Kavi's gonna freak.
Thursday, 22 March 2012 21:00![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
flint_garouAnd the world ain't no fun.
22 March, 2012
The moon is in the waning New (Ragabash) Moon phase (2% full).
Rina runs, pausing only briefly by the marina to catch her breath. She leans against the wall of a building, bent almost double, and then heads south at a slower pace, more conscious of dwindling stamina.
Lefty leads the garou at a light jog. The Gnawer ragabash has her head down, and she looks like she's concentrating on something besides the jog. As it happens, she's right on Rina's trail, following almost precisely the kin's footsteps.
April keeps up with the rest as she was swept up into the makeshift pack. She's quiet as she moves with them, eyes looking to either side now and then to keep an eye out.
Flint is only a pace of two behind the Gnawer, jaw set in a tight line of determination as he looks up at her every so often. There're no words from the young Galliard at the moment, just a twist of concern that shows in his features.
After fifteen or twenty minutes, Rina has to stop running—an arm folded across her body, hand pressed to the stitch at her side. She looks odd, limping that runner's limp but dressed in her normal heavy black jacket, charcoal knit pants half-tucked into combat boots. From time to time she tries to pick up her pace to a jog again, but eventually she gives up and starts cutting through shadowed alleys.
The man isn't running, and he isn't winded, when he calls her name from the shadows at the end of the ally. "Rina." His voice is calm, cool, and just loud enough to carry to where she is.
Rina snaps away from the alley wall. "You're quick, aren't you," she says, the dry humor a bit compromised by her struggle to catch her breath.
Lefty continues to follow whatever invisible trail she's on. Every once in a while she hesitates, only to pick up again—sometimes in a slightly different direction.
April speeds up a little to come alongside Flint. "Keep your eyes open, Tree climber." she murmurs towards him with a grin. Her attention still spreading out to the sides as they follow Lefty.
"You did give me quite the chase," says the man as he steps further into the alley. "I wondered if you would choose isolation or a crowd."
Rina backs further into the darkness. "I killed Halix," she says, her voice still low and ragged. "What makes you think— I won't— destroy you?"
"Gotchya," the cliath affirms, grinning a little at the nickname. But that's momentary, a damper put on it by the situation, and there's another questioning glance to Lefty even as Flint shoves one hand into his jacket pocket to wrap around the closed switchblade inside.
Lefty stops again. This time the Gnawer looks anxious. "Close," she whispers to the others. Then she's off again, turning right and heading down the block toward the alley.
Nicodemus strolls down the sidewalk, left hand clutching a brown paper bag that's wicking the grease from the not-entirely-properly-sealed Chinese food within. He's headed back towards the tenement, having acquired what he'd set out for this evening. That's when he spot's Lefty and crew in the distance, recognizing two out of the three others.
April slows to a walk as Lefty pauses, only to wait for Flint to move to follow Lefty before following herself.
Flint picks up and takes off at a jog after Lefty does again, a nod on his face, though once they're moving again, he falls into line with April, alert and observant.
The man closes the distance with a steady step, but as Rina speaks those final words he surges forward, his hands reaching for hers.
The garou are there, at the corner of the alley, just in time to see the shadowed figures begin to struggle in the darkness some thirty feet away.
A gunshot rings out, but there is no muzzle flash. The occasional glint of metal or leather might betray one of the combatants.
Lefty turns into the alley. It doesn't take the Gnawer more than a second or two to see the figures grappling. She takes off, slipping into glabro as soon as she's out of the residual street light and into the darkness of the alley. If she can tell which shadowy figure is Rina, she'll head towards the other—tackling him at full speed.
Nicodemus continues his stroll back towards the Glass Walkers' building, which leads him on a path closer to the various garou up ahead. Then the sound of a gunshot and Lefty darting down an alleyway. The mage hesitates a moment, unsure as to what to do. He keeps walking closer, observing what Flint does—as well as any other pedestrians that might have heard the gunshot.
April looks towards Flint and motions to the far side of the alley. "Circle, come from behind them, but don't get in her way." she warns before moving to follow after Lefty though she seems to keep a little distance.
Flint ducks a nod, and rather than follow Lefty and April into the alley, Flint takes a few steps so that he's no longer in sight, and then takes off, not at a jog, but at a full run —right past Nicodemus with barely a nod of acknowledgement for the kin— down the block and then down the next alley that will take him around. At some point, the adage about 'don't bring a knife to a gunfight' is ignored, and as he runs, the switchblade is flipped open at his side, comfortably held in his grip at the ready.
The Bone Gnawer approaches at a fast clip, but the pair are locked together, and to hit one would be to hit them both. At least, once she's close enough, she can pick out the shorter stature and armored leather of the kin, as opposed to the more masculine, if still slight figure of her attacker.
It will take Flint a while to reach the other end of the alley, though April and Lefty will be within reach in no time at all.
A .45 drops to the pavement, heavily.
Lefty doesn't bother to stop or slow down. She aims for the man, wrapping good arm and bad around, if she can. since the two are locked together, she may aim for the man, but if she takes them both down so be it.
Nicodemus gets rushed passed by the other Glass Walker. He interprets the nod as simply that—a 'hi' given as the garou runs past. "Need help?" he asks to Flint's back, prepared to abandon his hard-sought Chinese takeout and chase after Flint depending on his response.
April approaches after Lefty but slows once a few feet away. She's ready to assist, but doesn't get any nearer for the moment as she watches the take down.
"Follow me and stay behind me and out've sight of the alley," Flint offers to Nick, as if not quite sure what help he can be. The teen sets a fairly decent clip when he finds his path back and around, though not fast enough that he's winded when he reaches the other end, shifting into Glabro and making to block any potential exits.
The Bone Gnawer grabs hold of the man, and it's her momentum that drags all three to ground. In the tangle of limbs, elbows crack ribs and fingernails rake exposed skin. All three are caught in the struggle for superiority, the struggle to come out on the top of the pile, but none seem yet to have the upper hand. The scent of blood is heavy in the air, but there's a strangeness to it, as though it had been spilled days ago, at least.
