fandomhigh | Tricks, Cons and Bamboozles | Wednesday

Today, students had been ~~handwavily~~ told to meet in the Danger Shop, which was programmed on this fine morning to resemble a busy transit hub that students might recognize as Grand Central Station. Although they would learn that it was actually set up to resemble most of Upper Manhattan.

Stationed toward the middle of the chaos near a circular booth, Neal was holding a paper bag full of bagels, which he was handing out to students as they arrived. He could be generous! Sometimes. Though he wasn't handing out coffee. That stuff was all his.

"Welcome to Grand Central Station," he said once everyone had arrived. "This is the largest¹ train station in the world, and over 750,000² people pass through it on a daily basis. Suffice it to say that it's not exactly the kind of place that's convenient for making a quick getaway."

Since he assumed that his students would be having need of that, possibly within the first two minutes of class. (Put that commuter's wallet down, Kenzi! Or keep it and share. Whatever.)

"Today we're going to work on a couple of things," he said, then enjoyed a sip of that amazing, amazing coffee that he wasn't sharing with any of you. "One: Finding your way around. Nothing's more embarrassing than trying to make a quick exit down the wrong hallway." If that had ever happened to him, he wasn't sharing. "Two: Actually getting around, which is harder than it sounds in a place this crowded. And three: Getting things cheaper than they're being sold for."

That one wasn't getting elaborated, apparently. It was pretty much self-explanatory.

"So here's what you're gonna do," Neal continued. "You can each have five dollars." Look, five magical Danger Shop dollars! "With that, you have to get: a roundtrip Metro-North peak-hours ticket to Poughkeepsie, a good slice of pizza -- which my illustrious TA and I will be verifying, a picture of you doing something unlawful, and something from a store in the station that doesn't have a heart or an apple on it."

That might just be the hardest challenge of all.

"And then you can take the subway to L'Arte Del Gelato and meet me there in an hour."

That was all the way crosstown. Not to mention Neal had intentionally neglected to give street coordinates.

"Good luck!"

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Alice sneakily folded the ticket and stuck it in her bra. Ha, let's seem them go after it there if they realize it was stolen!

She watched Kenzi with confused interest. "Help?" Said in the tone of someone mimicking a word they didn't actually understand.

"Help, yes," Kenzi said, patting her arm and grinning where the station cop couldn't see. "Alitzia, her English, not so good, so I tell you what happened..."

She then launched into an off-the-cuff explanation of how two big boys came along and swiped their bags-- "With our papers! We need zose!" -- along with descriptions, and then suddenly stopped, eyes wide. "There! There! Alitizia, that is them, no?" she said excitedly, pointing to two guys who looked like they were going to jump a turnstile.

Alice nodded excitedly. "Yes, yes! Them!" There was pointing here as well.

This was actually kind of fun, really.

"Hey, you," the cop called. The two boys froze, then took off, and Kenzi bounced up and down.

"Get zem! Get zem! Go go--" She hardly needed to tell him. People ran, cops chased.

Kenzi coughed to cover a laugh, then carefully started walking in the exit for another platform. No need to look suspicious yet. "Verrrrry nice, Alitzia."

Alice stifled a grin. "What can I say, I try."

Kenzi chortled. "And succeed! Pizza's on me, if you want to sit that one out. I think I have a semi-legal way to get it, too."

"Ooh. Semi-legal is good -- just to mix it up and all."

"See, that's what I think. Throws off suspicion." Kenzi looked around for a pizza place on the map, and then studied it as they approached. "Okay, I think this place will work. Doesn't look like they have a lot of business yet. Does that smell good to you too? Mr. Caffrey will so disqualify us if he thinks that's bad pizza." She grinned. "Free advertising, for the slice of piece of pizza."

Alice tilted her head slightly and sniffed the air. "That definitely smells good."

Good enough to make her wish she could actually eat food. She figured that qualified.

"Works! Okay, just remember: the temp agency sent us, and it's an hour 'til our next train," Kenzi counseled, then walked in, all business. "Hi, where's our sandwich boards? We're here to stand in the station."

"What?" the woman behind the counter asked, confused. "We don't have any sandwich boards. Who sent you?"

"Speedy Temps, the right work at the right time?" Kenzi said, acting like she couldn't believe the woman didn't know this. "We're your advertising crew, for the best pizza in Grand Central. Wait. You didn't call?"

Kenzi looked at Alice, face disgusted. "Oh, I don't believe this."

Edited 2011-09-21 21:00 (UTC)

Alice groaned and rolled her eyes, going along with it. "I can't believe this! What are we supposed to do, hm?"

Kenzi checked her watch and groaned. "We can't get another train for an hour, we are so screwed..." She paused and leaned on the counter, eyes wide. "Look. I know you can't pay us for this, and I mean, seriously, who would want to? But... can we go out and advertise your stuff anyway? Just while we're here, so the agency knows we tried? If we can't get paid, at least we can get brownie points."

The woman's mouth quirked, and she looked around, then said, "So, you'd stand outside and do what?"

"Eat your pizza, and announce to anyone who walked by that it was the best ever," Kenzi promised. "I mean, we have to get lunch anyway." She looked extra-glum.

"What could it hurt?" Alice said to the woman. "It technically counts as free advertising for you, and hey. Free advertising is always good, right?"

She did have a point there...

The woman considered, looked over, and then dished up two pieces on paper plates. "Tell you what. These pieces didn't come out perfect, but if you stand out there and advertise until your train has to leave, you can have them for free. And two Cokes." She smiled, shaking her head, eyes shrewd. "No matter who pulled the prank."

Kenzi grinned wide, and shot bang-bang fingers at her. "You are a scholar and a gentlewoman, ma'am. Awesome." Hey, very very good pizza for free! Yes! Who cared about perfect, especially if the mark was suspicious?

Nom nom nom nom ... "BEST PIZZA IN GRAND CENTRAL!" Kenzi called when they were outside. "GET IT HERE!"

[ooc: And I flee! Back in an hour!]

Edited 2011-09-21 21:25 (UTC)

Alice didn't eat the pizza -- she couldn't -- but she cleverly tore bites off and made it look like she was eating.

"DON'T MISS OUT!" was her contribution.

What? She was the assistant. Kenzi was the lead.

Tricks, Cons and Bamboozles | Wednesday | Period 1

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