Participants:
| Scene Title | You're Gonna Go Far, Kid |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Ling returns to Rapture one more time with the intention of finally quitting, and so she can pass her status on to Kain, and in the process learns even more about the job she has agreed to do |
| Date | July 13, 2009 |
Rapture, VIP Lounge
There were few times in her life that Ling Chao wore a smile as wide or as genuine as the one that she wore at this exact moment, approaching the door to Rapture, the air pulsing around her as the beats of the music thumped and pounded within. In fact, in all honesty, she could only really think of a few times in the last few years she'd felt as elated, as filled with eager anticipation as she did now, even if the smile on her face was the only indication. But today, today was a wonderful day for her. She had been working with Bao-Wei Cong at the Cong Medical Clinic for just short of a week now, and what a week it had been - but that wasn't what she was here for. It was only a trial week, but as always, she was confident that it was a mere formality. She was here to tell the man who had approached her about her new job, Kain Zarek, just how smooth things were going. Smooth as silk, as she'd become prone to saying since her interview.
But, much more importantly to her, she was here to formally and finally quit her job at the nightclub; something that she was sure was just a technicality at this point, since she'd been too busy to make her way to Rapture over the course of the last few days. Still, for her own pleasure, she felt she needed to do it face to face.
As she walked that oh so familiar walk, she wondered for a brief moment if she would miss the nightclub. Not answering herself, she approaches the VIP lounge where she knows the man can be found with purpose, leaving the booming beats behind her.
And with the door to the lounge now in sight, she smirks as she knocks hard on the door, hoping her presence wouldn't be minded.
A few strangled noises of laughter are muffled through the door, followed by an exasperated noise of frustration. "Yeah, yeah, Ah'm comin'!" That familiar cajun's voice echoes from across the VIP lounge. A few moments later, the door opens, but not revealing Kain's stubbled countenance, but rather a bubbly woman roughly half his age with a crooked smile and a lime green lollipop wavering back and forth between two fingers. She sidles past Ling, swinging a glittering red jacket over her shoulders as her heels click-clack down the hall.
Buttoning up the top two buttons of his shirt, Kain swaggers over to the door, one dark brow raised higher than the other as he recognizes the familiar face in the doorway. "Well if'n it ain't a sight for sore eyes," his head quirks to the side, a subtle motion for her to join him before he adds, "well come on in, ya'll better have some good news for me. Eliot was up m'ass sideways when you didn't show up for work."
Turning his back to Ling, Kain begins fastening his cuffs, making way towards the sideboard across the lounge and the decanters of alcohol perched atop it. "How's business down with King-Kong?"
Ling's smile fades a bit as the door opens, a much more common, serious expression filling her face as she lets the floozy - at least, so she appeared - pass by. As Kain motions for her to come in, she takes a short step inside of the lounge - probably the first time she had come in without a tray in her hand - past Kain and towards the familiar couch. "I apologize for coming on such short notice," she comments, turning back to look at the cajun with a smirk. "I wasn't interrupting, was I?" There was almost a teasing quality to the question. Rather than wait for a response, however, she shakes her head, speaking more seriously.
"I do apologize for my absence. While it is unfortunate for Eliot, however, it is beneficial for you, among others," she notes, taking a few steps towards Kain. "I've been rather busy at the medical clinic, I'm afraid. However, things do seem to be going well, there."
"Well, good that you got yourself in there without gettin' shanked." Kain grimaces, reaching out to grab the decanter of whiskey and a glass, unstoppering the top with a plunk sound before filling an inch into the glass. "You were fired, uh… Saturday?" He glances over his shoulder, figuring out where Ling's moved to since he's had his back on her, "Eliot wasn't right happy about it, but he can sit and spin on it for all Ah' care." The stopper is returned to the top of the decanter, and Kain turns around, sweeping up the lowball glass in one hand.
"You find out anything good there yet? Be early if'n y'did, but a man can dream, right?" There's something Cheshire about Kain's smile for a moment before he hides it behind the rim of the glass, taking a long sip before continuing whatever meandering path he's designing for the conversation. "You met the two head honchos yet?"
Ling grimaces, shaking her head. A bit of a disappointment, that was. She had hoped she'd be able to quit on her terms, for so many reasons. Professionally, she knew it wouldn't look good, even though she was sure the rest of her resume could make up for it. Personally, she had been so looking forward to the satisfaction she would have gotten from doing it herself.
