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Took Emma back to her mom's place late Saturday evening after she insisted on grabbing steaks at a restaurant along the way: she wanted to see that I actually ate meat and wasn't a vegetarian. (I'll take "Things Emma Should Be Least Concerned About" for $300, Alex.) Holy cow. I am worn the hell out. I have to admit, things were not weird or crazy or freakish (which makes sense because they do occasionally do the horizontal tango with regular people and 'weird shit' would likely be a Veil breach)--like I'd been hung up over back in the late 1990s with Brigid when we'd been quasi-dating. Although, in hindsight, it was probably for the best that I never hooked up with a Silver Fang. That pairing seems doomed from the get-go. Emma and me? Maybe..... That's endorphins talking, Nick. Let's not go making mountains out of molehills. Although... that was some excellent molehill.
After I dropped Emma off I ran to the store to get some food. Grabbed about a dozen frozen pizzas (I am amazing at finding these buy-one-get-one sales) and swung by the farmhouse in the hopes of catching Silvertip--especially after Val described what'd happen to him and showed me the severed tail that was positively reeking of dynamic magical essence. I ran into Jacinta instead. Using a laptop that Mouse had given her a while back. Ho-ly crapola! I would not have believed it unless I'd seen it with my own eyes. We talked very briefly about the virtues of woodsy garou learning some basic fundamentals for going into the city, and vice versa for the city garou. I mentioned I went camping sometimes and I think I was >< this close to getting her to offer to show me around the woods a bit before she switched to Eskimo-speak, headed for the back door, turned wolf, and the flew--literally--off into the woods. I kicked in some Mind magick and repeated the word she'd said. Translation? 'Sorry' or perhaps I' am sorry.'
That's about the time I realized that someone else had come into the kitchen. Silvertip. In human form. But female. With a freaking tail. She said something and I replied, not realizing that--duh--I still had my magic universal translator going so that I could understand what was being said and reply as well. Grand. And Uktena are one of the few garou who can detect magic. No reaction though, so I kept it up. He--SHE--remembered that I knew the Yup'ik language from when we met one other time in Harbor Park. Of course, I'd been using Dreaming then, along with null-space magic to make me look like a black hole (I hoped) to anyone who could sense magic being used. Now? Caught with my proverbial pants down and inadvertently wielding rather potent Mind magick. I figured out why I probably hadn't been noticed a bit later, after Quin showed up and engaged Silvertip in a conversation, allowing me some time to scan him. HER. (Dammit.) Crazy energies coursing all over her body, just like the wolf tail that Val had back at her apartment. Except the Time dilation/contraction component I saw at work on Silvertip was missing from the severed tail. Looks like that link might have been severed due to.... severing. A twisted side of my brain suggested that Silvertip could be fixed by cutting him into bits and then re-assembling him very quickly. I may need to lay off the scary sci-fi movies. Oh, AND? And it looked like Silvertip had layers of gifts or rites active on himself. I counted at least three static effects before I quit looking. I think he--SHE (dammit)--might have thought I was some creepy-ass furry for gawking at her and her tail. Way to make a great 2nd impression, Nick. But I did mention that Val was working on a talen to help him--HER (dammit)--but Silvertip seemed reluctant to use more fire to fight fire. I asked if I should tell her to cease and desist, but then he--SHE (dammit)--said SHE (ha!) would talk to Val.
Quin brought over food, two vials of grey goo--one for me and one for Silvertip--for examination. And a gift to Silvertip of some sort of vessel for a talen, I think? Something to do with wind. I bet that's something his grandfather, the medicine man (Dreamspeaker) for the Dakota(?) at that reservation, made as a gift. Oooh, I wanted that stick-talen-vessel. Bad. But what can you do? Nothing. And then Silvertip asked for the vial of grey goo that Quin gave to me. Again, what can you do. Say 'no' to the former sept alpha? I don't think so. Quin said he'd get another vial to me to look at. Something to do with food, but I missed part of the conversation because I was focused on eyeballing the Uktena's aura at the time. The get-together broke up then.
