A nice afternoon in the park.
Saturday, 8 September 2012 14:21![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
flint_garouBetter things to talk about.
8 September, 2012
The moon is in the waning Half (Philodox) Moon phase (50% full).
Flint was more than ready to get out of the tenement this afternoon, and the walk to the park, at least, has been quiet. Flint's stuck pretty close to Lex, but is almost exuberant in being outside and being able to be out. Just not conversational, until they've gotten to a part of the park that has less people, and he jumps up on a bench and grins. A small wave of relief and excitement emanates over the packlink in reflection of his mood. "Fresh air," he adds, aloud. "Thanks, Lex."
Alexandra grins at him. "My pleasure. It's been way too long, y'know?" More too long since she's gotten to spend much time with him, rather than the park specifically.
The galliard's got his sweatshirt tied around his waist, and then he jumps back down off the bench, takes a deep breath in and a deep breath out, then goes and sits down on the grass. "It has, yeah. And longer, it. Seems, you know?" There's a bit of a pause, then Flint gestures that Lex should sit, too.
Alexandra takes a seat facing him, so that they can more easily chat, leaning back slightly and using her arms to support herself. "I could feel how excited you were when Mouse got back… but I've been wanting to ask if she was able to learn the rite she was looking for? I'm kind of hoping we'll actually have a proper sept again soon, since I've never really gotten to experience that."
Flint nods. "She learned it," Flint affirms, sitting crosslegged now. "I hope so. I. I miss it, I miss the. The caern," he admits. "We. We will, we have to." There's a quietness to the words.
There's a note of relief in the Ahroun's tone. "Good. I barely remember the caern—I'd been able to shift for all of a few days the last time we had a moot, and I was a little too overwhelmed to get a good sense of it then. Have you heard any word on when the rite will take place? I figure the three of us won't be much use for the rite itself, but we'll at least be able to help protect the people performing it. Bigwing should appreciate that, too."
At that, Flint shakes his head. "Haven't, hard much of anything, it. When to stop, that you can choose, but no one. What it means, and I've, not—" That brings guilt over the packlink, quickly clamped down upon. His knees draw up to his chest, and he glances over to Alexandra now. "I remember the moot. And, Kavi-rhya took me, to. Jacinta-rhya, and she taught me, about. About, the caern, about, the seasons, the auspices some, and such. Though it… it might, be different. When the caern comes back."
Alexandra shakes her head at that flash of guilt. "Nik hasn't heard anything, either, and he's one of the tribal elders, so there probably isn't anything to hear. The only reason I thought you might have is because of talking to Mouse," she offers by way of reassurance. "And yeah… it might be. We sent away Chimera, so I'd bet that some of how different it will be depends on which spirit becomes the new sept totem."
Flint grimaces and shakes his head again, swiftly. "Mouse-rhya and I talked about… different things," he explains, chewing on his lower lip. "She wanted to know, with. The past month." Then Flint goes silent, and glances at Lex once. "Yeah. Jacinta-rhya a-and, Kavi-rhya, both told me about when, the Sept was the Wheel Renewed. And all."
Alexandra replies with a nod, somewhat more subdued, "I guess you did have other things to talk with her about, yeah." A faint grin. "But we're out enjoying ourselves for the first time in a while. There are better things to talk about, right? Like things we want to do as a pack, now that we can again!"
"Kill something," Flint offers as an answer to 'things we want to do', voice hopeful, with a glance at Alexandra. And his expression twists into a bit of a smile, teeth bared. "Yeah." A moment later, he adds. "I'm sorry. All the— everything." Then it's back to cheerful. "And we should, figure out. A time, training, and, such. Either, somewhere. Or maybe, at the Vault, you guys have more. More space, and I can get there?"
Alexandra says, "I don't know. We could probably train downstairs, though I haven't been back there in a while. I've been living out at the cave. As for killing things—that I know we can do. Would you be up for a trip down into the sewers? I don't think anyone has done anything more about those rats in the last month or two."
Flint nods, thinking about it for a while. "We need, somewhere. That's ours," he says. "That we can use, that we can have, space. I. I don't know, where, what, or. Or, but we. We need it, somewhere not t-the Vault, not the Tenement…" Then there's that grin again. "Hell yes."
Alexandra doesn't disagree with that at all. "Yeah. Yeah, we do. I'm not really so keen on trying to claim an abandoned warehouse near the Vault, though, and that's about the only thing I can think of that doesn't take money short of going full-on woodsy, which isn't so great for you."
Flint nods. "No, I don't know. I'll ask some of, my tribemates. About if they have ideas, what we should do, though. They've done it, before, and, might. They might be able to, to help. It. We'll figure it out." He purses his lips and there's another moment where this time, Flint is the one who's subdued, but then he shrugs.
Alexandra says, "Definitely worth a shot. In the meantime, can you think of anything special that we'll want to take with us when we go to clear out the first of the mutant rat nests? I'm thinking something involving fire—molotov cocktails, maybe, since we don't have a Theurge who can make us any talens?"
The galliard purses his lips and looks up, and he idly turns a mood ring that's on his index finger on his left hand. Eventually, Flint shakes his head. "Ishmael-rhya and Nieve-rhya are, working o-on, things about the, vampire. For that," he states, a small grimace. "Otherwise I'd ask, if they would. Since, we don't, then. Kevin-rhya and Nieve-rhya said, I think, back. At the start, that. We need to, be careful of. Of sewer gas." Flint points this out, then waits to see what Lex thinks.
Alexandra thinks about that. "Yeah, good point. Doesn't help us much to take out a nest if we blow ourselves up doing it. So fire's mostly out, then. We can still focus on ways to keep the smaller ones from swarming us like they did the last time, though. We're going to need to be in good shape to take on the big one."
Flint nods. "We're going t-to, need help," he responds, almost a counter. "One big one? But there's, more than one nest. More than one, big one?" Flint pauses. "I can ask, around, I c-can. See. Norman-rhya'd help us, or knows someone, who will. He's, I'm going to learn. The moot rite. From him. And he taught, last— he. I learned, Dance of Lights. And Bone Rhythms." This seems to bring Flint to another point. "I should, teach you Bone Rhythms, Norman-rhya t-taught me. The one, for Merlin. And Cockroach. And Thunder."
Alexandra and Flint are sitting in the grass, out in a more secluded area of the park, as the two catch up after Flint's grounding and make plans for the future. "We can hit one nest at a time, so that works to our advantage, but more Garou would help, too. Two or three people to handle the small ones while we hit the big one, since Bigwing makes us strongest against it, would probably be a good combination." Then, as he moves on to discussing rites, she offers a nod. "I'd like that. I told Nik about the daggers—with everything else that's been going on, I haven't been able to get with Nieve to work on those, so they're not done yet—and he's working with me on Whet the Blade right now, so that I can care for them properly."
A little yellow roadster whips into one of the vacant parking alongside the nearby road. Lights go out, Nick clambers out, gives the park and its occupants a brief looking over, and then he strolls into the park. His greatcloak flaps off to his left side, blown like a cloak by the wind coming from the southwest. He looks towards the pair of garou gathered in a secluded spot, nodding if he catches either of their gazes, and leaving whether or not he joins them completely up to them—he keeps walking, though his pace slows as he waits for a response.
That gets a bit of a furrow of brow from Flint, and a nod. "Good," he responds. Most of his attention is on his pack alpha, for a long moment. "There's b-been. A lot, we'll get with it, we'll. It'll, work some time, oh, hey." Then Nicodemus is noticed, and the Walker waves towards the man, slightly.
Alexandra is leaned back slightly, supporting herself with her arms. From a distance, she doesn't recognize the Glass Walker kin at first, though once Flint greets him, she seems to realize who he is, and then offers a polite enough nod. "I'm going to be teaching Nik a gift in return, but once I've done that, maybe then you can teach me Bone Rhythms?"
