Summary:Scandal Savage runs into Rose…and meets Thorn again. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
Related LogsTheme SongNone |
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The weather forecast for the day is not exactly the most promising - but amidst the overall daily summary there was a rather literal window of bright hope. The promise of a couple of hours of (mostly) uninterrupted sunshine have boosted the numbers in Central Park. A few brave souls are attempting picnics, though most are either gently strolling or out for more serious exercise. Among the latter group, Scandal is pounding along the paths with the kind of on-the-toes seemingly-effortless ease to infuriate many whom she passes. Clad in second-skin leggings and good-quality running shoes she has added a hoodie in concession to the day's chill, though her attire remains predominantly black with some highlights in blue.
Sunshine is Fun Time!
Rose looked around with bright blue eyes at the expanse of the park around her. She had always loved the park, loved visiting with her parents. She has opted for the simple clothing that the old woman in the halfway house will not sneer at—red blouse, blue jeans, hiking shoes (because she has to do a lot of walking) and a light denim jacket, because Goodwill is a godsend.
She walks along the beaten path, smiling at the joggers and cyclists. When the hard-bodied woman with the light step and the skintight clothing is seen running towards her, Rose smiles and actually raises a hand in greeting as she approaches.
It takes Scandal a moment or three to manage any recognition… then she slows, raising a hand in turn. Coming to a halt, she cocks her head, venturing a wry - and somewhat wary - smile. "Hi," she says a little uncertainly. "Do you recognise me?"
Rose gives her a puzzled smile as the woman slows down. She peers at her…no. Nothing.
She gives a shy smile, then said, "I am sure if I met someone like you, I would not forget it." She extends her hand to Scandal. "My name's Rhosyn, but everyone just calls me Rose. Pleased to meet you!"
The Brazilian looks quite frankly perplexed, but after a moment's hesitation she accepts and shakes the offered hand. "I think that I saw someone who looked rather a lot like you at a bar, a couple of nights ago. I… assumed that you were waving because you recognised me from there…?"
Rose still has that puzzled smile, but there is something else to it. Puzzled, but for some other reason.
*Thorn, what did you DO?*
"I…don't go to bars. Bars are scary places. Parks are better." She smiles, finding more fertile ground. "The sun, the trees, the grass…and you can meet so many interesting people here. I was waving because I wanted to be sociable, Miss…uhm, you never did tell me your name. How can we be friends if we don't know each other's names, at least?"
Scandal blinks, cocks her head, and peers a little dubiously at the professed stranger. "Savage," she provides after a moment. "Scandal Savage. It sounded exotic rather than bizarre, where I grew up. Do you perhaps have any close relatives in the city? She certainly was quite… reminiscent of you."
That cinches it. Thorn had done something. But what? Thorn hadn't even apologized for the flagrant outfit she had been wearing.
"That is a very unusual name, Scandal." She holds up one hand. "I promise not to make any jokes about it." She lowers the hand and looks thoughtful. "Not that I can think of. I have been…away for awhile, though, and there are millions of people in the city. That is a very big number, millions." She bites her lip in a look of concentration. "Well, should you ever meet this person, I'd like to see a picture. I could have a sister my parents never told me about…that would be…interesting."
Scandal's eyes narrow a little, before she nods - the gesture slow and pensive. "Uh-huh. Well, I'll try to take pictures if I see her again, then. Though I'm not sure how she'd feel about that. She seemed quite… driven, you could say. And thank you, regarding the name. I'm rather tired of most of the jokes, I admit."
Rose nods, but is still biting her lip. "Well, I can see how it might garner interest. You certainly feel no shame about your…your body." Her pink cheeks deepen slightly to red. "I wish I could be that bold and confident about myself."
Scandal blinks, then laughs as she shakes her head. "I'm Brazilian. I can assure you, this is far from scandalous by the standards of some of our cities." Her accent is indeterminately international, though clearly well-educated. "But it's practical, and comfortable. Lets me move freely, and keeps me warm enough for exercise." She watches Rose quite intently, wondering if commentary on clothing suggests she *does* have some knowledge - or memory - of the previous encounter.
Rose nods, looking up. "Yes, it is getting warmer. Summer's coming. I am really looking forward to…"
She looks to Scandal, the blue eyes startled. "Uhm…I should…"
And then she blinks.
