck, but ultimately Bright Eyes is successful in containing them. Lucky thing, too: Cracked Bones bears down, something pops within the Dancer's neck, and she gives a final last desperate thrash, clawing at the offender's neck with her only free arm, before going limp. She doesn't rise again, thank goodness.
JT wakes for just a moment and sits up to see what is going on around him. He notes werewolves, blood, and what looks to be a transformer. It's too much and the boy faints away again.
Cracked-Bones collapses almost simultaneously, dead weight upon the dead Dancer. She's unmoving, unresponsive. But she remains in Crinos, and the subtle shift and rise and fall of her shoulders and back show that she's still alive.
Cheese Doodle hesitates for a while, having never really been in a situation where a gaian garou was laying on top of her enemy like this. A split's moment decision later, she grabs Javen and yanks her back toward her.
Gasping, gaggling, the Silver Fang manages - somehow - to keep howling, even as she backs away from the Dancer's corpse. Attempting to catch Raging Water's eye, she waves a hand toward the sounds in the alley, even as she's moving to check on the fallen Ronin.
Skeinweaver emits a short sound of victory as Skullface topples and grapples her down with him. Atop him, she can use her claws and weight to advantage, beginning a frenzy of slicing and dicing. Then she's feeling herself be pulled away and roars with displeasure at being denied her kill, claws digging into Skullface.
Seeks-Raging-Water spits blood and fur from her mouth as she releases her hold on the Dancer's limb. Dipping her head in obedience to the Silver Fang, she turns and starts for the alley where the battle still continues, though given that there are two Gaian Garou between her and the remaining enemy in a fairly confined space, she can't immediately involve herself.
Skeinweaver and Skullface battle it out, one blow given for the next. He's a strong fighter, but slow; she's faster, but not as strong. She has an advantage, but he has the gift of troll skin. Each one bleeds freely, rage being expended in a nasty dogfight that is going on far too fast for the casual observer to see what is happening. Fur flies.
Cheese Doodle, with Javen looking in as rough shape as she is, leaps at the skullface, going for the throat with her claws. A follow up attack goes for the belly, the philodox trying to end it fast.
Skeinweaver's attacks become a little more feeble the more blood she loses, and finally she's fighting less and working more to tear herself away from the thing she so recently attempted to cling to. To catch her breath. Of course.
Bright Eyes, once she's satisfied Cracked-Bones isn't in immediate danger of dying, checks on the unconscious JT and trots to the alley to see if her help is needed there. The rattling Dragonfly howl continues, though it burbles and cracks now and again.
Seeks-Raging-Water can immediately tell that one of the creatures in the alley is the enemy...the cyborg, well, it gets the benefit of the doubt since it seems to be helping Skeinweaver, even if she's never seen anything quite like it before. She studies the badly wounded Dancer, then moves in to engage the last of the pack. With Cheese Doodle striking for the belly and throat, she drops to all fours and goes in low, simply reaching out to touch the Dancer's leg, counting on her gift to help create an opening that the Walker and Get can exploit.
As Skeinweaver starts trying to get free, Skullface lunges upwards to try to catch her-- however, Doodle and Seeks' arrival is serendipitous. His claws close on empty air, his body falls back to the ground, and Doodle makes short work of finishing him, though she takes a couple nicks from a bite to the loose skin at the side of her neck and a stray kick with a hind paw. Then, skullface dies - and, while Bat-Ears went to homid and Joe went to lupus, Skullface predictably stays in crinos when he dies.
Cracked-Bones lets out a throaty growl as she begins rousing, head hammering and things aching that she can't fathom. She starts to push herself upward, making it as far as getting an arm under her before giving up. She shifts to lupus instead, going still after with a heavy sigh.
One of the Claws of Skullface knicks something important in the arm, which causes a bit of sparking in the arm of Cheese Doodle. She looks down at that with a bit of a scowl, but clearly has other things on her mind. ~Get the cub. And grab the lupus out of the vehicle.~ She says, panting. And then to Alexandra, ~And you, help me carry the Metis. We need to get him some place abandoned, fast.~ Then, to explain, ~Cops will be here fast!~
As soon as Skeinweaver gets free of the beast, she has just enough time to see the thing die before a wobble preceeds her imminent faceplant into the concrete. The Get shifts back to homid, getting a nice faceful of pavement as she passes out.
Seeks-Raging-Water recognizes good sense when she hears it, in addition to recognizing the difference in rank at an instinctive level, even if she hasn't received an introduction to be completely aware of it, and so she's already moving to help heft the metis, even as she's asking ~What in the hell are you?~
Shelby shifts down to Glabro, her howl dying away as she does. "I'll get the cub - should we take him to the Tenement? I've got a car." She's badly gashed in this form as well, white hair spattered with blood and gouges across her face and neck. She turns to look down the street, then swears - vehemently, and not in English. "My car's gone! OK, scratch the car. Anyone else have one?" She's already looking for her purse, dropped somewhere on the ground.
