Owner	Pose
Jason Todd	It doesn't always rain in Gotham City - but it's true that between the heavy use of the Industrial Age, the numerous plants, the various growth spurts and fits that the city has gone through, there's a dark parlor that hangs over the entire city - even over the affluent areas, such as Crest Hill. Snooty rich families. Those that look down on the city and pretend that it's not the diseased, afflicted creature that it is. Then there are those like Bruce. Bruce who thinks he's better than it all. Bruce who thinks that they can be reformed. It's all a crock of shit, but let him have his Pollyanna fantasies. Red Hood is going to deal with the realities. The house belonged to a well-known player for the Gotham Blades. He had been one of those talked about draft picks - chip on his shoulder - the owner was so proud to say that he was bringing in this player to prove that he's worth it. And then they turned a blind eye to the numerous rumors about his 'roughing' up his girlfriends. He'll get married, they said. That'll straighten him up. That's why the Gotham Police were called in. The young wife had been beaten - battered and bruised - and now 'The Risk' as they called him in the Gotham Gazette - had taken up refuge in his home and was holding the woman and their newborn child hostage. Across the way, on the roof of one of the neighbors, Red Hood removed his mask, allowing the soft hiss of atmosphere from his helmet. His domino mask was still firmly in place as he opened the briefcase at his side and starts to assemble the sniper rifle within. He had already scouted out the location just after the first officers arrived. With searchlights trained on the house - it gave him the advantage of seeing the pattern of the man wandering about the house, the blade held to the woman's throat as he screamed out that he wanted his lawyer. "Yeah, well, you should have thought of that sooner." Jason muttered as he started to hunker down. That's when he notices ... them ... arriving. "Shit." he muttered, "Here comes the wannabes." The voice rumbled as he watched the heroes arriving on the scene and he took a Dum-Dum from his pocket and stuck it in the side of his mouth to watch them through the sight, "Let's see what motley fools showed up tonight."
Starr	An evening flight was always invigorating. Tonight was no different for Starr. Except it was about to get MORE so as she sensed it. The mild flavor of a lesser demon of wrath. Through the dark air the red-skinned demoness dove to come to a landing on the roof. Oh sure it caused an uproar among the cops but they didn't really matter. Their guns would do nothing to her after all. Far more interesting was the creature within the walls below, influencing the human it had possessed. "You woke up on the wroooong turf," The demon purrs as her own demonic presence can be felt. Just as she had hoped it would be. Things were about to get interesting.
Jason Todd	The metallic 'cha-click' of a rifle alerts Starr that she isn't alone on the slanted rooftop. Looking up from his perch he had claimed on the house, Jason's expression could be easily 'unpleased' as much as 'unplussed'. "Lemme guess..." he rumbles as he chews down with a crunch and spits the stick out the side of his mouth. "You're either here because you ain't got anythin' better to do, you saw my ass from afar - or there's some type of mystical mumbo-jumbo going down." the man rumbles. It's the last of those that annoys him the most - after all, that means this wasn't going to be a clean of a night as he hoped it would be. It's going to be messy. It always is with demons. Especially the sexy ones. They like it that way.
Starr	"You don't recognize me, do you Jason?" The dark and sultry voice purrs. As she hops down from the chimney she begins to walk towards him. It is the stalking walk of a predator and right now she seems to be deciding if Jason is prey or predator. "But then I have changed..." The demoness turns her all-black eyes onto the house. A shadow against the curtains of the bedroom tells her what she needs to know. Even if her vision didn't tell her that the possessed man was staring at her. She lifts one hand and crooks a finger at him as she grins without humor. "A little bit of all three, to answer your question. That man is possessed by a demon of wrath. And it's on my turf."
Jason Todd	"Your turf?" That draws a snuff of amusement from the red-masked vigilante. "Think that Bats would have an issue with you claiming that - or at least Zatanna. And yeah. I recognize that sultry walk anywhere, Vicky." he offers to her. Then his attention turns back to the house. "They ain't all demons, ya know. Some of them are just assholes that need a bullet between the eyes." With that, he's safetying the rifle at least as he pushes himself back to his feet to glance across the way. "Ain't that I'm doubting that you're saying that there's a demon in there, yourself -after all I know what you're like- but if there's some freaky deaky demon crap going down, might want to fill me in on the details."
