15048/Mystic Materials, part 1

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Mystic Materials, part 1
Date of Scene: 06 May 2023
Location: Sheal Dockyards, West Side, Burnley
Synopsis: Kate Kane moves to intercept an illegal shipment coming into Gotham City but is interrupted by Domino who has other plans. They don't see eye to eye at first.
Cast of Characters: Domino, Batwoman




Domino has posed:
Evening at the Sheal Dockyards is always an adventure. A giant area which never truly shuts down, all one need to do is pay close enough attention to find illicit interactions lurking amongst honest dealings.

It's easy work for the Bat Family, they know what to look for. The difficult part may come down to finding the time to deal with such problems, though some instances are more pressing than others. Arms dealing, human smuggling, or the one in a million shot which has led to tonight's shenanigans: Occult artifacts being imported into the city. Never a good sign. It's not even some eccentric billionaire's personal collection, people clearly are not wanting word of this shipment to get out.

Batwoman will make out the telltale marks of guards, though some attempt at subtlety remains intact as none of them are obviously packing heat. One's seemingly wandering around aimlessly while talking on a phone, another's lighting up a cigarette, they look like bored dock hands but have the watchful gaze of muscle.

From the looks of things the cargo is about half unloaded, the first of two half-sized metal containers being lowered by crane onto the bed of an awaiting semi trailer. At this rate they'll have cleared out in about twenty minutes.
Batwoman has posed:
The docks. Even as vigilante activity in Gotham increases and criminals find new and innovative ways of inviting their crime into the city most welcoming to them, the docks remains a surprisingly consistent locale for the seediest of developments.

Maybe there's just something about Gotham's docks; maybe even criminals can have a strong sense of honoring tradition. Regardless...

"Looks like they're just about done loading the first crate, sir."

Katherine Rebecca Kane can appreciate tradition, too. Especially when it works out in her favor.

The sound of red boots hitting the surface of the semi-trailer is surprisingly silent; a controlled landing and the best advancements in sound-dampening a runaway military budget can buy mutes almost the entirety of a black-and-red-clad figure's landing onto the trailer roof. The long spool of a black cape all but melds Batwoman into the night-cast shadows as she watches the activity of the guards.

With an attentive stare concealed by the white lenses of her mask, Batwoman takes stock. Two guards in obvious sight. Not so obvious weapons. Trying to keep what they're doing and what they're unloading under wraps, which indicates some level of experience and professionalism...

... and suggests that they're especially careful about whatever cargo they've got in those containers.

"Acknowledged," the voice of Colonel Jacob Kane reverberates within Batwoman's cowl. "Remember, we're dealing with nonstandard mission parameters today. Keep to the plan as much as you can but... you might have to improvise a bit."

Scarlet lips curve in a knife of a smile.

"No need to sorry, sir. Winging it's what I do best. Going radio silent."

For now, Batwoman approaches towards the edge of the trailer. Two guards. Watchful, experienced. She can take them.

She just needs to wait for that second piece of cargo to unload. That...

... and an opening.
Domino has posed:
Gotham. The docks. Criminal behavior. They attract all kinds from all walks of life. With Kate having boots on the ground she can make out where other thugs are positioned to keep watch, two is simply never enough these days. A quick estimate based on rough positions of the ones she's able to see it seems likely there are four or five in total spread out in a wide circle. Either someone did well in hiring muscle into their talent pool or there might be a new player in town, thus far it's difficult to tell.

Back on the cargo ship the crane is just beginning to lift the second container for relocation. Batwoman may not want to be standing on top of the first much longer.

An operation like this should present little challenge to the experienced vigilante. Moments after her radio conversation she'll find her opening, though it comes in the form of a wildcard. The Colonel might have known more than he let in on when mentioning that whole 'improvise' thing...

As Batwoman lurks beside the truck another figure literally rolls into view, having been hiding -under- the trailer which Kate had just been standing on top of. All black dress, numerous visible weapons...bleached white fingers and face on the other woman.

