Wild Wastelands High School (A Wild Wastelands Spin Off) - (Game Thread | Started | Closed)

[CrystalShadow]

[HEADING=3]Ayana Watkins[/HEADING]
Outside Moriarty's Malt Shop
"Whose lap is this!?"​

Somewhat counter-intuitively perhaps, the sudden violent shock of the crash brought Ayana back to her senses.
At least...
Momentarily.

She found herself in a van, with her head in someone's lap. She had no idea whose lap it was exactly, but the legs she saw suggested it was a girl, most likely.
There was rather a lot of blood, and vaguely aware they had just crashed, she wondered whose it was.

As if in answer, she coughed up some more blood.
oh she thought it's me. That's happened again, hasn't it?

Everything ached, but then that was nothing especially unusual as far as Ayana was concerned.
Coughing up blood was not a good sign, but also not entirely unexpected.
While not an everyday occurrence, as long as she got home, and got some rest, she'd probably be OK.
OK, perhaps that was downplaying the reality a bit.
A few visits from the doctor.
No doubt she'd end up with a nurse hovering around her room for the next week or two...
But other than that, no big deal right?

Only, what was she doing in this van? Where were they taking her!?
She didn't have that much time to panic about it, because she was quickly losing consciousness again.
Of course, if she didn't get some kind of medical treatment soon, this...
Situation could easily go from 'no big deal' to "I'm about to die!" pretty quickly.
But, the moment of clarity was gone, and she faded back into the semi-conscious state she had been in moments before.


[hr]

[HEADING=3]Adrian Watkins[/HEADING]
The Watkins Family residence
"There's no such thing as over-reacting!"​

By chance, Adrian had had the radio switched on, and had caught the news...
"Janice, could you get in here for a moment?" He said over the intercom, in, what for him, was a rather panicked tone.

His assistant entered moments later. sensing the urgency in his tone.
"Did you hear? Lucy Black... There's rumours going that she's been murdered."
"Yes. I heard... What would you like to do?"

Trying to sound as calm as possible, which, to be fair, was something that came rather naturally to Adrian,
He sighed. "Firstly, Double. No, triple the security. This happened next door after all. I mean, given the security of the Black family compound I'm not sure it will help, but I can't very well do nothing."
"Second, clear my schedule for the rest of the day. This is just more important."
"Now, contact everyone you can. Find Ayana. Don't care how, just find her, OK!?

Janice glanced at him quizzically. "Do you think she's at risk?"
Adrian sighed again. "I don't know. But until some motive for the killing surfaces, I have to assume the worst. Depending on what the reasons for the murder were, Ayana could be at risk of being next... I can't take that chance..."
"Alright. I'll make the arrangements to find her. What should we do once we've located her?"
"Just... Bring her home. She might resist, but... Just... Make it happen OK? Now is not the time for indulging her stubborness."
Janice nodded, and left, to make whatever arrangements she needed to.

Adrian leant back in his chair, and picked up the phone.
If he dreaded anything in life, it was making a call like this.
But... Seems like there was no choice.
The slight discomfort in having this conversation wasn't worth the life of his daughter,

He dialed the Number for Kyoto. The head family's principal residence.
He would have to talk to Ayana's grandparents.

A lengthy, and rather unpleasant conversation ensued, as Adrian explained himself and the situation, in his best Japanese to Ayana's grandmother.
While there may have been faint rumours that it was the family itself that had arranged Miyu's death...
And that Ayana's poor health was as a result of long-term administration of some kind of poison...
Adrian was fairly certain those really were just rumours.
The family might've resented Miyu's actions, and loathed Ayana for what she represented, but that was a bit much, even for them.
No, Adrian seemed fairly confident, whatever they might think of her, that Ayana was still regarded as a member of the head family.
As such, she was important to them on some level.
He hoped.

At length, he got to the point, and explained the situation.
The... Reaction was about as he had anticipated.
When the old woman, head of the Shibata household had finished ranting at him and generally telling him off about just about everything imaginable, an agreement had nonetheless been reached.

A bodyguard would be sent over as soon as practical.
Most likely a retainer to one of the more loyal and trusted subordinate families.

Adrian hung up the phone, completely exhausted.
He was somewhat bemused at how strongly that family clung to it's ancient traditions.
The entire world had passed them by.
But, he hoped it would be worth it.
He wondered, absently, what kind of person it was that they'd send over.

Sure, he'd been given a name. And been told to expect a 19 year old girl...
What kind of protection could a 19 year old girl offer anyway?
Though he supposed she would probably blend in better with the kind of crowds his daughter would be involved in, which, given the likely objections Ayana would have to this couldn't hurt.
there was no point to all this if Ayana wouldn't cooperate even a tiny bit.

It wasn't worth dwelling on he supposed, getting up and leaving the office.
he had to check up on the new security arrangements.

The watkins Household wasn't as large and ostentatious as the Black residence it was adjacent to, but there was no denying it was still a mansion in it's own right.
In it's current state it was a bit of a mess, as the west wing had been hastily converted into office space, given that he now run a major international corporation from home.

He had tried to keep the office area as seperate from the residences in the East wing as he could manage, but it was still a bit of a messy arrangement.
Still, it served it's purpose.
But it wasn't exactly an arrangement conducive to proper security arrangements.

He'd have to take a good look at the guard placement and rotations, and the patrol routes, just to be absolutely sure there were no nasty surprises...

 

[Silence]

Violet | Moriarty's Malt Shop

Hearing Sylphee swallow some liquid, Violet began to have suspicions, but she was not in the mood to comment about it. She was done rather fast, being on the toilet not a thing that necessarily needed two hands, and not having to close the buttons of trousers, as she was wearing a skirt, which proved itself a good decision.

"I'm fine. Really. Thanks for checking on me. It's been a bit of a day, hasn't it? Between Lucy and Ayana and Constance... I'm sure that it's just all this stress. Either that or else Moriarty's been substituting horse meat for beef again." Sylphee said, from outside her stall.

?Well, at least I did not eat meat. It's not healthy, anyways.? Violet responded. She was not vegetarian per se, but while she was not purging for popularity, she still had some conscience about what she ate.

"So... Violet... I haven't seen you around before. Are you new here?" Sylphee asked conversationally in a rather upbeat and friendly tone, "You're pretty nice, you know that? I hope we can be friends, especially if you're going to Springvale High this year."

Violet smiled at that. She did not completely trust this sudden niceness, but playing along would not do much harm, probably. ?I'm not really new, but I guess I did not really stand out before.? she answered. ?I think we can be friends ? if we learn more about each other.?

At this poing, Violet opened the stall door, unsuspecting that Sylphee was leaning against it. ?Woah!? she called out in surprise, as gravity pulled Sylphee towards her. Her reaction was fast ? trying to stop her from falling with both hands. There was just this one little problem ?

She cried out in pain, as her hand took more weight than it could, and slipped off Sylphees side, with her falling on Violet, despite the best efforts to prevent it.

 

[ServebotFrank]

Jason Douglas-Sorenson Residence-Garage

"It's around ten in the morning, so it isn't as if it's the crack of dawn. And leave Toni alone, he hasn't even done anything to wake you up, I'm the one that's been working."[/u]Jenna remarked at Jason as if he's an idiot. Most people tend to think Jason is as dumb as rocks. Jenna pointed her finger out of the garage and snapped her fingers for him to leave, "Now if you don't mind, kindly get out of my garage. I have work to do, and you're bothering my friend."

"Actually the police would probably disagree with you on that, they tend to not care what time of day it is. Public disturbance is a public disturbance no matter the time." Jason stretched out his arms and let out an exaggerated yawn, "Actually I'm not in the garage, just...Two steps away from it."

Jason took a quick glance around the garage, he actually rather admired Jenna's passion for her gizmos. He just wished she wasn't so damn loud about it and bitchy all the time. A little down time can work wonders for the mind.

"That would be a wise investment to make Jason. After all, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." The dumb oaf remarked to him. Okay then, Jason had a few issues with that statement.

"Okay first of all Antonio there is literally no risk to this, 2nd of all I think you need to look up the word 'scorned' because it does not mean what you think it means. You see, I don't HATE the gal; I just think her work is too fucking loud." Jason clarified and then dismissively turned his back. "I'm going to go check out whatever is making the cops working so hard. See you around kids." Jason hopped the small picket fence back over to his house to go take his car out for a spin.

Joe better have changed the fucking oil like I asked him to. He thought as he entered his house to look for his keys. Where did he put it this time?

 

[FalloutJack]

Upper Springvale Residential Neighborhood
A fine day for rain​

After the arrival of the police and the following testimony, Jonathan withdrew from the scene, leaving behind the gathering crowd and its noise. No, noise was the last thing he needed right now. He walked on down the street and took a left, only to stop in his tracks. All that blood... he didn't want to imagine how it all went down. Lucy was family; though not related in any way, Jonathan and her father Isaac had been good friends for a long time. Back in a happier, simpler time, both families would gather in the Black household (they had a bigger lawn) and basically do whatever. Even Lucy and Eddie got along back then. Yes, those were better times. Before the fire, before the divorce, before having to barely make things through, and before... this. Poor girl. Even if Jonathan wasn't quite appreciative of the turn in demeanour she'd taken since high school, no one deserved that.

"Jonathan! Hey!"

Snapping out of his thinking, Jonathan turned to see the person that addressed him and let out a long-winded sigh. The last need he needed was freaking reporters.

"How're you doing?"

