Participants:
featuring
| Scene Title | Mobile Command Unit |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Phoenix mobilize! |
| Date | August 31, 2009 |
This is definitely not a neighborhood Helena's used to. That's why her hair is tied back in a ponytail under her Keep On The Grass cap, and she's sticking to jeans and tanktops for this foray into the wild unknown of…trailer parks. "So let me make sure I understand," she says earnestly to Delilah. "We're looking into an RV? Or an actual trailer? I'm a little confused on that part of things."
Whether he needed a walk, or Dee thought he would be useful- Samson is along, strolling with the girls in his harness, with Delilah at the helm. So far, she has stayed away from her old stomping grounds, opting to try and show Helena around the outskirts first. A green dress with a brown sweater is the order of the day, and true to what she had said a couple of weeks ago: Nobody seems to give a rat's ass. Maybe one little old lady watches them walk past, but those ones always go back to whatever they were doing in a matter of seconds.
"Either one. I just wanted to make sure nobody thought I meant an actual single-wide or anything. Those are hard to move. I'm talking either an entire contained unit like an RV, or a truck and trailer deal. I'm not sure what it is that we need more- I would think a base, right? A mobile base is useful. And when it's not moving, we can find a place here.
Helena considers. "Would we use it for a safehouse? I don't know that we'd be able to store much, but it'd make a keen meeting place. Quiet. Unobtrusive. If we went about it right." She looks around, somewhat wincing at how delapidated things seem.
"Yeah, if we found a good copse of some kind, I think we'd be able to use it as a safehouse. As for storage, it depends on what you store it in. Get one of these shitty FEMA trailers, fuck it up a bit, and stick it as far back as possible. Maybe toss some branches on it. Nobody cleans up here." As if on cue, they pass by a trailer that has obviously caught on fire, a black maw eating up one side. Delilah doesn't seem to be phased at all, though Samson is looking around like Helena.
"Huh. What's to keep the neighborhood kids from finding it?" Helena asks, making sure to step over some garbage. "Considering the kind of assets we'd be storing…but then again, hiding away in plain sight, is that it?"
.
"Yeah, that would be one thing. And it wouldn't hurt to find someone that we trust in here, or plant someone to live here- I suppose to look after it. I have a fella in mind, but he'd have to move if he agreed. He's on the other end of the park, where I used to be." Delilah nods her head to the east, smirking. "Old Hippie guy. It wouldn't surprise me if he was like us. Other than that, I'm not sure what would keep people out if they did find it. That's one reason it's probably a good idea to split up our stores over a few places. So if one is found, our defense isn't compromised."
Helena pauses for thought on that. "Trusting our cache to a stranger seems awful risky. He'd have to be vetted." Hel tugs absently on her ponytail, unaware the gesture displays her anxiety. "Have you noticed that everyone we've trusted so far has screwed us with a spanner wrench?"
"Of course I have." She leaves it at that, but it seems like she does not consider the guy a threat, by the look on her face. Delilah nudges at Samson, who pauses to sniff at something on the path. "And it's funny you say vetted- because that's what he is. Vietnam, I recall. He's not entirely a stranger to me. I used to make him pies."
Helena lets out a breath. "It's just…this is an important cache, and the idea of nothing between it and and being stolen from us is some poor old guy. I wouldn't want him to get hurt. I like the idea of a mobile safehouse, though. We could definitely keep an RV here."
"Like I said, it's easy to split things up. If it is important enough to hide better, then maybe we should use that station idea for it. Though it wouldn't hurt to keep a small store in a mobile unit, right?" Delilah pauses as a crowd of children run past the road ahead, apparently in some sort of chasing game. "But either way, I bet Mister Henry would look out for it while it's here. How do we check out people? Not recruits, but people that we just need help from? Background checks, do we go see what they think of the cause? Subtly, of course.
"That's a good question." Helena admits. "And it may be something we should talk to Cat and Liz about…if Liz is up for it."
"He probably got arrested before, heads up. He's the type of guy that came back and probably protested. Unhealthily so." Delilah smirks, gazing after the gaggle of kids as they spiral round and round, shows stamping up a cloud of dust. One of them has a plastic green toy gun, each trigger pull going 'ratatatatataa' before fading away. How quaint.
"So. What do you think of the neighborhood?" About now, one of them notices Samson in his harness, and stops mid-step. the girl behind him runs headlong into his back- they both fall in the dirt. Children are not children if they are not dirty.
