6863/The Prodigal Returns

The Prodigal Returns
Date of Scene:	12 March 2019
Location:	Gotham City
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Huntress, Batman

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Huntress has posed:
Six months. Six months, 15 days, 6 hours and it-doesn't-matter-how-many seconds. That's how long Huntress had been away from Gotham. She'd been, well? 'Abroad' as it were. She'd taken a leave of absence from teaching as Helena Bertinelli and essentially disappeared.

As Huntress stood atop the stairway into Old Gotham's Markovia Station, she gazed down to the curious state it displayed - unused as a train station, but clearly inhabitted to some degree given the clean floors and office equipment in the ticket booths. It was kind of surreal. She murmured quietly, ".....Schrodinger's Train Station..." a faint hmmm of curiosity and then the dark maned vigilante made her way quietly down the stairs.

She wasn't here to inspect the station or to roust any squatters out. She had come to recover something she had left there years before. Hidden away in a place she believed would remain untouched in all the time since.

Batman has posed:
Six months, 15 days, six hours, fix minutes and forty-five seconds counting upward. Blue eyes are keeping an eye on a particular target. A few seconds later, a few of the lights near Helena start shatters with a sea of "crunches!" followed by the smellof raining glasses shards that practically drown out a "click-click," as a matter clangs against concrete floors. In the newly created darkness, a modulated voice rumbles. "Huntress.." Yes, Batman is hunting a few particular people: Frank Castle, Huntress, and Arella, to name a few.

Huntress has posed:
Huntress wasn't fully down the stairs, yet, when her private party was suddenly crashed. She wastes no time trying to find who it is, rather vaulting the railing and dropping down to the lower level with the stairway between herself and the direction she expected her company to be located. Reachg up with her left hand, she tapped the temple of her half-mask to turn in the filtered starlight lenses while her right hand dropped to the grip of her signature mini-crossbow. She doesn't draw it yet. But she will.

At the call out, she remains hidden and replies, "This is a private party. No autographs, no pictures. Move along. Now." Her voice is brusk and low. She wasn't spoiling for a fight, but fight she will if pushed, and without hesitation.

Batman has posed:
     Seeing her vault, one of the batrangs leaves him as he toses it toward her. The metal bat bites into a wall near her. It's a clear sign of who is there. "What are you doing in my city," the voice carries. More lights starts to go out as batarangs hit them. Expecting a fight in Closed Quarter Combat, he puts himself in low-light vision. Its not quite night vision, but it does make what light is acutally there stand out.

Huntress has posed:
Huntress rolls her eyes. "Your little Bat-Menagerie has multiplied like bunnies since I left and you -still- call it "your" city? You've really got issues." She is showing quite a bit of restraint even with his provocations. No bolts are flying yet. A year ago? She'be already down to half her supply. "It's my city too." She remains where she was, hand on her crossbow grip but still not drawing it while her eyes scan both directions for any signs of movement.

Batman has posed:
     "You were sloppy, still are. Why are you here?" Batman speaks firmly. He realizes the bolts aren't flying yet. That is something he realizes. Now, it's time for Huntress to speak. Batman is giving her that much.

Huntress has posed:
Huntress laughs. "No. I was focused. I did exactly what I set out to do, Batman. I'm not your sidekick or your soldier. I did what needed to be done. Blood cries for blood and it was settled."

Taking a slow breath, she slowly stepped out from behind the stairway's cover to stand there. Hands empty and at her sides. "I left because I needed to get away from this city for a while. You should try it. You'd be surprised how easy it is to clear your head when you aren't assaulted by the filth and squallor in every shadow here."

A shrug. "I came back because it was time to get on with my life. And I didn't want you to have to admit how much you've missed me." She smiles sweetly, unable to resist needling him just a bit.

Batman has posed:
     "You crossed lines," Batman says firmly. A look is given to her as he watches hermove out of cover. "I don't miss anyone," he says firmly. "You don't work without reason. What is your reason?" he asks," he looks to her. Taking a chance he steps out of the shadows. Standing there, he is ready to dodge any attack. The eyes are focused as he is trying to read everything from body language. Everything is being dissected about her right now.

