3890/Winter in the Park

Winter in the Park
Date of Scene:	16 February 2018
Location:	Central Park
Synopsis:	Lana runs into Loki (in his P.I. persona). Introductions are exchanged. An offer is made.
Cast of Characters:	Svetlana Kuznetsov, Loki

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Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
It's a beautiful Friday evening in New York, complete with lightly falling snow. Lana is taking tomorrow off, since most of the SHIELD training staff has weekends off as well. So tonight she's exploring. Darcy has taught her about the subway, and Lana is a quick learner. Hopping a train, she gets off at Central Park and starts to walk.

Wearing jeans and leather, boots and a jacket, Lana looks just like any other teenager. And the Russian-born girl is really enjoying walking at night with the snowfall. Had she done any planning before leaving, she might have picked a different place to walk other than Central Park.

Loki has posed:
    Snow fall is often lovely at this time of year. It covers up the old drifts of grey from the storms only a few days and weeks old, the snow having survived with the low temperatures. It's often depressing, seeing the snow become more and more grimy as the days and weeks go on in Winter. But when the snow falls fresh and new, it transforms everything, it casts everything back to that first night of ice and crystals when Winter first truly arrived. It hides all the grime and dark behind that fresh coat of white...
    And it seems to cause the citizens of the city to warm a touch, despite the chill in the air. The lakes and fountains are frozen over for the most part, save for the heated olympian fountain that gurgles as its pool is heated. There are couples walking along enjoying each other's companies. Years ago when things were at their worst people would avoid Central Park. But these days, it's not quite as bad. Not entirely without crime, but not so bad.
    In fact it's at that tall fountain with the marble statue that a group of older children and teens have gathered in a half-circle around a man who is seated on the lip of the dais with a deck of cards in his hand as he shuffles through them. Steady streams of steam come from each exhaled breath while they watch the street magician casually flicking through the deck. At points he produces a card, at times he flicks one into the air to catch it behind his back. A handshake is given and he produces the required card and there's laughter in the air then. The warmth of humanity.

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    Lana walks along one of the many paths in the park, following the winding trail with little regard for where exactly she's going. She hears the voices, the children and teens watching the card tricks. The laughter.

    Lana slows, lingering for a moment before making her way over to watch the card tricks. Hands are thrust into her jacket pockets, and she doesn't really seem to mind the cold. The scene tugs at memories, old memories of her childhood. Before she was selected for the Program. And even before she started training as a skater.

Loki has posed:
    That man has a smile on him, it's wide and open with a hint of mischievousness that might seem on the edge of something almost dangerous, even as his green eyes flick from face to face in the audience. He's handsome enough, considering the amount of so beautiful people in this world and this city, what with his sandy blonde hair pushed back and small crystals of ice alighting there before melting. A great olive green coat protects him from the weather and is buttoned up close around him. But what might draw the eye the most are his hands.
    Long fingers, clad in what most likely is lambskin, black gloves rather tight to the hand so as almost to be a second skin. Those gloves don't seem to interfere with the play of the cards, the flicking movements, the casual misdirection as he points and gestures to shift eyes hither and yon. But then there's his voice, warm and regal and British. Somehow so fitting to the man as he speaks, "Now show me, Janice, is this your card?"
    "No? Heavens."
    A flick of a gesture and he produces another, "This?"
    The young girl shakes her head, hiding bashfully behind her hand muffler.
    "Then perhaps it's... in here?" And he lightly taps the top of that fuzzy muffler only for her to draw out one hand and blinks a few times, the kids break into brief titters and laughter.
    Yet he rises and waves a hand, "There now, that's enough for tonight, off with you."

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    The accent surprises her, truth be told. Lana has been in America long enough to know how Americans speak, and this isn't it. She's seen magic tricks before, but nothing like this. And the interest is undisguised in her eyes. By the time he is closing out the trick she is part of the crowd.

    And when the man produces the card from the girl's muffler, Lana lets out a low, brief laugh. It's something she hasn't done in a very long time. Not even Darcy's antics have been enough to make her -truly- laugh.

    The kids group up and start to drift away, but Lana doesn't join them. She steps closer to the man, moving slowly and casually. "You are not American." she declares, her words edged with Russian vowels.

