8743/Oh My God Oh My God Oh My God It's A Car!

Oh My God Oh My God Oh My God It's A Car!
Date of Scene:	11 August 2019
Location:	Clocktower - Gotham
Synopsis:	Stephanie shows Barbara her birthday present from Bruce. They go for a spin in it.
Cast of Characters:	Spoiler, Oracle

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Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie texted Barbara.

Bruce! You won't believe this! Oh my god! I'm coming over! Are you there!? I'm coming over whether you are or not, so I hope so! Just listen for the revving engine!"

About 15 minutes later, the sensors will note a car pulling up to the garage entrance to the Clocktower. It's a 1965 Shelby Cobra re-creation, done in a near shade of purple to the Batgirl uniform. There is a familiar blond face behind it, with a grin that goes ear to ear, and wearing sunglasses.

Because, styling.

Oracle has posed:
Babs always has her phone with her, even when she's working out. Over in the small gym area of her apartment, the redhead was doing weight training without her brace. Wearing yoga pants and a tanktop, ankle weights on both legs, slowly bringing one and then the other up without letting her heels touch the hardwood or sweat mats.

She'd sent a birthday message to her friend earlier, something simple Happy birthday babe. 21. We should hit up a club or something later then gotten to work. A few hours at the computer doing security work to make sure the lights stay on and then another two in the gym.

Being lazy and sitting around in pajamas without gaining weight is not as easy as it looks.

When the phone chirps, she checks the response, grins, and thumbs off a reply while finishing the reps on autopilot

I'll meet you downstairs.

Fifteen minutes.

Babs can do a lot in that time. Efficiency is a matter of routine, afterall.

She bathes quickly, ties her hair back, and is riding the elevator when one of the sensor alerts routes to her phone. She thumbs an encryption and glances down at the screen with a clipped laugh.. stepping out into the garage with her palm slapping the switch that brings the doors up to allow the beautiful new car to pull inside, "You have got to be kidding me?" Still grinning out of her laugh, a pair of tight dark blue jeans and a green tanktop. "You look //good// in that car, babe!" Shouting, hands around her mouth as if the revving engine is just too much power for to talk over.

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie has pulled the car inside. She's staying seated in it though until Barbara arrives so she can hold up both hands into the air. "I know, right!? This is just crazy sick," she says, laughing and pushing her sunglasses up atop her head to reveal the bright blue of her eyes, and her excited look.

Stephanie gives Barbara a chance to walk around it and see it before she hops out of it, springing out of the convertible as if she's practiced it. Probably has.

"I got this note and went outside and... I mean wow. Wow." Stephanie says. She moves over to Barbara and hugs her, shaking her a bit as she looks at the car. "I just can't believe it. The last week, weeks, have been the best of my life," she says, arms still about the redhead if allowed.

Oracle has posed:
Never has Babs ever turned down a hug. When that dady finally comes, all hell has broken loose.

At first she envelopes Staphanie in it, squeezing her warmly, but then keeps one arm light and loose around the other woman's hip while ducking her head down to take a better look at the dash and interior. "Yeah.. Bruce?" Glancing side long at her friend, pushing her glasses up on her nose with a huge grin of her own.

"He might not be very sentimental all of the time, but he sure knows how to show a girl she's appreciated eh?" Thumbing back at her black Ducati parked up against the wall of the garage, "My twenty first birthday."

Another big grin as Steph works through the last couple weeks, "Hey, you deserve it, girl. If you're going to get smacked around by psychopaths for little to no recognition, you might as well enjoy the few available perks, right?"

Spoiler has posed:
Steph grins and likewise stays in the light hug so Barbara has more freedom to look at the car. "Boy does he ever," she agrees. "I've really tried to not ask for anything or... you know how it is. I mean I can imagine what it's like for Bruce and the boys with people always looking for handouts. I really don't ever want them to see me that way," she says.

