what sam did.

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] The Brotherhood is closed.

It's 3:20 in the morning, and the kitchen is quiet, the stove cold. There are leftovers of the night's stews and soups in the large industrial fridges, as well as fruit, juice, milk. There are cuts of fresh meat too, bright red and ready for the next day's cooking.

Lukas has pilfered some lamb loin chops from the fridge. He's not as accomplished a cook as the Brotherhood's staff, but he knows enough to put rosemary, salt, pepper and thyme on lamb. He grills the chops himself, and heats up a side of coarse-cut red potatoes on the side, and then fishes a bottle of red out of the wine cooler.

Now he's sitting out in the dining room, which is almost empty. The bakery counter is quiet. The tables are cleaned up, the seats flipped up on the tabletops. The fire in the mantle was down to embers before Lukas throws on another two logs, turns up the gas flames until they catch, and then sits down to have quiet late dinner in one of the two wingback chairs.

[Marcus Schwarzkopf] *Marcus was up early, and he was shuffling to the bathroom. He yawned, scratched his stomach as he made his way to a stall to... well empty his bladder. Stall flushed, hands washed he was walking out into the common area to take a look outside the window.

He was dressed in old camouflage trousers that had been cut off at the knee, and sewn up to make cargo shorts. A white t-shirt covered his torso, and black flip flops, shower shoes on his feet.

Another stretch and then an audible growl from his stomach. He rubbed his eyes, and then headed down the stairs in the dining area. He stopped when he saw Lukas. Covered a yawn with his hand and then gave a wave to him.* "Hey. I'm about to do the same thing." *He headed into the kitchen to make himself a sandwich.*

[Dasha Dmitriev] She had been told that the back door always stayed unlocked.

Dahsa had decided that she might want to actually give this Brotherhood place a try, and it couldn't be any worse than the various other places she had been residing. She had been here once before, enoguh time to tell the owners that she might be staying here but had yet to decide on a room. Dasha had been at the caern earlier today. It had been her winding down time, only to be wound up again through battle.

She's gone through half a pack of cigarettes today, and she only had a carton left. The Shadow Lord was either going to need to get a job or a sugar daddy pretty damned quickly.

BUt whatever it was, whatever allure this place had, who cared. Dasha was staying the night at the brotherhood tonight, and she wasn't going to take no for an answer. So, she came in-

and her stomach said that she needed to be fed. And the red-haired woman was not going to ignore it.

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] Lukas looks up as Marcus cruises through, telling him he's about to fix himself a late dinner too. "Mm-mmph," he says, laughing behind closed lips. He takes a swallow of wine to wash his mouthful of lamb and potatoes down, and adds, "Join me when you've fixed yourself something to eat."

When Marcus disappears into the kitchen, he'll run into Dasha. Lukas stays out in the dining room, forking two potatoes with a certain, exacting precision. They get popped in his mouth. In the fireplace, a small shower of sparks soars up as a log cracks in half.

[Joss Lehrer] Gaia only knows what brings Joss to the brotherhood at this time of the early morning - it's almost a guarentee that she hasn't been sleeping, not yet. She runs the late night, early morning patrols, as befitting her status as Eagle Omega. She doesn't mind though- in fact, her steps are lighter than ever as she sneaks into the common room - without bothering to use the door.

There's a pop as a displacement of air results in one laughing Godi hitting the floor, and rolling out of the way as there's a soft (this time - should have heard the one at the packhouse) CRACK of electricity that follows her, arching across the rug and zapping Joss in the shoulder. "OW!" she yelps, laughing, as she rolls to her feet, and skips down the stairs to the kitchen, intending to hit the bar where she plans to pilfer a pitcher or so of beer, her hand rubbing the burn mark on her shoulder.

[Marcus Schwarzkopf] *It doesn't take Marcus too long to make himself a sandwich. A hoagie roll, ham, turkey, roast beef, spinach leaves, tomatoes, onions, pickles, vinegar, oil, salt and some pepper. He grabs a serving pitcher, ice and some water and takes it with his sandwich now held in some wax paper. He heads past Joss.*

"Morning little sister ~rhya."

*He heads over to Lukas's table, and takes down one chair, and then another for Joss, and one more if Dasha doesn't have one yet.*

[Dasha Dmitriev] Contrary to popular belief, Dasha Dmitriev did not subsist entirely off of cigarettes and booze. She was raiding the fridge; the Shadow Lord gave Marcus half of an upward nod. she was surprisingly at ease here. Possibly because she had a purpose in mind: food. Late night munchies.

The Lord finally found something in the fridge that she could microwave and then devour. Roast beef.

She'd heard good things. Eventually, she wandered out again with a plate full of various leftover things. She might have been a discerning woman in many regards, but Dasha was not discerning by any means when it came to whatever she ate. She grabbed a beer for her beverage. Something dark, foreign, and unpronounceable.

Hey, look, a chair. "Thanks," she said.

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] Now there are four chairs in front of the fire. Two are wingbacks; two are regular dining chairs, moved over by Marcus.

Lukas hooks his foot behind one of the legs of the small side table between the wingback chairs. He moves it over so Marcus and Dasha have someplace to set their food, and Joss has someplace to set her beer.

"Here I thought I was the only one that ate dinner this late." Lukas looks at Dasha, the stranger. "We haven't met. I'm Lukas Wyrmbreaker, Cliath Full Moon of Thunder."

[Joss Lehrer] She grins up at Marcus as he says hello. "Heya." Dasha gets a grin too, because she is just that kind of friendly with just about everyone. She heads to the dining room, behind the bar, and opts to steal a bottle of beer instead pops the top as she moves toward the table. Her tanktop is dark, tonight, her skirts earthtones, and her dual bat tattoo easily seen at the base of her throat, just under her collarbone.

Other than that, there's not many scars to speak of that can be seen, and there's just the mark that's already healing on her shoulder - it was just a love tap, after all, and not the kind of love taps they were dealing out the night before. "Hey Lukas. That smells incredible. You make it?"

She plops down into a chair, all sloppy grace and teenage energy, legs spread, the full skirts settling in between as she holds her beer with both hands in her lap. Intros are the order of the hour, and she adds her's after Lukas. "Hi. I'm Joss Lehrer - Gossamer Wing, Fostern Godi and Eagle Omega."

[Katherine Bellamonte] Quiet footsteps herald the appearance of the Silver Fang down the stairwell, one hand tucked into the pocket of her silk robe, the other skirting down the handrail. Katherine looks the picture of the rumpled angel, her golden hair tousled and loose around her face, her eyes clear in the darkness, even her full mouth soft and untouched by lipstick.

She pauses at the base of the stairs, lifting a fair eyebrow at the small gathering before her. The robe she has swathed herself in is thin and palest white with a pattern of dancing dragons carefully sewn into the design. Cinched around her waist, it gives the Philodox a shapely figure as she glides into the room, smelling faintly of soap and moisturizer.

Apparently, she did not keep the same nocturnal hours as her pack-mate, even when working off a debt.

"Lamb again, Lukas?" A quiet sniff.

[Marcus Schwarzkopf] *His demeanor is a little more sure, a little more confident then he may have been before. He's survived four different battles since coming to Chicago and lived to tell the tale, or at least have a Galliard mention them in passing.

Once thing from those who do know him is that he's shaved and gotten a hair cut. No more shoulder length hair, no it is cropped short but long enough to lay flat and need to be combed. The bushy beard is gone, and he's clean shaved now. Whether this makes him look older or younger is up to the individual but one think is for sure his eyes hold a wisdom that no typical seventeen year old contains. He's lived a hard life, and survived combat to come out stronger.

