"I found her outside! Can I keep her?"

Odeon - Lobby(#4049RJ)
The Odeon's lobby is testament to a faded and perverted glory. The deep crimson carpet is thick in places but in others stubbly as velveteen, and the rich pattern of tangling flowers is everywhere marred by dark stains. The walls are clothed in kingly purple tatters of wallpaper, and covered with faded posters featuring women and men in various states of undress, posing with various degrees of tastelessness, and screaming out titles like "Male Service", "Bang Bang: a Sexual Explosion", and "A Slip of Her Tongue" in garish lettering. There's no light in the room but what comes in from the street, and during the day the actresses look grey and ghoulish, and the bright reds and purples of the room faded and dusky; and at night, the place might as well be covered in thick black paint.
Immediately in front of the entrance is dull matte turnstyle which no longer turns, where once tickets were taken. To the right are a pair of doors which some joker has labelled "Pimps" and "Hos" with red spraypaint: these are the washrooms. To the left are a pair of doorways which lack actual doors, and opposite is a grand set of boarded doors which lead into the theatre proper.

In the dark, dank interior of the dilapidated of the theater, an Ahroun sits restlessly on the edge of a small stack of milk cartons. Bare chested, Basil wears a pair of olive drab semi loose pants held up by belt that was once black, but has now faded to a light grey. His shades have been replaced by his usual eye patch, and all his stubble has been shaved off. Yet aside from that, he still seems ( and smells ) a bit dirtier than he was before the incident happened. Currently he's sitting quiet, and dead still, staring off into the dark with an unfocused eye, a thousand yard stare.

It seems a shame that Basil's reverie should be interrupted by a rattling from the chained-up graffiti-marked front door, but it is. Someone's obviously wanting in.

Basil looks up before too long, though he doesn't immediately, nor does he suddenly come out of his thoughtful state. "Who is it?" He calls out, just above a normal level voice.

"Abraham Lincoln," calls Kevin's voice through the door sarcastically. "Who the hell do you think, man?"

"How should I know?" Basil replies, sounding somewhat more off then usual. "We once had some kids bust in and try to burn down the place. Could be anyone." Even as he takes the chain off the door, Basil braces some of his weight against it as he opens it to let Kevin in, putting him in a better position to slam it, should he need to. "What's going on?"

"Chill, Basil," Kevin urges the ahroun. "It's all good news. I tracked down a couple of theurges like you said. Laura gave me some good tips on totems in general, said Pegasus or Unicorn might like the idea of our pack. And Gunnar," he adds, "Gunnar knows the totem rite and will run it for us any time we need."

"The moon is high. And besides that, I'm not very happy right now. I'm not sure why." Basil murmurs, shutting the door and chaining it behind Kevin. "In case we don't get the Totem of our choice, we should each stuff our pockets with the goods for every variety of Totem. I'm not saying we'll take everything, but we've only got so much time to work with."

"I know," Kevin agrees. "Laura gave me good tips. Anything pure," he explains. "Water, crystals, that stuff. And bandages or medication or whatever." He eyes Basil. "When were you hoping to go totem-questing? And have you made any more recruits while I've been out woodside?"

Basil turns his attention away from Kevin, going back to where he came from. The Ahroun eventually comes back with a off brown canteen. "Take this, and fill it with pure water from the bawn when you get the chance. Ask permission if you must." Basil offers it to Kevin, smiling just a little. "No new recruits yet. But I will have them. And we will do this, before the fire."

"Do you want me to sound people out while I'm out there?" Kevin asks, curiously. "Or do you want to be the one who gets to say who's invited?"
"I can't honestly think of many people that would pack with a Charach and a another Charach." Basil replies, frankly. "Can you? Or have you heard anything?"

Kevin shrugs. "Others of your tribe? They tend to be sensible and not give a damn about reputation," Kevin suggests. "Except Aaron... I don't know. Maybe any unpacked theurges or Gaians. We're gonna be the only healing pack out there, remember?"

"Healing will be our goal. But if we don't get the right Totem, we'll have to adjust." Basil murmurs, glancing off back into the Odeon. "I don't expect Aaron to ever see eye to eyes with me. Olga, maybe, after everything is set together. Masao is more likely. I could probably get the new guy if I ever met him, but I won't have strangers in my pack."

"What about that girl... Christine?" Kevin suggests. "Or Tu of my tribe. If there isn't too much history between you." Then he grins. "Hey. Vera isn't in a pack."

