shelbyrou: (Default)
[personal profile] shelbyrou
It is currently 12:10 Pacific Time on Wed Feb 1 2012.
Currently the moon is in the waxing Gibbous (Galliard) Moon phase (60% full).

Country House
An unassuming gravel lane leads up and up the hillside, allowing vehicle access to Suchandsuch whateveritis street. Surrounded by a semi-landscaped stand of stately, mature second-growth Douglas fir trees, this old country house is unremarkable, yet somehow slightly imposing. Perhaps it's the Victorian features of the 1920s-era construction, the nigh-weathered dark brown paint of the exterior, or the haphazard angles of the limestone masonry creating the ground level walls and chimney. The house has two floors, and is modestly sized. On one side, the driveway passes beneath a large carport, constructed of sturdy cedar. This seems to be a later addition to the original structure. The front door sits in a deeply recessed Roman arch, and all the lower-level windows are obscured by greatly overgrown madronas and rhododendrons.

Inside, one immediately comes to a small foyer, and a sunroom with leaded glass windows, perfect for the plants of all sorts that make their home there. Past the foyer, the space opens up into a great room, the stone fireplace and hearth dominating the space there. On one side, creaky wooden stairs curve up to the second floor. Here there is a master bedroom, two other bedrooms, and a vintage bathroom, complete with separate taps for hot and cold water and a claw-foot bathtub. And downstairs, on the other side of the hearth, French doors open to the dining room. Beyond that are the kitchen, the back door, and a spacious closet large enough to have been made over into a spare sleeping space. The backyard boasts wild patches of rosemary and lavender, lending a pleasantly crisp and sweet fragrance to the area. Numerous footpaths weave from the overgrown garden, into the trees beyond.

Obvious exits:
Out

The moon has just tipped over to a proper gibbous moon. Despite the unusual warmth in much of the country, around St. Claire the weather still thinks it is the depths of January. Inside Zosia's country house Shelby is cooking up a storm - there's a temporarily abandoned mug of cocoa on the table while the Ragabash pulls a tray of vanilla cupcakes from the stove, dancing along to music funneled from her iPhone to her ears. She isn't - just now, anyway - singing along.

Zosia's face is bright red and her fingers almost blue when she comes in--likely someone was patroling on the Bawn. As she comes up the little stairs to the main level, she spots Shelby and stops for a moment, just waitching her. Smiling to herself, she angles until she is in the Ragabash's peripheral vision and waves a hand. "What song is it?"

Shelby hip-checks the oven door closed and spins, catching the wave and greeting Zosia with a quick grin before boogying over to the rack on the counter. Sings, "Yes we can, you know we can can something, something," as she sets down the cupcakes and pulls buds from her ears. "Hey, Zosia-rhya. I didn't see you come in. It still too cold for words out there?"

Zosia has no idea what song that would be but doesn't worry about it. "God. Yes. It is the wind, more than anything, that makes it really terrible." Her fingers move stiffly as she flexes them, looking down at the red skin. "That cocoa looks good. There still some hot water in the kettle?"

"Yup," Shelby agrees, hips stilling so she can pull the phone from her pocket and flick the music off. "If it isn't the wind, it's those thorns, and now the mushroom things. The bawn's gotten treacherous." Abandoning oven mitts and cupcakes, she returns to her forgotten cocoa. "Oh! I wanted to tell you in person - I'm packed, now! Under," she pauses, head shaking in disbelief, "Dragonfly."

Zosia heads into the kitchen to arrange cup and kettle, nodding along to the judgment about the bawn. "I...have my worries about it." Which Shelby has partially heard, at least. The news causes her to start and then she's pouring hot water all over the counter. "Shit!" Moving to grab a towel to mop it up, she looks over her shoulder at Shelby. "Really?"

Shelby's grin is purely for her news, of course, and not at all for Zo's industrial accident. "We're calling ourselves Equinox," she says as she heads over to assist with towel-duty. "His name is Anax, and he's... he's... I can't explain it." 'Perfect' might spring to mind, as addled as she sounds at the moment.

"It is difficult to explain a bond with a totem spirit. I certainly would have difficulty really explaining what Aljan is like. Congratulations. That is a very uncommon totem spirit." Zosia smiles a bit as she says that, completing her clean up. "Have you claimed territory yet?"

"Xander was convinced he wouldn't even show up, much less accept us," the Ragabash agrees blithely. She, of course, had no misgivings whatsoever. "We're thinking about claiming part of the scarred forest north of 90, the bit around the oak grove up there." Right now she claims one of the cooler cupcakes. "I want to talk to you about that, actually. Do you have time?"

"That's good--it needs a proper pack and you're all sensible people." The question causes the Silver Fang to raise one eyebrow as she clutches her mug, sipping at it. "I do."

Shelby alternates nibbles of mini cake with sips of cocoa. "Mmm... good." She doesn't launch into details, but takes a moment to collect her thoughts (and have more sugar). After a moment she looks back up. "All right. We actually tried twice. On Saturday we had to answer questions from these goats. The directions said one question, actually, and I got it wrong. But Xander said it didn't say only one question, so he and Tim asked one question too."

"Okay." Zosia seems more inclined just to listen for now, indicating that the Ragabash should proceed.