Working theory. Riley was in the umbra when she was hit with transformative energies, then had a sex change. Silvertip was in the umbra when he went to a transformative realm, then had a sex change. Hypothesis? Due to the inherently interstitial nature of the garou--with their innate abilities to transition between the physical world to the spiritual world and from wolf to human--their gender is also likewise more prone to shifting, though out of their direct control. (Emma, please stay out of the spirit world.)
Before heading home, I decided to head over to the Walmart just outside of Saint Clair, park the car on the far side of the lot nearest the river, and take a walk along the banks. I just wanted some time to think and to help the Otter pack keep tabs on the river while Riley and Clarice were gone. I ran into Thomas, who was skipping stones. (I love skipping stones.) Thomas said that Worm (the formor thing that's composed of acid and worms) had hired a couple hitmen to take out him and Val, and that he'd mind-wiped them to make them forget. (Note to self: Talk to Thomas if I ever have a need for that or if the garou commit another Veil breach and they're thinking of killing the human who saw too much.) He says that's a temporary solution at best, as Worm will eventually figure it out. He plans to turn the garou loose on Worm, with him and Val doing cleanup to pick off any escaping worms. Offered to let me in on helping to kill Worm. (Honestly? Give me his location and a microwave oven and I could kill him from afar with ease, but what a horrible, horrible, horrible way to go.) I asked Thomas if Worm started out as human. He said yes. So I told him I wouldn't take part in killing him. But I would assist in trying to minimize the damage Worm tried to dole out. We argued a bit back and forth. Honestly, it was Thomas just pointing out that I might find myself in a position where I have to kill someone someday, and that sometimes saving lives kills others. I don't disagree with him, so it's not really an argument. But for this situation? I don't have to make that choice, and so I'm not going to. Let the garou handle it. I'll try to minimize the harm that might come to them. Honestly? They might do better with plastic ponchos that allow the acid-vomit to slide off instead of burning them. Better still? A chem-resistant disposable suit. Like this one. Just ordered a dozen. I'm sure they'll come in handy later, if not sooner.
I resumed my walk, then cut across Wal-Mart to get back to my car, then went home to my cabin to crash on the couch. (Couldn't sleep in the bed. Smells of Emma and.... tomorrow needs to be a laundry day.) More reading about Euclidean geometry, under a warm blanket, and with LOLcat nesting on top of my chest--making biscuits with his declawed feet. I think the little stinker is glad to have me back all to himself once again. Boogerhead.
After I dropped Emma off I ran to the store to get some food. Grabbed about a dozen frozen pizzas (I am amazing at finding these buy-one-get-one sales) and swung by the farmhouse in the hopes of catching Silvertip--especially after Val described what'd happen to him and showed me the severed tail that was positively reeking of dynamic magical essence. I ran into Jacinta instead. Using a laptop that Mouse had given her a while back. Ho-ly crapola! I would not have believed it unless I'd seen it with my own eyes. We talked very briefly about the virtues of woodsy garou learning some basic fundamentals for going into the city, and vice versa for the city garou. I mentioned I went camping sometimes and I think I was >< this close to getting her to offer to show me around the woods a bit before she switched to Eskimo-speak, headed for the back door, turned wolf, and the flew--literally--off into the woods. I kicked in some Mind magick and repeated the word she'd said. Translation? 'Sorry' or perhaps I' am sorry.'
