Participants:
| Scene Title | Push |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Dr. Cong and Ling venture out to find a client for their first push of 'Refrain' onto the recreational drug scene. They find Wendy. |
| Date | August 1, 2009 |
Chinatown - Random Upscale Restaurant
When Ling had told Liu Ye she took her work seriously, she had not been exaggerating. Perhaps it had been a bit hastily that she had taken to her new? assignment, but she was never one to sit around doing nothing. Still, she found her confidence in a rare shaken state - she was a businesswoman, not a drug pusher. In earnest, she had no true clue what she was doing, only instinct and assumptions to go by. Perhaps that was why she had asked Bao-Wei to come with her. Perhaps it was so she had an anchor. Perhaps it was because he had more experience in this field than she did. Whatever the reason, it was strangely comforting to have doctor by her side, at least for this.
And so the decision to stay close to "home" had been made, a restaurant in the Chinatown district the hotspot of the evening, so to speak. Ling had never eaten there herself, though it seemed like a fine enough establishment. So, she waited with steepled hands and an expectant expression. She didn't know hoe this evening was going to go, but she was sure she knew one thing - A lot was going to change after tonight. Glancing to Bao-Wei cautiously, she rises from her seat for the first time that evening, beginning a tour of the eatery - and a hunt for prey.
It's the moving around that catches Wendy. Party girl having it down and out in Chinatown. No Peyton to have some fun with, frankly, she has not a clue where Peyton is and it's bothering her. Especially after hearing what went down at the hospital. But Wend's unique gift, means that when Ling starts moving, so does wendy's head, studying the woman from her table and ignoring the others at it who are chattering and indulging in overpriced but authentic foreign food.
Ling's been noticed, whether for good or bad and Wendy's got a strange look on her face.
Thankfully, despite his size, Doctor Cong is not a completely terrible partner to stake out at a restaurant with. If anything, they get less attention because of the varying people that happen to also know him. Some know that Ling is his new assistant, some simply assume he is her father or something similar. It is even easier for him to blend in if he is eating- and quite possibly, though he has been here a great many instances before- he is liable to be on some absurd number of plate. At least he is steady about it, unlike some of the folks simply stuffing whatever they can fit on a fork into their face.
He gave Ling a few simple instructions before they had come; wait, watch, stray. A very simple intention. The biggest help was that he did agree to come with Ling- certain people already know of his tendencies, and so Ling is regarded by at least one local with a curious eye. As she rises, Bao-Wei gives her back that passing glance, as if to finalize her going ahead to wander.
It takes a short trip to the bar, the intention being to order wine to pass the time. She only requests a glass, however, turning back towards to table with a blank expression. But something catches her attention as she takes her glass in hand and turns around. A face, a woman's face, in the corner of her eye, almost seeming to watch her movements as she begins her return trip. Still the gaze lingers, an expression Ling finds herself unable to read. She pauses in her step, looking back to Bao-Wei for a moment, It was against her better judgement, and yet she still found herself deviating from her path back to the seats they shared.
Instead, she found herself drawn towards where the woman watching her sits. She watches Bao-Wei, initially, for any signs of disapproval from Bao-Wei, but as she gets closer her attention recenters itself, a grimace on her face as she approaches.
"Excuse me, Miss. May I help you with something?"
It is her. She could feel the pull moving with the Asian woman across to the bar and then strengthening when she approached the table. The others there were giggling and scoooting off to make a bathroom run, leaving Wendy with the bill. Which frankly is fine with her. When Ling approaches however, the strange look turns to a smile as Wendy offers her hand to shake. "You made me curious. Rui…" - A gesture with her other hand to the departing sole asian person in her entourage - "Said you're with a Doctor Cong. Wendy Hunter" She's not a raving beauty and her own face is not the epitome of beauty but her hair is back, a large real orchis pinning her hair up like some 50's pin up and her black dress with the red cherries patterend all over it and red piping. She wants to know what the woman does. "You are?"
No disapproval from him- he does watch Ling make her way closer to Wendy only long enough to note what the other woman looks like for any future reference. Her friends even left her there. How unfortunate. For now, Doctor Cong stays over at the table- seemingly minding his own business, though he watches his charge out of the corner of his eye.
