Owner	Pose
Bunny Macleod	Who doesn't like Pizza? Especially New York City pizza? It's superior in almost every way to other pies across the nation, and for that Bunny is thankful, because after hopping along on crutches with a stabilized but broken ankle (THANKS TO A NINJA WHO SHALL REMAIN UNNAMED), she settles down into a booth in the back of Angelo's. She's wearing a rainbow color bandana over her bright pink hair, a sky blue T-shirt announcing that she *IS*, in fact, the queen, and a pair of shorts. Her left leg is all bruised up, she has a couple of bruises on her right side, and is wearing a bright blue sneaker on her right foot, her left pretty well wrapped in a stabilizing boot from her calf to her toes after breaking an ankle yesterday. She's moping slightly, flipping through her phone (with it's 70's 'Retro' brown-blue-and-white case with MACLEOD MESSENGER SERVICE on it) as she waits.
Terry O'Neil	Terry has by no means fully recovered from his jaunt in Wonderland. He still suffers from occasional hallucinations, and his sense of balance is sometimes jeopardized when his mind thinks that the floor is actually ninety degrees from where it actually is. Nevertheless, Lois has trained him well and he is a reporter who follows the lead, wherever it may lead, whenever it crops up. He had read over the reports from the Gazette, which seemed to contradict what the username that gave him a craving for strawberry Quik said. What's more, they claimed to be an eyewitness, so it was important to get the story. The quote from Donald Pierce was already a red flag, and his reporter senses were tingling. If there is one thing that anybody knows, is that the best way to trap a Titan is to use pizza. That's one thing the Titans and the Turtles have in common. Well... and Terry O'Neil, who is part of the first team, and technically speaking part of the extended turtle family by way of his cousin April. And also, for a time, by being Leonardo's student. Angelo's Pizza is a perfect place for Terry right now, as having spent the better part of two weeks in a magic-induced coma where he essentially kept Wonderland alive through his dreams has left him rather peckish. Terry enters the pizzeria and glances around. He is not in his feline shape- that brings too much attention - but he is his human, ginger self. He is much less likely to pull attention that way, sporting the 'boy next door' kind of face, red hair and freckles. His athletic build is de-emphasized by a loose grey hoodie and black sweatpants. Whereas Vorpal immediately screams 'Titans', anyone who doesn't know Terry's face is likely to look at him and think he's on his way to the skateboard park. When he moves, he doesn't do so with his usual grace, but the careful gait of someone who is walking down an aisle of precious Swarowki crystal cases and they're afraid they might smash something expensive enough to warrant an IOU for their firstborn. But he finally comes close to the person at the back, who might just be-- but he needs to check. "Um..." he says, giving the very colorful person a smile, "Are you StrawberryQuickBunneh? I'm SnickerSnackCat." Dear god, he thinks, it sounds like they're doing a drug drop.
Bunny Macleod	She looks up, her arms wrapping around herself. Her eyes are a little sunk in, and she feels her shoulders rise up. She looks the ginger up and down, and then she gives a small smile. "I'm Bunny." she introduces herself, and she offers a hand up to Terry, going to stand up (because it's polite!), but she physically winces and then drops down again. "Sorry... I've never had a broken ankle before." she repeats, and she frowns a moment.     The official report had listed minor cuts -- definitely not a minor with broken bones. She couldn't be older than sixteen.     The pink haired girl settles back down into her seat, and she takes a deep breath, looking around the pizzaria and wrapping her arms around herself, she slowly brings her gaze back to Terry.     "I wanna talk about what happened and set the record straight, 'cause what the FBI reported an' what that Peirce jerk said, that's not what happened at all. I was there. I... there was..." she works her mouth a moment, and then reaches for a red plastic cup of water, and just sips at it, her shoulders coming up.     "They told me I had hallucinated it in panic, you know?"
Terry O'Neil	"I'm Terry. Terry O'Neil, I'm with the Daily Planet," he says, shaking her hand. It's not a secret, really, but he always prefers to lead off with that to give people an idea of who they're speaking with. There's a lot that rides on the reputation of the Daily Planet, but it's a double-edged sword as well. If he screws up, that not only falls on him, but also on the publication's reputation. He frowns when she winces, "Take it easy, just keep weight off of it. Has anyone taken a look at the injury?" he asks, worried. When she sits back down, so does he. This was definitely not a 'minor cut'. The discrepancy between the report and the eye-witness acount intrigues him, but there are some things that need to come first. He sits forward in his booth a little, hands clasped, paying attention to Bunny. Briefly, Wonderland's flashback tries to reassert itself and Bunny almost /looks/ like a bunny, with little floppy ears and downy-brown fur, but the hallucination is dismissed quickly by him shutting his eyes, and opening them again. Green eyes focused on her, he nods. "Tell me what happened. Don't leave out any details that you can remember..."
