11579/A Bat In Her Belfry

A Bat In Her Belfry
Date of Scene:	02 June 2020
Location:	St. Margaret's Church, Bushwick
Synopsis:	Nightwing and Dagger went their separate ways to get ready to get a bite.
Cast of Characters:	Nightwing, Dagger

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Nightwing has posed:
These are busy days for Nightwing. Of course, that is generally the case, given his perchant for moving around. Making regular appearances in Gotham and Bludhaven and even in New York, it keeps a fellow on his toes. And while Bludhaven may have been the receipient of most of his time as of late, he tries to make a point to visit all his varied homes from time to time. If for no other reason to keep up with both friends and aquaintances. Years in the hero biz have certainly left him with no shortfall of either, truth be told.

It is a warm evening in New York -- not so hot as to be unpleasant. But definitely a good night to be looking down upon the city from the towering rooftops above where a decent breeze stirs. While it is usually Titan's business that brings him back such is not the case this evening. Instead he has paused in his mission to check in with one of those acquaintances, picking his way to a particular church he has rarely had cause to visit. But he does this evening. Only a standout because of the surrounding buildings, he lands lightly on the rooftop, getting his bearings before seeking an opening to slip on inside, one more shadow playing in the darkness of the city.

Dagger has posed:
The church is dark within, all save the glowing of the angel that is Tandy Bowen. One half of Cloak and Dagger, the young woman is currently settled in a pew, eating a sandwich as she uses her powers to illuminate the area around her. She has been quite busy herself as she has taken down several gangs with her partner who has been looking to push the poison that is heroin on the streets into the veins of children and lost souls. Though they rarely get the credit, they work behind the scenes in the shadows of Hell's Kitchen and Mutant Town.

Their reputation is one of fear and panic. They are the angel with no mercy and the devil without a soul. There is several hits out on them, but those with evil in their hearts rarely think to look inside an old and abandoned church for 'superheroes'.

As she takes a nip of the cold sandwich, she lets out a soft sigh, glancing around their haunt curiously. "Cloak?" She calls out as she hears the noise of movement, then lifts her hand upwards to create a brighter pulse of light through the church.

Nightwing has posed:
Disappearing into the shadows is something that he excels at. Something that all the guardians of Gotham City seem to have a special gift for. While some of the criminals in that city might claim that there is something supernatural about that, the truth is simply that it is an acquired skill, something that has become instinct after all these years, all the opportunities to put it to good use. And so as the illumination in the otherwise deserted church increases, the dark haired young man instinctively does what comes natural -- he withdraws into the shadows, he watches, observes and takes note of anything out of the ordinary.

But not for long. He hasn't come to spy of Dagger or her partner, but to simply check in. He knows that Tim has run into them recently afterall, and with him being so busy with his own gang problems in Bludhaven it doesn't hurt to get an update on the lay of the land here. So as quickly as he recoils, he steps back out from his perch, dropping from the rafters above quite casually, the jumpline slowing his descent at the last possible minute to allow him to touch down lightly amongst the pews. "Not your partner, I'm afraid," he offers up with a brief, warm smile. "But not someone looking for trouble either."

Dagger has posed:
Dressed in a pair of snug jeans and a baggy white sweater, Dagger looks very much like your girl next door as opposed to a wild warrior on a quest for vengence. As soon as his voice echos through the church, it lights up brightly in a blinding glow, throwing both hands upwards over her head as she washes out the shadows. Now, there is no where to hide.

As she watches him, her hands draw down, squinting her blue eyes at him as she blows a strand of blonde hair away from her face. "Have you come to seek repent your sins and seek solace in the Lord's prayer? You'll be disappointed to hear that I am not his messenger." Her eyes fall upon his uniform, looking it over curiously. "You are Nightwing? One of the first Robin's?"

Nightwing has posed:
If living in Gotham, in Bludhaven, even in New York has taught him anything it is that no matter how much one shines a light into the dark, there's always places of shadow left behind. No light without the darkness, no darkness without the light, right? Fortunately the starlite lens inserts in his mask polarize to protect his eyes against the onslaught of light, though he still squints slightly, a small grimace on his face for a moment before it is smoothed away, leaving that easy smile once more.

"That's me,"He agrees amiably. "And all things considered I'm pretty fine with the state of my soul," he replies in turn. "And all appearances to the contrary, I'm well aware that you're not an angel." Angels and Demons? He has met his share. And while there may have been days when he might have wanted to unburden himself, this doesn't happen to be one of them. "You're Dagger," he offers up simply, dipping his head in acknowledgement of the young woman.

