11958/Daughter to Father

Daughter to Father
Date of Scene:	09 August 2020
Location:	66 East 11th Street, Greenwich Village
Synopsis:	Andrea meets her biological sire, Thane Armitage
Cast of Characters:	Rage, Barghest

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Rage has posed:
It's been a fantastic week for Andrea on the billboards. Her single, Electricity, is at the top of the dance charts, hanging out in the top ten Billboard, and her album hit as high as Number 4 and is now Number 9. That's not bad at all! Having just been awarded her third platinum status, she hung the record in the living room next to her other two: Dangerous and Invincible. Neon Dreams was a hit and she couldn't be happier.

With Jay at work and Nevada skulking about the city chasing ghosts, she finds herself with some alone time. With that, she is going to watch TV, binging on a personal cup of ice cream and enjoying an afternoon in her pajama pants and a NYU hoodie.

School should be starting up again really soon and she is excited to get back into the mundane world for a few months with a few shows sprinkled inbetween.

Barghest has posed:
There had been a brief discussion between Thane and Andrea in the past weeks and an invitation left for him to visit if he was around. Finally he made the journey to the city, having told her ahead of time he'd try and stop by over the week. Not a set time. Promises couldn't always be kept, and better not to get hopes up. Today, though... today felt like the day. And so here he is at long last.

In through the doors he comes. He's of average height and on the leaner side. Not the kind of lean of someone who doesn't eat, but the kind who carries little in the way of anything spare on their bones. It's the trait his son reflects. His short black hair is swept forward in a windblown rumple, and a matching cropped beard is as equally shot through with salt and pepper. Unlike his children, his eyes are blue with a thin rim of a yellow just around the pupil. It'd take a close look to see it, but it's an unsettling and unnatural mark on an otherwise very normal looking man.

Resting on one folded arm is a bouquet of ivory, peach, and lavender colored roses. He comes to the front desk of the elegant building to announce himself and see him buzzed up to the penthouse above.

Rage has posed:
At the buzz that she has a guest, Andrea glances over to her intercom and taps it next to the couch. After hearing who it is, she grows a bit rigid as anxiety fills her gut. She summons him up, then heads over to unlock the door. Taking in a deep breath, she smooths her hoodie down, then rakes her fingers through her hair a few times to ensure it's neat. Emergency brush! She always has one somewhere. She opens up a drawer on the large coffee table and gievs a few swipes before dumping it back in.

Okay. You can do this. Don't freak out. She takes in a deep breath and opens the door once she hears the elevator ding, then waits as she takes a few steps back. If only she was wearing jeans instead of sleep pants. They have a cute wolf pattern on the legs though.

Barghest has posed:
Thane isn't dressed to kill or probably even interview for a job. Black jeans and boots, a tucked in grey shirt, and a short-sleeved blue and black flannel shirt. He looks as normal as any guy out there on the street on the surface, but under there's a drained, hollowness to him. It's as if you poked a hole in him you'd only find dust.

As he sees her waiting down at the end of the hall, his eyes brighten with recognition before he turns them slightly aside and down. "Hey." His voice is deeper and rougher than Nevada. "I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time. I figured you'd maybe be around."

Rage has posed:
As their eyes meet, Andrea takes a long moment in pause, then opens the door wider as she cleras her throat. "Hey. I'm here, yeah. Just waiting for Jay and Nevada to come home from doing guy stuff. I'm just enjoying some me time with ice cream and TV." She steps to the side to let him come in, giving a glance about her living room for a moment. Everything is spotless and in order, but she is still nitpicking a few things. She just feels nervous.

"You look a lot different than I thought you would." She admits as she trudges barefoot through the living room towards the kitchen. "Do you want something to drink or eat? We just had our groceries delivered so everything is stocked. If I knew you were coming over, I'd have got something in the oven."

Barghest has posed:
"It's fine, really, I don't want to put you out." Thane says as she steps in through the open. His eyes take in the expansive interior of the apartment as he goes and gently sets the roses down onto the kitchen island. "Water's fine by me. This is an beautiful place. You've worked hard for it." He says quietly.

