TRASH RAT

(✉ → unknown): I seem to have given you the wrong impression, which was that this was up for debate. I am not interested in a stranger’s company.

“What–?” She was still struggling to process the scene in front of her. Cassie flicked the lights on. “You can’t just break into people’s houses! I don’t care whose house you thought you were breaking into!”

Cassie debated how much trouble she would get in with her mom if she just grew really big and threw the intruder through the window, but even as she clenched her fist she could imagine the disaster that would cause… besides property damage, she needed to keep her identity secret for a reason.

.

Red raised an eyebrow the girl couldn’t see, snorting beneath his mask. “Well, that’s debatable.” Reaching for his bow staff –– you can never be too careful –– he let it extend, twirling it between gloved fingers.

Trying to keep business going between holidays was always a challenge, but Dinah was never one to back down from difficulty. So, handing out flowers to strangers was today’s approach to the slower season. Unfortunately that meant sometimes interacting with men who thought a flower was a sign that they should open their mouths and carry on a conversation… case in point.

Dinah sighed and handed him a red flower instead of the yellow one he’d indicated, forcing a smile. “Yeah, they sure do. Kinda the whole point…”

Clicking his tongue between his teeth, Jack crossed his arms over a broad chest, grin sharpening like edges of a broken vase. “Yeah? You this kind to all of your potential customers, or am I special, doll?”

[ ✉ ⟹ Unknown ] : Who the sprock [ DELETED ]

[ ✉ ⟹ Unknown ] : Whoever this source is, give me their name so I can dispose of them at once. I never sent out any recruiters. [ ✉ ⟹ Unknown ] : Big Papa? Zoom, what are these 21st Century idiots [ DELETED ] [ ✉ ⟹ Unknown ] : You may call me Inertia, for the time being.  [ ✉ ⟹ Unknown ] : If you believe you have what it takes to join my ranks, come to the next bout and test your skills. Only after I’ve seen what you can provide will I offer a contract.

(✉ → unknown): I’m afraid I am not interested in having a third wheel on broadway. nor is kara my girlfriend. simply a friend with an appreciation for musicals.

It was a guilty pleasure, walking down the streets of New York, searching out new vendors, new businesses to potentially steal from peruse and purchase from. Jack rarely had the extra time, so when he actually blocked out a whole day of schedule just to do it, he made sure to do it right. Grinning from ear to ear, the thief polished off his last few bites of ice cream cone, some guy named Georgi selling them for a pretty cheap price on a hot, summer day.

A new line of businesses came into view, and a stunning blonde bombshell seemed to be giving out flowers - a sample of more to come from inside of the store.

Squaring off his shoulders, Jack licked a stripe of sticky raspberry ice cream from his wrist, putting on his most charming smirk he owned. “Hey -” Jack tipped his chin in greeting, “Nice petals. Those yellow ones look pretty nice.” The man didn’t know a whole hell of a lot about flowers, but he thought if anything, he could make passable conversation to a pretty girl.

(✉ → unknown): kara, you know you don’t have to pay me for the tickets. (✉ → unknown): oh. my apologies. I’m afraid this is not the number I intended to text.

Cassie had convinced her mom and step-dad to go out to dinner and a movie tonight after weeks of stifling and awkward dinners with the three of them after she’d shown up one day – alive again. The lights were all off and she’d been watching Netflix in her room upstairs when she thought she heard something from the living room.

Rolling her eyes, she got out of bed and paused her episode of Haunting of Hill House. Either her mom was home an hour early because she’d had a freak out or the show was getting to her and it was time to turn on some cartoons. Flicking on the lights, Cassie jumped. “What the – Who are you? What are you–” A mask and gloves. Cassie felt a flicker of anger. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t call the cops.” Another hour and her step-dad who was a cop would be showing up anyways. “Cause you picked the wrong house to mess with punk.” Did people still say punk in the year of our lord 2020?

> JACK pressed his tongue to his cheek, barely visible outside of his mask. How old was this kid anyway? As the thought of potentially hurting a child flickered through his mind, the nano-tech within his suit tempting him to spray out a red “x” to glue the young woman to the wall and to flee from the scene, money be damned. “Well, if it makes any difference,” the thief started, voice-changer surging his voice to be more robotic, “– you weren’t supposed to be my target.”

> Posture changing, Jack opened up his body language to be more inviting, fingers pressing into the scrambler on the side of his mask. “See? No worries. I’ll get my shit and leave, kid.”

— lanai entered the house through the back door. Normally would have gone though the bedroom but lick was on her side as she managed to lock pick the back door. As she walked in, she stopped and picked up on some noises. Closing the door quietly and entering the next room she saw movement and turned on the light.

“You have got to be shitting me.” Did the client really not think she can handle the job or something, she thought. Though she had to think of something fast. “If I were you, I’ll turn my mask face body around and leave.”

> REALLY?, Jack thought, brows furrowed and arms crossing over his chest. He could feel the nano tech in his suit thrumming with artificial life, begging the bo-staff on his belt to coil out of it’s holster at the threat. “If you were me, you would have gotten here first, doll.” 

> Leaning back against the wall, Jack snorted, looking at her attire. “I’m going to go ahead and assume this isn’t your house either.”

(✉ → unknown): if you’re free tonight, I may be able to get us tickets to Wicked.

“Normally, I’d agree – but running into you again, Sunshine, sounds pretty damn dreamy to me. Almost didn’t recognize you without the extensively goth cloak.” Red X curled his fingers around the lamp-post beside the young woman, keeping step with her. “If it weren’t for the signature recognition system in this fancy ass suit, I might have skipped right past ‘ya.”

While Raven clearly didn’t look the same outside of her Titans uniform and after a few years had passed them by, Red X would recognize the deadpan look in her eye anywhere. “Skipped town for a few years, but I’m back in action, babydoll. What brings you to this neck of the woods?” He mock whispered, gloved hand pointing to the less-than-stellar apartments around them.