WAR: CLOWNING AROUND Toronto, Cousin HQ MONDAY (DATE), Afternoon (after MOVIE TIME) by DPNOW (a Dark Perk) The Dark Perk attack force waited in the subway station, peering anxiously out along the sidewalk. "Psst! Here they come!" announced DKBlonde, the Dark Perk leader, motioning the others back into the shadows of the subway station. The three Cousins, LTScruffy, LCRules, and Ancient1, wandered past. "I've never seen it on the wide screen," said LtScruffy. "Can you imagine the chariot race?" "Or Rome?" added Ancient1. "When Ben Hur walks away from his foster father and they're in the middle of the city . . . you think the General ever saw that scene?" "Sounds like they're going to have fun," whispered DPNow. DKBlonde chuckled beneath her breath. "So are we." Once they were sure the Cousins weren't returning, the troop headed for Cousin HQ. Hair2Day, a vaquera, made her way through the security system with great care. "Don't leave any scratches," warned LilCop, as Hair2Day twisted a metal probe into the lock. "Hey, I know what I'm doing." DKBlonde touched LilCop's arm and pulled her aside. "Just don't look, okay?" "But--?" "What we don't see, we don't have to to tell Tracy about--" "Good point," agreed LilCop, averting her eyes from the on-going breaking and entering. In a few minutes, the Vaquera was through the security system. "Slick," complimented DPNow, as they passed through the doorway and into the main hall, carrying their shopping bags. Hair2Day ducked her head at the compliment, and her flaming red hair fell forward, all but obscuring her face. "Just something I picked up." "Try not to pass it along," warned DKBlonde. "We're supposed to be working the law, not against it." She lifted her hand and pointed. "There he is." The marble bust stood on a pedestal in the center of the grand hall. There were faux marble columns at intervals around the room and various pieces of classical statuary, frescoes and artifacts from antiquity in cases between the columns. "Wow," announced DPNow, wandering into the center of the area. "Makes you feel like you're in a museum. LaCroix could be another exhibit--he's old enough." "I wouldn't let him hear you say that," said DKBlonde. She set down her shopping bag beside the statue. "Let's get started." "You know, this place looks really clean. Not that the Cousins are usually RatPack-like in their habits . . . ." DPNow continued walking the circumference of the room, then stopped when she reached a display case. There was a piece of paper and a pencil resting on one. "Hey--" "What?" asked LilCop, as she dumped the contents of her shopping bag out onto the tile floor, beside the base of the statue. DPNow waved the piece of paper as she walked toward them. "It's a checklist. 'Chips, drinks, guac, get togas pressed--'" "Sound like a party," noted Hair2Day, who had only begun to manage to find her way out of her disarrayed locks. DKBlonde lifted the container of white greasepaint. "I guess it's gonna be a surprise party--for ." The whole procedure took about twenty minutes because the nose wouldn't stay on, but they finally finished. As LilCop stepped back, fingers crossed, and the nose stayed in place, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Instead of the bust of a Roman general, there was now a clown in greasepaint, with a rainbow-colored, curly fright-wig, bright red cheeks, a big bulb red nose, and a red-lipped, toothy grin. The pedestal had been draped with a baggy costume with stuffed arms, the outfit blue with yellow and white polka dots. The stuffed arms ended in yellow gloves and at the base of the pedestal the stuffed pants ended in large floppy shoes. "Something's missing," said LilCop, after a moment's pause. "I mean, it looks okay, but--" "I've got it." DKBlonde reached into the now-empty shopping bag at her feet and pulled out a large smiley face button with a water bulb attached. She attached it to the front 'chest' of the stuffed clown outfit, then stepped back. "How's that?" " better," said DPNow, grinning. "That really completes the loop." "You think the makeup will be okay?" worried Hair2Day, as they started picking up the refuse and tucking it back into the shopping bags. "That movie runs five hours, doesn't it? Won't the makeup melt?" "It's three hours," corrected DKBlonde. "It only like five hours." "Besides, this place is colder than a mausoleum." LilCop shivered and pulled her jacket closer around herself. "I wonder how the vampire-centered affiliations can deal with it. It's not like the vampires would notice their followers are freezing." Hair2Day cleared her throat loudly. " do," she protested. Then, when she found herself the center of attention, added, "Sometimes . . . . I guess you just learn to dress warmer." All of the debris was picked up and put into the bags. "Don't want to leave a mess," noted DKBlonde. "No. That would be disrespectful," added DPNow, using a dustpan and brush to clean up the last of the sparkle spills at the base of the pedestal. "I'm done." "Good." DKBlonde lifted the handle of her shopping bag and headed toward the door. Once there, she ushered out the rest of her attack squad, then stood for a moment and admired their handiwork. "You know," she announced, as they closed the door to Cousin HQ and Hair2Day reset the security systems. "I really think 'clown' is a good look for LaCroix. He should wear it more often." DPNOW DPNOW@coffee.com %%%%%%% We didn't see DPNOW get permission from the Cousins named to include them in the post, but she must have or she wouldn't have used them. She probably wouldn't have sent them the entire post and because it's merely a cameo appearance, probably wouldn't have had to have them approve the exact appearance. But . . . be careful about that. Some people are VERY sensitive about how you write them. Drop them a note and make sure--better to be safe than sorry. Sometimes a little thoughtlessness can make a war unpleasant for a lot of people and even though at least one player per war storms out in a minute and a huff, it's always a good idea to try to avoid the possible situation if possible. DPNOW would also have checked with the Cousins to find out just what the grand hall of their HQ looked like (we've invented this grand hall for this training scenario). Note how Hair2Day gets through the security system--it's not easy. This suggests that Cousin security was probably adequate or more than adequate for most assaults--they just never anticipated having a vaquero-trained assailant. It's a good idea to treat other affiliations as you'd like your own to be treated. The most important thing to notice is that EVERYONE GOT TO DO SOMETHING in the post. Group posts are fun because they allow everyone to interact. Granted, not every post can or should be a group post, but whenever possible try to get other members of your affiliation involved in the action. susang@vitinc.com -- http://www.vitinc.com/~susang EVER Faithful Ravenette. "Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies."