9590/Stircrazy

Stircrazy
Date of Scene:	15 October 2019
Location:	Safehouse, Outside Gotham
Synopsis:	'Batman' visits Stockholm. Julia has doubts. Fin.
Cast of Characters:	Stockholm, Oracle

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Stockholm has posed:
A a safehouse across the river from Gotham. That was what "Matches" put Stockholm in on behalf of his 'Employer". Julia was asked her to stay put and not leave. Which suited her fine for a long time because well her arm had heal up and some down time was useful.

Also 'Matches' was coming by often enough that he was a calming influence on the voices in her head and her more erratic behaviors.

It has been a couple of weeks though since the 'Mafia' guy stopped by and told Julia that his 'Boss' would be by soon and they would get started on the job of tracking down Bane.

Two very long weeks and some change.

The locking fixtures were advanced, but not beyond Julia's expansive talents. Yet she has stayed put.

The safehouse itself is modestly appointed. There's a television, some LexCorp-brand game console wired into it with a few discs in plastic cases lining a shelf alongside it in the tv cabinet. There's a kitchenette, a bathroom, and a bedroom. There's a WayneTech laptop with a connection to the internet as well, although the connection has a bad habit of dropping whenever it's used to venture too far afield - for example, looking up flights out of the country. It's located in what looks to be an abandoned apartment building, which makes the fact that the safehouse itself has running water and electricity all the more impressive.

Julia is honestly starting to get a mix of worried and irritated, the voices are clawing back from the dark parts of her mind and well this isn't great at all being left here for two weeks with the stockpile of food but no fresh visits or movie drop offs.

Oracle has posed:
Even across the river from Gotham, it always seems to be raining. Like the city itself knows that dramatics are important for the shadowy business conducted all across the 'Darkest City in America'. The News has given plenty of reports, specifically the Gotham Gazette, detailing the death of Batman at the hands of Superman, and visa versa for that matter, which likely hasn't made Julia feel any more comfortable with the arrangement.

The lightning flashes outside the window and the rain pleats against the glass in a rhythmic lulliby that drums out the sound of approaching bad weather on the horizon.

It is one such flash that the shadowy image of the Batman stands in one corner of the apartment, just as the power dies, which it almsot certainly has done before, with the press of a button in Babs hand.

When the figure speaks, it sounds auto-tuned.. distant.. run through a synthesizer.

"Julia."

Stockholm has posed:
Honestly, the problem is no. Matches has been bringing her movies and stuff to keep her busy but she has been cutoff from the outside world. Which means she has no clue other than 'Matches' hasn't been around in a couple of weeks.

That and Batman hasn't shown up either. Irony that.

She is curled up on the couch reading one of the books loaded up onto the tablet previously dropped off, a crime solving detective novel. Honestly Julia found that specific library of books very amusing.

Then ... Batman.... is there in the corner. I mean to be fair that is what he tends to do right. Flash of lightning. Bit of visual sleight of hand. Then pow.... in the room with you and everyone startles.

She is pretty sure he gets a kick out of the whole thing.

This figure though, hmm.

Julia lowers the tablet and satres across the safehouse. Slowly tilting her head to the side, eyes flicking and taking in everything now. Something... feels... very off and wrong about all this... and yet very familiar to Julia. "Mmm..... I hope you brought more groceries..." trying to get the figure to engage more.

Puzzling.

Oracle has posed:
This Batman hardly gets a kick out of it. This Batman doesn't hold the same level of affection for Julia that the previous had. None of that translate well into body language hidden behind the drape of a black cape, though. The figure stands in the corner of the room staring through the darkness at the woman laid on the couch reading, of all things, a tablet.

As if this were a vacation.

The files had been rather extensive on Bruce's progress with Stockholm, but the purpose was, as most things with Bruce are, very vague. "Next time." Said in as much a sympathetic voice as auto-tune allows for. "How are you otherwise?"

Babs hadn't seen Julia in person since that night.. or at all since the nights that followed.. all of which was before she escaped from Arkham.

Stockholm has posed:
If by escaped you mean actually broken out of Arkham this time by Batman of all people. I mean sure 'Matches'.

Julia tilts her head. "Mostly good. Totally healed. Mostly ready to get on with the job you hired me for and getting my freedom and dog back."

The thing is, it isn't just body language she is watching. It is the ... feeling... and this feels familiar but not.. right. Also those complicated feelings about her being out of Arkham and being on vacation. She isnt a telepath or even a normal empath but everything here is different than the Bats visits and 'Matches'.

