Hotels were good, really good, but she couldn't afford to keep heading there every night. She'd been in town for a few days, at best. There was much to do and more to see. Tent City was one of these places that she found herself by. Word on the street had that this is where the homeless headed, lay their heads down, shanked each other for a dollar for gum, and some people stuck together. The best thing about these places, if one could navigate their potentially deadly territory, was the gossip.

Man could these people talk. Talk and talk, they did (much like herself). Some of them she couldn't make sense of, but that wasn't any different to the spirits to the other side. Its like some folks spoke their own tongue. There was something great about that, something to marvel at, this gibberish language that is easily mistaken as insane. Often did her own head in to listen to it, but there was some answers found in the madness. Besides, most of the people around these sort of places really knew about the town. Not like those upper class ranks that barely touched the world with their polished boot. Here maybe she could find some answers. Could be, even, some relatives or links to distant cousins. There had been talk on the grape-vine and be damned if she wasn't going to find out where that little treasure was.

Pack on her back, by the two shoulders straps instead of the one, she wandered towards the bridge and beyond the few people hanging around. She wasn't some frightened little minx. Not in the least. Life, for her, had been one place to the other. These were closest to her people as she was going to get. Gypsies. Pikies. Homeless. Whatever they want to call them in this town, it was all much the same. No-one here had a home. Lived by their smarts and a prayer or two for fortune.

Black hair in a ponytail, she seemed content with the noon sunshine on her skin. Sometimes she'd be caught tilting her head into it, squinting her eyes, with a slight smile on her face. The type that said she and the flaming gas ball in the sky had a private joke and where old time buddies. Her jeans had a wash yesterday, they'd need another one tomorrow after coming through here, but that was alright with her. She had her jacket on over a t.shirt. The rest of her belongings were stashed in the thick roll of her back pack.

To those she passed, those that would meet her gaze without a glare would receive one of those chin up-nods. Perhaps a smile to those that had a kinder inkling, but those were rare. With her wander she'd suss out where particular groups gathered, where to stay clear from, a possible sleeping area for herself, and, of course, the best place that they hung out to share some wise-talk about the latest happenings.

In the background of tent city is massive amount percussion coming from a group of dusty and forgotten street kids. The youth are arm with the weapon of choices makeshift drum and bottle of cheap liquor. The kids are banging on 5 gallon industrial buckets and they are trying to keep a beat to wild leader of entropy. Yuri is wailing, flailing, spinning in the middle of the circle. He screaming in lyrics in Romani as he play his well beaten guitar. They are living life to fullest because they have no chains holding them down. They are free and yuri wants them to truly embrace the beauty of the streets.  

yuri rolls 10 dice to guitar 6,2,7,6,9, 5,8,9,3,8 (7 successes)

His performance consume the whole tent city as people can't resist the temptation to dance or least one who still have the ability to do so. Their will only be one way to sleep in this chaos and that with blessing from all knowing mother Vodka.

Drawn to the sound, she follows the footsteps of the others heading that way, curious eyed and perked eared. A little quirk to the mouth became a full blown grin at the dancing of homeless kin. It was quite the sight really. She'd seen it before, oh plenty of times, but it never failed to amaze her, the richness of life in the shambling footwork of tattered soles.

She lingered a bit back, finding herself something to stand on, a crate or a small boulder would do, so she could see the group from a better angle while not getting caught up under trampled feet. Lilah wasn't the biggest of people after all and was often knocked about because of it. Her head bobbed to the music. A foot tapped. She had a little swing in her hips but still held fast to her shoulder straps where her thumbs remained hooked. The ponytail swished and swayed. She couldn't help a little groove to the music.

While she had no idea what the singer was babbling on about, she could still appreciate his style. Their style, really, even if he was the composer. Yuri was in the sights of two black eyes, bright and sparkling, peeking over the heads of Tent City's gathered. He looked quite the mad-man with the way he was flailing about. She had half the mind to join him.

