CoR Skye High

Sune

Sune

Grumpy Badger
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Location
The Shake & Bake Bakery
The Shake and Bake Bakery was bustling this morning, which was unusual for a Tuesday. Normally, Re would be here serving happily every customer that came in, but she had taken the day off to help her friend find some new clothes. Tia and Melena were more than willing to give her the day, she'd been working so very hard since she started. Plus, it helped them keep the friendly vibe if they continued to work themselves.

Tia almost seemed as if she were dancing as she served the customers at their tables, weaving her way and spinning in her lovely blue sundress to avoid collisions with patrons moving about. She had a lovely smile upon her face, and her long golden braid gleamed past her waist. She greeted everyone joyously and made sure they felt more than welcome.

Melena loved to watch her work, but she had bread to bake, breakfast to make, and coffee and tea to brew. Her apron was coated with flour and the bread oven brought enough heat that she wished she could open a window. With every order ready to go out, she'd hit the little chime bell and call it out over the boisterous crowd for her wife to hear. Another order was ready for her now, even, and she caught Tia's eye long enough to give her a wink before moving to the next order.

Tia grabbed the plates, balancing them skillfully on her arms and hands, and moved to the oldest order she had on hand. She moved to the pair in the corner, the ones who wanted waffles and canna-crepes. "Here you go! I hope you enjoy!" She said cheerfully. "If there is anything else you need, please don't hesitate to let me know, alright? Do you need some more coffee, dear?"

The soft rumble of a motorcycle still penetrated through the cafe's noise until it was turned off, its rider walking in looking rough. Skye had just finished her show, and instead of going home and sleeping like a sane person, decided she needed coffee. Or cannabis. Or both. Melena looked up long enough to tell who it was. "Ay, Skye! It's good to see ya!" She said in her thick Iverian accent.

"Hey Melena." Skye muttered. "Can I have some coffee please..?"
 
To say he was so incredibly happy to be somewhere that he could get food and some weed as well was putting it lightly. He was tickled pink and had already been on the edge of his seat buzzing in anticipation. He was still nervous about meeting back up with the Pack, all things considered, and hoped to hell that the edibles that he had gotten would help. He needed to be mellowed out, but not out of commission. It was a fine line but he knew how to walk it. He was still musing on what had been told to him before they came to the Shake and Bake and honestly, it was bugging him more than he was letting on.

“Damn, look at her move…” Saxton’s voice was low and aimed toward Diedre, though it was clear he meant the server in the blue sundress. He was briefly entertained and for a few minutes, his leg stopped bouncing.

“Waffles! YES!” Cheering happily as his plate was put down, Saxton coated his waffles in syrup and immediately cut into them. Practically shoving the bite into his mouth, the pink-haired male was more than happy with the taste. It was probably the best waffles he had ever had in his life. Glancing up at the sound of the door, he tilted his head as he stared at the woman stepping inside. Damn, she looked familiar. Putting that thought on pause, he looked up at their server with a grin.

“Could you get me one of each of your edibles?” He had money to burn and wanted to stock up for a bit.

“Skye…?” Now, that was a name he hadn’t thought about for years. Sax was pretty sure she was someone he knew from the Pack before he temporarily left. Maybe.
 
It wasn't easy to ignore Saxton's enthusiasm, but Deirdre gave it her best internal try. She wanted to stay sharp and clear headed for the trials and expectations her Grandpa had sent her here in expectation of. But it simply wasn't to be.

"Saxton you goof," Deirdre exclaimed in an amused whisper as she covered her mouth with the back of her hand whilst suppressing laughter. "Yes, I do see her, but so does she," she added with a casual chin jerk towards the space between the clear glass cases where Melena and her sight-line was visible . "I'm not sure you stand a chance th—" Deirdre paused abruptly as the dancing proprietor approached them. Her own appreciation for her crepes was far more modest than Saxton's excitement, and was delivered with what she felt was the apropriate amount of decorum.

Upon hearing Saxton's extra order, Deirdre's eyebrows quirked. "Sax, we're here to—" Deirdre's voice once again stopped abruptbly, but this time rather than a slightly sheepish look at nearly being caught talking about their table servitor, her face was instead locked in an expression of surprised disbelief.

That is Skye motherfucking Laighléis, Deirdre internally screamed, the thought itself simultaneously also a whispered susurration of shocked surprise. She looked at Saxton with eyes the size of saucers, but instead of shocked excitement like she expected, she saw...confused recognition?

"Do you fucking know Skye Laighléis," Deirdre blurted out.
 
