9888/Knightfall: Mis-fitting In

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Knightfall: Mis-fitting In
Date of Scene: 03 November 2019
Location: Interior - Wayne Manor
Synopsis: Bruce explains his reasoning to Charlie, Jason cracks the 'Coventry Murders' case.
Cast of Characters: Misfit, Batman, Red Hood
Tinyplot: Knightfall
Tinyplot2: Covenry Murders


Misfit has posed:
Charlie has been busting her ass the last few weeks with 'Batman' dead or maybe not dead what with Babs and Dick wearing the mantle and confusing people.

The crew has kept her out of the whole demon business and re-animating bodies and all that, because she is pretty much the most green of the batlings around the cave.

If Charlie has noticed she has been given patrols, and street crime, and other things to do as she gets more training and the hang of things.... well she hasn't complained about it yet. Honestly it generally seems like she is just thrilled to be part of this whole Bat Operation and bringing down the Dark Vengeance upon ne'er-do-wells.

When Bruce requests she come to his room she will of course show up, though she hasn't talked to him since the whole incident.

She ducks into the room pushing her goggles up onto her forehead still wearing her gear.

Batman has posed:
The master bedroom of Wayne Manor is mostly dark, the blackout drapes drawn to leave only the light of medical equipment - heart monitors and such - as the main source of illumination. Bruce lays unmoving in the four-poster bed, an advanced-looking brace around his neck keeping him still as he lays back and stairs at the canopy above him. As Charlie enters, he speaks.

"We haven't had the chance to talk," he tells her, "How's your training going? Your patrols?"

Misfit has posed:
Charlie looks around the darkened room at all of the medical equipment and minitors and such. It is kind of morbid like a hospital room she thinks to herself.

When Bruce talks she cautiously walks across the room, her footsteps much softer and harder to hear than when she started training.

"I guess they are going well. I mean Barbara seems pleased.. at least when she isn't wearing the cowl.. it is like that thing makes her more serious."

She pauses to look down at you there unsure. It is odd looking at Batman all laid up.

Batman has posed:
"That should ease up," Bruce tells her, "Barbara and the cowl. Now that Nightwing is back from Bludhaven, he's able to help share the load with her."

There's no denying that Bruce has been a little more on the gentile side with Charlie. He recognized the situation she was in - parents dead, alone and afraid - and had tried a different tact to help her. Fewer grim demands, more positive reinforcement. Still, he was still himself and only capable of so much. His words do not really carry a great deal of warmth and comfort.

"I've read some of your patrol reports," he continues, "I want you to start working more on your reasoning skills. Detective work. Can you do that?"

Misfit has posed:
"I've noticed that.. I mean I haven't really had a chance to talk to him yet ... been kept pretty busy I guess with the street crime that seems to still be surging with the whole maybe Batman is gone."

She carefully reaches up and adjusts her goggles a bit. "I.. well maybe.... not sure there are training simulators for that in the batcomputer but I will do whatever I can to work on that sure."

There is a pause of silence. "Did you have to knock me out?"

Batman has posed:
"There aren't any simulators for that, no," Bruce admits, "But talk to Batgirl. When I trained her, I did it by fabricating crime scenes. She's had enough experience with them now that she should be able to put one together for you. Not quite the genuine article, but it should give you an idea."

The last question doesn't net a reaction from him, though he does take several seconds to consider it before he finally answers with a question of his own: "Would you have stayed out of Metropolis if I hadn't?"

Misfit has posed:
The teenager puffs her cheeks out a little bit and then lets out a long slow sigh there as she shakes her head.

"I mean... no.. probably not... at least not when it looked like you were seriously hurt on TV.... I watched the news footage and it looked really bad for Batman several times there..."

She sort of gestures. "You don't really recover like I seem to though..." she points out softly glancing at the brace worriedly.

"I'll ask Batgirl about fabricating some crime scenes for me to sherlock.. maybe I should start watching episodes of Psyche." okay maybe she is a brat, just a tiny bit.

