never know what you're going to find

who: kayos and socko
where: near lower harbor park
when: late

Kayos was looking at her building again. Teddy was already in the process of making it hers. So, when that was finalized, she'd have the place. This huge, falling apart yet kinda cool building. Wiiiith spraypaint on the outside. She was sitting in a snowbank, tilting her head to the side this way and that as she eyed said graphiti, attempting to figure out if either the artist was really good, really awful, or if she was just looking at it all wrong. She was also debating if she was actually going to clear it off of the place, or leave it there, just because. It wasn't like she was renovating the place so it could be the new mecca of shiny in town or anything. In fact, the more quietly she could do things the better, in her book. Packing a snowball, she tossed it between her hands then she pegged it at the building, to hear the satisfying thwack it made when it hit. Okay so she was easily amused.

"Settin' your sights kinda low, baby doll!" came the call from the bicycle path behind Kayos and her new building as Socko watched in amusement. He was out again, making the usual rounds across town to drop off a bag here and there and taking his time to cut through the harbor park. Last night had been a good, lazy evening, what with skipping patrol to go to the movies with jerilyn, but today Socko was forcing himself to be as serious as he ever got. He'd get his dropoffs done, clean his gun before dark, and sweep the town like normal.

Or he'd been planning to before a delightful little surprise showed itself in the form of Kayos pelting her building with a snowball. "S'hard to miss that kinda target, dig? What, you throwin' your first snowball?" he called with a lazy grin on his scruffy cheeks, slurping from the cocoa he'd picked up while walking.

"Well, ya know, I was told once I couldn't hit the side of a barn with a snowshovel, and I tested the theory, and found out that it was entirely a groundless accusation." Kayos said, turning to the guy and smiling brightly. "However I took it under advisement, and have been testing other ones. Like I can totally hit the ground by falling on it, I hit the water when falling out of boats, and I can hit the side of a building with a snowball. I know, it's a little outside the range of cliche, but I like to keep it fresh." she told him. "It's not my first snowball, but it's the first in a long time, I figured I'd ease back into the whole throwing frozen-water-bits thing, train easy..."

For a time, Socko had gotten tired of blondes. It seemed like every girl he dealt to on campus was a blonde, always flirting at him just to stir up some trouble. And while he was satisfied with his current woman? He never got tired of being a bit flirtatious, it just came so easily with his Cheshire smiles and slacker charm. "Train easy?" he echoed, setting his cocoa down and balling snow in his hands, "Most folk jus' call that playin', shortie."

Socko winked, lining up the angle to where her snowball still clumped on the wall, letting his own fly to smack into the same spot and wad up with hers. " 'Course, I ain't somebody who frowns on playin'," he added, reaching up to scratch at a scruffy cheek.

Kayos' eyes widened slightly when she saw him bullseye her shot. "Wow. Nice hit." she told him, impressed. "Well, you've got me beat." she said. "Might as well give up my dreams of being an olympic snowballist. I'd really pinned hopes and dreams on it too. I had this case for the gold medal and everything, thanks a lot." she mock-huffed, walking over closer to him and brushing snow off her back end. "Way to crush a dream, Random Guy."

Need a hand dustin' off? It was a little too forward, but the thought alone made Socko smile as he watched her head over. "Aw, f'real? You could still hit some silver medal, yeah? I mean, I'm on that sports scholarship for sledding, but the snowball coach keeps hittin' a playa up to join the team. An' I'm jus' like 'hell no, coach Frosty! I seen them Russians throwin' ice cubes at each other!'." He crouched down to reclaim his cocoa, dusting off a hand as she got closer. "Soory for crushin' your dreams, I guess," Socko went on, winking, " 'Cept I ain't Random Guy, that dude owes me thirty bucks. Name's Socko."

