1963-09-06 - What Lies Beneath
Summary: The reporter scouring out the subway ends up drawing an attorney's attention.
Related: N/A
Theme Song: None
von jennifer 


It's a fairly clear night despite the cloud cover linging over the city, pushed north by the coming storms, but since the air is dry and the sun is blocked a light jacket is good enough, in case it rains. Von is one such human wearing simple clothes but his left hand is full holding an old book up near his chest and his right hand is held in a ring shape with the circle pressed against his right eye. Walking with the tunnel vision and making it even worse by looking at the book through the hole made by his hand, Von's stumbling and walking rather slowly as he's trying to be a little careful.

*

One of the subway lines spits out people into Hell's Kitchen. It's not the most popular of stops as this very rough corner of the city tends, at the best of times, to deter outsiders by its very name. New Yorkers know not to bother going in without good reason. But plenty of people live here, unable to afford anything better, and it means the overcrowded apartment blocks and divey bars are just the sort of place that attract Irish, Puerto Ricans, and essentially the full spectrum in between. It does make an unusual spot to find a California girl raised to a lawyer, a role most women are disregarded in. But Jen doesn't make a point of showing up in her habitual suit. Instead she wears a pair of jeans and a borrowed t-shirt, a thin jacket thrown over top. It's too big for her too, also borrowed. Poor girl doesn't have much of a choice, to be sure, if she wants to look normal. She kicks a path up the stairs and out to the street, more or less headed in the direction of Farrell's. But this simply isn't a place she visits very often, and that means checking her way along just as often as Von seems to trip. She gives him a funny look as the other lost fellow with a monocle up to his face. At least it might look that way. "The city isn't any better through a loupe, I'm afraid."

*

Von looks up when someone addresses him and spies Jen, a girl he's met before but wouldn't recognize as she's not all green. He quickly shuts his book with one hand with a loud WHUMP! and he tucks it under his arm quickly, his right hand falling to his side a hint of smoke trailing from his palm when the circle is broken. "No, I was just… reading…" Yeah that's what he was doing, "Do I know you miss?" He asks, his right hand extending towards Jen to shake in greeting.

*

The woman isn't green and her green self is a little different in proportion. That all said, she gives a little smile at the man peering through his loupe at the world. Her smile is faint, freckled nose wrinkled. "Don't you go for coffee every morning at the cafe on Fourth? I swore you're the fellow who always orders the poppy seed bagel." Is he not? Cue blush on her cheeks. "Ah, good grief, you're probably not Andrew are you?"

*

Von shakes his head with a smile and taking his hand back to run it over his tightly cropped hair. "Nah, I'm not Andrew, at least the last time I checked I was still me." Yeah, super smooth and so nonchalant, "Von. My name's Von." The reporter says and even exhales a soft awkward laugh towards the lawyer. His tucks his book a bit more firmly between his arm and ribs to make sure it's not going anywhere and then he leans towards the right to look around her shoulder and down the steps to the subway station.

*

"Oh, fabulous me. You're probably wondering if I'm a distraction and about to mug you or something." Jen is not the sort who looks capable of intimidating even a golden lab puppy, so that might be right out. She gives a rueful smile. "Sorry about that. Good luck and happy travels, wherever they lead you." The fact she has such manners sets her apart from a class that doesn't, and she nudges her hands into her pockets as she moves onwards to try to find the bar. It's a quiet night, hopefully, in a place that famously had a dust up with two celebrities not a few days ago.

*

"Hold on." Von says, lifting his hand palm towards Jen to try and stop her from moving before he looks back at her eyes with a curious smile on his lips and in his eyes. "I wasn't worried about that until you said something." The man says with his eyebrows furrowing in a hint of confusion. "I'm just going down into the subway and could use a look out," No he doesn't speak in the most normal way with segues and such but he's still trying to be friendly. "I could use a pretty girl to accompany me into the abyss." With a playful wink if she'll pay attention.

*

Jen looks back over her shoulder, black glasses perched on her nose. She gives a bit of a worried expression that suggests a hint more youth through the attorney mask worn for the outside world. "Worried? That you might be the bagel Andrew?" Now he's pulling her leg, and she huffs a breath in anticipation for a really bad punchline. Here it comes. Surely. "Wait, you want a lookout for down there? Are you jumping out onto the rails or trying to shake up a can to see if people actually live in the trash? I'm pretty sure the segment on the radio was just a story about the trash people." Her fingers slide up her nose to straighten the bridge of the glasses, but not fully. "I can watch, but dibs on running away screaming, okay?"