What an incredibly thin-veiled attempt at feigning sympathy. Much like most successful journalists of her age, Carmella Ruiz Dela Cruz lacked journalist integrity. And empathy. And morals. Jonathan wondered how she hadn't been hired by a top-end newspaper yet.

"Kinda sad right? Lucy Black. She was one of your students wasn't she? Not a very good one from what I've gathered."

Jonathan shot her a disapproving frown.

"I was just wondering if you know anything about this that you'd care to share with me. I mean... since I live right down the road."

Yes. Jonathan was quite aware of what she meant of "right down the road". At the very least she dropped the pretense that she actually cared and went down to business.

"Actually... weren't you one of the first ones here? Just what were you doing here anyways?"

Jonathan raised his head and let out a "why me" sigh. Of all the days to not have his pills, this one had to be it. He stared at the sky to calm down, and saw it darkenin. That was wierd, he didn't remember clouds being on the weather report. As he was about to give the intrepid reporter a piece of his mind, the sound of vertibird rotor blades slashed the air, as the vertibird started landing not too far away. Realising what that meant, Jonathan made his way to the landing, having forgotten that he had company. The vertibird landed, and from its hatch emerged two enormous bodyguards. After surveying the area, one of them did a notion, and from the vetribird came Isaac Black, wearing the grimmest expression Jonathan had seen on him in years. Noticing Jon, he made his way towards him, his two bodyguards close behind.

"Isaac..." Jonathan said mournfully, "I can't express how sorry I am for what happened."

Do not even begin to imagine you have any idea what this ride has been like Isaac right now. Straight in from the office where he'd been working, the call had done terrible things, just by existing. Nevermind the harsh reality that followed this, just the idea that something may have happened to his baby girl was enough. After all that had happened in his life, working to build a business empire so that none may need suffer as he did in his youth...his wife leaves him for that African explorer guy [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPSAu8xfmhk], and now this. He took off the sunglasses he'd been wearing to shield his eyes and looked at Jonathan with that grim expression he'd been carrying for a while now.

Isaac: Jon...I need to know. I need to know everything and I need to find out everything. What's being done as of now?

Sighing bitterly and shaking his head, Jonathan motioned them to follow as he walked towards the crime scene. To try and stop Isaac from looking at what was left of Lucy would be a waste of time; any father in his place would want to see what happened to their little girl, even if it felt like someone put their intestines in the grinder. It's what he'd wanted too, if he was in his shoes. So, rather than waste time, he decided to lead them to the scene, explaining things as they went.

"Very little, I'm afraid. The police arrived less than an hour ago. So far all they've done is take testimonies and set up the police line. The... scene was found by Lucy's friends, Audrey and the Smithfords. I arrived shortly thereafter."

Arriving at the scene, it didn't take long for Jon to flinch and look away. No one deserved something like that, indeed.

I'm... sorry, Isaac." he repeated himself, being at a loss of words, "I know it matters little, but.. we'll find who did this."

You don't need to ask how Isaac feels about the scene. You can see it in his eyes. Despite the blood and the one eyeball, he wants the rest of his daughter to be alive and well, and not in as poor a condition as this indicates. However, he knows that this is probably not the case, and that makes it hurt all the more for him. He turns to Jon with a dark gaze.

Isaac: If I find him first, rest assured nobody else ever will.

Just because he was a businessman didn't mean that he was somehow magically lifted from his past in war and suffering. He has seen hell in his life and someone wants to re-introduce him? That's one huge mistake and he'll make the one that did this pay for that... It had been many years since Jonathan had seen his friend give such a twisted glare, and a fear rose in the back of his head. A fear that Isaac would be taking things in his own hands, and go vigilante. If Isaac found the killer, no matter how good he was, Isaac was sure to tear him into pieces. He couldn't let that happen. The killer had taken one life already, and Jonathan would be damned to see him ruin the life of his best friend. If he could, perhaps, divert his friend's efforts towards a less... forward role, then perhaps not only would finding the murderer be easier, but there wouldn't be other complications. Jonathan took another stare at the scene, and contemplated on what he was about to do. His days were already hectic enough; besides school work, he also had a couple side jobs going so as to keep from falling under. He barely had any time to unwind, and adding thing to the mix would likely burn him out. But, he was doing this for his friend, and for Lucy, may she rest in peace.

Besides, he'd be able to put that degree to good use...

"Isaac," Jonathan turned to his friend, determined, "I need you do me a favour. Remember those degrees in criminology and psychology I took on the side? Well, if you can get one of the friends you have in the force to give me access to police records, I'll work on investigating it aswell. This isn't just your fight... Lucy and you have always been family to me."

Isaac only realized how much he'd been worrying his friend after Jonathan had spoken his peace, and began to check himself a little, sighing.

Isaac: Yes, of course... You'll have your authorization by the time you get down there. I'll see to it, myself.

He looked Jon in the eyes with a more in-control and sad look on his face.

Isaac: I'm sorry, old friend. If it'd been anything but this, I would just handle it like any other trouble in my life, but this is more than a man should ever have to take in his life.

"You don't have to apologise... No parent should have to bury their child. Even just imagining something like this happening to Ammy is..." he let out a long, drawn out sigh, "I can't begin to fathom how you feel."

He clapped his friend on the shoulder, and let out the best supportive smile he could muster.

"You're not alone. We've always looked out for each other, and I have no intention of abandoning you anytime soon. It doesn't mean that much, but... I'm here for you."[/quote]

Isaac: Thanks.

It was then that Eddie walked in and Jonathan noticed how distraught he looked. Briefly, he turned to Isaac again.

"I... I should go make sure he doesn't break an officer's leg or two. After that, I'll head for school; the Principal's waiting for me, and I need to pass the news. We'll be in touch, alright?"

Isaac: Yeah... Go on. I'll be around.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Like what exactly? Play detective?"

His immediate reaction there was an expression saying that he wasn't 'playing' at anything. Tessa then stated that perhaps Lucy had used him like a disposable asset, and that may or may not have been true, but...Lucy was also a human being, and people still have their moments where life gets out of their control. He knew that firsthand, so he didn't want to immediately think that Lucy Black was completely irredeemable. Her father wouldn't feel that way, that's for certain.

"Sorry. All I'm sayin' is, people are like cubes, there's usually six sides to every story."

Drake sighed, feeling a little down now.

Drake: That may be so, but dead people deserve a little respect, certainly after this. And I mean it. If there's something we can do before this happens again, I feel like we should. I guess that's just me being me.

From here, Mercy tried to appeal to Tessa's desire for a possible reward for the kinds of actions he was talking about. It was a good angle and Drake felt he should've thought of it first, but it didn't occur to him fast enough, given how he was reacting to the girl's death. He'd feel the same way if it was one of these two, certainly.

"What do you say Tess? Should we go home, introduce Drake to mom and dad before we go poking around for clues?"

Suddenly, the young man seemed to get nervous about something.

Drake: Uhh, wait a minute. I don't need to intrude on your personal lives now. That's-

The words 'Maybe pushing it a little right now' would have been spoken now, if not for the fact that - in the midst of all crime scene-ness - there was the sound of an approaching car and...some loud music.


Bob Malcontente', inna Highwayman, heading on home. Where did he live? Why, his family was next door to the Blacks! And...said house lay on the opposite side of the crime scene and all the police cars. In short, Bob got up in his car seat, honking his horn at them now with his foot.

Bob: YOU'RE BLOCKIN' THE ROAD!! MOOOVE!!

The content and meaning of the scene - the fact that this was a potential murder scene - had not registered yet, but this was because Bob was Bob, and that meant that certain facts of life were other people.

 

[Demonjazz]

John Jacobs, Upper Springvale
Anger is a gift!
"John-chan! This is unacceptable! My mother, Charlotte-chan, knows all about Ayana-chan's condition! If you take Ayana-chan to the hospital, they'll just kill her, take her organs and sell them to General Atomics and make a robobrain out of her brain! I cannot allow this John-chan!"
John was freaking tired of this shit already. He was tired of Constance the moment he saw her. In fact he was starting to think that somehow he was tired of Constance before he even knew of her! And he was not at all ready to listen to her conspiracy theory shit, and he was even less ready to listen to her incessant chans during a life and death situation he was currently. He turned his head slightly towards Constance
"Okay! Are you listening to me right now! Because I swear to all that is holy, and good in this world that if you can't get it through your dense sk-WHAT ARE YOU-AAAAAAAAAH!"
With a screech, and a loud smash the poor delivery driver crashed into a fire hydrant. Anyone who had been in any sort of serious accident knew of the moment of stunned silence afterward. The tension cut the air as everyone breathed a heavy breath of relief... Well that was everybody except Ayana, currently in the lap of Constance and currently in a state of unconsciousness. That stunned silence didn't last very long. Somehow almost dying seemed to anger John even more.
"If you didn't just save me life! I have half a mind to crack open your head with my tire iron! Do you know the sheer idiocy of what comes out of your mouth ever second you open it! You're one of the most idiotic people I've ever seen! In fact your even worse than an idiot! Most idiots at least have some form of social skills! You are one of the most socially inept people I've ever seen!"
John continued to rant while he stomped up to a house, and started loudly knocking on the door. Two people opened the door as he quickly explained the situation, and was directed to a phone. He started listing off his location, and all that stuff before saying
"... And there may be a women attempting to stop you there. She... Needs help to say the least."

 

[CrystalShadow]

Outside Moriarty's Malt Shop
"Men in black!?"​

The two men opened the door to the malt shop and walked up to the counter.
Wearing sunglasses and black suits, they looked nothing if not like government agents from some dubious secret department.