Lefty grunts as her rib cracks. She favors that side, and yet it doesn't stop her from trying to pry the two apart. There's a confusion in the Gnawer. She smells the blood, but it's not what she expects, and for now all attacks stop as she tries to honestly see what's going on between the two.
An enraged snarl, muffled, comes from that tangle. Rina finally gets a hand free, and uses it to yank the vampire's head back—giving her better access to pin him by the throat.
April glances back over her shoulder for a brief moment as if to make sure there's no one coming from that direction before her attention is riveted once more back to the pile of three. She shifts herself up to glabro and starts to approach once more, flexing her right hand as if to loosen it up some.
It's an odd role reversal: the Kin looks like the vampire in the pair, seizing him, mouth locked over the creature's neck.
Lefty scrambles back as if she'd just discovered maggots in her hamburger at dinner. There's a snarl from the Gnawer—rage and disgust. Suddenly she's in crinos, her good claw taking hold of the man—digging in to get a good, bloody hold—and yanking him away from Rina. She uses her body and her ruined arm as a club to knock Rina off. To April, she yells, ~Seize her! But don't hurt her.~
Flint takes a step or two into the alley, closing off that side as a method of escape were anyone to try it. There's a moment of uncertainty, and a glance back to Nick, sort of 'do what you can' thing, having also given the Walker kin instruction as they got to the alley of to call people if shit went south. And then Lefty moves, and Flint closes the distance, moving not to help April pull Rina off, but towards Lefty and the man.
Nicodemus wordlessly pursues Flint, following the garou's instructions. If it just so happens that following these instructions conveniently allows for Nick to use the new cliath's body as cover, then all the better. (For Nick, at least!) He's able to keep up with the teenaged werewolf, even though Nick's still clinging to the greasy paper bag containing a carton of vegetarian lo mein and a side order of one egg roll. As he reaches the opposite side of the alleyway with Flint, Nick hangs back and uses the corner of the alleyway for cover as he glimpses into it, then leans back out to assess if there's anyone on the street paying them any mind.
An animal snarl of fury comes from the Kin, and she comes up fast—inhumanly fast—into a battle-ready crouch, facing off with her new enemies. There's murder and wild hunger in her eyes, and her face is a feral mask, the lower half dark with blood.
April moves quickly as the order is sent towards her to try and restrain the kin. Her hand reaching out to try and grasp the arm as she moves to place herself between Rina and the others. The sight of the woman's face not what she would ever want to see on a kin's. "Back." she growls towards her.
Lefty has a good grip, claws digging into the vampire's flesh through his clothes, and even more of his scent leaks into the air. He isn't a willing partner, though, and even as the Bone Gnawer pulls him free of the kin, he turns, twisting and punching at the creature that looms up before him. It leaves his back open to the kin, the gaping wound at his neck visible for all to see. "I didn't say you could taste!" he shouts up at the crinos, blue eyes cold and angry.
Rina moves with unsettling speed again to dodge the grapple. "Mine," she snarls, low and inhuman, baring her teeth.
Closing the distance quickly, knife snapped closed and dropped into his pocket, the cliath snaps up into crinos with a growl. Requiem moves to dig his claws into whatever exposed part of the vampire that he can find, though not to tear or rend yet, but merely to hold.
April turns about as the kin evades her and launches herself after the woman. "Get back here!" she growls out as she tries to catch up to and tackle the woman just to try and keep her from the fight.
Ferret's gaze meets the vampire's, her gleaming yellow eyes the opposite of his cold blue ones—they're hot with anger. She seems about to offer a rather witty retort and then end the creature's life by ripping off its head. That at least was the plan. But, now, the Gnawer seems torn. She remains perfectly still, struggling it seems to simply maintain doing just that.
Rina lunges, feinting one way and the dodging the other, trying to get past the obstacle that stands between herself and the vampire.
Nicodemus gives the area outside the alleyway a rapid scan and, seeing as no one is paying him or the alley's entrance any attention, he slips in after Flint and seeks out cover behind a trash can or whatever happens to be handy. Nick seems to eat, live, and breathe cover. Still, he gets an eyeful of the scene in the alleyway, and makes a face that's a mix of 'ew' and puzzlement as he attempts to sort out what's going on. "Street's clear this side," he hisses towards Flint's back. He seems to have found an obvious use: ensuring the Walker garou's back is covered. Then his gaze focuses on the vampire mentally subverting Lefty's will. As he's already behind a trash can, that conceals his right hand from the alleyway's occupants. The concealed right hand reaches out towards the vampire, then makes a dismissive motion as the mage strives to subtly unwork the magical effect the vampire is using against Lefty.
Just as Lefty stills, the cliath manages to get his claws into the vampire, as well, and the already pale creature lets out his first cry of pain. He twists out of the Bone Gnawer's grasp and throws himself at the newly arrived crinos. The flailing limbs do little damage, and seem intended more to help him escape than to harm. "Let me go!" he shouts, and the cliath can feel the power of his words. He feels it, but something keeps that power from taking hold, and the galliard remains free to keep his grip, much to the vampire's dismay.
April is starting to feel the first bubblings of anger as the kin continues to work to evade her. "Stand still and back away!" she growls before taking a chance and lunging for Rina to try and keep her bodily from the fight and the others.
Requiem snarls right into the vampires face at the shouting, and now claws flash to rend the creature across chest and neck, tear it apart if possible. ~Ferrets-Out-the-Wyrm-rhya,~ he growls, as if that will possibly snap Lefty out of… whatever it is. The Glass Walker grapples with the vampire, making specifically sure not to let go.
Ferret takes a step back now that the vampire's out of her hands. There is a moment where she turns her head, as if clearing cobwebs. With a snarl, she swipes out with her claw hand at the vampire attacking Flint. She aims for the neck, hoping to tear the throat out and if possible remove the head.
Nicodemus hangs back, using cover to protect him from anything that might come out of the alleyway and as a shield to obscure his right hand's gentle gestures in the air. Wielding countermagic against the vampire's abilities, the leech likely finds it difficult or impossible to enthrall the two garou attacking it.
Rina feints again, and darts past April to rush into the struggle, focused only on returning to the source of the blood.