Even to the point of almost having to drop out of school and move back in with her mother for being broke. Barbara probably saw the signs starting, but then Tim got Stephanie involved in his business dealing with superhero souvenir sales. Basically paying her to help acquire and take part in auctions of items to be sold for charity, or to go into a superhero museum Tim is putting together.

"I haven't really opened it up yet, figured I'd take it for a good drive out of town where I'm less likely to get pulled over," Stephanie says. Though as wind blown as her hair is, she probably was exceeding the speed limit coming over.

Oracle has posed:
Babs knows the sentiment, she lived the sentiment. Grinning side long at Steph, with a half grin, "It was just me and Dick when I showed up... and by then he was already off to College. I think Bruce was trying to pamper me." Joking, eyes rolling as she brushes some of Steph's hair out of her face and slips off her friend to get a good look at the dash without actually leaning on the finish.

She had seen the signs.. she was watching for them in fact. That's one of the most dangerous periods of their nightly affairs.. when the call to use all that training to make a little side money becomes a little more enticing. Not that there was ever a thoguht in Babs head that Stephanie would, but what kind of mentor would she be if she didn't suddenly arrive to talk her out of it the very second it became a possibility?

Besides, Bruce always has their back.

Sure, most of what Babs has was originally funded by Bruce, but she makes a really lucrative paycheck doing security contract work. It isn't a hand out, at least not as far as she sees it... Because it makes Oracle possible.

The ends justify the means.

Babs glances back and smirks at Steph, "Oh yeah? Looks like you were well within the legal limits.. the very definition of legality.." Joking with a good natured shake of her head as she straightens up and tucks her fingers in her back pockets, "Alright, I need coffee. So are you going to offer me a ride or do I have to beg?"

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie gets a big grin. "Not just offering you a ride. Offering you a drive," Stephanie says, offering the keys over. "Figure, there's only so many times I get a chance to pay you back at anywhere near the level I owe you. So getting to see that speedometer turn from 24 to 25 as you drive it? That's one I can share," she says warmly.

Stephanie moves around the passenger side of the car. "So, we went out last night. Bruce and I. Breakout at Arkham, you saw the report? Bruce got busted up pretty bad by this huge masked guy he fought," she says. "Broken nose and his eye was hurt and not sure what else," she says. "He sent me on out to finish the patrol while he went back to get treatment."

Oracle has posed:
Babs cants her head at Stephanie, grin only getting bigger as she reaches out to take the offered keys in a clutched hand, "You sure? I have a very heavy foot..." Too late now! A grinning Gordon jumps over the convertables door with the same kind of practiced ease as Stephanie escaped the vehicle. Both hands sliding experimentally across the steering-wheel as the blonde wraps back around the passanger side.

When the subject shifts to something a serious, so too does her expression.. Glancing sideways at her friend, "Yeah, I saw the report.. watched the footage too. I'm going to be paying Julia a visit tonight once the lights go out in Gotham.. changed her schedule so she's got some unexpected computer time down in the lower security wing." Where Oracle can get a word in with the psychopath.

"I want to know who that guy was... more importantly, I want to know who sent him."

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie nods her head as she hears of Barbara's planned investigation. "That would be good. I didn't get to see much of the fight. Tried to help give him some smoke screen cover but I had a couple of gunmen to deal with," Stephanie says.

Stephanie laughs as Barbara gets the car going. "Just no scratches or damage, speed is ok," she says. "So Bruce brought in someone to train me in combat. Sandra Wu-San? Have you heard of her?" Stephanie asks. "Asian about, maybe a little shorter than you, but so still kind of tallish. Probably... oh, late thirties at least."

Oracle has posed:
Babs cranks the car into a violent, but delicious, purr of powerful engine and makes an ooooo face with her fingers still running along the steering wheel, "Oh you're a noisy bitch huh? Okay.." It's said mostly to herself, but plenty loud enough for Stephanie to hear it. Suffice to say the slowest this car is likely to go with Barbara behind the wheel is backing out of the garage.

"Nah, I saw the footage, you did your part. Bruce usually would have had one man handled... that wasn't a man. That was something else. Still don't have a full update on the extent of his injuries, but I did a biometric scan from his suit and..." She shakes her head as she gets them going, not nessecarily breaking the speed limit so much as bending it a lot.

