Hero
Nightwing
IS OFFLINE
26
Years Old
Female
You've got to listen, I'm a songbird with a brand new track. You underestimate.
103 POSTS & 1 LIKE
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Post by Dinah Grayson on Aug 17, 2016 0:01:38 GMT -6
Well, at least Dinah could say she tried. Tried to get under a professional mercenary's skin and failed. So she just laid back and looked up at the sky, trying to figure a way out of this. But she couldn't really form a coherent thought, or string two together. She had a few hopes though, like whoever had paid for her was easy to manipulate, or that her phone suddenly going offline would pop up on her dad's radar, or somehow, John would find them. Part of her wanted to believe he'd come after her, another part still wondered if he was in on all of this.
As she looked up at the sky, she saw a shadow pass over the stars just before a flash bang went off. She pulled her arm away to see John, standing in between her and her kidnapper. Any doubt she had that he was in on it disappeared the moment her hearing came back. That level of anger wasn't something she thought he could fake on a good day.
Dinah looked around, trying to figure out where they were. She got up onto her knees, now that Batroc was forced off her dress. So this was personal, they were after him, not her. She was just bait. And she was also learning a lot more about him than he probably ever would have told her. It made sense then, he was another victim of Gotham Crime. She vaguely recognized the neighborhood, but she couldn't remember anything specific, there was just too much that had happened in her city.
Standing up, she gathered her dress in her hand and used her other to put it on John's shoulder. Part of it was because if Henri took her again, he'd hopefully come to. The other part just didn't want him to start shooting people again. She'd seen more than enough of that. But also, he was helping her stay stable. "John...focus...whoever hired her hasn't shown up yet."
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Villain
Red Hood
IS OFFLINE
26
Years Old
Male
Heterosexual
165 POSTS & 28 LIKES
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Post by Owen Merlowe on Aug 28, 2016 20:20:17 GMT -6
"Tell me, Batroc. How out of alignment are your implants? I imagine that many jumps must have done a number on you."
A grim smile crossed his face. "Yes, I know about that. I can do research too. I like to know who I'm working with. Your mentor left quite a trail, helping you. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it all out."
He glared at the french thief, wondering, not for the first time, if she could teleport faster than he could shoot. "That's something I wonder myself. But I can at least do you a favor and put a few in Georges for you. He's older, slowing down. That might make me feel a hell of a lot better after this shit show." He felt the hand on his shoulder.
Dinah was trying to bring him back to focus. She was right. The main villain of the piece hadn't shown up yet. He took a deep breath, keeping the gun level. Then there was another flash of light as someone threw a flashbang in his face. Owen blinked as his lenses struggled to adjust. He felt a pressure on his wrist and his gun was gone.
His eyes focused on an older man with gray at the temples and a similar costume. The man was unloading the gun and detaching the slide. "I taught you better than to threaten women. And what about teamwork? Where does it say wave a gun in the face of your partner?"
Owen stared blankly at his former mentor for a second before slipping out from under Dinah's hand and charging him. Owen brought his hand up in an uppercut, and Jason blocked it easily. "Is that what this was, old man? Another one of your stupid tests? I told you I was done with you." Two more punches were thrown and easily blocked. Jason pushed one of Owen's arms up in an attempt to unbalance him.
A concealed escrima came out from Jason's sleeve and smashed Owen in the ribs beneath the overextended arm. He let out a loud cough as the air was driven from lungs. Jason snap kicked Owen in the face and he fell back on his backside. Jason tossed the pieces of the gun into Owen's lap.
"I'd say that you failed. You're distracted. Off balance. You let yourself be motivated by anger. That was always your problem. You're too quick to anger." Jason smiled at his former apprentice. "You formed an attachment. I didn't think that was something you were capable of anymore. I thought you were just a little sociopath."
Todd looked over to Henri. "You're free to go. You'll find that your fee was deposited in the usual account, plus a little extra for all the trouble he gave you. Consider it a bonus for your professionalism under fire."