Yuri Prutko

After 20 minutes the playing session end and it leave Yuri their in silence in front of the crowd. A whisper here there from the crowd but the stage is his and he hope they are ready for a tale. He Hand over his guitar to a kid who say he can play and he pull out his trademark fiddle case and set on the ground. He flip over a plastic milk crate to gain some leverage around the crowd. The people began to stare. Yuri knowing how to make a statement explode from the ground like a leaf caught in a sudden breeze. He preform a backhand spring into a back flip to land on top of the milk crate.

Yuri rolls 10 dice to Tumbles 1,4,8,2,3, 7,1,9,7,7 (3 successes)

He land on top of the crates and began to vocalize his thought to the crowd. "Good evening to all." He give the crowd a mischievous smile like a devil who has escape the gates of hell. "To the people who do not know a introduction is needed, I am Yuri Prutko and it is pleasure to see you all." He give everybody a bow." I'm leading this merry band of the forgotten souls as we come together to explore culture like ours from around the world. Have you ever notices it doesn't not matter where you are their is always community like us? I've seen it all around the world and i have been immerse into it ever loving arms ever since i was a child in Ukraine. We will go country to country as i try to express the music of the departed." He start to clap  to set a beat for the drummer. " We will head from Ukraine to Spain where i pick up a song or two in the caves of that country." The drummer beat start to spread as yuri picks up his fiddle and shut his mouth because music needs to flow to through out the camp. He start the next session.

Yuri rolls 10 dice to play fiddle 6,4,1,1,1, 8,2,10,2,6, 5 (1 success)

       

His tumbling is cute, really. Nothing that could compare to some of the other things she'd seen. Like when Jeremiah did that triple twist through the opening the size of basketball, flew into a nose dive, sharp turned with only an inch between him and certain death, and ascended into a spiral narrowing avoiding an ass burn. Now that, that was really impressive and damn hard to keep up with. Still, she supposed Yuri was okay. He had that showman attitude down-pat. Its all about personality anyway, right?

The fiddle came out. What was it with people and fiddles? Seriously. Flan and his lot, now this Yuri fella. Its like she couldn't escape it. Her heritage rode her tail like no tomorrow. Maybe there was something in it. The Gods are trying to tell her something.

Lilah winced as Yuri started up the fiddle. An honest to God screwed up face, wrinkled nose and shoulder hunched wince. "Oh damn!" The sound almost hurt her ears. She was sure that Lou, back when he was six, did a better job. All that work up for this? He should have stuck with the guitar. She'd never seen fingers play that fast and effortless. Yup, fiddle, not good. So not good. Not good enough for her to stick around and watch.

Dropping from the crate she had been standing on, her feet thumped o so softly into the ground and she weaved through the onlookers to wander a little bit away. To a distance where her ear drums wouldn't vibrate with the screech of hard played strings.

Yuri may not be able to read a book but he sure know how to read a crowd and he know he has to jump over board fast on this session. people began to lead and he knows the bottles will soon be connected with his body  by the angry crowd. He transition to a stop. The beats stop and he switch to a song know as tribal connection."I guess it been while since I've been Spain but i've been here part of this tribal connection much longer." He create the beats and yell out the chords to guitarist can keep up. He began to play the fiddle and sing.

Where there's a music shall be comin' out of every car
There is a silence all over downtown
Where community celebrates shall be aroused
I walk the sterile gardens where life is on pause

No can do this!
No can do that!
What da hell can you do, my friend?
In this place that you call your town

I guess you can't expect much from the hometown
Well I don't know if you can even call it your own
When they don't want you to get near excitement
And in protest to that you just stay home

No can do this!
No can do that!
What da hell can you do, my friend?
In this place that you call your town

On intersection of all dimensions
Where I was stoppin' by just for a drink
I meet a brother from tribal connection
Of our fun loving restless breed
I wanna walk this Earth like it is mine
And so is everyone in our funlovin' tribe
C'mon, is that real so much to ask
From all these goddamn nazi-fuedals
I'm gonna take it to community
Cause I want everyone to see
There never was any conspiracy
And we are all here simple to sing:

No can do this!
No can do that!
What da hell can you do, my friend?
In this place that you call your town

Where the's music should be comin' out of every car
There is a silence all over downtown
Only intersection semi-alive
Outskirts are sedated, me gone...

