"Far be it from me to teach you your job as alpha, Vera-rhya..."

Fairbanks House: Living Room(#2456RJ)
This is a large, warm and friendly room. The western wall is covered by a large picture-window looking out on the front yard. The carpet is white and thick. The front door is in a small alcove, opening out northwestward. Near the door, wide wooden stairs covered in the center by blue-grey carpet lead upward. The living room itself stretches north from the front door. The kitchen can be seen through an archway, and a door nearby leads to the study. A desk, a table, chairs and a couch decorate the room, elegant and expensive: glass coffee tables with gold corners, plush easy chairs, lamps with soft patterns of rose and gold amidst the white.
The stairs lead up to the second floor, and the door to the northwest goes outside. The study door is to the south, and the kitchen is eastward.

Near the noon hour there comes a knock at the front door, followed by silence.

The front door doesn't open in a hurry, but eventually footsteps sound from indoors and then pause, the feet's owner plainly looking through the peephole to see who's outside. Then the door opens and Cedric is revealed inside, a little tousled compared to his normal immaculate self, and clad in a striped bathrobe over pyjamas. "Vera-rhya! Happy new year," he says. "Do come in. What can I do for you?"

Vera smiles warmly enough, as she steps into the Silver Fang's home. "A cup of tea would be quite welcome, actually. I hear you ran afoul of some Weaver Spiders a little while ago?"

"Tea it is," Cedric agrees, bustling through to the kitchen and setting water to boil. He's back again inside a minute. "I certainly did," he says with a frown. "It was not a pleasant experience, but I survived it, and I'm plannin' a return trip with greater manpower to clean the damn' place out of the things. Want to come along?" he offers, in a tone as casual as if he'd just offered Vera a biscuit to go with her tea.

Vera settles herself down into one of the chairs and crosses her legs. "Do you speak of this place, or another?"

Cedric shakes his head. "No spiders here," he says firmly. "My tribemate's place, over in Kent Crossin'."

"You speak of Mathias the Anruth, of course," Vera replies easily, tone remaining the same as before.

"The same," drawls Cedric. "His house. Clemency House, it's called." He tosses those words out even more casually than Vera named Mathias.

"The house from which he cast out a kinswoman seeking shelter there, because his pride was wounded," Vera says with a sigh. "I had originally suggested to Blackriver that she allow Mathias the same Chiminage as I suggested for you, when he persistently dawdled with the task he had been given originally."

Cedric gives a slow nod. "Blackriver set the fellow some further tasks," he states, "bein' unwillin' to sling him out of here on his ear... especially since he owns that place, and we can't exactly do much about that. Besides, Vera-rhya," he goes on, "like me, Mathias is one of Falcon's chosen. He's a regal pain in the ass sometimes," he concedes, "but he's here for a purpose and I trust you'll appreciate that." He nods several times as though an affirmative response from Vera is a foregone conclusion.

Vera gives a soft snort and lightly shakes her head. "You plan to Challenge me over him."

Cedric gives a little jerk. "I beg y'pardon?" he raps out. "Does it really come to that?"

Vera tilts her head to one side, eyebrows lifting in mild surprise. "That is what other have come to believe and have spoken to me about in a voice of concern."

Cedric sits forward in his chair. "Vera-rhya," he says in a polite voice, if a somewhat frosty one, "this is a sept with deep divisions. If there's one thing guaranteed to make them deeper yet, it'd be two of its higher rankin' members squabblin' over one of the most junior cliaths in the whole damn' garou nation. Surely," he goes on, "we can be more mature and sensible than that."

Vera chuckles dryly, leaning back in her seat. "I only repeat what has been brought to my ears. I have no argument with you and I made my position clear long ago."

Cedric compresses his lips. "Then perhaps," he suggests, "you, or I, or both of us should make it our bizney to squash any such rumors we hear flyin' round. For the good of us both and of the sept."

Vera shrugs her shoulders easily. "Its is something that you may want to look in to. However, I must make it clear that I have no intention of allowing Mathias in to this Sept. If only because he has nothing of value to offer us."

Cedric gives Vera a look, at that. "I beg to differ," he says firmly. "Like all of my tribe, no less than of yours, Mathias has much to offer. Just a matter of gettin' the right things out of the youngster."

"Like what?" Vera asks rather flatly. "He angered far to many here when he was a guest and in the same breath, he does have some allies. I would be a fool to let him in without an exceptionally fine Chiminage. As you said earlier, this is a Sept divided and I do not need to make the situation any worse then it already is."

