but tramps like us

[taraincognita]

WHO: Tara Markov (Terra) & Hopefully, You!
WHERE: All over, mainly Heropa and Nonah!
WHEN: Early May
WHAT: A stray geomancer lugs a cactus around, chills in some parks, yells at well-meaning restaurant owners, and generally, annoys people.
WARNINGS: Homelessness; paranoia.


[it's getting pretty nice out, so, of course, it's way more likely that you'll be spending time outside. luckily--or, unluckily--for you, that's where tara spends all of her time, so your chances of running into her are getting a lot higher. she's dressed along the same lines as usual--black long sleeved crop top, jean shorts, and boots. one new addition, however, is the backpack slung over her shoulder. bizarrely, there's a cactus poking out of the pocket. visible behind it is a copy of les miserables. well, uh, that sure is interesting.]

a. heropa

[it's hot as hell in florida--and exactly the kind of heat that tara hates. gross, muggy, and prone to breeding mosquitoes. the people here are generally happy, though, and trust imports--even the ones that are often seen loitering during school hours around convenience stores, trying to bum cigarettes off locals. she looks innocent enough, too, with her hair clipped back by a butterfly hairclip. sure, the occasional local asks her why she isn't in school, but it pays off eventually.

she can also be found at all hours of the night, chilling at any of the parks in heropa. usually she's smoking, eating some weird food combination, or skipping rocks in a pond. not a super active group of activities, but hey. they pass the time.]

b. nonah

[nonah is slightly more tara's speed. it's slower. the people there are still super trusting, which suits her, too. it's pretty nice town, all things considered. it's cooler there, too; and though the weather that she misses the most is the dry heat of the southwest, this is at least an improvement on florida. nonah is better, too, in that it's easier to steal. tara doesn't particularly revel in the necessity of theft right now; but she doesn't have a job, or a home. swiping bread or apples here and there is better than starving, and she's quick about it. she's not going to get caught.

except the oddest thing has happened. thanks to someone she hasn't yet identified, places have been offering her free food. and that makes her paranoid. the last time someone watched out for her, made her feel safe, and fed her, he'd turned out to be awful. there's no reason that this anonymous benefactor will be any better. and it's making her nervous that all of these people know who she is, have been ordered to look out for her. so nervous, in fact, that she's liable to shout at the next kindly restaurant or cafe owner who offers her a bite to eat.

so, you might be having a day out, enjoying all of the lovely things that nonah has to offer in the spring--only to come across a fourteen year old girl shouting at a shopkeeper, demanding to know exactly who told them to look out for her. maybe you can calm her down?]

c. closed to prior cr; anywhere

[it's been said that april showers bring may flowers, but no one has ever said anything about the benefits of may showers. if you've had a good relationship with tara in the past, you may find an unexpected visitor on your doorstep during a particularly bad thunderstorm. she's dripping wet, long hair plastered to her face, but has a casual grin, as though to imply that there is absolutely nothing the matter about dropping in on someone unexpectedly.]

Uh, yo. Can I crash here for a bit? The rain isn't good for my cactus.

[if you allow her to stay, be warned--tara is the absolute worst houseguest. she will eat all of your food, ruin your bathtub, and probably run away after a few days with nothing but a thank you. but hey--surely some of you can offer a stray puppy into your hearts, right? her friendship will be a sure reward!]

d. closed to kidou

[she's at the park that they'd chosen early. not because she's a particularly early person, but because she's always hanging out in one park or another, and this one was just as well as the next one. she seems to have gotten a soccer ball from somewhere, even though it's definitely seen better days--it's kind of deflated. but with any luck, it'll do the trick! she's bouncing it from hand to hand idly, though it's pretty clear that she's never handled a soccer ball before in her life.

good luck, kidou.]

Comments

sakka yarouze!!

[tacticianing]

[If there's a single word to describe Kidou, 'overachiever' would easily fit the bill. He shows up with a penguin backpack slung over one arm and a smug expression, the first of which he leans against a nearby tree and the second of which only grows as he pulls out his own soccer ball - all shiny and new - and sets it down. He's also packed some water bottles he put in the freezer overnight and set in the fridge until now, so there's a core of ice keeping them chilled. And to top this off, he's made and individually wrapped some onigiri as well, and packed two small snack bags of cut carrots inbetween the water bottles. When they need a break, he is prepared.

