Fast Food (Zarakc, and 2 Heroes)

Benny's Grocery was busy today. A number of big sales were responsible for food disappearing off the shelves left and right. As the customers lined up with carts full of food, the manager could only hope that the food truck would be arriving soon.

The truck pulled up to the grocery store and backed up. As the driver opened his door, though, he saw two odd looking men staring at him.

"I tried delivery pizza once," Dar said. The white haired youth was wearing a heavy blue cloak and held a massive sword, a claymore, in one hand. "I didn't like it. This is much better."

Dar waved the sword to the side, gesturing for the driver to leave the vehicle. The man for some reason didn't move. His knees were shaking and he swallowed hard. He looked at Dar and his lost-looking companion. In a city like this, these two people together were sure to be metahumans. "Are you going to kill me?"

"No. Now get out of here." The man ran inside the building and immediately called the police to report the theft of the truck. Doubtlessly, the Teen Titans would be notified as well. Dar looked at Zarakc and smiled. "Get in. I'll drive."

A minute later, they were cruising down the highway. Dar hadn't expected the actual theft to be difficult. No, that part would come when the Teen Titans showed up. "Be ready. They'll be here soon."

Zarakc simply looked at the driver as the door opened, his gaze remaining neutral as Dar talked with the man, working to get him out of the vehicle. He watched as the man shook in the seat and asked if he was going to be killed. That had certainly not been talked about, Dar had simply stated they were going to steal this vehicle. As Dar dismissed the man, it seemed that they were certainly just doing as had been stated.

Zarakc nodded as Dar looked over at him. He proceeded to get into the vehicle and look around in it, certainly not used to being inside one of them. He had seen all sorts of vehicles during his time in Jump City, but did not get the idea to steal one of them. It was still unclear as to how this would help him learn about himself, but perhaps time would tell.

"They?" Zarakc inquired as he looked over back at Dar as they were driving down the highway. He was uncertain as to who this 'they' he spoke of pertained to. Had he arranged a meeting with another group or something? Regardless of the answer, he took in a deep breath, gathering some energy to ensure that he would be ready for whoever they were meeting up with.

Bow was at her part time job in the Starbuck's at the mall when her T-comm started going crazy. She went wide eyed and looked at her boss as if asking if she could go. The boss gave a simple nod and Bow smiled brightly, looking at her customer. "Sorry! Just wait here and someone will be with you shortly... Your change is $3.07... have a good day!" And with that she was running out the door, still with her apron on.

As soon as she was out of the door, she took off flying, checking her device to show where they had taken off from and in what direction they were headed. Bow got what she needed and took off at top speed. As soon as she saw the truck she smiled. With all her love, she flew down and in front of the truck. When she got in front, she smiled and started flying backwards, waving at the two of them and speaking loudly. "Please pull over! I don't want to destroy the food and I'm sure neither do you!!"

It was just her way of telling the truth. Neither party wanted the goods to be damaged, so why have that even be an issue? If she had just attacked like a normal hero might have, it would have cost thousands of dollars worth in destruction. And who would like that? No one. So, she thought that maybe they could talk things over like civilized individuals. Maybe even go out for dinner afterwards! Her treat!

Tim was cruising along in the air flying along curiously he spotted a pink haired girl flying in front of a truck. A hijacking by a meta human... this is the kind of stuff that Tim is paid for. He flipped over in the air and dove at free fall speeds grabbing his sword from his back. His target was Rain. It was only due to his training that he spotted the communicator and altered his course landing on top of the trailer he braced himself against the wind and planted his sword to give him a better grip. "What's the situation?" He was forced to yell due to the wind.

Best to know whats going on before doing anything he wasn't informed of this and had no mission briefing like his usual goals. In the wind his coat was blown open showing he had a knife on his hip as well as the sword which is still sheathed. What wasn't revealed was the pistol tucked in his belt under his shirt. Safety on of course.

Zarakc asked who 'They' were, and Dar pondered his answer for a moment. "It could be the Titans. It could be some other group. It could even be some government hound. It doesn't really matter who they are. There is always a 'they.' Just remember that."

Sure enough, a pink haired girl in an apron flew in front of the truck and matched pace with it, moving backwards. She seemed calm. Dar saw her lips moving but wasn't able to hear her words. Judging by her demeanor, though, her message was clear. 'Stop and nobody gets hurt.'

