2019-08-26 - PD vs FD/EMT Paintball for Charity

Bennie settles her protective eyewear down over the bridge of her nose, tightening the elastic strap beneath the swing of her pony tail. She’s in complete ‘bro’ mode, shouting in a mock growl, “Let’s DO THIS.” Before chest bumping Easton and bouncing back with a fit of laughter.

Kevin is not supposed to be playing paintball today, he's supposed to be taking it easy and nursing the last stages of a concussion behind his dark glasses. Oh yes, and also covering the event for the paper. So he's dressed in relatively nice khakis and a pale blue button-up shirt rather than anything paintball appropriate. This isn't going to end in tragedy at all. He had a little notepad out, wandering about, interviewing those participating with questions like 'What made you want to participate today' and 'how great is this turnout,' and the inevitable follow-up, 'What do you think the great turnout for an event involving guns says about our society?' It's probably the last one, asked to the wrong person, that gets him strapped up with a helmet, goggles, face-mask, and an air-rifle filled with little red beads of paint. Now he looks over to the others on his team, shaking his head at the camaraderie shown between Bennie and Easton and looking to Lilith, "So... just point and shoot, right? Like playing Battlefront or Call of Duty?"

"I'm sweating too much already." Sutton says to Bennie, reaching up to adjust her goggles, shoving her shock of blonde hair under a black ballcap, because that's going to make her overheating problem better. "Did anybody bring margaritas?"

Geoff straps on the last of his gear, and after handling his paintball gun in a manner that shows a painful lack of firearm safety knowledge he decides it is good to go. Walking out to their places he looks around and spots Ruiz beside him. Clapping the police captain on the shoulder he says somberly "Look man, I know we haven't always gotten along the best, so I wanted to take a chance to say this." after a deep breath and an exhale he finishes "Please don't Rodney King me." and with that he trots off ahead.

Isabella Reede will always back Team Red, because it's her favorite color. Look, life is complicated enough, some choices ought to be simple.

But considering the fact that Byron is probably playing for the Blue Team, it's probably not all that surprising that she would elect to play for whatever team he isn't in, if not just because this is the way they always have been throughout their entire lives. Venturing to where her group is huddled, she's all smiles in spite of the slightly worried tinge to her expression - green-gold eyes looking elsewhere towards the direction of the hospital, on occasion, and she's dressed for the occasion; dark hair pulled in a perfectly serviceable ponytail, she's dressed in a fitted, light long-sleeved shirt and cargo pants and sneakers. She's already fitted in her rented protective gear.

She's also pocketing a couple of red markers on one of her pants' leg pockets.

Fitted out in an appropriate red GHFD tee-shirt Easton gives a bewildered laugh as Bennie growls and chest-bumps him. "If you all think I'm not breaking out hand signals and directing fire, you are sadly mistaken at how overly serious I'm taking this." He of course is laughing when he says it so it kind of undermines his point. He does take the time to point to his eyes and then at Geoff.

Lilith has come with free-motion athletic gear on in variety of skin-tight spandex capri and crop tank in black and pink to match her Nikes, good running shoes which are about to see a lot of use. Her hair has been pulled back and twisted into a messy, but effective knot out of her face and her features are free from cosmetics with flush of summer sun and... a fair amount of excitable hyperactivity that certain people from childhood, Byron and Geoff especially, would realize is her mothereffing gameface. She's come ready to play and she spends some time stretching after arriving with a backpack to sling off.

After drinking from her water bottle, she gets set up with equipment, then detours to grab Byron into a hug from behind so she can murmur singsong with a complete lack of apologetic apology, "If I see you, I'm going to eff-you-the-hell-up. Mwah." Then she moves to team, but not before doing a bit of a double take and a point while walking backwards to rib Geoff, "Geoff is a cop now, it's opposite day!"

When she gets over by Kevin, she grins and breathes out a laugh before reaching out to knock guns against his like a cheers of salute, "Kind of like old times, huh, killer? You were always tops at the shoot-mans games, to be fair."

Harper spots quite a few people she knows out on the field, sitting in the stands with a bundle of cotton candy. "Oh, this is going to be good." She catches sight of Isolde and waves, then crooks a finger in invition. She calls out: "Get 'em, Emergency Responders!" Which of course works for both sides.

Isolde couldn't resist exploring the gathering and watching! And there's a Harper! Waving back, Isolde makes her way over to the librarian and sits down. "Harper!" Giving her a one-armed squeeze of a hug and also offering her some funnel cake. "Do you like blue or red best?"

Zoiya stands off to one side, watching everyone get riled up and ready to rumble. She has pom-poms in hand and sways from side to side, waving the silly plastic things in the air. Who she's cheering for isn't really apparent, she just seems to be cheering in general. Her hair is even in pigtails. She is wearing a loose black t-shirt tied under her ribs, and a pair of booty shorts. She grips her pom pom's in one hand for a moment so she can grab a drink from the water bottle she brought with her.

Ruiz isn't going to admit to anyone that he has some professional grade gear stashed away in storage, but a bunch of the patrol officers already know this. So it's sort of a moot point. He checks his gear as the call goes out for the next round, and flashes his team a quick smile. "Let's go fuck up the FD's day, shall we?" His paintball gun is double-checked, and then he moves off to get in position. Which, for him, means behind plenty of cover.

This is not the first that Byron Thorne had participated in a similar styled event. He's been a part of the GHPD family since he was a child, so despite not being an officer himself, he knows quite a few of them. Dressed in a casual plain long sleeved shirt in hunter green and a comfortably sturdy pair of cargo pants, Thorne tests out how the rifle feels within his grasp, paying attention to the weight and the grip. Once that's sorted, he tugs down at the visor of his GHPD cap, eyes quietly looking over both teams in what could be considered intense scrutiny if not for that easy grin across his lips, "Good luck everyone." He calls out to the collective group. "Especially you, Reede." It's when he says this that he's ambushed from behind, turning to find Lilith there, "Et Tu, Lil? The little traitor. I figured that's why you wanted me to donate on your behalf."

Fawn is wearing red, has on her safety gear, and carrying her air-rifle. Prepped and ready to go, it would seem, is the Fire Marshal. Nodding to some of the others wearing red, she turns and heads off to where the Fire Department will be starting from, a glance given through goggles towards the ones in blue, eyes narrowing, "So, who shall we go for first?" Who /is/ the highest one out there on the field for blue team? Ahem.

Checking that all the gear is in place, Rick glances around at the others. He offers a grin to Andi. "Seems like a bit safer to get shot here than the last time, hmmm?" It's offered lightly, as he moves to find himself a place behind some cover, getting ready to fire at one of the targets, not really paying attention to who that is, as long as it's one from the other team.

Kevin cheerses guns with Lilith in a complete lack of firearms safety to challenge even Geoff's. "Yup! Just like old times!" He peers through his darkened glasses at the CO2 rifle, "Where's WAS-D on this thing?" He's joking, right? He has to be joking. He wanders about his side, then gets behind some stacked hay bales, "So... lots of bunny-hopping and rocket-jumping, right?" He hears Harper's call and creatively interprets it, "Go Fire and Rescue!"

Green-gold eyes go wide, Isabella's lips parting in a rounded 'oh' as she presses a hand to her heart, called out immediately, expression very much a how dare. "You're on the other side, Thorne!" she shoots back with a laugh. "I don't need it!"

Famous last words. But as she's told others many times before, she's not above tempting fate. Espying a familiar head of red hair in the crowd, she tips a jaunty salute towards Isolde. Bennie and Easton also get a wave.

Tyler walks out into the arena fully geared. He's wearing a pair of black spandex shorts and a red fire department shirt that hugs his muscular upper body. He looks around at everyone on the field, a little uncertain of all of this. He's athletic, but not really sporty. He glances around to decide who to attack, and then notices the police captain. "Go big or go home, I guess..." he mutters to himself.

Andi is as geared up as she is going to get and she stands nearby her partner, Rick. "We should have made an alliance with some on the other team." Flashing him a smile she hoists the weapon. "Let's try and make it to the end. You can be my human shield." Laughing, she feints stepping in behind him. "Mind your head, I'll try and shoot over it."

"I like them both, really. I think I know more people on the Fire Department side, though. Maybe they'll combine and someone will end up with purple paint as a result and they'll be the winner." Harper side-hugs Isolde warmly in the stands and exchanges cotton candy for funnel cake. "How badly do you think it hurts to get hit?"

"I like fire, babydoll!" Lilith calls to Byron before coming over to run a high-five at Isabella with reach once she gets near, pondering the field tactically afterwards with a good survey for cover and opportunities alike, instead of picking and aiming for kicks

"Don't be fooled by the decrepid old man act!" Easton announces, "The Captain's a former Marine, which means he used to be good for something." He points at Tyler, "Young buck, take him the fuck out." He actually winces for once, remembering he's not talking amongst Marines when the response isn't 'kill'. That and the fact that this is a family event. He mumbles, "Sorry." to Bennie and gets into position.

Isolde accepts some cotton candy, thinking about it. "I like blue best! But purple would be cool." She giggled. "Probably a lot!...Though not as bad as an actual gun." Her nose wrinkled. "Maybe we will play one day and find out!"

The edge of Byron's lips twitch into a smirk before he leans his head over to one side and then the other to stretch out both his neck and shoulders. He regroups with the rest of the Blue Team, looking prepared to rain... blue pain on the enemy forces. "Let's do this."

A paint ball actual bounces off Easton's chest which causes him to bark out "Goddamit Turner!" He actually decides to take cover since the captain is shooting at him as well. He tucks in behind an obstacle setup for that purpose and calls out, "We need radio's so I can coordinate the offensive." He leans up over the obstacle to get a better look at the field and where that wily Ruiz has gotten off to. "Guuuunny! Wheeeere aaaare yoooou?" He sings-songs, loudly.

Tyler comes out running as the game starts. Figuring he won't get any clear shots once everyone has hunkered down, he fires at the Police chief, running toward the nearest cover. His shot is close, but doesn't get the experienced police officer. A moment later, a paintball swishes through his hair, just missing his skin. "What the--" He rolls to the ground, looking to see Copper2 having just almost shot him. "Dang, pig. I don't even know your freaking name..." He shakes it off, and snarls a little as he points his rifle that way. "This little piggie's going home..."

"She sure does!" Isabella says gamely, her hand coming up to catch that high-five from Lilith immediately, flashing her fellow brunette a wink and another envious glance at those near-violet eyes. "Hey, gorgeous. Glad to see you out in better weather."

And then, the combat commences, and she swings out of her cover, already aiming for where she last saw Byron - but he hits her first with a mild splatter, most of the ball itself hitting her cover and leaving traces of strafing blue across her helmet. It is enough, however, to have her miss; her shot pings across the distance and nearly gets him but not quite. She ducks behind her cover again, rifle braced against her shoulder, eyes burning with an exhilarated light. "Already?" she calls out. "Thorne, I want you to know that even if you kill me today, I'll be laughing all the way to Purgatory with the knowledge that I'll always be your huckleberry!"

