ArchivedLogs:Darkness and Ducks

Darkness and Ducks
Dramatis Personae Corey, Ducky, Melinda
In Absentia	2013-05-06 Ducky mucks around with ducks, while Corey is not a New Yorker.
Location <NYC> Central Park North
Central Park North is slightly quieter than its southern counterpart, being further uptown and slightly out of the bustle of the City - insofar as one can escape the bustle of the City even here, in the acres of green and blue that make up Central Park. The reservoir is in the northern half, providing miles of jogging and biking trails along the clear water, as well as benches for people to sit and rest. Central Park, as dusk approaches, becomes far less densely populated as people head for home on this unseasonably chill spring evening. A light mist has begun to settle in, and the overhanging clouds make the dying embers of sunlight even dimmer than they normally would be at this time of day. The area near the reservoir has been largely abandoned, both due to the chill in the air, and the fact that it falls to shadow faster than the rest of the park. One young woman seems to be stubbornly refusing to leave the Reservoir area, having climbed over one of the retaining walls, and now hanging near one of the drainage grates, cooing and chattering at something. She is wearing a muddied sweatshirt that was once some sort of gray, but now looks like it has been soaked through and coated in mud, obscuring any details that may have been there. Her jeans are likewise destroyed with the natural surroundings. "Come on out sweet hearts. It's ok. Your mom is out here, and you're going to get lost if you stay in there. Come on..." the young woman coos, hanging by one hand over the grate. Ok - so maybe it's not just the falling light and chill that is scaring people out. The crazy mud girl talking to the sewer grate is probably helping some. With light still in the sky, Corey figures that there's still time to get some jogging in. Wearing black sweat pants and a grey hoodie, he moves at an easy pace along the designated paths. Not expecting any trouble for the night, he still keeps to the well lit areas as he goes. As he jogs, he keeps an eye out up ahead none the less, New York has a reputation after all. People aren't really supposed to be in the park after dark, but Melinda looks harried and distracted, searching for something. She walks the path with her arms crossed under her chest and her eyes searching this way and that, returning to the ground in front of her to ensure steady footing. She sees a form by the wall, eyes narrowing as she tries to make out details. She skirts closer, lips pursed curiously, hair creeping around into her face to get in her eyes. One hand peels the tendrils that frame her face away, trying to tuck them behind her ear as she begins to make out that Ducky is not who she is looking for, then begins to turn and wander back toward the path. "Just... a little... further..." grumbles Ducky as she hangs from the wall, one arm thrusting through the gate of the drainage pipe, "Come on. I'm not gonna hurt you guys. You're gonna get stuck if you don't swim back this way. There's bad things in the lake sometimes that eat little things like you. And bigger things, like me, so I don't really want to stay here long. But you should get out of there." Her voice echoes into the pipe as she talks into the opening. "Ah! Got one!" She yelps happily, pulling her arm out of the drainage pipe to reveal, in the dim light, a small mud covered duckling that is cheeping noisily in her hand. Grinning like a maniac, she sets the little mudd ball up on the concrete edge of the pond, beside a mother duck who immediately quacks happily and starts preening the little duckling. "Ok. Now you other two need to trust me. Just come forward, and I can get you back to your mom. Really," she coos, reaching back into the drain. If she noticed the other two, she is apparently far too wrapped up in her rescue attempt to acknowledge them. Seeing a figure on the path before him, Corey slows his pace abit to get a better look. Who it is causes him to smile, and he raises a hand in greeting. "Hey there Melinda, out for a walk?" Coming to a stop, he can see the figure down more towards the water itself as the yelping draws more attention. "Huh, some girls down there. Should probably let her know the cops patrol around for trespassers I guess." Running a hand through his hair, he gives a shrug to Melinda as if trusting her opinion on if he should. "You're really not a New Yorker." Melinda replies, giving Corey a little wave and altering her path when she is addressed. She takes a deep breath and clears some of the worry from her visage before looking over her shoulder at the girl. "She was talking to a drainage pipe, but I've seen stranger things." She turns her attention back to Corey. "You can tell her, I guess, but I'm not sure what kind of response you're going to get." The girl in question is currently trying to fit her head through the bars of the drain grate, apparently continuing to talk to the pipe, or its contents. Stranger things have happened in the city. Ducky's feet dangle in the chill water, and she appears to be shaking from the chill of her efforts. "Come. On," Ducky croons, wriggling her way further back. Ultimately, she is rewarded for her efforts, and a chorus of chatter and echoes from the pipe, and she produces two more mud coated ducklings, plopping them down beside their