~I'm Cheese Doodle Burns Chrome. I promise I'm not a Black Spiral Dancer. Cross my Heart and Hope to Die!~ Comes way of a quick introduction and honest endorsement. When Javen passes out, there's a very, very panicked expression from the Philodox. ~You get her? I'll try this on my own...~ She says, before grunting and groaning as she tries to shift the Metis to her shoulder. The electronics spark even more. Motors whine under the load of the damaged equipment. But she has it, for now. She starts to drag Skullface away, to a safe place to hide a metis body.
Cracked-Bones's head lifts slightly, bringing a whine with motion. She keeps her head up long enough to watch the others start to come into view, then lowers it again, letting it rest on the pavement.
JT is limp and on the ground, easy to pick up and carry somewhere.
Seeks-Raging-Water lifts the now-homid Javen quite easily, cradling her as gently as possible as she attempts to be cautious not to further aggravate the Get's wounds. To Shelby, she says, ~The Vault is closer than the Tenement. We can keep the cub there until he can be checked for taint.~
Shelby manages to find her purse, then her phone, and already has the latter to her ear. "Sounds good," she half-nods, half-coughs as she trots over to drag JT's form closer to Jacey. "--Charley? Shit. If you get this in the next, um, three minutes, we need your car. Right now. Call me back." She rattles off an address, then hangs up and tries again. "--Todd? Thank Gaia. It's Shelby." Her voice lowers as she continues talking.
Cheese Doodle lugs the Metis body off as fast as she can stagger, heading for the first abandoned place she can find.
[OOC] Shelby: Annnd I also need to face plant, so! Todd Zaleski (relation) will eventually drive up in a nice big car. He probably wouldn't be able to get the Metis in there, but Jacey, JT, and Alex would fit inside. Alex and JT go to the Vault, Jacey and Javen get dropped off at Edgewood.
Currently the moon is in the waxing New (Ragabash) Moon phase (2% full).
It's pushing evening, the city just beginning to fade into dusk. It's the not-great area of the city close to where the highway lets off into the main city nearest the warehouse district. Being a Saturday, though, and having been a pleasant day, the streets are anything but empty: there still are some cheaper bars and food joints down this way.
Though Shelby ambles along the streets her eyes are anything but languid - the Ragabash may look easy-going but she's paying decided attention to her surroundings. Instead of her prized blue pumps she's wearing a more sensible pair of yellow heels that still click-clack satisfyingly against the concrete. She isn't heading anywhere in particular, pausing now and again to consider a window display or the smells wafting from an eatery.
Clarice seems to be sticking to Homid today, not wanting to raise too much of a notice. She's definitely dressed down, though, in her grungiest clothing. Not surprisingly - the Lupus is in an alley, dumpster diving for junk food, and not practicing her lessons like she should be.
There are two who are given a wider berth on the widewalk, and it could be due to their Garou nature.... but more likely from the way Javen is mowing down on her pizza slice as if it were of the Wyrm. She strides along with Jacey, not offering much by way of conversation save the occasional belch or breathless swallow of rapidly disappearing foodstuffs.
Jacey, in contrast, takes her time while eating, a little distracted and maybe just better manners. Slightly better. Her shoes scuff lightly against the sidewalk as she walks with Javen, occasionally glancing aside at some passer by or another.
Alexandra is out for a walk, or perhaps an informal patrol, as she gets to know the city a bit better starting with the areas that are relatively close to the Vault. She does pause from time to time to look at the window display in a storefront or give some consideration to an eatery, though she doesn't actually go in to any of them.
Clarice seems to have found a bag of ruffle chips, still mostly good. Score! The lupus hops out and heads to the street, squatting down as she human-watches. She begins stuffing her face with the junkfood, like she's trying to undo any physical conditioning she'd got thus-far.
From down the sidewalk there come two figures walking along with a young boy, looking to be somewhere in the mid-teens; these two are anything but nondescript and stick out like a sore thumb, and wherever they go, people avoid them in droves. One is a man in his late twenties, rough and scarred and dressed to avoid notice: a dark hoodie, a size too large, and pants that are equally the same. He stalks more than walks, awkward and like one who is completely out of place. The other, a woman, has her hand on the boy's arm, and is guiding him down toward the warehouse district, murmering something to him that cannot be heard. She is heavily tattooed, hair in dreads.
JT walks between the two, head bowed down as he looks to the ground. His face is the epitome of confusion. The words from the woman come into his ear and he turns his head to barely look at her and then looks back to the ground, body giving a sigh as he takes in her words. At something she says he looks up to her with a tiny bit of hope in his eyes that seems to fade oh so quickly as she finishes her words. A rock is on the sidewalk and he kicks at it. His whole body reads of tension.
Turning away from a bar that claims it has the coldest beer in town, Shelby eyes the face-stuffing Clarice across the street with faint disapproval. From there her eyes drift farther to the crowd-parting trio; those she watches with stronger (yet still mild) interest. She hasn't, of yet, noticed either Alexandra or Jacey and Javen.
