Glencoe Park
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Mondays. Mondays are never easy, and moreso for a schoolteacher when the school year first begins. The kids are just off summer vacation, and haven't even begun to settle in to the routine that is expected of them for the rest of the school year. Books are given, assignments handed out, syllabi.. and for as much as the students have that first bump of difficulty at getting used to the 'new' teachers, the teachers in turn are having that same difficulty at getting used to the new students.
As a result, the evening spent by one Brett Coleman is deliberately spent out of doors; that place he enjoys immensely. In a park, even better.
Settled on the ground, on a dropcloth, Brett sits cross-legged, his hands rubbing all over the belly of a little flop-eared beagle and making little growly sounds. The beagle, in turn, is wiggling furiously on her back, tongue lolling to the side, and every once in awhile, tries to mouth on the hand that scritches him. Each time, Brett pulls away with soft but firm 'No'.. before giving the treat of a good belly rub once again.
~
The sounds of a happy dog are something that Kate can hardly resist, especially after the hellishness of a double disaster shift as a paramedic. She should be sleeping right now. She could be, if she were sane or quite able to remove the images from behind her eyelids. New York City was bad, horrible in minor incriments — a national disaster like this? It's worse. She's in scrubs, her EMS uniform not local and not totally practical for what she's been doing all day. A cigarette rests in her hand and her short, bluntly bobbed blonde hair is still mostly pulled back save for the front few locks which have fallen out of their pins to rest against her cheeks. She looks half dead on her feet, but is just slowly walking, focusing on being out of work and the sounds of that happy canine and owner, even if she doesn't dare directly intrude. She is watching, that much is noticable even from halfway across this area of the park.
~
No park is safe from a crazy 80's chick. No park. Every park in the city has been hit recently, trying to get bunnies for the basket. They're getting scarce which means she'll have to hit up a pet store next and she hates to do that since those bunnies cost money that she doesn't have thanks to being too mentally unstable to get a job.
"'cos there are no reasons… what reasons do you need to be show-ow-own! TELL ME WHY! I don't like Mooooondays! TELL ME WHY! I don't like Mondaaays! TELL ME WHY! I don't like Mondays. I wanna shoo-oo-woo-woo-woo-oot the whole day down!"
In skates Ronnie with frizzied hair, and a LARGE purple bow dangling from it. Her attire is just as crazy. Skin tight pink and white leggings, white roller skates, a white t-shirt dress with an over-sized purple belt, and a neon pink blazer.
"Heeere, bunny bunny," she calls between singing as she makes her way toward the dropcloth, the Corey's brother, and the puppy doggy.
Enroute she nearly slams into the poor EMS tech-person.
"GAH! Dude! Totally sorry about that! I mean, totally! Hey, you haven't like, seen a bunny have you? I'm totally — WOAH! It's Mr. Corey's Brother!" Just like that, she's trying to take off, and drag the poor unknown woman with her.
~
It doesn't take a vampire's keen hearing to hear the keening— er— singing coming from a certain somewhat unstable vampire. Brett's hand stops in its rub-scritching, which causes the little beagle to roll over to regain her feet and shake vigorously to get every hair just so again. Brett's attention is on the approaching doom in the form of Ronnie Potts. It's too late to do anything, really, and once seen?
He has no hope. He couldn't even shift to get away for many, many different reasons.
"Ah.. Ronnie— watch out for—"
Wince..
~
If Kate was one tiny sliver less awake she would have been on her ass. However, she's still got some of that panic adrenaline thriving through her veins from the long shift, so she jerks herself to the side, catching her stumbling step from the woman that's run into her, her own breath coming short a moment and heart trumming hard a few moments. "Whoa… Hey, hey, it's okay…" Her voice is -so- not from around here, "No issue, it- … What??" She jumps a moment, stumbling again as she's begin drug along towards the man whom previously held her interest, "I don't want to bother!" Kate calls, but she barely seems to have the strength to pull away from her eager captor!
~
Ronnie hears the cry of 'I don't want to bother!' and she immediately releases Kate.
She herself? Well she keeps skating right toward the drop cloth. Until she hits a rock and tumbles head over heels to land with her feet right beside the beagle. There is a large, stupid grin on her face. "Mr. Corey's Brother! Have you seen Corey Hart lately? I like, totally haven't seen him and I need to tell him something important. I can't tell you, but I totally need to tell him! I mean… it's like way important, and y'know he's like a total babe-o-rama, but he got messed around with by a big bully and I had to like call the scary lady and…"
This is where she would take a breath. If she were remotely human. Instead, she twists about to stare at the beagle.
