17156/She Is Not A Crook

She Is Not A Crook
Date of Scene:	11 February 2024
Location:	The Black Market
Synopsis:	Cain Marko offers an opportunity to earn some cash. Kiden accepts.
Cast of Characters:	Cain Marko, Kiden Nixon

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Cain Marko has posed:
The Black Market is an ultra-exclusive joint and it's one that Cain Marko frequents from time to time. Especially when there's less-than-legal business to be conducted. Which is precisely why it's the location that Kiden Nixon receives a text instructing her to visit. A password is given to get her through the door and rather clear instructions are given after that: casual chic dress code.

When Kiden does arrive and delivers the password she is, of course. given some brow-beating at the door. She's not a regular, she's not even a known quantity within the community and here she is with an ultra-exclusive password. The brow beating comes to an end however as a couple heavy footfalls announce the present of Mr. Cain Marko. He's dressed in a pastel button-up, slacks, shined shoes, and a golden chain necklace - not a bracelet, a chain necklace - wrapped around his massive wrist. The security staff aren't typically ones to be trifled with and while surely The Juggernaut could hold his own in a tangle with him, Marko doesn't seem inclined to have his membership revoked. "She's my guest. We got business to discuss," he informs with his usual gruff manner. He's cleaned up well, but that doesn't suddenly sharpen the blunt instrument.

It doesn't take long for Kiden to be admitted under the care of Cain. Nor does it take long for the pair to be seated in a private VIP room with durable furnishing and accommodations, likely purposefully chosen for the likes of the Big Red Meanie's stature. A waitress slips into the room to take their drink orders, which leaves Kiden and Cain an opportunity to begin discussing business.

"You ain't likely to get identified or caught," Cain remarks with a dip of his chin, fixing Kiden with an appraising stare, "you sure you're up for this though? This ain't stealin' snack cakes from your local bodega. You ready for the potential heat or nah?" It seems that Cain's at least mercifully willing to offer ample opportunities for Miss Nixon to back out before they even begin.

Kiden Nixon has posed:
When the text arrives, Kiden lifts a brow at the dress code, then shrugs. Rich people. She selects from her business casual wardrobe... a pair of very new designer darkwash jeans tucked into a pair of Jimmy Choo ankle boots, a bright pink button-down with a French collar and cuff open at the throat, and under a grey merino wool duster cardigan. Her hair fashionably tousled.

When she arrives, she gives the password as instructed. That she gets pushback isn't terribly unexpected. She's an unknown face pretty much everywhere, both a boon and drawback to her powers. Kiden is about to namedrop her host for the evening when Cain makes his appearance. She lets the two men work it out before following Cain back into the VIP room.

Taking a seat, she gives her drink order and settles into a seat that's probably far too large for her, but she makes it work. There's a glance spared for their surroundings before focusing in on Cain himself.

"I'll be fine. Are *you* having second thoughts?" She flashes a cheeky grin, teasing him just a little for his offers to let her wiggle out of the job. "I said I would help you, so I'm in. I may regret it later, but I don't break promises."

Cain Marko has posed:
"You ain't promised nothing yet," Cain rumbles back at Kiden's assurances. A large hand moves to rub at a recently shaved chin and the man's blue eyes shift toward the closed doorway, then back to Kiden before he offers a faint shake of his head, along with an unsettling smile, "I ain't got no second thoughts. My mind's set and I ain't one for changing course to often".

The big man goes quiet when there's a knock at the door. This results in a button being pressed by Marko which in turn remotely unlocks the door. In comes the waitress with their drinks. They're set down, the waitress leaves, and Cain's attention turns back to Kiden. Blindly he lifts the ice bucket that serves as a mug and the brutish man takes a long drink of the apple and cinnamon-smelling concoction that it holds.

