Cardinals And Bluebirds

Participants:

cardinal_icon.gif jezebel_icon.gif

Scene Title Cardinals and Bluebirds
Synopsis Jezebel looks for Trask and finds Cardinal instead.
Date February 8, 2009

The Greenbelt, Staten Island

The Greenbelt is 2800 acres of mixed urban parkland and natural preserves, winding around and between several major communities. The more natural areas are primarily a succession of ridges and boulder-littered moraines beneath the canopy of a hardwood forest — beech, hickory, maples, and oaks in the main, with a variety of less common trees mixed in. At the lower points of the parkland, this forest gives way to wetland, overgrown with ferns, skunk cabbage, lady slipper, and trout lilies. The park's boundaries include a golf course, a cemetary, a friary, a boy scout camp, and a carousel, as well as the more stereotypical nature center and a native plant demonstration garden.


It's a sunny day out here in the Greenbelt. The day is unusually warm for early February, springlike. The many trees here provide some shelter from the wind.

Jezebel probably doesn't feel the wind through her biker leathers. Now and again, she stops to feel the sun on her face, or listen to birds sing. Neither keeps her from giving anything resembling a sheltered spot sharp glances.

Cardinal's jacket is slung over one shoulder, draped down over the back of his grey t-shirt, leaving his arms exposed—tattoos etching them, not full sleeves but enough to be noticed. As he makes his way through the park - perhaps using it as a short-cut - he sticks to the shadows of the trees, dark sunglasses perched upon his face, head ducking a bit in a grimace from the bright of the sun when he has to cross sunnier patches.

Jezebel is paying attention to sheltered patches beneath trees, so it's not too odd for her to notice someone there. What is odd is her reaction. She smiles and waves at the man in the sunglasses.

The movement's noticed more than anything else, and Cardinal squints through the near-opaque lenses at the young woman—one hand lifting to shade his eyes still further, one brow quirking as he realizes he's being waved at. "Hey," he calls over, chin lifting in a nod, "'Sup?"

Jezebel calls back, "Hi, I wonder if you've seen someone. I swear to God I'm not trying to hurt anyone."

Cardinal's lips twitch up at one corner in a smirk. "Not really 'fraid of you, girl," he calls back dryly, pausing there in the shadow of the tree, still shading his eyes with one hand, "Who you looking for?"

Jezebel replies, "Acquaintance of mine, with friends who are worried about him. About your height, short blond hair, blue eyes, European face, Russian accent. I don't suppose you've seen him?"

Cardinal gives his head a brief, curt shake. "Haven't talked to anyone sounds Russian lately," he answers with a shrug of his unburdened shoulder, "He went missing 'round these parts, probably won't ever see him again unless he washes up somewhere, though." Such a positive outlook on life.

Jezebel says, "That's what I'm afraid of, but there's hope until someone finds the corpse. Thanks. I hope he washed up and made it to shelter somewhere, but I'm not having any luck finding him."

"You sure he wants t'be found?" Cardinal leans back against the bark of the tree, deeper into its shade, his hand dropping down from his brow as arms fold loosely across his chest.

Jezebel nods, remaining in the sunlight. "Well, reasonably. He's probably feeling picky about who he wants to find him, like everyone else around here. His friends are worried sick, so they leaned on me."

Cardinal lifts his chin in a nod up her way, asking, "What's th'guy's name?"

Jezebel says, "Sergei. If you find him, please tell him his friends want to know he's alive. If they can, they'll help him get home."

"Sergei, eh?" Cardinal lifts one hand, short nails rasping under his chin in a scratch as he considers the name, "Well, I'll keep an eye out. So what kind've trouble's this guy gotten himself into?"

Jezebel chuckles. "His friends probably won't yell at him for at least a week. They're hoping he's not at the bottom of the Atlantic. I think he was on the bridge when it blew. Darn, I'll have to keep checking every likely spot between the hospital and the bridge. If I have to go through the beach bars to find him, he will be in trouble with me, eventually."

Cardinal's lips twitch slightly—clearly not entirely believing of what she says, but he doesn't push the subject. "Mmhm. Well, I'll keep an eye out. If he was on the bridge when it blew, though…"

Jezebel nods, smile fading. "Still, I sort of owe his friends. Thanks, it's nice of you to do that. I don't know if I should give you a phone number or not. I don't know what his friends would promise for your help and I can't make promises for them, either."

"You don't know who the hell I am, either, or how far you can trust me," Cardinal points out with a bit of a smirk, squinting a bit as the shift of a branch in the wind flickers the light down towards his face—one hand raising to ward it off, smirk shifting to a grimace. "…aside from blind, Jesus. I should've just stayed inside today."

Jezebel admits, "That's true. Still, it's a nice day, even if nothing's blooming yet. Truth to tell, I wanted to get out of the house anyway."

Cardinal allows with a shrug, "Eh, some people're day people. Give me dusk're evening anytime."

Jezebel smiles brightly and teases, "Ah, a vampire. What are you doing away from your adoring fans? I thought all vampires held court in coffeehouses, bars and dance clubs."

"Hardly," Cardinal drawls, "If I have any adoring fans, they all jumped off a cliff from despair after they got t'know me. Name's Richard, by th'by, if you care at all."

Jezebel is still teasing as she says, "They were that Goth? I'm Jezebel, Richard, or Jez for short."

"Jezebel, eh?" Cardinal quirks a brow upwards, "Interesting sense of humor your parents had. Pretty name, but definitely got a history to it."

Jezebel nods. "Mom's got a weird sense of humor."

Cardinal nods just a bit, his head canting a bit to one side then. "Well. I'll keep an eye out for this… Sergei, y'said?"

Jezebel nods. "Thanks, Richard. He and his friends thank you, too."

Cardinal smirks just a bit, "Well, don't thank me just yet. Chances are I won't run into him—if he's layin' low, he's layin' low, and if he's dead, well…" One shoulder shrugs a bit, "Lotta weird shit going down these days, but I haven't heard of the dead rising just yet."

Jezebel nods. "If Judgement Day's tomorrow, we can all stop worrying. If not, I should let you go and keep looking. Thanks, anyway."

Cardinal lets a low chuckle rattle past his lips, one hand raising a bit in a salute from his brow—and away. "Good luck, then, babe. Try not to slaughter any prophets, eh?"

Jezebel laughs at the joke. "I only slaughter weeds. Just don't tell any dogs you meet that I have a side of beef in my pocket."

Cardinal lifts his chin up and over in an easy nod, "I'll keep it in mind. Well—good meetin' you. Good luck." He pushes off from the tree, then, craning his neck to glare up at the sky a bit, then moves to walk through the sunlight, head ducking down.


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February 8th: This Scene Brought To You By...
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February 8th: Before You Know It
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