A Thief's Apprentice

3/20/2005

03:52 PM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.

Bridge Street(#2898RJ)
All the way from Fifth to Twelfth, tenements crowd together tightly, interspersed with a few shops and little stores. A single, larger grocery store decorates a part of the block from Eighth to Ninth. Bars create a grill over the windows of the littler stores, and smells reminiscent of a garbage dump waft from many of the small alleyways. It is nothing unusual to hear a shot, or many shots, ring out from any of the area, nor to see swaggering teenage boys in leather eyeing those who pass, especially women.
Contents:
Joey
Obvious exits:
Dark Alley  Tenement Building  North  West  East  

Crowded tenements come alive with the daily activities of the city folk downtown. A little down the way on 8th and Bridge to 9th, the bustle of a decently large grocery store doing their Sunday grocery shopping is evident. And it is there that Yi resides out in front, sitting upon the ground and playing a little green kazoo. Her baseball cap is flipped upside down, with a couple of small coins residing at the bottom.

Joey is out taking a leisurely stroll today. She's got her eyes on quick scan and is looking around at just about everything. When she spies the kazoo playing Gnawer, she bursts into a wide grin and heads in that direction. Her arms fold over her chest and when the song ends, they unfold to offer up applause. A cute little finger wave is offered as well.

Yi wasn't expecting applause. No sir, the actual sound of clapping makes the older ragabash turn her head, kazoo still stuck between her lips. The surprise gives way to a warm, lime-green and white smile and a nod. With a couple of uptoned notes, Yi 'asks' how Joey is doing. Bzz?

Joey chuckles and shrugs her shoulders up, "I'm okay. Bored. Hey, you got a few minutes? Could use some advice." She grins again, suggesting the advice is of the happy kind.

Yi plucks the kazoo away, scooting over slightly to motion with a hand for the other ragabash to sit. Despite the coins in the cap, no one seems to be generous with their change today, even for lowly kazoo-playing Asians. "I have as long as the store managers will let me sit out here," she replies with a quirky half-smile. "What kind of advice?"

Joey moves to take the seat offered, folding her knees up to her chest and her arms around them. She drops to a dead-silent bit of a whisper, "Teach me how to pickpocket?" Her eyes look out among the crowd, making it seem to the casual passerby, that it's all just casual talk.

Yi immediately blinks at the question. Her eyebrows arch, before she blinks yet again. "It is... not exactly something easily taught," she replies quietly. "But, why?"

Joey grins a little, "Because I am stuck in this city, and I've mooched the people with performances until they are dry. They don't give a busquer money over and over again. This is about the time I move on to a new place, and I can't do that now."

Yi lifts a hand and rubs at the back of her neck, tonguetip sticking out as she thinks. "Mm, well... I do say it is good to know." She looks back to the other ragabash. "But, not exactly one to live by, you know. You must be doing it for the right reasons - and not even because you need the money." Her voice kept low, she keeps up the small smile. "But come on then. You will be a great ninja turtle yet." She laughs, and scoops up her cap and coins in hand.

Joey laughs at the turtle analogy and stands up, "I don't wanna -do- it today, I don't wanna get us caught, but, I wanna learn how. I can practice on Olga or you or something."

Yi taps a finger to her lips, and then smiles with a more mischievous glint in her eye. "Olga would be great to 'practice' on, but we can work with a dummy first." Slipping the kazoo into her jacket pocket, she motions for them to start walking off. "I heard that Stacey was staying at the Odeon for some time?"

Joey ohs at this, "Sorta, no? I dunno. She slept over the other night." The girl grins at this, "She never got to before, so I told her should have a sleep over with me. I like her a lot Yi, she's real nice, for a full moon."

Yi nods her head a couple of times, agreeing with Joey. "She is Alicia's cousin. I have not met any of Alicia's cousins who haven't been nice." Waiting so that Joey can walk alongside instead of behind, she nods over to part of the setting as they walk. "So the first thing to know, is to know where you want to do it. Some places of the city are already taken by other groups. Just like the gangs, you know?"

