((Ashlynn Martinek pregame starts))
Oh, fuck.
That wasn't witty. It wasn't smart. It was just embarrassing. Made her want to change her name. Ashlynn wasn't much one for the whole 'changing your name' thing, whether after marriage or to avoid discrimination or anything like that, not for herself, no. But if her dad succeeded with his grandiose ambitions, and the name Martinek became famous throughout Tennessee as he planned...yep, she'd change it.
Because these benches were fucking embarrassing.
Gaudy, garish bench advertisements were already the worst kind of advertisement. They inevitably became dilapidated, and worn, and scarred and stained with all the pollution and contamination of city life. They always made Ashlynn fear wet paint, or loose papering, that when she sat up she'd be pulling the advert away with her. She hated the medium, she despised the genre, she thought it an intrusion, a violation of a simple commodity that would in an ideal world not be commercialised.
But all of that wasn't why she found herself staring at this bench, with clenched fists, a scowling brow, slowly shaking her head from side to side.
It was the content. A picture of her dad, winking, doing that stupid pointing at the camera gimmick. The words "Bobby Martinek, Criminal Defense Attorney', in a font that was a copyright-friendly ripoff of comic sans. Was comic sans even copyrighted? She didn't know. Didn't want to know. And the slogan? "You want Bobby in your lobby." Urgh. Fuck it. At least it was better than his last slogan. "Send your checks to the Czech"? Fuck that.
Oh God. People were coming by. They couldn't see this.
Ashlynn slumped herself over the bench, concealing as much of the advert as possible.
It's All Good Man
Open
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General Goose
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((Kayla Harris continued from Pingu in the Prison))
Kayla needed to get out of that damn house.
How long had it been since she'd seen daylight? Seen other human beings? She didn't know; Friday afternoon seemed like so far ago, way over the horizon. All she knew was that working on this cosplay was going to be the death of her unless she took a break.
The waterfront park was a perfect area to just aimlessly wander around in; you never really ran into other people like walking around downtown or the neighborhood, but it wasn't like you were lost in the woods either. There were people here and there, but the probability of running into someone you knew was almost negligible. Besides, everyone at the park was fractured into their own groups already. It was never weird to just pretend you didn't see someone; if you made eye contact you wouldn't get roped into a battle like in Pokémon.
But Kayla saw her, slumped all over on that bench. Ashlynn... something. Martinek? That sounded right. The Ashlynn that thought everything was open for debate. That was just what Kayla heard through the grapevine, but the grapevine tended to be right 9 times out of 10.
She looked like she was up to something. Maybe Kayla was behind the times a little bit, but it probably wasn't normal to be lying like that unless you were trying to hide something or had stomach issues going on.
Kayla decided to approach; it was her mission to find out Ashlynn's deal just out of sheer curiosity. She made her way over to Ashlynn with determination, not too fast to scare her away but not too slow to distract her; just right to strike that sweet spot of unadulterated fear in her heart.
Soon she arrived at her destination, stopping at the other side of the bench away from Ashlynn. "Hey girl, mind if I sit her?" she said, motioning down to take her spot.
Kayla needed to get out of that damn house.
How long had it been since she'd seen daylight? Seen other human beings? She didn't know; Friday afternoon seemed like so far ago, way over the horizon. All she knew was that working on this cosplay was going to be the death of her unless she took a break.
The waterfront park was a perfect area to just aimlessly wander around in; you never really ran into other people like walking around downtown or the neighborhood, but it wasn't like you were lost in the woods either. There were people here and there, but the probability of running into someone you knew was almost negligible. Besides, everyone at the park was fractured into their own groups already. It was never weird to just pretend you didn't see someone; if you made eye contact you wouldn't get roped into a battle like in Pokémon.
But Kayla saw her, slumped all over on that bench. Ashlynn... something. Martinek? That sounded right. The Ashlynn that thought everything was open for debate. That was just what Kayla heard through the grapevine, but the grapevine tended to be right 9 times out of 10.
She looked like she was up to something. Maybe Kayla was behind the times a little bit, but it probably wasn't normal to be lying like that unless you were trying to hide something or had stomach issues going on.
