Kem was somewhat out of sorts. He could have sworn that "looking after the Clan" was something he'd promised Alfarinn he would do at some point when they were both very, very drunk. He had never expected things to come to this.
He'd been living in his own happy little world for the past year or so, however, and the time for self-indulgence was over. Alfarinn was taking care of matters that needed to be taken care of. It had been very easy to assume he'd be back any day, any week... but even Kem had to own up to it and admit that days and weeks passed quickly into months, and it didn't get shorter from there.
He was trying very hard to ignore the feelings that rose to the surface when he considered Alfarinn's absence. He was more than Elder and Clan leader. He was the person who'd introduced Kem to his kind when he'd been living half an existence by himself in the middle of the desert, slowly going out of his mind. Alfarinn had brought him to Evenhet and more importantly, had brought him sanity, friendship, and a home when Kem had thought those things were forever denied him.
If his loyalty at heart was to Evenhet, then it was ten times so to Alfarinn. The least Kem could do was to try and hold things together until Alfarinn returned, as he'd promised, even if he'd never actually believed that time would come. That said, he couldn't help feeling enormously unsuited to this task. This was something someone else should be doing... someone stronger, someone more confident, someone better than him.
But, he'd made a promise and he was going to do his best. Of all the things he'd ever had in the past several hundred years, Evenhet had been his constant, and was his family. If he couldn't take care of his family, what good was he anyway?
With that in mind, he was off to meet with Dani. He couldn't really hide in the Archives now; his presence elsewhere was required. Much as he would have liked to hide behind the shelves of dusty boxes and old records, this wasn't the time. Dani had something to show him, apparently.
As he entered the conference room and put his laptop bag onto the long table, he still couldn't help feeling more than just a little out of place.
Unusual business (private, attn Kem)
Dani adjusted her lavender jacket and made sure there were no embarrassing wardrobe mishaps as she left the ladies' room, where one of her interns waited with her purse in hand. Deftly taking the oversized bag, she rifled as they walked until she found her Palm, at which point the intern stopped talking and began steering her and shooing people out of her path while she read.
Most of her duties as Arin's assistant were related to Meridian, but recently her responsibilities had grown tremendously. Her days were consumed with her work, her evenings with the work of several other people, and while she was happy, healthy, and thriving, she knew she couldn't keep up this pace forever. Arin had given her the power to delegate company matters in his absence, and that was just what she was going to do.
Just as soon as she could sit at her desk.
She sighed, shaking her head as she picked a stack of papers off a nearby table and handed them to her intern, who set them on a desk and pointed at its occupant meaningfully. Poor Arin. That was all she could think on that topic, though - any more and she would worry herself sick. He was where he needed to be, as an Elder. Everyone understood even as everyone missed him terribly and hoped he would return to Nachton soon.
Finally making it to her desk, she set down her purse, her Palm, and the binder she had picked up along the way, then shooed the intern out of her office and picked up her phone on the third ring. It was another intern, reminding her of a meeting in ten minutes. She thanked her and hung up, then made her way behind her desk and sat down heavily.
The past few months had been difficult for the clan, though no one bore the burden more than Arin. He'd been through so much already, only to be drawn in to yet another crisis, this time involving Megan. Megan's long absence from Nachton had of course been noted before, but there were constant rumors and, Dani suspected, regular intelligence regarding her exact location. More recently, though, that flow of information had abruptly stopped. When a small cult claimed responsibility for the Evenhet Elder's sharp drop off the radar, tensions between the clan and the group exploded, with disastrous results.
Arin had been forced to leave much in Dani's capable hands, and she wanted nothing more than to make him proud. He didn't deserve this. She rubbed at her temples, remembering those first few days in his absence, when she had believed wholeheartedly that Arin would make the peace, find his sister well and alive, and be home in time for dinner. It hadn't worked out that way at all. The whole team was entrenched in a mess that could take...well, she didn't want to think about how long it would take to resolve.
The phone rang again, and she picked it up and answered, too sharply. She shouldn't have sat down - it didn't help. It was so much better to stay in motion. If someone wanted to step up and help out, they would just have to catch her.
She told the intern on the other end to walk with her to the conference room. The walk was as good a time as any to conduct an interview.