He nods to all those around.* "For those of you I have not met I am Marcus Schwarzkopf, Two Ravens, Cliath Philodox of the Get of Fenris." *He says in a voice that sounds like it hasn't fully awakened yet.*

[Dasha Dmitriev] "Dasha Dmitriev," she replied. "Bitter Heart to the Nation, Fostern Galliard of Thunder."

An introduction for those who needed them. Her posture was relaxed, yes, but she didn't give any indication that she was tired by any means. Truth be told, she had another few hours in her before she would no doubt try to stare at the ceiling and attempt sleeping. She wouldn't succeed, mind you, but still. It was the thought that counted.

"I would blame the internal adjustment for eating at this hour but realistically, I'm always eating at some ungodly hour. Never been much of a morning person."

Or a daylight person, really, but that was neither here nor there.

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] "Hey Joss." Lukas smiles more than most Shadow Lords, and when it does, it lights up his face. A short, self-deprecating laugh as he looks down at his plate, "Yeah. Well, the lamb. Not the potatoes. Turned out better than I expected, actually. Want some?" He holds the plate out toward the Fostern.

Then Katherine is slinking up, all languid Fangly grace. "Kate," he waves her over. "Come here. I want you to meet someone. This is Marcus Two-Ravens, a brother of your moon from the Get of Fenris.

"Joss, Marcus, Sinclair, Wahya and I went into the City on the Grand Elder's bidding. An unlucky hit had me picking my guts off the ground. Another one probably would've done me in, but Marcus stood between the enemy and I, ready to take a bullet for me, until Wahya managed to heal me.

"Marcus is looking for a pack. Wahya might be too."

[Joss Lehrer] (and the player claws her way back into the room - again)

[Joss Lehrer] She grins and leans forward, and plucks a small piece of the offered lamb. "Thanks." She chews it contentedly as she listens to the story told of their adventure the night before. She has found her home, her pack, and hopes the others find their place soon as well.

She pulls her legs up under her, sitting crisscrossapplesauce - which is "indian style" for those still rocking it old school. She settles her beer between her thighs, and picks apart the bit of lamb and takes small bites as she listens. "That thing was something unreal! Never thought I'd end up in a slap fight instead fo just ripping something apart. Learn something new everyday, hm?"

She smiles easily, and it always reaches her eyes. Well, almost always. When it doesn't? It's bad news. For now though, she's perfectly content here by the fire, with a beer and a bit of stolen (offered) lamb.

[Katherine Bellamonte] Katherine's feet are bare, and though it cannot be easily seen beneath the sweeping length of her robe, she has painted her toenails a striking shade of pink, covered in glitter. She moves until she is standing at her newly-appointed Alpha's shoulder; a pale match for his dark looks and follows the introductions with her eyes.

To each name she delivers the same slow seduction of her smile and a hand strays to touch her hair, fingering the long strands and tugging absently. "I am delighted to make each of your acquaintances." She delivers on a purr, her mood all play and light this evening, though the touches of her moon are beginning to heighten her temper. "I am Katherine Bellamonte, Cliath Half Moon of the Bellamonte House, of the Wyrmfoe House, Silver Fang."

Lukas speaks of near death experiences, and his pack-mate quirks her brow, a hand coming to rest at his shoulder, she shakes him lightly, an admonishment of one sibling toward another. "C'est si?, you must take better care of your insides, Wyrmbreaker. I am rather fond of their owner."

Marcus finds Katherine's eyes on him next.

"It seems we owe you a great debt, Two Ravens."

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] Perhaps because there's a Galliard in their midst, Lukas goes on, "The others didn't do half bad either. Joss summoned her totem to our aid. And Sinclair, the Walker Galliard, was the one who came up with the winning strategy." The corners of his mouth tug upward as his eyes meet Joss's. "Lovebites and playful taps."

[Marcus Schwarzkopf] *Marcus waves his hand slightly and looks at Kate.* "I did what any Garou would've done. In fact Warcry~yuf did the same as me. Without the courage of each Garou there the attack would've failed. I can say with no small modesty I was proud to have fought alongside each Garou there."

*He turns to Lukas.* "You should take Wahya~yuf though. His medicine is strong, and if you need a Theruge you will not find many better. It seems you already have a half moon among your pack. And I am honored that you are considering me, but I have not yet convinced the totem spirits of this sept that I am worthy. If I were to join your pack I am afraid I could not bring much to the whole except what you have seen of me in battle, and the wisdom of my council."

[Dasha Dmitriev] "I think I'd like to hear about this-"

about the same time that her phone rang in her pocket. It was an awful sound, because it stood out so stark and electronic against the silence and relatively earthen charm of the Brotherhood. She scowled at first, then took the phone out to look at it. The scowl turned to a neutral expression and the Galliard stood briefly.

"Excuse me," and with that, she headed off to answer the phone in private. She wasn't speaking English. She was speaking some strange mixture of what one speaks in the Ukraine and Russian. As that it was an eastern European language, there was very little about it that sounded happy.

[Joss Lehrer] She laughs lightly, easily, and adds "The biggest game of tag ever." Speaking of, she rubs the back of her shoulder again, peering over at it to make sure that the lingering ache is just that, nothing else. It is, and she relaxes and takes a swig of her beer. "Then Marcus dives into the heart of it all and smashing it to bits! It was quite amazing. I'd have liked to study it more..." she trails off, because well - she's Godi and that's what she does. Jolly Joss, Goofy Godi....

She blink, and rolls her eyes at Marcus. "Haven't convinced the spirits yer worthy? I call bullshit." That grin is impish, playful, teasing. She's clearly fond of Marcus. He's one of the first friends she made in the city, after all.

[Katherine Bellamonte] Katherine leans over Lukas and pinches a potato from his plate with her quick, nimble fingers. She takes a tiny bite and utters an expression of surprise. "We have Glass Walkers in the city? I had always thought there were a strange lack in numbers."

To Marcus, she licks the taste of the potato from her lower lip and stares at him consideringly a moment. "You are too modest I think, Sir. But this in fact endears you to me, for we already possess all the ego we can manage in yours truly." The Silver Fang gleams, and touches a hand to her chest with a downward cast toward Lukas.

"However do not fret that your moon makes you unsuitable for me, I for one would welcome another Half Moon to confer with in times of need."

[Marcus Schwarzkopf] *He gives Kate a half smile.* "I thank you for those kind words." *He takes a sip of his water.* "I must confess I do miss the bonds of the pack. It seems like it has been one day longer then too long since I was in my last one, Red Horse's Glory, in the Wind Horse Sept."

[Danicka Musil] The doorway between alley and kitchen opens; it opens frequently. Plenty of Garou and Kin live here now. It closes again and footsteps go up the stairs. Light ones.

About three minutes later, footsteps just like the ones before tap downwards, and one of the kitchen doors swings open, a head of long, wildly wavy blonde hair poking through. There is a thin, fuzzy white scarf wound about her neck, the ends trailing down over a strapless red top that drapes down her torso, gathers over her breasts. She is a few inches taller than her natural height this -- well, it's not quite evening anymore -- morning, a pair of strappy silver heels peeking out from the ensd of her jeans. She doesn't expect to find who she's looking for, but when she does --

"Lukášek!" she says brightly, her eyes the same murky, sea-glass green they usually are. They are wide and, as she crosses the room to his table, she doesn't blink a single time.

"Nápověda!" Danicka goes on forlornly, the corners of her painted mouth turning down in distress as she drops herself into a nearby chair, half-sprawling. "Jsem ukamenován."

