HPU: Sunset Plateau

Fri May 16, 2014 11:37 pm

"I'd like to see a trick before we play," Jess said.

SuperStar · Post by **SuperStar** » Sat May 17, 2014 12:28 am

"I'm not against seeing a few tricks, just as long as we get to play afterwords." Blay said with a bit of a laugh. He remembered he left his 3DS on, so he took it out of his bag, saved the game, and turned it off. Didn't want to waste the battery.

xhunterko · Post by **xhunterko** » Sat May 17, 2014 6:24 am

"All righty, let's see what ya got then trixy!" Chealzeyard said. Rubbing his paws together. The other two officers looked interested as well.

"Get Winnifred in too if ya can," Ellsward said, "Let's see just HOW many people you can dazzle!"

Post by **Hlaoroo** » Sat May 17, 2014 6:53 am

Chris snatches the deck out of the air.
"Awlrigh' den. One trick i' is. Dis is my version of 'Free Card Monte.'" Chris gives the deck a few expert shuffles, just to show off. She appears to pull three cards from the deck - the two black kings and the queen of hearts - before setting the rest of the deck aside and putting the three cards face-up on the table.
"Awlrigh'. All you 'ave t' do is foller da Red Queen. Can yer do dat?" Flipping the three cards over one by one, she slides them around on the table and then flips the queen over again.
"So i's dere, righ'? Le's do anover." She slides the cards around much faster this time and then shows the queen again. Flipping the cards face down again, she begins to slide them around again.
"Would yer believe me if I told yer dat da queen 'as sisters? Look." She flips each card in turn to show that they are all the red queen, making sure to flip each card face-down again before revealing the face of the next card. That done, she slides them all around again and this time shows them that the queen like to hide, and indeed, it appears that the queen has vanished despite there still being cards on the table. Chris does a couple more slides, letting them find the queen again, before performing a slightly longer spin.
"Now, did yer know dat 'er Majesty likes to explore?" Chris flips the three cards on the table to reveal that the queen is again missing and then points with a grin at her collar under which the corner of the card is tucked, leaving the face exposed for all to see against her throat. Pulling the queen from her collar, Chris puts the extra card on top of the main deck and the queen with the two kings on the table and then repeats the routine two or three more times, appearing to pull the queen from her ear as well as the ears and noses of several of the assembled animals.
"Sometimes da courtiers 'ave t' remind the Queen of 'er du'ies an' keep 'er in da palace. 'Ow'd yer like t' play da courtier?" Chris asks, pointing at Chealzeyard. She has the panda hold one paw out, palm upwards and she shows him very clearly that she places the queen face-down on his paw, flipping the card several times to show that it is the queen and not some other card. She then has Chealzeyard place his other paw palm-down on top of the card so that it's trapped in place. To make it extra secure, she has another panda place his paws above and below Chealzeyard's to hold the panda's paws shut.
Chris then points at the two cards remaining face down on the table.
"Now, dese are da two kings, righ'?" She flips them in turn very briefly, one after the other, to show that they are the black kings, making sure that only one card is face up at a time.
"Trouble is, da queen likes to use excitement to escape the palace an' 'er courtiers again." Chris slides the cards on the table for the final time before flipping them to reveal a black king and the queen of hearts which means that the other black king must be in Chealzeyard's paw.
"Wot did I tewl yer? Bu', if da queen is 'ere den 'o've yer got dere, Mr. Panda? 'Ave a look an' show us. But firs' tewl da audience, did I touch yer paws a' awl or move da queen from dem?" As the panda opens his paws, Chris takes her bow.
"An da's da 'Free Card Monte'!" she says proudly.

--------------------
"I'm sorry about your pup. I know what it's like to loose someone you care for." Frances' hand strays unconsciously to the ring again before she is distracted and giggles at the banter between man and dog.
"So what's so bad about Cicero? You implied that he's less than desirable when you said your brother is 'stuck with' him."

"Thanks! I can't wait to start!" says Scotty's computer. The cat drums his paw on the table for a few moments, thinking.
"Val, can I ask you something?"

SuperStar · Post by **SuperStar** » Sat May 17, 2014 7:34 am

Blay was blown back by Chris' tricks. "Wow! How did you learn to do all that? That's increadibly mind-bogling! Wow!" Blay exclaimed, not being able to maintain his amazement.

xhunterko · Post by **xhunterko** » Sat May 17, 2014 7:50 am

The officers were opened mouthed and speechless at first. Looking at each other for a minute.

