16041/Knocking on the Clocktower Door

Knocking on the Clocktower Door
Date of Scene:	08 February 2024
Location:	Barbara Gordon's Apartment, Clocktower
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Robin (Wayne), Oracle

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Robin (Wayne) has posed:
Gotham City.

Dour. Dreary. Raining. Depressing. The usual descriptors of such a city, yet once that light hits the sky? It's a beacon of hope to all the people who seek safe travel and safety in the night. To everyone else? It's a brutal warning to anyone who would try and shatter the law and oppress those who seek only peace. One such defender, Robin - one-half of the Dynamic Duo and the fifth to hold the title - is gliding through the air, his frayed black cloak helping him as he sails through the night sky.

Only to land on the roof of an old Clocktower, seemingly abandoned from the outside looking in. He starts to straighten out, his black and red tunic easily seen, the Red 'R on his chest and red gauntlets with knife-catcher blades along the forearm, similar to his father. Damian lifts one such gauntlet upwards, the domino mask failing to cover his scowl as he types in a code. Soon enough, plates shift and Robin jumps down the newly-created shaft.

Right into the primary room of the Clocktower itself and ironically, home of one Barbara Gordon.

"Barbara, you home?"

Oracle has posed:
Barbara is in fact home! And she's not even lurking in the shadows of her apartment, or buried up to her eyebrows in network cabling and server racks. She is, in fact, settled at her kitchen table. Not eating sugary cereal in the dark of the night though. She's got a cloth laid out, enough intricate tools to make a jeweler jealous, and a grapple gun that's at some point of being either disassembled or reassembled. She's dressed workout-casual, a plain grey tanktop and a pair of dark leggings leading down to squeaky white new running shoes... and with garish pink socks to add a little flare and fun.

She's not flailing to get the grappling gun back together, nor reaching for any of the various items that could be easily improvised into a throwing weapon to knock an intruder senseless... because, well, if anyone's getting close enough to enter her apartment, Babs knows they're coming. And thus, who they are. Plus, Damian entered the access code, so of /course/ he's someone who's welcome.

She looks up with a crooked grin and cries out, "Babs? Who's Babs?! I am... the.. uhhh... ghoooost! Of this haunted clock tower!! ...In the kitchen!"

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
When in doubt: ALWAYS enter any of the rapidly changing non-sequential access codes to get into Barbara's space. It helps avoid a grapnel gun to the face.

Nonetheless, Robin's full attention is on his surroundings. The young man's armored greaves silently step along the floor of the apartment. He notices the tools, the disassembled grapple gun, the spunky red-head in workout-wear with bright pink socks.

Sure enough, the Ghost of the Kitchen.

"Fabled across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the South Americas for your delicious ectoplasmic sweets, it seems we meet again, Clocktower Haunt." Damian suggests to her, a little smirk growing on his features. For as much as he was a carbon copy of Batman in a great many ways, at least Damian found his sense of humor. His hand lifts to tug his domino mask off of his face, revealing a cut just under his brow, as though from a punch or knife. "Think you can help me fix this?" He sniffs the air.

"Cooking anything interesting?"

Oracle has posed:
Barbara's nearly got the gadget back together, she's screwing in the final screws for the casing as she sighs out and looks up from the delicate operation and flashes a grin. "Oh please, I'm not feared /or/ famous in that many places, Damian. I'm not your mom." She huffs out a low breath and lifts the grapnel gun to sight down it like... well, like it's just a gun, aiming it up at the ceiling and lightly pressing the activator to test its range of motion.

Then she's looking back with bright eyes and an adjustment of wireframed glasses as she returns that smirk. "So! What can I do for you? If you lost in a sparring match with Jason or Bruce, I'm /not/ giving you an easy win to get your ego back up."

She sighs and shakes her head, "Really? Do you want a Snoopy bandaid? Like... did you cut yourself shaving? Were you attacked by like... Ivy's tiniest angry plant?"

She stands up smoothly, nearly springing to her feet, moving smoothly across the kitchen to a drawer she rummages in, actually looking for one of /so/ many first aid kits. "Oh! Just a chicken. Should be done in like half an hour and then I'll have it for dinner and leftovers I can shred for sandwiches."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
"A fact which I'm highly grateful." Damian and Talia don't have the /best/ relationship. Ever since Damian chose Bruce over her, the two of them have had the rockiest relationship imagineable. Additionally, Barbara is one of the only people whose company he actually enjoys.

"Damn, was hoping to take you down to the mat one more time." Damian jokes, surely, but he rests the domino mask on her nearest surface. "The HUD display is broken, noticeably facial recognition system." He tells her the problem ever so easily.

"Hah. Hah." Damian mock laughs at Barbara's suspicions. "Hanging out with Harley are we?" For bad jokes, but it's said in good natured fun.

"I might as well stick around then, if you don't mind me existing in your space. If it's too much trouble, you can just be my date for the next gala to pay me back for leaving me hungry."

Oracle has posed:
There's a little snort of breath from Babs as she sighs out, "Oh come on, she's like... one of the most polite terrifying assassins I've ever met. Like, I really feel like she'd be /quite/ solemn if she decided to murder me." She grins crookedly, "And hey, I'm sure if you get her a nice mother's day gift, she'll... appreciate it? Maybe?" Her shoulders lift and shrug helplessly.

And then her hips cock, her eyes narrow and she murmurs dryly, "Hey, maybe I'm just making you wait so you'll forget all my tells and then /I'll/ win the next dust up, chum." She laughs and shakes her head, "Well, yeah, getting hit'll scramble it pretty good. I'm sure it's fixable, might just take a couple days. But hey, that just gives you an excuse to come back."