"Those sneaky Russians and their world class ice throwing. Though! I did hear rumors that there was going to be an Eskimo team coming in under the radar, and they're going to kick everyone's asses." she told him in a conspiratorial tone. "So, I'm afraid, even if you aren't in the running, if you're sticking to sledding, I probably wouldn't actually get it anyhow. It was just a pipe dream. Guess I'll have to go back to my old, boring dreams of being a princess with my very own unicorn." she said with a heavy sigh and a tsk as she shook her head. "Nice to meet you, Socko. I'm Kayos. And I'll forgive you just this once for dream-stompage. But do it again, and there'll be dire consequences. They might include but are not limited to feathers and fake little rubber snakes and spiders."

He blinked at her, fighting and losing to a genuinely delighted and amused smile at all of that. Socko tried to stifle it with a swig from his drink, wiping froth from his lip and shaking his head at himself. "Girl, there's so much weird in what you jus' said I'd have to take off my kicks if I wanted to tally it all, an' it's too cold to lose the shoes," he praised playfully, "Ain't somethin' that hits me too often, either. Celebrate that shit, dig?"

She beamed at him brightly, a playfully proud expression on her face. "Why thank you, I tend to pride myself on keeping people on their toes, so, glad to know something I've done has at the very least sparked toe-thoughts of some description." she said. "And I shall celebrate it!" She hopped up and down and clapped--though the clapping left something to be desired as she was wearing mittens. "I rock! Yay!" she cheered. "Okay I'm done, that was my celebratory dance. Usually there's more fire and shit, but it's cold out, and really, fire dancing is so last year."

"Naw, naw," Socko demanded with feigned offense, "Can't tell a fella an' not deliver! Where's the flames? Where's the cabaret girls? At least drop some confetti, yeah?" He looked past her to the building and the hints of grafitti peeking out from their snowballs, smirking a little. "So what, you an art critic? Chose the wrong 'burg for that, doll, ain't three writers round these blocks worth tryin' to scope." He figured she was new, Socko hadn't seen her on campus or anything, but who could really say? And directly asking was far too direct for him, cute woman or not.

"Aww, sorry sweetie, I'm all out of confetti. I totally used it up earlier with a really sweet 'ta-daaaa!' I gave someone else. So, you're too late. Some other time, I promise." she said. Then she glanced back at the building at the art in question. "No, I just am in the process of buying the place, and I was trying to decide if I wanted to keep it or not. I mean, it's not really hurting anything, 'cept maybe the brain. I mean, it could use a little more color and all, and maybe some better aesthetics, but all in all, it's not really harmful. It's not an offense to humanity or anything. Maybe the art world, but then again, the art world reveres things that looks like a four year old could have done it just before nap time."

"Buyin' the place?" Socko echoed, impressed and surprised by that claim, "Snap, K!" The shortening of her name just seemed natural to him. "Yeah, guess I see the dilemma, you know? If you buy a place, gotta hope it's at least got some good scrawl on it. This ain't shit, but it's not good neither." Not that he could do much better, really. "So what, you renovatin'? Turning it into apartments? Tell a man he gets a hottie landlord an' I'll drop a deposit here an' now for a room," he teased, reaching up to tuck an unruly curl of hair behind one ear.

She laughed. "Sorry, slugger, but I'm not turning it into apartments. But if I happen to suddenly get the burning desire to become a landlord, I'll totally look you up so you can do that. I mean, if you're going to be calling me hot and everything, it's good for my self esteem." she told him with a firm nod. Then she looked back at the building. "I'm just kind of fixing it up. I can't say I'm entirely certain yet what exactly I'm doing with it, I just liked the arches in the doorframes and windows. What can I say, I'm easily amused."

Socko chuckled and nodded his agreement. He had no real desire to change locations, but the banter was an easy way to segue towards trying for a sale. "An' well funded, I'm guessin'," he mused, "So how 'bout you combine the two?" He stepped in a little closer, voice lowering but not losing any of the friendly ease. "Some folk call me the welcome wagon, an' if you lookin' to be amused? A fella's got hookups," Socko explained, producing his harmonica case and snapping it open to display a few of the pre-rolled joints he normally brought with him. "Ain't no charge or nothin', jus' lookin' to welcome you to the neighborhood. All the strange shit we see? Hell, this might be a highlight for you, doll."

