Lawrence
Florian Barca was done hiding. He was done cowering in safe houses, safe houses that proved unsafe time and time again. He was done with feeling helpless and watching as beasts raged and killed their way through town. He had had an idea, something he hoped would tip the scales of fortune in their way. He'd worked it out as well as he could, gathering information and facts on toxins of a specific plant.

He had initially wanted there to be a cure, he still wanted there to be a cure. But as things looked now it would be long until they arrived at one. Too much blood would be shed waiting for something they didn't even know truly existed. If he had been involved with the Coalition at the time of voting for the fate of Mayor Cooper, he would have voted for 'imprison'. But that stance had now tipped over firmly into 'kill' territory. The moment that wolf had taken Valerian from this world, Florian wanted it dead, even if his brother had come back. He _needed_ it dead. The idea that someone in Briar Ridge, someone he may know, someone who may have talked with him, someone who may have seen him grow up or grew up beside him, someone out there now got to live merrily alongside the very people they'd terrorized. They got to continue living as if they had not killed a man. It made him sick. It filled him with rage. Anger had always been a familiar emotion to him and he embraced it thoroughly as he rummaged through his collection of dried plants and flowers. "Where is it, I swear I kept some..." He found the bundle, dried and yellowed but clearly labeled by look and a tag attached to the stems: aconitum reclinatum: _wolfsbane._ "...Gotcha."
_ _

He was not sure it would work. His notes indicated that it might, wolfsbane was used in Europe to kill wolves and from all he'd read it was quite potent in toxic elements which proved lethal for humans too. Such a pretty plant capable of such destruction. And a lot easier to access than the silver bullets they now knew worked quite well. He wrapped the plants up in paper and put the pages of notes on top, slipping the bundle into a bag placed on his lap.

Charlie and Valerian had been very close during childhood so Florian was more than familiar with the man. Florian knew that Charlie was involved with the Coalition, he seemed like the best person to approach, the person he most trusted there. Florian may not be of much use physically but he couldn't sit by and watch any longer, not after what happened last moon. He hadn't told Valerian or Olivia of the plan, this was all him.

He spotted a familiar face in the distance, as luck would have it, there he was, the man who initially told him his plan might have some merit. "Jasper!" He called out, waving the other man over. "Remember that wolfsbane plan? I'm headed over to Charlie Cooper now, gettin' the Coalition involved. You're welcome to come along, should you want." It was evident that Florian was on edge, his usual joyous demeanour had been replaced with simmering anger and determination. He'd be going, with or without Jasper. "One of those damned beasts attacked my brother, if it wasn't for the doctor he would've been..." He swallowed, clearly still emotional about what had come to pass. "He would've remained dead. He'll be alright, doc says he will be eventually. I have to believe that-" _he has to be alright._ "-but I want those bastards dead for what they did to him regardless." He wanted revenge, it was too late for justice. The claw marks that ran across the entirety of his own right leg had since stopped bleeding, thanks to the excellent stitch work of the nurses. But scar it would, just like his heart had.
Christopher
Some days Jasper entertained the idea it was all merely a dream. An entertaining little nightmare he would awake from amidst an ocean of down feather covers. He'd crawl from sheets and possibly arms reaching after him, beckoning him back into their embrace, and throw open the blinds for the sunlight to wash away all the memories of werebeasts.

Today however, they felt far too real. They were in the howl of the wind and the teeth of the winter, lurking in the shadows between the trees. A nightmare unchanged by harsh daylight. 

Jasper had allowed himself a comfortable hour or so to wallow in self pity. A little morning routine before he reminded himself it was another night he stayed standing and drew breath while others may not be so fortunate. Still, remembering he himself was not the center of the universe was a skill Jasper had to actively practice.

He pulled the coat tighter around himself, tugging at the sleeves. It was a touch too short around his wrists, and the cold bit at the exposed skin with glee. His pride would not permit asking for a better fitting one, while his manufactured conscience barred him from theft. This would have to do.

