Extrication

[Brian]

After watches are sorted out, everyone settles down to rest.  The mine is at least comfortable, at a relatively neutral temperature thanks to the lack of wind.

A few hours pass, but once the glow of the sun has completely faded, Ryan rises, and says, "I'm ready."

The rest of Bigfire stirs, Jim rising last.  Despite the injuries he had sustatined, Sterling seems indifferent to his own wounds, though.  "Okay," he says.  "I'll go through with Ryan first.  It'll take a few trips, but better safe than sorry."

In short order (much faster than the trip to Mexico from Australia) everyone is standing in a dark alley between two buildings in a poorly lit down-town area.

Walker rubs his chin thoughtfully, and says, "Now, we just need to find the most filthy and disreputable pool hall in town.  Then we'll know where Mark is."

David shakes his head, and Carlos says, "As good a place to start as any."

"I can't help but feel that we're practically looking for trouble, the way you say it," Jim mutters.

[Carthrat]

"Better we find it than it find us!" announces Tom, striding confidently out the alley. "Ah, a pool hall. Awesome, another game I'm lousy at."

[Halbarad]

"Pool I'm at least half decent at, although I doubt we'll have time for a game."

Tim shakes his head. "Us? Look for trouble? I don't know where you'd get that idea."

[Ebiris]

"I'm only good at pool when I'm drunk. It's uncanny," Daniel chimes in. "But I doubt getting wasted would help should we have more trouble find us, tempting as it may be."

[Brian]

The road is fairly deserted, and the air is quite a bit colder than in Mexico.  A fine sheen of frost glistens on the roads and sidewalks.  Directly across the street from the alleyway is what looks like a theater that's been shut down, fences blocking access to the doors.

To either side are a laundromat (which is open), and a small convenience store (also open).  More convenient than the store, however, there's a pool hall down the street.

The sign overhead says, "South Creek Tables", though all of the vowels have either burnt out, or been vandalized.

"Well," Carlos says brightly, "this looks good.  Shall we step in and have a look around?"

"Or should we check for any kind of signals we'd recognize, in case it's a trap?" David asks.

Jim shrugs, and says, "I'm not picking anything up."

Sterling glances at Daniel, and raises an eyebrow curiously.

[Ebiris]

Daniel shrugs. "It's all good, as far as I can tell. But that's subject to change at any time, just like it did back in Mexico."

[Brian]

Shrugging, Sterling walks towards the poolhall.  It's got no windows, and the doors are solid, so there's no way to see inside.  But the buzzing neon sign says that it's open.

Once he reaches the door, Walker joins him, and then they confer briefly.  "Okay.   Let's not all go in as one huge group.  I'll go in with Walks and David.  Then Daniel, Tim, and Tom, can come in next -- Jim, you and Ryan should wait out here where you can see anyone coming up to the building for us," Sterling decides.  "I'm pretty sure that this place won't card us if we don't try and buy booze, but Kyle and ... the other kid should wait out here."

Kyle nods, still carrying the little girl.  "If something goes wrong, Ryan can get you out of here more easily than where it's well lit," David adds.

"Okay," Sterling says, heading in with Walker and David.

A few minutes pass without any noticable explosions or outbursts.

[Ebiris]

Daniel leans against the wall with his hands in his pockets, watching the mist form from his breath. Oh, well. At least it's not snowing...

After a few minutes pass, he starts towards the door. "Well, shall we?" he asks Tim and Tom.

[Halbarad]

"As good a time as any," Tim replies, shrugging.

[Brian]

Tim hauls one of the doors open at the same time it begins snowing lightly.

In interior of the pool hall is fairly spacious, with a high ceiling, though the upper reaches are obscured behind a thick curtain of cigarette smoke.  There's about fourty tables scattered around the floor, only three of them for billiards.  The rest are all pool tables.

About a dozen are occupied, and the patrons of this establishment look like what you would expect to see in a dive.  Most of them are scruffy, and have visible tattoos, shaved heads, or piercings.  There's one table in the far corner where a scrawny guy of reasonable height is playing by himself.  He's the only one who doesn't fit in.  Sterling and David are playing a round of 8-ball at the adjacent table.  Walker's perched on a stool nearby, munching on a basket of onion rings.

As the door swings shut just behind Tom, the last to enter, someone kicks the jukebox loudly, and it stutters to life, playing U2's Sunday, Bloody Sunday.  A weathered looking woman with a shaved head, cargo pants, and a thick, denim halter-top is carrying a tray, and chewing bubble gum.  She stops to look at the new entrants, and eyes you all up and down before shrugging.  "Help yourselves to a table," she says, her voice ... somewhat deeper and much more gravely than would be expected from someone of her size.  "I'll get your drink orders in a minute."

She starts heading to the small door to the kitchen in the back, picking up empty glasses from the other tables before vanishing.

[Ebiris]

Daniel nods in greeting to the woman, heading over to the table by Sterling and David.

[Brian]

There's a table for drinks next to the actual pool table, and a pair of stools are resting beneath it.  Atop the table is a smudged menu, offering a variety of drinks, and a few snack foods.  Nachos, onion rings ... though judging by the quality of Walker's order, not very good ones.

Tom takes a stool and leafs through the menu idly, nodding his head to Tim and Daniel.  "You two play the first game," he suggests.

At the other table, David and Sterling are pretty evenly matched, though both keep shooting sharp glances at the man practicing by himself.  Walker is obsorbed in the contemplation of his onion rings.

[Halbarad]

Tim follows along behind Daniel, doing his best to get a measure of the other people in the room without looking TOO obvious about it. Particularly the misplaced-looking fellow at the table next to the Bigfire members.

[Ebiris]

Daniel takes a pool cue and puts some quarters into the table to release the balls before setting them up. "You wanna break, Tim?" he asks, not really paying much heed to the other patrons.

[Halbarad]

"Sure, I don't mind." Tim takes a moment or two to get the straightest cue he can find, then proceeds to break.