Editing Scenes of Friendship (section)

===Xander===
Time: Pre-game, early October, 2007.
<br>The mountains were painted crimson and gold behind the hill, while the valley before the jeep was filled with lights from the city of Las Vegas, jewels in the shadows of the mountains.  The sunset colored the two people within the vehicle rich hues, bloody red and sun-gold, fitting as the woman wore a miniture light rivaling the setting sun on her brow.
<br>"Cassidy, I don't get it."  The man, with dark hair and the shadow of facial hair on his face, spoke into the silence, watching the sunset with black eyes.  he bit into the roast-beef sandwich in his wiry hand.
<br>"Mmphh."  The dark-haired woman flicked her green eyes up from the cup of ramen she was focused on, lifting her head and pushing away part of her sleeve threatening to fall into the soup.  The  man shifted his weight in the seat, rubbing the scruff of his face as he turned away to look at the sinking ball.
<br>"It's just that, you are a great singer,"  A sip of the bottle of beer in the cup holder, "you act like all of those girls in the detective movies, the ones who may be the bad guy, on stage, but..."
<br>"What, Xander?"  The woman's honeyed voice cut in sharply, adjusting herself in the ratty seat as she half-lounged back against the metal door, "Didn't think I'd have fun listening about the local wildfire and eat cheap ramen while we watch the sunset?"  She grinned, shrugging as she looked at the dimming light.
<br>"Well, yeah."  Xander rubbed the back of his head, looking back at her.  "I also didn't think you'd be willing to poke around at a dead raccoon's body."  The response he got was a sunny laugh, and a loud slurp as she finished the last of the noodles.
<br>"Fuzzy, I bit off a worm's head back in elementary school.  I used to fuck with snakes whenever one of those snake handlers came to town."  Cassidy took a sip of the broth before huddling into her jacket, "You think finding a dead raccoon was going to freak me out?  I have done some crazy shit."
<br>"Exactly that."  Xander answered with a snarl, rubbing his temple,  "Most guys really don't think about that shit, what made the babe the way she is.  You really throw a guy for a loop, you know?  One night you are cooing into a microphone like you are about to suck it, the next you are cursing-"  He felt a hand on his shoulder, looking to see Cassidy, her lips twitching in between a frown and a smile.
<br>"Xander, you dumbass, how do you think ''I'' feel?"  The expression settled to a grin as she points at her brow,  "It's been almost a month since this happened to me, and you said there's a shitload more to come.  Didn't you say..."  She crossed her eyes as she tried to remember, "Something about a cub in an adult's body?"
<br>"Yeah.  I'm not a Galliard, one of the storytellers of the Garou, so they can do it better."  His voice turned to the rhythm of rote learning,  "But it's like you are a puppy suddenly turned into a full adult, all power but no idea what to do with it.  One of the lupus was like that too."
<br>"It's never lupus- OW!"  The wolf slugged Cassidy in the arm with a laugh as she stuck out her tongue.  A ghost of a thought passed across her face as she spoke.  "Lupus?  Like ''loup?''  So like a wolf?"  Xander nodded in confirmation, leaning back in the seat.  "When am I going to meet with your friends though?  Once I get the hang of this stuff?"
<br>After a long silence, enough that the sun finally set, he answered.  "I was thinking like New Year.  It'd let you sink into this shit slowly.  I hope."  He sighed as he started the ignition of the jeep.  "We should get going back.  When's your next night off?"
<br>"Monday, but Oda-chan and I are going out with some of her friends and exercising, since it's a holiday in Japan."  Cassidy grinned slightly before buckling her seatbelt.  "It's pretty fun, really.  You can come if you want."
<br>The Garou shook his head.  "I got some shit that day.  Sorry.  I'll just drop you off at home and see you at the Star tomorrow."
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