8739/Bat With A Broken Wing

Bat With A Broken Wing
Date of Scene:	11 August 2019
Location:	Library - Wane Manor
Synopsis:	Bruce returns from fighting Bane and has his wounds tended to by Talia and Alfred.
Cast of Characters:	Batman, Talia al Ghul

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Batman has posed:
It's one of those rare evenings where the Manor and the Cave beneath it are not busy. Alfred reluctantly takes one scheduled night off a month, and this just happens to be it. Bruce had taken the new Batgirl out on a training exercise, and it promised to be a low risk and low stress situation. He wasn't expected back until early morning.

So, then, it is something of a surprise when he arrives several hours early.

The hidden passageway to the Batcave opens with a clatter, and out of the doorway stumbles Bruce. His cowl has been torn away - not pulled but torn from his face - and his wounds look grievous. Deep and vicious red bruising around the bridge of his nose and his right eye, the pupil of which lists upward as though he cannot see out of it. His face is awash with blood, the stitching on his jaw having reopened again after only being sewn the night before. The side of his head is similarly sticky with a stream of bloody fluid pouring from his right ear.

He pauses for a moment, pressing a hand against the bookshelf as though the whole Manor just took a sudden and jerking shift to one side. A wave of nausea washes over him and he collapses to one knee, bringing several books down with him in a clatter.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
The sound of the books falling result in footsteps that can be heard, two pair, approaching the library. Talia al Ghul is the first person into the room, but only beating Alfred by a step or two. "Supplies," Talia says to Alfred as she moves quickly to Bruce.

Somewhere in the intervening time, Talia has found clothes. No doubt Alfred's doing. A pair of black slacks that fit her snug about the bottom and the hang straight-legged all the way to her ankles. A white blouse, beautiful and unbuttoned enough to reveal some of the woman's dusky toned skin.

She cares not for the clothing though as she moves to support Bruce, an arm snaking through an armpit and around Bruce's back to help lift him. "Come," she simply, helping him onto the nearest seat.

Talia moves to crouch before him, hand going to his head as she examines the wounds. "Broken nose, and your vision may blur for awhile but the eye looks decent. We'll need a closer look later," she says. She looks around then takes her blouse in both hands, clearly about to rip it for a bandage when Alfred reappears. "Bandages, Miss al Ghul," he says, saving the silk momentarily, though the blood stains on it will never come out.

Talia and Alfred begin the work of bandaging Bruce. "So," Talia asks Bruce in a conversational tone. "How was your night?"

Batman has posed:
"Retina detached," Bruce recounts his injuries with all the detached emotionlessness of a seasoned clinician rather than a suffering patient, "And a ruptured eardrum. Everything else - hnh - everything else can wait."

The treatment for the retina is not one he relishes, regardless of the times he's had to undergo it. As Alfred produces the small syringe that is injected with a steady hand into the soft area of his eye socket, a little rush of gas enough to set the errant nerve back in place. It's a grisly sight, but one all three of them are accustomed to.

He shakes his head slightly at Talia's question, voice thick with pain and nausea: "A mercenary in a mask. He knew about your father. Knew about me. Tried to assassinate one of the inmates at Arkham Asylum. Stronger, faster than anything I've ever seen but not a metahuman. I don't think."

Talia al Ghul has posed:
There's no surprise as Talia shows no squeamishness, even taking the needle from Alfred to administer the treatment. She leans in close, looking into Bruce's damaged eye. Smelling of perfume. One that he once bought her in Madripoor, though how did she come by it here?

Talia pauses the treatment a moment, looking at Bruce as he describes the combatant. "Metal grill on the sides of the mask? Tubes in back perhaps, or at least connections for some?" she asks him, before resuming the treatment.

Once the retina is dealt with, Talia gets the suture kit and begins work on stitching his wounds closed. "Interesting. Which inmate was attacked?" she asks him. Stitching these days means using glue, really. Alfred holds the wounds closed as Talia covers them in the skin-like epoxy.

Batman has posed:
"You know him," Bruce murmurs, doing his best to not move his face so Talia can tend to his wounds. The way he says it suggests it isn't even a question. Someone who knows of Bruce's tie to Ra's al Ghul would almost certainly be at least associated with the League of Assassins, if not one of it's members. He grits his teeth against the pain, but never makes a sound despite the obvious beating he has taken.

"Stockholm," he answers her question after a lengthy pause, "Tried to make it look like a break out and then tried to shoot her. Steph kept her safe. I went after the man in the mask."

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia continues what she's doing for several seconds, just focusing on Bruce's wound. She finishes applying the sealant. "Amazing how long we had super glue before people decided to use it for wounds," she says, shaking her head. No doubt her in mind another example of how the worst of society's rules have clogged advancement and improvement.

Finally she leans back, saying, "Not so much as a beauty scar. More's the pity." she gently caresses Bruce's cheek and the hands Alfred the glue back. "Bane," she says. "His name is Bane. Incredibly strong. Chemically enhanced most likely. I'm not quite sure how he does it, to be honest. Trained by the League."

Talia takes a damp cloth and begins cleaning the worst of the blood away. "Interesting. I cannot imagine why the interest in her. Not on a personal level I shouldn't think. Something she's involved in then."

Batman has posed:
"He was working with mercenaries," Bruce explains, settling down to rest his back against the bookcase and stare at Talia through bruised eyes, "Not League men. They wouldn't have gone down so easily. By that, I'd conclude this isn't a League operation. If you say it's not personal, then he's taking contracts. Someone wants Stockholm dead and was willing to shell out. My guess? They suspected I might try to intervene, sent this ... Bane to prevent that."

He shakes his head slightly, ears still ringing from the pain and vision swimming too much to try and stand, "I'll need to talk to Stockholm. Find out what she's been doing lately that would've sparked this kind of interest." He holds out a hand, trying to bring himself to his feet as though he's going to go out again ...

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia reaches out a hand to Bruce's shoulder, trying to oppose him rising. If he truly means to, and isn't off-balance or weakened, he'll be able to manage it. Though not without quite a bit of effort. "I am not really sure what he is working on now. Could be on his own," she concedes. "A paid hit is possible. Or some other interest of his that she got in the way of somehow," Talia muses quietly.

"Come Bruce, you'll do no good like this. The place will be a beehive of activity, he won't try again. Especially if he designed it to look like she was... what, shot in the escape attempt I'm guessing?" Talia asks.

She takes a towel from Alfred to wipe her own hands with. She looks down at the blouse she's wearing and the blood stains on it. "Alfred, you were marvelous in finding this for me. I shall have to come up with something else, I'm afraid," she says.

"Yes madam," Alfred agrees, gathering up the things and carrying them out of the room. Talia looks back to Bruce. "Come, a hot soak upstairs is what you need now," she says. "After I'll apply some ghuavo ointment," she says of a particularly pleasant smelling League ointment that is used for healing. Though the new recruits are usually given a version with something unpleasantly pungent added.

Batman has posed:
As much as Bruce seems to want to argue, put on another batsuit, and swoop back to Arkham - he knows Talia is right. In this state, he's compromised. He's no good to anybody dead, and he's left Batgirl out to cover the rest of the night's patrol. Taking a night off obviously doesn't sit well with him, but at the same time there are previous few other choices.

So, he nods his head and grunts in agreement as he slowly rises to his feet and manages to maintain his balance a little better this time. He takes a few staggering steps towards the door, staggering a moment before finally pausing to let Talia come up alongside him and help.

"Shouldn't take more than a few days to heal," he tells himself more than her, "Batgirl can handle the patrols. With Oracle in her ear, she'll do fine."