Bright GREEN eyes look to Scandal, the pleasant smile growing crafty. Her entire stance changes, innocent to provocative.
Jekyll to Hyde.
"Oh, stop teasing her," Thorn chided Scandal, and there is no doubt that THIS person is the woman she saw that night, a woman willing to blow a man's kneecaps off.
Scandal *blinks*, leaning back a touch as if to get a better look at those strange eyes… then she purses her lips, seemingly taking the evident weirdness at least *mostly* in her stride. "Hrrrm. I wasn't *teasing*. Testing, perhaps. And who, or what, are *you*?"
The woman with the green eyes and the catty smile leaned against a tree, crossing her legs below the knee. "My name is Thorn. I'm the one who'll do what we won't. What she CAN'T. I was born when a bunch of thugs led by a guy named Quint killed our parents. Rose was the one who hid. *I* took Quint's hand." Her smile widened as she savored the memory. They put me away. They put US away. But we're both out now." She pushes off the tree and moves closer to Scandal. "And we're going to KEEP doing what has to be done."
There's a slight shift of weight, ensuring that Scandal is fully balanced - but no hint of backing away. Instead, she arches a brow. "I heard 'Quint' mentioned, I think, when last I saw you," she says quietly. "I take it that Rose is unaware you exist? Or… wants to try to persuade herself that she is?"
Thorn chuckles. "She is aware. The good doctor warned us and guided us. Even if unknowingly. 'Thorn is Pain. Rose is Freedom.' That was his mantra. All the drugs, all the treatments…pft! Torture is what it was. But he did it. he separated us. And I knew what we had to do. I come when Rose needs me. She is the one who talks to the police, the authorities. Rose and I agreed that she could have the days…and I could have the nights." She moves a step closer, just out of personal-space range. "This was a special occasion, though. You dig. You wanted to see the werewolf you met that night." Her grin assumes a touch of feral glee.
"HI."
Another blink, then a marked arching of one brow. "Werewolf?", Scandal asks, lips twitching into a half-smile. "Interesting way of putting it. And… hi. Why that particular choice of personal style, I wonder? Is that something Rose secretly wants to be able to do herself? Or all about you being different to her?"
Thorn chuckles. "Rose fears being taken back, aggressive people, a hundred things. I fear nothing. Not even my own body." She moves just an inch closer. "She is Little Mary Sunshine. I am Little Miss Dangerous. And I…have to find some people. And trust me…when I find Quint, I'm going to chop off his OTHER hand…both his legs…and turn him into a human PLANTER."
All that murderous promise and the smile never leaves her face.
Scandal lifts both brows now. "So, you've decided that I'm not with law enforcement, then," she observes dryly. "But a *planter*? Interesting choice. I don't think it's one that I've ever come across before. Congratulations for originality on that point. I do wonder what you'll do if you do manage to complete your mission against Quint. Is there anything past that?"
Thorn chuckles softly. "Him, and everyone in the same group he was with. This is a network of people our father was investigating. He was getting too close and they killed him and our mother." Her voice had hardened, but she was still smiling. "You're no cop. Nowhere near. No call for backup, no codes, no police procedures followed. Expect a cop's daughter to be able to smell another cop."
She leans closer, then takes a slow, soft sniff, her mouth closer to Scandal's throat. Werewolf isn't that bad an analogy.
She draws back, but not out of personal-space range. "If you have a badge, I'll eat it with slaw."
Scandal still doesn't take a step back, instead slightly turning her head to intently watch Rose/Thorn at very close range. "Is Rose watching this now, at the moment?", she asks quietly. "Or is this… blank for her? I'm just curious as to quite how the, ahh, time-share arrangement works. And, I admit, what sort of network you're chasing. What did your father conclude Quint was into?"
Thorn's voice is quiet, but not quite playful. "She doesn't see…she is in the house, now. She watches over…the other. We call her…Wild Rose. You don't want to meet her." Her lips move to a couple of inches from Scandal's ear. "Father called them 'the 100,' but the name may have changed. Quint was a known person in this organized crime family."
Scandal narrows her eyes again. "He was going up against them? Delightful. They're not one of the heaviest hitters out there, but they're more than nasty enough if you're in their field of interest. And how far up in the ranks is Quint? Are you intending to take on the whole one hundred, and all their hirelings?"
