Prime time for a gang fight. (Elaine.)

Wind whipped at her hair, undone and held down by the helmet she wore, not yet willing to tie it all up yet. Too much hassle stuffing a pony tail inside a motorcycle helmet. It was what Kiren told herself, really, she liked the wind in her hair, the way it flapped about in the wind. Everything about riding a motorbike, a Harley was pretty great. But she wasn't riding though the streets of New York because it was great, she did it because it was great and the fastest way to get to where she wanted to go.

And that, was a block of lesser class homes. She didn't have any friends here, but she had overheard sometimes that these homes were extorted, threatened and made silent. Illegal work was happening here and the people who lived here were sadly inconvenienced because of it. Maybe their homes were destroyed by meta fights. Maybe they simply didn't have much money to find someplace better. A lot of maybes existed, but all of them meant the same thing, these people suffered and were forced to keep suffering for others selfish gains.

And how was she going to solve that? She wasn't sure. She was walking into a dangerous place, for what some might consider selfless and stupid reasons, they would have guns if they were smart, metas if they were smarter. The best she could do... Was collect evidence and give it to the right people, hope they handle it. She could try and beat everyone up, leave the evidence with them, but if she even made it far enough, beating them up wouldn't solve the problem. Maybe for now, but not forever.

It was why she had a camera, her biking clothes and a helmet. The idea was simple. Find the operation in this block of apartments, whatever it was. Collect the evidence. Deal with anyone if they got in the way. She'd been back in the mainland for a small while, back home for such a short time, she wasn't planning on letting the years it took to get here go to waste.

Parking her bike a block away, Kiren locked it and pocketed the key in the back of her boot, before grabbing her camera and making way back to the apartments. "Just don't get caught. Maybe they might confuse you for someone who works with them... As long as someone they work with owns a bike. I guess we'll see."

The smoky sky cast mottled colors on the stained sidewalk and the throngs of people working their way downtown. A thousand sounds and smells permeated the late afternoon air; a hot dog vendor sizzling his sausages a block away, the cry of gulls, the rusty, dirty smell of the city streets. And most of all, the dull roar of the millions of people that called the city home. Somewhere down the street, a purse was snatched, the runner - a dark-haired individual with some bad adult acne - took off at a full spring (way to remain inconspicuous) and the poor woman he had snatched it from cried out, her voice caught by the twisting cacophony of the city and whisked away. The purse-snatcher (thief was a little too ambitious of a term for him) ran straight down the street, pushing aside pedestrians, trying to get away. He glanced behind him, smirking to himself as no one was following him, and then he slammed straight into a wall.

Or at least he thought it was a wall at first. His concussed mind thought it was weird. After all, he was in the middle of the street. It wasn’t until he picked himself up off the ground that he saw what he had run into; a short girl with blond hair, green streaks at the end of the ponytail, playing dress up in a cops uniform. The look of confusion turned to one of triumph as he tried to push the little girl out of the way- and suddenly he was against the wall, handcuffs on his wrists and the bag slung over Elaine’s own slender shoulders. A look of casual confidence was on her face; nothing more than a simple arrest. Quickly he was shoved into the backseat of her squad car, parked into an alley nearby. Her donut and coffee laying forgotten, she drove him down, only making a quick stop to drop the purse back off with the woman.

It was only her luck that she’d run into traffic. The cacophony of the horns rolled over her, grating on every last horn until she, too, was slamming on her horn. It was almost a ridiculous sight, the stern black and white of the vehicle acting like a road-raged middleschooler. There was typical middle of the day, New York traffic, and then there was this. They had been sitting here for ten fucking minutes and- yup, they were being outpaced by bicyclists. She leaned into her horn again, the perp wincing at the noise. Honestly Elaine couldn’t blame him, but what else was she supposed to do? The traffic was backed up blocks for some damn reason, she had a potentially dangerous criminal with her, and the god damned traffic was backed up for five Adlay damned blocks! Did she mention that already? Because it was seriously pissing her off.