They were, however, in fact, part of the private security forces the Watkins family employed to protect their property and when needed, the family itself.

The taller of the two, with black hair, took off his sunglasses.
"We're looking for miss Watkins. Our reports say should be somewhere near here. Have you seen her?"

After a brief conversation with Moriarty, in which he explained what he had seen happen so far, the man put his sunglasses back on, and stepped through the door his partner had opened.

Not too long after, they pulled their ominous black highwayman up behind John's delivery van.
The smaller of the two men took the lead this time.
He brushed his short blonde hair with one hand, and walked up to the passenger side window.
"Miss watkins?" He asked, knocking on the window.
When there was no reply, he glanced down at the situation inside the vehicle.

The driver's seat was empty, but he could see Ayana, with her head in the lap of a girl.
Ayana didn't look good, which he did not find reassuring.
They had been given the task of taking the girl home.
But he doubted Mr Watkins would be too pleased if she was hurt.

Of course, he did know that the young miss Watkins wasn't in the best of health anyway, but seeing the state she appeared to be in still worried him.

He mimed for the girl to wind down the window.


"You there. Miss? What's going on? Is she Alright?" He pointed at Ayana.
"Her father sent us. We're supposed to take her home. Can you open the door and help us?"

The girl was making him a little nervous. Her expression didn't look like that of particularly cooperative person.
He had no desire to use force for a mission like this.
Especially not on a strange young girl with cat ears...

But still, his priorities would be to get miss Watkins home safely.
By whatever means nessesary.
He just hoped that wouldn't have to involve anything violent.


[hr]

[HEADING=3]Adrian Watkins[/HEADING]
The Watkins Family residence
"Face to face with reality"​

Adrian had gone over things about a dozen times, and was finally convinced the new security arrangements would be sufficient.
With that, he'd decided he should go out and see for himself.
The noise of the vertibird landing suggested Isaac Black himself had come back.
Which only reinforced the idea that this was definitely something serious.

He walked the considerable distance to the front gate, and stepped outside.
One of the security guards silently fell in behind him.

He didn't walk out here very often. It gave him a perspective on things he wasn't used to.
The Watkins mansion was set back some distance from the road compared to a lot of the other properties in the area.
Only the main gate and the access route beyond it really sat on the road itself.

When he did get closer to the Black family compound, he noticed the chaos of the scene. People everywhere. Police. A reporter.
Something like a dozen teenagers...
Friends of Lucy no doubt.

He saw Isaac Black, in conversation with Mr. McKenna. The teacher? In any event, it seemed they knew each-other, from the way they were talking they might even have been friends.

Adrian faltered slightly, as he caught a glimpse of the crime scene.
It was much worse than he had imagined.

He couldn't help but feel for Isaac. Merely imagining a scene like that involving his own daughter gave him chills.
Truly a father's worst nightmare.

Pushing that thought aside, he made his way up to Isaac.
They weren't exactly friends, but they were neighbours.
And in a situation like this...
Well, it was important to make it known you were there for someone.

Adrian and Isaac were perhaps the wealthiest people in town, which, put them on more of an equal footing than most.
Even if in the end they were perhaps vastly different people.
Isaac. The self-made man.
Adrian, the inheritor of a great fortune, a business, and some noble titles going back many centuries.
The Old money, and the new.

Still, that didn't matter right now. This had nothing to do with wealth or social status.
This was about basic compassion.

Adrian approached Isaac, greeting him as plainly as possible, and trying to give the air of someone who cared.
Which is not to say that Adrian didn't care, but he always kept his feelings pretty close to his chest, so it took him some effort to avoid coming across as a cold and callous person with things like this.
And that's the last thing he'd want to burden Isaac with at time like this.

He just hoped Ayana was OK, wherever she was.

 

[Neuromancer]

Upper Springvale Residential Neighborhood - Crime Scene
A bad day without pills​

There were three stages to Eddie's anger, Jonathan had in the past observed.

In stage one, Edward, while maintaining his "cool", acts more aggressively. His actions and mannerisms exhibit a good deal of annoyance, and he's more likely to intimidate or mock other people, oftentimes in an attempt to trick them into starting a fight.

Stage two is the one where he drops all pretenses and starts things himself. While in stage one he is more subdued, in stage two he becomes more of a loose cannon, actively seeking fights, acting more in line with what one would expect out of a berserker.

This was definately stage two.

As his nephew's expression changed from shock, to disgust and finally, anger, Jonathan knew that the next thing that Eddie would do is try and pick a fight. It was a subconcious self-defence mechanism, a way to let relieve his anxiety. Thus, it fell to Jonathan to make sure that a random bystander wouldn't end up paraplegic while also calming his nephew down. Though aware of his presence, Edward did not turn to acknowledge his uncle, continuing staring at the crime scene with a grim frown.

"It's Lucy." He finally said.

"No identification has been made, but... all evidence suggest that it is her, yes.

He clunced his fist, "The colour matches her eyes. There aren't many like them in Springvale. It's Lucy."

Jonathan stood silent, staring at his nephew. Eddie's fist was shaking.

"When I find the bastard, there won't be enough left of him to bury."

This was the second time he had heard a threat like that today, and it had as much of an impact as the first one. Perhaps even more so, because unlike Isaac Eddie wasn't one for self-restraint. Things were getting hairy.

"Edward, I know this-"

"You don't know JACK SHIT!." Eddie had turned and was pointing his finger into his uncle's chest, "You have no idea what this feels like. None!"

"Is that what you think?" rather than surprise, the only reaction that elicited from Jonathan was a stern look and a disapproving glare, "Tell me, have you ever wondered why we sent your mother over to Ireland to live with family at such a young age?"

"What the hell are you-"

"Why, at forty-eight years, I only have a single person I can call a friend? Do you think it's because I'm a nervous wreck of a loser, Edward?"

"What? No, I-"

"Where I grew up, this wouldn't have made a headline. Where I grew up, Edward, this was a regular occurence."

Eddie's expression changed to one of befiddlement, "I never-"

"Do not presume to know me completely. As open as I am with you, there are things that even I want to forget. Now, calm down. Mindless violence never helped anyone."

"But..." he sighed, "Goddamnit. Godfuckingdamn it."

There. Situation defused. All that was needed was a few minutes to calm down and-

*BEEP* *BEEEEEEEEEEEP*

"YOU'RE BLOCKIN' THE ROAD!! MOOOVE!!"

Oh no.

One look at Eddie's eyes was enough for Jonathan to come to one horrifying realisation:

Eddie was now on stage three.

Stage three was the worst. Having passed through the earlier stage of fury he was now in that calm lagoon of rage where the voice is steady, the manner is measured and only a faint trace of spittle at the corner of the mouth betrays the inner inferno. He turned to look at the car in question, his gaze piercing and full of murderous intent, and smiled. There was nothing warm or comforting about the smile; it was twisted, cruel smile, the kind you get when you picture the violent murder of the guy that kicked your dog. What was worrying, was that Eddie had the tools and the will to turn that picture into more than a result of vivid imagination.

"Ah, Bobster. As expected of the neighbourhood's mentally handicapped jock." He pointed at the car, "Hey Bob, stop being a little ***** and come out here. I feel like ripping you leg off and smashing your head with it."

It was in such moments that Jonathan thought that Lucy was one of the lucky ones.

Upper Springvale Residential Neighborhood - A little further down the road
No disrespect is tolerated.​

They were driving her INSANE!

The nerve! The nerve! These stupid, self-centered wastes of oxygen! The picture of Lucy's blood splattered all over the streets was still fresh in their minds, and already they gathered like vultures over her remains, fighting on who would get the prize.

Audrey this, Audrey that. Audrey Audrey Audrey Audrey Audrey Audrey Audrey Audrey Audrey AUDREY! They were trying to win her favour with mere flattery!

How disgusting. The same girls that had mocked her albinism last year were now worshipping her feet and hoping for rewards. What an insult to her intelligence. The situation couldn't get any worse.

"Hey girls."

Oh for the love of Christ, why did he have to appear now?

"Sorry to hear about Lucy. Man... what a waste. She was a real wild one."

Henry "I boil kittens alive and give their corpses to kids as birthday presents" McGee. Most powerful student in school, or at least, so he'd like to picture himself. An astute mind with a penchant for mischief, Audrey always felt uneasy when having to deal with him in school council meetings. His cousin, on the other hand, was a much more gentle soul, even if he barely ever said a word.

"Mr. President," Audrey acknowledged him with an air of cold impersonality, "Class representative." she did the same for Victor, albeit a bit more warmly, "I see that miss Victoria is not with you. Undoubtedly on an assignment of importance. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

She turned to look each and every one of the sisters in the eyes, staring a cold, calculating stare, taking her time examining all of them. Such hopeful anticipation. Such arrogance. Audrey took a deep breath and...

[HEADING=2]"NOBODY LIKES A SUCK-UP!"[/HEADING]

She exploded at them, her eyes aflame with fury, her voice as authoritive as it was stern and terrifying. Hopefully this would teach them a lesson.

"I am sorry about that, Mr. President," she said as she turned back to Henry, her face as tranquil as the sea on a sunny day without wind, "But Lucy has been dead for a few hours and already these hubristic little upstarts are looking to replace her." she turned to the Smithfords, frowning, "Not only did you insult me for thinking you could win my favour with thinly-veiled attempts at flattery, but also the memory of our late Queen. So self-absorbed were you in your hubris and lust for her throne, that you've already forgotten to mourn for her loss. You should feel ashamed of yourselves."