Bunny Macleod	"Yeah, some of the first responders took a look at it and booted it, but we don't really have the cash on hand right now to go to a real doctor. I'm hoping to get it looked at tomorrow sometime." she explains, and she takes a deep breath, and breathes out. She is not a bunny, in fact, but *Bernice* was such an old lady name. She only used it when she had to.     "So, I work with a messenger service. We get things to where they're going, I'm proud of the fact that I'm the fastest on my team... most of the time. So I get this important dispatch to Gotham City. I don't /like/ going out of the city, but I don't /like/ letting my da- My Boss down, you know? So I go there. And as I'm checking in to deliver to 404, which is in the sub-basement, I hear some grumbling an' when I turn around?"     She spreads her arms out "THIS RHINO GUY -- this *huge-ass*" (remember the hyphen) "rhino guy just swings a big hammer through the door and breaks it open. I'm not sure what's up with the girl with the camera that got him dancing, but my self-preservation instincts kicked in and I wanted Out Of There."     Bunny leans back, her fingers gripping the table a moment "About the time the pig-guy shows up and starts wrecking the security desk with a chainsaw, I head towards the stairs. It's.... there's a lot going on. A lot of shouting. Something about a reaper? Raver?" she thinks, and then she begins to shake. "It got really smokey then. And I bubbled and tried to skate down the stairs."
Terry O'Neil	Terry nods, following the details. His hand goes to his pocket and brings out a card, but he doesn't place it on the table yet, he's paying attention. "Huge-ass Rhino and pig-guy show up, got it..." He pauses for a moment, "You... bubbled?" he asks, eyebrows going up at the same time as his voice, framing a question. "What does that mean?" Skating down the stairs. Okay, she's got guts. The only other person he knows who would risk that in the middle of mayhem is Harley... but Harley is Harley. He briefly considers asking Bunny if she's ever done roller derby before- but he doesn't want to derail her too much. More questions can come after she lays out the events as she best remembers them.
Bunny Macleod	"I--" Bunny blinks a moment, and then she glances off to the side.     "I bubbled. Y'know. Bubble around me..." she trails off.     "I'm a mutant. My family doesn't know. My dad's in the 'don't care if they exist but don't want my kids dating them' group of totally-not-racisits-but." she explains quietly, as if someone would hear her.     "I realized last night that the lady in the stairway didn't miss, and that she was shooting *at* me. But one of the guys who wasn't fighting the rhinocerous when he came through the door to the stairwell -- I mean, it was all smoke, and gunfire and I was just --" she curls herself up slightly, and for a brief moment her skin takes an iridescent quality, like someone filtered the rainbow swirls of a gasoline puddle over her skin, "... he dragged me down the stairs and into a lab."
Terry O'Neil	"It's okay, Bunny. Take a deep breath. You're safe here, and your secret is safe with me." Terry says quietly, leaning forward. Terry had, after all, crossed paths with Senator Kelly a year ago when he posted a fiery op-ed in response to the man's unhinged, bigoted politicking*. There was little question as to where he stood on the 'Mutant Debate.' His eyes narrow as more details emerge, "A lab," he says, his affect suddenly flat. He recalled her post about 'saving mutant lives.' The mutant girl being dragged to a lab is already throwing off several alarm switches as to what may have happened, but he gestures, encouraging her to continue. *(+bbread 4/245, true believers!) - Editor
Bunny Macleod	"Yeah. The guy... he... he wasn't that much older than my brother." she recalls quietly, "Maybe in his late teens? Early twenties?" she shifts her weight. She leans back in the booth a moment, and she holds her water cup in her hand. She frowns a moment, and closes her eyes. "The elevator opened up at the lab level -- it was where I was s'posed to deliver the package -- and this lady with the big pig-man comes out." she pauses a moment, and she rubs the back of her neck. "I shouldn't be rude 'bout 'em. She broke my ankle, but also saved my life." she breathes out, and she looks over at Terry.     "The guy said that they were just a lab. They took blood samples to try an' fight back against mutants. I was shielding him with my forward-shield when the pig-guy tried to chainsaw us. She slid under my shield and broke my ankle. The guy tried to.... he tried to show it was just a lab. An' the lights got all changed up. An' I was trying to stand back up but everything *hurt so bad*." she whispers. "He was trying to get me out."     She squeezes her cup until the water threatens to overflow the edges -- it's just a cheap cup, the kind you get when you ask for water so that they can yell at you if you try to drink soda without paying for it.