And then the information came over her radio. Some kind of metahuman uptown, blocking up all traffic. Apparently they were being routed through 101st street. God damn it. At this time of day, traffic would be backed up for hours. Briefly, she considered just waiting it out. She was still on the clock, she was getting paid for it. But with a sigh, she knew she had to find a different way. Couldn’t just sit here all day when there was a criminal rotting in the back seat. She snuck a glance at him; god he was pathetic, his nose all busted and bleeding all over the plastic seats. That was going to be fun trying to get clean. Another sigh wracked her slim frame. Fuck it. Fuck it..

”God. Fuck this.”

The last of the ‘fuck its’ managed to transfer it’s way out through her brain-mouth filter and into the real world, but she had other things to worry about. A zipping sound signaled her seatbelt unclasped and she slid over the hood of her car. The polished heels of her shoes clicked as she opened the passenger side door and lifted the perp out of his seat. He gave a whimper as it tugged at his handcuffs, but his look of pain quickly turned into confusion as the handcuffs disappeared from his hand. He took this opportunity to massage his sore face, but Elaine already had different things to worry about. She was on the radio, police jargon bouncing back and forth; it must have made sense to her, however, because she nodded, putting her hand on the hilt of her gun. Eyes like firecrackers turned back to the criminal.

”Get the hell outta here, punk. Don’t let me catch me you robbin’ li’l ol’ ladies again, y’hear?”

She was too focused on her next mission to care about the southern accent creeping into her voice. Already she had turned, leaping over the car behind her and taking off. She lowered her speed to mostly human levels until she out of sight of traffic, and then she was off like a bullet, the world blurring around her and she did, her clothes shifted in a sparkle of clothes. Cloth and kevlar gave way to reinforced steel and carbon, dyed green and black. A large hourglass like figure adorned her chest, and the visored front of the horned helmet hinted at a mysterious, powerful figure. At least that’s the way she thought she looked; gods above and below, she hoped that’s how she looked.

The world was nothing more than a green blur as she suddenly skid to a half, looking around in confusion. Her hand was curled not around the butt of a police-issue pistol but instead a rather magnificent sword, but only out of reflex. She actually wasn’t that worried about anyone attacking her, not in her obviously-magical-but-not-really armor. Besides they’d be stupid to try to attack a fucking knight, and Elaine can handle stupid. No, she had her hand clenched on the hilt of her sword to focus her thinking, because god dammit, she must have taken a wrong turn somewhere because she sure as hell didn’t recognize these broken down buildings. Apartments on one side, what looked like an old paper mill on the other. Where the hell- but before she could whip out her phone, she saw a … mysterious figure. Not like “cloak and dagger” mysterious, but like “why would she be in this area?” mysterious. It took only a few seconds of deliberation before Elaine cursed under her breath.

”Of all the unlucky-”

She wouldn’t be fighting any supervillians today, huh? A flurry of sparkles surrounded her, clearing to reveal the girl in tight leather, spiked bracelet on her wrists and provocative make-up on her face. The leather undercorset she wore exaggerated her curves, and the tight leather pants revealed her shapely legs nicely. This was topped off with a pair of thick black boots. She flipped her blond hair, tied back into a messy ponytail, and then took off. She wasn’t being stealthy, her black boots pounding on the floor, but she wasn’t trying too. Whatever was going on, Elaine had to be a part of it. Call it a sense of honor.

”Hey, kid.”

Her voice was low and sultry, with the unmistakable ring of authority behind it. It was the kind of voice that could stop a raging buffalo in it’s track.

Kiren was getting close. The apartments had no obvious guards. She didn't expect any on the outside. The outside had to be normal, shitty, but shitty normal looking that it didn't gather attention. Not when people could fly, collapse buildings and the sort, who would care about some shitty looking buildings. The perfect cover for the shady work that went on deep inside the building.

