Douglas Coburn: He's
waiting at a table in the dim-sum restaurant, sipping at a small cup of green
tea.
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: In to the
restaraunt he steps, in his usual get-up...the green dress shirt, slacks, and
trench. A quick glance goes around the place, and he notes Douglas, heading
over with a bit of a smile.
Singha: 3,4,8,5,9,2,7,
Douglas Coburn: He sets the teacup down and
rises, offering Aerin his hand. "Thank you foah meetin' with me on such
sort notice, Mr. Thomas."
Singha: 10,8,2,5,6,
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: He takes the hand
and shakes it with a nod. "Of course, Douglas. How are you?" A
release of the hand, and he seats himself.
Singha -> Singha:
4,6,3,2,4,8,2,
Douglas Coburn: He sits, pouring Aerin a cup
of tea from the pot. He doesn't answer for a long while, eventually passing him
a menu. "Ah'm advised the dumplings are particularly good heah."
Singha: (roll
per+alert, guys)
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: 10,2,7,10,8,5,
Douglas Coburn: 9,4,10,9,5,2,
Douglas Coburn -> Singha: ((Acute Hearing only))
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: "Good to
hear. More of an Orange Chicken/Chow Mein man, myself."
Singha -> Singha:
7,7,9,2,10,
Douglas Coburn: "This is a dim-sum
restaurant. But if you want to go elsewheah..." Anything to avoid the
actual topic he called Aerin for, it seems.
Singha: You
both notice a white guy in his 40's with sandy blonde hair, a grey suit,
slightly military bearing watching you from the corner. The owner of the
restaurant, who's going over invoices behind the register, is eyeing the blonde
guy, suspicious of him. Neither the blonde nor the owner seem to realize both
of you have pegged them.
Douglas Coburn: 9,10,6,5,4,
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: "Just making
conversation." Eyes trail flick to the gut in the corner, then back to
Douglas. "Although now that you mention it, I think perhaps somewhere else
might be nice. I feel more like Orange chicken."
Douglas Coburn: He smoothly
covers his worry at being under observation, and pushes his glasse up his nose,
blinking at Aerin.
Douglas Coburn: "Ah'm drawn to it,"
he says, nodding to the waitress. "Check, please."
Douglas Coburn: He draws out enough to pay for
the tea, and then extra to thank the waitress for wasting their time.
Singha: The
waitress quickly brings them a a check.
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: He's all peaches
and cream, as someone he knows might say it, relaxed as he waits for Douglas to
finish up. Once Douglas is, he stands up, and moves to escort the man out of
the place.
Singha: (per+alert
both of youse)
Douglas Coburn: 3,8,9,6,2,2,
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: 10,9,2,8,4,7,
Singha: Aerin's
security training is finally paying off as he realizes there is at least one
other person set up on the street, possibly more. Doug gets a feeling of being
watched but can't put his finger on who what where.
Singha: 4,6,8,3,5,4,2,
Singha: Both
Doug and Jer note that Mr. Blonde is throwing money on the table and coming out
of the restaurant behind them.
Singha: (per+sub
guys)
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: Fuck. He smiles,
mildly, and gestures to his car. "Let's take my car." He takes
Douglas by the forearm, gently guiding him toward the car.
Douglas Coburn: 2,9,4,4,4,10,
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: 1,2,7,5,7,3,6,
Douglas Coburn: He limps, frowning as Jeremy
manhandles him. "Not too fast."
Singha: Nobody
seems recognizeable to them. Mr. Blonde smiles at them as he walks past,
heading toward the subway. The restaurant owner picks up a phone and makes a
call as soon as Mr. Blonde is out of the place.
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: "Of course
not...sorry." He loosens his grasp a little bit and continues to move.
Singha: Jer and
Doug make it unmolested to Jer's car.
Singha -> Singha:
4,7,7,4,5,3,2,2,
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: ((Per+Security to
quick check and see if the car's been fucked with?))
Douglas Coburn: He continues to slow, peering
after the blonde guy.
Singha -> Singha:
8,8,9,5,4,
Singha -> Singha:
9,8,7,5,3,7,6,5,
Singha: (roll
Aer)
Douglas Coburn: ((I'm not rolling him. He
might vomit))
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: 7,9,2,6,
Singha -> Singha:
1,5,9,5,
Singha -> Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: (it looks fine to him. But he still gets that hinky feeling
that somebody's set up on him)
Singha -> Singha:
5,3,2,8,8,1,8,
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: Shit.
Well, they're not making it out quickly with Douglas's limp...time to take a
chance. He opens the passenger door for Douglas, then shuts it when he's in,
moving around to his side.
Singha: Mr.
Blonde disappears into the subway.
Douglas Coburn: 6,9,4,6,1,6,9,
Douglas Coburn: He huffs a little, but manages
to curb the curiosity, and slowly gets into the car.
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: Into the car and
he shuts the door. A smile to Douglas, as he takes a breath. Here's hoping for
no explosions. He goes to start the car up and drive on.
Douglas Coburn: 6,1,1,4,8,2,
Singha: The car
doesn't explode, but powers on precisely the way Jer has come to expect it to.
Douglas Coburn: "What exactly is goin'
on?"
Singha: 6,8,2,4,2,9,3,
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: And off they
drive. He's heading toward the Concerto.
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: "I don't know
yet. We're being watched and followed, and I don't know whether it's you, me,
or both."
Singha: The car
Jer pegged as part of the sureveillance does indeed pull out and follow them
from a few car lengths back.
Singha: ((sorry
don't know why my fingers keep forgetting letters or adding ones that don't
belong))
Douglas Coburn: ((Seems fine to me *G*))
Douglas Coburn: "So... how is drivin'
away from 'em gonna find out?" He blinks owlishly at Aerin.
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: Constant glances go to the rear-view mirror, keeping track
of the car. "I don't think I can lose them...crack driving's not my thing.
The only thing I can imagine is the Concerto...we should be safe there. Unless
you have another idea."
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: "Right now, I'm less concerned about finding out who then I
am about getting away from them, Douglas."
Douglas Coburn: "What
evidence do you have to support the supposition that we are in any
danger?"
Singha: 3,4,5,9,9,
Singha -> Singha:
10,7,9,
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: "Blonde man in the restaraunt. Man on the street. Car behind
us. We're definitely being tracked. I tend to find that supporting of danger,
unless you have private security I'm not aware of."
Douglas Coburn: He
shrugs. "Perhaps someone's hired an investigations firm to tail you."
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: "Could be. Not sure why, but I can't imagine that would be a
good thing. And I haven't noticed them before now. I'm a paranoid sort,
typically."
Douglas Coburn: "Neither
have I." He slumps down into his seat so that he can observe the vehicles
behind them using the wing mirror. "Wonder what they want."
Singha: Unless Jer attempts any evasive driving, he finds himself
tailed to the Concerto.
Douglas Coburn: As
Aerin stops the car, he gets out, limping a couple of steps aside and watching
the traffic.
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: Chinatown Libety Street, mid-day...gonna be tough. He'll give it
a shot, though. Hell, he's outrun persuers before...this can't be too much
worse. He tries to speed through a light at the last second, then turn
off-course.
Singha: (You stopping for the valet in the front Aer or driving down
the alley to park in the structure behind?))
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: ((WP))
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: ((Sorry about that delay.))
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: 5,2,2,
Singha: ((Doug you getting out enroute or getting out once you guys
reach the Concerto?))
Singha: Aer is unable to shake the tail.
Douglas Coburn: ((Once
we reach it. I figured he wouldn't stop until then))
Aerin Thomas [Restaraunt]: Ahh, well. Worth a shot. He heads to the Concerto, and heads to
the alley parking.
Singha: ((well, he could have stopped at a light or something. *G*
DT traffic doesn't typically move all that fast this time of day))
Singha: ((You guys wanna stay here or move to the Concerto?))
Douglas Coburn: He
frowns at Aerin's dodgy driving.
Douglas Coburn: So, once Aerin DOES find out where the Club is, since he seems to
have taken a wacky detour, Doug gets out and steps away from the car,
monitoring other traffic curiously.
Aerin Thomas: He
pulls into the parking structure, then kills the engine and opens the driver's
side door, stepping out and looking around to see if the car's followed him
into the structure.