Starr	"Neither Batman nor Zatanna are demons. I am the Daughter of Darkness and have claimed Gotham as mine. I do not like sharing." Starr's eyes drop onto Jason and narrow slightly. She even gives a little huff as if her pride were injured. "Even despite the evidence before your mortal mind you think us one in the same?" Starr asks as she makes a small hop and lands beside him. Her hands are clasped at her lower back and wings folded in tight. The streetlights make her red skin gleam and the blood red hair with the oil-slick black streaks seems all the more sinister. "I suppose I cannot blame you...things were different back when we first met..." She didn't even know she was a demon at that point. Now her head turns to stare at the house and she sighs. "I am losing patience...feel free to kill him already. His soul will go to the hells and delight demons for eternity." She waves at the house dismissively as the possessed hides behind walls and curtains.
Jason Todd	"Damn, you changed..." for the first time Jason can see the physical manifestations that Vicky has gone through. "Not a complaint.." is added quickly. "Though you've given me a new problem. If he's possessed, he ain't in charge and while he may be a scuzzy asshole, it isn't his fault at the moment." That weird sense of honor creeps up again as Red puts away the rifle. "Which means..." he pulls out the grapple gun and fires a line to slide across. "I'll subdue and you do your demon mumbo-jumbo."
Starr	Starr Starr crossed her arms and her wings ruffled slightly. "MMMhmmm," She watches Jason thoughtfully for a moment. Then her nose wrinkles as he begins to put the rifle away. It is hard to tell where the black gaze rests but for the feelings of the demon's gaze. That thing about palatable evil? The more he paid attention to her the deeper it became. Along with the faint smell of Brimstone and smoke. "The man likely would have done it anyway," Starr says as she gestures to him. There is an obvious disappointment that Jason isn't just going to put a bullet in his head. When the grappling hook goes across, "Bah, fine! Save a life worth wasting like a good hero." And her wings snap open. It simply looks like she hopped, but that one little bound takes her up into the air. A quick circling and then she dives for the window and...well...kool-aid man's the windows and wall.
Jason Todd	"Yeah, well. That's what happens when demons interfere with the realm of man or something." Jason says with a grunt. And then he watches Starr go all homewrecker on the sidewall, and there may have been an audible groan that comes the black and red clad figure. "That's just.. dandy." But it does give him something that he desperatedly needed. As Starr comes smashing through the wall, the man's girlfriend screams out in a bloodcurling way. The Risk grips the woman tighter, that blade digging into soft flesh as he growls. "Back off, bitch, or the girl gets it." he warns, a flash of his eyes towards Starr as the man looks like he would do so at any moment. A few years ago? Jason Todd wouldn't have blinked. He would have just fired. Killed the man. Maybe hurt the woman in the shot. It would have been an acceptable loss. Now? He's //trying//. Smashing through the window behind the couple and the Red Hood rolls along the ground as he smashes an end table, sending pieces of it across the floor. And he pulls what looks like a weapon. He fires at the man's back. Two metallic prongs on thin wires reach out and impale themselves in the Risk's back before it's followed with ten thousand volts. Smoke rises from the man's skin. He drops the knife. And the woman. But he turns and grabs the wires, the possessed player grins darkly at the vigilante. "Ah.. fu--" the rest doesn't get out of Jason's mouth as he's yanked forward suddenly and finds a fist planted into his solar plexus, knocking the air out of him as the Risk turns to throw Red Hood at the bigger threat - that of Starr.
Starr	"You lesser demons are -so- unoriginal. Really? The girl gets it?" Starr sounds bored as she waves a hand airly. The demoness sighs in obvious disappointment. As it is she could care less if the woman's throat is slit or not. The life and death of mortals matters little to her unless she can harvest their death. As Jason makes his move she takes casual steps through the debris towards him. It's almost as if she expected nothing really to happen beyond a distraction from Red Hood's attack. "Demons are generally speaking fairly resistant to fire, cold, and electricity," She calls over the wife-beater's shoulder. Then Risk is turning back to her and she grins. It is a grin without humor but one of pleasure. Dark pleasure than comes from violence and wrath. "This is -my- kingdom, little demon. And this princess does -not- share," And then she moves. It is something that only those with incredible strength and claws that can cut steel could do. Really it is a signature demon move if you think about it. The black eyes of the possessed man go wide and he makes a soft cough. Blood shows on his lips as he looks down at the hand in his chest. There is obvious shock there as the demoness pulls her bloody hand out, ripping his heart out without even thinking about it. A gush of blood sprays across her as she lifts it up in front of her face. "Too bad, so sad," She says before crushing it as the body crumbles to the ground. A black smoke ghosts into the air and disappates.
