Participants:
| Scene Title | A Discussion Between An Unlikely Trio |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Diogenes has something he wants to discuss with Isis and Kaylee. There is something he wants to investigate. |
| Date | August 10, 2009 |
Ambient lighting blankets the establishment in a soft luminescence, glowing in tones of appealing orange from the front face of the bar and low hanging light fixtures overhead. Old style brick walls given the pub an appealing depth, reflecting the tone of lights in a more amber hue down upon the lengths of the polished, wooden floors. The bar counter of lacquered dark wood stretches along the northern wall, the forefront for shelves of numerous liquors and the substantially sized LCD televisions spaced liberally behind it. The screens flicker with the latest games and news as the labeled spirit bottles wink from lighted shelves with a beckon of their own. Barstools and high tables welcome tipsy patrons to their support, scattered with throughout the barroom with a few wedge into the darker, quieter, and more secretive recesses. Over the bar are a few banners of sports teams, most notably one of English football club Manchester United.
The thick wooden door to the west is fitted with a single neon sign sponsored by one of the brews on tap, glowing in the door's center window to shed its light onto the sidewalk outside and summoning in new customers when the bar is open for business.
Boredom… It sucks when you are Kaylee. The blond is stuck working another midday opening shift…. At this time of day, it's dead. So very very dead. So she's bored and she is on cleaning duty at the moment. A knee rest on a chair as Kaylee leans over the table as her arm does large sweeping motions with a cloth across the table top.
Still wearing that redundantly luxurious dark suit on a sunny day which is more than happy to shower him with heat due to his eccentric choice of clothing, Diogenes steps into Biddy's in a stride that is all too familiar to those who have seen before; a mixture of self-assurance and uncertain rigidness. His attempts to conceal his haste are unfortunately visible, primarily because he is in a hurry, to begin with. He did not want Isis to stay in one of his designated safe spots, as even though he promised her it is safe, he knew she'd be on pins and needles. As such, he didn't want to leave her like that for long.
As soon as he sets his depressingly gray eyes on Kaylee, he ventures forth, deeper into the rowdy Irish pub. Not that it was particularly noisy this instant, something Thomas felt quite thankful for. "Kaylee!", he exclaims as he approaches the bar; once in close proximity, he'd lower his voice. "Think Adam will get you off the leash for a few? Need to talk. Nothing overly serious and nothing related to our falling out in the past, don't worry."
Glancing up from what she's doing, Kaylee's brows lift a bit to see Diogenes here. She glances around and frowns back at him. "You know.. Ash ain't happy with you.. He's none too happy I even talk to you." But then a small smile tugs at her lips. "Though.. I'm curious about the fact you need to talk." She glances a man and considers for a moment. "Alright.. Hold on." She slides off the chair she's kneeling on and and drops the cloth in a bucket. A glance goes to a guy behind the bar that eyes them both warily. "I'm going out, Mack." She calls out. "You don't need us all here anyhow."
Ash isn't one of Tom's immediate concerns. That is how Diogenes would put it formally, but the end result of his opinion on Ash is quite different from such a polite, informative clause. "Fuck Ash", he murmurs in a moderately irate tone. "Just some kid who gets pissy when he doesn't get what he wants. 'If I can't have it, no one will' complex." It seems the two men harboured mutual hatred towards each other, but that was to be expected; quite like women were ready to claw each other's eyes out for a man, similarly two grown ups were ready to slap each other about for completely no reason whilst claiming a woman is one.
"We'll get to play Sherlock Holmes", he hints at what he has in store as Kaylee returns after informing Mack that she is heading out. "Exciting, huh?" Turning away from the counter, his hand slides off the bar and he walks towards the door. And then… he stops to stand at the entrance. "Do you have a car? We could take public transport, but it'd be much faster if you had a car. I'd blackmail another businessman, but that would take a while."
Mack comes up as Dio speaks with Kaylee's jacket and helmet and holds them out to her. Taking them she murmurs a thanks to the man before giving Dio her full attention, "No car." she says rather brightly. She turns the helmet towards him and holds it out to him. "How you feel about riding bitch?" She asks with an edge of laughter, she finds the idea highly amusing.
