7370/Mary mary quite contrary..

Mary mary quite contrary..
Date of Scene:	30 April 2019
Location:	New York City
Synopsis:	Walker is at the Blue Lady taking pictures for a client. She meets Thomas Raith during her job.
Cast of Characters:	Typhoid Mary, Thomas Raith

---

Typhoid Mary has posed:
It's late night. The Blue Lady is packed, filled with patrons who enjoy the sultry jazz sounds that come from the visiting or house band. There are others that prefer the ambiance, almost a feeling of the old speakeasies and thus appealing in that way.

Then there is Walker.

She doesn't fit in really. She isn't relaxing at all as she sits at a booth, a glass of beer in front of her. She ordered it because she had to. Some sort of minimum required. She was nursing it, likely to the annoyance of the server who was assigned her table. They were unlikely to get a big tip at this rate.

Walker wasn't there for pleasure. She was there for work. Her red hair was pulled up into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. She was dressed somewhat casually in a button up white shirt with a pair of black dress slacks. Boots covered her feet. They were more militaristic and less fashionable. Although these days, those sometimes crossed over so maybe she was styling more than she thought.

She had her cellphone out and was seemingly flipping through screens going by the rapid swipes of her fingers. In truth, she had it angled just right to get some pictures of the couple four booths down and across the way. That was her target tonight.

Thomas Raith has posed:
The drink appears beside her beer, a double shot of some sort of scotch from the look of it. It certainly wasn't ordered and it's also not delivered by the rather bubbly waitress named Didi, according to her name badge. No the man bringing her this drink is tall, lean, and frankly beautiful. More pretty then handsome. His voice is just loud enough to be heard over the sound of the music. "Cop or private?" he asks simply, giving her a smile that must require hourly brushing to maintain it's whitness.

Typhoid Mary has posed:
As the drink appears, Walker frowns as she turns to rebuff the offer. "I didn't ord--" Her words die on her lips as she finds herself staring at a man who is--quite frankly--beautiful. She's seen handsome men but beautiful is beyond her experience. Maybe on the big screen or the pages of a magazine but not standing in front of her. She blinks slowly, green eyes taking in his features, then that frown is right back in place when she realizes he's standing in her shot.

"Move or sit." It isn't a request. "I don't care either way." She nods to the other side of her booth, so he will not be blocking the pictures. "Private, to answer the question."

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith takes a seat and offers her a smile. "I thought so. MY brother is in Private as well." He has his own glass from which he takes a small sip. "If you'd like, I have security cameras all through this area, covering every angle. It'd be less conspicuous." He shrugs slightly as if the matter were immaterial to him, adding only "Multiple angles on your mark there. Pretty good quality.."

Typhoid Mary has posed:
The man in the booth gets up and heads away, in the direction of the restrooms. Leaving a figure in the booth hunched in and unable to really be photographed. Not that it would matter. She would be alone and that wasn't going to prove anything.

At the offer, Walker lowers her phone and focuses back on the man who just sat down in her booth. "You have?" she asks, stressing the first word. "So this is your club?" It's a question but she already knows the answer from the way he said it so she continues. "And how much would that cost me?" Right to the important stuff since there is no way he would be offering to let her have that footage for free.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith shrugs slightly, "I told you, my brother is on the job. I consider it a professional courtesy in that regard. That said, one never knows when having a Private detective owe you a small favor might be of some use." He sips his drink and adds, "And of course I get the pleasure of conversation with a beautiful woman apart from all this noise...albeit one who will likely be quite distracted.

Typhoid Mary has posed:
The beatiful woman comment gets a loud snort of derision from the woman. "That works for you usually, huh? I figure with your looks and having a place like this, women are just falling over to get a glance from you." Walker makes it quite clear from her tone that she isn't one of them. She shakes her head a bit, peeking over at the booth but the man has not returned. Back to Thomas. "Why would you need the favor of a private detective when you have a brother who is one? Unless you two don't get along very well, in which case it makes more sense."