Jason Todd	Risk collapses to the floor in a lump. The wife is screaming her lungs out at the sight of Starr ripping out her husband's heart. Pushing himself to his feet, Hood gives a grunt of pain and a soft, "Ungh." And then the screaming hits his ears and he looks to see what happened in that moment he was airborne. "Ah, hell." he grunts, the vigilante giving a look between the two. "Glad to see that you had your fun tonight." he offers dryly. Shaking his head to clear the ringing bells in it, before he glances towards the wife. "You. Downstairs. Open the door, go to your knees, the cops will find you." His attention swivels to Starr. "You. What. The Everliving Crap was //that//." he growls out between his gritted teeth. "I know you think you're some kind of demoness, but there's also a normal human there inside of you - one that wouldn't want to go through most of the shit I went through.
Starr	Starr looks from the heart to Jason to the screaming wife and then back to Jason. She raises one brow and smirks as she drops the pulped heart and vaguely shakes her hand off. Blood goes everywhere and she doesn't even care. "The man inside this shell was every bit as corrupt as the demon which controlled him," She says with a sigh. The sound of the police yelling through loudspeakers outside catches her attention. And she turns to look over her shoulder with narrowed eyes. "Think I am some kind of demoness," Starr muses as she walks to the opening. An over eager cop lets off a shot which hits and bounces off one shoulder. "I do -not- think, I -am-. I am the daughter of darkness, Queen of Sin, Jason Todd. And Victoria Jones is but a mere human soul cursed to bear witness to my designs." The cops are screaming at her to raise her hands and she simply chuckles. "Mmmmmm. We should leave I think before they storm in. Care for a lift?" And she turns and holds out one hand to him. Her smile unsettling as much as it is meant to be seductive. Sharp pointy teeth will do that as does her demonic presence itself. As she does her wings spread and catch the bullets that begin to be fire. They glance harmlessly off her red skin.
Jason Todd	There's a choice to be made here. One that Edgar Allen Poe would have envied - the Demoness or the Police. After giving a snort, Jason considers Starr's words. "At least you got the monologuing down right." he offers to her, just before the first shot is fired off and strike the woman's shoulder. That smile she offers is disoncerting - and Jason has that feeling in the pit of his stomach that if he decided to stay, Starr would gladly use it as the excuse to tear into the police officers and literally redecorate the house in post-modern entrail. Taking her hand to be carried, the vigilante offers up a small snort as he snaps his hood back into place, and his distorted voice sounds out. "Time to go!"
Starr	Starr takes that hand and pulls him against her blood-soaked self. "Hold on," She says as she looks into his eyes. The yellow flames about them give off no heat, but being this close to apparent flame is sure to be an unusual experience for Jason. They are of a similar height even if her heels give her an inch. Both of her arms snake under his and about his waist tightly. Like before her skin is hot, hotter than normal but in a pleasant way. Like sun-warmed skin kind of hot. Those giant wings reach out and sweep away crumbling concrete and building brick, clearing her exit. The cops can be heard downstairs now yelling at the wife to get on her knees as she sobs. It seems she is taking her time too. Or perhaps just making a dramatic exit. Likely the later. As the sound of feet on the stairs is heard she bends her legs only slightly. Then she easily picks Jason up and jumps out the hole. A sweep of her wings carried her quickly across the street and up into the night sky. A bullet or two chases after them, but the cops have already realized she is bullet proof. "And I don't monalogue," She tells him now that they are clear of the scene. And out across Gotham she flies going higher and higher till she breaks the whispy cloud cover into the brilliant full moon light. It should be cold up here but Starr has that covered and instead it is like a warm summer evening.
