Conflict (open)

[whiteraven]

((Sorry, incredibly long post. I know, I know. But I am so bored.))

After returning from overseas, Raven had done a lot of moving around the states. Never staying in one place for long except when she was with the Titans in Bludhaven. However, her subconcious would always think of San Fransisco as her real home. Titans tower stood alone on it's island in the bay, forgotten and neglected. Like a great mosulium it stood and the Azarathian healer couldn't bring herself to enter it. It would feel like disturbing the grave of a loved one. Until it was officially reopened, she would leave it be.

However, that hadn't stopped the woman from showing up in the city. Though she told herself if was just coincidince, Raven knew that she was missing better days. Wandering the streets, cloak whipping around her ankles, Raven stuck to the allys until night fell. She didn't like the stares she attracted in daylight.

It was in this way that she stumbled upon some cargo being secretly extracted from a large tanker in the docks. It was a fairly small group of jumpy men loading the crates into a covered pick-up. One of them slipped and the container smashed against the concrete, showering pure white powder to the winds. Immedietly Raven's face hardened. Coke. Just what the city needed in a time like this.

Teleporting to the middle of the group she matrialized among them with much dark purple smoke and the loss of light from all nearby street-lamps. the men stumbled around fearfully in the pitch darkness until one of them got a lighter going. However, tripping over his own cargo, the tiny flame went skidding across the wharves to stop at Raven's feet.

One by one the men looked up at her fearfully. The hero's hood was up and the only part of her face not in shadow were her glowing pure bright white. She didn't even bother to blink when - in a second - the air around all the men hardened and they found themselves unable to move. Turning to the leader Raven said in a dark, cold voice,

"Answers, now. Who are you working for? Who are your suppliers? Where were these drugs inteneded to go?" And then as the man stumbled over his words, sounding more like an invalid than a man, Raven tightened the air around his neck like a coller, saying with a fury under her words, "Now!"

It was one of the things that made Raven so different from other heroes was her obvious lack of emotion, which in cases like this, made her all the more frightening. It made her seem inhuman, compleating not caring what happned to her enemies. More like a monster than a person. For a long time she had striven to proove this wrong, but for once she was glad of it.

However, before the man could start talking, Raven felt many more human presenses entering the area. She didn't have to turn around to see the tiny red pinpoint of light the rested steadly on the back of her hood. Reinforcements. Slowly, so as not to alarm the sniper, Rae reached down and flicked on her communicator SOS. Immedeitly it sent out an alarm to all others in the area. Come help. Raven only hoped they came in time.

[Lupine]

((OOC: God, this is long. Looks like we both are guiltily now. Apologies.))

Lupine stared at the Titans communicator that he had received from Raven on an earlier date in Canada. He had had many plans for the thing, including using it to listen in on the Titan's conversations during missions and to create copys of the thing and sell them to other villains. Right now, however, it was bleeping like mad.

Lupine sighed, and flipped it open. He had removed all of the markings on the communicator, so it would only be recognizable as a Titans communicator to those familiar with its design. It appeared that the beginning of his business expansion in San Francisco would not be witnessed by him personally.

He quickly dialed up the identity of the owner of the communicator. If a Titan was in trouble, Lupine was sure that he could take advantage of it in some way.

Lupine read the name that came up on the screen, and slowly smiled. Well, that changed things somehowt. It appeared that he would be meeting Raven again - the only problem would be that the signal would have been sent out to any damned hero in the area with a communicator. Best to bring backup.

Lupine put a claw to his ear, turning on the communication between him and his company. "Send a squad to the San Francisco docks, please. Grid square 735891. Do not engage without orders, and keep me informed. And please send a delegate out to conduct the deal with Mr. Anderson, with apologies that Solomon Grey could not make it. He will probably respond in a quite uncivilized manner, but he will have to live with it."

Lupine double-checked the area displayed on the communicator, cut the connection, and headed off towards the docks, forsaking dignity as much as to use the roofs instead of the pavement.

