What would you do without me? (Attn : Zilker)

**ParanoidAndroid** · Sep 23rd, 2009 07:50 PM

The street in front of "Hannigan's tall and large for men", 9:57AM. The street was mostly deserted of street traffic, everyone having gone in to work already. Henry stands across the street from the store, watching intently. He was, of course, dressed differently from usual. Long blonde hair, a body that would best be described as "buff early twenties", wearing shorts and what is probably the tamest Hawaiian shirt in the world.

He'd been here a few minutes already, of course, and was pretending to wait for the bus. He knew by experience the next one was 14 minutes away, so he could look inconspicuous for that long before he had to move. His eyes moved like any bored person's, from the street, to the store, to the pavement, to the people walking, and so on.

**West** · Sep 24th, 2009 01:07 AM

A yellow FJ Cruiser comes down the street slowly and stops. After a few moments, the window rolls down, and Zilker leans out.

"Henry?" he called out loudly. "Since when did surfers start turning tricks?"

[banner]zilker[/banner]

**ParanoidAndroid** · Sep 24th, 2009 09:21 PM

Henry sees the car coming, of course. How could he not, with that color? He would have been content to meet him from there, but then Zilker talks. Doesn't he know anything about subtlety? Obviously not.

Henry looks both ways down the street, then starts walking towards the car, answering in a joking voice, just as loud. "Only since the banks have started going belly-up, bro." Wait... bro? Apparently Henry takes the surfer disguise a little too seriously.

Once he's close enough to be reasonnably heard with a more 'normal' voice, he hooks a thumb towards the curb, and says "Pull over, we can walk and talk." He'd prefer to not be seen getting in the car after Zilker's little jab.

**West** · Sep 24th, 2009 10:17 PM

"Were the banks employing a lot of surfers?" Zilker asked conversationally as he pulled over and parked.

He got out and grabbed a blue car coat and shrugged it on.

"You know you can just come by the Circle, right?"

**ParanoidAndroid** · Sep 25th, 2009 11:52 AM

Whew, he didn't feel like being difficult. "If they did, they hid it very well," Henry answers Zilker's 'conversation', in a similar tone. Which doesn't explain his previous statement in any way.

He lets Zilker get out of the car, watching him put on the coat, and then makes a discreet gesture down the street. He starts walking that way, expecting Zilker to follow. "I could," he says with a tone that says he'd rather not, "but putting all our forces in one place is just asking for it." What he means, of course, is 'I could also paint a bullseye on my face and walk into a Banisher hideout. And everyone knows that grouping together for a meeting of a few minutes is more than enough to get everyone killed.'

But Henry knows Zilker won't agree. He couldn't possibly agree. So without truly giving a chance for the Epopt to respond, he moves on to the next subject, "I managed to get into McClellan's", he begins, in a much quieter tone than before. He takes a quick look each way down the near-empty sidewalk before continuing. "Definitely Supernal involvment in the theft. I'm guessing Seers." He doesn't add more here, letting Zilker respond.

**West** · Sep 25th, 2009 04:03 PM

Zilker shakes his head at Henry's assessment of the Circle, and follows him. Another head shake at his mention of McClellan. "What makes you think that?" he asks. "The activity here has been extremely low." He slows down to take a second look at a window display of phones, then continues.

**ParanoidAndroid** · Sep 25th, 2009 06:59 PM

Henry slows down enough when Zilker does to let him admire the display. But only long enough to get a good look. While Zilker looks at the electronic gadgetry, Henry takes the opportunity to look over his shoulder and make sure there's noone else around. "Zee, my man, let me flip that right back at you," he answers with that stereotypical surfer accent, "you know anyone named Victor? Asian accent, thinks Pentacles are pansies?" He adds those last two elements in a slow voice, as though trying to jog Zilker's memory.

((Name voluntarily wrong. Across a warehouse, with echo and stuff, only normal to miss 1 vowel.))

**West** · Sep 26th, 2009 10:10 AM

Zilker looks at Henry sharply, and emotions cross his face too fast for the older man to discern. He realizes that the opposite side of the coin of Zilker being a more martial Guardian was that he had sacrificed the arts of subterfuge.

Or had he? Henry may just be enough of a paranoid bastard to wonder.

"Victor? Or Vector?" he asks.

**ParanoidAndroid** · Sep 26th, 2009 09:51 PM

Henry's eyes flash briefly towards Zilker's changing expression, but he doesn't say anything or let anything show on his own face. He had realized long ago that betting on anyone's skill at lying and poker faces was a fool's game. Assume everyone is lying, all the time. Makes it much easier to figure out the truth if you discard what everyone else says right off the bat.

"Either or, my man. When in doubt, tell me about both," he says in an offhand fashion, as though he were just asking for the weather report.

**West** · Sep 26th, 2009 10:06 PM

"Where did you hear the name?" Zilker asks. "McClellan?" he tacks on with curiosity.