10192/People are Strange, When You're a Stranger

People are Strange, When You're a Stranger
Date of Scene:	19 February 2022
Location:	Fun Land - Amusement Mile
Synopsis:	Crime was fought and ideas were shared. Lunch was NOT cold!
Cast of Characters:	Emiko Queen, Bruce Wayne

---

Emiko Queen has posed:
Emiko was on the way to the zoo to drop off a hot lunch for her boyfriend, who just so happens to work at the Gotham Zoo. She walked the streets without fear, confident and ready to defend her takeout.

Unfortunately for Bart's stomach, two blocks from the zoo, Emi notices some shady figures entering Fun Land with a duffle bag and flashlights. They clamber over the locked gates and head deeper into the park while Emi sighs over the lunch she's not going to be delivering just yet. Dashing off into a darkened alley, an arrow soon shoots out into the night, thunking into brick or stone and allowing Red Arrow to be hauled up and onto the rooftops.

Landing quietly, she's off and running, already knocking the next arrow and taking aim, releasing just in time to leap off the rooftop and swing herself over the fencing and into the amusement park. Landing atop one of the vendor stalls, she crouches behind the signage and listens to the figures talking as they move along.

"Eh, where we goin' again?" -- "Big Lou said meet him at the Hall of Mirrors to make the transaction." -- "Man this place is creepy after dark, ain't it? Right outta some..."

Words trail off as they move farther down the path, leaving Red Arrow to follow after them, creepy quietly in a manner a certain cowled crusader may well recognize. She's been trained by professionals. Damn ninja, always training children in sneaky ways.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Amusement Mile was almost indisputably the Joker's turf. Even when he was locked away in Arkham or out of town, the various gangs that paid homage to the Clown Prince of Crime tended to do their business here. He recognized these men, though. Louis "The Big Man" Careno was a low-level enforcer for the Sabatinos, and he knew Gotham's premiere Mafia family would be wholly unwilling to cut a deal with any of the City's more colorful criminal element. At least, that used to be the case. Times changed.

The Batman had tracked them here, watching the Park from the gantry around a rusting water tower. His mask zooms in on the men as they make their way deeper inside, only to spot a figure moving after them. Even highly trained ninjas struggle to make themselves invisible around the Dark Knight, and these are methods he recognizes.

"Hm."

A moment later he's vaulted over the railing, his cape fluttering out to either side before taking a more solid form and allowing him to glide. He passes silently through the air, landing in a crouch atop one of the floodlight towers that keeps the park illuminated during the day. From there, he drops down and attempts to lay a hand on Red Arrow's shoulder and draw her back. A gloved hand attempts to cover her mouth in order to prevent any further sound.

"Quiet," he hisses in her ear, his Japanese accented but otherwise flawless, "Explain what you're doing here, Arrow."

Emiko Queen has posed:
Just the barest change in lighting and sound gives her only a second to react as his hand falls on her shoulder. She doesn't resist his tug, using the momentum to palm an arrow and the jostling movement to get the arrowhead angled so that a single sharp thrust will send it driving up betweent he sixth and seventh rib. Not a kill shot, but it wuold certainly puncture a lung and make seeking medical care top priority over... whatever else might occur. The hand that falls over her mouth gets studied with a glance, and oddly enough, causes a smile.

Red Arrow pulls the arrow away and instead uses it to point after the two men and then further along towards the House of Mirrors where The Big Man awaits them. Returning the arrow to its quiver, she flips the bow over her arm and lifts both hands, gloved fingers spreading wide to show no more weapons. Not that truly means anything, of course. In the next moment she's dropping ehr weight and using her small stature to try and slip from his grasp and roll backwards, between his legs, to come up in a three-point crouch behind him. If he allows it, anyways.

Her own Japanese is flawless, with an accent tinged from the Niigata Prefecture, "Same as you, seems like. Following those criminals to find out what they're up to and stopping them from doing it." There's the faintest of smiles creeping along the line of her mouth. "Stop crime now, ask questions after?"

Bruce Wayne has posed:
It only takes a moment for Batman to make an approximation of Red Arrow's character and intentions. A million little details so easily missed are open like a book to him. Reading no particular malice or particularly lethal intent, he doesn't move to block her as she slips free of his grasp and instead turns to look at her. His cape is drawn up to cover him, leaving only the pointed ears and glowing white eyes of his cowl visible.

