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playing the game -- rick austin ([info]takingsides) wrote in [info]bellumlogs,
@ 2010-01-13 22:40:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:beauty, cheshire cat, meg giry

Who: Rick, his willing volunteers, and OPEN to unsuspecting bystanders press-ganged into assistance.
What: Moving in.
Where: Starting in the lobby.
When: Late afternoon.
Warnings: None!
Notes: Assume Rick posted a date and time. See this post.

Rick generally went with the flow. When his Giancoma contact hinted strongly (with cross-streets and an address, no less) that he move into this building when his last apartment building was condemned (that's progress for you), he had no overwhelming objections. He was smart enough to know that a change of location would neither help nor hinder his own personal game plan. Rick tried not to get too attached to material objects, but somehow he always ended up possessive of space, a habit he had tried to avoid even though the job pretty much defined 'territorial.' His private occupation as informant, his public profession, and his personal preference all supported the idea of working on as much information as possible, and that meant getting to know his neighbors.

Acquaintances and almost-friends from the department helped him haul most of the skeletal furniture into the lobby. Most of it wasn't anything all that impressive, everything masculine in color, rich brown leather for the armchairs and couch, an oak bedframe, a thick pseudo-Persian the height of a man, and, the pièce de résistance, a wide entertainment center made to fit a modest widescreen. Boxes of dishware and bedding was already upstairs, this was the stuff he couldn't haul up on his own. To all appearances, Rick was an utterly normal, bachelor type, who probably liked to watch some seasonal sport on his television, didn't smoke, and had no family. He'd already locked up the gun and the badge upstairs, and he wore jeans and a Mets sweatshirt.

Still wondering (without apparent concern) if anyone was going to show up for this, Rick leaned against his upended bedframe and pocketed his cellphone.



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[info]bookshelved
2010-01-14 06:59 am UTC (link)
Ella hadn't volunteered for any moving duties. In fact, she was only passing through the lobby, on her way to go buy some things for the refrigerator that she thought Leah would like, when she noticed the furniture.

This must be a trend in the building, she thought with a smile, remembering the nameless heroine she'd encountered sleeping on her couch in the same lobby her first day here.

She watched the man leaning against the bed-frame quietly, because this was a chance to learn something new about someone, even if she didn't actively pry. She was willing to give this passive thing a try, even if she didn't out much hope for success.

She leaned against the wall, just out of sight, and she watched.

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]takingsides
2010-01-14 07:23 am UTC (link)
No matter what anyone tells you, police work is sixty percent paperwork and calls and forty percent waiting. Rick was a practiced, patient waiter--not the kind that serves drinks, the other kind. To pass the time, he started going through the first dozen karate pinan katas he knew in his mind, unhurried, one by one. He knew a guy on the department that just stopped doing everything when he waited, just sat there and breathed, and some other guy that watched movies in his head from memory--most others got a smoking habit, chewed sunflower seeds, that kind of thing. As he visualized the motions in his mind, he absently shifted his weight from hip to heel to toe and back.

Several minutes later his phone rang. The conversation was short, and went like this: "Austin." (He had a pleasant phone voice, the epitome of conversational, though surprisingly low, like a cat's purr.) "No, it's my night off. ...Really. ...Did he pick him out of a line-up? ...Nice. ...No, don't wait. Go for it. ...No. I'm moving. ...Uh-huh. Let me know how it goes. Don't get shot." (Smirk.) "You too." He hung up without an additional farewell, and went back to midway through the fifth kata (crane spreads wings).

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[info]bookshelved
2010-01-14 07:33 am UTC (link)
She didn't have a notebook on her, but she made mental notes all the same. Patient, with an air of practice to it. People unaccustomed to waiting fidgeted, she'd noticed fairly early on. She liked to think it was because they didn't like to be alone with their thoughts, undistracted. But this man, he wasn't that sort of waiter at all. He was focused on something, even while he focused on nothing. She wondered if his mind ever went quiet.

When the phone rang, she listened to his half of the conversation, even though it made her uneasy. She was willing to try this observational tactic this once, but she decided, just right then, that it wasn't for her. She felt like she was spying; Ed, she decided, was wrong about this concept.

He was a cop. The mention of a line-up, of getting shot. He could have been a dealer, a thief, a petty criminal, a crime lord. But no, the detail about getting shot made her think enforcement over enforcer.

She cleared her throat, and she smiled at him in a friendly manner. Back to her standard tactics; at least those didn't keep her up at night.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]takingsides
2010-01-14 07:42 am UTC (link)
He turned, not as if he was surprised, and smiled, though not as wide or as long as he was able. "Hello. Are you passing through, or joining the party?" He added a jovial note of entreaty to that last option, even though she wasn't bulging with muscles or Clark Kent tendencies. His elbow fell easily from the bedframe, and he put up a hand to steady it even as it tipped. Built like the kind of athlete that favors lithe muscle and light weight over bulk, Rick had the unconscious grace of someone who knew where his hands and feet were at all times, but also a cop's trademark division of weight toward one hip or the other.

