Apr 07 20:17:30 107 PA - Basketball, no really.
From Chronicles
Friday evening, one might expect that people would be out and about doing their own thing and not filling up the Rec Hall in the Dregs and yet that's exactly what people are doing, mostly teenagers of course, a few older, a few younger but for those who don't have it in them to go out dancing, getting in trouble, or having to run from gangs out to up their 'quota' on ass beatings and face smashings the Rec Hall is something of a reprieve from life outside thanks to the Vigilantes. Ash heads into the rec hall from the streets outside, greeting and being greeted by a few others who are about as he takes a quick look around and then makes his way at a casual pace towards the changing rooms, a duffelbag slung over one shoulder.
One of those teenagers is a girl, her hair tugged up into a ponytail. She is on the courts, playing basketball with some others, her cocky responses and clothes marking her clearly as one of the gang members here. She has the ball at this moment, and is making a hard push towards the basket, exchanging comments and giving as much of the shoving and pushing as she receives. As she jumps, another player barges her and she misses, falling backwards, landing heavily on the court floor with a colourful curse at him.
The basketball court seems to easily draw Ash's attention, wether it is the people playing the game, or just the game itself is hard to say. Still he isn't in a comparable hurry, judging by the quick-flex's relaxed pace but he grins when he watches the rough game going on on the court itself and his pace begins to pick up towards the changing room. Presumably, to change. Why else would he be carrying a duffelbag into the rec center and the changing room after all? He doesn't sport any colors himself, just the flat monochrome black of someone trying to be a nobody in particular. Nothing to stand out at all.
Sofiya seems not to fear standing out as she scrambles to her feet, cursing out the guy who barged her, in his face as she points a finger up into his face, her own tight with temper. "Yeah, there are meant to be rules, you jerk! There is a whole book of them. Yeah I've seen it." The posturing isn't unusual in the Dregs, where losing face could mean losing body parts, and the man gives as good as he gets back to the girl.
Ash grins wryly at the display then he disappears into the changing room, to presumably change... since he comes back out a scant bit later wearing entirely different clothing, but still carrying his duffelbag which seems to be a might bit heavier than it was previously. Of course the fact that it's now holding armor instead of clothes is a good reason why. He looks over towards the basketball court, checking the numbers per team as he starts to stretch and limber up without interrupting the 'game'.
The team numbers seem fluid, unbalanced and if watched long enough, it may appear that each individual is out for what they can get. Sofiya is definitely one of the smaller players, and therefore one of the fiercest, her temper and humour rising swiftly, with frequent displays of bravado. Ash's stretches are primarily ignored, until the ball moves down the court towards him, with several players jostling for position. Sofiya jumps, reaching for it, her fingertips brushing it lightly before she is shoved aside, falling hard towards Ash.
There are advantages to being an 'inhuman monster in the eyes of the coalition' at times and this could well be one of them. Watching the game spill in his direction Ash knows better than to help Sofiya up, not wanting anyone to think he thinks she's weak after all. He does however head onto the court as well and that's where his natural abilities can really shine. For one, he's much much stronger than he looks, and he's fast. He doesn't ever use his full speed but just enough to give him an edge. Apparently he has picked sides however as once he manages to steal the ball he takes it down the court a bit then sets up a quick pass towards Sofiya so she has a chance to score.
Sofiya makes it easily to her feet, cursing the guy out loudly, bravado running high in the petite ganger. Her gaze flickers to the man, her eyes narrowing at his speed and the pass to her is met with a broad grin as she catches it. She makes it part the way up the court before she is tackled, hit by a guy in the same colours, and she hurls the ball towards Ash before landing beneath the tackler. His landing is worse though, as Sofi uses her elbows to struggle out from the pile, aiming them at the softer parts of his body.
