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Some time had been taken to heal, recover, collect the various thoughts, and plan a next move. Sooner or later it was going to lead to this moment. Domino, with much difficulty, finds her way to the Brotherhood safehouse with a heavy duffel bag slung over her left shoulder.
The injury in her side is still quite fresh and is highly protesting the strain as she trudges up the stairs. The door's unlocked only long enough for her to step inside, promptly dropping the bag off on the floor with a heavy *clunk.* Lots of metal objects in there, three guess what it is!
Then the hunt for booze begins. And if anyone else happens to be lurking in their territory.
*
Cain has a cigar clenched in his teeth as he does a little bit more heavy lifting, bringing in some bedframes reclaimed from a junkyard not far away. Not that he needs 'em - Cain doesn't need sleep and, when he's tried it, he dreams of a red, red place full of hate and rage, like taking a soak in a pit of boiling emotional lava. He tore the motel to rubble when he woke up. After that, he stopped trying.
"Where ya want this crap?" he calls, a couple of mattresses rolled up under one arm.
*
Raven was practically no where. Alright, she was there. And there -was- a sufficient amount of booze there, so much that it looks like a frat party in wait, and there after, a bachelor party to end all days. Basically, if someone were to consume all of this liquor they would be dead ten times over. At least she had the common decency to have glass.
But she was there, standing in the corner, a blue statue that stares at the door when Domino enters. Cain's loud question really doesn't get a reply. She figures he'll find out what to do with that soon enough.
*
Dom'll duck out of the way of the framework Cain is marching through if necessary, eyeing the proceedings from the side. Looks like this place is just getting up to speed. It also keeps Cain busy, which is smart. An idle Cain is never a good thing.
Raven's easy to spot, the blue stands out just about anywhere. Curious that she seems rather lost in thought, but it'll just make this next part easier.
The albino grabs the nearest bottle, takes a long drink, sets it down with a grimace, then marches right on over to where Raven's standing.
Then she sends a fist right toward the shapechanger's face.
She'll live. She survived Hell! It'll be nothing by comparison.
*
Cain is staying out of the chickfight. For one, if he actually connected with either of them, there's the absolute chance he would liquefy thirty to forty percent of their organs even pulling the punch. Raven might be able to take that, he wasn't so sure about Spotty Spot Spot.
Anyway, who didn't like watching dames brawl? Shit, if they really wanted to make some scratch, they should get an audience.
He tosses the shit in the spare room, figuring whoever sleeps in 'em can put 'em together, then goes back to see who dismantles who. Should be interesting.
*
Raven was clearly out of it. Even though she was staring towards Domino, it was like she was staring towards nothing. Perhaps she was sleeping with her eyes closed. Standing up. Hell does a really weird thing on a persons psyche. What she did not see coming was the punch. In fact, there was nothing at all she saw coming. For once it hits her, and knocks her head a-bounce against the wall, she finally takes a breath, yellow eyes drawing up, around and then down, her hand reaching up to touch her face in a moment of bewilderment.
And then a scowl.
Which then relaxes, her hand dropping to her side as she finally lets out a huff of a breath from her nose like a bull. One hand raise, fingers curling only leaving that indexed one out. "You only get one." She says, her tone even, just a touch chiding. Plus, Raven had a mighty tiny feeling that she deserved that.
*
Trauma is a twisted little thing. It affects everyone in different ways. Some people fall back to old habits. Some people find brand new bad habits. In Domino's case it would appear that she takes on something of a drill sargeant's demeanor.
"What the Hell were you thinking, soldier?!" she snaps out at the blue lady. "You compromised the mission and put the whole team at risk with that damn stunt of yours, and now that we've gotten you back you're telling us that one of the biggest targets on our list is -off-limits?!- Have you -completely- lost your damn mind? He's the reason we had to run in the first place, and now he's right back in the city with the rest of us!"
Maybe the elevation in volume is an attempt to snap Raven out of her momentary daze. Or, maybe Dom's just a real bitch sometimes.
*
Cain narrows his eyes and moves forward a little bit. A little scrap was one thing, but there were was a chain of command around these parts and Raven was definitely on top of it. Cain looms a little bit, not too much, but enough to make his presence felt, probably by the shadow he casts.