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[info]bookshelved
2010-01-14 07:49 am UTC (link)
She didn't recognize the cop's trademark, but she did recognize the grace and the quick recovery of the teetering bedframe. It was unthinking, and she added it to her mental list about him, about 'the cop,' as he was temporarily labeled in her mind.

"Much like Alice, I simply stumbled upon something unexpected," she explained with a smile, looking over the items. "Is this your life scattered throughout the lobby, would you say?" she asked. The question was casual and smiles, but her eyes were alert, clearly interested in the answer. She wasn't deceptive, and she didn't hide what she was thinking well, probably because she didn't try. "I'm Ella," she said, holding a hand out.

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[info]takingsides
2010-01-14 08:02 am UTC (link)
Rick's shake was practiced, dry, firm, without the need to intimidate. His palm was soft in the centermost, but he had interesting callouses on his fingers, knuckles, and the heel of his hand. "If this is all of my life to be scattered, that would be very sad indeed," he said, with an enigmatic smile much more worthy of her Alice than his first one. "I hope the rest of it isn't so easily lost--or marooned on the first floor." A flash of white teeth in mirth. "I'm Rick Austin, most recently of Five-oh-five and Wonderland. I'm waiting to see if the building offers me some menial assistance." He gestured to the furniture with a tip of his head, without breaking the unblinking blue gaze.

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[info]bookshelved
2010-01-14 08:10 am UTC (link)
She memorized the callouses with the intention of looking them up later. She wondered if they were from guns and fighting, and she made a temporary assumption of yes in her mind. "The rest of your life, or the rest of your belongings?" she asked, her smile friendly. "I find that life seldom becomes marooned, even when we think it is. Belongings, on the other hand, have a way of finding new owners at the most unexpected moments." She smiled wider at his return comment about Wonderland, and she inclined her head in recognition of it. "Perhaps the Queen of Hearts will send her men to help you. I recommend you avoid the croquet, however at all costs."

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[info]takingsides
2010-01-15 03:10 am UTC (link)
Rick had seen that movie with one of his nieces. "Noted. I hope you're not planning on helping any of my belongings find a new owner. I was just hoping to get them up the stairs, myself."

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[info]bookshelved
2010-01-15 03:42 am UTC (link)
"If I find anyone in search of furniture, I shall do my best to divert them," she promised with a smile. She looked over her shoulder as people began arriving, and she looked back at Rick. "I believe your white knights have come to the rescue."

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[info]takingsides
2010-01-15 03:46 am UTC (link)
"Just in time," he said, winking at her. "Wander along behind and pick up the splinters of whatever we drop on the stair; there's going to be food upstairs after. Unless you want to be the one doing the dropping." And with a parting challenge of a smile, he sauntered over to the others clustering near.

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[info]bookshelved
2010-01-15 03:58 am UTC (link)
She laughed, and she moved to the stairs, though she didn't join in the carrying. She leaned folded arms on the bannister, and she watched, observing silently, not wanting to disturb the scene in progress.

(Reply to this) (Parent)


[info]fond_affections
2010-01-14 08:06 am UTC (link)
Ed was coming back from a night of chasing tequila shots with imported beers. A combination that he didn't usually go for, but that had been the entry point into the night's first round of conquests. Go with what works. He clutched a cup of coffee in his right hand and tried to remember just when he was supposed to help the new neighbor move in.

Right about now he thought as he entered lobby which was littered with furniture. He took a sip of his coffee and tried to figure out whether the entertainment center that was prominent among the furniture was going to fit around the landing-corners in the stairwell. Figuring it was going to be a long day he hoped he wasn't the only one signed up to help. Still standing just inside the doorway to the lobby he let cold air drive him a bit further in, when he finally spotted the neighbor in question. Talking to... Ella. Yep. it was going to be a long day. He put on a friendly smile and approached the guy--whose name he thought was Richard. or Rick.

"Hey...you looking for help?" he asked, irony making the obvious question a joke rather than an absurdity.

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]snaked
2010-01-14 04:02 pm UTC (link)
Li shuffled hurridly into the lobby with small, truncated steps. Her hair was pulled up into a loose pony tail with wisps of black hair hanging down in front of her eyes. "Sorry! Am I late?"

The furniture in the lobby indicated she was not and Li smiled, guilt instantly cleared. Carefully, she weaved between furniture, cataloging Rick's possessions in a fashion more similar to triage than snooping. In black loose fitting yoga pants, a grey tank top and sneakers, she was prepared to be put to work.

Her arms, bare, were snakes. Li was built like gazelle, lean and almost too trim.

(Reply to this) (Parent)


[info]ex_sepulchre370
2010-01-14 07:22 pm UTC (link)
Jude had come down to the lobby to be a pest; not to help.

She lit a cigarette as she stepped off the bottom step, and she looked around. When her eyes lit on Ed, she chuckled and walked up behind him, giving the man over his shoulder an entertained smile. "Ed can be very helpful."

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[info]fond_affections
2010-01-14 07:36 pm UTC (link)
Ed turned to glance over his shoulder, his tired eyes lighting up with warm mischief as he saw Jude. "Glad to hear you think so!" he chuckled, before adding quietly, "Nice to see you again, Jude!"