Kayos glanced at the case, then looked back up to Socko's eyes. "Really? You're just gonna hit me up, right here, right now, going for being the local pusher." she said. "No thanks. I'm more than crazy enough as it is, and frankly, sweetie, it's a bit on the sleezy side, that whole deal." she said, making a sort of negligent gesture. Really one of the only major drug users she'd known was Spider. Who was more or less high all the time, but Spider had pretty much kept it to himself, too. He'd been happy to share if someone was asking, but he wasn't a pusher. He was just Spider. ...who was apparently her spirit guide or something, which was just weird, even if she appreciated it in an odd sort of way. It might have been endearing, if it wasn't also vaguely disturbing. "Don't really need those kind of highlights, I make my own fun."

"I'm not pushin'," Socko protested, seeming nonplussed as he snapped the case shut and put it away, "Just offerin'. Met a few people 'round here who din' know nobody when they got here, they appreciated the offer. If it's not your thing? It's not your thing." It was never an issue to him, Socko really knew that he'd smoke far less weed if it wasn't for his headaches. "Din' want to come off as sleazin' on you, so give a guy a pass on that score."

"Mmhm. Not pushing when you specifically noted that I've got money to burn?" she said, looking at him again. "And maybe some people do but man, that was quick to hop on that train. Didn't even fish for the whether or not I was cool with it angle first. Which obviously I'm really kinda not. So yeah, definitely hitting up the sleezy meter there." she told him, figuring that at least she could give her reasons. She found it better to let people know why she thought things as opposed to just sharing an opinion, because if they got where she saw it from, they might keep it in mind for later. Or y'know, totally disregard anything she had to say, which was a viable option as well. She shrugged one shoulder. "Also this is a town where I'm pretty sure the cops really don't have anything better to do than to slap people with possession charges. Tresspassing was actually going to be a chore last night. I mean, I managed and all, but still. I think the same one drove by like six times in four hours."

He chuckled dryly, surprised but also amused by the insight. Socko had probably pushed too quick, true, but usually it was welcome when he did. "Truth? Most times when I got a shorty chattin' it up with me, she's lookin' to piss off her fella or hook up a sack. Guess I just made an ass outta me and 'umption'." Socko didn't seem offended, though he felt a little silly at being turned down for the first time in a long time, and it showed. "An' your cop's not due back 'round for another forty-five or so, I'm bettin'." More than betting, really, but he couldn't say as much.

"Yeah, but Umption's a dick anyways. Hate that guy, he deserved it." Kayos said seriously. "And possibly not. Though techincally tonight I could tell him I own the place and if they pulled the paperwork up, which I'm not entirely certain they'd do until I started shouting for a lawyer, they'd find my name on it. So...it's much less tresspassing tonight and a lot more ill advised urban decay trekking." she said. "So, that's it, huh? No one talks to you otherwise, just to have a conversation?"

That? Was a depressing thing to consider. Aside from Bu or Jeri, who actually tried to chat up Socko? He thought about it, realizing most of the time it was stoned people looking to ramble about music. "S'like bein' a butcher or somethin', most people jus' wanna talk 'bout your work. An' I got no 'Closed' sign, so folks that know me normally try linin' something up. Just a professional hazard." One that stretched into his hunting career too, though that was a less open topic to touch on. "Cops or no, you jus' make sure you got somewhere solid after dark, dig? Shit gets flipped 'round here after sundown."

"Why not find a different profession? Maybe you wouldn't feel quite so much like just furniture in someone else's life." she said. And she put it like that because she'd been there, had felt like that upon occasion. Generally she got over it, but there were certain people in her life that had struck that cord with her. "For the record, I'm talking to you just to talk to you. I don't want anything and you're not being used for anything either." she told him. Then she had to pause, watching him as she considered. "Did you just tell me to watch out after dark because this town isn't such a great place to be then?" she asked.