With that, she takes off across the field, ostensibly to switch positions, to hurdle over yet another cover and skid across the grass - in hopes that Byron would take the bait, and someone else from her team would get him!

You'd think Lilith would feel bad about seeing Magnolia (who's had a broken leg via Lilith prior), of all people, as an opening near where she's taken cover-- but given that the woman literally popped out to take Kevin out with a single shot, well, she's damn well firing. Unfortunately, the pellet doesn't hit solid enough to go off and after dodging back into quick cover, she huffs a little, grins a bit and looks at Kevin blossomed with color, then calls over, "You're better at video games still, aren't you? Those muscles are weighing you down, wordnerd!"

Then, like a dog with a bone to bury, she lines up back around her piece of tree cover to sight where she last saw Magnolia, promising retaliation, "I got your revenge." Maybe. That's a fiesty little blonde over there that the brunette is taking aim at.

Geoff makes a running advance towards the nearest cover, hunkering down behind it before popping up to take a quick shot at Easton. However not being a veteran, or any sort of individual the government trusts with training, or in fact firearms he is terrible at taking cover as evidenced when a paintball bounces off his leg. Ducking back down he calls cockily across the field "The next one will actually burst."

Sutton pulls a juice box out of the pocket of her cargoes, plugging the straw into the foil top and sipping. She holds the juice box with one hand, her paintball gun with the other. She's otherwise good to go, crouched by cover, part of her hanging slightly out from behind it, most of her, really. Sluuuuurp goes the juice box. She's already scanning for targets when she spots movement, a blue paintball whizzes by her so close she can hear it. Sutton pops up from behind a piece of urban cover, which is a spray painted set of stacked crates, and yells, "WAFFLES!" It's breakfast, it's a battle cry. Clearly she thinks Moretti is the one who narrowly missed her. She plugs him (Copper1) right across the abdomen with several splashes of red paint. She drops down almost, almost immediately. And then moves her ass elsewhere.

Harper turns to grin at Isolde. "Okay. You cheer for the PD and I'll cheer for the FD." She whoops in a very non-library-acceptable voice, "Go eff DEEE!" The paintballs let loose and Harper cringes as she watches the combatants take shots and take cover. "Oh! Kevin! Watch out for ...!" Hmm. "Get 'em, Lil-EE!" She flinches on behalf of someone getting shot. "Ow. That's gotta sting." This to Isolde. Then another whoop, "Take 'em down, Geoff-REE!"

Shots fired! Zoiya winces as someone takes a whap to the head, but she waves her pom pom's around, watching people get spattered and hearing a few grunts and swear words. She makes her way over to the stand to see about a corndog or maybe some cotton candy. Food is fun at events like these, right?

Fawn heads out, ducking behind a hay bale when a shot heads over her head. Close. The Fire Marshal continues forwards a few more feet before pausing. Taking a peek, she looks for someone in blue, laughing at the various catcalls between the two teams. And then someone peeks out, and she takes the shot, only to have it so narrowly miss the officer. "Damnit! Missed." She's quickly ducking back behind cover. Nope, wasn't her, Rick. Not at all!

"Hey, why do I always have to be the shield..." Rick comments lightly to Andi, before he fires off that first shot. And as he does, there seems to be a shot going just past him, which causes him to look around. "Okay..." he mutters, mostly to himself, as he turns to aim for Fawn as he sees her ducking back behind cover. Let's see if there's a right moment to wait for so he can hit, hmmm?

Kevin pops up immediately from behind his cover as soon as the start is called, flailing his finger on the trigger as he sweeps the weapon across the other side of the field, "COVERING FI -- " The first pellet tugs at his sleeve, but not quite hard enough to pop, and he turns toward Rick's location and right into WHAP! Magnolia's blue pellet takes him right in the middle of the goggles. He staggers backwards, dropping his rifle and reaching for his now-blue face with both hands, "Woah! Who turned out the lights?" His hands get blued too, but he manages to get a little color off his goggles so he can see between the streaks, "Augh... who the heck did that? And yes, Lil, I'm way better at video games." Unfortunately, he's still standing right there in the middle of the combat zone.

There is a laughter filled, "MEEP!" As a paintball strikes the hay bale next to Bennie's head, and she darts to the next one, yelling back at Easton. "You're hardcore, baby. Hardcore!" But this blonde EMT is just here to have fun, according to the very dramatic (and entirely too slow) summersault she tries to do to get behind the next bit of cover.

Copper1 is a good sport as well, looking to the paint that decorates his thin rubber chest plate with a laugh and a fist shaken at the FD team. With a red painted chest, he shakes his head and moves out of the arena.

Once the start of the match is sounded, Byron immediately races for cover, ducking behind one of those well placed barricades before he pops out to to quickly survey the area before firing off a shot in the direction that he'd seen Isabella last. This high school rivalry? It's still going strong! He doesn't remain exposed for long, though from what he can tell, his ball of paint may have missed its mark. Crouching down behind the barricade, "Believe me, Reede, I can live with that." He calls out to her, his own voice still light and humored. From where he remains protected, he peeks out to get a look over at the other team, specifically checking to see where Lilith had holed up in. That's when he notices that the FD side of things just received their first casualty. "So far, so good." He murmurs. Though that wasn't any of his doing!

Ruiz stays low to the ground, his paintball gun held in close to his body as he maneuvers into a firing position. Some people take this fairly seriously, and the captain is clearly one of those people. The moment he has a shot, he pivots and one-hands it around the straw bale, popping off a round that slaps Easton in the leg but bounces off without bursting. Unfortunately, it allows Tyler to return the favour. Back down he goes, a quick scuttle forward. Sutton bellows something, and he twists and fires on her.

Geoff pops up over his cover to take oh so carefully aimed shots at Easton however they're whizzing by awefully low.

"Oh yes. You can live with it. But not for long!" Isabella turns from her cover and fires again; unable to hit her mark, but having a good time missing, at least. As all others start showing signs of fire, she...well. Can't seem to stop laughing.

"No way do I want to be paintball fodder." Andi tells her partner and after dotting Bennie with her colors she aims where her partner is aiming. Sticking together and all that. She'll stay on it too, unless she notices someone targeting her... then she'll change of course. "C'mon, Rick, you're right this is much better than getting shot at on the highway."

Surely he didn't see her, Fawn is hoping. She counts to ten, and while the paintballs are whizzing about her where she's protected behind a stack of haybales. When she reaches ten, she doesn't pop up from the top, but from the side, taking aim in the general direction that Rick was in before, and pulling the trigger once she sees someone still in that position wearing blue. That red paintball heads towards Rick again, and once more, narrowly misses. "What the hell?" Does he have a force field that sends her ball curving away from him slightly or something?

Magnolia Jones is not to be trifled with -- and probably should not be allowed to participate in competitive sports. Most may have assumed she never got into sports in high school because she was nerdy and distracted by silly things like GPA and coping with the death of her father. But, oh no. No, no, no. It's because that one time in junior soccer, she took Suzy Sumner down. So, apparently when she signed up for paintball, she told herself she would hold it together. And then she shot her maybe-but-no-one-has-decided-yet boyfriend in the head with a speeding paint projectile. She blinks over the gun, and then calls, "WHOOPS!" This is just in time for her to pivot and fire at Lilith just in time to duck from her own near splatter.

Bennie probably should have taken some pointers from Easton, or at least not tried that dramatic slo-mo roll towards cover. As she pops out of her tuck with a cheerleader TADA! stance, she gets smacked with a large dot of blue. She blinks down at the sting, and then dramatically drops her gun to clutch at the 'wound'. "Oh no! I've been SHOT!" She yells, then starts making loud gurgling noises as she falls over and thrashes about. Her arm extends to Easton, calling. "Tell him...that I ...loved him! Gunner, that is." FLOP. DED.

In a low crouch, Byron crawls to the other side of his hay bale cover, peeking out just to he can fire off another shot in Isabella's direction. So close. So very close. "You're a slippery one, Reede, I'll give you that." He murmurs, taking the time to follow follow her movements with his eyes, all the while being prepared to duck for cover at any moment. It would leave him open for anyone else to take a shot, but looks like everyone's preoccupied. Returning behind the large square of hay, he prepares for his next attack, creeping forward to the next barricade to the side.

Sutton pays almost immediately for yelling and betraying her position, nearly spattered by blue when a paintball slams into the cover close enough to her that, if it were shrapnel, she'd be hurting. She lays on the ground contemplating strategy for a moment. She hasn't played paintball in a long ass time. The paramedic shuffles along the ground and peers around a corner, like a cautious cat trying to figure out of the opening sound was food or toothpaste. Sluuuuurp. With a juice box. She slides her gun forward and waits. Where the hell is Bennie? She doesn't see her partner go down, but she does hear it. "Who got you, partner?" She sluuurrps her apple juice, coughs. "Nooooo." It's not a very loud Nooooo, but it is suitably dramatic. She maybe had a margarita before she showed up to this thing.

Waiting... Waiting... Rick takes a few deep breaths as he waits for a few moments. As he sees Fawn pop up from the side of the cover, he moves his aim there, firing a shot, but frowns as he sees he misses. "Sneaky sneaky..." he remarks, before he grins at Andi's words. "Because you like colors, right? And yes, it's far better."

"Byron, I kind of wish you wore a suit for the occasion. It kind of takes the fun out of shooting you if you're not wearing a suit!" Easton almost didn't recognize him in casual clothes to be honest. But a little bit of taunting is in order.

"Remember the rules Turner, it's not an actual killshot unless you can't make babies." These two are apparently playing a slightly different game with higher stakes. It's likely there's a wager on the board involved. Where they are going to find that much whipped cream and convertible are problems they can solve another day.

Running for cover he misses his shot on Ruiz and is forced to take cover again. He sees Bennie go down and says, "Nice. Because I don't have any issues with loved ones getting shot and dramatically dying." He of course is joking, but damn if that's not a mean joke.

Okay. Lilith was going to be tactical and bounce around from cover to cover, but with Magnolia coming back at her too this time once Kevin is out, well, it seems to be a little bit of dig in, game on, sass style. The brunette comes out of cover to dodge and weave around between other trees to draw herself as a hard-to-hit target, but it compromises her own aim with a pop off shot.

After behind a tree to catch her breath once a pellet has whizzed by, she squints, thinks, and checks where Isabella is. Then she follows where the other woman is aiming to no doubt try and catch a view of Byron because she knows that's probably who she's going for. Part of her is tempted to tag team and be clever, naturally, but then again... you start something, you finish it. But hey, there's Sutton too and... okay, she almost yells hello, but doesn't. Instead... she takes off to another tree to test and see if she's still being aim'd on, then sets up to pop out directly for another shot, careful to keep part of her body back in cover instead of popping out entirely.

"Look!" Byron calls out from his hiding place, giving away where he is, "My good suit was ruined by earworm guts. I'm not about to risk that for charity."

Geoff pops up over his cover to take oh so carefully aimed shots at Easton however they're whizzing by awefully low. Dropping back down behind the cover he calls in the other direction "Right, we're playing for the greatest keeps, eliminating entire generations." With a wild grin he says "Also winner buys all the beer for a month." That last bit sounds rather tacked on at the moment, but that's what he's betting on.

