Ita McNairee: *the house was becoming restrictive. the dogs lay in a pile of straw in the barn, Basket with the babies tucked beside them, wrapped warm as fresh baking, husky curled round the makeshift wicker crib protectively*

Ita McNairee: *she's atop a burly sorrel gelding, barelegs absorbing the creatures tremendous heat as it seems she's rigged him to pull a pallet behind him. The little pikey is speaking in snorts and soft noises as she coaxes him on in his unfamiliar task. this was rather for a draft horse... but the pikey insists, the hesitant clop of hooves on cement as she urges him not to worry about the pull and scrape of the pallet attached to him*

Aerin Thomas: He makes his way out of the house, having just woken from a brief nap. The Garou is dressed a little warmer then usual, for the pre-40 degree air...a black turtleneck under the trench, and matching jeans instead of slacks. No color in his dress. He makes his way to the barn, eyes scanning the yard as he does so.

Ita McNairee: *the crows circle above him as he approaches, a sure sign the pikey's out and about, Brutis lifting his head from in a pile of straw. the crunch of dried grass and weeds alert the animals to his presence even before the man's rage affects them. the scraping from the barn continues as Ita coaxes the mucular gelding towards the open doors, snappy fall air raising goosebumps on bare legs, though the thick green sweater that hangs about her knees seems to be combatting most of the chill* Och.. tha's et lad.. ne'er ye mind wha's ahind ye.. there ye are..

Aerin Thomas: He slips into the barn, staying back a little ways...he knows he spooks the horses. A little smile goes to Ita. "Hey."

Ita McNairee: *the gelding clatters a little on the cement, stepping sideways one way, then the other as Aerin speaks, Ita launches into soft forceful* Ho! Ho loves.. Hoooooooooo.. there... there noow.. *its neck is pet, as the horse flicks its ears back to ita, listening, though still white eyes, it stills, snorting and blowing anxiously, despite what the human on its back insists, ita leans over and hugs the big geldings neck, inhaling horse scent blissfully, before she turns her face to Aerin and gives a little roll of eyes* Spooken me horse bollox. *she grins*

Aerin Thomas: He sighs a little, regarding the gelding with a hint of sadness. He looks up to Ita and nods with a hint of a smile. "Yeah...good at that. Sorry. Used to love riding horses, before my First Change...even if I didn't do it much."

Ita McNairee: *she smiles, smoothing the geldings neck and rubbing her face on his coat. a sigh as she sits up and sings* well darlin.. gie oot me road, thes es tha last load o shite ah've tae haul, an we'll see effen ah can gie em tae stan fer ye.. aye?

Aerin Thomas: "No." He's obviously not talking about the moving, as he does. "Horses don't...react well to my kind. Too much instinct in control...we come off as natural predators. It's the Curse, and as strong as it is in humans...humans can logic it out. Animals can't."

Ita McNairee: och.. but darlin.. ah can ~speak~ tae em... *speaking of speaking, she rubs about the geldings ears, leanung forward to do so, smell of straw and dust and stall muckings pungent in the air, an earthy smell as she clucks and whinny's urging the horse forward with a tightening of her thighs on his barrel sides*

Aerin Thomas: "I know you can. And I could speak to certain people. Doesn't mean I could change the way they were wired." He moves fully away from the direction Ita and horse are going, settling comfortably in the corner of the barn.

Ita McNairee: Och, we'll see darlin, wance ah've 'ad soome time wie am.. *she strokes the horse as they clop past, scraping of the pallet behind them, the hose sidesteps as they get close to aerin, and she frowns and she applies pressure with her leg, coaxing it back in line with an irriated snort*

Aerin Thomas: "Yeah." He watches the horse freak out, and then shakes his head a little, moving back and away, toward Clay, Brutis, and the kids.

Ita McNairee: *ita chuckles and slides off the side of the horse, comical, as the horse dwarfs her now that she's not on top of it, she unhooks the pallet and makes to shove it over, a bit of effort, and a dusting of straw later, she leaves the wood where it is and clomps back into the barn.*

Aerin Thomas: He leans down to the basket, ignoring whatever glare he may get from the husky, and smiles faintly to his children. A few soft words in Romani to them.