Yuri rolls 10 dice to preform 8,8,9,5,7, 7,4,3,4,9 (6 successes)  

--Last edited by Yuri on 2008-11-22 22:37:32 --

Even drifting away from the crowd she can hear the loud and boisterous entertainer from Ukraine. Kudos to him for changing gears, she thought to herself, looking for somewhere to sit down and give her legs a rest. She hated walking most of the time, but sometimes it was a necessity. The fact that she had to tote around her bag was good reason enough to have hit the streets on foot.

There, that looked good. A little bit of space between someone else's open air crib and another empty space. There was bin barrel that would be used for bonfires later on that night and that would keep her semi warm when the sun dipped beneath the horizon. Slinging the bag from her shoulders, she caught the strap in a hand as it almost slipped from her wrist and swung it down to set on the ground. Her shoulders already felt better, lighter, like they could breathe. Reaching up, she rubbed the bones of her collar and cast a glance back towards the group that was still in sights. It wasn't as if this place had concrete walls that separated into rooms and luxury bath abodes. Privacy wasn't really something that came with the street. Everyone knew everyone and if they didn't, well they sure would soon.

After rubbing and rolling her shoulders, she let herself collapse down onto the ground in a rather boneless manner, sprawling herself onto the dirt with her head and shoulders resting into her bag. "Tha' feels good." She mumbled to herself, huffing out an air of relief for the benefit of her calf muscles. Wiggling into the dirt, as if it were a five star hotel mattress, she reached up and pulled the tie from her hair, which was promptly threaded around her wrist for safe keeping. Hands behind her head, she watched the sky beyond the bridge while vaguely listening to the entertainment beyond. Some small part of her hoped that it would calm down in a little while, give her some peace, but in the same token there was a comfort to it in itself. People lived. People thrived. Not all was bad in the world.

There was still some hope left.

Once Yuri run out of his bottle vodka that when party start to dwindle down. It hard to play when the pink elephant is staring your percussion group down. He also know is so much easier sleeping well on the street when the liquor is still in your stomach. You will forget thing like hunger,loneliness, and chilling night air. Yuri always tries to keeps his fellow comrades feeling like king that they are but reality has not crown.

Slumber consisted of a swaying motion in and out of consciousness. It wasn't anything deep, as various sounds had her startle awake, but it was restful enough. Her sleep was more for her bones and body rather than her mind, and once they had enough to be moving on, she was bright eyed and bushy tailed once more.

After a good stretch and a small shiver at the chill, she peeled herself from the ground, where she'd been curled on her side around the pillow of her bag, and dusted off her clothes. She was quiet about moving around, taking a glance around at the more subdued area, and pulled her bag onto her shoulders again. The weight of it settled her shoulders down and back, straining across her neck, but she was used to it by now and wasn't in such a mood to complain.

In fact, she began a small wander, keeping a good ear out for the entertainer of the night. She had wanted to speak with him, have a good chit chat, maybe ask about his travels, but had fallen asleep before he'd finished mucking about as he had been, keeping spirits high and fresh. From one face to the other she moved, roaming about and looking out for guitars, fiddles and outrageous clothes. He couldn't be too far, unless he left already, of which would be a crying shame.

It was with a keen eye and an unobtrusive manner in which Lilah hunted down Yuri, to approach him with a bright eyed curiousity with a healthy dose of cynical caution (provided he was still in the area, and in fact, still in town).

You will smell him before you can see him because the smell of rose oil is very intense. Yuri been using stuff for so long it almost like he secretes it from his pores but it dose hide the smell of cheap vodka and stank that encumber most of tent city. He is trying to gather his shit and not wake the sleeping girl next to him. He hoping he can make a clean escape.

Yuri rolls 8 dice to sneaking away 4,9,7,5,1, 9,6,4 (3 successes)

He find a fire for to warm up to and pull out breakfast a Avocado, Gala Apples and a bunch of individually wrap saltine crackers. He also heats up some water in a pan to make some instant coffee. he look at people around him, "Do any you want a some coffee?" A couple guys give him the look and he brews a big pot of weak coffee but beggar can't get to picky. He sit their enjoying his breakfast and the morning sun on his face with a big grin.    

