2019.01.22: Like an Old, One Eyed Wolf

Bad Blood
Lleutrim and Waziyata visit Aleksandr, who is at home with Faith. Old arguments and dislikes flare up, sabotaging Lleu's attempt to request a favor from Aleksandr. Afterward, Wazi and Aleksandr have a long argument and a partial reconciliation.
IC Date	Tuesday Jan 22 19:00:00 2019, PST.
Players	Aleksandr, Waziyata, Faith, Lleutrim
Location	Aleksandr's Cabin
Spheres	Gaian Garou

Small Cabin - Main Area

This wooden cabin is simple. Wooden walls somehow keep this place decently warm and insulated, as if whoever built this knew what they were doing. A small wood stove that double as a heating system for the place resides somewhere near the middle of the room where it rises out the roof through the chimney. A small living area is off to one side, where a giant fur quilt rests on the floor, perhaps as a rug or a place to sit. Makeshift pillows lie nearby, made of furs and stuffed with something quite soft. No bathroom seems present, perhaps lending to somewhere outside. A workbench sits against one wall, with various containers, plants and wooden sculptures, among other crafts. Oddly enough, there is what looks to be a bathtub of sorts behind one wall, though it looks rarely used and crafted by a delicate hand out natural materials. Adn a wash basin one the wooden counter.

Up a ladder and covering almost half the size of the cabin is an alcove carved out for what must be a sleeping area. There's no bed, but again furs and pillows, hand crafted. The lighting here is made up from gas lamps, carefully tended and well enclosed, so as the chance of fire is very low.

Quietly a wolf makes his way generally from the north. Battle Singer moves with fluid ease, slipping through the trees like a shadow and just as silent. When he comes to the edge of Aleksandr's territory, the Fianna turns and moves along the marked boundary to a point that he knows the cabin's front is facing him, whether he can see it through the trees or not. There the wolf sits down to watch and listen for a few minutes ere he lifts up his voice to give a howl, one that identifies himself and requests permission to enter the Silver Fang's domain. Once that's done, Battle Singer lies himself down in the leaf mold to wait.

It's only a moment after Lleutrim's howl that Wazi's voice jumps in, taking up the call as the Galliard's begins to fade. Her voice is untrained and unpracticed, but full of boisterous energy and vigor. It is a full moon, after all. Great time for an ahroun to visit. It's a normal enough greeting and request for entry, with one twist added to the end: <<One thing will I destroy for you!>> It's like she thinks that's a selling point to make Aleks more eager for her company.

Aleksandr's territory is not obviously marked, other than that it's obvious where he tends the land. Everything is a little healthier in the clearing around his place, the threes, the grass, everything. A small garden grows out back, and there is a sense, especially to those sensitive to it, of a spiritual sort of touch, of healthiness to the area. Small light glimmers form inside, and a wee bit of natural smoke billows out the small chimney. It's the only metal in the place.

It takes a moment, but the door opens, and Aleksandr appears at it, more than a little bit curious, brow raised as he steps outside. "All are welcome here so long as they don't mean trouble." He bows his head to the wolf. "I am surprised to see you, Battle Singer. You are well?" He might actually think he's sick for seeking him out.

Frost peeks around Alek's shoulder from inside the cabin, glancing between the two wolves curiously. Her attention seems to fix on Wazi in the end, and then she moves back into the cabin. One might come under the impression from the sounds that follow she's putting things away. All of the things.

While they wait, Battle Singer flops and rolls over on his side, twisting his head around in the leaves to stare at Wazi. He lifts a front paw to bat her and his tongue lolls out. He looks comfortable enough, lounging there in the leaves and playfully harassing the lupus. The Galliard sits himself up and looks toward the cabin when the door opens and Aleks speaks. Battle Singer gets up and shakes himself off, then touches his nose to Wazi's fur ere he'll move out into the clearing.

When the Lleupine comes before the steps, the Fianna wolf stops and begins the shift from wolf to man. It takes a few seconds accompanied by the usual stretching and popping of bones and ligaments before Lleu straightens to stand before Aleksandr and Frost. "I am very well. Than you for asking, Lights-the-Darkness'rhya. Good evening, Frost." A second or two are taken to look around the property, "You are obviously doing right by the spirits here. They must be happy. Everything looks really good."

At first, Waziyata laughs silently, panting her amusement at the bat of Lleutrim's paw against her. Her attention returns to the cabin, watching expectantly, tail wagging slowly, ears laid back in a comfortable, lazy fashion. Then she's swatted again. Then again. It's the fourth time that gets her, she looks at Lleu with a groaning sort of growl, ears straightening and mouth closing to give him her best 'Really?' look, in dog fashion.

It's then that Aleksandr arrives to interrupt the scene at hand. The ahroun drops into a panting grin as she looks back to the cabin, tail beginning to wag again, low and slow in greeting. She doesn't bother speaking up just yet, leaving the two homids to babble as they are wont to do. Instead, she paces into the clearing and begins snuffling about, investigating, though one ear remains oriented on the two.

