Participants:
| Scene Title | Sugar Coma? |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | <summarize the scene> |
| Date | February 14, 2009 |
In an alleyway near The Surly Wench
It's just one of Tallie's regular stops, one she always does mid-day due to the sketchy nature of the neighborhood. Good people down on their luck (and who isn't in this time?) live here — but so too live those with evil intentions, souls made dark by unforgiving upbringings. Or those who were simply "born bad." It's a warmer-than-usual winter day, but the wind is blowing hard, making it difficult for Tallie to steer even her sturdy mountain bike as she comes down the alley near The Surley Wench.
Alec is annoyed. People with the means to hire him do not usually do so from places like this, and the fact that this is where he was sent to meet a contact is… annoying. His nice watch is missing from his wrist and the collar of his coat it turned up against the wind, gloved hands jammed deep into pockets to avoid the bite of the wind. He stands out of view of most near the corner of an alley, one more face trying to find shelter from the wind in a New York winter.
Tallie doesn't seem to notice Alec, nearest the pub; she rides further down the alley with her head tucked down, a knit skullcap covering her curls. She could be mistaken for a young boy if one doesn't see her delicate features. She coasts to the end of a tenement building. Rather than go in through the front door, she pulls alongside the side door. Rummaging in her pockets, she comes up with a cell phone, and texts something, then seems to wait. On the far end of the alley, the figure of a man emerges, seemingly from nowhere, then begins to move toward the girl on the bike, silently. Tallie, unfortunately, is looking at the cell phone for the moment, apparently having gotten a return message, and does not see the man hurrying toward her.
Alec sees all of this of course, and ignores it. Frankly, it's none of his affair, and such things happen on a daily basis. Besides… he's not a hero, and this isn't his hood. Still, something about… the bike… His eyes narrow and he sighs to himself, "Of course. City of a jillion people and it's /her/." he mutters under his breath. He shoves his hand in his pocket and puts on the watch that screams 'rob me', knowing that unless he does, the cover story he's concocted for this venture won't sound at all honest, then he heads across the street darting from shadow to shadow as only the great sneaks can. He's far more subtle about it then Mr. Stalker.
Eventually even the sneakiest people make noise — the gravel on the ground beneath the stranger's shoes scratches ever so slightly against the pavement, and Tallie looks up just before the man yanks her off the bike and pins her to the wall. Not expecting much of a fight, clearly, he grunts as the butt of the tiny courier girl's hand slams between his eyes — she's at an awkward angle so it doesn't make as much of an impact as it might have, not to mention his forehead seems to be made of three-inch thick bone. She gasps as he grunts, suggesting his head did as much damage to her as the other way around. Her knee comes up next, a split second later, making for his groin, but he's too quick and grabs it, twisting and forcing her to the ground. Still, she doesn't give up; her legs thrash to try to trip him up, but he's already on top of her, his large hands around her throat. She grabs his arm, perhaps seeming like she's not fighting any more — and suddenly he collapses on top of her. Breathing, still, but definitely out, as if he'd fainted.
As the fainting assaulter falls, she finds herself with a different view. Alec is behind him, the broken part of a childs Big Wheel held to the side of him like a baseball bat, as though her were getting ready to clobber someone with Playskool. He seems shocked at what he just saw, his eyes wide, jaw hanging sort of slack. "W-wha' was that?!" he keeps the Big Wheel. Fear the Big Wheel. Fear.
Tallie pushes the man off her — no easy task, as he must weigh 250 pounds to her 90-something. She scrambles up, wincing, and limps away. The steely blue color of her irises is interrupted only by a pinprick of black, as her pupils are constricted. "I-I-I d-d-don't know," she stammers, and her body is trembling with what seems more than fear. "M-m-maybe he's in a d-d-diabetic coma or something," she adds.
Suddenly the side door to the tenement building opens and a man peeks his head out. "That you, girl? You got my package?" grunts the man — he's bald, thuggish looking, hat and sunglasses on as if to hide his identity. Tallie picks up her fallen courier bag and moves to the door, a transaction of cash for package taking place. The door shuts — if the man behind the door ever saw the man lying in the alley, he didn't seem to show it. The man in the alley shows signs of waking, groaning a little, and Tallie looks at Alec, then moves to her fallen bike. "I'm n-not staying t-til he wakes up," she whispers, controlling the shivering a bit better now.
Alec stares at her and the fallen man, back and forth, then shakes his head as if to clear it. He tosses the trash aside and eyes her, "I'm going to go back to the deli, grab a cab or something… I need um… I need to think about this." he eyes her again, this time curiously.
"You don't need to think about anything, but get out of here before he wakes up, damn it," she says, climbing onto her bike and wincing as her weight shifts to the knee the man had twisted. Her wrist too, she holds at a protective angle to her side, not grasping the handlebars with it. "It has nothing to do with you." Her eyes are hard, steely, as if she could will him to agree with her, to leave it be. But underneath that is fear, practically palpable.
Alec just continues to stare at her, curiously, and entirely uneffected by her tough attitude, "Be at the deli tonight." he says firmly, his tone suggests it's not a request, "We're going to have a long talk about this and you'd better have a better cover story then 'sugar coma' kitten."
She glances over her shoulder, her brows furrowed with anger but her eyes still full of fear. She looks about ready to snipe back but shows that she is, after all, not stupid, and simply rides away — clearly only pedaling with one leg, and only steering with one hand.
 February 14th: The Bianco Identity |
 February 14th: The Night Is Young |