Ita McNairee: *the babies are content. something about the cold putting them into a deep contented sleep, cheeks barely even pink, so swaddled up they are*

Ita McNairee: *the geldings put back in his box stall, a mare knickering from her own stall as ita walks past, knickering back with a smile* Och.. 8she plods out to curl in the hay beside Aerin, smelling of horsesweat and alfalfa*

Aerin Thomas: He sits down next to Ita, sighing a little and turning toward her, an arm slipping around her waist. "How are you doing, love?"

Ita McNairee: *she's making a nest in the hay, looking about warily before sending the dogs off to patrol, waving and cawing the crows back into the tree nearby. twas the 4-legged's turn to keep watch, she settles down, tension creeping back into her frame, not present when she was atop the gelding*. och.. reckon ah'm aulrecht darlin.. ye aulrecht? *she tucks her cold hands up under his sweater*

Aerin Thomas: He shrugs a little bit. "Good as ever, I suppose." He shivers and jerks away, instinctively, from the cold, before a chuckle comes out. "Now, that was just mean. Cold hands..."

Ita McNairee: *she grins as he darts away, curling to his chest as she settles in the straw, smelling of horse* hmmm. ah reckon we'll gie ye awn wan o tha horses yet darlin.... *something occurs to her and she stiffens*

Aerin Thomas: "I doubt it..." He blinks suddenly, as she stiffens, tension coming to his body. "What is it, love?"

Ita McNairee: *eyes go wide and she tilts her head*... darlin.. oo's.. es.. are we gintae gie.. ye kain.. repossessed? at.. et was micahs?

Aerin Thomas: "No." He shakes his head. "Micah had a will, love. We're fine."

Ita McNairee: sae.. oo's.. es et aulrecht effen we stay? *she bitesherlip, frowning *

Aerin Thomas: He nods a little bit, lips pursing. He reaches for a cigarette, then stops...children nearby. "Everything went to me, Joshua, Sasha, and Chimal. The lawyer's figuring it out now...but the farm is mine, that much we're clear on."

Ita McNairee: ..aye.. et.. aul o et? *she chews her lip, biting it hard and looking at her curled up legs, a hand wiping at her face before dragging long chestnut hair out the way, sloppily. she looks to aerin* ah hadnae thought o et.. *she looks a little guilty now. *

Aerin Thomas: He tilts his head a little, frowning lightly, concerned. "Love...what's wrong?"

Ita McNairee: .. ah'm jes.. *she frowns, then sighs, scrunching up her face and looking up to him* .. ah jes wish . folks.. ah.. *a huff* och, *she lies back in the hay with a crunch* ah dinnae kain.

Aerin Thomas: "What do you wish, Ita?" He lays next to her, on his sade, and reaches out to stroke her face lightly. His head is supported by his other hand, auburn hair spilling into the hay as he looks Ita over, searching her face.

Aerin Thomas: d10: Per+Emp (WP): 4,2,6,2,10,5,1,

Aerin Thomas: d10: Specialty: 5,

Ita McNairee: *Ita looks back at him, shaking her head. it didn't matter, * jes wesh we didnae coome entae good wie sae mooch bad.. aye?

Aerin Thomas: His face mutes, and he looks down, nodding. "I...yeah. I wasn't trying to say..." He shakes his head, sitting up. "Sorry."

Ita McNairee: ah kain. *she grabs a handful of hair and tugs him back down, giving a heavy sigh, a loud whinny comes from the barn, which she ignores*

Aerin Thomas: He's pulled down without much resistance, falling sort of listlessly in the hay and sending some of it into the air to drift back down. He rolls over onto his side again, sort of curling into her, hand slipping back around her waist.

Ita McNairee: *babies silent, she curls up to him, slipping her legs between his for warmth, straw leaving scratches on bare skin as she sighs again, looking a little tired in the failing evening light. she tries for a smile, humming* thes es nice tho.. aye? recht noow? *a chill hand slips across his cheek as she watches his face, straw and grass all tangled in her hair*

Aerin Thomas: He shifts his legs to accomodate hers, enfloding them to provide the implied request for heat. His hair falls limply over his face, slightly obscuring view of the angular features, though the eyes remain unblocked. The stare into hers, tired and dulled by too much pain and loss. Too much fear sending him into emotional overload. Still, there's warmth there, too...love, and adoration. He smiles, very slightly, and nods. "Yeah. Right now is nice, in the moment."

