7856/Hunters and Questions

Hunters and Questions
Date of Scene:	16 September 2021
Location:	Robbinsville - Bleake Island
Synopsis:	Huntress and the Question cross paths and bust heads.
Cast of Characters:	Vic Sage, Helena Bertinelli

---

Vic Sage has posed:
Vic Sage flicks his gloved fingers, itching for a cigarette. Nothing he can do while he's wearing the mask. His empty visage is tilted towards the dark waters of the harbor, the soft lap of waves against the docks almost mesmerizing. He lets his mind drift with it, working out problems, patterns worming their way into the nuggets of his subconscious through the karmic layers of his expansive tantric body, harnessing his chi towards the ever-shrinking pinprick of enlightenment that he tasted.

For now, though, he mostly just wants a cigarette.

His head turns towards one of the rooftops. Movement there. Someone stealthy, but imperfect. Weren't we all.

"Someone I know?" he calls out.

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Huntress is not THAT imperfect or maybe she wanted this Question to see her there in the dark. She hops down from a low roof and looks across at The Question, the street light flickering a little as she looks over at him, "You could say that," she states. Her voice can be heard in the deathly quiet, which is only broken by the grey waters churning and lapping against the coast.

Huntress walks over to the Question and crosses her arms, "Going for a stroll?" she wonders.

Vic Sage has posed:
Vic Sage turns more to face her directly, his gloved hands sliding into the pockets of his overcoat. Too warm for it, but he wore it all the same. Part of the costume, part of the image. Images are important.

"I think I did," he says. "Huntress. You've been keeping busy, I'm sure. Although I don't see any blood stains at the moment." he says dryly, but with a hint of amusement in his voice, hard as it can be to tell with him.

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Huntress smirks a bit at what he says to her and adjusts her gloves as he asks her about blood stains on her uniform, "It's early," she notes just as dryly. She's wearing her usual purple and black. "I should tell you about Coventry and The Narrows.

"Crime isn't unusual around there but there's been a lot of shit going on lately. Jackasses even tried getting guns from New York," she explains to him, "Reminded me of that smuggling job we handled that one time."

Vic Sage has posed:
Vic Sage nods, "Guns from New York. They always come from somewhere, don't they? Someone wants them here. I wonder who? Not just the mobs."

He steps forward a bit more, closing the distance between them to a degree. "You were very effective. Impressive. I don't usually work well with others," he admits.

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Huntress puts a hand on her hip and nods, "yeah, you were okay too," she replies, actually being positive for once.

"No, not just the mobs. There's shitty lowlifes and snotty-ass criminals all over the place," she notes, "Maybe you could do a few rounds through that area and shake them up. Maybe that'll loosen things up. Or we could," she suggests, "Like the old days," she comments amusedly.

Vic Sage has posed:
Vic Sage gives a low grunt of acknowledgement. "Might be worthwhile. I try to aim at systems more than people, but I can't deny there's adrenaline - a rush - in busting heads now and then. They're the symptom not the cause, but that doesn't make them any less chronic. Especially in Gotham. This city is sick."

He inclines his head towards the dark-clad woman, "Crack a few skulls, then a drink, maybe? I have a nice bottle of Scotch I 'confiscated' from a made man's personal stash."

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Huntress hmms as she follows the Question's logic, "It might be shitty and sick but it's got patterns. Usually when I clamp down these assholes run for it. Then again, if it's something bigger, I guess we'll find it out."

She then turns toward him and chuckles, "Fancy-ass confiscated scorch? Are you asking me on a date?" she smirks.

Vic Sage has posed:
Vic Sage doesn't visibly smile because he never shows an expression, but it's not hard to read his energy and posture. "I'm asking if you'd like to spend some time together, recreationally. Whatever you want to call it," he says. "I don't have many...people in my life."

More like any, to be telling the truth. Tot didn't answer his calls as much anymore and Myra...well, Myra was a long, long time ago.

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Huntress looks like she's thinking about something she lost too, as she says, "You definitely have a certain way of putting things," she states, "Fine, let's booze it up," she agrees.

"Maybe I can tell you about my ... new sister. She's new to town, so to speak. Definitely an interesting situation," she explains.

Vic Sage has posed:
Vic Sage nods for her to walk along with him, heading towards his car not so very far away to take them wherever they want to go.

