Who do you think you're dealin' with, sunshine?

Lobo || Intergalactic Bounty Hunter

[last-czarnian]

futzyou:

Kate grinned, which was probably not the reaction he was hoping for. “Well, don’t I feel special?” she said, giggling softly. She arched a brow, and rolled her eyes a little. “Look, I totally believe you’re a badass. Unless you’re one of those douche-y frat guys that just gets their muscles from steroids and too much time at the gym, but I don’t think so,” she said, taking a step towards him. She wasn’t scared, and maybe she should’ve been, but if he was gonna strike, he’d have done it by now. “All I’m saying, is that rude awakening thing goes both ways. If you don’t believe me, ask the Skrulls. Oh wait, you can’t. Because I put an arrow through their heads when they tried to threaten me.” She deliberately didn’t mention her own abduction, the month she’d been their prisoner. Lobey didn’t need to know all that. “Don’t you have to get paid for it to count as a bounty kill? I mean, I’m no expert, but sure. You can be the deadliest bounty hunter, and I’ll keep my title as best marksman in the world, sound fair?” 

She could feel his eyes on her, checking her out, and she wasn’t entirely surprised. “Uh huh,” she drawled. “And yet, you’re the one who can’t keep their eyes to themselves,” she pointed out, smirking. She just sighed, and rolled her eyes once more. “You’re gonna give me an ulcer or something, Lobey. Seriously, you’re like a lightning rod of stress. You should try yoga,” she suggested, grinning wickedly. Okay, maybe she was trying to get under his skin a little – but how else was she supposed to get to know him? “Never was good at watching my mouth. I got written up more than any other girl at my school,” she remembered, a tad fondly. Those dress code policies were way sexist, they’d deserved to be called out. “Oh good, you’ve got a plan,” she said, hauling her bow onto her shoulder. “Lead the way. Two sets of eyes are better than one, right? We’re both here, might as well see what we can find together.” 

"You should. Most people who start givin' me lip that quickly don't even get to finish their sentence." Lobo assumed he did not need to explain why that was. His glare grew more pronounced at even a tease that he was any sort of poser. "So that's what Earther guys do to prove they're tough? Pfft. Jerks. I've trained my whole damn life to do what I do, and there ain't nothin' fake about me." Gesturing over his body, he said, "Every inch of this is real. And I do mean every inch." Mentioning the Skrulls was not exactly the best way to make Lobo any less hostile, but if she was telling the truth about killing some of them, that would help a bit. "I sure hope that's true, 'cause those fuckers deserve it. But then I'm hopin' to wipe 'em all out, so if you did waste a few, that's less for me to make suffer." Still, hearing that made him give her just the tiniest amount of credit. Which was something. "To count as a bounty kill, yeah. But that don't mean I don't keep my own personal kill list. Guy's gotta have a hobby, after all." Did it really count as a hobby if it was also what he did for a living? Lobo could have cared less, just as he could have cared less what she called herself. As if the "best anything" on Earth was something to brag about. "Sure. Whatever you wanna be, knock yourself out." 

What, was she offended by the fact that he was looking? "Well, I do have another personal list that's almost as lengthy as my kill list," Lobo said, giving her a wink, "Kinda thought you'd be flattered, but hey, you Earthers are always confusin' me." He bristled at the dumbass nickname again, but her implying that he was too stressed was almost worth a bitter laugh. Him, too stressed? Really? Let's see her try living with the destruction of her entire damn civilization on her conscience and see how she coped with it. "Yoga? You fuckin' kiddin' me, babe?" Like he was the type to sit around and try to meditate. "So you were a troublemaker, huh? Nice, but that still ain't gonna win my approval. I gotta see you actually do somethin' besides run your mouth." When she suddenly took up her bow and actually said she was going with him, Lobo held up his hands. "Whoa there honey. That was not an invitation to come along. I don't need no fraggin' sidekick." The thought of her tagging along was ludicrous, yet if they did start getting attacked by demons, he would be interested to see her actually try and fight them. Especially if she could not get the job done. "Let me guess, you wanna try to prove you can beat me at rackin' up kills?" He gave a sarcastic chuckle. "Oh that'll be the day. Ok sweetheart, I'm game. But don't come cryin' to me if you can't hack it."

[last-czarnian]

loislane-reports:

Lois nearly walked straight into the poor man, and with a peal of uncomfortable laughter, Lois reached out a hand to steady him. “So sorry! I —“ Well it seemed understandable, to Lois, that she might be distracted. With everything going on the releasing of the list, the tension in the room —

“Wasn’t looking where I was going,” she settles on. “Sorry I nearly bowled you over,” which was a joke in and of itself. Lois was… on the petite side, thin, short without heels and this man was, well, fit. “Lois Lane,” she stopped herself before she said ‘Daily Planet.’ It was almost automatic that her name and job came out together, but it was unnecessary right now.