Bennie thrusts her 'dead' hand up from her battlefield grave, flipping Easton the middle finger.

Ruiz fires and moves, like a metronome. A few shots track him as he runs, but all of them manage to miss him; one by a hair. He doesn't see Sutton tagging out, so assumes the round either didn't explode, or narrowly missed her. Squinting, he drops down behind another bale of hay and primes his weapon again, then tries to position himself such that he can sneak up on Tyler.

Tyler fires at the cop, almost getting him, but not quite. He grits his teeth a little, and then turns his rifle back toward his original target. He closes one eye and does his best to actually try and aim at the police chief. His tongue even sticks out of the corner of his mouth in concentration. He inhales, and then prepares to fire, but another ball zips by his head. He isn't used to being shot at, so quickly turns his rifle back at the other cop and shoots. It's a bad shot, missing Copper2, and in the same moment, Tyler is hit by a paintball. "Ow!" He scowls a little, and then begins making his way off the field.

Geoff pops up and is immediately splatted in the groin by a paintball, and due to the nature of their gentlemen's agreement he'd not worn an athletic supporter. Down he goes with a squeak that is more mouse then man, hands going down to cup the family jewels as he rolls back and forth on the ground. There is no crying or noise past that, only the silent tears that well in his eyes.

Harper stuffs a bunch of cotton candy in her mouth, turning her tongue blue, and sucks in her breath. "Ouch. Ouch ouch! That's not good," she tells Isolde, as if the woman beside her wasn't watching the same battle. "If I were out there I'd probably end up shooting myself." She calls out to the FD side, "Walk it off, eff DEE! You got this!"

"HAH!" Fawn shouts out over towards Rick when she ducks down to avoid being hit. Grinning, she crawls towards the other end, looking towards the next place to hide. Shall he try to switch? Sure! And so, she rises, still ducked down. "One.. two.. three.." And so she takes off, swinging around to try and hit Rick, not realizing his partner has joined in the fun. One paintball grazes her stomach, leaving a blue streak, but the next one that hits just a second later? Well, her whole stomach is now blue. It hits hard enough to send her stumbling to the ground, laughing. "Well.. fuck... " Lifting her head, she peers towards the two cops, "I should remember you guys come in pairs... " And then it's time for her to make her way to the sidelines. Where the beer is.

Andi pow wows with her fellow officers after giving Rick a high five for the teamwork and while keeping a more evasive stance she aims for what she deems is the biggest threat on the other side. Hearing Fawn, she smiles in return, trying to lighten up herself, and not to take it too seriously. But it was a competition! She couldn't help it!

Popping up from cover there is a distinct victory dance from Easton, it's very unsporting and more than a little mean. "I'm tempted to mic drop right there because my day can officially not get any better after that." He lets out a "Hoorah!" before remembering to duck back down and scuttle for cover. Afterall Ruiz is still out there. He drops to the ground and crawls on his elbows, not because he needs to mind you it just feels good.

Ruiz knows Easton is gunning for him, somewhere out there. He

A slippery one.

The words can't be any more apt because the last shot from Byron has her changing directions in the last moment, toppling over a barrier and her rifle flying out of her hands. It skitters away and she stares at the wake of it. Disarmed and out of options, what else is a young woman to do?

"Well," Isabella sighs, rolling her shoulder and taking out her red markers, looking at them forlornly. A pause. "I'm going for it." And with a battle cry, she jumps out of her cover. She charges across the field towards her target, the very picture of bringing knives to a gun fight. Uncapping one of her markers, whenever she gets within range of Byron, she leaps at straight at him, marker brandished like a shiv. "I'll rather die on my feet, than live on my knees!" she cries, dramatically.

Look, if she's going to die, she's going to die swinging.

Rick grins as he sees the shots that sends Fawn to the ground, offering her a brief salute before he ducks sown again. The high five is returned as he grins to Andi. "Good job." He looks around again now, and pauses as he aims in Easton's direction, taking a few extra moments to aim.

Ruiz knows Easton is gunning for him, somewhere out there. He suspects Sutton probably is, too, though he can't quite spot her from where he's hiding. Gun held low, he watches his fellow ex-marine doing his victory dance, and smirks slightly. His weapon's primed again, and he strafes to the left while tracking where he thinks the guy is going to pop out.

Lilith knits her brows as she dodges and misses with Mags again, then decides to hold that particular showdown because she just saw Isabella blossom with color from a pellet check nearby. Abruptly, she grins with a certain amount of helplessness, nevermind it's her teammate and she actually likes the other woman. Because she knows who fired the shot, more than likely, especially after a glimpse from her cover sights Byron possibly looking pretty damn pleased with himself. In fact, she's tempted to take a shot for him while he's no doubt feeling cocky. But Isabella is being distracting, so really, it's time to play gameface and be tactical, isn't it?

Right? Oh man, it's hard not to take the shot while he's distracted. But gameface. Right. After looking for the nearest open target with Magnolia off on the move, she changes aim and sets up to fire with less cover and more care to her shot, taking a bit of time like in the range instead of hectic popshots she's been dealing with while hiding or moving.

Byron's on the hunt, moving from cover to cover to try and get a clear shot on Isabella. There's moments where he changes course, then ducks down before she can take aim at him. Each step seems to bring them closer, so much that by the time both of them are face to face, opening fire on the other, he's able to pull himself back down into hiding. It was a mere few seconds, he wasn't going to keep himself open for that long, but in that time, he knew that he did it. Victory is brief, however, knowing that there are still enemy combatants left. He takes a head count once more, before choosing a target. One of those who just happens to be taking aim at Captain de la Vega of all people. "Keep your head down, Captain." He calls out, but he's sure Ruiz knows this.

Kevin manages to navigate the crossfire to get out of the play area, then realizes he left his rifle out there, going hurrying back to get it again and darting out of danger once more. He looks at his hands in disgust, then wipes them on his already-paint-spattered nice button-up shirt, "Yeesh." Looking out, he grumbles a moment, then calls, "Five bucks for whoever tags Jones next!" Beat pause, "I mean, Go Lia!"

Sutton fires from her position flat on the ground, sliding out from behind cover with a dramatic roll, in which she loses the straw of her juice box. "Shit." She leaves it behind, moving still, coming up into a crouch. She knows Bennie's down, but has lost sight of Easton, sneaky as he is, eh. Oh. Okay. He's doing a victory dance. She squints, and waits for someone to pop up to target his silly ass even as E ducks down again.

"Hey!" This call goes up when Lilith hits her in the leg, and then... two hits! She's turning around sharply to try to find who got her, weapon coming up to bear. She spots Sutton down the right trajectory, and she raises her rifle toward Sutton. "I shall not forget THINE FACE!" And then Magnolia ducks out of sight, using the fact that she's tiny (BUT FIERCE) to her advantage and becoming harder to hit. She hears Kevin, and she shouts back behind a hay bale. "I HEARD THAT, WALTERS. I'M GOING FRANK CASTLE ON YOUR ASS NEXT."

"You already DID that," calls Kevin back at Magnolia.

Bennie starts belly crawling towards the exit of the arena, and the booze. "Sutton! AVENGE ME!"

Out in spite of her melee charge, Isabella's dead body lies on the grass, unmoving - until one of the event coordinators nudges her to get up so she doesn't get in the way. Apparently she's insistent on hamming it up, so the poor guy just simply rolls his eyes, grabs both her arms and drags her out of the field.

But not before lifting her head one last time: "GO FD!" she crows as she's pulled away, before her head lolls back to continue being dead.

Geoff raises a red (paint) coated hand to the heavens and calls out with a groan "Meeeedic, man down." The red paint running slightly down his palm. With a groan to the heaven he says a bit deliriously "I think I need a CO to talk about moving my bunk..." then he drops his hand back down to clutch himself once more, but at least he's not rolling around any more.

"Goodness your fine Tuner" Easton calls out as Geoff calls for a medic. "You just want one of the hot EMTs to fondle your paint soaked junk." He looks mock seriously at Bennie and says, "Don't fall for it. He's fine. A little ice and it'll shrink back down to it's usual foot length."

A shot from somewhere splashes nearby and then another as he shrinks down farther. "Dammit Gunny, where are you? Just because I called you old and filthy last night is no reason to target me." He moves cover again, and seems quite intent on taking out Ruiz, despite the fact that others might be more of an immediate threat.

Zoiya manages to get a drink, and she's sitting between two cops who got knocked out early, having a quiet and amusing conversation. She watches people dramatically fall over, crawl to the edge of the playing field, sipping at her drink.

Ruiz tracks Easton until the last possible moment as he bolts out of cover. His finger brushes the trigger, and he seems about to fire when a certain, familiar blonde rolls on out of cover and shifts to a crouch. No hesitation; he swivels, pops off a round, tips back against the hay bale he'd been hiding behind as another paintball whizzes by. And splits a wide grin when he sees he's tagged her out. "Te amo, bebe!" he calls out to her, then hunkers down to prime his weapon again. Easton's turn.

Lilith hisses and jumps back behind her tree to avoid fire after hitting Rick's cover with splatter paint, then sticks her head out to hone in on the source of the fire, eventually settling eyes, and a retrained rifle on some random copper she's never seen before. Again, she weighs a little risk versus reward and resists the urge to go fully ham, stepping out just enough to get a good level for aim and time before firing. Before she steps out, though, her eyes are making an automatic search for Byron on the field, because... face it, being on opposite teams is really a foreign thing for them. Everyone who played with them as a kid knew that the team that Lily was on, Byron was on, and vice versa.

But gameface! And tactics. Take out the threat, don't jump to play and definitely no mercy. Once Lilith has puffed out air over her lips, she steps out to fire.

Aiming, aiming. Focused on trying to get that perfect shot off, Rick takes a hard hit to the abdomen, stumbling backwards and falling over. "Vot eto pizdets!" he calls out, clearly not in English, although he is laughing a few moments later, shaking his head as he stays where he is right now. "Avenge me," he calls out in Andi's direction, a bit lightly.

There's the satisfying thud-thud of paintballs finding a home across a cop's abdomen, spattering paint, is music to her ears. She's not even sure which one that is, but the gloat is short-lived. What Sutton yells when she's painted across the boobs is vehement, it's dirty, and it's loud. This is a charity event, so we won't repeat it here. She's not even sure who did it, but apparently it either startled her or hurt a little bit, even with the padding. She doesn't even crawl to the booze. She flops, scooches behind cover, and then Ruiz speaks up ... "... What the fuck did you just say?" There's a lengthy pause. "Did you shoot me in the tits?" This might be more threatening if she wasn't watching the clouds roll by from flat on her back.

If Andy is going to eschew cover to shoot at him, Easton can't leave that alone.

Byron has nothing against Sutton, it's just that she had her sights set on someone who he figured they'd need to keep in play. Unfortunately, his tenant gets in a shot to take Rick out of the game, leaving her wide open for Thorne to make his move. "Sorry, Ms. Sutton. "Look, he's still just her landlord, so he's being polite and professional as can be after splattering her with blue ink, "You did great yourself." It's through this conversation that his OTHER tenant catches his eyes. With so few members left on the FD side of things, he doesn't do much of the duck and crawl anymore, though he tries to find the possible angle to make this shot count.

