10458/The People You Meet In Hell's Kitchen

The People You Meet In Hell's Kitchen
Date of Scene:	16 December 2019
Location:	Club Mjolnir, Hell's Kitchen
Synopsis:	It's a slow night at Club Mjolnir, so Elle took the time to go out to mingle with the few patrons in attendance. A few interesting people were spotted, and some who have a death wish too. Club Mjolnir is an interesting choice for people with death wishes.
Cast of Characters:	Hela, Tombstone, Lady Shiva, Question

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Hela has posed:
Today was a usual day, without any special event scheduled, so 'Miracle' Elle was given time to take a moment off divine machinations, and even the day to day errands of the club, which turns out was quite time consuming. Instead of busy work, Elle was sat at the bar, sipping from a tankard of the house special 'Nectar of The Gods', which in other words was Asgardian Mead. She sat with her back to the bar, surveying the place as to take notice of any who walked inside. At the moment there were only few people within, sitting in separate groups.

Tombstone has posed:
Tombstone walked into Club Mjolnir with a serious look on his face. Normally, he would avoid Hell's Kitchen due to all the rivals he had that lived there. Today however, he had business to attend to. There was a new crew that was wanting to join up in his lucrative deug network and he was going in to negotiate with them. This crew' was named Jormungandr's Spawn, after the Norse Serpent of course. Tombstone had no idea what a giant snanke had to do with boosting and racing high-performance cars, but the name did not matter to him, it was their new drug, Serpent's Venom that mattered.

Serpent's Venom was a hallucinogen made by the crew that, according to some people, caused hallucinations that seemd realistic, some of them involving the serpent himself. As he walked through the club, his 6ft 7in frame and his albinoism combined with his muscular frame no doubt made him a intimidating presense. Tombstone then sits down at a table and pretends to look through the drinks memnu and waits for this new crew to arrive.

Lady Shiva has posed:
Shortly after his arrival, there is another. Shiva is dressed as she preferred, rather casually and seemingly at odds with the cold weather outside. An Asian style shirt in red, black slacks, a pair of slippers on her feet instead of the preferred boots. The jacket she wore over top was a leather trenchcoat, though it was lightweight. Her dark hair was hanging loose, falling to about mid back.

Upon entering, she didn't pause as many might to allow for their eyes to adjust to the difference in lighting. She immediately was walking forward, heading for one of the private 'boats' along the wall.

For most, her appearance would mean nothing. Even in the underworld, she was often a ghost. A rumor spoken of but most didn't know by face. For the Goddess of Death? She probably shines like a five-alarm fire on a dark night.

Hela has posed:
Elle didn't make much of Tombstone or the people he was meeting with, after all, she heard nothing of his purpose, and knew nothing of the meeting. Though the odds of words being shared, and mentioning that shouldn't be, were pretty high for this one. For the time being, her attention was drawn to a presence. Because to most, Lady Shiva walking in was either barely registered or completely ignored. Just another patron. To Elle, Shiva was drawing attention like a beacon. Here was a person who has dealt a great deal of death, and no matter that 'Elle' herself knew little about her. It meant she was an interesting acquaintance to make. A person of Midgard who walked the old ways.

"Hello," Elle greets Shiva as she walks up to her, "haven't seen you in the club before, is this your first visit with us?"

Tombstone has posed:
The door's to the club opend and a group of young men walked in. The men wore green and black, the colors of Jormungandr's Spawn. The leader of this group was a medium sized Caucasian man wearing a black-t-shirt, green jeans and a green leather jacket proudly displaying a giant hissing serpent and Jormungandr's Spawn written in bold letters underneath it. Tombstone grunts as he sess the group coming towards his table. When they get close enough, Tombstone says in his deep, signature gravely voice,

"So, your the represenative Lars sent to represent Jormungandr's Spawn eh?" The man nods and says," Ya got it man the name's Nick." As the group sits down, Tombstone flags down a waitress and orders a bunch of drinks. As the girl leaves to get the drinks, Tombstone looks at the men and says," Alright, let's get down to business. Tell me more about Serpent's Venom and how exactly you make and distribute it."

Question has posed:
It's not usual for Shiva to be what one would call 'social', so when Shiva makes a request to join her at a bar Vic enters the establishment with a hint of suspicion and on the look out for one of Shiva's usual greetings of a boot to the head.