"And with that little disciplinary action out of the way," she turned to Henry again, again calm, "We must be on our way. We have the news to pass on to the rest of the girls, and the sooner it is done the better."

 

[Generic NPC 22]

Wild Wastelands High School | Moriarty's Malt Shop | Women's Restroom
Violent Retribution for Ecchi Behaviour?
Sylphee Smithford​

[hr]

There are only so many things that you can fight. You can fight the temptation to steal your friend's boyfriend whom you've known since you were the age of five. You can fight a girl from Roosevelt Academy that talked smack about the Springvale High Cheerleading Squad. You can fight an overly touchy male student with detachable pants. As hard as she fought, Sylphee could not fight the rules of Gravity when the stall door was opened by the girl on the other side. The squealing sounds of two falling girls echo'd within the confined space of the women's bathroom.

"OMPH!" Sylphee Smithford omph'd as she fell on top of Violet Meyers. Stunned silence dominated soon after which was then replaced by another sound soon after.

The sounds of soft breathing bounced off the bare walls of the stall located in the Women's Restroom inside Moriarty's Malt Shop. What had started off as an innocent conversation between two consenting and mature teenagers between the stall door had quickly devolved into something that the boys would be clamoring to see and to snap photos of on their mobile phones... if mobile phones had been invented that is. It should be noted that the space inside of a bathroom stall is very limited and there's only so many places that 7 limbs can go when one person falls on top of another.

Squish squish

That was not Sylphee's hands doing the squishing. Her hands had tried to slow her crashing descent onto the one armed girl by grabbing at a bar mounted to the stall and the rim of the dirty toilet. No, her hands were occupied by very cold and hard objects. Violet's hand however found something soft and warm. It might have been that Violet was attempting to shove Sylphee away from her during their collision. It might have been that Violet was trying to keep the Crimson Clad Catastrophe from banging her head against the very same dirty toilet rim that Sylphee was gripping. Regardless of intention, the result was still the same... Violet was groping Sylphee's chest.

Were it anyone else, Sylphee would have had the offender swallowing their own teeth whether it was a boy or a girl. With Violet however, as much as she might have looked down on her disability, was saved by the fact that she was missing an arm.

"You don't have to squeeze." A calm voice said devoid of its previous cheer. Laying there for a moment, Sylph waited for the Violet's groping to stop. The last thing she needed was for Violet to accidentally rip a hole in her outfit. The last thing she needed was to attempt to sneak home in the middle of the afternoon and broadcast the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra. These were the very last things she needed.

As Sylph hauled herself off of her one armed cohort, the sound of cloth sliding against cloth could be heard as curves rubbed up against curves. There was clanging next to Violet as a necklace charm fell on the ground next to her head, its chain broken by the impact of the collision between the two girls. Sylph didn't seem to notice as she walked over to the wall and leaned up against it, waiting for Violet to pick herself up off of the ground.

[hr]

Wild Wastelands High School | Outside Moriarty's Malt Shop
Shoujo, Sekaikei
Constance Sorrowfeld​

[hr]

"If you didn't just save me life! I have half a mind to crack open your head with my tire iron! Do you know the sheer idiocy of what comes out of your mouth ever second you open it! You're one of the most idiotic people I've ever seen! In fact your even worse than an idiot! Most idiots at least have some form of social skills! You are one of the most socially inept people I've ever seen!" John Baka-Chan screamed at Constance before leaving the cabin of the truck... probably not the smartest idea in the world given the Cat Eared Lolitaku's obsessions. What did work in John Baka-Chan's favor was the fact that the appearance of the two men in black.

"You there. Miss? What's going on? Is she Alright?" One of the MIB-chans pointed at Ayana, "Her father sent us. We're supposed to take her home. Can you open the door and help us?"

Just a side note, they say that a child's personality is a combination of their parents. Up until this point in time, John-Chan, Ayana-Chan and everyone else that encountered Constance that day had been dealing with her father's upbringing what John Baka-Chan and the MIB-chans were about to experience was decidedly more Charlotte Sorrowfeld in nature.

If the two MIB-chans wanted the Cat Eared Lolitaku to open the door, she would open the door.

SLAM!!
CL-CLUNK!

The rather sharply dressed men in black... chans..., eager to pick up their unconscious mistress didn't realize that the pint sized punter would be kicking the door open hard enough to render the two would be rescuers sprawled on the ground and dazed. Stepping over her victims, the Angry Cat-Eared Young woman marched over to where John Baka-Chan was on the phone and pushed down on the hook mechanism to hang up his call.

"YOU LISTEN AND YOU LISTEN GOOD TO ME JOHN-HENTAI-BAKA-CHAN! IF YOU SCREW UP MY CHANCES AT BEING FRIENDS WITH AYANA-CHAN, I WILL FLATTEN YOU INTO THE GROUND AND THEN TURN YOUR FLATTENED CORPSE INTO AN ORIGAMI CRANE. DO YOU THINK THAT PEOPLE AROUND HERE ARE NATURALLY NICE TO PEOPLE LIKE HER? DO YOU THINK THAT THEY SEE JAPANESE GIRL OR COULD-BE-CHINESE-GIRL JOHN-HENTAI-BAKA-CHAN? INSTEAD OF SPENDING MY DAY GETTING TO KNOW HER, I HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON'T END UP GROPING HER WHILE SHE'S UNCONSCIOUS, ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU APPEAR TO THE BE THE TYPE THAT WOULD BEAT A GIRL OVER THE HEAD WITH A TIRE IRON! AND YOU SAY THAT I'M SOCIALLY INEPT! JOHN-HENTAI-BAKA-CHAN, YOU'RE THE SOCIALLY INEPT ONE HERE! EVEN IF YOU WERE JUST TRYING TO BE AYANA-CHAN'S WHITE SAMURAI COMING TO HER RESCUE, WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT SHE EVEN NEEDS ONE? DO YOU FIND US WOMEN TO BE WEAK? DO YOU THINK THAT WE CAN'T TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES AND NEED TO RELY ON A MAN?" Constance ranted and poked at John-Hentai-Baka-Chan's shoulder, "IF YOU CAN'T DO THIS FOR ME, JOHN-HENTAI-BAKA-CHAN, THEN ... THEn ... THen ... Then... do this for her. She doesn't have many friends, especially since she's new to Spring Vale High School... She skipped a grade and you know that we, people like you and me, don't make a habit of treating over achievers that well..."

Constance had calmed down quite a bit and was breathing heavily. The strong pokes that she was delivering to John-hentai-baka-chan had grown softer and softer over time until she stopped poking him. Despite the fact that Constance could muster up anger on the level of Charlotte Sorrowfeld, she just didn't have the stamina. Exhausted from screaming so long the Cat-Eared Lolitaku mustered up the last of her reserves and turned the young man around to face her.

"LISTEN TO ME WHEN I'M YELLING AT YOU!!" The Lolitaku screamed loudly in his face.

[hr]

Wild Wastelands High School | Upper Springvale Residential Neighborhood
Slice of Life, Harem
The Smithford Sisters | Henry "HEAD IN HIS ASS" McGee​

[hr]

Despite the fact that Audrey Williamson (6) had always creeped Henry McGee out a bit, he couldn't help but smirk a the girl's outburst that sent the Smithford Sheep (7, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5) scattering for cover like a flock of birds. Actually that added a couple of point to Audrey's (6) Attractiveness Score bringing her to an 8. He'd never seen Audrey so enraged before it was quite delightful to Springvale High School's Senior Class President and Quarterback.

"We must be on our way. We have the news to pass on to the rest of the girls, and the sooner it is done the better."

Seeing that she was leaving, the brother of Thomas McGee scurried across the road, nearly getting run over by Bob.

"Bob! I'm walking here!" The Tall and Pale Brother of the Junior Undertaker said as he slapped the hood of Bob's car before continuing after his prey.

"Audrey, baaaaby. You know you don't have to do this. It's already been announced on the radio. Chances are that you'll just be scratching at fresh wounds and making them worse. I know that you girls have your court thing going but really, do you have to go play herald and announce that your 'Queen' is dead?" The Quarter back asked before grabbing Audrey (8) by the shoulder and pulling her aside.

"Look, sweet cheeks, how about you and me ditch the Smithford Ding-a-lings. You look like you could use some time away from them. We'll go get some food from Atom Burger, head over to the river and have a picnic. You, butter cup, need to relax. The issues of your little kingdom can wait." The young man said manipulatively as he anticipated Audrey (8) saying yes to his proposal.

"Awww Henry! Why can't we go with you?" Sonny Smithford (5) asked with a whine in her voice.

"Because doll-face, you need to go tell you sister that your Queen has been murdered, probably by that no good sister of yours. You know she was in Shifty's room last night. I saw it with my eyes. Can you believe the nerve of Sylphee, sleeping with your Queen's boyfriend? The nerve! If anyone should be handling things, it's you girls. Keep it in the family is what I say!" The Elder McGee stated with a smile.

"She what?!"
"That *****!"
"Really? I knew they had something going!"
"Lucky!!! What? Did I really say that?"
"Audrey! Audrey! Audrey!"
"Hey stop it!"

As the Smithford Sheep (7, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5) argued between themselves Henry turned back to Audrey (8) and repeated his offer.

"You, me, picnic basket?" Henry offered once again.

Standing behind his elder cousin, Victor McGee frowned deeply before turning for home. It appeared that Henry would not be in need of his services today. Perhaps he could tag along with the Smithford girls and keep them company. Turning around, he suddenly heard some angry words being spoken.