Taking a more aggressive stance, for now, Andi spreads out a little from the others so they don't make a big group target. "NOOOOO RICK!!! I WILL AVENGE YOU!" Making like she's putting on war paint or something, she aims for Easton, but her stance will be aggressive only as long as she notices someone isn't shooting at her. Then she'll go more evasive, ready to defend and not be a sitting duck.

From the sidelines, Fawn now has a beer in hand, and turns to watch the action on the field, "Come on FD!!" The reds have it, right? Riiight. Taking a swig from her drink, she glances to the others in red, taking note of the 'injuries' that Tyler and Kevin sport, "Damn.. who got you?" The quesiton is asked of Kevin and his blue face. Turning back, she spies Rick get hit, and cheers, "YES! Now someone get his partner!"

Geoff calls back towards Easton "It's my right to have a hot EMT fondle my poor balls until they're better. I sometimes pay taxes!" His teeth gritting as he manages to sit up and lean back against the cover he'd been using previously, not feeling the need to move from the field of battle, or seeming too concerned about it.

Andi ducks down, which leaves only Byron still standing to aim at him. Easton's not having that either.

Much like most of the fallen, Isabella finally emerges from the crowd, having discarded her protective gear and left in just her sneakers, pants and long-sleeved shirt, which she has also pulled off to tie around her waist and leave her clad in one of her for-summer, serviceable tanktops. Streaks of blue paint are on her cheek and the side of her throat, and she's also managed to grab a cold one. Her phone is in her hand, frowning faintly at what she sees in it, but otherwise she tucks it in her pocket and leans on the boundary of the battle near Fawn - also a fallen teammate. "Good game," she tells her with a grin, before she claps and cheers for the guys in red. "FIFTY BUCKS TO WHOEVER TAGS THORNE!"

Andi omgs to herself, watching Easton pull the switch and shoot. "YOU'RE KILLING ME SMALLS!" Yes, that was his stature she commented on.

Kevin shrugs at Fawn, pointing out Magnolia, "My girlfriend." And then he blinks behind the blue-streaked goggles, "Um... I mean... uh. Maybe girlfriend. Yeah. Girlfriend." He looks back to the fight, "Nobody wants my five..." and then Isabella trumps him with her bounty on Byron, and he boos loudly, "Dirty Pool! I already had a bounty out there!" It's not dirty pool at all. Looking back to Fawn, he flashes a smile, "Kevin Walters, Gray Harbor Gazette. You're Fire Marshal Underwood, aren't you? Have any comment on the event so far?"

Tyler shrugs at Fawn, "I was shot by the chief of police. At least I don't have to be embarassed about who took me out," he notes, looking for the bright side. He flops down on one of the seats to watch the rest of the match.

Andi glances over at her team and smiles, "Great job blue!" Realizing belatedly Byron was out. "Oh damn. Nice shooting." Glad they had Magnolia too. She keeps separate from the rest of her team, but for now in an evasive stance, ready for a tuck in roll, a jump and dive, a shoot and hit? Anything would be good about now. She does keep her rifle on Easton. Aka Smalls/

Lilith narrowly avoids pellet pops as she's skimmed from two different sides, but it doesn't stop her from getting off the shot that splatters the poor random copper upside the head quite cleanly and squarely given the time she's allowed to take aim. If she was tempted to play dangerous before and take others out at her own expense, seeing that it's just her and Easton left...

Nope. She looks his way toward his cover, nods for him to stay there, then takes off at bolt between trees, moving incessantly to make herself a hard target and try to draw some of the fire. Then she re-sights Magnolia and tries to get off a lucky pop of the rifle during all that motion.

"I know some first aid Geoff, I can probably take care of it. Just a couple shots of novacane or something should do it. I got this." Easton offers first aid to his downed buddy but should have been paying more attention.

"I don't know you!" Easton calls right about the time Andi's shot narrowly misses his gut. But he doesn't even have time to make a quip about it before Ruiz pops up and nearly nails him. "Dammit!" He laughs and raises his hands, hopefully to stop further assault which is when Byron's paintball hits off the obstacle in front of him. "Byron, I was wrong, it was just as satisfying without the suit!"

But then he's on the move to try and get a better angle and take at least one more person out if he can, though it's not looking good for his team.

No one is shooting at her -- so that means that Magnolia goes all out. She pops up behind cover with her goggled face and blond hair tight back against her head in a high ponytail. She shoots at Lilith with a little pop. Then she's swinging toward Easton with her weapon, making it look like she might shoot at him instead!

Called out by Kevin on the bounty, Isabella laughs and wiggles her fingers at him, then takes a swig of her beer. "Oh, hey, it's you! Kevin, right? Fancy seeing you here!" she greets the reporter, recognizing him from a recent, if not somewhat chaotic trip to the emergency room, hip braced against the rail. "Covering the event for the Gazette or...?"

More bodies mill across the field, and green-gold eyes turn back to the fight, picking out Byron easily - and Lilith, also, whose more tactical approach seems to be working well for her. She can't help but grin, taking another pull of her Corona with lime.

Geoff waves towards Easton as he finally scurries to clear the field, not trusting the other man not to take a pot shot while he is running for the sidelines "Sure, you and me after this buddy. If you can take care of them I'll even let you be the big spoon this time." coming up on the sidelines he slows down and raises a hand towards the spectators "Hey."

Fawn grins over at Kevin, a brow raised, "Your girlfriend, hmm? I guess it's good she's getting all that agression out now, on the field, instead of choking you in your sleep or something, hmm?" To Tyler, she chuckles, "I got double-teamed by some cops myself." So it took /two/ of them to take her down. Not too shabby. She'll cheer for the FD again, "I'll pay someone fifty if you take out that one.." The finger is pointed towards Andi. Hearing her name, she turns back to Kevin, "I am, yes. And I think we're doing pretty good for a team who don't spend time on the firing range like the others do.."

Call it overconfidence, or not realizing that the tables were turned on him. Byron only notices Easton turn in his direction just as he's firing off his own shot in a delayed reaction. He feels that force strike against his abdomen when the red pain spreads, telling him before he even has to look down at the damage done that he's out of the game. He can see the blue splatter of paint staining the shelter which Easton retreats back to. It starts with a chuckle, before he finally breaks out into a laugh, "I'm sure it did. For what? $50?" Chump change for anyone who lives at the Bayside Apartments. He finally looks down at that rain stain, his hand clutching tightly on his rifle, "Good game, Marshall. It's not gonna be long now." He murmurs that last part as he makes his way off the field.

Rick has managed to gather himself again now, and moved off the field, shaking his head a bit as he looks around once more. "Was fun," he remarks to those near enough to hear. Unable to hold back a bit of a grin.

Kevin nods to Isabella, "Well, I was supposed to just be covering the event." But here he stands with a helmet, mask, and blue-splattered goggles on, and blue paint all over his shirt. Looking back to Fawn, he shrugs, "I didn't even know she had that much aggression." He looks back through the fine mesh, watching the action, "I'm kind of thinking she might have kind of a competitive streak." He digs out his notebook again, smearing paint on it a little, then writes something down, "So you'd blame your loss on not enough range time for the Fire Department?" There's a quirk of a grin behind the oh-so-serious question, and then he laughs, "I'm just giving you a hard time, Marshal. Yeah, I think the sides might not be totally fair. Doesn't stop it from being fun."

Harper has nearly finished her cotton candy while watching the remaining combatants on the field, continuing a quiet conversation with Isolde. She cheers for players from boths sides as they exit the field with various paint-blasted kill marks. Geoff's wave catches her eye and she smiles brightly even if he's greeting other spectators. "It was a good death, Turner. A horribly good death."

Shit. Lilith somewhere realizes she's the last one standing on this particular side and it changes her tactic only slightly-- she starts hauling more ass, but doesn't forsake the chance to pop off a random shot while blowing around with dodge and weave. If she can lucky Magnolia out and play a game of cover and tactics with just Andi, she might have a chance, but... right now, she's going until her lungs force her to stop and recalculate.

And there goes Easton! "Bennie, do you forgive me!" This is called out on the field before Magnolia swings her weapon around toward Lilith. She checks around her once, noting Andi with a little bob of her chin. "And then there were two," she says in mock Ominous Narrator Voice. She looks down her rifle barrel. "Okay, Lil! We will take your surrender." Look, she doesn't have aggression. Obviously.

That sound as the paintball smacks into a head. Or a helmet, hopefully. It puts Easton out. She checks out her team.. And then there were two. Andi chances a glance over at Magnolia and offers her a grin, "We got this." She doesn't get out of her current stance, but she looks to the sole survivor on the side of the Fire Department. The determined woman who was a very real threat.

Fawn laughs, shrugging slightly, "They do spend more time on the range than most of us.." Not like it isn't in their job description, right? "Next time, I saw we do something like ladder drills or dead man carries.." Something more in the fire department's area of expertise. And yet, she's still grinning, glancing back to the field to realize that it's down to three: two blue, one red. "Goooo red!!!" She can do it!

The first pop of paint on the right arm stings and Easton stops firing, but not before he sees Ruiz get hit. He throws his arms up in the air just in time to have a paintball smack him square on the temple, sending paint across his goggles and into this mouth. His victory cry comes out "Hell Yiahdkdhg" as he chokes on and spits out paint. He Instinctively ducks again in case there are more coming before taking off the goggles so he can make his way off the field.

"Alright, fine so I should have targeted the women first is the obvious lesson there." Easton laughs as he comes up to Bennie for a victory smooch, yes with paint smeared all over his face.

"Surrender is for bitches, you know this!" Lilith calls back at Magnolia through a tree branch before she launches to take another bout with burst of speed. She's ragged with breath about it, though, so it doesn't quite have the dry joie de vive it normally might.

Glancing up and down at his blue spattered self, Isabella's grin only broadens. "It's alright, we'll chalk it up to the fact that you're very serious about your reporting and how you can't transport your readers into this moment in time without being able to experience it, yourself." She takes another swig of her beer, and as he actually starts interviewing the Marshal, her eyes move to the field again and seeing just who is left on the field, her expression lights up. "GIVE 'EM HELL, LILITH!" she cries through cupped fingers.

With Byron moving off the field, there's an open laugh directed his way. "Red looks good on you, hot shot," she tells him, leaning against the railing and watching the progress of the final three.

Sutton digs into her right thigh cargo pocket while 'dead' and pulls out a packet of organic white cheddar Doritos. She crinkles them open loudly and fishes one out to crunch through it. "You can do it, Lily!" The blonde pulls off her hat, but doesn't remove her goggles yet in case someone mistakes her corpse for a live target. She starts to peel off the hotter pieces of padding in preparation for exiting the field with the others when the massacre comes to a close.

