Buddy you're a young man, hard man, shoutin' in the street, gonna take on the world some day…

[homoraptor]

On an abandoned baseball field not far from the Main Gauche, one small beat-up sedan rolls to a stop near a collection of other beat-up cars, a truck or two, and one SUV which seems to have been mounted with a forward-facing chainsaw. Out of the newest car hops a Malek, who pops the trunk, bops back (opening the doors for his passengers on the way

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[worseforfears]

There's one girl on the sidelines, all bundled up in a puffy parka and scarf and gloves and a fluffy hat. If you can see her underneath, you'd probably recognise one of the Gauche's non-demonic residents. But she's looking pleased as punch, if a bit chilly. She has a thermos of what appears to be hot chocolate.

"Annie," she says to the blonde she was talking to, "he's here, go play!"

[ourowndragons]

Annie is just as bundled up as Becky, honestly. She's not fond of cold, and while she's a bit better able to endure it in her other shape, she still kind of wishes this were a summer game. Crazy people. Who probably have nice thick fur when they're in their other shapes...

She reaches over to steal the thermos from Becky and take a drink, because warm chocolate is a good thing to have before going out in the snow, and then hands it back. "Okay. If you need anything, just yell." Like, you know, if someone tries to eat her. There's always a chance with angel friends, however slim.

[superiorspectre]

Suzie climbs out of the car, bundled up and smiling, with only the slightest of winces. She's a bit sore, but all in all, she's doing well.

A quick look around reveals that this is going to be quite the game, and this is before she's seen most of the players in their other forms.

[scrummers]

The crowd of behemoths makes room for Suzie without really noticing her, for the most part, though the stocky man with the ball wanders up and eyes her before turning to Malek and going up on his tiptoes to catch him on the back of his neck. "Well? Bring people over, huh, might introduce us. New kid got no manners."

He ruffles Malek's hair - such as it is - and makes a fist, knocking Suzie's shoulder.

"Grigor. Coolblood, huh?"

[superiorspectre]

Suzie's been around Malek enough to at least understand what he means. "Human, yeah. I'm Suzie."

And how many humans get to see something like this? This is brilliant, all of it.

[scrummers]

Grigor gives her a crooked smirk, bouncing the ball on his shoulder and scannign the crowd. "Eh, Dolly! Для вам прохлада крови! Ai?"

Grigor wanders off, but a woman detaches herself from the group and makes her way over. She's a tall black woman, built like a bodybuilder, and in her winter coat, she looks like a large bombshell. She grins when she comes over, extending a hand.

"Dolly," she says. "Must be the only human who actually plays this game. You anything...?" Supernatural, is what she's thinking.

[technicallyiam]

Missy's near the sidelines, painstakingly removing her collar (it has a little Christmas bell on it today), and getting into whatever passes for a 'zone' when it comes to scrum, considering... It's not really a zone sport and behemoths aren't really the 'zone' sort of demons, unless you mean 'Twilight Zone,' but whatever.

This promises to be more fun than she's had in a long while. She hasn't playing scrum since she was a kid.

[scrummers]

There's a tiny brunette - well, not that tiny, but she looks like she's still in here teens where she's probably at least in her twenties or early thirties - bouncing around, and she grins when she sees a new face and hops over. "Stephanie Ladier," she squeaks, appropriating one of Missy's hands for a handshake. "Are you new? I haven't seen you around. There aren't that many behemoths in Cicero which is really sad so it's great to meet you!"

She does this to everyone. Even Dolly. That was a fun time to explain...

[technicallyiam]

Missy beams- oh look, a behemoth after her own heart. "Missy Ashford," she grins toothily, after she manages to get her hand back. "And that's a shame, isn't it? I think this place could use a few more like us."

And then Chicago would probably explode, but it's been in danger of exploding long before. At least if it burns to the ground because of behemoths, it would be happy destruction.

[scrummers]

"Oh, definitely!" Steph beams. "I have a friend who's this adorable little Teme - actually really cute, you know - but he's just not the same. And you can't wrestle with temes or anything. You always have to worry that you're gonna break them. Oh! Did you see we have a human here? She's a shifter. Isn't that so cool? I always thought humans wee a bit lame, but she just gets in and scrums with the best of 'em."

Behemoths kinda have the market cornered on hedonistic joy of life. It's cute.

SCRUMDOWN!

[scrummers]

When it looks like everyone is assembled, a 5'2" mass of muscle and grump stalks to the field and turns to address the assembled. Hi voice is rough and mid-range, with a think Russo-German accent.

"Right! Got us boys, girls, new kids... strip down and shift, clothes in Zeke's car keep warm, if y'r shy, go 'round Adonis's truck, strip down there. Caref you won't break it. One-ball scrum, go 'til we're tired, then Zeke's got the grill and our new kid's got the beer. Any questions, get them now. Okay, okay, okay?" He claps his hands together, met with a hoot or two from some of the more enthusiastic behemoths (mostly Stephanie), and stomps through the snow back toward Ezekiel's car, which seems to have a space heater and a generator running.

It's scrum time.

[homoraptor]

Malek, who's been grinning since he got here, turns to Tay and Suzie, waving toward the benches which are serving as bleachers. "Got blankets 'n' what over there, I think," he says, already pulling off his trenchcoat. "Grab th' popcorn; 's what it's there for."

[technicallyiam]

Missy's not shy about stripping down at all and soon she's in her hellhound shape, looking eager to play. She does a few quick laps around the field just to get her blood pumping and then sits down in the snow, her long tail wagging eagerly, all her muscles taut and ready for the game to begin.

Hey, she's a hellhound, which is like a very large, horrifying dog. And dogs enjoy playing with balls, so therefore this is a game that gets her very, very excited.

[scrummers]

Most of the scrummers are old hands at this, stepping out of their clothing and handing it off to be thrown in the car and shifting. Adonis, his behemoth form a big four-legged blue beardoggator, saunters up to check the new arrival, giving her a few friendly sniffs and an open-mouthed grin while Grigor (now a bulky red giant) stomps out a place in the snow for the ball to start.

After a moment Adonis moves around to Missy's side, facing one direction with her as if claiming her as his teammate. Not like the team definitions will probably last out a night, but you never know.