He nods his head succinctly and moves, branching off on a wide berth around to the left of the men. As he moves, he produces a batarang from his belt and holds it between thumb and forefinger carefully. Once he's in position, he glances towards Emiko and gives a single nod.

They attack as one.

Emiko Queen has posed:
Moving quickly, quietly, she sets up to flank with him, circling around behind and to the right. Selecting a rather fun arrow that she hasn't gotten to use as often as she would like to, but that will be perfect for this! Nocking it against her bow, she positions herself accordingly, up high and hidden in the foliage of a tree along the path. Tracking the movement of the two men as they approach the Hall of Mirrors.

There's the two low-level street thugs with their duffle bag approaching the Hall. And there's Big Lou Careno, stepping out with a self-satisfed smirk on his face to greet them. "'Ey boys, right on time. That's good, that's good... now let's see the --"

There's the signal and she releases the arrow, already swinging down from the tree and nocking up another. The arrow flies straight, landing between the two thugs as the tip explodes into a large gooey mess of... a very strong industrial epoxy blend that's sticking them in place. Leaving the bigger quarry for Batman, she's got two arrows nocked, shoulder-rolling along the ground to put the thugs between her and Big Lou (he's carrying, of course he's carrying!)

Two more arrows are shot out and the bola whip free to entangle the thugs further. Hands bound, feet bound, they're stuck to the ground and left wriggling like worms on the pavement while she takes brief shelter behind a defunct popcorn vendor.

Big Lou has pulled a piece and is aiming it around wildly while shouting in frustration over the commotion.

She has another arrow nocked and ready to assist, just in case... but this is Batman's town, his show, his criminals. She knows when to take the backseat and let the Bat drive.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
The Bat moves swiftly. As the arrow flies, so too does the batarang in his hand. It strikes one of the lighting fixtures hanging over the hall of mirrors, causing a burst of sparks and sudden darkness. Even as Emiko fires her arrows, he seems aware of where they're coming from and moves deftly to avoid being in their path.

The thugs left for him are dealt in short order. No gadgets or gimmicks. Instead he unleashes flurry of blows on the torso of the largest one, drawing a gasp out of him before an elbow finds his jaw and sends him toppling to the floor.

Big Lou's gun flies from his hand as the Bat's grappling gun fires, yanking it free and bringing it around his head in a loop before bringing it down to strike the enforcer in the face. As Careno clutches his broken nose, the Dark Knight moves in to swiftly bring him down with a sweeping kick. A moment later his hands are bound.

Batman turns to look at Red Arrow as he takes Careno's gun, dismantling it in a second and dropping the component pieces onto the ground with a clatter.

"Why are you in Gotham?" he asks her.

Emiko Queen has posed:
There's something nice about seeing a professional at work. Even moreso than herself, this man is a consummate professional. Her eyes follow his movements even as she goes through the checklist of actions he takes. The grappling gun is different from how she would have handled it, but... different modes and means. She still wears a brief but delighted smile for having been able to watch the man work.

Relaxing the draw on the bow, she flips the arrow around to tuck back into its quiver. The smile is gone by the time she's facing him, setting the bow on a holster at her back. "Bringing lunch to my boyfriend. He works at the zoo. Thought I'd surprise him with lunch and if I was lucky, get a nighttime tour to see some of the nocturnal animals."

Lifting a shrug, she moves to collect her bola, replacing them with zipties, but leaving the epoxy in place. There's solvents that can be used to weaken it to 'free' the criminals. "Saw these two as I was passing and, well, you know how it is. You can't just walk away and hope for the best. Besides, I didn't know if you'd be busy with bigger issues, so I thought I'd lend a hand. Glad to get to meet you though, been hoping to, actually."

Bruce Wayne has posed:
The Bat makes doubly sure that the thugs are properly secured, searching them for additional weapons and moving them away where they cannot get to them. Satisfied at last, he rises up to his full height and draws his cape about himself to create a sort of shadowy specter.

"Speak, then."

He's not polite. Nobody's ever commented on Batman's politeness. But he doesn't sound overly harsh or dismissive, either. Just an economy of words. He's absorbed what she had to say about why she's here.

