Eastbound & Down [Luthor]

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Vassago's black mane whipped in the wind as did the mane of his rider.  Fog sprout from his nostrils with each breath.  It was a cold snowy day, but sunset was approaching in an hour, the sky was colored in pinks and purples despite the day.  

"Cha!"

Rooster gave him a squeeze with her spurs and he burst forward even more.  About twenty yards back Governor, her English Mastiff, trotted behind them, though not at full speed.  He knew their trail and scent, especially on their tail.  He wore a black collar with little spike studs in it, only adding to how intimidating a dog he already was, all 250 pounds of him.

As they came up over a hill Rooster had to pull her reins to the side, directing Vassago tot he right to avoid another horse and rider.  She looked back over her shoulder.  She wore proper winter riding gear, well the kind you'd have were you a Texan, not a yankee equestrian type.  She looked back over her shoulder after passing, a purple bandana concealing her face from the bridge of her nose and down.  She put her hand on her hat and pressed it down, securing it to her head.  She turned her attention to back ahead of herself and kept going, blonde hair dancing in the wind like fire.  

About a mile later she brought Vassago to a stop at a little creek.  She stayed on him for the moment.  Governor caught up shortly and buried his snout in the water.  After he laid down on his side for a moment, his panting nearly subsided, he just wanted to lay in what was left of the sun light and take it in.  Rooster looked out over the pasture ahead and pulled out a little telescope, the kind a ship captain would use and looked around, spotting different critters. 

At the sound of another rider near she turned her head and looked back.

[WHAT ARE WE WEARING?  This]

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The hissing sound of an odd whirr, the motion of hoofbeats on the ground, she heard him approach from a while back, but the sound was an odd mix of horse and machine. It's front legs glinted in the light as it hit the metal and hydrolics of the gears, it's rear legs clear, flesh and blood. The horse appeared of good age, in good health, except of course for the fact that the front two legs appeared to be made of metal, and it had some sort of odd mask that covered most of its face like some sort of medieval armor. 



The rider looked a little bit too civilized, long brown coat, wide brimmed hat. He was clicking quietly as the horse worked its way down the path at a trot. As the rider approached it was easier to see the thing. The horse itself was an old Arabian, not ancient, but well aged. The rider stroked the side of it's head saying "Yallah, Kamar." He eases the horse forward. It's in good shape, well groomed and brushed, the metal that make up the front portion of the horse seems well maintained, the hydrolics and springs maintaining it's trot almost naturally as the man approaches. 

Lex Luthor noted the other rider for a moment, and then pushed his legs in, whispering "Kef, Kamar. . . Kef. . . " The horse trots slower, the hydrolics humming slightly and hissing a bit as it shifts under her pressure. Lex Luthor stares outwards while the horses masked head moves forward to bite at a bit of brush, grazing as rider stares at the other. He lifts a hand into the air and says "Hello there!"

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Rooster tipped her hat to the other rider, taking it off for a brief moment.  The shadow over her eyes gone for a moment, revealing that eye patch and the lush green eye that wasn't hidden.  She put her hat back on and pulled her bandana down, the rest of her face now visible.  She turned on her saddle, sitting side saddle.  She placed her feet on a strap, her knees up a little and she leaned forward just a bit.  She pulled something out of a saddle bag.  It was an apple.

She sliced the apple into three pieces and fed one part to Vassago and tossed another to Governor.  She held the last piece toward the other rider.

"Mine loves an apple, if yours does, he's sure welcome to it."

She tossed the apple piece to the other rider and looked at the horse he rode.  She raised the brow above her good eye and lifted her hat, running her hand through her hair.

"Damn.  I heard of people gettin' new legs, but I don't think I ever saw that on a horse.  Hell of a thing, too, lot of people just shoot 'em when they go lame.  Looks like an Arabic breed you got there, well Arabic Robot I suppose."

Governor got up and walked over to the other rider and horse.  He kept a decent distance but got close enough to sniff at the other horse's face while he grazed.

