Always 'On Call' ( Tag Dev)

[Vaydra]

Vaydra nodded sightly to his note about how to claim the top. Each tribe had their notions and beliefs about how goals were to be achieved, or there would not have been so many of them. He was right though. At times one way was the best way and that was that. Trouble was, getting others to back you. That took....charisma as much as force.

Meg had offered him a small smile and an amused chuckle as she departed, obviously indicating she was somewhat used to that line. Not rude, just assuming he wasn't really going to do it. Most did not.
Vaydra blinked as Devon called her out of mocking his advances toward the waitress. "What look?" She smirked, shaking her head slightly. "A warm place to sleep and a warm body to keep you from it. How very.....male."

She did pick up on the subtle fact he'd tossed her way though. He was looking for a place to rest, meaning he didn't have one most likely. No hotel or motel. A bit strange, but then again she didn't exactly know why he was here, or if he was trying to keep it a secret. The pub might have just been a slip up on some sort of stealth endeavor. Vaydra brushed her hair back off her shoulder, listening as he talked about himself. Ohio. Someplace towards the middle of the north, if she remembered geography right.
"Gnawers are pretty well known for that sort of thing everywhere. There's a good group of them around here, not a large one but this is a somewhat small city. I do a fair bit of work with them, as they take to city dwelling about as well as my own tribe. Likely better."

There was a junk parts shop downtown run by a couple of them. No better place to find parts you needed for a quick fix to just about anything. She was a bit surprised they hadn't seen or heard anything that warranted a phone call or message. Devon had not been here long, perhaps, but it was still a bit concerning. "As to your family," She chuckled knowingly. "I'd have liked to see the look on a bunch of New Yorkers' faces as they suddenly decided to have many other places to be all at once. A good idea of course. Things are not too crowded here, by comparison. I'm surprised you didn't find your way to Edinburg, or London, though they might be other stops?"

She was digging lightly, but didn't honestly care. He was a stranger and would know locals would be curious to his movements. If she was the welcoming committee tonight, why not? A movement caught her eye and Meg moved to the table again to drop off their drinks. A frosty glass and cold beer were placed before her, cap removed. Meg put a second class before Devon and poured ice water from a pitcher into it. Then, without being asked, she left the pitcher there, shooting the young man a smile before moving off to wait on other tables. Perhaps she fancied him, or was trolling for a tip, but at least she was brief. Vaydra was planning on paying, and was a little unimpressed with it. She tipped the glass to a slight angle and poured her beer. The porter bottle was big, and she'd likely get two full glasses out of it. Suited her just fine, as that was her limit anyhow.

[Devon alNailo]

"Yes, that look. And judge not. Sure, I could survive sleeping in a doorway but why not pick something more pleasant? Not to mention the chance of creating more Garou, we always need more of those." He shrugged. "And maybe she's the love of my life and neither of us realize it yet." He wasn't in the slightest apologetic about it, it was just what was going to happen.

"Likely," Dev agreed. The Bone Gnawers didn't give their souls away to the third player in the Triat, they just lived under it's nose. An impressive feat in its way even if it tended to turn the stomachs of other Tribes. The Glasswalkers had tied themselves too closely to the world of men and it showed.

Dev smiled, not at all surprised by her fishing for info. More mildly amused by it. "Might be, I don't have a plan. I'm just gonna drift around and do what Gaia demands of me. Gain some Glory, earn some Wisdom, reveal some Honor. That sort of thing. Some people I know are already South East of London so won't go out there, head North maybe. The Fianna like to panic when old world Fenrir come strolling up into what's left of their territory. That's always fun."

He leaned back as their food arrived and continued to smile at their waitress, not even really a smile so much as a smouldering look of interest. It appealed to the primal nature of females, a Primal Urge to put it plainly. All Garou could do it, though female Garou usually found it unnecessary to go that far.

[Vaydra]

"I could think of a lot more comfortable places than a doorway, plenty pleasant. But......they don't have the cute red-headed waitress in them." Vaydra simply shrugged at the bit about making more garou, silently offering him the victory. It was easier for males. They didn't have to carry a child, lose what made them what they were for a time during. She still wasn't sure about that in her future. Though it felt almost as if it was expected, though never voiced. The blonde pushed the thoughts away to make room for the more important ones. He must either not have much funding, or contacts, possibly both to be travelling as such. More notes mentally scribbled.