That's about the time I realized that someone else had come into the kitchen. Silvertip. In human form. But female. With a freaking tail. She said something and I replied, not realizing that--duh--I still had my magic universal translator going so that I could understand what was being said and reply as well. Grand. And Uktena are one of the few garou who can detect magic. No reaction though, so I kept it up. He--SHE--remembered that I knew the Yup'ik language from when we met one other time in Harbor Park. Of course, I'd been using Dreaming then, along with null-space magic to make me look like a black hole (I hoped) to anyone who could sense magic being used. Now? Caught with my proverbial pants down and inadvertently wielding rather potent Mind magick. I figured out why I probably hadn't been noticed a bit later, after Quin showed up and engaged Silvertip in a conversation, allowing me some time to scan him. HER. (Dammit.) Crazy energies coursing all over her body, just like the wolf tail that Val had back at her apartment. Except the Time dilation/contraction component I saw at work on Silvertip was missing from the severed tail. Looks like that link might have been severed due to.... severing. A twisted side of my brain suggested that Silvertip could be fixed by cutting him into bits and then re-assembling him very quickly. I may need to lay off the scary sci-fi movies. Oh, AND? And it looked like Silvertip had layers of gifts or rites active on himself. I counted at least three static effects before I quit looking. I think he--SHE (dammit)--might have thought I was some creepy-ass furry for gawking at her and her tail. Way to make a great 2nd impression, Nick. But I did mention that Val was working on a talen to help him--HER (dammit)--but Silvertip seemed reluctant to use more fire to fight fire. I asked if I should tell her to cease and desist, but then he--SHE (dammit)--said SHE (ha!) would talk to Val.
Quin brought over food, two vials of grey goo--one for me and one for Silvertip--for examination. And a gift to Silvertip of some sort of vessel for a talen, I think? Something to do with wind. I bet that's something his grandfather, the medicine man (Dreamspeaker) for the Dakota(?) at that reservation, made as a gift. Oooh, I wanted that stick-talen-vessel. Bad. But what can you do? Nothing. And then Silvertip asked for the vial of grey goo that Quin gave to me. Again, what can you do. Say 'no' to the former sept alpha? I don't think so. Quin said he'd get another vial to me to look at. Something to do with food, but I missed part of the conversation because I was focused on eyeballing the Uktena's aura at the time. The get-together broke up then.
Working theory. Riley was in the umbra when she was hit with transformative energies, then had a sex change. Silvertip was in the umbra when he went to a transformative realm, then had a sex change. Hypothesis? Due to the inherently interstitial nature of the garou--with their innate abilities to transition between the physical world to the spiritual world and from wolf to human--their gender is also likewise more prone to shifting, though out of their direct control. (Emma, please stay out of the spirit world.)
Before heading home, I decided to head over to the Walmart just outside of Saint Clair, park the car on the far side of the lot nearest the river, and take a walk along the banks. I just wanted some time to think and to help the Otter pack keep tabs on the river while Riley and Clarice were gone. I ran into Thomas, who was skipping stones. (I love skipping stones.) Thomas said that Worm (the formor thing that's composed of acid and worms) had hired a couple hitmen to take out him and Val, and that he'd mind-wiped them to make them forget. (Note to self: Talk to Thomas if I ever have a need for that or if the garou commit another Veil breach and they're thinking of killing the human who saw too much.) He says that's a temporary solution at best, as Worm will eventually figure it out. He plans to turn the garou loose on Worm, with him and Val doing cleanup to pick off any escaping worms. Offered to let me in on helping to kill Worm. (Honestly? Give me his location and a microwave oven and I could kill him from afar with ease, but what a horrible, horrible, horrible way to go.) I asked Thomas if Worm started out as human. He said yes. So I told him I wouldn't take part in killing him. But I would assist in trying to minimize the damage Worm tried to dole out. We argued a bit back and forth. Honestly, it was Thomas just pointing out that I might find myself in a position where I have to kill someone someday, and that sometimes saving lives kills others. I don't disagree with him, so it's not really an argument. But for this situation? I don't have to make that choice, and so I'm not going to. Let the garou handle it. I'll try to minimize the harm that might come to them. Honestly? They might do better with plastic ponchos that allow the acid-vomit to slide off instead of burning them. Better still? A chem-resistant disposable suit. Like this one. Just ordered a dozen. I'm sure they'll come in handy later, if not sooner.
I resumed my walk, then cut across Wal-Mart to get back to my car, then went home to my cabin to crash on the couch. (Couldn't sleep in the bed. Smells of Emma and.... tomorrow needs to be a laundry day.) More reading about Euclidean geometry, under a warm blanket, and with LOLcat nesting on top of my chest--making biscuits with his declawed feet. I think the little stinker is glad to have me back all to himself once again. Boogerhead.
