The Bronx is a borough of New York City. It's known for Yankee Stadium, the home field of the New York Yankees baseball team. Dating from 1899, the vast Bronx Zoo houses hundreds of species of animals. Nearby, the sprawling New York Botanical Garden features a landmark greenhouse with rainforest and cactus displays. By the Hudson River, Wave Hill is a landscaped public garden with wooded paths and a cultural center. +local is available. Sev grumbled as she walked, angrily kicking a can on the sidewalk. Riri and Sev had left Shwarma Palace twenty ago, and Sev still wasn't over it. "Who the heck does he think he is? You made that armor, it's yours! It's n-not right!" She pulls out her cell phone, fumbling a bit with a USB cable as well. She reaches back into her hood with one end of the cable, before plugging the other into her phone and dropping the phone back in her hoodie's pocket. "I'm gonna write a blog post about that. I'm gonna t-tell Tony Stark exactly what I think about him!" Right about then, they arrived outside the door to the warehouse, and Sev let herself in, storming past machines and worktables to the living area, where she flopped onto a couch. "It''s not right but it's the law. Even if he's not actually following the rules how am I going to compete with /Tony Stark/?" Riri keeps her voice down as always but she's fuming as well. She kicks the can Sev was punting and it skitters away into the road to be properly crushed. "I can't afford a lawyer. Stark already has thirty of them on retainer. I could invent something to help me file motions, but…" She shakes her head slowly and reaches up to drag her fingers through that long hair. Riri is thinking a bit more clearly (for once. Remember, this is the girl who brought her suit in a duffel bag and accidentally spilled the beans in the first place), and does, in fact, override the alarm as she goes past. Then she too flops down on the couch. Starfire is flying alongside Riri and Sev, in an upright position, knees slightly bent. It helps her stay calmer than she otherwise might be, and even with that bit of emotional self-manipulation, she's smoldering; seemingly literally, in the case of her eyes. "On my world, we would compete with him by meeting him in an arena and fighting for what is yours in single combat, to let the purity of our heart's intentions guide our actions and prove right from wrong," she rants, bordering on preaching. "And if he has stolen the armor you need to be his equal in combat, then I would volunteer to be your champion in the face of this odious atrocity! Let us understand his intentions when the evil laws he hides behind are stripped from him like a gnofrka frightened from the bushes!" The security chirps as it's overridden, sending a signal deeper into the lab in the workshop area, where several robotic arms are using buffers on a blue and silver armor, currently lying on a mobile worktable. Toni is nearby, chewing on a pen as she reviews her latest diagnostics..which are looking pretty good. Not perfect, but she can keep working on improving thigns as she needs to. But the systems overall…ready to go. And the new nonlethal weapons too, though…that might require some practice. Maybe she should hire someone who knows about weapons to test them too…she's got Sev for all the other stuff, but she doesn't have any rifle skills or anything like that either. Hmm hmm. As the signal that there's a guest coming in hits her computer with a little alert, she blinks, then closes the laptop before she pads over towards the living area of the warehouse, her purple hair pulled back in a rough ponytail and her feet clad in little Gizmo from Dark Crystal slippers. She stops and can't help but stare for a moment at Starfire. Because…really…not only is she exotically gorgeous, she's flying, AND she's currently in a heartfelt rant about atrocities and challenges? "Uh…welcome back?" Toni says, a bit uncertainly. "What's up? And who's your friend?" Sev nods to Star. "Yeah, we haven't d-done the whole trial by combat thing for at least a century. And… I just… Argh! There." She unplugs the cable from under her hoodie. "…I made a new blog post. I don't know if it'll DO anything but…" She turns towards Toni as the warehouse's owner makes an appearance. "Toni! I… I was at Shwarma Palace, and Tony Stark showed up, and I texted Riri and she came too, but she had her armor in a bag, and he asked what was in the bag, and she showed him and then he took it and I told him he couldn't but he did anyway and I showed him my arm and he asked who did it and I said Kybertec but I wouldn't tell him anything else, and we left and I made a blog post…." Sev finally runs out of breath, and pants for a moment. "And this is Starfire, and she was there too but stood up for us and…. I told Tony Stark no. I stood up and got in his face and yelled at him and…" Sev pulls her knees up to her chest, flopping onto one side. Riri is, unfortunately, useless for panic attacks. She