(Sept. 2, 2002/2215)

Hunter HQ - Command Level

This deck once served as the command center of the Fort Sam Houston, and remains so today, restored and refit with the best in modern technology. Built in the shape of a broad semicircle, the command center's curved wall is dominated by sweeping observation windows- thick panels of reinforced glass ensuring durability while providing a panoramic and crystal-clear view of the surrounding tropical lagoon. An observation walk lining the inside of the windows offers an unobstructed approach to the view.

The room's focus, however, is the slightly raised platform in the middle, lined with consoles and computer banks, equipment to accomodate any need the Hunters may have. A matching host of monitors, displays and holo-projectors depend from the ceiling on heavy metal braces, within easy reach and view.

Stealth Nekojin [Armor] [MH] Zero's

West <W> leads to Hunter HQ - Teleporter Room.

North <N> leads to Hunter HQ - Meeting Room.

South <S> leads to Hunter HQ - War Room.

East <E> leads to Hunter HQ - Lift Station.

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Kalinka transmits, "Hello, everyone. How are you?"

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Dragonlady Sonata transmits, "Well enough, Kali. Yourself?"

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Kalinka transmits, "Oh, WONDERFUL. I am doing very well!! I did go on a date last night...it was sooooo fun. I am on rebound, baby. Rebound."

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Bowie transmits, "Can't complain."

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Bowie transmits, "Date, huh?"

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Dragonlady Sonata transmits, "...a date again? That quickly?"

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Kalinka transmits, "Uh-huh. I do not have time to wait around."

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Dragonlady Sonata transmits, "Alright then, but don't take it too quickly Kali. Humans do wierd things when they are upset from being 'dumped', as they call it."

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Kalinka transmits, "Oh, not to worry, I am not at all upset! This is working out VERY well."

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Dragonlady Sonata transmits, "So whom did you managed to snag this time, Kali?"

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Bowie transmits, "Good t'hear. Anyone we know?"

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Kalinka transmits, "Yeah, he is the man of my dreams!"

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Bowie transmits, "He got a name?"

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Dragonlady Sonata sounds somewhat dubious. "The 'Man of your Dreams', is it?"

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Kalinka transmits, "Uh huh! And yes he has a name. I cannot talk too much about him. But I will tell you this much...we had such a wonderful, wonderful time last night. I could not have dreamed a better date."

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Dragonlady Sonata transmits, "Hmmmm... I see."

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Bowie transmits, "Mm-hmm."

Sonata sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: " Well, if this doesn't sound suspicious..."

[Radio] You send Sonata a direct message: "Considerin her luck with boys, yeah."

Sonata sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "Cossack is going to have another fit... lets see what we can find out about this one. I'd rather not have another repeat of the entire Astro Man incident..."

[Radio] You send Sonata a direct message: "*one can almost hear the grimace in his voice* Ah'll talk with her 'bout it."

[Radio] You send Kalinka a direct message: "Hey missy. Ya busy?"

Sonata sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "I think that several of us need to. As much as I don't begrudge Kalinka having a social life, she is a Hunter now."

[Radio] You send Sonata a direct message: "Ah jus don't want a repeat a the other week. Even mah nerves got limits."

Sonata sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: " Other Week? That incident with DeVry's drones, you mean?"

[Radio] You send Sonata a direct message: "Yeah."

Sonata sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "*sighs* Indeed - that would be most unfortunately."

[Radio] You send Sonata a direct message: "Ain't DeVry Ah'm wurried 'bout, though. It's when Doc Cossack an Miss Kali argue that Ah wurry."

Kalinka sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "A little bit, but it is nothing I cannot save until later...what is up?"

[Radio] You send Kalinka a direct message: "Wus thinkin a goin out fer lunch. Want t'join me?"

Sonata sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "Like father like daughter. Kalinka is probably one of the few people that Pavel can't dominate."

Kalinka sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "Sure!"

Your desc has been changed to 'casual'.

[Radio] You send Kalinka a direct message: "So, Ruby's or Tetsuo's?"

Kalinka sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "Ruby's has better lunch, and no bar."

[Radio] You send Sonata a direct message: "Jus wish the two a them would thank sometimes is all."

Sonata sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "*laughs* They wouldn't be Russians if they did"

[Radio] You send Kalinka a direct message: "Right. Ruby's it is."

[Radio] You send Sonata a direct message: "*smile* Point."

Shoom. The gravlift doors open, admitting one Texan to the command center. He makes a beeline for the teleporters.

Stealth Nekojin is sitting in a chair, a hole visible through his torso with patched ends on various wires, humming to himself as he reads. The armor of his outfit is currently off, leaving him in the soft blue undersuit. He waves amiably, "Howdy. Adios?"

Bowie gives Kael a wave. "Howdy." He's dressed down in a t-shirt, so he must be off-duty. "Goin out."

Stealth Nekojin nods, "Take care, have fun. I'm waiting for a replacement part order."

[Radio] You send Kalinka a direct message: "Meet ya thare?"

Bowie nods. "Ah will. Hope yer parts aren't on backorder."

Kalinka sends you a tightbeam radio transmission: "Sure! Is it okay if Sonata comes with us?"

[Radio] You send Kalinka a direct message: "Fine with me."

(Scene change!)

Ruby's Diner

Hey look, it's Bowie! Have a seat, take a load off...

Welcome to Ruby's Diner, a resturaunt that is now almost legendary due to it's usual clientel. It's a small but quaint place, it's walls covered in vintage posters and newspaper clippings from the dawn of the century. For the first timer, one might want to 'gaze' at the walls and check out all the things the staff and regulars have managed to collect for the walls.

The staff is always friendly, if not a tad cynical and blunt at times, but the food is always good and fast, the coffee is always fresh, and Trish always the back of her hand ready for people who act out of line, her favorite target being Maverick Hunter pretty-boy and XO Zero, who has been a regular here since the day it opened. So sit back, relax, and enjoy some conversation. Everyone knows your name around here, and even if they aren't glad you came, they're sure to still have a bit of conversation with you.

Exit <X> leads to New York - Western Downtown.

Kalinka arrives from the New York - Western Downtown.

Kalinka has arrived.

Sonata arrives from the New York - Western Downtown.

Sonata has arrived.

Bowie stands just inside the doorway, waiting for his friends and dining companions. He's in his off-duty garb: jeans, T-shirt, and his hair unbound.

Kalinka arrives in her casual attire, along with Sonata. She's in -very- good spirits...she even holds the door open for Sonata. "You have been here, right?"

Sonata laughs and nods. "More than a few times, don't worry," she says, raising one eyebrow and nodding slightly as she sees Bowie. "You don't ever talk to the blonde puffball without every ending up here at some point, after all."

Bowie gives them a nod and smile in greeting. Yes, occasionally the former Ranger does go off-duty, even willingly. "Afternoon." The hostess that's been hovering around the waiting area ushers them to an empty booth.

