ArchivedLogs:Baked Goods and Bad Ideas

Baked Goods and Bad Ideas
Dramatis Personae Autumn, DD, Jack
In Absentia	2015-07-26 (Part of the Buzzkill TP
Location <NYC> TriBeCa
Home of the most expensive residences in New York, and of many a celebrities' penthouse, TriBeCa is now best known for being merely that - the richest neighborhood, and, as a result of the many films and television shows shot there, one of the most recognizable ones. Still, the vast majority of the people who walk its streets are that vermin most despised by New York City residents: tourists. An afternoon storm has left the city slick and glossy in the twilight, but little cooler. Damp pedestrians ply the sidewalks, turning the puddles murkier with each step. Autumn, armed with a ladybug umbrella and a matching nylon bag, inspects the dispersing clouds with a critical eye as she emerges from Happy Cakes. She wears a white t-shirt with a giant pink thumbprint in the center, matching pink capris, and black sports sandals. Following close on her heels, DD is wearing a Dinosaur Train t-shirt featuring the T-rex Buddy with his pteranodon siblings. His jean shorts are so long they might as well be capris, and his bright yellow galoshes reach almost to their cuffs. He is gleefully devouring a chocolate cookie almost as big as his own face. "Where we going now?" he asks (spraying cookie crumbs in the process). "Can we go to the arcade? Or Evolve? Or the park!" Jack steps out shortly after DD, letting the door close behind him. Dressed in jeans, worn sneakers, and a light hoodie, the invisible teen's carrying a small box of cupcakes. He was happy to show Autumn and DD Happy Cakes. He'd mentioned it as a mutant-friendly place anyway. DD's questions get a little chuckle and Jack looks to Autumn. "Well the park might not be a good idea because it might rain again but it depends what your sister says." "We have umbrellas!" DD is quick to point out, wiping his mouth and smearing chocolate across his cheek "And it's not cold..." Autumn sighs, folding up her umbrella and tucking it into her bag. "No, it's pretty warm, but I still don't want to get soaked. I don't really know any arcades outside of Chinatown, but if Jack does, maybe?" She aims the question at Jack, accustomed enough to his invisibility now that she doesn't seem at a loss for not being able to meet his eyes. But then her gaze slides past him, and her posture stiffens. She reaches out and takes DD's hand. Two young men are approaching them, one tall and skinny, the other of average height and muscular. Both are of east Asian descent and wearing sharp black blazers over tailored slacks. Neither looks particularly friendly. "You're gonna carry an umbrella around while you play in the park?" Jack asks, chuckling a little. "And besides, all the playground stuff will be soaked and slippery," he pauses a beat and glances at Autumn. "Just trying to see if I can catch you again?" he jokes, offering DD a napkin when he sees the chocolate smear. When asked about arcades, Jack rubs the back of his neck. "The only other arcade I know is really far. I can text my friend though and ask him. He knows New York way better than me," Jack replies. He's about to reach for his phone when he sees how Autumn stiffens up. Frowning invisibly, he looks over his shoulder. When he sees the two approaching men, Jack stiffens too. "Autumn, keep DD close and stay behind me," he murmurs. "Any clue who these guys are?" he asks, pretty sure they're trouble regardless of who they are. "/I/ don't need an umbrella, /I/ have rain boots!" DD is about to demonstrate the utility of said boots on an inky puddle when his sister takes his hand. Autumn edges closer to Jack and whispers, "I don't know them, but they gave me a weird look." After a pause, she adds, even more softly, "I think one of them is a mutant?" But before she can manage much else, the two men are upon them. "{Good evening, Ms. Lin,}" says the muscular one in Cantonese, "{we would like a word with you.}" The tall one gives Jack a hard look, "Perhaps your friend might want to run on ahead?" Even though he speaks in English, the statement comes out as if Jack weren't even there at all, or is beneath his regard. Jack curses quietly at the news one might be a mutant. That makes things that much more complicated. Hands in his pockets, he keeps a grip on his phone in case the panick button is needed. The invisible teen doesn't understand the Cantonese but when the tall one speaks up in a language he can understand, Jack clears his throat. "No, I think her friend is fine right here and you guys should run on ahead." Autumn pulls her little brother close and straightens to her full five foot and three inches. "Do I know you?" she asks, pointedly in English. "We were on our way somewhere, I really don't have time to talk." DD does not seem insensible to the older children's nervousness, but the mention of going somewhere gets him excited all over again. "Ooh, where are we going?" "{Please pardon our rudeness, but we have been searching for you}" the muscular young man continues, without ever sparing a glance at Jack, "{on behalf of your most honorable mother.