Flashing Deidre an innocent grin, Saxton briefly looked at the woman who was the server’s girlfriend or wife before he shifted his gaze back to his tablemate. He shrugged sheepishly, knowing he had no chance, but damn, she had great moves. His expression grew even more when called a goof and he couldn’t stop the light chuckle, voice remaining low so people couldn’t eavesdrop and beat him up for thinking the server was sexy. “I know, I know. But, I can’t help but look.”

Thankfully the woman was already gone when he spoke up, his leg starting to bounce again. Damn, he had so much pent-up energy. No, not energy, nervousness. What the hell was going on with all the stolen merch? It didn’t make sense and he also was worried about who was still in the Pack and who they lost. Sighing, he shoved some of the waffle into his mouth and did his best to keep from moving around.

“I know we’re here on business, but I need something to calm my nerves. I know how much to eat to keep a level head and sharp senses. I just…” Saxton trailed off and blinked with half a waffle dangling from his mouth at her loud blurt. His green eyes shifted from Deidre to Skye and then back again, while he slowly chewed the overly large piece of deliciousness.

“Of course! She’s part of the Bloodstones. Or at least her cousins are. I vaguely met her before, but she’s cool. She’s in a band!” He was excited, talking with part of the waffle, which was still unchewed.
 
Deirdre stared at Saxton with what she was sure was an incredulous look on her face, but it was hard to tell through the dissociative haze. The boyish admiring of the female form and cavalier approach to intoxication was par for the course for most young men in her experience, werewolf or not. She could roll with all that no problem.

But the casual obliviousness with which he treated the situation they suddenly found themselves in, was another matter entirely.

"Yes...Skye is...Iveria's 2023 top third up-and-coming artist in any genre, debuting at #2 with their new album in Issunar's Top 100, and Ivero-Musica magazine's biggest talent to watch out for in 2024...She's certainly 'in a band'..." the shocked druid replied with monotonousness, her attention shifting to Skye and her eyes slowly bulging some more.

"You are going to go over, and smoothly introduce yourself in such a way you don't ruin my chances at an autograph, Saxton Jaxson," Deirdre demanded imperiously all of a sudden. "After you chew and wipe the maple syrup from your mouth's corner," she added with a gesture. Her posture was as serious as it would have been if she had been requesting for him to lay down some cover fire or rush enemy cover.
 
“Damn, stop staring, you weirdo.” Saxton kept his voice quiet, not so sure what the big deal was about Skye. Sure, she was hot and a good artist, but he still didn’t see the need for the fuss. He chewed on the waffle, finally finishing off the piece as Deidre gushed on and on about the Iverian star. He merely shrugged with a single shoulder and swallowed what he had been eating, washing it down with his water. He wasn’t a coffee drinker and they didn’t have the drink he wanted.

“Could you stop fangirling? Lord, she’s gonna think you’re a weirdo if you keep this up.” He shook his head, his excitement dwindling just a little at how much Deidre knew about Skye. So much for having important intel. He seemed to always be behind on the music world news. Ah well! Could be worse, could’ve been a Scion or someone gross or annoying. At her next words though, Saxton arched his brow and let out a snort, though he did wipe the syrup off the corner of his lips. Wasn’t his fault he was a messy waffle eater.

“Why do I have to do that? Just go walk over to her and say hi like a normal fan, Deidre. I don’t… I don’t want to go talk to her yet. Let me at least finish my waffles.” Saxton huffed and dug into another piece of his waffle, giving her a look that he hoped she’d understand that meant he wasn’t budging until his food was gone.

“Either wait or go yourself. Or…” He tilted his head with a smirk and glanced back to Skye.

“Ey, Skye! Long time no see!” There, the problem was solved.
 
"You're lookin' rough, Skye. Ya sure you don't need a nap instead of coffee?" Melena asked as she began to brew the bean juice how she knew Skye liked her coffee. Skye shook her head softly. "Nah.. I'll sleep when I'm dead, I suppose. I got some interviews to do to rebuild my crew this afternoon." Melena raised a brow. "Hirin' new crew? What happened to the last one?" She asked as she worked on flipping bacon and eggs.

"Couldn't move 'ere. I've officially moved to Lutetia, an' they decided to stay back 'ome. It's all good. They'll still 'elp when I 'ead out that direction."

Melena placed a large paper cup in front of Skye and tossed her a few extra sugar packs. Skye passed some cash towards Melena, who refused. "Nae, I cannae take yer money. You keep bring me more business an' I'll keep ya amped with coffee. Just promise me ya will get some shut eye soon, or else I'll sick Tia on ya."

