2007-02-12: Double Crossed

Starring:

Hailien_icon.gif Paige_icon.gif

Guest Starring: The Haitian, Unnamed Company Goon

Summary: Paige and Hailien cross paths again, only for things to go terribly awry.

Date It Happened: February 12th, 2007

Double Crossed


Location

The coffee shop is a warm, welcoming place, when it isn't crawling with high school and college students looking for a place to loiter. Tonight, it's fairly slow, with the patrons scattered between the upper and lower levels. One such patron is Paige, seated at a table with a novel held between her hands. For once, she isn't studying. Her backpack is set on one of the empty chairs at the table, however, looking just as full of textbooks as always. There's a drink, nearly finished, set on the table.

Shouldering through the front door with a navy blue backpack hung on one shoulder is Hailien. The Phaser Evolved Student has a notebook in one hand and she's cheerful; as she heads up to the counter, they seem to know her well enough to have her order ready.

The door garners a bit of Paige's attention when it opens, but it's Hailien who holds it there. Tracking the girl to the counter with her eyes, she grabs her cup and drinks down what's left in one sip. She seems to hesitate for half a second, and then a cheerful smile breaks across her face and she raises a hand, near enough to the counter to call, "Hey, Hailien!"

Turning around with her hot chocolate, Hailien freezes neatly so not to run into Paige and then dump the cocoa all over the other woman. "Hey!" She remarks. "Give me more warning next time, eh?"

"Ohhh my gosh," Paige says as she inherently moves backwards, holding up both hands as if that might actually stop any of the cocoa from spilling onto her. "I am so sorry. Next time, I promise I will wear a bell around my neck." She gestures to the table where her bag sits on a chair. "Are you staying?"

Hailien chuckles and retrives a firmer grip on the cup. "Maybe you should." Hailien says, grinning a bit at the cat-woman. "A bell might be a good idea, actually, and I'm not staying. I'm due home soon."

"We did that to my brother when he was a kid," Paige replies, flashing Hailien a smirk as she snatches her bag from the chair and swings it over her shoulder. "He liked to jump out at you from the hallway. Which way are you going? I was gonna call my Dad and ask him to come get me, but if you're going the same way, I'll walk with you, if you want."

Laughing, Hail points vaguely in the direction Paige is going(honest.) "That-a-way. I never got your name either, and personally, I think I'm glad I'm an only child." She grins. "Cause then I can prank my mom and my dad, not my sibling."

Paige looks perfectly apologetic as she covers her mouth with a hand for a short second, frowning slightly. "I thought I told you my name. I'm Paige," she replies, glancing in the direction Hailien pointed. "And that way is home for me!" She pulls her toque down over her dark hair and heads down the street. "I could never prank my parents. They would totally freak. Speaking of which—" She digs a green cell out of her pocket, scrolling through the contacts and hitting one. "He has this thing about me calling when I go anywhere."

Another giggle comes from Hailien, and the girl grins. "Nice to finally get your name, Paige." She remarks. "Good. Nice to know someone lives near me that I know, kind of, at least." She glances curiously at Paige's cellphone as she opens the door to the outside. "My cell's blue."

"Really?" Paige pulls the cell away from her ear for a split second just to look at it, considering the colour. When it's back to her ear, she says, "I thought about the bl— hi, Dad! I'm leaving the coffee place now. Nah, don't come get me. I've got company." Pause. "… no, Dad, it's not a boy." She rolls her eyes dramatically, then chirps, "Home in thirty! Bye!" The cell gets placed back into her pocket, and she looks to Hailien apologetically. "He's /really/ protective."

Hailien chuckles. "Yeah, black is definitly a better color." She comments idly, pulling out her own blue cellphone and playing with it. "30? Is that minutes, seconds or hours?" She's teasing a bit, of course.

"Hours," Paige replies with a playful smirk, accompanied by a swift nod. "I actually live in Jersey." It's not true, of course, but her tone is one of teasing as well. "He knows what I mean. We have a system. Oh, shoot. Hang on." She draws to a slow stop beside a brick building, swinging her bag around in front of her and digging through the front pocket, searching for something.

Hailien giggles softly. "Rightttt." She drawls, idly and quickly writing some things down on her cellphone's notepad, even while their walking. Yay, multitalent. "Whatcha looking for?" The nosy teenager asks.