The bucket's set aside as though it's nothing more than your average mug of beer. Then Cain carries on with the discussion after the door has been closed and remotely locked once again, "Job's real simple on your part. I'm going to knock in a wall, get people real scared and running out of the place. You're going to walk in through that big old hole in the side of the Rubin Museum of Art". Then Cain pauses. It's likely to ensure that Kiden's following along, but also to wet his whistle with another drink from his bucket. Setting it aside again he continues, "There's an item on the second floor. Ain't sure what it's for, but I'm told it's a key or somethin'. By then I'll be two or three blocks away, being a big old distraction. You get the thing, you get out with it, you disappear. We'll meet up later to exchange the loot and your cash."

The plan seems simple enough and Cain settles himself back in on the two-seat sofa making due as his arm chair. He watches Kiden during his explanation, but especially after it. It isn't just her verbal answer that he seems interested; it's her unspoken, physical cues as well.

Kiden Nixon has posed:
"Sure I did, when I said I would help you. That was my promise." Kiden lifts a shrug like this isn't any big deal, even if it is, in fact, a VERY big deal. She did make a promise, though her father is probably rolling in his grave just about now, seeing what his daughter is getting herself into.

The waitress enters and sets the drinks down, Kiden lifts hers and takes a swallow of the seltzer water with strawberries. She's not much of a drinker and makes no bones about it, not particularly caring if she's made fun of for it. Water is life, and clean water is hard to come by in the city when you're homeless. She drinks it every chance she has!

Nodding along as he spells out the job, the only part that gives her pause is when he doesn't really define the object she's supposed to steal. Squinting at him, Kiden lifts a brow, "This 'whatever' isn't going to possess or curse or kill me, is it? I may not have the best life, but I like it, dammit." She has a good job, a good place, a good man, and good friends. And that's a damn sight better than where she was a few months ago!

That really does seem to be her big sticking piont. Making sure this object isn't going to fuck with her while she's holding it.

Cain Marko has posed:
"Fair enough. You made me a promise," Cain answers with a little smile and his eyebrows seem to rise with a bit of delight.

"The number on it's 2014.102," Cain explains with a little shrug of his shoulders. It may be that even he doesn't know exactly what the number means or, at the very least, doesn't think it's important outside of the number itself. "My employer said it's about this tall," he says as he spaces his palms apart a little under a foot in length. "About the size of a milk carton. Them old," then Cain's eyes settle onto Kiden, he squints, and then he continues, "those cardboard or whatever orange juice cartons? About that size and shape. It's got a bunch of wavy lines and stuff on it. Just looks like some kind of statue, but apparently it's a key".

After the description is offered and the question of curses, magical possession, or whatever else is questioned? Cain only begins to laugh. He shakes his head once and cuts the air with one massive hand as it waves aside, "Ain't nothing like that. If the guy didn't tell me about that detail? You got my word I'll pluck his family apart before I twist him up". Brutal.

Kiden Nixon has posed:
It's that weird area where she sticks to her word when she gives it, even if it's likely not in her best interest to do so. She doesn't break promises. Kiden gives a short nod to his response.

Lifting her glass for another sip, she listens to the details, nodding here and there. The description of it has her blinking and looking quizzical for a second, "Is your employer some giant sentient planet thing that makes you bleed from the head when it talks to you? Because that sounds like one of the stone dealies from The Fifth Element. If Chris Tucker shows up in skintight velvet, I'm outta there. Just putting that out there right now." Otherwise, the item seems banal enough. "Do you know what sort of security is on it? Like, is it in a case?"

His laughter and response has her snorting, "Not that that would matter to me if I get possessed or cursed or whatever'd. Also, ew. Super ew." She's had to deal way more with death than she would like to already.

