War: DP:  Don't Go Out in the Woods Tonight
Place: the Wilderness
Time: Around 4AM to noon, Wednesday the 10th

By: Cousin Mary


 "I thought we were supposed to meet Tracy at her apartment?"  Caro asked
in a wheeze as she trekked after Mary up the dirt path that snaked over a
surprisingly high hill.

 "Yeah, well," Mary let out an 'Ooof!' as she fell yet again.  Hiking and
heels did not a good match make.  "She text messaged me to come here
instead."

 Caro looked back down the hill, to the empty one lane road far below
them, "The cab's gone."

 Mary spun around, fell again and cursed, "Dammit all!  What the freakin'
hell did Tracy think calling us out here?!  It's not even dawn yet!  Do
you see any sun?  Do you?!"

 Caro felt a little better watching the DP Godmommy throw a tantrum.  And
sure she was freezing her tuckus off in her tea dress, but at least she
still had her boots.  Mary was going to break her legs if she kept
tottling around on those spiked heels!  The newly blue-haired Thug huffed
a bit and watched the cloud her breath made in the cold, sooner or later
Mary would stop ranting and they could get going again.

 With one last question about Tracy's parentage, Mary climbed to her feet
and started back up the hill.  "Dirt!"  She mumbled," We're on a dirt
road.  It's 2004!  Weren't dirt roads all supposed to be gone by now?"

 Caro hid her smile and wisely changed the subject, "So why do you think
we're out here?  For that matter, why is Tracy out here?"

 Mary was still frowning and glaring at the dark earth beneath her, but
after a moment she answered, "Tracy was off on some Wilderness Survival
Course, learning to make shelter out of squirrel pelts and that sort of
thing.  That's the reason she missed the beginning of the War and why we
haven't seen her."

 "But she knows about the War though, right?"  Caro hopped over a dip in
the road and watched Mary fall again.

 "Goddang mother- What?" Mary looked up with a glare, "Oh yeah, she
knows.  Anne called her yesterday, I think."

 And with that Caro and Mary continued up the hill into a wooded area.
The trees were dense here and if you didn't know better you could swear
you were hundreds of miles from civilization, instead of like two city
blocks.

 Then suddenly, from out of no where a dark figure leapt at the two DPs
from a low overhanging branch.

 "Aaaahhhcckkk!"  The girls screamed in terror.

 "Ha!  I -so- got you!"  Detective Tracy Vetter swept off a hat that was
apparently made of leaves and twigs and proceeded to do a little victory
dance around the quaking Thugs.

 Now while Mary and Caro were cold and miserable, they were not at this
point entirely sober yet.  Add that to the fact that they had been called
away from an elegant party with a sexy vampire bartender at an open bar,
well, put all that together and the following might not seem too
unreasonable.

 Mary lunged at Tracy with a battle cry and a set of mud covered hands.
Caro wasn't far behind and managed to sweep the detectives legs out from
under her.  Soon the two DPs were smearing all manner of mud over Tracy's
still laughing face, while the cop tried to push them off.

 This scuffle went on far longer than you'd think.  Far longer than any
of the three would later admit to.  It so happened the sun was rising
when it finally came to a halt and each and every one of them looked like
they had been sucked backwards through a wind tunnel and landed in a pig
sty.

 "Well, that was fun!"  Crowed Tracy.  Of course Tracy had been all
decked out in olive colored khakis and a quilted plaid shirt before this
all began.  Caro and Mary had been in evening wear, and while Tracy
looked muddy, but happy, the two previously elegant Thugs looked like
they were going to cry.

 "You!"  Caro yelled, and once again the fight was on.

 The sun was high in the sky when the trio limped back into town.  They
looked like they had been through a war, a blacktie optional war, but
still.  They settled down at a greasy spoon diner and ordered a round of
coffee, hashbrowns and scrambled eggs.

 "My survival course was really educational," Tracy began once their food
had arrived.

 The two DP just glared at her.  Sure they realized that had they been in
any other faction other than the mortal cop's they'd probably be dead by
now.  (Lacroix most likely wouldn't allow his faction to push a lump of
greenish black mud through -his- hair.)  But they were dirty, cold and
hung over.  So they glared.

 "So educational in fact," Tracy continued brightly, oblivious to the
death stares, "That I think everyone should be taught."

 Caro and Mary exchanged a horrified look.  Then Caro asked, "You mean
'everyone' in the general sense, right?  As in, this would be a good
skill to have?"

 "Oh no," Tracy smiled cheerfully, "I mean everyone in the Dark Perks."
She ignored the groans, "And while we're at it we can look for that rock
that's got everyone so worked up."

 "But I hate camping!"  Mary looked truly appalled.

 "It'll be fun!"  Tracy insisted.

 "But it's November!"  Caro yelped, "And we're in Canada!"

 "It'll be an adventure!"  Tracy laughed, "Come on now, you guys are
always telling me the DP are the toughest faction?  Didn't you just get
back from scouring tombs in Egypt?"

 Since this last bit was directed at Mary, she gave a sulky nod, "We
found some great coffee too."

 "Well, that settles it," Tracy finished off her coffee and paid the
bill, "Soon as we can, we start training the DP in survival skills."


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
my survival skill is remembering my credit card ;-)
anteros@juno.com

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