Oliver was speeding down the Starling City streets on his motorbike, his mind deep in thought. The last week had been... odd, to say the least. Being at home was incredibly uncomfortable with his mother scrambling to keep things running smoothly at the company and Thea still refusing to speak even a single word towards him. Things at the Foundry weren't much better either. Oliver had apparently spooked Lydia with his attitude, because the girl now seemed almost afraid to talk to him beyond the bare minimum necessary to operate on the field. She also seemed to be repeatedly throwing herself into work, whether that be extra nightly hunts or taking a bigger caseload at CNRI. It had gotten bad enough that Laurel had even called him because of it. Of course, Oliver hadn't really known what to tell her, so he simply reassured her that it was probably nothing. But deep down he was at a loss about what to do regarding both Thea and Lydia. And it was starting to frustrate him.
The buzzing of his phone in his pocket dragged Oliver out of his thoughts, prompting him to pull his bike over to pick up the call. His heart skipped a beat when he noticed it was from Thea. He forced himself to lower his expectations though. The chances that this was her wanting to reconcile were very slim.
"Hey, Speedy. What's up?"
"Raisa said I should remind you that you are supposed to pick mom up for lunch today." his sister's voice said on the other end of the line, sounding like the last thing she wanted to do right now was make this call.
Oliver's shoulders slumped a bit. Still, Thea was right, he did have a lunch planned with his mother that he had almost forgotten. He needed to hurry if he didn't want to be late.
"I'll head right over. Thanks for the heads up."
"Glad to know you can still make time for our mother in your hectic schedule." his sister replied drily.
"Thea wait, I..."
Thea interrupted the call before he could finish, leaving Oliver to stare down at his phone with a defeated expression. With a sigh he pocketed his phone, put on his helmet and started his bike back up.
When he reached the Queen Consolidated building his mother was already stepping outside, a man in a suit walking next to her and speaking fast. Oliver took off his helmet and dismounted his bike, giving his mother a smile and a waive. She returned the smile briefly before turning back to the man. Whatever conversation they were having, it wasn't one she was interested in continuing, because it seemed she had quickly shut it down. With the conversation concluded, Oliver began walking across the street to meet her. However, before he could reach the other side a motorbike came speeding down the street. Oliver barely noticed the rider raising a submachine gun in time to duck. But he wasn't the target. On the other side of the street his mother and the man she had been talking with had fallen on the ground.
"Mom? Are you okay?" Oliver asked as he rushed over to her, his heart pounding like a jackhammer.
Moira raised her head, clearly a bit dazed from the impact.
"I'm alright." she said.
"Are you hurt?" Oliver asked, quickly examining her for any injuries.
Apart from a bit of bleeding from a cut on her head, there didn't seem to be any. The same couldn't be said for the man she had been talking to, who was quickly losing blood to at least four bullet wounds.
"Are you okay, mom?" he asked again.
"I'm fine, Oliver. I'm fine."
With that small reassurance, Oliver jumped back up onto his feet.
"Call 911!" he yelled to one of the people nearby before breaking off into a sprint.
His eyes locked onto the shooter on his vehicle, a predator instinct kicking in. The shooter was faster, and with a motorized vehicle Oliver had no chance of catching up if this became an endurance chase. But on foot he was more mobile than the bike that required roads to drive on. And this was his city, his home, his concrete jungle. Making use of all the adrenaline in his body, Oliver dashed into the Starling City back alleys, eyes always tracking the shooter whenever the more open streets came into view. He was getting closer. All he needed was a way to stop that bike. Oliver made a quick sweep of his surroundings, his eyes landing on a metal pole sticking out from a pile of construction supplies. He grabbed it as he ran past, then threw it when the shooter came into view again, aiming for the wheels. The pole sailed through the air... and missed, Oliver still catching a glimpse of it sparking against the asphalt before a truck cut off his sight line.
Oliver cursed under his breath. It didn't help that a voice in the back of his head kept telling him that Lydia probably could have made that shot.
