Sepdet is waiting for Robin when she gets up in the morning, although usually she's either just going to sleep, or already gone to the island before dawn for her sunrise ritual. She has the coffee ready and is puttering around the kitchen.
A brief visit to the bathroom, and some muffled wretching precede Robin heading downstairs some time later, face scrubbed, teeth brushed. Red robe and hair loosely braided over one shoulder, not tied. She moves toward the kitchen and Sepdet. "Feather Sister."Sepdet's smile is just the tiniest bit too wide, hinting at some strain, when she greets the woman with a soft, "Heya." But her eyes relax at Robin's appearance, giving the smile a firmer foundation. "Sleep well?"
"What is it?" Robin replies, swapping question for question. She reaches the kitchen and pulls out a bag of saltines, immediately nibbling on one, her eyes finding Sepdet once again.
Sepdet pads over to the sink to pour herself a bowl of water, waiting for Robin to get at least a few mouthfuls. "I think one of your... um..." She flails a hand. "The people you work with. Only sometimes you work against them. Who?"
Robin stands within easy distance of the sink, watching Sepdet. She finishes the saltine and starts in on another. "Lawyers?" she asks.
Sepdet nods, lapping at her drink. "Yeah. Or somebody. I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but you may have annoyed somebody out there."
Robin frowns now, seeming to wake up a bit. "What makes you say that?
Sepdet stops stalling: a few crackers will have to do. "Chaser, who's another Garou, came by last night with bad news. She and some others found a nest of Wyrm in the city under an office building. There was some human crime going on... flesh trade? White slavery? I don't know what she meant. But also some really horrible things hidden down under the building, things the Wyrm does to people. Monsters. We had to kill those. Some got away. And while our people were searching the place, they found a list with a bunch of names on it." She takes a deep breath. "Including yours."
"My name," Robin echoes with that same frown. "How would ..." She pauses, mid-question, her gaze somewhat more stern now. "Have you told Black Rabbit?" She assumes and flickers a look outside.
Sepdet shakes her head hurriedly. "No. He's going to take this very badly. I wanted you to know everything first."
Long distance to Robin: Sepdet really didn't expect to get pulled into this as the messenger. But it's what Sep would do. Warn Robin before the menfolk start freaking out and beating their chests.
From afar, Robin nods with a smile. I love Sep's strength.
Robin turns to face Sepdet. "He does not know the city."
Sepdet bites her lip. "Neither do I. Which means I'm asking you how much work you can get done here 'til Chaser's folks track down the thugs that got away." Her hands give a sudden twitch and spill some of her drink.
Robin's gaze follows the spilled liquid and slide back up to Sepdet. "How much safer am I here?" she asks in a steady tone.
Sepdet paces over to the microwave. There's a piece of slightly crumpled paper tucked next to it. She sets the bowl down carefully with both hands, each movement plotted out and executed with more thought than usual. "Well. They're city-based. So they might be following you from work. If you stay here Joe or I or--" she sighs --"Little Bear can keep guard. There's Garou patrolling close by that can get here pretty quick. I'm going to work on putting a spirit by you that can run for help if there's a problem, but that'll take me a few days."
Robin follows after Sepdet with about a two step delay. "That will divide you," she states flatly.
Sepdet picks up the paper and turns back sharply at Robin's tone. "What do you mean?" she asks, voice rising up out of its usual alto.
Robin holds Sepdet's gaze for an admirably long moment before she must look down to her hands as she clasps them in front of her. "I will not be the cause of your weakness." There's something to the collective nature in the kin's pronouns.
Sepdet gives her a bewildered, sleepless look. "How? Because we're doing our job? Robin, you can -help- with this. You've just got to put up with one of us playing bodyguard for a while."
Robin steps into Sepdet's space without touching her. But what she ends up saying is not what it looks as though she intended to say. "What can I do?" Softly spoken.
