Broken-Down RV

In the middle of an overgrown meadow, sits a 38-foot RV that's probably seen better days from the looks of it. There's a blue awning that stretchs out over the front door and beyond, with a couple of old and beaten deck chairs under it.
Things don't get much better inside the camper. Some of the furnishings are obviously new (the hotplates, microwave, coffee-maker, a small radio etc), but the rest are showing their age. Wires snake the ceiling, and are bound together and out of the way by gaffer tape. A patched hole can be noted up there as well, by the 'living room' area.
Two large 'captain chairs' are situated at the front of the RV, both turned to face inside the vehicle rather than out the main windshield. Above them is an enclave, large enough for a single bed and nothing else. On the left, is a small sized couch built into the wall, sharing the same side as the kitchen sink and 'kitchen area' across from the front door. A built-in table and two foldout stools are next to the door, and all three can be folded into the wall to give the inhabitants more room.
Towards the back of the RV is the cramped bathroom, enough room to place a toilet and shower with little else to spare. A sliding door (which doesn't work, so is always left open) separates the main bedroom from the rest of RV. One large bed, big enough for four, takes up the entire space.



Riot's sitting on the doorstep of her RV, with a cold beer in her hand. She looks positively relaxed compared to her usual composure of the last couple of weeks. Bent over a book titled 'Emotional Intelligence,' the Ahroun uses the light spilling out of the RV from the open door behind her to help her focus on the task of reading, and hopefully becoming, emotionally intelligent.

"Riot!" The ahroun's name is called from not far off just before Coriander steps into view. "Riot, you hungry?" Because what goes better when beer than... tofu salad! ...Which is what Cori comes striding over with, tucked into a tupperware bowl. "I brought you a little something. I swear, it's good," she says, even raising her right hand with the declaration.

Riot jumps, startled, and almost drops her beer in the recovery. She makes a grab for the bottle, and successfully catches it in her other hand. Steadying herself, the Ahroun then looks up to see Coriander approaching. "Um..hi," she immediately drops her gaze to Cori's feet, well, closer to her knees. "Thanks..you didn't have to do that. Um, would you like a beer?"

"Oops, sorry, didn't mean to startle you," Cori says with an easy smile as she approaches. "It's no problem. But if Kenneth asks, I totally brought you some rabbit or something I hunted in the woods," she says, even looking around as if expecting the Shadow Lord to pop out at her any minute. "Beer?" The offer brings her attention back to Riot and she gives a nod, "Sure. Thanks."

Riot nods and springs up, taking the book inside with her. Half a minute later, she reappears with another bottle in hand and two forks. "Kenneth?," the Ahroun sits down on the doorstep again, making room for Coriander to join her, "He already threatened to kill me if Viktor doesn't pass his right - don't worry, I won't be telling him anything." She hands over a fork and the unopened bottle.

It isn't long before a silver '06 Audi RS4 pulls up next to the RV, humming for a moment as the driver, hard to make out, turns off the engine. And out the door steps Jarod, who closes the door behind him and peers past the evening light at the two on the porch. "It's not exactly easy to find you out here," he says with a bit of that boyish grin.

"Eh, don't let him get to you," Cori says, which seems to be her standard policy as far as Kenneth's surly behavior. And when room is made for her, she does sit, popping open the bowl to reveal the salad within as she takes the fork and bottle, "Now, all I ask is you give this a chance. I think you'll like it, but don't worry if you don't. More for me." She winks over at Riot, only to have her attention pulled away by the approach of a car. Watching until the driver gets out, Cori looks back to Riot, nodding her head toward Jarod, "Friend of yours?"

Riot nods to Cori, ready to reassure by mentioning tofu loving dads when she's cut off mid-sentence, looking up as soon as she hears the approaching car. Tensing up, the Ahroun drops her fork into the bowl and sets her beer down, until she hears Jarod's familiar voice. Breaking into a small smile, Riot stands up, "Hi Jarod, long time no see."

Jarod grins and shoots a wink at Riot as he walks around to the trunk and pops it with his little key remote thing. "I know you're going to flip when you see what I've got for you in the back, girl," he says with an air of mystery that might almost seem cheesy if he couldn't pull it off so magically. "You can think of it as an..hrnk...early Christmas present, but...hrf," he's clearly hefting something out, "Yeah, don't expect me to get you another present ever again." Lifting with his back, the little storeholder inventory boxes for shipping in bulk packed so high in his arms you can only see the top of his head, he wobbles his way over to the patio. As he draws near, it's apparent it's all processed chocolates and candies, boxes and boxes full. "Little help?" he says with a bit of a groan.

