dorcas meaney is NOT a dorkus malorkus! (malorkus) wrote in mnhttnprjct, @ 2010-08-16 12:21:00 |
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MURDOCK: A mix of curiosity and boredom had brought Murdock to District 5; certainly not his usual stomping grounds, but the prospect of rich heiresses to impress was a strong draw. Unfortunately D5 had hardly delivered, and he’d spent most of his evening just wandering around, trying to find something interesting to do. It was in such a disgruntled funk that he happened past the empty tea shop with the late-night hours, his inherently wandering eye catching sight of the solitary brunette barista behind the counter. He quickly ducked out of sight before she might spot him, hanging just around the corner of the picture window as he quickly cobbled together a story in his head. After a quick breath check and a proper headshake to ensure his hair was tousled in a sufficiently rogueish manner, he sprung into action! Breaking into a sprint, he careened past the window, looking wide-eyed and urgent. He stopped by the door, looked frantically left and right, then shoved his way into the muzac-filled interior. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any time to explain!” He hissed breathlessly, holding his hands out to Dorcas as if to demonstrate he meant no harm. “You have to trust me! Please - I need to hide! I need to--” His head jerked as though he heard something outside, and with that he was flying over the counter to flatten himself by Dorcas’ feet in a ready, catlike crouch. He looked up imploringly, mouthing almost inaudible, “Don’t tell them anything, it’s too dangerous...” DORCAS: “Hi! Welcome to Adventures on the High Teas, my name is--” Dorcas began the time-tried introduction that her manager had taught her to say upon the entrance of any potential customer, but blinked in unfeigned surprise at the handsome albeit dramatic young gentleman who had interrupted her. The young brunette cast a worrisome gaze around for someone--preferably older than her--who would know what to do about this possibly insane individual, but there was no one. Frowning slightly, Dorcas leaned toward the young man. “I’m sorry, but-- Um--” Nervously, she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “What are you talking about?” MURDOCK: “Shhh!” Murdock pressed a finger urgently to his lips, continuing to fix her with those wide, imploring eyes. “Act normal! Pretend I’m not here. Tea! Make tea, like you normally would. Here, this one!” He plucked a teabag from the behind-the-counter stock—not entirely randomly, given his momentary deliberation—and pressed it into Dorcas’ hand. Despite his evident mission of going unnoticed, he was doing plenty to keep Dorcas’ attention, with little furtive whispers and scurrying around at a crouch from his hiding place behind the counter. “Did they go past? No, don’t look! If they haven’t come in yet, it might mean there’s still hope...” He began to mutter cryptically to himself, with the occasional vague reference to ‘the mission’. DORCAS: "Ummmmmm," was the only response to all of Murdock's maniacal mutterings, as Dorcas removed a metallic teapot filled with hot water for the tea that she presumed to be the flavor of his choice. Wait, she wondered, was he even here for tea? She shot furtive glances downward at the bizarre man as she dunked the filter bag into the container and set it back down upon the water heater. Miserably, Dorcas wondered why she had to be the one stuck with the looney tune character all alone tonight, and then she wondered whether she should text Michael and ask him to come down so she wasn't alone with this weirdo. Dorcas used her foot to drag the register stool closer to herself so she might sit down. Without looking down at the weird man who crouched down by her feet, she asked, "What's your name? What mission are you on?" MURDOCK: “Murdock.” The boy answered, peeking his head ever-so-cautiously over the edge of the counter to check the window at the front of the store. After a tense moment of deliberation he seemed to deem the coast clear, popping up to his full height right next to Dorcas on her stool. He made an exaggerated show of stretching his back and shaking off the tension that had ostensibly been built up from his high-stakes chase. “Alright, I think we’re good. If they were still on my trail, they’re have been here from now. I’ll need to lay low before I can find a way out of this district, but I’ll be out of your hair soon. I really appreciate this, truly.” He even went so far as to clasp Dorcas’ hands and look meaningfully into her eyes, before turning decisively to the whistling teapot. “As for the mission, well, I’ve already made you complicit enough. The less you know is probably for the better.” He intoned solemnly, whilst helping himself to a cup. DORCAS: It was all she could do not to scream as he touched her hands and stared so creepily at her, but somehow Dorcas managed. She wondered if she still had pepper spray in her handbag. Not that it would do much good, since her handbag was shut up in a locker and not here. She shoved her hands deep into her work apron's pockets to stop them