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Pippi     There was nothing quite as American as a baseball game.

    And for some reason, Pippi had developed an interest in baseball. Maybe it was the chasing, catching. Maybe it was the hitting of things with blunt objects. Maybe it was its affiliation with all-beef ballpark franks.

    On Memorial Day Eve, Zisel Holiday had closed up shop early, giving her workers the night and the day after off to go home. Some of ehr crew would be making their anual trip out to the Veteran's cemetary to clean up their pop-pop's grave. One would be making a visit to his buddy's in Arlington. Others would be attending block parties and barbecues.

    Zisel herself had the Mets Radio on, playing the game taking place in Pittsburgh and readying for her own bit of a party, cleaning the place up, setting out little flags and, her own tradition since starting a restaurant, she sets up a table with a place, the glass overturned, and an old looking American Flag, folded with its stars showing on the plate. She plunks herself down, some of her graying brown hair sliding from her ponytail as she regards the place setting, and she raises her coke to it.

    "Happy Memorial Day, Dad." she states softly, and sips from her drink.
Alopex     Despite closed doors and closed signs, the sound of the radio playing the game was still enough to draw at least one regular toward their regular dive, if not two of them. One thing they didn't recognize, however, was the holiday being celebrated. It wasn't something they taught in the training they received, and certainly wasn't explained in labs. Between the closed sign, but idle curiousity, that 'regular' familiar form has been inching closer, all the while trying not to interrupt what seemed like something a little more somber than normal.
Pippi     Little bit, but Zisel couldn't be kept down too long. The table she'd set was in the front, where folks could see it as they passed. She hung up a black curtain to keep the heat out of the rest of the kitchen and dining area, and when she turned, she had perhaps not noticed the approaching ninja.

    So spotting Alopex in the back made Zisel jump practically out of her skin, before she realized just who was there.

    "/ALOPEX/. Jeez! Give a girl a heart attack!" she states, with laughter.

    Pippi then pokes her head up over the back counter, where the distracted pupper had gotten into some of the bacon for sandwiches. "Hi Zee! Happy Memorial Day Weekend!" she greets, without an ounce of sheepishness, her tail wagging brightly.
Alopex     The sudden surprise that's caused was exactly what Pex was trying to avoid. Alas. Water under the bridge, now, "Wasn't my intention, sorry, Zisel,". At least she was quick to apologize, right? A sidelong glance is given Pippi, then a helpless smile is given the burgermaster. She'd pay for it. She always did. "I didn't mean to intrude, given you had closed, but between the baseball game on the radio and this, ah, Memorial day, I'll admit I was wondering what you were up to."
Pippi     "Ha, it's fine. Just didn't hear you come in with the game on. I mean, you're a ninja, I'm supposed to be taken unawares, right?" the woman gives a grin, turning to lock the door. Not that it was ever locked to Alopex and Pippi.

    "Ah, well. Memorial day. A lot of folks use it as a shopping or camping holiday, the 'start of summer' as it were." Zisel grins, ruffling Pippi's hair as she passes and goes back to the kitchen to get cooking, and Pippi changes her place from 'behind the counter where she's certainly not supposed to be' to 'sitting at one of the twirling stools at the counter, slowly turning in circles as she listens to Zisel speak, looking at all the pictures decorating the walls of highly publicized heroes.
Alopex     The fox ends up a seat down from the spinning pup. "True, I suppose it is rather difficult to just 'turn off' being silent all the time." Start of summer? "I thought Summer started on the solstice?" Technically, sure. "As for the holiday, that seems like an odd use for a day named 'Memorial'."
Pippi     You spin-ing right round Pippi, right round like a doggo Pippi right round, round, round.

    Zisel gives a bit of a smile. "Well, because the holiday's not really about that. Memorial day's about being thankful to those who died performing their duties to protect the country, like my great uncle Henry did, fighting against a group called the Nazis, lead by a man named Hitler, who thought it'd be a grand idea to eliminate my bubbeh Zisel's people." she states, and she pulls a couple of patties, tossing them to the griddle, hearing the sizzle.
Alopex     Now it all makes -much- more sense. "Ooooh. That makes a lot more sense. When I was .. 'growing' and training, they didn't see a reason to really educate on things besides tactics and skills. I appreciate the little lesson, Zisel. I don't really have an ancestor to honor on a day like this, but I can still be thankful for anyone that made the world a little better for someone I consider a friend."
Pippi     "Well, maybe, maybe not." Zisel reflects quietly, and she considers a moment. "There's a growing movement that recognizes something called 'the war at home'. After you leave the military, you don't really... leave it. You don't separate youself from memories, and leave them behind." Zisel explains. "My old man fought in a war called Vietnam. They don't officially call it a war -- not like out there was between the Union and the Confederacy, which before we unified had a way different meaning." the burger girl replies, putting some buns down. There's a pitch, there's a strike, the crowd cheers and the announcer seems far away.

