4742/This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship...

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This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship...
Date of Scene: 25 June 2018
Location: Gotham City
Synopsis: The Shadow meets Batgirl! And they have tea.
Cast of Characters: Oracle, Shadow




Oracle has posed:
An event appears on Miss Cranston's calendar, quietly and without any fanfare or announcement. It's set for 10:00pm, and listed as a 'Meeting'. While there is no mention of the other party, in the meeting attachment is a simple quote.

"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them." - Ernest Hemingway

Below the quote is an address in Gotham City. The Old Clocktower.

Shadow has posed:
    Well, well, well. Natasha looks at the offending calendar item and ponders if she should have a word with her IT staff, then decides against it -- for one, it's somewhat unfair to expect them to be a match for Oracle; for another, she'd have to explain how and why she's come to Oracle's attention, and she dislikes directly lying to people who work for her. She marks the appointment as 'accepted' and goes back to work.


Much later that night...

    "Where to, Boss?" Benny asks casually, pulling away from the curb as the cab door closes, barely taking his eyes off traffic to glance at the woman putting on a black coat and slouch hat on the back seat.

    "Gotham, Benny," Natasha replies before slips the red scarf around her throat and face. "I have an appointment..."

Oracle has posed:
    The Old Clocktower building itself has been gutted, leaving the main entryway and three-story atrium with massive windows on all sides and lovely marble staircases flanking the two side walls that lead to wide balconies where sitting areas perhaps once sat.

    The front door is unlocked, and tucked discretely off to one side is an elevator leading to the upper levels. A sign on the wide walnut desk at the center of the entryway indicates that the upper levels are private. And that's all.

    There's no one in sight, either outside or inside. And yet someone with extra senses would know that the building is far from deserted.

Shadow has posed:
    Most security systems these days include motion detectors as a matter of routine. Of course, this can lead to its own set of problems regarding false positives - security companies get annoyed when they're called out by an automatic alert caused by what turns out to be a branch blown by the wind, or a stray animal.

     The surveillance software governing the cameras guarding Oracle's headquarters are state-of-the-art, capable of distinguishing a human moving purposefully from a tree in the wind at a better than 99% success rate -- but even so the first sign of an approach is only detected by the median perimeter, and even that one only reluctantly flags its input for operator -- IE, Oracle's -- attention because it's insufficiently confident in what it's seeing: A patch of shadow moving through a lit area, shrinking and extending as if a normal person in a coat and hat walked close past the streetlight -- but nothing where logic dictates the person casting the shadow should be...

Oracle has posed:
    From up in the atrium balcony, a figure in dark attire crouches in the shadows. A cowled figure. Using her cape to shroud the light from a smartphone, Barbara Gordon a.k.a. Oracle a.k.a. Batgirl watches the camera feed.

    She smiles as motion detector technology so sophisticated that it won't be available to the FBI for another 6 months glitches out and is fooled by the indistinct images. Switching off the visual, Batgirl watches the door from inside.

Shadow has posed:
    It doesnt take long for the outer door to open, briefly throwing a silhouette of a tall man in a coat and hat on the floor, cast by the light outside, before the shadow moves deeper into the building.

    If anything, it's even more disturbing seen in person -- at least seeing it on the monitor one might tell themselves that it's just camera artefact, or computer trickery, but it's undeniably real. The outline is almost perfect and Batgirl can deduce exactly where the person has to standing and how they're moving from the shadow that's cast -- but her eyes insist there is nothing there... And then suddenly, there is, as shadows and mist seem to coil inward and coalesce into a solid figure between one step and the next.

    Black trenchcoat and opera cloak. Black slouch hat. Black gloves. A carmine scarf covering almost everything the hat doesn't hide, save for those blazing blue eyes that now look around the room, seeming to miss nothing...

Oracle has posed:
    Shadows coalesce in the lobby and then there's movement up in the balcony. Movement, and muted sounds, as *something* tumbles over the railing. Something dark. With what looks like wings. And pointed ears. There's a muted whine as the speed brake on the grappel line slows her fall at the last second.