}" The taller one, who spoke in English, crosses his arms and shakes his head at Jack. "You're meddling in family affairs you cannot possibly understand." Jack arches an unseen brow. "These guys family?" he asks Autumn, keeping watch on them both. He's nervous but he's glad it isn't showing. "Then how about speaking up on them so we can all understand?" If Autumn heard Jack's question, she does not answer. Her mouth has dropped open as if to cry out, but no sound emerges. "I don't believe you," she sputters at last, "she's been gone for years. She left us. Why wouldn't she come herself?" Her eyes are tearing up. DD's eyes have also gone wide, though more with amazement and uncomprehension. "Am I gonna get to meet Mama?" His voice is incredulous, a little reverent. "{She has been very ill, and only recently awakened.}" The muscular man reaches into an inner pocket of his jacket (where the quick eye might glimpse a holster, too) and produces a small envelope. Written down the red bracket intended for the recipient's name in flowing Chinese characters is 'Lin Chio-yueh.' "{She bade us pass this to you.}" The tall one rolls his eyes, which has the effect of making him look suddenly younger, not perhaps all that much older than Jack himself. "What, are /you/ her family now?" "Hey? What's going on?" Jack asks Autumn quietly when he notices her expression. DD's question gets Jack looking as surprised as empty clothes can. His attention returns to the men and when he sees the holster, he tenses further. "I'm her friend." "They found our mother," Autumn replies, distracted, as she accepts the envelope. "This is her writing." She peels it open carefully and extracts the missive, a single sheaf of paper, hand-written in cursive Chinese. Her eyes skim down the page haltingly, mouthing the words as she goes. DD is hopping and standing on tip-toe half-heartedly trying to see the letter for himself. "She's sick. I have to go see her." She finally looks at Jack again, eyes full of tears not yet shed. "I don't even know these people, but...this is my mom. She wrote this last week, and she says I can trust them. Can you take DD back to...can you take him to Jax's family? Please? I...I'll pick him up as soon as I'm done, promise." "Your brother can come, too," says the tall man. "Not your friend, though." The shorter one is already beginning to turn, sweeping an arm toward a car. But Autumn is extricating her hand from DD's, pressing the letter into his tiny hands instead. "You don't even remember Mom," she mutters, "you can see her next time. Just let me do this, okay?" And now Jack is looking...well he looks exactly the same. But he is more surprised. Autumn's never mentioned her mother before and hearing that she's suddenly found, writing letters and sending random guys with guns has Jack on edge. "Hey," he turns to Autumn now. "Are you sure about this? These guys seem a bit fishy...I mean...one of them's got a gun," he whispers. He glances down at DD though, gesturing for him to stay close. "DD, c'mere..." he murmurs, shooting a glance at the other two guys. He's debating how likely it is he could take them both and keep Autumn and DD safe and eventually he curses internally. "I'll keep him safe...you stay careful too. And call if there's trouble," he says, wishing he had better ideas. Of course he's going to snap a picture of the car's license plate as it pulls off, hoping Jax and Dusk will have better ideas on what to do. "I'm not sure at all. This is probably the dumbest thing I've done...in the last couple of weeks, I guess." If Autumn was trying to make a joke, it lands completely flat even with herself. She gives DD a quick hug and pushes him toward Jack, then hesitates, looking at the invisible boy. "Thanks," she says finally, and follows the two men to their car. Jack reaches to take DD's hand, waiting until the car starts to pull away. He takes his phone out quickly and grabs a picture of the plates. When he's sure he's got the numbers, he takes a breath. "C'mon, DD...let's go see Mr. Jax and Mr. Dusk..." he trails off. He's not happy about what just happened and he'll be kicking himself for awhile but now...now is time to tell the more experienced people and see if they know what to do.