Fish Meets Vee

[hazlogs]

It is currently 17:37 Pacific Time on Thu Feb 12 2015.

Currently in Saint Claire, it is a cloudy day. The temperature is 62 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the north at 6 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 30.25 and rising, and the relative humidity is 51 percent. The dewpoint is 44 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius.) For more detail, see: http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=98501

Currently the moon is in the waning Half (Philodox) Moon phase (41% full).

Harbor Park -- Fountain

Situated in the center of a large, open meadow is a clustering of six trees, a flower bed, a few steel-and-wood benches set firmly into concrete, and a flagstone courtyard that is dominated by a large fountain.

The fountain is a wide circular pool of water some fifty feet across and about five feet deep in most places. The sculpture in the center is a mix of old and new, traditional and modern: eight concrete-and-stainless-steel slabs about six feet high are set in a rough Stonehenge-like circle around the center of the fountain. Water flows from their tops, cascading in bright mesmerizing sheets to the pool below. Rising above the steel circle is a large marble statue of the Water Bearer, an androgynous figure draped in robes of flowing water. It bears a large jug carved with various Greek symbols, from which pours a seething torrent of water into the pool at its feet.

Cars on the nearby street have an excellent view of the park as do any residents of the tall buildings which line the waterfront.

The murky waters of the Columbia River flow swiftly along the east side of the park. Bracketing the park to the west is First Street and the city of St. Claire. Recent construction work is creating an earthen berm several feet high all along the borders of the park in all directions.

Fish stands facing the fountain, a lit cigarette hanging off his lips, hands folded into his coat pockets, and earbud wires dangling down from his ears, the joined wire vanishing inside his coat. No music escapes the buds, but the way his head subtly bobs suggests that he's got some kind of music piping into his skull.

Fish is a skinny punk whiteboy somewhere around five and a half feet tall who looks to be around twenty or so years old. He's got a ring in his left earlobe, a thin face with a sharp beak of a nose, a pointy chin, and pale blue eyes. His blond mohawk sticks up about an inch or two, and more often than not, the rest of his scalp is ghosted by pale blond stubble, as is his chin and cheeks; he's obviously not great at remembering to shave.

Fish is wearing skinny black jeans, heavy steel-toed black boots that come halfway up his shins, and a black hoodie underneath a medium-grey knee-length trenchcoat.

A rumbling announces Val's arrival, but it is unlikely that Fish can hear the sound of the longboard wheels on the cracked cement pathway of the park. The small teen motors along at a reasonable pace, then slows to a stop as she nears the fountain. Placing a foot on the back of the board, she gets a grip on the front and and drags it over to the fountain's edge. Propping it up there, once she gets that far.

Val is in the somewhat awkward stage of having recently entered her mid-teens, although she is blessedly free of acne. Her figure is whip-thin, with hints of the womanly curves that'll appear as she grows older. The girl has an angular face, high cheekbones, and a prominent nose, all softened by the chubbyness of youth. Val's hair is shoulder length and streaked in a series of rainbow hues, everything from dark purple to a brilliant orange. Due to the girl's strong northern Italian ancestry, her pale olive-tinted skin darkens to a rich brown during the summer months. Val stands three inches below five feet tall, which accentuates just how thin and petite she is. The young girl smiles a lot, a friendly cheerfulness that is hard to ignore and is almost contagious in nature.

Currently, the teen is wearing a black t-shirt with a yellow Batman logo on it. Over the shirt, she wears a warm black hoodie, with a zipper up the front, rainbow striped arms, hood, and front pockets. Val's legs are covered by a pair of skinny denim jeans with a small pink flower over the right front pocket and decorative 'rips' here and there. Her feet are shod in a pair of well-worn black sneakers, clearly chosen for comfort rather than style. Around her neck she wears a braided leather necklace with a large black opal pendant. On her fingers, she wears a number of thick rings, some with a mirrored surface, others holding the luster of stainless steel. A black and white leather backpack with the image of a magpie sewn in to it hangs from her shoulders, always filled with something or another.

Despite Val's youth, small stature, and thin frame, she moves with an easy, sure-footed grace. Her movements are quick, practiced, and at times, a little on the jerky side.

Fish must have sensed /something/, because he glances over at Val, grins a little, and jerks his head in a wordless greeting.

Val smiles in return, even as she tilts her head to one side and studies Fish with an intensity one doesn't typically see in someone her age. She's not quite staring, but there is a rather open curiosity in her expression. She points to her ears, miming the earbuds that Fish is wearing.

Fish raises eyebrows quizzically, then tugs out one of the earbuds. They're the in-ear kind, probably not cheap, and Sex Pistols emits tinnily from the freed bud. "'Sup?" His manner's still friendly, though his smile's lopsided.

Val's smile shifts a little, although it is friendly enough, as the young woman extends a hand towards the older Fish. "M'name is Vee. I come here all the time. Don't think I've seen you around, before?"

Fish shakes hands amiably enough. "That Vee for Victory or Vee for Vendetta?"

Val laughs, as she takes her hand back. "Vee for Venessa, but I rather like Vendetta. Not that I have anything to have a Vendetta over. Suppose I could find something, if I looked hard enough."

Fish grins. "Yeah, guess you could." He fiddles in a pocket and the tinny music stops; he removes the other earbud and pockets both. "Mine's Fish, and yeah, I'm new in town." He nods toward the fountain. "Taking in the sights and all that jazz."

"Yea, the city is pretty cool," Val says, as she runs a hand through her brightly died hair. "Phoenix park is more upscale than this place, but it tends to be a lot more crowded. We got Garcia's near here, which makes some amazing pizza. South end of the city is a bit of a shit-hole, but there are a number of clubs out that way. Not that I'd ever get past the door of places like that," Val says with a grin. "So I can't tell you much about them in general. Mind if I ask what's up with the name? S'not one I typically come across."

Fish grins back. "This from the kid who introduces herself as 'Vee'? Okay." He takes the cigarette from his mouth, taps ash off the end. "It's short for 'Fisher'."

Val grins, tongue sticking out a bit. "Hey, said it was a name that I hadn't heard before. Not that my name wasn't odd, or that I wasn't a 10 on the weirdo kid scale," she jokes. "Last name, I'm guessing? So, what brings you to lovely St. Claire, home of never ending gray days and rain?"

Fish chuckles, eyes half-lidded as he takes another drag. "Hey, I grew up around Portland. I /like/ rain."

"So you came to find some more?" Val asks with a smirk, as she starts digging around in her pockets and eventually fishes out a trio of pennies. She sends these into the fountain, one after the other: *plunk* *plunk* *plunk*

Fish shrugs. "Different flavor of rain. Different shit to get rained on."

"Well, think I am gonna head off," Val says, as she starts to collect her board. "There is a nifty boardgame cafe in the area, called Snakes and Lattes," if you're into that sorta thing."

Fish grins. "Not really," he says cheerfully. "But thanks."

"Oh well. You should try Garcia's, at least. Everybody loves pizza," Val says with a grin, as she drops her board back onto the path. With a friendly wave, she heads deeper into the park.

Fish waves back, smiling crookedly, then digs out his earbuds and plugs back into his music.