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Scene Title | Not a Bad Lift |
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Synopsis | Keagan lifts a wad 'o cash from Sable. A chase ensues! Anna's appearance distracts Keagan long enough for him to be caught, but all is well, because it turns out that Anna and Sable are friends. See, the best way to make friends is to pickpocket people. |
Date | January 5, 2011. |
In a time that seems long ago, Greenwich Village was known for its bohemian vibe and culture, the supposed origin of the Beat movement, filled with apartment buildings, corner stores, pathways and even trees. There was a mix of upper class and lower, commercialism meeting a rich culture, and practically speaking, it was largely residential.
Now, it's a pale imitation of what it used to be. There is a sense of territory and foreboding, as if the streets aren't entirely safe to walk. It isn't taken care of, trash from past times and present littering the streets, cars that had been caught in the explosion lie like broken shells on the streets nearest the ground zero. Similarly, the buildings that took the brunt of the explosion are left in varying degrees of disarray. Some are entirely unusable, some have missing walls and partial roofs, and all of the abandoned complexes have been looted, home to squatters and poorer refugees.
As one walks through the Village, the damage becomes less and less obvious. There are stores and bars in service, and apartment buildings legitimately owned and run by landlords. People walk the streets a little freer, but like many places in this scarred city… anything can happen. Some of the damage done to buildings aren't all caused by the explosion from the past - bullet holes and bomb debris can be seen in some surfaces, and there is the distinct impression that Greenwich Village runs itself… whether people like it that way or not.
There have been obligations at war within Sable for some time now, a war whose forces shift in distribution and power, one side gaining strength, then another, keeping the young woman always a little on edge. She's stayed on the mainland for longer than she had intended, and while before she was resolved upon returning to the Garden (and she will have to, eventually) she is now finding far too many reasons to linger. Far to many good reasons.
Greenwich Village, even with its plethora of music stores, is actually the least of these. She's not even here to shop. The yellow eyed girl steps out of the Village Renaissance building, looking quite swanky in her button up shirt, black vest and matching slacks. Even her shoes look nice. She's been doing her bit for Comrade Quinn, helping fill out the chart of tasks that must be done, making sure Glass Wonderland comes to fruition. It's… nice. Having this project.
Preoccupied with thoughts of music, what suggestions to garner, what improvements to make, Sable meanders along the sidewalk, assiduously avoiding her place of previous employment, Black Dog Records. She doesn't want to show her guilty face there right now.
Anna fills Keagan's mind most of the time. He hasn't been able to get her out of his head. Besides whatever teenage impure thoughts may rush around in his ADHD mind, it also means that his aunt has found a pressure point to exploit at her merciless whim. So he's been trying, however unsuccessfully, to stop doing things such as doodling her name on his school books, and sitting at the kitchen table staring dreamily off into space.
Result? His craving for klepto action has kicked back into overdrive. Greenwich village? A good location. There are plenty of people, and many of them are busy entertaining themselves with other things. He wears a heavy coat, blue and black in color, and a pair of blue jeans.
Picking the right target is part of the game. Find someone who looks distracted and inattentive. Sable's preoccupied look fits the bill. The boy wanders past her, studying her face for only a moment before deciding that she's the one to pinch. Rich clothes, she can afford it. Distant look? She'll never see it coming. At least, Keagan doesn't think she will. The risk is part of the game. It's the thrill that he's after.
As he walks past her, he brushes ever so slightly. Something that usually signals an attempt. Really? He's not done anything. He just wants to find out where she has the goods. Physical touch usually gets a person to check and see if they are still there. Especially in a time where people get robbed on a regular basis.
"Fuckin' watch yerself, kid," comes Sable's growl, the moment he brushes, "skeezy little perve." Which is a really nice, totally fair thing to say, but Sable has been handing out nice all week to friends and fellows, and she's gotta be a bit of a bitch sometimes, when the opportunity presents itself. She eyes the lad warily, hand moving to discreetly check that her wad of bills is still safely in place. She's lifted enough things in her time to know a potential brushby. If she sees the little rat again…
But her attention is mercurial, quicksilver flowing along the past of least resistance, and shortly she is in her own headspace again. Slightly less happy headspace, from the looks of her small frown, but Sable's happiness is really not any of Keagan's concern, now is it?
