1988/Trophies

Trophies
Date of Scene:	14 August 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Domino, Nightwing

---

Domino has posed:
With everything moved from the apartment and the deal set, there was one last item of business in Gotham for Domino:

Get Nightwing's mask.

This wasn't something she particularly wanted to do, but her hands were proverbially tied. Forces above her pay-grade made their demands, and she would have to capitulate. Choice was an illusion. The option to refuse the deal was an empty formality.

With weapons loaded and ready, Neena has already located her target; she had no issues finding Batman when she wanted to, his first ward would fare no better. When your opponent makes their own luck, all the skills and preparation in the world mean jack diddly squat.

From a position on the highest roof in the area, the markswoman has lined up Nightwing in her sights. Chambered in rifle is not a bullet, but a gelpack round full of electroconductive fluid, and a small wireless transmitter barb.

Once he's in position, she takes the shot, muzzle flare and noise cancelled by the silencer on the barrel, aiming to strike Nightwing in the back, between his shoulderblades, where he will have difficulty reaching to remove the tiny device. Luck will do the rest.

Nightwing has posed:
    They had perhaps let her get too close, the Bat family had given some measure of trust to the woman... more than she knew assuredly. So it wasn't unlikely at all that she would pick up the patrol patterns of some of those vigilantes, to get a subtle vibe for their methods and equipment. Enough that she would possibly have been successful even without that amazing luck that seems to come to the fore and serve her at times.
    So it is no surprise when she takes up her place on the skyscraper, taking the angle and drawing a bead. It's on that same rooftop they had first met. It's a good point of observation for Burnley, good sight lines, difficult approaches. A good look out point. Unfortunately it also has that one building across the way... that overlooks that recon point.
    There's a distant sound, not enough to carry to him save perhaps as a muffled fft of some kind. And then there's the impact. His reflexes are good as he gets the hit and she'll see him drop and roll to the side finding cover even as a baton snaps free of its holster. She'll see him scan likely positions from where he was fired upon, and then his eyes lift upwards.

Domino has posed:
Domino stands up from her crouched position in the roof, rifle in hand.

She's letting Nightwing know in specific that it's her.

Nightwing has posed:
    The features in his mask include a magnification function and it only takes a moment for him to identify the woman who just... tagged him? He frowns and reaches back trying to find the place behind his shoulderblades, a little too low, but then he reaches from the back. She'll see him twist his head faintly to the side as he eyes her from afar, a hand lifts that seems to ask nothing more than, 'what the?' and yet he starts to move towards the edge of that building he's on, getting ready to close the distance with her as the grapple line is drawn from his belt.

Domino has posed:
This saves time; she expected him to run. Still, given their familiarity, maybe letting him come to her isn't such a bad idea. Domino tosses the rifle aside, its intended function overwith. A long-range gun isn't going to be much use in hand to hand combat. Never bring a rifle to a kung-fu match, as they say. Sort of.

She's wearing a headset with a right eyepiece that is allowing her a degree of night vision and thermal tracking, keeping an eye on Grayson as he gets closer. She taps the side of the device to access the HUD, as the chip stuck to Nightwing's back begins cycling through com frequencies to crack the one his headset runs on.

Nightwing has posed:
    The comm freqs of the bat clan aren't easily hacked, and she has limited time as Nightwing disappears from view as he makes the swing across the gap between the buildings, likely landing against the side of the building and beginning his ascent quickly, leaping from a flag pole upwards, leaping from ledge to ledge and using the grapple line sparingly.
    It takes a few moments, until she'll hear a sound from one direction of the rooftop, perhaps meant to draw her attention in that direction even as he flips up into view and lands on the other side of the roof, settling into a ready crouch as he eyes her from across the way, "What's up with this, Domino?"
    His eyes slip to one side, then the other, marking her haunt and sniper's nest, then back to her as he begins to puzzle through matters. "What's your intent?"

