8/22 Instance: CindyLou, who?

[puppygirl]

Timeline - any point during the week before 'Bicycle Race Riots'

Raven patted her hair one last time as they stepped out of the taxi, freshly blond and the fact that she had aged was the only for of disguise she had now. She took a deep breath, she was being silly, there was no way anyone would know her here, Tennessee was a long way away.

"So ... the 'Hellfire Club'?" She turned to her compainion, "sounds positivly delightful, you're sure it's not an S&M bar?"

"'nly on soome nights." Jason promised, smirking over as he stepped out as well, dusting himself off out of habit. "Consider it a treeat? It defin'ly has it's moments." He smiled up at the entrance as he led the way inside.

"I certainly hope this is not such a night," Raven sniffed, following his lead, "so this is where you've been bettering your situation then? I must confess it does sound like a useful establishment."

"It keps me employed and sure as hell gives me bedder connec'ions." he smirked. "But even Ai dry ta avoid that kinda night without some more impordant business ta 'tend ta." Jason shrugged as he held the door open. "Ya'll be surprised."

Raven smirked a little as she peered about the room ... well ... to be honest, she was a little disapointed, the well heeled dotted about in small groups discussing matters of (physical) love and money with well proportioned and pratically naked waiting staff moving allmost un-noticed between them.

"... Interesting, to say the least."

"Yeah...between you 'n me dis is da borin' room." He admitted, still grabbing two drinks and offering one to her.

Raven smiled, taking the offered drink, "So what are the less boring rooms like then?"

"Well, de might not be fun fer everyone but Ai enjoy dem more business orientated and such tings."

"Ahhh ... doesn't really sound like my cup of tea," Raven shrugged, "So how is the buisness side comming along for you then?"

"Well...did get me a trip ta Cairo Ai didn't really enjoy but oder den dat it's been payin' off pretty well." He raised his glass to that. "Ya'd be surprised what comes up...ya'd probably get a few offers once dis whole powers ting clears up...put me out of work for a while dere."

"It'd be nice to have money again," Raven said, looing down into her glass and swirling the amber liquid around.

And speaking about money ... CindyLou sighed irritably to herself as she scanned the room, there was absolutly no sign of that Shaw character ... what a disapointment ... a wasted trip!

"Speaking as som'ne who grew up inna home where his father got paid wid a deer fer funeral service, yes, money is a nice ting." Jason chuckled, kicking back his drink to that.

"... Deer?"

"Da wrong kinda buck."

CindyLou swept past the young couple, mmmm venison ... and then stopped at the sound of the young woman's voice, the accent ... it had aged somewhat but ... "Raven?"

Well, that caught Jason's attention. "An here Ai tought Ai was doin' da introductions."

Raven's hand on Jason's arm turned into a vice grip and her eyes bulged slightly out of her skull.

"Raven?" CindyLou moved around to look at the girl, stareing at her for a few seconds and for a moment a look of pure annoyance crossed her face before being smoothly replaced by one of complete happiness, "Mah dear chil'!"

Oh this was not a friendly gripping. This was not a friendly gripping at all. Jason felt as if his arm was going to fall off but he kept his mouth shut on that front. "Friend o' yers?"

"More than a friend! Mah dear gal, ah've been so worried 'bout ya!" Said CindyLou, positivily oozing delighted old-southern charm.

"...you're kiddin' me." Jason was definitely intrigued now. He tried to mind his own business but, as that usually goes, it just wasn't happening.

"But ... but where have ya'll been all this time," CindyLou grabbed Raven's cheek and pinched it hard, the girl flinching back almost immediatly, "all these years ah've been lookin' fer ya, we all thought ya'll'd end up dead in a ditch or somethin'!"

Raven's lips drew back in an almost feral snarl, "Yeah, bet you'd love that to have happened," she spat out before moving to half hide behind Jason.

A look of pure wickedness crossed CindyLou's face before turning into a hurt expression, "Y'all are so cruel t' ya poor auntie, Raven dear, she just wants the best fer ya ..."

Well, it didn't take long for Jason to jump to conclusions. He wasn't one to see the good in people, after all. "Well, Ai'd say she's managed pretty well o'er all. Wouldn't ya say?"

"Makin' me worry all these years," CindyLou continued like she hadn't heard Jason, "all these question, 'How did ah go so wrong? Why did the poor chil' run away from me?' Ah know mah home ain't as grand as what y'all're used t' back home but still, weren't that bad dahlin'?"

"And you can go on wondering," Raven tugged on Jason's arm, "I'd like to go, now please, my dear?"

"So soon? But we've got so much to catch up on, chil'," she gave Jason an winsome smile, "Y'all ain't even told me what yer fine young man's name is?"

Jason swallowed the protest. "Whenever you want." This was...Jason was going to be wondering about this for ages, he just knew it. He gave Raven a look, trying to communicate the fact that he expected an explanation.

"I want to go, now please, right now," Raven tugged a little harder on Jason's arm, he could have all the explanations he wanted if he could just get her away from this horrid woman.

