Being Social

[hazlogs]

[3/1/98]

Pool Hall(#3490RJ)
Pool tables dominate the space of the hall, hardly yielding any space for the 
  motley crew of players chalking their sticks and eying the brandy bottle at 
  the bar lining one wall. The dust and scratches on all surfaces save the 
  green velvet lining the pool tables indicate this hall as skimping on 
  maintenance and cheap on cleaners. Its lack of flashy videogames and surplus 
  of toothless kibitzers underscores its appeal to the older crowd. No natural 
  sunlight is permitted into the hall, its lighting provided by bulbs swinging 
  from the ceiling.
A recent 'renovation' to the hall has caused many splinters and embdeed bullet 
  holes, adding much to the aged atmosphere. Ruddish stains, dark and ominous 
  even under the lights, refuse to be washed out of the floor. A dart board 
  brightens up the walls with its red-and-black scheme, and a moosehead looks 
  down on the proceedings.
A set of double doors, one locked, the other unlocked at the whims of the hall 
  manager, lead out to the street. Unobstructive doors behind the bar 
  undoubtedly lead to storerooms.

Reggie nods self-importantly at Sally's resumption of her duties, as he 
  ensures his latest acquisition of paper money's well out of sight in his 
  pocket before employees can ask for a raise. He resumes paying attention to 
  Seeker, with an inquiring expression. "There been trouble?"

Seeker nods. "Keep your ears and eyes open. No trouble yet, but there are 
  rumors of their presence."
Seeker looks over at Salem and Sally.

Salem prowls into the pool hall, hands in his coat pockets. (No, he didn't 
  arrive 'with' Sally.)

Reggie glances past Seeker at potential arriving customers, then leaves it to 
  Sally to handle whatever numbers enter, as he inquires of Seeker, "Such as?"

[Seeker]
Seeker is a tall figure, well over six feet in height. He is painfully thin 
  and would seem almost emaciated were it not for the fire and vitality in his 
  eyes and his posture. His face is long and gaunt, his expression always 
  severe, unsmiling. Dark eyes gaze down on his surroundings, always searching 
  for something just out of sight. One arm clutches a tall staff that reaches 
  to his eye level, about six feet four inchis in height. The hand that 
  clutches the staff is gnarled and muscular, and his forearm is long and 
  painfully thin. Muscles like steel cables seem ready to burst through the 
  skin, veins and scars making a complex crisscross and sinuous pattern. Both 
  biceps are tattooed with the Silent Strider glyph, but in a continuous 
  sand-dune pattern that circles his arm. His feet are adorned with ancient 
  leather boots which speak of countless hundreds of miles traveled in all 
  terrain. A weatherbeaten leather pack is slung over his shoulders, and 
  various odds and ends can be seen poking out of various pockets. A rope belt 
  is tied around his waist, securing the cloak to himself. Although he seems 
  relaxed, there is a hint of underlying tautness, the feeling that this 
  person can be instantly ready for any situation, as well as a sense of 
  almost impossible speed and quickness.
Carrying:
Scarab

Sally MacKay looks to the door as it opens, then grins as she sees the Ronin. 
  "Howdy, Salem," she calls, moving to draw a beer. She watches him as she 
  does this easy task, trying to catch his eye so that she can indicate Reggie 
  with a nod.

Salem nods wordlessly to the blonde kinswoman, but clearly isn't feeling 
  conversational tonight; the gloom from last evening still lies across his 
  shoulders. He takes a seat at the end of the bar and fishes a cigarette from 
  the recesses of his coat.

Seeker speaks quietly to Reggie from their place apart from the other 
  customers in the hall.

Sally MacKay places the mug before Salem, then leans close to ask quietly, 
  "Ready?" Her eyes keep cutting towards Reggie, but Seeker gets hardly a 
  glance.

Salem frowns, and then he remembers. The Ronin nods, eyes turning toward 
  Reggie again.

Seeker nods.

Reggie, after responding to Seeker, glances about at anyone else in danger of 
  intruding on his personal space, and frowns as he observes an audience, and 
  lowers his voice further to Seeker, with an accompanying hand motion.

"Don't forget to smile," Sally advises Salem, then calls out to the fur-clad 
  Uktena, "Yo, Reggie!" She waves a hand for him to come and join them.

Reggie cuts himself off mid-word at Sally's yell, and checks to see if it's an 
  emergency at the bar. After seeing none, he nods several times at Sally, 
  then offers to Seeker, "Up for a drink?"

Seeker looks over at the bar, then nods.
Seeker walks over to the bar with Reggie.

Salem folds his arms and rests his elbows on the bar, in a silent attitude of 
  patience.

Reggie nods again to Sally as he arrives near the bar, and without concern for 
  Salem's presense, asks Sally, "Got a bit of coffee left back there? Oh--", 
  he directs a question Seeker's way, "What do you take?"

Seeker says "Black."