@last-czarnian

Though he had been griping about his earlier boredom, Lobo might actually have missed it now, with the people all starting to fuss about the list and who was or was not on it. He did not care that his name was on it. The humans did not trust him no matter what he did, so why would they be any different now? No one was going to give him a big hug and thank him for--

Suddenly, Lobo was startled out of his thoughts by a woman running into him. "Hey, watch it, babe!" She had apologized, but he did not appreciate the intrusion into his personal space, quickly jerking away from her hand. "Yeah, you sure weren't," he grumbled, though he gave a sarcastic chuckle at the thought of her knocking him over, accompanied by an equally sarcastic response. "Oh sure, I would'a been flat on my ass in no time." Was she actually introducing herself? Well, that was something. Most people just turned and ran if they came that close to him. "Lobo." His gaze flicked up to the screen, and his entry on the list. His skill set was billed as "Enhanced Durability and Super-Human Strength." Barely scratching the surface of what he could do, but that was human intelligence for you. "Guess I'm kinda famous now, though at the moment, I'm not sure if it's for better or worse."

[last-czarnian]

akagoddammit:

Considering the last time she saw him was through the broken remnants of a cafe window, she was handling herself pretty well. She earned major points for not decking him to begin with. Though, one unexpected bonus: people gave him a wide berth on pure instinct. By proxy, she got some goddamn room to breathe in the midst of all this. (She’d thank him someday – over her dead body. Or his.)

“I’ve told you how I feel about nicknames, haven’t I?” she asked, letting the camera hang around her neck. She figured keeping both hands free while he was around was a good plan. “Feel like I mentioned that somewhere in between throwing you across the room, and slamming your head into the wall.” She was a little fuzzy on the details (hangover), but even though she remembered losing, she also remembered putting up a hell of a fight. “I don’t do dates. Or after parties on UFOs that’ll lead to STD’s – I’m not a big fan of three letter acronyms,” she quipped. She arched a brow, a flash of shock crossing her face. “Would’ve thought you’d be on the demons side. They’re about as non-human as you can get.” When her question was echoed back to her, she shrugged. “Same thing as you. Watching people make idiots of themselves.” And this time, she couldn’t even join in. Goddammit. 

Oh she had told him alright. Lobo just had a selective memory. He made a face as if he was trying to remember. "Did you? Oh yeah, that's right! You told me you love 'em." He smirked. "Maybe if you weren't tryin'--unsuccessfully--to knock my head in I might've remembered more. I just remember you tuckin' tail and runnin'. And fightin' like a girl." He would never admit it to her, but she did pack a wallop. After fighting with her, Lobo had alternated between being pissed about it and being mildly turned on. "Somehow I'm not surprised to hear any of that." Like he had really expected her to take him up on the offer. "Your loss, honey."

If the demons were smart enough to approach him, Lobo would certainly have considered the offer. But he was having too much fun wiping them out anyway. "They're also about as lame as you can get. And considering humans are the competition, that's sayin' somethin'." It seemed they actually agreed on the way the people at the party were acting, amazingly. Lobo gave her a smug look. "Glad you're admittin' they're actin' stupid. Wish I could find a drink here that's fuckin' strong enough to drown all this crap out, but Earther drinks are too damn weak. Haven't been able to get drunk since I got to this damn city." He frowned and crossed his arms. What good was a party if he could not really enjoy it?

[last-czarnian]

formutantkind:

Erik blinked for a moment, and then a strange smile crossed his lips. “That I can admire,”  he said, sincerely, his eyes locked on Lobo. Alien or not, conviction seemed a universal trait, and one that he understood intimately. “I have little need for cash, if we’re honest. A few key investments here and there…” He trailed off, waving a hand. ‘Investments,’ was largely code for ‘thefts,’ but if someone had to spend Nazi gold, it might as well be him. “Regardless, the answer is no. I have standards as well, and I’ve been told I’m quite stubborn in my stances. My ideals are of the utmost importance to me. Now,” he said, grinning at the alien. “That is not to say I am above unpleasantness, because certainly, it is necessary to get one’s hands dirty from time to time.” He chuckled and nodded, gesturing towards Lobo. “It is quite important, I assure you. But to use your words, I am indeed off to ‘kick some fucker’s ass.’ Several of them, in fact.” 

The Brotherhood was well-funded. It had begun on the Nazi gold, but several other thefts and investments had allowed him to amass a small fortune. Enough to own various bits of property, to fund his team, to keep them in this war. “That depends,” Erik said, waving his hand in the air. A small bag floated up from his belt, jingling as it moved. “Pure gold,” he explained. He kept some on his person at all times, in case he needed to make a quick getaway, or for moments like this. “I’ve found it a suitable way to keep part of my fortune, and it’s quite valuable if you know where to take it. But of course, I have other methods of payment if you prefer,” he said, leaving the bag to float in the air between them. 

Erik raised a brow, though he was not entirely surprised by the outburst. He ignored Lobo, admiring the blade a moment longer. “This is quite the blade,” he continued, removing his hands, though the sword continued to float by his side. With a twitch of his fingers, he sent it floating, directly between them, next to the bag of gold. He twisted the blade, so the handle extended towards Lobo. “I’ve no intention of keeping it from you. Merely keeping it out of my skin,” he said, chuckling again. His eyes grew serious though, and he stared directly at the alien. “This is your choice, my boy. Grab the weapon and try your luck, or take the bag and walk away. On the other hand…” He paused a moment, considering. “I would not be against seeing your skills in action. The men I’m after, they are deserving of a brutal, terrible death. And I’m certain you can deliver that, can you not?” 

