17334/Introduction to Mutant Town

Introduction to Mutant Town
Date of Scene:	04 March 2024
Location:	West Bushwick (Mutant Town)
Synopsis:	Sally introduces Sma'shaw to Mutant Town.
Cast of Characters:	Sally Pride, Sma'shaw Ihaka

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Sally Pride has posed:
"It's not pretty, but it's someplace to put up your feet and not have to worry about things... well not any more than any other inner city district. Not anything a couple of experienced mercenaries can't handle." When they had met Sally had promised to show Sma'shaw where one of the 'mutant safe havens' she knew of was. But the merc life tends to get busy and chaotic and it's not until now they were able to get together to do so.

On the bright side, Sma got a look at Sally's modified muscle car as they drove through New York. Nothing as fancy as what his capabilities could do, but it ran and got where it needed to.

Once they're past the Big Apple clusterf*** of traffic and pull into the smaller neighborhood she pulls to the curb and parks the car. Disengage the ignition, lock the parking brake, keys in her pocket. Then she opens the driver side door to climb out. "Technically it's named West Bushwick, but as it's become the home to a lot of mutants, mutates and others like us, it's gotten to be known as 'Mutant Town'."

Sma'shaw Ihaka has posed:
It was difficult to mask is excitement for today. For one, he was getting to hang with Sally, someone he'd only met fairly recently, and was admittedly a bit smitten with due to a lot of the commonalities they shared, and the fact that she was COOL and PRETTY. There was probably more to it, but he couldn't really brain up any further thoughts on the matter.

Secondly, he got to ride around in HER CAR! Oh, and what a beaut it was! Nothing crazy compared to the actually dangerous shit he managed to put together for the Tornado, but it was a beast in it's own right, and far be it from him to diss a ride she'd built with her own two paws. (Plus, not having to deal with the traffic himself was a nice change of pace).

As he opened shotgun-side, he slid out and stood tall, wearing an asymmetrical biker jacket with black leather and a wide 'V' that let his chest fluff spill out into the open and breathe. At the same time, he wore a pair of ripped up cargo pants, lumbering around the frame of the vehicle with an easy-going yet eager pace. "Ahhh it's foiiine, honestly. Oi'm not too much of a fella to be lookin' a gift shark in th' mouth. Jus' glad Oi get to see tha' town in all it's splendah!" The hyena mutant Sma'shaw followed along side Sally, snuffling and taking in the sights and scents of the neighborhood that had been all but cast-aside.

Sally Pride has posed:
Sally Pride chuckles a bit as she shuts her door. Clicks the lock button on the key frob once her companion is out of the vehicle as well. "It's splendid for folks that can't go anywhere else, guess that's what counts." Sally tucks her hands in her jacket pockets as she starts to walk down the street. "But that's what makes the community more tight. Most of the trouble that comes this way are folks that want to stir shit with mutants, than from us mutants after other mutants." She nods towards one of the less rundown looking buildings. "Course NYPD still has a precinct here, but don't expect much out of the law unless it's really bad. It's mostly so the politicals can say they're 'keeping an eye' on things and then just pretend it's nothing they have to deal with." She snorts softly.

Sma'shaw Ihaka has posed:
Sma'shaw nodded his head with a charming, toothy grin as he walked along with her. "Aye, lotta suit-y shitheads tha' loike sayin' one thing and doin' anothah. Typical politicians. Well, as y' said, nothin' that your or Oi couldn't handle." His hyena eyes, full of amber delight, follow her gaze to the lesser of the time-worn structures. "'Soides tha, a community of mutants n' metas is all tha' strongah. Hard pressed to keep any of us down. aye? Not defenseless and all."

Sally Pride has posed:
"Far from it. Honestly probably best to leave it to us to handle things." Sally shrugs her shoulders a little. "Besides, between the Morlocks, the Mutanimals, and reps for most of the other Mutant groups that have formed over the years, there's plenty of our own looking after things. Speaking of." Sally nods up towards a roof ledge where several pidgeons have perched. "Don't mind the birds. They're kinda helping look after the place. Not mutants, but I know a mutant who can talk to them."

How thorough Pidgeon Pete is when it comes to information is a different matter, but the small tidbits are occasionally useful. And pidgeons are easily overlooked in other parts of the big city.

"Most of the businesses her have been taken over and run by various mutants living here." She draws a paw from her pocket to jester towards the various bars, at least one 'adult' club, a diner... and of all things a Roger's Roasters that is probably one of the most profitable branches considering how many mutants are meat eaters or advanced from predators like the two of them. "The milkshake shop is also pretty popular."

Sma'shaw Ihaka has posed:
"And it only took me bein' a poirate for me formative years before endin' up in the good 'ole US-of-A! HAH!" As she mentioned the birds, he tilted his head a little before she explained. "Ooooh. See, Oi wouldn't have even thought much of 'em 'till ya spoke up. Thought you were gonna say they're explosive of somethin', heheh!"

He looks around to every thing she points at and maybe looking away from the 'club' a bit quickly with a bit of a green tint to his snout. "Mutant-owned and operated, ay? That's noice. Real damn noice. Honestly, Oi like this place, it's got enough -character- to filta out th' folks that'd pull some touristy bullshit around 'ere...or filta out -corpo- suits." He makes a bit of a face, sticking his tongue out as he walked.