    "I mighta built this place on recognizing big heroes and little heroes, but there wasn't a lot of help for these guys coming back from Vietnam. And some of 'em... after a long time got sick. In their heads, I mean. So they left the war behind, but fought a war at home, an' sometimes, they lose." she gives a nod quietly to the chair behind the curtain. "More people are recognizing it now for what it is, I think with all the fighting that goes on out there."
Alopex     That sets the fox rather quiet. Considering how the memories of the lab can fester for both her and for Pippi, "I think I understand that, perhaps in a different way.." she notes, glancing over at Pippi. "Maybe both of us, actually."
Pippi     Pippi was more intently listening to the baseball game, her ears up, her tail up, hardly wagging, her eyes wide. "That sounded like a good hit -- keep going-going-and -- INTO THE RIVERRRR YEEEESSSS!" the happy doggo says, and she pumps her arms in the air.

    "I know, 'Pex." Zisel says quietly, "... one of the reasons I keep this place open for everyone is because my bubbeh-- that's grandmother, in Yiddish, by the by -- she always insisted on giving what she could. At Beth Shalom, at the community center where I learned how to swim and program..." she states, and she motions to Pippi, and to Pex. "You guys fight out there for people who can't. That's as important as anything." she comments quietly, and gives a smile to the fox. "So I give freely of what I can when you need it, because you're my friends first and foremost, and because people should be taking care of one another. It's the only way we're gonna get by."
Alopex     Blissfully unaware. That was something Alopex wasn't going to ruin. Her gaze turns back to Zisel, still listening. "It's very appreciated. We get a little money here and there, though it's often pawning off random things here and there. I'm sure we -both- appreciate all you do for us, Zizel. You don't have to, but you do anyway. It's the reason why I let those purple dragons know -exactly- how I felt."
Pippi     Zisel gives a small laugh, dropping some fries in one basket, and she leans back. "Oi! Pip! Did you eat all the bacon in the tin?"

    "... yes." Pippi replies, her ears drooping slightly. Zisel tisks. "You just get burger then, no bacon kiddo. Next time, a little restraint, right?"

    Pippi gives a tail wag, releived that she wasn't actually in any sort of trouble, and returns to listening to the mets game, blissfully unaware of the somber occasion on which they play.

    "A couple of my crew are veterans, or the children of veterans, so I let 'em all have tomorrow off. I'll probably call up my mom and my kid to talk to 'em."
Alopex     An 'evil' smirk forms, "Mm.. we may have to burn that bacon off tomorrow.." that could mean SO MANY THINGS. Laps, push-ups, sit-ups, the dreaded pull up, who knows?! The Fox Knows. Or she's teasing. It's hard to tell.

    Parents, no surprise, kid? ".. I wasn't aware of that," Pex admits in reference to 'the kid'. Do they live far off, Zisel?
Pippi     Pippi blinks, and then gives a grin, "You're on! I can out pull up you now, I bet!" she states, and flexes her muscles with a grin, wagging her tail.
    Zisel gives a smile, and she plops down, setting good ol' fashioned American burgers, two quarter-pound angus patties, sharp vermont cheddar, wisconsin Gouda, happy Ohio Bacon (even on Pippi's), Heinz ketchup still manufactured in Pittsburgh, and locally made 100% Ciabatta rolls. Yes, Pippi's has bacon too, and a split hotdog on top.

    "Y-yeah." Zee gives a momentary smile, and rubs the back of her head. "Before I decided I was going to buy a building in NYC and run a burger joint out of it, I was a mild mannered computer programmer with a husband and a kid, three bedroom ranch house in the suburbs where everyone had the same exact three bedroom ranch house and lawn and a home owners association and everything. And... things changed."
Alopex     "Challenge Accepted,". Pippi done did it now. She may end up being sore in 48 hours. That's fine, though. Seeing her self confidence grow was a wonderful thing. To push herself to surpass Alopex was even better.

    Plates are set, mouths start to water, bites are taken, and the fox's ears flick at the hesitation. She nods, at least, but the topic seemed a little tender, one which she wasn't going to push at too hard. "This is -delicious-, as always." Topic chaaaange.
Pippi     Zisel seemed happy for the change. She plunks down on a barstool, and hands out waters with lemon and lime to the two.