shaking as she watched him pour a cup of tea. "Um. Okay. You aren't going to hurt me, are you?" MURDOCK: The teacup paused at Murdock’s lips and he looked positively aghast at the question, as though she had reached out and slapped him. “What? Hurt y-- Good God, no! No, miss--” A quick nametag check. “Dorcas? That’s cute. No, I-- we’re not trying to hurt anyone. We’re not those exploding ATM bandits, blowing things up for their statement. We’re trying to make things better the responsible way, for everyone, for you--” In his agitation he spilled some tea onto his saucer, at which point he put it down and took in a slow breath to steady himself, clearly so disquieted by the notion that she found him frightening. “You think I wanted this life?” He intoned grimly, looking down at his cup. “Running around like some sort of criminal, exiled from proper society, terrifying pretty young girls with my mere presence? God dammit, I wanted to be an architect...” DORCAS: It really was too much for Dorcas; from his bizarre ranting and his flailing and stammering, to the fact that he was talking about weird things such as missions and being chased by some unknown but potentially dangerous individuals. She had no idea what he wanted or what she was supposed to say to all of this. "I don't know what you're talking about. What life? I-- architects? What? Mister Murdock, I just wanted a really quiet night, without any crazy people bothering me at work." MURDOCK: “That’s exactly what I’m talking about.” Murdock agreed gratefully, completely missing her point and sounding quite relieved that she was understanding his. “I just wanted a normal life, but instead I got this.” He made a vague gesture to indicate his zany circumstances, blew a cooling breath across his tea, and took a deep draught. “You seem a sweet girl Dorcas, you’re exactly the sort of person I’m doing this for. You deserve to know the truth, about everything - everyone does. And we’re this close to having it all uncovered. Then it’ll be a whole new ball game, let me tell you! Maybe I’ll finally be able to settle down, get my life straightened out - spend my time taking pretty girls out for dinner instead of scaring them half to death in their workplaces.” He let out a wry little chuckle as he took a few more thoughtful sips of his tea. DORCAS: That was-- was he hitting on her? On her? Dorcas felt panicky and nervous and she just wanted him to leave now. She had no idea what he was talking about with normal lives and uncovering secret operations and being stalked and followed by mysterious baddies. “Um,” she whispered yet again. Should she respond to that? Dorcas decided that, no, she should not and she turned her back on the guy to send a quick text to her friend to tell him to come by asap. Once she’d sent it, she snapped the phone shut and whipped around to face Murdock once more. Maybe changing the subject would do it. And she could drop a hint for him without openly kicking him out of the shop. “How is your tea? Do you want lemon? And-- um-- that will be two-fifty.” MURDOCK: “Wait!” Murdock held up a hand dramatically for silence, conveniently overpowering the price of his tea enough to drown it out. He perked up as if sensing danger, his head cocking to one side and his eyes watching the front door warily. He held the moment of silence for a long moment, before suddenly dropping back into the urgent persona he’d been wearing upon his entrance. “They’re going to double back, I need to go to ground. Is there a back exit from this place? I can’t be seen going through the front, it could endanger you - and I couldn’t possibly have that on my conscience. Bless you Dorcas, for taking pity on a soul in need. I won’t forget you, and I swear that I’ll have this abhorrent world of ours cleared up soon, or die trying.” He flashed the barista one of his most stoic looks, finished his tea in one quick swig, and was off - leaping showily over the counter and darting through the back curtain and into the small kitchen, where he could be heard slamming out the back door and into the exit beyond. DORCAS: All she could do was stare after him, and stare after him Dorcas did. In fact, she did so for fifteen whole minutes before she realized that she was supposed to have closed the shop three minutes ago and to have cleaned up the work place. As she set about wiping down the counter-tops, unplugging all appliances and counting what minimal tips had been acquired that shift. With it, and all of the change in her pocket, she made up for the money she hadn't received from Murdock for his tea. She grabbed her sweater and tucked it under her arm as she shut off the lights, activated the security system and locked the door behind her as she left. Now that her subway fare was now spent, Dorcas decided she would be walking home. It was all for the better, anyway; she needed a run to relax, and she still needed to intercept Michael before he made it to the tea shop only to find it all locked up. As Dorcas jogged, all she could think about was whether there was actually somebody following Murdock or if he had made it all up. She doubted her siblings would believe this story if she told them. |