There's a faint ghost of a smile as she says he doesn't look how she intended. "I... suppose it's hard to judge a man you've never seen. What were you expecting"

Rage has posed:
As she heads into the kitchen, Andrea's bare feet slaps along the floor. Opening the fridge, she takes out a pitcher of water inside of a filter, then pours it into a glass before she makes her way back to him. Giving him a tilt of her head upwards, she runs a hand along the back of her neck. "I don't know. Someone.. more powerful. Like.. broad chest, strong arms, confident."

Her head tilts to the side a bit. "But you are so much like Nevada. Not that he's a whimp or anything. Just, you know. He's .. Nevada." She's really trying to not let that come off as an insult.

Barghest has posed:
It's a shallow chuckle that escapes Thane. "Eh, two odd decades ago I was. But I was a different person than, different life. Most of my time was spend giving what I could to Nev instead of myself. I'm sure you figured out how much money and food it takes to keep that kid's stomach down to a dull roar. If it wasn't food, it was nightmares, or pain, or the Calling. You don't end up looking like a body builder on a steady diet of ramen, coffee, stress, and insomnia."

"He's a good kid, he doesn't give himself the credit he deserves. I'm glad he found you. He doesn't need an old, beat down shell like me. The pictures I've seen of him with you... he looks happy. Really happy."

Rage has posed:
"Yeah, well .. you can make anyone look happy with the right filters and the fact I force him to smile or I'll give him a super wedgie." Andrea admits as she settles on to the couch and motions for him to join her. "Nevada is a good guy, yeah. We're becoming pretty close. He's boosted my social standing by pretending to be my fluffy cute dog at times. His idea, not mine. It started off as a joke."

Taking in a deep breath, she presses her lips together in a thin line. "Did he tell you that I'm a mutant werewolf? That's kinda cool I guess. It's not known to the public obviously. Would be a terrible PR move. But, it's saved my life a few times." She says as she pats her stomach.

"So .. you're here. I'm here. What now?"

Barghest has posed:
"Mmm, I figured it was. There was a time a lone black dog would make most people run while blessing themselves." Thane says as he joins her on the couch. "But he always tried to find more creative spins on it. I suppose he figured if he was at a disadvantage, he'd find ways to counter that. Charming the pants off innocent bystanders was one of those."

He looks over to Andrea opposite him on the couch and gives his head a faint nod. "It's not what I would have expected. I just presumed your abilities might be closer to your mother's. I suppose each of you blended your inheritances some. It makes me wonder what he may have been able to do, if he were mutant first. But, these things are never clear no matter how much you look at them."

"As for where to go from here? ...I don't know. I suppose there's no clear answer for those kinds of questions either. I guess, what questions do you have for me while I'm here? I expect that you have some."

Rage has posed:
"He is a mutant." Andrea says adamantly with a nod of her head. "He absolultely is. He was born different and special. That makes him a mutant. He's no different than me. He's amazing." She eases herself back into the couch, folding one leg over the other. "If you want to see me shift, I'm willing to show it off. At least you won't pee yourself and ruin my really expensive rug."

Her toes give a wiggle as one leg bobs over the other with nervous energy. "I don't know what type of questions to ask. Nevada told me the story. Mother wants to tell me her side but I sorta been avoiding that conversation. My entire life I've known dad as dad and never knew you were out there. I'm trying not to let that change the way I look at my mother ... or Tom."

"Did you love her? I guess .. I should ask. Did she love you? Were you two going at it like rabbits while you were overseas or .. was this a one and done situation? Like. . magic puppies.."

Barghest has posed:
"I'm housebroken, promise." Thane remarks as he leans lightly into the arm of the sofa. "If you want to show me, of course I'll look. I wager he's shown you what he can do. It's how I used to be. It's all gone from me now."

