I get by with a little help...

[gotbottle]

It's Friday evening in Chicago, and people all over the city are looking for a bit of a challenge, or at least something to occupy their time for a while.

Ananya Chinnamalai strides down the front steps of the Field Museum, her high heels clicking on the marble steps. She mutters as she tugs at a dangling diamond earring, readjusting it and

Comments

[crashiscoming]

Scout has a tendency to show up unexpectedly where she's not wanted. Call it a secondary Riftpower, call it a sort of sixth sense of horror, call it what you will, but it's what she does.

So when she seats herself across from Jack Malone and beams at him, it should be no real surprise that she's there. Should be, of course, to those who know her.

"Reaaaaadin'?" she asked. "Bad, yeah? Frown-y face." She pulls in the corners of her mouth in her best imitation of a frown, then giggles. "Smiiiiiile." She stretches her lips apart in the biggest, most predatory grin she can manage, showing off all of her teeth.

It's not her fault if she's feeling particularly friendly.

[ihadarashonce]

Jack lifts his gaze enough for it to light upon the person who's suddenly joined him at his table and is addressing him in some of the most nonsensical speech he's heard since his daughters were toddlers. He blinks.

"Yeah," he agrees, eyes watchful over the top of his paper. "There never seems to be any good news these days."

[crashiscoming]

Scout nods. "Bad, bad bad bad bad," she repeats. "No good, yeah? No good. Gotta find good, somewhere." She giggles. "No good here, though. Only baaaaaaaaad." She beams at him.

Yes, she means herself. She doesn't particularly care. She's not going to attack him.

[ihadarashonce]

"Funny," Jack declares, folding his paper and regarding her with bemusement. "They say the same thing about me."

[justashitmagnet]

Mike has a history of dealing with crazies. He can't help it, he's a shit magnet. The crazies just tend to be drawn to him.

So when he comes upon the shouting man? He almost moans. Well. The least he can do is get the poor man off the street and out of public view before calling the police.

"Excuse me? Sir?" he shouts above the infamous Chicago wind. "Sir, can I help you?"

[weepnot_thepast]

Dylan doesn't even realize there's someone else there, so intent is he on checking under cars for his ward. So when he's addressed, he all but jumps in the air.

"Whaa... Oh. Uh. Well. Hi there," he replies, straightening up. "I'm, ah. Probably okay. I reckon. I mean, I just..."

How to best explain this?

"...lost my cat, is all."

[justashitmagnet]

Mike nods. "Uh huh," he says. "And you expect your cat to come when called?" He's a little skeptical that this will work. Mike's no fan of cats, but he knows enough to know they aren't like dogs.

"Well, maybe I can help you. I'm a private investigator--well, used to be. Do you remember when you last saw your cat?" Mike doesn't know why he's offering to help when he knows it will just end up horribly, but what else is he supposed to do? Tell the crazy guy to give up and that maybe his cat will come back? That wouldn't work, and Mike does not want a distressed crazy man on his hands.

[weepnot_thepast]

"Naw, I'm just... uh. Real optimistic?"

Nice one, Dylan. Here's a nice guy trying to help, and you're coming off like an idiot.

Dylan squints at his would-be helper. "Is this what's happened now that the fire department won't come to rescue cats no more? The job falls to private investigators? Dang. Anyway. I last saw him about ten minutes ago, when we were rounding that corner. I lost him someplace around here."

[pplrunincircles]

Elizabeth wanders into the botanica. She kept the flier since she met Rafi in the book store. It's nice to see the place in person. Plus, she needs to talk to him. She thinks that she might be in love with someone that she shouldn't be and that's what this store is about, right? Basically! His journal entry talked a lot about it. Maybe she can find some way to calm herself if nothing else.

She walks up to the counter when she sees him behind it and leans against the front of it with her elbows on top and her head in her hands.

