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no_leafA small cafe in the more artsy area of town is filled with its usual Monday crowd. It's not packed by any means, but the regulars are enjoying post work lattes and teas as would be musicians give the open mic their time. One such performer is a young woman, who is wearing a paperboy style cap over a single, side braid that hangs loose over her chest. She's just finished packing up her guitar; which for this girl means slinging it, uncased over her shoulder. A modest jar of tips hugged in her other arm as she makes her way to the counter to speak with the manager.
The rainbow haired girl gets quite a few looks, despite how quietly she enters, and more than one of the patrons hurries to finish and leave. The girl scans the cafe as she heads to the counter, gaze catching on the performer and watching her, almost to the exclusion of all else. She keeps half an eye on the other, even as she places an order for a small, well sugared beverage.
The discussion between manager and cap-girl is brief, and not without some uncertain tension from the cafe employee. In the end, the money from the jar is pulled out and counted, and the majority of it is handed back to Mack in a small envelope with a hand written receipt. A nod that's accompanied by a bright, sincere smile follows with an audible, "Thank you so much sir. I really appreciate it." Then she's pocketing the money inside her front jeans pocket and turning toward the door.
The colorful girl at the counter waits for her drink. The barista seems inclined to fill her order quickly, and before the performer can leave, the other has her drink in hand and follows.
She's being careful as she maneuvers through the shop, giving others a wide berth and being mindful of the unprotected guitar hanging from her back. If she's noticed the rainbow haired girl, she's either faking ignorance very believingly, or she's in a head-tucked pattern of escape.
The girl keeps her distance until they're out of the shop, but once the door closes behind her, she skips a couple steps to catch up. "Yo," she calls out. "Y' th' one, right? From a couple weeks ago? Y' talked t' th' singer, an' helped when th' asshole tried t' be some kind'f stalker?"
There's evident tension in her shoulders as she's followed out of the cafe, and as the other closes the gap, she turns a quick, hard look at her. Recognition comes easy for her though and with an intake of breath she gives a nod, "Yeah, Maya. Right?"
"Yeah," the girl says after just half a second's hesitation. "Yeah. So." She looks over at the woman and then takes a sip from her cup. "So, we should talk. Someplace that ain't crowded. Y' know?"
Mack looks around at this, "Isn't that crowded here." She keeps her pace steady as she walks down the street. "But if you want less crowded, my truck's down a couple blocks. No offense, but I've seen enough of this town to not go following random strangers into dark corners."
The girl laughs at that, and shakes her head. The grin is still present when the laughter stops, but she points across the street to a small park. "An' I ain't big on gettin' into cars with strangers, y' know? Even if Maya says y' okay. But over there ain't bad. We can talk an' see 'f somebody's likely t' be tryin' t' listen in? Maybe talk free?"
Mack raises up a single brow at that, eyes studying the other with a bit more scrutiny. "You trust everything Maya says? 'Cause she throws out a lot of that hippy dippy stuff." Still, she changes direction to match the other girl's suggestion.
Laughing again, the girl skips ahead a few steps so she can turn, even in the middle of the street, to watch Mack, walking backward the rest of the way. "Everythin' she says she's f' sure on. Even 'f it ain't my truth, I know it's hers." She gives a good look around, making sure that their location is well clear of passersby, and climbs up onto the seat of the nearest bench. "People 'round here call me Rainbow Bright. 'M here 'cause I got sent t' help fight th' war, only it turns out, th' big war's over, an' our side lost. Y' know what I'm talkin' 'bout?"
Mack eyes the other again, "You talking about the Outlaws and the rest of the scum around here? Or something else?" At this, her face hardens a bit; like a rebellious youth waiting for a lecture they intend to roll their eyes at.
Rainbow Bright paces the length of the bench and then returns. "There's scum, an' then there's Corruption. Maya was pretty sure y'd understand what I was talkin' bout."