But that just leads into her next question. "I loved her, and I still do. I like to think she did, and it felt like she did then. For awhile, we were thick as thieves. In more than one way, yes. Was it right? ...no. I didn't really pay that mind then. I was hound, not man. Unlike Nevada, I wasn't born as a man. I was with a woman I cared about and who cared about me. It didn't matter to me who was waiting for her."

"Don't think differently of Tom. He's a good man, a loyal man, and a good father to you. I know that guilt has weighed heavily on your mother for all of these years."

Rage has posed:
"Tom was the best father I could ask for. He taught me compassion, where my mother taught me strength. They didn't let Hollywood chew me up and spit me out when I got noticed before I was ten. The Disney machine has broken a lot of souls and Tom was the one who refused to let that happen to me. He was a single parent quite a bit until mom retired." Andrea says as she furrows her brows.

"I just didn't know mother was in love anyone else. I never would have guessed. It wasn't like they had a fairy tale marriage. Mother was always so broken and Tom was so supportive. He put the family on his back emotionally. But they always worked together as a great team." She fiddles with her fingers some, twirling them about.

Barghest has posed:
"Life isn't always that simple." Thane says quietly. "I'm sure you know. She was in a war, and here was someone that she could actually confide in, that could know what she was. And I'd really never interacted much with the human world outside of my job, and she was this wild and fascinating woman and I was hooked. I guess we were both the point of sanity for the other, and that's something you tend to cling to. In the end, she stayed with Tom. He was the man she needed, the rock she needed to adjust back to the world and motherhood. Not a broken old dog who barely knew how to be a man."

Rage has posed:
"Yeah, well .. I don't think it'd be a good look for her." Andrea trails off a bit. "Did you two continue after she came home? I saw the pictures. I know you were there." She wrinkles her nose some in thought, then shrugs her shoulders upwards. "Tom never mentioned mom being pregnant with twins. You two did a lot of work to keep that from him."

Pushing herself upwards, she glances down at him again, looking him over for a moment before she folds her arms over her chest. "I kinda wish I got to see you in your prime." Her bare feet toe the carpet some. "Well, who knows. It's not really all that taboo. Maybe the three of you can work something out." She says with a smirk before she shrugs her shoulders.

Barghest has posed:
"Hah." Barks out Thane with a shake of his head. "Suggest that to your mother and she'll probably blow out your eardrums. It's fine. She made her choice, and for Tom to know now after all of this? I don't know. But that's Alicia's choice, not mine. She used a lot of on base doctors, I think one was her friend. He'd known at first, but with how Nevada was even then... well, with some camera work it was easy to just say he hadn't developed far. Guess Tom telling you that you had a twin that he thought had died wasn't something you needed to carry. I am sorry, though. For all of the secrecy, the lies."

Rage has posed:
"It's fine. I got my own secrets and drama. It's not a big deal. I'm grown now and I'm not gonna fall apart about all of this now I just feel bad keeping this from Tom." Andrea rocks her shoulders a bit, giving herself a few stretches. "Okay, I'm gonna do this shifting thing for you. Just don't make it weird."

She peels out of her hoodie and her t-shirt, leaving just a sports bra beneath, then wiggles out of her pajama pants. She'll give up a pair of undies and a sports bra. They're cheap. She takes a moment to breathe, then shifts almost instantly as the sound of bones crack and snap. Her body visibly jolts, then shoots upwards as black fur poofs out about her before settling. Her claws curl out from her large paws, teeth sliding free of her new snout.

Her war form is terrifying and tall as she lumbers over him. Along her body in both her human and werewolf form is deep scarring that criss cross along her stomach and along her chest. She obviously has seen some type of combat to do this tyupe of damage to her.

Barghest has posed:
Thane just turns one of those looks on her at mention of weird. Who is he to judge?

No weirdness. He's studying the form with a sharp clarity, wheels turning that were previously hidden under that bland facade. He stands up from the couch and slowly walks around her. "It's a clean blend between human and wolf. You don't have that flux of pulling too far one way versus another that the traditional werewolves usually do. Curses and other magical influences like that tend to warp because it's something that shouldn't exist, at least with human or animal. Someone born to it is usually a much more harmonious merging." Which brings up the unspoken question of Nevada's broken body. You're a lot more robust than the hounds like Nev and I, but then we weren't the breed for combat. Maybe your mother's influence bleeding through, then."