Keagan arches his brow, turning his head back toward Sable briefly with an incredulous look, as if he's offended, but doesn't want to bother engaging her. While he looks at her face, his focus is on her hand. Then she turns back around. And he swings the next step around, walking quite lightly on his feet to fall into step behind her. As she's entering her own little world again, he deftly reaches around to the pocket, in rhythm with her steps to pluck for the wad. It's a skill that's been well refined, and it's fast, lest someone else on the street notice him.
But Sable's not so far lost in her head, and hasn't so quickly forgotten that she may have been scouted. Pickpockets often work in pairs - she had a brief partnership of her own, though it went south and much to Sable's disadvantage. Honor among thieves is a romantic invention of the middle classes.
The loss of the money's weight, then, is just barely felt. But in a heartbeat, Sable has turn on her heel, yellow eyes furious, mouth a thin line. "Oh… you fuckin' didn't, deadman…" she hisses, force of personality adding at least a couple inches to her impressionistic stature. Bristling, fists clenching, she lunges for Keagan at once. He'd best be fast on his feet as well as with his hands!
Keagan had already turned back around by the time Sable noticed. He's walking like nothing happened. Fortunately, her words quickly give him the warning he needs. He doesn't even turn around to see if she's talking to him. He knows that she is. He bursts into a sprint, Sable's fingers only grazing his coat. So close. But he's off like a shot. He tucks the wad into the waist of the front of his pants for safe keeping, dodging between the people of the area. To his discredit, it's almost more fun now. A grin creeps across his face as he grabs a random stranger by the shoulder to pull him off course, hoping to cause a collision with Sable. Anything that can give him a little more lead is a good thing right now.
She had pause to threaten him, didn't she? Theatricality is a disadvantage in a number of situations, and while it serves Sable well in her personal life, it may be just what keeps her from grabbing hold of the young thief from the get go. But now… the chase is on. To her discredit, it's also more fun for her now.
The way Sable dodges the human hurdle Keagan tosses in her way is simply uncanny. She doesn't even seem surprised, her small form ducking down and over to avoid the startled pedestrian's stumble. She's built up into a sprint as well, close on Keagan's tail, her proximity betrayed by no more cries or threats, but instead the sharp huff of her breathing.
Keagan's heart races as he continues to sprint for all he's worth. He knew there was a reason that he wanted to start track this year. The intersection comes, and a car who has the green light slams on its brakes as the driver spots Keagan careening along the sidewalk for the street. The Pontiac screeches to a halt just in front of Keagan, but it doesn't slow him much. He leaps into the air, landing on the hood of the car. That's gonna leave a dent. One more step and a leap off the other side puts him just on the other side of the street in time to dodge a pick up which likewise slams on its brakes. A narrow miss for the Puika pickpocket. He almost had a trip straight to the ER with that one.
Anna was on the other side of that intersection, and when the screech of slamming brakes fills the air, her gaze shifts in that direction. Only to notice something very scary. "Fuck!" She mutters, before saying more loudly, "Keagan Puika, you almost gave me a heart attack there." Her voice is stern, but it's filled with that type of anger only those who care about the person they're angry at else can have. The girl starts to head in the direction of her boy, "You have to be more careful." She states, voice still like that.
Aw, that's so cute. Sable would spare time to appreciate it if she gave a crap, and if she wasn't trying to get her only money in the goddamn world back. She vaults over the cars Keagan just cleared, earning an angry shout from the driver, then darts past the pickup truck whose driver is having heart palpitations. ER for Keagan would mean big trouble for Mr. Dodge.
"Got you now, y' little shit!" comes Sable's grim, half triumphant cry as she makes to tackle Keagan, ready to take him down to the sidewalk if needs be. She needs that money. She owes her special lady friend a Christmas gift!
Anna wasn't someone he expected to see on the other side of the intersection. She does fill his every waking thought, and so when he sees her, he does a doubletake. "Anna?" he asks. It slows him just a half step. That's all. That's all it takes.
Sable's grip snags the collar of his coat, and the boy is yanked off of his feet, landing on the concrete. He squirms in his coat, unzipping it with a single yank and he tries to slip out of it. But this is a new coat, and the zipper is a little longer than his old one. The coat doesn't come all the way off, and he finds himself caught trying to wriggle his lithe form out of it so that he can continue his escape. "Just a sec," he grins to the girl he calls the most beautiful in the world. He's in the middle of something.
Anna glances between Keagan and Sable as she realizes why exactly Keagan was running. "Sable…?" She asks slowly, making sure Sable is who Anna thinks she is, as she she's heading over the the pair. "Please don't hurt him or anything… he's a bit of a klepto, but he tries not to…" Then to Keagan, sternly. "Give it back, c'mon, give back whatever you stole…" While she speaks, she heads over to the pair on the ground, eyes fixed on the pair, pretty much ignoring everything else in the world.
