Two Minutes To Midnight [Lola]

[payne]

This night was Vorpal’s. The kid had worked a little too much, pushed himself a little too far, so he just passed out before getting home, literally falling on the steps before the front door. He was doing that a lot lately on virtually no sleep, and all the others were just waiting for opportunities to jump him. But Payne deserved rest sometimes, deserved to wake up on his own bed without worrying about how many people he’d killed the night before. So that’s why Vorpal had beaten the hell out of all the others, and would be the designated driver that night, enjoying it till morning came before going home like a good split-personality should. – [Got your back, kid.] – He just didn’t know what he’d be doing to enjoy those glorious hours. So he ended up spending two hours thinking it through, without a lot of success. That wasn’t great for his temper, and before he knew it, he was getting too enraged over the boredom to go another second not hurting something, and ended up stealing a nice black Ferrari FF and driving it to an abandoned building to let off some steam. The steel and concrete were kind of fragile for his fists as he hit them with that pent-up anger that just filled him at random times, keeping a persistent smile on his face during most of the ordeal. The man liked to smile, though he didn’t always feel like it. Vorpal wasn’t all creepy about it like that Zerum guy, though, his was genuinely – or at least it appeared to be – happy. Trying to avoid the beams that supported the structure, he put yet another wall down with a particularly lazy jab, stopping for a second to check out the damage. There was absolutely nothing standing inside the place that wasn’t needed to keep the outer walls up, and what once was an abandoned car factory had been reduced to nothing but a sea of pieces.

“…Huh. Went too far, didn’t I?” – Vorpal didn’t care at all, but his expression seemed to have a mix of shame and worry. He didn’t know why, but he always faked those little things, even when there was no one else around. Maybe it made him feel a little more normal, he wasn’t sure. The man stepped out of his relaxation grounds, cleaning some dust – as it took a lot to get him to work up a sweat and that wasn’t nearly enough - off his face and hair and looking up at the night sky with a pair of deep blue eyes. As far as he knew, each one of them shared the same face, but never the eyes. Some said they were the windows to the soul, so maybe that was one body with a lot of souls, rather than a lot of personalities. That thought alone lifted his humor a lot more than the training session had, so Vorpal didn’t mind the fact he’d had to break into someone’s home and take a shower before getting back to his recently acquired and beautiful ride. Luckily he had brought a change of clothes in case he got something in his outfit, thought the man was actually expecting blood.

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Everything done and already back behind the wheel of his Ferrari, Vorpal decided to take a cruise in the richer part of town – after all he didn’t know if he’d find an even awesomer car to take home, though he wouldn’t hold his breath for that. As he looked for some appropriate song for his mood, the man finally stumbled upon one by OK Go, pushing up the speed as the sound rose and being amazed at how smoothly that car worked its thing. It was already pretty late by then, so between that, the music, the darkness that fell on that part of town like no other and wondering if he should take anything else from any of those lovely houses and mansions, Vorpal almost missed the pair standing in the shadow of a particularly imposing manor. Almost. – [Wow. A robbery? In North Gotham?!] – He would’ve stopped anyway, if only to witness such a historical event, but Vorpal was feeling particularly heroic that night. Meaning he pulled up his Ferrari FF next to the shady-looking guy and what was obviously a very tall young and attractive woman - though her exact features were still obscured – and prepared to get out while a new theme started playing. For a second the man paused, wondering if he should take the glasses the previous owner had kindly left behind to keep Payne’s identity a secret and all that. – [… No, only douchebags wear shades at night.] – Making the call about priorities, he finally stepped out.