It wasn't a hundred feet into her walk before she realized she'd forgotten the security tape she was meant to bring to the meeting. Employees nearby were startled to hear the usually mild-mannered assistant growl before turning around, but the intern stopped her in her tracks by presenting the very tape she needed. Maybe at this point it just didn't take much to impress her, but she thought his presence of mind would come in handy and hired him on the spot.
Kem`Raaisu
16 years ago
Danielle
16 years ago
Normally Dani would take the stairs and get a little cardio in on her way to the meeting, but she didn’t want to torture her new hire any more than strictly necessary, and so they took the elevator to the ground floor to meet Kem. She fanned herself with a folder on the way down, working out her nerves and releasing a little pent up energy. Pent up energy from missing exercise class with her coworkers (which doubled as meeting/bitch session time for them), and nerves…
…Well. Why was she nervous, anyway? This was Kem, after all – he was a good guy, not one to let a little more authority change him. It was just such a vastly different dynamic with him than with Arin. And yes, there was some small part of her that feared Kem would decide that her services were no longer required. She didn’t want a power struggle – she just wanted to do her job, and do it well.
Reminding herself again that she’d always liked Kem, she stepped out of the elevator, the new hire still at her heels. The conference room was just down the hall – not far enough even to stretch her legs, she thought regretfully – and they made their way with all due haste, apparently just after Kem, who was setting down his laptop bag.
“Oh, Kem, you’re here already, good,” she squeaked, sounding a little like a hyperactive chipmunk. She continued in a much more normal voice to her new hire, who was setting her bag on a nearby chair, along with the tape. “If you could close the blinds on your way out, and I’ll take that,” she added, pointing to the tape. “Thank you.” Turning back to Kem, she put on a serene smile, forcing the expression into an attitude.
“Thank you so much for coming – I know you’ve been busy.”
And he was about to get busier, she reflected. Once the new hire (Steven, his name is Steven, it’s not difficult) left, shutting the door behind him, she felt that boardroom calm wash over her. Right now she could think of them as just two people in a room – it was the befores and afters that got her.
“You’re going to want to have a seat,” she grinned, not without sympathy. “I have to spring something on you.”
…Well. Why was she nervous, anyway? This was Kem, after all – he was a good guy, not one to let a little more authority change him. It was just such a vastly different dynamic with him than with Arin. And yes, there was some small part of her that feared Kem would decide that her services were no longer required. She didn’t want a power struggle – she just wanted to do her job, and do it well.
Reminding herself again that she’d always liked Kem, she stepped out of the elevator, the new hire still at her heels. The conference room was just down the hall – not far enough even to stretch her legs, she thought regretfully – and they made their way with all due haste, apparently just after Kem, who was setting down his laptop bag.
“Oh, Kem, you’re here already, good,” she squeaked, sounding a little like a hyperactive chipmunk. She continued in a much more normal voice to her new hire, who was setting her bag on a nearby chair, along with the tape. “If you could close the blinds on your way out, and I’ll take that,” she added, pointing to the tape. “Thank you.” Turning back to Kem, she put on a serene smile, forcing the expression into an attitude.
“Thank you so much for coming – I know you’ve been busy.”
And he was about to get busier, she reflected. Once the new hire (Steven, his name is Steven, it’s not difficult) left, shutting the door behind him, she felt that boardroom calm wash over her. Right now she could think of them as just two people in a room – it was the befores and afters that got her.
“You’re going to want to have a seat,” she grinned, not without sympathy. “I have to spring something on you.”
Kem`Raaisu
16 years ago
Kem took a nice, deep breath. He could do this. The last thing he wanted was to seem like a complete nervous wreck in front of Dani. No doubt this was doubly difficult for her. As Alfarinn's familiar, the separation must be hard to bear. It wouldn't help her to see the fill-in having a nervous breakdown. He should be projecting calm, confidence, serenity...
"Oh! Uh, hey. Yes. Yeah, I'm here. Here I am. Damnit."
Well, we couldn't all start smoothly. He took one more deep breath and found a smile from somewhere.
"Let me try that again. How are you, Dani? It's been a while. You've been even busier than I have, I'm sure."
She seemed to want to get right down to business, which suited him just fine until she used the words, "spring something on you." Not really what he wanted to hear. Please, let those words not be, "I quit." THAT he could not handle. He sorely needed Dani around to help keep himself sane. It was, just a teeny bit perhaps, like having Alfarinn here.
No sense jumping to conclusions. He returned her grin with a brief one of his own and spread his hands in an, "as you wish" sort of gesture. Taking a seat he waited for her to drop whatever bomb it was that needed dropping.
