what they want to suppose - RED

[kevin]

"Oh would you lot hold still?!"

Kevin glared down at her jacket, where several muffled hoots and the rustle of feathers answered her, but all movement stopped. The three baby Snipes she was keeping warm in her jacket had been shifting and moving and playing a game of soccer or something and clawing at her underneath.

She kept them warm because they were so used to the warmer climates of South America, and because she didn't trust leaving them home alone. Not just yet. Like human children, they got into far too many things for her liking.

"Thank you." She muttered to the birds once they stopped moving inside her jacket. Satisfied they were going to hold still, she grabbed the frisbee from her golden retriever Winston and tossed it again. The large dog darted after it instantly and she smiled. They were alone on the commons for the time being, and she had taken the oppourtunity to let him get a bit of exercise before they took the trip home for the weekend. She was rather looking forward to it.

Winston brought her the frisbee back obediently and she tossed it again.

[rikubean]

Sitting on the fountain, Red kicked back the flask of gin she kept on her person. There was no particular occasion; she just liked to drink. She'd been lounging on the ledge for quite a while now, and the result was she was just a little bit tipsy.

That was the limit of how drunk she could be, however. The school had some sort of policy about public drunkenness. Red rather liked having full-time reliable employment - which equated to full-time reliable pay - and an obvious breach in policy would get her sacked, she knew. Apparently there'd been some sort of problem about it at one time or some sort. Red didn't actually know the story.

Red jumped when she saw a frisbee flying in her direction. Instinctively, she caught it and stared at it for a moment, dumbfounded as to where it could have come from. The question was answered a moment later when a dog came bounding forward, presumably after the disk.

"'Ello, lovely, wot's this now?" she asked the dog, her speech slurring slightly, the voice patterns reverting back to the thick accent from her childhood. "Someone's gonna come lookin' fer you, pooch, an' how'm I to know if I should be here when they does?"

She wagged a hand at the dog, the same hand holding the frisbee. Suddenly struck with inspiration, Red threw the disk back in the same direction it had come from. Unfortunately for her, she misjudged her sense of equilibrium and threw herself off balance, toppling unceremoniously onto her behind.

[kevin]

Kevin waited for Winston to return with the frisbee once he had disappeared around the fountain, but was momentarily distracted by the birds moving again. "Alright you bloody birds, knock it off or I'll let you freeze to death!"

Movement was promptly ceased once more.

She looked back up, just in time to nearly be hit in the face with the frisbee. She managed to catch it just in time, frowning. She was pretty sure Winston couldn't throw or fling a disk back like that, plus, he hadn't come back around from the other side of the fountain. Naturally, Kevin went to investigate.

She found Winston, sitting beside a young woman that had obviously just toppled over for some reason. As she grew near, the faint scent of alcohol reached her and her frown deepened for a moment. A drunk teacher? She recognized the woman now. Should it be reported? Probably not. She'd feel too bad about it.

Extending a hand to her, Kevin gave a small grin.

"Sorry if he was bothing you."

[rikubean]

From her position on the ground, Red didn't get the chance to see the girl come over, nor did she have the time to flee the area if she had wished. At least the girl wasn't being threatening. The dog was another story. Red didn't trust dogs.

She grasped the offered hand and used it to pull herself up. She brushed dust off her deep maroon gown and grabbed her flask off the seat of the fountain before someone else could try and claim it. She unscrewed the top and took a swig. "I don't want to be rude, miss, but I can't go offerin' you any o' this unless you can convince me you aren't a student here."

She waved the bottle toward the girl before twisting the cap back on. Red laughed and tucked the flask back into the belted corset she was wearing. "You don't know who I am, d'you, miss? Folks call me Red Riding Hood, or just Red for short. I teach here."

She added the last bit to justify her presence in the school commons. It didn't do to let people get the wrong impression, especially when those impressions tended to spread nasty rumors that spoiled the most pristine of reputations.

Not that Red's reputation was the cleanest of sorts, but that was beside the point.

[kevin]

Kevin helped her up and arched an eyebrow at the flask. "Uh, no thanks. I don't want any. I don't drink alcohol." She replied kindly and bent down to ruffle Winston's fur. "Don't worry. He doesn't bite. He just likes people is all." She said and flinched as a claw dug into her skin from inside her jacket. She refused the urge to quiet them down again, for fear of looking like an idiot in front of the teacher.

