11682/Coffee and what now

Coffee and what now
Date of Scene:	27 June 2020
Location:	The Coffee Bean - Manhattan
Synopsis:	Everyone wandered through, but distractions managed to prevent much in the way of interactions.
Cast of Characters:	Duncan MacLeod, Sandra Billings, Punisher

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Duncan MacLeod has posed:
     Duncan arrives at the Coffee Bean and finds a seat. He settles on one and rests his back against the corner wall. His hands rest on the table and he nods to a passing waitress and patiently waits his turn. His eyes stray over the room, just getting a feel for things.

Sandra Billings has posed:
The door swings open, a bit too sharply before it's caught before it can smack the wall on the rebound. In comes Sandy, a stockier looking woman in her upper twenties. She is wearing a purple floral challis cami from Torrid and a pair of stretching blue jeans. Her eyes are dark and baggy, looking as if she may have had a long day. "Hey Doreen!" She calls over with a bubbly and upbeat voice despite the wear and tear on her face. "Can I get my usual, but quad shot the heck out of it? Girl, I am going to fall down and die right here in the middle of the floor."

Once she makes her way to the counter, she takes her wallet out of her front pocket and takes out a few bills of cash to pass over, followed by another tucked into the tip jar. "You won't believe the night I had, girl. This guy came in with about eighteen bullets put into him. I don't know how I did it, but he's going to at least make it through tonight. The gangs around here are terrible, I tell you what."

As they engage in conversation, Sandy is obviously high energy as she makes motions with her hands as she speaks. One of those types.

Punisher has posed:
Places like this can have an extensive back area... and some do not. The Coffee Bean has enough business to have a back cargo area, and recently, they hired a newbie by the name of Frank Harker. Wearing loose fitting clothing and a white baseball cap, it's very easy to dismiss him as just more hired help, especially when he's capable of lifting most of the cargo by himself; there's pretty much no need to hire additional help.

Of course, if he realized he had hired the Punisher, that would be an entirely different story.

For his part, the Punisher was here patiently surveying the area for a planned ambush attempt. I was a golden opportunity, since one of the local mobsters liked this place, and went to it regularly.

Plenty of real estate to plan around.

Duncan MacLeod has posed:
     Duncan notes the arrival of the nurse and smiles a little at he antics. He settles into his seat a little and makes an order when a waitress comes by. The place is quiet at least, friendly even. There is something about it though that causes him to be...mindful of the surroundings.

Sandra Billings has posed:
"I knoooow. I'm telling you girl. It's getting crazy out there now. I don't even like walking home from work. That and the bus doesn't run at four in the morning." Sandy takes her drink which looks like it could be the size of a barrel. It's the largest drink one can order. "Anyways, Dory, I'll be at my usual spot with my book, bird watching." The two friends share an amused smile at each other before she starts for the back of the cafe where a bookshelf awaits.

As she passes by Duncan's table, her eyes glance over to the new face curiously for a moment. She knows all the regulars. She gives him a bright smile on her way past, waggling her brows some playfully before she reaches the books. Reaching up, she takes one out, then heads to a small booth and settles down. The booth creaks a bit loudly beneath her weight, as if a bit more pressure was applied than what she normally would have. She's a big girl, but she's not /that/ big.

Punisher has posed:
"Harker! I need more cups!" The one out front yells in the back. "Got you." A low voice replies, as Frank grabs the requested cups and tosses them out through the open door right in front of the woman. It's a perfect landing, too.

Then, just as quickly as he stepped out, he's in the back again. It's more than enough time for Duncan to see the Punisher, if he's paying attention to his surroundings. Of course, he's dressed much differently and is wearing a hat this time... so he may not recognize the man immediately.

"Frank, I have eyes on target. We can confirm the schedule at this point, he's been right on time twice now. Always brings two bodyguards. All three should be an easy hit." Microchip explains over the commlink to the Punisher from the Battle Van outside. The duo had been keeping surveillance going for the better part of four days now along this route, and had determined this was the best place to do the ambush.

Now, it was only a matter of time.

Duncan MacLeod has posed:

     There is a soft sigh when Duncan does, in fact, recognize the face of the Punisher. There goes the neighborhood. If that wasn't enough, he shifts his attention towards the entrance, completely zoning out everyone in the room. His visage goes from grim to outright bleak for some reason and then he forces his features to relax. No reason to give away what he suspects.

Sandra Billings has posed:
As she flips the book open, Sandy seems to have it bookmarked. It may not be a popular book, that, or she hides it well out of order so no one else can snag it. It's a classic after all. Harry Potter. Taking a long, loud sip of her coffee, she hums around the straw happily as her eyes start to read along the lines. Whatever Frank is doing, she is oblivious to. She's tired and trying to make it through the next few chapters before her bus arrives so that she can get home. The walk from the hospital the cafe is long and this is her 'midpoint' on her journey home.

Punisher has posed:
"He's coming around the corner now, Frank."

Inside the Coffee Bean, Punisher remains silent, already moving for a specific box in the back and starting the timer on the 'bomb' within. It has to look and sound real after all... and the best way to make this work the way he's looking to do it is to make the exit confusing. With the holdout shotgun and timed trigger in place, Frank heads out the back way, into the alleyway... and heads for a sealed barrel.

Unlocking it, he starts to get his gear on for this job, even as the target Sedan starts to pull up to the front of the shop.

Duncan MacLeod has posed:
     Whatever had Duncan's attention, he's completely spaced off the Punisher. Not a bit of interest in him. The attention divider finally causes his to rise, not getting that order after all. He leaves a tip and moves towards the entrance to chase whatever is bothering him.