A bike? Shit. When it came to bikes, Diogenes truly was nothing more than a bitch. As a kid, he couldn't recover for a day after riding a moped which went slower than a crippled granny. "Uhm", he heaves a worried sigh, "You have a bike? Bike's… Bike's good. Never rode one, though." Oh, sure, he had stray of thoughts of riding a powerful, roaring bike one day, but he feared he simply wasn't strong enough to control such a fearfully imposing machine. Exiting the pub, he looks around, trying to spot a bike that he could assume belonged to Kaylee.
Making sure he's got the helmet, Kaylee leads him out of the pub while pulling her leather jacket on. "I do. I have a very nice bike." She says rather proudly. "Be a snug fit.. but." She moves between a Kawasaki and a Harley.. Of course, she swings her leg over to settle on the Sportster, giving him a big grin. "This I bought with daddy's money. Only thing I did really." She pats the tank lightly. "I'd like a bigger one, but I don't think I can handle a bigger one." She points to the helmet. "Put it on and get on." she motions to the spot behind her. "Cop a feel and I'll knock you off the back." She adds with a wink.
Of course, so distracted was he with the prospect of riding a hazardous vehicle that the helmet essentially had to be pushed into his hands. Once the safety item is in his grasp, he continues his search for Kaylee's bike. Having spotted two, he waits for the blonde to straddle one of them. Surprisingly, she picks the Sportster. "Public transport sure sounds a lot better right now. Hell, walking sounds better." It was quite natural of Diogenes to chicken out… in the past, at the very least. He was alone in a big city, where different laws and rules applied. And he had to adapt. "Oh, well, if I die, at least I'll die having groped a pretty blonde", he remarks, putting the helmet at the same time as he sits behind Kaylee. "Just onto what do I hold on?"
"Me.. " Kaylee states brightly as she yanks the bike upright and kicks the stand back. "And.. if I feel a hand on my boob.. I will hurt you." She says is all so pleasantly. "Course if you have a death wish." She leans back a bit, which means against him, so she can look back. "Then.. by all means, go ahead." That warning given, she gives the kick start a good kick and brings the bike rumbling to life.
"Why… the hell… do I always stumble upon tomboys?" That is the only thing he would manage to say before anything he'd like to have said would be drowned out by the mighty roar of the Harley's engine. Instead of saying what he thinks of this ride that he will most likely remember 'til the day they will mourn at his grave (which, provided Kaylee is a good enough driver, will not be very soon), Diogenes thinks to himself that he is going to have his ears ringing after they arrive to the safe spot where Isis is waiting for the two; unfortunately, the safe place is rather far away. Kaylee would feel Dio's hands desperately grabbing onto her waist, and as the bike would roll down the street, so would his scream, which goes something like this: "Shiiiiiiiiiiii—!"
The central branch of the Brooklyn Public Library was designed to resemble an open book, two wings stretching out along the bordering streets, with the main entrance located at their hinge. Inside is the heart of one of the nation's largest public library systems; the Central Library alone contains over 1.5 million books, magazines, and other materials. It also contains the Brooklyn Collection, an assortment of references and ephemera that chronicle the history of the borough, and a Multilingual Center for non-English speakers and linguistic scholars. A cafe on the first floor sells coffee and snacks, while a restaurant on the third floor (open weekdays only) sells cafeteria-style meals. Internet access is freely available throughout the building.
Truly, Isis's mood is usually quite easy to determine with one look at her attire. At the moment she's turned sideways in a large armchair, legs hooked up over the arm and clad in a pair of torn and fraying tight jeans that tuck into her usual ass-kicker boots. Her shortly chopped hair is styled up into a spiky array that flatters her rounded features and compliments with the black and white halter clinging to her torso.
A tiny book is propped against her thighs - A Wrinkle In Time. She flips the page as a young man begins to walk towards her. She catches the movement in her peripheral vision, looking up with a welcoming sort of smile. As soon as the man comes near enough, Isis's expression widens into a grin and she motions her thumb over her shoulder. "Not interested. Keep movin'." She looks back to her book and snuggles deeper into her seat.