So it goes, as they say.
Ling lets out a sigh, making her disappointment evident. "Perhaps, then, I should have called before coming in," she remarks. "It's of no great consequence, though," she continues as she turns and takes a seat on the couch. "Unfortunately, I don't have anything of stellar importance to tell you". She makes several motions with her left hand as she speaks, occasionally - perhaps intentionally - leaving little trails of smoke behind some of the movements. "Rather, I'm here simply to let you know that tomorrow is the last day of my… trial work, of sorts, for Bao-Wei, and I'm more than sure the job is mine."
Smirking, Kain makes his way over to the leather sofa, settling down lazily against the creaking upholstery. One leg crosses over the other, and he regards the whiskey in one hand before upturning his eyes towards Ling. "Now that you've got yourself in on their terms, Ah figure it's time t'let you in on exactly what you've got yerself sinkin' into."
Taking another sip from his glass to think, Kain's eyes begin to wander the lounge. "Ol' King-Kong's somethin' of a butcher doctor. Legitimate business on the side, but Ah' wouldn't be surprised if'n you find out he's sellin' harvested organs as a side-job. He worked for the former leader of the Flyin' Dragons, an ol' man by the name of Chang Ye, fer' years. Wound up bein' the personal tutor for Chang's two nutjob kinds Liu and Song."
Motioning with his glass towards one of the armchairs, Kain gives a somewhat expectant look to Ling as he continues. "Few months back, Chang got offed in some extortion job gone wrong, NYPD and Homeland Security popped him one. Turns out his kids decided to flip the bird to traditional succession, and ended up strong-arming themselves into leadership position. Which isn't that hard, cause if you believe the rumors on the streets, the apple don' fall too far from the tree with them. Turns out ol' daddy Chang was like you. 'Cept instead a' turnin' to smoke, he could control people's bones. Guess his kids got some of the ol' mojo too…"
Ling remains quiet at first, simply nodding as appropriate as Kain speaks. Hearing Cong described as a "butcher doctor" made that moniker seem so much more barbaric than she had come to know. Of course, it was no surprise to her regardless, if anything in her years in business, she had learned that people were rarely what they seemed. She was as much a testament to that as anyone else.
She is able to remain stoic until Kain's mention of Chang and his abilities. The ability to control bones? That was extremely unnerving, even for Ling. She could only imagine what it meant his offspring were capable of. It was enough to bring some of her worries and reservations she had had about working so close to the Flying Dragons back to the forefront of her mind, if only for a brief few moments.
She grimaces, glancing over at Kain's drink from her seat. "They sound like absolute gems," she replied, the sarcasm clear in her voice. Her eyes move up to meet Kain's as best as she can, and then shrugs. "You wouldn't happen to have heard what they can do, would you have, Kain?" she inquires, crossing her legs. "You yourself keep bringing up how unbalanced this pair seems to be. Letting me know what you know would be beneficial to us both."
"Oh, Ah'm jus' gettin to the good part. Ah' got to make acquaintances with Liu and Song over on Staten Island. We had a…" Kain's eyes dip down to his glass, lips contorting into a distasteful expression, "mutual friend in a fella by the name of John Logan. Real winner that one." There's no end to the sarcasm dripping from those words. "Lu-Lu and Sing-Song liked to show off their little tricks for everybody, Ah've known for a while what the two'a them can do. Liu's got some kinda' control over water. He can make it move around however he wants, and his sister… well," Kain tugs at one of his ears absent-mindedly. "She can breath out this cold mist, manipulate ice in all sorts'a ways. Guess you can see how the two'a them fit together like peanut-butter and chocolate."
After taking another long sip from his glass, Kain breathes out heavy sigh. "Liu n' Song want to rebuild the Triad in biblical means. Meanin' in their own image sort've way. They were scoutin' for Evolved down at a place called the Pancratium, it was an Evolved cage-fighting arena on Staten Island. Dunno if it's still runnin', but they closed up their end of the shop there a month ago. They recruited seven men from the arena. From the rumors in Chinatown, they're wantin' to build an Evolved Army to…" he trails off, looking up at Ling with an expectant expression.
"Well, that's where you come in." His smile grows some with those words, and it becomes clear before he even explains himself what Kain's looking to accomplish. "Ah' need you t'get in good with the Looney Tunes over there. You got yerself a special gift, one that they're gonna' be droolin' over, an' you meet their, ah, demographic they've been limitin' themselves to. Ah need t'find out what they're buildin' up an army for."