Between the mage's subtle work, and the much less subtle use of claws, the vampire doesn't last long. His head comes away from his shoulders just as Rina manages to pass the Black Fury, and in her rush to the falling body, the kin nearly catches the last blow from the cliath galliard. His claws pass within centimeters of her face, but she doesn't seem to notice.
Rina's fixated only on tackling the corpse—and she's apparently willing to fight her way through the Crinos to get to it.
April is hot on the heels of the kin and as the one goes for the corpse, she makes a running lunge for the kin to try and bodily rip her away from the headless vampire.
Requiem pushes himself a step forward, arms coming out to help block Rina's way, though he doesn't yet shift down. The corpse is ignored for the moment with a snarl of distaste and a splaying of ears. ~Pick her up and, and carry her. Away from here if we have to,~ the cliath says, though there's a clear note of confusion as he continues to block the kin from going for the headless body.
Ferret eyes the corpse, her lip pulling away from her canine teeth. Rina's lunge is seen, and now the Gnawer moves to grab the kin and pull her away. There's nothing gentle about the crinos's attempt, either. If the kin fights, the ragabash will try and knock her out.
With the vampire no longer exerting mind-altering magical attacks against Lefty and Flint, Nick's concealed right hand changes where it's pointed. New target: Rina. Nick's hand rotates so it's palm down, fingers spread, as if a cat's whiskers sensing the air. "What's wrong with Rina?" he asks, puzzled, as if perhaps the garou might have some greater insight.
The Kin fights for all she's worth, and a number of Garou have said she missed her calling in life and should have been born Galliard or Ahroun. She's a capable street fighter, even unarmed—and her speed and strength are well past human limits at the moment.
Requiem just sets his feet a little more firmly on the ground, ears flattening, and there's a glance to the Gnawer, as the galliard defers to let her handle the business of knocking Rina out.
April seeks to come at the woman from the side opposite the other garou once the others start concentrating on the kin as well. She moves now to help herd the woman towards the two crinos for them to put her out of conciousness.
Ferret's hand comes down on the kin with a disturbing 'thud'. It is violent, and it knocks the kin bodily to the ground. The crinos Gnawer winces, and if anyone's looking closely enough they'll notice she crouches a little, tail tucking briefly between her legs. A moment later she shakes the thought off. She gives the vampire another sidelong look and then tells the others, ~We need to deal with tha—~ It's at that moment that she notices Nicodemus at the end of the alley.
Having just observed Lefty and Flint kill a vampire; with Rina being the only present "threat;" with Lefty, Flint, and April positioning themselves around Rina; and with Nick apparently not understanding what is being communicated via the garou's language; the mage hisses towards the garou, "Don't kill her!" His tone and sense of urgency both indicate he's thinking one or all of the garou present might actually do so. And down Rina goes. Nick's eyes go wide.
The Galliard heaves a sigh, and shifts down for the moment to Glabro and then a long moment later to his birth form, before he looks between Lefty and Nicodemus. "Easy, Nick." To Lefty, he offers. "That's Nick. He's… kin," the Glass Walker explains. "Nick, do you have that phone, Kavi gave you? Use it, call him. Now please." And then Flint looks up to Lefty, brows raised in silent question.
Ferret falls downward to her birthform, as well. "Kin," she echoes, almost right on top of Flint's use of the word. "I know." She nods to the man before turning back to the prone form of Rina. With a huffed sigh, she lets out a few choice curses. "Kavi's gonna freak."
April moves to stand over the form of the kin and looks down at her. Then she glances up towards Ferret for a moment. She's quiet as the two speak of the man watching the action as she kneels down beside Rina. "Kin should not bite like that."
"Yeah, he is," Flint acknowledges, to what Lefty says, "but." A pause, and he nods to April, brow furrowing.
Nicodemus hesitates a moment, then Flint's words finally register with him. He pulls the cell phone out and makes use of it. "Kavi? Nick." The bag of Chinese food is still clutched, almost forgotten, in his left hand. "Rina's unconscious. We're in the alleyway between Elson and 42nd near The Underground. There's three other allies here," he says, being careful to not use words that might be intercepted. "Including Flint."
Lefty grows irritated. It's not aimed at the other garou, but it might because of the obvious fact they point out. "I know, I know." she sighs again, glancing back at Nicodemus. "You wouldn't have a car or anything? some way we can get her somewhere safe?
Lefty stops when she sees Nick on the phone. she actually bites her lip when she hears with whom.
April glances up towards Flint. "Find me something we can use to clean her up with." she states before shifting down to her birth form. "It wouldn't do for someone to chance on us with her face covered in blood like that."
Flint looks about, then pauses a moment, squirming under his jacket until he hands April his shirt, which will do well enough. "Here, yeah." Then Flint falls silent, and gives Lefty a half a look. "My phone's at home," he says, quietly. "Didn't grab it."
Lefty shrugs and points towards Nick. "He seems to be handling it. Though do not look forward to Kavi getting here." She gestures to Flint to help her clean up the rest of the mess, in the meantime.
Nicodemus responds to Lefty, covering the phone's mouthpiece, "Parked at the tenement, but it's only a two-seater and no trun…" He looks at the phone and redials Kavi. As he does this, he goes to the alley's mouth to keep an eye out for trouble.
Flint just grunts once, keeping half an eye on Rina and April as he moves to help Lefty out, handling the cleanup in grim silence.
Nicodemus gets Kavi again. "Bring a car if you have one. We're vehicleless here and don't want to draw attention moving her. See you soon."
April takes the shirt and uses it to wipe the blood as best she can from Rina's face and neck. With that down, she works carefully to try and get the woman up from the ground. "Quick little bugger. When you wake up, there better be a good explanation."
Lefty calls to Nicodemus, "Tell him to steal Annabelle if he has to."
There's a grim realisation at some point, and if Lefty cursed earlier, Flint's cursing now, albeit not very creatively. "Fuck, fuck, shit, fuck," the teen mutters. "Fucking damn it. Kavi's gonna freak. Damn it."
Nicodemus ends the call and repockets the Walkerphone. "He's coming," the mage assures, taking four steps further into the alley before he turns towards the wall, bends over, and retches. Total newb.
On the generally quiet streets, a car seems to be approaching far too quickly.
Lefty actually takes a step back, like she's afraid of that car getting her. She gestures to Flint. "Go make sure he finds us."