Aleksandr bows his head to the compliment, but his lips twitch in the corner, an emotion that he stills before it can really form. Eyes flicker than to Wazi joining him, but his invitation really included them both, so she's welcome, too. Unlike Frost, he does not seem worried about Wazi's odd greeting, and his gaze flickers a bit towards the wolf as she starts of checking the area out, but he says nothing, turning back to Lleutrim. "I am sure you did not come by to admire my gardening. Is everything alright. Is something needed?" It's curiousity more than concern. He glances backwards towards the cabin before coming back. Maybe not wondering what Frost is doing, but to consider something. "Did you wish to come in?" He motions to the door, to both of them.

Frost has moved as many of the breakables that Alek has up to the loft inside the cabin, looking around the room. There's a little frustration on her face, the bigger things have nowhere to go, but that'll have to be that. As she hears him offer entrance to them she settles on putting another log on the fire before coming back over to the door to peek back out, seeing what they've decided upon.

Lleutrim has noticed the Frost slipped away and that has his own curiousity. His grey eyes return to give Aleksandr his attention. "Yes, I would like to come in. Everything is fine. I do in fact have something I need." A glance aside to Wazi sniffing around the garden. Donnachaidh steps up onto the porch and will come into the cabin now they have been asked in. There is a warm smile and a brief half hug for Frost, if she will accept it. Then Lleu'll find a chair, perhaps at the kitchen table, to draw out and take a seat.

"What I need, frankly, is a Theurge. One that knows his way around with the spirits, one that can offer advice, and who isn't afraid of challenging circumstances. One thing I know about you, Aleksandr, is you have always been up front with me. Whether we see eye to eye. So, I've come to you with a request."

For Waziyata's part, she snuffles around the grass and trees and flowers, investigating them curiously. Her tail wags here and there at some scent or sight or sound, and at one point she leans in and licks some of the grass gently, inquisitively. Then, Aleksandr's offering to let them in, so the Ahroun looks up. She grins wolfishly at the two homids, wags her tail another time, then strides past them and into the cabin as if it were her own home.

She emerges into the cabin on full alert, ears and tail up, eyes and snout moving. She repeats the gesture from before. Frost gets a wag of the tail and a tongue-lolling, panting grin. Then, the lupus is exploring Aleksandr's house. First stop? A trip behind the workbench.

Aleksandr moves in ahead of them, leaving the door open for everyone else. The place is simplicity. That chair Lleu takes, for instance, is the only on in here. There's not much for comfort, though what looks to be a rather traditional and old school tub is half built towards the back, and a mattress made of furs and down sits half-finished against the wall. You basically need to sit on the floor save for the one chair. It's rustic.

Aleksandr doesn't seem to want the chair him, moving over towards Frost near the fire, standing by her and turning back to Lleutrim. "I suspected as much. Not many people would seek me out here for no reason."

When Lleu starts to explain, Aleksandr nods. He listens to the end and nods again. If there is surprise that he was the Theurge picked, he doesn't show it. He does glance briefly at Frost for some reason and then turns back. "Well, I suppose I fit the criteria then. What is the request?" Eyes flicker briefly to Wazi and her exploration, but if he minds that, either, there is no obvious, outward show.

Frost smiles brightly as the big guy comes into the cabin, quite happily taking the quick hug as she gives one of her own. She signs, "Hello." while mouthing it slowly, he said he wants to learn so there's a little something. The rest Alek will have to play translator. "It's very good to see you both." Then she's back over standing by Alek, her eyes half on Wazi as she starts to explore. If there's a reason why she's doing so, she isn't saying right away.

Lleutrim listens to Aleksandr and didn't mean to take the only chair. "I have sought an elder who has given me instruction before. His name is Calls Down the Rain. He is a Fianna Galliard and Caller of the Wyld. From him I am requesting my challenge for the rank of Adren. I am to travel to Scotland where he lives, and I am instructed not to come alone. I am to bring with me my pack - or if I have no pack, no fewer than three faces that Luna has hidden from me. One for Spirit, one for Man, and one for wolf. Only then will he see me, listen to my tale, and set before me a suitable challenge." Lleu watches Aleksandr, "To be honest, you are the most dedicated Theurge I know."

There is a brief flicker of Lleu's gaze to what Wazi is up to, then he pauses long enough to return Frost's gesture with a smile to mimic her mouthed 'Hello' both by hand and mouth. When her words are translated, he smiles. "It is good to see you, Frost. You look happy."

Waziyata pokes her head up from behind the workbench, looking curiously over to the two men as Lleu begins to explain his reason for being here. She tilts her head a bit to one side, watching, listening with interest. Then she chuffs quietly, not with words, more of a chuckle. Afterward, the wolf returns to nosing around the room. She makes her way over to the bathtub, putting forepaws up on the rim and leaning forward to look inside and all around. Then, she is back on the ground, snuffling underneath. Then, she pokes her snout behind, peering into the crack between wood and wall. Her tail starts to wag, then, slow and pleased with whatever she's found.

