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 Zoe Hears Jana's Song

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Zoe

Zoe


Posts : 526
Join date : 2013-09-02
Location : Nacogdoches, TX

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PostSubject: Zoe Hears Jana's Song   Zoe Hears Jana's Song EmptyThu 01 May 2014, 00:14

After Mocks and Rends head off to track down the remainders of the lynchmob, Zas and Eaton go out looking for a horse or donkey to ease Jana's travels. Zoe escorts Jana down the main road to the church, walking slowly out of concern for the pregnant kinfolk. The two walk in awkward silence for a few minutes before Zoe breaks the silence.

"So, Jana, how long have you known Eaton? I vaguely recall his story of some wild happenings at the leper colony, but I was not sure how long ago it was and if you were there then or not."
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The Laughing Stranger
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The Laughing Stranger


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PostSubject: Re: Zoe Hears Jana's Song   Zoe Hears Jana's Song EmptyThu 01 May 2014, 11:51

Jana Erdos' steps were quick and purposeful, like a thirsty animal heading toward water. "I have known Eaton Leper-Friend since the beginning of the year. He'd been sent to Olvidado to protect us. We were being threatened by the ranger patrols, terrorized by men who had once been respectful... if not friendly."

"He was the first Garou I had seen in a long time- several years. I... I supposed I had been abandoned by the Nation. When he came, I realized that it was just the Silver Fangs who had no use for me." Her voice carried a note of bitterness, but the young woman kept her eyes locked on the tall bell towers of the cathedral.

"Marco had always said that I was destined for more, that I wouldn't be at Olvidado forever." She paused, both in her words and in her path. "I don't think I ever truly believed him, though. I doubt the universe has a grand plan, Ms. Kostas.  A sense of cruel irony, maybe, but no plan."


Last edited by The Laughing Stranger on Sun 04 May 2014, 22:49; edited 3 times in total
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Zoe

Zoe


Posts : 526
Join date : 2013-09-02
Location : Nacogdoches, TX

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PostSubject: Re: Zoe Hears Jana's Song   Zoe Hears Jana's Song EmptyThu 01 May 2014, 15:29

Zoe looks curiously at Jana, clearly confused by her words. "Eaton was protecting you from the Rangers? Why would the patrols bother a leper colony? That seems downright cruel not to mention completely foolish. No offense, but I figure most people would just as well avoid lepers not go out of their way to make their lives any more miserable than they already are."

Zoe's eyes soften with empathy as Jana describes her abandonment. "I am sorry your tribe abandoned you. Mine abandoned me, too, as a child. I have no idea why. I knew nothing of Garou or the Nation until about a year ago when I had my first change. Talk about a surprise, discovering that not only were monsters real, but I was one of them."

Zoe grows quiet as they approach the church. Looking at the doors, she sighs. "I don't know if the universe or Gaia or God has a grand plan. I think we're just left to do the best with what we've got." She shrugs. "That's what i did as a child. I stole and lived on the streets as best I could until something better came along."
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The Laughing Stranger
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PostSubject: Re: Zoe Hears Jana's Song   Zoe Hears Jana's Song EmptySun 04 May 2014, 19:28

"Oh, we were thankful for the ranger's visits, at first. After the war, we had been troubled by bandits and Mexican deserters. I don't think they realized that we were infected." Jana grew quiet, and continued walking in silence for a few moments before continuing in quieter tones. "The old friar sent a letter to the mayor of Bexar requesting aid, and eventually we began receiving occasional visits from the rangers. We got along fine for the next two years."

"The nature of these visits only changed last year, and the formerly courteous rangers grew irrational and vicious. Apparently, there was one of the restless dead, a vampire, tainting their minds up in Seguine. Why its influence manifested as antipathy for us lepers, I am not sure."

"Your parents must have had a good reason to do what they did." Jana turned to look at Zoe and she smiled reassuringly. "But know that you are not a monster, Zoe- you are a hero. My family has done great and glorious deeds, and I am sure you will accomplish much of the same."

When Zoe mentions their place in the world, Jana listened, her lips a thin grim line. "I know, you are right Zoe, its just that, sometimes, I feel as if my life is some sort of harsh parable." The kin reached to open the large paneled oak door, and her eyes drifted downward, briefly lingering on her callous-scarred hands. "I must confess, in my younger years I prided myself on my tribe's wealth. Our House was powerful, and we bought great tracts of land to keep it safe from the enemies of the Nation. We had much, and I took it all for granted."  They stepped into the vast emptiness of the cathedral. It's interior was cool and dry, smelling of treated pine and dusty vestments.

"It is funny, but when I had nothing among the lepers, I wasn't afraid. Now... fear coils around me every night. I felt that I would never leave Olvidado, and there was a quiet, despairing comfort in that. Now here I am- free, but everything uncertain and tenuous..." She trailed off and went to sit on one of the pews in the back. After she seated herself, she glanced over at Zoe, almost shamefully.