Flint grimaces, and then the cliath nods and moves to the mouth of the alleyway at a jog anyway, a tentative glance back at Lefty once or twice.
April keeps herself next to Rina as she looks towards the alley's end where the car sounds from. Watching the others, she frowns at their reactions. "This should be fun."
Nicodemus spits a couple times in an attempt at purging the taste of bile from his mouth. He fishes a half-emptied roll of mints from a pocket, peels out two of the white discs, and begins chewing on them. He takes advantage of the short lull to introduce himself to April, the garou he doesn't recognise. "Nick Dalton. Newly found Glass Walker kinfolk." Feeling as if maybe he needs to say more, he offers, "Mint?"
The car pulls up not too far from the alley, and then backs up a bit closer still. Kavi exits in a hurry, almost closing the backpack in the door in his haste. He looks to Flint, and then past the boy to the alley. "Where is she?" he asks, the brisk walk turning into a lope.
Lefty moves to intercept her packmate before he gets to Rina. "Kavi," she calls out, loud enough for him to understand he needs to pay attention to her first.
April stares at the man who comes before her and introduces himself. After a moment, the stare is replaced with a frown. "You reek like vomit." she states in answer. "You better keep the mints for yourself." Then Kavi is called out to and her attention switches to the others once more as she continues to keep close to Rina.
Flint glances up at Kavi, then keeps up. "This way. April-rhya and Lefty-rhya—" and Flint falls silent, nodding to Lefty and stopping a few paces back.
Nicodemus backs off, popping a few more mints into his mouth and chewing them up as he tries to just get out of everyone's way. "Sorry," he offers apologeticly to April as he gives her extra space, eyeballing Rina's prone form as he does so.
Kavi slows when Lefty calls to him, but even so, his attention is drawn to the prone kin. He slows further, and stops when he reaches Lefty, looking back and forth between her and Rina, beyond. "What…?"
Lefty's expression couldn't be more un-Lefty-like. It's practically sour. She gets close to the Walker galliard, whispering what she needs to tell him. "she was with a vampire. She was…drinking from him. Crazed. She—" Lefty cuts herself off and lets Kavi figure out the rest on his own.
Flint takes a couple of steps forward and to the side, enough that he can keep an eye on the elder Walker Galliard, hands shoved into his pockets and brow furrowed into a frown.
April kneels back down next to Rina and opens one of her eyes to peer at it before letting it close. "Hope you weren't hit too hard, speedy," she murmurs, letting the others deal with Kavi.
Nicodemus didn't seem to fully comprehend what was transpiring earlier. When Lefty mentions "vampire," he blinks. When Lefty mentions how Rina was "drinking from him," he looks stunned. Giving the impression he's out of his league and perhaps even his comfort zone, Nick moves away from the growing cluster of garou. As he passes by Flint, he says, "I'll keep watch on this side of the alleyway."
Kavi shakes his head; at first just a quick negation, and then a heavier, more emphatic denial. "No," he says aloud, looking past Lefty to April and Rina once more. "I—" He takes a step, intending to move past his alpha to reach the kin.
Lefty doesn't stop him this time, but she does turn to follow him. When she answers him she's emphatic, and this time she doesn't whisper. "Yes, Kavi. She was. I saw her. She tried to claw through me to get to him."
April turns her head to glance back at the others and frowns as Kavi comes near. "She needs rest and to be watched," she states towards him though she doesn't move from Rina's side. "Watched Closely."
"She tried to. To pass me, too," the young Galliard states, clearly upset by this although he's hiding it well. "Kavi-rhya…" That from Flint is a half statement, half question, and Flint looks down at his feet, then back to the other Glass Walker.
Nicodemus doesn't offer any words at all, as if perhaps unqualified to do so.
Kavi glances back to Lefty only once as he makes his way to Rina's side. He drops the pack as he falls to his knees, looking her over, taking in the quantities of blood. His hand touches her cheek, and he looks up to the Fury. "Is she— What— Can you heal her?"
Lefty grimaces, not really wanting to say what she has to next. "I knocked her out. She…she should be fine. The blood's not hers, Kavi. Shift. Smell it. It's the vampire's."
April shakes her head, "I'm not a healer. But there's no way kin can outrun us like that and still be normal." she states. "You best have her tested."
Flint just shoves his hands into his pockets, coming to stand to one side of Kavi.
Nicodemus keeps his distance from the garou in the alleyway as he keeps an eye out for trouble. He does cant his head slightly to make it easier to listen to what happened to Rina and what might happen to Rina.
Kavi pulls a fleece blanket from the pack and drapes it over Rina, his attention fully on her now. "I—" he starts, but then breaks off as he pulls the woman into his arms. The fleece doesn't entirely stay, but it does cover most of the obvious blood as the galliard starts toward the car. "She'll be okay," he says, though not to anyone in particular. The half-empty pack is left behind.
Lefty makes a half a dozen more soft curses under her breath. she bends to pick up the pack Kavi left behind. She doesn't add anything more. she simply follows him to the car.
Flint goes for the pack for a moment, until Lefty gets it, then just follows Kavi, wordless until he catches up. "It. It was the same man who. The one I told you about who wanted to talk to Rina, the. The… when I was out with her, before," Flint states, tone flat, tense. "The vampire was."
With Rina in Kavi's arms, April stands up and moves back towards Flint, tossing the bloody shirt back towards him. "You'll want to dispose of that." she offers helpfully before glancing towards Kavi. "Someone should go with him."
"I'll stay with him," Lefty tells April. She also offers the Black Fury sincere thanks. The Gnawer then turns to Nicodemus. "You want a ride back to the tenement, too?"
Nicodemus jumps on the offer for a ride: that's something he seems to be able to make sense of tonight. "Yes, please. Thank you."
Kavi lets Lefty get the door, and once he has Rina settled, he moves around to the driver's side. "I'll take care of her," he tells the others. "She'll be okay." He doesn't seem inclined to wait for too long, but anyone who moves quickly enough can get in without trouble.
Lefty climbs in the car without offering any argument. She's not smiling, though.
Flint disposes of the shirt in a dumpster with a nod to April, but Flint's quick to get into the car, climbing into the backseat. For once, the young Galliard is entirely, wholly silent.