“Man, you’re probably the luckiest criminal ever. If it was anyone else riding tonight… It’d hurt a lot more.” – Vorpal smiled as if he had just met one of his best friends as he addressed the guy. He didn’t mean the car in his statement, of course, but there was no need to make sense to that loser. As he got closer, the crook turned to face him, a revolver in hand. Payne knew a little about guns, so he got some of the kid’s knowledge about them by… He didn’t know how, exactly. It was a thirty-eight. Vorpal almost laughed, but managed to stop it at a big smile. The criminal was either high, in panic, desperate, or any combination of them, so he simply pulled the trigger twice. Vorpal didn’t flinch, nor wept for the damaged shirt, he didn’t even blink. He merely took the gun out of the guy’s hand, crushing it as if it were made of air, and pushed him against the farther wall as gently as possible. The criminal still met it as if desperately kissing a long-lost lover, though, and his lights were out. – “Maybe I should’ve made it look a little more desperate? Ladies love a good show, right?” – He turned to face the lady then, getting a better look at her face. – “…Wow.” – He wasn’t one to shut up easily, but she was more than enough to do the trick.

[Lola Marks]

Lola was out on the town tonight. She had a fantastic first couple of day in Gotham so far. She’d met a very impressive, very high class, and very rich person her first night here! She made sure before she walked out of her apartment tonight that she looked stunning. Who said you didn’t have to dress up to go window shopping? Besides, it was a beautiful night tonight and the street was still steaming from the heat of the day.

Between her several fancies that she had taken to since she had gotten here, and the large distraction of Oswald, she hadn’t had time to turn on the news. When she got back to her hotel she usually laid back kicked her heels off and went to sleep, or ran a nice bath for herself to wind down. Television had never really been something she cared to watch too often unless it was a very good drama. Before she had left her hometown she agreed with herself to go somewhere she knew absolutely nothing about. It was the only true way to get a fresh start in her mind. Moving to the inner city of anywhere had its draw backs; crime was usually considerably higher – But never in a place as nice as this!

Speaking of nice places…She could have gone to the Iceberg Lounge tonight. When she was getting dressed in her hotel room and putting her make up on in the mirror the thought had crossed her mind a few times. It’s not like she had to go there specifically to see him, she could have just sat down and had a drink now that she had gotten a temporary card back from her bank. It wasn’t like she ‘had’ to see him, but she might have wanted to and it wasn’t an impossible thought. Lola blushed as she began to apply lipstick and glanced into her purse beside her. Oswald knew her number, and she was too classy to call him. If he wanted to see her he’d call, until then she was going to enjoy the town.

Once her hair was curled and her make- up was evenly applied she adjusted her dress one final time before walking out the door and hitting the nightlife. Gotham was truly beautiful tonight as she knew it was looking out the window earlier. Not knowing her way around completely she chose the nearest sidewalk and just started down it. Lola didn’t get too far down the road before he came across a man huddled down on the sidewalk in ragged clothes. A begger? In this nice of a town? She supposed it was the city, and cities had its beggars, no matter how rich the city was. A part of her felt sorry for the man, her heart turned soft and her eyes filled with Sympathy as she came closer. Just as she came in front of him the man reached out as she swiftly turned her heels to walk the far distance around him. On second thought, he was filthy and a bum anyway, she could smell him from here.

Lola picked up her pace to get away from him and she didn’t give him another thought afterward. It wasn’t too much further down the street that she had already passed a few clothing shops. Nothing caught her interest immediately in the windows because she had been here before. Lola wanted to find out what was down one of the side streets. Coming to a cross walk she waited patiently for her turn, crossed the walk and then the corner. The hair on the back of her neck began to stand up and a creeping feeling crawled across her skin. Slowly she turned her head to see if anyone was behind her. Her skin jumped and a click of her heel was louder than normal as she thought she saw a shadow duck within one of the cracks of the buildings. Quickly she brushed it off and got confidence in her step once more as flashing lights up ahead began to come into a closer view. It was night time – she was bound to get the jitters eventually.

As she came closer and closer it became clearer what was going on. The flashing lights were from several emergency vehicles and police cars that were busy taking care of something on the street. They had that whole side of the street blocked off, it must have been a bad accident, but she really wanted to get further down the strip. Lola stopped in front of a back alley and looked down it. What choice did she have? Catching something out of her peripherals she saw what looked like a man duck into an alley way she had passed previously on the other side of the building. Some people in the city certainly were a strange sort.