"Tu isn't around enough. Christine... Maybe." Basil pauses, seeming thoughtful for a moment. Without even looking at Kevin, he distractedly says. "That's stupid. Vera would take command, and she'd never join us anyways."

"I know it was stupid," Kevin rejoinders. "I was trying to lighten you up a bit. What's on your mind, packmate? You look about as gloomy as I was a few weeks ago."

"I don't know. Maybe it's the upcoming fight, or maybe I'm just thinking too much about this serious totem business." Basil half whispers, walking back to the stack of milk cartons. "This is my new dream. My new desire. I want this more than anything else, and I'm taking hold firmly of that dream. It's a strange feeling."

Kevin cocks his head on one side and watches Basil as he moves about. "I guess," he says in a rather choked voice, "that after what we had came to an end you had to fill the gap in your life with something. I'm glad it's something more noble, Basil."

Basil looks up at Kevin, then shakes his head at the boy. "That's the past. This isn't about filling a hole. This is about going into the future. About walking the right path. About doing what's best for Gaia, and ourselves. And you should be too. Please tell me you've talked to Tu and Aimee."

Kevin clears his throat a little pointedly. "Basil, man. You sent me on a mission on the bawn. I went there right away. I completed it. I came back and went straight to you. I haven't had time to look for Tu and Aimee."

"Then this is your new mission. Talk to them, or at least leave them another message requesting a meeting when you can sometime before the tire fire. I also want you to do the water thing, and gather the water. I'll get other Totem payments taken care of when the moon sinks a little more."

"Water, elder, girlfriend," Kevin confirms, ticking the three points off on the fingers of his left hand just a little too eagerly and ostentatiously. "Anything else for now? Sure I can't take your mind off your worries somehow?" A split second after this last offer he goes pink, possibly realising how it sounds.

"I think that's how we got in trouble in the first place, Kevin." Basil replies without missing a beat, smiling slightly. "But no. I don't think there is anything you can do. Every person has something to think about, good, bad, or whatever. Now I'm thinking, you know?"

Kevin gets the hint and, still rather pink in the face, backs away from Basil. "I'll see you again soon as I've completed this level," he jokes slightly feebly as he exits.

Basil nods at Kevin, and gets up to follow him to the door. "You take care of yourself out there. I don't want to see you hurt. And try to get a handle on your rosy cheeks, it won't look good in public." Basil murmurs, waiting to the side for the Ragabash to exit.

Kevin looks mortified at Basil as he opens the cinema doors a fraction and slides through the gap.

Basil waves to the boy, and closes the door behind him, rechaining it with a small wistful smile on his face.

Maybe it's because he has things on his mind that the still-blushing Kevin omits to perform his normal check that the street outside is empty before quitting the cinema. As he leaves through the main doors, he almost runs full tilt into Kaz.

Kaz, who has several small bags in hand, does a small do-si-do in order not to run into the Walker. "Hey, yo," she says, all cheerfulness, "Where th' heck you goin' in such a hurry?"

"I'm on a mission from God," Kevin proclaims. "Well, from Basil. But I don't think it's so urgent I can't wait a few minutes to catch up with you and... uh..." He goes even pinker. "...thank you?"

Kaz snorts in amusement. "What kinda stuff's he got you runnin' now?" At his thanks, she waves a hand. "Enh, whatever. I just hate seein' people cooped up with nothin' productive t'do. It ain't fair an' it ain't right, so I figure, I got the ability to help, I might as well."

"I'll tell you inside," Kevin says meaningfully, closing one eye in an obvious hint that the subject of the mission is not for open air discussion. He rattles at the door chains again.

Kaz says, "Aha," in conspiratorial tones, and pushes at the doors. "Yo!" she calls in Basil's general direction.

Basil opens the chains again, this time without asking to see who's there. Though he seems a little cross when he opens one, he doesn't do more than chide Kevin. "I just let you out." He speaks, as if letting a dog back into a house. His attention turns to Kaz, whom gets an eyebrow raise. "I see you've got company now, huh?"

"I found her outside! Can I keep her?" Kevin says in a distressingly accurate impression of a six-year-old brat with a baby bunny rabbit or some such.

Kaz offers Basil one of the bags. (It proves to have bagels and cream cheese in it.) "Yeah, hi, I just thought I'd drop in an' bug you." She turns her head, slowly, to regard Kevin, and says, with glacial calm, "No. But you may borrow me for long periods of time."