Ruiz only has eyes for Easton at this point. Squared off across enemy lines, the police captain swings his paintball rifle low and strafes out of cover when he thinks he has a bead on the other man. Rapid fire is exchanged, and when it ends - by hook or by crook - both of them are tagged out. Chuckling, he lifts his hands to indicate surrender, and makes his way off the playing area.

Andi agrees and she notices her partner there on the field beside her and grins, noting her all out stance. Well, win big or die hard! She prepares to just aim and fire.. ready or not, here they come!

Rick has found hiimself a good place to watch the end of this fight. Leaning against something, he doesn't shout encouragement or anything, just watching rather carefully.

Geoff was in fact mostly greeting Harper "I know right? We decided on a little wager before hand, after all just shooting at each other till one of us scored a good clean crotch hit." Settling in near her he looks back to the field "I wasn't expecting to see you here." rubbing at his chin he admits "I wasn't expecting to be here honestly, and working with the cops."

Byron could have taken cover. He could have gone after Lilith instead, but for reasons, he had refrained from doing so. So that's why he's now standing at the outskirts, quietly monitoring the groups. It's not difficult to take a head count now with so few people in play. Just as he'd expected, however, Easton is the next to take the hit. It had to be done, but Captain Ruiz is taken out at that exact moment. "It was a close game." He makes idle conversation with Ruiz, though his eyes are focused on the three women standing. One of those women was an actual cop! One, the daughter of one. Well, the both of them were in truth. And then there was Lilith.

"Way to represent the FD, Lil." He calls out to her. "They might need to make you an honorary member after this. Win or lose."

At Isabella's comment, he can't help but grin, "Everything looks good on me. You said that." Well, maybe not Reede herself, but she was the messenger of that comment.

Bennie's first point of order after she vacated the field was to find a beer, her second was to stand at the fence and talk shit. "Aw, c'mon!" She groans as more of the red team falls under a hail of paintballs, and her own boyfriend has to concede defeat. Throwing her arm around Easton's neck and a leg around his hip (on his good side), she laughs into the paint smeared kiss and presses the can of beer into his hand. "We're so never living this down." To Magnolia, the EMT flicks her fingers off her chin, but follows up the offensive gesture with a blown kiss in forgiveness.

"It's not over yet," Ruiz points out to Byron as he ambles on over. He squints as he studies the positioning of the remaining combatants, and barks something at his teammates that sounds encouraging.

Andi pulls the trigger, that thbbt sound as the paintball is released. It grazes the other woman and she's sure it's going to be another round. When Magnolia's hits, Andi jumps up and removes the goggles, "Hell yeah!" Offering a fist bump to her. "Welcome, new recruit. One of us. One of us and all that." A grin as she ambles her way over to the sidelines, light on her feet, approaching Rick and the Captain and some of the others who were on the Blue side. A sympathetic look to Geoff and his blue crotch. "That was fun. I'm looking for the steak dinner soon. And buckets of beer."

Harper shoulder bumps Geoff, then calls out loudly, "Get 'em, Lil-EE!" Back to Geoff regarding the wager, "That sounds about right. I'm guessing there was a boatload of beer on the line." A glance to Easton and Bennie and back to Geoff, patting at his paint-splattered knee regarding the teams his entry supported, "There's a story there. You thinking about a career in law enforcement?" the librarian teases. "It's the uniforms, isn't it? Next thing I know, you'll have a crew cut and a badge."

Everything looks good on me.

Isabella groans and points an emphatic finger in Byron's direction. "First of all, don't remind me. Second of all, I didn't say that!" Something more feline and mischievous slips into her expression. "Elias did, I was just the messenger." Her poor distant cousin, getting thrown under the bus this way. With Ruiz ambling over, she smiles faintly at him and lifts her fingers in greeting towards him.

"I think I would pay to see Lia do dead man carries," Kevin agrees with Fawn, and then he chuckles, "Then again, she might pay to see me do them too." He nods to Isabella, "That's what I'm hoping my editor will say when I submit an invoice for a new shirt." Magnolia and Andi finish off Lilith, and he gives a loud, "Awwwwww. Nice try, Lil. Good job Jones and..." he pauses a moment, scouring his memory, "Officer Johnson!"

Lilith is going pretty fast, desperate, and hard, especially when the sidelines cheering starts up from either side. After pausing behind a tree to gulp air, she takes off again across the summer green grass, gets off a poorly aimed shot at Magnolia like a pissy last hurrah (to miss), then is sprayed with blue paint from two sides as both remaining members of the blue team land marks on her quick moving (and apparently flagging) form.

In fact, she's going so hard and fast with that forward momentum, when she's blossomed with the paint, shock, and impact of it despite protective gear, she tumbles straight down hard with frontal plant to hard stop on the grass, winded and trying to catch her breath while pushing up on an arm. It's kind of an I'm-okay gesture while she covers up a lot of ow and tries to breathe again.

After fist pumping back in Magnolia and Andi's direction with a little good-sport silent victory cheer, though, she rolls over and flops to lie out on her back, staring upward to recover.

Grabbing a beer and getting a little too into that kiss with Bennie, Easton misses out on the last of the action and only pulls away when he hears the tell-tale cheering from the PD side. He says, "Nuts." Having managed to tone down some of his language, or maybe he's just reliving exactly where he popped Geoff. "You were great out there babe, but yea you're going to be buying a lot of donuts for a long time."

He then pulls away from her "I should go check on the wounded." He wanders over towards Geoff and Harper, beer in hand and at least some of the blue paint smeared off his face. He will likely have a welt on his temple and maybe his arm but he claimed his two intended victims (and a bonus third!) so it was well worth it in his mind.

"See but if I'm the big spoon, I can hold the ice for you. So it all works out."

Geoff bumps lightly back as he watches Lily get massacred "Oh a boatload of beer and a wager that a bit more...Well if we can find enough shaving cream and badgers it'll probably make the news." he laughs at that question about law enforcement "I mean can't you see me, taking order and rolling around in a squad car to glare at teens that are out too late." With a shake of his head he says "The truth's a bit more mundane, and I think there was mention of not being able to approve enough time off to get people out here. I believe the exact word were 'We're not the fire department, we don't just sit on our asses all day'. So I got conscripted."

"I'd like to see a few of them try it.. I'll be nice and not add them wearing gear on top of it." Fawn says, finishing off the beer in her hand, the empty cup to be thrown in a nearby trash can. Listening to the various conversations, her gaze takes in the final round, groaning with the rest of the fire department when Lillith is taken out by the last two cops. "Damnit." She knows what that means. Spying Rick, she heads in his direction, and when she reaches him, she offers a hand, "Nice shot, by the way.."

Ruiz claps a few of his fellow PD on the back as they approach the sidelines. Good job and nice fucking shot accompanied by a rare smile or two. Isabella gets a little wink for her finger waggle, and he stops briefly to offer Easton his hand, and squint at him in the setting afternoon sun. "Not too bad, for a young guy," he teases. He seems distracted momentarily by trying to track down where Sutton's gotten to, but turns back to his fellow ex-marine for a clap on the back before moving on.

Bennie gives Easton a swat on the ass, "I volunteered for clean up duty anyways." Because of course she did. Shaking her head with a waggle of her blonde ponytail as he wanders off, she murmurs. "You can take the boy out of the marines..."

Tyler hops up off his seat. He shakes a few hands, thanks the cops for a good match, and he begins to head home to get this paint-covered shirt off his back.

Lifting the visor of his GHPD cap off of his head so he can run fingers through his dark hair, Byron resettles the cap back properly. "I heard it from your lips first, Reede." Though he does have to give himself a better inspection now, admiring the paint job given him thanks to Easton of all people. "Out of everyone on that team, I kinda expected to be taken out by Marshall." That's the gun nut! His team won though, so he'll offer up a bright grin for that. "They were never going to win against trained police officers, but you all put up a great effort in trying." His gaze is then cast forward to see what damage he'd given Isabella, not having had the time to relish in that victory for over long.

"Lilith's down." He says, "Gonna tell her the bad news." Though he's pretty sure she knows that her team lost. Jogging over to wear Lilith is recuperating on the ground, he crouches to extend a hand, "How are you feeling after all of that? It's been a while since I had a great game of paintball."

Harper quirks a sparkling smile from Geoff to Easton. When he gets close enough she offers a hand. "We haven't been introduced. I know of you. Turner here won't shut up about you. I'm Harper Price." Back to Geoff, Harper's laughing. "That I might pay admission to see." She shrugs about being present for the festivities. "What? I can't attend town events now? Too noisy?" Geoff? A cop? Harper's amusement grows. "Taking orders? Not really. Chaperoning teens? Definitely not. But perhaps I've had you all wrong all these years and you've just been going at a law-enforcement career the long way around. Hmm? It's the handcuffs, isn't it?" Harper smiles fondly at Geoff. "Conscripted and loving it, I think. What's a little shot to the family jewels among friends. Something like that?" Another flickered smile to Easton. "As for spoons, you boys are all on your own. Though I'll take photos for a fee."

Rick smiles as Fawn approaches, shaking the offered hand. "Thanks. You had some good shots as well, I could almost feel they pass right by me." He offers her another grin. "Was a fun event, I think."

Sutton sits up once the game's done, brushing a few bits of straw out of her hair, picked up from some of the improvised cover somewhere. She drags all of her gear with her when she rises, wandering off the field to dump it and strip off as much extra clothing as possible. "Valiant fight, Fire." She pulls her hair up into a tail nudges past Easton, passes Bennie and drops a smooch on her shoulder. She points to Byron, says nothing, and scampers off to elbow the other dude who shot her. Where'd the Mexican go? "Lily! You did good."

The wink from Ruiz gets a broader smile, and a jaunty salute towards the captain, before Isabella gestures to Lilith, indicative that she intends to move over to where the young woman is flopped. Proceeding to head over there, as she passes the moving Easton, she stops briefly, but only so she could pass him the fifty dollars she promised for tagging Byron out of the game - if he accepts it anyway.

She's still moving, though at that once-over she can't help but laugh, and extends an arm to playfully give him a light shove sideways. "Enjoy this while it lasts, Thorne. I intend to turn the tables pretty quickly.

Whenever they're by Lilith, she doesn't intend to stay long, but something has to be done first. "Fantastic showing, Lilith," she tells the other woman. "I have to get going pretty soon, but could the two of you humor me for five seconds?" She wiggles her smartphone. Yes. It's happening. She's taking a selfie with the two of them.

Fawn chuckles, giving Rick's hand a firm shake before releasing it again, "Thanks. I tried... " Glancing about at the mix of blue and red paint-splattered participants, she hmms, "I would agree. Was a lot of fun. No doubt, raised some good funds for the charity." OF course, she does give Andi a look, "Seems your partner over there, managed to get out of the game without getting hit even once."

Grasping Ruiz's hand Easton laughs and says, "Yea well I can only imagine what I'd have to hear if I didn't take you out old man." He laughs and then admits, "Though I was probably thinking a little bit more about that and shooting Geoff in the nuts than actually winning." He breaks the grip to finish chugging that first beer and then Harper is introducing herself.