"Hey Bob, stop being a little ***** and come out here. I feel like ripping you leg off and smashing your head with it."

Fighting words? Directed at Bob? Turning towards the source of the angry words, The Mammoth known as Tombstone saw Eddie the Idiot. If there was anyone who was going to have a broom stick inserted into their anal cavity today, it would be Eddie.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Outside Moriarty's Malt Shop
"Violent tendencies."​

The blonde man dressed in black had anticipated trouble from the way the girl had been glaring at him.
Even so, the force with which she kicked open the door caught him off-guard, and he went barrelling backwards into his partner, who had come up behind him to see what was going on.

Though stunned momentarily, it was easy to see from their reaction that they were trained professionals, with quite some experience at handling violent situations.

They weren't dazed for long, but it was enough for Constance to get out of the van and run across to where John had been standing.
In an instant, the larger, black-haired man had pulled his gun, and aimed it directly at the back of Constance's head.
"Whoah. Whoah!!" Just as quickly, his partner stopped him, pushing the gun down. "There's no need for that. That'd be way more trouble than it's worth."

The larger man hesitated a moment, but put his gun away. He always had been a bit short-tempered.
The blonde man sometimes wondered what he'd done prior to being hired by the Watkins family.
Officially, they were both bodyguards.
Unnofficially, the two of them were the 'problem solvers' of the private security force the Watkins family employed.
That is to say, they got the odd jobs, or the dirty ones.

It's not that Adrian ran a dirty business or anything, but...
He had experience in dealing with underworld elements, and wasn't above responding in kind should any criminal organisation try to mess with him.
The two of them, were perhaps the most visible manifestation of that morally ambiguous response.

He kind of got the sense that his partner may have been intimately familiar with those kinds of criminal organisations, and was perhaps looking to redeem himself somewhat by working for someone a bit more reputable.

Right now though, their job was a simple one. Find and bring home Adrian's daughter.
Probably what the boss valued most in the world at the moment, he thought, considering his recent behaviour.

Found her they had. But now they still had to sort out how to get her home.
Preferably without anyone dying because of it.

Seeing the chance while the crazy girl was ranting loudly at the man across the road, the blonde man pulled Ayana out of the van, and lay her down on the sidewalk.
First things first, he had to get a basic sense of her condition.
She seemed to be breathing, and her pulse was fairly regular.
So far so good.

There was a lot of blood on her clothes, hands and arms.
But a quick check showed nothing was broken, and she had no obvious external injuries.

His best guess was a severe symptom of her illness.
In which case, it'd be best to get her home.

He picked her up again, and carried her back to the car, placing her gently on the back seat.

Hopefully the people she had been with wouldn't attempt to do anything else crazy.
He wasn't much in the mood for it.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

Arizona
The Last Two Weeks of Summer | Smith Casey's Garage | Somewhere Between Laughing and Screaming
"When life gives you a mute..."​

One thing that the Greaser Gal hadn't been expecting, as she leaned back against the tool cabinet with a cigarette between her fingers and godawful music playing on the radio, was the sound of a car already driving up into the garage to get serviced. And given the sound of the engine, she was probably going to have to put in an all-nighter, maybe even special-order a few key parts. As she stepped forward, flicking the ash off of the end of her cigarette with a careless flick of her hand, she caught sight of the car in question, and immediately scowled. She could recognize that rag top anywhere...

Henry McGee.

She clenched her free hand into a fist even as she placed the cigarette back between her teeth, striding over to the car with purpose. But when the door opened, a black parasol was opened just as the driver stepped out. Instead of the bane of her existence, it was one of his bully-boys, or bully-girl in this case: Victoria "Shiver" McGee. As she walked over on high heels, taking care to stay underneath her black parasol, Arizona sneered. But she didn't say anything as the quiet young woman pulled out a pad and pen. When she was finished, she flipped the pad over for the Greaser to see.

Henry's damaged his vehicle once again. I need to have the rotors machined, the springs replaced and the cooling rods for the reactor replaced as well.

Her mouth twisted a little as she read it, before taking a long drag and sighing.

"What the fuck did that sumbitch do to this thing now? Rotors and springs are nothin', but the reactor's cooling rods?" she asked, rolling her eyes before making her way to the car in question and popping the hood.

She was about to make a quip about Shiver's second note regarding her greasiness, but the state of the engine was more than enough for her to forget about that. Instead, her eyes widened and let out an anguished groan.

"Oh Jesus H. Christ on a bike! What did he do, let a fuck-bot have it's way with the reactor?! Look at this!" she cried, motioning to the innards of the car and shaking her head with horror.

"That bastard," she started, glaring back at Shiver, "Clearly doesn't know how to treat an automobile. I've seen car wrecks in better condition than this, and he expects me to fix it? He'd better not have a goddamn time table for this shit, otherwise he'd get better results pissing in the wind!"

After a moment's pause, she took another drag and shook her head again.

"...How?" she asked simply.

[hr]

[ jenna sorenson ]

The Last Two Weeks of Summer | Springvale Community | Sorenson Residence Garage
"... At least I have gum.​

It was relatively clear that Jason, even if he was being belligerent, didn't mean any real harm. At least, not directly at any rate.

"Actually the police would probably disagree with you on that, they tend to not care what time of day it is. Public disturbance is a public disturbance no matter the time."

Then he spread his arms and yawned.

"Actually I'm not in the garage, just...Two steps away from it."

Jenna's fists clenched at her sides, and though he couldn't tell from the impassive facade that she kept up at all times, she was glaring daggers at him. But instead of threatening to throw something at him to make him get out, she took a deep breath–which was rather impressive given her bust–and forced herself to calm down.

"Fine. But I do have work to do, and I'm sure you have better things to do right now than stand outside of my garage." she said.

In the back of her mind, she thought it prudent to work on another project alongside her Pip-Girl. Possibly a cattle-prod, or maybe some sort of non-lethal laser. Something to cut these little confrontations short.

"That would be a wise investment to make Jason. After all, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

Toni's remark was enough to jar Jenna back to the here-and-now, and she was about to hold up a hand and tell them to stop, but Jason was a little quicker.

"Okay first of all Antonio there is literally no risk to this, second of all I think you need to look up the word 'scorned' because it does not mean what you think it means. You see, I don't HATE the gal; I just think her work is too fucking loud."

"That makes me feel much better." Jenna murmured under her breath.

As he turned his back on the two of them, he mentioned checking on whatever had gotten police attention before hopping the fence and making his way back to his house. All-in-all, she was glad he was gone. It could have gone much worse, and really, having a cattle prod handy for something like that would've been a bad idea.

"Come on, Toni, let's get back to work." she said with forced cheer as she turned back to her worktables.

That non-lethal laser, however... That had some potential.

 

[Silence]

Violet | Moriarty's Malt Shop

Violet did definitely not have full control over her own hand. Her desperate attempt to keep someones head away from the edge of the toilet seat led to a very unbalanced attempt to fight the force of gravity. And the fall leading to a minor case of muscle sprain did not help this at all, even though the softness of Sylphee's chest prevented a worse kind of injury.

As Violet's head went very red, she tried to pull her hand away, even before Sylphee commented on it. It was just not as easy as it sounded ?
"You don't have to squeeze." Sylphee said.

?I know! I'm trying to get away!? Violet said through her teeth, and, to Sylphees relief, at least stopped the squishing. Maybe if she carefully let her hand slide of the side, she might be able to get away ?

As Sylphee was hauling herself off Violet, Violet tried to get away as well, while keeping her own balance. Clang. Rip. The sounds were not very loud, but still very noticeable for Violet. Sylphee seemed to be kind of out of it, for now, as she walked over to the wall, and leaned herself against it.

Panic would have been the thing that would take hold of Violet, if she did not have her panic attack previously. For now, her thoughts stayed wondrously calm, as she looked on the ground, what had made the clang-sound. A necklace charm. She picked it up, fast, then put it into her jacket, not taking a good look on it, as there was something a little bit more important to do now.

Standing up from the ground, while breathing through her teeth to ease the pain, she walked over to Sylphee, pulling her jacket off her shoulder. ?Uhmm ? you might want to wear this for now.? she said, struggling to shake the sleeve off her hurting hand. ?I'm sorry. Did you have to lean against my stall door??

Finally getting the jacket off, she held it out to Sylphee, and waited for her to take it. Being this out in the open with her disability made her feel uncomfortable, as she was wearing a shirt with short sleeves, which made it obvious that her whole arm was missing at the shoulder. She knew, however, that it would be minor compared to what Sylphee would have to endure if she had to sneak home like ? this.

As Sylphee would take the jacket, Violet held her injured wrist to her mouth and began licking it, hoping it might cool off, and not be too bad. Her being on painkillers prevented her from judging how bad it was, but at least it looked like it was just a little bit swollen. Despite her own injury, she asked Sylphee, concerned about her state of mind: ?Are you okay??

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Antonio "Toni" De Leon | Springvale Community | Sorenson Residence Garage​

"Okay first of all Antonio there is literally no risk to this, second of all I think you need to look up the word 'scorned' because it does not mean what you think it means. You see, I don't HATE the gal; I just think her work is too fucking loud." Spoke Jason as he turned his back away from the garage.

"Like your snoring is any better Jason, at least with Jenna's noise its usually the sounds of progress." Antonio said under his breath, hoping that Jason didn't catch his off-hand remark. Eventually, Jason decided to leave the same way he entered, via the fence; saying that he was going to look into whatever was keeping the police busy.

"Come on, Toni, let's get back to work." Jenna said in a half hearted cheer as she turned to look back over her work area.

