Riding with Alfred

[runningred]

{from here}

Jay glances across to the monitor on the bench. "We have the garage to ourselves."

He turns back to Alfred. "So how... hot did riding get you?"

Comments

[morethanprops]

Groups are starting to form and then Moist leans into the ear of the kind of man Jay was masquerading as and says, "Who's name was asked for in the dark?"

Then it truly starts as his temper is let loose and Moist shifts among the crowd, prodding to keep all the attention far from the showcase. Passions and tempers are high and security tries their best but they're outmatched by the rich who do extreme sports to find some thrill.

[runningred]

The beautiful lady strolls over to Alfred, ignoring the bustle of agitated crowd to rest a hand on his arm. Her voice is soft and dark, almost purring. "Very impressive. But now isn't the time. Tell Jason not to bother. It's a fake anyway."

She turns and walks away, letting the crowd envelop her.

Jay however is starting his run on the case.

[morethanprops]

Moist raises an eyebrow at her and watches her then says into his ear,

"Is she trustworthy? She says its a fake?"

[runningred]

Jay looks up and his eyes widen. "Oh shit. Yeah, we're out. Dump everything and leave. I'll meet you outside." He doesn't sound happy. Not at all.

[morethanprops]

"Move fast,"

His tray is dumped and Moist makes his way through the crowd, slow as if he's going for a smoke and ends up leaning against a door a few houses down and watching.

[runningred]

Jay takes longer. Not much longer but longer. He lingers in the doorway a moment, looking over his shoulder but it's clear he can't get the attention of the person he's looking for.

He bounces down the stairs and meets him, nodding for them to walk. He's brooding. Loudly.

[morethanprops]

"Let's go have a drink and you can explain,"

On their way over, Moist had noticed a bar that looked useful and pulls them in ordering two whiskeys before settling into a dark booth.

[runningred]

Jay drinks the first one in a single mouthful and then orders another before joining Alfred. "What did she say to you?"

[morethanprops]

He shifts his voice to imitate hers before taking a long drink, "Very impressive. But now isn't the time. Tell Jason not to bother. It's a fake anyway."

[runningred]

"Don't." Jay growls, sipping the second drink. "Please don't do her voice. I'm gunna fucking kill Sasha. If she knew the Cat was in play..."

[morethanprops]

Moist eyes him and sips his drink, "I won't. Who's the Cat?"

[runningred]

"Catwoman is the most talented thief in the business. She's a living legend they all aspire to be, or beat."

He looks down at his glass. "She was also my first love. And today, I assumed she thought I was dead." The ramifications of the fact she knows he isn't are vast and terrifying.

[morethanprops]

"Should we be running?" That's usually the best answer for when being found out.

[runningred]

He shakes his head slowly. "She won't sell me out. Ans if she said it as casually as you repeated, I wasn't a surprise to her. Which means others may know. We safe here but my plans to go home just got a whole lot more complicated."

He downs the rest of the drink. "No, I think we go back to Sasha, tell her the bad news and waste the rest of the night with a particularly pretty young man."

[morethanprops]

"Complications are never useful, but that's a good plan. You don't have to go anywhere you don't want to,"

There are always doors and roads.

[runningred]

"Can't keep running my whole life." Jay muses, slinging his jacket over his shoulder and untying his bowtie, letting it hang around his neck. He still manages to look like a disheveled princeling on a night out.

As they step out onto the street, his head whips around at the sound of gunfire and screams from back the way they came.

[morethanprops]

"It works for me," Moist keeps himself neater only loosening his tie then curses in Uberwaldian at the sounds, "Stay hidden. They have nothing to connect us."

[runningred]

Jay's shoulders tighten ans he strains like a dog in a leash. All instinct and training has him wanting to run towards the gunfire. "The other crews, one of them must have been heavies." Sel will be well gone before anything went down but still he feels the responsibility to do something because he can.

But Alfred is right, he should be walking away.

[morethanprops]

"If you run that way, make it look like you're a guest but I'm staying out of it. I avoid violence,"

But he knows Jay doesn't and he won't hold him back.

[runningred]

He turns to pull Alfred into a kiss. "I won't ask you to do this but I have to. Head for Sasha's, I'll meet you there." He tosses Alfred his jacket and reaches for the mask in his pocket, already running.

[morethanprops]

"Keep as safe as you can,"

He takes the jacket and along the way finds a late night cafe to order some coffee and wait.

Sasha's is dangerous and he'd much rather have Jay with him. While at the party, he lifted a few baubles, a pocket-watch, some tiepins and he listens and watches the crowd as he sips a good coffee. This is a night of parties which means no one looks too hard at him.

[runningred]

It's a good hour or more before Jay comes back his way. There's something different in the way he moves - a little taller perhaps, a little more swagger that slouch. He doesn't spot Alfred at first, expecting to meet him at Sasha's but doubles back a couple of steps to join him.

There's a red mark on his cheek, not quite a bruise but not breaking the skin enough to be a graze. "How's the people watching?" He asks as if nothing has happened.

[morethanprops]

Moist looks him over before standing up and paying,

"Interesting, a few are panicked but not too many. Did you get done what you wanted to?"

[runningred]

"This city has an interesting past. I guess that's why people don't always react to gunfire."

He shrugs and wanders towards Sasha's. "I did what needed doing. Because I knew I could and other people can't. The local police should be collecting the shooters about now."

[morethanprops]

He nods and follows after, its not in his realm at all, "I see."