IC Werewolf:TA-Chicago

[CowMasterTrojan]

Spray can looks somewhat mortified at the idea. "Am I the only one who thinks that sounds like something Deep Fang would suggest?" She blurts out before timidly adding "No offense Hour Tales."

"Honestly, the humans have no way they could ever contain us. If they ever came for us, we could just slip into the umbra and run away. Wouldn't it just make more sense for all of us to lay low, rather than expose ourselves doing something reckless? Let the witch hunt pass us by altogether?"

[daelrog]

Laughs mood was deteriorating quickly. "What is worse? The one who wants us to charge into soldiers with silver bullets, or the one that hopes to hide in the chance it goes away, IF it goes away." He stepped back and turned his back to the others. "It'll be easier to fight the President's "S.W.O.R.D." if the lights are out. It'll be easier to hide if the lights are out. It'll be easier to flee the city if the lights are out. You think humanity's fear makes them dangerous? I think it makes them weak. Given them darkness, and they'll beg their leaders for... 'compromise'." He nearly spat the last word out as if it was dirty.

[hayabusa]

"No, Deep Fang would likely have attacks on heavily fortified positions. Major check points leaving the city when they get set up, hunting parties over a certain size: say a whole squad of soldiers. I'm saying that if we must go on the offensive, we hit small targets that are actively threats to us. If we must," Jason replies to Spray Can.

[daelrog]

"There's only one way to solve this." Laughs turned around, puffing his chest out, which hardly looked much given his ugly appearance. "We have no Alpha, and put myself forward to take leadership. Are there any who challenge me?"

[BananaPhone]

"Spray Cans is right: openly attacking government agents would bring the hammer down in ways we cannot resist." Lifa spoke up, hoping to distract the group from Laughs statement. She considered him her longest friend here, but a red talon in charge of a city-based pack with aspirations of attacking the infrastructure? The consequences were too disastrous to consider.

"Attacking a power plant will be seen as an act of terrorism. As a collective, the human nation cannot be bought, bullied or intimidated. Nor are they our primary target. We should be concerning ourselves with acquiring the guidance of our totem and securing the neatest Caern."

[daelrog]

Laughs was getting irritated. "We should be concerned with why the Caerns have moved to the cities! We should be concerned with why every Tribe but two faces annihilation!"

[BananaPhone]

Lifa held her ground against the Red Talon, "Neither of which we'll accomplish galavanting off to attack power plants."

[daelrog]

Laughs smiled. "So true... for now." He tilted his head to the side. "Though even the darkness wouldn't hurt."

He scanned around. "My claim to Alpha remains. We do not simply wait while the Clans outside the city have no Caerns, we do not wait while the Wyrm and Weaver take them over. If anything, this human woman is probably an agent to one, she wants us to cower, to wait, to do nothing until it's too late. Even if men forget, the Fomori do not. Pentex does not. We cannot stop our fight against them and give them free reign."

[BananaPhone]

A little relieved that Laughs seemed to calm down a bit, Lifas expression softened a little.

"Youre right: we should look for the nearest Caern and secure it. Gaia benefits from having you amongst her ranks Laughs, but I don't think you have the expertise to lead us in a city."

[daelrog]

"Then who?" Laughs looked about. He pointed at Hour Tales "I followed his vision, his dream. I've put faith in his what he says, but he let Deep Fang go. His sense of honor is human, not Garou. I believe that Gaia spoke to him, I do not trust his leadership." He shook his head. He moved on to Softpaws. "You charged in against the pattern spiders, and almost all of us fell to their webs. When we were victorious, you seemed to think our survival proved you right, not understanding how we could have lost four Garou over three Pattern Spiders." He moved to Spraycan. "This one had the sense to leave Deep Fang without needing to be stabbed by a klaive. Yet now she says to hide. For a Bone Gnawer that may be the answer, but I cannot."

He looked to Life. "And yes, I'm a Red Talon in the city. The streets could become rivers with the blood of men, and I'd live to my namesake." He looked to Lifa. "And you Lifa. Why do you only say I should not lead, why do you not step forward? If there is one Garou who is not lacking, then it is you."