The ball could have been intercepted if it weren't for an amazing leap and shoulder block by Ash, using his comparatively slight weight to push the guy off to the side so Ash can grab the ball. With half the court or more trying to show the new player who's boss it's only his quickness that keeps him from being tackled, ducking shots from behind, sidestepping, spinning and otherwise displaying reactions one might otherwise acquit to a crazy or a juicer as he takes the ball down the court. He isn't adverse to showing off either as he leaps high up into the air, higher than the heads of his opponents to slam the ball down into the hoop before landing with a grin. It's not exactly a fair contest all things considered.
Sofiya, having untangled herself from the guy who is rising to his feet, his hand clutching a fragile part of his body, heads over at a jog, offering him a hand to slap. "Cool, man." High praise indeed in this part of the city, and her grey eyes are assessing, curious as she runs for the ball. "Hey, he is on my team, you get lost, jerk..." The casual fighting is sibling like as she shoulder barges someone else intent on it. One bounce and she hurls it at Ash, jumping high to avoid being slammed to the floor.
Ash is careful to not show off to much most of the time, not wanting to turn the whole rec center against him so he never truly turns on the speed, instead just staying away from getting pummeled. He isn't afraid to pummel others though when he has to as another guy jumps to try and catch the thrown ball from Sofiya Ash ends up putting his forearm into the guys shoulderblades to send him sprawling so he can catch the ball himself. Of course even after that first display the other 'teams' have something to prove now and they rush him en masse. Sometimes, there's just nowhere to go but up and so Ash gets a quick couple of steps and jumps straight up, looking for Sofiya he lobs the ball towards her before he gets dragged down.
Sofiya is there, ready near the basket and she leaps to grab the ball, needing to plant a kick in someone's groin as she does so. She turns, running, dodging before she jumps to shoot, making the shot neatly, unflashy but it hits the backboard, circled the basket and drops through. She grabs the ball as she, and it, land and jogs over to Ash, offering a hand to slap, her grin broad and cocky. "Alright, man?" The casual question, and the lack of offer to pull him up, is designed to avoid losing face for him, and the jerk of her chin with a grin is a tactile acknowledgement of him.
Ash comes up wiping a bloody lip that someone graced him with in the pile with one hand then wipes it off on his sweats using the other hand to return the triumphant gesture as he climbs to his feet. "Fine. They're just jealous." He says with a grin then head nods towards the basket and reaches out to take the ball so he can pass it in to her this time. Fortunatly it doesn't take long before his lip stops bleeding, thanks to the nature of lips but it does get nice and fat, thanks to the nature of lips there too. The teenager looks at the others on the court and narrows his gaze, getting a somewhat predatory look in his eyes now. "I'll have to stop going easy on them soon enough."
"Sure, jealous of our talent." The comment is half joking, half bravado, and Sofiya turns, jogging to place herself in a good place for shot. Their teamwork had been noticed and now the petite teenager has herself several tall guards, making it hard to get the ball to her. "Takes four of them to beat us, mate!" Her voice comes from behind them, just before one winces and turns with a glower, Sofiya's bony elbow making itself known again. She ducks under his arm, only to be literally picked up, his arm around her waist. Sofiya's temper shows clearly in both the reddening cheeks, and the flailing of limbs, trying to hit him.
"Damn straight." Ash says with a grin and as he notices his team mate get picked up he bounces the ball once high into the air and jumps after it. Up above the other players heads Ash grabs the ball and 'passes' it to Sofiya, as hard as he can. But his aim is off, by a good bit as instead of trying to toss it towards the girl being held he instead sends it straight towards the ankle of the guy holding her in the air! It's times like this when it's easy to understimate how strong Ash is, until that ball hits, and hard....
The guy tumbles, releasing Sofiya to clutch at his ankle, and Ash is graced with a torrent of Dreg's cursing, as Sofiya lands on top of him at the same time. She rolls, grabbing the ball and scrabbling to her feet, heading directly into a run towards the basket. Tackled within three steps, she twists as she falls, hurling it towards Ash before she lands, cursing, another player on top of her. "Basket ball, jerk, not deathball..." She rolls, a hand against her side for a moment, a brief flinch showing before she is up and running again.