"Rainbow Bright's a pretty odd name for a furball." Mack looks up at this, "Unless you're one of the city kind, I guess maybe." That tension remains in the young woman as she says this. "And how is Maya so sure about me anyway?"
"Ain't my name," the girl says with a shake of her head. "Just what they call me, 'cause names is dangerous out here." She hops down from the bench, landing easily on the cement walkway. "An' I'm a city kind, anyway. Maya's good with spirits. They tell her stuff, an' she listens." She tips her head to the side. "So, she right 'bout you?"
"What if I said she wasn't?" Mack keeps her full attention on the other as she asks this.
Rainbow Bright once again laughs, shaking her head just as before. "Then I'd say y' was lyin', 'cause y' know too much, an' y' ain't on th' other side, 'r I'd be dead 'r caught a'ready."
"How many of you are there here?" Mack finally relents with a sort of slumping of her shoulders. "And do they know about me?"
"A few," the girl answers with a slight shrug. "Not 'nuff, yet, but we're workin' on it. Th' Resistence ain't never left, but there ain't many 'f them. Th' ones the other side tries grab, we get 'em out when we can, an' their joinin' us. An' Maya an' me told th' boss man. He's been lookin' f' you, too, but now I can get y' t' him, an' introduce y' around t' everybody."
Mack glances up at that, an eyebrow rising again to go along with a rather sardonic grin. "Yeah, not sure how well that'd go over RB. I didn't come here because of any call to arms. I came here on a lead for my own business. You take me to the boss man and he's gonna ask questions, that lead to answers that piss him off, and be looking for ass kissing that I'm not really accustomed to."
Once again, the girl laughs, this one a full throated, belly laugh that draws a look from a woman father down the path. The woman quickly turns, and hurries off in the other direction. Rainbow Bright steps back up onto the bench and spreads her arms wide. "Look a' me. Y' think 'm a model citizen? None 'f us, here're th' stars." She shrugs and hops back down to the ground. "But look, I ain't y' boss. I ain't nobody's boss. An' one thing I've learned -- Y' gotta make y' own choices."
"You know, you laugh a lot and it's starting to feel like you're laughing /at/ me. What's your story then? And if I don't go and say, they gonna come chase me down? Or someone more pushy gonna show up on me?" The frown on Mack's face tugs deeper at this and her arms fold across her chest.
"I can' help it if y' say funny things," the girl says with a shake of her head. "An' I don' know what anybody else's gonna do. I don' belong t' them, an' they don' belong t' me." She shrugs again. "Stuff's bad here. Y' know? Y' seen th' other side? This place's sick, an' worse'n any other place I know 'bout. I could run. I could go someplace better. But maybe this place needs me, y' know? So 'm doin' what I can. I ain't picked sides, between th' Resistence an' th' New Guys. Somebody needs me t' do somethin', I do it. Yeah? But I ain't tellin' nobody else what t' do."
"Wait. What? Two sides? Of ..." at this she whispers more quietly, "two sides of garou?" Mack shakes her head, "And you don't belong to the group? You're free to run around on the outside here?"
"Two groups, I guess," says the girl. "More'n sides. Sides we know, y' know? Wyrm an' us. But there's two groups, yeah? Th' Resistence's been here since before Pontiac fell. Th' rest 'f us are new, an' there's a group tryin' t' set up. I do what I want an' ain't nobody told me not to, yet."
Mack brings a hand up to the back of her neck at that, thoughtful. "Which group you asking me to go meet then?"
"Th' new folks. Th' Resistence's full'f paranoid." The rainbow haired girl mirrors the gesture, and then tucks one of the dreads behind her ear. "They got reason t' be, but it makes 'em hard t' meet. Th' rest 'r easier. They ain't been in th' trenches so long."
Mack gives a very faint nod at this before looking down at the pavement in front of her. She's quiet and still for a long moment, and then finally lifts her head up and nods again. "Yeah, alright. I'll go say hey. Drop my face and name with 'em. Better than getting stuck in between and shit going weird on me I guess."