As much as Lobo did not care what the old geezer thought of him, he would much rather hear that the guy admired something about him than having him talking disparagingly again. "Thanks, pal," he remarked, not exactly sincere. He was sincerely surprised that the guy was saying he had little need for money. What the hell did he do for a living? "Must be nice," Lobo muttered. He himself hardly lived the high life; he needed all the money he earned for keeping his ship in shape, buying supplies, buying drinks. The important things. Priorities. Which it sounded like the old man actually had in the right place. Lobo did not like to admit it, but it sounded like they did have some things in common. He smirked at hearing the guy repeat his vernacular. "Good for you, old timer. Bet those guys'll be beggin' for mercy in no time." He was partially being sarcastic, but the more the guy talked, the more Lobo wondered just how much of his talk he could back up. 

It certainly looked like he could back up the offer of money. As the bag floated up, giving off the tell-tale jingle of gold, Lobo raised his eyebrows. Pure gold. That was something he could cash in most anywhere in the galaxy. Much better than regular Earther cash. "Yeah, I know where to take it. I know lots of places where I could take it," he commented, "Hmm, you ain't bad at bargainin', Gramps. I'm impressed." Lobo watched the bag hovering, not making a move to grab it just yet, but not making a move to attack either.

There was the matter of the affront to his weapon, though. He was not pleased at the old timer having taken it and handling it...but there was a nice bag of gold floating nearby. And now his blade was suddenly floating too. The guy had let go--and left it hovering beside the bag. Just what kind of power did he have? The fact that he had turned the handle towards Lobo gave him pause. That along with the gold really made it sound like the guy did not want to fight. And even though Lobo did not like having his weapons manhandled, he was willing to forgive quite a bit for a decent-sized bag of gold. "If I had really wanted to put it in you, I would'a done it already," Lobo remarked, deciding at last that some dumb old man really was not worth the effort. He reached out towards the bag--then paused at the guy's inquiry. "Offerin' me a target now, are you?" Smirking, he said, "Old timer, I can deliver brutal deaths the likes of which you've never even seen in your worst nightmares. You wanna see me in action? Throw in another bag of gold and you got yourself a deal."

[last-czarnian]

@valhallabcund

The dullness of the city--and now its isolation--meant that Lobo was constantly looking for ways to liven things up. The demons had sufficed quite a bit recently, but even though he still enjoyed taking down those assholes, he would never say no to something new. So when he heard about a place where there was apparently both drinking and fighting, Lobo was thrilled. He had hit up many, many fighting clubs throughout the galaxy and though he doubted the Earthers would have the caliber of fights of the other clubs, it was definitely worth a look.

Upon arrival, he noted that it looked pretty similar, except the place was full of humans, as opposed to the usual assortment of aliens that populated the other clubs. Still, Lobo was impressed that the humans actually had the balls to get an operation like this going, even if the fights would be decidedly less than spectacular. Watching them knock themselves out would be good for some amusement, so he headed for the bar to pick up a hopefully strong drink. If this place did not have some liquor that would affect him, he had no hope for ever finding any anywhere in the city.

"Give me the hardest shit you got," he told the bartender, "And don't just give me a tiny glass either. Gimme the whole damn bottle." The bartender raised an eyebrow, but when Lobo slid some money across the bar, he went to retrieve the bottle. Glancing around, Lobo saw a woman seated at the bar beside him, drink already in her hand. "Hey babe. How're the drinks in this place? I mean, I know you're prolly drinkin' some nice little ladies' drink there, but have you heard how good the real stuff is? 'Cause I've been lookin' all over for somethin' that actually packs a punch, and I gotta think this place would carry it."

[last-czarnian]

prinxe-xavin:

Xavin gave him the most derisive look they could, under the circumstances, summon. Not only was he the least of their current problems, they didn’t see any particular difficulty with fighting someone that they could actually see. In fact, compared to their current situation, it would be a treat. At least they’d be able to hit him.

They wished they’d been out with one of their friends tonight, instead of running into this person. At least then they would have someone they trusted to watch their back. They wouldn’t trust him not to shoot them in the back the moment they turned. In fact, it would surprise them greatly if he waited that long. “I would rather remain uninjured long enough to find a strategy for fighting this creature that does work,” they retorted. “Which is never going to be accomplished if we continue to bicker instead of doing something useful.” At least they were making an effort.

“Well excuse me terribly for not knowing everything about a complete stranger,” they muttered, allowing the bubble around him to pop like soap. They kept their own shield, however. The taunts didn’t bother them remotely. They would not be going home injured again. “Be careful,” they felt the need to warn him regardless. As odious as he was, he still didn’t deserve to get hurt. Meanwhile, they would continue to fire missiles at anything that made a sound.

Remain uninjured long enough...wow, that was fancy. Lobo gave a scoff. "Pfft, that's a nice way of sayin' I don't wanna get my ass kicked. Must be real tough to have to worry about actually gettin' injured." He smirked, for that was something he never had to worry about. Except for when those damn dirty Skrulls had stolen his healing factor. But he definitely did not want to dwell on that now. Lobo would get his revenge...eventually. Whenever he found those fuckers, that is.

Bickering was almost as enjoyable as fighting for Lobo, but he supposed they had a point. "What, you wanna discuss strategy now? I've already got a strategy--get outta this fuckin' bubble and kill whatever's out there. Nice and easy." Alright, his plans of attack did usually involve some strategy, but if it was just another one of those stupid demons out there, what more strategy was needed than to just fraggin' kill it? "What sort of strategy would you suggest? I'm all ears.”

