Participants:
| Scene Title | Batman and Shopping Sprees |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Shard's speech is interrupted by BATMAN! Then he opts to take Aggie with him to go shopping while Cardinal and Devi talk business. |
| Date | August 16, 2009 |
Anarchy Customs: Hangout
Dark wood flooring is illuminated by dome-cage lighting set liberally in the ceiling overhead. This room is simply furnished - a stout rectangular table in the center of the room, flanked by deep, plush leather sofas shoved up to the walls at either side. The northern quadrant of the room is set with a personal mini-bar; namely a fridge full of beer, a shelf of hard liquors, and a cabinet set with a large padlock above it. The walls are covered with large mirrors, the reflective areas surrounded by sketches as well as snapshots of completed tattoos. In one corner, well out of the way, there is a bench complete with tattooing equipment.
The southern portion of the room, however, is set with an opening in the floor, supported by a black-iron staircase that offers passage into the greasy garage bellow. The same staircase also leads upwards to a hatch door into the last, upper floor of this building.
It wasn't much of a surprise that the houseguests hadn't seen Devi all morning - she'd dipped into the cabinet before heading upstairs last night, after all. The biker diva's heavy boots set the old iron staircase into a deep chiming as she turns down the corkscrew and steps off into the hangout.
The dark haired woman wears a white tee-shirt, cut and tied in a flattering fashion to reveal hints of flesh and ink wherever it deems most appealing. Black pants tuck into her usual boots, joined by two belts that present themselves uselessly where they rest outside her belt loops. Her first agenda? The fridge, to grab a brew.
He hasn't been able to sleep much. If at all. He's been up most of the night, just staring. He's tried to keep it down as not to wake anyone else, but all he can seem to do is watch his hand. Dark fingers splayed out he watches the blue and white licks of electricity dance from one finger to the next. All that was left of The Crucible. He had to find out that guy's real name. He had earned a spot on Shard's arm.
His bleary eyes slowly move up to watch Devi move over to the fridge. He still is only wearing the remnants of his red jumpsuit which cover his legs. Otherwise he is shirtless, revealing the many tattoo's of his youth. The lightning fizzles out.
"Good morning." Vincent greets gravelly.
Ah, now these are people after Cardinal's own heart. When 'morning' isn't until the sun goes down, well, that's the world that he lives in now— and has, since the Suresh complex activated within his genetic code. Not that he's here openly to hear them, and see them, oh no. The man's merely a shadow, sliding silently through the darker corners of the room observing the situation for the moment, a dark patch that mingles with the dark about him.
Agnes wasn't really able to sleep much either, but without electricity she was left simply to stare into nothingness until the sun finally came up and gave her something other than darkness to look at. Sometime after that, she actually drifted off for a bit and dozed fitfully until the sound of movement roused her from that prolonged catnap. She's up and dressed now, but only just, and follows Devi down the steps a short spell later. She stops once she's far enough down the corkscrew to look out over the hangout below, just standing there with her hand on the railing for a moment, before she continues down.
Devi turns about, catching the fridge door on her knee to keep it propped open as she leans back and pops the top on her beer. "How you holdin' up?" She inquires. The strange shadow, black on her black dark interior design catches no attention despite the many mirrors that are places about for the purpose of keeping an eye on one's back. The biker glances towards the stairwell, flashing Aggie a simple smile. "Hey, Kitty. Nice job last night, keepin' it together," she remarks. Finally, she extends her beer. "Breakfast, anyone?"
"I'll be fine." Vincent lies. Staring at the fridge his jaw hangs open slack for a moment, as if in deep thought. He then looks to Devi. "I want to talk to you about something. He goes to shove himself off of the sofa. "This is going to sound a little…" He gives a soft sigh. "Ridiculous. But I've been awake all night and all day thinkin' 'bout this." Walking towards the 'kitchen' part, he glances to Agnes. "Something I want to talk to you both about. And.." He glances around. Gillian's not here at the moment. "All of us."
But something makes him pause. Suspicion in his features.
Is it a strange shadow that shouldn't be here?
No, it's. "You're drinking beer first thing?" His deep gravelly voice sounds mildly surprised, pulling him out of his super serious monologue into amusement. "Anyway. I need your help. Both of you."
As if someone was moving something before the light, a shadow spills up and over one of the sofas that's not occupied at the moment… and when everyone's occupied with one another or otherwise looking the other way - except, perhaps, the perceptive fellow that's noticed the shift of darkness in the darkness - the shadow surges upwards and then flows back and off the body of Richard Cardinal, shading from dark to colour once more, sprawled there on the cushioning.
"I'll take one," he calls casually.
Hey, at least he didn't say 'I'm Batman'.
Agnes reaches the bottom of the stairs, tossing off a little nod of greeting to the (known) two already down here. "Thanks," she replies with a small, self-conscious smile, as Devi commends her for not losing her shit last night. She gives Vincent a curious look for this somewhat ominous something 'something' that he wants to discuss. She considers the offer of the beer, perhaps in light of this fact, and then nods. "Yeah, I'll take-" she begins, echoing someone who … was not there a second ago. Considering the previous night, it makes her jump, though at least there's no shriek - just a little squeak of protest - or perhaps more honestly, a swallowed scream, followed by a muttered curse word.
Devi straightens a bit, the unattended door to the fridge snapping shut, as her houseguest takes on a serious tone. The, however…
Devi straightens a bit, the unattended door to the fridge snapping shut, as her houseguest takes on a serious tone. The, however…
Click The safety on the 9MM clicks off as the weapon levels on the sofa and it's unannounced occupant. "Toots!" Devi suddenly remarks with a tilted smirk, the weapon returning to its dormant place in the back waistline of her pants. She seems unperturbed by the rude arrival, and simply pops open the fridge. Snagging two more brews, one is offered in passing to Aggie as Devi makes her Cardinal to offer the other.