He was made to be ready for moments like these. The only reason he was late was trading out backpack contents for soccer.

Once he's ensured that his backpack is securely zipped tight again, he turns back to Tara, one foot on his own ball. Seems she's here early - good. He admires that dedication. Though she's tossing it like it's a basketball... he notes down her stance, which is 'none', and her familiarity with handling some ball, which also seems to be none. The thing seems a bit unbalanced by the way it's turning down each time from toss to toss. He'll probably have to trade balls out with her.]

Yo, Tara.

[taraincognita]

[she's been waiting there for a bit, kicking her heels at the dirt, playing with the soccer ball; and she hears him coming pretty easily. it's not like he's trying to hide his approach, anyway, but she can't help but think of it like that. calculated. he's not a threat.

she thinks he isn't, anyway. and that penguin backpack supports her initial impression. as well as the fact that he brought snacks. holy shit? that's adorable.]

Hey!

[she grins and tosses the ball up, trying to seem like she knows what she's doing. spoiler alert: she doesn't.]

What'd you bring? I mean, carrots, obviously, but...

[tacticianing]

Water bottles and onigiri.

[He says this as if onigiri is a common, everyday object that everyone knows about. That's largely in part because in his life, it is. Even Nonah Middle School was used to that kind of thing thanks to their association with Amada long before he arrived.]

They'll be for later.

[So he thinks anyway. That depends more on Tara's curiosity.]

b

[oceanthief]

[ok, or, or. she could just make everything even worse.

Lapis generally doesn't pay attention to the people in the city so much as the actual surroundings themselves; she still struggles to really differentiate most humans from each other, and it's not like they do anything particularly interesting during their day-to-day wanderings. if not for the outburst, it's likely that she would have kept walking right on by.

in some ways, she would have almost preferred that. it may have been an inordinate amount of time for a human, but to a gem the last time she saw that particular head of angry blonde hair was less than a sneeze. she recognizes her in an instant and stops short, gaze sharp and completely insensible to the argument currently unfolding.]

Tara..?

[it can't be. it can't be. there's no way that she could possibly have been given a gift of this magnitude.]

finally

[taraincognita]

[the angry blonde in question is currently shouting at a pizzeria owner, who had just offered her a slice on the house. even worse, he'd called her by name, meaning that someone had given him her identifying information. tara is about a few minutes short from clobbering the civilian with a rock when someone else says her name.

immediately, she whirls around, expression on the more paranoid side of 'alert.']

How do you know my name?!

[and it's some blue chick, to boot. perfect. as if her life here couldn't get any weirder.]

now you too can have your own shitty lapis tags

[oceanthief]

You don't remember.

[it's a statement, not a question, and one that completely flies in the face of all the warning signs of a psychotic break that Tara is giving off right now. there's stiff pain in her voice, but no trace of fear.

she doesn't know what she'd been expecting. only one other person had ever been returned to her, and that was simply to leave again several months later. had Lapis really believed that she could repeat such a miracle without paying an awful price?

the truth was that she had; against all common sense her heart had leapt upon realizing what that familiar face could mean. no matter how many times she was beaten down, she just couldn't seem to learn this lesson.]

c

[h2no]

[archie opens the door, looks down at tara then closes it before she even finishes what she's saying.

he steps away, presses his hand to his face and then goes back and opens it.]

You ain't livin' in a cave, but fuckin' couch surfin' is alright? We got three empty rooms, kid. Take your pick. Crobat's in the lounge.

[taraincognita]

[she sputters something indignantly when he closes the door, and is about to knock again when he finally decides to open.]

I'm not couch surfing! I'm just too far from home to get back this late!!

[it's a lie, but a convincing enough one; at least on voice and facial expression alone. she steps inside and shakes herself off, rather like a dog, before pushing her wet hair behind her ears and grinning easily.]