"Hey, Fabio! I like this store you have! It looks totally even more awesome than the fliers made it seem. Very cool! Do you remember me? We met at the bookstore. You were handing out fliers and I like helped? It was very good times! Totally meant to make it over here earlier but school's been riding me like a cowboy rides a bronco at a rodeo." Elizabeth looks around the items behind the counter with curiosity, leaning back on her heels as she glances up at the ceiling and then looks back at him.

[movementyouneed]

Rafi waits patiently for the colorful verbal torrent to stop, and then he smiles. "Elizabeth. How could I forget? I was much obliged for the help--I'm sure it got a lot more customers in here that first week than I could have managed on my own."

And then he really focuses on her, sensing a bit of turmoil. "...Is there something I can help you with, now that you're here?"

[pplrunincircles]

"Really? I didn't think it was that helpful but cool! That's awesome. I'm glad I could be of assistance," Elizabeth says and sends him a sideways grin, leaning over the counter.

"Uhm. Maybe. You're all knowledgeable about aspects of love, right? Not that I'm trying to imply that I'm in love with... anybody. Just that love is a word to describe that sort of stuff in uhm... in life."

[movementyouneed]

Rafi raises an eyebrow, watching Elizabeth for a moment. Then he pulls up a stool behind the counter and perches on it, regarding her thoughtfully.

"I'm something of a help, yes," he replies, resting his forearms on the counter and leaning in a bit. "And I do agree 'love' is a catchall phrase. Why don't you tell me about it?"

[marchforthedead]

Tomei is wandering Chicago. He does not like it. It's loud and large and stinks and he can't tell half the time if people are trying to attack him or sell him something.

His uniform is in tatters still, and though he's been dutifully stitching it back together, so he's been forced to wear jeans and a button-up shirt. He is also wearing his sword. He doesn't care what people think about this. The cops who tried to take it will be nursing spectacular headaches when they get up.

...He is assuming, of course, they'll get up.

He is also now standing in front of the coffee shop, eyeballing it with a healthy dose of skepticism. It smells good. It's loud. There are lots of people in there talking way too fast.

Possibly he will look for somewhere else to get food.

[ihadarashonce]

Jack first registers the man standing there in his peripheral vision. He sort of watches without really watching at first, keeping the man in the corner of his gaze while folding up his newspaper and sipping his coffee. He notes the uniform, the man's bearing.

Curiosity overtakes him, and he calls out. "Hey. 'Evening. You need something?"

[marchforthedead]

Someone is talking to him. Tomei looks at Jack, his unchanged expression denoting his total lack of comprehension. Liiiineface.

Well. There's one thing he can ask, anyway, as he's been thinking he should probably go back to the hotel anyway. "Conrad?"

The word comes out all hard consonants and broad vowels.

[ihadarashonce]

Jack comprehends at once. New to town, doesn't speak the language.

He's about to give directions when he stops himself. Just in case, he really should ask...

"...You staying there?"

[designed2kill]

Luka is walking past Rafi's botanica just when said customer is leaving, letting a whiff of incense escape through the temporarily open door. She has never smelled anything like it before. It smells good. Luka is intrigued. She usually doesn't go into shops, but it would be interesting to find out what this smell is. She enters the shop, but stays close to the door as she hesitantly looks around.

[movementyouneed]

Rafi glances up and notices the girl standing just inside the door. He straightens up, offering a smile as he leaves his task aside for a moment to focus on her.

"Hello! Is there something I can help you with?"

[designed2kill]

"It smells good in here," Luka says. "I smelled it when I was passing by outside, so I thought I would come in. What is it?"

It may not be immediately noticeable, but Luka carries a strong feeling of obsession not too far beneath the surface, a drive to do anything and everything to make the object of her obsession happy.

[movementyouneed]

Rafi certainly catches an undercurrent of something, and it's enough to intrigue him. He extends an arm, sweeping it at the interior of the botanica in an inviting gesture.

"I carry a wide range of incense and scented candles--all organic, soy-based," he says, watching her closely. "You can come in and look around if you like."