Participants:
Scene Title | Salon Takeover |
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Synopsis | … at the hands of some anti-evolved thugs goes badly. |
Date | June 23, 2011 |
It is afternoon, the Salon smells like summery sweet beauty products and of course the natural chemicals and such and there are a couple of workers wearing their black skirts or jeans, black shoes and black and purple 'Cambria' t-shirts and aprons. People talk, people laugh, soft music plays and there are one or two clients being finished up at the nail table and in a salon chair.
At the front desk however sits a small blond girl wearing a pair of too big glasses and a Cambria apron as she has a box of crayons and the appointment book as well as a juice box, sipping away and humming happily as she is working on drawing a rainbow. Welcome to The Salon.
Hortense is one of those who is just getting the finishing touches applied to her nails. She may be a Jersey girl, but there's not long claws, perils of being a masseuse for a living, they have to be short enough not to bother the clientele. "So then he went home, but left his underwear at my place. I mean, okay, it's one thing when it's a woman and it's a lacy pair, but come on, I don't need a pair of boxer briefs draped across my pillow"
It's a working day for Hortense, she's already had a client come and go and decided to let one of the newer people have a go at her nails. Which means they are french tipped - American style - and a flower painted on her thumb. A really large starbucks cup with the promise of caffeine in it in her free hand. She takes a sip as she looks over her shoulder and around the salon. "God, it's going to be hot today"
Cheeks flushed from apparently hurrying, and faux-burgundy hair drenched from the sporadic rain storms outside, Lene enters the salon looking a little frantic. Perhaps it's a beauty emergency? Her clothing sticks to her, loose cardigan over t-shirt and jeans, nothing waterproof and no umbrella. She's a touch out of breath as she smiles at the small girl at the counter.
"Hello, ma'am, do you have any openings for a walk in?" Lene says with a little bow for the child, as if she were asking for an audience with royalty. "I don't think I need to have the shampoo first, though!" She makes a show of wringing out her hair, then turns to glance out at the street once more, chewing her lower lip a little nervously.
The 'ma'am' at the desk just stares at the wet lady, eyes widening and she wiggles around in her chair before pointing her blue crayon at the woman. She doesn't say anything though, Diana just watches the wet woman before she falls over in her chair laughing and gasping for air between giggles. Professionalism at its best.
From the back comes a young caramel colored cutie wearing a karate Gi with her curly hair pulled back in a ponytail and she's moving to hop up in a chair beside Hortense at the nail counter, placing her hands down on the counter and smirking. "Hi!"
Also from the back comes the call. "BJ don't leave your SOCKS and PANTIES on my floor! Oh my GOD."
"Beej, did you leave you socks and panties on your dads floors?" One last coat of clear slid over her thumb, Hortense moves her chair over to make room for the Gi wearing kid. "You should probably go back and pick those up real quick. Respect, remember?" She's met the girls, seen the girls, even given the girls some foot rubs once she had returned from her weeks long stint in the hospital with the non-evo evo flu.
Lene's appearance raises brows on the masseuse and she whistles. "Cats and dogs attacked you out there! God open up a bucket and pour it over you?" All with a sympathetic clucking of her tongue. "Beej, get her a towel?" Murmured to the girl ather side.
Lene's worried expression gives way to mirth as she giggles at the little girl's giggle fit. Her eyes move toward the back when BJ emerges from the back, and she tips her head, brows knitting for a moment, before she lets herself smile again. "Hi," she says softly. "Something like that," she nods to Hortense.
Green eyes dart to the clock, and then back outside, and then back to the tiny blonde girl at the counter. "Is that your dad? Can you get him for me, Di- Dear…"
A cell phone is pulled out as she moves to the front door, to peer out again. Because that's not suspicious or anything.
"Shit," she mutters to herself, then turns back to Diana, then BJ. "Grab your dad for me, sweetie?"
Looking a touch haggard by the rain Kurt Campbell parks his bike outside the shop making sure to lock it up securely, one never knows even in a fancy neighborhood. A yawn crosses his lips as he pulls the hood of his bright yellow rain jacket closer around his face and pushes open the door. As always the young man tries to make sure he doesn't make a mess by whipping his feet and then proceeds to the front counter area to lean lazily against it.
