Participants:
| Scene Title | Women Don't Perspire. They Glow. |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | There's a photo shoot in the Nite Owl, an evolved manifestation, and Cardinal hits paydirt and robs Nalani blind. |
| Date | February 20, 2009 |
The Nite Owl is a survivor from ages past - one of those ancient diners with huge plate glass windows, checkerboard linoleum floor, and a neon owl over the entrance that blinks at those entering. Inside, there's an L-shaped main counter, complete with vintage soda fountain and worn steel stools. All of the cooking is done on the ranges ranked against the rear wall. The outer wall is lined with booths upholstered in cracked scarlet vinyl, tables trimmed with polished chrome. Despite its age, it's been lovingly maintained. The air is redolent with the scent of fresh coffee, vanilla, and frying food.
The Nite Owl has been been trasnformed. Not really transfromed from what it is, it's still a diner. At some time like four in the morning, there had been a dozen people trampling through the place, setting up lighting, getting drop clothes in, polishing all the chrome. Signs erected outside that a photoshoot was happening. The owner, in an attempt to not drive away customers, was out, apologizing with free coffee for all who trickle in the front door and go to the front end of the counter and there's a few seats to sit at that aren't taken up by the crew and models. So it's not like it's completely closed to the public.
There's half clothed women in bathing suits posing inside the Diner, leaning against the counter. Not the stick thin models one normally finds but healthy models. PAUSE does have a reputation to uphold. They lean against the stools looking provocative, slightly bored looks on their face that you know in the pictures will come out looking nonchalant. While they look calm, everyone else is busy. The queen bee is coming! The queen bee being Nalani, they can see her Escalade coming down the street and it drives people into a frenzy. One of the frenzied is a young woman, an intern, who's running around with makeup brushes and looking like she's about to fall to pieces. Even though it's cool outside, when she steps out from fetching something from a trailor, there's beads of sweat on her forehead. it's prime pocket picking here, everyone preoccupied, and the trailer door she just came out of is left open.
It's was at that still-open-to-the-public end of the counter that Cardinal found himself a comfortable little seat, cup of joe in hand and its matching little saucer before him; one elbow resting on the counter itself, he sips from the bitter, black beverage as he admires the view of the bored-looking models like any red-blooded male would. Especially since they -aren't- built like sticks, he's never been one for anorexia as a beauty model. Of course, he's also wearing sunglasses in here, so it's hard to say what he's looking at specifically.
As the approach of the 'queen bee' drives everyone into a frenzy of activity, his coffee's set down; pushing himself up to his feet, skirting the edge of the chaos with the casual and confident manner of someone who's not only supposed to be there, but who's actually kind of bored about it, passing by the hapless makeup intern en route to the trailer.
Oh crap… what the hell is going on here? Elisabeth is heading into the diner with her hands shoved into her pockets, but she looks mildly disgruntled at the crowd. She hasn't been into the Nite Owl in a week, so she missed any chatter about this kind of mess. She stops at the door to the diner, her eyes zeroing in on the Escalade and turning both cool and wary. What kinda star would actually come to the little diner? The place is a haven for cops and criminals alike, just a neighborhood place. Liz grabs Tom's arm with a questioning look as he goes by with another pot of coffee, and he just shrugs apologetically at her — he clearly hadn't really known what he was getting into. "Seat at the counter!" he says and heads off to keep his regulars as happy as possible. Elisabeth just shakes her head and watches the Escalade — cuz darn it all, she doesn't wanna see this mess turn into a Big Mess tm. Women in bathing suits in February in New York… it's a stupid career.
Not entirely certain why she decided to brave the crowd assembled, Katherine Marks is almost tempted to flash her badge to get inside, but decides against it. She doesn't often do that, but having to push her way inside is starting to tick her off. This early in the morning, all she wants is something to eat before she has to go into the office for an early morning start. She slips inside, not all that concerned with the shoulders she brushes against, making her own way inside. She spies a single empty booth and slides inside.
Katherine glances up in time to see Elisabeth and someone else enter the diner, just as the waitress comes over. Kat places her order. A heavy meal to start a heavy day, she says to herself as she watches the waitress walk over and set her order at the grill. "Should have found somewhere else today. " She mutters to herself.
