4923/An Unexpected Caller

An Unexpected Caller
Date of Scene:	15 July 2018
Location:	Greenwich Village, New York City
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Zhao Lin, Peggy Carter

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Zhao Lin has posed:
    The meeting place was set next to a small cafe in Greenwich Village. It wasn't really too surprising that he had asked to meet in an alleyway, that is, after all, where a lot of shady dealings tend to go down. At the hour, the alleyway is fairly empty. There are people walking by, but no one in the alley itself, save for a figure slumped over next to a dumpster. It's obviously a mutant or metahuman of some kind, as he's covered in fur and sporting a tail. His face is mostly obscured by the hat pulled down over his eyes, though it'd be hard not to miss the muzzle peeking out from beneath the brim. He appears to be asleep, or at least unconscious, and he cradles a canteen carved from a gourd against his stomach. It must have been a rough couple of days for him, it seems, because one of his sleeves has been torn off, and a fresh-looking bandage is wrapped around his bicep. Zhao Lin doesn't move, he only lays there, as far as the world is concerned nothing more than a homeless drunk passed out in the alley, out of sight and out of mind of most everyone who passes by.

Peggy Carter has posed:
If it were any other woman, walking into an alleyway in a business suit and skirt, with heeled shoes on no less, would likely be an unadvised thing to do. But this is Peggy Carter. Sure, she's only been in this 'time' for a little over a year now, but she was an experienced soldier and one of the founders of SHIELD, she damn well knows how to take care of herself. So with her eyes coming up from her phone, Agent Carter 'clicks' her way into the alley until she spots the leopard man. "Well thats unusual." Peggy announces herself upon seeing him. "Are you my contact?" She asks, her voice very much British in origin.

"I'm Agent Carter, you messaged me?" He's definitely the person she was sent here to find, she's sure of it, even if he looks as though he could just be a... not-very-typical homeless Leopard-man.

Zhao Lin has posed:
    There certainly isn't anyone else there to meet her, and the click of her heels makes one of his ears twitch as she approaches, giving away that he might not be entirely unconscious to begin with. When she speaks to him, he stirs, not yet sitting upright but first lifting a hand to push his hat back further atop his head and uncover his eyes. He blinks as he looks up at her, before he slowly pushes himself to his feet, unsteady as he stands. He certainly -appears- drunk, and his slurred speech doesn't exactly help dissuade that notion.

    "I am," he tells her, leaning his back against the wall in a slightly slouched posture. He uncaps the canteen he carries, lifting it to take a drink before he continues. "My name is Zhao Lin," he tells her, his heavy accent giving away his Chinese nationality, "I was given this and told to contact you." He digs into his pants pocket, taking his time as it seems to require some effort to grab ahold of what he's after, before pulling out a crumpled business card. It has the name "Carter" on it and a phone number for SHIELD. "Lara Croft told me I could trust you, Agent Carter," he continues, "And I am certainly soon to be in need of friends."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peggy's eyes watch the Leopard as he rises up to his standing height and she doesn't move from her own place even if he's taller her or not. She simply levels her gaze onto his and listens to what he has to say. "I see." Peggy responds while her hand goes out to take the card he'd been given. She looks it over as he speaks of Lara's name. "Miss Croft is an Acquisitions Agent for SHIELD." She exhales lightly and then offers the card back. "Keep it." She very softly says before elaborating. "If she sent you to me then that means she has some sort of angle on a situation that warrants my attention... But I assume it likewise involves her field of expertise." She waits a second, eyes on Zhao. "Am I right, Mister Lin?" Peggy asks.

Her eyes quickly give him a once over. "You appear to have likely seen better days, and are in need of some sort of assistance though. So is this a case of... mercy aide you're hoping for? A monetary payout?" Peggy has an air about her of a type of woman that hasn't existed for a very long time, a classiness that harkons back to an era long gone from this planet.