Kayla decided to approach; it was her mission to find out Ashlynn's deal just out of sheer curiosity. She made her way over to Ashlynn with determination, not too fast to scare her away but not too slow to distract her; just right to strike that sweet spot of unadulterated fear in her heart.
Soon she arrived at her destination, stopping at the other side of the bench away from Ashlynn. "Hey girl, mind if I sit her?" she said, motioning down to take her spot.
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General Goose
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Ah. One of her fellow classmates. Ashlynn had never really hung out with Kayla before, but had seen her around, had heard about her on the grapevine, had heard both...positive and negative things. She took no prisoners and had a disputatious streak from what she could gather. Very brusque and forthright in her opinions. Ashlynn had never had such an entanglement with Kayla herself, but, at least in the abstract, she respected those qualities.
Ashlynn did not assume this would mean they would instantly click, though. Being fond of polemics and having a certain sense of self-assured confidence was a good thing, yes. Tennessee needed more young women of that calibre, that went without saying. But it was one of those pesky personality traits that tended to clash when confronted with that quality in others. Especially if there were disagreements. Ashlynn, for various reasons, expected Kayla to be a progressive. If she wasn't, well, that alone would likely mean some heated words would be exchanged.
Ashlynn had some self-awareness.
"Sure!" Ashlynn replied, trying not to give away that that was actually quite a big ask. She scooted closer towards Kayla, offering her the half of the bench furthest away from the standing girl. Counterintuitive, perhaps, but a necessity to prevent the portion of the bench with her name on it being given away. Her father's obnoxious visage was now visible for all to see, and Kayla was a thin thing and probably wouldn't provide the same coverage Ashlynn's long-limbed body provided. But she kept the 'Martinek' name hidden, and that was the key thing.
Of course, this did mean Ashlynn couldn't leave her spot until Kayla went on her way. Couldn't risk any of her schoolmates seeing this heinous atrocity of an advert.
Ashlynn did not assume this would mean they would instantly click, though. Being fond of polemics and having a certain sense of self-assured confidence was a good thing, yes. Tennessee needed more young women of that calibre, that went without saying. But it was one of those pesky personality traits that tended to clash when confronted with that quality in others. Especially if there were disagreements. Ashlynn, for various reasons, expected Kayla to be a progressive. If she wasn't, well, that alone would likely mean some heated words would be exchanged.
Ashlynn had some self-awareness.
"Sure!" Ashlynn replied, trying not to give away that that was actually quite a big ask. She scooted closer towards Kayla, offering her the half of the bench furthest away from the standing girl. Counterintuitive, perhaps, but a necessity to prevent the portion of the bench with her name on it being given away. Her father's obnoxious visage was now visible for all to see, and Kayla was a thin thing and probably wouldn't provide the same coverage Ashlynn's long-limbed body provided. But she kept the 'Martinek' name hidden, and that was the key thing.
Of course, this did mean Ashlynn couldn't leave her spot until Kayla went on her way. Couldn't risk any of her schoolmates seeing this heinous atrocity of an advert.
...Okay, then. Kayla was thrown off guard a little bit as Ashlynn moved closer to Kayla, offering the seat on the other side. She raised an eyebrow slightly, but moved over and took her seat on the bench with some tacky ad for a doctor or real estate agent or lawyer or something spanned across it. "Thanks."
Phase 1 was now complete.
...
...
Whelp, now what? Kayla looked over at Ashlynn who still seemed a lot stressed about something, but Kayla couldn't really think of what it could be. She wasn't sitting so awkwardly anymore but there was obviously something on her mind; homegirl was definitely hiding something to herself.
Whatever it was, though, it had to be good, and Kayla wouldn't move off this bench until she got the scoop. She gave Ashlynn an awkward half-smile and turned back around to watch the passerby wandering around the park. Kayla bit her lip and plotted her next game move, whatever that could be.
Phase 1 was now complete.
...
...
Whelp, now what? Kayla looked over at Ashlynn who still seemed a lot stressed about something, but Kayla couldn't really think of what it could be. She wasn't sitting so awkwardly anymore but there was obviously something on her mind; homegirl was definitely hiding something to herself.