22 March, 2012
The moon is in the waning New (Ragabash) Moon phase (2% full).
Rina runs, pausing only briefly by the marina to catch her breath. She leans against the wall of a building, bent almost double, and then heads south at a slower pace, more conscious of dwindling stamina.
Lefty leads the garou at a light jog. The Gnawer ragabash has her head down, and she looks like she's concentrating on something besides the jog. As it happens, she's right on Rina's trail, following almost precisely the kin's footsteps.
April keeps up with the rest as she was swept up into the makeshift pack. She's quiet as she moves with them, eyes looking to either side now and then to keep an eye out.
Flint is only a pace of two behind the Gnawer, jaw set in a tight line of determination as he looks up at her every so often. There're no words from the young Galliard at the moment, just a twist of concern that shows in his features.
After fifteen or twenty minutes, Rina has to stop running—an arm folded across her body, hand pressed to the stitch at her side. She looks odd, limping that runner's limp but dressed in her normal heavy black jacket, charcoal knit pants half-tucked into combat boots. From time to time she tries to pick up her pace to a jog again, but eventually she gives up and starts cutting through shadowed alleys.
The man isn't running, and he isn't winded, when he calls her name from the shadows at the end of the ally. "Rina." His voice is calm, cool, and just loud enough to carry to where she is.
Rina snaps away from the alley wall. "You're quick, aren't you," she says, the dry humor a bit compromised by her struggle to catch her breath.
Lefty continues to follow whatever invisible trail she's on. Every once in a while she hesitates, only to pick up again—sometimes in a slightly different direction.
April speeds up a little to come alongside Flint. "Keep your eyes open, Tree climber." she murmurs towards him with a grin. Her attention still spreading out to the sides as they follow Lefty.
"You did give me quite the chase," says the man as he steps further into the alley. "I wondered if you would choose isolation or a crowd."
Rina backs further into the darkness. "I killed Halix," she says, her voice still low and ragged. "What makes you think— I won't— destroy you?"
"Gotchya," the cliath affirms, grinning a little at the nickname. But that's momentary, a damper put on it by the situation, and there's another questioning glance to Lefty even as Flint shoves one hand into his jacket pocket to wrap around the closed switchblade inside.
Lefty stops again. This time the Gnawer looks anxious. "Close," she whispers to the others. Then she's off again, turning right and heading down the block toward the alley.
Nicodemus strolls down the sidewalk, left hand clutching a brown paper bag that's wicking the grease from the not-entirely-properly-sealed Chinese food within. He's headed back towards the tenement, having acquired what he'd set out for this evening. That's when he spot's Lefty and crew in the distance, recognizing two out of the three others.
April slows to a walk as Lefty pauses, only to wait for Flint to move to follow Lefty before following herself.
Flint picks up and takes off at a jog after Lefty does again, a nod on his face, though once they're moving again, he falls into line with April, alert and observant.
The man closes the distance with a steady step, but as Rina speaks those final words he surges forward, his hands reaching for hers.
The garou are there, at the corner of the alley, just in time to see the shadowed figures begin to struggle in the darkness some thirty feet away.
A gunshot rings out, but there is no muzzle flash. The occasional glint of metal or leather might betray one of the combatants.
Lefty turns into the alley. It doesn't take the Gnawer more than a second or two to see the figures grappling. She takes off, slipping into glabro as soon as she's out of the residual street light and into the darkness of the alley. If she can tell which shadowy figure is Rina, she'll head towards the other—tackling him at full speed.
Nicodemus continues his stroll back towards the Glass Walkers' building, which leads him on a path closer to the various garou up ahead. Then the sound of a gunshot and Lefty darting down an alleyway. The mage hesitates a moment, unsure as to what to do. He keeps walking closer, observing what Flint does—as well as any other pedestrians that might have heard the gunshot.
April looks towards Flint and motions to the far side of the alley. "Circle, come from behind them, but don't get in her way." she warns before moving to follow after Lefty though she seems to keep a little distance.
Flint ducks a nod, and rather than follow Lefty and April into the alley, Flint takes a few steps so that he's no longer in sight, and then takes off, not at a jog, but at a full run —right past Nicodemus with barely a nod of acknowledgement for the kin— down the block and then down the next alley that will take him around. At some point, the adage about 'don't bring a knife to a gunfight' is ignored, and as he runs, the switchblade is flipped open at his side, comfortably held in his grip at the ready.
The Bone Gnawer approaches at a fast clip, but the pair are locked together, and to hit one would be to hit them both. At least, once she's close enough, she can pick out the shorter stature and armored leather of the kin, as opposed to the more masculine, if still slight figure of her attacker.
It will take Flint a while to reach the other end of the alley, though April and Lefty will be within reach in no time at all.
A .45 drops to the pavement, heavily.
Lefty doesn't bother to stop or slow down. She aims for the man, wrapping good arm and bad around, if she can. since the two are locked together, she may aim for the man, but if she takes them both down so be it.
Nicodemus gets rushed passed by the other Glass Walker. He interprets the nod as simply that—a 'hi' given as the garou runs past. "Need help?" he asks to Flint's back, prepared to abandon his hard-sought Chinese takeout and chase after Flint depending on his response.
April approaches after Lefty but slows once a few feet away. She's ready to assist, but doesn't get any nearer for the moment as she watches the take down.
"Follow me and stay behind me and out've sight of the alley," Flint offers to Nick, as if not quite sure what help he can be. The teen sets a fairly decent clip when he finds his path back and around, though not fast enough that he's winded when he reaches the other end, shifting into Glabro and making to block any potential exits.
The Bone Gnawer grabs hold of the man, and it's her momentum that drags all three to ground. In the tangle of limbs, elbows crack ribs and fingernails rake exposed skin. All three are caught in the struggle for superiority, the struggle to come out on the top of the pile, but none seem yet to have the upper hand. The scent of blood is heavy in the air, but there's a strangeness to it, as though it had been spilled days ago, at least.
Lefty grunts as her rib cracks. She favors that side, and yet it doesn't stop her from trying to pry the two apart. There's a confusion in the Gnawer. She smells the blood, but it's not what she expects, and for now all attacks stop as she tries to honestly see what's going on between the two.