Zhao Lin has posed:
    "I would say it does," Lin confirms, "And it is "Zhao". I am Chinese." He chuckles faintly. "I am afraid I have not yet adapted to the local custom of giving my family name second." He waves his hand dismissively then, straightening up a bit more to push away from the wall. He takes a few steps closer to her and stands, swaying slightly, in front of her. "I am not interested in money, or aide. I heal... quickly enough, and I have learned to survive on the streets as well as any could." He flashes her a brief grin. "I am more in need of..." He pauses a moment, brow furrowing as though searching for the word he's thinking of, but then he chuckles again. "It is something of a long story."

    Zhao Lin pauses again to take another drink from his canteen, and he wipes his mouth on the back of his remaining sleeve. "I have been in New York for several months now," he tells her, "Searching for the man who murdered my Master. What started as a simple... quest for vengeance... became something more when I discovered -why- my Master was killed. There was a... necklace that he wore, with a large ruby set in its center. I had wondered, for a long time, why he never sold it. It must have been worth a fortune." The leopardine man chuckles again, and shakes his head. "It is now in SHIELD's secure storage," he tells Peggy, "Lara put it there for safe-keeping, along with another item, a helmet, also of Chinese origin, with a citrine set into the forehead." He lifts his hand to his head, indicating where the gem would be located. When he lowers it again, he continues.

    "Those two artifacts, the gems specifically, are part of an ancient ritual that, once performed, will open a doorway to release Zhu Rong-Yijun, a powerful and ancient dragon who, legend says, will plunge the world into an eternity of darkness should he be freed. I called you, Agent Carter, because I have learned that there are -other- parties interested in releasing the dragon Zhu, and while I do not know -why- they seek to do so... they are, I fear, more than I can handle on my very own."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peggy's eyes remain on Zhao's face as he relays his story and she just sort've tilts her head a little toward her left shoulder, curiosity bleeding into her posture because, well. "Thats quite a fanciful tale, Zhao." She addresses the Leopard man with his preferred name. "And I can see why Agent Croft would start to seal some of these items up into secure storage. I should very much like to have a conversation with her sometime soon." A heavy exhale escapes the senior Agent then and she shifts her weight a little where she stands on her heeled shoes.

"Nevertheless, Zhao... What then do you need from me?" She asks him. "Greater support from SHIELD? Agent Croft can request that when she sees fit, of which, I do not believe she's made any such requests on this matter. And, if there are others trying to bring this, Dragon, out upon us, then they're likely doing it because of some foolhardy believe that they can control it. Or harness its power to achieve whatever mad goal they've concocted inside their minds." A quick single nod is given then to the Leopard mutant before her. "What do you need from me? Assuming this story is all true, of course."

Zhao Lin has posed:
    "Oh, it is plenty true," Zhao Lin says, "Though... I am uncertain of how I might prove it." He pauses a moment, lifting a hand to rub at the back of his neck. "I suspect as well that it might be their attempts to control the dragon, but I am certain they would fail. Arrogance is blinding, my Master used to tell me." He chuckles again, and shrugs his shoulders. "Lara is not always with me," he tells her, "Though she has helped me on occasion, she cannot devote all of her time to this, neither could I ask her to. I... am not certain what I might need from SHIELD yet, or from you, Agent Carter. As I said, I have only just discovered other parties are interested. I do not know exactly who they are, or how powerful, or if they possess any of the keystones themselves. There are four that I know of, which leaves six unaccounted for. Two are in SHIELD's possession already, and I hope they will remain safe there. Another... I have in a safe location. The last, I only have a lead on, and Lara and I are going to be looking into that one very soon." He pauses again, idly scratching at his chin, looking at Peggy as though considering something. "Perhaps you could use the two you have, and find some way to locate the others?" he asks, "If we can find them before the Serpent's Skull does, perhaps we can stop them without further conflict."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peggy's cell phone starts to buzz in her blazer's right pocket near the end of what Zhao is saying, but she reaches into her pocket and silences it. Takes it out for a moment to glance at it and then slip it back inside to conceal it again, and keep her full attention on that of the man speaking to her. "My apologies." She quietly tells him.

