Joe Vellim: *He stands in the front yard as local farmers mill about in the driveway... phone to his ear.*

Joe's Phone: "She's selling the fucking FARM?!?!?" Oh, he's not numb. Not at all. He's furious.

Joe's Phone: ((Sweeps that PM to Joe))

Gina Torrio: *Its hard to chop things when you're bundled up like the fucking michellan man. But The little blonde has been busy despite the cold, a nice stack of wood accumulating behind the house. She's currently dragging something out the backdoor with a heavy scraping*

Joe Vellim: *He jumps, wincing, as the voice blasts through the phone.* Eh, yeah. Dat's uh... whul.. no. At th' moment.. *he glances at a farmer eyeing the Gremlin* She's sorta beatin' th' hell outta whut's innit.

Joe's Phone -> Joe Vellim: "Fuck what's in it! My dead fucking BEST FRIEND is buried at that farm!!"

Gina Torrio: *She wipes at her eyes as she lines up the crib beside her pile of wood, sniffing back tears as she tries to pry rungs off by hand with little success. A farmer comes to admire the handiwork of the peice, then has her stand back as he helps tug it apart*

Joe Vellim: *aside, he covers the speaker as he moves away.* Eh, yeah... dat's... twelve bucks feh uh half- rick.. *He steps away, raising the phone again.* Look.. ya also took heh kid, as fah as she's concoyned. Doya... want me ta mention it to heh? Wanna talk to heh?

Joe's Phone -> Joe Vellim: "Put. Her. On."

Gina Torrio: *to hell with liam.. and to hell with his stupid tram.. and to hell with all of them, double dealing honourless shapeshifting bastards. Her breath catches as she chokes down a sob and turns away as the neighbor wretches the crib apart. Eyes shut, she grits her teeth. No. She'd get Tori back.. and they'd sleep in bed with them.. they didn't need a stupid crib.. she hated the thing anyway.. ugly little baby cage.. *

Joe Vellim: Shuwah. Only, lissen up. I'm gahnna say dis one time. Yew make heh cry, even a liddle.. an' yeh gahnna find yaself suckin' onna shotgun. Now. *THe eyes come back into his mind.. oh.. he remembers.. and stands ashamed at the part of himself that milks it.* Tell me... *his eyes sink.. half lidded* Yew undastand...

Gina Torrio: Bollox.. *she bites her lips and braces her foot on the back of it, jerking the final peice of the wooden crib apart with a violence that nearly topples her, and she tosses it on the wood pile. a deep breath puffs in the cold*

Joe's Phone -> Joe Vellim: Something about that quiets him RIGHT up. "Joe..." A deep breath, as he tries to calm down. "I will do my damnedest. If hearing my voice makes her cry, or trying to reason with her does, I can't help that. I will not say anything designed to hurt, intimidate, or anything of the like to her."

Joe Vellim: *A scowl.. teeth flash in the sun as the relief.. the pure relief that Aerin didn't... do what? Crawl through the phone?* Faiah enough. Yew jes' remembah. She's sellin ~heh~ fahm. Naht yoahs. Aint doin nuttin' ta yew. Hold onna sec. *He puts the phone to his chest as he comes around the corner of the house swallowing.*

Joe's Phone -> Joe Vellim: He can probably hear, as it goes away from his ear, the muttered. "Yeah, I'm sure it has NOTHING to do with me."

Joe Vellim: *He comes over to Gina, settling a tender arm around her shoulders as he seeks her eyes with his.*

Gina Torrio: *the neighbor's loading the gutted wood from the house into the back of his half tonne. Gina's puffing hot breath into cold air. The man would be coming to pick up that fucking mustang anytime now.. She slings her gloves to the ground, looking out over the pasture, and musing to the neighbor* hey.. how much you reckon you'd pay for barbwire?

Gina Torrio: *she looks up to joe with light eyes, in question. Clearly not wanting cuddled at the moment, despite the tears freezing on her cheeeks*

Joe Vellim: *He shakes the phone a bit as he looks to her.* Its uh... him. *He blinks.. cut by the tears on her face but powerless to do anything for her.* Yew say th' woyd.. jes' one time, E- Gina.. an' ah'll nevah bring yew th' phone again.. okay? Ye'll nevah hafta deal widdit..

Joe Vellim: Yeh naht alone uh nuttin..

Joe's Phone: The phone sits there in Joe's hand, silent. If anxiety had a sound however, the speaker would be screaming it right now.

