Charly catches a glimpse of Jessica's embarrassment and finds that her reasons for not staying are sounding more like whining to her. After all, it seems like there was at least another person who had as much inexperience as she does and that person wasn't moping about.
"Be kinda dumb to try and eat a bunch of hunters, though," Charly points out. "God only knows what kinds of nasty tricks we have up our sleeves. Venison or wild boar would make more sense. Less likely to draw attention and probably taste better, too."
"Yeah, the way I figure it, werewolves probably know some good barbequing recipes. I mean, they're carnivores, like to hunt, and have reasons to prefer to cook their own food in private. Could probably get some good advice on how to properly spit-roast a deer."
"Some are idiots who think the bigger the game is, the better the prize." The female guide grinned in a way that it clear that by 'game' she did not mean a rousing match of Clue. "But most find the most dangerous game dumb. Guns aren't much of a thing to unless, and take those away...and well, deer runs faster."
"But yeah, you guys are the carrot, the stick and everything else, too. It's stupid but there are a bunch of laws. Following them means the five packs co-exist without breaking into open war, but some of the laws are old and wearing at the seems. Some want them to stay the same, for us to stay safe, and for nothing to change. Usually the older ones, but the most vocal are the young un's. Some of us want to bring our laws more inline with human norms, maybe even update them every decade or so. But that runs a risk if a new law doesn't work as intended."
Shrugging, she nodded at the Captain. "And yeah, barbeque. Food is a big part of our culture. There's a saying that if you don't feed man and beast you can't control either. A fed wolf is happy, healthy and not so likely to start looking at the local park for snacks. But we burn through calories a lot faster than a human does," she glanced at Kavax in vague curiosity, "So that's not so easy. Part of the pack's job is to make sure wounded and vulnerable members stay safe and fed."
Jessica falls silent when it becomes evident that no one appreciated her joke. She stares at the wood grain in the table while the others talked. She realized that her little makeover with the new haircut and clothes had done wonders with making her feel normal, but now that she was here with all these Hunters, they didn't need normal. They needed what she is now, since that's the only thing the werewolves would respect.
She sighs. She almost dreaded putting the armor back on. The Fury in her had been relatively quiet these past few weeks -- probably because she'd been focused on finding predators. She'd felt more like Jessica and she didn't exactly want to go back to that internal battle over who or what she was.
She looks up at the guide as she talked about the werewolf laws, and suddenly her eyes grew wide. Jessica's old dream had been to go to law school. She had joined mock trial in high school, planned to major in political science in undergrad, had taken the pre-L-SAT. She could help as Jessica!
She opens her mouth and just about spills all those unnecessary details, but realizes all she would do would convince everyone she was a child. She revises her strategy, thinking back on the scenarios of mock trial. There was a controversy, relevant information, witnesses, and the applicable law.
She clears her throat as she sits straighter and folds her hands in front of her, envisioning herself back in mock trial. "The laws. What are they? Do you have a code book we can look at?" The laws would be the best place to start.
"How much do y'all know about us," Charly asks, wondering why anyone would want her as a deterrent of all things. She's a small woman that could be overpowered pretty easily. It was the reason she studied to be a detective instead of a beat cop or some other profession where you had to physically restrain someone sometimes. Her being a deterrent would only work if they knew what she is capable of.
And if they knew that, she doubts they'd still want her around.
"Rumours, mostly," the guide replied. "Heard someone cleared up that ancient glut of sickness down below the rivers where it drowned, and some of you managed to stop a theatre from going for a walk. There was something about a feral pack of something too, and a haunted forest." She grinned.
"The laws are written down somewhere, but we all know them. Defying usually result in bad things being done to us, so we need to know what to not do. Well, not to get caught doing for some folks."
Seeing the mood of the room improve, Carlos chimes in, "I can understand the idea of food, believe me. I don't think I can ever leave without at least a meal packed in reserve." He considers the rumours, "Your sources heard correctly, I can attest to at least half of them. I just want to know how you managed to get a letter to my mother's house." The hunter looks halfway between confused and concerned, "She has nothing to do with this and I prefer to keep it that way in the future." His words aren't threatening but there is an edge to the way his shoulders tighten up. "What can you tell us about these five packs? What is different about them? Is there some fundamental difference that we wouldn't be privy to?"