"I'll 'ave some coffee if it be goin'." Says the small woman, or girl, or whatever age you want to peg her as. She's hovering around the twenty mark, her petite frame, with her hollow arms and narrow hips, tends to make her look younger than she is. Either way she's waltzing over to where Yuri and others have gather by the early morning fire.

Swinging her pack towards the ground, she came to sit on it, right beside Yuri. Lilah had no fear of strangers, but rather held an intense curiousity towards them, and she made it seem comfortable enough that one could wonder if she was already familiar with Yuri (or anyone else around really). Like there's perfectly nothing wrong with siding up to a stranger and plonking down next to them, asking to share a coffee.

"I'm Rove." She tells him, head tilted to look at him beyond the bangs of black hair, with the darkest of dark eyes and a consistent stare that seemed unforgiving in their intensity. "An' I gotta say, I've na come across one tha' can play the guitar as ye can." This is stated as a fact rather than a term of flattery. "An' tha's some serious chords ye go' there." Nodding to him with a brief glance to his mouth and throat.

Yuri dig out a cup for Rove out of his big duffel bag.He pour her cup a cup poor man coffee. He thinking about accent trying to figure out where she is from. " Enjoy i do have some sugar and dry creamer packs. I'm Yuri and it pleasure to meet you Rove." He hand her the cup.

Yuri rolls 7 dice to figure out a accent 7,9,4,4,7, 4,7 (4 successes) linguistic + perception

" Thank you for the compliment, my family spirits must been showing me the right path. I was train by mother in music. She taught me how to improvise to make sure the music never stop and passion never ends. " He look at his fiddle case and he thinks about how many of  my clan Warmiak has tune it strings. He little caught off guard by Rove because he not used to seeing such beauty in tattered forgotten soul of tent city. "My True love is the fiddle because it was the first instrument i ever learn. I had problem when i switch from the guitar from the fiddle because my hand was cramping up when i started the Spanish set. I guess that life."

He sipping his coffee and eating breakfast.He dose not want this conversation to only be about him so he will give her chance to shine a bit.

"Rove what your story because one so pretty rarely end up living on the street?"  

--Last edited by Yuri on 2008-11-26 12:26:07 --

"Could I bother ye fer suga then?" Normally she wouldn't but since he had mentioned that he had them, more or less offering, it wouldn't hurt taking him up on that. She wrapped her fingers around the cup and took it off him, "Thanks o' bunch."

"I would'a seen ye as the guitarist before tha fiddle, if ye don' min' me sayin'." Her gaze darted from Yuri to the others, to her coffee, the fire, and generally didn't stay still for too long. Unless she was looking at him, and when she did, the black orbs stayed focused and settled. Like they were now, as she stared at him from where her smaller height had her lower perched. "Ye ma taught ye well then Yuri. But I got ta be sayin', some o' me be thinkin' people be born with some thin's. Ye know tha'? Some are kissed by the Gods 'emselves. See 'em all across the world... across time even."

Lifting her cup towards her mouth she sniffs it subtly, breathing in the cheap, instant scent of overly dried ground coffee beans. "I think yer one o' them. Born fer music an' te lift the spirit."

"As fer me, I don' go' a story. Na really." Her eyes sparkle and her mouth quirks at the irony of it. "I'm just a lass lookin' at tha world. An' was told 'ere's a better place te be nappin' down fer a nigh' then headin' out te some other bits about 'ere. Isna tha' righ?" Her smile floods her face in a generous portion. There's as much warmth to it as there is mirth.

The more she talks the easier it is to place her accent. It's Irish by way of the United Kingdom. There's a particular way to some of her words that borders on a Cockney way of speaking.

Her eyes intrigue Yuri it remind him of Acid trips without the hallucinations. He just drink his coffee and thinks for about a half minutes.

He trying to seem awake but he not quite their yet. "Well we can just says that when your clan embraces music than all your family will be gifted one way or another. Warmiak is clan know for entertainment art and the story are told way before the historian could trace back too." He laugh.

