Friendship Strengthened

[Nara McKenna]

It was 12:30 PM. Nara had slept the entire morning away. Somehow, the entire Band, mainly Kevin, and Brigid were quiet enough that her heightened senses allowed her to sleep.

She slipped on a t-shirt and changed out of her leather pants into some comfy sweats that Vicki had lain our for her, and then padded into the bathroom. Some cold water helped to wash away the sleep and a bit of listerine cleansed the palette. It burn worse then the damn acid, but her doggy breath needed to be staked.

Her ears perked up, trying to figure out who was where. She heard the purring of a cat, the fridge kicking over, and someone going to town on a heavy bag. Otherwise, the place was deader then a Vamp on a sunny day.

So she decided to see what was going on and opened the door to the most elaborate home gym ever. Most of the floor was covered in very springy matting. Nara could tell this by how the cushion formed around her feet when she stepped onto it. There were various forms of archaic weaponry on the wall, where there were no mirrors and windows, gymnastic equipment, and various bar bells, weight lifting and cardio machines.

She spied Brigid on the far side of the room taking her aggressions out on the heavy bag. The woman fought with an amazing passion and recklessness all at the same time. It was rather beautiful.

It didn't look like Nara was noticed just yet, so she took the time to admire her from afar. Her hands and wrists were tapped up for the punching and was barefoot like Nara. She wasn't wearing anything special, just a black tank top and a pair of white gi pants, but she was definitely easy on the eyes.

[Brigid Cassidy]

:: Brigid caught Nara out of the corner of her eye after a spinning backfist to the bag and she stopped ::

"Hey. Feeling better?"

[Nara McKenna]

"Yeah," she yawned and stretched, arcing her back. She felt some of the bones pop which made her feel oh so much better. "Sleep did me good and my chest doesn't hurt as much."

Nara glanced down at her right forearm and frowned. "This is still a bitch tho."

[Brigid Cassidy]

:: Brigid nodded, wincing in sympathy ::

"I've got something that can help that."

[Nara McKenna]

"I dunno." She flexed her fingers with a scowl and spoke with disdain. "I should probably let it heal naturally. Make a nice appeal for my status when the time comes."

[Brigid Cassidy]

"That's up to you. Fiona's got herbs for just about everything around here."

:: she began unwrapping her hands ::

[Nara McKenna]

"Screw it." Her body was made for art as much as it was for fighting. She was no Ahroun. Her arm was needed as much for playing as it was for driving a dagger into the enemy. "What kinda stuff can your friend's stuff do for me?"

[Brigid Cassidy]

:: She led Nara to the ottoman and went off to fetch something from the cabinet. Mixing a few things into a salve, she returned with a bowl of the stuff. It looked like apple butter, but wasn't ::

[Nara McKenna]

Nara leaned over and took a whiff of the odd concoction that Brigid had made. Much to her surprise, it didn't smell bad at all. It reminded her off Australia because of the eucalyptus scent. "So ... what does this do?"

[Brigid Cassidy]

"It'll heal you, that's what. It's a mixture Fiona picked up from beyond the border, or so she says."

[Nara McKenna]

"Fiona sounds weirder then you," she said as she began to unwrap her arm. It stung like a bitch, but Nara sucked it up. "Beyond the border? Wait ..."

Something clicked. The phrase sounded familiar in passing somewhere that reminded her of the Seelies. "You mean like the Changelings?"

[Brigid Cassidy]

:: Brigid smiled, choking back a laugh as she tended to the wound ::

"Over the hills and far away. The very same."

:: She paused, musing over just how much she sounded like Fiona just then ::

[Nara McKenna]

"Well, at least you're finally making a bit of sense," she smiled appreciatively as Brigid attended to her wound.

[Brigid Cassidy]

:: Nara felt a soft warmth spread through the wound, and the salve turned honey colored as it did it's work ::

[Nara McKenna]

The thing about having such sharp senses is that everything is heightened. Not just taste, smell, and hearing. Sight was considered far crisper and was able to pick out intricate details of any object.

But also touch was far more sensitive and the natural warmth that this salve created actually felt hot to the touch. Nara clenched her arm and gritted her teeth as muscle was repaired, tendons pulled back to their proper place and skin started to heal.

[Brigid Cassidy]

:: Brigid stepped into the kitchen ::

"Do you want some breakfast?"

[Nara McKenna]

Almost as if on cue, her stomach growled ferociously. Nara hadn't eaten anything since before going on stage last night. She grabbed at it and chuckled. "Heh. Um, yeah."

[Brigid Cassidy]

:: Brigid took the last bit of cobbler and heated it up while the Coffee brewed. She looked down at her feet as Perceval rubbed against them ::

"Doesn't that belly ever get full?"

[Nara McKenna]

Nara peeked over the side of the counter and smirked. "Sounds like me."

[Brigid Cassidy]

"How's that arm feeling?"

[Nara McKenna]

She looked down at what just to be a mangled mesh of burnt flesh. Now the skin was fully intact, but was still bruised with faint pink lines of where the Dancer's claws had dug in. The injury could easily be handled by her natural healing ability.

"Yeah." She took a seat at the table. "Much better."

The coffee smelled awesome and expensive and her nose twitched. "How come you put us all up?"

[Brigid Cassidy]

"Because this is bound to get nastier by degrees before it's over, and you need safe haven."

:: She served breakfast and sat ::

"And you guys are a hoot." ;)

[Nara McKenna]

"A hoot huh? Well, that's mostly Kevin. He's the clown of the bunch." Nara sniffed at the cobbler and poked at it with her fork. "What is this?"