"Okay, that, is SERIOUSLY impressive," Chealzeyard said, clapping along with the other officers briefly, "I didn't even feel you snitch them out of my paws. I'm almost afraid to play cards with ya, heh." From the back room, more then a couple angry shouts could be heard, but nothing hurtful or mean, just disappointment.

"I think we can get one REAL quick game of something in," Chealzeyard says.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Espe'lio's phone rings and he quickly snatches it to his ear.

"Hello?" He says, then pauses, and nods and hands it to Rikki.

"Excuse me ma'am, call from the palace, if ye can take it, it's important," he says.

Post by **Hlaoroo** » Sat May 17, 2014 8:00 am

Chris bows again.
"Fanks, ev'ryone! And I didn't snitch it from yer, mate. 'Ow could I ave? Yer both ad yer paws dere. It's j'st magic." she grins, tipping the panda a wink.
"An' yer've no need t' worry. I never cheat at cards, 'cept when I'm doin' magic, o' course. Or if I really wanna win." she jokes.
"I learned it 'coz me dad's a magician an' 'e wanted me to 'elp 'im in 'is act. Now I'm kinda da act an' 'e's da 'elper."

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Sat May 17, 2014 9:27 am

Hlaoroo wrote:"I'm sorry about your pup. I know what it's like to loose someone you care for." Frances' hand strays unconsciously to the ring again before she is distracted and giggles at the banter between man and dog.
"So what's so bad about Cicero? You implied that he's less than desirable when you said your brother is 'stuck with' him."
"Thanks! I can't wait to start!" says Scotty's computer. The cat drums his paw on the table for a few moments, thinking.
"Val, can I ask you something?"

Another sip. "Oh, Cicero is one fine dog, all right. Energic, spirited, witty... He just can't rest. He'll put himself in a world of trouble to be of help: once, he ran straight into a fire without any protection because the house was about to collapse. He came back with a basket of wee kittens, but had to be recovered for a month due to the burns. Another time, Cicero intervened in a brawl. Got himself hit at the head, but not before giving the attacker a few nice bites that kept him down until the police arrived. That's Cicero, yup."
Valiant nodded at Scotty's request. "Ask away, pal."

Post by **Hlaoroo** » Sat May 17, 2014 10:08 am

"Brave, selfless and loyal. Sounds like the perfect dog to me. Or the perfect man. I imagine you must have some heroic stories of your own, being a cop and all."

Scotty types much more slowly and hesitantly this time, deleting several things and changing others until he finally lets the machine speak for him.
"Val... When I meet most people and pets for the first time I get looks of sympathy and they always ask why I'm like this and what happened which makes me uncomfortable since it brings back... unhappy memories. Yet you did none of that. You just accepted that I'm as I am and treated me like I was anybody else and even went out of your way to try to make me comfortable... I guess... What I want to know is... Why? In fact, I think you're the first to treat me like that, aside from Frances, of course. Is it because, if you don't mind my asking, you feel the same about your arm or is there more to it than that?"

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Sat May 17, 2014 11:38 am

Hlaoroo wrote:"Brave, selfless and loyal. Sounds like the perfect dog to me. Or the perfect man. I imagine you must have some heroic stories of your own, being a cop and all."
Scotty types much more slowly and hesitantly this time, deleting several things and changing others until he finally lets the machine speak for him.
"Val... When I meet most people and pets for the first time I get looks of sympathy and they always ask why I'm like this and what happened which makes me uncomfortable since it brings back... unhappy memories. Yet you did none of that. You just accepted that I'm as I am and treated me like I was anybody else and even went out of your way to try to make me comfortable... I guess... What I want to know is... Why? In fact, I think you're the first to treat me like that, aside from Frances, of course. Is it because, if you don't mind my asking, you feel the same about your arm or is there more to it than that?"

