Baltimore, Sunday Night

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Banzai rarely patrolled Sunday nights, taking the night off to rest and prepare for the upcoming week, but since she'd bailed on patrolling on Friday, it seemed only fair to make up for it tonight instead. Crime around the club and various campuses would be lower, but there were still plenty of drug deals, muggings, and various other, more dangerous crimes for her to stop instead. And it wasn't like Banzai was going to miss spending extra time manhandling drunk idiots into cabs and breaking up fights in alleys over stupid bullshit the participants couldn't even remember four steps away from the club itself.

The Ukranian mafia had all but vanished from the city over the past few months; apparently losing the Butcher was enough to convince them that Baltimore wasn't worth the effort. In a way, Banzai almost missed them; they were good practice for when she'd be going up against the Seventeens in LA eventually. Patrolling around Stanford (if she got in, please God let her get in) probably wasn't going to be all that much effort, so she was already making plans to portal down to LA proper at least once a month to get in a proper patrol.

Spotting Jewels, one of the working girls that was part of Banzai's loose confederation of informants, Banzai swung down from the rooftop to land on light feet nearby. Always good to check in, see if Jewels had heard of anything going down, make sure that no one was bothering her, pass along money and supplies to stay in Jewels' good graces, all that good stuff.

It felt good to get out and patrol. For all her speeches about wanting to do good for the people around her and make the world a better place, Banzai had to admit that the real reason she ran around in rainbows with a bokken on her back and rope darts in her belt was a lot more selfish. What could she say?

She loved this.

Comments

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"She won't pay for sex, but she pays for information," Jewels said, shrugging. "Hey, what? Does helping her out disqualify me from the sex worker charity or what?"

"How do you two know each other anyway?" Banzai asked. "I can barely get you to share your pizza with me!"

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"I still have the actual money right here," Dante said, holding up the bills. "You were too busy yapping to take it, so..."

He was still holding it out for her again.

"I came through here a couple of months back, when I was trying to figure out Baltimore," he said. "I guess Jewels here just has a thing for lost cats."

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Yeah, Jewels wasn't making that mistake again. She snatched the money from his hand with a deftness that even Ada would appreciate. "Only handsome ones, honey," she said, most of her attention on counting the bills.

"Well, next time, feel free to brag that you know the famous Banzai," Banzai muttered, feeling distinctly odd. The two halves of her life were crashing together and even if Dante couldn't care less about her superhero alter-ego, it still felt very bizarre.

"Cause that would be smart, especially while you're running around, pissing off Europeans with big guns," Jewels snarked, tucking the bills in her getup somewhere.

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"Those cleared out, didn't they?"

Yeah, Dante had a hunch why. "Not that it wouldn't be funny if somebody tries to kidnap me or whatever," he said.

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"Yeah," Jewels said, flicking her eyes to Banzai. "Their big, fuck-off enforcer got his ass handed to him and then arrested."

"Technically, I can't claim all the credit for that," Banzai said, sheepish. "A lot of that was Eliot. They had history." She also eyed Dante, but more because of that kidnapping comment. YOU GOT KIDNAPPED ENOUGH, THANK YOU. "Yeah, I can just imagine how fun it would be for them," she snorted, smart enough not to bring up Limbo City when she didn't have to. "Lost cat has claws. Black, white, and rebellious ones."

Jewels looked confused but was willing to let that comment slide. They had inside jokes, wasn't that adorable. "Still, honey, I don't exactly go around telling folks how chummy I am with the neighborhood superhero. Seems like that's a good way to stop being effective for you."

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Eh, being kidnapped by a bunch of humans in over their head would be a cakewalk compared to what Dante was used to. The only problem would be making sure he didn't hurt anybody permanently.

"They'd probably think you were a direct pipeline to Superball over here," Dante said. "Which'd have its own advantages, but probably not enough to make up for people getting skittish."

But, you know. Whatever.

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"Superball?" Jewels was cracking up now. "I wish I had said something earlier, just to know all of this sooner."

"Fuckin' come on, Glowstick!" Banzai said, aggrieved. "You are killing me, here."

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"I'm sorry," Dante said, smirking. "Am I ruining your dark and gritty rep?"

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Jewels wasn't even pretending not to laugh at this. She only laughed harder as Banzai sputtered. "The rainbow terror that bounces at night," she wheezed.

She looked a lot younger when she laughed. Really laughed, not her usual cynical chuckle.

"You both suck," Banzai grumbled.

"Hell yeah I do, honey," Jewels said, still practically giggling. "Why? Wanna know my rates?"