Stepping out of an alley a couple of buildings behind Paige and Hailien, and going largely unnoticed by the other scant few people on the street despite his intimidating and striking appearance simply due to how very quietly he makes his way through the concrete jungle, is the man known - by some, and few at that - as the Haitian. A tall, dark man in a cream-coloured dress pants and similarly-hued leather jacket, he's quickly joined by another man, shorter, rougher-looking. Their steps are quick, quiet, and efficient. "Hey! Kiddies!" The rougher of the pair shouts as he approaches, automatically making a grab for Hailien. "Give me your cash and I don't have to hurt ya."

The other man says nothing; he simply steps forward from the other side of the teenagers, taking something out of an inner coat pocket.

"Aha! Found it. I just nee—" Whatever Paige was searching for in her bag is forgotten when the man approaches them, her backpack falling from her hands to hit the ground with a hollow thud. There's an instant yelp of surprise, then a look of concern thrown to Hailien. "Leave her alone! Please! I'll give you my money."

"Found wha- " Hailien lets out a small shriek- then, struggling, the woman fiercly tries to get out of the rough mans grip, unable to phase or really move at all. "Let me go! I don't have any money anymore! I just used it all!"

"You kids nowadays always have money, fancy cell phones, somethin'," the thug shoots off in Hailien's ear, clutching her from behind. Neither of the men make a grab for Paige. They're quite focused on keeping Hailien from writhing too much - although, to be fair, the Haitian is not involved in this violent act at all. No, as he steps toward the teenager, it's clear that this part of the "mugging" duo has a different purpose: a purpose that smells strongly medicinal. Chloroform. The white square of cloth he retrieved from his jacket is coated in it. Looming affront Hailien, he places the cloth over her nose and mouth.

Leaving her bag on the ground, abandoned, Paige darts forward to try and pry the man's hands off of Hailien. "Let her GO," she reiterates, just in case they didn't hear her the first time. When it does nothing, and the Haitian man approaches the other girl with the swatch of cloth, Paige lets out a frustrated sound. "Hang on, Hailien!" She slips behind the two men, both of them preoccupied, and tries to leap at the other man's back (not the Haitian's).

Hailien cries out, weeping softly, bookbag and cellphone dropping to her feet as everything dumps out, the teenager struggling even more when the Haitian moves in front of her with the chloroformed cloth, struggling. "/Paige!/" She manages to yell-out just once before she takes a few big whiffs of the chloroform.

"What the he— get off!" The more violent of the two men shouts in anger and surprise as Paige attacks his back. Like an annoying little monkey. And he does what most people would do in that situation - flail, trying to throw her off. It's the Haitian that lets Hailien down gently when she inevitably will collapse from the chloroform. He takes her into his arms and tosses her over his shoulder; it has to be a little rough, carrying someone in the style of a sack of potatoes, but he's careful as possible. A black SUV rolls up to the curb, oh-so-timely.

The man's flailing does, in fact, dislodge Paige from his back. She lets out a shriek of surprise as she is thrown to the ground, landing flat on her back. "/Ow/," she hisses as she pushes herself up to her feet after a short time, rubbing the back of her head with a hand. As she passes by the second goon, she lashes out with a fist to punch him on the arm. "That /hurt/." She retrieves her bag, swinging it over her shoulder before heading back to the SUV.

Paige's evident try-to-help is missed as Hailien eventually falls into a deep sleep thanks to the chloroform, collapsing as previewed, then slung over an arm, with no happy idea she's being handled so roughly.

The thug, shaking himself off now that he's free of the back-monkey that was Paige, rubs his arm and eyes the girl. "Right," is all he says, rolling his eyes. He takes Hailien's bag as an afterthought and disappearing into the vehicle.

The Haitian, after sliding the door of the SUV open, lays Hailien out in the seats. He steps aside and regards Paige, to whom he nods slowly to, a confirmation of some kind. There's a certain measure of regret in his deep dark eyes as he does so, before he, too, disappears inside the SUV.

Climbing in after the two men, Paige is notably silent. She settles herself down beside Hailien's unconscious form, her own look of regret significantly deeper than the Haitian's. Pulling off one mitten, she reaches over and brushes the girl's hair out of her face. "I am so sorry," she says, her voice quiet.

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