The guide considered. "Well, yeah. I suppose so. The Packs are defined by there territory and membership, I guess. There are a bunch of families, most of which have branches and splits in two or three packs, but Pack bonds come first."
Pausing, she thought and continued, "The five are the Northern Forest Pack, Boisville Pack, Old Mine Pack, Green Lake Pack and Black Road Pack. Technically the trouble is between the Green Lake and Black Road, but if they go to war the other three will have to fight them to stop them. And it'll be a mess." She shrugged. "Speaking of making a mess, is everyone ready to go or do you have business here?"
That... sounds like a lot of werewolves, Jessica thinks. She wonders about what the guide meant that the rules were written down "somewhere." Stone tablets? The walls of some sacred cave, maybe? She mentally shakes her head. No, probably in some old book on someone's shelf somewhere.
She gets up from the table and starts following them, unless everyone wanted to stick around and get something to eat.
Captain gestured towards the door, "I'm prepared to head now, it's probably better to continue this conversation as we go." and then started to walk. If others wanted to wait, she would scout around and see what other eyes were on them. She wanted to get as much chance to talk to as many of the werewolves or other wolf-blooded people as possible. Also, it seemed risky to be in potentially earshot of, and even if not, to be potentially annoying the staff further.
Charly follows the others, feeling for all the world like a rabbit walking into a wolf's den.
The expert looks at the guide and makes mental note, "So it boils down to the usual things huh? Seems like strife is no different no matter where we go."
He starts toward the door, "Better to talk outside anyway. I'm sure you'd be more comfortable there anyway."
If no one else wanted to grab something, the guide headed out to the carpark and set off down a small side trail and towards the wood. "So, this is Emila's territory. Northern Forest Pack. We're meeting up at her...well, cabin is the word we use. You'll see what I mean. Some of the others will be more aggressive because they're on enemy territory. Put on a big display." She grinned. "Big wolf...junk waving contest, mostly."
Jessica glances at the guide. "So, we're going to walk through the woods where a bunch of wolves are going to be having a... measuring contest?" She rolls her eyes as the man-hating Fury in her starts to awaken.
"Maybe I should put my armor on," she wonders aloud. She sighs after coming to a decision. "You go on ahead; I'll catch up."
She slips away and moves around the back of the rest stop where no one else is around. She slips out of her normal clothes and sends them to otherspace while simultaneously drawing out her battle-scarred armor of pseudo-Grecian design. After putting on her cuirass, greaves, battle skirt and vambraces, she moves and appears next to Carlos.
"...Hi," she says, a little more reserved than before when she was wearing her normal clothes.
"GAH! Where did you come from," Charly demands as she nearly jumps out of her skin. She's already on edge, and Jessica's sudden reappearance certainly didn't do her nerves any favors.
Jessica spins abruptly at Charly's exclamation. "What?!" she says in alarm, and then realizes she had reacted to her. "Oh, sorry. It's a trick I know. I can't really explain it."
Kavax shrugged and went to follow the others. He'd actually been thinking about staying for some food, but better not to split up.
"Hmmm, so, do those of us who need to worry about it have lycanthropy cures? It'd be awkward for one of us to get bitten on the sly and then have to sort out which werewolf pack was actually responsible."
"It's not easy to be turned into a werewolf," the guide explained after a moment. "Most of us are hereditary. To get turned you need to suffer enough damage that your system can't fight the change but not enough damage that it kills you. There's ways around it with drugs and stuff if someone wants to get turned, I've heard, but I've only hear rumours of that happening." She grinned. "So, no, you'll probably die or recover instead."
Jerry continues to walk in silence, the others doing more than enough talking for him. He's resolved that being here is worth his time, if only to keep feuding werewolves from attacking regular people. But if he's wrong about the situation, at least he'll be able to start shooting things from the inside out, instead of trying to make his way in.
