Owner	Pose
Pippi	New Lots was a poppin' place for crime, and it was there that someone thought it would be a good idea to try and bait out a certain Spider.     A manhole cover in an alleyway was pushed up and to the side, veerry slowly, beofre a figure popped out. The figure was small, bowed over slightly, a hoodie pulled up over their head, and they carefully moved the manhole cover back into place, making sure it's secure before tilting their head back, and listening. Didn't sound like anyone was around them who might have seen.     Pippi had to be careful, she was breaking like, six rules! And four of them were even Alopex's idea! Getting caught now would mean lots... and lots... of punishment backflips.
Daniel Osborn	Why would anyone in their right mind be walking down the street in a neighborhood like this? Especially an out of towner. The answer, why the hell not? Because it's a bad idea, most likely. But no one really knows if Oz has a right mind. So, here he is, walking down the street. The movement of shadows in the alley where that figure popped out gives him pause, and he opens his senses, looking down the alley. Something catches his attention, because he sniffs the air. His first thought is likely that a dog got lost or something down here, or it's a stray, so he steps into the alley, looking around curiously, opening his senses, looking for the source of the scent, which ends up being that hoodied figure. He approaches, a little confused as to why a person would be wearing a hoody in this heat, but, well, whoever it is clearly is wearing one. Of course, as he approaches one of his hands is resting at his hip where, unknown to everyone but him, a dagger is carried. He doesn't look threatening though, more like he's prepared just in case this does turn out to be a threat. You can never be too careful in this neighborhood.
Pippi	There's someone approaching. Pippi feels her ears shift under the hood, her head tilting back, catching a scent in the air. Her fingers curl at her side slightly, and she turns. She has her head down, the hood obscuring some of her face in shadow, but there's just a bit of eye shine, like if someone catches an animal's gaze in the right light. The head beneath the hood tilts a moment as the stranger approaches.     "I... I don't have any money." comes a girl's voice from under the hood, and the person takes a step back.
Daniel Osborn	"Relax, I'm not a criminal," oz says, taking his hand from his hip, empty, holding both out to show he's not planning to hurt her. "I thought there was a stray down this alley or something. Are you okay?" He takes a step toward her, but he's slow, proving he's not going to do anything. He does take note of her fear though, frowning slightly. How interesting, no stray dog in sight, but the scent remains, strong, as if the source was still present. Perhaps it's from this girl. Certainly seems to be. How odd.
Pippi	Aaah, crap. Alopex and Leo were going to be very disappointed in her, and the mutant tenses as she shiffs the air, and gives a soft 'chuff'. He didn't smell normal either. She takes another couple of steps back.     "You're... you're not a mutant, though?"
Daniel Osborn	"Werewolf," oz says, offering a smile. "What's wrong?" He notices her tension as well, taking a step back to give her space. Hopefully, he can earn her trust, after all, someone with prayer beads and a shirt for a band most have never even heard of, that's not really the criminal type is it. "So no, not a mutant, but mutants don't bother me. Met this cool turtle dude just the other day."
Pippi	How many cool mutant turtles are there hangin' in NYC?     So, hesitantly, Pippi pulls back her hood, and shakes out her ears. She stretches her jaw a moment and it's plain to see just why she carries the scent of a dog.     she is one. She lets her tail droop form where she had tucked it up the back of her shirt, and it gives a little bit of a wag as she regards Oz with a questioning look.     "Which one?"
Daniel Osborn	"Called himself Donatello, super science nerd, cool guy," oz says, not even batting an eye at her being a dog, the the wag of the tail does cause him to briefly smile wider. "I'm oz, by the way." His smile remains as he regards her, and he suddenly understands just what she was doing with that hoody.
Pippi	"Oh! I know Donnie." Pippie replies, her tail giving another little wag, and then she comments: "But I'm not a wolf, I'm a dog, so wouldn't you have asked 'where dog' instead of 'where wolf'? Are wolves around in New York even? Should I know about the Wolves of New York?" she asks curiously.
Daniel Osborn	"What?" Oz asks, a little onfused, but her meaning registers and he shakes his head firmly. "I was saying I'm a werewolf," he says, with a chuckle. "Not from new York either." He takes another step toward her, still smiling. "Except...I'm pretty much only good for transforming on the full moon and killing people. Though, I don't do that anymore. Oh, and embarrassing myself in fancy restaurants with fancy, true, silverware. That stuff hurts."