His musings were interrupted by a familiar voice. Florian was not one to mince words, the plan laid out daylight clear before Jasper could even ask. There was an obvious shift, a steely undertone behind his words, cold determination and a thirst for vengeance.

"I remember indeed." Jasper nodded. "I may not be much help, but I will offer all I know and hope that counts." This was something they could agree on, his true and false self. Dishonesty and theft were a debatable topic of morality, but werewolves? Nope, the line on that topic was firmly drawn. He very much wanted those things gone.

The rush of Florian's words carried the weight of the world. He'd heard about what happened with the elder Barca, words traveled fast to eager ears, and while Jasper did not know the man personally, he wished no harm.

He wished loss even less, the acid burn that tore one ragged and left hollow emptiness behind was a too familiar feeling. The only thing worse than losing one close was the eyes of their ghost in the mirror, always behind one's shoulder.

"He will be." It was a promise Jasper couldn't uphold, but tried his best to scaffold his words with hope. "He's in good hands with the doctor, and if I've learned anything about Briar Ridge, no one here goes down without giving it a good fight. Thankfully. The beasts were out for blood."
Jennifer
Being part of the werewolf coalition had taken a toll on Charlie; he had already had some telltale grays coming in before he arrived, but now it seemed that in his mid thirties, he was already progressing on to more of it now from the stress. Besides that, having to run around all the time did not do much good for his bad leg— a solution that required far less physicality would be better, although he hadn't the faintest idea where to start. 

He'd dressed for the day, an ache in his shoulders as he pulled on his clothes and headed out the door, cane helping him along the way. It didn't take long for him to step off the porch into the yard, Dog sniffing at his heels and running off, that he spotted the two men headed up the lane. 

He paused in his step, squinting through his glasses before Florian Barca came clearly into view— a gentleman accompanying him that he wasn't sure he was all too familiar with. No matter— he gave a wave to Florian and made his way to meet him at the edge of the property, leaning heavier on his cane. 

"Florian," He tipped his head a little in greeting. "Been a hot minute, ain't it?" He grimaced a bit, glancing off to the trees. "How's Val?" His eyes shifted from him to the other gentleman, giving a nod as he chewed his lip in thought. 

"Charlie Cooper," He introduced himself, sticking a hand out. "What can I help yous two with today? Ma ain't in, so if ya came for her, yer shit outta luck."
Lawrence
"I'll gladly take it Jasper." Having a second person there may not seem like much, but Florian had been underestimated one too many times in life. He didn't expect Charlie to be one to hold that bias, but having back-up never hurt. "Thank you." He huffed, the beast were out for blood. "They sure were... You made it out unscathed?" The two pushed forwards, when they arrived on Cooper property Charlie had already spotted them, coming to meet them.

Florian smiled when he was greeted. "It sure has been, good to see you again." Good to see you lived, an unspoken truth in most reunions that took place just after the passing of a full moon. He'd not called his brother Valerian, but Val, a nickname left over from their childhood, when the two had been thick as thieves. Florian thought there had been damage to that relationship over the years. Maybe the two of them had rekindled some of that old trust. "He's, well I wouldn't say _good_, but all things considered he could definitely be worse. Still not out of the woods yet, but you and I both know how stubborn that man can be. He'll make it." He had to. Florian had told him that if he didn't, he'd come for his ghost and he had yet to figure out how to summon ghosts. Or if that was even possible in the first place. "We actually came lookin' for you."
_ _