"Governor!  Don't be an ass."

The dog groaned at her and continued trying to make friends with the other horse, making a whimper at it after a moment.

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He laughed a bit at that as he caught the piece of apple, reaching forward to feed it to his horse. She nibbled on it with great joy. "And she'll probably be your friend for life now. She's a sweet girl, but far too willing to take presents from strangers." He pats the front part of the nose  with a scritch and then sits back in the saddle, smiling.

As the horse came to sniff at the face, she sniffed back and then nipped at Governor's nose slightly. The rider pulled back on the reins to calm her down and she made a sound of indignation. "She is an Arabian breed. Used to be Bedouin, but well, we go back some. . ." The horse steps back some and then starts to move towards the water to drink from it.  The rider flips a switch and then pulls back the helmet to look at it, before putting it back on, and turning the switch again. The rider dismounts by the water and takes a small tool from the saddle bag, opening up one of the side panels on the legs. 

"I'm not surprised you haven't seen legs like that, I made them myself when she broke her front ankle and lost her other leg. . . She saved my life once, and I . . . well, we go back some, so I suppose I didn't want to see her go. Sentimental of me, I suppose. . . when I get time I like to take Kamar out and let her run free, and I try to get the bugs out of her legs. With any luck eventually they'll be no different than her normal legs, and maybe we can connect the electrodes directly to her head so she doesn't need the helmet." He smiles as he looks up at the other rider, reaching into his bag to pull out some carrots for his horse, and offering the others to Rooster. 

"Lex Luthor. . . I don't see too many riders in Gotham, not many in Metropolis either. So I'd wager you're not a local." He smiled at her thoughtfully, he seemed oddly relaxed, looking at the gears and hydrolics twisting one of the screws on the prosthetic and then flipping another switch. Kamar seems used to it at this point and is tolerant of the attention. "I learned early that they need to remain water resistant. Kamar's wasn't raised around water, and when she sees it she tends to try to jump in or swim." 

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Rooster nodded. She hopped down off Vassago and let him do as he wished. Governor she made a hiss at and he barked, wanting to play with Kamara. He did as his mistress wished and walked off and laid down again, rolling around in a patch of snow and biting at it here and here.

"Hmm, well you must have a very mechanical mind then, amigo."

She watched him work on the Arabian's leg and came closer to get a closer look at his work. She bent down, hands on her knees to get a look and a moment straighted u and backed up to give him a bit more room. When he stood and got carrots out she took one and nodded. Vassago walked over, his head over Rooster's shoulder and nipped at the carrot in her hand. He neighed gently at her and took the carrot from her, walking off with it. He ate it and Governor tried to snatch it from him. Being that he and the dog grew up together, he knew his furry friend's tricks and lifted it out of his reach and gobbled it down. The dog huffed and went back to rolling around in the snow.

Rooster took her hat off and offered a hand to the man. Lex Luthor, no shit? she thought.

"Beretta Blaze Stone, but most people call me Rooster."

She smirked, wiggled her brow a bit, her eye patch moving with her brow a little.

"Yeah, no I'm from Dallas, Texas, originally. I rode with Dallas PD for a few years with my brother after graduating from UT and then eventually I rode with the Rangers for a few years before retiring, sort of, I still get called back from time to time to work cases I tend to do well at. I own about six clubs in Texas and now I got one here in Gotham. Hell, you need a stable in the city, I got one on my property, feel free to use it any time."

Vassago came back hovering his head over Rooster's shoulder, Governor came to sit at her other side.

"And these two are my associates, Vassago-" she patted the horse on the front of his face between his eyes.

"And Governor."

The English Mastiff gave a short bark to Lex, nothing hostile, but just acknowledging he was being introduced to a stranger. He was a huge dog, even sitting the top of his head came to Rooster's waist. Vassago shook his head and went back for more water. Governor caught sight of a rabbit and went after it.