She smirked as he declared the waitress, Meg, if she recalled the name, the love of his life unknown as of this moment. It took a measure of effort not to chuckle. "Sure....." She said, in a slightly patronizing tone. He really wasn't all that difficult to talk to, at least. Still half surprised they'd been having a somewhat normal conversation so far. Never knew what to expect with those across the pond. Sounded like he had no set plans, except to seek his fortune and glory like any of the cubs and cliath she'd met. Was he really her age, or younger? Or had she just felt out of the game a bit too long?

"So truly wandering then? To end up in Exeter was how does that rabbit, Bugs Bunny say it? A wrong turn at Al....." Vaydra paused, trying to remember the cartoon quote. "Albequerque, that's it." She gave the table a light tab and grabbed her porter, taking a long sip as she spotted the waitress bringing the food. On cue, her stomach rumbled a bit. Vaydra nodded with a light laugh, holding off on her comments as they had company.

Meg slid Vaydra's plate in front of her first, the onion rings piping hot. Would be perfect with the still cold beer. She took a few more seconds to settled Devon's plates before the large young man. His look was obviously making her a little bit flustered; a hand went to her hair and tucked some behind her right ear once the plates were down. "You all just let me, uh know....if you need any other thing. I'll be by to check on you."

Despite the fact the words were directed in the plural, her eyes kept straying to Devon. Vaydra gave him another cursory examination. He was by no means hard on the eyes, but not anything swoon-worthy. Must be a human female thing, and the effect his persona had. Oh well. Meg did move off, though she was obviously trying to sneakily retain a line of sight of their table at all times. At least if she needed anything, Vaydra knew the girl would come running. Even if it was only because of her company.

"I've heard rumor of them being especially so when your family is mentioned or the ones visiting." Rumors had flown, though at the time Vaydra had only paid passing attention. Bits and pieces were coming back now that she actually had one of these fabled Fenrir before her. She took another sip of her beer and grabbed up her first onion ring, sniffing appreciatively.

"Things have been fairly quiet here. Almost to the point of boredom. Only doing some side jobs as I needed pocket money. Not because I like Dregg's." She chuckled at her own attempt at humor for a moment and let it fade. "You've been the first visitor of our ilk I've seen in about three months. If I don't count my former alpha." Her father's trust fund was just really enough to keep the house and basic bills paid. Extras she had to earn, which she was learning how to get used to.

[Devon alNailo]

"My point exactly." Dev nodded solemnly.

"Yes and no. I've got a goal in mind, it's just not a place in the dot on a map sense of the word. I could grow plenty strong under the direct tutelage of my elders back home but it would... it would be a strength untested, if you understand my meaning. All my life challenges would come with a safety net. I believe this, and so do my elders, so my cousins and I are out in the world. All of us are, except my sister... or perhaps especially her. I'm not entirely certain what's involved in her education, mostly because she and dad just kinda look at me funny when I ask." Cats. Dev was about 90% certain that if there were a single cause of the Impergium, it would have been the Cats giving the Garou that look when addressed.

Dev leaned back in his seat and watched the waitress work... well, that wasn't really true. He watched her. Her specifically, like an Alpha Wolf eying a tiny group of deer to see which one would ultimately be separated from the others on the hunt. His force of animal magnetism seemed to already have her hooked, like a moth to the flame, but his eyes were doing the real work. She was the center of his world while she was at the edge of the table, speaking the answers to her questions before she could even think to ask them. No, he wasn't 'with' his dinner companion. Yes, he was genuinely interested. Oh, that background warning of danger was just the thrill she was missing in her life. So on and so forth. "We'll be sure to let you know, Meg."

He released her from his gaze and, when she was gone, stopped worrying about her for a bit. She'd come to crave his attention again, in its absence, so he could focus on the Garou across from him. "Back in the U.S. the Fangs are the ones that are really feeling the ice water on their spine. Albrecht folded, didn't challenge when the High Jarl came to inspect his new holdings, has the North Eastern section of the country a little freaked out. The Fang king in Canada is boiling and my great uncle already has claws sunk into that area, so the guy has reason to be paranoid. If he manages not to boil over, though, it'll be a hell of a fight." He wasn't telling her anything she couldn't learn through the various suppositions flying around Gaia.Net if she was of a mind to ask around. Loki's Laughter was just as big a name as Hammer's Childe, but it was said in much quieter tones.

