***
"I asked you a question," the Bone Daddy said, backing the homeless man up against the alley wall. "Are you a Lost?"
"And I told you I wasn't one!" the man protested, his eyes locked on the knife in the Skulls hand.
Next to the BD, a gravedigger snickered. "You look like one, ya smell like one... I reckon you are one of those mutant freaks." The Bone Daddy
pressed the tip of the knife against the mans neck, chuckling with sadistic glee.
"Never worn a mutants skull before," he commented. "Should look real good on my wall-" he added, before a black and blue shape dropped from
the roof, landing on him and drawing a pained scream. The Gravedigger stumbled back, surprised, as the shape turned out to be Knight of the Peace, her usual
sleek and sexy lookovershadowed by the fact she was crouching on the screaming Bone Daddy like a wild animal and ripping her bloody claws out of his back. She
leaned down and growled at him, then turned towards the Gravedigger. Her eyes reflected light from the street lights unnervingly well, then bared her fangs and
snarled. That broke the Gravediggers nerves, and he turned and ran, Robin leaping after him.
Their victim blinked, watching them go, before looking up at the rooftop when someone whistled. "Yo, you okay?" Leon asked as he leaned over the
edge.
He nodded, still looking shaken. "I... I'll be fine. But that... will that guy..."
The detective laughed. "What, her? Don't worry, Robin's just playing. She'll chase him, make him think he can escape, then drag him back here
to show off her catch. She's a cat, it's what they do." He climbed down a fire escape as the man recovered his backpack and everything the Skulls
had pulled out of it. "You got somewhere to spend the night?" he asked quietly. The man nodded, thanked him again, then ran out of the alley. Leon
watched him go, then sighed and poked the Bone Daddy on the ground with his rifle. "Yo, mind answering a few questions?"
"I'm bleeding to death here."
"I thought you guys wanted that?" Leon wondered.
"Hurts more then I thought," the Bone Daddy admitted.
Looking him over, Leon shook his head. "She barely touched you, she's just good at where she stabs. Now, Kerosene Kenneth, anyone in you lot have a
grudge against him?"
"Thought he cooked himself last week?"
"Might not have been him being an idiot," Leon replied.
The Bone Daddy groaned and rolled onto his back, looking up at Leon. "I'm not telling you anything," he spat.
"I'll tell the catgirl to stop playing," Leon responded, right as the Gravedigger returned to the alley by way of uncontrolled flight, landing in
an open dumpster.
"Can I keep playing?" Robin asked as she walked up, dismantling the pistol she'd taken off the Skull. "I kinda made the mistake of taking
out his tendons. All the fight goes out of them when you do that," she pouted. Leon noted that the BoneDaddies face went very pale with that comment. A
faint smirk appeared on her face. The Skulls may believe in embracing Death and dreaming of the day it would take them, but no one told them how much it would
hurt beforehand...
"Okay, there's a guy in Perez, used to have run-ins all the time with him. Calls himself Broken Femur. He's a serious old timer, been with the
Skulls for years." Robin knelt down next to him, giving the thug a good look at her still bloody claws. "He, he had it in for Kenny ever since the
Torcher got his sister knocked up and ran out on him. Hell, I hear that's why Kenny joined the Skulls, for protection!"
Keeping the smile off his face wasn't easy, but Leon managed to do it as he placed a foot on the Skulls chest. "Where's Femur these days?"
***
"Did you really slash his tendons?" Leon asked. Robin paused and gave him a mildly disgusted look. "Sorry, couldn't help but wonder,"
he said, looking embarrassed.
"Leon, I may take advantage of certain stereotypes that I may tend to indulge in, but that's just cruel. Seriously."
"I know, I know..."
Ears going flat against her head, Robin made a "Hmph!" noise. "Let's just find this Broken Femur creep already," she said, moving on
ahead.
Shoulders slumping, Leon followed. He watched her tail, lashing about, and her ears, still flat, for a while before he decided it was safe to risk changing the
subject. "You know, that may not be any good in court," he noted. "Then again... a lot of hero work never seems to make it that far."
"We're part of the same system, from a different angle," Robin replied. "Sometimes we follow the police path, sometimes we need to skirt the
edge of the law." Her temper fading, she looked over her shoulder at him. "What brought this on?"
"Just a random thought," Leon admitted with a shrug.
***
"Your detective threatened my lawyer!"
"From what I've seen, he was merely reminding him of a well documented fact concerning the mortality rates of lawyers that don't do well defending
the Skulls in the courtroom."
"It was presented as a clear threat to Mister Barton!"
"So?"
"So?! We're suing for damages, plus his immediate dismissal!"
"Go ahead. He was acting as an agent of the FBSA at the time; I have their number if you need it."
"But he's a PPD detec--"
"Yes, he is, but if your lawyer had bothered to pay attention, you'd know that he was off-duty at the time and acting in his own capacity as a legally
sanctioned hero. His actions have nothing to do with the PPD."
"You haven't heard the last of this!"
"And a nice day to you too, Mr. Jenkins. Mary will see you out." The police chief shook his head as the door slammed shut, rattling the picture
frames on his office wall. "Arrogant, cape-stealing prick," he grumbled, unable to restrain a smile. That had been fun.