Gina Torrio: *her hand comes to odd salmon colored lips as Joe's words hit her stomach like cold water, brow furrowing in sudden pain. Her face struggles between sorrow, desperate hope, and blinding anger as she makes a small keening noise in an unfamiliar voice. She backs away from him a step and bites her lip. Hard. Tears bubble down her cheeks, but her jaw tenses and she shoots a hand out for the phone, drawing a deep hissing breath through her teeth as she puts it to her ear and stares off at the house*

Joe's Phone -> Gina Torrio: Silence for several seconds, before finally, his voice comes out...small, meek. Shaky...frightened, even. "Hey?"

Joe Vellim: *Sorrow lines Joe's face for a moment before he turns back to the farmer, hands thrust into pockets. No need to increase the woman's burden. He suddenly moves toward the truck... knowing Aerin is only a monster in his mind.. he won't really hurt her. He shoves images of Aerin threatening to beat a camerawoman out of his mind as he proceeds to help the farmer load the wood.*

Joe Vellim: *There we go.. this is easy enough: Pick up some wood, huck it into the back of the truck.. pick up more wood, huck it into the back of the truck. Don't think about Aerin.. don't worry about anything.. pick up more wood, nearly huck it into the back of the farmer because you're busy thinking about Ita... focus Joe, focus!*

Gina Torrio: *she pauses in answer, voice strange as she finally manages to push aside the swell of emotion causing her teeth to grind audibly... Her voice is soft .. but there's nothing welcoming about it.. as she blinks futilely at tears* ....hey?

Joe Vellim: *faster Joe, faaaaaaasteeeeeer....*

Joe's Phone -> Gina Torrio: A pause, a shaky breath. It's absolutely stunning how lost a man who's been so confident can sound. "I...sorry. I just...I..." On the other end of the phone, Aerin runs a hand through his hair... Focus, you fucking idiot. Pull it together. The voice comes to Aerin's mind from deep inside, dark and angry. His voice comes out a little bit stronger, still shaken. "You're selling the farm."

Gina Torrio: *Absolute silence. The little blonde woman.. is stunned. The tenseness leaking out of her frame, as though someone had just unplugged her battery. Tears stream down her cheeks with renewed vigor, her mouth slipping open. A hurt noise strangled in her throat, a wimp, as she just stands bundled against the cold, looking suddenly like a stiff wind could bowl her over.*

Joe Vellim: *In a moment of rest for he and the farmer buying firewood, Joe shrugs a bit and gestures to the house* Ey uh... yew know anybahdy what wants a place like dis.. dey may wanna get onnit.. *he looks to the farmhouse, murmuring to himself.* Foah she boyns it down..

Joe Vellim: *Joe abandons farmer and wood without a backward glance, moving toward Ita for.. well, he doesn't seem sure. Maybe she wants to lean on him.. something.. he'd sure like to help clear the tears away.*

Joe Vellim: *Gina, goddamnit.. GINA.*

Joe's Phone -> Gina Torrio: The silence was bad. The hurt noise, the sound of pain in her voice...it just kills him inside. Tears that can't be seen, can only be heard, just barely, in his voice, make their way down his cheek. "Say something? Please?"

Gina Torrio: you're calling... about the f-f-f-fucking.. farm. *Given the pained gasping noises coming from her throat.. you'd think the woman were crying. Her voice is thick with tears, nose running as she suddenly turns away and nearly crashes into joe.. choking back sobs as anger and sorrow chase away hope* about the fucking... farm..

Joe Vellim: *Oh he goes to catch her- not restricting.. comforting instead.. trying to ease her somehow. He resolutely turns his face away from the phone but offers the woman the comfort of him.*

Joe's Phone -> Gina Torrio: "N-n-no, I..." He shuts his eyes. Goddess dammit. "It's not...I..G...Goddess...that's not the point." He's fighting, struggling for control. "I know this...this is hard for you. I'm sorry. It's...no, not the farm, lo...I..Gina. Not really, I just...fuck."

