Basketball & Beer

3/29/2005

05:48 PM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.

Currently the moon is in the waning Gibbous Moon phase (70% full).
Currently in Saint Claire, it is raining lightly. The temperature is 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the north at 10 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 29.52 and rising, and the relative humidity is 93 percent. The dewpoint is 39 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius.)

13th and 14th Avenues, Uptown
Stately old homes, interspersed with apartment buildings built of brick and only a few stories high, line Osprey Drive, with one block to the west given over to St. Uriel's School and St. Uriel's Church. Small yards are set in front of the houses and other buildings, and old trees tower over the yards to shade them. Southwards, towards Market, an apartment complex takes up most of 13th Avenue, with elaborate landscaping and a fountain in the front. At Market, and south to Four-Leaf Clover, health clubs and high-priced restaurants (with food to justify the prices) are interspersed with small shops selling gold and silver jewelry, or books, or various over-priced luxury items. This residential-commercial north-south pattern continues, westwards, towards 15th Avenue.
Contents:
Cole
Emma
Obvious exits:
1354 Osprey Drive  Victorian House  The Oriental Regency  Silverton Apartments  Across the Sea Collectibles  Harp and Starling Bookstore  South  West  East  

The rain has eased up in the last half hour and the dinner rush is in full swing. People are milling quickly about trying to get here and there before the sky opens up again. Emma, however, walks along at a pace suggesting there is no destination. Her coat is open and her hands are shoved into the pockets, and atop her noticably bald head, is a Seattle Mariners ballcap.

Emma isn't the only bald individual prowling the street. Cole stepped out from his apartment only a few minutes before now, and is making his way down the street. There's an agitation and tension about him that only makes it appear as if he has a destination, and an important one at that.

Amid the evening rush hour, a pack of young men no older than a few years above legal emerge out of a local health club with their brightly colored warmups on. They toss a basketball amongst them, making jokes and jabs at each other. "You got nothin' on me! Not after I put that sweet 3-pointer in over your head! Hahaha!" "Man shut up, that was all Eric's fault, makin' his weird ass signals about coverin' people." "Hey!" "Haha, sorry man, but you know D's tellin' the truth!"

Folks make an effort to give the young Ahroun a wide berth, and she is neither upset nor phased by this anymore- in fact, the lack of folks bumping into her is probably a saving grace for the easily agitated girl. Her steps take her down the sidewalk, walking past the health club with eyes gazing about. It's too early for trouble, well- usually, but it's also too late to be cooped up in the house.

Cole makes an effort to avoid people on the street, which seems to be working remarkably well. He looks up, dull interest in his eyes, as he hears the men bragging about the game that apparently just got out. He doesn't pause for long, though, shaking his head as if to clear it of some thought or other.

The basketball is tossed back and forth, back and forth. Bouncing its way down the sidewalk with the group, they chatter amidst themselves more. Not paying attention to the others on the sidewalk, they move and get ever closer in a path that seems bound to intercept the Garou on the street. Then, the basketball is passed, but missed as it sails overhead. "Ho' shit! Heads up!" The ball bounces into the street, only to be struck against a passing car and bounced back at high velocity, right for Emma's face.

The call of heads up certainly brings Emma to attention. Her eyes quickly catch the fast moving object and she makes a last second ducking motion as the ball sails over her head, "Geezus!" She sweeps her gaze to the boys, a scowl on her face that is bred of annoyance more than true anger. "Why don't you hold the stupid ball out here!"
Cole's gaze is caught by the figure ducking the ball at the last moment. One brow raises as he recognizes her. He stops moving, unsure as to whether he wants to meet this particular individual in this situation. Instead, he watches what happens with keen interest.

D breaks off from the group, headed down the way first to retrieve the basketball. As he passes by Emma, the man gives her a sort of peculiar 'look', recognizeable to one of the many kinds the Garou receive on regular basis by people. He doesn't say anything, instead simply getting another bystander on the street to pass him the ball and saying to them a thanks instead. "Yo, 's not like we threw it outright at your head, y'know? Geez," says the one named Eric, who is the first to reach a distance where conversations are usually held. The rest of the guys are speechless, but they are all indeed, looking at Emma's peculiar visage.

Emma huffs, "Yah, but you could just hold onto it the damn ball. Too many people out here to be throwing it around. Morons." She gives them a glare right back, shoulders tensed as if in challenge to them.

Cole chuckles at Emma's rejoinder, and starts to make his way over. Being on the other side of the street, he needs to wait for traffic to allow him to cross.

