Participants:
| Scene Title | Friends, With Lots of Benefits |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | A rainy night time meeting - with a fight included - leads to an agreement between Shard and Robin. |
| Date | October 13, 2009 |
The entrance to the Best Western has seen better days. Abandoned for several years, an extremely thick layer of dust lays on the welcome counter like a thick grey blanket. It also seems like several local bums have used this place as various beds, mostly ratty and full of holes as well as stains litter the room among the piles of garbage that are almost waist-high. The entire room stinks of stale air and urine. To the left is a steel door leading to the stairs and in front is the elevator doors.
A set of stairs made of concrete with a metal railing painted to keep the rust away, though many parts are now rusted as neglect has allowed the paint to chip and crack, leads upstairs. It seems as though the stairs only go up to the second floor; the stairs leading to the third floor are missing some, and piles of garbage prevent one from jumping up.
Inside the elevator shaft, it seems that the elevator car has fallen all the way to the basement from what could have been the top since it's been smashed to pieces. Judging from the holes in the sides of the shaft, it's clear the car didn't go down easily as well it seems to have ripped off the ladders that normally are on the sides of the elevator shaft for maintenance the cables that also hang down have been cut at around the fourth floor. The entire shaft smells of moisture and rust.
It's late night. Past curfew.
In the rest of the city these hooligans, these thugs would be arrested on the spot and questioned for being out past curfew. They wouldn't have gotten this far. But this isn't the rest of the city. This is Staten Island. The rain pours solidly, providing sufficient cover for those down on ground level. The rain pours down and the shouts rise up.
"Let us in, bitch"
Shard has been under the public spotlight for many reasons throughout his life. Most recently it's because he's trying to revitalize Staten Island, many people in the area are familiar with and even own a t-shirt saying SAVE STATEN but the five young men standing outside the closed impromptu hospital definitely are not volunteers.
The doors to the old Best Western are closed and locked, the staff of nurses and doctors huddled up away from the doors. This isn't the first time thugs have come-a-calling. Everyone knows that Shard is famous, and that means rich, and so.. Five young men with five different weapons bang on the front door, vying for entry.
"Did you call Shard yet?" Comes a worried whisper inside the lobby.
"No answer. He was supposed to come by tonight. Maybe he's on his way."
Robin has been watching more TV than is probably healthy, especially when he should be working on the plumbing and reinforcing the support beams by the kitchen area down in the tunnels. But! The upside to this is he's seen Shard's Youtube clips and the high-jacked broadcast and is definitely intrigued.
It's late, and usually Robin wouldn't risk going out after curfew, but security is lax here, so he tugs on a beat up jean jacket over his smartass t-shirt, this one saying 'meat is murder, tasty tasty murder' and head out into the rain. There's an old building where Shard is rumored to hang out, and Robin has two goals. One —to get an autograph, because it's Shard, and two —to see if this group might want or need any help from the Ferrymen.
As he slips around the corner near the hotel, he hears the thugs before he sees them, and stays in the shadows. A gun isn't something he ever really carries, and tonight is no exception. Moving a little closer, Robin tries to see what he can see of the situation.
"That one has a gun."
Maybe it's the rain and the night that allow the man to so easily walk up behind Robin, or maybe it's because the man is a trained ninja, or maybe…
Whatever it is, Robin soon finds himself accompanied by a tall black man, a brown hood heaved over the man's brow. He is keeping back for now, with Robin watching closely. Though admittedly he's trying a little manipulation. His new ability has certain stipulations and one of those stipulations is there has to be fear for it to work. And by saying there's a gun…
"Probably high on something. Will go nuts on anything, or anyone they see." Shard arches a brow over at the man. Partly to 'see' if that elicits a response, even though the fear is more inhaled rather than examined.
Hearing that one of the men has a gun definitely causes some fear in Robin; he's not a weapons sort of guy. He can fight hand to hand if pressed to, but he's by no means an expert at it. The fact that someone snuck up on him has Robin wired as well. He wasn't expecting a voice out of nowhere to start talking about a potential bloodbath.