Batman has posed:
Bruce cannot nod, but the way he closes his eyes for a second imitates one clearly. He says nothing more on the Battle of Metropolis and all those things he'd had to do to make the plan work. If he ever planned to explain himself fully, that would have to happen at another time.

"You'll need to learn that it isn't all about combat," he explains to her, "These people we work to stop are cunning. They work in darkness just as we do. We can't trust to simply happen upon them. We need to make sure they have nowhere to hide."

Misfit has posed:
Charlie considers and then nods. "I mean.. yeah... there are also batcycles and batwings and all sorts of other tools to train on." she smiles, just a touch, showing she is kidding. I mean she is listening it is in her eyes and hearing Bruce.

"I'll work with Batgirl and make sure I get better at the whole crime solving not just crime punching skills, promise."

Red Hood has posed:
Jason had come direct from the cave, removing just enough of his uniform to conform to the letter if not the spirt of the no uniforms upstairs policy, in just the fatigue pants, armoured vest and jacket he still looked like the Red Hood even if his helmet, domino mask and guns had been left downstairs.

There's no knock, no waiting for the proper moment to enter, Jason simply barges in as he reaches the door, pausing only when he sees an unfamilar face by the bedside. Looking tired but determined and smelling faintly of cigarettes, Jason glances at the new arrival, and frowns, like he'd run into a complication he didn't expect.

"Hi. Am I interupting something?" he asks them both before he fixes his eyes on Bruce and says, "Bruce, I talked to that Lucifer guy at Lux, he's told me somethings we need to talk about."

He leaves it open to Bruce to decide how much of an auidience he wanted for that.

As for said new girl, Jason offers a nod, "Misfit, right?" he'd forgotten her given name, but her codename was catchy. "I'm Jason Todd."

Batman has posed:
"This is Misfit," Bruce confirms, then turning his eyes to Jason, "Misfit, this is Red Hood."

Once more, he uses codenames. Although in this case it is more for the sake of those in the family who have not yet opted to reveal their identities to its newest member. After all, she may see Jason without a mask but is she really going to recognize him?

But then he introduces himself, and Bruce sighs just a little. Sometimes he forgot it was Jason he was dealing with here.

The mention of Lucifer gives Bruce cause to frown, and while he doesn't dismiss Charlie his attention is directed solely at the 'middle child' now.

"What's happened?"

Misfit has posed:
Charlie obviously didn't get that memo or forgot it in her excitement to come up and see what Bruce wanted to talk to her about there. Her goggles may be up but she is pretty much in her full gear load out.

"Hi Red Hood." she chirps as a greeting, trying to remember what she may have seen in any of the files or reports she has been trying to study.

Charlie did read the report about Lucifer and Lux logged into the system. I mean she isn't positive about this whole demon business but she is suddenly very attentive.

Red Hood has posed:
That little sigh is met with a scoff, "She's seen you, she's in the house, if she belongs here doing what we do, she knows who we are already, why play games?"

"Hey," he greets back, too tired to quip about 'and I thought Steph was cheerful' but Bruce might catch that though flicker across his face, Misfit too if she's perceptive.

Jason considers his next words carefully, "I talked to Lucifer today with Zach Zatara, I wanted Zach to check him out give him a read, he says he's legit, maybe not the devil, but /something/, but that's not why I'm here. Lucifer told me some things Bruce, he says, he spoke to you when he died, and that he was the one that sent you back. I know I don't remember any of what happened when," he makes a face. "You know, just digging myself out of my grave, but, do you remember any of that Bruce? Talking to Lucifer, tall guy well-dressed makes Grayson look sort of homely?"

Batman has posed:
Bruce says nothing straight away. Nothing on his face suggests any part of what Jason is saying rings a bell with him. In fact, the brief furrow of his brows might even say that he has no real idea what Jason is even talking about. But then, after a deep breath, he presses on.

