Time Out

Though the pack had made their decision to head to Austin to investigate what the mostly-late Tames the Weaver had done, Eaton seemed more pleased than usual. Perhaps overcoming the despairing grip of Harrano made their successful mission all the more celebratory, or maybe he was still in awe at just what he now wielded. While he still responded to his packmates and took in the scenery, every few moments he couldn't help sparing a glance to the intriguing trumpet.

Was this instrument really to sound the Apocalypse, it's call bringing forth the end of all things? Even if it did have a powerful spirit bound within, the Galliard couldn't help but think the warning reeked with the stench of a tall tale. Still, the notion that he would no longer just see and interpret his visions but could persuade their imagery was absolutely enticing. As long as they pointed to some future event, at least. He mulled over some of his past divinations, trying to see just what he would have changed. Of course, he wasn't exactly sure the extent he could influence his insight. Omega did say that these fetishes would only get more powerful as they served their purpose, so his sway would likely increase.

Thinking about the spirit's words, he had a fairly good idea of what his Alpha's blades were capable of, making short work of whatever was foolish enough to taunt him. But Zoe's? He had only the vague idea of what she was capable of. Turning his attention away from his mute instrument, he approaches the Theurge and struck up the conversation.

"Hey, Zoe," He began, "So that noose ya got back there. I don't think I was still in my right mind yet when ya managed to make it. I saw Rend's in action, and I kinda gave ya'll the cliff note explanation of mine, but what exactly can yers do?"

Though her body walked along the road with her packmates, Zoe's mind remained tangled up in the affairs of New Zion, Moronai, the time-altering will workers, and Tames the Weaver.  It took her a moment to realize that the Galliard's words were directed at her.  

"I'm sorry, what were you saying? Something about how this fetish works?"

The Theurge held up the rope and examined it for the hundredth time in the past 24 hours. Her head shook as she looked back up at Eaton.

"I'm not entirely sure.  It manipulates time, but I'm not sure to what extent. I haven't tried it yet."

Her eyes narrowed as a recurring thought crossed her mind.

"The simple fact that the crazy Tames the Weaver insisted on crafting all of these fetishes makes me very uncomfortable with us using them.  I know Rends sees them simply as weapons that give us a distinct advantage over our foes, but I'm afraid they have additional purposes of which we are unaware."

Zoe could see the slight disappointment on Eaton's face when she revealed she didn't know what her noose was capable of. His eyes widened slightly when he heard the Theurge's concerns.

"To be honest with ya, I ain't completely certain these things aren't gonna come with some sorta price. We didn't exactly find out too much 'bout the spirits that are sleepin' in 'em, just that they're mighty and probably best that they nap for the time being."

His exhales slowly before he adds, "I still don't get how these are exactly gonna bring on the end times. Is is their presense alone is gonna call it on, or is it somethin' they're gonna do specifically?"

Zoe's brow furrowed in frustration and she snapped at the Galliard.

"How am I supposed to know?  Most of what we know about these things we learned from a crazy Get Theurge who claimed to be bent on saving the world from the Apocalypse, but he could have been selling us a bunch of lies just to keep us from stopping him. The rest of what we know came from a less crazy Tames the Weaver, Omega - a spirit of ambition, and Moronai, who I still don't trust for some reason."

She huffed out a frustrated sigh and shook her head. "Adren or not, the comprehension of these tools is way over my head.  We should be heading back to Nacogdoches to let the elder Theurges look into these before we get into trouble with them."

Eaton  held up his hands in mock defense, "Whoa! I wasn't expectin' ya ta give me an answer. Just tryin' to start up a conversation, is all."

Choosing his words with slightly more caution, he continues, "He mighta been crazy, but Tames is the best explanation we've got of these. Using that weird spirit portal makin' contraption clearly messed with his head- most of us can attend to that. Now, he mighta just been a lyin' bastard but using that device gave me justa little perspective. If you really thought fightin' the wyrm was impossible, that you'd already lost eons ago . . .a few of the pieces start to fall into place. Now, that isn't to say he was right, but I understood where he was comin' from."

After that, he does let out a slight chuckle, "Why exactly don't ya trust Moronai? Ya still think he's just waitin' to do somthin' nasty?"

Zoe eyes Eaton with utter confusion.

"You think that machine messed him up?  Haven't you heard the stories from Rends? Tames the Weaver was screwed up long, long ago when he murdered his family and his village to gain more power. These fetishes were just the next acquisition of power for that megalomaniac."

When the Galliard started talking about having lost the fight eons ago, her facial expression remained perplexed.  "What are you talking about?  What pieces have fallen into place for you?"