watches as Sev explodes into exposition and then collapses onto her side, brown eyes widening slightly. She looks between Sev and Toni then over at Starfire. "No ritual combat. He's… You asked who he is. Um…" The girl shakes her head slowly. "Tony Stark's saved the world. A couple times. People trust him. But they also say he's a jerk." Flatly stated. "Hey, Toni. I think Sev got it all…" Starfire immediately plops down next to the suddenly fetal Sev and carefully strokes her back, trying to give comfort without jostling any of the strange metal bits on her, assuming they're tender. "You are well, Sev," she promises. She doesn't understand at all why Tony Stark is such a big deal, but doesn't need to understand that to understand that Sev needs help. Her attention to Sev's needs distracts her completely from being polite enough to introduce herself to Toni, but then again, it also extinguishes most of the flaming glow in her eyes. "You are well. You have breath in your lungs and blood in your veins, so there is still hope in your hearts." Toni blinks a bit as the story comes tumbling out of Sev, with the girl getting more and more upset. Her eyes flash when Tony Stark is mentioned, and when it hits the part about stealing Riri's armor. 'WHAT?!" she says, her voice sharp now. She fights down her obvious anger for a moment, nodding to Starfire. "Ah…nice to meet you, Starfire. Thank you for helping my friends." She leaves comforting to Starfire for the moment, turning her attention to Riri as she says. "Why did he take your armor? He's many things, but not a thief." Though her tone suggests she's unsurprised that being added. Sev, for her part, is now rocking back and forth on the couch while hugging her knees. The metal bits aren't tender at all, and don't seem to have any sense, merely following along with the teen's movements as Star strokes her back. She does seem to calm down a little though, her breath starting to come slower. "He said it was patent infringement. Maybe he thinks he's protecting me or something, I don't know." Riri seems more resigned than angry at this moment but she must be restraining herself. The girl is quiet but not inclined to give up on anything, even when she should." Right now Riri takes a big breath and holds it for a bit, leaning way back into the couch as she is settling herself in. "It's okay, Sev. You did good. Everything's fine." Riri is staring up at the ceiling above he. "I built it once using parts from a junkyard. We can do it again." "Thanks for trying to help, um…" Riri's gaze shifts to Starfire and she quirks a brow. "Anyway. I appreciate it. But I'm going to have to outsmart him if I wnt to do something about this." A beat. "Though having my armor so I could beat him up wouldn't hurt, I guess." Starfire continues to pat Sev's back as she looks up at Toni with a smile. "It is agreeable to meet you, purple-haired friend also named Toni," she greets. She nods at Riri and offers, "If you require my help to retrieve it, then my help is freely offered. Can you track it to its location? I am confident I could retrieve it for you." Toni's eyes flash a bit. "That is such BULLSHIT! Even if he wants to claim infringement, he doesn't have right to STEAL your armor! Even if they judged he did, he doesn't have the right to take your stuff." She throws up her hands. "It's not even like he'd suffer damages, he's not SELLING any of his tech!!" She huffs. "…I'm calling my patent lawyer." she says, pulling out her phone, pausing. "…you don't have to build it from a junkyard. I'll get you the parts you need. You can rebuild it even better, Riri. I know you can." She pauses, glancing at Starfire. "…though I'm not against taking it back if we could get away with it." Sev squirms, eventually pulling herself upright. "…Thanks, guys. Sorry f-for… Losing it a bit there. I just… I met one of my heroes, yelled at him, then learned he was a d-dick." "…And if we're building stuff… Could I get some way to fly and some kind of ranged attack too? I mean… Not just in case of Stark attack, but more… He was right. In that I've been leaving Kybertec alone. I've gotta go back there, but I need more upgrades." Riri gestures at Toni without really responding. That's typical Riri, however. She heard, she's just… Processing. Then Sev changes the subject and the girl latches onto it immediately. "Fly and ranged attack. Yeah, that's completely doable." Riri closes her eyes for a second. "You won't have the power supply problems I do because, well…" Riri gestures vaguely. "Bulk. We need to upgrade your armor and stuff too. I don't know how maneuverable we can make you? But we can look… And, um. I don't know about taking back my armor but you could always help us try to save the world sometime?" Toni frowns, then moves over to give Sev a one-armed hug gently. "…it's okay. I'm sorry your hero didn't turn out like you hoped…" she says slowly. "But yes…we can do something…but I'll see if I can get it back Riri. I