Somewhere on the Mainland; Sunday Early Evening

[totalwildcard]

You asked Harley, it was a pretty good Sunday, so far.

She'd started out her day with no plan, and yet by happy accident (and it was definitely an accident, and not someone somewhere making room in a shared schedule to facilitate things, or anything deliberate on the part of anyone directly involved!) she'd run into Marc, and that had sparked a simple and easy plan after all: to drive him to the mainland for dinner, at a restaurant she'd overheard someone talking about on one of her off-island jaunts earlier in the week. It was supposed to be a family-run, no-nonsense little Italian place, and exactly the sort of thing Harley was in the mood for, especially right now with the company she had.

So life was indeed pretty good!

And Harley's mood wasn't soured even by finding out there was actually no parking available right by the restaurant. After some searching, she'd managed to find a spot some blocks away - which was to say, she'd sniped it from right under someone's nose with a truly reckless move. Which had led to some blaring horns from other cars. Which was all good in Harley's book! She had more important things to be thinking about, anyway!

"And the tiramisu's supposed to be amazing," she was saying, as they got out of the car. "Like, 'someone's 97-year-old tiny little Italian grandma made it' kind of amazing. D'you think they'd let me order that for an app and not just dessert?"

(NFB for distance, for the one modded with permission + some NPCs)

Comments

[hasaknightjob]

Marc saw the guy lunging and put on extra speed. If the gun was closer to Marc he was going to grab for that first. If the guy was closer he was going to aim a hard kick right into that busted shoulder.

[totalwildcard]

The guy was closer.

So by the noise he made when Marc's kick connected, now his shoulder was extra busted. The other guy, meanwhile, tried to take a swipe at Marc but he was still seeing double from the hit he'd taken to the head.

And Harley? Harley grabbed the top of the car door and vaulted over it in a highly unnecessary show of that old gymnastics prowess - although one that still resulted in her kicking the guy in the face, sending him crashing into the shelves with a fruitless, blind slash of the knife.

"That'll show ya to pick on kids!"

[hasaknightjob]

Marc evaded the guy's attempt to get him pretty easily. He was even able to multi-task it with reaching for the gun on the floor.

Now Marc wasn't limited to guns for a lethal solution to problems, but guns were more inclined to be lethal. So Marc kept a very firm I'm not going to kill anyone thought in his head so Steven didn't feel a need to wake up and start doing anything stupid like take over the body when he wasn't needed.

(And Marc wasn't angry, or upset, or in over his head with danger, so Marc was very much present and in control and nothing need more to be said.)

Once he had the gun Marc was going to shoot the leg of the guy who took a swipe at him, then look around to see if the gunfire got everyone's attention. "Anybody else wanna try something hilarious?"

Again, very matter of fact.

[totalwildcard]

That guy wasn't trying anything anymore except falling onto the floor in a ton of pain, next to his friend who was continuing to clutch his shoulder. The mechanic was likewise still immobilized with his wrecked knee, while Harley's first goon had gotten as far as dragging himself half to his knees, coughing in a way that sounded... not great, for him.

Knife guy was on his feet, if with his back pressed into the shelves, but he clearly knew he was way too exposed in relation to Marc and the gun, and held up his hands. Sure, he was still clutching the switchblade, but it counted, right?

"Anyone? " Harley cajoled with a big grin that didn't touch her eyes. "Anyone at all?"

[hasaknightjob]

Marc did a look around to make sure nobody had any weapons nearby they could try to grab and do something stupid with. Assuming that was the case, the gun was getting pointed at the guy in front of Harley.

"Generous of him to give you that knife."

This was accompanied by a look that politely suggested it'd be a bad idea to wonder about how good Marc's aim was.

[totalwildcard]

The guy glared, but...

Yeah, he wasn't taking any chances. He folded the knife back up before dropping it into Harley's extended, waiting hand. "Thaaank you!" she said, with the kind of peppy rising intonation that she knew a lot of people found to be a lot irritating.

No one seemed to be making any further stupid moves, as confirmed by the look Marc had taken around and the one Harley was taking now - "You, over there, ya good? Had enough?" - only there was something about the particular tension in former knife guy's posture, almost like he was waiting for something...

[hasaknightjob]

"This would be a bad day for us both to find out what I'm capable of," Marc told the guy matter of factly. Though Marc was also keeping an ear and peripheral eye out in case what the thing the guy was waiting for was backup.

[totalwildcard]

There was a door, just past the shelves and the guy.

It burst open, revealing a sixth guy. He looked meaner and bigger than the rest - so maybe the leader? Arrogant as all hell, definitely, since he clearly thought he was getting the drop on them, waiting to barge in like this.

He had his arm extended with the gun pointed towards Marc - but he didn't actually see Harley. And that meant he was wholly unprepared for the way she grabbed his aforementioned arm to wrench it to the side and back (whoops, that was a misfire into the wall, oh well), while also kicking him in the back of the knee, which sent him toppling forward and careening uncontrollably towards Marc.

Had Harley been better versed in sports terms, this would've been called a pass!

[hasaknightjob]

Marc tensed when he saw the gun - not out of fear, just ready to summon the suit if he needed. When Harley sent the guy flying his way, Marc side stepped and moved to knock him down to the ground. If he managed that, Marc was going to put his foot heavily on the guy's throat - to the point where the ability to breathe might at best be called intermittent - while pointing the gun at the guy's head.

[totalwildcard]

And while that was happening, former knife guy tried and failed to do something, and was now on the floor, holding his junk, while Harley clasped her hands together with delight and grinned at Marc.

(This one went up to her eyes.)

And then she kicked the guy's gun out of his reach, for good measure.

