Tapestries: Pablo - Wednesday, August 30, 2006, 6:19 PM

As the conversation continues and Yiska gets over his embarrassment from Bits's hug. There's a knock at the back door, then in enters two women. The first is a teenaged Italian-American with shoulder-length black hair and deep green eyes. She's tall, about six feet, and built like an athlete. Which means it's probably unsurprising that she's wearing a (slightly dirty) basketball uniform. It's black and white, with 'Angels' on the front and the number 55. Bits and Tony will recognize this cub from the other night. The woman that's with her is larger yet ... at least a few inches taller, and weighing a good 350 or 400 pounds, her long black hair is specked with gray. She looks around the room with a hard gaze and ask, "Is Kelly around?"

Tony looks surprised to see Hope and Crystal back in the cub house. He shakes his head at Crystal's question. "No... I haven't seen her all night," he says, though his attention is mostly on Hope. "How're you holding up?" he asks her. The last time he saw her, she was crying and beaten up pretty badly.

Shay just watches the new arrivals. He suddenly has the desire to smell them. A smile. "I think she went out with Peter." A glance to Tony, before he rises up, and heads up stairs.

Bits accompanies the suddenly exhausted Yiska out, so Tony is left with all of Crystal's quite weighty attention. She grunts a bit, then nudges Hope, who mumbles, "I wanted to apologize. For being rude and cursing at you, the other night."

Tony watches Shay, then Yiska, and then Bits all file out for the night. Or morning, it would seem, at this hour. He gives Crystal a smile, then blinks at Hope. "What? No, no. Don't worry about that," he retorts quickly, waving a hand. "I'm surprised to see you up and around. You were pretty distraught."

Crystal watches the cubs file out, too. She gives a little snort, perhaps a bit annoyed at the rudeness. But she shakes her head and doesn't pursue it tonight. "I will find her, then." She turns to Hope. "This cub," she indicates Tony, "will show you where you will be staying. Kelly Whisper will speak to you about the rules of the house when she returns. I will be back tomorrow to continue our lessons." It's a little hard to tell from Crystal's tone if she's being affectionate or firm. Perhaps a combination of the two. Hope nods at the instructions. "Yes, rhya," she says, certainly a lot less full of herself than she was just a few days ago. Crystal turns then, and walks out, shaking the earth as she does so. Hope turns back to you, blinking her green eyes slowly as she slumps into the chair. "W... what was it you asked me?"

Tony stands straighter when he is indicated. He was already told that Hope will be staying with Bits. Observing the way these two interact with each other, he can only assume some rather deep connections have been made already. "I asked you how you were holding up," he says, standing nearby as she sits down.
Hope takes another deep breath. "Well enough," she says. "It's hard to absorb it all, at once. It's kind of ... overwhelming." She blinks and looks at you once more. "What was your name again?"

Tony sits now, leaning back in the couch. "Yeah, it is. I'm Tony Meyer. I don't know if you've been told about the tribes and stuff yet, but I'm a philodox cub of Uktena," he says. "You'll be staying with Bits. That's the younger girl you saw."

Hope nods. "A bit. I'm Hope DeRosa, ahroun cub of the Black Furies. It's um, nice to meet you, Tony." She glances back out the door where Bits went. She still seems, well, distracted. "How long have you been here?" she asks, turning her gaze back to you halfway through the sentence.

Tony smiles at that. "I figured you were," he admits. "You're going to get along well with Athena. I've been here about... two weeks or more. I stopped counting, really." He notes her demeanor, the way she talks and moves, and it's obvious there's something on her mind. He'd ask her about her frenzy, but he doesn't know how much she knows yet. "It's not a bad place, really."

This seems to focus the young woman's gaze on you, "I know," she says, softly, as if someone might hear. "It's just ... so weird. I mean, I thought I was mostly normal. I guess. And, then, this all." She pauses. "Crystal... Crystal says I'm supposed to be a fighter."