Sable is not letting this eel wriggle free. As he starts to unzip his jacket - a classic maneuver that vagrants like herself are loath to use, since a good jacket is hard to find - she reverse the vector of her force, leaning forward to push Keagan down, trying to take advantage of his compromised balance. She has every intention of pinning him, and the likely twisting his ear until he starts to weep from the pain, vindictive and way behind on her scrapping quota thanks to all the good influences in her life.
But Anna intervenes, speaking Sable's name and splitting her attention. The yellow eyed girl looks up in simple surprise, then looks between the two young people. "Is this thing," she says, with a grunt and a jut of the chin towards Keagan, "yers, honey?"
Were it a life and death situation, Keagan still has an out. But using his ability is reserved for just that. Life and death. Sable's maneuver lands him on his face, cheek pressed against the concrete. It's hard to really determine his facial expression, since his face is a little squashed looking at the moment. "You know her?" Keagan asks, his eyes shifting between Anna and Sable. Hey, what're the odds? It seems to have caused a pause for Keagan as well, and he stops his struggle to escape.
"Yeah, he's mine." Anna responds to Sable, sitting down next to the pair. "Keagan, I'd appreciate it if you didn't steal from people I know… it reflects poorly on me." Note how she never mentioned people she doesn't know. "And I'd like you to give her back what you stole from her." She looks back to Sable, "Like I said, he's a bit of a klepto, I'm sure he doesn't even need whatever it is he stole…" She pauses, "Keagan, this is Sable, a friend of mine." A bit of an exaggeration perhaps. "Sable, this is Keagan, my boyfriend."
Oh, don't worry about giving it back, Keagan. Sable is taking care of that herself, patting down her captive, feeling his pockets for the contraband. "Boyfriend?" she says, shooting Anna a look, "I'd criticize, hon, but I've lived my life gettin' by on bad boy charm. Can't blame y' f'r fallin'. Work wonders." She flashes a grin, an expression that widens as she paws at the square of money Keagan lifted. The yellow eyed girl extracts the cash, flicking it out into view between two fingers, running her thumb along the corners to make sure it's all still there. She pockets it once more, and gets up off Keagan.
"Not a bad lift, f'r a fuckin' punk looks like he got maybe two hairs south 'f his damn fool head," is sort of a compliment, kind of? In Sablespeak it is. "'N' yeah, friend's what I am. So I'll be friendly, let 'im get off easy." She turns to Anna, dipping hear head. "Nice t' see y', hon."
"Hey!" Keagan grabs his crotch as Sable finds the loot, and makes certain that she doesn't grab anything else he has down there. "I feel violated." His face turns red. It happened in front of Anna, too. How embarrassing.
He quickly gets back to his feet, moving closer to Anna, trying to pretend that didn't just happen. "Sorry, Anna, I didn't mean to take from your friend," he says, reaching out to give her a hug and a kiss on her temple. He looks back at the woman who just dug her hands in his pants. "I only took it cuz you cussed at me." Because obviously that justifies it.
"Nice to see you too, Sable." Anna responds to the older woman, returning Keagan's hug, but not the kiss. "A lot has changed since we last met… but I don't feel like talking about that, so instead I'll ask how you have been." She smiles, "And Keagan, you know that's not an excuse." She shrugs then, squeezing her boyfriend, "But at least you haven't got a record of attempted arsony." Did Sable know about that part..?
"Don' flatter yerself, Slim Jim," Sable says, huffing at Keagan's complaint, "you ain't packin' nothin' I'm interested in." She crosses her arms, gaze shifting from young man to young woman and back, "'n' don' bullshit me, twerp, I know a scope out when I feel it. I was int' all that shit m'self. Though I swear I was at least a little fuckin' older than you are. What the hell age are y'all? Didja meet at the monkey bars?" Har har.
"Arson? Jesus, gal, y'll jus' make th' kid feel more inadequate," Sable adds, smirking, seeming unbothered by Anna's intimations of firebugging, "I been okay, hon. Had t' quite my job, but I got a new one. Pretty important, too. Hush hush, though."
