Scene #5480: A Bad Meeting

Owner	Pose
Pippi	You want to know what you do when y ou've caught up on your practice, the cleaning, taken out the trash, cleaned the catbox, fed the parrot and then, on top of all other things, you even managed to stay focused enough to dust the dinosaur bones that have been artfully re-arranged as a dragon? Well, while Pippi would have preferred 'eat to oblivious state of relaxation', she's been trying SO HARD to be good about what she's been eating that she is staying out of the food prep area. And currently she is pushing herself around on the floor, belly down, tail up, blowing raspberries through her lips out of boredom as she goes, inch-worming her way around the main area of the Den.
Alopex	Such a thing is rather odd to come back from patrol to. Of course, Alopex is as silent as always as she makes her way from the main entrance toward the other areas in the duo's makeshift home. For a moment, the fox watches, her head tilts, her steps slow, slow, stop... Still she watches... confusion starting to set in. Finally, she decides to say something. "This is a strange way to vacuum the floor, Pippi.."
Pippi	Pippi probably passes by a confused looking Alopex once or twice before Pex speaks up, and then she leaps to her feet, arms flailing going "Waaaauh!" She blinks... and then scratches her head. "ah.. heh. Hi Pex." she greets her mentor, and then flops to the floor bonelessly, folding her legs up as she breathes out. "I already vacuumed. And swept. And then I dusted. And then I tried to watch teevee but I got bored with it but you weren't home for me to ask if I could go outside but instead I kinda just saw how far I could keep going with my sotmach on the floor and I think I've been at it for about..." Pippi looks thoughtful a moment, one ear rising up as she thinks. "... an hour. Maybe. Tops."
Alopex	That earns the pup a pecuiliar look from Pex. "Why did you want to see how far you could go..?" At this point, she is both confused and curious about such an action. "... And when did you eat last..?"
Pippi	Pippi's tail wags. She gives her best smile up at Alopex, one that shows off some of her teeth as her ears draw back a little, giving a 'pleased dog' look. Like the dog that got the best pets. "Seemed like a good idea at the time!" she smiles, and then her ears perk up. Food? She thinks, she leans back a moment. "Um... this morning. I think." she states, and her stomach answers for her with a gurgling grumbly sound.
Alopex	"Good enough reason for me," Alopex states, reaching out to give Pippi a kind pat on the head. Shortly after comes the answer from two voices from Pippi. "Well then, I think that is a chorus of 'Time to Eat' from you. SO..." she turns back to the door. "Pick a place. And then..." she glances over her shoulder. "We can race." Pause. "If you want." Smirk.
Pippi	Pippi accepts any and all pettings, and she gives a soft 'hee!' of amusement, and hops to her feet and hands, giving a shake before she straightens up and considers. She gives a bunce a moment. "Flyby's?" she inquires, her eyebrows drawing up as she gives a bright grin, her tail wagging at a pretty good pace.
Alopex	Welp. That must be the destination! The moment Pippi says it, she may just blink and miss it. Alopex is just -gone- in a woosh of dust, the sound of the door opening ahead of her is the only thing that may give away the fact that the race is on! Outside, the fox would be making her way for the rooves, their normal 'avenues' of transportation, and is lunging from one roof to another, occasionally glancing back to see if Pippi is keeping up or taking her own route to their favorite food establishment.
Pippi	Pippi isn't anywhere in sight. However, a brown-haired woman with a few streaks of gray has flipped over the 'closed' sign. She doesn't bother locking the door. Pippi finally can be seen, springing up over a fire escape and onto a roof. She's got someone else's shirt around her face though, waving her arms wildly and yelling back an apology as someone curses the pooch out in German, and then she wads up the shirt, throws it back down, and takes off after Alopex, panting a little from the effort to keep up with the older ninja -- but Pippi's got extra strength in those legs, and when she leaps, she could almost clear tall buildings in a bound. Well, maybe a couple of floors. If they're not too tall.
Alopex	There's a laugh. It's not being held back, it isn't being covered up, there's just an outright laugh as she spots Pippi coming up with a shirt plastered across her muzzle, "You should be more careful, Pippi! Otherwise you may end up-" Running smack dab into a pair of damp jeans hanging out to dry on a line that ALOPEX DIDN'T SEE. There's a lot of tumbling, and rolling, and a bit of helpless and confused tugging at a pair of jeans that seem almost sentient as they cling to the fox's head. "ACKPFHTHHBBB!"
Pippi	Wet Denim is the /worst/! Pippi gives a laugh as she runs over a rooftop, bounding to Alopex's side and watches her mentor attempt to escape the clothing. She gives a smirk, laughs, and calls out "Looks like you got hung out to dry, Alopex!" before she takes off running. RINGDINGDING. "Heh, there you are. You know, I could almost set a clock by your--" Zisel Holiday begins, sweeping up some of her brown hair, and she looks up. Her face falls, and she takes a step back as the door's lock clicks into place, and the lights inside go dark.
