Participants:
| Scene Title | Dragons, Denial And Disbelief |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | killing time, waiting for news, and eating seahorse on a stick. |
| Date | April 9, 2009 |
There's been no word, as of yet, from the valiant heroes (or terrorists, depending on one's point of view) that charged into Moab to shatter its walls and free its people. There hasn't been any news broadcasts yet either, but given that it probably didn't officially exist, that's no surprise.
So, to relieve a bit of anxiety in the healer at least, Cardinal's taken her down to the crowded streets of Chinatown to go visit a mutual acquaintance of theirs. Maybe she's got some tea or something that'll help them relax. They parked a car (probably stolen) outside of the neighborhood, and they're walking along into the night-time streets, with the thief keeping quite close to Abby's side, a hand on her shoulder more often than not.
Just tranq her now. Someone just shove some pills down her throat or inject her with some sedative. Cardinal's hand on her shoulder is tolerated mainly because A) she's in the crowd of people in Chinatown and at night and she's envisioning Logan or Muldoon, namely Muldoon, looming out of nowhere to abscond with her. and B) It's Cardinal. He's never done a think to hurt her and she frankly needs the grounding. That or to have not forgotten her damned pills at the house. Or you know, to find out what's going on. The downside to asking that no one give you un-necessary information is that your left out of the loop. And waiting. "Where are we going?" Tension rides her voice, making her words clipped and fast.
"Xiulan's," replies the shadow-walker as they step along past a truck full of chicken crates - the birds sqwalking, flapping anxiously within - and he regards it a bit balefully through his shades, "We can sit th'fuck down, relax, maybe drink some tea." Unspoken is the fact that if some bad shit really did go down, nobody knows to look for Abby in the middle of Chinatown.
"Language" Is muttered, one hand rubbing her other arm, head down, making herself small as possible. Fruitless really to chide Richard on saying the F word, but she does it anyways. "I'm not getting another tattoo. Dr. Yee will commit me if I do" Her red hair is loose tonight, sprawled across her shoulders and her back.
At the moment Xiulan is not drinking tea. She is, however, standing outside her shop taking in very loud Mandarin to a hunchbacked old woman pushing a cart. On the aforementioned cart, upside-down cardboard boxes hold a mass of slender wooden sticks. Impaled upon each stick are deep fried seahorses and something that looks like it might have been a squid at one time. Of course, the women (Both young and old) are chattering away each waving a seahorse bearing stick to emphasis their words. All in all, it is a pretty typical night in this section of Chinatown.
"They aren't really tattoos," Cardinal reminds her as they walk through the crowded, noisy streets, his tone mild, "And she can always wipe them away if you change your mind. If you ever find yourself in need of a disguise, it's not a bad — oh, there she is." A hand lifts in a wave as they approach, voice raising amidst the clamor, "Xiu!"
She'll turn me black? It's not said outloud, just in her head as Xiulan is spotted and the redhead offers a fleeting smile to the woman before she's looking around her again, still rubbing at her arms worriedly. "Good day Xiulan"
Hearing her name being called, Xiulan looks up from her conversation and immediately flashes a smile. She also waves the deep fried seahorse bearing stick by way of greeting. "Richard!" Pause. "And Abby!" Murmuring something to her current companion, Xiu bids farewell to the hunchbacked woman, happily accepts another pair of crispy fried treat bearing sticks and gestures the pair over to where she stands. Of course, the moment they get close, her head tilts to oneside, her smile slipping faintly as she gets a face full of the unspoken tension riding the air. "Is something wrong?" The question is, perhaps horrifyingly enough, coupled with each of them being presented with one of those ominous looking sticks.
"We're just waiting to hear either good or bad… news…" The stick is thrust out in Richard's direction, and he accepts it tentatively, turning it to one side and the other as if trying to determine what it is. Perhaps some sort of fancy sparkler? Or a plastic magic wand. No, no. That's definitely a fried seahorse.