*
When he finally made it to the hospital, his sister had arrived and the doctors were already done examining his mother. They turned to look at him with differing expressions. His mother seemed relieved to see him, though her eyebrows still showed some worry. Thea in turn wore an expression of pure disappointment.
"Did you manage to reach Walter?" his mother asked.
Oliver shook his head. Whatever it was that had prompted Walter to take a sudden trip to Australia had apparently also made him very difficult to contact. Oliver was starting to think it was a miracle he had even managed to reach him for the fundraiser.
"As I was telling your mother and sister, the CAT-scan showed a grade two concussion." the doctor explained, showing them the scan in question.
"She can go home so long as someone stays with her to make sure there are no after effects."
Oliver felt like kicking himself. He should have checked her more thoroughly before running off. Of course a fall like that would have caused damage.
He managed to pull himself together enough to give the doctor a nod as he left the room before turning back to his mother.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you. I thought you were fine."
His mother shook her head slightly.
"What did you think you were doing anyway?" she asked.
"I wanted to get the license plate of the guy who took a shot at you."
That excuse sounded so hollow to Oliver's ears. But thankfully, it seemed his mother had believed him.
"Well, that was foolish."
"Yeah." Oliver agreed with a weak laugh.
"We're gonna let you rest for a bit, mom." Thea told her, before pulling Oliver outside with her.
"So, did you get the license plate?"
"No, he got away."
Thea shook her head and scoffed.
"Maybe you should spend a little less time trying to be a hero. You're obviously not very good at it."
"That's cute." Oliver replied.
"Wasn't trying to be." she fired back.
"You left her on the street, alone and hurt. In the street. To get a license plate?"
"You don't believe me?" he questioned.
Thea glared back, her gaze almost as cold as the waters around Lian Yu.
"How can you expect me to believe anything you say when you won't be honest with me? You tell us that we're important and that we helped you survive on that island, but then you won't spend a single second with us. You've already found a replacement for me, and now you left mom while she was injured to do god knows what. So how do you expect me to believe any excuse you give?"
Oliver was at a loss for words. What could he say? That he was trying to catch the shooter so he could tackle him off that bike? No, not only would that put the mission at risk, there was even a good chance Thea still wouldn't believe him. So he simply stood there in silence, watching her as she shook her head and went back into their mother's room. With a sigh, Oliver leaned against the wall of the, a hand coming up to rub his forehead.
"Rough morning?"
Oliver looked to the side to see Detectives Lance and Hilton walking up to him. Normally this would have been something Oliver wouldn't have been looking forward to. But ever since being acquitted and then the CNRI fundraiser a week later, Lance had become a bit less hostile towards him. Nothing too out of character, but it was enough for Oliver to appreciate and count his blessings. And Oliver was keenly aware of how good of a detective he was, so it was somewhat of a relief to see he had been assigned this case.
"You could say that. Do you have any leads on the shooter?" Oliver asked.
"Not yet."
"Did you get a good look at him?" Hilton asked.
Oliver shook his head.
"No. He was wearing a helmet."
"Don't worry. We'll catch him."
"My head of security is on the way. I was hoping you could coordinate with him, get men outside my mother's door. She needs to be protected." Oliver requested.
The two detectives shared a look. There was a silent conversation going on, one Oliver was not being able to follow.
"We'll, you know your family's at the tippy-top of my list of priorities. But the guy she was with, Paul Copani, he was connected. Mobbed up to the eyeballs connected. She wasn't the target." Detective Lance revealed.
Oliver blinked in surprise. His mother wasn't the target. And if the guy who was was a mobster, then that meant she had nearly been killed in the crossfire of an attack on the mob. He needed to get to the Foundry. If there was someone striking out at the mob, there was a danger of other people getting caught in the crossfire like his mother nearly was. But he could put a stop to that before it had a chance to start.
*
Diggle was really starting to get used to coming down the steps to the Foundry to the sound of grunts of effort and wrapped fists striking on dummies. From Oliver trying to unload his stress to Lydia apparently trying to punish herself, it seemed they were trying their hardest to exhaust their supply of training equipment before the end of the month.
