11352/Milk Cartons: Gotham Meetings

Milk Cartons: Gotham Meetings
Date of Scene:	18 April 2020
Location:	The Narrows, Burnley
Synopsis:	The Gotham Beacon and Dagger are hunting gangs in search of leads to find missing children. Josiah questions if they are on the side of good, while Red Hood encounters the two and agrees to play the part of Muscle for the sake of justice.
Cast of Characters:	Sparrowhawk, Dagger, Red Hood, Firefly (Barrows)
Tinyplot:	Milk Cartons

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Sparrowhawk has posed:
    Dark night in the narrows, where even Bats seldom tread. Gunshots rupture the restless sleep of children, and tonight, The Beacon was on patrol

    She easily navigates through the rooftops, drawing along familiar routes, rebounding and rolling along the rooftops as she goes. She had made her drop off at thehomeless camps early, her usual visit cut short by aiding Cloak and Dagger in their search for kidnappers operatin gin the area.

    Sure, Tim Drake was told she had a late study group at Uni, surely he'd understand she had important work to do, keeping her identity as The Gotham Beacon a secret from the young man had its cost, after all... a little white lie here and there.

Dagger has posed:
The world is filled with white lies, poison, and reckless behavior. Dagger is out on patrols with The Beacon, moving along the rooftops like an angel of light on ballerina footsteps. She moves seamlessly across the rooftops with a light glow to her body.

Cloak and Dagger are on a mission, and though her partner may be creeping around the even darker spots of The Narrows, she herself is no stranger to danger.

"You have this place memorized, huh? It reminds me of Hell's Kitchen." She says when they land once more, her fists gleaming brightly with a trio of blades sticking out from between her knuckles.

Red Hood has posed:
    Gunshots were normal. Jason was used to them. Ever since he was born in on the streets of Gotham, they have been a near constant companion. The Red Hood is on another roof tonight in the same area as Tandy and Phoebe, working a different case tracking a drug ring. Jason has thrown a piece of torn-up and discolored carpet to break up his outline against the night sky as he looks through binoculars down to the street below.

    The light coming from the pair immediately draws his attention, as he shifts his gaze to them. Jason narrows his eyes as he watches. This could end up being much more interesting...

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    "Ah... there's something like two-and-a-half times the violent crime of Hell's Kitchen, I read somewhere." Beacon replies, her gray hood drawn over her face slightly, kept in place by a ocuple of bobbi-pins artfully placed as she gives a soft puff outwards, coming to a stop at the edge of a building. She stretches her fingers, tightening the sewn-on straps that kept them in place a moment as she looks to Tandy.

    "And the citizens here don't exactly trust outsiders.

Dagger has posed:
"The citizens can suck on an egg and accept whatever help they can get." Tandy says as she steps to the edge of the roof, staring out over the streets as he blonde hair tousles in front of her face. She stands out like a sore thumb in her bright white leotard, a sword cut out through the front of it, and her striking angelic looks. Girls like her don't come to places like this.

"Nothing frustrates me more than when the people refuse to take back what should be theirs. The system may be one of oppression, but when they become lost, desperate and poisoned by the evil that resides in needles, it's a hole that they fall too far in to dig out of." Her jaw shifts some, angrily. "But tonight, our prey is those who hurt the innocent. Stealing children and taking away their chance to find freedom. When we find them, they will see the light."

Firefly (Barrows) has posed:
    Josiah was with the homeless. The church along New York City was making progress and was spreading along into gotham. Josiah just healed a woman with cancer, looking physically drained when he left the encampment. He looks about and begins to walk along. He looks up at the buildings and tries to see if anyone is up there. Hearing voices, he closes his eyes and a burst of white light explodes out of his back, forming into a series of wings, angellic as he floats into the sky and lands on the roof next to the two women. "I do hope you both are out to help people." He says calmly as he begins to make his fists glow.

Red Hood has posed:
    Jason watches the pair banter back and forth. "Man I wish I could read lips," he growls to himself, shaking his head inwardly. "Just a pair of vigilantees. Younger kids out to make a name for themselves..." Jason wasn't that much older really, but he felt old. Dying can have that effect on you.

Out of nowhere, this Angel soars into view, and Jason turns slowly to look at it. "That is something you don't see every day," He quips. "What is something like that doing here?" Whomever it was, they were stamping on the stake out he had set up, and Jason knew his night was pretty much ruined at this point.

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    Phoebe blinks, and she can hardly beleive her eyes when it appears an angel joins the two of them on the rooftop.

    Her lips purse, and she straightens the domino mask beneath her hood as she looks to Josiah, then to Dagger, and then back to Josiah.

    "Ah... yes?" she stammers a moment, straying a little closer to Dagger, whose powers outstrip hers offensively.

