Urban Renewal: Of Dreams & Nightmares..,

Urban Renewal: Of Dreams & Nightmares..,

*~~~* Dreams & Nightmares *~~~*

The dreamscape, as he enters, is mostly peaceful. Along the outer edges are flashes of angry, violent, and hurtful imagry, but are most kept at bay almost as if by sheer force of subconcious will. Eric sees flashes of recent memories, colored with emotive contexts. Wandering thoughts and tangents pass by, picked up and then discarded.., all but one.

This one forms and solidfies as the dream progresses.

Eric can see himself standing there with a smile. There seems to be a tenderness attached to it. Something shifts suddenly, as a 'what-if' thought intrudes.., his image fades to be replaced by her father. Suddenly there is doubt, fear.., and the dream solidifies more.


He is a big guy over all. Shoulder-length dark-blond/brown hair is tied back in a short, frizzy ponytail. His eyes are hazel and hard as his forehead creases with anger. He stands in a door way facing in, the hall way to his back. His features are rough, as is the tone of his voice.

"-Was- ist dies? " he growls..., his body vibrating with pent up anger.

Tarra is in her bed robed in a simple, long, night shirt. Another figure is curled up on her lap and in her arms. This figures turns, and Eric sees that the two of them look very similar. The same eyes, hair and features.., but the other is male. A look of shock.., and realization runs across both their features. They look at each other, at the bed.., and then back up to their father. Concern turns to fear.., as they watch their father shift.

"Oh no.., " the boy says, "Shit."

A voice comes from the hallway, its soft, coaxing, but with an edge.

"Jan, no.., think Jan. JAN! No!"


Eric can see something .., change.., in her father's eyes. He's not 'seeing'.., anything.., anymore. His shift to Crinos is swift, his form huge and battle-scarred. Tarra scrambles, giving the other boy ( obviously her brother ) a shove to knock him off the bed. The boy, also scrambling, slips, and slides backwards with the shove. He lands on the opposite side of the bed.., and out of sight of the enrage Garou.

Eyes track over to Tarra, who presses her self against the headboard. She is shaking, but there is an equal hardness in her own eyes. A hurt and an anger reflected there.

"Vater.., NEINE!" She shouts, her emotions tightly controled.

Jan's movment is extremely swfit for such a huge body. With one fluid motion his right taloned hand reaches out and grabs Tarra around her neck, then swings her around to the wall by the door. The plaster cracks at the impact, the wall shudders. She dangles a few feet off the floor, just staring... Staring at her father..., at his eyes.. Shock turns to curious fear.., then horror as she realizes that he does not 'see' her.

"Tarra!.., NOOooo..rrrrrrrrggh!"

The yell is slightly higher pitched then Jan's voice.., as it turns to a gutteral growl. From the other side of the bed a second Crinos form stands. This one is younger, but a near match to the one in the doorway. Same steel-grey fur, same strong build, though slightly shorter in height and covered in the taters of shredded night-clothes. The youth leaps to intercept, as Jan's free hand pulls back, claws outstreach, for a swipe at his daughter.


Quickly Eric responds, acting before the violence can escalate anymore. The scene shifts suddenly. Tarra's brother is replaced by Eric, standing tall in Crinos, with his staff in hand. Eric's normally gentle voice booms like thunder:
"No one will harm my beloved. In the name of Gaia, I clear your mind of this Wyrm-hate!"

Tarra's father suddenly finds himself in Homid form, his hand bouncing off Eric's Crinos hide.


Tarra's body slumps to the floor limply. She's not breathing. A look of shock.., and confusion on her face. A hand shoots out from the hall-way side of the doorway, and drags her out and into the hall. Tarra's father stands there, looking just as confused, staring at Eric.


The hand is attached to an older woman, perhaps somewhere in her mid 30's. Her hair is a dark strawberry blonde, long and braided back tightly. She looks up at Eric with the same sky-blue eyes. Eric walks over to Tarra, and heals her wounds. He is surrrounded in a palpable aura of tenderness. The older woman gives him a soft smile.

"As it was, is not how it will be." He says.

The Dreamscape wavers. Bits start to disolve. The woman speaks.

"Because -this- is not where she should be.., no-one should live in their pasts.., "

There is a lurch, and a strange disoreintation as the dreamscape fades and begins to fall apart. As the scene deteriorates, Eric's voice is gentle on the wind.

"We learn from our past, but we should not fear it. Fear is a tool of the enemy, be confident, my beloved, for we shall not flag or fail."