This time it was Oliver, his face a mask of cold concentration as he rained down blows against the wood.
"Oliver, your mom was nearly killed. I think you can take a day off from training." he commented.
Oliver stopped and turned to face Diggle.
"My mother wasn't the target. This man was." he said, pointing towards the computers.
"Paul Copani. He was trying to close a deal with her when they got shot at."
Diggle nodded.
"Yeah, I know this guy. He works for Bertinelli Construction and Frank Bertinelli. Who just so happens to be the head of the Italian mob in Starling."
Oliver sent him a confused look, prompting him to elaborate.
"Lydia's been tackling organized crime lately. She figured with you handling the List, she might as well deal with some of the other problems in this city. According to what she's found, someone's been shaking the nest. Bodies have been dropping both on Bertinelli's side and on the Triad's."
Oliver seemed to halt for a moment. Diggle could see a mixture of pride and regret in his eyes. He eventually shook his head as if to clear it.
"Well, they've both got plenty of enemies. I've done some digging too." he said.
"The best way to figure out who's targeting Bertinelli's organization is to get inside it."
Diggle frowned. He was really hoping Oliver wasn't taking this where he thought he was.
"Let me see if I'm getting this right, Oliver. Your mother's shot at, nearly killed, and the way you process this emotionally is by going undercover with the mob?"
"I'm not trying to process anything emotionally."
"Maybe that's your problem, man." Diggle pointed out.
If there was one thing he had learned during his time overseas, it was that the downtime and the mental break it provided was just as important as the fighting. It was what made it somewhat manageable to keep the whole thing up for longer periods. He had managed to prevent Lydia from entering a self-destructive spiral, albeit barely, by asking to spar with her and getting to know her better. But ever since the youngest member of their team had started avoiding him, Oliver had no one to convince him to take a break and to lighten his mood. And Diggle was starting to see the signs that he needed it.
"You ever thought about just being there for your family?"
"I tried that today with Thea." Oliver countered.
"She told me I wasn't being honest with her, and she's right. I can't very well explain to her that I left our mother alone and bleeding on the pavement because I'm fast enough to almost run down the attacker. But I can protect my family. And when I find out who this guy is, he's gonna regret ever pulling that trigger."
He then put his clothes back on and made his way out of the Foundry. Diggle shook his head as he took a seat in front of the computers, beginning to organize things for Lydia's hunt that night. He had a very strong feeling that both archers had quite easy solutions for their problems. All Lydia had to do was actually have a talk with Oliver to realize that she had been forgiven and that he really wanted their old partnership back. And all Oliver had to do was ease up on the vigilante side of things in order to reassure his family that they truly were important to him. Of course, the hard part was convincing the two of that fact.
His attention was pulled away when he heard the door open again. He turned around to see Lydia coming down the steps, casting wary glances at her surroundings.
"If you're worried about running into Oliver, he's already stopped by and left."
He noted with a bit of sadness how her shoulders seemed to relax at hearing that.
"Alright. That's... that's good." she said before joining him by the computers.
"Any word on Bertinelli's crew."
"You might wanna pick a different target tonight." Diggle suggested.
Lydia frowned.
"Why?"
"Oliver's mother was in a shootout earlier today. The target was Paul Copani."
"Oh. Is she alright?" she asked with widened eyes.
"Yes. But Oliver has now placed his sights on the mob because of it. So unless you plan to finally stop avoiding him, I suggest you lay off the Italians for a while." Diggle explained.
"You got any other targets you were planning on going after?"
Lydia furrowed her brows in thought for a moment.
"I would go for the Triad, but with things the way they are now, I wanna be sure about what's going on with them and the Italians before making a move. And the Bratva isn't a good option. They're too valuable of a connection right now and we can't risk provoking them in case they somehow believe one of the other mobs was behind it."
Diggle could see the issue. With tensions running as high as they currently were, taking a shot at any of Starling City's criminal organizations could risk setting off an all-out mob war.
