3543/Paying Respects to One's Teacher

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Paying Respects to One's Teacher
Date of Scene: 02 January 2018
Location: Gotham City
Synopsis: Red Robin goes looking for Shiva. She's easily found waiting for him on a rooftop.
Cast of Characters: Red Robin, Lady Shiva
Tinyplot: Shivonic Plague


Red Robin has posed:
    The lady taught him a lot. She did not teach him everything she knew, nor was she his only teacher. All things being equal though, Shiva knows to expect him. It feels like a Tim Drake night. The air is as clean and cold as Gotham lets it be. The skies are as dark as they get in this city of looming shadows, the stars blotted by pollution and the heavy clouds that drop a little snow on the rooftops. It is quiet. Eerie. Cold. She taught him well, and she taught him to take advantage of circumstances.

    She catches sight of him. It wasn't as easy as perhaps she suspected. He's learned his lessons well, and though he could be one of her slower learners, he always practiced hard, and always worked to excel. A fleeting ghost. Crimson in patch of light that reflected off a puddle or a patch of snow. Just fleeting enough, the young man might have wanted her to see him? Regardless, he's grown since last she got a good look at him.

    He doesn't approach from behind. That might signal an attack. She senses him materialize from the darkness off to her right. He's silent as a ghost as he approaches. His hands are in plain sigh. His footfalls as he approaches on the rooftop are steady, silent, and easy. He is not coming to fight, but she senses he could.

    "Master." His voice deepened a little. His right fist gently presses into his palm and he gives her a low bow as he stops maybe 20 feet away. His bow is low, respectful, but she can feel his eyes never leave her from behind his mask. He is no longer Robin, but now the Red Robin. "I am happy to see you." The pleasantry is genuine.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    There were always whispers in the darkness. If one listened closely enough, they could learn many things. It was through those shadows that Shiva had learned about the search for the Dragon. They had shared secrets about the villians and the heroes that prowled through the night. She was being sought.
    Far be it from her to not be found.
    She had chosen this rooftop. It was off the normal patrol routes for the Bats. Certainly they changed them nightly but she knew the places that were hit less frequently. It was a game of the odds in some ways but she trusted her instincts. The rooftop is large and bare save the HVAC unit and the small room holding the stairwell down to the rest of the floors below.
    Shiva is standing in the center of that rooftop, a black leather trenchcoat wrapped around her slim form. It isn't for the weather. She wears it most of the time. It allows her to hide the weapons of her trade. Although Shiva has never really needed them, it was better to have them than now.
    With Red Robin's arrival, she turns toward him and gives a low bow in return to the young man. "You are the only one of your Family who feels thusly."

Red Robin has posed:
    "With respect, I am the one you taught. We will always share a connection, you and I. Even when we are different sides of a matter." Red Robin slowly rights himself, and takes just a couple of steps closer. Without a clear invitation to approach, he will not press her. The two steps narrow the gap to around 15 feet. His hands remain at his side, but he is ready should she move; but his stance is one of a person who respects her potential, not one seeking her ire. "You taught me the value of respect. Even if I am saddened by what things have come to, I am glad to see you."

    His mouth works for a moment into his lopsided grin. "I have been told not to try to dissuade you, or to offer myself up to you. I will obey. Will you speak with me? You live by a strict honor code. I will not seek to dissuade you. I just wanted to talk and to see you, and see if you had a suggestion that might avoid tragedy. You are no coward, and you fear no one, and with reason. I understand Nightwing pushed the issue foolishly. You live and die by your honor. Is there a way he can be corrected that allows your code to be followed without it coming to the inevitable, master?"

    It's a simplistic thing to do, maybe something so simple that no one else tried. He'll just ask her what his 'big brother' can do to maybe make it right.