Sally MacKay seems just the opposite of Salem. She watches Reggie and Seeker 
  draw closer, almost bouncing in her excitement. She glances towards the pot 
  and nods, placing two mugs on the bar before she turns to get it.

Seeker glances at Salem, then watches Sally quietly.

Reggie hooks a chair with his foot to pull it to his position, and slumps his 
  bulk atop it. The chair's legs, not quite even, click on the floor with each 
  shift of his weight. "What's the word, Sally? You look like someone who's 
  got a secret and just has to tell it."

Salem smokes wordlessly on his cigarette, dark eyes watching the pool hall in 
  general and nobody in particular. A wreath of gray smoke surrounds his head.

Seeker wrinkles his nose slightly at the smell of the cigarette, then looks 
  between Reggie and Sally, curiously.

"Yeah," Sally agrees, as she fills the two mugs and adds a pile of sugar 
  packets near Reggie's. "You missed is. Two nights ago this guy busted in 
  here and was threatening to kill some woman, then some other people, too. 
  Everyone," she nods out towards the pool tables and the players there, "was 
  scared shitless."

Reggie appends "Except you", as he empties the sugar into his coffee. "So you 
  had everything in control. What happened next?"

Seeker arches an eyebrow, then sips his coffee.
Seeker nods to Sally. "Thank you."

Salem glances up, catching Sally's words. A wry smirk curves his lips.

Sally MacKay shakes her head. "Fuck, no. The guy had a knife! He was waving it 
  around, but," now her voice drops and her smile grows, "Salem here took care 
  of it. Tossed him out on his ass."

Seeker glances at Salem again, then sips his coffee.

Reggie replies "Huh-uh", as he glances at Salem with a nod of his head. "And 
  convinced him not to be back?"

"Damn straight!" Sally's voice grows excited once again. "For now, anyway. But 
  you know... we got too many people like that wandering through, you know?"

"He could be back," says Salem, turning his eyes toward Reggie. "Even if he 
  doesn't, he's hardly unusual in this city."

Reggie frames a section of air and speaks as if reciting a headline, "Crime 
  rates up in St. Claire", then wrings his hands with "Oh dear" and an 
  over-worried expression that disappears as quickly as he finishes off his 
  sugary coffee.

Sally MacKay nods quickly, "And you know, if people think they're gonna get 
  killed if they hang ou here, they'll find somewhere else to go."

Seeker says "I don't think they have anything to worry about."

Reggie inquires curiously, "Will they", then snaps his fingers with an "Oh! 
  You're afraid, is it? Are you giving notice?"

After a cool look sent Seeker's way, Sally shakes her head and scoffs at 
  Reggie. "It's not -me- you have to worry about being afraid!" Now she leans 
  across the bar, closer to the big Uktena. Her voice drops, "Know what we 
  need here?"

Salem takes another drag on his cigarette, watching Sally with a wry, crooked 
  half-smile.

Reggie responds easily with "Harder-working employees?"

Sally MacKay half-nods, half-dips her head. "Another one, yeah. You need a 
  bouncer!" She's up and off the bar in a flash, smiling from ear to ear. 
  "Someone big! Someone strong!" She raises her arms, "Someone to keep things 
  in line!"

Reggie applauds slowly. "You considered a career on the stage?", he inquires, 
  as a frown-line appears. "We got one. Now, what's really needed is more 
  cleaning. While I appreciate the money savings, I think the bottle of Mr. 
  Clean isn't getting used enough."

"Your bouncer didn't do shit the other night," remarks Salem, from a ways down 
  the bar.

Sally MacKay huhs? "We got one? Who?" She nods to Salem, "And where?" She 
  ignores Reggie's cleaning comments.

Reggie thumps his fist down on the counter, rattling the cups. "We. Got. One." 
  With none of his previous irrevelent humor, he continues. "Brad and my 
  number is on the bloody phone. Did you call?"

Sally MacKay tilts her head slightly as she looks at Reggie. "I got a guy with 
  a knife jumping at some woman, and you want me to," she pauses, "call you?" 
  Her smile returns quickly, "We need someone here all the time."

"Forget it, Sally." Salem crushes out the end of his cigarette, voice and mood 
  gone sour. "You know damned well I can't be here all the time anyway."

Reggie throws up his hands. "No. No, you didn't."

Sally MacKay glances down to Salem and shakes her head. "Hell, no one can be 
  here -all- the time, /I'm/ not. I meant..." Then back to Reggie, "What? You 
  want more holes in the wall?" She waves a hand towards the shot-up wall.

Merria steps in from the street.
Merria has arrived.

Reggie slams his palms on the countertop as he stands, making a bang and 
  creating a disturbance distracting the pool players in the place. "Maybe I 
  like holes in the wall."

The door opens, but all that comes through it is Merria's voice, saying, "Oh, 
  shoot." The door closes, only to open again a moment later to admit Merria 
  herself, beaming and tucking something small into her jacket pocket.

