5785/Meeting the Birds

Meeting the Birds
Date of Scene:	15 November 2018
Location:	South Channel Park - Gotham City
Synopsis:	Drake gets to meet some of the Birds of Prey
Cast of Characters:	June Connor, Slipstream, Oracle, Shadow

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June Connor has posed:
    June feels awkward a little. Drake wants to meet the Birds, she doesn't do well with introductions. Still, because of his insistence, she gave in, and let them know. South Channel Park seemed like an okay place to meet up. She has a heavier coat with the turn of the weather, and she's cleaner than she was the last time Drake saw her. She left it up to Babs whether she wanted to come as herself, or as one of her costumed alteregos. And Shadow? Well, June doesn't know her real name anyway.

Slipstream has posed:
Having picked up a hotel to stay in Gotham for the next few nights, Drake is actually on cloud nine since their last talk went really well and they are finally on even ground within their relationship. There is a burst of light as the young hero appears a few feet away from June as he comes out of his speed boost. He's dressed in a heavy Avengers jacket and a pair of jeans with some light destroy along the knees and thigh, as well as a plain long sleeve black t-shirt beneath it. Snowball, his golden health deployment robot that is a carbon copy from the one from Overwatch and built from Stark Tech is attached to his backpack and peeking over his shoulder. "Hey, beautiful." He says with a warm smile. Snowball's LED faceplate lights up: 'JUNE!' It reads in a glow of blue lights before they turn back to happy n.n eyes.

Oracle has posed:
It was an interesting request from June, to say the least. But to be fair, not one that Babs is inclined to ignore. Getting a full intel work-up on Drake wasn't difficult, especially with his Avengers affiliation. It's really more a matter of how to play it. June sets the meeting in a remote location in Gotham, which allows for plenty of space and discretion.

    The latter is certainly a requirement for the costumed faces of the Birds.

    Plenty of trees and plenty of shadows. A few moments after Drake appears, a tall woman in full cape and Bat-cowl steps out into the open. She doesn't speak, at least not immediately.

June Connor has posed:
    June arches her brow at Snowball's jubilation. "Thought you didn't like me," she responds dryly. "Don't do that sappy stuff or this is off," she warns Drake. "You know I don't do sappy." Too cool for school attitude in full swing, like when you have to invite your parents to a party with your friends. She doesn't make much response to the Batgirl's arrival, keeping her hands in the pockets. "Here's one. Drake, Batgirl. Batgirl, Drake."

Slipstream has posed:
"You are plenty sappy, June. It won't hurt to let your guard down in front of your friends and show that you can be vulnerable. It's not a sign of weakness. And why would Snowball hate you for? She's one of your biggest fans." Drake says with a grin as he reaches behind him to detach her from his bag so that she can float around them. At times a beam of light floods from her panel to wash over the young man, sending health analytics back home. At the sight of Batgirl, he gives a bit of a pause as he looks her over. "Wow. Hi." He says as he steps forward to extend a hand. I'm Drake. I go by Slipstream. I'm one of the Avengers. Newest Avenger actually. Technically I'm designated as a Young Avenger. It's really great to meet you." He says, his smile warm and upbeat.

Shadow has posed:
    "Indeed. Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Winters," comes a voice that echoes between the trees, somehow impossible to track to a single point of origin until Drake noticed a shadow in a pool of light by the nearest lamppost that doesn't seem to be cast by anything he can see -- a figure, more or less humanoid, but difficult to estimate scale when projected as a shadow on the ground, and what looks like a bulky coat and a hat from the silhouette...

Oracle has posed:
    "Hello, Drake. And this must be Snowball." The cape parts as Batgirl steps closer, revealing the dark suit beneath as well as the prominent Bat logo on her chest. She shakes his offered hand, her own gloved grip strong and confident and capable. "And yes, I've read your Avengers file." As casually as she would've read the newspaper.

    To June, then, Batgirl adds. "Oracle is not available, I'm afraid. I trust you understand." Yes, THAT Oracle. In most circles they (gender unknown) are nothing more than an urban legend.

