3622/Chinatown mysteries

Chinatown mysteries
Date of Scene:	10 January 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Black Queen, Punisher, Armory

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Black Queen has posed:
Chinatown. A place filled with odds and ends. There are many tourists and others looking around for whatever dinner spot or last minute shopping they want to do, but a particular woman is walking casually down the street. She passes by others, and even a time or two waves her hand to the side, as if to dismiss a person who's about to walk in front of her, and sure enough they stop and look at her for a moment as she passes. In one hand in some elegant alcholic drink in some kind of crystal that looks like it came from a fancy restaurant or a wealthy person's house. She walks smoothly enough on her high heels as to not spill a drop, the drink inside mostly clear.

At a particular entrance she slows, her eyes glance to the side and she turns toward the table of things that are set outside. Perusing the items she picks up a coin in her gloved hand and looks at it a moment. Some business man starts to walk up to her, smiling, ready to make a sale. She doesn't pay attention to the man as he starts to tell a story about how old the coin is, passed down in generations in his family.

Punisher has posed:
    Chinatown has an older history as well. A couple generations back, this area was alive with the various gangs of New York although at that time it was mostly the Irish and other immigrants. Before the Chinese arrived. If you look hard enough, the Bowery Boys, the Dead Rabbits, and Pug Uglies can still be felt around here even as the Chinese mystism flows as well. It is an odd combination here in the spirit of the City.

    Frank Castle has a long black coat on with his hands in his pocket. He is walking next to a store with hanging cooked duck in the window. The smells hit first and foremost, and it does catch the Punisher's attetion. He pauses which is when he notices the tall, dark haired woman not far away, examining coins. He pays for a tea, but watches the woman who seems a little out of place down here.

Armory has posed:
Oooh, shopping. Noted Gothic lolita enthusiast and fashion disaster, Lunair is in town today. Something seems off about her. She doesn't emote properly, her face distant and flat. Almost as if she never really learned how. She is, thanks to fate, somewhere near the man, coin and lady. Something about the woman stands out, and so-- "Ohmygosh, ricecakes." She freaking loves rice cakes, and is momentarily distracted, the wolf amongst sheep. In this case, it's hungry college student meets tasty food. Carnage ensues. Or at least, buying a lot of rice cakes. The young woman could eat the Stay Puft Marshmallow man given time and a fork. Okay, focus!

Aaand a guy in a long, black coat. Huh. Curious. Stuff face. Observe. Be as the chipmunk cheeked one.

Black Queen has posed:
The woman responds to the man, though in Cantonese. And the man is looking at her a little lost, when she switches over to Mandarin. The man is still lost and starts to turn back, calling out into the shop, "Dad. Chinese!" Then an older chinese man starts to get up from the back, and the look on Selene's face becomes one of clear contentment.

The glare from her dark lined eyes looks down at the man in front of her, "I do not need a translator, especially not a slow one." She holds up the coin in a bit of a dainty between thumb and forefinger, "How much?" She sips her alcoholic drink from the crystal glass she may have pilfered, for who brings their own crystal glass to drink from? And the man smiles again from behind the table.
en given the price of only $10 dollars, she smiles a bit. "Do you have any other coins? Or anything else from the homeland that you brought with you? Family items? If you bring them out here, I will probably buy them all." She waves her hands forward at the man, like in a shoo shoo motion, and says, "Go, now, fetch. Bring them out here. I will be waiting." And she idly begins to look around, taking her gaze finally from the coin, though lightly rubbing at the coin with her gloved hand. Large man, crazy girl buying rice cakes... they get her eyes for a moment longer than others, but not much.

Punisher has posed:
    Frank takes his tea and begins to walk down towards Selene and the small curio shop. He glances over the rest of the wares, his eyes falling on an ornately decorted knife. He reaches down to pick this up with a small "Excuse me, ma'am," as he stands next to Selene now as she waits for the other coins. "Couldn't help but overhear. You one of those raven eyed antique dealers that find the treasure in the junk?" He asks a casual question, but his stance is anything but casual rather tense. This shop has known ties to the Chinese Triads that are bringing things into the country. This lady doesn't look like she is tied up in that, but a few questions doesn't hurt.

