I Got Shot Because Lingere Confused Me

Log Info

Title: I Got Shot Because Lingere Confused Me
Emitter: Linus Young
Characters: Ian, Jerry, and Linus
NPCs: Carrie Madison, a Student at Cove City Central
Place: The Mall, Washington DC
Time: June 17, 2010
Summary: Ian, Jerry and Linus go to buy presents for their girlfriends. Then Jerry runs into an old ex and things go south, quickly.

'The Mall'.

So let's get this straight, right here out the front. When Ian said no girl-folk, he meant it. After shooting voicemails to both Jerry and Linus, the young Stoker spent a good deal of the day trying to construct an elaborate reason why he could not a) Do something with Maggie, b) Do band stuff, or c) Convince yet another girl that he didn't have an in to get on Jerry's good side. All those combined made it for a long and harrowing day. But in the end he makes it, just in time for the end of afternoon. At the crack of 5, the young man is sitting outside the parking, back against an '01 Purple Honda Civic. When the two boys meet him, he gives each a grave nod. "Fellas. There's something that must be done. A matter of grave severity that I've too long ignored. It's doubly important now that you've made a choice Jerry." Pause. "Gentlemen. We go women shopping."

"Didn't we abolish that?" asks Linus, raising an index finger in offering. He's dressed for a general night out, as far as these things go. This is another way to say the boy is wearing BODY ARMOR. Seriously. It's a kevlar vest that's made visible because he raises his shirt a bit to scratch at his side, and then remembers the vest is there and has to reach under in order to get at it. "Because I'm pretty sure that's not legal in most states. Could check out Russian mail order brides, I guess, but I hear that sort of thing is a scam."

Jerry nods gravely as he shows up looking like someone going out for the night; summer slacks, button-up shirt, even good but not too nice shoes. "It is not only legal, it is the foundation of our entire legal, ethical and economic system and what the fuck are you wearing, dude?" he says as he raps on Linus' chest. "Indeed, this sounda more like a Holy Mission now than ever, for clearly Linus is afraid of being torn apart by said women. We must show our brother the true path!"

"Preach on, brudda. Preach on." Ian offers dap to Jerry, before shaking his head sadly at Linus. "Don't worry, the path is that of righteousness and boobs. You'll be fine." And with that, Ian stands, fiddling on the door keys before popping it unlocked. Inside is about as dated as the out, with a faint herbal smell that mingles with the two or three air fresheners held on the rear view. And no, it wasn't his car for anyone who might ask. "Seriously though," Stoker speaks up once everybody's aboard and he can begin to head to the highway. — And this might be a good moment to add in. This is the first time that Stoker has been seen behind the wheel of a car since… — "Seriously though. There's no bad time to show the lady of your affections how special she feels. Plus, what better excuse there's a girls night out." A beat later, "So Jer - When did the whole Sasha thing become official?"

Jerry cranes his neck to scoop fingers through his slightly gelled hair with aid of the rear-view mirror, then flops back into the seat. "That.. well, it kinda snuck up on me, really. It was just there, and it felt right, and she's cool with it, so.. official," he says, fiddling with the AC. He rubs his upper lip, checking that yes he did indeed shave. He looks back over to Ian. "My brother from another mother, did I hear you say that they, meaning the wimmen-folk are even now doing the exact same thing we are doing?"

"It's Kevlar. You know, not all of us just naturally have force fields or enough muscle to stop a chainsaw." Linus smiles impishly. "I mean, there you are, walking around Cove City, and then… well, Godzilla's cousin nobody likes to talk about shows up or, I don't know. We're under attach by Hershel the Feeling Faerie." He turns towards Jerry. He's going to say it. "Shotgun!" He makes it. Barely. "I seem to have this incredible luck where the only people I see who have powers are the bad guy and people you couldn't pay me enough money to touch. Like Jonathan or Sapphire. I'm getting pretty tired of touching the bad guy and getting thrown into the wall… and seriously." He peers at Jerry. "That's cool and all, but… I ended up setting fire to Rider hall once because of her. She doesn't like me too much. So, uh… sorry if she doesn't."