For a heart-stopping second pale blue eyes stare up toward Batwoman from the ground. Then comes a mad scramble to get onto her feet with every intention of being ready to fight!
Batwoman has posed:
Two obvious guards. Two or three additional ones covering a wide area and most conventional points of access.

Well, whoever is behind this -- they at least have a firm understanding that they're in Gotham. That's fine by Kate.

She wouldn't want it to be too easy.

The second container lifts up. Batwoman starts to tense. Unknowns aside -- this is the point of no return for the delivery. There's no way this cargo gets back out to sea now, which means now's the perfect time to strike--

wait did someone just roll out from under the truck

Seconds from leaping from the truck and into action, Batwoman is left momentarily blindsided as she catches movement from the peripheral of her vision; a swirl of bright crimsons and inky blacks heralds the vigilante's sharp pivot, long red hair whipping behind her as she looks down at her perch at another, alabaster woman in black.

Behind white lenses, bright green eyes lock on pale blue for the entire fractions of seconds it takes for Kate to blink in the face of her distinctive new friend.

The contrast of bright red lips on snow white skin makes them all the more visible as they part in mild surprise.

And then -- her unexpected interloper starts to scramble. Kate assesses.

"Fuck it," is the assessment she comes to, seconds before she springs from the truck trailer.

The nearest guard will see a flurry of black and red dropping towards him seconds before Batwoman looks to drive one hard knee into his skull. It creates a moment of distraction for her new pale friend, if a distraction to act is what she's looking for. If she's an unexpected foe, well --

That'd be a shame. But Kate will have to deal with that, too.

Some days she really wishes Bruce would invent some kind of Bat-IFF because there's just way too many of them to keep track of--
Domino has posed:
Somewhere amidst the flurry of colorless movement is a muttered "Shhhhhit--!"

The red on black woman has a choice remark of her own, though she's the next to throw a curveball into the mix. When the albino comes to stand and is fully ready to brawl the person whom she had considered a threat is..no longer there? Instead she's attacking one of the guards--

The first guard is already on the ground, knocked out cold. The Batgal took him down HARD. Observed and filed away for immediate use, because Domino's night is about to get far more interesting and...doing some quick math here...vastly more painful.

It starts with a tackle from behind. Capes might make a statement but a proper bearhug could turn them into convenient straitjackets and the sleek arms strapped with murderous gear are attempting to clamp down with Vise-like compression.

A hissed "Quit it!" is probably as far as the paler lady will get before an interception transforms into a proper brawl.

And yet, so far the remaining guards don't seem to have noticed anything is amiss. Silver linings?
Batwoman has posed:
See? Bat-IFFs. Very useful.

As it stands, Kate's gut instincts on identifying friend or foe is in a tumult at the moment. The red-and-black-clad vigilante takes a calculated gamble. The guards are spread out enough that she can -probably- pick off at least one without the others noticing. This part of the gambit pays off. The other part --

THMP!

Well, that's TBD.

Batwoman is still recovering by the time that Domino introduces herself to her back. The mercenary is strong, and -swift-, unexpectedly so: the bodily impact elicits a sharp gasp, air forced from Batwoman's lungs as she hits ground with her new bearhugging friend-or-foe. Instincts kick in; her arms are thoroughly arrested by the mercenary, but it doesn't stop the way she twists and struggles against her pinned position. Unfortunately, in the ensuing tussle, she doesn't -quite- yet register those two hissed words as her head lurches forward --

--and then -snaps- back to drive the back of her cowled head into Domino's face.

If she can manage it, her next move will be a scramble to reverse her fortunes, looking to shove Domino off her and pounce to pin the other woman against the dock grounds.

The guards haven't noticed yet. Small favors.

How long's that luck going to last her, though?
Domino has posed:
Yikes--!

'Intelligence for immediate use' is fine and dandy until observation meets operation and the splash of red on black fights back like a damn cornered tiger! It's all the albino can do to hang on, barely avoiding getting a busted nose from the reverse headbutt but still getting clobbered enough for her grip to falter--
--and for the Bat to break free.