She could fly, and Dar didn't know what else this person could do. When he heard someone land on top of the trailer, he knew that it was time to pull over.

The truck pulled to a stop and Dar looked at Zarakc. "This is it, kid. Fight them and win. Do not disappoint me." Dar activated his powers again and exited the now motionless truck. He drew his greatsword and looked at Bow. He glanced up at Tim and chuckled before turning back to Bow. Both of his opponents might be able to sense a growing sense of unnatural rage within him, depending on how attuned they were to the emotional spectrum. "He's more what I was expecting," Dar said. "I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I'm going to give you one chance. Go back to work and forget about this semi. It isn't worth your life. If you don't leave, then I will not go easy on you."

He waited for her answer and called back to Tim, who was on top of the truck. "I know there's no room for talking with you. I respect that. My associate and I will be glad to fight you. Should you fall, you will be given an honorable death."

((Pardon the delay in reply, I am out of town and my access is limited from busy schedules out with family and such))

Zarakc nodded softly in reply to Dar after he had commented about there always being a 'they'. He consigned that to memory, though wasn't sure how much that knowledge would be of use in the future. He had remembered a previous mentioning of the Titans, though the last someone had said, they were gone supposedly. It would seem odd if they were to crop up now.

Zarakc cast his gaze forward as the pink haired female approached the front of the truck and proceeded to fly backwards, saying something to them. He blinked as he watched her, uncertain of what was being said. It was when there was a sound from atop the vehicle that he shifted his focus, looking toward the direction of the noise. It seemed like they caught the attention of someone else. This was certainly an interesting plan thus far.

As the vehicle came to a halt, Zarakc looked back at Dar. "We will see." He offered in reply, feeling uncertain about doing combat since he had not much practice at all, but he had been told he would learn something about himself, so he was invested in this whole plan for that reason alone. It was pretty much the only thing he was genuinely interested in.

Zarakc proceeded to hop out of the vehicle after Dar had. As he landed on the ground, he took in a breath as he stood back up, a breeze being felt moving towards him from all sides as he gathered some more energy, ready to use it as he deemed fit once a response as given by the other two. He let Dar do the talking, not having much to say himself, much less to people who he was not acquainted with.

Dar mentioned giving an honorable death should one fall. Zarakc thought about this, wondering if that was the general conclusion of fights. The last one he had been in ended in a rather interesting manner and did not seem to draw close to that. Though, with just a sample size of one, that did not seem like it would sufficient to draw a generalization from. More thoughts of the situation popped up in his mind, but they were all cast aside as he focused on the current situation, wanting to be ready when someone else acted.

Bow saw the man falling from the sky and draw his sword, though, surprisingly, still covered. His target was obviously her until he landed on the trailer and asked what the situation was. That shocked her but she smiled happily anyway as she screamed back to him. "Two thieves. Stole this truck! Want to solve with no violence if possible!" She hoped that the two in the truck also heard her but, it seemed that it wouldn't be the case. No matter, she would explain it to them once they were on the ground.

When they actually pulled over, Bow smiled excitedly and flew over to the driver's side, greeting Dar with a smile. But, when she sensed the rage inside of him, her smile faltered slightly. Though, her aura was still radiating with warmth and light as she was still happy and hopeful for this encounter. As he spoke though, her smile fell completely and she sighed, before smiling softly again and looking at him as she landed on her feet. Her voice was clear and sweet, though serious in an underlying tone. "I wouldn't expect you to go easy on me. But I do wish that we could settle this without violence if at all possible... If you just leave now, no charges will be pressed against you. Please, I do not wish to fight..." She then looked down and blushed lightly as she saw she was still wearing her apron. *giggle* "Especially not in this." She took it off and folded it nicely before placing it on the hood.

"So, what do you say? Maybe even if you took what you needed... These fights always seem to cost more in damages than what was being stolen... So I think if you just took what you needed to live, that would be okay too..." The more she spoke, the more she realized she wasn't really a hero. What kind of Teen Titan would let a villain get away with any of the goods?? She sighed, disheartened, but then smiled again at Dar, wondering what he would say. She was warming up her hands just in case.