And again, a lot of Socko's answer wasn't anything he could share. He needed to exist out of the public eye, in some line of work that didn't require asking for time off or explaining his juvenile record. "Not a whole lot of actual work here for a college dropout," he said instead, nodding at Kayos' question, "And hell yes I did. Ghosts is the pretty little sugar flowers on our fucked up cake. So it's good you talkin' to me, just for that at least. Step light if you goin' out."

"Did I walk into a Stephen King novel?" she asked curiously. Of course, she knew what was out there, but it was interesting to hear the warning from an entirely independant source. "What's the fucked up cake part of the fucked up cake? Is there sinister raspberry filling?" she asked, and her tone actually wasn't mocking. She was honestly asking, she just happened to be good with rolling with already in place analogies.

"Awright, I know this is gonna sound like a case of 'homeboy tokes too much'? But hand to god it's true," Socko disclaimed, reaching up to scratch through his hat. "You dig on the idea of werewolves? Like, them old movies where a dude gets bit and then turns into one?" He'd eventually figured out that that had been the cause of the attacks during the last full moon, and the idea that such rules were in play just reminded Socko how little he really knew, despite having survived as a hunter for a couple of years now.

"Yes sir. I'm an avid horror movie fan." Kayos told him. "You telling me we've got werewolves?" she asked lightly. Though at least there wasn't doubt in her tone. She didn't sound like she was humoring him or anything, or making fun. She was asking. She knew she still had to catch up on what exactly had been going down in this town before she'd hit the scene.

"You telling me you don' think I'm fucking with you?" Socko asked in kind, smiling curiously. Nothing leapt out at him in the invisible factors surrounding Kayos, but he'd always thought that normal people who knew the truth were fairly rare. "And... had. We had some for a while, think we gon' find out soon if we still got a problem there." The moon's cycles kept shifting, after all. " 'Course, they was like three links into the chain of strange shit, if not more. I ain't from the area, you know?"

She nodded. Yep. She got it. "What other links do you know about?" she asked. "And no, I don't think you're fucking with me. Though if you were, it'd be a particularly odd bent to take, so at least you'd get points for creativity. Y'know, if that was the case, which I don't think it is." which didn't necessarily tell him she knew. But it said she thought he believed it.

"Shit," Socko said with a laugh, shaking his head, "You don' think I'm crazy yet, you will. We seen shadows come alive, had half a'town burn down from some pyro-ass vampires, good ol' demon cats pissed all over the other half... yeah, this town's got a strange-ass sense of tourist attractions." And he'd survived them all, somehow. How long could Socko's luck hold out before he picked the wrong probability? And was that why he always tried to warn people? To cover as many as he could before he did get taken out?

"Interesting." she said. "And yes, I'd say that qualifies as strange. Do you go around warning everyone?" she asked. "Even if they might look at you like you're a total nutbar?" Since clearly he'd taken the chance with her, and she didn't think it was his first time trying to say something that was going to come off as absolutely batshit to someone because he had to try. She knew how it went, she'd done it before.

Still no decrying what he said? Socko looked at Kayos a touch more shrewdly, wondering just what the deal was with this well-financed young woman who seemed to be perfectly okay with what he was telling her. "Folks thinkin' I'm crazy can actually help," Socko offered, nodding to answer her question, "Cuz yeah, I try. An' lookin' two steps up from hobo helps too. If folks don't buy the story, they just write me off. 'Cept I keep tryin'." He had the tattoos to attest to that statement, even.

"Well, with the whole ghosts thing, that might give you a little more credibility." Kayos offered. "I mean, people have got to ask themselves if they're out there, what else is?" she suggested. "At least, if they're at all reasonable, they should ask the question. And if things have been going down here all regular like and it's all messy blatantly fucked up bullshit, then they should be able to at the very least connect some of the dots. Even if they probably don't want to." Most people didn't like it when their warm safe little world illusion shattered.

