6248/The Belfry

The Belfry
Date of Scene:	22 January 2019
Location:	Batcave, Gotham City
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Batman, Red Hood, Nightwing, Batwoman, Carrie Kelley, Spoiler

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Batman has posed:
Batman steeples his fingers as he looks up at the large display on the mainframe of the Bat-computer. He has several mugshots put up on display in a quadratic set-up: The menacing mask of Killer Moth, the gruesome visage of Killer Croc, the gasmask of Firefly and the toothy smile of the gangster known as the Great White Shark. He has asked his various associates and partners to join him tonight for a briefing.

He wears his full costume, cowl in place. The sound of the police scanner can be heard, muted a bit to keep from annoying crackling and interruptions. He has a steaming mug of herbal tea and an untouched pile of blueberry scones provided by Alfred.

"Are you certain they're coming, Master?" Alfred asks.

"They'll be here," the Batman says.

Red Hood has posed:
Of course they'll be there.

He calls - we come running. It's like ringing the dinner bell.

Arriving at Batcave on his motorcycle, Red Hood brings it to a halt. He's in the full hood tonight, because he knows that there's going to be some that don't know who the man under the Hood is.

...or was.

Finding a chair, he spins it around and flops into it, straddling it backwards as he drapes his arms across the back of it. "Looks like Lodge Meeting of the Bat is underway. At this rate, we should unionize. Does the Justice League pay decent wage?" he asks cattily.

Nightwing has posed:
    "Wouldn't miss it for the world," comes the voice of Dick Grayson, aka Best Robin, aka Nightwing. "I was told there'd be crepes. And I'm not about to miss Alfred's crepes."

    The sleek figure of the vigilante crimefighter slinks along with an effortless sort of grace that seems inhuman. Almost boneless. Too smooth. Too fluid. It's a body language that he seems to adopt the moment he's stepped into costume, though his daytime persona of Dick Grayson isn't possessed of much less poise. Along with him, he's brought his new... trainee. He thumbs over his shoulder at the redheaded girl that follows him, "Besides, my kohai here hasn't had the pleasure of eating Alfred's food, so... there's that."

    As he passes by, Grayson raps his knuckles on the crimson dome of JT's "hood", and mutters, "It pays better than being in Blackgate, if nothing else. Good to see you, Jaybird."

Red Hood has posed:
"Scones. Not crepes. We're robbed, Dorkwing." Jason responds to Dick as he passes by with a smirk. "Yeah, but still don't pay better than being an independent contractor. Business is booming."

Batwoman has posed:
    Kate Kane drives like an absolute maniac.

    There has been an all-call issued, and for her part, Batwoman is dragging along a newer addition to the roster. Whether the blindfold she's made Stephanie wear is for secrecy, or to keep her calm as Kate temporarily breaks 200 in the outskirts of Gotham... On a heavily modified Dodge bike.

    Like some great black bullet, the ten cylinder monstrosity arrives through the 'driveway' of the cave with its two passengers in tow. One, the tall redhead in her two-tone batsuit. The other, decked out in eggplant purple. As if she hadn't just broken every traffic law in the united states, Batwoman slings herself up and off of the cycle, striding confidently towards the meeting.

    "You can take off the blindfold. We're here." Stoic and calm as always, as if there's just a little bit of disdain beneath the surface, Batwoman is all business. When she reaches the others, she takes a seat calmly, but doesn't seem to be mincing words or offering much in the way of pleasantries. Instead, she remains silent- expecting that Batman will get right to it. As well, she doesn't introduce Spoiler. She has too much respect for the Bat to assume he doesn't already know an uncomfortable amount about the fledgling heroine.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Redhead is perhaps a slight misnomer though not entirely: She was ginger. The bright, carroty to brownish sort that most people tried to get away from. Only the truly pale and freckled ever seemed to wear it properly. It works in Carrie's case because she's both. The freckles are at least hidden behind the domino mask she'd taken to wearing with her 'training outfit' that was far more sophisticated than the mish-mash of sporting good store and homemade items she'd started in. Now she wore a sleek suit of dark brick red, and black along with the classic utility belt. No cape here at least not tonight.

