7164/City Fall: The Smoke Shop

City Fall: The Smoke Shop
Date of Scene:	08 April 2019
Location:	Mutant Town - New York City
Synopsis:	Leo and April try to find out who have been the mysterious guardians of Mutant Town.
Cast of Characters:	Shredder, Leonardo, April O'Neil
Tinyplot:	City Fall

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Shredder has posed:
    Mutant town has never been all that known for wealth. Grass grows between the sidewalk and the curb. Potholes are found on almost every street. The bus stops often are missing panels, making it difficult on those who have to contend with the elements.

    Until recently, the presence and the risk of being attacked by the FoH was part of the concerns, but in the last few weeks, that has not. The word on the street is that a group the locals call 'the family' is keeping them safe. Exactly how? Who knows? But the Friends of Humanity members that have caused trouble lately turn up on milk cartons. It started back when Oroku Enterprises hosted a job fair for mutants, promising them better wages for their 'talents.' LexCorp had shown up as well, along with some other forward thinking companies.
    Tonight though, as the amber reflection of the city lights on the heavy clouds loom, the smell of an impending rain can predict the near future. Well, at least as far as the weather goes.

Leonardo has posed:
Mutant Town was a place the Turtles had an eye on, at least occasionally. If there was ever a place they could fit in topside, this was it. However, it came with it certain problems with groups like the Friends of Humanity. They were anti-mutant, maybe just anti-anyone-not-like-them. Those types of people certainly had their share of believers.

However, this other group, 'The Family,' has also been developing a reputation, but just who they were wasn't something the Turtles knew much of yet. April O'Neil might have cracked that nut open, if the word Leonardo got was any indication. With the other Turtles in the middle of things of their own, Leo decided to have a look with April, riding over toward the outskirts of Mutant Town with her rather than taking the underground.

"I don't think I need to warn you this could be dangerous, April. I'm not looking to find any trouble, but don't be surprised if it finds us. If you have to get out of here, don't worry about me. I know the sewers. I'll be fine. Sound good?" the eldest Turtle asks her.

April O'Neil has posed:
April had recently bought a new car, its a yellow Chevy Camero with white racing stripes down the center... its pretty sporty, but its a car that just sort've called out to her on the lot where she first saw it, never mind its her favorite color combination, that had nothing to do with it!

"Look." April says back to Leo as they find a place to park and she zips up her black hoodie to her collarbone. She puts her left hand on her steering wheel and then looks over to the Turtle who's undoubtedly cramped inside of the car, the seat is pushed back as far as it'll go and there's likely not much head room for him either! But she? She fits perfectly in the thing! So she's happy at least!

"I just got through a night club meeting where a demon named Spawn murdered members of every major gang in the tri-state area. Or... at least a lot of them." She pauses. "There's a lot of gangs. But thats beside the point."

She raises up her right hand then and she has a military-grade tazer in it. "I'll be fine." She says to the Turtle's defacto Leader, then offers him a bright and sunny smile. "Lets go."

April pops the door on her car and moves get out. Once out she slides the tazer into her hoodie pocket and sorts her clothing and hair about her body some as she starts to walk around the car to get to the side street. "Where do you wanna start?" She asks Leo, having parked them in a nice and shady/dark place.

Shredder has posed:
    A few people are moving about on this Sunday night, but work is tomorrow, so many are already at home. They are mostly quiet tonight for that reason, and a tag on one brick wall advertising the family is scrawled in white spraypaint. 'Family is all that matters, Rey knows.

    Of course, who Rey exactly is may be a question. But there is a small smoke shop that the locals know, called Rey's Smoke Shop. A hardly visible store front along one of the quieter business streets of Mutant Town, the shop is never busy, barred windows and a barred gate over the glass front door.

Leonardo has posed:
Not being tall, Leonardo's only problem with the Camero is just fitting into the seat. Somehow, he finds a way and it's not so bad. "It's not really my color, but it's faster than the tunnels." It even has the back of his blue mask trailing in the wind that passes through his open window.

The lighter moment gives way to a more serious look from him, frowning not at the sight of the tazer but the reason for needing it. "I've never heard of this Spawn demon, but if he's going around killing people, gang members or not, we've already got the Punisher who likes to do that, and he's staking out the warehouse the Foot uses. There are a lot of kids caught up in that, and as much as he says he leaves the innocent alone, I don't trust him yet."