Ling raises her eyebrow as the woman mentions Bao-Wei by name - a curiousness she doesn't seek to pursue, at least not yet. She hoped that this wouldn't complicate manners any, despite that the woman herself didn't appear to be familiar wit the "good" Doctor. "A shame your friends left you," Ling observes with a sly smile, extending her own hand to meet Wendy's. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Hunter. My name is?" she paused, a frown crossing her face. The always hated it when she realized she hadn't thought everything as well as she'd wanted. She hadn't even thought to ask Bao-Wei about any protocols with names. "Ling. So, what brings you to the restaurant this evening
What brings her is what happens when her hand touches the other woman. frankly any contact even through clothes provided it's just a shirt will elict what she's getting when they touch. Her hand tightens around Ling's firm, holding tight as she gets a distant look in her eyes. But then she lets go, releasing the womans hand and seems to come back to the 'present'. "What.. what's your ability? I tasted… smoke? Not a pyro, Pyro make me feel hot. it was like.. smoke and … intangible" Her friends have left her. Wendy frowns and shrugs. "Off to see a movie. I was heading home"
Her hand jerks back, and her eyes narrows as she stares at the woman, visibly at a loss for words. She had been prepared for the unpredictable, but that was outside the realm of what she had expected. How in the hell had she known? It… It… Ling's jaw clenched, her hand formed a fist and then opened again, her expression certainly no longer blank. "I must ask, Miss Hunter, how it is that you know such things," she remarks, glancing back to Bao-Wei with narrowed eyes. It wasn't trouble, not yet, but she wanted to let him know that something had come up.
"I can pick out evo's in a room Ms. Ling, it's my ability. I haven't come across yours before though. Sit! Please! I need to know! Or you can tell me to leave you alone and it's none of my business" Wendy offers a friendly smile to the asian woman. "I could feel you across the room and when I touched you" well, that was already explained,.
Glass of water lifted in one hand, Bao-Wei glances fully over when she looks back- a curious note on his face as the happy little lady smiles and chirps something he is only half able to discern. Some of it is easily misconstrued, and so Ling gets a rather dubious sort of look from him next.
Ling's head tilts back a bit, looking down at the woman, her expression faltering for just a moment. Perhaps, however, she could use this to her advantage. "I believe I can elaborate, if you wish. But first, I have to ask you - your friends, you said that they're continuing their evening at the movies?" A sly grin crosses her face as her gaze evens out with Wendy's. "It seems like an evening to continue. Why didn't you join them?"
"Because I have a sculpture to finish and I thought I might hit up a club first, see what was happening before Curfew kicks in. I had no urge to go see some independent film" Score some more E. Thank you Peyton. Thank you very much. "really have to finish the sculpture before I loose my inspiration" Wendy toys with her Martini glass before sipping the dregs of the green liquid within.
The grin widens in an almost predatory fashion, Ling reaching out to the woman, offering Wendy her hand again. "It sounds like you have quite the night ahead of you, Miss Hunter. However?," she looks over to Bao, nodding at him. "You've made it quite clear to me that you're as special as I am. Perhaps, Miss Hunter, I can provide you with something for you that will make the rest of the evening that much more enjoyable."
Something that will make the rest of the evening much more enjoyable? Wendy peeked over at Bao, brows raised. "I'm listening" intruigued, interested, brown eyes look over at Ling. "You have my attention Ms. Ling"
The nod from Ling seems to be all that Bao-Wei needs, nodding just enough in response before he catches Wendy's gaze, holding it for a few seconds longer than she might have originally intended. If there is one thing certainly off-putting about watching him from afar, it is that if he catches you, he makes it as unsettling as he possibly can. Perhaps it serves as a later deterrent for the same people.
This only serves to reinforce Ling's slowly growing confidence, and prompts her to respond with a nod. "Indeed. And perhaps, help on the matter of inspiration. There's little more inspiring that the best times in one's live, yes?" It's more of a statement than a question, but Ling's inflection leaves it up in the air. "Come, join me over here. And don't worry, Miss Hunter, I will answer your question shortly." She motions with her outstretched hand, beginning tot ae steps back towards the table where Bao-Wei waits.
She has to let Ling's hand go, the feeling and smell slightly overwhelming her with the continued contact. But she gathers her clutch and follows over. She's safe to join strangers in a restaurant. If Ling had been asking her to come outside, different story. What could bring her inspiration? Something, and Wendy's willing to hear them out instead of heading off to rapture or some other place and seek out a tab of E. E was what brought about this new sculpture. So the tall brunette lingers in Ling's wake then follows to Bao's table.
When the two come to the table, Ling one step ahead, Bao-Wei gives her one more slightly dubious look before they reach it. "I see that you've found a friend, Ling." The doctor's gaze rests again on Wendy, conducting the usual manner of inspection and notation. He's not a weirdo, cross his heart- just thorough.
Ling's hand moves across the table smoothly as she looks over to Bao-Wei, nodding. "Seems so. This is Wendy Hunter, and she seems like a curious one," Ling says, motioning to Wendy with a smile. "Please, take a seat," she offers, taking her own. "You mentioned fleeting inspiration, that you intended to spend your night in one of New York's clubs" she reiterates. "As I said, we may have something that can aid in one, and? perhaps serve as an alternative to the other," she notes, smiling. "Something that will remind you in a most vivid way of your best times." She motions again to Bao-Wei, to give him the opportunity to elaborate in any way he sees fit.