"I'm still not calling you 'senpai'," she chimes in toward Nightwing with a little shake of her head as her hand lifts to flick gloved fingertips over her domino mask. The eyes glint greenish in the light as her head tilts to regard the helmet wearing one. "..." Hm. Suspicious.

Then Kate screeches in drawing her attention away with a shake of her head at the unfamiliar pair. "Looks like quite the gathering. And what's a scone?"

Spoiler has posed:
Spoiler rode along with Kate. It was like a 100mph roller coaster in a permanently blacked out tunnel. She holds her stomach a few times on sharp turns. "... you know. you could succeed at designing the world's most extreme roller coasters. Just saying. If you ever want to get out of the weapon industry and hang up the cowl." She's a pretty mellow passenger for looking more like a kidnapping victim than a willing rider.

Once the car stops, she lifts the blindfold and blinks a few times. "wait. You blindfolded me to bring me to the Batcave? Seriously?" She shakes her head. "Bat-adults are so confusing."

She moves to get out of the car, also sporting new armor that is much much more than its predecessor, The Eggplant Bodysuit of Perpetual Injury and Rips.

Red Hood has posed:
"What the hell, does everyone get sidekicks now?" Jason asks, as he looks towards Bruce. "Next time I'm bringing my own damned female sidekick." he mutters. He may just put a blow up doll in a Sexy Bat suit just to piss off Bruce, but he's totally going to do it.

Batman has posed:
Batman simply gives a direct look to Jason, "If you have expenses in need of covering, we can see about the matter. If you just want some spare money to spend on ammunition, I would suggest an employment agency. I believe one has an office in Wayne Towers."

He nods to each arrival in turn. If he's surprised by the presence of Spoiler, he doesn't say so. But then, he isn't prone to admitting such things.

"The four men on the screen have been thorns in our collective sides as individuals. Their lack of success as individuals as lead them recently to begin talk of joining forces. A recent underworld meeting beneath Penguin's nightclub indicates that these four are forming an alliance, sharing resources and force of arms, under the banner of The Bestiary. There may be others they try to recruit, but Moth seems to be the mastermind. He always has had a penchant for trying to form a villain's union."

Alfred makes his way around and offers scones as desired, as well as drawing out a rather large silver tray of crepes as well, with pots of tea, coffee and bottled water. "An indispensable part of the British diet, miss," he tells Carrie. "The fuel that helped to build an empire."

Nightwing has posed:
    "Scones? Awww man. I mean, scones are all well and good, but..." He sighs. Dejected. "...the crepes."

    When Batwoman arrives on the scene, Dick's attention turns on to her and her passenger. One brow ticks upwards underneath the domino mask that covers his eyes. He reaches over, lightly backhanding Jason in the shoulder, before upnodding at Steph, and leaning over to whisper, "Is Batwoman Sandra Bullock now, or what? I'm just saying..."

    Looking back at Carrie, Nightwing folds his arms across his chest, his chin lifting just a bit as if he were scrutinizing her with disappointment. Finally, he lifts one shoulder and says, "If you want me to notice you, you will, my young padawan."

    About that time, he's waving to Steph, and just flashing a bright smile. "Hey, Birdbox. Welcome to Thunderdome."

    But... Bruce is all business. He lays out what he called them here for, and Dick falls silent. There is silent appreciation as he accepts one of Alfred's crepes, and just gives a nod to Carrie to indicate that she should take one of those. For sure. Turning his attention back to Bruce, Dick's head tilts to one side, and he makes a clicking sound of his tongue against the back of his teeth. "The Bestiary? Sounds like they've been playing a bit too much D&D..."

Batwoman has posed:
    Batwoman takes a moment, leaning forward and steepling her fingers and idly listening to Batman's breakdown. Surprisingly, her first statement is directed at Nightwing. "I believe the Menagerie was already taken." There is a moment of silence, before she begins laying out ideas. "Do we have any leads on their current location? If so, we should likely start splitting to take them out individually." After a pause, she continues. "I imagine, if we need to, we can place weight on whichever one seems to be the weak link. I doubt any one of them is particularly brave, but there may be a gap in the armor we can exploit."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"I'm not a sidekick. Per say," Comes Carrie's retort only for her eyes to roll behind her mask at Dick's further teasing. It's interrupted by the approach of Alfred with his tray of goodies. The somewhat stiff demeanor she'd had when coming in relaxes a bit at the sight of someone pretty much normal--Even if he was with this rag tag group she'd gotten involved in.