"Sandra Wu-San? Yeah." Babs bobs her head, weaving traffic like she's threading a needle. This isn't her car though, so she doesn't cut it as close as she might on her own bike, "Lady Shiva. Bruce said he was bringing her in to train you. Listen to what she teaches you, ignore everything else... The woman's a snake, but she's easily one of the best martial fighters on the planet."

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie smiles as Barbara zooms the car back and then out into traffic. To her credit she doesn't get all white-knuckled at the closer calls. "So I haven't gone through the whole manual yet," she says, opening the glove box and pulling out a tablet. Of course it has an electronic manual. In addition to the paper one. "But it's got some of Bruce's goodies installed."

She reaches over to hit a hidden stud and open a control panel. "Smoke screen, caltrops, Batcomputer link," she says, swiping through the manual. "Wow. I didn't think it could get any cooler," she says with a laugh, reaching over to close the compartment again.

"I imagine he has access to the stuff Damian gave me to help after Stockholm," Stephanie says. She sighs. "I kind of really wanted her to try something with me so I could take her down," she says of the villain that Stephanie took the beating in stopping. "I guess, I should be glad I didn't have to. But I still kind of wish she had."

Oracle has posed:
Babs reaches up to pull her ponytail loose just so the wind can kick into her firey red hair as they zoom through traffic. She's done thousands of driving hours in simulation and is no slouch behind the wheel besides, so it's little more than a breeze. Nevermind her reaction times... trying to catch Gordon slipping on the road would be ney impossible for the casual driver after high speed chases in the batmobile.

"Hah, yeah.. Bruce doesn't screw around when it comes to making sure we're fully prepared regardless of the situation or costumed status. You ever been in the lambo?" One of them. He has several. But everyone usually knows which one she's talking about.

"That thing is loaded for bear."

As the conversation shifts, Babs does as well, but she doesn't really frown as grow pensive. "Back when Stockholm popped up on the scene, she and I did the dance for awhile.. I thought I could bring her around.. I wish that were still something I believe possible." She doesn't, break, clutch, shift, turn, all automated by the veteran vigilante, "Still.. she /hates/ Batgirl. So watch yourself with her. I don't have to tell you, but she's dangerous. Unpredictable and dangerous. Let your guard down for a second and she'll have a gun on you. There is no reasoning."

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie gives a little growl and a shake of her head. "She's crazy as a bag of cats," the blonde college student agrees. "At the bank, I was Spoiler, and she called me Batgirl. When one of her men corrected her on my name, she shot him in the head," Stephanie says. She's still not used to seeing much death. That one is an image she still sees in her nightmares sometimes now.

"She had a gun but didn't try to use it on me. Used up the clip on the people trying to kill her. Told me what a great 'team up' it had been, after," Stephanie says, letting out a sigh that would be hard enough to dislodge wisps of hair from her cheeks. But with the top down her hair is blowing about wild and free, the sunglasses back down covering her eyes.

Oracle has posed:
Babs does not disagree with Stephanie's assessment of Julia. She nods in a grim sort of way with a tight lipped frown, still weaving in and out of traffic, but with far less urgency now that she's got it out of her system. Now she's just a woman going somewhere in a hurry, which is basically par for the course in Gotham.

"I know I'm not telling you something you didn't already know. For the most part school's out, babe." Side eyeing Stephanie from one corner of her glasses, reaching over to give her hand a gentle pat. "Anyways, let's not thinking about that right now, huh? We have a fast ass car, two gorgeous ladies, and a desperate need to celebrate one 21st birthday... //I// think we should get our best slut gear on and break some hearts at the club.. but I haven't broke anyone's heart since college."

Either way she's probably joking. Barbara doesn't do large groups often. They don't bother her, persay, but nothing good ever comes of it. Instead she leads them towards one of the better, but not highest class, resteruants to treat her friend to an early Birthday Dinner.