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Lupine regarded the scene with apparent apathy. It appeared that the superhero Raven had got herself into some trouble, judging from the small red light on her back. Lupine followed the line back to the sniper, and shook his head- it was too uncertain whether he would be able to reach the sniper before he was noticed. He pressed his claw to his ear again.

"Please tell the squad to approach stealthily and keep themselves hidden. It would not do for them to be spotted."

A crisp voice across the connection informed him that his orders would be relayed, and that the group would arrive in ten minutes.

It was a flaw in his business character, Lupine regarded, as having enough respect and like for a possible enemy such as Raven to have difficultly killing her and to risk himself in a situation like this to save her. However, all was not lost: it was possible that he would gain some more information about the Titans trough Raven, and if he managed to damage a rival gang's operations here, so much the better.

Lupine dropped down from the building he was standing on with barely a noise- if he surprised them, then he would have an advantage in being prepared and clear headed. Lupine loosened his custom-made gun from it's strap for quick drawing.

Walking out into the light, Lupine enjoyed the gasps of the gang members as they suddenly saw him. However, the red light on Raven's back did not so much as quiver: it appeared that at least one person here knew their job.

Best to confuse the members. Also, it would be ungentlemanly to stint on the introductions. Lupine bowed to Raven, and spoke. "Good even, Madame Raven. I must apologize: as much as I believe it would irritate you to be the damsel in distress, I came to help you once I received an alarm on the communicator you gave me. It appears that you are being held by this rabble: they are unworthy captors of one such as you, although I must admit that I am disappointed that you let yourself get into such a situation, Madame Raven." Lupine smiled, and turned to the gang members at large, many who were pointing weapons at him. Once the confusion wore off, it was likely they would fire.

"You have probably heard of me, but all you need to know is that I am very rich, and I would rather that the young woman over there did not die: now, you could just try to kill me and take the money on me: a pretty amount. I would congratulate you all on your courage, but" Here Lupine smiled widely and spread his hands wide, displaying both his teeth and claws to good effect. I would berate you for your stupidity. Now, I will trade you $100,000 for Madame Raven over there, and also would like to spend half that on the cargo you have here. This is all with the side benefit of staying alive. I really do hope you accept."

Lupine turned back again to Raven. "Madame Raven, I hope you do not object to being traded like human cargo. I apologize if this discussion is causing you any discomfort."

[whiteraven]

Raven stood in a stalemate. She couldn't move without being shot, but the men around her couldn't try moving without her cutting off their air flow for a short while. And so the group stood there for about three minutes like a still life painting, nobody daring to move an inch. The caped woman's sharp ears caught a slight noise after a bit and she knew the sound to be of someone stealthily dropping from a rooftop. She didn't want to bother going through everybody she knew who could stealthily drop from a roof top. Back up had arrived.

And then... he stepped into the light. Raven showed nothing at Lupine's enterance. Possible because she wasn't at all sure what to think. He was a good fighter, and Raven had no doubts of his abilities, but somehow he wasn't exactly who she had been hoping would show up. Still, beggers can't be choosers.

Her irritation grew, however, as he spoke with the men. Feeling her power draining she slowly let each one go from their restraints, immedietly they all turned their weapons at lupine. Except for the sniper, obviously. 100,000?? she thought furiously. The crime lord was using her as a bargining tool! She glared indignantly at him, unable to move.

But then she brought herself back to the preasent. She had made a mistake, but now with the attentions of those surrounding her buisy she turned her attentions to the sniper. Closing her eyes in concentration she felt her way toward the gun. It was well made and made to be used against super's. Looking within she saw, not a bullet, but a dart coated in an anesthetic.

Too late she realised what this was. The man wasn't working with the drug dealers at all. Bounty hunter. The untouchable's tattoo on her arm suddenly felt like it wa showing to the whole world. Exerting all her force onto the gun it snapped like a toothpick. She lept to the side just in time to dodge the dart, instead it imbedded itself in the side of one of the men ponting his gun at Lupine.

Raven used the moment of surprise to move over to where the victem lay twitching on the ground. the skin around where the dart had landed was gray, dry, and whithered and he seemed to be in an awful lot of pain.