[CowMasterTrojan]

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Sorry, I hate having to post this way but it's the only way to properly follow the conversation.

"No, Deep Fang would likely have attacks on heavily fortified positions. Major check points leaving the city when they get set up, hunting parties over a certain size: say a whole squad of soldiers. I'm saying that if we must go on the offensive, we hit small targets that are actively threats to us. If we must," Jason replies to Spray Can.

"I suppose I can get behind that. My biggest concern is exposing ourselves at a already dangerous time. Cause too much attention, and we'll be overrun before the pack knows what hit it."

Laughs was getting irritated. "We should be concerned with why the Caerns have moved to the cities! We should be concerned with why every Tribe but two faces annihilation!"

"On the contrary, you insinuate that only the Glass Walkers and Bone Gnawers don't face annihilation. But the pressure to protect the caerns now falls primarily on our tribes. And now the place that we call home are the most unsafe of places to live. So it is really those two tribes who face annihilation more than any others." Spray Can sounds annoyed with Laughs at this point.

"There's only one way to solve this." Laughs turned around, puffing his chest out, which hardly looked much given his ugly appearance. "We have no Alpha, and put myself forward to take leadership. Are there any who challenge me?"

"I was under the impression that Hour Tales was the Alpha. He was the one that provided this nice Haven that we all enjoy after all."

"Then who?" Laughs looked about. He pointed at Hour Tales "I followed his vision, his dream. I've put faith in his what he says, but he let Deep Fang go. His sense of honor is human, not Garou. I believe that Gaia spoke to him, I do not trust his leadership." He shook his head. He moved on to Softpaws. "You charged in against the pattern spiders, and almost all of us fell to their webs. When we were victorious, you seemed to think our survival proved you right, not understanding how we could have lost four Garou over three Pattern Spiders." He moved to Spraycan. "This one had the sense to leave Deep Fang without needing to be stabbed by a klaive. Yet now she says to hide. For a Bone Gnawer that may be the answer, but I cannot."

"I have no interest in leading. But just because you believe my idea of staying out of sight is bad, it does not give you the right to justify why I would be unqualified.
And if you say you truly believe Gaia spoke to Hour Tales, which I would like to know more about, then why do you not follow him? If gaia spoke to him, then we SHOULD follow him. If things have not developed as you wish, perhaps it is because you are two busy trying to assert yourself as the Alpha rather than the Beta." At this point, Spray Can sounds pretty angry.

[daelrog]

Laughs passed Spray Can's anger, and pointed at Hour Tales. "Because he let his old pack die!!" He paused for half a moment before continuing. "Because Deep Fang will do something stupid, and Deep Fang will take his pack down with him to Hell in the process and it will be because Hour Tales tried to be the bigger man, when he should have been a Garou, not a man! Because Hour Tales was our Alpha but all he could do was act proud and noble, leaving Softpaws and I to try to do what he refused to. And now Deep Fang and the others will die just as Hour Tales dreamed, and all he will do is sit and shake his head sadly, and tell himself he tried. No. The only way I will follow Hour Tales is if he rights his mistake and saves those other wolves, not with words, but with actions. Deep Fang is too stupid to listen to words." He offered a slight smirk. Couldn't help but offer a jab, even in a moment like this.

[hayabusa]

"Take that back, right now," Hour Tales says, his voice barely able to hide the anger.

[daelrog]

"I don't take back the truth."

[hayabusa]

"Get out of this house, now," Hour Tales says, his face unmoving.

[CowMasterTrojan]

"Consider this Laughs. The night Hour Tales walked away from Deep Fang and the pack of Boar, you walked away too. You very easily could have acted like you wanted to stay with Boar, and then Challenged him for alpha once you were a member.

"You saw what Deep Fang did to Soft Paws. I won't deny she jumped in a little head first there. But Deep Fang is a well bred Alhroun. Why do you seem so sure that walking away wasn't the best choice? The others didn't even really have doubts about the guy. What do you think could have been accomplished with them?"