Tim took in the situation with ease and kept low to avoid most of the wind. They were slowing down and stopped soon enough. Thats when they got out of the truck. Tim watched them sizing them up, he could feel the rage but didn't care emotion usually clouded someone's rational thinking anyway. Thats when he heard a line he hadn't expected. "What do you mean no room for talking. No reason anyone needs to die." He leapt off the truck and landed next to Rain.

Tim stroked his chin with his free hand. Sizing up the other one now. He leaned on his sword still sheathed and hummed lightly as though he were distracted. His eyes just roamed Zarakc slowly assessing, judging him trying to classify him. He snapped his fingers having done so and began looking at Dar with the same intensity. He was listening as Bow spoke and said after she finished. "Stealing isn't right and neither of you look like you're hurting for a bite to eat. So why exactly did you steal this. Were you looking for a fight? Seems a bit silly to steal a truck to do that, I mean the truckers have to buy those themselves, it's their only source of income. It's rather rude I have to say. So lets just all take the truck back then."

Dar smiled at the arguments of Rain and Tim. They meant well, and they made valid points. However, they were missing one important piece of information.

Dar set the tip of his claymore on the ground and rested both his hands on the pommel. He had told Zarakc that knowing oneself was a very important gift. Dar possessed that gift. "There is nothing I enjoy more than fighting," he said. "I did indeed steal this truck to get a fight, but also to send a message. The truck itself is of little value to me. Once I have unloaded all the food from the back of it, I shall return it to the driver. There is no reason he should suffer, at least not any more than the other people in this city."

Dar looked at Bow. "You may not wish to fight, but it's all I live for. Of course, you have the right to refuse to fight. If you make a single attack, however, I will know your answer."

He looked at Tim. "My message to Jump City is this: I cannot be stopped. I will be the one to decide what is right and what is wrong. I cannot make this message without a few fights, so I hope you do attack. However, if you do not, I will simply keep stealing shipments of food until I get another chance like this."

Dar waited for one of them to attack. His personal code of honor would not allow him to attack first in this particular situation.

As the three of them talked, Zarakc made his ways towards the driver side of the truck where everyone else was. He maintained a neutral demeanour and his body language did not indicate that he was planning to attack as he moved towards them. As he drew closer to them, a small breeze swirling around him could he felt. He stood toward the other side of the pink haired female and the black haired male.

Zarakc's eyes studied the two of them, simply watching them for the time being, only really half-listening to their words. There was much he was not grasping of the current situation, but that did not matter all too much from him, he was interested in learning about himself. Judging from what he listened to and the fact that they were not engaged in combat, it seemed like these two people he and Dar were interacting with were willing to come to some agreement about this whole ordeal.

Finding no reason to talk since he had not been addressed directly, Zarakc still remained silent towards the other two. His gaze shifted between the two unknown people as the breeze around him continued to circle around him. There was not code of honor to be had with him yet, but he wasn't going to attack without a reason.

When Tim spoke about not wanting to fight either, Bow lit up, literally. There was now a visible aura of light around her for a moment as she listened to him talk. Then Dar had to start talking again. Her light went out almost instantly. She sighed as he spoke about only wanting a fight. And to send a message.

Then he spoke directly to her and she blinked, biting her lip gently. Right now, she didn't know what she wanted to do honestly. His message though reminded her of a certain someone with whom tried to fight Bow but did indeed stop, just because Bow didn't fight back. A small grin started to form on her face until he finished the speech and she pouted again.

Her mind went blank. If they fought, he won a battle to send the message. Even if he lost it would still serve to gain him recognition. If they didn't fight; however, he would just move on to the next truck and continue until he got what he wanted. When she thought about it though, her only choice was to fight. With her and the man beside her, she was sure she could save the road and truck from disaster. Other heroes didn't think like that. But the one beside her did and it made her smile happily.

Bow sighed and ignited her hands, looking to Tim as if asking for any more pearls of wisdom before starting. She then blinked and turned back to Dar. "Oh! Please try to refrain from damaging any property... Thank you!" She smiled and waited for Tim to make the first move, scared to do it herself.

Tim nodded listening to Dar he planted his sword sheathe first on the ground and hopped on the pommel, admittedly he was using his flight to stay on it but it was just supposed to look cool. He listened intently to every syllabal with no interuptions or emotion visible. His mind kept darting back to the second person just standing there observing them. He hadn't gotten enough information about him but he seemed to be a subordinate.

