[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

211

Rina Carmen

Raven hadn't even touched the burger, focusing her attention on the greasy fries in their greasier paper packet. This was not a place you went to for your health, it was a place you went to for cheap, and especially filling, food. Sonnet noticed that the woman didn't seem interested in the burger and pushed one of her packets of fries across to her. Pulling the burger over and biting into the greasy, slightly charred meat herself.

Grease oozed between her fingers, and she paused to wipe them clean with one of the half dozen napkins she had brought to the table. It wasn't good food, but Sonnet could not afford to eat exactly as she liked. Occasionally she treated herself, but her ability meant that her appetite was beyond expensive. This at least satisfied the craving without emptying her pocket.

Raven seemed surprised at Sonnet's question, and in truth, Sonnet was herself. Raven was clearly dangerous, in a way that suggested her power was much more than simple flight. Winding her up and letting her go might be effective at disrupting the operations of her competitors, but at what cost to her own operations?

Sonnet shrugged. "If you're interested, then sure, it's an offer. If you're not, consider it curiosity."

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Rina Carmen]

Raven tried not to grimace a little at the sight of Sonnet biting into that greasy burger. It was funny in a way. The things she was capable of doing to another person and she barely reacted. But then something simple as the sight of something extra greasy and it turned her stomach.

She diverted her gaze to the fry that she currently held as she mulled over the suggestion. She then lifted her back to the woman. "Let's say I was remotely interested. Just what would you do?" She asked her. She dropped the fry back to it's container and brushed her fingers together briefly in a meagre attempt to clean the digits.

"I don't just mean your own way of causing chaos. I mean what are you even capable of anyway?" She questioned. Granted she knew that she herself hadn't been up front in her own abilities, aside from the obvious one which had been witnessed first hand. She was curious to know a little about Sonnet. She didn't feel the need to find out everything about the woman, it wasn't like it was any of her business. But it would be good to know what she might possibly getting herself into.

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

198

Rina Carmen

Sonnet shrugged at the question. It should have been fairly obvious, why else would she be approaching a metahuman with such a question? "We'd hurt people, metas mostly, but some normal humans. The kind of people that are likely to have already started the fight, and certainly the sort of people that no one is going to care much about. Sure, people will complain, but I doubt they'll be chasing us much."

Of course there came the obligatory question. What can you do? It always seemed to come up, with metas, with normal humans, everyone wanted to know what you could do. It seemed to have replaced the normal career question. Which at least made things easier in one respect. Even so, Sonnet was aware of how much difference information could make, and wasn't exactly willing to give hers up for free.

"I can get places fast. Really fast."

She looked the other woman up and down. She could fly, Sonnet knew that much, but she displayed an arrogance that came with more than just flight. It wasn't exactly the get out of jail free card that Sonnet's ability was. "So you fly, what else can you do?"

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Rina Carmen]

Raven smiled slightly in amusement. "So you're happy to harm other metas then. That helps. I can't be doing with any of those goody two shoes." She commented as she picked up a napkin to wipe at her fingers. "You know the ones I mean. The stick together and cause no harm lot." She gave her head a mild shake.

Scrunching up the napkin into a tight ball she tossed it onto the table in front of her. She rose an eyebrow slightly at Sonnet's answer. "By fast, you mean you're fast like the comic book character Flash? Or something else? You know like-" She rose a hand up a little and circled her fingers slightly as she recalled the term. "-teleportation?" She finished, snapping her fingers got to it.

She chuckled as she in turn was asked more about her own ability. It was inevitable. "As fun as flight is, it's only any good for transport. Or for getting out of sticky situations." She leaned back again. "I got some pretty good strength, though it can be a bitch at times. Too many breakages." She answered simply with a grin.

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

245

Rina Carmen

Sonnet tilted her head a little to the side. She didn't exactly know what Raven meant. There were few communities of metahumans, and certainly none of them had made their homes in New York City, not after shockwave and then the later attacks. Metahumans in New York stayed for two reasons. They had nowhere else to go, or there was money to be made. That or some combination of the two. If she'd had a fully westernised upbringing she might have made the connection with X-Men, but that one had passed her by too.

