| The Pre-Show | |||||
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| What: Anya hitched a ride to Gotham from Laura; Sam is just plain lost. All three wind up at the Rec Center seeking directions, and Jynn is there to provide. | |||||
It's getting close to fall setting in, the trees out front of the Rec Center are showing the signs as the leaves begin turning different shades of green and yellows, the sun is slowly setting further, it's about 8:30pm in the evening and there are only a few cars parked out in the parking lot but the sign on the front door of the rec center says open. There are a few teens goofing off in the front, a group of boys throwing a football around. There on the steps sits about 5 teenage age girls laughing and dancing to music off one anothers phone.
On the inside of the rec center it's clean, the sounds of a floor buffer can be heard down the hall to the right, two teenaged girls sit behind the info desk. One black girl, hair done up in braids is sitting doing homework, while there is a blonde stuffing her books into her backpack. A large woman, african-american, stands in the door way looking down each hall, she has a name tag on, 'Therese' is the name on the tag. A few smaller kids come running out of the large gym off ot the right of the main information desk, laughing while a small girl comes chasing out after them, "IDIOTS!!" she hollars and throws a softball at the slowest boy hitting him in the leg causing him to stumble. "HEY!" shouts Therese as she moves from wehre she is standing. All three kids stop and look at her, "What did I tell you?" she asks. The boy who got hit looks to Therese, already knowing whts about to happen, "I started it, only after her friends started talking about me." Oh yea, one gets in trouble he brings everyone down.
"Nu oh, he called me name and he hit me with a plastic juice bottle." the girl quickly calls out. "You know teh rules." another voice calls out not far from the three. Blinking all three step back in unison, "Boys apologize, and Claire, you did the same thing yesterday. So when you come in tomorrow, guess what?" he asks. The boys apologize and scat, Claire on the other hand looks down. "Jynn but..." shaking his head, "You know better then them." he grins. "Half-hour detention." he tells her and she nods and goes bac to her friends. Shaking his head, Jynn stretches and sighs. "It gets worse when school starts." he says as he looks to Therese, "Yup. Well I'm heading out, all the paperwork is done, make sure to cehck that back door, looked like someone was trying to pry it open." Jynn nods his head, "Alright." he says. By that time many of the kids who were left were already packing up, cleaning up whatever was left and heading out the front door.
This was Anya's first time in Gotham City, but it barely felt like leaving home. "This place is a /lot/ like where I grew up," she quietly asides to Laura, walking alongside her down the street. Late for two girls to be out? Sure. /Especially/ in Gotham. But that's why she's leading them towards the Rec Center. It's open, it's populated, and they can be great places to check in when you're hopelessly lost in a new town.
Anya lightly nudges Laura and nods towards the center, hitching her poor, abused backpack a little more snugly to her shoulders. "C'mon. Let's see if anybody here knows a cheap place we can crash."
So, this is not Metropolis. Sam gets out the GPS, takes a hit to his manliness score but soldiers on. Where the heck is he? Gotham...well. That's a bit out of the way. He sheepishly texts home to say he's running really late. Maybe they'll think he's... no. Best case scenario, they'll think he got lost. Pa's truck rattles and coughs, Sam pats her dashboard.
"Sorry, old girl," Sam tells her. "I'll use the GPS for long trips. And no more riots in New York. Promise."
Laura plods along next to Anya, hands in the pockets of a hoodie she's wearing over the black, form-fitting fabric of her sleeveless bodysuit-- zipped up so the unusual garment doesn't so quite so much. She's swapped out her previously-ubiquitous backpack in favor of a shoulder-slung mesenger bag of approximate laptop size.
The sour expression isn't for her company-- she was happy enough to spend some time hanging out with Anya. It's more for the part of the city they're in. She really perfers the grimier, more dangerous areas. People pay too much attention to peole like her up this way. "In this neighborhood?" she asks dubiously, but doesn't complain about the idea. Her head comes up and she peers toward the shout, tilting her head as she habitually scents the air. Whatever the ruckus is... nothing *smells* out of sorts. Except that godawful truck over there. Ugh.
There are staff leaving, along with quite a few kids now that a few more cars have pulled up to pick up kids. The older kids and teenagers leave together in groups before dispersing out from one another. Therese looks to the truck and wrinkles her nose and shakes her head, she looks back to the center then walks off to the right and towards the parking lot as does a few other adults. A few lights go out within the center but the open sign is still up and there is a little movement as a few older kids come out laughing.
