maskormenacelogs | I pity all you working stiffs

WHO: John and others (open log)
WHERE: Various places
WHEN: January 7th - 19th
WHAT: Watch out, John's about
WARNINGS: None predicted

[ karen starr, post-pan plot ]

[ god, it had been a mad start to the new year.

john had not been involved with the rescue but, as a former army surgeon, he volunteered his services. according to what he heard, the spell had been broken but people were killed and pan had escaped. it wasn't the resolution he was hoping for, but at least it was over and heropa was no longer some terry gilliam inspired version of neverland.

sitting hunched forward in the living room and scrolling through his phone for train times, john side-eyes the feline glaring at him through its slitted eyes from the opposite chair. ]

Right, cat food. Thanks for the reminder.

[ oddly enough, they have been getting along far better than when he and karen were living together. ]

[ gregor vorbarra, mid january ]

[ john had started cycling to work again. domesticity often meant putting on weight and he was aiming to lose the seven pounds he had somehow put on over thanksgiving and christmas. this morning though, he had left his bottled water behind and stopped by a café on the way to work, leaving his bike opposite the parking meter that had a man staring cluelessly at it.

that is nothing unusual – john doesn't know how parking meters work and they've never responded when he swears at them in frustration. it's only when he comes out of the café with a bottle of water and finds the man is still there that he wanders over. ]

Are you all right mate?

[ wild card! ]

[ maybe you’ve got a GP appointment with him. john works at a small clinic in heropa and has recently been taking work at some of the after-hours walk-in centres. you could spot him waiting for his order at a take-out place, drinking at a bar or signed up at one of the gyms your character attends. he can be accosted at any of these places and anything goes! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Despite appearances, Gregor is very aware of everyone around him, so he doesn't start at being addressed. He does straighten up, hiding his guilt at being caught out looking like a very confused and possibly outright stupid tourist; outwardly, he seems quite unruffled, but he offers John a wry hint of a smile. His accent is very noticeably Russian, or just about, with all the edges polished off to smoothness (almost a hint of French?).]

Yes, sorry. I was distracted by the legalese on the... This is a meter? Probably I should just go to the library and find legislative records, but it hadn't even occurred to me until I saw this.

[Great, now he's going to sound like a hopeless academic. Which he's actually not much of. Gregor adds,] This whole parking arrangement is not something we have on my planet.

No, it's fine. [ john was a little bemused, but everything became clear when gregor said planet. ] Yeah, it's a parking meter. The charges are daylight robbery and no one can get them to bloody work.

[ he's painting a very inaccurate picture -- just because john doesn't know how to work them, it doesn't mean no one else does. ]

Do you need a hand with it?

[A quick quirk of a smile at that grousing -- Gregor knows an unreasonable complaint when he hears one -- but then he shakes his head.]

No, thank you though. I don't actually have a groundcar. I used to be involved in legislating this sort of thing, ah, parking rights, so I was curious about how they'd handled it. There's some legalese on the post.

Ah, right. So, you used to work for the council before you came here?

[ A wry smile. ]

The Council of Counts, but yes.

Council of Counts? That's a new one.

[ it sounds more creative than a borough slapped with council on the end of it. ]

You know, I've never actually read the legalese on this. I've tried to, but I'm pretty sure they make it as complicated as possible.

Oh, they do. It's horrific, and boring, and horrifically boring. I don't recommend it-- pure morbid curiosity on my part. I've never been part of a democracy before and I was wondering if it was different, but this much is exactly the same.

Well, at least some things are universal.

[ john says with an easy smile. ]

I'm John, by the way.

[ A small smile, there and gone. Gregor in general has a melancholy air to him. ]

Greg. Do you work around here? I saw you duck into the café. [ Proving he's not nearly as oblivious as he seems. ]

[ The window on the opposite end of the room slides open without warning and through it comes Peej's figure. She shuts the window immediately to keep the cold air out, leaning against the frame with a loud sigh. Her costume is tattered in a few areas, but she's mostly covered in what looks like dirt, grass stains and leaves that stick in her tousled hair. ]

Finally. Kitty, I'm home.

[ She throws off her gloves and starts unzipping her boots to kick them off. ]

[ although john is startled when the window suddenly slides opens, looking up and seeing power girl come though puts him at ease. he stands up, ignoring the cat hissing at him as he walks past his chair, intending to catch karen before she can undress any further.

well, at least without him gawking at her. ]

Welcome back. [ he looks over her dishevelled appearance and smiles sympathetically. ] How did it go?

[ She simply shakes off her boots and leaves them in a pile with her gloves, heading over to the couch so she can flop over on it. She doesn't appear injured, but she looks tired, which is a rarity. ]

Hey, John. [ Her cat comes trotting up to her quickly for attention, giving John the stink eye before rubbing his head against Karen's hand. ] Hi, sweetie. I missed you as well.

[ Slowly, she sits up on the couch. Probably shouldn't sit for too long when she's covered in dirt... ]

We're okay. Neverland's gone.

Yeah, I heard. Thank God for that. [ watching karen and the cat interact makes him think about his stuck back at home. cat food, he stores the note somewhere within his mind bungalow. probably pinned on the fridge door. ]

Thanks for letting me stay. I'm looking at the train times for Heropa and I can be out of your hair in a bit. Can I get you some tea?

No problem. I'm glad to find the place in one piece.

[ She didn't doubt John would keep her place tidy, though she's surprised the cat is still around. Everyone whines about her beloved feline for some reason... ]

... if it's not too much. Neverland didn't have any of that.

[ She scratches her cat's chin lovingly before he wanders off after John. He's still going to give him food, right? Right? ]

If it did, it probably would've been poisoned.

[ only their iteration of peter pan seems a lot worse than the captain hook from the original story. john isn't alarmed when he turns around and sees the cat staring at him after putting the kettle on. he looks at the bowl and back to the feline. ]

You've eaten all that already?

[ a sharp meow. ]

Alright, I'll give you some more. Keep your hair on.

Edited 2016-02-08 19:47 (UTC)

[ Has her cat betrayed her? It's a bit of a shock to see the cat and John getting along well enough... though it probably helps they lived together for a while.

Peej wanders off into her bedroom in the meantime, closing the door enough so John can't see her undress, but leaving a crack so he can still hear her as she talks through it: ]

Was everything okay on the outside? I couldn't contact anyone while I was in there.

I pity all you working stiffs

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sorry for late

never late

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