"Now... What to do with you two?"
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Villain
Batroc
IS OFFLINE
24
Years Old
Female
Bisexual
29 POSTS & 0 LIKES
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Post by Henri Batroc on Sept 7, 2016 9:04:51 GMT -6
"Je pourrais déchirer votre coeur devant vous saviez ce qui est arrivé!!" Henri snarled and in her anger had switched back to her native tongue. She wasn't exactly sure if she could phase her hand into his chest before he got a shot off, but any person threatening her father would simply have to die. She had been hired for a simple job and this idiot was not only screwing everything up, he had threatened her, and her father. At that moment she didn't care that he knew about her implants, or the gun, just that he needed to be dead. Him being alive wasn't part of her contract at all. Just as she was about to follow through on her threat, another flash filled the area and she jumped farther back instead.
As pissed as she was, she had no problem watching someone else kick his ass, if only to wait for an opening to attack herself. But when her "partner" landed on his ass, the older gentleman turned to her, giving her the best news she'd heard all day. Taking out her phone, she checked her account and grinned. She had indeed been given a little bonus. "Well, I would say it was a pleasure doing business with you, but that would be a lie." She nodded to Jason before looking down at Owen. "If you ever come near Georges, I will make sure you regret ever being born. I will tear your life apart piece by piece. And then leave you to think about your consequences."
With that, Henri simply teleported away into the night.
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Hero
Nightwing
IS OFFLINE
26
Years Old
Female
You've got to listen, I'm a songbird with a brand new track. You underestimate.
103 POSTS & 1 LIKE
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Post by Dinah Grayson on Sept 7, 2016 9:25:10 GMT -6
Dinah flinched at the threat, figuring it was more than likely she could rip his heart out faster than either of them could blink. Dinah wasn't too sure on how Batroc's powers worked, but a determined woman can be a dangerous thing. She saw Henri twitch, in anticipation of teleporting. If there was one thing Dinah had picked up on before, during her wild ride, it was that Batroc tensed just before she teleported. And she was about to shove John out of the way before there was another blinding flash of light. She kept her grip on his shoulder just to keep herself orientated, but was getting real tired of all the flashbangs.
She was so shocked to see Jason there, she didn't even try and stop John. It all made sense at that moment; where he had gotten his training and why it seemed so familiar. She had thought maybe he'd just stolen the gimmick the in beginning but no, Jason had trained him. And he had literally stolen the gear.
She flinched as Jason smashed him in the ribs, her confusion at the whole situation turning quickly to understanding and anger. He had set this all up. As a test? For John? Involving her? What the hell was he even thinking?! Some part of her brain filed away that she had been used as a pawn, as bait for someone else, and she'd deal with how she never wanted to be that way again later. Right then, since she knew she was at the very least safe from anything else immediately, she was going to deal with Jason. The adrenaline and anger burned off the last bit of the sedative as she quickly tied up her skirt out of the way. As soon as John landed in the dirt, she put herself between him and her uncle, glaring at him.
"You will do nothing with us. In fact, I think you've done more than enough. This stupid little game of yours could have gotten us killed, could have gotten me killed, and you know how well that would go over. What the hell were you thinking?!" Dinah was ready to fight, if necessary. She didn't want to, and she wasn't too sure if she'd be able to take him down quickly enough, but she was more than ready to punch something.
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Villain
Red Hood
IS OFFLINE
26
Years Old
Male
Heterosexual
165 POSTS & 28 LIKES
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Post by Owen Merlowe on Oct 26, 2016 13:16:43 GMT -6
Owen went to open his mouth in reply to the the French thief, but was cut off by Jason. "He won't be bothering your father. This is my problem now. Give Georges my regards." Then they watched her teleport away into the night. As Dinah threw herself between him and Owen, Jason smiled. He listened to her little rant and let her get all of the anger out.
