2013.06.04 - Disney, Princess

Considering it is Roy's daughter that Rose has been watching there is no doubt that he is informed as to where Lian is staying. A tall, historically aged yet upkept apartment building in the Bronx, not far from the zoo. The front door is security locked, but Peabody more than likely has given that to Roy as well as the directions. Seventh floor, take the old sliding-gated door elevator up if you ae bold, otherwise the stairs seem a lot less... Risky. 
 
Rose is awake in her lofted apartment, something that spans out and has the high ceilings, the 'spanse resembling a vacant warehouse but nicely upkept and remodeled into a living space. The furniture even kept to the theme, a large wire spool for a coffee table, small for end tables, the couches bearing a rustic look as well. The only thing modern and up to par is the large entertainment center flanked now in Disney DvD's as well as Xbox games and other amusements for the small and wired that is currently shoveling breakfast cereal in her mouth while talking to Rose at 500 mph. Rose, is standing in front of the coffee maker, watching it drip with a hard glare as if it is not going fast enough and mind powers will make it so.
Nate has been a frequent visitor to this apartment since Rose decided hastily rent it. In fact, he came for breakfast, probably too early. But he brought doughnuts (most of which have vanished while Rose wasn't looking). Now he is waiting for the coffee too, although with less glaring, he seems in good mood. "Did you got to speak with Spartan? I had to... hmm, family stuff." In space, with space pirates. He will explain that later.
Roy Harper had been uncertain exactly -who- Deathstroke had found to babysit his daughter. The apartment was no surprise, and Slade had assured him that the person babysitting Lian could be trusted. 
And yet, standing outside the apartment, it didn't seem -seedy-. In fact, for the area, it was very secure, even if the elevator... well, no, taking the stairs was -safer-. 
Knocking at the door, Roy calls out, "Roy Harper," and waits for the security check. "Lian? It's Daddy." 
After the incident with Swift and the jelly doughnut Rose is careful about them. She gives up on waiting for coffee to finish brewing and just yanks the urn off the heated pad, causing purcolation to pause as she filled both mugs that were waiting and put it back. It may be strong.... extremely so, but she is impatient and not a morning person. Now she looks at the breakfast Nate brought, a finger sliding them around to pick one that is filling free and dunk it in the coffee leaned against the counter like it is the only thing keeping her aloft. Not a morning person. At. All. 
 
Short black lycra shorts can barely be seen beneath the oversized t-shirt she is wearing, large enough to hang off a shoulder and rest its hem at upper thighs. The knock on the door has Rose pausing with the mug partially risen to her lips, wary blue gaze darting to the door with the knock and words. 
 
Lian jumps up and drops her spoon so fast the milk and small cereal bits splash onto the table. "DADDY!" As she is heading for the door so is Rose, reaching out to grip Lian and force her behind her. Naturally paranoid, untrusting, and she has never met Roy, she could not be sure set aside from a child's confirmation. "Rosie, it's okay it's my daddy." To which Rose is not budging save towards her sword rack where one is drawn as she glances to Nate. 
 
“Didn't you say you'd met him before?"
Nate was going for the coffee machine when the knock is heard. He is not a morning, afternoon or night person. He simply doesn't sleep regularly, so coffee is necessary. When Rose asks, he checks telepathically, "yeah, it is Roy Harper. I met him shortly after I arrived to New York, he is a friend of Yana's. Good guy." No swording!
Now Roy grows concerned, as he hears his daughter's voice calling out for his name. "Hey, hey!" And now Roy is pulling out his pistols, ready to kick in the door. "Lian! Stand back!" 
THUMP! THUMP!
And if he can kick in the door, well then... he's got guns ready and aimed to point at... whoever! 
 
"Apparently everyone but me knows this guy, and how did -I- manage to get.... Nevermind." Rose exhales, blowing some of those fallen strands of white from her face in a huff while she set her sword back on the rack with one hand the other still struggling with an excited and squealing Lian as she slings the door open and stands there with her behind her and walks face first into the barrels of two drawn guns. 
 
There is not much thought before natural reaction kicks in and Lian is being juggled in a grip she is fighting to get to 'daddy' and Rose is pressing forward after shoving Lian back into the apartment a hand attempting to grip one of Roy's and shove it skyward while she nearly places him in a dance with her body firmly pressed against the other pointed gun, not really giving him an option to change aims - just pull the trigger on her if he is going to shoot anyone at all, not stopping until he is against the wall opposing her door. 
 
