12195/Starlight: Putting up the banner

Starlight: Putting up the banner
Date of Scene:	18 September 2020
Location:	Bushwick (Mutant Town), Brooklyn
Synopsis:	Andrea and The Shredder face off once again after two years. Andrea will never forget their history. Shredder is as always, great a getting under her skin. Shannon almost witnessed a murder.
Cast of Characters:	Rage, Nightingale, Shredder

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Rage has posed:
Lifting the 'Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte' up to her lips for a sip, Andrea is currently standing outside a building that is a bit shabby and run down a few blocks away from Club Evolution. There is two men on a pair of ladders on either side of the building, raising a banner up to attach it above the entrance.

COMING SOON! STARLIGHT HEALTH CLINIC

There is a hint of pride in her eyes, a smile tugging along her lips after she swallows as she takes in this moment. Reaching up, she brushes the corner of her eye to ease some emotionally charged dew away. Today she is dressed in a white sweater with a couple stripes of color along the chest in blue, orange and pink, as well as a pair of snug flexible jeans. With Fall starting to make it's way to the east coast, it's time to start putting on the long sleeves.

Taking her phone out, she snaps a picture of it, then uploads it to her socials.

#Starlight #FreeHealthClinic #MutantTown #EqualRightsMeansEqualLefts

Nightingale has posed:
     Surely a day or two meant the dust had settled in Bushwick, right? It couldn't hurt to make a little trip into the area, could it? Leaving a note back home that she was going to pop in and bug Andrea to see the beginnings of this free clinic for herself, Shannon makes the flight to Bushwick.

     Thankfully, it's uneventful and without fanfare, and she's had the good sense to dress against both the oncoming chill of autumn, and the flight itself. She's wearing some dark blue jeans, her favorite calf-length caramel suede boots, and a long, cream-colored tunic sweater in a traditional cable-knit pattern.

     Of course, maybe a detour to the diner for some coffee, eggs, and home fries to go wasn't out of order. So why not indulge in some greasy spoon goodness while she was there?

     Ambling out of the diner with a covered paper cup and styrofoam to-go box in hand, she makes her way over to the building that seems to be seeing the most construction activity at the moment. A smile spread across her face as she read the sign.

     "Good. At least people here of /all/ stripes will have somewhere to go."

Shredder has posed:
    Oroku Saki was very aware of the events that occurred with Mutant Town. The Andrea Jackson concert had not gone as planned, either for herself, or for her guest appearance. Then again, maybe it went exactly as planned depending on who you ask.
    It's inspired the businessman to return to Bushwick. Of course, in his fancy car and sharp suit, he certainly stands out among most of the residents. His driver pulls up to the curb, and he spots the starlet in front of her banner. How fortuitous. He indicates for a park, and gets out, not waiting on the formality of the door being opened for him. Casually, he starts to approach the building, and looks up studiously at the sign and structure, silent as the grave. Some people just seem to be able to sneak up without trying, and Saki would not be one expected to be able to do such a thing, not with the normal presence he exudes.
    "I have heard about this," he says from behind them. "I must say, Ms. Jackson, well done." His sable eyes are on the building as he speaks. "You seem to be making quite a splash in Bushwick."

Rage has posed:
Nodding her head, Andrea rocks back and forth a bit on her pure white Addidas sneakers. "It's been two years in the making, but I finally am able to see one of my dreams come true. Thanks to X-Corp and Mister Worthington." She says to Shannon with a smile on her face, lifting her mug upwards. "I felt I deserved to treat myself to a basic bitch PSL with an extra shot."

There is a twitch of her ears, a sniff, then she nearly jumps out of her skin at the sound of 'his' voice behind her. A voice that she will never forget. As she turns around to stare at the taller Asian man, there is a small rumble in her throat as she squeezes her coffee cup a bit tighter in her hands. There is a clench of the jaw as goosebumps race along her arms from beneath her sweater.

"I just want to give back to the people who support me the most, who believe in me. My people." There is an emphasis on /hers/. HERS. Not /yours/. HERS.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Huh, Warren's back? Nice. Be nice to see him around sometimes." There was something about Shannon's voice, some slight quavering note that hinted he had been missed. She smiles a little bit, taking a sip of her greasy-spoon coffee, and loving every bit of it. "No good reason for you to not indulge in a pumpkin spice latte every once in a while. As hard as you work, you'd burn it off in no time flat."

     That twitch, that sniff, is all the winged teen needs to see to know something is amiss. She tenses, whirling about with surprising agility at the sound of the unfamiliar voice behind them. Those eyes were not set in a face she recalled ever having seen before, but one she knew she would now never be able to forget. Glancing between the stranger and Andrea, she lofts her brows. "An acquaintance, Andrea?"

Shredder has posed:
    "Oroku Saki, miss," A courtesy nod that might resemble a bow is given, with only the slightest of glance to the wings, as if it were an every day thing to spot on a person. "Founder of the Mutant Cultural Heritage Museum down the street, and Oroku Staffing services, among a few other things." Oroku Staffing Services was the predecessor to X-Corp, launched a few years ago with the intent to help mutants find work where they could be paid extra for their powers, earning them higher wages while saving corporations money on equipment.
    Of course, those few other things include some multi-billion dollar conglomerates as Oroku Industries, the parent company for StockGen and TCRI, major genetics and robotics developers. "We met a while back, yes. But I fear we haven't had as much interaction since that time."

Rage has posed:
There is a noticeable twitch in the corner of Andrea's eye. She takes in a deep breath, then lets it out slowly. "Yes, I've seen your museum." She says with grit in her throat, dragging her nails around the paper of her Starbucks cup. "It's very nice."

There is a chilled tone in her voice as she straightens up a bit tighter in her back, stiff as a rod. She gives another sniff of the air, casting a glance towards the car he came from, then back to him.

Nightingale has posed:
     Okay. That chill was something Shannon had only heard in Andrea's voice a few times--and when it was there, something was definitely not kosher. Still, she herself was determined to be at least outwardly polite. Especially if this could be someone potentially very dangerous.

     Spreading her wings outwards, she sketches a surprisingly theatrical, graceful bow to Saki, the corners of her lips tugging upwards in a faint smile. "Shannon." Yeah, no. She was -not- giving her last name to this one. "I've not had a chance to see the museum yet," she admits. "Perhaps one day." Her wings give a little flick, and settle in once more at her back. But she keeps her eyes on Saki, her brows lightly furrowed. "How is it you prefer to be addressed?"

Shredder has posed:
    "How very thoughtful," Saki answers. "Most call me Mr. Oroku, that would do nicely. "Yes, you really should. Rocko does an excellent job of keeping it up. He's very involved with the community, and loves the people here, which is why I trust him to lead the museum. I believe that people who are connected to their communities are best effective at serving them. I heard about your concert the other day," he comments back to Andrea. "I'm sorry there was such a negative shadow that was cast over it with the overreaction by the police."

Rage has posed:
"Yes, well -- I'm not going to let that incident ruin my day. Magneto showing up was unplanned, the police shooting him in cold blood even more so." Andrea says as she furrows her brows, glancing over towards Shannon for a moment, then back to Saki.

"My PR team took care of the rest." Her arms fold over her chest once she deposits her empty cup into the trash, then looks back towards him. Her eyes narrow a bit, then looks back towards her banner for a moment. "Anyways, my friend and I have a lunch meeting. It was nice to see you again."

Nightingale has posed:
     People who had to claim that they or theirs loved an area, often did not. Still, there was no need to make an overt fuss. Shannon just smiles at Saki, dipping her head in acknowledgement. "Mr. Oroku it is. A very musical sound to the name, really." Her wings ruffle lightly behind her, akin to a shrug. "Andrea's right, though. We had planned on a lunch meeting, though if you're involved with the community, I'm sure this won't be the last time we meet."