Dev nodded slowly, but he couldn't help but feel like there was something waiting just beyond the edge of notice in that city. "I hope you're right, nothing would make me happier than to see a place truly ignored by the Wyrm. I've just been taught all my life that quiet means the Wyrm is recovering, planning, readying the strike. Paranoia at its finest, sure, but I've seen that paranoia save lives."

[Vaydra]

Vaydra nodded, weighing his words with her own limited experience with travel. He seemed smart enough to be on his own, at least. "Being well-traveled and world educated is a strength you'd never get at home I'm sure. Not saying your tribe is weak or anything, just that.....an unvaried education only gets one so far in life."The last that had been through, was an idiot who'd never lived outside of the boon docks, and she'd had to send the girl straight back to the caern not three weeks after she'd arrived. She had little patience for slow-learners. Vaydra and her kin were kind of an outpost in Exeter, and Tom when he could visit from university. He always came back to help, good kid, better friend than she'd expected. But taking down all they had together and surviving it, the Fang and the Glasswalker didn't always see eye to eye, but the two had worked well together. Something to be said for that.
"Something to be said for the bind between fathers and daughters I guess? Does that mean you trained with your mother?"

Vaydra didn't press more than that, though she felt there was something there. The curiosity in her to know was pushed aside for the moment. Devon would only tell her what he wanted her to know, at least while they were still feeling one another out.

The waitress kept casting sidelong glances at the table they were sitting at. She suppressed a snort, but for the most part ignored it. She hadn't been around all that many Fenrir in her life, but it seemed he and George would probably get along fine. Or not. Garou charisma didn't exactly extend to kin, and so her cousin's game might be thrown by this specimen. Regardless, she was maybe not going to have to offer this young one a bed for the night. Which meant she'd have to work a little harder to figure out his business while he was in her neck of the woods.

As he spoke of the news, she listened avidly, taking a pull on her beer as she did. It seemed they were moving and the Silver Fangs didn't much care for it. It was hard to blame them. Fangs felt they were better than most, some sort of old notion, antique. But they couldn't just let it go. Fenrir were the new powerhouses, it seemed. Where would this lead? She wondered how much of this Tom might already know. Perhaps an email was due. She smiled a bit at the comment of a good fight. "I'm willing to bet it would be. Not sure if I'd want to be close enough to see it though. My packmate is actually a Fang, but is not due home again for another month."

She'd tossed him that bit of information, he might have already known there were a few Silver Fangs in the area, but maybe not. Didn't matter to her either way. Her opinion on them as a whole had little to do with anyone else's. Vaydra chewed an onion ring and nodded to him pointedly when he mentioned the concern. "No, no......nothing wrong with a healthy dose of looking over your shoulder here. Especially here." She glanced at the patrons briefly as they milled about the bar area and sat at nearby tables pointedly. She always watched, settling down was done on the surface from time to time, but that was it.
"We have been spending this time training and preparing, keeping watch. We had issue here, plenty few months back. Took out a small nest of..vermin. Along with their little ratkin friends, unfortunately."

Well, truth was she'd always been suspicious of Iomega and his quiet friends. But good ratkin, when they were found, were resourceful little buggers that could find pretty much anything you needed. Gnawers were good, but ratkin could get far more places without being noticed. Trusting him though, had almost cost them dearly. Had reinforcements not arrived.......

Best not to think on that.

[Devon alNailo]

"Mom's a Fury." That was all that ever needed to be said to anyone who knew what a Black Fury was. She taught him a few of the old stories, would point a thing out if she thought she had the insight, but she had 'trained' him in the amount of just about absolute zero. Not that she was unkind, his mother loved him with the kind of focus that only a truly caring mother could bring to bare. Dev the Younger had no doubt that he was Fable's beloved and cared for son. But he was also male. Which was why there had never been a question as to what tribe he would be raised in once he'd shifted. Fenrir, through and through, with a Great Uncle and a Grandfather of near mythical proportions to see him properly on that path. "I got individual attention from my Grandfather, when he was available. He's the closest in blood who's Garou."

