World of Darkness World of Darkness: Attrition - Resurfacing

[Lucien Hunt]

Lucien watched Morgan walk off and only a shred of his composure remained. He was not happy, and was getting more and more irritated with ever second that passed.

"Lovely. I'm finding it increasingly difficult to keep my dates amongst all this elementary school bullshit." He said suddenly and it was rare that Lucien swore aloud. "Well, the dates that bother to even call me that is. Do you guys feed off this stuff or do you all just do it for kicks?"

His stare was ice cold. Lucien looked at Declan with a glare that could have placed him up there with some of the wereolves they knew in terms of intimidation value. Declan would stomp the poor rich kid flat, but would gain nothing from it, so the playboy took his chances.

"You know what she's capable of." Lucien knew what Declan did and Lucien knew that Declan knew that Lucien knew what Declan did to make her so angry. "You had better fix it," He said calmly and matter-of-fact. "Quick Declan, or out of spite she will unravel your world until there is nothing left. My mind tricks pale in comparison to her power over anothers' Fate. That's the only warning I'll offer you. You did this, and you need to fix it."

Without missing a beat he turned to August and his mannerisms did a complete 180. Suddenly he was bright and chipper and his megawatt smile beamed forth in all its splendor and charm. "Hello, my you are a vision. I'm Lucien Hunt, it's a pleasure to finally meet you, I've been ever so curious as to what radiant beauty could be keeping our friend so tied up lately."

[z-August Turner]

The mood changed too fast and August had had just enough to drink to leave her tongue cloven to the roof of her mouth. "I... Hi," she said lamely. She gripped Declan's hand tighter, offering him comfort and curling her other hand around his arm. This kind of thing was the bread and butter of Hollywood - drama - but real-life drama always made her feel awkward. "I'm August. It's nice to meet you." Her time in Hollywood allowed her to act around her awkwardness. "And to learn you're just as charming in person as rumored."

Good god he's hot... but what was all that 'unraveling the world' stuff mean? "Does someone-" Her eyes fell on Lucian again, "need to go after her? Will she be ok? Someone who she isn't going to unravel?" When in doubt, just go with the flow. She wanted to say more, but didn't have nearly enough information to know what that would be.

[Owns-The-Night]

"Yeah. Me. I need to go after her. Even if she does unravel me." Declan tore his eyes away from the direction Morgan had gone to look Lucien in the eye. He didn't seem either intimidated or angered at the Mastigos's rancor, his gaze thoughtful rather than emotional. "Yeah, I'll fix it." He sighed softly. "Or at least I'll try. And not because she can fuck my whole life up. Sorry about ruinin' your dance, Hunt." He looked at August. "This is August Turner. August, this is Lucien Hunt, who is not feelin' quite as well-disposed towards me as he was five minutes ago." The ghost of a grin played around the Rahu's lips, then he sighed again. "I'd better go and see if she wants to talk to me at all. We don't need an angry Morgan right now."

Gently kissing August on the cheek, he took her hands from around his arm and offered one to Lucien. "Have fun, you two. Look after August for me, Lucien." he asked the mage, his words somehow holding a little more meaning than the setting would otherwise indicate. Then he squared his shoulders and slipped away through the crowd. Following the oh-so-familiar scent out into the backyard, he spotted Oneca and Morgan talking and stopped dead, stepping just to the side of the door in the shadows cast by the light emanating from inside. For once, he told himself, he'd watch and listen for a moment before charging into a situation. Watching Morgan's profile in the dim light, he felt a throb of pain in his chest. Maybe he deserved unravelling, if it would set this right.

[Lucien Hunt]

"She'll be fine." Lucien said calmly to August as Declan walked off. "When one has been cheated and lied to by someone she cared for and respected it makes it difficult to remain in their company. All she needs is time. I'll be seeing her later, I'm sure. I'll send her your best." His honesty was brutal and laced perfectly into his next phrases.

His smile grew a bit wider. "Charming?" He laughed. "Well, thank you. August, tell me all about yourself. T'would appear I'm going through women like mad tonight, what's one more corpse for the pile, eh? I'm just hoping I have some time to enjoy you before a comet falls from the sky or aliens spirit you away."

He clasped his arm around hers, "Let's grab a drink and a quiet spot. They're going to be awhile."

[Astra D.]

"Mind if I join you?"

Morgan blinked, startled out of her unhappy reverie by the quiet inquiry. She turned, half-expecting to see Declan's newest bimbette, even as she mentally chided herself for such an uncharitable descriptor. The girl didn't know, probably, if her stunned silence inside had been any indication, but that half-hearted assurance didn't make her feel any better.

"No, be my guest," she finally replied, something like a grin forcing its way across her lips as she shifted over a bit to make room and relaxed again, leaning back against the wall. She recognized the gorgeous firestarter, even if she didn't remember much about her; this was the girl who'd been at Hunt's the night of the Howl.

