8925/Welcome to the Clocktower

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Welcome to the Clocktower
Date of Scene: 23 August 2019
Location: Barbara Gordon's Apartment, Clocktower
Synopsis: Misfit comes to the Clocktower to meet Oracle. A deal is struck.
Cast of Characters: Oracle, Misfit




Oracle has posed:
The Batmobile pulls directly into a garage that connects to the Clocktower through a series of alleyways and ramps that no sane human could duplicate without knowing where they're going. In that garage is... another, if smaller, Batmobile, a 2025 black Ducati, and a Candy Apple Red 2026 Corvette Diablo.

Clearly Babs has a taste for automatives.

One of the first things Charlie is likely to notice is there is /zero/ cell-reception. No bars and some of the apps don't even open at all as if the wifi itself is preventing the phones use for anything other than a paperweight.

Security is important.

The sliding door of the elvator rolls up as the Batmobile rolls out. There are multiple buttons on the face, but only one of them works... Top floor.

Misfit has posed:
Charlie looks back at the Batmobile.

Batman said he needed to go check on Batgirl, but it was okay. Charlie offered to go with him and help! He said something along the lines that this was more important for Misfit to do but this wouldn't be the last time she gets to see him. Something along those lines.

Still Charlie looks back to the leaving Batmobile and then the open elevator. She doesn't rush to it and start hitting buttons.

Sure she got to ride in the BATMOBILE which did a lot to lift spirits, but this whole night is hard. It isn't going to get any easier either. so she spends a little while collecting herself.

Wandering to look at all of these amazingly expensive cars. So expensive. Which is how she discovers her phone doesn't work. She opens it up to check the pricing on the black Ducati, having never even seen one before and zero bars. "Huh." she baps her phone lightly with her hand, turns it on and off airplane mode. Nothing.

It doesn't seem to freak her out though, she just tucks it back away and heads to check out the smaller Batmobile. "Man Batman has a lot of cars..." and yes she thinks this must be the batmobile garage and that these must be Batmans. I mean it is a small version of the Batmobile right.

Oracle has posed:
<<Charlie.. I won't rush you upstairs, you can take your time down in the garage as long as you want, but when you're ready just come in. The apartment door is unlocked. I'm sorry about your cellphone, but I'll deactivate the scrambler once we get to know each other a little.>>

The voice is feminine, quiet, but sounds a little preoccupied as if something is on her mind. The sound comes from literally everywhere. It's surround sound pipped in conversationally from hidden audio speakers built directly into the walls.

<<Are you hungry? I can have some takeout ordered? Just talk, I can hear you anywhere in the Clocktower. My name.. My name is... Barbara Gordon.>>

Misfit has posed:
The young woman still startle jumps a bit as the voice comes out of literally everywhere, even softly, as she is scoping out the Batmobile. She blinks a few times behind her mask owlishly and then looks around to all the everywhere trying to spot the cameras really.

"I... might be hungry." pause "Crime fighting is really hard work and I totally captured this lightshow raver guy." okay Crazy Quilt is not a raver but yeah still.

She fronts a smile and continues to peer at corners. "and.. yeah... Batman told me." about the name. "They are calling me Misfit.. but not meanlike. Also I guess he told you I'm Charlotte or Charlie... I went by Charlie at school a lot because Charlotte is just to... stuffy formal and old people sounding."

"Maybe celebratory over evil pizza?"

Oracle has posed:
<<Heh... Evil pizza it is. I'll phone it in and it should be here after you get comfortable.>>

Babs is sitting at the massive bank of computers watching Charlie glance around as if she's searching for something and grins a little to herself at the inquisitiveness. Maybe the fact that she's just taking all of this with a grain of salt, too. It reminds her of herself. It's the reason that she ever trained with Batman, it's the reason there /is/ a Batgirl.

A hand snaps out to grab a prototype Wayne Tech Promethius and thumbs open the Ubereats app to get them a pizza delivered on the bounce. The amount she orders out and the size of her tips almost guarantees a speedy delivery. Babs really doesn't get out much, but everything she could possibly need is here... Even her day job is done remotely.

Misfit has posed:
Charlie protests "No no not evil pizza... celebrating our victory over evil pizza." she furrows her brow. "I wouldn't eat evil pizza... I'm a crime fighter... also that sounds like it has those little fish on it.. or mustard which would be nuts."