Kalinka practically skips all the way down the aisle...or maybe she's floating. Her feet barely touch the ground as she follows along to the table.

Sonata gives Kalinka a look that is reserved only for those who have entirely too much energy for their own good, and sighs slightly as she follows along to their appointed table. Slipping into the side next to Kali - solidarity among ladies and all - she smiles ever so slightly. "Definately in good spirits, Kali..."

Kalinka giggles. "I cannot help it, the man of my dreams took me adventuring last night!"

Bowie takes the opposite side of the booth, scooting over to sit in the center of the seat. He nods his agreement with Sonata on that. "Adventuring?" he echoes curiously. One of the menus is picked up and leafed through, though he's pretty sure what he's ordering.

Kalinka already knows what she wants as she scoots into the booth. She gets pretty much the same thing every time when she comes here...burgers and fries and milkshakes, the American diet.

"Oh yes, we adventured in the French Quarter of New Or-Leens," Kalinka affirms.

"Ah see," says Bowie. His usual calm smile has finally reasserted itself. "See anythang interestin?"

Sonata is poking at the menu a bit more insistnatly, not ever really sure what she wants to order when she comes here. Nothing that looks like 'normal' japanese food here. "The French Quarter... well, that is quite an interesting destination for a first date," Sonata replies, wondering if these hamburgers were any good. "At least it isn't 'Matri Gras' at this point of the year."

Kalinka peeks around, as if she thinks someone might be listening in on the table. When she's satisfied that they aren't being eavesdropped upon, she turns back to Sonata and Bowie with a conspiratorial grin. "If I tell you guys things, will you promise not to tell Daddy??"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Sonata replies in the most pleasent and equally conspiritorial tone she can muster. And she does a good job, sounding exactly like any other enthusiastic young woman who was interested to hear a new tidbit of gossip.

Bowie decides on what the menu advertises as the Southwest-Grill burger and a vanilla milkshake. After that's out of the way, he answers Kali. "Ya know me, Miss Kalinka."

Kalinka chuckles. "Okay, I am just making sure. Well...I do not have a new boyfriend. I wish he WAS my boyfriend, but I am still in love with him and I still had the best time of my life...I went out last night to go see Derek Vasquez."

Bowie looks vaguely puzzled for a moment. Kalinka would recognize the expression - it's the one he gets every time he hunts for a missing memory. "Ah see."

"Derek... Vasquez?" Sonata comments, her eyes narrowing for a moment. Derek sounded familiar, but the last name was not. She smiles a little vapidly, and leans closer to Kalinka. "Was he a real charmer? Good looks at all?"

Kalinka grins mysteriously at Bowie, then leans toward Sonata and remarks... "He is the mystery Gambler, the man who breaks all the rules and goes against the odds...and he is, in my estimation, the most handsome man in the entire world. I would follow him to the end of the world."

Sonata nods slightly, looking all so very interested. "A gambler... I see. How interesting..." she says, a pensive expression on her face. "Is he someone you've known for a while? Or did he just pick you up off the side of the road?"

Kalinka sighs happily. "I met him in the spring...he came to the labs, looking for Rigger...and that is when I met him..." She gets this faraway look in her eyes. "I think he does like me, in some little way, even though I am too young. Rigger wants me to stay away from him."

Bowie simply nods, lettting Sonata ask the questions. He banishes the puzzlement, letting the smile return.

Sonata shoots a quick look at Bowie, and nods slightly. So, if this was Rigger's friend... well, that would make sense. It would have been better for Kalinka to have paid attention to the mechanics advice. Sonata makes a mental note to talk to Rigger about Derek 'Vaszquez'. His other name hadn't turned out anything real... an empty identity, which meant he had something to hide. "So, he was just entertaining you, or... are you thinking that you are going to be waiting till he's ready to take a closer look, hmmm?" Lord, acting like Jazz, even in this small way, was almost physically painful.

Kalinka giggles, blushing. "Oh my gosh, I cannot believe you asked that, umm...-well-! We were just hanging out, and we had a good time, and..." She shrugs. "And I will be honest, I do not know what he wants...I think maybe he just wants someone to hang out with sometimes."

Kalinka says, "We did crazy things! Very crazy."

Bowie listens, nodding in the appropriate places. "Whut kind a crazy thangs?" he asks. While he can' use the conspiring girlfriend tone, he can use the curious friend tone.

Kalinka blushes VERY red, covering her mouth and looking over at Bowie bashfully. "Some things that were not very nice," she admits. "I should not talk about them, they could be BIG trouble," she giggles.

Sonata leans over and nudges Kalinka with an elbow, a faint smile on her face. "Oh come now Kali, you know that you can trust us," she says with a sly expression. "We promise not to tell anyone." Unless it results in a serious breach of Hunter security or something similarly terrible. "Now come on, what happened? Inquiring minds want to know."

To his credit, Bowie does not let his calm smile slip. However, to him, 'not very nice', 'big trouble' and teenage humans equals things that usually land one in JDS and community service for a couple months. "No drag racin or anythang like that, Ah hope?"

Kalinka giggles some more, giving Sonata a sidelong glance, then blushing as she looks over at Bowie. "It was not very nice. I could have been in some trouble for it," she admits. "But you know why I did it? I will tell you." -Right- at this time, the waitress arrives with the food -- as they always do with their impeccable timing.

Chill Snowcat arrives from the New York - Western Downtown.

Chill Snowcat has arrived.

Sonata takes her hamburger, and listens as the waitress gives the usual pleasentries. Waiting for just a few moments after she leaves, Sonata leans over and nudges Kali one last time. "Don't think that is going to save you," she says quietly, a faint smile on her face. "Do tell."

Bowie swears at times that waitresses are psychic, and know not only when to refill your coffee but when to intrude on conversation and ask you how your meal is right after you've taken a bite. The Texan looks at Kali expectantly once they have their food. "Well?"

Kalinka giggles some more, taking her time to unwrap a straw and place it in her milkshake. "He showed me how to...I do not know what you call it. But it is very exciting. It is like...playing in traffic, but what you do is you wear hoverskates, and you...ride the bumpers of cars." She giggles some more. "It was crazy and dangerous. And it was the most exciting thing I have ever done. It was beyond thrilling. He was trying to teach me something by doing it. I understand this now. You see...he was trying to break me out of my shyness. He wanted to show me what a thrill it is to live on the edge of life and death."

Whatever is going through Bowie's mind right now is kept to himself. Saved by the french fries from giving an immediate comment, he mm-hmms noncommittally.

Sonata nods slightly... although she looks rather bored about the prospect. Living on the edge of life and death was something that she didn't think that Kalinka released that most of the Hunters did that all of the time. Risking their lives by going into battle. "So he took you and did some rather dangerous things, then? Anything perticluarly exciting?" she asks again, again conjuring up more interest in the topic.

