Summary:Laynia foils a theft, and meets Jimmy and Priscilla, who take her joking confessions as full honesty. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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It's bright in the morning, though not quite early. Jimmy has already finished some jogging out in Central Park, and he hums quietly to himself while he rests up on a bench. Rather than his usual study materials, he just has his phone out, scrolling through some sites.
Laynia is presently wearing her jacket, and definitely not here for a jog. Her hair gathered in the back, she walks and is clearly just taking in the sights of Central Park. Cinnamon eyes are intent as she moves, watching the people, noting the various attractions, it almost seems like a reconnaisance, but her meandering pace might deflect that notion. Though pretty enough, she might not draw much attention otherwise, after all New York is full of attractive individuals.
Nope, what might get one's attention is her reaction when a kid darts from cover to snatch her purse and make off with it! Well, that was HIS plan, it does play out a /tad/ differently in the real world.
His darting lunge seems to work perfectly! Sadly, it is the yank, and dodge away part where things go south. He starts to turn, and then the woman in black pivots with him, turning his momentum against him before she dips and he ends up spun to the ground with a painful sounding thud. Holding his arm, the woman has a booted heel on his chest. "Your pardon, tovarisch, but your grasp of what is yours is perhaps a bit…lacking…"
Central Park at this hour is not usually Priscilla's preference; she works late into the night, and these would usually be prime sleeping hours. But not today. Or rather, not last night. She hasn't made a big deal to the new friends she has made about her calling, but it has not gone away. And last night she caught wind of a lead, which she has been following all night. She may not yet have a target, but she has more to go on than she has had in nearly a month.
Realizing the hour, and that she's not going to get anything more right now, Pris was actually headed home. A quick shift turns hunting attire back into painted-on quality civvies, and her bike converts back to street-level rather than flying over the city, and she is taking a shortcut through the heart of the Park on her way southward towards the Lower East Side and a certain converted former automotive garage building. The purple trim on the bike and the coiled emerald dragons on the sides of the full-face purple helmet are pretty distinctive …
Jimmy, at first, does not notice Laynia as standing out from the rest of those in the park this morning. Not until that kid approaches. Jimmy senses a touch of the boy's intention, and his chin lifts — in time to see how Laynia responds, catching the boy easily. Well, seems he doesn't need to intervene at all.
He does still rise from his seat to go and check in on her. "Are you alright, miss? And, what's the plan?" What is she going to do with the boy now she has him?
Ah, and he recognises that helmet. He smiles brightly, waving an arm. "Priscilla! Been a while."
The kid is cursing up a storm. "Hey you batshit crazy-lady! Lemme go, I didn't do nothin!" Laynia for her part seems more amused than anything else, still, he's being rude when adults are talking. She shifts her foot just a hint, and the kid gets a lot quieter. She nods to him. "Better."
She then looks to Jimmy with a smile. "Privyet, sir…the plan? Well, I am new to this city, what would you advise? I was considering just letting him go, perhaps a bit wiser. However should you reccomend it we can involve the authorities…" She looks rather dubiously at the kid, consideringly then turns back to Jimmy. "So…what would -you- do in this situation?"
She does indeed notice the distinctive paint job on the bike, and those dragons are beautiful, the woman is offered a flash of white teeth, but is not known to her, so she returns her gaze to Jimmy (also not known) as she waits for his advice.
When someone waves and actually focuses on her, Priscilla's head pivots to follow that motion, and she spots Jimmy; he's pretty distinctive to her empathic senses. She really wasn't planning on being social, but driving away would be rude. So she pulls her bike to the side of the road and stops, kickstand going down as she revs and then turns off the engine, then swings her leg up and over, all the while watching whatever is going on with Jimmy, the pale blonde, and the street kind laid out on the ground at her feet. She keeps her helmet on for now, as she walks in that direction.