Despite his initial fears, the motorcycle ride was actually quite thrilling. The acceleration of the hulking two-wheel vehicle was arguably the most fearsome part, as were the first mile or two that Kaylee speedily overcame with admirable skill in controlling her ride. Throughout the rest of the trip, however, Diogenes actually revelled in being taken for a ride on a motorcycle, and although he wouldn't let Kaylee know such, she would no doubt pick up on that purely because of how cheerful he sounded when he was giving her directions.
And now they are at the doors of the public library in Brooklyn. The young man slows his steps down before the entrance to look behind him at Kaylee. "We are not going to be alone", he tells her. "Have you heard about your coworker - Isis?"
Still dressed in her work clothing and her leather jacket, which now hangs open, Kaylee looks rather windblown since well, she let him wear her helmet. Reaching back, she pulls the scrunchie out her her hair. "Isis?" She says a bit flat, "Really?" a brow lifts a bit and she smirks. "Always wondering about the woman that practically, makes Ash froth at the mouth with worry. Man is practically impossible to deal with….." As they enter the library, she lowers her voice to barely above a whisper, her fingers comb through her hair trying to tame it some. "Never had guy get that way." She grins at Dio, " He really hates you.. you know? Pretty sure he wants to kick your ass." She says that with a bit too much enthusiasm. "He'd probably kick my ass he found out I'm hanging out with you." Something about her tone says that's probably why she's here. Live dangerously!
What bit of Isis's attention was not absorbed in the little book had been given to the door from time to time. She was too curious about what Diogenes was planning not to glance towards the entrance from time to time. This last time, her searches prove fruitful, her dark gaze falling to her roommate and his companion. A dark brow cocks into a little arc as Isis examines the woman, closing the book and rising from her seat. She drops the paperback on the librarian's desk in passing as she makes to approach the duo. "Took you long enough," she teases with no true conviction.
Although he had been in a hurry back in Biddy's, the man's demeanour changed to that of a casual visitor to the library; such was his intention, at least. He is so concerned with the plan he has in mind, however, that he completely forgets to soothen his gaze, and in the end he looks like a secretive killer who's stalking potential prey. Those desaturated irises that surrounded the darkness of his irises scan the premises as he steps inside, his eyes searching for Isis. He's told her where she should wait for him, but she could still be anywhere for whatever reason.
Of course, Diogenes had told his fiery friend that he is not going to come alone, purely because the last time he wanted to hide something from Isis resulted in him getting punched. He did not want to live throught that experience again. "He doesn't want to kick my ass, he wants Isis back", he mutters, driving his austere gaze to Kaylee again. "He'll kick my ass, but that won't be enough. Won't bring Isis back. He'll reach for his gun and shoot me. You can pass it on that I will downright kill him if he gets in my way. I don't have time to deal with pissy children."
His eyes leave Kaylee, and the man quickens the pace, discarding his attempts to appear dully casual; that's largely due to Isis entering his view. As soon as he's within hearing distance, he obviously responds with a joke of his lecherous style. "Sorry, we did a quickie on the way here. Come on, let's find a quieter table, away from everyone." He wouldn't even wait for either of them to respond, and stride towards the most remote table where all three of them could si tdown.
"Yeah," Kaylee responds brightly to Dio, "I'll make sure he know.. And yeah.. I know that's what he wants. But he won't just man up.. I've been half tempted to make him forget her, but he is my co-worker." That last is murmurs before Isis comes into view. Upon seeing the other woman, Kaylee slows a bit, letting Dio move on ahead of her. She doesn't hide the distrust she feels for the woman, she knows what she can do.
"So.. the famous Isis." Kaylee quips, still making sure to keep that distance. "Adam was disappointed in losing you at the bar. I've been having to pick up the slack with you gone." She doesn't sound all that upset about it, her eyes study the other woman warily. Dio's comment gets a chuckle and a wink. "So it was as good for you, huh? Good to know a ride like that could please even you." She drops into a chair, and makes the chair swing a bit. "So.. what is this thing you wanted to discuss? I am after all risking life and limb to be here." Okay maybe not, but she could get into serious shit.
Isis lofts a brow. "If you're going to joke, at least make it believable," she teases back, flashing Kaylee a grin. The expression is short-lived though… "Famous?" Blink blink. She uses the moment to turn and follow after Diogenes to collect her thoughts. "Oh. Yeah. I'm really sorry about that. It was a little mistake that some crazy cop took way out of hand. If you don't mind - tell Adam I'm really sorry for any trouble and not contacting him. It was a pleasure working there."