Shot across the bow of a Titan she doesn't know.

She finishes checking out all the cool cars and heads to the elevator. She peers at the options. She reaches out and pokes a couple of them until she gets the one that lights up. She isn't trying to hit play the button mashing game really but she didn't assume the top floor by upstairs. "There are a lot of floors.. are you like Batman's wife?"

Oracle has posed:
That's a hell of a question.

Babs blinks a few times when she hears it, in fact. Trying to decipher how to even begin answering it. Likely for too long for any answer she does give to come out as honest since the door to the apartment pops upon as Charlie gets near to it like a horror movie with less noisy hinges.

The tall redhead pops up from her swivel chair, seated infront of about seven monitors all showing some part of Gotham City map or other, to turn and face Misfit as she enters the apartment. Her firey red hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail and she's wearing a pair of red, clear plastic glasses over jade green eyes. Her pink T-shirt has blocky Yellow text: Ask me about my Feminest Agenda and she's wearing Super mario pajama pants with bright yellow bunny slippers with floppy ears.

This is Barbara Gordon.

Against wall one wall in a glass case is the original Batgirl costume with the little yellow skirt. There are obvious signs of combat and blood stains, but it's lit with a hologenic white glow whenever someone gets close.

"Hey.." Smiling as she steps over and around the comfortable leather couch infront of the massive Wayne Tech smart Television. "I'm Barbara.. but you can call me Babs. Please call me Babs." Offering her hand out to Charlie.

Misfit has posed:
Charlie starts to wonder if the audio cut out, or if she is Batman's ex-wife by the sheer amount of silence in the elevator ride up to the penthouse now. "Ms Gordon?" but then she is there and stepping out of the elevator and through the door that opens on it's own.

Holy automated penthouse batman.

She is already starting to scope out the Penthouse eyes wide once more like from the garage. Her eyes may pop out tonight all said. Of course the suit in the case gets her attention and she migrates that way like a moth to the flame "This is like the original one from way back." kids today. Way back indeed.

Then she notices the movement and Babs popping up like that and walking around and down the stairs. She turns to watch the woman in her bunny slippers and pajamas approach. "Uh... you sound less ominous in person..." she notes with a bit of a grin putting her gloved hands into Barbara's. "Also.. the bunny slippers are amazing.."

Oracle has posed:
"It /is/ the original from way back." Babs says with a nod to the display case, laying a hand on Misfits shoulder after the shake to show her over so she can get a better look. "That's how me and Batman know each other. I use to be Batgirl... not even that long ago, really. Officially just a couple weeks, but.. four or five months ago?" Smiling, her other hand adjusts her glasses up on the bridge of her nose.

The smile doesn't last long, nor does the hand on Charlie's shoulder. "So.. listen, Charlie... actually do you prefer Charlie or Charlotte?" As if this is important to her, but she was very specific about what name /she/ wanted to go by, so maybe it is?

Misfit has posed:
She kind of answered in the garage about Charlie and Charlotte, but she didn't stake it out really assertively, just she went by it in school. "Oh.. definitely Charlie because Charlotte sounds like I am old or a spider..."

Then what Babs said sinks in and her eyes get very big again, then she looks at the costume, and looks at Babs with the red hair and then back again.

"OH MY GOSH..." yeah OMG without saying God. Jeebus.

"I knew the Batgirl in the park had the wrong hair color!" then she blinks and looks again back and forth. "I also knew Batgirl hadn't been seen in months and Gotham needed a Batgirl." she fist pumps. Her fangirly was accurate dangit.

Oracle has posed:
"Charlie." Babs says the name with the smallest hint of a grin, arms crossed over her chest with the fingers dangling across her bicep, watching Misfit go through the paces of putting together the pieces. Green eyes dance a little, following little details like pumping fists and fidgets. Old habits.

"Yeah, I was pretty impressed by that when you told Bat Woman." She tosses it out subtly, watching the young girls reaction to this little tidbit of information. See if she connectst he dots, always very observant..

Misfit has posed:
She stares at Babs for a good while while she is being observed. Like she is waiting for her to do something ... something Batgirl like.... something heroic or impressive.... something.

There is a blink and a bigger grin at the compliment. "I kinda have some news alerts for Batgirl on my phone.... and nothing .. months even.. so I figured I should be Batgirl but I guess the blond lady is doing that... though I still think her hair should be red .. you know.. like yours..."