"There was a place. Grey and featureless. There was a man there - he didn't tell me his name. Or if he did, I don't remember. He did what you're saying. Offered to send me back here. Asked if I'd change if he did. I told him no."

But then he frowns, not shaking his head but grunting in disapproval: "It was a hallucination, Jason. Damian and Barbara brought me back. Restarted my heart. There was no ... Satanic intervention."

Misfit has posed:
Charlie is indeed in Bruce's room while he is all helpless, and knows about the cave, so way more than the house. The belt and gear is not slapstick either, she has been armed and outfitted.

So honestly Jason has a pretty good point even if Bruce doesn't acknowledge it, it gets a grin from the teenager.

Then the talk about Lucifer and deals with the devil or even more wild Satanic Intervention.... and her eyes go a little wide there.

"I am still trying to wrap my head around actual demons possessing bodies and not just costumed supervillains..." she admits, though she has so little room to talk considering her trick.

Red Hood has posed:
Jason catches Misfit's grin and on another night he would have at least offered a hint of a smile, but tonight dealing devils and demons he only nods, a quiet recognition.

"Me too," he offers Misfit. "And I'm I don't know how many years and one spontaneous ressurection deep in this business," now there's a bit of a smile if a bittersweet one. "To quote my ex, our lives are super weird."

When Bruce responds Jason's attention shifts that way, Jason would be lying if he said he hadn't hoped Bruce wouldn't remember that he had no idea what Jason was talking about, instead Bruce's story matches Lucifer's almost to a T.

"Yeah, he was really amused by you not changing, sounded like half the reason he did it was for the entertainment," he says with a shake of his head before he settles into pacing, "Hey, I want you to be right, Bruce, I really do, he told me where you were going, but if it was hallucination how does he know what you saw? Because how you tell it and he tells it is almost spot on."

Batman has posed:
"Demons in folklore are commonly tricksters," Bruce explains, "If that is what he identifies himself, then he might be keeping it vague enough to fool you. Cold reading."

It's very clear that Bruce doesn't want this man to be real. Perhaps because it would involve owing his very life to the sort of creature he cannot truly comprehend - or at least, does not understand fully just yet. But he wouldn't be Batman (or the former Batman, at least) if he didn't allow for every possibility.

"If what this man is saying is true, then what does he propose happened? He sent these things inhabiting the corpses with me?"

Misfit has posed:
"Oh.. like on Psyche." excellent call back Charlie to the earlier part of this conversation. Not that anyone is liable to acknowledge it. Humor is pretty devoid in the bathouse.

Then she tilts her head and pulls her goggles back down over her eyes and keys her phone to look up Lux and see if it has a website or any information on lexnet.

"Maybe you coming back left a door open behind you if it wasn't just a defibrilator?" she is reading and looking at the output in her HUD goggle screen though not paying too much attention.

Red Hood has posed:
Despite appearances Jason does have a heart, it may be a scarred and calloused thing, but he has one, and in this moment it bleeds for Bruce, he can tell Bruce doesn't want any of this to be real, and why would he? He was the Batman, he got out of situations on his own and more than that there was the whole metaphysical question. Misfit had hit it on the head when she said just imaging demons being real was a challenge, if what Lucifer was saying was correct, then they were adding Hell and the literal devil to the mix as well.

"He wasn't cold reading me Bruce, I'd know, I may not have grown up in the circus like Twinkletoes, but I know a scam when I see one," Jason says the mocking name for Dick thrown in by reflex without heat or humour. "There's still telepathy as an option but if he's read your mind since the Battle of Metropolis, then that brings it's own set of problems," he observes, before pushing forward to answer Bruce's question. Though Misfit beats him to it in a way, or at least gets pretty damn close.