CindyLou's expression was unreadable, but her mouth opened in a sad-looking smile, "Well, if that's what y'all want, Raven ... I won't even tell Marcus ah saw ya-"

"Ha! Bet you won't!"

"But ah'm sure we'll bump into each other again soon ... now I know y'all are in New York," CindyLou continued like she hadn't been interupted, "Good evenin' t' ya both."

Jason did not need to be tugged harder, coming right along with her. "Well, dat was layered with such false sincerity and veiled threats dat Ai'm expectin' quite da story from dis Ai didn't realize you had family left."

"That ... creature is not my family," Raven spat, "is there a back way out?"

"Dere's a backway out of every place." Jason assured her, taking her to his particuarly favourite exit for a needed escape.

CindyLou watched them leave with a sickly sweet smile before easing herself back into company, the boy had the look of a club regular ... it shouldn't be to hard for her to find out who he was, and once she had him, she had her. Things were starting to look up after all, the good lord provided ...

Raven didn't say anything else untill they were outside, and once they were she threw her head back and swore, "Fuck! How well known are you in that place Jason?"

"...pretty well known." Jason admitted, glancing behind her. "Ai've been in for a while now."

"Double fuck, they know about the school too?" Raven asked as they made their way quickly to the taxi stand.

"Not e'eryone. Da ones dat do shouldn't talk about it ta just anyone though." He bit his lip though, not quite sure on that front."

"Thank goodness for small mercies," Raven groaned as they slid into a taxi and she slumped down in her seat, "Sorry for ruining your evening back there Jason."

"No...no not at all. I dare say you've given me things to think about."

"And ask me about?" Raven said, managing to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Oh yeah, yeah I tink I would like ta know what dat was back dere."

"That was my mother's younger sister, CindyLou Hopkins," Raven tilted her head back against the seat as she thought, well, Jason had been dragged into this now and forewarned was forearmed, "and would you believe she tried to kill me?"

"...Yes, yes Ai would...anyone wid dat name'd be a murderin psychopath."

"Well my mother was MaryAnne," Raven shrugged, "I'm half-american, my mother was sent by my grandmother to school in the UK when she was eleven, all thanks to CidyLou," Raven shook her head, "she's, as my father would have said, a fuckin' nutter. A complete sociopath, you know she single-handedly caused my grandmother to completly reject my mother? Even to the point where my grandmother cut her out of all the photos in the family home."

"Sounds absolute'y charmin'" Jason found himself looking back just to make sure there was no crazed old woman trailing them.

"Yeah, she is, I never even knew I had an aunt untill after my father died," she sighed, "she was my only living relative and insisted that I be shipped out here to her," Raven pinched the bridge of her nose, "my family was wealthy you see, very much so. She hoped that as I'm under twenty-one, as my legal guardian, she'd be able to sieze control of my funds."

"Fortunatly, my father was smarter then that, everything is being held in trust for me untill I come of age, and it's air-tight, the most she gets is a monthly maintainance fund."

"Ahhhh, an hence murder. Makes sense at least." He shrugged...but what da hell is she doin' here?"

"Yes, if anything was to happen to me, she'd get everything. Her plan was to leave me home alone and pay someone to stage a botched burgulary and slit mine and my sitter's throats, fortunatly I over-heard her planning and made good my escape." She bumped the back of her head against the back of her seat, "and I wish I knew!"

"I've been dropping calls every six months to Marcus ... that's my family's lawyer back home, telling him I'm still alive. After a certain time period has passed with no word from me I'd be presumed dead and the witch would get all my money anyway, I guess since so many calls have been recived from New York she decided to come and investigate in person to see if she can't finish what she started."

"...dat does make sense...an it's piss poor timing too." he groused at the last part. "It'd be easy 'voiding her any odher time, wouldn't it?"

"Oh yeah, why do you think I altered my appearance so drastically, and was posing as a smelly, retarded tramp the first time we met? I've spent the last three years staying one step ahead of her and now she's netted me ... I just hope that you're right and no one tells her about the school. There's no point in my even trying to run without my powers, I'd be caught within a month and shipped back to her tender, loving care."

"I tink we cain see to dat not happening...we'll have to keep on da look out though." He admitted, not approving of it one bit but naturally leaning towards paranoia as it was.

"I'm used to looking over my shoulder," Raven was also naturally inclined towards paranoia, "well I guess I needn't worry about keeping up my roots," she tugged a strand of blonde hair, "it didn't work."

"I tink we cain see to dat not happening...we'll have to keep on da look out though." He admitted, not approving of it one bit but naturally leaning towards paranoia as it was.

"I'm used to looking over my shoulder," Raven was also naturally inclined towards paranoia, "well I guess I needn't worry about keeping up my roots," she tugged a strand of blonde hair, "it didn't work."

"Yeah...both of us bein' depowered at da same time definite'y not good fer hiding you, is it?"

"Most definetly not, I'll just have to hide out at the school and watch any grassy knolls," Raven managed a small smile.

"So business as usual den?"

"Indeed, busness as usual." Raven agreed.