"Sorry," she added with a self-deprecating laugh. "I'm pretty lousy with names, but I've seen you around before. Chez Hunt, when we all got together for our little pow-wow, right?"

[z-August Turner]

"I see," August said, though she wasn't sure she did. She gave Lucian her best 'photo-shoot' smile and allowed him to guide her away from the scene of the disaster. "Hopefully, I won't be a corpse for the pile." She shuddered at his wording and fought the urge to glance around the room for the dead. She hadn't felt any here, thankfully. "Let's see if I can give you more than a few minutes of enjoyment."

Her smile wasn't inappropriate, but she felt how it could teeter that way. Lucian Hunt had that effect on women, and August was a woman. They got their drinks and found somewhere to sit where they didn't have to nearly shout to talk. "Does this kind of thing happen every time one of you guys-" she waved a hand around to encompass the entire room and all the supernaturals in it, "-get together? Or was I just lucky?"

[z021]

Oneca smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm Oneca. You're...Morgan, right? You did the whole...." she made a vague gesture in the air "...thing about not telling other people." Some flickered in her eyes as she remembered what's the other woman had said when she sealed that oath.

"Anyways, I, uh, caught a little bit of something happening in there and then saw you come out here." She lit up her clove and puffed contentedly on it, "Anything I can help with? Even just a sympathetic ear?"

[Lucien Hunt]

"Oh, count yourself lucky." He said chuckling slightly. "We tend to flock to drama like you would believe. You'd think with all our power and special talents we'd be able to handle situations with a bit more panache, but no. We're all wound so tight that we just can't seem to handle anything calmly." He lifted his palm slightly. "Morgan and Dec are complicated, there's some bad blood there. But they'll get through it. I love all my friends dearly, it's just sometimes I want to put them all in a corner until they can lean to behave, you know?"

He crossed his legs and looked to her, his eyes taking in her beauty. "So, indulge me, how many of our secrets has he divulged to you?"

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

From her vantage on the back deck, Sarah had a bird's eye view of the potential storm to come. First came Morgan, stalking out onto the yard with a trail of clove-scented smoke following. Then the hostess, Oneca, lighting her own future bout of emphysema while taking part in the time-honored women's tradition of offering a compassionate shoulder to another woman.

Sarah's senses, deliberately dulled while inside in order to survive the party, came back to the fore almost without thinking. As they did, another scent wafted up to meet hers, one that even clove cigarettes could not hide. The distinctive musk told her before her eyes peered into the shadows that Declan was at the door... and the hint of sweat that came with it told a story all of its own.

Oh, this isn't going to be good.

[Astra D.]

Morgan nodded, dipping her head as she took another drag, letting the spice-laden smoke burn her lungs before exhaling again.

"Yeah, that was me," she grinned, grateful for the momentary distraction. Then, as something else occurred to her: "You know, you don't have to worry about that, anymore. I mean, I needed to release the oath, to sort of... free up space for other things." It was hard to describe the way magick worked to the uninitiated, and the Enchantress chewed thoughtfully at her lower lip as she tried to explain it. "Basically, once the oath wasn't necessary anymore, I dissolved it." Lacking any more effective metaphor, Morgan tried the familiar old stand-by, gesturing animatedly while she spoke and leaving trails of fragrant smoke in the air as she did so.

"I sort of gathered up all our fates, like threads on a loom, and knotted them together with another piece of string. It kept them from going anywhere they weren't supposed to, but took up space in the bigger pattern. The oath was the knot that bound them, and once we'd all reached a point that we didn't need it restricting or guiding us anymore, I untied the string and freed them all up."

Convoluted as the explanation was, Oneca just blinked and slowly nodded.

"Okay, I got the gist of that, I think."

Relieved, Morgan folded her free arm across her chest, pressing her clove to her lips again and frowning.

"I'm not sure you can help with the other stuff, honestly. I mean, it's basically your typical college-age sob story. Boy meets girl, boy and girl get to know each other, boy turns out to be a wolf in boy's clothing, girl admits she's really a total witch, boy and girl are really close, boy won't sleep with girl because he wants it to be special, boy runs off into the mountains. Girl waits, because girl is stupid enough to really care about the boy. Boy comes back, girl's very happy, boy's very happy, girl does an apprenticeship in the desert, girl comes back, and boy's been "special" with half the campus. Boy runs off into the mountains again or some shit, girl tells her friends she's moving in with her skankmonster mom, girl shacks up in a mausoleum so she can try to figure out why her dead friends are haunting her, girl gets trapped, girl manages to escape after some major fucking-up, and so on. Girl comes back, boy's still humping someone else's leg. Classic stuff."

She hadn't inhaled once, throughout her entire miserable spiel, and did so deeply when she was done.

"So, that's basically it, in a nutshell," Morgan added a trifle sheepishly, shrugging her slim shoulders. "If you've got any suggestions, I'd love to hear 'em," she half-grinned at the pyrokinetic, remnants of her earlier anguish clear in her voice.