Tim caught on it suddenly. "A knight! Or a Samurai, thats what you act like. You talk of honor but so far you've shown remarkably little. It's considered honorable to introduce yourself before you start threatening to kill someone you know. The 8 tenants of Bushido are: Justice, Courage, Benevolent mercy, Politeness, Honesty, Honor, Loyalty, and self control. Chivalry while less formal is no less along the same lines." He seemed very disappointed in his opponents personal life style while claiming it was honor.

"We should all introduce ourselves if this is going to be an honorable battle. I am Tim Walters, a holy knight who seeks to purge the land of evil through my words or my actions." He turned toward Zarakc. "And who are you?"

OOC: Dar isn't flying. He's just standing on the ground, resting his hands on the pommel of his sword.

BIC:
The pink-haired girl had decided to fight, although it seemed she wasn't willing to make the first strike. Dar would only fight someone who attacked him. That was part of his code of honor.

Dar frowned as the other man, Tim Walters, described the tenants of Bushido, and said that they were very similar to Chivalry. Dar did not follow either teaching, at least not fully. His code of honor was his own. While there was much wisdom that could no-doubt be found in ancient codes, Dar didn't pay them too much heed.

He was making his own code, his own order of knights, the likes of which the world had never seen before and had hoped would never arise.

Tim asked for introductions, starting with Zarakc. Dar would wait for his partner to answer, and then he would speak. "I am Dar, the Ghost." He wasn't sure why Tim thought introductions were so honorable. There was no need to give up information that hadn't been requested. However, Dar would not lie or decline answering a direct question. That was another part of his code.

The girl's hands were on fire. Dar looked back to Zarakc. He had no desire to fight someone who could control an element. Zarakc, with his particular powers, would be more fit to deal with the pink-haired girl with flaming hands. "You fight the girl. I will take the holy knight. Win or lose, you will find what you seek." Dar grinned. "But you will find more if you win."

Zarakc blinked a few times as he watched Bow literally light up. It was certainly odd to see, hence the blinking to ensure he was not merely imagining it. As the light soon faded from Dar's comments, Zarakc shifted his gaze to watching the two that would soon been actively opposing them, should things go the way Dar had mentioned they most likely would.

The male opposing them went on about a knight or samurai and things about honor. This was all just filler for Zarakc, not really having an understanding of what was being talked about.

Now there was talk about an honorable battle. Zarakc's countenance displayed his confusion about the phrase. How was he supposed to know what that entailed? Those details did not seem too important, so they were quickly dismissed as Tim turned towards Zarakc as asked who he was.

"I am Zarakc." Zarakc replied matter-of-factly as he watched Tim. After he gave his name, he looked over at the female's hands, certainly taking note of the fact they were on fire. That would make things interesting.

Zarakc backed up from the group, wanting to give himself some distance before this all started off. As Dar spoke to him, Zarakc shifted his gaze to catch Dar's grinning as he mentioned he would fine more of what he sought for if they were to win. Zarakc gave a slight nod as his eyes focused back on the battle-ready female, his previously neutral gaze being enhanced with some determination.

Zarakc took in another breath, the breeze swirling around him gaining in intensity as he moved his hands around, getting ready to release his response when provoked.

Bow blinked when the man jumped up onto his sword and started talking. Her mind tried to keep up with his talk of honor and some kind of knight's code. Then he said that they should all introduce themselves. His name was Tim Walters and he was a knight. Now his speech from before made sense and she smiled softly as he turned to the one who hadn't spoken at all and asked for his name first.

His name was Zarakc. And the one who had been talking of honor and such was Dar, the Ghost? Was he dead or something? Well, weirder things have been true, she guessed. She then blinked again as if coming out of a trance and smiled gently, her flames dying down a little. "My name is Rain Bow... Nice to meet you all, even if we do have to fight... This has definitely been an interesting day." *giggle* She then heard that she would be fighting the man who seemed to be following Dar. That was perfectly fine with her. To be honest, Dar kind of scared her. Though she felt confident that Tim could take care of him.

Her eyes turned to Zarakc with a soft glow as she thought about her passion to save this from becoming a fight. She watched as the wind picked up around him and smiled sweetly. Her words were light but direct as she spoke in a gentle voice. "Why are you fighting? We know why Dar is but, are you just following him? Or do you have a reason too?" It seemed impossible to change Dar's mind but, she wasn't so sure about Zarakc.