9661/Why Did You Give Me This Thing

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Why Did You Give Me This Thing
Date of Scene: 16 January 2022
Location: Midtown
Synopsis: Jimmy has questions about his last meeting so manages to find Shiva to ask them.
Cast of Characters: Jimmy Hudson, Sandra Wu-San




Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    At first it was nothing but a vibe. A sentiment that something was awry and the longer he held onto the small white card that sat in his wallet... it caused a measure of trepidation. Like being told to hold onto a ticking package and being told it was an alarm clock. Sure it ticked away steadily, but it might not be an alarm clock at all!
    Yet still he held onto it.
    But time bred wariness, as well as curiousity. James Hudson had found himself occasionally fishing the card out and considering it. Feeling the texture, the subtle bumps upon the areas that were printed, the faint perforations along the edges of the card when the thing was manufactured. But also... the scent.
    It had elements to it that clung even now despite its time spent in the purgatory of his pocket. Much of the scent had been lost, but careful focus... investigation, it brought forth hints of a scent of he East River. A touch of popcorn. Yet what was there strongest in its remnant? The subtle tang of blood and the woman whose fingertips had graced the card. It was enough that he could perhaps follow a trail...
    If he came upon it again. Which he didn't, until several weeks later.

Sandra Wu-San has posed:
Of all places, it was in the sidewalks of New York City. Where one would never think to find a person they might be searching for, among the millions of residents. Yet, there was that faint hint of her scent in the air. A mix of her, jasmine which might be a soap she used or shampoo perhaps, and that tinge of copper that could only be blood. The last was sometimes sharp, sometimes faded. Right now it was sharp.

She'd been working.

If he chose to track it, he would find himself losing the scent then picking it up again randomly. Until he tracked it to an alley. But there was no one in that alley. The scent was stronger at a fire escape, leading up toward the top of a four story building which housed one of the more popular shops in the area.

Should he choose to pursue, he would find his prey. Leaning against the HVAC unit that sat on the roof, arms crossed. Her black leather trench was closed for once against the chill of the city. Or perhaps to draw less attention to her for having it open.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    Hudson was not one of the rooftop crowd. He trained with the X-Men, ran combat scenarios. Some of his comrades felt that obligation to head out, to try and protect people, to even patrol. But Jimmy had his focus on the more mundane aspects of the world. As if he kept one foot on the dry land of sanity, and only dabbled a toe in the pool of superheroic madness.
    And there, standing beneath the fire escape, looking up up up toward the rooftop from which the scent seemed to come from, it seemed like a bridge too far in some ways. A mental barrier. But then again... he did want answers.
    A quick shuffling step let him plant a boot on the wall and use that traction to leap off it and up to snag the fire ladder and pull himself up and onto the lowest fire deck. Then he started to climb, the metal ringing with his footsteps. Part of him reflected briefly if he should try sneaking up. But then thought that that perhaps might draw more ire than an open approach.
    Eventually he would grab the side wall of the roof and pull himself over nimbly enough, landing with boot heels kicking the gravel a bit.
    And there she was. She perhaps had an idea who it was that followed her before his appearance. But if she didn't, there he was. The guy from the drinking contest.
    "Heya."

Sandra Wu-San has posed:
She heard him coming, of course. He wasn't trying to be subtle. The sound of his boots on the metal of the fire escape rung loud through the area. As he appeared, she watched the grace he showed upon clearing that edge to the rooftop then pinpointing her position.

"Hello."

She didn't smile. There wasn't a reason to. Honestly, she had no idea who was following her. She got the feeling someone was and opted for the higher ground.

"It is a surprise to see you."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "Yeah," Arthur says, tone a little hesitant. He looks across the way at the woman who had given him the card and he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "You're a hard woman to find."
    That said he looks to the side, then back. And though he already stuffed his hands in his pockets, he draws one out to rub at his chin thoughtfully, not quite fidgeting but the body language is clearly a soul on edge. He takes a few steps closer. Then pauses again. "I found the card you left in my wallet."
    A beat, then he murmurs, "And I recalled a bit of what you said to the other fella." That Dane Whitman bloke.
    "So."
    Another pause, "I had some questions."

Sandra Wu-San has posed:
That does earn the hint of a smile. A tiny uptick at the corners of her lips as she tilted her head slightly to the side. "I thought you might. Though I suspect you had overheard some of the information while I spoke to Mr. Whitman?"

She hadn't been talking so low as not to be overheard by a normal person. So it was possible. Though he had been in the middle of a drinking contest so perhaps had chosen not to listen. She'd learned he had been paying some when they spoke later in the evening, after her business with Dane was completed.