By now, Walter was sure his mother was stalling their orders to allow them to get acquainted. The old witch, heh...
"Me? The only one is about that fire: I was on patrol, when some kids had decided to try and cook drugs to make a living. Not having any notion about it except what they learnt on the Net, their first attempt almost killed them.
"One of them had this cat, a nice Chartreux lady by the name of Thames. She was wounded bad at the back by the explosion, and she wasn't with her litter at the moment. When i saved her, I took longer than necessary because of her wounds, while my brother's squad was busy with the rest of the fire.
"The fire had taken the time to consume my escape way, so I had to jump through the window, at the same time making sure Thames wouldn't be wounded another time. I got this nice souvenir." With a casual gesture, he pulled down his collar, revealing the beginning of a bad scar. "And it was then that Cicero heard the kittens calling for help. Scott, my brother, was busy with me and couldn't order Cicero to stand back... Mind me, I find that dog fantastic, but again I think I really didn't get over the loss of my pup. I don't want a heoic dog, I'd just like to get back to my boy or girl when I'm done with my shift, that's all. Mama thinks I should get married instead of looking out for a pet, but I want to make sure to find someone who'd share my love for animals and my dedition to the job, and accept that if it's a boy he'll be a servant of the law. A girl will have at least to make some work here. As I said, we are a family with traditions."

Valiant, who was sitting near Scotty, gave him a smile. "I started my life as a police dog in Italy. I worked in Sicily, with the DIA, the Direzione Investigativa Antimafia. Tough stuff and many, many cases of abuses from the socalled 'zoomafia'. I have seen my share of pets and strays treated so bad that, well...Without wanting to kill your appetite...they made look you like health's picture. And many of them made it back to a normal life, find a new family. One of them, Cipolla, a beagle, worked for years as drug-sniffing dog despite being blinded. A great colleague.
"And you, Scotty, to me you look like someone who fought and won the worst. You never did anything to ask for pity or sympathy, and I wouldn't offer any to someone who appears so light-spirited in spite of his problems. As for my arm, well, let's just day that it's the reason I now live here at Sunset. And believe me, I wouldn't change it. This place is great for a new start." He squeezed Scotty's arm, delicately, with his bonic limb. "I wouldn't hve met Belisarius, otherwise, and I am thankful for that,"

MrNeonShot · Post by **MrNeonShot** » Sat May 17, 2014 10:12 pm

((That is a lot of text...))
Winni watched as Mitch stormed off to the back room. Didn't he just get on to me for making the village look bad? Winni thought to herself. She gets snapped out of her thoughts by the officers.
She got in behind Wiggins and looked over the heads of the pets.
The card trick goes by, and Winni is impressed. She flashes a friendly smile and a thumbs up before going back to her post.
Just one day. I need to finish this one day... Winni thought to herself.

Chris, that was really cool! Wiggins says.

Sat May 17, 2014 10:13 pm

"I love magic, but it always leaves me confused," Jessica said. "That was great... So what should we play?"

Post by **Hlaoroo** » Sun May 18, 2014 12:49 am

"Da's da fun o' magic, Jess. It wouldn't be 'alf as much fun t' watch if yer knew 'ow it were done, now would it?" Chris shuffles the cards back into the deck.
"I know a nice li'le game called "Free Card Monte". All yer gotta do is foller da red queen an' pu' yer money where yer mouf is. 'Oo wants t' play?" Chris grins at the assembled animals.
"I'm jokin'! Don' worry, I wouldn't do dat t' yer." She throws the deck back to Chealzeyard.
"Why don' you pick? Yer da boss after awl."

--------------------
Frances decides to avoid mentioning the slightly sexist nature of these traditions.
"You are a hero then, just as much as Cicero is. That's an impressive-looking scar, by the way. I'll let you keep your modesty and won't ask you to show me the rest of it though." she jokes before taking another sip of her coffee, trying to buy herself some time to think of another topic of conversation.

Scotty nods while he ponders this for a few moments before typing on his tablet again, more confidently this time.
"Thanks... I appreciate it... And a new start is what Frances and I are looking for." After letting Val read that, Scotty deletes it and types a new message.
"So who's Belesariyas?" Scotty guesses at the spelling.
"Is she your mate?" he asks with a cheeky grin and a wink.

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Sun May 18, 2014 1:47 am

Hlaoroo wrote:Frances decides to avoid mentioning the slightly sexist nature of these traditions.
"You are a hero then, just as much as Cicero is. That's an impressive-looking scar, by the way. I'll let you keep your modesty and won't ask you to show me the rest of it though." she jokes before taking another sip of her coffee, trying to buy herself some time to think of another topic of conversation.
Scotty nods while he ponders this for a few moments before typing on his tablet again, more confidently this time.
"Thanks... I appreciate it... And a new start is what Frances and I are looking for." After letting Val read that, Scotty deletes it and types a new message.
"So who's Belesariyas?" Scotty guesses at the spelling.
"Is she your mate?" he asks with a cheeky grin and a wink.