"You know what, how about you and me go for a few rounds of sparring? Maybe it'll help you clear your head." he suggested.
Lydia nodded and went to change into workout clothes while Diggle grabbed the escrima sticks for when she returned. If he were to be one hundred percent honest, Diggle felt more at ease when sparring with Lydia than with Oliver. Not because it was easier, despite her age the seventeen year-old held her own perfectly fine, but because it had a whole other dimension that simply wasn't there otherwise. When it was just him and Oliver it was pure training, plain and simple. But when Lydia joined in, it became... fun. The blonde girl always found ways to poke fun at them, to crack some sort of joke in order to lighten the mood. She got competitive, managed to push all three of them further while keeping a smile on their faces. Diggle was starting to suspect that, in a way, this was how she had fun. Truth be told, for a girl who had combat so ingrained into her body and whose closest female friend tended to work very long hours at a legal clinic, this was probably the equivalent to a shopping spree in terms of stress-relief. Of course, it had gotten less effective since Lydia started avoiding Oliver. But fortunately, it still managed to get at least a smile out of her.
"Aaaand... I win." she declared triumphantly as she delivered one final blow to Diggle's chest to end their eighth round.
Diggle staggered back a bit, rubbing at his chest where he got hit. But there was a smile on his face.
"Nice move. Who taught you that?"
"His name was Dick Grayson."
"He one of the people from the island?"
Lydia smirked.
"Not exactly."
Diggle shook his head with a chuckle. Of course it wasn't that easy. Before he could attempt to pry further, his phone chimed with the sound of an incoming call. Diggle shared a curious look before walking over and picking the phone up. It was Oliver who was calling.
"What's up?" he asked.
"There's been a complication. I have to stay at home with my mother. I need you to meet with Frank Bertinelli on my behalf."
Diggle frowned.
"Oliver, I don't really think sending your bodyguard to negotiate in your stead is gonna go over well with a guy like Bertinelli."
"I don't really have another option, Diggle." Oliver countered.
Diggle glanced to the side where a certain blonde girl was looking at him inquisitively.
"You could always send the Rogue to do some espionage. Stealth is her specialty after all."
He could almost hear Oliver's warring thoughts on the other end of the line.
"No. Lydia is already busy with her own targets and this is about my family. I don't want to bother her with this." Oliver eventually said.
"Oliver, in case you've forgotten, Lydia was already tracking Bertinelli's crew. If anything, she's more prepared for this than you are right now. Now, look after your mother and let us handle things for tonight." Diggle declared before ending the call.
"Looks like you can go after the Italians tonight after all. But it's your choice."
Lydia seemed to consider her options for a bit before raising her head and meeting his eyes.
"Keep an eye on my six. I'm gonna do a little eavesdropping on Frank Bertinelli."
*
If it were anybody else's home, Lydia imagined the level of security around Frank Bertinelli's mansion would have raised a couple eyebrows. Even then, this was sort of pushing the limits of the open secret that was his family's real business. But considering the circumstances, she couldn't really say it was unexpected. It did prove somewhat annoying however, since it meant she couldn't get that close to the house without having to take any of the guards down. Luckily, she had come with a few tricks up her sleeve. Picking a spot close enough to make the shot, Lydia nocked an arrow with a microphone attached and fired it, aiming towards the wall of Bertinelli's living room. Then, she turned on the communicator on her end in order to hear what was being said.
"This is getting out of hand. First Vincenzo, now Paul. The Triad needs to pay for this, Nick."
"We can't be sure this is the Triad's doing. They've reported losses to their organization too, and we weren't the ones behind them."
"Digg, who's the second man?" Lydia asked quietly.
"If I had to guess, Nick Salvati. Head of security for Bertinelli Construction, and probably Frank Bertinelli's right hand man when it comes to their unofficial business."
Right, Lydia remembered researching this man. She had decided to save him as a target for later because it would draw too much attention. Seeing as how he seemed to be keeping a cooler head than his boss, Lydia supposed that was a good thing.