"One hell of an anesthetic." She muttered to herself just before the group lept into action. "Sorry if you really wanted to spend that money. Raya said to her counterpart as she moved past him. The groups that she had sensed earlier moved out of the ally's prooving to be rather large in numbers. All were well armed.

"I don't suppose you have any backup, do you?"

[Lupine]

Lupine took advantage of the gang's reaction to their sniped teammate to draw his gun and shoot three of them. He just aimed for the general chest or head area: whether they lived or died wasn't really important- he just wanted them out of the fight.

Two gang members dropped to the ground, hit, and Lupine put his gun back into it's holster. For fights he preferred the personal touch.

Lupine dropped his weight down, almost moving on all fours to increase his speed. An unfortunate gang member was just within his grasp: Lupine grabbed him by the neck, lifted him up and slammed him down into the ground twice and slashed across his face. His claw came away bloody.

And then the bloodlust really began to rise.

Lupine howled with joy, slashed at another gang member who through good reflexes managed to dodge the attack and aim his gun at Lupine. Lupine ducked under the gun, grabbed the man's arm and dug his claws into the man's gut. The man fell to the floor, his chest a mess.

A gunshot sounded, and Lupine sidestepped: the bullet in his left arm and the voice of Raven both abated his bloodlust enough for the Businessman part of Solomon Grey to surface again. Watching the gang members keep their distance, Lupine replied to Raven.

"My, that was refreshing. I do apologize for that, Madame Raven, but I do tend to enjoy the chance to truly fight without restraint. And no, do not worry about the money: as long as you, and also I get out of this alive then I won't need to have spent that money. Also, by the smell of it, that drug shipment is second-grade cocaine cut by any number of chemicals. I must thank you for stopping me from overpaying on that. Again, I apologize for the treatment of you as human cargo, but money seemed the safest option."

Lupine looked at the man who had been sniped- his skin was a strange colour around where he had been hit. "I must congratulate you on evading the sniper. Was he working with this gang, do you think?" Lupine looked around at the gang members thoughtfully. "A squad of mine will arrive in eight minutes, since you seem worried in our combined ability to deal with these. Really, Madame Raven, I thing two such as we can do this, do you not? It may even be entertaining."

Lupine lowered his voice slightly so only Raven should be able to hear. "On the subject of tactics, if you can stun or distract this rabble for a few seconds I can deal with them long enough for you to engage that sniper before he fires again. Does that seem to work?"

[whiteraven]

Raven didn't even bother to look back at the wolf-man as the fight begane. She delt with a small group coming out of one of the docks. They had been waiting there for something like this to happen. She had almost finished with them when she heard a howl behind her. Spinning she saw Lupine - more like an animal than the intellectual person she had met earlier - and a mess of rather bloody bodies. Turning quickly and dealing with the last of her group, Raven flew over to Lupine where he was looking over the sniper's victom.

Thankful that Lupine was himself again, Raven shrugged at his words. Saying simply, "Apology accepted" He had done what he needed to do, as had she. There was no more to be said on the subject. However, when talk turned to the man on the ground at their feet she became avidly more animated. Kneeling down to study the wound she answered him, saying,

"No, he was an independant Bounty Hunter. I seem to have a price on my head. That dart wouldn't have killed me, but I would certainly be in more pain than that fellow was."

Looking up at Lupin she noticed for the first time the bullet wound in his arm. Standing she took his arm in her hands, commanding him "Stay still." Using her powers she extracted the bullet as painlessly as she was able, and rested a hand over the wound. Muscle and tendon knit themselves back together and in a couple secondsthere wasn't even a scar to show.

A squd of mine will arrive in eight minutes, since you seem worried in our combined ability to deal with these. Really, Madame Raven, I think two such as we can do this, do you not? It may even be entertaining. He said. Raven glanced at the gory bodies not to far away and said in answer,

Wellll, I was a tad worried, but..." Listening to his tactical plan, Raven nodded in agreement. Standing up tall she floated a tiny bit off the ground, making flashing signs with her hands. A dark shadow grew under her body and it streached and grew in order to cover the entire square. As it engulfed each man their eyes grew wide with terror though there was nothing there but Raven's own Soul Self.