"Vassago's an American Quarter horse, his daddy was a Kentucky Derby winner and his momma the same. He's about the fastest thing on four legs in this city. Oh and sorry about earlier, I hope I didn't kick too much dust up on yeh when I passed yeh up."

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"Rooster eh?" He smiles and then shakes her hand looking into her eye. His eyes are green, his hair is gone, but he's got a strong jaw to him. A sort of arrogant confidence that obviously lets him dominate most rooms he's in. He's not playing the charm too much now, though, he's off duty, enjoying time with his horse.

He notes her looking at the leg and then shows off the interior of the leg, "I've been told that I have a gift for mechanics, I made my name on it among other things. This here is a simple design, but I'm hoping to perfect it on Kamar here, before extrapolating to people." He gestures at the interplay of gears, hydraulics and springs that allow the leg to move and to absorb shock in a particular way. He then points at the helmet "It's controlled by reading brain waves. . . that's really the tricky part, but maybe it'll do some good later. It's a simple enough design, but it requires a bit of maintenance, tightening and pressure release." He shrugs "Once I make it a little less maintenance intensive, perhaps it'll be ready for general consumption."


"Beretta Blaze Stone, you weren't just A ranger, if I remember right. I remember reading the newspapers about your involvement in the human trafficking case in Dallas. . . with your brother, if I remember right. Colt." He closes his eyes for a moment, then opens it. "With 806 arrests during your career with the rangers, if I recall correctly one year you were personally responsible for one fourth of the entire Ranger's arrest record, quite impressive. And now you're" He closes his eyes for another moment, and stops and then opens it gain "I think the papers said you went into the entertainment and service industries. Clubs, right?" He looks at her and smiles again. "Is that what brings you to Gotham then?"

He acknowledges the dog and watches it run away after a rabbit, then looks at Vassago and smiles saying "I don't doubt his pedigree, you can see the breeding in him. I don't know Kamar's breeding history, I . . . ended up with her a long time ago in the middle east. . . stole her from a group of Bedouin raiders, if you'd believe that. She saved my life, and when I returned, I brought her with me." He strokes her side and closes up the leg, sealing it shut. "She's fast, and durable, I wouldn't want to race her, though. . . I'd argue these legs would give her an unfair advantage. No exhaustion from their use, the hydraulics are strong and fast and give extra support." He looks her straight in the eye with a smile, as if a challenge.

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Rooster folded her arms giving him a skeptical look as he recalled at least half her personal history off the top of his head. She furrowed her brow at him, a bit in disbelief.

"Damn, Luthor, you got one hell of noggin' for knowin' all that 'bout me. I can't say I recall every little thing I ever read about you, but I must admit... Don't know whether to be flattered or keep my guard up over that one."

She chuckled a bit. She was well armed. A .45 win mag sat on her hip. Though, she had no reason to point it at him, at least, not at the moment. She nodded to his recanting of how he met his own mighty steed. She gave the horse a nice little rub on the back of her neck, taking the riding glove off her right hand to do so.

"Good lookin' mare for her age, though. That's a pretty interesting story. I won Vassago in a poker game when he was a colt. That's also how I got my property here in Gotham. Go figure."

When he had that smile on his face she returned it.

"I know you ain't tryin' to goad me and Vassago into a race, sugga-sug. You's gonna lose. I can always tell when a man wants to bed me and when he wants to bet against me. So, you got somethin' to bring to the pot here, then? If we gonna do this then let's throw down the stakes and raise 'em, hmm?"

Rooster folded her arms again and leaned slightly to her left side waiting for an answer. She didn't like to play without having a reason to win and reason to avoid losing. And she was rarely interested in money.

"Well call it a gentlemen's wager, hmmm? I'm a gamblin' man, beau, and I rarely lose. I'll throw somethin' down. I win, you come work at my club this Friday night as a bartender and bragging rights. Time is money and money is time, I reckon a man like you don't like his time taken from him, so there it is. And you gotta wear wranglers, a western shirt just like the rest of my crew does. So what you got, hmmm?"