Sepdet's answer isn't what she was working around to either--Robin may spot her name, and some other scribbled notes, on the paper Sepdet had gone to fetch. But the Strider's strength goes only so far. She abruptly reaches up with her free hand and cups the side of Robin's face, holding her gaze with a trace of desperation that might be fear, shoved aside and out of mind but hovering behind her. "Take no risks. Keep people around you. Be..." She shakes her head violently, and pulls her composure back together. "Chaser gave me the name of the place, and the rest of the list, and maybe you can track some of it down through your work."
Robin's brows draw together fractionally at a glimpse of that part of Sepdet. At her touch she moves in closer, the front of her robe grazing Sepdet's front. "How would you feel if I told you to hide, Hakhata Niyaha? Can you even begin to understand what it is to be at once within and without?" But Sepdet has heard this song from Robin before and the kinswoman tucks it away. "I will not be," and here she speaks a Lakota word then follows it up with a translation, "..foolish." Lifting a hand to the wrist of Sepdet's hand cupping her cheek, Robin answers quietly, "I can access most of my files from here. And the firm's database."
Sepdet's eyes tighten with sudden anger. "I know -exactly- what I am asking of you," she growls in frustration.
You paged Robin with 'Mostly self-directed.'.
Robin pages: Bad Robin. :)
You paged Robin with 'Not at all.'.
Robin presses in now, lifting her hands, relatively cold fingertips to touch lightly at Sepdet's temples, closing her eyes as she dips her chin for a moment. "I will do as you say." After a moment she draws back, impinging fingers dropping away, "And I thank you for the respect of your candor."
Sepdet takes a shaky breath. "I'm just doing my job. Except with you, there's never 'just'." She gives the woman's face a caress as she pulls her hand away, finding her own steadiness again. "I've had to go into hiding too. At least it won't be five months underground in a fallout shelter for you with only twinkies to eat." She forces a shaky laugh, then turns her attention back to Chaser's notes to explain.
You paged Robin with 'Eep. Make that two. Bad ellen. :)'.
Long distance to the room: Sepdet also apologizes for truly abysmal poses tonight.
==============================================================================
To: Robin
Cc: Rorschach
Subject: Info from Chaser
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just our luck Chaser decided to come to the farmhouse when Sep was there, so -I- get to be message-bearer. Anyway, Sepdet is passing it to Robin, and Vicki if/when Sep tracks her down, so I'm cc'ing the GM in case questions get referred back his way. Chaser gave a piece of paper with the following info:
A list of names:George Harrison. William Doyle. Robin. Aidan Riley. Dru Ash. Chris Fisher.
The name and address of the building Chaser torched. The name of a club she mentioned which was apparently the front for the operation, and its owners name. Chaser's phone number.
==============================================================================
Robin pages: YOur abysmal is enjoyable.
Sepdet points, her finger giving another jerk. "Okay. This is the list of names they found. Dru Ash is director of Wolf Woods down south; I don't know the others. Here's the building's address. This is the... sex club... and its owner's name; I think she said it was in the basement, and that's where they found the list. And the monsters. That's Chaser's phone number: she said call her if you've got -any- ideas, or questions."
The mail has been sent.
Robin takes the list as it is offered and looks it over thoughtfully. "Do I know -- Chaser?"
Sepdet shakes her head. "I don't think you've met her. She's Get, but she's honorable. Tough. Very capable."
Robin nods once, distracted from the heating water kettle. She carries the paper over to where she left her files out the previous night and begins looking through them in no seeming order, murmuring incoherently to herself.
Sepdet sets a hand on her shoulder lightly, a hesitant expression on her face. "Should I tell Joseph?" she murmurs.
Robin has only just put on her glasses when she looks over the top of them at Sepdet. "The question is not 'should' but rather 'how', isn't it?"
Sepdet smiles apologetically. "I mean, do you want to tell him, or should I? I insist on keeping you guarded if at all possible. But you get some choice in your guards."
Robin shakes her head, pulling the glasses back off again even as the kettle begins full out steaming. "He must know. And you must watch him, run with him." There is some element of plea-demand to that statement. "Enapay will stay here."