"He extends a hand to her, "Easton. Marshall." He winces at what she might have heard, not that it isn't true but not everyone understands their kind of love. Sad but true. "So, first off I hope you don't have bills to pay this month because I'm drinking all your money." Easton definitely heard the late addition about paying for beer. "And second, I'm not sure it's even legal to have that many owls in bathtub in the first place? So we might need a plan b."

Andi finds herself a drink and presses it to her forehead to cool off. A two finger salute to Rick before she meanders over to him, smiling at both him and Fawn when she gets there, hearing the last of it. "Rick is good at getting shot." A grin to the both.

Lilith gets out of her vest and helmet while laying there in the grass, finally getting some breath back in her to at least turn head and grin at Sutton from a distance with the call from her and others with delay, all flushed with exertion and sweaty-bedraggled with hair falling down. When Byron comes up to shadow over her with hand down and question, she reaches up with one hand, then the other too to clasp him at the wrist and tug instead of rising up immediately, "I always wanted to do that. I'm glad I was able to 'cause you're kind of a big deal. Lie down and look at the trees and clouds with-- oh wait."

Isabella wants pictures, so the tug downward turns into a yank of letting Byron help her up, a hand accidentally swiping grass smearing and fragments onto her forehead as she semi-tries to arrange some hair from sticking there with sweat once she's standing.

Geoff 's eyes dance with amusement "You got me, I've been learning lawn enforcement from the opposite side of it and going for the long haul." With a click of his tongue he side eyes Harper "Also who told you about my recreational love of handcuffs." with a small dismissive gesture he says "Honestly though, I just enjoyed shooting again. This is the first time I've been allowed near anything remotely resembling a firearm in forever." then Easton is approaching and he punches the man in the shoulder "Yeah you won, and I'm buying, but also in accordance with the old laws that means I get to pick the beer." narrowing his eyes he says in a voice that doesn't carry that far beyond them "As far as legal, that's a very strong word and has connotations. I like to think that many owls is fine in every sense of natural justice."

Ruiz does not recognise Harper, clearly, by the appraising look that passes over the woman. He doesn't interrupt her conversation with Easton by introducing himself, though. Instead, he starts unfastening his gear as he makes a beeline for Sutton.

Rick grins as he looks at Andi as she approaches, nodding at Fawn's words. "She's good at hiding behind others," he remarks lightly, before he adds a chuckle. "Good job," he offers to Andi, before he shakes his head a bit. "No, no. If I was good at getting shot, I'd have just let the gear stop the bullet, like you did," he offers.

Fawn holds out a hand towards Andi as well once the other cop reaches them, "Good shooting." Laughing quietly, she wonders of Rick, "Is he the sort that just runs out first then? He gets shot, you can take out the bad guy?" She's surely teasing them both.

"Did it hurt?" Byron asks out of genuine curiosity, his hand clutching onto Lilith's as helps to pull her up to standing. He notices the bits of grass on her and starts to brush them off with both a laugh and a sigh, "You're not gonna want your picture taken looking like that." Thorne will joke. It's not that bad. He won't fuss over her too much, the blades of grass in Lilith's hair just shows how much effort she put into being the last member of Team FD standing. However, he will give Isabella this faux impatient look as if saying, with his brows raised to 'let's get this over with'. He doesn't mean it.

When the time comes, despite the big red stain on his shirt, he'll give Isabella's camera a bright and winning grin. Look, his team won, alright? His arms outstretched to wrap around both Isabella and Lilith to draw them in close for the picture.

Harper takes a moment to try to decide whether to use Easton or Marshall when the introduction is made. "Well, Easton," It is the name she's heard used on more than one occasion, after all. "It's lovely to put a face to the name. Just remember: no matter how much he protests, he really doesn't want you to be gentle." A teasing glance from Easton to Geoff and back again. Talk of owls simply results in the librarian arching a brow inquisitively and watching the thrust and parry between the two friends. She waits for a pause and asks, "Can you regularly shoot paintball?" Because that's what Harper's calling it: Shooting Paintball. "Because if so, I think it sounds like a marvelous option. Maybe you'll teach me to shoot you in the crotch, too. But not for beer. Just for the satisfaction of a job well done."

Andi slips her hand into hers, "Thanks you too, it was a challenge." After withdrawing her hand she shoulder bumps Rick. "Hey getting hit in the vest hurts. Can't say it hurts as bad as you getting hit in the shoulder. Don't get shot on my watch again. I'll have to beat you up." A smile back to Fawn. "Maybe a different kind of challenge next time. I do look forward to the steak dinner though."

Sutton is just resettling an old, plain black ball cap atop her head, hair pulled into a knot at the nape of her neck. She's already dropped all the paintball gear and has a packet of crisps in hand. She turns around just in time to see Ruiz headed over. She has a little spatter of blue paint across her throat, but is otherwise unmarked now that all the pads are off. "Ruthless."

"If you bring me piss beer, I will drink it just to spite you. I have drank far worse and am more than willing to suffer to make you pay." Easton answers Geoff's threat about picking the beer in case he tries to offer something awful. He grins at Harper and says, "Nice to meet you too. And, that is good to know. Though I think it's cute when he yells." He raises his eyebrows and nods along at the suggestion of playing paintball as a way for Geoff to get some more shooting in. "I approve of this. Not just because it involves guns and shooting Geoff in the nuts, but because of those things AND it's a good idea."

He then notices that Ruiz has left and looks for him but can't find him in all the chaos. He also makes no moves to remove his gear just yet.

"Oh shut up, the camera loves you," Isabella tells Byron, and grins faintly at Lilith when she stands up. Much like the rest of those she's with, she is a righteous mess and doesn't give much of a damn. Drawn into the circle, she extends her arm out, her smartphone tilted just so and up in an attempt to get all three of them in the picture, and snaps the photograph, immortalizing the moment in ones and zeroes.

"Alright, alright, I'll leave the two of you alone," she says, with a long-suffering sigh. But the expression lingers when she tucks the camera in her back pocket, winking at the both of them. "I'll see you two crazy kids later." With another wave, she starts heading off the field, fiddling with her device.

"Hey you can shoot me in the crotch if I can shoot you." Geoff offers rather magnanimously "Though if this is going to become a regular thing, I vote we go with with airsoft and moving operations to the lumbermill for a kill house it'll be better. Not to mention I miss the sexy sexy feel of a shotgun in hand." Then he is turning back to Easton "Oh I know you'll drink it, that's the point."

Kevin discards his helmet, mask, goggles, and rifle with the rest of the loaner gear and cleans up his hands enough to use his phone to get a few more pictures, noting down who is in each one in his little notepad. It takes a little juggling that leaves no room for a beer or snack. He wanders over toward Easton, Harper, and Geoff, arriving just in time to hear about the nut shots, "Wait... there were nut-shots? Maybe I got lucky. There weren't any side bets besides the bounties offered there at the end, were there?"

"Necessary," Ruiz answers Sutton's claim, angling in close and swiping his thumb over the spatter of paint across her throat. "You look good covered in blue, though." Her cap is tipped up so he can tilt his head in and give her a kiss. Something's murmured soft while his mouth is close to hers. He doesn't spot Easton looking around for him, but he'll probably track the guy down later.

Magnolia steps up to Andi to offer out a hand to her, grinning. "Thanks, partner. It was fun." Then she is pivoting back to the others who are gathering up, and she slings her rifle over her shoulder. The blonde steps up toward Lilith, and gives her friend's shoulder a little knuckle tap before she is nearing Kevin until she loops an arm around him and presses a kiss to his cheek. "How's my zombie? Back from the dead, okay?" After he's taken pictures of course. When she spots Easton, she gives him a cheerful wave.

"Hell yes, it hurt. But in the good way. You know. The kind of way that reminds you how alive you are." Lilith tells Byron through a huff of partial laughter, tipping her head up a little bit into his fingers, eyes turned upward with waiting pose while he fusses over grass. Her lips stay tugged with tinge of remainder smile after she's finished speaking and he's finished trying to gussy her up for camera and Isabella's photo moment. Whatever's remaining, she's not fussed about, and her hair is still half-tugged down and mussed with the flush of exertion and summer warmth still on her while her attention swaps to camera point and focus.

With Byron's arm drawing around her to pull with pose at one side in opposite of where the other brunette is, Lilith cozies right into the natural nook and leans her head tilted slightly into his chest with sunlight glinting in blue irises for the camera. She's kind of a trainwreck here and there, and a mess right now in the exhilerated kind of way, but cameras seem to like her alright. Her teeth flash in rare full rare and bright smile for the sake of the moment and she seems to mean it, not just pulling on the expression for pose, the high of game adrenaline still apparently kind of on her.

When finished, she straightens back up and reaches a hand to yank her hair down so she can start putting it back up right away, watching Isabella with the smile more natural and subdued, but genuine, "Bang up job back there, miss lady."

Lilith grins at Magnolia after the cam set up when the blonde passes by on the way to Kevin, responding to the knuckle tap, "... I swear I didn't mean to hit your leg again. Fab job, killer."

Rick grins momentarily. "I'll try to avoid it, then," he offers to Andi, unable to hold back a bit of a chuckle.

Harper's laughter kicks up a notch with Easton's response. "Shoot me? I'd require a couple of lessons first. But I'd help Easton here bring you down. And by 'helping' I mean shooting myself in the foot while you two take crotch-ular shots at one another." She pauses and muses a few moments. "I can't say it doesn't sound fun." Harper enjoys the back and forth between the two men, pulling some of the remaining cotton candy from her plastic bag and slipping it into her already blue-stained mouth. Her brown-eyed gaze flickers over to Kevin and his blue spattered face (except the eyes) as he approaches. "Hey, Walters. That was some fine footwork out there." Harper grins.

"Oh, the name is Fawn. Fire Marshal Underwood..." They might have heard her name around the police department when working on cases with detectives. She will step back, "But I hear a beer calling my name, so if you will excuse me. Nice to meet you both." And she's turning, moving off to talk to a few others from the fire department off to the side.

Bang up job back there, miss lady.

She pivots on her heel, walking backwards so she can look at Byron and Lilith as she goes, one hand tucked behind her. "Definitely got banged up by this guy right here," Isabella laughs, the full brunt of her incandescent expression on the brunette. "You were magnificent, I wish I had your patience." Her smartphone buzzes and after a quick look at it, she starts trotting backwards a little more quickly. "I gotta meet someone though, so I'll see you both later! Stay chill, and no wild orgies!"

Pause.

"Not without me anyway!"

And with that, she's off.

"Oh, necessary?" Sutton has to pause in devouring chips to be kissed by the oldest cop on the field. Fraternizing with the enemy so soon! She grouses a little, but ultimately returns the kiss, lightly, briefly. She turns her head slightly when Ruiz murmurs something very quietly to her. Whatever he said has her eyes narrowing. "Yeah, you're right," she says after a momentary pause. She probably doesn't say that very often. "We'll talk about that other thing later. Are you gonna hang? I need to get out of the sun. I kissed my partner and the enemy. My work here is done."

