Summary:Daredevil finds Ranna in Hell's Kitchen - much to the womans disgust. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Ranna had left the alley where she'd spoken with Shiranui about half an hour ago. The job in the greasy spoon isn't the greatest but it's enough to pay the rent on a room in an apartment and keep her fed. With The Order cutting her off and Shadow Stalker after her, the small dark skinned woman, is carefully as she stalks through the streets.
She … stinks. Of grease and not very good food. The scent permeating the collared t-shirt she wears.
There is no mistaking her. The subtle hint of augmentation to the steady and slow heartbeat. The pace of her footsteps giving insight into the woman who fought at his side. The way she smelled not only of grease and fried food, but of that oil that had gleamed on the edges of those chakram. It was all a tangible melange of sensory input that spoke to him of Ryoshi. The one who fought.
When she turns down the street and takes a corner further into Hell's Kitchen, she likely doesn't see the shadow with its heavy darkness above her. Nor will she hear the faint shifting movement of the lithe athletic silhouette that drops down to perch upon the end railing of a fire escape that she walks past.
Then his voice is heard as he says quietly, "You seem tired. Weary." Then his brow knits slightly as he adds, "And a little shorter than I remember." Perhaps it's the shoes.
It's probably not the shoes. Ranna is tiny. She possibly seemed taller when she was fighter because she leapt and tumbled. It's also not just the oil on the Chakrams, it's the strange metallic scent that clings to her - rare, exceedingly so.
When the voice comes, the Order ninja tenses, the scales of metal that cover the bracers she wears on her arms sliding free and forming her chakrams.
ense, Ranna peers into the gloom and up at the figure. "Long shift. Even longer one tomorrow." She says. Can he sense the residual pain from Shiranui's visit? Sense the way the implants fire randomly?
"It's not our time to meet yet."
The way Daredevil perches there, seemingly unmoving, unfidgeting. Just settled and with his lower features visible against the faint illumination of a neon sign nearby, it makes him look almost inhuman. But then his lip twists up a little as he rolls forwards smoothly, soundlessly, then drops to the ground in front of her. A good bit taller than her as he says, "I didn't know we had a fixed schedule."
Though they did have a plan to meet to discover what was found amongst the shrine and the wreckage.
"I wanted to know what you would share with me of your clan. And why they are allied with the Hand." His head is tilted slightly to the side, as if he were looking past her and over her shoulder. "If you can share that."
"You said to meet you in a couple of nights from now …" Ranna points out frowning. "How … did you know it was me? I have to have the worst kept identity ever." She mutters, looking up and then up some more when he straightens in front of her.
The chakrams are still held in each hand, ready to use if necessary.
"I … didn't think the Order was allied with them. Not until Shiranui gave me the data …" The woman sighs, brushing her hair back with the back of her hand. "What do you want to know? I … don't know much. Yet."
Arms folding over his chest he steps back to lean against the wall in that alleyway, and perhaps that surrender of space might make it easier for her to join him there in the shadows. But his answer to her is calmly delivered, without admonition. "No matter what you end up doing with your life, and how tired you may be, when you move you move like a warrior, Ryoshi." Though it was perhaps that… as well as a few other things.
But then she says those last few words to him he nods once and murmurs, "Anything you can share. I haven't found anymore Hand in the area, nor that one we fought. I don't believe they've surrendered the efforts."
He turns his head slightly in her direction, "I'm hoping you can help me."
"Many people in this town move like a warrior, Diablo." The woman mutters, letting the chakrams melt back onto braces in small metal like scales. Normally it would be enough to draw comment, but what is it Daredevil sees when that happens?
"The shadows again. What is it with the men in my life?" That's to herself, not loud enough for most to hear to it as she joins the red suited there, but stays upright.
"The Hand is working in Staten Island at the moment but they're moving this way. If they consecrated a shrine, it won't be long." She tells him. "Shadow Stalker, that's the one you mean? He is … The Order of Si Fan. One of our best. Sent to silence and retrieve me for crimes against The Order." The Order of Si Fan, Daredevil might have heard of them. A mystical group that deals in martial arts and technology bent, unsurprinsingly, on world domination.
Now Ranna brushes her hair back in earnest, fixing Daredevil with a look. "It's Ranna when I'm like this. Not Ryoshi. But from what I can piece together, The Order is working with The Hand to develop drugs and build an army. What we aren't sure of, is why. It seems unlikely The Hand and The Order are doing this just for the drugs - unless there's something about them. It might be a front for something else."
She hasn't mentioned the fate of Shadow Stalker, yet.
Silence comes from him at first, paying attention to her words as he keeps his arms folded over his chest and his apparent gaze distanced. "Mmm," He says quietly as she gives her insight and he listens with a calm clarity that doesn't seem to fit his diabolic garb at all. At one point when she mentions the Si Fan, he turns his head to the side and frowns but nods as she elaborates further.
"What has passed for Shadow Stalker? He seemed to be the best of what they had on hand. If we find him we likely find their focus." Or their base of operations as the case may be.
But then he seems to come to a decision and tells her, "The people around here call me the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. But others call me Daredevil." Since really, Diablo is some other guy.
Daredevil might also note that Ranna says 'we' when she speaks. "You have heard of The Order?" She noted the way his head turned. There's something … slightly off about the way that he moves but she can't put her finger on it.
