2013-01-01 Arrows And Answers

It's been weeks since Helena acquired this arrow. Part of the intervening time she completely forgot about it. But, having stumbled across it again while tidying up her apartment, she's reminded of her note to self to find out more about it. So, she spent a day calling every target range in Gotham and then some in New York looking for the ones that catered to archers. Finally she finds one in Brooklyn and decides it would be good to practice while she's there so the trip won't be totally wasted.
Having loaded the crossbow loaned to her by snarkyRobin and a full standard quiver of regular bolts, she drives up from Gotham to Brooklyn and walks into the target range and signs in. Please let there be someone here that can help.
It's not her 'usual' range, but Kate Bishop is at one in Brooklyn. The reasons why she's here could be listed (some related to 'The Granny Goodness Incidents', or her simply not wanting to be truly alone right now, or it might have nothing to do with either of those).
But either way, since she knew she would be coming here, she did clue Roy in. Why she did that though, she isn't sure. But then again, since she does need to relay something to Mia, he might be her best bet to do that.
Thus as Helena wanders in, Kate is at the firing line, firing an arrow at a target. A man shaped target, but a target none the less.
"... Man, Kate... having issues?" Roy observes, eyeing the location of the shot. It was accurate. Perfect. Dead-on.
The location of the shot, however, would make any man cringe, as Roy was doing.
"Something bugging you?" Roy goes on to ask, as he sets up for his own shot. "Or do you just feel the urge to be masochist today?"
There was a glance up as another woman approaches the range, and Roy lets out a low whistle, something quickly covered up as he flashes a totally "Didn't do that" look at Kate.
Helena Bertinelli opts to play it cool for a bit, walking over to her 'lane' in the target range and setting her quiver within easy reach. She pulls back the bowstring with a bit of effort (and mostly left-handed), loads a bolt, and fires it at the simple concentric circles target at the far end of the range. Her aim isn't PERFECT, and she frowns at the bolt stuck in the target right on the edge of the bullseye. She works to reload the crossbow, but this time pulls an arrow from the quiver that is clearly not made for her chosen weapon and when she realizes it she sets it gently aside.
And the other woman, even as she hits that perfect bullseye doesn't grab Kate's attention. At least not right away. After all, with Roy doing that...
"You know better than to ask that." is snapped back as she glances over at the other archer.
All though once that is snapped back, she does blink at the target that Helena hit as she tries to shift her attention back to her own target. In fact her attention instead stays on Helena's target all together.
"On the other hand, looks like you may have some competition, Harper."
"Oh I know better," Roy grunts in return, eyes shifting to the crossbow-shooting lady. "I just do it anyway because it gives you the chance to be the ice princess." Shifting his gaze from bolt to arrow, Roy wrinkles his nose. "Although I'm guessing she's got kids messing with her arrows. Either that, or she's got bigger issues going on here." There was a shrug. "Anyway, Kate... I've got to tell you, judging by your aim, your form's just fine. You just calling me to watch so that you can have a peanut gallery?"
Helena lets the second bolt fly, and this time it's farther off the center on the other side. She huffs faintly to herself in annoyance, lowering the crossbow and resisting the urge to rub at her still-healing collarbone. She studies the target, then starts pulling on the bowstring again, more obviously favoring her left arm this time.
"No. I need you to give some things to Mia." is said as Kate lowers her bow, and starts to move over to where she set her bag down.
"A couple of 'mutual friends' of ours... She might know them as Billy and Eddie, are having a party soon, and they want to her to know that she's invited."
Then there's a pause as she glances back at Helena, and more importantly at how that shot ends up.
"The other thing depends... Do you know what kind of phone Mia has right now?"
"So I'm basically your errand boy for Mia?" Roy wrinkles his nose. "You could just have had her come pick... oh." Waggling his eyebrow just -once- before Kate can hit him for the insinuation, Roy goes on, "Yeah." He names the brand, before wrinkling his nose. "Though I thought you had each other on speed dial ever since, you know, that thing in Central Park."
Roy's gaze shifts towards the woman shooting again, and now he shakes his head. "Think something's wrong with -her- form, Kate."
And before Kate can answer that bit about the 'thing in central park', the out of costume Hawkeye lets her gaze shift over to Helena, and then... She frowns.
"I think it might be a little bit more than her form." is said, before she almost absently tosses a box marked 'Speedy' towards Roy.
But she doesn't bug Helena just yet. After all...
Helena Bertinelli is still for a few moments, then she starts laboriously pulling the crossbow string back again, this time using only her left hand. And .... yeah. The crossbow is winning.
And does Kate wait for Roy to go over there? No. But odds are he should. After all, just imagine what could happen if Roy and Helena hit it off...
*Cough*
Not that Kate even knows Helena ICly, thus that's a moot point.
But anyways, it's Kate who actually heads towards the woman with the crossbow, and asks in a (hopefully) polite manner, "Are you all right?"