Rooster was a woman whose time was valuable as well, otherwise she would have been demanding something useless like jewelry or clothes.

She had a bit of a grin spreading across her lips. Now she was just dying for Vassago to kick dust up in his face.

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He felt the grin spreading on his face despite himself "I've got a good memory for details. It's one of the reasons I've been so successful. I can just recall information, you have no idea how useful it is to have a library in your mind." He smiles as he says "Part of it's training, part of it is birth. . . although perfect memory's a mere parlor trick, although I admit your adventures have a certain aura to them that make them easier to recall." 

He's aware of the gun on her hip, as he stands apparently noticing or uncaring of it, except perhaps as part of the ensemble. He seemed interested in her, paying full attention, something he doesn't often do for more than short periods of time. There's an awareness there, a mind that can reshape the world, it's full attention now on the brash Texan rose. He smiles at the poker game reference "I once won a patent on a coin flip, but I've never one a club in a poker game. I'll have to give it a try sometime. My gambles tend to be on a large scale, with much more complicated and arguably less fun rules." 

Casually he crossed his arms and stroked his chin as she gave the terms of the wager. 
He keeps the smirk on his face. "A gentleman's agreement, then. I suppose if I were to lose I could serve drinks at a bar, dress up for the occasion."  He looks at her horse, and then at his and then says "Alright then, here's my side of the wager. If I win, then you have to serve as hostess at the Swan Lounge with me for a night. I'll pick the dress, the jewelry, we'll get your hair well treated. . . a perfect high society lady for an evening." He extends his hand for a handshake, straight dealing. 

He smirks at the idea, looking at her in the eye. "We'll make it a match. Where to race, then? To the tree out there and back here?"

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She wrinkled her nose at his demand in this wager and huffed. She thought it over and looked out to that tree and then back to him.

"You got a deal, Luth."

She offered her hand so they could shake on it. Once that was done she whistled at Cassago and he moseyed back to her. She mounted up and got set and lined up at the edge of the creek, even with Luthor and Kamara, but there was at least a fifteen foot gap between them to allow them each running space.

"Alright, sure hope you're ain't a sore loser, hombre. I'll start us off."

She pulled her .45 off her hip, pointing it to the sky.

"Marked... Set...-"

BANG

She gave Vassago a squeeze with her heels and she shoved her gun back in the holster. And with break neck speed she and her horse were off. She pulled her bandana back over her face and got both hands on the reins. She didn't bother to look for Luthor, she needed to keep her focus on winning. It wasn't long before she tugged the reins, directing Vassago to round the tree. She and Luthor passed one another as they rounded it from opposite directions.

"C'mon, y'ol' meatball, move!"

Vassago did as his mistress demanded and ran harder on the way back. As they got back to the creek he jumped clean over it. Governor just watched all the commotion, taking a break from rabbit hunting. Rooster turned her head to look for Luthor. And then she yanked her bandana off and threw it to the ground.

"God damn it."

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He smiled as he shook her hand saying "Please. . . call me Lex. . ." He grins as he meanders to Kamar, stroking her and then taking out the screwdriver to tighten the last screw, and then climbing up on the horse's back. She seems grumpy about having to stop eating, but is well trained, turning slightly as Lex pats her haunch, settling into the stirrups. 

He was smiling at the woman watching her draw the gun, leaning forward and whispering to his horse. Then the gun went off. "Yallah, Kamar! Yallah!" He shouts as he digs his heels into her side. With a leap, the horse takes off into a gallop, landing HARD on the forelegs and then pushing forward. Kamar doesn't have the breeding of the other, but she had some technological advantages that allowed Lex to push her harder.

He kept an eye on her, watching her ahead eating her dust as he flicked a switch on the back of the horse's helmet. It sped up some, getting a little more spring in its step as it leapt forward, pushing. The tree was rounded, Lex started the turn with care ahead of time, to keep it from being too sharp. It added a little extra space, but cut down on time. A last bit of wind, neck and neck. 

