14172/Gotham Tourist

Gotham Tourist
Date of Scene:	07 March 2022
Location:	Columbia Point, Burnley
Synopsis:	Batman and Hoplite deal with some street crime in Gotham.
Cast of Characters:	Hoplite, Batman

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Hoplite has posed:
Hopping on a train to Gotham is rarely anyone's idea of fun, but Hoplite is trying to establish a reputation as a street-level vigilante, and where is there a place more well known for street crime the Gotham? Admittedly, Bludhaven is nearly as well known, but more for corruption than for street crime. So she took a train to Gotham City, to the neighborhood the computer guides say it is best to avoid, and starts looking for trouble. She does not think it will take long to find some.

Batman has posed:
It might be harder than she thinks.

Gotham was a hard place to live. A combination of criminal activity and corruption makes traversing the night a deeply bad idea. Though the efforts of multiple vigilantes in the old city has made organized crime decrease, it's made a increase in the population of the mentally deranged, making those numbers somewhat unreliable considering the sudden nature of Gotham crime.

A signal was in the sky.

It wasn't a searchlight or some kind of memorial beam. It was an image in the night sky, a golden background of light with the shape of some kind of winged creature: the shape of a bat. The warning in the sky might make finding common thugs a bit difficult, but there are sounds of a struggle from the shadows. A woman screaming for help, a man demanding her give him one of her possessions by the sound of it. Probably jewelry or a purse of goods.

Hoplite has posed:
Screaming generally means someone in need of help, so Hoplite jumps from rooftop to rooftop to get closer and pauses on a nearby rooftop to look. She is glad her shoes make no sound, as it makes sneaking so much easier. Her costume is a non-reflective bronze and dark purple, it fades well into the shadows. She carefully peers over the edge so she can evaluate the situation.

Batman has posed:
What's found isn't good. For one, instead of one man harassing this woman, there are at least twelve other thugs at his back, making this an unfair advantage. They seem to be largely taking her things, including a pearl necklace, her phone, keys, and purse. She's cowering - an older woman, clearly from wealth based on her appearance. There's a man close to her, unconscious on the ground. Likely a bodyguard or valet who failed their duty.

Yet, from the shadows, there are methodical sounds of footsteps coming from the other end of the alley. Heels hitting the ground first by the sound of it. This city has a defender, and he has an unfair advantage too. As the steps get louder, the goons turn their backs on the woman to look into the darkness where the sounds reside. It gives Hoplite an opportunity to do a myriad of things, since she's at their back.

What is her choice?

Hoplite has posed:
Hoplite is not physically strong enough to carry two people to safety at once, so grabbing and leaving is out, that means her best option is to drop in behind the thugs while their back is turned and then activate her shield...that is too noticable to do before she is ready to announce her presence.

The drop is a good thirty feet, no normal human can make it unassisted without hurting themselves. Becky is not unassisted, the boots do more than let her move silently, they reduce the impact of falls...and a few other tricks too. It was not until the hum of the shield activating began and the area was filled with purple light that the thugs knew anything was up.

Hoplite dances forward, literally. Her preferred martial art was disguised as a form of dance when the slaves were creating it. She slams one thug with her shield and then kicks a second, while dodging a third trying to grab her then blocking a blow from a fourth.

Batman has posed:
Clearly, the goons were impossibly distracted by the arrival of an individual - unseen, only heard - allowing Hoplite to easily be more than capable to get the drop on them. The mere hum of energy from the shield splits the attention of the goons in question, with three of them immediately turning in her direction...but it's clear that while they are startled, they swing wildly, like one would if snuck up on by some monster.

They all miss, of course, and she proceeds to quite literally dance around the competition. While the longer she fights, she draws more attention, and this is when something emerges.

Something in all black. Was it a monster, a demon, some kind of dark creature? Even in the darkness of the night, it's difficult to see what it is exactly. It moves like a shadow. Within three seconds, impacts are heard through the night and three of the goons are downed. When the purple light really starts to explore the area, the figure is perceived as a man in some kind of armor. Sleek and clean, all of him is colored black, including a metal impression on the chest that seems to have the motif of a bat.

