"Don't mistake my lack of showin' frustration for its absence," he says, letting her squeeze his hand. "But I also know about the story of the moccasins and the million miles. Or something like that." The idiom was something that more than likely wouldn't connect, but his demeanor at the very least didn't show hostility. Despite working on the side of the law, it was clear Mark had a particular interpretation of it that his contemporaries wouldn't agree with him on.

"Guess you should be lucky I was staking this out. Sieve's got a reputation for killing vigilantes." He let out a sigh, rubbing his sore jaw. "Let's make it back to my car. Think any other conversation we have would be better away from prying eyes."

Kokoro

Mark took a few steps, listening for any noise the roof might have to give them away. It wasn't too bad, so they could easily slip away so long as they kept low. Turning back to Kokoro, he started to indicate for her to follow only to pause at her explanation. And...well, he couldn't say he was surprised. There was an air of mystery to her the day he met her, and there was no way she was 'just a nomad'. He should know: he too moved around when on the search for something. While it did complicate things, at the very least he didn't have to worry about a knife in the back.

As she offered her wrists out he rolled his eyes, moving towards her. He would take her wrists, but instead of cuffing her he'd pull her in and plant a kiss on her lips. "Don't act so dramatic. Now's not the time for it. 'Sides, I'll cuff you later when no one ain't watching." It was a little hard to see, but he winked at her. Serious as the situation was, there was at least a little room for flirting now that they weren't pressured.

"We can talk more about all this later. My place? Ain't fancy, but at least there's cold beer."

Kokoro,

Now that Mark had provided the gravity of the situation, it was time to get to the brass tacks. Something that, regardless of how he felt, he had to carry through. He picks up a box of ammunition, setting it in front of her. "This is the caliber it takes. .22 is a small bullet, but good for starters. There should be a latch on the side to let you break it open. Load up, and I'll run you through how to shoot."

Mark indicated that the rear sight lifted up, the whole top of the gun rotating on a pivot that allowed the user to load the pistol. Nine cartridges could be held by the cylinder, and once ready Mark drew his own gun, setting himself up in a left-handed position as to better show Yoko what to do. "Alright, you want to be in a state of tense, but relaxed. You don't want to be too relaxed, 'cause then the recoil will rip the gun from your hands or bounce back and hit you in the face. 22 doesn't kick too bad, so you don't have to worry a whole lot about the recoil today. Likewise, you don't want to be too tense 'cause it'll mess up your shots. High volume is nice, but accuracy is even better. An inch could mean life or death."

Yanai Yoko

The bartender had come around with the stun baton, intending to hid Mark with it again once he was up. Unfortunately for him, Mark was faster on the draw, and with two bullets subdued the man. The first came from Wayward Son, shooting the baton out of his hand. The second came from the Carry, delivering a load of rock salt to the man's face. With that Mark turned, holstering the big iron as he started to replace the Carry's magazine with a different load while also avoiding another thug.

Sieve followed Kokoro's movements, the bat welding guy going down without much more fight. he dragged out the net a little more, looking like he had an opportunity, but as she double-jumped away the attempt to throw the net out to nab her foot failed. Upon getting hit, he would stagger and turn, attempting to wrap the netting around one of her swords, an action that would burn through the blade. "You're both too much trouble. Better to kill you now and hide your bodies than to expect trouble in the near future." He took a step forward, beginning to swing the net around and create enough length to create a rudimentary lasso, only for his body to tighten up and the net vanish after one of Mark's shots.

"Babe, we've got to go!" With the number of goons closing in Mark was anticipating a very rough night. Not just evading these guys, but putting Kokoro through an unpleasant grilling session. If she let him, he'd take her by the hand and begin pulling her towards the door, looking to make it out as unscathed as possible.

Kokoro

Mark shrugged, downing the rest of the drink and letting out a sigh. "Honestly? I dunno. After that other exercise Beta's having to go through a lot of rebuilding, so I'm taking the time to revise some of my traps. I have been employin' a few older, more experienced students to play as villains. I'm sure you could help in that manner, too." He brought the empty glass up to his lips, pausing briefly. What kind of drive was Mark even talking about, exactly? It sounded like a stupid enough excuse to get away from the group. Maybe he should just leave it at that.

"Probably better to let you make somethin' up, though. Just tell me the details of the lie, so we both don't look stupid. Whatever a 'drive' even is. Hero work here feel cramped. I ain't used to it." He looked back over at the bar, frowning slightly. "I also didn't think the bar would get swarmed tonight. Guess that's on me."

Penny ✾,lonewolf,Stellar,Ryota Hada,Lawbringer,Kazashi McCoy,Iphigenia Pavlina,Shirayuki Mai,

The air in the bar was becoming thick with tension. Even the bartender was reaching under the bar to grab hold of something, and Mark was certain that it was some kind of weapon. He set his bottle down, hand reaching into his jacket while the tell-tale click of a revolver made the bartender freeze. "You might want to stay out of this," he says, his voice low.

Sieve regarded Kokoro, reaching into his pocket to remove a pair of gloves. "I see. Then you will soon share something in common with him." As he put them on people around the room began to stand up. One or two had weapons, others like the man with the claw had obvious menacing mutations, a few others just looked rough. "Your boyfriend will share the same fate. You had the opportunity to leave."

Mark took in a deep breath, slowly letting out a sigh. If there was one thing he was getting more and more accustomed to while in Japan, it was fighting. What happened to just gathering intel, drawing the noose around a scumbag, and then trapping him? He never thought he'd say this, but he missed those days. Looking back over at the bartender, Mark picked up his bottle and looked it over. "Think you can put this on my tab? Hers, too. I'll be by to take care of the bill later, promise." And not the first time as in a single motion he threw the bottle at the closest combatant, drawing his big iron and putting a round into the clawman's...well, claw. While not the biggest threat, at the very least the shot would cause him to retreat to deal with the wound. Unfortunately, Mark's action cause the whole room to begin to move...

Kokoro