There is a look of wonderment on Tarra's face as the scene dissovles to nothing. The look is mimic'd in kind with a touch of sleepy startlement as she softly awakens. She finds herself alone, with quiet voices coming up from Matthew's apartment. She lounges in the bed, her thoughts her own. Tarra closes her eyes, listening to the soft voices though not able to tell what is being said. Turning over she burries her face into his pillow and inhales his scent. She tilts her face to one side, scrunching the pillow up under her head with a soft exhale.

After a few minutes, Eric returns. He finds her still sprawled in bed, face down, and utterly tangled in the bed sheets. Her eyes are half-lidded as her mind remains deep in thought.


"Hey, you doing ok?" his voice betrays his emotional mix of sadness, anger, and determination.

"It's almost time for me to address the Sept."


"Hmmn, " she mutters. Shifting around Tarra realizes how tangled she is, and with a heave kicks out of the sheets. Sitting up, she looks up at him and studies him a moment.

Climbing out of the bed, she walks up to him. Her facial features are blank and sleepy looking, but there is a softness to her eyes. She reaches up and touches his cheek lightly, moving to cup his chin in her palm. Tarra pauses, meeting his eyes and gives him a soft, tender smile. She kisses him lightly, saying nothing. Eric takes her hand, and just holds it for a minute. He looks about to speak, when her cellphone rings.


Tarra flips on her phone, answering it with a touch of exhaustion to her voice. Eric can see the fog of sleep is still wrapped around her brain. He can hear a familar voice on the other end, in a query.


"Tarra..? What happened? What time did Eric call you?" Lauren's voice is full of concern in Tarra's ear.


"Eric called around 2 am..," Tarra yawns, "Something horrible happened Lauren."

She looks up at Eric, her forehead creased in concern. She carresses his cheek as she continues softly.

"Azalie is dead."


There is a long pause before he hears the muffled voice respond on the other end, "What..?"


"B.. S.. D.." Tarra continues, obviously trying to be careful what she says, "They got jumped, more or less, by.., -Them-."
Tarra leans into him, her head pressed to his chest. Her free hand wrapping around his waist.


"They were apparently looking for the one respon--*yawns*--sible, sorry.., for Leslie's 'accident'. They got some info, followed it.., and..." she trails off.

"Oh Gods and Hells Lauren...," Tarra fights to choke back her tears, clinging fiercely to Eric.

"It.., it could happen to any of them...," she pauses as she listens to Lauren speak and nods her head, still pressed into Eric's chest.

Lauren sighs on the other end, "Are you ok..? Is everyone else ok?"


"Eric's ..., called a meeting," she pauses for Lauren's query and continues, "Noon, regular place. I have work this afternoon, but I'm gonna call out sick. I'm at Eric's now, meet me at the Coffe House on ( blah ) and ( blah ), so we can talk more?"

Tarra nods and hangs up. Looking up at Eric, her face a mix of various different emotional states, she forces a brave smile.
"I'll meet Lauren, bring her up to date. I'll run up to the Sept after, since its not that far off and we won't take too long."


Eric pulls out his keys. Taking off the spare to the Mystery machine, and hands the rest to her.

"If I'm not available," he says calmly, "you can always wait for me here. The junkyard.., is not going to be safe for you today. People may have.., difficulty, trying to remain in control. Help yourself to whatever you need here. Just nothing with a blue X on the bottle, or in a baggie with a blue twist-tie. Everything else is fair game. Thank you for talking to Lauren..."


Tarra takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, taking the keys.


"Of course," she watches his face, "Just be careful, yourself."


Erics nods to her, "I will be as careful as I can be. There is something to be said for telling a large group of people who can turn into towers of homicidal fang death rather unpleasant news, even if you are a tower of homicidal fang death yourself."


Tarra just nods. "Yeah."

Shaking her head she sighs, "I'll be waiting for you here then. Lauren may be with me.., "

She half-smiles, ".., in case Wrench goes looking..., " looking up at him there is a bit of humor to her eyes.


She suddenly launches herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a fierce hug. She kisses his cheek before burrying her face into his neck. Eric just holds her, powerful arms wrapped around her and gently rocking her in time to music playing only in his head. After a long moment, she releases her hold on him reluctantly.


"We.., need to get moving..," Tarra sighs, "Lauren's going to worry if I don't get there when she does...,"


"Go on. I have to go and get Melisande. She's not doing well with this at all."


Tarra nods, gathering up the rest of her stuff. Heading out the door she gives Eric a last backwards glance with a soft smile. Quickly she exits, closing the door behind her. Hurrying down the street, she makes for the coffe shop. Watching her leave, Eric pulls his pipe out of his pocket. Taking a few moments, he silently implores the spirits.
"Teaching herb...teach me well"