[IC] Robin Hood (EasilyAmused & Jones Sparrow)

[Jones Sparrow]

He should have known that some people could have been at his apartment. The Merry men would come and go from time to time, and it shouldn't surprise him to find Gwen sitting on his couch when he got home... Although it was a curveball when Robert brought home his young cousin. She was fascinated by Robin Hood, and wanted to get to meet him, but little did she know that she has been talking to him for a while now, and was now going to be living in the headquarters! "Hey, Gwen." Robert said, pulling off his tie and walking towards his bedroom to change in to something more casual. When he walked out, he was now wearing an old blue baseball tee, some jeans, and some converse. Gwen and Cassie were having a conversation, and behind Cassie's back, Robert rolled his eyes at Gwen's lame story. he would have thought of something much better!

When she talked about the bar, Robert's eyes lit up and nodded. Finally! He was glad to be back making money on his own as a lawyer, but he was also getting restless and really wanting to go out back as Robin Hood and get to helping others out! Robert gave her a nod and a quick wink to show that he appreciated the information. Now it was just the two of them. "Well, I guess I should show you to your room..." He said, Cassie gave a nod. "Well, I got a guest bedroom across the hall from mine, with a bathroom. How do you like that? No sharing for us." Robert said, showing her the way.

"How long did you say you were planning on living here?" Robin asked. "A few weeks." Cassie replied, taking a look around the place. "This place seems a bit too big for just one person." Cassie said, and Robin shrugged. "I get friends that visit sometimes."

"Lawyers have friends?"

"Ah, a comedian... Don't quit your day job, kid." They entered the room, and Cassie soon started to make herself at home. "so you're going out tonight?" Cassie asked. "Yeah... Sorry, I made plans... Didn't really know that you would be stopping by." Robert said with a shrug. "That's alright. Just as long as I can connect to wifi, and you have some good television channels, I'll be cool chilling alone."

"No, I'm not leaving a teenager alone in my apartment." Robert said. Cassie just stared at him blankly. "I literally know two people in New york. that's you, and Marian."

"Well, now you'll know three... Have you ever met my friend John?"

----

"Thanks again for doing this, Little John."

"yeah yeah, you're lucky I grew up with four little sisters... And remember why you're goin there, Rob. Your crush can't mess up our plans." Little John warned.

"Don't worry about it, everything's going to plan... and I'll repay you with hosting the Jets game this weekend, alright?" That got Robert a smile. "Alright, sounds good."

John turned to see Cassie glaring at Robert. "I don't need a baby sitter, Rob!" She complained. "Its not that I don't think you're responsible... Its just for safety reasons. No one's gonna mess with John here. Any robbers, or weirdos that knock on the door won't stand a chance on him. I'll be back later, see ya!"

-----------

The bar was crowded tonight, it was a popular spot for the wealthy here in New York, and with the more potential threat of Robin Hood, everyone kept a close eye on one another, especially the new security they had at the front door. The security would have scared any normal pickpocket... But Robert Locksley was a bit more than normal. A man with peppered black hair with a matching beard walked in. He wore a steel blue knit sweater, black pants, and some nice shoes. His face was weathered and scarred, if anyone were to take a guess, he looked like an old sailor who struck it lucky somewhere. He glanced around the room, his mischievous green eyes twinkling as no one gave him a second glance. This disguise was just as good as the other ones.

When Robert left his apartment he went to a couple who was part of the Merry Men who specialized in movie effects. They made him look like an older man in no time. He then saw his "target." Marian sat at the bar, and he had no intention of starting a "not date" or stealing from her tonight. He made his way over to the bar, ordering the strongest whiskey they had. Robert personally wasn't a fan of this stuff, but his alter ego, "old man Anthony Truman" was. He took his seat next to Marian, but paying her no attention at first. The smell of her perfume lingered around him, and he almost fell to his knees... No, that's not why you're here, Rob!

"Miss Anderson." Robert finally said with a gruff voice, not looking over at her. "We have to stop meeting while I'm on the job." He said again, then glancing over at her, his dark green eyes giving her a playful wink before going back to looking at his drink. "I need you to do something for me. You work at the law firm, right? I have a few set of eyes in there, and heard that this Locksley guy is in charge of finding me, as well as a new federal agent." He talked quietly, but loud enough for Marian to hear. He really needed to say this to her, especially now that his cousin is also trying to do the same thing as her: find the truth about Robin Hood.

"For everyone's safety... especially yours, I need you to stop trying to hunt me down." Robin Hood said, looking over at her for a second, then back away. "You're the police chief's daughter, friends with a lot of people who would love to see me behind bars, and although I'm utterly flattered... You've got too much at stake for trying to help me out."

"Miss Anderson!" Another voice called out. To Robert's surprise, it was Guy Gibson, the FBI agent. He went in between him and Marian, completely unaware that the old sailor was talking to her. "Thought I would check this place out. A bar full of rich guys getting drunk. Not a bad place for Robin Hood to strike, right?" He said with a smile. Robert looked at him, then downed his drink, fighting back the cough. This guy wasn't playing around. Not even a day spent here and he's already predicted where Robin Hood might show up, but he didn't know he was sitting right next to him.

The two started talking, but Robin made his point... hopefully she would stop trying to go to places where he would be. With this new agent here, one of these times it could get ugly. Robin stood up, and waved the bartender over, talking in his ear, and Robin handing him a credit card. He got up, and as he did so, the bartender got everyone's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, a round of drinks for everyone! Thanks to our friend, Guy Gibson!" The place cheered as the bartender held up the card. Guy's face went in to shock, and then he searched around for his wallet. He saw it on the table right where the old sailor was... He just got mugged... He saw the door open, and the old sailor looking at both Marian and Guy, giving them a grin and wink before leaving the bar.

Guy cussed under his breath, and ran for the exit, pushing people out of the way with effort. By the time Guy burst through the door, he searched frantically for the old sailor walking or running down the street. But no one walking the streets at night looked like that sailor. Robin Hood just proved that he was going to be more of a handful than he thought.