     Her look towards Saki, though brief and certainly civil, was nonetheless intense, perhaps a bit more so than most teens. There were a lot of questions to be asked, but perhaps that would wait for another time.

Shredder has posed:
    "Not to hold you up from your meeting, Ms. Jackson," Oroku interjects. "I think I may be able to do a bit more than your PR team can," he says. "I know you have reservations against me, mostly due to my past inexperience with the mutant community, and the sensitivities that come with it. Your friend Magneto can vouch that I have done a great deal for your people. This world is changing, and those who wish to change with it will thrive. Those who don't will fall behind." He narrows his eyes, as if in thought. "I intend to see the officers who transgressed you to be brought to justice, and I have a bit more pull than a PR team, with all due respect. I would love to get more information so that I can act in good knowledge."

    The car, for its part, seems simply to be parked, no one is getting out.

Rage has posed:
"Yes, I do have reservations against you. You tried to blackmail me by using video tapes of me defending myself and my friends in exchange for my DNA so that you can use it for experiments. Then you had someone sneak into my house and leave a little gift on my bed, as a reminder, that you can /always/ get to me." Andrea says with a visible frown upon her face. "It had nothing to do with inexperience and more to the fact you're just an awful person. I'm a wolf. I can smell my own kind, even when they hide in sheep's clothing. Billionaire technology owners do not care about mutants unless they are trying to weaponize them. What you are doing is painfully obvious to anyone who can rub two brain cells together."

"You can put as much spin on this as you want, but do I look like Britney Spears to you? I'm not having meltdowns and shaving my head because I had a bad day. I'm not that kinda popstar. Mutants isn't a business for me. I am a mutant. These are /my/ people. I love these people like I love my own family. I don't look at them as transactions or receipts. So, pardon my language, but fuck you. I will never forget what you did to me and I won't for a moment think that in a year and a half, you magically changed, found empathy and started giving a shit about us."

"Just leave me alone. Leave Mutant Town alone. Or else I'll start leaving little gifts in /your/ bed."

Nightingale has posed:
     Mmhmm. And there it was. The reason that Andrea was on edge around this Mr. Oroku. Her initial reaction to him, though subtle, had sent a whole host of red flags up in Shannon's mind. This was definitely not someone to piss off, and someone it was probably better to steer clear of if at all possible.

     "Justice is good, yes. But given Andrea's strong reservations, hopefully wondering about the means of such justice being served would not be considered amiss." Shrugging, she glances back at the nascent clinic, a faint smile spreading slowly across her face. "But what do I know? I'm just a kid, after all."

Shredder has posed:
    There's a casual arch of one brow. "Yes you are," Saki confirms for Shannon. There's a sharp, almost punitive tone to his agreement. "It's good that Ms. Jackson has learned to so judge people quickly and ruthlessly. It's a necessary skill for those in business, much as she chooses to claim otherwise. Then again," he turns back to Andrea, "so are prudence and patience, but I'm sure you'll learn that in time." Is that another threat? Or a comment. His tone makes it a rather ambiguous thing. "As it is, should that be your take, that is all well and good, offering an olive branch to you was not necessary for me to help mutants gain justice here. You can call it a business, or short on empathy, or any of a number of things. Justice for mutants won't come through empathy, girl. Compassion is not a trait of the mob. Only a fool would allow themselves to be convinced otherwise."
    He places his hands behind his back calmly, in a manner one might expect a lion to do, if lions did such things. "The mob understands hate. They understand revenge. They are a wild animal that's been wounded. Know this, people like yourself who foolishly dance with that wild animal are eventually mauled by it."

Rage has posed:
"I am that wild animal. I just put enough makeup on to cover the teeth." Andrea says as she gives a loud sniff, then glances over to Shannon. "Let's go, we have an apppointment to keep." She gives Saki another long stare before she pushes off her foot and starts down the sidewalk, fishing her carkeys out of her pocket.

"Next time, your olive branch should come with an apology!" She calls over her shoulder towards him. "Thank you for your investments in mutant town!" Bye Felicia.