Oh, it'd be likely. But since Kate invited Roy here, the redhead wasn't going to be the one -approaching- another woman on Kate's watch. -Especially- not after watching Kate's crackerjack shooting exhibtion.
Seeing as Kate made the initial move towards the woman, Roy approaches, but his attention is more onto the arrow that didn't quite fit. Hnh. Homemade. Definitely not a crossbow arrow, which begged the question - what -was- it doing in her quiver?
Helena Bertinelli stops trying to pull on the bowstring when she hears Kate's question, and she looks up at the younger woman. "Huh? Oh, um, yeah. Just not used to this crossbow yet. A friend loaned it to me." She very intentionally doesn't mention her shoulder, though she does notice Roy eyeing the arrow set out of the way. Maybe he can identify it for her.
Bolt. With a Crossbow it's a 'Bolt', not an 'Arrow', even if most 'full sized' crossbows can technically fire arrows as well.
*Cough*
Sorry.
But anyways...
Anyways, as Helena gives that explanation, Kate does quirk an eyebrow, then nods ever so slowly. "I see." is said before she jerks a thumb at Roy. "He was just commenting that it's actually your form, and not the 'Bow'."
All though as she glances at him, she does notice what he's examining, which ends up drawing her attention to it as well.
Looking up as Kate mentions 'he', Roy nods at Helena. "Yeah," he says in that distracted matter-of-fact way as he regards the arrow. "You're favoring your shoulder, and it's throwing off your aim. Must be your dominant shoulder."
Holding up the arrow, Roy comments, "And this is most definitely an arrow, not a bolt." The question is left unasked, but surely the woman can fill in the blanks.
Helena Bertinelli sighs, this time setting the crossbow aside to press her left hand against her collarbone. "Yeah, I know that's not a bolt. I ... found it. Thought it was unusual and I was hoping someone here might know something about it."
There's a... Glance at Helena at that explanation. But that's not something that Kate openly questions. After all, as far as Kate knows, that is the truth. And yet, as she glances at it, even from a slight distance, she just can't help but hrm at that arrow. That is before she says, "Hey Roy. Let me see your phone for a moment."
The gesture towards her left shoulder doesn't go unnoticed by Roy, but he says nothing.
There's a brief quirk of his eyebrow at Kate, but Roy hands over his phone, before turning towards Helena. "Looks homemade. Very neat, too, someone's pretty methodical about his work." Bringing the arrow up towards a light, and sighting the shaft, Roy adds, "Very straight, too. Whoever made it put a lot of work into it. Fletching job's just about perfect too, even if it's handmade. Someone spent a lot of time making this one."
Helena Bertinelli nods to Roy, watching Kate curiously for a moment while keeping her hand on her right collarbone. "That's what I thought too. I just ... didn't think people made arrows by hand anymore. And the tip, it doesn't look storebought to me either, or at least it didn't match any arrowheads I was able to look up on the internet."
And as she receives that phone, Kate moves over and starts to snap a few pictures of the arrow in question. She tries not to get in Roys way, or force him to hold it any certain way or move it, but she tries to get a few picks of the various parts, ranging from the head. To the shaft. To the 'feathers'.
Then, after snapping the pictures, she starts to press some keys on the phone, presumably to send the pics to her phone.
"Looks like someone is. Then again I wouldn't claim that no one makes arrows like that anymore. After all, arrows, just like antique guns, have their enthusiasts..."
"Hell of a job too," Roy notes as he hands the arrow back to Helena. "Doesn't seem like something you can just pick up - anyone who puts that much care into making an arrow isn't usually careless about where he leaves them. Where'd you find this one?"
There's a brief moment before Roy shakes his head. "Sorry. Roy Harper." He motions towards Kate. "Kate Bishop."
Helena Bertinelli takes the arrow back and returns it to her quiver, where it still sticks out like a beautifully made but still very green sore thumb. "I found it on the sidewalk next to the University Cafe in Gotham." Again, she keeps the part about the odd young man who dropped it to herself, though she's really sure why. She nods to Roy then Kate as the former introduces them. "Helena Bertinelli."
"And here is Roy's phone number. Give him a call some time. Speaking as his friend, I think the two of you really could hit it off." is said as Kate offers /HELENA/ Roys phone, which does have said number on the screen.
Of course, then she switches back to the subject that is that arrow.
"I'm guessing with a name like that, it's by the University? I'm assuming you checked with their anthropology department to make sure a student or professor didn't make this for a project..."
Draping his arm across Kate's neck and tugging her into an headlock, Roy grins at Helena. "I think she's just trying to fob me off on someone else," he remarks as he takes the phone back. "In any case, can't help you with the arrow. Only one guy I know who uses green arrows like that is the old geezer in the Justice League, but that's not his. Too neat, too clean, and definitely not crooked..."
Helena Bertinelli takes the phone offered to her and then lets Roy take it back again, but by the mixture of confusion and faint annoyance on her face, she's not really sure she wants to know what Kate means by practically shoving Roy at her. "Uh, no, I didn't think to ask at the University's Anthropology department." Then Roy's contribution to the conversation has her looking at him almost piercingly. "What 'old geezer' in the Justice League?" Even if she has a guess as who that might be, she's playing ignorant civilian here.