"How bout we keep the tone nice and civil, whatever yer thinkin', so we show respect to our elders? I ain't real fond o' layin' off vigilante boy either, but it is what it is," he says.
*
Domino's snap, while could have been met with violence, was taken at a different approach. Very different. There was even a little tic that formed within the right eye, her teeth clenched ever so slightly as her fingers curl into a fist. Nevermind the shadow that blocks out the waning light. Her focus was peeled. And their words were heard, that's what was important.
A single step forward was taken, and soon she raises her arms to wrap around Domino to bring her into a hug. Raven wasn't the hugging type; but it was called for in this moment. If she let her or not, Raven would then take a step back to stand within the corner of the room, seemingly unmoving for a time. And then.. she speaks.
"Two years." She states. Then to emphasize, she holds up two fingers. "Or maybe two months. Cut in the thick of my arm. I never shifted once to keep the scars there." Her hand drops. "So yes. I have lost my mind. And obviously, things change." She draws a hand up to rub at the back of her neck, her skin suddenly crawling as she tries not to think of her time there. "There is a new modus opperandi. Hell's Kitchen can still be a safe haven for mutants but we will not rule."
*
A fight she could handle. A fight is what Domino is expecting. When you take on the top brass of any operation there's no chance of them giving in. Gotta stand firm, prepare for the hurricane that's going to follow—
"-What—?!-"
Stand your ground and get hugged after decking someone in the face. There's approximately thirty-seven different responses which she would have expected, would have been completely prepared to handle.
Then Raven goes and draws the one in a million card.
"Two… How is that even possible? It was two -weeks,- Raven," Dom counters without having any knowledge of chronological displacement under her belt. "You—" Just admitted to being out of her mind? Yeah.
Now it's the albino's turn to take a step back, disappearing even further into Cain's shadow. When she turns partway to look at him she has to crane her neck pretty far to make any sort of eye contact. "She's completely compromised. She needlessly risked her life and abandoned her post, Cain. She gave up a target of opportunity. Now she's cut us all off at the knees. You really want someone like that calling the shots?"
Looking back to Raven there's a peculiar conflict of interest written upon Dom's expression. Her hands are just -itching- to go, whether to block against a blow or deliver more, themselves. It's like trying to defuse a bomb only to have it suddenly go 'happy birthday!' and shower you in confetti.
What in the -Hell- is going on here??
*
Cain cracks his neck, the vertebrae popping in the place and echoing off the walls, "Don't mistake me, girl, this is all personal for me. I'm here for Raven, her cause, her team. You got a problem with my sister, you got a problem with me. Just facts," he says.
"On the other hand, ain't nothing that goes wrong gonna hurt me one way or another. I ain't a soft little flesh sack anymore. So I got nothin' to lose," he shrugs. "Just sayin' - Raven's been doing this shit a long, long time, longer'n you an' me been alive, She deserves the benefit o' the doubt."
*
"I don't know." Raven answers simply. "Time moves differently, obviously." There was no need for her to linger in the corner any longer; she felt a little bit too crowded and felt that temper rise within her, but she kept it cool. She wasn't going to reach out and smack someone, no. She possibly would have killed them. But she was set to pacing then, even as Dom directs the conversation towards Cain. While those cracks were about to show, she draws herself down enough to finally take a seat upon the couch, bottle of scotch snatched up along the way as she cracks it open with a quick twist.
"Well look at who's being diplomatic." It was a dry tone, a dry tease. "You're upset, because I decided to shift my focus away from some man running along rooftops and a city who's better off burning in the shit they've created. I'll have our people there yes. MY people.. mutants will quietly dominate. But as I said. New focus. Resources. I've been gone too long and I'll not have us in the shit."
*
Domino is the sort who tries very hard to not feel intimidated by anything. However, she does know when to respect someone for their capabilities. Cain's proven himself in that regard, alright. If he really wanted to he could end this confrontation at any point and no one would ever have to worry about it again. Now, to hear that the big guy whom apparently cannot be injured and has nothing to lose has continued to place all of his faith in the shapechanger…
"I can't believe you just fucking hugged me," she mutters, probably more to herself at this point.
