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(For the purposes of this scene, Raven is currently Det. Larson of One Police Plaza: http://wwwimage.cbsstatic.com/base/files/styles/596xh/public/1_29.jpg)
But that's not to say that Raven (read: Jack Larson) wasn't all that half bad looking. He was a clear six foot five, broad shoulders that looked as if he could carry mountains, the movement of his legs seemingly stiff, just as if he was bogged down with the weight on hand, but yet still managed to keep his chin high. He was nearing the salt and peppered look, though with a stern moustache covering his upper lip, crows-feet eyes commanding, he walks with his current escort, another officer from the precinct as he holds up his badge and signs his name upon the clipboard to gain entry into what used to be, and still could be, Nelson and Murdock.
"Just like old times." He says to his companion, large hand reaching out to clap his shoulder as he leads him into the main area, feet crunching the broken glass beneath as various uniforms litter the area. They were checking for prints, signs of vandalism. But Raven really knows who operates out of this place. But would she tell her companion? Possibly not.
"Everyone. By order of the Chief, clear out and let me do my goddamned job."
The various uniformed cops look up, Det. Larson pulling his badge from his inner coat pocket, allowing it to dangle and hang to show them his credentials before they begin to pack and gather their things to usher themselves out of the front door. "Thirty minutes. S'all I need." He states, reaching up to pat the last cop upon the back as the group show themselves out.
*
Jamie always finds it a bit strange when Raven is a man, but he has no doubt that he's not the only one in the organization who feels that way. He's similarly dressed, playing the part of Larson's partner, despite the apparent differences in their age. He doesn't say anything to the other uniformed officers, letting his boss call the shots and deliver the orders, but stands behind looking as authoritatitve and intimidating as he can. When Larson shows his badge, so does Jamie, but that's the end of it until the human authorities have cleared the area.
"Anything specific I should keep eyes out for, boss?" He finally speaks up once the last person has cleared earshot. Almost immediately, with a couple of firm stomps on the ground, there are two, and then three duplicates in play to help speed up the search. If more are necessary, more can always be supplied. "Seems a bit strange for us to take an interest in this.. human lawyers, mob hit. Pretty straightforward, isn't it?" Poor naive Jamie. Clearly doesn't have all the information.
*
Raven watches as the last man leave, his hands soon dipping into his thick overcoat, producing a pair of leather gloves that were soon slipped upon his fingers. "Blood. Finger nails. Scalp pieces. Accellerant. Foot prints. Point of Origin of where and how the fire started, though judging by the outside, I can possibly guess where it started." He grumps. He was all business as he moves about the room, starting with the first smatterings of glass that he did not ruin with his feet, bending down to pick up a piece by piece, holding the shards up to the light to examine them.
"It's not strange at all. Nelson and Murdock are an up and coming firm here in Hell's Kitchen. In a sense, they do the same as we. In a sense." He points out, keeping the secret true. "I do know that if I need a lawyer, I can call upon these two. And you would be able to as well, so it's in our best interest to protect them. Even if they are considered flat-scans, as per Joshua's words." There was a little smile that curls his lips, though one that does not reach his eyes as he carefully places the shards down where they found them.
"But yes. Straightforward. I have reason to believe that the suits that we gathered the other night may have a hand in the kidnapping of the mutants from the pier during the evacuation. Any and all stones need to be turned, even if we are violating Nelson and Murdock's place of business."
*
The Madri spread out, going about the legwork of the investigation. They've got gloves of their own, careful not to leave fingerprints on anything, or unduly disturb the scene any more than necessary. Rubble is carefully overturned and inspected, the ground beneath combed over, so to speak, for anything that might hint at a clue; footprints, body parts. Jamie can cover a lot of ground this way very quickly, thanks to his multitudinal nature, which is probably why Raven brings him along on jobs like this. "The place has been plenty violated already.. I'm sure Misters Nelson and Murdock won't hold it against us," he comments idly, chuckling lightly at his own joke. Anything he disturbs in his search is expertly replaced, so that if another forensics team were to come through afterward, no-one would be the wiser. This isn't his first rodeo.
*
There was a quiet rumble of a laugh, Raven's head shaking as he slowly pulls himself up from the floor. A little flashlight was taken out, clicked and pointed directly towards it, stopping at a new area of glass to kneel and pick the pieces up, meticulous as he does. "Leave the files." He points out, knowing at least one of the Madri possibly could have the tendency of sticky fingers, but as for the rest?
"Once upon a time I thought myself to be a solicitor for London." He casually states. "That was a bit after I arranged for your previous place of residence." Old man Raven, grumping on past times. "I was there with my brother for a time, prostrating as a waittress in a bar across the street from Oxford just to keep close to him. Though there were days when I'd disappear and settle into new skin, just to try it on for size." He stands again, pocketing something, then slowly begins to count his paces as he keeps the light upon the floor. "I had aspirations to fit into MI-5's plan of operations. But other things happened that did not afford me such a luxury. Not to mention, Her Majesty's people did background checks that would make the American's weep. And I still had the French on my back." He sniffs properly, then stops, his head turning, eyes shifting yellow as he examines the footprints.
"Tell me, how are our Italian's fairing?"
*
Madrox listens closely to the story Raven tells, while continuing to work on the task at hand. She's always been tight-lipped about her past with him, so any information he can glean from her is rare, and in a certain light, treasured. "I like to think that everything that has happened, to either of us, is all part of what brought us to where we are," he offers in response. "Not a lot of sense in dwelling on the 'could have' and the 'should have', right?" The Madrox which had started on the files makes a point of putting them back in order, and leaving them as they were found. Despite his inclinations, it should be added. If there were time to make copies, or take pictures.. sadly, no. "Nothing out of the ordinary appearing to my eyes," he says after a moment. "Unless I'm missing something you're not?"
*
"To a hard end?" He asks. "You were never meant for this life, Madrox. But it is what it is, as you were saying." He gestures around, then moves towards the windows to stare out of the broken shards. His hands soon sink into his pockets, watching as the officers gather around and wait. "No. Nothing out of the ordinary. It's clean. Whatever the police found there's no way for us to get it back. Though there is the temptation to rid the entire city of the Italians, but I'm not too keen on committing genocide without it falling back onto our kind." He looks back towards the men, a frown cursing through his moustached lip. "Once we get those missing mutants back from whomever we take them, we will not safeguard Hell's Kitchen. Any and all involvement of safety that you currently have, shall cease. We will keep our safehouses. But I am done dealing with these people in the form of our protection. If they cannot look after their own, we will not help them. Understood?" Granted, that went against what she said, but there was something bigger at play.
*
"Who knows what I was meant for," Jamie murmurs, sounding maybe a touch bitter about it, actually. But it's momentary. "We could do it. Clean out the families, I mean. But that'd leave it to us to fill that vacuum, I suppose, otherwise it'd just end up being worse." Jamie offers a shrug, while the others make their way back to him to be re-absorbed in turn. "Understood," he says after a moment, once Raven has declared that at the end of all this, the people of Hell's Kitchen are on their own. Probably for the best. They can't be everywhere, for everyone. Well, Jamie can, actually, but it's a lot of work. "Are we done here, then?"
*
Raven turns, giving Madrox a nod and a gesture outside. "For now."
*