Aleksandr does translate for her. That's never in question, it makes him keep, at least one eye on her at all times while splitting his attention with Lleutrim. He's not watching Wazi like the others, though he does say towards the wolf. "Twister has a need, I understand this Puddle Jumper, but some things are Evie Frost's and I think she will be quite cross, if you break them. So please stick to my belongings."

Then he turns back to Lleutrim and listens again. A brow raises at the end. "You do not need to flatter me, Battle Singer. I am sure saying that hurt your pride enough." There's no amusement to it, it's Alek's general, neutral tone. "Are you aware of what the challenge will be, beyond this? I am not sure how to prepare, otherwise."

The tub is just a wood frame right now, not even a drain built, or lining put into it. Though it is neatly sanded and maybe even covered in something, but it does not smell like human chemicals.

And clearly, that tub in progress is one of said Evie Frost's things, as her eyes get really big when Wazi starts poking around it. A step is taken slowly to the side and the Kin reaches for the broom, her hand wrapping slowly around the handle. She pulls it over to her, holding it against her back as she watches the Lupus in her explorations, ready to defend the tub should the need arise.

Aleksandr draws his attention back and Lleu raises a brow at his talk of flattery and pride. "I'm not trying to flattering you, Aleksandr. You /know/ I'm not the sucking up type. I can hardly ask Shaderunner'rhya or other higher ranked Theurges. So, that leaves you and Sean." Lleu pauses to think a moment ere he adds low, "I'm not even sure what prompted me to come to you first. He's certainly easier to get along with."

A very reasonable question. Lleu shifts his jaw, then says, "No, though if it is to be something I am not to do alone, my gut suggests it will be a quest of some kind. Of what nature, I do not yet know." A shrug, "I thought a little adventure might interest you. But if you'd rather stay here I'll go and see Broken Claw."

Lleu eyes Aleksandr, "I know, at the moment, you out rank me. I'm not looking to have you take charge and order me around, should you accept. I'm looking for someone who is interested in working with me and those who would accompany us. Not look down his nose. In return, I will certainly /try/ to be mutually respectful."

The baby bathtub is investigated curiously another moment, the wolf's tail still wagging, though she lifts her head out from behind the frame to look at Aleksandr when the man addresses her. The wolf's maw opens into another panting grin as she looks between the man and Frost, that tail wagging a little more excitedly as Frost goes for the broom. The Ahroun is unafraid. Maybe excited at the idea. She turns to face toward Frost, advancing a couple of steps, demeanor playfully aggressive... And then Aleksandr addresses Lleutrim and the wolf's mouth closes, ears perking again as she turns and looks curiously at the two homids.

After a moment, her ears lay back and her attention moves to Lleu, whiskers and nose twitching as she snuffles a moment. Then, the Galliard is speaking and her ears raise up again, attention now reverting to Aleksandr.

She abandons her teasing of Frost then, and the exploration of the cabin, in favor of crossing the small space to stand between the two men. She doesn't move directly between them, but stands just to one side. Bringing her presence into the conversation, between but to one side. She sits, quiet and almost solemn as she considers them.

"Well, I am sure Broken Claw can be found easily enough." Aleksandr's brow raises a little at Lleutrims speech about choosing him. The flattery has certainly ended. There's a sound emitted from his throat at what Lleutrim says next. Was it amusement? Seems unlikely. "Take charge? It is your challenge Battle Singer. What purpose would that serve you, if I passed your challenge for you? I am sure your Elder does not wish that either. As all challenges, you must pass or fail it. I am not so prideful that I believe I must take charge, I simply recognize wisdom when I see it." He nods a little though. "It is your challenge, you can choose who you wish to come. I am offering my help, but it is your decision. My interest alone would be in seeing this attempt at mutual respect."

Does he notice Frost take the broom? Maybe. Does he stop her, or even shake his head, not that either. It seems Wazi is on her own. Though he seems to track the wolf to their side when she approaches and stands between them, but his attention is back on Lleutrim.

Frost gives Wazi a funny look as she goes into a more playful stance for a moment, a sigh moving the kinfolk's shoulders. Apparently she had to go and be cute, because it has Frost, eventually, putting the broom back where she snagged it from. A curious look is given then; first to Lleu then to Alek, her own head tilting a bit. She takes the couple of steps back over, lightly reaching out to touch Alek's arm to gain his attention before she starts to sign. "Battle Singer has been very kind to me, and put himself out there if I needed help when I didn't know many. It would mean a lot to me if you could help him." a glance given between the two male Garou.

Donnachaidh is aware of Frost's taking up of the broom, and Wazi's actions, though most of Lleu's attention is for Aleksandr. He listens and gives a nod, "You have said things to me that have been wise. I still have much to learn, to adjust to being garou. I think I've come a long way. I am not, and never will be perfect. Much as we grate on each others' nerves, somehow I have a sense that maybe we both might gain a better, useful understanding. There are others who think you and I should work together, and have tried to get us to do so. There must be a reason for it."