"So what the hell are we supposed to do here? They obviously want in and I'm sure there are people in there." He runs a hand through his wet hair, pushing it out of his eyes. "Wait… you aren't with them or anything, right?" Depending on that answer, Robin's night could get a whole lot worse
"Do you say that because I'm black or because I'm wearing baggy clothing?" Obviously he doesn't care about the answer because he's already looking away. He takes a deep breath. No wonder Stef was always so wonky. The fear he was breathing brought some kind of excitement, a small thrill. And a lot of strength.
"I'm not with them. I'm with the people inside. But I need you to stay with me. You don't have to do anything. Just stay close, at least for a little. Can you do that?" Shard asks, trying to sound as polite as possible, taking a step closer towards the throng that seems to be getting more agitated by the minute.
Robin mutters, "I said it because you showed up at the same time." But that answer isn't important so he lets it go.
"You're one of Shard's people?" Robin relaxes a bit at that news, but it definitely doesn't take away his fear. "Yeah… yeah, I can stick close. Though fair warning, if one of them sticks a gun in my face, I'm hitting the deck."
He moves to stand beside and a little behind the hooded man, buttoning a few of the buttons on his jacket so it can't get grabbed if they do end up in a brawl, and rolling his shoulders, trying not to fidget.
A quirked brow as the black man looks over at the non-black man. "I am Shard's people."
And with that he's hustling forward. They have the cover of night, the cover of rain and the cover of the five young men and their loud shouting at the Best Western Hospital. And so Robin and Vincent will find themselves very soon amongst the group of desperate looking and poorly dressed young vagabonds. Though it's the one with the gun that Shard steers for.
Though for all their cover, one young man turns as Shard and Robin penetrate the group's perimeter. Eyebrows fling up, eyes widen and a surprised, "What the hell?" Is given up. It's just enough warning for the gun wielding youth to turn around and stick the .44 in Shard's face. Which brings Shard to a very quick halt. One man with a baseball bat and another with a tire iron slowly encircle around Robin. "What the hell are you doing?"
With the man looking at him and the faint light from the worn streetlights, Robin finally recognizes who he's standing with. But before he can comment on that bit of news, they're in the thick of things. Guns and bats and tire irons, oh my.
With a rather wild flash of a grin, he quips at the thugs, "Well I don't know about you but I came for the tea party, did you not get an invite?"
That gets him a confused look and a swing of the bat towards his head, which misses by sheer luck. He grabs the end of it, and they up in a rather silly looking tug of war over the bat. Calling out to Shard, the nervousness is still clear in his voice, "Not to be pushy, but if you're going to do something, can you do it fast?"
Shard's eyes slowly go to give Robin a sidelong glance. What he means that look to express is; 'Don't worry, I have an Evolved ability I am fairly certain I will be able to get us out of this pickle if no other complications should arise' but what it probably says is: 'Holyshit we're gonna die!' His hands slowly climb up in the 'I surrender' position. A light breath exhaled.
While Robin plays a game with a baseball bat, Shard starts to feed off the fear that exudes from him. And then from the anxiety the rest of the little gang starts to feel and finally—
His hand darts forward and lands on the barrel of the pistol. In one swift motion the metal of the gun is sufficiently… crushed. Marveling at his own results for just a second, Shard's other hand swoops down to land a hefty shove on the man's chest. Which sends the formally pistol-wielding man flying slash tumbling backwards rather quickly. But that second of self approval costs Shard, when he unfortunately finds a different baseball bat right in his face.
Shard topples.
"Let go, puta." The young man tugs the bat back but finds it is only being tugged in return by the other man. A scowl as the two tug back and forth. But tire iron man is less occupied and the tool makes a hasty trip to the back of Robin's knees.
"Bite me." Pulling at the bat, Robin wins the tug of war! He stumbles back, getting a tire iron to the back of the knee and falling on his ass, but manages to keep hold of the bat.
