343/The Bill Comes Due

The Bill Comes Due
Date of Scene:	09 May 2017
Location:	GCPD, Gotham City
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Batman, Karrin Murphy

---

Batman has posed:
It's late and time for the next shift to get going at Gotham Central.

In the shadows of the GCPD parking lot, a figure waits, nigh-invisible, for Murphy to walk to her car.

"Lieutenant," the Batman says quietly from the darkness. "We need to talk." He steps forward just enough for a silhouette to become visible.

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The little blonde almost always stays late, so she's one of the last out from the final shift. Batman will just have to wait. Fortunately, no one else seems to have noticed him and, surprisingly, there aren't any screams or calls for help across the city while he's waiting. It's a quiet Tuesday night.

The moment Murphy hears a voice from the darkness, her whole body jerks to the side and down, out of range of a bullet that would be fired chest height, and her hand reaches for her gun. She doesn't draw, but that shows what kind of week she's had. A split of a heartbeat later, the second reaction after her first moment of muscle memory kicked in, she realizes who it is. She slowly shifts back to standing straight, giving the man a brief nod. "Sure. You want a ride somewhere? I could use some coffee."

Batman has posed:
"This won't take long," the vigilante replies, his voice flat and matter-of-fact. "You've had your time with that strange coin we found. It seems that GCPD has gone nowhere with it. So ... hand it over and I'll close the case."

Batman takes just a single step closer. "We both know that I'm better than your forensics unit. I offered the coin as a gesture of goodwill and respect. Don't make me regret doing so."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
There is no fear or hesitaiton in the woman's features, her jaw setting slightly, "The coin is where it needs to be and where it is safest -- with the Church. I don't know if you're a god-fearing man. I... am not always a God-fearing woman, I'll admit, but there are more forces at play here than you or do." She pauses, still no actual concern on her face. This is not a woman with a guilty conscience about what she did, but who acted in full confidence.

Karrin Murphy comes around her little Mazda, so she's on the same side of her car as him, letting him see her blue eyes and expression more clearly. She doesn't want to hide from what she did, she wants him to see how serious it was. "...DO you actually comprehend what was in that woman?"

Batman has posed:
"Just to be clear," Batman says, an edge of anger or frustration apparent in his voice, "you're telling me that you gave the coin away. To a church."

He inhales deeply and takes another step closer, staring back into Murphy's eyes. "I'm not here to debate religion, Lieutenant. I'm here to stop whatever still might be unfolding as a result of Nunez's disappearance and re-appearance. Do /you/ actually comprehend what you might be complicit in allowing to happen?"

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"Yes. I do. The thing in that woman was a *demon*. Whether you believe in an all-knowing god, or simply powerful beings, there are demons in this world. They attach themselves to coins like that. You ever heard of the 30 pieces of Silver? Yeah. That's one of THOSE. And it has a demon in it. It drove her insane. That's why she changed, the way she did, that's how she got so strong, went so insane. She's still fighting the shit that demon did to her head. She might never be clear of it."

Karrin might be short. She might be considered relatively weak in compare to someone like Batman, but she doesn't act like it. She steps straight up to him, almost chest to chest, even as the tall, leather clad frame towers over her. She stares up into his eyes without remorse or regred. "There are men and women -- Good men and women -- dedicated to specifically fighting those Coins. He recognized it the moment I brought it up, without even showing the thing. It's bad news that one was in our city, there may be more. But it ended up in the right place."

Batman has posed:
"Hh," the Batman responds, staring almost directly down at the woman. He stands otherwise silent while she talks, his face expressionless.

After Murphy finishes, the caped crusader slowly places his hands on his hips. "Lieutenant ..." he says, almost as slowly, "... you should have come to me beforehand. There's still too much I need to learn about these 'demons' and their coins. You can't just turn things over to an ecclesiastical court."

Batman allows a thin, mirthless smile to spread across his face. "My labors to take down threats to the city are not contingent upon my belief in a particular power. But I recognize why it might make you feel better to lean on one."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
A ghost of a smile trickles across her lips, the smile of a woman with faith. Strange faith, for a cop like her. "I think there is a man you should speak with. He would appreciate the help and he could answer a lot more of your questions than I can. Michael Carpenter. But... I wouldn't try sneaking onto his property. He has some ... gifted guard dogs." That's a polite way to talk about Guardian Angels, right? Karrin keeps that rather engimatic smile on her lips, still not backing down from the large man towering over her.

"Trust me, Batman... we are all on the same side here. Church included. We all want these things off the streets. If you hear of another... Don't touch it. Don't ever touch it. A single touch and the demon... it gets inside you. And even when the coin is free, it can live there, inside your skull, driving you slowly insane. Tempting you to take the coin back. Tempting you to the power it provides. There is almost no person in the world I'd trust with that coin, myself and you included. Michael Carpenter is a man I would trust with that coin."

Batman has posed:
The dark knight sets his jaw and listens. "I've heard similar spiels before, Lieutenant. Most of the people who give them end up doing terrible things and believe--incorrectly--that everyone else is willing to slide down the same slope."

He flexes his hand and takes a step back from Murphy. "I still need to examine that coin. If Carpenter has it, I'll need to pay him a visit. I don't hurt innocent people--and some might argue that doing /nothing/ is akin to doing harm."

Batman takes another step back, beginning to fade into the shadows again. "It's a shame we couldn't built a stronger relationship, Lieutenant. I was hoping that you understood my role here."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"I do understand your role, Batman... I think it's you who doesn't understand mine. I'm not just a cop. I'm...walking between worlds. That's what SI is, as crazy and... shitty as it is. It doesn't always make sense. But we do our best. Speak to Carpenter. You'll understand." With that, Karrin sighs out deeply and turns back into her car. She steps around the front and moves into the driver's seat. She sinks down into the driver's seat and carefully pounds her head against the steering wheel for just a few moments. "...God forgive me for the next two minutes of words..." And then there is a nice string of curses from her lips as she pulls out of the parking lot.