Pulling out a yellow envelope from his bag neatly tucked within the confines of his jacket he looks around and self consciously touches his messed up by the rain hair. "Delivery for Raquelle Cambria." He chimes is his best imitation of a professional.
"Respect, respect, alllways respect. You know what's respect?" B.J balls up her little fist and gently punches the counter before going 'ow' and shaking out her hand, laughing and nodding to Hortense as she hops down off the stool, dragging her feet back towards the back as she looks towards the front at the sopping wet woman and her laughing sister, roooooolling those eyes and moving towards the cupboards to find towels. Diana giggles harder and hops down off of her stool, running towards the back screaming at the top of her lungs, "THE WET LADY IS DRIPPING ON THE FLOOR AND SAYING BAD WORDS!"
Raquelle comes out of the back, tight pair of black leather pants, fitted black t-shirt, nice docs with red laces to match the red streak in his emo-fringe, the salon owner just adjusts his black fedora and places a hand on his hip, opening his arms to scoop up the running little blonde. "What the hell…" BJ just shrugs. "Well so nice to see folks are makin' themselves at home, at least she isn't /pissing/ on the floor." He makes a face, grabbing the towel from BJ and giving her a pat on the head and pointing to his office. "Go call the pizza place baby." He blows a kiss to Hortense, best he can with a towel in his hand, heading for the front of the Salon and giving Kurt a once over. "…well /dayum/ honey please say you're a strip-o-graph because you're cute as can be…" He offers the towel to Lene. "You cover the caramel coated one's eyes, I'll cover Shirley Gettingtooheavy's eyes here and we'll split the tipping job…"
"Cops coming for you?" Another sip from her coffee, Hortense is just going to sit back here and enjoy the show that is dripping women, yelling children, and the courier it seems in the yellow slicker. "Raquelle, and you said this place was going to be dead today" She calls out, smile on her face, crossing her knee's as one hand is under teh UV light to harden nail polish. "ANCHOVIES BEEJ" She's fine with the yelling it seems. "PINEAPPLE TOO!"
Lene glances from the door to the others, then turns the lock on the handle with a loud click. "No. I'd call the cops but saying a crime's about to take place is likely to get me arrested," she breathes, before turning to Raquelle. His words earn a smirk as she glances at Kurt, then back. "No time for that, handsome. You're gonna get company in a couple minutes…"
She looks at the two little girls, then moves closer to Raquelle, cupping her hand around his ear to whisper, "I got a vision of breaking glass, guns, possibly a robbery, lots of vandalism. They're coming down the street, probably be here in a couple seconds. You want to get the kids out of here…"
A group of young men, six in number, approach the door… two of them familiar to Raquelle as the jerks who he'd brought down in Central Park several weeks back. The door is jostled, then rattled more loudly when the young thug realizes it's locked.
An eyebrow is raised in Raquelle's direction but Kurt can't help it as a smirk comes to his face, "Sorry sir, just this little old yellow envelope for you today." A blush touch touch his dark cheeks as the bike courier shifts from one foot to the other and pulls the jacket a touch tighter, probably not helping the situation.
Still trying to be the professional Kurt looks over towards Lene, "I've got another jacket back at the shop if you want this one miss? A little rain ain't gonna…" His attempt to be mister nice guy cut off as the wet woman locks the door. Not having a cell phone and just the radio isn't gonna help but Kurt's hand automaticly goes to it as he sees the men outside the shop.
BJ has a job to do, taking a little notepad off the desk, dialing the familiar number, climbing up on top of her father's desk and placing the familiar orders. Anchovies. Pineapple. Cheese. Meatlovers….etc. She also somehow knows the credit card number by memory. That's not scary at all. Really. 'How old are you?' 'THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MY PIZZA DUMBBUTT!' - The conversation goes very well apparently.
