RP:Everyone Loves Tuna

Part of the The Dust Up In Cenril Arc

Part of the Hour of Wolves Arc

Summary: Hudson and Meri meet at the Office. Meri is delighted by the presence of Tuna, the tiger cub that Eleanor and Leoxander rescued from a mob-run deli in Larket. Hudson and Meri discuss the purple dust he'd asked her to try out, and the feedback is positive. Hudson asks Meri what she knows about red dirt in Frostmaw -- a rival drug operation -- and she says she'll look into it when she's up there patrolling.

The Office

As they'd last left it, Hudson and Meri had agreed to meet and discuss the new purple dust he'd entrusted with her. Hudson had dropped off a note at the tattoo parlor, setting a meeting at the Office, which brings us to the present scene. Hudson has cleaned up the manager's office a touch - he'd formally rented a room at an inn, so he's no longer living there. He's got one of the girls keeping his calendar, so he knows that he's set to meet Meri right now, and when she presumably makes her entrance, he's there, spare beer in hand. "Drink?" he says, by way of greeting.

The note was received and Meri would even have the decency to send a response to indicate she'd show up as requested with no objections to the time. Either she had no scheduled appointments or Meri managed to shift them around to make time, only she knows that. The expression that time is money is rated pretty high in Meri's book and so her entrance is made when expected, with a little bit of help from one of Hudson's many girls. After casual exchange with said girl, just to make sure that Hudson was actually around, Meri is directed to the manager's office where she finds Hudson waiting beer in hand. With a hello like that, she can't help but grin while she steps forward toward Hudson to claim that offered beer. "See, now, that's a good way to say hello. I dig it. You should keep that one in the rotation." Hudson may have done some cleaning up, but Meri was still not trusting that couch, the desk was much more comfortable to sit on anyway. Nothing out of the norm for Meri. "So what's up?" is asked casually, though she had a fair idea of why she was here already, "I mean I am alive, and in one piece, and didn't grow a second head or anything." Hudson gets to talk, Meri gets to drink her beer.

Hudson has a beer for himself and he knocks the bottle against Meri's, which he'd opened before handing to her. "Yeah," he agrees, saying, "Cheers," before drinking. It bears worth mentioning that there's a new reason not to trust the couch - there's a tiger cub chilling on it, by the way. She's sleeping on the afghan. By all appearances looks to be comfortable and like she's made herself at home. (Her name is Tuna.) Hudson, who is unbothered by the presence of the baby tiger for obvious reasons (she lives here), drinks from his beer and considers that Meri is indeed here, in the flesh. "Yeah, seems that way," he says, cracking a grin. He sits on the edge of his desk, gestures that she have one of the chairs out in front. He considers her, his grin dimming to a general demeanor suggesting subtle amusement. The suspense! "Sooo, Meri," he taps out a beat with the backside of his hand against the glass bottle, "you wanna tell me, how was it? The red dirt stuff is crazy, I know, I got no idea who's making it up in Frostmaw but they're a savage."

Meri's answer doesn't come immediately because the tiger sitting on the couch very well steals her attention. She may have only just settled onto the desk but off it she goes, subject has been entirely derailed here. It's not full blown gushing over how cute Tuna is but yeah, Meri happens to think the tiger cub is not actually amongst to not trust the couch. It might be earning the couch some bonus points here. Meri is approaching the couch. "So is or she going to maul me?" Well Meri isn't rightly going to give Hudson much chance to answer, trial by fire here as Meri is going to reach right on out with a steady hand to try and scratch the cub behind the ear. The question is rhetorical as in the back of Meri's mind she reasons that Hudson is not just going to be chilling with an aggressive tiger. If she's correct in this thinking then she's just going to settle into a crouch right in front of the couch with beer loosely held in one hand, the other is busy petting a tiger. She will make friends. "You knoooow what I am going to say. You don't even need my opinion, you could find out first hand for yourself, Huds." There is a short pause here but she kept on before Hudson had to whip out the 'dad' excuse. "But it was a good time. The guy I convinced to give it a go with me seemed to have a good time. Lasted for a few hours. Given what you told me you were hoping for? And what I felt. I'd say you nailed it pretty well. The stuff's definitely worthy of a repeat offense." Another smirk, not that Hudson would see this one as Meri is kind of busy trying to charm a tiger....or at least walk away with unmarred tattoos, bare minimum.