"Nah, not to mention that I don't got me a collection of bullet scars. Aside from that accident, Sunset is a laid back neighborhood. No nasty surprises in store, usually...Oh yes, except for a guy who, well, loved to make cloth parts out of animal hides. Minks, to be corect. One, by the name of Will, Valiant and his ol' partner in job Rikki, rescued and contributed to the arrest of the criminal.
"Valiant, Rikki, and other animals also helped a ton to put out a fire in the nearby woods. It was like an Indiana Jones movie, and it ended up with a temporary artificial lake. Since then, a colony of real red pandas moved there and built their own settlement, the village of Grandstaffe. Officer Valiant is even a honorary member of the royal family."
By now, Valiant was blushing heavily, lowering his ears in a comical fashion. He was used to praises as formalities, as part for doing his job. Having fans felt...funny. After all, he was only doing his duty.
At Scotty's question, the dog cleared his throat and produced his pet-sized wallet from his collar. The first thing he showed was the picture of a lean, well-toned female black ferret with a tablet in her paws. "This is Rikki. She worked with me in Italy and we've always been best buddies. I owe to her if I kept my sanity after my arm...accident.
"As for Belisarius, hm, pronounced like Belisarioos, there...he is." He showed the picture of the majestic, male gray wolf. Even in a picture, he looked big and tall enough to dwarf the Italian Wolfdog. In the picture, Belisarius showed a confident, smug smile. "I met him by chance and it was love at first sight. He's away now, but he'll be back soon with his pack for our wedding at Grandstaffe." He just hoped Scotty and Frances didn't freak out. To humans, often wolves = problems. And a gay relationship between a feral and an officer of the K9U could not exactly belong to the 'cute' area....

xhunterko wrote:Espe'lio's phone rings and he quickly snatches it to his ear.
"Hello?" He says, then pauses, and nods and hands it to Rikki.
"Excuse me ma'am, call from the palace, if ye can take it, it's important," he says.

The ferret's butt was sticking out of the police's mainframe. she was also cursing a lot, using words that not even a weathered sailor was supposed to know, in regards to bureaucracy, programmed obsolescence and various divinities.
At last, she seemed to hear her panda escort and her paw popped out behind her. She snatched the phone. "Rikki Leone speaking. Someone gives me good news! Or a new mainframe, at least." She also tended to lose respect when she was busy with her job.

xhunterko · Post by **xhunterko** » Sun May 18, 2014 2:58 am

"Well, the only thing we know about cards is betting games," Chealzeyard says, "Blay, you got any ideas?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Morning dear, I hope it's not too early and we didn't catch you at a bad time," Nora says over the phone while getting her fur brushed, in a hurry, "I'm not sure you've heard, but the wolves are here, and that means state arrival ceremony. Can you make it out here at all?"

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Sun May 18, 2014 3:44 am

xhunterko wrote:"Morning dear, I hope it's not too early and we didn't catch you at a bad time," Nora says over the phone while getting her fur brushed, in a hurry, "I'm not sure you've heard, but the wolves are here, and that means state arrival ceremony. Can you make it out here at all?"

from outside the mainframe, the panda escort saw Rikki's tail go rigid like a broomstick...and a second later there could be heard a loud 'BLONG!' as her head hit the mainframe's wall. There followed a hissed curse, then, "Don't move! Don't do anything! Don't whatever! I'll bring mine and Valiant's butts to your presence before you can say 'Coca Cola'! See you!" she disentangled herself from the machine, ran to the desk and hastily wrote down a note: SERVER OLDER THAN DINOSAURS - BUY NEW ONE!
Then Rikki called her Captain's extension. She left him the time to say hello before saying, "Chief, urgent royal family business. Wedding imminent. Valiant and I will take that time off we accumulated. Grazie!" and then she was off the room, dragging her escort by the arm. "Give a move, buster! Belisarius and his pack are here, there's a nuptial ceremony to prepare! We'll go pick up Val now, I know where he is at this moment!" She didn't even think of calling him or texting him: She wanted to see the face of her best buddy when she'd tell the news before riding together to Grandstaffe!