Florian rummaged through his bag, pulling out the bundle wrapped in paper. "I had an idea." He nodded towards Jasper. "He helped me with some of the details. Has the coalition ever heard of the plant wolfsbane?" He unwrapped the paper, revealing a few long green stems with rounded palm-shaped leaves and clusters of cylindrical purple flowers sprouting toward the top half. "The name is a little on the nose, I'll grant you that. But it seems to be used overseas to kill wolves. Packs quite a punch to humans too, the lethal kind." The former was a good thing, the latter he was less happy with. Then again, werewolves and regular wolves could hardly be compared, they were different beasts entirely. "Some books alluded to it bein' protective against wolves as well." If it was, it must not have a large range of influence, seeing as the very bundle of wolfsbane he was holding now had been kept in a drawer in his room. A room in the Barca estate, a building that had been hit by wolves on multiple occasions. "I was wonderin' if you, and the rest of the coalition might see some use in it."
Jennifer
Charlie was by no means a botanist, but he'd heard a thing or two about the wolfsbane that grew along the edges of the vast pastures of Briar Ridge. "I don't know much," He admitted. "But I know that one lick'a that can take down a full grown man." He remembered his mama telling him to stay away from this particular plant; that he'd drop dead if he ever tried to mess 'round with it. It was enough to put him off the stuff, that was for sure. 

"But I reckon you must be onto something," Charlie said, leaning heavier on his cane. "I figure we could do somethin' with it," He looked up from the bundle, looking to Florian now. 

He had had an unspoken understanding with Valerian, now that they'd somewhat reformed their friendship. Should anything happen to Valerian, Charlie would make sure Florian was alright. He knew the younger of the Barca brothers could care for himself, but it was in the same way that Charlie would hope Valerian would look in on Alma if he was gone. With Valerian down for the count, he knew he had to make sure things went smoothly and safely for Florian and the others that Valerian cared about. 

"The coalition would be real interested, I think. I bet this *And* Silver would do a number on them werewolves. Probably eliminate 'em with a single shot. You think we could formulate it into a liquid state?" He asked him curiously. "I ain't no chemist but I bet we could put our heads together— and you're real smart," He pointed out. "Why ain't you lendin' all this knowledge to the coalition before?" Charlie raised a brow curiously. 

He did pause a moment. "Protective," He repeated. "Like a werewolf repellent. Speakin' of liquid— anti-werewolf perfume?" He scratching his jaw in thought.
Lawrence
_Eliminate a wolf in a single shot._ Charlie might be right, Florian hoped he was right. If this was truly something that would work, they'd have a way to turn the tides, to really stand a chance in this battle. "Maybe the doctor would know a way? Could we try to insert the dried plant into a bullet somehow?" He turned to Jasper hoping he had more knowhow on the topic. He hadn't thought of the logistics himself, he wasn't a botanist nor did he have much knowledge of the intricacies of bullets or firearms. He knew how to shoot one but that's approximately where his knowledge on that particular topic ended. "If we had access to fresh wolfsbane I suppose we could just squeeze it out, but it'll be a while until that starts bloomin'." Even nature wasn't on their side, it grew during summer.

"After Val's last meetin' with the coalition I had my reservations about sharin' information with you folks." It was an honest admission. His brother had been laughed at and treated altogether unkindly, despite sharing valuable information in the shape of silver bullets with them he'd been treated as an enemy. Valerian had shared some strong words about Alma in particular. That was part of the reason. The other part was that up until now he hadn't been directly affected by those monsters, he had still seen the humanity in them. He had been of the opinion that they had to look beyond the curse, that the focus should be on curing and not harming. Only when claws had sunk into his leg, when teeth had ripped his brother's life from his body, did Florian's belief that there were people worth saving behind those wolves get ripped from him. "But after what just happened, well, I felt I had no other choice." It had to be done. "Valerian doesn't know I'm here." He added. "I don't want him to be worryin' any more than he already is. He needs his rest." It was Florian's turn to be the protector.
_ _

He grinned at Charlie's comment about the perfume. "Maybe sprayin' ourselves with poison isn't the best way to go about it, but I like the way you think." He'd chosen the right person to go to with his idea, that much was clear. He hadn't been laughed at, quite the opposite, he'd been taken seriously. He could be, _would_ be useful, in his own way. He might not be able to hunt, but he could provide information, and that was just as valuable.
Christopher
Jasper introduced himself to the other, a firm handshake and a small smile of well practiced politeness before taking a half step back, allowing the others to converse. Always a half step back, not quite the shadows but never the light. Even this felt closer than comfort.