Loki has posed:
    Those vibrant green eyes meet hers and his answer is a flip, "How can you tell?" Even as those words are murmured with the tell-taleaccent. He extends one hand to drop the deck of cards into it, lightly flipping the top card to the bottom with one hand until it reaches a point that for some reason suits him, as that's when he pockets the deck into the depths of that great coat.
    His eyes follow after some of the other people from the crowd, but then his attention returns to the young woman with that Russian tone to her words. "Started out as a lark a few months ago, but now at least I know if I ever can't make the rent perhaps I can earn my salt performing." His lip twitches.
    Then he adds, "You don't seem too American either."

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    Amusement remains in those big, brown eyes and Lana doesn't hide the slowly-fading smile. The card maneuvering is watched a bit too closely, but when the deck disappears she turns her attention towards his face. Especially his eyes.

    Lana shrugs at his question. "That's because I am not." It's a simple enough answer. After all, she doesn't know this man. And perhaps now she begins to understand why Darcy carries a taser in her bag. "Why are you doing magic tricks at night in the park? Are you really looking to make money? Because you need to put down a hat for people to put money in. Or perhaps a cup."

Loki has posed:
    "Superstition, mainly." The tall man says as he adjusts the hang of his coat with a sweep of one hand along the buttons. He looks to the side at her as he lifts a gloved hand to those crystals of ice in his hair and lightly shakes them out even as the snow continues to fall around them. "For a time I had a dry spell." He starts to walk away from the fountain, but it's clear he's engaged with the conversation as he turns around and starts to walk backwards while speaking to her.
    "No clients, no money coming in. So, in a bout of morose self-pity, I took to walking at night. I met a man running a three-card monty game." Should she join him on his stroll he'll turn back around and start walking ahead as is normal but continues to regale her with his tale. "We hit it off, showed him some tricks, the crowd around his game enjoyed it. And then the next day, a very interesting case walked into my office and paid for the next three months of rent."
    He walks a bit further, then tells her sidelong, "My name's Sam, by the way."

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    And Lana walks along with the man as well, following him almost like he was the Pied Piper. She nods slowly, letting her hands slip out of the pockets. Brows knit as some of the terms slip by her, but Lana has learned not to be shy with questions. "Three-card monty? Ah, this is a game with cards?"

    "What do you mean by a 'case'? This is a person, yes? But why call them a 'case'...?" Knowing better than to get too far ahead with the questions, the girl offers. "My name is Svetlana, but everyone calls me Lana."

    As they walk along the path, they pair isn't alone. Walking around a corner, a man runs out from behind a bush and hooks an arm around Lana's throat. Holding a gun to her temple, he screams. "GIVE ME ALL YOUR MONEY OR I'LL BLOW HER BRAINS OUT!"

Loki has posed:
    "Ah," He says, so eloquently, "Well as you see, I am what one would call a private investigator. People come to me with cases. You see." Sam offers that to her with what could be perhaps considered a hint of self-consciousness, as if aware of the social stigma that his occupation at times carries. Which he is.
    But then circumstances change rather abruptly and quickly as they are wont to do. One moment they are two people strolling along the paths in the freshly fallen snow and then the next...
    When he emerges, Sam steps back and to the side, distance gained just a touch and turning to face him fully. His eyes are widened with a twinge of surprise and perhaps a hint of incredulity. His lip twists faintly into a small smile, as if he had forgotten to be concerned but then that's gone as he replaces it with sincere serious disapproval. "Calm down, calm down." He holds up his empty hands, "Sure thing. Just going for my wallet, alright?"
    That having been said he reaches a hand into the pocket of his coat and is, indeed, producing a wallet with which to pay the fellow. For Sam Gwydion is a pragmatist if naught else.

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    And Lana? Oh she remains calm, alright. Sam reaches for his wallet and then the girl... MOVES. It's fast, almost too fast to be human (to those with otherworldly senses...). The hand with the gun is grabbed and twisted as she turns. The wrist-throw puts the would-be mugger suddenly on his back, right where Lana can drive a knee into the hollow of his shoulder with her full weight.

    There's a CRUNCH when the girl lands in his shoulder-joint, her face expressionless as she plucks the pistol from his numbed hand. The mugger cries out in pain, helpless to do much of anything right now.

