Peekaboo

[Natyana Wapanee] There is a text! With an offer for lunch, chillin out in places that don't include stills and mobsters, and maybe some shopping! Which, Molly likely received in the mail yesterday the latest of the Popple's escapades. Some curtains and a blanket to match her outfit and half a dozen sheets of stickers, all waiting for her when she got home and the Popple was far out of scolding distance for the abundance of treats from the Cultist's favourite show.

Today though, she sits at the deli, outside, at a table, with a very happy rottweiler under the table sharing a sandwich.

[Molly Quincannon] The receipt of the package the previous day got a text that simply read: ...........*plots* And she had, of course, been happy to accept an invitation to lunch, though her response expressed some disappointment at the fact that there was not, in fact, going to be stills and mobsters. But that's Molly for you.

When she turns up, it's with two cloth carrier bags as well as her laptop bag. From her laptop bag, she pulls out a folder (the label on the front reads "RECIPES & MISC"). The bags and folder get set down in front of Nat without a word beyond "Recompense is mine!" before Molly goes off to get a sandwich of her own.

The bags are full of groceries, though these are somewhat less random groceries than her previous attempt at it - squash, corn, beans, cabbage, crayfish, venison, huckleberries and a few other esoteric bits and pieces. Most of them may be familiar to Nat if she's had a traditional Cherokee upbringing. The folder is full of authentic recipes from that particular tribe, interspersed with old folk tales and legends in a compilation that must have taken the Cultist hours of online time to weed out. Nat will have had plenty of time to look into that before Molly returns with a small cup of soup and a big cup of coffee. "Hi, by the way."

[Natyana Wapanee] She cracks up laughing when things are set down, and shakes her head. "Hi.. stubborn ass." And while Molly's in getting her lunch, she looks through everything, so by the time Molly returns with food, she's flipping through the recipes with big googly eyes and a big shit eating grin.

Boomer enjoys the rest of her lunch. She doesn't object.

"You are SO in for it now Missy! This. Is. War." She peers up at her and smirks

[Molly Quincannon] "You're welcome," is Molly's reply as she pours way too much sugar into her coffee. (Too much caffeine, too little food. It seems to be the way of things for the moment; Molly has her good days and her bad ones in that regard.) "So how's things? Besides the whole 'war of gift-attrition' thing you seem to have going on?"

[Natyana Wapanee] "Things are good today." She nods, grinning over at her with that big sisterly smile, all happy warm and fuzzy from this round of gift war. She goes to reach for the sandwich that mysteriously vanished, and blinks at the empty plate. A peer down at Boomer, and she leans back in the chair with her drink instead.

"What about you? How you smoothing out?" One of those worried flickers across her eyes as she watches Molly, an eyebrow raising.

[Molly Quincannon] Molly shrugs and pokes at her soup. "To be honest, I dunno," is her reply; it's trying to be casual but it's not entirely managing. "I have my good days and my bad ones, I think is the best I can say. I keep busy. Y'know." She seems like she might continue, but then shakes her head, looking rueful. Evidently, there's only so much she can go into just on the basis of that kind of question. Though she does say, not sounding overly thrilled, "There's some stuff I'm not coping with so well, I admit. Hopefully I'll get through that soon."

Then, a change of subject. "One thing I can do, not sure if it got lost in the shuffle of yesterday's little attack of the weird, is Mind. Very basic stuff, but man, you wouldn't believe the tricks I can pull with it and a couple of other bits. You at least saw the focus I use now," she adds with a bit of a grin, pulling her sonic screwdriver out of her pocket and flourishing it like a knight saluting with a sword. "Wicked, huh?"

[Natyana Wapanee] She watches Molly, nodding softly, but lets it go at that. Molly knows though, that whatever she wants to let out she can. She doesn't push anymore or try to smother her with the mother henning these days. See? She's trainable. Sometimes.

The grin that spreads across her face is a big one. She nods, laughing. "I did, and it was fuckin awesome. I dunno bout the whole Mind thing though. I'd be scared of what I could do with it, and really don't wanna be tempted to use it on people I really don't wanna know what they're thinking sometimes."