Skye was about to rebuttal when suddenly she heard her name being called. She looked over and saw a vaguely familiar face eating some waffles. "I'll catch ya later, Melena. Thanks again."

"Sure thing!"

Skye made her way through the cafe towards the waffle eater, trying to recall where she'd seen them before. She smiled regardless. "'Ay! Long time no see, 'ow's it goin-" Saxton. His name was Saxton. They'd met over 5 years ago, right as Desmond and Brendon moved in. "Saxton! Its been ages! Oh wow those look good.."
 
Returning happily to his waffles, Saxton nodded a hello at Skye, knowing better than to talk with food in his mouth around Ms. Supa-Star. Mainly because he didn't fancy a whap across the back of his head. That happened to him once... or twice... and, well, he nearly choked on his food. That earned him another smack for scaring his foster mother, which was so great. Let's do the same thing that caused the choking. That was just one additional reason he bailed on that home. So, that was absolutely why he just nodded. Sure, he had had a mouth of waffles when talking to Deidre, but he was sure she wouldn't whap him.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm.... so delicious." Saxton's voice held this satisfied tone to it and he grinned at Skye, so glad she remembered his name.

"Yeah, it's Saxton and the waffles are so worth getting." He flicked his tongue against his teeth with a sigh before surging on. "Unfortunately, I'm not here just to eat these yummalucious waffles. Things are happening and... I heard about the Den, but not much about it. Cashes are being stolen too... I'm here to rejoin the Bloodstones. This is Deidre, by the way. She's with me and we bring gifts."
 
Deirdre wanted to disappear. Her cheeks reddened and she slumped in her seat, hiding the top of her face with her hat. She wanted to murder Saxton, but decided it would probably be in poor form to deliver him back to his pack with his lungs full of Amanita virosa.

"Hi, I'm Deirdre," she said sheepishly. "I like your music. Are you a Bloodstone member?" she asked, barely audible.
 
She turned to Deirdre with a bright grin. "Hiya, it's great to meet ya!" She rubbed the back of her head. "Oh you've 'eard me music? That's awesome!" She always grew giddy whenever someone heard her songs. There was an excited energy about her whenever she found a fan. "Shame we didn't meet yesterday, I just finished a performance last night. Could 'ave gotten ya good seats! Next time though, if you wanna come?"

She sat down across the pair, figuring it was invite enough if they were chatting.

"I'm not part of Bloodstones yet. Workin' on that. I've officially moved to Lutetia to try, anyway. Hopin' they lemme in."

Skye’s expression fell slightly at the mention of the Den. She placed her cup of coffee down on their table, popped the top off and started pouring the sugar in.

"Yea, Des called me and the family up after the incident with the Den. We rode in to 'elp shortly after." She explained. "Most the family rode back after things were taken care of. I just rode back in meself."
 
He noticed the red cheeks. Of course he noticed, how couldn't he since she was so close. It was amusing to him and with another grin, he let the ladies talk. Focusing once again in the food that was quickly disappearing off his plate, Saxton cocked his head, wondering if Deirdre would want to come back to watch one of Skye's concerts. While not sure, he was fairly certain she wasn't staying long term.

"Hnn..." Looking up only once the conversation turned to the Den, Saxton knew it had to have been bad if Desmond called them to come to help.

"Who? Who did we lose, Skye? Tell me what you know. I need... I need to know before we head in. There's something very wrong and I can't shake the feeling that we're going to lose more." There were so many he hoped hadn't died and many more he would be meeting for the first time.

"Word is its ghouls... and oddly enough, they lead right back here. I think it's a huge warning and it makes me not as hungry as usual."
 
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Deirdre was oddly comforted to know Skye wasn't a Bloodstone member. She could never trust her network again if such news had escaped their notice. Being 'all in' in the 'know' for rising artists across her favorite genres to listen wasn't the end goal in-of-itself. That wasn't what her Network—her name for the collective of the cell she led for the Verdant Mantle, which she'd long styled for intel-gathering—was for, of course.

She might always have prime backstage access to most shows and get to be as opaque or transparent as she'd like, but that was just a minor perk. No, her group of intelligence analysts who scoured the digital, physical, and magical worlds at her command and guidance weren't intended to furnish her with an in-depth dossier on Skye.

But the practice kept her team sharp and ready for the real tasks her grandfather had been grooming her for. Like coming here, to help identify for their guard dogs what groups they needed to bite. The Corrupter was tremendously powerful, but magical power did not grant one the ability to hold and maintain a criminal empire. That was one of her grandfather's greatest lessons and what most of his other rivals over the years found out the hard way.