Salem lights up another cigarette, eyes shifting toward the door. He nods to 
  Merria, though he's clearly not in the most cheerful or optimistic of moods 
  tonight. In fact, his expression could rival lemons.

"Well then maybe you're an idiot!" Sally returns, though with a smile. "Look, 
  people won't come drinking if they think they're gonna be shot." She glances 
  towards the door and nods at Merria, then looks back to Reggie, all 
  business. "You know it and I know it."

"Hiya," says the ragabash, climbing up onto a stool next to Salem. "Hi, Sally, 
  hi, Reggie, who shot at who?"

Reggie pushes himself away from the counter with an adrupt movement, and his 
  tone still raised and rough, he answers Merria with "If I'm lucky--", he 
  shakes his head to cut off voicing his current fondest wish, and cuts 
  through the air with the edge of his palm. He tries again, then shakes his 
  head. "Talk to you later", and begins his way outside.

Merria waves after the big man, rather wistfully. "B'bye..."

Seeker nods to Reggie.

"Reggi-" Sally starts to call after him, then frowns and shakes her head. She 
  glances to Salem, "He'll come around, don't worry."

Reggie steps outside to the street.
Reggie has left.

Salem grunts in reply, pessimistic. "You laid it on too damned thick, Mustang."

Merria gives Salem a sidelong look, then another at Sally, then turns her 
  attention for the moment to surveying the other current occupants.

Sally MacKay raises her hands as she shrugs, then looks to Merria. A tinge of 
  annoyance still in her tone, "Want something to drink?"

"The usual," says Salem, eyes fixed on the scattering of bulletholes in the 
  wall.

Merria 's eyes slew back around toward Sally. "Um," she says, not giving the 
  question her full attention. "Um. Sure. Thanks."

Sally MacKay gets the Gnawer a coke and sets it before her. "How's it going?" 
  she asks as distractedly as Merria's answer.

Merria takes a long sip of her coke and grins up at Sally. "Realgood. Is he 
  bein' stingy, or doesn't he like Salem?"

"He's just not listening to reason," Sally sends a glare towards the door.

Salem just shakes his head, swallowing nearly a third of his beer.

Merria wrinkles her nose and nods. "Folks are like that," she says 
  philosophically, and returns to perusing the occupants, gaze arrested almost 
  instantly by the attenuated figure in archaic garb seated a few bars down. 
  "Hi," she says, immediately intrigued.

Seeker nods to Merria. "Hello."
Seeker finishes his coffee and pays for it.

Merria leans forward. "Do you come from somewhere where everyone dresses like 
  that, or is it a statement?"

Sally MacKay moves to Seeker and collects up the money, then moves back down 
  the bar without so much as a 'thanks'.

Seeker looks over at Merria. "I am from Africa. The Sahara."

Salem brings the cigarette to his lips and inhales deeply, his gaze elsewhere, 
  face sketched into a dour frown.

Merria considers. "It might still be a statement. Is it?"

Seeker shakes his head. "No, no statement. I have no use for fashion."

Sally MacKay busies herself with some small task behind the bar.

Merria says, "Now, /that/s a statement." She takes another long sip of her 
  coke, reaches into her pocket, and produces a dumdum, which she slides along 
  the counter to Salem, giving him a slantwise sympathetic grin.

Salem picks up the lollipop, almost without looking, and slips it into the 
  recesses of his coat.

Seeker glances at Merria again, then shrugs.

Sally MacKay occupies herself with busy work, surprisingly untalkative.

Merria's eyes dance. She goes back to her conversation with Seeker, seemingly 
  entirely unaware that she might be seen as rude as she tracks the matter 
  down. "Because what that comes down to is, you have no use for other people 
  if they're gonna react to you because of how you dress. Like a test." She 
  watches him, bright-eyed and speculative, to see how this statement will go 
  down.

Seeker looks at Merria somewhat impatiently. "If you say so."

Merria grins brightly. "Or for me either," she diagnoses without offense. She 
  takes another sip of her coke and goes back to scanning the room for other 
  points of interest.

Seeker notices the bulletholes and studies them for a moment.

Casper steps in from the street.
Casper has arrived.

Casper slips inside, letting the noise from the outside in only briefly. He 
  peers about quickly. He floats over to the bar and plops down on a stool, 
  grinning at Sally and Merria in turn.

"Hey," Sally nods at Casper. "Drink? Soda?" she asks simply.

Merria lights up at the sight of the 'gazer. "Hi, Boo. How you been?"

Casper answers Merria quietly, "Well enough thanks. Yourself?" he looks to 
  Sally, "Uh, what's the water like here?"

Seeker nods to Casper.

"Realgood," is the small gnawer's response. Then she grins. "I meant how I 
  been, not the water. Coke's okay, though."

Seeker looks aways from the bulletholes to Sally. "Might I inquire as to how 
  that happened?" He indicates the bulletholes.

Sally MacKay fills a glass with it for Boo. "You tell me," she half-smiles at 
  him.