Clarice hasn't noticed any of the relevant Garou, instead looking from human to human with a sort of wide eyed gaze akin to a squirrel looking out while it chews on some acorns.
Javen finishes what's left of her pizza with all the gusto of a shark taking bait. She licks her fingers and squints back at someone not moving out of her immediate path. "Someday, one of us should learn to drive," she points out to Jacey.
Jacey looks up to respond to Javen, in that motion catching sight of the trio. "Yeah. You're older, easier for you." Her response comes out a little oddly, as if trying to parse something, but follows her words with an elbow for the older Galliard's ribs and a nod toward the group.
Alexandra's route, on the other hand, brings her directly into Jacey and Javen's path. A little surprised to see a familiar face, she offers a smile and a wave to the former, moving over toward them. "Hey there. What brings you out this way?" Her expression suggests that she's not sure if she's met Javen or not, so she gets a polite enough nod and offers in the way of introduction, "Alexandra."
Javen is a girl in her early twenties. She is about 5'10" and with the lithe build of either a dancer or fighter. Her skin is the pale, ghostly glow of someone not used to much sun. Her eyes are large and fringed with black lashes, her irises an icy blue, her penetrating gaze smoldering beneath delicate but lowered eyebrows. Her hair, long and straight to her mid-back, has been gathered into two braids to frame her face, the rest loose. The ends fade to a strange, almost purple hue. She is an attractive young girl with a range of expressions that can convey both innocence and lethality, but almost always tends to look a little haunted.
She wears simple, worn clothes that are dirty and ragged: a pair of jeans, soft shoes, a tee shirt and a jacket.
The woman of the trio relaxes a bit, and she elbows her companion hard in the ribs - he sends a glare at her that could only be described as a little feral. "Joe. Truck. Go." The man scratches at his patchy stubble and then diverts away from the two, skulking toward a set of warehouses. His stalk takes him past Clarice, though he entirely ignores her. The woman continues walking with the kid, entirely casually. She seems unconcerned with his problems.
JT pushes his hands into his pockets and keeps his head low. Even as he looks up just enough to make sure he doesn't knock into anyone, he shies away from walking with anyone around him except the woman. Still, should someone catch his gaze he'd look away as quickly as possible. As the woman orders the man to get the truck and elbows him, he flinches as if it was a slap across his own face. He relaxes a bit when he realizes it wasn't meant for him.
Shelby heads across the street toward the Glass Walker (checking both ways for traffic, of course). "Evening," she greets the Philodox just as Joe passes them both, and watches after him for a few seconds as she makes a show of digging in her purse. "They ours?" she asks in a low voice, meant to be only barely audible over the street noise.
Clarice stuffs her face with a few more chips, but her attention slowly goes to the trio with the dreadlocks. At first, there's a bit of a protective gesture from the lupus, like she's trying to keep the chips from the trio. When Shelby arrives, she only relaxes slightly. "Nu." She replies, brow furrowed.
Javen is just finishing downing her soda, Jacey's ribpoke causing the Skald to snort half of the carbonated beverage up her nose. She sputters for a moment, sneezes, and squints at the girl before finally realising what she's staring at. The soda gets tossed into the trashcan, and the Get scowls a little. When Alexandra shows up, the dirty-looking Get crosses her arms, peering briefly at the Cliath, before showing more concern with the trio of people across the road.
Jacey blinks when Alexandra steps out in front of her. "Hey," sounds equally in aside as she cranes her head around to keep watch on the... well, the two remaining. Though her gaze follows 'Joe' until he disappears into the crowd. "Project I'm working on," is her reply to the Shadow Lord. Then to Javen, "You recognize them?"
The one so dubbed "Joe" indeed disappears. Meanwhile, the woman directs the kid over toward the outside of one of the buildings nearest a large parking garage: waiting for the vehicle, apparently.
Alexandra steps out of the way, turning to see what it is that's drawn their attention.
Shelby echoes, confused, "New?" and stops looking for a handout all together. "--You mean 'no'?"
JT moves to where he is told. He doesn't say a word as he does so and merely nods as to let the woman know he is following her orders. He lifts his head little to see who else is around and ducks it back down immediately. He leans over and whispers to the woman next to him, a look of confusion on his face.
Clarice shakes her head again, this time trying to be more obvious about her reply to Shelby. "Not new." Her lips purse for a moment, as she thinks about it. A really focused look later, she slides on up against the wall, standing. "I feel rage from him. Clealy." She murmurs. "And... they... um... tell small one whe... whea to go."
That information perks up Shelby's metaphorical ears. "Really." She resumes finding a handout for the 'panhandler', eventually handing Clarice a crisply folded bill. Meanwhile she keeps an eye out for the trio-now-duo. "They eat bones, you think? Because I don't recognize them. And something seems a little strange, too, about how they're treating the boy."
Javen shakes her head at Jacey, her eyes moving to rest on Clarice. Gesturing at Alex, she speak to Jacey. "If she's one of us, she should probably come along." The next moment sees the Get is marching across the road to join Shelby and Clarice, all business.