Lleu leans back in the chair. While he has no idea what Frost signs to Aleks, until it is translated, he is silent a moment while she does so. Then he adds quietly, "If you are willing to come, I would have you, Aleksandr Alexeyev." Lleu glances over to Wazi sitting there, "And, I would have you also, Wazyiata, Puddle Jumper. If you are willing."

The white wolf sitting between the two men listens quietly as they continue their conversation, and as Frost's words are translated by the Adren. Then Lleutrim says his piece and she glances at him, ears perking up at the extension of the offer to her. A moment passes, then she is flciking an ear and turning her head aaway from the Galliard in a dismissive fashion. She stretches, then, extending her legs forward and dropping into an awkward-looking bow with the movement. Then, as she straightens back up, the fur receeds and the body lengthens and grows into the blonde teenage form of Wazi.

She pushes herself up on her heels, glancing between both men and Frost with a soft frown, before shaking her head and settling back into a comfortable, squatting seat.

"I will help. Why are you both speaking like snakes bite?"

Aleksandr doesn't actually translate what Frost says specifically to him. Looking down at her, he just nods a little, giving her the faintest of what, who may have never seen it before, would call a smile. It's brief, but there. He turns back to Lleutrim as he speaks again. "I have said things to you that were wise, and you did not listen. I must say though, that you do seem to have figured some things out, I can hope so. I would like nothing more than to be wrong, Battle Singer, but I have to be proven so. Despite what you think, I am quite capable of believing myself wrong." A nod again. "I am willing. I am even honoured at the choice. I guess you might consider it my second attempt at remembering you are not me and I am not you, and see what I find." He tilts his head at Wazi's response, curiously, then seems even more confused when she accepts, but the question that is phrased seems to be ignored entirely. Like he didn't even hear it.

Frost doesn't object if Alek doesn't translate it, just nodding to him and returning that almost smile with a genuine one of her own. As Wazi asks that question she tilts her head a little bit, then leans her head forward a bit so she can reach behind her neck. A couple of snaps are popped open and she takes the wide choker she has on off, showing some rather old but nasty claw marks across her throat. This signing will likely be translated. "I can't speak, sign language lets me have a little bit of a voice still. It's that or using my phone. The weaver device you played with that one time." she smiles softly, a soundless chuckle moving her shoulders.

Wazi draws his attention. Lleu leans forward and rests his arms over his knees, his hands loose between. "What do you mean, speaking like snakes bite?" He probably knows perfectly well what she's asking, yet asks for her to clarify anyway. To Alek's words, Lleu gives a nod. He doesn't offer any reply at first, watching Frost remove her choker, seeing the nasty scars there at her throat. His own mate is similarly scarred, across her face and over her body in other places. Quiet, Lleu watches Frost move her hands, her delicate fingers artfully making the signs that he's only begun to learn a few of so far. His eyes follow those fluid movements and it is his turn to smile a little.

After that span of silence, Lleu glances back at Aleksandr, studying him as the Russian stands there. "In the past I have often had difficulty speaking with you, Lights-the-Darkness'rhya. Of our understanding one another. I'd like not bump our heads against one another. I have tried to listen but I haven't always understood. Maybe I've learned enough now to make the listening and understanding a little easier. I hope so. There's still a vast amount I don't know and don't understand, but need to try."

The blonde's brow furrows as Aleksandr ignores her question, frowning up at the man from her comfortable squat on his floor. She glances to Lleutrim when the man asks his question, licking her lips a moment, hesitating. Then Frost 'speaks' through Aleksandr and she looks to the Silver Fang again, frown returning. She gives a soft, impatient sigh at the explanation, before shaking her head forcefully, "No. Not hand speaking. Snake speaking." Another pause, the lupus grimacing, hands moving together, one squeezing the other's fingers in a helpless gesture.

Then, abruptly, she stands and turns, pacing a couple of steps, then turning back toward the humans, frown lingering. She points at Aleksandr, then at Lleutrim, "You. And you. It is like watching snakes fight. No damage. Some hurt. Poison. Hissing, snapping, missing, dancing. Why?"

Another hesitation there, before she directs a deeper frown at Aleksandr, adding, "You are -only- Adren. That is not too big to drag down and chew your ears. Not for me. Then we see if ears work with less pride."

Maybe she was off to a good start. Maybe she wasn't. But she probably didn't help her case with that last comment.

Aleksandr does, of course, translate that for Frost, though he seems a bit confused about what she is showing him, giving her a bit of a curious look as she removes her choker. He might have missed something, but that's not unusual at times when people don't talk straight.