"Well, who else could it be?"
"I don't know." Salvati replied before a buzzing noise interrupted him.
"Excuse me, I'll try to make this quick."
Lydia heard the sound of someone walking away, followed immediately by a new set of footsteps entering the room.
"Daddy, I'm heading out." a female voice said.
Lydia frowned.
"Digg?"
"On it." he replied.
"According to our intel, Frank Bertinelli has only one daughter. Helena Bertinelli."
Lydia nodded, though she said nothing. She remembered looking at pictures of the Bertinelli heiress, a beautiful brunette woman. She had also been dismissed as a target, though in her case it was due to her lack of involvement in her father's operation.
"Alright. Take one of the guys with you."
"I can take care of myself."
"I wasn't asking."
A few beats of silence followed, father and daughter probably having a silent argument the vigilante in blue wasn't privy to.
"Fine."
"Thanks, sweetie."
There was the sound of footsteps again before the voice of Nick Salvati returned.
"Sir, the Triad has agreed to a meeting. Now."
Lydia heard a sigh and the sound of a glass being put down.
"Alright, let's go. Time to find out who's behind this."
At that Lydia switched off the microphone. She then shifted her position and waited until she saw Frank Bertinelli walk outside and get in his car. Once he had, she shot it with a tracking dart before making her way back to her bike.
"Diggle, Bertinelli's heading out. I think he's going to meet with people from the Triad. Activate the tracking program and let me know once we've got a location." she requested. before starting her bike and driving off.
The tracking signal eventually led Lydia to one of many back alleys in the Glades. She left her bike behind and approached from the rooftops, making sure to stay out of sight. As expected, on one end of the alley was Frank Bertinelli, along with Nick Salvati and two other mobsters. Approaching from the other end was a group of Chinese men, no doubt the representatives of the Triad. And leading them was a woman with platinum hair that Lydia recognized very well.
"Thank you for coming." Frank Bertinelli greeted.
"Anything for a friend." China White replied.
One of the men beside her spoke up.
"We are not the ones responsible for the attacks on your people. We would appreciate it if you ceased your assault on ours." she translated.
Bertinelli scoffed.
"I don't care for your false accusations. These attacks on my business, on my family, they stop now. Otherwise, I'm coming for you."
Lydia could tell by her scowl that China White had been hoping for a different response, most likely a more submissive one. But it seemed she had no interest in pressing the matter further, instead choosing to walk away with the rest of her thugs.
"What does the Triad have to gain by provoking you?" Salvati asked.
"Well, no one has ever credited the Triad with rational thinking." Bertinelli pointed out.
"Maybe it's them, maybe it isn't. But when I find out who's behind this, there's going to be blood."
With that, he and his entourage turned to leave, though Lydia noticed Salvatti getting in a different car.
"Sounds like he's getting ready for a fight. Which might be hard, considering the current state of his organization." Diggle commented.
Lydia's eyes widened and a curse in Mandarin slipped past her lips.
"He's gonna need money. Which means he's probably about to tighten the noose on the people who owe him protection payments." she realized.
"Diggle, give me the locations of the establishments who pay for Bertinelli's protection."
"You can't cover all of those places by yourself, Lydia."
"No. But if I can intercept his enforcers, maybe I can prevent innocent casualties."
*
"Wow, this food is amazing, Thea! Nice pick."
Thea smiled at her friend, Margot.
"Thanks. I used to come here sometimes when I was younger." she said, leaving out that she had done that with Oliver and her father, usually after visits to the steel factory.
It had been years since she had set foot inside Russo's Italian Cuisine, neither her mother nor Walter having really seen a reason to go out to a restaurant in the Glades after the factory got shut down. But after today, she needed a place that held good memories, like the time she had "accidentally" splattered tomato sauce all over her brother. Not to mention, after having to argue with Oliver in order to get him to actually take his turn watching over their mother, she really didn't have the energy to go clubbing like she normally would. And besides, it was a good way to introduce her friends to another side of her life. Even if some were more enthusiastic than others.
