ArchivedLogs:Midas Touch

Midas Touch
Dramatis Personae Murphy, Mei, Dan
In Absentia	2013-04-30 '
Location Junk
The Junk Drawer is typical of most pawn shops. There are grates up in the window, cutting down the available light and leaving the flickering florescents to do the job. Longer than it is wide, two narrow aisles go back to a tall counter. On each side of the aisles there are shelves that almost touch the ceiling, covered with a huge assortment of knickknacks, electronics, games and...well, junk. The counter in the back is glass-topped and holds an array of cheap jewelry. On the wall behind it is a locked and barred case filled with other valuables, including a collection of knives. Word on the street has it that if you know how to ask, the owner can produce small handguns for purchase as well. Overcast and in the mid 50s, it's not exactly cold but not warm as spring has sort of come to New York. It's late afternoon and despite being a Monday the pawn shop is doing a brisk business, perhaps because of it's location at the junction of what amounts to China town, Little Italy and the Lower East side. Well, perhaps brisk is the wrong word but there are at least three guys behind the counters and at least some people browsing around inside or taking care of business. When entering, Mei probably draws some attention for a couple of reasons. One she has a bit of a bruise on her forehead, that looks pretty fresh. Two, she's wearing something that looks more like an institutional outfit, in that horrid off blue that seems to scream the 1950s, with a skirt that comes below the knees, and a button up shirt of the same color. No real distinguishing marks show on it, so it isn't a school uniform or prison garb. The other thing that might get one's attention is rarely does a girl who looks like she's a tween enter a pawn shop alone. She has something cupped in one hand as she enters, held in her fist, of her left hand as she pauses at the door and looks around the room, taking in others as they might or might not notice her depending on how distracted they are with whatever business they might be up to. Junk is one of those places that Dan knows probably too well. He's inside the shop when the door jangles, gazing almost wistfully at a Gibson guitar behind the counter, a yellow pawn slip tucked into the strings. In front of him, behind the counter, the clerk looks like he's getting increasingly annoyed. "Danny, I can't hold on to it much longer," the weaselly-looking man is saying irritably. "Either you make the last payment by the end of the week, or I'm puttin' it on the shelf." Dan frowns, and rubs his hands along the back pockets of his jeans, and then through the inside of the leather jacket he's wearing. "C'mon, Ernie," he says. "If you give me another two weeks, I'll comp you at the pub the whole time." Ernie makes a rude noise, and begins to move away. "End of the week, Rourke. What do /you/ want, girl?" This is aimed at Mei, Ernie's expression deeply and immediately distrustful. Dan makes a noise, and moves away from the counter, grimacing at the girl. "Don't let him screw ya, kid." There is a sound, outside the shop. Rumbling engine. Thud. Creeeeeak. *WHUMP*. Then, stomp, stomp, stomp - the jingle of bells. Someone at the front door. Murphy Law wears a black wool coat, white shirt, tie, fresh bandages wrapped 'round his throat and palms - his fingers poking out - and a scowl that could make dandelions wilt at fifty paces. He surveys the shop an instant after he steps in - eyes raking over all the faces. Familiar and unfamiliar. He looks... well, he looks like Murphy. Which means, 'pissed'. He's only got two settings - and the other one's /pissier/. Mei, being so talked to, frowns slightly, walks up to the counter across from Ernie and reaches up and across to set down something that goes 'Clink' as it touches the glass countertop. As she pulls her hand away what she dropped off sparkles a bit even in the light of the shop. It looks to be an irregularly shapped piece of solid gold, at least that's what it /looks/ like. The girl looks up at Ernie and says, "You give money. How much?" Her English is accented and broken, but the intent is clear. The piece of gold, if it is solid, has to be close to 5 or 6 ounces of gold, with probably a market value of well over 5k. Ernie blinks a bit, as it isn't everyday some kid comes in with a hunk of what appears to