"I know you're trying to keep a low profile, and for good reasons," Anya tells Laura quietly, actually going so far as to sling a companionable arm around the other girl's shoulders. "But you do not always need to be sharing rooms with roaches. I'm not saying we should ask for directions to the Hilton or anything," she adds quickly, and oh-so-subtly starts steering her towards the center's entrance, careful to keep them from walking into any of the departing families. "But maybe a Motel 6 or something. Anywhere the sign out front is not missing half the letters would be an upgrade."
A... school? Rec Center. And a nice one. Sam pulls up in the parking area in order to turn on the GPS and work out how to best get out of this neighborhood and back onto the highway. All these buildings around here block the view of the world and he's so darn confused. He turns the truck off and takes a moment. If he could just -fly- everywhere, he could see where he was going, damn it. Darn it, he corrects himself, even with no kids around.
Laura lets herself be steered easily enough. "They ask for ID," she points out. Though not all of them do, obviously. But the bad parts of town ask fewer questions. On the other hand, "...but I guess you've got some," she agrees grudgingly.
The doors open rather easily when pushed. Jynn who is locking up one of the offices notices a few people coming up to the center, shrugging, there is still 10mins left and honestly he didn't have anywhere he needed to be at all, except home when he was done. Walking down another hall, Jynn heads to the janitors closet and turns off the hot water. Looking at the rolling bucket that is ready to be used with soapy water, he wheels it out and places a clean mop into it. Anyone coming in at this time will not see anyone readily avaiable.
"I do, I do have ID," Anya confirms, giving Laura's shoulder a pat. "...we should really get you some, at some point. We'll look into it while we're in town," she promises. Fake IDs aren't /hard/ to find in New York, but Laura's still on the radar out there. Gotham is, perversely, the safer option.
Once they're inside, Anya takes a quick look around and tries not to deflate too much at the lack of people at the front desk. "I suppose it is a bit late," she notes with a sigh. "Someone'll have to come to flip the sign around the 'closed', though."
Sam is working it out when he looks up and sees a familiar figure... two familiar figures slipping inside.
"Well, I'll be..." He slips out of the truck and heads in behind them. "Anya? Hey, what's up?" As he puts things together, he starts to worry about her and Laura and why they're here at all. This is way out of their territory.
Laura looks... completely less-than enthused about the idea of getting her hands on anything that makes her the least bit trackable, but she doesn't say anything-- much more intrigued by the empty Rec Center. And also the person coming up behind them.
"That guy from the bridge again," she says cryptically, tilting her head up to sniff at the air inside the rec center. "And someone's still here." She gestures vaguely in the direction Jynn went. "That way."
Walking back up the hall, then hearing a few voices, he looks around the corner. His black red eyes staring at the group of teens, they were new. He's not seen them around here before. Taking them all in, "Can I help you." he says as he looks to them all. His voice soft but there is a bit of grit behind it, "Theres only five minutes left before we close." he informs them just in case they were looking to play some basketball or something. But then again this isn't the first time anyones comein at the last minute looking for someone or something. Standing there with teh mop bucket in front of him and the mop handle in front of him, he jsut watches.
"Sam? In town for a show," Anya replies with a grin, giving Sam an amused looking-over. Before she can ask what the heck he's doing in Gotham City, however, Jynn makes his appearance, and she's quick to offer him a friendly, sheepish smile. "We'll get out of your hair," she promises, before thumbing over her shoulder. "My friend and I were just wondering if anybody here could aim us towards an okay hotel in the area. Nothing too fancy or anything, but somewhere decent to crash for a night or three would be great."
"A show. Well, I managed to lose my way--serves me right for leaving the GPS off, but it's on now. I'll give you two a lift if you know where to go." Sam gives Jynn a smile and a nod. "I'm just passing through, myself."
Laura just shrugs one shoulder at Sam after Anya explains what she's doing there, and adds, "I like Gotham." Yeah, it's about that simple. She actually spends a lot of time in the area, so he's working from something of a faulty premise, as it happens. Jynn, being the one person present she doesn't really know, ends up getting her wary gaze for the most part, and the kind of subtle little head motions one might expect from an uncertain cat trying to figure someone out.
Regarding each in turn, listening to one who is looking for direction to a motel, another who is friends with them, the boy anyways. Then the other dark haired girl, she does catches his attention as her wary gaze is upon him. Keeping his gaze on Laura for a moment longer, Jynn looks to Anya seeing as she needed information. "Down on west end is a hotel and motel, both take cash." he says as he looks to Anya. Walking over towards them and then behind the main desk, he looks down and picks up a phone book and places it on the counter. "Do you need touse the phone. It's best to call sometimes, it is a Saturday night." he says hoping he doesn't have to explain, but then again Laura may know seeing as she likes Gotham.
