it's a real funky town

[waiting]

WHO: Rick Bradbury and YOU! Hit me up on Plurk (kiffle) or in PM or via AIM if you have any questions.
WHERE: Anywhere in the City! While there are a couple of specific threads, it's basically a catch-all for anyone who wants to interact with him while he's not yet officially on the job. Places he'll be easy to catch are the MAC, City Hall, and anywhere there's cheap food to eat.
WHEN: The week of September 16th to September 22, barring any unforeseen disasters. Just put the date and time in the comment header! He's due to have threads with a couple of characters, but otherwise he's open for acquaintance-making and trolling.
WARNINGS: To be updated as necessary, but right now we've got possible ALCOHOL DRINKING and CREEPY ANIMALS.
SUMMARY: Bradbury settles in.
FORMAT: You tag, I'll follow, but this'll be in quickie format to start off with.

[ Bradbury's first day in the City had been a long one, to say the least, and he's all too glad to tumble into bed once it's over. While Mitch had agreed to hire him on as his head of security again, it isn't a job he's going to actually start for another week, not until he'd gotten a better idea of the place and can do things properly. He won't be a lot of good in his position unless he at least tries to get up to speed with the situation -- not just surrounding Mitch, but the City itself. It's a lot to learn.

The relative sparseness of his room at the MAC is a good thing, since it doesn't leave him with a lot to distract himself with. Ordinarily he'd be the last to say he's any kind of forward planner, but if he wants to make the most of the days ahead, he'll have to be a bit smarter about how he spends his time.

He's still thinking about it when he falls asleep, falling into uneasy dreams. ]

Comments

SEPT 16 - AFTERNOON/EVENING - AT SOME BAR

[waiting]

[ placeholderrrr for drinky times with april! ]

AW YEAH FIRST

[aggressiveapathy]

[April, possibly unfortunately for Rick, has picked one of the more hipster bars located near City Hall. These are her people, like it or not. At least there's a dart board and pool table in the back, if nothing else.

But she's currently slouched forward, elbows full on the bar, seated on a stool while waiting for her host to arrive. She's in a casual (not quite date) outfit, very pointedly ignoring anyone else sitting around her.]

LET'S BLOW THIS JOINT

[waiting]

[ Spoiler: Rick doesn't even know what a hipster is. He looks distinctly out of place, though, in the jacket and shirt and scuffed boots he's managed to scrounge out of some military surplus store. When you said a bar, he thought you meant a real one, April!

He's not sure if April knows what he looks like, but he spots her easily enough. ]

Hey. April, right?

( y e a )

[aggressiveapathy]

Yo.

[She perked up just enough to fully acknowledge that, yup, she was April. And the voice was close enough to the network that she assumed it was her meet up. Or some random stalker come to buy her drinks. Whatever worked.

She gestured to the stool next to her, inviting him to take a seat if he wanted to do something other than linger awkwardly behind her.]

So. Still alive, huh.

[waiting]

Yeah, I'm still kicking. Sorry to disappoint. [ The seat creaked faintly when he slid onto it, presumably because it was the kind of fixture that was meant for people to sit and brood on instead of possibly having to stand up to drunken idiots getting thrown at it. Like April, he propped his elbows on the bar. ]

Ready to pick your poison?

ALL WEEK - CITY HALL - OPEN

[waiting]

[ Anyone at City Hall this week is going to see Bradbury around the place. He's either 1. talking to the current security team, 2. exploring City Hall and making really Disapproving Faces at the quality of the security system in place, 3. trying to figure out how to work the desktop computer in his temporary office.

He can be usually found slumming around in jeans and a dress shirt, since he hasn't officially started the job yet. It's up to you if your character has already heard of him being hired on or not, or whether they recognize him from the network. He does plan on introducing himself to anyone working at City Hall, currently, just to get to know the rest of Mitch's staff, though he may live to regret that decision! ]

MONDAY SEPT 17: MORNING

[cloud9]

[ Abby Boylen never really looks like she belongs at City Hall. She's an anxious-looking young woman with an array of nervous habits and little idea of what to do in a professional environment, even after working with City Hall's X-Factor these past few months. But that's not surprising-- Abby rarely knows what to do with herself in general.

