Summary:Trouble in Hell's Kitchen brings a CEO and a hero together. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Late night in Hell's Kitchen. It's not exactly the dangerous place it used to be, but the sad truth of the digital age is that crime can happen anywhere these days. It's just…more subtle than it would otherwise be. Or happens even later at night. Luckily for Danny, it's not like she has a lot of obligations early in the morning.
She's been working her way along the rooftops through the theater district, making sure that the patrons of the arts make it safely back to the more populated areas, but now it's pushing last call around the bars. Which means watching for two things in this neighborhood: bigots out hunting for prey, and bar patrons who think they've already bagged their prey.
At the moment, she's perched on the edge of a roof on the corner, one leg tucked underneath herself and the other dangling over the edge as she watches.
Iron Fists's phone beeps with the urgency of a text message as she sits there on the rooftop. When she opens it she finds a picture of her snapped in that exact position from the rooftop across, along with a winky face and 'kissy face' emoji. Upon glancing up she can easily spot the stealthy, but green clad archer perched across the way. He raises a hand to salute her before he backs up for a running jump. He clears the narrow street and lands beside her with a roll, coming up smoothly as he holds his cap in place.
"Fancing meeting you here," he offers with a lopsided grin, Green Arrow glancing about. "Is crime afoot?," he asks with a wink.
Hells Kitchen is not somewhere that Mari usually ventures but tonight she had a delivery to make. It might seem unusual for a CEO to do that, but Mari McCabe has always been quite hands on - it drives her Board of Directors crazy.
The woman, wearing jeans and t-shirt, blends in somewhat with the environmentm - if you don't discount her bearing, has decided to stop at the local pub for a drink. That was an hour and a half ago. Now, she's leaving. Clearly visible to the two on the roof - with that foxhead pendant about her throat.
Danny checks her phone when it buzzes, looking up with a smirk to wave as Oliver takes his running start. "Not much tonight," she shakes her head, tucking the phone away again. "Everyone's getting home safe. But it's about that time…"
As if on cue, a pair of men follow Mari out of the bar, not particularly stealthily. "Hey!" one of them calls, grinning and elbowing his buddy. "Hey! You need somebody to walk you home?"
"Ah. So it's perv-o'clock. You can set your watch by it," Green Arrow grunts. He adjusts his pointed cap and draws a trick arrow, peering down at the scene below. He doesn't take the initiative, however. He glances over at Danny, letting her take the lead.
Mari turns to look at the two guys, not seeing the people watching from the roof. "I don't think so, thank you." She's the slightest of accents and her teeth flash brightly in the night. "I'm just waiting on my uber to pick me up."
She doesn't look uncomfortable with the situation but she does look like she's taking a defensive posture. Knowing that the neighbourhood isn't great.
"Maybe you should head back on in and get a drink, what do you say?"
"Right?" Danny chuckles, waving off the arrow for the moment. "The only fun part is running bets with myself on whether they're just being garden variety creepers, or if they're going to need some discouragement."
"Last call already went out," the first guy says with a smarmy smile that he probably thinks is charming. "But hey, if you want another drink, you could come back to our place. We've got plenty of good stuff." While the first guy is talking, his buddy keeps walking a few steps, looking at his phone like he's distracted. Of course, it's also seeming to move him where he's cutting off Mari's escape route.
Mari is a woman of middling height and whilst she doesn't look … weak … she probably looks like she's in danger. When her route is blocked, she looks at the thug and sighs.
"Then maybe you should go home before you get hurt. I *really* hadn't intended hurting anyone tonight, but I'll make an exception if I have to." Her fingers flex and the pendant at her throat seems glow faintly. "Please step out of my way." She doesn't back down and if Iron Fist and Green Arrow might think this is all bravado.
"Baby, nobody's gotta get hurt," Smarmy Smile says, taking another step toward Mari. "I promise, you'll like it…"
Behind her, his companion looks like he's about to close in when there's a very quiet sound of footfalls behind him. Danny's made her way across an alley, then down the side of the building in a quick slide down the fire escape to land behind him, catching his arm and twisting it up behind him.
"I think what the lady was saying, was 'no,'" she notes, smiling sweetly.
Smarmy Smile doesn't even get close to Mari, she just smiles and a glowing outline of a silver backed ape seems to envelope her. It takes just a fraction of a second before she pushes him, in the chest, knocking him back towards the wall behind him. "I think you just proved that someone's gotta get hurt." The ex-model smiles. "And I promise you, you won't like it, if you keep on trying."
Her dark eyes cut to Iron Fist, holding the other guy "I'm sorry, you're right. I wasn't explicit. 'No', I'm not interested. Thank you."
"Oh no, don't start apologizing to these geniuses," Danny snorts, one brow arching beneath her mask as she sees Mari make her own display. "But I do think the gorilla's apt. About the same level of communication here. I was just providing a translation."
She puts a little more pressure on her fellow's arm, pushing him up onto his toes to keep from popping his shoulder out of its socket. "Now. What do we say to the nice lady?"
Danny's creeper is quick to shout an apology, after which she releases hm and he takes off down the street. Smarmy Smile, though, has some wounded pride to salve.
"You bitches think you're so hot?" he growls, reaching to the small of his back and pulling out a gun.
"Oh no, I wasn't apologizing to them." Mari's smile is bright despite the gravity of the situation. "I was apologizing to you for not being clear enough. Gorilla, yes. I suppose so. A worm would be more so, but not as an effective, I'm afraid." Her eyes cut back to smarmy smile as he recovers from the push.