Huntress has posed:
Huntress fires back at him verbally, "So did Red Hood. But I don't see him on the do not enter list."

There isn't any difficulty in reading her, given his abilities. She's tense. It's not the sort of standoff she wanted. She was trying hard to stay calm. It was difficult to rein in the urge to fight when she used to throw herself into its abandon unchecked.

"I'm back. Because this is where I belong. Sicily isn't my home. It's where my family is from but I grew up here. Gotham in all it's tarnished glory is home." She looks to him and slowly takes a sideways step. As she moves her hands remain visible and empty. It isn't a move that would give her an advantage. It actually places herself where she would be an easier target if anything.

Batman has posed:
     "And he's reforming," Batmans says firmly to her. The body language from her is tense, ready to toss herslef with reckless abandonment. His gaze staying on Huntress. "Gotham is my home. You want in it, you play by the rules. If you want to be the next Punisher, get the hell out," Frank is on Batman's sh*tlist. Now, the Dark Knight is seeing CCTV footage from the Sentinel invasion clearly showing the fugitive. He doesn't need a second one in Gotham.

Huntress has posed:
Huntress loses some of her patience. "No. It isn't -your- city. It's OUR city. All of us. The wino up on the corner you had to pass - just like I did - to get in here. The one that's using last month's Gotham Gazette as a blanket. Why aren't you out there helping him with a hand up to turn his life around? Is crime all you really care about?" She's shaking now. Not out of anger. But out of wonder where this bravado came from.

Maybe the time away from Gotham really did help.

"You of all people know how useless rules are to the rule breakers. You have show them why. why they should care about your rules. The city's rules. So far? I showed up here without incident. You're /clearly/ tracking me to get here in such a hurry. I wasn't looking for a fight. I haven't even gone within five miles of the nearest Mob hangout. I came here for.."

She sighs and reaches up slowly to brush her hair back behind her shoulder. ".. for personal reasons. Nothing dangerous. Nothing of anyone's concern but my own. To take back a part of my life I've been missing since I was a girl." She looks at him, calm as she admits the truth. "I have no need or want to fight you, Batman. I'm here, trying to be less of who I was and more.. of something I don't know how to be, yet. But if you keep pushing? I'm not sure how long I can resist the urge to fall back into the way things were. Before. And I, honestly, do not want that. You can believe me or not."

Then she turns her back on him, letting him act as he may, as she slowly walks along one of the passenger platforms, glancing up at the decor of the vast space to get her bearings. She moves across one of the crude plank 'bridges' and pauses, scanning the wall behind, her gloved hand trialing the subway tiles like they were an old friend she'd long forgotten.

Batman has posed:
     "I help in ways you don'tknow about. I keep those to myself," Batman says to her firmly for a moment. While he knows his personalty clashes with certain individauls. "Get the attention of someone called Oracle. They can help you," he offers as advice. Batman slinks into the shadows. If she goes to ask, orsnap back to him, there isnothing. Does he have more to say? Yes. However, it is about perspective. Oracle has a different way of looking at the asme problem. Right now, Batman is counting on that.

Huntress has posed:
Huntress snorts softly and quotes of all things the Bible, "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them. Otherwise you have no reward of your Father which is in heaven." She finishes the quote as she pauses to take a crossbow bolt to use as a chisel and begins to scrape away and pry at a tile. It pops off rather easily to reveal a small opening. Within it is something wrapped in layers of cloth that could be recognized as fabric from the Bertinelli mansion's dining room drapes.

Opening the wrappings, Huntress reveals two items inside. A locket with a picture of her as a little girl with her mother, and her mother's rosary beads.

She knew he would be gone already if he wasn't still lecturing her. Tucking the two priceless items back into the fabric and then into a pouch, Huntress made her way out as well. There was nothing left for her down here.