"Only child myself. In every way. The only sisters I had were the nuns."

"I've found liquor helps to ease the mind and pass the time. More reliable than aspirin and not a bad disinfectant to boot."

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Huntress snickers, "Hey hey, don't tell /me/ about that shit, I'm--- European," she tells him, sorta generalizing so she doesn't reveal her background. She walks up the sidwalk and raises her chin to look over at the car.

"Yeah, it's sort of a new arrangement, actually. I'll tell you more about her later," she explains about her so-called sister.

Vic Sage has posed:
Vic Sage has some of his own speculations as to her heritage, but he isn't likely to spill the beans aloud. Intuitive genius can also mean knowing when to keep your mouth shut. Even if no one can see your mouth.
A
"You've aroused my curiosity," he admits. The car is a bit old fashioned, like something from the seventies, a muscle car that is, in fact, just a car, not the usual Batman type vigilante super vehicle. "No jet engine. Sorry."

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Huntress bends over just a little so she can look in through the window and says, "I like horsepower," she notes, which is probably pretty obvious to any psychologist, "You've seen my motorcycle right?" she asks him. She straightens up and looks back at him.

"Yeah, my 'sister' has one too," she explains.

Vic Sage has posed:
Vic Sage nods, "I've seen it. I considered having one myself, but they seem easy to steal. Not yours, mind you, but only because you put the fear of God into any potential thieves. Not all of us are so naturally intimidating."

Again, there's a hint of bemusement there, underneath his slightly flat affect, a playful element at odds with his usual distance and detachment. "It's good that you and your sister have so much in common."

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Huntress nods to his wise thinking, "I'd personally kick anyone's ass who tried laying their greedy little paws on it," she explains colorfully. She then crosses her arms.

"Yeah well, she doesn't have my wonderful edge," she notes amusedly, "I can tell. I think I'll need to give a few tips on that."

Vic Sage has posed:
Vic Sage slides into the driver's seat, gesturing for her to take the passenger side.

"I'm sure you're an excellent teacher. You're very good at holding my attention, at least," he says. "Now, tell me what gang you'd particularly like to cripple tonight. I can suss out where they're most vulnerable and we can break them over our collective knees."

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Huntress climbs into the passenger seat like Robin and says, "Damn right I'm an excellent teacher---" she comments, and hmms a bit as she thinks about the irony behind her little comment. Maybe this Question guy knows more than he lets on or maybe she's just too obvious.

Huntress rolls her eyes at the Questions eloquent description, "Just get us to Black Spades territory. If they're moving on other neighborhods, then we can /both/ bust them up."

Vic Sage has posed:
The Question puts the car into gear and maneuvers easily through the tightly packed streets, showing skill and accuracy in his motions as he makes his way towards the heart of Spades territory.

"When a cancer is on the verge of mestastasizing, it's ideal to pluck it out at the source, lest its poison seep into untainted flesh," he says. "In other words: let's nip this in the bud."

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Huntress nods to what he's trying to say, "Nip it or cut it out, either way," she notes, probably thinking violently. She glances out the window as the car turns the corner.

"Should either be action leaving the Bar or the Big Burger. Or in the street if they're feelin it," she states, although doesn't elaborate on that particular allusion, "Take a look," she tells him as the car pulls into the neighborhood.

Vic Sage has posed:
Vic Sage slides his car near the mouth of a nearby alley and steps out, popping her door as well. He flexes his gloved hands as he looks about for a moment, catching sight of a sentry looking out for cops near the burger joint in question.

"Think we have a winner," he says, nodding in that direction. Standard operating procedure means there's either a deal or a card game going on inside, possibly both and probably with plenty of money and a few guns on hand.

"Let's get something to go."

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Huntress slides out of her seat and is checking the crossbow bolt firing wrist-weapon as Question checks out the sitatuion, "I think I suddenly need some fast food," she tells him dryly. She walks to his side and thumbs toward the burger joint, "Should we split up?" she wonders, "I think maybe we can get in but there's going to be some action before we get out." She then looks over at the sentry walking about.

Vic Sage has posed:
Vic Sage nods, "You see if you can slip around back. I'll greet the doorman."