Blue eyes widen at the stick thrust into her face. It's enough to cause the healer to jerk her head back before she leans forward, peering at it. "Oh, lord.. is that." She's gonna be sick. Yup, that's something that should never be eaten. "I'm gonna be sick" She's warning them. let it never be said that she didn't warn them. "Oh Lord I'm gonna be sick, please take that away" While she's trying to side step Xiulan to enter the womans shop. She's got a sink in there at least, surely.
"It's good," Xiulan assures Richard. Of course, the grin on her face might give indication that she's being just a little bit wicked. She does, however, polish off her own seahorse on a stick, her brows twitching in response to the very salty, very fishy taste of the wee beastie. The moment she has chewed and swallowed, she purses her lips, her brows furrowing slowly. "No word from Ingrid? Can you contact them?" Of course, she doesn't really know them that well, but even so, there is a measure of concern in her own gaze. Mind you, Abby is skirting past her, and Xiu does her level best not to laugh at the redhead's reaction. "Just inside to the left, Abby." Pause. "I'll put on tea?" A glance is cast at Richard as she pops Abby's seahorse into her mouth and flashes an impish smile. "I'm guessing she's going to want something to settle her stomach." And, of course, Xiu's turning on her heel to follow Abby into the shop. "Eat it, Richard," she cajoles over one shoulder. "You know you can do it."
As the healer charges into the woman's shop to throw up, Cardinal winces ever so slightly. "…I hope she's not pregnant," he muses, "Not that I think she's ever — hell, could be the Second Coming?" Hopefully she didn't hear that. The stick drops to his side, his gaze dropping as well to admire the view briefly of Xiulan's backside before he steps along after her into the parlor. "I'll show you what I'll eat…"
Green Dragon Tattoo
The interior of the Green Dragon is cramped, at best. No larger then eighteen by thirty in total, the space has been divided in half by the presence of an ornate blanket hung on clothes line. Upon stepping through the door, clients find themselves in a modest waiting area, the walls and ceiling all decorated with samples of the artist's work, the majority of the work displayed from Chinese myth and legends. A low slung, dark blue loveseat is arranged before the picture window to the left of the door. A view of the street, however, has been blocked by a rendering of a massive Chinese dragon. Over head, the single bulb lending light to the area has been draped with a red scarf, creating an almost eerie crimson glow that just barely manages to penetrate the room. Needless to say, numerous shadows haunt the nooks, crannies and corners. To the right of the door, an end table boasts a coffee pot, styrofoam cups and a basket with creamer, sugar packets and stirrers.
Beyond the hung curtain, the space is even more cramped, boasting just enough room for a reclining tattoo chair and the shelves of inks, needles, guns and cleansers required for safe working conditions. Upon the far wall, rickety bookshelves paly host to numerous bodywork texts and magazines, a goodly portion of those in Chinese. While the workspace is most assuredly cramped it is still immaculately clean. Of course that could just be because of health regulations, hard to say.
Not. Pregnant.
Lets say that again. Not. Pregnant.
Just worked herself into a right proper worry, and has her stomach doing flip flops. Despite her babysitter's attempts to keep her calm. Really, just tranq her. Over a sink the woman is emptying her stomach, hair shielding anyone from seeing anything, grabbing paper towel to wipe her mouth and turning taps on to rinse the entire mess down the sink. No seahorse snack on a stick for her.
"Promises, promises," Xiulan teases as she glances over her shoulder at Richard. "Seahorse is great for a man's stamina, Richard. Ancient Chinese secret," is added with a wink and quietly husky laugh. Course, as soon as she steps inside, she goes about the business of making tea, her brows furrowing faintly as she finally 'groks' Richard's earlier comment and blinks. "Abby?" Pregnant? From her expression one might think that he'd just suggested Buddha was appearing in a local drag show. Course, she does slant a glance toward the bathroom door, her lips pursing in consideration. "Maybe you should try to call someone? Find /something/ out?"