Armory has posed:
Oooh, that's the Triad shop and - NOMF. Lunair does seem a little feral on a good day. And now the man talks to the woman. She iiiiiinches over with her baggie of rice balls. Be cool, be cool. "Oh wow." Selene seems to reek of high class, and Lunair seems a bit surprised by that. There's a genuine, albeit awkward curiousity and friendliness, like a duckling with a knife strapped to it. "An antique dealer? That sounds so cool." Munch. Notably, she doesn't stop eating and comes in like a conversational wrecking ball.

Except she's not naked because this is not that kind of venue.

Black Queen has posed:
Looking up and over to Frank, Selene smirks a bit as she sips at her drink, just the most casual of sips. And then she looks to Lunair who sort of butts into the conversation, not that Selene seems to care it gives her time for another sip of her glass. Holding up the coin she offers, "About 700 years ago, a Mongol ruled over China, well... some of it. During the Yuan dynasty, some particular coins were made." She holds it up and offers it at testimony to her words, "You see the square cut in the middle? Well, coinage was still being perfected and they used similar metals to forge and cut the coins. The cut is imperfect, looks aged, and the symbols around the middle are rather authentic. Sometime a few hundred years later, the common way of writing some of these characters changed. Not sure why, they were fine the way they were before." She shakes her head a little, disapproval written all over her face, as if the coin showed some kind of personal insult.

Then she rubs at it a little more, "The dirt, is another good sign. It is hard to break up, so it is clearly not forged recently. And, of particular interest, the mongol khanate who had ruled, was rather fond of looking for an elixir of immortality. Not well documented except amongst the diaries he wrote on the inside of human skulls. Not exactly as long lasting as a well designed papyrus, but at least you can respect his medium." She adds after a moment's pause, "That knife however, is not even chinese. Nor, are rice balls. But, I guess you have to market to those who show up, don't you?"

Punisher has posed:
    Frank nods as he listens and also sets the knife back on the table. "You have to expect a bit of the tourist junk in and about. Besides, I have enough knives." He gives a slight snort that could be humor, but it is hard to tell. "Amazing they do not know about the coins however. Usually these shop keepers are sharper than that, but as they didn't even have someone that spoke any Chinese dialect out here when you walked up, it would seem they don't pay attention to detail." He looks at the coin in Selene's hand. "Must have gotten them by accident or something like that. Don't know what they havem." He looks to Lunair and nods as she walks up. "Ma'am."

Armory has posed:
Lunair is LEARNING. "Huh," She muses. "Neat." Smile. "And I guess. I feel sorta bad, but her food is the best," Lunair admits. She's perceptive enough, despite the awkward that hangs onto her like a static film. "Is it possible their supplier didn't tell them?" She asks, curious. Still, the food is tasty and she's learning. At Frank's knife joke, there's a faint smile. "Hello, mister. Are you two friends?" There's an almost childlike sort of innocence about bumbling into a conversation. But she's friendly. "Either way, that's really a find," She muses.

Black Queen has posed:
"You think? Sometimes these shops are really just fronts for illegal immmigration. They take whatever the person gives them in an exchange, and then sell it back to tourists. You see one of these shops pop open from time to time, and they need to speedily get rid of their things... you know, else it begins to look suspicious." Selene is waiting longer, while watching as Lunair talks and then asks a question, "Doubtful, I do not know this man." She downs some more of her drink and leaves it at that for right now, the guy from the shop starting to bring out a heavy box, and settle it down. He offers it on the desk to be perused and then goes to help a few other people coming up to their tables.

Punisher has posed:
    Frank gets quiet at the mention of the illegal immigration. That was one of the reasons he had been down here anyway. He already knew this shop was dirty, but he hadn't been able to really find the proof he needed. This man carrying out a box of coins apparently worth millions was suddenly a big Red Flag hanging over the place now. The fact that Selene knew could mean she was in on it and was here for the payout. He glances over at Lunair and speaks as the man with the box gets closer. "No, no. Just happened to be walking by and couldn't help but notice that she seemed to know what she was talking about. Always interesting to learn new things."

Armory has posed:
Lunair looks thoughtful at that. "There's that, too." As if somehow, maybe it was known? Or is she just super chill? Who knows? "Yeah, I saw this in the history area on campus. Or some coins, they had. I guess it's similar, but I don't know much about antiques and archaeology," She admits. Then her phone beeps. "It was nice to meet you, two. Do you come by here often?"

