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Phantom perches on the edge of the rooftop, observing the alley below. There, the Red Hood was engaged in combat with nameless thugs of the villain of the week. Something about weapons trafficking, Phantom thinks they caught.
Red Hood disarms one of the thugs easily, swiftly turning their own pistol against them and shooting them in the thigh. They collapse with a cry just as a second thug goes for a slash with their switch blade. Red Hood dodges smoothly and uses the pilfered pistol to aim a shot at the other thug's shoulder and then knock them out with a heavy strike to the temple. He turns back to knock out the first thug who is still howling in pain on the dirty ground. He zip-ties the two thugs together in record time.
It's impressive.
Phantom watches with curiosity as the Red Hood then turns his head to address the last thug that's pressed up against the brick wall of the building opposite Phantom's perch. The guy's knees are trembling, and he's been slowly edging his way to the mouth of the alley in hopes on escape.
He looks young, even with the garter pulled up over his mouth. Phantom can tell the moment Red Hood notices the same detail. Red Hood's posture shifts subtly. His shoulders drop just the slightest bit, his body language beginning to project just a little more openness to the kid.
"Do you need help?"
The Red Hood's voice comes out modulated through the helmet. There's a static-like quality to it that Phantom isn't sure a regular human would be able to pick up. It's grainy in the same way Phantom's voice always seems to be when recorded, no matter how recent the technology.
This guy just keeps on getting more and more interesting.
Older now, Phantom's ghost sense has become more precise than in teenhood. Now, they can usually glean a little bit of information about a ghost or spirit that sets off their ghost sense—a ballpark estimate of the ghost's strength, maybe feel some runoff of the ghost's emotions or obsession. But tonight, something had set off their ghost sense in a way that was remarkably unlike anything they've ever encountered, while simultaneously feeling strikingly familiar. Phantom's ghost sense had moved through them like a deeply unsettling moment of deja vu.
As Phantom moved to track down whatever had set off their ghost sense like that, they hadn't known what to expect. It certainly wasn't one of the Bats. Since moving to Gotham, Phantom has been careful to avoid coming into contact with any of the resident vigilantes. There was no way they could have foreseen their ghost sense leading them straight to the Red Hood, one of the most infamous of them all.
And so, Phantom observes. The notion of another ghost vigilante—one that seems so solidly human—is staggering. Phantom watches as Red Hood sets up the kid with directions to a local hospice, one he trusts personally. Red Hood tells the kid to find him if he faces trouble with his gang, and the Red Hood will handle it. It's a kindness Phantom isn't entirely sure they'd have expected from the Red Hood. At this point, Phantom is unsure of what to think of the Red Hood as a whole. They look on as the kid takes the proffered roll of cash and business card for the previously mentioned hospice and bolts into the night.
Then, the Red Hood, who has had his back to Phantom throughout the conversation below, quirks his head to the side and pivots in a half turn towards the wall behind him. His posture changes once again to exude an even more intimidating aura, projecting energy Phantom can feel even from their position up on the roof.
His head quirks once more, this time turning up in Phantom's direction, as if he can feel their eyes on him. Phantom can feel their body seize for just a moment, despite their invisibility. While it's impossible to tell where he's looking due to the red helmet, Phantom feels as though the Red Hood's eyes are locked right on them.
Yet Phantom leans further over the edge, feeling inexplicably drawn in by the Red Hood's piercing gaze and powerful aura. Phantom can't help the pull of curiosity. But then, their feet shift on the gravel of the roof and the moment shatters. Upon hearing something on the adjacent roof, the Red Hood jumps into action, vaulting up onto the fire escape.
By the time Red Hood reaches the roof, gun drawn, Phantom is long gone. With a sharp exhale in frustration and a thorough scouring of the entire roof, the Red Hood continues on with his patrol—but not without a frequent look over his shoulder and the ever-present buzz of paranoia.