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith shrugs a bit, "Sometimes Harry isn't right for the job for one reason or another. For instance let me guess, cheating spouse? Harry wouldn't normally take that sort of case. Other times the person might know who he is though various channels and a fresh face is required. You telling me that you've never had an occasion you needed a sub-contractor?" he smirks just a bit, adding "Actully I usually approach them at the bar and offer them a Slow comfortable Screw up agienst the wall... but you don't look like a fruity drink kinda girl.

Typhoid Mary has posed:
"Yes, cheating husband. Thus far, I have had no need for a sub-contractor." Walker doesn't point out she hasn't been doing this very long though. Less than a year. After all, that isn't information that needs to be shared. "I usually am up to the tasks alone." Well, not precisely alone. Sometimes she gets a little help--from herself.

At the comment on the drink name, she gives a terse nod. Still no movement back at the target table. She picks up her beer and takes a sip. Not the drink he brought. Certainly, he is unlikely to be drugging people in his own bar but she only has his word to go on that's who he is. Trust is a rare commodity and one she doesn't have in this situation. Although honestly? A man who looks like him wouldn't need to drug women. Doesn't mean that he doesn't enjoy doing it though. Strange man. Strange drink. No touch. "So your brother is Harry and you are...?"

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith offers that killer smile again, and he also offers his hand. "Thomas Raith, and as I said I own the Blue Lady." he offers his hand to her to shake. When she grasps it... Shaking his hand feels nice. Very nice really. Frankly some men can't /kiss/ as nicely as Thomas Raith shakes hands. "so what do you say? My Office is right up there. No Audio of course but you weren't going to get that anyway."

Typhoid Mary has posed:
When he offers his hand, Walker brings her own forward. Her had has calluses, not as soft and cared for as some women seem to be. If he is knowledgeable about such things, it would seem to be someone who used swords. A lot.

At the feel of the handshake, Walker's frown is back and after two pumps she removes her hand from his grasp. That was...nice. Weird. She's never felt a handshake quite like that. Under the table, she rubs her palm on her pants leg atop her thigh. Not due to it being a bad feeling but because it was a good one. The temperature in the room seems to have increased slightly and she is focusing her mind back on the work, keeping that stirring in the back of her brain locked up tight. She starts to say he could just burn her copies but knows she needs to see if the images are even worth it. A terse nod. "Very well. If I get my angle and images, I'll just need copies. If they aren't there, I'll come back down here and continue the old-fashioned way."

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith nods slightly. "Fair enough," he says with that very toothy smile. He stands, picking up both of the drinks he brought to her table and gesturing towards the stairs that lead up to his office. A Large black man with a shaved head nods to them both saying simply "Mr. Raith. Ma'am." to them as they walk past.

Typhoid Mary has posed:
As he rises, Walker does the same. She picks up her beer. Hey, she's paying way too much money for that thing! She isn't going to waste it or leave it unattended. She trails along with Thomas, pulling out a business card from her pocket and offering it to him. It has the name Walker Investigations with a phone number. No address. She hasn't quite gotten to having an office yet. Instead she relies on word-of-mouth to get business. It's been working so far.

As they pass the guy at the door, she gives him a once over then enters the office. A beeline is made toward the monitors but she stops on the polite side of the desk instead of invading privacy. After all, it's not her office or her desk.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith grins just a bit at the woman's eagerness. He takes her business card and slides it into an old fashioned rolodex designed for such things. He turns the monitors on and readjust the cameras to focus in on her target, able to zoom them in to the point she can see his five o'clock shadow. "We back up the recordings to disks, I can burn you a copy, so you'll have video.

Typhoid Mary has posed:
Of course the man went back to the table while they were walking upstairs. It's Walker's luck. As the camera zooms in, she leans against the front of the desk to get a better view. "That's perfect. Can see him and her." She frowns and looks away from the scene. "Probably about five minutes will be plenty at that rate." Since the pair are being quite friendly in the darkness of their booth.

Walker keeps her eyes averted, looking around the office instead.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith smiles easily, moving over to the bar. "Can I pour you another drink? He asks with mild amusement in his tone. OBviously she didn't touch the first one that she was offered, but still it's the thought that counts, right?" He has the area tastefully designed and laid out. "So you're not even going to ask how I made you so quickly?"

