[CENTER][H2][b][color=slategray]E P I S O D E   I:   R E B I R T H[/color][/b][/H2][/CENTER]
[Color=DARKORANGE][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]L O U I S I A N A :[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][INDENT][sup][COLOR=SILVER]July 17[SUP]th[/SUP], 2017 - 19:51 | Whiskey Street - St. Roch[/COLOR][/sup][/INDENT][/COLOR]
[INDENT][INDENT]As usual, the crowds did a very good job of making The Warden nerveous. On the bright side, there were way less people staring at him than usual. he half-heartedly danced (very badly) as they moved through the crowds, picking up some beads at some point along the way, as well as some compliments on his very realistic costume.

[color=007236]"Thank you... it's, uh. it's paper mache. Don't touch it though, very delicate."[/color]

Rose points out that the museum is ahead and The Warden realizes that he doesn't particularly have a plan from there. 

[i]Perhaps she has one?... Perhaps the best plan is to walk in blindly on purpose?... We are here to draw attention...

But conga?...[/i] 

He shrugs, and joins in behind Q.

Eventually, they make it down to the museum, and The Warden breaks off as quickly as he is able, neither him nor the Question seeming that comfortable about the arrangement to begin with. [i]quite, at least. can think again.[/i]

He turns to Ravager: [color=007236]"So. Lion man. Can't be too hard to find?"[/color]

[COLOR=DARKORANGE][B]"You wouldn't think so."[/B][/COLOR] She muttered from atop Lizard's shoulders. 

Question, not used to being in such close proximity to a female, tries to hide his discomfort as they make their way through the crowd. [color=0072bc]"Just need to get to museum. Lion man should still be there. If not, will search for clues until we find where he went."[/color] He pauses, looking around the crowd for a moment, then says: [color=0072bc]"Festivals. Never been to one. Not many in the Hub."[/color]

[COLOR=DARKORANGE][B]"Awful city, easy for work though."[/B][/COLOR] Rose replied hearing the Question mention his old stomping ground. [COLOR=DARKORANGE][B]"Lot of scum on your streets. Would be a lot less if I still used lethal force."[/B][/COLOR] She stated, bitterness evident in the latter part of her statement even as she tried to smile it off as a joking remark. 

Beneath his blank mask, Question raised an eyebrow. [color=0072bc][i]'Hurm. Used lethal force at a time. As a vigilante? Unlikely. Not condoned. Mayhaps a criminal in past? Interesting theory. Must investigate further.'[/i][/color] After finishing up his internal monologue, Question replied: [color=0072bc]"Lowlifes meet to discuss their crimes amidst heroin and booze every night. Evil will always exist, and with it scum who endorse it. Doesn't matter how many you kill... Remove one, two take his place."[/color] The faceless detective's usually monotone voice was laced with a slight hint of anger, barely detectable to most.

[COLOR=GREENYELLOW]"My old man said. Crime doesn't just exist 'cause people wanna do bad things. Is often times, cause they got non'hing better to do,"[/COLOR] replied Lizard, as they exchanged beliefs. [COLOR=GREENYELLOW]"Or rather, no other choice."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREENYELLOW]"While it's sometimes hard to see - why must some damned live, while Innocents die. It's said those rules protect us. Cause, if we brake those rulers - how long until we turn on the criminal whose simply stealing - since he got no choice in life?"[/COLOR] she asked. [COLOR=GREENYELLOW]"Justice is about reform, not punishing."[/COLOR]

With a disbelieving snort of laughter, Question says: [color=0072bc]"No choice? Always a choice. Don't tell me they didn't have choice. Could have followed in the footsteps of good people, honest people, but didn't. Took easy way. Evil way. Compromised. No good person will compromise for anything."[/color]

Lizard chuckled out at that, laughing at Question' reply. [COLOR=GREENYELLOW]"Sure - a choice between starving or crime. Tell me something Question - do you think the laws that govern us are absolute?"[/COLOR] she asked from the man, eager to her his reply to that.

Behind his pseudoderm mask, Question narrowed his eyes. [color=0072bc]"Laws may not be absolute, but without them, world would be in perpetual chaos. Better to have book of rules and not need it, than to need it and not have it."[/color]

[COLOR=GREENYELLOW]"My old man had a better saying. People make the rules and law - not the other way around,"[/COLOR] she replied. [COLOR=GREENYELLOW]"I am not saying - we don't need rules and law. What I am saying is, there needs to be a difference. On how people are judged for the crimes they commit. Not everybody does something out of malice. Some people have no other choice."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREENYELLOW]"Look at me. Question. Do I look like somebody - whom the laws will protect?"[/COLOR] she asked, looking at him - and giving him a rather interesting question to answer.

[color=0072bc]"... Spent late childhood and adolescence in run-down home for problem children, in the slums of the Hub. No one protected myself or the other smaller children when the older kids would beat on us. Why? They didn't think we were worth protecting. Just a bunch of troublemakers that would grow up to be career criminals."[/color]

After a moment of silence, the faceless hero releases a shuddering sigh, then looks at Lizard and continues: [color=0072bc]"Understand what you mean. Law doesn't care for people it views as sub-human. But criminals always have choice, even when they think there isn't. Could choose crime or continue trying to live normal life. But they chose easy way. Evil way. Will not pity them when they dug their own grave."[/color]

[COLOR=GREENYELLOW]"Wouldn't then...what your doing, being a vigilante be a crime?"[/COLOR] asked Lizard in reply, pointing her finger at him. [COLOR=GREENYELLOW]"Isn't it a crime - when the police officer, shoots the unarmed boy - cause he thought he had a gun? Isn't it a crime - when millions of dollars are stolen from companies, while their employees are forced into poverty. Not because they did crime - because somebody thought greed was more important then common decency...."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREENYELLOW]"Your too idealistic Question. Thinking everything is painted in black and white, good and evil. The truth is, everything is just a shade of gray. There is bad, and then there is worse..."[/COLOR] she replied.

