Starfire (tamaranian) wrote in musingslogs, @ 2011-05-03 21:01:00 |
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Entry tags: | nightwing, starfire |
Who: Katya and Roger
What: A friendly warning
When: A couple days after [this]...Monday afternoon/evening sounds about right.
Where: Denialland, USA Katya's Apartment
Warnings: None
Roger didn’t love the idea of a hired hitman slipping through his fingers, so he spent the last couple of days doing some basic research. The slums were his playground and most citizens gave him information either begrudgingly or because they felt in debt. Sometimes he had to hold a perp up from his ankles over a 10 story building to get the info needed, but that was only on a good night. Just as he felt like sharking after this guy was a waste of time, Roger found information that this Gideon character visited the same dojo he knew Katya did. This was cause for concern, so it was time for a visit.
Since they lived in the same building now, Roger knocked on her door and waited for her to answer. Once the door opened, he slapped a picture of Gideon on the inside of the door and pointed to it. “Stay away from this guy.” There was evidence of Roger’s handiwork on the picture complete with a red arrow pointing to Gideon’s face with a poorly written “MOOK” above.
Katya had been having a rather good time of it lately, given that things were falling back into place. She was still concerned about Roger, but there was little she could do and she resolved to just leave it as best she could. Her trainings with Gideon were going well and they were kind of reaching an understanding about what they both needed from their relationship. It was good.
The knock on her door was surprising, considering she never got visitors, but when she looked through the peep hole and saw Roger there, she was happy. A large grin broke out on her face as she opened the door, about to greet him. She stopped immediately though, smile turning into a frown, as Roger slapped a picture of Gideon against the wall and issued a warning. “Why should I stay away from him?” And the better question, “How do you know that I know him?”
“I don’t know that you know him.” Roger eyed her suspiciously, perhaps even with a hint of a smile as if a fish just decided to jump into his boat. “I know you two go to the same dojo and I was looking out for you.” He edged into her apartment past her without asking and let her take the picture of Gideon. “See, I was out on patrol.” He whispered and then allowed his voice to return to normal once she shut the door. “Tracking down these gun runners who wanted one of their dealers dead. Well that guy is an honest to god, pro-fession-al killer. That’s bad news. Not evil clown bad news, but still bad news.”
Misstep number one, and she mentally smacked herself for giving away that information. She wouldn't indulge Roger in further information, simply because Gideon had made it very clear that their connection shouldn't be known by People, and with the way Roger had been lately, she wasn't sure she knew him as well as she thought.
She shut the door behind Roger and took the picture but dropped her hand to her side, not looking at it anymore. Her father was not a mook. His admission that Gideon was a professional killer cause her to crease her eyebrows, making a face that clearly said she didn't think she had heard correctly. "He is hardly a professional killer. He is talented and knowledgable, but he seems perfectly fine. Are your sources reliable?"
Roger sighed, but there was a hint of actual worry in his expression. “Listen. He’s a nice enough guy. In fact we didn’t even get to throwing punches, but he essentially admitted to me he was a hitman and the word I get from the street is always golden.” His brow lowered in thought. “What is he, your teacher or something? You better hope to god he doesn’t find out you’re a mask. There’s enough identities being thrown out these days.” Roger had hoped the identity crisis as it were was over for now. The city was finally getting back on its feet and the last thing it needed was another mask scandal.
Kat wasn’t about to tell Roger that he did know she was a Mask, but she was troubled by the information. She walked past him and sat down on the couch, gaze unfocused as the wheels in her mind were turning. He was skilled, talented, and Katya knew very little about what exactly it was that he did. He was her father. That was all she needed to know, right?
A memory flashed in her mind, one that wasn’t hers originally but had become hers thanks to some weird phenomenon that affected a handful of people. The memory was of one of the men who attacked her under Mockingbird’s orders, beaten within an inch of his life by Gideon. That kind of violence, she hadn’t questioned it. That was what fathers did for their daughters, they protected them. Avenged them. “No,” was her simple reply. It was obvious in her very posture that she wasn’t sure if she believed it, even with the overwhelming evidence. Could her father really be one of the bad guys?