A pale hand reaches up to her forehead, half-gloved fingers swiping through her hair once in irritation. Something already broke here (fortunately not Dom's fist.) Something else already changed here (lookin' at you, Raven.) If the rest of the team is still on her side then Dom's fully out-gunned in this situation, which leaves her with two choices.
Change with the team, or move on.
"Jeezus…" she quietly hisses, mentally pulling herself back together. "Just..tell me you have a gameplan here, Raven. Tell me that asshole isn't going to turn on us the instant we have our backs to him. He doesn't strike me as the type to just let everything that we've done get swept under the damn rug, and people who keep grudges against you are not the kinds of people you want to let live."
Perhaps not the best choice of words, considering she just came in here with one hell of an axe to grind.
*
Yep. Raven just hugged Domino. It served at least three purposes for her; to make sure that Domino was real and not a figment of her imagination, to shut her the hell up, and to thank her. And that was all there was to that.
Raven takes a deep swig of her whiskey, the liquor immediately burning her mouth. Were she of a neutral color, her cheeks would flush red and it would be obvious that her eyes were set to water. But the game plan. Game plan. What was the game plan.. oh. That game plan.
"Money." Raven says with a tip of the bottle. "There's a small bank not too far from here that has cops as members. Trustees, people who invest in something and get a righteously decent return and bonus over time. All in the family type deal. We're going to hit it, hit it hard, burn it down and let the rest fall by the wayside. Without their records? They'll have nothing. We're going to wipe everything out from those abusing assholes, starting with their meal tickets."
After that, it was up for grabs.
"And we need to find more stash houses around the country. We're going to be put on the run, so movement is key. No sitting around one city and hoping that they don't find us. We need to stay ahead of the game, which means I'm going to put in a call for a few more folks to join our merry band of assholes."
*
When the Blue One starts laying out the plan Domino remains still and blessedly quiet, one hand finding its way onto her hip while the other hangs loose at her injured side. She's still expecting the worst, to hear that Raven's mind had completely slipped and gone off of the deep end.
The surprising part here is that she seems more on track now than before. Taking over part of the city may have been a goal of its own but it would have been kind of a dead end. This, now… It's as if the stars suddenly aligned, because as it turns out money is a damn good motivator for the albino bitch.
Any thoughts of getting her proverbial pound of flesh dissolve. Any sort of revenge is no longer necessary. The gears, they be turning.
"I can secure some real estate for us," she she says in what may as well be taken as a promise. "If we need weapons or transportation, I can get that too."
Then she plays a little surprise of her own. The heavy duffel that came upstairs with her today is given a slight nod before she returns eye contact with Raven. "By the way, you dropped something the other day." The bag full of weapons that had to be pitched off of the bike the night before three of the four got thrown into Hell. Even with the desire to start a fight hot on her mind she still planned on returning Raven's gear.
She releases a gentle sigh, then says "I'm still with you on this."
*
Silence. That wasn't something that she wanted to hear at the moment. She was almost tempted to shoot water onto Domino just to hear her talk until she actually begins to speak. Raven could only nod, leaning forward just a touch to draw out her deck of cards from beneath the couch, spilling them atop so that her hand could move over them. There wasn't a tarot, but it was a lazy mans solitarie with no rhyme nor reason. Cards were soon flipped with a shaky hand, her head bobbing in agreement. Bottle hand struck out as her finger uncurls to point towards Domino. "Get on it."
And once the bag was flung her way? She actually winces after a jump. She wouldn't jump from a fist to the face, but that sound was actually jarring. Imagine that.
But with their weapons back, her eyes glance to the bag momentarily. "We need a weapons store." She mutters quietly, leaning back thoughtfully now, one card twisted in between her fingers. It was like hearing Domino was still with her was a vacant whisper upon the wind. "Get on it." Raven said again, her brows furrowing. "Right. Right. Okay. You know what to do. Cain knows what to do. Tap Fred and take him along. I'm calling the Cajun back into town and will touch base with the Winter Soldier." Yes, she was telling everything! "For now, do what you gotta do."
*