[Molly Quincannon] That gets a raised eyebrow. "Dude, you're worried about what you could do with it? Keep in mind that I am, like, the most curious person on the planet, probably. The only reason I'm learning it now is because everyone keeps screaming at me as to how dangerous it is to not have any way of protecting my mind from someone else rummaging around. I think I've got enough self-control to use my powers for good. Or for self-defence, which ... same basic thing. And besides," she adds with a tiny grin, "Apprentice-level Mind mostly just works on yourself, beyond being able to tell how many thinking bodies are in a room. Stuff like shielding and speed-reading ... and one more other nifty trick. I worked a piece of code that lets me read stuff like hard discs or flash drives or anything that's got digital-format information on it without a screen or a computer or anything. So I can work out what's on some random data stick just by running the screwdriver over it."

[Natyana Wapanee] She blinks, then laughs "Yeah well... y'know. Still dunno if I'd trust myself with being able to tap people in the brain."

She wiggles in the seat, still grinning. "But it really does sound awesome and tempting. And the mods you did with the screwdriver are just way too cool. I'm gonna have to like... get some pictures of you waving that thing around by your car or something and start a scrapbook."

[Molly Quincannon] "Yeah, that'd work if we ever figured out which Doctor I am," is Molly's response. "Apparently I fit River Song best. Which I can see, but Chuck says that Doctor-wise, I'm Eleven with a hint of Nine. Though for the purposes of CosPlay, I'd probably make a better Ten. Allons-y, and all that. I'd need the suit and the Cons," she muses. "It's a thought for Halloween, anyway. Though I had my heart set on something else this year."

Then she looks over at Nat. "I'm thinking costume party for Halloween this year. What d'you think?"

[Natyana Wapanee] She starts going a little glassy-eyed at the descriptive knowledge Molly carries around about all the incarnas of the doctor. The wisdom very much lost on the little woman. But she does try to listen. She is interested in it. Just not that interesting to her. "I have... no idea bout the differences of the doctors, so I'll take your word for it" Laughs, giving her one of those apologetic looks for being thick headed about the fine tuned details.

"I'm down for a Halloween party, hell yeah. You want help with the planning and stuff? You'd have to do the invites though, I don't think I know enough people to invite. I'd be all for helping with decorations and location and stuff. But you gotta help me come up with a costume. I was thinking of making a popple suit, but I dunno. I don't think it'd be much of a shocker if I went as a popple for Halloween. I could probably pass as an oompa loompa though"

[Molly Quincannon] Molly chuckles. "The Doctor's ninth regeneration was Christopher Ecclestone," she says, pulling out her surfing laptop and flashing up a picture. "Note the leather jacket, the almost exclusive black and navy blue, and he interspersed a sort of snarky joviality and serious survivor's guilt. Tenth was David Tennant." Another picture. "Brown pinstripe suit, overcoat, occasional emo glasses. I used to call him the Crackweasel. And the eleventh and current regeneration is Matt Smith." Another picture. "Bow tie, tweed with elbow patches, and Chuck can pull that off way better than I can. Mostly, Eleven!Who is ... distracted."

Then she chuckles. "I can definitely handle the invites, and my place is big enough. As to costume? Dude, I'd be all over you going as a Dragon Age dwarf. We could do you a costume like the Dwarven Commoner concept art. It's fierce." She pulls that up too and shows Natyana. "What do you think? Plus we'd have sort of a theme costume thing going."

[Natyana Wapanee] She grins, looking over the pictures. "Mmm... ok. But how come you wanna do a dragon age thing instead of a doctor thing? I totally expected something along that lines. OH! OH! Better idea! You dress up as Princess Leia and I'll be a Ewok! I'd totally wear furry underwear diapers to make my midget booty bigger!" She teeters back in the chair, laughing. "Chuck could be Han Solo!"

[Molly Quincannon] Molly can't help but laugh. "Oh god, no. Look, sometimes, you want to do something a little more ... classy. And I don't want to do Leia - that's way too old-school. Besides, I did that two years ago. This year, I want to be Morrigan." Another website pulled up, and she shows the image of the pale, dark-haired woman in the rather low-cut bustier thing. "Besides, I look sucky in white." Then she snickers. "Besides, I can't see Chuck as Solo. Too ... Luke-ish, except without the whining."