Roger sighed and threw his hands in the air. “I’m not trying to scare you for no reason. This guy isn’t someone you want to get to know. Hell, I’m honestly surprised he’d want to get to know anyone. I’ve met types like him dozens of times before. They aren’t the real problem with crime, but they’re a very effective and relentless weapon for it.” He followed her to the couch and sat on its arm. The was a small pause before he shifted his weight a little uncomfortably. “I’ve been trained by dirty cops before. It sucks because they seem like nice enough guys, but in the end you gotta let your own integrity lead the way.”
To say Kat was at a loss for words would have been an understatement. She couldn’t even begin to make sense of all of that. “Why were you even looking into him in the first place? If he was going to eliminate a dealer, then what is the problem?” She was grasping at straws and she knew it, but the alternative was that her father was the Bad Guy. How could she be a vigilante and his daughter if he was one of the men she had promised to protect the city from.
Roger looked up for a second, trying to find a way to shorten the story. “Basically, I needed information about the guys who supplied this dealer with guns. I figured a hitman who spent time trailing him could give me a rough idea of some of his friends. So, I managed to track down Gideon and I asked him a few questions.” He shrugged. “Wouldn’t tell me anything, so I decided to do some background checks to see if this guy was who I thought he was. Turns out I was right.”
He stood back up and crossed his arms. “First of all, it’s not right to kill someone for something simple like trafficking guns. Secondly, he did it for money. I’m sure he’s killed plenty of innocent people for the right price. It’s part of the job description.”
Kat sighed and dropped her gaze to her hands folded in her lap. She knew it wasn’t right to just kill someone, but it just didn’t make any sense. Why would he care if she was trained or not if he was one of the bad guys? Wouldn’t he have tried to get her to stop being a vigilante? He had helped her on more than one occasion, offered advice. He protected her. Could having a child really change a man like that in one facet of his life and not another? “I do not understand. He is a good man, with a good heart,” she murmured. After a quiet moment, she looked up at Roger. “Thank you for telling me this. I will...be careful around him.” It was the best she could do, and she was already trying to figure out how to talk to Gideon about this. It would be bad if this became a larger issue. “What will you...do to him?” Kat did her best to keep her voice steady, calm, but there was the tiniest bit of concern, though whether it was for Roger himself or Gideon, it wasn’t clear.
“Nothing. Like I said, he wasn’t who I was after. I don’t have anything against the guy besides the fact he’s a fucking murderer, but I also don’t go around punching sharks for no reason.” Roger offered a smile, but he knew humor was probably not the best time for this. “I know you take to people pretty easily, but this guy is just some mook at a gym. He knows he’s a dangerous guy, he’ll understand if you start distancing yourself from him.” Weren’t women supposed to be able to sense when something was off about a man? Or at least, that was what the excuse for knowing a little too much information seemed to be. “If he’s really a good man like you said, he’ll leave you the hell alone.”
Katya nodded, swallowing back any protest at his words. Roger was only trying to look out for her, and she would need someone to lean on if Gideon was, in fact, a hitman. "Thank you, Roger. I appreciate your looking out for me." She offered him a smile, one not as sincere as it should have been, but it was the best she could do under the circumstances. Perhaps, when you have time, we can have a night for movies?" she asked, sounding hopeful. She had wondered about how Roger was faring in general, and he seemed to be doing well. Perhaps he wasn't as lost as she might have thought.
Roger gave a sympathetic smile back and nodded. “Sure, Kat. And, let me know if this guy gives you any trouble. I’d happily teach him a lesson in manners.” He wasn’t very good with social niceties, so offering to beat someone up for her was really the best thing he could do. “I got work in a little bit. If you feel like a drink, you know where to find me.” Roger passed by the couch and put a single hand on her shoulder, patting it with a steady nod before heading out the door. He didn’t want to grill her as to why she was so upset about this man being less than noble, but if worse came to worse he’d be there for her.