"Nice to finally meet 'the telepath'," she says with a tilted, devilish smirk. "Interesting, the way that turned out." Her chuckle is more for her own amusement as she sinks into a seat and turns to look to Dio, stretching her legs out and crossing them at the ankles. She cocks her head slightly to the side, watching him like a curious puppy.
Having not expected Kaylee to play along with the joke, Diogenes fails to restrain his smirk in time, and a genuinely smile surfaces, even if for but a few seconds before it fades away. The trip to a lonely table turns out to be a trek, instead, but eventually Diogenes would find a table for all three of them to sit down and not be bothered by either bypassers or neighboring readers. Before he sits down, however, he fishes out a neatly folded paper from one of the pockets of his pants, which would then subsequently fly forwards only to make an emergency landing closer to the edge of the table that was closest to Isis and Kaylee, provided she was seated close enough to the redhead; if she weren't, Thomas would look to the blonde and gesture towards Isis to beckon her to sit closer.
"Read and familiarize yourself", he instructs, finally taking a seat opposite of the two. He trades comfort for practicality, leaning forward to make sure he can lower his voice so that no one around would hear him, but Isis and Kaylee would have no trouble listening to him. "Quick summary: August 8th, an evolved individual nicknamed 'The Sandman' breaks into a house and paralyses the household. Sound familiar?"
No, Kaylee isn't near the redhead.. She'd rather keep her distance really. The blond even sits there for a moment reluctant to do as he bids. Finally with a sigh, she pushes herself to her feet and moves to sit closer. Dropping into her new seat she reaches out to snatch up the article with a grin at Isis. "It is weird ain't it.." She leans back in the chair and skims over the article, before setting it on the table and sliding it towards Isis, making sure the redhead doesn't come close to touching her, for obvious reasons. "So. It's someone like you?" A small smile quirks the corner of her lips, her head tilting a bit as she studies him. One would almost think she's reading his mind, but she's not. "Curious about this Sandman then? Soooo.. what's that gotta do with us?"
The redhead lofts a brow and looks between Diogenes and Kaylee as the other lady hesitates to get nearer. It was fine with her, as soon as Kaylee sinks into a nearby seat, Isis leans the opposite way in her own chair to claim a slighter degree of space. It's likely worth mentioning that Isis aims to think mainly about a brick wall. She'd seen it in some movie once, and could only hope it would work to keep the telepath from probing around her secretive brainy bits.
She looks to Dio accusingly at the first recap of the article, debating whether or not he might have had a hand in the story, before pulling the little piece of paper nearer and giving it a quick scan. "I remember reading this," she comments with a nod. "What're you getting at?
"I'm fully aware that people generally do not help others unless it sates their selfish needs", he says with a growing grin stretching his lips. "Let me tell you what this is about, first", he pauses, switching his glance between Isis and Kaylee, "Then I'll tell you what's in it for you."
"This woman — This Evolved with an ability like mine… She popped out of nowhere. The only similar event that I've managed to find was a family of three being killed on July 26th — the only similarity is the count of victims. A household comprised of three people. I want to know who she is and… persuade her to stop. I don't want to be linked to any of this."
As he cants his head to the side, his smirk reappears. "For you two, it's going to be fun. We will be going against the law, breaking into the same house to question the victims… We'll be playing detectives — and possibly become heroes."
Kaylee's brows lift as she listens, her own smirk still there as always. "Soooo.. this is a mission to save your hide from getting picked up and dropped in a government dark hole somewhere? While at the same time putting us at risk for the same thing?" So says the girl that waltzed into Pinehearst with her boss and stole a bunch of things and helped slaughter many many…..things. And subsequently ended up helping put a nasty drug on the streets. She's quiet for a moment and then she flashes a grin and slaps a hand on the table, which gets her some looks. "I'm in. " She declares brightly, but then adds in quieter tones, "As long as it is done before I go out of town on business." she then turns to Isis for her answer.