Chill Snowcat is sniffing along as he enters the diner. He walks right past the waitress and hostess who stare. One does not ask an oversized cat reploid who is apparently hunting if they want smoking or non-smoking. He follows a very precise path not even stopping to sniff people's plates. Weaving through tables he finally sits on the ground next to where the hunters are. "Found ya Kali!" He grins, rather proud of himself.

Kalinka looks like she's about to tell Sonata something, when Chill suddenly discovers their table. "Oh, hello Chilly!" she greets with a big smile. "How are you feeling?"

Bowie peers down as he hears Chill's familiar voice. "Howdy," he smiles. "Ya caught us red-handed." And again he is saved from commenting on Kalinka's recent activities.

Sonata gives Chill a long look - and then looks back expectantly at Kalinka, hoping that she will continue."

"We did some very dangerous things," Kalinka admits. "I felt so different when doing them, too...you know, I know that we do dangerous things as Hunters. But this was even different from that. Nothing against you guys, but...Daddy, and Counterpoint and Shield and Rigger...and sometimes you guys, but not always... are just always...you know, protecting me. You guys are like my safety net. Last night...I did the dangerous things, but with no safety net. Does this make sense?"

Chill Snowcat tilts his head and smiles, "I followed yer path from yer room to the teleporters and then well I stopped at each spot till I found yer scent again and then followed ya here! Hope ya don't mind!" He purrs happily and smiles at Sonata and Bowie, "I can find anything!"

"It's the rush," Bowie finally says in answer, with the tone that suggests he knows what he's talking about.

Sonata shakes her head slowly, her eyes narrowing slightly. "That is because we don't want anyone to get hurt - its dangerous enough being a Hunter without having someone to watch your back, and making sure that you don't bite off more than you can chew. Maybe when you were a child, people were protecting you, but I certainly don't treat you any differently than I would another Hunter."

Kalinka grins at Chill. "You found us, you found us! Now join us and have some lunch," she invites. To Sonata, she mentions quietly... "I know it is dangerous...and I know you do not treat me like a little kid. I thank you for that."

Chill Snowcat tilts his head looking at Kali, "Are ya havin fun without me again? And I dont' treat ya like a little kid. Yer my sis...we're supposed ta get in trouble together remember? Course.....Cossy always beats me like the red headed step child.....So what's the tasty stuff on the menu?"

Kalinka giggles. "That is because you make him mad, Chill. He is not patient man."

Chill Snowcat says, "I thought all scientists were mad...."

Bowie scoots over to give Chill room to sit next to him. Turning his attention back to Kalinka, he agrees, "Yer not a little kid. But ya ain't quite an adult yet, either. Ah know Ah've never been yer age, an Ah won't pretend otherwise, but Ah jus want ya t'be careful."

Sonata nods slightly, finally starting on her meal and not speaking for a moment - her concern was less on Kalinka's sudden fascination with being a daredevil, and more on if this 'Derek' would prove to be a threat of some sort.

Kalinka nods slowly at Bowie. "I know, I should be smarter with the risks I take," she admits. "Though I feel like Derek has taught me something important about...thrills. And the importance of taking a risk." She sighs, smiling fondly. "It is just so exciting. It is not...puttering around the base. It feels like...REALLY living, walking that fine line."

Sonata smiles slightly. "So is that what makes him the man of your dreams, or are you just greatful because he taught you something?" she inquires curiously, having finally finished off her food.

Bowie doesn't know Derek from Adam, which at this point is just as well. It's his friend's well-being that concerns him. "Ah unnerstand. Livin's full a risks." He quirks another smile. "Jus try t'keep in mind that ya should choose yer risks carefully." Any further thoughts are held back as he takes a drink from his milkshake.

Chill Snowcat tilts his head and looks at Kali, "And takin risks is why Rock almost threw me outta the hunters Kali....dont get yourself in trouble. There are risks which are pretty safe....and then there are risks that can get you killed. I've seen the results of both. I'd be glad ta go with ya and all. Ya don't want to be babied but sometimes its good ta have family there just ta help if there's trouble."

Kalinka nods, and she listens to her friends earnestly, sipping her milkshake. It looks like SOME of this wise advice is reaching the teen...she doesn't SEEM to be practicing 'selective listening'. "I am sorry for worrying you guys," she remarks softly.

Sonata nods slightly, dropping a few zenny on the table to pay for her portion of the meal, and then some. "If you don't mind, I've got a bit of work to do back at base," she says, smiling politely to Kalinka. Which might sound suspicious... coming from anyone besides the massive workaholic Sonata. That she actually took a break for a time is strange in and of itself. "I do hope that you all enjoy yourselves - and good luck, Kalinka," she adds a the last.

"We're Hunters. We watch out fer each other." So sayeth the Texan. He waves Sonata's money off. "Mah treat. Got t'use mah pension check fer somethang."

Sonata enters the New York - Western Downtown.

Sonata has left.

Kalinka still seems pensive. The wheels are turning in the young girl's head. But for -what-? She won't tell...some secrets are best kept secret. Turning to Bowie and Chill, she smiles. "What is up with you guys? I will stop telling you how much I like this guy, and give you a break from it."

Bowie is not one to pry, unless the situation calls for it. So far, he's willing to let secrets stay that way. "Not much," he admits. "Thankin 'bout sellin mah car. Not like Ah use it fer much."

Kalinka hmms. "Hey, what kind is it, what year? Does it run?"

Chill Snowcat has left.

Bowie tucks the last of his burger into his mouth, chews, and swallows. Not bad, but he wouldn't call it a southwest grill. "2210 Ford-subishi Lonerunner." It's one of those semi-sporty models Detroit started putting out. "Still runs good, but it's a waste t'jus let it sit in storage."

Kalinka bites her lip. "How much do you want for it?" she asks.

Bowie blinks, though he really shouldn't be that surprised. The Texan rubs the back of his neck. "Ah dunno. Haven't even checked the bluebrook price."

Kalinka smiles. "Do let me know. I would like to make an offer."

Bowie chuckles. "Don't ya thank ya should see it 'fore makin an offer?"

Kalinka shakes her head. "I can fix it up from any condition it might be in -- as long as it runs, somewhat. And if I can hide it somewhere where that...Douglas...cannot get to it."

Bowie chuckles again. "Why'd ja thank I didn't bring it on base? Don't wurry, it runs jus fine. Ah've taken good care a it. But if Ah don't use it, why keep it?" He looks over at her, raising an eyebrow. "Are ya old enough t'drive? Legally that is."

Kalinka shakes her head. "Soon, though. I have some months. The age in Russia is sixteen. But I can work on it and it will be ready by the time I turn sixteen."

Bowie nods slowly, considering. His next question? "Have ya already learned how?"

Kalinka makes a so-so-motion with her hand, and grins. "I could learn more. It is hard to learn when there is no safe place to practice. I am not yet old enough to take a class."

Bowie munches on the last of his french fries as he thinks. "Tell ya whut. It ain't hurtin fer mah car t'stay stored. When yer old enough fer yer permit, we'll talk 'bout lessons."