Domino has posed:
"You really shouldn't have told me to wait," she says calmly, drawing one of her heavier caliber handguns from a thigh holster. "I tried to tell you that leaving Gotham was the best idea. That if I stayed, things were going to get bad."

She checks the chamber and flicks off the safety with a ka-chak and click. "I'm going to give you a head start because I respect you and your allies. I'm here for your mask, and I'm not going to take no for an answer."

Nightwing has posed:
    "Dom..." He says that, brow furrowed as he looks to her. Something isn't right, something is entirely wrong with this. He's not that bad of reading a person, whatever she is, Domino isn't this. She wouldn't do this. She wasn't a plant all along... was she?
    But he shakes his head quickly. "I'm not going anywhere, you got an issue, you got something going down, we can handle it." Yet as he speaks his hand slips behind his back as he drops into a ready crouch, as if prepared to move in any direction at any moment. His brow furrows, "C'mon, Neena." His eyes narrow.
    Yet as he focuses on her, as he makes ready for whatever is to come, she'll hear in her earpiece the faint trill of her system letting her know the signal has been broken.

Domino has posed:
The frequency on Grayson's comlink crackles and Neena's voice comes over it. So that's why she's wearing the choker tonight - its transmitting very low vibrations of speech in her throat into sound that can be transmitted. Technological ventriloquism.

+How good are you at acting? Because I really need you to be oscar winning tonight. Play along, I'll explain as we go,+ the message says.

"Sorry honey. Sometimes when you take in strays, they're rabid." She draws her weapon and points it at him, as if this were some kind of bank heist. She's leaving herself wide open for it to be struck out of her hands.

Nightwing has posed:
    She can see him in that instant where he hears that other subdermally vocalized voice that reaches his senses. He frowns, perhaps at the most a smidge more than he was already, unable to be noticed assuredly. But he brings his hand around, holding it out and open, empty.
    "I don't think that's so, Domino." The young man gains his feet as he rises up to his full height, hands extended out to the sides. "After what we talked about, what we shared?" He shakes his head as he takes a step forwards, "I don't think you'll pull the trigger..."
    For a moment he'll meet her gaze, his head turning to the side as if trying to look at her from another angle... but then back as he turns his hips just slightly to the side.

Domino has posed:
"That's precisely why I have to. You're too close. You're going to compromise me if I let it get any further." She holds the gun out a little more, her body language giving him the go head to knock it out of her hands.

+Someone much higher up on the food chain has my hands tied. I'm supposed to take your mask, but do it by force. Prove I don't care about you, I guess. If I don't do this, I'm dead,+ she explains over the comm. +I'm probably being monitored right now, which is why I had to go this level of subtrefuge. Go ahead and fight me, we'll put on a nice martial arts show. I brought something to protect your identity if you choose to help me. I don't want to take your identity from you. That's something only you have the right to share if you choose.+

"Hand it over. Unless you want to press your luck." She smiles darkly, and then - winks.

Nightwing has posed:
    A shake of his head is given, "I can't believe you'd do this, Neena. I can't believe you'd..." But then there are no further words as he brings his right boot up in a smooth arc that /cracks/ hard against her wrist and sends the pistol flying into the air and over the side of the rooftop even as he continues with the movement, twisting into a blurringly fast roundhouse kick towads the side of her head as he plants one leg to bring the other up and around.
    She's never really seen him fight before, never had the time to observe him, though she's seen how he moves. That effortless grace, the precision, it all comes together in the way he throws down and for now... he's going to at the least put on a damn good show.

Domino has posed:
"--Sh*t!"

The gun goes flying out of Domino's hands and clatters across the roof while she leans back just in time to avoid being struck by Nightwing's foot. The strike is so close she could accurately describe his boot treads. Okay, she knew he was going to be acting but this is a hyper-realistic performance. She follows through with the lean into a back flip and draws her other rifle while crouched forward, free hand brushing against the roof, gun arm out to the side.