So, that's on his mind, but as they leave the car and enter Mutant Town proper under cover of darkness, there are some lights that cut into the shadows. He stays mostly away from them, and he motions her toward a nearby wall that looks like it's been tagged fairly recently. "Hey, what do you make of this? Seems pretty obvious to me. Family? Rey? But who's Rey?" Perhaps April's got something on that.

April O'Neil has posed:
April's hood is up over her head, but her hair is down over her shoulders and poking out of the hood on either sides of her face. She walks with Leo and listens closely to him while her eyes scan the rest of whats before them. "I know Castle is capable and all, but I think this Spawn... thing, might even give him a run for his money." She idly comments, glancing to Leo. "What concerns me most about him, is... where does a thing like that just suddenly come from? It left me alone, it -helped- me in fact, as I was in deep trouble without his intervention..."

April then regards the poster and the name. She takes a second to frown and look about. "Star Wars jokes aside, I'm not sure." April grew up on those movies, its 2027 after all, they came out over a decade ago when she was a little kid.

"I can ask around, see if anyone knows." April spots a group of guys across from where she is with Leoa. "Wait here." She tells the Turtle. She doesn't wait for an answer or a warning of approaching three strange men at this hour of the day, nope April is fearless and she just trots off to go talk to them.

She's gone for a bit, Leo will be able to keep tabs on her and make sure they don't do anything questionable to the Reporter. They all seem to share a pretty casual and light hearted conversation, laughter can even be heard...

Its a few minutes later that April returns, she's got a bag of chips now, something one of them gave her? She offers some to Leo. "There's a Rey's smoke shop, just down there." She indicates with a chip, then pops it into her mouth and a crunch is soon to follow.

Leonardo has posed:
"Castle knows exactly what he's doing, and that makes him even more dangerous because he's thinking of more things than most people do," Leonardo explains. "And I haven't dealt with any demons before, but it sounds like Spawn is even worse. I'm glad he helped you get out of whatever you were in the middle of." Now is not the time for him to be probing into what got her in that spot to begin with. It can wait for later.

"That's Ren, not Rey. I know enough that Rey is 'King' in Spanish, so this Family must see him as one. We should--" Here, April takes the initiative to go approach the group just milling about, and he fades deeper into the shadows while subtly reaching for a few shuriken in the event they're needed.

Not this time, as she returns without incident, and he focuses more on the direction indicated than what she uses to point that way, subsequently eaten anyway. "Then I think we have our place. Let's go see what they're all about."

April O'Neil has posed:
"Oh yeah." April softly says about 'Ren' as she gives a bit of a dreamy look to no one in particular. "Adam Driver... the classic 'bad boy' appeal... my first crush." She then flahes the Turtle's brave leader a grin as she nods once toward him. "Lets do it." She says as she turns in the direction she was given for the store. "They said it was on the street corner up there."

Another chip is deposited into her mouth, more crunching is soon to follow and April's eyes scan the neighborhood, she's trying to stay ever vigilant and watchful, looking for creepy crawlers in the shadows. "I think there's something inherently sadistic about using the word 'Friends' in your group's title, and then being a hate-alligned group." she's also a bit of a motor mouth at times, so there's that too.

Nevertheless the duo are on their way to this Smoke Shop!

Shredder has posed:
    Outside the smoke shop, the lights are still on. A young mutant with a hoody on steps out. He had several sets of eyes, and he lights up a cigarette, then looks up at the sky before starting down the street.

His drop of rain strikes the windshield, as if to announce that more is going to soon arrive. Inside the shopw, a man with a shaved head, but not too recently shaved, sits behind a counter, his phone in his hand as he watches something on the screen, a wry smile of amusement at whatever he watches. He's in his fifties perhaps, a dirty Mets' jersey and blue jeans. He doesn't look like much of a king, actually. He looks like he probably should be fired for having his brown leather boots propped on the counter.

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo snaps his thick green fingers in front of April's face. "Hey, April. We're losing you. Come back to us, April." Once the recollection is past, with a response not even he could stay away from making, he nods once and steps out into the open. "That's the irony. They're friends, but only to the sorts of people they like. They're anything but friends to everyone else. That's how it goes when people seek to divide rather than unite."