The creature would need human agents to seed its influence in the territory it wished to try to expand to, however directly it wanted and until they reached a critical mass, going after these traitors-to-life was the easiest way to chip away at their influence.

Deirdre's face fell slightly once again at Saxton's emotion-filled query. She hadn't been lying before about not knowing...but she could have found out easily enough at any point, if she'd been willing to make an exception to their operating procedures and contact her Network prematurely. She stared at the depth of pain in the young man's eyes, once again noting how quickly it reduced him to appearing boyish, robbing him of the air of nonchalant ease he so often garbed himself with.

No. She was being tested, and she wouldn't let her grandfather find in her the fault of senseless sentimentality. The rule was the field operative didn't break communication silence, but proceeded with the best of their initial analysis knowledge and would receive updates as needed. She was in the field now, and she would follow the rule book.

"Not so loud, Saxton," Deirdre started. "We don't want to cause a panic, they're not at all common ou—" her voice cut off suddenly, replaced by gagging and forceful dry heaving. She'd left herself receptive to changes on the wholesome magical fabric that covered the physical world with nature's bounty. All the better to pinpoint the expected pinpricks of malaise on the natural order that signified the presence of blighted ghouls.

As a result, she was nearly floored by the nauseating feeling she was currently being assaulted by...no, not her, nature. It was such a forceful wrenching and twisting by a power diametrically anathema to nature's order that its mere existence felt like a personal affront. Like having her face roughly pushed and dragged across an oil slick in the rough pavement when she'd been expecting a gentle caress.

Worse than she hoped, then, but not worse than her grandfather had cautioned her to expect. The Corrupter—whether its essence or one of the Vessels made no difference she knew—was in Lutetia, and had already made its first move.

"We need to go. Now. It's here. The Bloodstones need our help," she lifted her head imperiously and without a trace of the previous timidity. Deirdre's eyes glowed a gentle and reasurring green—a more wholesome hue than Bardiche's eye sockets displayed that very moment—as she regarded Skye.

"We have a spare shotgun. Are you coming?"
 
Skye's face would explain to Saxton everything and nothing all at once. Skye's heart pounded like a drumbeat in her chest. How could she tell him? They had lost so much. So many faces. So many names she'd never thought the last time she'd say them would be in memory. Her leg bounced nervously as she fought to keep her composure.

She needed a distraction, a way to ease the tension she felt. She forced a sheepish smile, took a deep breath and--

Until she was derailed by Deirdre's sudden outburst. Skye's stomach churned and the the color drained from her face as Deirdre's voice became distant.

No. No no no. Please no. Not again. She couldn't do this again. She couldn't lose anyone again. Panic surged through her, her breath quickening. Nodding numbly, she sprang to her feet her body moving on instinct. She needed to protect everyone.

"Lets go!" She shouted.
 
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Far too focused on needing to know who they lost, Saxton didn’t even realize some of his waffles were missing. He briefly shifted his gaze to Deirdre at her warning before again staring imploringly at Skye. Was it that bad that she wasn’t just coming out to tell him? Who was no longer with them? Shit. He couldn’t fathom any of the pack no longer being there, but what if it was Baron or Ragenard? No… no, couldn’t be either of them. Jacques maybe? No real loss there, if he was being honest, though the dude’s pup… well, she had already lost her mom. Just who was it?! By the look on Skye’s face, the young male knew it was bad and the pit in his stomach intensified. For a brief second, he felt like he was about to throw up everything he had just eaten.

“...” He bit on the inside of his cheek at the silence, words escaping even his confident ass. Why was something like this taking away all of his self-assurance? Maybe it was because this was family and he was always more vulnerable regarding the Pack. They were his first true family and he couldn’t … didn’t want to lose any of them. Such was the pack life though. It wasn’t like they were doing non-dangerous things and well, other packs wanted them out of the way.

“Come one, Skye.” He mumbled, trying to be quiet despite the need to shout at her to spill. He was about to say more when Deirdre’s gagging and dry heaving caught him off-guard. Shoving the rest of his waffles into his mouth even before she said they needed to go, Saxton was trying to keep from choking as he slid to his feet.

He swore loudly and when Skye shouted that they needed to go, Saxton moved out of the shop and to his bike. He dug around to grab an extra shotgun as well as some of the ammo. Moving back to where Skye was, he held out both things to her, finally swallowing the huge bite he had been working on since he left the table. “Here, these are special bullets. We plan on giving the others the same when we get there. If you know where they are, lead the way. The quicker we get there, the faster we can help them and keep from losing anymore.”
 
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