1459/The Veterans Ball

The Veterans Ball
Date of Scene:	14 July 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Omens, portents, and fortune telling games at the Veteran's Ball.
Cast of Characters:	Nightwing, Cypher, Insight, Yokai (Sakara), 87, Robin (Wayne)

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Nightwing has posed:
    The Disabled Veterans National Foundation is one of the most well-reputed charities in the United Staes. It's located primarily in New York, helping veterans dealing with acquiring their benefits, seeing to their aid, providing legal representation and taking the weight of the grind off the shoulders of the men and women who don't need any added difficulty to their lives. So when they come calling, the citizens of the great twin cities of Gotham and Manhattan come forth as they can. It is a time when society attempts to shine, auctions are held, donation drives, and charity banquets are held...
    And tonight this one is the latter.
    It's held in the broad sweeping ballroom of the Grand Plaza, a tall building from the late 1800s that lends such strong character to the skyline of Gotham. Outside it is all grim with sweeping spires and the occasional gargoyle. Inside, however, the long room is set with such finery, white marble and decor with gold inlay marking the theme. Many tables are along the walls, and a dance floor dominates the main area with a string quartet playing lightly for the entertainment of the crowds. While around the perimeter and one floor up above the open dance floor are alcoves for people to get away.
    At the far end of the hall is a stage with an LED display that shows the goals of the banquet as well as a steady video stream displaying all the good the charity has done. So far an hour into the event and it's been a success.
    Not that Dick Grayson would know as he is only now just showing up, stepping quickly down the steps just outside the open ballroom, adjusting the hang of his cufflinks as he moves.

Cypher has posed:
Douglas Ramsey is neatly cleaned up, his hair combed back, dressed in a crisp tuxedo with a red bow tie. He looks... smart, and is wearing a pair of glasses he doesn't actually need. .oO(Posh digs. Reminds me of the Hellfire Club--) he's here, looking for somebody, somebody who the guest list said was slated to attend--but he doesn't seem to have been showed. .oO(And here I had to cadge a favor from Dazzler to get me in! Hmph!)

Then he turns, and almost bumps into Dick Grayson. He just barely catches himself in time, and steps backward and out of the way. "Whoa!"

Insight has posed:
Disabled Veterans is a cause that Georgie is happy to go and support on behalf of the Psychology Department at Gotham University. There are even a few that he sees at his practice at the University. The young man is dressed in his finest Italian suit, perhaps a bit modest for a charity event, but at least he makes it look good.

Georgie strolls around the ballroom, mingling, networking, and generally hob-nobbing. Fortunately, they have an open bar and he means to get his money's worth. These events are always better with plenty of social lubrication.

Yokai (Sakara) has posed:
Graffiti-walking is like the less-creepy, more vandalicious version of shadow-walking. Here's how it works. First, you create your own wall art, preferably something fairly realistic, but only if you care about the eyeballs of your audience. Then you use your innate magical talent for shapeshifting, illusion, and gateway magic (so yes, you need to be an Oni, or some other kind of magician) to charge your own drawing. You step into the "world one step beyond" and look around. All the other graffiti will be glowing faintly, and all you have to do is walk to it. The better done, the more emotion, the more skill went into it, the more readily it will make a good portal back into the world of humans.

Of course, along the way you might run into some unpleasantness, but that's exercise, and sometimes a meal, right?

Roark Sakura, also called Yokai by some people, has heard a lot about this charitable thing, and in fact, one of his artworks was provided for an earlier auction, going for enough that he was invited to attend. He steps through the incredibly ornate, somewhat vulgar graffiti in the alley behind the Grand Plaza, making color and abstract shudder and scream silently into normal reality; his horns and tail, bare purple skin and tiger loincloth disappear as he takes on a human guise. A proper pinstripe hakama, black kimono, a second black haori with the crest of his father, and of course a folded fan. He still has his donation ready. A Bunsei koban - a gold coin from 1820 Japan.

He steps around to the entry, presenting his invitation and identification. Oddly, he has very little trouble at the entrance.

The ball itself is a bit of a surprise, though. Somewhere, there are other people who were invited as a sort of 'lure' for certain groups of patrons, but Rory isn't quite aware that he was invited to be a showpiece, despite his unusual formal attire.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
The tricky thing about events like these is that sometimes things come up. For example, Tommy's boss had to fly (literally) to the other coast on a very short notice. This, in turn, left Tommy in a pickle because he didn't have anyone to send in Gar's place as a show of support to the cause...