    Red Robin's face suggests he already knows the answer, but he'll ask.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    Shiva never moves from her spot. Her arms hang at her sides, hands visible and open. Unlike many people, she doesn't use her hands when she talks. They remain in place, still. She may as well be a statue when she chooses, not a muscle shifting. Most people will eventually twitch a finger or shift their weight from one side to the other. That is not the case with her.
    A light breeze tousles her hair slightly, causing the trenchcoat to flutter briefly in the wind. Her dark eyes remain focused on him, never leaving him as he moves closer.
    "Tragedy. Inevitable." She echoes those words as she tilts her head ever so slightly to the side. The aura of peace that hangs around her never changes, the zen of her nature around her at all times. Even when she fights, that sense of peace is there. Even shen she kills. It is rare that it is interrupted. Yet, she is no less dangerous. "Who has told you these things?"

Red Robin has posed:
    "Master? I know the measure of you both. If you seek to due to the death? You will kill him." Red Robin doesn't mince words now. He's gotten through the formalities. "The Batman told me that Nightwing misinterpreted your initial approach, and he foolishly escalated your challenge to the death." He narrows his brows. "Or am I simply mistaken?" His lips purse as he silences himself. His head tilts ever-so-slightly as he regards her.

    It is rare for him to be so quiet; it means she has his attention.

Lady Shiva has posed:
    "You are not mistaken," Shiva says as she continues to regard him, expression unreadable. It is ever thus. If she challenges, the worst is always expected of those who know her reputation. It was this for Nightwing. It is true that what would have been combat was turned into a battle to the death by a few poorly chosen words. The worst part is that he cut a deal for her to do something she would've done for free.
    The die is cast. The clock is ticking.
    "The Bat should have taught you nothing is inevitable. The winds of change blow without warning."
    She considers his request thoughtfully a moment. Her voice is the same calm it had been from the moment she first spoke. "Would you die in his place?"

Red Robin has posed:
    "You know I would." Tim Drake answers with the certainty of youth. His next words are difficult for him to say. "My other master had forbidden me to offer myself to you, as has Nightwing. I am stuck in a very complicated web of obligations." His voice is quiet. "But then, if one is honest, they will see that you are as well." His right hand gestures towards the ledge. "Will you sit with me? I miss your instruction. I am not here to change your mind, or to argue with you. I am here to show respect to a woman who taught me a great deal, and to see if there is any other way honor can be upheld without one of two people I care about being hurt in the process."

Lady Shiva has posed:
    "He knew you would be thinking with our heart and not your brain." Shiva can't begrudge the Batman. He knew his people. He understood what tehy would do and planned ahead. As the young man motions to the ledge, Shiva gives a negative shake. "I have not the time tonight. Perhaps soon we can meet at my dojo."
    It was an old abandoned location that she had adopted long ago. The exterior was boarded up with bars over the windows. The front door painted black from the inside so there was no way to see the interior. Mats and equipment still was clean and in working condition iside. It was her place to help train others whens he chose to do so. Or to challenge them.
    Her whims were the stuff of legend.
    "I will consider your offer of a trade. You for the Little Bat." Her pet name for Nightwing.

Red Robin has posed:
    "I cannot make the offer." Tim Drake says, sounding utterly heartbroken. "Batman will not allow it, and it will only make things worse for everyone involved. It will draw us all into a larger conflict. As much as I might want to, I cannot make that offer." He is absolutely heartbroken to say it. "I made promises. Please do not think me cowardly, master." He gives a low, respectful bow. "Master."

Lady Shiva has posed:
    There is a slight narrowing of Shiva's eyes. "You did not offer. You were asked if you would. You said yes." It's that simple for the assassin. He didn't offer. He simply agreed to the deal. Yet his words show he is thinking that the prohibition of his mentor keeps him from keeping to that deal.
    She lets that sink in for a moment then continues. "You are no coward. You have a heart that will take you far in this world." Shiva turns, moving for the first time. She closes the distance to Tim but keeps her motions non threatening. Her hand comes down on his shoulder, giving a brief squeeze if he allows it.. Then she is gone, across the rooftop and heading for the edge.
    "I need to speak to Batman." Why, she doesn't share. It isn't his business. "Tell him to seek me out."