3222/Black Cat in The Darkness

Black Cat in The Darkness
Date of Scene:	23 November 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Darkness, Black Cat

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Darkness has posed:
Since their first meeting, Jackie has kept up with Felicia, and has kept her work activities as well as her identity as close a secret as he carries about himself. A few days ago, he sent her a message asking for her help, and telling her that he would explain it all. He setup a dinner for late at night, in a place he knows wouldn't be bugged, and set the Darklings about the area to make sure they weren't disturbed.

Felicia knows that the restaurant she is invited to is one of the best Italian places in Manhattan, and she /also/ knows that it is completely owned by the Franchetti Mafia. That isn't surprising given that Jackie is their Head Enforcer, a fact that she is also aware of, and so it is up to her whether she shows up as Black Cat or Felicia.

As is his prerogative, Jackie has the place cleared out tonight, and he has the cooking staff all to himself. He is in the private room upstairs, already swept for listening devices on a regular basis, and he has setup an authentic Italian meal from the Old Country. There is a bottle of wine, in a chiller, by the table where Jackie waits for his dinner date.

Black Cat has posed:
Felicia is a few minutes early, given the nature of the meeting, so that she can scope out the situation and make sure everything looks safe. As she arrives and steps out of her limo, she hears a gravelly snicker coming from a bush nearby.

"Boss is THE MAN..." followed by a sharp "SHUSH!" Then a gravelly chortle. "Oh yeah..."

Felicia is dressed in a long-sleeved black minidress, with a plunging neckline and a backline to match. Around her neck, a black collar, and dangling at her throat is a round red diamond. She fingers it fondly as she looks around, and makes her way into the restaurant, looking for her date.

Darkness has posed:
Felicia is met at the door by a rather large and well dressed 'door greeter'. "Evenin' ma'am. Jackie asked me to take you up to the dining room." The big man /tries/ to not look, but he is truly outmatched. Felicia can tell that he's nervous about keeping his eyes (and hands) to himself. "If you'll follow me, please."

He gets the door for her, takes her through to a set of stairs in back, and then up to a room where another guard is standing by. This one is smart enough to wear sunglasses, and he knocks on the door before opening it. "Your guest is here, Jackie." He turns back to Felicia, opens the door for her, and sees her through. As the door shuts, she can hear the two guys "Damn, Jackie is one scary dude, but I guess the ladies don't know that.." The other voice replies, "Shut Up. I don't want to get killed for your mouth." and their footsteps heading down the stairs is heard by her.

Jackie walks over as Felicia comes into the room, and he wraps her in a familiar hug. He kisses her cheek, and whispers in her ear "You are ravishing, Felicia." He takes her hand, and walks her over to a chair that he pulls out himself. Once she is seated, he takes his seat next to her, and asks "Would you like some wine? I also have antipasti here, and the staff can fix you any kind of salad you like?" He pauses, his eyes locked on hers, one of the few men capable of not leering at her, "I've missed you, Felicia. How're you doing?"

Black Cat has posed:
Felicia is positively glowing, and smiles warmly to Jackie as she leans in to hug him close. "Wine, yes. Mmm...Red please? Something a little sweet, thank you. I'm well, Jackie. Extremely well. And yourself? I trust you've not found any of those dimestore thugs that have caused you any real inconvenience?"

"I have to say, however," she adds, "that your choice of surveillance outside is....an interesting one. I could feel one of them leering at me from across the lawn. I'm pretty sure he was imagining me naked. The hell would he do with me if he even FOUND me naked?" She shakes her head. "I somehow doubt he'd have a clue."

Darkness has posed:
Reaching over for a wine that fits Felicia's request, Jackie begins pouring for them both with her glass being first, "I've been doing really well. Harley wants me to tell you hi, and that she misses you too." An eyebrow quirked, but nothing more is said. "Harley and I have been tracking them down. It seems someone has put a hit out on me, outside of the Families, and we're trying to figure out /who/."

He shakes his head, a long sigh follows, "Yeah, so that's part of what I want to talk to you about." The staff bring in the first set of dishes, and asks Felicia if she has any requests for a salad, or requirements for her main entree. Once they are gone, Jackie looks at her, his ice blue eyes extremely serious, "That is part of what I'm hoping you can help with, Felicia."

"You see..." Jackie begins, "...well, let me start from the beginning." He raiss his glass to her, "Toast, first, fond friends, amazing memories, and the continued growth of both." Once she takes a drink, he asks her, "Are you familiar with the entity known as The Darkness?" then he takes a drink from his own wine glass.

Black Cat has posed:
Felicia is taking a sip of her wine, and she's taking in all that he's saying. Then..."Are you familiar with the entity known as The Darkness?"

Felicia sputters and coughs, blotting her lips delicately with her napkin and placing it on her lap. She looks at Jackie for a long moment, regarding him thoughtfully. "No shit..." she utters under her breath as though in a moment of revelation. "Well doesn't THAT just finally make sense of everything...."

Darkness has posed:
Jackie raises an eyebrow at her reaction, and picks up his own napkin to dab a bit at a missed spot on her cheek. The touch is appropriate, almost gentle, and he sits back in his chair. "Yes. That seems to be the reaction of most people who /know/...' he sighs in response.

