RP with Red Hood/Jason Todd

[dawn_is_breaking]

[Ever since she was little there was an aspect of Dawn that most people never really saw, a side of her that was much more harsh and violent than anyone would ever suspect seeing how most of the time she was a gentle, kind person. Someone with a huge heart who usually opted for talking through things rather than turning violent.
But that didn't mean that side wasn't there or that she didn't use it from time to time.
Like with her father, or the coach who had hurt Hank, or those men in Paris...
Or like right now.

It didn't take Jason very long to come up with a list of contacts and businesses they needed to hit in order to start the process of taking down Maroni and his operations. She had been expecting to feel nervous, overwhelmed, maybe even scared of starting this process but now that they were in it she just felt the old familiar feeling of wanting to lash out against those who had hurt others and make them pay.

So when they drop down into the warehouse she doesn't bother holding back, striking out with a savagery that might be surprising to some. No doubt if Dick saw her like this he would start to worry or he would throw it in her face as a way to win old arguments. But that doesn't matter, her connection with Dick is tenuous at best and strangely she finds herself feeling more comfortable with Jason than with him. A comfort and ease that is reflected in the way they start to pick off mobsters together, the two of them falling into a natural sort of battle pattern.]

Left side!

[She calls out to him as she rolls to avoid a spray of gunfire.]

Comments

[knucklesbloody]

( He'd expected to go at this alone. Even now, there was a piece of him that still wanted to. Not because he felt like Dawn was incapable, but because the ethics and moral compass of his ultimate plan was shakey at best. But he knew very well that once you end a life there's no real coming back from it. They shared in that, and maybe Bruce and Dick tried so hard to draw the line because of what might happen if they let themselves continue to cross it but they were already criminals in the eyes of the law. Might as well make actual moves.

It was a drug operation, one of many. Hit their wallets. And it was so easy to drop in, easy to work the room with fist, and elbow, and knife. He didn't want these guys dead (shocking, right?). Jason came to a certain kind of understanding: no matter how many you take, there's always someone to take their place. But he wasn't exactly going to shed a tear if a couple died in the process of sending a message.

And working with Dawn was... well, she surprised him. He'd seen her work before, and knew that she did have a sort of brutality that they all could dig in to, but this was impressive. And there was that kind of grace that Grayson had. Him from being an acrobat, her from being a dancer. Jason was nowhere near that. Especially now, opting more for bulk than the acrobatics he was taught what felt like eons ago. But there was something artful in the way they found synergy, in the brutality they shared. )

On it! ( Which, well he's always been a little reckless. Sometimes on purpose, sometimes just by nature. Still, a bullet did manage to lodge itself right in. Luckily missing anything important, but still in a pretty dangerous area of town. And after rolling to a turned-over table and cursing under his breath, Jason looks over to Dawn. ) Now I'm just pissed off, but let's finish this.

[dawn_is_breaking]

[It's hard to tell how badly he's been hurt and while part of her wants to stop and ask she realizes that there really isn't time, there are more goons coming and if he's angry then she knows from experience how that can help push someone through pain until the job is done.]

Let's do it.

[She says and moves back into the fight, moving with Jason but not relying on him. It's different than how she used to fight with Hank, or even Dick, and there's a part of her that celebrates this difference, this weird type of independence.

Two men with pistols come straight at her and she is quick to take them out, she doesn't dodge them, instead she barrels directly towards them and uses one as leverage for taking the other out. Grabbing one while she swings her legs up and around the other's throat, dragging them both down to the ground. Two quick hits later and she's back up and rushing to catch up with Jason.]

[knucklesbloody]

( They all knew it. That hatred. That anger. Even Bruce eventually broke. He'll remember forever the way Bruce looked at him like he'd failed himself; betrayed himself. Honestly? It made Jason even more certain that this was where he belonged. Whether it was just because he was more fucked up than Dick or Bruce, who knew. He could draw the blood if it meant that they didn't have to, or anyone else for that matter.

But back to the here and now. With a grunt, out he came. Jason only caught Dawn's holdup from the corner of his eye but he trusted she could get it done and was on alert for if she needed a hand. Shooting for the hands, their weapons dropping to the ground to instinctively protect themselves. He'd go in for knees, and crack a couple guys across the jaw with the butt of his pistol once he'd run out of clips. ) Nice of you to join me ( Jason cracked when Dawn caught up. )

( It wasn't long before they managed to do some serious damage. The few people left over had turned tail and run, and the man that Jason had been looking for. Well. Currently had a gun to his head. Looked like he was about to shit bricks. )

This was fun. ( Jason turned his head to dawn for a moment. ) Wasn't this fun? ( And back to the other man. ) Did you have fun? Standing behind your little goons like a quivering sack of shit. Listen, Imma let you go. Cause I know you're not the real man behind this operation and I think we got the point across, yeah? But I've got a favor to ask of you, ok?