Singha: 1,5,4,5,8,3,10,
Singha: 8,7,9,6,3,
Aerin Thomas: 1,8,4,4,4,5,
Singha: The car that's been following them...follows them to where
Jer parks and...stops in such a way to keep Jer from driving off.
Singha -> Singha:
7,
Aerin Thomas: ((As
in, right behind the hybrid, or just blocking the exit to the structure?))
Singha: (per+alert)
Singha: (As in right behind the hybrid, blocking you into the space.
*G*))
Singha: (also, per+security if you have it)
Aerin Thomas: 2,4,1,4,9,4,
Aerin Thomas: 5,7,3,7,
Douglas Coburn: 2,6,3,1,4,1,
Douglas Coburn: His
eyes have fallen out.
Singha: The concrete pillar Jer's parked beside obstructs Doug's
view of those in the car. Jer doesn't see the blonde man stepping out of the
passenger side of the car blocking them until Jer himself is out. He does
realize he's in a tight security situation, and that whoever has blocked him in
has had training in how, what, where, and when to do such things.
Aerin Thomas: Shit.
Should've done valet. "Stay in the car," he mutters to Doug, as he
tries to subtlely go for his gun. ((Dex+Stealth coming))
Aerin Thomas: 1,3,2,6,
Douglas Coburn: He
frowns; How's he going to ask questions with this pillar in his way? He steps
around it, cane clacking on the asphalt as he does so.
Singha: "There's no need for that," the man assures him.
He's around 6 foot, yellow blonde hair, green eyes, and a definite sense of
command and nobility that Jer immediately and instinctively recognizes.
Singha -> Aerin Thomas: ((SF PB 3))
Singha: He's wearing a grey suit, and looks to be in his early
twenties. Neither Jer nor Doug can see the person driving, since the glare off
the windshield is obscuring that person's identity. (Roll int+invest, both of
you, then Doug roll per+ling)
Aerin Thomas: A
pause, and he slowly moves his hand away from the gun. He doesn't go
submissive, though, and remains wary. "Can I help you?"
Douglas Coburn: 8,5,2,5,3,9,5,
Douglas Coburn: 3,7,9,7,3,9,5,7,9,4,1,
Aerin Thomas: 4,1,5,3,5,
Singha -> Douglas Coburn: (something about this guy reminds
Doug of Trevor Dunne. Some familial resemblance.)
Singha -> Douglas Coburn: (He's definitely got the
Boer/Germanic undertones to his speech, but there's also a more cultured,
Flemish, French, House Coburg-Saxe-Gotha inflection. This guy is definitely an
uppercrust European royal house type.)
Douglas Coburn: He
purses his lips and continues limping around the assembly of vehicles until he
has clear line of sight to the driver.
Singha: "Yes. Perhaps you can." The man smiles at Jeremy,
then looks Douglass over. "We're looking for a man who's wanted in several
criminal enterprises. A suspected assassin."
Singha: (per+alert on the driver, Doug)
Douglas Coburn: 2,8,2,6,5,8,
Aerin Thomas: "Who
exactly is this man? And who are you?" He remains where he is, regarding
Mr. Blonde.
Douglas Coburn: ((Well,
Mr. Blonde mk. 2 *G*))
Singha: The person behind the wheel is a
woman, blonde, similar features to the man speaking to Aerin, about the same
age, but with hazel eyes instead of green and wheat-blonde hair.
Singha -> Douglas Coburn: (She shows an even more striking
resemblance to Trevor Dunne))
Douglas Coburn -> Singha: ((You damn right she does! *G*))
Douglas Coburn: 4,10,7,7,8,4,9,
Douglas Coburn: And
he manages to bite his tongue! Amazing. Simply limps back the way he came, looking
to circle Aerin's car and wind up beside him.
Singha: The man chuckles at Aerin. "I think you know who I'm
looking for. An associate of the fugitive known as Trevor Dunne. We tracked him
to your neighborhood before losing contact. We assume you're coming here to
meet him?"
Aerin Thomas: "No,
I'm not coming here to meet anyone. I came here because I saw your people
following us."
