Harbor Park Fountain
Situated in the center of a large, open meadow is a clustering of six trees, a flower bed, a few benches, and a plywood wall barricade. The area where the fountain was, and presumably the new fountain will be, is currently enclosed by high plywood walls. There is a door in one of the walls, firmly locked with a stout-looking padlock. The walls enclose much of the flagstone area, now, only leaving a little around the edges of the old courtyard. Scraggly hedges line one side of the courtyard, just behind some mostly graffiti-free benches and a chain link fence. Cars on the nearby street have an excellent view of the park as do any residents of the tall buildings which line the waterfront. The park is almost constantly devoid of people as its reputation for being one of the most violent and dangerous places in the city spreads.
The murky waters of the Columbia River flow swiftly along the east side of the park. Bracketing the park to the west is First Street and the city of St. Claire. A meadow surrounds the small glade.
Contents:
Julie, Kaz, Bernie
Flowers
Obvious exits:
ManHole Harbor Park Meadow

Bernie is lying half-upside down on one of the benches, one leg on the seat, one hooked up over the back of the thing. She's reading a book and munching idly on miniature candy bars and the like which she keeps drawing blindly from the backpack on the ground beside her. Her black curls fall partially off the edge of the bench, and it looks like she's stuck one of the wildflowers in the meadow into her hair, just above one ear. It fails to make her look like a movie star.

Kaz is ambling along down by the river, gnawing on a Slim Jim, looking... pensive.

Yi walks alongside the galliard metis, the hood of her recently 'obtained' sweatshirt draped over her head to keep the heat in. "What did you think of Perrin, Kaz?"

Heartsight snuffles along the shore, barking at the occasional racoon hunting crawdads, and chasing cats snacking on dead fish.

Kaz shrugs, sucking some of the meat out of the wrapping. "Sounds kinda crescent-ish. No wonder Elan likes him, huh?" She kicks at a rock, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Bernie.

Ooh, kicked rock! Yapyapyap runchasepounce! The scrawny, mangy looking Heartsight charges after the rock.

Following Kaz's gaze, Yi peers also at the girl reading on the bench. If it's possible to read at this time of night, that is. She gives the metis a raised eyebrow, and motions with her head as if perhaps they should go investigate.

The sound of voices distracts Bernie from the antics of Harry Potter and friends; she lifts the battered book a bit away from her nose, and glances in the direction of the noise, blinking as her eyes readjust. No wonder she wears glasses. She flashes a quick, friendly smile at the newcomers as she notices that they're looking back, and returns to her book, fishing a Milky Way form her bag.

Kaz calls, "Kill it dead, Jules!" and tosses another one in another direction. At Yi's eyebrow, she puts both hands open, palms up, in a gesture of indecision. At the young woman's smile though, her gaze turns thoughtful, and she nods at Yi. Finishing the Slim Jim in two large bites, she turns from the river to head towards the bench.

Walking alongside, Yi brushes off her hood to reveal her face and hair in a more friendly fashion. The two of them stop alongside the bench and she peers briefly at the book cover before smiling and blinking down at the teenager. "Hello," she says in a greeting tone.

Heartsight chases the second rock, too, and then ends up bouncing between the two stilled stones. Of course, river mud is splattered up the mangy mutt's legs and underbelly, while her muzzle is wet from repeated snapping of jaws at lapping waves. As Kaz and Yi veer off toward the fountain and surrounding benches, the dog bounds after, barking and lightly nipping at Yi's and Kaz's dangling fingers playfully.

The book's cover declares it to be entitled 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets', and it descends toward the girl's abdomen as she's greeted. Marking her place with the candy bar wrapper, she snaps the volume shut, and sits up, pushing her curls back behind her ears, out of her face for the time being. Bernie looks the other women over again as they approach, perhaps a tad warily, but her tone as she replies is quite cheerful. "Heya. Nice night, huh?"

Well, now there's a scruffy pooch on the bench, too. Cuz of that chocolate smell permeating the teenager there. Wagging tail, wet muzzle, and snuffling nose are all over the bench, and muddy paws get footprints all over everything, and threaten Bernie's lap. Sweets, yum, hungry, gimmegimme!

Kaz, perhaps unconsciously or perhaps not, plays a little game with her hands, for Julie's benefit. And then starts chuckling quietly. "Jules! Leave the kid her candy!" There's a brief pause, and then a surprisingly warm smile is sent Bernie's way. "'Less you like weird ass dogs beggin' for stuff."

Yi laughs, the soft tone ringing through the night air in a rather empty park. "Yes, it's a nice night to walk. What are you reading?" she asks curiously, tilting her head a little as she casts a brief glance down at the sweet-toothed canine.

Bernie does give a little squeak as the dog joins her, but the reason is readily apparent, as she quickly moves the book to her backpack, where it's more likely safe from mud and slobber. That done, though, she offers the dog a hand to sniff, and goes to scritch it behind the ears. "'Harry Potter an' the Chamber of Secrets,'" she replies to Yi, "'s pretty good... and," looking to Kaz, with a bit of a grin, "I don't mind weird ass dogs, 'long as they don't try t' bite me or anythin'."

Heartsight sniffs wetly at that hand. Where is choco...ooooooohhhh, scritchies! Ears splay, and she's nearly melting down onto the bench, head settling into her lap. Oops, there goes that hind leg, thumpthumpthump.

Kaz snorts. "Ok, right, so she's in love with /you/. Dog people've gotta be ok, right?" Moving to lean against the back of the bench, she asks, "So's it any good?"

