8453/The Night of the Quake Pt2

The Night of the Quake Pt2
Date of Scene:	23 July 2019
Location:	Brooklyn, NYC
Synopsis:	After Zhao Lin's saving of Vanessa from a rough crew, much whiskey was consumed.
Cast of Characters:	Copycat, Zhao Lin

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Copycat has posed:
The city manages not to tear itself apart too badly after the earthquake that caused minor damage in New York, and much more in Empire City. Though the sirens of first responders will be heard off and on throughout the night, as they deal with fires, looting, and any number of other incidents.

One incident they won't be dealing with is the assault on Vanessa Carlysle, carried out by four men who might still be lying in the alley where they were dropped by Zhao Lin as he came to the dark-haired woman's aid.

Vanessa unlocks the security door to the apartment building. "Half the time it won't even latch," she says, eying the mesh door askance as they pass inside. The building is what those in architectural circles might call 'a slum.'. It's old and there are obvious signs of disrepair everywhere. "Sorry we have to take the stairs. The elevator's been broke for at least four months now," she tells him, leading the way to a stairwell that probably hasn't been swept since the elevator was working.

The woman's body language shows she is a bit self-conscious about the state of the building that is her home. "It's rent controlled so it's tough to beat the price. But because of it, I don't think the landlord cares much about the place," she says, sighing as she gets to her apartment on the fourth floor. Vanessa unlocks three locks and opens it, letting Zhao Lin inside.

Inside, the place shows the same kind of issues as the rest of the building. The drywall has been torn out at one spot to get at pipes inside, and never repaired. But apart from such obvious damage, the apartment is rather clean, if sparsely furnished. The furniture looks comfortable enough. There's a small TV, and a laptop on a side table. Living room and kitchen are one room, and then a bedroom and bathroom. Vanessa will wait for Zhao Lin to come in and then locks all three locks, plus a chain, once he's in. "Can I get you something to drink?" she asks.

Zhao Lin has posed:
    Zhao Lin follows Vanessa up the stairs without any trouble. Despite his outwardly intoxicated appearance, he's not even winded after climbing four flights of stairs. He even continues to nonchalantly drink from his canteen all the while. "I don't mind the stairs," he tells her once they reach the top, "Drunken boxing requires a lot of stamina, this is just the warm-up for a good workout." He flashes her a grin while waiting for her to unlock her door. Once they're inside, he takes a moment to look around the main room while Vanessa busies herself with the locks. "Yes," he says in reply to her offer for a drink, "Something with alcohol in it would be great. I can save the baijiu for later." He caps the gourd once again, letting it hang at his hip once more. "You live here by yourself?" he asks, as he investigates what sparse decoration the room has.

    "I suppose that explains the multiple locks on the door," Zhao continues, "Though I don't think I would worry too much about intruders tonight." Another grin from the leopardine man, before he drops down languidly onto what he assumes to be a sofa. "It's nice at least, if a little sparse. Seems like you won't get a lot of people nosing about at least."

Copycat has posed:
Vanessa sets her purse aside, moving over to the kitchen. She glances back at Zhao Lin, this being the best lighting that she's seen him in. He has probably been on the receiving end of many looks in his life. This one probably is in the better end of the spectrum. Curiosity mostly, and a bit of a smile as she sees the soft white fur. The woman has large, luminous brown eyes which eventually drift back up to his. Realizing her perusal was noticed, she says in a warm enough voice, "Sorry, just hadn't gotten a good look at you before." Vanessa doesn't seem shy about it, just accepting.

"Yes, just me. Occasionally I'll have someone new to the area stay with me for a bit. Though, as often as not they try to steal something eventually. So, I limit that anymore," she says.

Vanessa gets a bottle of whiskey from the cupboard, and two glasses, bringing them over and taking a seat beside Zhao Lin. She pours them both a more than generous glass before setting the bottle aside. "I never really feel safe, to be honest," she says, glancing at the locks on the door. "Maybe tonight though? Thank you for saving me," Vanessa says, a little bit of emotion slipping into her voice before she clears her throat, smiling to Zhao Lin and saluting him with her glass before taking a sizeable drink.

