2019.05.06:NeighborhoodWatch

Neighborhood Watch
A boot party goes out for some low-key vigilante fun times
IC Date	May 6th, 2019
IC Time	Mid day.
Players	Branton(ST), Cait O'Connor, Troy Jameson, Kupha
Location	Smoke and Barley back room, and a neighborhood in a bad part of town.
Prp/Tp	None
Spheres	Gaian Shifters and Kinfolk
Theme Song	Bad Bad Leroy Brown

Its a nice morning at the Smoke and Barley. In the shifter community 'meat for breakfast' is not at all an unusual idea and as a Sept Owned (the Silver Fangs in particular) business its a safe place to get some calories in. Branton comes in to find the place bustling and smiles broadly "Morning all."

Tucked away at a table is Troy and Kupha, who are currently rambling away to each other in a different language. Troy has a big grin on his face while Kupha is exasperated with him. "I'm telling you, Swahili and Zulu are /literally/ the same language." He finally says in English, taking a sip from his orange juice, looking like he's ready to duck a fist. "Hey, Branton!" He calls over happily as always. "Good morning!"

"Cha! I will not argue this with you." Kupha says with a heavily accented voice of long suffering finality. "The land you walked is mine, I know the rightful way to speak to it." She grumbles something foreign and makes a dismissive wave of her hand towards Troy while she works on her food - primarily meat but eggs as well. As Troy addresses someone, she glances up from her meal, and while her expressions are polite and curious she simply gives a dip of her head in acknowledgement.

Sitting at a large table with quite a few others with her, the boisterous crew of Bone Gnawers are laughing and generally good natured as they partake in the free food offered here. Cait is in a great mood today and is relating a tale to her table as she sits there, "And then, when I did a double lupex flip, the wind whipped me upside down and flipped me around like 3 more times. I got so dizzy, I landed on my -face-." The guys at her table laugh and a few boisterously call out, "Well at least your face is prettier!" Cait will throw a napkin at him and then pause as she looks up at Branton as he enters. "Hey, buddy!!" Branton has special love in her heart, and Cait shows it because she'll hop to her feet to greet him, "How you doin'? You want some food?", she'll ask eagerly, apparently trying to forcefeed Branton now.

Branton will snag a sausage from one of the platters when Cait tries to feed him "I was actually coming by to see about some folks interested in working up an apetite. Its not really Nation business but I found some shitty humans in need of a lesson or three in manners. A group of rando punks rolled in and is trying to carve out some street territory a couple blocks from the Mall as it happens. Corner dealing, hitting the bodega for protection money. That sort of thing."

Glancing over at Kupha, Troy gives a grin on his face. "Lemmie guess, it's the type of area that the cops don't go into, huh? I know that all too well. Back in San Francisco my pack was in charge of rooting out those types." Pushing himself up to his feet, he plucks his ballcap and puts it on backwards over his thick and fluffy hair that's in need of a cutting. "You wanna go on an adventure, Kupha?" He asks her, giving her a nudge. "Oh! Branton, this is my best friend from Africa. She also survived the fall of Mozambique and has moved in with me here. She's of the Ajaba. Fierce and fiery. Doesn't speak Swahili, but it's forgiveable." He says, inching away from her quickly.

That good-natured chatting and ribbing at Cait's table goes stock still, silent, and they all stand as one. Cait's own expression goes dark, serious and she looks suddenly focussed. "Really? Near the Mall too? Well... guess I'm looking to work up a rather huge appetite.", she says with a rather toothy grin. There's some rough grunts of agreement behind her as people begin to pull jackets on and push chairs in and take last bites of sausages as they prepare to leave. Cait, however, just stands there, she's already ready to go. Not much more to add to her other than... herself. She looks over at Troy though and looks curious, "You work in the city a lot?", she'll ask him and then her grin is broad. "Good to know! Alessio and I are going to start doing some things. I may bring you in... that is, if we're able to work together, Alessio and I. We're both strong-willed.", she'll add with a little grin. Then to Branton, she'll step forward towards him finally as she says more amiably, "I'd do this anyway, but even if I wouldn't normally, you know I'd support you, Branton. Your one of my favorite peeps!"

