It was obvious their little ‘meeting’, as rough as it was, was finally winding down. Information on their targets given out, last minute questions ask, and overall less violent than Reaper honestly would’ve guessed at this large a gathering of super powered individuals. Which was saying something considering the lightning show, graffiti, and destruction of a stage.
Raven Tale’s movement at her side drew Reaper’s gaze and she glanced over, opening her palm for the little mark she had made for the blind vigilante. She merely made a small noise of acknowledgement to her, the shadows immediately dissolving in her hand and dripping to her shadow like a black liquid. Easy enough to disperse, and a bit of a relief – every solidified object relied on her own power to stay active, and something with that much shape and finesse wasn’t her specialty. Raven Tale’s departure as well as a few others signalled Reaper wouldn’t be getting much more out of this however, and it was nearly two in the morning. She had been here for hours – longer than anyone except Ditch. The darkness elemental gave one last look at her upcoming teammates, and a subtle glance behind her to the door, before finally focusing on Ditch one last time. The tall woman gave the slightest bow of her head in acknowledgement to their apparent ‘leader’, and then just like that it was as though the floor caved in beneath her as Reaper fell into her own shadow without a trace.
A shadow step to the outside, then the roof, and another after that had Reaper on her way home swiftly. At this time of night it was like teleporting as she casually walked from shadow to shadow, reappearing bursts of distance away every second. Admittedly she had hesitated on that second roof, seeing the darkness blanketing the city that even the bright lights from the sky scrapers couldn’t diminish. How easy would it be to find someone and sate a little bloodlust – though the only beacons she could pick out were, worryingly, from a few of those leaving the warehouse at her back. Still, she already had no doubt quite a few criminals near Racket Avenue were going to suffer tonight. It’s not every night that a horde of vigilantes dispersed from one area. More than that, it was tempting to find her target already. Reaper wasn’t one to sit back and do nothing, even if she had almost taken the coward’s course on leaving the city. It was that sense that made her stay and follow the text to the auditorium.
Ugh. That Ditch. Just letting her sit outside.
Reaper huffed, and once more resumed shadow stepping. Scarlet Shifter could wait – if Ditch could dig up all their information at once she probably had reasons to hold them off from going after them immediately. Aside from it being two in the morning.
”Who even makes a meeting at midnight? Dramatic effect? … Nerd.”
It didn’t take long for the decaying buildings around Racket Avenue to fade to the lights of downtown, small flickers glancing off Reaper as she continued to walk from shadow to shadow as though on a casual stroll. Soon even that faded to well kept lawns and blackened windows as residential homes were mostly turned down for the night, and then the shadows of great trees were her transportation as she came to longer and longer yards.
There was, after all, a reason she chose Millenium City to study at. Multiples, actually. They had a surprisingly good school, it was across the country… and her family owned a nice amount of property here. The grandest of which she was now in front of. This neighborhood would definitely not be considered low class, not even middle. Reaper cheated by bypassing the curving path to the front door, passed the well-kept lawn and fountain. She didn’t even bother using the door as a quick glance to a window on the third floor, kept open specifically for this, had Reaper dropping out of her ceiling inside.
Zoey let out a low groan as she shoved her hood back and grabbed a fistful of balaclava to yank the offending garment off and release a torrent of red-orange hair down her back, sinking into a plush chair of her sitting room and putting her feet up on the accompanying ottoman.A fire flickered nearby, the flames low but filling the room with warmth that otherwise would’ve seeped out the open window. Speaking of which, Zoey raised a hand lazily, her shadow bubbling as a tentacle of pure shadow began to form. Before she could use it however, a low click of the window shutting sounded out behind her.
“Welcome home, Miss Kasimir.” … Zoey really should’ve expected this.
“Ah, er, hello Jasper. Have you been waiting?”
“Of course, Miss Kasimir. I trust everything went well?” A figure moved into Zoey’s line of sight finally, arms folded behind their back and somehow making their straight backed stance seem relaxed. The vigilante sunk into her chair further as the blonde’s eyes roamed over her, silently probing for any injuries. It wouldn’t be the first time Zoey came back from her ‘night job’ with unseen injuries thanks to her powers. The gaze lingered on some debris dust on Zoey’s pant legs, making her shift.
“… Yeah, it went well enough for how many people there were. I didn’t get into any trouble.” Zoey raised a gloved hand to rub at the bridge of her nose, soon turning to taking them off to toss to the side. “Turns out the mysterious Ditch dug up info on a lot of people. Needless to say, you’re looking at a teammate now.” Jasper merely raised a blonde eyebrow subtly beneath her pixie cut, the young woman looking as stone faced as always.