"That's not Frankie-George."
~
"It's no bo—" Brett begins, but the ending is lost in the tumult of words that come pouring out of Ronnie's mouth. In some odd way, they probably do make some semblance of sense, but at the moment?
"Ronnie.. Ronnie.. slow down.."
He looks to the poor, extremely tired looking woman and offers a sympathetic smile as if to say, 'Don't mind her..'.
Taking a deep breath, Brett begins with the easy part first. "No. This isn't.. Frankie-George. Her name is Mercy, though she responds more to 517." He pronounces the number 'Five-seventeen'.
Now, onto the harder bits. "And.. no, haven't seen Cor. He's got a bunch of work in New York that he's consulting with, remember.. and with the hurricane looking like it's making landfall, there isn't going to be an easy flight out." He's been watching the radar for the hurricane and has every intention of driving out to Houston to his parents and taking them back with him should it warrant it. "I know Cor's been talking about wanting to get home, but it may be too late."
His hand comes out to calm the vampire, or at least make the vain attempt, and continues, "Now.. what is wrong? What happened.. he got.. what? Scary lady? Ronnie.. I can usually follow what you're saying, but.." Brett shakes his head, "You're losing me here."
~
The rush of words from the other woman both worries the paramedic, from the slight tightening of her pale brow, and seems to tell her the pair knows each other, the man's response a moment later confirming such things. Kate exhales slowly, taking a few steps closer but not daring to intrude more than that. She just looks worried and a hint protective, as if she's expecting the heroine addict to either keel over from a heart attack or jump Brett any minute. The only distraction for her pale eyes is the fact she can't entirely ignore the female canine Brett's showing off, her gaze dropping every few seconds and a hint of a smile softening her drawn features. "Is….everything alright here…?" Her husky voiced New York accent finally inquires.
~
"New York? Good, good… he'll be safe for a while," she muses, sounding totally normal for a second.
Then a strange look crosses Ronnie's face. Her focus is on the doggie. Her eyes cross as she stares at it. Then she sniffs at it. Almost nuzzling it. When she pulls back, she makes a face. "Five-seventeen? I totally like that name! It's the bomb! You should like, ask her what her real name is though, Mr. Corey's Brother, 'cuz I don't think she likes that." Ruffling the ears, she twists over to look at the man again.
"He was eating a dog, and I like stopped to talk to him about something important. Something 'bout taking care of some stuff and this bully pushed him." It was more like he got thrown, and they were discussing protection, but that's not important. "Just make sure you totally tell him I need to talk to him, okay? 'cuz I gotta take care of a few things and…"
There is an interruption.
Ronnie peers up at the woman who is interrupting and smiles, fangless for the moment. "Sure is. Did you meet Five-seventeen yet?"
~
First things first as Brett's parents brought him up right. Rising quickly to his feet, he brushes himself off and takes the leash that's on Five-Seventeen.. and nods. "Everything's fine. Really.. this is.. Ronnie." He doesn't quite offer much more explanation than that at the moment because he's pretty sure all will become clear very, very soon.
"Brett Coleman.." is given by way of introduction with a gesture towards the blanket in offrance to join them.
"Ah.. Ronnie.. he was eating.." The vampire catches Brett's attention again, and once he determines that bunnies and beagles are NOT interchangeable in Ronnie's world, he retakes his seat, keeping a close eye on the interaction. If he lost the dog, he was a dead man. "Bully pushed him.." He waves past the fact that she likes the name that he uses just to poke at Summer, and continues on that rather more important bit; namely, his brother. "Uh.. you need to talk to him. Look, Ronnie.. if he's in any trouble…" This is Brett becoming the protective older brother. "I can call him to tell him to stay in New York.. or.. but I want to know what's going on."
~
Kate is almost as confused as they get, though that shiver on the back of her neck is enough to suddenly reevaluate her opinions on the drugged up nature of the woman next to them. Instinctively, Kate takes about two steps further away from Ronnie, her blue eyes wide and focused on the half crazed girl for a few far quicker heartbeats. It's like she's almost ready to be fanged immediately, even if that is an over reaction. Nostrils flaring, she breathes in deep every scent off the air, taking in the dogs luxurious coat, Ronnie's hair spray, any cologne Brett might be using, the bigger park around them. She just learns from it, quiet again, lost as to the topic of conversation so she stands back and learns.
