[ he hands her her phone he had also swiped off the table as if to say do whatever the fuck you want. there will be ambulances here in minutes anyway, and one of them might survive. only to get a lethal injection by an agent posing as a nurse later -- so really, does it matter? she can call the authorities to her heart's content. even if she recognizes him, which he doesn't think she has, at least not yet; any call of 'frank castle just shot up a warehouse in queens' will blend in with the riotous cries of his fanclub, still desperately hoping for him to announce that he's back in business.
he's not, this was just a one-off. save the girl, get back to his pathetic life. sounds delightful, doesn't it? ]
Talkative, aren't you. [ It's more flat than the usual, wry tone she'd use in any other situation, and not really even a question. She fiddles with her phone and thinks about calling Tony, but something holds her back. She also abandons ideas of calling the police, as much as it goes against her better judgment at the moment. His face keeps niggling at her; she's certain now that she's seen him before somewhere. It bothers her, it bothers her something fierce. ]
Do you think there are more of them? [ she asks instead, nodding toward the closest exit. ]
[ he shrugs, frank saves talking for when he needs to for the most part. save for a close few, and of course, the veteran's group. she doesn't call 9-1-1 which is surprising, but then she's asking a question he actually can answer. ] If there are, won't be for long. [ he's heading that way now, so she should probably get behind him in case there are. ]
[ Pepper pinches her lips together in a stern line, but the sigh still escapes through her nose. ] Somehow I figured you'd say that. [ But she hangs back and lets him go first, following as cautiously as she can a few paces behind him. ]
[ frank nods, drawing a gun and shoving the door open. he waves the pistol around but there's no one there. to be expected. what's not expected is the pit bull who knashes her teeth and barks fiercely at the pair. frank actually resists the urge to roll his eyes, holstering his weapon and holding out the flat of his palm for the scared dog. ] Fuckwits. [ kidnap a lady and you're already on his shitlist. abandon a dog and you're actually scum of the earth as far as frank castle is concerned. ]
It's alright, little lady, no one's gonna hurt you. [ he crouches down, averting his gaze so the pup doesn't take it as a threat. her growl slowly tapers off as curiosity gets the better of her and she takes a few shuffling steps forward to sniff at frank's hand. then tentatively, she licks him. real scary, assholes. ] Attagirl. We'll get you outta here.
[ he unties her from the post they'd anchored her to, clutching the rope by his side so the dog falls into step with him. he almost forgot pepper was there because dog but he does turn around to make sure she's still with him. ] Wanna ride home? [ his truck isn't far from here, almost like he planned it that way, heading in that direction. ]
[ Pepper waits for him to shove the door open and forge on ahead, gun drawn. She follows when the coast is, apparently, clear -- only to jump at the ferocious barking, biting back a startled little noise of her own. Should he try to approach it? Pepper hardly has anything against dogs, just not much experience with them; and this one looks a tad upset. But of course he works some magic on the scared dog and has the animal eating out of the palm of his hand, so to say.
The question surprises her, but she only hesitates for a moment. She certainly doesn't want to stick around here, and she now remembers where she'd seen him before: on TV, on the pages of newspapers. Frank Castle, the Punisher. Could this day get any stranger? Following the man and the dog, she remarks, ] Beats trying to hail a cab around here.
[ Of course she could finally call Tony. He'll be pissed she hasn't already, she's sure. But now that she knows she's dealing with Kamala's new friend, she feels obligated to try to... take stock of him, or something like that. ]
[ frank nods at her agreement, pointing out his giant black truck in the distance. predictable, maybe, but practical too. he crosses the street without checking to see if pepper will follow now, helping their new friend into the generous gap behind his seat. he finds a water bottle and helps her drink her fill before finishing it himself. dog germs don't bother this guy no way no how.
clambering up into the driver's seat, he buckles in and starts it up with a satisfying purr. he waits for pepper to get situated before weaving his way out of the alley and into the traffic at large. ]
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he's not, this was just a one-off. save the girl, get back to his pathetic life. sounds delightful, doesn't it? ]
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Do you think there are more of them? [ she asks instead, nodding toward the closest exit. ]
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It's alright, little lady, no one's gonna hurt you. [ he crouches down, averting his gaze so the pup doesn't take it as a threat. her growl slowly tapers off as curiosity gets the better of her and she takes a few shuffling steps forward to sniff at frank's hand. then tentatively, she licks him. real scary, assholes. ] Attagirl. We'll get you outta here.
[ he unties her from the post they'd anchored her to, clutching the rope by his side so the dog falls into step with him. he almost forgot pepper was there because dog but he does turn around to make sure she's still with him. ] Wanna ride home? [ his truck isn't far from here, almost like he planned it that way, heading in that direction. ]
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The question surprises her, but she only hesitates for a moment. She certainly doesn't want to stick around here, and she now remembers where she'd seen him before: on TV, on the pages of newspapers. Frank Castle, the Punisher. Could this day get any stranger? Following the man and the dog, she remarks, ] Beats trying to hail a cab around here.
[ Of course she could finally call Tony. He'll be pissed she hasn't already, she's sure. But now that she knows she's dealing with Kamala's new friend, she feels obligated to try to... take stock of him, or something like that. ]
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clambering up into the driver's seat, he buckles in and starts it up with a satisfying purr. he waits for pepper to get situated before weaving his way out of the alley and into the traffic at large. ]