Forums » General Roleplay » A Hero Stands... Stumbles (open)

"Er, it fuels his powers. He told me that while we were in bed. It takes all he can get to keep him awake. Otherwise he drops like a leaf. Takes a lot of power to control his powers." She followed after him, looking at the door that lead to the stairs, "Is the emergency light off too?"

A terrible smile crossed Roosevelt's face. "Coffee, huh? I've got a word for him to try: detox. And no, the emergency lights are still on. What kind of power does he have? How long does the coffee last?"

AJ groaned softly, "Oh well. He uses electricity. Don't know how long they last, but I mean, he sucks the crap back like it's nothing. I drink two cups on a bad day and I'm wired. I don't know how many weeks he's spent awake. Wouldn't surprise me if it was weeks."

Roosevelt's grin widened. "Do you know where he lives?" He wasn't typically one for breaking and entering, but he'd make an exception this time.

"Yeah, not too far from here. That's where I spent the night. I wouldn't take someone I just met to my house. That would be stupid." She opens the door, not realizing she had done just that.

Roosevelt didn't comment given that he wasn't thinking logically, only strategically. "Can you give me his address then?"

Pausing, she looked him over, "What are you going to do? I don't want you to get hurt."

"Look, you said you don't want me to confront him, right? So I'm not going to confront him. But I'll only do that if you tell me his address." Roosevelt crossed his arms, waiting.

AJ frowned, "118th fifth, appartment 14. He's right on ground level. What are you going to do, and can I come with you?" She didn't think for a moment it might be safer for him to go outside now and confront Casey without her rather than go to his flat with her.

"No. I want you to keep him busy here. Let him think I'm in your room still, or something. Um...whatever would get his blood boiling would be good--I'll leave it to your imagination."

Roosevelt flashed a smile and pulled the door open. "In the meantime, I'm going to not confront him. Okay? I promise I'll be back soon. In an hour or so? Just stall him as long as you can."

A worried expression flitted over her face, but she nodded, "One moment. Before you go." She went back into her flat, pulling open a drawer that was full of spare keys of various types. She pulled out a set and handed them to him, "Incase you get in before me. I don't want you getting caught outside." She offered a smile to him, but still looked worried.

Roosevelt looked at the keys in his hand. "Y-you're sure?" But he wasn't going to stand around and wait for an answer. "I'll be fast. Just stall him."

He headed for the emergency stairs on the back side of the building, before sprinting for the address AJ had given him.

AJ made her way to the street, hobbling over to Casey, fire in her eyes. She smelled faintly of vomit, BBQ sauce and the general smell of shoes (her bedroom was filled with them... perhaps it was best that Roosevelt stayed out of there and didn't see all hundred shades of crazy.) Her hair was falling into her eyes, in need of a good cut, or at least a new layer of gel. She wore ripped jeans and a t-shirt that had seen better days and a bra that was a total lie. She didn't need it, and to wear it was just like trying to wear shoes if she didn't have feet. Though, she would still wear shoes if she didn't have feet. It would be a waste not to.

No! That's not the point!

The point was, that all hundred and fifteen pounds of her was going to kick major ass in a moment, "JOLT!" She screamed at him, looking like she had just stepped out of Hot Topic in hell, "Stop messin' about before I make you stop!"

He turned his attention to her, grinning. His handsome face was twisted with anger, "Where's your little boyfriend?"

AJ spit at him, "He's no more little than you," she countered with a pointed look below the belt. She smirked - while she had no idea, she assumed it was true. Was it racist to think that? Well, hope anyhow. Coffee does stuff to a man's bits when he has too much.

He stepped towards her, hand wrapping around her throat. She had forgotten how much strength he had, and how much rage to back that up. Was it his powers that gave him 'roid rage, or just him in general? She whimpered as he lifted her, "Your ni-" He was cut off by another nutshot by her crutch. This time she wasn't trying to stop the racial slur, she was just trying to get him to drop her - worked either way.

He did let go of her, causing her to drop right down onto her butt. She looked up at him, "Don't use that language, Jolt, or I will make this so much worse on you." She willed luck to flow up her spine, but nothing was coming.

Maybe she should have just ignored him. Panic was setting in as he loomed over her, "Where. Is. He?" Each word was punctuated by an angry inhalation of breath. His blonde brows, perfectly waxed, bounced up and down. Anger caused heavy lines to form in his forehead. A vein in his neck pulsed dramatically.

The luck wasn't coming, but Casey sure was... So, rather than let him hurt her again, she swung her crutch into his face, cracking it across his nose.

Howling in pain and rage, he stumbled back, overturning his thermos of coffee.

Not knowing how much time he had--but garnering that he had probably a few minutes' worth--Roosevelt ran as fast as his long legs could carry him. He found the street and then the building--and was in luck to find a convenience store nearby. Making a quick stop there, he returned to the apartment complex.

And sure enough, he found Apartment 14 at ground level. "Lucky number," muttered Roosevelt, as he checked the front door and then the windows. Of course the caffeine junkie would have remembered to lock the door--but the window was wide open.

Roosevelt slipped in without a second thought and began to go through the cupboards. The one thing a coffee-addict needed most was caffeine. The surest way to take 'em out of the game was to switch it. With decaffinated coffee. Casey wouldn't know what hit him until he was going through withdrawals.

Well, teach him to threaten a stranger. Roosevelt found the stores of coffee and dumped them into a plastic bag--or several as he found tons of the stuff. It'd make great fertilizer for a plant--and then he carefully replaced it with decaf.

Once he was done, he set everything back the way it was, slipped back out the window, and headed back to AJ's apartment.

Getting to her feet, AJ pulled out her cellphone and called the police. She moved away, but got kicked in the ribs, hard. Luck was on her side, though, Casey's shoe ripped open. Sirens wailed, a distress call from a girl clearly getting beat-up was something that made the cops move fast and she had only had time to yell her location.

Casey took off the moment he heard the sirens, and the cops helped her up to her flat, intending to get her statement there - she looked like she needed a good sleep and they were being sympathetic.

At the sound of sirens, Roosevelt bolted back to AJ's apartment. A police car outside didn't help his thoughts any. Why had he asked AJ to stall Casey? He should have just confronted the guy himself. But he raced up all 8 flights of stairs and then came to a halt in the doorway, breathing hard.

"I-Is everything alright?" he asked, noting that a policeman still lingered in the apartment.

"Some wacko in a costume attacked me on my way home, is all." She was pretty casual about the fact that she knew him. She looked shaken up, a bruise flowering across her throat. She smiled at the officer, her eyes not matching. She looked worried, stressed and tired, "This is my boyfriend, Ryan, he was at work." She couldn't meet the officer's eyes, but he took it in stride.

He lightly touched her shoulder, "We'll catch up with this psycho, don't you worry." He nodded at Roosevelt, "Take care of her, buddy." He ducked out with his paperwork.

Roosevelt waited until the cop was gone before shutting the door behind him. "What really happened?" He sat down across from AJ, concern written all over him.

"I knew I shouldn't have let you confront him alone." He growled.

AJ patted the spot next to her, "He tried to choke me. He wasn't interested in just talking this time." She sniffled, needing a hug badly. She swallowed, "He's never been that violent to me before."

Roosevelt hesitated and then moved to sit next to her. Gently he put his arm around her shoulders. "From what it sounds like, he's not very stable. He can't be when he's hopped up on caffeine. Anyway," he continued with a small smile, "I don't think you have to worry about him for the next two days. I found his apartment and took care of things on his end."