"May as well lay it on me. I can handle it." He put his best game face on. It wasn't very good, in his opinion. He probably looked like he was going to vomit all over the place.
"Oh! Uh, hey. Yes. Yeah, I'm here. Here I am. Damnit."
Well, we couldn't all start smoothly. He took one more deep breath and found a smile from somewhere.
"Let me try that again. How are you, Dani? It's been a while. You've been even busier than I have, I'm sure."
She seemed to want to get right down to business, which suited him just fine until she used the words, "spring something on you." Not really what he wanted to hear. Please, let those words not be, "I quit." THAT he could not handle. He sorely needed Dani around to help keep himself sane. It was, just a teeny bit perhaps, like having Alfarinn here.
No sense jumping to conclusions. He returned her grin with a brief one of his own and spread his hands in an, "as you wish" sort of gesture. Taking a seat he waited for her to drop whatever bomb it was that needed dropping.
"May as well lay it on me. I can handle it." He put his best game face on. It wasn't very good, in his opinion. He probably looked like he was going to vomit all over the place.
Danielle
16 years ago
The pleasantries through and the vampire seated, Dani offered up a warm smile. Wanting to abolish any concerns which may have leapt to mind at her abrupt announcement, she, too, sat down, resting both hands on the table.
“It’s nothing to do with Arin – he’s fine as far as I know. But something was brought to his attention before he left, something I think it’s time you knew.” She looked a little sheepish for a moment before continuing. “I think I should have spoken to you sooner, but hindsight is 20/20 – I had thought Arin would be back by now.”
Dani hesitated a moment, wondering if that last statement had come out as an unintended slight. Arin probably would have told Kem all of this himself if he hadn’t been otherwise occupied – it wasn’t that anyone thought he couldn’t handle it. Deciding that she couldn’t spend the entire meeting apologizing, she nodded and moved on.
“I’m guessing I don’t need to tell you that in the long distant pass, before there even was a Clan Evenhet, there was a conflict between your kind,” she gestured to Kem “and…well, werewolves, for lack of a better term.” She gave an uneasy smile and moved on quickly. “Christian and Alfarinn filled me in on the details, or at least what little anyone today knows. It’s been a pretty quiet millennium on that front, at least…until now.”
Standing, she walked over to the tape and slid it into the VCR, speaking as she went.
“A few months ago, Theo was at the Nachton Mall with her bodyguard when an incident occurred. She’s perfectly fine, seemed oblivious to all but the aftermath actually, but at her guard’s prompting she, ah, recovered the surveillance tape.”
Sitting back down, next to Kem rather than across from him now, she pressed play and fell quiet while the scene played out. She’d had someone edit out the bulk of it, so they didn’t have to watch the ordinary goings on of the mall at Christmas for long before witnessing four streaks blur across the screen. She hit rewind, then showed the relevant portion again, this time frame by frame. Now it was easier to see the two figures bolting through the mall, with several wolves in pursuit. Hitting stop, she turned to Kem.
“Still with me?”
“It’s nothing to do with Arin – he’s fine as far as I know. But something was brought to his attention before he left, something I think it’s time you knew.” She looked a little sheepish for a moment before continuing. “I think I should have spoken to you sooner, but hindsight is 20/20 – I had thought Arin would be back by now.”
Dani hesitated a moment, wondering if that last statement had come out as an unintended slight. Arin probably would have told Kem all of this himself if he hadn’t been otherwise occupied – it wasn’t that anyone thought he couldn’t handle it. Deciding that she couldn’t spend the entire meeting apologizing, she nodded and moved on.
“I’m guessing I don’t need to tell you that in the long distant pass, before there even was a Clan Evenhet, there was a conflict between your kind,” she gestured to Kem “and…well, werewolves, for lack of a better term.” She gave an uneasy smile and moved on quickly. “Christian and Alfarinn filled me in on the details, or at least what little anyone today knows. It’s been a pretty quiet millennium on that front, at least…until now.”
Standing, she walked over to the tape and slid it into the VCR, speaking as she went.
“A few months ago, Theo was at the Nachton Mall with her bodyguard when an incident occurred. She’s perfectly fine, seemed oblivious to all but the aftermath actually, but at her guard’s prompting she, ah, recovered the surveillance tape.”