Whatever it was, though, it had to be good, and Kayla wouldn't move off this bench until she got the scoop. She gave Ashlynn an awkward half-smile and turned back around to watch the passerby wandering around the park. Kayla bit her lip and plotted her next game move, whatever that could be.
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General Goose
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Okay. Looks like they were stuck...people-watching. Ashlynn was not at all intrigued by that possibility.
Maybe if she moved away, talking as she did so, she could prevent Kayla from seeing the abomination on the bench behind her. That sort of audacious strategy (which, she mentally noted, was exactly the sort of deranged sleight of hand her parents excelled at) may be the only recourse open to her. But it was too risky. Had to be built up too. And the less risky options exhausted first.
Ashlynn clicked her tongue, looking around the park, trying to effect a nonchalant demeanour, betraying none of her inner anxieties. She was fundamentally opposed to hiding her emotions, as a rule, but accepted that, hey, sometimes the world was imperfect and you needed to compromise on that sort of thing.
"So," Ashlynn said, finally opening her mouth, deciding to focus on safe territory for her, "happy that the city is finally investing more in its riverside areas. Important long-term strategy for the health of the city. Especially mental health. People forget how important functioning green spaces are to mental health."
It was true. And hopefully it would either educate Kayla or bore her into leaving.
Maybe if she moved away, talking as she did so, she could prevent Kayla from seeing the abomination on the bench behind her. That sort of audacious strategy (which, she mentally noted, was exactly the sort of deranged sleight of hand her parents excelled at) may be the only recourse open to her. But it was too risky. Had to be built up too. And the less risky options exhausted first.
Ashlynn clicked her tongue, looking around the park, trying to effect a nonchalant demeanour, betraying none of her inner anxieties. She was fundamentally opposed to hiding her emotions, as a rule, but accepted that, hey, sometimes the world was imperfect and you needed to compromise on that sort of thing.
"So," Ashlynn said, finally opening her mouth, deciding to focus on safe territory for her, "happy that the city is finally investing more in its riverside areas. Important long-term strategy for the health of the city. Especially mental health. People forget how important functioning green spaces are to mental health."
It was true. And hopefully it would either educate Kayla or bore her into leaving.
It really was a nice day, now that Kayla had a good vantage point and wasn't just walking around for the sake of it. Not that she never left the house or anything, but it was good to get outside and just breathe any chance she could. Even for a little break, it's a nice change of pace; even nicer on a warm, beautiful day like today.
Kayla still had no clue how she was going to pull this costume off, though; she never worked with capes before or anything remotely militaristic. She pretty much spent her recent free time trying to research techniques and find pictures for inspiration, but even for a character with such a clean design it was going to take some work. She still had plenty of time, but the sooner she could figure this out and really get started the better.
Ashlynn spoke up, to Kayla's surprise. "Hm?" Kayla said, turning to look at the other girl as she went on a tangent about the development of the waterfront area and mental health or something. Kayla wasn't really listening, but now she had to reply with something. Of course, she didn't really have to, but Ashlynn didn't seem like a weirdo besides maybe being kinda verbose.
But what was Kayla supposed to say? She slept through City Development 101 and didn't know shit about mental health besides the hot takes everyone seemed to have about it on the internet. The serious answer was out the window, so Kayla tried the next best option as the self-proclaimed Queen of Comedy.
"Yeah, I think gentrification has its perks sometimes," said Kayla, gripping her hands on the seat as she reclined back slightly. "It's how we got a Whole Foods, after all."
Kayla cleared her throat, trying to think of what to say next; she had no clue what Ashlynn's deal was, but she still wasn't gonna move off of this bench. Suppose she could just ask her, but where's the fun if you can't play detective?
Instead, Kayla decided to back up and change subjects with an oldie but a goodie. "...It's a nice day today, huh?"
Maybe that would get her a little closer to finding the answer she sought.
Kayla still had no clue how she was going to pull this costume off, though; she never worked with capes before or anything remotely militaristic. She pretty much spent her recent free time trying to research techniques and find pictures for inspiration, but even for a character with such a clean design it was going to take some work. She still had plenty of time, but the sooner she could figure this out and really get started the better.