Grinning ear to ear, Rainbow Bright tips her head to the side and then heading off to the south. "A'right," she says. "This way. F' what it's worth, th' guy y' gonna talk to's Ben."
"Ben." repeats Mack with a tight tone. "Who does he belong to? He all high ranked and bossy and stuff?"
"Ben's a Fang," Skylar says with another shrug. "He's fostern. Th' Resistence's mostly fostern, too, but th' rest 'f us ain't. An' I don' know'f anybody's got adren in th' whole city."
Mack wrinkles her nose a bit, "Awesome." The cap-wearing woman falls into step beside the other, her gait not unlike a youth being escorted to the principal's office. "Well. Suppose it could be worse at any rate." A pause, "I probably just jinxed myself. Fahk." She hehs at this and looks over, "How far we going? I mean, my truck really is just down the block."
"It ain't that far," the girl answers. "An' walkin's good f' you. Anyway, what d' y' want me t' call you?" Her own pace isn't precisely impatient, but she continues to pull ahead and then turn to walk backwards until Mack catches up, before repeating the process again.
"Mack." She watches the curious antics with a hint of growing amusement. "If you mean any other kinda name..." she shrugs. "Me and Jules joked around and came up with No Leaf Clover. Never really gone by anything official though."
"Climbs t' th' Top's th' name I earned. Walker ragabash," says Rainbow Bright as they walk. Eventually, they come to the youth center, and the girl leads Mack in through the back, all the way to the lounge area behind the gym.
"Walker," she repeats quietly to herself as she follows. "Hey, this place is where you all hang out? It's kinda ... public no?"
"Not back here," the girl answers. "All th' public stuff's up front. This's where Ben keeps th' booze, an' the important stuff." She gestures to the map on the table. "T' get back here, y' either gotta know what y' doin'," she says with a wink, "Or get past th' security up front."
"Neither option sounds very Mack-friendly. But, this /is/ just a, Hey, I'm in town, don't kill me, sort of meeting I guess." Despite her playful words, the Fianna looks more than nervous- she looks half near terrified as she follows the rainbow haired girl the rest of the way in. With one, final breath, she shakes her head, "Here goes nothing."
The rainbow haired girl gets quite a few looks, despite how quietly she enters, and more than one of the patrons hurries to finish and leave. The girl scans the cafe as she heads to the counter, gaze catching on the performer and watching her, almost to the exclusion of all else. She keeps half an eye on the other, even as she places an order for a small, well sugared beverage.
The discussion between manager and cap-girl is brief, and not without some uncertain tension from the cafe employee. In the end, the money from the jar is pulled out and counted, and the majority of it is handed back to Mack in a small envelope with a hand written receipt. A nod that's accompanied by a bright, sincere smile follows with an audible, "Thank you so much sir. I really appreciate it." Then she's pocketing the money inside her front jeans pocket and turning toward the door.
The colorful girl at the counter waits for her drink. The barista seems inclined to fill her order quickly, and before the performer can leave, the other has her drink in hand and follows.
She's being careful as she maneuvers through the shop, giving others a wide berth and being mindful of the unprotected guitar hanging from her back. If she's noticed the rainbow haired girl, she's either faking ignorance very believingly, or she's in a head-tucked pattern of escape.
The girl keeps her distance until they're out of the shop, but once the door closes behind her, she skips a couple steps to catch up. "Yo," she calls out. "Y' th' one, right? From a couple weeks ago? Y' talked t' th' singer, an' helped when th' asshole tried t' be some kind'f stalker?"
There's evident tension in her shoulders as she's followed out of the cafe, and as the other closes the gap, she turns a quick, hard look at her. Recognition comes easy for her though and with an intake of breath she gives a nod, "Yeah, Maya. Right?"
"Yeah," the girl says after just half a second's hesitation. "Yeah. So." She looks over at the woman and then takes a sip from her cup. "So, we should talk. Someplace that ain't crowded. Y' know?"