Terry O'Neil	Terry gives a slow nod, focusing his attention on being as soothing and as calm as possible. She is reliving a traumatic event, but also doing it in order to give valuable information. He respects that, and the courage it took to come forth and talk. "So the woman and the two large guys were trying to get to the guy you were shielding, correct? You said he wasn't much older than your brother. About how old is that? Can you describe him for me?" Get her to focus on specific details. It's one way that he deals with strong overwhelming emotions, putting on the watchmaker's eyeglass. "And it wasn't just a regular lab, I take it? He seemed to be the guy in charge of that operation?"
Bunny Macleod	"No... he was... he's just a guy. He didn't know what they were doing." Bunny whispers quietly, and she's still for a moment.     "He was blond. Blue eyes. He reminds me a little of my brother Bastian, but -- it doesn't matter. He died. She locked him in the lab after getting the others out and he was locked in there... I couldn't... I couldn't help him. If she hadn't told the pig to grab me I would have been down there too... and I couldn't save him... I threw the package at him because he was... and I..." she whispers, "He's dead. He got blown up with the lab level. He was trying to get me out." she whispers, and her blue eyes turn to Terry.     "I couldn't bubble long enough to save us both. We both would have died." she swallows, and then brings her hands to her face and rubs hard, as if trying to scrub the emotion out.     "He was saying how the lab was just for sampling. Taking biological samples, but then one of the labs lit up an' there was a lady with scales an' a guy with antlers. They were strapped down to tables. He... it didn't seem like he knew what was going on."
Terry O'Neil	The redhead gently offers his hand, reaching out to offer a comforting touch, if she will let him, on her arm. "... sometimes we can't save everyone, Bunny," he says quietly. "I fought when Brainiac tried to invade us. When Warworld tried to invade us. When the Shi'ar invated. When the Angels invaded New York City." Seriously, what /is/ with all these invasions? "We did good... but there were still..." He trails off, looking at her. "I want you to know that for someone as young as you are, you did the best that could have been done at that time, and that things couldn't have gone any differently. You were given a raw deal, were put in a bad situation, and did all you could. And knowing all that, it's still pefectly fine to cry over what happened. Just- don't blame yourself." The Titan lets out a quiet breath, "From what I gather, then, this laboratory was running some sort of experiments on mutants. Clandestine. And these three- the woman and the two large guys- knew it and came to shut it down. The guy you encountered wasn't in on the truth of the matter. Can you describe what the woman looked like?" He adds, "And then the laboratory exploded, I take it- someone must have triggered a switch somewhere. What happened later?"
Bunny Macleod	Bunny is quiet a moment as Terry touches her arm. She looks up at him, some of that bright pink hair drifting in front of her blue eyes as she tries to gather her thoughts. "... must be tough being a hero, huh?" she ventures quietly, and she relaxes the hands on her cup. "Sorry... sorry, let me get up an--" she ventures, going to stand, gives a squeak of surprise, and then just sits back down. Her lips are pressed in a thin line like she was *very angry* about her current predictament. It takes a moment for everything to sink in again, and she attempts to at least heard the water with some napkins from the dispenser at the table as she thinks.     "She was maybe my height?" she ventures, "It's... it's tough to remember. She was *scary*. She looked so little compared to the pig... Bop. The Rhino called him Bop at the lobby." the fact popped back into her head, and she looks to Terry. "They were talking about if they ever got tired of the screaming." she recounts, and then she draws her fingers, curling her hands into loose fists. "I didn't get a good look at her. They were doing a good thing, kinda... but... I don't think they were good people. Other than the pi-- Bop saying that my shield was pretty. He carried me an' the scaley lady out, and they left me in the parking lot." she shakes her head.     "I didn't get any other names. Or a really good look at her, other than she was maybe Asian? But not South, like, East-East."
Terry O'Neil	Terry nods, "It's... hard, sometimes. But sometimes you think about what would happen if you hadn't intervened. It doesn't make the pain go away, but it can sometimes help. Life is messy..." he gives her a gentle smile and the card slides from his fingers to land right by her on the booth. "Bunny, you're now technically my lead on this and my source of information. This card here has the name of my mother's Osteopath, Doctor Lilian Rothbard right here in N'yawk. I want you to call her tomorrow morning and set up an appointment for your ankle." He raises a hand anticipating a protest, "This is not from The Planet but from The Titans. Because the report that was submitted by the authorities mis-represented your injury, I doubt you will get any coverage from Gotham's Victim Compensation department, and that's not right. And there's something /fishy/ about that and I want to find out why. So, after they dropped you off at the parking lot... the authorities showed up? Do you recall any of what came then that might be important?" By that point in the narrative, she was probably in shock, so her recall might not be as good about that part, but it was worth asking.