Alopex	PFfthbbbfpm.. Thump. The jeans are FINALLY DEFEATED! Alopex gives them a swift kick back toward where they came from before turning, taking a few jogging steps, then closes distance to ... lights out? Wait.. what? Her expression goes stern, a hand goes to her blade, and she finishes closing distance, ears up and eyes peeled..
Pippi	Pippi laughs, coming up behind Alopex and when she sees the stance change, she blinks, and immediately drops down. Her ears prick up, her tail betrays some hunting dog heritage, rising up, put fully on the alert, reaching for Stick and she follows close behind Alopex, guarding the rear. As they come close, there's the distinct smell of alcohol. SOmeone's dropped a brown glass bottle, its remannts shattered against the ground. Pippi gives a sniff, her eyes narrowing as she hangs back a brief moment. "Get yourself gone, schmuck. There's people coming." Zisel whispers, holding her head in the darkness, scrambling back against the tile towards the 'flyby' window. She gives a little hiss, her temples pounding. THe figure in the darkness gives a grin. "You think you could hide him away? You think you could get away from me? From Me?" he laughs harshly. He's big. Almost six foot seven big. Professional Wrestler big. Wearing a sharp, custom-made suit. He smells a bar and a half's worth of liquor. He leans over her. He dwarfs her. Her brown eyes narrow. "You think you could hide away in the big city forever, Sel? Think that you could just hang me out to dry?" He tosses a wallet-sized picture down. "And what of your little /pupik/? Where's our kid?"
Alopex	With the door closed and the lights out, it makes things a little more difficult, especially as whoever is inside starts to move further into the dinner. She considers things, then asides to Pippi, "Do a flyby, distract or take out, but -protect Zisel-," she whispers, hoping the pup understands before moving to the door, digging for a couple of pins, and setting to work on the front door. Quietly.
Pippi	Pippi's stomach grumbles. Wrong sort of take out. But she gives a nod, and she slips around to the other side of the alleyway, darting down the spaces between buildings. She runs, brings up her Stick, and uses it to swing herself up onto the shelf that the take-out for flying superheroes is placed. And it's a little sharp kick to kick in the window (Pippi was still grasping the basics of 'stealth entrance'), which hits Mr. Giant Suit in the chest. Zisel looks up, her eyes going wide as Pippi jumps in, and she stands at her full four-foot-six-inches, and gives a tail wag. "Hi!" she greets the big guy, "I'm Pippi!" The Wrestler looks at Zisel. Zisel looks at Pippi. Pippi has nimbly put herself between the big guy in the sharp suit who reeks of booze and the injured restauranteur.
Pippi	Meanwhile, the lock is pretty familiar to Alopex; it's not the main lock to keep the door shut against New York Crime, and it clicks open after a little fiddling.
Alopex	She can hear Pipp's distinct voice, and her chipper introduction. Perfect, since the lock clicks over. The pins are tucked away, her hand comes off of the blade at her back. The -reek- of alcohol was strong. If he was drunk enough, it was possible whatever was going on was entirely a misunderstanding. She wasn't going to draw that sword on someone drunk off their rocker. Hoping Pippi keeps the ... mountain of a man distracted, she'd -carefuly- open the familiar door, slide in, let the door close just as quietly, before standing up. "You're drunk. Leave." Seems the ninja is giving up the valuable element of surprise. She did not like people that lacked the willpower to keep themselves from getting drunk, but she wasn't going to beat him senseless without finding out if this was a case of wrong house, wrong bed.
Pippi	The man looks at Pippi. Who looks at him. He looks at Zisel, and then turns and looks with some surprise at Alopex. He blinks bleary eyes. "Heh. Selly, you're running with a bunch of freaks now, huh?" he states, giving a bark of laughter. He raises one meaty palm up, as if to smack the pup away, but Pippi narrows her eyes. She squares her stance, her tail tucking neatly down and out of the way, her ears drawing back as her eyes stay on him, and she draws slightly downwards. The fur on the back of her neck raises up as she gives a little growl. Whatever it is, it's not the wrong bed. He stands a little taller. He turns and looks between all three of the females in the room, and gloats. "Well. I'm Thomas Holiday. Selly here? She's my /wife/, and you two little freaks can buzz the fuck off down whatever sewer you crawled up out of, 'cause I've got some catching up to do. Right?" "Easy Pippi." Zee says gently, easing herself a little back, trying to give Pippi room to back down if she needed to.
Alopex	The fox is on edge as much as her partner. Hearing the name, though, gets her to give Zisel a confused look. She was about to say there's no Selly here, but it occurs to her a few moment's later that it's just the -other- syllable she doesn't use much. Pippi may back away, but Alopex is staying in place. "That does not give you permission to come in here, potentially trap our friend, turn the lights out, all while -smash- drunk. "It also does not give you an excuse to strike anyone here. Besides, 'catching up' can be done sober, during the day, at an arranged meeting. Not ... like this."
