Her Brother's Advice

Her Brother's Advice
Date of Scene:	05 August 2013
Location:	Traverse Town
Synopsis:	Stumbling on one another in Traverse Town, Hati and Skoll catch up on recent events and troubles.
Cast of Characters:	Skoll Ulfang, Hati

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Hati has posed:
If Hati had actually been looking to talk to her brother, she might have left him a text or called him, but right now, the younger werewolf doesn't seem to want to talk to anyone. How it seems on the surface is often far from the truth with this girl, though. She'd left the Cathedral after the fight with Barnabus and his lackies, not wanting to get dragged into whatever it was that made them fight amongst themselves. That, and she hadn't wanted to face Faruja if he truly did think her to have betrayed him.

So, the wolf had gone to the only other place she knew, which is VALKYRI headquarters. Though she wasn't a member of the adventuring group, she knew enough people involved with them and had spent enough time around here to linger here when no where else seemed to call to her.

So, the werewolf sits atop a building next door, watching people walking on the streets below. Like with most cities, many people don't bother to look up, or to realize that someone might be lurking above. So, no one notices her, not even the patrols that come by to keep the peace. The wolf is a silent, watching force in the eternal night, lost somewhere in her own thoughts.

For those who frequent the rooftops, though, she isn't that hard to notice.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll himself has been 'busy'. Relearning the layout of the worlds, seeing as he'd been so used to just portaling around. This meant a lot of traveling. And more importantly, he's on the lookout for Cloisters. Zia had told him that the clocktower in Traverse Town was not all that it seemed, but an investigation into its internals would have to wait for a later time. Without his friends with him, he should not enter. And more importantly, while he was on his way to check out where the entrance was, he's caught by the presence of Hati.

It's not often the youth gets to meet his sister, and even less often that he meets her here of all things. The werewolf ends up making for a few more jumps before he ends up landing on the VALKYRI headquarters balcony and waves at his sister. In that half-shushshush half-shout voice, the werewolf calls out to her; "Hey, hey Hati!" Followed by a handmotion that begins as a wave, and then motions her over.

It's always night here, so it's perhaps a bit stupid to actually try to be hush hush. Who knows if people are asleep or not.

Hati has posed:
Earflick. The werewolf's attention is caught by the sound of other footfalls, and a moment later by the waving hand of her brother. The wolf isn't hard to read, lost somewhere between sadness and uncertainty. Yet, as quickly as that flash of true emotion shows, she's quickly schooling it back behind a more relaxed demeanor. It doesn't quite work. It hasn't worked fully since she had begun to be more herself and less the servant of Shadow Lords.

Pushing herself up, the wolf dusts off her trousers, the motion revealing that her arm has been wrapped in bandages, although whatever wounds lie beneath don't seem to bother her much. "Hey, big brother." Hati has no such misguided attempts at keeping herself quiet. If those who patrol the streets had any problem with her lurking up here, they could shove it in their USB ports for all she cares.

After a single jump, she joins Skoll on the balcony, crouched on the railing and looking at him with her head tilted. The younger wolf had a rough few days, going from an attack by the Heartless to defending Faruja at the Cathedral in Fluorgis, and her dark powers don't exactly come with things like 'healing' built in. "Long time no see." Of course, she'd been keeping up to date with him enough to know about his freedom from the Gaudium Lords, and the loss of his powers, but not much after that.

"So, been keeping yourself busy? I haven't seen you around Fluorgis lately. You missed out on some 'fun'." The way she says 'fun' suggests that it wasn't fun, in the least.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Hey." Skoll waits for her to actually get closer to him before replying, his ears folding down a little. Indeed, with his keen wolven eyes, he'd noticed the wounds on her arm and the expression carried on her face. Even now, he can still see it. Skoll approaches her and draws a single arm around her back, giving her a bit of a hug while nudging his head along hers to greet her. He's a lot more comfortable with her these days. Of course, he's quick to step back, and noticably avoids touching her wounded arm.

"Yeah, busy is one word for it." Skoll answers her, tilting his head a little while looking 'up' at her. She's sitting on a railing after all. "I don't think that the kind of 'fun' you are talking about, is the kind of fun I'd have 'fun' with?" He kind of 'asks' that, not quite sure what she means. A big fight he has no problems with after all.