"…Kate… Kate Clarke." She offers simply, towards Bretty's introduction, though certainly loud enough for both of them to hear it.
~
"He was eating a dog. With ketchup and mustard. Or maybe just mustard. He had pop too, I think." Maybe it was water? Ronnie doesn't remember too well. The moment of clarity later that night took all her remembering with it.
"Don't worry, Mr. Corey's Brother. I won't nibble on Five-Seventeen. She's like… I don't know. She smells swampy." That should explain everything. If it smells swampy, Ronnie won't eat it. She only likes the evil in the bunnies. Because they're evil, and evil tastes very, very good. Much better than the beige that Wil Wheaton keeps saying she should be drinking.
"Uh huh. Like this totally big bully. I think he was going to try to nomnoms on my Corey Hart, so I told him that Corey was with me and he wouldn't let that go, so I had to call someone in to take care of it." Did she promise not to tell Brett this information? Her remembering of that is off too.
"I totally don't think he's in any trouble. If he is, I made a promise to protect him… so I will. I mean, to the best of my ability. Y'know, I don't know if I can take on one'a the older ones, but I can totally keep him safe in other ways, 'kay? I totally promise."
When Kate's nostrils flare, so do Ronnie's. She sniffs the woman, though from a distance. She's not all up at the neckline. "Don't worry, puppy," she says directly to the woman. "You smell swampy too. I only like bunnies. Nice to meet'cha Kate! I'm Ronnie. Didn't mean to like, nearly take you out. I was in a hurry."
~
"Hey, Miss Kate. A pleasure."
If Brett could earquirk in his non-shifted form, he would— both at the reaction to Ronnie (though it is perfectly natural and well within survival instinct reactions!) and to Ronnie's assessment of the newly arrived as 'puppy'.
Offering as much of another sympathetic smile coupled with an encouraging one, Brett tries, "If you have to be around a vampire, Ronnie's a pretty safe bet." Just don't ever, ever forget she's a vampire. That's his and Corey's credo. "Ronnie doesn't eat people. Really. Just bunnies," he chuckles, "It's true." He's helped herd them. After a fashion.
If Ronnie didn't sound so serious, Brett would laugh it off and be done with it. The intensity that even he can read under the words speaks of real and genuine concern over Corey's safety. "Uh.. Ronnie. You know that neither of us would want you to get hurt for us. We're sort of like.. well, we like you and we'll do what we can to keep you out of trouble." Even if it means taking her on in shifted form to get her away from somewhere where she'll get in trouble. "You don't have to make that promise." Dipping his head, his brows raise in askance, "Okay?"
~
Swampy? Kate's brows furrow a touch more and she does ask a heartbeat later, "Swampy? Uh… I suppose I haven't showered in a while. Just got off shift. Probably everyone out of the disaster zone smells swampy." And she's been cleaning up a lot of them for a long time over the last few days.
Kate then looks back towards Brett and nods slowly, "Brett." And the introduction of Ronnie, and full admission of her being a vampire, earns another wide eyed look from Kate. Not totally scared, but certainly a bit wary. "Ronnie." She greets smoothly, respectfully, like one would in dealing with a rabid dog. She keeps her distance for the time being, all her body lined with tension.
~
"Dude, Corey Hart and I totally talked about that already. He said I can't protect him and not you, but it was like important that I did what I did." There's someone she doesn't know here, and she can't really explain it to Brett without maybe getting tossed around by Devo later on.
"I do have to like, make that promise. It's like the most kick ass promise of all time. I can't renege on it now. It's out there. I gotta do it." Or she's got to potentially forfeit Corey's life to a bigger, meaner vampire, and she really can't do that in good conscience.
Not that she has a real conscience. It's just real enough for her to know that letting the Corey of her heart get hurt would be bad and so she'll protect him.
"I gotta do it, Mr. Corey's Brother. I totally gotta."
Mention of the disaster has the crazy 80's vampire tilting her head. "Nuh uh. It's like, not like that, Katie Puppy. It's like, your blood. It doesn't smell right to me. Bunnies? Sure. They totally smell wicked. Puppys not so much." She waits. "Maybe you're not a puppy though. But you smell like Frankie-George!"