[daelrog]

By this point, Laughs wasn't paying attention to anyone but Hour Tales. "Make me, coward, or can all you do is talk me out of here? Pretend I'm S.W.O.R.D., I'm killing Spray Can with silver lined bullets, what do you do? Hurt me with stern words?" Laughs was clearly trying to goad Hour Tales, but the point was there.

[CowMasterTrojan]

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AND... this is where I'm gonna need a rage roll from hour tales, and potentially anyone else who finds themselves angered at the current discussion.

[hayabusa]

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AND... this is where I'm gonna need a rage roll from hour tales, and potentially anyone else who finds themselves angered at the current discussion.

(4d10)[3][1][5][8](17) Rolling for the rage.

[CowMasterTrojan]

Hour Tales proceeds to keep his rage firmly in check.

[hayabusa]

"If your spoiling for a fight that bad, you just might get one..." Hour Tales replies, his form twisting into a human form with a bit more muscle and hair.

(3d10)[8][1][7](16)

[CowMasterTrojan]

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Looks like he made it to Glabro.

[daelrog]

Laugh smile grew, anticipating the fight. He didn't change his form, staying as a man. He picked up a mock, boxing pose. "Ooh, the Glass Walker managed to become Glabro! That's good Hour Tales. That's better, but you're still just talking. Come at me. Come at me!" Laughs beckoned Hour Tales with his hands.

[CowMasterTrojan]

After a moment, Laughs becomes aware Spray Can has moved to Laugh's flank. She hasn't changed forms, and he doesn't think she has a weapon. But it's a bit of a important indicator given that it's a common wolf tactic.

[daelrog]

Laughs was in his element now, the grin on his ugly mug broadening. "Say when."

[hayabusa]

Hour Tales gives a glance at Spray Can, his eyes telling her to stand down. This is his fight, not anyone elses in the pack. "I'm ready whenever you are," he states.

[daelrog]

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Initiative: (1d10+7)[8]

Spends one rage

Action 1: Dodge Spray Can
(6d10)[5][5][3][2][8][5](28)

Action 2: Punch Hour Tales
(6d10)[6][1][6][7][10][1](31)

Hours made the first move, his feet shifting slightly before he launched himself.

[hayabusa]

Hour Tales sees the punch coming his way and moves a hairy arm up to deflect away from his face.

Init: (1d10+5)[15]

Dex+Dodge, I assume? (4d10)[1][2][9][7](19)

The de facto Alpha retaliates with an untrained fist of his own, aimed at Laugh's chest. (3d10)[6][3][9](18)

Damage: (3d10)[8][7][1](16)

[CowMasterTrojan]

Spoiler

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Laugh's Damage (3d10)[7][10][6](23)
Jason's Soak (I thought you increased your stamina. Maybe just wishful thinking?) (3d10)[8][6][9](23)

Proper Damage for Jason (1d10)[10](10)
Laugh's Soak Roll (2d10)[3][7](10)

Throwing the first punch, Jason tries to block the blow. However he's slightly too slow, and the blow glances off his arm, stilling hitting, Not taking the punch lightly, Jason throws a punch back, hitting laughs square in the chest. Laughs is pretty sure Spray can just tried to trip him, but he nimbly side steps her.

Laughs ends up taking 2. Jason Takes 1. Then both of them, not in breed form, regenerates 1. So Laughs is bruised, Jason is unharmed, and you both may declare actions now. (I will roll new initiative for the next round of combat).

Fight!

[BananaPhone]

Lifa watched from the side-lines, her arms folded over her abdonem.

As painful as it was for her, she didn't want Laughs to win, not while they were in the city. He was a worthy Garou, but the metal jungle was not his expertise, and it would show.

Jason on the other hand...he barely spoke to her, and how he handled Deep Fang seemed a little too soft for her liking - that bsatard deserved a smack upside the head. She still hadn't forgiving him for not coming to him with an interest in spiritual matters when she was the Theurge.

Maybe she'd have to step in if Laughs was set to win.