9478/Catch And Release

Catch And Release
Date of Scene:	07 October 2019
Location:	Upper West Hill, Old Gotham
Synopsis:	Huntress extracts info from a just paroled-convict, while Vanessa Carlysle tries to keep her friend from making a mistake with the same man.
Cast of Characters:	Copycat, Huntress

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Copycat has posed:
Margie was a good kid. One of the girls who worked the same street as Vanessa in Big Lots. Like a lot of the younger girls, Vanessa had helped mentor Margie along to some degree. So Vanessa wasn't happy to find out Margie's ex was getting out of Blackgate in Gotham.

Rick was the kind of bad news that Vanessa had eventually learned to spot far off. He got sent up for four years for assault and burglary, but was getting out in 7 months, mainly to alleviate prison overcrowding. The kind of biker that the bad stereotypes describe, he'd been involved in some weapons trafficking to criminal elements in Gotham, before his arrest for beating up someone who'd informed on his gang.

And Margie just couldn't stay away from the guy, though Vanessa's repeated talks about him had seemed to have some effect, leaving Margie a little wary, but still coming to wait for him on his release. So Vanessa had tagged along to keep an eye on her, and try to help make sure she didn't fall back in with him.

The pair are waiting outside of the prison now. Rick is being processed and should be coming out at any moment.

Huntress has posed:
The pair weren't the only ones waiting for Rick, just the most obvious. Blackgate being isolated and purposely laid out to make it hard to hide from sight made it difficult to do, but not impossible for someone with the right experience.

It helped that Huntress was keeping her distance from the main entrance, where she could keep an eye on the gate without getting into easy direct view, and waiting. A criminal getting out 'to prevent overcrowding' just because he's lower on the list of serious offenses annoyed her to no end... but maybe she could make some use of it. Or there was always the small chance that knowing he was not out of being monitored just because he's out of jail might help 'encourage' getting his act together.

We'll see what comes of it. For now she was just waiting like everyone else.

Copycat has posed:
There is a buzzing noise as the locks are undone and the exit from the prison opens up. Rick strides through, a man in his late forties, long salt-and-pepper beard and the tatts to prove this was not his first, second, third, or even fourth experience with the US penal system.

Wearing the same clothing he went in with, he strides out in jeans, boots, a white shirt and a black leather vest overtop. He's in the act of tying over his head the bandana that has his biker gang's logo on the front when Margie bounces up and down and then hurries over to him. Vanessa follows far less enthusiastically.

"Babe, you didn't forget," he says, sweeping up the girl twenty years younger than he twirling her around him before kissing her. He sets her down then and looks towards Vanessa. "You brought a friend?" he says with a leering grin, eyeing Vanessa up and down. While Margie dressed up nice, Vanessa intentionally went the other direction with her jeans and baggie blouse that helps obscure her figure. Though to no avail.

"Oh, you remember Vanessa," Margie says to Rick. Who obviously doesn't remember her. "She came over with me, long trip from New York," she says, chewing her gum and then popping a bubble.

Rick nods and keeps eyeing Vanessa as he says, "Well, she can come along. Let's go grab a room. Lots of old time to make up for," he says. Rick's mind is on more than the girl. He knows his gang has a deal going down soon in Gotham, and now he's back out, it's time for him to start earing again. Vanessa tries to hide her disgust as she falls into step behind the other two as Rick leads the way over to a nearby motel and gets a room for them to head into. "Babe, let me borrow your phone, need to make some calls," he tells her, getting Margie's phone and punching in a number as they enter the room.

Huntress has posed:
You would have to be blind to miss those signs of a life-timer in street gang crime. Huntress isn't sure what's more infuriating; that this chump is getting off easy, or that he's taking advantage of some girl barely half his age if that. Sigh. Some people just had terrible taste in relationships.

Trailing them to the motel isn't all that hard, though it's going to be an annoyance that both those women are with him. She'd rather do this sort of thing when he's alone... but by that point it might be too late. So once she gets a glance at the number on the tag to the motel room she slips away to find the window to the matching room. To spy? Nah, not the Huntress' style. Too impersonal.

By the time the trio walk into the room Huntress has already slipped her way in, leaning back against the window with her arms folded. "Well now, look who got out early. Somehow I doubt it was for 'good behavior'..."

Copycat has posed:
Rick strides into the motel room with a gait like he owns the place. "Go ahead and get your britches off and-" he is saying when Helena cuts him off. Margie and Vanessa have just stepped into the room, and the latter woman's eyes widen at the sight of the costumed crime-fighter.

Rick gives an angry snarl at the sight of Huntress. "Jesus Fucking H. Christ woman, I've been out five minutes, I haven't even had time to do anything illegal. Go bother someone else, no reason for you to be here," he growls at her.

Margie backs up to a corner, while Vanessa moves over to stay in front of Margie. Her hand undoes her purse and slips inside in a way that suggests there is likely a weapon in there. Though her eyes are more focused on Rick than Huntress, as if seeing him as the threat, not the purple-clad woman.