"It isn't that I don't trust Eaton, because I do, but that does not stop me from wondering, fearing for our child."
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Zoe

Zoe


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PostSubject: Re: Zoe Hears Jana's Song   Zoe Hears Jana's Song EmptySun 04 May 2014, 20:51

"Vampire in Seguine, you say? I have not had the, uh, 'pleasure' of encountering a vampire yet, but I have no doubt I will do so in the future. Spiritual influence on humans can be very unpredictable. I don't know much about vampires or how they affect people, but I suppose the rangers' foul attitude toward the colony was only one of the outlets for their tainted anger."

Zoe smiles half-heartedly at Jana's encouragement concerning her parents. Her brow furrows before she continues. "I don't know why they left me, but according to one of the elders at the caern we just left, someone or something has been trying to erase all evidence of my parents' existence. Perhaps they abandoned me for my own protection. It's possible that whoever is removing traces of them would do the same to me if they knew I existed."

Once they arrive at the church, Zoe slides into the pew next to Jana, placing a reassuring hand on her knee. "I can't imagine going from a member of one of the wealthiest tribes to a member of a leper colony. I know the material loss was only a part of what you lost, but it must have been difficult. Losing your home, your family, your tribal identity...I am so sorry, dear."

As Jana confesses her fears, Zoe smiles encouragingly. "I am sure that every mother fears bringing a child into the world, doubting her abilities as a mother, fearing the danger that may come to her child, especially in this day and age and for one who runs with our kind. But kinfolk are strong, Jana, and Garou even stronger. Your child will be born strong and will be surrounded by Garou and kinfolk to protect him or her from harm, and Eaton will be on the front lines, protecting his little one."

Zoe sits quietly observing their surroundings. The vaulted ceiling draws her eyes upward to the wood panels and crucifix adorning the wall. As she observes a stained glass window depicting a man with a yellow circle around his head, she questions Jana further. "Why did you want to come here - to the church? Are you religious?"
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PostSubject: Re: Zoe Hears Jana's Song   Zoe Hears Jana's Song EmptyTue 06 May 2014, 13:01

When Zoe mentioned that her parents' legacy was gone, a look of horror crept into Jana's face. "I cannot imagine what that must be like. The history of my House is a sacred tradition..." She quickly cut herself off with a grimace. "No, it is not my House anymore; but still the past shapes who you are, Zoe. The history of the Silver Fangs is filled with glory and tragedy, but both are inspiring, in a way." A curious smile quirked into the corner of Jana's mouth. "You want to live up to the stories, earn your place among the best of them, and at the same time reject the failures of your ancestors."

When Zoe commiserates with her for her loss, Jana gave her a sad grin. "Thank you, I am sorry- I make it sound as if I regret having an easy life or rich possessions... I do not care so much about those things; I see now that they do not matter. The child will not have the advantages that were afforded to me... and this I regret."

"In truth, I miss my family terribly, but I know they are lost to me. My impurities are too many, unforgivable." She sighed, but in her eyes the Theurge caught a flash of angry defiance. "I have been forced to reject them. Now I am Bone Gnawer, as I am sure my child will be in time."

In response to Zoe's inquiries about her beliefs, the woman shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Our clan, the Erdus, have been Catholics since the 10th century. I do not know if it is my own belief. I do know that it is what allowed us to so easily grease the right palms when we dealt with the Empresarios." She shook her head in grim mirth before she began again. "I was raised with the stories of the Blessed Mother and the Humble Prince, as well as the deeds of mighty Hunor and Magor." Her gaze rested on the trapped saints and angels, static in their panes of glass. "Some of my earliest memories are in a church not unlike this, a great stone edifice overlooking the Carpathian traverse..." She trailed off and looked somewhat sheepish. "I am sorry, I am nervous, my thoughts are all over the place. I should not be prattling like this."


Last edited by The Laughing Stranger on Wed 12 Aug 2015, 20:05; edited 1 time in total
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Zoe

Zoe


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Join date : 2013-09-02
Location : Nacogdoches, TX

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PostSubject: Re: Zoe Hears Jana's Song   Zoe Hears Jana's Song EmptyTue 06 May 2014, 22:04

Zoe laughs slightly at Jana's horror-filled visage and shrugs. "My past has shaped who I am today, it's just not as thorough of a past as you have. Hopefully I will be able to piece it together as I go, but if not, perhaps Gaia intended for my life to be this way. If you do not know your past, you cannot be fixated on it and must move forward, right?"

Zoe's eyes sadden slightly though she attempts to maintain an air of confidence as she continues.

"Are you sure you can never go back? Never see your family again? Have you not been healed of whatever it was that ailed you? What is keeping you from returning to the Silver Fangs? A few surface-level scars? Any theurge could heal those up almost instantly."

Zoe nods as Jana explains her religious past. "Once I was taken off the streets by the man I called Father, I began attending Catholic school, but only occasionally the Catholic services. My adopted father was not very religious, but it was the only real school in town, so it's where I went. As you know, I was not raised on Garou lore, so who are Hunor and Magor? Are they important to all Garou tribes or only to the Silver Fangs?"

Zoe places a reassuring hand on Jana's shoulder. "It is only natural to be nervous, friend. You have a grand responsibility ahead of you in raising this child right and keeping him or her safe in this dangerous world we live in."

Zoe smiles and cocks her head to the side. "Have you thought of names for the little one? Eaton the second, perhaps? Little Janie?"
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