Ash is already on the move and he puts on some speed to catch the thrown ball before it can be intercepted. Zero to fifty in nothing flat in order to get to it before another player does all the while ducking and dodging grabs, jumping over trip attempts. He's not exactly a blur but it's still pretty damned fast for someone who isn't a borg or a juicer. Grabbing the ball he dribbles it down the court, having to take it to the side before he jumps and passes it back to Sofiya before he can get gang tackled again, this time landing and bolting down towards the hoop so he is set up in case she needs to pass it again.
Sofiya jumps to catch it, twisting in the air to hurl it at the basket, a shot that is more luck than skill, that drops into the basket just as Sofiya is tackled, thrown to the floor. She lacks the breath to curse, taking a long moment with her eyes closed, on her back, trying to find breath. It takes longer to get up this time, and she covers the wince with bravado as she finally rises. When she moves, it is slower, a little stiffer, her hand straying to her side briefly.
Ash looks at the guy who just threw his teammate and studies him for a long moment before he moves to retrieve the ball and carry it over towards Sofiya, "Alright, they wanna play rough. Throw me the ball and then head down towards the other hoop as quick as you can and lets shut them down." He says to her in conspiratorial soft tones so that the others can't overhear. "You ready?" He asks her as he moves to hand her the ball.
"I'm good." Sofiya's bravado doesn't extend to letting him see that she is hurting and she takes the ball, offering a hand slap with a broad, if slightly strained, grin. She jogs a little forward, turning to throw it to him as she stretches her legs in a run towards the other basket, turning to jog backwards at the last moment.
As soon as the ball is passed Ash grabs it and goes to work, and this time he's not nice about it. While he doesn't do any ninja kicks or the like he is using his speed and strength to every advantage possible. An elbow heads into one guys chest and neck to send him sprawling, he dodges a couple attempts to trip him up and tackle him, spinning under a guy who leaps at him as he dribbles the ball down the court. When the only guy left between him and Sofiya is the guy who threw her down he brings the ball up in a -hard- two handed pass, right into the guys face at speed. As the ball bounces he has to duck another body check, slams his shoulder into another opponents stomach, grabs the ball and then lobs it down the court towards Sofiya once she's ready down there and he has the attention of all the other players. Even as the ball is flying Ash is ducking, dodging, spinning and otherwise making the other guys look clumsy as he shouts, "Next score wins!"
Sofiya is ready, and she grabs the ball, turning to run for the basket, her speed nothing to his but her play is marked by her streetgrown fighting skills and intercepts are met with force, definitely against the rules. She makes it there, leaps for the shot, and shoots the moment someone tackles her. For a long moment, it circles the basket, round and around it goes, hovering for an instant on the edge of falling either way and then it drops, slowly, through the hoop. Sofiya lands, flat on her back, all her breath leaving her as the ganger who tackled lands on top of her. She crawls out from under him, adding a bruise to his collection as she gets up. She offers Ash a hand to slap as the others carry on their game and she steps to the side, leaning against the wall and sliding down to settle there on the floor, her back to it, arms resting on her bent knees.
With a grin Ash steps off the court with a hand slap to the other teenager. "That was fun..." He rakes his hands through his hair and then looks over towards Sofiya, "Been a while since we've bumped into each other. Glad to see you're still out and about. Hard to keep track of who's still breathing sometimes." He moves over towards where he left his duffelbag and sits down. He glances at her colors for a moment then reaches up to tap his fat lip tentatively.
"Still alive. Despite the bastards." There is some emphasis on that and she leans her head back, resting it against the wall, closing her eyes for a moment. "You hear about that mess? The bomb and all? Fuckers nearly got me." She opens her eyes again, studying him in return. "What?" The word is half humour, half defensive. "What have you been doing?" Her Russian accent is soft behind the phrase as she grins, broadly.
"Course I heard." Ash says with a shrug, "Me, I've just been keeping my head down. Trying to avoid getting tied to one group over the other. Someone like me becomes a quick target if I start sporting colors." He chuckles and leans back into the wall, lacing his fingers behind his head. "Still stupid enough to have dreams bigger than reality I guess." He closes his eyes for a moment as he relaxes, stretching his long legs out. "Hey," He looks at her, "I'm looking into this escaped invisible arena monster thing. You heard anything at all about it?" He asks out of the blue.