Jessica spins abruptly at Charly's exclamation. "What?!" she says in alarm, and then realizes she had reacted to her. "Oh, sorry. It's a trick I know. I can't really explain it."
"Oh, um. Neat trick," Charly mutters meekly. She listens to the others and begins to worry a little. Try it was unlikely, but she noticed that she has a worrying tendency to get hammered right to death's door when things go south.
Just peachy. I might become the world's first vampire-werewolf on this trip. Won't that be just great?
Carlos looks startled for a second before seeing the gleaming armor. "Oh! You scared me for a second there." He tries to play it cool, "Nice armor. What's the occasion?" He gives a friendly smile, "Glad to see you're doing a lot better than before."
Jessica shrugs. "Same armor, just had it cleaned. And, when I bring my armor out, it doesn't just appear on my body. So if something happens and we gotta start... showing our junk... I doubt the werewolves are just going to pause and give me five minutes to get changed."
She falls silent when Mr. Garcia observes she's doing better. "I guess so? I still don't understand all the rules, and I'm still afraid of going back, but... maybe things won't be so terrible?"
She looks down at her ancient armor and then at the others, realizing she now stands out almost more than Kavax. She sighs, starting to regret changing. Maybe it was too soon. Better to wear it in case I need it, since if I need it and am not wearing it, that will be bad.
She remembers what she was going to tell Mr. Garcia and smiles abashedly. "Oh, that feather I showed you? It came from me."
He eyes her curiously, "From you...? So wait does that mean what I think it does?"
Jessica gives him a tight nod. She glances around at the others walking along with them. "I'll show you later."
She grows quiet as they walk. She stares at the ground, not looking up when she speaks again. "You know that magic stuff that you can do? You can use the feather, right? Against me? In case I go..."
She grinned. "Big wolf...junk waving contest, mostly."
A ghost of an amused smile flickered as Captain adjusted the rifle from her back to her side. She considered quietly as the others talked among themselves. Her finely crafted, engraved weapon wasn't her idea of junk, but, she glanced to the werewolf with a hand near the engraved rose, "This is the closest I have for to something to wave. Hopefully enough for, is it just us and members of five local packs joining for this?"
Looking at the girl sadly he answers as best he can, "We won't have to. It won't come to that but if it makes you feel better about the whole thing let me tell you a little secret trick that my own papa told me."
He puts his hand on her shoulders and looks right at her. "Just close your eyes and really try to feel whatever is inside you... And remember that it is inside you; not the other way around. You hold it. You control it. Just breathe and look as deep as you can. Alright?" Giving her a little pat on the shoulder he adds a final thing, "We can never be who we are unless we acknowledge all of who we are." Looking at her thoughtfully, he takes the feather out, looks it over and hands it back, "I have faith in you. I'm handing this back to you because I believe in who you are. Don't forget that if it becomes too stressful."
Often Right: When a hunter comes to you for advice about a problem, give them your honest opinion and advice. If they take your advice, they get +1 ongoing while following your advice, and you mark experience
Jaq follows along next to Jessica, though even she's not sure if it's to comfort the teenager or to take comfort from not being the only one that wasn't sure of their place anymore. Carlos' words of wisdom give her pause, however. Did that apply to her? She cannot tell, and it bothers her more than a little. After a few more minutes of walking in silence, she nudges Jessica with her elbow.
"Hey, do you want me to see if I can teach you how to magic yourself into some armor," she asks.
Jessica takes back the feather and stares at it for a while as they walk until she feels her elbow being nudged. She looks up and sees Charly next to her.
She tries to consciously ignore what she had seen in her vision, but then Charly mentions teaching her magic and it's truly forgotten for a moment. She forces a laugh. "No, I can't do magic. I mean, maybe what I can do is sort of like magic--" the feather in her hand disappears like it had never been there -- "But like learning magic? No, I never even read the Harry Potter books."
"I'd say that's magic. Honestly I didn't know how to do any magic myself until the start of this year,"Charly admits with a shrug. "So, why did you never read them," she asks after a moment, finding herself wondering if it just wasn't Jessica's thing or if her parents were the puritanical types.