Raquelle's brow furrows as he turns to carefully place Diana on the ground, patting her little backside and muttering softly in Japanese as he points to the back office almost before Lene warns about getting the kids out of here. "Aww, no strip-a-gram…" He fakes a pout, lashes fluttering and looks between Lene and Hortense before moving carefully towards the door. "Uuuh…" He holds out his hand for the envelope from Kurt. "Hi sugar, normally I'd say some really inappropriate things here and give you a reeeeeally big tip but - oh shit." He recognizes two faces and quickly closes the blindes over the doors. "TINA, get the clients out the back please…thank you honey aha…" He instructs another worker before placing his hands on his hips calling out. "I'M SORRY, WE'RE PREJUDICE, WE DON'T SERVICE PEOPLE FROM LATVIA!" A pause. "OR GUAM!"
"You have got to be shitting me"
In reference to the fact that there seems to be a pre-cog in the salon, and there's armed men outside. "And this just got five times creepier and much more like a news flash on the six O'Clock fucking news" Hortense mutters under her breath as she's getting up from the manicure table in her lavender scrubs and reaching for her phone clipped to her waist. "I think it's safe to call 911 now don't you think?"
"Fuck you, you don't get to be prejudiced against us," shouts the biggest of the young men, and suddenly a brick slams through the glass of the window, and the hand reaches in to unlock the door. The men shove their way in, glass crunching beneath their tennis shoes and boots. Lene screams, backing up until she bumps into the counter — and disappears until she re-emerges to crouch on the other side with a gasp of surprise. She reaches for the girls to come to her, beckoning wildly.
One man points a gun at Hortense holding her cell phone. "Don't even think about calling the police," the man snarls, as another aims a gun at Raquelle. "What'ya got in the cash register, pretty boy? We're gonna redecorate the place for you while you give us your money," he hisses.
As if that were his cue, the other men pull out spray paint cans, the hiss and smell of the paint filling the air as they begin to paint the wall: EVOS SUCK.
How original.
Kurt is still holding out the envelope as the men smash the glass and start their unoriginal meltdown on evos, "I must have the worst luck in this city." Kurt mutters before quickly looking around from kids to apparent father and innocent pre-cog and customer all in the midst of this. Trying to look unobtrusive he's failing miserably is his bright yellow and just about rests a hand on Raquelle's arm as a gun in pointed at the man.
Making a show of removing the radio from his belt and putting it on the counter Kurt says quietly, "Now I'm sure this is all unnecessary." No one said he had to be good when guns are out.
"You might have magic hands Hortense honey, but if you call the popos I'm pretty sure…ah…" Raquelle ducks when the brick slams through the window and other workers have fled through the back as he slowly rises back up as he watches the door open and people come in. There's a gun…there's threats and Raq just takes his time, looking from person to person even when he has a gun pointed at him. "…I know ya'll are so man that I didn't go down on you when we first met, but I'm in a committed relationship!" He sighs and shakes his head. "Honey." He looks to Kurt. "I keep tellin' them to eff off and they keep coming back…I know I'm gorgeous but /really/? Now you see why I started smoking again!"
The girls do peek out the office before making a run for Lene, BJ wrapping herself around Diana and trying to half protect and carry her as the Blonde is strangely quiet, eyes just big -> O_O
Oops. Lene hadn't realized they were safe in the office. Now they're out here with her. She rummages through the drawers and hands each of them a scissors for self defense. "If anyone grabs you, stab the hell out of them," she tells them seriously. "Unless it's the good guys," she thinks to add. Kids take things literally, after all.
She crawls to the end of the counter to peek up at Raquelle, green eyes big. "Talk them down," she tells him, her own voice soft and mellow, as she blocks the two little girls with her body. "I can maybe get the girls out… or he can," she whispers, her voice low enough to keep from the men with guns and spray cans. Her eyes dart to Kurt, and back up to Raquelle. She mouths, "Phaser."
"Oh, it's very necessary," the largest thug tells Kurt, watching his hands carefully as the courier unclips his radio, making sure he doesn't suddenly grab a weapon. When Raquelle makes his quips, he spits at Raquelle's feet.
"Not very smart to mock someone holding a gun, you piece of shit. Get the fucking money out or I'll shoot your fucking head off. And the cops? They'll look the other way, because no one fucking cares about you worthless Evo pieces of shit, your kids, or your businesses, all right?" he growls, his hand shaking with anger.