Oh, look, there's a garbage can near the door. Maybe Xiulan won't hear the clang of something being dropped into it. Cardinal makes certain that the door's closed once he's inside, his head shaking just a bit at the bemused question in his direction. "Yeah, I doubt it — and I could, but, you know, I don't want to contact them first. You never know what's happened, you know?"
"I figured it was something like that." With the teapot on the stove, Xiulan steps over and gathers up a stack of magazines from the couch, carefully setting them on a nearby table. It is as she straightens that she steps over and brushes a kiss against Richard's cheek before glancing back toward the bathroom. "How long has she been worrying herself sick?"
An arm slips around the artist's waist as she steps in, and Cardinal admits in quiet, serious tones, "Since yesterday… honestly, I can't blame her. I was expecting to hear word by now, too…" A look is slanted in the direction of the door, brow furrowing, "I'm hoping that Laudani's plan didn't fuck everyone over."
"Maybe calling and finding out would be a good idea? If only to her ease her mind a bit?" She'd hate to find out by the authorities kicking down her down, after all. "Surely, Ingrid has her number scrambled to keep her from being tracked?" Of course, Xiulan is accustomed to long uncomfortable waits while people she knows go off into potentially deadly situations.
The bathroom door is opened, the smell of cleaner of some kind to indicate that she's left it in pristine condition after her visit. Hands wipes with a paper towel. "How do you know what's going on?" It's a question for Xiulan, Cardinal has an inkling, or more, since he was asked to babysit the healer. "Sorry. I don't think I could have fathomed touching that.. thing.. on the stick and I can't. I won't get a hold of them, because if I do then I can be considered complicit in what they do and the can arrest me. It's why they didn't tell me to the last second to be ready just in case" All to protect her.
He probably shouldn't mention that he stole that car, then. Cardinal gives his head a slight shake, "They might have ways to trace it. Operational security demands that we sit back, relax, and wait until contacted…" As the door opens, he looks over to the healer and shakes his head just a little, "I'm sure it's fine. If they'd gotten caught, would be all over the news by now."
"Would it?" The look Xiulan gives Richard makes it clear that she isn't so sure it would be all over the news. Of course, she is from China, so she is accustomed to government cover-ups. Abby's question is met with a quiet smile as the tattooist crosses the room to go about the business of pouring tea. "Richard introduced me to Ingrid a couple of weeks ago, Abby. I painted her plane in the Humanis colors for her." Hey, when 'painting'is what you got, you do what you can. At any rate, a steaming cup of tea is passed to the healer along with an inclination of Xiulan's head toward the couch. "Please, sit. Relax, you are probably safer here then in most places these days." Because the cops would have to get through the Flying Dragons, and so far the Dragons are winning that war.
At some point, Abby will get hit with the clue by four that Xiulan isn't just a tattoo artist, and what the flying dragons are. "It maybe would make the news, maybe not" Tea will help, surely it has to help. The cup is gracefully accepted. SHuffle shuffle, back towards the couch she goes to park her butt down in it. Her boots worked off till they're on the floor and her knees pulled up. Balance the cup on them to let it cool. "Safer here?"
"It would." Cardinal's hand slides along the artist's waist and away as he steps past, moving over to drop down and sit in the tattoo chair inside; leaning forward to rest one arm on his upper leg, the other raising to rub against his face, "They'd spin it quick and tell everyone that they were terrorists caught attacking, blah, blah. Capturing Phoenix'd be a big PR coup for Petrelli and his men."
"You are probably right," Xiulan admits. "It would be a very different story in China, of course." Pouring two more cups of tea, she pads over to perch on the arm of the tattoo chair, pressing one cup into Richard's hand. It is the wake of a sip of her own tea, that she answers Abby's question. "You are in the heart of Flying Dragon territory, Abigail. I doubt very much that the police would ever get far enough into this section of Chinatown to even see you." Offering the healer a wry smile, she takes another sip of her tea before settling her weight comfortably against Richard's shoulder. "If you -ever- need a place to hide, I hope you know that the door is always open."