With a sigh, Jessica pitches back her head. "'Cause I didn't know any of this was real! 'Cause I did gymnastics, and dance, and cheerleading... All that fantasy and superhero crap was for people who couldn't deal with the real world!"
She looks at Charly out of the side of her eye. "I watched lawyer shows. And a little Real Housewives, but only as a guilty pleasure. I didn't even watch Game of Thrones, even though my boyfriend was super into it. I just sat on his parents' couch and texted my friends."
"All that fantasy and superhero crap was for people who couldn't deal with the real world!"
Charly can't quite stop herself from flinching at Jessica's assertion. She tried to remind herself that Jessica didn't really know her, but even knowing that, even reminding herself of it firmly, she couldn't keep from feeling hurt and angry.
"Oh, uh? I... I see," she says awkwardly before looking away and rubbing her neck where she'd been bitten as the scars start to itch. "I... I never really got Reality Shows. Just seemed like an excuse to make a fool of yourself on TV to me," she lies.
Leaving Jessica with Charly seemed reasonable, they probably had a lot in common. Or so he thought.
He strode to Jerry and tried to start a conversation with the man who seemed to be fairly reserved, "So... I heard that you have some history with Jessica and we just so happened to pass each other by. How do you know her? Work acquaintance?"
She had something she was going to say to me, but wouldn't. It's not my place to pry but...
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"Oh, uh? I... I see," she says awkwardly before looking away and rubbing her neck where she'd been bitten as the scars start to itch. "I... I never really got Reality Shows. Just seemed like an excuse to make a fool of yourself on TV to me," she lies.
Jessica throws up her hands, not noticing Charly's flinch. "I know, right? I wasted so much time watching that crap. It was dumb, but my friends all watched it and we spent so much time talking about it and it was worthless. At least, if I read Harry Potter, or had been more of a geek, maybe I'd understand all these rules and everything." She rolls her eyes. "But noooo. Instead of going to college, this happened."
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He strode to Jerry and tried to start a conversation with the man who seemed to be fairly reserved, "So... I heard that you have some history with Jessica and we just so happened to pass each other by. How do you know her? Work acquaintance?"
Jerry acknowledges Carlos' approach with a congenial nod, but he keeps his eyes peeled as they talk and head towards Emilia's cabin.
"Back when I was just starting out, I was in a bad way. I knew how to handle myself in a fight, but not how... not how a Hunter has to fight. I got in over my head tracking a group vampires that recently got out of prison. Every time I got close to them, they would somehow slip away.
"I was very... well, let's go with an understated 'frustrated.' My emotions were a lot more raw when I was just starting out, but I didn't have any way to channel them. So, I just sort of lashed out. On my knees screaming at the sky. I don't even remember what I said, but I'm sure it was boiler plate B-movie stuff.
"A few seconds after I let it all out, there she was. 'Androleteira' she said her name was. A literal Angel of Vengeance. I don't know if the angel came before the girl, or how that all works, but when she asked me why I had 'summoned' her, I just let it all out. Why I was after those vampires, what they'd done, why I Hunt vamps in general, and... we got the job done. She didn't hesitate. She was driven.
"During the job, I told her what I knew about Hunters. After the job, I didn't see her again until a couple weeks ago. The angel was still there, but the girl had more influence."
Jerry looked over her shoulder at Jessica.
"Probably a good thing for her, but I hope she listens to the angel when things get hairy.
"How's your family?"
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"...when you're dealing with five packs of people who change into wolves and consider public nudity perfectly normal - oh, you'll likely see naked people, by the way - and we're still the most normal folks around, it's certainly an odd feeling," the guide added in cheerfully. "Although a hairy angel would be an oddity."
"And yeah, just you guys and the representatives from each pack, the accused, and anyone else whose nosey enough to show up. So almost everyone, I should think. You know how it is. We've watched most of Netflix."
Kavax walked along with the others, somewhat realizing that this might actually be the closest thing to normal he was likely to experience.