Nicodemus was crossing the park, coming from the road, when he alters his course towards Flint and Alexandra. As he draws nearer—holding off at about 10 feet away—he speaks. "Stake-out in the glade? I'm not intruding on anything, am I? I was just going to go plunk down over near the fountain, smoke, and do a little reading for a bit while keeping tabs on things. Saw you over here. Thought I'd say hi. I'll probably be around for an hour if you two wanted a break to go grab some food or get off patrol early. I'll call you if anything happens."
"Hi, Mr. Dalton," Flint responds, a bit of a nod. "Field trip," the galliard says. "Fresh air, relaxing, a. A bit of a break, now that, things are calmed down. Things are better. Some." There's a correction in there, and Flint scoots to lay down, a bit closer to Lex, though such that he can still see Nicodemus.
Carmen meanders casually into the park. She shuffles her feet as she sips from a large styrofoam cup through a straw. The young Glass Walker kin begins humming a tune to herself as she observes the park. Alexandra and Flint are unfamiliar faces to the semi-newly arrived kin, so she heads in the direction of the person she does know. "Hi, Nick." she greets as she approaches.
Pack> Flint adds, over the pack link, "Of course, teach you Bone Rhythms. Teach Ky, too, if. If, I. If he wants."
Alexandra starts to say something to Nick, but whatever it was is quickly adjusted by the arrival of the unfamiliar woman. "Mostly just spending some time with a friend I haven't gotten to see much of for a few weeks," she explains. "But no, you're not intruding." Carmen gets a polite enough nod.
Pack> Alexandra says, "Once he can get away from the gang long enough, you should ask him."
"Oh, hey," Nick says to the new arrival as she joins the group. "Everyone met Carmen? She's a new member of the Walker family, recently relocated here, and a Terminus employee. Security stuff. I'm hoping once she's gotten things under control at Terminus, she'll maybe spend some time upgrading the safehouse." He asides to Carmen. "Flint and Alexandra are both full-bloods." And with that, the door is open for full introductions all around.
Pack> Flint asks, after a moment, a little quietly in mental voice. "Am I still beta?"
Flint shuts up almost immediately when Carmen gets into sight, and then gives Alexandra an absent nod, a good bit after she's said anything aloud, and a smile, before he looks back up, tilting his head to look at Nicodemus. Warily, still, though apparently Nick's word does end up good enough for further introduction. "Flint," he explains. "Called Requiem, cliath. Galliard, of Cockroach's tribe. Beta of Unfettered, under Merlin." There's another glance at Alexandra, and he nods to his friend. "This is Lex, my friend, and my pack's alpha."
Alexandra says, "Alexandra Morgan, Seeks the Raging Water to Silence Her Strike, Shadow Lord Ahroun. Cliath. And Flint has told you the rest, so need to repeat it. Good to meet you, too."
"So…" Nick says, as if perhaps unsure what to discuss next. "Anything exciting happen recently? I've been eyeball deep in Terminus paperwork, so… a little out of it."
Flint gives Nicodemus a kind of a Look, chin jutting out and eyebrows raised a bit questioningly, and then it eases and the young galliard shakes his head. "Was hoping, ask you that," he says, quietly. "I'm… I need to get back, up to. To speed." This statement finds Flint subdued, and he looks down, before asking another question. "I. I need to catch up, on the dreams, too. Mr. Dalton, could you, email me, on that? It'd be faster, maybe?"
Carmen addresses Nicodemus and Flint, "I'll be sending an email out soon about the security at the safehouse and how I will go about addressing current security issues." The woman shakes her head. "It's been busy at the Terminus. I've been working with IT on some issues, but the technology side of things is pretty secure."
Flint glances at Carmen. "You'd want t-to. Talk to Mouse-rhya, and Salem-rhya, and probably Fallout-rhya. The. The Tenement security, and that, it's under their charge, their choices," he says, with a bit of a sharp note in his voice.
Pack> Alexandra responds, "If you say you're back to being ready, then I believe you." Which doesn't mean that Ky feels likewise, but if he doesn't, that's something the three of them can deal with in due time.
Alexandra says, "Be careful if you go to Phoenix Park. I don't know that anything would be able to touch you on this side of the Gauntlet, but it's still pretty ugly in the Umbra. Not that I knew that until recently, myself. Hopefully that'll be changing in time. We dealt with a little of it."
"Well, not much chance of either of us two popping over to the spirit world to take a look about anyway. The stuff on the other side doesn't reach through that often, I hope? Or that easily?" Nick pulls his Kindle Fire out, taps the screen a few times, and hands it over for Flint to take and review. "Everything dream I've collected so far is in there. I handed it over to Mouse recently and I think she managed to put a whole lot more together than I did. You might want to talk to her about it." He then asides, "I am so glad you're feeling better. I am one piss-poor substitute for a galliard of the tribe. I feel like a 2nd grader who just got handed a calculus problem."
"What's going on at Phoenix Park?" Carmen asks with a tone of concern. Then, she answers Flint, "I spoke to Mouse already but that doesn't mean that I cannot gather opinions and bring it to their attention." She offers the Galliard a warm smile despite his sharp tone with her. She turns back to Nicodemus, "Oh!" she exclaims excitedly. "My roller derby league might be finally getting a warehouse and a banked track. It'll be so awesome. I have not been on a banked track since I left." She encouragingly offers Nick, "You seem to be doing a pretty good job, I think."
Flint takes the tablet and starts looking through things before Nicodemus has even finished speaking, but when Carmen speaks, his hands clench, noticeable only perhaps to Alexandra because she's sitting right next to him. Eventually, he nods. "Uh-huh," he murmurs noncommittally, tapping the screen to go back to the beginning and read through again. To Nicodemus, the boy offers, "Try like, the entire thing. It's differential equations, with. Garou, to use. The math example. Except, nonlinear. It. I…" There's a deep breath that follows. "I appreciate, the help. When I couldn't."
Alexandra says, "All that's going on is that it used to be a zoo, and apparently not a very pleasant one, if the reflection in the Umbra is anything to go by. Spirits normally don't reach through, at least from what I've been taught—and I've spent a good bit of time at Phoenix Park both before and after my change without noticing anything, so it's probably fine." She looks curious at the mention of Nicodemus collecting information. "What's all this about dreams?"
"The visions people'd been having about wasps and maybe tying back in with the bawn or caern," Nick responds to Alexandra. "I was helping to collect them while Flint and Kavi were busy with other things. And it's no big deal, Flint. We all stumble from time to time. I'm just really glad to see you're back up."
Carmen nods in agreement with Nicodemus about Flint. She quietly sips her soda drink while her eyes gaze from one person on the next.
"Bunch of dreams, remember," Flint offers to Alexandra. "I. There were some dreams, right before you came around, I think. And then, there've been. More recently. Mouse-rhya says they're somehow, related. To things, now." There's a shrug after that, and the Glass Walker turns his attention back to the tablet. "Neat," he exclaims at one point, eventually reluctantly offering the device back to Nicodemus. "Star Wars, awesome." This is said, even with the usual hesitance in speech, showing true enthusiasm.
Alexandra tells Nick, "Huh. Well, for what it's worth, you're probably at least as qualified as I am when it comes to collecting info on dreams." She chuckles. "I wouldn't have any idea what they meant, and you've at least got your tablet. I'd have to borrow Mom's laptop if I didn't want to use pencil and paper." A short pause. "Star Wars?"
Nicodemus assures Alexandra, "Trust me, you'd do better. I don't feel terribly comfortable loitering around you folks when the moon is all fat, so that eats right into my time. And the mystic stuff? Totally out of my league. I had to resort to looking in library books on dreams at one point." He repeats how desperate he got. "Library books. That bad." He looks to Flint. "Oh, yeah. I kind of like that stuff. It's nice to read or watch something when I get a break or stuck waiting in a line. That new Kindle is pretty damn sweet. It's really amazing how much the technology has progressed in just the past ten years alone."