Joey nods her head, "Okay. How do you figure that out? And what happens if you goof up and do it there anyway?" Her hands slip into her pockets as she walks, eyeing the folk around the two.

Yi clinks a couple of coins around in her cap, shrugging a shoulder. "I guess it is just a matter of paying attention. Or you wait until someone catches you." The CantoGnawer grins slightly, but turns back to the area. "It is almost the same with the gangs, I think. Some work for them, others do more than just picking off targets." She pauses, and nods towards a small otherwise harmless looking gathering at one corner of the block. "You see those guys?"

Joey nods her head, taking a quick glance without staring at them. "Yah." Her eyes turn up to the elder Ragabash then.

Yi doesn't stand there and watch for long, moving on before the others across the way turn and notice. "They are part of the group here, but they act more like... protection." She turns back to Joey then. "If one of theirs gets caught, they are the ones who see it happen and will report it."

Joey narrows her brow, "Report it? Why would they do that?" She sniffs a bit and runs a finger under nose before shoving it back into her pocket.

"Not to the police, but to their leaders," Yi explains. "Because if one of them gets caught, they need to know who it is, in case that person decides to tell the wrong people. The worst thing that could happen for them, is for someone to betray them."

Joey ohs and nods. "Gotcha. So they don't /do/ it themselves, they're just watchers." After another moment, she thinks, "Do you think Olga would get mad if she knew I was doing this?"

Yi tilts her head at that, not answering until they have crossed the street walk. "I think she might be mad, but we are who we are, after all. The moon's influence cannot be denied." She shrugs a shoulder. "Maybe she will even like it? You won't know unless you ask."

Joey hmms, "I think I won't ask and just not bring it up. Can you keep it a secret too then?" A big smile is offered to the other, the youngster laying on the charm ultra thick. "It can be our special secret."

Yi tilts her head at the other raggie. "But why would you need to keep it a secret?" The question is plain, without accusation.

Joey bites her lip momentarily, "In case Olga would be upset by it. I don't want to make her upset." A car screeches by with a massive honking of its horn as someone cuts him off.

Yi glances off to the street as the abrupt blare offsets her calm. "I would rather have Olga be upset and know why, though. Truly, having too many secrets among us only put up walls." She looks back to Joey, mixed feelings in her expression. "But if you want me to keep it a secret for now, I can."

Joey lets out a sigh, and shakes her head, "No that's okay then. But why are secrets bad? Sometimes there are things that only you or one other person are supposed to know about."

Yi starts to lift a hand, about to give the other a pat on her shoulders. "Not all secrets are bad. But things like this, really when you think about it, are not something that /needs/ to be a secret amongst us. After all, you know that I am a... thief..." she says, voice dropping a bit with the last word, "but it is no secret to you or Olga, or anyone else we know. Besides, it would save a lot of time and explanation."

Joey nods her head, "Alright, I'll tell Olga then. She ought to know, in case something goes wrong or something ever." She smiles a little then and her stomach lets out a mighty growl. "Oh geez, I'm apparently starving."

Yi bumps her shoulder against Joey's "Oh, no doubt something will go wrong. That is how we learn. But as long as we support each other, those times will be few. Come on then. We could get some pizza."

Joey grins a little, eyes brightening. "Fresh pizza?" she asks hopefully. "I can pitch in, still got a few bucks left from my stash. "Hey, ya know what else?" She grins again, "Stacey wants me to be in a pack with her."

Yi bobs her head again, turning a bit more north and east. "Another? That is great news, Joey. But, you are not worried about Stacey having less experience than you?"

Joey shakes her head, "God no. She's way smarter than me, and she's nice. Patient too, she wouldn't beat on me for not catching on fast enough. And it won't be a rarr kinda pack either."