Kalinka nods. "Okay," she says. "I still do want to buy it from you, though. You let me know what is asking price."

Bowie nods. "That's fine. Ah jus want t'be sure ya won't wrap it around a tree soon as ya get it." He flashes a grin .

Kalinka smirks. "Puh-leese. I would NOT do that! I am not going to be a careless hot-rodder, no way no how!"

Bowie says "Didn't thank ya would." He tone gets a bit more serious, but not to the point of parental lecturing. More like advice of the big brother. Never mind the fact he's technically four years her junior. "Still, Ah want t'make sure ya really know how t'drive. Seen too many bad accidents."

Kalinka nods. "Oh, I will be very careful with it, trust me. I am going to be making a lot of...'additions' to it. I am going to put a LOT of work into it. I will not want it wrapped around a tree. It will be a project."

[OOC] Bowie suggests a passenger-side ejection seat, in case you don't like your next boyfriend. ^_-

[OOC] Kalinka laughs!! Launch him into orbit!! **POINNNNG**

Bowie nods, seemingly satisfied with her answer. "Okay, missy." A pause, followed by a sheepish expression. "When is yer birthday?"

Kalinka smirks. "=April=, the 12th. A long, long way away. That is why I wanted to buy the car -now-, to begin the...additions."

Bowie snaps his fingers. "That's right. Ya had a party." Another memory falls back into place, bringing him a satisfied smile. "Anyways, leeme take ya out t'see it, an then ya can decide if ya want it."

Kalinka chuckles. "You remember the party? Okay, whenever you want to show it off, I am game."

"A little. Kinda fuzzy though," Bowie admits. "When ya told me the day, somethang clicked, but not all a it. It'll come t'me later." He glances over at her plate. "We could go now, if yer finished."

Kalinka nods, moving to stand after leaving money enough for her meal and for a good tip. "Okay, let us see this thing!"

Sigh. Bowie wants to treat people, but no one will let him. He makes up the difference in the bill, including a nice tip. "It's over in San An."

Kalinka nods. "Okay!" she says enthusiastically.

(Scene change again!)

San Angeles - Business District

Coming in from the more sedate surroundings, all of the close quartered office buildings might take you by surprise. What's even more surprising isthe massive roadway system that seems to encircle the downtown proper like a defense emplacement. Land and hover vehicles jockey for position on the crowded byways like rabbits evacutating a flooding warren. Getting past that, the buildings seem more squat than graceful, as if years of dealing with the pollution and traffic have resigned them to their fate. Humans and reploids scurry about duringthe daylight hours, going about their secular pursuits. After hours, though the nightlife is as varied as jelly beans in a candy store. Cafes and nightclubs open up and prepare to accept the differences the days around here seem to reject.

Fashionable Fashions Ruined Building

Dr. Unsinnig's

North <N> leads to San Angeles - Northern Residential.

West <W> leads to San Angeles - Western Mall District.

East <E> leads to San Angeles - Historical District.

South <S> leads to San Angeles - Northern Downtown.

Kalinka arrives from the San Angeles - Western Mall District.

Kalinka has arrived.

One short teleport hop and a few blocks of walking later, Bowie and Kalinka arrive at a "U-Stor-It" warehouse. For all that stuff you have nowhere else to put.

Kalinka seems much calmer than she was earlier...perhaps, PERHAPS...her friends have talked some sense into her. She follows right along, calm and curious.

Bowie notices the calmness, but attributes to the quicksilver moods of most teenagers. But then, when he used to see teenagers, most of the time it was for entirely the wrong reasons. He runs his keycard through the slot on Unit 467, and pushes up the rolltop door. Inside is a carlike shape covered by a dustcloth, behind which are a couple of storage shelves laden with boxes.

Kalinka grins, watching the door roll up and then peering inside. "Wow, you have some things in storage! You know what? These storage place are not common at all in Russia."

Bowie smiles. "Ah know. Famine's jaw would drop at mah selfish use a possessions." He walks inside, figuring she'll join him, and moves over to the car. Taking the one end of the cloth in hand, he flips it off, revealing the aforementioned 2210 Lonerunner. It's medium blue in color, with silver detailing. The exterior appears to be in good condition, with no visible dents or nicks.

Kalinka nods, and peers inside the car. She walks slowly around the entire vehicle...making mental notes of the frame and what shape it's in. Finally, she walks around to the driver's side, and peers in at the dashboard. "May I start it up? I am not going to drive it around, I just wanted to hear the engine."

The car is pretty much a standard model, the only additions being an extra antenna port and a trailer hitch on the back. There's a couple scratches on the bumper, but that tends to happen no matter how careful one is. The interior is also well maintained, though it could stand to be swept out. In spite of the air freshener, there's the faint smell of leather and horsehair. Bowie tosses Kali the keys. "Here."

Kalinka grins widely, catching the keys with her good hand, with a 'k-chink!' sound. She climbs into the driver's seat, and starts it up. Turning one ear toward the dash, she listens to the engine intently.

The engine turns over easily, and after an initial heavy brumm, it purrs at idling speed. Bowie walks over to lean against the car. It's a 4-door model, incidently. "Changed fluids every 500 miles, an regular tuneups." The odeometer is just shy of 100,000.

Kalinka apparently likes what she's hearing, because she grins broadly. "I do like it," she says, turning the key again to kill the engine. "You have a buyer, should you wish to part with it."

Bowie leans just inside the door, reaching down to pull the hood release. In case she wants to see that as well.

Kalinka takes a good look under the hood. "Hm, nice fuel injection...hover module is in decent condition..." She peers carefully at everything, frowning just like her Dad.

Bowie comes to join her in front of the car. "Ah try t'take good care a mah thangs. Trunks a bit tore up, but no one'll see it. An Ah can take off the trailer hitch."

Kalinka nods, and walks around to the back to check out the trailer hitch. "Hmm. No, I do like it," she decides suddenly.

Bowie walks back around to the driver's side, climbing in to turn off the engine again. "If yer sure." While he's at it, he pops the trunk. The upholstery has been buffed and nicked, like he's loaded and unloaded it on a regular basis. There's also a case fastened to the bottom of the trunk, about the right size for a rifle.

Kalinka nods, staring pensively into the trunk. She seems to be interested in the rifle-sized case. "Yes, I like this car a lot," she finally decides, grinning cheerfully. "I will turn this into my ride."

The case is currently unlocked, and if she investigates, it is most definitely a rifle case, with an extra spot to store a case of ammunition. It is a former policeman's car, after all. Bowie remains seated, turning so that he's half in, half out of the car. "Okay, then. We'll werk out the details."

[OOC] Bowie supposes we'll have to sell it to Pavel, seeing as how you're not old enough to actually hold the title of a car.

Kalinka grins, closing the trunk securely and then coming over to the side to talk to Bowie. "I can see that the engine has been modified at an earlier time...was it for law enforcement?"