"Where were they when I got kidnapped from two blocks away" Wheee, sarcasm does not become Abigail as she huddles around her tea.
"I would imagine 'two blocks in this direction'," replies Cardinal just as dryly, his hand raising to accept the cup pressed into his hand. It's used to gesture with, "It's safe here. Hell, right now even the cops won't come here 'cept in strength, given that the Dragons have been shooting at them. The Staten Island goons would stick out like a sore thumb."
Xiulan dips her chin in a firm nod of accord with Richard's statement. "Gweilo hunting on the Dragon's turf would come to a very unfortunate end. Of course, if you happen to pictures of the men who kidnapped you, I would be happy to tell the Dragons that they were giving me a hard time." Hey, Xiulan has no qualms about seeing either of the men killed if Abby would be more comfortable. "Of course," she adds with a wry smile for Richard. "Some gweilo are more tolerated then others." A wink follows before she laughs quietly and takes another sip of her tea.
'The pictures are at the bar. I can't give them to you, but if Richard happens to ask them for copies, I'm sure he can pass them on" Her messenger bag is given a baleful glance as she's taking in everything the two just said. "Please tell me.. i'm not sitting in a flying dragons run business.. really, because if I just stepped foot into another faction…" A glance up to Xiulan. "Are you one of them?"
Cardinal grunts slightly to that, bringing up the cup of tea as if to wave off the question. "The Triads don't work like Linderman's people, or anything like that," he says dryly, "They're more—traditional. You run a business in their turf, you pay protection and you're considered involved. Otherwise, you get the fuck out of their territory one way or the other."
"A Flying Dragon?" Canting her head to one side, Xiulan offers Abby a quiet smile. "My family has been with the Flying Dragons for generations, Abigail. It is because of them that my father was able to get me safely out of China." Apparently, Xiulan is either just that honest, or disinclined to lie to the healer. She does, however, go on to add, "As Richard says, with us, it a completely different matter. If it makes it any easier for you? While I am just as capable of killing a man as any of them, my involvement has managed to stay firmly in the arena of body modifications. Besides," she adds as she takes a sip of tea. "They do not know that I am evolved and I have no intention of ever making that known to them."
"I know how to kill a man too" So, congratulations, it's a room full of potentially deadly people. "About that. I had a talk, with Mr. Nakamura. And He had a talk with Magnes. I don't think Magnes is going to be an issue anymore" Now Abby sips lightly at the tea in her palms little sips instead of big ones. "Mr. Nakamura also, really likes cinnamon buns. All is good, on the Magnes front"
At the mention of the time-traveler, Cardinal lifts his head to look over with a rather thoughtful expression. "I need to talk to Nakamura," he allows, finally, "You have a phone number or any sort've contact information for him by any chance, Abigail?" He brings the cup up to his lips, finally, taking a sip thereof.
"Good," Xiulan admits. "I would hate to think of anything happening to Magnes." Glancing down at her own teacup, she gives a faint shake of her head, her shoulders rising and falling in a slow shrug. "Hopefully Mister Nakamura managed to get through to him." Richard's query gains a glance from Xiulan before she slips off the arm of the chair and pads across the room to refill her cup.
"He did" God's honest truth. "lets just hope it sticks" She glances at her bag again then the door. "what's it like Xialun? Being part of the Flying Dragons? And how do you keep it a secret?"
As the question's left unanswered, Cardinal's lips purse in a brief frown, but he lets it go for the moment. The other question asked brings a glance over to the tattoo artist, watching the pair quietly now.