"Y'know what? You don't gotta be such a bitch about either," Eric replies, all mouth and scowl. "Just let it go Eric..." says one of the younger men hanging in the back. "Nah. Nah, I was /gonna/ apologize, but lil miss bitch can't hold in her attitude. What the fuck is your problem?" Eric directs at the Get, still maintaining a short distance from her to him that seems to be a buffer zone. D comes up from behind, ball tucked under one arm.

Emma balls her fists up but puts them back into her pockets, "Some people don't like having to dodge projectile basketballs." She sneers then, "Or is that too big of a word for you?" "-How would you like it if my foot came flying out of nowhere and went straight towards your nuts!?"

A chorus of oohs and murmurs ripple through the scant number of guys, and Eric's face contorts with a mixture of surprise and anger. "Girl, you betta be /glad/ I got /policies/ about not hittin' bitches like you," he snorts, puffing up in a swift breath. D frowns, passing a look up to Eric before he speaks up from behind the girl. "Look, he didn't mean no harm. It was an accident."

The infamous oohs of shit talk gone well are like a kindling to the young Get. She smirks at the other and just shakes her head, "That'd be the last thing you remembered doing if you tried that." The other one catches Emma's attention and she shrugs to him, "Then why don't you pull him away and get him to shut up. Whatever. Why don't you guys just get lost!"

D's brow squinches together at the saucy girl, blue eyes blinking. Shaking his head again, the man steps around the Get to rejoin his comrades. A hand is placed on Eric's shoulder, that is quickly batted away by its owner. "Fuck you, bitch," Eric hisses, "it's not our fault your Girl friend left you 'cause you uglier than a chemo patient." He turns away, a small smirk passing from him to the others who look from one trashtalker to the other. D sighs, his good mood teetering on the edge of a rift. "C'mon you guys, let's just get outta here 'n get something to eat. Tche."

Cole finds his way across the street at about this point, only to hear what's happening. "At least bald passes," he responds, scathingly. "I feel sorry for you guys, because retarded is forever."

There are two things you don't do to Emma if you are boy: you do not make fun of her, and you do not laugh at her expense. Rage fires up into her eyes and her hands come out of her pockets, knuckles white from the clenching of her fists. She hears Cole's voice, but it doesn't register, and as the group turns to walk away, Emma charges them with hands out in front of her to push Eric roughly towards his buddies. "Fucker!"

A majority of the group turns around at the new voice, and even more, now some of the guys in the group too are looking a bit more discomforted. Eric is busy scowling at Cole before he is pushed roughly from behind, causing him to lose balance and run into D. D is quick enough to catch the both of them though as well as keep a good hold of the basketball under his arm, and with a glare now he turns around, roughly shoving Eric off. "Hey! What the fuck?" D's attention focuses on Emma first, giving her an incredulous stare at her brashness. "You prone to shovin' strangers around or do you just /like/ to dump on other people? Huh? Christ, what the hell /is/ your problem?" D's mini-rant earns him most of the other guys' attentions back, while Eric looks like his retaliation just got stolen away.

Cole simply smiles, though it's by no means a kind smile. It's more the smile of someone who's just looking for a fight, and sees one that might be on the horizon. "Guys might want to beat it. No harm, no foul, huh?" He skirts around the group, moving to stand on the same side as Emma. The Get has most of his attention at the moment, as if the other group is unimportant.

Emma is huffing visibly, her teeth gnashed together. "You buddy should keep his mouth fucking shut, or I'll knock it focking off his face." She blinks her eyes together quickly, trying to bite back the rush of adrenaline begging to be released. "Get the fuck outta here! Go away!!"

Once more, D cuts away at the opportunity before Eric gets a chance to speak. When Cole moves around them to stand with Emma, D just gives him a moment's glance. Bald head to baseball cap. "/You/ should learn to fuckin' forgive people," D spits out, turning halfway to go, "Girl like you with a mouth like that..." D shakes his head again, temper subsiding but annoyance staking itself in his mood before he fully turns. "Let's get the hell outta here already," he says with bitten off words to his group. Eric doesn't even get a note from D to move, but the mouthy bastard sneers at both Emma and Cole before retreating with.

Cole returns the sneer from Eric with a stare, as if challenging the young man for dominance. Then, infuriatingly smiling, he raises his hand and gives a cheerful wave to the departing group. He looks back to Emma after a moment. "Don't worry about those asshats."

There is an odd mix of emotion on the girl, like a full moon struggling to be seen from behind a thick overcast. Her shoulders still rising and falling quickly, one hand comes up to hurriedly wipe at her face, smudging over her eyes without looking to the other. "I can't stand this," Emma finally admits.