"I just hope the food is good. Large gatherings always make me hungry. I'd join in on the conversation about magic, but the magic I'm actually familiar with is all Death and Destruction and lighting things on fire, so you probably don't want to learn about it anyway. Though I did figure out how to use it to cure diseases. Turns out there isn't much difference between a miracle disease cure and a well-targeted microbial genocide."
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Carlos listened quietly, he understood how slippery vampires could be but the edge on Jerry's voice told a lot of the story. Hearing the story, he knew that they were all broken in one way or another and it kind of gave him a sort of tranquility... or more accurately solidarity.
Summoned? Well that explains a lot then.
Nodding, he looks back to Jessica as well, "I can agree with that much. Vengeance could very well be what we need but I really hope not." Taking his glasses off he cleans them on his shirt, "I hope she can keep control, it kills her a little I think."
Considering the question for a moment, Carlos starts talking. "Mama is doing fine. Just came back from a visit to her actually; I needed some time to think and talk... The last job dredged up some bad memories and shortcomings." He didn't know how to vocalize what it was so he just came out with it, "I used to be a soldier. Special unit and let's just say bad memories doesn't cut it. Post-trauma, survivor's guilt you know how it is... Just gotta move on forward güey." He shrugs, "Went home to have a good heart to heart, we all lose people, but its about picking yourself up and understanding those shortcomings."
The expert looked outward and heard some rustling in the bushes and took the moment to contemplate, "My father was a hunter like me, didn't really believe in that superstitious stuff as a kid you know? I guess that big day was what drove me back to this life, I just wish it wasn't too late; that I was smarter about my time with those I love."
Getting a little quiet he slowly talks it out, "So I suppose I see some of you as family too, we're all in this together even if it isn't the way things are supposed to be."
Jessica throws up her hands, not noticing Charly's flinch. "I know, right? I wasted so much time watching that crap. It was dumb, but my friends all watched it and we spent so much time talking about it and it was worthless. At least, if I read Harry Potter, or had been more of a geek, maybe I'd understand all these rules and everything." She rolls her eyes. "But noooo. Instead of going to college, this happened."
"Becoming a hunter," Charly asks, realizing that Jessica is a lot less chill about this whole thing than she is.
Jessica stops walking abruptly, staring at Charly with a surprised look. "No, not... that's not it. I don't really think of myself as a hunter, 'cause I'm-- I mean, you know, right? That I'm not--?"
She groans, looking sort of helpless and lost, and some measure of ashamed. "I guess you told me what you are, so it's only fair, right? I'm a... Fallen. I'm not human. Well, anymore. I used to be. And then... whoosh. Angel of Vengeance."
"Humanity is overated," the guide replied with another grin and a short howl. "You're still a person, though. Both of you. Even your scaly pal is a person. Who gives a s**t about the details? Don't eat anyone, don't smite anyone and don't crap on the carpet."
Getting a little quiet he slowly talks it out, "So I suppose I see some of you as family too, we're all in this together even if it isn't the way things are supposed to be."
Jerry says nothing, but after a moment he claps Carlos on the shoulder. To change the subject, he indicates Captain Rose.
"Who's that?" he asks quietly. "She's the only one here I don't know."
Carlos looks at where Jerry is pointing, "Captain Rose. She's an... Intense woman. Very good at her job and what she does. Not sure what else I should say because she's all protocol this and protocol that but honestly, she's good folk too." He doesn't know what else to say, it wasn't quite his place to tell, "Though I have to say, she seems really friendly with the werewolves; didn't peg her as the run out in the wilderness, howl and eat meat type."
Captain glanced over, slightly wary-looking as Carlos started to introduce her, before she adjusted the rifle with the engraved rose. For nicknames, it certainly wasn't the worst she had.
As he finished, she breathed out a sigh as her eyes scanned the surrounding forest. She was not one to normally correct or even give introductions, , but she showed no further sign that she had any issue with what Carlos had said.
She added in her way that was part conversational, part matter-of-fact informational, all not entirely comfortable talking about herself, but thought it best not to act like she hadn't heard anything at this time, "I eat most things offered if the risk of it isn't more than the risk of going without. I've been...working with members of Packs for, it has to be going on two decades now - since that nomadic clan in...it was near the Kazakh/Kyrgyz border. Some of the best to trade supplies and information with are from Packs, though that's done off-territory. I haven't been on-territory in years, though I've spent plenty of time in forests..."