He isn't dressed in his usual attire, the signature suit, hat, and trench coat that he normally wears out when he is expecting trouble. Instead he is dressed casually in a black mock-turtleneck, a pair of well worn jeans, and a set of hiking boots adorn his feet.

Scanning the bar, Vic notices Shiva almost instantly, starting to approach the 'out of the way' booth she has selected for this meeting even as he continues to scan the rest of the bar and its other patrons.

Lady Shiva has posed:
As the gang enters, Shiva spares a glance to them for a moment. She tracks where they walk to, spying Tombstone there waiting for them. Interesting. She is all about things that pique her interest. There are so few really.

Enter the young woman approaching her. Though Shiva has not met her, she can only assume she is an employee of the establishment. There is something more to this woman though. Elle could handle herself in a fight. She likely has ample experience, all given away by her movements, her stance. It isn't obvious. Most people would never pick up on it. Someone like Shiva? It gets noticed though not mentioned, of course.

"This is my first time visiting. I have someone meeti--" Her words are cut off as Vic arrives. "Speaking of the the fallen angel himself." She motions to the seat across from her. "Thank you for joining me, Vic."

Hela has posed:
The name spoken by the colleagues of Tombstone does get Elle's attention, as she turns her head to cast them a rather intense glower. But her attention returns to Shiva soon enough, until she mentions a meeting. "Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude on your meeting," she offers politely, though there's something in her gaze that suggests she picks Shiva for more than a casual patron. The feeling remains unspoken for now, as Shiva brings up a fallen angel, "a figurative term I assume?" Elle jokes, but regards Vic very seriously, as he makes his approach to Shiva's booth.

"Excuse me...?" She addresses Vic, "but do you normally make a habit of defying that cannot be defied?" An odd question, perhaps, but Elle offers no hints or lifelines on it. Leaving it for Vic to interpert as he likes.

Elle does, however, start to take a few steps towards Tombstone and his party, as she speaks up, over their conversation and notes, "in this place, where we celebrate Norse culture, your use of the name Jormungandr is highly disrespectful. I would advise to desist..." while spoken calmly, there's a distinct undertone of a threat to her voice.

Tombstone has posed:
"And then we ship the stuff all over Staten Island," Tombstone grinned as he heard the leader of this group as he discussed the process of how they made Serpent's Venom and how they shipped it across their turf. Tombstone was about to make a comment when the owenr of the club came up to them and chided them about their use of Norse Myth. The man in the leather jacket smirks and says,

"Yeah, what are ya gonna do about it?"

Tombstone sighs and says," Just take off the damnned jacket little man. I don't wanna get thrown outta here." Nick then turns agressivly towards Tombstone and says<" Little man! Who da fuck are ya calling little man!"

Question has posed:
"Fallen angel? That's a new one." Vic says as a small smirk forms over his lips. "I've been called many things, that has never been one of them."

He gives the young woman at the table a polite nod and smile as he joins Shiva at the table. He cocks his head slightly to the side as he regards the young woman and lets out a small little chuckle, "What a very interesting question." Vic says curiously. "I would have to say not only is it a habit, but something I have made a career of."

After answering Vic gives the young lady a smile, joining Shiva as he takes a seat. "You are not one for social calls, Shiva, so I will have to assume this is business of some sort." Vic exclaims as he casts a glance over Tombstone's direction. "Should I have worn my business attire?"

Lady Shiva has posed:
"You would have preferred I call you Satan?" Since that is another turn of the common phrase she is twisting for her own purposes. The question given to Vic has her looking more curiously at Elle but the young woman is drawn away by the other table. The very table Shiva had noticed. This may get interesting.

She is looking at Vic, despite tracking what is going on nearby. "You have too much business of late. You are still recovering. It is time to relax. Enjoy a meal and the atmosphere." She glances around, for a moment just seeming to realize what that atmosphere is for the first time. "Why must it always be business?" Because it always is but that's besides the point!

Hearing the answer at the nearby table, she arches a brow at Vic then glances surreptitiously over toward the gang members.

Hela has posed:
"Then I should like to have words with you at a later time," Elle asks of Vic politely, clearly impressed with his unexpected reply. Both for being truthful, and curious at the same time. To Shiva, she offers an inclination of her head in a way of excusing herself, as she turns to fully face Tombstone and his colleagues, approaching slowly towards their table. Her intense gaze spares Tombstone for being the sensible one, and instead locks on the poor soul who dared ask her what she might do.

