14439/Good Deeds That Go Unnoticed

Good Deeds That Go Unnoticed
Date of Scene:	17 March 2023
Location:	New Lots
Synopsis:	No description
Cast of Characters:	Tommy Monaghan, Maria King

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Tommy Monaghan has posed:
Tommy Monaghan slides down the fire escape in a dark alley in a bad part of New York. Usually he's in bad parts of Gotham, but right now, things are a little rough there, so Tommy's letting the heat chill. He may have popped a nasty piece of shit bookie on a cheap contract, only he had a lot of brothers who hold grudges. Tommy still had sore ribs from when they jumped him and he'd barely gotten away.

Since he needed a little money, he took an easy job for quick cash - good old fashion sexual predator who got off on a technicality. Vigilante shit, but such a small fish the heroes don't bother. But the girl's parents had some spare cash, only a grand. But Tommy was willing to do it on a discount in this case.

He drops down and turns his head, sunglasses over his black eyes as he sees a man stalking towards a girl who's rifling through some of the junk at the end of the alley. Great. Another shithead.

Maria King has posed:
Maria King tries not to be out after dark. Which means she frequently is, but she at least recognizes that the danger factor for those on the streets goes up as the sun goes down. Doubly so for women, and triply so for attractive women.

Which is also why she usually wears a hood when out at night. As she is tonight. She'd run into Mrs. Cunningham. A sweet African-American woman who lives two streets down. She'd seen Marie, bundled up in her jacket that was not quite warm enough. A mugger took off with the really nice winter jacket that Maria had managed to get her hands on some time back. The sight of the gun had been enough she just handed over everything he asked for, and was glad that was all he'd wanted. Somehow she just had this feeling that if she tried anything but obeying, she'd have ended up with a bullet.

Well, that was a week and a half ago, and the fright had already started to wear off a little. But so it was Mrs. Cunningham had seen her, hugging herself for warmth, and invited her in for a cup of hot tea. And when she finally sent Maria back on her way, the homeless girl had a bag in hand with a few baked goods that the woman had sent with her too. It was enough food to last a person for three days. Which meant it would last Maria about a day, maybe a bit more. That girl really does eat.

At the moment her thoughts are more on the food than on her surroundings. Which isn't like her. She doesn't even notice the larger form that steps out of a recessed doorway a half a block back, and starts following her as Maria heads for the alley that will be a shortcut back to her squat.

Tommy Monaghan has posed:
He cocks the gun behind the head of the man even as his other arm snakes around his throat, hooking him tight as he presses forward and whispers low in his ear.

"Your name's Randy Anderson. They call you Randy Andy. You have two outstanding warrants for just this sort of shit. Normally I'd just grease your ass but I don't wanna ruin her day so you just go on home and count yourself lucky. I ever see you again - especially in a dark alley at night - you die. We understand each other, Randy?"

The would-be rapist pisses himself and trembles, dropping his knife. He quickly draws away with a jerk and runs down the end of the alley. Once he's out of sight, Tommy holsters his pistol and draws out a Marlboro, lighting up.

"Fuckin' New York."

Maria King has posed:
The exchange goes unnoticed by the girl that was Randy Anderson's intended victim. The night is just as dark as before, the air just as chill. But Maria King never realizes that the night was going to be far darker. Far colder than any other she'd endured. Were it not for the actions of one who himself is counted as a criminal by society.

When Maria turns the corner, she starts down it before spotting the cigarette light up. She slows just a little bit, eyes darting around with the kind of wariness she should have been showing before now. Gauging whether it's best to just proceed, or if she should turn around and find another route.

Something in her makes her want to proceed. Call it a hunch. She has those a fair amount. Like with the mugger. And as she often does, she listens to it and continues forward towards the man smoking the Marlboro. Her hands slip into her jacket pockets for warmth. Her head is down to try to hide her face in the hood, but she keeps peeking up as she draws near. He might catch a glimpse of her face as she passes a dim light bulb over the back door of a Chinese laundry.

Tommy Monaghan has posed:
Tommy Monaghan takes a long drag on his smoke, letting twin plumes jet out of his nostrils. The streetlight reflects hazily in his dark glasses. He holds up a gloved hand, fingers spread, in the universal 'no harm' gesture.

"Easy, kiddo. Not lookin' for any trouble. Just getting out of the wind to enjoy my dart,' he says, taking another suck on the filter before he speaks again. "You lookin' for anythin' particular? I'm, uh, kinda good at finding things," he says. X-ray eyes will do that.

Maria King has posed:
She would have passed by the taller, older man without having said anything. Though as he addresses her, it seems to put her more at ease than anything. If that's his approach for mugging someone, it's a good approach.

"That's good," Maria says to him as he says he's not looking for trouble. "Because, you know, I'm just like... fierce," she says, making a little karate chop gesture in front of herself. Which the petite girl doing that in such a non-athletic ways is more likely to bring a chuckle than make one fear her. And more ironic for the fact of what he saved her from, without her knowing.

She glances around the alley and back at him. "Nah, I actually just had a nice cup of tea and some cookies." She hesitates a moment as she thinks of offering him one of the pastries in the bag. Damn it. Now she thought of it, she's going to feel bad if she doesn't. Why didn't she just keep going and then she wouldn't have thought it.

She opens up the bag and reaches in. Hoping she got one of the raspberry ones instead of the cherry or chocolate or lemon ones. She does like raspberry, but it's her least favorite of the four.

Somehow her hand manages to grab a raspberry one. Another fortuitous happening she writes off to luck. "here, try one. I mean, tastes way better than that," she says of his cigarette.