Tony can't imagine how different her introduction to this place must be. Everyone's is unique, it seems. Though he did not know Shay previously, he has the feeling there's little change in him. A very easy-going guy. "That's what they say Ahrouns do," he replies with a little nod. "Because they are so filled with Rage. Naturally more aggressive." He smiles at her, now. "Have you tried changing shapes and stuff yet?"

Hope nods. "I... I didn't really believe her, until that. I mean. I saw the others. But, you know, thought it was a mistake." She looks down at her hands and laughs a little, humorlessly. "I guess it's a little silly for me to worry that my nails look like crap." She slams her fist into the couch, sighing and grumbling.

Tony takes a look at his own nails, and realizes they do seem a little ragged. Must be from his outdoor exercise and he's probably chewing on them in his sleep again from stress. "Eh. You can start worrying about that stuff once this werewolf stuff is learned. Trust me, no one around here is gonna call you on appearances."

She looks up again, "I... I can? Are you sure?" She touches her hair, and looks at her nails again. "It's not like I used to care a lot, anyway. Can't have a French manicure and play basketball. It's just..." she sighs again. "Everything's weird," she repeats. There's a long pause, then she murmurs, "He beat me, you know."

Tony listens without interruption, though he does not in assurance when she asks for it. He smiles lopsidedly, unsure what to say that she hasn't already heard. But he wasn't expecting that, for sure. "What? Who beat you? Cursor?" he asks with sharp surprise.

Hope shakes her head. "No." she says, and though the Shadow Lords did, it's not who she means. "My father. It's why we got into an argument. I was tired of it." Her voice is soft, but unlike Whisper's, there's a bit of a distance to it, like she's talking about someone she read about in a book. "I'd heard you'd heard about what happened. And so I figured you'd want to know."

Tony frowns, sinking further back into his seat. "I'm... sorry," he says awkwardly, unsure how he feels about it. And even less sure how SHE feels about it, he tiptoes carefully now. "It's really none of my business. I was just worried how you'd take the news."

She shrugs, still cool and distant, still pushing all that Rage way back inside of her. "There's nothing that you could have done about it. I guess I did what needed to be done anyway. Crystal says, that it's a symptom, of how the Wyrm has a hold of humanity. Of things being out of balance. That's why men beat their wives, and their children, and do ... worse things to them. She told me about Pegasus. Do you know about Pegasus?"

Tony listens like an apt pupil, his eyes never leaving hers. He is less ready to blame the Wyrm for every problem in human society, but if it helps her deal with things, he's not going to argue the point. "No," he replies quietly, looking quite ready to learn about this Pegasus.

It's a bit hard to tell whether Hope believes what she's saying or not. Not that she's a particularly good liar, it's just that she's repeating it back the way she's heard it, and how much has sunk in is unclear. "She's our tribal totem," the cub explains, "A beautiful winged horse with fire in her eyes. She is the protector of women and girls, and of the sacred places of the world. Crystal says that she used to be in a pack under Pegasus, and that they would go around, helping out girls who were being abused. And that's why she still keeps a shrine to the totem at her tree."

"A fine totem," he murmurs in response, remembering the shrine in Crystal's tree. "I'd help her out, if I could. I hate people who flaunt and wave their strength over those weaker than them. It's... cowardly." Tony offers a small smile, not knowing how well his words will work. "I hope you find this place to be a good home. One thing I learned quickly here is that we're all family."

For the first time tonight, Hope smiles, though it's kind of a wry chuckle of a smile. She does the Godfather line: "Don't ever take sides with anyone against the Family."

Tony grins. "I think Crystal would make a passable Vito Corleone," he muses. "I'm pretty fucking tired," he goes on, rubbing his face. "What do you say we head upstairs and tuck each other in?" he suggests, somewhat playfully. It's really refreshing to have someone his age here. Those few years between Bits and Gabby make a big difference.

Hope ums, and says, "Okay. But if you try anything, I'll pound the crap out of you," she teases in return. She shakes his head. "Crystal's actually really nice, really understanding," she says, standing up.

Tony stands up as well. "I believe she is," he says. "I have the feeling she rarely shows that side of herself to the guys, though. Not that I mind. I'm just glad she's on our side in general."