Ashlynn spoke up, to Kayla's surprise. "Hm?" Kayla said, turning to look at the other girl as she went on a tangent about the development of the waterfront area and mental health or something. Kayla wasn't really listening, but now she had to reply with something. Of course, she didn't really have to, but Ashlynn didn't seem like a weirdo besides maybe being kinda verbose.
But what was Kayla supposed to say? She slept through City Development 101 and didn't know shit about mental health besides the hot takes everyone seemed to have about it on the internet. The serious answer was out the window, so Kayla tried the next best option as the self-proclaimed Queen of Comedy.
"Yeah, I think gentrification has its perks sometimes," said Kayla, gripping her hands on the seat as she reclined back slightly. "It's how we got a Whole Foods, after all."
Kayla cleared her throat, trying to think of what to say next; she had no clue what Ashlynn's deal was, but she still wasn't gonna move off of this bench. Suppose she could just ask her, but where's the fun if you can't play detective?
Instead, Kayla decided to back up and change subjects with an oldie but a goodie. "...It's a nice day today, huh?"
Maybe that would get her a little closer to finding the answer she sought.
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General Goose
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When Kayla mentioned gentrification, Ashlynn felt a pang of guilt, as she always did when considering such complex subjects, for having not seen that angle of the discussion. This is why getting out there and talking to people was so crucial for being a conscientious young activist. "Gentrification is one of those things that I believe can be managed well - indeed the increased investment and local government revenues can really help out the poorest in a community," she continued, striving to talk with brevity and punctuality, paraphrasing her internet assembled philosophy on the subject into one sentence, "but you have to actively engage with the local stakeholders to make sure those economic gains translate into solid improvements in quality of life."
If Kayla wished to know more, well, Ashlynn had links and studies she could provide. She was aware, in passing, of all the great gentrification debates.
When talking about politics out of the blue, or seizing a mid-conversation opportunity to educate someone, Ashlynn was sensitive to the criticism that she went on too much. And so she always restricted herself to one sentence in those contexts. Didn't want to bore people, or hijack a conversation. She'd been told she was prone to doing that, and that was a poor tactic, empirically, for winning hearts and minds. So she always kept her parables and orations to one sentence.
Her average sentence length had increased since she made that promise.
And maybe Kayla didn't want Ashlynn to talk about politics, but she'd brought up the subject! The possibility that the gentrification remark was a throwaway joke did not occur to Ashlynn - it would have been patronising, by her reckoning, to contemplate that possibility.
"Yup, very nice day," Ashlynn responded. "What've you been up to?"
If Kayla wished to know more, well, Ashlynn had links and studies she could provide. She was aware, in passing, of all the great gentrification debates.
When talking about politics out of the blue, or seizing a mid-conversation opportunity to educate someone, Ashlynn was sensitive to the criticism that she went on too much. And so she always restricted herself to one sentence in those contexts. Didn't want to bore people, or hijack a conversation. She'd been told she was prone to doing that, and that was a poor tactic, empirically, for winning hearts and minds. So she always kept her parables and orations to one sentence.
Her average sentence length had increased since she made that promise.
And maybe Kayla didn't want Ashlynn to talk about politics, but she'd brought up the subject! The possibility that the gentrification remark was a throwaway joke did not occur to Ashlynn - it would have been patronising, by her reckoning, to contemplate that possibility.
"Yup, very nice day," Ashlynn responded. "What've you been up to?"
In hindsight, maybe the cape would be the easy part; probably the biggest issue was how to make that iridescent dagger thing. Not to mention that images of her backside were virtually non-existent on the internet because of how soon ago this game release was. Maybe Zen wouldn't mind helping Kayla out with their opinions, and...
...Oh. Ashlynn was still talking. Kayla absentmindedly scratched her forehead and gave her usual response when she wasn't really listening.
"Yeah."
...
...
..This was getting boring. Maybe this was a trap made for Kayla all along; all she knew was that she was considering gnawing at her own leg to escape.
But... aha! An opening; it doesn't count as giving up if you just kinda railroad the question, right?
"Hmm?" Kayla looked back at Ashlynn. "Oh, nothing. Just going a bit stir crazy and needed a break out here."