"More or less," he confirms to the new addition giving her another encouraging nod, before he shifts to take in both her and Bruce. "Lucifer says that when he sent you back it left the door open and a she-demon got through and held the door for all her friends, which yeah, sounds like some bullshit, unless you consider what Babs found earlier, that when you came back to us on the table Bruce, those girls in the sorority house started killing, she checked the tapes, the timestamps were identical."

Batman has posed:
"If that's true," Bruce carries on, careful space between each word, "Then we need to send them back. They're my responsibility, and every minute they're free that's a death that I've caused. We need to push them back through this 'door' and close it behind them."

He can't help but glance at Misfit for a moment. There's a look there - perhaps one of pride or admiration - as she draws that conclusion. Detective work indeed.

"What did Lucifer have to say about stopping them? If they're his kind, then he must have a way."

Misfit has posed:
More like a spark of intuition about realm dynamics that Charlie isn't even aware of the source of. But yes it definitely can be chalked up to detective work indeed.

Sadly she is distracted looking over to Jason when he talks about the sorority house killings and the she-demon. "Well shoot... " then looks back to Bruce missing his glance in the meantime, then like following a tennis ball back to Jason.

"Do we need to get ourselves a wizard or something?"

Red Hood has posed:
Jason makes a face, he knew Bruce was going to take it that way and knew better than to argue the point, beyond a simple, "You didn't know. And we'll put this on the top of our list..." he stops, frowns, and lets out a breath. "Make that, I'll let 'Batman' know you want it on the top of our list," yeah that hurt to say and it shows.

Speaking of hurt, "Careful or you'll sprain your kneck," he says to Misfit, "Step back about four feet and you should be able to see us both. Though you're on the right track with the wizard."

He elaborates, "Lucifer says he can send them back and I believe him, he seems...almost bored talking about it, like sending them back is like sending the kids to their rooms without supper even the big one. Of course, not trusting Lucifer, we'd be dumb to bet everything on him being able to deliver, so, we do have Zach Zatara read in on this, and I was able to get him the head demon's name, which should give him some power over her. On top of that, since Lucifer has at least Cap level strength, I got Robin to get one of his crystals back from Titan's Tower, in case we need an ace in the hole."

He pauses remembering something, "Also holy water causes these things pain, Batman's got some ideas on vaporizing it, using it as a way to smoke demons out in a crowd like at the party."

Batman has posed:
"Good ideas," Bruce says, an umbrella statement for everything that Jason has done and for Charlie's own suggestion, "You'll get to work on those. Zatara is accomplished if not a bit of a showboat - I trust you'll be able to keep him in line, if you've gotten this far with him."

He makes a low grumbling sound, closing his eyes and wincing in pain. He masks much of what he feels, but it's very clear that shattered legs, ribs, and swelling around his spinal cord have all served to cause him great distress. But as quickly as the wince of pain arrives, it departs again to be replaced by an implacable mask.

"Don't trust Lucifer," he concludes, "If it's so easy, he'd have done it already - either he had some ulterior motive, or he's not as powerful as he lets on. Either way, you need a solution that doesn't revolve around him. If he can fix this, so be it, but don't put yourselves in a position to rely on him."

Misfit has posed:
"I definitely want to meet an actual wizard." pause "For the record."

"Also I think that Mr. Wayne has it right... I mean... even if he isn't the Morningstar or Prince of Hell or some such... the dude names himself Lucifer and knows about demons and magic... I wouldn't trust someone like that for a minute. I mean ... any story or movie ...and yeah he is probably not trustworthy nope."

Okay so Charlie likes to talk when she gets on a roll.

Red Hood has posed:
"Shouldn't be a problem, I promised to take him out clubbing when we got things finished, he definitely has a thing for the ladies," Jason offers with a tired guffaw, before confirming, "I'll keep him in line, and Misfit, if you want to mee him, I'm sure we can make that happen too."

Then back to business, "I agree with both of you, we can't trust him, before we engage with the demons I'll make sure we have a couple backup plans beside let Lucifer handle it."