Post by **Hlaoroo** » Sun May 18, 2014 10:42 am

"Taking a bullet isn't the only form of bravery, you know. Sounds like you're both heroes then. It's a good thing I met you two." Something suddenly occurs to Frances.
"The pandas have royalty? Is it like, you know, official human royalty? Are they recognised by humans as royalty? Or is it more like an alpha of the pack kind of thing?"

The cheery grin on Scotty's face falters for a few moments as the cat is rather taken aback at this revelation and the photo. His irrepressible nature soon takes over though and the grin returns as he gives Valiant a thumbs up before tapping on his tablet and turning the screen around for the dog to see.
"Well, good for you. He's a handsome enough fellow, as far as canines go, which admittedly isn't far." he teases the wolfdog.
"Congratulations on your engagement and imminent marriage!"

Frances, on the other hand, is a little more put off by the idea of a wolf around the neighbourhood but she decides to trust the two cops and put her fears aside, adding her congratulations to Scotty's before turning back to Walter as another thought occurs to her.
"Hey, Walter... Do you now anything about our new neighbours - who they are, what they're like, anything like that?" she enquires.

--------------------
Chris rolls a pair of dice around her knuckles as she waits to see what game Blay will suggest.

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Sun May 18, 2014 10:58 am

Hlaoroo wrote:"Taking a bullet isn't the only form of bravery, you know. Sounds like you're both heroes then. It's a good thing I met you two." Something suddenly occurs to Frances.
"The pandas have royalty? Is it like, you know, official human royalty? Are they recognised by humans as royalty? Or is it more like an alpha of the pack kind of thing?"
The cheery grin on Scotty's face falters for a few moments as the cat is rather taken aback at this revelation and the photo. His irrepressible nature soon takes over though and the grin returns as he gives Valiant a thumbs up before tapping on his tablet and turning the screen around for the dog to see.
"Well, good for you. He's a handsome enough fellow, as far as canines go, which admittedly isn't far." he teases the wolfdog.
"Congratulations on your engagement and imminent marriage!"
Frances, on the other hand, is a little more put off by the idea of a wolf around the neighbourhood but she decides to trust the two cops and put her fears aside, adding her congratulations to Scotty's before turning back to Walter as another thought occurs to her.
"Hey, Walter... Do you now anything about our new neighbours - who they are, what they're like, anything like that?" she enquires.

"Far as I get it, they elect their monarchs. I think. I'm not really into politics in general, bad juju. I'm content that the guys behave and contribute to security in the woodlands. They take their position very seriously, i respect them. And as long as they don't belong to a sovereign nation, afraid the royal family is not officially treated as such. But again, no one will bother them and when it comes to official matters we follow a diplomatic protocol all the same. Saves everyone troubles.
Valiant decided not to press on the visible faltering on the new residents' side. He had expected much worse in terms of reaction, after all. "Thank you. I hope you can come and celebrate as well, the pandas promised it'll be a show. As for your question, ma'm..." At that moment, the kitchen doors opened, and in came Dorothy herself, carrying a large tray filled with four breakfasts as earlier described...Only, each plate looked large enough to fill two grown men's bellies!
"Enough with chitchat, kids! Time to replenish yourselves!" and she gave each guest a plate, including water and oj. "bon appetit! And if you can't finish, I'll see to give you a bag."

MrNeonShot · Post by **MrNeonShot** » Sun May 18, 2014 1:41 pm

Perhaps someone SHOULD go check on Mitch. Maybe something bad happened... Wiggins said.

xhunterko · Post by **xhunterko** » Sun May 18, 2014 2:05 pm

"Let him to his lonesome," Chealzeyard said, firmly, "He's probably trying to beg to his dad to keep the rest of the day off, heh. But he won't allow it. And I'll let him tell you why though."

SuperStar · Post by **SuperStar** » Mon May 19, 2014 7:44 am

xhunterko wrote:"Well, the only thing we know about cards is betting games," Chealzeyard says, "Blay, you got any ideas?"

"Well. It's quite simple." Blay said. "Though it may not be as invigorating, we can always just play poker for fun. You know, no need to bet anything."

Post by **Hlaoroo** » Mon May 19, 2014 9:21 am

"I'm cool wiv dat." Chris agrees.
"Five card draw or Texas 'old 'em or wot?"

--------------------
Frances and Scottys eyes go wide at the sight of the food and Scotty begins shovelling it in almost as soon as the dish hits the table.
"Scotty! Manners, please!" Scotty freezes mid forkful and then slowly lowers the utensil back to the plate, swallowing his mouthful and smiling apologetically at the others before typing on his tablet again.
"Many thanks, Ma'am. It's delicious so far!" The demands of courtesy fulfilled, he returns to his meal at a much more sedate pace.