"Yeah, but not everyone lets themselves, even if they know better," Socko had to say, because he'd tried. Plenty of times, he'd tried to expand peoples' world views, based on the ghosts' presence in town. Maybe he'd do better if he didn't only try with stoned people, for starters. "An' they almost never want to. Nearly had to get my ass torn apart 'fore I could bite down on what was happening."

"That's true. You have some skills at avoidance then?" she asked, sort of making a mental assessment of the guy. "Or do you have other things in mind when it comes to the things that wander around and make life difficult for people out after dark?" And wasn't she just full of questions? But he was obliging and answering, so that was cool. She honestly appreciated it.

He grinned proudly there. Amateur or not, nearly human or not, Socko was proud of his track record in the field. "Lil' bit a'both," he answered, "Got some safe haven if I need it, an' some practice on how to deal if I gotta step up. Some folk don' listen, you know? Got a couple cool customers, I don' like thinking they's gonna get punked once the moon comes up."

"that the biggest threat at the moment? Possible werewolves?" Kayos asked. She'd definitely have to ask Eric about it. See what he said. She personally didn't really like taking down werewolves. They were people. A lot of the time they didn't even really understand what was happening to them. Which sucked, really, because if they didn't they went out on blind rage murderous rampages and really, those were never cool.

"Seems like," Socko answered, shrugging a little. The streets had been quiet, he actually hadn't been caught in a fight since the last full moon. Which was good, given that watching a werewolf change back had made him oddly queasy. "I'm hopin' there ain't even that, you know? Some vamps'd be an upswing in my book, shit's easier to deal with morally." Eventually he'd likely need to overcome the moral qualms if he was really going to defend humanity, but for now they still made so much of the job distasteful to Socko.

"I don't know. Don't get me wrong, vampires...I'm not a fan." Kayos said. "But they aren't all the 'burn the town down and dance on the graves' types. There's rational thought in there. It's not even like there werewolves where it's just such a fucked up situation." she shared, giving the first solid clue that she did in fact, know what she was talking about.

Socko didn't miss that fact, putting a more thoughtful look on and aiming it Kayos' way. "Yeah? You done a lot of research on 'em, then? Some interviews, some taggin' and observation?" he asked, only half-joking with it all. If she was a hunter, he was curious. Not about how she hunted; Bu had shown him that gorgeous women kicked far more ass than he did, but more about just what Kayos knew and could possibly share.

"I wouldn't say research so much as I just know a thing or two. And they're not all the thrash and trash types. They're much more deliberate, if they are y'know. Evil with a capital E. And not all werewolves are bad either. Some have control." She didn't know if he knew that or not. She just happened to know that very well. Which made her think of Grayson, and that gave her a sharp, sharp pang in the chest that she covered fairly well, but not completely.

"Yeah, I done heard," Socko agreed with a nod, "But it's not like I meet a whole lot, you know? Jus' when shit gets flipped, an' I think they's the capital E type." It was a fault of his, but he'd never been a studier. Not in school, not in college, not in hunting. Socko, despite facing odds for failure that resulted in death, was content to just go with what he learned in the moment. Call it the plight of the lazy man, but there he was. "So... you know a thing or two, ever think you might be down to swap notes?" he asked with what not even Socko could call subtlety.

"Figuring out where the lines are is one of the best things you can do." Kayos told him. "And swapping notes? I could be up for that." Even if she was figuring it'd be less swapping and much more her telling him shit he needed to know. "Thought I was already doing that." she added.

Chuckling a little, Socko nodded as he tugged back his hood, looking around again warily. He could see strange variables in the air, but finding out just what they meant would take more time spent considering than he could really spend at the moment. "Guess you was," he agreed, "An' I don' think I could drop a whole lotta science on you, dig? But I could try a lil', least the shit I seen 'round here, yeah?"