Singha: 2,4,4,3,2,1,
Douglas Coburn: Limp,
limp, limp around Aerin's car.
Aerin Thomas: "And
I don't know what associate of Trevor Dunne you might be talking about, either.
He has several associates, and I wouldn't doubt if he knows a couple wanted
people."
Singha: He snickers, looking over Aerin the way most people who are
raised up in royalty regard someone of low station. Douglas, apparently, is of
no notice whatsoever. "I'd advise you, then, to contact me as soon as you
come across this individual. He is dangerous, and desperate." He withdraws
a business card from the inside pocket of his suit and holds it out to Aerin.
Douglas Coburn: "Ah
would have thought y'all would be far more interested in Mr. Dunne
hisself." He shrugs, coming to rest on his cane, standing beside Aerin.
"What wi' him bein' yoah father, an' all."
Aerin Thomas: He
blinks, and slowly looks over to regard Douglas, before looking back to the man
and reaching out to take the card. "And this man's name, or
description?"
Singha: The man snickers at Douglas, amused. "Cousin, perhaps.
A very poor and unpopular branch of the family. Not father."
Douglas Coburn: He
inclines his head slightly. "Whatevah you say."
Singha: He returns his attention to Aerin. "He goes by the
moniker Double Charlie. He is a mercenary, known to be a former squad member of
Commander Dunne's. He is wanted for various crimes across Africa and
Europe."
Singha: "He operates under either an Italian or Canadian
passport. There is no way of knowing what name he now uses."
Aerin Thomas: He
glances at the card and then pockets it, nodding a little. "All right. Do
you know why he's here, or why he was in my neighborhood? And more importantly
to me, do you mean my neighborhood as in my home, or where I chose to dine
today?"
Douglas Coburn: "Ah'm
intrigued that yoah own branch of the family is impoverished enough to send you
off on borin' little missions like this." His attention starts wandering.
"They only send you to spy school nowadays? Is joinin' the Clergy fallin'
out of fashion?"
Aerin Thomas: "With
this particular family, impoverished is a matter of perspective, Douglas."
He says it without looking away from the man.
Singha: The man ignores Douglas's questions, obviously seeing them
as unimportant. "Your neighborhood. The west side, I believe it's
called?"
Singha -> Singha:
3,6,5,10,
Singha -> Singha:
4,7,1,8,1,
Douglas Coburn: He
starts limping away from both cars. No need to be involved here.
Aerin Thomas: His
jaw sets. "And why is he here?"
Singha: The woman watches Douglas as the man moves back toward the
passenger seat.
Singha: "Obviously," the man says to Aer as he moves to
return to the vehicle. "He's here in the hopes that Dunne will protect him
from us."
Douglas Coburn: 9,7,5,10,3,5,
Aerin Thomas: "So,
you're asking me, if I see a man with any number of possible names and no
apparent description, to give you a call?"
Singha -> Douglas Coburn: (Doug sees some kind of reddish
liquid dripping from under Jer's car, near the back where the gas tank/trunk
usually is))
Singha: "Tall. Blond. Boer. Not so
many of those here in New York." And with that, the man closes his door
and the woman backs up, driving off.
Singha -> Singha:
3,3,3,10,3,
Douglas Coburn: He
grabs Aerin and yanks him away from his own car suddenly.
Singha: They drive out of the parking structure and disappear into
traffic.
Aerin Thomas: "Yeah,
okay." He watches the car leave, shaking his head. "Fucking
classic." He looks over to Douglas, and starts to move his way.
Aerin Thomas: Or,
rather, he's yanked away from his car. "What the...?"
Douglas Coburn: He
shoves Aerin away from the car, shielding the man with his own body, slight as
it is.
Aerin Thomas: Oh,
HELL no. They did not...he tries do some yanking himself, to put him in the
shield position, and shift up to Glabro.
Singha -> Singha:
1,9,3,4,5,
Douglas Coburn: He
pulls away as Aerin puts on a few inches here and there, startled. He stops in
his tracks, staring at him.
Aerin Thomas: ((Str+Brawl
& Rage spent for the shift.))
Aerin Thomas: 2,2,3,9,2,
Douglas Coburn: 3,6,
Douglas Coburn: An
impasse with a reedy scholar. Aerin must feel manly.
