Smithy: (*laughs* realized i have no one available to go to a zoo that.. would.. *laughs* side from smithy)

Sasha: ((Silly zoo suggester... *S*))

Smithy: *earphones pumping what sounds like.. My sharona ..loudly into the air, she maneuvers through the dwindling crowd with a cartoonish swagger, breasts out in full fore, bleeding through her bandages, in all her tattooed freakish-even-for-NewYork glory*

Kristjan Ivanov: He sidles up to the lion exhibit, watching the lions from a bit of distance, trying to stay as far from traffic as possible.

Kristjan Ivanov: (Anyone need a DD on Kris?)

Smithy: (sure. i can't recall what he looks like anymore. ping me if you need smithy's novel)

Sasha: She's wandering her way around the zoo...hey, it's something to do. She had to get out of the apartment for a night. Get out, look around, do SOMETHING. ((DD: This is what youth looks like when it's been tossed into a blender and set to "puree." Dressed in a black "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac" T-Shirt, a pair of worn jeans, and an old pair of sneakers, the young woman, despite looking cleaned up, is still very much a child of the streets. She can't be much older then the mid-20's, and her dyed black hair frames a youthful face that projects a simultaneous world-weary cynicism. Her eyeliner is a bit heavy, circling blue eyes slightly dulled by years on the streets.))

Smithy: *she scratches at the circuitry snaking across her chest, making her way through the big cats exhibit, thoroughly unimpressed. black pinpoint pupils scouring the area for potential imp related threats. *

Sasha: She's smoking a cigarette as she walks along...fuck the rules, let 'em throw her out. Oh, look, no one cares what she's doing...typical. She wanders her way toward the cats, keeping an eye out. He did say something about lions once...MAYBE he's here...

Sasha: d10: Per+Alert: 10,8,8,10,7,2,8,

Sasha: d10: Spec: Paranoid: 9,8,

Sasha: She sees everyone and everything. NOTHING escapes her attention...she is the Princess of Perception. The drug-addicted, ex-whore Princess of Perception, but hey, these days, that's the best fairy tale you can hope for, right? Smithy gets a very long, wary stare...Kristjan gets a once-over, too.

Kristjan Ivanov: He shudders a little as Smithy walks by. But his stormy blue eyes track her, concerned, even as the rest of his expression is disapproving. He's maybe twenty, average height, slender build. He's pale, with fairly sharp features. His short black hair is spiky, playful. It's really only the eyes that don't match the brightly colored long-sleeved tee-shirt and baggy jeans - those just aren't playful or young. (Sorry, I never remade his DD after my computer crashed, what with the hardly playing him.)

Smithy: ((brb. phone)

Kristjan Ivanov: d10: per/alert: 6,8,2,5,8,

Kristjan Ivanov: He looks around with that eerie feeling someone's watching him, but doesn't quite pick out Sasha as anything more but the second person in flagrant disregard for societal norms. He watches her a few seconds, more curious than anything, and then his eyes slip away from her, searching for a less visible spot to watch the kitties from.

Sasha: She takes a drag off the cigarette, moving up to the railing to look down at the lions, with another glance to Kristjan. Dude looked safer then the tattooed naked bitch. "Hey," she says to him as she leans against the railing, watching the big cats for a moment.

Smithy: *she digs in her pocket for a blunt she'd filched from the german, lighting it up with disregard to the no smoking signs as she comes to lean against the railing near the Lions. she takes a drag and puffs at them* They're not so tough.

Kristjan Ivanov: "Hey," he returns quietly, just barely not shrinking away from her. Someone's got some personal space issues.

Sasha: She looks past Kristjan, over to Smithy, giving a derisive little snort. "Yeah...easy to say when you're up here and they're down there."

Smithy: ((augh damnit. phone again! ta hell with it) *smithy gives a snort and heads to the snake exibition. she likes them better anyway. harder to shoot*

Kristjan Ivanov: "Friendly...."

Sasha: She watches Smithy leave, shaking her head a little bit, then looks back to Kristjan. "Hmm?"

Kristjan Ivanov: "Friendly," he repeats in the same neutral tone.

Sasha: "Who's friendly? Or...what's friendly?" She raises a brow, chain-lighting a new cigarette off the butt of the old one.

Kristjan Ivanov: "Mmmmmmmm...try not to trip on the sarcasm...." Which might be easier to detect if he bothered to put any emotional tone in his voice.