Hudson glances toward the couch with surprise. Sometimes he forgets Tuna is here. She's like furniture now. Mostly she's nice to the dancers just sometimes she pees on things. "Oh, Tuna?" he says, realizing that Meri is talking about the baby tiger. "Nah not hard at least, she plays though, it's sometimes alarming because she thinks she's a little cat." Tuna responds by sighing contentedly into being petted and angling her head to better facilitate said petting. Of course she does. "She had some broken bones when we rescued her, she's a little doped up on pain meds," explains Huds, because yeah it's not normal to keep a baby tiger around for reasons. This is the recovery room. Also, his office. In the Office. As Meri gets back into the subject at hand, he suppresses a grin, nods his head and waves a hand as if to say, I know, I know. "Yeah well, I know, I'm due for a little fun," he concedes, considering Tuna. 'Rescued' by the way is the wrong word. His comrades definitely stole her from a mob-run deli before blowing it up. "I'm glad it worked out," he adds. He considers her further. "You seem like a woman in the know based on our talks, just wondering whether you know who's behind the red dirt operation in Frostmaw? Because I can find the stuff on the street but that ain't me."

Meri cannot handle this cute overload that is Tuna. The tiger tilts her head into Meri's hand and the woman grins widely. No smirk, no sass to that grin because she is saying something that she at least finds amusing, Meri might be melting just a little. "Alright, well look, you take good care of Tuna for me, yeah? But just know when she is better I am catnapping her and she is going to come live with Kadence and Gage. Sorry if anyone is particularly attached and I go breaking hearts...." Pushing out of that crouch and to her feet, Meri turns to face Hudson once more. The beer is drained, and not because Meri was in a rush to make her escape. Beer is good, one is supposed to drink it, and if they do not they are just babysitting. Meri does not babysit these days. The look that is leveled on Hudson is a bit more calculated, it is almost as if she is trying to decide how much she does or does not want to reveal to the man. This is a woman that would rather get information than give it but she eventually spills, "No," but that is just the start, "I don't know. What I have been told is they really have no solid leads on the whole issue. No clue where it is coming from but I hear whomever is pushing it is getting more aggressive in their efforts. I've also got an invite to join a warrior up in Frostmaw on his patrol for junkies and leads. I also know that the guy Lionel put in charge of spearheading the task of figuring this thing out? He feels like they are so clueless as to who the culprit is that they got desperate enough to ask him when he's not even someone who claims hard ties to Frostmaw. Or anywhere really. So it sounds like no one up there has a clue."

So, the thing about Tuna is that she's going to grow into a full grown tiger. Hudson laughs at the idea of someone catnapping her. (Also, unclear what they'll do with her when she gets big.) Hudson rubs his stubble - he'd shaved! At some point - and considers Meri and the cub. Who knew that baby tigers were even better than French bulldogs insofar as jazzing up women. "Yeah, I dunno, obviously I can't keep her, but my partner Eleanor is kind of a crazy cat lady so... Maybe you can wrestle for it, in mud I think that's standard for resolving these types of disputes." He drinks from his beer and considers Meri poker faced, like he hadn't just made that comment. He wants to hear what she says next, though. He grunts into his beer bottle as she says Lionel's name. F- that guy! F- that guy so bad. F- that guy over 9000. "Yeah, sounds like they have no idea what they're doing," Hudson is quick to agree, and damn it feels good to slam do-gooder, Alvina-stealing Lionel over this thing that of course he knows nothing about because his job is to go to war with bad guys not dismember drug cartels. Although maybe now dismembering a drug cartel is also his job. "It's clearly someone with a lot of resources and I'm surprised I don't know who it is myself, seeing as how, you know," says Hudson, his gaze softening as he watches Meri pet Tuna. Seriously, baby tiger > French bulldog. He's glad Leo and Eleanor didn't let Tuna go up with the deli. "Do you mind letting me know what you learn? I'm going to do a little recon myself, compare notes, maybe we can combine forces."

"I will mud wrestle when you hire a guy named Mikey and give me a ladies night...." In short this means this probably never going to happen, that was perhaps a kind way of saying no, not going to happen. There is a thoughtful glance back over her shoulder at both the couch and the feline sprawled out upon it and wouldn't you know? Meri finally sucks it up and hunkers down on the couch but the cub decides the time for petting is over. She is not as gentle as a kitten but Meri doesn't seem to mind and as she is not doing anything that would cause permanent damage. Except to Meri's pants, but Meri already has holes in the knees so what is another hole or two? Tuna is currently trying to eat the fray surrounding said holes in the knees. Let me just try and nom on this fuzz please. Maybe add another hole to your pants. Totally okay, because I am super cute, right? Well yes, Tuna, Meri agrees. The feline plays, but Meri manages to not get distracted and keeps the conversation going. That grunt over Lionel? It does not escape her note but she does not fully know why and she has never met the guy before...So Meri doesn't entirely care. It is just an interesting observation. "Yeah, sure. Where are you thinking of starting? Who have you got your eye on for pressing for information? It makes no sense for us to go fishing in the same spot. I'll be on patrol with Eirik and the guy went and vouched for me so I can play tag along on their little excursion they have got coming up. So my foot is in the door with the warrior's up there."