Anya's smile for Jynn is downright radiant. "You? Are a lifesaver. Thank you so much." Only now does she take her arm from Laura's shoulder, following Jynn to the counter so she can get a look at the phone book. "Oh, please. I have a cell, but the battery died on me halfway down." She looks back towards Sam once she's found a hotel in the book that matches the address Jynn gave and grins. "If it isn't too far, I don't mind walking, but I'd hate to prevent you from being a knight in shining armor. We'll take a lift."
"I appreciate the kind boost to my manliness, what with how I nearly had to ask for directions." Sam hangs back with his hands in his pockets. "Bad enough I had to use the GPS. I thought I was going to Metropolis. This is why they don't let me drive the fire truck anymore."
Expecting Laura to know anything about *normal* life in the city is probably asking a bit much, but of course Jynn couldn't know that. As per usual, she lets Anya handle most of the social niceties, since she's generally better at them. But her interested peering at Jynn does yeild one question that slowly occurs to her, and in typical Laura fashion, she doesn't think twice before just... asking. "Why are your eyes like that?" Chances are pretty good he's heard this question uttered by more than one small child in the exact same tone.
Picking up the cordless phone, he hands it to Anya, though her smile that is just awesome does manage to get a slight grin off him. "WHen your done just place it back on the counter." he tells her. Keeping behind the counter, Jynn looks to Sam and quirks a brow at him wondering why he needed the boost to his manliness but decides to leave that alone. "If you take the road straight up the street, make a right then go two miles you can get on teh freeway. Take exit 58S and that will take you straight into Metroplis." Jynn shakes his head more so at Sam now seeing as whoever he works for don't let him out much because of him getting lost. Sad.
When addressed by Laura, his eyes narrow, and has been asked that question alot, "Born with them." he says to her simply, "Most people here think they are contacts." he tells her which he seems to like then being the one to tell them they are his real eyes, but what the hell right? "That your hair?" he asks. One can never know, women like using syntethic hair all the time.
To her credit, Anya does not choke on her own tongue when Laura displays all the social graces of... well, herself. She just quietly clears her throat and accepts the phone with a slightly apologetic smile. "Thanks. I'll be quick," she promises, already turning her attention to the phone book and starting to dial. Congratulations, Sam -- it's your turn to hold Laura's leash! AREN'T YOU EXCITED.
Oh, hooray. Sam wanders closer to keep an eye on things while Anya's busy. "Pretty sure she came as you see her," he says casually. "Lot people 'round where I'm coming from wouldn't guess contacts first-off either." And they'd ask, too. The kids are always comparing powers and asking why, why, why about everything. Why don't your shoes burn up, why don't your clothes burn off, can you pick up an elephant, how come that's your name, does it hurt when you do that, can I punch you, if I jump off this can you stop me...
Laura shrugs, and rather than 'yes', answers Jynn's question with "Sort of. It depends." She frowns a little bit, clearly a touch confused, and the reason becomes apparently very quickly. "...'contacts'?" Have fun, Sam!
Eyes narrowing slightly as he looks at Sam who interjects himself into the conversation. "Round here some things don't get asked much." he says simply. Well yeah, kids are one thing but teens and adults are something else. Especially in Gotham, but not trying to be pushy, Jynn moves over to one of the computers behind the counter and sighs a little when he sees it was on. "She didn't print her paper..." he groans and types a few keys and in the office behind him a printer hums to life. Jynn looks back to Laurs as she says she thinks so. He takes out keys and begins to unlock the door, Jynn walks into the office and after a few moments he takes the paper and turns off the printer. Walking out of the office, he then turns off the computer. "Your not in my hair." he says as he looks back to Anya. He walks around the counter and heads to the door, locking them up but the doors are the kind you can leave out but can't get back in. "Hang here I will be back, the soda machines are only a quarter if your thirsty, and no they aren't cans.' he tells them. He leaves with his mop bucket and it seems he has a bit of work to do, and appearently doesn't seem to be too worried about the group at the moment.
The phone call is, perhaps mercifully, a short one. Anya closes the phone book and sets the phone down atop it once she's down. "Okay, called dibs on a room!" VICTORY. She turns around just in time to peer after Jynn, but she shrugs it off easily enough and moves back to Laura and Sam. "And they even assured me that we would be the only living things in the room. Won't that be nice?"
"Good to hear." Sam gives Anya a grin, then runs down the list of directions in his head. Yep, he knows where he's going. "Oh, contacts," he says, turning to Laura. "Some people don't have perfect vision because their eyes aren't shaped properly or the muscles aren't quite right. Contacts are thin plastic disks that go on the eyeballs to correct vision--same as glasses." Laura surely knows what those are, right? Yes. Please. "They also come in weird colours, or they glow, so they look like mutant eyes."