"What's it like?" Setting down the teapot, Xiulan considers the question for a long moment before giving a slow shake of her head. "It isn't very different then anything else, Abigail." Pausing for a sip of tea, she affords the healer a quiet smile as she pads over to return to her perch on the arm of Richard's chair. "Really, they don't tend to do business in front of me. As I said, I am, for the most part, a non-combatant. As for keeping it a secret? Around here, almost everyone is associated in one form or another with the Dragons. Otherwise, it isn't something that generally comes up in conversation. People tend to build it up into more then it is, you know? For the most part, I do their tattoos and they leave me out of the darker things." Fortunately. "I suspect a lot of that is because I am woman." She does, however, glance over at Richard before leaning in to brush a kiss over his forehead. "I prefer it that way, frankly. I'll continue to fly under the radar lest they decide it's time to have me safely married off to one of their number." A most unfortunate occurrence that would be.
"So your no more part of them than I am part of Phoenix" Sits on the edges, only when needed. They don't do business in front of her. "I can see about trying to find him for you. I was going to send a text message to Teo and he arrived at my door" A pause. "Before I actually sent the text message" No need for more tea yet, she's still nursing hers but the redhead on the couch is looking a little less tense, and less like she might visit the bathroom again.
In the wake of the kiss to his brow, one of his eyebrows lift upwards. "Safely married off?" A rather dry question, as Cardinal considers her for a moment over the edge of his shades. A hand lifts to pull them off, then, closing them with the slightest wince at the light, "Hm. I'd message Laudani, then, but I suspect he was in the middle've all this shit. I'll do it later."
"Silly, isn't it?" And not likely to happen, if Xiulan has anything to say about it. Shifting her weight, she drapes an arm around Richard's shoulder, lightly ruffling his hair before noting, "If Hiro is likely to intercept the message it might not hurt to try?" After Mister Nakamura's appearance on her stoop, she certainly wouldn't be surprised to have him walk in the door of her shop. She does, however, look back at Abby and smile. "Pretty much the same thing, yes. I prefer it that way, honestly. If I am going to get involved in something, I prefer to have the choice to say no."
"You don't always get the choice of saying no. Sometimes, being able to say no, is just an illusion" New York the last year has been an education in life beyond a little white church in the back woods. "I'll text him. But he might be busy with the same people that everyone else is busy with. I'll give them one more day Cardinal and see if he pops up. He can manipulate time, but at some point, he needs to sleep. He might be sleeping"
"I just have some matters that I need to consult with him on," Cardinal murmurs to the edge of his tea, taking a light sip before slanting a look up to Xiulan with a wry expression. He loops an arm around her waist, then admits, "Not sure if he can help, but, I figure it can't hurt. I suppose I'm gonna have to talk to Magnes, too…"
"What about?" Yes, Xiulan is curious, but then from the look on her face and the way she settles into a comfortably relaxed pose, it is clear that she isn't going to push. She does, however, afford Abby a smile that is both slightly wry and slightly tired. "Believe me, Abigail, I am all to aware that you cannot always say no. Fortunately, the matter of my being married off seems to have been forgotten in the wake of my father's death." And it is not a topic she intends to ever bring up with any of the Dragons. "So, you aren't actually a member of Phoenix?" Curious and slightly confused, she cants her head, absently brushing a strand of dark hair out of her face. "That's almost a relief, really. You don't strike me as the overtly violent sort."
"No. I just.. On call to heal. Same with scout. Except that scout has opted and demanded to pay me whether I like it or not, when I heal their officers. Same with everyone. I just.. stand in the middle with my cell phone and come when called" Her tea is finished finally, every last drop. "I used to, but, they wanted me to limit who I healed and I couldn't. So we parted ways. Are you both together?"
"I don't think much of 'em myself, honestly," Cardinal shakes his head slowly, thumb sliding over the edge of his cup where it rests upon one knee, "I mean, some of 'em are good people. Some aren't. An' I appreciate their aims, but, shit, I've never seen such a bunch of disorganized criminals stumbling over each others' feat. No unity or organization at all. One of them once asked me to do a job, the next day a different one told me not to."