Huntress has posed:
At the 'haven't even had time' part Huntress just smirks faintly and unfolds one gloved hand far enough to point a finger at him. "Exactly." No comment on how he's not exactly dressed in a manner suggesting he intends to keep it that way.

While most of her attention is on Rick she's aware of the two ladies moving behind one. Notibly one shielding the other and having 'that posture' with her bag. To be expected, especially if they came from New York. She's been up there enough times to know that city is as bad as Gotham in some ways... and worse in others.

The vigilante woman is unphased by Rick's brash attitude though, as much as the teacher in her wants to snap at him for using such language in front of a couple of younger women. "But just because you've been up the creek doesn't mean you've been out of contact with your 'friends'. They have something big going down, and I want details."

Copycat has posed:
Rick spits on the floor of the motel. From the looks of the shabby carpet, it probably has had plenty of similar treatment. "Why would I tell you anything, bitch?" he says. "If I ever knew about it. I've been locked up inside, no way I could know what anyone out here was doing," he lies, and badly.

Vanessa just stays in place, keeping Marjie behind her and trying to keep the two women out of it. Her bag itself is more pointed towards Rick, as if further evidence any weapon in the bag is not being directed towards Huntress.

Rick rubs his chin for a moment. "Maybe I'm looking at this all wrong. I just got out, need some cash. YOu want info. I could probably get it for you. What's it worth to you?" he asks. Offering to turn on his own motorcycle gang? Very unlikely.

Huntress has posed:
Whatever Rick was thinking, what he said was clearly the wrong thing. Being a big burly biker man doesn't do much when the Huntress moves with the speed of a trained assassin to clamp one hand around his thick neck and still squeeze with enough force to bring him down to her level. Just the right combination of strength and knowing the right points to apply pressure to. It also helps to pull him in a direction away from Vanessa and Marjie, keeping his eyes on her.

"I tried to be nice," for Huntress at least, "but your games are starting to annoy me. If you want to actually enjoy your little visitation there," said as she puts her knee in position that would certainly ruin that for the night for him, "You will tell me what you know about their next big deal. And stop trying to talk your way around it. You getting out this close to a big job is too convenient to just be beaucratic indifference."

Copycat has posed:
Vanessa uses the small bit of violence as a goad to get Marjie out of the room. Out of the room, and hopefully out of Gotham and out of Rick's life. She'll be sure to play up how bad it would be to get on the bad side of Gotham vigilantes. If Huntress doesn't stop them, Vanessa opens the door and takes Marjie by the shoulder, guiding her out the door and closing it behind them to leave Huntress alone with Rick.

Rick, meanwhile, mewls like a wounded kitten when Huntress grabs him in the painful grip. "Ow! Shit! Don't! Ow!" He pants and squirms as she threatens his family jewels. "Ok, ok. But you didn't hear anything from me. Falcone's people, taking an order for some electro-gun shit. I don't know more than that, don't know where or when. Just, that guy down at the Sleazy, Noonan's Sleazy Bar, the one missing the bottom of his one ear. Don't know his name, but he'd be the one taking delivery!"

Huntress has posed:
Huntress is actually silently glad when one woman uses the oppritunity to usher the other out of the room, but it's not the time to express it.

So they are dealing in 'experimental' weaponry. That is what she wanted to confirm, not the dealing in weapons but the potential severity of what was being smuggled around. "That wasn't so hard, thank you." She lets go, giving Rick a push towards the bed as she does so. More so because it's a point farther from the door than to make his landing comfortable. "There's enough scuttlebutt in the underworld they'll never know where it was dug up." She has a feeling she wouldn't need to rat him out for him to end up back in the judicial system all over. Now if they'd just -keep- him there. But that aspect was out of her hands. The tails of her overcoat flit in the same manner as a cape almost as she leaves, out the door this time.

Mostly so she can see the two ladies more closely. She looks from the 'girlfriend', to Vanessa, then to Marjie again. Shakes her head and looks to Vanessa. "You have got to find her a new boyfriend. She could do so much better than that deadbeat. Was probably planning to steal from you both after he had his 'fun'." Or maybe not, but she'll take full advantage about his complaint of no money to try and drive the point home before this poor girl ends up in the middle of the shit he stirs up.

Copycat has posed:
Vanessa looks over to Marjie, the nineteen year old hearing from the famed crimefighter something akin to what Vanessa has been saying for days now. The younger girl looks back through the door towards Rick who is there on his knees, holding his shoulder and wincing painfully before the door blots out the sight of him. "Maybe... maybe we should go back to New Lots," she says to Vanessa, naming a very down and out section of New York. The slums, essentially.

Vanessa looks over towards Huntress. "Thanks a lot," she says, flashing a smile towards the woman. "I mean, really. Thank you," she says. "And good luck with the rest of that," she says, before shooing Marjie down the hall to the stairs and back towards the subway.