His focused does come back to Lleutrim though as he begins speaking to Alek again. Another brow goes up, this one a little higher as Lleutrim speaks. "Those certainly are different words than I have ever heard from you, Battle Singer. You sued to think you knew everything about what it was to be a Garou. And despite what you may think, I seek no animosity between us. I only have so much tolerance, though."

Oh did Wazi go down the wrong train track. Full Moon alright, at the Theurge turns, frowning visibly. "You, of all wolves, Puddle Jumper should be taking to me. You are Garou, you are not a wolf. You should not need to still learn respect for one's elders when you are Fostern. You should not need to learn respect for one's lineage by now. You should need to learn these basic concepts because they are part of the Litany. You cannot, anymore claim ignorance of the wolf. You are Fostern, this no longer for children." He shakes his head, his voice doesn't even raise. But it is chastisement of the highest.

Frost misunderstood, looking sheepish as she puts her choker back on. Then the conversation goes on and she blinks owlishly at Wazi as she speaks to Alek that way. Her lips press together in a thin, frowny line and she steps back, turning to walk past Alek to the other side of the room. As she passes she gently rests her hand on his back, then on to stand on his other side, that frown lingering as she looks back to the Lupus.

Whoa. Wazi /did/ mean her question exactly as Lleutrim thought she had. He watches her though there is the barest flicker of a grimace at her saying she can still pin the Adren's ears back. She probably can too, but... One side of his mouth even quirks a little sadly.

Then he hears Aleksandr. Lleu turns his head and stares at the other for a second, with a blink of surprise. "You think that I thought I knew everything about being garou?!?" Incredulous, Donnachaidh is speachless a few ticks as he stares at the young Russian. He finally says, "Man, if you believed I thought that, you totally missed the whole ball game." His pale grey eyes then follow Frost as she steps back. Lleu just sits there, silent now. The amount of miscommunication that has gone on, not just here, but all these months is almost inconceivable.

As Aleksandr turns his attention to her, Wazi doesn't shy back or show any sign of wilting, standing tall and firm as she eyes the man, still frowning. Her eyes narrow, flashing even, at the man's response. The world 'child' even has her stirring a little, one foot moving an inch, stance widening subtlely, hands curling just a bit closer to fists from open palms at her sides. Will she prove him right, and frenzy in his home before a kinfolk?

The blonde takes a slow, deep breath through her nose, then huffs a low, controlled sigh, still glaring at Aleksandr. Then, she takes a very slow, deliberate step closer to the man. She's still more than their combined arm's length away from the man. She's nearly as tall as he is, more muscular, more full of Rage, but she doesn't attempt to stare him down or become openly hostile in demeanor, merely intense, direct, with an undercurrent of anger and something else, giving just a hint of softness at the edges of her frown. Something that keeps her from out and out scowling.

"You are like old wolf with one eye," she speaks in a low, hard voice, "Who thinks he is the only one that sees darkness, and must teach all to be like it is, before it eats them at night. That is not wolf. That is stupid pride. You see the bad thing, so there is no good that is not hard and sharp like it."

Aleksandr lets Frost go, but like Wazi shifts stances, so does he. If he's setting the Ahroun off, you can be sure he is putting himself, not so subtly between Frost and Wazi. But before he answers her, he glances at Lleutrim. "No, I'm sure you did not think so, but your mouth was often open, and your ears closed, when those who did, tried to teach you." That is his gripe, though he seems not mad about it anymore.

Plus, Wazi has far more of his attention at the moment. There's no give in the Theurge either, despite knowing he's dealing with an Ahroun. He stands his ground having pout himself between Wazi and the kinfolk, and he doesn't so much as blink. He's mad too, you don't often get Alek's visibly mad, so you know you have stepped into a new arena now. "Better to be an old wolf with one eye, than a child with none, Puddle Jumper." Did he note the word child had her stir the first time. You can almost bet on it. "I, at least, accept my faults. You, I'm not sure does, or can, or even tries. You are good at talking, Puddle Jumper, but I don't think you hear any wisdom said to you. It is all a joke. I do not find it funny. Childish ways are for children, and if you do not like the sue of the word, then stop acting like one."

Lleutrim watches the interaction between Wazi and Aleks. He spreads his hands, "It was a very difficult transition, for me. It does strike me odd that you never have a good thing to say about me. Only constant criticisms, when our elders, and most others, said how well I was doing, and a lot of understanding about how difficult it was for a guy in mid life. They believed I would do well and you alone have always thought I was a waste." Lleu smiles, despite the tension building between the Silver Fang and the Ahroun. He simply gets up, "Maybe it was a mistake, my coming here. I happen to agree with Wazi and think you are the one being ... painfully difficult in your everlasting presumtion of righteousness."

Battle Singer gets up from the chair and heads closer to where Frost is. Lleu says low, "Care to step outside with me for a moment? Things might get nasty in here." Nope, Lleu's not making any move to smooth things between Wazi and Aleksandr. He can smell a challenge when it's about to throw down the garou way.