She's on her way to check in on her best friend-- City Hall's most demonic intern, literally, recently self-resurrected too-- when she rounds a corner too quickly, running head first into the new head of security. ]

Oh, crap--! Uh, sorry? I--

[ Way to make a good first impression, Boylen. ]

[waiting]

[ Luckily, Bradbury's a big guy, so it's going to take more than a kid running into him to knock him down. It does catch him by surprise, though, and he automatically reaches out to try and steady her by her arm. ]

Hey, no harm done. Don't worry about it.

[ Okay, now that he's gotten a chance to take a better look -- maybe not as much of a kid as he first thought, though the impression that she's pretty young remains. He hasn't had time to really flick through most of the personnel files yet, so he doesn't recognize whether she's someone who already worked here or something else, but he's at least pretty sure she's harmless. Or close enough. ]

You okay?

FUFUFU now i know your one weakness...

[cloud9]

Yeah, I'm-- I'm fine. I'm okay.

[ She eyes him a minute. A few moments of rare eye contact from her, and maybe vague recognition-- they hadn't spoken yet, not personally, but X-Factor's leader was a thorough and unforgiving boss, and it wasn't likely that she wouldn't have made damn sure her team knew who worked in the same building as them. X-Factor was an investigations team, after all. They dealt in information, though Abby had never been particularly clever.

She had other skills. Not any that would be too obvious, from her appearance or demeanor-- but when she steadies herself and puts her hand out a little tentatively to shake, it's a gun-calloused palm she offers. ]

I'm-- um. Abigail. Abigail Boylen. From X-Factor, down the hall. You... Work for Mr. Mayor now, right?

8(

[waiting]

[ Bradbury blinks. Man, news travels fast around here, doesn't it? Then again, he hadn't exactly made the most subtle of entrances. ]

Yeah, I do. Rick Bradbury. New head of security. [ He grinss, hoping the small gesture will set her at ease, and reaches out to shake her hand firmly but carefully. The callouses don't go unnoticed, and if his expression falters a little in surprise, he covers it up well. ] Though technically, I don't start working until next week. I'm still getting the hang of the place.

MONDAY AFTERNOON.

[solidorkable]

(Larsa rushed into the office during his lunch hour. Despite the fact that he really didn't wait for his Work Study to clear (or that if anyone bothered to notice that he didn't get Zatanna or Mitch to sign it), he rushed in through the door and threw his shoulder back down where he usually sat before running face first into Bradbury.)

Oh, excuse me, I did not see you.

aw yiss larsa <3

[waiting]

[ It was hard to feel like you weren't there when people kept bumping into you, like you weren't six-feet-something of hulking muscle and bone -- Bradbury was starting to consider the merits of investing in reflectors or an early warning device or something. Anyway, the particular voice would have been distinctly recognizable, even if the face that went with it wasn't. Holy shit, the kid really was a kid. ]

It's fine -- what's got you in such a rush?

awww yeah mr. bradbury o3o

[solidorkable]

(one day he would learn to look up when running around the City. back home, people usually made themselves known to him, but mainly because they just wanted to let everyone know that the Emperor acknowledged their very presence. plus, all the judges and everyone in the military wore heavy armor, it was impossible to miss them.)

I have a meeting with the mayor and Miss Ludgate in roughly fifteen minutes, I did not want to be late. (look, he even has a suspicious brown bag filled with delicious treats. he perks up slightly, remembering that he brought enough for everyone and reaching for a tissue so that he could give bradbury his favorite type of scone.)

I brought them for everyone from one of the best bakeries in the city, should you want it.

i'd like to pretend he's like a burlier gabranth but he's not pretty enough to be in an ff game :'|

[waiting]

[ free food! Bradbury's never gonna say no to free food, obviously, so he grinned widely as he took the scone from Larsa, though it looked comically small in his hand. ]

Hey, thanks. Don't mind if I do. [ he was one bite through the scone before what Larsa said before occurs to him, and hurriedly chewed and swallowed before he went on. ] Oh, uh, it's Larsa, right? We spoke on the network -- I'm Bradbury.

[ just in case he'd forgotten, which wasn't likely, but still a possibility. ]

TUESDAY MORNING

[themysciran]

[Diana's visits to City Hall have been increasingly rare, but she makes it a point to stop by from time to time. It isn't only to touch base with the government officials she's working with, but also to see how her friends are faring.