"Okay, now for everyone who can't currently see over here 'cause of an obstruction or 'cause you're too busy bleeding into your insides," she called, to the room at large, "we got your leader --"

Oh, actually? She leaned, casually, over the guy under Marc's foot. "You are the leader, right? I'm taking that grunt as a yes."

She straightened back up. "We got your leader right here with his face against the floor and his head all ready to go sploosh if the need arises, so no one make any more stupid moves and cause that need, okay? You don't need to care about your boss, ya won't like what happens after, either!"

[hasaknightjob]

Marc was still pretty much in business mode. But he did give Harley a nod when she grinned at him.

(He'd also been noting her technique as they went, but that could be focused on later when Marc didn't need to keep attention on people who might try to kill Harley if they weren't careful. Even goons could get lucky.)

Marc had figured going into this that Harley would be the one establishing ground rules going forward. So while she talked he kept to simply adjusting the pressure of his foot so that the leader made appropriate choking noises to punctuate Harley's last statement about what could happen after.

Still not fatal though! Being very good about that. No need for Steven to worry.

[totalwildcard]

"No stupid moves incoming? Good!"

The choking noises may have helped.

"Regardless, you don't seem like the brightest bunch of crayons in the business, so I'm gonna keep it real simple for ya. That kid you saw earlier --" She looked up, raised her eyebrows, and adjusted her words. (And gave a little finger wave.) "-- and that you can see right now, snoopin' in the doorway? She's with me. And this?"

Cue another choking noise, Marc, please and thank you.

"This is what happens when you're stupid enough to try and fuck with one of mine." That was one of those things to unpack later, just a little. "So you better let the kid do her thing wherever she fucking well pleases, and never even breathe another word about her home, or next time, we won't be this nice."

[hasaknightjob]

Marc was happy to play accompaniment here, even if the piece in question was Guy Choking In D Minor.

Marc did have one suggestion that he would add to Harley's instructions, but he didn't want to come off as undercutting her. So he tried to subtly catch her eye and silently check if she minded an add on.

[totalwildcard]

Harley caught his look after a second or two, then smiled and made a sweeping gesture.

"Please, the floor is yours."

There was some kind of a pun in that, she was sure.

[hasaknightjob]

Marc raised his voice and looked around to address the room, the hand on the gun never wavering at it was aimed directly at the leader's head beneath him.

"The kid gets hurt by anybody," Marc said, still matter of fact, but now with a touch of steel behind it, "We're blaming you for it, and you're our first stop no matter who it is."

Marc then nodded at Harley again to indicate he was done.

[totalwildcard]

Harley's lips made a little 'O' with the 'ooh!' that she didn't actually say out loud. Excellent thing to add, no notes! "Exactly!" she declared to the room. "Everybody got that?"

Nothing.

"I said, everybody got that?"

Various groans around the room - including from under Marc's foot.

"Good!" Harley called, again with a bright and peppy tone. "And now, since we've wised you all up so well, you're also gonna let us leave peacefully, because ya don't wanna make us do anything you'd regret!"

And she bent down to snatch the gun she'd kicked away from the leader.

"Also we're confiscating your weapons 'cause you can't be trusted with them. Obviously."

[hasaknightjob]

Well it wasn't Marc's first time at an intimidation rodeo, so to speak. And nobody worry about how he'd easily added the we in there without question. No need to examine that too closely at all.

Marc finally let go of the leader and stepped back. The gun he kept handy though, in an easy hold which suggested he could aim and fire pretty fast if he needed to. "We done here?"

He asked it in general. Mainly to Harley, but since it was contingent on the goons behaving it was addressed to the room.

[totalwildcard]

"Well, are we?" Harley asked the room. This time, they needed no further prompting to give their general groaned answer. "Excellent, pleasure doin' business with ya, boys!"

And she turned to traipse back to the door, seemingly without a care in the world, but she was absolutely keeping up her awareness of where everyone was in the room, and was also holding her confiscated gun in a way that suggested she wouldn't need much time to use it.

She just also had awareness to swipe a few things off the stolen goods shelf as she passed.

[hasaknightjob]

Marc followed behind, likewise staying aware. Didn't swipe anything on the way out though. Instead once they were back outside he checked for Cass.

[gothamists]

Cass was hovering right in the doorway - which was convenient for Harley, who could then almost immediately hand over the things she'd swiped to her with a "Here ya go, kid!"

(There was jewelry and other assorted street thieving loot, and Cass had the best eye for what was worth the most.)

Then Harley turned to call "Don't forget your lesson!" into the warehouse before slamming the door shut.

[hasaknightjob]

"You okay?" Marc asked Cass. Yeah, no physical damage had come to her but there was no telling how much of that she saw or heard.

[gothamists]

Would it help Marc to know that hadn't been her first time seeing Harley beating up big scary guys? "Uh, yeah," Cass said, looking up at him. "Those guys will like totally shit their pants if they even think about hassling me again!"

Okay, so maybe there was a little bit of a front of bravado being thrown over things right now. Some vague off note about her tone, and a shifty look or two back towards the door.

Maybe that was why Harley's hand was at her back now, ushering her towards the car.

[hasaknightjob]

Not really? But that wasn't anything Marc wanted to get into in any amount of detail. He noted the bravado for what it was and then turned his attention to Harley. "You good?"

[totalwildcard]

"I got a new gun!" Harley replied, with genuine excitement - and oh, right, maybe she shouldn't give any more demonstrative waves with it, even with the street as deserted as it was. "And a switchblade, I love a good switchblade!"

She was also feeling an extremely strong urge to kiss Marc right now, for some reason, and was severely deserving of a medal or something for not going for it in front of Cass.

[hasaknightjob]

"Could have two if you want 'em," Marc said, indicating the gun he was carrying. "I don't need an extra."