"I came to Gotham for Batman's head two months ago, what makes you think I wouldn't take a cool million for your mask?"

Nightwing has posed:
    "You got ripped off," He says even as she's drawing that rifle he's /leaping/ into the air, hand grabbing the bottom rung of a tall antenna as he spins around it with one hand, the other lashing out and around to send a scattering of small metallic spheres towards her feet with a click-clack-clatter of sound.
    One suddenly bursts forth with several smoke jets, another /FLASHES/ bright as it snaps open, flaring with brilliant light. And then the last explodes with a loud crack to attempt to disorient the gunwoman. It's all meant to just buy enough time for him to leap off that antenna and down with a flying kick aimed at cracking that rifle in two even as he lands upon the ground with a crunch.

Domino has posed:
Domino's quick on the draw, and she opens fire on the metallic spheres; she just randomly shoots and luck causes the bullets to strike the spheres, knocking them back and away from her, potentially right back at Nightwing. The flashbang goes off, but Neena leans towards the rifle still on the roof, Dick's body, landing on the rifle to dent it, casts just enough shadow to keep her from being blinded. Nevertheless, things are fuzzy around the edges.

+You're good. Kind of wish I had more time to practice with you sometime. Watch out, by the way, things kind of go haywire around people trying to beat me up.+

Nightwing has posed:
    "You don't have to do this, Neena." The young man tries to press the advantage, stepping in with a series of punches, the dark silhouette of his movement a blur as he twists with the motion. A half hopping step takes him closer as he uncurls with a sidekick, then the same turning momentum lets a backfist spin around sharply towards the side of her jaw. To any observers it might seem like he's trying to lay claim to her scalp, there is such a burning level of intensity as he scowls as he rounds about.
    Another step forwards and then his boot catches on the twisted remains of one of those scattered orbs, his foot sliding out from under him and dropping him down. But even in that moment of uncontrolled descent he twists to the side, catching himself with his hands under him as he tries to recover before she can close the distance, one leg chambering and then firing backwards at her if only to buy some distance.

Domino has posed:
Domino isn't green to physical combat; she counters and blocks Dick's punches, sways her midsection to let the kick to her side blow past and then turn and curl her body down and forward to let the high kick swing past her head, ruffling her hair in the breeze made by the force of the blow. It's as if she's dancing through his strikes, her body moving of its own accord to place her in the perfect position to dodge every one of them. Mutant powers for the win.

While Nightwing's leg is extended Domino dashes forward, pivoting into a turn, and with improbable timing, slides in to slip her legs around Grayson's extended leg and catch him in a hold, hands on his ankle, lying on her side, having tossed her handweapon away.

"Sorry, I kind of have a love affair with money. You never stood a chance," she purrs sweetly.

+By the way, you'll have to tell me your favorite charity. Once this is over I've got two million that could go to orphans or cancer or something,+ she radios.

Nightwing has posed:
    Even as she's trying to get the leg lock in place, he's twisting around smoothly, lithe athletic body turning smoothly in a clean arc that has his free leg snapping up and around, his flexibility an amazing thing to see as he slices the edge of his leg towards the side of her jaw, his other arm twisting around to catch him as he turns to prevent him falling.
    But what she'll notice, is that if he's trying to throw the fight, he's not going to do so lightly, there's going to be some blood and bruises on her part if she's going to have to make it look good. And Nightwing, he's happy to oblige her.

Domino has posed:
Domino has never hated Sebastian Shaw more in her entire life.

The entire mission was pointless and worthless, skipping over Domino's actual skills and most efficient modus operandi, and forcing her to take the stupid route to get to the end goal. She hated it. She hated it as much as the times she was asked for mission plans and then watched them get promptly ignored.

In a movement that is undescribed due to her player having about as much knowledge of martial arts throws and saves as she knows about how to run a large hadron collider, Domino brings one free arm up to block the kick, letting Nightwing push her away with said kick and disentangle him.