Mack looks around at this, "Isn't that crowded here." She keeps her pace steady as she walks down the street. "But if you want less crowded, my truck's down a couple blocks. No offense, but I've seen enough of this town to not go following random strangers into dark corners."
The girl laughs at that, and shakes her head. The grin is still present when the laughter stops, but she points across the street to a small park. "An' I ain't big on gettin' into cars with strangers, y' know? Even if Maya says y' okay. But over there ain't bad. We can talk an' see 'f somebody's likely t' be tryin' t' listen in? Maybe talk free?"
Mack raises up a single brow at that, eyes studying the other with a bit more scrutiny. "You trust everything Maya says? 'Cause she throws out a lot of that hippy dippy stuff." Still, she changes direction to match the other girl's suggestion.
Laughing again, the girl skips ahead a few steps so she can turn, even in the middle of the street, to watch Mack, walking backward the rest of the way. "Everythin' she says she's f' sure on. Even 'f it ain't my truth, I know it's hers." She gives a good look around, making sure that their location is well clear of passersby, and climbs up onto the seat of the nearest bench. "People 'round here call me Rainbow Bright. 'M here 'cause I got sent t' help fight th' war, only it turns out, th' big war's over, an' our side lost. Y' know what I'm talkin' 'bout?"
Mack eyes the other again, "You talking about the Outlaws and the rest of the scum around here? Or something else?" At this, her face hardens a bit; like a rebellious youth waiting for a lecture they intend to roll their eyes at.
Rainbow Bright paces the length of the bench and then returns. "There's scum, an' then there's Corruption. Maya was pretty sure y'd understand what I was talkin' bout."
"Rainbow Bright's a pretty odd name for a furball." Mack looks up at this, "Unless you're one of the city kind, I guess maybe." That tension remains in the young woman as she says this. "And how is Maya so sure about me anyway?"
"Ain't my name," the girl says with a shake of her head. "Just what they call me, 'cause names is dangerous out here." She hops down from the bench, landing easily on the cement walkway. "An' I'm a city kind, anyway. Maya's good with spirits. They tell her stuff, an' she listens." She tips her head to the side. "So, she right 'bout you?"
"What if I said she wasn't?" Mack keeps her full attention on the other as she asks this.
Rainbow Bright once again laughs, shaking her head just as before. "Then I'd say y' was lyin', 'cause y' know too much, an' y' ain't on th' other side, 'r I'd be dead 'r caught a'ready."
"How many of you are there here?" Mack finally relents with a sort of slumping of her shoulders. "And do they know about me?"
"A few," the girl answers with a slight shrug. "Not 'nuff, yet, but we're workin' on it. Th' Resistence ain't never left, but there ain't many 'f them. Th' ones the other side tries grab, we get 'em out when we can, an' their joinin' us. An' Maya an' me told th' boss man. He's been lookin' f' you, too, but now I can get y' t' him, an' introduce y' around t' everybody."
Mack glances up at that, an eyebrow rising again to go along with a rather sardonic grin. "Yeah, not sure how well that'd go over RB. I didn't come here because of any call to arms. I came here on a lead for my own business. You take me to the boss man and he's gonna ask questions, that lead to answers that piss him off, and be looking for ass kissing that I'm not really accustomed to."
Once again, the girl laughs, this one a full throated, belly laugh that draws a look from a woman father down the path. The woman quickly turns, and hurries off in the other direction. Rainbow Bright steps back up onto the bench and spreads her arms wide. "Look a' me. Y' think 'm a model citizen? None 'f us, here're th' stars." She shrugs and hops back down to the ground. "But look, I ain't y' boss. I ain't nobody's boss. An' one thing I've learned -- Y' gotta make y' own choices."
"You know, you laugh a lot and it's starting to feel like you're laughing /at/ me. What's your story then? And if I don't go and say, they gonna come chase me down? Or someone more pushy gonna show up on me?" The frown on Mack's face tugs deeper at this and her arms fold across her chest.