Basil shakes his head at Kevin, then steps aside and gestures into the dark room. "Make yourselves at home." He takes the bag, and walks back over to a small stack of milk crates. Setting them down on top of them, he pulls up a few other pieces of debris for the others to sit on, then walks to a corner of the room. "You can bug me all you like, Kaz-rhya." Basil says, almost cheerfully from the dark corner.

"I'm still grateful," Kevin says. "Especially after I was such a pain in the ass the other day when you were trying to talk to me and Basil. Anyway, the mission," he says, returning to his original topic. "We," he says, pausing dramatically before going on, "are forming a pack." He puffs out his chest with not a little pride.

Kaz shrugs at Kevin. "You got a perfect right to be a pain in the ass, p'ticularly when people are layin' guilt trips on you." At his news, she stops dead, and regards both young men intently. "Really." She chews on her tongue, and then asks, with a strange mixture of eagerness and dubiousness, "Tell me about it?"

"The pack is going to be about the things some others forget. Things I know I forgot." Basil speaks up, just as he lights up a large, glass candle that has obviously been broken in places and duct taped up. "Not only about culling back the Wyrm, but healing what he leaves behind. Both Gaia's scars, and our own." The Ahroun speaks, softly, but with determination and certainty, walking back towards the other. "To help. To protect the weak, human and otherwise. It won't just be a pack. It'll be a family. A family committed towards my goals and Gaia."

Kevin nods firmly at every goal of the pack that Basil sets out. "What he said," he finally concurs. "There's a hell of a lot of people we all know in this sept who've been hurt. Physically, mentally, both. We want to try and put as many of them as we can back together, make them whole again to fight for Gaia more effectively."

Kaz blinks at Basil as if he'd just grown another head. "...A family, huh?" There's a sudden wistful overtone to her inquiry, though both the eagerness and the dubiousness are also still there. She nods slowly at Kevin, clearly putting things together in her head, tone briefly slightly abstracted. "Yah. Putting people back t'gether." She shakes her head, and her voice firms again. "What kinda totem you thinkin' of lookin' for?"

"Families fight, but they always stay together through thick and thin. They always protect each other. They love each other. And this pack will only be made of those that love and care for each other. No one will be at each other's throats. Families fight, but grudges won't be allowed." Basil explains, his attention directly on Kaz. "This pack will be about redeeming what we can, tearing apart what we can't, quickly, and mercifully, spreading the word of Gaia, and her love. I'm looking for Bear most of all, or maybe Pegasus or some other. But I'll take anything that can help me. Even Rat. As long as the Totem understands our goals and will work with us towards them."

Kevin's eyes glance at Basil two or three times during this speech, though it's likely that Basil will be unaware if he's fixed on Kaz. "Unicorn is another possibility. She heals, and she accepts. But we'll see, yeah. You're pretty savvy, Kaz. Can you think of any garou not packed up who might be interested in that mission statement, and who wouldn't sneer at joining us?"

Kaz mutters, "Even Rat, he says, like it's a major concession." (She's clearly joking.) "Familes do. They fight, they laugh, they talk shit t'each other, they give each other crap-- but if someone else tries t'give 'em crap, well, watch out." She chews on her cheek, this time. "Hold that thought, Kev, 'cause I may have an answer inna sec. But." She looks back and forth between the two of them, intently. "How you gonna respond t'people who're gonna be worried about you two charachs joinin' up t'gether in a job like this? It's somethin' you're gonna have to worry about f'awhile, people's perceptions."

"I don't care about people's perceptions. This is for Gaia, and this is my dream, and I will carry it through!" Basil states firmly, his brow creasing briefly before easing up, not sounding as mad as he sounds determined. "I'm not going to sin again. If they want to question me, than they can bring out the Philodoxes. But I'm not going to hinder Gaia or the Sept because people may think of what I might be doing. Anyone that will fulfill my dream and serve Gaia, sinner or not, can come. As long as they get along with everyone. While I don't care about how people look at us, I also want everyone in the pack to bite their tongue at the very least when it comes to old tribal grudges, or personal things. Spreading hostility in the Sept isn't something I want."

"Yeah. There's a short answer to that and a long one," Kevin drawls. "If anyone wants to accuse us of anything in that line, the long answer is that they can haul us up before the philodox, slam Truth of Gaia onto us, and question us as closely as they like. They won't find a thing," he promises. "The short answer, I'll leave to your imagination."