Cedric takes a couple of deep breaths before answering. "Far be it from me to teach you your job as alpha, Vera-rhya," he says, emphasisising the honorific, "but what kind of 'fine chiminage' would you have in mind? Given that this sept harbors metis, charach, and cliath in their thirties who are plainly never goin' to make it even as far as fostern without some kind of miracle, I don't see why one kid who's put his foot in it is singled out for such harsh treatment."

"All Sept have Metis," Vera replies with a touch of ice in her voice. "As for the others, they are Sept members and face punishments for their actions. Tell me, what would Mathias offer this Sept?"

"He can fight as well as any young garou," Cedric retorts, plainly needled now. "He can talk to spirits as well as any theurge. If he's working at a bit less than full strength at the moment, it's because the guy's been without a sept and a pack for months. This sept," Cedric states, "is not so strong that it can afford to turn down a set of willin' claws to defend it for frivolous reasons."

"It can afford to turn away one who lacks the Wisdom of a cub," Vera states. "Who would ignore my orders in battle. From everything he has done, I would consider him more of a danger then help, as a Cliath and a member of this Sept."

"What would it take to change your mind?" Cedric barks back to Vera. The galliard's hands have formed quietly into fists.

"He has not the Wisdom to be a Cliath," Vera states easily. "If he were to come to this Sept as a cub, we would take him in. Cubs do not require Chiminage."

"He is not a fucking cub," hisses Cedric. All his normal affable charm seems to have deserted him. "He is an adult garou. Do you presume, madam, to impugn the wisdom of those of my tribe who rited him?"

"I question Mathias' current level of Wisdom, not past," Vera states in annoyance.
Cedric raises one eyebrow. "Are you tellin' me," he says in high sarcasm, "that Mathias' wisdom levels have somehow contrived to drop since his Ritin'?"

Vera shrugs. "Wisdom can be earned and lost. You and I both know that. His actions at /this/ Sept have shown a distinct lack of Wisdom."

Cedric reins himself in with difficulty. "Then in effect, you're sayin,'" he sums up, "that in order to show his worth as a putative sept member here, he'd need to display wisdom sufficient to convince you of his... maturity?"

Vera nods. "Basicly, yes. But he has not only to convince me. There are a number of Garou in this Sept who need to be convinced as well."

"Feel free," Cedric drawls with more of his usual nonchalance, "to share their names with me. I'm happy to chat to them regardin' the subject of my tribemate."

Vera smirks. "They have no made their dissatisfaction unknown. I'm certain you could find them easily enough." The alpha entwines her fingers. "I am going to offer you a proposal that you will not like and are free to ignore if you wish, but it will allow Mathias into this Sept."

Cedric raises that eyebrow once more. "Speak, Vera-rhya. I'm as eager as you to find a solution acceptable to all involved."

"I take a great risk in alienating a number of Sept members if I allow Mathias into the Sept," Vera begins. "I will allow him in, if he is willing to make a sacrifice. To go beyond his pride and offer apology to those he has offended. If he is willing to denounce his Rank before Falcon and become a Cub once again. If that is enough to remind him of the meaning of Wisdom, you may allow him to undergo his Rite of Passage after three moon's time. If you do not know the Rite, I will teach it to you." Vera takes a breath and continues. "You are his Patron. You are the one who speaks for him. I will only allow this because you feel that he has some worth. However, you must give up something if Mathias fails to become a Cliath within six turnings of the moon."

Cedric's eyes narrow as Vera relates her terms. "Give up anythin' in particular?" he asks once she's done.

Vera shrugs her shoulders. "That is something we could discuss. You have such confidence in the fellow, you should have little fear of loosing anything."

Cedric's head comes up and his jaw sets, at that. "I most certainly do," he snaps back. "Very well, I shall surrender somethin' to be discussed at a later date, in the most unlikely event that my confidence is misplaced. In fact," he adds, "I'll damn' well seal that offer with the Honorable Oath."

Vera nods, smiling easily. "We can discus what you would offer up if he fails after Mathias has rejected or accepted these terms."

Cedric clicks his fingers. "Ah, right, yes. Better make sure he doesn't kick off on one when he hears. But he won't," Cedric adds. "He knows damn' well he's here on my suffrance as well as yours, and he'll jump when I say jump."

Vera inclines her head and offers up a small smile. "Very well. Just remember, that your Eldership may be challenged because of Mathias, if your fellow Tribesmates do not feel that he is improving. Cliath can Challenge Fostern. It does happen."

Cedric gives a dark smile. "I've been elder for all of a week, officially. As for cliath... I'd be surprised if Blackriver wasn't fostern by summer. Water's boiled," he adds as he hears the sound from the kitchen, and heads off to make tea.