Casper shrugs to Sally as he takes the glass, giving it a sniff, "Smell's 
  okay... and it's free, which only makes it sweeter." he sips and nods, "Not 
  bad." he grins to Merria.

The blonde looks towards Seeker and the indicated wall, then informs him 
  dryly, "Someone shot it."

Seeker purses his lips. "Obviously. When?"

"A while ago," Sally's mood seems to worsen and worsen.

Merria watches Seeker with interest over the rim of her glass.

Salem finishes his beer and pushes the mug away from him a bit. Reaching the 
  end of his second cigarette, he uses the dying ember to light up a third.

Seeker snorts and shakes his head, then gets up to leave.

Sally MacKay turns her back to the room, fiddling with the glasses lined up 
  against the back wall. Tension plays across her shoulders.

Casper watches Merria watch Seeker and can't help but chuckle at her scrutiny. 
  The laughter trails off as he notes Sally's tension.

Seeker nods to Merria and Casper, then heads out to the street.

Casper nods to Seeker.

Merria watches Seeker go, speculative to the last.

Seeker steps outside to the street.
Seeker has left.

Merria waits until Seeker is gone, and then turns back to Sally. "You okay?"

Sally MacKay shifts and pushes glasses around, probably not fooling anyone 
  into thinking she's actually doing useful work. Merria's question halts even 
  that. "Yeah," she nods and when she turns back her smiles has tentatively 
  returned. "Sorry. Just in a damned pissy mood."

Merria nods encouragingly. "Happens. 'Cause of him--" a jerk of her chin 
  indicates the directin of Seeker's exit "--or other stuff?"

"Other shit, but it's nothing," Sally glances at Merria's glass, "Ready for a 
  refill?" She takes Salem's down to the taps without question.

JJ Malone steps in from the street.
JJ Malone has arrived.

Salem doesn't acknowledge Sally, not with a flicker of a glance or even with 
  one of his characteristic grunts. He taps cigarette ash into a nearby tray 
  and scowls at nothing in particular.

Merria shakes her head. "Nah, but thanks. I gotta head out." She fishes in her 
  backpack and produces a paper bag containing something box-like, medium 
  heavy, bigger than a book.

Casper's eyes move to examine Merria.

JJ Malone slides into the pool hall knocking slush out of his combat boots, 
  cigarette dangling James Dean-like from one corner of his mouth. Without 
  removing his sunglasses, he crosses the distance to the bar. "Beer," he 
  orders tersely.

Sally MacKay returns with Salem's beer in time to nod to Merria's answer, 
  giving the bag a curious look. The opening door attracts her attention and 
  she calls to JJ, "Evening. Give a yell if you want a drink or table."

The blonde nods and produces an empty mug, then heads down to the taps and 
  fills it.

Merria slides down off her stool, leaving the paper bag at Salem's elbow. "So 
  long, everyone," she says, and ambles out.
Merria steps outside to the street.
Merria has left.

Merria pages: Checkers set, still in its shrink-wrap.

Salem glances up, eyes going to the package and then up to catch sight of 
  Merria's retreating back. He sets the cigarette down in the nearly-full 
  ashtray and opens the bag to look inside. A bemused look crosses his face, 
  briefly superceding the sour expression.

JJ Malone's fingers drum the counter while he waits for Sally to deliver up 
  his order, giving the place a quick once over. Spying Salem, he hesitates, 
  considering momentarily, then checks to see if the blonde is done yet.

Sally MacKay walks the mug down to JJ. "Here you go, want a table, too?" she 
  asks as she checks him out.

Salem, not yet noticing Malone, gives his head a slight shake and closes the 
  bag again, setting it down by his feet.

JJ Malone takes a seat at the bar, shaking his head. "Not now, maybe later," 
  he says with no outward reaction to Sally checking him out. "Ms. MacKay, 
  right? How's things?"

Sally cocks her head as JJ names her. "Yeah," she smiles, giving the Metis 
  another looking over. "Right. Things are good." Then she admits, "'Fraid I 
  don't remember your name, though." With a winning grin, "Remind me?"

The attempt at charm seems to slide off the Glass Walker like water off a 
  duck's back. "Malone. J.J. Malone. We met at Dark Wine & Roses a few months 
  ago, through Detective Anderson."

Casper leans on the bar, swishing the water in his glass around gently and 
  staring into it.

Sally MacKay's expression lights up, then sobers just as quickly. "Jeremy, 
  right. That's cool." Then she looks towards Salem, "What'd she leave you?"

Salem glances up now, finally catching the familiar voice. His eyes rest on 
  Malone a moment before he gives the Glass Walker a nod. Then he fixes Sally 
  a deadpan look. "Checkers."

JJ Malone's dark eyebrows flicker once as Sally's attention wanders. He takes 
  up his beer and himself, passing Salem with a nod as well. He heads for an 
  open double table, sitting down and hunching over his beer broodingly.