Keagan decides not to pursue his complaint further. The question of his size isn't something to discuss in front of ladies. Especially since he's dating one of them. He is made comfortable by Anna's squeeze, and relaxes a bit, holding on arm around her abs affectionately. "I've been at it since I was three," Keagan answers Sable. "Had a weird babysitter. Anna is beautiful, no matter what she's done," he tells Sable. It doesn't look like he feels inadequate. He really doesn't care about her past, just their present. "So what about you? You went from rags to riches, then?" he asks, noting Sable's clothes in contrast to her claim that she used to be pickpocket.
Anna maintains the hug, resting her head on Keagan's shoulders. "That's good to hear, Sable. Do you get to help people" She asks, smiling faintly, "If you do, is there no way you can get me into that gig? I feel like I should help people out if I can get the chance." She starts to grin, "If it doesn't involve helping people, or there's no way you can get me into that gig, then no worries, just been looking for some sort of purpose… I guess."
Sable gives a short, barking laugh at Keagan's suggestion. "Thass me, Mr. Moneybags," she says, with a snort, "naw, dip, these are just my swanky duds, what I wore 'cause I was seein' my special lady friend. You know how it is." She cracks her neck, eyeing Anna as she asks a rather pointed question. "Well, hon," she says, "there's mebbe some chance I could help y' out. Can't say right 'way, 'cause it's not like I'm a big ol' boss or nothin', but I'll pass th' word on," she arches her brow, "y'all still confused 'bout what we talked on last?"
Keagan's face looks far more remorseful when he realizes that Sable isn't wealthy. "I'm really sorry," he says, reiterating his apology. Only now he feels like a complete dirtbag. He didn't take from someone who was walking around with more to spare. He was taking from someone who was poor. His mind briefly considers how many times he may have done that in the past. "You already have the fancy clothes, for it," Keagan notes with a smile, leaning his cheek against the top of Anna's head. "And miss, if there's anything I can do to make it up to you, I'd really love to help you, too. I don't mean to be takin' from people who don't have anything." His voice, which was boisterous before, is now a little mousy with humility.
"A little, I have to admit, but I'm getting over it." Anna responds to Sable, perfectly happy to leave Keagan into the dark about the specifics of that. "I think I've mostly cleared out that confusion, and I'm ready to start being constructive." She grins, and one hand heads to ruffle her boyfriend's hair. "Anyway, if you could pass that word on… it'd be nice, thanks, Sable. You're a real friend."
Sable wrinkles her nose at Keagan's sudden deference. She cuts her gaze over to Anna. "W's he this whipped b'fore y' met 'im, or is this yer handiwork? If so, hon, fine fuckin' job." She really isn't giving Keagan a break here. "Sounds fine, gal. And yeah, figure I c'n help y' a bit. Ain't totally up t' me, but I'll do what I can." She dips her head. "Yer boy likely needs some love 'n' care after gettin' pinned t' th' concrete by a slip of a gal like me," she says, cracking a grin, "won't keep you too. Y'all go find some tree t' neck under, eh? Have fun bein' young."
Keagan doesn't mind being called whipped. Partly because he is, and partly because that wasn't what caused the change in demeanor. "No, I'm serious," he answers as Anna plays with his hair, a little more urgency. "I've been tryin' not to steal. It's just a hard habit to break." He massages Anna's tummy lightly. "And I couldn't really fight back. I mean, you're a girl, it's not like I could hit you or anything." He wants to make sure that everyone is clear that he isn't a pipsqueak. "Anna's seen. I can dish it out." That's how he got her in the first place. He gives a grin back to his girlfriend with the comment. "So if you need somethin' just tell me, okay?"
Anna smiles at Sable, "Thanks, Sable. I assume you'll get back to me..?" She asks before considering Sable's other suggestion, "C'mon, Keagan, let's head somewhere a little more private and make out, unless you wanna do that in public." She grins before continuing, "Central park or something should be nice, under a tree like Sable suggested." A faint chuckle, "Unless you had a better idea?"
Sable gives Keagan an evil look, paired with a smile. "Kid, y'all couldn't hit me if you were tryin'. I'd bet top dollar on it." She juts her chin out. "You squirts have fun playin' doctor. I'm gonna mosey on t' do some adult-type-shit. I'll let you know, Anna honey. Catch you 'round," she taps her nose, then points at Keagan, "'n' keep a leash on yer terrier, y' hear?" She grins wide, and ambles away.
Keagan turns red, "I'll do that," he answers, pulling his gaze off of Sable and to Anna, pulling her to fully face him. His hand runs through her hair, then he pulls her against him and gives her a deep tongue kiss, right in front of Sable and everything. The other hand reaches south of the border as well. "How about we do both," he answers. "We'll get something to eat, too. I'm starving."