Zhao Lin has posed:
    It's true, Zhao Lin gets a lot of looks. He's seen them all in his lifetime. He doesn't seem bothered by her lingering gaze, and just offers a smile and a shrug of his shoulders in return. "It's alright," he says, "Most people I meet need to stare at me a little bit, before they can get a handle on what they're looking at. You didn't scream and run, so I think it's a good start." He shifts around a bit to get more comfortable on the sofa, leaning back against the corner of it a little. His eyes follow Vanessa now, as she walks from the kitchen back to the living room and takes a seat beside him. He nods his head, likewise glancing at the locks on the door. "It does seem a bit of a rough neighborhood," he agrees, before turning back to look at Vanessa, "I am glad I was able to help." He picks up his glass as well, returning the brief salute before gulping down about half the glass in one swig. He grimaces a bit, and coughs once, before peering into the glass. "That's a bit rougher than I'm used to," he comments, but then takes another drink, just as big.

Copycat has posed:
Vanessa watches Zhao Lin drink the whiskey. She takes a smaller sip from her glass, watching him over the rim of it before saying, "I'm afraid I don't get to buy the smooth stuff very often. But it ends up having the same effect at least." She looks down at the dark beverage and says, "And sometimes you need it." She's already more than buzzing from the baijiu, but takes another larger swallow of the whiskey.

Vanessa reaches for the bottle, her hand trembling slightly from the night's experience. She picks the bottle up, using her other hand to steady the shaking for a moment as she pours more into Zhao Lin's glass, and then some into her own. "So you'll have to teach me how to make your baijiu. Especially if it's not expensive to do," she tells him. Vanessa runs a hand through her long dark hair, ruffling it as she is still trying to come down from the experience, it looks like.

Zhao Lin has posed:
    Zhao Lin seems to consider it for a time being, and then nods his head. "I suppose I could teach you to make it in small batches," he agrees, "Larger batches are somewhat..." He gestures around. "Space-consuming." The martial artist chuckles and shrugs his shoulders. "It is not very difficult to make, though. I am certain you could learn. It takes patience, though, like any good thing in life." He takes another drink from his refilled glass, exhaling a sigh afterwards to sooth the burning at the back of his throat from the harsher liquor. "It is not very expensive, though." There's a pause, and then Zhao Lin asks, "What do you do to make money, anyhow?" he asks, "...Out of curiosity, of course. I am not quite one to judge, all things considered." He grins at her again.

Copycat has posed:
Vanessa takes a sip of her whiskey and then says, "Well, I hope that's the case," after he mentions not being one to judge. "Sometimes I dance or waitress in a club. Mostly, I work down on a corner. The nice way to say it is escort, I suppose," Vanessa says. She's watching Zhao Lin's reaction, but she doesn't seem to have much embarrassment about it. Perhaps she just isn't, or she's just had to answer the question enough she's gotten used to it.

"Which, I guess you probably could guess from looking around the room here that I wasn't a venture fund capitalist, right? Or not a very good one if so," she says, giving a soft, warm laugh. Vanessa gives a little shrug, and though she's not embarrassed, she does seem to care what he thinks.

Zhao Lin has posed:
    Zhao Lin chuckles softly and nods. "That is a nice way to say it, I suppose," he agrees, though he also gestures dismissively with his free hand. "You do what you have to do to survive," he says, "And if you think I'm going to judge you based on your home, remember that I do not actually have one of my own, and that I came to this country in a shipping container. Compared to that, this is a penthouse." He chuckles and takes another drink, then sets his glass down on the nearest stable surface. There's a pause though, and he adds, in a softer tone, "Though if it was not your choice, that is different and... I would do what I could to help, in that case."

Copycat has posed:
Vanessa looks down at her drink, appearing thoughtful before she looks back up, taking a sip. "I'm not being forced into it by someone, no. I work for myself, and... well, it pays the bills more often than not," she tells him. "It wasn't really what I grew up planning to do. But... I don't know," she says, laughing softly. "I suppose I'm good at it."

Which doesn't explain why she's in such a cheap dump of an apartment building. But Vanessa does have something. An almost elegant quality. She probably does stand out in her current work environment, at that. She smiles to Zhao Lin. "You have already helped me so much. So I think I should be the one trying to help you," she says. "It's not the greatest place, but I'd like it if you stayed. Hell, I'd feel a lot more comfortable knowing that you're here," she admits.