On Packs and Secrets
May. 21st, 2015 03:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hollowstormMan, if packs can hear into our thoughts, can they hear into our secrets? If I ask Thane or Draco about this, will they realize there's something I desperately don't want found out?
Instead of her tell-tale white Ferrari out front, there is what appears to be a new bright red VW Beatle. The license plate says: LuvBug on the back of it with current stickers. Briari is in the kitchen making a fresh pot of coffee as she paces about with her phone stuck to her head. She is babbling on about a stock portfolio and does not seem too happy by it.
Ever since becoming Garou, Charlene has left things like stock portfolios in the human world. If you asked her to pick a stock, she'd just throw a dart at the newspaper and hope she got lucky with it, so when she pushes open the back door of the house and is greeted with both the smell of brewing coffee and the complexities of getting a sneak peak on an IPO scheduled for Thursday in the tech sector....well, the Fury just shakes her head, chuckles, and moves to get a cup of coffee for herself. "Morning, Bri." she says, pouring herself a cup. "Long time."
There is a rush of sounds from upstairs; the door from the garage slamming, a small stampede of pounding steps, and then the staircase creaking under a rushed descent. So rushed in fact that a misstep turns the rhythmic stomping into a clatter inducing slide of feet before it's halted by a quick yank on the railing.
Continuing to ramble on the phone for a few more moments, the last thing Briari says is, "Well, you better fix it! I need a complete sell off by opening bell and moved into internationals. I want renewable energy if possible, anything that sounds asian. Geezus Phillip. Don't hose me on this." Clicking the phone off, she blinks her eyes at the sight of the pair of Garou, then lifts a hand as she stuffs her phone back into her pocket. "Oh, good morning! I made coffee!"
Charlene lifts the cup she's already filled for herself with a grin, taking a sip after blowing a bit of the steam off of the surface, very nearly burning her tongue, but she's careful not to. "Morning. Yeah, I smelled and saw. Thanks. S'good. Not really strong like some of the Get make, but better than the mystery coffee some of the Gnawers throw together." She looks over at the staircase at the clattering of feet, tilting her head and then leaning over to peer into the living room to see who might be making that awful racket.
Jenelle is breathing hard when she finally stops and as she looks up from under a bit of black-haired bangs that have fallen completely into her face, she takes quick stock of the gathered and then sheepishly raises her right hand, "Hi." A hue of embarassment tints her cheeks as she pulls herself more upright. "Everything okay?" she asks.
Lifting a brow upwards, Briari looks past her to see if she was being chased, then brings her own cup up to her lips for a quick sip. "... Yup. Everything is fine. Lost about thirty grand due to an oversight but I plan on getting it back by this afternoon. You know, stocks and all of that. Are -you- okay?"
"just fine." Charlene says quietly, taking another sip of her coffee and shaking her head a little at the nonchalance that Briari expresses about losing more than a person makes in a year in a matter of moments. Still, she smiles, taking a seat in one of the kitchen chairs after turning it around backwards, crossing her arms over the back and looking at them both. "I just made a step vanish. Oh, my otterly ways of mischief and misfortune." She says this deadpan, of course.
Jenelle takes a step into the kitchen and offers a little bob of her head, "Fine." She looks toward the coffee pot and makes her way toward it. "I was just in the garage and-" A cup is taken and fussed with, "working out. I got frustrated and so ended up coming in hot."
"You got frustrated working out? Why is that? Working out should be pretty fun unless you can't lift the bar." Briari says as she gives a wry grin on her face before she sips again at her coffee. "So, I am still looking for a pack. Jenelle, you finally become a full fledged member of the Sept yet?"
"Theurge moon." Charlene says after a moment, giving Jenelle a smile before turning to Briari. "You know how you get when it's your moon - more on edge usually. Same with her. I like to describe it like super PMS, really. Not fun, but part of being one of Gaia's children, after all." She gives a one-shoudered shrug and takes another sip of her coffee, listening to the pair. Briari's looking for a pack. Jenelle...Oh! Charlene straightens. "And how's that learning going that we went over a while back?"
Jenelle gives Briari a look that preceeds a come back- only the come back never arrives as Charlene interjects her theory. A hand comes up to brush the bangs out of her face and she draws in a breath. "It's going well. I think I've got it down now, and can understand the spirits and speak their own language... but that doesn't mean the spirits /want/ to talk to you." To Briari she shakes her head, "I still need to finish my chiminage."