"Thank you for the invitation, Valiant. We'd love to come. We wouldn't want to impose though. Are you sure that you and the pandas wouldn't mind?"
"What were you about to say about our neighbours?" Scotty asks as Frances begins heartily on her own meal.

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Mon May 19, 2014 9:42 am

Hlaoroo wrote:Frances and Scottys eyes go wide at the sight of the food and Scotty begins shovelling it in almost as soon as the dish hits the table.
"Scotty! Manners, please!" Scotty freezes mid forkful and then slowly lowers the utensil back to the plate, swallowing his mouthful and smiling apologetically at the others before typing on his tablet again.
"Many thanks, Ma'am. It's delicious so far!" The demands of courtesy fulfilled, he returns to his meal at a much more sedate pace.
"Thank you for the invitation, Valiant. We'd love to come. We wouldn't want to impose though. Are you sure that you and the pandas wouldn't mind?"
"What were you about to say about our neighbours?" Scotty asks as Frances begins heartily on her own meal.

"Please!" Dorothy scoffed. "Have you ever seen a bunch of jocks after the games? Truly, wolves would show better manners!" She ruffled Scotty's head fur. "If angel here likes my food, I'm happy enough. I'll introduce you to Marylyn, handsome, I'm sure you'll become great friends."
Valiant grabbed a forkful of eggs. "Well, my partner here is--" At that moment, from the street in front of the entrance there came a loud screeching noise of tires leaving half of their treads on the tarmac!
Valiant and Walter dropped their forks and stood up, already preparing themselves for a car accident or worse...though no screams or thumps had followed that spectaculare stoppage--
The glass door burst open, and in came Rikki, who for some reason was holding by the arm her panda escort. Her eyes were wide as saucers as she said, "VAL! BELISARIUS! PACK! BACK! VILLAGE! NAU!"
It was as if the wolfdog had just disappeared out of thin air! his napkin floated down to the seat he had been occupying a moment before. The glass door was still closing while door of the police car Rikki had come with were closing. The car left with another tire screech.

Post by **Hlaoroo** » Mon May 19, 2014 9:50 am

Scotty and Frances stare bewildered at the space previously occupied by the wolfhound, glancing between it, each other and the cop.
"What just happened?" Scotty's tablet asks a moment after Frances.

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Mon May 19, 2014 10:00 am

Walter wasn't less dumbfounded, himself. "If I got it right, Belisarius is finally back. He had been away for some time now, and he must have brought his pack as promised. At Grandstaffe." he took a sip of oj, then sighed with an amused expression. "In a way, I envy that guy: He'd give his other arm for that wolf fella... But where were we? Oh, yes, Val was saying that..." Walter cleared his throat as if embarrassed. "I am one of your neighbor. Frances. The...house in front of yours." He tried his best apologetic smile.

xhunterko · Post by **xhunterko** » Mon May 19, 2014 2:49 pm

Ellsward did a quick head count with a pointing finger.

"Actually, the quickest card game I know, and it'd be able to include ALL of us and be probably very fast," Ellsward said, "Is Spades. Anyone object?"

MrNeonShot · Post by **MrNeonShot** » Mon May 19, 2014 3:04 pm

I think I'll stay out of the card games. Winni replied.
I'm not that good, either, so I'll just watch.

SuperStar · Post by **SuperStar** » Mon May 19, 2014 8:26 pm

"Haven't played that in awhile, I may be a little rusty, but let's do it." Blay said, clapping his hands together.

MrNeonShot · Post by **MrNeonShot** » Mon May 19, 2014 8:48 pm

Wiggins stood next to Chris to watch the game soon to unfold.
Winni stood behind Will and smiled at him.

Pecan · Post by **Pecan** » Mon May 19, 2014 8:57 pm

"I'll p-play as well." Will nodded to the group. "Are we k-keeping track of points?"

hypernovatic · Post by **hypernovatic** » Mon May 19, 2014 10:22 pm

"Um, I've never played Spades before." Matatabi admits.

Mon May 19, 2014 11:59 pm

"Neither have I," Jess said. "Would the time to teach us make it last too long?"

xhunterko · Post by **xhunterko** » Tue May 20, 2014 2:16 am

Ellsward thought a moment.