Kaz regards Basil for a moment, and then snorts at Kevin. "Yah. I gotta good imagination, too. I wasn't askin' 'cause I'm worried-- frankly, I don't give a shit. I was mostly askin' 'cause in some ways with you two, appearances are gonna matter a lot more'n reality, f'th' next year or so. 'Kay..." She trails off, and then takes a breath. "So yeah. I gotta suggestion or two, but I don't imagine you ain't already thought of 'em. Masao an' Christine, f'one. An' if it's clear this is your goddam pack an' not mine, Baz, there's always, uh, me. 'Cause packs gotta be family, fierce proud an' together. 'Cause there's way too many hurt, ignored people in this world that needs carin' for. 'Cause you can do that even while you're whuppin' ass. An' because I'm goddamn sick've bein' so alone, lately."

Basil nods at Kevin, then turns his attention right back to Kaz. The young, but scarred and hardened face is shook with surprise when she makes her offer, but the face soon snaps back into it's confident expression. "I've already considered them, yes. And been looking to ask Masao. Kaz-Rhya, if you would want to join the two of us, you'd be most certainly welcome. But we must move soon. I want to put this into action, if possible, this moon phase before it gets too low. Once the moon sinks to Theurge, it'll be too low for... What, a week, two, for the business? And if you want to come, I'm going to need you to help with gathering some spiritual goodies. Chimiage, or whatever it's called. Everything else is already lined up. We have the Ritemaster ready. We have our goals in order. We only need payment and a third member to start."

Kevin leans forward a fraction and peers at Kaz, bemused. "You're a fostern," he thinks aloud. "And you'd follow a charach cliath in a pack? Hot damn. This is going to be the craziest, freakiest pack there ever was. And I think I'm gonna like it," he adds, breaking into a smile.

Kaz quirks a small smile at Kevin. "It's the kind of thing where I got responsibilities in Portland, still, too, so I ain't got time to be an Alpha of a pack. And it's the kind of thing where me, as a Fostern, will lend credibility to you two doofuses. An' actually," she adds, clearly thinking out loud, "Me hookin' up with you'll prolly help alla them people who'll eye you warily-- they c'n look at me as... y'know, helpin' to rehabilitate you. Which, is bullshit, but hey, if it helps their tiny little brains, so much the better." Then she nods at Basil. "Chiminage, sure thing. What kinda stuff you lookin' t'get?"

"Healing things. Crystals, bandages. Pure things. Kevin's on that, water from the Bawn. I'd like to get a bit of everything appropriate for a good range of Totems, that way, whatever shows up, we can lend a decent offering. I was thinking for a war Totem I could offer a switch blade, or a stiletto." Basil says with a smile, walking a bit closer to the two of them. "So anything you can think of. If you're sure you want to Kaz-Rhya, then I will not let you down, as I trust you will not let me down. Together, we will fulfill a mutual dream. In days, we will be a band of brothers, and sisters. Two Charachs and a Metis." Basil can't help but smirk a bit, his amusement cracking his mask of seriousness.

"Yeah, I am," Kevin says, "and that's where I was heading off to when I ran into you, Kaz. Yeah. You obviously trust us or you wouldn't have vouched for us to let us back to the city. But really, you know. We're reformed characters. Pack with us, and we'll do right by you. Ask Dillen if you like, whether I ever let him down on pack matters in Requiem," he offers. "OK, I'd better get cracking if I want to get out to the bawn before sunset."

Kaz says, "Riiight. Remind me to have a longer conversation with you about this, Kev, it ain't like I'm sitting there in judgement over you. Anyhow, yeah, I'll catch you later." She nods at Basil. "OK. Yeah. I'll whip some stuff up. I've got stuff f'some've th' Totems of Cunning, but I'm kinda assumin' we ain't goin' f'Magpie an' Raccoon."

"I'd prefer not to. But I will take what I must. While I want to go for a certain range of Totems, I've only got so much time, and we must be humble. Whatever Gaia sends our way, that will be our fate." Basil half murmurs, closing his eye for the moment. "Gather everything as soon as possible."

Kevin heads back towards the door. "I'll be here," he says, "or at the Walker place, or out at the bawn. Yeah, any spirit that doesn't turn up its nose at us, I'll be happy with," he adds as he slips out of the door again.