6750/Justice is blurry in a sandstorm

Justice is blurry in a sandstorm
Date of Scene:	30 June 2021
Location:	Hell's Kitchen
Synopsis:	Nazo rescues June from two would-be muggers, only to find out that June turns the tables, and robs her attackers instead of simply being grateful for a rescue.
Cast of Characters:	Nazo Sarwani, June Connor

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Nazo Sarwani has posed:
It's funny the things that make you realize just how alien the place you live in is. Nazo's break from acclimatizing comes when her boss called her over and told her, "Nazo, we got some guy claiming to have proper Persians for sale at a stupid-low price. I want you to get down to Hell's Kitchen and check his goods out. Call me back with your summary."

Hell's. Kitchen.

The two words just opened Nazo's surprised eyes at how casually people tossed around references to the infernal. "Wh..where?" she'd asked, to get the answer, casual and thoughtless. "Clinton. You know. Hell's Kitchen. The guy has some grubby place on 40th at 9th. Give me your phone and I'll get a Lyft for you."

That's how the Afghan assassin found herself in Hell's Kitchen. How she found herself there after dark was easier. She'd checked out the wares. (They were fake. She scolded the guy and called her boss with the news.) Then she went out to see this place that was named after the Infernal Realm itself.

At first she didn't quite see it. Grubby, sure, but not so bad. As evening approached, however, she began to understand. Especially when, as she was passing a church, rubbernecking curiously at it, she heard the sounds of trouble from a nearby alley. "OK, that's far enough. Give me all the money you got, your phone, any jewelry and you might get out alive."

Her head swivelled that way, eyes following, as she peered into an alleyway where the noise appeared to be coming from...

June Connor has posed:
    "Damn," comes the response, casual and arrogant. "You watchin' too many movies. Both of you." The answer comes from the victim, who comes into sight first. She's only a little over five foot. She has platinum bleached hair, shaved on one side, with enough piercings to start her own jewelry shop. Well, it would be if anyone wanted to buy cheap earings and studs. "Do I fuckin' look like a good mark?"
    She wears a halter top that reveals far more than most girls, even in America. A blood red tattoo of a handprint is on her shoulder, and her exposed midriff shows an unfinished dragon tattoo. A pair of short denim shorts and fishnet stockings are on her feet, and to finish the ensemble, a pair of converse sneakers. And a fanny pack? Who uses those anymore?
    The man she's talking to does in fact have a gun, and is accompanied by another man, they are almost a foot taller than her, but she gives them grief as if she's the one with the gun. "You think I run around with cash here? Dumb fuck. She looks at the gun, and turns to keep walking.

Nazo Sarwani has posed:
Fool rush in where angels fear to tread.

Nazo is a fool.

She makes a beeline for the alleyway, coming up from behind the girl, a trick of the light, her angle of approach, and her dress making it look like she's coming out of June or something to those in the alley. Her gentle voice announces her to those who may not have seen or heard the approach.

"Are you really so impoverished that you must break His law to feed your family?" she asks in a calm, kindly voice. "I am behind on my Zakat, so why don't I just give it you that you leave this poor girl alone?"

She stops behind June, murmuring, "Get behind me for your own safety."

She's making the offer. She's not foolish enough to think it will be accepted...

June Connor has posed:
    June and the two muggers uniformly turn at the new voice. There are several seconds that pass as they look her over. And then they laugh. All three of them. Wait, why is June laughing?
    "Babe, you gotta get outta here," June warns her. "These guys ain't-"
    "Ain't gonna turn down a two for one deal," the guy with the gun says, turning the gun toward Nazo.
    "I already told you I don't got shit," June retorts.
    "We'll just have to check, I'm sure you got somethin' we might want..." A more nefarious implication.

Nazo Sarwani has posed:
The darkness and the full veil make it very hard to tell, but ... is Nazo raising an eyebrow in surprise while looking at June?

No matter.

The young thing doesn't know what she's got herself into and can get hurt. The responsible thing to do is ...

"You haven't the courage to use that." Nazo steps toward the one with the gun, carefully placing herself between the gun wielder and the poor girl with the poor judgement.

... apparently sacrifice herself.

"Give me the weapon and nobody will be hurt. I will give you some money for food."

