Logfile from Brass&Steel.


It's a nice and sunny afternoon. People are lazing around the park this
Sunday, drifting areound, playing frisbee, skating, sunning and
occationally snogging. Sprawled comfortably under an oak, Zach snoozes
contently in the shadow.

With her hands concealed up the sleeves of her worn fleece, Goldie walks
though the park slowly. There is a dark look on her face which is at odds
with the bright sunshine and the mood of those playing in the park, but
this seems to lead to her simply being ignored. A few people do give her
looks though, some young men not far off her age admiring the way that her
slightly too small jeans cling to her.

As Goldie comes close to the tree and the snoozing dude underneath it, he
blinks his eyes and waves away a fly. He spots a familiar person, and
calls out to her in a friendly way. "Hey there, Goldie.."

Goldie looked around automatically at the sound of her name being called,
her eyes resting on Zach blankly for a moment before recognition appears
in them. Giving a vague grin, she turned and headed towards him, "Hey
there Zach..."

Zach lifta a lazy hand and waves smilingly. "Out for a walk on this very
nice Sunday, eh? How's it going?" He moves himself over a bit to make room
for her if she wants to sit. He's got a canvas bag resting beside him. It
looks a bit lumpy, so it obviously has contents of some sort.

Goldie plunked herself down on the vacated spot with the boneless
inelegance so many teenagers achieve, giving a vaguely tired sigh as she
did so. As she settled, Golie replied, "Not -that- bad, just having a few
problems with stuff. Nothing that can be fixed, more when you are used to
somethign then it changes on you."

Zach nods sagely. "World's cramping your style?" He sends a hand out to
rummage in his bag.

Goldie keeps a vague eye on Zach as he fiddles with the contents of the
bag, "You could say that. More like I'm getting used to the sound of doors
closing in my face when I didn't know that they were there in the first
place."

Zach fishes out a bottle of Coke. "Soda? I don't think it's all that cold
anymore, but..." He offers it to Goldie. "So what new doors have appeared
to slam in your face then? If you don't mind me asking?" He looks genuinly
interested.

Goldie shakes her head automatically to the offered soda, "I'll pass on
the drink, thanks." She seems contemplative for a moment then says, "Well,
it ain't exactly slammed in my face. More turned out to be the wrong size
for me to fit through."

Zach puts the bottle back into the bag. "Oh? How so? You been trying to
get into schools that didn't want you or something? I'm doing a wild guess
here.." His lopsided smile indicate that he fully expects to be way off
the mark.

Goldie gave a short laugh that seemed to lack humor and nodded, "Lucky
guess. You could put it that way, I suppose."

Zach smiles but there's a bit of a concerned look in his eyes. "Well I do
rmember that you're into math and stuff... So what kinds schools have you
been applying for? Local high schools or something? You're a bit young for
college, right?"

Goldie glances at Zach, her face a calm mask for the moment, "You know, I
am just about seventeen now. I ain't that much of a kid..." She seems to
have tensed slightly at the questions, but stays where she is for the
moment.

Zach nods and smiles appologetically. "Oh right.. Sorry. It's just that
you look very young. My mistake. But you're still only half my age, so I
tend to think of you as a kid anyway. Old farts tend to do that."

Goldie shoots a jaundiced look in Zach's direction, "Does that mean that I
get to make comments about 'old fogies' and you getting senile on me
then?"

Zach grins and breaks out into a mirthful chuckle. "Yeah, sure. If you
want to, then just go ahead. I've heard worse."

Goldie finally laughs as well, sounding far more naural than her previous
cynical mirth, "I'm sure you have at that. Anyway, what are you doing out
here in the park? Sunbathing?"

Zach turns his head and smiles to her. "Yeah something like that. I'm just
being a bit of a lazy git today. It's too nice a day to be spending on my
back underneath a car, so I rather spend it on my ass underneath a tree."

Goldie glances at the tree in question, "There really that much of a
difference? Either one would hurt about the same if it fell on top of
you..." She grins slightly and adds, "I gotta admit that that comment
proves I ain't a mechanical or a botanist though."

Zach snorts and grins. "Now you're just being morbid. I honestly don't
know which would be worse. I'd probably be just as squashed." He pats the
tree fondly.

Goldie nods at that, "It wouldn't make that much difference to you after
either of them rendered you two dimensional."

Goldie says in as pedantic and dry tones as she can achieve, "There is
little difference between the common or garden variety of squashed dead
person and the automotive variety..."

You say, "Amen, sister! So I will try to avoid being squashed in general.
It sounds pretty uncool. Oh, by the way - I managed to find Hachilah!"

Goldie blinks slightly at that news then shrugs, "Congradulations. Was she
hiding out somewhere or had it just been bad luck that you were missing
seeing her all the time?"

Zach sighs. "She was having a hard time and was kinda hiding. I'm just
glad I finally found her... I thought I'd better tell you since I asked
for your help in looking for her."

Goldie nods slowly, an odd expression passing over her face, "Well, it's
good to hear that you found her. I hope that things take a turn for the
better for her some time soon."