"Need a potion?" He then quickly asks, grabbing for a messengerbag at his side and offering it out for Hati. "Are you okay? You look miserable." He pauses, and then quickly adds; "Is it Faruja? I bet it was Faruja. Did he chase some other girl? I'll punch him. I promise I will."

Hati has posed:
The younger wolf isn't as strange about things like hugs as she used to be. In fact, she leans into it, nudging her head against her brother's shoulder in a companionably wolfish way. "I'm not sure. You'd probably have had some fun trashing heartless with me yesterday morning. Can you believe that the guards had the balls to sit there and act like /they/ did all the work afterwards? Hrmph. They came in after we were done mopping them up." Hati's tail swishes, showing some sign of that irritation, although it clearly isn't what is bothering her.

Hopping off the railing, she leans back against it, running a hand through her hair. Noticably, the blue highlights have faded almost to white, as if she hasn't had time to re-color them lately. "The rest... not so much. You know how obsessed Faruja is about his beliefs, right?" She sighs, "Well, apparently it came back to bite him in the ass... he nearly got killed, then got possessed by a demon, and then nearly killed again."

Her ears tuck down, as if this whole drama is probably reason enough for her to look miserable, "I wish it was as simple as some girl, but no. No punching him, please." Her eyes seem tired. "I had to work with Ramza and his heretics to save him... but I don't know if he hates me now, or what. I betrayed him by working with them, but... he wouldn't listen to me and I couldn't think of any other way."

Taking the potion, Hati looks at it before downing the thing, slumping herself down to a seated position. "Guess... I'm learning to care about others. Never thought I'd be stupid enough to sacrifice what I wanted for someone else. But... there you go. Risked one of the only good things I have in order to save him. I don't even know if I did the right thing."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Well yeah, trashing some heartless is always good fun." Skoll answers Hati, smirking widely, shifting his weight back a little and balling a fist while raising it up slightly. "And yes, I do believe that. Guards like to feel important. But honestly, it's okay. If the guards celebrate that, the people of that city or town will feel a bit safer. And maybe in truth, they'll work a little harder after seeing you." Or at least, that's what Skoll hopes!

The youth backs a way to give the girl some room as she moves down from the railing, glancing at her hair for a moment, before looking back at the girl. "Yeah, I know." He responds at first regarding Faruja's beliefs, feeling like he already knows where /this/ is going.

But he's wrong. No, he thought he was celebate or something. But no, he got possessed by a demon. The youth moves a hand up to his forehead and pinches his nosebridge. "Seriously?" The youth sighs. "Man, you have horrible luck. I don't know this whole Ramza thing that well or anything. But..." He lowers his hand and looks at his sister.

"I think you did what your heart said was the right thing to do. If Faruja can't see that what you did was for his own good, then he doesn't deserve you."

Hati has posed:
Although she can follow Skoll's logic, Hati is selfish enough to roll her eyes at the suggestion that giving the glory to someone else makes others happier. "I would rather the guards shut their gaping pie-holes and give credit where credit is due. Maybe then I could get some free meals or some gratitude." She grumps, folding her arms over her knees. "They'll feel safe enough either way, but it's wrong to take the credit for something someone else did." The greater good... can kiss her werewolf butt.

Luckily, Hati doesn't have to have a conversation about her sex life, or lack-there-of, with her brother. Whatever his thoughts about her Nezumi boyfriend, celebacy doesn't seem to be a problem. "Seriously." She sighs once, laying her head on her hands, ears tucked back. "There's not much to understand. Ramza is the leader of a bunch of heretics that the Church would like imprisoned or killed. I had to work with them to save him, since they were the only ones who knew what was going on." She still needed a word with their leader again. Later maybe.

His words draw a glance from the girl's mismatched eyes. "That's easy for you to say, 'Mr. If it doesn't work out I've got a spare sitting on the sidelines'." It's a low blow, but it lacks the strength to suggest that she really means it. "You forget sometimes that I don't exactly have friends, and losing one of the only ones I have puts me that much closer to..." Hati trails off then, shaking her head. Skoll knew how close she had come to just giving in to the darkness within her, and now it seems that her brother might be the only anchor she has left.