Jason Todd	This. This is something he remembers. Though the last time they did this, it was a little awkward, all things considered - a different idea of the walk of shame. After she carries him higher, Jason knows that for the moment, he's at her mercy - and it's not exactly something he relishes. "So when did you decide to go full on Elviria, Mistress of the Dark?" he asks with a lift of his brow beneath his helmet. Yes, she's warm. She's curvy. She could be very very comforting. But there's something about her that sets him at odds. Mainly because it reminds him too much of himself after he rose from the grave as a listless, souless abomonation. "Penguin could have taken notes." he says dryly as he feels her press to warm and protect him, and he keeps the helmet enclosed around his head for now.
Starr	Starr mostly keeps her eyes ahead of her as she flies. Where are they heading anyway? With her wings and the speed at which she can fly they could be anywhere on the Eastern seaboard fairly quickly. As it is though that becomes clear as she turns and heads for a large break in the clouds. Below it is the Lady Liberty herself. "When my father found me," Starr replies as she focuses on flying. She glances down, though, and smiles faintly. There is a hint of the old smile, the human smile, in there. "The magic was strong so many do not even remember it, but back in January? Mmmm..." She pauses to consider then nods. "January. I am the daughter of Satannish, one of the great demon lords." There is pride in her voice as she says it, but also a kind of weariness.
Jason Todd	"Yeah, well my dad was a jackass. Doesn't mean you have to follow him. You got your thoughts on the matter, I imagine." Hood responds as he watches the direction that the pair are headed in. As he noices the statue looming in the distance, there's a small grunt. "Magic. That in itself is some weird shit." he points out to her. "I mean, seen it corrupt folks and turn them into things they ain't wanting to be. So here comes my question to you, cause I hear it in your voice - is this what you want to be, Starr? Pawn to your pops?" Because if anyone knows what that means, it's Jason Todd.
Starr	Starr is angling to set them right atop the statue's head it would seem. And so she doesn't respond right away to his question. It gives her time to think as her wings flare and slow their descent. And she lands with care and sets him down with surprising gentleness. The view is unique, of course, being on top of Liberty as they are. "Oh no. I am not a pawn. In fact it is because of my warning some of New Yorks more open-minded folk that the place isn't as over run with demons as it could be. They were able to close the gateway my father made between his dimension and Earth and throw him back across it as well," Starr begins to talk after she settles down on the crown. The metal should be cold but it has been warmed by her power. Legs out before her and crossed as the ankle she leans back on her arms. Those wings drape around her otherwise folded. "I have plans. Plans already in motion as a matter of fact," Starr says with a little sigh as she glances from the view to Jason. Those black eyes look him up and down in that hood thoughtfully. "Magic is just another form of energy. It is neither good nor bad in and of itself...so those you saw be corrupted? It was they themselves that did it, not magic."
Jason Todd	Once he's settled on the crown of Lady Liberty, Jason steps forth to stand on the edge and look out towards New York. Well hell. There won't be any ziplining away from here if things go sideways. So, he's stuck in that whole awkward conversation with her. "Yeah. And tonight was a great example of it being neutral, right?" he asks as he turns to consider the woman. "So what brought on this - I mean, it's not a complaint - but you go off and embrace your dark side, and next thing I know, you're going all Princess of Power and 'this land is mine'." "Think you're a little out of your league, considering some of the shit I've seen, including the fuck I went through." He frowns a little, as he reaches up to take off the hood - after all, she's seen him in far far less. "I ain't one for the power and responsibility shit - I mean, I know I toe the line too. Don't know if I'm gonna reactivate the Outlaws yet, but if I do, I think you can learn a little from your peers."