Pippi	Pippi was on edge, but she wasn't backing down, even if Zisel gave her the room. The white-and-rust canine was standing her ground, even though she was almost half the height and well under a fifth of the weight -- but she was strong. Her sense of smell was very strong. Smell is also the closest sense to memory. She wasn't liking the memory. She's also not backing down. She stays between the mountain of a man and Zisel. She puffs out a breath, her tail giving a slight twitch as she brings her crowbar up defensively, in case he does decide to take a swing at her, the steel giving a little bit of a groan between her nervous hands. The man, Thomas Holiday, then turns fully and looms over Alopex. He gives a snort. He weaves slightly as he takes a step, then grunts. "I'll just come back some other time, when your fleabags aren't around to protect you." he snorts, and tilts, weaves, and makes his way for the door, trying to knock over as many stools and chairs as he goes -- and unfortunately hits one that's bolted down first. He tries three times to knock it over, before kicking it and weaving past Alopex.
Alopex	A long glaring gaze stays on the huge man before he seems to decide discretion is the better part of valor. Though if this man has any valor right now, Pex would be surprised. As he starts for the door, the fox actually steps back in time, reaches back with one hand, unlocks the door, and actually holds it -open- for him, regardless of how drunk and angry he is, she didn't want him damaging anything else. As he passes, she'd make sure he hears what she says, "Friendly tip, sir. We are always around to protect our friend. Try this again, and I'll make sure we aren't the only ones passing by the restraunt often." Friendly, anonymous tips to the police work! .. Sometimes.
Pippi	Sometimes. Thomas gives a snort, and teeters out into the night. Zisel physically relaxes, and then holds her hands over her face, running them downwards. "Again, Pex, Pippi, I owe probably thousands in saved hospital bills to your impeccable timing." she breathes, and gives a bit of a laugh. Pippi, meanwhile, gives another growl, a 'huff' of 'and stay out', and then glances at the window on the floor, and then up to the window that's now open and letting in the night! "Oh! OH! The window! I'm sorry Zisel!" she states, and hurries off to go find the step lader and bend everything back into place!
Alopex	The fox heaves her own sigh of relief, lets the door close, LOCKS IT AGAIN, and then moves to turn the lights back on, "Pippi. Broom first," she suggests. Glass and all that. The bare-pawed mutants probably wouldn't like to walk on the shards. She moves to pick up any knocked over barstools, rights them, then firmly plants herself on one, firing a light smile over to Zisel, "Then we're lucky you're the -best- cook around. I think I gave you something to reach us, yes? Just in case.."
Pippi	"Yeah, which is in the lockbox. 'Cause I never thought he'd find me." Zisel states, and she gets up, wobbles a moment, and gives a soft 'huff. "I... think I'm just going to order a pizza tonight, if you don't mind very much." Pippi comes back with a step ladder, then glances down at the broom, then back at Alopex quizically. "I can't pick up the window with a broom."
Alopex	Wait. Did she kick out the whole window and it didn't break? Blink. "I'll trust your judgement, Pippi," which is an incredible compliment and proves just how far the pup has come. When she looks back to Zisel, she gives a nod, "That's fine! I wouldn't expect you to cook for us after that... I just insist you let us pay for at least some of it.." She isn't sure Zee will even allow that. "Honestly, I haven't had a new york slice in a little while."
Pippi	Some superheroes botch their flying rolls. Those are some narrow alleys. Zisel wouldn't use the cheap stuff. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm sure your vigilante work hardly covers your dental. I'm buying." she states, and she goes to grab her tablet to order online. Yaaas. "... so. In case you're wondering... yeah. That's my ex husband."
Alopex	That gets a grunt, "And you mentioned you didn't think he'd find you.. so he's going to keep bugging you?" welp. Maybe it was time to let Pippi start doing patrols. It'd certainly make sure Zisel would have double coverage. "Well, again... you have the way to call us, and we're only a few minutes out. so. Don't hesitate," she offers before moving onto the other thing. Food. Which is a good thing! "I appreciate it, Zee. You're always giving us food, and believe me, we both appreciate it. A lot. Over to Pippi, "Anything you want? ... Other than bacon?" she's sure that Pippi will want bacon.
Pippi	Pippi glances down from where she is attempting to delicately replace the window in its sliders. SHe blinks. "... more bacon?" "All right, bacon and bacon for Pippi. I'm getting vegetables. Don't think my stomach'll handle anything else. Bleh." Zisel states, and she gives a breath out. "He'll be better once he's sober. Maybe, but I'll send a call out to the police afterwards and see if I can't entice 'em with some free food. He might not have a lot of respect for the more colorful New York Life, but the boys in blue? Yeah."
Alopex	"We're on the same wave length, Zisel," Alopex informs. A tip PLUS free food for the NYPD? They'd probably stay within 20 yards in that case. "I'll eat whatever's on it, so don't worry about me," she suggests. "Glad to hear it, though. I just.. refuse to 'go in' on people that reek of alcohol. For one, like you said, some are better when sober. And 2? ... It's just not fair fighting drunks.."