Lobo was actually quite used to complete strangers knowing about him. His reputation usually took care of that. But naturally anyone connected with Earth was clueless. He was about to retort about that--when the bubble suddenly popped, and since he was attempting to kick it again, Lobo very nearly fell on his face. He managed to land in a crouch, and grumbled something very colorful under his breath before snapping, "Thanks a lot, pal. Could'a used a little warnin'." He chuckled at seeing that they were still covered by a bubble of their own. Too scared to really get their hands dirty, just as he thought. "Oh, thanks for the concern. You gonna tell me to look both ways 'fore I cross the street next?" 

At least he was out of the bubble finally. Lobo looked around, blades out, ready to jump at whatever was there. A rustle nearby betrayed that something was there, and he waited only a moment before launching himself at it. Whatever it was, it had some claws, for something sliced at his arm as he went by. It was not a bad injury by his standards, and as the cuts quickly healed up, Lobo called back to his companion, "You wanna help, huh? Then aim somethin' useful over here!"

[last-czarnian]

akagoddammit:

@last-czarnian

Hours of being here, and her paranoia hadn’t subsided even a little. She was still completely on edge, hovering around the outside of the room, pointedly avoiding the bar, and hyperfocusing on anything that seemed even remotely out of place. She had her camera out, taking pictures – but there were plenty of reporters doing the same to hide her in plain sight. 

Her mind was both too focused and too scattered to really take in anything beyond the view from her lens. She swung the camera across the room, snapping a pic here or there, but then – she stopped. “Goddammit,” she muttered, as she lowered the camera and saw him in the flesh. Standing right in front of her, probably for a few minutes at least. “Thought I would’ve smelt you coming a mile away. You know, that strange stench of arrogance, murder, and hypocrisy just has a way of carrying,” she drawled. “What the hell are you doing here? Don’t tell me, you’re doing pro-bono work for the demons of hell-world.” 

Whether the merriment of the party was misplaced or not, the fact remained that there were just too damn many people having too damn much fun all around Lobo. And, naturally, no liquor strong enough to get him drunk enough to ignore all of it. He was getting so tired of all the happiness that when he saw a familiar face snapping photos off at the edge of the room, he was almost glad to see her. Almost. At least her own brand of stand-offishness would be a change from all the boring partying.

"Aw, I missed you too, babe." Lobo smirked, choosing to take her blatant insult as a compliment. "Yeah, I know. I'm just such a magnet for ladies. Must be a curse. You should'a told me you were comin'. We could'a made it a date, and then headed back to my ship for an after party." His smile broadened at her question, choosing to take that as a compliment also. "Nah, those fuckers don’t deserve me. Don't know if they got any brains to even make me an offer. Workin' brains, that is. I've been spillin' their insides enough to know they got somethin' in there, at least. I'm just here to watch humans makin' idiots outta themselves." Eyeing her suspiciously, he inquired, "What're you doin' here? Besides takin' sexy candid shots of me, that is. Want me to take my shirt off for the next one?"

[last-czarnian]

kindkara:

Wow. “Somebody sure woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” Kara remarked, thrown for a loop. This guy had grouchy written all over his face. “Squid,” Kara suggested, after a little inspection. It didn’t look particularly appetizing, but maybe it was Doom’s favorite. “What’s that saying?” She asked rhetorically, eyeing him. “You’re a hit at all the parties, huh?”

Lobo frowned. Commentary on his demeanor was not appreciated, especially while he was trying to insult the humans. Who did she think she was, anyway? "And here I thought you would've called me a party pooper," he drawled, "Not everybody here is goin' to make a fool outta themselves celebratin' nothin'." Squid, huh? He was pretty sure he had heard of that, but it still looked like crap. Making a face, he flicked the thing away. "I don't do parties, babe. 'Specially not ones full of Earthers. I don't exactly blend in with the crowd, if you catch my drift." In truth, Lobo was not getting as many stares as usual, considering most of the partygoers were too distracted to pay much attention to him. But that did not make him any less dour. It was still a crappy party, whether he was getting stares or not.

[last-czarnian]

It had been apparent from the moment Lobo had arrived on Earth that humans were clueless, but this really took the cake. Throwing a party when they were stuck in another fucking dimension? What a bunch of idiots. But then he had watched that one movie where the big ship was sinking and the band actually kept playing while people were drowning. So maybe partying while facing imminent disaster was a human tradition? Either way, it was a really stupid idea, and Lobo could not help wondering if President Doom had all his wits about him to have put this whole thing on. 

But unfortunately he did work for the Panel, so he had to show up. They could not make him celebrate, though, so Lobo naturally was going to be as grumpy as possible. And make as many snide comments about the idiocy around him as possible. After hitting the bar and picking up a typically weak-ass drink, he headed for the buffet. Lobo had found a few food items on Earth that he kind of liked to eat, but whatever was on the menu here did not look appetizing. 

"The hell even is this?" He picked up some little tidbit that looked like part of an octopus except a lot smaller. Turning to the person beside him, he inquired, "People actually eat this shit for fun? I've seen better meals in jails. Weak drinks are bad enough, but when the food starts suckin' too, I've gotta start questionin' the whole set-up of this 'party'."