An enraged snarl, muffled, comes from that tangle. Rina finally gets a hand free, and uses it to yank the vampire's head back—giving her better access to pin him by the throat.
April glances back over her shoulder for a brief moment as if to make sure there's no one coming from that direction before her attention is riveted once more back to the pile of three. She shifts herself up to glabro and starts to approach once more, flexing her right hand as if to loosen it up some.
It's an odd role reversal: the Kin looks like the vampire in the pair, seizing him, mouth locked over the creature's neck.
Lefty scrambles back as if she'd just discovered maggots in her hamburger at dinner. There's a snarl from the Gnawer—rage and disgust. Suddenly she's in crinos, her good claw taking hold of the man—digging in to get a good, bloody hold—and yanking him away from Rina. She uses her body and her ruined arm as a club to knock Rina off. To April, she yells, ~Seize her! But don't hurt her.~
Flint takes a step or two into the alley, closing off that side as a method of escape were anyone to try it. There's a moment of uncertainty, and a glance back to Nick, sort of 'do what you can' thing, having also given the Walker kin instruction as they got to the alley of to call people if shit went south. And then Lefty moves, and Flint closes the distance, moving not to help April pull Rina off, but towards Lefty and the man.
Nicodemus wordlessly pursues Flint, following the garou's instructions. If it just so happens that following these instructions conveniently allows for Nick to use the new cliath's body as cover, then all the better. (For Nick, at least!) He's able to keep up with the teenaged werewolf, even though Nick's still clinging to the greasy paper bag containing a carton of vegetarian lo mein and a side order of one egg roll. As he reaches the opposite side of the alleyway with Flint, Nick hangs back and uses the corner of the alleyway for cover as he glimpses into it, then leans back out to assess if there's anyone on the street paying them any mind.
An animal snarl of fury comes from the Kin, and she comes up fast—inhumanly fast—into a battle-ready crouch, facing off with her new enemies. There's murder and wild hunger in her eyes, and her face is a feral mask, the lower half dark with blood.
April moves quickly as the order is sent towards her to try and restrain the kin. Her hand reaching out to try and grasp the arm as she moves to place herself between Rina and the others. The sight of the woman's face not what she would ever want to see on a kin's. "Back." she growls towards her.
Lefty has a good grip, claws digging into the vampire's flesh through his clothes, and even more of his scent leaks into the air. He isn't a willing partner, though, and even as the Bone Gnawer pulls him free of the kin, he turns, twisting and punching at the creature that looms up before him. It leaves his back open to the kin, the gaping wound at his neck visible for all to see. "I didn't say you could taste!" he shouts up at the crinos, blue eyes cold and angry.
Rina moves with unsettling speed again to dodge the grapple. "Mine," she snarls, low and inhuman, baring her teeth.
Closing the distance quickly, knife snapped closed and dropped into his pocket, the cliath snaps up into crinos with a growl. Requiem moves to dig his claws into whatever exposed part of the vampire that he can find, though not to tear or rend yet, but merely to hold.
April turns about as the kin evades her and launches herself after the woman. "Get back here!" she growls out as she tries to catch up to and tackle the woman just to try and keep her from the fight.
Ferret's gaze meets the vampire's, her gleaming yellow eyes the opposite of his cold blue ones—they're hot with anger. She seems about to offer a rather witty retort and then end the creature's life by ripping off its head. That at least was the plan. But, now, the Gnawer seems torn. She remains perfectly still, struggling it seems to simply maintain doing just that.
Rina lunges, feinting one way and the dodging the other, trying to get past the obstacle that stands between herself and the vampire.
Nicodemus gives the area outside the alleyway a rapid scan and, seeing as no one is paying him or the alley's entrance any attention, he slips in after Flint and seeks out cover behind a trash can or whatever happens to be handy. Nick seems to eat, live, and breathe cover. Still, he gets an eyeful of the scene in the alleyway, and makes a face that's a mix of 'ew' and puzzlement as he attempts to sort out what's going on. "Street's clear this side," he hisses towards Flint's back. He seems to have found an obvious use: ensuring the Walker garou's back is covered. Then his gaze focuses on the vampire mentally subverting Lefty's will. As he's already behind a trash can, that conceals his right hand from the alleyway's occupants. The concealed right hand reaches out towards the vampire, then makes a dismissive motion as the mage strives to subtly unwork the magical effect the vampire is using against Lefty.
Just as Lefty stills, the cliath manages to get his claws into the vampire, as well, and the already pale creature lets out his first cry of pain. He twists out of the Bone Gnawer's grasp and throws himself at the newly arrived crinos. The flailing limbs do little damage, and seem intended more to help him escape than to harm. "Let me go!" he shouts, and the cliath can feel the power of his words. He feels it, but something keeps that power from taking hold, and the galliard remains free to keep his grip, much to the vampire's dismay.
April is starting to feel the first bubblings of anger as the kin continues to work to evade her. "Stand still and back away!" she growls before taking a chance and lunging for Rina to try and keep her bodily from the fight and the others.
Requiem snarls right into the vampires face at the shouting, and now claws flash to rend the creature across chest and neck, tear it apart if possible. ~Ferrets-Out-the-Wyrm-rhya,~ he growls, as if that will possibly snap Lefty out of… whatever it is. The Glass Walker grapples with the vampire, making specifically sure not to let go.
Ferret takes a step back now that the vampire's out of her hands. There is a moment where she turns her head, as if clearing cobwebs. With a snarl, she swipes out with her claw hand at the vampire attacking Flint. She aims for the neck, hoping to tear the throat out and if possible remove the head.
Nicodemus hangs back, using cover to protect him from anything that might come out of the alleyway and as a shield to obscure his right hand's gentle gestures in the air. Wielding countermagic against the vampire's abilities, the leech likely finds it difficult or impossible to enthrall the two garou attacking it.
Rina feints again, and darts past April to rush into the struggle, focused only on returning to the source of the blood.
Between the mage's subtle work, and the much less subtle use of claws, the vampire doesn't last long. His head comes away from his shoulders just as Rina manages to pass the Black Fury, and in her rush to the falling body, the kin nearly catches the last blow from the cliath galliard. His claws pass within centimeters of her face, but she doesn't seem to notice.