"I have made a very polite request, sparing you your ignorance for invoking a name you do not understand," Elle says sharply at the goon who spat out an ill thought 'what you gonna do about it' her way. "There are a great many things I can do, but I very much doubt you'd care to see them...last chance. Desist invoking that name, or if you can't, leave my club this very instance. I will not tolerate disrespect."

Tombstone has posed:
Tombstone notices some of the gangers looking uncomfortable. One of them, a younger man wearing a green t-shirt and black jeans stands up and says," I don't know about the rest of you guys, but i'm out. This chick gives me the creeps." The man is shortly followed by most of the Spawn, except for Nick. Nick scoffs and says a demeaning swear under his breath to his group. At this moment, his drink arrives. Nick pretends to raise it up for a drink, but suddenly stands up and splashes it on the club owner. Tombstone automatically stands up, revealing his huge frame and says with a snarl, revealing his sharp teeth," You motherfucker! I told ya to chill out and now ya splash the owner. Yo punk ass just cost ya a good deal, tell Lars i ain't interested anymore!" Tombstone then stomps over to the bar and orders a stiff drink.

Question has posed:
"Sure." Vic says to the young woman, with a nod of his head. "I'm always one for good conversation. I'll be around for a bit I believe. I'll catch you later, when you aren't so busy." he smiles as he flicks his eyes towards the table she is headed.

"Satan? Really? I didn't realize my reputation had soured to the point I am being compared to the Devil himself." Vic turns to say to Shiva before he tracks his gaze to follow where Shiva is looking. "I'd love some down time, but you know as well as anyone that we don't tend to get that luxury."

He watches the other table, his curiosity peaked, as he mutters to Shiva, "Are we going to have to step in, or am I on my own and this why you brought me here. To see if I am back up to par?" Vic rises quickly as the gang member splashes Hela with the drink, grabbing a shaker of salt from the table and hurling it towards Nick. "Hey. Catch. Preferably with your face." Vic exclaims as he moves, following the salt shaker towards the gang member.

Lady Shiva has posed:
Shiva was not one to get involved. She had no interest in the petty squabbles of others. However, when she sees the situation heading south so rapidly, she finds herself wanting to. Perhaps it is because she knows what the woman, Elle, could have done. Yet there had been diplomacy. There had been no handling of the situation. Perhaps Elle didn't want it known what she could do.

Meaning a drink in the face could potentially have her 'outting' herself against her will. This had Shiva tensing a bit, trying to restrain herself.

But she has this friend called Vic. Who is recovering from a life-threatening injury and has a hot head at times, despite being told repeatedly by her (and others!) to stop that.

"Don't you dare." Immediatly Shiva is up and moving, following Vic and determined to keep him from hurting himself again. She is considered one of the top three martial artists on the planet. She's pretty sure this punk will be no trouble, though she is mainly there to protect Vic. From himself.

Hela has posed:
"Wise choice," Elle remarks quietly at the member of Nick's gang who decide to leave of their own accord. But then Nick himself decides to make a spectacle by throwing his drink right at Elle. It is notable the all the club's staff appear to stop what they're doing, staring in silent horror as their boss is splashed with a drink.

The fact Elle doesn't melt on the spot might suggest she's not the witch many have claimed she was, following her famed exploits during the Black Sleep plague. Instead she just gets soaked as any person might. Shiva, however, might be the only one in the room to realize Elle was only hit by the drink because she choose to let Nick hit her with the drink.

"That was a mistake," Elle offers calmly to Nick, not a shred of anger in her voice.

Elle holds up her arm, with two fingers extended towards Nick. "Two choices," she narrates, "one, you leave now and never return. Two, you come with me to the office, and then you learn what I will do about this...my patrons need not be disturbed by your insolence. But there's a price to be paid, and I will extract it," the words are spoken as a promise, before Elle starts to walk towards a hallway to the left of the bar. "Follow or leave, but make your choice now," she offers, the fact she has her back turned completely to Nick shows just how little regard she has for the man who dared spill a drink on her.

Tombstone has posed:
Tombstone glances up at Nick and mumbles something to himself before going back to his drink. As much as he wanted to smash the fucker, it wasn't worth being kicked out and banned for life. Nick on the other hand, was about to leave when he was hit in the head by a salt shaker. Nick curses up a storm and turns towards Vic. Nick pulls out a pocket knife and says," You motherfucker!" He then tries to rush towards Vic and tries to stick him with his knife.

