Geneva sat on the hearth, enjoying the dying warmth of the fire. It wasn’t wet today, at least. Still, she wanted to stave off the chill of the night. The sun had set pretty recently, but the chill of winter still stayed settled over her skin. She shivered a bit as she warmed herself in front of the dying embers. She considered prodding the glowing orange log back to life, but refrained from doing so. She had completed her duties for the day, but she did not feel like stoking the fire back to life right now. Shrugging her thin shoulders, the Savant rose, resting her hand against the wall as she got to her feet.

She crept down the hallway to her room and produced a bottle. Dusting it off slowly, she turned to see the label. She wrinkled her brow as she read the words. Shrugging her thin shoulder, she tucked it under her arm and then walked back out to the common area. She might as well fill her time with this, if nothing else. It was not that she was in need of distraction, but she did want to unwind.

She reclaimed her spot on the braided rug, stretching out so that she was lying on her stomach. She laid her head on her arm and rolled the bottle away a few inches before catching it with her fingers, her mind wandering as she did so. She loved to just allow her mind to wander, and just to think. Also, she had decided that she wanted to share her leisure time with someone else.

It had been a while since she had just taken time to unwind. She was usually so responsible that the most she did for herself was just to lay down, read a few pages of a book and then pass out. Her duties as Savant kept her busy, but she enjoyed them anyway. Now though, she wanted a change of pace. But she needed help to get to that point, it seemed. Stretching her shoulders, she let her olive colored eyes go half lidded as she became lost in her thoughts.

Geneva did not linger over any thought in particular. Today, like most recent days, Jefferson and Naniko dominated her thoughts. She also spared a thought for Anu, and wondered how she must be doing. She had not heard anything from Crimson Dreams in a long time. Things had been quiet, and that was something that she was quite grateful for. Even so, she tried to imagine what Anu must be like today, what she must feel. She wondered if the blue-eyed woman had forgiven her, for the tangled web and all that they had been through. She had not seen the woman since spring, and it had been nearly a year at this point.

Their last encounter had not ended on a positive note. Anu had been on the brink of violence, anger seething from her core and brimming close to the surface. She hoped that Anu was well, and did not wish her any will. She wanted to talk to her, but could not think of the first thing she would say. She would probably apologize again, but she was now at peace with herself. She did not feel like she would go to pieces if things did not end on a positive note.

There was a knock at the door, and Geneva rose to her knees before getting on to her feet. She left her bottle on its side on the floor; she would come back to it later. Her lime green eyes were alight with curiosity. Most pack members did not knock on the door of the ranch. The ranch was slightly larger than any normal cabin, and it housed both herself and Jefferson. Despite the fact that the leaders of the Valley pack were mated pair, they both maintained separate living spaces in general. It was not something that bothered Geneva; it just made their time together that much more special. They were both so busy anyway, and saw each other every day to begin with, for the most part.

"Andy, hi!," Geneva said with a smile, enthusiastic about her visitor. She had been wondering about the wolfess recently. She had not scene much of her since she had joined a few weeks ago. Hers was a welcome face around here. "Come in out of the cold," Geneva said, gesturing the woman in returning to her spot on the floor in front of the dying fire.

"Tell me how you have been!" Geneva said, steepling her fingers and resting her elbows on the floor as she laid on her stomach. Geneva was completely at ease. She was not one to stand on formalities, for the most part. She was certainly a leader, but she was a relaxed one and she wanted her pack mate to feel at home as well. She gestured to the bottle lying nearby on the floor. "I was about to have a drink," she said, wondering if Andrea was familiar with human alcohol. "Have you ever had...Jameson before?" she asked, checking the name on the label. "This is interesting stuff," she said, shrugging as she recalled the first time she had partaken in drinking this sort of libation.

Geneva was glad to hear that things were coming along well for Andrea Newton. She had struck the Savant as a kind, friendly creature and Geneva had had no doubt that she would fit in well with the rest of the pack. For the most part, the Valley pack kept to itself. Things were peaceful, which was something that the woman treasured immensely. The quiet did not hold any forboding, at least in Geneva's mind. She wasn't waiting for the other foot to fall. The lime eyed Savant expected this peacefulness to last for a while; at least, she hoped that it would last.

"It is interesting stuff," the woman agreed. Since Andrea identified the liquid within the bottle, Geneva assumed that the Genus also knew the properties of the liquid. Thus, she did not feel the need to caution her about the headache that could come the morning after a night of drinking. Geneva thought that she would be responsible and moderate herself, but once the whiskey was flowing, she would probably lose a little bit of control.

Normally, Geneva fought so hard to keep all of the things around her under her control. Being out of control was something that she seriously feared. However, there were times when she needed to let go a little, if only for her own sake. She was usually so tightly reined in that when she let herself go, she often surprised herself with how comfortable she was in a free flowing environment. Stepping outside of her comfort zone had never really been easy for the soft spoken woman, but she was able to with a little bit of help. A little bit of liquid courage usually served her to that end quite nicely.

She opened the bottle with a little bit of difficulty, struggling with it. Then she offered it to the blue eyed woman. "The taste might be surprising," Geneva warned her. She remembered that she had nearly spat out the first swig she had taken of alcohol. But she had grimaced through each new taste and tested her limits. "Jefferson is probably out patrolling; that is usually what he's doing at this hour," Geneva said. The leaders often patrolled the borders at different times of the day. Geneva had done so early this morning, and then had returned to tend livestock. She usually crossed paths with Jefferson around midday, but she had not seen him today. But that was not out of the ordinary at all. "Tell me who you've met so far."