From afar, to the room, Joseph should come in now?
Sepdet exhales. "If you can stand his fussing," she grumbles, "who am I to argue on that?" She gives Robin's shoulder another squeeze and slips away to give her space to work.
From afar, to the room, Joseph mutters. Talking about me, or Enapy?
Joseph pages to the room: Say yes?
Robin smiles wanly and turns off the stove, makes a cup of tea and returns to her computer and files, putting her glasses back on.
From afar, to the room, Robin does 17 things in one sentence/pose.
Long distance to the room: Sepdet always knew she was superwoman.
The door opens and the Wendigo makes an appearance. He's been running in the wolf again, and apparently talking with spirits--if the sparkle in his eyes is any indication. Seeing Sepdet and Robin, his smil widens a little.
Long distance to the room: Sepdet hmms. One thing, though. We were timewarped back to this morning. Oh, hell. Maybe that's too complicated. Ignore the time discontinuity and we'll just go with it. :)
Sepdet looks up from where she's putting some finishing touches on the protective wand over by the hearth and gives Joseph a smile, but the brief peace afforded her by the door into summer apparently has slipped back into her veil of cares.
Sipping at her tea and focused on her files, Robin doesn't hear Joseph's silent arrival.
Joseph touches the Strider's cheek lightly, winking mischievously as he sneaks toward the kitchen and Robin. It's practically impossible to get to her before she notices, but he tries.
It's no mean feat, but Sepdet manages to return Joseph's wink with equal mischief and holds still to watch his stalking.
It's possible, given the focus she's directing on the information she's hunting down with an intense gaze. Robin takes a sip of her tea. "Have you seen the..." She turns to ask Sepdet a question then catches sight of close-Joseph, catching her breath in rare surprsie.
Sepdet leans back against the couch and watches with a little more smile showing. "See the what?"
Joseph's eyes dance, and though his surprise was cut short of its actual purpose, he leans the few inches left to plant a kiss on robin's lips. "The Wendigo, coming in the door," he says.
Robin only recalls the art of returning Joseph's kiss as he's drawing away. She reaches for his hand, catches it with her own, and looks to Sepdet.
Sepdet nods slowly, sharing a look of doomed awareness with Robin over Joseph's shoulder, tucking it behind a smile that's a delaying action. "Yes, I saw," she says quietly.
Joseph is as perceptive as he has ever been, and after a look that moves from Robin to Sepdet and back again, some of the humor leaves his eyes. "I have interrupted something secretive, haven't I? women's workings?"
Long distance to the room: Sepdet shoots the melodrama, throws it in the food disposal, and shakes the remains out into the trash bin around back.
From afar, to the room, Robin laughs.
Robin draws Joseph toward the 'u' of sofas, pulling him to a seat beside her. "There is news," she answers simply.
Joseph is easily drawn, worry now creasing his brow. He sits, darting a glance to Sepdet. "Is it the baby?"
Sepdet gets up carefully and moves over to settle on the other side of the human. "Less mysterious and more annoying than that," she tells Joseph. "We get to put your worry to the test. Baby's fine. Robin's got an enemy."
Robin lifts her gaze to measure Joseph's profile as Sepdet speaks.
Joseph's eyes flash, eyes darkening and drawing back to Robin to listen.
Sepdet tries to put it in words like small round stones in a vain attempt to make it easier. "Chaser's pack found some wyrm in the city. Under a building, in a club where humans do bad things to each other. There were Fomori. Chaser's pack killed most. Some got away. There was a piece of paper with a list of names, and Robin's was one of the names."
Joseph doesn't seem to follow this. "How? Why? What does it mean?"
