12839/Meet the Pare-- oh.

Meet the Pare-- oh.
Date of Scene:	14 March 2021
Location:	Interior - Wayne Manor
Synopsis:	Phoebe meets Batman's alter ego. It does not go smoothly.
Cast of Characters:	Red Robin, Sparrowhawk, Batman

---

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake would have talked to Bruce and Alfred, wanting to set up Bruce meeting Phoebe in a more social setting. Alfred has met her and helped her with a bit of training for aa charity event a while back. Tim is driving one of the sports cars tonight, top down, since the evening is a bit warmer than normal. He pulls up the long drive and up to the front of the mansion. Since he is only planning on being there a couple hours, he is parking out front not in the garage.

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    And Phoebe was not a bit nervous, nope. Not a little. Meeting Bruce Wayne? Pfft, what's to be nervous about?

    ... only everything. So she was wearing a nice cocktail dress in a demure blue, stockings, heels, her hair straightened and put into a french curl with a silver clip. and she takes a deep breath as she looks up to the mansion. Wayne Manor. Yeah, not intimidating at all.

    "... I dunno if I can do this, Tim."

Batman has posed:
With Alfred having set up dinner ahead of time in the form of ribeyes, mashed potatoes, salad and other fixings, Bruce has spent most of his day managing several calls with executives at Wayne Enterprises, and a few more personal calls with Commissioner Gordon with a voice scrambler.

Currently in the living room settled on one of his large couches, he is watching the daily news with a critical look in his blue eyes. Not that anything was a surprise for him, but he likes to see what type of narrative if spun by the media. Another day, another break out in Arkham, another murder in the worst parts of town, and another bank was robbed.

As he hears the rumble of the car out front, he rises upwards and heads to meet them. Today, he is wearing a crisp blue suit, a dark tie and well polished shoes.

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake is dressed nicely as well, red and black as normal for him. He moves to offer her his arm. He leads her up the stairs, and will smile as Alfred opens the door as they get to it. He offers a smile and greets the older man, with a smile, and says "Hope your doing well tonight. The dinner you send me home with was appreciated." He offers letting Phoebe go more into that if she wishes.

Sparrowhawk has posed:
     Ribeyes, likely with a vegetarian-friendly dish for Phoebe.

    The young woman gives a bright smile, greeting Alfred in a friendly manner. "Alfred! Thank you again for sending along the marsala. I can't tell you how much I appreciated it after working all day." she smiles up to Alfred, holding to Tim's arm. Cheap cubic zirconia in rose gold sparkle at her ears, but it's clear that Phoebe is nervous.

Batman has posed:
As he hears the voices being greeted by Alfred, the presence of Bruce Wayne can be seen making his way through the hallway. He is currently tightening his tie a bit more so that it sits perfectly flush against his chest. As he settles his eyes on Tim and Phoebe, he gives a smile at the couple, followed by a clearing of his throat.

"Tim. Miss Beacon. A pleasure to finally meet you. Come on in, Alfred has prepared a nice meal for all of us. Would you like anything to drink?"

He isn't as intimidating as the Dark Knight when he is in the public eye. He has to play the role of the playboy socialite. Put together. Sane.

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake looks over to Bruce, and smiles "Hello Bruce, hope your day has been going well." He gives Phoebe's hand a soft squeeze in reassurance "I am glad you had time, I was hoping to get you together to get to know Phoebe a bit better, she has met most of the rest of the family." He offers to the elders of the family.

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    "Good afternoon, Mr. Wayne." Phoebe states in a quiet, almost timid voice. Her hand squeezes Tim's back as she gives a nervous swallow. "Thank you for extending the invitation. It's nice to meet you in person."

    ... without weird things going on in the background.

Batman has posed:
"It is good to meet you too." Bruce says as he reaches out to take Phoebe's hand for a quick squeeze and a shake. "Come in and make yourself at home. Get a drink. Relax."

It's not an order, but it's a strong suggestion.

"Have you two had a good weekend so far?"

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake nods, and says "Yea, we have been doing pretty well, we went and helped out at one of the soup kitchens in town last night. Phoebe makes sure I get away from my video games and get out there and help people." He smirks a bit.

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    If by 'helped out at one of the soup kitchens' Tim means 'attended to a break-in in progress and stopped some junkies from stealing the career center's computers', then yes. They helped at one of the soup kitchens...

    Phoebe gives a bright smile, her grip firm, like she's making a case for her own employment.

    In a way, she is.

    "And occasionally remind him to eat something when he gets focused on research." she adds lightly.

Batman has posed:
"Well, it's a good thing Alfred cooked us quite a meal tonight." Bruce says as he motions them towards the kitchen as he starts for the large open dining room. He gives a nod to the aging butler as they pass, then takes his seat at the head of the table. He picks up a pitcher of ice water and fills a glass for himself, then one for Tim, then Phoebe.