"Mikey," Hudson says the name under a chuckle. His amusement tempers as Tuna becomes more lively. She's a good girl, but she's also a tiger and Meri, as far as he knows, isn't a werewolf so... one thing for Tuna to roughhouse with him and Leo but another thing entirely for her to go gnawing on the guests. She seems to be dopey and playful in a measured way though, so he'll keep an eye but he's not worried. "Just gonna watch the dodgy part of Frostmaw, I guess, figure out where the stash is, or likely is. There'll be a lot of armed guys, that'll be a tip off," says Hudson, helping himself to more from his beer. "So, you are there for the ride along and your dude's gonna knock some heads together with the street dealers?" he can see the appeal, considers that it might be reasonably entertaining if that's what they're about. Mostly it would be reasonably entertaining if Lionel took one to the face. Hudson smiles. There's a thought to keep him warm. He scratches his elbow a bit. "That red dirt, you know, it's real popular now, but maybe don't use it on the reg, ...I isolated the ingredients and there was some stuff in there, I dunno what the effect is if you go for prolonged use over time... Not that I'm the most responsible of people, being a drug lord and all, but whoever's making that red dirt stuff is really ... I dunno, maybe I sound like a salty rival business because my stuff isn't hardcore like that, but a man's got to have some code, I guess."

Meri was no werewolf, that was true. As far as Hudson would really be able to tell she is just a head strong, perhaps even stupidly reckless human. Who really knows? In these lands it can be challenging to tell if the person sitting in front of you is really just a human. Meri liked to keep her cards shielded and held close. Meri does not seem overly concerned with injury though so why should Hudson be. Tuna was just being a cutey. Meri loses focus on the cat though as Hudson says something that sounds alarm bells in Meri's mind -- perhaps he did not mean it quite like it came off but..! "Whoa, whoa, whoa there? Let's try and not put the words 'my' and 'dude' so close together, yeah? Ultimately that is Sabrina's dude. Me and Sabs are good, yeah? Let's keep those two words far apart when speaking about Eirik. He's -a- dude and I just happen to know him." Meri pauses, to let the point sink in, don't be trying to marry Meri up with anyone. If anything happens to Lionel's face during any of these excursions, hopefully Meri will have the low down on that story. Then again! Maybe she'll meet the guy and decide he's not so bad for a goody two shoes. Women. Hard to say what they will think half the time. "Anyway, I don't rightly know what is going to go down on this patrol. It could be a whole lot of nothing. But if things go that way then no? I don't think Eirik expects that I am to just stand by and watch while he flexes his muscles and knocks a few skulls in. I am pretty sure he thinks I am more capable than just standing around and looking pretty." Tattooed shoulders roll in a casual shrug right as Tuna manages to put another hole in Meri's pant leg. No broken skin, and Meri just chuckles, but also makes the decision to abandon post on the couch. "Frankly you don't sound salty. Would you really want someone who is maybe-sort-of in your employment to be hooked on the competitions product? Sketchy. Means I could be selling you out, eh? You're good. I am not really interested in something that makes me want to punch someone else's skull because maybe they were breathing wrong."

Hudson actually hadn't meant it in a certain way but lifts his eyebrows as Meri bristles. "Dude I don't know, I just meant the dude you're accompanying, my b," he says, tipping back the remaining contents of his beer. He puts the emptied bottle on his desk, and then re-settles the entirety of his focus on Meri as she shares her hypothesis for how she and Eirik will spend their evening, or whenever they do this. "I guess you'll see. Alright then," his attention is briefly captured by the shenanigans of the tiger on the couch. "Tuna, no," he says, in a tired way. Meri makes the right call. Tuna seems to be waking up from her medication, there's more holes where that one came from. He nods in agreement with her. "Yeah, well bottom line. I just think whoever it is, that person made something too dangerous," he pushes off the desk to meet her, hands in his pockets. It seems their meeting is coming to a natural end here. "Thanks for coming by," he says, opening up his arms and approaching her. "Do we hug? Are we friends now? Yeeeeaah, I think we hug." Joking aside, he pats her shoulderblade and kisses her on the cheek before releasing her. "Thanks for letting Tuna bite you. Catch up when you're back from your excursion."