Gilbert Kinkaid Walker (veryperceptive) wrote in dc_nextgen,
@ 2011-02-09 19:13:00

Entry tags:

Friendly Neighbor.
A new apartment on Union Ave. Intermittent part-time work at the theater downtown.

And every evening after supper, he throws on one of the specially-lined outfits he's specifically designated for Volunteer Work, paints his face, and makes his way down to the Triangle.

He still hasn't had cause to draw the blade; GK keeps dealing with people who just need to be hit with sticks. But he takes to bringing a bag along, in which to put the ammo and emptied guns he collects in these escapades.

One night he's got quite a few. "Great. What am I supposed to do with all this?"

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	veryperceptive 2011-02-11 02:54 am UTC (link)
	"I was doing my usual hit-people-with-the-stick routine when I met the guy in red leather you mentioned. Isn't 'Sons of Discord' an awfully pretentious name for a motorcycle club?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

zoe_torres
2011-02-11 03:09 am UTC (link)

She cracked an unwilling smile. It was gone a second later.

"They watch too much TV. So the cops are taking them down. It's about time." Red Robin she passed over with a thought. He said he'd help and he did. Tomorrow was another day.

"You need a doc? Sticks don't impress them. They're not as reasonable as Jakey was. There's a guy in the Triangle who did his army time as a medic. He'll patch you up if he can and keep his mouth shut."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	veryperceptive 2011-02-11 03:23 am UTC (link)
	He nodded. "I was introduced to a Detective Falconieri. Nice guy, but a bit fond of the bling for a cop." "Well, the stick made quite the impression on a few of them once things got going. Thanks, and I'll keep that in mind, but nothing needs stitches, and it's not broken. I just need to get home." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	zoe_torres 2011-02-11 03:46 am UTC (link)
	Yeah, she could imagine it would make an impression on the Sons. Between red and white, they probably couldn't get passed the confusion of a fight with the two attackers. "C'mon, I'll walk you out. You walk the street in that makeup with a limp, somebody'll take a shot at you." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	veryperceptive 2011-02-11 03:48 am UTC (link)
	"Thank you." And he'll walk with her. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	zoe_torres 2011-02-11 03:58 am UTC (link)
	She'll lead him through a few back alleys, resisting the immature urge to take the worst ones. Tonight he did a good thing for her part of the city. That got some consideration. She might've smiled at Red Robin as well if he was around. "Name's Zoe." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	veryperceptive 2011-02-11 04:05 am UTC (link)
	"It's good to see you, Zoe. I'm going by Sliver when I've got the makeup on. Avoid legal trouble for the folks." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	zoe_torres 2011-02-11 04:24 am UTC (link)
	Not bringing trouble down on the folks was something she understood. "Sliver," she repeated. "I been hearing stories about a guy breaking heads around the Triangle. Some say it's really a girl. I'm thinking the makeup makes it hard for them to tell when you're moving fast and beating them with a stick." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	veryperceptive 2011-02-11 04:36 am UTC (link)
	"Do they?" He laughs quietly. "And the countertenor probably doesn't help. I get Ma'amed on the phone so often it's not even annoying anymore." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	zoe_torres 2011-02-11 06:31 am UTC (link)
	"They don't have much else to keep them busy. Just be careful if you're gonna stay around. The stick is different, but nobody here fights fair." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	veryperceptive 2011-02-11 06:43 am UTC (link)
	"So I'm learning. Had to take out the sharp edge for the first time tonight. So how long've you been walking around at night?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	zoe_torres 2011-02-11 07:54 am UTC (link)
	Zoe brushed off the question of her nighttime wanderings. "What sharp edge?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	veryperceptive 2011-02-11 07:56 am UTC (link)
	GK grabbed the end of the stick just so and drew out the blade, hastily cleaned but with a touch of gray residue remaining. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	zoe_torres 2011-02-11 07:58 am UTC (link)
	Ahhhhh. Beat them with a stick. A stick with a sharp inner core. It wasn't the usual type of weapon she saw on the streets. Still, she didn't think it would be much of a match from a gun. "Can I touch it?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	veryperceptive 2011-02-11 08:07 am UTC (link)
	GK realized he was occasionally bringing a knife-inside-a-stick to a gunfight, but he hoped to manage. He made an affirming noise and nodded. The blade was good, if old, stainless steel, just a little dingy from the recent tire-slashing. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

zoe_torres
2011-02-11 08:20 am UTC (link)

She wouldn't say it out loud. She did have manners, if sometimes a little rough around the edges, and she'd take all the help she could get until he either burned out or got himself killed. If she was going to be away with the Squad on jobs, it wouldn't hurt to have somebody around. Once she saw what he could do, she might hire him to keep an eye out for Michelle.

"Not bad," she said, touching it with a careful fingertip. "I guess if some guy can run around here in red leather pants showin' off that he can't be wearing any underwear, another guy can use a stick and get the job done."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	veryperceptive 2011-02-11 08:25 am UTC (link)
	GK laughed his androgynous little laugh again. "Thanks. I am highly impressed by anybody who can do that kind of dodging in a damn cape. I realize there're concealment opportunities, but there're also there-is-an-oddly-balanced-handle-on-your-back opportunities. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	zoe_torres 2011-02-11 08:30 am UTC (link)
	"I hope so. Otherwise it's extra weight." She paused a street, looked it up and down, then motioned Sliver to keep following. "To answer your question, I first started patrolling at night when I was about twelve." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	veryperceptive 2011-02-11 08:36 am UTC (link)
	And Sliver blinks. "Whoa. Um. Sorry. Just...when I was twelve, I wasn't much use for anything except trying to get my uncle's attention." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

zoe_torres
2011-02-11 08:44 am UTC (link)

"I saw a girl grabbed off the street by a couple of gang members. They stopped their POS car, jumped out, grabbed her and pushed her into the backseat. Never saw her again. People here are scared to stand up for themselves. About then I found out I had a good eye. I could hit what I aimed at. They lose interest long enough for people to get away if somebody throws a rock hard enough three stories up to put an eye out."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	veryperceptive 2011-02-11 08:49 am UTC (link)
	He blinks at the first account, the way he always did at his uncle's horror stories. A little mental dissonance at the fact that Things Like That Happen. Things that make you want to....well, beat the person responsible with a stick. "Oh. I bet." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	zoe_torres 2011-02-11 06:55 pm UTC (link)
	"Capes go for the big stuff. You read about it all the time. The little stuff...the /people/ stuff gets forgotten. Makes places like this happen." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	veryperceptive 2011-02-11 07:00 pm UTC (link)
	"So you've been trying to look after your gallery of little pictures ever since then?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	zoe_torres 2011-02-11 07:11 pm UTC (link)
	"That's a weird way to say it, but somebody has to until we get another cleaner in here for awhile." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	veryperceptive 2011-02-11 07:12 pm UTC (link)
	He shrugs. "Never been much of a big picture person either. What happened the last time things got 'cleaned'?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)