"Last I heard, via Shiranui, is he has moved down New Jersey. He will be back though, they don't let traitors go. I'm not sure he was bought here for that or if his purpose was to find and finish me. But don't worry, he'll be found soon enough, or will show himself."
She's still here and alive, she's a draw.
"I know, you told us. Diablo seems appropriate." There's a lift of the womans shoulder as she answers. "I was going to look for you tonight …"
That surprises him, though there is no deception in her words, her pulse remains steady, and there is not the tell tale rush of scent and flush of sweat that comes when one is trying to push an untruth past the man who knows no fear. Yet he remains still, eerily unmoving even to fidget or release whatever tension there may be. It only serves to accentuate the other gestures he does make, however.
"Well it seems you may have found me." The red lenses in his mask reflect her image back to her as he seems to watch beyond her, his arms still crossed and at rest.
"What is it you'd like to ask me? I owe you a few answers at the least."
5r
Either Ranna is very good at controlling her responses, the implants are messing enough with her system that allows the telltale signs to be masked or she's telling the truth.
What he does get now is the discomfit that he was expecting - but not that of a lie. That of someone who has to reveal something uncomfortable.
"I … need help. Medical help but … I can't go to the hospitals, they won't know what to do." the brunette says slowly. "I … have implants. Some in my brain and some in the base of my spine. The ones in my spine are damaged and designed to kill me if they are - that they haven't yet, is … just luck, I believe."
As to questions for him, there's another shrug of the shoulder. "Where did you learn to fight? Not with The Hand, The Order or The Project."
The tendons in his jaw bunch as she reveals the nature of her problems, and that is perhaps the subtle changes to the sounds of her heartbeat, roar of her pulse. These implants that might well be preying upon her with their damaged efforts. His brow furrows and he murmurs, "I have some contacts at a hospital."
He pushes away from the wall and takes a step closer toward her. One gloved hand lifts to lightly reach towards her though he hesitates as he asks, "May I?" And if she agrees only then will she feel the light pressure of his hand upon the supple curve of her neck.
What he is doing she might not be able to tell, for the fingertips just rest there. But it allows him to feel the tension in her neck, the way that the blood rushes through her carotid artery under the slight firmness of his thumb. He turns his head to the side and away as if listening to something… And then as quick as it had settled upon her, his touch slips away.
"I can have them reach out to others on my behalf. I could possibly help you get treated. But something like this… you'll need a Reed Richards or a Tony Stark."
The bunching tendons in Daredeivils jaw has Ranna stepping back a pace and raising her arms. "I don't know a hospit—-" She nods at the question though, turning and sweeping the ponytail to the side, dropping her chin forward so he can access her neck.
"Wha what are you doing?" To Daredevils sensitive touch, he can feel the microscopic implant embedded there, the tiny amounts of energy that it emits in a stuttering and starting way. Not enough to affect her now, but will it deterioate? What happens with the next fight she gets into?
"I know of them but don't know them … " She's worried about the cost, but what price her life? "Is … there no one else?"
"I'm not an expert, Ranna." He says her name now, his tone gentler as he can definitely tell that she is speaking the truth and she is burdened with a hard situation to overcome. "Perhaps there is something else or an expert that can help you, but it seems beyond the normal skills of most doctors." At least he's never encountered anything like that.
"SHIELD might be able to help, they have scientists of good caliber." He steps back to give her room, turning to face her fully. "Or we can try and find what we can about the Si Fan and perhaps see if there are experts we can contact that have worked for them."
A frown, "But there's no harm in having my friend look at you. She can be trusted." As she's cared for him in the past as well.
"Your friend? Not Stark or Richards? Who is she?" Ranna turns back, letting the ponytail fall down her back again. "I will keep finding what I can about them but … I got files from the offices in Staten Island. There's a lot of information about my operation in it."
"Maybe that will help …"
"Can we start with your friend? And what will it cost me? I'll have to work extra shifts."
"She's a nurse," Daredevil steps back, "She works at St. Vincent's in Midtown. But she's very good and will know which direction to point us in." And all of a sudden it's 'us' as he connects himself to her efforts. He turns his head, frowning as if he heard something distantly. Again his jaw tenses, but he shifts his attention back towards her.
"There won't be a charge at first." But then his lip twists up a little, "Though we'll have to listen to her grouse about her shiftwork. And for not coming to her earlier."
He lifts a gauntleted hand and waves it slightly to the side, "But beyond that. Can take it a step at a time."
"Alright. If we could. I don't want it to hurt when Shiranui uses his abilities and I don't want to kill him, like I was when they were working."
That's likely to get a raise of eyebrows under that mask. "Why are you helping me? You don't know me." That's the not first time she's asked that question tonight, either.
There really isn't more to be done than take it a step at a time. Ranna is just going to have be careful. Very, very careful.
"Just raised wrong I suppose." Daredevil's answer is a little amused as he steps to the side and hooks the lowest rung on the fire escape's ladder. He uses it to twist and flip himself upwards with the slow precision of an Olympic gymnast, twisting his legs inwards and then making the last vault. It allows him to land with barely a sound.
"I'll find you again soon, and we'll go speak to the nurse. From there, who knows?"
That said he proceeds to scale up the ladder, then makes the leap out across the abyss to the next rooftop. He lands without a sound, rises, then disappears from view.