So he ended up sending himself.

Well, his 'other' identity- the Cheshire cat known to some as Vorpal, putting in an appearance on behalf of his absent friend.

If you'd think the tux would suffocate him in summer, you'd be right. It's why he isn't *really* wearing a tux, but comfortable and light clothing meant to keep anyone who isn't covered in fur from dying. The tux? It's an illusion, and therefore it looks spectacular.

"An open bar," the cat muses to himself. There's a pin on his lapel that looks like a diamond brooch in the shape of a Cheshire cat's grin. "Pity I'm not old enough to drink yet."

He smirks, adjusts his (immaterial) bowtie, and forges ahead into the crowd, stepping out with confidence.

He's never been to a fancy feast before, but he's not going to let that stop him for a minute, walking with the bearing of one who rubs elbows at these shindigs all the time.

A pinstripe kimono catches his attention and he beelines for the Yokai.

"Fancy meeting you here, stranger," he says to his team-mate.

Nightwing has posed:
    "Oh hey buddy," Those footsteps falter as Dick nimbly slips to the side of Doug, lifting a hand to the other man's shoulder as if to catch himself or the other fellow as well. "Sorry about that, my fault. Too much a rush." But at that he offers his hand, "Dick Grayson," The young socialite and vigilante's handshake will be short, business-like, not aggressive. Just two shakes and then back to smile.
    "Just going to grab something to drink, want something?" At that he starts to move across the room.

Cypher has posed:
Doug grips Dick's hand in a firm shake, and he adjusts his glasses, before he winds up trailing behind. "Oh. Ah, well, some ginger ale?" He says. He looks around, and then sighs. "I was hoping an old friend of mine would show, he was on the guest list, but it looks like he decided to skip town. Which is very, very like him."

Insight has posed:
Georgie is on his way to get another glass of something when he notices Rory's interesting attire. It gives him pause, his eyes scanning the crowd for a moment. He sees Vorpal intercepting, so goes back to his quest for his drink. When it's in hand, he slides out of Dick and Doug's way, offering both a pleasant nod and smile of greeting. He stands nearby for a moment, scanning the crowd again and going through his mental checklist to make sure he's spoken to the right people and will make his boss happy. Idly, he sips his champagne as he realizes he can breathe easy. He's done the business, so now can just enjoy his night.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
    Sometimes, there was a time for not being seen, and others a time for blending in. This was a time for the latter, determined by the young black-haired teen. Damian had worn a dapper suit, not out of place for the Grand Plaza. He didn't spend any time mingling with the crowd, he didn't know anyone here, but there was someone he had wanted to observe.

  Damian had seen Dick entering the hall, out of the corner of his eye he kept watch, observing, for now from the bar. "Oolong tea." He bid to the barkeep, himself not old enough, and lacking any sort of identification to even attempt to procure alcohol.

Nightwing has posed:
    Inexorably, Damian will observe the young man and his current conversational partner as he walks towards the bar steadily. Dick Grayson begins to wend his way through the crowd, then murmurs over his shoulder "Oh? Who was that?" He's moving through the throng of well-to-do humanity, pausing long enough to smile at a friend of the family, then gives a small wave to an older woman off in the distance. He continues to adjust his cuff links while he walks, his own tuxedo well tailored and fitting his lithe athletic silhouette precisely.
    A few more steps and he turns back to face Doug even as he steps up to the bar. "Could have someone ask around if it's important. But half the fun of these things are finding people in them, and meeting new people's the other half."
    That said he looks back to the bar and it just so happens that there's Georgie as well nearby. "Hello, good evening. How are you?" He asks with a smile that's openly offered even as he waves to the bartender, "Hey William, two ginger ales?"
    Then there's a brief glance towards Damian, and a second glance as well as a nod is given. Something about that kid.

Cypher has posed:
"Oh, um--" Doug says, "It's not really important. Just somebody I used to go to school with, is all."

Then he gets a look at Damien, and says, "That kid has a serious chip on his shoulder. Serious serious. He's a nasty piece of work." He adjusts his bow tie, and then realizes he vocalized that. "Oh. Haaa. Nevermind." He gets his ginger ale, and sips it, gratefully. "Much obliged."

Yokai (Sakara) has posed:
"Oh, hello, Jishuru-neko. If I had known you were coming we could have traveled together," Rory says to the Cat-in-a-Suit.