"I've never dealt with Phoenix," Xiulan admits. "So no, I am definitely not with them. I don't know," she admits as she takes a sip of her tea before leaning over to set the cup on the counter. "So far, Richard is the only one who actually considers my ability useful beyond the realm of body of art. Not," she admits. "That very many people know that I have ability, but still." Pausing a beat, she blinks once, her brows furrowing faintly. "Together? You meant in Phoenix, yes?" Sometimes, English fails her, apparently.
"as in your arm is around her waist and you've kissed him on the forehead" she's going to shut up. She's likely reading wrong, because she's always reading wrong. "You could make money changing the paint jobs of cars. Makeup at a photoshoot. Colorist at a hair salon" A gesture to her own now red locks. Changed since she visited Xiulan. "With the FBI to alter skin color and help with giving people new identities"
"Oh." A look up to the tattoo artist, then back to Abigail, and Cardinal shrugs one shoulder before offering ever so helpfully, "We're fucking, if that's what you're asking?"
Xiulan actually turns a few shades of red in response to Richard's blunt response. Rather then comment on it, however, she lightly clears her throat, pointedly pretends she isn't blushing and shakes her head. "I couldn't work with the FBI," she states. Heck, she's not even legally in the country. Well, not really… "And I could do all of things, admittedly. But, eventually someone would figure out that I could change money just as easily as thier skin tone and I'd be locked away in a little room with stacks of one dollar bills. Not," she adds pointedly. "The most exciting thought in the world."
More people to buy condoms for. Maybe she just needs to visit Sams club and buy a wholesale sized box. Idly, that thought crosses her mind. Everyone she keeps running across is shacking up. have they never heard of no sex before marriage? or saying making love "Nope, not the most exciting thing" Abby agrees. lets skip over that Cardinal said the F word again. Or that Abby's cheeks match Xiulan's in intensity.
Cardinal wasn't using it as a curse word that time, though, he was using it as a verb! As the pair discuss the possible results of her power, he finishes off his tea and leans back a little, resting the cup on the arm of the tattoo chair. His hand lifts, scratching at the curve of his jaw, "At least it wouldn't be license plates."
"Not that that sounds particularly entertaining, either." Slanting a smirk at Richard, Xiulan gets a hold of her blush, lightly elbows him in the ribs and turns a smile on Abigail. "He makes it sound much more sordid then it is," she assures. Not, mind that she intends to discuss it more, but still. "So…" Loss for words, anyone?
"more tea?" Though Abby gets it, instead of having Xiulan get it. "Cardinal needs a new tattoo. He needs to have 'lassie' somewhere on his body. I insist"
A grunt from the elbow, and then Cardinal squints at Abby. "…Lassie?" He sounds unamused.
Blinking once, Xiulan slants a glance from Abby to Richard and back. "Lassie?" No she doesn't get the reference, but she's fairly certain there is a joke in there, somewhere. Course Cardinal's tone stirs a quiet laugh from Xiulan, her brows twitching faintly.
"Abby's stuck in a brothel. Save her. Abby needs babysitting, go sit with her. Lassie. Arf, arf" while Abby's pouring herself some more tea.
"I hate you," Cardinal deadpans, "I really hate you both."
"Awww, don't be like that," Xiulan cooes. Mind you, the cooing is coupled with pointed hair ruffling. "You know it really is 'okay' for you to be a knight in slightly tarnished armor, Richard. Besides, it is a very endearing quality in a man."
"Don't worry. I don't tell anyone what you've done for me. your reputation is a secret. I owe you much for your visits, what few of them you were able to do. The tattoo was just a jest Richard" Abby smiles a little at that, the bantering helping her. Stomachs no longer flipping.