"I'm sure you won't be terribly surprised to learn that the goats were actually Chimera," Shelby notes drily. "After Tim asked his question they turned into the Lady of Mirrors. She was laughing and told us we were really bad at cheating." Even a few days later the accusation thins her lips. "I told -her- we weren't cheating, and Tim told her we weren't really suited to follow her as a pack. Which we aren't," she adds. "Not to mention the weirdness of following the same pack totem as Sept totem."

"Well. You wouldn't have for much longer," Zosia says in a low voice into her cocoa. "But I don't see you as a chimera group, no."

Shelby's eyes flick to the Theurge. "Anyway. When we got back Tim and Xander felt really bad about having to turn Chimera down. I do too - I mean, I could tell she was sad and everything, but she said I cheated. So we decided to try again, and that's when we found Anax. But ever since, I've been having dreams. Dreams where everyone I know turns away from me, and they're all sad and emo. I can't even look in a mirror without my reflection turning away. What I want to know is this - Tim says you can't do Contrition without truly meaning it, and I agree with him. I didn't mean to hurt Chimera's feelings, but what she said just proves she wasn't the right Totem for us. So should I just suck it up and live through these dreams, or should I try to learn Contrition for her?"

"Learn Contrition. First, it is a handy rite to have and one I've been meaning to learn. And second, you may not have meant it or seen it that way but clearly she did. Ask her forgiveness, mean it. She sends dreams, Chimera does, and they can be important." Zosia pauses, thinking about something. "And since we don't view things the way the spirits do, sometimes that means we end up apologizing for things that we didn't mean to do that bother them."

Shelby grimaces over her cocoa but nods. "All right. I can see...," she pauses, frowning. Tries again. "If she can see what's happening - what we think is going to happen - I can see why she'd want to hook herself, at least in part, to some of her children here. I do respect her. I did Feed the Earth Saturday night, but either it wasn't enough or yes, she expects a full Contrition."

"No, she'd want full Contrition," Zosia says in a sympathetic voice. "It is very frustrating, I know. We don't see things the same way, spirits and us, and sometimes you just want to scream."

The Ragabash sticks her tongue out at her cocoa, so there. "Well. At least I know Tim knows it." She offers Zosia a wry smile. "And it sounds like you're on the same page Mouse-rhya and I are: something's coming, and we're going to have to abandon the Sept, at least for a little bit."

"Mouse and I have talked. As have others. Many of us are on the same page though I am calling Moot for the theurges about this soon. There will be a need to leave, for a time. But my dreams indicate that it will only be for a time and then Spring will come," Zosia says.

Shelby nods agreement. "That's what I get, too. --Oh!" She straightens, reminded. "I don't know how relevant this is, but it looks as though anyone who wasn't physically here at the time of the Rite isn't getting any pack up and move dreams. I'm not, Rori isn't - she's this Fianna Ahroun. It's harder to prove a negative, but."

"The ark dreams are centered on the city tribes," Zosia says thoughtfully. "I am the only non-city type that seems to be having a dream about moving for a time. Though that is why I am calling Moot. We need to compare notes, so to speak."

Up go what can be seen of Shelby's eyebrows. "Oh? And Tim, I think, is the only one who's had a dream about a woman in orange and black who's pregnant. --That's part of the reason I knew we'd find Dragonfly," she adds. "Because of what happened back at the Great Hunt."

"It is part of the reason you -hoped-," Zosia corrects. "I had hoped we'd find Otter but we didn't. And yet, it worked out."

Shelby doesn't correct her but cocks her head at the other woman. "What will you do, if it turns out we're all right and we have to move away from the bawn? I mean, it's practically unlivable there now. Will Temperance remain a Guardian pack of wherever it is we guard?"

"Yes. I've already been talking to Mouse about possibly making use of the Glade in the city. And there are other glades in the wilderness areas like our tribal territory. But my dreams and others point to the city." Zosia smiles faintly. "I'm not one to ignore an obvious suggestion that way myself."

Shelby mirrors the Theurge's smile. "Speaking of the glade, there's this guy - his name's... mmn. Nicolas Dalton? No, Nicodemus. He seems to spend a lot of time out there. I found him planting bulbs in the park the other day. But he's, like, a private investigator, not a gardener or anything. He's been teaching me and a Get Ahroun parkour."

"Okay." Zosia doesn't seem immediately concerned about this. "I mean, sometimes people just like to garden?"

"Yeah," Shelby agrees with a shrug. "I'm just saying there are regulars, and some who seem to be really invested in what's going on out there. So we're going to have to be careful." She waves a hand. "I know, I know, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. But still."

"And -that- is why I have been talking with Mouse. All right, I am still cold. I am going to try a shower to get warmed up all the way. Thanks for the cocoa and the information. Congratulation on the pack." Zosia smiles again, sets her mug in the sink, then heads to the upstairs.

Shelby says, "All right. I'll hold off on the dishwasher until you're done." Another swallow of cocoa and she calls, "Thanks!" after.
This account has disabled anonymous posting.
If you don't have an account you can create one now.
HTML doesn't work in the subject.
More info about formatting

If you are unable to use this captcha for any reason, please contact us by email at support@dreamwidth.org

Profile

shelbyrou: (Default)
shelbyrou

May 2012

S M T W T F S
  12345
6789101112
13141516171819
2021 2223242526
2728293031  

Tags

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Style Credit