Sitting back down, next to Kem rather than across from him now, she pressed play and fell quiet while the scene played out. She’d had someone edit out the bulk of it, so they didn’t have to watch the ordinary goings on of the mall at Christmas for long before witnessing four streaks blur across the screen. She hit rewind, then showed the relevant portion again, this time frame by frame. Now it was easier to see the two figures bolting through the mall, with several wolves in pursuit. Hitting stop, she turned to Kem.
“Still with me?”
Kem`Raaisu
16 years ago
Kem shook his head as it appeared Dani was offering some sort of unnecessary apology. While it would be nice, in the future, to know of these things as they happened, he sure wasn't going to fault her. They had all pretty much been going through the motions until this point, when things had begun to get a bit more "real." In response to her observation regarding Alfarinn's return, all he could do was nod and murmur, "We all thought so."
He listened quietly while she spoke although there wasn't anything she was saying that he didn't already know, as she'd suspected. He hadn't known that Theo had had anything to do with an incident at the mall... had he? She stopped by the archives every now and then, but regretfully if she'd mentioned this, he'd lost track of it.
Knitting his brows together he watched the surveillance tape, he could feel his face pulling itself into a frown of concentration. Interesting.
"Still with you."
Reaching forward when Dani hit stop, he rewound the tape and watched it again for a third time.
"Who are they chasing?"
He listened quietly while she spoke although there wasn't anything she was saying that he didn't already know, as she'd suspected. He hadn't known that Theo had had anything to do with an incident at the mall... had he? She stopped by the archives every now and then, but regretfully if she'd mentioned this, he'd lost track of it.
Knitting his brows together he watched the surveillance tape, he could feel his face pulling itself into a frown of concentration. Interesting.
"Still with you."
Reaching forward when Dani hit stop, he rewound the tape and watched it again for a third time.
"Who are they chasing?"
Danielle
16 years ago
Hmm, he seemed to be taking this pretty well. Good, because there was more. Smiling wryly, Dani pulled the folder she’d brought in over to their side of the table, opening it to a stack of shiny black and white prints with red time stamps at the bottom – enlargements of some of the frames in the tape.
“Security did a full analysis – you can read all the details in their report, it’s very thorough. But as you can probably see…” She trailed off while she arranged several close up shots of the two runners fleeing the scene. “…it appears Ellis Duban and Simon Huntington might have some explaining to do. Not the most likely source of information, in my opinion, but there it is.” She held out her hands in a ‘what can you do’ gesture.
Not wanting to overload Kem with information while still well aware that she had one more bomb to drop, she rather suddenly broke in with “Can I get you a water or a coffee or anything?”
“Security did a full analysis – you can read all the details in their report, it’s very thorough. But as you can probably see…” She trailed off while she arranged several close up shots of the two runners fleeing the scene. “…it appears Ellis Duban and Simon Huntington might have some explaining to do. Not the most likely source of information, in my opinion, but there it is.” She held out her hands in a ‘what can you do’ gesture.
Not wanting to overload Kem with information while still well aware that she had one more bomb to drop, she rather suddenly broke in with “Can I get you a water or a coffee or anything?”
Kem`Raaisu
16 years ago
Kem gave a small sigh as his fears were confirmed. "That," he said slowly, "is exactly who I thought it was."
Not only was this a matter of some importance, but it was a matter that quite possibly should involve the entire Council. Okay, definitely should involve. Why he was the one to have to bring it up though, was something only the gods could know.
Somebody up there hated him.
Looking at the close-up shots, he was at once glad he hadn't been there and slightly regretful. The scholar in him was wildly curious about the appearance of these werewolves. Although the skeptic in him reasoned that Ellis being involved probably meant Ellis deserved to be chased, a larger part of him was just too concerned right now to snicker at that.
"Who else knows about this?"
Kem glanced up at Dani, as she offered refreshments, suddenly getting the impression that she wasn't through. He shook his head. "Thanks... but I think we should cover everything that needs to be covered. Please help yourself though, if you want."
...while I go pound my head into a corner until I can't see straight, his inner voice finished for him. Best to get it all out there. That way he could begin to figure out who to contact and exactly what to do.
"I'd prefer to wrap my head around all the details at once, if you know what I mean." He smiled at Dani, hopefully in an encouraging way, and braced himself for whatever else was ready to come spilling out.
Not only was this a matter of some importance, but it was a matter that quite possibly should involve the entire Council. Okay, definitely should involve. Why he was the one to have to bring it up though, was something only the gods could know.