It was a raw day after all, too harsh-bright to pull a veil around the world and expect concealment. Some days he could pretend this was but a play on a stage, him in the audience ready to laugh and clap, to critique wooden delivery and fumbled lines, delight in manufactured misery as a man who had no stakes in the game. But that was not today. Standing here was a toe on the front line, an admission of involvement.

He'd put himself in this situation, he reminded himself, a lashing he delivered to his soul on the daily. If this was a shot at redemption or just another twist in the rope he'd strung himself upon? Time would tell. But with or without him, the full moon would make its crawl, clawing its way through the clouds across the sky, and Jasper, in the end, was far too stubborn and far too vain to let anyone but him make the choices, for better and often worse.

"I'm no expert on the inner workings of a firearm, but there may be a way" He considered. "The doctor may know if the effects remain as potent if we turn it to juice. Since offering the beasts a candlelit dinner and plaiting it up real pretty does not seem a possibility."

"Protecting may be a smarter option. Not all can hold a gun without a tremble, and some may not have the chance to fire first. It all hinges on how much of the plant we can spare to test our options." Jasper added, his mind deciding Wolfsbane perfume, while not something he would choose to use on himself, was not a train of thought unworthy of exploration. "If we could somehow turn it to potent liquid, there may be a chance of traps? Stakes soaked in poison in hidden pits. Nails to protect, hammered through doors coated on a paste. Hells, I wonder if we mix it with shine and set it on fire, would the smoke be enough? Too many questions I don't know the answer of." 

Ideas were always the easy part of course, the child's game where one could close their eyes and pretend it was make belief until the sun dipped behind the horizon and the monsters came to play. "Time is not our ally, and it's not without danger. Unlike beasts, men are far too easy to kill with a wrong slip of a hand. Losing one to the beasts is second only to losing one to our own carelessness."
Jennifer
There was a point that Jasper had made— time was a resource they lacked. The minutes ticked down; a clock that reset every moon. Days passed so quickly here; everyone was desperate to find a way to survive when there was nowhere else to go. 

"We could coat the bullets," He thought. "With a wolfsbane oil, perhaps. Like with anything, a lavender or rose oil, it would be infused with it. Maybe that would be enough." He crossed his arms as he thought about it long and hard. "My only other thought would be to follow Mr. Hewitt's line of thinking; I say we just take it all and throw it at the wall... Metaphorically speaking. The more area we cover with this, we can see how much of it works. As long as nobody's eatin' it, we should be fine. Hopefully they ain't takin' licks on wolfsbane paste on doors, ya know?" 

He looked once more to the batch of wolfsbane in Florian's palm. "I say we ought take it to Doc Olander, see what he's gotta say. I'll pass along word to Alma 'bout her thoughts on usin' it for the cage preparations." He promised them both.

He cleared his throat and looked out on the horizon. The day was slowly coming closer and he got that sick feeling in his stomach. "I swear," He said, "It feels like it's the end of the world, ain't it?"
Lawrence
"From what I've read, it remains toxic even when dried but is most potent when fresh." He replied to Jasper's comment, who was right, not everyone was capable of leveling a firearm at one of those monsters and holding steady. Florian had practiced for it, his brother had taught him, come February he hoped he'd be able to hold a weapon steadily, even if the thought scared him. 

Protection was key, Jasper was right, but Florian wanted offense, not defense. That wolf was going to die for what it did to his brother and him. If this was a way to expedite that death then he'd be grabbing hold of it with both of his vengeful hands. "This bundle is all I have, and it won't be 'til summer that wolfsbane starts bloomin' again, so we might want to use it somewhat sparingly." Nevertheless, the ideas, which ranged from perfectly plausible to somewhat outrageous, gave Florian hope that his plan might work. That Briar Ridge might see a decrease in werewolves, opposed to the current increase.