~
"No, that's not what she—" Ronnie corrects Kate, however, and Brett doesn't have to. At least the pair are on the same page, so that should offer some comfort to Kate, albeit a small bit. He checks once more to see if she didn't want to settle down on the blanket, but.. he's got to be heading back, so if she doesn't, it'll give him a chance to gather everything.
"Ronnie.." Now Brett begins to gain his feet, keeping a hold of Mercy while he's at it. "You really don't. You know Cor. You know me. Just.. don't do anything stupid, okay? Please?" He actually finds that every once in awhile, he worries about the vampire.
Strange but true.
"But.." Kate smells like Frankie-George? "Mentioning Frankie-George. Can you find a better name? Please?"
~
Not a puppy, but puppy swamp smell? Kate's suddenly looking a bit guilty as she is almost as quickly outted as the vampire was. Damn. Kate clears her throat quietly, "Well, I'll be sure to shower." And leaves it at that in hopes her scent will be written off as the too long work day and nothing more. Even if it's a vain hope.
She's not sitting down, she looks tired enough that she might just collapse off her feet and not get back up if she actually dared to sit. Instead, she pulls out another menthol cigarette from her pack and slips it between her somewhat full lips — the most feminine thing about her face. "You be well, Brett… take good care of the dog. She seems like a sweetheart." Kate coos that out a bit softer, actually leaning over to ruffle Mercy's ears a moment before she stands again and looks back to the vampire. She seems lost for words for Ronnie, still nervously confused.
~
"Dude, chill or something, 'kay? Like give little miss five-seventeen a hug or tickle her." Ronnie can hear the worry in his voice, but just smiles at him. "It'll like, be okay." Besides, she already did the something stupid in making that claim without Corey's permission. Granted, he like, totally didn't say it wasn't true, and therefore it might hold up unless Wil Wheaton deems her too entirely screwed up to make her claim valid.
Hopefully that will not be the case.
"What? You like want me to call her Gizmo? Or like… I don't know… Blondie? I totally dig Debbi Harry. Y'know I like, met her on tour once it was so stellar."
Giving Kate a strange look she just nods. "Kay, you could totally do that but it'll still make you swampy. That's not something you can just change. Maybe if you ate bunnies…" Now there's a thought. Get people to eat bunnies so she can eat people? Wil Wheaton might be proud of her for thinking of that one!
If she can remember it when they talk next.
~
Evening, and Brett is now gathering up the ground cover and hanging it over his arm. In the other hand, he's got the leash of the beagle in hand. The little dog has been lovingly ruffled, both by the girl with a cigarette now in hand and by the crazy pink-dressed 80s roller-skated vampire. As he rises, the dog makes it a little more difficult as she runs around his legs, causing him to laughingly yelp, "Hey.. mom's taught you better than that!"
He grins to Kate. "She was a rescue from a lab. A friend has connections, and a bunch of dogs were being fostered out, now that their testing trials are done. So.."
Horror is plastered on his face when he hears Ronnie's suggestions, and he turns a slight shade of red. "I'm pretty sure the dog is a male, Ronnie." Oh, he's certainly sure. "If.. those are the choices, I say stick with Frankie-George." At least that has a hope of sounding male. Those others? Corey would never, ever let him live it down.
"I'd.. better get her home. Miss Kate, a real pleasure." He searches her face and offers that last sympathetic smile. How many times has Ronnie outed him, and has every chance of doing it again? "And Ronnie.." Brett looks down at the vampire on the ground. "Be good."
~
Like fog, Joaquim creeps through the night, a wanderer from way back, trolling the trees and plains of this vast park. To look at him one might see a lackluster teen, feckless and no real prize to society just yet, and possibly, maybe - never. That's how he ends up rolling into sight, hands stuffed deep into bottomless pockets, stroll rather erratic as feet carry him aimlessly into their realm. The air is sniffed and a blanch is returned with an offshoot of a greeting, "Menthol… nasty."
~
"Be safe, Bretty. And pup." Kate waves to them both, the dog definitely bringing out a softer side of Kate that is probably never there other than with canines and kid patients. She lets them go with one last, thoughtful look, her head half tilting as she mulls over a few ideas and then shakes them off upon looking back to the half crazed vampire.
"…Vampire, eh?… And you like….Bunnies? I feel like I'm being put on some how." Kate finally admits, her voice as wary and strained as before. She doesn't dare move closer to the woman, but smoking her cigarette seems to have relaxed her somewhat. SHe's not quite ready to run away immediately. She takes another drag of that menthol, the comment behind her drawing a smirk.