Zach mms and nods. "There's these people who's been picking on her, and it
finally got to her. But she's better now. Much better."

Goldie looks directly at Zach, her voice very level and controlled as she
asks carefully, "Somebody has been picking on her?"

Zach nods grimly. "Yes. Nasty business. I've had words with one of them,
and that particular 'talk' ain't done yet. Just...paused." His green eyes
shine with intense determination.

Goldie nods slowly, saying quietly, "If you need a little help with a...
conversation then give me a shout. It ain't too healthy for Hachilah to be
around me much, but I think it should be even more unhealthy for people to
pick on her."

Zach muses a bit on this and looks thoughtful. "I believe you know one of
them... Or more like have been subjected to the unwanted company of one of
them. Repeatedly, if I'm not much mistaken." He meets her look with a
serious mien.

<OOC> Zach says, "And tries to resonate."

AutoJudge:  Zach rolls: 6 + 3 = 9 . Check die: 1 

<OOC> Zach says, "And fails again:)"

Goldie looked back blankly for a moment then asked, "A certain 'oooh, I'm
so pretty' girl?"

Zach nods. "Yep. Nasty piece of work, that one.."

Goldie turned her eyes away from Zach for the moment, seeming
uncomfortable as a series of conflicted expressions cross her face. The
silence draws out further as she keeps her peace for the moment.

Zach leaves her in peace as he doesn't want to cause any explotions. He
has a certain respect for Goldie's temperament...

Goldie finally makes a sound of disgust and says, still not looking at
Zach, "She gives me the freakiest feelings when I get close to her and
keep on hitting on me. When I talked to her last, more like when she
talked to me, she basically said that she was gonna get me begging to go
to bed with her no matter what it took to do it."

Zach sighs softly and answers in a low, serious voice. "Yes. She is
/damned/ proficient at what she does. I watched the confrontation between
you and her about three weeks ago. I was quite impressed about the way you
stood up to her and refused her. She and Hachilah were a bit of an item a
few months back. Then Hachi discovered how....black Traci's little heart
was and left. Traci promised to make Hachi regret leaving..."

Goldie froze at Zach's words, turning slowly to face him fully and
heedless of the playful voices of the other inhabitants of the park. Her
voice was low as she hissed, "That wasn't the first time she has
approached me... But you -watched- that conversation?"

Zach nods grimly. "I followed her."

Goldie holds herself still, looking at Zach intently. Her body remains
almost motionless except for the faint action of her breathing and even
that is hard to detect beneath her rather loose fleece jacket. Watching
him carefully for long moment, her gaze seeming to bore into his as she
concidered him carefully with the bright sunlight sparkling off her hair
and in her eyes as though she were some statue or work of art.

Goldie finally said, her voice tight and lacking its usual accent, "I do
-not- appreciate being spied upon. I am fine by myself, I do -not- need
somebody watching over me."

Zach keeps quietly confident and doesn't flinch or waver at all. "Good. I
respect that."

Goldie shivers slightly as though chilled despite the afternoon's warmth
then slowly the tension which had held her rigid begins to easy despite a
glimmer of something dark still lingering in her eyes. Her accent has
returned as she says more casually, "I'd like it if you don't try watching
over me. I can take care of myself."

Zach smiles a small smile and nods. "Yes Goldie, I know. Despite your
small frame and unobtrusive appearance, I percieve you to be a very tough
kid indeed. No doubt growing up in a tough hood has had something to do
with that. I'm not trying to follow you around and I'm not your guardian.
But I do, in fact, care. Even if I hardly know you. But we've been over
that one before." He shifts and folds his hands around his left knee, the
other foot stretched out in front of him.

Goldie nods cautiously, as though not quite willing to admit even this
much just now. Slumping where she sat, she said quietly, "Glad to hear it.
Mind if we talk about something other than me then? Like Hachilah's
problems?"

Goldie pages: Sorry if Goldie is seeming rather touchy just now, but there
are understandable reasons for it. Honest!

Zach smiles warmly and stretches his neck a bit to loosen it up. "Sure."

You paged Goldie with 'No problem at all! I find Goldie a very interesting
and intriguing character. Well-playes and fun. Well, fun in a slightly
frightening way but hey!:) Besides, I remember Hachi once OOC saying that
it was the frist time you hadn't left her running at high speed ;)'.

From afar, Goldie smirks, "Thank you. Goldie tends to keep as far away,
and actually flee from, anybody she thinks she might come to care about.
For their own good..."

Goldie waits for a moment longer then asks, "Anything come to mind except
having that 'talk' with the so called lady in question then?"

Zach bites his lip and considers his next words a bit. "She's been
terribly upset lately and has been hiding from the whole world. I'm not
sure what really happened.. It appears that that University professor,
Lucian Szabo, managed to get under her skin. He's been picking on her
every time they've met, and finally managed to get her so upset that
she.... Went and behaved in a very, very un-Hachilah like manner. And then
she ran off into hiding. Traci was also at the scene, and well..."