[Joss Lehrer] She licks her fingers of the last juices of the shared lamb with a delighted sound low in her throat, and that's about the time Danicka makes her dramatic entrance and Joss.. blinks. Compared to the other women in the room she is almost shockingly average. Average weight, height, appearance, but for the piercings, tattoo and dreads that make her stand out...

...and that easy smile. To Kate, she nods. "Marcus is a good Foresti. Questioned him myself when we met. You'd do well to snatch him up before someone else does."

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] Lukas looks up and holds up a hand in a gesture of goodbye as Dasha gets up to answer the phone. He doesn't call after her to interrupt her call.

When the Galliard has left their small circle, Lukas nods Katherine into the chair she vacated. The Shadow Lord laughs and shakes his head a little as Two-Ravens speaks of unworthiness before the spirits of the sept.

"Marcus is modest," he says, "which is to his credit, but sometimes also sells himself short. I actually sought Marcus's counsel at one point while you were in the Umbra, Kate. He has a good grasp of the Litany, as far as I could tell. Last night, he also pushed for peace over war. It wasn't the right solution," Lukas is utterly unflinching about this, "but it was a bold thing to say for a Fenrir."

It might be slightly awkward of Marcus to be spoken of like this, his qualities and his deeds drawn forth and laid out and examined in his presence. But then, Lukas was never the type to weigh and judge a man behind his back.

"Marcus was also the one that Sam snapped his jaws at," he adds, "right before he was severed from the pack. Apparently Marcus dished out quite the verbal smackdown. Then he went toe to toe with the Modi without lifting a finger in return because Evan had ordered them both to stand down. Sam tried his best to break his face, and the way Sampson told it, barely even managed to bruise him. So," a wry grin, "don't let his mild manners fool you. What Joss says is true too. He landed some pretty good blows on the Weaver-thing last night.

"Anyway," he finishes, and for a moment his eyes rest directly on the Forseti, "Marcus's spirit may not be prepared for a totem bond yet, but I'd like the pack to get acquainted with him anyway. I think he's a worthy addition. A good philodox and a good warrior, honorable and strong."

As he's concluding, Danicka appears, bright-toned, a little glassy-eyed. He turns; she drops into a chair; they're sitting near the fire, and he's in one of the wingback armchairs. He's starting to get to his feet when she says Nápověda!. He stops when she says the rest.

And he blinks at her for a second. Then he turns back to the Garou.

"This is Danička Musil, a kinswoman of my tribe. Danička, this is Joss, a Fenrir Crescent-Moon, and Marcus, her tribemate, and a Half-Moon." He wonders if any of this is even sinking in. "Jak jste se sem dostal? Autem?"

[Joss Lehrer] She nods, as they speak of the night Sam and Marcus went down. "I was there. Sampson tells it true." There's a tension around her mouth as she says so, in her eyes - which briefly lose their sparkle. It seems the gentle godi, the giggling girl, wants nothing more than to put her fist through Sam's face. And the sooner the better.

She shakes it off to smile at Danicka, though. "I've seen you before, though I don't think we were introduced then. A pleasure."

[Katherine Bellamonte] Katherine laughs, dropping her lithe figure into the newly vacated chair and folding her long, long legs over one arm, carefully keeping herself demure beneath her robe. "Lukas! Cheri. If Marcus has already been acquainted with Sampson, that is most of the pack, oui? Who remains but my dear cousin, Caleb." She speaks of the other Silver Fang fondly. "A most talented Theurge. He recently lost his mate in a most brutal fashion. We all share in his grief."

Then: the burst of a foreign language as Danicka arrives and Katherine's mouth snaps shut in accord. She watches the reaction of her pack-mate quietly and when he introduces her, Katherine turns her face, leaning her head over the edge of the chair in a lolling, lazy fashion. "Some wine, Danicka?"

[Marcus Schwarzkopf] *He turns and nods his head to Danicka, a greeting intended to be polite but not overly so in the presence of Lukas. Garou were sometimes very territorial of their kin. Protocol must be maintained.*

*He frowns a bit, his sandwich still untouched. He is speaking to everyone* "Since you have spoken on it, Wyrmbreaker ~yuf, I must tell you it has... pained me for lack of a better word that you were forced to expel Sam Modine from you pack. The disagreement was between he and I on the conduct of a proper Fenrir. I was only seeking to question him to get him to understand that when I give my word I will not act improper around someone that should be enough. As a Fenrir that should've been enough for him. It is a shame because even now I have never seen this... Gabriella kin, who the fight was over anyway."

*He pauses* "Regardless had I more wisdom I might've been able to seek a better path, one with... a better outcome for everyone." *He gestures to Lukas* "Just as you pointed out again the way of peace was in fact not the answer in our battle. For which... I am glad. We fulfilled our pledge to the Elders of the Sept to destroy the Enemy. My only concern at the time was to win the battle. If peace can accomplish that so be it. If it can by war... Well." *He smiles a bit.* "Sometimes that is better."

[Katherine Bellamonte] Katherine's head turns back to Marcus, her smile has dropped, though her voice, while level is still merry enough to dispel any notion her serious expression offers. "Gabriella is my younger sister, and under my care once more. Her continued association with the Get," It seems she cannot even bring herself to say Sam's name. "Is regrettable, but a matter that will be handled by our own kind."

A beat. She goes on. "I do not begrudge your judgment on the matter, Sir. I only wish I had been present to try and keep my own blood in line."

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] It must seem strange to Joss and Marcus that Lukas, so straightforward, so unwaveringly honest, is packed with the likes of Katherine Bellamonte, whose every public word was a sort of feint, a sort of bright, empty mask.

But then, there is something beneath the mask: madness, to be sure, and ambition. Plenty of good intentions. Some bad ones. And vulnerability. They can't see it, but it is there. Katherine Bellamonte thinks of herself as a god-queen, divine and perfect. What she doesn't see is that she's arguably the most fallible, the most human of the pack.

So. Kate speaks lightly, perhaps far too lightly, of Caleb's loss. There's a shadow in Lukas's pale blue eyes, but it passes.

"When Caleb is feeling himself again, you should definitely have a talk with him," he says to Marcus. "As for Sam -- don't blame yourself. You catalyzed the last straw. But there were a lot of other reasons on that camel's back."

Marcus was at the Moot. He'd remember some of those reasons. Others -- well. Lukas didn't talk about those.

"At any rate," he says, "I'd be honored if you ran with the Unbroken Circle as a prospective member of the pack. Until the next full moon, say? Perhaps Wahya Many-Tongues will join you as the same."

[Danicka Musil] Since Lukas and Katherine are currently occupying the two wingbacked chairs in front of the fireplace -- which is fitting, in a way, the Shadow Lord and the Silver Fang sitting in the two largest seats -- Danicka is now half-sprawled in a dining chair off to one side, somewhat separated from the others. She leans back, one forearm resting on the top, her hand dangling. She lets her eyes drift as Lukas introduces Joss and Marcus, and her spine straightens a bit, but her eyes are definitely a bit... shiny. They wander back up to the Ahroun.

When she smiles, she looks so much younger. And she looks unabashedly, openly happy to see him, as she launches into an answer to the question that he just asked: "Šel jsem na párty. Velmi pěkné děvče názvem Sammy jel mi tady. Chtěla mě políbit. Řekl jsem jí nechtěl jsem ji líbat. Mám nápadník!"