Dev nodded, thinking about the fight stirring in the distance and who was doing the stirring. "Well, it's just a thought. It would also take a miracle for the guy not to boil over. He's being goaded by the best. Once the High Jarl opened the caerns to the Fera, one of the first to turn up after the Khan were the coyotes and the Nuwisha love a good wolf-baiting." That wasn't exactly how it went but Rand liked the mystery around himself, wanting only those who'd witnessed it to know and even then likely wishing they'd forget. Dev didn't seem in the slightest bothered by the presence or absence of a Fang. That would only be a problem if the Silver Fang made it into one, and then it would definitely be the Fang's own problem.

"We've not encountered any Ratkin yet, though we've seen evidence of their presence in our city. One of the first things my Great Uncle did upon arriving in Ohio was tour what appeared to be a Ratkin warren that had been taken over by a Wyrm creature. None of the former inhabitants had been found though, which considering the Wyrm creature had taken on the form of a great serpent..." Dev left the thought uncompleted for her to put the pieces together herself.

[Vaydra]

Vaydra's head lifted slightly as he revealed his mother's tribe. Explained nothing, and yet so much. The Black Furies she had known were all wonderful, strong women. Proud and could have just as loud a voice as one of his tribe. But one thing she knew about every single one of them- no boys allowed. Just enough for the breeding purposes, and the occasional other. But no male cubs. When they had boys they went elsewhere. Something about diluting who they were. Vaydra didn't really understand, but she hadn't gotten that upbringing, so to each their own. "Ahh, I understand. Not many furies around here. I think there's some up north in Scotland and Ireland, but I've met a couple coming through. It is good the extended family is there."

She enjoyed some more of her snack as he explained more about the situation with the Fangs, nodding with a smile as he mentioned the Khan and nuwisha, but drinking it all in. Those were ones she had not met much, more heard about though the caern had the occasional coyote come through for a while. They never stayed long, and she never really knew if that had anything to do with them or with the caern's elders. But it seemed many were relieved when they did go.

His mention of Ratkin and the fate of those in Ohio earned a grimace and an uneasy shift in position. Didn't matter the personal feelings she had towards Ratkin, the idea of them meeting an end like that was just unpleasant. "That's what ended up happening to us.....ours I mean. The two we had here, nice enough blokes and all at first, but they sold out. Then sold us out and betrayed us. We were fortunate to end up with more friends than they did. Not quite that result, but they paid more than they bargained for as a result."

She took another pull of the beer, nearly empty and contemplated another. Dismissed the notion after a moment. It didn't really impair her overly much until she'd had a few, but there was no need for it. Staying sharp was key, not just tonight, but always. George often gave her crap for never going out just to have fun, like he and Pam did every other weekend or so. She had fun, it just wasn't always something kin should get tangled in. "I've not met any Khan myself. Not many here, I heard there were about two or three decades before I was born, but we've not crossed paths. We've a couple of Corvax though, that's.......an experience."

Vaydra took another bite, glancing around the booth in the direction Devon was able to see, and caught Meg the waitress looking their way. She quickly looked down and tried to make it appear she was writing. Meg looked old enough to know better, but that whole.....primal thing tended to screw anyone up. Vaydra chuckled low and barely above her breath as she settled back into her seat. "Funny how she somehow seems to guess we aren't together." She was not overly bothered by it, more amused.

[Devon alNailo]

Dev nodded, mildly curious why she kept weighing in on whether or not certain tribes were around. He knew if one looked hard enough one could find at least one member of any tribe almost everywhere, especially in the larger cities, so he rarely worried about the demographics beyond who held the primary influence. In Brittain it was the Fenrir and the Fianna, with a smattering of other tribes the farther South one went on the big island. That was about as far as his interest in the topic went. He knew his mom had spent time in Scotland, that was where she'd met his Granddad, but once again that was where his interest in the matter ended. Dev the Younger wasn't really prone to large amounts of wonder.

He picked at his food while she went on about her own Ratkin issues, nodding. That was how the Nightbreeze Sept had come to the realization that the Apocalypse was on top of them. The Fera had gone from presumed extinct to known practically everywhere in the space of a generation. Gaia had her eyes and ears out in force, shit was about to go down. "I know more Khan than I can shake a stick at. Lost my virginity to one, thanks to my great Uncle's sense of humor. He also got me roaring drunk that night, said it was for my birthday but he was off by about seven months. Or five, depending on how you look at it. Either way, I don't think he knows when my birthday is." Dev shook his head and drank his drink, in that order.