"Then I'll have to try one, thank you. It smells delicious." Reaching out she aims for one of the scones... But a glance toward Nightwing's gesture to take a crepe instead she lets out the smallest of woebegon sighs. Her reach switches to the crepe instead. Still good it seemed. "You know I avoided watching those trash prequels. But I can live with Padawan I guess. Thank you," she offers again to Alfred rather than just dismissing him as mere help.

Now it was time to focus her attention on the screen and Batman's information sharing though. She shifts to lean against the railing, opting to let those more senior members have any chairs that are around. Plus it let her keep a good overview of the group in general. Plus she can eat without having people stare at her. Bonus.

Spoiler has posed:
Spoiler stands beside Batwoman and the bike. Looking around she stops on Nightwing, "Tweet tweet." She rolls her eyes and nods to the other redheaded teen; she's heard about her through the Birds and Oracle.

Spoiler has been here before but only once. As Batman begins to talk about important things, she absently tosses her balled up blindfold at Nightwing and moves over to get a better view of the data Batman is sharing with all of them.

Batman has posed:
Batman nods to Batwoman, "Thus far, Croc seems to be sticking close to the Moth, playing the role of bodyguard. Shark and Firefly have likewise paired up. I suspect they may be using one of the mansions Firefly burned in his 'Burn the Rich' campaign last year. Some of those are still awaiting insurance complications, while others have, I suspect, simply been abandoned. Gotham isn't for everyone, especially those used to soft living."

"Shark and Moth both have large networks of criminals in their employ. With a few of the bigger players currently ensconced in Arkham, plenty of lowlives looking for a steady job. Check out the dives and holes where they frequent. If they're trolling for muscle, it'll lead us to them."

"We've spent too much time lately scattered and unfocused. That ends now. Coordinate. Communicate. As the young people say, 'squad up'. We have work to do."

Red Hood has posed:
As he looks at the screen, Jason frowns a little beneath his helmet. "So the zoo's on the loose, and we're going to be the wranglers? And me without my cattle prod." he gives a little snort as he pushes himself up on the chair to take a fully sitting position as he gives a shrug of his shoulders.

"What if we find those damned turtles in the sewers instead?"

Nightwing has posed:
    To Kate's comment, Dick gives a silent slow nod, mouthing "Aaaah, good point" before catching Spoiler's blindfold idly with a swipe of his hand. Still, Dick isn't TOO distracted by the going ons to not focus on the issue at hand. His tone drops, lowering into something more serious. His work face is put on. "I'll take my... sidekick... here, and scope out the abandoned properties. Do the recon work. I don't know that it's a good time to risk her getting into an altercation with the likes of those two, just yet, but I'd rather her cut her teeth on a Firefly over a Croc, still."

    A pause.

    "Maybe you can run along with us, Jay. If things get real, I could use some good solid backup that isn't going to have to worry about Firefly. Baby Bird here and I can handle Shark, if it came down to it."

Batwoman has posed:
    Kate is stoic and, for the most part, silent. At the renewed briefing from Batman, she nods a bit. "We... All tend to tell everyone that we work better alone. From what you're saying, we can't afford to do that for a little while. If nobody is volunteering to get their feet wet, I will." Her attention turns, then, to Spoiler. "You're going to have to sit that one out. You're not ready for Killer Croc. Not yet." That's probably such an intensely Bat-Family thing to do that they ought to all collectively trademark it. The patented 'we all have to work as a team, so as a team I'm going to do this one thing alone' maneuver, also known as the reverse 'you go that way, I'll go home.'

    From looking at Stephanie, she pans back to the Bat. "Do we have any intel on where in the sewers Croc happens to be hiding? Has he sprung up in any specific area of the city or are we going to have to see how quickly he takes the bait of killing a bat?"