Kurt looks towards Lene seeming to do a double take at the woman's ability to hide and now the nail lady is being a loudmouth again. Kurt sighs and now does rest a hand on the shop owners arm trying to stay in contact if the bullets start flying. Brow furrows at Lene's words but he nods his head slightly. "I'm sure they just mean to flatter you and are going about it all wrong." Kurt making a mocking quiet tisk noise and a glare is directed towards the man with the gun. Kurt seems to be relaxed a little now that he isn't hiding his ability from the rest of the 'good guys'.
The girls apparently have dealt with stressful situations before, they take their scissors, BJ keeps an arm around Diana who is trembling pretty hard and gripping her own scissors but they stay put, holding each other.
Raquelle watches the spray paint. "Yoohoo, Horface-GAH, I mean Horte-YOU, Magic Hands, You know the only way I'd want my Salon redone was if Oprah's little cutie house expert was doing it!" He snaps his fingers, sidling closer towards the counter as his ability slowly wrapping around his words when his children are mentioned, edging around the verbs and sliding around the nouns and adjectives as he twitches a bit and narrows his eyes when the spit is at his feet. "Nope, not alright. You know what I think? I think this is your way of getting your revenge because when you were all little boys, so sweet and kind…somebody touched you. It hurt you inside and then your dicky parents allowed you to play violent video games and you started to believe it was your fucking right to do whatever the hell you want to other people…" He sighs and glances back towards where Lene is before looking back to the men and eyeing Kurt as well. "So I'll get your money…but first I'm going to ahh…how to put it, right, wank off with a few bills. I love that word. I heard it on BBC."
"Raquelle…" Lene groans, and she bites her lower lip before trying to do what she was trying to get Raquelle to do:
"Please. You don't want to do this. You'll get caught, put in jail, and lose a lot more time and money than this is worth to you. You have your whole lives in front of you. Put the guns down… walk out, and we won't…" Her voice is soft, neutral, mellow as she tries to find the calm she wants them to feel. It's hard when her voice trembles, however, and she's never used Raquelle's particular brand of power before. All the while she's crawling away from her hiding place, glass embedding in her knees and palms.
The gun shot makes her scream, as the man pointing the gun at Raquelle pulls the trigger, his face a livid red from Raquelle's words.
A blurry edge covers Raquelle and Kurt as the gun shot goes off and the bullet goes right through the shop owner without harm. "Frig I hope you weren't holding anything electrical sorry." Yep apologizing for getting someone not shot, that's Kurt. "The last thing we need are bullets." Kurt says to the man with the gun with a shaky voice still looking like a badly out of focus film.
It's cool for June in New York City. Not quite cool enough to warrant the long black sweep of Calvin's coat, but not warm enough to render it entirely unpractical when he propels himself in feline quick through ruined glass. Gingery dreads backcombed into deliberate disorder just short of his shoulders, guyliner black, black, black, he's as out of breath as he is unhappy when he's slid to a halt on the balls of his (shoe shod, fortunately) feet, glassy pebbles scattering helter skelter away from full stop opposite Gun Man and his accomplice.
A wild-eyed look assesses the status of all present, trying to discern who's been shot only to recognize upon review that Kurt and Raquelle are not entirely present.
Something else he recognizes in retrospect is Hortense, who gets a nose-rankled double-take, and Lene on the floor, who does not.
"The fuck is this?" is not quite spat across the floor between them, more venomous than the sneer that shows his teeth and flashes his eyes. "Where're the kids?" And how does he know they're here?
The girls hear the gunshot and just start crying and…crying, clinging to each other and babbling about their Daddy. Well Diana is screaming about their Daddy and about 'not again' and such.
Raquelle's reaction is a bit odd though, he's closing his eyes as he sees the red face and then hears the bullet and then he gives a tiny jerk and his body does a shimmer as he blinks and stares at Kurt for a moment, gasping and taking a deep breath. "…oh thank fuck for you little freaks…" He holds his chest before the red-headed jamaican comes through the door and he just stares at the guy with the dreads for a moment before he shakes his head. "Welcome to Cambria's Salon and Day Spa…would you like a fucking appointment…" He flashes a smile.