be gold like this. "What's this? You pullin' some con? Trying to sell some lead plated crap?" He says accusingly. Mei replies, "You test. You see. Solid. How much you give?" She repeats insistantly. By this time the exchange probably has gotten the attention of most of the shop, and at least most of the staff in the shop. Ernie's eyes narrow as he picks up the piece of gold, and frowns. Of course he can cut it in two, and do the rub test and all of that, but at the moment he seems to look more unsure, as if there must be some trick to this. As Ernie picks up the hunk of metal, Mei glances at the door, the sound of the thumps and the scowling man standing there clearly getting her attention for the moment. Mei doesn't look particularly happy either, but the frown of a young 'cute' asian girl is obviously nothing compared apparently well honed glare Murphy has down pat. Dan's eyes widen as the girl approaches the counter and drops the gold item on the counter. His eyes narrow suspiciously, but he lifts a shoulder helplessly at Ernie when the man glances his way. Not my problem, dude. Then he's turning to exit the shop, but finds no easy egress -- mostly because Murphy is suddenly THERE. Sweeping his eyes over Murphy studiously, his gaze finds the detective's face with an almost bemused sort of glare. "The fuck happened to you?" he growls, waving a hand at the bandages. "Every time I see you, you're more fucked up." He says this as if Murphy is aware of this fact, because he probably is. "Was beatin' the shit out of a dipshit. Ended up lightin' himself on fire." Murphy states this as if it were not the most ridiculous explanation possible. Is he fucking with Dan? /Probably/. But nothing in the man's posture indicates that he is, indeed, lying. As if this was all just a bullshit screed, though, the man's already fishing for a cigarette out of his front pocket - quite a feat, considering his bandage-wrapped hands make moving those fingers tricky - as he just /shoulder/ checks Dan at the door. WHUMP. Nuh uh, you ain't goin' anywhere, buddy. Not yet. He gestures, rather rudely, toward Mei - not bothering to look at her as he shoves the cigarette into his mouth. Now fishing for a lighter. "You know her." It's a question, but it doesn't quite sound it. Murphy's got a way of asking things, makes it sound like he's /telling/ you them instead. Still, he seems to want a reply. While the action is taking place by the door, an electronic scale is being produced, the object is being weighed, tested, cut, and so on. Muttering going on between Ernie and some of the other staff, with multiple glances at the increasingly impatient looking Mei. She even is tapping her foot of all things. "No be slow!" She insists after a bit, almost scolding Ernie which gets her a glare in return, but no answer yet, as it does take some time to do the testing and this just leaves Mei standing there while the other two converse by the door. If what is going on by the exit can be actually called a conversation. Dan grunts in response to Murphy's explanation, but he doesn't contest it. Knowing Murphy even as little as he does, it's probably being understated. "Gotta watch out for those crazy ones," is the only advice he offers, ending in another grunt as Murphy forces him back inside. His gaze tracks to the counter, and he studies the girl. "She looks familiar, but I don't know her," he says after a moment. When she barks at Ernie, he rumbles an appreciative laugh. "Feisty thing, ain't she?" He turns back to the ex-marine. "If you're tailing her, you're not very good at it." "Not tailing her." That's all Murphy offers. Then he's walking into the room, even stride, one hand reaching for his lighter - *flkt, flkt, fwwpt* - his face briefly cast in a metallic orange glow as the tip of that cigarette flares up - before /both/ hands are shoved deep into his pockets, so far his coat looks like it's about to slip down. He's moving right up toward the impatient Mei - and as he does, his voice carries out behind her like some gravelly, menacing growl: "Kid. /Kid/. You know you got dangerous folks lookin' for you?" Mei is still frowning impatiently at Ernie and crew when Murphy comes up behind her. She looks back, then... up, as she's probably at least two feet shorter than the gruff man. She back up, bumping into the counter since she turned around to look, still looking up. Her eyes narrow, "Yes." She