"I wanted to escape all of this. If I never cared about anyone, then no one would ever hurt me again. But here I am, playing the fool. Risking my own heart for someone else's sake. It's STUPID." Her voice rises a bit, clearly confused and upset at herself. "I just... couldn't stand by and watch him die."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Well, yeah. Some reward should be given." The youth then glances back at the VALKYRI balcony, and then remembers something. He quickly grabs for his pockets. He's got a couple of them. It takes him a while before he finds his phone, pulls it out, and goes find something on the Ma Belle. "Heretics - vs - Church. Man, talk about oldschool." Skoll mutters, as he also takes out a piece of paper and writes down a set of numbers.

"Here, tune in to this. Avira and Maira and the bunch want you to join the VALKYRI from what I understand, and gave me permission to give you their frequency." He tells her, holding the piece of paper out, and then makes a 'shocked' face when she decides to take a stab at him.

The youth even uses his other hand to mime being stabbed in the heart, and then 'twists' it while stumbling back. "Man Hati. Harsh. And not exactly. Avira picked that dope from the detective agency remember? It's not like I'm just going to swing in and steal her heart or something." The youth folds his arms and shifts his weight towards the left, bending his knee a little as he leans in against the wall.

"But I get what you mean. Give them a call." he points out at the piece of paper, which she's either accepted or is now sitting on the balcony. The youth then makes a motion, offering another hug. "I know. It's stupid - but it's what the heart needs. We both have found that one out." Both, meaning he found 'someone'.

Hati has posed:
"No kidding. I don't even believe in that nonsense and somehow I've gotten myself stuck right in the middle of it all." Hati shakes her head, leaning her cheek on her palm as she looks up towards her brother, watching him fish through his pockets. Eventually, she raises an eyebrow on her un-scarred side, peering at the Ma Belle frequency that he offers out, taking it between her fingers.

Here she is, sitting on the balcony of VALKYRI Headquarters, being offered their communication frequency. The last time she had talked to Avira was down in the Cave of Wonders, and even then, it had been a tense situation. It was hard to tell if there was any real trust there, or just a mutual need for survival. Maybe the two things are the same in some circumstances. "Why don't they just talk to me about it, then? I don't think I'm scary enough to scare away any of them, last I checked." She looks at herself, her clothing torn, looking particularly haggard at the moment.

She does poccket the frequency, though her eyes look at him, rolling slightly at his exaggerated hurt. "I know. Still, you had options. It didn't work out with one, and now you're with the other one. That's all fine and good for you, but I don't have someone else. I need something real in my life... I can't just keep chasing my Wolf and praying that they'll appear and make things right."

Leaning into her brother's hug, Hati just lets out a long breath, some of the tension easing off of her shoulders. "I just don't know what to do. Maybe... I'll try talking to Avira and the others. If nothing else, it'll give me something to do to get my mind off things." She pauses then, "Oh, and I got a job at that new bar in Manhattan. Part time." Just like with Faruja, she doesn't explain exactly what her job is, leaving it to the imagination.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Honestly, I think they had trouble either finding the time - or finding 'you'. That, or they were waiting for me to drag you in. Sorry, it kinda slipped my mind." Skoll makes a nervous motion with his hand, rubbing behind his head. He does seem a bit embarassed about that. "Although you can be a bit scary." He does note, sticking his tongue out at her in a moment of childishness.

When she comes into the hug, the werewolf pats the girl's back gently. He's so much bigger than her, yet she's no less fierce for it. "Well... yeah, I guess." Skoll mutters. "Still - who knows. For all I know, Faruja still wants you dearly. I really don't know the situation." And the male werewolf is always so hopeful. Probably more chipper and annoying than he was before in that regard.

"Still, try talking to them. It should do you good. They're nice folk." The youth does tilt his head a little when she comments about the bar in Manhattan though. "Oh wait, I remember those flyers!" He begins. "Bouncer - I bet? I thought it had a height-requirement."