"I'm told one stopped by way back when the Sept first got started by my Grandpa, but I don't think any have been back since then. The Corax and the Fenrir have a... curious relationship." Dev made a point to follow Vaydra's gaze and spotted Meg, then smiled at her like a pup being eyed by his crush. It warmed him to his toes to get the attention even though he knew it was a base and animal thing. That was its own kind of compliment, he supposed. He looked back to Vaydra. "I made no secret about being interested in her, and you appeared to take no offense. She's guessing you're my sister or something, most likely. They reason out any concerns they have while caught in the rutting pull, same as they do when they come down from the delirium."

[Vaydra]

A quick arch to her brow was the only signal Devon might have had that she was surprised at all by the candid nature of his story of his first time. It was schooled into a light smile and a low chuckle. "Well, it's not such a bad gift, I suppose. Even if he was off by a bit. To family, who at times have the best intentions, if not our best interests at heart." To that, for emphasis, she raised her glass. She regretted her first time, and she was pretty sure the guy did too. Still, one way or another, one had to get the first one out of the way. Sometimes, it might even make a good story.

His admission about the corax had her nearly choke on a laugh and just smile knowingly. "As we do with ours. I'm pretty sure that it is just their nature to have 'curious' types of relationships. One we met as a fledgling, and her instant immersion was with a pack of wolves taking down a Pentex lab. Crash course." Another chuckle.

To be honest, it was a wonder how in the hell Skye had survived at all. Her mentor had certainly had his work cut out for him, before she'd even run into their pack. Girl had not done half badly though. Many of the cubs growing up in the sept outside the city had it much easier. They were explained to. She never had that luxury, because her father had assumed she was like him. It was a mistake that quickly ended up costing her the last direct family member she had. She had aunts and uncles, and her cousins of course. Forged in the heat of battle was one way to go, and Vaydra couldn't do much but admire the corax for their efforts. In the end, the enemy was common, after all.

His attention was drawn at her glance, and it was almost cute, the look on his face as he watched the waitress and she quickly looked away. Vaydra shook her head slightly, putting the amusement to the beer she'd nearly finished. Her mood was relatively good now, and that was the shut off point. She smirked when he mentioned the waitress likely thought they were siblings and nodded. "Fair enough, I suppose. Infatuation cancels out rationality in many things, after all."

One of the other patrons in the meantime had gone up to Meg by the bar and spoken, but she seemed to have not heard. He snapped his fingers out in front of her face and she blinked, startled. Then she turned to him and pulled out her pad and pen to take the man's order. "Like your job, apparently."

[Devon alNailo]

"He's a great warrior, a cunning tactician, a terrifying interrogator, etc. etc. but you have to exercise good personal judgement when around him. He's sociopathic so he's at once brilliantly insightful about people and completely out of touch with them. The more base the behavior the better he can manipulate it, that's why we never have him rep the fund raisers for the Wolf Sanctuary or Women's Shelter..." Dev seemed to drift off on the thought of the women's shelter. Some of the women who had come through there were walking Sociopath Detectors, and were always identifiable by the fact that they zeroed in on Rand in a matter of hours of him arriving. They were the ones who needed the most attention from the Theurges, or else they would just repeat the cycle that had brought them there in the first place.

He tucked into his food while he thought about that, personal feelings having never affected his appetite. "Rationality?" Dev tilted his head and asked through a chewed mouthful. He swallowed. "You think you look like you could be my girlfriend? Or is it that you think I couldn't have landed her without the primal urge?" Not that he was in the habit of proving such things. The whole Alpha shtick had never really interested him, he'd always know he would be near the top of the pecking order but had been very close to a lot of people who could leave him face down in the dirt on a whim. It was an accurate self-assessment to say he had Alpha tendencies, and it was a conditioned response not to test those tendencies. "Depends on how you define 'job'. She's a female, I'm probably the best male she's come close to in years. It's my job to propagate, it's her job to pick the best to propagate with. This is the mating ritual... you -have- done this before haven't you?" He raised an eyebrow.