Participants:
| Scene Title | Still Pissed About The Chloroform |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Keira stops by Raytech to visit her ex. She's still holding a small grudge. |
| Date | March 26, 2018 |
Raytech Branch Office: Lobby
A wash of natural light spills down from the windows overhead to illuminate the expanse of the Raytech building’s lobby and its white flooring, assisted by softly luminous light strips that line the top and bottom edges of dark grey walls during the evening hours when the sun isn’t up to provide it. The first thing visitors to the building see once they’ve come through doors of bulletproof glass is the front desk, with open space to either side of it and the vertical Raytech logo on the wall behind, backlit for a striking effect in red and white.
Along the walls of the lobby are framed newspaper stories about the company - announcements of the opening of their main factory in Detroit and of this very building in the New York Safe Zone, stories covering the technological breakthroughs and advances by the company’s innovators, and mentions of the company’s infrastructure restoration work in contract with the government. Tall potted plants are placed between the framed pictures, keeping the lobby from feeling overly sterile and unnatural.
Normally, Keira would be in full-on infiltration mode. Indeed, the woman watched the outside of the Raytech offices for a bit, and pondered her options. A janitor would be easy to do — she could probably bribe one of them, a few look disgruntled in general. She could knock one out and sneak in, too.
But honestly, she doesn’t feel like raising a scene right now. Richard likely won’t take any display of her power kindly, and she wants to lay low for the time being — if she’s going to infiltrate Raytech, she’s not going to reveal herself in the middle of doing so.
And so it is that Keira Fionn, dressed in loose-fitting black clothing and a trenchcoat, complete with fancy dark sunglasses, slips into Raytech headquarters, moving to the front desk as she lowers the hood that covers her head. She doesn’t remove the gloves or the coat — her head and neck are the only things that are uncovered.
The receptionist is offered a cool nod. “Tell Richard Car— Richard Ray, that Keira’s here. He’ll know who you’re talking about.” Tucking her hands into the pockets of her trenchcoat, she steps back, glowering up at whatever obvious security cameras she’s sure Richard has in place.
That surveillance allowed her to notice as well that the building appears to be on somewhat high alert. There are guards posted at all entryways in pairs, watching everyone who comes in and double-checking their identification after they’ve passed the magnetic locks.
Either they’re really paranoid about security, or something has them spooked at the moment.
There are probably security cameras watching her, but they aren’t visible - then again, the place is so high tech that they could be concealed anywhere. The guards are definitely keeping an eye on her, maybe because she has a trenchcoat and gloves on, and until just now she had a hood as well. There could be any number of weapons hidden under there.
The receptionist on duty regards her a bit dubiously, but she’s worked here for awhile, and Mister Ray’s certainly had stranger visitors in the past. She calls it in, and then offers, “Feel free to wait here in the lobby until Mister Ray sends a response.”
Above, what at first appear to be butterflies are fluttering around in the curved glass of the lobby ceiling canopy
As predicted, though, Richard does emerge before too long. “Ms. Fionn,” he greets as he walks into the lobby, dressed in a fine black suit, hair smoothed back and a smile crooked to his lips, “Welcome to Raytech.”
The short little gangster can’t help but roll her eyes when Richard appears, reaching a hand up and pushing the sunglasses up to the top of her head. She looks the same, though it seems she got rid of the plugs and got some surgery — her ears don’t look like they’ve been stretched out any more. Otherwise, she’s not changed in the slightest — maybe some more tattoos, but those are well hidden by the clothing that covers most of her body.
“Richard,” she replies, stepping toward him. Thankfully, she has no weapons, and there’s nothing too threatening in her stance. “Fancy digs y’got here.” Her blue-eyed gaze raises to the ceiling briefly, before leveling back down to Ray. “Doin’ good for yourself.”
A pause. “Let’s talk somewhere else, yeah? Don’t think your employees want to hear us reminiscing about all of the hot sex we used to have.” She purses her lips.
Richard’s eyes roll in his head like dice on a craps table, and he sweeps a hand towards the hallway that he’d just emerged from. “Somehow,” he says in dry tones, “I don’t think you’re just here to reminisce about that.”
He turns and starts to walk down that hallway, waiting until they’re away from the lobby and down the long hall lit by strip LED light near the ceiling and floor to ask casually, “So how’s the Evolved life treating you, Keira?”