He wanders towards a bar, being stopped once or twice by someone from the "art scene" and at least once by someone from the "laundering ill-gotten loot" scene, and makes pleasant small-talk, but each time begging off because the bar is calling his name. Actually when he gets there, he asks for a bottle of plum wine. They normally wouldn't have had it at such an event, but someone seems to have called ahead to the caterers with advice about the Asian contingent.

"Fortune telling game," Rory proposes to Vorpal. "Tell me a shared secret truth for four random people."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Mug of tea in hand, and emerald eyes shift to Dick, a small nod back. Dressed as he was, there was a significant resemblance to another young man he had seen in pictures. Damian bore a stoic face, that was until he had heard Doug's comment, the boy grit his teeth in response. Had he been holding the mug in his other hand, it would have shattered with as much as he clenched his fist.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
The cat frowns after ordering an italian soda, peach, no cream, and leans on the bar in that way that cats have to look as if they're perfectly relaxed.

"Shared secret truth for four random people. Hm." He ponders this while playing with one of the stirring sticks he pilfered from behind the bar when the tender wasn't looking. "Alright. Something completely random... they all have more than one true name?" it was the first thing that popped into his head.

He watches the movement of the crowd and notices someone who had the air of an academic about him, even though he seemed awfully young. His memory wasn't intact, on *that* side of things, but he does remember what kind of air a certain stuttering mathematician had.

Or, at least, he thinks so. If he catches Georgie's eye, he'll smile and nod as a sort of invitation. The more people talking, the merrier, is how parties go, right? At least ones that don't involve tea and seat-changing a lot.

Dick and Doug get a glance as he looks over the room, his sensitive ears picking up something about a chip on the shoulder. Maybe he imagined he could hear teeth gritting... he probably did, he has a very good imagination. He looks away from the interaction for now, though, getting the impression that if he's caught staring, someone is going to bite hi out.

"Not much of a secret truth, I'm afraid. I should have picked something related to underwear."

Insight has posed:
"Fantastic," Georgie says smoothly, taking a moment to make his smile connect, since Dick was nice enough to actually say something. "I hope your evening is equally amazing." Another smile, sip of his champagne, and then he notices the bit of interaction centered on Damian. The horror of therapists and them noticing stuff. It's enough for Georgie to flick his attention to Damian, giving the teen a cursory once over.

He drifts further away, making more room for the steady flow of people coming to the bar. Rory and the cat get his attention then. Georgie settles against the bar, getting his lean on as he drains the glass and sits it down. Damian's reaction gets his attention again, the empath pretty sensitive to strong reactions.

His eye is caught by the cat then and he returns the smile. He pushes off the bar and moves down to accept the invitation, sparing Damian a final glance. As he approaches Vorpal and Rory, he tips a nod of greeting, not wanting to interrupt their conversation.

Nightwing has posed:
    Once the drinks are secured, Dick steps away from the bar, but conveniently close enough to Damian and Georgie to be nearby. He offers the ginger ale to Ramsey, than holds his glass to his lips for a single small sip.
    At Doug's comment he looks across the way towards Damian and offers an apologetic smile, "Don't mind him, he's just getting used to a civilized crowd and all that." A small white lie to perhaps defuse some measure of whatever situation might be brewing.
    Then to Georgie and as the other fellow is departing he lifts his dink, "You too, sir!" He calls after and then settles into place for the moment.

Cypher has posed:
Douglas sips his own drink, and then says, under his breath, "No kidding, I'm the son of a CPA from Salem Center, NY. This is not my crowd at all! But you get into one private school and you start hanging out with kids who turn out to be Rio-based billionaires." He looks over at Damien, and then says, "I wonder if I should go apologize."

Yokai (Sakara) has posed:
"Ok... My turn. Of the people at the bar, I would lose in a fair fight to ... him, him, the young one, and the blond fellow who just made the young one grit his teeth. If I fought fair, that is," Rory says, sipping at his glass of plum wine. The four listed were, of course, the three obvious-to-Rory martial artists and the guy who reads body language excessively well. And speaking of the martial artists, one of them has noticed Vorpal waving and he's just walked up and given a greeting of sorts. Time for American Manners Practice!

"Hello. You're not intruding," Rory says. "I'm Roark, but call me Rory." Yes, his name is not Japanese at //all//.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
The cat grins and offers a hand to Georgie, "Welcome, welcome to our little merry band. Well, merry only for those who are old enough to drink grape blood, anyways. I'm Vorpal," he says, "We're playing a fortune-telling game. Now you get to tell us four secret shared truths about four random people.."
    he bartender catches his attention and hands him his soda. "Ah, excellent, thank you." Now he has something for which he can use his stick without looking like a doofus. Stir stir stir, even if it doesn't need to be stirred.