    "Thanks, Pex." Zee replies, and she leans back, arching her arms up and over her shoulders as she gives a bit of a yawn, and listens to the game on the radio, and the munching of the canine crusaders.
Alopex     After the compliment, and with the game still going, AND the water offered, Pex gives Pippi a little nudge as she noms. Manners are just as important as everything else that's being taught. After all, Pex remembers how much she didn't know after being mutated. There's lots of things to learn that aren't skills. Just 'common world' things need to be taught just the same.
Pippi     Nudge. Nudge? Ball game... nudge? Pippi's ears come up, she glances over at the burger -- WITH bacon (wagwagwagwag), but then she thinks, glances up to Zisel in repose, glances to Alopex, and then remembers. "Oh! Thank you veyr much Zisel! The burgers are great, bacon is delicious, and I really appreciate you giving food!" she states, excited, earnest -- and with only half of her mouth full. She's getting better.
Alopex     Smirk. Close enough. They'll keep working on it, "Agreed," Alopex reaffirms as she draws on the water before settling comfortably on the seat. "You know you can call us for -anything-." Because ninja, despite the locked door, the fox looks around then back at Zisel, "Did we tell you where we are in the Thane forest?"
Pippi     "I think Pippi said once, and then promptly closed her muzzle with both hands over it and tried to crab-walk to the old coal elevator." Zee replies thoughtfully.

    Pippi was still a bit on being chastized for manners, and looks shamefully over at Pex, her tail drooping, ears drooping, shoulders rising, and she looks a little shamed.
Alopex     The pup gets a pat on the shoulder, cause she wasn't doing -that- bad. "I think we know you well enough that I don't mind you knowing. There used to be an old sort of museum that we're in now. A really large tree grew over the entrance and hid the place really well."
Pippi "Huh. That's kind of badass." Zee replies, blinking a moment before she goes to get herself a water with lemon and lime as well. "I wonder if there's anything at City Hall about it. Or maybe the Bronx Historical society. There's a lot of urban explorers who'd probably be keen in finding it..." she trails off... and Pippi blinks. She turns to Alopex, and was about to ask a question before a CR-ACK! comes on the radio, "And it's going -- going -- gooooiiing -- and it it /CAUGHT/ by Jaso in the outfield! What a catch for the Pirates!"

    Her ears flatten. "Bloody Pirates."
Alopex     "Well, since we moved in I've worked a fair bit to hide it even better than it was before. Someone would need to be pretty dedicated to find the way in, or the back way out. If you want I'd be happy to show you sometime-" CR-ACK!

    A glance is given the radio and another pat is given to Pippi, "Game isn't over yet, right?" she points out. She noticed that Pippi seemed ready to say something before the sound of a ball going -nearly- out of the park was heard. So close..
Pippi     SO CLOSE. Yet so far away.

    Zisel won't mention she's a Pirates fan, though, never mind the gold hat with the fancy P on it hanging on the hook by the register. She'll let the Mets-loving Pippi enjoy the game.

    "Not over until it's over." she recites Yogi Berra's famous line, and she wags her tail a moment. "We're not going to have to move if someone finds us, right Alopex? The Captain and Christmas would be so sad!"
Alopex     "That depends on who finds us and how sensible they are. I wouldn't worry too much about it. That area of the forest doesn't get a lot of foot traffic. I tend to monitor it a lot on my way in and out. If that changes I can always try to set up a few proximity warnings of some kind. Hopefully it won't come to that."
Pippi     "Okay." Pippi states, her tail wagging, and she pipes up with: "As long as we don't have to live in a lab again. That was bad. Very bad." she states, and turns her attention back to the radio.

    Zisel's lips are pursed, and she leans over to Alopex "... do you think she's chipped?"
Alopex     Blink. Headtilt. "I don't think so? .. I'm not sure.." She remembered seeing all the chips being REMOVED from the pets stolen for Lambda, but if Pippi had one? ... Oh dear. "Pippi.. turn your back to me for a second.."
Pippi     "Huh? My back?" she states, and she blinks, and she turns around on her stool, stopping, and peering over her shoulder. "Do I have a bug on me?" she questions, her head tilting, one ear rising up.

    Zisel considers a moment, and leans back. "Be right back." she states, and she heads for the 'secret door' marked 'DANGER: EVIL LAB AT ISLAND WITH SKULL SHAPED VOLCANO BEHIND THIS DOOR!" that really leads to a very steep staircase that leads to the upstairs apartments.
Alopex     While waiting for Zisel to return, the fox just starts peeking through Pippi's fur, curious. "Just something I want to check on. I think Zisel may be better at this than I am, though. We'll see.."
Pippi     Pippi just blinks, and keeps turning over her shoulder, peering down, and she wriggles slightly, feeling the fingers poking through her summer-sheered fur, she wags her tail a moment, in the sort of nervous fashion. "Oh." she pauses a moment. "... like a barbeque chip?"
Alopex     "A little different... I'm not sure how I would explain it, to be honest, Pippi. It's just something to make sure we aren't going to have any unwanted visitors.." Though she has to wonder about the last time they caught Pippi, and Hatter seemingly finding her too. If she had one of these 'chips' that could explain a few things. If not, well, that's just luck of one sort or another.
Pippi     Dumb luck.