+Careful, I don't want to have to take the kid gloves off to get this done,+ she warns over the radio.

Nightwing has posed:
    There's a moment where he whirls around to the side and comes up as he charges towards her, having recovered as she released his leg. He makes no semblance of having heard her as he moves in quickly, darting close as he tries to aim an elbow at her...
    And whether or not it is her luck or perhaps him taking that moment to play into the bull rush, he slips faintly to the side, trying to turn into her to make the strike hit cleanly... but it fails. And it fails rather well, believably so. It ends with him rushing past and turning but she'll have a straight shot at his back even as he recovers.

Domino has posed:
+I'm really going to miss being around you.+

She applies a double fisted hammer blow (with out the knock-out force behind it) to the center of his back to force him down as he slips up. Hopefully this will be the grand finale. She's already prepared the substitute mask.

Nightwing has posed:
    She'll hear a /crunch/ as she lands that double blow and it takes him down to one knee as he tries to brace himself against the fall with his hands. It's a moment of opportunity as he shakes his head, as if trying to recover, to refocus. His leatherclad hand slides over the gravel as he draws fingertips over the surface of that rooftop, trying to gather himself enough to round on her and continue the fight.
    Or so it seems.

Domino has posed:
Domino straddles Nightwing's back, sliding her arms under his armpits and putting her hands together at the back of his neck. She's curling his spine backwards to try to prevent him from using his legs, as she uses leverage to try to keep him still. Dom is completely pressed up against his back to hold him.

"Shhh. This will only take a moment. Just relax and let me have what I want, okay? I won't look at your face. I wasn't paid for that."

She decides to do something she knows she's good at - distractions. He might be able to break her hold before she can take the mask, he's got the advantage in upper body strength, and his training is outstanding. He's the type she'd rather use a bullet on than fight directly - and that's a compliment.

She leans in to the right side of his head, kissing his cheek languidly, then up a little further, taking his earlobe between her lips, brushing it with her teeth and sucking on it lightly, as her hands slip free at the same time and reach up to pull off his mask.

Nightwing has posed:
    She'll feel him tense against the hold for a moment as she makes to distract him with her lips and that bite. His jaw tenses, tendons bunching as he scowls severely. A shake of his head is made as if to try and get away from that touch, that liberty taken with him. But it's not enough to get clear of her pale fingers as she reaches up to the side of the mask and pulls it free.
    And it draws clear, though she'll hear a faint sizzling as the electronics begin to crackle within the device as it self-destructs the wiring, making it useless... yet still serviceable as a trophy should she wish. It leaves behind it a thin film upon his features, still something of a mask, but much more thin.

Domino has posed:
Domino had no use for it other than that. She moves her head back to avoid physical retaliation from Grayson. She doesn't blame him. For the first time, the thought of having used her proverbial wiles in this way sickens him. She never wanted him to be a target.


She tried to warn him.

Domino really hates Sebastian Shaw right now.

Quickly she releases him and springs backwards and away from him. From a side pouch (sometimes pouches are useful, shhh), she reaches in an tosses him a replacement mask. Oh, it may not have all the fancy equipment of the one she's just snagged, but it's a true Domino mask ... one eye white, the other black.

"... I wish it could have been any other way, but look at me. I'll always want something I can never have."

Nightwing has posed:
    The young man is coughing, shaking his head as he tries to refocus, to recover from what had just passed. He begins to regain his feet as his strength returns to him and he scowls across the way at her. The other mask is accepted though he'll be fine either way. But when she makes to depart she might have a small moment of doubt... of question as she can finally see his very blue eyes. For a moment their gazes will lock...
    And did he just wink at her?
    Perhaps, perhaps not. But she has her chance to flee now, otherwise he'll be recovered soon enough.

Domino has posed:
"Good bye little bird. Fly home." Domino doesn't even try to go back for her weapons. She backs up to the edge of the building, spreads her arms apart - and leaps over the edge ino the night.