Dagger has posed:
Taking a few steps back from the 'angel' who lands on their roof, Dagger narrows her eyes a bit. "He's a mutant kid from back in New York. Saw him once." Her lips peel back into a bit of a curl. "What are you doing out here, kid? Especially putting yourself on display like that. You want to get shot at? You have any clue where you're at?"

There's a shake of her head in frustration. "And now you just let the whole fricking Narrows know where we're at and we're gonna lose our tail." She says as she squints her eyes down the street. "Fuck."

Firefly (Barrows) has posed:
    "Not everyone can be a cape crusading hero punching badguys. Sometimes help can be in the form of healing and the spreading of the word of god." Josiah says as he looks to the across and he begins to close his eyes and holds his hands out. A bridge made of light forms and he looks like he is concentrating. The wings vanish and the bridge is between the red hood and the others. "Gotham is a den of darkness. I seek to bring some light to it." He says softly.

Red Hood has posed:
    "Meta humans..." Jason whispers quietly to himself. He doesn't say anything, just watching and being patient in his hiding place. He glances down to the road to keep an idea of what is going on below, then glances up to make sure to also keep an eye on the three others on the rooftops.

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    There is now an over arching bridge between the rooftops constructed of light, and this time, Phoebe is the one who steps forward.

    "Hey, I'm all about bringing help and healing the afflicted, but Gotham is *not* New York, and you are going to draw some *really* unwanted attention the more you show off your powers like that -- please, turn the lights down." she comments gently. "I'm The Gotham Beacon -- this is Dagger, and we *were* tailing some kidnappers, until the cover was completely blown."

Dagger has posed:
"And we aren't superheroes. Do you see any capes on us? Any Avenger logos on our chest? You may believe in your fake, floating daddy in the sky, but down here, the only justice these assholes understand is with bullets and anger." Dagger is harsh, cold and uncaring as she squeezes her fists tighter, the light disappearing from her fingers.

"Now I feel like we're obligated to walk you home since our job is over for the night." There is a frustrated noise in her throat. "Does Sam know you're out here in Gotham?"

Firefly (Barrows) has posed:
    "I can defend myself." Josiah says calmly. When the women speak he decides to make the bridge vanish thinking he saw someone over there. "It is easy to believe he doesnt exist. Greatest trick the devil ever pulled was that he never existed." He says softly and shakes his head. "As for sam, I do not need protecting from anyone. The Lord walks with me." He says calmly as he gestures to the street. "I can leave you to your work?"

Red Hood has posed:
    Jason stiffles a laugh as apparently a Theological Argument has now erupted on the rooftops. Well, it isn't the weirdest thing that has happened up here...He rolls his eyes, slowly standing and throwing the cover off of him. He is now quite visible to the other three across the roof from him. "I'm not staking out to loudly for any of you, am I?" He says with a snide chuckle. "Just you know, attempting to get some work done tonight and all."

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    "Language, Dagger." Beacon states.

    "The Lord might walk with you, but unless he shields you from the bullets of the gangs who undoubtably and correctly think a bunch of light-weilding metahumans are on their turf and --" she begins, but is interrupted by the sound of a stiffled laugh and then the call from the other rooftop.

    "Eh. So were we." she replies back, this daughter of Gotham clearly trying to hide her irritation at the whole situation.

    "ANyway--" she lowers her voice "If you heal, you've got a limit, and they light to find out how much lead it takes to hit it. Do you understand me?" she asks sternly.

    She can't be too much older than him, but that show of power was clearly irresponsible.

Dagger has posed:
"You're not my mom." Dagger says with a loud snort. "If you were, you'd be drunk and passed out with your producer in some hotel."

At the sound of the laugh, she tilts her chin upwards and stares across the way towards Jason, tilting her head to one side. "See, kid, /that/ is a superhero." She says as if to clarify the differences between the two and the Batkid.

"You're fine. Apologies if we're stepping on your toes. I'm Dagger and this is The Beacon. We were tracking a pair of gang bangers who are kidnapping children."

Firefly (Barrows) has posed:
    Josiah just shrugs to them and forms his wings again and flies off, having had enough and decided to let them work. So long crimebusters!

Red Hood has posed:
    Jasn watches Josiah go, raising an eyebrow beneath his mask. He shakes his head as "Angel" disappears into the night before turning to the other two. "I'm not a super hero," he growls. "Just a man with a gun and some ideas about justice." He hunches his shoulders and walks closer to the pair. "What is the name of the gang?" He asks, his voice becoming all business. "And who are the bangers?"

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    "Don't make me adopt you. You wouldn't like it." Beacon threatens, watching as Josiah ascends to the heavens and... hopefully back somewhere where he would be safe.

    "Nice kid." she murmurs a moment, and lets Dagger handle Jason Todd.