He thought the two of them were done a long time ago, but he should have known better. His wayward heir was always hung up on his niece. Had been since they were kids. He should have known they'd manage to find each other all these years later. He listened to Dinah's little rant about what he should and would be doing with them and a small smile appeared. His niece was ready to go on the offensive for Owen. Owen, his protege, who had become no better than any of the other toughs in Gotham.
That made Jason pause. Even he hadn't seen the way this was going. "Well, my dear, sweet niece. You're right. I'm not going to do anything. I've already seen enough from both of you." Owen got to his feet behind Dinah and readied himself for a fight. "I was counting on the fact that you were trained. I knew you'd be fine. That's why I paid for someone like Batroc. She's the best at what she does. Like you."
"Listen here, you son of a bitch. I don't want to play your games anymore and neither does Dinah. We don't want to deal with this. That would be why I left. Or did that not become apparently, when I took my stuff and walked away."
Jason smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, you're good at running away. We got that. Anyway, we're done here. I have other things to do." The older man pulled out his grapnel gun and fired it. "You two love birds figure your lives out and get your shit together. Dinah, I will be talking to your father." He swung up into the shadows and disappeared with a smile on his face.
Owen quietly put his gun back together and dropped the magazine back into place. Finally, he broke the silence. "I should have just shot the bastard. That would have made everything much better. Granted, the body armor would have taken it, but it would have made me feel much better about it." He slipped the gun into the holster on his shoulder and popped his neck. "What an ass."
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Hero
Nightwing
IS OFFLINE
26
Years Old
Female
You've got to listen, I'm a songbird with a brand new track. You underestimate.
103 POSTS & 1 LIKE
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Post by Dinah Grayson on Nov 27, 2016 18:33:19 GMT -6
Dinah simply sneered at her uncle, trying to reign in the anger she could feel rushing through her veins. She knew her anger could be usable in a fight, to a point. It was a double edged sword that could either help you focus or make you lose focus altogether and she was riding that dangerous edge. She kept her eyes on Jason as he simply smiled and remained annoyingly calm. He'd put her life in danger and just assumed she'd be fine. Of course she knew she could be but the point was he still took the risk and that just ticked her off.
"I'm not a teenager anymore!" she shouted after him as he swung away. "Telling on me won't get me in trouble you asshole!" She tried to shout convincingly. She wasn't even sure she could convince herself of that one. Her dad was still her dad and no matter how old she was, he could still make her feel like she was in massive trouble. He couldn't ground her, but disappointment was usually a hard pill to swallow. She let out a frustrated scream before letting a silence fall as she tried to collect herself and her thoughts. She heard John putting his gun back together and looked over at him, resigned.
"Would have knocked him on his ass. Then a solid right hook would have been a very satisfying follow up." She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, trying to think of what to do next. Her phone was in pieces so she hoped he had one as neither seemed to have a vehicle handy. And she wasn't walking all of Gotham barefoot.
"Normally, I'd say sorry you got dragged into the middle of whatever my family drama is at the moment, because, let's face it, there's a lot. But, it seems this was just a giant cluster f*ck. And yes, he is an ass."
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Villain
Red Hood
IS OFFLINE
26
Years Old
Male
Heterosexual
165 POSTS & 28 LIKES
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Post by Owen Merlowe on Dec 3, 2016 14:17:48 GMT -6
"The prick clown probably will tell your father. He'll probably give a blow by blow detail of our involvement, just to get Grayson nice and riled up. That's what he's good at. He's an agitator. Always has been. I don't know how they even tolerate him most days."
Inwardly, he winced at the use of Dick's last name. He'd been trying to hide his identity from Dinah and was starting to fail miserably. The old man had caused the mask to crack. That was just what Owen needed. He was having enough trouble keeping things together around her on most days. Outside interference was unneeded and unwanted. Maybe, he'd go visit Jason later. Shoot at him eight or nine times to make himself feel better. That would be nice.