There's maybe a dozen ways Kate could but in to save Roy for that little reference to 'The League', ranging from calling him by the title he has due to his job, to other things. But instead she tries to pull herself free from the ginger as she says, "Then you might want to check. The quality might be better than what the usual academic might do..."
Then, once she's free, she glares at Roy as she continues on.
"But you can't rule everything out."
"Oh c'mon, -green arrows-?" Shrugging, Roy releases Kate from the necklock, looking thoughtful.=. "Katiebug here got all the pics, so we could ask around, maybe. How about it?" The last question was directed to Kate.
Helena Bertinelli looks from Roy to Kate and back, trying to make her expression a hopeful one. She really just wants to know where that odd kid ended up. He seemed ... really out of place.
Katie... Bug?
Katie... Bug?
"Word of warning Roy. Don't call me that." is said as Kate immediately cools down and glares at him.
And yet, after a moment or two, she does nod at Helena.
"If this had happened in new York City, I'd probably be able to help some more. But unfortunately... Gotham..."
"Stick, butt..." is all Roy can mutter as he glances towards Helena. "She means it's like looking for a needle in a haystack." Giving the arrow back to Helena, Roy shrugs. "Any reason you want to find the owner?"
Helena Bertinelli crosses her arms lightly and shrugs her left shoulder. "Curiosity. And that arrow looks so well made I would think that the owner might be looking for it. Thanks for the suggestions, and if you do happen to find out anything about it, I'd love to hear back."
"Then why don't you give him your number then, that way if we find anything he can call you..." is said as Kate smiles at Helena, and jerks a thumb at Roy, ignorring his little comment about a 'stick'.
And no, she doesn't add the other use he could have for that number either. Not after what she said earlier.
"Oh, sure," Roy grins, shrugging. "You a crossbow enthusiatist or something?" he says, asking Helena.
Kate'd be getting it later, really. When did she decide to be the wingman?
Helena Bertinelli nods. "Yeah. Picked it up doing reenactments in college." It's a good fallback lie. She hopes it's not too transparent. She digs her phone out of her pocket to share her phone number with Roy.
You can try to give it to Kate, Roy. But.... Good luck.
Not that she doesn't want to help Helena, because she does. But well... Her having the phone number would defeat the purpose of making sure Helena gave it to Roy.
But anyways, as Helena and Roy talk about the crossbow, Kate just moves back a little bit, to her own bag.
Oh no you don't, Kate. Because you're getting an arm wrapped around your shoulder and pushed back. If you're going to do -this-, you're going to have to finish the job.
"Here's mine," Roy grins, as he offers his phone. "And Kate's number is..."
Helena Bertinelli blinks and hastily types the numbers into her phone and saves them for later. "Got it." She looks from one to the other again, wondering a bit about this sibling-esque dynamic between them. They don't really look like they could be siblings. Cousins, maybe?
Yes, Kate does give Helena her number. Or at least /a/ number she can be reached at. If only because Roy is pushing things so much. But once that's done...
"Yeah. But I really should be going. Roy, why don't you and Ms. Bertinelli here go grab a cup of coffee or something so you can talk this over some more?"
As for the 'sibling-eque' thing. Don't go there.
Oh yes, Roy's definitely aware of what Kate's pulling. And if there was one thing Roy was good at, it was in -not- being cooperative with plans that someone didn't let him in on.
"So soon, Kate?" Roy drawls as he keeps Kate in that half-necklock. "Weren't -we- going to grab a cup of coffee? Why don't we just make it a group affair?"
Helena Bertinelli raises her eyebrows at the banter between these two. It very much reminds her of her cousins back in Italy, who treated her like a younger sibling and razzed on her a lot. The sort-of headlock is also familiar, though she learned how to get out of it early and well. "I ... should probably start back toward Gotham. It's kind of a long drive."
There's an 'ack' as she's not let go, but Kate tries to escape yet again!
And while Kate could blurt' something like 'He can drive you!' at Helena, she doesn't. Instead, she just mentally makes a note. If Roy keeps this up. She's going to hire a body guard. Or sic Lian on him. Which ever feels like it might be most effective.
...Probably Lian.
"No problem," Roy grins at Helena. "If we hear anything we'll let you know." Looking down on Kate, Roy flashes that devil-may-care grin. "So, need a ride back?"
Helena Bertinelli nods to Roy. "Thanks." She turns to pick up the crossbow and her quiver, trying her best to keep a sharp twinge from her shoulder out of her facial expression. She gingerly shoulders then weapon and ammunition, then checks her right pocket for her car keys. "So, um, have a good afternoon."
And as Helena heads off, Kate just shoots a look at Roy.
"Not with you. If anything, you should be going after /HER/."
And then she goes to grab her stuff so she can head off as well.
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