Coriander watches with curiosity and a slightly tilted head as Jarod starts pulling out boxes. Seeing how many, and quite in tandem with the call for help, Cori hops up from her seat to cross over and pluck a number of them off the top. Moving back over, she sets them off to the side of the stairs before she picks her beer up again to actually open it. "Riot, screw the salad," she says with a smirk when she notes what's /in/ all those boxes.

Riot moves a couple of steps forwad to help, but then just stands there, gaping at him. Eyes widening a bit, she snaps out of it and lets out a little laugh, picking up a box or two off the top after Coriander. Like a kid on Christmas morning, the Ahroun exclaims, "Jarod, this is /awesome/! How the hell did you get all this stuff?..Oh god, you robbed Santa, didn't you."

"Yeah actually, his body's actually in the trunk and that's part of the reason I'm here, I need you to bury it out here somewhere real deep," Jarod says as suddenly the load is considerably lightened. "Also, I need somewhere to hide out from the cops for a while, is that okay? Where can I put these?" He smiles at Coriander genially. "I'd shake your hand, but let's save that for later. I'm Jarod."

"He's in fear for his life from the long arm of the law," Cori quotes, a smirk entering her expression. But, that smirk shifts into a broad smile at his introduction. "Cori," she offers, stepping over to take another box from him, "Always a pleasure to meet a candy supplier."

Riot chuckles, "Knew you had a secret talent...the patio table is fine, I'll take them inside later. You want a beer?" The Ahroun seems very at ease with the kin, more so than any Garou who's been hanging around the RV (with the exception of Derrick). She puts her own boxes next to the steps as well, to be opened as soon as she fetches Jarod's beer. Encouraging Cori with a nod, Riot prompts, "Go ahead, have some..Um, Jarod's Strider kin. He's good friends with Ruvar, my..uh..boyfriend." The last words comes out at a mumble so it sounds more like baafnd.

Jarod sets down the boxes on the table and pats them, snagging one of the Reese's cup packages for himself after callously tearing through some of the plastic surrounding the box. "Yeah I want a beer," Jarod says with a nod of his head enthusiastically. "Thank you, hon. Glad I finally made it, I spent like half an hour out here just sort of lost with my thumb in my ear." He's smiling and pretty much radiating goodwill at the moment. He finally extends his right hand to Cori with a flash of his teeth. "Yeah, good to meet you. I'm Jarod White, I'm working up at the University teaching a summer course at the moment."

"Wait, boyfriend?" Cori asks the retreating Riot, only to turn back to Jarod with a small, crooked smile, "News to me." She does take the hand when it's offered, "Coriander Hayes. But Cori'll do just fine. What sort of course is that, Jarod?" Post-shake, she moves to take her seat again, as well as s drink of her own beer.

"I'm teaching digital and film photography," Jarod explains with a smile as he takes a seat as well around the table. He tears the wrapper and pulls out one of the cups with a hungry look on her face. "An introductory course and then an advanced course for those who've taken film theory during the last semester at the college, though usually most of them probably belong in the introductory course anyway..." Jarod muses, his eyes sliding up towards the sky as he grows distant for a moment. He shakes his head. "Anyway. It's been fun so far, I never thought I'd enjoy teaching quite so much as I am."

"Oh, yeah?" Cori asks, actually sounding interested in the topic. Her smile even brightens before she goes on, "What's your favorite shot? That you've taken, I mean." She leans back, resting an elbow in the crook of the next stair up as she takes another drink.

Riot finally comes out with a cold beer in hand, she hops off the doorstep and hands it over to Jarod before taking a seat across from him, snagging a couple of peanut butter cups before sitting down. Unwrapping one, the Ahroun murmurs, "I'm glad you came, you have no idea how much this is cheering me up." She glances at Cori then, and smiles shyly, "Yeah, boyfriend. Ruvar's Strider kin too."

Jarod laughs loudly and hits the table lightly in humor with his palm. "Oh god, ain't that the million dollar question? I've been in the business for eleven years, hon, and I was snapping shots long before then," he explains with a raise of his brows. "I've got more photos than I have brain cells, I can tell you that for--" he's cut off as Riot comes out of the trailer, flashing her a big grin. "There's that beer, thanks so much!" The kin smiles up at Riot as she murmurs to him and winks with that kind of conspiratorial look that he's shared with her before. "Ruv's a great guy," he remarks as he pops the top off his beer. "Never worked with anybody as enjoyable as he is."

