13623/A Bone to Pick!

A Bone to Pick!
Date of Scene:	23 December 2022
Location:	Blake House
Synopsis:	Artemis and Thomas are attacked by familiar sport themed villains!
Cast of Characters:	Artemis Crock, Thomas Blake

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Artemis Crock has posed:
It's been a few days now since Artemis showed up on Thomas' doorstep, searching for her missing mom. A few days since her sister vanished and members of the Assassins Guild put her on their hit list. Things have been a bit rocky to say the least, with Art growing increasingly restless, not liking to lay low, and then there was a hungry tiger to mind, Thomas' many visitors, oh and those weird t-shirts with holes in the shoulder blades that she keeps coming across. "Dammit, what is with this place? One more day being cooped up here and I'm gonna go nuts!"

Wanting to stretch her legs, she stepped into the back yard, with her bow and arrows aimed at a tree, getting in some target practice.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake looks up from his copy of the Gotham Gazette. He calls out, "You're going to miss being bored before this is all done!" He scratches the tiger's head, laying in his lap, then scratches the rest of the tiger. "Let me go see what she's going it get into now. crazy girl. She could get in trouble in the Hall of Justice. Hunh." As he gets up he shrugs into the leather harness holding his small arsenal. 'Damn assassins. Treating me like I'm a mere ctizen... or a sidekick. Hey Artie... what are you up to?"

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock seems to be ignoring Thomas - She's really good at that, always. doing her own thing, constantly plotting her next move. It's a wonder she even stuck around as long as she did. Heck, for all he knows, she could be planning on taking off thru the back door and is just staging a practice session. Who really knows?

At any rate, her target practice suddenly interrupted by the sound of a small explosion that shakes the street, exploding a Boulder near the edge of the backyard..Wait what, who brought uninvited guests..?

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake drops into a crouch without realizing it, He fades into the shadows of the early evening with ease. An explosion does not sound like the Assassins. This might be a decoy. He slides over to the porch, grabbing the edge of the overhang to swing onto the roof and get an idea what is happening, ready to jump down to cover. He draws a catarang. he really wishes Artemis would go chill. with that Robin for a while. Let Batman keep her safe. He needs a vacation.

Artemis Crock has posed:
The first shot must have been a warning shot. The next one is flung at Artemis, and looks at first to be some sort of hockey puck, except that it spreads out into some sort of net, spreading out to wrap and entangle her, which keeps her busy for a moment or two. "Hey!" she falls to the ground, caught up in the sticky tangling netting.

As Catman jumps into the Frey, a shadowy figure aims another puck his way, this one exploding in a flash of blinding light.

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake saves himself from complete blindness throwing an arm up to shield his face. Despite the spots swim ing in his vision, h throws his 'rang at that figure, as he jumps off the roof to try to close. His hand is reaching for a knife as he lands. "Aaaah, why don't you go puck yourself." Pucks? Oh crap...

Artemis Crock has posed:
From the darkness emerge two figures dressed like teenaged hockey players, each wielding rather lethal looking sticks that are definitely not your typical run of the mill sticks. When Catman shoots his catarang at one of the figures, he counters with another exploding flash bomb puck, yelling something intelligible to Catman.

The second figure rushes towards Artemis, still struggling in the netting, cursing and thrashing wildly, using one edge of her bow to slowly tear open the net. But can she get free before the crazy hockey fanatic reaches her first?

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake takes a cue from the first puck thrown at him and shields his eyes better. His knife flashes out and is parried by the stick. The two fall to grappling. This leaves Artemis unguarded.

Not quite.

"Hruuuuhr!" Rasputin gives a short coughing roar and locks eyes with the hockey player moving towards Artemis as he quietly steps between the two humans and tenses to leap.

"I'm never going to get this place cleaned up."

Artemis Crock has posed:
Player#2 is now faced with an angry tiger and pulls out another exploding puck, aiming and taking shot at the tiger. While Artemis continues to struggle with sticky netting, Player#1 snarls at Catman, rolling with him, dying to head bash him with his helmet, trying to break free so he can hit him with his hockey stick!

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake rolls onto his back, jamming his feet into the minion's stomach to throw him aside. Wrestling isn't really his thing. He likes to keep moving. He rolls onto his belly and scrambles to his feet, slashing at the thug's eye holes.

te explosive puck startles Rasputin, who recoils for the moment. Then the tiger leaps!

Artemis Crock has posed:
Player#2 really is no match for an angry tiger and he yelps, stumbling back as the tiger leaps at him, barely wriggling away, using the hickey stick to block the hungry tiger's jaws and claws from tearing him apart. Uttering a curse or two, he climbs to his feet and flees the scene, tossing a smoke bomb puck behind him..

Player#1 is momentarily stunned by Thomas' attack, stumbling back and grumbling, running his head. As his ally flees, he decides better and follows after his ally, leaving an angrily entangled Artemis behind..

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake yells after them, "Yeah you better run you twinks. Come back here and I'll make mittens out of you! Whatever they're paying you -it isn't enough!" He goes over to Artemis and starts cutting her out of the net. The tiger drifts back to stand guard over the humans. "I think you should be really nice to this tiger. Just saying."

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock frowns, struggling to her feet, already half free of her own effort. "It's fine, I got this.." she mutters a curse word under her breath, glancing towards the fleeing figures, "Cowards! This is just the sort of thing that my dad would do. Stupid jerk..Couldn't even come of his own accord.." she sighs, looking..Frustrated, tired, impatient, anxious..Many things..

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake looks around. "Oh he's here, he was watching for sure. Those guys had body cams or there's a drone. You watching, Crusher? See your kid? I'm more a dad to her than you ever were. Why don't you lose the cheap gadgets and step out and we can settle this now. Call me out you backstabbing bastard! I'll make you sorry you ever went villain! Oh he's here. He's just figuring out how to beat me without working up a sweat."

"Get in the house. We'll wait for him to come calling. Or I'll shade him at the Black Market till he can't show his face."

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock sighs, hanging her head, fists clenched in frustration. "He wasn't. trying to hurt me, he was trying to catch me..'protect' me, in his own, messed up way..This is just the beginning. He'll be back, probably thinks you were involved in his wife's disappearance.lDammit..What do we do now? I don't have time for this bullshit too.."