Starr	"You still think that she and I are one person. Oh if you could hear her screaming you would know just how wrong you are," Starr says in her low purr of a voice. The wind rushes hard up here and catches her hair momentarily as she turns her black gaze on him. "I am purging the place I've made my home of other demons. How is -that- bad? You humans are so confusing. I keep going and doing favors and all I get is smack," She speaks slowly and gestures broadly at the city. "I will admit I am not the most powerful in this land..." The wrinling of her nose speaks of her opinion of that. "Some are given power, some have to take it. Some fall between like me. As for responsibility..." There is a snort at that and then she kind of grows quiet. It's an oddly thoughtful look on her face as she stares at the city that never sleeps. "You might think I am just wild and random, but that is far from it. Of course I do not expect you to understand the delicate balance of the metaphysical. Too many demons here means that power will be unbalances, chaotic, and there will be -more- devastation. Now, I am all for a good wrecking, but if you wreck everything what is left?" Starr turns that black flaming gaze on Jason once more. "I -do- have a purpose in the universe and I will fulfill it. Even if it has been...complicated," And she waves a hand dismissively at her own head.
Jason Todd	Reaching up to run the scruff on his cheek as he watches her. "Well, she's probably got the right to scream." Jason points out as he watches her, before dropping to sit on a spoke of the crown as he watches the woman. "Yeah, we're all fucknuts sometimes. But considering you're holding one hostage to stay here, so might want to read up on the care and feeding of the human race, cause we're a fickle lot, especially when we decide not to cooperate. Was that addressed to Starr or to Vicky? "Balances? You don't even have a clue. I can tell you more than you could even imagine on the whole idea of balance, and how balances can fuck you over when you try to carry it one way, and then you see someone doing the same shit that you did, but because he's a kid, we're just supposed to accept it's a 'phase'." There's a snort at that, before Jason glances over at her, and gives her a lingering once over. "There's nothing worse than that moment that it's all a fucking delusion, and the cosmic joke is that there is no big picture. We all just do our shit, and then we die, and the impact we make? Ain't even a speck of shit from a fly that ate shit in the grand scale of it all."
Starr	Those black narrows slightly and Starr's smirk fades as he speaks. But she holds her piece until he is done speaking. Then she stands up and stretches in an almost languide manner. There is only the vaguest hint of a smile on her face or she would be truly terrifying. "Holding hostage? HAHAHAHAHA!" The laughter has no mirth as she tilts her head back. "Oh no no, my dear. You truly do not understand our unique predicament. Let me tell you a tale." She walks out onto the end of one spoke now. Her wings flaring for balance against the wind. Like any good dramatic she turns to face him then, with her wings spread, and the smile that presses her lips is cold. "Centuries ago Satannish created me, trained me, groomed me for two purposes," Starr puts up two fingers. "To become an anchor to Earth and to control the masses post-invasion via the vices that are thick as blood among humanity." She takes a step down the spire towards Jason, staring at him unblinking. "Nineteen years ago a young woman with magic was seeking power. She dedicated herself to Satannish and because of her own power would be the perfect vessel to carry out my father's plans," Starr's smile curls on one side. "I was conceived by magic, my soul joined Victoria's. At our birth I was to consume her soul, which would awaken my dormant demonic mind...that didn't happen." A pause and it is hard to tell if she is please or upset by that fact. Another step towards Jason is taken as she continues to speak, "Our mother didn't survive the car accident, though we were pulled form her alive and well. I was dormant and Victoria was adopted by a 'loving' family. I awoke, but with no real memory of my demonic past but fully...mature if you will when she was four. Do you -know- the torture of being trapped, unable to speak or act or even be acknowledge for YEARS? The world goes by and you are a passanger, helpless to even have the satisfaction of feeling your throat ringing with screams!?" The smile fades and in the next step she looks terrifying in the fury. The yellow flames shoot higher and brighter around her eyes as her lip twitches.