Dagger has posed:
"I'm older than you." Dagger hisses to Beacon. "And he's a dumb kid. Nice, but dumb. All these mutant kids are dumb. Thinking they can just hug bad guys and save the world by planting trees. They don't understand what the real world is like. They don't get it."

There's a frustrated snarl in her throat as she gives a shake of her head, focusing upon Jason once more. "They're called the Black Clouds. Asian gang. Mostly known for having territory in Chinatown." She says as she runs a hand back through her blonde hair. "They're being contracted from someone named The Madame in New York. My partner Cloak and I broke up two gangs that she was using previously. They're taking mutant kids off the streets, mostly runaways or homeless and selling them through the black market. Cutting 'em up. There's many layers I've been crawling through."

"I just met up with the Beacon a few days ago and she agreed to help my partner and I. We needed an expert. Aren't you like one of those Robins?"

Red Hood has posed:
    "That was a long time ago," Jason says with a glare, taking a running jump to cross the gap between the two building roofs and landing with a thud. "Black Clouds, good to know." He rolls his neck, letting out a small cracking noise. "Where is the money flowing from? Trafficking people requires more infrastructure than just money laundering or the drug trade."

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    "You think that will stop me?" Beacon suggests, though her tone turns serious as she follows suit."Selling parts on the black market. Butchering mutant teenagers. Maybe she makes videos." Beacon replies as she gets over the fact that Dagger picked up that this was not /the/ Robin, but /a/ Robin... there... was more than one?

    She had a lot to learn about the superheroes of her own city!

    She also takes a running jump, hopping the alley with grace and landing in a sliding crouch, looking back at Red Hood with some measure of curiosity.

Dagger has posed:
"I don't know if they're making videos. I just know that this Madame, whoever she is, contracts local gangs. She sends out a single representative with suitcases full of money and dreams to be sold, tells them to get kids and drop them off in New York City at Pier 17. The warehouse is owned by some shell group called Fisherman LLC. That's as much as I know. I don't have access to much else. I just follow the gangs and I take them out, cure the streets of their cancer while trying to get as much information as I can." Dagger stares at Jason as he joins them, folding her arms over her chest, measuring him with her eyes.

"I wish I knew more. These thugs don't have much in the way of information outside of some guy shows up with money and an address and we drop the bodies off and walk away. Now that we know the warehouse and what ship they load the bodies on, my partner and I are going to attack. We were just hoping to get any new information from this new gang."

Red Hood has posed:
"Well then, I suppose then we should gather information about their methods," Jason replies, looking at both of the other heroes in turn. "Where can we find these two bangers? I assume they frequent this area a great deal, or you wouldn't be here. Anything specific about their gang we need to know before knocking on their front door?"

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    Beacon, for that, turns back to Tandy. Dagger was in charge of the venture -- Beacon was just the tour guide, and this Red Hood seemed to be more familiar with the methods -- and the narrow -- than she was. She pulls her hood a little closer over her face, hiding the pale domino that covers her dark skin.

Dagger has posed:
"Well, I don't know, now. Angel boy sorta blew our cover and they went down the street a few blocks away." Dagger says with a sigh. "It's fine. We can try this again tomorrow I guess. Maybe start in Chinatown and put eyes on the Golden Dragon Palace. It's a hotspot they frequent quite a bit. Family owned." Dagger wrinkles her nose. "I just know that they do a lot of street racing, boosting cars, big fan of knives. Not much in the way of drugs or the such. Mostly transportation."

Red Hood has posed:
"Supped up cars and sharp knives," Jason replies with a mirthless chuckle. "Sounds like a match made in hell. Meet me here tomorrow night then. I'll be waiting. Sounds like you could use some muscle maybe." He turns to look at the street. "Point to remember though, when ever someone offers help or attempts to warn you about something, if you use the phrase 'We can take care of ourselves,' that is probably one of the biggest red flags. Sort of like saying, 'Everything is going smoothly.'"

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    Another white lie to tell Tim. Oh well.

    "Tomorrow night then. Hopefully Tall Lean and Angelic will return to whence he came and keep the preaching to himself." Phoebe states, and she rubs the back of her head as she purses heer lips behind the scarf covering her lower face, and then shrugs.

    "I'll be here." she confirms.

Dagger has posed:
"Sure, it's a date." Tandy says to Jason with a grin as her brows lift upwards. "You can be the muscle. I'll let my partner, Cloak, know. So, what's your name? Since you aren't a Robin. Are you The Red Helmet?" She asks. "I'm Dagger." She introduces more properly.

Red Hood has posed:
"The Red Hood," Jason says with a nod. "I will find you, don't worry. Just make sure you had a light dinner. Things could get alittle rough." He chuckles lightly and turns to leave, jumping back across the gap between buildings and down the other side with practiced ease.