Kathrine Scuri
 Illustrated by Christaphorac | |
| No. - – Restricted Free Agent | |
|---|---|
| Position | Swingfur |
| Species | Red Squirrel ( Sciuridae ) |
| Gender | Female |
| Nickname(s) | |
| Squire | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | Missoula, MT |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Shoots | Right |
| Career information | |
| School | Underwood College |
| FBA draft | 2013 / Undrafted |
| Player Contacts | |
| (IC) Agent | Unknown |
| (OOC) Creator | MigeYeFoxe |
| (OOC) Actor | Unknown |
| (OOC) Usage | Ask me before any use |
Biography
Kathrine's candidacy to the FBA is one that almost never happened. Growing up she never considered herself worthy of something like the FBA, she was only playing to help out her friend. They were the one destined for greatness. Every day after school the two of them would play for hours on end but Kathrine mainly considered her role to help her friend get better.
Of course as the saying goes, "the best play best against the best," and Kathrine was playing with someone of phenomenal skill. So it was only natural that she ended up becoming really good at the sport as well. But still, in her mind it was all just to help her friend reach her full potential. On their high school team the two of them were the star players of the region and were easily being scouted by a few colleges.
But then her friend had an accident on one of the late games their senior year, tearing both the MCL and ACL in one of her knees. The break was bad enough that though surgery would eventually allow her to walk again, she'd never be able to run; never be able to play basketball again.
Kathrine almost quit the sport right there but her friend had urged her to continue on, to play for her sake and live her dream for her and being the good friend she was Kathrine reluctantly agreed. College was fairly uneventful for her. She was good enough to become a starter but never had any looks from an FBA scout.
Being discovered was actually a fluke. A scout for one of the teams had been following around the team for a few days looking at one of the star players on the team and noticed during practice that Kathrine was making as many if not more shots than the person they were watching. But when he looked at her record she had almost no points to her name so when it came to their next game he kept an eye on her.
On defense she was brilliant and quick, doing really good to be where she was needed and on offense she was very quick to set up screens and pass the ball to where it was needed. But the odd thing struck the scout. She never shot the ball. Whenever the ball made it to her hands it was quickly in another teammates
Story
Kathrine Scuri was sitting down and minding her own business when that damned fox entered her life. The squirrel was just reading an adequately interesting book while she waited for her friend's practice to be over when the fox moved over to the bleachers and sat down next to her. At least they had the decency to not sit right next to her but considering she was on the other side of the large high school gym of where the practice was going on. Sighing she stuck the bookmark into her book just in case. There is simply no way that they could just happen to decide to sit as close as they did if they did not want something from her, even if just a conversation. Even still, her free hand strays to her can of mace just in case.
"So," the fox speaks up after a moment, probably just waiting to see if she would have spoken up first, "friend or family?"
Sighing, Kathrine closes her book and takes a look at this fox, figuring the least she could do is tell them she's not interested to their face. She almost recoils slightly at the figure she sees. The figure she assumes is hitting on her looks more a clown than anything. They almost could be mistaken for a normal looking fox if not for the fact that one ear is likely dyed white, same with one of their arms and this really big brown mark over one eye. And the clothing almost makes her lose her cool and calm manner as it further accentuates the appearance of this person as being a clown, with the mismatched assortment of blues and greens.
"Excuse me?" she couldn't help but respond, her mind completely drawing a blank at how to respond to this fox.
"Friend or family," the fox repeats, a predatory grin coming gently into their features.
'God, why do predators do that look? Don't they know how stupid and suspicious it makes them look whenever they look like that?' Kathrine thinks to herself.
"With it being such a nice day out there, there can be but only one reason why someone like yourself would be sitting up in this stuffy old gym when a handicapable basketball team practice is going on. One of them is either a friend, or family. So which is it?"
"Uh, family," Kathrine lies, not wanting to give them anything and hoping they get the subtle hint to just go away. "I know you haven't been here so you can't be friends or family to any of the players."
"Oh, you are so correct," that clown's grin widens, making Kathrine's lip curl up slightly in disgust. "I am not here for them. I am here for you. Only you."
