Quentin Catchup

1/8/2009

05:24 PM
Logfile from GarouMUSH.

[TIMEWARP: Because of this log, this log is a bit fluid in timespace.]
Currently the moon is in the waxing Full Moon phase (83% full).
It is currently 17:22 Pacific Time on Thu Jan 8 2009.
Currently in Saint Claire, it's a sunny day. The temperature is 34 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the southwest at 9 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 29.82 and rising, and the relative humidity is 82 percent. The dewpoint is 29 degrees Fahrenheit (-1 degrees Celsius.)

Harbor Park -- The Meadow(#194RJ)
One of the last bastions of green left in the city, mottled and withered grass and weeds covers the earth like a badly stained carpet, with the construction work turning what is left into just bare dirt. The vegetation seems marginally healthier the further it is from the river and much healthier towards the central area of the park around the fountain. Construction work is ongoing here: a raised earthen berm about five feet tall is being built all around the park perimeter, with two breaks each at the Bridge Street entrance and the First Street end. Wooden posts are being erected at regular intervals all along the earthen wall, while tasteful iron gates and fences are being added at the entrances. Overpowering the scent of living vegetation are the exhaust fumes from a busy street to the west and an unpleasant stench from the Columbia River to the east. From the street view or river view, the park is now isolated, as if it existed apart from the city. People in tall buildings have an excellent view of any goings-ons for now, though. In the center of the park, a small glade of six tall trees and a flower bed surrounds the fountain.
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.
Contents:
Quentin
Obvious exits:
Bridge Street  Fountain  First Street  River

As the bright sun sinks down beneath the horizon, the deeper chill of winter eve starts to creep over the city--and most of the reasonable folk in the park are leaving, to be replaced with the odd mugger or drug dealer. Or victim. None of the above is Quentin, who's currently crossing one of the fields with a flashlight in hand--a mag lite--tossing it casually from one hand to the other as he heads deeper into the park proper.

Unheralded by light or obvious motive (to the streetwise), Yi also makes her way into the park with the air of one who seeks everything and nothing at all. How very Zen. Making no effort to conceal her presence, her body and Quentin's Maglite beam cross paths at a distance. The brief flash tugs the Gnawer ragabash's attention away to the flashlight's owner, and she squints through the growing dark towards the Walker galliard.

As the beam catches upon the slender ragabash, Quentin squints into the shadow--and then a smile twitches in a faint, wry smile. "Yi? Hey, there..." The maglite drops a bit, and his steps carry him along over in her direction.

Yi isn't so much a deer caught in headlights, but she does pause at the call of her name. Once her eyes have adjusted back, she takes in the sight of the Walker galliard and with an air of familiarity greets, "Quentin. It is great to see you. How are you?" She shifts an all too obvious bottle in a paper bag beside her to the other hand, so the recently vacated can reach out for a shake.

"Surprisingly well, actually," Quentin admits, reaching out to clasp the offered hand firmly-- a wry smile flashed to her in the fading light of dusk, "Got a girl, a kid on a way, a pack--well, almost, awaiting formalities--so, pretty damn good, from my point've view. Good to see you out'n about again."

Yi's shake is firm, yet retaining a quality of one who isn't used to the gesture, doing so for politeness' sake. "You sound very busy," she points out with an echo of his smile. "So what are you doing out here?" Meaning the present, she gestures to the park in general. "I am here to... catch up. I am surprised how many keep saying being away was like prison, but I have to admit... it is nice to see night lights again."

Quentin draws his hand back, turning a bit to look over the park's meadow. "I'm the head of a non-profit currently working to clean up the park, and all--the Harbor Park Reclaimation Project. So I make it a point to do some patrolling, roust out some troublemakers." He grins, then, "You're a city girl at heart. I can appreciate the woods too, but..."

Yi rubs her free hand against the back of her neck, expression sheepish. "You can take the girl from the city... but not city from the girl," she admits. It's the galliard's other words though, that push up the Gnawer's brows. "Harbor Park Recla... Reclamation Project?" The words are echoed awkwardly. "Trying to clean up this place?" She looks around left and right, scouring the meadow scape before looking back. "Just by yourself?"

"Oh, hell no..." A low chuckle, Quentin's head shaking, "...I've got some manpower and resources behind it. Lot've family. Working on getting a neighborhood watch patrol, even got some cops offering to work for it off-duty--" He grins, "--I /am/ realistic about the limitations of shit I can do alone, y'know."

Yi continues to eye about with shifts of focus here and there, but she nods to the galliard. Then with a gesture, invites him to continue his patrol. She'll just accompany. As they go, she's taken a few steps before asking, "Maybe I can help, but I seem to remember someone already claimed this area for their 'group'. Was that yours? And how is your other challenge going?" The deeper meaning slides inside.