In the meantime Lian is still blinded by excitement, not noting the seriousness of the split moment and blur of bodies, bolting out the door to both of them and wrap her arms around Roy's leg in a mini-monkey cling. "Daddydaddydaddy..."
Nate nods, "well, it is all Illyana's fault..." he starts, just a second before Roy kicks at the door. Now, what the hell? He sets the coffee mug on the counter and moves forward. The door opens, and Roy is aiming two guns straight at Rose. "No!"
He has only a fraction of second to react, and Spartan's warning about Daemonites being able to possess anyone and telepaths not being able to detect them jumps to his mind right there. He jumps forward, to grab the others, and his telekinesis does too, trying to protect Rose from the weapon by wrapping her in a forcefield.
And there Roy is, trying to digest that, yes, Lian is fine, and that, yes, there's a woman firmly pressed against his gun which is now separating the two of them, and that there's -something- that seems to be preventing Rose from fully rubbing up against it. 
"What the hell is going on here?" Roy utters. 
"Language, daddy!" Lian scolds, as she disengages from Roy's leg. "Put the guns away, now!" 
"Uh... sorry, princess," Roy says, as he tries to disengage from Rose, glancing over at Nate. "Oh hey, it's you," he notes. "So this is... uh... you know, I can see the family resemblance." 
 
"You beat on my door with guns drawn is what is going on here." It takes Rose a few seconds to whoo-sah and breathe herself back into calm as Roy is quickly corrected by Lian and Nate is moving in to assist as well, it is felt metaphysically for the briefest of moments before his physical presence is directly behind her. 
 
Seconds to start a fight, seconds for it to end once they pick their base animal insticts up off the floor and put them back in their Darwin bag. 
 
"Lets go back in before the neighbors complain." So far not one call has managed to be made to the cops and the building has not been blown up. Let's not jinx it. Though when he notes a family resemblance her shoulders visibly tense while she hold onto the edge of her door and sweeps her arm in an ushering gesture for everyone to come in and make themselves as comfy as the awkwardness will allow. "So I get to meet the elusive daddy, aka, Roy Harper.." Something in tha sentence is ringing suspicion. Glancing to Nate Rose offers a small smile, a silent thanks for covering her ass.
Nate doesn't amused. If Lian wasn't there, he would have some words with Roy instead of just glaring at him. Rose glance softens his expression a little, but he looks tense and perhaps a little pale. "Family resemblance?" He has no idea what Roy is talking about. "Are you going to be alright?" He asks Rose, looking at the kicked door and then following the others into the apartment.
Re-arranging the door behind him sheepishly, Roy comments, "Sorry, I heard Lian screaming, and... I thought she was in trouble." 
Tucking his guns away, Roy swings Lian back up into a hug, nuzzling her as she screams over his scruffy beard brushing up against her delicate skin. "Rose, help!" Lian shrieks. "Daddy didn't -shave-!" As though that was the -worst- possible thing to happen, instead of her father threatening to shoot her babysitter. 
 
Rose had been avoiding discussing her family, or what is left of it with anyone, including her team or members of it. There is little option here and now when the elephant in the room is in the form of a man and his daughter, both drug into her life by her father, and she wants to know /why/. "I'll be fine." It's harder to come down from adrenaline the to reach its peak, and once they are all inside she swings the door shut with a slam, locking it behind them with a once over of Lian to check on the child as she shouts as well who seems to be a barrel of joy in comparison. 
 
"Yeah, family resemblance. My father made me Lian's caretaker, and I would simply -love- to know why." That single word drips with sarcasm as she eyes Roy suspiciously unable to fully bring to life a smirk at Lian's protests about his unshaven face. "I have just the tools to give him a close shave..." But let's play nice. 
 