[EasilyAmused]

Marian’s fingers tapped along the bar top as she awaited her drink. A few familiar faces were in the bar that night and she gave them pleasant smiles and small waves. The place had become rather popular and she couldn’t deny her deserve to try the drink and food. But she also could deny her want to see if she could find the infamous Robin Hood and if he was to hit somewhere, it would most likely be at this restaurant and place of gathering.

Taking her drink as the bartender dropped off her drink and the whiskey for the gentleman next to her. She didn’t really pay him any mind because her own thoughts were wondering rather intensively as she stared down at her drink in thought. Her name echoed through her ears and her head jerked, blue eyes staring at the old man who somehow knew her name. The wink gave it away and her heart skipped a beat in her chest before she turned her attention forward. He was here! He was actually here and talking to her!!! This, this was a situation she had wanted for a long time.

Her heart sank as he began to talk, what… he, he didn’t want her to… to… excuse me?! He’s got it all wrong. She could help, if anything she could be a huge help for him and his cause. She could tell though, when he mentioned that he knew she was the police chief’s daughter and the people she knew; it almost sounded like he cared about her and didn’t want her to get into trouble. Which was slightly ironic for being the cause of all the trouble with the police…

Her mouth opened to respond before her name was shouted and she was so surprised to see the handsome FBI agent show up unannounced (kinda) that she jumped a little in shock. He had, ironically, slipped in between her and his personal target and began to talk to her. She couldn’t help but have a conversation with Guy, for he was rather interesting but she kept glancing over at the old sailor before he left. SHIT! She couldn’t let him get away; they needed to talk more about this. Looking for an excuse to leave, she was cut off by the announcement from the bartender and watched Guy run out the door. Damnit there goes that idea… but as Marian turned back to the bar, she realized that she did have friends who wanted to see Robin Hood get into trouble, but her friends held something that she could use and get Robin Hood’s attention one more time.

The next afternoon went smoothly. Marian found herself talking more and more to Guy, he was interesting and full of stories that she was listening to him closely and instead of doing most of her work; she was lost in his talking. It wasn’t until she had some time for lunch that her ‘master plan’ came into action.

Getting into Mister Taylor’s office was easy and she collected his recycling from the box under his table. Carrying out to the dumpster she found exactly what she was looking for; the business card for Jonathan Smith, the young man she danced with at the party, the young man who worked for charities and the young man who was actually Robin Hood. Shoving the business card into her pocket she dumped his recycling, hers and a few other people’s from the office before returning inside and dropping back off the bens. Avoiding conversation with as many people as she could, she grabbed her things and wondered outside. Pulling out her cellphone, she dialed the number and slowly walked down the streets of New York listening to it ring, her heart pounding in her chest.

The Merry Men were well equipped when it came to technology; especially phones. Every number would link through many different outlets and find the exact name belonging to the incoming caller. After going through Gwen’s computer system, documenting who called and from what number, it would be redirected to Robert’s personal phone, the name of the caller popping up on the screen; whether it would be listed in the phone book or not. Yes, the Merry Men were good.
Ring Robert’s phone buzzed, flashing the name “Marian Anderson” on the screen.

[Jones Sparrow]

Robert got home later that night to Cassie passed out on the couch, and Little John snoring on the love seat next to it. They decided to watch a movie; it looked like a marathon of "Indiana Jones", a movie that he and Cassie watched all the time when they were kids. There was also a pizza box on the counter, and a few empty soda cansRobert smiled a bit, turning the TV off as he pulled off the rest of his costume he wore. John did a great job, and deep down, he was a bit disappointed that he missed this... It had been a long time since he spent a night just relaxing. He made it in his room, and climbed in to bed, but he had too much on his mind. Guy was spot on with his assumptions. He didn't even know how the guy ticked, but he obviously did his homework on the Merry Men. He was going to be a handful, and Robert had to get his band together. He rarely got everyone together, in fear that there would be the one time they were surrounded. When the federal government is now involved, it was time to lay down some big rules for everyone...

Then his mind went to Marian, and if she understood just why he had to tell her that. If Robin Hood was found out, Robert Locksley would be revealed as the most wanted man in New York. He already lost everything, knows what it feels like to have a family leave you, and friends, and working back to where he is now. He had nothing to lose when starting this. He just hoped that she would show little interest in Robin Hood now.

--

The next morning Robin walked out to Cassie eating cereal, and John on his laptop on the couch. "Hey guys." Robert said, walking in to the kitchen. "Hey, Rob... So, John is super cool! you've known him since kindergarten? Can I get a cousin exchange?" Cassie asked with a smirk, looking back at John. Robert laughed and grabbed a bowl to pour some cereal in. "Yeah, I can get the papers from the law firm and we can get that settled pronto." Robert said jokingly. "Everything went alright?" John called out, and Robert nodded. "Yep, just a little hiccup, but everything's good." John raised his eyebrows, and so did Cassie. "What are you guys talking about?"

"I talked with a client last night, had a couple drinks, a little scuffle went on at the place we were at, but everyone left unhurt." Robert said simply. Cassie nodded, looked down at her cereal, then immediately looked back up at Robert. "Are... you wearing eyeliner?" Cassie asked. Robert and John looked at each other, then Robert looked away. "What? No! I've just been a bit drained from the cases I'm working on." Robert said, rubbing his eyes. He had part of his costume from yesterday still on! Damn!

Cassie wasn't buying it, but John distracted her with a random funny video on his laptop for her to come and look at. A bit later everyone was in fresh clothes, and Robert was on his way to "work". He wore a suit, but before he left John and Cassie, Robert stopped. "Hey... I heard a song on the radio this morning. Who sings "the Boys are Back in Town"?" Robert asked John. The Merry Men had a lot of code words, or phrases for different scenarios, and one of Rob's favorites was for assembling a meeting with everyone by incorporating one of his favorite songs.