The hapless intern bumps into cardinal, a yelped "pardon me" before she scurries away from him. Her nervousness evident. a few drops of her sweat transfer from her, to him, the shiny and oddly slightly luminescent drops clinging to his jacket. Shes oblivious to what she's left behind.
Inside the shop the models switch out, two new ones take their place, fake ice cream sundae's and milk shakes as they go from stools to tables, some young men, more models, sit down. It's all so staged and fake and other customers leave as soon as they've got their coffee and whatever food they can get in their little takeout containers. The hapless intern is coming through the door, shaking. Must be her first day.
Nalani's driver pulls over, gets out, opens the door for Nalani, the editor and former model slipping out of the car, real fur collar and wool jacket, looking utterly annoyed to be here, and popping a few pills, swallowing them down with water as she comes out. "Really, are they not finished yet? Did they get some shots with the sunrise? the exposure of this place with the windows was why I picked it" She's on a rampage, and her attitude is sky high. "Someone get me some coffee" is snapped out and four people run off at once to get her just that as her strides carry her up and into the diner, no regard for those in front of her who with a few murmurs seem to part like the red sea as she goes. 'Rodrigo! Why is this not done yet! I'm paying by the hour! my god" She comes to a halt as she looks at one of the girls in a bikini. "Who the hell did her makeup! She looks like some prom queen whore!"
"S'alright, s'alright," Cardinal murmurs in return to the bump, stepping past her—not noticing the Gatorade-quality sweat staining his jacket as he slips deftly into the trailer, pulling the door closed behind him and slipping the lock into place. Now, if I were valuables inside a trailer, where would I be?
Elisabeth waits politely for the attitudinous High Muckity Muck to get through the door, smirking faintly and shaking her head at the woman's demeanor. Gotta love those types. Only then does she go ahead and enter, glancing around the room. Amazing how many people and how much gear can be squished into this tiny place. If it gets too popular, Liz'll have to quit coming around. For now, though, she waves to Natasha, who looks ridiculously frazzled, nods to a couple of the regulars that she talks to occasionally, and makes her way toward the counter to put in an order. On that casual skim of the clientele, she spots Katherine… and gets a wicked little grin. She gestures to Natasha that she'll be over at Kat's table, makes her way there with her coffee, and plops down across from the agent. "Scoping out diners now, or did someone tip you off to how good the food is?"
A plate of food is presented to the agent as Kat watches Liz slide into her booth. She is apparently not amused by the comment, as Kat pulls her plate of food closer, reaches for some salt and pepper. Seems she ordered the Grand Slam of breakfasts with eggs, toast, bacon and a side order of pancakes. Hey, being a bitch takes alot of energy. Katherine has never taken the time to get to know any of the regulars, unless something engaged her intuition. "I happen to eat breakfast here almost every morning, unless I'm in a hurry. I just happen to be a little earlier today than most days." she states factually, as she takes her fork and cuts up her food. "And what are you doing around this way?" Though Kat has tried, the side of her face is bluer than the other, having remnants of the battle between Liz and herself. In addition to the bruised cheek, she also has a slightly swollen lip.
"Me Ms.. er editor uhh Miss.. Hollingwood" That name is sure to tick into Kat's mind. There's an agent with that exactly name in the Company and up there. "You wanted fresh and fun and you know, going wit…" The young intern is cut off as Nalani rounds on her. "Who are you?" a little something something is delivered inaudibly to anyone, compulsion woven on those words. The blonde intern just twitches, more of the sweat beading up on her, taking an even more distinct glow than it was before. "Miranda Dobson" squeaked out. "I was in the … makeup trailer.. they let me.. put it on…" About four people come rushing back now, coffee in hand, staying back when it's obvious that someone of their number is about to get lambasted in the true Nalani fashion.
Out in the trailer there's no one to disturb Cardinal. There's no obvious gems or jewels, there's thousands of dollars worth of makeup and about thirty different bikini's all with designer names. Shoes, clothing, hats, cover ups, you name it. Hairstyling equipment. it's a fairly big trailer with mirrors along one side with bright light bulbs and folding studio chairs.
"This could make a good present for somebody," Cardinal muses as he checks out the outfits, producing a handy canvas bag from beneath his jacket and snapping it open—grabbing a handful of ever so lovely designer bikinis, gathering them into the bag, a pair of nice pumps tossed into their too. A jar of makeup's picked up, "Ooh. Creme de la Mer." Into the bag with it! A fancy hat's set on his head, and he considers himself in the mirror. "No, no," he sighs, tossing the frilly thing onto a chair, "It's not me."