Question has posed:
"A pocket knife? Really?" At the very least maybe a gun would be a challenge. As Nick rushes Vic to stab at him, the alter ego of The Question drops down, letting the blade and outstretched arm soar easily over his head. Vic launches his fist in a straight punch towards Nick's unmentionables, following up the strike by using his other fist at the juncture of upper arm and shoulder in an attempt to pop Nick's arm out of it's socket. Finally, Vic pivots on his heel and outstretches his leg, attempting to buckle Nick's knees and force him to the ground.

Lady Shiva has posed:
As Vic goes in strong, Shiva forces herself not to act. Not to interfere. Certainly, she is not wanting him to get hurt again but he also is not one to be trifled with. Taught by the Dragon. Taught by her. Others as well most certainly. He could handle a thug. So she waited, watching, close enough to act if she needed to.

Hela has posed:
Strangely enough, Elle seems to pretend like Nick didn't just pick a fight with Vic. Nevermind the fact Nick looks he stepped way over his head the way Vic is handling him. Instead, Elle continues to march towards the aforementioned office, as she announces, "of course if you choose not to leave, you better not make me wait in the office..." and just like that she's gone. Would be curious to see if Nick is even able to walk after Vic is done with him. It also doesn't seem like anyone is going to stop Vic from letting Nick have what he earned. The staff just largely observes rather than call the cops.

Tombstone has posed:
Nick screams in pain as he gets his hit in his groin and gets his arm disconnected from his shoulder. As he is knocked down to the ground, he starts wraithing in pain and yelling threats. Tombstone just glances over, and shakes his head as he continues to drink his drink.

Question has posed:
Vic stands from his crouched position, leaning over to pick up the pocket knife and casually closing it. "That looked like it hurt." Vic says as he drops the knife into his pocket. "Now maybe you will have a little more respect for people, Asshole." Vic grabs Nick by the offending jacket and starts to drag the guy towards the door, to get him out of the club. "If you're lucky, your guys can take you to a hospital. You shouldn't have any permanent damage."

Vic looks over to Shiva, "See, I had this."

Lady Shiva has posed:
"And I had any of his allies who felt they should interfere," Shiva responds, as though she was not hovering like a protective mother bear with her cub. She glances toward the bar where Tombstone is sitting quietly then back to Vic.

Yet, she still isn't walking away. If he gets jumped when he goes out the front door, she will be there. When that doesn't seem to be happening, only then would she turn back to return to their table.

Tombstone has posed:
The man continues to let out curses and loudly threaten Vic as he is tossed out of the club. His friends appear to be long gone. Tombstone, throughout all of this does not looked phased and is drinking a second glass, muttering to himself.

Question has posed:
Brushing off his hands as he walks back inside towards the previously occupied booth, Vic shrugs a shoulder. "I could have handled it, Shiva." he says with a slight hint of annoyance, but follows up after a beat, "But I do appreciate you being there to help out should the situation needed it. Now, fun time over, did you really just call me here for dinner?"

Lady Shiva has posed:
While Shiva could offer a rebuttal, she opts to leave that alone. "I did invite you for dinner. You need time to relax outside of Gotham. Although, this area of New York City is known for the Hand often trying to encroach." She pauses as a server approaches, offering to get drinks. Only after the server is out of earshot does she continue.

"I would not be surprised if the Foot are doing the same. I have put out word on the street I wish to speak to a representative from their organization."

Question has posed:
The answer actually gives Vic a moment of surprise. Just a dinner. No test, no surprise attack, no expectation of help. A small smile forms over Vic's lips as he leans back in the booth and lets himself relax just a bit. "If I didn't know better, I would say you asked me out on a date. But don't worry, I know better."

Vic lifts his glass of water and takes a small sip, eyes narrowing slightly at the mention of the Hand, and the Foot. "What is it about New York? Why does it have such a horrible problem with Ninja?"

Lady Shiva has posed:
His date joke is not even worthy of narrowed eyes. Shiva goes on as though she never heard it, focusing on his questions instead. "Most large population centers have trouble with them. It is just less known in the cities that do not have a resident set of heroes protecting it. You rarely hear about the Hand outside of Hell's Kitchen, though they are active all over the city of New York."

There is a menu there and she flips it open, leaving it lying flat on the table as she does so. Wouldn't do to block her view of the room in any way by raising it higher. "They seem to largely carnivorous here."

