With a frozen coffee drink in hand Cosmina strolled the streets of New York. She hadn't paid a lick of a attention to what the thing she was drinking was supposed to be. It was cold and tasted of coffee and lemon. It wasn't horrible and a cold drink was good to have. She was taking a day to herself after a recent job or two. They'd paid well but had been rather exhausting. Therefore the woman was taking some time to unwind in the city. Perhaps she'd run across a robbery she could take part in as a lark.

An hour's walking proved that she'd have no such luck today. There wasn't even anyone interesting on the streets today. Just the boring normal people. Where was a thug or violent mutant when you needed them? Cosmina almost pouted. Her toy was still missing too so she couldn't play with him either. She tossed her half finished coffee aside, paying no attention to who or what it landed on.

Just as Cosmina was debating on giving up and going back to the warehouse she noticed a commotion of some sort at the other end of the block and headed her way fast. Maybe there would be something interesting to do after all. Her smile twisted into a smirk as she instinctively reached for her purse. Purses were slightly annoying but they made an excellent place to conceal a handgun. Assured that her weapon was there if she should need it she waited for whatever was parting the crowds and knocking people down with anticipation.

”And I’m telling you, you took my money!” the large man shouted causing a scene on Carrick’s stage. He looked down at the three cups and the lone marble less than one of them. ”Yeah, that was part of the game right? Or do you American’s have a different way of playing this?” Carrick asked sarcastically knowing the answer but playing as stupid as the larger and far scarier man before him would like.

”Clearly you aren’t understanding me runt, and don’t play innocent, I saw know you cheat!” Carrick frowned and his tail flicked behind him as a few more people started to gather around Carrick’s small set up that consisted of a small radio behind him and a small folding table in front of him. It was more attention than what he would have liked. ”That’s a serious accusation!” Carrick said raising his hands, ”Where would I put the marble?” revealing he had no short sleeves on his t-shit.
”I don’t know how you did it mutie I just know you stole from me and I want my money!” Carrick let out a lower lip quiver something that hadn’t been working as well since he grew and inch or two from what he was when he was far runtier. It was getting harder and harder getting away with all his shenanigans. ”I can’t just give you the money, you have to win it because it is mine now!” Carrick said in a matter-of-factly hoping that big and stupid might be just that big and stupid.

Moving his hands up and picking up the brown marble Carrick placed the three cups on the table and quickly moved his hands around like he was taught at the circus a few years back when he ran away it was an easy trick to learn and it fooled most people. Eventually after passing the marble under one cup to the next Carrick flung the brown marble towards his wings and tail where it blended in with the surrounding brown and eventually stuck into his wings.

”Pick a cup and be nice about it!” Carrick said sticking out his tongue when big and ugly was focused on the cups.

After waiting a minute Mina approached the cause of the disturbance. She smirked upon seeing a shell game set up by a boy with a very obvious mutation. One look at the marble in use told her all she needed to know. The boy was a miniature con artist. He used his youth to make foolish adults let down their guard and then he took them for all they were worth. Mina couldn't help it, she chuckled a little. The young thief amused her and it was always nice to see the next generation of scoundrels plying their trade.

She watched him begin the trick again and watched the marble disappear. Shell games were about getting the mark so focused on the cups that they didn't notice you removing the object from play altogether. Mina had never run a game of her own but she'd seen plenty of them and learned the mechanics of them from a few drifters that were willing to teach when she was a lot younger.

The large moron that the boy was scamming had made it quite clear that he thought the kid was cheating. He was right but since he couldn't figure out how the kid was cheating he was going to play until he did. Mina continued to smirk. She would stick around and see just how long the kid could keep the fool around. If he kept it up long enough she just might intervene once the man decided he'd had enough and wanted his money back.

They were bright colors, bright red. The color was picked for a reason to distract and draw attention towards the cups and away from the marble, which was now lodged somewhere in his wings that were now closing behind his back. ”Best hurry up, I have an audience now and I’m sure there’re others who’d like to play the game.” Carrick paused and smirked to big and ugly, ”Bet they’d have more luck than you.”