I can change Fate itself as easily as people change their hair color, but no matter how many happy endings I try to write, they always end in misery. Where's the justice in that?

[z-August Turner]

August looked at Lucien for a moment, her green-blue eyes somber. He seemed to be dishing out the truth, or his perception of it. Lying to him seemed a really bad idea. "Enough," she finally admitted. "Enough so that I don't get into trouble or create unnecessary problems." She glanced ruefully in the direction that Morgan and Declan had disappeared in. "So far, hasn't worked really well. I guess I'm getting the wrong information, huh?"

She tilted her head and smiled at him. "I'm really just a junior player in all of this. I know enough to know that you and Dec aren't, and... from what's been implied, Morgan isn't either. Of course, neither is anyone who runs in your circles. I think that red-head is too... she said some thing that make me think she has like, um a sun allergy?"

[z021]

"Well, you could always try girls from now on." The flip remark was paired with an equally mischievous grin and then a theatrical sigh. "But if you're anything like me, there's just no amount of tongue or plastic that can replace an honest-to-god dick."

She flicked the ash off her clove and gave the Enchantress a once-over. "My honest advice? Get angry, get a little even, and then go find someone good for a week or so of angry sex. Then move on. The longer you let someone burn away at you, the harder it is to ever get anywhere else in your life."

There was a beat of silence and Oneca's curiosity won out. "You get the haunted thing taken care of? Never had to deal with real ghosts myself, but I know what it's like to have someone else's life hanging over you."

[Jeremy]

"Sarah?" Jeremy noted that she was distracted, but he had wanted to follow up with her, and he didn't notice the clouds of emotion anyway. He decided to tread carefully here, it involved speaking his thoughts on her choice of life direction.

"Feel free to disregard this advice, but... We all supernaturals have an innate risk of breaking down, and hard at that. Honestly, our human side that we all once were helps to handle that. Just don't lose contact with that human side. For that matter, don't neglect me or your boyfriend Lucien. If you lose that true connection with humanity, or the backup plan of people who really are connected, that's a sign you're ready to slide into oblivion. Just don't lose that link in your haste to be a werewolf-type, is what I'm saying."

[Lucien Hunt]

"A sun allergy is one way to put it." He laughed slightly. "And," He paused for effect. "Aren't what?"

[Astra D.]

"No, you're right," Morgan replied. "Girls are great, don't get me wrong, but there really isn't anything like an honest-to-god dick." After a moment's pause, she added, sounding almost convincingly light-hearted, "Fortunately, I've met a lot of those, so there's never a shortage."

She listened to Oneca's advice, watching the orange tip of her cigarette smouldering against the deep indigo of the sky, and sighed.

"That's the problem. I've been angry a long goddamned time. I mean, we've all got our issues, right? I didn't care what he was. I didn't care that he needed to go figure stuff out." The young mage shook her head, dark hair spilling over her shoulders as she swallowed back tears. "I guess your first real heartbreak is always the worst, yeah? I mean, here I am, still fucking miserable after months of being miserable, and he's got whoever-the-hell that is when he leaves the party. When I leave, I get to go to Hunt's and try to figure out how the hell to fix things. He totally screwed me over, without even the courtesy of actually screwing me first, and he gets to go home with the hot chick? What kind of shit is that?"

She was bitter, angry, and hurt, and it didn't take a psych degree or telepathy to figure it out, not the way it all seemed to come rushing out of her like the infection pouring out of an old wound as it was cleaned.

"No," she said quietly. "No, it's not taken care of. Hoping Lucien can help me on that front." There was an awkward silence as the two women smoked, quietly commiserating. Finally, Morgan latched onto the last thing Oneca had said, hoping to distract herself from her current predicament.

"So. Since we're playing the emotional version of show-and-tell tonight," she quipped with a levity she didn't quite feel, "whose life have you got hanging over you?"

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

His words broke her half-fascination, half-dread for the drama below, and she listened to what the changeling said.

From the friendly smile she gave him in return, Jeremy actually had a moment to think his works had worked. Then Sarah ruined it by talking.

"Jeremy, thank you. I get what you're saying. I really do. But let me see if I can help you understand why I'm trying to head down a different path.

"I've known a fair number of vampires. Didn't particularly want to, but that's neither here nor there. What I've found out from them is that eventually, we all fall to the beast. All of us. The things we have to do in order to survive from night to night don't synch up with that human we once were. It's a recipe for utter and complete madness and loss.

"There's a way around it. I can be one of the few that doesn't turn into an uncontrolled monster after enough time. But I have to change the way I think in order to do it, so I can cope better with what is necessary."

She sighed; there was still one problem looming large in the air. And Sarah had no real idea how to address it. "Lucien... dammit, I don't know what to do about him. Or how to relate to him. Or how to be whatever it is that he wants. I don't date well," she added in the understatement of the year.

