5143/It's Time To Rest

It's Time To Rest
Date of Scene:	10 August 2018
Location:	Gotham City
Synopsis:	Babs and Kate catch up and discuss the team.
Cast of Characters:	Batwoman, Oracle

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Batwoman has posed:
All the things that go bump in the night like to come out in Gotham when the sun goes down. Sometimes, they're bat-themed vigilantes, sometimes just regular enthusiastic types, sometimes super-heroes and sometimes villains... But most of the time it's just small-time crooks who can get pummeled a few times and left tied up for the police to get to when they've got time. And a few of the latter have been taken care of by the former, and craving a break from the stifling nature of her suit, unlike her inspiration, the Batwoman has bat-hooked her way up to the face of the Clocktower.

At least she was nice enough to warn Oracle that she was coming to visit, so whether or not she has to bypass security to get past the face is purely up to how kind her 'handler' might be feeling. And as soon as she's safely out of sight, the redhead pulls off her cowl, revealing the pale-skinned redhead beneath, braided tightly to her head in sharp contrast to the flowing locks that are attached to her headpiece. "If they couldn't make it breathable, at the very least it should be airconditioned." She murmurs, placing it down and beginning the hunt. The hunt, for Oracle.

Oracle has posed:
Being that she's expecting Kate, Barbara is at home tonight. At home and dressed comfortably in jeans and a tanktop. The first layer of security is on, of course, but Kate can bypass that easily enough. The sub-layer is there only to let Babs know when her guest actually arrives.

From the kitchen comes a familiar voice. "I put the kettle on! You prefer tea or coffee? I've got a French press." Stepping out from the kitchen, she looks over at her guest with a smile. "Can't be both breathable AND bulletproof, after all. But we're all casual here."

Batwoman has posed:
"Coffee sounds fantastic. I don't know /how/ it can be cold 'and' hot out there at the same time but somehow it manages it. And I suppose, if you're going to be like that, I'd rather have a sweaty forehead than a bullet-ridden one." As Kate steps into the kitchen, she's ditched a few pieces of her outfit, but she's left the armored bodysuit on at least. She leans against the doorway, watching the Oracle who is definitely not in crimefighting gear, and notes.

"You're looking /extremely/ casual. How's every little thing, Barbara?" Since they're /here/ and alone, they can use real faces AND real names.

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon turns back towards the kitchen at the request, calling back. "Good! I just got in a new flavor I've been dying to try." She takes down a French press from the cabinet, then a small bag of coffee as well. "And I'm in my -home-, so I can afford to be extremely casual. It's not like the Penguin knows where I live or anything."

Turning towards Kate again, butt against the counter, the younger redhead tilts her head a bit and offers a small smile. "I'm doing well, Kate. Putting together a team, actually. Something with global reach, to stop situations before they become problems in Gotham."

Batwoman has posed:
"Don't we wish we were all that lucky. One of Gotham's less-than-desirables made me the other day." Kate murmurs, allowing a touch of bitterness to sneak into her voice. "But we've got something in common," A double-thump on her chest. Military? "So I'm not that upset. I've sent all the information I've got on him to you anyway." The batwoman considers the tall redhead for a moment, before she asks.

"Global reach, huh? Sounds like a bit of entertainment if nothing else. Be honest though - Is it future proofing, or is it just that the competition is finally getting to you?" Her smile is kind, teasing almost, as she refers to the influx of hero-types.

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon nose-wrinkles at the suggestion, tilting her head the other way now. "Well Gotham IS sort of getting thick with Capes, I must admit." she replies. "To some degree I sort of consider what I'm doing a public service. To keep all these girls focused and give them direction."

Babs shrugs, then. "But if you think about it, where does the heroin and cocaine that flows into Gotham actually come from? It sure isn't New York. It's offshore."

Batwoman has posed:
Kate shrugs lightly. "Gonna save the world then? Always felt like a slippery slope to me. I mean... I can feel what's right for Gotham, at least, to me. I can't question that, or I can't do what it is I do. It makes perfect sense to me, someone mugs someone, I punch them, the police take care of the rest. Ivy poisons the city, I punch her, she goes back to Arkham." She gestures with a hand, "Global is... I mean it's such a good thing, it's noble, but I know that for a lot of these people, getting involved in what they're involved in is even less of a choice than it is here."