She didn't respond to the woman's guesses. She'd given enough information that it seemed she was happy to share some of her own. One of her guesses had been correct, though Sonnet had no intention of narrowing it down for the other woman. After all, her ability might be potent, but it didn't exactly come with built in offensive measures. She had to provide that herself.

So she had the standard Superman package, super strength, flight, and presumably toughness as well. That made her beyond dangerous. Even Sonnet had to be careful of a stray bullet, but if this woman could ignore them it might make her a potent tool in removing some of the more irritating groups in New York at the minute. Several already sprang to mind.

Sonnet leaned back in the cheap plastic chair. "I can live with a few breakages, but what do you want in return?"

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Rina Carmen]

Raven looked to Sonnet and slowly rose an eyebrow only to end up shaking her head since the woman wasn't elaborating on her ability. Then again she wasn't denying her guesses either. If she was in a particular taunting mood she would keep on second guessing the woman, but for a change she decided to let it slide. She figured she would find out eventually one way or another.

If she knew what the woman was thinking in comparing her abilities to superman she would have laughed. If only she was invulnerable to harm like that. She had to avoid certain attacks like the next person. Bullets and blades were something she wasn't all that keen on. True the strength had its perks at times, and her body could copy with that strength. If not it would be a pretty awful thing to have.

As she was asked what she wanted in return she mildly shrugged her shoulders once more. "I guess that would all depend what's on offer. We talking life long 'friendship', or something more in the region of 'I scratch your back, you scratch mine'." Course she wouldn't turn down an offer of cash, but it was one of those things that she would only mention if the other party spoke up first.

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

166

Rina Carmen

Sonnet shook her head, a faint smile on her face. "I don't do friendships. And certainly not lifelong. You can't trust people that far in my line of work."

She shrugged, "But I have money, and influence, I'm sure that I can find something that might interest you, even if it is just keeping you out of stupid trouble. With normals."

She'd finished both burgers now, but left the third for a moment as she picked at the fries. They were stale, clearly having spent too long in the fryer, then too long under the heat lamps, before finally having too much salt added and served to her in a cheap paper bag. She ate them anyway. Eating three or four at a time and licking the salt from her fingers.

"But I have a certain… code."

Lifting her chin slightly, she pulled the collar of her top down and to the side, displaying a fragment of the extensive Yakuza tattoos. "My organisation honours their debts."

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Rina Carmen]

Raven looked down a moment then grinned at Sonnet's standing on friendships. "Looks like we agree on something at least. Friends aren't something on the top of my priorities either. Been burned one too many times by people that were supposed to have been friends. Acquaintances however, now that's different." She remarked matter of factly.

"Money, huh? We should be able to work something out around that." She gave a nod to that. Inwardly she was happy that she wasn't going to have to try and wangle it into the conversation herself. "As for stupid trouble then I'm guessing you're on about my entrance here. Granted that's nowhere near the trouble I usually get into."

Raven's eyebrow rose once more at the mention of a code. "Code? How'd you mean?" She tilted her head a little, more curious about Sonnet. The woman then giving her a glimpse of tattoos was also rather intriguing. Then of course the mention of an organisation made her realise that she was likely dealing with a greater version of a troublemaker than she first guessed.

"So what are you? A gang leader or something?" She now asked. She had no idea of the exact meaning of the tattoos. It wasn't something that she had seen before.

[Sonnet Matsuda]

Shortcut My childhood spat back out the monster that you see + Rina Carmen

Sonnet almost rolled her eyes. This girl really was new around here. There wasn't a serious criminal in the city that didn't know about the Yakuza. That said, a lot of newcomers to the criminal underground these days were people with abilities. Wake up with super strength and you suddenly thought you had the makings of a career criminal. At least the ones intelligent enough not to try knocking over a bank. "Or something." Eventually, when it became more clear that Raven really didn't know what she was talking about, she relented. "I'm Yakuza. We're more than your average criminal scum." "You're British right?"

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[Rina Carmen]

Raven for now watched Sonnet, that was right until she mentioned being part of the Yakuza. "Yakuza." She spoke virtually blankly. "Really?" She had heard of the name but only in the form of what she saw in films years before, nothing in the flesh. Until it was spoken right then it was something she only ever thought of being purely make believe for entertainment purposes. Either Sonnet was pulling her leg at that moment or she really meant it.

