The Seppuku Garden
C8: Slylocked
Disclaimer: The characters are mine but the concepts are White Wolf's. Not getting paid, this is just for fun.
The ride to Edgewater Park wasn't geographically long, but the thick silence in the car made it seem to go forever. No one was quite sure what to say to each other. Nolan and Ryn were curious about Juanita but didn't want to ask too many questions. Mike didn't trust the werespider at all (Do they really drink blood?) and grew suspicious of the others for being so accepting of a possible Wyrm creature. Amerie eventually got to the beach and found a parking space.
"Wow, Lake Erie's really beautiful up close," Ryn said after getting out of the car.
"Girl please," Amerie replied, "That water's so nasty it can be cut into blocks. You see that huge pipe in the distance across from where those people are swimming? Raw sewage can flow from it into the lake at any moment.
(Author's note: I'm not making this up.)
"Um…ew!"
"Right. Learn how to Resist Toxins before you actually go swimming. Those are some damn fools out there."
"The kid said to meet us on the breakwall," Mike said.
"Are those the rocks over there?" Ryn asked.
"Yeah, they keep the waves from hitting the shore," Nolan said as he lit a cigarette, "They're pretty cool to walk on, and I guess we'll see him there so keep your eyes open."
They walked along the breakwall for a ways. Mike and Juanita gave each other the occasional evil eye. Amerie complained about having worn heals. Nolan described Joss as thin and rather short, coming up to his chin height-wise, but would be attractive if he didn't look sixteen.
"I'm nineteen!" a voice suddenly replied.
"You!" Nolan said.
"How long were you following us?" Mike asked.
"Maybe ten minutes or so," replied Joss, "Just getting a good feel for you all." He nodded at Amerie and Juanita, "And you ladies are…?"
"Tired of these games," Juanita stated, "Who are you and what do you know about this?"
Ryn agreed, "Considering what's at stake, we should build some mutual trust."
Joss shrugged, "Fair enough, I guess. I was sent to follow you, to see what you all knew about what was going on around here." Joss disappeared, then reappeared next to Nolan and started checking the Glass Walker out, "I know a few esoteric Gifts, and some other things you might not want me to get into."
"What tribe are you?" Amerie asked.
"No tribe. I'm Kitsune, werefox. We don't do tribes."
"Huh,' Nolan said, not expecting that answer.
Mike had enough. He studied Joss for a second, then reached over to his left (having seen through the illusion) and picked the boy up by the front of his shirt and held him over the edge of the breakwall. "Bullshit! There's no such thing as werefoxes!"
"There are," Ryn corrected, "but they're rarely seen outside of Asia. And you're white," she said to Joss.
"My grandmother's Chinese Kin, now put me down!"
A woman approached from behind and said, "You'd do well to listen to him."
The urban Garou recognized her immediately. "Carmen," Amerie said.
Nolan added, "The plot thins…"