[COLOR=GREENYELLOW]"Criminals don't always had a choice. Like you. Can you blame, if anybody of your kind were arrested for squating or hitch-hiking? Or if somebody made up a claim - that you were stealing something?"[/COLOR] she hummed. [COLOR=GREENYELLOW]"Poverty doesn't come knocking. Yes, there are some - whom do crime, simply for the greed or rush of it. But there are criminals, whom you would call it - who have either the choice of starvation and likely death. Or stealing to survive."[/COLOR]

[COLOR=GREENYELLOW]"Also...there is the type of crime - where the law is abused and used by those with money and power to get more. I may be a home-schooled kid, but I can easily see - how the dumping of toxic chemicals in our local swamps...is NOT legal in the moral or legal stand-point."[/COLOR]

[color=0072bc]"You're right. Law can be manipulated. Seen far too many corporate and political scandals to say it can't. But..."[/color] Before Question could continue, Rose intervened:

[COLOR=DARKORANGE][B]"I think we're losing focus at the task at hand."[/B][/COLOR] Rose interjected as the debate between Question and Lizard began to flare up. She couldn't care less about either opinion, let alone how it reflected on her own. Rose knew she was [i]fucked[/i] in the head, and did not need someone else to remind of it. [i]Hell[/i], she had enough [i]'mentors'[/i] who did it on a weekly basis. 

[COLOR=DARKORANGE][B]"We're about to go right by the museum, y'know the one where [I]Fred[/I] here wants us to split up and look for clues in."[/B][/COLOR] She sneered, pushing off of Lizard's shoulders, doing a somersault through the air before landing on her own two feet again. [COLOR=DARKORANGE][B]"Thanks for the ride, I enjoyed being on top."[/B][/COLOR] Rose teased Lizard, winking with her one eye.

[COLOR=GREENYELLOW]"Hehehehe. Your most welcome gal. So? Shall we head on inside? I can smell out anything inside. Unless, they haven't hung out meat on the various museum art pieces,"[/COLOR] spoke Lizard, smiling back at Rose.

Previously liking Ravager, Warden finds her quickness to mock the Question to be rather distastful, and notes it, ignoring the bad taste in his mouth about it for now. [color=007236]"Ravager. We shall face him head on. let them do the sneaky things. Is there a tour guide around? They may have seen him"[/color] he asks as he goes off to find just that. 

[COLOR=DARKORANGE][B]"If there was a tour guide that saw a man-lion, what do you reckon the chances of them being alive?"[/B][/COLOR] Rose asked Warden as she checked her pistols, taking the safety off and ensuring they were fully loaded. [COLOR=DARKORANGE][B]"You ask me, if he's in there, it'll be plainly obvious. If he's not there, it's our job to watch their backs,"[/B][/COLOR] She tilted her head towards Question and Lizard. [COLOR=DARKORANGE][B]"In case of ambush or whatever other tricks he has up his proverbial sleeves."[/B][/COLOR]

[color=007236]"I... do suppose that is probably likely. But still. Could be a nice giant cat man"[/color] The Warden shrugs.  

[COLOR=GREENYELLOW]"If he was nice, he likely wouldn't have kidnapped and taken the man into a Museum and held him for-"[/COLOR] spoke Lizard, before scratching her chin.

[COLOR=GREENYELLOW]"Speaking of which - why did this guy kidnap our target? Money, fame? Glory? Political point?"[/COLOR] asked Lizard, as they snuck inside the Museum in the commotion.

[COLOR=DARKORANGE][B]"Now there's a question,"[/B][/COLOR] Rose replied with a smirk. [COLOR=DARKORANGE][B]"For the Question, So how about it Q, you got any motives cooking up in that head of yours?"[/B][/COLOR]

Question placed a hand on his chin, pondering this for a moment. [color=0072bc]"Perpetrator is animal-human hybrid. Perhaps gone feral? Possibility. Perhaps has grudge against hostage? Also possible. Final theory: lion man is in league with Illuminati and is tying up loose ends. Only likely motives I can think of without clues to go off of."[/color]

[COLOR=DARKORANGE][B]"Really?"[/B][/COLOR] Rose asked in a deadpan voice. [COLOR=DARKORANGE][B]"Those are the only motives you can think up?"[/B][/COLOR]

[color=0072bc]"Human-lion hybrid has captured archaeologist. Seems more like set-up for joke than reality. Guesses as to motive are few and far between, doubly so without context."[/color] Question replied, shoving his hands into his trench coat pocket. 

After a moment, he added: [color=0072bc]"Or perhaps wants money or fame, as Lizard suggested. Maybe doing it for laughs."[/color]

[COLOR=GREENYELLOW]"Whatever the case, let's move in,"[/COLOR] spoke Lizard, as they soon entered the Museum. Her nose immediately getting to work, as she sniffed the air around them.[/INDENT][/INDENT]