Seeing as he's down there he takes a wild swing at a random knee and feels as well as hears the crunch of bone. He can't see much because his eyes are tearing up from the hit he took to his own knee; and his fear spikes when he sees Shard hit the ground.
"Fucking hell, what do you guys even want here?" It's a question he doesn't expect an answer to, obviously.
But when they see that the gun crumpled fear starts to spread. And not just from Robin. And even though he went down, he's not out…
The two men surrounding him are suddenly flying. And not by any effort of their own or sudden manifestation of evolved abilities. While on his ascent back to his feet the now superstrong Vincent King flung out two hands at the two men who subsequently, are now not much of a problem anymore. Flying maybe ten feet a piece, the two will quickly regain their feet and even more swiftly make their retreat.
The bat wielder lets out a cry as his old weapon collides against his knee cap, sending him down to all fours as well. But the man with the tire iron still has his weapon, and as it raises over his shoulder—
It is ripped out of his hands before he as well goes skittering across the sleek wet parking lot. Robin then will feel a firm hand coming under his armpit and then without much effort at all he is on his feet. Leaving only the former-bat wielding thug left. "You should leave." Shard says firmly before tossing the tire iron onto the ground.
Taking a step away, Vincent starts for the hospital. Glancing back at Robin. "It's raining. Come on inside." The thug is left to think about his actions or just run away. Shard doesn't much care at this point.
… "Inside. Yeah, good idea." Robin limps away from the last thug and follows Shard to the doors of the hospital. As he catches up to Shard, he adds, "You could've told me about the being able to toss people around thing. Might've helped with the whole scared out of my mind part."
As the doors are opened, Robin steps inside, wiping rainwater from his face and attempting to push his hair back, an attempt that fails miserably. "So, you're Shard. I'm Robin. It's good to meet you, though I wish it had been at a coffee bar or something. Any place without threats of bodily violence."
A secret knock is laid on the doors and a young woman asks who it is, Shard replies in kind before the two are actually allowed in.
"They're gone." He states solidly, waving his hand dismissively. "Sorry that took so long everyone. Hope the patients are okay. Back to work, back to work." A hand briefly is laid down on the nurse's shoulder before Shard continues in, allowing Robin to talk to him as he goes. The staff is actually nonplussed, this is Staten after all. Crazy stuff happens every single day.
"Sorry about that brother, it's new for me. But fear gives me more power. Sorry I had to put you through that, I really am." Vincent spins around to place his hand on Robin's shoulder and give him a gentle squeeze as well. But skin contact is not made, skin contact is rarely if ever made with Shard. "Pleasure, Robin. I'm Vincent. Or you can call me Shard if that's what you like." He gives a shrug. "I don't really like coffee." He notes. "Amy, can you get this guy a blanket please?!" He yells out, a young woman rushing into a storage closet as he yells out.
"I'm used to thinking of you as Shard, so I'll probably end up calling you that out of habit." Robin tests his knee, putting his weight on the leg to see if there's any serious damage as they talk.
He takes the blanket a woman offers and wraps it around his shoulders, drying off as best he can with it. "So fear helps… that's interesting. First time that me being scared actually helped a situation." He leans against a wall, taking the weight off his leg which will probably have a spectacular bruise.
"Don't worry about putting me through anything, if you hadn't shown up, it would've been just me and that group, so… thanks for saving my ass."
"Whatever floats a boat doesn't sink the ship." Vincent says, pausing, arching one brow. Did he just make up a proverb? No someone had to have said that at some point. Or maybe… Thought of proverb invention are abandoned as Shard smiles at 'Amy'. "You want your leg checked out Robin? This is a hospital, so you chose a good place to get hurt in front of."
Shaking his head he smiles softly. " I wouldn't have been able to take them if it wasn't for you. So thank you." Yes Shard just thanked a man for being scared.
"You're welcome." Robin replies sort of awkwardly; it's not every day you get thanked for being scared, or any day, really. He takes a look around the place, noting the worn out appearance and the parts that have been fixed up. It reminds him of home, actually.