Jacey flicks a glance to Alexandra and nods after Javen in a 'come on' gesture before following the Get herself. As she moves, she does keep a careful watch on the woman and boy.
The woman smiles broadly at the boy and murmers something back, patting him on the head like she was rewarding a young child or perhaps a good pet.
Clarice reaches out to take the dollar, but gets a really distracted look. Distracted enough that the free money isn't enough to have 100% of her attention. Then, something clicks in her brain. "Man eatahs." She all-but whispers.
JT gives a little smile, the kind a kid does when they have done something good. Then his face falls once again as he nods his head, "All right." He says, giving all that are about a little bit of a look. His whole body is covered in dirt and grime. "We could." He speaks again and finishes his thought in a whisper.
Alexandra tilts her head in a nod of acknowledgement, falling into step behind Javen and Jacey without another word. The Shadow Lord keeps an eye on the woman and boy as well, though as yet she's not sure why they're of such interest.
The Walker is close enough to see Shelby's shoulders stiffen, and her jaw work. "Dear, dear." It takes her a moment to remember - oh yeah, money - and shove it instead into the pocket of her trousers. "Care to go for a little walk?" She looks again toward JT and company, spotting Jacey along the way. "Hmm. Looks like we have some backup. But want to call for more?"
Javen pulls up near Clarice and Shelby, the Get eyeing the Silver Fang curiously a moment before she addresses Clarice. "Think we're going to have problems?" she asks her, as if trying to find out if anyone else has the same reservations about the pair. She glances back towards Jacey and Alex, somewhat satisfied to see the presence of the second.
The woman looks at JT with consideration, eyes narrowed a fraction. It's hard to tell what's in her mind - whether it's approval or if she's going to strike him. Before she can say anything, though, she finally notices the looks they are getting; eyes cut suspiciously from each of those looking at her, but they don't linger. She brings out a phone, tapping a number in and waiting for the rings. The phone is hushed.
"Think we're going to have problems," Jacey says quietly, frowning a touch. "She's calling someone." Her eyes dart off in the direction the man had gone, then back to the woman and boy.
"Man eatahs." Doodle repeats, once Javen arrives. "Wif'... wage. Wage. w... you know." She says, frustratedly. That R sound strikes again. Clarice, brushes her hair back, stuffing her hands into the hoody pocket. "Talk about eating people. An'..." Doodle cuts herself off, eyes going wide. "Get silvah!"
One could easily see what happens in JT. He quickly looks back down to the ground and does his best to disappear into himself. The words from the woman into the phone don't make him feel any better.
Alexandra says, "Get silver. Lovely. So if we hit them fast, we're all in public, but if we don't, they're prepared for us."
Javen frowns a little, hands going to her hips. "What is the best way to clear a street? Skunk?" She cuts her gaze towards the woman on the phone. "Or shall someone play purse snatcher and start running?" Her voice is somewhat hushed.
Shelby looks from Javen to Alexandra and back, then focuses on Jacey as the only known entity. "Friends of ours?" she asks, still keeping her voice low, with a nod to the two new women. "My question is should we try and separate the boy, or are they all in it together? --I have a knife," she adds, jiggling her purse, "but I'm not good with it, so if someone else wants to use it...."
A truck rumbles out of the garage and parks nearby. Joe is not driving; he's hunkered in the backseat. Another man is driving, but he's impossible to see: the windows are a bit tinted and the man's entire face is wrapped up. The woman looks relieved. "Good. C'mon, let's get out of here." She starts directing the boy towards the truck.
Clarice shakes her head emphatically. She motions around high. When the truck pulls out, the walker starts to panic. And then, she focuses. Hard.
"Not my friends," Jacey says in response to Shelby. "Don't like the way..." And then there's the truck and a look at the others. "I'm not debating this. If they're ours, we should know. And if not..." Crowded streets suck, but the younger Galliard shakes her head and starts for the vehicle.
JT jolts his head up as the truck comes in closer. His head raises as he looks right at the truck. He looks like he hasn't seen a kind word in many years and like he's never shaved in his short time of a beard. His eyes dart this way and that and he catches the nearest person's eyes that is close to him. There is only one way to describe the look in them, abject fear.
Alexandra asks, "I don't suppose anyone has a gift to take out the lights in the area? Or the car? Because if not, I think our tactical options are about to become do nothing or charge and let the mess get sorted out afterward."
Javen emits a sound of frustration as the truck arrives. "This is not my playing field," the Skald admits. She hesitates. "I can try to speak to that poor boy over there..." From her tone, she suggests something other than going up and shaking his hand.
"No," Shelby answers Alexandra with a frustrated sigh and, "Let me try something." She shoves her purse at the nearest person and heads for JT and the truck calling loudly, "Jason? Is that you? Your sister is going to /freak/ when I tell her where I found you!" She's aim to get between the boy and his escort, ideally before the truck gets there.
Pack> Shelby blasts across the link, "Oh crap, I think there are Dancers or cannibals or something in town."