"Yes lets, now that the interruption has gone, we can focus on the fun stuff." Antonio added, the thought of working on something different putting a bit of spring into his step. Then he paused for a moment, the way that Jenna spoke just now, something about her seemed... off.

"You feeling alright Jenna? Jason didn't upset you back there did he?"

 

[Rip Van Rabbit]

Kristin Cream || Springvale High School​

"You assistance is greatly appreciated.", Kristin chirped, "I have to acclimate myself to the Culinary Cauldron."

Opening her bag, the buxom baker pulled out a sealed plastic packaging, inside was her white apron and flattened chef hat.

"Now remember!", she declared with a rolling pin, "Say one more negative thing about Soybeans and your lunch-special might include some mysterious gravy that is most certainly not warm liquid feces. Perish the thought."

With her head held high, the new Junior Chef disappeared behind into the kitchen. Bidding an abrupt end to their conversation.
How rude! Not liking Soybeans. A heathen? In this day & age? Bah!

[hr]

Tessa O'Hare || Upper Springvale Residential Housing​

"Tess. Maybe there are a few things we can look into? I mean, I'm sure that if we forward anything to the police, they'll give us a bounty of some sort. Lucy was the daughter of Isaac Black, you know the richest guy in Springvale. The only person we'd want to get on the good side of more than Isaac Black would be the President." The Younger of the O'Hare sisters said with a smile, "Unless you'd rather see someone like Moriarty get the reward."

Today was a long day and Tessa's short supply of hospitality was wearing thin. She loved her little sister, she truly did, but sometimes her lack of foresight and idealistic outlook would rub Tessa up the wrong way. Do not expect rewards from others, warm feelings were sure as hell not going to keep you warm at night.

"First off, this is not my area of expertise. Secondly, I'll earn my money without profiting off of a grieving father. Thirdly, me and cops do not get along well. Finally, if more money goes Moriarty's way? That means more money comes my way. So no, I don't feel like playing detective."

Perhaps Tessa was a little too harsh, but she didn't much care sugar-coating it. Besides, even if this job was a thing, there was no guarantee of payment. Besides, the idea of holding information for ransom from a grieving father was something that tugged on her heartstrings. This was an emotional job, not a monetary job.

"What do you say Tess? Should we go home, introduce Drake to mom and dad before we go poking around for clues?"

"You do it.", Tessa replied coldly as her eyes glazed over at the mention of their parents, "They don't really care what I bring home. Besides, I have other things planned for tonight -- and before you ask: no, this is a solo thing. You aren't meeting Moriarty."

Tessa turned to Drake, "Look, thanks for all your help today. But if you want to avoid several flavors of awkward, you might not want to come home with Mercy.", Tessa grew more distant, "But if you do want to start your own investigation, count me out. You can accompany my little sister. If anything happens to her --- ", Tessa lifted her skirt and flashed the switchblade holster on her upper thigh, " -- you get the idea."

Tessa wanted no part in seeking out trouble for the sake of trouble. Besides, she could ask a few favours from her more unsavory friends to keep an ear to the ground for information. She was a thievy tactician, not the muscle on the frontlines.

[hr]
[hr]

Spoiler: OOC: NPC Mode for Tessa & Kristin

Due to time constraints and focus elsewhere, I am putting Tessa & Kristin in NPC mode indefinitely. Feel free to use them however you feel like. Otherwise, Kristin is working hard in the kitchens while undergoing training. Tessa is keeping to herself and flying under the radar.

Apologies for the disturbance and any further hassle caused by my recent absence.

 

[Demonjazz]

John Jacobs | Outside Moriarty's Malt Shop
How not to confront a person
It was taking John every single ounce of his will power to stand stock still, and do nothing while some idiot screamed into his face about... God knows what! Something about friendship, and preconceived notions about his character. And the person just kept going on, and on! And she just kept going on, and on! And with each angry poke, Constance would notice that John was continuing to stand stock still. His entire body was tensed. Being in his fair share of back-alley brawls from doing late-night deliveries to the shadier parts of town. There was a good reason he kept a tire iron under his seat after all, and all this had led John to often punching first, and asking questions later. Especially when it came to anybody doing a loud rant into his face, and even more especially when said person was doing the confrontational poking thing. As he was violently turned around by Constance it seemed that his instincts took over for a second as he came in with a powerful Haymaker to the side of Constance's head. He looked shocked at himself for a second as he often considered himself an even-tempered man... But there's only so much an even-tempered man can take he told himself.
"Sorry, about that." John said in a lightheaded daze, falling back into a chair next to him with a loud thump. His energy seemed to dissipate with that punch he made, and he didn't seem to have much energy to say much else. "Ambulance is coming. Is Ayana okay?"
[hr]
Braveer! | Smith Casey's Garage
Braveer wasn't exactly sure how he ended up here, but he did know that walking was a slow way to travel. He did not know how to drive a car though, did not have a car, and stated that cars were far too undignified for a man of his standing to use. His bruised and battered body was carrying a selection of scrap metal as the man(Still in face paint) approached Arizona at the garage. He quickened his pace as he saw a woman with a black parasol. Parasols always meant nobility when it came to women. The strangely dressed poet, and current warrior ran over to Victoria "Shivers" McGee, and threw his scrap metal into a yard next to him, before knelling down in front of the woman.
"Please excuse my dress my lady. It is unfit, to see for such a noble as that of Lady Victoria of the McGee clan. To see a man dressed in warrior's paint, and beggars clothes! But I have had not the time to change as I have just come back from a war with that the vile Spanish Malcontents! But before I yet again go into a battle! I must ask for you favor in battle, and that of a small donation for the cost of the troops provisions! In return I will be yours to command as you seem fit."

 

[CrystalShadow]

[HEADING=3]Ayana Watkins[/HEADING]
Outside Moriarty's Malt Shop
"Witness Retaliation"​

Having put Ayana in the back of their car, the two men dressed all in black got in either side, and were just preparing to leave when it happened.

The annoying girl that had been yelling at that man in a delivery uniform, aparently pushed things too far.
The delivery guy lost his temper, and hit her with a powerful blow to the side of her head.

She dropped instantly.

"Holy shit. Did you see that!? Should we... Maybe go and help her or something?" The dark-haired man exclaimed.
The smaller blonde man, currently in the driver's seat, glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.
"What, you get a sudden bout of conscience or something?"
The big man looked vaguely embarrassed. "Well, you know. You shouldn't hit a girl like that. It's just... Not right."
The blonde man shook his head. "You know, you pulled your gun on that exact same girl only a little while ago. I mean, what are you even on about?"

Looking even more embarrassed, the big man answered "T-that was totally different! She tried to attack us!"

The blonde man sighed, and shook his head. "Fine. Fine. We'll help the girl out. Besides..." He glanced back at Ayana for a moment.
"It kinda looked like they might be friends or something."

"Her? Friends with the boss's daughter? She attacked us, remember?" The larger man replied.
The smaller shrugged. "Well, I mean, can you blame her? Did you hear her paranoid rants? Would you trust us if you were her?" He shook his head "No, what I saw was a scared, if somewhat weird and paranoid little girl trying her best to protect an unconscious friend from some shifty looking guys."

The bigger man turned to look at his partner. "Shifty looking?"
The blonde man laughed. "Yeah. I mean, look at us. I wouldn't trust us. And I know us!"

The black-haired man grinned "Hah. Yeah. I wouldn't trust us either. Fine. Let's do it."

He got out of the car, stretched to his full, menacing height, and stepped purposefully towards John.
"Hey, you. Yes, you! I saw that! You hit little girls huh? " He cracked his nuckles in a threatening manner.
"Us? We might be violent scum. But that's low. Even by our standards...
Now, what I suggest you do, is stay perfectly still.
You got that? We ain't gonna hurt you. This time.
But we're taking the girl. Got that? Good.
Now don't do anything stupid." He made a show of making sure John could see the gun inside his jacket.

Meanwhile, the blonde man had picked up the unconscious Constance, and was carrying her back to the car.

[hr]

Ayana woke up briefly. In her semi-conscious haze she didn't really register that she was no longer in a van, but instead in the back seat of a car. Or, that Constance was now on her left, rather than her right, and was herself also unconscious at this moment.
In that semi-conscious state, she lay her head back down on Constance's lap.
She just felt the car pull away from the kerb as she faded back into the black embrace of unconscious oblivion.

 

[Generic NPC 22]

Wild Wastelands High School | Moriarty's Malt Shop | Women's Restroom
Inappropriately Lewd Conduct
Sylphee Smithford​

[hr]

Once upon a time, teenagers invented a game called Seven Minutes in Heaven. While the game is best played with groups of people, it can be played with as few as two people. The way this game works is two people are chosen, typically one male and one female, and they are locked into a closet for seven minutes. What happens within the confines of the closet for those seven minutes is up to the chosen couple. Marriages, pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and violent breakups have resulted from this game.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on the shipping forecast for one Violet Meyers and Sylphee Smithford, this was not a round of Seven Minutes in Heaven. They were not stuck in a closet with people waiting outside with their ears pressed against the door. That did not, however, make the situation they found themselves in any less awkwardly lewd.

The blue hair, blue eyed teenage girl stood on one side of the restroom with her arms crossed as she covered the rather large rip in her dress that had been made by the restroom's other occupant. Crossing her arms was the only thing that the cheerleader for Springvale High School could do to cover up the exposed patch of pale skin that had been revealed by the accident whose blame could simply not be placed upon the shoulders of any one person.