"Yeah, well… all smoking is nasty for ya, kid, don't take it up." She huskily rasps out.
~
"No way! Dude! Frankie-George is so obviously a girl! I mean, that's why I totally got her a pink collar for when she helps me round up evil bunnies!" Giving Brett a very innocent grin, even though she's got it all figured out now, she winks at him. "I'll tell you what, Mr. Corey's Brother. If you happen to like, see Frankie-George, you tell her that if she like wants a better name to have an envelope tied around her neck with it, okay?"
Looking at the beagle, the crazy 80's vampire finally gets up off the ground and stabilizes herself on a nearby tree. Trying to keep her wobbly feet from flying out underneath her. "Dude, I'm like, always good. Y'know that! It's like totally a given, right?"
Her attention snaps back to Kate, and she wrinkles her nose. "Find me a bunny and I'll totally show you how evil they are. I mean, they're like, nasty. Demon creatures."
~
Joao sluffs a sluggish shrug, "Too late." While he doesn't have a cigarette in hand, he clearly emanates the heavy smoker stench. The mention of the fanged one hooks attention, dragging it towards the female on skates. It's with a slow blink that he takes her in, ending at her feet. "Must be fun trying to skate on grass." The topic of bunnies isn't taken up just yet.
~
Perhaps Kate is just a touch shy as with the new distraction/conversation participant, she goes a hint quiet again. She still remains a decent distance from the girl on skates, once Ronnie is back up she treads backwards another step or two, part of her preparing for a quick get away. She takes in a deep, slow breath of her cigarette, sniffing in again as the kid comes nearer, able to smell his smoke-stench even over her own cigarette. "Seriously, kid… no reason to drop dead because of these things…" That's the best lecture she gives, but then she looks over to Ronnie almost hopefully, "Back me up here, dollface."
~
"Funny story that. Pretty sure I'm the way I am now 'cuz'a that stuff." Ronnie scratches the back of her head, causing her balance to flip a bit. She nearly faceplants into the grass but manages to exert some sort of magical vampiric grace as she wheels her way through the green stuff.
"Dude, it's like wicked fun. Wanna try? You can totally take my skates. I've got ten pairs now." Give or take. Plus the pair Coco gave her. "Maybe it's closer to a wicked dozen or so."
Beat.
"I should like totally get going. I need to find a bunny. Or like, some'a that beige. I don't think there's a place in the park to get beige, but I know there's some back home."
~
Joao's chin swivels towards Kate, head cocking to peruse her person as she speaks. "You know, that lecture would go over much more convincingly if you weren't sucking on a butt." There is no malice in his tone, but rather amusement coats each syllable only to be amped up by a sloppy sidelong grin.
The offer of /anything/ will be well received by the tall teen, so before the sentence is fully finished he's up in Ronnie's personal space, hand flipped palm up in a finger wiggling gimme fashion. "Sure! I'll give it a try." Nevermind that his feet are several sizes too big to squeeze into them.
~
Well hell, being bug nuts crazy is certainly a good reason not to smoke! Kate almost appreciates the strange bit of back up that Ronnie has given her in that. "I never knew cigarettes to drive someone crazy, but a first for everything. See, kid? Horrid for ya." But then Kate looks over towards Joa and blinks as he's taking the crazy vamp up on her offer for roller skates. Maybe it's too late. A husky, disbelieving little laugh crosses her lips as she stands back, shaking her head. "…I.. ain'r sure her skates will fit you, kid, but best of luck to both of you!"
~
One skate is kicked off up into the air to land on the grass beside Joaquim. The other is taken off in a normal, delicate fashion. Laces undone, big white boot part slipped off. These are definitely not rollerblades, but the old-fashioned kind of roller skates. At least these ones aren't neon pink like her last pair.
"Dude, if you like, unlace the boots you can probably squish your toes in." Left in bare feet, because who wears socks with tight pink leggings? Ronnie squishes her toes in the grass. Nifty feeling that, but she's got a long way to go to get back to her room at the hotel.
"Hm. I kind'a think it was maybe that and a few other things." Drunken drugged up stupors and the like. Then the whole near-death and vampire-turning thing. Too much for her to handle. "Nice meeting you, Kate Puppy! You too skater boy!"
Then, like a flash, she's gone. Not totally gone. But she's about halfway through the park before she starts doing cartwheels until she makes her way to the pavement where she walks along at a normal pace.