[Natyana Wapanee] "ooooooooohhhhhh.... that would work for you. Definitely!" She nods, grinning. "So you wanna dress me up like some ass kicking dwarf, huh?" Her head tilts at the picture, and she raises an eyebrow. "Y'know... I might actually have the dress part of that costume. Or... something close to it. One of my old training suits, but it's not like... leather or anything."

[Molly Quincannon] "Oh, come on. You're depriving my friend in Plano the opportunity of a lifetime." Molly reaches out and pokes Nat's nose lightly. "He actually works for the company that makes this game, and he knows people who do the whole cosplay thing. He'd pay money to get us costumes made and have us wear them at Halloween, for the advertising alone! He can get anything," she adds, with a bit of a smile. "He's not crew, but he's awesome."

[Natyana Wapanee] She wiggles her nose at Molly and laughs. "Hey I didn't say I could still wear it! Just said I think I still had it. Dude! I was like... twelve last time I wore it. I grew boobs and a waist, I don't think I can wear it anymore." She peers over at Molly, and blinks. "You gonna recruit me to this game now too? I'm still learning warcrack! How'm I gonna go...." She pauses, a thought crossing her mind. Then a huge grin. "DUDE! I'LL BE A GNOME! I'll dye my hair green and be a rogue gnome!"

[Molly Quincannon] Molly just pouts. "Oh, come on! We can do Warcrack costumes next year! Please? I want to do Dragon Age theme this year! I want to stick Chuck in full armour and try my hand at face painting for the face tattoos! I bet I could get Riley as a Dalish Elf! Pleeeease?" Molly, with the glasses that magnify her eyes, has a distinct advantage in the performance of puppy-eyes.

[Natyana Wapanee] She narrows her eyes and peeeeeeeeeeeeers at the pouting. "Oh you are SO not playing fair" Hands come up and she rubs them over her face with a grunt. "Oh all right. But I don't want my ass hanging out in the breeze, last thing I need is Lara come wandering by and trying to take a bite or somethin"

She sticks her tongue out and snickers, shaking her head. "Next year I pick the costumes and I will be EVIL! EVIL I SAY!" Puffs up and flexes.

[Molly Quincannon] "Don't worry," Molly assures her. "The studded leather armour is actually pretty decent. There's shorts underneath the skirt-thing and everything. All will be cool. It's going to be all kinds of fun, promise." She pulls out her other computer - the hack-box - and opens an email client. A different one than the one Nat has the address for, more than likely. There's typing and then she slaps the thing shut with a tiny grin. "Done. Special K is on the case and we should have costumes in fifteen to twenty business days. And that really depends, your evilness, doesn't it? I might have a whole new set of fandoms and puppy-eye tricks by next year."

[Natyana Wapanee] She grins. "Sweet deal, if he wants to have us pay for materials or something, better tell me or I'm totally lavishing you with more presents." Gives her a suspicious look. "And by next year? Who's to say I won't have a resistance built up, hmmm? It could happen! I could totally get out of the puppy-eye thing!"

[Molly Quincannon] Molly sticks her tongue out at Nat. "It's not like I use the puppy-dog eyes often. Only on very special occasions. So you won't have time to build an immunity, and you also know that when I use the puppy-eyes, it means something to me. So you won't possibly have the heart." Then she shrugs. "Don't worry about Kay and material payment. He still owes me for a ... bit of work I did for him awhile back, and when I say 'owes', I mean 'way more than some leather, some fabric and a few foam rubber weapons' owes."

Then she swigs more coffee and looks over the passing throng of shoppers. "It needs to be October now," she says, sort of thoughtful and almost wistful. Certainly serious. "I was thinking just last week that ... I don't really have any fun anymore. This seems ... wrong, somehow."

[Natyana Wapanee] "Gah! I know, don't deflate my empty threats so fast woman!" Puffs and huffs and crosses her arms. "It's sposed to... you know.... be threatening! FEAR THE HELL POPPLE WRATH!"

Well she tried puffing. But about the only likely result it'll get is Molly spraying her with coffee from her nose.