Aerin Thomas: Well,
he never was a manly man, though he looks more like it now that he's 6'5"
and 315 pounds, as opposed to 5'11" and 155. However, the car doesn't seem
to be blowing up, and so he looks down at Douglas, confused. "What was
that?"
Singha: Drip. Drip. It's steady, tho doesn't have much volume.
Douglas Coburn: ((Bloody
connection))
Douglas Coburn: He
blinks up at Jeremy, who is now suddenly taller than Douglas.
"Uhm..."
Aerin Thomas: He
reaches out to gently scoot Douglas away from the car, and moves between them,
kneeling down to look underneath the thing.
Singha: It could be AC condensation. Could be oil from a U joint.
Transmission fluid. Hard to tell in the dim light of the parking structure.
Aerin Thomas: "You
didn't just see me do this. It's all a hallucination. I'm just wearing platform
shoes," he mutters in that growly voice.
Singha -> Aerin Thomas: (roll per+alert)
Douglas Coburn: His
breath catches.
Aerin Thomas: 4,2,4,10,4,2,
Singha -> Aerin Thomas: ((Actually it should be
per+invest, my bad))
Aerin Thomas: 5,8,9,9,8,
Singha -> Singha:
10,8,9,7,4,6,
Singha -> Aerin Thomas: (It's blood, dripping from the
trunk.))
Douglas Coburn: He
squeezes his eyes shut a moment.
Aerin Thomas: His
eyes widen, and now, HIS breath catches. "Douglas, get away from the
car." He stands up, pulling his gun as he moves around to the back of the
car, and pulls the keys out.
Aerin Thomas: He unlocks the trunk, then steps back, letting it open up as his
gun trains on the space within.
Douglas Coburn: Sure.
He's taking instructions from a hallucinatory 6ft5 hairy, growly man... Yeah...
He sticks right where he is, waiting for normal reality to resume.
Singha: (roll init)
Singha: 1,
Douglas Coburn: 9,
Aerin Thomas: 2,
Douglas Coburn: ((16))
Aerin Thomas: ((A
weak 7))
Singha: (6)
Douglas Coburn: ((I
hope nobody's waiting for me to post first))
Singha: Douglas sees the trunk fly open and sees Jer bringing his
gun to bear on a blondish man who's bringing his own gun to bear on Jer. The
man in the trunk has serious gashes across his torso that look like the claw
marks of some seriously powerful beast that's probably bigger than a tiger.
Singha -> Aerin Thomas: (Jer recognizes this as the merc
who was providing security for the beef bomb deal))
Singha: "Put it down," he says commandingly to Jer.
"Or I'll go bossies on yeh."
Aerin Thomas: He
takes a step back, gun moving away from the man and hands moving out to the
side, ready to dodge if the man's going to shoot. "Whoa, hold up."
Douglas Coburn: Oh!
Now we have wild animals on the loose and men in car trunks! Suuuuuuuure! He
closes his eyes again, humming to himself.
Singha: "Where is he?" he says.
Aerin Thomas: "The
blonde? He's gone." He looks the man over. "What's going on?"
Singha: "No. Dunne. Where is he? He's not responded for over a
week."
Singha -> Aerin Thomas: (roll per+med)
Aerin Thomas: "I
don't know." He shakes his head. "I haven't seen him for at least two
weeks."
Aerin Thomas: 6,4,3,10,8,
Singha -> Aerin Thomas: He's wounded pretty badly from a
few Crinos swipes, but he's managed some first aid to stem most of the
bleeding.
Singha: "I'm out there on my ace when those larneys come up on
me. I need a needler, he's the only connection I've got in this town."
Singha -> Aerin Thomas: ((Looks like he's been in the
trunk of Jer's car over night. *G*))
Douglas Coburn: Laa
laa laa, everything is normal... He risks opening an eye again. Nope.
Everything still in crazy-vision.
Aerin Thomas: "I'm
not sure I know what a needler is. I'm setting my gun down now. If you set
yours down, I'll try to heal those wounds up. All right?" He very slowly
starts to bend his knees, hand moving downward to set the gun on the ground.