When every man was crying out as their own greatest fear surrounded them, Raven landed back on the ground. "You can do as you like with them." She said tonelessly. "They won't fight back being - a bit occupied right now." Raven then turned her attention to scanning the rooftops, looking for her bounty hunter. She wanted answers.

[Lupine]

Lupine looked suspiciously at his arm- there was now no evidence that there ever had been a wound. The area was not even painful to touch. He'd never quite trusted magic, and he'd get his team of doctors to look at it later, but still...

"Thank you, Madame Raven. How did you do that?" Said Lupine gravely. He turned his attention to the gang members, their fear-filled eyes staring at empy space with terror. "These wrecks of men should not take me long after your help. I will be back shortly." Lupine inclined his head briefly towards Raven, and then lept towards the group of men, a bloodhungry smile on his face.

Lupine wasn't bothering to aim his strikes: he was in the thick of the crowd, and wherever he slashed his claws hit another gang member. One man who had managed to break out of the vision faced Lupine and pulled up his gun: Lupine simply grabbed him and bit him in the neck.

Lupine stood on all fours, panting, and gave of a loud howl that echoed around the buildings. It looked as if the gang members had either been hit by Lupine or ran away: Lupine paused, and smelt the air, but the miasma of the drugs and blood was too strong for him to smell anything else, so some of the more intelligent criminals might have hid and were waiting for a chance for a shot in the back.

Lupine slowly straightened himself up as he came back to his senses. Looking down at himself, he sighed: another suit ruined. Lupine made a unconvinced effort to make himself presentable again, and brought out the Titans communicator and opened and activated it.

"Madame Raven, I do believe I have dealt with this rabble downstairs." He said, speaking into the communicator. "However, some have run away and may be around, wishing revenge. How goes your hunt with the sniper? " Lupine paused, and put a hand up to his ear, listening to communication from Grey Corps. "Madame Raven, backup should arrive in five minutes. They will get rid of any remaining dangers and secure the drugs for my company. Meanwhile, I believe I will help you with hunting the sniper. A small gift, perhaps, for your company. Is that acceptable?"

Lupine jumped up onto the roof, trying to get away from the smell of blood and drugs so he could hunt the sniper. His suit was barely there anymore, torn to shreds, and his fur was matted together by blood and gore. "Madame Raven, I am afraid I am not at all presentable. I do apologize. While it is quite unlike me to express concern, I would like to ask if you are well. I do believe that you can take care of yourself, but it would be most ungentlemanly of me to allow anything adverse to happen to you."

[whiteraven]

((Awww, such a gentleman ^^))

"How did I do it?" Raven repeated his question, massaging her own arm where there was a slight bloody gash. "A man of science like yourself would surely find it easier to think of it simply as a trade." My health for your wound. Raven finished the thought, but not outloud. If was a complicated process, healing somebody, and now was not the time to bother explainong it.

Turning from the masses of terrafied men, Raven chose not to watch the massacre that Lupine initiated, shutting the pure, unclouded fear, out of her mind so the unified emotions wouldn't distract her. However, there seemed no life form resembling that of the bounty hunter. Pocketing his dart with careful fingers for later inspection, she was just about to move out when she got a call on her communicator.

Listening to him speek she nodded. "Any survivors I will easily deal with. As for your back-up, I would ask their assistance in getting civillians out. That sniper's more dangerous than some half drunk mobster, I don't want any innocents harmed. As for the Bounty Hunter, he's a professional and he can't leave until we're both dead. We have too much information on him, plus one of his darts."

Flying up to land on the roof of a wearhouse Raven closed her eyes and let her mind sweep the upper scapes of San Fransisco. There her third eye saw Lupine, his suit torn and drenched with blood, the red liqued cakeing over his torn and matted fur. However, he was alive, and willing to help. An offer that Raven was more willing to except than she would admit.

"I am well." she replied into her communicator tersly. "And you would do far better for you to worry about the man in window behind you with the sub-automatic pointed for your head." Her words were sharp, and she quickly shut the communicator. It had been a long time since somebody had asked if she was well, even if it was only for manners' sakes.