Rose returns to the counter where she had abandoned her coffee with a doughnut still half floating in it, dumping and refilling it as well as gathering Nate's cup and holding it out to him with a small nudge and once over. "/You/ going to be okay?" Hard to miss the loss of color or the look on Nate's face despite the endearing showering of affection between father and child.
Nate picks up his mug and glances at Rose, gulping down half of the coffee, "I wasn't the one that almost got shot," he mentions, voice quiet so Lian does not hear. But no, he is not feeling very okay. It was a second of real panic, and he didn't like it a bit. "Looks like everything is under control now, and you and Roy have to talk, about Lian and why you ended up with her. I am going to get some fresh air. I'll be back in thirty, alright?" He heads out.
Glancing at Nate, Roy shakes his head. "I'd love to know why too," the ginger archer replies, as he shifts his gaze towards Rose. "Far as I knew, Deathstroke only trusts a very rare few, and ... well, you're not exactly what I thought his daughter might be like. Except for that whole part about being combat-ready. _THAT_ I believe." 
Putting Lian down, Roy crouches down a bit. "Look, Daddy has to talk to Rose, and discuss a few things, okay?" 
He nods towards Nate, as Lian exclaims, "Okay, Daddy! Bye, Nate!" before dashing over to resume her show. 
Standing up, Roy nods at Rose. "So..." 
 
Rose's gaze follows Nate out, lingering there for a moment and then looking down at the mug clutched in her hands with a white knuckle grip that threatens the ceramics durability. Lips parted and drew in a breath to let it out and raise her gaze back to Roy and Lian. It must be nice to be so young and trusting of the people and world around her. Leaning against the counter Rose gestures to the coffee maker for him to help himself, as well as what is left of doughnuts for breakfast. 
 
"I don't know what else you would expect. But I am not good at living up to expectations." Understatement of the year award goes to... "So what were you doing for him that landed me in babysitter duty?" Tad bit of envy, jealousy, loathing, and still that omnipresent suspicion, her gaze sliding back over to Lian as she commences eating the cereal and watching the cartoon. Rose has never been so knowing on shows until recently, now she could likely sing along with most of them. Don't know which is scarier..
"Got tossed in a Siberian SuperMax," grimaces Roy as he heads over to pour himself a fresh cup of coffee. "Darned if I know -exactly- why, he seemed to want to test me on -something-, and I'm still puzzling out the answer. I don't think I passed yet, or at least I've disapointed him. All I know is we took a while to break out, fought some sort of mutant -and- fangy kids, and... then he shows up and I still disappoint him." 
Hopping up on the counter, Roy takes a donut and a bite. "And what's -your- story?" 
 
"Sounds like Slade." Riose states dryly, seeming to be more comfortable calling him by his name then his title in her life. Watching Roy she steps back and leans against the small oven that is directly across from the counter he has claimed as a perch, keeping her back to a wall and her front to this stranger as well as keeping Lian in sights. "My story is quite a bit like yours, minus the SuperMax.. In a physical sense. Save I gave up on trying to keep him from being disappointed. Hence why I am the resident child care." Lies, she did not give up, but the distance keeps the desire at bay, as well as the old habits on the 'dying hard' side. "I'm just a girl trying to behave and not follow in the footsteps of my father." Saying that one brow rises as she looks from Lian to Roy once again. Get it?
"Man, Slade can be a real bastard, can he?" Roy says, sipping his coffee, as he regards Rose with a curious look. "So... why -did- you agree to do this for him, if you gave up trying to keep him from being disappointed? You could have just told him to jump in a lake." 
Watching Lian, Roy grimaces, as he looks back to Rose. "Well, if she wants to do it... I'd be a hypocrite if I said no." 
 
Rose just stares hard at Roy. Busted. It is clear she did not like being called on the masquerade she is comfortable promenading around in. Her hands twist around the mug she is holding, fingers sliding around the handle and in that twisted grip snapping it from its base. Handle in one hand, mug in th other she just casually sets them aside and smooths her hands down the front of her thighs and rocks further back in that lean, trying to get comfortable again. 
 
"Because not many tell him no and get away with it?" The way she ended that with a question confirmed that she is pretty much out of excuses to make for herself, both hands rising in the 'busted' gesture before folding across her chest. 
 
"This is far more tame then what he could be demanding of me.." Or her putting herself in the line of just to appease him. Looking a Lian now she exhales long and slow through nostrils. 
 
Her apartment may be sparsely decorated, and near bare, but the place in and o itself is pricey as well as what -was- there. If Roy is knowledgeable he can tell she isn't as on the outs of the life as she presents. The money has to come from somewhere, and it isn't child support. "Just make sure she gets good mentoring then. It's all you can do if you're going to take that route." Rose is staring at a dark haired mini version of herself in her eyes now, and somewhere she holds pity for Lian as if her fate is already sealed. 
 