He strides casually acoss the road, his suit dark blue, his shirt black, the tie that matches against his torso as he walks forward. The sentry squints at him, preparing to say something intimidating, only to discover this fellow doesn't seem to have a face at all. Leaves him perplexed.

"I'm sure you have a question. So here I am." The Question says, reaching out and snatching the young man's shirt and yanking him sharply forward into a headbutt as he casually disarms him, drawing the gun from his waistband and tossing it aside, ejecting the clip from the butt of the pistol to clatter on the asphalt.

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Huntress nods to the Question's plan and slips around back, ducking under a tree to get against the back wall. She glances around the back of the shadowy restaurant but there's not much to note, besides a dumpster and some broken concrete. She inclines herself up on her tiptoes and looks in the little window of the backdoor.

The men inside seem to be talking over a deal while playing some cards at one of the small tables. A few bookbags of unknown merchandise is sitting at their feet while they talk things over and play cards badly. Huntress checks the door.

Vic Sage has posed:
The door is locked by not very securely, just an old chain on a rusted hinge, easy enough to kick down. Might be a pain if they're looking her way, but the Question is rapidly providing a distraction.

He's dismantling a couple of other thugs out front in the dining area, cracking one's head off the counter and thrust kicking another to stumble back onto the hot grill, leading him to yelp in horror very distractingly as his hands are flame-broiled. The men at the table start to stand up, reaching for their weapons.

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Huntress pops the door open with some effort and puts a bolt into one man's shoulder nearest to her, because he turned to look at her wrong. She cocks her wrist crossbow and sends a bolt into one of the men who dares threaten the Question, while closing the distance on those arrogant men near the table.

"Eat this!" she lets out with some anger, kicking him in the balls. She pivots to elbow to the other one, his gun going off in the air. Her grabs at her cape and her arm as her bony elbow busts his chin apart. She tosses him over the table onto the floor and then picks up the gun, pulling the little ammo clip out of it before she throws it down on the men. She glances back over at the Question.

Vic Sage has posed:
Vic Sage has entered the room fully, sweeping out his hand to shove aside the shotgun blast one plans to aim in his face, sweeping the weapon to one side and adding his own elbow, knocking out a few teeth before shifting to hiptoss the man over the side, crashing through the table.

In a matter of seconds, they've disarmed and harmed all the men in the room, cash falling from the table alongside the chips. The Question steps over and peels open the bags.

"Prescription bottles. Somebody's been knocking over pharmacies all over the county. Guess we found out who."

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
"Trying to pawn it off on kids, probably," Huntress says, "Slime," she mutters, kicking one of the men who dares crawl from where she dropped him, "Take it, we can burn it out back in the dumpster," she tells him.

Huntress squats down and narrows her eyes at one of the men, "You hear that jackass? Deal's cancelled," she says with some anger.

Vic Sage has posed:
Vic Sage nods, "Can't be recovered and used by the sick anymore. Compromised. Got your dirty germs all over it," he says, throwing a kick into the chin of one of the downed men and then stepping on his wrist until he hears the bones grind.

"Cops should be along eventually. Though not very fast in this neighborhood. Shame. You might wanna call 911 yourselves. That looks like a bleeder," he says, nodding at the crossbow bolt.

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Huntress stands up and nods approvingly to the Question's kicks, picking up one of the bags as she goes to her feet. She takes the bag out the back, glancing around in case these guys have friends, then dumps the bag of drugs in the dumpster. She lights the dumpster on fire with one of her flares. She looks back at The Question, "I guess we've cleaned out one shithole for the night."

Vic Sage has posed:
Vic Sage nods, leaving the door wide open as the two vigilantes stride down the alley, the flames licking the air and casting flickering shadows as the sun starts to go down on Gotham.

"Good work. Nice to work with someone who knos what they're doing," he says. "Too many amateurs on the streets."

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Huntress nods slowly to what he's saying, "There will just be more of the same and we can do it all again," she tells him. "Good job. I guess we're done here," she tells him and walks back to the car, "Where's my damn drink?" she wonders.

Vic Sage has posed:
Vic Sage opens the car, "I have the bottle with me. Guess we just need to find a proper place to open it up. And maybe a couple of glasses. Drinking straight from the bottle is probably still a little gauche in some circles," he says. "Not to mention I have to take off my face."