Andrea mentioned several creatures that Geneva was familiar with. The ends of her mouth lifted in a smile as she mentioned some of those that she held close to her heart. In particular, she was glad to hear that Naniko, Ty, and Rio had met Andrea. Naniko had recently gone through a very difficult time, and it seemed that her white pelted friend was finally coming out of on the other side, hopefully to a place where she could be happier this time. Ty was always so friendly and congenial, and he seemed to be everywhere at once. It did not surprise the Savant at all that Andrea had already made his acquaintance; Ty always seemed to show up at the right time. He was a reliable part of the pack, someone whom Geneva had come to thoroughly depend upon.

Geneva herself had been a bit of a recluse when she had first arrived in Nova Scotia. That had almost been a lifetime ago, it seemed. She felt like she was different person entirely at this point. When she had arrived in these lands, she had been beyond the point of despair. She had lost everything, and yet she had rebuilt her life from the ground up. The Savant had gone from not having a hope to having so much to fight for, to live for. She did not know who she should thank for this transformation; she had done so much growing herself. Still, there were so many creatures she had met her first few months here who had had an undeniable impact on her growth and healing processes.

Andrea seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, and so Geneva left her alone to walk within her mind for a few moments. She understood the importance and the privacy necessary for doing such things. And the Savant was just as content to sit in the quiet between them; it was not uncomfortable. To fill the time, Geneva took the first sip of the Jameson. Her face screwed up a little as the flavor of the liquid overwhelmed her taste buds. It was not necessarily unpleasant, but unexpected. She was trying to formulate an opinion of the flavor while she tipped back another drink, this time filling her mouth with the strange burning liquid.

As the amber liquid burned its way down her throat, she decided that she did enjoy it. Setting the bottle aside, she pushed it closer where Andrea was sitting. She was welcome to try it if she wanted to. Taking a closer look at the girl sitting next to her, Geneva blinked once and refocused her eyes. "You know," she said softly. "You remind me of someone I used to know." The Savant smiled a bit sadly as the memory resurfaced, and she compared their images. It was almost strange, how she had not seen it before. But Andrea looked very much like someone who she had known, and loved, before. So strange in fact - it had been with that woman of her memories that she had first experienced human alcohol. The world worked it such strange, mysterious ways.

Andy’s ears perked as Geneva took a swig of the amber liquid. The contents of the bottle swirled as she set it down and pushed it towards her, hr face screwed up at the flavour. The younger woman reached for the bottle, pleasantly surprised to find it cool to the touch. Lifting it to her muzzle, she took an experimental draw on the liquid. Her first reaction was that the flavour was not what she had been expecting but it wasn’t unpleasant. Her second reaction was the burning sensation it had on the inside of her mouth. She swallowed quickly, surprised. The dull burn didn’t go away until it had gone down her throat, and even after it had gone, there was still a faint shadow on her throat.




”It is surprising.” she commented. She sniffed the amber liquid through the neck of the bottle; her nostrils burned lightly. Andy lifted the bottle to her lips again, taking another swig of the alcohol. It was much easier this time; the burn was less intense, and she could focus on the flavour. It was rather good. She licked her lips and set the bottle down on the floor between them. The young woman regarded her companion, her expression thoughtful. She wondered curiously who it was she reminded her of.




The light female reached for the bottle again, finding its flavour to be oddly addictive. She took another pull from the bottle. She no longer felt cold; in fact, she was beginning to feel quite warm. She scooted away from the embers, the cooler spot on the floor comforting. She didn’t know if the alcohol could be effecting her already, but she felt very.. relaxed and a little giddy. Her eyelids lowered lazily, and she smiled.




”So… have you always been in the Valley?” she had been curious about how the members of Phoenix Valley had come together. Some of them had to have come from far away, like she had, she thought to herself. She really wanted to get to know her pack mates better. They were her family now.. her new family. She had known everything about her parents, and her brother had been her best friend..




With a pang, she realized this was the second time she had let her thoughts stray to her family tonight. Briefly, she wondered if it was the alcohol, making her sentimental. But she pushed that thought away quickly. She was determined to have a good time tonight.

Andrea took to the whiskey just fine. Geneva had finally decided that the taste suited her well, but she was more than happy to share her bounty. It had been a while since she had ventured out to the human city for the purpose of procuring such things. Perhaps if tonight turned out well enough, she would make another expedition with the purpose of bringing more alcohol into Phoenix Valley. She had made her piece with the strange brews and had decided a while back that she liked to be drunk, under certain circumstances. She took a moment to wonder what Jefferson would be like under the influence. Would he enjoy the experience? Jefferson was usually so tightly reigned in; perhaps that was a topic to broach at a later date.

"I've been part of Phoenix Valley since March," Geneva said, thinking back. She passed a hand over her eyes, raking her fingers through her short hair as she remembered the day that she had seen Jefferson again. The situation had been tense - both because of the reason she wanted to join, and the first time the two had interacted. It was strange and wonderful to see how such situations and events could help her to change and evolve. She was a different woman entirely now.

"I was born and spent the better part of my childhood in New York; that is south of here," Geneva went on to explain. She smiled now, thinking of her father and sisters, and the band of brothers who had watched them grow. "When I was scarcely grown, my mate and I move north slightly. I do not know the name of the place we went to, but we stayed by the sea for sometime. We returned to New York after long." Geneva took a breath. "After my father and Jordan died, I traveled north without much sense of direction. And I joined a pack called Crimson Dreams, which is west of here. But that was more than a year ago now."

It was not unpleasant to share her story. She had glossed over many of the gorey details, but she was not afraid to share the words. They were part of her life, and despite several hours of pain, there were those pearls, those moments of true joy in the middle of all the madness. Because of that, she could not bring herself to regret. "What of your origins?" the Savant asked curiously.