Rina's fixated only on tackling the corpse—and she's apparently willing to fight her way through the Crinos to get to it.
April is hot on the heels of the kin and as the one goes for the corpse, she makes a running lunge for the kin to try and bodily rip her away from the headless vampire.
Requiem pushes himself a step forward, arms coming out to help block Rina's way, though he doesn't yet shift down. The corpse is ignored for the moment with a snarl of distaste and a splaying of ears. ~Pick her up and, and carry her. Away from here if we have to,~ the cliath says, though there's a clear note of confusion as he continues to block the kin from going for the headless body.
Ferret eyes the corpse, her lip pulling away from her canine teeth. Rina's lunge is seen, and now the Gnawer moves to grab the kin and pull her away. There's nothing gentle about the crinos's attempt, either. If the kin fights, the ragabash will try and knock her out.
With the vampire no longer exerting mind-altering magical attacks against Lefty and Flint, Nick's concealed right hand changes where it's pointed. New target: Rina. Nick's hand rotates so it's palm down, fingers spread, as if a cat's whiskers sensing the air. "What's wrong with Rina?" he asks, puzzled, as if perhaps the garou might have some greater insight.
The Kin fights for all she's worth, and a number of Garou have said she missed her calling in life and should have been born Galliard or Ahroun. She's a capable street fighter, even unarmed—and her speed and strength are well past human limits at the moment.
Requiem just sets his feet a little more firmly on the ground, ears flattening, and there's a glance to the Gnawer, as the galliard defers to let her handle the business of knocking Rina out.
April seeks to come at the woman from the side opposite the other garou once the others start concentrating on the kin as well. She moves now to help herd the woman towards the two crinos for them to put her out of conciousness.
Ferret's hand comes down on the kin with a disturbing 'thud'. It is violent, and it knocks the kin bodily to the ground. The crinos Gnawer winces, and if anyone's looking closely enough they'll notice she crouches a little, tail tucking briefly between her legs. A moment later she shakes the thought off. She gives the vampire another sidelong look and then tells the others, ~We need to deal with tha—~ It's at that moment that she notices Nicodemus at the end of the alley.
Having just observed Lefty and Flint kill a vampire; with Rina being the only present "threat;" with Lefty, Flint, and April positioning themselves around Rina; and with Nick apparently not understanding what is being communicated via the garou's language; the mage hisses towards the garou, "Don't kill her!" His tone and sense of urgency both indicate he's thinking one or all of the garou present might actually do so. And down Rina goes. Nick's eyes go wide.
The Galliard heaves a sigh, and shifts down for the moment to Glabro and then a long moment later to his birth form, before he looks between Lefty and Nicodemus. "Easy, Nick." To Lefty, he offers. "That's Nick. He's… kin," the Glass Walker explains. "Nick, do you have that phone, Kavi gave you? Use it, call him. Now please." And then Flint looks up to Lefty, brows raised in silent question.
Ferret falls downward to her birthform, as well. "Kin," she echoes, almost right on top of Flint's use of the word. "I know." She nods to the man before turning back to the prone form of Rina. With a huffed sigh, she lets out a few choice curses. "Kavi's gonna freak."
April moves to stand over the form of the kin and looks down at her. Then she glances up towards Ferret for a moment. She's quiet as the two speak of the man watching the action as she kneels down beside Rina. "Kin should not bite like that."
"Yeah, he is," Flint acknowledges, to what Lefty says, "but." A pause, and he nods to April, brow furrowing.
Nicodemus hesitates a moment, then Flint's words finally register with him. He pulls the cell phone out and makes use of it. "Kavi? Nick." The bag of Chinese food is still clutched, almost forgotten, in his left hand. "Rina's unconscious. We're in the alleyway between Elson and 42nd near The Underground. There's three other allies here," he says, being careful to not use words that might be intercepted. "Including Flint."
Lefty grows irritated. It's not aimed at the other garou, but it might because of the obvious fact they point out. "I know, I know." she sighs again, glancing back at Nicodemus. "You wouldn't have a car or anything? some way we can get her somewhere safe?
Lefty stops when she sees Nick on the phone. she actually bites her lip when she hears with whom.
April glances up towards Flint. "Find me something we can use to clean her up with." she states before shifting down to her birth form. "It wouldn't do for someone to chance on us with her face covered in blood like that."
Flint looks about, then pauses a moment, squirming under his jacket until he hands April his shirt, which will do well enough. "Here, yeah." Then Flint falls silent, and gives Lefty a half a look. "My phone's at home," he says, quietly. "Didn't grab it."
Lefty shrugs and points towards Nick. "He seems to be handling it. Though do not look forward to Kavi getting here." She gestures to Flint to help her clean up the rest of the mess, in the meantime.
Nicodemus responds to Lefty, covering the phone's mouthpiece, "Parked at the tenement, but it's only a two-seater and no trun…" He looks at the phone and redials Kavi. As he does this, he goes to the alley's mouth to keep an eye out for trouble.
Flint just grunts once, keeping half an eye on Rina and April as he moves to help Lefty out, handling the cleanup in grim silence.
Nicodemus gets Kavi again. "Bring a car if you have one. We're vehicleless here and don't want to draw attention moving her. See you soon."
April takes the shirt and uses it to wipe the blood as best she can from Rina's face and neck. With that down, she works carefully to try and get the woman up from the ground. "Quick little bugger. When you wake up, there better be a good explanation."
Lefty calls to Nicodemus, "Tell him to steal Annabelle if he has to."
There's a grim realisation at some point, and if Lefty cursed earlier, Flint's cursing now, albeit not very creatively. "Fuck, fuck, shit, fuck," the teen mutters. "Fucking damn it. Kavi's gonna freak. Damn it."
Nicodemus ends the call and repockets the Walkerphone. "He's coming," the mage assures, taking four steps further into the alley before he turns towards the wall, bends over, and retches. Total newb.
On the generally quiet streets, a car seems to be approaching far too quickly.
Lefty actually takes a step back, like she's afraid of that car getting her. She gestures to Flint. "Go make sure he finds us."