He focused on victory, pushing forward. "Yallah! Yallah!" he shouted again, pushing the horse harder. . . she trotted to a stop upon the return, he looked smugly at Rooster for a moment, sitting on the back of the horse. "A photo finish, if I'd ever seen one. But no photograph, so that might make things difficult. What say we call it a tie?" He raised an eyebrow. 

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"You call me what you want then, Lex."

And then now back to what happened at the end of the race-

"I hate ties. You win and lose at the same. damn. time."

She took her hands off the reins, clenching her fists up. He took it much better than she did, but she was always competitive. She always wanted to win. Yeah, she's lost a few times in her life, but generally any time she truly gambled, took the risk, she won, every. damn. time.

The Rooster sucked in a breath, her crow a long groan. She shook her head, straightened up in her saddle and gave Lex a nod finally.

"Deals a deal, ain't it."

Now that her initial shock wore off she sighed and finally offered a smirk.

"Well then, at least we both get a little fun out of the other. That's always worth somethin' ain't it?"

She didn't expect him to answer the question. She looked down when Vassago dragged one of his back hooves along the snow.

"I don't know about you, sug, but I think I got my boy here a little riled up and ready for some more prairie stompin'. I'm thinkin' about headin' east back to town and back onto homestead. A nice easy trot'll get my lot back in about forty five minutes, right when sun finishes up's fall. Also, there's this-"

She reached down to a saddle bag and tossed him a canteen full of Maker's Mark.

"That always makes for the happy trail." She took her hat back off and reached down into it. She pulled out a case, put her hat back on, and pulled a pair of cigars out of three. She clipped one and offered it to him.

"You got good form there, sug. Where'd a yankee slick like you learn to ride like that? Do pardon my slur, I only use it with highest compliment."

Despite the tie, she still liked him. Couldn't hold a grudge against a man that rode like that.

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He caught the canteen and took a swig, before offering it back, riding close to her. "I learned to ride from private lessons in college. I learned to ride like that when I got Kamar, when I rode with the Bedouin Raiders before taking Kamar with me. When you live for a time on horseback, you learn to master the connection between man and animal." He smiles as he says "Besides, it's something a man should know how to do." He strokes the side of Kamar. 

"Although again, I admit I had some advantages in technology. I can push her harder than you can push Vassago. . . without worrying that she'll break. So take the tie as a sign of skill and the quality of your horse." 

He pulls out a canteen himself filled with a Cognac, offering some to her. "I think a tie isn't a bad deal, I'm looking forward to dressing up and working a bar for a change. Never done that, it might be fun. And maybe you'll enjoy the high life for a while. Or not." He smiles, teasingly as he takes the cigar and brings out a lighter. It glows blue like a blowtorch as he lights his cigar, and then offers to light hers. 

"I don't suppose you want some company on the ride back to the homestead?" He raises an eyebrow at her. "I'd love to get a chance to let Kamar stretch her legs a while. . . I don't get much chance to ride anymore, and though I have people make sure she's cared for. . . it's different when it's not me and her." 

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She chuckled a bit.

"Well, I'm alright now. I just never cared for ties, I suppose there's worse than havin' to wear a dress."

She shuddered a bit and took a swig of the cognac and then tossed it back to him when he tossed back her canteen. She took a swig from hers and let it hand by its strap across her chess for easy access later. She gave him a nod.

"I hear that. I have a ranch back home, and my neighboring farmers and ranchers and I have a deal. Every season I go home, get situated, and head off on a month long ride across all their acres and acres of land, camp where I like, and in turn I take care of coyotes and what not for them. Vassago knows my habits well. So does Governor. I can track anyone and anything. It's a nice time for me to just be off the grid and left alone for a little while."