Uhh. Got any food?

[h2no]

Uh huh.

[he doesn't sound 100% convinced, but doesn't press the topic. after working with over thirty grunts in team aqua, some of which were like tara and had nowhere else to go, archie's gotten fairly used to the common excuses.]

None I'd wager you'd like. Go have a goddamn shower and I'll give ya pizza money or somethin'.

C

[beautiful_monster]

[It's Yuri who opens the door, looking ready to bite the head off of whatever solicitor or overeager fan has made their way to his door today. His irate expression is quickly replaced with—still an annoyed look, but there's an edge of concern and confusion to it now.]

What the hell—get in here! How long have you been wandering around in this weather?

[taraincognita]

Uhh. When did the weather start?

[she gives a big grin, as though this is a totally normal thing to do. 100%, totally normal. most teenage girls spend their nights out in a summer thunderstorm, right? tara is absolutely soaked to the bone, but she steps inside without much regard to the water she's getting on the floors.

sorry, nikiforov-katsuki clan. this girl is a mess. i hope you don't have a shoes-off-in-the-house rule, because she definitely just broke it.]

Sorry to drop in and all! It just got kinda. Rainy out there!

[beautiful_monster]

[He grumbles irritably, already stomping down the hall to get a towel from the linen closet for her.]

You know, a normal person would be pissed about getting caught out in the rain for that long. [A pause. Yuri frowns and looks her up and down while he thrusts a dry towel at her.]

Your clothes are soaked too. Do you want to borrow something dry?

[fourlevels]

[ Viktor had been lounging on the couch with Makkachin, but he wanders to the door when he hears Yuri speaking with someone. ]

Eeeh, a friend of Yura's?

c!

[helpline]

[ The Doctor opens the door...looks at Tara...and then shrugs as if this is totally normal, holding the door open to let her come in. ]

There's a spare room that you can crash in if you want. House rules include not bothering MK, not kicking Murray off if he hangs on your shoulder, and telling me if you break anything so I can patch it up with screws and duct tape. Will you be staying for breakfast?

[ There's a bunch of questions he should ask (why aren't you at your government housing? why isn't the CACTUS at your government housing? what's going on here?) but those questions shall be asked later. Right now, kiddo needs to get out of the rain. ]

[taraincognita]

Uh, sure? I'm always game for food.

[she has a ton of questions, too. unlike the doctor, though, she isn't going to wait to ask them. she steps into the house, dripping water.]

Who're MK and Murray? And, uh, I'll try not to break anything!

[no promises, though.]

b

[heliophilic]

[Why calm her down when someone can make things infinitely worse? The shopkeeper, all but pale by this point, points a shaky finger at familiar gentleman in a black beanie approaching the fray from across the street. Instead of the full leather work clothes, today M's dressed in a black graphic t-shirt under a brown leather jacket, dark jeans, and aviator shades.]

What did Melba do to deserve such treatment?

[taraincognita]

[ yes, good, make things worse. tara whirls around to face m, her expression panicked--and more than a little angry. she clenches her hands into fists, glaring at him, and taking a step forward.]

Why did you tell all of these people to give me shit?! Are you trying to poison me, or recruit me?!

[she crosses her arms.]

Not. Interested.

c. crashing the penguin pad

[substrategist]

[With practice cancelled today due to the weather, the boys from Teikoku are home early from school. They were fortunate to miss the better part of the downpour on their way to and from the Porter, but the rain had become a lot heavier before they'd managed to make it down the street and through the front door of their home in Heropa.

So, after they've all taken the time to change out of their damp clothes and into dry ones, Sakuma heads back downstairs with everything that needs drying and deposits it all into the washer-dryer combo, a task that lets him hear the knock at the front door.

He calls to the others that he'll get it, but he's not exactly prepared for what — or who — he finds standing on their front doorstep pleading to come inside.]

Tara?

[How in the world did she find where they live? And why ever would she be wandering around with a cactus? Doesn't she have a home, or at least a place of her own to "crash" assigned to her by the government?

Sakuma has half a mind to say no and turn her away, but following another booming crack of thunder he steps aside and holds open the door for her, instead.]