"Ugh! It is taking foreeeeever." Briari groans as she puts the cup in the sink and begins to rinse it out. "So what are you two up to today? Now that the moon is getting low I so want to get out and do something, but nothing is going down right now. The bad guys are boring. Even crime on the streets is kind of quiet. So, that either means we can go shopping, or ... whatever you want to do for a change. Hey! So, Charlene, looking for packmates? I think Otters are totally adorable and Slug is dropping the ball on getting back to me in regards to joining Sagacity..." She nudges Jenn again, nudge, nudge. "You like otters?"
Jenelle lifts up her shoulders, "They're cute, I guess. I don't know much about them as a totem spirit though. I can't imagine my father would think well of my packing under one." A small, somber smile follows that confession.
"Well.. you gotta do what makes you happy! Otter is a cool totem. Super mischievous and very good at sneaking about the Umbra. He is an adventurous type. Loves exploring! Spiritual garou tend to be favored by him." Briari says with a big grin on her face.
"More of the same, really. Groundskeeper, dealing with territory. Y'know. Usual Garou stuff. Waiting for the world to explode, so I'm enjoying the quiet and serenity while I can." Charlene smiles, looking over at Briari. "You've been checkin' up on us, huh?" She chuckles, looking to Jenelle. "What she said, basically. Otter's a slippery little devil. Loves us getting to places we shouldn't. Good at getting us places far away with moon bridges or to safety if we're in trouble."
Jenelle chuckles softly at this, "Hmm. Sounds pretty interesting. So hey- how do you guys figure out what kind of pack you want to join?"
"I used to be apart of an Owl pack which was pretty awesome. I just want to be apart of a pack that I feel can fit my current skill-set of a ragabash. I also do not really feel like I fit in with Excelsior, the Coyotes, or Blitzkrieg. I can see myself maybe with Sagacity but they are also a pack full of big dogs and I may be a bit more rainbow and unicorns for them. That and they got Slug so they do not need a scout. Otter though would compliment my new moon abilities as well as help me gain an upper hand in some other areas that I need to be more successful in my night-life out on the streets." Briari says as she shifts her shoulders upwards. "Also, I like Charlene so there is that too." She thumbs up to the Fury.
Charlene chuckles. "You ain't half bad yourself, Bri. Wouldn't exactly call the wandering vigilante my cup of tea, but it fits you well and makes you happy, so I ain't gonna say no to that." She gets up and rinses out her cup, turning it upside down in the drainer to dry before retaking her seat. "I'll get you to meet Paumy sometime, then. See what he thinks. We'll get you to come on a trip with us too, sometime. See how you mesh with the rest of the group. You know packs....important to keep the right balance."
"So, you would go more with a pack that follows a mutual calling than anything else then, right?" Jenelle asks as the discussion continues. The cup she'd gathered earlier is only now given more attention. "Oh. Coffee." She goes to the pot and fills it up with some of the dark beverage before adding plentiful sugar and cream. "Some packs can hear each others thoughts, right?"
"I am pretty easy peasy. I want to be in a pack that wants me in return, and fill a role that they need to have. For Char's pack for instance, I would fill a niche they desperately need, which is someone who really understands the city, and the umbra in the city, as well as facilitate as a scout and look out. The sneaky types. They got a Galliard and a bunch of Theurges. Unfortunately they no real diversity so in a fight, to be honest, you guys would be hosed. But if they had a scout to ensure safe passage and to clear the routes ahead of them, as well as create and implement exit and entrance strategies, they will be more successful when and if they are stuck in the fray. So it would be a win-win for both of us." Briari says as she jerks a thumb up in the air. "For me, it is about cohesion as well as analytics. You need to find the right people that fits in personality wise but you also need to find skills that a pack needs to become more efficient and successful in the field."
"Go with a pack that fits you best." Charlene says, leaning back in her chair, looking over at the Shadow Lord. "Love, Loyalty, Duty...if you're a round peg and it's a square hole, that doesn't matter. You might be able to make it work for a while, but you won't fit, and things could go pear shaped in a hurry if you were, say, a Ragabash in a War Pack that wouldn't let you do anything sneaky, or a glass walker in a pack that hated technology. And yes...one of the gifts that Paumy has given us is the ability to talk to each other across great distances. We're not in each other's heads, as it were, but...it's nice. Kind of a pleasant background noise that you can tune in to, any time you want."
Charlene listens to Briari with a nod. "Spirits pulled us together with what there was. More'n likely, we can use ya, but like I said...gotta mesh first."
"What's that like?" asks the Shadow Lord, "The hearing each other. I mean, it's not that you hear their spoken conversations, right? So what if someone is just thinking about something- would the others hear that?"