"Well, I still think we should have hit that nightclub downtown."
"We already did that two days ago, Liz."
"We could also have gone to someplace a bit fancier. You know, more high society."
"Well, Thea was looking out for us by picking something within our price range."
That... wasn't really the truth. She hadn't picked Russo's because the price was more affordable for her friends. She had picked it because the food was good and the people that worked here were nice. And she really needed a reminder of happier times in order to keep from strangling Oliver after the stunt he pulled that morning.
"Anyway, I saw the news. Is your mom gonna be okay, Thea?" Margot asked.
"Yeah, she was just a bit shaken up. Oliver's watching over her tonight."
"Are you sure that's a good idea? What if he ditches her or something?"
A bitter laugh escaped Thea.
"If he does, then I will end him." she declared firmly.
"He'd definitely deserve it."
"Yeah. Especially with how often he ditches you for that other girl... what was her name again?"
"Lydia Rooke." Thea spat, the name feeling like acid in her mouth.
"Right. You know, I think I read somewhere that she was from the Glades." Margot commented.
Liz scoffed.
"Well, that explains a lot."
Thea frowned. What did Lydia Rooke coming from the Glades have to do with anything?
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Liz replied.
"She's trying to con your family. Probably seeing if she can make off with a chunk of the Queen fortune.
Thea's eyes widened in shock. That... that couldn't be true, right? Surely the rest of her family would have noticed it. Laurel definitely would have, she was always able to tell when someone was lying, the only exception being Oliver. If she vouched for this girl, then that had to mean that at least on some level she was a somewhat decent person. Not to mention that if her plan had been to get on her family's good graces, then the insults she had thrown Thea's way at the CNRI fundraiser were a terrible way to do it. Lydia Rooke may be the little Miss Perfect, feeling entitled to judge others just because she'd been a castaway, but Thea seriously doubted she was some sort of teenage con artist.
"I really don't think that's what's going on."
"You're the one who said he was trying to replace you." Margot pointed out.
"Yeah, but I really don't think she hangs around him for the money."
"What other reason is there?"
Thea could think of some. Maybe after five years with him, Lydia thought that she had some sort of right to keep butting into Oliver's life. Or maybe her brother had decided that since Thea had changed so much, he might as well get a new person who fit into his mold of the perfect sister. One who didn't question his comings and goings and who didn't hold him accountable for his flakiness. But she didn't voice any of those thoughts.
Thea stayed quiet for the rest of the dinner, her head too occupied with her thoughts to truly pay attention to what her two friends were saying. Her focus ended up shifting to the other people in the restaurant. As time passed the number of people began to dwindle, until eventually they were the only ones left.
"Hey, Thea, Liz and I are going for a smoke outside. Could you take care of the check?"
Thea blinked before looking at Margot,
"Uh, yeah sure." she said, letting her two friends before calling for the check.
As one of the waitresses walked over with a scowl, no doubt due to how long they had been at the restauring, Thea noticed three men coming inside and heading straight for Mr. and Mrs. Russo. They seemed to be having a heated discussion, the man at the front gesturing emphatically and with his jaw clenched tight, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. That is, until one of the men pushed one of Mr. Russo's wine bottles onto the floor and raised his voice.
"Going to what? Restock your bar?" he inquired before turning to one of the others.
"Break his fingers. And make it quick."
Mrs. Russo immediately reached for her husband.
"No! Please!"
"Break hers too." the man ordered.
Thea had no idea what came over her, what kind of stupidity possessed her and made her take this course of action, but she found herself standing up and raising her voice as well.
"Hey" Leave them alone!"
The three men turned towards her, almost like a pack of hungry wolves. And Thea was the deer caught in the open. She should have stayed quiet, should have just kept her head down and said nothing. But she couldn't go back now.
"Thea Queen." their leader realized, his face going from shock to a smirk.
"Grab her. Perhaps with her help we'll be able to convince her mother to reconsider our proposal."