"Fucking--!" the mystery guest hisses before cutting herself off and reintroducing that wide-eyed stare before Batwoman slams her to the ground with enough force to leave them sliding across the concrete. Tables turned.

Sort of.

Before the two forms have finished disturbing the ground grime the goth gal has the curved blade of a karambit filling one hand but she didn't...quite...make it as far as holding the honed steel to the Bat's neck. Quick, but not quite quick enough. Getting bashed in the head is always a good way to buy yourself a few seconds over the other lady.

One thing's certain. Surprise has given way to determination. Whatever angle the goth gal might be playing here it's clearly one at odds with the vigilante.

Still the professionalism in them both means no alarms have been raised. Keeping a low profile comes naturally for them both! As an added bonus, that they're both primarily dressed in black they've also managed to miss the crane operator's notice as the second container looms closer by the second.
Batwoman has posed:
Collision.

A body hitting a body is a rougher thing than most people might think. Even with the buffering of the cutting edge protection her suit offers, Kate Kane can still -feel- the way her body collides with Domino's, nerve endings protesting as they both drag across the docks in an angry, friction-filled protest of body armor on concrete.

It's a common enough feeling for her by now; she knows the steps of this dance by heart. The way one crimson-gloved hand shoves against the tactigoth's shoulder to firmly pin her down is a well-practiced one. The way that hand's opposite number falls to her utility belt to produce a perfectly curved batarang in a flash of red steel is tried and true.

The adrenaline pumping through her system is a familiar friend as she stares down at the wide-eyed woman beneath her, ruby lips parted and panting. Her cape pooling around them like a veil, the curved edge of the batarang at Domino's throat, it's a small favor that white lenses hide how wide and wild her own green eyes are as she shifts to press her bodyweight against Domino to better hold her down.

Thoughts roll in a mile a minute without having the good manners to wait for Kate to process them:

The woman knows what she's doing. She's got a weapon. She's got a lot of weapons. The bodysuit is nice. Is she an enemy? She attacked you. She said something. What did she say? 'Quit it'. Why that? Karambit; nice choice. She kept her voice low. Another guard? Not part of the patrol. Insurance?

Wait.

Why did she keep her voice low?

Why didn't she alert the guards?

"..."

Batwoman is on a time limit, here. So the moment she takes regarding Domino in perfectly stoic bat-silence is not as long as it might have been before words spill from crimson lips.

"Alright," she exhales, slowly. "... It's question time. I -love- question time. Just who the hell are you, and what're you doing here?"
Domino has posed:
Black lips peel back with a flash of teeth as the goth fights back from a less advantageous position, each having their own ideas and their own edged weapons to bring to the party. While they're dead-locked it grants them both a chance for other thoughts to catch up. In the grounded girl's situation it's realizing this other lady has a bat cowl to match the cape. A bat-shaped weapon in her hand. The surprise, shock and awe from before starts to wear off as the realization she just -tackled a fucking Bat Lady- begins to sink in.

Pieces begin to fall into place more quickly. Still with plenty of unknowns... Most of them on Batwoman's side of the board, which is just fine with Domino.

The struggle lessens. The force primed behind the karambit lets up to a non-sweat inducing level. "I might have time for that. Wait--"

The blue-eyed ghost looks past Batwoman and promptly starts to hiss another sound of frustration. The flat of her blade quickly taps twice against Batwoman's arm before getting abandoned altogether, the weapon clinking against the ground as her focus shifts--
--and Batwoman is grabbed. -Rolled.- The two slip deeper into the shadows and, whether by convenience or strategic planning, close enough for the albino to reach up over her head and grab the downed guard to boldly slide -him- further into the shadows as well. She's even letting the Bat keep her commanding position up high, which could mean she's willing to play nice... Or she's acting out of desperation.

