16589/Just because Lynch asked nicely!

Just because Lynch asked nicely!
Date of Scene:	16 December 2023
Location:	Roxy's apartment in NYC
Synopsis:	Cole checks Roxy's living status at the request of Lynch and the Team 7
Cast of Characters:	Roxanne Spaulding, Cole Cash

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Roxanne Spaulding has posed:
Having rented out a small apartment on the Upper West Side is a certain Miss Roxanne Spaulding. It's on the third floor of a brownstone, and alas, there are no elevators, only stairs.

With Roxie just finishing her shift at a local bar, she sighs as the sounds of her DOc Martens heavily stomp their way up the stairs. She grumps and shakes her head, before she glances around, making sure there's no one around.

That's when she floats until she reaches the third floor and gently steps on the last stepbefore making her way to the apartment. The door jiggles a bit as she unlocks it, and she wanders inside, reaching on over to the side to turn on the lights...

What does she see inside? Who knows?

Cole Cash has posed:
Cole expected some kind of security system. He checked thrice! Found little and decided he will most definitely shot Lynch later. Fist because of his request (go to New York, check this woman), second because emotional blackmail (she is Alex' daughter, you owe him!) and third because Lynch was supposed to teach 'the kids' to survive, and Roxy apartment was... just like most old New York apartments. Too easy to break in.

At least he didn't hear her coming until she was opening the door. Sneaky is good. If he had seen her use her powers, he would have a fourth reason to shot Lynch.

What Roxy sees is that there is a guy sitting on her best chair, foots on the table, smoking while texting someone using a cheap smartphone. "Hey girl. Close the door, Lynch sent me." He looks up at her and grunts, "we met again. This time without Ivana trying to kill us."

Roxanne Spaulding has posed:
Unlike her sister, she wasn't exactly stable, at least from any sort of financial or social aspect. She wasn't part of a team, and ever since her breakup withGrunge, she has been a bit more of a transient. Hence, the lack of security.

The sudden voice causes her to yelp just a bit, her eyes widening as she cries out, "Jesus Christ on a cracker!"

After a few long moments, there's a bit of recognition as she looks over the blonde and she visibly relaxes as she hears that name. "Haven't heard that name is a while." she says, closing the door behind her. "And Ivana can suck it." she grumps.

Cole Cash has posed:
"I really hope she can't," notes Cole, standing up, "after we shot her a lot last time. But chances she is dead are not great." He hmms, giving her a quizzical look. Roxy looks nothing like her sister, right; but Alex Fairchild got around.

"Name is Cole Cash," he can't remember if he introduced himself last time. There was a lot of stuff going on, and probably a concussion in his head, due to exploding things. "I served with your dad, and Lynch was also around bossing us," he explains. "So, you need better security, and this apartment probably cost two thirds of your pay check. How can you afford to live in her?"

Roxanne Spaulding has posed:
Roxie and Caitlin couldn't be anything alike physically or even mentally. One's a redhead, and she's got jet black hair. One's a blonde bombshell, and she's more like a character from Mall Rats. Gen13 was oh so very 90s. Either way, it's like night and day between the half-sisters. Yes, her father was a manho, just like his daughter.

There's a slow nod as she takes it all in. Still, there's a bit of healthy skepticism on her features, as anyone can say those things.

"The security is not having any. Makes me not stand out." Or something like that. Silly ROxie.

"And as for how I afford this place? Savings." she says quite cheekily. "Before I heard Caitlin was in the area, I was off in Vegas with Grunge, you know the short guy with the muscle tattoo. We kind of hit Vegas and well, we got lucky. Who knew you could hit double zeros in roulette at different casinos?"

Cole Cash has posed:
"Oh, very good," he replies in approval. Cole knows all about ways of hitting double zeros in roulettes. Which is why he is not welcomed in any casino this side of Madripoor.

"But very bad on the security thing. If I had been an I.O. goon, you would be dead, or on the way to a re-education camp/gulag in Louisiana. I don't think they have cancelled the Gen-13 project yet," he notes. Another point against Lynch, by the way. He needs to be more 'convincing'.

Roxanne Spaulding has posed:
News that they haven't cancelled Project Genesis yet is most definitely a surprise. She squints and then looks absolutely terrified at that fact as she remembers the various experiments they did to activate her powers. "They also wanted to study my gravity powers more." Roxie says softly under her breath and then bites on her lower lip.

"THen what do I do? I mean, I guess I can look at moving into one of the more swanky places on the west side, but then it'll look really suspicious."

Cole Cash has posed:
I.O. never quits. Well, actually, the alphabet agencies rarely ever quit, even when the president directly tells them to stop. They are too used to do whatever they want to whoever they want. "Lynch is supposed to keep you safe, he took the responsibility and..." and the others, even Slade, put some resources for it. "And if he sent me, he probably had a damn good reason. Or else I will kick his ass."

He hrms, pacing. "Do you have fake ID cards that would pass through cursory checkups? Don't move to a place where you need to sign up a lot of documents. Rent some cheap hideout to have a backup place to go if you suspect something. Mutant Town, in New York. Or anywhere in Gotham that is not fancy."

Roxanne Spaulding has posed:
Pursing her lips, she scratches the back of her head. Is she really attached to the big city? Somewhat, but she's also really attached to living. Priorities.

"Would they still be after me? Dont they have the skank and her brother? Or the others like the guy who looks like Trent Reznor and that really big tittied blonde?"