Carmen raises her eyebrows at Flint and then nearly has soda go up her nose as if his comment was something funny. She coughs a few times and wriggles her nose as the carbonation causes an uncomfortable sensation. "Sorry," she says as there are a few tears that have formed in the corner of her eyes, "wrong tube."
Flint watches the tablet for a few moments longer. "That's really, v-very neat," he agrees. "I. I've, Kevin-rhya has, an iPad, but I. I like the Fire, a lot, from. Just, that." The boy chews his lower lip for a moment. "That stuff's, fun. We got the, Star Wars game," he points out. "Up in the breakroom. And, the moon's. Getting smaller, we could, at some point, if. When you're by?"
Nicodemus laughs at Flint's words. "Actually, I dropped that Kinect version for the Xbox off earlier on. I had a copy for myself as well, but I got frustrated with it. Too rigid and it felt like it was really on rails." He considers, "I ought to give it another chance sometime. Haven't played anything but Angry Birds recently."
Alexandra considers. "I may have to ask my parents for one of the e-reader versions. If I could get the books my mom has me read for school on it, it would be a lot easier to take with me out to the cave to study. And they're supposed to have pretty good battery life."
Flint nods, twice. "Yeah. I. I'd love to have, the tablet. Even it has, good battery life, overall, and it'd be. Better than, reading on my phone." That said, he looks at Alexandra. "We should, do, that visit, when. On new, this moon. I'd, like to, now that I'm better."
Nicodemus is standing near Alexandra, Flint, and Carmen who're over near a more secluded part of the meadow. Carmen seems preoccupied with her phone—probably something important and personal. Nick advises Alexandra, gesturing at her with his right hand. "You should get yourself a solar trickle charger and a spare battery. I've got one in my camping gear so I can always recharge things that don't draw a ton of power. And with the spare battery, you can have one charging while the other is in use. They're not terribly expensive, either. Maybe sixty bucks for a decent one."
Alexandra asks, "Solar trickle charger? Hadn't heard of that, but it's something I'll definitely look into. Would be a lot of help. Would it be strong enough to work for a smartphone, too?" To Flint, she nods her agreement. "I'll set it up, then. Hopefully Uncle Peter can come, too."
Flint doesn't seem to have heard of the solar trickle charger either, but he offers Alexandra, "I'll. I can see, if I can find one, that would work for that, the. On Amazon, or, something. I. Researching that's, easy, I'll. Text you, or. Let you know, when. I do."
Apparently this evening exercise thing has become a habit, or maybe it's just something to whittle away free evenings. Either way, Charley's headed back through the park, headed toward the general parking lot area. But, lo! People he knows. He heads thataway. "Hey Nick," and a nod to Carmen, but he doesn't greet her vocally, seeing as she's busy.
Nicodemus raises a hand to greet Charley and beckon him on over. He finishes talking about trickle chargers to the two kids near him. "They've got all kinds of adaptors so you can use them to charge anything from a cell phone to an e-reader to a laptop. It'd take a long time to charge a laptop, though. And basically, the more surface area the panel has, the faster you can charge something. It's nowhere near as good as an electrical outlet, but it's a bitch to run a cord out to the deep woods, right?" As Charley draws up, Nick makes introductions. "Flint, Alexandra? This is Charley. He's family." Everyone gets an intentionally over-exaggerated wink—it's supposed to be comedic. "I'll let you all do the introductions."
Flint doesn't get up, but he does at least sit up, such that he's next to and slightly in front of where Lex stands. There's another nod, and a vague 'oh' shape as Flint looks at Charley for a moment. "Flint, named Carves the Requiem for Cockroach's Children," he introduces himself in turn. "Cliath, galliard, Glass Walker." The teen smiles. "Beta of Unfettered."
Carmen rejoins the group once she is finished with her personal call. When she sees Charley, she smiles. "Hey Charley," she greets. Then, she says to Flint what she was about to ask him before she left, "Would you like my old Kindle Fire? They just released a new family of Kindle Fire products. I'm going to get the one with HD and wireless technology."
"Charles Townsend," the British-born Fang responds to the introductions, giving a mild grin. "Kin to the Silver Fangs; pleasure to meet you both." Carmen's offer to Flint causes a slight arch of the brows. "Well, that's generous. Those things are nice from what I've seen, especially for the price."
"Base model just dropped to a little under $160 last week. The new versions that are coming out are $200 and up to about $500 I think." Nick squints at Charley and gives him a little ribbing. "C'mon. The guy with the new Porsche doesn't have the latest wiz-bang doodads?" He then asides to Flint, "I'll let you rip any music, movies, and e-books you want off mine."
Alexandra glances down at Flint. "Sounds like I'll be coming over to hang out with you when it's time for some entertainment."
Shiny pieces of technology are a sure way for Flint to cheer up, and he grins up at Alexandra, then offers a slightly shyer grin to Carmen. "I'd, that would," he seems speechless for a moment, and nods. "I'd like that. I. Come by the tenement, sometime, there. I'll… make something, for. To, say. Thank you," the galliard adds. "I. Don't know if you saw. The… the memorial. But, I. Woodcraft, and all." There's another nod, for Nicodemus. "Awesome, t-thank you Nick."
Carmen shrugs her shoulders. "I would have sold my old one on eBay, but the Terminus is providing me with enough income, I believe, that I can afford to give some older technology away when I upgrade to a newer model." Her expression shows that what she says is completely honest. "I'll have to backup my information and wipe it. You can anything you want after that." She looks between Nicodemus and Charley and giggles. "I don't even own a car but I have has many gadgets as I can afford." She then shakes her head at Flint. "Don't feel obligated," she replies with a smile.
"I have one of the new iPads, I don't need one of these too," Charley replies, though it's amused. And self-aware enough to make it not sound braggy. "I did read about the new ones, though. I really should pick up one of their new e-ink readers, that's one bandwagon I haven't jumped on yet." And, to Carmen, he gives a wry grin. "As long as you don't feel like you need it. I don't think I'd survive over here without a car."
"You ride a bike, too, then?" Alexandra asks Carmen. "It's not too bad getting around in the city on a bike, but the trip from Edgewood to the city or back is a little longer than I care for." Which doesn't stop her from making it semi-regularly, mind.
Nicodemus seems to think about something Carmen and Charley said. "You know," he says slowly. "I'm kind of surprised that there isn't a communal loaner vehicle for family members. Maybe a reliable beater sedan for commuting and a cargo van for transporting people to and fro. Maybe with a selection of magnetized decals on the side for companies so if it's ever involved in something, it's just a matter of peeling the magnetic sign off and slapping a totally different one on."
Flint grins quietly, and shifts and then resettles to sit on the ground, pulling a scrap of paper out of one pocket, and a pen, and then offering it to Carmen. "Phone, email," he offers to her. "So that, can reach me. Though, I'm at, at the tenement, a lot." He shrugs, and looks up at Lex, now. "You know," he offers his pack alpha. "We. As well as, teaching me to. To swim… I should, l-learn. Ride a bike. We have, a few. Around. Though." There's another pause. "I'd just rather, take the bus, then. Run to Edgewood. Easier."
"The mass transportation here isn't all that bad," replies Carmen. "I heard that there is an all-access farmhouse out a ways that I haven't been to yet, but I am sure someone can give me a ride there eventually." Then, she smiles at Alexandra, "That's it, the Edgewood. I don't own a bike either, but I do have outdoor derby skates." To Nicodemus, she looks thoughtfully at but doesn't offer a response until she has heard the other's opinion. "Thanks, Flint." she says as she takes the paper from him and places it into her pocket. "Learning to swim is rather important," she says with a nod, "Especially since you are not exactly immortal."