( The whirl of his gun being cocked (oh, yeah, he found another clip somewhere in the midst of all that. Lucky.) sounded in the now quiet warehouse. Jason gets real close. ) You lay a single hand on your daughter every again and there are not words that exist in the English fucking language available to describe the kind of pain you will endure. One bruise, just one. Is all it'll take. Comprendes?

( Jason backed off and nodded toward Dawn. Have at 'em was all the gesture suggested. As for him, he's going to snoop around in this office nearby. Oh, whiskey and money. Excellent. )

[dawn_is_breaking]

[Standing near Jason, watching him threaten a man at gunpoint doesn't worry her like it might have in the past. The savagery in which Jason speaks and presses the gun into his head instead fills her with a sort of cold satisfaction and when he gestures at her to have at him she takes it, laying a few hard blows to the man's face and genitals.
Is it nasty and mean?
Yes.
Does she care?
No.

Because he deserves to feel that much pain.

After he slumps over, unconscious she goes to find Jason in the office.]

Does he have what you need in his files?

[knucklesbloody]

( Jason cracked a smile as he heard her go to town on the guy. His feet dragged themselves over to the desk and shuffled through a few things after taking a sniff and pull from the bottle of whiskey. Fingers moved down to where the bullet had lodged itself right in between the middle of heavier armor. What luck. At least it gave him some protection, but it was going to take a bit of fishing.

Pale blue eyes looked up at her as she came in. He'd sat himself down, now. Had a few things out to crack into their computer system. A duffle bag had already been filled with what money was here in the safe. Planned on donating most of it to a local shelter down in the East Quarter. )

Yeah. ( 98, 99, 100%. He went to quick work packing up and picking up a gas can. The warehouse was far out enough that it wouldn't matter. Torch whatever was left. Jason picked up the bottle and offered it to her. ) Got it all. You good?

[dawn_is_breaking]

Yeah.

[She says and takes a quick pull from the bottle of whiskey.] I can carry the duffle bag and gear while you pour the gas.

[knucklesbloody]

[ Jason nodded and started getting to work. ] Meet you back at yours?

[dawn_is_breaking]

Yeah, sure.

[She says and turns to go, hoisting the duffle bag onto her shoulder. Leaving Jason to torch the place and any of the goons who are still unconscious.

When she gets back to her place she puts the bag in the living room and starts to gather some medical supplies, she knows Jason's hurt and she probably has some cuts and bruises too but it's hard to feel them since her body is still pulsing with adrenaline from the fight.]

[knucklesbloody]

[ He does the deed with the kind of ease that probably should concern him, but it doesn't. Jason knew that life on the streets of Gotham twisted everyone one way or another but that wasn't what these guys were about. There was a world of difference between street gangs and this shit. You make your bed, eventually you have to lay in it.

Must have been about fifteen to twenty minutes later, somewhere around there, that he clamored his way through her balcony door with a thump, thump, and flop onto the couch. Silence as he caught his breath. The shortness more from blood loss than exhaustion. Good news was that Jason wasn't anywhere near dire straights. He did still lose enough blood to make things all a bit more exciting.

Finally, a hand waved toward her. ] Bill me later for how much I'm probably going to bleed on your couch. How are you?

[dawn_is_breaking]

[By the time Jason clamors onto her balcony and flops onto her couch she's got things set up for him so when he mentions bleeding on her couch she half smiles and comes over to him, kneeling down next to the couch.]

It's okay, you probably didn't notice but I put down a towel.
And I'm okay, I think I scraped up my back when I rolled but it can wait. Let's take a look at you first.

Do you need a hand sitting up?

[knucklesbloody]

[ He did not notice. The lady was prepared and speaking of— he didn't actually have a jump off point for that, but Jason did hold his arm out as if to say 'just give me a moment' before adjusting himself upright. ]

Hey. [ It came out with a small smile. ] Mm. [ A nod. He'd gladly take care of that after this. Finger's got to peeling up the suit for better access. There it was, the bullet, not that far in but definitely lodged in some muscle. ] Not that bad. Funny how surface wounds almost bleed more than if it was further in.

[dawn_is_breaking]

[She lets him sit up and pull up his suit on his own, her eyes skating across his chest, abs and shoulders briefly, noticing how much his body has changed since she saw him last.]

It still looks pretty painful. [She says, leaning in to look at the wound.] Take off your shirt fully and lay down on your back. I'll clean you up and stitch it up if you need it.

[Her tone is soft but also firm and she pulls on a pair of latex gloves.]