Jimmy hums to himself while he considers the question. He puts a hand to his chin and gives the boy a hard stare, to let him squirm. "To involve the authorities, or not…" Eventually, he breaks off the stare to flash a grin at Laynia. "If I were in that position, I'd give him a stern talk, let him sweat it out, let him feel some of the potential consequences… and then let him go. This time." He smiles at Priscilla as she approaches. "Yo. Didn't expect to see you up this time of day." He looks back to Laynia. "I'm Jimmy, and this is Priscilla. What can I call you?"
Pale and blonde, that's apt, and the dark clothes only highlight those things.
The kid squirms a bit. "Hey…yeah, man, I was STUPID, man. I /learned/ my lesson! Honest!" He is probably lying, but really isn't big enough fish for Laynia to bother with him. She DOES make him wait through what Jimmy says, and then nods. "Very well, Jimmy." She steps back, and then releases the wristlock the kid was in, at which point he scrambles back, and bolts
A smile then to Jimmy, yes, definitely the kid's antics were more amusing to her than anything to be worried. "Laynia." She answers his question. "Laynia Petrovna." The longer name offered to both Pris and Jimmy. "A pleasure to meet you, Jimmy, Priscilla. Good morning."
Trust Jimmy to be friendly to strangers, especially pretty women. Good thing she's wearing the helmet, so her amused smile is not openly on display right now. Pris nods as Jimmy introduces her, and tries not to bug out too much at the very odd perception she has of this other woman. That's … like nothing she's ever seen or felt before. Definitely weird. Says the human-Inhuman-dire wraith hybrid freak. Yeah, so what.
Pris decides keeping the helmet on is rude, so she lifts her gloved hands and lifts the helmet off, shaking her head to settle the dark ebon mane falling down over her face until it is out of the way. "Hi, Laynia. Nice move, by the way. Smooth." Play it calm. Play it calm. Weird doesn't have to mean evil …
Jimmy gives the boy one more good, hard look. One which says, 'I don't believe you. I'm going to give you all the chance to prove me right, and all the rope to hang yourself, if you'd dare.' But then he gives a bright smile as he scrambles away. What, is he trying to be carrot and stick at once?
Hey now, Jimmy's friendly in general! Not just to pretty women! There just happen to be an awful lot of pretty women about in this city. "Yes, that was well-done. Where did you learn self-defence like that, if I may ask?" Because in all likelihood, he may not ask. The answer could always be something like 'as part of my upbringing as an alien warrior princess' or 'while held captive in an underworld colosseum' or who knows what else. Stuff people keep private.
Unaware that Pris can see anything odd about her, you know, like the way her 'self' seems to exist simultaneously on two different levels of reality, Laynia smiles in response to the woman who's as dark as she herself is pale. "Spasiba, Priscilla…I have had some training." She admits with a fair degree of nonchalance. You know, for a weird semi-otherworldly souled person.
Laynia grins as Jimmy tries to thousand yard stare the hapless kid, and then she ponders how to answer. "I am former secret agent trained by KGB during Cold War." She says this with a huge smirk, and her accent, which was faint, is now 80s action movie thick! Yeah, clearly she's joking! If she were REALLY from then she'd be a septegenarian — which she clearly is not.
And Pris can tell the pale bi-souled woman is not lying when she says that. She blinks momentarily, and then just smiles. Why? Because despite all appearances, Pris really was raised in the Deep South, and while she may not look like a Magnolia Queen, she was raised to smile and be polite come heck or high water. Or septegenarian Russian secret agents, dangitall! "Well, still darned pretty moves." Pris offers in her thick Southern Cajun accent. "Well, at least you are gainfully employed. That is helpful in this city." Yep. Humor, dry as it may be.
Jimmy raises an eyebrow at Laynia, a little smile picking across his lips. "Well, you are remarkably spry for your age then, Laynia. You'll have to tell me all about your skin care routine." Is he just going along with the joke? Or does he suspect that it's less of a joke than it pretends to be? He nods to Priscilla. "Oh, yes. I'm sure KGB experience can open all sorts of doors." Or teach you how to open them even if they want to stay shut. "And Priscilla, there's someone I'd like for you to meet, if we can arrange the time together."