"Doubtful," Ian remarks honestly in Jerry's direction. I don't even think Maggie has met Sunday or Sasha, let alone want to hang out yet. And Su…" He trails, shaking his head slightly with a rueful chuckle. "I was figuring you'd play the field a bit longer. What with the harem and all. The female student body'll weep." Checking the others with the mirror, Ian begins to press the peddle down as they reach the highway. "You do know," Ian notes with a slight quirk of lips as he glances over at Linus. Oh crap, Linus is in the front seat. Don't look at the glovebox, whatever you do. "That odds are if there are a baddie, they will have laser vision, or eat through kevlar like candy. Unless it's a vanilla -thang, a body vest is about the equivalent to a codpiece."

There's a swerve as Ian narrowly misses another car. He remains ever nonplussed though, continuing his borderline reckless style. It was just like riding a bicycle! "I was figuring we hit the essentials. Mall - pick up little charms, and do a focus run straight to VicSec's. Nothing says welcome to summer like a good pair of—" Pause. Break. Wait. Hold on. "Huh-wha? I hadn't heard this one. You guys had an involved again? And your powers work with her?" Geeze. "I've been way too behind on the times."

Jerry gives a thumbs-up on the plans. He sits leaned up towards the back of the front seats, so he can talk and hear better, and also catch the AC. "Sweet, I.. see, Linus, I think it's just you guys not talking. She thinks /you guys/ don't like /her/, so.. you know, vicious circle." He grips Linus seat momentarily to steady himself - a lack of fear doesn't mean lack of caution. He thinks. "I dunno, I still have my fans, Ian," he flashes a white smile.

"Oh. That's a good point. Huh. Maybe I can get something a little better? I told the guy at the store that I'm in superhero school and I guess he believed me. Gave me a sweet deal, told me I could take it back if I didn't like it." Linus buckles his seat belt. "And this kinda works really well for me. You know, This Sunday is Sunday's birthday. I'm still deciding what to do for it, but I don't think she'd be unhappy if we had the world's worst kept secret surprise party for her, either." He peers back at Jerry, "Oh… it's, uh… yeah." He swallows, "You know she pulled a gun on Sunday, right? I can understand her not being to happy with Sasha. She tried to touch me in close quarters with Sunday and another girl standing pretty close by. That's how, you know. The fire started. I had Sunday's powers and, uh… heat wall."

To be fair, Ian was being cautious! Mostly! The ride does steady somewhat as Ian gets the hang of highway driving, and by the time the mall becomes visible, the trip has turned rather… uneventful. Which, all things considered, is a blessing. "Just be careful with your fanbase there, 'haus. Sasha's a volatile one. Don't want to see it come to blows…. again." He hadn't been around for as many of the confrontations, save for the one the night he broke Claire's heart. Still, the interactions and the rep persists. "We should do something sometime then Jerry - you and Sash and me and Mags, maybe a bit of space between team Cute and team VibroRobo would do some to cool the hurt feelings." The E-Brake comes up, and Ian steps out of the door, taking a moment to ensure that there was no damage to the outside before looking to Linus. "A party definitely. We can do it Off campus if y'want. Get some non-sanctioned material. Maybe find a local band so to do some legwork. Have a good time." Then a little wicked grin forms on Stoker's face, adding in: "Nothing says happy birthday like the late spring lingerie collection. What's her color preference?" Was he being serious? It's hard to tell a moment later as he steps towards the door of the mall.

"See, Linus, she did the same thing I did but like me she didn't know how your power worked. And she didn't sneak up on you, which I did," he grins. "So.. she'll never admit it, but she was.. um, OK, gun.. didn't hear that," he says. He's thoughtful for a bit, until they stop and hop out, he falling into step with the other two. "Might be a good idea," he says to Ian. "So.." he continues a bit quieter. "You're.. gonna get back with her?" he says, carefully keeping his voice neutral and casual, sunglasses pushed up as they enter the store. All cool, here.