Owen holstered the gun in the hidden pocket of his jacket, with some force. He stood up and looked his tux over. There were a few stains and some tears in it. The thing was pretty shot. He listened to Dinah scream and then tell him what she would usually say in a situation like this. "You'd have to knock him on his ass with the solid right hook. Otherwise, he'd see the rest coming. You'd never get another shot in after that."
The old man's appearance was unexpected. Owen was still feeling a mix of emotions. Shock. Anger. Surprise. Excitement that the jackass was still alive. All of these emotions were pouring through him at the moment and he was trying to keep them all in check. "First of all, he involved both of us. It wasn't your family thing. This was directed at me and he knew you'd be the best way to get to me. He's still bitter about the fact that I decided not to stick around."
Another look around the grass lot and Owen spit on the ground. He pulled the domino mask off and shoved it in his pocket. "I hate that old jackass." He moved over to Dinah, noticing that her shoes were missing for the first time. He held his hands out. "Come on. I'm going to carry you over to the sidewalk over there and we can call for a cab. I don't want you to step on a hypodermic or something in this part of town. You'll get the Hep, just from walking in the grass."
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Hero
Nightwing
IS OFFLINE
26
Years Old
Female
You've got to listen, I'm a songbird with a brand new track. You underestimate.
103 POSTS & 1 LIKE
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Post by Dinah Grayson on Jan 16, 2017 15:00:32 GMT -6
"In small doses. Though I seem to have a higher tolerance then most of my family. I can last a whole hour." At the mention of her actual last name, she gave John a sidelong glance. He was using it in reference to her father, which made her even more curious, and suspicious. Her mind started running through possible explanations, trying to piece together the puzzle that was John Wayne. Obviously not his real name, but it was all he had given her. A rather illuminating piece had just been dropped in her lap after this whole ordeal, which went a short way explaining how he knew her dad; Jason Todd had tried to train him. It went a lot farther in telling her why he seemed competent in a fight, with a familiar style, but there were gaps in his training. Still, if he knew her dad by his actual name, not by any alias, she had to wonder what else he knew. He hadn't let anything slip or tease her about her identity while she had run into him as Nightwing, so she thought he had a really good poker face (there was no way he wouldn't tease her about having that info), or he genuinely did not know she was Nightwing. Still, if John knew her dad, it wouldn't be too much of a leap to put that together. Unless he only knew Dick Grayson, and not Herald, or Nightwing, or Batman or any of the masks her father had worn. "Oh I could knock him on his ass and make him sit there like a good boy while I knock his teeth in. I'm just that good." She smirked. She could, and Jason knew it, and unless he was prepared for her singing, he would have to sit there like a dog and take it. But being the stubborn ass that he was, she probably would get only one good swing in before he fought back. Dinah let out a small chuckle and gathered up her dress, tying it off around her waist to give herself more room to walk and run if needed. She shook her head and looked at him, bemused at his retort to her family drama line. "And just why would I be the best way to get to you, huh?" she chuckled, sliding her arm around his shoulders after his offer to carry her. "He doesn't have anything better on you? He must be slipping in his old age."
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Villain
Red Hood
IS OFFLINE
26
Years Old
Male
Heterosexual
165 POSTS & 28 LIKES
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Post by Owen Merlowe on Feb 4, 2017 12:38:40 GMT -6
"That seems entirely too long. I spent months with him and he drove me to run screaming from the building. I haven't seen him in...awhile."
Inwardly, he winced because Owen could see the gears turning on Dinah's face. He had given her a piece of the puzzle and she started putting it together with other pieces. Owen didn't need Dinah figuring out who he was. The piece about her father had given her enough. He'd have to derail her. He decided to try to distract her with a plain statement. "I know who you are. Maybe I didn't immediately, but I have for some time. I never mentioned it, because I don't do that. Regardless of which sides we both fall on, I'm not going to out you."