Standing there, surrounded by naught but cold and naked tile, the Sylphee Smithford watched as Violet struggled to remove her jacket, making no attempt to assist the girl. It wasn't that she was impolite but rather it was a matter of not particularly being in the mood to expose herself to her accidental cohort any more than she already had.

"Umm ... you might want to wear this for now." she said, struggling to shake the sleeve off her hurting hand. "I'm sorry. Did you have to lean against my stall door?"

Sylphee accepted the jacket with a slow but thankful nod before sliding it on one hand at a time before zipping it up. In a day that seemed to be filled with misfortune, Sylphee was at least thankful that she could zip up the jacket, despite the fact that it felt a little tight around her body, making her feel quite a bit self conscious. Eyeing the stall that she'd recently vacated, the blue haired bulimic fought her sudden and overwhelming desire to retreat. The look of distress flashed her face for a moment before she managed to calm herself down.

"I... forgot that they opened that direction." The cheer leader said as she parroted the airheadedness that her sisters were known for. Turning towards the exit Sylphee paused at the door before turning to Violet, "Are you coming? I need to change and I think I've got something stronger at home for that hand of yours."


[hr]

Wild Wastelands High School | Town Center | Scene of the Accident
*Groooooooan... chan*
Constance Sorrowfeld​

[hr]

The person that you are posting for is unconscious at this time.  Please try again later.

The person that you are posting for is unconscious at this time.  Please try again later.

Constance Sorrowfeld hung up the phone and shook her head as she tried to shake whatever had been knocked loose when she fell to the ground. She wasn't quite sure how she ended up on the ground but all she knew was she should call someone that she knew to pick her up. Her mom wasn't answering the phone at home so Constance could only assume that her mom was out doing Nurse things for the school which was unfortunate since Constance wanted to bring Ayana to see her mom.

"AYANA!" Constance suddenly remembered as she turned around and looked inside the cabin of John Jacob's truck and was greeted by the sight of empty seat, "AYANA?!"

Panic is a good motivation to forget the fact that you'd just been knocked upside the head after falling to the ground.

"You've really done it now, Constance." A soft and familiar voice said behind her. Turning around, the Lolitaku's jaw hit the ground... figuratively if you're thinking that given the events up until this point her jaw literally hitting the ground would have been appropriate.

"L... Lucy?" The Cat Ear wearing High Shool student stammered as she looked at the girl that was supposed to be dead.

"Being quite a bit overzealous when meeting new people again?" The Mousy Haired Cheer Leader asked rhetorically, "You know that it's part of the reason why you get into as much trouble as you do. I tried to explain that to you a long time ago."

When she was dating Constance's second cousin, Eddie, Lucy had indeed tried to tell Constance that she needed to settle down when meeting new people, a difficult thing to do given the fact that Constance's mom was known as the Roosevelt Academy's Naughty Nurse at the time and the young girl felt that she needed to compensate for her inheritance of an already less than sterling reputation.

"Well Ayana needed my help and you never know what could happen with that Pint Sized Slasher running around." The Young Girl made an excuse for herself, "What if John was the Pint Sized Slasher?"

"If John was the Pint Sized Slasher, he wouldn't be so tall, would he?" Lucy said with more intelligence than she had shown in life. Clearly this was more a manifestation of Constance's sub consciousness than a haunting by Lucy's ghost, "Anyways. You'll probably want to wake up now."

"Wake up?" Constance asked as the scene suddenly went black.

The person that you are posting for is unconscious at this time.  Please try again later.

The person that you are posting for is unconscious at this time.  Please try again later.

----------------------------------------------------------------------​

This was familiar. The sensation of someone laying their head in Constance's lap was familiar and quite comfortable. Looking down she noticed that Ayana-Chan was quietly sleeping... or unconscious. What was unfamiliar was the fact that they were not in John-Baka-Hentai-Chan's truck anymore. At least she wasn't tied up... again... that was a plus.

"Excuse me, Mister... Chan. Where am I?"

[hr]

Wild Wastelands High School | Smith Casey's Garage
A Mutual Distaste for a McGee
Victoria McGee​

[hr]

"...How?" The Greasy and Ghoulish Woman asked in an incredulous tone. Having examined the cooling rod, it was obvious to not only to Arizona but Victoria as well what the issue was with the car's cooling rod. Someone had taken the meter long rod and removed it from its housing and managed to bend it in such a fashion that it could no longer be fully be reinstalled back in the reactor. Without the full use of the cooling system, the Nuclear Engine would be prone to overheating and if Henry was particularly unlucky (and Arizona quite lucky) it could have lead to a critical meltdown. With things being the way they were those days, a nuclear explosion was the last thing that was needed in Washington D.C.

As the ginger haired greaser continued to examine the engine, she could hear the scratching of Victoria's fancy pen against the paper notepad before the completed note was thrust in front of the Ginger Grease Monkey's Eyes. If Victoria was able to express her emotions in her writing style, the sharp angles of her lettering indicated that the woman was fairly irate at her cousin.

He said something about a Hot Freshman Girl than needed help cooling off. I shudder to think as to what he actually did with the cooling rod and that she let him. What in God's name did I do in my past life to have been adopted into a family such as this?

Couldn't you just order the part? I don't actually intend to stay here all day and watch you sit on your ass and sexual harass your customers like you do my other cousin.

It was obvious that Victoria didn't want to stay any more than Arizona wanted her to stay. Between the obvious hostility and the fact that Arizona would have to be under a lift to replace the Cooling Rod Housing, the last thing the Greasy and Ghoulish Grease Monkey needed was to have a car fully loaded with radioactive fuel fall on her skull.

More scratches as ink was committed to paper.

Or if this will take the day, you could just call me a taxi.

It was quite obvious why Victoria would be unable to use the Garage's phone to call a Taxi. As she waited for Arizona's response a man suddenly materialized in front of her, surprising her as he addressed her in a rather formal tone. Surprise was not a good thing to do to Victoria given that Arizona or Eddie were involved in most of these surprises and they often involved a surprise pipe to the back of someone's head. It was only through his own strangeness that Braveer was not whomped over the head with a parasol.

As she listened carefully to his words, the Darkly Dressed Duelist caught a few of his words, mainly that he'd been a fight with Bob... which explained why it was that he looked as if he'd hitched a ride on a torpedo speeding on its way towards a battleship.

Waiting for the man to finish, Victoria pulled out a pen and started writing.

Apologies, my good sir. I have not the funds to spare for your war. I myself have only recently arrived here as to get my automobile repaired by this serf, Arizona, on the behalf of my Lord Henry McGee. You need not pledge yourself to me, my kind and noble man. I trust that there are many a more deserving woman that would enjoy the company of one such as you.

Smiling at the wounded man, Victoria handed him the note. She might have been a demon in a fight but that didn't mean that she was a ***** outside of one.

[hr]

Wild Wastelands High School | Upper Springvale Residential Area
Bye Tess Tess! Hello Drake!
Mercy O'Hare​

[hr]

Watching her older and much beloved sister disappear into the afternoon light, Mercy O'Hare waved and blew kisses to Tessa O'Hare. Hopefully the O'Hare sister with a talent for acquisitions would get a fair amount of money from Mister Moriarty.

"So, Drake. Let's get me home, if you would." The Wheelchair bound Rabbit said enthusiastically, silently thanking her sister for leaving her with such a specimen of a man, "You'll love my parents and I think they'll really like you since you saved my life and everythign back there. Once they hear how you're called Mister Dependable at school, they'll let me stay out late and I won't have to rely on Tessa to sneak me out."

There was a certain amount of excitement in Mercy's voice as she yammered away at Drake.

"So. Who do you think did it? Do you think it's like what the officers said and Thomas McGee stabbed her to death? Do you think he's the pint sized slasher? That would be weird wouldn't it? I mean he's so tall and the Pint Sized Slasher is supposed to be so short and the amount of leverage that he could use when he's on it knees is reduced quite a bit. Also, given the amount of blood, you'd think that whomever killed Lucy had it out for her, like they were REALLY mad at her. That's what the FBI profilers would say if they looked at the crime scene." Looking out at the scene, Mercy "Monster Truck" O'Hare spotted a man in a suit, "Look! Look! It's an FBI agent now. How exciting!"

 

[Texas Joker 52]

Arizona
The Last Two Weeks of Summer | Smith Casey's Garage | Angrytown, U.S.A.
"... You make someone pay."​

There were some things you simply didn't do, at least not before shoving the results under the nose of a Greaser. One of those things happened to be supremely fucking up a car's engine. After all, Greaser's liked cars. They liked machines that could be tuned for speed and given a flashy paint job. So Arizona couldn't help but stare morosely at the reactor of Henry McGee's car, even as she heard Shiver quickly writing out another note.

He said something about a Hot Freshman Girl than needed help cooling off. I shudder to think as to what he actually did with the cooling rod and that she let him. What in God's name did I do in my past life to have been adopted into a family such as this?

Couldn't you just order the part? I don't actually intend to stay here all day and watch you sit on your ass and sexual harass your customers like you do my other cousin.

After reading the note in question, Arizona clenched her fists before screaming at the garage ceiling.

"Aaaargh! That fucking dumbass! You know, maybe it's just the fact that I happen to have common-fucking-sense, but I for one know that you don't use nuclear cooling rods as a goddamn dildo!" she roared, before waving a hand contemptuously at the aforementioned cooling rod, "And even then, I can't see him using it on one girl being enough to bend it like that. They aren't supposed to bend at all! The only explanation I can see for that story checking out was if he decided to partake himself and shoved it up his own ass at the same time!"