"Purple. She says it's like pink with attitude." Linus gets out of the vehicle and closes the door, walking stiffly with the body armor. "I may have to rethink this body armor stuff. Maybe I can get some kind of, uh, body gel or something. Or maybe I can win the lottery. A lot can happen." Linus shrugs. "Off campus might be good." He peers at Jerry and nods his head, "I guess. It seemed different, kinda. But I guess you've got a point."

"Ever considered asking Tim for something? Odds are that it'll be ten times better than what you'll find retail, and a tenth the wait. That way you won't catch a hernia just trying to walk the store." Ian gives the lightest of shrugs before turning his head slightly in direction of the Mall entrance. Jerry's query gets silence for a few moments, before: "We're already back together. We uh, fooled around after that one night. It was a really bad night, and she was there to comfort. One thing led to another…" He trails before adding in. "Anyway, thought we would try slow but when Claire called us a couple, I denied it. Which brought it's own fireworks. In the end, she agreed to let her mind read by Claire and I found out… a lot. So we're giving it another try. Yeah, I really don't do simple well." Once inside, he takes to a quick step, moving to the directory, and then to whatever little purple store B4 was. "Purple though? I can see that one." His grin is wan, a bit more forced than usual before - to Jerry: "And yours? I take Sasha a red type, or gun metal grey." Pause. "Or would I be looking for a slap in the back of my head, nothing at all."

Jerry daps Ian on the shoulder. "Was just about to tell him that," he says, and listens to the Maggie news with a quiet neutral expression. "I guess Claire's gift is reliable; I don't know much about mental powers, really." He walks with the others along in the mall, towards the store. "I'm guessing red or white, myself, so I'm gonna just.. try three or four in an assortment. I haven't even been in her dorm room, so honestly? I dunno." He quirks a smile at Ian. "Dude, I ain't gonna smack you for something like that. Not you guys, at least. Um, that's a distinct possibility as well, but.. "

"It's reliable enough. And I trust her when she uses them. And…" Ian shakes his head slightly. "Mags is a little bit of a different person than she was before. Or maybe I've grown a bit to see her in a different light." A moment later, there's a small rueful grin. "Though some things never change." Of what, he doesn't really mention, instead chuckling lowly at Jerry's words. "Fair plan. Just stay away from sheer and you'll be fine. Unless it's a later option. In which case you've got no problems anyway." And then he hears the but. "But… what?" Cue another grin.

Jerry blushes just slightly. "I guess, 'but, I don't know what to get'. Thank God I have her size," he says, craning his neck to look for the store they need, then angling for it through the crowds. "Glad you planned this, dude; if you weren't an SA, I dunno if I could have got away with being this far out," he says.

Waitasecond. Jerry Fein, the Mr. Badass of the school with his own PERSONAL HAREM blushed? Ian actually stops in his tracks and blinks a few moments, almost unbelieving. He had to see wrong, right? A second later, that rueful grin returns to Stoker's face, as he slings his arm over the boy's shoulder. "No worries mate. You got Dr. Love here, master of all things that television has taught me about women." A bit less cheekily, "I got you back. You two are my brothers-in-arms. The least I can do for keeping me sane is helping you two get your womenfolk a bit more heated." There's another headshake and a soft chuckle, as he turns the corner… towards Victoria’s Secret. A Man's Dream and Nightmare wrapped into one.

Jerry laughs as Ian eyes him. "Hey, most of my presents have been along the lines of flowers and candy, k?" Technically, also, stuff that can't be found laying around later to remind him of a breakup. "Alright, doctor, I'll submit to your analysis.." he says as he walks into the store with the two.