Letting out a breath, she focused herself and took a step forward, a voice off to her side, one she had ignored at first before her brain caught up to her along with the sudden realization she that the street wasn't exactly busy. Turning towards the voice, Kiren wanted to be surprised. Not much could after the monks... But this was... Surprising. What could be considered a... Hmm. A woman dressed in the most unsightly way was walking towards her. So many things called to attention, from the way she walked and spoke, what she wore and had. She'd draw a room of eyes and Kiren wasn't sure she needed that right now.

"Kid?" Kiren spoke, her voice muffled by the helmet. All the muffles was starting to annoy her. Taking the helmet off with a gloved hand, Kiren tilted her head at the woman as she fitted the plastic helmet under her arm, other hand tightly gripping her camera. Her hair felt so free in that one moment, Kiren almost considered throwing the helmet away... Considered.

"Look, I don't need help crossing the street. And seeing as Halloween is... Close, it still isn't Halloween, kid." Kiren mused. This woman looked young, not overly young, but younger then herself. She had gotten enough kids from men and woman far, far older then the two of them combined, she wasn't getting it from someone clearly around her age, and looking a lot younger.

"Now, if you'd stop bothering me, I have a operation to do, photo's to be taken, evidence to gather, all that adult stuff adults do." Kiren finished, moving to continue into the apartment complex, a hand fishing to stick the bastard bike helmet back on her head. So much for freedom, her hair must have been thinking. If it could do such a thing.

Elaine immediately felt her hackles rise. She didn’t like attitude at the best of times, but she was already pissed off at the stupid bullshit she had just put up with with the traffic and getting lost and what else, she didn’t have time to put up with a snot-nosed punk getting herself killed .Way too much paperwork. Elaine hated paperwork and this kid was trying to kill her with the amount of it that would be dropped on her. Green eyes flashed and as she stared at the girl, a green haze surrounded her. This could could only be seen in Elaine’s eyes, but it told her something very crucial. This girl was very Willfull. Elaine could only sigh at this, running a hand through her green streaked hair. ‘Course she’d argue and be snarky, it was in her nature.

”Okay, first, somethin’ we need to get straight right the hell now.” She walked up to her with the same swaying gait. ”I ain’ a kid. Way older than I look, darling.” By now, she was on the staircase, close enough for Kiren to see irritation on the lines of her face. ”Secondly, I’m going in there. I’ll follow your lead, sweetheart, finders keepers. But you ain’t going in there without backup. You get me, honey?”

When the woman's voice seemingly followed her, Kiren sighed and turned to look at her as she spoke, patiently waiting for the woman to explain that she was older then she looked, which... Well, Kiren could believe, but she wasn't going to right away.

What she was more caring about, was the fact the woman had decided that she was going to come with her, not lead, no, but follow. Adding along with the line of finders keepers, but it seemed Kiren wouldn't make it any further then this alone. Ether the woman came with her, or there was going to be a problem, and with what the woman had portrayed before. Kiren wasn't sure she wanted to tangle.

"Fine. If we're doing this, might as well introduce." placing her camera down on a railing, Kiren faced the woman and performed a changed style of the Wushu greeting, rather then his fist in a open palm, her fist connected with her other fist as she bowed. "Master Sergeant Kiren Stark. Marines Division, honorably discharged. And we're here because I do think drugs of some kind are being sold though these apartments by a gang. So, if you are coming with me." Having introduced herself, Kiren would grab the camera and turn back to the apartments, her sights on a door, closed and quiet, but she had a theory.

"Since you are, coming with me. Keep your head down, stay as quiet as you can and keep an eye on my six, you understand hand signals, yes? Your turn, by the way." She finished as she performed one, signaling for the stranger to follow her and introduce herself as Kiren walked further into the complex, closing in on the door she had her hidden eyes on for, listening for the sound of silence coming from the room and finding it. At least, she was sure she was. Stupid helmet.

"First, I want to see if their are drugs in the floorboards or the walls of the apartments. See if we can gather evidence now." Kiren then explained, looking to her forced partner to see if she had any more input as well.