Quite frankly, she could picture it clearly too. Groaning, she rubbed her face with one hand before giving Shiver another sidelong glare as she was presented with another note.

Or if this will take the day, you could just call me a taxi.

Arizona's mouth fell open, and the lit cigarette fell from her lips. She didn't even seem to notice as she put her hands on her hips and turned to face her properly.

"'Take the day'? Clearly you don't know what goes into replacing a goddamned nuclear cooling rod! Let me enlighten you: That shit is radioactive, and highly hazardous. Even servicing a nuclear reactor is supposed to be scheduled ahead of time, not the least of which is because I need to special order everything involved! Cooling rods included." she told her, before spreading her arms out and looking around the garage.

"Now do you see any nuclear cooling rods just lying around the place? No? That's because we don't have any here! And if you've ever special ordered anything you know that it's going to take time." she pointed out angrily.

There was a full minute where she merely panted and glared, eyes locked onto Shivers until she reached up and pushed back her hair so it wasn't in her eyes.

"I'll call you a taxi." she said finally, turning to walk to the garage phone.

She had just picked up the receiver and was about to dial when she heard the clatter of scrap metal and the sounds of someone's voice. Since it clearly couldn't belong to Shiver, she turned to see the bruised, beaten and painted Braveer in the garage, seemingly groveling to Shiver. Her eyes darted over to the pile of scrap that he had just tossed aside. Perfect. Just fucking wonderful.

"Hey!" she called out, before letting out a high-pitched whistle, "Livin' La Vida Loca! You know what this place is? Well I'll tell you what it isn't: A singles bar or a junkyard. So quit flirting with Shiver and get your shit outta the yard, or I'll shove it up your ass piece by piece!"

[hr]

[ jenna sorenson ]

The Last Two Weeks of Summer | Springvale Community | Sorenson Residence Garage
"Science has always been in contention with idiocy. That's what lasers are for."​

It took Jenna a moment to register the fact that Toni was concerned, especially since her mind was on other things.

"You feeling alright Jenna? Jason didn't upset you back there did he?"

She glanced back at him and gave a distracted, "Huh?" before finally sighing and sitting down.

"Yes, but I'll get over it. It just bugs me that some people just don't appreciate the work we do. We're young scientists, Toni! That should be awe-inspiring, but instead it get's us ridiculed and snubbed by people who don't understand what it is we try to do." she said, shaking her head.

"It's just a little discouraging is all." she reassured him.

By the way her cheeks shifted, it was fairly clear that she was attempting a smile behind the collar of her turtleneck.

"Anyway, if nothing else, I should actually thank Jason. After all, he gave me an idea for another side-project." she said.

There was a quiet pause before she cleared her throat and motioned to the waiting RobCo terminal and her Pip-Girl.

"Now, care to help me out with this hardware problem? If we can figure out what's wrong, I might just let you in on what that side-project is." Jenna offered.

 

[Silence]

Violet | Moriarty's Malt Shop​

"I... forgot that they opened that direction."  Sylphee Smithford excused herself from everything that had happened beforehand. "Are you coming? I need to change and I think I've got something stronger at home for that hand of yours." She said, after walking to the exit, and pausing.

?Umm ? sure. Thanks.? Violet answered, awkwardly holding her hand before her belly, to somehow get it to stop throbbing. When Sylphee opened the door, Violet went through it, and walked up to the place where she had placed her grocery bags.

Either because of her vivid imagination, or because it was real, she started to hear whispering and felt if all eyes were on her. It could be that she was still very self-aware about her arm, or it could be, that two girls walking into a restroom one after another, and switching jacket, was not something you would see every day, and it could lead to far more wild imaginations.

Standing before the grocery bags, Violet realized she had literally no way to carry them, anymore. Unless she would take them between her teeth, but success was not guaranteed in this case. With a red face, embarrassed she had to ask for even more help, she turned towards Sylphee:

?I have brought these bags with me ? and I can't carry them anymore. Could you help me?? she said, awkwardly. ?And ? uhm ? my wallet is in my jacket. I need you to pay my food.? Violet suddenly had the urge to make herself as small as possible, which reflected on her posture. ?I'm really sorry about all this ??

She felt panic rising again inside her, not something she would need right now. ?Can I wait outside? I need some fresh air.? she said, starting to breath a lot faster. Without waiting for an answer, she walked to the exit. Which had, in large letters, written PULL on it, like she realized, remembering her earlier encounter with the door.

?Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck ...? was what Violet managed to bring over her lips. She clenched her teeth, and used her aching hand to pull, managing a small gap, before letting loose. Her own quick reaction saved her from needing to stand before a closed door, hyperventilating. Bringing her foot into the gap, she managed to awkwardly pull it open, using both of her feet.

The door shutting close behind her, Violet breathed the fresh (well, maybe with a little bit of smog) air in and out, and managed to calm herself down, not before long. She looked back, through the window inside the malt shop, what Sylphee was doing. But at least she was out here, in FREEDOM!

Until she realized it was rush hour traffic. Slowly sliding her back down the window, she sat herself down next to the entrance to Moriarty's Malt Shop, burrowing her face between her knees, trying to shut out the world until it was time to move. What a day.

 

[FalloutJack]

There seemed to be more arguments between the sisters O'Hare, Tessa not really interested in looking into things. Drake understood. He couldn't really force people into things. It was really that intense drive of his not to leave bad situations alone that got him into things like this. And of course, the more unusual it was, the more he seemed interested in it. Still...

"Look, thanks for all your help today. But if you want to avoid several flavors of awkward, you might not want to come home with Mercy."

Drake: You don't have to worry about me.

"But if you do want to start your own investigation, count me out. You can accompany my little sister. If anything happens to her...you get the idea."

Tessa had flashed a knife concealed on her leg and Drake had held his hands up in a defensive gesture, trying to be reassuring.

Drake: It's okay, I understand. I wouldn't let anything happen, I promise.

And a promise from Drake was worth its weight in gold. At this point...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

...Bob heard Eddie talking some trash at him. Specifically, Eddie had decided to confront Bob when Bob was impatient to go home and set something on fire. Bob's already-riled temperment thus turned on Eddie...with a grin. He spread his arms out wide and called back.

Bob: Eddie baby! Is it time for your weekly beating already? Mwa ha ha ha haaa!!


The Torpedo jumped out of his car and at Eddie in one leap in a spin to try and knock him right the hell away with a Falcon Punch! Regardless of a hit or a miss, he was gonna jump at him again to work on some good ole' Greco-Roman Wrestling powah!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

As Tessa decided to get the heck out of there, Drake had been momentarily focused on Bob's sudden launch at the guy bad-mouthing him. He sighed, muttering "Why do people always do this?". Drake and Bob had had a few confrontations. They didn't get along. In fact, he had attempted to slam Drake after that clean-up moment with Lucy, because "That eye-candy is for me and me alone, Gingerbread Man.". Bob talked funny, and Drake had never been seriously hurt by him, but...Bob was kind of nuts. He'd somehow managed an ambush from inside Drake's locker, and he shouldn't have even FIT!

"So, Drake. Let's get me home, if you would. You'll love my parents and I think they'll really like you since you saved my life and everythign back there. Once they hear how you're called Mister Dependable at school, they'll let me stay out late and I won't have to rely on Tessa to sneak me out."

Drake popped back into reality and gave Mercy a sudden serious look.

Drake: I don't have any problem helping others, but don't use me to get yourself in a bad situation, Mercy. There's a killer out there, make no mistake. I'm not out to capture him myself, just make it possible for the police to clobber him.

You see, it wasn't just about Lucy, but about anybody. This was a decent neighborhood. He's hate to see people get killed in it. Suddenly, Mercy hit him with a flurry of questions and theories, a bit too much all at once. He waved his hands to make her stop a minute.

Drake: Hold on, I don't even know that much about this case. All I know is that there's a crime scene and a legend about a short guy with a knife. Do we really know anything? The only thing I can be sure of is that it's probably not most of the school bullies or Bob, because they don't attack people that way. Too awkward, or in Bob's case...way too forceful, and he's huge!

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Antonio "Toni" De Leon | Springvale Community | Sorenson Residence Garage​

"Huh?" Jenna replied, only half paying attention before breathing a sigh and sitting back down near the computer terminal, it quietly clicking in the background whilst it worked.

"Yes, but I'll get over it. It just bugs me that some people just don't appreciate the work we do. We're young scientists, Toni! That should be awe-inspiring, but instead it get's us ridiculed and snubbed by people who don't understand what it is we try to do." She said shaking her head.

"It's just a little discouraging is all." Added Jenna reassuringly. There was a slight shifting of her cheeks as she attempted to manage what appeared to be a smile.

"Well, not everyone is as enthusiastic as we are Jenna in the realms of science and technology; people simply have different tastes and interests. As the author G.K. Chesterton said: 'There are no uninteresting things, only uninterested people.' I'll admit, it is rather frustrating to be on the receiving end of ridicule, but I don't let it get to me, at least, not often. It's more-so the exception than the rule." Toni remarked as he sat beside Jenna.

"Anyway, if nothing else, I should actually thank Jason. After all, he gave me an idea for another side-project." The thought of another project had piqued Toni's interest. There was a brief, silent pause before Jenna coughed and motioned towards the RobCo computer terminal and her dear Pip-Girl project.

"Now, care to help me out with this hardware problem? If we can figure out what's wrong, I might just let you in on what that side-project is."

"Oh how you tempt me dear lady. With such an offer like that, how could I refuse." Toni remarked with a coy looking smile.