She does nod in agreement though. "We definitely need the fun holidays to start rolling around. But with it being September, the leaves will start turning and before you know it we're playing leaf-pile ninja wars" She grins, eyes lighting up.

[Molly Quincannon] "........Leaf pile ninja wars?" that gets a raised eyebrow. The 'hell-popple wrath' at least got a smile, but Molly's brain has gone to the serious place. "I dunno if I'm so much built for leaf-pile wars of any description, and I have, like, no ninja. There is utter lack of ninj."

[Natyana Wapanee] "Everyone is a leaf pile ninja. You must become one with the leaf pile ninja within, little leafhoppah!" Trying... oh so hard to keep a straight face through it. And... almost succeeding. She sits up in the chair and pats her leg, looking down at the big rottweiler that's been content to just lounge lazily since he got a belly full of Nat's lunch.

"What about Boo? Think he'd lemme strap a saddle on him? Not like, try and actually ride it, but they have mounts in dragon age, right? I could dress him up as a mount maybe"

[Molly Quincannon] Molly grins. "We'll paint him with kaddis," she says. "He can be a mabari! Every good Warden has a mabari warhound. And he's just the right size! Hmm. Kaddis of the Lady of the Skies, I think. It's white, so it'd go well on his black coat."

[Natyana Wapanee] She gives Molly a slow blink. "Damn you. I'm gonna have to spend the next couple weeks learning the story and shit on this game, you know that right? This was a ploy, wasn't it. A ploy to further cyber-jack me into your geek world!" The gaze narrows into mock-suspicious squinting. "I'm on to your conspiracy!"

[Jarod Nightingale] [Awareness]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 7, 9, 9, 9 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[Molly Quincannon] [[Ooh, good idea. Awareness.]]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 1, 2, 3, 6, 6, 9 (Success x 2 at target 6)

[Natyana Wapanee] [oh yeah, that tingly thing]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 3, 3, 6, 10, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)

[Jarod Nightingale] The air was getting colder. (Jacket weather.) It was a sign of autumn, along with the turning of the leaves (that was starting too.) These were welcome things to cold-weather people. They meant things like home and familiarity.

Jarod had been running errands in the Mile this afternoon. As often happens when one becomes focused on getting something completed, the time came and went. He missed lunch, and was now beginning to feel the effects of late-afternoon hunger. The sandwich cafe was as good a place as any, so when he happened by on the sidewalk, he paused, contemplated, then drifted to the door and went inside.

He did not stop to glance at the pair of women at the table nearby, even though the intricacies of their combined resonance washed over him like a waterfall as he walked by. There would be time enough for curiosity after he'd gotten something to eat. (Priorities, you see.) At the counter, he smiled at the cashier, glanced at the menu for a few moments, then ordered a vegetarian wrap, because the meat offerings seemed a little dubious. (He was an extraordinarily finicky creature when it came to food.) By the time he re-appeared outside, he was carrying his sandwich and a glass of ice water. Selecting a table nearby Molly and Natyana, he sat down, set his lunch on the table, and took a drink of water.

He glanced up, then. Dark blue eyes (a colour of some curiosity, given his apparent Asian heritage) regarded the two women for a moment, and the corner of his lips quirked up just a little. A knowing look. (I see you.)

[Natyana Wapanee] The two women were in some apparent discussion of geek conspiracies and dressing up the large rottweiler with it's head in the smaller of the two women's lap as some sort of riding creature that involved painting his fur. The small native American woman is dressed comfortably in tattered jeans that had developed a spot of drool on her leg from the dog using her thigh for a pillow, but she isn't bothered to notice it, and a hoodie that's seen better days zipped up about halfway.

She does, however, notice the tingle on the air. An unfamiliar taste of resonance that's unfamiliar, that draws her eyes up when the man passes them by. Her eyes follow him inside, and then go to the other woman at the table, continuing on their chatter.

When he comes back outside, she has both hands on the dog's head, scritching at his ears while he grumbles with happy noises and a lolling tongue and a metallic clink rattle of the buckle on his leather studded collar. Her eyes come up again when he steps out and takes a seat nearby, and she gives him a polite nod. Peek a boo to you too

[Molly Quincannon] "It's not a conspiracy! Though ... y'know, it is a really awesome game. Good story, good with strategy..."

