Another Encounter with Renee

[hazlogs]

It is currently 16:50 Pacific Time on Sat Oct 27 2001.

Currently in Saint Claire, it is a cloudy day. The temperature is 44
degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in
from the northeast at 3 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 30.04 and
rising, and the relative humidity is 89 percent. The dewpoint is 41
degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius.)

Currently the moon is in the waxing Gibbous Moon phase (71% full).

Harbor Park -- The Meadow

One of the last bastions of green left in the city, mottled and withered
grass and weeds covers the earth like a badly stained carpet, with the
construction work turning what is left into just bare dirt. The vegetation
seems marginally healthier the further it is from the river and much
healthier towards the central area of the park around the fountain.
Construction work is ongoing here: a raised earthen berm about five feet
tall is being built all around the park perimeter, with two breaks each at
the Bridge Street entrance and the First Street end. Wooden posts are
being erected at regular intervals all along the earthen wall, while
tasteful iron gates and fences are being added at the entrances.
Overpowering the scent of living vegetation are the exhaust fumes from a
busy street to the west and an unpleasant stench from the Columbia River
to the east. From the street view or river view, the park is now isolated,
as if it existed apart from the city. People in tall buildings have an
excellent view of any goings-ons for now, though. In the center of the
park, a small glade of six tall trees and a flower bed surrounds the
fountain.

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.

Renee is back in the park again, making her rounds and checking the
various garbage cans.

Salem stalks into the park, coat buttoned up against the chill and hands
stuffed into his pockets. His gait is slow but steady, rather predatory in
fact. His scarred face looks like it could have been made out of stone.

Renee looks up from her scrounging, squinting to see who it is. Recognizing
the scarred face, she snatches something out of the can she is rummaging
through and moves toward the fence.

Salem catches the sudden movement; his eyes narrow, and in a moment he's
heading toward her, moving to intercept the girl's path to the fence.

Renee looks over her shoulder and notices that the scarred man is moving
to block her path. Not good. The girl continues to move toward the fence,
pretending that she did not notice Salem.

Salem's voice carries easily across the distance between them, its tone
one not to be ignored. "I know you saw me, girl. Unless you want me to
catch you on the run again, stop."

Renee turns around and stops, hands behind her back. "I didn't do
anything."

Salem continues walking toward the girl, slower now that she isn't trying
to flee. He arches a brow, his expression dubious, and gives the area
around the trash cans a quick glance, checking for litter before he
returns his eye back to her. "Nothing at all, hm?"

There is some litter, but mostly around the can she was inspecting last.
Considering that she left it in haste. "What. The garbage your property or
something?"

"Of course not," Salem responds, with a hint of scorn. He stops a few feet
away and stares down at her. "But one has to wonder what drives a nice
young lady like yourself to spend her days rooting through the trash in
the cold." The sardonic touch at 'nice young lady' is difficult to resist,
all things considered.

"Sorry, not interested," the girl responds with a scowl. "I don't do the
food'n bed for being a nice lady in return." Well, Renee is mistaking
Salem for a pimp. That's probably a new one. "Anyway, gotta go. Bye!" That
said, the girl throws the item that she was hiding behind her back at
Salem's face. An open bag with doggie poop in it, before making a break
for the fence.

Salem ducks the flying missile automatically, and it strikes him in the
shoulder rather than the face. Even so, his face twists into a murderous
snarl, and without a moment's hesitation he takes off after the girl. "You
little _shit_!"

Renee makes the fence, but looses precious seconds as she tries to
scramble over it.

Salem displays that inhuman speed that he demonstrated on their last
meeting, closing the distance in record time and lunging upward to grab
the girl by whatever's convenient -- leg, shirt, backpack. At the moment,
he doesn't care about the niceties.

Renee's right leg gets nabbed and she is nearly yanked off the fence,
holding on by the tips of her fingers.

The gibbous moon's fat and waxing fatter, and Salem's rage is still riding
high; he's not frenzied, but it's close. He uses the girl's leg as
leverage to help haul himself upward, his weight and strength apt to pull
her down even as it lets him get a second grip. "Fucking little---!"

Renee's left leg hangs free, as Salem pulls on her right leg. She holds on
a few seconds more, before loosing her grip on the fence.

"--piece of shit!" Salem finishes his invective as the girl comes free off
the fence, dragging her back to the ground. He releases her leg just long
enough to get a grip on her shirt, and his free hand, clenched into a
fist, cocks back... and stops.

Renee lifts her hands in front of her face protectivly, taking a careful
peak around them when she doesn't end up with a broken nose.

Rationality returns to Salem's one good eye, beating back the flames of
rage. His fist lowers, the grip he has on her shirt loosening. "Shit," he
says quietly, and abruptly lets the kid go, turning away. "Shit, fuck,
damn." He says a lot more, but it isn't in English.

Renee tugs at her shirt, straightening it out as she watches the Philodox
swear. She is a little pissed off herself. That, and an aparently
underdeveloped a sense of self preservation, keeps her in the area. Even
if she scrambles over the fence and watches from the other side.

Salem, without turning back around, walks back toward where the plastic
bag and dogshit present lies on the ground and picks it up, his face still
set into a grimace. He doesn't even look to see what the girl is doing, or
if she's even still there.

Renee remains where she is, keeping watch through the protective barrier
of the fence.

Salem drops the plastic-wrapped shit back into the trash can, and
wordlessly picks up the bit that got scattered about in Renee's quick
escape-attempt. Not once does he look back at the fence.

Renee senses something off a story here, and her curiosity gets the better
of her. Galliard's have alwasy been suckers when it comes to an
interesting story. "So whats eatin' you?"

Salem pulls a handkerchief out of a coat pocket and wipes off his hands --
not to mention his coat -- with a frown, turning only when the girl
speaks. He regards her with a rather bemused expression, as though
surprised that she hasn't simply vanished, and then grimaces. "Bad habits.
I'm sorry if I frightened you."

Renee blinks, mildly taken aback. "You look nasty enough to creep people
out. Car accident, or somethin?"

Salem's smile is dry, crooked, and heavily sardonic. "Something like
that." He balls up the handkerchief and stuffs it, after a moment, back
into his pocket, his expression sobering. "What I said earlier. This is
the second time I've seen you out here and rooting through trash. It's not
_safe_ out here, girl."

Renee shrugs. "Most places in this city aren't safe. Thats just the way
things are."

"That, I'll grant you," says Salem, with a slight inclination of his head.
The rage is still there, but well submerged. "Still, the park is one of
the... less safe areas." His lips thin. "But, I suppose you're convinced
that you can take care of yourself."

"For the most part," Renee admits.

Salem grunts. "Well, it's on your head, ultimately," he says, rather
dourly. He glances upwards, taking a breath, then pulls out his wallet and
fishes out a ten-dollar bill. Walking toward the fence, he remarks, dryly,
"I'm going to regret this, but here." He offers the cash through the
fence. "Call it an apology, buy yourself... whatever. A meal, preferably."

Renee eyes Salem for a second, then snatches the money and takes off down
the street.

Salem watches her go, then turns and heads deeper into the park to brood.