"Fun?" Isis's whisper is a quiet hiss in the hushed atmosphere of the library. She lofts a brow and looks sharply to Kaylee as the woman delivers her answer. "Test tube mean anything to you?" The fear was not visible on her expression, but the images of needles and the inescapable fear the give the little redhead would easily be read across her thoughts before the brick wall reappears in her mind's eye. She looks back to Diogenes and sighs. "Doesn't seem fair to let you get in trouble for something you actually didn't do," she mumbles. "I'm sure you already figured I'd agree…" She slumps back in her seat and folds her arms across her chest.
Diogenes quietly and stoically listens to Kaylee's description of what the dark-haired Evolved has cooked up. And at the end of her description, he would sign it with his own words, simply saying, "That's more or less accurate." There was more to it, of course, but he would not delve into the intricacies until he was sure that he would hear the same answer from Isis he has just heard from Kaylee.
"Excellent." His joy is unconstrained, his eyes glittering with mirth he makes no attempt to conceal. "There's more to my motivation than fear of being pegged as the culprit. That outcome, actually, is highly unlikely due to two facts: I'm male, and my ability doesn't work the way her does. I am more under risk of being found out and forced to register. And from there, things can get ugly. Humanis First can find out about me. And, call me paranoid, but who's to say one of those morons aren't in the police force?" Obviously, the bright facial expression has vanished by now. "I want to know why this… Sandman… does this. This is the biggest draw for me. What's going in her head? Is she just some random killer? Is there some higher purpose for what she does?"
"In the end, I'm… just curious. This is the most interesting event that caught my attention."
Oh if the redhead knew what Kaylee has done, threats of needles mean nothing, really. The blond gives Isis a wicked little grin. "Life is short.. then you die. The when and where is already planned by fate I'm sure. Till then, I'll live a little." The last is said in a loud whisper as if some great secret.
Kaylee turns to Diogenes then and hmms softly. "Actually, I imagine Adam would be interested in hearing some of that as well. Her motivation and all that. So… even at that…count me in." She eyes the man with open curiosity, then a smile spreads on her face. How often had curiosity gotten her into situations? "I admit, you got my curious too. So when are we doing this thing?"
All of Kaylee's comment make her the point of Isis's unwavering attention. Slouched and silent in her seat, she watches the telepath for a long time before turning her gaze to Dio. She has nothing much to say for the moment, simply lofting a brow and nudging her head towards Kaylee to support the woman's question. "And, how do you expect to do this thing?"
Even though he has revealed quite a bit to the two, having shared his fears and concerns, half of what went on Tom's mind is left unspoken. If he even so much as implied that he might let this mystery Evolved go should her goals and system of morality coincide with his, he knew that at least one of the women would have refused to go through with this. It's human instinct to find those who are similar to you, and Diogenes has unearthed an individual who allegedly has a similar ability; doubtful it required telepathy to realise that Diogenes was like a lost moth attracted to the flame of familiarity.
"I want to waste no time, especially if you're to leave town", he explains, his eyes continuously alternating between the redhead and the blonde. "We will meet in two days' time; late at night, right before the curfew, one block away from the Stroughtons house — I'll text you the exact spot, Kaylee. From there. any cop we encounter is not a threat, because I assume Miss Make-You-Forget here can help us get rid of them. Getting inside? Depends on if there's a stakeout. If there is, we just ring the bell to make them think it's the cops checking up on them. If not… I'm open for suggestions. Once we're inside, none of us touch anything, even if we will be wearing gloves. We should focus on the woman who supposedly called the 911, as the article suggests. She's going to be the biggest trouble."
"If I can see them and I'm close enough…." Kaylee starts, trailing off a bit looking between them both, "..there is a lot I can do." No need for her to go into details. If things go south, well, that's soon enough to show them what else she can do. There is an almost cold empty look that passes over her features, an equally cold smirk on her lips, as she looks back to Diogenes, same look she had when she made that security guard mow down his buddies in cold blood. "I'll make sure you have my cell number." she confirms as her agreement to the plan. "This will be…. interesting."
Isis loft a brow, watching Kaylee from the edges of her peripheral vision. A soft chuckle finds her lips as she offers a simple nod. "Sounds a little more planned than the last fiasco you got me into at least." The corners of her lips tickle up in a more sincere smile until she eventually unfolds her arms and wiggles a bit to find a comfortable position.