Kate pulls a face, and then reaches up to tease her fingers through the front of her severely tied hair. "You get this stuff better than me. I'd defer to your judgement on it. If you need another cape, anyways."

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon nods to that, glancing over towards the kettle a moment. "I never believed that it would be easy, Kate. Nothing worthwhile really is. It's also going to be dangerous, likely even MORE dangerous than chasing the bad guys on the street. We won't always be able to hide behind masks and capes and bodyarmor this time."

"So what about you? Uncovering anything interesting or unusual lately? Or are you up for stepping out a bit?"

Batwoman has posed:
"Yeah, but between us there's enough weight to throw around legitimately, and enough excuses to be places we shouldn't be." Kate also offers her business support, rather casually. Because she can. "Hmn. Let's see. Aside from the guy with the weird plasma? I met a budding vigilante. And I hired a new assistant at Hamilton, who seems to be interesting. Otherwise it's just charity fundraisers, kicking bad people and reviewing R&D reports and projects." A smirk.

"I'm always up for whatever is going on, Barbara. You know me better than that."

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon's crimson brows raise at that. "Even if it means leaving the country on occasion? The fabulously-famous, Kate Kane, CEO and playgirl?" Babs chuckles at that, switching off the burner when the kettle starts to whistle. "How can you even -think- with those tight braids, by the way. And I'd love to have you join our group."

Batwoman has posed:
Kate shrugs lightly. "I'm out of the country often enough as it is anyway on business. Just means lying a little more if anyone asks where I am." The armorclad woman snickers, then. "If you can get me a cowl that fits comfortably and allows me to keep my hair nice, I'll pay for it's weight in gold. And I'm not a CEO, just a senior adviser and board member." She's just related to the CEO. And GM. "But it's enough to get some blacklist flights and some top-notch gear and intel."

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon nods to that. "Well you're pretty high up the corporate structure, all the same." she replies. Back to Kate, now, she preps coffee for two while she talks. "And I don't think there's been a cowl invented that does all of that. Bruce has never been big on hair-care. But I'll include you in the briefings, then."

Batwoman has posed:
"Bruce has never been big on Bruce. By and by there's not gonna be anything left of him, anyways. And between you and I, I still hope that one day I can take off my cowl and never put it back on again. When I'm too old, when we're not needed anymore." A flattering smile, "But I'd like that. I can funnel enough money and tech into this to at least give us a bit of an edge, and some of our 'affiliates,'" A nicer term for the PMCs that Hamilton Arms sponsor, "Can probably help in less obvious ways. That smells /divine/."

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon drops a spoon into each mug, offering one to Kate and keeping the other for herself. "Cream is in the fridge, sugar's on the counter." she replies. "It's Italian, so it's a bit strong. And I'm definitely not going to turn down more corporate sponsorship, no matter what form it takes. I have a couple of backers already, but you're pretty well acquainted with the types of threats we'll be facing."

Batwoman has posed:
"Oh yes. What's more, we have contacts on the ground in a lot of these places, as well as surveillance, so we're not exactly short on Intel." Kate takes the mug when it's offered to her, but she doesn't touch cream or sugar. Her body is a temple, after all. And fitting into this armored body suit can be a challenge some days anyway. "Are you playing capes with your girls, then, or is it a masks-off kind of group?"

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon shrugs at the question. "Well a couple of them don't HAVE capes, for starters. And I expect that many of our assignments will be civilian attire. I'm not really opposed to getting out there in the action, personally, but I do think that I'd be a lot more use in a support role."

Batwoman has posed:
"I mean, how many of them are gonna be calling me 'Kate.'" Kate clarifies, taking a slow sip of her steaming hot coffee, and then enjoying a sigh at the flavor. "But if it's civvies, I can't really wear a mask without giving the name away. Unless we're doing carnivale."

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon nods to that, taking her coffee with a little sugar. "I see your point." she replies. "We already have a couple of members who are pretty protective of their -real- faces, some who only have ONE face, and others who can no longer show their faces in public. At some point we need to put trust on the table, but we may not be there just yet. Perhaps initially we'll run a mix of capes and civilians."

Batwoman has posed:
"Sounds fair. Put me down as a Cape. The fallout of being who I am is bad enough when I'm a local." Kate suggests, "And until we're sure they're all here for the same reason it's probably safer that way." Another sip of her coffee, and she leans back against the bench with a curious look. "Hey. Do you think you're ever gonna give this up?"