Sasha: She narrows her eyes a little bit, jaw hardening and a bit of attitude hitting her frame. "Yeah, well, you're just a ball o' fuzzy warmth yerself, aintcha?"

Kristjan Ivanov: That gets a chuckle. "You have no idea...." There is something amused, if not warm to that tone. Nothing hostile.

Sasha: "Yeah, that's what they always say," she retorts with a snort. She leans back against the railing, looking around again, eyes scanning the vicinity as she takes a drag off the cigarette.

Kristjan Ivanov: "Do they?" He looks back to the lions for a minute.

Sasha: "Yeah. They do. And they're wrong. ...although usually, they're capable of sentances with more then six words at the most." She smirks over at Kristjan. "Ya need a dictionary?"

Kristjan Ivanov: "No. Vocabulary's not the issue. That was four. Four and half if you count the contraction. Last sentance comes in over six. I just don't really get people except in abstract."

Sasha: "Hmmm. Well, you're just a peach, ain'tcha then?" She looks Kirstjan over once more...yeah. Asshole. A shake of her head, and she looks around once more.

Kristjan Ivanov: He looks her over. "I'm sure people are dying to get to know you too." It's spoken as genntly as everything else.

Sasha: She goes sullen at that, taking a lean against the railing and muttering something under her breath as she stares at the ground, pulling a lungful of smoke angrily out of the butt.

Kristjan Ivanov: "Hey, I kinda like you. But I doubt most people appreciate you."

Sasha: She gives a chuckle. "Ahh, I see. The 'I'm the only one that understands ya' line. S'been a while since I've heard that one."

Kristjan Ivanov: "I don't. I don't know you at all. I just know that you have qualities that often intimidate or just repulse a good number of people who want the world on their terms and are threatened by things they cannot understand. That is however, about all I know about you, and it hardly constitutes understanding."

Sasha: She glances over at him once more, eyebrow raised over her expression, still sullenly amused. "Wow. You are good."

Kristjan Ivanov: "At what?"

Smithy: * and back she comes, eating some popcorn with grimey bloodcaked fingers. she scratches at the back of her throat for a husk, stopping to make cat hacking sounds* heeck. hggrk! hhhchhhchhkrek! keff! hurr. *she shakes her head violently*

Sasha: She looks about to answer, but Smithy's sudden, violently-sounding re-appearance draws her attention. She exhales a drag in twin darts out her nose, eyeing the woman warily.

Kristjan Ivanov: Smithy's return gets just a little cringe, but still the worried look. If he could bring himself to get close enough he might be inclined to try to help. But he's not getting nearly close enough for that. In fact, the way he presses back into the railing without thinking indicates he might feel safer with the lions.

Smithy: *a gob of un-attractive spit dangles from her mouth, husk included as she hacks it to the ground in gobby satisfaction. bleck. popcorn was for n00bs. she straightens, tongue running over her teeth. seeing Sasha eying her she wraggles her eyebrows*

Sasha: Her reaction to Smithy's attention her way is a combination of disdain, revulsion and amusement. She shakes her head, smirking the topless woman's way. "Well, ya gotta admire her gusto," she comments idly.

Kristjan Ivanov: "Ugh...I'd be more concerned about the biological hazzard. That just doesn't look healthy."

Smithy: Hey. Smithy is Virius fucking free Biatch. *she swaggers over, thrusting the popcorn container at Kris* eat that. Still looking at these lions? fucking bo-riiing. yawn, lounge. play with ball. yee fucking haw.

Sasha: "Yeah. That, too." Not that she's a bastion of healthy behavior herself, but...still.

Kristjan Ivanov: He steps quickly to the side at the thrust, as if expecting anything coming at him might be lethal, and makes no move to take the popcorn out of her hands, watching warily.

Sasha: "Yeah, so what're you doin' that's so exciting?" She smirks Smithy's way, leaning back on the railing...body automatically falling into her work pose without her even realizing it. An instinct.

Smithy: enh. *the popcorn is instead offered to sasha, wide white eyes blinking owlishly*Whats it to you slut-bot? This level bites pixellated ass. *her eyes drift to the lions* Hows a safari sound?

Kristjan Ivanov: "Perhaps you should ask the nice kitties if they're hungry before you try that." Which is much warning as he's giving not to go wandering to play with the lions.