Well, fortunately, that point becomes moot. The woman whips around when Shelby calls after the boy, and she opens her mouth to say something. However, before she can, there's a 'hisspopop' from the truck, and there's a low explosion that sends out waves of heat over everyone involved. The truck is engulfed in flames, and there's a lot of shrieks as the driver bails, scrambling free. Joe, stuck in the backseat, is stuck trying to clamber over the divider.
Clarice shakes her head after the fire starts, and the Philodox gets a wicked grin. "Yippi Yi Kai Yay." She says, outloud. She watches to see where the Black Spiral Dancers go, instead of running across the street immediately.
JT looks right at the woman who calls for him. He backs up a couple of steps in anyway he can. As soon as the truck blows, he dives for any kind of cover he can find and almost curls up into a fetal ball of a boy.
Jacey breaks into a run once the vehicle explodes, running /toward/ the vehicle rather than away from it. She goes for the boy, despite the size difference, fingers digging into nasty clothing and making every effort to drag him away.
Shelby also has the idea of creating a human (well, human-shaped) shield over the boy, and half-tackles, half-falls across him, letting the others deal with the woman and burning truck.
The Skald curls her lip a little at the ball of fire that was once a van. Well, that'll clear out a street. Giving Clarice a browraise, she instead heads for where the boy had dove. Jacey DIVES past her, however, and so she just stops, crossing her arms as she watches. Her eyes settle on the woman.
Alexandra throws up her arm to shield her face from the blast, staggering backward. "What in the _hell_?!" Spontaneously exploding vehicles weren't something she was expecting, it seems, though once she's had a few moments to recover, she starts after Jacey, though she's more intent on looking for and intercepting any enemy who might try to keep Jacey from getting the boy out.
The driver bails clean out of the truck, on fire, and is running in circles beating at the flames and squealing. The woman sort of gapes, utterly shocked and a bit lost for a moment. "Fuck. Joe! JOE." She scrambles for the truck, yanking at the door-- and wrenching back with a hiss as it burns her. Joe, meanwhile, is up in flames and thrashing, trying to get free and failing.
JT is drug for a bit, then landed on. He cries out, "What are you doing? No, please! DON'T!" If his present situation wasn't enough for the lad, this is. The kid absolutely loses his mind and suddenly bulks up into a crinos form and swings as if his life depended on it. Which to him, it does.
Clarice gives a hearty "FUCK!" When the kid goes to Crinos. Looking around, she tries to think how to clear the street as fast as possible. And this turns out to be her focusing on another car. This time, a Beemer.
Oh hey, a frenzy. Javen smirks a little, stepping away from Clarice and heading for the vehicle. She marches up to the flaming man and moves to deck him, hopefully putting him out of his flailing misery. Or at least consciousness.
Jacey barely has time to get out an 'Oh no!' before snapping into crinos herself. An arm slings around, trying to catch the frenzy around the throat and into a headlock. Best to hold him off everyone else.
Alexandra lets out a curse under her breath, but on the other hand, things just got a lot easier, too. One more giant monster isn't going to make things any worse. Leaving Jacey to handle the frenzying cub, Alexandra blurs up to crinos, focusing her attention on the woman -- since the men are both on fire, and thus less likely to be threats -- before lunging in with a claw swipe at her.
Shelby yells in pain as the beast's claws slice into her. Her shrieks abruptly turn into a roar, which just as abruptly goes silent. The now-Crinos Silver Fang grimly closes her muzzle against any other sound and concentrates instead on keeping the frenzying boy down and under control, laying into him with fists whenever she gets a chance.
Down the street, another car blows: bystanders have... well. It's sort of like the place was full of people three seconds ago, and now it's devoid of everything except fire, flames, and werewolves. The woman shifts up to crinos at the blink of an eye: the huge bat ears and the spiral glyph carved into her chest is unmistakeable. ~You IDIOTS!~ She bellows, slinging up an arm to block the claw swipe and dealing a vicious punch to Seeks' muzzle.
Meanwhile, in-flames gets himself put out. Skeletal, this one is: his face is, basically, a furless, skinless skull. It's this that Javen faces, and the face turns toward her, a low gurgling hiss crawling through his throat. Briefly, the sounds in the car die; then they explode into a cacophony of snarls and rage. The window of the car blows out, and a crinos garou rages halfway through, his skin and fur melting as he is hideously burned and still on fire.
Shelby and Jacey restrain the cub for the most part.
Clarice does not run in to join the burning pile of Crinos around vehicle #1. Instead, she runs down the street, looking for cameras. With a pole. She intends to apply that to any outside cameras liberally.
JT
A mop of dirty blonde hair is atop this guy's head and is all matted and grown into dreadlocks. A scraggled and unkempt beard adorns his face. His hair is matted with blood and dirt as are his clothes. Pale grey eyes are probably his best feature, looking almost silver when the light catches them at certain angles and shine out from all the dirt and grime on this person. His build is lean, muscles standing out like whipcords. He stands at about six feet and from the look of him he looks as if he could grow more. His complexion beneath all the dirt and grime looks to be fair skin, possibly white.