"What do you wish to know?" She didn't say she would answer any questions he had, knowing that could lead to things she did not wish to disclose.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "Some," James tightens his pea coat around his shoulders, using one of the upper buttons to close it up moreso. Though no hat so his hair whips a bit in the wind that lends some more chill to the evening air. "My attention was a little split."
    Which is a fair thing, considering indeed he had been focused on the drinking. But also on the mysterious woman who had entered. For now James remains hovering nearby, but no encroaching, somehow naturally aware of that sphere of influence Shiva holds as her personal space, which might well be a larger thing than for most other people. Some sort of predator recognizing like in the way she moves and holds herself.
    "Well the emblem, I did some checking. Comes from China I believe. A particular province? And connected to a warrior culture? I was wondering if you could tell me more about it. Or perhaps what it means to you?"

Sandra Wu-San has posed:
"It is a symbol of the past. Something that too many in this time have dismissed as being of no use."

Shiva remains where she is, comfortable as she leans there while watching the younger man. Predator indeed. She had sensed it from that night in the bar. When she had watched his body language, reading how he was playing at being drunk when he was not in the least. Perhaps a slight buzz when he took in enough alcohol at once but it passed so quickly to be nonexistent. It was fascinating and led to their shared time later.

"I follow the path of the warrior thus I respect that symbol. I felt it was fitting as a symbol for the tournament since that is what it is about." Officially.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "So..." James takes a deep breath, "It's part of your mystique, I imagine." He says as he stands there with the wind swirling around him, looking like a man uncomfortably waiting for a taxi to roll on up. That same pensive air, that same edged manner.
    "Now," He holds up a hand and murmurs, "I'm saying this, and I know you have your reasons most likely. But..." His lip curls up slightly, very faintly, a hint of fang seen but not bared. Just a hint toward his feral background. "There are easier ways to coordinate with people in this day and age."
    A glance is given sidelong back toward the fire escape, then back to her. "And I had a devil of a time finding you." The implication there likely being something along the lines of...
    There has to be a better way.

Sandra Wu-San has posed:
"Perhaps." To his implied statement. After all, this was the age of the internet. One could just get on their phone and reach out to people all over the world through any variety of means.

"If one wished to be found, it would have been made simpler."

And therein was truth. Shiva was used to finding people. not being found. She had based her entire life as an assassin and mercenary on never being caught. If one could be tracked, that would interfere with her purpose.

"When the time comes for the tournament, I will find you." Then there was a hint of amusement in her dark eyes. "Or you wished to find me again for other reasons?"

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "I mean," James smirks and shifts his boots a little in the grit and gravel of the rooftop. "It's not entirely unheard of. If I wanted to get in touch with you." He tilts his head to the side, and despite being able to get a good hint if someone is being honest or not with just that sense of smell... Shiva remains something of an enigma.
    "Would like a better way to do it than just hope and fortune playing a role." Then he lifts his chin, "And you don't know, my life could be very busy. What if I'm not where you think I'm going to be and you show up and miss out on being mysteriously intimidating that night?"
    He exhales slowly, still half-smiling, but seems resigned however. "But, figure you have your reasons."

Sandra Wu-San has posed:
He made her laugh. It was a rarity. The line about showing up and being mysteriously intimidating made her chuckle softly. Not a twittering giggle but a husky sound more befitting a woman like her.

"That is a valid concern. I would be disappointed if that happened." It would never happen. They know it. But it is amusing how he is offering it up and thus, he has won her over.

"Perhaps there is a better way." She reached into the inner pocket on the right side of her jacket. When she withdrew it, no weapon in hand. Instead it was a cellphone. A cheap one but effective. She tossed it his direction. "There is one number programmed into that. It's the one you can reach me on."

Now why would she just have a burner phone handy? He can figure that one out on his own.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "Alright," James says as he closes the distance to accept the phone from her. He doesn't open it nor look at it beyond a brief glance to make sure when he pockets it that it goes into his coat pocket. "And if it rings?"
    The way he asks that question, as if curious if there might be some kind of curious protocol meant to deal with such a possibility.

Sandra Wu-San has posed:
She pushed off from the HVAC unit, then nodded in the direction of the fire escape. A hint that she was about to head that way herself and an invitation for him to do the same.

He might perhaps think she was ignoring his question. Until she was at that moment, about to cross over to the metal platform. Then she glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Perhaps we should discuss that possibility over a bottle of wine?"