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[wraithwitch.livejournal.com]

The night air still held a touch of winter chill, a dry and dusty bite carried on the breeze. The wind whipped at her hair, tugging at the long potassium strands and weaving them into tangled webs about her shoulders.

“How’d you know I’d end up with him?” she’s demanded, piqued that the whole universe save her seemed to have viewed it as a foregone conclusion.

Kayd hadn’t laughed but his voice had held a deep well of humour. “Oh, because it’s you and I’ve never known anyone so perverse. What could you have possibly done that would send the garou into a spitting fury? Ah, of course, marry the ex Lord of the Black Spiral Dancers.”

The ghost of a smile stained her lips. She was fond of Kayd, although she’d no idea what had caused his change of heart from disdain to quiet acceptance of her recent actions.

She cast her gaze outwards across the city. Since the Ratkin’s war there were far fewer tall buildings in London, far fewer palaces of glass and steel; and most of those that still stood were considered structurally unsound. Not that such things were a concern to her; she just wanted somewhere up above it all where she could clear her head.

Arguing with the Wolves always left her feeling defeated. She could speak sense, growl truth, shout opinion or bite her lip – it really didn’t seem to make any difference. Wolves would defend their Territory first, the world second; they needed no one’s help, were always right, and if you weren’t a Garou, you just didn’t make the grade.

She reached up to brush her hair back behind her ears, her eyes narrowing into a scowl. Honestly, she didn’t care much for her husband’s idea. She had a feeling it would raze half the world. But she also knew it would work; so unless someone came up with something significantly better, she’d back it to the hilt.

She cast a glance skywards at the darkened heavens and the celestial lights that glinted there.

“I could show you how it’s done…”

“No, thanks al’the same, I...”

“I could turn you into a star if you wanted...”he’d continued, ignoring her dismissal of the idea.

She’d twisted round to look at him, mentally caught off balance as usual. “What?”

“It’s how I think of you, you know. I look up and you’re always burning magnificently in the darkness...”

Her eyes had widened, filled with a childishly devout desire. Dear heaven - was she that easily read or he was that perceptive? “Wanted t’be a star ever since I stopped bein’ Khara an’ Kit got his heart o’fire,” she’d admitted softly; it was an odd wish she’d never mentioned to anyone. “Jus’ close my eyes, open my arms an’ blaze int’purest flame, flowin’ out in crimson white an’ gold. Burnin’ through all that is unloved in Selene’s sight,” she said, wry and biblical, grinning at him, at herself and her own foolishness. “Burnin’ just for the joy o’it. Kinda like a nuke o’Gaia.” The closest she’d ever come was a gift given to her by Luna with her sixth tail, a gift she hadn’t had the opportunity to try before she’d been reshaped yet again.

The Tannasg Rhi was a creature of whim – he was especially keen to indulge whim sought and approved of by his young wife. “In which case, I think we should...” He watched her expression, noting the thought that stole across her eyes with all the stealth of a supernova. He laughed, a rich and rusty sound. “However, I’m not turning you into a star so you can pick a fight with Anthelios!”

She giggled, mostly because it was so rare for him to utter the words ‘no’ or ‘not’ in accordance with anything – that was usually her job.

It was peculiar, Ash thought, how she was so many different things to different people.

To her family she was someone to be proud of. To those in the East she was a dutiful if exasperating daughter of a respected House. To several of the London garou she was ‘that snooty cow who caused all the ananasi trouble’. To several more she was likely a pain in the arse and a liability. To many of the Spirals of Mile Deep she was ‘that wee bonny bitch’ (or ‘the Cailleach’, which amounted to the same thing). To Moonshine-Eats-the-Tub she was practically clan. To the Tannasg Rhi she was the brightly burning heart of a star in darkness, like Ligier’s little sister perhaps - only less deranged.

Was it possible to be all those at once? And whose side did that put her on anyway?

Today she stood with the London Sept, handing out truth and prophecy like it was candy. Tomorrow she would dance in the balefire and watch over the Alabama cubs whilst their parents went out on a Hunt. The day after she would petition Luna for a very particular secret. Then, who knew, perhaps she’d sell it to the highest bidder, or give it away on a whim; perhaps she’d keep it for herself. Seemed more and more she just sowed confusion and fuss, dropping bombshells of information like that goddess of spite with her golden apples.

A smile blossomed, lazy and arrogant, borrowed wholesale and not belonging to Ash at all. She looked down at the world in general and although her hair and eyes were blood not bone, although her voice was a Southern drawl not a gentlemanly growl, there was something about her aspect when she spoke that was entirely the Tannasg Rhi – as if she wore him under her skin.

“Good game,” she said. “Good game.”

Comments

[lanfykins.livejournal.com]

Tomorrow she would dance in the balefire and watch over the Alabama cubs whilst their parents went out on a Hunt.

...and she wonders why the Garou think she's batting for the other team? Has it occurred to her that it's because she is?

[wraithwitch.livejournal.com]

Ash doesn't wonder why the Garou think she's Fallen. She has a good amount of Fera lore and a LOT of Bastet lore - she knows Garou don't even need a damn reason to think someone is fallen.

Also, as far as I'm aware, the London Sept don't know how much time she is spending in Mile Deep nor what she does while she is there, all they actually know for certain is she is married to Rkleish.

So from Ash's point of view the Garou suspicions really aren't based on much at all =P

[lanfykins.livejournal.com]

Yeeeees.

But they're also not actually wrong :)

[twicedead.livejournal.com]

You know, the main reason Dove was difficult with Ash was because she showed up with Silver Claws. That's like walking into a human council meeting with a loaded rifle and the safety off. Even long term Garou allies don't show silver unless they are using it for a specific ritual involving death or Luna, or they are about to try and kill you. It puts your audience on edge.

I imagine coming from the Eastern Courts, and therefore almost certainly having etiquette, Ash could probably realise that one for the future.

[wraithwitch.livejournal.com]

Ah, the silver claws I was referring to is actually a set of claws of Rorg which she habitually wears on one hand - hence why she was only tapping together one hand of claws. Sorry, it's something easy to tell in game cos I have armour-claws rings, but not clear over lj and when i'm not specific enough. Then again, openly wearing a war fetish can still be taken as a bit of a fuck-you, so...

[twicedead.livejournal.com]

Actually hunter's talons are made from parts of rorg and are therefore more likely to be meteoric iron or rock rather than silver - Rorg has no associations with Luna's metal (and they may cause less upset with Garou and more with faeries)

[wraithwitch.livejournal.com]

yes. however, they're silver if they've been dipped in moonsilver =)