Bernie giggles a little, and continues the scritching. "Heya," she murmurs to the animal half in her lap, "you're a good," tiny pause as she glances along, and then ventures, "...girl, aren'tcha?" Like most sane people, she doesn't wait for an answer, but glances back to the humans. "What's her name? An' yeah, 's pretty good... I mean, it's prolly not gonna end up on college reading lists with Shakespeare in a hund'red years, but it's a fun read, y'know?"

The raggie stands rather loosely in front of the girl and the dog. "Dogs are great. Wolves are beautiful too," she murmurs, gazing at the girl. "Ah, where are my manners? This is Kaz, and I am Yi. She's Julie," the no-moon says as she reaches down to give the puddle of thumping fur a scritch and a pat.

"She's Julie. She ain't mine, but I've known her awhile now. She's a good kid, most of the time." Kaz's grin breaks to the surface. "I mean, except when she wants chocolate. Then she's just stubborn as all hell. BUt in a good way, y'know?" She adds, straightening so as to crack her back, "Read the first one. Kinda liked it. Gotta be in the right mood for it, though."

Heartsight is in doggy heaven, yupyup. Groangrowlgroan, pushing her head against the scritching hand of Bernie. A shiver runs the length of the mangy body as Yi adds her two cents worth, then front paws are digging at the lap in search of chocolate. Her ears perk and head lifts at the mention of her name, an empty wrapper stuck to her nose.

"It is nice to meet you, ah..." Yi adds, looking at the young girl with a friendly smile.

Bernie laughs, and pulls the wrapper off the canine's snout. "Hi, Julie. Don'tcha know chocolate's bad for dogs? You'll get," she pauses, "well, I can't remember what, actually, but I know it wasn't healthy." Looking back up, she grins, and offers one of her hands -- the one not currently scritching. "Bernie," she declares, "Niceta meetcha, Yi, Kaz. And I agree; I like 'em, but if I felt like reading Les Miserables or somethin' I don't think they'd quite do the trick."

Heartsight whines quietly, and her ears droop. Truly dejected look on the lupine features. Hell, even her tail droops. Such a sad, pitiful sight.

Kaz shakes her head. "S'posedly, it makes their stomachs explode, but it don't actually do that. Me, I think it's propaganda from humans who wanna keep all the chocolate for themselves. I've given her /fudge/ before, and she was fine, next day."

Heartsight whine/yawns, a huge parting of jaws. Pink tongue rolls out, and ears pull back, before jaws snap shut. A light rumble in her throat, Nuts did it.

Yi hunkers down and pets Julie, her eyes going back and forth from the girl to the dog and back. "So, what are you doing out in this part of the city? It is a little dark to read, isn't it?" She scritches the chocolate loving dog lightly on her ruff.

Bernie melts at the drooping, with a quiet "Awww..... I prolly gotta slim jim in there somewhere?" She glances into the bag, rummaging quickly with the hand she'd offered, and makes a face. "Never there when y'want 'em..." Pulling out a nice plain minature Hershey's, she chides the dog, "Okaie, just one, but if you die don't come cryin' t' me...." She nods at Yi's comment, as she unwraps the treat deftly with one hand. All that snacking-while-reading, most likely. "Yeah, but it wasn't when I started... kinda lost track of time. And th' dark comes on gradually and all, so sometimes I don't notice for a while... and it's nie here. I like parks."

Kaz agrees, "Me too. I used t'spend a lotta time out here, with m'friends. We kinda made sure no one did stupid shit. I wanna start doin' that more again, actually."

Heartsight's eyes follow E. V. E. R. Y. move of Bernie's hand, ears swivelling and nose just-a-tracking. The tail is swinging side to side a mile a minute, and she starts getting antsy as the teenager starts unwrapping the candy bar. As if understanding her, Heartsight yips in answer.

"Not very many people in the park these days," Yi says softly, still scritching Julie around the ruff and gradually moving up behind to rub the furry ears before dropping her hand as she notices the lupe concentrating on the stick of jerky. "Do you live around here?" she asks the girl.

"Do now," Bernie replies, with a bit of a grin, as the wrapper falls away. "And most parks are better for a li'l solitude, y'know?" She holds the chocolate out in her hand beneath Julie's muzzle, and looks to Kaz. "What kinda things were people tryin' t' do, surf?" she queries, with cheerful interest.

Despite all the seeming excitement, the lupine Gnawer gingerly takes the candy from Bernie's hand. Unfortunately, two chomps, and it's gone, then Heartsight is cramming her nose in the open palm, sniffing wetly for any trace remains. Kaz snorts quietly. "Oh, yeah, alla time. They don't get much hangtime, though, so gen'rally, they just swim a lot."

Yi laughs at Julie's antics.

Rising up from her stooped position, Yi gives Kaz a short pat on the shoulder. "I need to be going. I have a job at the chinese restaurant nearby." She smiles at Bernie, and reaches down with her hand to shake. "It is nice to meet you, Bernie. I hope I see you again soon. Perhaps I will find you at this park again, na?"

Bernie laughs, both at the ticklish sensation in her palm and at Kaz's reply. She pulls her hand away and wipes it on the thigh of her jeans. "Bet there's int'resting stuff t' see there if you're snorkling..." She nods to Yi, shaking with her freshly clean hand, "Sure, I bet I'll be 'round... have a good, uh, work!"

Kaz reaches up a hand to pat Yi's hand, and nods, with a small grin. "Later, Yi."

Heartsight crooooons at Yi, then rolls over and lolls around, half on the bench, half on Bernie's lap.

Yi grins, and nudges Kaz slightly, rounding the bench and giving her a quiet gaze before jogging off.