Sofiya leans over, pulling a bag towards her, to take a bottle of water out of it. She takes a long swig, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. Then she offers the bottle to him with a grin, mischief in her eyes. "What, you got some desire to end up a corpse or lunch?" The joke is light, and she adds more seriously, "Yeah, heard it takes the weakest from groups, lets the others follow, and gets them too." She sits up, sitting crosslegged on the floor, her arms resting lightly in her lap. "Best be the weakest there, it seems to let them live."
Ash nods, "Heard something like that, and neither lunch nor a corpse. Someone asked me to look into it and I'm a sucker for pale." He says with a grin and a shrug, "So, just keeping an ear out. Trying to get a read on where it might be hunting more often but other than that, nobody really seems to know... or at least isn't willing to tell me." He shrugs a bit, "I may be fast but I'm not stupid like that juicer was, I don't go looking for fights if I can help it." He chuckles, "Be kinda hard to stay alive if I did yeah?"
"It shifts places. I think it must have some brains about it." Sofiya is serious now, narrowed grey eyes studying his face thoughtfully. "You must like this someone. You found yourself a shag?" The deliberate use of that word might be long running joke with him, the teenager's grin appearing for a moment. "I'll ask around a bit more, see what I can find but nobody is saying anything in here." She jerks her head towards the offices attached to the building. "Except not to get eat."
A laugh at that, "Pffft, I still have to pay for it like every other loser out there." Ash says with a grin and a shrug but he nods, "Well, that at least gives some information. Might be able to turn that around." He looks around a bit and then says, "Strange thing popped up on my radar when I was looking into this though, heard someone is snatching family members of Clash gangers. Or at least one of them. Someone trying to start up a war down here again?"
Sofiya's head comes up at that, her eyes widening, the startled look in them suggesting this is news to her. She covers it instantly, bravado slipping into place. "Wasn't me this time." She cracks a joke, giving him a broad grin. "Who'd they grab?" She is fishing lightly, and she recovers the bottle, taking a swig, a moment to buy some time. "Sure it isn't the creature."
"Wasn't." Ash says with a shake of his head and a shrug, "She disappeared before the creature escaped so it's unrelated. Just sort of simmering... makes me wonder if it isn't why the Clash has been even harder than normal lately though. Some chick named Trace or Tracey, just up and vanished. You'd think someone would know better than to snatch a gangers sister. Makes me wonder what rumblings are gonna come out of this." He looks over at her, "Doesn't seem like your crews style though."
Sofiya lifts up her hands, a defensive gesture with a grin. "Hey, don't look at me. I'm not into that. I know nothing." She tosses the bottle at him, aiming it for his head, slowly enough for him to be able to catch it easily. "Tracey you say. I'll ask around, listen a bit, let you know." She bends a leg, resting her arm over it, her face thoughtful. "Someone with a death wish, mate. After the bomb shit, they are twitchy as hell."
"Yeah but," Ash catches the bottle with a grin, "ain't heard that they did anything on it. So whoever's done it either has her as leverage if she's the sister to someone high up in the crew, or snatched her so good that -nobody- knows who done it and where she is else they'd have rolled by now at least somehow. That's what I think anyways." He hands the water bottle back, "So way I see it, is this 'sister' is either the sister of a nobody, or the sister of someone -big- in Clash. It's the silence that's wierd, they aren't exactly subtle most times yaknow?"
"Weird." Sofiya takes the bottle, leaning arms across her knees, giving him a thoughtful look. "There should be loads of noise over it. It isn't like Clash are subtle, you know?" She rolls the bottle between her hands, considering it in silence for a moment. "You want to come over, meet Zee?" The comment is abrupt, out of nowhere, and she slants him a sidelong look. "Took him to meet my folks." Even abrupter, but a faint flush colours her cheeks.