Sasha: Her eyes narrow at the slut-bot comment...she doesn't. Oh. She flushes as she realizes how she's leaning, and straightens up. "Safari? Don't follow."

Smithy: *she grins madly to herself. man. she had good ideas. her lappy comes out, dented and grey.. and she considers. *think i can shoot one of those cats from here?

Sasha: She blinks. "You're...gonna shoot the fuckin' lions?"

Kristjan Ivanov: He steps automatically between her and the cats, wariness smoothing out into dead calm in less than the time it takes to move. "No. I don't."

Smithy: WTF joo think joo do on safari n00bs? *she laughs, giving Kris a puzzled look as he steps in front of her* Hey. camp your own cat spawn. I tagged it.

Kristjan Ivanov: "Leave the lions be." It's just as gentle and toneless as is early conversation with Sasha.

Smithy: *mad eyes roll, the girl clearly not all there as she starts into a stattacco minigun laugh. abbraisive and loud, hand coming to her ribs as they twang and bleed* you're right. picking them off is fucking lame.. *she digs a hand in her coat*

Sasha: "You're fucked up," she says, staring at Smithy. She also looks over at blinks at Kristjan...did he just get in between a psychotic, gun-wielding freak and her target?

Kristjan Ivanov: "You want something more interesting to do?" He asks Smithy.

Smithy: Fuckin yeah. This levels got fucking vampiresyou can't shoot,, werewolves you can't beat, and a bunch of asshole noobs that won't fuking wake up and just get in the godamn way. you got something better npc? lay your storyline on a haxor.

Sasha: Her eyes widen at Smithy's comment about vampires and werewolves. "...huh?" What, her, have heard of this stuff? She's perfectly innocent.

Smithy: *meanwhile, a dented laptop is hauled out of a lower pocket and jerked open disrespectfully, startingup with an ancient wheeeeeeer*

Kristjan Ivanov: "Leave the zoo. Three blocks ahead turn to your left. Continue until you find the sign - you'll know it when you see it. On that block is a gateway to a new level. It's a trapped maze, lots of spikes and explosions and the level through that must be fantastic. Way better than hunting animals in cages already."

Smithy: d10: (perception + no sub: 8,6,10,

Kristjan Ivanov: d10: man/sub: 9,3,2,7,4,9,4,5,4,

Sasha: d10: Man+Sub: 1,4,6,6,1,9,3,6,

Sasha: ((Wow...one Per+Subt with three dice ties or beats TWO Man+Subs with EIGHT dice. Dayum...))

Smithy: *spikes? explosions? new level gateway..3 blocks left. follow sign.. wait.. she types that into the lappy, eyeing him suspiciously. who was this guy? and how did he know so much about the game.. a hand flicks the vr monocle over her eye as she squints at him* joo don't saaaay n00b... *Hands pitter over keys*

Kristjan Ivanov: "So I hear."

Smithy: d10: arete: 3,5,3,

Smithy: *she squints at the screen, turning up her music a moment and typing some more specifics in. no hits so far.*

Smithy: (can of course roll awareness if you have it)

Sasha: d10: Per+Awareness: 5,6,2,8,7,

Kristjan Ivanov: He sighs, stepping back, she seems less interested in the lions now and this is closer to bloody hacking things than he wants to be. "What are you doing?"

Smithy: d10: arete: 9,8,8,

Sasha: She actually meeps a little, her breath catching, and she moves a little away from Smithy, real fear coming into her eyes.

Kristjan Ivanov: He glances at Sasha, and decides to trust the one that seems safe in the won't strangle him with a computer cord kinda way while screaming about aliens. He eases past Smithy to move away with Sasha.

Smithy: *oh. dissapointing. he was a liar. she crakcs her back with a yawn. slamming the laptop shut and shoving it in her coat.* joo lying little lamer. I are teh 1337 haxor. joo can't lie to Smithy. *she laughs and shakes her head, maze with spikes.. she wished, finger pointing blood crusted at Kris*

Kristjan Ivanov: For just a second his eyes gleam, like he might keep playing with the psychotic, but then with a faint sigh and a glance around him he continues to retreat.

Sasha: She's not moving real fast...in fact, long as Kirstjan is in between her and Smithy, she's rooted in place, just kind of hiding behind the man and peeking over his shoulder in terror.