The cat's green eyes flit over to the livid young man for a second, just to see if he's going to respond to that provocation further. He can't help it. He's curious.

Nightwing has posed:
    Looking sidelong towards him, Dick gives a nod to Doug and smiles with that open abandon of his, "Apology never hurts, good to sometimes check realities." He takes another sip of his ginger ale, and then looks back towards Damian as if trying to offer apology in that faint smile. "Don't take it to heart, kiddo."
    Oooh, that bastard.
    But with that said, Dick turns and says, "Mind my drink a moment? I think I see someone I know." It's then that he steps away from the bar and moves off into the crowd.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
    The teen soon had calmed down, at least externally. Any empath could definitely still feel rage coming from Damian. Luckily it didn't grow any farther, just plateaued for now. The young Wayne took a moment to survey the room again, making contact with Vorpal as he kept a watch. He widened his eyes a bit, letting the cat know he's been seen.

Cypher has posed:
Doug Ramsey drains his ginger ale, and then sets the glass down. He holds his hands up, palms out, and approaches Damien. "...Hi." He says. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me." Even if the kid is radiating waves of anger that could wilt a plant. Then he considers Damien, and tilts his head, making notes. Hyper-vigilant, ready to attack at a moment's notice... not worth getting tangled up with. "So. Yeah. My apologies." As he takes a step away. "...My bad."

Insight has posed:
At Dick's warm wishes, Georgie flashes him a warm smile and winks at him, waving a little to bid him the same.

Georgie smiles at Rory and returns, "Only if you'll call me Georgie, Rory." There's a little wink and then he's shaking Vorpal's hand. "Good to meet you, Vorpal." He pauses a moment and says, "Snicker-Snack." Then the smile is back along with a bit of a blush. "Sorry. I've had my fair share of champagne tonight." He gives an apologetic smile and then gets to his task. He flicks his attention around the room. He points out four well-to-do women serreptitiously and whispers, "Those four women would rather be watching Fifty Shades at home with a bottle of sherry."

He glances back at the rage filled Damian, his smile slipping at the lack of diminishing rage. Festering rage is sometimes a bad sign. Sometimes, it's a -very- bad sign. It throws him off his game to feel it and he forgets what he's saying a moment.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"I actually prefer Mars bars, but don't let anyone know- it's bad for the thematic branding approach." The cat flashes a grin to Georgie and takes a sip from his drink. He gives a little laugh at Georgie's prophecy and adds, "If that be true, then it's a secret for a good reason. Fifty shames indeed."

He notices Doug's interaction with Damian, and catches Damian's 'I/eye see you.' He considers for a second and inclines his head, gesturing slightly to his companions.

He wouldn't readily admit it but, as a creature of chaos, he is always tempted to add volatile elements into the mix. The young man is free to join them, and so is Doug- which might prove to be interesting. Sometimes anger dissipates in groups, and sometimes it sparks like a live wire.

"Your turn again, Rory," he says, reminding his fellow supernatural friend that it is his turn to pronounce a secret.

"So, Georgie, what brings you to this swanky sweeping soiree, if I might be so bold as to be alliterative?"

Yokai (Sakara) has posed:
The too-tall man in the formal hakama tilts his head precisely 2 degrees further to the left, watching the interplay, flicking open his fan and using it for its most obvious purpose: moving air around a bit. Snap! and it's folded again. He drinks half the glass of plum wine.

"The guard at the main door who looks like a bored man standing there for no reason ... he and the left-side-of-the-hall bartender, and the woman who keeps going in and out of the total-counter display, and one other person I have not gotten a clear view of, they have been exchanging covert hand signals."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
    Damian looks back to Doug. "Its fine." He says sharply, the short teen slips off the barstool he had perched himself on, finishing his tea and looking around the room for signs of Grayson. The last thing he needed was to start something and have it come back to his father, Damian was supposed to not kill, right? What's a fight here or there?

Cypher has posed:
Doug shakes his head, and says, "That kid is going to get in over his head," To himself, before he turns and goes to walk away. "Well," He says to himself, "Fine misadventure you got yourself into tonight, Ramsey. Fat lot of nothing. At least the art's nice to look at..."

