9496/Prelude to Knightfall: Needs Must

Prelude to Knightfall: Needs Must
Date of Scene:	09 October 2019
Location:	Museum of Justice, Hall of Justice
Synopsis:	Batman visits the Hall of Justice to say his farewells to Diana.
Cast of Characters:	Batman, Wonder Woman
Tinyplot:	Knightfall

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Batman has posed:
The Hall of Justice has been something of a morose place recently. When the leader of the whole outfit turns seemingly-deranged sociopath, it tends to put a dampener on the whole state of affairs. Batman doesn't venture here even during the good times, so when he let Diana know he wanted to meet (rather than just appearing wherever she happened to be) and gave her the venue, there was some weight behind it all.

He stands now beneath the statue of Superman, mostly concealed beneath the long steel-blue cape that pools out beneath him onto the floor. His head is tilted back slightly, staring up at the statue. The look on his face is unreadable, a grim line set into a heavily-stubbled jaw that seems to have more grey in it than it did even a few weeks ago.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana was at the Hall of Justice already, with two of her Amazonian sisters. They were here to utilize the Hall's systems to try to find out who'd attacked the Themysciran Embassy.

So when Batman made the call to her, and the meeting location was chosen, Diana was there within moments. As she approached, wearing the dark blue Eagle cloak over her shoulders covering her armored form beneath it, she keeps her eyes upon Batman as she steps toward him.

Once she approaches him, she comes to a stop a few feet away and her blue cloak, with hints of its golden interior lining, wave around her form gently swaying to the motion her body had been moving in moments before.

"I feel a wealth of... ominous feelings in the air." Diana says to Batman then as she raises her brown eyed gaze up to the statue, then back down to Batman. She waits for him to reply.

Batman has posed:
"Understandable," Batman doesn't turn his gaze from the statue, head still tilted upwards to take in the whole thing, "Seems like it's the season for those."

He shifts slightly beneath the wrap of his cape, as though he were going to do something but then thought better of it. Instead, he turns about on his heels and takes a few steps in Diana's direction. Even with the cowl on and the drapery of shadows that seems to accompany him anywhere, the wear and fatigue is clearly very heavy upon him.

"Heard about the attack on the Embassy," he offers, "I've got some theories of my own. I'll upload them to the server for you."

Clearly he moves around the subject, not yet willing to broach it.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana's a caring person who tries to be there for the people she feels for most. Bruce is one of those people, though their relationship has always been distant. Kal-El was the same, she cared for him greatly too but their personal interactions were severely limited for all the drama and mayhem that goes on in each of their lives... they were simply busy people.

"Thank you." Diana says in that smoky voice of hers, quiet and sullen. A member of her people had been close to killed by whomever had assaulted the Embassy and very valuable artifacts had been lost, forever now. But she doesn't embark upon that subject, because she senses something else here.

"Something weighs heavily on you." She then states. "Superman." She then adds with s slight sigh. "I have not seen him in some time..."

Batman has posed:
"I haven't either," Batman says quickly, barely letting Diana's sentence end before beginning his own, "Not for want of trying. There was a time when he was as easy to track as the sun. Now, just seems like he doesn't exist except for when he's causing chaos and destruction."

He frowns at that, purposefully turning his head away from the statue - eyes focused upon Diana now.

"I need to do something," he explains at last, "I have a plan. A dangerous one, but it's the only way. I just want you to know ... this wasn't my first resort. I didn't want this."

Wonder Woman has posed:
A glance is given to the statue from the Princess before she looks back onto Batman instead while he speaks of his plan and its blatantly ominous undertones. This doesn't seem to impress her, in fact it just makes her tilt her head gently to the side toward her left just a hair.

"I don't like it when you talk like that." She says to him then. "I can see it in the muscles of your jawline, and hear it on the syllables of your words."

There's a small pause then before Diana's hands come out of her robe and she raises them up to place them on his armored shoulders, each wrapped in leather save fore her fingers which are left bare. "You are not alone." She tells the man. "You can ask me to assist you in your plan."

Batman has posed:
"No."

The word is clipped and emotionless, as though the Dark Knight knew what she would say and had the response already chambered in advance. He shakes his head slowly, the rest of him unmoving just like his statue counterpart nearby.

"I need to be ruthless," he explains, "Focused. If you're there - if anyone else is there - I can't do that. I know you're strong, Diana. But you know just how he eclipses all of us. He could shake the planet if he wanted to. It's why I've lied to my family - told them we're going to meet tomorrow, to discuss strategy. They'll be in the Batcave. I'll be here. Finishing this."

He takes a deep breath, "There is one way you can help."