Pippi	"Oh." Pippi states, and she takes another step back.     "What's a werewolf?" she inquires. Her amber eyes look Oz up and down in curiosity as she hefts a backpack over one shoulder. She shifts her weight, looking a little nervous up at the alley walls.
Daniel Osborn	"Difficult to explain," Oz says, considering. "Basically, it's a curse. Forced to shift into a wolf form and lose your human mind completely during the 3 nights surrounding the full moon. Silver burns like hell, and could even kill me," He follows her gaze, curiously, not quite sure what she's nervous about. "Upside is I get the senses of a wolf. I thought there was a stray dog in here because I could smell another dog, turns out it was you. I could smell your fear earlier when I first approached you." He pauses, listening. "I can hear very good as well."
Pippi	"... so... basically a wolf with a human mask?" Pippi asks, trying to parse, distracted. She looks at Oz with a sort of embarrassed expression, her ears drawing back slightly as she regards Oz.     "What's your name?"
Daniel Osborn	Oz considers what Pippi is saying, shaking his head. "Not quite," he says. "More like a human cursed to lose his mind once a month, though I did get that problem under control." Her asking his name draws a curious eyebrow, he had given it after all. "I'm Oz," he says, offering his hand like he would to any human, though he's not quite sure she'll know the custom.
Pippi	"... I don't shake." Pippi states, and she draws her hands back. "Oz didn't sound like a real name, s-sorry." she glances around, and stretches her fingers a moment. "Pippi." she tacks on, and thens hakes her head "I'm Pippi."
Daniel Osborn	Oz shrugs, lowering his hand. "Never learned that humans shake hands when they meet each other?" he asks, though his smile doesn't vanish. "It's what I go by," he says. "Well, regardless, it's a pleasure, Pippi."
Pippi	"S-so, you smell like a dog because you're part wolf on the inside? An' that's why you don't smell like a human?" Pippi asks, and her nose sniffs... and she tilts her head up, snuffing the air a moment.     "Someone's making spicy beef empandadas somewhere."
Daniel Osborn	Oz nods to Pippi's first question. "That's right," he says. Shen she sniffs the air he does the same, pondering. "Few blocks away," he says, turning his head as he steps back toward where he'd entered the alley. "It's not far, but these streets are dangerous."
Pippi	"M' not afraid." Pippi states. She gives a quiet snuff of breath, but she's also a horrible liar. Her ears are back. Her ail's down, and everything about her body language screams 'I have something to hide'.     She takes another couple of steps back. "What're you doing wandering around if they're so dangeruos anyway? Tryin' to be some kinda... some kinda hero?" she questions.
Daniel Osborn	Oz shakes his head. "I'm no hero," he says simply. "The shortcut took me through here, and the only reason I took it is because I've got a weapon to defend myself." He clearly notices her body language and shakes his head irmly. "You're not telling me something," he says, simply. Clearly, she is that bad of a lier.
Pippi	"I don't tell a lot of things." Pippi replies quietly, and she gives a soft huff, her ears back as she regards Oz with caution.     "... the rooftops are safer to run in this area. Just be careful of the pidgeon coops."
Daniel Osborn	"Do I look like a parkour expert?" Oz asks, with the slightest of smirks. "Rooftops? Sounds more like a death trap to me. I bet you could do it. But when I'm not tansformed, I'm just a normal human." In truth, he likely could run the rooftops, with some practice of course, but it'd take time to learn how to do it right. Besides, he's a sane person who knows how to use sidewalks.
Pippi	"No clue. What do parkour experts look like?" Pippi inquires, her head drawing from one side to the other. "What's parkour?" is her follow up question, and then she gets a concerned look. "Isn't that a kind of fake butter?"
Daniel Osborn	Oz can't help but laugh. "Parkour, like, running, jumping far, you know...agility. Jumping from roof to roof, pulling yourself up on ledges, it depends on the situation. But experts would usually be strong, right, and more flexible than I am. I can't exactly jump from roof to roof." Not in human form, maybe, but if he could partially transform it'd be no problem, though, he doesn't know that yet.