    Standing 6'2" in heeled boots, the caped figure looks like every image of Batman in a criminal's worst nightmare. A second look shows long red hair and a feminine figure figure beneath the long cape. Touching a button on her wrist. all surveillance switches off. As do the dim lights in the entryway, and even the streetlights around the building's exterior.

    In a low, husky voice the woman offers. "Thank you for coming." It's not *Batman's* growl; it's too feminine, more of a contralto. "Surveillance is off, if you'd like to talk here. Or we could go upstairs."

Shadow has posed:
    Most of the body remains still, but the wide brim of the slouch hat means that even a slight tilt of the head is easily visible, distracting neatly from the twitch of an arm toward a weapon holster.

    "You are... Not who I was expecting to meet here," the Shadow admits.

Oracle has posed:
    Batgirl's hand reaches up slowly to the cowl, drawing it back and off in a smooth motion. The face is familiar, now. And in her more normal, yet still quiet voice, Barbara Gordon replies simply. "The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them."

    There's a pause, followed by a small smile. "Do you like tea?"

Shadow has posed:
... Well, now.

THAT, Natasha hadn't expected. Her grandfather had more than once emphasized that anyone who knows her true identity was a potential weakness, and that trust is the one thing she couldn't afford, to always play her cards close to her chest...

... But at the same time, in those few times she'd managed to get him to talk about his exploits, after... /after/... she couldn't but be struck by how lonely he sounded, even in his memories.

And here, before her, stands #-1 FUNCTION (ANSI) EXPECTS 2 ARGUMENTS BUT GOT 1 young woman who made the same choices she had, for her own reasons, to face the darkness on behalf of the light.

    She reaches a decision. Courage deserves to be rewarded. "A wise man once said that the only way to earn trust--" The Shadow intones, one gloved hand reaching up to take hold of the scarf and the brim of the hat, then pulling both away.

    "... Is to give it," Natasha finishes, shaking out black hair as it cascards down her shoulders. "And tea will be fine. I take it you have hot water available here?" she asks, smiling faintly.

Oracle has posed:
    Barbara Gordon smiles as the scarf and hat removed, looking over the dark-haired woman as that hair is shaken loose as well. "Upstairs, then." she offers. Gesturing towards the elevator, she leads the way with a dramatic flourish of the cape that is likely a habit.

    Once in the elevator with her guest she slots a key card. Touching the display on her wrist, the outside lights and downstairs systems are turned back on again. And then the doors slide open to the penthouse floor. "Come on in and make yourself comfortable. This room, and this building, is one of the most secure places on the East Coast. Including the Pentagon."

Shadow has posed:
    "Impressive," Natasha murmurs in a tone of professional admiration. "My own home's security isn't nearly this thorough, although my limit is less about what I can spend on it and more about what I can afford to be seen spending on it; excessive paranoia tends to make people wonder what Natasha Cranston has to hide, and that's not a line of inquiry I want to encourage..."

Oracle has posed:
    "No, I'd imagine not. Discretion and diversion are certainly the best forms of security." Barbara pauses and smiles on her way to the kitchen. "But I don't need to tell -you- that." The cowl is tossed casually onto a chair, and once she gets the kettle going the cape and utility belt join it.

    "I really don't know where to begin, now. It seems we've been circling each other like predators for a very long time, now. And now here you are joining me for tea." Almost casually, she gestures towards the large computer office space and declares. "Behold, Oracle's Lair. When I said I worked for Oracle, I neglected to mention we share the same hairbrush."

Shadow has posed:
    Not quite an accurate assessment, as Natasha hadn't put much thought or concern into either Batgirl or Oracle until very recently, but she nods regardless, conceding the point. "I admit, I hadn't expected that. From what I've gathered, the majority of people aware of Oracle's existence in the first place think you're a man."