It's a very animated story she's telling, her eyebrows going up, her tone aghast as she rattles out that last bit. The next, however, is matter-of-fact, falling once again into forlornness: "Říkala, že byste mohli dívat. Poplácal jsem ji. Řekla mi, že nemohu přijít na více stran."

Danicka shakes her head slowly at the end there, her voice low with the gravity of what she's saying. The sadness of it. She flicks her eyes at Katherine when she's offered wine. She looks back up at Lukas. "Proč je královnou děvko sem dneska?" she asks, sounding curious in a way that is almost childlike. She sighs, blinking a few times and looking at Lukas's plate. "By se měla na sobě šaty. Zkurvená děvka."

Even as that last is leaving her mouth, she looks at Marcus, then Joss, and gives them both a gentler smile that looks no less sincere than the one that shone on her face when she looked up at the other Shadow Lord. "It's a pleasure," she says, and nods to Joss. "I think I saw you at the bonfire."

Her English is, as Katherine and Lukas already knew, unaccented and perfect.

[Joss Lehrer] She shakes her head, dreads flying. "No. There was no other way! I was there. All Sam had to do was answer a question, and instead, he refused. Not only did he refuse, but he trounced your honor, and then your person instead of simply answering a question - "Is she your kin"! How hard is it to say 'She is under the watch of my pack'?"

She tossed her hand up, frustrated - and swallows back the rest with a rather large swallow of beer behind it, and lets the other words wash over her, as Lukas makes offer of pack to Marcus, and Wahya as well.

Control regained, (...she is so angry with Modine - especially now that the week is up, and he's yet to follow through...) and is able to relax back into her chair and smile at Danicka. "Yes, I was at the bonfire. That was quite the party."

[Katherine Bellamonte] Katherine asks Danicka if she will take wine and is replied to in another language, towards Lukas. She lifts a lazy hand and gestures idly. "May I have the subtitles, s'il vous plaît?"

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] In response to the volumes of Czech spilling out of Danicka's mouth, Lukas has only four words. One is her name. The other three, Joss, Kate and Marcus would not understand. They can hear the tone, though, which is low -- a little clipped at the edges. A little strained.

"Danička. Přestaň být nezdvořilý."

Then he answers the rest in English, "Kate lives here now. For the next half month or so." His eyes are briefly on Kate; he shrugs. "Outcome of a challenge. And," where Danicka sits, Lukas has to turn his head past his shoulder to see her, "I'm sorry to hear your invitations have been revoked." A beat. "But tell Sammy to go fuck herself."

She can almost hear the subtext:

Moje!

[Marcus Schwarzkopf] *He nods his head to Lukas.* "You honor me ~yuf. I will run with the Unbroken Circle until the next full moon. And then if you and your pack should still find me worthy you will honor me again by accepting me as a packmate. If you do not I will take no offense and we will remain just as we are now."

*He turns to Danicka and smiles, nodding a bit.* "Yes I was there. It is unfortunate I did not get to speak with you then. Though I am happy to meet you now." *Speaking about the party.

He reaches over and puts a steady hand on Joss's back to comfort her as a friend, and a tribe member for her obvious irritation at Sam.

He points at Lukas.* "And to show you I have will have no hard feelings, whether you accept me or not as a pack member on the next full moon. For giving me the honor of even trying I will hunt a Ram, and cook it in the ground in the traditional way at the next bonfire in your honor Wyrmbreaker ~yuf." *He says with a grin.*

[Katherine Bellamonte] Katherine disguises her laughter as a cough, behind her hand.

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] Whatever had gone on between the Shadow Lord and his kin, it's darkened Lukas's mood somewhat. Otherwise, Lukas might've laughed aloud at Marcus's promise.

Instead, he merely smiles, a lopsided, wry turn of his mouth. "Maybe a deer," he says. "Might be hard to find a ram around here."

Katherine's laughter is not missed. Lukas looks at her for a moment. What's so funny?

[Danicka Musil] Her eyes glitter in response to Lukas's words in Czech, sharpened but not lethal. It's difficult, when she seems to be at the very least moderately drunk, to tell if she is angry, or ashamed, or afraid. The look on her face could be any of the the three, but as he turns back to English, it grows steadily more subdued, more submissive, until she is letting her shoulders fall and glancing at the floor, taking a moment to find her composure.

Taking a moment to remember a conversation in the front seat of her car this past winter. Taking a moment to remember a choice he made the night she brought koláče, a choice he would make again. Taking a moment to remember a discussion she ignored, or forgot, in favor of what she wanted more at the time.

The tip of Danicka's tongue is visible for a moment before she lifts her head again. Her eyes are clear... or as close to it as she can get right now. "I apologize to you all. The brother of my blood asked me a question and the answer was... very embarassing. I did not want to shame him in front of strangers." She winces slightly, covers it with a snippet of sparse laughter: "That didn't work so well."

She inclines her head, even to Katherine. ""Chápu," she says softly, her lips framing the word slowly. The next words are sweet, almost imploring: "Nemůžeme ji nechal být ponižováni znovu."

Danicka's smile grows. "It means 'I am sorry. It will not happen again.'"

[Joss Lehrer] She looks over at Marcus, and takes a deep breath, releasing it slowly, and smiles. Another, and she's alright, and then there's talk of food again.. "OH that pig was soooooooooo good..." A pause as she considers the logistics of a ram, as others seem amused at the thought, but nothing will top that pig roast for her.

Maybe.

Danicka apologizes, and Joss looks a bit confused but that's alright. She shifts her position on the chair, having sat in one place too long it seems, as she pulls her knees to her chest, her skirts more than long enough to allow for such an action not to give the room an eye full. Her heels rest on the edge of her chair, and she flexes her feet, relaxes, then settles comfortably as her toes tap to some un heard beat.

"I'm beginning to think I'm the only person in Chicago limited to just English!" It's said with laughter though, easy and warm.

[Katherine Bellamonte] Merely the idea that he means to slaughter wildlife in your honor, Lukas. I feel as if I have regressed for a moment to prehistoric times. Tell me, does your woman wish for wine? I cannot seem to coax an answer from her in a language I comprehend.

Katherine rises then to her feet, and pats toward the kitchen to retrieve some glasses and crisp white wine from the fridge in a flutter of blond waves and silk.

[Danicka Musil] [Correction! Nechci síla vás obětovat mi kvůli balení jednoty znovu. Not Nemůžeme ji nechal být ponižováni znovu.

I know. Huge difference to all of you.]

[Marcus Schwarzkopf] *He looks at Danicka, waves a hand and shakes his head slightly to let her know he did not take offense to her speaking another language in front of him.*

*Marcus smiles at Joss.* "Ram is good. I can get a Ram. I know where to go. I just need a vehicle to get me there. But they'll be close to in season by that point so the meat will be pretty good." *He looks at Lukas.* "I can get a deer too. Probably should if I wanna feed all those people again."

*He looks back at Joss.* "If you want I can teach you a few words in Lakota some time."

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] When Danicka apologizes to Kate, Lukas's jaw tenses for a beat. He turns to cast the kinswoman a glance; she's the only one who sees it, and has even a chance of reading it.

A moment later he turns back. His smile to Joss looks a touch forced. "I was born in Prague," he says by way of explanation, "and Danička's father is also Czech. As for Katherine, I believe her family is of French ancestry, and still maintains large holdings there."

Marcus mentions Lakota, and Lukas raises his eyebrows. "A Fenrir that speaks a native tongue? That's almost as rare as a Fenrir counseling peace. But if you need a ride out to get a ram, I can drive you. I finally got another car."