Cain Marko has posed:
"If my employer was a giant sentient planet thing that made me bleed from the head when he talks to me? I'd fuck it up," Cain answers without hesitation or humor. Leave it to the Juggernaut to pick a fight with a planet-thing. He sucks at a tooth for a moment and listens to Kiden's own question. The mention of The Fifth Element, Chris Tucker, skintight velvet, and the rest results in a confused - and frankly unamused - expression written across the broad features of Cain. He grunts before he shrugs and grumbles out an answer, "Don't know nothing about that. He said it's a key. Or a keystone. Or something. I don't know, I don't care. He's paying a chunk of change to get it - your cut's five grand. That pays for the job and your silence after it's done. You don't go bragging, telling your friends about it, or whatever else. You build your reputation on discretion. Ya'got me?"

He doesn't answer further on the matter of curses, possessions, or whole families meticulously plucked apart. He takes another drink of his alcoholic apple bucket, sets it aside, and focuses his attention on Kiden pending further questions or comments.

Kiden Nixon has posed:
"Hmmm, you make a compelling counterpoint. Alright. I will trust that this isn't leading to some ancient pyramid where I'm going to have to be turned into a mutant deathlaser or something." Don't ask. If he didn't get the earlier references, this one won't make any sense either. Not that it matters to Kiden one way or another. Nodding to his response, she offers, "And the security? Is it in a case? Setting off the alarm won't bother me, if it isn't already wailing from the giant hole in the wall. But I need to know if there's anything I have to get through to get to the stone." Not because she can't break it, but because she needs to know how hard she'll need to hit it to break the case, if there is one.

"Hey, I'm not going to turn up my nose at five grand. And I don't snitch. Snitches end up in ditches with bitches." She's young, he's going to have to accept a certain amount of terrible street slang.

Cain Marko has posed:
"Damn straight I do," Cain answers on the matter of his compelling argument. He's right. Of course he's right. It's not usually wise to tell him he's wrong. So he's definitely right.

The question of security earns a nod. It's one of those nods that seems to say 'oh, right'. "You might need a pair of wire cutters, just in case. I've heard conflicting things. It's either got no security or it's gone one of those little wire tethers on it," he explains with hands gesturing in circles, as though illustrating 'one of those little wire tethers' encircling an object. When his hands lower back to his knees, Cain's chin dips slightly to once again fix Kiden with an appraising stare. "There might be on-site security. Two, three, maybe even four. Might even be plain clothes. Fuck'em up if you want, but don't kill'em. They may even flee with the rest of the herd".

Cain glances toward Kiden's seltzer water and strawberries, his eyebrows shifting upward and his eyes very nearly roll. Despite that he does not comment. Instead he reaches for his alcoholic apple cinnamon bucket. He takes another long drink. He doesn't set his bucket aside this time, but instead holds it within a palm much like Joe having a mug after his shift at the mill might.

"Easy peasy. Get it, get it to me, get your five grand. I ain't going to ask you if you're sure because you made promise. We'll be making our move in a couple weeks. That time may get bumped up a week. All depends on some info I got comin' my way," he explains in his usual gruff manner. Again his scratches at his recently shaved chin, his mouth screwing up into a thoughtful scowl. When his hand drops away he asks with some sense of finality, "You got any other questions?"

Kiden Nixon has posed:
Kiden gives a chuckle at his assertion, nodding along with him. Because of course he's right! While she's certain that she could get away from him, she isn't exactly in hiding, and that is NOT a confrontation she wants to have.

She sips on her seltzer and strawberries while he talks security, nodding at the mention of wire clippers. She can do that, those fit in a pocket easy. Chewing on a slice of strawberry, she lifts a brow at him and shakes her head, "No need for me to fuck up anyone. They won't even see me. It'll be like it just fuckin' disappeared." Because that's how Kiden's power works! "I keep my head down, get in, get out, and text you when I'm away and ready for the exchange. You text back giving me location, we meet, we exchange, all is gravy."

It really is a good thing that Kiden isn't actually a villain, her power is a little terrifying, and has so many potential applications. Kiden just stares at him when his expression changes over her drink, daring him to say something. Because really, would YOU get drunk around this place if you were her? HELL no!

"No more questions. You just let me know when it's on and I'll be there, ready to roll." She flashes a quick grin and takes another swallow of her seltzer water.