[Several thugs seemed to be up to no good at a park. One vandalized whatever was near them, while another started tampering with the light posts]
Robinson Park’s supposed to be closed. Instead I’m perched on the gargoyle above the fountain watching five low-lifes treat it like their personal playground. One spray-paints a crude owl on the war memorial. Another’s got a crowbar jammed into the base of a sodium lamp, trying to rip the wiring out for copper. The other three fan out, kicking over benches, laughing like they own the night.
Wrong night. Wrong city. I drop. My black and yellow cape snaps open, catches the wind and turns a thirty-foot fall into a whisper. I land between the vandal and the light post, silent, yellow boots kissing the wet grass.
The painter spins, can still dripping. He sees the bat-symbol and freezes. I don’t speak. I just smile under the cowl.
Five heartbeats later four are zip-tied to the same lamp post they tried to gut, stacked like cordwood. The fifth’s sprinting toward the trees. I fire the grapple and line goes taut around his ankle. One sharp tug and he’s face-down in the mud, eating dirt and regret. I crouch beside him, voice low.
“Tell your friends the park’s under new management.”
@nia-corthorne @belladonna-ismyfavoritecriminal @stargazingdustbunny