[CENTER][COLOR=SLATEGRAY][SUB][sub][h3][I]“The ‘Haven cops are cut in to look the other way. I’m not in on the [b]deal[/b]. I don’t have to play [b]nice[/b].”[/I][/h3][/sub][/SUB][/COLOR]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/GaffFgn.png[/img][/CENTER][COLOR=STEELBLUE][indent][sub][B]Location:[/B] [COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE][I]Blüdhaven,[/I] - [I]NJ, United States of America[/I][/COLOR][/sub][sup][right][b]Hard Day's Knight #1.01:[/b] [COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE][I]Working Like A Dog[/I][/COLOR][/right][/sup][/indent][/color][sub][hr][/sub][INDENT][color=STEELBLUE][sub][B]Interaction(s):[/B] [COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE][I]None[/I][/COLOR][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][color=#2c2c2c][b]Previously:[/b][/COLOR] [URL=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5287575][COLOR=2c2c2c][I]None[/I][/COLOR][/URL][/right][/SUP][/color]
[INDENT][color=darkgray][COLOR=WHITE]“Grayson, if even a [b]drop[/b] of that milkshake ends up in my cruiser I’m going to make sure the Sarge busts you right back down to a meter maid.”[/COLOR] 

Her tone was harsh and authoritative, but Dick had worked alongside Detective Amy Rohrbach enough over the last few years to know to look into her eyes to see if she was simply busting his balls. After all, every other cruiser on the streets of Blüdhaven was covered in a fine dust of icing sugar, the stench of cigar smoke and more grease stains than a freshman’s college dorm. In comparison, a spilled milkshake would still make for an immaculate car.

Sliding into the passenger seat, Dick took an intentionally long slurp of the thick beverage. Watching Amy’s reaction out of the corner of his eye, he quickly fastened his seat belt with his freehand before the large, unmarked car pulled away from the small diner. 

[COLOR=WHITE]“Can’t you just drink coffee like everyone else on the force? I swear, if you have a sugar crash on me in the middle of this case-”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“The whole ‘mother thing’ doesn’t really have an off button does it?”[/COLOR] Dick teased, interrupting the detective mid-tirade.

[COLOR=WHITE]“Careful, Grayson.”[/COLOR] Amy responded, lifting a hand from the wheel to wag a finger towards the younger man, [COLOR=WHITE]“You keep giving me lip and it’s bed early and no cellphone for a month. That means no more talking to your little girlfriends.”[/COLOR]

A grin crossed Dick’s face. The ‘little girlfriends’ always blowing up his phone weren’t exactly who or what Amy thought they were. At the age of twelve, Dick had been trained by Gotham’s Batman to be his first Robin. In the years that had passed, Dick had grown from a kid to an adult and through that time had led the first iteration of the Titans, adopted his own identity in the mantle of Nightwing and even filled in as Batman on more than one occasion. In the time since Dick had left the nest, his adoptive father had continued to induct others into their mission. It was these other ‘Robins’ and ‘Batgirls’ who he frequently texted. They were a family, as close as siblings with the rivalries to prove this. 

Which of course meant that Dick had to ensure [i]he[/i] sent the best memes.

Taking another sip of his milkshake, the junior detective turned his attention back to Amy who had turned her own focus on navigating the busy streets of the ‘Haven.

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“Hey, have you ever wondered why Mr. Freeze doesn’t just give up crime and like, open an ice cream truck?”[/COLOR] Dick asked with a smirk, [COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“I bet he could make a fortune with something like that, his name already sounds like it should be on the side of an ice cream treat of some kind.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=WHITE]“You’re a strange one, Grayson. I’m going to do you a favour and chalk it up to being raised by an eccentric billionaire.”[/COLOR] Amy snickered in response.