For someone who's spent most of his life in the sewers, Leo has an idea or two about mankind.

Soon, he makes a 'shushing' gesture to his lips. Good thing this isn't really a stealth mission, and as raindrops begin to fall he watches the mutant leave before taking his place at the doorway, being the one to open the way inside and step in.

April O'Neil has posed:
April would've just looked over at Leo as he tried to bring her back from her celebrity day dreaming and she just smirked at him. the rest of what he says gets a bit of a more somber look on her face. "You know you're really a lot wiser than your age, Leo. I think you should write a book someda--" She cuts herself off as he shoooshes though!

Quickly, April's sky blue eyes dart left and then right and then to the man on the stoop of the smoke shop. She slowly, slowly puts another chip into her mouth and crunches on it. "Is that Rey?" She asks, trying to keep her voice at an approach 'shoosh' level.

Either way, she looks forward again to the guy that they're standing not too far away from, far enough to not be at comfortable conversational distance though.... so April calls out.

"Hey, Rey!" She says, trying to see if he looks in their direction, which in her mind would mean 'Yep, thats Rey.'

Shredder has posed:
    The man isn't quick to respond. He keeps watching his video for several seconds longer before reaching up to tap the screen and pause it. "Yeah," he says, glancing up at April and...oh. He clearly is surprised at Leo's appearance, even if he is accustomed to seeing mutants. "Hey there, brother," he offers, then gives another glance at April. "Nice night, isn't it?" It's said as if there might be an implication that Leo and April are 'together'. "What can I do for ya two?" he asks.

Leonardo has posed:
"Donnie's probably going to be the one to write a book," Leonardo remarks, then he catches himself and adds, "Or maybe Mikey, because nobody would expect that." Leaders should be wise, shouldn't they?

Once they're inside and the man has responded, Leo takes a measure of him based on what he can see so far. No, this one doesn't look like much of a king at all, even if he is the one known as Rey. That doesn't mean he isn't more than he appears. "We're here about the Family," he explains, getting straight to the point. "And if you're wondering whether I'm a figment of your imagination or not, I'm very real." It all depends on how much the man has been partaking of whatever this place offers.

April O'Neil has posed:
April sees Rey not make a run for it, she just dumps the empty chip bag into a nearby trash bin and then puts her hands into her hoodie pockets and stands beside Leo. She looks over to Leo after Rey speaks and she grins at him, she caught the insinuation that this guy thinks that she and the big blue turtle are together, it amuses her, but she doesn't correct it, it doesn't really matter at this juncture.

"Leo." April whispers and she leans toward the big turtle, then indicates at Rey's eyes, clearly mutant in origin. "I think he's used to unique looking people around here." She says to the fearless Ninja warrior.

April leans back then and tries the friendly approach with Rey, smiling brightly to him, its a sincere smile as she's a sincerely happy person. "Hey, I'm April, this is Leo... We're hoping to get any information we can that might help us out here tonight, on this rather nice night."

Shredder has posed:
    "Sure," Rey says, putting his feet down from the counter. "What street you gettin' hassled on? You know the names?" he asks, as if this was an ordinary question that he gets. "Times, you know, anything they can use to track'em down." He turns to the computer, and opens his email, quickly tapping for a new message to be written.

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo glances from Rey to April, his brows furrowing behind the mask, leading to his eyes squinting a bit. Seems he missed the implication she picked up on. "You think so?" he asks her in a hushed tone, looking back over at the man's eyes. Hmmm.

Following up on April's quest for more information and Rey's questions to them, he steps closer and shakes his head, the hilts of his katanas sticking up from the back of his shell as usual. "You misunderstand, Rey. We know the Friends of Humanity has been causing trouble around here, and the Family has been dealing with them. We're hoping to find out more about you. Let's just say we have a vested interest in the safety of this place, too."

April O'Neil has posed:
April listens to the both of them respond and she sweeps her eyes from one to the other before she pulls her hands out from her hoodie pockets and places them on her hips over the pockets of her jeans with her thumbs hooking inside said pockets.