    Zisel returns, with what looks like a weird high-tech spatula and her phone. "All right. This might be easier. This is kinda a security wand. It helps me find tags in designer clothing when I worked for a group and would take 'em out." she states, and she hands it to ALopex. "So basically, if you wave it over her and it goes 'bing', there's stuff. I should then be able to figure out what kinda tag it is." she states, and glances up "... a lot of the time, dogs can be tagged in case they get lost without collars. It stores owner's information on it."
Alopex     After taking the wand, it gets a looking over from Alopex before she starts to slowly wave it over Pippi's head, neck, and further on down. "Try to hold still for a few more moments, Pippi. This shouldn't take too long.."
Pippi     Pippi looks concerned. She glances back and forth, wriggling slightly, the minute she's told to be still, obviously she has to move. She shifts her weight, turning around a moment and then, when all seems lost and the waving look very silly --

    BEEP.

    "Captured. I should be able to give this code to a vet friend of mine from back north." Zee states, and she glances over at the Fox.

    "... if it turns out it's not a consumer chip, we can take the next step." she states, and she looks a little grim. "Until then? Ah. I guess just be careful."
Alopex Beep? Yep, that was a beep. That's a problem. "Hrn, how do these chips usually work..?" Alopex asks as the wand is handed back to Zisel. She isn't about to throw Pippi out, that would be the most heartless thing -ever-. Not happening. She just wants to understand them so she can work against it.
Pippi     "Well. Typically consumer chips have a signal and a code in them that's in a big database. Police officers, animal shelters, stuff like that will store a list of people who've owned the pet, as long as it's updated we can track down who's owned her before she was..." and she trails off, and her eyes open wide as she realized what she just said.

    Pippi was uncharacteristically quiet. The game was forgotten. Her ears were up. Her tail was dead still. Her dark eyes were set on Zee, the burger was even forgotten -- even its bacon! -- and she seems to have suddenly been made of stone.
Alopex     Wait. Waiiiiiit. Wait. That wasn't what Alopex had thought of at -all-. "Oh. Oooooooh." Well this may turn out... very different than expected. Now the fox wasn't entirely sure what to think. And it was really hard to tell what Pippi was thinking, now. "Hey..?"
Pippi     "... I could find my boy?" Pippi asks quietly. Her attention was entirely placed on Zisel. Razorfine. The kind of attention that the broken-hearted canine hadn't felt since...

    Since her family gave her away.

    Since she was abandoned. And she waited, because she was a good girl.

    Zisel almost winces. She rubs the back of her head a moment and purses her lips. "Look, there's a chance that it's not a consumer chip, that it is something that the people who... who changed you put in there. If so, the next step is to remove it, and maybe we can track them for a change." she states, trying to break it doen and not promise anything, but not scare Pippi either.

    "... I think I have peanutbutter-vanilla ice cream cups, Pippi. Why don't you check the walk-in freezer?" she asks, helpfully suggesting an alternative.

    "OOH! PUPCUPS!" Pippi exclaims, hops the counter, and heads towards the back, scrabbling her claws on the floor as she goes, tail wagging again.

    Zisel gives a wince to Alopex.
Alopex     After Pippi bounds off, and only once she was in the back, Alopex glances back to Zisel, "It's okay. See what you can find out about the chip, and we'll go from there. It could be one thing or the other, and she knows what both possibilities are. Until we have the information, we can't really act on it. As long as they can't track her at long distance because of the chip, we should be fine."
Pippi     "Signal's way to weak for that." Zisel explains, pointing to the meter. "This thing was hardly able to pick it up. You wouldn't be able to track it with GPS or anything. It's like... the chips they use for credit cards, you know? You have to have the right kind of reader in most cases... just..." she motion sto the wand. "Lucky for you, you have the best app security designer to come out of MIT on your side." she states with a helpless shrug. "But with the code, I should be able to have my pal feed it through the databases. But from what you told me about her... the best thing we could find out is how old she actually is. The worst thing would be if the boy's still around. Because between your training, and her strength, I don't think there's anything that would stop her from reaching him... and it's not going to be a good ending." Zisel says. "There's still plenty of people who don't like non-humans, in spite of the Multiverse."
Alopex     Another nod, "Yeah... I'll ... certainly take that into consideration. I'll stop by in a week or so and get it directly... and we'll go from there. Or do you think it would take longer?"
Pippi     "Depends. I'll see what I can track down." Zisel says quietly, and then suddenly there are CUPS EVERYWHERE. Three in front of alopex. Four in front of Zisel, who didn't hear the pup come back -- and Pippi has six. Two are already emptied and she has a little peanutbutter around her muzzle.

    Zisel picks up a spoon, and points at Alopex.

    "Friggin'. Ninjas."
Alopex     The shocked look on Alopex's face should prove to Zisel that she's as surprised as the burgermaster. "... I. What?" A long look is given the present pup. "... Well done!"