replies, then glances over her shoulder at Ernie, "You hurry. Give money now." Her urgency some what more pronounced, and her words more pleading than commanding as she clearly wants the cash so she can get out of here as fast as possible. Still it's just a glance over her shoulder as she looks back to Murphy, "You look for me?" She asks of him almost accusingly. Mei seems tentative, as if she's considering trying to dodge past Murphy if need be, from her body language. Although small, she probably wouldn't have the quickness to pull it off, even if she doesn't seem to realize that, yet. Dan frowns at Murphy's response, and something in the ex-marine's manner nudges a long-unused instinct, and the ex-soldier drifts back to the door. When Murphy speaks to the girl and confirms his suspicion, he leans against the door itself casually, fishing a cigar from the inside of his leather jacket and tucking it in his teeth. As he digs for a match, he glances out the window, along the sidewalk. There is practiced sort of manner about the way he does this, even down to the way he gives a customer attempting to leave a slight shake of his head. "Not 'til the man's done speaking to the girl, lady." "No, I ain't lookin' for you. But the folks who are - you ain't gonna get far. Not without backup. You go to the police?" The cigarette tip /smolders/, bright and vicious; smoke swells out of Murphy's nostrils, curling toward the ceiling. "They're puttin' out flyers. Got people on the street. Hell, /I/ noticed you." He eyes the lump of gold; that scowl only gets /scowlier/. "...lemme guess. You're somebody's golden goose." Having this conversation right in front of Ernie does not seem to bug Murphy in the slightest. Tact? Subtle graces? Fuck that shit. Mei gives a sigh, and shrugs, "No, Yes, people looking." She pauses a moment, then glances back to see if Ernie has produced anything seeming to be cash yet. But he has not, perhaps not wanting to interfer with Murphy's discussion with the girl. Mei looks back to Murphy. "You strong man. You be backup?" She asks as she peers at Murphy, unsure, "I pay. You keep safe?" She clearly is making an offer of sorts, terms to be determined and all of that. "You help, I give what man give me." She says gesturing over her shoulder twoards Ernie with her thumb while keeping her eyes on Murphy. Dan has been sort of forgotten in this discussion for the moment, at least by Mei. Her attention is fully on Murphy for the moment. Dan does not seem to be bothered by being forgotten. He has his (self) assigned task, which is watching the door. His only input is the pophiss of a match being struck, and the glow of his cigar as he gets it lit. His eyes track lazily over to Murphy and the girl, then to Ernie and his co-workers. Then it's back to the street, his eyes noting which vehicles are close, and what people are passing by, even at this time of night. "That ain't how this works, kid," Murphy tells Mei. "You don't just hire muscle - Jesus, what are you, /twelve/? I ain't--" Murphy's complaints are interrupted near the front door. As Dan keeps a lookout, three rough looking men are approaching. One of them dressed sharp - black pinstripe suit, matching vest, white shirt and tie, neat little black trilby, pencil-stache - the other's a /big/ brute, maybe 240, 6 feet and change, in a white sleeveless shirt, bandana, and jeans - the other's dressed... well, like a cowboy. Dressed like some sort of young Matlock, with a texan-style bolo tie and a nice, big, ten gallon hat - and a /huge/ grin. They're making their way to the pawn shop, right toward Dan. One of them - the one with the big hat - is humming a song. Sounds like 'Rhinestone Cowboy'. Dan probably notices them. So does Murphy. Head cocked slightly to the left, he catches the flash of the cowboy's big buckle. Hard to miss, even at night - even through the goddamn window. Immediately, Murphy nudges his way past Mei, fishing three crisp twenties out of his wallet, fumbling through the bandages - slapping them down on the tray, sliding them over to Ernie. "Need change. Five rolls of quarters," he tells Ernie. Then: "In a hurry. Keep the ten for yourself." Maybe Ernie is just delaying at this point in hopes that Mei will end up leaving without the gold, as he certainly has confirmed it to be real and pure by this time. However when confronted with Murphy's demand for rolls of quarters, well that gets