Sepdet shakes her head. "I'm not quite sure. Chaser said, 'Russian mafia'. I don't exactly know what that means. But from Renaissance, I have seen things like this. The Wyrm infects humans. They act like humans, look like humans, and that lets them get away with things right in human places. Also, they work with human criminals, people who do drugs, sell... sex... other wrong things. They band together in packs, called gangs, and there are many gangs, and an organization that ties them all together, like a sept, and that's called the mafia. I can't think of any reason for them to have Robin's name. But they are bad, so they may mean her harm."
Joseph's eyes shift quickly to the pile of papers--the thing that to Joseph represents Robin's only real interest in the urrah's world. "This is about..work?" he asks, in Lakota, growing faintly agitated.
Robin nods and answers roughly in the same language, "You have your fights. Do you run a circle around them to avoid risk?"
Joseph is anything but rational right now. Frightened is the best word to describe it, but even that is not accurate enough. He stands from the couch, still speaking Lakota. "This is not about courage, Feather."
Robin stands with him, reaching one hand up to touch his chin as if she can demand his gaze. "It is about fighting." Now she speaks in English.
Sepdet sets a hand on Robin's shoulder firmly, looking up at Joseph. "She has more power than they know. They think she is human, alone, unaware of them. But she knows. She has her way to fight them. And she has -us- to ambush them, if they are foolish enough to follow her here."
Joseph's eyes meet Robin's, their fierceness matching any moment in their long history. When Sepdet speaks, he answers, in English, "I cannpt protect her in their world, Hope," he says excitedly, and continues when he looks back at Robin. "I cannot lose you. I will not. You will stay here."
Robin stills, her hand dropping away from Joseph as Sepdet's hand on her shoulder settles in and the kin relaxes and agrees, perhaps surprisingly, with Joseph. "I will stay here."
Joseph is certainly surprised. He expected an arguement. He expected more than an arguement. And so when she speaks, he's literally taken aback with her agreement. "Washte," he says, quite unsure of himself suddenly.
Sepdet slumps slightly. Her grip on Robin's shoulder is a little too tight, in spite of her confident words.
"I can work from here for a few days while this Chaser learns what she can." There, subtle, is the post-agreement qualifier. Robin lifts a hand to touch lightly at the Strider's hand, her gaze never leaving Joseph's face.
Sepdet puts in quietly, holding herself and her voice rock-steady in the face of Joseph's fear, "There are some other things we can do."
Joseph's jaw tightens as he notes Robin's qualification, but he holds to his victory nonetheless, chin lifting slightly. Sepdet's words earn an intense but curious look from the Wendigo. "Tell me," he asks.
You say "Tell the guardians to bring their patrol farther north, to encompass this place. Little Bear will stay day and night once he's told, unless we -make- him stay away. I'll work on a talen like a kinfetch, to search and summon Garou if Wyrm is near her. We could set some of the cubs to stay and guard who have no other duties: there are tribes we can ask for this. I know many who ache to be useful, and some I trust. If she -must- move, she can have escorts. It is only a question of who you would bring into this."
Joseph's eyes move to robin, and it's clear the Wendigo doubts she will agree to such treatment. He waits to see what she says before he himself answers, however.
Robin nods at what Sepdet says. "Enapay can come. Until we hear more, others aren't necessary. What Sepdet says is right, Black Rabbit. I do not think they know who I am aside from the fires I stir at work." Something undefined holds Robin's argument firm.
Joseph's nostrils flare, and it's clear the fact that he does not understand exactly what Robin does all day in that other world bothers him now, deeply. He seems restless and cagey, but he acquiesces with a silent nod.
Long distance to Robin: Sepdet hm. Only problem with this plot is it doesn't solve Rory's annoyance: that Robin never interacts with anyone outside a small circle. We'll see. :)
Robin pages: I /know/. Robin intentionally said ' a few days'. :)
Sepdet holds out her hands towards Joseph. "Come back down here," she murmurs.
Joseph does not seem to want to, but he allows Sepdet to convince him, and he follows where she leads.
Sepdet scoots over to settle him between them. "She's perfectly fine as long as the two of us are right here. So take a few deep breaths and relax. What were you doing before you cam home?"