Emiko Queen has posed:
Nodding, Emiko seems to have been forewarned of his brevity, expecting it. "I'm trying to improve on the arsenal of arrows that we use. Upgrade or update some, maybe even come up with some new ones. But.. I'm still learning this stuff. And most of the ones I'm looking at were outsourced for designs, then put together. So it could be awkward trying to go through the same sources to upgrade on the existing designs since no one person ever had the whole?" She lifts a shrug, "Anyways, since you're much more technologically inclined, I was hoping that you might be willing to look over designs and offer critique and advice?"

She turns towards him and lifts a shrug, "If I'm going to learn, learn from the best, right?"

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"The best," Batman answers flatly, no other part of him moving save his mouth, "When it comes to arrows, is Green Arrow. My assumption would be you're at least aware of him, if not in some way actively associated with him. Either way, he's the one to talk to about miniaturized technology in 'trick' arrows."

He pauses for a moment, regarding Emiko. He plays back the fight in his head.

"If you want my advice, branch out from the bow. It's an efficient weapon but its cumbersome. Throwing weapons. Your hands and feet. Those are more reliable in close quarters. You've already got the ability, but you need to draw your focus away from the bow."

Emiko Queen has posed:
"Ahhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmm. Okay. Well. This is going to be awkward. Yes, I'm associated with him. But he doesn't create all of his own arrows." She lifts a small shrug and sets her hands to her hips, "Which is why I'm looking outside. Otherwise I would be in the lair with him right now working this stuff out." There's a brief smile, but she mostly seems surprised he isn't already aware of her.

"I already can. I choose to maintain the bow as my primary, but that doesn't mean I can't knock someone down when I need to." Emiko looks at him for a moment, then shrugs. "Besides, what would I be if I were just running around as a ninja? The Arrow name carries weight. 'Ninja Girl' doesn't quite do it."

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"Hmm."

The Dark Knight considers that for a moment. It figured Queen was outsourcing his operation somewhere. He doesn't comment on it aloud, but he does allow himself a fraction of a smile.

"The name is immaterial. It's up to you to put the weight behind it."

He allows another long pause before speaking again.

"First, you can tell me what ideas you have."

Emiko Queen has posed:
"Hm. I suppose of anyone, you would be the one to know that. But. I don't want to separate from the Arrows. Maybe someday. Maybe someday I'll move to another city and settle there and want to rebrand myself. But not today." Emiko meets his gaze (as best one can through an eye mask to a cowl), remaining firm in her choice.

Nodding, she pulls a few arrows from the quiver, tucking the shafts between her fingers as if they were claws. It makes them easier to display. "I can do three arrows on a shot when I need to. But in general, it's overkill or its cumbersome. So instead of three arrows, I need clustered arrowheads. That could work for somke bombs, concussive force bombs, explosive heads, almost anything. It would allow for a greater area of effect in a number of situations. But I need a way to get the cluster to still be aerodynamic enough to fly straight. Which also means lighter composites for the arrowheads themselves to not front load the arrow too much."

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"I'm not for hire," Batman reminds her, "I don't build equipment on commission. But these are ideas I could use or adapt to be useful. That said, I won't be making it for you, but I may be able to provide you with some advice to construct them yourself."

He considers her for another long moment, and then adds: "You operate out of the Titans Tower. There'll be schematics waiting for you there when you return. The work isn't completed, but it'll set you in the right direction."

Emiko Queen has posed:
"I'm not looking to trademark, just to be better at what I do." Emiko lifts both hands and shakes her head. "If these work, I don't care if every caped, cowled, hooded, or masked hero in the streets wants to use them.. within reason. Some of these people are... hm. But. POint being, I am more than happy to share. And I am more than happy to put the work in on them."

She gives a nod, hands tucking behind her back. "Thank you. And of course, if there's ever anyway I can return the favor. Don't hesitate. I'm not hard to find." Pausing, she adds, "For certain people."

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"I'll keep that in mind."

Something about the way he says it suggests Emiko's name being added to the long list of people he has to call on in a crisis. He may prefer to solve problems himself, but it's never a bad move to have contacts and allies.

"You should get that lunch to the zoo before it gets cold."

Emiko Queen has posed:
"Yes! Crap, I hope it hasn't gone cold yet. Thank you again!' Emiko throws a wave and moves quickly off, yet still mindful of her steps, making as little noise as she can when she goes. Ninja, man, you can't keep them from moving quietly.