Come in...I'll get you a towel.

[And while he does that, he'll also go and alert both of his friends to the presence of a natural disaster setting foot in their home.]

ペンギン!!!!!

[taraincognita]

[she laughs nervously upon seeing who it is. at least kidou kind of likes her, where soccer is concerned. she thinks. it's hard to tell with him. it reminds her of raven, or even robin--both comparisons are extremely disconcerting to her, too. after all, they'd been the ones who were the most suspicious of her.

this kid, too, seems suspicious. he looks like he's going to turn her away, and she can't blame him. after all, she'd been kind of a dick.]

Uh, yeah. That's me. Tara.

[she shifts from one foot to the other. she could just leave. find a nice bench to crash on--or under, as the case may be. it's not like she needs to crash with people. it's not like she's lonely. but then he talks, and it's. all better.][oh, she's a disaster, all right.]

b

[couldbebeautiful]

[Veronica hits Nonah up two days into her second week in this brave new world, her diary and a copy of The Great Gatsby tucked underneath her arm, with her much-coveted large Coke finally in hand. She's not planning on doing much but wandering around the place, probably writing down what she finds, but when one of the things she finds is a young girl shouting at a shopkeeper for something?]

Hey!

[Just going to insert herself right between them now, yeah, thanks.]

Hey—uh, stranger. Is that Les Mis? [Her pronunciation is atrocious, but she's not French, so.]

[taraincognita]

[startled by the intrusion, tara takes a step back. she snaps her goggles over her face--a sign that would be concerning, if veronica knew tara's powers. thankfully, she doesn't. tara doesn't make any moves, yet, just stares at the other girl.]

Uh--Yeah. It was a gift. What the fuck are you doing? I'm trying to have a discussion.

a; enter the tiger(dad)

[earnedmystripes]

[Unfortunately, one of the locals she tries to get a cigarette from doesn't happen to be a local at all; a combination of bright sunlight and a t-shirt with sleeves nonetheless on the longer side will hide that infamous tattoo, alas.

But instead of the sweet, sweet release of nicotine, what she gets instead from this stranger is a dude who has decided this matter is his personal business now, and has his hands on his hips, mouth in that patented Parental Frown all parents are genetically programmed with.]

Smoking is bad for your health, you know. It's not just something that makes you "look cool", like movies and tv like to pretend.

GOD!!!!! GOOD.

[taraincognita]

Yeah, I know. I'm not stupid. Smoking kills your lungs and shit.

[she shrugs, glancing up at the frown. come on, dude. you're not her dad. not even close.]

Anyway, if you're not going to help out, you can step aside instead of giving me the Sunday afternoon special lecture.

c-ish. i am so late. If this tag is too late, feel free to ignore!

[ghoulking]

[ Since it's raining, there aren't many people in Kaneki's coffee shop; most of them left and the usual group of giggling fangirls can't be found anywhere. So he does appreciate the sudden rain and hopes it'll drag for a bit longer if only to give him some peace and quiet for now. Hinami-chan is at school and none of his employees are there right now - though Kaito might be coming in soon - so for now Kaneki is alone.

When Tara comes in, the bell makes a noise and Kaneki approaches her with a smile ]
´
Hello, Tara-chan. Sit down, I'll make you some hot chocolate. [ it feels right to go along with the weather, right? Maybe.

And if Tara wishes to explore the place, she certainly can - it's full of trinkets to poke and see. But if she really wants to be a rebel, the door with the letters "Private" certainly is there, unwatched ]

it's never too late my dude

[taraincognita]

Oh, uh, thanks.

[ she sets the cactus down on the table, ditching her backpack on the floor and kicking her boots against the back of the booth. jeez, she's freezing. when kaneki disappears, she squeezes her hair out just a bit over a napkin, before glancing curiously around.

there is, well, literally no one here. that feels safer than it would, normally. she contemplates looking at the books, but honestly? she'd just embarrass herself. instead, she gets up, wet boots squeaking slightly as she heads towards the private door and pushes it open.

good idea, tara. you're winning.]