Black Queen has posed:
The woman gets a quick glance, and then she loooks over at Frank. "Learn new things? Ah, yes, it is great to do. The real power is in knowledge." Selene mentions as she opens the box up and takes a look at the coins inside, and then pulls out a bracelet and looks at it. She sets it aside, it looks pretty but apparently not 'old'. She then runs her gloved hand through the rest of the coins, before pulling it out and reaching for her clutch purse. Opening it, there's hundred dollar bills, tons of them. And she just grabs a few and sets them on the table, before looking to Frank. Eyeing the big box, that is clearly heavy, she wonders, "Would you mind?"

Punisher has posed:
    Frank weighs his options in his mind. Better to help a bit here, and perhaps learn something more than archeology. He nods and offers a polite smile. "Sure." He picks up the box. It is heavy and there is a slight ooff sound from Frank as he hoists it up. Damn, now if something happens, his hands are full and he isn't likely going to throw this very far. Still, lets see where this leads. "Where to?"

Armory has posed:
Lunair waves at the two. "Whoa. That looks heavy," Her eyes widen a bit. She just goes with the flow, apparently easy going. "See you around then. Be well." The girl smiles and waves. "Oooh, I smell dumplings." She's practically a bloodhound when it comes to food, it seems. Nosewrinkles. "Nice to meet you, ma'am and sir." Beam. She's going to go get that food if no one stops her.

Black Queen has posed:
As Frank hefts and heaves to pull up the big box of coins, Selene doesn't say thank you. It was kind of expected, as she downs the rest of her drink. "Here..." She walks to the door of the restaurant that had the duck on the outside, the very same that Frank had been standing outside of earlier. "Just here, I will call for a car. Though, it often takes forever in Chinatown. Crowded." She indicates, walking in through the door and into the building. She looks over as Lunair heads away, "I did meet you as well." She says in response to the 'nice to meet you' before finishing her high heeld steps into the little chinese restaurant.

Punisher has posed:
    Frank isn't controling the situation and he knows it. He doesn't like it, but he doesn't seem any other way to proceed. He gives a nod towards Lunair as she heads towards dumplings. "Take care, ma'am," he calls out after her before heading towards the restaurant carrying the box. He glances around him, taking stock of what is his enviroment before following the dark haired woman into the building carrying the coins."

Black Queen has posed:
Walking inside, Selene doesn't even skip a beat, moving to the side of the restaurant she starts walking upstairs. It's quite a few stairs, and when she gets to the top there's just one server. A very nicely dressed chinese woman looking to wear some kind of traditional dress. Selene holds out her glass, and it is taken pretty immediately, and then she just starts walking toward a much nicer booth than the one that was downstairs. Tall backed booths, nicely finished table, and from here she can see out onto the street. "Here. Just set it down on the table. If you would like something, feel free to order, they understand English, but will not speak it."

Punisher has posed:
    Frank could not have gotten in here without Selene so he is going to take advantage of looking at the set up while he is in here. He sets the box on the on the table indicated and then looks slowly around. He notes the exits. He sees how many people are in here at a given time. He does note the lack of noise and conversation. Unfortunately, he does not know any form of Chinese so they could end up speaking in gibberish, and he couldn't tell. He is quiet for a number of beats before nodding. He steps towards one of the servers. "Green tea, please."

Black Queen has posed:
The main room is very quiet, despite the bustling outside and downstairs. The high end section was blocked by a 'employees only' sign, but she just unlatched it to get upstairs. Once up here, there's a small kitchen area in one corner where a chef works in view of everyone. The waitress waits, off to the side, and watching them. There are two other booths up here, but they aren't occupied. Selene listens to the order, and she shakes her head, saying a few things in Cantonese again before she turns back into English, "They will bring you a jasmine tea. This one, it is from a traditional plant, the kind that must have care taken with it. It is a bit bitter if left too long, and the leaves if eaten whole can be poisonous." She pauses for a moment before dismissively waving a hand at nothing in particular, "Not lethal, by any means, but enough to cause problems to animals that graze unknowingly. You are not hungry? You look like you eat... regularly."