Red Hood gave her a minute to process everything that was going on and then listened to her talk about how she'd beat Jason. Her sonic powers were rather impressive. She'd used them on him in one of their first meetings and they'd scared him enough to design countermeasures into his costume. Owen gave her a devilish grin. "You know... I could think of other more fun ways to use that magic voice. In a more intimate setting." There was a pause. "I'll roll over, but I won't beg."
He slipped his arm beneath her legs and scooped Dinah up. The question made him shrug. He knew what she was implying. He didn't like the implications of that. He just looked down and offered her a tight smile. "I don't have anyone else." He said it flatly and matter of factly, before starting to walk her over to the sidewalk. It was true. This empty lot was all that was left of his childhood. He moved over to the sidewalk, checking the concrete and set her down. After a moment, he handed Dinah a secure cell. "You can get a taxi with this."
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Hero
Nightwing
IS OFFLINE
26
Years Old
Female
You've got to listen, I'm a songbird with a brand new track. You underestimate.
103 POSTS & 1 LIKE
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Post by Dinah Grayson on Mar 11, 2017 20:54:45 GMT -6
His admission about knowing who she was and not doing anything with the information made Dinah reevaluate her assessment of him. He seemed to have all these self imposed rules and his own code that made her wonder just what he was doing being the “bad guy”. She looked back around the lot she’d been dropped in, going over everything she’d learned tonight. It was a lot to take in, but Jason didn’t do anything without some sort of point or purpose. John had asked, quite forcefully, why Batroc had brought her here, if it had something to do with the mob who’d killed his family. Of course Jason would try to train him, she thought bitterly. Bet he thought they were cut from the same mold.
She looked back over at him as he mentioned other uses for her powers and grinned back. “Oh I bet I could make you beg for it. No extra persuasion needed.”
She slipped her arm over his shoulder and clasped her hands as he carried her to the sidewalk. She actually didn’t mind being carried like she thought she would. Though his statement about her being all he had kind of brought down the playful mood. She had been rather flippant with her question, joking really, but she hadn’t expected such a terse answer. She supposed she should have, given what that question implied.
Chewing at her lip as he set her down, Dinah kept quiet, the implication sinking in. She was all he had. No friends or anything else. Just her. She nodded her head in a silent thanks as she took the phone, holding it in her had for a moment, her fingers hovering over the keypad. Her gaze flicked back up to him before dialing. “It doesn’t have to be just me, you know. Tenuous as that connection seems to be,” she said before someone answered on the other line and she stepped away to order the taxi, looking at the street signs. She made a note of it to look up what had happened here when she got home.
She tossed the phone back at him then crossed her arms, keeping a lookout on the street. “They said it would be about fifteen minutes.”
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Villain
Red Hood
IS OFFLINE
26
Years Old
Male
Heterosexual
165 POSTS & 28 LIKES
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Post by Owen Merlowe on May 9, 2017 22:37:23 GMT -6
"I imagine you could. I don't require much extra persuasion where you're concerned."
Owen looked down at her, trying not to give himself a reason to stay. He needed to get away from Dinah as quickly as possible. Jason's appearance here was enough to give her more puzzle pieces than she already needed. He mentally cursed the old man again. Jason Todd complicated everything. Owen imagined that the rest of the Bat clan must have felt the same about him.
His eyes locked on Dinah as she processed the words he said. He hadn't meant it to sound pathetic. He'd just worked on distancing himself from everyone. Owen occasionally ran into some of the kids from his Central City dealings, but he didn't let them get too close. He just made sure they knew what they had to, so that he could keep them safe.
A smile crossed Owen's lips. "It shouldn't even be you, Dinah. I'm just having a hard time staying away. You're a fun date. You know I wouldn't mesh well with the others. I don't think the Bat-family would just take me in after everything I've done." He looked at her with a stoic glance. "Don't get me wrong, you're amazingly hot and I'd do probably most anything you asked, but that's over the line. I can't come in. It doesn't work like that."