Hati has posed:
The werewolf seems to ponder that over for a time, giving her brother a quizzical expression with one ear up and the other cocked to the side. "I've been a bit... distracted." She finally admits. It very well might have been an issue of her being difficult to find. "I've been tracking Faruja for weeks, taking note of any strange behaviors." The smaller wolf stretches out a bit, stiffling a yawn ineffectively. "And then the fight last night and..." She glances up, shaking her head, "I haven't had much sleep."

For now, she doesn't want to discuss the matter of Faruja's heart, since the truth of that would come to bear on her one way or the other. Solitude had been her comfort, and now Skoll serves to fill that void when she can't speak to anyone else. Brothers can be useful for that, at least when they're likeable.

Her nose twitches. "Good. I like being scary." She makes claw-motions at him, but it comes off looking tired as she finally gives in to a real yawn, tail swishing. "Mmm. Yeah. It was either that, or exotic dancing, but... I figured neither you, nor Faruja would appreciate that very much." A small smirk plays on her lips. "Might change my mind if he comes after me with a spear again." The wolf makes light of what would certainly be a painful event.

"Oh, they prefer taller bouncers, but you forget, dear brother, that as short as I might be as a human, I'm pretty tall as a wolf." There is a flash of fanged teeth, then, "Besides, I'm stronger than a good chunk of those who were trying out, even as a human. It's kind of sad."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Maybe you should have a good night's rest." Skoll answers the smaller werewolf, looking down at her. The werewolf lets out a tiny sigh, a little worried about the girl. "You've been busy for a while now, and I think you deserve it if I understand the situation well enough."

The wolf then chuckles, showing a faint blush; "No, you're right. Exotic dancing might be a bit much for this here brother. I mean, not that I'd visit the place or anything." Nope nope. Not at all. The youth shakes his head and lays his hand on her shoulder, looking her in the eyes.

"I know. Hey, how about I take you to the hotel nearby? I'll pay for a room." The wolf drops his hand down and glances towards the skies, before glancing back, smirking at her. "But yes, we kind of have an advantage on the humans. Naturally stronger, and we trained most of our lives by fighting prey and... well... not-prey animals."

"They do pretty well with less."

Hati has posed:
"You talk as if I haven't tried to get some sleep. It's easier said than done." The girl leans her head back, looking up at the night sky above her. "That's why I'm out here. Couldn't sleep." She blows a at a few strands of hair. "Sometimes I wish I was more like Garm. Stupid dog can fall asleep with no problems. He's been zonked out since we got here." The wolf-girl's doberman companion hasn't been seen a lot lately, but at it sounds as if he's doing just fine after his rescue from Negaduck.

With a glance at her brother's hand, Hati grabs onto the railing and pushes herself to her feet. "I use any advantage I can. It's not as if most people give me the benefit of the doubt when it comes to strength." Skoll knew this all too well. Afterall, her father had disowned her for being born a runt, and he had made her life and her mother's life miserable for it.

The smaller wolf doesn't seem interested in going off to sleep just yet, so instead, she offers a glance at her brother, head tilted. "So, how're things on your end? Last I checked, you were seeing the gargoyle, right? Anything interesting in the land of almighty unlimited werewolves?"

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Ahhh, to have the life of a simple dog." He's at least heard that name before from Hati. He doesn't comment on the trying to sleep thing. Instead, he leans back against the railing behind himself and continues to watch her. "Yeah. It's a pity. You're pretty kick-ass after all." They used to have playfights now and again when Odin wasn't watching. The two were always really well matched. At least, they were in their human forms.

And then she has to go and ask her how /he/ is doing. The werewolf looks up at the skies again, and its many stars. "Yeah, I'm seeing the Gargoyle." He can't help but smirk just a little. "She's cute and really supportive. Aside from that though..." He looks back towards her again. "With the collar gone, and all my ties with the Gaudium Lords cut... it seems I've basically lost most of my ability to summon or use my magic. So I am having to re-learn everything. And... journey to each of the ancestors again." And Hati knows how long that'd taken last time. How harsh of a journey it'd been.

Hati has posed:
"Yeah." At times, Hati certainly spoils the rescued canine, who now was a full sized doberman, even if he had never quite grown into his floppy ears. He had been one of the first signs of something better in her, though there was no one to see it. "Though, I'm glad to be a werewolf and not a dog. Could you imagine a life eating nothing but kibble? Yuck." The shorter girl sticks her tongue out, bleh.

