Open RP Good to be back

[HockeyNerd]

"It's good to be back in Pittsburgh", Jack thinks as he passes the city limits sign. No one really understands why Jack decided this is his favorite place to spend his vacation, not even Jack understands it. Maybe it's the hustle bustle, after all the criminal life can be a lonely one, so maybe it's just nice to be consistently surrounded by people for two weeks. He's even made a few friends here over the years, a rare occurrence when you spend most of the year on the run, changing from one false identity to another. But here, at last, he can be Jack for two weeks straight with no questions and no fears. Of course it's fun changing from one person to another, planning and scheming, and dodging the police, why else would he spend most of his year doing that? Its easy to get caught up in that though, to get lost in the facades and forget the real him, lose his identity to the act.

And so here he is, on break. Normally He'd go straight to his condo and crash for a while, but he'd heard a lot on the news in the past year about some interesting meta happenings in the city and wants to know more. The news isn't always very trust worthy, having a habit of being biased or exaggerating details. So he decides to walk around for a bit and see what he can piece together, or maybe pick a good place to sit down and strike up a conversation.

Jack parked his green '95 F-150 in the lot near the condo complex. It wasn't a particularly remarkable truck by most peoples standards, but he'd gotten a handful of compliments from fellow mechanics and those older guys in the mid-west and the south who know trucks like a second language. Everyone knows the type. Typically in their 60s or 70s and sit in a diner most of the morning over a hot coffee, telling stories to whoever will listen. And when people do listen they usually walk away feeling a bit wiser. One of them is also probably making moonshine in a trailer in their backyard, and most of them are veterans of one or more wars. There's a group in Kentucky that Jack stops to see every time passes through the state. He reminisces about them for a minute as he gets out of his truck and makes sure everything is locked. He stops when he gets to his trailer with his bike. A red Tiger T-100 he rebuilt better than new, it is his most precious possession and needs to carefully make sure it's still securely strapped in and locked up so no one can steal it. Then he begins his walk.

Jack himself doesn't stand out much besides his fiery red hair and surprisingly memorable blue eyes. He has a fairly average build, though its clear he works out regularly, not to where he's sculpted, but enough to keep on the good side of "in shape". He walks for a while before he finds a nice park about a mile from his condo with some comfortable benches to sit on and wait for a passerby who feels like talking.

 

[Phoenix]

It had been three days since Sam had heard from Todd. In the past, that wouldn’t have worried her nearly as much as it did now. But now they had the forty-eight-hour rule. They would always, even if they were somewhere they couldn’t leave or had limited ways of contacting each other, find a way to let the other know they were safe. That they were out on a long patrol, or that Sam was tracking a predator, or that Todd was with Slate. With Slate. That was such a difficult concept for her to wrap her head around.

Last Sam knew, Todd had gone on patrol. That had been three full nights ago. The last time she had seen him had been New Year's night. Still, she tried not to worry as she continued her jog through the park. Since it was January, the snow was still thick on the ground, though none had fallen in a few days. Most of the spaces were cleanly plowed or well traveled enough that snow wasn’t an obstacle. For most of the winter, she’d been unable to go running. There was just too much snow, and while she didn’t need layers, and technically could have cleared herself a path with ease, other people would have noticed.

So finally, after weeks of being indoors, it was finally back in the low thirties and she could run outside. She was still wearing less clothing than most– a sweatshirt with a hoodie over it, a pair of leggings and warm capris– but she looked more normal now. She had made it three times around the park, trying to keep herself from breezing past other runners and walkers, and had yet to work up a real sweat. But, for appearance’s sake, she needed to take a break.

There was a bench, mostly empty except for one man. His hair was an even more startling red than her own. He looked like he might be in his twenties, maybe a bit older than her. As she got close, she changed her breathing, to something more akin to tired panting. She stopped a few feet from the bench and leaned over, putting her hands on her thighs to make a real show of it. Then, she flashed a smile to the man, and with a bit of a huff, she asked, “Hi! Do you mind if I sit for a minute?”​

 

[HockeyNerd]

Jack looks at the young lady who's approached him. He'd noticed her running, it wasn't hard with her vibrant hair, but he'd also noticed everyone else in this area of the park so he wasn't really keeping a particular eye on anyone. There is the older gentleman with his dog, probably here trying to ward off heart disease as long as he can, and seemingly doing a good job. There's the old veteran trying to keep up the physique he's had since his twenties, also doing a good job. There's the New Years resolutioner who is pushing himself, but also looks like he's regretting every decision that led to this moment, he probably won't be frequenting this park for long. And of course there are the Karens, three women running together, here for the gossip just as much as the exercise. He had expected to see a few more people here, this was a popular park from his memory, but then again it was January so most people aren't going out in the cold.
Jack gives the girl a good look now, a quick one just to size her up, but a good one. She's polite, asking to sit down, not just doing so. That's not something everyone would do. And it seems genuine, not just habitual learned courtesy. She was shorter, with a small frame, but she also seemed strong, he may or may not be able to take her in a fair fight (good thing his fights are rarely fair). She is also clearly pretending to be winded. A lot of people wouldn't have noticed this but when someone spends most of their time acting they get good at spotting it. Besides, she'd made it three laps and didn't have a drop of sweat on her face, so she is either stopping specifically to talk to him, which is unlikely as she doesn't have a motive he can think of, or she is simply trying to look the part of the average runner needing a rest. Then again, maybe she does want to talk to him specifically, as there are plenty of benches in the park and she stopped here. He still cant think of a motive, but he needs information anyway so he'll take it.
He looks up at her with a friendly smile, "Go right ahead, you seem to need the break anyway"