Ling resumes nodding as Kain speaks, making a mental note of each and every new name and bit of information. While the name "John Logan" meant little to her, but she took extra note as Kain began to tell her what the pair were capable of, both in the sense of their extraordinary abilities, and otherwise. Kain was right, they sounded perfect for each other - almost too perfect.
But it worried her for much more personal reasons - she had taken some science in all her years alongside her business classes, at least as long as they required, and she was smart enough to know what problems both of those abilities could present her with. Pushing the thought away, at least for the moment, she returned her focus to Kain. She was a bit amazed as he rattled off things she never would have guessed - but probably should have -were happening in the city. She shifts her position a bit, locking again with Kain's eyes.
"I see," she replies simply, leaning forward a bit, spreading and steepling her fingers. "I must be honest, Kain, that's quite a bit more dangerous sounding than how you original described this job to me," she continues, her gaze and posture unflinching.
"An' you got half a million dollars up front jus' for listenin'." Half a smile, half a grimace, Kain's expression at the mention of the lump sum Ling was afforded comes with another sip to that glass of whiskey, draining it fully now, but keeping the glass cradled in one hand, gestured with as if it were some kind of prop. "Y'all can't say you didn't think this might be a bit dangerous when you signed up for a million dollar job to work as a doctor's assistant."
Silent for a few moments, Kain's eyes dip down to his empty glass, rolling it around in his hand before looking up at Ling. "You ain't gonna' chicken out now, are ya?" There's a teasing, almost taunting tone to his voice. "'Cause that'd be a real shame, Ah thought Ah pegged you for a girl who could take a little danger."
Ling sits back and laughs out loud, shaking her head at Kain's question, highly amused. "You misunderstand, Kain. I'd be a poor businesswoman if backed out on a deal, particularly one with such a… hefty advance." She grins, rising from her seat. "I would just appreciate if such important details weren't saved for the later meetings, from now on. I'm sure that's a reasonable request to put on the table," she continues, waving a hand dismissively in the air. "At any rate, I doubt it will be an issue for some time. Dr. Cong doesn't strike me as the type to put the new girl around his top clients." There is still yet a hint of amusement in her voice as she begins to pace a bit, glancing at Kain with every few steps.
"Now that Ah've got a feel for ya," Kain notes with a nod of his head, "Ah' think you'n me are gonna have a luctretive business arrangement for some time t'come." Reaching over to set his glass down on the table across from the sofa, Kain glances up at Ling. "If you get this job done, Ah' can tell y'there'll be a permanent position with the Linderman Group waitin' for ya'. Ah've talked t'Danny 'bout this… an' Ah' think he's got some pretty good idea for what t'do with you."
Making it sound like she's a commodity, Kain rises up from his seat and brushes some wrinkles from his slacks. "Got a feller' out in Vegas who does somethin' similar t'you. Might make a good team, if'n things go that way." Grinning, there's a nod of the cajun's head to the door. "Now, if'n y'don' mind, Ah've got another, uh… interview comin' in to look to replace your old position. So if you could make yerself scarce…" his grin turns into a smirk, "that'd be real nice."
There it is again. "Danny", that casual reference to a man she simultaneously knew nothing about, and set so much, depending on who you choose to believe. Ling still isn't sure what to make of it, but the picture Kain paints certainly seems to be one that works more than a little bit in her favour. Of course, Kain had always seemed like a smooth talker, even if she wasn't too fond of his demeanor. For a moment, she wonders how adapt he would be in the business environment, but like her other musings, dismisses it quickly.
She takes one last glance at Kain's drink, then the man himself, and grins. "I'll have to make sure everything goes without a hitch then, won't I?" she remarks, turning to look back the door. She pauses for a moment, lowering her head a bit. "After all, it would be a shame to let such a good opportunity slip by, wouldn't you say?" She doesn't wait for a response, instead tilting her head to the side as a knock rings out at the door. Her grin spreads a bit, her body slowly changing, becoming ethereal and wispy as her feet blend and rise as smoke, teh change slowly rising up her body until the woman has almost entirely vanished. And yet, even as she disappears, one last comment slips by on the dead air.
"I'll speak to you when I know more, Kain. In the meantime… I hope you have more fun with my replacement than I did doing what's supposed to be her job."