Punisher has posed:
    "Sorry. China was never my area of experience," Frank says with a nod as the server moves off to get the jasmine tea. He moves to stand next to the coin box, watching the room. He looks as if he is a guard on sentry duty even as the tea is brought over to him. He nods in thank you before turning to look back at Selene. "I do, thank you. Can't function without three squares a day or so my drill sergeant used to tell me. I am good." He holds the cup of hot tea in his hand. He turns it slowly as the heat in one spot becomes strong. He waits for a moment more before taking a sip. It is bitter, but for a man used to ration coffee, he can live with that.

Black Queen has posed:
"Oh. China was a passing fancy of mine." Opening the box again she starts to sift through the individual coins, pulling some of them out and seemingly organizing them. Some going into one pile and others into another. They all just kind of look 'old' and unless someone could read chinese it wouldn't even begin to make sense her organization. "You were military? No longer? You still seem like you carry it with you." She continues to sift through the coins, and adds, "I never liked Jasmine tea. I should, licorice tea though. Dug, straight from the earth."

Punisher has posed:
    "This is fine," Frank says with a nod to his tea. "The bitter doesn't bother me. Kind of gotten used to that over the years." He takes a sip of the tea as he watches her dig through the coins now. "Yes, I was military at one point." He does not elaborate at the moment as his quick eyes scan over the coins she is digging through. He can't read the writing, but he can see some differences. Age differences. Different characters. He can't follow her organizational pattern, but he is watching none the less. "Are you looking for something in particular among the coins?" One could be the code or the top piece that was the real payment for what is happening here.

Black Queen has posed:
"A story. In 1278, it is said, that a map had been discovered. Some say it was created by Marco Polo himself. And during his trip through China he wrote a diary, but more importantly..." Selene pauses and holds up one of the coins and then after another moment puts it into a third pile. This one has fewer characters, just 4, in fact, arranged against the square middle punchhole like a compas would have arranged around it. "This map, of course, led to some the elixir of immortality, or so the rumor goes. The Khanate I had mentioned earlier is not alive today, so... clearly he did not find his goal." Selene mentions, looking at a few other coins, "This collection took a long time to piece together. Every coin here... from somewhere during the short dynasty, and it is said that the map, unable to be entrusted to any single person, was split and given as the wealth to the people. Wealth... coins, it seemed like a worthwhile connection. Did you lose friends, or something similar in some war?"

Punisher has posed:
    Frank listens. He even sits down on the edge of a booth bench next to the box of coins as he sips his tea. He isn't just being polite, but actually learning. Information can never be dismissed even if it does not seem relavant at the time. It could become useful later. "Immortality has always seemed such a pointless goal. It won't last in the end no matter what someone does. Sure, there are folk tales and Fountains of Youth, but those just come from a fear of death." He shakes his head. "I don't fear it so maybe that is why that particular goal never appealed to me. It does seem smart, however, to split any map up." He takes another sip of tea and then nods. "Yes. I have lost people. In war. Out of war."

Black Queen has posed:
"There are always more people." Responding to the last little bit of your words before continuing. She pauses a moment in her sifting, only a few coins left unorganized, and looks up, "So many seek immortality. Even if this particular man, at this particular year, did not find it, does not mean it does not exist. Nor does it mean that he did not find something... just not what he was hoping for." There's an idle, gloved waving of her hand above the box of coins, letting her finger tips bounce about on the coins, "A true soldier. Few, have I met, who are truly soldiers. You might just be one of them." Taking a look out the window, she ahs and begins to stand, she just picks up the one coin she had separated out. "What was your name?"

Punisher has posed:
    "Castle." Frank nods as he introduces himself. "Frank Castle." He gets stone faced at the 'always more people line'. One hand slips back into his jacket even as he stands up and sets the tea cup down on the table. "I have taken up enough of your time, Ms...." He pauses looking for her name as well. "I am a Marine. As we say in the Corps, once a Marine always a Marine. So that might meet your qualifications of a soldier."

Black Queen has posed:
"Well, Frank... Castle. I was on my way out, but feel free to peruse the coins. I have the one I was looking for, though I was hoping for at least 2." Selene then pauses and takes a few steps away from the booth, leaving these old coins just on the table. "And it is Selene. You can call me Selene." She starts to head toward the stairs she had came up from, though Frank can probably keep in the lead. Outside though, some loud shouting and a bit of commotion is going on... <for part 2>