A tacit nod is offered to Kaylee in return. Fortunately, the telepaths portrayed in comic books and science fiction were quite different from what they really are like in that their ability does not end in simply reading others' minds or communicating with no words spoken. He then looks over to Isis, awaiting her response or reaction of any sort. What he hears is a snarky remark, one that prompts him to grin. "This one is more serious. A lot more. A mistake can either result in imprisonment or death. The newspapers say she paralyses people, but there may be a facet of her ability that the media doesn't know about. For example, what if she can disable abilities, huh?"
With a heavy sigh, he lowers his gaze to the table. "So, essentially, what we have planned for Wednesday is breaking into the Stroughtons house - either delicately or forcibly - and finding about the Sandman as much as we can. Movies also tell me we should see if we can find out why they were chosen. Our next course of action depends on what information we gather. If we have a name, we usher Isis to grab a cop's body and have her check out the database. If not… I have a few ideas, one of them involving us pretending to know who the Sandman is and lie we're going to expose her, hopefully getting her attention. The drawback of that is obvious - we get everyone's attention. But… that's planning too far ahead. We good so far?"
"Seem to be." Kaylee quips thoughtfully. "Hopefully not much will happen that draws attention to us. Adam would flay my hide. Especially if I get run in before the field trip." the last is murmured more to herself. "Just.. lets not get caught. Any of us…" She glances at Isis as she says it. In the telepath's mind, of the three of them, she is the more likely culprit for that. "With hope an a bit little pixie dust, we'll get what we need quickly."
"I second that," Isis adds to Kaylee's comment, only to face about and realize the woman is pointedly looking in her direction. She lofts a brow and points to herself, only to slump in her seat. "Not my fault," she murmurs almost childishly. A few muffled cusses tickle her lips before she looks to Diogenes and offers a simple nod. "Sounds like a plan."
Diogenes snorts before his amusement evolves into a chortle, and then - a chuckle. "We just have to be diligent, vigilant and remember what our target is - the Sandman. Most importantly, I don't want any damage done to any family members — mental or physical." The emphasised word apparently rolls off his tongue whilst he's eyeing Kaylee. And although he in fact did not want to give the family more trouble than she had already experience (filling Dio's imagined quota for the world's cruelty), he explains it thus: "I don't want anything linking to any one of us. We have to make it seem as though we were never there. So…"
The evil overlord rises from his throne, digging into his pocket to retrieve another folded piece of paper, this time flinging it across the table towards Kaylee. "My cell number. Write me a text message in the coming hours so that I know how to contact you this night." He glances to Isis. "Come on, we need to visit the supermarket and restock on food."
Kaylee snatches the paper off the table and tucks it in her pocket as she rises to her feet. "Don't worry.. As long as there are no camera.. we'll be set I think. Depends, I've had my ability falter a bit." Dio's comment gets an amused look. The telepath look at the body snatcher and she grins wickedly. "You move fast, girl. I am completely impressed." She gives her a thumbs up, only to have her cellphone go off, again getting her some irritated look. Fliping it open she murmurs a "Hello? Hey Mack.. Is he now?" Kaylee's flick back to Isis her look amused. "Yeah, I'll be right there." Tapping the screen of her iPhone, Kaylee tsks softly. "Gotta go keep your Ex from drinking himself to death." she gives a sigh like she's so picked on, "Sometimes it doesn't pay well enough to work for Adam." With that Kaylee leaves the pair to their one devices.
Isis's gaze narrows suddenly into a quick glare, her attention flicking from Diogenes to Kaylee and back again. "Right," she mumbles as she pushes a bit abruptly up from her seat. "It was nice meeting y-," she begins and suddenly halts. She cocks her head to the side and leans forward, bracing a hand to the table. "It's not what you think," she grumbles, more than slightly put off by the insinuation that any of her interactions with Ash were anything other than a worry for his safety. The next tidbit catches her offguard though, straightening Isis into a rigid posture. "You're… taking care of him?" She glances to Diogenes as if this was a particular bit of information was something he should have known and shared.
Who does this bitch think… And then the brick wall is back. Isis would worry later about allowing the telepath to see even the slightest wink of her jealousy. Flustered, blocking her own thoughts at that damned wall, Isis throws up her hands off the table and wheels about, slipping outside where she would wait from Diogenes before they set off to go shopping.