Pippi	"Oh. I... I just call that roof runnin'. But that's kinda what I did before this." Pippi admits quietly. "So you're just... gonna walk along the street? In a bad part of town?" she leans over slightly. "With a knife?" she raises her eyebrows -- marked by a couple of whiter spots on the red side, and a red spot on her white side, and she glanjces back up at the roofline, then gives a huff and pulls her hood ba ck over her head, even though it's very warm.     "You're gonna get hurt."
Daniel Osborn	"I sure hope not," oz says, with a chuckle. He's not dumb, after all. And now he's wondering if she's planning to go somewhere. "Don't you get hot wearing that?" he asks, surprised she's no propely panting.
Pippi	"... yes." Pippi admits quietly, "but there's a lot of people who're scared. I watch the news sometimes when the TV's on. Humans are scared of other humans. Humans are scared of mutants. Humans are scared of each other." she tucks her tail up inside her sweatshirt, shoves her furry hands inside of her jacket, and goes to escort Oz out of the alleyway.     "People used to be not scared of me, now they are."
Daniel Osborn	"It's sad," Oz says, following her. "No one deserves that kind of treatment, you know. I don't blame you for being cautious but you've never tried to hurt me. The world we live in is..." He sighs, the state of affairs certainly hasn't gotten any better in the last few years, at least in some aspects.
Pippi	"... compli...c ompla... it's hard." Pippi states, and she gives a huff. She turns right and left, and then looks behind her. "Which way were you going?"     "... and yeah. There's also an evil ninja group who don't like my friends, sooo if they see me there could be trouble. Also I'll probably end up grounded. Again."
Daniel Osborn	"Com-pli-cated," Oz says, with a slight chuckle, pointing left, the way he'd been going when he found the alley. "That way," he says. "Probably the same guys Donatello warned me about. Hopefully we won't run into them, that could really mean trouble for both of us. Are you not supposed to be out in the open?" he asks. Grounded? Well, that's worrying, who would ground her?
Pippi	Pippi gives an audiable whine.     "No. I'm not. Not alone." she adds quietly.     She turns and starts walking, taking a deep breath as she goes.     She's nervous. "M' not worried about the ninjas. I'm worried about Pex. or Leo. Or Leo /and/ Pex." she pauses "And maybe Nemean, but definitely more Leo and-or-Alopex finding out I'm gone."
Daniel Osborn	"Oh, I see," Oz says, moving to walk beside her, offering a smile. "Well, I'm not oging to hurt you, and maybe if you return in one piece, they'll be okay. But if you were hiding somewhere, and you couldn't go out..." He looks at her thoughtfully as he walks. "I'd break the rules to leave too. I can't stay in one place forever." He half shrugs. "But if they do find you, long as you're out here with me, I'll stick up for you."
Pippi	Pippi gives a sidelong look at Oz, and gives just a tiny grin. "I don't think you'd hurt me. If I did, we wouldn't be talking right now." she grins, and thrns baack tothe sidewalk. She is uncomfortablyy warm.     "An' it's not that. I could run patrols, buuut we've been buddying up because of things and giant lions wanting to kill us."
Daniel Osborn	"Giant lions," oz says, frowning slightly. "I don't like the sound of that." He seems to notice she's warm, and he considers something. Suddenly he's wishing he hadn't walked so far, if the New York City streets didn't suck he'd have been driving. of course, he would've never noticed Pippi then, but if he had, at least he'd have t cool place where she could take off her hoody and be hidden from the world, mostly. "If I had an alternative to you being stuck in that," he points to her hoody, "i'd suggest it. I'm sorry."
Pippi	"... he was a friend." Pippi states quietly, and she doesn't continue any further with the story on that front. She walks, and when he comments on the hoodie again, she purses her lips.     "It's... it's not so bad. When it's up and it's dark I can walk on the street. No one really sees it, I guess?" she comments back to Oz "... was a lot easier back in March though."
Daniel Osborn	"Oh no," oz says, frowning when she mentions him being a friend. After all, he's seen it happen before, so he's empathetic. "It's definitely not March anymore. I parked a few blocks away. If my van was closer, I'd have AC, but..." He sighs and keeps walking, though he's positioned himself to help block her from some of the sun as best as he can.