Ita McNairee: oh.. Aerin darlin.. es aulrecht.. *she scooches close,soft curves of her body pressing warmly to his lankiness, her lips slipping to his tenderly, she kisses him insistently, trying to bring him back to the immediate present*

Aerin Thomas: He wraps his arms around her, thinly muscular limps holding her close, protectively. Trying to shield her from the world. He returns the kisses, his body tense...as if ready for anything to come bursting into the barn at any moment and take them all from him. Slowly, the tension starts to fade, until that downward trend plateaus at a marginal level...still there. Always there, these days. But diminished, at least.

Ita McNairee: *she's petting him, letting the pleasantness of her body drain some of his anxiety for the moment, hands stroke his cheeks as she draws back to regard him with big brown eyes* Och.. tha dags'll coome runnen effen there's trouble....*she assures with a cock of her head. perhaps to distract him from the bit of straw she's prodding towards his nostril with the hand not petting him*

Aerin Thomas: He nods a little bit, though he looks about ready to respond. A hand trails up and down her side, absently. "Love, I...HEY!" Instead of jerking his head back, for some reason, he instinctively jerks his head forward, sending the stalk of straw going further up then Ita likely intended, and drawing a yelp from the man. THEN he jerks back, holding his nose.

Ita McNairee: Och! why'd ye dae THA?! *she exclaims, tossing the straw away and looking shocked.. as though it hadn't been her fault in the first place* darlin?.. *concern, she moves to take his hands from his nose, long messy hair falling into her face*

Aerin Thomas: "I'm fine, I'm fine," he says from under his hand, sitting up. The hand comes down a tad, dabbing at a few drops of blood that've appeared on his upper lip. "Sorry...wierd habit. I always do that, and I don't know why." He flushes a little, brushing his hair back from his face and looking vaguely annoyed, though not at Ita.

Ita McNairee: darlin.. darlin..ah'm soory.. *she sees the blood and goes straight into a fluster, kissing his cheeks and looking at him apologeticly, smoothing his hair in almost comicly panicked affection*.. was jes playen. didnae mean tae gouge yer sniffer...

Aerin Thomas: "Not your fault..." He sighs a little bit, and looks to her ruefully, brushing her hair back. "My dumb-ass reaction. Makes sense, though. Sense danger, leap straight for it." A little smirk...faint, but at least it's genuine. "Guess there's something we have in common, eh?"

Ita McNairee: Och, *she rolls on top of the man, pinning him in the straw, skirt flaring to cover her legs as she holds him down, hands on his shoulders, hair tickling his neck, a crooked grin* sayen yer dangerous noow..? *she teases, cocking her head, brown eyes merry. maybe she was like a goldfish, so quickly she forgot greif. or maybe its what kept the pikey semi sane* reckon ah can sod ye..

Aerin Thomas: He falls back, grinning a little bit...letting her have the advantage. "Yeah, right now, sure. Wait till I get all big and furry...see how well you can sod me then." He chuckles, spirits boueyed a tiny bit, at least, for now. The moment, as stated before, was good. The heartache would return...but not now.

Ita McNairee: *she licks his cheeks, eyes twinkling as she nips at him* och.. sodded Josh.. reckon ah can stell take ye.. *yeah.. mmmhmm. 5'2, full of fury. against 9 feet of slavering destruction. she grins, snapping at him, teeth lengthening into fangs, almost like the old ita*

Aerin Thomas: He blinks as she grows fangs, lips pursing for just an instant. He smiles, a little fainter, but seeming somewhat amused, at least. "Love...the difference is...Joshua won't cheat." He grins. "I will. Learned from the best." A little wink.

Ita McNairee: *she cocks her head, and rubs his face with the cold tip of her hawked nose, singsonging* och... dinnae kain effen ye can cheat moore'n ee ded.. ee gaw aul furry. caved in me ribs *a chuckle as she sticks her tongue in his ear. ewww. *

Aerin Thomas: "Hey, Hey, HEY..." He twists his head away, the chuckle coming back up. "I have my ways, I'll have you know."