"No can do chica." Ash says with a grin, "I head over there and people will start thinking I'm picking sides or some shit like that." He shrugs, "I'm a free agent, go where the money and excitement is. I'll have to meet him somewhere safe sometime." He reaches up and scratches his cheek idly, "Not sure -why- I wanna meet him though." He says with a playful grin and then springs to his feet, "I mean, hell, why would I wanna meet the guy who trashed every other guys dream in the Dregs including mine neh?" He's obviously teasing her, or at least partially teasing her now. Which might make sense considering they're about the same age, even if he's a little younger.
Sofiya laughs, getting up too, the blush deepening. "In the bar perhaps?" She reaches out a hand to slap at his shoulder, laughing at his teasing. "Yeah, more like your nightmare. I'd make your life hell. You ask Zee. I give him shit all the time." For a moment, the bravado seeps away, and she lifts a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, her cheeks pink. "Doubt anyone else was interested. Kinda had a brief thing with Mikjel, this guy from the trailers but we had a bit of a yelling match."
"Pffft, you coulda had your pick of guys. And not just human ones too." Ash says with a shrug, "But, that's just nature. You know, once you grew tits we had an impossible to overcome handicap." He grins at her and then says, "Bar's fine." He then looks around, "So, why'd you switch to these guys from running for the Fam?" He asks curiously, "Cuz of Zee?"
"Yeah right." Sofiya blushes and brushes the compliment off, nudging him with her shoulder, with a grin. "These guys offered me a good deal, got my back when I showed them I didn't do that bomb. Seemed like a good move. I'm not running anymore though." She shrugs, shifting the topic slightly. "You keeping your nose out of trouble?"
When asked that Ash looks like he's been stabbed through the heart, even going so far as to stagger with the shoulder nudge and clasp his hands over his heart, "Me? Stay out of trouble? Perish the thought! I need excitement in my life or I'll go absolutely batshit insane." Which is saying something given how he is normally. "What's the use in being able to dodge bullets if you never get shot at?" He asks with an innocent look that is entirely to innocent and wide eyed to be honest. "Though," He says afterwards, "It -has- been getting a might bit boring of late, routine. Is why I took a job to head to Coalition Territory. One of the skull heads bound to shoot at me once they get a look at my handsome face."
Sofiya giggles, really relaxing, familiarity not breeding contempt here. "And you aren't cutting me in on your trouble? What, you leaving me out? Hey, just because I'm a girl, man..." She steps into his space, laughing as she reaches out to push his shoulder, a mock aggressive movement. "Heading to the CS space? You crazy in the head, looking like you do?" That is genuine concern, flashing up in grey eyes beneath a sudden frown.
Ash grins, "But, you've been all busy picking sides and lovers that weren't me." He shoots back playfully then when she gets close he reaches up to absently push a strand of her hair back from her face. "Hey, don't worry about me. It's a simple delivery job. Not even paying real well. I'll just wear my helmet and they'll never know it's not me. It's not like their dogs and stalkers can tell I'm not human." He smiles, "If I get shot at, it's just a bonus."
"Yeah like you'd keep up with me." Sofiya's joke is softly spoken, her head tilted back to look at him, her eyes worried. The familiar touch isn't even remarked on, usual behaviour. "You keep that helmet on and you run like fuck if they spot you, Ash." Her voice is intense and she hesitates, pushing her hands into her back pockets, rolling her shoulders back as she adds, casually, "I could come with." The offer is casual but he knows she has never left the city.
"Not my call Sofi." Ash says with a shrug, "Sounds like the crew is pretty full. I think they let me go as something of a joke. Besides," He says with a wry smile, "How would you get there? Riding on the back of my bike? Wouldn't be very comfortable as we're going to have to pace a couple horses. I could get there in a couple hours if it was just me, likely going to take a couple days there and back." He takes a partial step back, "Besides... you're set up here." He gestures around, "Got yourself a long term man and everything."