[OOC] Kalinka would think so, yeah.

Bowie nods an affirmative. "Extra horsepower, an the drivetrain's been tweaked. It's got a real tight response. Won't go as fast as a real sportscar, mind, but it does good when yer makin tight turns."

Bowie adds, "Still has the police-band radio, but ya can always turn it off."

Kalinka seems to take an unusually keen interest in these features. "Is that so? Well, that is quite interesting," she says, smiling with a finger tapping her chin.

Bowie doesn't seem to mind. She's the one interested in buying it, after all. "Don't wurry, it didn't go on any high-speed chases. But Ah figgered it's better t'be safe than sorry. So it's got the same mods most detective cars do."

Kalinka nods. "Well...I guess I will talk to Daddy about buying this...I will give him the money, and let him buy it from you. "In the meantime, I will go back to the base and try to find him, or something."

Bowie nods, then gets up, removes the key from the ignition, and closes the door. "All right. If he wants t'see it, let me know."

[OOC] Bowie expects it to be completely unrecognizable by the time you're done with it. ;)

[OOC] Kalinka says, "That's a reasonable expectation! :D"

(Later...)

Hunter HQ - Commissary

Once the most-used area on the Fort Sam Houston, this area sees a little less usage by the Maverick Hunters, but it is still an important part of the ship. The mundane tasks of the Maverick Hunter Base are carried out here, from clothes laundry and armor cleaning to basic repairs. Mail sent from Neo-Tokyo is sorted here and delivered, and there is a small commisary, primarily for the human residents of the base, though it gets more than its fair share of usage by the Reploids here, as well. The room is seldom busy, but without the functions performed here, life in the Hunter Base wouldn't be quite as easy.

Kalinka [Casual]

Down <D> leads to Hunter HQ - Science Area.

East <E> leads to Hunter HQ - Medical Area.

South <S> leads to Hunter HQ - Residential Level.

The kitchen portion of the commissary carries the aroma of fresh veal cutlets. Kalinka is running around the kitchen area wearing an apron, which has something printed in Russian on the front of it. She's cleaning up extra dishes for the most part.

Bowie moseys in, as much in curiousity as interest in food. Spend virtually your entire life in the company of humans, and see what habits you pick up? He makes his way over to the maildrop first, to see if he's being 'occupant' again this week. "Smells good," he says to Kalinka.

Kalinka waves enthusiastically at Bowie with a mitted hand. "Oh, do we have -taker- on the veal? Hmmm?? It is irresistable, would you like one?" She's grinning from ear to ear.

With a smile like that, Bowie can hardly resist. "Sure." He makes his way over to the kitchen area, idly flipping through the mail as he goes. Junk, junk, bill, you may already be a winner...

Kalinka reaches into the oven with a mitted hand, pulling out a platter with the leftover veal cutlet on it. She slides it onto a plate, then grabs a fork and knife from one of the drawers and brings it over to one of the tables...serving it like a waitress. "There you are!" She sits down nearby, still grinning that grin.

Bowie nods and smiles. "Thankee, missy. Have ya eaten already?"

Kalinka nods. "Oh yeah, and I have put some away for my Daddy too...I did go speak to him about the car. He said it was fine! He gave me the number to...I don't know, lawyer friend of his...and he will call you about setting up the transaction."

Bowie resists the urge to roll his eyes at the mention of lawyers. He's never cared for most of them. "Good t'hear. Ah'll wait fer their call." He sets the handful of mail aside and picks up the silverware. "This another family recipie?"

Blizzard Wolf arrives from the Hunter HQ - Residential Level.

Blizzard Wolf has arrived.

Kalinka nods. "My grandmother did show me how to cook these," she says with a big grin. "And I had not made them in some time, so I thought it would be time to make them again. Let me know what you think."

Kalinka is, at the moment, sitting with Bowie at one of the tables. She's wearing an apron with something Russian written on the front of it, and oven mitts. Bowie has a plate with a fresh veal cutlet on it.

Bowie nods as he draws his knife from its sheath. In his estimate, the commissary knives aren't nearly sharp enough. He neatly slices of a corner of the steak and takes a bite. "Hm..."

Kalinka grins in anticipation...every bit the anxious chef.

Into the commissary pads Blizzard Wolf, looking a bit irritated about something or the other, but such is life. He screwed up, ergo it's his problem to deal with. ... Now he just has to manage to find Alpha when she's somewhere he can find her so he can actually *speak* with her about that dratted Met. Ah well. He can't think about it 24-7 or he'll go barmy.

Bowie pronounces the veal to be "Good. Real good." The Texan glances behind him as he hears the door opens, and greets, "Howdy, Blizz." Noting the expression, he adds, "Somethang wrong?"

Kalinka grins. "Blizzard, ah!" She asks him in Russian, "<< Would you like a fresh veal cutlet? I just made them a short while ago. >>" Why does she ask him in Russian? Probably because she knows that he can -speak- Russian.

"Nothing chatting with Alpha about bringing home strange pets couldn't cure..." the Wolf muses as he hunkers down nearby, nodding in greeting to Kalinka and then to Bowie after saying that. "That Met she brought home from who knows where escaped. I'm almost certain it was a modified model and there's a very short list of those."

The Wolf then pauses to consider the offer of food seriously. "<< Hmm.. why not? >>" he responds, shifting to his bipedal stance and rummaging around for a chair in his size. "<< Where do I sign up? >>"

Kalinka grins cheerfully, hopping up out of her seat and heading right for the oven, pulling out a cutlet and sliding it onto a plate. "The Master chef will take care of this!" she announces playfully.

Bowie sighs softly. What is it about people and modyfying Mets? Still, he refuses to let it bother him overmuch. "We'll find it. If it's on base, it won't be lost long."

Blizzard Wolf nods a little. "It jumped down a trash chute in the Labs medbay.. as far as Alloy could tell it's long gone," he muses a bit tiredly. "And it seems that it was modified long before Alpha found it. It was poorly disguised as a civilian Met ingeneously disgised as one of the brain-in-a-jar's special models... and moved very quickly whatever else was done to it."

"I -did- tell Alloy to leave that damned thing in the cage...why did he take it out? Oh, whatever." Kalinka shakes her head with a smirk, then brings the plate over to Blizzard. A tasty-looking veal cutlet is on the plate. "Dinner is served!"

Bowie's smile fades at the suggestion the missing Met pet is one of DeVry's toys. "So long as it wus /only/ in the Labs."

Blizzard Wolf regards the veal thoughtfully and makes an approving sound as he takes a taste. For a big lupine-looking thing he *does* have good table manners. nodding in approval to the chef he muses, "Excellent..." softly. He then remarks, "The best laid plans, I guess.. I certainly didn't expect it to pop out of a secondary shell when we had it turned over on its back. As for who it belonged to... Well. It was disguised as one of his.. but had a bad paintjob under the outer shell, as if someone were disguising it as an ordinary Met, disguised as one of his. I'm not sure if that's quite his style..."

