2013.04.25 - Hit-Swapping

It's time once again to push things along to their next big step. That, and Domino's running out of time. The contract out on Nightcrawler needs to be resolved, though the way to handle it in their own way is going to be tricky. It's going to take skill, cunning, and a whole lot of luck.

Total sucker bet.

The contract may have already been taken by others but it's never too late to track down those that had issued it. One of New York's many mob bosses is behind it, one that isn't expecting a surprise visit from a certain patch-eyed mercenary. The deal is simple, in theory. They have the wrong target. Dom can get them the right target. But, this information comes at a price, and that's only if these guys are willing to negotiate.

Italian restaurant. Sure, it's a scene out of The Godfather, or possibly The Sopranos, but what's truth is truth, and works. Front dining room, back private dining for groups or.. VIPs.

Waitresses with flowing dark hair, large dark eyes serve the few tables, talking and chatting in Italian, with some spanish thrown in for the cooks behind the door, out the back kitchen. Those within are of the lower eschelon, keeping a casual eye out for any that might look..

.. out of place.

"... quiet.. though I don't know.." the waitress offers, her smile bright, but there's something behind those eyes.

"No matter.. he'll be happier once things are done.. why don't you go back and make nice with him?" There is a middle-aged Italian gent sitting at a table for two, bread basket before him. He's tearing the bread with be-ringed fingers, and dipping it into an olive oil/cheese mixture.

"'Because I don't want that -thing- near me.." the waitress responds, and she turns her back as the man laughs, heading towards the kitchen.

This isn't the first time Domino's meddled in such affairs. She may not know their protocol, or perhaps she simply doesn't care, but she does know Italian. Fortunately for her at a moment like this, she won't have to say anything up front when her very appearance will do the trick. These boys probably know enough about a woman with her reputation, and presentation.

In fact, normally she would plan on every last person in this room to draw a gun on her the moment she walks through the front doors. Coming in unannounced like she is, that may very well be in the cards.

She drifts inside, looks for a waitress to snag, then tells her in Italian "I'm looking for the big guy."

It's all in the nonchalance, Domino.

There are guns drawn almost immediately, however this particular 'brand' of organized crime likes to play things a little more subtly.. in comparison with, say, the Russian mob. Or Yakuza. The guns are low, under the table, but no less deadly. Potentially, anyway.

The waitress that was beginning her step back into the kitchen pauses, her hand on the door, and she turns about.. staring. Crossing herself quickly and laying a hand on a print of a saint that hangs on the wall beside the doors, her eyes narrow before she pushes the door in. "Filth," is spit as the door closes. Voices ring out in the kitchen, all in Italian. "Why do we have to deal with such animals? A dog is more useful!"

The middle aged man that sits at the table looks up from his bread and olive oil appetizer, his brows rising. This one, recognition plays in those dark eyes, and his smile grows. If he hasn't met her personally, there is the professional knowledge as it were. Domino is.. obvious.

"Sit.. have a piece of bread with me.." Beat. "And tell me why." The hand that holds so many rings offers an expansive gesture towards the free chair, coupled with a wolfish smile. The beginning of a game?

"Might wanna clean up your kitchen before someone shuts this place down," Domino easily replies to the 'filth' remark. Still, she gets her audience. He seemed like the one she wanted but it's so much better when they offer a seat rather than up and claiming one, isn't it? That, and sitting across from the wrong guy to discuss business is always more than a little awkward.

The offered seat is taken. Arms are kept on top of the table, in plain sight. She's never more than a few inches away from a weapon, either way. As they say, let the games begin.

"I'm here to discuss a contract. In a surprising twist, said contract is one which I have not taken. As you boys love to hear, it'll be worth your time."

The gentleman, Felipe, watches as the seat is taken graciously.. and inclines his head as the weapons are laid out upon the table. The obvious ones, anyway. But, who is he to bicker? In this trade, no one wins if there is bloodshed, and he's pretty sure that his guest knows it too.

Pushing the basket towards you, brows rise and his words aren't about the food, but rather the topic thus broached. "It was noticed that you didn't take it." The smile grows again, though it still hasn't climbed high enough to reach the eyes. "Over your head?"

The bread is finally broken again, and Felipe takes the dipped end and pops it into his mouth, chewing slowly. Swallowing finally, and deliberately allowing the silence, he begins again, "You have a counter to the contract? Really." Beat. "What." It's not a question.. at all.

Dom claims a piece of bread for herself, though she does so with a sarcastic smirk at Felipe's first question. "Hardly." This man doesn't need to know the specifics. It would be very foolish to say she didn't take it because the target happened to be a friend.

"I just prefer contracts that target the right person."

Subtle, Dom.

A torn off piece of bread is dipped into the oil, the merc looking as relaxed as could be. She knows her odds. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of the situation. "Not to discredit any of your boys, they saw what they saw and I believe that. The glowing-eyed teleporter is a person of interest, but he doesn't have what you're after. He left those docks as empty-handed as your guys did, and the visiting team. Turns out you've all been played by a world-class shapeshifter."

And gods help her if any of this information isn't correct. A few conversations with Kurt and she's now flying by the seat of her pants.

"She's long gone, with both of the cases. But, I know how to draw her out. Adjust the contract, the teleporter's a waste of everyone's time."

"So, you're all for saving us money.." Felipe gives the albino a long look before he dips the other half into the mixture, swirling it around, and around thoughtfully.

"The thing was a demon out of hell. Fire and brimstone.. tail like the devil himself. Couldn't believe it when I heard.. thought the guys were usin', y'know?" The older gent is turning conversational, but he's wary.. dark eyes remain on his table companion. "Until I found out that it might actually be a mutie." No sugar coating here.