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley opens her mouth, then shuts it. She couldn't let it lie though. "That's not what 'squad up' means... You know, nevermind. We get the point." Even if images of 'squad goals' and selfies were brought to mind by the phrase. She tips her haed in greeting toward Spoiler before she looks again to the more senior Batfamily members.

"Wait, there's turtles in the sewers? I thought that's where Croc hung out?" Ah man. She's going to have a ton of catching up on files to do it seemed. When Dick suggests they hit the streets she nods. "I'm used to slumming it in some areas. I've got some friends in places that know how to hear about things they should avoid." There's a pause then as she suddenly looks toward Red Hood with a dawning realization. Her hand snap-points at him, "You! I knew you weren't dead." Hmph. Her arms cross over her chest as she shifts her weight to her heels rocking back a little. "Can't believe I didn't get that sooner. The helmet threw me." In spite of this distraction she nods toward Nightwing, and even Batman. "We can handle that easily enough."

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie Brown rolls her eyes at Batwoman. "Of course.. I'll just go hunt more ninjas down while you aren't around to stop me." She folds her arms and turns away, using her hood to hide Spoiler-Sulking-Eyes from Batwoman. Not like it isn't obvious. She just listens to the briefing from there in silence.

Batman has posed:
Batman frowns, "I understand the desire to protect and hold back. But I think experience is likely to be the best teacher. The waters of Gotham are deep and, if the next generation is going to swim in them, I suggest they start getting their reps in."

"But I understand the concerns about Croc. He's a physical threat like few others in Gotham. And I assure you - I plan to attend to Waylon Jones personally."

"All this horseplay and jocularity is fine in the Cave. But I want you all to keep your eyes focused out there. We know all too well the consequences when we don't."

Red Hood has posed:
"No. Don't have a //clue//." Jason snorts as he pushes himself up from his seat, grabbing a scone. "Okay, kids, before he makes us sit in a circle and start singing Kum-by-yah, I'm gonna blow this pop stand and go do those things that are best not discussed.."

A glance towards Stephanie and Carrie..

"..with the junior Bats present." He'd probably say the same thing if Damian was present. "And yeah. The turtles in the sewers? Their ninjas too. Can probably kick your ass." he comments towards Carrie over his shoulder. "See you, Bats, Bats-Junior, Hot-Bat, Birdbox, and whoever you are, redhead." he comments as he moves towards his motorcycle to ride back out on patrol. But not before taking almost all the scones from the platter and shoving them in his bag.

Nightwing has posed:
    At Batman's last comment, Nightwing's eyes tick instinctively and involuntarily towards Jason, and the line of his lips becomes a strained, straight line. Even behind the mask that covers his eyes behind blank, glassy white lenses, it's easy to see that Dick feels a sting about that. All "jocularity" pushed aside, he gives a faint nod of his head. Yes. He wanted to keep the training wheels on with Carrie a bit more. Keep her dealing with muggers and street toughs. Not the real Gotham freakshow. Not someone like Firefly who would set her afire just to watch her limbs curl up as the fire boils her blood from the inside out.

    "Alright. We'll take on..."

    And Jason is just Jason'ing right on out. Dick tilts his head to one side as he watches Hood do his thing. "I guess we'll just work on Shark and Firefly alone, then."

    He pauses for a beat.

    "Also, I heard they're more like Mall Ninjas. Rumor has it that they learned Ninjitsu from a rat, who in turn, just learned it from a Stephen K Hayes book he found in the sewer. But then, I also heard that there's really only one of them, but he likes to change weapons, and when he does that, he changes the colors he wears, too."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"Going by 'Kestrel'," Carrie calls out after the fleeing Jason who stole all the scones. Darn. She DID want to try one of those. Looking back to Nightwing she shares a glance with him, only to offer a faint smile. She got the gist of that look on his face. "I'm fine with sticking to assisting unless I really need to jump in on something. But..." She looks down a moment at one of her hands. Flexing her fingers she frowns. "I do need more real-world practice, too." At least she wasn't rushing headlong into things. "Let's go, coach."