Cole Cash has posed:
See, this is why Cole is not good with kids. Why give them hope? "They will... yeah, once they think you are an 'asset' and 'belongs' to them. They never quit. Or almost never. I guess join the Avengers or the Justice League and maybe they will think messing with Thor and Batman is too dangerous. But seriously? Young super-humans have it as bad in the US as in Russia. They vanish at a ridiculous rate. Why didn't Lynch explain this to you?"

Roxanne Spaulding has posed:
Pfft, Roxanne is hardly a 'child'. She's an adult now, don't you know?

"I kinda tuned him out when he gets all lecture-y." she admits ruefully, as she scratches the back of her head and glances to the side. She was a rebellious young teen when she met them! She was 15? 16? She was definitely achild back then, but not now. "And the digs he set us up with in the beginning were cray, with the robot maid, and then.."

And that's when there's a skittering sound in the apartment. It isn't long before the feline-meets-Furby-esque creature rushes towardsand jumps on her shoulder, before it gives Cole a puzzled look, "Quee?" it squeaks.

"Oh yeah, and we got chased by interdimensional bounty hunters, and that's why I got this little guy."

Cole Cash has posed:
"Really? That was probably unrelated," Cole dismisses that kind of weirdness like a pro. A guy that has been through weird and weirder for nearly thirty years gets jaded, you see.

"Well, I would lie if I said I know what Lynch is up to right now. But I am pretty sure he has cash for another penthouse and a robomaid or three. If he is keeping you away... possibly he has some big guns after his head," he has to admit. "Or maybe he is murdering his way through I.O.'s new directorship. In any case, he gave you the tools to survive, right?" He looks kind of hopeful, tossing the finished cigarette through the closest open window.

Roxanne Spaulding has posed:
"Define... tools." she says with a bit of a nosewrinkle before she reaches up to give Queelocke a scritch on his headfur. "I mean, I started community college, if that's anything." she says, seeming to puff out her chest a bit, proud of that fact. A girl who had to get her GED as regular high school was just too boring for her pursuing higher ed? Crazy.

"I ran out of the money he initially gave. Grunge and I kinda blew it on going to Vegas to find my mom, buuuuuuuut!" And she smiles quite cheekily. "That's how I got the savings. Blew our last twenty on roulette."

Cole Cash has posed:
Tools to survive. Like how to steal a fortune from a casino without getting blown up by enraged gangsters and... "Tools, like... falsifying documentation, basic hacking, spotting a tail, setting up security measures... that last one is a fail, by the way."

Cole is starting to see why Lynch asked to check out specifically with Roxy and not with Caitlin, or Bobby or even Chang. "Are you in touch with the rest of your gang?"

Roxanne Spaulding has posed:
"..." Yes. Roxanne, for once, is completely speechless as she hears the tools that she was expected to know or have, so much so that she just stares at Cole like this -_-

"You're kidding, right?" she asks, leaving time for a pregnant pause. But when it's clear that he isn't kidding, she shakes her head. "I'm not Caitlyn." she says, sounding somewhat annoyed. The last time she spoke to her 'big sister' things didn't turn out so well. "She went the whole I'm going to found a superhero team instead of sticking with us, helping us." she says, sounding a bit resentful on that.

"And I haven't spoken to Sarah or Bobby. And well, for Eddie." she hehs, "We kinda broke up." Again.

Cole Cash has posed:
"Yeah, Caitlin is mostly safe with that group," admits Cole, "but if any of the others gets into trouble, they should at least ping to you so you can go underground. That would force I.O. or whoever is after Gen-13 try to hit you all at once, which makes it much harder to snatch everyone."

Roxanne Spaulding has posed:
There's a slow nod as she makes her way to the kitchen, where she goes to the fridge to grab a LaCroix. "You want one?" she offers as she turns back towards him. "I.O is the least of my worries. Have you heard of the CHROME?" she wonders.

Cole Cash has posed:
"No thanks," Cole already checked Roxy's fridge, and if she is missing a beer can, she can suspect who did it. "No idea about... Chrome? Wait, isn't that a music band?"

Here is Cole showing his age.

"Well, I'll try to find Lynch and ask him exactly why he though me coming here to scare you was a good idea," he decides. Maybe shooting him, too.

Roxanne Spaulding has posed:
Taking a swig of her Lacroix, she pffts and shakes her head. "Not any band that I listen to." she says, before wandering on over to flop onto the couch next to him.

"It's something I was looking into as we stumbled onto some files concerning it when I found my mom." she explains before sighing. "But if you don't know anything about it, I guess I'll have to keep searching, yeah?"

Cole Cash has posed:
Cole nods. "You do that. And watch your back, and make sure your buddies are alright. I will check with you next week." He tosses a card on her table. "I have a gun shop in Gotham, possibly because I have a deathwish or something. If you really need help, I might be there."

Roxanne Spaulding has posed:
It's good to know where he is.Still, she offers a smile, "Let's hope that I won't need your help on anything." Because that would mean there's trouble, big trouble in that case.

"But if you could ask around about CHROME? That would help a LOT." she says softly.

Cole Cash has posed:
Cole nods again, heading for the door. "I'll see what I can find out." He assumes it is some kind of crime group, because it usually is, not alien hunters. So, chances are he is not going to ask the right people. But he will try! "Be seeing you," he adds as farewell.