"You know I have never approved of you playing video games all day, Tim. It wastes potential." As always, there is that 'slight' critque he injects into every conversation when it comes to one of his Robins. He levels his gaze at the young man for a long moment, then looks at the food that begins to arrive.

"Help yourselves. Ladies first." He says as he gives a smile towards Phoebe.

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake will hold a chair out for Phoebe, and looks to Bruce, and says "And I still say it is a useful tool to keep an eye on a community that often gets over looked." He will defend himself once, but does not seem to be trying to argue. He takes his seat, and offers Phoebe a smile and then looks over to Bruce. "Anything interesting been going on with you of late?

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    "Good evening, Alfred!" Phoebe greets the Batfam GrandDad with friendly familiarity (because who else in the family would have advised her on proper table decorum, Tim? Dick?), and Phoebe is seated at the table. She takes a few small items of animal product to be polite, and is very thankful at the amount of vegetarian friendly fare that may appear. "Thank you." she states quietly, folding her napkin and setting in her lap with a stiff, practiced motion.

    She keeps her eyes to the table a bit.

Batman has posed:
"Tim, trash talking with children on the Internet is not really keeping an eye on things. They have cyber investigations designed to go after actual bad guys, not kids cheating on video games." Bruce says with a stern tone in his throat as he waits for Phoebe to be served first. Once done, he tucks himself into the food to serve himself a thick platter of ribeyes and salad.

"Yes. I have came upon an artifact that Catwoman and her henchman was trying to steal. It shattered in half and released some type of Native American spirits with poisoned weapons. I was able to create a serum to save her life when she was stabbed. Once I was able to enclose the artifact and render it useless, the spirits went away."

"I am currently trying to locate where it originated from so that I can dispose of it properly. It appears cursed."

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake nods, and says "I do still need to work on making some more contacts in the magical community, it is one of the places it is hard to get the right in." He admits to them. He looks over to Phoebe, and says "Phoebe did a lot of the work dealing with that demon that was trying to copy Catwoman a while back, while you were away."

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    Phoebe was not ready for the conversation to switch so quickly. She coughs a moment, ehr eyes going wide before she blinks, and takes a deep breath.

    "I would hardly call an accidental encounter with her in New York City and a subsequent encounter here in Gotham 'the work'. I simply found out that hte panther was weak against my weaponry and nearly got myself arrested in the process."

Batman has posed:
"Nearly isn't actually, so enjoy the win while you can." Bruce says as he takes his knife and fork to slice through the meat and takes a piece to chew thoughtfully for a few moments. "I suppose I could reach out to some of our contacts on the Justice League such as Hellboy, or Zatanna. They most likely have the insight that I could use to figure out what to do with this next. I'd like to destroy it, personally, but not if it has greater consequences."

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake nods his head and starts to eat as well. "Well the only two I really have any connection with is Constitine, who I think is more a last resort option, and a girl by the name of Willow, I was actually looking at her for the outsiders, but she has not been around much.

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    The two have steaks. Phoebe has a very large salad with a little piece of meat. She takes a deep breath.

    "I could try focusing my own powers more on it. The light staff is able to affect the panther, and I was able to grand Catwoman some measure of relief, temporarily." she frowns a moment as she stretches her fingers.

    "Admittedly my knowledge in demonology is pretty theoretical -- but if it's an actual demon, would it be possible to capture and contain using magical circles and some kind of bauble, rather than destroy if the concern is harming the subject or worse after effects?"

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake looks over to Phoebe, as Bruce excuses himself for a call. "We have had some dealings with it, but to be honest, if your not an expert in that type of thing it seems you end up causing more trouble than you get rid of. It is part of the reason, even some of the larger hero groups if they deal with magicians, they call specific people in.

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    "That's... kind of why I as asking, but yes, thanks, glad I can continue to be only marginally helpful." Phoebe replies in a dry tone to Tim, and she aggressively staps a tomato in her salad. "... I'll get over it." she adds in a softer tone, her eyes still down on her salad.

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake looks over to her, and says "You are more than marginally helpful hon, and you did the right thing even there. Asking more than just trying it. " He offers her and says "You may have a better nack at understand the magic stuff than us as well, innattly, if your interested we can look into it. We all have to learn, he made me train for months before I was able to go out and help."

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    Phoebe gives a semi-flat expression to Tim, and exhales. "You're right. I'm trying to run before I can walk again." she replies back in a quiet tone, her lips pursing at that tomato like it personally offended her.