Flint grimaces, and then the cliath nods and moves to the mouth of the alleyway at a jog anyway, a tentative glance back at Lefty once or twice.
April keeps herself next to Rina as she looks towards the alley's end where the car sounds from. Watching the others, she frowns at their reactions. "This should be fun."
Nicodemus spits a couple times in an attempt at purging the taste of bile from his mouth. He fishes a half-emptied roll of mints from a pocket, peels out two of the white discs, and begins chewing on them. He takes advantage of the short lull to introduce himself to April, the garou he doesn't recognise. "Nick Dalton. Newly found Glass Walker kinfolk." Feeling as if maybe he needs to say more, he offers, "Mint?"
The car pulls up not too far from the alley, and then backs up a bit closer still. Kavi exits in a hurry, almost closing the backpack in the door in his haste. He looks to Flint, and then past the boy to the alley. "Where is she?" he asks, the brisk walk turning into a lope.
Lefty moves to intercept her packmate before he gets to Rina. "Kavi," she calls out, loud enough for him to understand he needs to pay attention to her first.
April stares at the man who comes before her and introduces himself. After a moment, the stare is replaced with a frown. "You reek like vomit." she states in answer. "You better keep the mints for yourself." Then Kavi is called out to and her attention switches to the others once more as she continues to keep close to Rina.
Flint glances up at Kavi, then keeps up. "This way. April-rhya and Lefty-rhya—" and Flint falls silent, nodding to Lefty and stopping a few paces back.
Nicodemus backs off, popping a few more mints into his mouth and chewing them up as he tries to just get out of everyone's way. "Sorry," he offers apologeticly to April as he gives her extra space, eyeballing Rina's prone form as he does so.
Kavi slows when Lefty calls to him, but even so, his attention is drawn to the prone kin. He slows further, and stops when he reaches Lefty, looking back and forth between her and Rina, beyond. "What…?"
Lefty's expression couldn't be more un-Lefty-like. It's practically sour. She gets close to the Walker galliard, whispering what she needs to tell him. "she was with a vampire. She was…drinking from him. Crazed. She—" Lefty cuts herself off and lets Kavi figure out the rest on his own.
Flint takes a couple of steps forward and to the side, enough that he can keep an eye on the elder Walker Galliard, hands shoved into his pockets and brow furrowed into a frown.
April kneels back down next to Rina and opens one of her eyes to peer at it before letting it close. "Hope you weren't hit too hard, speedy," she murmurs, letting the others deal with Kavi.
Nicodemus didn't seem to fully comprehend what was transpiring earlier. When Lefty mentions "vampire," he blinks. When Lefty mentions how Rina was "drinking from him," he looks stunned. Giving the impression he's out of his league and perhaps even his comfort zone, Nick moves away from the growing cluster of garou. As he passes by Flint, he says, "I'll keep watch on this side of the alleyway."
Kavi shakes his head; at first just a quick negation, and then a heavier, more emphatic denial. "No," he says aloud, looking past Lefty to April and Rina once more. "I—" He takes a step, intending to move past his alpha to reach the kin.
Lefty doesn't stop him this time, but she does turn to follow him. When she answers him she's emphatic, and this time she doesn't whisper. "Yes, Kavi. She was. I saw her. She tried to claw through me to get to him."
April turns her head to glance back at the others and frowns as Kavi comes near. "She needs rest and to be watched," she states towards him though she doesn't move from Rina's side. "Watched Closely."
"She tried to. To pass me, too," the young Galliard states, clearly upset by this although he's hiding it well. "Kavi-rhya…" That from Flint is a half statement, half question, and Flint looks down at his feet, then back to the other Glass Walker.
Nicodemus doesn't offer any words at all, as if perhaps unqualified to do so.
Kavi glances back to Lefty only once as he makes his way to Rina's side. He drops the pack as he falls to his knees, looking her over, taking in the quantities of blood. His hand touches her cheek, and he looks up to the Fury. "Is she— What— Can you heal her?"
Lefty grimaces, not really wanting to say what she has to next. "I knocked her out. She…she should be fine. The blood's not hers, Kavi. Shift. Smell it. It's the vampire's."
April shakes her head, "I'm not a healer. But there's no way kin can outrun us like that and still be normal." she states. "You best have her tested."
Flint just shoves his hands into his pockets, coming to stand to one side of Kavi.
Nicodemus keeps his distance from the garou in the alleyway as he keeps an eye out for trouble. He does cant his head slightly to make it easier to listen to what happened to Rina and what might happen to Rina.
Kavi pulls a fleece blanket from the pack and drapes it over Rina, his attention fully on her now. "I—" he starts, but then breaks off as he pulls the woman into his arms. The fleece doesn't entirely stay, but it does cover most of the obvious blood as the galliard starts toward the car. "She'll be okay," he says, though not to anyone in particular. The half-empty pack is left behind.
Lefty makes a half a dozen more soft curses under her breath. she bends to pick up the pack Kavi left behind. She doesn't add anything more. she simply follows him to the car.
Flint goes for the pack for a moment, until Lefty gets it, then just follows Kavi, wordless until he catches up. "It. It was the same man who. The one I told you about who wanted to talk to Rina, the. The… when I was out with her, before," Flint states, tone flat, tense. "The vampire was."
With Rina in Kavi's arms, April stands up and moves back towards Flint, tossing the bloody shirt back towards him. "You'll want to dispose of that." she offers helpfully before glancing towards Kavi. "Someone should go with him."
"I'll stay with him," Lefty tells April. She also offers the Black Fury sincere thanks. The Gnawer then turns to Nicodemus. "You want a ride back to the tenement, too?"
Nicodemus jumps on the offer for a ride: that's something he seems to be able to make sense of tonight. "Yes, please. Thank you."
Kavi lets Lefty get the door, and once he has Rina settled, he moves around to the driver's side. "I'll take care of her," he tells the others. "She'll be okay." He doesn't seem inclined to wait for too long, but anyone who moves quickly enough can get in without trouble.
Lefty climbs in the car without offering any argument. She's not smiling, though.
Flint disposes of the shirt in a dumpster with a nod to April, but Flint's quick to get into the car, climbing into the backseat. For once, the young Galliard is entirely, wholly silent.