Somebody up there hated him.
Looking at the close-up shots, he was at once glad he hadn't been there and slightly regretful. The scholar in him was wildly curious about the appearance of these werewolves. Although the skeptic in him reasoned that Ellis being involved probably meant Ellis deserved to be chased, a larger part of him was just too concerned right now to snicker at that.
"Who else knows about this?"
Kem glanced up at Dani, as she offered refreshments, suddenly getting the impression that she wasn't through. He shook his head. "Thanks... but I think we should cover everything that needs to be covered. Please help yourself though, if you want."
...while I go pound my head into a corner until I can't see straight, his inner voice finished for him. Best to get it all out there. That way he could begin to figure out who to contact and exactly what to do.
"I'd prefer to wrap my head around all the details at once, if you know what I mean." He smiled at Dani, hopefully in an encouraging way, and braced himself for whatever else was ready to come spilling out.
Danielle
16 years ago
Dani grinned and nodded, understanding where Kem was coming from perfectly.
“Oh sure,” she said, waving off the offer and deciding to get on with it. “And – well that’s another complication.”
Thinking of how to begin, she wondered if she should have started with the information she had yet to present, but decided that it was better to start with the facts and then get into the more speculative portion of the meeting. She was admittedly a little fuzzy on the details that followed, though she believed her lack of knowledge was more due to people going out of their way to keep her from worrying than any attempt at a cover-up.
“It’s kind of a long story and I suspect that I don’t know the half of it, to be honest, but the short version is that Arin was there, at the mall, and saw the wolves with his own eyes. He was apparently busy protecting a friend and got separated from the other two before the wolf attack started.” Her face turned disapproving, though she couldn’t exactly stay mad at Arin for telling her a story full of holes. “I was thinking we would want to speak with this friend. I asked around and have a first name – Nova. We also know she’s in Tacharan. What exactly Arin was protecting her from, I’m not sure, but he did admit that Ellis and Simon were not exactly happy to see each other. My suspicion is that Nova somehow got caught in the middle of those two. At any rate, I’m sure you’ll be glad to know that both Ellis and Simon made it out alive. Ellis, of course, went underground again, but Simon and Arin met up after the fact and compared notes, or at least touched base with each other.”
Arin had obviously glossed over that point, keeping it as vague as possible. Perhaps he feared a hen-pecking for engaging in risky behavior. He had to have told someone the whole story though.
“As for who else knows about this incident, I’m sure Thaddeus – did you meet Thaddeus? – is aware, and Theo has probably connected the dots from the tape, but isn’t saying much. Thaddeus might not be the most reliable right now, poor thing – he’s going having a rough time. And of course Christian and his team know – in fact, they might know more than I do about parts of this. I have no idea who the Tacharans might have told, though.”
“Oh sure,” she said, waving off the offer and deciding to get on with it. “And – well that’s another complication.”
Thinking of how to begin, she wondered if she should have started with the information she had yet to present, but decided that it was better to start with the facts and then get into the more speculative portion of the meeting. She was admittedly a little fuzzy on the details that followed, though she believed her lack of knowledge was more due to people going out of their way to keep her from worrying than any attempt at a cover-up.
“It’s kind of a long story and I suspect that I don’t know the half of it, to be honest, but the short version is that Arin was there, at the mall, and saw the wolves with his own eyes. He was apparently busy protecting a friend and got separated from the other two before the wolf attack started.” Her face turned disapproving, though she couldn’t exactly stay mad at Arin for telling her a story full of holes. “I was thinking we would want to speak with this friend. I asked around and have a first name – Nova. We also know she’s in Tacharan. What exactly Arin was protecting her from, I’m not sure, but he did admit that Ellis and Simon were not exactly happy to see each other. My suspicion is that Nova somehow got caught in the middle of those two. At any rate, I’m sure you’ll be glad to know that both Ellis and Simon made it out alive. Ellis, of course, went underground again, but Simon and Arin met up after the fact and compared notes, or at least touched base with each other.”
Arin had obviously glossed over that point, keeping it as vague as possible. Perhaps he feared a hen-pecking for engaging in risky behavior. He had to have told someone the whole story though.