Batman has posed:
After taking a call in the backroom, Bruce makes his way back out, sliding the device into his pocket, then retakes his seat. "My apologies. Lucius wanted to go over some numbers with me." He says as he picks up his fork and knife again. He gives a glance over to Beacon and the look upon her face, then tilts his gaze back towards Tim as his brows loft upwards. "Something the matter?"

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake looks over, and says "The matter? No, Phoebe is like the rest of us, who think we should be doing so much more and not realizing how much she actually does." He looks to Phoebe, and offers her a smile "We all want to do more and help more hon."

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    "What Tim means is that on occasion I have an idea that I am more skilled than I am, but he is eagerly there to correct me if wrong. I'm sure as his mentor you understand; it may be harder for me to get killed, but it's always a possibility." Phoebe replies as she draws her gaze and looks neutrally up at Bruce.

Batman has posed:
"It is a quality that I admire in any of my partners. Sometimes you learn best by jumping into shoes that are too big for you, so that you can learn how to grow into them properly. As long as the mistakes are those you can walk away and learn from, and do not harm anyone else, I do not see it as a loss, but a gain in knowledge." Bruce says as he takes another bite of his steak, chewing thoughtfully before he swallows and speaks again.

"Courage, instinct and intelligence all has to go hand in hand when we are in the heat of the moment." He picks up his glass of water to take a long sip. "But above all, caution should be at the forefront. Most situations are won by having a well thought out defense."

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake nods his head a bit to this and says "Yes, I worry about you, but I also trust you." He looks over to her, and says "I trust you to have my back, and any of the rest of the family." He tells Phoebe. "And in some things more than others." He admits.

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    "If you didn't, trust me, I don't think I would be here. Definitely not after you let me flip you onto your back." she states. Unlike Tim, she will not embarrass her partner!

    That's reserved for hanging out with Babs on girl's night. She turns back to Bruce then, and she gives a nod.

    "Caution is always number one, but I have one up on Tim there. My powers enable me to heal. I'm a little more reckless due to that -- it's something we're..." she turns to tim, and gives a wry smile "... we're working on."

Batman has posed:
"Your powers though may be remarkable, won't save your life in all situations. A machine gun is still a machine gun and does not care about your feelings." Bruce says once he finishes the last few bites on his plate, then nudges it to the side as dessert is brought over in the form of strawberry cheesecake, drizzled in red syrup.

"That was one of the many lessons I had to learn during my younger years when I first put on the mask. I learned to master several forms of martial arts, I had technology at my disposal, and I memorized the city, but I also realized that under the mask and the body armor, I am just a man and a man can be broken."

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake looks over between the two, he promised both he would be honest and sincere about her training, so the relationship did not come into the middle of it. "She actually had an impressive knowledge of martial arts when we first met. I wish Cass was around to work with her. The more teachers the better, is one of the things you taught me." He says to Bruce.

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    "Not in all situations, no, but in a pinch it worked out to my advantage." Phoebe states quietly, though she doesn't bring her gaze back to Tim, the warm, dark eyes staying on Bruce as she muses.

    "How do you deal with the nightmares?" she questions, perhaps a little too bold and very point-blank.

Batman has posed:
"I don't have nightmares. I give them." Bruce says simply and straight to the point as he settles his eyes back into Phoebe's. He isn't even wearing the mask, but the way he rolls those words off his tongue, the narrowing of his eyes, he sells it. He straightens up his posture once more, then slides the cheesecake in front of Phoebe, having yet to touch it.

"This is *my* city. I will not be afraid of it, or those who look to destroy it." He gives an idle glance to his expensive watch upon his wrist, then rises upwards. "I have an appointment I need to attend to, but I am glad that we have had a chance to officially meet." He says, his tone growing a bit warmer.

"You have free reign of the manor if you wish. Tim can tell you which wings to stay out of."

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake looks over, and says "Phoebe's mother would like you to come to dinner at her place sometime. She wants to meet you since you took me in and help with making me the man I am today." He looks over to Phoebe, and then back to Bruce. "She is a good woman, and I would appreciate it if you could find time one evening.

Sparrowhawk has posed:
    "... the request was made before I was made aware of your busy schedule." Phoebe replies. Her tone is softer now, apologetic almost. "I can let her know that you just don't have the time."

Batman has posed:
"I don't have the time. I try not to get too personal with my partner's girlfriends." Bruce says as he gives them each a leveled gaze. "Especially if they are working for me. I don't want to look your mother in the eye to let her know that I got her daughter killed by chasing me around the city at night dressed up like a freak." He gives a sideglance to Tim. "You know this."

Straightening his cufflinks, he turns and heads off from the table, passing Alfred along the way. "Make sure that they are taken well care of tonight. I have to go to work."

The city does not sleep, and nor does he.

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake frowns a bit to this but will not say anything. He has his opinion on it, and knows that his arguement will not sway the other man once his mind is set.