(2024-08-07) Wolves at the Door

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Author:	inkie
Summary:	Lukas Rhenardt meets with Elohad Ference to discuss the possibility of employment for members of Gravehowl Pack, now that Lady Kenelly has paved the way.
Rating:	T for Teen

Arc: Gravehowl Pack

The man who descends the stairs into Cobalt Company Headquarters punctually at the blast of the 9 AM horn appears to be a few hard-bitten years older than Elohad himself. He is lean and weathered, his hair and beard now more gray than blond, but his dark blue eyes are sharp and assessing. He wears a sober-looking and slightly out-of-fashion black suit with a dark red cravat, and is carrying a Gilnean-style top hat in hand.

At the foot of the stairs, he pauses. "Lord Ference?" he asks, his voice a low, gravel rasp.

Elo rises from his usual chair and crosses to give the man a strong, brief handclasp. His wife dressed him; he is in blues and silvers.

"Lord Graves," he says. "We've a common friend in Lord Fallon, it seems."

He gestures to the chairs, then resumes his seat.

"Aye," says Rhenardt. "So it would seem. A congenial man."

That's one way of putting it.

"He speaks in highest terms of you," says Rhenardt, whose expression in speaking of both congeniality and highest terms suggests he might be discussing his tax returns. "As does the Lady Kenelly."

He crosses to take a seat facing Elohad's, and sets his hat in the chair beside him.

"Ah, yes," says Elo with a nod. "I may have been a bit hard on her at first, but she didn't seem to take it amiss, and I can't deny she was instrumental in supporting the Westfall team in destroying the Defias' attempt at a comeback. She has also managed to endure at least two meetings with Lord Tyrrell, which suggests either infinite wells of forgiveness or a spine of steel. Or both."

At that there is the faintest glimmer of a smile. It is extinguished almost immediately. "Lady Kenelly's enthusiasms are… difficult to dampen. A determined young woman. I met Lord Tyrrell recently myself. Another gentleman of whom Fallon speaks highly." A brief, dry pause, and then Rhenardt inclines his head. "I'm pleased to hear Lady Kenelly has done well with you. I appreciate your affording her the opportunity."

"I believe everyone deserves a chance to do good," Elohad says solemnly. "I will confess, however that… certain categories of people can make acting on this belief somewhat more difficult. We all have our prejudices, yes?"

Rhenardt nods curtly. "Aye. That we do." He holds Elohad's gaze steadily, stonily. "My people know it well. But the whole of the Alliance seems to be suffering right now, between the natural disasters and the savagery of the Horde, and — as Lady Kenelly demonstrates — we wish to be of service. Gravehowl Pack has among our number seasoned warriors and dedicated healers, harvest… druids who could renew the land in places like Westfall and the Plaguelands." His smile is that on-and-off flicker again. "We are, as I'm sure you know, immune to the plague." He pauses. "And, of course, we cannot be cursed a second time. We would make ideal hunters of feral worgen."

Elohad studies Rhenardt for a moment, scratching at his own short silvered-gold beard.

"You're cursed yourself then. And you lead your… pack. What does that leadership look like, exactly? Do you have a code? Is it enforced?"

Rhenardt considers the question, his gaze still level on Elohad. "My prior experience of leadership influenced my present role. I was a captain in the army, and then commanded a private militia operating chiefly for security and defense purposes. When the curse broke out in Gilneas City, I rallied a small group of survivors and kept them together in an effort to escort the vulnerable safely from the city. It was… ultimately unsuccessful." Pause for a sour smile.

Okay, smile over.

"They are now my pack." Rhenardt hesitates, and then adds, "But it isn't simply command. A pack bond is also a kinship. You might say that I am also their… patriarch. They do not follow me because I am their commander but also because we are… a family, of sorts. And the code of Gravehowl Pack is our dedication to service for the people. As soon as we had command of our faculties again, we returned to defense of the kingdom and protection of the refugees — this time from the Forsaken.

"As I say, we have healers and druids in our number as well as trained and disciplined warriors. We have trackers, and we have a decorated investigator from the S.I.B. We have civilians as well, all of whom have talents to offer the rebuilding of the Alliance. In at least one case, literally — Lady Merelda Veyne is a respected architect."

He gives a very slight shrug. "We are as varied in our talents as any family might be. We are not beasts; we are soldiers and medics, police inspectors and architects. But we all wish to put our talents to use. And they answer to me as their commander and their patriarch, and to one another as kin. To be cast out of the pack —" Rhenardt's gaze goes steely and he is silent for a moment. "It would be unthinkable. Unbearable."