“As for who else knows about this incident, I’m sure Thaddeus – did you meet Thaddeus? – is aware, and Theo has probably connected the dots from the tape, but isn’t saying much. Thaddeus might not be the most reliable right now, poor thing – he’s going having a rough time. And of course Christian and his team know – in fact, they might know more than I do about parts of this. I have no idea who the Tacharans might have told, though.”
Kem`Raaisu
16 years ago
Well, that was definitely enough. Dani seemed to have run out of bombs to drop, so Kem felt free to rest his elbows on the table and drop his chin into his hands with a fairly noncomittal, "Oy."
Massaging his temples lest his brain explode and make a mess, he assimilated all the information and started storing bits and pieces away for future reference.
"First things first," he finally said. "We need to gather as much information as we can."
Now, he guessed, was the point at which he was supposed to delegate. "I think I'll have to follow in Alfarinn's footsteps and arrange a meeting with Simon."
You know, that didn't really sound any better coming from him than it probably had coming from Alfarinn. But what else was he to do? This involved all of them. He couldn't exactly write Simon a letter, or send him an email. He remembered his advice to Alfarinn, a while back, regarding meeting with the Tacharan clan leaders. If he recalled correctly, it was, "don't."
Oh, irony.
"In the meantime, do you think you can figure out what Christian's team knows?" A light went on and he added, "Aishe might be able to help you there. I can send her your way if you like."
Next up, who was Alfarinn helping, what had Dani said her name was? Nova. "I think it's worth asking about this Nova, too," he said, "which I may as well try to do while I'm pushing Simon's buttons."
Closing his eyes and ticking off points on his mental list, he let the stream of consciousness flow. "When we've got all the information, we can figure out what fits where. Hopefully some of it might include a name, some method of figuring out where to look for our new neighbors." He looked at Dani. "Unless you saw anything telling on that tape, I didn't see any nametags."
Having run out of ideas for the moment, he sat back once more and crossed his arms over his chest. "Am I leaving anything out, do you think?"
Massaging his temples lest his brain explode and make a mess, he assimilated all the information and started storing bits and pieces away for future reference.
"First things first," he finally said. "We need to gather as much information as we can."
Now, he guessed, was the point at which he was supposed to delegate. "I think I'll have to follow in Alfarinn's footsteps and arrange a meeting with Simon."
You know, that didn't really sound any better coming from him than it probably had coming from Alfarinn. But what else was he to do? This involved all of them. He couldn't exactly write Simon a letter, or send him an email. He remembered his advice to Alfarinn, a while back, regarding meeting with the Tacharan clan leaders. If he recalled correctly, it was, "don't."
Oh, irony.
"In the meantime, do you think you can figure out what Christian's team knows?" A light went on and he added, "Aishe might be able to help you there. I can send her your way if you like."
Next up, who was Alfarinn helping, what had Dani said her name was? Nova. "I think it's worth asking about this Nova, too," he said, "which I may as well try to do while I'm pushing Simon's buttons."
Closing his eyes and ticking off points on his mental list, he let the stream of consciousness flow. "When we've got all the information, we can figure out what fits where. Hopefully some of it might include a name, some method of figuring out where to look for our new neighbors." He looked at Dani. "Unless you saw anything telling on that tape, I didn't see any nametags."
Having run out of ideas for the moment, he sat back once more and crossed his arms over his chest. "Am I leaving anything out, do you think?"
Danielle
16 years ago
Dani’s eyes narrowed a little at the mention of meeting with Simon, but she knew Kem was right. That didn’t mean she had to like it. Simon and Arin may be friends but she misliked the way he had sniffed around Yuu.
“Neutral territory would be nice - let me know if you need me to reserve something.”
Her face fell a little when Kem requested that she go back to Security for more information. She and Christian got along just fine, but she suspected the team was holding back things they felt she didn’t ‘need to know’. Her face lit up a little, though, when he mentioned Aishe.
“Oh, that would be so helpful – Security can be such an insider’s club I think.”
Shaking her head over the nametags inquiry, she gestured to the folder.
“Security analyzed the appearance of each wolf, but I think it would take an expert to even identify them from those frames a second time – there’s not much distinction to my eye. Color would have been nice, but I guess you take what you can get.” She pulled a face, realizing how stereotypically racist she sounded. ‘Hur, they all look the same to me, let’s git ‘em.’ “Arin didn’t see the human side of the wolves.”
Thinking over her words a moment, Dani twirled a pen like a baton between her fingers. She’d had more time to think all of this over, and there was one more thing on her mind.