Kalinka grins happily. The veal was a success! She waves her hands around happily, boogying back over to the kitchen area to put away dishes.

[Radio: (B) H-Chat] Kalinka transmits, "Oh, some of you guys did miss the tastiest veal cutlets ever made! Too bad! Maybe I will make them again, someday. They were quite good."

Bowie continues eating his cutlet thoughtfully. "Could be whoever it is wants us t'blame DeVry."

"Or something to that effect..." the wolf replies after a time of dining upon veal. "My Sun Tsu is a little rusty, but I believe that he was a big fan of misdirection."

Kalinka hums happily as she puts dishes away.

Kalinka says, "Your...who? Sun who?"

"Charming Chinese fellow who wrote the definitive guidebook on how to be a good general several thousand years ago called 'The Art of War'.." Blizzard explains after a moment.

Kalinka smirks with a bit of disdain. "Was his army better than Peter the Great's?" she asks.

Bowie doesn't have anything useful to contribute to the conversation, though the mention of Sun Tsu elicits a puzzled expression for a moment. The rest of his cutlet quietly disappears.

Blizzard Wolf considers this seriously for a time... "A measure of an army's worth is not how many men are in it. But the general leading them knowing when.. and where.. to apply them..." he decides after a moment. "Knowing neither Peter the Great, nor Sun Tsu personally.. I wouldn't hazard to compare them as generals."

Kalinka hmms, furrowing her brow. "Well, I will read this Sun guy's book. I will check it out the next time I go to Moscow library, I can better understand a Russian translation than an English one. I would just need to see for myself what kind of a book this guy has wrote. -- /Written/."

Blizzard Wolf nods a bit. "It's an interesting read if nothing else, though not especially long. It was required reading for a long time at most military academies if I remember correctly."

Bowie idly wonders if he's read it or not. The name sounds familiar, but...he gives a shrug, as much to himself as anyone. "Guess Ah should look it up too."

Kalinka admits as she puts away clean dishes... "I am somewhat partial to the Russian army." As if they couldn't tell.

Over in the corner, there's a soft clucking sound, and a brown hen stirs from its basket.

Blizzard Wolf chuckles. "I *had* gotten that general impression..." the wolf observes as he rubs at his beard thoughtfully. His attention is then briefly distracted by the sound from off in the corner... Would you beleive he didn't know there was a chicken in here before?

Kalinka smirks. "Sorry, she is getting hungry," she says, pulling some birdseed out of the pantry and walking over to the chicken, which clucks excitedly. "Her name is Katya, she is my...pet. I did buy her, err, in the market one day, and I was going to chop her head off in the sink and cook her up, but...Alia convinced me to not do it. So I kept her. She makes eggs."

Bowie's smile returns. "Lays good eggs, too," he comments.

"So, even though you missed out on a chicken dinner, you wound up with a good investment afterall..." the wolf remarks with a certain amount of amusement.

Kalinka smirks. "Yes," she says as she sprinkles the seed around...allowing the chicken to root around on the floor for the seeds. "That was the weird thing. You know, to me, farm animals are...you know...food. They are to eat. Alia was upset that I was killing them and cooking them up. She made me rethink what I have always done."

Bowie gets that puzzled look again. "Thank Ah might a had a conversation like that with her..."

Kalinka says, "I never meant to -upset- her, you know? I did feel bad about it."

Blizzard Wolf just listens thoughtfully to the conversation for the moment, since he has never met Alia and wouldn't erally have anything to offer by way of commentary to the whole thing. It really is quite interesting though.

Kalinka says, "That is the way my people survive, you know? That is how my grandmother taught me. And Alia is like, well you are not poor or suffering, so you do not need to do it."

The wolf considers this line of reasoning quietly for a little while. "Some things are done for reasons.. and they persist for a time after the original reason for them has vanished..." he says after a time.

"But people still need t'eat," Bowie interjects. "Whut's the diffrence between Miss Kali killin the chicken an payin a slaughterhouse t'do it?"

Kalinka reaches down to pick a few feathers up off the floor...and while the chicken is feeding, she quietly grabs an egg out of her basket. "See, that is exactly why I had wondered it, too...now see, Alia's reasoning was...let the chicken live, because so many are slaughtered anyhow. It would make no sense for me to kill another one. Just buy one at the supermarket. But you know something...the grocery stores chemically treat the meat with injections...to keep it freh longer. The meat -may- sit out for a week, or more. To me, that is more disgusting than holding one in the sink, alive, to chop its head off." She shrugs.

Blizzard Wolf sighs at this and muses, "I'm afraid that I'm one more step away from being human because of my format.. so I don't entirely understand the line of reasoning..." He then closes his eyes and considers this quietly.

Kalinka looks over at Blizzard. "Hers? Or mine?" she asks.

"The price of being human is that you are at the top of the food chain. Being at the top of the food chain means that, for you to live, something else has to die..." the wolf muses. "...I would have to give this a lot of thought..."

Kalinka grins. "Thank you, Blizzard. I was beginning to think that...you know, maybe there was something wrong with the 'apex predator' logic."

Bowie stands up, taking his plate and silverware (and knife) over to the sink. "Somethang like that. We all take things t'live, even us reploids, but we all give back, too."

Blizzard Wolf chuckles in response to Kalinka's expression and shrugs a little. "That's my gut reaction.. but then again, Father incorporated certain engrams based off of the behavior of wolves into my neural net. So I might be somewhat biased."

Kalinka patpats Katya on the head affectionately...that same head she was about to let drop into the sink months earlier. Giving Bowie a wink, she looks over at Blizzard again. "Do you believe in...um, what is it called...the circle of life theory?"

[OOC] Bowie hums The Lion King theme.

[OOC] Kalinka chuckles!! 8)

Blizzard Wolf hmms at this and then crosses his arms before his chest, head tilted slightly to the side, "Hmm.. I'm not sure.. Could you descirbe it?" Having not been around quite so long as many other Reploids, he's still learning a few things that his programmer neglected to add in before startup.

Kalinka hmms. "Well, it is kind of like what Bowie was saying before. It refers to...if you take -from- the food chain, what goes around, comes around...mmm...wait. That is not right. It is hard for me to put in English without it sounding weird..." Awkwardly, she switches to Russian, briefly, as she explains the concept. "<< Life and death are a cyclic process...things are born and things die. Consuming another living being is part of that cycle. You take, and you give back. >>"

Blizzard Wolf hmmms at this and muses in reply, "<< An interesting proposition.. but I am not certain. It is something I would have to give serious thought to... >>" His left paw's fingers are running through his beard thoughtfully as he thinks.

Bowie misses the Russian explanation, but that doesn't seem to bother him. He washes his used dishes, then sets them in the rack to dry. "Errythang is born, it lives, it dies. We take, but in the end we give back. Those that come after us do the same."