[last-czarnian]

futzyou:

Sheesh. This guy had an attitude, didn’t he? Kate arched a brow, and held up a hand. “First of all, you sound like an idiot when you talk like that,” she pointed out. “I’m not being rude, I’m just trying to help you out here, bro. Secondly, you can doubt me all you want. I’d rather look cute than scary, and I can still kick ass.” His, specifically, but she wouldn’t say that aloud… At least not yet. “And thirdly – this isn’t a competition, my dude. You killed demons, I killed demons, yay us!” She said, smirking at him.

Kate rolled her eyes and let the insults wash right over her. “Young and beautiful,” she replied. She stuck a hand on her hip, bow still in her hand. “Seriously? You’re gonna call me honey and sweetheart, and you can’t handle a little pet name, Loby? You need to lighten up. I’m not here to give you a hard time, but bro, you need to chill,” she said, turning back towards the landscape, as if his little touch to his sword didn’t scare or worry her at all. “You found anything out here yet? Or like, have you been too busy being a hypocrite to everyone you come across?” she asked, smirking lightly. 

Did she actually just say he sounded like an idiot? Lobo raised his eyebrows. Clearly she had no idea who she was dealing with. "Ok, I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that. But you only get that courtesy once. You're talkin' real big, sweetheart, but keep insultin' me, and you'll be in for a rude awakenin'." He sure as hell did not need her help. He did not need anybody's help. And while he was all for letting people underestimate someone's abilities, she was pushing it. "Oooh, ain't that sweet?" Lobo cooed. "I'm sure you can kick some squirrel's ass, or maybe an uppity rabbit. But anythin' beyond that...yeah, I'm not really buyin' it." It may not have been a competition for her, but comparing kills was always a competition for Lobo. Mainly because he was used to being the one with the highest kill count. "Firstly, I ain't your 'dude,' and secondly, yeah it is. But that's ok if you wanna pretend like it's not. It ain't like you've got a reputation as the most deadly bounty hunter in the galaxy to uphold."

Alright, she did look good, but so what? Good looks did not win fights. Skills did. Lobo just happened to have both of those things in spades. "Thought this wasn't a competition? You prolly don't wanna make it one anyway, 'cause if we're competin' in the looks department, I'm gonna win that one too." He could handle receiving a pet name, just not one that stupid. And really, no one had ever been brave enough to call him anything that idiotic before, so this was a real first. "Hey, those are terms of endearment, babe. That's a fraggin' insult!" And now she was telling him to lighten up? Lobo's frown deepened. "If you ain't here to give me a hard time, you've sure got a funny way of not doing that," he remarked. He kept his hand close to his blade, but did not move to use it just yet, since she turned away. Maybe she was going to finally to concentrate on the wasteland instead of him. She did--sort of. "Yeah, I found a whole fuckin' lot of crazy colored sand. And I'll make you get up close and personal with it in a minute if you don't watch your mouth." Pointing out into the distance, he said, "Now I'm gonna head out there and see if I can find anything useful. I already found one useless thing here, though, so my hopes ain't high."

[last-czarnian]

diamondfrcst:

Some days, it felt as if the only reason Emma continued to put up with the ridiculousness of the world was because she lived in eternal hope that one day, the general populace would turn to her, place another crown upon her head and immediately issue her minions. She had power within the X-Men, carried weight with the Brotherhood, but playing on both side of the fence got rather exhausting when there was no one besides Magneto who knew the true extent, and beauty, of her duplicity. (The way Scott looked at her too, utterly trusting, was enough to make even Emma’s heart pull in her chest.)

Being at the forefront of the X-Men, though, came with its fair share of challenges to keep her occupied until things fell into place, or into line, as it were. The natural order of things had her sitting at the helm, after all. Registration was an issue that had long since passed, though there was still a rather large group that pushed for heroes to come into the open, but now listing was a situation that was on everyone’s tongue. Ororo, Scott and Jean were convinced that signing on the dotted line, keeping their anonymity while proving that they were serious about protecting the world, was something that was worth doing, and Emma was inclined to agree. Of course, she was not simply going to do that without any pomp and circumstance. She needed something to push her, and the registered, listed heroes had taken that as a challenge, and sent her Lobo.

Emma wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when she first walked into the restaurant, but when the man stood up from his chair to show his appreciation, she had to admit that she was caught between being satisfied and rolling her eyes. She chose the former, if only because the latter would not particularly get this meeting off to a good start. “Oh please,” she said with a smile. “This is barely business casual for me.” Emma took a moment to raise an eyebrow while looking at the tie, her lips curling into a smirk. “To think I was told you wouldn’t go ‘all out’ for this meeting.” Emma sat down, smoothing out her dress before picking up the menu in between them. They were here on business, but if he was going to place an obvious insinuation in there, she was going to get a nice glass of wine. “So, Lobo, isn’t it?” Emma glanced down the drinks menu. “Are you here to try and convince me of something, darling? I must warn you in advance, I’m a difficult woman to handle.”