Charley hesitates. "That could be useful. And -doable-, but I'd be a little concerned about who to license it to." He considers the idea, though. "As long as the owner's ass would be legally covered in case—or when—the car ended up in something it shouldn't be, that'd probably be a good idea."
Alexandra looks a little surprised when Flint mentions not being able to ride. She knew about the swimming, of course, but the biking hadn't ever come up—probably mostly because she's always tended to lock up the bike and walk when it's the two of them. "Yeah, I can definitely show you. If you can get one to use regularly, great, if not, you can practice on mine." She nods a bit at Carmen. "Busses are okay, too. Just not as good an idea for me to be on them as it was before I changed. Usually end up with a seat pretty quickly, though, even if it's busy."
"I think the way to do that would be to set up a front company, using a fictitious address, and then registering it as a corporate vehicle funded through a series of blind shell accounts." Nick explains to Charley, "I've seen this sort of thing done before when I was working at the local police department. Usually by smarter criminals with mob connections, or white collar criminals hiding their assets. The accounting forensics people would go nuts pulling their hair out over these cases because they knew what was going on, but they couldn't trace vehicles back to owners. And so long as the bills are paid and the vehicle isn't involved in a serious crime, there's no reason for law enforcement to even look at them."
Flint nods at Alexandra, again. "Yeah. Busses can be." He shrugs, and grins at some point, and attention turns for a brief moment to listening to Charley and Nicodemus talk, but then looks back to Alexandra. "I think we, have. A few around, I'll. Look at it." He shrugs to Carmen. "It's never— been a thing. Not really. I— there're ways, if I need to, but I. Don't, need. Need to, often. Don't have, the. The chance to swim, much."
Carmen nods to Charley, "I agree." She then listens to Nicodemus but her attention wavers for a moment when she turns to Flint and Alexandra. "I can understand. Everyone sounds like they are busy lately."
"—and just make sure it can never be linked back to any one person," Charley concludes, and then nods. "That could work. And god knows there's plenty of cheap vehicles out there that would work well."
Alexandra stares at Nick and Charley. "That… sounds like quite a bit of work to do just to have a couple of community-access cars."
"It's not all that much work," Nick assures Alexandra. "At least, once you've seen it done." He lifts a shoulder in a shrug. "I guess it boils down to whether or not there's a need for something like that. I know a cargo van would have been nice about a month ago when they had a kid pop in an alleyway only a few blocks from the police station. I think it'd be nice to have a Need-A-Van-Now hotline that any garou or kin could call at any time and have someone show up within 30 minutes or less."
"It cannot be that hard," Carmen informs Alexandra just before Nicodemus replies in the same. "Yeah, but how many people can drive a cargo van?"
Charley also shrugs a shoulder. "You guys also don't have to worry about things getting traced back to you," he says. "I'd rather go through a bit of extra work in the beginning and then not have to worry about having to explain why I—or he, or whoever—own a random van that was caught in a random alley."
Alexandra shrugs. "I'll take your words for it, then. I've got three years before I can even get a driver's license, anyway, so I'm stuck on a bike for a while yet."
Nicodemus says, "Cargo vans drive just the same as a large SUV. They're not hard to drive, but they do have much more limited visibility to the sides and rear end. I'll use my private investigator's license to access the DMV, run a breakdown on the most common make, model, and color of van in the area, and I'll talk to Mouse about tapping the Walker's funds to buy and register one of those used through a shell corporation." He further adds to his idea. "Then we can put in a dedicated hotline within the Walker's safehouse so if someone needs an emergency ride, they call that hotline and there'd be a designated phone with a distinctive ring that'd go off on every floor. Kind of like the Bat Phone," Nick explains. "So anyone in the tenement can respond to the call and there'd be keys to it right under each phone. Easy peasy. If a garou isn't available or isn't old enough to drive, a kinfolk can help out."
Flint listens quietly, and attentively, and then looks back to Lex. "Yeah. I could, if. Soon, but. I won't be able to, drive, or. Actually, exist, anything, until I'm older, anyway." The boy speaks quietly, subdued, and glances at Nicodemus. "My grandparents haven't— made. More trouble, have they?"
Carmen returns to sipping on her soda. "Yay, I get to play taxi." she says sarcastically in response to Nicodemus. She gives a little shake of the cup in her hands and frowns.
Charley glances at Alexandra, and then looks a little rueful. "That'll be the problem," he says. "I don't know how many of you guys even can drive. But. I'm sure there's enough that can, too." He checks his phone, then, and seems a bit surprised by the time. "Damn, I need to get going. Good running into you guys, yeah?"
Alexandra replies, "I think most of us that were born human can. I'm one of the youngest." When he makes his exit, she offers Charley a wave goodbye, then looks to Nick, a little concerned about what his response to her packmate's question might be.
Nicodemus has a fairly simple response for Flint. "If they're doing anything, they've not called me back. Last I heard, you'd just been reported missing. And after a year of being missing, you might as well just be gone completely. Plus I indicated you'd probably run off with your biological mother, so they're likely not looking very hard not in this area—if anyone is even still looking." He says to Carmen, now that Charley has left and is no longer in earshot, "I'd rather play taxi on occasion than be told I have to marry and screw someone I don't like."
Flint nods at Nicodemus. "Thanks," he responds, but there's a scowl at the ground, teeth bared even though the galliard doesn't get to his feet. Instead, he inches to where he can rest his shoulder against Lex, a glance to his pack alpha once.
Pack> Flint doesn't have a verbal comment over the packlink, but there's agitation, and anger, at the subject of his grandparents, and his mother, familiar enough.
"Ooo," Carmen replies to Nicodemus with a short giggle. "I would rather play taxi too." She gives another shake of her cup, hearing only the unmelted ice cubes at the bottom. "I should probably be heading home," she says to the group. "Not that there is much there… I need to make friends with my new neighbors."
Alexandra rests her hand on her packmate's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. She makes a face at the idea of arranged marriages, though she doesn't add any commentary on the subject, instead saying, "I should probably be getting back, myself. Like I mentioned earlier, long bike ride out to Edgewood, and it's not a short trip from there to the cave, especially with the bawn blocked off."
Pack> Ky nudges the agitation. "Remind me to update you two on the thing with the Green Angels. Shit's getting real."
Flint nods again. "And, you need to walk me back," he reminds Alexandra, easing slightly. "So, 'fore it. Gets too late."
Pack> Flint does ease a bit, now. "Yeah. And, let us know, anything you, you need, or. That we can do. You going to, get away long enough to meet up, or are we, going to do it like this?"
Nicodemus shifts his feet and looks over his shoulder towards the isolated fountain within the park, then back to those gathered. "I think I'm going to loiter a while, do some reading, and keep an eye on things here for a while longer. See you all around in the future."
Pack> Alexandra says, "Well, if you need backup, you know we're on call. And we were wondering if you'd be able to get away from the gang long enough to go clear out a mutant rat nest? Not tonight or anything, but sometime soon. We've let those things slide for way too long."
Pack> Ky says "Set up a day and time and I'll be there. Gang's used to me coming and going by now, but there's been some changes, I need to tread a little more carefully."
Pack> Flint says, "'kay. Be… be safe."
"Bye, Nick. We should do coffee sometime. You know… just kin," she says with a thumbs-up. Then she waves to Alexandra and Flint. "It was a pleasure meeting you both. Flint, I will be over sometime early next week to give you the tablet." Without much more ado, Carmen begins to make her way out of the park and is courteous enough to drop her soda cup into the trash on her way out.
Alexandra offers a wave to Carmen and Nicodemus, the hand on Flint's shoulder moving to offer him a hand up, instead, then once he's back up, they'll head off in the direction of the Tenement. "See you both around," she says as they go.
Pack> Alexandra says, "Any luck with the one you think is kin?"
Pack> Ky says, "I'll explain what I found out in person."