"You play?" Sally smiles at the Ronin, sounding no little bit surprised. "I 
  haven't since I was a kid."

Salem smiles, a flicker of a pleasant expression. "A little." He picks the bag 
  up and hands it to Sally. "Watch this for me?" he asks, and without waiting 
  for an answer, takes his beer and heads for Malone's table.

Sally MacKay's smile doubles at Salem's, and she accepts the bag 
  unquestioningly. "Sure thing," she assures him as she tucks it behind the 
  bar.

JJ Malone's chin lifts a fraction as Salem approaches, leaning back when he's 
  close enough to determine that the Ronin is, in fact, moving to join him. He 
  nods again, this time adding, "Good evening, Mr. Salem."

"Good evening, JJ Malone," Salem reponds, smoothly skipping over the issue of 
  gender titles. "Mind if I join you?"

Sally MacKay moves down the bar to chat with a young man approching with a 
  mostly empty mug.

JJ Malone shakes his head once. "No," he answers forthrightly. "You come here 
  often?" Despite what it sounds, he says it in a way that it sounds like a 
  literal question.

Salem sets the mug down and seats himself across from the Walker. "Yes, 
  actually." A wry smile touches his lips, but doesn't quite reach his eyes. 
  "Mustang there is generous when you ask her right." He indicates Sally with 
  a motion of his head.

"Generous?" the Glass Walker echoes with incomprehension.

"Free beer," the Ronin clarifies.

Sally MacKay smiles and leans across the bar as she chats with the customer, 
  then heads off with his mug as he waits for the refill.

JJ Malone ahs, the sound clipped. "Reggie know about it?"

Salem's smile becomes crooked. "I'd hope so. Mustang is generous with a lot of 
  people." He takes a drag on his cigarette and switches gears. "I'm glad I 
  ran into you."

JJ Malone looks to the blonde speculatively, for a second, before his gaze 
  slides back to Salem. "Oh?" he asks eloquently, reaching to take a deep 
  drink of his beer.

Once she returns with the guy's beer, Sally teases him a moment, offering it 
  then pulling it back to her. He seems anything but bothered by the game, 
  smiling bemusedly at her as she speaks to him from behind it.

Salem leans forward. "Two things." He pauses to tap ash into a nearby ashtray. 
  "One, I'm no longer living at the Rialto. I've got an apartment over in 
  Holland Place." He grimaces. "A piece of shit rathole, but it has running 
  water. Sometimes."

Casper watches Sally, his presence probably forgotten by most, having not 
  moved or said anything in awhile.

JJ Malone nods, and grunts once. "*Good*. Second?" he asks, pulling out his 
  cigarettes to start up a fresh one with an economy of practiced gesture.

Salem relaxes a notch at Malone's approval. "Second, you might already know." 
  His voice lowers so that it doesn't carry past the two of them. "Full moon 
  strike at the hospital. Barlow's in charge."

The man finally gets his beer, pays, then gets a wave from Sally before he 
  returns to his game.

A grimace goes through J.J.'s expression, as he takes a deep inhalation from 
  the cigarette. "I heard something was up, if not what exactly." He blows out 
  a plume of smoke.

Salem leans on his elbows, gesturing slightly with his cigarette hand. "I know 
  Barlow wants me involved. Can't say I blame him. I'd like to consider my 
  involvement as... proof of my worth, but frankly, I do /not/ want to do it 
  flipside."

JJ Malone's mouth twitches once at Salems words, scrutinizing the ronin. 
  "Depends. What's he got planned?"

Sally MacKay wanders back to Boo. Reaching out to touch his glass, she asks, 
  "Ready for a refill?"

Casper looks down at his glass and up to Sally. He nods, "Sure, yes, please." 
  he glances at a pool table, "How much does it cost to shoot pool here?"

Salem takes in another lungful of cigarette smoke and then lets it out. "I 
  think he wants it cleaned out for good. Very official, this outing. Full 
  moon. Other than that, you'd have to ask him. Or I will."

Sally MacKay names Casper the usual prices, then she drops her voice as she 
  continues, nodding towards the tables as she does.

Casper looks up to Sally and nods, grinning a little, "Well... okay. Thanks 
  Sally." he stands up and goes to one of the tables in the back. He racks the 
  balls then tries to center them exactly right. He crouches low, eyeing the 
  configuration from different angles and then moves to stand back.

JJ Malone frowns. "Wyrmfoe. No, this is...the Alpha's doing, I think." He 
  falls into silence and considers for a heartbeat. "I need to speak with him 
  anyway," he answers obliquely. "If what you do falls within the parameters 
  I've outlined for the terms of your admission price..." he trails off with a 
  shrug. "Can't make any kind of decision until I hear more."

Salem nods and sits back in his chair. "Understood." And, it seems, he /does/ 
  understand, or at least is putting on the appearance thereof. He fulls his 
  lungs with firsthand smoke again and smiles slightly.