Pippi	"Heh! I'll be fine, once I make sure you're okay it's up tot he rooftops for parkour." she grins brightly, then she gets an odd look.     "... or barkour?"
Daniel Osborn	"Parkour," Oz says. "If you're taking me to my destination you'll be with me a while." He does glance over at her, and the backpack she's carrying curiously, though.
Pippi	"No, no, barkour, 'cause... dog? Geddit?" she gives a wry smile, and gives a huff. "N-no, just watching your back until you get outta a rough neighborhood, 's all."
Daniel Osborn	Okay, oz can't help but actually laugh at her, with a smile. "Okay, okay, I see what you did," he says. "Maybe I'll start making extra turns so you stay with me longer then." he smirks slightly, but keeps walking. "Because, the thing is...once I'm not with you anymore, you're alone. I think your friends would be fine if they saw someone was with you, and I don't wanna leave you hanging." His expression settles back into a genuine smile as he looks at her, seemingly in thought. After all, it wouldn't be fair to leave her alone and at the mercy of the ninjas she was talking about or her friends, who wouldn't be happy to see her alone on the surface, especially since she wants to watch his back.
Pippi	"But then I'd have to wait for one of them to find me and that might be even worse!" Pippi hisses conspiritally, and she does actually pant a little bit.     "An' I'm fine once I'm alone. I can fight, 's why I'm walking with you. I wanna make sure you get outta here okay!"
Daniel Osborn	"I can fight too," oz says, with a half shrug. And if he had a bow, that would likely be more true, but he could make due with a dagger. "I wasn't saying wait for them, I was saying if we ran into them, because you never know. And they might start looking for you if they notice you're gone." He notices her panting, and frowns slightly. Suddenly he wishes he'd have gotten one of those spray fans like buffy had, but, he didn't. Looks like he'll be making a stop to get one once he's out of this place.
Pippi	"Heh, could have foold me." Pippi comments breezily. "You did walk up to a stranger who randomly appeared in an alley way and offer friendship." Her back moves -- her tail must have wagged.     "So, you're not from New York?"
Daniel Osborn	Oz shakes his head. "Sunnydale, been there my whole life," he says. Of course, mentioning the offer of friendship does make him smile. "I can fight if I must, but I would rather not," he says. "After all, when I approached you seemed afraid. But you can get a lot farther in life with love than with hate, always remember that." His smile widens as he keeps walking, though he still looks concerned for her sake, for multiple reasons, even. "Ice packs," he says, thoughtfully, randomly, the thought seemingly occuring to him out of nowhere.
Pippi	"Ice packs is a weird name for a town." Pippi reflects quietly, "Is that kinda like 'Brooklyn' to New York?" she questions.     But at the idea that you can get further with love than hate, she purses her lips.     "I... I don't know about that. I've heard people say they love a bag. Or a movie. Or they hate the rain, an' that seems kinda uselessm but it seems... to me... that people -- humans in particular... really like to hate things."
Daniel Osborn	"What? No, the town is Sunnydale," oz says, with a proper laugh. "What I mean, though, is being friendly to people, helping them out, making friends, you get way farther in life than you do by hating everyone and everything. I don't hate anybody. And what I meant by ice packs is, you could put them between you and your hoody to keep you cooled off."
Pippi	"... no. Making friends gives you bugs." Pippi replies glumly. "An' gets you hurt."     She pauses, and glances at her pockets for a moment.     "... I wonder if I can make slushie pouches in these, an' keep the slushies *and* me cold with the icepacks..."
Daniel Osborn	"Making friends with me hasn't got you hurt so far," oz points out. "Besides, when you make friends and you get hurt, your friends are there to help you. Better than being on your own." He looks at her pockets thoughtfully. "Maybe. You'd need something to contain the slushies though. Otherwise you'd ruin the hoody."
Pippi	"It's OK. I got the hoodie from the trash. I can find another." Pippi replies distractedly, and she rubs through the hood at her left ear.     "An' you're not my friend. I'm just making sure you get outta the bad part of town 'cause it'd be a bad thing to let someone wander around without help."