He wears mostly well broken-in denim. A once-blue button-down shirt that has faded to a pale blue-grey colour, vaguely thread-bare about the cuffs and collar, but otherwise in good condition is worn over a black t-shirt that looks to have some sort of print on it, though it's mostly covered by the denim. Blue jeans look to be rather better maintained, though they too have been worn down to that almost silky level of comfort that only the best blue jeans can ever attain. His boots are old, and were probably once brown, but have seen much work and have faded to a kind of muddy grey colour that is caked in so densely that they'll never really look clean again.
Hearing the sounds of varous crinos popping is somewhat unsettling, and Javen is faced not with a man who could easily be overcome, but with a Dancer. Emitting a curse, she backpedals, but instead of popping into warform like so many others, she scrambles off to the side, bolting towards an alley. "Come get me, fucker!" She jeers over her shoulder.
Bright Eyes manages to get her balance over the frenzying cub's body, and continues to pummel his head. ~I've got him,~ Bright Eyes says grimly to Jacey as she applies a forearm to the once-boy's muzzle. ~Do the others need help?~
Three on two. Not exactly the kind of odds that Seeks-Raging-Water likes, even when one of the three is badly hurt and still on fire. ~Three of them still alive,~ she calls out to the two dogpiling the cub as she feints a blow to the female Dancer's right side, the pours rage into a series of claw strikes at her left arm and side.
JT is on the ground and is frothing for a bit until the one on top of him shifts to crinos as well. His claws still just slice and dice as fast as he can. The blows hit him in the head over and over he takes the damage and just keeps on going.
Cracked-Bones nods once to Shelby, using the frenzying furball as a springboard to launch herself at the skull-faced woman Dancer, shoulder dropped low and arms out to tackle her.
Poor Joe. It just never was to be. The crinos' struggles die down, and the body shrinks to lupus and sags out of the flaming car, burned to an almost unrecognizable crisp.
Skullface looks at Javen, and there is no expression on the white face. He drops to all fours, slowly stalking after her. He doesn't rush her, he doesn't leap. He just walks. With every step, things start bubbling out of his hide: hard protective scaled patches. And that hissing noise never stops.
Bat-ears is lithe and quick, and she jerks around to block the blows, one-two-three. She takes some damage as Alexandra ducks around to her slower side, one scoring deep on her side. However, she's quick, and she's clearly experienced; rage pours through her she attacks hard and fast, muzzle closing around the cliath's throat and ripping out a hearty chunk. Then she's tackled flat; she rolls, kicking and snarling at Cracked-Bones.
Clarice finds many cameras to disable; Shelby keeps clobbering at JT, and eventually one lands that slips the kid into unconsciousness.
Clarice continues to work on smashing cameras, rushing up and down the street, trying to stay out of the frame of them so that the last thing they see is just some 2x4 beating the crap out of them.
JT is knocked out right and sound. He pulls back to his human form there on the ground, blood still running off the side of his face from the beating he just took to it. So, he drools.
Cracked-Bones rolls with the Dancer, claws grabbing at whatever is closest. Her head snaps down, mouthful of teeth snapping at the other thing's throat.
Upon gaining the alley, the Get whirls on her persuer, only to find him ambling along at a slow pace. She grins, shifting up to crinos and reaching out to rake her claws across brick, sending sparks. ~Come in, I play nice.~ She continues to taunt the Dancer, giving him more berth to make sure they are both tucked out of sight.
Panting and still bleeding freely from the cub's claws, Bright Eyes pushes off his smaller form and regains her feet. She takes a second to eyeball the scene before launching at Bat-Ears' to join the dogpile there. As she does she looses the strange rattling cry of a Dragonfly pack, seeking to distract their foes.
The Ahroun Shadow Lord is making a gurgling sound, air hissing from the hole in her throat and making bubbles in the blood flowing rom the wound with every breath, though she's still on her feet. Seeks-Raging-Water is content to let the Ronin keep the bulk of the Dancer's attention, stalking behind the rolling pair, waiting until she's got a good shot to lash out with her claws and rake the enemy's back.
Skullface still has no expression, and, matching Javen, he rakes his claws on either side of the alley, sending sparks scattering. He rumbles a hiss; it's like a snake whispering Mother's-Tongue, and it utters: ~Let's dance.~
Bat-Ears is beset upon by Cracked-Bones, and, though the ronin gets a mouthful, she also gets raked down the side by a lot of really sharp claws as the Dancer kicks, cat-like, into her side and belly. Shelby joins the fray, and between her and Alexandra they do some damage.
Clarice, meanwhile, finishes up with the cameras, at least the most obvious ones.
Cracked-Bones growls when claws bite into her belly and side, tearing flesh. Her head shakes, effort made to savage and tear up the throat. Her hands, though, remain grabbing and holding whatever she can to keep control of her perch.
Clarice starts running over as fast as she can, dropping the board in a pile of trash as she blitzes for the werewolf fight. She doesn't shift until she's in the alley, surging up to crinos and lunging for Skullface.