Geoff casually reaches over to steal some of Harper's cotton candy, popping it into his mouth and saying around it "Don't worry, it's easy not to shoot yourself in the foot. The fun part with airsoft in a structure is not ricocheting and hitting yourself, it's why you have to wear glasses."

Turning to see Kevin Easton claps him on the shoulder and says, "Tough shot out there. But hey, you did better with paintball at least." He doesn't mention better than what though. He then turns back to Geoff and Harper and apologizes, "Sorry, I need to go grab another beer and then grab a hot EMT to treat my nuts. If you know what I mean." Yes, Easton. Everyone knows what you mean. Always. With that he wanders off to grab a beer, get out of his gear and help Bennie cleanup.

He sees Magnolia's wave and just glares and points, though he can't fully suppress the smile. He walks by her to mutter, "I should have hired Baylee."

With that broad grin still on his, Byron idly comments, "Anyone adverse to exercise because it's boring, should pick up paintball. Boring is not a word that I'd use to describe it." His winning grin slowly fading, only to be replaced by a more natural one, "And the ducking and running. I'm sure I'm going to feel it in my arms later tonight." He then tosses out a compliment Isabella's way, "You did great. I didn't hit you in the first five minutes of the match. Though, I'm sure I came pretty damn close." He then looks down at Lilith to Reede's parting words, "Right. No orgies. No promises either."

When Magnolia comes over to offer a friendly squeeze at Lilith's shoulder, Byron calls out to her, "Good job, Jones. If not for you and Andi Johnson, who knows how this all would've played out. Maybe you should've just gone off to be a cop after all, eh?"

With all the idle chatter out of the way, he looks back down at Lilith, "Maybe I'll get us our own set of paintball guns and gear. Get some practice in. I'm sure Tobin and Geoff would go for it." See, Geoff's right there.

Kevin scowls down at Magnolia, blue paint still splattered on his face where the mask and goggles didn't cover, "You shot me. In the face." And then his scowl breaks into a grin, "Zombies don't come back from that, you know. Nice job taking everyone down and saving me five bucks, by the way." He shakes his head at Harper, shrugging and smiling, "Yeah, it was pretty good how I avoided being shot after taking one right in the face, wasn't it, Harps?" He points to her mouth, "I see you got blued too though, even if you didn't play." He's clapped by Easton and blinks, "Yeah, didn't... wait... better with paintball than what?"

Timely. That's Everett's arrival. After all the action is done, or mostly done, the gorilla in a leather jacket walks into the park with his thumbs tucked into the front of his pockets. Thin lipped, and head down, he skirts around the perimeter of the course.

Harper laughs, watching Easton take his leave. She tips her plastic bag of cotton candy so Geoff can have easier access to it then offers some to Kevin as well just as Magnolia steps up to join him. "Magnolia. Nice to see you again." There a delighted look from Harper as she looks from Magnolia to Kevin and back again. She nudges Geoff with her shoulder again. "This is where you offer to teach me the dangerous pastime of shooting balls of paint at my friends. In questionable buildings."

Ruiz's only the oldest here tonight because Thatchery is a lily livered no fun coward, and knew he'd have his ass handed to him if he tried venturing out of that office chair long enough to pick up a paintball gun. "Of course I am," he tells Sutton with a slight smile. Right, that is. "No, I'll come with you." Which is accompanied by a somewhat more furtive look, considering. "Need a ride somewhere?"

No matter the reason, Ruiz is, in fact, the oldest cop here today. Oldest. No getting around it, Mexico. "Of course you are." Sutton smirks faintly at that furtive look, but keeps her commentary to herself. Except to say, "Sure. Mind a stop at the Safeway? Easton got a dog and I need to buy some bacon treats so he thinks his dog loves me more." Offer a paramedic a ride, get roped into a ridiculous situation like this.

Spying the decorated colours of the course while he walks around it, Everett gets some idea of what happened here until his attention is gripped and turned another. A broad public smile spreads over his lips, that is, the corner of his right side spreads a little, and the large man heads towards Harper holding court and her royal subjects.

Geoff looks down at his phone with a frown and sends off a text before looking up "Yeah I should probably get going, I gotta go take care of something that doesn't involve getting fondled by an Emt." After a moment he adds "Mainly because I don't know a hot EMT." and with that he is strolling off towards his bike. Only to be stopped by paintball officiants telling him he has to return the paintball gun, which he does grudgingly.

Byron dares to suggest Magnolia might become a cop, and she flips the bird at him with a broad, adoring smile. She loves you, Byron. Really. Then she's back to looking at Kevin, and warmth spreads across her expression with a bit of a dimpling at the height of her cheeks. "You have a pretty face. I was aiming for something adorable." Don't believe her, Kevin. It's a trap. Then she is looking at Harper and she grins at her. "Hey Harper." She casts a look to Geoff, and she nods soberly. "I have decided to leave the PI business to instead open up a paintball arena."

Despite his commentary on Harper's cotton-candy lip-dye, Kevin reaches out for some of the offered sweet, plucking a handful and shoving it in his mouth, "Thanks." The look between him and Magnolia gets a faint frown, then he looks down to Magnolia and just shrugs helplessly. "Should have shot yourself then, Lia." The idea of a paintball arena gets a considering look from Kevin, and he looks around at the crowd, then over to Byron, "Careful... Byron might hear you and do it. He's probably make money with it too..."

Lilith leans to get some of her gear she discarded once her hair is back up and out of her face and off of her neck, looking with Byron for a moment toward Geoff leaving before she bats her lashes a few times at him with mild surprise, despite... not being surprised, also. While bumping against his arm she speaks and then starts to walk a little to throw her gear toward a collected heap to help out the others with her own part of discard, "I forget that you can just do things like that because you want to now. I don't know why it took you suggesting a paintball group suitup to remind me of that, but there it is."

After a quiet half-laugh to herself, she pauses again to turn and look up at him once her junk is tossed, but not before looking at Kevin and Mags together and grinning just a touch to herself, a tiny wave snuck over at Harper. Then she addresses Byron, "I'm down. The guys definitely are not going to say no to that, neither would anyone else with a fun bone in their body. Then again, it might say something about us if we're all so into capping each other. We might need group hug therapy at some point, but-- well, no, that's what it is, isn't it?"

"Also when you leave here, can I have a ride home, I swear I'm going to get a car again soon. I was just... stuff."

Ruiz stares at Sutton for a few seconds, like he's wondering if she's 12. "Okay," he offers after a long pause, eyes her some more, then starts heading off, and resumes stripping out of his gear on the way. His truck's parked somewhere nearby, and a few other cops are greeted on his way out.

Harper bids Geoff goodbye, then is grinning at the couple in front of where she's perched in the stands. "You two are going to give me cavities. And I think I might like it. Magnolia, you were ruthless! You really should do more thug work. Or perhaps you do and I've just been missing it. Either way, I'm going to sic you on my overdue list." The plastic bag of cotton candy is offered in Magnolia's direction with a quirked brow. Want some? Harper's smile is playful. Just then she sees Everett making his way around the arena. She lifts a hand and is about to wave when she realizes he's headed straight toward the stands. "Hi there, Mr. Big. Come sit by me."

Oh sure, Byron heard Magnolia bring up this new desire to open up her own paintball area. "You took my measly idea and amped it up to eleven, Mags." He flashes a bright smile over at Harper as if she were the one to tip him off on Magnolia's plans. He then says in a dramatically exasperated tone to Lilith, "And here I was, talking child's play. But if Jones really wanted to... I can't say how lucrative an idea like that is in a town like this. Take it to NYC or L.A. where there aren't many natural areas to play in and their need for alternative ways to exercise? We could be onto something."

He's still wearing that smile when he shakes his head at Lilith, laughter heard in his voice, "Well, if I must be honest, I'd probably let all of you buy whatever pieces you can afford. People don't tend to like handouts. And I'll cover the rest. I mean, though they say you can't make money without spending money, you also don't keep money if you continue to spend it." But knowing Thorne, he probably could gear everyone up no problem. "And sure, I'll drive you home. I mean, if you want me to help you pick out the best car, I'm up for that as well."

"You having fun?" the big man asks his cadence deep. He scans Harper over while heading for her, looking down at his boots a moment before doing as she bids. Librarian has her own Golem. Untucking his thumbs, he leans forward, a forearm on his knee when he reaches up and over with his right to trace Harper's bottom lip with his thumb. Even though the cotton candy is still present, Everett murmurs, "Looks like it." He glances around to those within the immediate vicinity and then back at the librarian, "Who won?"

"You should appreciate enterprising in others, town knows you're enterprising enough for three men." Lilith tells Byron with a flash of a smile proudly over at Magnolia while saying it, then she gives a bob of her head into a nod. Then she squints a little and looks down at herself, spandex and skin and scuffs and paint and dirt and grass stains, "I would say let's be decisive and just go to a car lot now while you have free time, but mrrm. This is either going to get me a massive discount for someone that likes a little lawn in their spandex kink or get us kicked out. Or maybe we'd just get stared at, I'm not sure. But there's always the internet. And showers. Got your gym bag with clean clothes?"

Lilith then pauses, thinks about not being needy, then does needy anyway, "... also on the way home, can we get food? I think I burned ten thousand calories in the name of being the last one standing. That's win enough for me."

"So. A normal day," Magnolia offers Byron another winning smile that includes a flash of dimples. "Don't worry. I can't afford anything like that, so you set up the painballing and I'll just come over and play." Then she is hearing her phone give a buzz in the depths of her pocket, and she tugs out the device to look at it. "Babysitter is almost spent. I should probably wander off to go be a Mom." She ticks her gaze toward Kevin. "I'm leaving you in Harper's capable hands." She smiles to the woman before she starts to scoot thattaway.

Harper smiles up and up a little more at Everett before he leans down and points out her cotton-candy blue stained lips. "It was a pretty fearsome bout. Magnolia here was one of the triumphant last women standing." Harper gestures to Magnolia and then offers introductions. "Magnolia Jones, Kevin Walters." She indicates those she introduces with a flourish of the hand holding the bag of blown sugar dyed blue. Magnolia and Kevin, Everett Woods." She turns her smile from the distracted couple and reaches for Everett's hand to tug him down to sit on the bleacher beside her. That's just too much looming. Of course, the man has got to want to sit for the tug to make much difference. "The Police Department won." She gestures across the way to where Byron and Lilith are talking. "Lilith there made an incredible last stand. Lilith and Magnolia here were forces to be reckoned with. It was really fun to watch."

Kevin blinks at Harper's description of Magnolia and himself, glancing to her again, then shrugs a little helplessly. "She's scary. I can tell you that very personally." The arrival of Everett causes a blink, and he looks up, "Woah." Offering out the hand not engaged with Magnolia's, he echoes Harper's introduction of him, "Kevin Walters." Byron's input causes him to snort and proclaim cheerfully, "Spoilsport! Let us dream of a paintball arena raking in the bucks." He nods to Magnolia and leans down to press a kiss to her cheek, "Have fun with the kidlet." Looking back to Harper, he adds, "Maybe I should just leave the story for you to write. Looks like you've got it handled."