[z-August Turner]

"Aren't junior players, though I could have guessed that from what you said earlier," August specified, trying not to think about how freakin' attractive he was. She sighed, hoping that she wasn't making an idiot of herself. "I know that all of this is very secretive, so we're not supposed to talk about it too clearly unless we're alone." She took a drink and added, "I'm kind of an honorary member, or so Declan tells me. And I get the not telling people - I don't like talking about my thing, either. I'm still trying to figure it all out."

[Jeremy]

Jeremy shrugged. "I'm not the relationship king, but I know a few things, to be sure. Like as I hinted at, make sure you're spending enough time with him, more than the big whoo-hoo. If you're neglecting him, he's questioning your commitment for one. Part of what I'm saying is that letting your relationships with others outside the pack of yours suffer or fall away is a step down that dark road. Even if you can get your head on straight."

[z021]

"My sister." It was said pensively and Oneca took an extra-long drag off of her clove. "I really....I really can't say anymore. Ask Remy if you want as much of the story as I've ever been able to get out."

After another moment of silence she ask abruptly, "Wanna go get some coffee or something? The party's pretty much devolved into sex, drama, or puking in the bathroom and Saja'll be home in a few hours to yell at me. Since I saw people screwing in her room earlier, it'll probably be a lot of yelling." She seemed rather vengefully gleeful at the prospect. "Maybe we could tag Lucien on the way out and you two could hash out your revenge-cauldron or whatever, with comments from the peanut gallery. Remy's gotta head out soon anyways, he's got a meeting at the bank tomorrow morning."

[Astra D.]

Exhaling slowly, Morgan offered the pyrokinetic a shaky, but grateful smile as she ground out the remnants of her cigarette underfoot. She made note of the name Oneca had given her, and resolved to ask about it later, when she didn't feel like stabbing penis-bearers in the eye.

"Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good," she agreed with somewhat more enthusiasm than she'd shown a few minutes ago. "Coffee sounds fucking awesome, actually. I'll, um, let Lucien know. He's probably pissed that I just rode off on my drama llama, especially after Sarah bailed on him earlier." She sighed, wondering if she could cash in on her experiences as a writer for some stupid teen-aged supernatural television drama. Maybe on the WB... Hm.

[Lucien Hunt]

"Ah!" He shook his head in embarrassment and still managed took damn good doing it. "Of course, sorry. I'm a bit off my game tonight."

"Well, again you're in luck. I don't normally do this, but I've had a few drinks and my night is going, not so well. Come the morning I'l lblame it on all that and probably more." With a wink, he smiled and sipped his drink. "Welcome to the club," he said in a tone that when used in the movies heralded a riveting action scene.

Their eyes met and he just looked into hers with a mischievous smile. *Can you hear me, August. It's Lucien. Do not panic, and do not speak. Simply think the words you wish to say, and I will hear them.*

[Owns-The-Night]

"Morgan?" Dec's voice was soft as he moved out from the shadows of the doorway, but having a not-entirely-human set of vocals does wonders for having a voice that carries. The big Rahu moved slowly towards the two women, face stoic and silver eyes gleaming with some undefinable but strong feeling. He saw her emerald gaze start to frost and harden and spoke before she could move.

"I know I did you wrong. I didn't realise before how much wrong I had done you. I didn't realise how deeply you felt about me." He came to stand in front of her, the words that had started slowly spilling out faster now. "I had this... this picture of you as a free spirit that I could never have for myself. That I could never be enough for. Because you... you were the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, from the first moment I saw you. Don't get me wrong: I knew you liked me. But I felt like an... a clumsy animal next to you. You brought that out in me, stronger than any has before or since. I felt territorial, possessive, angry at any other guy who even flirted with you. I felt awkward tryin' to express how I really felt, frightened that you wouldn't feel the same." His eyes were locked on hers now, bright with emotion. "So I tried to 'play cool'. I thought maybe you'd prefer me if I was, oh I dunno, less of a fuckin' spaz around you. Hey, sex was no big deal, right. Nothing to get wound up over." He felt the urge to pace and sublimated it, keeping his eyes on her.

"So I screwed around... a little. Four girls, Morgan. Four." He held up four fingers for quiet emphasis. "And then all of a sudden you weren't talking to me. It took me about two weeks to figure out what the hell the matter was, and boy didn't I feel like a fuckin' worthless dumbshit after that. So then I stopped. This 'half the campus' crap is just that. Crap. I crawled inside myself after that and just went about my existence one day to the next. I had nothing to live for except the Duty. I cut out everyone else, which was another fuckin' dumbshit move. That only changed two months ago." He shifted, leaning against the rail nearby, hands gripping it tightly and his shoulders bunched as he stared out over the yard. The werewolf's gaze shimmered, but he didn't give any other sign of distress.

"So now you know. And now I know. And this was one big clusterfuck that never needed to happen if I'd only had the balls to talk to you way back when I felt insecure." He turned his head to look at her, his feelings evident in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Little Red. You deserve better."