If that was "business casual," Lobo could only imagine what she would put on for a real night on the town. But then he had seen even fancier get-ups on ladies on many other planets. Miss Frost would probably not like to hear that, though, so he refrained from mentioning it. Her reaction to his hastily-acquired "full dress" made him grin, glad someone appreciated his effort. "Yeah, most of them at the Panel don't think much of me. They keep tellin' me I'm 'uncouth' and 'brash' and some less-polite adjectives. But that's only 'cause they underestimate me." A mistake made by many people all across the universe. And most of those people were currently dead. "You won't underestimate me, will you? You look like a real smart gal, so I can't see you makin' a dumb mistake like that."

Lobo was much more interested in her than in getting any food, but if she was going to get something, he needed to do the same. What kind of crap did they even serve in a fancy place like this? He could just copy what she got, though that might piss her off. Guess he was just going to have to wing it, then. "Yep, that's me, honey. Baddest bounty hunter in the galaxy. You got the best of the best to come and have a personal chat with you." He sat up a bit straighter, preening as much as he could while wearing that stupid tie. He inclined his head slightly at her question, acting as though he was debating what to say. "I might be. But let's just keep that to ourselves, eh? Because I'd hate to have to tell people that I'm here in this nice restaurant with such a beautiful woman on business." Lobo had been smirking slightly before, but upon her declaration that she was difficult to handle, his smile broadened considerably. "Mmm, my favorite kind." Leaning across the table slightly, he said, "If you're thinkin' I’m gonna take that as a warnin', then I gotta warn you in advance that I tend to take things like that as a invitation to a damn good challenge."

[last-czarnian]

formutantkind:

Erik tilted his head curiously. “Do you always abandon your own morals in favor of a paycheck?” he asked, arching a brow. “It seems to me that a man of your strength would not be swayed so easily.” An insult, disguised in a compliment, though it was certain that the man before him was quite powerful. But blood was blood, no matter how foreign his felt there was still iron in it. He certainly wouldn’t appreciate being toyed with as a puppet, Erik was certain of that. “I am on my way to attain justice where none else will act,” he said slowly. “There are many counting on me to succeed, to give them vengeance that can only be achieved with blood.” 

He had never seen the need in hiding the fact that he was a killer. He was a murderer, several hundred times over, but the deaths were necessary, called for. His people were being hunted every day, in every corner of the world. And just because they were cut off from the world currently didn’t mean that hadn’t changed. If Erik could at least protect the Mutants here in the city, that would be enough for now. “Interesting,” he mused, smirking lightly. “So if I were to offer you more money right now, to simply walk away, you would be interested?” he asked. Over the decades, the Brotherhood had managed to accrue quite a bit of capital, and he had full access to it. He was always more likely to persuade than be persuaded, and this man had tipped his hand. Money was a simple motivator, one Erik knew could be used to his leverage. 

He chuckled at the statement. “I have been told my focus can be singular,” he admitted, though he was a scholar of several different fields. He sighed heavily though, when the man continued to glare, persisted in being a problem. With a twitch of his hand, he called the man’s sword over to his own hands, studying it carefully. “This is a very impressive weapon,” he called, running his fingers along the edge. “Well-kept, but well-used. But I’m afraid it will not taste my blood tonight,” he said simply. He glanced up at the man. “Now. I can offer you payment to walk away, as I’ve said. Will that suffice to end this interruption?” 

Abandoning morals implied having them in the first place, which Lobo really did not...anymore. Still, he did have a code by which he abided, because there were things he would not do even for a lot of money. "I'll abandon a lot of stuff in favor of a paycheck, but if there's somethin' I don't wanna do, I ain't gonna do it no matter how much I get offered. I do have some standards." While he was not opposed to changing his outlook to earn some money, there was a difference between turning on someone for a buck and being “easily swayed”. "I think if you offer them enough money, a lot of people would do things they might not normally do. You sayin' you're any different? You wouldn't do anything unpleasant to make some cash?" Geez, even his declaration of what he was up to was fancy. "Wow Gramps, I'm impressed. I'd just say I'm out to kick some fucker's ass, but you make it sound really important. Nice."

Lobo had not expected the guy to offer him money to leave, but then considering how fancy he was talking, maybe it was not such a surprise. An old timer like him was probably loaded with cash. He made a face, mulling it over. The Panel did not pay him the way he typically got paid for bounties, and he had not been specifically told to chase down this guy anyway. Still, Lobo was not the type to give up so easily, and if the guy was talking money, he certainly was not going to accept without some haggling. "I might be, but you'd better be offerin' a whole hell of a lot if you even want to get my attention. Think you can afford it, old man?"

Once again he had a nice way of saying something unflattering. What a stuck-up twit. But before Lobo could make any comment on that, his blade went flying out of his holster--and into the old guy's hands. "What the fuck?" Lobo exclaimed, not even sure what the hell had happened let alone how it had happened, "Get your hands off of that! Now!" He did not like anyone touching his weapons under any circumstance, and this was tantamount to a horrible insult. He had been contemplating taking the older man's offer, but after this, Lobo was having second thoughts. "What, you think I'm just gonna say 'Sure, no problem!' after this? You must be outta your mind!" Money was all well and good, but laying hands on Lobo's weapons was not something that could be easily forgiven...unless the price was really, really good. "You better be ready to make a damn good offer now, because my price just went up a whole fraggin' lot after that little stunt!" He narrowed his eyes, still angry at the unexpected violation. "Because if not, I got no qualms about takin' that back by force."