Dagger has posed:
Furrowing her brows, Dagger gives a nod of her head as the light around them subsides, though it still casts them in a lighter glow, one that is warm and open. Being a conduit of the living light, it's almost as if being bathed in the Lord's touch, if one was to make a comparison. That is, when she is not forming them into blades to slice through one's soul.

"I am Dagger, yes. My partner is not here right now. I believe he may return later. He just likes his time alone and his thoughts."

Rubbing at her arm slightly, she stares at him across the way, giving a lick of her lips in thought. "So .. what can I do for you, Nightwing?"

Nightwing has posed:
While the lenses definitely help, the dark haired vigilante is certainly not going to complain about the lights being turns down. At least a little. There's a fine line in the difference between blinding light and total darkness. All in all, he rather likes being able to see even if he has learned to function without sight when he needs to. He glances around the church for a moment, taking it in and trying to imagine operating out of this sort of place. Of course he grew up using a cave as a base of operations. And a 'T'-shaped tower isn't exactly normal either. It takes all sorts.

"Sorry to drop in unannounced," he offers up, finally turning his gaze back towards her. "I heard through the grapevine that you had had dealings with one of my friends and that you had been doing some good work here in New York. I don't get over here quite as often as I did, but I thought I would check in. See things for myself," he says by way of a quiet explanation.

Dagger has posed:
There is a shrug of Dagger's shoulders upwards. "There is an organization that is hiring local gangs across New York and Gotham to kidnap mutant children and traffic them to Taiwan. My partner and I have been on the hunt for the last several years, taking chunks out of their operations, as well as trying to rid the streets of the poison that is heroin and crack off the streets, to get them out of the hands of children. Our investigation led us to Gotham where we found one of your gangs in possession of several children. We took them down. The Black Clouds from Chinatown."

As she settles into a pew once more, she eases herself back in against it, picking up her cold cheese sandwich once more. "We have a mission to cleanse the world of these sinners. Those who harm children. The type of people that hurt Cloak and I when we were just two young teenange runaways, injecting us with synthetic drugs which turned us into this." She says as she holds up her glowing hands.

"Since they felt the need to turn us into weapons, we are returning the favor by bringing the fight back to them."

Nightwing has posed:
It is the sort of story he has heard before, far too often really, in his years first as Robin and now as Nightwing. Even as Batman for a time at that. Of course usually the story doesn't end with the teen getting powers and the ability to fight back mind, but the rest of it is still far too common. He listens intently to her tale, sitting down on the pew across the aisle from her, half turned in her direction at the very least, giving a little nod of his head but otherwise not interrupting.

"So I've heard," he agrees. "And increasingly making an impression. I'm sure my friend has already promised to let you know if he comes across any other leads in your case. I'll do the same. I haven't heard of anything like that in Bludhaven yet, fortunately. Trafficking in people is all too common of course, but not targetted that way. But still, if anything comes up I'll be sure to let you and your partner know," he promises. They are hardly the first heroes he's come across with their own personal crusade. Heck, he was raised by one of them afterall.

Dagger has posed:
Nodding her head, Dagger spins a blade of light about in her palm as she stares down at it. "Yes, I've spoken with the Red Robin. He and his partner The Gotham Beacon. We worked well together for the short time we were together."

As she rises upwards from her seat, she moves with the grace of a tiger. One who was raised in the halls of ballet. Confidence and ability. "And if we run across any dangerous clowns, I'll make sure to let you know." There is a bit of mirth in her voice. "But seriously, if you need some support, Cloak and I can be there in a heartbeat. He is a teleporter. No distance escapes us."

"Do you want something to eat? I think I have some cheese sticks and bottled water around here. I'm sorry if .. home isn't.. ah... very .. " She gives a motion of her hand. "Homeless superheroes carry light."

Nightwing has posed:
Handy that. He has access to the Justice League transporters of course, but it's not quite the same. Ahhh well. He has other things going for him and he does rather like his car. Driving isn't *that* bad. "That's decent of you. It's good to know that there are others out there that can be depended on," he says, dipping his head in acknowledgement. More allies are always a good thing.

In that same spirit he pulls out a cellphone from one of the compartments in his gauntlets, offering it up. "It's a burner phone. Untracable. If you need help, don't hesitate to give me a call either," he says quietly before that little playful smile reappears on his features. "I'm afraid I won't get here quite so quickly, but I'll definitely make sure I show up as quick as I possibly can," he promises.

The offer for refreshments draws a shake of his head. "I'm good, and please, offering to share with an uninvited guest is more then decent of you," he points out, waving the apology aside at once. "I suspect that this place rather suits you. Both you and your partner both, even if I just know of him by reputation," he says quietly. And Batman's extensive files of course. "But if you and him need a place to stay sometime don't hesitate to reach out. I have access to a few safehouses about town."