Nazo stretches out her arm, slowly, patiently, as she approaches the gunman.

"You cannot hurt me with this. I have the armour of Allah protecting me. And while His patience is boundless and eternal, mine is not. It will run out."

Beat.

"Quickly."

"Aw, man, just shoot the Ay-rab bitch in the leg, man, and let's get to work. I got things to do tonight!" the knife-wielder says to the gunman. "And Red there's one of 'em."

He steps forward suddenly, knife flashing in the dim light, to strike Nazo in the arm.

June Connor has posed:
    "Shit." June doesn't know anything about Nazo's powers, and thinking she's just a religious romantic nut, she reaches out to tug her by the back of her shirt when the man thrusts with the knife, attempting to pull her out of the way.
    "Fuckers just leave her alone, she's just a kid," June spits, now trying to put herself in the front. It seems both of them can't wait to get shot. It of course gets the gunman to turn his weapon back to her, but at the same moment she snaps a foot out to kick the pistol wide as a crack snaps sharply through the alley with the discharge.

Nazo Sarwani has posed:
The tug arrives in a timely fashion.

It doesn't work.

Because, naturally, June, working from the evidence of her eyes, gave a tug that would move a woman Nazo's size. She wasn't expecting Nazo to weigh a whole lot more than she should...

The knife lands in Nazo's upper arm. She ignores it, more concerned with the suicidal girl that's positioned herself in front of her. Why don't these people pay attention to instructions!?

"Stay behind me!" she snaps, irritation getting the better of her. "And cover your eyes!"

Sound advice as her body starts "fraying" at the edges before turning, in two or three blinks (and the muggers are DEFINITELY blinking at the sudden turn in their fortunes, what with the snapkick that pushed the gun off-aim and now the weird chick going all...

...What the actual fuck!? There's now no woman, but a whole lot of sand whirling in the alleyway.

"Uh, Mel, we gotta spl..."

That's all the knife wielder gets out before his head is engulfed by sand. Whirling, abrasive sand that fills his mouth and his nasal cavities as the sandstorm sweeps over him. Looking like he's trying to scream but can't (along with breathing), he clutches at his throat and chest, eyes clenched shut, skin abrading and bleeding.

Then it's over and Nazo is behind him, facing him as he collapses to the ground, coughing up blood between bouts of screaming.

"Run, little one!" Nazo said. "I told them they couldn't hurt me, but he can still hurt you!"

June Connor has posed:
    "Fuckin' hell! It's a mutant!" June staggers back, covering her eyes and mouth.
    Mel turns and takes a few shots futiley at the sand storm, but instead of runningj, June reaches out to snap a hand at his elbow while performing some sort of nerve pinch on his hand. The man drops the gun, only to receive a kick to the crotch. Perhaps less drastic than what the knife-wielding man received, but it puts him to the ground.

Nazo Sarwani has posed:
The mutant impassively looks over the scene: one person relearning breathing and coughing up blood. The other ... Let's just say he's questioning a few life choices through the pain and leave it at that.

"Or you could stay and neutralize the other," she says, a ghost of humour in her voice.

Apparently she's adaptable to changing circumstance.

Only then does she look at her arm and the hole in the abaya, sighing. "This is a new one. Why did I wear a new one to a place that is literally named after the Infernal Realm?"

June Connor has posed:
    June holds the pistol by the barrel for a moment, then passes it to her other hand, shaking a mild burn fromt he hot barrel. "You bitch!" Mel curses her. It's the only thing he gets to say before she pistol whips him in the face, knocking him out.

    "Damn straight I am," she tells his unconscious form. She looks over at the man coughing up blood. It's clear that it unsettles her a little, and she looks back up at Nazo. "The hell did you do to him?" she asks. It definitely looks like Nazo's rescue has raised a series of questions in June's mind, and even though she clearly seems to be an ally, there is some serious apprehension, not returning any humor.

Nazo Sarwani has posed:
Nazo seems to suddenly realize what the optics of the situation are. "I filled his breathing passages," she says, raising her hands in a defensive distancing gesture. "Sand is abrasive. It's going to cut. I left his lungs alone, though. He's just going to be very uncomfortable for a while."

