Spreading the news

[nica_hepcat]

WHO: Nicam tag Katie and whoever else might be around
WHEN: Thursday afternoon
WHERE: Katie and Chester's house

Nica spent her school day talking to Lynn about what had happened at the camping spot, and about the dead man who wasn't dead, and then wouldn't die. She didn't talk about it with anyone else; she hadn't seen Rex or she might have flirted with him again, poor guy. He was nice ... And there was Juice, but she would go see him later and give him all the gory details. Literally, gory details, complete with blood and ichor. She didn't know exactly what ichor was, but if anything she'd ever seen was ichorous, it was poor Stu.

Anyway, it crossed her mind that maybe not everyone she knew and liked in Pleasantdale had heard about what happened. So, on the way home, she stopped off at Katie and Chester's house, hoping that Katie was around. Books clutched firmly in her left hand, she knocked at the front door.

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[max_ine]

Much to Chester's probable dismay, another guest arrived at the Wilson house. Maxine pulled up into the driveway, got out of the car, and headed down the neat walkway to their front door.

She felt like she needed to warn her friend Katie about what they'd seen. Though how to get her to believe the danger? She frowned, and knocked at the door while collecting her thoughts.

[katherine_the_great]

Chester got to his feet with a start. This wasn't Saturday. Who was it now? Katherine was still chattering away in the kitchen, wasting time, and he cleared his throat loudly. After a few moments in which the door continued to go unanswered, he irately went to open it himself, and noted another woman who looked like she could have fallen off the back of a church wagon - probably one of Katherine's bridge partners.

"What? It's not bridge night tonight," he snapped, a little annoyed.

[max_ine]

Maxine folded her arms, used to obstinant men from her work. "It's not, no."

She let Chester stew a moment, before continuing. "But I need to see Katie. We've got to talk about some woman-type things."

Let him think it was period talk time or something equally ridiculous, she didn't care - as long as it got him to let her in so she could warn his wife about the weirdness in the woods.

[katherine_the_great]

Oh, for heaven's sakes.

"Katherine," Chester called, the annoyed tone ringing clear. "You have another visitor."

Katie called back, "I'm in the kitchen, dear, just have them come back here."

Chester's nostrils flared slightly, and he gestured over his shoulder. "Do make it quick, Katherine's busy with dinner at the moment."

[max_ine]

"Sure thing, Chess. Wouldn't want to interrupt your eating," Maxine said, only rolling her eyes when she was past his sight line.

She headed into the kitchen, and was surprised to see Nica already there. "Ah-- I'm guessing you beat me to filling Katie in."

She gave a somewhat sheepish look to both gals, trying to gauge how much Nica had spilled and how much Katie was buying. This was, after all, a kind of delicate subject. It wasn't every day you had to tell one of your friends about a possibly rabid hunter who was dead-not-dead and now dead again.

[nica_hepcat]

Nica gave Maxine a similarly sheepish look, and a little wave. "Hello, Miss Maxine. I haven't heard anything new, have you?"

[time_goes_by]

Janie hadn't been able to concentrate on work- okay, she rarely concentrated on work, but today had been so bad, Phillip handed her some money and told her to go shopping. So after a failed trip to the shopping mall, Janie knocked on Chester and Katie's door. She needed to let Katie know what was happening, and wanted someone to talk to. She'd tried to ring Maxine, but she wasn't home.

[katherine_the_great]

Chester was just starting to walk back to his chair, when... someone knocked on the door. He stormed over to answer it, practically yanking it open. "What? What do you want?"

[time_goes_by]

"What do I want? If I say some of your fine brushes will you get that look off your face? Can I see Katherine, please? It'll only take a moment."

Janie was annoyed now, and was trying her hardest to be civil.

"Phillip wants to meet with you about them brushes anyhow." She wasn't sure if he did or not, but hoped that would smooth things over a bit.

[katherine_the_great]

"Are you women planning some sort of church thing? It's dinner time and suddenly her entire bridge club is coming over," Chester groused. "Make it quick and take those other two with you when you leave."

[time_goes_by]

"A bake sale." Janie said, though she was never involved in those things. The time she tried to sell a cake, it was hard enough to be used as a doorstop. She walked past Chester and towards the kitchen, where she assumed Katie would be if it was almost dinner time.

[katherine_the_great]

Katie was indeed in there, and looking a bit worried. "Nica said there was trouble, but you all were alright. So stay away from the woods, hmm?" She wasn't honestly sure she believed Nica, but the fact that there were multiple people showing up wasn't exactly convincing her that nothing was wrong here. "Janie, Maxine... perhaps the three of you would like to stay over for dinner?"

[nica_hepcat]

"If I could call Vito and let him know to just hit the cold cuts until I get home," Nica said.

[time_goes_by]

"Yes." Janie said "I- something's happened,and you need to know."

After waving to Nica and Max, Janie noted that Katie was working on pie. "Is that cherry?"

[katherine_the_great]

"Yes, and there's a roast in the oven -- and the telephone's right over there on the wall," Katie instructed, gesturing. "Anyhow, let me just finish this up and get it in the oven. Chester, we're having company over for dinner!"

"Why?" the surly voice from the other room replied.

[max_ine]

"Thanks, that'd be swell."

Maxine ignored Chester's grumpy, and gave Katie a smile. "Really we just all had the same idea I think. Checking in on our friends after that horrible ... incident we had."

She looked to Janie and Nica. "We were all there. Plus Eric, Vito, Joseph from the theater, this Doc lady from the university lab, and even grumpy old Mr. Chow from the chinese place. And we all saw it."

[nica_hepcat]

"Joseph, that's right, I missed him. And Rex, who's in varsity everything."

[time_goes_by]

"There's a strange rabies." Janie began, trying to explain "That makes a creature or person attack after they're dead. Stu Henderson. He went out hunting at some point and got attacked and it got him, and he almost got us.

Oh God, someone is going to have to talk to his family. How do we even explain that?"

[katherine_the_great]

Katherine opened the oven to check on the roast, hmming. "Just a bit more to go, and this should be ready... ... so what are you doing about this, if there are crazy diseased people in the woods? I mean... are the police looking into this, or..."

She was interrupted by Chester, who poked his head in and rather pointedly commented, "Katherine, the table isn't even set yet, and we certainly didn't plan on having guests over for dinner. Whatever girl gossip you need to do can be taken care of during the daytime, can't it?"

Without glancing back, she chided, "Chester, these are friends and neighbors and we are being hospitable, and you'll get what you want later. Just please leave them be, it's been a rough day for them."

"I've had a rough day, and I'm your husband," Chester groused, "and I don't need to listen to women's chatter when I should be enjoying my evening."

[nica_hepcat]

Nica frowned and turned to Katie. "Maybe I should go, after all ... "

[katherine_the_great]

Katherine's hands tightened slightly on the oven door's handle at the tone of Chester's voice. "Well... if you need to." She looked to Janie and Maxine.

[max_ine]

"Well I think it's up to you," Maxine said pointedly, looking at Katie. Chester could spew whatever bluff-and-bluster he wanted, but Katie was the one extending the invitation and making the dinner.

"Do you want us to stay? If so, we will."

[time_goes_by]

"It's up to you." agreed Janie "Would you like me to set the table for you? I am a maid, after all. Whatever makes it easier for you."

[nica_hepcat]

Nica heard the knock at the door and raised her eyebrows at Katie. "That's probably my cue," she said, and stood up. "Like I said, if I find out anything else, I'll let you know ... "