*

"You're totally welcome to have dibs on that." Von says and then moves to walk around Jen and looks over his shoulder as he starts to move down the steps. "What's your name by the way? Or should I call you Pretty Glasses Girl?" The reporter teases as he jumps over the turnstile, only his foot doesn't quite make it over and he ends up catching his hands on the ground before his chest does. The book goes tumbling in front of him as he groans and rolls onto his back feeling awfully stupid.

*

"Glad we're in agreement, then." Jen is also glad she probably wore her running shoes today, and it shows when she takes the steps two at a time with a pretty comfortable clatter. "Me? Jen Walters," comes her response, easy and comfortable. The turnstile doesn't get jumped because Von goes sprawling instead and she chokes out a sound. "Oh, that just settles that. Justice for all." She drops a coin in the slot to allow the metal bars to slide, and then one for herself as she pays for them both. "Next time, feed it a few quarters or nickels. You'd be lucky someone doesn't steal your book thinking it might be worth something." Out of deference to behaviour and polite manners, she isn't running off to get it, but stands right by it in case anyone tries to swipe the thing. It's Hell's Kitchen: they'd swipe the damn station if they could.

*

Wincing fiercely, Von slowly gets back to his feet, his face blushing deep red at his complete lack of grace and her outwardness to mock him just slightly. "Thank you Jen." Von says as he dusts his jacket off and then his rear and even his knees. Stooping down to pick up the book Von looks up to Jen as he stands and then dusts the old leather tome. "It is worth something but not to every person, it's a very specific book." Von notes, not really knowing when to shut his mouth. The reporter starts to walk once more, looking back to make sure Jen is following as he leads her towards the tracks and stops at the yellow line to peek and see if a train is coming or not.

*

"Oh, never fear. I've bounced off the trains running to make them. Everyone has their subway story of embarrassment. Welcome to the club." Jen offers her hand once it's clear all is well and it might not upset the reporter. She smiles all the same. "Good that you have an appreciation for books. Sometimes it feels like people don't, and that makes me terribly sad. The printed word is the foundational cornerstone of society." Yep, educated girl; very, by the sounds of it. She bounces off her heels and then tracks after Von, giving him a curious look. "What are you planning down here, anyways?"

*

Von skips over the whole book topic as he agrees but he is a bit preoccupied. "I am not planning anything." Von says, "I'm going to recover something." Standing at the edge and looking back down the tracks he lowers himself down between the tracks and starts to move into the shadows. "You're welcome to come, I don't think anyone is going to be coming after us." Von says, his voice echoing back up towards the station.

*

Recovery, then, brings her brows up over the rims of her glasses. Jen shrugs at that, though, and then walks along the edge of the tracks without hopping down. A few patrons are going to be staring quizzically and she might be a little more noticeable than a man who wiped out at the turnstile. At least one sticks out in memory. "Are you going down the tracks? There should be some kind of access on the side." Her gaze goes back to the clock and she tries to remember the interval of trains. Seven minutes? Five? Either way, she's never been one to stop at adventure. Instead she hops down and scrambles after him. "I hope you have a candle, the light is terrible."

*

"Yeah, I'm going to climb onto the sidewalk thingy down here as quickly as I can." Von responds as he starts to jog to make sure he wont get run over. He doesn't seem too concerned with other people seeing him or judging him, most people tend to not really do too much if you look like you know what you're doing. Quickly finding the sidewalk at the screeching sound of a train not too far off coming this way, he holds his hand out to help Jen get up and somewhere safe. No longer at the station Von stops and says over the din once the train passes. "No, I didn't, did you bring any light?"