"Flowers and candy are for the rote. This? This is," Well stupid. But "Daring. You'll definitely get attention by presenting these." And lo, does the doctor enter paradise. And for a second, even Ian has to stop to take a look at the sheer amount of… well. Sheer. And Sheer girliness. "Now the issue is trying to give something that's not saying: 'I like you like a sister', without saying 'You're my mistress.'. Something not too chaste, without being 'I want you to slut it up for me.' All a precarious balance." Ian's hand actually goes to chin as if he were considering. "Y'know, not one of my most well thought out plans. But, hey, coulda been worse."

Linus scratches his chin, a purely symbolic gesture for a guy who's clean shaven, but none-the-less, "Risky." agrees he. "There is no greater reward than getting it right. Too little, and you make her think she's ugly. Too much… and she thinks you have only one thing on your mind." He peers between Jerry and Ian, "Bestow your wisdom unto me, great one. I am but a student learning at the feet of the master." Hey, it's catchy.

"Salespeople are just the thing for this," Jerry says, "I'm not trusting my own instincts to protect me from a metal hand going down my throat." He looks about, glancing at this and that. He looks to Ian. "Still, a good idea. I wouldn't have thought about this, and it's.. yeah, special. It's been some time since I had a real girlfriend, since, well.."

Jerry breathes out. "Julie Fuetes," he says at last. He gets a rueful expression on his face and cuts his eyes about the store, just briefly.

"Since…?" Ian digs but not any more deeply than his friend is comfortable with. At the name, Ian nods slightly. "Isn't that the chick in Astro?" He wasn't too familiar with the crowd, but he had been attempting to attach names (and scents) to faces. To Linus, Stoker offers the lightest os smirks. "Here's the thing I don't get about it. When you're shopping like this," he makes a gesture to assorted items. "Unless it's bubble bath, you're sending a message. But there ain't a problem about it. Everybody fu-" He takes a moment to censor himself. "It's a natural thing. The key is to make her feel like she's sexy, even if it's to make herself feel sexy when no one else is around. That's the mindset to go with." And with that, he waves down one of the attendants. "Uh, mind helping three young lost men looking to woo three very beautiful young ladies?"

"Really?" Linus to Jerry, this. "They seem to just swarm all over you. When word gets out about you and Sasha I think a quarter of the school will be on suicide watch and the other quarter will be on homicide watch." Speaking of which, a petite five foot three stack of flesh, bone, and eyelashes stands about 25 feet from the guys, watching them. Linus is the first to notice her. And it's hard not to. She has long black hair, dimples, and the sort of knees that could support a woman's frame and nothing else's. She's also eyeing up Jerry as though she's staring at the devil himself. "Hey, uh… did we piss in her cornflakes or something?"

Jerry is trusting to Ian to get the salesperson, so he's turned a bit to look at some nightwears when Linus says this. He casually glances over, then gives a silent 'shit' he breathes. "Um, close," he says. "That's Carrie Madison - we, um, went out when I was a freshman here." He subtly checks his jacket, brushes himself off. "She goes to Cove City Central; met her at one of the dance clubs." He gives a calculating eye to the exit. "This might be bad," he says to the pair, casually.

Ian's about halfway to his goal of finding someone with some real womanly knowledge, only to pause as he too gets that creepy feeling in the back of his neck. It's only confirmed seconds later when Linus points the girl out. "…Uh. What exactly did you do to get a girl to still give you looks like that over a year and change ago?" Ian's hands are stuffed in pockets as he suddenly feels the fight or flight kicking in. Y'know, whether to stand by your boy in the onslaught called ex. Or pretend that there was a really nice item, and just listen from afar. In the end though, he stands, though looking more than a bit awkward. "How bad is this, on a scale of One night stand to Ten Things I hate about you?"

