Participants:
| Scene Title | Watch Your Back |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Kaylee takes a trip to Staten Island to visit Tuck's shop, only to find it was damaged in the fires. However, is the information that Tuck has for her that ends up being a more pressing issue. |
| Date | July 06, 2009 |
Every shelf, every flat surface in the entire shop is covered with things. VCRs, DVDs, small pieces of machinery, cheap jewellery - all the kind of stuff worth little money. It's the merchandise that's not worth protecting, even here. If someone wants to steal a VHS copy of 'The Little Mermaid,' then so be it. The primary purpose of the clutter of items is a front - to distract from the fact that the real purpose of the shop is to sell stolen, high-value goods.
The front part of the shop with its knick-nacks and assorted low-value items is separated from the high value items by a counter and a layer of bulletproof glass. There is a slot beneath the window for exchange of money or small goods. At the base of the counter is a chute for larger items. Surveillance cameras keep a vigilant watch over every square inch.
There is a small arsenal of weapons up on a pegboard above the counter. Not just guns but knives, tasers, pepper spray, handcuffs, nightsticks, brass knuckles - all sorts of things meant to cause pain. There's a rotating case at the counter that holds many expensive jewellery pieces, including a few Rolexes and a large assortment of engagement rings. There are expensive cell phones, iPods, laptops and other various small electronics, including listening devices and CB radios. Just about anything worth stealing is displayed behind the glass and up on the walls. Many items however, are by special request. You gotta know what you're looking for.
She's being a bad girl right now, Kaylee knew it. Adam asked her not to go to the island, but the young woman had a plan. That plan meant going to the island and a trip to Tuck's pawn shop. So dressed in her leather jacket, grungy jeans and a Harley Davidson tee.
Of course, she didn't expect to see the pawn shop in it's current condition. "Well… crap." Kaylee whispers, as she finishes her approach, her boots crunching on the sidewalk. "This isn't good." She murmurs to herself as she squints at the windows and up at the building, her ability reaches out looking for the owner.
Tuck's inside, but the shop is closed up, and more than a little singed around the edges. The weaker areas have been reinforced with bars and piles of furniture to stop any ambitious thieves from pushing their way in. Not that there's much inside the shop to steal. The pawnie's moved anything of real value to a safe location. He's puttering around inside. Figures it'd take a fire to make him renovate.
Kaylee frowns a bit, pondering what do while the man moves around inside. She cam all th way out here damn it. Finally, she decides just to get his attention. Rapping her knuckles on the door she calls out, "Tuck? Hey.. what happened to your place?" Voice muffled by the door between them.
A towel covering the door is pulls back. Tuck eyes her, cigarette in hand, hair mussed. He looks like shit. "You." He seems to be pondering something for a moment, then wrinkles his nose. He's really not an asshole. That's why he's still a pawnie and not something better, despite years as a criminal. "There's an alleyway around back. To your left. Look for the big steel door."
Giving a firm nod at his instructions, Kaylee looks a bit confused. You? Why did he say that? Glancing to the side, she points and gives him a questioning look. However, she doesn't wait for an answer and moves around to the back as directed. She doesn't dilly dally about it either as it takes her little time to find the door, knocking gently. Again she repeats.. "Tuck?"
There's the sound of a heavy metal bar being slid back. He pulls it inwards and eyes her, cigarette pinched in his lips. He's also holding a gun, but he's not raising it. He let his guard down once recently, and it cost him. "Come in." It's not threatening, it's a request. But he's certainly a lot more suspicious than the last time he saw her.
The small smile she had falls away as her eyes drop to the gun. "Well.. I see you've been having it rough. Seems I cam by at a bad time for business." She comments lightly, stepping inside watching him carefully. "I didn't expect to see the shop like this.. I mean, I heard about the Dagger." Who hadn't heard about it. Once she's inside, she turns to look at the man. "You look like shit, what happened?"
"You mean aside from half the Rookery going up in flames, the Lighthouse getting blown to bits and kids killed, and that asshole you were with coming in here with a body switcher and stealing my body while looking for you? Oh, just peachy. Peachy. Thanks for asking." Tuck takes a puff from the cigarette.
Brows lift as he rambles on, but the last thing rally catches her attention. "Shit.." She holds up both hands. "That jerk came back? With a… body snatcher?" She closes her eyes and lets her head drop back some, her expression looking pain. She knew it was gong to bite her in the ass. "Dammit.. I'm sorry, " she finally says letting her head straighten again so that she can look at him. "Trust me. I didn't expect that to happen. It hasn't backfired on me like that before."
"So you're a telepath." Tuck's grip on the gun tightens, but he still doesn't lift it. "Look. I just thought I should warn you. That prick is a psychopath. And the redhead he's with is no sweetheart either. He has some kind of paralysis ability. And she touches people and jumps into their body. She jumped into me…" that sounds dirty. "…to see if I was a telepath. So. Watch your back. And stay away from here for awhile."
"Yeah.. something like that." Kaylee murmurs softly, not quite looking at him. "He was creepy.. I got irritated. That wasn't my smartest move.. but I should have told you I caught something from him as he left." Glancing at him, she eyes him thoughtfully. "But I don't exactly like people knowing what I am." As she talks she let's her ability to skim any details of his attack as he might think of them. Just the surface thoughts as he thinks them. Mostly she's looking for a face for the women. "Did… they happen to mention names to each other?" She asks finally, something like determination crossing her face. No reason to worry right now… Now she just needed to know what happened.
Now that Tuck knows she's a telepath, he's starting to get paranoid. He has a lot of secrets. One big one in particular. "You better not be in my head right now." The gun lifts ever so slightly.
The image of Isis isn't hard to pick out, nor is the flash of his own body moving from behind the redhead's eyes. The terror he felt in that is pretty obvious. "They didn't say names. And I didn't know yours to give them." Or he would have. Because he didn't want to be a paralyzed woman for the rest of his life. "I think you better go. I don't want them coming back around again. And you don't want to tell me anything." Or he'll give it to them.
Hands lift as she sees the gun come up, she can't help but get a little worried. "I'm not like that. I don't spend all my time in peoples heads." Kaylee says quickly. "It's alright." Her words are calm, very calm as her ability kicks in. It is alright.. he'd feel it was alright. "I'm not a threat to you.." No.. not a thrat at all. "I just wanted to do a little business, but it can wait for a bit." She moves towards the door again "I /will/ try to take care of this Tuck. I can't guarantee it, but I plan try." She waits by the door for him to open it.
Tuck tugs open the door. He doesn't put the gun down, but he doesn't raise it any higher. Psychic persuasion or no, he can't really believe that a woman who got bodyswappers sicced on him could be entirely harmless. "Watch your back. I have a feeling he's going to do something fucking horrible to you if he gets his hands on you." Which is the only reason he's even talking to her.
"I really appreciate it, Tuck.. I owe you /big/ for taking the risk to talk to me." Kaylee gives him a tight lipped smile. "I am sorry they came after you." She means it. Sighing, she steps out of the pawn shop with the intent on getting off that island fast. Adam would be pissed to find out she was there, but she needed to tell him what she knows. When she's out of sight of Tuck's door, she pulls out her cellphone and starts punching in Adam's number. Glancing back the way she came, she lifts the phone to her ear waiting for the other end to pick up. She will try to clean up her mess.