And, to Katherine, rather tersely, I think she's fine.

[Danicka Musil] [Readinatin' the boytype! -1 (fucking wasted)]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 7, 7, 8, 9 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[Katherine Bellamonte] Katherine, in a falsely sweet tone contradicts: Oh yes? She does not look fine to me Lukas, perhaps you should take her home. Yes, indeed. I think this would be wise.

After a few moments, Katherine returns triumphant with a glass of wine and the bottle in hand, her gown swishing around her body, the light playing over her gown's thin material.

[Joss Lehrer] She arches a brow at him, teasing. "Cuss words? I always wanted to be able to cuss in another language..." Marcus doesn't swear. At least not that she's seen yet, even when he's angry. She nods, though. "That'd be fun, though. We could have our own secret conversations then... I don't think I've ever known anyone else who speaks Lakota."

Plenty of other languages, sure, as evidenced by Lukas explanation. She laughs, lightly - clearly she's not offended by whatever has caused his smile to tighten, his eyes to darken, his jaw to tense. "I was born and raised in the boring ole USofA - never finished High School, so no additional language classes. Even the Construct last night spoke more languages than me!"

There's a mock pout as she tosses back the rest of her beer and stands. "But, I've one last bit of Patrols to do before I hit the hay. You all have a lovely evening... or morning, as the case may be." She moves past Marcus and ruffles his hair, much like the "sister" he likes to call her. "I like the new do and babyface, by the way. Much better than the mountain man look."

She dances out of the way of any (well-deserved!) swat, and heads toward the kitchen with a final wave for them all.

[Marcus Schwarzkopf] *He nods to Lukas.* "My mother was Fenrir, Garou, a Philodox like me. My father was Wendigo kin. I grew up in Pine Ridge South Dakota on the Indian Reservation there. I'm half Scandinavian on my mother's side. A mix of that region and German. And I'm Oglala Lakota on my father's side."

*He chuckles at Joss.* "I could teach you how to say various words for horse and buffalo dung. And a few other choice words if you want."

*He pats Joss's shoulder as she leaves, and then takes a bite of his sandwich.*

[Danicka Musil] "...How do you mention horse or buffalo dung in Lakota?" Danicka inquires, her eyebrows drawing together slightly in consideration.

It isn't that she did not see, or understand, the brief look Lukas gave her. She looks at him for perhaps three seconds, communicates nothing of her own, and turns her attention back to the others.

"It was good seeing you again!" she says to Joss, smiling and giving a small wave as the dreadlocked woman leaves.

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] What's your problem, Kate? -- flat out.

"The goddamn Construct spoke more languages than the citizens of Babel." Lukas picks up his wine and drains the glass. "Night, Joss. Stop by again."

He picks up his plate, then. There's still three and a half lambchops on it, some potatoes. "That's quite a family tree," he says. "I thought the Wendigo and the Fenrir weren't too fond of one another."

[Katherine Bellamonte] You wish me to be honest, Lukas, or simply give you a simple answer?

Outwardly, Katherine did little more than resume her seat and pour herself some wine, leaning back and sipping from it.

[Joss Lehrer] (night ya'll. :) )

[Danicka Musil] [Thanks for the RP, Lessa!]

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] Be honest. I'm sick of everyone dancing around the truth.

Lukas, outwardly: merely quieter than he was.

[Marcus Schwarzkopf] *He turns to Danicka and says.* "The same way you do in English. When you see it." *making a little joke.* "I'm kidding of course. But I'll not repeat it here."

*He looks at Lukas.* "Well. They normally don't. My grandparents were an exception. My grandmother was a Galliard. She was part of the Fangs of Garm camp. They seek to correct injustices done to... minorities for lack of a better word, and she wanted to in some small try and make up for the injustices done to the Wendigo by the Fenrir. So after a long time she and my grandfather were eventually allowed to settle in the Oglala nation. My mother was born there, and so was I. Her parents were both Fenrir, but my father was Wendigo kin.

My Grandmother on my father's side is... I'm sorry was apart of the Sacred Hoop Camp who seeks to make peace with the outsiders of the tribe, and teach them the ways of the Native Americans and the Wendigo to the Garou. To share their culture with the world. So I was fortunate to have... progressive parents I guess you could say."

[Katherine Bellamonte] Very well. I do not trust her. I think she lies to suit her own ends. I think she used Sam wrongly and I have strong suspicions about her relationship with my former lover. That is as strong an account as I can offer you, Lukas. But I know it does little good for you are too far gone to heed words of caution.

Katherine turns her head, smiling her most winning smile toward Marcus and Danicka as they speak.

[Danicka Musil] She laughs. It's a soft, pretty sound, more inward than outward, as though it is some precious thing that must not be allowed to fully escape. And with a smile, she gives Marcus a slow wink. "Well, then I won't teach you how to swear in Czech. We'll have to teach each other polite things, like prosím and děkujeme vám."

As he answers Lukas, telling him how a Fenrir Skald and a Wendigo kinsman, Danicka listens perhaps more attentively, even, than the Shadow Lord Ahroun could be said to, since his attention is split. "Are you a part of... one of these 'camps'?" she asks, her brow furrowing a little.

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] Lukas tries hard to be courteous, to be respectful. When Marcus tells him about his past, Lukas tries hard to listen.

Because it's a sort of trust, telling an almost-stranger your family history. When Lukas told Danicka about his family, it was one of the first true signs of trust he'd ever given her. It's not coincidence that later that night, he allowed her to sleep behind him, her brow to this back, her arm around his torso.

So. When Marcus speaks, Lukas listens. He tries. But there's a second conversation in his mind, and neither Marcus nor Danicka are fools. It's become increasingly apparent that Lukas and Katherine's attentions were not wholly trained on the conversation. It's there in the small lags before they reply, the slightly introverted expressions in their eyes.

But when Katherine says what she says -- about trust, about lies, about Sam, about Martin; finishes it up with you are too far gone -- Lukas, to put it simply, loses his goddamn temper. Danicka is opening her mouth to ask if Marcus is a part of a 'camp' and --

Lukas's plate smashes into the ground. Shatters. Lamb chops and potatoes fly every which way.

"I am sick," he roars, "of hearing about what Danička did to Sam. Do you know what Sam did to Danička? Do you?"

Silence. Lukas's voice is still ringing off the rafters. The Ahroun's hands are clenched to fists, his knuckles white. He glares death at his packmate for a moment, and then turns sharply to Marcus.

"I apologize." He's reining in as hard as he can. "It's not my habit to air my dirty laundry, but you're a prospective of this pack now. We shouldn't have kept you in the dark.

"Katherine and I were having a disagreement across the totembond. She was being such a snarky little shit. I wanted to know why. It seems her reasons -- well, Kate, why don't you share your reasons with your future packmate? And, for that matter, the woman you never hesitate to bitch about, except when she's in earshot."

[Danicka Musil] [Willpower -1 (HALP! I'M STONED :( // +1 diff (Post-traumatic WHAT now?]]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 2, 4, 4, 7 (Success x 1 at target 7)

[Marcus Schwarzkopf] *He turns to Danicka.* "Well for instance if you were referring to Lukas. You might call him mitakuye which means relative, or kin... Or if you were a mate, or wife you would be referred to as mitawin. The word -mita signifies familial relation."

*He takes a bite of his sandwich, chews, and then swallows. He looks up at Lukas's outburst and he's a little surprised but... not as much as one would expect. He sets his sandwich and looks over at Kate for her response.*

[Marcus Schwarzkopf] ((sets his sandwich down it should read.))