much faster response. In a flash the three twenties vanish and the rolls of quarters appear. Mei is about to reply to Murphy, but is cut off when he turns his attention to the doorway and getting change. Mei looks towards the door then to Ernie then around the shop as if desperately searching for a possible back way out. While there might be one, it certainly isn't accessable to normal patrons easily. Mei instead moves behind some of the clutter in one of the displays and ducks down, trying to stay out of the way while she tries to see what is going to happen. Hopefully she gets 'out of sight' from the doorway before the gang makes it to or past Dan. Dan rumbles some sort of warning noise as he quietly turns the lock on the door. Not that it will likely stop that big bruiser, but it might buy a couple of seconds. 'Dangerous folks' probably don't care about pawn shop doors. Once the bolt is shot, he slides back, away from the door to fade into the shelves -- as best he can, in the confines of the shop. "Behind the counter," he mutters to the girl when he nearly trips over her. His hand is drifting to the small of his back, hand closing around the grip of the gun tucked there. "What's the plan?" he asks Murphy without looking at him. Like he's talking to the air. The pissy, pissy air. Plan? Murphy's just interested in his /change/, mother-fucker. He's glaring at Ernie now as he slides Murphy the five rolls of quarters; he /glares/ at Ernie, as if he's just been deeply /insulted/. "Ain't you gonna bag that shit?" he tells him. Ernie blanches and proceeds to do just that - wrapping the quarters neatly in a bag. And then, Murphy glares /harder/: "Ain't you gonna /double/ bag that shit?" And so it goes; Ernie gives him a double bag. Meanwhile, Dan's quick-thinking on locking the door manages to hold back the three for a moment. But just for a moment. There's a sudden series of knocks - followed by - *CRACK* - tinkle - a big, meaty hand reaching in, fumbling through the glass, reaching for the lock - click, click, *SNKT*. And the door's opening with a creak - three men stepping in. The big guy in the t-shirt first; on his left, the cowboy - on his right, the well-dressed man in the vest. Murphy turns, then. Glaring briefly at the trio. Walking right toward them with his recent 'purchase'. Giving the bag an idle spin with a roll of his wrist; rat-tailing the upper half, even as the lower half bulges out with the shape of the rolls. As he approaches - the big beefy man in the t-shirt opens his mouth to say something. And then, without another word, Murphy /swings/ the bag of quarters downward in a savage, brutal arch - bringing it down right for the biggest member of the trio's skull. *KA-KRACK*. Mei takes Dan's advice and scrambles under one of those counter flip ups, to get behind the counter just as the thugs reach the door. Once back there, she starts to look for a way to a back area, or room. The counter in the way she can no longer see what is going on but she can hear it. She does, as she passes by, manage to snatch the gold from one of the back counters as Ernie put it down there to get Murphy his change and bag it, and rebag it. She pockets that as she scurries, trying to stay out of line of sight for the moment. Dan is tense, his body rigid when the glass tinkles, and the trio enter. A quick flick of his eyes ensures that the girl is taking his advice, unhindered by Ernie, who has disappeared into the back room after getting Murphy's quarters bagged. His eyes track between Murphy and the trio as the detective approaches, his fingers tightening on the grip of his weapon. There's a moment of silence after Murphy's bag connects with the big guy's head, an impossibly long moment before the pain registers, and the big man clutches at his head, beginning to bend at the waist. The other two exchange the briefest of glances, and Cowboy begins to step forward, only to stop at the CHK of Dan's weapon being cocked. The ex-soldier is in near-perfect sidearm firing stance, a bead drawn on the cowboy. "Slow down there, Tex," he says with an exaggerated Southern drawl. "Let the men finish talkin'." Murphy doesn't wait long. When the big guy buckles, Murphy lets the bag flip down to just his thumb - freeing up his other fingers. He reaches with both hands to grip the man's shoulders; if successful, he pulls - drawing him further down - stepping in before /slamming/ his