"you know people often wonder why we take to open road and they can not see the beauty in the adventure. I feel sorry for these lost souls and i always hope that my song and my story can give the strength to just walk away to search for happiness." He look a her and than lay back his head on his guitar case to look at the cloud."ohh there pretty today. You know it is a good omen when cloud are out." He point to one that look like a bird and to another that look like a wolf.  

--Last edited by Yuri on 2008-11-29 21:04:36 --

In that moments silence she sips her own coffee in quick, short bursts so not to burn her lips or tongue. She drinks because if she doesn't she'll continue to go on and on and she was here to listen, not the other way around (at least not for the moment).

"Each te tha' own, I be sayin'." The little woman (was she a woman or a girl?) declares. "We all got out own journey's an' all tha'. S'long as we be learnin' somethin' I s'pose."

Her gaze darts to him, and as he shifts to lay back on his guitar, she pivots on her sleeping bag to keep him in her direct sight. "Say wha' can ye tell me about this 'ere place? Me bein' new about 'ere an all.. " She takes another few sips of drink, quick-like, and watches him eagerly over the rim of the cup. Those large eyes continue to stare with an intensity that may make him uncomfortable. She rarely seems to blink, and when she does its a quick flutter of eyelashes that (to most men) are rather distracting. "Ye know, places te go, places na te go.. Ye said ye good with stories." One hand uncurls from the cup to wave at him, "Go on then, tell mae some.. . I'll trade ye if ye be wantin'." The quirk of her mouth appears again, just in that little corner of her lips and there in a slight gleam of her eye.

"Besides, ye can be thinkin' about it like this.. Ye may save a youn' travelers 'ide. Don' wan' a lass walkin' inte strife, now do ye? Course ye don', nice fella like yeself." Nodding along with her words, she seemed rather serious about them, as though she's pegged him down as a decent type. Even if he did look a bit ridiculous in those clothes.

** bumps thread.

* sorry finals weeks*

he look at her beady eyes, " Well to be honest I'm still little wet behind the ears about this city." He dose the thinker pose as he thinks about what he has pickup so far since he arrived in Sanfield Rock.

wits+streetwise
yuri rolls 7 dice to streetwise 7,10,1,8,7, 7,7,9 (6 successes)

He go into a deep explanation of most major location by region, safety, police usages, social economic standards, gang usages, and busking ability but he paint the view from a street perspective.He pull out the map of the city as he explain the city situation through his eyes. He hoping map will give a visual idea of what he talking about. He seems to have a real talent about understanding city and how to survive in them. he has past on to you a good explanation of downtown,slums,heights,industrial district, and mountain region.  

"Anyways some of the real jewels of this city are Soup kitchen if you ever need a meal and have no where to turn to they will give you a fresh bowl of nourishment. I found that at our age the campus ground are always a good place to blend and to kill time. I've heard last night that there a co-op located in the slum area that trow a mean party." He points to the devil rejects. "Yea it supposed to be run by some artist punk guy but it has a bar,gallery, and a stage. I think i may try to get a show set up their. I would give you more info if i had it but i'm still checking it out myself"  

--Last edited by Yuri on 2008-12-11 17:06:37 --

While Yuri explains to her the details of the town, going so far as to show her a map, she scoots over closer to peek at what he was pointing out. She asks questions, for more details, absorbing what he has to say like a sponge sucking up water. Attentive, both to the map, his words, and his features, she alternated between looking at the detailed map to studying his features, accent and mannerisms. This helped get a whole picture of the place and the people in it. Its why she traveled; to learn as much as she possible could about everything.

"Wha' are ye waitin' fer? Ye should 'ead down there, check it some. Nae sense in wastin' time. I'm sure they be likin' wha' they 'ear. Do ye play much anywhere else, other then abouts these parts? Peeps 'ere seemed te appreciate it. I did te, mind. Not while I was tryin' te sleep, but .. even then t'is better 'n sleepin' te the sound o' ye own 'eart. Tends te make ye at ease, te know ye na alone."