26 - said the joker to the thief

[ichoosefight]

[ Video ]

[ Nobody should be surprised to find that Steph has spent most of this vacation at cafes. Now she's tucked in a quiet corner of one, where nobody is likely to eavesdrop on her conversations. In front of her is a newspaper in English. ]

We've been here a grand total of what, four days? In that time, reportedly, the crime rate in the city has almost tripled.

[ She raises her eyebrows at the camera with an almost motherly look. She has no doubts as to who's responsible. ]

Of course, that tidbit is tucked in between multiple pages of cracked theories about the Eiffel Tower, aliens and terrorists. Still, I have to ask - what exactly is the point? I mean, it's not like it's supply stores and gun shops being robbed.

[ That would make sense, being something useful outside of, you know, Earth. Even if for whatever reason someone couldn't get anyone to pay actual money for it. ]

Do we have a bunch of newbies who don't know that we don't use money on the barge?

Comments

[routemistress]

...look, I'm on 'oliday, all right? It's boring paying for everything.

[ichoosefight]

Iris- [ She huffs a sigh, realizing how pointless it is to argue with her. She drops her face into one palm. ]

This is why we can't have nice things.

[routemistress]

Speak for yourself, petal, I've got lots of nice things. Besides, I'm giving back my motorbike. Babs is keeping 'ers though.

[This is because she may in fact have slipped back in time six months to have Barbara's adapted Harley custom made. She's just not admitting that.]

[ichoosefight]

Doesn't she already have a motorbike? Or, like, three?

[surfaceshine]

I don't suppose there's a significant chunk of that crime rate involved in credit fraud.

[It's easy for him to keep a straight face these days. That's just what his face does now.

But the tone matches anyway.]

[ichoosefight]

Of course not!

[ She scoffs, as though she might be offended by the implication. ]

Credit fraud takes way longer to hit the news.

[surfaceshine]

Which means the crime rate is up much higher than that. They just won't know about it for a while yet.

[ichoosefight]

It's the speed that impresses me. There's a laundry list in here of stolen art and precious gems.

[omar]

Ain't all of us got those nice little credit cards, Warden.

[ichoosefight]

And I can't imagine anyone would lend you a card to buy a famous blue diamond.

[omar]

That wasn't me. I don't play like that.

[ichoosefight]

No? It's got to be someone from the barge, right? [ Her tone is far more curious than accusatory. ] I mean, seriously, who else steals a diamond from the Louvre with the whole city on high alert?

[tucky]

You want one?

[Private]

[omar]

[Pause. Then private.]

'Scuse me?

[Private]

[tucky]

A card. Do you want one?

[americasdirtiest]

Look, I didn't steal nothing-- [This time. Any charges he's facing are all along the lines of assault and battery.] --but this isn't the first time this has come up, and I don't get why no one gets this shit. Some of us got homes to go back to where we do use money. A lot of money. What's wrong with trying to store some up?

[ichoosefight]

It's just pointless. If you get to take anything with you when you go home, you can just ask for it from the Admiral. Or one of your admiral-powered buddies. If you don't graduate, you don't get to take any sweet loot home with you.

[americasdirtiest]

This the same Admiral who don't exist right now and gives out cookies instead of actual stuff when he does?

[ichoosefight]

The very same Admiral who let me bring an army home with me to end a gang war and who seems to have left at least a dozen people with his powers, yeah.

[tucky]

You ain't surprised, right? We're the Barge.

[ichoosefight]

Not surprised, no. Well, maybe a little surprised. It's kind of impressive. Mostly I'm just confused.

[tucky]

Confused about what?

[anewlanguage]

[He tries to think of an explanation but really all he can do is laugh]

Should we even bother searching 'em for that when they get back on board?

[ichoosefight]

Heck no. If somebody's stolen the Mona Lisa I don't want to have anything to do with it.

[anewlanguage]

...Hell, I hope they're stealing art. We could use some cheer around the Barge.