knee up for his solar plexus. The goal is to leave him gasping, wheezing, stunned, and completely useless - at which point, he'd shove him straight at the man in the dapper suit. While calling back: "Think we're done talkin', actually. Kid? Guy-with-the-gun? C'mon, let's piss out of here." He's trying to move past the other thugs, then. Straight for the door. Like it ain't no big deal. Just puffing on his cigarette and looking all /surly/. Mei was lookign for a way out back but when Murphy calls for 'kid' to get out of here, she assumes he means her, and... emerges from behind the counter quickly, almost rushing to be behind Murphy, yet giving him enough space to swing or attack if need be. The main guy under attack by Murphy goes down like a bag of potatoes, with a pretty rough thud, probably out cold as he's pushed back against the dapper suited man. Still that guy didn't get to be the suit wearing one by being dumb and he manages to side step the flunky as he's flung back. There's a moment of tension as the cowboy eyes Dan's weapon, however since his gun is not drawn, he seems to decide against trying to out draw the already drawn gun. Hard to beat someone who already has a bead on you after all. The suited man eyes the situation and simply says, "You sure you want the girl associated with you? A lot of trouble looking for her. Same trouble might come looking for you if you are." He makes no blatant threats, attempts no aggressive actions and in fact has stepped to the side, but he is watching the situation closely. The trio clearly aren't expecting any kind of coordinated response from the pawn shop's occupants. The cowboy freezes when Dan speaks, allowing Murphy's attack to go uninterrupted. Dan begins to move out of the aisle at Murphy's suggestion, keeping his gun trained on the guy in the hat. He risks the smallest of glances over his shoulder. "Ernie don't have a back door anyway, kid," he says with an amused snort as the girl gets near him, and he closes in next to Murphy. "Seems like the same trouble found us anyway," he mutters, probably only meant for Murphy's ears. It's got the hollow ring of foxhole humor in it. Murphy pauses - just a moment - to eye the man in the suit as he speaks. A glance back at Dan as he joins him - along with Mei. "Keep the gun up." To Dan, brusquely. And then, to the guy in the suit: "No bullshit: I see you again, I light you on fire." Puff, puff. And then he's shouldering his way out that door, toward his car - a white 5th Avenue Chrysler. Big as a tank. Door's unlocked with a click; anyone who wants in can get in. The back seat's full of forgotten receipts and dirty clothes, but otherwise it's nice and comfortable. Considering the alternative, Mei is not going to turn down any chance to escape, and she already retrieved her gold, much to Ernie's likely later disappointment. She keeps low and slips into the back seat, moving things out of the way as needed to get seated, turning so she can watch the three that came for her and to see what Dan or Murphy do next. The suited man simply nods as if this is to be expected and says nothing as he watches the girl enter the car, his lips pursed slightly as he stays where he stands, watching, doing his best to not give anyone any reason to fire upon him at this point. The cowboy keeps his eyes on Dan, like he's just itching for a chance to see if he can catch Dan off guard but so far hasn't drawn a gun. Dan nods once at Murphy's instruction. He's a good soldier, and he recognizes a superior officer, even if neither of them are in the service anymore. He keeps his gun trained on the cowboy, letting Murphy and the girl slip out ahead of him, and following them slowly. The cowboy twitches, once as Dan spins to keep him in his sight as he moves through the door. "Y'all have a good night," he rumbles in that same horrible Southern accent. The gun remains out and cocked as he gets in the Chrysler, automatically reaching over the seat to shove the girl away from the curbside door and /grunting/ at her. "Get down and stay until we're clear." Engine turns over with an angry rumble. Under the wheels, tiny pebbles crack and pop as the treads roll over them. Murphy almost seems /bored/ as he drives away, backing out - quickly looping around into the opposite lane. Moving /fast/, burning through a red light just to wink out of view - then, relaxing. Cigarette still burning. Driving a