Bright Eyes continues to gouge and scratch at the fallen foe, aiming for the Dancer's head (when it's in reach) and limbs (when it isn't). All the while she continues to howl - perhaps it'll be interpreted as a really annoying car alarm?
Skeinweaver bares her teeth in silent amusement as Skullface advances, and then the Get sees the blurred form of Clarice attacking him from behind. She emits a growl of anticipation, coming at Skull from the front almost simultaneously, sharpened claws brought to bear.
Seeks-Raging-Water does her best to stay on the Dancer's left side, slashing when she has an opening and stepping back when she doesn't, doing her part now to help wear down the opponent bit by bit.
Skullface is taken a bit by surprise; apparently he'd discounted the Walker as being Busy. He's shoved forward right into Skeinweaver's grasp; her claws grasp onto him just as his gouge into her. The fight begins; his claws wrench downwards violently, ripping furrows from where he got ahold of her even as her claws draw blood. He jerks around, shoving her towards a wall. He's strong.
Bat-ears is quickly becoming overwhelmed; 3 on one will do that. Seeks' gets her arm pinned; Jacey manages to stay aboard, even through another kick that threatens to disembowel. Her free arm latches claws into Cracked-Bones' ear, jerking her head back and nearly sending her sprawling; the ronin has a fierce grip, though. Bright Eyes' call is indeed annoying, and the Dancer's head jerks around to /look/ at the Silver Fang, eyes blazing -- just in time to get a muzzle full of claws. She's weakening dramatically though, and thus her struggles become less to kill and more to get away.
Skeinweaver claws at the arm Skullface uses to push her against the wall, rage fueling her actions. Her jaws froth as she struggles, white fur already staining with blood.
Cheese Doodle's fetish hums, as the thing digs into her back, causing steel to boil out and replace her skin. Pistons, servos, and hydraulic lines replace muscle and veins, as the philodox goes full on cyborg on the Black Spiral Dancer. She lunches forward, sweeping her claws low to try and topple the foe.
Cracked-Bones twists, her growl into the Dancer's throat becoming more frantic. Her belly bleeds horribly, rends through flesh visible as she attempts to keep away from those claws. It creates a precarious grip, though she tries still to maintain it, teeth continuing to crush down on the throat, to rip it out once and finally.
Seeks-Raging-Water keeps hold of the arm that she has pinned, lifting it just enough that she can dip her head down and take it firmly in her jaws and bite down hard, beginning to shake her head back and forth in her effort to rip the offending limb from the Dancer's shoulder.
Still howling, Bright Eyes dodges about to the fallen Bat-ears' legs. There she starts to rend and rip at them with her claws, keeping them engaged and away from Cracked-Bones' belly.
Skullface seems a little startled by the whirring behind him (or, as startled as a werewolf without a face can look), and that allows him to be toppled by the Walker. The Get's claws have left rends on his arms, even through those scabby raised patches, and even as he falls he latches on to the Get, dragging her with him as claws dig in, puncture skin, and pull her on top in a way that makes it more difficult for the cyborg to reach him.
Bat-Ears is on her last legs, and she shrieks as her arm is latched onto and shook. It doesn't come free, but it sure disables it. Furious, she kicks out at the ripping garou on her legs, scoring Bright Eyes across the face and neck, but ultimately Bright Eyes is successful in containing them. Lucky thing, too: Cracked Bones bears down, something pops within the Dancer's neck, and she gives a final last desperate thrash, clawing at the offender's neck with her only free arm, before going limp. She doesn't rise again, thank goodness.
JT wakes for just a moment and sits up to see what is going on around him. He notes werewolves, blood, and what looks to be a transformer. It's too much and the boy faints away again.
Cracked-Bones collapses almost simultaneously, dead weight upon the dead Dancer. She's unmoving, unresponsive. But she remains in Crinos, and the subtle shift and rise and fall of her shoulders and back show that she's still alive.
Cheese Doodle hesitates for a while, having never really been in a situation where a gaian garou was laying on top of her enemy like this. A split's moment decision later, she grabs Javen and yanks her back toward her.
Gasping, gaggling, the Silver Fang manages - somehow - to keep howling, even as she backs away from the Dancer's corpse. Attempting to catch Raging Water's eye, she waves a hand toward the sounds in the alley, even as she's moving to check on the fallen Ronin.
Skeinweaver emits a short sound of victory as Skullface topples and grapples her down with him. Atop him, she can use her claws and weight to advantage, beginning a frenzy of slicing and dicing. Then she's feeling herself be pulled away and roars with displeasure at being denied her kill, claws digging into Skullface.
Seeks-Raging-Water spits blood and fur from her mouth as she releases her hold on the Dancer's limb. Dipping her head in obedience to the Silver Fang, she turns and starts for the alley where the battle still continues, though given that there are two Gaian Garou between her and the remaining enemy in a fairly confined space, she can't immediately involve herself.