And now, for the script flip. "How about you?" Kayla crossed her legs and rested her chin on her hand, her index finger and thumb framing under her chin. "You look like you've got a secret. I love secrets."
...Oh. Ashlynn was still talking. Kayla absentmindedly scratched her forehead and gave her usual response when she wasn't really listening.
"Yeah."
...
...
..This was getting boring. Maybe this was a trap made for Kayla all along; all she knew was that she was considering gnawing at her own leg to escape.
But... aha! An opening; it doesn't count as giving up if you just kinda railroad the question, right?
"Hmm?" Kayla looked back at Ashlynn. "Oh, nothing. Just going a bit stir crazy and needed a break out here."
And now, for the script flip. "How about you?" Kayla crossed her legs and rested her chin on her hand, her index finger and thumb framing under her chin. "You look like you've got a secret. I love secrets."
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General Goose
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Had Ashlynn been that obvious?
She was hiding something, that was true. She wouldn't really call it a secret. Things that were, rightfully, in the public domain could barely constitute secrets, after all. Her constitutional right to privacy was not, as vexing as it sometimes was, a constitutional guarantee against being embarrassed by her father's audacious use of the First Amendment.
"No, no secret," Ashlynn replied. A politician's answer, she noted with pride. Technically correct, but concealing an uncomfortable truth, by way of misdirection or omission. She missed the days when politicians were economical with the truth, rather than outwardly violating it. A conversation about fake news could, then, be a good way of getting this subject back on track. She highly doubted Kayla had a more developed opinion on the subject than she was, and inundating her with opinions (Ashlynn hated to admit she was boring someone) seemed to be the best way to nullify her offensive.
No. She couldn't reveal the trajectory that led her to such a path without raising suspicion. The thought process behind it, even a sterilised version, would be perceived by someone as incredulous as Kayla as an omission of guilt. This Kayla was interesting. Ashlynn raised an eyebrow at her, even as she said nothing.
"I mean, everybody has secrets. But mine mostly relate to my passwords, or aspects of my medical and financial history. Things that, I'm sure you would agree, are best kept as secrets." Ashlynn chuckled. "No, I was just pondering what new passwords I could use. Lots of new accounts and apps these days." Technically true. She started thinking about that subject two seconds before the words left her lips.
She was hiding something, that was true. She wouldn't really call it a secret. Things that were, rightfully, in the public domain could barely constitute secrets, after all. Her constitutional right to privacy was not, as vexing as it sometimes was, a constitutional guarantee against being embarrassed by her father's audacious use of the First Amendment.
"No, no secret," Ashlynn replied. A politician's answer, she noted with pride. Technically correct, but concealing an uncomfortable truth, by way of misdirection or omission. She missed the days when politicians were economical with the truth, rather than outwardly violating it. A conversation about fake news could, then, be a good way of getting this subject back on track. She highly doubted Kayla had a more developed opinion on the subject than she was, and inundating her with opinions (Ashlynn hated to admit she was boring someone) seemed to be the best way to nullify her offensive.
No. She couldn't reveal the trajectory that led her to such a path without raising suspicion. The thought process behind it, even a sterilised version, would be perceived by someone as incredulous as Kayla as an omission of guilt. This Kayla was interesting. Ashlynn raised an eyebrow at her, even as she said nothing.
"I mean, everybody has secrets. But mine mostly relate to my passwords, or aspects of my medical and financial history. Things that, I'm sure you would agree, are best kept as secrets." Ashlynn chuckled. "No, I was just pondering what new passwords I could use. Lots of new accounts and apps these days." Technically true. She started thinking about that subject two seconds before the words left her lips.
"That's... understandable?" Kayla squeaked, returning a puzzled look for Ashlynn's explanation of thinking about her password choices. Kinda of a weird thing to think about in the middle of the park, but maybe there was some truth to it. Truth that Kayla would never consider; she uses the same password for all of her accounts with a little deviation here or there if it requires a specific symbol or number of characters. Of course Kayla's heard that it's best to use different passwords for everything, but who has time for that? Not this girl.
But that's another story for another time; Ashlynn was definitely keeping something to herself. The more she resisted, the more driven Kayla was to figure out exactly what it was.