"Domino" she offers while still keeping her voice good and low. "Semi-friendly mobile problem-solver. And that--" she motions toward the semi trailer as the second container falls into place with a *THUD* "--is rather important."
Batwoman has posed:
The dual advantage-disadvantage of dressing up as a Bat in the middle of the night in Gotham: it's increasingly impossible for people to not know who you are.

Kate, meanwhile, is at a complete loss with regards to her snow white wrestling partner. Her cowl records the visuals of the other woman in the middle of their struggle, uploaded to an off-site computer for later investigation. As it stands, she really has no time to request any information from the colonel when she's currently dedicating a not-inconsiderable amount of her attention towards not getting her throat cut.

She thinks it's important to prioritize, in situations like this.

Gradually, though, alertness and adrenaline start to lapse, enough for reality to settle in -- enough for Batwoman to feel as Domino's hand holding the karambit slacken to vaguely non-threatening degrees.

"Accommodating of you," Batwoman whispers. But then--

'Wait--'

Those pale blues are looking past Batwoman now. The rest of the world registers as the redheaded vigilante feels something at her peripheries just in time to feel the cool flat of Domino's blade pat against her forearm.

"Tt."

She doesn't panic. She doesn't question.

No; Kate adapts to the moment, like a true professional.

Batwoman's batarang is gone by the time she's grabbed; it's surprising how immediately and fluidly the goth vigilante moves -with- Domino. In perfect sync, she tumbles after the albino mercenary in a way that makes their departure into the shadows that much smoother and silent. Domino grabs the guard.

And Batwoman plants gloved hands onto a nearby storage crate casting its convenient shadow over them, to soundlessly stop their movement before they can make a noisier collision.

Coming to a stop on top of Domino once more, Batwoman is a study in stoic silence as she listens to the other woman -- and the heavy THUD of that second container informing her that her available time is growing slimmer by the second. Palms flattened to either side of Domino's head, Batwoman looks over her shoulder for a single second before her attention shifts back to the mercenary beneath her.

"Batwoman," the vigilante's murmured words spill quietly from murmured lips in introduction; it's only polite. After all...

"And now that we're close enough to be on a first-name basis... why don't you tell me -why- it's important, instead of a reason to think you're just distracting me?"
Domino has posed:
'Batwoman.'

"A little on the nose, isn't it?" Domino asks with a toothy smile. "You guys have your toys and brand recognition, I'll give you that. But your creativity's sorely lacking."

With the container at rest the sound of approaching footsteps can be heard. Final preparations by the remaining guards, most likely. Nobody sounds to be in a hurry.

A half-gloved finger taps meaningfully at the albino's own lips but it isn't a call for complete radio silence. There's still a discussion to be had, starting with "I'm absolutely distracting you. Opportunities like these don't grow on trees, although they -do- tend to fall off the backs of trucks around me" she kids.

"Now ...uh... tell me" she resumes with a shift of tone and a slight hesitation as she now, finally, -properly- takes into consideration the figure keeping her pinned to the ground and not being terribly subtle about this revelation. "You -do- realize distractions go both ways, yes?" Palms come upward, not really a show of surrender so much as a mocking sign of it as if to say 'please don't punch me.'

Stalling. -Totally- stalling. But also not lying.

The sounds of the cargo container getting locked down can be heard along with some muttering amongst the four. Most notably is one saying "Where's Larry?" followed by another one saying "He probably fucked off to the bar already."

Domino narrows eyes when she whispers "-Nice- job on that takedown, by the way. Excellent form."

She still didn't answer Batwoman's question.

She'll probably go for another weapon before spelling it out.
Batwoman has posed:
Domino is -calling her out-! Batwoman's response is to regard the smiling, black and white woman in a way that heavily implies the arched brow that can't be seen.

"Says the most monochrome woman I've ever met calling herself Domino." Despite herself, the corner of her bright red lips quirks upward to dimple a pale cheek with a game smirk to echo Domino's grin.

"Was Oreo taken, or..."