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“You think that’s strange?”[/COLOR] Dick retorted, [COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“Last night I had a dream I became the BPD’s Commissioner and they partnered me with a robot. It was like the oddest movie trailer, Turner and Hooch meets like Big Hero Six or something. And through the whole thing, all I could hear was the Backstreet Boys playing in the background. I am not getting ‘[i]Everybody[/i]’ out of my head anytime soon.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=WHITE]“That was not an invitation to share, Grayson.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“The worst of it really is that Bruce raised me to be strictly an N’sync guy…”[/COLOR]

Amy shook her head while taking a corner. [COLOR=WHITE]“Stop, just stop.”[/COLOR] She laughed, [COLOR=WHITE]“Get some help.”[/COLOR]

Suddenly the car’s radio lit up, the conversation interrupted by a crackle of static before it came to life.

[COLOR=WHITE]“All units, we have a 10-64 on the corner of Dixon and Peterson. Requesting units to respond.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“10-4,”[/COLOR] Dick replied, grabbing a hold of the car’s radio. [COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“Grayson and Rohrbach responding.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=WHITE]“Hey, hero!”[/COLOR] Amy chided from the driver’s seat. [COLOR=WHITE]“We’ve been over this, that’s a 10-64, it’s only a crime in progress. Let the black and whites respond, no one requested detectives on the scene. We already have our own case.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“We’re the closest unit,”[/COLOR] Dick argued back, his tone turning steely, [COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“And you know what the [i]vast majority[/i] of the black and whites are like. They’re going to take their time to get their cut.”[/COLOR]

Amy let out a deep sigh.

[COLOR=WHITE]“I like you, Grayson, I do. You’ve got spirit and you’ve got cajones to spare. But you kick the hornet’s nest and you’re going to get stung. Just be sure you don’t bring the swarm down on those closest to you too.”[/COLOR] She warned before flicking the switch to light up the unmarked cruiser. 

[COLOR=WHITE]“Now, let's go show those clowns how to do their jobs.”[/COLOR]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/7UYV8W5.png[/img]

The corner of Dixon and Peterson held Blüdhaven’s branch of Gotham’s Merchant Bank. A monument of a building, its large columns towered above the heavy double doors that allowed the general populace to pass through each and every day. Though despite its size, this bank was still considerably smaller than its parent branch in Gotham City proper.

Standing in the middle of the main lobby was a man dressed in an obviously homemade costume. The ill-fitting yellow morph suit did little favours to the man’s physique, and the red question mark on his chest was blatantly held in place by a pair of oversized safety pins. However, the gun he was waving around was in fact, very real.

People sat on either side of the room, their wrists and ankles neatly restrained by zip-tie. Their eyes darted back and forth from one another to the man in the center of the room as a mix of confusion and fear fell over the people held inside the bank.

The man hadn’t made any demands, he entered the bank and pointed the gun before forcing the security guards to disarm and then restrain everyone. In any other city, someone might have put up more of a fight, but in Blüdhaven, if someone comes into town sporting clown makeup or punctuation on their chest, you simply comply out of fear of how much worse things could get.

After everyone was restrained, the man in yellow spandex forced a wet cloth over the faces of each of the guards who were now slumped over unconscious while the question mark man continued to scribble on a piece of paper. But the yellow man kept repeatedly scratching out whatever he had written only to toss the rejected note away before starting the entire process over again. The floor around him was littered with discarded notes. 

The entire display might have led some to believe this man was entirely incompetent as a criminal. Yet up until this point, he had displayed perfect effectiveness. He was trained, and efficient, it was like doing the steps of a familiar dance and yet, something had been lost, here and now he was struggling.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/7UYV8W5.png[/img]

As Dick had stated previously, he and Amy were the closest unit in the area and they arrived on the scene before any other members of Blüdhaven’s [i]finest[/i].

[COLOR=WHITE]“What’s your plan here, Grayson?”[/COLOR] Rohrbach asked, [COLOR=WHITE]“Protocol is to call for backup.”[/COLOR]

Dick knew what protocol was, the problem with protocol is that it meant waiting for the cops who were likely on the payroll of whoever was in that bank. If he could ditch Amy, he could have performed a quick costume change backstage and handled the situation himself but unfortunately, that wasn’t possible at this moment.