"Thin Lizzy." John replied, getting the message loud and clear. "Alright, Cass, I'm going to work for an hour or two. I'm trusting you man, don't do anything dumb, and then we'll go get some hot dogs from a vendor and check some places out." Robert said, Cassie gave a nod. "Got it, stay here, and wait to have some actual fun..." She said with some sass, but Robert didn't mind it, it was normal in their family.

Robert had no intention of going to the firm today, he already called in sick, and as he was walking, John was contacting everyone who were official Merry Men members to meet at their usual spot: a small church on the south side of Manhattan. It was run by a very old family friend, Father Tuck. Robert always liked him as a kid, they would just talk about things, whatever was on Rob's mind, and as he got older, he was like the father figure he wished he had, and he was more than helpful when Robert lost everything; even when his church was not doing well at all. Now Robert made sure he helped Friar Tuck in any way he could, and in return, his old friend would give them a safe haven.

Everyone would be there in a matter of minutes, but then his phone ringed. He had two cell phones. One for his personal, every day life, and the other was used for everything Robin Hood. It was 100 percent untraceable, no matter how many times he used it, courtesy of Gwen and the other techy members of the gang. His eyebrows furrowed as her realized that his Robin Hood phone was ringing, and when he saw who exactly was calling him, his heart almost stopped completely. How did Marian get THIS number? He should have been more concerned, fearing that she was trying to call this to get a trace on his phone, or it was guy, or even worse; her father... but he knew she wouldn't do that. Not to Robin Hood.

Robert gave a small smirk, and answered the phone. "This is Jon Smith, are you interested in making a donation today, Miss Anderson?" Robert said, using his go-to alias. Jon Smith was the most common name in the United States, especially in New York. "How on earth did you find this number?" He asked with a small laugh in his voice.

[EasilyAmused]

Marian’s heart was about to explode out of her chest as she listened to the phone ring. What if this was a fake number? What if it went to voicemail? What kind of voicemail would she leave? ‘Hi this is Marian, you told me to leave you alone but I’m leaving you a voicemail anyway, call me back bye.’ Yeah… that would come across wonderfully. He had a point, she knew many people and had a lot of friends that would love to see him behind bars but at the same time, she had an inside that most people would never have. And it is something that could be rather helpful to him and his cause.

She was thankful that she had told the secretary that she was going home because she didn’t feel well because her heart nearly stopped when the voice echoed across the speaker system of her phone. He answered, he actually answered!! Her heart picked up speed as he spoke and when he asked how she got the number she couldn’t help but giggle into the phone. “Well, I met a guy at a party…” She said as she walked down the street with a grin on her face. “And at the party he happened to give my boss his business card. Unknown to my boss, that business card was rather important. So instead of it becoming recycled, it ended up in my possession.”

Stopping as she walked, she happened to look to her right to see the donut shop she’d normally stop at to pick up her breakfast for her and her old friend. A small sad sigh left her and before he could say something she responded, “Sorry, I just passed a bakery and it made me think of a friend I haven’t seen in a while.” Shaking her head, she felt like an idiot but she couldn’t let this chance to go to waste.

“I did, however, call to make a donation.” She nodded, yeah because he was around watching her… maybe… her gaze moved to the crowded streets of New York City only to realize just how many people were actually on the phone. Shit, even if she wanted to tell if he was close of not; she’d never truly know. “While I’m sure this is a safe line to talk on, I’d rather make the donation in person. Is there somewhere we could meet that I could make said donation?” Her gaze scanned the faces around her. “I don’t know if you could meet me, per say, but I did meet a sailor last night you might know who could meet me somewhere soon. What do you say?” Her heart pounded and echoed in her ears; she could only hope he wouldn’t be able to hear it through the phone and she bit her bottom lip hard awaiting an answer.

[Jones Sparrow]

As Marian explained how she received his card, all he could do was smirk. She definitely wasn't a fool. With all the commotion with the police and all, he would have assumed everyone would have forgotten that business card. Of course the number led to his "work" phone, but he didn't need a ton of people calling it to make sure it didn't belong to Robin Hood himself. Marian could be an exception... and I mean, she wasn't interfering with Robin Hood per say... she was simply making a donation to Jon Smith. "Well, I'm impressed to say the very least." Robin replied with a smile behind his phone, still walking down the street. His eyebrows raised a bit when he didn't hear a response to his statement, and then it all made sense. He didn't know who this friend was that she was talking about, but he had a feeling that it involved a very old man that she shared donuts with.

Her invitation to meet with each other face to face was a difficult one. He already had to talk to the Merry Men, and then make sure Cassie wasn't out in the city trying to find Robin Hood and friends. He could already hear John yelling at him for still talking to Marian... Maybe this will help both of them. One last confrontation before he was too dangerous to be around. He hoped he didn't think about this too much. "I think that's reasonable... I think I might be able to make an appearance, not as a sailor though, they only appear in bars at night." Robin said jokingly. "Meet me outside the Grand Central Station in an hour exactly. And don't worry about trying to find me, I'll find you."

They said their quick farewells, and Robin hung up his phone. He didn't know if it was a bad or good thing that she now had Robin Hood's phone number, but she did now. It didn't take long for Robin to make his way in to the small church Friar Tuck owned, and when they met, they met with a hug and smile. "How are you, Robin?" Tuck asked, a smile on his face. "I've been feeling a bit better, Father. Is everyone downstairs?"

Friar Tuck nodded. "Yes, they're just waiting for you." Robin patted him on the shoulder and nodded for the back door. "Come with us. I have a feeling you might want to hear this."

The two made it downstairs to the basement of the church, where a group of people either stood or sat, and then all greeting Robin when he walked in. There were faces like Little John, and Gwen, Will Stuttley (the hacker from the Taylor robbery), and then other loyal people willing to steal from the rich, and give to the needy. "Alrighty everyone, welcome to the Hood family reunion! We got a lot to go over, especially with a Mister Guy Gibson."