"Please, Felicia, eat while I explain..." He takes a moment to order his thoughts, "I am the current host of The Darkness. It seems that We have a particular affinity for one another, and it seems this affinity has caused me to grow faster than expected. The problem is, I don't know what the hell The Darkness is..." He frowns, obviously frustrated with his lack of knowledge, "...it's not like the damn Power comes with a manual. I'm fumbling around, and I have at least three different groups of psychos trying to kill me. I need help, figuring what I am, what IT is, and what I can do..."

He runs his hand through his long, black hair "...I was hoping you would either know, know someone that knows, or be able to get information on The Darkness. I can give you some leads on enemies I"ve dealt with, and supposedly a group that is following me... but I haven't had any interacting with."

Black Cat has posed:
Felicia's blue eyes sparkle, taking on an unnatural greenish hue. "I'll do ya one better than that," she says to Jackie with a mischievous grin.

"I have in my possession a scroll...it's in a gold sheath, encrusted with gems. Rather beautiful, actually. I found myself a...ah...captive audience, shall we say...to a handsome man who turned out to be more demon than human. When I escaped him, I took one of his priceless ancient artifacts with me. That scroll..." She tilts her head, hesitating to say more. Yet she knows that Jackie would not have set up their meeting here, if there was any chance that it could be compromised.

"It is relevant to your curiosity. I have been trying to decide whether to do the work to translate it, or just sell it as an unsuspecting acquisitions engineer on the black market. Because once I translate it, there's no going back. Perhaps there's a reason why I still have the item."

Darkness has posed:
Jackie leans forward, his own eyes becoming intensely focused on Felicia as she describes something that may be /exactly/ what he's been looking for this entire time. He takes another drink of the wine before speaking, biting his lip a moment with indecision, "You are One of a Kind, Felicia."

He reaches over, eating some of the antipasti, watching her intently, "What would this scroll cost?" His tone serious and calm, but the need in his eyes is easy for her to make out. A chance at really learning something about himself is quite the carrot to dangle. "I won't take it for free, and I doubt you'd give it to me for free. So, lets start the negotiations."

Black Cat has posed:
"Protection," Felicia replies simply and without hesitation. "You have that ability. I need it. Especially if someone were to find out what I have, and that I'm willing to exploit it rather than sell it." Felicia swirls her glass thoughtfully in her hand for a moment.

"I don't want the money, God knows I've got all of that I'll ever need. Stealing isn't even for the money anymore. It's for the thrill. For the fun." She looks back up to Jackie and quirks a brow. "What say we have a little fun, then?"

Darkness has posed:
That was not what Jackie was expecting her to ask, and it causes him to pause a moment to really consider her request. "You know, Felicia, you could've had that without the scroll." A look of confusion on his face, "I'm good with watching out for you, and stepping in as needed if someone comes looking." and she can tell that he's telling the truth for both comments.

Jackie chuckles, "No, Felicia, I can't imagine you much need money. It's nice to be able to do what you want, when you want, but it looses it's luster after awhile." He finishes off his glass, her comment causes him to quirk his own brow, "I'm always up for some fun. What've you got in mind?"

Black Cat has posed:
"I say we spend a little time working on this scroll. I have a 'scholar' or two in my pocket," she says, the word air-quoted without requiring the gesture, simply by the inflection she gives it. "Come to think of it...I suppose I'll have to pay them now, as well." She laughs, but doesn't give voice to why...

Life behind the mask and above the law is a lot easier for a stray cat. Once she's kept, things get a little more complicated.

Darkness has posed:
"I'll pay for the scholar..." Jackie offers immediately, since it is something for him anyways, "...let me know what you need. I'll take care of it." He gives her a smile in return, she definitely doesn't need to spell it out for him.

At this point, the next part of the meal is dropped off, and then the staff quickly head out of the room. "I can't tell you how much this means to me, Felicia. I'm very excited to see what you've got there..."

Black Cat has posed:
"Excellent. Well then, it seems we have struck ourselves a deal. It seems like the universe sorta does things for a reason sometimes, doesn't it?" Felicia smiles and sips from her glass. "And here I thought I was just stealing an artifact from a sadistic scumbag." There are worse words she could use for Azazel. Much worse. But no sense in blowing them all at once, when she could ration them out for years.

Darkness has posed:
Raising his glass to Felicia, Jackie nods his head in agreement, "We have a deal, lovely lady." His head tilts slightly at the comment of sadistic scumbag, but he leaves it alone... for now. "I like the way the Universe works if it allows me an opportunity to have a dinner with a lady as beautiful as you, and still get what I want in the end."

Mentally Jackie has already reached out to a trio of nearby Darklings ~Felicia, keep an eye on her, stay out of sight, and DO NOT bother her. I will know. ~ He receives a mental assent from them, and Felicia has the beginnings of her protection.

"So, lets enjoy dinner, and talk about other happier memories. I'm really interested to hear where you found such an amazing diamond..." Jackie tells her as he nods at her choker.