Quentin gives his head a slight shake. "That was Mouse," he admits, moving to continue along his walk--sweeping the light over the park's trees and brush and grass, "She gave me full permission to set it up, though. And given that this place is... special... by Mama K's decree, nobody can be banned from protecting here. And it's going alright, got my terms, working on it now."

Yi lets her curiosity push out. "What were the terms?" she asks in a quieter, almost conspiratorial tone. As he sweeps for things, she twists open the bottle in her hand and takes a quick drink of it before offering it out to the galliard.

"Thanks," Quentin flashes a brief smile, accepting the bottle and taking a swallow--giving it back, he murmurs, "I've got to collect some tales from th'local native tribes. Then I need t'lead a mission of Jacob's choosing with at least two natives with me. His way of trying t'get me t'get along with them, I guess--typical hippy, making me face my prejudice n'shit. It's a challenge, definately."

Contained in the bottle is a wash of rum. Yi listens to the terms given, nodding slowly. "Not a bad idea, especially with the way the board is drawn right now," she remarks to the Walker. "What do you have against them? Jude is not so bad... especially if you wanted to hear some stories."

"I was going t'talk to her," Quentin admits, reluctantly, "The 'tena ain't bad, but--" A sidelong look, lips pursing briefly, "--you remember Leonard, right?"

Yi blinks, and nods twice in affirmation. "How could I forget?" she says with a small, helpless-like shrug. Yet, in the motion is carried with it a certain degree of fondness as well.

"Yeah, well..." A roll of Quentin's shoulders, "...after he abused his kin an' nearly killed one've ours, kinda soured me on th'Wendigo, Yi. An' me and Jacinta don't much get along either."

Yi winds up blinking some more and makes sure to take a drink of the bottle in her hand before she sighs slowly, contemplating an answer to that. After some thought, she remarks, "I guess Wendigo are not the only ones to hold a grudge for a long time past expiration date." Her pace slows a touch, eyes drooping their gaze to her feet.

Quentin's head bobs in a slight nod, admitting in rueful tones, "Hey, I admitted it was a prejudice, didn't I? I'm no saint, Yi, never claimed I was. It's a good challenge." His head lifts, gaze sweeping over the park, "Hell, maybe his plan'll even work. S'pose we'll see."

Yi, when she lifts her gaze again, looks back to the galliard and quirks a crooked smile at him. "You have to be dead to be a saint," she replies, "and I would not want that." Her pace picks up slightly again. "So tell me, what have I missed while I was away? How is my city doing? I'm thinking of doing some rooftop runs in a little while after this... see how far I get."

"It's... going alright," Quentin admits, gaze roaming the park as they walk along, chuckling quietly, "--and thanks for the sentiment. It's going alright, though. The park's starting to get cleaned up--there was a little problem with some fangs awhile back, I'm still trying to track down the last one. The others all fell, though. Cops are heartily infiltrated by the enemy, so be careful 'round them. Mouse claims some Morrison guy is on the job, won't tell me anything more. Hm. There's a blueblood that wants to renovate the zoo, not a bad idea, I'm for it."

Yi seesm to take the news to heart, looking about the park with a scrutinizing eye but pulls back to Quentin when he mentions fangs. "Fangs? What problem was that?" She seems to be referring to 'Silver Fangs', however, from her mention of it. The added mention of Morrison gets a nod from the ragabash. "Morrison is a great man, nice guy. I would trust him to do his job right." But, her features waver at the mention of the zoo into a small frown. "Does he know about the... the problem with its Shadow?"

Quentin gestures vaguely with one hand, "--no, no. The -other- kind've fangs. The ones with the tanning issue." A shake of his head, then, "I don't think so--t'be honest, I don't know the details, I was out've the city for years after the Leonard shit, remember. Want to fill me in? Maybe it can be cleaned up."

Yi peers curiously at the Walker as he explains. It takes her a moment before the reference registers, and then she takes another drink with a look elsewhere. This one's no sip. After a clearing of her throat, the ragabash lets the bagged bottle fall back beside her. "We tried to, once. It had a spider problem. Big city full of spiders," she alludes back. "Renee tried to lead us but, the plan fell through. I still have some scars from all the bites." Her free hand gestures down to her legs in general as they walk. That seems to be the extent of her explanation, though.

"Spiders?" Quentin glances over as they walk, a touch of surprise, brow furrowing a bit, "Grandmother's brood? Hmn. Didn't expect t'hear that. Interesting."