Laura's face is almost exactly the same as when Bruce banner told her about how people get sick or hurt and visit medical facilities. Unlike that occassion, she just accepts that she's not going to entirely get it and it'll have to be good enough. "Okay," she decides, then looks towards Anya, and shrugs. "It was only one mouse that one time," she points out.
Jynn doesn't come back for about 20mins, but when he does he walks past the group and down the other hall laura smelled him in. Emptying water into the drain in the janitor's closet, he rinses the bucket out and the mop. The sound of a door closing, Jynn walks back out of the hall, and turns right and moves down an opposite hall. Locking up the doors or checking them. He walks back and does more then one set of doors, takes bout another 10mins. If you all are waiting that is awesome, if not, still nice of you to wait that long. Upon finishing he places the cordless phone back on the base and moves teh telephone book to it's rightful place. "You know where your going?" he asks. Though a quick glance to Sam could be seen and a slight smirk. Looking to Anya, he waits.
In the intervening time, Anya moved just outside the entrance. The place /was/ due to close when they got there, after all, and it would be rude to stay in so far past the posted schedule. The mouse comment just gets Laura an /odd/ look, but she shakes it off quickly enough, at least.
To Jynn, Anya nods, flashing him another smile. "I think we're good. Just wanted to stick around long enough to say thank you for letting me use the phone." Before Laura can further demonstrate that she was basically raised under a rock, she slings an arm around her shoulders again and turns towards the street. "C'mon, we'd better go check in. I need to pass out so I have enough time to find my way to this thing tomorrow."
"Truck's open," Sam says, waving them on. "Nice to meet you," he says to Jynn, extending a hand. "Sam Guthrie, by the way. Great looking place you have here. I'd love to see it when it's busy some time."
Laura, as is so often her default mode when in these sorts of places and social situations, just sort of lets Anya steer her about a bit. Of the two of them, there's one that actually knows how to be normal and not stick out like a... erm... escaped experimental weapon. Yeah. Laura's still working on it. She waits for Anya to pile into Sam's truck, eyeing it with a sort of uncertain look until she can take her turn piling. She'd like the window. Must have an open escape route, of course.
It was nice that they stepped outside, Jynn walks out with the rest of them. Double checking the doors and getting locking up a second set of locks, Jynn nods his head to Anya, "No prob." he says to her. "Thats what this place is for, help and a place thats safe." he tells her but doesn't go too much into it. Looking at teh others, "Whats going on tomorrow that you will be going to?" he asks Anya.
Looking to Sam, Jynn nods. "Same." he says as eh reaches out and shakes Sams hand, "Jynn." he says not really given his full name. "That will be in a week, if your in town come back." he tells him. "Use your GPS." he informs Sam.
Looking to Laura as she pretty much has gotten quiet since she is now allowing Anya to pretty much guide her about. Jynn doesn't say anything, but he does seem quite intrigued by Laura at this point.
"A concert!" Anya calls back over her shoulder, beaming at Jynn. "Came all the way out from Queens for this one. It's gonna be great." She gives Laura's shoulders a reassuring squeeze on the way towards Sam's truck, quick to add, "I won't drag you along, I promise. I think it might be a little... bubbly, for you."
"Yeeah," Sam looks sheepish. "I just figure I'll learn faster without the GPS. I realize--I'm wrong. I can admit it. I'll come back through, for sure. I do some teaching--phys ed--and coach baseball, wrangle a lot of kids. Always eager to see what programs other people are running and this place looks great." He waves to Jynn as he follows the girls toward the truck. "Take care, man. Thanks for the directions." He does actually remember them.
Laura does *not* ask what a concert is, as she piles in behind Anya. But the question's clearly there. Maybe she's just a little distracted by the weird feeling that she hasn't gotten off without piquing Jynn's interest. Intriguing people is something she'd really prefer to avoid, but it's almost unavoidable. "Thanks," she says instead, rubbing the tip of her nose with a finger.
Quirking a brow, "Oh Dazzlers concert." he says as he looks to Anya. "Yeah, I've heard it is tomorrow." he says to her. Rolling his shoulders a bit and looking at the sky seeing that it's slowly easing into night, the skies already darkened. "Well get to your hotel." he says. "See you around sometime and have fun." he says to them. Looking to Sam, he nods his head, "We are fully staffed, but you can talk to Therese if your interested in doing something here to help." he says. Reachign into his pocket, he walks over to Sam and hands him a card with teh centers name, number and address.
Laura, gets a glance from Jynn, but it seems that the girl has piqued his interest. As she says thanks, "Your welcome." he says to her.