And, on rare occassion to be seen uptown, Yi makes her appearance from further up the cross street. Turning a corner, she spots Cole and Emma along the sidewalk, and debates with a moment's hesitation to greet them. It isn't until she's closer and makes some confirmation of identity, though, that the Gnawer lifts a hand to wave at the pair.

Cole looks from the corner of his eyes to Emma. "The moon, or the new haircut," he asks, in an undertone. When Yi makes her appearance, his lips tilt upward in a smile. "Just the woman I was looking for," he says, by way of greeting.

Yi sports her own very sparse hairstyle, hiding it this time with a black bandanna and a grey unmarked baseball cap over it. The Gnawer casts a glance back behind her before turning to the others, giving Cole a more or less querying glance. "You were looking for me?"

Emma sniffs and shrugs her shoulders to Cole's question. "Both. Mostly the latter." She looks away then, very much trying to avoid eye contact until that glassy look passes her. When Yi approaches, a quiet shoulder lifting, 'Hey' is offered.

Cole nods towards Yi. "Yeah, something you might be able to help me with, if you're willing." He clears his throat, then nods toward Emma. "I, uh, I feel your pain. It's bad, the whole balding thing. Wanted to talk to you, too, by the way."

Yi dips her head once to the ahroun, sympathy and understanding of the pain of hairlessness accompanying her expression. Cole gets her attention once more though, as the ragabash fiddles around with a pocket of her jacket. "I hope it does not involve getting burned alive again," she notes, drawing out a wallet that looks to be a men's leather type. The ragabash again casts a glance behind her, as if checking, before opening it to check its contents. Her dark eyes flick up, bidding the Fianna to continue.

Emma licks her lips as her brow creases, "Me too?" she asks with a tone of complete surprise. "Well ya found me. Thanks by the way, for the assist back there." She grabs the ballcap to pull down a bit further, as if it could help hide her completely away.

Cole smiles weakly to Yi. "Hopefully not. It's nothing definite. I was talking to someone over at the safehouse. His name's Grey. Said you might be able to help my group out a bit with the hospital. He didn't say specifically what, but he reccomended you." He nods to Emma, looking nonplussed. "Yeah, you, too. No worries about those idiots." He snorts. "Well, the one idiot," he amends. "Anyway, just wanted to say....ah, fuck, just wanted to say thank you. For the save. When this happened." He rubs his hand over his bald pate. "The others told me it was you, and that's how you ended up burned."

Yi was counting cash, until Grey is mentioned. Then, Cole has Yi's full attention. The Gnawer is definitely suspicious now, gaining a touch of edginess to her tone too. "Grey? Told you to talk to me?" There is a tinge of doubt.

Emma seems a bit surprised by the others comment towards her, but it does perk up her mood. There is nothing arrogant about her response though, just an honest nod and a, "No problem. You'd do the same." She quiets herself quickly though, as if picking up that the conversation for the other two is more important.

Cole smirks. "Yeah, I probably would. But all the same. Yeah. Thanks." He looks back to Yi, expression easing from the slightly pained expression he had a moment ago. "Yeah, Grey," he confirms. "Just said that you might be able to help. Nothing more specific than that, unfortunately."

Yi tilts her head, still rather doubtful, but more attentive now. She slips the wallet back into her jacket pocket, and looks up and down the street for a second. "What is it you are seeking to do about the hospital?"

Cole clears his throat. "Well, right now, we're thinking about reconn. Finding plans, learning what we can about the place. Anything, really. Like I said before, I have no idea why he suggested you. But he seems to have been her sometime back, so he probably knows his stuff."

Emma grins a bit now, unable to hold it back very well. "Ah Cole, c'mon, it wasn't that hard. You made it look like pulling a tooth. And probably?" She huffs, "You just grabbed my back with a bunch of basketball thugs. I think ya'd have done the same without thinking about it. Anyway." She shrugs then, "You guys sound like you got some important stuff to talk about. I can scram."

Yi's thin brows arch up at the mention of basketball thugs. Her hand slips back into the pocket where she'd stuck the wallet, drawing it out. "If you are talking about the same basketball guys who I passed coming here..." She tosses the wallet towards Emma, a small knowing smile alighting on her lips. Then, to Cole, she nods. "If you are thinking about scouting, I would be glad to help and lend what experience I have." The Gnawer wets her lips, looking back to Emma. "Was not Cole wanting to speak to you too?" She looks from Fianna to Get and back. "I don't see why you need to go yet."