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon makes an invisible tally mark with her fingerip in the air. "Cape. Got it." she replies. "And I really doubt if I ever will. I mean SOME day I'll probably hang up the cape and cowl, sure. But I already have a much longer reach as Oracle than I ever did as Batgirl." Swirling her mug, she takes a sip. "The team is going to have a break-in period, of course. There's still a lot of trust issues on the table."

Batwoman has posed:
Kate teases. "Absolutely. But I really don't believe that you don't want to settle down, fall in love, get some pets and spend a /lot/ of time doing puzzles where it's /not/ life or death." A shrug follows, "Trust issues are going to be a thing. We all have identities, most of us have had our trust pretty seriously betrayed i nthe past. You're herding cats here, Barbara, and there's gonna be a lot of meowing before you get us in a line."

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon chuckles at that, nodding slowly. "You're right, of course. I'm putting together a team of vigilantes with trust issues, socialization issues, and probably worse." Cradling the mug between her hands, she points with an index finger and adds. "AND they're all women. Which can either be good or very, very bad. But I disagree with you on one thing, at least. I'm pretty sure I'll get a pet someday."

Batwoman has posed:
Kate laughs outright at that one little detail. "And with /my/ reputation, you're going to assemble a team of fit young women with probable emotional issues and invite me to join it? This is /not/ going to go well for you, Barbara." Not that Kate might actually have a reputation, but she's fond of joking about it.

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon grins broadly at that. "If I were making all of my decisions based solely on reputation, this group wouldn't even be allowed in the same room with each other." she replies. "But as it is, I may ask you to check your lipstick at the door."

Batwoman has posed:
Kate makes a counter-offer. "If they flirt with me, all bets are off. But, I promise, not to go chasing your team. Besides, between the fundraisers and the apps on my phone it's not like I'm dying of loneliness anyways." Well, not typical loneliness.

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon lifts a crimson brow, her smile turning suspicious now. "Kate, some of these girls have pretty serious emotional issues..." she begins. Then she checks herself and nods again. "Just remember I'll be looking for you to keep the moral high ground here, is all." Did she really just SAY that?

Batwoman has posed:
"I know, Barbara, don't worry, you can trust me." Kate can't help but smirk a touch. "Aside from occasionally shooting people, I'll be the paradigm of responsible heroines." Because she /does/ do that. It's just she's a good enough shot for it to be non-fatal. "Besides. Most of them are coming to you for help as much as anything. It'd be wrong to take advantage of them."

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon's suspicion lifts, if slowly, and she nods. The smile becomes more genuine. "Thanks, Kate. I appreciate it." She looks around, then. "Speaking of which, you might run across a girl with blue hair and some interesting piercings when you stop in. Her name is June, and she's here to heal and to train. Also because the Foot wants to decorate a few streetlamps with her entrails."

Batwoman has posed:
"Sounds like fun. I'll stop in every now and then, but I might leave the cowl on for now." Kate pouts though, "I don't like clans. It's just a never-ending stream of guys who think they can fight because they can try and drown you with greater numbers." Sipping her coffee, she muses. "I'll keep an eye out for her. And for the Foot." What a name.

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon sips and nods slowly. "I couldn't agree with you more. The leader is a woman, however. June calls her 'Master Karai'. She's good, too. Not sure *how* good, exactly, but good enough to keep up with me for almost an hour over the rooftops." She pauses to let that settle a bit. "Anyway, don't feel obligated to underestimate the Foot."

Batwoman has posed:
Kate sips her drink again. "I rarely underestimate," Says the woman who constantly underestimates, "But I'll show appropriate caution for now, until you've decided what you want to do. Can you send me any information you got from their leader that might be useful if I come across her?"

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon nods again. "Of course. I'll ask June to put together a proper profile on her as well, just so we're all prepared. The Clocktower is off the grid, but I don't want her finding us here even by accident. And I want us prepared, just in case."

Batwoman has posed:
"Might be I'll have to go find that Vigilante I saw the other day as well and see if she's of a mind. She could really use a mentor, I think, to keep her safe out there." Kage muses. And it would be a good chance to help out what is apparently a broke heroine.

Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon chuckles. "Another one? I received a tip from Bruce on one as well. He's officially told her to 'not train in Gotham', so of course she is. It's a familiar story to mine, so I'm naturally interested." She gestures towards the living room, then. "So what ELSE is going on with you?"