"Yeah I'm British, English, whatever you want to dub me. Why's that?" Her brows narrowed a little, then she shook her head, her chuckling under her breath. She drummed her fingers briefly on the table. "You're really part of the Yakuza?" She repeated, her tone one of disbelief.

[Sonnet Matsuda]

Shortcut My childhood spat back out the monster that you see + Rina Carmen

"Why? You disbelieve me because I'm a woman?" Sonnet's response was curt, snapped. The question Raven had asked was one that she was used to, though normally from people that knew what the Yakuza was. She was unusual, most woman associated with the Yakuza were either so associated by marriage, or because they had been indentured into one of their… guest houses. Most people questioned her status, some more aggressively than others. Her response was almost pre-programmed by now. Then she realised that it had been ignorance that had led to Raven's question, not doubt. She flushed slightly, then, gritting her teeth, forced out the words "sorry, old habits…" With no more explanation than that she continued. "Your accent for one, but also your attitude towards normals."

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[Rina Carmen]

Raven blinked and rose her eyebrows from the snapped response. She could have remarked on Sonnet having a short fuse considering how out of place the reaction seemed, but that would have been severely hypocritical of her, not that the woman would really know that about her. Instead she smiled slightly, remembering that she had actually joked about using a similar wording not all that long ago.

She sat there in silence for a moment before Sonnet gave a mild apology. "None needed. Didn't mean to ruffle your feathers." It was as close as she typically got to an apology herself.

"Okay, I'll give you the accent. But is my attitude towards normal folks really that much of a giveaway?" She couldn't help but ask. Where she hadn't really stuck in any one place for long since discovering she was a meta, she hadn't really taken the time to really pay much attention to how others were. She guessed that was something that perhaps she should consider changing.

[Sonnet Matsuda]

Shortcut My childhood spat back out the monster that you see + Rina Carmen

Silently scolding herself, Sonnet ignored Raven's response to her apology, she never should have reacted like that in the first place. It just gave away the deep-rooted insecurity. It didn't help that the last person to actively doubt her due to her sex had tried to slit her throat. Well… succeeded. The scar on her throat seemed to flare back to life, despite its age. Almost scoffing in disbelief, Sonnet caught herself before she actually let out the sound. Clearly this woman didn't pay a lot of attention to the news, or indeed her surroundings, if she didn't know how polarising metahumans seemed to have become. Sonnet's ability had saved her life, but it also had made her more valuable to Kenshin. Not in the way she would have liked perhaps, but it gave her influence. Other metahumans weren't so lucky. "It's clear you move around a lot. Otherwise you'd have an idea of how to act."

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[Rina Carmen]

Raven grinned as it was remarked that she clearly moved around a lot. "Me moving around lots is pretty much an understatement. I've been on the move since I left home at sixteen." She remarked, giving a little more insight about her, but at the same time not really being that informative either. "Suddenly being able to fly just kinda made it even easier for travelling about."

Being called out that she didn't really know how to act made her think on the notion for a moment. Since she didn't really have much of an idea on how long she was going to stick around for, then maybe it wouldn't be too bad an idea for her to be able to blend in more. Rather than how she had been, which was more or less her showing off what she could do.

"Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea for me to get to grips with how things are." She spoke thoughtfully.

[Sonnet Matsuda]

Shortcut My childhood spat back out the monster that you see + Rina Carmen

"No, it wouldn't." Sonnet had no intention of serving as the young woman's babysitter while she was here, although it was eminently possible that she would have to do so anyway. Hopefully Raven was a fast learner, and Sonnet's management of her would be kept to a minimum. That said, the original reason Sonnet had been interested had been the brunette's apparent willingness to engage in violence. People like that often suffered from a lack of self-control. "You've definitely picked an interesting place for that." She'd have been better off choosing somewhere like San Francisco or Los Angeles. The west coast cities were famously accepting of metahumans, probably thanks to the presence of Paladin there, along with a number of other heavy hitters from the Hero Program. That and the MNRU seemed to build at least more acceptance of metas there. Sonnet wondered if attitudes towards her would be different in those cities. Perhaps they would, perhaps not.

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