See, Laynia really is an ex-spy, so she does have a niggling suspicion that both of these people might actually be taking her at her word. Which is concerning. "Yes, well, not much market for an ex-operative, though I suppose I could go into private security, or mercenary work." Laynia shrugs, and laughs softly. "I…you're both not /actually/ taking me at my word? The claim is absurd, is it not?" Yup! Laynia's wondering if her spycraft is -that- rusty!
She smiles. "Well, thank you, Jimmy. I'm not sure I could adequately describe the methods, but thank you all the same." A glance to Pris. "And thank you, but my trainer was far far superior, but I doubt she's still around." She falls silent as Jimmy asks Pris his question. Don't want to be rude!
Priscilla glances towards Jimmy curiously. "Mmm? You finally making an honest woman of that special someone, Jimmy?" Pris teases gently, a warm smile on her lips. She teases because she cares, honestly.
"Mmm?" Pris murmurs, turning back to Laynia. Then she just shrugs her shoulders. "I could say 'no, of course I'm not taking you at your word', because I don't want the scary former operative to kill me. But see, I try really hard not to lie to people unless I have a good reason." And that's the best answer she has right now. She doesn't look ready to fight for her life. But looks, they can be deceiving. Can't they?
Jimmy shrugs to Laynia. "What's so absurd about it? There's a man from the second World War, still fit and in his prime." Because really, who hasn't heard of Captain America? Though they might note — Priscilla through empathy, Laynia through spycraft — that Jimmy makes the reference with more personal recognition than you might expect. Has he met the man? Worked with him? That is one reason someone might take Laynia's story in stride: his own life has just as many absurdities.
He smiles to Priscilla, a slight blush coming to his cheeks. "W-Well, reasonably honest. My girlfriend, Darcy. I mentioned you, and she wants to meet you." His blush rises. "One of her suggestions was, ahem, lessons, but I'm reasonably sure she was teasing."
A faint frown. "I am not scary, am I?" Laynia is honestly perplexed at the concept. She hasn't done anything a normal person couldn't, and though she is clearly fit for her calendar years, she's hardly super ripped or menacing, and she's been trying very hard to be pleasant and disarming. She can only conclude that she's either VERY rusty, or these two are both very perceptive, and/or highly trained, and/or possibly other. Maybe all of that! The rest of Pris's answer is also vague enough to have her wondering.
And then Jimmy goes and speaks of Captain America, and seems to have first hand experience! Goodness.
She takes a moment to gather her aplomb again whilst Jimmy and Priscilla discuss Darcy, and his romantic state.
Priscilla tilts her head, considering Laynia for a moment. Then she just quick-steps forward and wraps her arms around the blonde, squeezing firmly and then stepping back, hands still on shoulders but at arm's length. "You're not too scary, no. I'm sure no one else would notice at all, but I'm a bit of a weirdo. It's OK. I was just saying 'scary' because a secret Russian agent who survived that long still physically fit would be scary."
That said, Priscilla glances over at Jimmy and grins impishly; she really does love making him blush. It's so easy, and so fun! "I would be happy to meet Darcy. And if she wants lessons, I'm happy to do that, too. Give me a time and a place. Or bring her by the club. Whichever."
Jimmy shakes his head to Laynia. "Oh no, not scary. Just… well, you mentioned you're new to New York? There are all kinds of special people around here. It's a good idea to be a bit cautious, just as a default. You never know when someone's just a pretty girl, or they're, like… well, as you said. A Cold War KGB operative. Plus, being polite is good in general."
He pouts at Priscilla's grin. He knows what that grin means even without reading her. "I find it distressingly likely that she would be absolutely in favour of meeting at the club."