    "It's a pleasure to meet you as well." The meeting is an opportunity to assess potential security and/or personnel risks as well, of course. But that remains unstated.

June Connor has posed:
    June doesn't drop the demeanor, seeming to find other things to look at as the introductions are made. She hadn't mentioned Oracle to Drake. "So, Batgirl and Shadow, we do stuff, find ways to make the dickheads in the top of the food chain suffer rather than just pick on the lackeys."

    "So... Here they are." She doesn't seem to know what else to do with the conversation, an uncharacteristic adjustment of her weight from one foot to the other.

Slipstream has posed:
Returning the firm handshake, Drake gives Batgirl a warm smile. "Yes, this is Snowball. She is my health robot. She won't scan you guys or send any data. She's programmed only to follow me around and make sure that I stay alive and to alert the Avengers if something happens." His lips curve upwards in amusement. "Wow. I'm a huge fan of you guys. The bat family. I know people look at the Avengers and the Justice League as these big time super heroes because they fight aliens and Galactus or whatever, but I'm sorta a street superhero and so I kinda really try and role model off other street types. Batman is such a legend. It must have been something to work wtih him."

The Voice of The Shadow causes him to jolt a bit, having not seen her sneak up in the dark, obviously. He turns around to squint his eyes, brushing some hair away from them as he tries to pinpoint exactly where she is at. "Hi there! It's great to meet you too." He lifts a hand upwards to wave, unsure if she can even shake his hand being that she is a shadow construct?

He leans in to bump his shoulder against June's giving her a warm smile. "So, here they are. I'm pretty excited, to be honest." He says as he rocks on his feet a bit. "I know this is going to embarrass her, but June is one of my best friends. We've gone through hell and back together. I'm really, /really/ happy to hear that she has new friends that can watch her back and vice versa. She means a lot to me." He says as he glances to the red head. "Even if she hates it when I admit to it, because I'm /sappy/."

Shadow has posed:
    Snowball emits a chitter of as much confusion as the poor AI is capable of as her sensors don't seem to register anything, just an /absence/ of light without anything blocking it -- and then a moment later, something /is/ blocking it, as the Shadow seems to solidify like a bad 90s live action/cartoon crossover where a two-dimensional image suddenly becomes three-dimensional without any intervening steps...

    Sapphire blue eyes -- almost too bright to be human, and the only thing visible of their face between the black slouch hat and the red scarf -- meet and hold Drake's gaze, seeming to weigh him and every deed, dark or bright, that he's ever committed or thought of committing...

    Eventually, a gloved hand reaches out to take Drake's and shake it. "Well met. It's good to see she has someone who cares..."

Oracle has posed:
    Batgirl folds arms over her chest, covering the logo while they talk. "June has friends to do more than just watch her back." she declares, giving a half-smile as well. She looks over as the Shadow steps into reality with the rest of them, inclining her head.

    "And now that we've met, that means you're ALSO on our watch list." She pauses to let the implications of THAT sink in for a moment. "In mostly a good way, of course."

June Connor has posed:
    "Shadow likes to make an entrance," June explains. "Why does this feel more like I'm a kid whose parents are meeting her teachers?" she asks. She lets out a loud breath, glancing around the park and then kicking her heel against her opposite toe idly.

Slipstream has posed:
As the shadowy figure melts upwards through the dark to approach them, Drake tries his best to stay frosty and to try not to look 'too' nervous. That's a spooky trick, and already he is making a mental assessment of where she falls on the power charts in their team rosters. He holds out his hand to shake hers, goosebumps prickling along his arms and the back of his neck. "Of course. I always will."

To Batgirl, he gives a nod of his head, followed by a smile. "I'm okay with that. June mentioned that I may be able to help you guys out with some stuff down the line. My skill-set I don't want to say is unique as a speedster, but I'm tactically trained by the Avengers for recon, and other things. As much as I love watching my team fight A-List bad guys, I'd really like to work with people on a street level. Help the community out. I know Gotham has it's fair share of crazies.. so.. if you guys would like, I'd jump any time you'd call, seriously. I'd love the chance to help out."