"We're not trouble makers, I promise." April adds onto Leo's words. "If anything, we're trouble solvers. But... not like in the Scobby Doo sort've way, we're legit... We get stuff done, good stuff." She tries to convince herself to stop talking. Its not very effective.

Shredder has posed:
    Rey stops, and looks back. "Well, the Family's been taking care of those dipwads," he shrugs, and goes to pull a pack of cigarettes from beneath the counter, pulling one out. He raises a finger, which catches fire, and uses it to light the fag, and takes a draw from it.

    "So I mean, you don't gotta worry about them. Rumor has it they are gonna start expanding soon, watchin' more areas if they can get the support." He shrugs, "You two lookin' to sign up?" he asks. "They're lookin' for good mutants that can use their powers to help out."

Leonardo has posed:
So that's what this one's powers are. Something flame-based, evidently. Leonardo looks April's way after the demonstration, plus her talk of not making trouble, but he turns back toward the man at rest behind the counter. "Taking care of them, how? We know they're ending up missing, and I don't think any of them have been found yet. That makes me think of a few things."

He isn't putting any restrictions on April's part in this, in fact giving her the chance to ask questions of her own he may not be thinking of. "We're more independent, let's put it that way. I'd just like to be sure one problem isn't being replaced by another one."

April O'Neil has posed:
Not that they're interested in signing up at all, no, of course not.

"Where would we go to sign up?" April then asks next shortly after Leonardo's questions. She glances over to the shorter turtle man and then back to Rey. 'I mean, lets say that we're into the idea. Is there a... recruitment station around?" She asks, one dark red eyebrow lifting up in a questioning expression that falls over her youthful face.

"Or is it an online application? Some of that affair? I'd love to talk to someone in person though. I mean, we both would." She motions to Leo. This play isn't very subtle, their questions are almost like stuff Cops would ask, but neither of them really looks like a cop...

Shredder has posed:
    "They like to vet people before that sort of thing," Rey answers, taking another drag on the cigarette, the smoke starting to fill the air of the shop. It smells strange, not quite like an ordinary cigarette, but just as unpleasant to those who do not smoke. "You ask a lot of questions, miss," he comments to April. "I got one of you sayin' you like to make sure one problem isn't replaced by another, the other sayin' you want to find an online application." He lets out a hoarse laugh. "Come on, you really shoulda talked this out before walkin' in here. They don't take applications. You want to talk to them, you give your address, they send someone by. She's somethin' else, I'll give you that. I wouldn't mess with her playin' like you can pose. She always knows the liars."

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo's expression falters when April goes in a direction he wasn't thinking of. Rey is right. Maybe they should have coordinated this part ahead of time, but they didn't have much of a chance to work that out before entering. "We're a little off the grid and we don't take house calls, so that wouldn't work for me. April, here? That's up to her."

No, the smell of whatever the man is smoking does not seem to be something he's got any interest in, but he was keeping his distance anyway after that display with the flame. If he can generate it from a fingertip, how much more could he do if he wanted to?

"One thing you don't have to worry about from me is lying. I'll tell you just what I have to say, and I think you're being evasive right now," the ninja turtle states, his body language exuding confidence and strength. "Like I said, people are coming up missing and staying that way as far as I've heard. What are you doing with them?"

April O'Neil has posed:
April is already pulling a pen and notebook out of her pocket, standard equipment for a reporter after all. "Let me just jot my address down then." She says without really worrying about the oddity of how any of this comes across, also a side effect from her job and her insatiable curiosity and desire for more information on topics that have peaked her interests.

As Leo talks, April scribbles down an address and she hands it over toward Rey. She smiles wide and bright toward him. "Here, an auto body shop. I left instructions to ring the apartment door bell. The apartment is above the shop." Its Casey's place. Casey is in Boston for the next month, visiting his cousins, he asked April to come by every day and water his house plant, he only has one plant, she hasn't had the heart to tell him that its plastic.

Shredder has posed:
    "Me?" Rey laughs, "Look at you, very demanding, my green friend." He shakes his head. "And I ain't bein' evasive," he counters, pointing a crooked and tar stained finger back at the turtle. "But I'm just the point of contact, see. I don't do none of the rest. Way I figure, those haters go missin', I ain't complainin'. You can't tell me with the look you got that you don't have people givin' you shit. You know they do. I know they do. They've killed more than a couple of ours. I figure whatever happens to them? They had it comin'."