Alpha arrives from the Hunter HQ - Residential Level.

Alpha has arrived.

Kalinka feels weird about talking Russian in front of Bowie. She feels like she's 'talking around' him, for some reason, when she does it. "Well. Chicken is fed. Hunters are fed. Do you know what comes next, gentlemen?"

"Washing the dishes?" the wolf suggests thoughtfully.

Bowie cleans off his knife before returning it to its sheath. "A good book an a nap," he ventures.

Kalinka giggles. "No, nonono! The correct answer, is...hockey! Channel 1081 has Russia at Uzbekistan!"

Blizzard Wolf blinks. "Hockey, hmm?" he muses as he looks around for a TV. In a faction where Zero is one of the leaders, there's probably a TV prominenly and conveniently positioned in every major gathering place. Of course, the wolf was always more a soccer fan himself, but he's willing to watch hockey.

Alpha walks in, NOT WEARING THE SANTA HAT, instead she appears to be hatless, though she is holding her hands in a cupped position, as if expecting a bird to land in it or as if she was preparing to throw water in her face. However, she does neither of these things, and doesn't even say Hello.

Bowie says "Hocky. A course." Might as well learn something about this sport that Kalinka wants to teach him. "Uzbekistan a good team?"

The wolf's ear tilts towards the sound of feet moving along the floor outside of his field of vision and his head swivles in that direction. "Ah. Alpha. I wanted to ask you about found that Met the other day," he remarks in a casual tone. Hiding paranoia and worry is something that he is very, very good at.

There is, in fact, a wide-screened monitor near the comfy recliner-chair where The Cossack usually watches the set or takes naps. Kalinka picks up the remote, and turns the channel to 1081, the World Hockey channel. "Uzbekistan were world champions, three years in a row," Kalinka explains to Blizzard. "This year, though, will be different. The Russian team is going to unseat them!" She plops down into her father's recliner, then turns when Blizzard addresses Alpha. "Hi Alpha!"

Bowie nods in greeting to the winged one. "Howdy, Miss Alpha." The dishes done, he gravitates over to the monitor, picking up one of the kitchen chairs along the way.

Kalinka says, "Thank you, Bowie, for finishing dishes. I do appreciate that. I think you and me are...you know, only ones who do them, sometimes."

Blizzard Wolf wonders when the dishes got washed and how he missed that. He's gotta be slipping or something. ^@.@^ He stands up and shifts where he's seated a little, hunkering back down on all fours where he's actually more comfortable.

"All those years as a bachelor, Ah guess," Bowie jokes. Of course, he's also one of the few who cooks on a regular basis.

Kalinka smiles. "Bowie, if I was not so much in love with Derek, I would ask -you- out," she says with a grin as she checks out the stats on the Ubekistan team on the big screen. Perhaps it's a good thing, then, that Kalinka is so enamored with Derek!

Alpha smiles and waves to Kali immediately, "Hey Kali.", she looks to Blizzard Wolf and runs her eyes over him, probably wondering what he has to say. She blinks, and then looks purposefully away.

Blizzard Wolf muses to Alpha genially, "All I wanted to know was where you found it originally... because it got loose and toddled off yesterday." In this situation, it's better to be friendly than probing.

Rigger arrives from the Hunter HQ - Residential Level.

Rigger has arrived.

While Bowie looks and acts very human, there are a few gaps left by his creators. Which may be the only explanation as to why he doesn't blush. He blinks a few times, and then falls silent.

Alpha 's mind rewinds a bit and Alpha blinks again. She looks to Kali and says, "Is Derek Silo's first name?", softly, already knowing who Kali is referring to, but before she recieves a reply, she looks to Blizzard and says, "He is a hero whom I found trying to infiltrate Dr. Landon Devry's Immortamets. The disguise fell off, though.", she nods.

Rigger shuffles into the commissary with a dour, half-awake expression. Her gaze sweeps over those in the room before her eyes roll upward to stare at the ceiling for a few moments.

The wolf regards Alpha for a moment, wondering there in the world she learned to speak Met. "Ah.. and did he happen to tell you who he was infiltrating them for?" he inquires.

Kalinka giggles at Alpha's question for a while, tittering with laughter for some time before answering. "No...they are two different guys...never mind! I will tell you later, the game is starting soon!" She's still giggling as she looks back at the big screen, where two hockey teams are getting ready to square off.

Alpha stares at Blizzy for a few moments as if he was crazy, "He said Nerp a lot, does that mean anything?", she looks to Kali, opens her mouth, and then shuts it again. After all, she said she'd tell her later, though she isn't too sure that's true it is best to honor it. FOR NOW.

"What's about to start? And what are you going to tell her later?" Rigger asks as she lingers in the doorway hesitantly. Seemed everyone was busy trying to relax and she wasn't entirely sure she should bother intruding.

Bowie looks over to Rigger, mustering a smile. "Howdy, Miss Rigger. Hockey game's 'bout t'start," he explains.

Kalinka is seated over by the big screen, and Bowie is seated nearby. "Oh, hi Rigger! The game is Uzbekistan at Russia...hockey of course," she says. "And I will explain later to Alpha how Silo and Derek Vasquez are two different people, she did think they were the same guy or something."

Blizzard Wolf decides to wait a little while before he asks Alpha for any more details on the situation. As it is, things are looking a little bit better. At least it wasn't an Immortamet, of course he'd alreadys suspected that.

Rigger nods slowly as she looks between Bowie and Kalinka. "I see." Her hand lifts to rub at the back of her neck as she takes a deep breath. "I'm not even going to ask. My ucler's already killing me today."

Alpha blinks at Kali, "I knew that Silo and Derek Vasquez are two different people. I'm a bit confused as to why you're not asking Derek Vasquez out if you're 'so much in love' with him and instead, I think, Silo?", she grins a tad.

Kalinka rolls her eyes, then peeks over the edge of the armchair at Alpha. "You are behind on your gossip, my friend. Silo and I are not together anymore!" Gee, isn't that obvious? she thinks. She just can't understand why anyone wouldn't know, much less understand, her way of seeing all the men in her life that she's crazy about. The system makes perfect sense to her! "Anyhow...Rigger, I could make you something to take away the burning...I have herbal remedy for the ulcer flare-up I make for Daddy sometimes, would you like one?"

Blizzard Wolf doesn't quite grok the whole thing.. so he'll just stay out of it. He shifts his gaze round from the TV to Rigger for a moment and nods in greeting in her general direction. he then tucks his tail out of the walkpath ebfore somebody treads upon it.

"Because Derek Vasquez is my age and for a human of my age to date someone of Kalinka's age it's considered illegal," Rigger responds. "Besides that I'd break his kneecaps." Her hand rubs at her stomach a moment with a grimace, and she gives a quick nod to Kalinka's offer. "Please. I'm out of Mylanta."

Alpha blinks again, "That was quick.", she says simply, pauses, and then blinks again.