Little John stood up and gave them all glances. "He's a federal agent, and has been looking at our robberies very very closely."

"yesterday, I welcomed him to New York by having him pay for everyone's drink in a bar, but like Little John said, he seems to know where we might strike next. With that said, we need to be extremely careful now with our plans. So that means Ty's heist coming upwill have to be fool proof, and with some masters. We'll have to lay low for a bit, stick to the smaller steals from not as important people. No one's going to get arrested on my watch. So for now, I'm still trying to get the cops colder on our trail by sabotaging their files as fast as I can. If you need a place to lie low, my place is always open, but we shouldn't come here to Friar Tuck's place that often, respectfully." Robert said, but the older man stepped up.

"If you are in any trouble, I will be more than happy to help, even with Mr. Gibson on the street." He looked over at Robert, giving him a face of "Don't fight me on this." Robert nodded, and then coughed. "So, any other questions?"

The rest of the time was answering things like how much money they "made", they asked about what the police know and don't, and others commented on Robert only doing this job to see Marian (most of the Merry Men knew that Rob was absolutely in love with the girl). Soon enough people started leaving at different intervals, and then Robert finally left, but before doing so, he went in to a room where a set of different disguises for the Merry Men to use if they ever needed it.

-------

"Money for the poor? Money for the poor?" An older man asked, tapping his cane on the ground, and holding out a tin can. He wore a large green jacket, an old worn out baseball cap. The man was blind, and people payed little to no attention to him as he walked down the crowded streets of the Grand Central Station. Little did anyone know that this man could actually see, and was in no interest in taking money. His agenda was to meet a very pretty girl to see what exactly she wanted to talk to him for. It didn't take long for him to spot the beautiful blonde. He made his way closer to Marian, tapping his cane and asking for money, until he "accidentally" bumped in to a man, and toppling to the ground next to Marian. He was hoping Marian would do something before another kind hearted soul helped him up.

[EasilyAmused]

She impressed him!! She impressed him!! The blonde was fairly certain she could have fainted on the street. In all the chaos she remembered that he had handed over the business card and it was needed at this moment! She big her lower lip as she awaited his answer; her heart still slamming in her chest and echoing in her ears; even the grip on her phone tightened as she listened intensely for a response from the hero/villain (depending on who you talked to) on the other end of the phone.

“Okay. I’ll see you then.” She said quickly into the phone out of nerves as they hung up. Her gaze went down to the time and she memorized it as if her life depended on it. Poor Marian found herself almost pacing at the front of Grand Central Station, had arrived a good twenty minutes prior to the meeting time; she had a lot of time to work up her courage and her nervousness at the same time.

She knew what she was going to say, she had it mapped out her in head. But the night he had walked her home replayed in her mind. He was so gentleman-like and humorous to boot. The conversations while they were at the party was nice, the comforting and relaxing laughter was wonderful, not to mention the usage of his jacket to walk home. His jacket! She should have run home and grabbed it! Yeah that would have been the smart thing to do but let’s face it she would have had to have been thinking passed her nerves.

Turning to hurry home to get his jacket, she nearly stumbled over the poor old man who had just recently fallen. “Oh!” She said in surprise and was instantly to her knees to help the blind man up. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?” She asked in a worry as she raised his head gently to look up at her. Even if he couldn’t see her, she needed to check to make sure he was alright.

[Jones Sparrow]

Robert felt a pair of hands and a woman's voice talking to him as he was helped up. It was Marian, and he was glad she would be willing to help the older man up. "No miss, I'm not hurt. Just a bit embarrassed. I shouldn't wander around these parts at this time of day..." Robin felt her hands touch his face to make it look at her. Shivers went down his spine at the touch. He put his hands on his glasses, and lowered them to to reveal his eyes yet again. It was the only thing he had to show that he was in fact Robin Hood... He then put his glasses back on his eyes, and then smiled. "You sound as pretty as you look." Robin said with a smile, and then tapped his cane again to "see" where he was going. "I hear you want to make a certain donation to a Jon Smith. A nice charming man, he is." The blind man said, a small smirk on his face.

"You must really have something on your mind if you want to talk to our friend, even after last night's incident. But like i said before, you've got my interest. What can I help you with, Miss Anderson?"

[EasilyAmused]

Poor man! Walking around Grand Central Station surrounded by people and trying to get through with his cane; it can’t be ease. His face didn’t looked injured but she was surprised to see him pull down his glasses to reveal such entrancing green eyes. Her heart slammed against her chest as he slowly got to his feet and she followed suite. Yes he wasn’t kidding, he would find her and he did.

As they began to walk she couldn’t help but grin at his comment about… well himself. Her blue eyes rolling playfully as she led the way to a bench for them (well her) to people watch while they talked. “I’m glad I have your interest. I can only hope I can keep it.” She said with a nod as she tucked her skirt under her and sat down. “And it’s not what you can do for me; it’s what I can do for you.” She took in a small breath before she began.

“I know you’re concerned about where I stand among the people who do and don’t want to see bad things happen to people trying to do what’s right. But not only do I know these people but I have influence and access to things that you don’t. My father being who he is has access to things and wants to show me this and that; even though he refuses to let me join the force, he’s more than willing to show me anything I ask. Not only that, I work with the two people picked to collect information. The FBI agent and an incredibly talented lawyer,” A shrug lifted and dropped her small shoulders as she turned her attention forward to the people. “If they are working together there could be problems; while the FBI agent is good at seeing the top layer, it’s the lawyer I’m most concerned about. He’s good, too good and might be closer than anyone’s aware and just not saying anything.”

“I know you’re not one for taking a helping hand but I can at least see what path they are on and help you defer from it so you won’t get caught.” She spoke in an incredibly soft whisper to the blind man. “People love to talk to me and I can be both noticeable and unnoticeable to others. You’d be amazed at how many people buy the ‘ditzy blonde’ thing; which allows me to get out of a lot of situations. I’m not asking for much, just for a chance to help.” She turned her blue gaze back to him and tilted her head to one side. “What do you say?”