Pack> Flint gives a slight mental nod. "Good, then."
8 September, 2012
The moon is in the waning Half (Philodox) Moon phase (50% full).
Flint was more than ready to get out of the tenement this afternoon, and the walk to the park, at least, has been quiet. Flint's stuck pretty close to Lex, but is almost exuberant in being outside and being able to be out. Just not conversational, until they've gotten to a part of the park that has less people, and he jumps up on a bench and grins. A small wave of relief and excitement emanates over the packlink in reflection of his mood. "Fresh air," he adds, aloud. "Thanks, Lex."
Alexandra grins at him. "My pleasure. It's been way too long, y'know?" More too long since she's gotten to spend much time with him, rather than the park specifically.
The galliard's got his sweatshirt tied around his waist, and then he jumps back down off the bench, takes a deep breath in and a deep breath out, then goes and sits down on the grass. "It has, yeah. And longer, it. Seems, you know?" There's a bit of a pause, then Flint gestures that Lex should sit, too.
Alexandra takes a seat facing him, so that they can more easily chat, leaning back slightly and using her arms to support herself. "I could feel how excited you were when Mouse got back… but I've been wanting to ask if she was able to learn the rite she was looking for? I'm kind of hoping we'll actually have a proper sept again soon, since I've never really gotten to experience that."
Flint nods. "She learned it," Flint affirms, sitting crosslegged now. "I hope so. I. I miss it, I miss the. The caern," he admits. "We. We will, we have to." There's a quietness to the words.
There's a note of relief in the Ahroun's tone. "Good. I barely remember the caern—I'd been able to shift for all of a few days the last time we had a moot, and I was a little too overwhelmed to get a good sense of it then. Have you heard any word on when the rite will take place? I figure the three of us won't be much use for the rite itself, but we'll at least be able to help protect the people performing it. Bigwing should appreciate that, too."
At that, Flint shakes his head. "Haven't, hard much of anything, it. When to stop, that you can choose, but no one. What it means, and I've, not—" That brings guilt over the packlink, quickly clamped down upon. His knees draw up to his chest, and he glances over to Alexandra now. "I remember the moot. And, Kavi-rhya took me, to. Jacinta-rhya, and she taught me, about. About, the caern, about, the seasons, the auspices some, and such. Though it… it might, be different. When the caern comes back."
Alexandra shakes her head at that flash of guilt. "Nik hasn't heard anything, either, and he's one of the tribal elders, so there probably isn't anything to hear. The only reason I thought you might have is because of talking to Mouse," she offers by way of reassurance. "And yeah… it might be. We sent away Chimera, so I'd bet that some of how different it will be depends on which spirit becomes the new sept totem."
Flint grimaces and shakes his head again, swiftly. "Mouse-rhya and I talked about… different things," he explains, chewing on his lower lip. "She wanted to know, with. The past month." Then Flint goes silent, and glances at Lex once. "Yeah. Jacinta-rhya a-and, Kavi-rhya, both told me about when, the Sept was the Wheel Renewed. And all."
Alexandra replies with a nod, somewhat more subdued, "I guess you did have other things to talk with her about, yeah." A faint grin. "But we're out enjoying ourselves for the first time in a while. There are better things to talk about, right? Like things we want to do as a pack, now that we can again!"
"Kill something," Flint offers as an answer to 'things we want to do', voice hopeful, with a glance at Alexandra. And his expression twists into a bit of a smile, teeth bared. "Yeah." A moment later, he adds. "I'm sorry. All the— everything." Then it's back to cheerful. "And we should, figure out. A time, training, and, such. Either, somewhere. Or maybe, at the Vault, you guys have more. More space, and I can get there?"
Alexandra says, "I don't know. We could probably train downstairs, though I haven't been back there in a while. I've been living out at the cave. As for killing things—that I know we can do. Would you be up for a trip down into the sewers? I don't think anyone has done anything more about those rats in the last month or two."
Flint nods, thinking about it for a while. "We need, somewhere. That's ours," he says. "That we can use, that we can have, space. I. I don't know, where, what, or. Or, but we. We need it, somewhere not t-the Vault, not the Tenement…" Then there's that grin again. "Hell yes."
Alexandra doesn't disagree with that at all. "Yeah. Yeah, we do. I'm not really so keen on trying to claim an abandoned warehouse near the Vault, though, and that's about the only thing I can think of that doesn't take money short of going full-on woodsy, which isn't so great for you."
Flint nods. "No, I don't know. I'll ask some of, my tribemates. About if they have ideas, what we should do, though. They've done it, before, and, might. They might be able to, to help. It. We'll figure it out." He purses his lips and there's another moment where this time, Flint is the one who's subdued, but then he shrugs.
Alexandra says, "Definitely worth a shot. In the meantime, can you think of anything special that we'll want to take with us when we go to clear out the first of the mutant rat nests? I'm thinking something involving fire—molotov cocktails, maybe, since we don't have a Theurge who can make us any talens?"
The galliard purses his lips and looks up, and he idly turns a mood ring that's on his index finger on his left hand. Eventually, Flint shakes his head. "Ishmael-rhya and Nieve-rhya are, working o-on, things about the, vampire. For that," he states, a small grimace. "Otherwise I'd ask, if they would. Since, we don't, then. Kevin-rhya and Nieve-rhya said, I think, back. At the start, that. We need to, be careful of. Of sewer gas." Flint points this out, then waits to see what Lex thinks.
Alexandra thinks about that. "Yeah, good point. Doesn't help us much to take out a nest if we blow ourselves up doing it. So fire's mostly out, then. We can still focus on ways to keep the smaller ones from swarming us like they did the last time, though. We're going to need to be in good shape to take on the big one."
Flint nods. "We're going t-to, need help," he responds, almost a counter. "One big one? But there's, more than one nest. More than one, big one?" Flint pauses. "I can ask, around, I c-can. See. Norman-rhya'd help us, or knows someone, who will. He's, I'm going to learn. The moot rite. From him. And he taught, last— he. I learned, Dance of Lights. And Bone Rhythms." This seems to bring Flint to another point. "I should, teach you Bone Rhythms, Norman-rhya t-taught me. The one, for Merlin. And Cockroach. And Thunder."
Alexandra and Flint are sitting in the grass, out in a more secluded area of the park, as the two catch up after Flint's grounding and make plans for the future. "We can hit one nest at a time, so that works to our advantage, but more Garou would help, too. Two or three people to handle the small ones while we hit the big one, since Bigwing makes us strongest against it, would probably be a good combination." Then, as he moves on to discussing rites, she offers a nod. "I'd like that. I told Nik about the daggers—with everything else that's been going on, I haven't been able to get with Nieve to work on those, so they're not done yet—and he's working with me on Whet the Blade right now, so that I can care for them properly."
A little yellow roadster whips into one of the vacant parking alongside the nearby road. Lights go out, Nick clambers out, gives the park and its occupants a brief looking over, and then he strolls into the park. His greatcloak flaps off to his left side, blown like a cloak by the wind coming from the southwest. He looks towards the pair of garou gathered in a secluded spot, nodding if he catches either of their gazes, and leaving whether or not he joins them completely up to them—he keeps walking, though his pace slows as he waits for a response.
That gets a bit of a furrow of brow from Flint, and a nod. "Good," he responds. Most of his attention is on his pack alpha, for a long moment. "There's b-been. A lot, we'll get with it, we'll. It'll, work some time, oh, hey." Then Nicodemus is noticed, and the Walker waves towards the man, slightly.
Alexandra is leaned back slightly, supporting herself with her arms. From a distance, she doesn't recognize the Glass Walker kin at first, though once Flint greets him, she seems to realize who he is, and then offers a polite enough nod. "I'm going to be teaching Nik a gift in return, but once I've done that, maybe then you can teach me Bone Rhythms?"