"It is pretty neat. It can be totes creepy also. One time, Sebastian was really getting it on with his boyfriend and he started thinking way too loudly about it, and we were all pretty wigged out. It is hard to focus on a spreadsheet when you got a guy dirty talking in your head because he is practicing one-liners to lay down." Briari says, then gives a grin to Charlene. "And I will mesh. Cockroach girl here. Survivor and social magician. I can fit into anything. Except skinny jeans."
"Gah, don't even get me started on skinny jeans. Makes my butt look /terrible./" Charlene grumbles softly with a chuckle. "Give me comfortable jeans any day, with room, and pockets, and cut right to show what little curves I got!" Charlene shakes her head. "I haven't...ahem...had anyone making the beast with two backs on the other end, but having Bad Boy on the line is like talking to that dog from Up sometimes. Lots of "I found this trash, wow look at that, I love you, I'm sleeping now, zzzz."
Jenelle puts her attention into her coffee cup at the descriptive examples, clearly embarassed by the topic. "That's... well, that's a good heads up to have I guess." A sip is taken and then she shakes her head as if to snap out of her thoughts. "I should ask Thane or Draco or Ky about how things work in their packs before I get too far ahead of myself."
"They are Shadow Lords, how else do you think it works in their pack?" Briari points out with a grin on her face. "No one is your friend, everyone is disposable and the underlaying level of paranoia that your best friend is going to cut your throat." She says as her shoulders shrug upwards. "To be honest Jenn, you are the coolest Shadow Lord I have ever met, unless you're playing me." She squints her eyes. "Are you playing me?"
Jenelle blinks at that, "Um, I don't think so?" she offers rather honestly. "And Shadow Lords have friends you know. I just wonder how people keep things secret if your packmates can hear your thoughts?"
"What would you really want to keep secret from your pack outside of the fact that you listen to One-Direction while in the shower?" Briari pours another cup of coffee and dumps a bit too much sugar into it.
Jenelle shrugs up one shoulder slightly, "I don't know. I bet a lot of things. Don't you keep anything secret from people?"
"It is not like everyone has a window into your head though. It is only really things that you share with the pack, or, that you let slip out because you're a dork." Briari gives a smile on her face, then pushes her glasses up along the bridge of her nose. "Sides, it is way more efficient than text messaging."
"Oh yeah I can see the advantage to it. Lots of those. Just it's a bit overwhelming too." Another sip from her drink and then she smiles, "Definitely things to think on. Alright. I need to go finish what I started. Thanks for the coffee Bri. Maybe see ya later?"
Instead of her tell-tale white Ferrari out front, there is what appears to be a new bright red VW Beatle. The license plate says: LuvBug on the back of it with current stickers. Briari is in the kitchen making a fresh pot of coffee as she paces about with her phone stuck to her head. She is babbling on about a stock portfolio and does not seem too happy by it.
Ever since becoming Garou, Charlene has left things like stock portfolios in the human world. If you asked her to pick a stock, she'd just throw a dart at the newspaper and hope she got lucky with it, so when she pushes open the back door of the house and is greeted with both the smell of brewing coffee and the complexities of getting a sneak peak on an IPO scheduled for Thursday in the tech sector....well, the Fury just shakes her head, chuckles, and moves to get a cup of coffee for herself. "Morning, Bri." she says, pouring herself a cup. "Long time."
There is a rush of sounds from upstairs; the door from the garage slamming, a small stampede of pounding steps, and then the staircase creaking under a rushed descent. So rushed in fact that a misstep turns the rhythmic stomping into a clatter inducing slide of feet before it's halted by a quick yank on the railing.
Continuing to ramble on the phone for a few more moments, the last thing Briari says is, "Well, you better fix it! I need a complete sell off by opening bell and moved into internationals. I want renewable energy if possible, anything that sounds asian. Geezus Phillip. Don't hose me on this." Clicking the phone off, she blinks her eyes at the sight of the pair of Garou, then lifts a hand as she stuffs her phone back into her pocket. "Oh, good morning! I made coffee!"
Charlene lifts the cup she's already filled for herself with a grin, taking a sip after blowing a bit of the steam off of the surface, very nearly burning her tongue, but she's careful not to. "Morning. Yeah, I smelled and saw. Thanks. S'good. Not really strong like some of the Get make, but better than the mystery coffee some of the Gnawers throw together." She looks over at the staircase at the clattering of feet, tilting her head and then leaning over to peer into the living room to see who might be making that awful racket.
Jenelle is breathing hard when she finally stops and as she looks up from under a bit of black-haired bangs that have fallen completely into her face, she takes quick stock of the gathered and then sheepishly raises her right hand, "Hi." A hue of embarassment tints her cheeks as she pulls herself more upright. "Everything okay?" she asks.