"I can' help it if y' say funny things," the girl says with a shake of her head. "An' I don' know what anybody else's gonna do. I don' belong t' them, an' they don' belong t' me." She shrugs again. "Stuff's bad here. Y' know? Y' seen th' other side? This place's sick, an' worse'n any other place I know 'bout. I could run. I could go someplace better. But maybe this place needs me, y' know? So 'm doin' what I can. I ain't picked sides, between th' Resistence an' th' New Guys. Somebody needs me t' do somethin', I do it. Yeah? But I ain't tellin' nobody else what t' do."
"Wait. What? Two sides? Of ..." at this she whispers more quietly, "two sides of garou?" Mack shakes her head, "And you don't belong to the group? You're free to run around on the outside here?"
"Two groups, I guess," says the girl. "More'n sides. Sides we know, y' know? Wyrm an' us. But there's two groups, yeah? Th' Resistence's been here since before Pontiac fell. Th' rest 'f us are new, an' there's a group tryin' t' set up. I do what I want an' ain't nobody told me not to, yet."
Mack brings a hand up to the back of her neck at that, thoughtful. "Which group you asking me to go meet then?"
"Th' new folks. Th' Resistence's full'f paranoid." The rainbow haired girl mirrors the gesture, and then tucks one of the dreads behind her ear. "They got reason t' be, but it makes 'em hard t' meet. Th' rest 'r easier. They ain't been in th' trenches so long."
Mack gives a very faint nod at this before looking down at the pavement in front of her. She's quiet and still for a long moment, and then finally lifts her head up and nods again. "Yeah, alright. I'll go say hey. Drop my face and name with 'em. Better than getting stuck in between and shit going weird on me I guess."
Grinning ear to ear, Rainbow Bright tips her head to the side and then heading off to the south. "A'right," she says. "This way. F' what it's worth, th' guy y' gonna talk to's Ben."
"Ben." repeats Mack with a tight tone. "Who does he belong to? He all high ranked and bossy and stuff?"
"Ben's a Fang," Skylar says with another shrug. "He's fostern. Th' Resistence's mostly fostern, too, but th' rest 'f us ain't. An' I don' know'f anybody's got adren in th' whole city."
Mack wrinkles her nose a bit, "Awesome." The cap-wearing woman falls into step beside the other, her gait not unlike a youth being escorted to the principal's office. "Well. Suppose it could be worse at any rate." A pause, "I probably just jinxed myself. Fahk." She hehs at this and looks over, "How far we going? I mean, my truck really is just down the block."
"It ain't that far," the girl answers. "An' walkin's good f' you. Anyway, what d' y' want me t' call you?" Her own pace isn't precisely impatient, but she continues to pull ahead and then turn to walk backwards until Mack catches up, before repeating the process again.
"Mack." She watches the curious antics with a hint of growing amusement. "If you mean any other kinda name..." she shrugs. "Me and Jules joked around and came up with No Leaf Clover. Never really gone by anything official though."
"Climbs t' th' Top's th' name I earned. Walker ragabash," says Rainbow Bright as they walk. Eventually, they come to the youth center, and the girl leads Mack in through the back, all the way to the lounge area behind the gym.
"Walker," she repeats quietly to herself as she follows. "Hey, this place is where you all hang out? It's kinda ... public no?"
"Not back here," the girl answers. "All th' public stuff's up front. This's where Ben keeps th' booze, an' the important stuff." She gestures to the map on the table. "T' get back here, y' either gotta know what y' doin'," she says with a wink, "Or get past th' security up front."
"Neither option sounds very Mack-friendly. But, this /is/ just a, Hey, I'm in town, don't kill me, sort of meeting I guess." Despite her playful words, the Fianna looks more than nervous- she looks half near terrified as she follows the rainbow haired girl the rest of the way in. With one, final breath, she shakes her head, "Here goes nothing."
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