Kalinka smirks a little bit, glancing over at Bowie for a moment -- a bit of a knowing look, before slipping out of the airchair and heading over to the kitchen area. This -might- be the wrong time to mention that 'date' from the night before...it might well rip that ulcer Rigger has to critical proportions. She slinks over to the kitchen, and grabs some Russian-labelled bottles from off the shelf, mixing small amounts from each bottle into a tall glass of cold milk and shaking it into a lathery shake.

The wolf, wisely, decides to keep his nose out of the matter. He might be crazy and a borderline paranoid, but he's not stupid.

Bowie returns to laconic mode, his interest seemingly absorbed in the game. Sometimes, it's safer to play ignorant.

Long distance to Kalinka: Bowie needs to find a log of that scene...here's Mike and Bowie in the middle of an angst-filled scene, and in walks Ether, and she gets the completely wrong impression about what's going on. :D

"Sometimes things do work out that way," Kalinka explains to Alpha with a shrug as she prepares Rigger's tummy remedy. "Things are not always...you know, storybook. Things just did not work with me and Silo." She purposefully does not comment on the 'too young' comments from before.

Alpha blinks again and then says, "Ah.", she almost asked why 'breaking the law' mattered, but she remembered the Burning eyes of Cossack and, likely, Rigger too just in time. "I see."

There are some things that mankind.. and Reploidkind.. were not meant to know... The wolf continues to watch the hockey match queitly, head moving one way.. and then the other.. and then back the other way.

Kalinka hums happily as she stirs up the shake. "But I do love Derek," she insists with a dreamy smile.

Bowie continues in his silence. Not unusual for him.

Alpha says, "Unless things work a way." casually as she looks at that weird Hockey sport again.

Sonata arrives from the Hunter HQ - Residential Level.

Sonata has arrived.

Kalinka peeks up at the screen, and pouts unhappily. "Aw, Khristlachov is in the penalty box! Those Uzbeks have chance of scoring, now...if Daddy was here, he would be cussing very bad. Hockey brings out the bad, bad words in him." She grins.

Bowie watches the hockey game in a quiet confusion that has nothing to do with his patchy memory. Now, if he actually knew the rules, he might better appreciate the reasons why Khristlachov is in the penalty box. Though slamming one of the members of the opposing team against the wall might be the reason for that. And Kalinka wants to teach him this sport?

Rigger heads to one of the seats and flops into it with a wince. Her hand still lingers over her stomach as she turns her attention to the game. "Alot of things incite your father to swearing, Kalinka. This is at least one of the types that generally causes him to have fun in the process."

Blizzard Wolf observes, his head still shifintg back in forth while he watches, "It certainly must be.. tricky to keep track of the puck..." Looks like h's a little lost.. ^@.@^

Sonata wanders into the comissary, a curious expression on her face. "What is with all of the noise down here?" she asks, one eyebrow raised curiously. Rather strangely for Sonata... she's in her full armor at this point, with the arm guards on both of her forearms removed as well as a good bit of the power pack on her back. She brushes a few strands of hair out of her eyes, and looks about to everyone with a curt nod.

Kalinka chuckles a little bit, as she comes back over to Rigger to hand her the home-made remedy. "Try to drink it all in one shot," she recommends, like some little nurse. Spotting Bowie's expression as he's watching the game, she can't help but grin a little bit more...it's kind of a cute bewilderment. Blizzard's got that same lost look, and she mentions... "The best are the fights. Wait until you see -- oh, look, see? That guy just got checked on the back glass, he is not happy. Those were his teeth...see, now he is mad. He just cracked Marischenko with his stick! Oh, and now they are getting into it! This is the very, very good part!" She waves Sonata in excitedly. "Come on in -- hockey game!"

Rigger glances down at the cup of herbal remedy with a disgusted expression. It certainly didn't smell good. She pinches her nose with two fingers and tips her head back to gulp it down as quickly as possible. Even still she grimaces as she chokes it down.

Bowie scratches the side of his head, seemingly oblivious to anything but what's on the screen right now. Normally, if a fight breaks out in baseball, all parties are ejected from the game. Apparently that is not the case in hockey.

"Rather reminds me of the stands at a football game.." the wolf remarks in a somewhat morbidly fascinated tone. "Except that the fight is down amongst the teams instead of up in the stands.."

Alpha just watches the hockey game a tad distastefully, not adding to the conversation currently, which may be a good thing.

Sonata cranks up an eyebrow slightly. "A bloodbath? How... interesting," she comments, looking at the screen for a moment before slowly shaking her head. She gives Bowie a slight nod, and turns to Rigger with a faint smile. "Rigger, do you think I might be able to get your help in the near future? I've been finishing up some... modifications, and I think that I really am going to need a bit more experienced hand for the final touches." She holds out her arms, indicating the emitters and power cells that have been partially disassembled and rebuilt inside of them. "Father has been rather busy of late, alas."

When the altercation is finally over, both participants are sent to the penalty box for a while. "See, that is why it is very exciting to GO to one of the games in person," Kalinka explains. "Sometimes the puck flies out and it hits someone. Or maybe there is a big fight and all the guys get into it. Excellent stuff!" She rubs her hands together. Usually, she's a lot more verbal over these games, though tonight, she just wears a very dreamy expression...one might come to the conclusion that although she's staring up at the screen, that isn't what she's actually seeing as she daydreams right along. By the time the first period is about to end, Kalinka is fast asleep in her father's reclining chair, smiling beatifically and snuggling a pillow against her, tightly, in a fond embrace.

Kalinka has disconnected.

Blizzard Wolf just looks perplexed.. maybe it's an acquired taste or something.. but he's not really all that into this. His gaze shifts over to Alpha and remarks to her during a blessed lull in the hyperviolence, "Hmm.. ah.. Bastion wanted me to ask you where you'd found the Met originally.. Bastion's just being Bastion.. Paperwork stuff."

Isaac arrives from the Hunter HQ - Residential Level.

Isaac has arrived.

Bowie turns to Blizzard, raising eyebrows in surprise. "Ya mean Bastion's up t'that stuff already?"

Sonata laughs softly. "Did you ever know Bastion to NOT be paranoid, Bowie? I'd expect that the fact that the Met was even in the room was more than enough to rouse his suspicions... what is left of them, at least."

Blizzard Wolf chuckles. "He's learned the art of delegation. He gives orders from his little box at his bedside and sends us poor Corsair out to be his hands while he has none."

Bowie nods slowly, only modestly surprised, really. "Point."

Isaac wandersin carrying a cup of COFFEE!(TM) from which he is drinking the stuff that is claimed to be coffee but Anthem style. In the other hand he is reading over some sort of report.

Rigger is seated watching a hockey game and holding a cup of really, really bad smelling tea of some sort.

Bowie shakes his head and stands. "Ah thank Ah hear a book callin. Evenin, all." With that, he heads for the door. Isaac gets a nod in passing.