Talking wasn't going anywhere, though; Kayla was at a dead end. She went back to sizing Ashlynn up. She didn't look like she was physically hiding anything on her, and behind her was just the...
...the ad on the bench.
Kayla didn't really pay attention to the bench when she approached, but she quickly gave a glance over it for possible clues; of what she could see, anyway.
It was an eyesore of an advertisement, the kind that you'd see commercials for running during daytime court shows and stuff but in physical form. Like those financial compensation, "It's my money and I need it now!" kinda ads, but banished to exist in the 3rd dimension.
A stretched out "-by in your lobby" in comic sans was sprawled across the whole thing, at least what Kayla could clearly read. Robby? Bobby? Dobby? Whoever this was, Kayla didn't want him within 50 ft of her; this dude looked as trustworthy as a snake oil salesman.
Surely this wasn't Ashlynn's true trouble, right? ...right?
"This ad sure is... something, huh? I don't think I'd ever trust this man," Kayla pointed behind her to the smarmy portrait. It was kind of an aggressive non sequitur, but sometimes the bait had to come from seemingly nowhere.
But that's another story for another time; Ashlynn was definitely keeping something to herself. The more she resisted, the more driven Kayla was to figure out exactly what it was.
Talking wasn't going anywhere, though; Kayla was at a dead end. She went back to sizing Ashlynn up. She didn't look like she was physically hiding anything on her, and behind her was just the...
...the ad on the bench.
Kayla didn't really pay attention to the bench when she approached, but she quickly gave a glance over it for possible clues; of what she could see, anyway.
It was an eyesore of an advertisement, the kind that you'd see commercials for running during daytime court shows and stuff but in physical form. Like those financial compensation, "It's my money and I need it now!" kinda ads, but banished to exist in the 3rd dimension.
A stretched out "-by in your lobby" in comic sans was sprawled across the whole thing, at least what Kayla could clearly read. Robby? Bobby? Dobby? Whoever this was, Kayla didn't want him within 50 ft of her; this dude looked as trustworthy as a snake oil salesman.
Surely this wasn't Ashlynn's true trouble, right? ...right?
"This ad sure is... something, huh? I don't think I'd ever trust this man," Kayla pointed behind her to the smarmy portrait. It was kind of an aggressive non sequitur, but sometimes the bait had to come from seemingly nowhere.
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General Goose
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Ashlynn bit her fingernails at that. It served two purposes. Prevented her from saying something rash and impulsive, and preventing her, more crucially, doing something rash and impulsive. She wanted to lash out. Throw a punch or something like that. Unjustifiable, of course, unless you decided Kayla had struck first. Which Ashlynn could probably do. She could have made an internally consistent interpretation that would justify such a move. She could have interpreted that comment as a deliberate attack, as some precision strike, some unprovoked act of disproportionate aggression. But no. She kept her cool.
That she'd seen it coming, from the way Kayla glanced over the bench, was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, in that it gave Ashlynn some warning. A curse, in that it gave her indignation, her outrage, to bubble up again with a head start.
When Ashlynn finished biting her fingernails, she adjusted in her seat. Pressed her back further against the bench. Made it look like a decision done solely out of comfort, rather than the ulterior motive of concealing the ad. Well, was that truly an ulterior motive? Social self-defence surely did not count as anything untoward.
"Yes. It's a shitty ad. Nothing else to say about it."
That she'd seen it coming, from the way Kayla glanced over the bench, was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, in that it gave Ashlynn some warning. A curse, in that it gave her indignation, her outrage, to bubble up again with a head start.
When Ashlynn finished biting her fingernails, she adjusted in her seat. Pressed her back further against the bench. Made it look like a decision done solely out of comfort, rather than the ulterior motive of concealing the ad. Well, was that truly an ulterior motive? Social self-defence surely did not count as anything untoward.
"Yes. It's a shitty ad. Nothing else to say about it."
Kayla silently watched as Ashlynn squirmed in her seat, the other girl recoiling even harder in the bench like she was trying to leave an imprint.
Internally, Kayla was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
Got 'em.