Of course, Kate doesn't even know the half of how fitting a name like Domino really is for the woman beneath her.

Banter, though, is a distraction. She enjoys it, as much as she is painfully cognizant of what it is. Scarlet tresses spill over Batwoman's shoulder as she tilts her head to regard the goth woman. She's honest, at least. Shamelessly so. It really is impressive, how the cape-clad crusader can evoke that brow-arched look of incredulity with most of her face covered, but she manages it again with seamless ease as Domino presents palms up and suggests equal, distracting blame.

Honest, but brazen. In Kate's experience, that's a dangerous combo.

The uncertainty of whether or not Domino's going to get slugged for checking out the goddamn Batwoman lingers in the air for the good three or so seconds Kate can budget out as the hired goons set about conversing and getting ready to depart. Domino, quite flatteringly, doesn't answer a single thing she was asked.

"You're not half-bad yourself," she says, voice low. "So I'll do you a one-time favor..."

And here, she leans in; just close enough that scarlet lips can loose the ghost of a whisper directly into Domino's ear as the guards ready to move.

"... Without good reason, I'm going for those crates. And I'll give you five seconds to decide whether you're with me, or if we're going to have to get a lot less friendly." She shifts, just so. Legs tense in preparation.

"Five... four... three..."
Domino has posed:
It's important for one to enjoy their work. Domino's head might still be hurting from the earlier collision and she's probably wearing an extra pound or two of dock grime, but moments like these? They're just plain -fun.- Cracking jokes, some suggestive remarks tossed in for good measure, no shortage of weaponry and danger all around them, and through it all Dom's got one ear tuned to the prize that is an eighteen wheeler not so far away from where they lie.

Stalling is working. Until it isn't.

Batwoman plays along for a few more seconds, whispering the ultimatum nice and close but putting herself in a far more vulnerable position by doing so.

"Now now, let's not ruin the moment" the albino suggests as the fingers of one hand slip around the grip of a(nother) holstered weapon.

Whispered right back into Batwoman's ear, "If you stop them from leaving then we won't know who ordered the goods."

If Kate leans back far enough to look she'll probably notice two things. One of them is a handgun now leveled at her side, the muzzle at an upward angle meant to send a round up under the ribs in what is sure to be a really nasty injury even if body armor stopped the slug in its tracks.

The other is a smartphone.

One which Domino takes juuust a moment to realize still has a locked screen.

"Shit, hang on..." she interrupts while tapping to unlock the screen with one hand while still holding the gun steady with the other. "Just..bear with me... I can only do so much on the sly--there."

Now the screen shows a tracker app with the tracked object appearing quite close to the two. Right around where the truck happens to be, in fact.

"Play nice and maybe we can take this show on the road, hmm?" she teases with another grin.
Batwoman has posed:
It's far too easy to get lost in moments like these. Katherine Rebecca Kane is mission-oriented by necessity rather than nature; it makes it easier to detour into the weeds of, say, a tense and - if she's being honest - exciting stand off with a mysterious woman who has completely derailed her plans.

It's dangerous. No matter how much Kate can keep her head above water. But to be honest...

That's part of what makes it so easy to get lost in it.

She's close enough that Domino can feel the suggestion of her smile at the mercenary's initial, teasing advice. Bright red hair all but veils both their faces, like a private curtain for their conversation. Her countdown continues.

"Two..."

Apparently, the moment isn't sacred enough to go uncompromised.

But then--

'If you stop them from leaving then we won't know who ordered the goods.'

--Batwoman pauses.

Behind her cowl, Kate's red brows furrow inward faintly. It's... a good plan. One she'd easily prescribe to, too. Follow things straight to the source. Two birds, one stone.

That isn't why she's frowning as she leans back to gain some more space between them.

That's mostly thanks to the gunbarrel pressed just beneath her ribs.

Dammit, she curses inwardly, even as she maintains a stoic facade with the aplomb of a true Bat. She should have noticed. She was so fixated on the truck, and all the wrong parts of what Domino was doing. She has to own up to it: this lapse is entirely on her.