Helena grins a little bit. "It's a bit like nobody wants to get into anybody's business? Which is good to know! I think an RV safehouse would be smart to house here, but I do think storing any of our assets here needs some discussion."
"Reasonable." Delilah tugs at Samson, who seems interested in joining the kid-pile in the dirt- but only just. "No, I'm not giving you a bath again."
"The only think that we'd have to worry about is if they actually wanted to clean this place up. I doubt it, but it's always a possibility. And gauging some attitudes in case we need allies of a casual sort may not be bad either."
"You mean in terms of locals?" Helena asks as they walk. When given the opportunity, she does reach to give Samson a petting, but otherwise continues strolling. "How would you go about it?"
"Seeing what they think about various things. Most people don't want trouble, but then again, most people are also angry for being left behind here." Delilah watches the dog as Helena pets him; he just lifts up his head and opens his mouth in what is perfectly known as a doggie-smile. "I suppose I would be as straightforward as possible. Probably disguise myself and go around with a 'government survey'." The redhead puts her pointer finger up under her nose. "How would I look with a moustache? Too Don Bluth?"
Helena cackles. "I dunno, it might be fetching in a gender confusing sort of way." Helena strolls along. "I think we're getting too much into a left hand not knowing what the right is doing, so let's check with Cat on it, and as long as she's kosher, you can poll and we can at least look into an RV."
"It wouldn't hurt to get one that's not new." Delilah taps at her head. "If it's too nice, it'll be a target instead of background space. But if we get one that at least looks like crap, well. We can put armored walls and computers in and nobody'll be the wiser."
Helena ooh's. "That's true. I was thinking of making it a good place if you need a last minute waystation kind of thing. I can't imagine anyone wanting to set up permanent residence, but you never know."
"I lived here for a few years, so it isn't totally unlivable. But then I'm very resilient. If someone wanted a place with privacy, though, I imagine it would be a good place once we find an empty lot. There, I think." As they move on, there is soon a shroud of a treeline at the far end of the path. Longer grass and a dead end street gives off to scattered greenery, either grown naturally wild or actually helped that way. It isn't clear. What is plain, however, is that the trailers halt at an invisible line at least a sprint's length from the brush itself.
"There was just one family living back there until last summer. The father wanted a covered place, but in August they found his wife dead. He and the two kids were missing. Never found anything. Most people stay out of it. I've heard the weirdest stories. Makes it sound like a goblin forest. I've been in there plenty, though, and nothing ever happens."
"Faerie knoll." Helena suggests absently. "It's a secret door to Underhill, only able to open at certain times of the year." She nods. "Alright, then. Looks like we have a winner. Unless you want to nose around that shrubbery a bit and see if we stumble into Legolas?"
"Nah, I'm good. We can cut across the paths here. I'll walk us out past where I used to be. Marien sold her trailer to a nice old lady, said she liked the flowerbeds." Delilah clicks her tongue and motions Samson along, and he moves into a trot when Dee cuts across the edge of the grass between the last trailer and the trees. "We'd be more likely to find Knights than Legolas-" She finally says back.
"The Knights who say Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-PTANG-Zoom-Boing-Z'nourrwringmm." Otherwise known as the Knights who say Ni- who only say Ni until the end of the movie! So there.
Helena claps her hands to her mouth, lest her hysterical laughter get loud enough to disturb everyone in the park. Then again, they probably don't even stir at the sound of gunshots. It seems that sort of neighborhood.
[OOC] Delilah pictures a Winnebago in a DieHard/lethal weapon-esque car chase.
[OOC] Helena says, "LOLZ."
[OOC] Delilah says, "bulletholes, its ass is on fire, its got all terrain tires and is running people over"
[OOC] Helena says, "HEE, yes. Hopefully we can keep it safe for a bit, though. :D"
[OOC] Delilah says, "Like I've said before. >.> Winnebagowned."
[OOC] Delilah says, "We can put like, rockets in the sides. Flaps slide up, guns unfold out- PEW PEW"
[OOC] Delilah says, "It'll be like the eighties"
[OOC] Helena is totally down with a Winnebago!
[OOC] Delilah says, "or some sort of RV thing, yus. Winnebago is the only brand I know."
[OOC] Helena says, "As much as I'd love it, no flames on the sides. :("
[OOC] Delilah says, "Can we draw one of those sharks on it"
[OOC] Delilah says, "or paint a pinup"
[OOC] Delilah will model.
[OOC] Helena HEES. One of those keep on truckin' girl silhouettes.
[OOC] Delilah XD