Kupha didn't look like she planned to come, so the invitation looks like it surprises her slightly. Enough that she doesn't harass the Galliard further on how insufferable his caucasity is. "If I may. It would be good to learn about this city I am to call home." She takes a moment to drink from her glass of water before rising up to her feet. "My full name is Ukuphawula Tolweni, named Imvula Iwa Mnyama Ngomlotha. In short, I am called Black-Rain. Dusk-born of hyena, first ranked among my people. I will aid you how I can."

Branton chuckles and shrugs at Tony "I don't speak Swahili eiter, none of the other Bantu languages either. My magic and Black Fury heritage is up around the north side of the mediteranian and the middle east." Then to Kupha he offers "Branton Kholer, kinfolk to the Black Fury tribe, Klaive-smith, Pyrokinetic, and Sorcerer-Shaman in the service of Hecate, the Mother of Spells and Lady of the Crossroads. Some of the Garou call me Starshine-McBaldfire for reasons that become obvious. Also between my skills in Enchantment and Alchemy I'm one of the local toymakers." Looking to Cait he grins and considers "Now as far as I know these are normal human scumbags. So try your hardest not to frenzy, please don't shift, or mover too much more than human fast. Alright?"

"I have, yes. Before I went to Africa, I was in a dedicated city pack designated to help the sick and the homeless, and we were able to push drugs out of the neighborhoods. We would set up kinfolk neighborhood watches to ferret out the worst of them. Then, we would step in when necessary." Troy says softly as he gives a shake of his head at the memories. "We did a lot of good work before we were sent to Africa." He catches a glance of Kupha out of the corner of his eye. "But, I'm ready when you guys are."

"You did good work there too." Says Kupha, simply, directly, and quietly. And nothing more. "Lead the way, Branton the Toymaker." She so she'll prepare to follow the lead of the Garou and their kin.

Cait nods at Troy with a curious glint to her eyes, but she is distracted by Branton's introduction. So, she'll just introduce herself to Kupha as, "I'm Cait.. " She doesn't -have- to do the full on intro, so she chooses not to, it's too much formality. Looking back to Branton, she'll actually get a pouty expression, just brielfy, and then nods, "Fine, no problem. We do this all the time.",she says with a sudden grin. "I promise not to lose my cool..", she will say a bit more solemnly, and then she'll wave at the cousins at her table and they all move foward, ready to roll!

Branton grins and takes an eighteen inch cylinder from a sheath at his belt and extends it to twice that, a collapsible baton the size of a small sword "That being said a whuppin is in order for more than a few of these folks. Especially the ones harassing the little old lady at the corner store. Her slushy machine is the best thing about that neighborhood. Her grand-daughter's a friend of mine and convinced her Abuela to ask for help. So that's gonna be us, we're helping. The folks that actually live there want to do better, we're just making sure they get the chance." and he turns to lead the group out.

"Hi Cait. I'm Troy. Mercy's Wings for the Children of Gaia. Brooke has asked me to find you and help work on your story." The Galliard says with a grin. He pulls his bo-staff out of dedication, letting it slide into his hands before he follows after them, tapping it end against his shoulder gently.

---

Cut to the neighborhood in question

The group pulls up around the corner store Branton mentioned and a little old lady can be seen peering out the window. The neighborhood around (a block in each direction) is a little run down and has a definite air of struggling about it. As everyone piles out of the vehicles a floofy puff of ginger tomcat can be seen vanishing into the store as Branton can he heard to ask"Anyone speak spanish? The store owner speaks English but not everyone around here will, or at least very well. Our first step is going to be to find these punks. Or at least where they're holed up."

Once they arrive, Troy glances to Branton. "French and Swahili, and like one year of high school Spanish. I can do the real basics. Ask for a bathroom, order a drink, hail a taxi." The staff is being used as a walking stick for now as he puts on a show of having a bit of a limp. No need to draw too much attention to it. He is an actor after all.