"Maybe it's a misunderstanding or something." offers Linus, who peers at the woman that glares at Jerry. "Anyway… yeah. What -did- you do to her? How seriously bad could it have possibly gotten? Shouldn't we just…" Linus waves to Carrie, who reaches into her purse for some lipstick, which she applies to her pursed lips, and then sets back into her bag. And then she gets back to her busy job of glaring at Jerry. "So, seriously. What did you…" Carrie narrows her gaze, and goes back to her purse, and then retrieves a Smith and Wesson M325 Nightgaurd 45 Automatic Colt Pistol caliber handgun, which she draws towards Jerry. The gun goes off with a BLAM, sending people scurrying and screaming in every which direction. The shot hits Jerry square in the shoulder, and Carrie wrinkles her brow in irritation. He's not DEAD YET. She puts the gun away and runs off into the crowd.

« Jerry has sustained an INJURY »

Jerry shakes his head to Ian. "It wasn't that bad, I thought, but I guess she felt differently. I'm almost positive she didn't try to get her brother to run me down in the parking lot that one time, and then.. well, I mean.. she was pretty peeved." He glances to Linus, which is why he sees none of the ensuing bag-fishing, which just might have alerted him. Probably not, but still. "Well, we were having dinner and I was being all hot-shot and ordered for us and shit, I forgot she had a shellfish allergy and did you know mussels are shellfish? I didn't! Hey, I got her to the hospital, at least," he says, and apparently she's decided to return the favor. BLAM and he spins into Linus and goes down, pale and uncertain at first just what happened to him. He's on the floor leaning against the underwear counter, groping at his shoulder and trying to get his breath, eyes wide and his expression just totally stunned. "Wha…?"

"Dude, I love you. But… yeah." Talk about a hitch moment. Ian practically winces at the memory that wasn't his. But hey, all in the past right? "Pretty crappy, but it was awhile ago. I'm sure she's just —" BLAM! The bullet goes flying, and Ian immediately reacts. Thing is, even his reflexes aren't nearly as fast as a speeding bullet, and by the time he takes a step, the deed's done. His first instinct is to shift - to go Noir and try to take out the gunman who was trying to kill his friend. Thing is, with the pandemonium already going about, turning into a 9 Foot tall monster probably wasn't a good idea, at all. Instead he gets to his knees, putting a hand on Jerry's good shoulder. "Stay down man. Deep breaths - you got shot. Just stay still til we get some medical attention." Stoker's head flairs up again as he tries to find the smell. His concentration elsewhere, his words to Linus are somewhat quiet: "Okay. I'm sorry I ever doubted you. Kevlar: The new cotton."

"Wha' 'appen?" That's not even a coherent thought. It app happens so quick. People scream every which way, the fire alarm goes off in the store, which results in a deeply electronic sounding buzzer and a computerized voice. It's prosaic and male. Very mild mannered. Very relaxed. Very anticeptic and announcer-like: Stay calm. A fire has been reported somewhere in the store. Local emergency teams have been informed and are on route to this location. Please exit the store in an orderly fashion. Thank you for shopping Victoria's Secret. Stay calm. A fire has been reported somewhere in the store. Local emergency teams have been… And so on. Linus immediately grabs Jerry's hand, thus causing the, by now, familiar tingle on Jerry's spine, "What the hell was that!!?" Stay calm. A fire…

Jerry tries to take deep breaths. He barely remembers this from Basic Pramedics, and digs a handkercheif from his jacket. "Pressure.." he gasps, the shock and pain still disconnecting him from reality. It's probably the first really serious injury he's ever had. "Ian, don't let me die, I know you won't, holy crap the bitch shot me," he mutters, his sentences running together. He turns, pales, groans. "Holy furry spit, that hurts.." he swallows.