"I'd prefer to focus on killin' rather than protectin'." They wouldn't need to protect anyone if those wolves were dead. "But I'll agree to whatever the Coalition deems the best idea, assumin' that we're goin' to bring it up to everyone else as well?" _I want to help, I'm serious about this, I want to join._ He wouldn't be able to help with the actual construction of the cage, nor did he think he would be spending full moons at the ruins, but he desperately wanted to be useful, he always did. "Doc and Alma should definitely know, yes, thank you. I'll gladly come along and share my findings, I've got more details written down." 
_ _

_Feels like it's the end of the world._ That is exactly what it felt like. Images flashed through his mind: claws digging into his leg, hot black blood pouring down on him, voices screaming, rolling into the hospital _retract time of death, Mr.Barca is alive_, his brother's broken body in a hospital bed, the blood staining the floor of the estate. Florian had scrubbed at his skin for hours when he got home, the feeling of blood, both his and the creature's, it wouldn't leave. ~~Why won't it leave?!~~ His skin had turned red and raw and angry. That same anger had seeped into him and had yet to leave. Even now, at least a week later, he could swear that he still wasn't fully clean. 

"It does." It hadn't felt entirely real to Florian until now, he'd heard the werewolves, seen the damage they'd done, of course, they seemed to enjoy smashing through the doors and windows of the Barca estate, but until the moment he'd been targeted by one it all felt so far removed from him somehow. "Things just seem to be gettin' worse." January had been especially bad, it didn't bode well for the next moon. "It doesn't feel real sometimes. Werewolves shouldn't exist, and yet here they are."
Christopher
Jasper nodded along, his mind still conjuring idea after idea, a fractured prism of scenarios one after the other that all ended in death. The corpse was one of their own far too many times for comfort. "If anyone knows how to put our guesses into reality, that would be the doctor. Until we know what is what and how it falls, there is little point to hinging our traps on this." He caught the tone of doubt before it crept into his words and choked it down. This was not the place to let his own uncertainties claw further at the already fragile foundations of hope. "It will work, just gotta figure out the how part."


There was no questioning the fight in Florian's words, the steel in his eyes and that was not something Jasper could blame him for. Even before nightmares walked among them, Briar Ridge looked like a hard town, callused hands unwavering under the weight of a weapon. But that was not the world Jasper grew up in. Gentle touches on the ivory of piano keys, fingers so soft even the bluntest of embroidery needles welled blood. Not hands for taking lives.

"Killing isn't easy work. Even for beasts." Jasper spoke slowly, a conscious effort of making wild thoughts ring out with some sense behind. "We all want them dead in this world and back in only our nightmares. "But we can't decide for others to have blood on their hands. It's not a burden we can give." 

It did indeed feel like the end of the world, there was no better way to put it. Every day felt like both a first and a last. A more optimistic soul may have tried to talk about the spring to come and the days when these would just be words in a storybook to scare the young ones. But an optimistic soul Jasper was not. "And yet it still keeps turning and the sun still rises. Sometimes I wonder if it's just because the world isn't done hurting us."

||
Jennifer
"I assure you, Mr. Hewitt," He drawled. "I don't think you can begin to understand how easy it can be to pull the trigger when the time comes." He grit his teeth and cast his gaze off towards the tree line. Perhaps it wasn't *Easy*, but it was a hard decision and the simple pull of a trigger. The action was done and over in seconds; Charlie realized how easy it could be if ya just didn't think about it too long. Things like this got easier and easier. 

"Just look at all them people with hurt families. Y'think I'd hesitate for even a second if one of them beasts jumped on Alma or my Ma? Even if they are citizens under all that fur," He shook his head and made direct eye contact with Florian Barca. 

"I'm sure you can agree with that, can't ya, Florian?" He raised an eyebrow, before his eyes went back down to the flowers at hand. "The doctor. Doc Olander will prolly know more about those than any of us; he's a little weird, ain't he? But I'm sure he'll be able to do something with all this information." 