This was honestly always the best part of trying to pry your way into a secret; it honestly didn't even matter what the goal was at the end, just seeing someone pursued into a corner was the whole reason for the show.
Kayla could've gone farther; she really thought about it. But instead of continuing this mischief train, she mirrored Ashlynn's recline and pressed herself into the bench as well. The poor girl was already suffering enough from her (father? uncle? brother? sinful lover?) and his godawful graphic design display, and Kayla would just make it worse for no reason other than personal enjoyment. Not that personal enjoyment was bad or unacceptable at times, but even she had her limits.
She was trying to have her limits, anyway.
Instead, Kayla decided to plot their next move. Her and Ashlynn's next step. Kayla had considered just leaving the girl, but from seeing how she was wrapped all over the bench to begin with she'd probably die of starvation before leaving that seat. Dead people were probably frowned upon by the community and would lower the property value, so really Kayla was just doing a solid for the city of Chattanooga.
After a brief pause, Kayla spoke up again. "...It sure would be a shame if something happened to it, huh?"
Internally, Kayla was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
Got 'em.
This was honestly always the best part of trying to pry your way into a secret; it honestly didn't even matter what the goal was at the end, just seeing someone pursued into a corner was the whole reason for the show.
Kayla could've gone farther; she really thought about it. But instead of continuing this mischief train, she mirrored Ashlynn's recline and pressed herself into the bench as well. The poor girl was already suffering enough from her (father? uncle? brother? sinful lover?) and his godawful graphic design display, and Kayla would just make it worse for no reason other than personal enjoyment. Not that personal enjoyment was bad or unacceptable at times, but even she had her limits.
She was trying to have her limits, anyway.
Instead, Kayla decided to plot their next move. Her and Ashlynn's next step. Kayla had considered just leaving the girl, but from seeing how she was wrapped all over the bench to begin with she'd probably die of starvation before leaving that seat. Dead people were probably frowned upon by the community and would lower the property value, so really Kayla was just doing a solid for the city of Chattanooga.
After a brief pause, Kayla spoke up again. "...It sure would be a shame if something happened to it, huh?"
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General Goose
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...was Kayla offering to sabotage it for her?
Or was it a threat?
Either way, well, Ashlynn wouldn't be criminally liable. Certainly was morally unseemly to get someone else to do your dirty work for you - bad implications and all that - but it wasn't like she was manipulating Kayla into doing it. In fact, from the cadence of her words and the tenor of her movements, it seemed that Kayla thought she was the manipulator in this situation.
Ashlynn was curious to see what Kayla had in mind, and so made the decision to sit back, be passive, and let Kayla decide what direction things would go in.
"Yes," she replied, trying to speak with a voice as devoid of emotion as possible. "It would indeed be a shame."
Or was it a threat?
Either way, well, Ashlynn wouldn't be criminally liable. Certainly was morally unseemly to get someone else to do your dirty work for you - bad implications and all that - but it wasn't like she was manipulating Kayla into doing it. In fact, from the cadence of her words and the tenor of her movements, it seemed that Kayla thought she was the manipulator in this situation.
Ashlynn was curious to see what Kayla had in mind, and so made the decision to sit back, be passive, and let Kayla decide what direction things would go in.
"Yes," she replied, trying to speak with a voice as devoid of emotion as possible. "It would indeed be a shame."
Kayla grunted and nodded her head in agreement. Ashlynn seemed like she was kinda on board for some mischief, but that could just be all talk. Worst case Ashlynn just needed to be the lookout and not snitch, but Kayla wasn't even sure about what the best way of dealing with the ad would be. Not that what they were about to do was illegal or anything, though... probably.
Time for some direct action. Options, options...
Kayla examined the bench itself, her brain storming as she schemed her next move. They could probably move the whole bench and hide it in a more inconspicuous spot on the walkway, but two girls moving a bench might be kinda sus and Kayla didn't really feel like being tazed by an overzealous security guard today.
The other easy option would be to just deface the sign itself. Also a slightly risky move, but it would be way more effective in masking the content. Kayla placed her hand on the backboard, getting a feel for the material of the ad itself.