"How soon are we going to be ready?" she explicitly doesn't mention Bane yet. Watching.

Oracle has posed:
The shadowy figure doesn't move much, but Batman rarely does. Nothing he ever needs to do needs to be done until it needs doing, so why move? Babs watches Julia just as closely. She knows, how the woman got free of Arkham, but escape is escape no matter who turned the key.

"Soon. The time table is shifted. Situation is changed. And there's other variables to consider. You're ready now? The next few days?"

Weighing the options of what Julia isn't revealing against what she knows the woman knows. A lot is said by what someone isn't saying. She's neither a telepath or an empath, but she is a detective... trained by the Batman.

Stockholm has posed:
Julia shifts on the couch, but the most dangerous thing in here is either plastic cutlery or the stuff in Batman over there's belt. Which means despite the shifting to sit up more fully, to scoot and plant her ass on the arm of the couch now upright and staring at Batman, how dangerous is the room.

"So, why did he send you. Did something happen to him or is this another test of some sort?" vague maybe she is just fishing or maybe she can tell.

Maybe it is the fact that nothing in her head is quieting because there is no indomitable will to pattern off of and stamp them down. Barbara may be a detective but she does not have the will that could sunder Superman.

Could be a bluff.

"Cause it is making me .. anxious .. I have a condition you know and this this isn't good..."
Well it is better now then on a tropical island where there are weapons everywhere right.

Oracle has posed:
Barbara suspected it was the case. She's delt with Julia for a long time, the back and forth between them was always.. chaotic.

Bruce doesn't seem to have that same effect.

Batman steps forward, just a single step out of the corner, "He didn't send me." The auto-tune is gone, replaced by a feminine voice that is probably familiar, in the way all voices can be, but darker.. colder. Batgirl has been through some shit.

"Situation is different, but the ends still justify the means. If you want results, you work for them. I'm not him, but I will help you. It'll just require you to help yourself more too."

Stockholm has posed:
She considers very hard the options.

She says no they probably all try to send her back to Arkham and keep her dog.

She says yes and the risk is she does something absolutely crazy especially once they really get into tense environments dealing with Bane.

She supposes she could probably just break out after 'Batman' leaves but then that still falls back to option 1.

"Fuck." she finally says and sighs deeply. She rolls back, off the arm of the couch tucking and landing on her feet so she can stand. Heading to get herself a glass of water it seems though nothing sinister.

"I do hope he gave you all the files, including the stuff about my dual interest in Bane then. Because that is an outside complication you need to be aware of. Also.. I still want my dog back from him when this is all said and done."

Water is poured and she takes a calming sip. "Are you sure this isn't some sort of game or test.. I mean you... of all the people... " she pinches the bridge of her nose. Focusing. Focusing. Because part of her really wants to mess up Batgirl. Any of the Batgirls.

"You know.. maybe this will just show I am as good as you." is what she finally says. Mess up or Beat. It doesn't have to be Beat Up.

Oracle has posed:
"If that helps you." Batman says, the auto-tune is returned, but mostly to help herself stay in the role. The sound of her voice coming out of this costume is still an abstract that her brain hasn't wrapped itself around. She wanted Julia to know who she was dealing with. It was an olive branch.

"I am not Batgirl." She points that out, for the recrod.

"I'm Batman. Until I'm not anymore. I'm not here for games, I'm not hear to tap dance. If you want help, I'll help. If you don't.... that's your decision too."

"I'll still be Batman when you make it."

With all the ramifications that come alongw ith it.

Stockholm has posed:
Maybe Julia appreciated it.

Maybe it just made things more complicated.

"Fine." she notes pointedly.

"I want to do the job. I want the help I was promised."

"It is my decision and ... yeah... no other good decisions.... so there we go. I'll just prove I'm better than 'Batman' while I am at it too."

She .. part of her doesn't want to be difficult but they did this to her and she can't help it. Bat Girls .. Bat Women.. they trigger Julia in a way she has never been able to get a handle on. One of two paths. At least she is forcing herself down the less homicidal path somehow.

Even without Bruce here..... she has been away from real criminals and Arkham for weeks on weeks now and .. it has helped balance her out some.

Oracle has posed:
"I hope so. You'll have the help, regardless." Batman says from behind her, watching for a half second longer, and then turning towards the exit she'd used to enter.

She doesn't bother masking her exit, the way out isn't easier just because Julia is aware of it and wouldn't be any more difficult for her for knowing it is secure.

Coming and going has always been Julia's decision to make.

So Babs has to trust that she'll keep making the right one.