“I suppose I’m wondering what we do when we eventually find them. Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, but I can’t help being tremendously excited at the thought of meeting another unique species. However, given the history involved…” She trailed off, assuming Kem understood what she meant. “Anyway, I think that’s another very good reason to cultivate some expertise on werewolves in general – we’re going to need to be ambassadors soon, and it would help to speak the language. In that light, I was thinking it would be good to get a team of researchers together, to study what records we have involving past encounters with their kind, while we figure out exactly what’s happening in the present.”
“What do you think?”
“Neutral territory would be nice - let me know if you need me to reserve something.”
Her face fell a little when Kem requested that she go back to Security for more information. She and Christian got along just fine, but she suspected the team was holding back things they felt she didn’t ‘need to know’. Her face lit up a little, though, when he mentioned Aishe.
“Oh, that would be so helpful – Security can be such an insider’s club I think.”
Shaking her head over the nametags inquiry, she gestured to the folder.
“Security analyzed the appearance of each wolf, but I think it would take an expert to even identify them from those frames a second time – there’s not much distinction to my eye. Color would have been nice, but I guess you take what you can get.” She pulled a face, realizing how stereotypically racist she sounded. ‘Hur, they all look the same to me, let’s git ‘em.’ “Arin didn’t see the human side of the wolves.”
Thinking over her words a moment, Dani twirled a pen like a baton between her fingers. She’d had more time to think all of this over, and there was one more thing on her mind.
“I suppose I’m wondering what we do when we eventually find them. Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, but I can’t help being tremendously excited at the thought of meeting another unique species. However, given the history involved…” She trailed off, assuming Kem understood what she meant. “Anyway, I think that’s another very good reason to cultivate some expertise on werewolves in general – we’re going to need to be ambassadors soon, and it would help to speak the language. In that light, I was thinking it would be good to get a team of researchers together, to study what records we have involving past encounters with their kind, while we figure out exactly what’s happening in the present.”
“What do you think?”
Kem`Raaisu
16 years ago
"Neutral territory would be preferable," Kem said, "but beggars can't be choosers, and we're the ones looking to get some information. However we can arrange it, will work."
Kem smiled at Dani's observations regarding security... he agreed to an extent. For a certainty, Aishe didn't divulge anything that wasn't in his realm of business. Not until this point, at any rate. She had already told him to let her know how she could help, understanding his trepidation about being in this position. She would be happy to spend time with Dani.
"Aishe will be here for most of the evening," he said. "I can ask her to come find you later, or you can just seek her out whenever you get a breather if you like."
No time like the present, was his reasoning. They didn't benefit at all by waiting on this sort of thing.
Dani's further suggestions were about as perfect as they could be. Kem's face brightened some. "You're right. Good call," he said. Here was something he was comfortable with... for someone who'd lived centuries and experienced culture, and whose entire career was focused on studying civilizations, if he thought about it that way, they were just doing that.
Thinking for a moment he said, "Historians, yes, for records. We need to know how they're organized, how they think. Are they a Pack? Are there many Packs? Do they think like wolves or humans..."
He flashed another of his quick grins at Dani. "I'm looking forward to learning about them," he admitted, before falling back into his pensive gaze at the television screen. "After all that's passed, though, I can't help but wonder if we can arrange a peaceful meeting."
Getting along was something Kem did naturally. He wasn't abundantly territorial, possessive, or aggressive. It occurred to him that these wolves most likely had a chip the size of Manhattan on their shoulders, and getting them to speak before they shot might be a challenge.
He shook his head. "Well... that will be my goal, at any rate. I don't want to fight. I'm not sure Alfarinn would have wanted to either. If we can get along, then we should. There's room enough for everyone."
It was still said with a hopeful air. Truth be told, Kem didn't honestly think they'd get out of this without a fight, but he was going to give it his best shot.
Kem smiled at Dani's observations regarding security... he agreed to an extent. For a certainty, Aishe didn't divulge anything that wasn't in his realm of business. Not until this point, at any rate. She had already told him to let her know how she could help, understanding his trepidation about being in this position. She would be happy to spend time with Dani.
"Aishe will be here for most of the evening," he said. "I can ask her to come find you later, or you can just seek her out whenever you get a breather if you like."
No time like the present, was his reasoning. They didn't benefit at all by waiting on this sort of thing.