"You're still my favorite rockstar though. Even if it's only for about 15 minutes more minutes or so."
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Hero
Nightwing
IS OFFLINE
26
Years Old
Female
You've got to listen, I'm a songbird with a brand new track. You underestimate.
103 POSTS & 1 LIKE
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Post by Dinah Grayson on Jun 16, 2017 1:14:28 GMT -6
Sighing, Dinah ran a hand through her hair, cracking her jaw to hide the smile that was threatening to come out. "I know know it doesn't work like that. Life is rarely that easy or simple. Still, my door's always open. Or window. You know, however you fancy coming in and saying hi."
She'd heard a lot of platitudes from a lot of people, some quite a bit more romantic, or eloquent than "a fun date," or "amazingly hot." Yet he says it she could feel her face flushing despite her best efforts, like she was back in high school. She almost felt...giddy. But it was tempered by the sad other things he said. And she couldn't say he was completely wrong about how her family would react. It had taken them awhile to trust Jason, and some were still working on it.
Still, there was something familiar about the feelings he evoked. She looked at him and squinted at him, scrutinizing for a minute. Staring for a bit longer than was probably considered proper, but she wanted a good look at his face. She'd seen it a lot to be sure, but she'd never really looked at it; the contours, the shape of his jawline, his nose. She stepped closer, getting nose to nose with him, trying to look him in the eyes, trying to place everything.
"Could be for more than the next 15 minutes," She grinned at him. But her smile faded as she got serious, a sudden urge to grasp onto whatever connected them taking over. "Don't lose my number. And don't disappear on me. Had enough of that in my life already. Don't care if we only meet when the masks are on, I still would like to know you're-" The taxi honked, announcing it's arrival as it rolled to a stop next to the curb. Dinah grabbed the lapels of what remained of his tuxedo jacket and kissed him before breaking away and heading for the taxi. She looked at him over the open door for a moment longer before getting in. The moment she sat down, she felt exhausted. She kept her eyes on him as the cab pulled away, pulling at mental strings and seeing if any of them would unravel the mystery that was "John Wayne".
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Villain
Red Hood
IS OFFLINE
26
Years Old
Male
Heterosexual
165 POSTS & 28 LIKES
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Post by Owen Merlowe on Aug 12, 2017 21:48:48 GMT -6
"I'll visit you. I know the way."
Owen didn't know if it was a lie or not. He'd meant it to be. He knew that contact between Dinah and he needed to come to an end, but he was starting to wonder if he could cut those ties. It had been a fun little fling of theirs, but this episode had shown him how dangerous their little rendezvous had become. Logic dictated that he couldn't let this continue. But he didn't want it to stop. He'd become attached to her.
His face remained impassive as he realized that the unthinkable had happened. He'd managed to develop some sort of feelings for this woman. This do-gooder from the other side of town. This wouldn't do. As he looked back at Dinah, he realized she was squinting at him and looking at him. Examining him the way that he might examine a building he was preparing to rob. She mentioned that it could be more than 15 minutes, if he wanted.
"Don't. Don't look to hard. I don't want you to start seeing me. You'll see the thug past the charming exterior."
Then she pulled at his heart strings and asked him not to disappear. It was exactly what he had to do. He needed to lose her number and vanish. She was supposed to be his enemy, but he needed to keep her safe from the enemies that were even worse than the bats. "I won't." It was all he could manage before she grabbed his lapels and kissed him.
Owen watched the taxi leave, standing on the sidewalk and looking at Dinah for a few minutes until the car was no longer in site. This was bad. He'd caught the feelings for this one. He knew that he shouldn't. It was like his broker said to him. He'd let the kids in and then the girl. And now he was stuck with both. Red Hood pulled out his grapnel and fired it, swinging off towards his hideout, only a few blocks away.
He had a lot of thinking to do and not a lot of time to do it.
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