He doesn't stop. He keeps going, his foot extending outward in a sharp kick, and a fourth goon goes down with a horrifying 'crack' of broken bone.

Hoplite has posed:
Hoplite figures that the man in black, since he is attacking the thugs, is on her side. Her goals are clear enough: First; do not get pinned down, her skills rely mostly on mobility, so getting pinned down can be fatal. Second; protect the innocent, which means keeping the thugs away from the woman with the jewelry and the downed man.

Hoplite drops into a low sweep kick, knocking down everyone near her. She follows up with a leap over the heads of the nearer standing thugs, followed by a back kick dropping another. Only knocked out three so far, but another four are getting up from the ground and not in position for most attacks.

Batman has posed:
It would appear that this man was on her side. Though judging from the cowl with the pointed 'ears', this was probably the Dark Knight of Gotham himself: The Batman. For what many consider to be just a guy in a bat-costume, he moves like he is 10x what he is. He's like a moving shadow. No movement is wasted, no energy is given without cause.

Though Hoplite is tearing through these guys just as ferociously. Three more are knocked unconscious, with a total of seven guys either asleep or writhing on the ground in so much pain that they can't do much about it. The others are really questioning their efforts. This new lady was TOUGH, but with Batman there??

They largely decide to start running into the shadows. "Fuck this man, we're out of here!" and they run with tails between their legs. Batman himself says nothing, instead walking methodically over to the woman who seems to be cowering in fear. In his hand is her pearl necklace and purse that he gives back to her. "Your safe now. It's dangerous here. Go home."

Hoplite has posed:
Hoplite considers giving chase, and considers fleeing. She decides to do neither, by reputation fleeing Batman is next to useless and if he wanted to give chase he would have. This is his turf, she is just a visitor. She does deactivate her shield, to show she is not hostile. She waits while Batman helps the couple, the man may be the larger problem depending on how badly he was hurt.

Batman has posed:
Batman helps the woman back to her feet. The unconscious man clearly needs medical attention, and Batman pushes a few buttons on his gauntlet. It starts to beep as he takes something off and puts it on the unconscious man's lapel. "An Ambulance is on it's way. Go where you feel safe and they'll still manage to find you. Avoid alleyways and shortcuts." Batman speaks clearly, despite how deep his voice is. It didn't appear the man was critically injured, and he would likely be fine. Just a rough punch or kick in the head.

Then, his steeled gaze turns to Hoplite.

He approaches her, saying nothing, until he's an even distance away. His eyes seem to be analyzing the technology at her disposal. "You're a long way from home."

Hoplite has posed:
Hoplite comments, "One can not work just one place without drawing attention to it." She has to assume Batman knows, at the very least, where she tends to hang out. She would not have said even that much to most, as it points out that there are reasons she does not want attention drawn somewhere. Batman, she is fairly certain, would figure that out without her saying anything. Telling it to him should show him that she has confidence in him.

Batman has posed:
"True. But because you left, you left New York with one less defender." Batman's words are not meant to be stinging, more educational. How did he know she was from New York? Same questions apply to how he can be exactly where he needs to be, regardless of what is happening. There's a reason he's still alive after all these years of being Batman.

"Don't stay long. Gotham is dangerous and it's conniving. It might try and consume you."

Hoplite has posed:
Holilte responds, "New York has more that 400 defenders, as of last report. It can spare a few from time to time." New York has the highest population of heroes on the planet.

She adds, "I do not intend to stay long." She came here for a reason, to be seen helping people. The same resaon she was in Mutant Town before. It is all about protecting those who know Becky, Hoplite has to be seen places Becky is not supposed to be, so that people do not connect the two.

Batman has posed:
Batman doesn't seem to offer much of a verbal response to Hoplite in her words to him. He seems to be looking at various points on the ground. Recreating the crime scene of what happened. People involved, hits thrown and unthrown. Blood stains, impressions on the floor.

He sends the information to GCPD, and he looks at Becky. "Good. You're needed elsewhere." And Batman stalks into the shadows, lifting a grappling hook kind of device and firing it at a rooftop ledge, disappearing into the night.