mother and sibling atop the reservoir ledge. Sighing and shaking his head, Corey replies "So I've noticed. There's definitely a different type of person up here." Moving over towards the fencing, he leans against it to get a better look at the girl. "Are you alright down there?" Squinting in the mist and diminishing light, he smiles as he hears the duckling chatter. Looking back over his shoulder to Melinda, he says "I think she was rescuing some birds." Feeling a bit better at that, he calls down again "You may want to climb back up. The police might not like you being down there. Trespassing and all. Though I think its more a safety thing" "Okay, well, good luck with that?" Melinda gives a little wave and then turns to walk away, resuming her less than pleasant walk through the park. Ducky is in the process of clambering back out of the reservoir area as Corey mentions that she should do so, although her fingers have gone completely numb from digging in the mud and water. She looks back over her shoulder at the little family of ducks, which are now attempting to clean the slimy mud off each other, quacking happily - Ducky grins and nods, wiping her hands off on her jeans, although it does little other than smear the dirt around more. "I know. But I couldn't just leave them there. She couldn't get back there, and they were stuck, and the ducks had been telling me before that there were chompy things in the water, so I couldn't just leave them there. And she asked for help," Ducky nods and crosses her arms over her chest as she speaks, seemingly more an attempt to warm back up than a signal of being a defiant teen. Raising an eyebrow at the apathy, Corey shrugs and gives Mel a little wave back. "Alright, I'll see you at work tomorrow morning. Be well, and have a good evening." Shaking his head, he looks back towards the birds and the girl with them as she climbs back up. "Ah ha... well I'm sure that the ducks appreciate the help." Recognizing her from the other day as she gets back up, he reassesses her from crazy girl to someone who may be something more. "You were the girl talking to the bird man near the jungle gym weren't you?" Ducky blinks up at the man and tilts her head to the side, swiping her hair out of her eyes and inadvertently pinning it there with the mud on her hands. "Um, yeah... You were the guy who was talking to Horus's grumpy-pants mean friend, right?" She looks around for a moment, and as though on cue, a pigeon flies out of the trees nearby and perches on her head, completing the crazy look as though some sort of glorious hat. Melinda goes home. "I think that fell more into each of us talking at each other more than to each other." Looking at the incoming pigeon with bemusement, Corey took in her appearance. "But yes, that was me. Well, it's nice seeing you again. I guess you'll be wanting to dry off from the mud and water though." There isn't much he can do about that, but at least he can free her from any social obligation. "I'm sure the ducks appreciated the effort for the resulting muck." "Yeah, I have to admit, I wasn't really paying attention to Horus's meany friend, or by proxy, you. I was kinda distracted by the massive bird man who was quite chatty. Which was awesome," Ducky explains, looking a bit sheepish once more. Nodding solemnly, Ducky looks back over towards the pond, and the retreating family of ducks, "Yeah. They do appreciate it. She was really worried about her little ones, and I couldn't just stand by and leave them stuck in there. It's not nice, especially since the moma duck was actually wanting to care for them. She just couldn't get to them." The young girl looks down and sighs slightly, shivering a bit more violently, "I should be getting to the shelter now. They'll only hold my bed so long, and it's getting really cold now. And, well, I'm hearing rumors of stuff going on. So, yeah." Ducky offers a weak smile and a wave to Corey, "It was nice seeing you again. Sorry about the, um, mess and all." She looks a bit sheepish at that, and offers a muddy shrug. "No worries. Better to get dirty for a good cause," Corey says with a slightly sad smile as she mentioned the shelter. "I hope that they kept your bed for you. And if you want to swing by Montagues tomorrow, I'll make a nice warm sandwich for you." Not really able to think of anything else he can offer without really knowing the girl, he shoves his hands into his hoodie pocket to have something to do. "Double bacon B.L.T's seem to be pretty popular lately." Ducky nods, and heads off towards the edge of the park, "Thank you for the warning about the police in the area. I imagine I'd just get a warning or something. What're they gonna do, tell my parents?" Ducky snorts slightly at that, and shakes her head. "Thank you for the offer of the sandwich. It sounds quite tasty. I will see if I can find where that place is. Since, well, I have no idea where it is. I'll find it if I ask around enough." She waves and wanders off, pigeon still perched contentedly atop her muddied hair. A one sided conversation echoes back about nothing in particular - as though hearing just half a chat between friends. "Its in SoHo!" Corey calls after her, watching her go with a bit of concern. "I am definitely not a New Yorker, but I guess I don't really want to be at that." Shaking his head, he looks into the darkening sky and goes back to jogging down the path, keeping to the path of light in the darkness.