Yi laughs, but nods in sympathy. "After what happened with Requiem, I think it would be better that you don't look for that in one." The pair of Gnawers continue their walking towards Regan, making their way towards sources of Italian pie. "Is it just you and Stacey, or have you other ideas of who she will ask?"

Joey shakes her head, "Maybe Rae, she's working with her now. Rae is like me, only, I've gotten better lately I think. She wants it to be like an info gathering pack I think, and work in the umbra. That's a bit scary, dunno how good I'd be at that."

Yi combs a hand through her hair before slipping on her cap. "Rae... I haven't seen her enough to know, but I am confident in you and Stacey's judgement. But... the other side of the mirror is a very dangerous place to be." This she says in seriousness as well, not disguising reality there. "Caution will definitely be needed, but also... you must get better at protecting yourself as well, then."

Joey nods, "Yah," she lets out a big sigh, "I know. Stacey is helping me spar and stuff, but, I don't have much faith in my abilities. I need like a tazer or something."

Yi shrugs at that. "You do what you need to defend yourself," she says without flourish, but adding a decent smile. "But somehow I think a big stick might work just as much." At that, the ragabash laughs softly.

Joey laughs, "A big stick? That takes more skill than point and shoot." She shakes her head as she walks, "I'll get there. I think. Just might be a while. Did ya hear that Josh tried getting me inta trouble?"

Yi shakes her head there. "No, I hadn't." There's a pause as she glances about to make sure no one's really listening. "What kind of trouble?"

Joey grunts, "He says I was distracting him from his duty. Just because I managed to catch him unaware, and I howled and barked. Big deal. He hit me, and then made me submit and told me I couldn't come back for a long time. Then he told Jacinta, who told Olga, who had 'a talk with me'." She rolls her eyes, "I hate him Yi, I really do."

Yi narrows her eyes at the continuance, before she full out scowls. "On what grounds did he say you couldn't go back there? That sounds ridiculous."

Joey nods her head, "He was mad, like I said, and he said that my antics were distracting and thus a threat to the caern. If he had his way, no Gnawer would be allowed there ever."

"What was it that you were doing" Yi asks, "that could possibly be a 'threat'?" Skepticism reads throughout her tone, of White Bear's choice of words.

Joey grins, "Told ya. I managed to sneak up on him. The moon was gone Yi, was nice and dark. I snuck up on him and Stacey, then jumped into the area they were all barks and yips. Took him about half a second to swell up to the warform and knock me down." She grunts, "God, just one day I want to kick his ass. Just once."

Yi frowns, and shakes her head again. "That is a... bloody hell," the Asian Gnawer growls out, her features gaining more than a touch of anger. She slows in her walk, stopping long enough so that she can blink and regain some composure. This news apparently is bothering her more than usual. Then, looking straight on at Joey, she asks, "What did Jacinta tell Olga to tell you?"

Joey shrugs, "Just to talk to me about it. I dunno if it was to get my side, or if she has already taken /his/ side and thought Olga could get on my case about behaving." She kicks at a bottle cap on the ground and chuckles, "Some day."

Yi snorts. "Then? Did Olga say anything? Honestly... that you managed to catch Josh offguard, is no small feat."

Joey shrugs her shoulder up, "He was still all wounded from a fight, missing most of an ear and stuff. I'm sure he'd say that was why. I don't care though. If he was out on duty, then he shoulda been healthy enough to hear me coming. I am not the keenest shadow."

Yi nods slowly, and then with a short puff of breath starts again the walk towards Garcia's. "He is not the lord of all, though. No matter what he says, does not deny that he could be saying the wrong things. You know that story of the boy who cried wolf, right?"

Joey nods her head, "Oh yah. I know that one." She falls in behind the other as they closer to the establishment, letting the elder one go in first. "How does that fit in with Josh?"

Yi looks back behind her, a smirk coloring her lips. "Every time he cries out that someone is being a threat to the caern, the more we simply don't listen to him. A dangerous idea, I know, but he is, after all, a fullmoon."

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