[Jones Sparrow]

Robin listened to her story as they sat down on the bench, he pretending to sit there and listen to the world around him when in reality he was listening to something that rather surprised Robin. She started to talk about how she could help him out, get information that could help him, and he couldn't help but smirk at the thought. Little did she know that he already had someone extracting files for him, and that someone was Robin himself! And then he smiled a bit wider in response to her saying how amazing of a lawyer Robert was. She really thought that, eh?

Robin thought about it for a second. He really didn't need her help. Not because he didn't want it, or didn't believe what she said, but it was a combination of him already providing what she was offering... and that the love of his life was risking her reputation to help out a man she idolized for his deeds... And then there was the fact that if he said yes, Little John would beat him senseless for letting his emotions get involved and start complications with his cover in the law firm.

Robin tapped his cane gently as he thought. "Your offer is... complicated." Robin said with a small laugh, glancing over at her with his glasses on, then moved his gaze to still act like he was blind. "Believe it or not, I already have a mole in the justice system." He didn't dare say if it was a lawyer, a secretary, or even a janitor. "And they are doing very well at being the last person you would suspect in helping me. I have no doubt that you could be helpful for us, I just really recommend taking my advice from yesterday and forgetting about me. I do enjoy our chats, and being able to see your face, but you don't know what's behind this disguise. No one has seen Robin Hood's face. You don't know if i'm an angel, or demon. Everyone who helps me has to play this game. "Do I trust this man to do the right thing, even if I have never really met him... Or are the tabloids true? Am I really a criminal... Are you willing to gamble on that?"

[EasilyAmused]

Everything’s complicated. ‘Complicated’ was a word that Marian couldn’t stand. Her father used that as an excuse a lot in order to get her to avoid topics he didn’t want to talk about. Especially when it came to her joining the force; ‘You can’t join it’s complicated.’, ‘We’ll talk about it later but it’s rather complicated.’, ‘This case is too complicated to talk about.’ Everything was ‘complicated’ but could be easily fixed if someone who just take the time to explain. The plain truth is, people just don’t want to tell her things for this or that reason, and that was something she didn’t enjoy… at all.

Robin did pose an interesting question. Was he a criminal or was he a saint? Was he what the tabloids made him out to be or was he something outlandish and dangerous? Was he an angel or a demon? Her hand reached up, her soft palm resting gently against his far cheek as she turned his head to look at her. Leaning in to close the gap almost forehead to forehead, she spoke softly. “You are a man doing what is needed in society to right the wrongs of the rich and helping the poor. Justice is served more ways than one and this is something that is needed at this point. Am I willing to take that gamble? If it’s to better the lives of people then yes, and hopefully, through your actions; the rest will realize what they are doing is wrong and follow suite to treat others better.” A small smirk curled her full lips, “Besides, you can’t be all bad; you lent a freezing girl your jacket, which I will return to you by the way, when other people wouldn’t even lift a finger. Gentleman actions from someone who isn’t supposed to be a gentleman just shows how wrong society is.” She slowly dropped her hand from his face, her fingertips dancing along his cheek before falling off.

Her smirked curled into a smile as she pulled herself back upright and turned to look straight ahead leaning back against the bench once again. “So yes, I am willing to gamble on that. The real question is, will I get a seat at the table to play?”

[Jones Sparrow]

Robin's heart almost jumped out of his chest when she got so close to him. Behind the sunglasses he stared in to her eyes, and it took a lot to not lean any closer to her... For many reasons. Most importantly was that he was dressed as an older blind man, and she had absolutely no idea what he truly looked like. But her words were challenging, daring him to say yes... And yeah, he liked that. When asked the question of if she had a seat at the table, Robin only grinned, and tapped his cane lightly.

"This game is dangerous, Marian. Not only because you don't know if you can trust me, but because a lot of people would do anything for money... Even my own team. And that terrifies me... But like you, I'm taking a leap of faith. Welcome to the Merry Men. You're first game is against Mister Guy Gibson. Get to know anything you can on the guy, but don't go to extremes. We need to know how he ticks. And since you already have my number, there's no need for us to flirt. I'll be around." The older man stood up, and started to tap his cane around and walk, but then he stopped. "Oh, and keep the coat. It looks good on you." He gave a grin, and lifted his glasses for a small wink and bow before walking in to the large crowd of New York, curious to see how this plays out.

[EasilyAmused]

When he said ‘welcome to the Merry Men’ she couldn’t help but smirk slightly in victory. She finally got what she wanted and what’s even more humorous is that her father gave up his chance to have her on his crew and now the ‘enemy’ was the one she was going to work for. Her grin moved through her as her attention turned to the ‘old man’ getting up. She nodded gently to him before sitting back with a smile watching him walk away with a gentle wave to him. So she had mission, and her mission was to get to know Guy Gibson a little better… huh, that doesn’t exactly seem like a bad mission.

The following work day brought a new pep in Marian’s step. She had Robin Hood’s number and was now a Merry Men! How many people could say that?! Well… she wasn’t sure of the exact count but hey, there was at least one! She moved her way through the crowded streets and up the courthouse steps.

“Good morning.” She said with a cheery voice to the secretary who seemed to wave at her in a slight confusion as the blonde nearly skipped into her office. This was an interesting morning and should lead to an interesting day; draping her small jacket over the back of her chair, she sat down at her desk and opened her emails. Upon finding none new or important in her inbox before opening a new email; she began to write out a message to see if Guy would like to join her for lunch this afternoon. Much to her surprise, he responded rather swiftly and proceeded to take her up on the invite. Smiling, she sat back in her chair, her hands placed gently upon the arm rests of the chair and rocked gently back and forth. Today… today was going to be a good day.