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[info]ex_sepulchre370
2010-01-15 03:01 am UTC (link)
She grinned. "Been busy, Ed?" she asked, brushing imaginary dust off his shoulder and then glancing at Rick, who she had yet to meet. "Working off some excess energy in new and exciting ways?"

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[info]fond_affections
2010-01-15 03:07 am UTC (link)
He winked at her, feeling at ease with the teasing. "Didn't you know? In addition to being a Boy Scout I'm a member of the 'good neighbor' club!...It's all part of my day job as a nice guy!" he quipped back.

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[info]takingsides
2010-01-15 03:09 am UTC (link)
Rick's eyes went from Ed to Jude and then back. His smile was divided exactly in two, one for each of them, and he put out a genial hand for introductions. The hand was in Ed's direction, his eyes in Jude's, and he said, "I'm Rick." Then, to the Chinese girl, "You must be Li." Back to Ed. "And if you have excess energy this is the place. I was thinking maybe we'd try that entertainment center first."

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[info]fond_affections
2010-01-15 03:15 am UTC (link)
Ed turned toward Rick shook the outstretched hand, still chuckling from Jude's teasing. He nodded at the Asian woman who had also offered to help, but couldn't quite look over at Ella. "Good to meet you Rick! I'm Ed... and I thought the entertainment center might be first--after that the rest will be easy!"

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[info]snaked
2010-01-15 03:32 am UTC (link)
Li waved to the redhead as soon as she heard her name called. She was not nearly as talkative or bouncy in person as she appeared to be over the safety of the message boards. Her smile was polite and her eyes were focused.

"Do you want me to take it on top or on bottom?" She was referring to carrying order for the entertainment center over the stairs, of course. Li walked in and around different furniture, sizing up the wooden beast.

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[info]ex_sepulchre370
2010-01-15 03:39 am UTC (link)
Jude moved to the stairs, giving Rick an entertained smile as she almost ashed on his shoe. She sat down, and she settled in to observe.

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[info]takingsides
2010-01-15 03:43 am UTC (link)
Rick quirked one eyebrow at her. "If you start making irritating comments, I'll drop something on your head," he threatened, good-naturedly. Then he turned to the others. "We'd probably be better off tipping it sideways. I'd rather not take it apart because I don't remember how I put it together, and when it's apart it's not much good to me. Ed and I can tip it and you can catch it on the side and then we all move toward Jude's head?"

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[info]fond_affections
2010-01-15 03:47 am UTC (link)
Ed nodded his agreement as Rick mentioned not wanting to take it a part. "Yea...I still have a cabinet that I can't get reassembled..." he muttered before laughing at the mention of Jude's head. "Jude would never make irritating comments--it's not in her nature!" he grinned over at her before moving toward the furniture in question and looking for a place to get a good grip.

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[info]snaked
2010-01-15 03:48 am UTC (link)
"She's a smoker so I think it is okay if she saves her lungs." Spoken with such an earnest expression, it was difficult to tell if Li was serious or joking. Li moved to the side of the entertainment center, ready to keep it steady.

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[info]ex_sepulchre370
2010-01-15 04:08 am UTC (link)
"Oh, I'm a saint. Listen to Ed. Ed knows." Jude winked at the girl. "What's your name?" she asked, then looked to Rick. "Why didn't whoever dumped these here carry them up the stairs, or can't they be bribed with lasagna and beer?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]takingsides, 2010-01-15 04:13 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]snaked, 2010-01-15 04:17 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]fond_affections, 2010-01-15 04:20 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]snaked, 2010-01-15 04:30 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]ex_sepulchre370, 2010-01-15 04:49 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]fond_affections, 2010-01-15 04:52 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]snaked, 2010-01-15 05:19 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]ex_sepulchre370, 2010-01-15 05:23 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]fond_affections, 2010-01-15 05:33 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]ex_peepshows656, 2010-01-15 10:18 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]ex_sepulchre370, 2010-01-15 08:43 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]snaked, 2010-01-15 09:56 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]fond_affections, 2010-01-15 11:24 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]takingsides, 2010-01-16 12:31 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]ex_peepshows656, 2010-01-16 06:28 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]takingsides, 2010-01-16 06:50 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]ex_peepshows656, 2010-01-16 06:33 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]fond_affections, 2010-01-16 06:43 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]snaked, 2010-01-16 07:30 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]takingsides, 2010-01-16 08:11 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]fond_affections, 2010-01-16 08:19 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]ex_sepulchre370, 2010-01-16 08:21 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]ex_peepshows656, 2010-01-16 08:37 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]ex_sepulchre370, 2010-01-16 08:41 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]snaked, 2010-01-16 08:48 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]takingsides, 2010-01-16 09:24 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]fond_affections, 2010-01-16 09:31 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]ex_peepshows656, 2010-01-16 09:47 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]ex_sepulchre370, 2010-01-16 10:01 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]snaked, 2010-01-16 10:07 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]takingsides, 2010-01-16 10:14 pm UTC


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