A nod later and she's releasing a little sigh. "This is, a big tale, Zhao." She tells him. "Though I get the sense you're already well aware of that." After a short and sweet pause, Peggy continues with a bit more vigor in her words. "I'm going to need all the information you have... on all of this. Give it to Agent Croft and have her deliver it to me. With that information, I can assign a larger team to this with more financial backing and proper support, its likely that we can get to the bottom of the validity of all of this. I'd believe you were lying to me, if you didn't have Croft's aide on this already. I've heard of her and what she does, I know that she's reliable. So if she believes you, then I believe you." Another small nod. "So get me what I need and I'll find the rest of these missing items."

Zhao Lin has posed:
    Zhao Lin offers Peggy a broad grin then, and a nod of his head. "I am glad to hear it," he says, "I will do what I can to get you the information you need. You understand, of course, that I will be continuing to search for these artifacts as well, with Lara's help. I will let you know if any others get drawn into this as well, I am seeking aide where-ever I can find it." He pauses again to take another drink from his canteen. "And thank you for meeting with me, Agent Carter," he says, "I know it is a bit of a fanciful tale, but..." He grins. "Those are always the kind to come out of China." The leopardine man chuckles again, his tail twitching behind him. "Oh and... the two items SHIELD already has, go have a look at them. I am certain that you will be able to see, then, that I am speaking the truth. Put my Master's old necklace on and... go for a swim, maybe." Zhao Lin grins to her again.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peggy observes the strange Chinese Leopard mutant as he takes that drink from his canteen and though she's not really fond of drunk people, especially in public, she finds something about this particular one to be curious enough to at least entertain the idea of him being right about what he's speaking of, and if he's not? Agent Croft has some explaining to do...

Partially turning, Peggy stops though at his last words. "I plan to go see these items immediately after this." She replies to him. "But what exactly will this necklace do if worn while swimming?" His statement was just too curious not to ask further about it. She certainly didn't want to trigger any apoclyptic events just because she put some jewelry on... she'd never live that down, to be sure.

Zhao Lin has posed:
    "Nothing dangerous," Lin tells her, "The gems each hold a power that is bound to the items. The necklace, you would find, keeps you warm even on the coldest of nights, or keeps you cool even if you were to wander naked through the desert. You could take the helmet for a swim as well, in fact. Last I checked, it lets you breathe clearly where otherwise you could not." His tail twitches again, and he gives a small shrug. "I am not certain what power the others provide," he tells her, "Until I find them and... try to discern what it is they give. But I know the two you have will be proof enough of my story, I imagine."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peggy's expression is calm and collected after hearing this, she just stands there before him and watches him as she processes what he'd just told her. "I see." She finally says. "Well yes, these do sound like items that our WAND division are designed to retrieve in order to keep them from being exploited to cause harm to inncents around the world." And with another slight and single nod of her head to him she adds. "Thank you, Zhao. I will return to the Triskelion and investigate all of this further. I look forward to getting the additional information from Agent Croft." And with that, Peggy turns toward the mouth of the alleyway, hesitates for a moment then and glances back at the Leopard man. "Be careful. Items of this power are highly sought after, and those who mean to take them will do whatever it takes to get them..."

Zhao Lin has posed:
    Zhao Lin grins broadly at Peggy when she looks back at him. "Thank you again, Agent Carter," he says, "I am always careful, but you can trust that I, too, will do whatever it takes to get these artifacts first. I can not have let my Master die for nothing." The leopardine man gives her another small smile, straightens his hat a little, and then he turns as well, walking the other way into the alley. His steps are unsteady, and as he walks he takes another drink from the canteen he carries, before he disappears around the corner.