Ita McNairee: och.. dae ye? *her foot creeps up the inside of his thigh as she smiles wickedly, making to snap at the side of his neck. oops. watch those fangs, she draws them back into her mouth mid snap, sucking on the poor man's neck hard enough to leave a mark, unless he pries her off. its hard to do while laughing*

Aerin Thomas: His body tenses suddenly as the bite, the sudden anticipatory nervousness of the fangs descending turning into a tension of sensation. Prying her off? Nothing of the sort is occuring...his back arches, head falling back at this strange sort of safe approximation of the Kiss.

Ita McNairee: *well, that hadn't been the reaction she'd anticipated, but the little gypsy is nothing if not accomadating, pressing her chest agains his as she lowers her body to him in a pleasant squirm, dragging her lips away from his throat once she's made a good mark, she looks down at him, hand jingling softly across the mark she'd just made, eyes questioning*

Aerin Thomas: He seems as honestly surprised as she is as she pulls away, eyes opening back up to look up at her. He blinks a couple of times, then his cheeks flush, color coming to them. A hand comes back to scratch at the back of his neck, head raising from the straw a little to accomdoate, eyes casting downward.

Ita McNairee: d10: per emp: 6,6,3,10,8,

Aerin Thomas -> Ita McNairee: The man is honestly confused by his reaction to the pseudo-Kiss a little, though he recognizes it. The vampire fangs initially coming out had him incredibly on edge, though he was hiding it...reminder of the monsters after them, and an almost frightening flashback to older times, when the Garou were trying to hunt her for what she was. Tossing in the reminder that Joshua caved in her chest didn't help that much, either...in addition, it reminded him that she was vulnerable then, as a vampire, and with the Camarilla after her, she doesn't have the regenerative powers she had then, which makes her even more vulnerable.  The man is in constant fear of someone taking her from him...or the children...or Ethan, or Bliss, or someone else in his family.  He's lost so many people over the last few months--they both have--losing someone else would crush him, and if it were Ita or the children, it would utterly DESTROY him.

In addition, he's always had the vampire thing goin' on.  Ita is probably reminded at this point of the whole "You fed off Trevor but not off me" jealousy kick that brought Jeremy out for three straight days.  While he doesn't feel any less strongly for Ita now that she's mortal...not in any way, shape, or form...the sudden approximation of the Kiss was something that he instinctually felt a fear/desire combination for.  He didn't ever expect to feel anything like that again, and it has confused and scared him, even as enticing as it is...perhaps BECAUSE it's that enticing.  It's probably a good thing it's a New Moon...he may have reacted much strongly for it if the moon was fuller in the sky.  He's a little ashamed of his reaction, too.

Ita McNairee: *she studies his face, eyes softening. she presses closer, half crushing him a second as she lullabies* es aulrecht. *her hand trace over the mark soothingly as she slides her mouth to the otherside of his neck to make a matched pair, stroking his chest comfortingly as she does so. she was very rall, and very present, smelling of horse and straw and dog, like ita.. but with the faint scent of sweat thats become commonplace since the night with the cup. her genuine scent.*

Aerin Thomas: "Ita..." It's hesitant, almost a whimper, before it becomes louder, and deeper. His body reacts without thought, hands coming around her, one at her waist and one at the back of her neck, gently holding her there as his head tips back once more, eyes lidding.

Ita McNairee: *the marks a little darker on that side when she draws back, giving his neck an affectionate lick as she squirms on top of him, face faintly flushed, and warm despite the cold. she rubs her nose along his, breathing softly* .... och, darlin.. ah didnae kain..

Aerin Thomas: He sighs a little, falling back against the straw when she pulls away, shivering at the lick. A hand comes up to run over his scalp, drawing the hair away from his flushed face, eyes still half-closed. "Yeah, I...kinda figured that at the last moment." His throat clears nervously, a guilt present on his face, breathing a little heavier, pulse quicker. "I...um. Sorry."