“Blackmail has never been a good conduct for business, nor for creating partnerships, Miss Kasimir.”Jasper commented in a droll fashion. Despite only being a few years older than Zoey herself the female butler fit the part perfectly for the youngest Kasimir, more than just a boot licker and patient enough to deal with her. More than that Zoey knew Jasper for years, and knew how capable she was. Power rippled in the short woman’s frame, muscles defined and steady beneath the dark servant’s suit.
“Maybe not.” The redhead let out a long suffering sigh. “But Ditch was right, Umbra does need to be stopped.” Abruptly Zoey sat up to focus on Jasper. “Did you know Umbra’s a darkness elemental as well?”
“No, Miss Kasimir.”
“Well he is! Except his powers are more like the darkness you’d hear out of story books – a nightmare.”
“I’m sure many a criminal has nightmares of your own brand of darkness, Miss Kasimir.”
“Flatterer.” Zoey sighed but tilted her head to look to Jasper, staring at her butler before almost reluctantly adding on. “I missed our usual run down in the evening. Want to catch me up?”
“Always, Miss Kasimir.” Zoey’s eyes returned to the fire, but she kept an ear out for Jasper who began to recite the usual things Zoey needed to know as the new head of the Kasimir family. Any important changes in stocks, a property had been sold at a profit, another lot was set and ready for construction to begin, her father had sent another letter, and of course any noteworthy criminal activity. All the usual for a wealthy vigilante.
“… And there’s a protest planned for tomorrow morning outside your property at Vale Street.”
“Oh? What are they protesting?” She commented with only mild interest. Mornings were not usually a time for crime, and to be honest she did have work to catch up on.
“The plans for the building.”
“What?!” Zoey sat up straight from her half drowsy state, feet landing on the floor as though to take off for the building already. “Why?!”
“They disagree with tearing down the building to replace it with high rise apartments.”
“Vale street… Vale street… Wasn’t that place apartments in the first place?”
“Yes, Miss Kasimir, but they were originally marketed towards young families and the older generation as an affordable alternative. According to the file it was condemned two years ago, and one of your agents bought it six months ago after a proposal to tear it down passed.” Zoey’s brow furrowed, staring at Jasper in puzzlement.
“Then what’s the problem? If those families still need apartments they can just rent from us.”
“Many wouldn’t be able to afford the increased rates, Miss Kasimir. The protest is specifically about the homeless problem plaguing Millenium City.” Zoey’s chest heaved and she proceeded to glare moodily at the fire, bringing an arm up to rest beside her. With a huff she pressed her knuckles to the side of her face as she leaned against it. Jasper knew to let her brood.
“How expensive can our apartments be? It’s just rent. Maybe we can offer some sort of … promotion in the beginning?” Jasper let Zoey talk to herself under her breath, waiting to be addressed. Money wasn’t exactly Zoey’s forte, at least down to the exacts. She had been raised wealthy and would continue to be wealthy for many, many years, pending any absolute disasters. In all honesty, Zoey couldn’t quite wrap her head around not being able to afford ‘rent’.
“… Am I a bad person, Jasper?” Now that was a loaded question. Jasper once more raised an eyebrow, studying her younger charge as the vigilante gazed into the fire. From her dust covered pants – she didn’t even like jeans – to the ‘unfashionable’ hoody, even how her shadows smoked and rose.
“… You do what you think is right, Miss Kasimir. Perhaps there is more that could be done, but at heart you are a good person.” A snort.
“Sometimes I don’t feel like it. I wish we dealt in something else - I’ve always wanted to start a lingerie line.” Sarcasm dripped from her voice, but finally Zoey gave one last huff and got on to her feet. A swipe of her hand had solidified shadows jumping to cover the burning logs in the fireplace, suffocating the flames within an instant and leaving nothing but grey smoke and embers left behind the gate. “I’ll go to Vale Street tomorrow to keep an eye on things. That’s what a good owner does, isn’t it? Maybe I can even figure out what to do…”
“If that’s your wish, Miss Kasimir. I’ll let Wemba know to have the car ready in the morning.”
“Thanks, Jasper. I’ll see you then.” Another sigh and Zoey padded towards her room. “… And remind me to look into that lingerie idea.”
“Of course, Miss Kasimir.”
Midna-Phobia