Insight has posed:
Georgie Goodspeed laughs at the joke about candy bars, his laugh warm and heart-felt. "Dude! Demand royalties! That would be wicked good." He laughs a little more and wets his lips, glancing to his hand and realizing that he didn't get anything more. The debate can be seen on his face as he glances towards the bar with a touch of longing. His gaze goes back to Rory and Vorpal then, glancing at the people Rory points out. He worries his lower lip a moment, but then says to Vorpal, "Dropped off a couple donations. One from Gotham U and a personal one." He pauses and then explains, "I'm a therapist. I have an office at the university, free to students and we do volunteer hours for different programs like this one." He cracks a smile again and jokes, "But, seriously, they sort of had me at open bar."

Georgie's gaze flicks back to what's going on between Doug and Damian, breathing a sigh of relief as it seems to have sorted itself out.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"That man, that man, and those two women," the cat points out people in the crowd after Rory has had his go, "Have never been kind and have never rewound. This has displeased the spirits of the rental and, to this day, their StarkTunes apps keep erasing their purchase history and purchasing ten different variations of Nikki Minaj's 'Stupid Ho' in retaliation for this. They have never figured out why."

The cat chuckles and finishes his soda. "A head doctor? How interesting." He passes the glass off from one hand to another, noticing the angerling has decided to retreat to his place of observation while the offending party retreats away. A pity, the potential for fireworks is spent. "Over in Wonderland we have our own version of therapists- only instead of shrinking heads, they cut them off."

He puts the glass on the bar and gestures for another soda. "It's a little more drastic, but the Queen swears it solves any and all issues!"

Yokai (Sakara) has posed:
"But then you have to glue them back on afterwards," Rory says reasonably. "And if they're not careful, they go on back-to-front."

The plum wine is disappearing... and the bottle is empty. Rory focuses on the distance, then on the hole in the crowd where Damian is moving.

"Is there anything substantial to eat here? I'm getting a bit hungry."

Insight has posed:
Georgie Goodspeed points at a quartet of old blue hairs clucking like hens in the corner. Between their hats and judgmental expressions, it's easy to see that they're pecking people apart. Georgie gestures to them and laughs as he says, "Those four celebrate Woodstock every year by doing bong rips and tripping balls." He nods sagely and then breaks out into a laugh.

Georgie thinks a moment and shakes his head. "Well, I have my doctorate, but I'm not really a head doctor. Just a therapist."

After hearing the joking about head-chopping... or what he figures is joking... he laughs along with the other two and comments, "They way the psychiatrists like to medicate, gettin' your head glued on wrong might be a better option. Isn't like you can be on all those pills and have your head on right anyway." He gives a shrug and laughs, following the looks over to Damian. But then there's food brought up and that's something he knows! He shakes his head ruefully and says, "Just some nibbles. Crackers and cheese and stuff like that, yaknow?" He wrinkles his nose, but then thinks a moment. "I used to... uhh... know a guy that worked down the street from here at a chicken and waffle place. They're open twenty-four hours if you like that sort of thing."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
Grayson was gone, to his disappointment, Damian soon made his way back to pass the bar where the three other gentlemen were. An odd thought towards the trio, unsure what to think. Damian lifted himself up on the barstool, flagging down the bartender again, who already knew what he wanted, at least the tea was good.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"I am always amazed at the things humans put together. Chicken and waffles." Vorpal shakes his head and profits from the new soda, sipping it. "Or chocolate and bacon. Things that should not taste good together but somehow... they do."

He smirks at Georgie, "Maybe I should get your card. Just in case a friend might need it."

Smooth, yes. He gives Damian a passing glance and goes back to sipping his drink. "Do you want to sneakily ditch the party and get food..." he then gets a mischievous grin "Or should we order for delivery here?" It would get them their food, and it would be a prank. That's a win-win. "Otherwise if we are to go hungry, Rory might decide to eat a few souls to tie him over."

Yokai (Sakara) has posed:
"Chicken and Waffles? Isn't that Christmas food?" Rory says with a fine sense of self-mockery. He somehow fumbles and drops his fan. He kneels down to pick it up, and his hand touches the floor ... anyone who isn't socializing or preening, who happens by some unlikely coincidence to be looking closely at Rory's hand, will see a snake crawl off that hand onto the floor where ... wait, that's a drawing of a snake, and it's quite rapidly disappeared across the floor, and then out the open door.

"You better not forget the barbecue sauce," Rory mutters. Then he stands up with the fan in hand, and smiles blandly across the room.

"I don't eat souls. Far too empty. I sent for take-out though."