She folds her arms across her chest, letting out a little hrmph. Ever since Hati was little, she had to work twice as hard to earn any respect among the pack. The small bit of acknowledgement doesn't go to her head, though. Instead, she nods, "I hadn't felt very strong, back then. I didn't have the guts to stand up to Odin." Not 'her father', just... Odin. He had never been a father-figure to her as he had been to Skoll.

For the most part, Hati has little real interest in her brother's love-life, other than offering advice when he actually asks for it. She's not really one to go prying too much. If he wants to give her some weird, bat-winged freak as a sister in law, more power to him. Afterall, she was seeing a mouse, and that's weird enough.

"Hmm. I guess if I were to ever be able to get rid of the darkness, I'd have the same problem. It's not so easy with me, though. There's no collar to snip off to get me back to normal." Her tail swishes, but her ears tuck back a little. Skoll knew that she sometimes would sneak into the woods to watch him training. He'd seen Odin get furious with her once when he caught her doing so. "I guess nothing comes easy, does it? Even for great mega-uber werewolves. Is it giving you trouble?"

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Yeeech." Skoll goes so far as to stick his tongue out as Hati talks about eating kibble. "That'd be disgusting. How can they stomach that dry stuff? It's not juicy - and it certainly isn't /meat/." The youth shakes his head a little and rubs his hands along his arms a little. He always feels a bit guilty talking about their past.

Her refering to his father as just Odin doesn't surprise him. "You were strong. Maybe not as strong as him, but you were strong. Even I took time to grow since those days." Skoll tells her. Of course, unlike her, he could physically stand up to his father and be his equal or better.

"Probably." Skoll then quickly diverts the topic towards her darkness and his own situation. "As for things not coming easy - you can say that again. But I think I'll be fine. I mean, I can't really properly fight anymore aside from some good punches and a few of my chain techniques... and hey - Carbuncle is back too! You know, the one we used to actually play with. Cute, little rabbit of fuzzballiness."

Hati has posed:
"No kidding. I mostly try to feed Garm real meat, but if I have to go away for a few days, he gets whatever the pet-store has on the shelves." Lately, she'd been away too much. She really did need to find her own space somewhere closer to the main hubs of this World of Ruin. Serrak's ruins and the solitude they offered was once a good thing, but now it feels stifling and more than a little lonely. "I need to move, I can't stay out in the ruins anymore." She states suddenly, wrapping her arms around herself.

His words of encouragement do bring a faint smile to her features, looking more like the girl he once knew then the hard-edged woman she'd become. Sometimes, it shows, though, that that person still remains. There's a good heart beneath it all, even if she might never be a 'good guy'.

Leaning over, Hati nudges her brother on the shoulder. "I'm sure you'll do fine. You're a tough wolf, always have been. Besides, you've got friends. They'll get you through things. You also have an awesome sister who'll lend a hand if you need it." The thought of Carbuncle brings back memories, though. She used to be quite fond of the little rabbit. "Well, that's a start at least. Wasn't Carbuncle your first spirit?" She hrms to herself, "Trying to remember what the second one was..."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll moves a hand over Hati's hair as she nudges in against his shoulder and smiles at her. "You shouldn't be so alone. And I am sure Garm would enjoy some company. I'll see if I can't give the Valkyrie a kick in the rear. I believe this place has room for another roomie." He glances into the glass pane of the Headquarters. "You'll just have to deal with Avira being lovely-dovely with Mercade, I think. And ignore Angantyr - you know. Big guy, black armor, kind of an ass?" The youth shakes his head a little. "Supposedly Maira likes him or something, and he has history with Avira."

The wolf then means back against the railing again, laying his elbows onto the metal and drawing his arms back. "Hrrm, yeah. I have good friends, and indeed - an awesome sister. Maybe I'll hire Valkyrie for my next trip." The werewolf looks down at his lil' fierce sister. "Hrrm? The second one? Man - remember that really fierce winter a few years back, near the mountains? It was Shiva. I gotta say - if I ever had a crush on someone..." The wolf chuckles. "It took a /lot/ of convincing for me to contract with her."

