A Night to Celebrate

The former business office quickly devolved into a raucus party. Fae Carver set the mood with a jaunty tune on the beat up old piano and soon enough the large room couldn't be distinguished from any saloon you could name.

Rends was quick to nab up a bottle of whiskey in exchange for a few redbacks. It burned going down, but that's the way Rends liked it. Craning about he soon found his quarry and made his way over to Zas.

Rends took another swig, then slapped the bottle into his packmate's hand.

"You have the look of a man who needs a drink, and I"m glad to provide!"

He belts out a laugh and slaps Zas' shoulder.

"Betcha wasn't expectin' this turn of events, huh?"

The normally subdued philodox turned to face the proffered drink and without looking to see whose hand held it, he tilted his head back and took a bit back. Already arrayed before him was a smattering of shot glasses and a large bottle, all drained of their toxic liquid treasures.

After emptying about a quarter of the bottle without making any indication of stopping, it became clear that the Silent Strider was well on his way to being fully sauced. His cheeks already a rosy red, the Apache coughed once before setting the bottle to the side, just long enough to lick his lips and messily wipe his face.

He spun to face his packmate reacting as if he was seeing him for the first time. "H-hey! ITs you Rendzz!!!"

Patting the stool roughly beside him, the weight of his blows cracking the seat. "Take a seat! Bud."

"You won't believe..(hiccup), this, but, I a kid I got one." The smile written plainly across his face.

He blinked several times seemingly lost in thought. "I sure as hell did not see this one coming."

"ME...can you believe it? A father?" He shook his head.

The philodox turned to grip Rends tightly, looking deep in his eyes, before belching. "ME and a woman. She was a dynamite gal. Did you ever meet her?"

Rends takes a seat on the proffered stool, sliding a mostly full bottle over and taking a plug.

"I believe it! And I believe I told ya so when you was all mopey about not havin' a family. Ebony's a fine gal, as fine as you could ask fer!"

He takes another pull and regards his packmate.

"So... you think they're gonna wanna come back home with us?"

Zas nods right along bright, cheerful, and happy as a clam. "She is the best of the best. I should have never doubted her for a minute."

He elbows the ahroun a bit harder than he otherwise would have, "And you hit that nail on the head, you did. You sure sure did pal! Me moping over nuthin...haHahahahHaAHa!?!?!" He doubles over, wiping his eyes of tears, while sipping a shot.

But he straightens back up in a hurry, his face turning red as he slams the glass down on the counter. "You bastard! You already got a wife! This one is mine! Back off and step down son!!"

Rends eyes the broken glass and then the angered Philodox. His own expression goes studiously blank.

"Relax, dumbass. Ebony ain't my type. Besides, Silke ain't the sharin' sort."

He slides another glass in front of Zas, filling it from his bottle.

"I jest meant is you gonna make her an honest woman? Or leave her and the little one out here in the dust and horseshit?"

The momentary anger vanishes as rapidly as it had appeared as Rends slides another glass in front of him.

He throws it back and sits the glass down, "...why that's more like it."

"I know you aren't Ebony's type. You are way too ugly for one. Why Silke stays with you with a mug like that is a mystery lost amid the stars." He says with a chuckle.

But the philodox looks at the empty glass in front of him, his lips puffing out. "I don't know...thiss is just all so much. I definitely want her to be honest, but I also want to do right by the child."

"I mean, I don't even know why she flew all the way out here in the first place...did I do something wrong?" His eyes starting to well up.

"Heh. That's somethin' we can agree and be grateful on."

Rends refills Zas' glass, then stuffs and lights his pipe as he considers the question.

"I couldn't say. She was always a queer one. On the one hand she seemed to enjoy her time out in the field with us, and she got her talons wet when it was needed. Seemed to me she thought that made her a bit of an outcast with her people. Then she goes and flies the coop right when things is gettin' excitin'. Having eyes in the sky could have been a bit help in the Battle of San Antone. But done is done. I reckon you'll have the chance to ask her tomorrow though."

Rends takes a puff or two, then regards Zas.

"What're you gonna do when you see her?"

The drunken man air toasted in Rends vicinity upon getting the refill before tossing it back.

At his question, Zas turns to look at Rends, raising a finger as he makes to open his mouth in response. Yet no words are forthcoming. The confused man then shuts his mouth and grips the glass in his hand protectively as he sinks back down into the stool.

He smacks his lips several times as he formulates his words. The philodox gazes down into the bottom of his empty liquid holder as he says, "Rinse-did I ever tell you about my mother?"

Rends shakes his head, filling the glass again.

"You've talked about yer daddy before, and yer mentor. I don't think you've ever brought her up though."

The apache swirls the glass around and around. "With good reason..."

"Her name was Malia-Mansi, that means Bitter plucked flower." He keeps staring into the whiskey.

"Yes sir ee, Rinse-seems I got a way with the women folk. Ya see-day I was born, she run away too. Yup...just like Ebony."

He lifts the glass and slowly sniffs it. "Seems like she would rather be some blood sucking whore than raise me."

He turns to Rends, "She went out and got turned into a vampire by choice. Even took the time to leave a long note about it too."

He looks back to the glass, "Yup-I'm just a winner all around. First my mom leaves by choice. Then Ebony. Then Mocks. Seems like people just cant wait to get away from me."

He downs the glass.

Rends regards his packmate for a long moment as he absorbs the news.

"Well. That certainly explains a lot."

He refills the drink and takes a good swig himself.

"You seen her since? Is she still runnin' around?"

The garou shakes his head, "Not a hide nor hair of her..." he turns to look at his packmate placing a heavy hand on Rends arm, "..and believe me we looked. Left no stone unturned. Came across dozens maybe hundreds of walking cadavers; before we set them on their burning paths to hell, we ripped every ounce of information on her we could get."

Zas spits on the floor, his eyes filling rapidly with a drunken reddening haze-a look all too familiar to the ahroun. "I quit looking, a long time ago. Killing them just felt better than wasting time asking questions. If she is out there still-and our paths cross, shes dead to me. Dead. Lifeless. Bloody. Meat."

Zas grits his teeth, clenching his grip tightly around the ahrouns arm. "I'm gonna kill 'em all."

Rends nods slowly, locking eyes with the Philodox.

"I know better than most what it is to have a parent betray everything we stand for. You helped me clean the stain of dishonor from my family. I'll help you do the same. So help me Mother, we'll see her dead or die tryin'."

Rends draws out the Dreamknife and makes a shallow slash across the palm of his right hand and holds it up to Zas as if to shake.

The Apache upon seeing the ahrouns actions, turns to grab broken piece of shattered glass from his broken one earlier and proceeds to messily carve into his palm, bits of glass breaking off into the wound all the while grinning.

He raises his mangled palm and returns the shake.
"And kill anyone that stands in our way!" He chuckles and lets out a howl.

The native garou gives Rends a once over, his focus swaying from left to right. "None of yous arent gonna hug me now are you? Because I got a girl."

He looks down and cradles the empty drinking glass like a baby. "And appar-...and appreciatie,...I got a kid too." The smile returning to his face.

Rends grins as they trade grips and their blood mingles then drips onto the floor as their wounds re-knit.

"And kill anyone that stands in our way!"

He chuckles.

"Don't get excited now. I wouldn't dream of crossin' Ebony on the eve of such a mon-u-mental day!"

He makes to refill glasses again, but the bottle only yields a few drops. Rends gives it a dejected shake then tosses the dead soldier over his shoulder. He rises to his feet, wobbling slightly.

"C'mon. Let's go get some more hooch and you can tell me all about how pretty her eyes is and all that bullshit."