"Actually, let's just play Slapjack," he said, "Everyone gets a stack of cards, players remove cards from the top of their decks in turns, I lay out a card and it's a 3 of clubs, then Fells lays out one and it's a 4 of diamonds, then Chel lays out a 3 of spades. If I say SNAP before he or Ellsward does, then I get the pair and we return the cards to our decks, shuffle, the lay out cards again. The one with the most, wins, if there's no matches when the order goes back around, we restock the cards to the bottom of the deck and shuffle again. How's that sound?"

Post by **Hlaoroo** » Tue May 20, 2014 9:00 am

"Grandstaffe is the panda village, you said?" Frances queries before groaning in mock disappointment at the cop's other revelation.
"I'll never get away with anything, now!" Scotty nearly chokes on his pancake from laughing so much. Frances thumps him on the back as he takes a sip of OJ before typing on his tablet.
"You'd have nothing to get away with anyway. You're a goody-two-shoes!" Frances also begins laughing at this.
"And you're not?"
"'Course not! I'm the roughest, toughest alley cat there ever was! A fight a day, that's me."
"Wii Boxing doesn't count, Scotty."
"Wii Boxing is the only thing that counts!" Scotty pokes his tongue out at Frances, making her giggle again.
"So what about our other neighbours?"
"Who's Marylyn, ma'am? And may I have some more juice please?" Scotty asks Dorothy, holding out his glass.

--------------------
"Sounds like fun. I'm in." Chris enthuses, dropping the dice back into her bag. "So we're matchin' colours or numbers or bofe?"

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Tue May 20, 2014 9:23 am

Hlaoroo wrote:"Grandstaffe is the panda village, you said?" Frances queries before groaning in mock disappointment at the cop's other revelation.
"I'll never get away with anything, now!" Scotty nearly chokes on his pancake from laughing so much. Frances thumps him on the back as he takes a sip of OJ before typing on his tablet.
"You'd have nothing to get away with anyway. You're a goody-two-shoes!" Frances also begins laughing at this.
"And you're not?"
"'Course not! I'm the roughest, toughest alley cat there ever was! A fight a day, that's me."
"Wii Boxing doesn't count, Scotty."
"Wii Boxing is the only thing that counts!" Scotty pokes his tongue out at Frances, making her giggle again.
"So what about our other neighbours?"
"Who's Marylyn, ma'am? And may I have some more juice please?" Scotty asks Dorothy, holding out his glass.

Walter wanted to bury himself very, very deep when with the outmost nonchalance, Dorothy, while filling Scotty's glass, answered, "But Frances dear, *I* am your other neighbor. My house is just next to his; Walter is such a perfectionist, he tries to keep his house spic'n'span. Unfortunately, his brother lives with him, and between him and Cicero it's like trying to keep the reins on chaos. Luckily, their mama takes care of domestic business. And you don't want to *hear* what happens during Scott's parties with his fellas firemen! Really, one thinks they'd be more gallant, what with their job and all, and instead they act like a bunch of Animal House frats. I should be paid for all the work I put after them!" She sounded like she was scolding, but it showed she was getting a kick out of that acting.
"Mootherrr..." Walter wondered why hadn't he accepted to enlist and go to Afghanistan. For a couple of centuries or so...
Then as if remembering at the last moment about Scotty's question, the woman produced her own wallet and showed the cat a picture...of another cat.
A *beautiful* cat.
A Savannah female, lean, perfectly spotted and with the large ears of the serval her breed was crossed with. And, unlike most of her peers, Marylyn showed perfectly blue eyes, like two lapis lazuli. And around her eyes, the spots had thinned to a sort of thin mask, adding to her exotic beauty.
In the picture, she was sitting on a red velvet cushion, her long tail wrapped around her left leg. She sported a gilded chocker, opened on the front side, and a thin metallic waistchain with a lion head pendant. She looked young, but already her...curves were starting to show.
The queen.
She's 5. I called her Marylyn cuz she's got the eyes of the Monroe. Her breeder said that her eyes and that 'mask' are not in the breed's standard, so I got her for nothing. She's a real sweetie."

xhunterko · Post by **xhunterko** » Wed May 21, 2014 6:48 am

"Eh, let's just stick with faces and numbers," Ellsward said, "Blay, then, shuffle and deal if you please."