With confidence that she would be fine she began to walk down the alley, the sounds of sirens and police bickering began to fade and the only one that lingered was the click of her heels until she made it down the alley. On the other side she was suddenly ambushed by a man that jumped out from the street and began shouting profanities at her. She backed up and pulled her purse away until the man threatened her with a knife. Panicking she began to back up and dig through her purse hoping he would wait, just wait one minute! Really?...Twice in one week? Thank god she had managed to get pepper spray since the last time she was mugged.

A loud roar of an engine came barreling down the street and a sleek black Ferrari pulled up to the side of them. Both of their attention was caught as he quickly stepped out and dominated the scene promptly. Lola turned her head away as the man was struck but looked back amused as he slid down unconscious. Good…He deserved it. Her eyes shot to the car as her lone ‘hero’ was still messing with her assailant. Now that was a beautiful car, she’d love to be all over the interior of that vehicle, just to enjoy the smooth ride. No one could afford to insure a nice car like that unless they were loaded….this hero was looking better and better by the moment and she’d barely seen if face.

Lola collected herself and brought her eyes back to the man that had come to her rescue just in time for him to turn around. ‘Wow’, was the first words out of his mouth. A playful smile came onto her lips that paired with a flirtatious sway of her shoulder. “Thanks Superhero…” She mused out to him in a breathy voice and walked right passed him, with a light touch to his arm as she left, down the street. This gave her some valuable time to be as cruel as she wanted and as flirtatious as she wanted. He was one of ‘those’ guys and she could tell by his attitude. The kind that liked the thrill of the chase, and she was making distance between them as she walked. The guy was definitely younger than her, but there was nothing wrong with a bit more testosterone to go around, especially driving around in a car like that.

He her went into the lining of her purse as she continued her slow yet confident walk and pulled out her lipstick. She began to reapply the ruby red waiting to see whether this guy was really worth stopping for. Sure she wanted him to follow her and ask her to stop, ask her to dinner, ask her if she needed a ride. Guy’s did love the chase…and she loved to make it happen. After all….She deserved it.

[payne]

Vorpal’s mind was completely paralyzed for a moment there as he stared at her, taking in the woman’s beauty. Of course the damsel in distress had to look that good. It just wouldn’t fit in the grander scheme of things or whatever if it were any other way, right? She smiled at him, and he probably would’ve given a very stupid version of his in return if not for forcing himself to get back his actual IQ in the last second. So the man managed to half-smile back, keeping his cool. Or whatever was left of it after uttering “wow” just by looking at the lady. Those thoughts didn’t linger, though, as he had much more interesting things to focus on, watching as she thanked him and paying special attention to the sensually flirtatious aura that seemed to naturally follow her every movement. He could tell she knew her exact level of attractiveness, and few things were more dangerous than that in a woman. Not that Vorpal had much time to answer or do anything about it, as she simply passed him by, continuing to walk down the street as if nothing happened. – [Seriously? Man, girls are really jaded nowadays.] – That was a lot more than surprising, actually. Where were all the playful words and silently thankful stares, all the layers of meaning that could lead that meeting of chance down a million paths? No way was he letting her just walk away, it wasn’t every day he played the hero. Though that turn of events did seem kind of fun.