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana's hands linger on his armored shoulders up until he says that the others of his family will be in the caverns. Its then that her hands drop back down from the taller man in front of her and she lets them disappear back inside of he Eagle patterned robe.

At his offer of a way for her to help she lowers her slim pointed chin just an inch or so while her eyes remain aimed up at his. "And what is that?" She asks of him then, with little much else to say. She isn't about to try to convince this man that there's no way but the way he's already decided, she knows how his mind operates. That doesn't mean, however, she won't intervene if she finds a way to though, that which Batman likely knows about her in-turn.

Batman has posed:
"Be there for them?" Batman asks, his tone uncharacteristically quiet - the affected growl he adopts beneath the mask fading away to become the voice of Bruce Wayne, "Damian looks up to you - more than he ever looked up to me, I think. Stephanie would, too, if she knew you better. If something happens to me, they'll be rudderless. I already have a plan for that but ... "

Now it is his turn, one arm moving from beneath the cape to rest upon Diana's upper arm. There is no warmth to be felt there, the layers of material and armored plating masking all of that - but the sense of it remains all the same. An affectionate gesture, such as are vanishingly rare from the Dark Knight.

"You're a good person. Maybe the greatest person I've known - and someone I wish I'd known better."

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana doesn't need a lot of time to understand what his motivations are here, he needed his family not to get involved in this and that made sense to her. He'd raised a... number of very capable, but still very young, individuals that would refuse to not be at his side in a moment like he's seemingly preparing for.

"They will be safe." She says to him then, not exactly indicating that she herself would tend to them, but that she would see to it that they were, one way or another.

When he touches her arm she draws in a breath and doesn't at all look pleased with the tone and sense of this situation and arrangement, but such are the ways of Superman and Batman, they've always preferred to do things their own ways, where Diana has always been the one most open to mutually beneficial arrangements, strength and numbers and working as a unified team, as a League.

"If something were to happen to you..." She starts again. "You realize that I will not rest until the individuals responsible for it are brought to true justice."

Batman has posed:
There is a faint tug at the corner of Batman's mouth, as though a smile would be there if the weight of the world were not dragging it down. Instead, it looks more like a smirk or half-smile.

"Then at least I know if I don't get the job done," he explains, "There'll be someone there who definitely can."

He doesn't seem ready to let his hand drop away from her arm, eyes flicking from her own to where his hand rests. But begrudgingly he does so, letting it fall to his side now.

"I don't think whatever it is that made him Clark is gone," he says softly, "Not entirely. He's being influenced but not controlled, not yet. As long as that's the case, I can beat him."

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana returns a smirk to him for his initial response to her. She doesn't comment on it. Whether she could stop whatever has taken over Superman or not, is not known, but if she were to be put into that position, she would certainly put forth a mighty effort to do it.

She keeps her eyes upon him, up to his last words and after his hand falls away from her arm. "In that case." She says, voice still soft. "Lets hope there is yet some Clark left inside him. Which I would be willing to bet there would be. But there's more to this than that." She then says, looking a little conflicted. "This type of behavior in him, will only lessen the world's belief in him being a positive influence on our world. It is possible that even if we do get him back, the people of Earth may not want him here any longer. They may no longer trust in him to do the right thing, at the right times..."

Batman has posed:
Batman nods his head, emphatically. As though Diana were echoing his own thoughts back to him.

"That's why I need to stop him," he carries on, "Now. Before he goes too far. Before he does something truly reprehensible that the world can't forgive or forget."

He sighs, taking a deep breath and centering himself.

"There are a lot of people out there who look up to people like you and Clark," he notably does not include himself in the short list of heroic idols, "The better ideal that they can strive for. I don't relish what I have to do here, Diana, but if there is a chance of getting him back now before the damage is done? I need to try."

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana doesn't sigh, she doesn't less the stress of the situation and topic wear on her. She's exceptionally good at stress management, its one of her many strong points in her quality of character. But she does worry, and she worries for all, but especially those closest to her like Kal and Bruce.

"Be that as it may..." She starts her response, leveling her stare with the caped crusader. "Just remember that I will be, meanwhile, tending to an entire cavern of people who look up to--and idolize you." A whole gaggle of Bat-family younglings who very much still need their mentor to return to them.

"So as, I am prone to say... You are not alone. Do not take undue risks beyond what this entire endeavor is already placing you in. The League is stronger than it ever has been before. We can call on other members to help send the bad from Kal's mind, should what you have planned, not work. There are other options... there always are."

Batman has posed:
"I don't plan to let myself die here," Batman lies, and despite his mastery of that art it doesn't take Diana's lasso to unmask it, "But I need to give this everything I have. I've been preparing the battlefield for days now. I've looked at this from every angle. I know I can succeed."