Oh, great, now his hair is being ruffled. Cardinal rolls his eyes a bit, pointing out accusingly to the pair of women even as he brings a hand up to try and fix his hair, "It is no fair, the two of you teamin' up on me, you know. No fair at all."
"At least it is in private?" Flashing a smile, Xiulan brushes a kiss over his cheeks before slinging her legs across his lap. "Don't worry Richard, I don't think either of us would let it get out that you are really a nice guy." Can't have the rep tarnished after all.
"Not like I hang out with goody goody people" Abby points out too. The teapot is put down, safely out of harms reach and makes her way back to the couch. "I still think you should get a lassie tattoo. Where no one will see it. Inside joke"
"I am not getting a Lassie tattoo," Cardinal declares, the last word on the subject, and sprawls back on the tattoo chair once those legs are draped over his lap—arms stretching back and folding behind his head that rests against them, eyes closed. "I've already quite enough body art for th'moment, thank you very much."
"We -could- do in Chinese," Xiulan provides oh-so-helpfully. "No one would ever know what it meant." Course, then Richard goes and says he isn't getting a lassie tattoo and Xiulan just smiles and brushes her hand over his jean clad thigh. "There is no such thing as too much body art, Richard." And besides, it could be days before he notices the delicate little kanji on his inner thigh. <.<;
"If I get "Timmy" on my body somewhere, will you do the same?" In the Chinese symbols of course. That comes from Abby where she fidgets on the couch, a glance to her messenger yet again.
"Do not make me say things to make you blush so hard you die of embarrassment, girl," Cardinal drawls out, though the touch to his thigh brings his eyes open, a lazy smile curving to his lips as he looks back to Xiulan. A tilt of his head, then, and he looks over towards the healer, "So how the hell'd you end up working at Lucy's, Abigail?"
"Lucy's?" Okay, so Xiulan doesn't know the place. Really, she doesn't get out of Chinatown all that often. She does, however, make a point to tickle Richard's thigh with a light press of nails. Hey, with her legs slung over his lap, it is a most hidden gesture.
"Isabelle was a bartender at Rapture. Some customers of mine got me a fake ID and dragged me in there. I sat at the bar for part of the night and asked if there were job openings. Isabelle said she was opening her own bar. Having no bartending experience just seemed to make her want to hire me more. So.. a few months down the road, she opened. which was good because i'd had to leave the Diner. I don't have to get up on the bar and shake my rear, or push my chest up on display. She pays good and .. with a boss that's evolved, and knows your gifted by god, she.. she tended to look the other way when I came in dead tired or kicks my rear up to her place to sleep."
A faint chuckle of breath from Cardinal, observing with a hint of amusement, "You? Used a fake ID? Man, you're all sorts of shady that I didn't know about, Abigail… and Izzy's good people." A hint of worry threaded through the last, his head dropping back again. He tries not to squirm at the tickling press.
"I'll have to make a point to come by and see you," Xiu notes with a smile. Admittedly, she relishes any opportunity to get out of Chinatown for a bit and stretch her legs. "I would have never pegged you as a bartender, though. I guess I just assumed you played piano in a church, or taught sunday school." Pause. "Which is not a bad thing," but is far different from bartending.
"I work only a few hours a day. You won't find me there Wednesday's. I go to church. I'm adding hours, slowly, back to my schedule. WHat did you think I did? I worked in the Nite Owl before that. Little blue outfit and everything" Sip. Sip. Drink her tea and look around, oblivious to the hand on thigh across from her. "Sing in church. But not teach. Neither pays the rent""
"Given that half of the waitresses there dance on the bar," Cardinal adds, rather more wryly, "It's even more surprising."
"I just.. I don't know, I guess I couldn't imagine you -in- a bar, let alone working in one." Pausing a beat, Xiulan clears her throat, slanting a glance at Richard. "Are you serious?" Another blink follows before she looks back at Abby and adds, "Please don't be insulted, Abby. I just… Have this very innocent image of you, I guess." Kinda…. you know, like finding out the Virgin Mary is a stripper on the weekend.