Raise brows as Wendy slips in beside Ling, opposite the robust physician. "You also told me that you'd give me a name to what you do" She points out, ever so smoothing. "Dr. Cong. A pleasure to meet. One of my fiends apparently has been to your clinic. Something about late night, something bad, discretion" Wendy waves it away with a practiced swat of her hand.
"Indeed." He replies, concentration somewhere between thinking of the faces he saw before and pulling out of his mental files what it was about. Bao-Wei looks to Ling for that term she has yet to give Wendy, but continues after a moment to elaborate on the former topic. "Do you easily remember your fondest of memories, miss Hunter?"
Ling leans back a bit, feeling slowly more comfortable as she takes a sip of her wine. "This is true, and I'm not one to go back on my word, Miss Hunter," she remarks with a glance up to Bao-Wei, giving a look at him in an attempt to communicate that she knew what she was doing as he poses his question. She takes a hold of her glass, a finger wrapped around the stem only briefl before a small wisp of smoke, hard to notice to those not in the immediate vicinity, begins to snake up the glassware in an attempt to temporarily satiate the woman's curiosity.
"I'm not that old to forget memories. Maybe when I was 5 or such but yes" Wendy answers Bao, eyes riveted on what Ling just did. "What do you call it. Gaseous form? Smoke form?" She rattles off a half dozen variations of what it's been called by those she knows. She looks forward once again to Bao. "But what do my fondest memories have to do with having fun and entertainment? Inspiration, I can see, but the latter?"
The evolved never fail to be shiny and new. Doctor Cong watches Ling's change as well, something deep behind his mismatched eyes suddenly yearning for something else. "A feeling of unmatched joy being given to you because of them. Not a drop to drink, yet you will be as free as a bird, so to speak…" And from there, he looks to Ling, beckoning her silently to continue the attempt at pawning off what they have. This is her lesson, after all.
Finishing her sip of wine, the smoke swirls in the air and quickly reforms back into it's proper state, the woman once more steepling her fingers, a smile on her face. "I believe it has everything to do with entertainment, if that is what you enjoy, and what you remember best. The most fun you ever had, brought back to the fore front of memory at a moments notice," she comments with a gesture. It felt like she was in a Marketing class again, trying to shill an inconceivable product with the most imaginative wording she could imagine. It was a feeling she relished. "Inspiration flows from such memories, Miss Hunter. The come hand in hand," she continues, looking straight at the girl with a pause, and then a gentler smile. "As for you other question, I suppose a? 'smoke form' - it sounded so crude put that way - "is one name for it. I've never given it one myself."
"You're peddling a drug…." Wendy looks between the two. A restaurant is a first for her. it's always been a club or some other place. Generally a club. Her eyes narrow somewhat, looking between the two. "Whats the addiction rate and what's the medium? Price and side effects"
Revolution in the name of money- so they ended up in a restaurant, yes. "Only affects people such as you." Bao-Wei nudges his head enough to note the two women as one subject. "The rate varies, though so far it has not been conclusive enough to generalize." A lie, but Wendy is none the wiser.
"No side effects- and the first one is on us. For your own test." He slips a hand into his inner front pocket, as if for a wallet. What he unfurls out of his fingers onto the tablecloth between empty plates, however- is decidedly not. In fact, it is rather like nothing she'd have seen before. A miniature syringe, almost cute- the plastic filled with a dose of something that glows nigh florescent blue through it.
With a bit of a shift, Ling's expression becomes better able to reflect her bemusement as Bao-Wei speaks. She had caught the way he had made note of Wendy and her. She was unsure if Liu Ye had said anything previous to this evening about her, or what he had discovered she was capable of the night previous, but it was clear he had taken distinct note of it, and she wouldn't have expected any less of him. Truth be told, if she were the kind of person, Refrain sounded like something she might consider indulging in.
Perhaps, it was best she was not that kind of person.
Her hands still placed in front of her, she nods as Bao-Wei finishes. She offers little in the way of words, at least immediately.
Wendy's eyes naturally drop to the miniaturized syringe with it's luminescent contents. He's right, it's not something she's ever seen before. Not in that vibrancy. There's some hesitation on her face. She's never played around with injections. She always stuck to pills, she still smokes weed now and then. First hit is always free. It's the stock phrase of the drug industry. Same as the first stuff is always the best stuff. So you get a taste of the good stuff, but find you can only afford the cheap stuff.
Not that Wendy can only afford the cheap stuff of anything. "Injectable only? Doesn't come in pills?" Varied addiction rate. She's inwardly weighing the odds. "Bad trips produce what?"