Nicodemus was crossing the park, coming from the road, when he alters his course towards Flint and Alexandra. As he draws nearer—holding off at about 10 feet away—he speaks. "Stake-out in the glade? I'm not intruding on anything, am I? I was just going to go plunk down over near the fountain, smoke, and do a little reading for a bit while keeping tabs on things. Saw you over here. Thought I'd say hi. I'll probably be around for an hour if you two wanted a break to go grab some food or get off patrol early. I'll call you if anything happens."
"Hi, Mr. Dalton," Flint responds, a bit of a nod. "Field trip," the galliard says. "Fresh air, relaxing, a. A bit of a break, now that, things are calmed down. Things are better. Some." There's a correction in there, and Flint scoots to lay down, a bit closer to Lex, though such that he can still see Nicodemus.
Carmen meanders casually into the park. She shuffles her feet as she sips from a large styrofoam cup through a straw. The young Glass Walker kin begins humming a tune to herself as she observes the park. Alexandra and Flint are unfamiliar faces to the semi-newly arrived kin, so she heads in the direction of the person she does know. "Hi, Nick." she greets as she approaches.
Pack> Flint adds, over the pack link, "Of course, teach you Bone Rhythms. Teach Ky, too, if. If, I. If he wants."
Alexandra starts to say something to Nick, but whatever it was is quickly adjusted by the arrival of the unfamiliar woman. "Mostly just spending some time with a friend I haven't gotten to see much of for a few weeks," she explains. "But no, you're not intruding." Carmen gets a polite enough nod.
Pack> Alexandra says, "Once he can get away from the gang long enough, you should ask him."
"Oh, hey," Nick says to the new arrival as she joins the group. "Everyone met Carmen? She's a new member of the Walker family, recently relocated here, and a Terminus employee. Security stuff. I'm hoping once she's gotten things under control at Terminus, she'll maybe spend some time upgrading the safehouse." He asides to Carmen. "Flint and Alexandra are both full-bloods." And with that, the door is open for full introductions all around.
Pack> Flint asks, after a moment, a little quietly in mental voice. "Am I still beta?"
Flint shuts up almost immediately when Carmen gets into sight, and then gives Alexandra an absent nod, a good bit after she's said anything aloud, and a smile, before he looks back up, tilting his head to look at Nicodemus. Warily, still, though apparently Nick's word does end up good enough for further introduction. "Flint," he explains. "Called Requiem, cliath. Galliard, of Cockroach's tribe. Beta of Unfettered, under Merlin." There's another glance at Alexandra, and he nods to his friend. "This is Lex, my friend, and my pack's alpha."
Alexandra says, "Alexandra Morgan, Seeks the Raging Water to Silence Her Strike, Shadow Lord Ahroun. Cliath. And Flint has told you the rest, so need to repeat it. Good to meet you, too."
"So…" Nick says, as if perhaps unsure what to discuss next. "Anything exciting happen recently? I've been eyeball deep in Terminus paperwork, so… a little out of it."
Flint gives Nicodemus a kind of a Look, chin jutting out and eyebrows raised a bit questioningly, and then it eases and the young galliard shakes his head. "Was hoping, ask you that," he says, quietly. "I'm… I need to get back, up to. To speed." This statement finds Flint subdued, and he looks down, before asking another question. "I. I need to catch up, on the dreams, too. Mr. Dalton, could you, email me, on that? It'd be faster, maybe?"
Carmen addresses Nicodemus and Flint, "I'll be sending an email out soon about the security at the safehouse and how I will go about addressing current security issues." The woman shakes her head. "It's been busy at the Terminus. I've been working with IT on some issues, but the technology side of things is pretty secure."
Flint glances at Carmen. "You'd want t-to. Talk to Mouse-rhya, and Salem-rhya, and probably Fallout-rhya. The. The Tenement security, and that, it's under their charge, their choices," he says, with a bit of a sharp note in his voice.
Pack> Alexandra responds, "If you say you're back to being ready, then I believe you." Which doesn't mean that Ky feels likewise, but if he doesn't, that's something the three of them can deal with in due time.
Alexandra says, "Be careful if you go to Phoenix Park. I don't know that anything would be able to touch you on this side of the Gauntlet, but it's still pretty ugly in the Umbra. Not that I knew that until recently, myself. Hopefully that'll be changing in time. We dealt with a little of it."
"Well, not much chance of either of us two popping over to the spirit world to take a look about anyway. The stuff on the other side doesn't reach through that often, I hope? Or that easily?" Nick pulls his Kindle Fire out, taps the screen a few times, and hands it over for Flint to take and review. "Everything dream I've collected so far is in there. I handed it over to Mouse recently and I think she managed to put a whole lot more together than I did. You might want to talk to her about it." He then asides, "I am so glad you're feeling better. I am one piss-poor substitute for a galliard of the tribe. I feel like a 2nd grader who just got handed a calculus problem."
"What's going on at Phoenix Park?" Carmen asks with a tone of concern. Then, she answers Flint, "I spoke to Mouse already but that doesn't mean that I cannot gather opinions and bring it to their attention." She offers the Galliard a warm smile despite his sharp tone with her. She turns back to Nicodemus, "Oh!" she exclaims excitedly. "My roller derby league might be finally getting a warehouse and a banked track. It'll be so awesome. I have not been on a banked track since I left." She encouragingly offers Nick, "You seem to be doing a pretty good job, I think."
Flint takes the tablet and starts looking through things before Nicodemus has even finished speaking, but when Carmen speaks, his hands clench, noticeable only perhaps to Alexandra because she's sitting right next to him. Eventually, he nods. "Uh-huh," he murmurs noncommittally, tapping the screen to go back to the beginning and read through again. To Nicodemus, the boy offers, "Try like, the entire thing. It's differential equations, with. Garou, to use. The math example. Except, nonlinear. It. I…" There's a deep breath that follows. "I appreciate, the help. When I couldn't."
Alexandra says, "All that's going on is that it used to be a zoo, and apparently not a very pleasant one, if the reflection in the Umbra is anything to go by. Spirits normally don't reach through, at least from what I've been taught—and I've spent a good bit of time at Phoenix Park both before and after my change without noticing anything, so it's probably fine." She looks curious at the mention of Nicodemus collecting information. "What's all this about dreams?"
"The visions people'd been having about wasps and maybe tying back in with the bawn or caern," Nick responds to Alexandra. "I was helping to collect them while Flint and Kavi were busy with other things. And it's no big deal, Flint. We all stumble from time to time. I'm just really glad to see you're back up."
Carmen nods in agreement with Nicodemus about Flint. She quietly sips her soda drink while her eyes gaze from one person on the next.
"Bunch of dreams, remember," Flint offers to Alexandra. "I. There were some dreams, right before you came around, I think. And then, there've been. More recently. Mouse-rhya says they're somehow, related. To things, now." There's a shrug after that, and the Glass Walker turns his attention back to the tablet. "Neat," he exclaims at one point, eventually reluctantly offering the device back to Nicodemus. "Star Wars, awesome." This is said, even with the usual hesitance in speech, showing true enthusiasm.
Alexandra tells Nick, "Huh. Well, for what it's worth, you're probably at least as qualified as I am when it comes to collecting info on dreams." She chuckles. "I wouldn't have any idea what they meant, and you've at least got your tablet. I'd have to borrow Mom's laptop if I didn't want to use pencil and paper." A short pause. "Star Wars?"
Nicodemus assures Alexandra, "Trust me, you'd do better. I don't feel terribly comfortable loitering around you folks when the moon is all fat, so that eats right into my time. And the mystic stuff? Totally out of my league. I had to resort to looking in library books on dreams at one point." He repeats how desperate he got. "Library books. That bad." He looks to Flint. "Oh, yeah. I kind of like that stuff. It's nice to read or watch something when I get a break or stuck waiting in a line. That new Kindle is pretty damn sweet. It's really amazing how much the technology has progressed in just the past ten years alone."