[last-czarnian]

sensctionalshehulk:

The Panel had been busy recently, especially after Doom’s dramatic call to action. Of course Jen completely agreed with what their President said — god, that was a sentence that she’d never realistically believed she would ever agree with, let alone think herself — but what she didn’t agree with was the way the public was revolting. There were easier ways to express an opinion than demanding heroes sign away their privacy to a President that hardly seemed trustworthy, but alas, here they were, with heroes signing left, right and centre and people piled up outside of their door, questioning just about everything that they could. It was a little exhausting, but Jen had always done best when being productive and challenged. The Panel was providing both of those things… like her law firm’s reconstruction.

As she walked down the hall, paperwork in hand that Natasha had asked her to look over, she was unfortunately confronted with Lobo. The man was easily one of the most obnoxious and sexist she’d ever met. “If you think I remotely care what you do, you’re mistaken,” Jen replied, not bothering to shorten or pause her stride. “Actually, I take that back. I solely care about the way you speak to me and how disrespectful it is. Maybe being unnecessarily sexist is customary where you’re from, but on Earth, we’re trying to treat women and people of colour with equal rights.”

Hmm, it seemed she was not taking the bait. Lobo frowned. He thought for sure she would be on his case for flagrantly violating the no smoking rule. "Gee, I must have really made an impression on you then," he drawled, "The hell's a guy gotta do to get your attention? Cut his head off? I could do that, but that would really make a mess, and it's a real pain to re-attach." Then again, maybe he did have her attention, just not quite in the way he had wanted. She was irritated, but apparently only by the way he spoke to her.

No, it was not customary on Czarnia to act as boorish as he currently did, and of course he had not done so while the planet had existed. But all of his good behavior was blown to hell along with the planet, so now Lobo took delight in acting the way he had never been allowed to do before. Yet even around the universe he had not received that much criticism for his behavior. Not until he got to Earth. "You know, I ain't never gotten so many complaints about the way I talk until I got to this damn planet. Why're you Earthers so fuckin' touchy?" Lobo understood what she meant by people of color, but he could not resist a sarcastic comment just the same. Gesturing to his bone-white skin, he remarked, "Don't know if you've really looked at me, sweetheart, but everyone is a person of color compared to me, and I do treat you all the same--with equal malice." He grinned and took another drag on the cigarette. "But if you've really got a problem with that, feel free to try and shut me up. ‘Try’ being the key word."

[last-czarnian]

prinxe-xavin:

While Xavin hadn’t exactly been expecting gratitude, with the mood in this city, they hadn’t been expecting an immediate stream of vitriol. What was his problem? Did he not understand that they were trying to keep an attacker away from him? Well, tough luck. They were going to keep him safe whether he liked it or not.

“Unless you have been attacking me, you are not the thing I’m worried about,” they said slowly. They didn’t look at him at all, instead scanning the street for some sign that the thing that they couldn’t see was coming around for another attack. Was that sound a chip bag being blown down the street, or the scuffing of a foot against the pavement? Was that flicker of movement a pigeon, or an unseen body passing in front of the street light? They were on edge, and they didn’t like it.

Something hit their force field, and they reacted as soon as they felt it, sending lances of energy like spikes out of the side of the bubble. They connected with absolutely nothing. “Son of a Sch'mag,” they hissed under their breath. Louder, they called “Can you fight?” The person in the other force field certainly seemed angry enough. If he could actually fight, they might be baking a mistake by keeping a force field around him. “I can’t hit this thing if I can’t see it. It’s faster than I am.” They didn’t bother to explain that they weren’t scared of a fight. They weren’t. They just hated a fight that they couldn’t control.

Yeah, Lobo had not been attacking them yet, but if they kept this up, he just might. "You're gonna be worried about me pretty damn soon if you keep me in this fuckin' bubble!" He kicked it, punched it, even jabbed it with his blade and nothing happened. Clearly it was pretty handy for keeping something contained. Lobo would not have minded having something like that at his disposal, but only for locking up bounties he was after, not for keeping himself caged. 

The person was not even looking at him. They seemed to be still scouting for their elusive target. That got Lobo even more riled. "What, you plannin' on stayin’ in your little bubble forever? If you wanna fight whatever the hell it is, you'll have to come outta there sometime." Then again, maybe they were planning to fight from inside the bubble. The sudden jolt on the force field made even Lobo look around, but he shook his head at the energy beams which his companion shot out of the bubble. "That ain't gonna do it, buddy. You gotta get out there and get your damn hands dirty!"

Asking if Lobo could fight was akin to asking if a cat liked to claw things up. "Oh no. I only get paid to do that all the fraggin' time!" he shot back, giving the bubble another kick. Whatever was out there, demon or something else, he wanted at it. "It ain't faster than me, I promise you that." Taking out both of his blades, he twirled them around. "Look, you want whatever it is out there dead? I'll take care of it. Just let me the fuck out!"

[last-czarnian]

@diamondfrcst

The push to get heroes to list their powers for President Doom was something Lobo had been relishing putting into action. He did not care if it was good for PR or whether it would make the citizens feel better, but he sure as hell liked getting to act important and harangue heroes who had not listed. Most of the time he just barged up to one and demanded they comply, yet he did not mind an occasional challenge. So after perusing notes on heroes who were unlisted, he chose one who sounded particularly good. Emma Frost, one of the humans who were termed "mutants." From what he had heard, she sounded like a handful, and that was always good in Lobo's book.