bit, hand on the wheel, letting the window drop a few inches just to let the smoke out. Then... "Alright, so spill the beans, kid. And put that goddamn piece away," he adds, Murphy /glaring/ at Dan through the rearview mirror - as if the presence of a gun somehow /offends/ him. Apparently Mei's English doesn't include colloquialisms, and she gives a bit of a blank look to Murphy's request to spill beans. She frowns a bit then says, "You want gold?" She asks, as if she thinks perhaps that is what Murphy wants from the spill the beans instruction, "I can give. You help?" She looks over at Dan then back to Murphy. She did move over when he got in, so not much pushing was needed but still, she might not have been as quick as he wanted her to be. She looks a tad confused but at the same time keeps looking back out the window worriedly. Dan obediently uncocks his weapon and puts the safety before he slides it back into his gun. He's mostly watching out the rear window, and glancing into the side mirror to make doubly sure. When Mei doesn't respond to the question, he frowns, and gives Murphy a pop of his eyebrows in the mirror. "He means, what's your story, kid? Why're these fuckers after you so hot?" He frowns, and reaches over to place a hand on top of the girl's head, and attempt to push her back down firmly. "What do they /want/?" To Murphy: "You got a place for her?" "Yeah. Not my place, though. One of those fuckheads might know who I am. Know a guy, though. He'll take her." Yeah, yeah. He /better/ take her, is the unspoken end of that sentence. Murphy keeps driving, apparently finding the activity quite relaxing. When the gun disappears, the surliness - well, he's /still/ surly, but it goes from something like an 11 to a 9 on the Surl-o-meter. "I don't want your gold, kid. Not yet, anyway. Tell me your story and we'll work from there." Mei frowns as she's pushed down behind the driver's seat but goes, sitting on the floor in fact, so she's well out of view. She shrugs, but of course now Murphy can't see her. Dan can though. "Where am I?" She asks, "USA, yes?" She seems pretty sure on that much. She hesitates then glances around the floor. She picks up a plastic cup from some drive through place. She takes a deep breath and concentrates. The cup can't weigh very much, just a thin plastic thing, mass produced and all of that. The lid is some where else, so it's just the cup. After a moment the cup starts to take on a luster, a yellowish luster. The act seems to take some effort on her part and as she finishes she takes a deep breath and lets it out, like she just lifted a great weight. She holds it up to hand to Dan, "This why. They want me make more." She hesitates, as if trying to figure out how to explain the rest in English. This gives a bit of a pause as she hands the cup to Dan if he'll take it. It weighs considerablly more as gold than it did as plastic. Dan nods at the question. "Good old U.S. of A., kid," he affirms, watching out the back window. When she picks up the plastic cup, his attention is drawn back to her, and he watches with something hard in his eyes. When the cup is offered, he takes it, and when the weight hits his palm, he glances into the rear-view mirror. "Golden goose is right," he grunts, and holds up the cup for easy viewing. "No wonder they want her so bad." He frowns, and looks down at the girl. "Hope your friend is a...trustworthy...." he trails off as he looks out the window. "This is my neighborhood," he says in surprise. "That's my fuckin' cup," Murphy calmly informs Dan. Just in case there's any dispute here. Then: "Lemme see your photo ID." He shoves a hand back at Dan. Once the ID is handed over, Murphy swings it over to inspect it; front /and/ back. His silent peer is like the sound of a camera-click. *VRRRRT*. Then, he hands the photo ID back. "He lives across from you. Jim. Asshole. You and him keep track of the girl; I'll do some digging." Then: "You get sneaky with Midas back there, I got your name, address, DL number. The works. Will find you, set you on fire. That ain't me threatenin' you; I'm just lettin' you know the /terms/." Then, he's twisting the car around; tires squeal. Heading toward Jim and Dan's apartment. "Just leave the golden cup in the backseat," Murphy tells Mei. "That'll cover the costs for helpin' you. But keep the transmutin' to a minimum for now. Keep doing that, you're just gonna get in trouble."