[Jones Sparrow]

Robin walked in to the office shortly after Marian arrived. He was sure that Cassie was already walking around New York trying to find more on Robin Hood. He had to constantly change the subject when they spent time with each other yesterday after Robin's talk with Marian, and he had a feeling he would try and talk more to her about this stuff if Robert wasn't going to spill anything. the last thing he needed was Cassie trying to join the Merry Men. He had a coffee and doughnut in his hand. He made his way to Marian's office, giving a light tap on the door frame, holding out the coffee and doughnut. "Hey, Chief. I felt bad for taking your food the other day, thought I'd return the favor." Robert said, placing the items on the table, glancing over at who she was emailing, then frowning a bit (for dramatic effect). "Getting to know the new guy? Well, he's better than Eddy I'll give you that." Robert said jokingly with a grin, then walking towards the door.

"I got a court date to go to today, apparently a lot of people want to see a Locksley back in his natural habitat." Robert said, looking back towards her. "You gonna be the stenographer, just watch the show, or have seen enough of my cases to even show?" He asked, curious on whether or not she would be too focused on the job he gave her with Gibson, that she would do her own job, or even see the little show Robert had in store for this case. A woman was being charged of stealing from a wealthy man's house. It was refreshing to get away from the Robin Hood case. For the past few days he's been looking at those files, but also the accused stealing case. To say the very least, he was excited.

[EasilyAmused]

Marian’s blue eyes rolled up to see Robert walking into her office holding a cup of coffee and a small bag. She gave him a confused looked as he held out the products and walked inside. Oh, oh that makes sense. Her confused look turned into a grateful smile as he placed the things down onto her desk. At his response to seeing her email to guy, she laughed softly. “He made mention to wanting to try some places around New York for lunch. Who better to show him around then me? Someone who will pretty much eat anything!” She gave a small laugh as he turned around, she tilted her head to one side and couldn’t help but ask, “Do I hear a hint of jealousy in your voice Locksley? The lack of a ‘not date’ getting to you?” Her voice was completely teasing and her tongue-in-cheek attitude to show she was just kidding.

When asked about if she was going to be the stenographer for his case she gave a small shrug. “I might, I might not be. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” She said playfully as she picked up the coffee and brought it to her lips. “Assuming you have changed like you said, it might be enjoyable for me to do my job while you work instead of how it used to be.” It would take her a long time to accept the fact that she was going to have to work on Robert’s case but she’d muscle through her dislike of him and just type away, ignoring his actions and not really retaining any of his comments. But hey, if he’s changed then maybe she could handle it.

The eleven o’clock trail was about to begin and Marian took her seat on the Judge’s left and popped her fingers, ready to document the whole conversation and put on her ‘game face’ to show no emotion to what was said; and that, my dear friends, is the hardest part of her job.

[Jones Sparrow]

"All Rise for the Honorable Judge."

The court session had started, and everyone rose as the judge walked up to its chair, and as the ritual goes, everyone sat. On one side was the Plaintiff, a mister George Jeffers, and his attorney was Edward Taylor (Robert was going to enjoy this). On the Defendant's side was a miss Monique Rivoure, and her attorney was Robert Locksley. Jeffers was a tall man, a classic "rich" look. Dark hair sprayed with gray, a strong jawline, square chest. A man who made a lot of money and didn't want to lose any of it. Monique was a small french woman who moved here for a better opportunity, and when she got the maid job at the Jeffers' household, she was soon found accused of stealing from the house, and she had no where else to turn except for Robert. Why? Because no one wanted to go against the Jeffers family. This wasn't their first time in a court with similar circumstances, and every time they won.

But Robert wasn't afraid. An audience showed up for this court, because Jeffers was a well known business man, and this was Robert's first case in a very long time.

"We are here today in the court of law for a count of robbery from Miss Rivoure. Mr. Locksley, how does the defendant plea?" The judge asked.

Robert stood up, giving a small smile to the judge. "Not guilty, your honor." And then he sat down, leaning back and looking over at Eddy, who seemed to be a bit nervous about this, but Robert knew that he was not that bad of a lawyer.

Robert was now supposed to give his opening statement. He walked over to the jury. "Hope I'm not too rusty." Robert said with a smile, looking back to the jury. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, there's a time where we have to say enough is enough. And as I stand before you today, going against Mr. Taylor and his client Mister Jeffers, my client and the many others who have been accused of robbing from Mr. Jeffers, is not guilty. Of course I cannot help the previous 'criminals', Miss Rivoure is someone I can help be rid of this little curse. But there is a little plot twist. you want to hear what it is?" Robert asked, his eyebrows raised with a little smile, looking back at Jeffers and Taylor. "I can't tell you just yet... But sit back, relax, and let the story unravel before you." Robert said, looking at the judge with a nod, then walking back to the table.

"Very dramatic as always, Mister Locksley."

"Only for you, your honor."

The court gave a small chuckle, and the judge looked at him with stern eyes, but a faint smile. Ed's opening statement wasn't as dramatic as Robert's, but it did it's point. The trail started with Ed asking witnesses to the stand, and Robert also doing so after he was done. It was the basic lawyer thing. A bit boring, and people were expecting more of a show with Robert. That was until it was his turn to bring up his witnesses. First it was Monique, her telling her story of how she was a woman who has never been charged of a single trial, who just received her American citizenship, and studying to become a teacher. It won the hearts of the jury, and Robert made sure it was just that... but that was the only part of his plan.

"Your honor I would like to call Jake Jeffers to the stand." Robert said. Jake was the son to George. He was 18 years old, a golden boy. "How're you doing, Jake? Remember you're under oath." Robert said with another grin. "I-I'm fine." Jake said. "I don't know why I'm up here--" he began, but Robert cut him off. "You still got your scholarship? Full ride for soccer?" Robert asked. He glanced at his father, confused, then back at Robert. "yessir. NYU." He said, and Robert nodded. "Nice. I got invited to go there. But I didn't want to support a crappy football team." Robert said again jokingly. "Objection your honor, relevance?" Ed Taylor asked.

The judge looked at Robert, giving a shrug. "What is the point of this, Mister Locksley?"