"And none of them stand out from the others?" Cori asks, the question sounding more like a tease than posed for curiosity's sake. "So what made you start teaching, then?" She looks up at Riot walks out, eyeing her for a moment before that shy smile gets a bigger grin, "Well, don't be so shy about it, Riot. Clued in boyfriend is good news." She looks between them, though, "And what's he teach? Ruvar? I've never met him, myself. I really should get out of the woods once in a while."

Riot nods in agreement with Jarod, "He's cool, and can be really sweet..though I think you completely outdid him this time, Jarod," she flashes the kin a little grin before biting into her chocolate peanut butter cup. "Archeology at the university- his office is right next to Jarod's in the campus library." Riot gives a Cori a not quite subtle look.

"Tch, well, there's no favorite, but there's one I ended up getting to take (after a LOT of dealing with the Ukrainian special forces) at Prypiat from Kiev- y'know, the city outside Chernobyl?" Jarod notes to Coriander with a grin. "I was just kind of moved, there are still a couple of people who live there, and I took this picture of the dwelling of this person next to this sign that says "People Still Living Here" in Russian." He shrugs as he reminisces. "First time they let us print a photo of that area in Natty Geo. It was a good day." He grins back at Riot. "Yeah, by the way, you make entirely too much noise when you come by to see us, it's a damn /library/," he jokes at her as his eyes crinkle. He takes a swig of beer.

Coriander clears her throat at that look from Riot, sending back a sort of sidelong glance of her own. "Nice for a couple friends to be able to work so close, huh?" Of course, that description from Jarod gets her attention right back, surprise evident as well as recognition. "Wait. You took that photo?" She sits up at this, brows raised as she does. "You're not just foolin', right? Before I waste precious energy going on about how I saw, loved, almost cried at that picture."

Riot blushes fiercely and kicks Jarod under the table. Out loud, she says, a bit too loudly, "Oh yes! Jarod's supposed to be really good at the camera thing..have yet to see his work on Tiger Beat though," she goes back to nibbling on her piece of chocolate.

Jarod starts at that kick, nearly jumping out of his seat. "Ow! Hey! Well, I don't think that magazine's going to take any of my work, unfortunately, I don't really do many shoots of celebs," Jarod muses, reaching down and rubbing his leg ruefully. He smiles up at Coriander. "So you saw that one! Yeah, that was me. We did a special that went over a couple of issues about the life that was still there surrounding Chernobyl and whatnot. It's sort of difficult to imagine the commitment to a lifestyle those people have! The guy I talked to who was in that picture was pretty sure he was suffering from some kind of liver poisoning from prolonged exposure, and the government has sold him a high-powered rifle to scare away some of the looters there. It's like visiting some kind of bizarre Ghost Zone. I'm so glad you liked it." He beams. "By the way, I'm just kidding - Riot's a peach and I love having her at the office. You ought to come by more often, girl," he says to her with another swig of beer.

"Tiger... Beat?" Cori asks with obvious confusion, but she shakes it off as Jarod starts in on the photo again. Moving from the stairs to the table with the others, Cori nods along here and there, a warmer smile in her expression. "Liked it, that's putting it mildly. I couldn't believe it, at the time. That picture is the whole reason I even know what Chernobyl is and what happened there." She looks downward some, sympathy in that expression. "Just thinking about it, gah" she says, shaking the feeling off before she lifts her head again.

"It's the most popular magazine dealing with young adult issues in today's market," Riot recites, probably having memorized the tagline. She quirks her brow at Jarod, the peach comment getting a smirk from her before she sobers and starts attacking the chocolate on the table again, letting the other two talk about 'not-Timberlake' pictures.

Jarod gives Riot one of those queer looks as she recites that line by rote, somehow suspicious one way or the other. "Yeah, it deals with a lot of celebrities and pop culture, glam stuff. I actually got to work with one of the photographers - y'know, Marcus Steinbacher? - when I was in Haiti doing a couple of quick shoots about some of that strange occult culture, and Angelina Jolie was touring around doing activist work and drumming up support for a campaign to cure AIDS. He was sort of a silly guy, but it was like he knew when the woman was gonna smile." The photographer adds, "I think that was only a couple of years ago, actually."

Coriander gives Riot a similar look, although hers is tinted with puzzlement, rather than suspicion. "Oh, right. Gotcha. I don't think I've ever seen this magazine." She looks back over at Jarod, though, "Occult culture? Really?" She looks over at Riot again, though, that smile of hers just a bit wider than usual, "I bet he's got some great stories. Has he forced you to listen to them much?"