Sally Pride has posed:
Sally Pride nods her head a bit. "Yeah. It's only really the asshats that purposely want to make a scene with mutants that are a problem, and most of 'em don't want to start it in middle of one of the larger unified communities if they can avoid it. Occasionally Friends of Humanity will stage protests but they're outnumbered if they stirr the pot too hard. Null keeps their distance, would rather wait for potential targets to be out on their own. The Hand and the Foot probably have members lurking around, but you know, ninjas. And they have mutant members so they're not gonna take a piss at potential allies if they don't need to. Anyone associating with Sublime.. well after the shit they've done?" Her tail flicks as she holds up a paw and makes a cutting motion across her throat with a claw. "I'm not gonna say they don't have spies, because they probably do, but if they do they're spies smart enough to BE spies and stay unnoticed instead of fuck around and find out."

Sma'shaw Ihaka has posed:
Sma'shaw Ihaka whistled low as he heard Sally rattle off the different factions, and summarily make a wicked claw motion along her jugular. "Sounds loike a lotta action all packed inta' a single nieghborhood. 'Nuff factions ta' make me 'ead spin a little too, woof." He shook his snout a little for emphasis, beaming with his usual energy. "Moight as well well bring a sheriff whoile yer at it, given how crazy it sounds, wouldn't be too outta place. Who names their clans 'Hand' and 'Foot' though? Oi feel like you could do bettah for ninja names...buuut Oi'm a poirate, stahrk opposite and all, whot do Oi know?"

Sally Pride has posed:
"I think unassuming is the point. And ninjas DO tend to be good with their hands and feet. Martial arts and all that." Sally's been around and worked with ninjas, but doesn't really see the draw. Mostly the whole hiding all the time rubs her rough. Sure, stealth has it's time and place but. "Really, if you hear the name Sublime have ther gun ready and get the fuck out. They're real corpo asshat pieces of shit. The others aren't so much of a problem."

Sally pauses at a corner, looking up one way and down the other. There's the occasional car or beater truck, but mostly predestrians. A majority of them being animal or animal-like mutants like themselves, or some other physical extreme that would make blending into normal human society difficult. "There's a couple of different safehouses if you need a place to crash. It's mainly don't make trouble and you won't find trouble around here. Folks just want to live peacefully like anyone else."

Sma'shaw Ihaka has posed:
He seems almost lost in the night lights as the two round the corner, and he turns to watch pedestrians and cars slowly pass by, in a blend of stomps, clacks, clops and rubber grinding on paved road. It was the first time he'd really seen anyone...like him in this context. Just...-people- being people. There was a sense of...well it was hard to describe, really, but he figured there was a German word for it. The feeling of coming home to a place you never knew, never been to, but always belonged. He'd always kept himself secluded to the Landshark, but this was so...different. Liberating.

"...Sound good to me, honestly. This is...hah, fahckin' ell. It's incredible. Really is a whole town for us, just about." He sped up a little to catch back up to Sally, still taking in the sights with pure wonder in his eyes.

Sally Pride has posed:
Sally Pride smiles. Seeing the look in his eyes makes her feel really good about it too. She suspected he could use something like this after hearing that sad backstory and having to basically be a hermit for so long. "I know, it's a bit of a trek up from the beach. But at least you don't have to worry about 'sticking out'."

The lioness put an arm around his shoulder and tugged the 'yena close to her side as she winked. "But you can always call for a ride if you don't want to haul your wheels out of the water."

A few passers do stop to look at the amusing sight of a lion and a hyena hugging, but then go about their way. There's much weirder matchups when it comes to Mutant Town.

Sma'shaw Ihaka has posed:
He looks over to her with a wry smile. "Oh ye? Well way Oi see it, thinkin' the beach moight be a bit of a trek from 'ere!" His tail was wagging pretty quick as he grinned wider, but it was the pull into her side and the wink that got a -firm-, green blush out of the larger yeen. "...'S-specially if ye' keep -that- up, heh!" He cackled a little, reciprocating by draping his arm over her and pulling her into his own side...though his arm was long enough that his hand panicked for a moment before trying to rest politely just above her hip!

Hardly anyone batted an eye to the two getting chummy and close in the street. Maybe they have seen stranger couplings, and it made his heart race a little faster than it already was. His snout scrunched into a awkward, but giddy smile, trying not to accidentally haul Sally off of her feet while he maintained walking speed with her. "S'pose Oi won't be worryin' about that, no. Aaaand with little police presence, Oi could probably foind an alley to park in for tha' long haul, no worries there. Y' got arcades n' movies 'round here?"

Sally Pride has posed:
"To be fair the Landshark probably wouldn't stand out too much, but she'd get a lotta rubberneckers on the way up here. Good thing you've gotta car too." Sally replies, and then laughs. "No promise what shape they may be in but I wouldn't doubt someone's managed to drag a cabinet or two out of the big city when some of the smaller places closed down." With their arms hooked around each other she gives the 'yeen a tug to follow her down the street. "Whatya say we get a couple of burgers and drinks down at the bar?"

Sma'shaw Ihaka has posed:
He lets out another yeen cackle with an even bigger smile as his eyes light up~! "Well tha's good, Oi'd love to be able to step out, go to tha' left fer groceries, or tha' roight fer a melty sandwich. Waitin' fer delivery on the pier bloooows." He lets himself get tugged along, another amusing image for bystanders as the yeen with two to three times the body mass gets hauled down the street. "Oooh, bar burgahs? HELL YEAH! Let's FAHCKIN' GO!" Okay well now he started hauling HER, the two yipping and laughing at the lights and lamps of Mutant Town flickered and glowed, like stars in a sea of shadows and concrete...until the night slowly, gently drew over the dimming of the town lights.