[Swara-Ann]

The petite blonde leaned against the back fence away from the crowd that seemed to be getting large out here. Morgan and Oneca were smoking and talking to each other over there. She though Morgan had moved away, that's what Lucien told her, but there she was. Morgan hated her, so she thought it best to keep her distance.

Sarah was talking to some guy on the porch, she didn't know him but the vampire woman she knew well enough to tell that she seemed to have issues at the moment too.

Why she suddenly found things like talking to people so difficult she didn't know, but there was something in her now that just seemed to disassociate her from the rest of the world.

She folded up her arms and just kind of chilled there, people watching and wonder what inside her had broken, hoping she could fix it one day.

[z-August Turner]

August tensed as Lucien smiled at her; men smiling like that usually meant trouble. But what actually happened was far more unexpected and weird - she heard his voice in her head.

Gasping, she barely managed to keep from blurting something stupid in shock. Realizing that Lucien could hear what she was thinking, she tried not to think about anything embarrassing, that resulted in:

Oh, crap, oh crap, don't think anything embarrassing like about how he looks really ho- um, um, um! Think about drinks, these drinks are nice at this party. I wish Dec would get back and rescue me, not that I need rescuing from the Lucien Hunt! Ack, away from those thoughts, bad! Bad! Don't think.... stop thinking!

August winced and tried to do just that, desperately.

[Astra D.]

When the object of her ire intercepted her return to the party and, thus, a temporary respite from the misery of the evening, Morgan took a deep, steadying breath to calm herself and wished fervently she’d brought a drink out with her. Despite the grim set of her jaw, and the hard, gemstone glitter of her eyes, she listened to every word, drinking it all in before the chilly night-time breeze could carry it away.

She waited for him to finish without saying a word, barely blinking as he poured out his heart there in the darkness. He was being honest, at least, she conceded mentally, and for a moment, the young mage could even sympathize with him. The quaver in his gruff voice was so earnest, and the anguished tension written in the lines of his body was so clear, she could feel an uncomfortable twinge of compassion marring the otherwise immaculate texture of her spite.

At least, up until the last bit.

You son of a-

She didn’t even bother with a slap. With her fist clenched, Morgan tensed and swung, faster than would’ve been expected of the pretty, pale Acanthus. She wasn’t a brawler by any means, but when her fist connected with the side of Declan’s jaw, it carried every ounce of force she could muster, putting her whole body into the effort. The sound she made was a startling, unsettling combination of a scream and a sob forced through clenched teeth, and tears streamed freely down her flushed cheeks as she dropped her arm, hiccupping and shaking uncontrollably as she regained her balance.

Trembling fingers fumbled for a cigarette, and then her lighter as she stumbled blindly, stopping after several paces to light up. It took her several tries, and a garbled stream of curses rendered incoherent by crying, before she finally succeeded.

Without thinking, she turned back to Declan, fixing him with a red-rimmed glare that spoke volumes about the depth of her feelings, and the confusion thereof.

“Don’t call me that. Don’t ever fucking call me that again, do you hear me?! I’m not your Little Fucking Red!” she spat, the glowing ember of the cigarette shaking violently in her fingers. “I deserve better, do I? Huh?! Do you know how fucking pathetic that sounds? How many goddamned men have made the same fucking excuse?!” There was no ice anymore, in her eyes or her demeanor; not by a long shot; it had all been burned away in the heat of open, passionate hostility. Her cheeks were flushed, her green eyes eerily bright, and her voice rough with emotion. Under different circumstances, the Rahu had seen her in a similarly impassioned state, and then, too, it had been beneath the moon, in the cool of the evening. It was almost fitting that a relationship born thus should die so. “I didn’t so much as kiss a single fucking guy while you and I were together, Declan. Not one! And I’m supposed to feel perfectly fine with ‘only four’ girls getting plowed on your kitchen table, or wherever the hell you screwed them? I’m supposed to just fucking forgive you when you walk in here with someone who looks like my goddamned sister and wanna introduce her to all your friends?”

She shook her head in disbelief, astounded at her ex-whatever’s ignorance of matters of the heart or his audacity; she couldn’t tell which was more prevalent.

"What did I do to deserve this?” she asked rhetorically, glancing up at the sky as if waiting for an answer. She held up a finger, her features taking on the universal expression for Eureka! “I wish the four other women were here! They'd know!" Her anger and hurt replaced it just as quickly, and she shook her head again as she took a long drag off her clove cigarette, relishing the spicy-sweet flavour and the acrid burn of the smoke in her throat.

[Owns-The-Night]

His head rocked sideways under the force of the blow, but he endured the hit - and the tirade that followed - without otherwise flinching. Only when she paused for breath and a savage pull on her cigarette did he raise one hand and worked at his jaw for a second.