Moving from shadow to shadow Raven rose from roof-top to roof-top as quickly as she could, until she was as high as the bird she was named after, looking down on the peacefully sleeping city. Closing her eyes she let her mind wander, searching for the brain patterns of her sniper. At long last she found him not far from the plaza of the initial battle, doing makeshift repairs on his weapon.

Opening the communicator again she spoke into it "I've found our man. He's on top of the northern landmark building near you. He has no working weapons right now and his guard is down for the moment, I'm right behind you."

[Lupine]

If Lupine had time, he may have been irritated - mildly upset, even - by the terseness of the reply from someone he respected and enjoyed the company of. However, there was no time, not with someone aiming a gun at his head, and Lupine threw himself to the side, barely avoiding the scatter of bullets.

Even with this Lupine had time to wonder about the reason for Raven's manner of reply to his request. Perhaps he would question her about it, if a way to do so politely turned up. However, now more important matters were at hand.

The man was too far away and high up to reach, so while he was still busy recovering Lupine drew his gun and emptied the magazine at the man, using amount of shots to make up for his inaccuracy. The man dropped to the floor, and Lupine reloaded his gun and shot at the general area of the collapsed man until he heard a low gasp, signaling a bullet had hit. He did not want a enemy with an automatic rifle to survive.

Lupine listened to Raven's voice through the communicator, and lifted it to his snout to reply as he made his way to the location she had mentioned. "Do not worry, Madame Raven: my squad will clear away all civilians before anything else: they do belong to my company, and my company has to obey the law." Lupine paused for a second, and then corrected this statement. "No, actually, it doesn't: My company merely has to give the appearance of obeying the law. And for those who find out the truth; It is a sad fact, Madame Raven, but there are men and women who easily place bribery and material possessions above their duty."

Lupine could see Raven up ahead, distant in the sky, and the location of the sniper up ahead. "Madame Raven, I do know it is not important, but I am concerned about the terseness of your reply back then, although I thank you for the opportunity to be able to say this through the help of your warning. It is unlike you to act so, and I am interested in why you react so. Perhaps there is a way I could help?"

Lupine was running very fast, and he had reached the general area the sniper was in. He stopped, and smelt the air, trying to find a sent. "I apologize, Madame Raven: We should focus more on current matters. Could you give precise directions to the sniper, and has he found a functioning weapon yet?"

[whiteraven]

"Glad you're truthful at least." Raven muttered to herself, hoping the comm. didn't carry the sound waves, as Lupin ammended his statement. No, actually, it doesn't: my company merely has to give the appearance of obeying the law. Raven listened with half an ear as he contenued, answering him back, saying, "A sad fact indeed, but more common than most people would like to think. At least half the government at this point. Duty means little to those who have never seen who it effects."

And then, in a compleat change of tactics - the wolfman asked her about her rather apparant snippiness in answer to a purely sentimental question. Caught off guard, she said absolutly nothing for some time. Part of her almost said the truth, but her rational mind stifled that. Lupine was a business man - one who she was amazed to find she was growing to rather like. But a business man first, if he knew enough about her, there was no way that, should they find themselves as enemies - which they surely might - he might beat her. And so she was relieved when he broke in, apologizing like a gentleman, and asking her to do something she knew how to do.

Closing her eyes she spoke into her communicator "Our man is on the northwest corner of the building, on the third level. You'll find him by the fire escape. His sniper is down for the count, snapped in two. The darts are veritably useless without the airspeed they would gain from being fired. He has a pistol in a holster on his side, a knife by his chest, and a pocket-knife in his boot. He's also got poisen tablets in his mouth. Don't let him swallow them, we need information from this guy. His hand-to-hand combat is weak, but he's got a clear escape route to the left. And just to ease whatever concious you might have, he has absolutly no family or friends. Even the bartender's don't like him."

Raven stopped and withdrew from the man's mind. keeping the communicator out for faurther converstation, she began to travel slowly towards the building, but not showing herself until Lupine was in place. It was good to be working on a team again, even one that made as little sense as she and Lupine.