Kupha gives a closed mouth smile and a nod of her head towards Cait and her naming, then off to the road they go. The question about language, as they arrive and disembark, is gives a faint shake of her head. But it's probably not surprising. She turns her eyes to their surroundings, taking in the worn block and the fleeing cat and the aged woman peeking out of the window. For now, the Ajaba is quiet and studious.

Cait nods at Troy, "I remember you, and oh, yeah... maybe after we can talk.", she'll say to him cheerfully. Then, when they are off and arrive to the neighborhood, Cait will step out and look around slowly. "Nope, no spanish, I speak the minimum languages allowed.", she'll say with a smirk. "Hmm.. could ask the spirits where they're hold up. I could pull out my radio.", she'll say with a playful grin. "It's a cool radio."

Branton nods and shrugs "I guess that means I'm doing the talking to people part. Though to be fair isn't that usually how this sort of thing sorts out? I'm going to go for a mosey down that block and back. See what I can sniff out. If one of you want to have a look around down the other blocks or go in and talk to Inez, just let her know you're with Maria's friend."

"Google Translate has a great app that translates on the fly now with your phone's mic. I abused it overseas." Troy chuckles as he gives a glance to Kupha, then says, "She and I can walk the block together, do it in pairs so it's safer. Cait, you want to take the store?" He asks as he gives his friend a nudge to the shoulder. "Ngizoba nomhlane wakho, njalonjalo."

Cait nods at Branton and looks at him a moment, as if gauging if he should go alone. She'll offer a grin and then says, "You wanna take some cousins with you?" They're with her, about 4 of them, and she'll then nod to Troy, "Sure I can go in and talk to Inez, though hopefully she speaks English... My phone isn't all that fancy.", she'll add with a smirk. Stepping towards the shop, she'll begin to walk in that direction.

"One day you will learn the proper tongue." Kupha huffs quietly to Troy, though fully in affection. The argument never seems to end. She'll give a gesture of her hand for the Child of Gaia to lead the way and she'll follow. "If we need assistance from the other side, I can arrange that."

Branton nods at Cait "She does, mostly, so you should be good to go. A couple cousins can come with me sure. Me and one on one side of the street and two of them on the other. Meet back here in a bit?"

"Ha. Gotcha there." Troy says teasingly to Kupha, then leans in and smooches her on the cheek. With that, the pair will head down the street with the Galliard leading the charge. He hobbles along with his stick, though he seems to have a confident look about him. As he talks quietly with Kupha, they stick to non-English for the time being. May as well come off looking like tourists. Tourists are targets and her dark skin stands out in it's African heritage, and he is dressed the part as a dopey hippy. Easy pickings, right?

Kupha nods her understanding to Branton before trekking off with Troy. The area is hardly a touristy area of the city, but then maybe they just took some wrong turns while heading for a museum or the beach. She looks like she belongs there, with a maxi sundress and beads bound into her braided hair. She talks with Troy as they go but her eyes never stop wandering, taking in each corner and window, doorway and alley that they may pass.

Cait gives Branton a salute and a grin. "Sounds good.." She'll nod to her cousins, and they decide amongst themselves who is going with who. Two remain with her and two head off to go with Branton. They walk with a swagger, obviously getting into this 'cleaning up the streets' vigilantism. Cait will then turn to go and head towards the shop and step inside with her two cousins with her.

---

Cut to inside the store

The little corner store is the sort of place where floor space is at a premium and for people to pass eachother in the aisles would involve invading personal space. The front space by the counter is the roomiest part and when Cait and her cousins enter they can stand there cozily. Behind the counter is a Elderly woman in a bright blue shirt, surrounded by racks of candy, cigarettes, and a little black and white tv with antenna attached. Melodramatic dialogue, in spanish, can be heard coming from the speaker. The lady zeroes in on Cait as the one to address and asks in a thickly accented voice "Can I help you?"