"I've got a motorbike." She gives him a steady look, her eyes narrowing, as her forehead wrinkles with confusion. "What, you don't trust me to have your back, man?" The joke falls flat and when he steps back, she lifts her hands, palm towards him before she turns away, towards her gear. "I get one bloke and you treat me like some girl. What the hell is with that, Ash?" A flare of her temper, familiar to him, shows in her cheeks, in her movements as she turns to face him.
"Hey." Ash says seriously now, "This is the dead heads we're talking about here. You think I want to take you into a place where people might die if they make me take my helmet off?" He asks seriously. "I don't hardly know the people I'm going with, they die I could give a rats ass and a bottle cap." He steps towards her then into -her- space, "And I'm not treating you like just some girl. If you were just some girl you think I'd care you had a bloke at all?" He smirks a bit. "Please. I'd think you'd be happy I -did- care about how you felt." He is after all a product of the streets, watch your own ass first and all.
Sofiya is torn, her hands resting lightly on her hips as she stands in front of him, the flare of temper in her cheeks. She hesitates, before she returns joke with joke, lightly brushing over it, "Yeah, like I'm something real special." She rolls her eyes, reaching out to lightly punch his stomach, her fist not thrown that hard. "I could totally take the dead heads, man. I'm the chick who blew up the Clash, remember."
Ash chuckles at the light punch to his stomach, "You're special to me. That's real special compared to the whole rest of the fucking world." Ash says softly before he grins at her second comment, "Besides, it's probably going to be boring as hell, travelling at 20 miles per hour for that long? Ugh." He gets the -faintest- little wrinkle where a normal person would have a bridge of their nose in his version of a scrunched expression. "As for the dead heads... I'm not stressin'. If they're doin' something wierd I'll just hang back while the delivery is made. Can't see much fuss about a body though." He shrugs and then turns to lightly smack her hip where it meets her bottom. "Sides, Zee would kill me if you had to sit that long and your ass got all flat."
Sofiya's startled look at his first comment is given with wide grey eyes, and her lips part, her tongue flicking out to brush her lower lip. She covers it as quickly as she can, glancing away, before she grins, jerking her chin up. "Yeah, like you say that to all the girls." She turns, bending to grab her water bottle, taking a long swig. "Zee doesn't get to tell me what I'm doing. If I wanted to go, I would. Sounds boring though." She is covering, her grin too bright, her face harder than before.
"Yep, all two girls I talk to regularly." Ash says with a chuckle and a grin before he shrugs and looks over at her, "Well, if you really wanna go, you ever heard of a chick named Erica? Kind of a hard ass in a lot of ways. Merc I guess. She's delivering a body to Newtown, someone she knew who died or something. Hired on a bunch of people to help her transport it. But apparently some of 'em are all on horse and shit so it's going to take us a while. You wanna go... hell, you can come but I can't promise it'll get you any money."
"Don't do me any favours!" She is teasing outright now, finding her feet after the surprise, still slightly wary. "I don't know, might see how it goes. She is one of Zee's mates." There is a flicker of an expression on her face, visible only to those who know her well, her mask of bravado covering for the others. "Went with him to buy me some stuff before we got together properly." She is uncertain about the woman, and it shows, Sofiya's life mostly spent around the boys.
"Well, if she's one of Zee's friends... maybe he'll be going and I'll meet him then." Ash says with a bit of a shrug and then reaches down to pick up his dufflebag and slings it over his shoulder. He might be able to read her expression but that doesn't mean he's going to go getting himself in more trouble than he's already in. Saying how you feel about someone is a definate no-no on the streets anyways. "I'll watch his ass for you, if he is coming." He says afterwards, "Gonna go shower and change. It was good seein' you again Sofi." He smiles at her and then turns and makes his way for the men's changing room again, giving her time to skedaddle or disappear into the women's changing room if she chooses before he returns.
Sofiya nods slowly, giving him a very faintly puzzled look, "Yeah, keep an eye on it for me. Make sure noone else is riding it." She lifts a hand as he leaves, turning to grab her things, clearly shaken by the comments he made. Normally, she would be hanging out, waiting for him, demanding what they can do next. This time, she is gone, no sign of her when he comes out.