Lifting a brow upwards, Briari looks past her to see if she was being chased, then brings her own cup up to her lips for a quick sip. "... Yup. Everything is fine. Lost about thirty grand due to an oversight but I plan on getting it back by this afternoon. You know, stocks and all of that. Are -you- okay?"
"just fine." Charlene says quietly, taking another sip of her coffee and shaking her head a little at the nonchalance that Briari expresses about losing more than a person makes in a year in a matter of moments. Still, she smiles, taking a seat in one of the kitchen chairs after turning it around backwards, crossing her arms over the back and looking at them both. "I just made a step vanish. Oh, my otterly ways of mischief and misfortune." She says this deadpan, of course.
Jenelle takes a step into the kitchen and offers a little bob of her head, "Fine." She looks toward the coffee pot and makes her way toward it. "I was just in the garage and-" A cup is taken and fussed with, "working out. I got frustrated and so ended up coming in hot."
"You got frustrated working out? Why is that? Working out should be pretty fun unless you can't lift the bar." Briari says as she gives a wry grin on her face before she sips again at her coffee. "So, I am still looking for a pack. Jenelle, you finally become a full fledged member of the Sept yet?"
"Theurge moon." Charlene says after a moment, giving Jenelle a smile before turning to Briari. "You know how you get when it's your moon - more on edge usually. Same with her. I like to describe it like super PMS, really. Not fun, but part of being one of Gaia's children, after all." She gives a one-shoudered shrug and takes another sip of her coffee, listening to the pair. Briari's looking for a pack. Jenelle...Oh! Charlene straightens. "And how's that learning going that we went over a while back?"
Jenelle gives Briari a look that preceeds a come back- only the come back never arrives as Charlene interjects her theory. A hand comes up to brush the bangs out of her face and she draws in a breath. "It's going well. I think I've got it down now, and can understand the spirits and speak their own language... but that doesn't mean the spirits /want/ to talk to you." To Briari she shakes her head, "I still need to finish my chiminage."
"Ugh! It is taking foreeeeever." Briari groans as she puts the cup in the sink and begins to rinse it out. "So what are you two up to today? Now that the moon is getting low I so want to get out and do something, but nothing is going down right now. The bad guys are boring. Even crime on the streets is kind of quiet. So, that either means we can go shopping, or ... whatever you want to do for a change. Hey! So, Charlene, looking for packmates? I think Otters are totally adorable and Slug is dropping the ball on getting back to me in regards to joining Sagacity..." She nudges Jenn again, nudge, nudge. "You like otters?"
Jenelle lifts up her shoulders, "They're cute, I guess. I don't know much about them as a totem spirit though. I can't imagine my father would think well of my packing under one." A small, somber smile follows that confession.
"Well.. you gotta do what makes you happy! Otter is a cool totem. Super mischievous and very good at sneaking about the Umbra. He is an adventurous type. Loves exploring! Spiritual garou tend to be favored by him." Briari says with a big grin on her face.
"More of the same, really. Groundskeeper, dealing with territory. Y'know. Usual Garou stuff. Waiting for the world to explode, so I'm enjoying the quiet and serenity while I can." Charlene smiles, looking over at Briari. "You've been checkin' up on us, huh?" She chuckles, looking to Jenelle. "What she said, basically. Otter's a slippery little devil. Loves us getting to places we shouldn't. Good at getting us places far away with moon bridges or to safety if we're in trouble."
Jenelle chuckles softly at this, "Hmm. Sounds pretty interesting. So hey- how do you guys figure out what kind of pack you want to join?"
"I used to be apart of an Owl pack which was pretty awesome. I just want to be apart of a pack that I feel can fit my current skill-set of a ragabash. I also do not really feel like I fit in with Excelsior, the Coyotes, or Blitzkrieg. I can see myself maybe with Sagacity but they are also a pack full of big dogs and I may be a bit more rainbow and unicorns for them. That and they got Slug so they do not need a scout. Otter though would compliment my new moon abilities as well as help me gain an upper hand in some other areas that I need to be more successful in my night-life out on the streets." Briari says as she shifts her shoulders upwards. "Also, I like Charlene so there is that too." She thumbs up to the Fury.
Charlene chuckles. "You ain't half bad yourself, Bri. Wouldn't exactly call the wandering vigilante my cup of tea, but it fits you well and makes you happy, so I ain't gonna say no to that." She gets up and rinses out her cup, turning it upside down in the drainer to dry before retaking her seat. "I'll get you to meet Paumy sometime, then. See what he thinks. We'll get you to come on a trip with us too, sometime. See how you mesh with the rest of the group. You know packs....important to keep the right balance."