There are bullets flying, people phasing, evolved haters having a go at things and then here's Calvin. Dread locked mother-fucker who is… who is… Hortenses eyes widen then narrow, scowl on her face and there's that finger pointing again. And there's a cardboard cup of piping hot latte flying through the air towards him with a screech. "You want to pick on an evolved you pick on him! Kills people with his ability!" And there's a handful of nail polish bottles heading for his general vicinity too before she's trying to backpedal for the same way all the customers went. Out the back.
The crying of the children answers Calvin's question for him. "Cal," breathes out Lene in, of all things, relief, but then it becomes more urgent than that: "Cal!" she hisses, eyes catching movement across the salon as the other gunman turns away from Hortense, who has begun throwing things, to aim at Calvin, taking her at her word.
The gun flies out of his hands and skitters away, coming to rest a couple of feet away from Lene's bloody hands on the ground. She stares up at Calvin, somewhat dumbstruck before lunging for the gun.
The gunman, who froze staring at Kurt and Raquelle when the bullet passes harmlessly through the salon owner, turns at Lene's motions and points his weapon at her. The problem with any "new" ability is that self confidence can affect control — and with Lene, it's always a new power. Freezing in place, she stares at the gun she's reaching for — it twitches but doesn't come any closer. The gun in the gunman's hand doesn't move either. Damn.
When Hortense starts throwing things, the man closest to her, now gunless, grabs her wrist. "Not so fast, missy. You seen our faces," he growls, pulling her arm behind her back and shoving her to the wall. "What's his power? What can he do?"
"Fucking freaks," yells one of the others, as the others move inward, starting to surround Kurt, Raquelle, Calvin, Lene.
"Remember what I told you," Lene whispers to the girls behind her, cowering low behind the counter.
Not being able to stop the smile that now crosses his face Kurt snort at Raquelle, "Little freaks can be helpful." The new entrance is given a double take before Kurt looks back towards the man with the gun and then towards the oh so loud woman now throwing stuff, "Oh come on. Could this day get any worse?" He seems to ask the air and emits a long sigh while still looking like a bad picture. "Oh for the love of cheese." He says and grabs firmly onto Raquelle's arm so he doesn't lose contact and tries to pulls the big man with him to forcefully grab Lene's arm and bring her into there freak show. "Stop with the guns already!"
Aware of the second firearm's clatter and Lene's eyes on him after that, Calvin stays very still, even when she lunges. There's a gun pointed on her. And he is waiting.
For when —
The remaining gunman pulls the trigger. Which he does after a beat of hesitation borne of Kurt's scrambling to snatch everyone up like Pokemon.
There's a powder blast, a muzzle flash, and the bullet suspended leaden in midair for the second it takes Calvin to get over his own panting elation to send it plowing back up into the shooters face.
The last thing he sees is Calvin's hand splayed open wide from the wrist: then the bullet's in one side and out the other in a mist and dribble of blood that spatters the counter before the rest of his body slumps twitchily after it. Gun and all.
"Hor-Hor-You flippin' DO NOT THROW THE SUNBURST ORANGE!" Raquelle flails a bit when Hortense starts throwing stuff. He points again. "If that was the Royal Blue that is SO coming out of your CHECK!" He glares at Calvin, wrapping his arms and a leg around Kurt. "Hold me sexy." Then he's watching Calvin and Lene. "Oh goodness, you should've /called/ ahead of time if you saw this coming! God, how am I going to cut your hair /now/?!" He eyes Calvin again and all the bullets and blood splattering. "OH my GOD! OKAY! EVERYBODY CUT IT THE FUCK OUT ALREADY! YOU, sexy bed head! GO get the MOP out the CLOSET! Or you better be kick ass at doing head-stands because I will grab you by your ankles, flip you over and redefine the concept of giving head! You are all fucking up my PLACE OF BUSINESS and there is PIZZA COMING!" He takes a deep breath and still clings to Kurt like a giant Koala. "Hold me closer. You smell nice."
The girls just cling to each other and squeeze their eyes shut.