Her head shakes side to side, "Oh, no, I haven't seen Harley in forever, I'm not sure how... y'know, /sane/ she is lately. Probably some level of it since I haven't heard anything. But c'mon, she's got another redhead to hang out with! And I've got another blonde! If Dinah ever gets back into town."

She rolls her eyes and snorts softly, "Hey, I'll feed you just to /avoid/ being dragged to a charity gala. So many speeches. So many camera flashes. Such a high likelihood of armed robbers trying to hold everyone hostage. That's more fun to show up to in costume than in a side cut gown where I'm not sure how high I should risk kicking."

She gestures grandly with a bright smile, "But hey, I've got plenty of room, so you can stick around for dinner, or stay the night. I'm sure I can find somewhere to stash you."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
"We both know I'm not going to forget your tells anytime soon. I don't forget things." Damian is /smart/. Too smart for his own good even. He's memorized most of the Bat Families fighting techniques, including Barbara's own. "But good luck in advance with the next dust up. Don't be mad if I pin you again." Damian smirks, though as to his mother? Damian seems to frown momentarily. "Last thing my mother ever did for me was point me in a direction to start killing people. And when she showed up at the Manor recently. I love my mother, but she's...not right."

Ironic for Damian, considering he's shown sociopathic tendencies in the past, but at least he's getting better socially and in terms of his mental health. Arms cross over his chest in response to a cocked hip. "Wouldn't mind coming back, or staying here for a few nights to have some of your cooking. Figure it's not right to put you on a couch-" joke. "So I'll take the floor." He lifts his shoulders in a light shrug, but his friendliness still remains. "I'd keep distance. She's nice in small doses. Long periods? Harley is too unpredictable." He shrugs again. "Dinah's cool though." he's run some old with her.
f She has a cool bike.

"You and me both. Bruce is dragging me to one and fortunately, I don't love the whole model thing he substitutes for publicity. So I'd rather go with someone I know." But he seems to be okay with it if Barbara says no. "If it helps, I always bring the utility belt."

"But seriously...I appreciate the hospitality. You've been well?"

Oracle has posed:
Babs sighs and rolls her eyes, "Yeah yeah, scion of a guild of assassins, fine fine... well... I'll still kick your ass at Tekken." She smiles just a touch more genuinely, almost gently really and nods her head. "Well, hey, if she's shown up at the manor again maybe she's trying to turn over a new leaf or something. That or she has some sort of scheme... so uhhh... yeah, feel free to stay over here. That sounds /stressful/."

And then Babs is back to grinning walking over to give him a solid little thump on the shoulder, "Even if you /do/ pin me. I won't hold it against you. And please, you /do/ realize I've got more rooms here right? Like, you can borrow one of the guest rooms, I bet Cass hasn't even booby trapped all of them."

She sighs and rolls her eyes, "Fine, fine... but I'm treating myself to a /really/ nice gown. And accessories. And shoes. And a little clutch that can hold at least three batarangs and a taser."

she grins and nods her head, "Yeah, I've been good. A little too good, really. Mostly focusing on digital crimes, which means I'm getting soft... distressingly literally. Going to have to hit the gym. Thankfully I've got my own, right?"

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
"Pretty sure she has some sort of scheme." Damian remarks with a sigh. "As much as I would wish to see her change...she and Ra's are too much alike. Always an angle. A deep purpose to everything they do." He sighs softly. "Thanks for letting me crash with you. At least if I sleep here I know I won't get a dagger to the throat." Damian remarks ever so softly, sadness in his eyes.

Then he's being thumped on the shoulder! A gesture he gives her right back just as playfully - maybe a bit softer in an unconscious flirt - but he repays the contact all the same. "I don't trust Cass to /not/ booby trap all the rooms. Besides, if I find a place with the most exits, I can better be ready for infiltration defense. I already don't sleep great as it is." Damian shrugs. But she agrees to be his date for the upcoming gala.

"Deal." Damian actually flashes a charming, warm smile. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't bring a small armory with you. I'll pick you up when it's time. Thankfully - hopefully - we don't have to stay long." He might as well be praying right now that he doesn't have to wear one of those monkey suits too long. Tekken? "You will." Because he's shit at video games, but he tries!

"Well maybe we can get you up to form while I'm here. Figure I can pay you back somehow."

Oracle has posed:
Barbara nods and hums softly, "Well, I'll put in a grocery order for tomorrow too, so we can eat like... you know, Alfred-insisted levels of healthy. high protein low carb blah de blah." She sighs out and pouts, "I mean, I guess I /have/ been having enough cheat days lately that... like, once you hit over 50% they're not really /cheat/ days anymore, just days. And promise, no daggers."

She narrows her eyes at that lighter punch, not so much in an 'I know that's flirty' way as a 'Hey, that better not be because you think I can't take harder'. Oh that Babs, always ready to prove herself.

And then she's grinning wider, "Oh no, I imagine just long enough for the whole parade across the red carpet and then once they're like three speeches in or whatever it's usually a good point to sneak off. I mean, Selina never sticks around for those full events, right? And we can both be /way/ less noticeable than her, so we can sneak out and get out of the social camouflage."

She grins crookedly and rolls her eyes, "Hey, my form is plenty fine! I just need to cut back down to fighting weight. Remember what 'cardio' is. With Cass and Steph not around as often as they used to be when they were the /newbies/, I don't get as much sparring in as I used to is all."