Daniel Osborn	Oz looks slightly downfallen when she says he's not her friend, but he just nods slightly. "Well, okay then," he says. He was hoping to make a new friend, but, well, maybe not today. "You should buy yourself a nice hoody," he says, thoughtfully.
Pippi	"Why?" she asks quietly, and she pauses, she gives a sniff, and pulls her hood further over her head. There's some guys walking down the road, she sticks her hands back in her pockets, keeping her head down as she draws a little closer ot Oz, protectively.     She does pick up the pace, though walking a good deal quicker to pass the oncoming group. They're rowdy and rambunctious, guys in their late teens.
Daniel Osborn	"Why not?" he asks, with the slightest of shrugs, but he notices her protective stance, and he places a hand at his hip where his dagger is kept, just in case. You can never be too careful in these parts.
Pippi	The hoods pass by, though one of them look at Oz's stance, and the even shorter Pippi, and goes "Whooooa, looks like someone's out past curfew! Don't let the boogie man get you!" he laughs, the others laugh, and they pass by.     Pippi lets a breath out, and rubs the back of her neck.
Daniel Osborn	The only sign that Oz is affected at all by any of this is the slight tensing of his hands, but other than that he looks perfectly calm, clearly they failed to wrile him up. "You okay?" he asks, still smiling through all of this.
Pippi	Pippi turns and watches the guys leave, and she shakes herhead.     "One of 'em smelled familiar." she explains, and she closes her eyes. She weaves slightly, and her panting's a bit more noticable.
Daniel Osborn	"You sure you're okay?" he asks, looking at her with concern now. He moves his hands a bit, preparing to catch or steady her should she need it. "I guess they didn't recognize you," he says.
Pippi	"It'd... be a problem if they did... they're nn..." Pippi shakes her head slightly.     "Nooot something you should get concerned in." Pippi states, and she turns to duck down an alleyway, taking her hood off. She gulps air.     "Y-you're pretty close to the end of the neighborhood." she squeaks. "Should be okay."
Daniel Osborn	"Ninjas?" Oz asks, stepping into the alley with her, looking at her quite concerned. "You know, I'd help if I could. Maybe one day I'll be able to fight good enough to help you. I'm not sure I wanna leave you all by yourself here, but..."
Pippi	"'M okay! -- just a little warm." Pippi breathes out. Her ears are firmly back though and she exhales, and she gives a wry grin. "Really, you're at the edge of New Lot, another half street and the police patrol pretty regularly." she gives a smile.     "I'm a good guy. I couldn't let someone walk all alone." she states, and her tail gives a bit of a wag.
Daniel Osborn	"I'm a good guy too, you know," oz says, with a smile, though her not wanting to be friends has put just the smallest touch of sadness in that smile. "Please be careful, the las tthing I wanna see on the news tonight is, mutant dog found unconcious due to heat stroke. You're a good person, human or not. Keep your friends close, because you never know when you might need them."
Pippi	Pippi gives a grin, her tongue sticking out -- she is actually poking fun at him.     "Maybe you won't see me again. I can be sneaky... when someone's not walking up on me in an alleyway." she jokes, and she peels off the sweatshirt.     There's no sweat on it, but her hands are clammy. She's wearing a I <3 NY T-shirt, and she gives her head a shake. This close it's easy to see she's got a number tattooed inside her left ear.     "I'll be okay! I'm going up tot he rooftops. Cooler up there."
Daniel Osborn	"Physics would dictate otherwise, heat rises," Oz says, with a smirk. "Maybe I'll just make a point of poking my nose into alleys in this area now until I spot you again." he smirks, sticking his tongue out right back at her. However, he pauses, spotting the number on her ear, but decides not to question it. After all, that really wouldn't be fair to her. "Hey, you take care of yourself. Keep in touch, I'd say get a phone and call me, but apparently things are so secretive that I now need a tiny flip phone that gives coordinates when I open it and can only be used once in an emergency." He shrugs.
Pippi	"Oh. I have one of those too." Pippi states as she rolls up the hoodie, and sticks it in the backpack. She glances over to Oz, and gives a little wave. "Be careful out there, Oz. Even if it is a weird name." she grins, and with that she takes a run, a hop and rebounds off the wall and onto a fire escape -- beginning to climb.     "An' it's cooler 'cause you can feel the breeze!"