"Fuck if I know. He kidnapped me last time. Stuck me in a god damned abandoned bar for a few days before sticking me with needles." Hortense shouldn't resist, she should be a good girl, but… Hortense is Hortense and while he's getting all grabby, she's throwing her head back, trying to make the back of her head connect with her assailant's, and otherwise be a nuiscence. "But I seriously doubt he's gonna like you at all" An attempt made to spit in the guy's face.
The sudden blast and the death of his friend have Hortense's attacker abandoning his post, after a headbutt to the woman trying to headbutt him that knocks the Jersey girl out cold. "Fuck," he says, shoving her away from him and turning to flee. "Get the fuck out of here!" he shouts as he takes off for the back exit.
The others start to back away from Calvin and the others, dropping the spray paint cans and moving toward the back door, feet skidding on blood and glass and nail polish, feet making colorful tracks toward the exit.
Lene pulls loose of Kurt to cover the little girls, trying to block their view as the body on the counter drips blood and other matter onto her back until she pulls them away. Her shaking hands rest on their heads to keep them from turning around to look at the body. "You're okay. You're okay. You were so brave, both of you," she whispers to them. "Go hug your father."
Green eyes filled with tears look up at Calvin. Gratitude and confusion and perhaps a touch of anger glitter in her eyes. "Long time no see."
As the men finally seem to be running away Kurt looks towards his clingon and say, "I haven't had anyone this clingy since my ex left me." He pries himself out of the man's grip and looks at the dead body with a numb gaze starting to color his features, "Well I guess no calling the police now." He mutters and stands up brushing off his oh so bright jacket but just managing to smear the stray dottings of blood about.
"They're okay." He asks Lene not being able to hear her whisper then looking towards Calvin Kurt comes back into focus finally, "Um where did you come from?"
"The future," says Calvin at a mutter to Kurt, blue eyes fixed flat upon the same rear exit the thugs left out of, like he's thinking very hard about following. "What's it fucking look like?"
A dust of glittery glass swept distractedly from the breast of his coat, he performs the same service for the fine trim of his beard before Lene and the girls catch his eye instead. Awkwardly at a remove, or guilty, even, he hesitates on his way to nodding acknowledgment. Long time no see is about right, and he's already stepping slowly to put distance between them again on his way to offering a hand to Raquelle. He's still looking at BJ at first when he does it, so. That's kind've weird.
"Yeh. So. Sorry about the mess." The body behind him gives a solid, audible kick. "The fuzz'll clean it right up for you, just. You know."
He's already trying to disengage, rear exitwards, stepping long over Hortense without glancing down as he goes. "Tell them I did it and it'll be fine."
The girls actually give Lene a hug before moving around from behind the desk and running towards their father who is disengaged from clinging to Kurt, patting Kurt's arm gently and nodding slowly, licking his lips and taking a deep breath as Hortense is off where she is off to that way and Lene looks how she is and people are running off and he's scooping his daughters up into his arms after taking Calvin's hand with a small smile. "Well…just swing by anytime honey…mm, I'll keep a bottle of something strong…." He looks around at the bloody mess though and groans softly. "Man…why can't any of you piss on something and turning it invisible or something…god…"
This is of course, Raquelle.
Kurt mutters under his breath, "Well that more like my ex, of course she turned into a murdering…" He trails off and smiles as the two kids hug their dad. Safe and sound things are looking up. Moving back to where they were standing before Kurt picks up the discarded yellow business envelope and hands it over to Raquelle, "You're letter." He chuckles lightly and waits to see if any more help is needed before heading out into the rain again.
Sirens can be heard in the distance. "Anyone not legit should leave," Lene whispers, wiping her eyes but only smearing blood across her cheeks as she gets to her feet. She looks to the exit, worry furrowing her long face. "Call 9-1-1," she tells Raquelle. "Or else it'll look like we tried to hide it, or something, if they get here first. They're already on their way, but.."
She steps carefully across the broken glass toward Hortense's crumpled form, glancing up at the red paint that drips like blood on the wall… EVO, GO HOME.
"This is our home, too," she whispers, checking Hortense's head, then standing as the squad cars pull up, red and blue lights flashing through the salon.
Returning to Raquelle and the girls, she lies a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't help more," she says quietly, but her gaze goes to the girls. "But it could have been worse."
In New York, these days, any day you survive is a good one.