Dani's further suggestions were about as perfect as they could be. Kem's face brightened some. "You're right. Good call," he said. Here was something he was comfortable with... for someone who'd lived centuries and experienced culture, and whose entire career was focused on studying civilizations, if he thought about it that way, they were just doing that.
Thinking for a moment he said, "Historians, yes, for records. We need to know how they're organized, how they think. Are they a Pack? Are there many Packs? Do they think like wolves or humans..."
He flashed another of his quick grins at Dani. "I'm looking forward to learning about them," he admitted, before falling back into his pensive gaze at the television screen. "After all that's passed, though, I can't help but wonder if we can arrange a peaceful meeting."
Getting along was something Kem did naturally. He wasn't abundantly territorial, possessive, or aggressive. It occurred to him that these wolves most likely had a chip the size of Manhattan on their shoulders, and getting them to speak before they shot might be a challenge.
He shook his head. "Well... that will be my goal, at any rate. I don't want to fight. I'm not sure Alfarinn would have wanted to either. If we can get along, then we should. There's room enough for everyone."
It was still said with a hopeful air. Truth be told, Kem didn't honestly think they'd get out of this without a fight, but he was going to give it his best shot.
Danielle
16 years ago
Dani wondered exactly how badly anyone in Tacharan would feel if Kem didn’t come back from their meeting with the information they needed. Then she started wondering how badly they would feel if Kem didn’t come back in one piece. Realizing that was not a helpful line of thought, she firmly told herself that Tacharan was not –that- bad. Their request for information might be met with indifference – after all, they didn’t really know Kem – but she thought they could overcome that.
Meanwhile, she had her own meeting to arrange.
“I’ll give her a call – feel free to fill her in if you see her before I do, though.”
Kem seemed to take to her suggestion, which didn’t really come as a surprise – this was right up their ally. It crossed her mind that Anantya might have more information, considering they were the oldest of the three clans, but she was reluctant to mention Thaddeus as a possible connection before she spoke to him. While he certainly seemed like a nice guy, you just never could tell with that clan – they could be as stubborn as an old grandpa. She’d have to feel him out, was all.
“Maybe it’s arrogant of me, but I think if anyone is going to be able to have an open, reasonable dialogue with the werewolves, it’s Evenhet.”
On that positive note, she stood, gathering up her belongings and collecting the photos and papers for Kem.
“I’ll be in touch – please do let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
/ooc Dani out pending response
Meanwhile, she had her own meeting to arrange.
“I’ll give her a call – feel free to fill her in if you see her before I do, though.”
Kem seemed to take to her suggestion, which didn’t really come as a surprise – this was right up their ally. It crossed her mind that Anantya might have more information, considering they were the oldest of the three clans, but she was reluctant to mention Thaddeus as a possible connection before she spoke to him. While he certainly seemed like a nice guy, you just never could tell with that clan – they could be as stubborn as an old grandpa. She’d have to feel him out, was all.
“Maybe it’s arrogant of me, but I think if anyone is going to be able to have an open, reasonable dialogue with the werewolves, it’s Evenhet.”
On that positive note, she stood, gathering up her belongings and collecting the photos and papers for Kem.
“I’ll be in touch – please do let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
/ooc Dani out pending response
Kem`Raaisu
16 years ago
It was almost promising... if he could arrange a meeting with Simon and Nova, if they were willing to share information... if a lot of things. Kem wasn't entirely comfortable with "if" but it was the only thing he had for now. Hopefully the Tacharan and Anantya leaders would recognize that it was better to stick together when facing a potential unknown new adversary than dividing themselves.
He nodded to Dani, wondering if he could catch Aishe first, and then smiled once more. "I'd like to think so," he replied in response to her opinion about reasonable dialogue, "but I'm not putting my money on it just yet."
As Dani stood so did he, not just out of manners but because it was time for them to swing into action. Kem wasn't about to sit on this information for any longer than he had to. The sooner they caught up on the information race, the better prepared they would be for - whatever was to come.
((ooc: Kem out))
He nodded to Dani, wondering if he could catch Aishe first, and then smiled once more. "I'd like to think so," he replied in response to her opinion about reasonable dialogue, "but I'm not putting my money on it just yet."
As Dani stood so did he, not just out of manners but because it was time for them to swing into action. Kem wasn't about to sit on this information for any longer than he had to. The sooner they caught up on the information race, the better prepared they would be for - whatever was to come.
((ooc: Kem out))