Yum, yum, yum, thanks for the grub. (adeline)

[Raron]

Tarsus heard the place before he saw it. Angelo's. He admitted to himself with the rumors going around this probably was not the smartest place to go, but if he did only the smartest things then where would the fun be? He grinned and hummed along to the music as he parked the Hovercycle and pushing a button on the remote, sent the bike into lockdown mode. A humming noise indicated it was primed to give an unpleasent welcome to anyone trying to mess with his baby. Satisfied that everything was up to snuff he turned to the building and gazed upon it.
He watched the boarders glide and bank, their laughter swallowed by the music. He observed another group playing Pack and slamming into one another. Then he observed the reason he had came, the sole reason he would go into a place seemingly dedicated to a device that when Tarsus had tried it caused him to slam high speed into a wall.
He saw food. He had heard how wretched the food was, how greasy, how salty, how oversaterated in fats and oils it was. He had to try it. He opened the door and walked through. He smiled as he did so, the smile confident and uncaring of the staring youngsters all over the place. He did not see a single person half his age there. The thoughts going through their heads was obvious. They were wondering what a geezer like him was doing there. He let them wonder as he walked towards the bar and picked up a menu. There was not a single thing approaching healthy food on it.
"I think I am gonna like this place"

[Adeline]

Rook had accompanied Adeline to as far as the Gates before he turned around to go to his "previous engagement." Neither of them talked much during the walk; Adeline was contemplating what the library books she had found out about might have hidden inside them. However, now that she was at the bar she most often frequented, she had one goal: to forget about everything for right now, and worry about it tomorrow. That mean getting drunk off her ass. Then she had to find Groves. He wouldn't be happy...oh no, he wouldn't be happy with her, but she knew he'd help her find the library books.

She entered Angelo's, immediately spotting a older man in there. Even stranger, he was an ankyosaurus. Adie's mind searched itself; she knew this man. Purposely, she made sure to sit next to him at the bar as she motioned to the bartender to bring her her usual, heavy drink. All the workers there knew it by heart.

A phrase came to her mind while looking at the ankyosaurus and she said it out loud, questioningly. "Repairman for hire? You got a problem, he is the solution?"

She knew that there was a name to start it off, but she couldn't quite remember it. It was a strange name, uncommon, and she knew quite a lot of the people who worked for her had mentioned this man a few times. However, she saw him as no threat or help and dismissed him in order to better concentrate on the task at hand. Now, however, she might have the time to question his allegiances more closely.

[Raron]

Tarsus raised an eyeridge as the white tiger sat next to him, he regarded her carefully. He observed her hat which in itself was a suprise, he stripe pattern, he carefully observed her eyes and her curves (he was an old man but he still had a pulse), and couldn't help but wonder where he had heard of that outfit before.
He barely reacted when she quoted his motto to him. It was cheesy as hell but it got people's attention. Besides a friend kept cranking out the card for him, the least he could do was hand them around. He gauged his reaction carefully, thinking before talking. He took the moment to organize his gut instinct about the woman before him. Only one word came to mind.
Dangerous.
She was pretty but in the sense a bottle of poison could be pretty. His gut told him it was time to walk out and go get a pizza. He ignored it. If you only listened to instinct then life got boring. Besides and attrective young lady was talking to him, no need to be rude.
"The name's Tarsus Ridge milady."
He unconciously shifted his speech to more match her dress. He turned to the bartender.
"Yeah, I would like a jumbo burger combo, a large sausage pizza, extra extra extra cheese, a order of hot wings, and two orders of onion rings... oh and a couple of pitchers of beer."
The bartender wrote this down.
"You expecting a bunch of friends or sumthin?"
Tarsus shook his head.
"Nah, that is all for me. I missed breakfast."
The bartender blinked a few times, looked at Tarsus's sincere smile and shrugged.
Tarsus reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette paper, and looking at them regarded the tiger next to him.
"Do you mind if I smoke?"

[Adeline]

Adeline smiled wryly. "There are far worse habits than smoking, Mr. Ridge."

She sat back as her drink came and watched the kitchen staff frazzledly meet the demands that the ankyosaurus had set them. Her mind worked frantically as she contemplated everything that had occured since the Kenn Park fiasco.