She was clearly not the type he could meet at a dive bar, however, so Lobo forced himself to arrange a meeting at a nice restaurant. Just the thought of going into a place like that made him cringe, not to mention it dredged up unwanted memories of times when he had had to look extra polished and sit through lavish royal functions at the Emperor's side. Yeah, Lobo did actually know how to behave well. He just chose not to. As he did when he arrived at the restaurant and marched up to the stiff-looking guy in the suit waiting to seat people. When the guy actually had the audacity to tell Lobo the place had a dress code and he needed to wear a tie, he was sorely tempted to punch the jerk out. But he settled for simply pulling off the guy's tie instead and putting it on himself. There, he was complying with the dress code. Smirking, Lobo proceeded into the restaurant and seated himself, waiting for Miss Frost to arrive.

When she did, he even made a point to stand. Giving a low whistle, he said, "Wow sweetheart, you sure know how to get all dolled up. Sorry I can't say the same, but hey, I made the effort to put on a tie!" He gestured to himself, aware that he looked mildly stupid, but if it helped him to get on her good side, then it was worth it. He was not going to go so far as to pull out her chair for her, though, so he simply pointed to it before seating himself. "Have a seat, honey, and we can get down to business." Lobo would have loved to take that in another way as well, but one look at her told him that would require even more effort than trying to persuade her to list. Yet that did not mean he would not still give it a try.

[last-czarnian]

futzyou:

Kate huffed, and narrowed her eyes, grip tightening on the bow. “For your information, I’ve already used demons for target practice,” she shot back, smirking. Hearing that he was from the Panel, that was only a little worrying. Technically, she wasn’t supposed to be out here, but what could he really do now? It wasn’t like back when Orse and the Strike Force ran things. He wasn’t going to arrest her right? 

She’d like to see him try. She wasn’t about to go down without a fight, but truth was, she didn’t really want to start one in the first place. “People call me Hawkeye,” she said finally, lowering the bow a little. Things were complicated enough without her picking fight with some crazy looking dude. “I’m the leader of the Young Avengers, and I figured if we’re gonna be stuck out here in all this futzing stuff,” she said, nodding her head towards the hellish landscape around them. “Then I should know about it. See what we’re up against.” She paused a second, finally lowering the bow entirely. “I don’t want any trouble, okay, Loby? But if you’re gonna tell me to go home or whatever, you’ve got another thing coming.” 

Oh boy, did she actually think she was tough? "Wow, impressive," Lobo commented, sounding far from impressed. "For your information, I've made some nice shish-ka-bobs outta those demons, and I can guaran-damn-tee I've killed way more of 'em than you have, sweetheart. When you're pretty fraggin' indestructible, it takes more than some lame-ass demons to do any real damage." Yeah, let her think on that one before she tried to make a pin-cushion out of him.

"Hawkeye, huh? And you lead the Young Avengers?" He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm gettin' a lot less intimidated by the minute here, babe. You don't exactly strike fear into my heart with any of that." He could understand her reasoning of seeing the lay of the land outside the city; Lobo himself was wondering just what was up out there. But he had come out to scope things out, not to bicker with some uppity archer babe. "Loby?" He blinked, hardly believing she had actually called him that. "You say that again and you're sure gonna get some trouble, honey. Do I look like the kind of guy who appreciates stupid nicknames?" (Receiving them, that is. Lobo loved to give them out to other people.) He really did not give a shit why she was out there. If she wanted to get killed by demons, that was her prerogative. But if she kept on bothering him, Lobo would seriously consider laying down the law. "I don't give a fuck if you wanna take your life in your hands. Be my guest. But if you keep givin' me shit, I ain't gonna be so kind." His hand hovered by one of his blades, showing that he was perfectly willing to back up his words.

[last-czarnian]

@sensctionalshehulk

So some resources had been found outside the city. Big fraggin' deal. Lobo could have cared less. Well alright, he cared a little bit, being as he had not wanted to starve if they ran out of food. But now President Doom and the Panel leaders were harping on about how those who could needed to do their duty and go out to retrieve the resources and bring them back for the citizens. Yeah right. Lobo was no fucking errand boy. If he went out to get some of the food, he would be getting it for himself and himself alone. Let the humans go get it themselves. Why should the "heroes" have to do everything?

Having just gotten out of some dumbass briefing concerning said resources, Lobo stood in the hallway of the Panel headquarters, smoking a cigarette and looking surly. Yeah, he was smoking inside. Right by a NO SMOKING sign, no less. Fuck your stupid rules, Earthers. Actually, he was really hoping someone would come and yell at him about it, because he was itching for a fight.

As it happened, someone did come along. It was that babe who got all green and cranky and liked to hit things. Really, Lobo should have gotten on fabulously with her, but then she was also a lawyer, and that was a bit of a turn off. Just a bit. "Hmph, so you gonna report me for violatin' the rules or what?" Lobo glared at her, blowing out smoke. "Just 'cause I signed up for all this shit don't mean I have to follow every little restriction. So feel free to report me, honey, 'cause if I get in trouble, I know I can always call you to get me off." He punctuated this last with a very pointed wink, then took another drag on the cigarette.