Bunny Macleod	"N-no, not really. I mean, I was just carried out of an exploding lab by a giant pig-man named Bop who happened to ask his boss if he should grab me too. The only reason she let him was 'cause I was a mutant." she replies quietly, and she goes to pick up the card, and look at it, and she pockets it a moment as she shifts herself around to try and get more comfortable as she tries to remember. "Most... everything else was a blur. I told them what happened. I got a lotta 'sure kid'. I tried to get them to go down and see if maybe... if maybe he was down there. Or alive. Or could be saved. No one deserves to go out like that... Gawd, he musta been so scared." she brings her face to her hands again, and seems just tired, exhausted from recounting it. "My dad had to come pick me up. He was pissed 'cause now I'm laid up an' can't make any deliveries. He didn't beleive me when I told him what happened. We didn't get payment for that delivery, so... that's what matters most to him. It's not easy having eight kids." she mumbles quietly as an excuse, and she looks up.     "Some paramedics looked at my leg. I was s'posed to be sent to a hospital but my dad didn't want that. So they patched me up and boom, hobbling to the hyperloop to get home. He kept sayin' no comment to people 'cause he... I got taken outta school to help the family business run... or, y'know roll. I'm usually on skates." she recounts quietly.     "I've gotta 'pointment with a lady tomorrow who's gonna take a look at my leg, but I'll call up your mom's lady too. 'Specially if you need like, X-Rays 'cause I dunno if they're in your power set but they're definitely not in mine!" she offers, trying to bring some levity and cheer.     And then her stomach gives a very loud and inconsiderate interruption of BRWWRRRUUUUUMBLEGurglegrowl.
Terry O'Neil	Terry nods, "You do that. And look, you keep me up to date, okay? I'm afraid X-Rays are Superman's thing, not mine. But..." he ponders. "What's the delivery pay for you right now? You really shouldn't be putting weight on that ankle..." He strokes his chin. And then, his eyes widen for a moment at an a-ha moment. "Until you're back on your feet, how would you like to be my assistant? It sounds like this story is going to be /big/, I can feel it. This means there's going to be data and research to collate through. I can help you learn the ropes. I've got two weeks' worth of backed-up duties at The Planet because I was in a magically-induced coma, so it would really help me out to have someone who can help organize research and pull up sources. The less time I spend doing that, the more time I have to devote to getting to the bottom of this." He taps his index on the table, "What do you think? I'll do my best to get the truth out of this, you'll get some time to recover instead of rollerskating around, and you'll still have that income stream. Win-win all around." Not to mention that, since she was a prime witness, it was a good idea to keep her close in case anyone decided they didn't want her to speak. He gives her a grin, "And while you're deciding, wanna share a pizza? I'm in the mood for an extra-large supreme if you're up for it. I normally have to share with my boyfriend..." he smirks, "And Beast Boy's hunger is legendary. This time around I might actually get to have more than three slices before the pizza is gone."
Bunny Macleod	"I... I'd hafta ask my dad. I mean, I'm still a kid. According to the law I *shoulda* been in highschool last year but got pulled to help with the biz." she states, and then, with an equal amount of humility and thankfulness: "I would really appreciate sharin' a pizza... I didn't have enough pocket change." she mutters quietly, and she purses her lips a moment "... I'm gonna *tentatively* accept. On the condition that one: I don't have to dye my hair back to a normal color, an' two: I'm permitted to roller-skate in the office if my ankle gets bettah, 'cause I mean, how cool is that? Assistant to a super-hero?" she jokes, and breathes out in a huff.     "If you can, could you find out who the kid was? If he has parents around... they deserve to know what happened."
Terry O'Neil	"Bunny, you'll be working with someone who half of the time is a walking upright cat. Trust me, nobody is going to mind your hair color," the redhead grins, and then nods. "I promise you I will do everything to find out. And I have a considerable network of resources to pull from. If your dad's ok with it, you'll get to talk to some of them, even. Like, say, Wonder Woman." He grins and taps the table, "Be right back, let me put the order in so we can have some food. Everything's better with pizza, I always say." He stands up and heads over to the counter, carefully, to get them food. He has learned much, but there are still many unanswered questions. There was something incredibly fishy with that FBI report- why would they obfuscate the facts like that? Did this indicate that the laboratory might have something to do with the government? Or that someone in the agency was compromised? Fortunately, he also knows someone who is a great detective in Gotham who might help him peek behind the curtain a bit. "We'd like an extra-large Super supreme pizza, please. And an order of garlic knots!" But now it was the time for food.