"I'm sorry, I'm not interested. And don't you think there are better places to pick up people?" Kathrine notices right after saying that retort that she can't even tell what sex this clown is. The whole getup seems designed to confuse people. No matter, she'll just go back to her book and that'll be the end of it, unless they want an eyeful of mace, that is.
"Please, I have no interest in you in such matters. I'm here because I want to talk to you about trying to get you throw your name in as a draftee for the FBA," the grin widens slightly larger at her reaction.
"I'm a nobody. The FBA couldn't want someone like me," Kathrine quickly stammers out, the hand that had been hovering near the mace running through her hair in a nervous tic. This had to all just be some sort of cruel practical joke. She was nothing. It was not supposed to be her that got such a conversation.
"Come," the fox stands and moves to one of the nearby hoops, nestled to the corner of the gym, out of the way. "Let us play a game and prove it then."
"And why should I?" Kathrine retorts, definitely not liking this strange little fox, but still stands up as if to follow.
"How about a simple bet, then?" the fox states in a syrupy sweet manner and that silly predatory grin widens a bit more. "We each take turns and shoot at this here hoop. If you win then you have to give some serious thought into joining the FBA. If I win then I will leave you alone and you'll never hear from me ever again."
"Um, don't you have that backwards?" She asks, already having wandered down to the floor.
"Nope, my way sounds about right. But oh, I suppose it's not a bet without a little money involved. Here's an idea. If I win I'll give you a hundred dollars on top of it all," the fox moves over and grabs a regulation sized basketball and begins dribbling it in a slow, casual manner.
"And how much do I pay you if I win, then?"
"Nothing," that grin widens even more, making her want to punch this idiot. "If I get you to throw your name into the FBA I get what I want anyway. I don't need anything more than that. But since my money's on the line how about a few simple ground rules. We each take turns standing at the free throw line and take a shot. If it goes in that's a point. If it misses no point. Game ends when the practice is over. But it has to be a legitimate shot. Has to hit the rim or backboard in a way that could conceivably go in."
By this point Kathrine had made it all the way over to the court and had grabbed the offered ball from the fox and was studying it, trying to figure out what the deal with is this fox.
"And how do I know you won't just throw the game?"
"Oh, I give you all my assurances I'll be trying my hardest to beat you when I'm shooting. If I am right about you it won't matter how hard I shoot there is no chance I could beat you. Now don't get me wrong. I consider myself a pretty good shot. Now I am under no illusions of being at all an athlete. But if you don't make me have to run more than a few feet or put anyone in front of me trying to block me I'm not bad. And if you think I ever am trying to throw the match you can call me out on it and I'll automatically win the contest. You can throw the match if you want, though. So how does it sound?"
"Fine. You won't leave me alone if I don't I imagine," she sighs and stands on the free throw line.
"Nope," the idiot fox states in a very cheerful manner.
Kathrine considers the basket for a moment and sighs a second time. All she has to do is miss her shots and she'll be fine. It's not like it should be that hard. She had never been the best at anything. It was her friend that was supposed to be having this conversation. But as a squirrel of her word she takes the shot and it bounces off the rim and bounces off to the side of the net.
"You know, it was actually quite a bit of effort to find out about you," the fox states, sizing up the shot and rocks the ball a few times in the shooting position before releases, it going right into the square of the backboard and into the net. They get the ball and give it back to her.
"What?" Kathrine is half surprised by that statement, but if they wanted her in the FBA they probably already had seen her on the team and was probably trying to get her college transcript. Regardless it's not enough a surprise to make her make the basket.
"I looked at your transcript and then looked at all of the newspapers of your hometown. It's been said that everyone able to make it to the pros was at least the best basketball player their hometown has ever seen. But I could not find a single article that was about you. I did find one thing interesting though," the fox takes the shot and again it goes in. "There is a lot of mention of another squirrel, though."
'Damn that fox,' Kathrine thought, 'that question earlier was a trap. The idiot already knew the answer,' Kathrine shoots and manages to bounce into the net, making her frown a bit.
"There was a lot of talk about her. She even made it on the news once or twice. They were talking about how if she developed through college as she should then she'd be able to play circles around the FBA stars. And then a month before the end of her senior year she just dropped off the map. Now I wonder what happened to her?" the fox misses.
