Willingness to Learn

As Kefka wandered back to the camp site he noticed Zoe sitting across the fire from the Galliard who was still tapping away on with his spoons. Kefka sat beside Zoe quietly not wanting to break her meditation quite yet. He stared at Eaton as his mind began to wander. The Galliard was almost as full of rage as the Ahroun, yet the spoons when activated would quell the rage of other's. They made an odd pair. He wondered if Eaton had so much rage because the spoons gave it to him. That would be more interesting than rage disappearing into nothingness. He wondered if Eaton felt a frenzy coming on if the spoons could calm him. Perhaps when he had visions someone else could hold into the spoons. That would be easier than calming him with force. It was then he noticed that Eaton had stopped playing and noticed the staring. He gave an awkward wave and turned away from Eaton facing Zoe.
"Hears the Song. I have a request of you if you would be willing to hear me out."

Zoe focused her energies outside of herself and yet deep within herself at the same time. Meditation was strange in that way. Though she often sought wisdom from Gaia during this time, tonight she meditated simply with the hopes of regaining some spiritual energy. The past couple of weeks had been draining, both physically and spiritually. Long gone were the clear-cut decisions of her youth. Life had grown increasingly complex ever since the revelation of her true calling as a warrior of Gaia.

She felt the presence of one of her brothers beside her. One final deep inhalation and exhalation brought her time of meditation to a close. Upon opening her eyes, the slight form of Mocks-the-Night filled her vision. She smiled then cocked an eyebrow.

"A request, you say? I will certainly listen and do what I can to help, Gaia willing."

"And that dear sister is why you are one of my favorites. You are ever so helpful. Not tonight, but soon I believe I should like to talk to a spirit about learning a gift. However, my request goes beyond summoning one...I...I should like to learn the rite from you so I may summon my own spirits. I realize this is an odd request, and one perhaps not entirely possible... but if it is I should like to try. And frankly who else here could teach me?" Kefka's leg shakes with nerves as he impatiently awaits a response.

Hears-the-Song stands up and stretches, her legs sore from her long-held meditative position. She reaches a hand down to Mocks and smiles.

"Flattery will get you far my friend. Walk with me."

The theurge leads the spry ragabash out into a nearby clearing. The two stand for a moment gazing upon Luna's majesty high above the Texas landscape. Zoe then continues to circle along the edge of the clearing, talking with Mocks as she does so.

"Talking to spirits and summoning them are both things I am always able to help you with. You need only ask. Gaia created me to have a special connection to the spiritual realms and their inhabitants as indicated by my birth under the crescent moon."

Zoe turns to Mocks with a concerned and almost hurt look in her eyes.

"Do you no longer trust me to summon and speak to spirits for you? Did my failure to properly discern the situation concerning Wolf and the Skin Rippers weaken your faith in my abilities?"

Mocks wears a smile as he is led into the clearing, it disappears when he sees the hurt in her eyes. He shakes his head no slowly.
"Quite the opposite, it was i who failed you. You wanted to close the door and lock it. It was i who fought you on this matter. It was i who crawled in the hole without waiting for the others." He takes a deep breath
"You had discerned it correctly and if anything i have greater trust in you now. That is why i want to learn from you. I don't want to fail you or our pack again. It opened my eyes to the dangers of the Umbra. I could follow your lead and help you. They say two heads are better than one, it might be the same for spirits."

Zoe breaks eye contact and looks back across the clearing. "Regardless of fault, what's done is done, and the Get of Fenris will never let us forget it."

She sighs and returns her gaze to her brother ragabash.

"Even if I couldteach you how to summon spirits, the process would take at least three weeks, likely more since you are not a theurge or experienced with such things. Additionally, gifts and rites are supposed be taught by higher ranked garou who have deemed the student worthy of such knowledge. As your equal I am simply not qualified to teach you this or any other rite. I am very sorry, brother."

Zoe's eyes reveal her disappointment at not being able to fulfill Kefka's wishes. She forces a smile but it doesn't reach her eyes.

"I am always here to help you and summon anyone you may need to speak with."

Mocks closes his eyes and frowns for a moment or two. He then laughs and looks up at Hears The Song. "Is that how it works? See how little i know? Guess i will simply have to work best i can with you. Slack off in other areas. That way when you are higher rank than me, you can already deem me worthy to learn." He gives her a big grin .

Hears-the-Song laughs a hearty and genuine laugh and shakes her head.

"You're going to have to do some serious slacking, my friend. Garou society makes it very difficult for my auspice to advance in the ranks, but when we do, we have certainly earned every bit of the wisdom it took to get us there."

She places a reassuring hand on Mocks' shoulder and smiles. "I will help you find someone who can teach you this rite and will vouch for your worthiness when the time comes. I could certainly use all the help I can get when it comes to things of the spirits."

She sniffs out a short laugh. "Most of those Get were pompous fools, but their theurge was actually quite helpful. Perhaps that's a common trait among the crescent moons - helpfulness."

Zoe flips open her watch, checks the time, claps it shut, and begins twirling the watch on its chain.

"We've got a few hours yet until sunrise. Got any business that needs tending to Umbral side?"