Elohad nods slowly, still fussing with his beard. He seems to give this a quick but thorough think, a look Rhenardt might recognize as a man doing Strategy Math.

"How's this for a plan?" he says. "Cobalt Company will take on all of you, let each of you wear our tabard and gain the trust that affords you — but if any one of your pack members breaks our Code — " here he opens the drawer next to him, rifles briefly, draws out a paper and rises to hand it to Rhenardt — "Then you're all out, no questions, no discussions, no retribution."

His olive green eyes study Rhenardt; something in them suggests that he is willing to make this the opening move of a negotiation.

Rhenardt accepts the paper. He reads through it in silence, expressionless; he does not skim it, he reads it.

At length he looks up and nods mildly at Elohad. "I see nothing in this that doesn't comport with my own expectations and my people's understanding. However — you say all of us. I'm hoping to find placement and opportunities within Cobalt Company for those of my people who desire it. I'm not going to issue a blanket order that all of Gravehowl join. We have childr– we have youngsters. We have civilians. We have a great many who would wish to join — and perhaps they all will — but in that I will not declare for them unilaterally."

He lays the Code aside on the chair with his hat. "I am willing to join myself. I am willing to vouch for any and all of my people who join with me. You may also be assured that the whole of Gravehowl Pack, whether they join Cobalt Company or not, will belong to Lady Kenelly's new organization for the productive integration of worgen into Alliance society, modeled on Captain Tyrrell's WEB, for which I know you are an advisor. An ethics and service community I will mandate. Employment as a mercenary I will not."

Elohad nods and returns to his seat. "That's fair," he says. "We've an open door and a tabard for any of yours who want it. But understand, even those of your pack who do not join the Company, I am trusting will follow your own similar code of ethics, and if one of them should cause significant harm to any Alliance citizen, even if that Gravehowl is not a member of Cobalt Company… If they remain a part of the pack after their transgression I will withdraw my welcome from all of you. My hope is that even if some of your members are of a less naturally disciplined nature than yourself, they would not do anything that might cause undue repercussions for the rest of you or result in their ejection from the pack."

"If any Gravehowl should cause significant harm to any Alliance citizen — unless in self-defense — they would not long remain a Gravehowl. Is self-defense a reasonable exception, in your view?" Rhenardt watches Elohad levelly.

"Of course," says Elohad without hesitation. "But I would… mind the nuances. If a frightened Alliance citizen should throw a rock, for example, I would think that a — person of greater weight and size and natural weaponry might look first to stabilize the situation rather than… retaliate with full force, hm?"

It is clear from the near-imperceptible flicker of horror in the other man's eyes that "full force" brings to mind a very specific picture.

Rhenardt continues to watch him for a moment. There is a new intensity in the look; if he were in his other form, one might think he had just picked up a scent.

"We are," he says at last — and although his tone cannot be described as gentle, it is slightly less growly than his ordinary speaking voice — "not insensitive to nuance. My people are well aware of their… physical capacity, and would not make disproportionate response. We are, I reiterate, people, not monsters. People wearing a form that may seem monstrous, as the consequence of a curse — but by the grace of the gods and our allies, people again."

He pauses and then adds, with even less of the growl in his tone, "And we can tell when a person is reacting out of fear."

Elohad nods. It is clear that he wants to break eye contact, but he does not. "Then I believe we have an understanding," he says. "I will speak to the rest of the leadership, but I already know their intentions. I was the… harder sell in this instance, given my… experiences. You may safely tell your pack that they are welcome here based upon my trust in their leader. Do you have any further questions for me?"

"Only as to whether our understanding means that I am now a full member of your company, or whether there is some further process required of me." Rhenardt picks up the Code of Conduct again from the chair beside him and folds it into crisp thirds.

"We like to have an official application on file for each member, for ease in matching jobs to members." Elohad rifles through the drawer and removes several blank applications, then rises again to hand them over. "You may distribute these as you see fit, and if you need more they're kept here as well as at our secondary headquarters in Dalaran. We do our best to assign work based on skills and interests, and the applications are our best source of information. Also, the names of any who have approved applications on file are sent to visitors' centers in major cities where our official tabards are distributed. Jobs that are not especially time sensitive or not clearly meant for a specific member are posted on our boards. Members may spontaneously offer their services out in the field while wearing our tabard, with the understanding that they still must pick up their pay from headquarters."

Rhenardt takes his time to read through the application, just as he did the Code of Conduct. He nods and looks up at Elohad. "You'll have mine within the hour. I'll distribute the rest."

"Excellent," says Elohad. "Welcome to Cobalt Company."