Ita McNairee: nae.. nae.. *She croons, singsong having taken on something of a more throaty tone. The curvey gypsy woman rubs his face with a hand, as though collecting the guilt from it. She shakes her head, fingers tickling over the marks on either side of his neck as she kisses him insistently, mumbling against his lips* nae soory.. why soory? Ye remember.. aye?

Aerin Thomas: "I just..." He kisses her back, moving to hold her tightly again. "I don't know. Remember?"

Ita McNairee: *she's gathered closely, leg slipping between his again as she rests on top of the thin man, body too soft to be overly unpleasant, despite her full weight being on him. she nibbles his neck, mumbling against the skin* wha et was like darlin, when ah had me fangs en ye, tha's aul.. aye?

Aerin Thomas: He nods a little bit, holding her close...protectively once again. "Yeah. I remember." It's said in a sort of quiet tone, after a shiver, and he leans down to kiss her scalp.

Ita McNairee: ye kain.. *she begins, snaking a hand up under his shirt, skin chilled by the nippy december weather, fingernails scratching across his chest as she continues*.. effen et'd nae been addictive, oor made me sae surly.. ye'd o been wanderen around half full o blood aul tha time? *an odd note in her voice, as she nibbles his neck, buried in the straw with him*

Aerin Thomas: He smiles a touch, and sighs. "It's...I'm not jealous, like I was the...that time, Ita. I'm not, really. I get it...honestly, I understand. I just...didn't expect to react that strongly, just now. It's always been...I don't know. I don't understand why."

Ita McNairee: *she tugs his hair, nipping the bright blue mark she'd made with a grin before propping herself up on an elbow, straw caight in her sweater and hair, tickling the sides of his neck as the soft brown eyes of the pikey linger on his face, smoldering and mischevious. * ets aulrecht darlin.. ah like et, aye? Reckon effen ets aulways been soomethen ye gie yer tingles frem, ets an awfi good theng ye ran entae a dirty pikey en a park, aye?

Aerin Thomas: He grins a little stronger at that, genuine mirth coming to his face as he watches her. "I reckon so, yeah." He nods a little. "Could have been much worse...I suppose." A wink goes to the Rroma woman.

Ita McNairee: och ye supppoooose??? dae ye? *she pushes on his shoulders, more difficult to do now that her hands are tangled beneath his trench and sweater, jostling the man repeatedly, a glance up to the moon before she continues eggng him on, biting at his shoulders and licking his face, laughter bubbling merrily through the stillness of the farm, met with a knicker from the barn. * ought tae sod ye fer tha..

Aerin Thomas: He laughs a little and play-fights with her some, shifting around and squirming pleasantly. His hands tighten slightly around her waist and he rolls, bringing her into the hay and him over, off to the side so as not to push his weight on her too much. "You can try..." He leans down to kiss her.

Ita McNairee: waa- ay! *she exclaims as she finds herself where he just was, trapped in the straw* och.. try? ah'll dae moore than try.. *it looks very much like she's about to launch into good natured rant of melodic pikey quick-speak when she's kissed, and its put an end to pre-emptively, woman tugging him closer to return the kiss with enthusiasm.*

Aerin Thomas: He grins into the kiss, eyes half-closing as he reaches up to brush a few strands of hay from the woman's hair. "You were saying?" he murmurs before he deepens the kiss, sighing out a little chuckle against her lips.

Ita McNairee: och.. tha's cheaten tha.. *she licks his bottom lip teasingly, warmth of their mouths something of a stark difference from the nip of the outside air, straw tickling at her bare legs as she moves her head to leave another mark at the pulse of his throat. Seems she'll cheat as well..Its a good thing the poor man can regenerate, elsewise he'd be one mass of bluish hickey by the time she was done with him. Two spotted puppies run by,, the size of small labs*

Aerin Thomas: The bite to his puls draws a low sound from him, lower lip catching in his teeth. He chuckles, low in his throat. "Hey, now...who's talking about cheating here?" The puppies are idly noted, before he settles back, arms curled aroung her, holding her close. "I love you, Ita."

Ita McNairee: *she chuckles, drawing back and melting against him, head drooping to his shoulder as she throws a leg between his and sighs, content for the moment* hmmm. love ye tae Aerin loves. *she settles in. taking a slice of peace and savouring it while it lasts*