Tapestries: Terima - Sunday, November 05, 2006, 6:32 PM

Cursor pulls out of the parking lot, having left you right there, mentioning he had business to attend to. After just two days back in the city, you find yourself already missing the comforting energy that the caern radiates.
Tony waves after Cursor through the chain fence, then pulls his pack up onto his shoulders. He begins to hike into the forest, towards the spot he knows as Crystal's den. He was told she would be teaching him some things, plus she might know about Katrikki's condition and any news about what happened at the manor.

Crystal is at her tree, where she usually sits, either in homid or lupus form. Right now she's in homid, and her head is down. She might be sleeping, or resting, or something else. It's hard to tell.

Tony isn't sure if she's sleeping or not. So he makes a point to make more noise than usual when approaching her, not wanting to startle her awake with a fright. Of course, chances are she probably knew he was there long before he saw her anyway.

Crystal snorts, her human nose wriggling a little bit as she looks up and at you, dark eyes narrowed, as if judging your worth. She straightens and leans back against the tree, as massive as she is. "Sit down," she grunts.

Tony does so, removing his pack and sitting cross-legged in front of the big woman. He just looks at her quietly, now, waiting for her to say something first if she wants to. She looks like she was expecting him, which is kind of unnerving

Crystal takes a little while to address you. "Well," she says, gruffly, "I see you finally found your way out here, Anthony Seeks-Truth. You stayed in the city last night?"

Tony nods his head. "With my father. I made him understand that I can't go back yet," he says. "Things are good with him now."

Another grunt comes from the woman. "And I see that Cursor left you; he doesn't have the courage to face me about endangering Hope, either. Typical. I assume, then, that Gabrielle has told you that it was my desire to teach you how to be a proper half-moon?"

Tony nods again. "Yes, she told me so," he agrees, keeping quiet on the subject of Hope and Cursor. That's their business. "What is it you have to teach me?"
She laughs deeply. "Everything," she says, "But first, I have a question for you. Do you know /why/ I decided to do this?"

Tony shakes his head slowly. "Not really. I was surprised. I thought Alex would be teaching me," he admits. "Not that this is a bad surprise, of course," he hastily adds with a nervous blink.

Crystal half snorts and half grunts. "The Philodox," she explains, "Is the voice of reason for her pack. She speaks the words of cool wisdom when her pack feels their tempers flare. She decides the right path when two of her packmates do not agree. She knows the laws and how they are best applied to any situation, but more, she knows /why/ those laws exist." She levels her gaze at you once more. "Gaia has seen fit to bless this sept with five cubs of five auspices, a pack to be formed. It has been ... many years ... since that has happened here. And, one of those is a daughter of Pegasus. I will not have her destiny ... sidetracked ... by a Philodox who does not know that one does not use the Delirium to sort vampire from human!"

Tony rests his hands on his ankles, listening like a good pupil. He wonders just how many years it's been since a five auspice set of cubs arrived. Hell, he isn't sure how many cubs are found every year to begin with. The cub opens his mouth at her proclamation, but finds he has nothing to say. No, just a question. "So, how do you sort vampire from human?"

Crystal grunts, "It's not always an easy thing to do. But the best way is to use the half-moon gift Scent of the True Form. Like many gifts we have, it doesn't always work, but it is the most reliable method. Otherwise you might try sensing the Wyrm, though many humans stink of the Wyrm, sometimes just by proxy."

Tony considers that. "Sensing them, huh? Scent of the True Form. I think that's what Alex used to make sure I was a Garou," he says. "I'll try it, but I'm not sure how yet."

Crystal nods her heavy head. "Which is why I do not understand why this was not the tactic he chose against the leeches." She snorts. "Actually, I do know, but that is neither here nor there. And the Scent of the True Form is just one of the half-moon gifts you might learn from a spirit before your Rite. There are others you could have, instead."

"Like what? I was taught the Scent of Man already, which was really cool. Do you know Padre, the spirit? He was awesome. I wanted to go with him and ask him about what life was like back when... er, well, when he was alive, I guess."

"Two others are the most common for a half-moon cliath. I find them both terribly useful. The first is, simply enough, 'Resist Pain', which allows you to ignore the pain of your wounds and continue acting as if you were unhurt. The other is the 'Truth of Gaia', which allows you to sense whether another has spoken the truth, or a falsehood."

Tony knows which he wants. "Truth of Gaia sounds nice. I don't like the idea of numbing pain. Pain is important. It's there for a reason." The boy shakes his head. "But then again, Scent of True Form... I mean, it'd be useful if I find myself among uncertain people."

The smallest hint of a smile touches Crystal's face. "I am not surprised Truth-Seeker, to hear your preference. But as I have said, I have found all of them useful, in the right time and place. If you put your time and effort into learning, you will well learn more gifts, after your Rite of Passage. Now, tell me. What do you think it means to be Philodox." She leans forward, her substantial moving towards you.