[Brigid Cassidy]

"Peach Cobbler. I'm not much on cooking."

[Nara McKenna]

Her eyes furrowed. "Okay, let's try this again. What's a Peach Cobbler?"

Nara wasn't used to this kind of food.

[Brigid Cassidy]

"It's pie. Fiona bakes them by the dozen."

[Nara McKenna]

Her eyes perked up. "Pie for breakfast? My kinda place."

She dug in and it was the best damn pie she'd ever had. It definitely had that home made taste to it that reminded her of her grandmother's baking.

[Brigid Cassidy]

"So what about the others? How much should we tell them?"

[Nara McKenna]

Nara thought about that question. It was rather loaded. She trust the Band with her life and would die for any of them. However, they all respected her privacy. The Garou wasn't big on the sharing with anyone. "I don't think we should tell them about you. Kevin has a big mouth. It's why Ethan's the only one that has an inkling about my past. Paul and Vicki I trust, but I like keeping to myself, ya know?"

[Brigid Cassidy]

:: Brigid agreed ::

"I know what it's like to carry secrets. I figured after last night, I had an obligation though. I trust you, Nara."

[Nara McKenna]

Nara was surprised by the admission and felt a little uncomfortable. Not because Brigid was being so honest with her, that felt nice, but it wasn't natural to the Garou. It took over a year for her to open up to Ethan and here was this girl thrown into her life that knew almost everything about her right off the bat.

It scared her. She was never this open with anyone. Ever. True, it was not by choice but now what? "Thanks ..."

[Brigid Cassidy]

:: They finished breakfast and Brigid changed into some street clothes. Jeans, a sleeveless T, and a knit scarf, which was more about style then keeping warm. She sat down on the leather couch and surfed the telly ::

[Nara McKenna]

Nara took a nice hot shower to wash away the grime and questions. It was only partially successful.

After drying off and putting on the borrowed clothes again, she went into the living room and instantly spied the Brigid's sword. She wondered if it were made of silver, because why else would a human, Immortal or not, use one against a tainted Garou.

"Hey Brigid?" she said and took a seat next to her, "Can I ask you what's up with the sword?"

[Brigid Cassidy]

"I was wondering when we'd get to that." she grinned, collecting the sword from it's resting place.

"For people like me, it's a lifeline."

:: She presented the sword to Nara for her to take ::

[Nara McKenna]

Her eyes fell from Brigid's to the sheathed katana. With some hesitation, Nara reached out and took the weapon, feeling relieved that it didn't sting. Anything made of silver burned like a bitch.

She hefted the weapon into the air and caught it, swinging it around to where the hilt was facing up. "What do you mean by a lifeline?"

[Brigid Cassidy]

"All of my kind are bound by a destiny. We hunt eachother for the energy that makes us immortal. In combat to the death, the flash of a blade and the fall of a head releases the Quickening. The victor recieves all the knowledge and power their enemy."

[Nara McKenna]

Nara set the scabbard down and took a deep breath. For such a short explanation, it was a lot to take in. And in fact, it was all very confusing. "You don't fight to survive? You just do it to become more powerful?"

It was a frightening thought, but she was holding off being judgmental so Brigid could explain herself. The Garou might not have said it but she was starting to trust her too.

[Brigid Cassidy]

"We all struggle to survive. Some of us hunt, some of us hide. Holy ground is about the only sure way to stay out of the game. None of us can fight there, but none of us can stay out of the game forever. Sooner or later, it catches up with us."

[Nara McKenna]

"Game?" This was becoming increasingly more difficult to understand. "You have people watching over you and making the rules?"

[Brigid Cassidy]

"No. We're bound by a Litany of our own. It can't be broken, even by the worst of us."

[Nara McKenna]

Brigid must have heard her frustration and broke it down into words she could understand. "Ah, I get'cha."

Nara flicked her thumb up and unlocked the hilt of the katana. "So if I'm understanding you right, you can't die unless someone cuts off that pretty little head of yours. And they only way to avoid that is by squatting on sacred ground."

[Brigid Cassidy]

"Yes." she replied, a grimace on her face as a memory formed.

"I tried that once, but living with nuns wasn't for me. Too many bad habits." ;)

[Nara McKenna]

Nara laughed. "That was terrible, Brigid."

[Brigid Cassidy]

:: Brigid took a playful step backwards, allowing Nara a bit more room to examine the katana ::

[Nara McKenna]

Nara took the hilt by the other hand and pulled the katana out fully. It sung sweetly. The Garou was no sword smith, but she could feel how well balanced the blade was. It was so light that it felt like she was holding nothing.

With a smirk, she pointed the blade at Brigid to look down the length of it. Perfect. "This is really nice."

[Brigid Cassidy]

"That's the best sword I've ever owned. A friend gave it to me over a century ago ::

:: She stepped beside Nara, pointing at the lion engraved on the blade near the hilt ::

"Hattori Hanzo."

[Nara McKenna]

Nara looked at the marking in earnest.

"Hattori Hanzo," she repeated and looked at Brigid. "That name means something special to you."

The Garou could tell this person was of importance to the Immortal by how her tone changed.

[Brigid Cassidy]

"We've known each other a long time." she smiled. "He's great at making swords. Not so great with sushi."

[Nara McKenna]

Nara returned the smile and the sword back into it's proper home. She held it out for Brigid to take. "Thanks."