Rage has posed:
The large werewolf gives a few swings of her arms back and forth, showing the muscle rippling beneath her black pelt. Unlike her brother, she is definitely not broken. There is a flash of teeth from her muzzle, grinning at her sire. The better to eat you with.

After shifting down into her wolf form, she gives a long stretch of her body, tail swaying back and forth before she flops back upon her haunches. Her tongue lolls to the side, then gives a sharp bark in his direction as her ears prick upwards. After a minute of showing off, she shifts once more, then goes about gathering up her clothing. "Drawback is I'm naked afterwards. Got some friends working on some shifting clothing for me, but until then, I'm a TMZ moment waiting to happen."

Tugging her pajama pants on first, she tugs her hoodie on next. "So, you lost all your magic, huh?"

Barghest has posed:
"Humans and their hang ups." Thane laughs as he turns away and resumes his seat on the couch. "Certainly a disadvantage when you need to blend back into society quick, though."

And then that question comes up. He leans forward to rest his forearms against his legs with his hands draped between his knees. "Yes. We aren't meant to save a life already marked for death. The price to do that is, essentially, our own lives. Our long, long lives. Our ability to heal from almost anything. Our forms... everything. Sure I'm still here, but I'm just a man. I can and will die like any of them. If Nevada ever chose that, well, I don't know what would happen to him. It's never been done, to my knowledge. Not with someone like him."

Rage has posed:
"Can't believe you'd give that up for my mom, just to not even get her in the end. Kinda lame."

Andrea says as she flops down on to the couch again, giving a long stretch of her body. "You're still in love with her?" She asks as she looks over to him at the other end of the couch. "I feel kinda bad for you. I wish I had a good solution for this situation that you're in." Reaching for her phone, she taps her fingers along the glass as she fires off a text message.

"So, what now? You met me. Got questions for me? I know your story, obviously."

Barghest has posed:
"I am." Thane says quietly but nothing but honesty in his voice. "But we don't all get happy endings. If I didn't make that choice, though, you two wouldn't exist. So, maybe in the end I wasn't making that choice for me, but for you two to be here, and I'm proud of the people you two have grown into. I've always kept an eye on how you were. Don't worry about me, I don't regret my life."

He sits back up straight as he continues, "I guess I've always hoped that you were happy. If you would forgive us, if you knew. And, now that you do, where you wanted to go from here. I'm not here to inject myself in your life, just know what for as long as I'm here, if you need me then I'll help how I can."

Rage has posed:
"I really don't know where to go from here. When Nevada just showed up shoving a picture at my camera and forcing himself into my life, I planned on kicking him out .. or killing him.. I don't know.. one of the two. I was incredibly angry and hurt. But then I guess I just let it go and became more curious than anything. I'm obviously curious about you, since you aren't a typical sperm donor. You're an ancient being. I guess I wouldn't mind hearing your stories. Hear more about you and mom."

Andrea lets out a heavy sigh as she tilts her head back, staring up at the ceiling. "I only got one more room in this place and it's my studio so I'm not giving it up. If you're moving in with me, you're living with Nevada." She jokes. "I'm gonna call it the strays room."

"Have you told mom you still love her?"

Barghest has posed:
"Nev being charming as always, I see." Thane cracks a grin then as he mirrors her, his eyes cast upward. "No, no. You don't need me hanging around. Maybe, though, I can move closer so at least I'm in the metro area. I don't blame you for being angry. It was a shit thing we did. I should have said something years ago, but I promised Alicia that I wouldn't interfere. Besides, you were in a safe place, and what would showing up have done? Just split apart your family. It was a lose lose situation either way."

And as the question came up, he gives a slow nod of his head. "In so many words, and she knows. I don't think she actually hates me, just wants to keep me at arm's length. Which is fair, I suppose, so long as she's there for you and... Nevada, some day. When she's ready."