[Katherine Bellamonte] In sharp, dynamic contrast to her pack-mate's loss of temper, to his smashing his plate against the floor and sending the contents of his dinner every which way... his packmate merely raises her bare feet into the air to avoid being bit with pieces of flying lamb and vegetable and carefully sets them down a moment later.

She rises predatorily to her feet, tucking her gown around her body as if it were her armor and gives a quiet, airy toll of laughter. Make no mistake that it is light and carefree -- it is full of her rage and anger. "Oh, you are are sick, are you, Lukas? You have no comprehension of what that even means. You heard, what? A few words from Samuel? I have heard the Bible of reasoning and excuses on the matter and believe me, he is not the only at fault, believe what you will. I am a Philodox!" She ends with on a shout, throwing her chair back and shouting abruptly, her face a mask of anger.


"I live to see the lies and the truth. Am I such a failure to you that you doubt every word I speak? That you doubt my beliefs on what I witness? No, truly Lukas I ask you. If I have any worth as your pack-mate I demand you answer me true and if the answer is no I will leave you now and never trouble you again: do you believe that I doubt what I say?"

[Danicka Musil] Marcus and Danicka are having a pleasant conversation about linguistics. The words for 'please' and 'thank you' in Czech, the words for 'relative' and 'mate' in Lakota. She is neither eating nor drinking, but leaning forward slightly to talk to him since her chair is a few feet removed from the others.

This does not save her, when Lukas erupts.

Marcus sees it most clearly, since until that moment he is the one paying the clearest attention to her, but the woman's green eyes fly wide and fearful, color draining out of her face almost immediately. He can see the self-protective flinch, the slight forward hunch of her shoulders, the way she starts to harden her stomach and try to fold around it. She very nearly responds the way one would to an attack by a wild animal, tucking into herself -- but she stops it.

She stops, and takes a deep breath, forces her eyes to blink, puts her lips together so the lower one will stop trembling. She smooths her features and straightens her back without squaring her shoulders; she makes herself breathe more shallowly than she needs to, than she wants to. And then she puts her hands on her knees and looks at them, at her cuticles instead of Lukas or Katherine or Marcus, at her nailbeds rather than the small potato rolling awkwardly across the floor.

Don't look up don't look up don't look up don't look up.

[Marcus Schwarzkopf] *Marcus says in a calm voice to both Kate and Lukas.* "Enough. You are both correct and both at fault. If you continue as you are speaking to each other now you will anger one another, and one of you, or perhaps both of you will regret a decision made in haste. If you wish it since I am a prospective member of this pack I will give you my council on what I have seen here tonight should you wish to hear it." *He looks at them both.* "If you do not then you may continue on your current path and I will not interfere again." *He does not raise his voice, stand up, or make any show of dominance, he uses only the wisdom of his plea as his weapon.*

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] Katherine starts to stand. Lukas interrupts instantly, "Sit. Down. I am your Alpha and you will not tower over me."

His tone is freezing. He waits until Katherine takes her seat again.

"If you want to give your counsel, Marcus, wait until you have the facts. Since Katherine hasn't deigned to reveal what she's said, I'll do it for her.

"Katherine questions the trustworthiness of my kinswoman and the nature of her past relationship with a kinsman of the Fangs, whom Katherine was interested in for her own ends. Katherine also thinks my kinswoman used Sam somehow, played him unfairly somehow. Lastly, Katherine thinks I'm so stupid, beguiled, and witless that I'm blind to these things."

He hasn't looked away from Katherine once, though he ostensibly speaks for Marcus's benefit. Now he addresses the Fang directly.

"I have no doubt that you believe every last word you've said, Katherine. But every last word you've said has come directly from Sam's mouth, and in his world, he's always the hero or the victim, never the villain."

He's said that before. Not to Katherine. Or was it to Katherine? Lukas is weary, so fucking weary, or talking about Sam.

"All I have to ask you is, do you know what Samuel Modine did to Danička Musil?"

[Danicka Musil] [WP Part Two: Electric Boogaloo]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 3, 6, 8, 10 (Success x 2 at target 8)

[Katherine Bellamonte] (WP, let's not let our derangement rule us, Katie, please)
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 4, 4, 5, 6, 10, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[Katherine Bellamonte] She almost sits.

She hesitates as if her very muscles cramped at the notion of sitting for a Shadow Lord. It take her a moment while she trembles in physical action regarding it -- but she wins the fight against her inner beast and sits herself down again, her hands tightly clasped.

whom Katherine was interested in for her own ends

"Whom I loved." She protests quietly, but with feeling nobody could doubt. "Not who who I fancied, not who I deigned as a bedfellow but whom I loved." She turns her eyes on Danicka now, and stares. "I loved."

She shakes her head, then: "I know what I have heard Lukas. If you wish me to hear Danicka's case than I will do so, with Gaia as my witness."

[Danicka Musil] Now it is not just the pink gone from Danicka's once-flushed cheeks but a distinctly white color underneath her tan. With the way she's breathing it would not be terribly shocking if she simply fell to one side out of her chair and hit the floor in a cold faint, but Danicka does not. She hears Lukas -- mitakuye -- say that Katherine has suspicions about her and a certain Silver Fang kinsman. She hears mention of Sam again, and Lukas's supposed stupidity-by-way-of-infatuation.

Sex blinders.

Her eyes close slowly when Lukas tells Katherine that everything she's heard has been from Sam, and Sam alone. And she makes sure she stays upright even though she knows where this is going. She keeps herself from flinching when he asks Kate, again, if she knows what Sam did. Her throat moves hard as she swallows, her eyelashes flicker as she makes her eyes open again, but when Katherine looks her way and stares at her, Danicka is looking at her hands.

She is a portrait of submission. Or resignation.

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] Lukas's regard is fixed and ferocious, his eyes blue as a copper flame.

A few seconds tick by. Then, abruptly, he sits back in the wingback chair. His tone is dispassionate, almost clinical. He makes a fucking list.

"Sam and Danička went on a date in January. She decided when it was over that it would be the last date. I know, because I asked her what her intentions were regarding my packmate.

"The next day I came upon them in a coffee shop. They were speaking. It looked tense. Every line of Danicka's body read no. Then Sam locked eyes with her. A kinswoman of the Shadow Lords, to whom he has absolutely no right. He drew her to him with his Rage. He forced her to want him.

"That's what Sam did to Danička.

"A few days after that, she told him in front of all of us that she didn't want him. He struck her. A kinswoman of the Shadow Lords. He struck her as hard as he could, nothing else back.

"That's what Sam did to Danička.

"After that I told him never to go near my Kinfolk again. Less than a month ago, I hear that he's not only gone near Danička, he tracked her to her home. He tracked a kinswoman of the Shadow Lords like common prey, invaded her goddamn privacy, invaded my territory, and he tried to wheedle his way into her home. He wouldn't leave. When she finally managed to turn him away, he found her in Grant Park a week later. He followed her when she tried to leave, knowing full well he was forbidden to even be in her company.

"That's what Sam did to Danička.

"All this time I've protected his ass because he was my brother, and all this time he's been whining and whining and making himself out to be some sort of goddamn martyr, smearing my kinswoman's name to save his own. I'm tired of it. He's not my brother. He's pathetic, craven and monstrous, and everything I've told you is the truth he would never tell you.

"So you tell me who the victim was. Or better yet, have our young Forseti friend tell you."

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] (nothing else back, wtf? nothing HELD back.)