*

The young woman frowns at the sound of squeaking, and she hastens rapidly to get off the gravel and oil and litter-streaked tracks. Fortunate to have sneakers on, oh yes. Otherwise she would never be able to explain her ruined shoes to her cobbler, who is making a fortune off knowing her. The brunette tries to find her way the best she can, waiting for the strobing beams. "I wouldn't worry about the police down here, but more someone trying to jump on the tracks." That she doesn't weigh much helps, though her hands are callused, and clearly she has the benefit of working out to her favour. "What, you don't carry emergency candles and a lighter? None here, sir, I don't smoke. I know it's the thing but…"

*

"Oh yeah!" Von exclaims and starts digging furiously into his pocket and pulls out an older zippo and the distinct sound that accompanies the case opening sounds out before he strikes it and a small flame lights up the area. "Better?" Asks the reporter with a strong self proud smile as he turns to slowly start walking down the sidewalk.
After a few steps, the man stops without warning switching the lighter to his left hand and holding out his right and whispers, "Intelligere." Bringing his hand back up to his eye and making a cheap monocle with it he starts to look around at the walls through his hand.

*

A lighter flame just like that brings the young woman's face into detail, shadows in her hair and the bright shine on her glasses… well, probably somewhat charming. She wrinkles her nose and then follows the reporter. "So what is it that you do, and what brings you down here speaking Latin or a form thereof?"

Why yes. She's more fluent in that than anyone short of a Vatican priest, and her grin is easy enough when they walk. "Ugh, this never gets cleaned. I think the trash people do live down here." She pulls the coat tighter around herself.

*

"I'm a reporter for the times." Von says rather quickly, "What about you, librarian? Court Reporter? Something like that?" Von asks slipping his foot in some oil and quickly catching himself and then smirking. "What are you gonna do if they do live down here?" Von asks pausing to look back at her with his teeth showing in the light.

*

"The New /York/ Times, or the Greenwich Times?" It's not a stupid question; she has a very real interest. "Junior civil rights attorney for a city firm, actually." It doesn't pay to boast and she isn't, unless she happens to be green. "Court reporters have to be male for the most part. Ladies aren't much allowed in the court room except for the stenographer, and that's the sorry truth of it." She reaches out to catch the man from falling, propping him up at the elbow. She then snatches her hand back and stares at the ground, cheeks flaming again. "I— ah, sorry. I didn't want you to fall into the muck. If they live down here, I'm going to be nice and a good tourist."

*

Von says, "New York Times." Von says smirkingly and passes the lighter over towards Jen as he slowly takes his jacket off, careful to not break the circle his right hand makes. "Here." He says extending his jacket out towards the lawyer being polite. "Thanks." He whispers as she helps him up from falling down and takes the lighter back. "We're both going to be great guests, but I don't think there's too much to worry about." Whispers the mage, putting his hand back up to his eye and examines the area slowly."

*

A lack of lights from a passing train is a blessing, though Jen still strains to see them. The last thing she wants to do is end up hamburger on the tracks. Her mouth tightens as she watches him scan the place and it doesn't take two and two to reach four. She's already a leap forward. "That's quite the gig. Good for you then." His offered hand makes her blink, but she will take the lighter and hold it up. Not being especially tall (in this form), she can keep the light fairly steady but not that high up in the air. "I feel like this is the strangest concert ever. Run the labyrinth and then see some rock down here in the hole."

*

"I'm just offering you my jacket, you look awfully cold." Von says as he looks at the wall and presses his hand to it, the bare dripping concrete and spying the ancient text that had been hidden in some other language. "So you're a lawyer, you're gonna be awesome." Von says even as he is almost kissing wall, trying to get close and use all the available light to read the dark text. "Some Elvis down here would be pretty cool, yeah?"

*

"That's sweet of you." Jen probably means that too. "But you need it to keep your arms protected from the brick and if you take a spill, that gravel down there is atrocious. I wouldn't want to land on it!" Her voice rattles off the stones, and she shudders. "Elvis down here would be a bit silly but that's why I think it needs to be rock. A lesser known gig. Or we're going to show up in China, at this rate. Dig our way out of a grate and poof, we're in Peking. The Forbidden City or something." She watches him, all the same.

*

Von pulls his arm back in and quickly puts the jacket back on, again, careful with his spell to not break it again. "The Beach Boys or some lesser known act like that?" Von asks with a hint of a giggle as he rolls his eyes in his head he thinks about what she said, "It would take a long time to dig through to China." The reporter says with a shrug and then he stops, his eyes focused on a single spot and he has to re-read it like three times. "What is here is not here, what is there is here." Von says as he reads the text aloud. "What does that even mean?" Asks the reporter looking back to Jen.

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