With this, it is not very possible to dilute it. There is no cheap version. It is what it is. "No pills. If it were possible, I would have done such by now. The less mediums, the harder it is. I stand by that I only use the most proper equipment and all doses remain equal. It is an interesting and tough to engineer piece of work- I wish it were my own…" He's a doctor! Trust him. Bao-Wei turns a passive look over the restaurant before he looks to Wendy again. "Bad memories instead of good. Approximately a two-to-five percent chance." He hasn't had a span to test that, but it sounds good, doesn't it?
Her fingers drum against each other briefly as she watches Wendy carefully, trying to gauge the woman's reaction to Bao-Wei's "facts" about the drug. After a moment, she nods, looking squarely at the woman. "I assure you, Miss Hunter, I have been on the up and up with you so far, have I not? This, I can assure you," she leans forward, without so much as a glance to Bao-Wei, her attention focused solely on Wendy, "is where we stand." She leans back a big, her grin changing into a somewhat gentler smile. "I can understand your hesitance. Don't misunderstand, you sit under no obligation. But, if you feel so inclined, we ask you just to try."
"I'm a piss poor customer and piss poor consumer if I don't try to know some of what I'm looking at and taking. Designer drugs come out all the time, and dealers spout they're the next best thing. Then hundreds of people are found ODing everywhere from something gone bad in the drug. Caution is static and ever changing" But she's decided, and nods her head to the two. "I'll try it. If I like it.. " She shrugs her shoulders. "I got friends who might like it, be willing to pay for it too. Doesn't work on non-evolveds?"
"That is right. And if you doubt my ability to concoct, miss Hunter, ask your friend whether my skills can be trusted. I am sure she will be inclined to say yes." Wendy taking jabs at dirty doses seems to have hit a soft spot for Doctor Cong- he is good at what he does, no matter what it is. "Refrain has to begin somewhere, whether or not you personally try it." Even if she just, you know, lets it slip to some of her special friends instead, hm?
Ling once again offers a nod in response, looking much more comfortable in her seat. Wendy's agreement to at least take the drug had been music to her ears, to say the least, though she was unsure exactly how much of it was because of her, how much was because of Bao-Wei, and how much was because of Wendy herself. Still, a small success is a success none the less, and that seemed like the path that this was headed down.
"I don't doubt" Whether she gave offense or not, doesn't seem to matter much to Wendy. It's a cold hard truth about the drug trade. "If I want more, where do I go?" She looks to ling, reaching over to pick up the vial, discreetly roll it back and forth along the table and the liquid within move with it. "Into a vein or just a muscle?"
"Either, however the former will act more swiftly. For now, our people-" Bao-Wei assumes he is clear enough to mean the Dragons. "-will be the only ones with access. The usual hotspots, clubs-" He looks to Ling at this, a silent motion for her to elaborate on her places. "-though if you are exceedingly keen, I am in my clinic in the after hours." What he does not explain is the possibility of never getting the drug, nor walking back out. It would be like walking into Shelob's caverns alone.
Sitting straight, taking a much more serious posture than her previous relaxed look, Ling grins in response. "If you wish to find more, there's a few places I can be found. Here, for one," she remarks, with a motion of her arm. "For now, at least, there's a few other clubs I will be frequenting in the near future, including…" she pauses, an idle glance over to Bao-Wei before continuing, "most likely, Rapture."
"I'll find you at Rapture then, if I like the product" Aka, she's taking it. "How long does it take to kick in?" Since neither of them had seemed to have tried the product before. Wendy plucked up the syringe, studying it and provided there's no objections or motions to stop her, Wendy tucks it into her clutch.
"A few minutes, at most. I suspect that once one gets calibrated to it, it may very well act faster." It's a funny thing like that, really. The drug is indeed unique. Bao-Wei makes no move as she takes it from the table. "Your best bet will be to find Ling." And he nods once, looking at the older woman. He showed her how it is done, so hopefully she will not need too much help alone- if she needs another test run, however, so be it.
The grin on her face spreading, Ling offers a hand to Wendy. "Then, it's settled," she replies, a wisp of smoking raising up in her hand. "Now, Miss Hunter, I'm not normally one to allow such things to happen, but I did make a promise to you. Did you want to see a… further demonstration of my ability?" She grit her teeth as she finished speaking, though an attempt was made to keep it from being audible. being outted as evolved was not something that made her happy, but if it would help gain anothers trust, so be it. "Or, would you rather save that for our second meeting?" she continues, a hopeful inflection in her voice.
"Next meeting, if there is one" Wendy glances down to the whisps of smoke rising. "I know what you can do, just by touching you. That's usually good enough for me" Wendy smiles. "I should go, leave you both to the rest of your meal. See about getting… inspired" She shifts then, prepared to take her leave. "Nice to meet you Ms. Ling, Doctor Cong"