Carmen raises her eyebrows at Flint and then nearly has soda go up her nose as if his comment was something funny. She coughs a few times and wriggles her nose as the carbonation causes an uncomfortable sensation. "Sorry," she says as there are a few tears that have formed in the corner of her eyes, "wrong tube."
Flint watches the tablet for a few moments longer. "That's really, v-very neat," he agrees. "I. I've, Kevin-rhya has, an iPad, but I. I like the Fire, a lot, from. Just, that." The boy chews his lower lip for a moment. "That stuff's, fun. We got the, Star Wars game," he points out. "Up in the breakroom. And, the moon's. Getting smaller, we could, at some point, if. When you're by?"
Nicodemus laughs at Flint's words. "Actually, I dropped that Kinect version for the Xbox off earlier on. I had a copy for myself as well, but I got frustrated with it. Too rigid and it felt like it was really on rails." He considers, "I ought to give it another chance sometime. Haven't played anything but Angry Birds recently."
Alexandra considers. "I may have to ask my parents for one of the e-reader versions. If I could get the books my mom has me read for school on it, it would be a lot easier to take with me out to the cave to study. And they're supposed to have pretty good battery life."
Flint nods, twice. "Yeah. I. I'd love to have, the tablet. Even it has, good battery life, overall, and it'd be. Better than, reading on my phone." That said, he looks at Alexandra. "We should, do, that visit, when. On new, this moon. I'd, like to, now that I'm better."
Nicodemus is standing near Alexandra, Flint, and Carmen who're over near a more secluded part of the meadow. Carmen seems preoccupied with her phone—probably something important and personal. Nick advises Alexandra, gesturing at her with his right hand. "You should get yourself a solar trickle charger and a spare battery. I've got one in my camping gear so I can always recharge things that don't draw a ton of power. And with the spare battery, you can have one charging while the other is in use. They're not terribly expensive, either. Maybe sixty bucks for a decent one."
Alexandra asks, "Solar trickle charger? Hadn't heard of that, but it's something I'll definitely look into. Would be a lot of help. Would it be strong enough to work for a smartphone, too?" To Flint, she nods her agreement. "I'll set it up, then. Hopefully Uncle Peter can come, too."
Flint doesn't seem to have heard of the solar trickle charger either, but he offers Alexandra, "I'll. I can see, if I can find one, that would work for that, the. On Amazon, or, something. I. Researching that's, easy, I'll. Text you, or. Let you know, when. I do."
Apparently this evening exercise thing has become a habit, or maybe it's just something to whittle away free evenings. Either way, Charley's headed back through the park, headed toward the general parking lot area. But, lo! People he knows. He heads thataway. "Hey Nick," and a nod to Carmen, but he doesn't greet her vocally, seeing as she's busy.
Nicodemus raises a hand to greet Charley and beckon him on over. He finishes talking about trickle chargers to the two kids near him. "They've got all kinds of adaptors so you can use them to charge anything from a cell phone to an e-reader to a laptop. It'd take a long time to charge a laptop, though. And basically, the more surface area the panel has, the faster you can charge something. It's nowhere near as good as an electrical outlet, but it's a bitch to run a cord out to the deep woods, right?" As Charley draws up, Nick makes introductions. "Flint, Alexandra? This is Charley. He's family." Everyone gets an intentionally over-exaggerated wink—it's supposed to be comedic. "I'll let you all do the introductions."
Flint doesn't get up, but he does at least sit up, such that he's next to and slightly in front of where Lex stands. There's another nod, and a vague 'oh' shape as Flint looks at Charley for a moment. "Flint, named Carves the Requiem for Cockroach's Children," he introduces himself in turn. "Cliath, galliard, Glass Walker." The teen smiles. "Beta of Unfettered."
Carmen rejoins the group once she is finished with her personal call. When she sees Charley, she smiles. "Hey Charley," she greets. Then, she says to Flint what she was about to ask him before she left, "Would you like my old Kindle Fire? They just released a new family of Kindle Fire products. I'm going to get the one with HD and wireless technology."
"Charles Townsend," the British-born Fang responds to the introductions, giving a mild grin. "Kin to the Silver Fangs; pleasure to meet you both." Carmen's offer to Flint causes a slight arch of the brows. "Well, that's generous. Those things are nice from what I've seen, especially for the price."
"Base model just dropped to a little under $160 last week. The new versions that are coming out are $200 and up to about $500 I think." Nick squints at Charley and gives him a little ribbing. "C'mon. The guy with the new Porsche doesn't have the latest wiz-bang doodads?" He then asides to Flint, "I'll let you rip any music, movies, and e-books you want off mine."
Alexandra glances down at Flint. "Sounds like I'll be coming over to hang out with you when it's time for some entertainment."
Shiny pieces of technology are a sure way for Flint to cheer up, and he grins up at Alexandra, then offers a slightly shyer grin to Carmen. "I'd, that would," he seems speechless for a moment, and nods. "I'd like that. I. Come by the tenement, sometime, there. I'll… make something, for. To, say. Thank you," the galliard adds. "I. Don't know if you saw. The… the memorial. But, I. Woodcraft, and all." There's another nod, for Nicodemus. "Awesome, t-thank you Nick."
Carmen shrugs her shoulders. "I would have sold my old one on eBay, but the Terminus is providing me with enough income, I believe, that I can afford to give some older technology away when I upgrade to a newer model." Her expression shows that what she says is completely honest. "I'll have to backup my information and wipe it. You can anything you want after that." She looks between Nicodemus and Charley and giggles. "I don't even own a car but I have has many gadgets as I can afford." She then shakes her head at Flint. "Don't feel obligated," she replies with a smile.
"I have one of the new iPads, I don't need one of these too," Charley replies, though it's amused. And self-aware enough to make it not sound braggy. "I did read about the new ones, though. I really should pick up one of their new e-ink readers, that's one bandwagon I haven't jumped on yet." And, to Carmen, he gives a wry grin. "As long as you don't feel like you need it. I don't think I'd survive over here without a car."
"You ride a bike, too, then?" Alexandra asks Carmen. "It's not too bad getting around in the city on a bike, but the trip from Edgewood to the city or back is a little longer than I care for." Which doesn't stop her from making it semi-regularly, mind.
Nicodemus seems to think about something Carmen and Charley said. "You know," he says slowly. "I'm kind of surprised that there isn't a communal loaner vehicle for family members. Maybe a reliable beater sedan for commuting and a cargo van for transporting people to and fro. Maybe with a selection of magnetized decals on the side for companies so if it's ever involved in something, it's just a matter of peeling the magnetic sign off and slapping a totally different one on."
Flint grins quietly, and shifts and then resettles to sit on the ground, pulling a scrap of paper out of one pocket, and a pen, and then offering it to Carmen. "Phone, email," he offers to her. "So that, can reach me. Though, I'm at, at the tenement, a lot." He shrugs, and looks up at Lex, now. "You know," he offers his pack alpha. "We. As well as, teaching me to. To swim… I should, l-learn. Ride a bike. We have, a few. Around. Though." There's another pause. "I'd just rather, take the bus, then. Run to Edgewood. Easier."
"The mass transportation here isn't all that bad," replies Carmen. "I heard that there is an all-access farmhouse out a ways that I haven't been to yet, but I am sure someone can give me a ride there eventually." Then, she smiles at Alexandra, "That's it, the Edgewood. I don't own a bike either, but I do have outdoor derby skates." To Nicodemus, she looks thoughtfully at but doesn't offer a response until she has heard the other's opinion. "Thanks, Flint." she says as she takes the paper from him and places it into her pocket. "Learning to swim is rather important," she says with a nod, "Especially since you are not exactly immortal."