"I've been coming to the Nite Owl pretty regularly for several years," Liz tells Kat. "Since I used to teach just down the block." At the school that's only partially there now. "Been too busy the last couple weeks to be in as often as usual." And now she has a reason actively avoid the place, honestly. And tell her friends to do the same. She sips her coffee, watching the madhouse. The poor little intern getting yelled at has Liz's sympathy. Although she can tell that her very presence annoys Kat…. well, it's the whole reason she's sitting here! She's feeling quite ornery lately. When her plate appears in front of her, it contains a bagel with cream cheese and a bowl of steaming chowder — the nicest part of 24-hour diners? Soup all day.
Kat has been digging in while Liz talks. Not like she can spend all day eating and chatting. She pauses and points her fork inquisitively at Liz. "School around here? Oh, that one." She responds as it comes to her just as she was asking the question. She finds herself distracted by the conversation between the Nalani and the intern, the name most definitely earning a gaze. She slowly pulls herself away from the scene, though keeps an ear open as she turns back to Liz. "Well, it's either here or that other place next to the Homeland Security office." Kat tends to like to come here though, as those that come here are far more inclined to catch her interest, then closer to where she works. She has finished her eggs and bacon, now turning her attention to her hotcakes.
"So, an intern was given the job of doing makeup on a model" Incredible. Nalani's voice CAN go higher. Her fingers pinch the bridge of her nose. "What could have possibly happened, that they would let you do that. tell me please how someone with such moronic capabilities thought to put fuchsia lipstick on that girl. look at her sallow skin! It doesn't go! and yet, here you are and there she is and she looks like she stuck her hand in the wax pot at the crayola factory. Look at her brows!" Nalani looks around the set, everything brought to a standstill. Par for the course, mostly, except that the Editor has been even more picky and very touchy lately than she usually is. "Pencil? you used pencil? and far too dark for her! Really, I'm sure even the MODEL could have done far better than you did! Where did you go to school? The backwoods school of make up butchering!" She looks back at the young woman who's obviously either not feeling well as she looks a little green and wobbly knee'd. "what on Earth is wrong with you!" The blonde gives another yelp, unaccustomed to Nalani and her attitude and the makeup brushes all go scattering as suddenly she throws them up in that air as she explodes. Sorta. The intern is still there only now, she's far too bright to look at and she's dripping luminescent liquid and crying as everyone's forced to look away. Someone just had an evolved moment.
The distraction that is the glowing intern is keeping people from the trailer. A drawer or two that's opened reveals that there's jewelry! Fake or real, hard to tell, but it's in the locked drawer sand in boxes, ready for the next round of photo shooting. There's a lot of stuff in the trailer worth a lot of money it seems, and cardinal if he fences it proper might make a nice payday."
Click click tack goes the lockpicks, drawing out the drawer with the jewelry—well, he can have Tuck appraise it to tell him if it's real — and emptying it into his sack. The bag's hefted, and Cardinal considers its mass before deciding enough is enough. He reaches over to flick off the lights in the trailer, and the sunglass'd bandito melts himself down to a darksome pool of shadow upon the trailer floor, spilling over to the door and slipping beneath the edge…
…only to run into a blazing pillar of light that was a girl, frantically flickering to curl beneath the steps leading up to the trailer and its shadow.
JESUS FUCK THAT HURT WHAT THE HELL KIND OF LIGHTING DO THESE MODEL BITCHES NEED ANYWAY!
Oh *bloody hell*. The light blasts and leaves spots in front of Elisabeth's eyes, but she's already shoving out of the booth and moving toward the terrorized girl. "Back off, everyone. Just back off. NYPD." She doesn't even have to flash the badge, she's well known enough in here — though her current actions will likely shock the regulars. Liz has been known to help people get the hell out of Dodge when Evo stuff happens in the diner. But right now, she's got no options. If she doesn't act, Kat will. "Miss?" She looks toward Nalani. "Ma'am, you're going to need to just back off now." She looks back at tha make-up girl, who's probably terrified. "Miss," she says gently. "~I need you to calm down. Try to get it under control for me, okay?~" She laces her voice with calming vibes.