Cait offers her best smile and doesn't get too closer to the lady, instead, she chooses to talk from afar. "Heya, are you Inez? I'm here with Maria's friend. We're here to try to help ...", she'll say with a hopefully warm smile. She's not particularly angry right now, the moon is not egging her on, so she can present a rather relaxed front. If that doesn't work though, one of her kin will step forward to talk, because that's what they do, they buffer the poor rage-ridden Cait.

Inez nods slowly when Cait identifies herself, hands coming out from underneath the counter "So. I saw mister fancy go walking. A man with that much jewelry on should be careful around here, especially these days."

Cait keeps her hands in her pockets, probably to make herself look less threatening. She slouches a bit, looking awfully comfortable in those low hanging sweats of hers. A laugh escapes her and she'll grin as she looks out the window briefly, "Yeah, he'll be fine. I think he wants to draw attention to himself at this point. So... yeah, we're here to help you. Can you give me the lowdown on what's goin' on right now?"

Inez chuckles a little bit "He's rich and white. He'd attract attention just driving down the street. That van of his costs more than most families in this neighborhood make in a year. He went the wrong way though. That nice mixed couple you were with headed the right way though. There's a half a dozen pendejos that came in a few weeks ago, acting like they're all that. Took over an aparment in one of the tenament buildings down that way."

Cait can't help but snicker a bit at the description of Branton. "He is very white, and very rich, isn't he..." She'll grin broadly though, and then suddenly looks more serious. "Oh? They're over there? Which building do you happen to know? Or what floor?", she'll ask. Seems she's ready to step out already and go help 'handle' it, but she will restrain herself.

---

Cut to outside

As Troy and Kupha walk down the block in their chosen direction they make an excellent show of being out of place tourists. When they get half way down the block they notice they're being watched by two men on a stoop up ahead and after they pass the next alley they're being followed by one from behind as well. Their vigilance gives them the chance to react before the miscreants do.

<< We are being followed. >> Troy says to her in Zulu, one of the few phrases he was forced to learn in Africa, that was not Swahili. He bumps his shoulder gently into hers, followed by a bright grin. As he limps, he shifts the staff to his dominant hand as he puts his weight into it, moving his hands into position. Reaching behind him, he tugs the hood of his baja hoodie over his head.

<< I know. >> Kupha replies to him, calm as can be as she tips a smile aside to Troy. It's a closed mouth one, like all of her's, and there's a sharp little sparkle in her dark eyes. "What we are looking for must be up ahead." She says in her accented English, in the tone of someone lost who's confident they must be on the right trail to wherever it is.

The two men ahead, roughly dressed and tatooed, stand and move to block the sidewalk. The two in the front are distince that one has a white tank top and the other's jeans have holes in the knees. White tanktop speaks up to Troy "You look lost. Give over your walet, your stick, and your dark meat and we show you to somewhere safe yeah?"

Giving a glance to Kupha, Troy gives her a wide grin, then turns around to face the pair of men. He slams his foot up against the staff, kicking the end upwards as he begins to wheel it furiously about in his hands, letting it circle wrist over wrist. "Wow. That sounds like an amazing offer, one which we will generously pass my good sir. But we thank you all the same for being kind citizens." There is a flash of his eyes, his lips curling back into a grin. "Also, she is a lady. Please be respectful."

Kupha settles her eyes on the one speaking and smiles. This time, it shows the full spread of bright white teeth and a quiet little chuckle. It only resembles a smile in passing, for the look in her eye is a predator's glare and that laugh is like the sound of something dangerous in the deep dark of night. "Oh we are not lost, we found just what we were looking for. I said it was just up ahead."

As he wheels the staff about, Troy whips to one side to evade the man who lunges at him, though he is not fast enough to dodge the punch as it swings out and connects with his cheek. He feels the sting of pain, and a low rumble echoes in his throat. "I apologize for what I am about to do to you."