    She smirks. "Then again, I have no room to talk - I certainly don't discourage flawed assumptions as to my own identity. It's an efficient layer of deception."

    She leans back in her chair, once more every inch the boardroom negotiator despite the outfit she wears. "That said, I suspect you invited me here for more than simply tea and mutual compliments..."

Oracle has posed:
    Barbara raises a finger to her lips and winks, making a soft shushing sound. "Distraction and deception." she replies, with a knowing smile. Settling on a chair comfortably facing Natasha, Barbara crosses one leg over the other and looks as casual in the black bodysuit with the yellow bat emblem as she did in the coffee shop.

    To begin. Yes. Barbara draws a deep breath and exhales slowly. "I'm putting together a team, yes. People who are capable, discreet, and resourceful. People who aren't afraid to color outside the lines occasionally and get their hands dirty. There are opportunities to do a lot of good on a global scale. For example, why just simply go after drug dealers in Gotham when you can shut off supply to the northeast coast with the right raid to the right place?"

    "That's just one example, of course. But the goal of this group is to do things that interntional authorities can't do and local governments *won't* do. The ideas are out there. I'm just trying to give them legs."

Shadow has posed:
    Natasha nods, acknowledging the point. "When I ran a clean broom through CMS, a beneficial side effect is that a number of smuggling operations got abruptly disrupted, and in the chaos they made a bit more noise than they should. Mopping them up and following the chain up and down the operation has kept me busy recently. It would be beneficial and more expedient to take them out at the source, I suppose..."

Oracle has posed:
    Barbara smiles at that, setting out a couple of mugs. "I'm glad we agree on that." she replies. "I already have Power Girl on board, who's something of a one-woman wrecking crew. I've also been in indirect contact with Miss Blake, although now that you and I have a direct link we should discuss that."

    "What's your preference for tea? I have a decent assortment."

Shadow has posed:
    Natasha smiles. "Now that she's established Blackhawk Island, I think Zinda intended to go looking for fellow pilots who'd heed the call to adventure. And simple green would be fine, thank you. No milk."

    She raises an eyebrow. "You've managed to recruit Power Girl? Impressive - but quite a bit out of what I'd call my weight class. But from what I've heard of her, subtle isn't her strong suit..."

Oracle has posed:
    Barbara continues to talk while rummaging in the kitchen. She opens a couple of different wooden boxes, searching through tea bags. "Green tea it is. And yes, I contacted Zinda a while back. Power Girl vouched for me, in person and in costume. She makes quite a first impression. So yes Zinda's in, along with whatever Blackhawk resources she's managed to pull together."

    Chuckling softly, Barbara adds "Personally, I think that Zinda's itching for a fight or an excuse to shoot something from an airplane. What I need is someone who can work from... pardon the pun... the shadows. I have a tremendous reach in the information circles. But information is only good if you can put it to practice. Eyes on the ground, identifying the high-value targets before I call in the nukes."

Shadow has posed:
    Natasha smiles, and it's not the kind of smile that has any business in a boardroom, unless the person doing the smiling is about to draw a knife and put a grisly new meaning to the phrase 'corporate headhunting'. "I am... Not without information sources of my own," she replies. "Like my predecessor," -- and even here she avoids mentioning her grandfather --"I tend to focus on what is called 'HUMINT' nowadays - a network of agents that know how to report to me when I need to Know."

    She leans back in her chair, thinking carefully, then nods. "I think I'd be willing to work with you, at least for now. with, not for. Point me at a situation of interest or ask for my aid, and I'll do what I can. But while I'll trust you with my identity for now, I'm not yet going to trust you enough to take marching orders..."

Oracle has posed:
    Barbara nods to that, and the kettle starts to whistle. "I can accept those terms. I trust you with *both* of my identities in return. We'll go case-by-case and decide resources and coverage." Pouring the hot water, Barbara adds. "Also, if you should happen to run across any other potential 'assets', feel free to vett them. I look forward to more of these chats..."