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“We need eyes on the situation.”[/COLOR] Dick replied, [COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“I want to know what’s going on inside before we call for anyone else.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=WHITE]“There’s a man with a gun!”[/COLOR] A woman shouted towards the two detectives. [COLOR=WHITE]“He just showed up in this awful costume and started shooting.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“We weren’t informed of any shots fired,”[/COLOR] Dick muttered out of the side of his mouth to Amy who nodded before reaching for the car radio. 

[COLOR=WHITE]“Dispatch, I’m going to need medical at Gotham’s Merchant Bank on Dixon and Peterson.”[/COLOR] Rohrbach requested while Dick approached the distressed woman.

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“Did you see what happened?”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=WHITE]“He just went in and started shooting, I think he’s holding them hostage.”[/COLOR] The woman replied, clearly in distress.

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“Who is in there?”[/COLOR] Dick asked in a calm tone.

[COLOR=WHITE]“M-my-my son,”[/COLOR] The woman responded, choking back tears as she frantically ran a hand through her hair. [COLOR=WHITE]“He was so proud to be depositing his first paycheque, I thought this kind of stuff only happened in Gotham.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“You said there was only one shooter?”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=WHITE]“Y-yeah, just some lunatic in a yellow costume. He had like a dollar sign or an ‘S’ or something on his chest.”[/COLOR] 

Raising an eyebrow, Grayson began running through his mind for the list of usual suspects. Sure, it could have been a new guy on the block, but with how cleanly a single person pulled this off, he had to admit, the lady was likely right. This was a run-off from Gotham.

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“Can you take a deep breath for me?”[/COLOR] Dick smiled at the woman. [COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“We’re going to resolve this situation, we’re going to get your son back safely. Close your eyes and take a couple deep breaths. Do you remember exactly what symbol was on the man’s chest?”[/COLOR] 

Following Dick’s instructions, the woman took several short breaths before breathing deeply. Closing her eyes and repeating the process a few more times, her mouth opened.

[COLOR=WHITE]“It was a question mark!”[/COLOR] She exclaimed. [COLOR=WHITE]“I’m sure of it, I can see him getting out of the taxi and walking into the bank. He was wearing a yellow suit with a red question mark.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“You’ve been very helpful, Ma’am!”[/COLOR] Dick thanked her rushing back to the cruiser. 

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“I need to know how recently Titus Czonka was released from Blackgate.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=WHITE]“Who?”[/COLOR] Rohrbach asked.

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“Titus Czonka, he’s known as the Baffler. Used to work for Cluemaster in Gotham, after Cluemaster was busted by the Bat, Titus went out on his own. He’s got the heist part of the gig down, he can enter a room and control it, but he feels compelled to try to leave a clue behind to ‘baffle’ the police. Unlike either Cluemaster or the Riddler though, Titus doesn’t really have a way with words and he usually falters at this point in his plan.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=WHITE]“You have got to be the biggest Batman fanb-”[/COLOR] Rohrbach was cut off by the sound of sirens coming down the street. 

[COLOR=WHITE]“Looks like backup is her-”[/COLOR] She turned to Grayson only to realize that Dick was no longer standing beside her but instead was rushing to enter the bank.

[COLOR=WHITE]“Grayson!”[/COLOR] Amy roared, but it fell on deaf ears as Dick was already through the doors of Gotham’s Merchant Bank. 

[img]https://i.imgur.com/7UYV8W5.png[/img]

[COLOR=WHITE]“A clue for you, my friend to the end…”[/COLOR] Titus muttered to himself before angrily scratching out another note. [COLOR=WHITE]“No, no that’s not right either! Damnit! Why can’t I get this?”[/COLOR]

The Baffler’s voice rang out through the high vaulted ceilings of the bank’s lobby. Echoing through the whole room, Dick knew the other man was far too distracted to be paying attention as he slowly entered the room. Making eye contact with the nearest hostage, the junior detective raised a finger to his lips.