She lifts a boot, nudging the wide toe at his hip. "Knock next time, asshole," she remarks in only half jest and turns to the side. "Shard, Kitty - Redbird. Redbird - Shard, and Kitty." She leans onto the arm of the sofa by Cardinal's noggin and tips her attention back to Shard. "You were sayin'?"
Shard is not a hardened soldier. He's an ex-criminal, superstar now used to the plush life. Except for his recent stint in prison. And with all his being captured around so often and shoved about. Popping up on him, is bad for his health. He's getting old! Or, is bad for the person popping up on him's health.
Wheeling around, Vincent's hand flies up. As Devi brings up her firearm, Shard's hand crackles intensely with lightning. Blue surges of lighting flick off his arm in a threatening manner towards Cardinal. Crackle. Crackle. Once Devi seems to relax, Shard's arm is slowly lowered. "Gonna give a brother a heart attack." He slowly eases up, the lightening fizzling out and dying down back into his hands. When Devi asks him to continue Shard pauses. He doesn't know Cardinal. Well he barely knows Devi and Agnes, but something about being in a traumatic experience automatically builds trust. Doesn't it?
As a gun's pointed at him and lightning's bourne in his direction, Cardinal arches a brow with a hint of amusement and unconcern from his sprawl. "Doors are overrated," he replies casually.
Up from the couch, then, his feet getting beneath him before he rolls to his full height; stretching slightly, hands bracing at the small of his back as if getting used to being corporeal and working all the kinks out, before he reaches over to accept the bottle with a crooked smile. "Thanks. Good to meet you Shard, Kitty…" The top's popped off, and he watches Shard for a moment as lightning crackles over his frame, "Relax, my man. I come in peace." Hm. Guy looks familiar for some reason. Give him a few, maybe it'll come to him.
Agnes is still a little shaken but as Devi acknowledges the man, she begins to calm as well, still staring at him with wide, surprised eyes, even as she absently takes the beer with a murmured thank you. It's only the actual physical feel of the cold beer in her hand that shakes her out of it, and she gives her head a little shake, heading slowly over towards where the others are gathered. "Hey," she offers in reply to Cardinal's greeting. She can't help but give him another curious look, though she tries not altogether subtly to hide it behind a pull of her beer.
Devi lofts a brow as she watches Shard's reaction. No one can blame the poor guy for being a bit jumpy. Though, part of her wonders if the action was not slightly protective - she knew him as the guy that didn't want to maim or kill others, after all.
The biker watches the lightshow a moment longer, only to be met with Shard's continued silence. "He's good people, so far," she notes about Cardinal. "Though, by the look of that stunt - he's been holdin' out on me." She flashes the shady-Evo a grin before the mischievous expression is hid behind the lips of her lifted beer. She then leans back, making a full seat of the sofa's arm, bending one knee to prop one leg up with her. She looks between Shard and Cardinal then, expectant of each of them and waiting for someone to take the initiative to chime up.
Shard gives a slow if uneasy nod to Cardinal. His fingers tap on the counter, his previous train of thought apparently abandoned as his lips stay shut. He watches the other man quietly, trying not to let the suspicion show. Before he looks over to Agnes. "Kitty." He says, his voice amiable. "Would you like to go out and go shoppin' with me later?"
His hands gesture to his bare torso and the red tatters of jumpsuit pants. "I could use some new clothes I figure." Stay away from the previous subject. He looks to Devi. "You can come to.. And.. do you know a good ink guy around here?" He needs a new tat.
"Everyone needs a few secrets, Tats," Cardinal murmurs as he takes a swig of the beer, lowering it then and gesturing towards Shard, "There's Pearl, down at the Fleshwork— jus' down the block from the Happy Dagger. If you're willing to hit the mainland, though, best tattooist in the world is at the Green Dragon in Chinatown."
That said, he turns a bit to look to Devi with a slightly crook'd smile, "Sounds like I came at a bad time… I can stop by later."
Agnes offers a bit of a grin to Shard, nodding at the question. "Sure, yeah, I like shopping," she agrees, sounding rather pleased to be asked along, to be honest. She takes another drink, lowering the bottle to her side as she comes to lean against a handy wall, listening with some interest as Cardinal recommends some tattooists. Not that she's thinking of doing such things, of course. Maybe. Who knows. But as Cardinal offers to come back another time, Aggie's gaze goes to Devi then, her eyebrows lifting just a bit as she tilts her head towards the stairs - in a silent offer to get gone, if need be.
Devi lifts her chin towards the equipment in the corner of the room. Crimson lips part in preparedness to speak, but halt as Cardinal interjects. What he says earns him a sidecast glare. "I do tattoos," she mumbles, before wetting her whistle with another sip of dark beer. It's all that need be said.
Devi catches Aggie's eye and gesture, pushing to her feet and giving a wave of her hand. "Well, since these boyos ain't apt to talk in front of one another, why don't you two head out for some shopping. Toots and I will talk some business, then when ya get back," she looks to Shard now, "I'd be happy to hear what you have to say." She lofts a brow and looks to the gang, before her gaze center's on Cardinal and she makes a gesture towards the hatch at the top of the stairwell.
Nodding, Shard steps away from the counter. "Nice to meet you, Redbird." He lets out before going to join Agnes. The two go to make their way out, to go shopping. Shard in bad need of some new clothes.