Cole shakes his head. "No, you don't have to go. It's nothing sensitive. 'sides. Anything my group learns, we share. Part of our deal, y'know?" He clears his throat, grinning as the wallet gets tossed over. "That's too goddamned awesome, Yi," he says, admiringly, of the apparent theft. He can't really hold back a grin as Emma grins at him. "Some things just come hard to us, I guess," he murmurs lamely.

Emma looks at the wallet and lets out a girlish giggle, "Oh sweet. Wow, that sucks so much for him. Ha!" She peeks in it and then hands it back, "Karma at it's finest I guess." The mood starts to lighten for her now, and her hands pop lightly back to her pockets.

Yi rubs at a shoulder, a slight blush just coloring under her cheeks and smirky smile. "I couldn't really help it. He was talking so loud," she notes with another glance behind her. Back to Cole and Emma though, she looks to the both of them. "Which part of the hospital did you want to look at? Because... well, because you really do not want to go there just with one pack."

Cole shakes his head. "Anything we can learn, really. Layout, security cameras if there are any, what type of guards they have. We're working on a possible connection between the architectural firm and construction company that built the place. Apparently, the bid was insanely low, and they took it. Like they wanted the job done at any cost. The companies work together before and after it, too. Alot."

Emma listens in to all of this with a fair amount of interest, but keeps her mouth shut. The people flocking for food have all but abandoned this side of the street now, and it's then that Emma speaks up. "We could go someplace more private if you guys want."

Yi nods slowly, interest waxing, up 'til Emma makes her note. Another nod is given, as the ragabash agrees, "Yes, I think... we should probably move a little further down to somewhere less noticeable."

Cole glances around and shrugs. "Yeah, sure. Ladies first," he offers, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Emma looks around, shrugging, "Don't ask me, this is beyond my normal strolling area. I've had a rough few days, being out of the public eye all together would be nice. Someplace nearby, or should we hit my place?"

Yi looks up and down the street again, before she nods to the two of them. "There should be a small section between the buildings further down that way," she motions with a point, and starts to wander thataway. Luckily their proximity goes unbothered along the way.

Cole clears his throat. "Actually, I just thought of something. My apartment's about a block away, and much more friendly to our type of conversation. What do you think?"

Emma grins at Cole's offer. "I won't get in trouble for it this time?" The jab seems good-natured though, "Fine by me. Yi?"

Yi pauses, turning back around. But a moment's consideration goes into her thoughts before she nods. "Please lead the way then," she tells Cole with a smile.

Cole snorts, the memory obviously not too hard for him to come up with. "I wouldn't think so," he responds, amiably. "This way." He leads the way, and it's only a few minutes before he's opening the door to the apartment.

Apartment 2D(#2576RAJ)
The door of this studio apartment opens immediately onto wooden floors last refinished in the '70s. From there, it's only a short stride to the kitchen where the wooden cabinets, despite having seen better days, are more than adequate storage space at twelve feet long. Their dark surface is only broken by the fridge, sink and oven that lie equally spaced along their length. A slightly gouged oak table stands ringed by four plastic countour chairs. Along another wall, two closets are hidden by cheap folding wooden doors.
Adjacent to the kitchen area is the apparent living room, the break between the two rooms more implied than physically present. It consists primarily of a tatty loveseat and an armchair standing mute guard around a folded card table. A filing cabinet also calls this place, looking rather new and out of place amongst all of the older furniture. A battered wooden desk holds a computer a few shades more recent than most of the furnishings. Also of note, a weight bench stands to one side.
The smallest portion of the l-shaped apartment is the sleeping area. Two lofted beds dominate the are close to the ceiling, the space beneath it used to best advantage. Beneath one is a futon, apparently for guests. Beneath the other is a small entertainment center, consisting of a TV and a DVD player.
Contents:
Emma
Cole
Obvious exits:
Out  

Cole opens up the door, pushing his way inside. "Hi, honey, I'm home," he calls, listening fo ran answer. "Nope. No one's here or something would have been thrown at me. C'mon in." He steps through, holding the door open.

Emma grins a bit, stepping inside and looking around. She waits for everyone to get in before taking a seat, then lets out a big sigh and relaxes a bit.

Yi steps inside with a quick noting of various things, room orientation and such. "Nice flat," she murmurs before stepping all the way in. "How do you manage to pay for it?"

Cole shuts the door behind the pair, clicking the lock shut. "Jana pays for most of it. Silver Fang, and all that." He shrugs, moving toward the table. "Grab a seat. Anyone want a beer? Or water," he offers, almost in afterthought.