Taking a long swig of her drink, she looked over at the ankyosaurus. Now what? She had engaged him in conversation, but what was her next move? He obviously didn't recognize her, or didn't show it at least. Did that mean she should give a fake name? Jade rather than Adeline, Sumar just as a surname? But no, he gave his full name, it would be expected that she do the same. Jade Sumar? Could that get past him? Well...she was a white tigress with flashing jade eyes, it would make sense. She had given the name before, to Rook even...in this very same bar, almost in these exact seats as she waited for Dargan Loiale to finish signing his autograph so she could give it to her "nephew". Or was it her fake neice? Adeline couldn't quite remember.

However, if Ridge had recognized her and was just keeping the fact hidden, she couldn't risk being caught in a lie. But, if he didn't, and she gave her real name thinking that he knew her, he'd instantly recognize it and what then?

Her mind buzzing, Adeline took another deep swig of her drink, and spoke. "I got a problem, Mr. Ridge, a big one, and I'm hoping you could help me fix it?"

She decided to just keep it casual and simple right now, at least until the ankyosaurus started asking the more demanding questions, such as her name...and what the problem was.

[Raron]

He once again raised an eyebrow ridge in suprise. He was impressed, right down to business. Usually he had to wait up to an hour for a possible client to talk about a problem they had... well unless it was their children in trouble, then they got right down to business. But this furre... whose description was bouncing around his head, trying to find a connection... she did not have that paniced, thousand yard stare of someone with friends or family in trouble. This would be interesting.
He reached into his pocket and took out a cigarette paper and dramitically placed it upon his tongue, supporting it on the tongue he poured a bit of tabaco onto the paper. The smell of sea salt filled the air from the unusual tabbaco. He folded and rolled it and span it with only his tongue and then grasped the rolled cigarette in his lips and held up his lighter to it... secretly switching the cigerette with an identical one that was not soggy as hell. He had done this trick a thousand times, for many reasons over the years. This time it was a test, he wanted to see how his possible client did with the distraction as he lit up and took a deep deep puff and then exhaled out his nostrils slowly. The smoke rose and the sea salt smell became stronger.
"Hmmm a job... what kind of job is it milady."
He reached up and scratched his chin as he grinned.
"If you know enough to know my motto then you know I do not do exterminations."
Old lingo, meant he was not an assasin.
"So what is it you need so badly you would hire an old man like me?"
He knew that if she knew as much about him as she seemed to she would know his prices were not cheap. You paid for good service.

[Adeline]

Magicians had never impressed Adeline, not even as a small child, when a crew member would always try to wow her by making coins "appear" in her ear. She had never fallen for it, merely taking the coin, saying thanks, and walking away. She might not be educated, but the tigress was sharp and analytical. She saw everything, including Tarsus's fingers rolling another cigarrette as he showed off with the one in his mouth.

She gave no reaction to the "trick" that the ankyosaurus pulled except for just lazily taking another swig of alcohol. The first drink was almost gone now.

Now Adeline had to tread carefully, especially with coming up with a problem that needed fixing. She took a bit to reply, not looking contemplative but on the contrary, seemed like she was almost scared to tell Tarsus what the problem really was.

"Well...Mr. Ridge..." Adeline paused for a bit, then leaned in closer to the ankyosaurus. "Have you heard of Adeline Sumar?" she asked tentatively, now almost speaking in a whisper. "She...she has this gang, you see. What do you think about them? I need to know before I really tell you what the problem is."

Her acting skills having kicked in, Adeline shakily finished off the rest of her drink, staring Tarsus in the eye. She needed this question answered. She couldn't proceed any further in her planning until she got this figured out. She was surprised he hadn't asked for her name yet.

[Raron]

The name was the equivilant of someone taking a set of jumper cables and applying them directly to his brain, all the details came together suddenly. The infamously dressed tiger. Adeline. The bartender slid a couple of pitchers of beer to Tarsus, he took hold of one in one hand. It sat there like a tankard sized for him. He raised it to his lips and took a long drink before putting it gently back down and nodded to the bartender. The rumors were right, it WAS good beer.
He returned the whisper.
"Well, in my youth I was part of a gang myself... you can acted suprised if you feel like it... anyways I the muscle as you can imagine. Nothing wrong with gangs as long as they keep their heads. As for what I think of her and her gang... well some of the members I have met have seemed a triffle... insane. Babbling zealots but I don't know, maybe they have a reason to be that way, I mean maybe they really have a cause that is 'just'."
You could hear the quotation marks slammed into that sentance.
"Personally I am none to clear, people don't talk about her that much. Mostly out of fear. Really, I would like to ask her what this is all about."
He looked at her and grinned, keeping his body carefully shifted and ready to move if she reacted poorly.
"So, what is this all about Miss?"