really will." She scowls. "I'm going to see exactly what this supposed patent says…and if I can, I'll challenge the damn thing." "Y-yeah. I'm not going with the streamlined approach, and I'm fine with brute force." Sev grins weakly, leaning into Toni's side. " I mean… I already p-punch everyone. Could probably put the primary thrusters in the backplate and then stabilizers in the gauntlets and boots and stuff… Maybe have the ranged things forearm mounted like the grapple?" Sev looks back and forth between her friends. "Thanks, g-guys. And yeah Star, I'm p-pretty sure if you flew up and t-tried to take stuff from him he'd have the Justice Defenders called or something." "We can try challenging it but that might take forever. I'll just make another one. You're right." Riri looks up again and then breathes a soft sigh. "Guess I should've known better than to look up to some rich old white guy." She rolls her eyes then and shifts her weight again along the couch. "Anyway, no streamlining. That makes it pretty easy. You can help me figure it out and we can have you in the air in no time. You know. Relatively speaking. R&D will definitely take less time than the lunar mission." "'Justice Defenders,'" Starfire echoes Sev, lip curling. "If they protect a man who steals from children who admire him, then they do not defend justice." Toni is frowning as she types on her phone, listening as the others talk. "You can use my thruster design so she doesn't burn her butt off." she says absently, then looks over to Riri, before she frowns, walking over to lean down and give her a one armed hug too. "…I'm sorry you two. I know you thought a lot of him, even if I didn't." She sighs a bit and straightens up. "Oh, I suspect the Defenders didn't have anything to do with this. But if he wants to make it a legal thing, I'll make it a legal thing." Her eyes narrow. "And he's not gonna have fun with it." "This world sucks, Star. I mean… I think I had a family once? I don't know. But either way, I ended up like…" She gestures down at herself, currently wearing a tank top, its straps modified with velcro and looped under her shoulder actuators, and loose sweatpants. "Something f-failed and I ended up with those jerks. At least I get to punch a few b-bad guys." "I mean. This world could have cool stuff in it somewhere. I think people can be pretty neat. But mostly…." Riri shrugs slowly.. "I used to have a dad. I still have my mom, though." A deep breath is taken and she holds it for a few moments. "But you know. It's the world we've got and just the fact we're here proves there are things here that are cool enough to save." Starfire stares first at Sev, then at Riri with wide eyes. The green light in her eyes turns into a thousand splinters of orange as it refracts through the tears welling up in them, and she soars over to Riri only to scoop her up and carry her couchward to hug her and Sev both around the neck. "You are so right," she whimpers. This distracts Toni from her furious texting, before she pauses, blinking a bit. "…ah…well…come on girls…." she says with a faint frown. "Yeah we've…we've all had a rough time. But that doesn't make the world is terrible. Just that we have to make it BETTER. The way we want it to be." She walks over to sit down. "Don't cry Starfire…girls…." she says, a bit helplessly. She's…really not good at this side of things. Sev squirms a bit as she's hugged, the data on the back screen of her link flashing by faster. "Mmmmf. Strrrr. Cmmmp brmmm!" More wriggling ensues, and what's visible of Sev's face is turning pink. Riri is dragged into a hug but it's obvious that she isn't the touchy-feely type. She squirms in a rather specific and learned way, slipping free of her coat and falling out of Starfire's arms with a thump. The girl doesn't look upset but she is moving over to stand *beside* the couch rather than in the midst of a giant group hug. Not that she could stop Starfire if she really wanted to make it happen. Starfire releases both girls and wipes her eyes without shame. "If I did not cry, then you would not know how proud I am of you all," she explains simply. "What then do we do now?" Toni watches Riri's practiced escape with a faint smile, then hmms. "Well ah…that's….very brave. To cry. I mean." she says, a little how to handle this situation. "So…ah…why don't you girls get something to drink and de-stress a bit? Starfire, if you want to crash on the couch or something you're welcome to stay. I should hear from my patent lawyer and I'll work out something with him on what we can or can't do about this." She frowns. "Either way….if we can't get it back, then we'll find a way. If nothing else, maybe I can introduce you to someone else who could help. I know Ms. Danvers over at Startech, maybe she'd be willing to give you a grant…" And maybe they will. For now…Toni just stands ready to help her friends however she can. Back to: Logs Page. |
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