"So, you would go more with a pack that follows a mutual calling than anything else then, right?" Jenelle asks as the discussion continues. The cup she'd gathered earlier is only now given more attention. "Oh. Coffee." She goes to the pot and fills it up with some of the dark beverage before adding plentiful sugar and cream. "Some packs can hear each others thoughts, right?"
"I am pretty easy peasy. I want to be in a pack that wants me in return, and fill a role that they need to have. For Char's pack for instance, I would fill a niche they desperately need, which is someone who really understands the city, and the umbra in the city, as well as facilitate as a scout and look out. The sneaky types. They got a Galliard and a bunch of Theurges. Unfortunately they no real diversity so in a fight, to be honest, you guys would be hosed. But if they had a scout to ensure safe passage and to clear the routes ahead of them, as well as create and implement exit and entrance strategies, they will be more successful when and if they are stuck in the fray. So it would be a win-win for both of us." Briari says as she jerks a thumb up in the air. "For me, it is about cohesion as well as analytics. You need to find the right people that fits in personality wise but you also need to find skills that a pack needs to become more efficient and successful in the field."
"Go with a pack that fits you best." Charlene says, leaning back in her chair, looking over at the Shadow Lord. "Love, Loyalty, Duty...if you're a round peg and it's a square hole, that doesn't matter. You might be able to make it work for a while, but you won't fit, and things could go pear shaped in a hurry if you were, say, a Ragabash in a War Pack that wouldn't let you do anything sneaky, or a glass walker in a pack that hated technology. And yes...one of the gifts that Paumy has given us is the ability to talk to each other across great distances. We're not in each other's heads, as it were, but...it's nice. Kind of a pleasant background noise that you can tune in to, any time you want."
Charlene listens to Briari with a nod. "Spirits pulled us together with what there was. More'n likely, we can use ya, but like I said...gotta mesh first."
"What's that like?" asks the Shadow Lord, "The hearing each other. I mean, it's not that you hear their spoken conversations, right? So what if someone is just thinking about something- would the others hear that?"
"It is pretty neat. It can be totes creepy also. One time, Sebastian was really getting it on with his boyfriend and he started thinking way too loudly about it, and we were all pretty wigged out. It is hard to focus on a spreadsheet when you got a guy dirty talking in your head because he is practicing one-liners to lay down." Briari says, then gives a grin to Charlene. "And I will mesh. Cockroach girl here. Survivor and social magician. I can fit into anything. Except skinny jeans."
"Gah, don't even get me started on skinny jeans. Makes my butt look /terrible./" Charlene grumbles softly with a chuckle. "Give me comfortable jeans any day, with room, and pockets, and cut right to show what little curves I got!" Charlene shakes her head. "I haven't...ahem...had anyone making the beast with two backs on the other end, but having Bad Boy on the line is like talking to that dog from Up sometimes. Lots of "I found this trash, wow look at that, I love you, I'm sleeping now, zzzz."
Jenelle puts her attention into her coffee cup at the descriptive examples, clearly embarassed by the topic. "That's... well, that's a good heads up to have I guess." A sip is taken and then she shakes her head as if to snap out of her thoughts. "I should ask Thane or Draco or Ky about how things work in their packs before I get too far ahead of myself."
"They are Shadow Lords, how else do you think it works in their pack?" Briari points out with a grin on her face. "No one is your friend, everyone is disposable and the underlaying level of paranoia that your best friend is going to cut your throat." She says as her shoulders shrug upwards. "To be honest Jenn, you are the coolest Shadow Lord I have ever met, unless you're playing me." She squints her eyes. "Are you playing me?"
Jenelle blinks at that, "Um, I don't think so?" she offers rather honestly. "And Shadow Lords have friends you know. I just wonder how people keep things secret if your packmates can hear your thoughts?"
"What would you really want to keep secret from your pack outside of the fact that you listen to One-Direction while in the shower?" Briari pours another cup of coffee and dumps a bit too much sugar into it.
Jenelle shrugs up one shoulder slightly, "I don't know. I bet a lot of things. Don't you keep anything secret from people?"
"It is not like everyone has a window into your head though. It is only really things that you share with the pack, or, that you let slip out because you're a dork." Briari gives a smile on her face, then pushes her glasses up along the bridge of her nose. "Sides, it is way more efficient than text messaging."
"Oh yeah I can see the advantage to it. Lots of those. Just it's a bit overwhelming too." Another sip from her drink and then she smiles, "Definitely things to think on. Alright. I need to go finish what I started. Thanks for the coffee Bri. Maybe see ya later?"