This little comment seemed to upset big and ugly, he stepped up and lifted the red cup to the right and then frowned. ”Well if it isn’t under red then it has to be under….” he reached for the middle cup but was stopped when Carrick placed his hand on the cup. ”That my friend is you being a sore loser, can’t have you looking under all of the cups can I?” Carrick paused and pulled the middle cup closer to him and reaching out for the left cup pulling it closer makes sure not to lift either one. ”I’ll take who is next!” Carrick said looking to the other side of big and ugly managing to see a pretty woman off to the side who must have recently arrived.

”See I’m not done playing though!” Ugly’s hand reached out and slammed Carrick’s hand onto the cups making him wince in the process but only wince, he had to play tough guy now no matter how afraid or inexperienced he was in a situation such as this. ”How about we play a new game?” Carrick felt his hand get gripped as the man forced Carrick to upturn his hand and both cups revealing the no marbles. ”Ah, see it wasn’t there which means you cheated,” ”Prefer to say I stuck to my advantages…” Carrick chimed in sarcastically as he felt himself be released and pushed back causing the shifter to stumble and fall backwards.

Once Carrick landed on his rear the marbles that managed to lodge into his wings fell to the ground and scattered onto the ground towards big and ugly, Carrick’s jaw dropped slightly and looked up to big and ugly knowing he was in trouble, ”Right… How about the last game was free?” Carrick asked a nervous smile on his face as he tried to move back and attempting to get up. Something big and ugly didn’t exactly have in mind.

(OOC: feel free to control big and ugly)

The kid was decent but his mouth was going to get him in trouble. That and he could have stood to give the lug a chance at winning every once in a while. He would have still come out ahead and the accusations of cheating would have been easier to avoid. The big numbskull picked and lost. As Mina had thought he was angry about it and revealed the kid's trick. Of course this was made worse by said kid falling down and revealing the hiding place of the marbles. She merely laughed and smirked at the whole thing. The kid had proved to be enough of an amusement. Mina decided she would help him.

The huge man towered over the kid as the kid tried to back away. Mina closed in while the man drew a foot back to kick the kid. Taking advantage of this and how off balance it would put him Mina simply dropped into a sweep kick that took the man right off his feet and onto the ground. She smirked at him.

"The kid won your money off you fair and square. Not his fault you were too stupid to realize you were being conned."

Mina grinned wide at the flush that that statement added to his anger.

"Now why don't you beat it, hmm? Before I have to do something you'll regret."

That sounded sufficiently threatening to her. However her feminine appearance seemed to offset any threat the man saw because he raised himself to his feet and took a swing at her. This she simply moved out of the way of.

"Have it your way then."

Carrick blinked one second he was about to get kicked and the next he was down. Carrick looked to his savior and smirked. It was a lady who wasn’t much bigger than him. Something he found both embarrassing and comical. Even if he wanted to beat the guy up it would have taken a shift so he kept his mouth shut for a second until he got on his feet.

Brushing off the dirt Carrick looked to the woman and gave a quick nod in thanks, ”Hey all my games are legit, con nothing.” Carrick said simply as he kicked a few of the green marbles that were lodged into his wings seconds ago before his fall. Carrick averted his eyes from the ground where they resided and kept his head held high towards the pair. ”Personally I’d like to see him regret something…” Carrick said loud enough for the woman to hear as he walked closer to one of the brick walls of the alleyway.

The way the woman dodged the first strike changed Carrick’s opinion about the fight almost immediately. He suddenly wished he had known her before hand and placed money on the fight. It would have been an upset to say the least. ”Fight, any takers?” Carrick asked anyone in the crowd only to have no one to reply. ”Alright, money on the nice lady then!” Carrick said cheering his heroic lady on.

And a vengeful little thief he was too. The specific statement that he would like to see the man regret something and the cheering for her sealed the man's fate more readily than her preference for putting people entirely out of commission so they couldn't come back to haunt her. She smirked at the large oaf.

"Well you heard the little man. Time for you to regret losing that temper of yours. Maybe next time you'll be smart enough not to fall for a shell game huh?"

In response all the man said was, "You regret that you b$@#&!"

Mina tutted at him.

"Now now, there are young people around. Such foul language is unbecoming. Now are you going to try and hit me or not?"

So the guy swung at Mina and she calmly stepped out of the way and followed up with a swift kick to the man's stomach that left him doubled over and breathless.

"Let this also be a lesson in underestimating other people: Don't do it."

And she stood there and let him recover, smirking all the while.