"What I'm getting at, your honor, is that Jake is a good kid. Good grades, a good family, house, a killer leg, he probably has a nice little lady, am I right?" Robert asked. Again Jake nodded. "See? A lady killer! What's her name?" Robert asked, putting his hands in his pockets. "Jamie Bennett, Sir." He said.

"WHAT?!" A voice screamed from the stands. A woman was standing up, glaring at Jake. "Who the hell is Jamie?!" She screamed. Another girl stood up. "I'M Jamie! Who the hell are you?" She demanded. "I'm his girlfriend!" "NO! I'm his girlfriend!" The two started in to a fight. The court went wild. The sheriffs had to break up the fight, and remove the two women as the judge demanded order. Robert gasped, looking at Jake with a shocked expression. Then looked back at the girls. "Wait, they can't both be your girlfriend, Jake... unless..." He turned back to look at him. "You were dating both!" Jake's face was red, and confused. "You see, I asked Monique if she has seen anything out of the ordinary while working at the Jeffers house. Turns out that she noticed that you would bring two different girls over, alternating a bit, saying the same mushy gushy lines, buying her things... But when did you start dating Miss Bennett?" Robert asked.

Jake looked terrified, and looked at his dad. "No looking over there. Tell the truth man, or you lose a bit more of that 'Golden Boy' repuation." Robert said gently. Jake looked back and Robert and sighed. "About 8 months ago."

"And how about the other one? Miss Meyer?"

"Two years."

"So you're saying that two years of seeing the same girl gets a bit old, but you didn't want to lose what you had, so you found another lady on the side? A bit of a wilder one? And one that has had a few interactions with the police..." One of the sheriffs walked back in holding a few items. "Mister Jeffers, your father claimed that he was missing a few things... One of his favorite watches... A few rings... an expensive 'vase' but we all know what you use that for, Jakey." Robert said, listing a few things off his memory. "Sheriff, would you mind telling us what you found in Miss Bennett's purse when you had to check her after her fight?"

The sheriff revealed a very expensive watch, two diamond rings, an old credit card with Jake's name on it, and a couple of hundred dollar bills. Robert gave a nod, putting his hands back in his pockets. "No further questions, your honor."

-------

It didn't take long for the case to be over with after that. Jeffers immediately tried to stop the charges, and the jury found Monique not guilty. Ed quickly packed up his stuff as the case ended, giving a quick glare at Robert before walking out of the courtroom. "Thank you so much, Mister Locksley! I am so grateful!" Monique Rivoure screamed, taking his hand and kissing it. Robert shook his head and smiled. "No need to thank me, Miss Rivoure. Thank you for believing me after you knew my not so glorious reputation." He said with a soft smile. "I knew i could trust you, sir! You're reputation of helping those i need is far greater than your reputation for going bankrupt!" Robert smiled. "Well, Miss Rivoure, you can stop by the firm, sign a few papers, and you'll be on your way. It's been a pleasure." He took her hand and respectively kissed it, and she was off.

Smiling to himself, Robert started to pack up his papers and files in his suitcase, proud of his results. It felt good to be back in a courtroom!

[EasilyAmused]

Marian did her best to keep her attention on her funny keyboard, typing down every word that was said but she couldn’t help but allow her attention to flick upwards to see Guy Gibson was in the audience. Obviously the news of Robert Locksley being back in the court room traveled fast. This wasn’t exactly the best sign if any of the Merry Men ended up within the court system, between Gibson on the streets looking for them and Robert Locksley being a lawyer they could go up against; they were in a lot of trouble. Then again anyone could be a member of the Merry Men, she didn’t even know who Robin Hood was; but at the same time, it was kind of a blessing for her to lack that information. She’d be less likely to give him away if something were to happen and she (or him) got caught.

Her gaze flicked from Robert to Jake, then back to Robert and to Jake. What was he playing at? Her face remained still as Robert revealed that Jake was dating two girls and even within the brawl breaking out, she kept her composure and continued to type. Taking down as many words from the court as she could; her gaze flicked over to Robert hiding her surprise upon her face that he knew such things. This was what Robert was like in court, when he wasn’t bugging the crap out of her. And she had almost forgotten how impressive it was.

Everything said and done, she folded up the paper and gave it to the judge who shook her hand, in their small exchange he praised her father and his efforts for the community in an attempt to keep it safe. All Marian could do was nod and smile while giving grateful thank yous but she disagreed with a lot. There were more important things for her father to go after then just Robin Hood.

Her attention turned to Robert who was packing up his things. “You shouldn’t be this good Robert…” She said playfully as she arrived at the table. Placing her hands gently on top of the table, “How did you know?”

[Jones Sparrow]

Robert was lost in thought about thinking of his next step on the Robin Hood case until Marian's voice broke his chain of thought, but he wasn't complaining. When she said he shouldn't be that good, he gave a laugh, and then when asked how he did it, his eyes gave a mischievous sparkle. "Well... It was elementary, my dear Andersen." Robert said, closing his suitcase, and looking up at her. "I took a look at everything that was stolen. Miss Rivoure looked and sounded like a woman that would never even consider robbing someone. So there were the cliche things like the expensive watch, and the wife's rings... But then there was the shoes, a stolen autographed soccer ball, Jake's 'special vase'... It had to be someone who was constantly close to Jake. So I asked how often she cleans his room, and she said rarely because he's either sleeping, spending time with two ladies in his room, or doing his school work. The part that got me questioning was not Jake pretending to steal stuff so his family gets more money. I started to think about the girls. One of them had to be doing it... And then i found out from Rivoure that he was dating both of them at the same time."

"Upon further investigation of the two girls, the one he was dating the longest, Paige Meyer, was in a rich family as well. The newer one, Jamie, was the new one, had a history with the police. Multiple counts of robbery... So I happened to inform both of them that I had talked to the family, and Jake was going to be up for questioning, and he could really use your support. So I took a gamble that they would both show, I revealed that he was a two timing jerk, and I got really lucky that they fought and got searched, and she wasn't that bright and kept some of the stolen items in her purse." Robert shrugged, and smiled. "So my hunch was confirmed. Any other questions?"