[Lupine]

Lupine found himself worried at Raven's pause after he had asked her about the terseness of her reply, and quickly made himself irritated with himself for such a thought. It would do no good if he got to friendly or concerned about Raven to become friends with someone it might one day be best to kill: it would be a flaw in his business character. Perhaps it was best she did not reply: Lupine was honest enough with himself to admit he liked Raven and enjoyed her company, and knowing more about her might increase this development.

Lupine sighed aloud. All this over a question asked to gain information about the weakness of a possible enemy. If he started thinking of her as a friend, things would become difficult.

Lupine banished these thoughts from his mind when Raven spoke again, informing him about the sniper. "Do not worry, Madame Raven: he does not sound like much of a challenge, and I can ensure that he does not swallow those pills. Also, I am much faster than him." Lupine, following Raven's directions, had found a scent: dropping onto all fours, he began to run twice as fast. "Do not worry about my conscience: I will not have any qualms killing him. However, since he does not seem to be a threat, I will spare yours. Madame Raven, I would be grateful if you could block off his escape route: I do trust you are experienced enough in these matters."

Lupine smiled as he ran along. "It appears that we will not leave much work for my squad, Madame Raven. I am quite pleased with our work: it is quite a shame that you and I will not be able to work like this in normal capacity, is it not? But I doubt you would wish to, with the the Titans another option." A thought struck Lupine. "I do remember that I promised to help you in reforming your much valued team in return for you suggesting some heroic names for a project of mine. Do you need any help on the reformation of the Titans?"

[whiteraven]

At last, Raven was compleatly in her element again, no worrying about answering akward questions, not bothering with alliances and politics, just her and lupine getting rid of the mutual enemy. Soaring through the darkness of nights, all the windows around where the target had set up when out. Trusting Lupine would have the superior night vision of his namesake, Raven plunged a corner of the building in compleat darkness. Adding only a little to cover the moon with some clouds.

I trust you are experianced enough in these matters he asked.

"Enough" She answered, not waisting extra breath on talk. Landing on a building not a stone's throw from where the Bounty hunter was, Raven's eyes whited out and she held her palms towards the man's only escape. Without a single sound, the metel staircase crumpled like a piece of paper. Her work done, Raven opened her communicator, answering Lupine after a very long pause.

"The titans aren't really offical yet. Moving to the real base in the bay, setting up our own leadership, it's been put on hold for a touch. Blame the Government for deciding we were all wanted criminals. But until the Titan's are offial, I'm not either. I just move around from place to place, not really suited for solo work."

Raven stopped, not compleatly sure why she was doing this, but she knew that should worse come to worse she always had a teleporter's escape, and she wanted to know more about this man who claimed to be such a high ranking crime lord. In gothem, no less. In short, Lupin fasinated Raven, and she made her offer before she had time to think twice.

"I think I'll keep your word on that promise for later, when you can do more for us. Until then, I would be happy to work with you. For a price. I do some odd jobs for you in Gothem, and in return, you give me a hand here and there with the new Titans. I believe we've mentioned before, an alliance - for now at least - could be mutually beneficial. I would hate to see such an oppertunity go to wast."

[Lupine]

Lupine nodded to what Raven said. "I would indeed be happy to keep to that deal, although I hope it will benefit us both longer than you may think. I can already see a solution to one of your problems: if the government is refusing you official status, I can already provide some bribery to help smooth your way. Like I said, Madame Raven, there are many in the government who value money over duty. I look forward to a good working relationship, Madame Raven."

Lupine looked at the building the sniper was hiding in, smiling. He had got Raven down to a verbal agreement at least, and through this he could try and introduce further deals. Right now, however, it was time to deal with the sniper.

Lupine did not have very good vision at all, seeing the world in the monochromes of black and white, but he had something far superior: his sense of smell. Lupine noticed the distinctive smell of the sniper, a mixture of drink, gunpowder and poisons.

Lupine followed the smell up the stairs of the building, careful not to make any noise. On the fourth floor, he noticed the smell turned into a room, about three meters from the doorway.