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Wed May 21, 2014 6:53 am

After a long interval, Dorothy flipped the wallet closed. "But if you swing the other way like that nice dog, angel, you can ask for advice to him anytime. Leone house is the one next to yours: so you see, you're in good company as far as neighbors go! See you later." She went to the kitchen.
Walter waited until the doors had closed before clearing his throat. "Well, truth be told, we were going to take our break at Val's house. Ms. Leone is a mighty nice host, sometimes I think she's kin with mama.
"I'm sorry for not telling you everything, I just didn't want to jump and invite you to a private place you didn't know. How can we be forgiven?" he tried another meek smile

Post by **Hlaoroo** » Wed May 21, 2014 11:31 am

Chris nods in understanding and agreement and settles down to the game.

--------------------

valerio wrote:"She's 5. I called her Marylyn cuz she's got the eyes of the Monroe. Her breeder said that her eyes and that 'mask' are not in the breed's standard, so I got her for nothing. She's a real sweetie."

"I'm 5 too and she's beautiful." Scotty immediately blushes but it's too late to stop his computer talking so he busies himself with his food instead.
Frances hides a giggle. "Do you have a crush now, Scotty?" Scotty nearly chokes on his eggs. Dropping his fork he vigorously shakes his head and emphatically waves his paws in a negative gesture. He then strains downwards, trying to reach his cutlery which had bounced onto the floor.
"Oh, I think you do. I can tell. The look in your eyes when you saw that picture told all." Frances teases as she picks up the errant fork and wipes up the egg that had spilled. She passes Scotty a clean fork and giggles again as he glares at her in mock anger as he accepts it.
"Well, I think I can safely say we'll feel quite safe here, living next to two cops." Frances comments as she slides back into the booth next to Walter.
"Don't worry, we understand. It would have been awkward, us turning up there uninvited. I hope we aren't keeping you from anything though." Frances sips at her coffee again before picking up her own cutlery and endeavouring to wade through the meal again.

valerio · Post by **valerio** » Wed May 21, 2014 12:31 pm

Hlaoroo wrote:"I'm 5 too and she's beautiful." Scotty immediately blushes but it's too late to stop his computer talking so he busies himself with his food instead.
Frances hides a giggle. "Do you have a crush now, Scotty?" Scotty nearly chokes on his eggs. Dropping his fork he vigorously shakes his head and emphatically waves his paws in a negative gesture. He then strains downwards, trying to reach his cutlery which had bounced onto the floor.
"Oh, I think you do. I can tell. The look in your eyes when you saw that picture told all." Frances teases as she picks up the errant fork and wipes up the egg that had spilled. She passes Scotty a clean fork and giggles again as he glares at her in mock anger as he accepts it.
"Well, I think I can safely say we'll feel quite safe here, living next to two cops." Frances comments as she slides back into the booth next to Walter.
"Don't worry, we understand. It would have been awkward, us turning up there uninvited. I hope we aren't keeping you from anything though." Frances sips at her coffee again before picking up her own cutlery and endeavouring to wade through the meal again.

Walter shrugged. "I'm short one partner, and I'm pretty sure that Rikki warned the Captain that Valiant is on leave. So I'll have to wait that central calls me to assign me a new one, and that means going back to the Station before resuming my shift." he waves his empty fork as if it was a banner. "Hooray for unexpected event. By the way, Rikki was that ferret that appeared in our continuum to warn Val. Oh, and Scotty..."" he winked at the cat. "Don't worry, mama was teasing you: first thing first, she'll bring Marylyn as soon as you're all settled and she'll come along with the Leones to officially welcome in you in the 'hood."

Post by **Hlaoroo** » Sun May 25, 2014 9:19 am

"Oh, that was Rikki? Nice to have met you Rikki!" Frances calls in the direction of the long-gone ferret. Scotty nearly chokes again but this time it's from mirth. Once he recovers, Scotty uses his tablet to address the cop.
"That would be very kind of her. We feel welcome already."
"Indeed we do. Thank you for being so kind and welcoming."
"Hey, Officer Walter...? Frances would never ask this but... I don't suppose you could give us a hand moving in, or ask the Leones to once our truck arrives. We don't want to take advantage of you or anything but the moving guys don't really do much and I'm not really very good at carrying boxes or putting things on the high shelves so..." Scotty shrugs half apologetically and half hopefully as Frances starts to protest.
"Oh, that's really not necessary. I'm sure we can manage..."