"What exactly were you expecting, Roy?"
"I have no idea. I sort of expected you to be a bit more... stubborn," Roy says, munching on his donut merrily. "You're a hell of a pretty cute girl too, but I kind of expected someone much more..." He trails off. Butch would have been the word he would have used. 
Bringing his cup of coffee up to his lips, Roy studies Rose. "Well, you -could- have said no, but... you know, if you know exactly what it's like to be a daughter of a meta, then you'd know exactly what Lian feels like, right?" Roy looks thoughtful as he glances over towards his daughter. "How -has- she been?" 
 
Rose just smirks half heartedly at that. "You're not under the right circumstances to meet stubborn." She states, not bothering to even ask what the trailed off word or description would be. 
 
Empathizing with Lian? Yes, she is now. She knew nothing of Roy, from looks to job until he kicked on her door and here she has it, in one fell swoop. 
 
"She has been fine. She trains in escrima with me, and seemingly enjoys the company of those I keep around me. even makes them.." She says the final word lowly, as to not stir -that- pot. "PB and J sandwiches." Pausing she casts some resemblance to a fond look towards the child before it is quickly masked away. "If she takes the jobs we do her super-energy will likely be her winning point.... She missed you." The final words something murmured as Rose raises her hands to adjust the mass of white hair that is held back in a haphazard bun/pony-tail, leaving plenty loose and free.
"Escrima..." Like Nightwing. Now Roy has to smile a bit. Lian no doubt took to that with great excitement, to be -like- Unca Nightwing. Chuckling, Roy nods at Rose, looking back at Lian. "She always did like those sandwiches. Her mother threatened to take her back before, so it could be... rough." 
Rubbing his chin, the ginger archer glances back at Rose. "I have to go back to my work eventually. Uh... you know, if you think you can handle it, would you mind...? I mean, has Slade briefed you about..." 
 
"Yeah, escrima, I have bruises on my hips to prove it." Rose says in confirmation. yes she let the child hit her, and yes, she is a hard trainer, though never really hitting Lian back, instead teaching the child poise and steadiness in offense while Rose plays an unarmored defense. Great fun! 
 
Hearing about her mother, Rose raises a single brow, waiting for the question to be fully asked or for Roy to spit out a full sentence. 
 
"I refuse to talk to Slade, most has been told to me through other avenues. I've been -briefly- warned, and I am not concerned with it. If something comes up I am sure I, Nate, Kon, or Illyana can handle it. I'm not the only person she's become an attachment to." 
 
Perhaps on the side of aloof and arrogant there, Rose seems to handle the news and warning of Lian's mother in a stride of confidence. Pushing from her lean she gathers the broken coffee cup and throws it away, taking down another to fill and remains leaning against that counter, not far from Roy. Waiting. "Handling things is what I do. What do you have to tell me?"
"Right, I guess you do know Cheshire," Roy replies, running his hand through his hair after putting down his coffee. "So, you're willing to keep babysitting her while I'm out of the city? I've got an operation going down and it'll take me a while." He'd normally ask one of the other Arrows but there was questions over whether they could handle Cheshire... 
 
"I'll risk it." Rose says with a small smile, glancing back to Lian and pushing from the counter to move towards her room, some of that caffeine finally kicking in so it is time to get ready for the day. In passing Lian, Rose ruffles her hair. "I like being kept on my toes. Sure." 
That is not the only reason Rose accepts, but she is prone to playing things off one way or another then true attachment, its in her nature. 
 
"I have to get ready for the day. You're more then welcome to make yourself comfortable with her while I do so." Rose gestures to the couch while pausing before her rooms door, glancing back at them.
"I was thinking of taking her out on town for a while," Roy replies, with a grin. "Want to come along? I've got to spoil her a bit, before I have to go back." 
Looking over to Lian, Roy calls out, "Hey princess! Where do you want to go today?" 
"Disney World!" Lian calls back. 
"Somewhere closer to New York, princess," Roy says with the air of one who's had this conversation often. 
"Disney Store!" 
"Eh... close enough." 
 
"I'll come for part. I think you two should have some personal time before you leave again though." Rose says before slipping into her room and closing the door behind her. 
 
Quick shower, quick change and she'll have that needed time out before she comes back and has a needed drink - enjoying the silence and blocking out any thoughts otherwise.
Category:Log