Not giving the sniper any chance to react, Lupine jumped into the room, claws outstretched. He caught the sniper on the shoulder and punched him, knocking him back a few feet. However, the holster holding Lupine's gun, already strained from Lupine's unusual shape, broke and sent the gun spiraling to a stop next to the sniper.

The sniper seized his chance, grabbing the gun, and looked up into Lupine's face. Lupine grinned and picked up the man boldly and threw him out of the door, down the staircase.

Lupine stepped out of the room to look at the man, and cursed: the sniper was hurt badly, but he still had Lupine's gun! Lupine did not waste a second: he jumped down the staircase in one bold move.

The sniper closed his eyes in fear and fired; Lupine simply grabbed him and slammed him into the wall until he was out cold.

Lupine grinned, and tried to straighten up, but was stopped by a sharp, short pain in his chest. He was having trouble breathing, and his vision was worse than usual.

""Goddammit." Lupine cursed. It had just been bad luck: Lupine could easily survive a bullet almost anywhere, but the sniper had through sheer luck hit a vital area. The communication to Grey Corps. came up again, informing Lupine that his squad had arrived: Lupine fumbled for the Titans communicator, speaking into it, pushing past the tiredness.

"Madame...Raven, I have made a tactical mistake." Lupine paused, and drew breath. "I have been shot. I need medical attention. If you could be as kind..." Lupine drew breath again. " As kind to help me, my squad has just arrived in the area. They bear the logo of my company. Thank you."

Lupine, felt his vision swim again, and remembered part of a poem he had twenty years ago, when he was much younger and still had some innocence about him. He muttered the two lines underneath his breath.

"Do not go gently into that good night;
Fight, fight against the falling of the light."

[whiteraven]

((Oh my gosh! Dylan Thomas! I love his work!))

Raven couldn't help but laugh silently to herself. Lupine may be a genious and a master of the classics, but he had walked straight into a trap. The woman had no doubt he planned to use his contacts with Raven to get classified information on the Titans and former members, now heroes. However, Raven's extraction of information would be less expensive, simpler, and would take only clearance to his HQ in Gothem. She always like to have information on those she worked with. now she had him down to a verbal agreement at least. Grunting agreement into her side of the comm, she shut it off and let him do his work.

And then several things happened almost simultainiously. First, she felt a new wave of human's flood into the square. turning ready to fight more ganster's, she saw a familliar emblam on their uniforms. Gray Corps. Finally, the reinforcements had arrived. And then there was an awful pain in her head, a shot had been fired, a fatal one, and she knew who at. A moment later Lupine's gasping pained breath confirmed her thoughts.

Blocking out the man's pain, Raven reached into the minds of his solders. Placing in each one three things. First - a mental picture of their boss lying dead in an unused room. What would happen if they didn't hurry. Second - the knowledge of how to get to where Lupine was. Third - the inexplicable need to get to him as quickly as possible. As one unit the men turned towards the landmark building and raced up.

However, Raven got to the wolf-man first. Stopping only a second to check the Bounty Hunter's pulse and make sure he was alive, Raven knelt by where Lupine was leaning against a wall.

"Aren't you supposed to be some sort of professional mobster or something? You'de think you would be able to take better care of yourself than... Raven snapped at him as she took stock of his wound, trying to figure out what to do. She woudn't be able to extract this bullet as easily as the last, it was too deep in too vital an area. However, she didn't want to go ahead with the healing process because that would lock the bullet inside his lungs, crippling him for the rest of his short life. Unfortionatly, to wait would be his doom.

As Raven mentally sorted through her options Lupine murmered something so out of place the woman almost laughed. It was Dylan Thomas, a variation on one of his most famous poems. One Raven knew well. *He's delerious* thought Raven incredulusly. *Of all the people to have a soft spot for poetry in their dying moments...*

Still it gave her something to work with. Making a sudden executive decision, Raven decided she would heal Lupine just enought o keep him alive until his men arrived and took him to a place where an emergancy surgery could be preformed. Trying to calm him, Raven contenued where he left off,

"Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on it's way,
Do not go gentle into that good night."

[Lupine]

((OOC: Afraid I really don't know much of Thomas Hardy apart from that, but it was so appropriate that I couldn't pass it up. Sorry about that.