Joseph does not look in a mood to placated, and he continues to watch Robin. "I met the Raven that Stands Proud's pack looks to. And made a deal with him."
Sepdet looks up worriedly. "Anything we can help with?"
Joseph shakes his head, quieting somewhat. "No. It is unimportant."
The mail has been sent.
Sepdet grimaces. "Perhaps, but I'm not going to spend the next five weeks hovering over Robin's shoulder and pacing until she and Chaser's pack and the city Garou track down these -things- and dispatch them. Tell me."
Joseph again shakes his head. "I only asked him to help get me reaquainted with the spirits here."
Sepdet smiles tiredly. "Very good. Still be doing that." She looks at him pleadingly. "Tell me you did not sit in one spot and stew the whole time I was in the... in the sewers?"
Robin moves over to stand in front of the fire, then turns suddenly and moves back over to a file on the counter by her computer. "There may be something."
Sepdet leans back against the sofa, hooking one arm over it. She's just in the act of settling her cheek on her forearm to watch Robin, but her head comes up sharply at that. "Yes?"
Joseph has one eye on Robin and one on Sepdet, and thus his concentration on either is not what it should be. He gives the Strider a confused look, "When were you in the sewers?"
Sepdet's eyes tighten in pain at his question, but only a little--she is not surprised. However, she holds up a finger and fixes her eyes on Robin.
Robin skims through something, then turns, running a hand through her loosely braided hair, only succeeding in undoing it completely. "A company I am not making very happy," she begins.
Joseph gets to his feet to approach Robin, but as he gets closer and his attention goes to the computer and the stacks of papers, his stance is even more wary than usual.
Robin continues, speaking as the thought expands in her mind, "Last week two intentionally imposing gentlemen representing Semanov Industrial Hauling paid me a visit at work. They were willing to give me $100,000 on the spot if I would drop my litigation. They were not pleased when I was not impressed by the cash."
Joseph's not impressed by the cash--since it means very little to the Wendigo--but the idea of two men attempting to push Robin around gets his attention. Again his eyes burn with the frustration of, perhaps, not being able to protect her.
Sepdet's brows knit together in concentration as she follows the unfamiliar language through to its end. Then they shoot up in surprise. "That is a lot of money," she says, having some understanding of human needs.
Sepdet translates carefully for Joseph, "The Wyrm sent two servants to her to say: we will give you a large gift if you promise not to fight us."
Long distance to the room: Sepdet understands all the verbs in Robin's life, she just gets confused by some of the nouns. ;)
From afar, to the room, Robin grins.
Joseph nods to Sepdet, having understood the concept. But when Sepdet equates the men with the Wyrm, it only drives home his aggitation, a scowl fixing around those dark eyes.
Robin looks briefly apologetic for her work terminology. "I haven't received any threats aside from that," she muses, already distractedly turning back to her files. "But they couldn't think that doing something to me would end the case." She's almost talking to herself now.
Joseph decides to let Robin work. It takes something strong from the Wendigo to surrender that level of control, but he does it. He takes a step and lays a hand on Robin's shoulder, rubbing it lightly, supportively, while he watches the glitter of the computer screen.
Sepdet's right foot gives a sharp twitch. She sighs and sets her cheek back on her arm, watching them with a hand clenched tightly behind the sofa and out of view.
Robin pages: What's she doing? :)
You paged Robin with 'Relaxation mantras. She's almost in the same frame of mind as Joseph, actually.'.
Robin settles back against Joseph and murmurs quietly, "I am glad I stirred them up like bees. Now you will kill them," she says matter-of-fact.
That simple statemenet feeds the Wendigo like no slice of orange could. His fingers tighten a little against Robin's shoulder, an answer, an agreement.
Sepdet breaks into very faint smile.
You paged Robin with 'Hah. Sep was trying to figure out a way to praise Robin for acting as bait earlier, but decided it was just wrong.'.
From afar, Robin grins.