The Ahroun advances another tiny movement. Not quite a step, not entire a shuffling of her feet. She merely settles her weight and is an inch or two nearer the Theurge. Her expression remains a scowl as she listens to the man's words, though the tension doesn't increase, on her side of it. She settles in that slight movement, neither backing down nor upping the ante. She opens her mouth as if to speak, and this time it is Lleutrim that beats her to the punch in responding to the other man.

She actually spares a glance to Lleu, the scowl easing somewhat, though he still gets a frown from the lupus. "Please no helping this," she tells him in possibly the most direct tone he's yet heard from the girl. She doesn't offer any explanation, or linger her attention on the Galliard past that comment. Instead, she looks back to Aleksandr.

This time, as she focuses on the Theurge, her expression remains the softer, subtler frown that was offered to Lleu, the expression not yet hardening again for the Silver Fang.

"You are too busy being better than me, to know me, Many Names." The answer is spoken evenly this time, even the customary 'nickname' holding not a hint of the usual teasing tone, though little heat, either. "You have one eye, but you do not see anything you are not wanting seen. It is only darkness. Puppies see darkness, too. But puppies grow. Old, dumb wolves that cannot see only die. That is better?"

"I realize this, Battle Singer." Aleksandr replies, though eyes don't waver from Wazi anymore. "I am just not certain you did. MY problem with you has always been that you believe you know better than others. But?" He holds out a hand, to his midsection level. "Some people set standards here." Then moves it to the top of his head height. "MY tribe sets them here, Battle Singer. Perhaps it was too high a standard to set for you." He nods then a little at his final words to him. "I know what you have always thought of me, Battle Singer, you are not subtle with your words. You use a stick, when a whisper will do." He shrugs. "You choose your own path. I have offered to help, it is for you to choose."

As for tension, Aleksandr seems as calm warm day, his expression doesn't so much as flicker. There's still a disapproving frown for Wazi, but that's probably the actual bad sign. He should be feeling the moon. He doesn't even budge and inch, no advancing or retreating, as Wazi advances, but he watches her like the falcon that his Tribe is noted for." His brow flickers up at what she says and shakes his head. "Oh I see you very well, Puddle Jumper, I even have hope for you. I am trying to help you. You, like Battle Singer are not invincible. Soon, you are going to run afoul of the wrong Garou, and I do not think you will think yourself so right. My grandfather would have already smacked you down, quite painfully. Trust me on this. You ask for the respect you believe you believe you are owed by me. Yet, you give none."

Frost nods to Lleu's offer of company outside. Moving around the room she stops by the door to slip her feet into her boots and fish her phone out from her pocket. Typing into it she says to the room at large before heading out the doorway. "You are brothers and sisters, you should not act like this to each other." Not putting the onus on any, she seems generally unhappy with all present. "The enemy is out there, not in here, yet you let him in when you treat each other poorly. That is what they want, when we fight amongst ourselves we are doing their job for them." Then picks up her coat to head out front, since its chilly tonight.

Lleutrim looks back to Aleks and smiles, "You have no idea how ludicrist it is to hear you say that '-I- believe I know better than others' coming out of your mouth about /me/ instead of yourself." He shrugs, "I'm a Marine. Once a Marine, always a Marine - even if I am garou. I'd like to work with you, but I guess it's not going to work unless you come down off of your high horse. But ... I don't think you /can/."

What Frost has her phone say for her makes Lleu nod, "She's right." Lleu'll go with her to the door. He looks back, "Good night, Lights-the-Darkness'rhya. Wazi." The Galliard departs.

Wazi tilts her head a bit as she listens to Aleksandr's response again, eyeing the man, still with that soft frown. But again, the expression softens. She's almost just looking at him again, rather than frowning or scowling, but she again shifts her weight and is just a tiny bit closer to the man. She doesn't spare any more glances for Lleu just yet, though she does blink and look to Frost when the woman's phone speaks. Then, she looks back to Aleksandr, abruptly relaxing her stance to one of near normalcy. She's still ready to move, poised on the balls of her feet, but there is no more tension than normal for her.

She eyes the Silver Fang a moment, then gives a quiet snort, her expression turning suddenly to a small grin, "I would not ask you for what you can not give, Many Names. You think I have no respect, because I laugh and live and am confused with silly things you do."

A pause there, before she adds in a more serious tone, the smile fading to a more intent expression, "You do not think of how I listen to you, even when all you want to be saying is snake poison. You have good things to say, and do good things. But you are not better than me because old full moon kings birth you. You do not stop and think, maybe others are not less than you. Maybe you are less than you should be. You hear jokes, and think insults. You see smiles, and think I am showing teeth. You hear laughing and think it is for thinking I am too good."

She pauses for breath then, tone having become earnest as she leans forward just a little, intent frown returning as she gazes at the man, hands moving to clasp together, "-You- are my disrespecting. Not me. Or I would not listen in fights. I would not stop silver bullets from you. I would not try so many -stupid- words to make it see. You are /Many Names/ because you think that is all you are. Old, dead wolves who must be honored for things before we lived."