He rubbed the back of his neck. "You fellas thinkin' of joining up with the coalition?" He asked. "Val's down for the count right now, we can always use more hands around." He cleared his throat. "Specially big brains." Charlie folded his arms across his chest. "Alma's real overloaded right now with the cage and all, we can use all the help we can get. Dallas Sinclair's been layin' more traps up in the woods— so be careful."
Lawrence
_Killing isn't easy work, even for beasts._ The youngest Barca son let out a humorless, angry laugh. "I can assure you it is _plenty_ easy for them. You should count yourself lucky you and yours haven't met one yet, if you did you wouldn't be spewin' those kinds of words." How could Jasper be so naive, how could he think those beasts were anything but monsters? Florian had once been naive, had compassion, had seen the humanity behind their eyes. His soul spoke to him, _don't lose your compassion, Barca_, and Florian ignored it. "Killin' is all they're good for, these wolves. I'm sure that if there was somethin' left inside them that didn't want to kill, they'd have acted on that by now."

_I'm sure you can agree with that, can't ya, Florian?_ He'd already felt the beasts' blood on his hands. The sickly black ooze had stained him once before. The next time it would stain the ground of whatever shallow grave Florian's silver bullet had sent it into. The next time he lay eyes on that beast would be the last time. It would die there and then. "I agree," He'd been armed with a butter knife and raw instinct had driven him to plunge it into the wolf. It'd be a cold day in hell before any wolf was going to hurt his family. "And so would plenty of other folks 'round here. The choice between kin and wolf is a simple one." He pushed the thought aside that kin and wolf might be the same. It had been for Charlie. 

"If you'll have me, I'd like to join. I might not be much help when it comes to buildin', for obvious reasons." The paralysis of his lower body. "But thinkin', that I can do. I've been sittin' around for too long." He was itching to actually work towards fixing this problem instead of hiding or being hidden from it.
Christopher
Jasper was a million miles away in a moment, with gun smoke clawing his throat choking and metal heavy between faltering fingers. _How easy it can be to pull the trigger_. There was something almost comforting about allowing himself to drift back into the darkness of that cellar. It was the last moment he could not be fooled to believe a nightmare.

The world caught in his throat as tried to explain himself. "That is your choice to make Mr. Cooper. But I have met enough folks to know not all have the strength or the will to do so." With a breath, Jasper centered himself, smoothing over the cracks of his act. He was not here, not really. Would he ever be? Jasper doubted it. "I guess I can be thankful I don't have 'mine' to worry for. That's why I do for the others of this town. I'd rather put my faith in strong walls than the hubris of my own shot."


"I fear my roots are far too fresh in the soil for my words to hold weight with anyone." Jasper said. There was no bitterness in his voice. Nothing cold or hollow. A calm reserved note, well practiced with nothing behind but the shell of where a person once was.

He'd slipped. Tripped on words. The rope slipped between his fingers with a burn, the heavy brocade curtain swung too far, the audience catching a glimpse of what hideous mess lay behind the glamor of the stage. A voice inside him laughed bitter, amused as the fool tumbled. But anger did not rise the way it should, the way it used to. The fire faltered. A month ago, a week ago even Jasper would have cursed his misstep, pulled his own puppet strings back taught. But his mind had grown tired and this was a fight he was too wary to hold the sword for.

It mattered not if they understood. He was a tumbleweed blowing through at best, an ink spatter marring the carefully drawn map of Briar Ridge at worst. He did not belong and he was just here till the last card fell and the table cleared, just like always. Briar Ridge could be his coffin but never his hearth. 
"On that note, I will leave you to discuss further matters in private. I've said my piece and given my best advice. I can only help so much with laying the plans." He said. "You know where to find me if my help is needed. I can promise the steady hand of a man with nothing and no one to lose."

With that, he took his leave.