Sally MacKay smiles as Boo heads for his table, then glances towards Salem and 
  JJ. "You guys ready for another round?" she calls.

JJ Malone shakes his head at Sally's question. "I'm good to go. Just checking 
  in." The chair scrapes against the floor as he gets to his feet, offering 
  his hand out across the table to Salem. "Give me a page later if you find 
  out anything."

Salem lifts his nearly-empty glass in a salute to the Walker and rises, 
  pushing back his chair. "Will do."

Sally MacKay nods to the answer, watching idly as the two make their good byes.

JJ Malone leaves his glass with a small tip, nodding to Casper and Sally with 
  recognition, then heads out.
JJ Malone steps outside to the street.
JJ Malone has left.

Salem, his mood now greatly improved, heads back for the bar and sets his 
  glass down for a refill.

"Things okay?" but this time Sally's question is colored by her smile. She 
  glances back, waiting for the answer as she gets the beer.

Salem perches himself on a stool. "Things are a damned sight better, yes."

"Cool," Sally nods, returning both the beer and the bag-wrapped game to Salem.

Casper still tries to rack the balls properly, perfectly. Again and again he 
  lifts the plastic rack, trying not to disturb the balls. Finally he succeeds 
  and smiles to himself. He goes over and grabs a pool cue, chalking it up.

Bailey pushes the door to the Pool Hall open with his elbow, as his hands are 
  jammed into his jacket pockets from the cold. He shivers a little from the 
  lack of heat, and looks around.

Salem takes the paper bag and sets it down by his feet again. The Ronin shakes 
  another cigarette from the crumpled pack and lights it, his expression 
  self-satisfied.

Casper waves to Bailey, "Hey, hello... pool?" he points to the table grinning 
  hopefully.

"Hey Bailey," Sally calls, then looks back to Salem. "He a friend of yours, or 
  what?"

"More of an associate," Salem replies.

Bailey gives a friendly nod to Sally, and brightens as he sees the 'Gazer. He 
  grins, and goes to the nearest wall to snatch a cue for himself. "No sweat, 
  Boo. Gotta warn you, though, I know what I'm doing."

Sally MacKay looks back to the table he and JJ had been using, pausing as she 
  thinks. She drops her voice as she looks back to Salem, "He was one of you 
  guys, I think? I think Jeremy told me he was...?"

Casper nods and rubs at his nose, "Oh do you? Well good... I have some skill, 
  mostly just a good eye for angles and no finesse... I can sink a ball now 
  and then though." he waves the cue around as he talks. "Would you like to 
  break?"

Salem nods to Sally, and then taps the side of his nose, secretively.

Bailey hmmms for a moment, and looks around, eyes resting on Salem for a 
  moment before turning back to Casper. He shakes his head. "Nah. I'll let you 
  do the honors."

Sally MacKay nods as she leans forward against the bar. "I thought so." Then 
  her voice drops again, almost to a whisper, "You were going to tell me about 
  silver? And why it didn't work?"

Salem hesitates with the beer glass halfway to his lips. "Not here."

Casper bow shis head, "Sure thanks, well I won't turn it down." he backs off 
  behind the table, the light's overhead casting his face partly in darkness 
  and as his brow furrows in thought, he looks much more dramatic than he 
  rightly should. He slowly bends down and gives a quick snap with the cue, 
  breaking the balls but sinking none. He bites his lip, "Oh... oh well. Go 
  ahead Bailey."

"Later then," Sally nods, half asking and half agreeing.

Salem smiles warmly at the blonde and swallows a goodly amount of beer.

Bailey nods slowly, and walks around half of the table, eyes focused on the 
  cue. His eyes narrow as he leans forward. A snap of the cue, and the red 3 
  goes bareling towards the corner pocket, only to rebound off the raises edge 
  before the hole at the last second. The Galliard winces at the shot, but 
  grins humorously, looking back to Casper. "Speed kills, bud. Your shot."

Sally waits till Salem is done drinking, then helps herself to his mug. 
  "You're smiling again, Mr. Sunshine."

Casper watches and nods, clearly focussed on the game now. He does some odd 
  measurings and judging of angles with his cue before taking his shot. He 
  sinks two striped and misses the third. He hmms and nods, then gestures for 
  Bailey to proceed.

Salem reaches out and taps Sally on the nose. "Careful," he murmurs, half 
  serious, half light. "Moon's waxing."

Bailey chuckles. "Good shooting," he says, and positions himself again. He 
  sinks the 3, and manages to sink another solid on the next shot, along with 
  a stripe. he chuckles again. "Just not my night," he mumbles, and gives 
  Casper another friendly look. "So, what's been going on tonight? Anything 
  cool?"

Casper shakes his head as he angles up and schemes his next shot. "Not really 
  no... just taking a break I guess. I've been wandering around, collecting 
  recylables from garbage bins to earn some money... it's more tiring than I 
  thought it would be." he fires off a shot and sinks one stripe. He misses 
  the next.