Now, however.. shapeshifter? Another damned mutie? "Jesus, Mary and Joseph.. another one?" He shakes his head and doesn't look particularly happy.

"You mind if I bring one of my own out? Just to make sure you're bein' straight? Don't you all.." and he waves, "stick together?" Of course, there's no truly trusting his own mutie for hire either.. and he knows it.

Little by little, Domino's lopsided grin starts to grow. She lets the moment play out first, letting the pieces fall into place all on their own. "Maybe the other ones do, but I'm a merc, in case it's slipped your mind. I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. Two and a half million is a lot of green. I don't know how many others are already on this wild goose chase, but I know who the real target is. I want first dibs."

And she'll just leave that idea some time to take root while she helps herself to more of that olive oil.

"Bring as many of your guys to the party as you'd like, because I -am- going to be doing you a small favor. In exchange for modifying the contract and giving me first shot, I'll get you the morphing woman, alive. No one but her and your own show of force. No doubt she has those cases stashed away somewhere, I can imagine that you would like to get them both back."

"One.. two." Felipe holds up two fingers. Both, it can be assumed, mutants. "It's a dance to the finish line. I'm surprised that I haven't gotten word about it being done." And he does sound.. disappointed. Theatrically soul weary in his exhale. But no mistake; he's shrewd.

"If this shapeshifter is the one, I'm not going to have any more problems.. right?" Right? Dark eyes follow the smile. "'Cause if I do.." and he points a finger, his thumb playing as if he holds a wheelgun..

"Alive?" That, however, could be some cause of concern. The other creature is 'dead or alive'. "What do I want with her alive?" Granted, she'd know where the goods are. "Other than finding out where my belongings are."

Yeah yeah, if anything bad or unforseen happens it's Domino's butt on the line, she knows this dance. If need be she could wage a one-woman war against the whole Family and come out on top, though it would take a serious hit to her resources. "If I wanted to screw you over I wouldn't be going through this much trouble. Making a public appearance would have been the last thought on my mind."

The confusion about bringing the target in alive is unexpected, though she can still work with it. "What, have you boys lost your sense of honor? She totally ripped you off and you don't want the opportunity to take a little piece of it out of her? No taking the pleasure of killing her, yourself? Man, you kids are goin' soft."

Yeah, she went there.

"If the stolen goods mean nothing to you then fine, tell me now and I'll put one through her temples in front of a live Family audience. I just figured you would appreciate having the final say with the bitch."

Good to know the same song is being sung once again. It's the posturing, really.. and Felipe knows the puff..

"If it were a .. normal person, I'd say 'yeah, sure.. lemme at him..' but it isn't." And one that's a shapeshifter? Eeeeh.. that starts getting a little more difficult. Resources and all.

Still, it's now become a matter of pride, and he shakes his head as he reaches for another piece of bread. "Go after her.. and come back with her. One upon receipt. One and a half after she talks." That should at least assure him that he'll get the information before.. she's taken care of. "I've got my own for questioning."

Counter-offer. Domino considers the numbers, working out some odds in her head. A direct confrontation with the shapeshifter is not a good move for her. Not only would it reveal herself as a brand new, potentially capable threat, it also worsens her odds substantially across the board. It's much better to take a calculated price cut on this one, take what she can get out of it and promptly wash her hands of the entire situation. Drop the baggage into Felipe's lap, have him pay her for the privilege, then get the hell outta Dodge.

"I draw her out into the open, take the fight out of her, and leave her in the capable hands of your men. One for the job, half for the setup. As an added bonus you can keep the last one, just in case your interrogation is somewhat less than fruitful. I don't have the time to play twenty questions with your thief."

Felipe sits for a full minute, his hands still as he stares, his eyes narrowing, before he asks, "You got a name or description on this bitch?" Other than 'shapeshifter'. As it is, "Better than what I got on a god damned BLUE teleporter?" How hard could it be to find a BLUE demon in this city?

Though, as things are laid out before him, he nods his head slowly, a smile beginning to relight upon his face. "Fair enough." And to mark the agreement?

Felipe reaches into the pocket of his jacket and pulls out a cell phone. He brings up a little screen and begins to poke the keys with fat fingers. Time to call the contract.. conditionally. No sense pulling all his resources.

Odds of Felipe knowing the name in question: 1 in 88,411. If he recognizes the name then he's going to pull the plug, Dom has no doubts there. If he -doesn't- recognize the name then it'll be more credit to her side of the deal. Eh, what's life without a little risk, right? "Calls herself 'Mystique.' I'm willing to bet that you'll know her when you see her."

-If- you manage to see her true self.

Besides, she just made an easy 1.5 million out of this. That splits up three ways awfully nicely, and it just so happens that there's two other people on her team.

"Glad we could do business. You'll have your woman within forty-eight hours. I'll give you time and location before the finale."

Now all she has to do is round up the others and, with any luck, pull the whole thing off behind Nightcrawler's back. Let's see him complain with half a million riding in his pockets.

Shaking his head, the Italian doesn't let his gaze drop, but his voice does. "I don't.. but that won't mean that another won't." Somewhere along the line, someone somewhere has to know? "Don't you all know each other?" That same question is usually asked of Italians, too.. and Russkies.. and the like.

Felipe inclines his head in a single nod, effectively allowing her to depart, and soon enough to deliver the shapeshifter. The timing, however, brings a rumble of pleasure. "Forty-eight hours.. I will be waiting, Domino." Time and location to be set? More phone calls are most decidedly necessary.