Purple eyes? Very rare. Laynia has time to think that as Priscilla steps in and hugs her, then back and holds to her shoulders at arm's length. To her credite the move doesn't trigger any sort of combat response, though Pris's othersight might see a bit of flaring between the bound but separate parts of Laynia, so she's likely capable of more than just apparent longevity. Jimmy's senses might detect…something, but it woudl be pretty odd. Regardless, Laynia makes an effort to relax, and doesn't seem put out by the contact, it was just the swiftness of it. "Ah, well, thank you - it is good to know that my efforts would sufficed in most other cases." She studies the very tall , exotic beauty, and shakes her head. "You do not seem any odder to me than others, but I am a bit out of date."
She looks to Jimmy and nods. "Only a couple of weeks, da. And yes, I am coming to see that." And then she laughs and nods. "I have seldom found courtesy as being a problem, this is true."
And then she looks between both Jimmy and Priscilla. "Club? Lessons?"
Hopefully Laynia won't regret asking!
"Well, if she's in favor, bring her on by. Just text me earlier so I can leave guest passes at the front door." Pris offers for Jimmy, friendly but teasing.
When Laynia questions, Pris smiles and shrugs her shoulders with predictable results. "I'm an exotic dancer. I'm currently headlining at the Obsidian Club on the Lower East Side. You'd be welcome to check it out, if you like." Pris has apparently decided not to be worried about Laynia's otherness.
And now everyone here knows just what they were talking about, which makes Jimmy's blush rise all the more. He takes his phone from his pocket just so he has something to fidget with; he doesn't even look at the screen. "Yeah, that. I've only been twice, but it's a good place." And neither one was exactly under normal circumstances.
He tilts his head as he looks at Laynia, trying to sort out just what he'd sensed from her; his powers don't have quite the depth that Priscilla's do. After a moment, he just shrugs it off. "Either way, though — whether you're an ageless ex-KGB operative or not — welcome to New York. How are you finding it so far?"
Highly predictable, and not at all unpleasant. "Obsidian Club, Lower East Side." Laynia takes out her own phone, and if ANYTHING underscores her 'age', it is the precision with which she unlocks the screen and inputs the information. She's not /clumsy/, but it clearly takes her effort to manipulate it, like something she's learned to do recently. Pretty big tell if one knows to look for it.
"I would not mind, I truly have few demands on my time at present, I have much about this city to learn, so why not?"
She smiles in general.
Jimmy's blush is interesting. "Were you thinking of your paramour learning Priscilla's skills?" Oh, yeah, THAT will help with the blushing! "I am not actually ageless, you know. Merely…displaced." Laynia admits, apparently deciding to open up a bit to these two. Hopefully that will not be a problem.
"If you'd like, I can leave a guest pass at the door for you, too, Laynia. If you're interested." Yes, Pris loves to see Jimmy blushing. It's one of the joys in her life, apparently. "Do you have a place yet, Laynia? I wasn't very clear on quite how long you've been in the area, but I'm pretty good at finding good, safe places to stay, if you need the help or a tour guide."
Jimmy gets a curious look on his face as he watches Laynia. It's not so much the sight of her slight clumsiness, but more the sense of her slight discomfort. So many young people use their phones like they're just extensions of their own bodies; Laynia doesn't have that level of comfort, not yet. He pouts at the question, his chin ducking. "Well yes, because she went and put that image in my head on purpose. She's the one who suggested 'lessons'." His eyebrows lift when she describes herself as displaced, and he smiles. "Ahh. So, not a… continuous thing. More like having been frozen and thawed?"
He hears a beep from his phone then and draws it out, peeking down at it. "Ah, I need to get going, unfortunately. Priscilla, I'll text you when I have something clearer from Darcy. Before I go — Laynia, want to trade numbers? So you can start getting to know people in this city. Even if odds are, we'll bump into each other again soon."
"Da? A guest pass would be lovely, thank you, Priscilla. I confess to some curiousity about modern clubs, so this will be interesting." She smiles. "Ah, yes, I have acquired a place in Little Odessa." She won't mention that Spiderman was her source for the place! Probably too much info.