The teasing trails off at the new resonance. Unfamiliar resonance tenses Molly up like nothing else right now. She's generally friendly, but ... well. Whereas Nat gives a polite nod, Molly gives a look that speaks of wariness and fear. 'Sensual' and 'Cold' are not resonances that are immediately comforting, though she does relax a little as she realises that a messy resonance is a lot easier to fake than something like that. So she nods, tries a smile of welcome ... but her eyes are more than a little haunted as she watches him.

[Jarod Nightingale] Jarod was one of those people whose casual wardrobe probably cost more than most people's formal attire. (And in truth, he never really looked casual, even in jeans and a t-shirt. He just wasn't a casual kind of person.) Today, he had on a light black leather jacket over a buttoned black shirt, and a pair of jeans. All of these items were designer-label. The jeans were boot-cut and hugged in all the right places, with just the right amount of distressing (not enough to seem overly hip or contrived.)

There was a dog present. Jarod's eyes flicked down to look at it for about half a second before moving back to the face of the petite woman whose lap it seemed so fond of. When she nodded to him, his own head tilted just a fraction in acknowledgement. Molly was talking about a game of some sort, which was even less interesting than the dog, so she got a blandly cursory glance. Then he turned his focus back to his food. This man ate very neatly. His bites were slow and precise (despite his hunger) and somehow he managed not to drop little bits of his sandwich onto his plate despite the potentially messy nature of it.

Eventually he eyed the pair again, and said, "I'm not going to bite you, you know." (Not unless they asked, of course.) This was in response to Molly's wary glances, and he arched an eyebrow at her (somewhat amused.)

[Natyana Wapanee] "Uh huh. Sure it's not." Convinced now, even if it's light-hearted and amused, that there is, in fact, some conspiracy for Molly to get her addicted to the technological world beyond the one game she's already playing and DDR. At least DDR was an excuse to jump around and be silly. Except when Boomer tries to join in, then it just turns into a tangle of body parts and a torn mat. "Either way, I'll have to read up on it if I'm going as this... whatever it is you have me getting dressed up as. So it'll have to be another beer and pizza night soon."

The playboy's comment gets the little woman's attention. Her fingers pausing in their works of the dog's ears and her shoulders tensing, while her dark brown eyes slide over to him with an eyebrow raising. The look of amusement though, is met with the eyebrow falling again, and a slight narrowing of the eyes as she looks back to Molly and her wary tension building up. That protective mode kicking up a notch or three visibly as she wiggles to sit more upright in the chair.

[Molly Quincannon] By contrast to Jarod, Molly's ... you couldn't call it 'geek chic'; more 'nerdcore'. She wears a black T-shirt with white letters reading "White text on a black shirt" with a battered leather jacket overtop, her boots are big black leather platform jobs and her black jeans are not artfully distressed - just shredded and solder-stained in places by accident. Cat's eye frame glasses, bad haircut ... thousand-yard stare. The comment gets wry amusement but no less wariness. "It's not the teeth I'm worried about," she says, with a small shrug. "But I suppose you don't follow the usual modus operandi I end up having to worry about. After all, talking happened before weapons did. So ... hi, and I guess sorry for the looks. Rough month."

[Jarod Nightingale] Interestingly enough, it was entirely possible that Jarod's teeth were indeed something to be wary of, both metaphorically and literally. He was much more feral predator than his metro fashion sense and expensive downtown condo would have one believe. This was something about him that was impossible not to notice. In the same way that some Awakened could disappear from notice without even trying, this one stood out as something ethereally primal. Perfect grace and aloof curiosity. He was imminently feline. And when Molly's comment elicited a smile, unusually sharp canines came into view.

"I think we all have those," he responded. "No offense taken." And then, because it was the polite thing to do (and he could be polite when he wanted to be), he offered a name. "I'm Jarod." He did not, however, offer a Tradition.

[Natyana Wapanee] She relaxes her shoulders just a bit when Molly starts talking to him, and picks up her drink. Her eyes settling on Jarod, Little things start standing out to her, and her head tilts. But when those teeth flash, that gets a blink. And an almost imperceptible wince, her eyes shooting back to Molly with a very slight shake of her head.