Dagger has posed:
"We are uninvited guests as well. At least for now until we move on to new spot." Dagger takes the phone from him and curiously glances down, then puts her contacts in under the name of: Tandy. "I've had worse attempts to get my phone number by the way." Her blue eyes gleam playfully as she glances up at him, brushing some hair back behind her ear.

As she hands the phone back to him, she says, "Living out here keeps us somewhat humble. Makes us connected to the streets and those who call it home. I suppose that is why we have continued to stay here even though we could easily hotel hop for free if we wished. We started out this life homeless, scared and alone of the big unknown and by some terrible fate, we have now found a purpose."

Looking around the church, she shrugs her shoulders upwards bonelessly. "But, it will be nice to have new friends. Cloak isn't as trusting as I am. His life is one of pain and mistrust. But .. I long for contact."

Nightwing has posed:
That draws a low, rich laugh from him, the corners of his mouth turning up wryly as he nods his appreciation. "I can imagine," he agrees with that ready grin. "I'll try not to abuse the trust," he promises lightly before offering up his number in turn before tucking the phone away again. They have other means of keeping in touch among the Bat 'Family' of course, but this is convenient for others.

The explanation for why they remain homeless makes him pause for a moment, to listen quietly before nodding once more. "Understood. You probably have a point. Sometimes roots are important. Where you come from," he agrees quietly. It's one reason why he has usually lives out on his own, why he stays in Bludhaven, in his apartment instead of Wayne Manor. Why he periodically tries to hold down a real job -- something that ties him back to the community he's trying to protect instead of cutting himself off like his mentor.

"Believe me, I know exactly what you mean," he adds quietly. It is very much the sort of thing that has occasionally brought him into conflict with Bruce. "If you need to talke sometime, well, you have my number now too," he says with a brief smile.

Dagger has posed:
"I mean .. you can if you want to." Tandy says in regards to abusing the trust. There is a flush of her cheeks as she lets out a low laugh. "I can't see myself complaining if you just wanted to talk, or hang out sometime either." Her lips hitch upwards into a smile as she rubs the back of her neck. Once she puts his number into her phone, she tucks it back into her pocket.

"So, got plans tonight?" She asks as she gives a glance towards the large boarded doors that leads to the church. "I don't know if you got any normal clothes with you but maybe we can grab some food around here? I'm starving for burgers."

Nightwing has posed:
Everyone needs to talk sometime, right? And it isn't always easy given the kind of 'work' that they tend to get up to. Not the sort of thing one can raise during casual dinner coversation, not with most people at least. One suspects that the occasional 'family' dinners at Wayne Manor might defy that particular convention but it is rare to have so many people 'in the know', all together on anything approaching a regular basis. Still, the corners of his mouth curl up into a faint grin and he dips his head. "I might just take you up on that."

Given that his intent in coming over to New York for the evening was to touch base with some of those that he knows and to maybe scope out new, potential allies, this does seem like the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. "As it so happens I know a great place pretty close to here," he says. "Unless you have a particular favorite. I'm down with trying something new," he offers up. "Give me twenty minutes? There's somewhere I can go get changed into something that won't stand out quite so much."

Dagger has posed:
"I'm willing to try out wherever you take me. It beats cheese sticks and sandwiches on stale bread." Tandy says with an embarrassed look on her face. "At least the church has a shower and a backroom to keep our stuff. But, sure, go do your thing. I'll rinse off here and put on something a bit more nicer instead of this." She says as she glances down at the worn jeans and a sweater. "Is this place casual or a bit nicer? I do have a dress that I haven't had a chance to wear yet since I don't get out often."

She is all warm smiles now, excited at the idea of going out, to be 'normal' and to not be bound to this church by her mission's anchor. She gives a glance towards the shadows of the church for a moment, as if looking for her partner, but when she doesn't feel his presence, or see him, she lifts her shoulders and heads for the backroom.

"See you soon. Do I just call you .. Nightwing?"

Nightwing has posed:
Well that settles things pretty easily. "There is definitely something to be said for a good ol' fashioned burger every once in awhile," he agrees with a grin, nodding his head as they make agreements to meet. "And don't feel like you have to go to any trouble. It's definitely a casual sort of place so really anything will be just fine," he assures her. "You might want casual just in case. Burgers aren't always neat, especially the way they make 'em here," he notes wryly.

With that settled he heads for the exit too, refraining from firing his grapnel and retreating to the rafters above. His mentor might be incapable of using a door, but he doesn't mind doing so from time to time. "See you in about fifteen," he agrees. "That might get us some looks when we're out and about. You can call me Dick," he suggests. And with that he is out the door and out into the night.