Fortunately, Kat's back was to the flash, though she had no choice but to see it. She spins around in her chair, just in time to see Liz move past her. This definitely wreaks of evo incident so she follows the cop. The name is familiar when she heard it before, and then realizes where she's heard that name before so she doesn't approach the evolved, but makes note of it on her PDA to take it back and find out what's going on with it. Not like they want evolved running around making public scenes. She walks up to Nalani, flashes her HomeSec badge. "Probably not the wisest idea making a scene in public. You never know what could happen. Might want to lighten up a little." She's turns and holds up her phone and takes a snapshot of the intern as she talks with Liz. She walks closer, but doesn't actually intrude, trying to get a listen.
Katherine's face is obscured somewhat by the bright lights, and so, Nalani can't get a good look at her face, but she does of the badge. "Homeland security has no say in how I run a photo shoot and incompetent people. If you have issues with how I do that then you can every well come in and make an appointment to talk with me at a different time. For now it seems you have something to deal with no?" She's very much like her brother it seems, in the Company. Peas from a pod. The tall glamazon gestures with a flippant hand to Miranda and Elisabeth, a hand up to avert the glow from her intern. "Great. This is just what we needed. Someone get her off the set now. She's disturbing it all. We'll never get anything done with her going around. Someone get bloody make up out here!" Nalani's muddle English accent ever more clearer. "I want the prom queen whore look gone. I want fresh and natural" Miranda is all but forgotten.
The blonde intern's gibbering, her words making no sense between the sobs, though slowly the bright light fades down to a strong glow as Elisabeth's ability kicks in over the woman. her hands covering her face. "I didn't know, oh god, I'm sorry. I'm fucked, I ruined everything. Please don't lock me up I didn't know" over and over. She can't be anymore than over the age of twenty. A few of the others around the area are trying to quietly and carefully usher Miranda, Elisabeth and Katherine if she wants, through to a back room of the diner, out of Nalani's warpath and away from the shoot. Even they know time is money and a glowing intern is throwing off the lighting.
Meanwhile back outside, no one seems to have noticed Cardinal yet, though there's hurried footsteps up the steps above him, going into the trailer along with the "prom whore" model so they can fix her makeup lickety split.
I can't see a damn thing. Wait, did I just hear someone shout 'NYPD'? Shit. As the shadow cast by the trailer's few steps deepens with the fading of the intern's light, Cardinal lets himself relax just a bit, straining to listen to the conversation in all of the noise and confusion while he waits for his vision to clear.
"~It's all going to be fine,~" Elisabeth soothes gently. "~Take a deep breath, there you go. It's okay. You didn't do anything wrong. C'mon,~" As she talks, she walks closer and closer to the young woman, finally putting an arm around her shoulders. "~You're going to be fine. It's okay. Just breathe for me.~" When other 'helpful' hands get laid on her, she shoots a look to see who it is — and when she sees it's Nalani's people, she growls in a tone that would warn off the meanest junkyard dog, "Get your hands. off. us." She doesn't give a crap about the whole 'time is money' schtick. The poor girl she's got right now is clearly terrified. Only when Tom hastens in — he who has been desperately trying to keep his regulars calm and ignore the general bitchiness of models and photographers and such — does Elisabeth allow someone to 'escort' herself and the young woman, who sobs out her name finally, toward the back room.
Kat doesn't get too much closer to the scene, staying back. She does give Nalani a glare as things seem to be getting from bad to badder back to bad again with someone trying to get this stupid shoot back underway. She is almost tempted to make a phone call to get the thing cancelled. She probably shouldn't be so annoyed as it actually assisted her in tracking down another evolved, though the girl says she had no idea. With as out of control as the outburst was, Kat is prone to believe that to be true. When the girl speaks her name, Kat jots it down and moves to follow them to the back room where she'll get as much information as possible, after calling it in to the office.
|The glare is outright ignored from Katherine. And with lite brite removed, and the model returned to the set after some quick alterations to the makeup, the set seems to go back to running properly, though people now and then look towards the back room. Nalani stands at a computer setup, looking over the digital pictures as they come in. Some make her frown or scowl, others cause a neutral expression on her face. The lackey's hold coffee's are subjected to a dismissive hand, the drinks never touched it seems, not that it disappoints them. The Queen Bee is back to work, the incident is forgotten with Miranda.
