Druid in the Marvel Universe Chapter 25: A Nighttime Adventure in Hell's Kitchen

The restaurant door swung open again, and in strolled Foggy and Matt.

Foggy was already griping, "Matt, I told you we had to get here earlier. You spent way too much time with that girl, and now Alvin's steaks are probably history."

Matt just grinned, brushing off Foggy's complaints. He looked pretty sharp, like he'd actually gotten some decent sleep lately. He twirled his white cane with a bit of flair and gave Foggy a playful tap on the waist.

Foggy jumped like he'd been zapped, flailing his arms and shouting, "Alright, alright, our superstar lawyer Matt is all about the job. It's totally not because that girl is smokin' hot. And her voice? Man, it's on fire!"

Foggy dodged out of Matt's reach, doing a goofy, chubby Michael Jackson moonwalk over to the bar. He greeted Michael and Scott with a laugh and hollered at Alvin, "Alvin, you gotta save me. My stomach's begging for mercy. I need something to chow down on, like, right now."

Ginny was perched on a high stool at the bar. Misty's tough act hadn't fazed her, but Foggy's antics had her attention. She rested her chin on her hands, watching him with interest.

Foggy noticed Ginny watching and, in true dramatic fashion, covered his face with his hands and did a quick run-in-place, like a crazed fan, letting out a soft scream, "Ah~! Wow, is this the little princess of Hell's Kitchen? My God, you're so beautiful, like a real princess!"

Ginny burst into giggles, holding her little belly, and slid off the high stool.

Alvin quickly scooped her up, laughing as he held the almost-floor-bound Ginny in his arms. He shot Foggy a mock glare but didn't bother with the clown. He greeted Matt, "Hey~ Matt, you look good!"

Matt, rocking his dark red sunglasses, probably looked extra rosy from all the good rest. He walked over with a smile, "The past couple of days have been awesome. There's a bunch of cute little birds always flying around Hell's Kitchen, Alvin, did you know that?"

Alvin chuckled, "Maybe it's the breadcrumbs I scattered on the roof. Who knows? But it's a good thing, right?"

Matt gave a light smile, "It's a good thing. At least I've had two solid nights of sleep." He then took off his sunglasses, revealing his gray eyes, and made a funny face at Ginny in Alvin's arms.

Ginny was super curious. This was another new person, which made her really happy. She'd met a bunch of different people in the past couple of days and felt like they were all her kindred spirits.

Misty, who'd been left out, was now so mad her face was turning blue. What kept her from blowing up was her last bit of police instinct. She might've realized something was off.

Alvin didn't know what Misty's deal was, but as the new chief, she'd already ticked off two of the best officers in Hell's Kitchen precinct. Coming to the Peace Hotel to throw her weight around, her brain didn't seem to be firing on all cylinders.

Sighing, Alvin didn't want to make things harder for her. After all, she was a cop. Looking at Misty, he said, "Officer Misty, I hope you can take back your accusations against me. Everyone around here knows I was here last night and didn't go anywhere. If you suspect me, get a warrant from a judge, and I'll cooperate with your investigation. Don't just pin a crime on someone. Maybe you're used to doing that elsewhere, but this is Hell's Kitchen. It doesn't fly here!"

Misty's face went pale, and she snapped, "Yesterday, you had a sit-down with Bloody Jason's guy, Black Bear. After things went south, Black Bear and his crew got seriously messed up and ended up in the hospital. Meanwhile, Bloody Jason's Long Island crib got hit, and all 36 people there were wiped out. Are you seriously telling me you had nothing to do with that? I don't care about you lowlifes fighting, but there were some innocent folks among those 36, like servants and gardeners. Don't let me find proof, or you'll pay big time!"

Alvin just stared at the NYPD chief, who was sipping on a lemonade, acting like he didn't hear a thing.

Ignoring the hot-headed cop, Alvin grinned at Chief George, "You must really have it out for her to dump her in Hell's Kitchen."

George couldn't brush off such a heavy accusation. He got all serious, "Ms. Misty Knight is a top-notch officer. We believe her presence will bring some much-needed change to Hell's Kitchen's law and order. That's why we transferred her here." His words were so full of it, he sounded like one of those TV presidents.

Even Misty could tell George was full of crap. She finally realized she might've messed up. She glanced at Michael and Scott, who were both keeping quiet, and shot a death glare at Chief George, her face twisted with anger.

Getting stared down by his own officer, even George couldn't keep his cool. He gave a weak smile and said, "I know you, Alvin. I've read all your files. You're quite the guy. The changes you've brought to Hell's Kitchen in a year are more than what we've done in the past decade. But keeping the peace is ultimately our job. The chief position in Hell's Kitchen has been empty for over a year. Misty is the best candidate I could think of. So I brought her here today to meet you." He looked at Misty and the guys behind her, Michael and Scott, shook his head, and gave a wry smile, "I'm starting to doubt if she can handle it."

George's words were genuine, and Alvin didn't think he was trying to stir up trouble. Looking at Michael, he said, "Michael, for crying out loud! Tell your new chief where I was yesterday?"

Michael awkwardly rubbed his nose and said, "Mr. Alvin was in the restaurant all day yesterday. During that time, he had a negotiation with Black Bear. The talk was about keeping him away from the kids in the school and the minors in the community. And Black Bear is perfectly fine now. I have every reason to believe Mr. Alvin had nothing to do with the Long Island incident because there was no need."

Misty looked at Michael suspiciously, her face still pale, not saying a word. She now felt really foolish. She could sense the internal rejection and distrust from the other officers. She had impulsively picked the worst possible target to assert her authority and had shown her most foolish side in front of her boss. Could anyone have a more embarrassing first day?

Alvin looked at Misty and said, "Officer Misty, I'm glad you're here to be the chief of Hell's Kitchen precinct, but you first have to prove you're a qualified officer to get everyone to listen to you. That's the rule in Hell's Kitchen, whether on the streets or in the precinct."

Misty looked at Alvin and said coldly, "So, how do I prove I'm the right person?"

Alvin laughed heartily and said, "It's simple. Come to Hell's Kitchen at night and take a walk."

Misty said incredulously, "That's it?"

Alvin smiled and said, "A week later, as long as you're not dead or haven't run away, I'll be the first to say, 'Welcome to Hell's Kitchen!'"