Also, I'm going to be away for two weeks this Saturday. I may be online next week sunday, but I wouldn't bet on it. Sorry for not telling you sooner.))

--------------

Lupine smiled as Raven continued the poem from where he had finished. "Good to see you know your classics, Madame Raven. Far too many people do not study them these days..."

Lupine frowned: the pain was getting distant, and despite the comfort he doubted that this was good news for his vital signs. He couldn't remember the rest of the poem, and that frustrated him. He'd known and enjoyed it since childhood. "Can't remember.."

Lupine tried to organize his thoughts onto more important matters, but they stubbornly refused to move from where they were. He found himself thinking about Shakespeare's use of Beatrice as a character and also the pattern on the far wall.

Lupine frowned. Patterns? When had he ever thought about that? With an effort he managed to pull his mind together. Looking up at Raven, he managed through effort to answer her criticism. "Yes, I do admit I made a mistake, Madame Raven. Quite a large one, it turns out. But I answered your call for help for protection from a sniper. Aren't you a professional superhero or something?" Lupine coughed, and drew breath again. "I apologize, Madame Raven; that was rather rude."

Now that he had collected his thoughts, Lupine was able to find out what it was that was irritating him at the moment. Lupine sighed, speaking aloud. "Madame Raven, this.... debt, let us say, of me to you irritates me. Unfortunately, I currently both owe you too much and enjoy your company too much to be able to kill you if my business sense dictates it. It is quite a flaw in me, I believe- loyalty. First to Gotham, and now apparently to you. I should not be telling you this, but a gentleman is always honest to his acquaintances.

Lupine smiled at his last statement. His thoughts were getting diverted again. "A gentlemen is always honest. I am sure that Gilbert or Sullivan must have parodied that somewhere...

[whiteraven]

Lupine managed to pull himself together to retort to Raven's snappish words about knowing better than to get into a bad situation like this. And then, always the gentleman, he apologezed. I apologize, Madame Raven; that was rather rude. The azarathian woman shook her head no. "Not rude, I stand corrected."

Placing her hands on the bloody mass that was Lupine's chest, she ignored the warm wet blood oozing under her palms and concentrated on the wound. It was bad, one of the worst she had ever seen, and Raven wasn't in top shape for healing. Still, she had to try. As she sent tendrals of power into his body, her mind wandered faurther and faurter from reality. Finally, she became almost reckless. Flesh, Muscle, Tendon, lung tissue, Raven healed what was necessary, leaving the rest to heal on it's own, once the surgury was preformed. If he survived long enough for it.

His words penetrated her thoughts, bringing her back to reality. He spoke in a way that was not normal for him. Even Raven knew that. It worried her, and her mind almost shut down had it not been running the healing right then. Unable to find an answer she said to nobody in particular,

"You're delirous. Your mind is wandering, you dont' know what you're saying. Yet even as she said this she knew that it was true, and even more frightening, she agreed with him. Raven didn't honestly think that she would be able to kill him if she were ordered to, and that was bad. Very very bad.

But then the moment was over, and Lupine's mind once again turned to fantasies. Something about Gilbert and Sullivan. Relieved, Raven slowly pulled her hands away from the wound. Blood covered her palms and fingers, but she didnt' seem to notice. She had work to do. Turning to her sniper she checked him over for wepons. She was making a pile of the next to him when her sticky red fingers found Lupine's gun. It was in bad shape, but obviously his. Holding it tightly she stood up and looked down on Lupine's body.

As luck would have it, that was the moment that the Gray Corps burst into the room. Raven, standing over Lupine's body holding his gun in bloodstained hands. How awful for her publicity. Immedietly they were surrounded. Too tired to fight, Raven raised her hands high above her head, letting the weapon drop to the floor.

"You could kill me right now," she said tonelessly, "But I think you ought to be more worried about your boss, if he doesn't get surgury quickly, he's going to die."

((Oh well, I'll see you when you return. But I was thinking that whenever you're back, we move to gothem, Lupine's recovery and Raven being held until they can get your word that I didn't shoot you.))