Singha: He doesn't lower his gun, just points it at Douglas.
"Who's that?"
Aerin Thomas: His
gun goes on the ground. "Just another person who's wrapped up in what
Trevor and I were working on. He's on our side."
Douglas Coburn: Oops.
The visions are getting violent. He close his eyes again.
Singha: He grimaces, staring at Doug then looking back at Aer.
"What's wrong with him?"
Aerin Thomas: "He's
taken issue with reality at the moment. It's not agreeing with him. Would you
like to put the gun down, or would you like to continue bleeding over the back
of my car?"
Singha: He considers for a moment, then lowers the gun, resting it
on his knee.
Aerin Thomas: He
nods, and steps forward, making deliberate motions as he places his hands on
the man's wounds. ((MT))
: (this is why they
can't have nice things)
Aerin Thomas: 7,2,2,3,5,8,
Douglas Coburn: He
eases himself slowly, carefully to the ground, sitting cross-legged, cane
across his lap.
Singha: He hisses and winces as the wounds start to knit together.
They're not fully healed but definitely improved over the soaking the makeshift
bandages thing.
Aerin Thomas: He
sighs a little, and stabs a half-step away. That'll do for now. "So who
are they, and why are they after you?"
Douglas Coburn: He
removes his glasses and tucks them into his breast pocket.
Singha: "Some larney coozelickers. Looking for Dunne. Tried to
get me to talk."
Singha: He grunts and slooowwwly unfurls himself from the trunk,
stretching out cramped limbs. Amazing a guy that big could wedge himself in a
place that small.
Aerin Thomas: He
reaches out to help the man out of the trunk. "Do you know why they're
looking for him?"
Singha: "After some bakje."
Douglas Coburn: He
slowly buries his face in his hands and rocks there gently.
Aerin Thomas: "What's
a bakje?" He shifts back down to Homid, finally, and reaches down to pick
up his gun.
Singha: "Not something we should talk
about in public." He blinks at the rocking Douglas, slipping his gun in
the holster behind his back. His shirt is shredded across the front, crackling
with dried blood around the edges that have dried, but still wetly dripping
near the actual wounds.
Aerin Thomas: He
nods a little, and puts his gun back in the shoulder holster. "All right.
Give me a moment." He moves over to Douglas and slowly drops to a crouch,
sitting on his heels in front of the man. "Douglas."
Douglas Coburn: He
ignores Aerin, continuing to rock gently.
Singha: He strips off his shirt, wiping away what he can of the
congealed blood and tossing the soppy shirt into the trunk.
Aerin Thomas: A
nice, normal, Homid hand reaches out to rest on the man's shoulder.
"Douglas. Look at me."
Singha: "Blood always send him groendakkies?" he asks
Aerin about Doug. "Or is it your change in hairstyle that does it?"
Douglas Coburn: "No,"
he mumbles quietly. "You're not real."
Aerin Thomas: He
doesn't answer the man. "Yes, Douglas, I am. I'm right here. You're okay.
Open your eyes and look at me."
Douglas Coburn: He
risks lifting his head from his hands, just a little, cracking open tear-filled
eyes and blinking slowly at Aerin, holding his breath.
Singha: He pulls out a comb and drags it through his hair, glancing
around warily.
Singha: 8,10,3,7,2,9,8,
Singha -> Singha:
4,4,6,9,4,6,3,
Aerin Thomas: He
watches him calmly. "Hey. I'm real, Douglas...you're not hallucinating me.
You're okay, all right?"
Singha: "Fuck," he grumbles under his breath, obviously
spotting something. "I think there are five of them. Bloody
hondinnentjes."
Douglas Coburn: He
shakes his head, tears rolling down his cheeks. "How can I know any
more?"
Aerin Thomas: "Oh, Jesus." He looks back at the man, then looks up,
scanning the area. "Douglas, I promise I'll explain everything later. It's
time for us to move, though, all right?" ((Per+Alert))
Aerin Thomas: 9,6,2,5,7,6,
Douglas Coburn: He
shakes his head, burying his face in his hands again.
Singha: He spots Mr. Blonde from the Korean place parked in a car at
the end of the alley, but he doesn't see who else Charlie's referring to.