"If you've got anyone free to take a look at the knee, that'd be good. I don't think anything's torn, but I'm no doctor." Trying to get a read on how their supplies are, he adds, "If you have any painkillers, I'd be grateful for one or two."
Shard frowns lightly at the request. But he's not one to scorn a helping hand. Though Amy gives him a 'look' Shard just nods which sends the young nurse off to get said painkillers for their strange savior. "Amy can check you out in a bit." Vincent says, leading him down through the bottom floor hallway. Glancing in each door, he finally finds a vacant room. "Come on in, take a sit." He says with a little smile.
"So Robin. It's a dangerous island, what're you doing out here so late… Unarmed?" Not that King ever carries a gun. But everyone on Staten does. It's like the Wilde West out here.
Robin takes a seat and stretches out his injured leg, really hoping nothing is torn. When Shard asks the question, the younger man shrugs one shoulder with a smile, "I rarely carry a gun, and I was hoping I wouldn't need it. I guess I better reconsider that, huh?" It's obvious he's not fond of guns in general.
"To answer your question, I was actually coming to see you." He waves a hand around the room to indicate the entire building. "The whole set up you have here."
Shrugging the blanket off, he folds it up and sets it aside, leaning forward a little. "I've heard of it, this hospital, but no one really knows how good it is, how well stocked with supplies or personnel… I was curious."
"Well-stocked?" Shard asks, tilting his head back with a little sigh. "Not so much. We're barely getting by as far as supplies go. We should be getting a big shipment coming in soon. But I don't know how big it will actually be, or if we'll actually be able to secure it." Vincent says taking a step back to lean against the wall slightly. "You know what curiosity did, don't you?"
Holding up both hands in a peaceful gesture, Robin grins weakly. "Yeah, killed the cat. I'm hoping to avoid that part though."
Dropping the grin, he rubs a hand over his chin, considering how much information to offer to Shard. While he's pretty sure they have the same goals, one can never be a hundred percent sure.
"Well… if you're interested, I have some friends that could help you out with that. The shipment, not the killing the cat part." He stops with the jokes. "Helping secure it, making sure it's what you need… offering more supplies if you need them." He hopes that's enticing enough to get Shard's interest and ease his suspicion.
"What kind of friends you have?" Shard asks, half turning to face the other man more squarely. Shoving off from the wall, he goes to tuck his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "If you want to help us get the shipment, that would be just fine with me." King murmurs, bringing his hands out of his coat to gesticulate.
"Might be dangerous though. People are going to want what we get. Supplies. Medical, food. Enough to stock the hospital. People will try to take it."
Robin shrugs one shoulder casually. "I've got the kind of friends who like to help out. We don't like to see people in need, no matter who they are." Or what they can do goes unspoken.
Stretching out his leg to test the knee, Robin continues. "People may try to take it, but my kind of friends know how to deal with that sort of thing and the danger that comes with it. I'm not saying we're perfect, but we do pretty good."
"You with Phoenix?" Shard asks, tilting his head at the other man. "Sounds like something they would say. Though no Phoenix guys have dropped by here, yet." He gives a shrug. "I welcome any and all help we can get, Robin. Do your friends look for something in return? I don't have much to give, but I'll help in whatever way I can."
"Not Phoenix, we're a little low key compared to them." Robin decides to just lay it out there. "Ferrymen."
After letting that sink in, he adds, "And we don't look for much in return. Being able to bring injured here would be a plus… we've got a small medical unit but it's nothing like this." At least the ones Robin knows of aren't as well equipped as this one.
"I think we can both help other out, with a lot of different things." He tilts his head and offers his hand, "What do you say, Shard? Friends? With benefits?" So he can't stop joking for too long, it's too much of a habit by now.
"Ferrymen." Shard repeats dully. He gives a nod. "Heard of you guys. Good things." He assures Robin. "Yeah. Our doors are open. My doors are open. If you all need help. You can come to me." The ex-rapper says before grinning a little.
"As long as the benefits are consensual, Rob." His hand flings out to take Robin's. "Friends."