There’s still a small smirk on Keira’s face as she moves to follow Richard. “Well, it was really good sex.” She chuckles amusedly, eyes trailing along the walls and ceilings of this new building, one brow raised.
The question snaps her gaze back down to Richard, a smug smile still gracing her lips. “Ironic, but useful.” She chuckles, idly pulling the gloves off and pocketing them. “Practically ran Cabo, but it got a little hot for the clothing that comes with this shit.” She tugs once at the collar of her shirt.
“Seems that you’ve been doin’ good for yourself.”
“I suppose I have been,” admits Richard, one shoulder raising in a slight shrug, “Makes up for all that time spent squatting in a ruined building in Midtown, I guess, although sometimes I think I felt more free in those days…”
He chuckles, shaking his head, “Now if I can spread that ‘doing well’ to the rest of this district, that’d be an accomplishment. Jackson Heights is a shit-hole still, we’re hoping to change that.”
Keira smirks as she follows along, reaching a hand out to trace along the wall idly. “You always were too nice for your own good.” She chuckles, lowering her hands back into her pockets as she watches the man.
“Though not to me. Don’t think I’m not pissed about that whole chloroform debaucle,” she grumbles. “You could’ve just talked to me, y’know. I mean, I’m a bitch, but I can be reasonable.” Her mouth sets in a line.
“No, we couldn’t’ve,” says Richard with a slow shake of his head, slanting a look her way, “The people you were tangled up with? If you were being watched, they saw you talking to me, you’d be dead. You getting grabbed off the street violently? Different story.”
He stops at a door, observing, “We were protecting you, Keira.”
The woman rolls her eyes, shaking her head. “Coulda passed a message through Graeme or somethin’. I was already wantin’ out after he popped up.” She shrugs, though, stopping with Richard and crossing her arms. “Or at least fuckin’ pretend to grab me. Actual chloroform is pretty shitty.”
Her mouth is still set. She’s totally going to punch him once they get to his office. “In any case, I’m back, and I’m ironically Evo. Didn’t realize those stupid fuckin’ tests lie and I was just waitin’ for the right moment.” A pause. “Granted, I wish the right moment hadn’t been in the middle of fuckin’ a sexy motherfucker who ran away and never came back after he suddenly found himself fellating a copy of himself.” This is said lower, but it’s still amusing.
“It is pretty ironic.” Richard’s lips twitch in a slight smile, and then he touches a panel by the side of the door before opening it and walking into the office, “Speaking of that, though, I’ve got some unpleasant news - I was planning to look you up even before you showed up at the gala.”
“Emile Danko is alive and back in town.”
Raytech Branch Office: CEO's Office
A large double-window along one wall of Richard Ray's office allows natural light to spill in throughout the office and provides an excellent view of the green roof on the lower floor of the building, the flowered garden spreading out between rows of solar panels.
The walls of the office are in slate grey, the carpeting on the floor matching, and the furniture is all in black glass, metal, and leather - but the modern starkness is offset by the tall potted plants that grow along the side of the room opposite the window. The CEO's desk is a broad affair in black glass with a video feed and touch-screen built into the surface of the desk itself, the non-interactive portions of the desk decorated sparsely with a plastic 'in' and 'out' box, a framed picture of Elisabeth Harrison, and an old onyx chess king set beside it like reminders of times long past.
Keira slips into the office behind Richard, idly popping the knuckles on her right hand. Get ready for it, as soon as the door closes…and then, he drops that name, and the color drains from her face. “Oh, that motherfucker. Bitch is still alive?”
She scowls. “Well, guess it’s good I fuckin’ came back then.” She pops those knuckles again, though this time she’s doing it for someone else. Richard’s owed punch is temporarily held off as she ponders how best to shove her fist down Danko’s throat.
She shakes her head once, turning a darker look to Richard. “I s’pose this is where you ask for my help.”
“Just warning you.” That chance to punch Richard is forestalled as he strolls along over towards the desk, stepping behind it and sprawling back in the leather-backed chair, hands spreading to either side, “You and he have history, after all - I don’t know how much, or if he knows you betrayed Humanis or not, but you do have history.”
He shrugs one shoulder, “He assassinated someone over in the Sheepshead district; last seen heading for Staten Island.”
The tattooed woman’s eyes trail around Richard’s office, brows raising slightly. Fucking CEO shit. After a moment, Keira’s gaze returns to the man, a frown setting into her face. At the very least, she doesn’t seem to have aged too much on the outside — though there’s definitely something much more mature about her. Maybe even less crazy.