It was laminated or on some sort of plastic. Spray paint or a paint pen might work, but plastic was so finicky and it'd take like 20 years to dry out. Plus the nearest craft or hardware store was like... well, it'd probably take like an hour minimum to get there and back to this spot on foot. Maybe forty minutes if Kayla or Ashlynn booked it but eh... hopefully they wouldn't have to resort to that.
Kayla gave another look over the bench itself, turning herself around and allowing her hands to run along the sides of the backboard. It seemed like the backboard itself was one of those kinds that was held together like a picture frame. In fact, the top looked like it was removable. Maybe...
Kayla leaped off the bench and ran around to the backside. Yes! This just might work. The only thing stopping this hideous graphic from being released out of its cage were several of those cross pattern kind of screws secured near the top of the back.
"Hey," Kayla said, attempting to dig a fingernail underneath one of the screws, "you don't happen to have a screwdriver or something on you, do you? Or like a dime or something?"
Time for some direct action. Options, options...
Kayla examined the bench itself, her brain storming as she schemed her next move. They could probably move the whole bench and hide it in a more inconspicuous spot on the walkway, but two girls moving a bench might be kinda sus and Kayla didn't really feel like being tazed by an overzealous security guard today.
The other easy option would be to just deface the sign itself. Also a slightly risky move, but it would be way more effective in masking the content. Kayla placed her hand on the backboard, getting a feel for the material of the ad itself.
It was laminated or on some sort of plastic. Spray paint or a paint pen might work, but plastic was so finicky and it'd take like 20 years to dry out. Plus the nearest craft or hardware store was like... well, it'd probably take like an hour minimum to get there and back to this spot on foot. Maybe forty minutes if Kayla or Ashlynn booked it but eh... hopefully they wouldn't have to resort to that.
Kayla gave another look over the bench itself, turning herself around and allowing her hands to run along the sides of the backboard. It seemed like the backboard itself was one of those kinds that was held together like a picture frame. In fact, the top looked like it was removable. Maybe...
Kayla leaped off the bench and ran around to the backside. Yes! This just might work. The only thing stopping this hideous graphic from being released out of its cage were several of those cross pattern kind of screws secured near the top of the back.
"Hey," Kayla said, attempting to dig a fingernail underneath one of the screws, "you don't happen to have a screwdriver or something on you, do you? Or like a dime or something?"
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General Goose
- Posts: 731
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:02 pm
Okay, at this point, Ashlynn was incurring some criminal liability. An accessory to the crime, or some such nonsense. She wasn't really sure of the ins and outs of it. She had focused on areas of law far away from mundane criminal law. Part of her way of protesting against her parents.
But she was still morally in the clear. Ashlynn was confident in her ability to construct a philosophically coherent, logically sound treatise defending her decision to enable the vandalising of her father's advertisements. Or, at the very least, depicting it as morally neutral. She couldn't do that in this moment, but if she had to, given the time and the sufficient open source access to the scholarly literature, she definitely could. Not that she would. Poor use of time. But she could.
"I...don't have a screwdriver, no, sorry." Ashlynn grimaced at her own instinctive apology. Not really something she should be apologising for. It wasn't like there was a cultural expectation for people like Ashlynn to carry around tools.
"But..." She fished out some coins from her pocket. Spare change, normally earmarked to charitable donations or gifts to the homeless. "You can borrow one of these. Not sure if I have a dime, but I imagine the specific denomination doesn't matter much."
But she was still morally in the clear. Ashlynn was confident in her ability to construct a philosophically coherent, logically sound treatise defending her decision to enable the vandalising of her father's advertisements. Or, at the very least, depicting it as morally neutral. She couldn't do that in this moment, but if she had to, given the time and the sufficient open source access to the scholarly literature, she definitely could. Not that she would. Poor use of time. But she could.
"I...don't have a screwdriver, no, sorry." Ashlynn grimaced at her own instinctive apology. Not really something she should be apologising for. It wasn't like there was a cultural expectation for people like Ashlynn to carry around tools.
"But..." She fished out some coins from her pocket. Spare change, normally earmarked to charitable donations or gifts to the homeless. "You can borrow one of these. Not sure if I have a dime, but I imagine the specific denomination doesn't matter much."