Riot perks up at the name, "Steinbacher, yes! He took the best candid photo of Justin Timberlake I've ever seen. I have the issue, I should show you..he captured his innocence, it's remarkable." She stands up, "I'll be back in a sec, I think it's under the bed with the rest of my collection." She pauses though, Cori's question making her think for a moment before she shakes her head. Glancing briefly at Jarod, the Ahroun answers, "We never got around to talking about his job..I mean..it's just a job. I don't talk about trying to fight off six fomori at once, or being impaled by a skull pig." Flashing both of them a tight smile, the Gaian heads for the door.

Jarod watches Riot go with a reply on his lips that simply dies quietly, dies like the tens of fomori that must lay at the Ahroun's feet and the many more that died somewhere just now when she mentioned anyone capturing Justin Timberlake's innocence. He simply gives Coriander a sidelong glance that has an air of infinite concern.

"Just a /job/?" Cori repeats with some disbelief in her tone. The theurge watches Riot go, too, silent for a moment before she addresses Jarod again, "...Is he a child actor?" The innocent celebrity. She turns and looks at him only after voicing this question.

"Well he was, he's kind of one of those singer/actor combos who are kind of a hot commodity wherever they go," Jarod explains. "Anyway, yeah, it's a job," he with a shrug and one of those looks like it wasn't that big of a deal. "I mean, I did it for a living, it was my dream job and I got to do some things and see things that people only dream about, but I'm not going to bore anybody to death about far off countries and starving kids and difficult issues. It does excite me when I meet somebody who's really into it, though!" He grins widely, flashing those teeth again. "I'm guessing you've probably done some research into worldwide issues, huh?" he asks Coriander.

"Oh," Cori says, sort of dismissive of the whole singer/actor combo. "But that's what I mean. It wasn't just a job, nine-to-five, just to pay the bills. It /means/ something. And not just to you, but to people you'll never met in your life! Don't you think that's sort of exciting?" She does, clearly. She nods, though, at his question, "Are you kidding? You /bet/ I have. I mean, we protested, ya know, local-ish things. Never did get the funding to do anything /huge/, but I did learn about things that were happening, at least. Beyond our small scope. Knowledge is the first step, you know. Because if no one knows, then no one can..." She pauses, a faint blush coming to her face, along with a crooked smile, "I'm rambling. Sorry."

"Nuh-uh, you're talking my language there, keep talking," Jarod says, seeming impressed with Coriander's attitude by the pleasant smile he's wearing. "Honestly, it's easy to talk about how bad the world has gotten and how nobody cares, but until you get up and learn about something, nothing's ever going to be /done/," he says, seeing if that strikes a cord. "That was what we were /all/ about at National Geographic. And it's the way I still feel today. Though you do start wondering when enough's enough after the umpteen-hundreth bullet has whizzed past your ear," Jarod says with a chuckle.

"Exactly!" Cord struck. Oh yes. "It doesn't do any good to sit back and complain. If people weren't so complacent with how things are going along, they could /do/ something. Really /do/ something. But the effort involved seems to turn people off, which is a shame. I mean, when you look back at history, when the people rise up together, they change the world. I know, that sounds all cheesy, but it's true! So, it's up to those that /do/ know and those that /do/ have the passion and drive behind them to pass along the need. Ya know? Of course /you/ know," Cori gives him a softer smile at that. "We didn't get many bullets, but I have had lots of things thrown at me over the years. And I've been tossed into the back of police cars a /lot/. And now I'm here and sorta... doing the same thing, but on this whole other level. I mean, who knew there was all this," she says with a wide-sweeping gesture, "...was going on right under everybody's nose."

Jarod shrugs his shoulders, his lips thinning a little bit. "I didn't know until I was about to leave for college. It's sort of one of those things where you have to wonder what's just the people in the world doing things or if it's supernatural influence," Jarod mentions seriously, gesturing with an open palm upwards. "Like with the occult in Haiti. Turns out most of it is benign stuff, and if there /was/ supernatural stuff, I'd probably be dead if I'd turned up any of it. Zombie powder and whatnot, really it just slows up your body functions and puts you in a coma, and when you wake up you look like you're dead. Anyway, I do admire your attitude. It's really refreshing to see that kind of spirit."

"Makes you wonder, that's true. How much does it influence, especially in a world that doesn't even know to look for it." Cori seems to settle down some as he starts his story, placing an elbow on the table to rest her head against her hand, listening, but with obvious interest. "You look dead? Whoa. Really? What happens after that? Do people ever recover?" Her smile comes back at the compliment, though, "Thanks. I just want to be my part." No big deal. Really.