“Never met the motherfucker, and I’ve no fuckin’ clue what Humanis knew about me and my betrayal and sudden departure. Graeme never got hit, so at least there’s that.” The shapeshifter frowns, half leaning and half sitting on his fancy desk.
“Whether or not he knows my face is not an issue.” Suddenly, she reaches out, tracing a single finger along Richard’s jawline. And for a second, there is a flicker, and Richard is staring back at himself, fully filling out Keira’s slightly loose clothing. Then, it’s gone, and Keira is Keira again. “At least when I discovered that I am ironically Evo, I got a useful power.”
“So I see,” Richard observes with a brow’s raise, looking back at himself for a moment before it fades away, and he leans back in the chair slowly, “Don’t do it again, though, I’ve met enough mes before, thank you very much.”
A tip of his head, “And— good. I wasn’t sure. You should be safe enough from that asshole, then.”
“Not something I entirely have control over, I at least flicker every time I touch someone — though only once per skin contact.” Keira smirks, waggling her brows briefly. “Makes fucking quite interesting sometimes. It’s like a game, don’t stop touchin’ or you gotta go through the initial weirdness again. Unless I’m someone else, of course.”
She snorts, shaking her head. “Don’t worry about me. Keeping safe is my specialty these days. Nobody can disappear into a crowd quite like I can, and I can show up as just about anyone.” She winks. “I offer services these days, but it’s never cheap.” This is mentioned off-hand, a shrug rolling over her narrow shoulders.
“I don’t really think I need to hear about your sex life these days, Keira,” Richard can’t help a chuckle at his own words, holding up a hand in an attempt to hold that topic of conversation off.
“So is that what you came by for? To offer your services?”
The woman smirks. “Under the table, of course — I’m not exactly the most legit person in the world, and I’d appreciate it if you’d respect that.” She winks. “But that’s part of the reason, yeah. I like money, I can do things that are worth lots of money…you know the drill.”
She stretches. “I owe you a punch to th’face, also, for the chloroform incident.” She turns, peering over the man, raising her eyebrows. “After that, maybe you can take me out for a drink.” A pause. “Alternately, there’s another combination of punch to the face and other activities I can think of.” Keira shrugs, a mischievous smirk appearing on her face.
“I’ll keep it in mind. If you do happen to run into our favorite bald murderous racist, I’d certainly pay for that information,” Richard admits, relaxing back in his chair and smirking back at her, eyebrows lifting a little, “No offense, but I think I’ll give a pass on both the punch and the sex, Keira. I’m a rather busy man these days, and a bruised jaw would ruin my photo ops.”
The woman smirks. “Never hurts to try. I’ll give you a pass on the punch for now, but it’ll happen. Gotta get mine, after all — seriously, fuckin’ chloroform. Shitty, man. I could gut punch you instead.” She pushes off of the desk, straightening her outfit and pulling the thin leather gloves over her hands again. “You at least owe me a drink, though.”
“In any case, I’ll keep an eye out. I’m pretty obviously on Staten Island fairly often, and I’ve started collecting little birds. I’ll be sure to offer it to you first.” She glances around the office, a smirk on her face. “I may be a career criminal, but I gotta stand up for my people, if nothing else to make up for my rather selfish and jealousy-driven choices before I knew that I too am a special snowflake.”
“Any word on what’s going on in that shit-hole would be appreciated,” Richard says with a shake of his head, “It’s attracting all sorts of… people right now. There’s rumors of human trafficking, of Pure Earth operating out of Staten. I don’t care about crime for the most part— “ He spreads his hands and smirks, “— I’m no hypocrite, you know what I used to do.”
“But some shit has to get dealt with.”
“I’ve been hearing about that, too.” Keirs smirks, moving over to the window of the office and peering out over the greenery below. “Been looking into that. Now that I know that piece of shit is here, I’ll have t’double my efforts.” Her lips purse into a line — she does at least take her redemption seriously.
Then, she turns, moving toward the door and tucking her hands into her pockets. As she passes Richard’s desk, she flicks a business card in front of him, which only displays a phone number. “Give me a call if you find anything, too. I need to talk to some people.”
She turns, smiling charmingly to Richard. “And I expect a drink with you within the month.” Then, she’s leaving, pushing the sunglasses down over her eyes as she sweeps out of the room.