    "You can put that away, Sam." the girl offers almost casually. She thumbs a switch on the automatic and the mag drops out, the slide rolling back. "Idiot did not even have a round in the chamber. I was told that I am not to kill people, but I do not wish to talk with police." The girl hits the mugger with his gun and he goes still.

    "Tell me, what is a private investigator?"

Loki has posed:
    Many would respond to that abrupt whirlwind of activity with surprise and being terribly taken aback at the change of events. And, perhaps to some degree, Sam is as well. But it manifests in him in a widening smile as he turns his head to the side, still holding out that wallet in one hand. He smiles sidelong at her, as if she just told a rather remarkable joke. A small chuff comes from him as he exhales, the puff of steam sending some snowflakes twirling in the air.
    "A private investigator..." He starts to say, those words hanging there in the silence that so abruptly rushed in between them after that man had hit the ground and lost consciousness by the short sharp strike from the woman. Then, after a few beats of his heart, he adds, "Is a man who is hired by a person to look into things for them. A detective."
    He only then tucks his wallet back into his pocket and says, "To find your wife or husband if they're kidnapped, or lost, or cheating on you."
    He steps towards her and then looks down at the fallen mugger, then back to her. "Or trying to find a long lost relative. Anything really."

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    Leaving the mugger to lie on his back in the snow; still breathing, if a bit raggedly. A bruise is raising on the side of his face where she hit him with his own gun. Lana listens to the explanation, nodding slowly. She's still holding the gun, chamber empty and clip on the ground, while she process what he says.

    "So you help people." she replies, perhaps a bit simply. Sinking into a crouch, she picks up the dropped clip and checks the load. Sliding it back into the pistol, she chambers a round and thumbs the safety before tucking into the back waist of her jeans.

    "People pay you for this, yes? That is what you meant earlier."

Loki has posed:
    The man with the green eyes lightly nudges the silent figure of the fallen man with the toe of his black leather shoe, quirking an expressive eyebrow to himself as he hms. But then he looks towards her, "I perhaps try to, at times. Often people come to me with petty things, wanting to catch their lovers cheating, or get dirt on their husbands, to find someone who owes them money, or even to find disreputable things about a person they wish to shame."
    Turning back he starts to walk again, seemingly content to leave that man unconscious there behind them as he resumes the stroll. "Though, to be entirely fair, I try to avoid those." His smile is given to her, "Dull, you see. I prefer more interesting fare."
    Then there's a pause to his words and another hmmmm. "Tell me, Lana, are you gainfully employed?"

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    Lana keeps her attention on Sam, and when he starts walking she continues to follow. Nevermind that she just laid out a guy back there, that's now in the past. "So you choose cases that are more interesting. Not petty." And apparently not for altruistic reasons. Not that Lana seems to be bothered by that.

    "I am not a private investigator, Sam, I was trained as a soldier. When I last looked, there are no wars right now. I have a place to live, eat, and sleep. But I supposed that I am not gainfully employed."

Loki has posed:
    "I think..." He turns to the side, "That we should speak more on this." He reaches a hand into the front pocket of his jacket and produces a business card with his name emblazoned rather primly in black ink with the name of Offworld Investigations under his own. "Since I could use a partner who would be able to fill in the gaps missing in my particular skill-set."
    The card is extended to her and should she accept it he'll smile and then step back and away, "I am afraid my next destination, however, is not conducive to comfortable conversation, lest I'd ask you to join me. But another time?"
    There's a beat, then he adds, "Soon?" And should she agree that smile will return again.

Svetlana Kuznetsov has posed:
    Lana does accept the card, looking at it sort of like he'd just handed her a dead fish. The card finds its way into her jacket pocket once she recognizes that there's a phone number on it. The girl returns the smile... who could not?... and then she nods. "I will call you soon, Sam." she agrees.

    Lana isn't sure what being 'gainfully employed' will mean, and she realizes that she knows even less about Sam. But there's something about him that she likes, perhaps even something she could learn to trust.

    She knows what Darcy would say, but the long coat makes it difficult to check out the man's backside. And James Barnes? Lana is pretty sure he would disapprove, for some reason. He is always telling her to be careful.

    But there's no harm in making the call, right?