Hati has posed:
"Living with people would be strange." Hati notes, looking at her brother with a skeptical look. As with most things, the younger werewolf is caught somewhere in-between. She doesn't want to be alone, but doesn't want to share her space. She a wielder of darkness, and yet isn't trying to bring down the worlds around her. Her life is paradox and enigma wrapped in a burrito of confusion.

As her brother starts to rattle off information about various members of VAKLYRI, Hati listens with one ear, the other swiveling as if she were paying attention to the city. "I think I can deal with Avira and her boy-toy. I've met a few of the others." Maira and Angantyr are familiar enough names, although she probably hasn't had more than brief encounters with the later. "I know Kat is still struggling to earn her place with them again, too. She's not good by herself." The wolf is still quite protective of her fellow ex-Shadow Lord.

"I wouldn't let your girlfriend hear you talking about a spirit that way, she'd probably punch you." Because that's what Hati thinks is a reasonable response to jealousy. Violence is always the answer. "I could have sworn I heard about a temple to Shiva somewhere... can't remember, though. Swiss cheese up here." She may have even gone there at some point, but with the memory charm still holding some power over her, the wolf can only remember bits and pieces. Tapping the side of her head, Hati shrugs. "I'm sure you'll track it down."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll just tilts his head in that confused puppy way when Hati gives him that skeptical look. "It's not /that/ strange." Skoll answers her. But then, he's not Hati, so it's only natural for him to see things a little different. Also, yum, burrito? No wait...

"Yeah, Kat.." Skoll mutters. He remembers her, and the only reason he really trusts her is actually because of Hati more than anything. That, and his annoying habit of seeing the good in people. Skoll just jumps onto the next topic and sticks his tongue out. "I'm sure she'd understand. I was a kid. And besides... violence isn't always the answer to everything you know?" He pauses for a moment, and then whispers; "Besides, she'd lightning-zap me." The werewolf shrugs a little. "Hrrm - swiss cheese. Meh, never liked diary that much either." He reaches a hand out to ruffle his sister's hair. He seems all too chipper to just talk about this as if there's not a problem in the world. "I'll find it."

Hati has posed:
"Strange for me. Other than Serrak, I haven't really lived with anyone since Odin left me for dead in the snow." Perhaps she could have said that he 'exiled her from the pack', but leaving a child to bleed out was the reality of it, no matter what words you spin. Hati's ears flatten.

"Pssh. Violence is the answer more times than you'd like to think. Besides, weren't you the one threatening to punch my boyfriend if he went after another girl?" She raises the eyebrow on the unscarred side of her face, smirking.

Still, for all her amusement, she has to admit that she's on the edge of exhaustion. "I should get back to the hotel before I fall asleep on the balcony. And I'm sure Garm needs a walk." This last part is said more as an afterthought.

"Just... let me know if you need me, okay? And I'll let you know if I really do need you to punch Faruja."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
There's this instinctive 'flinch' in Skoll's expression and bodylanguage as she brings up the situation with Odin. It's very personal to him in a ways, for he'd searched for her and had been unable to find her. In a ways, he still blames himself for it. His ears fold down and that smile kind of wipes off of his face. Anxiously, the werewolf glances away for a bit.

"Yeah well... sometimes it's the answer." Skoll mutters. The wolf lets out a little sigh then and looks up. "I'll walk Garm - so you can have yourself a proper rest, okay? That'll let me get some man-time with him." The wolf clearly is joking a little to offset his worry. "And I will - you know I will."

Hati has posed:
Seeing her brother flinch, Hati sighs to herself, "I don't blame you, Skoll. Even if you'd found me then, there was nothing you could have done. I'm here. I'm alive. I don't know that it would have been able to happen any other way." Sometimes, fate is like that, guiding you down the one path between rows of thorns.

"Anyways, walk me back to the hotel, okay? I don't want to have to deal with morons comming on to me tonight, and maybe that'll give you someone to punch along the way." Hati leaps off of the balcony, landing on the street before VALKYRI headquarters, holding her arm out as if waiting for some 'gentleman' to take it.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll grins and offers his arm. "Very well then sis. One punch per moron - coming right up."