[Adeline]

"Don't rush me!" Adeline yelled out, a bit more emphatically than perhaps was wise. A few of the people in the bar looked over at her, and she recognized one of them as one of her members. He looked...concerned, almost, as he gazed from Tarsus to Adeline and back to Tarsus again, a look of slight fear crossing his face. He got up to come over to the two of them.

"Is everything alright here? This man's not, harrassing you or nothin' is he?" he asked, looking in Adeline's eyes for more instruction.

The tiger shook her head. "No...sorry, I overreacted," she said shamefully, reaching for a napkin and blowing her nose. "It's just...I'm stressed at the moment. Please leave us alone; I'm fine."

Her cronie got the drift and walked back to his date.

Adeline looked up at Tarsus. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ridge, but...it's hard to explain unless you know a bit more about the gang and the Angels and all that rot. I'm...you see...I'm kinda stuck in the middle of it all...and I need help. But I don't want to seem repetitive, so it'd be best if you tell me everything you know about all the groups, Adeline's gang, the Angels, the Council, you know, so I don't tell you things you've already heard..."

Adeline's jade eyes stared into Tarsus, waiting to see what he said, what he knew. However, her concentration was broken when the bartender brought her another drink, which she hurriedly picked up and drowned herself in.

[Raron]

This girl was suprising him all over the place. He had truely not expected the outburst. Her trying to stab him, shot him, have him beaten up for his insolence yes... but the scared outburst... he figured he might have gotten the wrong impression of her.
He took a deep puff of the cigarette and nodded to the cronie, a peaceful wave with his hand.
"Hmm... Loyal, caring about you. Didn't try to immediatly stab me... good man you have there. Maybe I got the wrong impression of you and yours."
He tilted his head slightly in apology.
"The Council... never looked to into them, because what is wrong with them is obvious. They are authority, absolute... Power corrupts and they ARE the law. The angels are their playthings and their soldiers. The are hiding something... do you know how I know?"
He lowered his head till he was eye to eye with her.
"They.... are... government."
He raised his head back up grinning.
"All governments hide things, all high level people have their own agendas, and from time to time I have worked for someone I suspect may or may not be council."
He raised a warning finger.
"No questions about them, rule one of this conversation. I do not reveal things about my clients unless they double cross me... in which case I take care of them myself."
He looked at her with a small burst of seriousness.
"This is a concrete rule with me, understand. I have only my reputation to go on. I survive on word of mouth."
He nodded sagely before continuing.
"The Angels are hiding something, something big. Something to do with the gates, and I get the feeling they are not as warm and fuzzy about the gates as well... 'They are stained with decades worth of blood and brains on them'... he got that right. The problem is they have us, the city can not survive without them now. The council, the angels, whoever or whatever you want to blame. They have us between a rock and a hard place. If the council, the angels just vanished, just were destroyed... all that would be is chaos. I am not talking anarchy that people talk about, or that teenagers right edgy song about... I am talking chaos, where the weak are consumed by the strong, buildings burning, children dying in the streets... It is a sucky situation all around. Even if some toppled them... well history repeats itself... over, and over again."
He gazed into the distance sadly, the smile turning into a brief frown.
"As for you an... I mean as for 'Adeline's' gang... not much has gotten out about them yet, people are trying to keep their heads down right now, get as much grease they can and slid out of here before this powder keg explodes. Me... I am comfortable right where I am, I was born here, I was raised here, and I will be buried here one way or another. Besides, I have friends to protect. Nothing really matters besides that... when you get down to it all this job is is a means to do just that. I don't care about the council, I don't care about the angels.. I don't even care about what they are hiding. As long as me and mine stay safe another day I am happy."
He smiled, it was a boyish smile of joy.
"Though I must admit, the job is fun and I get to meet some lovely ladies because of it."
He looked her up and down and waggled his eyeridges, purposely way way over the top in an effort to break the tension a little.

[Adeline]

Adeline attempted a smile at Tarsus, but it morphed more into a grimace as her face contorted and she reached for another drink. "Just remember. Some of those lovely ladies could kick some major ass."

Sipping contentedly on her drink now, rather than drowning herself in it, Adeline thought. It was obvious he knew who she was, whether it had taken him a while or if he knew it in the first instant, she didn't know. But he knew now; that's what mattered.