Now the smile does come, although it's a wry one, "I suppose I ought to be glad that it's me out there doing this and not you. I never would have made a very good leader for the League."

Another tug at the corners of his mouth, "The commutes a pain in the ass."

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana definitely doesn't need the lasso to see that that is not how the man before her truly feels. But she doesn't question it. "I hope that that is the case." She quietly says then before she has to smirk at his final joke there about the commute to the League. "You are not going to suggest we move the League to Gotham again are you?" She counter-jests with him for a bit of levity. "You know that the property taxes there are far worse for such a facility."

Diana smirks then before she draws in a breath and starts to turn away from him. In truth, she's frustrated he wouldn't include her in this plan, but she's not going to argue it. He knows that if she finds a way, she'll get involved regardless of his wishes.

But, the timing is bad, what with the attack on her people's Embassy in New York...

"Send me what information you need on how I can be there for your kin. So that your plan for them can be executed without any issues. I do very much want them to be safe from this... drama. It is above their level, as it is probably is all of ours as well..." She'll turn to start to leave then, and her eyes will drop down with the wealth of her long dark hair gently moving to frame her face on either sides.

Batman has posed:
Batman nods, listening to her words. He lets her walk a few paces, debating internally about whether or not he should simply let her walk away. There are enough complications now. Without piling on top of them. But tomorrow he may be nothing more than a charred outline on the asphalt, so today is not one for regrets.

"Diana," he calls after her, taking a few steps to follow her. It's an unusual sight, to see the Dark Knight jogging after someone like that. His movements are usually either imperceptibly quick or slow and purposeful. Now, everything about his gait is indecisive. He holds out a hand, letting it falter in the air before he finally places it upon her shoulder and lets it move with her as she turns to face him.

"I - "

But there are no words. Not really. What can he say? He knows what he's doing is hurtful. Not just to her, but to the League - to everyone he surrounds himself with. This should be a time when they all rally, but instead he stands alone. He sighs.

He leans in, purposeful now, and presses his lips to hers. His gloved hand still on her shoulder, his head tilted slightly to the side.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana does stop when he calls out to her and as he makes his way over to her, she turns about to face him. She searches his cowled face for what it is he's about to say or ask of her, but when he leans in like that, she... doesn't pull away.

The Princess is a single woman, she's not been in an official relationship publicly ever in her several years of being a named public 'super hero'. She's been asked many times about her private love life, nearly every day, but she's always just deflected and dodged those questions, invitations and flirtations.

But when he leans in like this, she accepts it and she gently leans into it in return. She returns the kiss for the man in the mask, her half-gloved hands come out from beneath her robe again, with the ornate bracers around her forearms, and she places them against his armored chest. She kisses him back and allows it to linger for as long as they mutually share in the gesture.

When they do part though, she lets her forehead tap gently against his. Her golden tiara touches the front of his cowl and she then looks up to him and just shows him a soft smile.

Batman has posed:
There it was. Something that had been racing through his mind for years now yet had never been acted upon. Now was, perhaps, the worst time for it. More than enough complexity was already rife throughout the strata of his life without the added question mark of his pending battle with Superman.

But it didn't stop him, and as they slowly part he remains there. His forehead pressed against her own, one hand on her shoulder and the other splayed over that which she rests on his chest. He takes a deep breath, eyes closed, and tilts his eyes slightly to meet hers.

"Probably not the best time," he says, less a question than a statement.

Wonder Woman has posed:
That comment makes the smile only grow a little larger with the corners of her red lips moving up just a hair more. She shakes her head side to side then before she adds. "There have been better times for such." Which is stated in an amused tone of her Greek flavored English.

Her head pulls back then gently and she stares evenly at him again. "Perhaps there will be again in the future." She then raises her hands up to cup the sides of his covered neck then one up to the side of his face where he'll feel her bare fingers and leather covered palm against the edge of his jawline.

She holds her stare then and her hands like this, just watching him. "I should get back to my sisters." She says then. "You have a plan to refine and make even more perfect."

Batman has posed:
"You're right."

The Bat lifts a hand to rest over one of hers as they cover his neck, his eyes close once more. It's been a complicated few weeks, and he cannot help but feel he's only served to complicate it more. If that's the case, why does it feel like a weight has been lifted from his chest?

He takes a step back, her grasp falling away from him - the last thing to separate is their hands, gloved fingers still clasping hers as he steps away.

"I'll see you soon," he promises, with all the weight of a man who may well be going to his death.

"Goodbye, Diana."