The men began to move forward while Thea staggered back. It was pointless though. There was nowhere to go. With each step they took closer, one thought kept flashing in her head with increasing intensity: Oliver. These men would take her to god knows where and she may very well never see her brother again, all the while he would be left thinking she hated him. And while that had been her intention, it seemed like such a stupid idea now. Who cared if she had to share his attention with some other girl from the Glades? Thea just wanted her big brother back.
However, none of the men actually reached her. Before they could get close enough the lights went out. Then Thea heard a whistling sound and one of the men fell to the ground. There was something sticking out of his shoulder. A blue arrow. Suddenly, a dark shape emerged out of the shadows, tackling another man to the ground. After a moment, Thea realized that she recognized that shape. It was a woman, dressed head to toe in blue leather, a bow in hand, a quiver of arrows strapped to her back and a hood obscuring her face. The Rogue.
The vigilante didn't stop for a second, getting back on her feet immediately and lunging into a flying knee against the leader's chest. Thea heard him grunt in pain as he fell down to the ground, the archer in blue turning her attention back to the other two men. Before she could engage them again though, someone else entered the restaurant. Thea just managed to catch a glimpse of someone wearing a motorcycle helmet stepping inside and pulling out a gun before several loud bangs sounded and she was knocked down to the ground. Seconds later she noticed a burning pain in her right forearm, like someone had stabbed it with a glowing hot iron. When she clutched at it with her hand, her fingers came away covered in something sticky. Blood. One of the shots had hit her.
Thea tried to stay calm and remember the rudimentary first aid lessons they had been given at school. She kept her hand on the wound to put pressure on it and dragged herself backwards to lean against one of the tables. In front of her she could still see the Rogue, now facing the new attacker. She watched as the vigilante swiftly ducked under her opponent's punch before striking at the helmet's visor with the bow, smashing it in the process. She then removed the helmet, revealing the shooter to be a brunette woman. The surprise wasn't enough to stop the Rogue though, as she delivered a quick jab to the woman's face before following up with a side kick. As the shooter stumbled back she shot an arrow at her, the woman barely being able to avoid it as she ran out of the restaurant.
She watched as the Rogue moved to follow, only to stop and turn back towards her. As the vigilante began to approach, Thea was suddenly reminded of why the two archers had become so famous so quickly. They targeted the rich and powerful, the elites of society. In other words, people like Thea. Though, as she began to make an attempt to scramble away, she noticed the vigilante slowly putting her bow down.
"It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you." she said, her voice distorted to a strange pitch.
Somehow though, Thea found it reassuring. Enough that she stopped trying to move away and instead stayed where she was. The Rogue in turn continued to walk over, eventually kneeling down to examine her wound. Thea winced as she pulled her hand away to get a better look.
"It's just a graze. It might need some stitches, but you'll be fine." the vigilante explained, grabbing hold of one of the table cloths and using a dagger she kept on the straps of her quiver to cut pieces of it.
"Why are you helping me?" Thea asked, trying her best not to flinch as the other woman began wrapping the cloth around her forearm.
"I mean, you go after people like my family."
The Rogue stopped for a moment, what little Thea could see of her face twisted into a frown.
"I don't hurt the innocent. Whatever crimes your family may have committed, you had no part in it."
"Doing drugs and drinking alcohol at seventeen isn't exactly legal."
The Rogue's lips formed a smirk.
"Hardly feels worthy of an arrow though, don't you think?" she said.
"Still, it would probably do you good to drop those habits. That moment of relief is not worth the damage they do in the long run."
Thea let out a weak laugh. There was a lot more to it than just seeking a moment of relief, but she wasn't about to just spill her heart out to one half of the infamous vigilante duo. Instead she remained silent as the woman in blue stood up and walked over to the Russos to check that they were okay. Once she had made sure of that, she turned around to leave. As she did, Thea found herself compelled to speak again.
"Thank you."
The Rogue glanced at her over her shoulder, and Thea could have sworn she saw her smile underneath that hood.
"Try to stay out of trouble, Party Girl."