Miranda however is slowly calming down and onlya light glow comes from her and the sweating that produced said Gatorade effect is down to a shimmer. Wiping her nose on her sleeve leaving incandescent trails, the blonde is co-operative and nodding her head though still crying. Just not the huge sobs that were Nalani and stress induced earlier.
No one it seems, yet, has noticed the missing clothing jewelry or makeup from the trailer. Cardinal seems to be in the all clear as both people come out of the trailer getting the scantily clad model quickly into the building.
As, at last, Cardinal regains the ability to actually see again - through whatever preternatural mechanism he sees, anyway - and the shadow stirs free of its hiding place at last, considering the 'queen bee' as she finishes brow-beating the poor Evolved girl and goes back to terrorizing the rest of the crew. Hm. Well, she's a bitch…
Shadow to shadow, the pattern of living darkness slips along towards the Escalade, crawling up one tire and slipping beneath the crack of the door. Pooling over the driver's seat, it washes upwards, a negative reflection of a man before he becomes fully corporeal. A small pack of tools tugged out of a pocket, he leans down to hot wire the car, whistling cheerfully under his breath.
Calming the young Evo falls to Elisabeth, and she does her best here to get the girl calm and quiet. She gets a glass of water from the kitchen staff, and she gives it to the girl. "Miranda, listen to me. It's all right. You're not in any trouble. What I'm going to do right now… what I *have* to do right now… is take you down to the Registration center. They're going to get you to fill out their little piece of paper with your info, they'll give you an appointment to be tested, and it'll be easy as pie. Trust me. I did it myself just a couple months ago. It's painless and easy. Bureaucratic BS. So let's get your stuff together, we'll go take care of that, and the rest of today, you can just take it easy, okay? We'll even get you a note to deal with your job." And if that bitch causes Miranda to lose her job, Liz will personally go kick her ass or something. This poor kid's been through enough today. "C'mon, let's get you out of here."
Katherine thinks that Elizabeth is right on track with her suggestion, so she let's the NYPD handle this situation. She'll get a copy of the registration once it's completed and will handle it from there. She takes a few more pictures from a distance and sends them up before she nods to Elizabeth, "Looks like you have it under control. Take care of her." she says, moving back over to her food, now cold. She takes another bite without sitting down and washes it down with the remainder of her juice and grabs her jacket. "I'll see you around Harrison."
No one notices the person in the escalade, nor still the missing items. Too occupied with the shoot, and with the evolved incident. No surprise and security is sitting on their butt's, eating coffee and donuts, courtesy of Tom the diner owner. Hey, he's making a pretty penny off renting his place to the magazine for a few hours. No one disturbs Katherine, stops her or even pays attention. Unless your part of the crew, no one cares.
Miranda nods, oblivious to her pictures being taken, or what that might entail further down the road. One of the interns friends who works with her, and doesn't seem to be in the "get her out of here" pool is helping Elisabeth coo to the young blonde and runs off to fetch the girls things. Nalani just keeps looking over pictures, verbal about what she doesn't like, what she does like, what she wants to see. why is that bathing suit not sitting lower on the red head's hips, these are NOT granny panties to be up at the waist. Get some oil on that guys chest. it needs to show his muscles but not LOOK oiled up.
Tsk tsk—spark! The engine rumbles to life, and Cardinal tosses the sack of ill-gotten gains upon the passenger seat before pulling away from the other vehicles from the shoot. The Escalade's tires roll over the pavement to the road to make the brazen thief's escape, just as the driver flushes the toilet in the lavatory. Won't he be surprised when he gets back!
Elisabeth doesn't much care what Kat does, so long as she doesn't interfere with the girl's freedom. The whole thing that happened with DJ still has her up in arms. As she walks Miranda out to her own car, she notes the Escalade leaving the grounds. It doesn't occur to her to even worry about it. Not her job. Liz gets Miranda settled into the back of the cop car, keeping up a running stream of patter the whole while. A simple look toward Kat, a querying eyebrow, to see if the agent will be joining. Once it's decided one way or the other, she merely climbs in the car and drives off.
Katherine is far behind Liz as she climbs into her vehicle and turns out of the parking lot, heading in a completely different direction. She picks up her phone and dials. "Got another one." she says as she disappears into the horizon.
 February 20th: Hit And Run |
 February 20th: Feedback |