Gina Torrio: HARD FOR ME!? *joe might not want to be so close to the woman, her voice rising to new shrill decibals as she fights the urge to throw the phone and yet still keep it close to her mouth to scream into, voice breaking as she fights against body jerking sobs* YOU EVIL HONORLESS BASTARD. You're phoning about the FARM. The fucking FARM!?! you can HAVE THE FUCKING THING! Just bri-bri-bring ba-ba- *The sobs take over, only the sounds of sorrow as her knees leave her and she slumps towards the snowy ground*

Joe Vellim: *He starts, taken by suprise for a moment.*

Joe Vellim: d10: wits/ath: 8,2,3,3,9,

Gina Torrio: d10: manip + emp (wp): 9,5,3,7,5,7,8,

Joe Vellim: *But manages to catch the little woman, cradling her silently, one hand stroking her hair.*

Gina Torrio: (she's making a plea.. and trying to HURT all at the same time.. one angry heartbroken pikey. dif 4 with the damn ench vc)

Joe Vellim: *He blinks back tears, briefly wiped away with thick fingers as his lower lip trembles, face held carefully away from Gina's.*

Joe's Phone -> Gina Torrio: There's a dull, heavy thud. Dead silence from the other end of the phone. No sound whatsoever...not even breathing.

Joe's Phone: ((Not bothering to roll to resist for a couple reasons.))

Gina Torrio: *she's making incoherent pleas into the phone.. lucky if she gets a word out as she sobs hopelessly, held up soley by the irishman beside her*

Joe Vellim: *That seems to work for Joe.. she can cry and fold up in his arms. He can wish, and hope, that she will be well one day.*

Joe Vellim: *The broad irishman's teeth grate against each other for a moment.. clenching his jaw too tight. That bahstahd.. that.. fekkin.. red revenge rises behind Joe's eyes as he listens to Gina's plantative sounds.. each a seperate cut that will scar.. harden him against the skinny man that can be so scary.*

Gina Torrio: *her entire frame shakes as she sobs.. Farmers having long since thought perhaps to just ..leave the money.. and goooo..*

Joe's Phone -> Gina Torrio: Several moments before a shuffling sound like the phone is picked up from where it fell. Silence as it's raised to an ear, and then... "Do you honestly think you hate me any more then I hate myself?" Calm. Composed...almost sociopathically so. Mutely angry, and deeply hurt. "Seriously?"

Joe Vellim: *His other arm curls around Gina's legs, lifting her to his chest with the ease of a babe as a fresh desolation washes across him. He kisses her cheek but doesn't interfere with anything.. moving toward the house.. better than letting her misery unfold out in the cold. Just... something... anything.*

Gina Torrio: *she's carried as easily as you'd please, a squishy bundle of winter clothes as tears freeze to her face. She struggles to get her breathing under control.. choking back sobs as she dangles from joe's arms.. she shakes her head in disbeleif, still only making soft noises as she hiccups painfully*

Joe Vellim: *He says nothing.. only sits on the couch after kicking the door shut behind him.. fuck th' firewood.. why'n hell somebahdy ganna buy fiahwood if'n dey gaht 'lectric anyways? sheesh. Ita is still kept carefully bundled on his lap, her head tucked under his chin.*

Joe's Phone -> Gina Torrio: "What do you want me to say, love?" No hesitation in his tone now...he's got that confident calm to his voice. "Would you like to know the truth of the matter?"

Gina Torrio: *she's still sobbing, head buried into Joe's chest as she struggles for breath, pain gripping around her heart, face sticking to joe with tears. she shakes her head slightly, in utter disbeleif, before managing* you don't get to lie to me. Anymore.

Joe Vellim: *He tries... he really does.. he tries to concentrate on his breathing.. on the wall opposite.. the pounding in his head, the hole Gina's crying makes in him.. but the garbled words trickling from the phone call his attention like whispers from the devil.*

Joe's Phone -> Gina Torrio: "Then you get the truth, love." Something bitter there, hidden viperous under the silk of his soft tone. "I left you to save you. I walked away in order to keep you alive. You know as well as I do that it never would have worked...the new you wouldn't have worked if you stayed by my side. All would have been for nothing, and you would have been dead. Our children would have been dead. Everything would have been lost. So I did what I had to to make sure you would live. You have a man you love. Joe will be good for you. You will be good for him. I will spend the rest of my life realizing I walked away from the one woman, the one person I've ever truly loved. The one person who accepted me, I had to leave, or else she'd die. You'll heal, you'll move on. I won't. I'll always remember you, and remember what I lost. And Gina...love...I know I'm a monster. I know I'm a horrible person. No one hates me more then me. But I had to take Tori. And you know it. She would have grown up to be a Garou, quite possibly, or at least kinfolk. She can't be away from her people." A pause. "Hate me. Go ahead...soon enough, there will be nothing left to hate, and you can move on. But don't hate my people. My people are not me. There are good people there. Joshua. Ethan, though you likely hate him. Eddie. Liam. Don't hate my people because of me."