***
"I asked you a question," the Bone Daddy said, backing the homeless man up against the alley wall. "Are you a Lost?"
"And I told you I wasn't one!" the man protested, his eyes locked on the knife in the Skulls hand.
Next to the BD, a gravedigger snickered. "You look like one, ya smell like one... I reckon you are one of those mutant freaks." The Bone Daddy
pressed the tip of the knife against the mans neck, chuckling with sadistic glee.
"Never worn a mutants skull before," he commented. "Should look real good on my wall-" he added, before a black and blue shape dropped from
the roof, landing on him and drawing a pained scream. The Gravedigger stumbled back, surprised, as the shape turned out to be Knight of the Peace, her usual
sleek and sexy lookovershadowed by the fact she was crouching on the screaming Bone Daddy like a wild animal and ripping her bloody claws out of his back. She
leaned down and growled at him, then turned towards the Gravedigger. Her eyes reflected light from the street lights unnervingly well, then bared her fangs and
snarled. That broke the Gravediggers nerves, and he turned and ran, Robin leaping after him.
Their victim blinked, watching them go, before looking up at the rooftop when someone whistled. "Yo, you okay?" Leon asked as he leaned over the
edge.
He nodded, still looking shaken. "I... I'll be fine. But that... will that guy..."
The detective laughed. "What, her? Don't worry, Robin's just playing. She'll chase him, make him think he can escape, then drag him back here
to show off her catch. She's a cat, it's what they do." He climbed down a fire escape as the man recovered his backpack and everything the Skulls
had pulled out of it. "You got somewhere to spend the night?" he asked quietly. The man nodded, thanked him again, then ran out of the alley. Leon
watched him go, then sighed and poked the Bone Daddy on the ground with his rifle. "Yo, mind answering a few questions?"
"I'm bleeding to death here."
"I thought you guys wanted that?" Leon wondered.
"Hurts more then I thought," the Bone Daddy admitted.
Looking him over, Leon shook his head. "She barely touched you, she's just good at where she stabs. Now, Kerosene Kenneth, anyone in you lot have a
grudge against him?"
"Thought he cooked himself last week?"
"Might not have been him being an idiot," Leon replied.
The Bone Daddy groaned and rolled onto his back, looking up at Leon. "I'm not telling you anything," he spat.
"I'll tell the catgirl to stop playing," Leon responded, right as the Gravedigger returned to the alley by way of uncontrolled flight, landing in
an open dumpster.
"Can I keep playing?" Robin asked as she walked up, dismantling the pistol she'd taken off the Skull. "I kinda made the mistake of taking
out his tendons. All the fight goes out of them when you do that," she pouted. Leon noted that the BoneDaddies face went very pale with that comment. A
faint smirk appeared on her face. The Skulls may believe in embracing Death and dreaming of the day it would take them, but no one told them how much it would
hurt beforehand...
"Okay, there's a guy in Perez, used to have run-ins all the time with him. Calls himself Broken Femur. He's a serious old timer, been with the
Skulls for years." Robin knelt down next to him, giving the thug a good look at her still bloody claws. "He, he had it in for Kenny ever since the
Torcher got his sister knocked up and ran out on him. Hell, I hear that's why Kenny joined the Skulls, for protection!"
Keeping the smile off his face wasn't easy, but Leon managed to do it as he placed a foot on the Skulls chest. "Where's Femur these days?"
***
"Did you really slash his tendons?" Leon asked. Robin paused and gave him a mildly disgusted look. "Sorry, couldn't help but wonder,"
he said, looking embarrassed.
"Leon, I may take advantage of certain stereotypes that I may tend to indulge in, but that's just cruel. Seriously."
"I know, I know..."
Ears going flat against her head, Robin made a "Hmph!" noise. "Let's just find this Broken Femur creep already," she said, moving on
ahead.
Shoulders slumping, Leon followed. He watched her tail, lashing about, and her ears, still flat, for a while before he decided it was safe to risk changing the
subject. "You know, that may not be any good in court," he noted. "Then again... a lot of hero work never seems to make it that far."
"We're part of the same system, from a different angle," Robin replied. "Sometimes we follow the police path, sometimes we need to skirt the
edge of the law." Her temper fading, she looked over her shoulder at him. "What brought this on?"
"Just a random thought," Leon admitted with a shrug.
***
"Your detective threatened my lawyer!"
"From what I've seen, he was merely reminding him of a well documented fact concerning the mortality rates of lawyers that don't do well defending
the Skulls in the courtroom."
"It was presented as a clear threat to Mister Barton!"
"So?"
"So?! We're suing for damages, plus his immediate dismissal!"
"Go ahead. He was acting as an agent of the FBSA at the time; I have their number if you need it."
"But he's a PPD detec--"
"Yes, he is, but if your lawyer had bothered to pay attention, you'd know that he was off-duty at the time and acting in his own capacity as a legally
sanctioned hero. His actions have nothing to do with the PPD."
"You haven't heard the last of this!"
"And a nice day to you too, Mr. Jenkins. Mary will see you out." The police chief shook his head as the door slammed shut, rattling the picture
frames on his office wall. "Arrogant, cape-stealing prick," he grumbled, unable to restrain a smile. That had been fun.
***