She looks down at him, then at the tear in her sleeve.

"He would have murdered me if he could, I think. He should be thankful I do not choose to show him the mercy he would have shown me."

Something in the guy's panicked face and horrible coughing suggests he's not thankful in the slightest. Some people!

"Are you injured?" Nazo asks June, dismissing the muggers as unimportant. "Do you require assistance?"

June Connor has posed:
    Other than being remarkably freaked out at what she just saw? Yeah she's fine. June's lip curls a little in uncertainty. "Yeah, um...I'm just fine," she answers, "That's creepy as hell, you know that?" she verbalizes. Apparently not very concerned with PC statements about mutants. Guessing you ain't from the kitchen," she says. "Why would you do that?" she asks. "Nobody sticks their nose in places around here, gets you killed." She shrugs, "Thanks, I guess." She still seems undecided on how to feel about the rescue.

Nazo Sarwani has posed:
"It is enjoined upon the People of the Book to intervene when they can in aid of those who are oppressed or endangered," Nazo says after a moment's thought at both June's question and the implications thereof. "All of His Prophets agree with this. I can aid one in difficulty. What is the state of my soul if I turn away from it?"

Her eyes look down at the hacking, gasping man. "A bit of pain now spares him an eternity of suffering. It seems a fair trade to me. I am sorry if it disturbed you. I was given a gift from Allah and I use it sparingly to help those in need. I had no choice in the nature of that gift."

June Connor has posed:
    "Right, I'm sure all his prophets are cool with it," June says, a placating agreement. She leans over, pulling the man's wallet from his back pocket. "Okay Mel..." she rifles through it, and pulls his ID and a few dollars in cash. "Damn, couldn't be after he already hit a few people, could it?" She waves the gun at the knife wielding man. "You, wallet," she orders, pocketing Mel's ID. Wait, is she mugging them? "You heard her, help me, I'm oppressed and endangered." And she's using the religious argument to boot.

Nazo Sarwani has posed:
"..."

Nazo is speechless at the brazen theft going on. "I don't think it's wise..."

Her voice trails off.

"I could help you find ..."

Her voice trails off again.

She looks at the figures on the ground. At June. Thinking hard. (You can tell she's thinking hard by the smell of wood burning.)

"It seems just ..." she acknowledges grudgingly. "They have shown that they do not earn their bread with honest labour, so having the proceeds of their crime taken from them is ..."

She's not sounding fully convinced just yet...

June Connor has posed:
    "They were gonna mug me and rape me," June says, a rather matter-of-fact tone in her voice. "I think they're gettin' off pretty easy, don't you?"
    The man takes out his wallet, unable to really put up a fight, and given what he's seen from Nazo, he really doesn't want to risk more of that. She takes it "Harold?" she reads, looking at him with incredulity, "You're parents fuckin' hated you. Who names their kid Harold? No wonder you turned into an asshole." She pulls his cards, tossing them carelessly on the ground. "Fuck, you don't carry cash? See, this is why mugging is shit job," she explains. "People just don't carry anymore." She drops the wallet on the unconscious Mel's back, and then takes the money from the first wallet, and divides it roughly in half, and gives one of the halves to Nazo. "You earned it, chica," she says. "But I keep the gun, okay?" She assumes agreement, and the safety is flipped on before she sticks it in the back of her shorts. "Anyway, I'm June," she says. "Thanks, you did me a solid," she confesses.

Nazo Sarwani has posed:
"I'm ... Nazo."

The robed woman stares at the cash in her hands as if she'd just been handed a very large, very interesting, but very disturbing insect.

"I think that being permitted to live and learn from their mistakes instead of being sent to Hell to scream and writhe in agony for eternity is a fair exchange, yes," she acknowledges.

Her eyes are still glued on the money.

"I'm not from around here." Captain Obvious, cleanup in the alleyway! If her strong accent didn't give it away, the fact she intervened at all did.

"I'm from Happy Harbour."

Sigh.

"I mean not originally."

Get over here Captain! Stat!

"I'll donate this to responsible people," she decides, then, and the cash vanishes to somewhere inside her abaya. Pausing briefly. "After I get this fixed."

OK, she can be corrupted a little after all...