[Katherine Bellamonte] (Truth of Gaia, is he fibbing?)
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 3, 5, 6 (Success x 3 at target 5) [WP]

[Katherine Bellamonte] Katherine Bellamonte sits as primly as a nun in confession through his evidence. She gives no outward evidence that she is judging the words of her pack-mate one way or another -- though evidentiary, she is -- she merely follows Lukas with her eyes as he speaks from her appointed chair until he has concluded his speech and then she lifts her chin, her expression devoid of feeling one way or another.

"He does not need to, Lukas. I tested the validity of your words myself and you speak true enough."

[Marcus Schwarzkopf] *He shakes his head.* “It seems you have come to some sort of… conclusion on the matter. This is good or it will have to be since ultimately is between both of you, whatever it may be with Sam. I can however offer my council as perspective on your actions and how you may prevent it coming to this in the future

*He looks at Lukas.* “You are very strong. You are a noble Ahroun, and though I have not met... Well many Shadowlords I am impressed by your honor, the way you carry yourself. But it is that same pride that is causing you to jump to your kin's defense over any perceived insult. The fact that you only destroyed a plate and some food says much about your self control. But you what you need to understand is she." *Pointing to Katherine.* “Comes from this out of a place of emotion. Both from wounds suffered, and for concern for your well being. So you must remember this when she speaks to you on matters such as this. Temper you reaction with that framework in mind."

*He looks at Katherine.* “And to you I say this. You are Silverfang. You are noble, your tribe is the leader of this nation. But when I mentioned your sister think of the reaction you had which even with your quiet dignity could not hide. It was clearly visible on your face. Now place yourself in Lukas's shoes and how would you react if he spoke the way you did about your kin?

Yes you are a philodox, so am I. We are called upon to judge, but we must also remember that does not give us authority so much as a burden. We cannot place our personal feelings into these matters, because they can cloud our council. And sometimes it is best not to say anything, but wait. Like the attack Lukas and I performed on the Sphere it was done with the right amount of force at the right time. This Lesson can be applied to all things."

*He looks at them both.* “To you both I would say you should think as to why you came downstairs in the first place. Was it to eat and enjoy the company of your fellow pack and Garou or to argue, and pick at old wounds? And what is the result? Lukas has thrown his meal aside, and Katherine is upset and wounded. And the only thing you have to show for it is a scared kin.

It is good you have resolved this for the most part, but perhaps there could’ve been a better way. Perhaps not. Only once this is resolved bury the hatchet in the earth. Do not let these feelings of pain and hurt linger, allow them to fester. Make sure they are gone and that you will remain truly packmates."

[Katherine Bellamonte] "I have no feelings of pain and buried hurt." The Silver Fang all but snaps, and rises from her chair with wine in hand. "I have no cause to stay where it is clear my judgment has not been only wrong but unwarranted. Though I do say to you, Marcus that you are wrong on one count." She pauses in her diatribe, and scowls in her fellow Half Moon's direction.

"Indeed feelings can be a burden in judgment but without them what are we but mindless killing machines. Without emotion I would raise cause with Lukas, nor care for the outcome. Emotion can cripple us true, but what kind of judge are we without it? Impartial enough to the Devil to make excuse for him."

[Danicka Musil] She is not quite behind Lukas but off to the side, in a blind spot. He has to twist to look at her; Katherine can see her clearly. Marcus can see her clearly. He has not looked at her once since he lost his temper. The Garou are, for the time being, letting her do what beautiful Shadow Lord kinswomen are supposed to do: sit, and be still, and be quiet.

They speak to one another, Lukas exposing truth after truth to be validated by his packmate. Danicka is still pale. She winces slightly as things from all the way back in winter come up: that stupid date. What happened in the coffee shop. The day he hit her. She flicks her eyes over at Lukas when he says that Sam was forbidden way back in February to not go near her, and she decides not to mention Valentine's Day.

She fights a change of expression when Lukas says pathetic, craven, and monstrous. She fights well, and succeeds, and the parade for her victory over herself is silent and invisible.

And then Marcus speaks up. Danicka blinks, and slowly lifts her head. She turns to peer at the Forseti, her forehead furrowed, her expression thoughtful. And when he finishes, advising that Katherine and Lukas bury the hatchet and so forth, there is a mere beat of silence before Danicka shakes her head slightly.

"Excuse me..." she says, with careful politeness that continues through the rest of what she says to him: "...but you have no evidence to judge him as prideful, or the insults as 'perceived'. Sam backhanded me so hard my face was four different colors and Lukáš did nothing and said nothing in my defense, for the sake of his pack's unity." A pause, a bare one. "You're also a sexist little prick. Grow the fuck up."

[-1 WP]

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] In the wake of his tirade, which was not really a tirade at all but a deadly calm litany of sins, Lukas is quieter. He seems -- if not calmed, then at least spent. In response to Kate he says only,

"I wish you trusted me enough that you didn't need to test the truth of my words, Katherine."

This time, he pays Marcus the respect of listening to everything he has to say. At the end of it, Katherine speaks against him on one count; Danicka on two or three, and then adds a comment that makes Lukas wince faintly. Despite that, Lukas watches the Forseti quietly throughout, a faint frown furrowing his brow. His wineglass is empty. His food is all over the floor. He has nothing else to occupy himself with, so he merely considers the Forseti in silence.

"I think you see clearly, Marcus, and I think you're right about most things. Those I think you're wrong about, I think you're mistaken largely because you don't know me -- know us -- well enough yet. Regardless, right or wrong, I appreciate your counsel. If you stay with this pack, you should know that sometimes I'll listen to your advice, and sometimes I won't. But I hope you'll always give it as honestly and freely as you just did."

A pause. He pinches the bridge of his nose for a second, and then looks at Katherine again.

"I don't want to discuss this again. I know how you feel about Danička, but I know her better than you, and I'll take my chances. As for Sam -- I have nothing left to say about him. It's all been said now. So let's let the hatchet," wry, "be buried, and the water move under the bridge."

[Marcus Schwarzkopf] *He looks at Katherine.* "I never said your judgment was wrong or even unwarranted. It sounds like you did not have all the facts available to you, and your bond with Sam was causing you to take a stand against Lukas, which if you had known them you may have made a different choice.

And I also did not say we should have no emotion. I said personal feelings can cloud our judgment. You will always have emotion, to think you can get rid of them completely in any judgment is arrogance. But what you must do is take them into account, and question how much are you tailoring your council based on wisdom, and your own selfish perceptions."

*He looks at Danicka.* "I apologize if I have a offended you. I was not trying to begin to excuse Sam Modine's actions. He is a disgrace to his ancestors and his continued... unapologetic behavior, of not making amends properly with you, Lukas, Katherine, me, Joss, and our Jarl disgraces my Tribe to all the sept." *He exhales.* "I know that is little consequence to you and I don't blame you. What happened to you never should have." *He holds up a hand.*

"But I stand by what I said. Lukas is prideful. It's what makes him a good leader in battle, fierce to his enemies, and causes those who are not of his pack to stand beside him with no fear because they know Lukas Wyrmbreaker will not break himself, he will not run, and he will die if necessary. These are good things.

But it is that same pride in battle that causes him to come out fangs barred, and claws ready when he is questioned by something very personal like you. Instead of keeping a clear head he lets that pride jump in front of him like a wild mustang. And once that happens it is hard to rein back in.

And your emotion Katherine makes you a valued philodox. Because it will let you have compassion where it is need. Passion when it is called for. It will help you get to the spirit of the Truth instead of the letter of it."