Emma looks over at Cole, "What kinda beer? Gunnar drinks some fucked up shit, thicker than Guinness. Bet you'd like it Cole. If ya got something more girly, that'd be great."

Yi, not picky, swiftly replies with, "Beer would be fine." The ragabash shifts her weight slightly, and starts towards one of the couches in wider exploration, taking in the various furniture and decorations. Then, as if a thought struck her, she turns back around to ask Emma, "How old are you, Emma?"

Cole manages a haughty sniff. "Girly beer, huh," he asks. "See what I can do." He opens the fridge, rummaging through it. "L'see...Budweiser, Guiness...um. I think that still technically qualifies as milk, but why risk it?" He pulls out a bottle of Guiness and two of Bud.

Emma grins at Yi. "Seventeen. Why?" She reaches out to take the beer and gives another smile, "Hey, Get are stout drinkers too ya know. Sigs lets me have beer at the Brownstone." She twists the top off and takes an all to eager swig. "Thanks Cole."

Yi shakes her head with a short "Mm, nothing really, just curious." A thank you is passed to Cole in exchange for the Bud, and she waits for the Fianna to sit before sitting herself. "So, I guess that Birdseye will be scouting the hospital with a closer eye?"

Cole nods. "No worries." He settles himself at the table, cracking open his bottle. "Yeah, that's what's on our plate at the moment. Apparently, Signe," he looks over at Emma at this, "is getting kinda impatient. It's a tricky place, though. Not somewhere you want to rush in. Especially now that we know that the spirit inside has been seen moving in the area around the hospital. Not just inside it."

Emma frowns a bit at the mention of Signe, "She's got a time limit on this Cole. In more ways than one. She's about hitting her second trimester. No shifting." She lets out a heavy sigh, frustrated for her packmate and elder. "From what I've heard about this thing, from everyone. It needs to be really worked out. I mean, we're talking like a Great Hunt, scale wise. It has to be big."

Yi shakes her head, taking a sip of the beer given. "This is bigger than any sort of hunt a sept of our kind could conquer," she notes with a resolute sort of tone. "But if it can be lured elsewhere, or the power of it lessened, that would be best." She narrows her gaze, looking off. "I normally wouldn't like the idea of blowing it up either, but..."

Cole shakes his head. "No gurantees that it would even kill it. All it would do is kill a whole lot of innocents, for no guranteed gain." He takes a swig of the beer. "I know why she's impatient, Emma. But it's not worth rushing in and getting slaughtered just because we want it done before she can't shift. It might not even be tackled before she's given birth." He clears his throat. "Half of the sept seems to be pregnant. I might just be guessing wildly, but I don't think we could even muster up the power we need to do anything for a few months, yet."

Emma nods here, "Totally agree there. Too many of our soldiers are out of shape for war. It's dangerous, really, even just without talking about the hospital. I feel like a sitting duck sometimes. Especially since the fall of that other caern."

Yi listens thoughtfully, but the talk of pregnancy first, then caerns falling, and the Gnawer takes a long drink of her beer that drains a good quarter or so of her bottle. When the bottle is taken from her lips, she licks away at the last droplets and utters, "We all should be on the lookout anyway, doesn't matter if our packmates and tribemates are pregnant. In fact, it should make us even more cautious. Dakota and Megan, Signe, Taslyn, they do us all great favors." There is a touch of disappointment that flickers in her eyes, quickly glazing over again as she adds, "And I'll be Damned if I am to let this caern fall again."

Cole nods his agreement, setting his bottle down. "No argument here," he affirms. "Aubrey, too. And I think maybe Layne." He tacks on those two names, then takes another swig. "Either way, the rest of us are needed more than ever."

Emma nods her head, eyes closing as the beer settles into her veins. She hurries back the rest of the bottle and then stands up, "I should go. I'm supposed to be out on patrol- and like you said, we're needed more now. Thanks for the break though, and the beer. I'll catch you guys later."

Yi looks back over at Cole, eyes widening a touch as he adds two names. "Aubrey and Layne too?" The Gnawer puts the bottle to her lips again at that. As Emma finishes the rest of the bottle in a hurry, the ragabash glances over. "Ah, yes. And... I think I should be back on my patrols too, soon." The ragabash looks to her own bottle though, and doesn't seem to be finishing it immediately. "Either way, Cole. If Birdseye needs another ragabash or two, Eamon-rhya and I would be glad to help out."

Cole nods, a smile hidden behind the bottle. "Yep, them too." He lifts his hand. "I'm about patrolled out for the evening. I think I'll hang out here for a bit. Catch you two later." He nods to Yi again. "I'll make sure to let them know. Thanks."

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