"I didn't know that. About you and not so much as kissing another guy. I didn't think I was that special. We'd been orbiting each other, so near and yet so fuckin' far, for so long that I thought you weren't interested in a single special someone. So I tried to deal rather than pushing so hard that you'd cut me off or move away or some shit. I'd rather have been stuck in your orbit forever, never touching, than be nowhere near you. But that's where I ended up anyway. Nowhere near you." He met her gaze, the twisted humourless grin crooking the line of his lips at odds with the wet shine in his eyes. "Funny how life is. And funny how some feelings don't change."

[Lucien Hunt]

Lucien laughed. He couldn't help it. By this point he needed the laughter, the way his night was going. "August, relax." He said calmly. "I know it's strange but really, it's just talking, I'm nowhere I'm not supposed to be."

*This way, we can talk about things no one else is supposed to hear.* He winked at her. "Kinda neat, huh? Just relax, and try it. Baby steps. Sarah freaked out too, it's okay."

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

Jeremy had been talking to her. Of that, Sarah was certain. But the minor explosion of verbage down in the yard dragged her attention back to the drama - that and the solid right hook that Morgan landed on Declan's jaw with enough force to almost stagger the Rahu.

As the stream of rapid-fire, high-calibre emotion went on, the actual words Jeremy had been saying finally got through.

"You know," she muttered in much delayed response, as much to herself as to the changeling while still looking down at the debacle below, "it might be that Lucien and I aren't in such bad shape. Comparatively speaking."

[z-August Turner]

August nodded and tried again, fighting back a blush. Baby steps, ok. As he nodded encouragingly, she took a drink and thought, Dec's told me a bit about his people and their rules. I'm sure there's a lot that I don't know, and probably don't need to know. She remembered the weirdness of the Hisil and repressed a shudder.

Getting her mind back to the topic at hand, she continued, Since we're being honest, and Dec trusts you... I see ghosts. I can talk to them, too. I know that others, like you and Dec, can do more. I mean, not with ghosts, necessarily, but overall. She smiled. I used to be worried about what I could do, about others finding out or about it messing up my life. Dating a werewolf puts that all into perspective.

He felt a moment of indecision before she asked, What special rules do I need to know about you?

[Lucien Hunt]

*Oh, just the usual. Keep me out of sunlight, keep me away from water, and never, ever, feed me after midnight.* The look of casual confusion on her face was priceless for a moment. *I'm kidding. Actually the same rules that apply to Declan, apply to myself and any other of the Awakened you might meet: keep our secrets secret.*

He adjust his posture to get a bit more comfortable and took a moment to take a drink from his glass. "You see, August, we're not really supposed to tell you any of this. The rules are to let the blind remain blind. That's where Declan and I believe our people are wrong. You see, once all of this weirdness was common. We all lived in harmony and peace amongst the strange and supernatural, or at least that's what we've been told." The look of hope in his eyes was nearly saddening. "This world needs that again. Declan and I hope that something like that can return to this world."

*Perhaps when you can get some free time I'll take you on a tour of what exactly I am and what it is that I do.* He smiled at her. *It's all quite fascinating.*

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

As the "fun" continued, Sarah spied a familiar figure off at the back of the yard, against the fence. How she hadn't noticed Swara-Ann wandering off on her own before now was unclear; then again, Sarah had been up to her neck in dancing or drama of one form or another since stepping into this party.

"Jeremy, if you'll excuse me, there's someone I need to talk do."

To Sarah's undying relief, the short set of steps down from the deck did not end in the midst of the supernatural breakup commencing in all its vocal fury. Giving the pair a wide, wide berth, she crossed the yard toward the blonde figure, stopping a few yards short. It wasn't so very long ago that the Dead-Wolf had inflicted horrid wounds on the young pup; getting too close, she realized, probably wasn't the best of plans, at least until initial greetings were out of the way.

"Hey," she said in as conversational a tone as she could manage. "Sorry I didn't talk with you earlier. This whole party thing has been sorta... well, complicated." She sighed at the understatement before asking, "So, how've you been?"

[Swara-Ann]

Uh oh, busted. What did I do now? She wondered as Sarah approached Swara's own little shred of property. It was easy to see the Swara had 'claimed' this small corner of the yard has 'hers' for the time being and didn't show much signs of wanting to give it up. Although she didn't understand why, Swara's instincts were telling her to claim territory. Like most things in her life, she aimed really, really low.

"Good I guess." She tucked her hands in her pockets and shrugged her shoulders high enough to nearly make her neck fade away. It seemed like the only time people of the super variety had anything to say to her lately was when they wanted to tell her what she was doing wrong, or that she needed to accept this, that, or the other thing. "Kinda just wasting away actually. Amber's never home, what little we do say to each other makes me feel like she hates having me around. Same life really, only different people and now I'm a baby eater."

The casualness to how she said the last part sent a chill down the vampire's spine. It was like she didn't even care anymore. The loss of her wolf was slowly seeping away any vestige of desire or duty she had, her spirit was simply wasting away with out purpose.

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

It was sad to see one of the People in such a state. Amber was, in theory, trying to get Swara back on her feet. But she's probably doing it by repeatedly kicking her in the ass. And there needs to be another option than rehabilitation via beatings.