It doesn't pop out of her mouth even if she makes the connection. Maybe she figured it out. Maybe she thinks you all talk all the time. Maybe she is too distracted you are Batgirl.

Then "So why is the costume bloody?"

Oracle has posed:
Babs laughs quietly, a little chuckle really, and just watches Misfit fangirl. It reminds her so much of herself, probably not but a year or two older than Charlie, when she stumbled upon Batman and Robin (Dick) for the first time. The smile fades just a little through the memory, after all that's happened since then, but remains in a duller form.

"So you said, yes." Nodding slowly, bringing out a hand to lay upon Charlie's shoulder as if it might somehow calm down the excitement of youth. It never would have for a young Barbara, though. "Yes, well.. Batgirl is more of an idea than a person. I assure you the Batgirl we have now is every bit as capable, even if she /should/ have red hair.. but nobody asked my opinion on that." Said with a wink, reaching out then to flip off the light on the display case at the question about the blood.

A question she doesn't answer.

Turning away to walk in the direction of the kitchenette beneath the loft, "You want something to drink? I've got water, juice, diet cokes.. those are Bat Womans, but you're welcome to them since I bought the damn things."

Misfit has posed:
Charlie's eyes drift down to the hand on her shoulder and then she just peers up at Batgirl 1.0.

They agreed about the hair!

This will of course eventually come up with Stephanie and Charlie in a conversation. You can mark it.

Totes safe bet.

The turn away and walk from the case and her question gets her to give it one more curious glance, checking the dark case and blood before following. She doesn't press it. Not right now. Not when there is so much else going on and to see. To much to do. Pizza to defeat soon she figures.

Still though. She will call this the Mystery of the Bloody Bat.

"I get pretty hyper with caffiene at this hour.. so I should maybe have juice or water." wait, she doesn't drink caffiene during all those previous encounters or tonight, what is she the energizer bunny.

The domino mask is carefully removed, I mean they know her name and all that. All that being stuff she doesn't want to think about right now.

Oracle has posed:
Stuff Babs has no intentions of bringing up tonight, anyways. Instead she nods to Charlie and reaches in to grab a bottle that definitely didn't come prepackaged full of what looks like apple juice and underhand tosses it in the young vigilantes direction, "Catch."

It's while she's pulling off her domino mask, so it's probably a test.

Everything is a test with the Bat Family.

"Alright, I'm not going to start training tonight, but you will start training soon.. there's the couch... which is crazy comfortable." Pointing at it with an extended pinky, "Folds out into a bed and I have literally every channel from any country on the planet, so pick your poison." She motions up to the loft, "There's a room upstairs, that's June's, but I think she's moving.. so soon as I figure that out, it'll be yours."

She points to the door beside the display case, "That's me. I have pajamas enough to give out to people walking by on the street and never run out. If you need a change of clothes, let me know, I'll make sure you get it."

She pushes her glasses up and walks to a table beside the couch. There's a small plastic bundle that she holds out to Charlie. There's a few hundred dollars, a credit card, along with identification that has the official address of the clocktower apartment. Not like she can hide that she lives here. "You start school Monday. You have an unlimited credit limit on the credit card to get clothes, computers, supplies.. but if you go crazy and buy a car or something... I'll know." She absolutely /will/ know by the way she peers over her glasses at the young girl.

"I'll have one of my good friends send a Cab around to take you wherever you need to go." Natasha has a network of them. "So... what'cha say, kiddo.. you want to live in a Clocktower?"

Misfit has posed:
I mean no Charlie wasn't expecting it really, the toss of the juice bottle. Still, her mask in one hand her other gloved hand snaps up and out to catch the bottle before it bounces off her, or goes past her, and shatters on the floor.

The kid seems to have very good reflexes and hand eye coordination really.

Bit surprising given her background. Not much sports in her school record. But then they were very poor.

The gesture to the couch and the TV there draws her attention. Pull out couch is nicer than a sleeping bag she acquired for the burnt out apartment. The TV though, well it gets a stare. "That is the biggest TV I have ever seen in my whole life outside a movie or on TV..." she does sound a bit awe'd by it all.

The plastic bundle is taken confused and the next battery of things is more than a little woah for the kid. " I uh.." wait there is more. Cars. She doesn't even know how to drive a car. Unlimited credit cars even exist.

Wut.

Also that cash alone is more than she has ever touched or seen in person as cash.