"Think I'm hot?" She shakes her head in answer. "Honey, I know I'm hot. I'm paid well because of it." She eyes the gun, the pendant at her neck still glowing a little. "Think carefully before you use that. And think do I feel lucky." She's quoting an old, old movie - and doesn't expect the thug will get quip.
Carefully she moves herself so she can duck in front of Danny if she needs to, but something tells her she might not have to.
"Oh, I mostly think you've made a bad decision," Danny says ruefully as the man pulls out a gun, looking over to Mari as she sets her hands on her hips. "What in your experience so far tonight makes you think any part of pulling a gun on either of us is a good idea?"
You can't say she didn't try, right?
Smarmy Smile looks more uncertain as the women don't back down, the gun wavering in his grasp. Finally, he curses. "Freaks!" he shouts, then takes off running in the opposite direction.
Mari raises her eyebrows as Smarmy Smile decides to bolt. "Be careful which other women you accost tonight. You might not get out with your dignity." She calls after him, not really willing to give chase. She doubts he'll stop his behaviour but he might think twice.
"Well that was exhilirating!" Dusting her hands in an exaggerated gesture, she turns to look at Dani. "Mari McMcabe. McCabe Industries. And thank you for your timely intervention." Danny might have heard of Mari but she's more likely to have heard of Vixen. It's not like Mari tries to hide her identity, she's just not overly active as a hero.
"Iron Fist," Danny introduces herself with an exaggerated bow, smile crooked as she straightens. "I mean, the whole title is a lot longer, but that gets the idea across. Nice to meet you, Mari," she says, stepping over to offer a hand in a friendly gesture. "If I'd've recognized you from the roof, I might've just waited to enjoy the show," she admits, chuckling.
"Nice to meet you, Iron Fist. I'm kind of glad you didn't wait. My Board will have a fit when they know I was down here tonight. They'd have more of a fit if they heard I'd been brawling with two guys. You've save me a heap of bother and a talking to, really."
She stretches are looks around. "I've heard rumours of you, out here. I can imagine it gets busy…"
"Some nights yes, some nights less so," Danny shrugs, looking around just in case there's anything else going on. "Tonight looks like it's one of the slower ones. Which is pretty good, all told. I've heard a thing or two about you," she adds with a flash of a smile. "Glad to see the rumors are true. I like to think that the more times those sorts of jerks get what's coming to them, the sooner it gets through their thick skulls."
"What rumours might those be?" Mari's eyes sparkle as she looks at Danny. She grins, unrepentantly. "Oh well, you know. A girl has to do what a girl has to do. And if it stops slime like that hurting others, then it's good."
"Just don't tell my Board I'm still doing it. They'll try to ground me and then there'll be an argument and it will be … tense." she whispers in a stage whisper and winks.
"But I'm glad to help out as I can. I don't get down this way much and was hoping to avoid any unpleasentness. It's good to make the acquaintance of an … ally." She looks around and then up to the rooves "You out alone? Or do you patrol with others?"
"Usually on my own, but sometimes I run into others." Danny looks over toward the roof she came from, smile crooked. "I thought I had a partner tonight, but it's possible he may have gotten distracted. Or maybe he decided to follow up on our friends. He's not big on guns."
She crosses her arms loosely over her chest, smile easy. "Don't worry though, I won't tell the board. Or add to any rumors. The ones I've heard have been good."
"Oh?" Mari scans the rooftops looking for whoelse might have been there. "Maybe you'll introduce us at some time." The smile doesn't dim, the ex-models charisma on full display. "I get not liking guns, those things are loud." As if that's the only objection one might have to them.
She winks when Danny says she won't tell the Board. "I appreciate that. Maybe I'll give you a tour of the building then." Mari fishes in her bag and hands over a card. "I don't expect to be seeing you, but in case I can help, though you seem to have a handle on things down here."
"I don't mind the rumours. The more people talk about me, the better my stocks are." She's a little incorrigible really. "You been at this long?" The rumours of Iron Fist have been a little sparce but enough to get some feeling on the woman.
Danny takes the card, looking it over. "Nice card stock," she observes, winking as she tucks it away. "I've been at this for a while. Mostly in Chinatown, though. Only starting to branch out to other parts of the city more recently. Not as flashy as people like the Avengers, so I don't usually take on the big crazy things, but I do my best to help people out."
"Thank you. I like quality." Mari grins. She's in a normal pair of jeans and an ordinary t-shirt. "Well, you're doing more than fine and there's more people who need help than the big flashy stuff. Each of us does what we can in our own way, right?"
Her UBER will be here soon. She called before she left the pub.
"You'll let me know if you need help though, won't you? I get a bit of a kick out of doing this stuff." She might be just a little bit of an adrenaline junky.
"I'll give you a call the next time there's need for some gorilla warfare." Oh, Danny. The puns! She doesn't look the least bit embarrassed about it either, grinning broadly. "Seriously though, I'll definitely call you. When I run into something that'll be a good time and won't get you in too much trouble with the board."
She starts to back away as headlights show up down the street, raising a hand to wave even as she hops up to the side of the fire escape. "Nice meeting you!" she calls back, before she's headed back up to the roofs.
"Oh, you're good. I might enjoy working with you at that." Mari just grins at the extremely bad pun. "And I know how to find you, if I need you. I'll just look helpless on the streets down here."
Danny's timing is nearly flawless as Mari's UBER arrives as the woman heads off. "Nice meeting you too, Iron Fist."
Sliding into the vehicle, Mari's words are muffled as she gives instructions to her driver.