maskormenacelogs | If you go chasing rabbits

WHO: Superboy and Artemis
WHERE: The mean streets of Maurtia Falls
WHEN: All of tonight
WHAT: Artemis is having issues with future knowledge so clearly the answer is to go beat up some bad guys.
WARNINGS: Some violence, talk of future deaths

[As promised Superboy and Wolf are both waiting at the Porter at 10 as he planned with his teammate. It wasn't really a surprise that Robin hasn't been getting through to Artemis. She wasn't like their young leader - no, she was more like Superboy when it came to dealing with things like this. Though normally when he gets upset or doesn't want to talk about traumatizing things, he just goes out with Wolf and Sphere to beat some people up or break things. It usually works for him and he comes back ready to actually deal with what's troubling him.

The idea of Artemis being dead in their future doesn't sit well with him, and if it doesn't sit well with him - he can't imagine how she's affected by this.

So this is why they're going out to Maurtia Falls, where there's bound to be plenty of bad guys to catch and maybe hit a few times before that. He had gone last night after talking to M'gann and Robin so he knew they would find something. This place was like the Gotham of their world. Plus it was a Porter hop away unlike some of the other cities that were bound to have crime like New York.

Tonight's plan involved finding some bad guys, not bring up future things and maybe then she'd feel like talking. He wouldn't press her. That wouldn't lead to anything productive. Instead they'd just work out some frustration together.

When he spots her in the dark, he raises a hand.]

Hey.

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[Stepping out into Mauritia Falls feels like coming home. There's a slight chill to the air--just a hint of fall--and of course the smell. Wet dumpsters, car exhaust, that faint open-sewer smell you only find in the alleys behind less than reputable bars. The roaring sound of the canal is slightly jarring, but then a homeless man down the street start shouting about something and really, it could be Gotham.

She spots Superboy and Wolf and nods, making her way towards them.]

Hey. So... you come here often?

[Any other time, Artemis might put a bit of a leer in the question. Yeah, okay, he's M'gann's boy and Artemis respects them both way too much to actually interfere, but there's no harm in admiring the scenery. Hitting on (these days only jokingly) and hitting with (very seriously) are kind of her two speeds when it comes to Superboy.

Right now, she's only in the mood for the latter.]

[It definitely reminds him of Gotham - on a slightly smaller scale. At least to him, considering his real extent of hanging around the Batman's city was traipsing around the sewer system. So far he hasn't heard of any supervillians like Joker or such either. Other people would be better to judge just how alike the two cities really were.

A single nod at her to complete the greeting.]

No. I might start though. Make it a weekly thing if you want to be my partner.

[He noticed last night that there was always something going on - shady deals, violence in back alleys. If Batman and Robin weren't going to claim this city, then Superboy was more than willing to lend a hand in cleaning up the streets.]

[Generally speaking, Artemis also kind of hates Gotham. Absence (and impending doom) make the heart grow fonder, apparently. Yeah, the buildings aren't as tall, and there aren't as many people, but it smells like home. Not a particularly pleasant smell, but then again, the smell of blue cheese makes her want to puke and some people seem to like that.]

Alright then... partner... Where's the action? I seriously need to hit something.

[If it's anything like home, they won't have to look too far.]

[It certainly has the action they're looking for despite the size. Heropa is a town where absolutely nothing seems to really happen unless it gets hit by the Russians. At least, that's how he sees it.

He starts leading them west.]

I scoped this place out yesterday and heard something interesting. An underground gambling ring that gets violent. The boss said they were going to shake down some banker tonight.

[After that, they'll just go with the flow of the city.]

[She follows, automatically checking her gear though really, she'd not feeling the long range tonight. Archery takes precision, concentration, and a clear mind. Right now, she's favoring a more direct approach.]

Then it sounds like we need to shake down a gambling ring.

[Tonight he will definitely watch her back and let her do what she needs to. Artemis needs it more than he does tonight. He motions to a three-story building.]

It's on the other side. There's an alleyway they come out of.

[First they can start out watching and then once they've got enough information, bust in on them.]

[Artemis nods tightly and looks around.]

There. [She points to a dimly lit spot down the alley.] Should give us a good vantage point.

[It would be too far for her to see anything back home, especially in the dark, but here it's not an issue. She may not be able to see through walls, but the smokey interior of the gambling den is perfectly visible to her through a dirty window. And Superboy has his... super... eye... stuff... maybe? Actually, she's not so clear on that now that she knows about the red shields. She figures he'll say something if it doesn't work for him.

She settles down into position. Stakeouts aren't fun for anyone, but at least she's pretty sure Conner won't use this time to ask a lot of questions she doesn't want to answer.

He hasn't brought it up to her once so far, and she is very okay with that. After things blew up with Robin, she's officially over talking about it.]

[If this were any other mission, he wouldn't hesitate to slap on one of those shields. X-ray vision would be helpful but he can also get away with just his infrared. He isn't too worried about seeing the actual detail of the room.

So for now he goes without. Things might change later on though depending on what happens.

And Artemis shouldn't feel too left out - Superboy hasn't told anyone about the shields.

She gets a silent nod before he follows her and crouches down behind her.]

I count eight. [Is what he says after a minute.]

[She had seven, but now that he mentions it she can see a square of fabric that could be someone's sleeve. So eight it is.

One of the figures inside moves and the door opens, creating a bright halo of light on the damp pavement of the alley. Artemis freezes, but the man simply steps to the left of the door and takes on a familiar bodyguard stance, hands clasped in front of him.

Just one guard? It's like they're not even trying.

She glances back at Superboy and tilts her head towards the lone guard questioningly. It's times like this that M'gann's telepathic link really comes in handy because she'd like to make a crack about underprepared criminals but it's not worth breaking cover.]

[It comes in handy but if anyone can do this without words, it's the two of them. He has enough stuff crammed into his head by the genomorphs that military hand signals can be a thing tonight.

So SB motions that she take the guard and he'll back her up.]

[Artemis's may not have had military hand signals fed directly into her brain, but she's followed Sportsmaster's lead for most of her life. She's good at nonverbal.

She nods and moves out of their spot, sticking to the shadows and selecting an arrow from her quiver. She fires and a bolo wraps itself around the guard, pining his arms to his sides and making him stumble. Artemis is on him before he can raise the alarm, knocking him out with her bow.

She gestures to the door. Time to make their move before anyone inside notices something amiss.]

[While Artemis takes care of the guard, Superboy keeps his eyes and ears open in order to make sure no one makes a move towards the pair. It wouldn't do to have his teammate attacked from behind.

When the guy is down, he moves out from their earlier hiding spot to join her. One motion to the door is all it takes.

He knocks. The Superboy way. AKA, punches the door in so that it flies off the hinges and hits the guy standing in the way of the metal thing. It takes a minute for the gunfire to start up - the people inside shocked by the sudden intrusion but SB doesn't bother ducking. Kryptonian shield while they empty out the clips.

There's a lull as the guys inside reload, perfect time for them to take action.]

If you go chasing rabbits

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