"All right then. Although it's already evident you know who I am, Mr. Ridge, I would like to formally introduce myself as Adeline Jade Sumar, head honcho of the...shall we say..."rebellion" against our current government." She held out her paw, with perfect calmness, her inner feelings now at one with her outer. Her face betrayed no other emotion than tranquility, for tranquil she was. "The cloaks are off, our true selves revealed," Adeline said, now a real smirk managing to find its way onto her face, "Now...now we get down to business. You've raised another question in me Mr. Ridge, and that is...what does your kind think about our current...shall we say...governmental situation? For if you are merely looking in the interest of your own kind, then I must know what the interest of your kind is."

[Raron]

"My kind huh?"
He took her hand as he thought. He gripped it firmly but did not squeeze her hand. He had long ago outgrew the old "prove how strong I am with my handshake" nonsense, he just took her hand gentle but firmly and shook up once and down once and released.
"My kind... hmmm... Well if you mean my race I have no idea, as far as I know I am the only ankyosaurs..."
He smiles widely, revealing his knifelike front teeth.
"Hybrid, of my kind in the city. If you mean those in my profession well... all most of them want is cash and the chance to raise hell... I consider them amatuers, a professional can resolve most jobs without the need for turning someone's head into chunky salsa... and when chunky salsa time arrives unlike most of my 'fellow' repairmen I try not to involve bystanders... as for me. I think you should have figured it out by now. I want those I care about safe, I want them to never know injury by violence, to walk the streets without people plotting to kill them, to be happy, sucsessful, and healthy... and for people to know that those that interfere with that will end up as foresaid salsa."
He said this glibly, cheerfully and yet his eyes seemed to cool, turn a more frosty shade as he spoke... then thawed as he thought.
"And finding a girl who is willing to have a relationship with me that sticks arouund more then two months would be nice to boot."
He winked again.
"To be honest I never cared about politics, policy, or other things that start with polic. I cared more about me and mine. Every year it seems more of my friends die, from accidents or on purpose. I have very little I truely care about left in this world. I have no one to pass on the legacy of my life to and..."
He looked out the window at the playing skyboarders.
"I worry sometimes what will happen to those few when the inevitable happens. Let's face it, there is no chance that I will die peacefully in my sleep, or go out holding the hands of those I care for. More likely then not my death will be the perfect reflection of life."
He turned back to her, his eyes sad but strangly triumpant. A furre who has never wavered from his principles but none the less knows what comes and worries.
"Short, Brutish, and Nasty."
He held her gaze.
"My funeral will go unoticed by society at large, most of those I have helped or worked for will hear and shrug sadly and then go on with their lives without sparing me a second thought. A few tears and the ashes spread over the city. That is my legacy..."
He looked at her startled.
"Heh, that is really more then I intend to share. You think I would have gotten past the 'talk about everything to a pretty face' phase..."
He thought to himself about how much trouble syrup, an angel, and a pretty face had almost got him in.

[Adeline]

Adeline tried to smile uncertainly, but it turned out to look more like a grimace. "Well, Mr. Ridge, that wasn't really the question I wanted answered...and I would sure like to be known as more than just a pretty face, but...I'll take what I can get, eh?"

She had finished off her second drink now and was reaching for a third. She gulped them down like water, with nothing to show for it. However, she would have to be a bit more careful on her intake so as to insure she wasn't the one spilling out her life story. "What I meant by your kind, Mr. Ridge, was those for whom you care, the ones you want to be successful and happy...to never have a problem in the world....to stay oblivious and ignorant, in short. Is that what they want? What do they want, is what I tried to ask before. I apologize if it wasn't the clearest of questions the first time I posed it."

Her mind flew back to Tarsus's words "a pretty face". She sure hoped she wasn't thought of as just that. Groves definitely thought her more than just a pretty face, and the people beneath her certainly respected her enough to follow orders. And you had to be more than a pretty face to do that.

Sometimes she wished she wasn't attractive; it would make everything so much easier. She would never have to worry as to why someone was talking to her, listening to her, buying her things. What if that was all Groves thought of her? But no...it couldn't be. She was getting caught up in emotions and thinking about things that weren't true. She took another swig of her drink. To hell with staying sober.