At the end of her response she shrugged. "In the Bible that those New Zionites claim to follow, fallen angels are demons. Moronai himself claimed he was no longer an angel but he once was. Sounds fallen to me."

Eaton wiped the hair out his eyes as he said, "Well, shoot. Didn't mean to confuse ya. When I first tapped into that machine, I gained some sorta false insight: That Gaia herself died long ago, that this earth is just the remains of 'er corpse. That's why I was actin' so strange; It dawned on me that I was purposeless, knowing that everything I fought for didn't count for nothin'." His voice grew more solemn as he spoke, before his usual cheerful tone continued, "Course, we were able to snap out of it but believin' something like that for so long has gotta mess folks up. I thought you and Mock's mighta felt somethin' similar."

He held up on finger, "Now I don't know whether Tames got it from that machine or he infected it, either way, the way he didn't wanna fight like a proper Fenrir made sense if he didn't think the battle was worth fightin'. I'll never say this around Rends, but why care about your family if your god is dead? I don't think he was killin' for the hell of it, he truly believed what he was doin' was right, and we were the fools who refused to accept the truth."    

His expression turned slightly uneasy as he said, "Or, at least that's what I managed to peace together. Though 'bout Moronai, I for one think he's a spirit who think's he's some angel. That he couldn't remember his god, heaven, or any of that sounds a tad too convenient. I could be an angel and just not remember it if that's all we gotta go by."

Zoe sighed, still discontent with all of the unknowns plaguing their situation.

"Accessing that despair engine certainly didn't make me feel good, but I didn't encounter the same thing you did. I could understand losing the will to fight though. For so long I fought to find my parents only to lose them both in one way or another."

"I guess that's what it all boils down to - what do we really believe? Tames the Weaver's beliefs - founded or ridiculous - guided his actions for better or for worse."

Zoe stopped and looked at Eaton. "And what do you believe, Leper Friend? What do you believe about Gaia, the Apocalypse, the Storm Eater, any of it? And do your actions match your words?"

Eaton  actually seemed somewhat taken aback by the Theurge's question. Though it wasn't strange at all for these sort of conversations to get heavy. He wondered what he should say only a moment before be began,

"'Bout Gaia herself, I firmly believe that, without 'er, none of us we be here. We're called to kill, protect for her, and exude her name in everythin' we do. Each of our auspices proclaim her glory their own way, and I think fulfillment comes from findin' Gaia's will fer yer life and holdin' to that."

His eyes get more series as he explained, "Even after the horrible things I see on a daily basis, wakin' dreams or right in front of me, that I still stay upbeat and try and cheer ya'll up even when everythin' seems to be goin' straight to hell? Because I believe that Gaia's will shall prevail in the end, so we shouldn't stumble on these things in the here and now. Knowin' that that she has blessed each o' us with the tools and gifts necessary to survive everythin' we've done . . . I find that comfortin', and a reminder not to succumb to the despair that that the enemy surely wishes we would plummet into."

He gives a sly smile, "'Bout the Storm Eater, I dunno if Tames was that far off in what it really is. Maybe it is foolish to fight it. Don't tell Rend's this, but I don't think it's a good idea to try and lasso a twister. I ain't sure how you can defeat or kill a storm; but if it lives up to its name, you can weather it out. Tames liked it to a force of nature, though as twisted as it may be, perhaps we can protect ourselves when its foul wind rises."

He does let out a dissatisfied huff, "Though, just cause survive it doesn't mean it can't raise all sorts of hell. A long time ago, a family my folks and I were stayin' with had a tree smash into their home during a mighty storm. The gale only lasted a minute, but we certainly felt it long afterward. I guess I see that Storm Eater as a thunderhead on the horizon; ya know it's coming, just not exactly when, but hey, at least it's nice enough to give ya time to prepare yourself." Eaton lightly patted his new instrument as he spoke.

Now moving on to the subject of the apocalypse, Eaton actually smiled though his brow furrowed, "Ah, and now yer askin' about how I feel 'bout the end of all things? The way I see it as . . . it's comin' whether we like it or not. Thing is, kinda like the storm eater, I dunno if we really know when it's comin'. Clearly Texas seems like it's in a big stinkin' hole, but we've always had these atrocities tryin' to slay Gaia. There's a reason most of our legend are tales of our people triumphing over the wyrm; clearly someone had to be screwed in order for someone to rise and save 'em. Perhaps the end is coming, and sure, some think it might be sooner than we thought, but it could not even happen in our own lifetime. Or our kids. I guess you could say that I see the Storm Eater as just next in line as the wyrm's newest kid on the block: More stories will be written on how the Garou weathered it."

Still maintaining his expression, he says, "Do you think how I live, eat, and fight match my beliefs? I mean, actions speak louder than words, even though I like to challenge that notion."