"Local information would be quite helpful." Kayos agreed. Sure, she could get it elsewhere, but she was a girl who liked to help people out when she could. And if it was in the guise of 'trading' information with someone just so she could drop the knowledge in his brain? She'd do it. So she smiled. "Deal then?" she asked, holding out her mitten clad hand towards him.

"Sounds solid, yeah," Socko answered as he squeezed Kayos' mitten and shook, "Lemme drop you my cell number an' you can hit me up whenev. I ain't doin' shit 'less it's after dark, an' then I'm jus' cruisin', lookin' for a bad sitch to jump in on." He was actually eager, always willing to learn more about the world if Socko didn't have to go too far out of his way to do it. Frank Alden hadn't been nearly as cute, either, and that never hurt.

"If you pick up any line and dial the word 'teddybear', you'll be connected to me." she told him. "And if I can't be reached, then you can talk to who picks up. Trust them, alright?" she told Socko, but she dug out her phone to put in his number, noticing that the clock on her phone had gone fucko. Just like the one on her laptop. And the one in her room at the Landmark, and probably Socko's now too...

Sure enough, as Socko pulled his phone out to read off his number, he scowled at the time displayed on screen. "My ass it's ninety-nine o'clock," he muttered, shaking his head. As much as Socko loved modern technology? He hated it too, there was too much he didn't get. "An' teddybear? That's, uh... that's a new one, shortie. Got yourself a friend at the phone company?" he asked quizzically, handing his phone over so Kayos could get the number.

She punched his number in, and winced faintly. "....sorry about the clock. I seem to have that effect on them." She did now anyways. Hadn't before she'd done hopped reality or whatever, but now? Oh yes. Clocks lost their shit around her no matter what. "And I'll answer questions about what's out there, I don't have to answer everything about myself." she told him with a wink.

That? Well, that made Socko a bit anxious. She had that effect on the clocks? What did that mean? Was she the reason for the bizarre factors Socko could see affecting their local probabilities? He tried not to get too riled over it; Bu was more than human, after all, and she'd been nothing but good for him. "Long as it ain't nothin' for a fella to sweat," he replied to Kayos, managing to smile back when she winked at him. "Don' go makin' me spooked 'round cuties, hear? S'bout all I look forward to every day," Socko added, winking back at her for good measure.

"Well, the only thing it'll do is make you late for things if you're depending on watches and then come near me. So...I'm a terrible danger to time pieces, but you don't look clockwork to me, so..." she shrugged. "What, being around cute people? I'm sure you can scare some up still. But it's nothing to worry about. Promise." she said. She didn't think.

"Imma hold you to it," Socko told her, laughing slightly and shaking his head, "And yeah, there's always more lil' birdies to throw game at? But most a'them's boring. I get bored kinda easy, so throwin' snowballs with someone who fucks my clocks up? That's my speed." He was about to pocket his phone again when a short loop of beats sounded from it, making Socko roll his eyes and flip the phone back open. The waiting text was, unsurprisingly, a customer. "Ain't no patience for good things wit' some folk, you know?" he asked rhetorically, looking back the way he'd come towards Washington Street.

"Duty calls?" Kayos asked. "Run along then. I'll just go back to my directionless snowball throwing. I'm sure I'll see you around soon, Socko." she said, quirking a smile at him before she turned to head back towards her building. She was going to leave the graphiti for now, she decided.

"Work on that aim," Socko advised, grinning widely as he tugged his hood back up. "Never know when you gonna need to sling a pitch, dig?" He backpedaled for his first few steps, reclaiming the joint he'd offered Kayos and palming it until he turned away. "My brain's gon' be waitin', doll!" Socko called back as he started off, deciding he'd make sure there was a clean patch for her as he tucked his joint in his lips and lit up. Never know what Imma find 'round here, he mused, grinning and sucking down the first inhale as he walked away.