Sally MacKay tisks playfully, closing her eyes and letting him 'hit' her nose. 
  "Yeah, yeah," she says as she stands up from her lean, her expression 
  sobering. "I know."

Salem moves his shoulder in an offhanded shrug. "It's nothing to worry about."

"That's easy for you to say," now it's Sally's turn to be half serious. She 
  smiles and reaches a hand to touch the small of her back, then drops her 
  voice again, "No -special- bullets yet."

Bailey nods. "Yeah. Me, Elan, Hank and the others have been doing the same 
  thing for Jimmy. Gets hard to scrounge around after a while." He notices the 
  cue next to a solid that's in front of the side pocket. He concentrates for 
  a moment, and banks the cue ball off the opposite rail to come back and tap 
  the solid in. He drills another solin into a corner pocket, then bounces the 
  cue in on the next shot. "Sheesh. again."

Casper smiles placidly and sinks three this time before finally missing. "How 
  goes your new life anyhow?"

Salem snorts in mild derision at Sally's remark. "You can shoot?"

Sally MacKay nods firmly. "Damn straight I can. Jeremy and I used to go to the 
  range all the time. I got some of those paper targets at home, I'll show you 
  next time," she says proudly.

Salem nods approvingly at this. "Good. A gun isn't perfect, but better than a 
  knife."

Bailey raises an eyebrow, noticing Casper has only the 8-ball left on the 
  table, and that he has three solids left. "Damn cool," he mutters, and nods 
  to the Theurge. "Well, it's only temporary, til Pete says it's over. It's a 
  change, that's for sure," he says, and drops 2 balls in, missing the shot on 
  the last solid. "I miss my apartment and all, but I see it as a survival 
  experiment. No matter what, Boo," he says, voice going soft, "I know I 
  belong with them. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else."

Sally glances around the room before nodding. "Yeah." Restlessness seems to be 
  welling up in her again.

Casper smiles faintly and sinks the 8-ball firmly and quickly without his 
  usual calculations. He replaces the cue on the wall and picks up his water, 
  taking a long haul off it. Nodding, "I'm truly glad to hear that Bailey. 
  It's good when things work out, yes?"

Salem glances over his shoulder at the pool game and then looks back at Sally, 
  observing her with a quirked half-smile.

Bailey grins, and sets the balls back into the holder. "Yeah, bro, it is. 
  S'funny, don't think things started to work out til I came to this city. So 
  much shit's changed, I'm not even the same person I was like, three months 
  ago." His eyes unfocus for a second. he nods his head grimly, and leans in 
  to whisper something in the younger man's ear.

Distracted, Sally isn't looking back at Salem and probably doesn't notice his 
  attention. She licks her lips, then takes an empty glass and fills it at the 
  sink; the kinswoman drains it all.

Casper nods to Bailey, "Okay, thanks for the game Bailey... have a good night 
  and say hi to the gang for me."

Bailey smiles, clapping Casper on the shoulder. "I will, bud," he chimes, and 
  turns. He gives a friendly wave to Sally and Salem as he leave the hall.
Bailey has left.

Casper returns to the bar, sitting two stools away from Salem.

Salem regards Casper and then dismisses him from his gaze, letting his eyes 
  wander over the rest of the pool hall.

Sally MacKay sticks her glass into the sink, then turns and smiles at Boo. 
  "How's Bailey doing?"

Casper smiles quietly, eyes flicking now and then towards Salem, "Very well it 
  seems, very well. He's found his... place in this world perhaps, at least 
  for now. Not all of us can say the same."

Sally MacKay's chuckle is almost wry. "Yeah."

Casper matches Sally's grin, "Speaking of which, how goes school?"

Sally MacKay laughs and her eyes cut warningly to Salem before she answers, 
  "Evenything there's fine, I'm sure."

Salem just smirks in reply to Sally's warning glance and says nothing.

Casper says "What do you learn there? Psychology was it?"

"Right, I transfered in as a psych major," Sally seems as amused by this game 
  of hers as she does any of her others.

Casper taps his finger on the bar and his eyes widen slightly as he looks at 
  Sally, "You don't go anymore..." hard to tell if that's a question or a 
  deduction.

Sally laughs, "Aw, he got me." To the Gazer she nods. "Yeah I cut out this 
  semester."

Casper nods, sighing, "Well maybe the sort of education the school was 
  offering is not the kind you need or want. Something like that?"

Sally MacKay shrugs and nods, willing to accept his idea as well as anyone 
  else's. "Right, and the money's better here, anyway."

Jason steps in from the street.
Jason has arrived.

"Mustang knows what she wants," says Salem, taking a drag on his cigarette. 
  "Which is a fuck of a lot more than most people can say."

Casper nods slowly, not looking Salem's way. He finishes off his water and 
  says looking at Sally, "She is a person of action... of courage, mmm, yes. 
  Do you know what you want though Sally?"