As soon as he pulled that lighter out she snatched the cigar back from him and struck a match on her knee. She lifted the flame tot he tip of the cigar and puffed it into fiery life and passed it back to him.

"The butane always mucks the flavor, c'mon, Lex, you know that."

She clipped her own and used the same flame to light her own.

"What does Kamara mean? Never heard that name."

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He chuckles and says "I'm certain you'll look perfectly lovely. Maybe dress it up with some jewelry, something to accentuate your eye and your smile. Braid diamonds into your hair. . . " he smirks "Why not?" He's teasing now as they start to ride together.

He gets the lighter yanked as the cigar is lit and handed back. "Mmm, it's not butane, actually. It's actually a superheated electroplasmic . . .well, that's not important. I can vary the heat with it. I tend to use it for spot welding when I"m on the road, but I can turn the heat down to a respectable temperature to light a normal fire. No butane, though, it works on stronger stuff." He puffs the cigar and rides along.

"I haven't been off the grid in . . . well, since I've had hair." He strokes the back of his neck, tightening the bandana again as he rides. "A prolonged camping trip might be interesting, although I've been told I don't really get into the spirit of the endeavor." He smiles and shakes his head.

"As for Kamar. . . it means Star. She's named that way because of the star on her forehead, which you don't really see under the helmet. She had the name when I got her, and it's a good name so I keep it. You'll notice most of the commands are in Arabic too, she's gotten used to English, but . . . the commands only seem to work in Arabic, it's what she's used to."

He smiles as he keeps riding. "What about you? Where'd you pick up the name Rooster? And how long have you had Vassago here?"

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Rooster shrugged.

"Oh if you say so, then."

She would glance to him every now and then as they rode leisurely and spoke. She kept her cigar clamped between her teeth like a true Texan. She would only remove it to have a swig of her whiskey every so often. Governor came up beside them walking with them. She nodded to his explanation of Kamar's name.

"Vassago knows it's hittin' the fan when I yap some Spanish at him, but he's named after one of the demons in hell because he runs like hell, that's for sure," she chuckled out lightly.

"Well, the name Rooster came around during my first year with the Rangers. I was down in Houston running a bust that ended up with us at an oil refinery. I ended up chasin' my catch through it all and right as I was about to catch up with him the bastard pulled a valve. I stepped right into it in pursuit of him."

Rooster flipped her eye patch up. Her eye was slightly glazed over, but the green of it was more vibrant than her other eye. She flipped it back down before it got bothered.

"Lost about 60 % visibility in it and now it really don't care too much for light or wind. I've learned to live with it. After it happened and I started wearing the patch the boys back home started callin' me Rooster. Not sure if you're a John Wayne fan, but they all are."

She chuckled again and took another swig of her whiskey and went back to puffing her cigar.

"Well, I had Vassago here about, oh I dunno, he and Governor are about the same age, and I had both of them about three an half years now. Governor's pretty good ol' boy, too. He's got a few little skills up his own sleeve, too."

For a moment she would remain silent, taking in some of the scenery. It wasn't much compared to what she was used to back home, but it would do just fine.

"So, you're a pretty famous fella, ain't'cha? Seems like I see somethin' about you or Lexcorp at least once or twice a week in the papers. That must be a bitch, people allover ya all the time, wantin' a piece of what ya got. I ain't worth near as much as you, but I'm worth somethin', lotta people want somethin' from me, but over the last year or so they've all started to get the hint to bug off. I tell people to go find their own damn boot straps. I ain't got time for no one, well save a few I suppose."

She looked back over to him and smirked.

"Hell, I bet the women are the worst part for you. At least when you're an enterprising lady you're generally viewed as sour some how, so I don't get too many suitors tryin' to grab at my pockets. I'm generous though. I do right by those who do right. I run an organization overseas and some of it here in the states too that works to take down trafficking rings. That's my little quiet crusade. We reduced the global trafficking rate by fifteen percent last year, we're aiming for twenty five percent this year."

She sighed.

"Everyone should be born free."