Question has posed:
"It IS a Viking bar, Shiva." Vic says with a little bit of a chuckle. "I'm not sure they were known for being vegetarian, but I am sure we can find something palatable. I'm sure they have at least a salad of some sort."

"You don't see many ninja running around Gotham. Not as much as here, anyway. I know we get some of the factions showing up at times like the League or the Owls, but it isn't as much of an infestation as it seems to be in a place like this. Or if it is, I'm just out of the loop. Well, we didn't use too. Now with Shredder, that seems to be changing."

Lady Shiva has posed:
"One would think they would have learned the benefits of flora in their diets by this age," Shiva mutters as she looks over the menu. There is indeed a salad. It can be ordered covered in meat, of course. The lack of proper tea is noted and puts this place on her list of establishments not to visit often. Her gaze shifts the direction Elle had gone. Perhaps she was being too hasty.

"Our hostess has secrets. Her question to you not withstanding. She could have avoided that drink, had she chosen to. I suspect she is quite formidable."

Question has posed:
Vic glances back towards the office, where Hela headed. "Yeah? I figured something was up when she didn't even raise her voice. I don't know about her getting hit with a drink on purpose, but I do know the sound of someone who has confidence in what they think they can do, and she had that in abundance. Something tells me I actually did that guy a favor by lodging his nuts in his throat."

Vic peers down at his own menu, and hrms. "Well, they do have a stew with plenty of vegetable in it, but it has meet in it as well. Maybe we can just ask for them to just toss a few veggies on the grill or something. Or there is fish, but I have no knowledge on how they prep the fish."

Lady Shiva has posed:
"Probably over an open fire," Shiva says, only half jokingly. It does seem like that sort of place, after all. "I believe I will try a salad and perhaps the side of mixed vegetables. That should suffice."

She folds the menu closed and looks back to him. "I believe you did do him a favor. I suspect he would have fared far worse had he gone to the office with her." She glances over toward Tombstone and back. "Are you familiar with him?"

Question has posed:
Vic Sage closes his own menu and nods, "Sounds like a good choice. I'll follow your lead on that. Though I was eying the lamb, it has been a while since I had a good rack of lamb."

"Yeah, that is kind if the vibe I was getting as well. She didn't seem to 'friendly', not that I would expect her to be after getting a drink thrown on her mind you."

Vic casually glances over towards where Tombstone is and then back to Shiva, with a shake of his head. "No, but he seems to be bad news, as far as I can tell from first impressions. Do you know him?"

Lady Shiva has posed:
"I am not familiar with him personally. I will ask some of my sources for information. I'm certain the Kingpin will know." The name is mentioned casually, despite the fact that name is linked to a major criminal --well kingpin. He did get the name for a reason.

It was like that with Shiva though. She'd worked for or with many people. Some heroes. Some villains. It just was what suited her at the time. Jobs were chosen carefully. She was well off and could be selective, not having to take any job that came along like some mercenaries. "The group he was meeting with are known for being in the drug trade." She gives a tight smile, amused at a thought. "So many questions, from a simple dinner."

Question has posed:
Vic lets a little smirk show on his face as he expels a quick snort of air thorough his nose. "Sometimes you amaze me, Shiva. The names you just casually drop like it is just 'Bob from accounting' astounds me. Not that I expect any less, but sometimes it still is a bit shocking."

He glances back over towards Tombstone, "Drug trade huh. I feel so bad for ruing that guys night so much more now. I'm just so heartbroken."

Lady Shiva has posed:
"I can tell you are beside yourself," Shiva replies with her own smirk. Then the server arrives. It takes a bit of doing, and some incredulous looks as well as a carefully phrased "You know this is a Viking restaurant, right?" which got a look from Shiva directed to both the server and Vic. Like it was his fault.

Finally, salads, grilled vegetables and a mixed veggie side were ordered for them both. Shiva opted to stick with water since hot tea was not on the menu. Once the serve was gone, she continued. "I am unsure if the man at the bar is involved in such. Simply the gang he was meeting. We will find out, of course."

Question has posed:
Vic can't help but chuckle a bit at the side eye Shiva gives him as the server gives her the same line about what type of food is served. "I told you, I should have just gone for the lamb."

Casting one last glance over towards Tombstone, Vic nods to Shiva. "This is a bit out of my normal area of operation, but if something needs to be done..." he trails off, leaving the rest implied. "For now, I am going to take your advice and relax. Have a nice, quiet dinner with a friend."