"Uhm..." vapor lock.

"Wait what.. school!?"

It finally clicks and totally derails the grand gesture about living in a Clocktower.

Oracle has posed:
"Yup." Babs leans a hip against the back of the couch, arms across her chest, one foot slightly crossed the other, "That's one of the rules. Soon as you slip in school, you slip right out of going out at night... this isn't a TV show, Charlie." Jutting her chin out towards the clock-face wall overlooking Gotham. She's deliberately lowered the pitch so that the view, quite a beautiful one all things considered, is visible.

"You're 16 years old. You are /not/ throwing your life away for this... and before you say I'll do it on my own..." She raises a red eyebrow, "Will you, though? You think the worst I can do is hack some information and send drones after you?" She's saying it all very playfully, grinning even, but she's deadly serious. "I'll make being a vigilante /hell/ for you... so..."

Her arms uncross, forming a scale, "Go to school every day and /actually/ pay attention and study... Get to train with Batgirl (former), get access to all kinds of crazy toys, including a fully VR driving simulator that leads to, maybe, getting your own bat-cycle... or..." Left hand, "... Don't get any of that stuff.. but do get Oracle hounding you every single step of your fledgling vigilante career... seriously, I'm the worst, Charlie. I scare /myself/ sometimes."

Her arms recross over her chest, jutting her head at the tv, "Plus, ya know, this is place is kind of nice, too and you can live here."

Misfit has posed:
Doh.

Teenagers and ultimatums. I mean she doesn't cave instantly but she does shutup after another little "Bu.." at it not being a TV show.

She bites her lower lip and worries it as Babs explains all the ways she can make Charlie's life harder. Then launches into all the ways she can make it easier. Then back to how she can make it harder. then back to how she can make it easier.

Somewhere in all of that she glances at the view pointed out, and then her attention is back the heavy information, good and bad, pros, and cons, ultimatums and ultimatums.

"You are not at all what I pictured Batgirl would be like..." she notes seriously when it is all over.

Then she latches not something "VR sims? I am amazing at video games.. like so good." which may not be totally true but she latches onto an old safe bragging.

"So.. if I go to school and don't flunk out I can keep going out at night too.. and all that extra stuff..." she chews her lip a bit more.

"That... seems like a pretty okay swell deal.." she finally admits. With reluctance. Dumb adults.

Oracle has posed:
"I /was/ Batgirl, now I'm Oracle." Babs says matter of factly, arms still crossed over her chest. Glancing along with Charlie to the view, then back again with a little grin. "Listen, I know this is a lot to take in after just a few nights. It'd be a lot to take in after a few weeks... but you're young, way too young to be trying to do this alone. We can help you and I /want/ to help you."

She pushes off the couch and walks back over the short few steps to stand beside the younger, smaller, woman. "But you have to better yourself while doing it. You can't fight crime for ever, kiddo. No matter how you feel now, eventually the wounds catch up to you or age does.. and then what?" She shakes her head and adjusts her glasses up on her forehead, just past her hairline.

"What I'm offering is more than training. I'm offering you a life, education.. but even more than that, you can make yourself better, but nothing's free. You have to show me the effort because I can't make you do it. So if you're good with that, so am I... maybe one day you'll be the CEO of a multi-million dollar security firm too, eh?"

Glancing sidelong and down with a little grin, "But you like video games eh? Me too.. I have literally every game system on the market." Nodding to the massive entertainment center, "You help yourself. This is your home now... I'll get you access codes and biometric data uploaded to the security systems.. so how about we-"

Her phone chirps and she slips it out of the waistband of her pajamas to check the screen, turning it so Charlie can see the hi-rez video image of the pizza man standing out front. "So how about we get some pizza, get you changed into some pajamas and I /completely/ destroy you at Mortal Kombat twenty?"

"Does /that/ sound like a deal?"

Misfit has posed:
"Oracle." she chews on that, she didn't miss the comment about drones and hacking and all that earlier. Maybe she didn't miss the listening in on her and Batwoman either. But the confirmation or revelation makes her nod a bit.

"I bet I could do this forever, I bounce back really well from injuries." she notes proudly.

That statement will eventually prove interesting.

Now though. "I do want training and help to do this. I am pretty sure I won't be a CEO of anything though but .. " and she trails off.

The announcement of pizza and pajamas and mortal kombat XX is pretty good.

"Deal."