Charley hesitates. "That could be useful. And -doable-, but I'd be a little concerned about who to license it to." He considers the idea, though. "As long as the owner's ass would be legally covered in case—or when—the car ended up in something it shouldn't be, that'd probably be a good idea."
Alexandra looks a little surprised when Flint mentions not being able to ride. She knew about the swimming, of course, but the biking hadn't ever come up—probably mostly because she's always tended to lock up the bike and walk when it's the two of them. "Yeah, I can definitely show you. If you can get one to use regularly, great, if not, you can practice on mine." She nods a bit at Carmen. "Busses are okay, too. Just not as good an idea for me to be on them as it was before I changed. Usually end up with a seat pretty quickly, though, even if it's busy."
"I think the way to do that would be to set up a front company, using a fictitious address, and then registering it as a corporate vehicle funded through a series of blind shell accounts." Nick explains to Charley, "I've seen this sort of thing done before when I was working at the local police department. Usually by smarter criminals with mob connections, or white collar criminals hiding their assets. The accounting forensics people would go nuts pulling their hair out over these cases because they knew what was going on, but they couldn't trace vehicles back to owners. And so long as the bills are paid and the vehicle isn't involved in a serious crime, there's no reason for law enforcement to even look at them."
Flint nods at Alexandra, again. "Yeah. Busses can be." He shrugs, and grins at some point, and attention turns for a brief moment to listening to Charley and Nicodemus talk, but then looks back to Alexandra. "I think we, have. A few around, I'll. Look at it." He shrugs to Carmen. "It's never— been a thing. Not really. I— there're ways, if I need to, but I. Don't, need. Need to, often. Don't have, the. The chance to swim, much."
Carmen nods to Charley, "I agree." She then listens to Nicodemus but her attention wavers for a moment when she turns to Flint and Alexandra. "I can understand. Everyone sounds like they are busy lately."
"—and just make sure it can never be linked back to any one person," Charley concludes, and then nods. "That could work. And god knows there's plenty of cheap vehicles out there that would work well."
Alexandra stares at Nick and Charley. "That… sounds like quite a bit of work to do just to have a couple of community-access cars."
"It's not all that much work," Nick assures Alexandra. "At least, once you've seen it done." He lifts a shoulder in a shrug. "I guess it boils down to whether or not there's a need for something like that. I know a cargo van would have been nice about a month ago when they had a kid pop in an alleyway only a few blocks from the police station. I think it'd be nice to have a Need-A-Van-Now hotline that any garou or kin could call at any time and have someone show up within 30 minutes or less."
"It cannot be that hard," Carmen informs Alexandra just before Nicodemus replies in the same. "Yeah, but how many people can drive a cargo van?"
Charley also shrugs a shoulder. "You guys also don't have to worry about things getting traced back to you," he says. "I'd rather go through a bit of extra work in the beginning and then not have to worry about having to explain why I—or he, or whoever—own a random van that was caught in a random alley."
Alexandra shrugs. "I'll take your words for it, then. I've got three years before I can even get a driver's license, anyway, so I'm stuck on a bike for a while yet."
Nicodemus says, "Cargo vans drive just the same as a large SUV. They're not hard to drive, but they do have much more limited visibility to the sides and rear end. I'll use my private investigator's license to access the DMV, run a breakdown on the most common make, model, and color of van in the area, and I'll talk to Mouse about tapping the Walker's funds to buy and register one of those used through a shell corporation." He further adds to his idea. "Then we can put in a dedicated hotline within the Walker's safehouse so if someone needs an emergency ride, they call that hotline and there'd be a designated phone with a distinctive ring that'd go off on every floor. Kind of like the Bat Phone," Nick explains. "So anyone in the tenement can respond to the call and there'd be keys to it right under each phone. Easy peasy. If a garou isn't available or isn't old enough to drive, a kinfolk can help out."
Flint listens quietly, and attentively, and then looks back to Lex. "Yeah. I could, if. Soon, but. I won't be able to, drive, or. Actually, exist, anything, until I'm older, anyway." The boy speaks quietly, subdued, and glances at Nicodemus. "My grandparents haven't— made. More trouble, have they?"
Carmen returns to sipping on her soda. "Yay, I get to play taxi." she says sarcastically in response to Nicodemus. She gives a little shake of the cup in her hands and frowns.
Charley glances at Alexandra, and then looks a little rueful. "That'll be the problem," he says. "I don't know how many of you guys even can drive. But. I'm sure there's enough that can, too." He checks his phone, then, and seems a bit surprised by the time. "Damn, I need to get going. Good running into you guys, yeah?"
Alexandra replies, "I think most of us that were born human can. I'm one of the youngest." When he makes his exit, she offers Charley a wave goodbye, then looks to Nick, a little concerned about what his response to her packmate's question might be.
Nicodemus has a fairly simple response for Flint. "If they're doing anything, they've not called me back. Last I heard, you'd just been reported missing. And after a year of being missing, you might as well just be gone completely. Plus I indicated you'd probably run off with your biological mother, so they're likely not looking very hard not in this area—if anyone is even still looking." He says to Carmen, now that Charley has left and is no longer in earshot, "I'd rather play taxi on occasion than be told I have to marry and screw someone I don't like."
Flint nods at Nicodemus. "Thanks," he responds, but there's a scowl at the ground, teeth bared even though the galliard doesn't get to his feet. Instead, he inches to where he can rest his shoulder against Lex, a glance to his pack alpha once.
Pack> Flint doesn't have a verbal comment over the packlink, but there's agitation, and anger, at the subject of his grandparents, and his mother, familiar enough.
"Ooo," Carmen replies to Nicodemus with a short giggle. "I would rather play taxi too." She gives another shake of her cup, hearing only the unmelted ice cubes at the bottom. "I should probably be heading home," she says to the group. "Not that there is much there… I need to make friends with my new neighbors."
Alexandra rests her hand on her packmate's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. She makes a face at the idea of arranged marriages, though she doesn't add any commentary on the subject, instead saying, "I should probably be getting back, myself. Like I mentioned earlier, long bike ride out to Edgewood, and it's not a short trip from there to the cave, especially with the bawn blocked off."
Pack> Ky nudges the agitation. "Remind me to update you two on the thing with the Green Angels. Shit's getting real."
Flint nods again. "And, you need to walk me back," he reminds Alexandra, easing slightly. "So, 'fore it. Gets too late."
Pack> Flint does ease a bit, now. "Yeah. And, let us know, anything you, you need, or. That we can do. You going to, get away long enough to meet up, or are we, going to do it like this?"
Nicodemus shifts his feet and looks over his shoulder towards the isolated fountain within the park, then back to those gathered. "I think I'm going to loiter a while, do some reading, and keep an eye on things here for a while longer. See you all around in the future."
Pack> Alexandra says, "Well, if you need backup, you know we're on call. And we were wondering if you'd be able to get away from the gang long enough to go clear out a mutant rat nest? Not tonight or anything, but sometime soon. We've let those things slide for way too long."
Pack> Ky says "Set up a day and time and I'll be there. Gang's used to me coming and going by now, but there's been some changes, I need to tread a little more carefully."
Pack> Flint says, "'kay. Be… be safe."
"Bye, Nick. We should do coffee sometime. You know… just kin," she says with a thumbs-up. Then she waves to Alexandra and Flint. "It was a pleasure meeting you both. Flint, I will be over sometime early next week to give you the tablet." Without much more ado, Carmen begins to make her way out of the park and is courteous enough to drop her soda cup into the trash on her way out.
Alexandra offers a wave to Carmen and Nicodemus, the hand on Flint's shoulder moving to offer him a hand up, instead, then once he's back up, they'll head off in the direction of the Tenement. "See you both around," she says as they go.
Pack> Alexandra says, "Any luck with the one you think is kin?"
Pack> Ky says, "I'll explain what I found out in person."
Pack> Flint gives a slight mental nod. "Good, then."