There is that sound of pleasure again. "YES. Because they think they are dealing with ROSE. They don't know about *me*. They will be slow to think that a young woman in a halfway house for mental patients could do what I intend to do."
Scanal blinks, then nods slowly. "I'd imagine that they will, yes. But you weren't covering your face, or masking your voice last night. The change in appearance is striking, but not exactly complete. Someone might well conclude that Rose is involved," she cautions. "You might be able to do more to protect her, if that's your goal."
Thorn looks to her. "Are you offering help, Scandal?" She looks intrigued instead of amused. "I suspect there are ways you can help me. Would you like to? Help me?" She is still very close.
"That little dose of free advice is probably rather more than I should have provided," Scandal says dryly. "I'm *supposed* to be staying out of trouble. I'd recommend, if you care about Rose, that you take a few steps to do so yourself. Or at least to keep her out of it. You guaranteed that people'll be talking about you, after last night. And that there'll be a lot of talk about your identity. I don't know the details of how they work, but it wouldn't take a *great* deal for them to think to check up on women of your sort of age who might have grudges against them. And against Quint in particular. The fallout can be messy, when you're dealing with groups whom you've scared enough that they stop worrying too much about collateral damage."
Thorn looks thoughtful as she stands in front of Scandal. Rather close, really. A few people are starting to notice. "One thing I've learned, Scandal, is that people see what they want to see. But you do have a point. I should be doing more to ensure my identity stays hidden. You know, before they get to know me well enough to be scared of me."
She pauses, then says, "Supposed to be staying out of trouble? So I'm threatening to…corrupt you? That could be fun, you know."
Scandal still doesn't seem inclined to back away - nor does she seem overly bothered by what conclusions passers-by might be reaching. "Yes. I am supposed to be staying out of trouble," she says dryly. "And if you cause too much for other people, you might find that more than the 100 are inclined to hunt you. There are… organisations and individuals out there who make it their business to try to 'keep order' and the like. The more striking and unusual you are in your actions - and how you present yourself - the more likely they are to notice. If you were to make it look a lot more like a turf dispute between underworld groups, there'd be less reason for such people to pay attention."
Thorn tilts her head. "Annnd…you know the best ways to do that, I suspect? Fool people into being distracted and deceived?" The smile is back, amused and impish.
Scandal snorts a laugh. "Me? I'm just a perfectly normal fitness enthusiast, out for a morning run," she says dryly. "Whatever might possibly have given you any other impression, I cannot possibly say. Criminal enterprises are certainly not something on which I could offer advice. In fact, as a responsible civilian, I duly recommend that you raise your concerns with the detectives of the New York Police Department. They are public servants with a duty to assist you, after all."
Thorn steps back and chuckles. "Amazed you could say that with a straight face." She rubbed her face. "Anyway, Rose is starting to ask questions. If I wanted to find you, how could I get in touch with you?"
Scandal shrugs, lips twitching into a hint of a smile. "Practice. I recommend it. It might keep Rose alive. And… hmm. I don't exactly *have* business cards, and if I did, I wouldn't carry them in this outfit. Can you remember a number?" Seemingly, she doesn't carry a phone, or doesn't want to admit to doing so in present company.
Thorn snorts. "Don't worry. Just tell me."
Scandal hesitates - or perhaps focuses - for a moment, then rattles off a cell number. "That should reach me, sooner or later. Though I make no promises to assist with anything. Make sure that Rose has access to it, too."
Thorn purses her lips slightly. "I suppose…but it's more fun to think that I've got your number." She winks and says, "Looking forward to seeing you more…"
Then she steps back, closing her eyes…
..and then her blue eyes open and Rose says, "…head back to the halfway house before it gets too late." She smiles brightly to Scandal. "Maybe we'll run into each other again?"
Amusement is replaced with a flicker of sympathy in Scandal's expression when the personalities transition once more… then she finds a rather gentle smile, and nods. "I suspect that we shall. It was a pleasure meeting you, Rose. Take care of yourself."
Rose beams and heads off along the path, walking along with a spring in her step and seemingly without a care in the world.
Scandal stays where she is for a few moments, shaking her head in bewilderment… before smiling, chuckling, and setting off once more - though she takes care that her path diverges from Rose's. One dose of that level of strangeness is quite enough for the time being.