"Yeah it's called...mmm...oh hell, tetra....tet...something," Jarod says, screwing up his face as he attempts to recall the name. "Anyway it blocks nerve capacities and can basically put you in a state of near death, as well as make you lose your will. There's some Haitian bokor shaman who use it and it has a lot to do with the declining slave trade there," he explains. "You can recover, sure, but there isn't like, any antidotes or anything. Anyway - yeah, I dunno, usually the stuff I encounter is pretty damn normal. But that doesn't make it any less important or necessary to deal with."

"Isn't a declining slave trade... good, though? I mean, not if it's coming about by this powder, I guess. Hmm," Cori says, seeming to be letting her thoughts just pour right on out as they come without a filter. Wups. "Of /course/ it's important! If all this stuff was just going on and on without anyone stepping up to the plate... it would be Bad News. Serious Bad News. And, frankly, this zombie powder doesn't really sound all that normal to me. And Chernobyl isn't, exactly, either. Don't you down play this stuff to me, Mister," she says with a playful smile.

The photographer's eyes sparkle with humor, sipping down the last of his beer and placing it on the table. "Oh, it's not correlated with the decline of the slave trade, it's was just basically a part of the trade traditionally for a good while. It's old stuff." His eyes crinkle as he smiles widely. "I'm curious, though, and try not to be too fed up with my questions, for the longest time I was just kind of the outsider to the Garou world, but what all do you get up to that's legitimately supernatural?"

Coriander nods in understanding as he explains further, but her demeanor perks up again at that wide smile from him. "Oh, goodness, ask me any question you want," she says, her own smile brightening. "Me? Well, I'm still kinda new with the cliath stuff and I'm not a fighter like Riot, you know. I'm a... I heal. But a lot of my supernatural stuff has been with spirits. Sometimes, they've actually spoken to me, which is pretty rare unless you have the talent. Which I don't. I once fought off this creepy lookin' earthworm looking spirit. Tainted, you know. It was holding this feline spirit hostage and feeding off of it. And making the spirits and the land around it all /sick/. But it hasn't all be good stuff. I mean, just a bit ago, I pissed off a spirit of malice. So far, that's the sort of thing."

Jarod leans forward and pulls up to the table a bit more with his chair as Coriander talks, obviously more than a little bit interested in the talk of spirits and spirituality. "Well, hey, you'd be surprised at the kind of massive fuck ups I've had, so I wouldn't beat yourself up too hard over it," he says, putting his hand on the side of his head. "I'll tell you a secret if you don't let Riot and everybody know about it, yeah? Because I think you and I are really on the same page."

"That was my first. But I doubt it'll be my last. Sometimes... I dunno, sometimes you gotta break the rules and deal with the consequences, if the cause is a good one." Cori chuckles, though, something in what he said amusing her, "Don't worry about me, I'm far too determined to be happy to let it get me down for long." She leans in, though, at the talk of secrets, her bright smile returning. "Cross my heart," she says, in regards to keeping it secret.

"This is a sad story, mind, one of the worst in my life," Jarod says with a sort of wistful half-smile, "I was at the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, you know where they let out the bulls and run from them through the streets as a sort of ritual balls-to-the-wall thing, and in 1995 I was there for my college project where I was travelling abroad as a junior. Anyway, I was there to take pictures of it, and I snapped one, and I hadn't taken the flash off," Jarod says, his smile falling. "There was this guy who blinked and looked kind of dazed and he stumbled. He got trampled by one of the bulls and got severe injuries, and lost three of his fingers I later found out talking to the locals. That was my fault. His name was Brian Roth, an American tourist who was visiting for that festival. Anyway," he says, shaking it off with a smile. "We all screw up at our jobs. I never told anyone that story before."

Coriander reaches over to rest a hand on his arm, her own expression dulling into a sad one at the story. And she looks to be sympathetic, too. For him, for the man, likely for the bulls, too, knowing this girl. "That must've been a hard time for you. For Brian, too. I'm sorry for both of you." That, too, sounds genuine and is coupled with a gentle squeeze to his arm before she takes her hand back. "We're an imperfect people. Mistakes happen, accidents. This is sort of ironic, as I was just telling a tribemate of mine that it's too much to expect perfection out of ourselves."

[Oi, I forgot to say, but scene faded out there because Cori's player was very sleepy, so they chatted on for a long while and it was lovely. The End!]