Kristjan Ivanov: He backs up slowly, nudging Sasha back a step or two at a time, no real hurry, but he's definitely leaving.

Smithy: *dull. man. the promise of spike traps had her all excited. she deflates a little, rlling her neck with a twang and scratching her head with the flash of a gun breifly before she starts moving off. fucking lions. she'd come back later and let them all out with the other animals. maybe the german could come too. or the hill giant. she'd like to see him take on a gorilla. All politeness, she tosses her popcorn over the fence and moves out in that animated swagger, chewing on something plucked from a pocket. this level was sooo laaame*

Sasha: The nudging brings her back to her senses a little, and she gasps as if she'd forgotten to breath, or been afraid to. She starts backing up with Kristjan, watching Smithy with panicked eyes as she leaves.

Smithy: d10: per alert: 6,4,10,9,7,

Smithy: *a wraggle of her eyebrows at Sasha* watch your pixilated panties turbo slut. they're bunching. *stattacco laughter as she moves to the exit*

Sasha: Even as scared as she is, the comment draws a glare from her. A glare that's as much scared as it is angry...but a glare nonetheless.

Kristjan Ivanov: He waits a minute for Smithy to leave, and then shakes his head, suddenly dropping the protective position as if he'd never taken it up all, reassuming the amused, almost warm tone he'd last had with Sasha before Smithy's reappearance. "Weird even for New York," he mutters.

Smithy: *and she eventually fades into the crowd, drawing a few stares before she's gone*

Sasha: She fumbles a cigarette out, hands shaking a little and not responding to Kristjan's comment. She needs...something. But she can't have it right now, so a cigarette will do. The lighter is flicked and raised to the end, flaring it to life.

Kristjan Ivanov: "You okay? Want to get out of here?"

Sasha: "I...I need to get home." She takes a deep, deep drag of the cigarette...too deep. And then she hacks it out. Too much smoke for one set of lungs. She coughs for a couple moments, having to force herself to calm down.

Kristjan Ivanov: "Okay. You want company?"

Kristjan Ivanov: His hands twitch at the coughing, like he almost reached out to her. But no, danger gone they're back to the not touching.

Sasha: "Ummm..." She's clearly hesitant, looking around fairly skittishly. But it's a looong way from Bronx to the apartment. Lots of places for bad people to be on the subway. Not that this guy's much safer, but he at least LOOKS concerned... "If, um, you don't mind...just giving me a lift or walking me, uh, home?"

Kristjan Ivanov: "I can do either. Whichever...I mean...stranger, car...I don't have to come. Just offering. Even if you want me to just get you close to home, but not you know, to the door."

Sasha: She takes another, safer drag off of her cigarette, and nods a little. "Yeah, that'd be cool. I just...don't like that, uh..." Her voice lowers a little. "...the, uh, not normal shit. Doesn't...feel good."

Kristjan Ivanov: "Mmmmmm...yeah, not normal shit can unsettling, I guess."

Sasha: She flicks her cigarette away, nodding a bit. She looks back to the lions, then back to Kristjan...he protected the lions with his life...Micah...maybe...ah, what the hell. She's that desperate. She starts moving along, slowly, and looks over to him. "Hey...you know a guy named Micah? Also guys by Saidah?"

Sasha: The sound in her voice is wary, but hopeful.

Kristjan Ivanov: He blinks. That was unexpected. "Yeah...yeah, I do."

Sasha: She blinks and stops...she didn't really expect him to say yes. Her eyes look torn between fear and hope. "Have you...ummm...have you seen him? Lately, I mean...in the last, uh, month or so?"

Kristjan Ivanov: "No. We were never really close. I have some other people I could ask, I guess. Not real close to them either, but if you're looking for him."

Sasha: She chews a little on her lip, thinking about it...obviously torn between wanting his help and just...not wanting to know. Finally, she nods a little. "If...um. Yeah, if you could. Just find out if he's, uh, okay? Try and tell him that, uh, S-Sasha's worried about him?"

Kristjan Ivanov: "Okay. I dunno how well I'll do, but I'll try. I know some places to look."

Sasha: She nods, not wanting to hope for anything to happen, but hoping nonetheless. "Thanks." She sighs. "Okay, so...I live in Downtown. If I can get a ride, I'd...appreciate it." she says it with her head bowed, eyes downcast.

Kristjan Ivanov: "Okay. I can do that." (Cut?)