She does offer up her name though, despite keeping a closer eye on Molly for the moment. "Natyanna. Or just Nat, that's what most people call me."

[Molly Quincannon] The teeth, thankfully, don't get the kind of reaction that Nat might be afraid of. There had been no pointy-toothed people with that air of feline. However, his reaction to her comment of 'rough month' elicits blank silence for a moment - because yes, we all have rough months, but there are rough months and there are rough months and--

She blinks it away. It takes several seconds, a shudder and a visible effort, but she does. He's being friendly, offering names, and hasn't pointed a gun in her face yet. This makes things easier. "Molly," she finally says. Then, after a moment, she asks, "Hey, have you ever read Terry Pratchett? 'Cos you seriously remind me of Greebo when the witches turn him human. Except without the eyepatch." Then, after a second to realise that none of that would make any sense if the answer to her question was 'no', she explains, "Um ... Greebo, Nanny Ogg's cat. Biggest, meanest, fuck-off-hardest animal on the Discworld."

[Jarod Nightingale] "Nat," he repeated. "Pretty name." And it could have been one of those things that obscenely attractive men said to women on a regular basis, but it came off more thoughtful than leading when he said it. (As if he really was thinking about the sound of her name. And indeed, he might have been.)

People have told him this before - that he looked like a cat. (More than just looked like one - embodied one.) He was hardly surprised by the comment, though the literary reference went sadly over his head. When Molly asked, he raised his eyebrows a little and shook his head. (No, he'd never read Terry Pratchett.) "I don't read much fiction," he offered, by way of explanation. Still though... he took a sip of his water before responding, with a little half-smile, "But so long as the comparison is complimentary, I won't complain."

[Natyana Wapanee] Molly... isn't having a fit. Molly is striking up conversation. This is good, this makes for a small woman relaxing even more. A woman small enough that her berkinstocks don't even touch the ground. If the dog weren't pressed against her legs using her for a pillow, she might even be swinging her feet.

She offers up a smile to Jarod, with a hint of modesty to it even at the compliment. She gives a nod. "Thank you." Her eyes shift questioningly over towards Molly, one of those Eh? Someone you didn't know? sort of looks.

[Molly Quincannon] Molly returns Nat's look (briefly; she's still watching Jarod, though she has relaxed a bit - as much as she ever does these days, anyway) with one that clearly says, What, you really thought that I knew everyone in Chicago? Then she turns to Jarod and nods. "Yeah, it's complimentary. In human form, Greebo was sex on legs, so I'd say it's complimentary and apt." This isn't flirting; there's not enough coy there for it to be flirting. This is her telling it like it is. "So ... new to Chicago, or just someone I haven't met yet?"

[Jarod Nightingale] The comparison, and the implied compliment, got another smile. This one was broader, and it even touched his eyes for a moment.

"Both old and new," he responded. "I was away for awhile, and then I came back." The way he said this, as if coming and going was an ordinary state of affairs, one might get the impression that he liked to move around. Even his accent was... difficult to pin down. It didn't hold any regional peculiarities. (Everywhere and nowhere all at once.)

He finished the last couple of bites of his sandwich, took a final drink of water, and slid his tongue between his lips. Then he pulled back the sleeve of his jacket and glanced at his watch. "I'm afraid I need to be somewhere, but it was lovely meeting you two. I'm sure we'll run into each other again."

And with that, he stood up, nodded farewell, and disappeared into the milling crowds down the sidewalk.

[Natyana Wapanee] She looks back and forth between the two, eyes widening just a bit at Molly and her descriptives.

But then Jarod is standing and leaving. She blinks over at him, and gives a departing smile, and a nod. "Nice to meet you Jarod."

[Molly Quincannon] "People come and go so quickly here," Molly says. Thoughts of Cheshire Cats. She wonders if he's met Kage. Perhaps she can ask another time. "Later, Jarod."

With that, she looks at her soup, which has gone cold, and then stands up. "So. You said something about shopping?" And, lacking for any real complaints, the girls are off in the opposite direction to Jarod.