It doesn't stop her from vacating her position, though. No hands up in surrender; no retreat to cede Domino her personal space. She just stares directly into the other woman's eyes, that white-lensed, steeled expression in those tense seconds of standoff suggesting that maybe - just maybe - she's willing to risk a debilitating shot if she has to. Her teeth grit. Bright red lips pull tight.

"... /one/..."

... And then she looks sidelong to that smartphone. That completely blank-screened smartphone.

"..."

And just like that, the intensity of the moment is ruined.

Batwoman watches. No, she -stares- as Domino just kind of awkwardly, one-handedly fiddles with that phone. As she's working it, Batwoman's hand has moved from Domino's side to her shoulder, palm pressing. Kate has a full load of a taser's electrical discharge, primed and ready... but she doesn't attack. Not now. Instead, she just tilts her head, lips parting as if to say something.

"... Those screen locks sure are tricky, huh. I can wait."

Is what she ultimately settles on, in the flattest of voices, because she just can't help it.

All the same -- when that screen flickers on, Kate instantly knows exactly what it means. She considers it, for a moment. She looks over her shoulders at the truck, past the shadows. And then that concealed gaze falls back to Domino.

There is tense silence for several seconds more, lingering in a position between cooperation and combat...

... before ruby lips curve into a crescent's teasing smile.

"Hope you don't need me to play -too- nice."
Domino has posed:
The tension of the moment is solid enough to bludgeon four more goons with but while Batwoman readies a taser hand awkwardness reigns supreme. Yeah, Domino's not about to snark back while fighting with her damn phone. It was gonna be a really cool moment and she was gonna be SUCH a boss despite being pinned flat on her back...

Kate gives her a time extension and the final puzzle piece is finally revealed on a high resolution display.

The albino's grin becomes somewhat off-center when Batwoman gives her final answer. "Exactly what I wanted to hear. But..real talk. I don't make a habit of lying under trucks. As a hobby it's not so fulfilling."

She had only -just- gotten the tracker in place when the vigilante came around. Fortunately for her it's also still in place as when the truck starts to take off the blip on the screen begins to update its location.

Then the goth turns off the screen. The gun comes last, notably -after- she makes sure the truck's gotten a healthy lead in departing the docks. A girl can never be too careful.

With this done Domino lets out a sigh and laces fingers together, taking a moment to look up at the redhead. Admiring the view, apparently. Hell, as long as the Bat's gonna stay there Dom may as well make the most of it.

"Wanna get a drink or something?"
Batwoman has posed:
"That's too bad. Seems like you've got a real knack for being underneath things."

It's a tease -and- a taunt! Now -that's- efficiency.

"It'd be too bad to see you squander all that potential."

Batwoman may tease, but that masked expression and her implacable tone make for a truly inscrutable thing; this Bat's poker face, apparently, just comes in a different flavor from Batman's. Her hand never leaves Domino, just like that gun never quite leaves its new home nestled against her side. She can't blame Domino for it; it's just playing it safe.

Just as much as she's sure Domino won't mind the fact that Batwoman's going to be making sure she knows -exactly- where that truck ends up.

It's just, after all, playing it safe.

The gun eases from her side; crimson-gloved fingers relax from Domino's shoulder. And slowly, Batwoman straightens atop Domino, that white-lensed gaze tilting to watch the distant cityscape the truck has retreated off to.

'Wanna get a drink or something?'

The redhead turns her head, regarding the goth woman currently admiring the view. Her index finger taps once, twice against Domino's shoulder blade.

"Tempting."

And then pulls away, as Batwoman smoothly rises to her feet.

"But let's talk ways to celebrate -after- we know where that truck ends up."

Emphasis we. It's hard enough to keep her wits about her around this woman -without- adding alcohol into the mix. Kate can make healthy personal choices.

"We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other better soon enough. Won't we?"

... Sometimes.