Goldie nods, thinking this over, "I can imagine what the Prof might have
said, he tends to say things that can rub people the wrong way a lot of
the time, and when you add in the Hormone That Walks with the kinda
needling comments she makes... Well, I can understand what Hachilah might
have thouhgt."

<OOC> Zach laughs.

<OOC> Goldie makes note to call Traci that to her face sometime.

Zach nods grimly. "Suffice to say, they did a solid brain-job on her. And
she doesn't deserve that. I care about her a lot, and when people mess
with my loved ones.... I take it personally."

Goldie hmms slightly, turning an idea over in her mind, "You happen to
know where Traci happens to live? And where I could get a couple of cans
of nice, irremovable, spray paint? I have this sudden feeling that Traci's
wardrobe could do with some more colour to it, and that would probably hit
her where it hurts. Least until we think of something proper to do."

A slow smile spreads over Zach's face as he turns to Goldie. "Do you
know... I happen to know exactly where she lives. You've been to the
building. She lives upstairs from where Hachilah and I brought you when
you'd hurt your arm that time."

Goldie gives cold smile in return, "Oh, this could be fun. I just got to
find the right shade of neon yellow... I don't think even she would have
anything that matched that in her wardrobe."

Zach grins. "Vomit green would look truly beautiful on her as well..."

Goldie pages: I am going to have to head off soon, but if you want to try
resonating on Glory before I go...

Goldie hmms contemplatively, "A little of this... A little of that... No
need ta restrict the palate of coulors." Taking a deep breath she starts
to stand, "I'll have to get back to you on this one soon though. I have
some stuff to do this afternoon."

AutoJudge:  Zach rolls: 4 + 3 = 7 . Check die: 5 

<OOC> Zach says, "Dang. So close....:)"

<OOC> Goldie offers, "If you want to fudge it..."

Zach nods and smiles to her. "Sure thing. I appreachiate your support.
This should be...fun."

<OOC> Goldie is trying to recall the last time somebody actually managed
to resonate on Goldie, "I think I jinx the dice."

<OOC> Zach says, "Hm? Spend essence, you mean?"

Goldie gives a small chuckle, "You can say that again."

<OOC> Zach chuckles.:)

<OOC> Goldie nods, "If you care to."

<OOC> Zach says, "Sure you don't mind?"

<OOC> Goldie is sure, "It should be interesting to see what you get from
me."

AutoJudge:  Zach spends 1 essence.

You paged Goldie with 'Ok. We're close enough to make that a CD6, but my
CD6 is a Pain.:) So: Most and leas Noble act last week. 3 most and least
noble acts last year. Most and least noble act ever.'.

From afar, Goldie hmms at that, "This is by my own standards, isn't it?"

You paged Goldie with 'Yes, it is.'.

Goldie pages: Okay then. Most noble act in the last week is donating the
money she should have spent on lunches into a collection box. Least noble
in the last week was picking locks to let somebody else into a house for a
burglary.

You paged Goldie with 'Actually. On you the CD6 maght be relevant.:)
That's your highest and lowest potential in the Symphony. In suitably
vague terms. (Like I said - a Pain.)'.

Goldie pages: Three most noble acts in the last year are: Trying to stay
away from Hachilah, resisting her lustful urges towards Traci, working
steadily on her mathematics. Three least noble in the last year are:
Breaking into houses for money to live on, having urges to drink and use
drugs, repeatedly succumbing to other people's urges to eat more.

From afar, Goldie pauses, "Do acts influenced by Shedite's register for
the least noble ever?"

You paged Goldie with 'Hm. I think they do, because it was you who dunnit.
The shedite just pushed. But ask Fidelity maybe?'.

Goldie pages: Least noble ever: acting as a 'Judas goat' for a gang to
attract a victim of rape. Most noble: Fleeing from her parents, taking the
evil ghost with her.

<OOC> Goldie assumes that it counts for Goldie, "I think that is all that
you get. Anything that I missed?

<OOC> Zach says, "No, I think that's quite good!"

<OOC> Goldie wonders what Zach's reaction to that little lot will be...
^_^

Zach regards Goldie steadily and blinks just once. Then he nods and
smiles. "I'll see you around then, Goldie. DO you have my phone number?"

<OOC> Zach is a 'malarub'. He'll get Protective! :)

Goldie shakes her head, dusting down her jeans, "Nah, but I'll get in
touch with you if I need to. It ain't as though there's much of a rush
with this. Is there?"

<OOC> Zach ...and bring Hachi in on the deal. This could get interesting! :)

<OOC> Goldie says, "Keeping us in the same room together will be a good
trick though."

Zach shrugs. "Not extremely much, but I don't wanna let her go unpunished
for too long. And that goes for the professor too. I live at 789 Minnesota
if you need to get hold of me."

<OOC> Zach nods. "True.." :)

Goldie nods and makes a gesture that might charitably be thought of as a
wave goodbye, "See you sometime, Zach." Turning away, she heads off
through the park.

Goldie heads into the south side of the park.