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Dante grinned, parking his back against the wall. "And you know I do," he said. "But not right now."

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"I'd ask not in front of an audience, but I already know that's not--" Banzai snapped her mouth shut, teeth clacking together, and brought her hand over her mouth. "Forget it, I didn't say anything!"

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Dante raised his eyebrows, then threw Jewels a really amused, 'look at this girl' look. "Sure," he said, "Your mouth just happened to be moving."

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Jewels' look was somewhere between fond and How has she survived this long? "Honey, do you remember what I do? The only thing fuckin' in front of an audience means to me is that I can charge extra per person."

This was Jewels' idea of helping.

"No, no!" Banzai said, waving. "I just--err, never mind?"

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Dante shook his head and snickered. "Hey, Jewels?" he said. "Mind if I call it early tonight? Because somebody needs to go save this one from herself."

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"Hey!" Banzai protested, even as Jewels waved them both on.

"Sure, sure. Gotta head back to my patch and wiggle my ass anyway. Would hate for anyone to think I'm slacking off."

Banzai stepped forward, hand out. "Jewels, are you okay? If anyone is mistreating you, or if you're scared of--"

Jewels cut her off immediately, looking at Dante. "Seriously, is she for real? Like even without the mask? How do you even survive in the real world, honey? Trying to save everybody's gonna be the death of you, oh my god."

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"That's what I keep telling her too."

Dante's tone had sobered some with that one. "She's fine, Ka-- Banzai. Don't go borrowing more trouble than you already do."

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Banzai looked stubborn for a moment, then let it go. "I'm just saying, if you ever need help--"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll look for the rainbows," Jewels said, dismissively. "Look, Banzai, you head up to the rooftop. Dante, walk out with me. This way if anyone is looking, they'll think I've been a good girl this whole time, see?" She rolled her eyes towards Banzai. "Happy?"

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"Got it." Dante threw her a lazy salute.

He slanted a quick sideways look at Kathy, just to make sure... something. "C'mon," he said, beginning to walk that way.

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Sighing, Banzai did as she was told, bouncing up to the rooftop.

Jewels reached for his arm, intending to wind her arm through it, offering the kind of false, easy affection she'd pretend with all her clients. "You watch out for that girl," she said in an undertone. "She doesn't have the sense God gave a beetle, so Lord knows someone has to. And she's the type too busy worryin' about everyone else that she'll run off the side of a damn cliff. Or one of those buildings she's always bouncin' on." Her tone was disdainful. Her eyes were--not.

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"Yeah, I know," Dante said. The words came from the back of his mouth, not the front; he nearly swallowed them.

He had bigger, more complex thoughts about it. But as per usual, those got buried well past the ones that actually made it out. "No stoppin' her, though."

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"I didn't tell you to stop her, I told you to take care of her. Keep an eye on her. Something." Ugh, Jewels hated this. It was so much easier not caring and letting the chips fall where they would. Especially chips knocked over by someone's own stupidity. "She cares. She cares too damn much is her problem. And it's gonna get her hurt."

This was so stupid. Why did she even care? Oh, right, because finding other people who genuinely cared was a damn rarity in this world and you helped them out when you did. Like Dante and his street walker charity or whatever.

Above them, Banzai kept pace, watching the crowds for anyone who looked like they'd cause mischief, especially for the pair exiting the alleyway.

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"I said, I know."

There was no real saving people - never was. If Kathy was on a crash-course with stupidity, the best Dante could hope for was that it was gonna be fixable later.

"All right? I just can't fix shit she doesn't want fixed."

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"So long as you know then," Jewels said. "I'm just glad there's someone with sense keeping an eye on her." She sniffed and dropped his arm. "Thanks, D," she added, patting the inner pocket where she'd shoved the cash. "Come see me when you're ready for a good time."

Same invite she always made when they parted ways. Same invite she doubted he'd ever take her up on.

"Now scram. You're too pretty, I don't need the fucking competition."

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Dante snickered, flashing her a wink and a smirk. "Love you too, Jewels," he snarked.

Yeah, probably never take her up on it; he didn't pay for this stuff, and it'd make things weird in a way sleeping with all his friends wasn't.

So he took off, wandering further down the street, shucking his coat forward with a single motion of his shoulders.

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Down the street a ways and he was joined by Banzai, white gi practically a beacon in the darkness. "I didn't know you knew the ladies around here," she said quietly. "Most people barely notice them. Unless it's to avoid them. Or, well--" She flushed again.