Jason Todd	"Nope, wouldn't know shit about that." Jason's tone is dry when he points that out. "Man, that's just some serious shit you went through there. "Just given up by my mom, had a druggie for a stepmom that was more interested in the next hit than anything to do with raising a son.." he shrugs his shoulder. "Brought up to be a crook - then the baddest badass in Gotham finds you trying to jack the wheels from his ride, and instead of beating you to a pulp and putting you under Arkham, he decides to pretend he cares for you." "Preens you, trains you. Tries to make you in his image, because his first attempt at it was all idiotic and wanted to be more goodie good than he wanted to be." he shrugs, watching her as she approaches and then catches aflame. "Neat trick." he mutters, before continuing, "So you take up the mantle. You try to do it his way, but you decide that you need to go a little further. He gets all uncomfortable and fights with you about it. You try to make things right - and find out your mother is in trouble. Go down, find out your mom sold you out to the greatest fucking threat in Gotham - because compared to him, you're just a warm up act. He takes you hostage, beats the ever-loving shit out of you, wanting to know who the man is. Wants to see me break, wants to watch me fall apart. I don't. I keep the fucking secret. Even though I knew I was gonna die." "And I did. Surprise, he turned on my mother as well, she didn't fare any better. So. I'm dead. For years. And then one day, I wake up. I'm in a coffin, in six feet of dirt. Had to claw and fight my way out. But I ain't me. I'm just some soul-less fuck that ain't worth nothing. Then they come. They stick me in a pit - hey, get my soul back. But they want something in return. Clean up Gotham. Shit, that's not a problem, I say. I get started on it - then he comes back into my life. He didn't even attend the funeral, even though he called me his son. Said I was sick. Deranged. That I was his biggest failure. So whatever you plan to do to me? I've already done worse to myself." "So bring it."
Starr	"Do? Do to you?" That makes Starr pauses in her approach and tilt her head slightly. "I have no intention of hurting you, you dear thing," She says as the whole menacing demeanor fades. It is just natural for her and she doesn't even realize it when she does it. Part of what she is likely. Back down that spire she walks to crouch in front of him. One more she is smiling as she stares at him before reaching out to cup his chin. Almost like she was considering him. "No, you have a special place for me. I shan't harm you unless you attack me first." She drops her hand then and sits beside him instead. "We both seem to have shitty father figures," Starr says as she once more leans back. One this time her legs stay bent and she crosses one over the other, foot swinging idly. "Do not get me wrong, mine is way worse, but I can at least commisserate over such a thing. What I was getting at...is I am not what you think. I am a demon and always have been. Victoria is a human and always has been. Our souls, because of how things happened, are no longer separate. Think of them like siamese twins, except souls. I can never be free of her for all eternity now nor I...unless I can find the power to fix it."
Jason Todd	"Sounds like you're your own threesome." Jason offers dryly as she drops down to join him. He leans back as well, not really moving to pin her or the like. "A special place? I hope I have a fancy looking mount for my head. Something in ash." he comments as he considers her again, meeting her eyes as she cups his chin. "Eh, father figures screw things up. Why I wasn't about to even father any kids of my own. I'd fuck that up royally." He shrugs his shoulders and then lifts a brow. "So what would you want to do, when you're finally freed? Because unless she's immortal, she's got an expiration date, just like I do."
Starr	Starr glances sideways at the children comment with a smirk. "Victoria always loved playing house with baby dolls. It drove me nuts," She says as she wrinkles her nose slightly. There is a moment of silence before he asks his question and she looks at him now straight on. "Hmmm...a very good question. It would depend on what had happened to some extent. What I -want- is to be free. Free to enjoy the sins of humanity. It is a goal that is so far from me now I haven't thought much beyond the fact I want it," Starr admits after some thought. "As to mortality...well, this body is half-demon. Immortality may not be a given, but in this case..."
Jason Todd	There's a smirk that comes from the masked vigilante as he lifts a brow to her, before he gets a crooked grin at her before taking her hand and moving to press her down against the spire. "We can always figure out how mortal you are later." he responds to her before pressing her down against the cold metal, even as she warms it up beneath them.
Starr	Starr raises a brow as Jason makes a move and her lips curl once more into a smirk. "You are -much- more forgiving than Shadowlite, but that is probably because you've died and seen hell," She says in that deep and rumbling voice. "One of the reason I think I shall keep you whole and hearty." So pompouse, but really no surprise. The wind picks up again. Up here is it loud and should be cold, but is thankfully just pleasant. As the moon again breaks through the clouds it trails pale light across the duo. "Dancing with the devil is dangerous," She cautions him as she reaches a hand up to cup his chin once again. "It's my job to make you fall. And, oh, will I enjoy it," She says before flipping Jason over onto his back and kissing him fiercely. It is brief and rough and as soon as he relaxes it is done. There is a hude rush of wind and Starr has pushed herself up and into the sky. "See you around," She laughs as she turns and begins to fly back to New York. Leaving Jason alone atop Lady Liberty.