"I know you're a teacher, ma'am. I took your class before. Katherine Kelenken." She extended a free hand toward her. "They call me Kevin, and I'd like it if you did as well." She added as an afterthought, accompanied with a smile. Kevin remembered very little about Red, but knew her well enough to know she was a good young woman - on most days.

[rikubean]

"It's just a bit o' gin, love," Red countered. "A nice healthy dose of gin every now and then is good for the spirit." She paused. "But I still can't give it to you even if you did want it."

She gave the dog a look of mild distaste. Red would just take Kevin's word that the dog was behaved. She had little desire to get closer to the animal.

Red squinted her eyes, staring at Kevin to see if she could remember her. "Nope, can't say I remember you. You musta sat there an' not caused much fuss. I always remember the bad 'uns. It's those quiet ones you gotta watch out for."

She winked, as if she'd shared some kind of well-kept secret, when in reality that was probably something Kevin had heard before. Red crossed her arms, feeling the flask press against her stomach from where it was hidden.

[kevin]

Kevin wrinkled her nose slightly. "Even so, I don't think I'll be taking up the habit anytime soon."

Her fingers tangled in Winston's fur for a moment, until she took the frisbee and flung it in another direction. Naturally, the dog darted after it in a flash, a streak of gold against the green grass of the commons.

She gave an unsteady smile. "I was quiet. I baked the chocolate things all the time. It's all I ever made in your class." She added as if it would help jog the woman's memory. The mention of chocolate made Kevin crave it even more than she already was, so she made a mental note to stock back up on it on her way home that evening.

Another claw to her chest pulled her from her slight musings and she huffed. Unzipping her jacket, the three baby snipes poked their heads out with muffled hoots.

"There? Happy? I'm trying to keep you little things warm and all you want to do is claw me!"

[rikubean]

Red shrugged. "Your loss. Men go for the woman who can hold her liquor. Makes for great fun at parties." She laughed and sat back down on the side of the fountain.

"Ah, right! I remember you know. Odd little one, you are," she said fondly. "Never ran out of cocoa beans until you came along. It's admirable the amount of chocolate you can eat and still stay so skinny."

She nodded, grinning widely. So maybe she was a bit more drunk than she'd originally thought, but that was okay. Kevin didn't seem to mind. That was what mattered.

She yelped a bit at the fuzzy things that came bursting through Kevin's jacket. "What in God's name are those?" Red asked, staring wide-eyed. "They're far too colorful to be chickens, but they certainly look like a couple of them."

[kevin]

"I could hold my liquor if I wanted, but I choose not to bother with it." She replied. Besides, she was quite sure Dug did not appreciate a 'woman who could hold her liquor'. Kevin didn't intend to test just how much alochol she could hold any time soon, but she was quite sure she could drink someone under the table. If her body hadn't killed her for the amounts of chocolate and crap she'd put into it, it would hold alcohol.

Kevin gave a fleeting smile and a slightly confused look. Not that she minded being called odd or anything. She was used to it. Nodding, she laughed. "Yes, that's me. And trust me - my animals keep me on my toes and in shape. That's why I don't gain hundreds of pounds when I gorge on chocolate."

She stroked the heads of her three Snipes when Red yelped. She smiled fondly down at them. "They're Snipes. Birds I discovered. I've been trying to keep these three warm - they're not used to the temperatures up here yet, as they're from South America." She explained quickly, shifting them around in her jacket and ignoring their hoots. "But they seem to be more intend on clawing my chest and exploring rather than staying warm."

[rikubean]

Red raised her eyebrows. She thought to question not wanting to showcase an ability to drink one's date under the table, but ultimately she decided against commenting on the matter once more. Clearly, the two wouldn't come to an agreement on this matter.

She giggled and bounced a bit in place, pleased and excited she had remembered the correct student. Sometimes it got a bit hard, what with the number of students she taught yearly, and some of them stuck around and continued to take her cooking classes. Others took one and she never saw them again.

Fascinated, Red tentatively reached a hand out to the Snipe closest to her. It looked so soft and fuzzy. She just wanted to pet it. "Let 'em free, then, if they wanna explore the school. Jus' make some sweaters or something for 'em so they don't get cold."

A touch of brandy kept the chill away, but Red was responsible enough to not suggest that for some animals, particularly baby ones.