Typhoid Mary has posed:
"I figure you already answered the question so why ask it?" Walker says as she gives a negative shake of her head to the offered drink. She lifts her beer glass to indicate she's good. "First, you have a brother who does this for a living so likely know the signs. Second, you own the place and I'm sure you have seen plenty of private investigators doing the same. Or was there a third option I missed?"

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith hand waffles slightly, "I meant what tipped me off to you specifically." he says, sitting on the corner of his desk so that she can use the chair to work the controls should she need to. "For one, you are alone. Now women, even women as beautiful as you, come in here alone all the time. But almost universally they sit at the bar. Occasionally they might be here alone for a meal, but you didn't order food. Just one beer and played with your phone. Not worth the cover charge at that point... unless Axe is letting women he thinks are hot skip the line again.

Typhoid Mary has posed:
"He is not. I paid my cover and did my one drink minimum. You are overpriced on this cheap beer, by the way. I could get better at a hole over in Hell's Kitchen for half the price." The whole beautiful women thing is ignored. She does rise and move over to sit at the controls, adjusting the camera slightly then looking away again. Yes, the wife will have no doubts after seeing this video. Walker herself will be happy not seeing it. "I will keep that in mind next time though. Be sure to order food. Thanks for the tip."

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith nods, "People don't really come in here for the beer, though if you want something good.." He walks over and opens his mini fridge, pulling out a dark bottle that says Mcanally's Dark" on what looks like a home made label. He pops the cap off with his thumb, sending it spinning through the air to land perfectly in the trash can. "This is what beer is supposed to taste like. We mostly keep the other stuff for guys who want to come in, get a one drink minimum, and cruise for hookups."

Typhoid Mary has posed:
Since she is keeping her eyes off the monitors, Walker sees him draw out the beer and flip off the cap. Sealed. So it hasn't been tampered with. Unless he bottled it himself. Now she's a bit torn as her nature fights with her distaste for the current glass of beer she has. "And how much is that?" she asks flatly, nodding to the bottle in his hand. Seems she's lost the battle due to the need for something to cleanse her palate.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith chuckles a little bit, "This is on the house." He promises as he sets the frosted bottle next to her half empty mug. "Like you said, that stuff we keep on tap is barely fit for human consumption." He gives her a slight smirk, "You've got some pretty strong defenses set up don't you? Are you always this defensive when someone tries to be nice?"

Typhoid Mary has posed:
Walker picks up the bottle and turns it in her hand to read the label. Not a place she has heard of. Maybe one of those micro breweries that seem to be everywhere these days. She takes a cautious sip and gives a nod and a tight smile to the flavor. "Much better. Thank you."

What happens when people mention defenses to a defensive person? They get moreso. Walker's posture stiffens as she looks at him, lowering the bottle again. She considers how to answer then opts for the truth. "Yes."

That's it. All she says. She turns back to the monitors and rises to her feet. "I think I have what I need now." She pulls a USB drive out of her pocket. "If you could save the footage to this for me, please?"

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith nods slightly and moves in front of the computer. He plugs the USB drive into a slot and a moment later the file is zipping from his hard drive onto it. "This should do it... I'd prefer of course if you didn't advertise /exactly/ how you got your hands on this of course. These sort of trysts tend to be a large part of my business." He smiles a bit, then adds, "I do hope you'll come back again some time...when you're off duty." He adds...slipping a bit of his power into that last sentence... not a compulsion really just... a pleasant thought..

Typhoid Mary has posed:
A quick glance his way and there is a flash of something in those green eyes of hers. Walker looks him over a moment and there is a hint of a smirk--then it's gone. Her normal cool facade is back in place. "I will consider it." She takes the drive and tucks it back into her pocket. "Is it getting warm in here?"

When she asks it, she realizes that it is not the case at all. It's her. The temperature is spiking a bit. Which means Typhoid is there so very close to the surface. "I need to go. I won't share the information and I appreciate your help. I owe you."

Suddenly she is turning and heading for that door as quickly as she can go. Almost like something spooked her. A moment later, she is heading downstairs and out the exit.