"You're sounding more and more like Isabella Reede every time you open your mouth, Maggie." Byron murmurs, though she really just sounds like herself! Turning to Lilith, reaching out to drape an arm across her shoulder, he says, "You women, it's like you're all out to get me. Almost as if I'd done something grievously wrong." The dramatics is heard in his voice once more when he utters these words. He then calls out to Kevin, "Luring players into a 'cool' natural environment like the Firefly Forest and make it some sort of bonding exercise for a corporation, that I can see. Not an actual arena."

Looking like he's on driving and picking up food duty with Lilith in tow, he now turns to Magnolia, shouting out, "Tell Lark I said 'Hi' and the the GHPD rule!" This is followed by a much calmer nod, that smile still on his lips, "Food sounds good. I could go for some coffee and burgers myself." With plans made, he nods his head over in Kevin and Harper's direction now, though he's looking over at Harper's friend, "See you all around, I'm sure. And thanks for the support." He says, though he's not affiliated with either the GHPD or the Fire Department officially. But it's for charity!

Harper flashes an amused smile at Kevin. "Writing the news is so not my area. I don't have my thumb on the pulse of any of the underhanded dealings that manipulated the outcome today like I'm sure you do. Besides, I think I'd tilt the story toward the fabulous disasters the men made of themselves." She calls out as Magnolia takes her leave, "See ya, Magnolia." Then she adds as she watches Magnolias's departure, "Someday we'll actually get past introductions, maybe." She tips a look back to Kevin while leaning her shoulder in against Everett's arm, "You're looking a little worse for the weather, Walters. You alright?"

Lifting his gaze to look in the directions that Harper points at, Everett's smile wavers and fades returning to his resting bastard face. Kevin's offered hand is taken, strongly shook, before released, his own reintroduction nowhere in sight. Then the tugging from the Librarian is payed attention too, his half-crooked smile returning. Large arm wraps around Harper's shoulders before he shimmies closer, running his right hand through his long loose hair to tame it back.

Lilith opens her mouth to point out good-natured that she never shot at Byron, but backs it up once half of it is out, "Hey, I never even sh--" The woman gets conveniently distracted then by turning to wave at Harper and company and Kevin instead, leaning into the arm slung about her shoulders with a bit of a meandering kick through grass in her walk toward the direction of the car, "Bye guys." Then she looks up at Byron again, dropping her voice, "... velociraptors definitely would up the insurance of holding a corporate team building exercise there, you know."

Yes. Velociraptors. But luckily only he can hear her.

Kevin nods to Byron across the distance, snap-pointing at his childhood friend's idea, then looks back to Harper, shrugging a little helplessly, "Yeah. The nut-shots aren't exactly paper-worthy, I don't think. I mean, I like that part of the story, but I don't think the editor would like them much. And yeah, I rean into a little trouble. Bonked my head on the sidewalk." That's the least of it, but it's true, and it covers his worst hurt. Everett's shake is returned, and then the big man is curling around Harper, and he coos, "ooooh, Harps! Congrats."

While waiting for Kevin's reply, Harper straightens a bit on her bleacher seat to wave to Lilith, "Rockin' job, Lilith! As usual." She offers Byron a warm smile across the space as well. Then she's turning to look up at Everett. She smiles and murmurs quietly, "I didn't think you'd make it." Her smile broadens. "Here. Have some carbs." The bag of cotton candy. Back to Kevin. "It's a shame it can't just be a pastiche of slow-motion impact shots. To the eye gear, to the chest, to the temple. There were some impressive moments. Maybe make it a human interest story. Lilith's solitary and noble efforts to overcome impossible odds. Magnolia's fearsome denial of said efforts. And that other woman who I don't know. She helped, too."

Byron's day was going fairly well. He was about to go get changed, get food. Driving in his fancy car with Lily. He even had a mind to start up this team-bonding business for big corporations. Then Lilith has to go ruining that with talks of velociraptors. Always the velociraptors. He even visibly frowns in the young woman's direction, looking less than pleased. "If that's going to be a problem, I'll have the GHPD look into it. I'm sure they don't mind. They got their win in today." They'll continue their chatter all the way to his car.

Lilith grins a hint irrepressibly at that frown from Byron on the way to the car. Irritating as it is, it's probably a good sign she's joking about it instead of having nightmares. There's enough for all that, no need to have it added to. And today has been pretty okay thus far. The chatter probably doesn't include more velociraptors, at least.

With a nod towards Kevin, a look on concern on Everett's features, he asks, "You ok? A smack to the head could be pretty serious." He pauses as long as it takes for the concern to be replaced with humor, "It's too bad there weren't any EMT people around to take a look at it." His, Kevin's, congratulations to Harper has Everett looking in her direction as well with a smile. "Yeah," he murmurs, deeply, mildly sultry, "Congrats." Though the bag of carbs are received as well as Dracula receives garlic. With a furrowed brow, Everett takes the bag even if she was only allowing him a sample, between forefinger and thumb and carries it as far away from her as he can manage with wide arm's width and leaving it on the stands. "Ew. You know better."

"Bonked your head on the sidewalk? Kevin! What were you doing on the field today?" Harper /just/ refrains from standing up to check Kevin over. But Magnolia would have known if the man needed medical attention. Right? "That sounds ... not good." Kevin's coo of congratulations catches Harper off guard and she opens her mouth to reply with something witty when Everett echoes the word. "Well, thank you, Kevin. You don't have to sound so surprised." She elbows Everett at his teasing. "I will force feed you that cotton candy." She turns a capricious side-glance on Everett, quelling another ready smile. The odds are pretty slim that Harper could successfully force Everett to do anything. But then, the large man is holding the bag like it's his personal Kryptonite. So maybe she wields more power than her slender frame would suggest. Back to Kevin, "Are we talking 'tap to the head' bump or 'put me in, coach, I swear that collision between my brain and that linebacker wasn't anything' bump?"

Kevin shrugs a little to Harper, "Hard to get those shots when I'm on the field, unfortunately. But if I'd tried to Go Pro it, Lia would have shot the damn camera," he laughs with that, then shrugs, "But that's a good idea. The brave stand of the... totally not firefighters or EMTs after all the professionals shot each other, the PI and the cop teaming up to finish the last brave survivor. Good story there." He blinks at Everett, rubbing at his head, "It's been a while. No more splitting headaches. Just a little light sensitivity and poor decision making. So, not much different from usual." Everett's reaction to the cotton candy, however, causes him to blink and look somewhere between appalled and astonished, "No. No. No. I take my congratulations back." He steps over to pick up the bag and offer it back out to Harper, "Cotton Candy is sacred carnival food." He waves off the concern from him and from Harper alike, "A little concussion. I'm fine now. I had a nice knot on my head, and I sat in the dark for a while, but I'm fine. Totally." Mostly. "And I didn't come to get shot at."

The elbow catches Everett a little off guard, and Harper's rewarded with a soft "Unf," before he turns his attention back to her. A broad grin, a libidinous gleam in his eye, Everett leans forward to murmur softly into her ear. He leans back when threats come out, "Oh. You mean you're going to try." He fan-fares his leather jacket bound torso, "This body is a temple, and you like to worship at it. If I let too many of those things into the temple, the non-believers will ruin it for everybody." And by everybody, he exclusively points at himself and her. Everett follows the bag of death travel back to Harper, looking up at Kevin to mutter, "Enabler," once while it's on its way, and over to them both. A dismissive shrug, Everett tries sarcasm next. "Why, it's not like a little concussion hurt anybody."

Although Kevin's self-described concussion makes Harper frown she's retroactively redirected his physical health to Magnolia's discretion and she curves an amused smile at his summation of the competition. She nods in agreement. "I'd read that story first with my coffee and paper in the morning. No question." She takes the bag back when Kevin retrieves it, delighted. "Thank you. Would you like some more?" Another offer of the spun sugar. "I'm glad you appreciate the sacred rites of spun sugar." Emphasis on 'you'. Someone does. She listens to the protestations of good health and replies, "And yet that's exactly where you ended up. Funny how things turn out." Everett's joke about the presence of a gaggle of EMT's draws an amused look from Harper. "I won't insist you make up your mind while you recover from a concussion. It was strawberries you liked, right? I'll bring some Mount Hood strawberries to the paper sometime this week to drag Jessica out of her self-induced torture. Be a little extra kind to her this week, will you?" Harper turns her gaze to Everett for the 'this body is a temple' speech. "Somebody needs to stop taking his work-outs so seriously. And this time it's not Kevin," she observes dryly. His concussion comment earns him another shoulder bump. "Behave. Kevin is a friend of mine and he works with Jessica. He's like the brother we never had." We treat siblings well.

Kevin nods to Everett at the accusation of being an enabler, "Yeah, pretty much. I'm in favor of a free carb-market economy. Occasionally, at least." Still, he shakes his head at Harper's offer, "Naw. I should totally get to work on this story." The question about strawberries causes him to jump a little, a hint of a blush touching his cheeks, "Um, yeah. Strawberries are great." Nope, keeping his eyes on Harper and Everett, not looking after Magnolia at all. Clearing his throat, he frowns slightly, "Yeah, I'll be extra nice. What's up with Jess? Oh... I suppose I could totally ask her when I see her at the paper." Being described as a brother causes Kevin to laugh and rub at the back of his head a little sheepishly, "Which means they like to torment me. Clearly. It's appreciated though. At least often appreciated. Nice to sort-of meet you, man. Good to see you, Harps." Looks like he's going to head out.

Harper watches Kevin's reaction with a fascinated, keen gaze. "No, don't ask her. Just be yourself. That'll be sufficient." Harper is smiling, the nodding. "'Like' is a vast understatement, Walters. Vast. Great fields of vast." Harper tips her head toward the shoulder nearer to Everett. "Take care, Kevin. Heal all the way before you choose what weights to use, hmm? I'll see you sometime soon." Kevin moves away and Harper turns her attention to Everett. "So you see how he and Jessica would be excellent foils for each other, yeah? They're delightful to be around. Especially after a partiularly long day."

Everett corrects Harper, knowing full well any word that follows spun ought to have, "DEATH" following it. And looking awfully smug about it too. But he frowns after, catching up to the conversation, "Wait. I don't remember you having coffee and reading the paper. Or. Do you mean, metaphorically?" Everett listens otherwise, and admonished, is it any wonder he falls a little silent. Tall, broad, strong. But she apparently knows where all the buttons are, though he nods in all the right places. And when Everett's asked a question directly, he lifts or lowers his attention, "Uh. I see why you hang around them, why they're your friends. Are all your friends, like, brainiacs?"

Harper turns toward Everett with a laugh. "No. Some of them aren't as intelligent as Kevin and Jessica." She rolls up the plastic bag in her hand and pushes to her feet. "Let's go for a walk." She grabs at Everett's and and tugs him down the bleachers. "I have all sorts of friends. You might not like them all, you know."

For such a little woman, she sure can be pushy. Fortunately, when Harper stands, Everett has the good sense to follow suit as well. "Yeah," he murmurs. "A walk." He nods in the direction he had came in, "My bike's over in that direction, or are you more thinking about going behind the bleachers and making out like we're teenagers?"