Waiting a couple of seconds before turning around, smiling to himself as he did that and feeling more interested in that situation by the second, Vorpal quickly catch up to her, putting himself in front of the woman and walking backwards while matching her pace. – “Sorry, you probably get that one a lot.” – The man honestly smiled at his own reaction from before, it had actually been the first time something like that had happened. – “But that’s hardly reason enough to ignore your hero like that.” – His tone was playful, and though he really hadn’t done anything like this before, he wasn’t one to care a lot about things like that. If he had… -- Shadow? Or was it Blake? Whatever, if he had that guy with him this situation’d be a lot easier, but easy and fun were two separate things. And Vorpal believed in trusting himself, the man was absolutely sure he could wing any situation fate threw at him, ever. Finally stopping, he – very gently – touched her shoulder so she’d do the same. – “Let me see this through. I’d like to make sure you get wherever it is you’re going safely. I’ll give you a ride, just say where.” – The man vaguely gestured to his beautiful car, thinking how fitting it would be to have a beautiful woman in it. Vorpal made a very brief pause then, considering if he should just go ahead and be a little more blunt. She’d probably heard everything in the book from every single guy she ever met by now, so seeing how much of her attention he managed to get was like a game. In that moment he didn’t stop being a man, of course, so he took notice of the way her darker features seemed to add a sort of predatory sexiness to her; how her lightly tanned skin just looked like it would be the softest thing ever; how that black dress seemed to fit her height and curves perfectly; how her lips had a cute shape and were basically extremely… interesting. Damn, he was gonna go for it.

“Ok, let me be perfectly honest. I want to do my super-hero job until the end, but I’d also hate it if this encounter with the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen ended just like that.” – Vorpal went for it, and his tone was completely honest. As were his words – the man would really hate it if this encounter with the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen ended just like that.

[Lola Marks]

Lola only walked by herself for a few moments. She didn’t doubt that he would soon coming tagging along in one way or another. She had met far too many guys just like him. From a glance she was able to determine at least what type of guy he was and showing what he did at this moment would just further confirm her suspicions. Not that there was anything wrong with being a city bad boy, especially driving around in a car like that.

Just as she suspected the tall handsome man pulled in front of her and began walking backwards. She couldn’t help but let a flirtatious smirk play upon her lips. She hoped this smooth guy knew what he was doing, she would let him walk right backwards into a pole if he thought he could. She was sprucing up her ruby lipstick still, pulling around the color until it glossed her lips to shine as she wanted it. Superhero had begun rambling on about this or that. She was listening of course but she already knew what it was about. Why would she stop for that? So she remained walking, clicking her heels to the ground with a shy smile as he rambled on.

Her cheeks flushed as the compliments began to pour in, his attempt to flirt were definitely flattering. Rubbing her fingers around the bottom of the lipstick she watched the ruby gloss go back in, momentarily taking any attention away from him. She placed the lip stick carefully back into her single strap purse and pushed her hair back away from her shoulder. It looked at first as if she had no intention of stopping for him but didn’t mind getting the compliments of course.

Suddenly she felt pressure against her shoulder and she stopped dead in her tracks. At first she looked frustrated as her head shot to her arm, he had touched her out of the blue?...Rude… Lola gave him the benefit of the doubt and turned her eyes back to his with a slightly raised brow. That was the moment she finally noticed how captivating his eyes were. How had she not noticed before? One bright green eye and one dark brown eye, like two separate worlds piercing into her. She couldn’t help but blush at the sight and paw her fingers to her hair shyly.

He had laid out his options of the table for her. Superhero was very handsome, and obviously had some kind of income to be able to insure such a nice car let alone own one. He didn’t dress half bad, a little off taste but nothing that was too shocking. No girl absolutely despised the bad boy look, as long as they had the cash to back it up and the attitude to keep up. She was beginning to believe with each passing moment that he might just be able to keep up. The man was obviously confident in his ability to impress her and he was just sweet enough at the same time. Above all, he was cool.

Lola had just been walking on the strip that night, with no real intention of going anywhere. She thought she might pop into a few of the more popular fashion stores on the strip. Maybe tool around in a shoe store of seven. Gotham had the most luxurious shopping and she wanted to dive herself straight into it. As a result she couldn’t really tell him any direction at all. She twirled her finger around her hair once and then let it fall back behind her shoulder, taking her poise again. It would be difficult to pass up an opportunity to have a nice city drive…and her phone hadn’t rung all night. “I could go for a ride.” She smiled and finally extended a limp wrist. “Lola Marks”