Kupha must have mad Tanker a bit sour. His swing is a glancing blow to her jaw, enough to be sore but not enough to stop her returning swing. At the moment, they seem at a bit of a stalemate. But their spirits are high! In the 'do harm to the other' sort of way.

The would be muggers are still confident, after all they have Troy and Kupha out numbered. We'll see how long their confidence holds up.

As Troy dances between the two assailants, he shrugs of the punch of one, then windmills the staff again as he calls upon his lessons. Hoping to make his sensai (what do you call George? Sensai? Mentor?) proud, he whips the staff down at an angle and shatters the man's knee. "I am sorry for your pain." He says as he draws the thick oak back, then looks surprised as Cait pulls a Captain America with a trashcan lid. "Enjoy your rest." He says, then wheels around to the other attacker.

Punches are still being exchanged between Kupha and Tankboy. While the Ajaba takes another blow to her cheekbone that raises up a dawning bruise, she delivers a brutal snap to his nose in retaliation. She seems to be enjoying herself at any rate, with a sharp whoop and a toothy grin as she feels her fist connect.

After having stepped out of the shop, Cait turns to look in the direction of where Troy and Kupha had gone, her eyes widening as she sees them getting jumped. Immediately, she's in motion, lunging forward as she begins to race after them to assist. As she races though, she'll grab a passing trashcan lid and clenches her jaw as she turns slightly, stiffening her muscles to do a mid-fling with this homemade weapon once she's close enough. When the lid actually reaches the assailant and CLANGS against his head, she'll get a bright grin and lets out a "WOOP! Take that asswipe!", and then continues her run to close the distance. Her cousins are close behind her, apparently having decided to NOT hurl trashcan lids, although they laugh when she does.

The fisticuffs between Kupha and the tank-sporting man seems to be a bit of a stalemate. He's got a bloody nose, she's got a few shiners - for all they're hard to spot with her complexion. But gotta give them props for their dedication to pummeling one another, for all the Ajaba woman is looking increasingly frustrated with the flow of her battle.

Cait is literally hauling ass, running as fast as her stocky little form will allow her in those comfortable sweats she wears. At least she's already dressed for 'exercise'. Once she's there, she literally luanches herself forward on the guy closest, and does a weird sort of acrobatic jump and punch downwards. This puts a lot more force into her punch and she quite literally lays the guy out, who falls to the ground with probably a broken something on his face from her single punch. She'll land in a slight crouch, obviously readying herself to turn and attack the last one.

And Troy is defending himself, drawing the guy in the torn jeans into position for when Cait lays him the fuck out.

Then there was one. Battered and Bruised mister tank top is in a bit of an adreneline fuled haze but he pauses at the crash of his second friend hitting the ground "I guess. You ain't lost."

Back where the group parked can be seen one of the cousins that went with Branton returning alone and fetching Branton's truck.

Kupha bares those white teeth at Tanks and gives him a most fierce glower, putting the weight of an annoyed predator behind the look. She may be sore, but she's not hurt, and entirely capable of ripping off his head. Or so she tries to convey as she squares her shoulders and stares. "No, we are not, but it is time you and yours were. You are not welcome in this place."

Cait does the normal bruiser thing and tilts her head to crack her joints as she grins a bit too brightly towards the remaining guy. "So.. asswipe. What apartment are you guys holed up in, because you know what, this is OUR territory, and you all need to get your shit out of here or this isn't gona be the last of it and you won't be WALKING out of here, y'dig?", she'll ask him as pintsize steps forward threateningly. Her cousins also begin to posturize as well, looking like a gang all in themselves.

Breathing heavily, Troy whips his staff around to settle at his side, then leans down to rub his hands together, much like Mister Miyagi did in the Karate Kid. He places his hands down on the shattered knee, then sends a gentle squeeze into it. He will limp out of here, but at least his leg won't be ruined. "I show you mercy, and only this one time. If you ever come back and harm the people of this neighborhood again, we will bring more than sticks and garbage can lids. Please be respectful of these people."