Joe's Phone: d10: Char+Exp (WP): 6,8,7,10,7,9,

Joe's Phone: ((Why is it that he always makes those rolls like that?))

Joe Vellim: ((Because he's SUPPOSED to be a SHADOW LORD! Sheesh! How often do I gotta SAY it!))

Gina Torrio: d10: will powah: 7,7,1,2,5,3,6,

Joe Vellim: d10: wp: 9,2,7,5,

Joe Vellim: *He can't ~quite~ make it out.. garbled, muffled by the old- gold spill of Gina's curls. It eases a bit of him.. calms.. though the cutting sounds of the woman crying are not so easily dismissed. Uncertain, but listening.*

Gina Torrio: no. *she protests painfully, shaking her head in denail as a high shrill sob is ripped from deep in her chest. She throws the phone feebily away from her, making horrible pained whimpering noises as she fights to catch her breath, keening* there were other ways... there were.. other..

Joe's Phone: The phone rests there where it was thrown, quiet and solid.

Joe Vellim: *Joe says nothing for a moment.. looking from her to the phone as he holds Gina in his lap. Quite uncertain just now. He settles on comforting Gina.. Aerin's ass can call back.*

Joe Vellim: Yew uh... *quiet* wan' me ta geddit?

Gina Torrio: *she's trembling with small heartbroken noises. Strength gone entirely from her body, she doesn't even look to where she threw the damn phone. She'd lost Tori. She'd lost the baby girl. She wasn't garou, she wasn't kin.. she wasn't good enough. And right now she wasn't anything, less animated then she was when she was dead. More a living corpse at the moment than she ever was as a vampire*

Joe Vellim: *He kisses, and holds her, arms quite soft for the bands of muscle that wrap them. Broad hands stroke her hair in silence as he raises his voice.* Yah. Gahead an' hang it up, Aerin. Jes' abaht only da one ting ta make alla dis go away. Inna meantime, let us alone.

Joe's Phone: It appears he already has hung up, because about that time, the phone chirps with it's Text Message Ring.

Gina Torrio: *She's beyond consolation, Joe's hands falling on what amounts to a curvy husk for hopelessness. If she hears the chirp she doesn't react, outside of keening painfully*

Joe Vellim: Gina.. Gina.. ah'm at least gahnna shut dat oaf... kay? *He kisses her again before moving her gingerly to lie down on the couch. Face a scowl of grim desolation, Joe crosses the room to collect the phone and check it.*

Joe's Phone -> Joe Vellim: TXT: "I'm sorry I broke our agreement. I'll be waiting at home if you wish to fulfill your promise."

Gina Torrio: *she's easily transfered, falling limp on the couch as she shakes with raspy weeping, voice cracked and tortured from too much of the same.*

Joe's Phone: And then one more chirp.

Joe's Phone -> Joe Vellim: TXT: "She knows the truth now. She deserved that. Help her heal. Goodbye."

Joe Vellim: *His eyes narrow as he watches the face plate of the phone.* No yew dint... you cocky mudda fuckah...*One broad thumb mashes down on the off switch with brief force before he tosses the phone to the side and returns to the couch. He says nothing, Just curls up with Gina and pulls a blanket over them.*

Joe Vellim: d10: wp: 1,9,8,3,

Gina Torrio: Archie...? *where was the baby? the child she got to keep.. based soley on the fact he wasn't kin. Her shoulders shaking, she tries to sit up in a sudden panic*

Joe Vellim: Gina- Gina- ee's right deah.. onna floah takin' uh nap.. okay? *He points to the little bundle, once again nearby*

Gina Torrio: *red rimmed eyes focus on the baby, and she whimpers, curling into the broad irishman. The shuddering begins again as she soaks his shirt thoroughly with hot salty tears, flopping limp against him as she's towed under by despair. It doesn't appear she's going to surface anytime soon either*

Joe's Phone: ((Okay, killin' Nick. See you guys. *Hugs* Awesome as always.))

Joe Vellim: *He seems more than willing to accept the small woman's form against him. His hands smooth across her back as he kisses her, and never fails to hold.*

Gina Torrio: (ftb)