"You know full well what happened, don't you?"
"Oh of course. I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't do my research. Shame what happened, really. A player on the opposing team tripped and fell into her, crashing into her knees and breaking both tendons if I remember right."
Kathrine stops mid shot and just pulls it back a moment. That was certainly true. She was there when it happened. It was her best friend since growing up. They met in kindergarten and grew up together. She got into basketball to help her friend. Played one on ones against her every day to help her improve. Joined all the youth basketball leagues to help support her and everything but it was always for her. She was the one that was supposed to become someone famous. They both even had gotten college basketball scholarships to the same school because that was how Kathrine thought she could best support her friend. But then that accident and that career was over and she went on. Not because she wanted to or because she deserved to but because she felt she owed it to her friend to keep going. She takes a deep breath and shoots, barely managing to miss.
"Now what I find most interesting is you, though. You're a great player and during practice you can make as many shots as the best of them. And yet during your games you never make more than a few shots all game. And I wonder why that is," the fox shoots and it bounces out, the fox frowning a bit before resuming that predatory grin.
It was true, Kathrine reflects. Whenever she played she tried to play for her friend; she tried to play as her friend, to make it so that it was actually her friend playing and not her. But whenever she looked at the basket that resolve, that illusion just went away. She remembered that it was she who was making the shot, not her friend and she just would lose her nerve and pass it to someone else if she could.
"You ever read the book A Separate Peace? It's a really good book," the fox adds after taking the ball back again.
Kathrine gives the fox a rather odd look, wondering where they're going with this conversation.
"It's such an interesting book. In it there are these two guys, with one being all but the reflection of perfection. This guy can do just about everything better than the prot. But they were the best of friends in this book. But that's besides the point. The prot found himself becoming jealous of his best friend. Because no matter what they did, his friend did it so much better and did it effortlessly."
Kathrine stares and hesitates in her shot at the last second, causing the ball to go through the air and into the net without even hitting the rim. Was this asshole implying she was jealous of her friend? And that predatory grin just widened more to the point it was their defining characteristic.
"The story takes a turn when the friend convinces them to climb this really tall tree, the friend obviously going first. And because of that jealousy the prot just buckled his knees just a little bit. It wasn't intended to cause harm and was half subconsciously done. But not expecting the shake the friend falls from the tree and breaks his leg. He then has the prot live the life had, do the accomplishments of the friend."
Kathrine's mind is reeling with the accusation. Never in her wildest dreams would she have even considered being jealous of her friend. Everything she did was so that her friend could get better. She couldn't have been jealous of her, right? She makes another basket, too distracted by the accusation. If it wasn't for her belief that violence never solved anything and the notion that it would be probably exactly what this clown wants she would have thought to hit this fox. Instead she just passes it back a little harder than necessary.
"So I wonder what would be the basketball equivalent to that kind of story. Now just buckling your legs wouldn't do anything. As strong as people might think they are the ground isn't going to shake because of a bent knee. And there's nothing to fall to to hurt one's leg. But I suppose as a hypothetical one could be giving a screen and then buckling their knees would let the defender through. That would be the intent at any rate, to just create a failed screen to ruin a shot. But if the defender isn't expecting this opening they might lose their balance and might end up tripping instead."
Kathrine fumes for a moment, deciding she had had enough. "I am not jealous of Kristen. I would never have done anything to ever hurt her."
"And I'm not saying you did. All I'm doing is talking about a book I read once and thinking up a hypothetical basketball comparison."
"I did not hurt my friend!"
"And no one is accusing you of such," Kristen states in a casual manner, walking with her cane over to the pair. The knee was repaired enough that she could walk again and probably run short distances, but would never be able to handle the strain of basketball ever again.
"Welp," the fox shrugs and collects the ball, that predatory grin completely gone and instead a pleasant looking face replacing it. "Looks like you win, 15 to 12. So as promised I shall leave you alone," the fox moves over to Kristen and hands her a card. "Hello, sorry to steal your friend there for a bit. I shall return her to you. My name is Mige YeFoxe and I was talking about trying to get her to join the FBA. If she is interested then have her give me a call any time," the fox walks off with the ball and exits the gym.
Contract Offers
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