With all the talking and uncautious walking, they'd be easy for any one, wolf-bloodied or otherwise, to locate. She scanned around as the group continued on...
...though it seemed something on her mind, or maybe something else, was making pinpointing any potential threats difficult. Or maybe, unlikely she knew, this was going as smoothly as it seemed.
Jessica had been ignoring most of the talk about barbecue and eating after her joke bombed, but the topic kept coming up. She had to ask, ultimately.
"So, with all this talk about food, are the packs going to get upset if I don't eat anything? I don't want to insult them, but I don't actually, um, eat anymore.
"Or should I just tell everyone I'm a vegetarian?"
Hearing the Captain speak up Carlos gave a grin, "If you say the food is good then I have to try it myself." She continued talking, opening up far more than he had ever known, "Speaking about trade, you handed some spice over before, this isn't like a Dune thing is it?" He kicked himself internally for that, there was no way she would know what Dune was let alone laugh about it, "Nevermind."
The expert looked and looked and realized there was something different about her stance. "You haven't sent any information to your employer yet. Isn't that normally the first thing you do at any site?"
Don't tell me this is her idea of vacation?!
Kavax was... still a bit cautious about talking to Jessica. He seemed to have hit some kind of sore nerve with her or something... or more likely her own instincts could tell her what he was.
"Eh, they probably won't care. To be honest, I'm not sure if I actually need to eat, but it's always nice to do so anyway. You may well work similarly; have you actually tried eating something since... stuff happened? Though, I'd understand it if you just don't want to talk to me. Not the first time I've encountered that."
Kavax spoke to her, and as she always does she imagines calling forth her sword and doing battle, but the vision fades just as quickly. Like some strange reminder of what she was supposed to be, and what she was not.
It left her tired. "I haven't even tried to eat something. The urge just isn't there anymore. It was a couple weeks before I even realized I should be hungry. Or starving, really. But I didn't have any money anyway, so that was convenient."
Captain left the guide to answer food etiquette questions, those seemed quite personal, though responded to Carlos's remark about her trade, "Like I said, it'll work great as a barbeque rub, it need not flow to do that." as she resisted the rising urge to specify protocols against the trade of drugs and similar compromising substances. She imagined even brief acquaintances would already think that ridiculous - she didn't even drink coffee.
Still, there was a niggly part of her that didn't not want her reputation tarnished with the idea that she was nearly thankful for his second remark about her employer to move things quickly along. Nearly. She shot him a brief, icy glare, before returning to looking at the forest around them "From the letter I received from Emilia, I believe this is an individual, voluntary situation. I'm not sure if yours was different, of course."
"You're free to try it or leave it, but they'll be plenty of veg and fruit stuff too." The guide laughed. "Some of us are veggie in human form, so that's no excuse. Maybe it's to try and balance things out, a bit. The wolf doesn't give a crap, though. When we change we eat what we need. And that's meat." She considered. "Also, if this spice ends up being vital to space travel it has best also go well with beef."
Jessica stops walking abruptly, staring at Charly with a surprised look. "No, not... that's not it. I don't really think of myself as a hunter, 'cause I'm-- I mean, you know, right? That I'm not--?"
She groans, looking sort of helpless and lost, and some measure of ashamed. "I guess you told me what you are, so it's only fair, right? I'm a... Fallen. I'm not human. Well, anymore. I used to be. And then... whoosh. Angel of Vengeance."
"A fallen angel," Charly repeats, feeling a chill run down her spine. "I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... I... I'm not very good at this."
The young woman looks away, and prays that her glamour holds, and prays for the words she needed to say to help.
Unfortunately, she can't think of any and falls into abashed silence.
===
"Well, so far I only have two questions," Charly says as she edges closer to the others after her bombed attempt at getting to know Jessica. "Are y'all fixing Texas-style barbeque and do I need to worry about Feyd-Rautha showing up?"