She straightens up again, before adding a question: "Why do I need respect from old, dead wolves that are not here?"

Aleksandr glances at Frost, watching her exit, making sure she is outside, but he's still got that one good eye on Wazi. He listens to Lleutrim, but he's heard the Galliard say the same thing many times, and he is tired of arguing with him to no result. He simply bows his head to the words, accepting them. "Luna guide you, Battle Singer." There's no anger there.

Both gone, he turns back to Wazi fully. He still hasn't moved a muscle, doesn't even seem worried about an attack, even less so with Frost outside. "I know I have asked you exactly on thing, Puddle Jumper, that is to respect my name. And you cannot even do that. Respect is not listening to someone with one ear, and then disrespecting them with another. I am not sure you even understand the concept." He pauses then, and assess the Ahroun. "You think I think I am better than you because I am Silver Fang, it is also not true. If I am better than you, it is because I accept that those of higher station are wiser than me. Just as the wolf accepts the Alpha is stronger and wiser than him. I respect that because it was earned. You respect nothing, and then complain when you are not respected, or listened to. I hear you, everything you say Puddle Jumper, and I see you. You make very wise decisions and then very foolish ones. Hope that you can learn. It is why I still bother with you, and I do not with Battle Singer." He shakes his head then. "And you respect the old because without them you might not be here, at all. Because they have held the fight before we could. Because their deeds are just as important as yours, and by cheapening them, you cheapen yourself. That is why you respect those that came before. We remember the fallen because they fought their lvies for Gaia, as we do. And their sacrifice honours Gaia, as it honours me."

Wazi listens to all of that, before shaking her head slightly and sighing in response. She moves, then, stepping suddenly closer to Aleksandr, though only the suddenness of it could be mistaken for aggression. She moves closer than is probably comfortable for the man, then stops, face inches away from his. She lingers just a moment, before moving both hands to try and rest them on his shoulders (player will roll if needed).

"You hear, but you do not listen. It is different. I do not say elders are bad. I do not say elders are wrong. I say -you- are wrong. You are right, I am wrong too."

A pause then, as she lingers near him, staring intently back at him, "You are -silly-. Many names is what you say I can call you, but then you say it is disrespect.. You are not the fallen Garou. You are right for honoring them. You are -not- right in thinking only you do this, or that only your doing is right, or that laughing at silly man puffing and huffing and being angry because he says more names than I could count, when asked for one is insult."

Aleksandr instantly tries to back away, not out of concern for himself, but he has an aversion to being touched. Even once Wazi lays hands on him, he tries to wiggle free on them, unless she's actually trying to hold him there. "I have never said I am not wrong, Puddle Jumper, I am wrong about many things, and I readily admit this." That said, he still keeps the close proximity, whatever happens and even leans his face in closer to her. "This is respect, I ask you to do something out of respect, which is call me Lights-the-Darkness-rhya, that is my name, and you turn around and make fun of something, disrespect something I hold very dear. In the same tongue, you then tell me I am wrong to not respect you, and the things you request of me? I am hoping you can see the irony in this, yes? "

She gives a quiet snort at Aleksandr's words, though she doesn't back away, and she probably doesn't mean it derisively. She does hold onto him, though she doesn't dig her fingers into his shoulders, "I do not know that word," she answers him first, before adding, "But I do. You are right. You have said many times that you do not like Many Names. You are right, I say it to you because it is funny to think of you puffing when I was new."

A pause there, the ahroun eyeing the man a long moment. Then, she squeezes his captive shoulders lightly, "I -also- say it because I am liking you. It is not funny because I am thinking less. It is funny because puffy man is least piece of you. It is like puppies who pull your hair, even after they are old. First, it is because they do not know. Then, it is because you are angry and it is fun. Then, it is to remember they are one."

Her brow furrows into a sudden frown, then, and she gives another soft sigh, "It is hard to.. Noodle? I like you, even when you are like snakes. But you do not laugh. You think it is -wrong- to laugh. Why? Are you thinking I do not laugh at silly things for me?"

Aleksandr nods at the right part. You might think it a little arrogance when he stiffen at that. Maybe it is, but there is also a softness to his next words. "And sometimes I am right, too. My father says respect is a road that meets in the middle, but if only one person is walking, you will never get there." He motions to Wazi. "And I am saying the things you take from me angrily because I dislike you. If I am saying things I think you need to hear, it is because I like you also, and I see hope for you. It is when I stop talking to you, that I do not respect you anymore. But we both see things a different way. You one, me the other, perhaps neither and neither is wrong. But if you cannot figure out how to get the middle of the road, then it doesn't matter who is right and who is wrong. Both are wrong."

"Think? About certain things, it is." He shakes his head then though. "I do not think it is wrong to laugh. I do not think I would be so fond of Evie Frost, if I thought this, or I would see hope for you, if I thought this." He motions around a little, looking too. "I, however, can hear Gaia screaming, I do not find things funny in light of this. But, as Evie Frost is also teaching me. I am not sure I was given much to laugh at before, and it is an odd emotion."