She's been busy with her own work and meetings, and thus isn't as up to date with the comings and goings of City Hall as she'd like. When she sees Bradbury, she assumes that he's someone paying a visit to the mayor or a new employee. Either way, she approaches him, a smile on her face.]

Hello. I don't believe we've met.

LET ME KNOW IF I NEED TO EDIT \o> also i apologize for him being... himself...

[waiting]

[ It's his second day coming here, so Bradbury's a little more familiar with the place, though he still hasn't met everyone -- and, well, Bradbury's pretty sure he'd remember someone like Diana. He's also reasonably certain that she probably doesn't work here, if only because why would anyone work with Mitchell Hundred if they look like that? She's probably here on business.

So it's a surprise when she approaches him, but a pleasant one, and as far as he's concerned? It's a great way to start the day. And if she seems a little oddly familiar, well... He doesn't think about that too closely just yet. ]

Uh, no, we haven't. Rick Bradbury, new head of security. [ He offers his hand to shake (it feels like he's been doing that a lot these day) and puts on the most charming smile he can muster (it isn't much). ]

NO IT'S PERFECT

[themysciran]

[She takes his hand, giving it a firm shake before letting go. If she's surprised by his words, it isn't too evident. She knows that the position would be filled eventually.]

It's nice to meet you, Rick. [She gives him welcoming smile -- it really is a pleasure to meet new people, and she sees herself crossing his path more than a few times in the future.] My name is Diana. I am an ambassador for the City. [Among other things.]

SEPT 17 - afternoon/lunch time?? - some cheapo restaurant

[cheerhealer]

Good afternoon, sir. [ After he's seated at a booth by one of her coworkers, Claire is in front of the table, ready to take his order, smile plastered on her face. The nametag underneath her name states IMPORT; it was a requirement here, or something, her boss had told her. She didn't buy it but a job was a job. She'd be grateful for whatever she could get. ]

What can I get started for you today?

YUP THAT WORKS \o/

[waiting]

[ Bradbury was in the mood for something Mexican, or at least the bastardized equivalent thereof, hence why he decided to park his ass here. There aren't a lot of other customers around, probably because he's just missed the lunch rush, which suits him just fine. He answers automatically when the waitress comes up to the table, squinting at the menu: ]

I'll have the chicken quesadilla with a side of guacamole--

[ And blinks when the voice registers, looking up. ]

Hey, aren't you...?

SWEEET

[cheerhealer]

[ She looks up from her little note pad, frowning at him, then her face lights up with realization. ]

Bradbury, right? [ She grins. It was nice to actually meet somebody she'd already spoken with. ]

Claire.

[waiting]

Yup, that's me. [ It's cool that she remembers, and he grins. ]

Didn't think I'd meet anyone I talked to on the comm so soon. You work here? [ Well, obviously, but Bradbury's a master of inane questions. ]

afternoon of 9/19; chinese take-out restaurant

[gevurah]

[ Are Nill's eating habits starting to rub off on her? This is the third time this week Kate's made a stop at another Chinese place for food. It doesn't occur to her until she's already decided on her order.

She wonders if her roommate would like Kate to bring her something home later on and reaches into her bag to get out her cell. While she digs around for it, she simultaneously bumps and elbows the guy in front of her. ]

Oh. Sorry about that.

i feel the need to apologize for this in advance...

[waiting]

[ Something's extremely nostalgic about these sorts of places, for Bradbury, probably because he associates them with simpler days -- even if he really shouldn't. Anyway, he's a little lost in thought when he gets jostled from behind, startling him. ]

It's-- [ Hel-lo. He visibly does a double-take when he actually takes a proper look at her, brows quirking up, and his tone shifts from neutral to friendly. ] --fine. No big deal.

So, uh, have you ordered anything here before? [ Really pushing it, Bradbury. ] I have no idea what's good.

never apologize >:)

[gevurah]

[ She stops wrestling about with the bag long enough to cast him an apologetic look. At the same time, she does take a moment to examine him herself.

And she knows that look. ]

First time, huh? The pepper steak is great.

his gaydar is next to nonexistent :'|

[waiting]

[ A look which is funnier, probably, coming from a guy with a wedding band so prominently displayed on one hand, but Bradbury's a look-but-don't-touch kind of guy. ]

Yeah, I'm new around here. [ Which identifies him as an import, or at least makes it likelier. It's a little harder for him to guess, though, if he can say the same for her. ]