Behind the bar, Sally glances at Casper. She shrugs her answer, "Sure. Who 
  doesn't?"

Casper chuckles, "Me I suppose."

Jason sidles into the pool hall, stopping for just a moment to take off his 
  sunglasses and stick them into a jacket pocket before looking around. He 
  notices Sally's presence with a small smile, but doesn't go towards her, 
  noticing that she's engaged in conversation. Instead, he orbits the pool 
  tables for a bit, watching games in progress.

Sally MacKay's eyes go to the door as it opens. "Hey there," she calls to 
  Jason, adding a smile and a wave. "If you want a drink or a table, just give 
  a yell." Looking back to Casper, "No?"

[Jason]
This probably late-teens/early-twenties young man is just a little shorter 
  than average, maybe about 5'10" or so. His wardrobe seems to suffer from a 
  surfeit of black, with his somewhat dirtied white tee shirt hanging loosely 
  on his lanky frame the only bit of color he wears. Over that and his black 
  denim jeans, he's also wearing a black trenchcoat that seems to be removed 
  only seldomly. His short dark hair seems to be mussed, probably uncombed for 
  a little while, though perhaps combed earlier today. He seems to have a 
  penchant for silver jewelry--his single ear cuff, herringbone necklace, two 
  rings, and bracelet are all silver. His deep brown eyes are usually hidden 
  behind a pair of mirrored sunglasses, even early in the evening.

Casper says simply, "No. Not yet."

Sally huhs and though she doesn't look much like she understands, nods.

Casper grins widely at Sally's expression, "So what's your life purpose, Sally 
  MacKay?

"Beer?" Sally answers with a joke.

You say "Beer. Dancing. And beefcake."

Salem regards Sally with arched eyebrows and a smug little smile.

"Beefcake not named Salem," Sally amends with a grin.

Casper looks from Salem to Sally and chuckles lowly. "Well someone apparently 
  knows you better than I. Beer eh? I'm not really familiar with that school 
  of philosophy..."

Sally MacKay chuckles. "I could teach you, if you like."

Salem makes a dismissive gesture. "I'm just biding my time, Mustang."

Casper hmms, "I'm thinking the way of beer is probably just as expensive as 
  university, if it's to be taught well... I'm low on cash."

Sally MacKay mmms, smiling as she eyes Salem, "We'll see." Then to Casper she 
  grins, "Yeah, it can be, actually."

Salem smirks and draws another lungful of smoke into his body.

Casper nods, "And there's no scholarships for that... ah well, maybe some 
  other day. What has beer taught you so far?"

Sally MacKay answers without pause, "How to have a good time."

"And feel sick in the morning," Salem adds, deadpan.

Casper says "There can't be true pleasure without pain though, right?"

"You'd know about that," Sally counters Salem.

Salem retorts, "So would you."

Jason continues wandering the tables, glancing at each of the games in 
  turn, before heading over towards the bar. "I'd like a Coke for now," he 
  asks, ignoring the two people talking with and around Sally.

"You got it," Sally answers, grinning as she ignores Salem, then she does a 
  double take at Jason. "Hey there, Trey. How's it going?" She moves off to 
  get his drink.

Salem smiles as though he'd won a battle, the curve of his lips smug and 
  self-satisfied, the glint in his eyes feral and arrogant.

Casper stands up suddenly and pushes his empty glass towards Sally. "Thanks 
  for everything tonight Sally... maybe you could write my a list of books I 
  can read about the way of beer?" a smile to her and then a light nod, "Night 
  Mr. Salem."

Salem glances at Casper and gives the thin young man a neutral nod.

Sally MacKay chuckles as she returns wtih Jason's soda. "Yeah, I'll work on 
  that. Night Boo." She places the Coke in front of the Corax.

Casper wanders out with a slow step.

Jason smirks slightly. "The Tao of Beer. Sounds like a self-help pop-psych 
  new-age faux-Oriental-philosophy book. Thanks, Madame Mustang," he says, 
  taking the Coke.

Casper steps outside to the street.
Casper has left.

"Welcome, Trey." Sally waves inviting to the empty stool to Salem's left, "Pop 
  a squat."

Salem turns dark eyes toward Jason and regards the young man measuringly.

Jason takes the offered seat, apologizing, "I didn't mean to interrupt 
  anything. If you were talking or whatever, I can go back out and get into a 
  game."

Sally MacKay shakes her head. "Salem doesn't mind," she indicates the Ronin 
  with a wave, "He's the friendly, out-going type. He'd talk to a wall, if no 
  one else was aroung." Her lips twitch as she tries to hide her grin.

Salem shakes his head and then finishes off his beer. "I was just heading 
  out." The Ronin pushes to his feet, mood mellowed by good news and several 
  beers, and flashes Sally a rogueish dark smile. "Be seeing you, Mustang."

Sally MacKay aws and smiles, then gives Salem a wave. "Night."

You step through the front doors to the street.