    He takes the jotted address betweein his index and middle finger of the same hand holding the cigarette, and eyes it as if it had secret information for him. His gaze shifts back up to April, then eyes shift over at Leo. He takes another drag. "Aight," he says. "You wanna tango, I'll let'em know. April, right?" he repeats. "You got a last name? Any powers you wanna impress them with? Or just gonna surprise them?" he asks. "Your boyfriend here gonna be there too?" he gives a nod at Leo.

Leonardo has posed:
"That's the difference between us. Killing someone is taking the easy way out, even if you think that's what they deserve," Leonardo informs the man claiming to be the go-between. "It takes greater strength and honor to show mercy to a defeated foe, to allow them to be judged in court." Then again, there are some strange things that have been going on with some of the courts as well.

April gets one of those looks that seems to say 'I hope you know what you're doing' when she gives her address. Of course they'll be keeping an eye on things if and when someone comes calling. He coughs at the question that includes him. "We're not..aw, forget it. We're friends, and my brothers and I help look out for her and our other friends. So, I think you can figure out the answer to that question."

April O'Neil has posed:
"Jones." April says, just incase they look the address up and get any names off of it. May as well be the name of the person who owns the property? Yeah?

"Powers?" April asks, she laughs nervously then and gives another sidelong look to Leo. "Its better if I don't display them right now." Her stare returns to Rey. "I'd cause too much of a ruckus!" She says, and throws her hands out to emphasize just how much of a ruckus she'd cause, which makes her accidentally knock something over beside her, so she quickly turns and rights it back so its setting properly once more.

"Oops." She says, then laughs a little. "See?" She motiosn toward that display. "Like that, only way worse."

Another looks is excahgned between the two of them. "Boyfriend?" She asks. "I'm afraid he's a little too young for me." She says back to Rey then and can't help but laugh some more. "Anyway, I imagine we should get going, yeah? Hope to hear from their recruitment people! I'll make some food and have it ready for them when they come by!"

Shredder has posed:
    Rey smirks at Leo's soap box. "Yeah, ok," he says, as if to say that he is not going to go into the politics of such things. Rey shrugs, "Didn't say /show/ me your powers," he says, "But I won't pry, that's fine. I get that not everybody wants to talk about it. Hey, you're talkin' to a fellow mutant here, right?" he says, giving a mock salute of one finger, and it lights up with a little flame again, only to douse afer a second. "Anyway, right, you two have a good night," he offers. "Try not to get into more trouble than you can handle, right?"

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo tries to avoid it, only he can't help but to give himself a brief facepalm when April causes something to fall. Fortunately it didn't break, whether it could have or not. There are some rather fancy-looking...things in here for people to enjoy the things they partake of.

When it becomes obvious they aren't getting anything more out of the guy, and April's had her say - not before she gets a raised brow again - he simply turns and throws up a hand in acknowledgment of Rey's words. "Yeah, sure. Same to you." Leaving is very much what he wants to do right now.

Once they're outside, he gives April a flat look. "Not that it means anything, but /too young?/" he blurts, arms spreading out to the sides. "And I hope you know what you're doing, giving them that address. Just keep us in the loop so we can watch your back if they follow up." He will go with her back to the car, but once there he ducks into an alley and the last thing he says before making his way back to the sewers via manhole cover is, "Good night, April. Be careful."

April O'Neil has posed:
April flashes this Rey person a sly grin as she and Leo make their exit. She even raises a hand and wiggles her fingers at him in a wave. "See ya, King." She says as they both leave the store together, Turtle and Girl.

Once outside and Leonardo protests her response about his age. She looks over at him and just leaves. She goes to even hook an arm with the leader of the turtles. "I was just making things up as I go, don't take it seriously, Prince Charming." She says to him.

As they walk back to her car she nods once to him. "Can you guys take Casey's place out now? I bet these guys start watching it to see, ya know... recon and whatever. You might spot some of them before they spot some of us, so to speak."

Either way, once she gets back to her car, she parts way with the turtle and watches him dart off down an alley.