Sepdet pushes to her feet suddenly and heads for the front door.
Robin looks over abruptly to Sepdet, watching after her with an inscrutible expression.
Sepdet says mildly, "I think I shall chop some wood."
Joseph looks to the still-full pile of wood he himself brought in earlier, and simply nods at Sepdet in understanding.
Long distance to Joseph: Sepdet was well aware of that before posing. ;)
Robin nods barely, acquainted with the comings and goings of the Garou she loves.
There is not, in fact, any sound of chopping once she's gone, of course.
Robin looks back to Joseph. "She is too strong."
Joseph disagrees with a little shake of his head. Apparently the Wendigo does not believe in 'too' strong--because he certainly has no doubts about Hope.
Robin allows her gaze to stray to the windows in her mild frustration. "When you run and fight, she comes to me and holds my pain and worry in her mouth like a stone. And when I am the one to find the angry moose first, she sews us together." Robin seems to somehow find worry in all those good things.
Sepdet has discovered the woodpile's completely chopped, which she might have remembered if she were thinking more clearly. Her petite shadow is instead moving back and forth across the yard picking up things and carrying them off into the woods.
Joseph hears it in Robin's voice, but apparently he doesn't necessarily share the kin's opinion. He moves out from behind robin and crouches beside her chair, laying his head in her lap. "It is Hope. IT is what she does."
Robin's fingers drift through Joseph's hair, over his forehead, down the strong line of his cheekbone. "Who is strong for her?" the kinswoman asks.
Joseph kisses Robin's fingers as they pass near his mouth. "I am," he answers, confident in his answer and what it means."
Long distance to Robin: Sepdet gets a sudden spate of tears as a very familiar whisper in my head says, "Chloe was."
Robin's fingers still near Joseph's mouth and she looks down at him. "Perhaps the new pack," she murmurs, half agreeing, half acknowledging the relationship between Wendigo and Strider.
From afar, Robin gathers you up and pets.
"It will help," he answers, after another kiss. "Yes. And a spirit will bind us together, soon."
"Tell me the deal you made with Raven," Robin asks after a pause. Her fingers drift through Joseph's hair once more.
Joseph's smile returns, although it's ghost-like. "I asked him to speak with the spirits of the bawn, to let them know the Wendigo had returned, and that he wished to get to know them. He agreed to spread the word."
Robin listens, half braiding Joseph's hair and then loosing it once more with her fingers. "In exchange for what?" the lawyer asks.
Joseph makes a noise, an amused little grunt that speaks to how well Robin truly understands these things. "He did not say and I forgot to ask. I assume he will pick something incredibly inconvenient somewhere down the path."
Robin's laughter comes softly. "You play with fire, Lizard Brother." The material of Robin's robe makes a nice pillow of her thigh. She seems content enough to remain this way as long as Joseph is comfortable.
And Joseph seems more than comfortable, unwilling to move. He matches her laugh, agreeing with another sound. "Probably. But it should be worth it."
"Will Salmon bind you?" Robin asks thoughtfully, staring out the front windows for sight of the Strider who has been gone chopping wood for some time.
Joseph tilts his head against the silk of her robe, and only after a long breath and a sigh does he lift it to look at her again. "If not, another will. I am certain."
Robin frowns down at Joseph, her gaze reprimanding for his ambiguity.
Sepdet's figure has moved farther out into the yard, passing by again in erratic orbits that take her to the wood's edge and back. One might think Robin had Good People, were she from a different place.
Joseph doesn't see the look yet, the Wendigo being preoccupied with lifting his hand to Robin's cheek, smoothing over her skin there in the way he often does before drawing her into a kiss. This time he doesn't though, not yet. His eyes find hers, that serious, purposeful dark streak in them again. "I will not lose you."
The fact that Joseph is experiencing some form of what she goes through when she knows he goes to fight is not lost on Robin. She simply meets his gaze and replies, "You will not." An agreement. A statement of will so characteristic of the Lakota woman.