She gives a sudden laugh at Aleksandr's first words, at the point of 'when I stop talking to you'. She grins, then, shaking her head slightly, "That is what I say," she answers in an agreeable tone. Then she's quiet again, listening to the next bit, the smile lingering. She gives a slight nod, even, though her hands remain stubbornly in place on Aleksandr. Then, as he continues with the bit about Gaia screaming, the lupus's expression becomes more somber, another slight nod coming in response to the man.

"My pack is dead," she answers in a softer voice, a hint of dismay entering her expression at the words, hands tightening on the man once more. Her voice cracks, it's probably a greater risk of her falling to Rage than anything in the argument previous was, "Men with guns killed them, and are dead now." A hint of anger. No pride. "I am Garou -because- Gaia screams."

She lapses into silence for a moment, taking a deep breath, trembling slightly, before she closes her eyes and exhales forcibly, much of the tension leaving with the action. Then she is looking at Aleksandr again, with a slight frown.

"Laughing is why am fighting, Lights Darkness. It -is- light. It makes old blind wolf darkness go away. You think I do not respect you because I tease and laugh. I think I respect you because I tease to teach you laughing. I am bad at it, maybe."

Another hesitation, then she smiles slightly and adds, "That is my middle. If I call you Many Names, try to think Waziyata means life is making good, and being friends. When it is important or strangers, I will try to remember Lights Darkness, instead?"

Despite her exuberance, it does not fall onto Aleksandr and cause him to smile, not really, his expression is still serious, if softens a bit more by comparison. Then Wazi speaks of her dead pack, and he nods. He even bows his head, and frowns. It might not be sadly, but that's also another emotion that is not shown often. "I have never lost a pack, but I understand the importance of one. For this, I am sorry. And I hope whoever killed them was hunted. I am sure Gaia screamed that day."

His face rises again, somber, but mostly expressionless. "I understand, I do not disagree. It is a good emotion." He holds up a hand a moment as if to stall a retort. "Like you are still learning the human, I used to believe I need to learn the wolf. But I realize now, I know the wolf, I know Garou, I too, need to learn the human. It was what I have never been. And I do not always understand it. Like jokes." You can sense that Aleksandr came from somewhere very serious. Not a happy go lucky wolf pack. He was raised a Garou before ever being one. He considers her offer then. A tilt of his head. "I think I understand and it is accepted." He nods.

Wazi accepts all this, giving only a slight nod in response to Aleksandr's words of sympathy for her loss. She doesn't linger on the moment any longer than he does, and when he lifts his hand and speaks again, she tilts her head to one side, watching curiously, still not having drawn back or away from the man. A slight smile forms at his talk of learning to be human, even the slightest nod, though she doesn't comment on it. When he tilts his head, she straightens hers, the smile hinting toward a playful grin which breaks out in force at his final words.

Then, the lupus enacts her master plan. She tightens her grip on Aleksandr again, pulling with the practiced ease and strength of a trained, battle-hardened ahroun and snaking one arm about him in a tight, surprise hug. She'll again try to force the issue when he inevitably squirms and resists, but she doesn't hold the embrace longer than a few seconds whether successful or not.

Then she laughs, "Good. You are even Many Names Lights Darkness'rhya, for not being old creaky wolf, now. Until I catch you, again."

Then, she is finally stepping back and away from Aleksandr, her gaze sweeping the room. It settles on one of the pillows on the quilt, before she springs forward, grabbing at one, making to rip it with a short series of quick, hard jerks between both hands. She is much stronger than she looks, and she looks strong.

"If Weaver Voice liked this, tell her what Wise Quakes With Anger said to me: Broken things are to make stronger, better things."

Then, she is moving for the door, the torn pillow abandoned on the quilt with its stuffing, "I will ask Battle Singer to bring you. He is more human and less wolf. It is why he is good to learn from -and- needing learning."

Worse than being touched, Aleksandr does not like being hugged. That's instantaneous. He can't overpower the Ahroun, and he just sighs, letting himself basically be rag dolled. A bowed head and another, more relieved look when she finally lets him go. He almost bristles a little form the assault. He doesn't move to intercept Wazi and the pillow either. Maybe he understands what Wazi's totem demands and he respects the spirits. Maybe he finds the wisdom in what Wazi says rather fitting. The pillow does not seem like a big loss to him, he watches it fall to the floor and then watches Wazi go. "There was a time when I did not talk to him, Puddle Jumper. You see me talking to him now. He is well back on the road to the past. Everything to him is a strike against his pride, rather than listen, he takes offense. I am not always right, but I am not always wrong either. He might not like my wisdom, but I still wish he would hear it. I agree, though, he has things to teach, but he cannot do that when every puzzle is a nail and he is the hammer." A pause. "Luna guide you."