To June, he lets out a snort. "More like your boyfriend meeting your parents. I'm trying to make a good first impression here." He says as he bumps his shoulder to hers gently.

Shadow has posed:
    June's comment elicits a chuckle. "You'd think a shinobi of all people would understand the value of appearances," they point out as Drake's hand is released. "And who would be playing the role of the parent, and who the teacher?"

    They nod at Drake's comment. "More assistance is always welcome," they reply. "And I'm sure you've already received the usual lectures about danger, and why only fools and madmen seek it out voluntarily..."

Oracle has posed:
    Batgirl shifts her weight more towards one foot, smile becoming wry as she nods to Drake. "Oracle has your full resume, yes. To be clear, however, our group's focus is more outside of the normal, street-level criminals. We're looking to remove weeds at the root, not just trim the tops. There may be some overlap with the Avengers, but our agenda tends to be pretty focused."

    Arms unfold and she makes a broad wave, palm-up. "And for the record I am NOT a parent in this conversation. Teacher. Mentor. Occasional bodyguard. But not a parent. I'm just saying."

June Connor has posed:
    June takes in a deep breath as Drake bumps against her. "Okay, yeah," she agrees with Babs' comment. "So the Birds don't go around to clean up the streets and beat up thugs, I just do that for shits and giggles. Helps get frustrations out. Mostly we go after the ones who are pulling the puppet strings. The ones who don't make the most wanted list because they are buried beneath a bunch of more prominent jerks who enjoy the limelight."

Slipstream has posed:
"To be honest, ma'am, it sounds right up my alley. I've fought against ninjas, mutant warthogs, killer weeds from outerspace, um... I've fought with Power Girl during the mutant town attacks." Drake says to both The Shadow and Bat Girl. "For me, it's not about running into danger and getting hurt and trying to be a hero. For me, it's about doing what is right. To protect those who can't protect themselves. Tony and Cap is always talking about how a hero knows when and how to step up. I was given a second chance.. maybe a third chance in the grand scheme of things to do something with my life."

He gives a bit of a nod to June, offering her another warm smile, one that is pure, affectionate. "And I really like to yank weeds out of the ground. The best way to stop crime is to take it out at the source. There will always be more stooges, but if you don't dig deep and get to the root of the issue, it will never stop." He sways back and forth on his sneakers, reaching out to pat Snowball on the head as she floats over to him. "But I'm in, totally in. I'm even here for a week and I can extend it if you got anything on the burners now that I could help out with. Just let me know".

"Either than that, I'm /hoping/ June will show me around the city later. I've been here a few times but never explored."

Shadow has posed:
    The Shadow nods at Batgirl's comment. "Taking out street dealers is all well and good and will make the street safer for a few days, but then the ones who supply the drugs /to/ the dealers will find someone else to peddle their poisons. Instead, we go after the ones who deliver the supplies, and the ones who organise the shipments... And cut the poison off by its source."

    Drake gets another nod. "By all means then, don't let us keep you from enjoying your date." With that, the Shadow inclines their head to all present, turns, and walks away, fading into mist and shadow like the Cheshire Cat vanishing one piece at a time...

Oracle has posed:
    And in the time it takes for the Shadow to fade away, Batgirl disappears in a much more mundane fashion. Meaning she takes advantage of the distraction to simply step back into the shadows. An essential part of Bat-training 101.

    There aren't any buildings for grapple lines, but plenty of trees and paths for someone with suitable skills to make use of. Which leaves June and Drake to their own devices, and the rest of the evening ahead of them.

June Connor has posed:
    June gives a sidelong glance to Drake as the others retreat. "There, happy?" she asks. "Now you owe me dinner. That was one of the most awkward encounters of my life." She turns, and starts walking back toward the park's exit, hands still in her pockets.

Slipstream has posed:
"/That/ was one of the most awkward encounters of your life? Really? That went pretty good. I think they like me." Drake says as he follows after her, curling an arm about her shoulders with a chuckle. "Dinner it is. You pick the place and I'll pay." He has a grin on his face, one that is pretty amused. "Batgirl is taller in person." He says as they stroll off into the night.