[Raron]

Tarsus nodded wisely.
"Ahhhh... now I get it. You are wondering if they want to know the Truth. The big Truth that is out there. The question is this the Truth that will set us free? Is it the Truth that resides in our hearts? Is it the Truth that turns life to ash, friend against friend, blood against blood? You see the thing about the Truth is you have to be very careful with it. The Truth is not everyone can handle the Truth. An individual furre is usually a smart, capable, levelheaded person... As a group furres are neurotic, socialpathic lunitics who will panic at the first sign of trouble... that said I don't know what is better for them. Truth can be good or bad, bring salvation or damnation. Over the centuries we have learned many Truths but have all of them made or lives better?"
He slug down half the pitcher in his hand and noisily smacked his lips.
"Some I would say yes, Some I would say no..."
His gaze set upon the direction of the gates briefly.
"Some I just don't know..."
He thought for a moment and regarded her carefully.
"I would have to say one thing that is for sure. You have found out or think you found out something that outright sticks in your craw, you don't like it one bit and you want to do something about it. That is commendable. From what the street says about your path of leading you and yours you seem intelligent and realistic. So let me reverse the question. Do you think you would be happier if you never found out what you found out, or never suspected, or whatever. Would you be a happier, more well rounded indivual?"

[Adeline]

Adeline's expression was one of deep thought. Her brow was furrowed and her eyes unfocused. She took a while in answering. Finally, she said, "Happier? Maybe. There are pro's and cons. Before I came here I lived on a ship for my entire life and we made great fun of raiding and sailing the seas. But would I have been content to do that forever? I don't know. I came here with nothing. Everyone I had been close to in life had died and it was up to me to rebirth myself, like a phoenix shall we say. A flame to burn brightly in such cold and dismal weather. Almost immediately following my arrival, I met someone...someone who changed my life forever...for both the good and bad. I'm definitely a more well-rounded person, and I believe I've become someone the old me would have respected. The truth changed me. I will admit that, but ignorance and innocence aren't always bliss. For a multitude of reasons, I can say that the sacrifice I made in discovering the truth, and what I did about it is very small considering all that I have achieved, both mentally and outwardly, in the two years since then."

Adeline looked down, not sure what else to say. Grappling around a few options in her head, she decided that she wouldn't be able to express her feelings at the moment. The Gates had let her in. The Gates had saved her life. She wanted to know why. Why her? Groves had let her in. Groves had enlightened her life. She loved him. Why did he love her? Finally, she looked back up at Tarsus.

"And what about you, Mr. Ridge? Would you rather be one of the happy, innocent little beings you try so hard to protect? Or would you rather be the one protecting them?"

A sentence suddenly flew into Adeline's mind as she finished asking her question. I would rather try to right the wrongs that exist than never know about them in the first place.

It was almost like the phrase 'better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.' At least then, you knew that there was at least something in the world to live for.

[Raron]

Tarsus did not hesitate.
"I am who I am. There is no one else I would rather be."
He chuckled.
"You're an interesting one. I had my doubts I admit. You hear things out there. Strange things, so you try to seperate the rumors from the truth. The fact from the fiction and the fear. It's hard... alot of people fear you and your Foundry. They don't know what you are, who you are, what you are doing. I am glad I can find out from the source. This gap in my knowledge of my streets was itching me where I could not scratch. So you have been doing all the asking about me more or less, I believe it is my turn..."
He grinned ruefully.
"Please don't keep an old man waiting, don't wanna have a heart attack before I get to the bottom of this."
As he said this the bartender left and came back with a heaping tray of food. A pizza, a burger combo, two orders of onion rings, and an order of hot wings. He gazed upon them with wonder in his eyes. They glistened with grease, the light reflected off their pound of salt upon them. To one furre it was a site of glory and awe as the bartender put his meal in front of him.
Tarsus rubbed his hands together greedily and reached one hand to the onion rings and the other towards the burger. Somewhere out there was a furre who could eat bar food with perfect grace, who would wear a nibble daintily at food and not leave a crumb on the floor... they would run sickened at the sight of Tarsus eating. He ripped into his food like it was his first meal in a year, his teeth gnashed and his fingers tore food apart into smaller chuncks before being mastacated. It was not that he was messy, it was like he ate with an overriding joy, like this meal was his last and he was determined that he was gonna enjoy every bite regardless of the conseqenses. Sounds of bliss and heavenly gastronomical expereinces wafted from him. After a couple minutes the tiger sitting next him caught his eye. He looked at her blankly for a second trying to remember who she was before he seemed to almost blush as recollection of what was going on came speeding back to him.
"Ah... right..."
He coughed.
"Questions... alright I have to know. Do you think your Foundry is ready for something like this. You are going to butt heads with the best trained, best funded, and best educated army in the city. They are ruthless and without mercy. They are lead by people with no sense of humor of that which gets in their way. Does your group stand a snowball's chance in hell. I don't want to her a motivational speech about 'cause' or 'justice on our side'. I want a competent tactical anaylsis of your situation."
She was tested him in this conversation. She had been from the begining. Tarsus was good at that game too.