"Gotcha man," Ian remarks calmly again. He's taken the scent, but she was long gone by now. Leaving now would be foolheardy - and there no way that he was about to leave Jerry's side. "Just keep talking man, keep with us." As per Jerry's direction, the handkercheif is taken and pressed on the wound firmly, as Ian takes a look around, and then to Linus. "I don't have much in the way of training on this." He never had to recently, not with his own powerset. "Anything you can do to help him?" There's clear worry in the young man's eyes. He hated feeling helpless like that. "Jerry. Just strong man, think about how much booty you'll get with a story about /taking a bullet/. Can't do that if you're dead. Stay with us."

"What the hell just…" Linus is still returning to Earth. Please exit the store in an orderly fashion. Thank you for shopping Victoria's Secret. Stay Calm. A… "I… yeah. I took a class and… can I, I mean, I can't touch you, Ian." Assuming Ian does move his hand, Linus looks at the wound and shakes his head. "You look okay, Jerry. I'm no expert, but if it's that color, then it's not arterial. It's just going to sting like a son of a bitch, but it won't clot up unless we put a lot of pressure on it." He puts his hands free ear clip on, and then phones 911. "Uh… hi. THis is kind of an emergency." Local emergency teams have been informed and are… "We need an ambulance. My friend's been shot." He pauses. "No. She's gone, or I wouldn't be calling you yet."

Jerry nods to Linus. "You're.. fine," he says, his breath coming easier now that the first shock is over. He adds to the pressure on the wound. "It's not arterial, no, just a flesh wound.." He gives a weak smile to Ian. "Dude," he says at the booty comment. "I don't need a bullet to help me with that." OK, if he can joke, he's good.

There's a slight breath of relief when Linus shows at least some medical knowledge. There's even a wan smile as Jerry jokes. "I'm not sure about that man. You might need the scar to put you over the edge - make all the ladies forget about the bad things they've done. Milk it for all it's worth." He does indeed get away when Linus comes to take over, instead taking a few moments to look around, smile long since a ghost.

"My name? Linus Young. Y-O-U-N-G." Linus keeps his arms locked against Jerry's shoulder while he speaks to the emergency operator. He frowns in disgust, "Yes like the peanuts character." Stay calm. A fire has been reported… "We're at <insert address>. Thank you." Linus turns to Jerry, "They'll be five minutes. They're sending a squad car and an ambulance." And then he turns towards Ian. "Kevlar." He removes a hand from Jerry so he can make a fist and thump his chest with it, and then he goes back to holding down the wound.

Jerry flashes a smile. "I will never doubt your fashion sense again. Thank God I didn't wear my costume tonight.." he shakes his head. "OK, talking to Tim about armored clothing sounds like a good idea, yep…"

"I think Tim's going to have his own business supplying students at this rate," Ian mutters, though good humoredly. All the while, he is looking around the store … just in case the crazy chick decides to come back to try to finish the job. "So, I'm thinking next time we want to do Women Shopping? Mail Order."

Jerry gasps softly. "I knew it was.. bad between us but I never imagined.. that she'd.." he shakes his head, looking down at the streams of his own blood, then back up to Ian.

"Dude, it wasn't you. If she takes a bad date that seriously enough to try to kill you years later? That's called serious mental defect right there. She needs help." There's a small grimace then, as Ian awaits the paramedics. He's seen this scene a few times before - both as a bystander and as a participant. But when it was one's friend, that wait felt like a small eternity. "Maybe we should stick to the campus for awhile, and file a restrainin' order or something. She's long gone - had a planned way out. Who knows if she might try again."

Jerry blinks. "Planned? You think?" He looks around at the people crowding, milling about, back to Ian. "How would she know we were here, then?" he sighs, as he waits for the paramedics. "Yeah.. sticking to campus.. might be best.."

"Maybe not planned. Unless she has a GPS on ya. But definately was more than willing to pull out a handgun from a purse. If she's even carrying something like at Victoria Secret's… Yeah." Ian shakes his head, still boggling on just the sheer bad luck his bro has. "Campus, and bed rest maybe. Use it to have Sasha feed you grapes…" And it's about then that the sirens begin to blare in the background, indicating that the ambulance has finally arrived.

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