*He stands up taking his sandwich.* "And again Alpha you are correct. It is arrogant of me to presume to council you and the pack on a situation I do not know much about. But I am trying to keep it to what I can see and hear." *He looks at everyone.* "Again I apologize if I have offended any of you. My only desire was to give you all perspective. To place yourself in the other person's position. My hope now is when I leave the room if the anger you feel in your hearts were it directed at me to help you resolve this then by all means point it my way. I will take it. That is my duty to this pack." *He bows his head.* "Have a good night." *He turns to leave.*

[Katherine Bellamonte] Kate looks only at Lukas at first.

"I did not test your words because I believed you lied, Lukas. I tested them because I knew that Sam did in my heart without even trying."

She looks at Lukas, and her eyes are bright with pain, with a pain that none but a pack-member could share. Could understand. Katherine had known Samuel Modine long enough to read this motivations without the aid of a gift, but her heart required the confirmation of a pack-mate to secure this suspicion.

She takes a breath, and reaches out to cease the other Philodox's departure, her blue eyes clear, and intent. "You correct me, you challenge my decisions which angers me. But which makes you a worthy Half Moon." A beat, she smiles. "Appreciate this, I do not compliment lightly."

[Danicka Musil] This time she bites her tongue rather than retorting to the young Fenrir. It's right there. The words are on her lips, aching for revelation, and she bites them back. It isn't difficult. Speaking up was hard. Keeping silence is practiced, and familiar, and she does it with an eerie grace.

Her eyes stay on him, and say nothing. They focus on his cheek as he talks, both to her and to the two Garou. She does not respond. She appears, at least, to be mulling over what he's said, looking down at her hands again. They stay there as Katherine calls out to him.

She has been chastised. She is subdued.

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] "Sam," Lukas says to Kate, "is very good at saying what you want to hear for his own ends. I hope you'll unblind yourself to him sooner rather than later."

Then, as Marcus stands to go, Lukas replies: "I will say this before you go: I can be prideful. I'm even arrogant sometimes. And I certainly did lose my temper tonight. But that was not out of pride. It wasn't because I can't stand to be criticized. It was because I protect what's mine.

"There's a difference."

A pause; then he adds, "Still. You haven't offended me. What I said stands: I'm glad for your counsel. Goodnight, Marcus."

[Marcus Schwarzkopf] *Marcus turns to the others as they speak. Looks at them for a moment. Nods and then turns to head back upstairs.

((Thanks for the scene guys. Was fun :) ))

[Katherine Bellamonte] The Silver Fang is subdued. She says little but nods to all present and passes by them on the way up the stairs, she pauses though and says quietly, her back to her to disguise whatever emotion her face gives: "Danicka? I am sorry for what pain Sam caused you. I can... sense, that it was not provoked. When I am proven wrong, I admit so."

Thus spoke, she moves up the stairs.

[Danicka Musil] [Perception + Empathy, -1 (wasted!)]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 4, 4, 7, 7, 9 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[Danicka Musil] After Marcus leaves, Danicka -- who has no jacket, no purse -- gets to her feet and begins to head towards the door, walk in three-inch strappy heels to the subway, and go the fuck home. She is stopped when she hears the Americanized version of her name, which is the version she gave to Katherine when the girl was fourteen as well as when they met again in Chicago.

She turns to look over at the robed woman, without so much as lifting an eyebrow. She doesn't sigh. She doesn't have any reaction, it seems, other than simple obedience. She has been paused; she goes still, and listens to Katherine's apology. And with a slight tip of her head she peers at the Silver Fang...

...but Danicka has no reply for her. She turns away again, with effort that plays itself out in a certain stiffening of her bearing. When Katherine, too, has gone away, she moves to leave.

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] "Danička," Lukas doesn't rise to follow her, but he does raise his voice to carry after her, "we need to talk."

[Danicka Musil] "We will," she says, and doesn't stop.

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] "Now."

[Danicka Musil] That stops her. She turns around to face him. They have not looked at each other for some time now. Her cheeks are pink again. That's both a good and a bad sign. She lowers her voice so that it carries across the two yards or so between them, no further, but every syllable is tortured with tension as though being pulled on a rack. "You just lost your temper and I'm high as a fucking kite. Do you think now is really a good time to talk?"

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] Lukas hasn't moved. A hundred pieces of shattered plate glisten in the changing firelight. His spilled food remains where it lies. His eyes glitter as he watches her.

Then he gets to his feet. Comes toward her. His hand comes to her elbow, guiding her around, though he doesn't grip her arm. There's that, at least.

"I'm driving you home," he says.

[Danicka Musil] With a sudden motion, Danicka jerks her arm away from Lukas. She has never done this before. Gently she has moved his hand, or wound their arms together. Tenderly, she's moved her hand into his instead. This time she pulls away from his touch as though it burns.

"Nejsem dítě, a já nejsem slabá!" she snaps.

And then quails, breathing out harshly and lowering her head, eyes closing. "Mám tě rád," she murmurs, "but right now I'm afraid of you."

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] Reaction snaps through him like an electric shock. Startlement, hurt and anger unwind in rapid succession. Lukas drops his hand away and stares at the side of her face for a moment.

Then, "Are you telling me to leave you be?"

[Danicka Musil] [Perception + Empathy -1 (Don't Do Drugs!)]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 1, 2, 5, 8, 10 (Failure at target 6) Re-rolls: 1

[Danicka Musil] [I'm Sorry, Dice, What Was That? Was That 'Thank You Sir May I Please Have Another?']
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 7, 8, 9, 10 (Success x 4 at target 7)

[Danicka Musil] [I thought that's what I heard.]

[Danicka Musil] Lukas doesn't try to hide anything, and Danicka does not have to read very carefully or even that deeply to see how what she's done, much less what she's said, has affected him. She glances around the dining room -- she has to know if there is someone watching, someone listening -- and then she turns around and exhales quietly:

"I'm asking you to let me go, and find me tomorrow so we can talk."

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] A muscle moves in his jaw. He looks past her at the dark windows, back.

"How are you getting home?"

[Danicka Musil] "The subway, baby," she says gently. The tone she uses is not 'the subway, baby'. It's I know. "And the sun's coming up soon."

Beat. She glances at the windows, then cocks a strange expression, almost a wince: "Do you want me to call you or text you and let you know when I get home or something?"

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] Lukas exhales a short, mirthless laugh. "No. That won't be necessary." A pause of his own. "Let me walk you to the station."

[Danicka Musil] One eyebrow moves upward. Then down again. The easiest thing to do...

...isn't what she does. "No." There's barely a pause here: "Not because I'm mad, or anything like that. It's just that if you go with me I'm going to want to take you home or something, and then we probably will talk, and if we start fighting it's going to be that much worse because it's late, and I'm tired, and those people did not fuck around with their weed," she says, elongating the 'not' with some amusement.

Danicka takes a deep breath. "Just... call me tomorrow, alright?"

[Lukas Wyrmbreaker] Another pause, brief, considering. Then Lukas nods. "Goodnight, Danička."

[Danicka Musil] She reaches out to him this time. Not for his elbow, or his hand. She moves forward and touches his waist, her fingertips midway between lowest rib and pelvic girdle. She doesn't disguise that the gesture is somewhat hesitant, that right now she is, as she said, afraid of him. That he's going to snap at her, that he's going to throw something, that if she touches him right now he'll punish her for not letting him touch her a moment ago.

It's fading, but it's there, and it reads in the slowness of the way she extends her hand. Her fingernails rest a moment, then scritch softly at him through his shirt. The touch leaves him then, falling away, her hand back to her side. "Dobrou noc, Lukáš."