Skeinweaver and Skullface battle it out, one blow given for the next. He's a strong fighter, but slow; she's faster, but not as strong. She has an advantage, but he has the gift of troll skin. Each one bleeds freely, rage being expended in a nasty dogfight that is going on far too fast for the casual observer to see what is happening. Fur flies.
Cheese Doodle, with Javen looking in as rough shape as she is, leaps at the skullface, going for the throat with her claws. A follow up attack goes for the belly, the philodox trying to end it fast.
Skeinweaver's attacks become a little more feeble the more blood she loses, and finally she's fighting less and working more to tear herself away from the thing she so recently attempted to cling to. To catch her breath. Of course.
Bright Eyes, once she's satisfied Cracked-Bones isn't in immediate danger of dying, checks on the unconscious JT and trots to the alley to see if her help is needed there. The rattling Dragonfly howl continues, though it burbles and cracks now and again.
Seeks-Raging-Water can immediately tell that one of the creatures in the alley is the enemy...the cyborg, well, it gets the benefit of the doubt since it seems to be helping Skeinweaver, even if she's never seen anything quite like it before. She studies the badly wounded Dancer, then moves in to engage the last of the pack. With Cheese Doodle striking for the belly and throat, she drops to all fours and goes in low, simply reaching out to touch the Dancer's leg, counting on her gift to help create an opening that the Walker and Get can exploit.
As Skeinweaver starts trying to get free, Skullface lunges upwards to try to catch her-- however, Doodle and Seeks' arrival is serendipitous. His claws close on empty air, his body falls back to the ground, and Doodle makes short work of finishing him, though she takes a couple nicks from a bite to the loose skin at the side of her neck and a stray kick with a hind paw. Then, skullface dies - and, while Bat-Ears went to homid and Joe went to lupus, Skullface predictably stays in crinos when he dies.
Cracked-Bones lets out a throaty growl as she begins rousing, head hammering and things aching that she can't fathom. She starts to push herself upward, making it as far as getting an arm under her before giving up. She shifts to lupus instead, going still after with a heavy sigh.
One of the Claws of Skullface knicks something important in the arm, which causes a bit of sparking in the arm of Cheese Doodle. She looks down at that with a bit of a scowl, but clearly has other things on her mind. ~Get the cub. And grab the lupus out of the vehicle.~ She says, panting. And then to Alexandra, ~And you, help me carry the Metis. We need to get him some place abandoned, fast.~ Then, to explain, ~Cops will be here fast!~
As soon as Skeinweaver gets free of the beast, she has just enough time to see the thing die before a wobble preceeds her imminent faceplant into the concrete. The Get shifts back to homid, getting a nice faceful of pavement as she passes out.
Seeks-Raging-Water recognizes good sense when she hears it, in addition to recognizing the difference in rank at an instinctive level, even if she hasn't received an introduction to be completely aware of it, and so she's already moving to help heft the metis, even as she's asking ~What in the hell are you?~
Shelby shifts down to Glabro, her howl dying away as she does. "I'll get the cub - should we take him to the Tenement? I've got a car." She's badly gashed in this form as well, white hair spattered with blood and gouges across her face and neck. She turns to look down the street, then swears - vehemently, and not in English. "My car's gone! OK, scratch the car. Anyone else have one?" She's already looking for her purse, dropped somewhere on the ground.
~I'm Cheese Doodle Burns Chrome. I promise I'm not a Black Spiral Dancer. Cross my Heart and Hope to Die!~ Comes way of a quick introduction and honest endorsement. When Javen passes out, there's a very, very panicked expression from the Philodox. ~You get her? I'll try this on my own...~ She says, before grunting and groaning as she tries to shift the Metis to her shoulder. The electronics spark even more. Motors whine under the load of the damaged equipment. But she has it, for now. She starts to drag Skullface away, to a safe place to hide a metis body.
Cracked-Bones's head lifts slightly, bringing a whine with motion. She keeps her head up long enough to watch the others start to come into view, then lowers it again, letting it rest on the pavement.
JT is limp and on the ground, easy to pick up and carry somewhere.
Seeks-Raging-Water lifts the now-homid Javen quite easily, cradling her as gently as possible as she attempts to be cautious not to further aggravate the Get's wounds. To Shelby, she says, ~The Vault is closer than the Tenement. We can keep the cub there until he can be checked for taint.~
Shelby manages to find her purse, then her phone, and already has the latter to her ear. "Sounds good," she half-nods, half-coughs as she trots over to drag JT's form closer to Jacey. "--Charley? Shit. If you get this in the next, um, three minutes, we need your car. Right now. Call me back." She rattles off an address, then hangs up and tries again. "--Todd? Thank Gaia. It's Shelby." Her voice lowers as she continues talking.
Cheese Doodle lugs the Metis body off as fast as she can stagger, heading for the first abandoned place she can find.
[OOC] Shelby: Annnd I also need to face plant, so! Todd Zaleski (relation) will eventually drive up in a nice big car. He probably wouldn't be able to get the Metis in there, but Jacey, JT, and Alex would fit inside. Alex and JT go to the Vault, Jacey and Javen get dropped off at Edgewood.