2916/Not My People

Not My People
Date of Scene:	20 October 2017
Location:	Gotham City
Synopsis:	Batman lets Shiva know how he feels about her challenging Nightwing
Cast of Characters:	Lady Shiva, Batman
Tinyplot:	Shivonic Plague

---

Lady Shiva has posed:
    The night is a bit cooler as autumn takes a firmer hold on Gotham City. It's a Friday so despite the late hour, the streets are still rather busy. Even in China Town, there is a bustle of activity on the sidewalks. A few bars are still open although most of the restaurants have closed their doors at this hour. It's not as busy as some of the other areas of town but it's steady traffic for this area.
    Business has brought Shiva to this town once again. A very large sum of money changed hands. Now, she is supposed to assist one gang against another. It worked in Bludhaven so apparently the word had spread it would be possible to hire her for that very service. Only if they could pay the price, of course. Her fees were not cheap.
    She is standing on a rooftop, watching a small bar across the street. It is where her targets spend a lot of time. Tonight is just reconnaisance, nothing will be don physically. She's learning their patterns. She squats down at the edge of the roof and waits.

Batman has posed:
    The leaves of the season are few and far between in an urban sprawl such as Gotham. Just a few brown and yellow pieces afloat on the brush of the wind, a handful drifting across the streets below, some lifted upon the updraft into the air, and then a few wisping past the dark figure who only now makes his presence known. No sound heralds him. No greeting. Almost as if one moment he was not there, and then the next he was simply by the force of his will.
    It is rare one is able to have Shiva at such a brief momentary disadvantage, but he waits for that faint moment when the tension enters her form, the recognition of the fact that she's not alone. It's in that small window of hesitation, that slightest hint of such a foreign thing as self-doubt. That is the moment when the Batman speaks.
    "My people are off limits to you, Shiva." The voice is a low rumble, a growl restrained with force of will alone.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    There had been no sound, no warning. Shiva had remained in her place, never showing her awareness. It took a moment for something to tickle her senses. Not really anything given away so much as the feeling she wasn't alone. Her shoulders flexed enough he would be able to pick it up, the tensing as she took that into account. In this city, there are a wide range of bodies that could be on the rooftops at night. There are few of them with the skill to sneak up on the assassin.
    She tiltsd her head slightly at his growl, a hint of a smike playing across her lips. Positioned as he is, he is unable to see it. A moment later, she slowly unfolds while keeping her hands to the sides of her body. Non threatening as she turns to face the formidable guardian of Gotham City.
    "It is alright for your people--and yourself--to use my training but I am expected to not find out if they were worthy of those gifts? That seems impractical."

Batman has posed:
    A gauntlet slips from the shadows and slashes to the side from beneath the cloak even as the Batman steps forwards into the faint light of the moon high above, his dark silhouette barely limned by that faint source. The expression on what features of his can be seen are sharp and severe, dismissive as his voice lifts again. "Whatever connection you have with me and mine ends when you threaten their lives."
    Oh it is true he made use of the woman's talents, had trained under her, even some of his proteges, but this... it is written on his face the severity of his disagreement. "There is no discussion here, Shiva. You show up at the appointed time for that duel, it won't be Nightwing you have to worry about. I'll be there and we'll settle this."
    Which, in some ways, might be exactly what she wants. But the line is drawn there, clearly marked by the Dark Knight.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    A light breeze rustles her leather trench coat around her as she considers the words. For an instant, there is a flash of triumph in her eyes but it is gone just as quickly. Being who he is, there is no way he missed it. Shiva gives a faint shrug, useless movement which is something she rarely does. It can be a sign of her discomfort to be snuck up on and confronted. Or she simply is feeling expressive tonight.
    "My deal is with the Little Bat. He struck the bargain. If you take issue, perhaps you should be speaking with him instead of me. He might listen." A faint tilt of her head as she continues. "My guess is the Little Bird told you. Another youngster to give my skills to but not allow me to challenge them." Then her lips twist up into that hint of a smile, as though there is some secret joke only she knows playing out here. "Does the Little Bat even know you are speaking with me? I wonder how he would feel about his 'father' still trying to protect him like a child. I doubt the man he has become would find that complimentary."

Batman has posed:
    "This conversation is over." The Dark Knight's eyes remain on her, hidden irises denying her even that insight into the man, and his body language is that presentation of utterly controlled intensity that has made him such a difficult man at times to read. There is a sharp turn to the side, the cape sweeping across his silhouette even as the breeze faintly catches it, causing the fabric to snap with the motion. He begins to walk in the opposite direction from her, footsteps precise.
    Then he reaches the edge of the roof and he turns his head slightly, not quite looking at her as he says. "And if I catch you hiring yourself out to the gangs in my city, then we won't have to wait for a year to see who is better."
    As he says this he withdraws the grapple line from the belt at his waist, twisting it once as it clicks open, the device snapping to the ready as he brings it up.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    There is a sound that comes from her that he has never heard. Shiva laughs very softly. "Then we shall be seeing each other quite soon unless you can make me a better offer than they did."
    He drew his line in the sand. She just drew her own. She has already taken money and she won't go back on a deal unless there is a good reason. In her mind, a threat from the Batman himself doesn't fall in that category. After all, this has been building for years. Her first time testing him, she had been stopped by a silent rebuke from her sensei. That was a very long time ago. They have been enemies and they have been allies.
    She has complete confidence in her skills and she is prepared to take that final step. Although her thirst for knowledge has not been completely sated, she will nto back down at a threat.

Batman has posed:
    That grapple line hisses with expelled gas as it fires the line to imbed in the side of one of the skyscrapers nearby. A small grunt comes from him and he replies with the easy snap as he turns his head away. "Then make sure you're ready, Shiva. I will be." And as quickly as that he steps off the side of the building, the line attached to his gauntlet and retracted with a low whir that sends him rocketing upwards and around in a clean arch, cloak billowing with a rustle of fabric locking around him in the shape of a a bat's wing.
    For a moment as he releases the line, gliding off into the distance he's visible against the glow of the moon, and then in the next instant he's gone.