'The virgin Mary serving Alcohol" Abby smiles. 'They call me 'the nun' at the bar. It's once an hour, they get up and just dance on the bar. They have clothes on. Maybe short skirts. That's all. Other than that, it's just a bar that's employed by women only. I wear a t-shirt and jeans and boots, and I just serve alcohol. I don't get up and dance. I've also now got a tattoo, and .. i'm not as innocent in some ways as people think. I just tend to have a different set or.. principles"
"Nothin' wrong with that," Cardinal admits, his eyes closing as he settles back comfortably in the chair, fingers lacing together beneath his scalp and legs shifting to drape one ankle over the other, "Still don't know why you think I'm -that- good a guy, though. I'm a crook, Abigail."
Smiling quietly, Xiulan exhales a laugh in response to Abby's commentary on her work, her chin dipping in a faint nod as the healer finishes speaking. "Oh, I don't think it is a bad thing, at all. Just not what I pictured for you." It's a simple, honest statement. She does, however, slant a glance at Richard, her lips twitching in a smirk. "That doesn't make a bad man, Richard." Heck, she's spent her entire life around gangmembers and criminals of varying degrees. Some of them were/are very nice people.
"For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. The very thing which I can do, is meant for everyone Richard. I can't judge a person and deny them healing because maybe they haven't quite lived by the book. Heavens knows that I haven't. I have the death of two people on my own hands directly and indirectly. So I'd be a poor Christian woman if I did. And you've shown me nothing but kindness" Xiulan's words are waved away by the healer. "No offense taken, I promise"
"Yeah, yeah," Richard mutters under his breath, "I'm a fuckin' saint. Who steals cars, robs people, and is party to terrorism and conspiracy on a daily basis. Go, team righteous and good."
"And I work for the Dragons, tattoo murderers and thieves and am an Illegal alien, so what?" Squirming in the chair, Xiulan plops directly in Richard's lap and lightly kisses the tip of his nose. "The difference is that one is your profession, the other is your personality. And profession aside, your a good man, Richard." Course, she does, vaguely, recognize the bible reference, but it isn't a thing she knows well, so she opts not to comment. She does, however, cast a relieved glance to Abby who definetly seems considerably less tense then she had been earlier.
"You're not a saint and I'm not a saint, and Xiulan is not a saint. We're just people, doing what set us on the earth to do" There's no consoling the man if he's hell bet on thinking that he's the devil. "you're nowhere near the status of the last man I knew who could do what you do, sorta. I called him a demon all the time"
"I just don't want you to be disappointed one've these days, is all," admits the shadowmorph, a touch begrudgingly, though the fact that the chinadoll's just dropped down into his lap and leaned down to him certainly helps his mood — a low chuckle, and he unweaves his hands from one another, reaching out to drape them over her shoulders. As he looks up with reddened eyes to the artist, he murmurs in response to Abby, "I suppose we'll see what I was set here on the Earth to do, then, one of these days."
Rather then interrupt the conversation, Xiulan opts for brushing her cheek against Richard's. It is as she draws back and offers him a quietly accepting smile, that she whispers. "Just be you." Good enough, really. It is she turns her gaze back to Abby, that she asks, "Do you need to eat something? I have some saltines, if you think you can keep them down."
"There a restaurant nearby? I might get some wonton soup broth, let you both have some time alone" cause the PDA's are starting to slightly maybe drag on into her realm of discomfort.
A sound of vague amusement stirs in Cardinal's throat, and he shifts to sit up — hands on Xiulan's sides ushering her up as well, twisting a bit to look back to Abby with a wry expression, "Let's go pick up some food, maybe toss in a movie, eh? Trust me, we can get some time alone later."
"Excellent idea," Xiulan agrees. "I know the perfect place." Offering a hand to Abby, she smiles and tilts her head toward the door. Off we go
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