"I think it was because it was that way for a long, long time. No change, no dusting," Yi's theory comes. "My family used it for a little while before that, which was why Renee was trying to get help clearing it out. After that though, we were found out and had to move." She takes a few more steps before realizing, "Hey. Why am I the one telling stories? You're supposed to be telling me about what's been going on!"

"And I'm gathering information, like a good bard," replies the Walker with a twitch of his lips, glancing over with a slight grin, "Anyway... hm, things've been a bit quiet since the big thing at the grove. Aside from the cops, the park, the zoo, and the leeches... hm. There's a house that we found that eats souls or something, really fucked up, need to sic the theurges on it. And there's some fuckin' ghost messing with people. Likes classical music."

Yi blinks many times, and as things continue blinks even more. Her brows jump up and furrow down in many a reaction to this and that. Her mouth opens and shuts as she fails to find the words, until finally she shakes her head. "Quentin. What has been going on in my city? Honestly. I leave for a little over a year, and this is what happens? Tsk." Not particularly chastising in tone, however, she takes in a breath and huffs out a sigh. "Where to even begin? Maybe I should find out more about these things. Or, I could help you. As long as the city's family pulls together, we can do much, right? Maybe even clean up the hospital and the sewers." She looks particularly in the direction of the long exploded hospital.

Quentin shakes his head slowly, his hands spreading to either side--the light swept with one hand, "It's not like the old days, Yi. There's nobody really pulling the city together anymore, everyone's scattered to their own little corners. S'half of why I'm founding my pack, in the hopes of dealing with some of these little brush-fires while people are off fuckin' around or dealing with political shit." A wry look over, "I'd love to see the city pull together, honestly, but it's gonna take some work just to do that."

Yi purses her lips together in disappointment. "I can hear John Smith ready to rage from his grave," she comments with a sigh. "Still? I can at least say it gives me something to do." She pushes her sleeves back somewhat, tips back a sip of rum, and smiles back at the galliard beside her. "Tell me about your pack?"

"You and me both," Quentin murmurs, his head shaking a touch--and then he slants a wry smile over, "My pack? Mnm. There's Jack. Half-moon. Old-fashioned Wise Guy, kinda broody sometimes, I'm workin' on shaking the loner streak out've him. My best friend, probably." A pause as he hears a rustling, sweeping the maglite that way--but just a squirrel is seen, scuttling up the tree, and then he walks on. "Tim. Darkmoon of Owl's kids. Sarcastic sonuvabitch, but, he's good at keeping everybody calm, and at what he does. Heart, second-rank gaian full moon. Big ol' lovable hippy that could kill an entire mall full've people in like five seconds if he felt like it. Weird bunch, but, fuck, as if I'm normal?"

Yi pipes up, "I met Tim. He's a good guy." Pause. "For an Owl lover." This last statement is made in jest, naturally poking fun at their tribal stereotypes. "I'd like to meet them all some time, maybe. They sound like fun." A mischievous twinkle sparks, and quickly covers up again. "Actually, maybe you can help me with that. Does your family still let other cousins visit their house, or is it too... messy?"

"I wouldn't mind introducing you," Quentin admits easily, slanting over a brief grin, "And yeah, you could go there. Make sure you're not bein' watched--I'm not sure if that PI's still poking around the neighborhood, but, last I heard he hadn't narrowed down th'place yet."

Canting her head up at the taller galliard, she peers at him oddly before a crooked smile sets into her features. "I'll do my best to not be seen," she reassures him. "But I think I will have some trouble finding the place myself, since I know not where the house is."

"Oh." A low chuckle, his head shaking just a bit, "It's over on--" The address rattled off, quickly and quietly as he leans down a bit closer to her, "--just knock, whoever's on security duty should let you in."

Yi tilts her head a little bit more to catch the address and nods then. "Thank you. I actually was hoping to speak to Mouse some time, too, if you might catch her before I do." The Gnawer pauses as she finds something about that funny, to herself. Then, "I guess I should let you get back to your reclaiming, hm? And I have a bit of walking about to do myself."

Quentin tips his head in an easy nod, admitting with a faint snort of breath, "You're likely to before me. We don't talk much--sometimes, I wonder if she's avoiding me." Wry, that, he nods a bit, "Well, don't let me stop you from walking--good talking to you, been too long. Gimme a call sometime, eh? Need t'introduce you to my pack, my mate."

Yi quirks a brow up at that comment on the Walker elder, but she nods mildly and smiles back at him. "Sure, make me spend the little spare change I have on a payphone," she laughs at the galliard. However, she qualifies the statement. "I will call you again. And meet up with you soon, if not here then out east." Meaning, the caern. "Be well, Quentin," she says in goodbye, and breaks off from the path they're on to head down a different one, walking north.

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