Leaving his weapon holstered, Dick took a few more steps forward until he was sure he was close enough to control the situation should things go south. Clearing his throat, Dick watched Titus practically jump out of his skin before the man scrambled for his weapon and pointed it towards the officer.

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“You don’t want to do that, Titus.”[/COLOR] Dick stated, gesturing with his head towards the gun. [COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“We both know you’ve never shot anyone, in fact looking around this room I can clearly see each of these people are unharmed. You can walk away from all this.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=WHITE]“No, no I can’t.”[/COLOR] Titus argued in almost a childlike demeanour, [COLOR=WHITE]“People need to know the Baffler, they need to respect the Baffler!”[/COLOR] He boasted.

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“If you pull that trigger, the only way you’re walking out of here is in a body bag.”[/COLOR] Grayson retorted. [COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“The only one of us who will be remembered is me, you’ll just be a ‘botch bank robbery’.”[/COLOR]

Titus’ brow furled at Dick’s words, the gun lowering a little bit before he straightened his arms and held it out again.

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“Titus, I’m not messing around. Right now, there are two cruisers full of cops out there who are being told that you’ve already fired that weapon, now I know that’s not true. But if you shoot me, who is going to tell them that? They’ll fire first and ask questions later, especially to save one of their own.”[/COLOR] 

[COLOR=WHITE]“I need to do this.”[/COLOR] The Baffler muttered, his brow beginning to bead with sweat.

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“Why?”[/COLOR] Dick asked, taking a step closer while Titus continued to train the gun on him. [COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“To prove to Cluemaster that you’re just as good, if not better than he is? Cluemaster does not care, I guarantee he hasn’t thought about you for one second while he’s sitting in Blackgate.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=WHITE]“That’s not true!”[/COLOR] Titus protested.

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“Do you know who will remember you?”[/COLOR] Grayson motioned to the people sitting around, [COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“These people, they’ll remember you when you let them go, and that’ll make you better than Cluemaster. The woman outside? She’ll remember you as actually having a heart and letting her son go.”[/COLOR]

The Baffler lowered the gun, thinking his options through. Suddenly the doors to the bank burst open, startling the criminal. The muzzle of his gun flashed as screams filled the lobby.

[COLOR=WHITE]“Grayson!”[/COLOR] Rohrbach’s voice barely breached the audible din as she entered the room flanked by uniformed officers.

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“Everyone stand down!”[/COLOR] Dick ordered from the middle of the room. He had kicked Titus’ weapon behind himself and was currently applying pressure to the other man’s foot. 

[COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“I’m going to need paramedics here.”[/COLOR] He called towards Amy, [COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE]“He managed to shoot himself in the foot.”[/COLOR]

[COLOR=WHITE]“Grayson,”[/COLOR] Amy sighed as the officers began freeing the hostages, [COLOR=WHITE]“I just want to reiterate one thing.”[/COLOR] She stated before smacking Dick across the back of the head.

[COLOR=WHITE]“Get some help.”[/COLOR][/color][/INDENT][/INDENT]
[color=STEELBLUE][SUP][table][row][/row]
[row][cell][color=#2c2c2c]- -[/color][color=#2c2c2c][b]First Issue:[/b][/color] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5287575][COLOR=2c2c2c][I]Working Like A Dog[/I][/COLOR][/url][/cell][cell][color=2c2c2c]-[/color][/cell][cell][color=2c2c2c]-[/color][/cell][cell][color=2c2c2c]-[/color][/cell]
[cell][center][B]Next Issue:[/B] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5295155][COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE][I]Sleeping Like A Log[/I][/COLOR][/url][color=#2e2c2c]-[/color][/center][/cell][cell][color=2c2c2c]-[/color][/cell][cell][INDENT][right][b]Latest Issue:[/b] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5295155][COLOR=LIGHTSTEELBLUE][I]Sleeping Like A Log[/I][/COLOR][/url][/right][/INDENT][/cell]
[/row][/table][/SUP][/color]