[EasilyAmused]

Marian’s eyes expended in surprise when he went into detail about his findings for the case; well it wasn’t exactly a ‘finding’ but more of detailed study of the case. For that she was rather proud of him and surprised. Her expression really showed that considering she wasn’t in a need to hide her expressions. “Huh,” She responded rather simply, “I must say I’m impressed.” She said with a nod before grabbing her own case and standing upright. “I shouldn’t have expected anything less from you.” Her voice was a small laugh followed by a nice smile. “Well done Robert, I’m impressed.”

The rest of the day went well. And so did the lunch with Guy. She was surprised about how much knowledge he had and how fun he was to talk to. It made learning about him a lot easier. He shared stories of his past experiences with the FBI and how many things he was a part of. He had done a lot for the country and was behind a lot of saving graces for things and his tactics seemed to be based about the situation. What was even more of a relief was because he wanted to know more about her and they had a good back and forth talk. There was laughter and dare she think, a bit of flirting? Nah, he was just being nice.

As she walked out of work she shot off a text to Robin’s number. Dinner? A walk in the park? Ice cream or Cheesecake? It asked politely to figure out where they’d meet. Guy Gibson had some basic tactics he used that Robin had to know about. And at the same time she wanted to discuss what a problem Robert could be, his ability to dig, get information and connect the dots could make him a huge problem…

[Jones Sparrow]

The rest of the day for Robert wasn't as fun. Marian went to go have lunch with Guy, which he had faith was only to find out information on the guy because Robin Hood asked her to. He also kept thinking of ways to take out little information on Robin Hood's files so he doesn't get noticed too quickly. He went home early though, knowing Cassie might do something to try and find the Merry Men, and as he's said, he really doesn't want that.

The two were sitting on the couch, with members of the Merry Men coming and going. John was here for a little while, mostly to make sure Robin knew what he was doing, and now it was Gwen who liked to drop by from time to time. She was on her laptop, and before Robin got the text, Gwen made an "Uh" sound and looked up at him, holding back a smile. Then his phone went off, and it was Marian. Turns out she had some information already. Robert grinned a bit, getting up. "I just got a text from a client. Gotta go talk to them for a little while. I'll be back. Gwen, can you stick around?" He asked, going in his room.

"Yeah, its been a while since I've had a girls night." Gwen said, which made Robin roll his eyes jokingly. Robin soon left his room with a backpack, claiming files were in there, and he was off.

He replied with a short message "Walk in the Park sounds good. Ten minutes." Robin didn't want to do a disguise that made him appear as an old man. Instead, he was going with his Classic Robin Hood attire. A dark green hoodie with a black handkerchief around his mouth. The hoodie had small leather pads on the shoulders, and forearms, as well as on his knees. If he was going to show himself to her this time, he might as well validate that he was around her age.

Robin was in the park for a little while, hiding behind a tree. He realized how sketchy this was as the sun had just gone down to give the sky a orange glow. Little people were outside at this time, especially with the weather getting colder. As he saw Marian walk by he gave an imitation of a bird chirping. He then walked up behind her. From a distance, he didn't look too out of the ordinary to people walking by. He was just a man in a hoodie and jeans. Although this was a bit of a gamble for him, he felt like it was much needed. "So what do you got?" Robin asked casually.

[EasilyAmused]

Marian’s attire didn’t change too drastically aside from the fact that she had a man’s jacket over her shoulders and yes, it was one that Robin Hood would recognize. The faint scent of his cologne still held against the fabric and left her in an honest dizzy state as she took the cab right to central park. The sun was dropping, creating a beautiful orange glow over one of the few locations in New York City that still had some forestry in it. It was beautiful in its own right and as the blonde walked through the landscaping of trees and grass, she listened to the birds call and the leaves blow in the wind.

So lost in her own mind, the blonde didn’t even realize that someone was walking behind her until they spoke. Nearly having a heart attack from being pulled out of her own thoughts she looked behind her to see a man in a green hoodie with a handkerchief over his face. Ah he had beaten her there apparently. “Well.” Marian behind looking forward, “First off you look better as yourself then as an old man.” She commented, knowing full well that he was around her age thanks to the party but it was nice to see him not in costume around her. Maybe… someday… without the mask…

“As for Gibson; he has some basic patterns he follows. First is striking zones. The way he described it is that every criminal always seems to go within proximity of their central location or hideout. Most of the time, the setup is unintentional but they typically stay within the same amount of mileage between their home base. The second is seeking basic instincts; food, water and shelter. Most people will have a central location even outside of the home base that will be a secondary base; but it must meet the basic needs to survive and in Robin’s case its shelter. Lastly, he is good with time based organization. ‘This will most likely happen at this time, which would lead them down this road which will take blank amount of minutes’ and so on and so forth. If he figures out your pattern, he most likely will be able to time your trip and know where you’re going to land.”

She stopped walking, sliding her hands into the pockets of the jacket and turned around to face him. “I don’t know what you know about Robert Locksley but let’s just say that Gibson is the code cracker and Locksley is the information gatherer. People are exceptionally quick to fall for his charm and tell him anything he wants to know; it’s scary really. He could find out the who, what, when, where, and why from a single conversation with someone. And I’d bet money on if he had a basic description of someone, he could pull out five people from a crowded room of hundreds and one of them would be who he’s looking for.” She nodded with a small shrug. “He’s good, I have to admit it, he’s really good and it took me today to be reminded of that.”

“I don’t think Gibson understands how many people walk the city and narrowing down one person or even a handful would be difficult but with Gibson and Locksley on the case… it is a possibility it could happen.” She let out a small sigh. “I’m afraid that’s all I have for you for now. But he’s good Robin.” Her blue gaze shot from the ground to him, a blonde eyebrow rose slightly. “What do you think?”