"First off," Sarah tried, "you're not a baby eater. That thing that took over you was, and that's a big difference. Trust me: if you really were a baby eater, you wouldn't be here talking with me right now."

She did a quick look around, just to confirm against the slim, slim chance that Amber had suddenly come sneaking up. "As for Amber? She's my cousin, and she's kind of a bitch. Heart's in the right place, but she got a lot of Stormlord attitude from our grandmother, so she's not real good at the 'positive' part of 'positive reinforcement.' Anyway, I'll guarantee you that she likes you a lot more than she likes me." Or at least, what I've become.

"Anyway, there's gonna be this little get-together at Declan's tomorrow. Invites to werewolves only, though they're letting me scuttle in after sunset on sort of an honorary basis. Ariel's looking to work up the beginnings of a pack, and she mentioned that you're invited. So I wanted to make sure that I'd see you there."

[Swara-Ann]

"Why invite me?" She asked confused. "I mean, I don't even like wolves. They kinda freak me out now." She collapsed herself into the fence, her back knocking against the wood. "I'm not like them Sarah, I never will be. Just like I told Amber, I don't want this, I just want a cure."

She raised her hand slightly, "I know, I know... there isn't one. Doesn't mean I can't keep dreaming. I'm of no use to you guys, I'm just baggage."

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

"And do you think I wanted this?"

The words were out of Sarah's mouth before she had the chance to actually think about them, but there they were. And once said, she followed them up as the train of thought chugged along.

"I wanted to be a werewolf. Always did, because it's what I was raised around. But my grandmother said I'd never change, and I took it as gospel. Went off on a really stupidly foolish mission for the family, died in the middle of a desert, and was turned into this... thing. Any chance I ever had of a First Change is gone, and now I'm a leech. Most werewolves - hell, most anything - won't give something like me the time of day. Definitely not my first choice.

"But I didn't give up on a purpose because of the shitty deal I got. I've stepped up and proved that I can be useful, even if I'm never going to be an equal. And you? Hell, you can do more than that; you really can be an equal."

The Dead-Wolf fumbled around for a moment for an example before realizing she'd danced with one earlier in the night.

"I remember when Ariel first changed; cripes, she hated everything about it and figured she was useless. Now? Now she's the one who is putting together an honest-to-Luna pack. So don't sell yourself short. Anyone who fought against that fucking spirit as long as you did has more guts and potential than half of these other guys, even if they won't admit it."

Sarah tried to get the words to sink in. "You're not just baggage. Even if you don't like what you are, you do have a purpose. Joining a pack would really help you get a better handle on that. And hey," she added with a little smile, "if they let me in, at least you know you won't be the Omega."

[Swara-Ann]

Sarah was right. Swara-Ann did possess a measure of will and drive that seemed to keep her going when all the world was crashing down around itself. She never quite understood how she could always see the bright side of things and even when things were at their were worst she always had hope.

She faught as long as she did because the tought of giving in, to release that monster on the world unchecked was worth any amount of pain she might have felt inside. Even if it had meant an eternity of torture she was willing to keep the monster trapped within her, if only to save what lives she could. There was a lot of honor in a deed like that, if she could ever come to understand it.

"That's nice of you to say Sarah, really." She managed a smile. "But c'mon, I'm not liek you guys, I can't even fight, and I don't even know what the hell an 'omega' is."

Her head lowered and she folded her arms. "I'm not smart like you guys, I can't even do that whole change thingie. Amber and the other guy said I've lost the wolf, and I have to be honest Sarah, I can't say I want it back. I just want a normal life. I want to go to class, go to parties, have premarital sex, get a video of me half-naked on YouTube doing thing I should be ashamed of while drunk, get dumped by a guy who only cheated me with four girls instead of five. You know, like all regular college girls my age are doing. Trust me, 'werewolf' is not on my list collegiate priorities right now. Besides, my parents are going to kill me when they find out. They'll prolly make sleep outside next to Hambone, he's our hound dog."

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

"Eh, probably best not to let your folks in on ths little complication in your life." Apparently, this was Sarah's night for understatement. "It's one of those important things, that we don't let normal folks know that we're around. Need to keep the whole 'torches and pitchforks' thing from happening." Not to mention the whole '.50-calibre snipper rifle' thing, she silently rued.

"You can have a life. Really. I promise. Class, parties, sex, the whole shebang. Sure as hell can have more of that than I can, anyway, with the whole dead thing. It's just that there's some extra parts of your life now. Some of it can kinda suck. Some can be really fucking cool. And the part of it that you'll hopefully get to start understanding tomorrow is the coolest part.

"Look, you know about sororities, right? The whole bit of more-family-than-your-family? That's what a pack - a real pack, as opposed to what there is now - is like. It's the closest family you could ever hope to have, people who will be there for you when the chips are down no matter what and who will be glad to know that you're there for them."