Singha: "Get the fuck up and into the car, or I'll snotklap
yeh," he says to Douglas, taking command over from the obviously
ineffective Jeremy.
Aerin Thomas: Fuck.
Fucking brilliant, you moron. "Douglas...I know this probably doesn't make sense right
now. I will explain all, if you please...just...come with me."
Singha: He grabs Doug by the shoulder and drags him back toward the
car, opening the rear passenger door.
Douglas Coburn: He
whimpers at being dragged and keeps his eyes shut. It's clearly not real.
Aerin Thomas: A
sigh, and he moves back to the car.
Singha: He shoves him into the car, and glances around again, jaw
setting. "Drive into Brooklyn," he tells Jer. "Don't let them
catch you until you're over the bridge."
Douglas Coburn: As
always, though, he maintains the presence of mind to grab at and clutch hold of
his cane like it's a lifeline.
Aerin Thomas: "I
don't plan on letting them catch me at all." He shoots the man a look,
then starts the engine.
Singha: "Yeah, well..." He shrugs and gets into the
passenger seat. "We'll see."
Aerin Thomas: He
shuts the door, and starts to drive.
Douglas Coburn: ((to
the bat-vehicle?))
Singha: 7,4,4,9,5,
Singha: (You going to roll dex+drive Jer?))
Aerin Thomas: ((Yeah,
sorry. WP))
Aerin Thomas: 7,4,6,
Singha: Jer's pretty sure he's given Mr. Blonde the slip again.
Singha -> Singha:
2,4,6,9,9,1,
Singha -> Singha:
3,4,10,4,5,4,5,
Singha -> Singha:
8,3,5,8,8,
Singha: But just as Jer heads toward the Brooklyn bridge, Charlie
opens the door and dives out of the car.
Singha: 6,3,5,6,2,5,7,8,
Singha: He rolls to his feet and darts out of the roadway, heading
toward the waterfront.
Singha: 3,7,4,3,8,4,
Singha: 8,9,8,7,9,1,9,
Aerin Thomas: He
blinks at that, but reaches over, pulling the door shut. And he continues to
drive over the bridge. Fucking mercenaries.
Singha: And disappears as another vehicle Jer didn't spot at all
screeches to the curb and a tall brown haired woman gives chase.
Singha: 9,3,4,8,7,4,
Douglas Coburn: He
just remains curled up on the rear seat, crying quietly.
Singha: She slows up, confounded, unsure which way to go, and
grudgingly returns to the vehicle waiting at the curb, which has now
accumulated several honking horns behind it.
Aerin Thomas: "Fuuuuck..."
He pours on the gas, trying to lose the woman. ((WP #3 for the day))
Singha: (And I need to go back to work so have fun you two.)
Aerin Thomas: 5,8,6,
Douglas Coburn: ((Ta
ta *G*))
Singha: (just don't botch and you'll have lost them, Jer. *G*)
Singha: while they go after Charlie Aerin manages to slip away into
Brooklyn, unfettered.
Aerin Thomas: ((Had
misunderstood till that second post. Ah, well. Who needs WP? *G*))
Aerin Thomas: He
drives for a while, then pulls off onto a side street, pulling next to the curb
and killing the engine. He looks over to Douglas, sighing a little bit.
"Douglas. Calm down...we're safe."
Douglas Coburn: By
the time Aerin stops the car he's beyond tears, simply catatonic, or near
enough to it.
Aerin Thomas: A
hand reaches behind, resting on the man's arm. "Douglas. Come on. You're
okay...open your eyes." Worth a try.
Douglas Coburn: His
eyes are open, he's just... utterly unresponsive.
Aerin Thomas: Keerap.
Well, they can't stay here. He starts the car up, mentally planning a long,
winding route home, hoping to not encounter any tails on the way.
Douglas Coburn: Well
he ain't doing anything.
Aerin Thomas: He
drives the long route home, and kills the engine. He opens the door, then moves
to the back door, opening it up. "Douglas, I'm taking you up to my place.
You'll be safe there, okay? And we'll talk."
Douglas Coburn: He
doesn't respond.
: ((*Pauses*))