It was hard to tell if any of this was getting through; Sarah wasn't good at reading faces, and Swara wasn't good at showing comprehension. But she stumbled along nonetheless. "You know, the whole changing thing will work itself out in time. Or it won't. But either way, there's stuff you can do. And the pack will be there to help, whether or not I'm a part of it."

[Swara-Ann]

"You mean whether or not I'm a part of it, right?" Swara asked, catching the way Sarah seemed to talking more about herself when she spoke. "I'm not sure what you're saying. You keep talking about me and referring to yourself every other sentence. You tell me I can have fun, but your life sucks, that my life has cool things in it while other parts'll still suck. It's kinda hard to get where your coming from when you seem to hate what you've become more than I hate hate what I've become. I mean, seriously, how bad can it suck to be a vampire?"

She shrugged. "I'm sort of getting a lot of that. Amber says how much pack and family are important, then treats me like I got icky-bum or something. You tell me that I shouldn't hate what I've become and I should just learn to enjoy it and take it one step at a time but all you've done is put down what you've become from the moment you walked over here. I mean seriously people, does anyone actually believe the bullshit they keep vomiting into my ears? No one makes any sense."

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

Terrifyingly, Swara was right, and Sarah really had no choice but to cop to it.

"Sorry. I'm... you know what? It's not important what I am. But I don't think Ariel would have mentioned you if she didn't intend for you to be included.

"And you know, I won't lie. There's some pretty cool things about what I am, too, even if I seem all doom and gloom sometimes. Sure, I can't get a suntan, but I can hear a pin drop a hundred yards out. And for something really cool? I can turn into a bird." A real smile creased her lips. "Flying is really something."

With a bit of effort, Sarah dragged herself back from wonderful memories of soaring to the here and now. "That whole Omega thing? The Omega is the pack member who's on the bottom of the totem pole, just like the Alpha is the one at the top. By tradition, the youngest member of the pack is the Omega, so that'd normally be you. But because I'm not actually a werewolf, I'd be the Omega, and that's completely fair and cool with me.

"And yeah, Amber's good at the growling. But keep in mind that you're not in a pack with her yet, and she's not in one either. The ties that bind change a lot of how you'll interact; it may take a little bit of adjustment, but she'll stop treating you like... did you say 'icky-bum'? Icky-bum, then."

[z-Amber Wren]

"Somethin' vexes thee?"

The statement was delivered in a calm Southern drawl, and Amber turned from the window with a smile. "I never should have shown you that movie," she laughed, grinning easily at her boss. "Besides, who says I'm vexed?"

Theo gave her one of his precise smiles. "Come now, Amber," he chided her gently. "You only stand and stare out the window when you're troubled."

Amber smiled ruefully. "I... have a friend who isn't taking care of herself. She's staying with me, but she just won't get what she needs to get to survive, even. I've been trying to help, but I can't get through to her. She doesn't listen and won't do anything she's supposed to do."

"Then you can't do it for her," Theodore said easily. "It's hard to help someone change themselves; impossible to make them do it. You can cajole them, but if they don't want to change, then they won't."

"What would you do?" Amber asked, leaning against the window frame.

"Let her know you care, but let her be," Theodore suggested. "Be there to support her, not force her. Try to convince her to help herself, not force her. That's what I would do."

Amber looked down at the floor. "I really don't like that."

"You don't have to like it," Theodore told her, crossing his arms. "It's not for you."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Theo's words were still ringing in her head when Amber drove her truck up to the front of Oneca's house. She'd have to head back later; Theo had a big meeting that he wanted her there for, but he'd said she could head out until then. Stepping out of the truck, she straighted her suit and headed inside. She needed to get laid, badly.

Amber had no idea what she was walking into, or that her odds of getting waylaid by drama were way higher than finding a willing frat fuck-toy. She scooted around the clumps of people, drawing both looks and shudders - the former was for her looks, the latter for the inhuman aura that rolled around her. She didn't see anyone she knew inside, so she headed out, looking for Ariel-

And ran into Dec being chastised by Morgan. "Oh, shit," she blurted, then said, "Don't mind me, just looking for Ariel. Catch you later, guys." Much later, and separately or after you've fucked yourselves into a calmer state.

Amber scanned the backyard, wondering where the fuck Ariel was. She'd think that she had the wrong party, save that she'd already seen Dec-

Didn't he say he was seeing a girl? Amber stole a look back at Morgan and Dec. So that's how it is. With a rueful grin at the shit that the two had gotten themselves into, her eyes finally fell on someone familiar. "Fuck!" she snapped, her fists balling up. Let her be. With effort, she unclenched her hands. "Fine, we'll try it your way," she mumbled.

As casually as she could - which wasn't very - Amber strolled up to the talking women. "Hey, guys, didn't know you'd be here, though I should have expected you, Sarah," she said, her voice only somewhat casual. You're always sniffing around after Dec. "Having fun?" She smiled - or tried a close approximation of one.