11226/To Err is Human-ish...

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To Err is Human-ish...
Date of Scene: 18 May 2022
Location: Batburger
Synopsis: NO bloodshed?!
Cast of Characters: Qira Quest, Damian Wayne




Qira Quest has posed:
It's been a few days since the break-in at the warehouse... and the argument at the circus grounds after. Robin will find a note attached to his Redbird when he returns to it after a night of patrolling and fighting bad guys.

'MEET AT BATBURGER TOMORROW - Q'

Tomorrow rolls around and as night falls, Qira can be found slumped in corner booth, pushing listlessly at an Ivy salad while a Penguin Delite sits half-eaten. She seems like any normal disaffected youth, that white hair done into a braid that runs down her back, a sleeveless black top under an oversized jacket with some band's logo splayed across the back. Ripped up black jeans down to some Chuck Taylor knockoff 'kicks'. A healing scuff and bruise on one cheek, and the way she sits suggests a few bruised ribs.

She's clearly waiting for someone, glancing out the window every so often, occasionally giving a death glare to any employee that dare swing by to see if she 'needs anything else' in the universal 'stop loitering in our place of business' tone. Whether or not that someone shows....

Damian Wayne has posed:
    The men's room door opens a bit loudly and out stumbles what appears to be a drunk homeless guy. His clothes are bedraggled and filthy and torn: a faded, threadbare flannel shirt that is mis-buttoned by one button hole over third-hand black Dickies work pants over ancient black work boots. He has a one-gray-but-now-black knit cap that does little to hide shoulder-length, filthy brown hair and patches of days old beard growth.

The dude shambles over to Qira's table and flops down uninvited. "Hey," says a gruff, hoarse voice, "You gonna finish that food, lady?"

Qira Quest has posed:
Qira looks ready to bodily toss the 'bum' out of the booth before she gets a closer look at him. "Seriously?" It's muttered under her breath before she lets it out in a huffy sigh. "Yeah man, I'm gonna finish it, but why don'tcha let me buy ya a meal and we'll get ya back to the mission, huh? Sister Sarah's gonna kick yer ass for sneakin' off to drink."

She buys the 'wino' a Robin special (grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and cheese), even upgrades it to the combo. Once they have the to go bag, she starts ushering him out of the restaurant, "C'mon Tom, lets get you back." She mouths 'sorry' to the counter people and gives a thumbsup for getting the drunk guy out of the restaurant.

Once they're on the street, she turns and starts down it, glancing sidelong at 'Tom'. "I ask you to a fast food joint and your first thought for disguise was 'drunken homeless guy?" Shaking her head, she lets out a breath and mutters, "Someone's goons caught up to me on the street. Ambushed me. They didn't get the hard drive, but..." She growls pauses, then growls out, "I need your help."

Damian Wayne has posed:
    'Tom' eagerly grabs the to-go bag. He's hungry. He tugs out the sandwich and tears into it with gusto. He has a goofy grin on his face while he chews. Damian never grins. He must be proud of himself and his disguise.

    "So? I assume you whooped their asses, no? I mean, are there any group of ten thugs in this city who could even make you break a sweat?" He takes a deep, deep sip of the drink. Combo meals are the best. "So what's up, what do you need my help with?" If he bears any tension from the other night, he is showing no sign of it.

Qira Quest has posed:
"You think I'd be going through all this if it were just some random assholes?" Qira lets out a sigh and lifts a hand to rub lightly over the bruise. "They weren't full meta, but they weren't normal, either. Whoever did this to me is still experimenting." She rubs at the back of her neck and lifts her shirt enough to show him the ace bandaging tight around her midsection, "They managed to crack three ribs and nearly broke my eye socket. I.. should have been faster than them."

She flicks a glance towards him, then mutters, "If they found me once they can find me again. I need somewhere I can disappear for awhile." She lifts a hand, "NOT your place. Not asking you to compromise your family. But... you guys have a lot of holdings. Surely there's an empty warehouse or something that I can camp out in for awhile."

Damian Wayne has posed:
Damian looks at Qira with no small amount of concern. I mean, he still scarfs down the rest of the chicken sandwich, but he does it with concern! "Yeah, the family has some safe houses for emergencies. I also have a couple safe houses of my own that only I know about. We can head over to one. You can crash there for as long as you need."

    The teen vigilante takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. He has been trying to learn to exhibit empathy. Alfred taught him that he should start by simply mimicking what he saw in others and then eventually try to understand the emotions behind it. It's unclear which stage he is in now, but he does reach out and touch Qira's shoulder. "I have an entire family to fall back on. You are all alone. I'm sorry. I want to be a resource for you."

Qira Quest has posed:
She doesn't seem to be seeking sympathy, simply telling him the situation and (grudgingly) asking for help. But the attempt doesn't go unnoticed. At first, she flinches, like she's ready to block an incoming attack. But when he only touches her shoulder, she gives him a strange look and seems unsure of how to react.

In the end, the awkward silence lingers on to the beaking point before she musters up a response for him. "Thanks. I.." she trails off as her non-existent social skills fail her. Finally she just shrugs, accepting the pull on her ribs with a faint wince. Letting it go, she mutters, "I'm.. trying to learn. Things. Anything. Everything? I don't know. It's.. not going well. There's things I pick up really fast. But... people... I don't know what to do with them."

Damian Wayne has posed:
    A small shrug. "I usually just beat them up. It solves so many problems," Damian replies nonchalantly. "Anyway, you got your own wheels or do you want to ride with me? I have my bike hidden around the corner."

    One might (mistakenly) get the impression that Damian is cool and at ease about all of this. But someone with, say, the perception of a ninja might catch on to the fact that he is covering up for some underlying tension. He tugs the chocolate cookie out of the bag and holds it out. "Cookie?"

Qira Quest has posed:
Qira sends Damian a dry look, "Are you suggesting I beat you up so I don't have to try to socialize anymore?" She quirks a small smile, "Bold strategy, Ibn." The mention of wheels has the dryness of her expression intensifying, "Of the two of us, who has an income source and actually exists as a person? I've been beating up drug dealers for food and laundry money, Damian."

She glances him over, her pace slowing as she notices the tension and her own wariness ramps up substantially. "Promise me you aren't leading me into a trap, Damian. I mean it. You swear to me right now that you're not just going to take me somewhere that I'll be locked up or interrogated or worse." The cookie isn't responded to at all, her fight or flight instincts suddenly in full gear as she readies for one or the other depending on his response.

Damian Wayne has posed:
    Damian drops the cookie back in the bag with a small shrug. "I'm not swearing to anything," he says, now with a hint of aggression in his voice. "If I was trying to trap you, why would I tell the truth about wanting to trap you?" He stalks away toward an alley. "If you want a ride, c'mon. If not, see you later, Qira." He rounds the corner quickly and sharply into the alley, disappearing from sight. From his alley his voice can be heard, "Christ, I put a fucking knife to my throat for you, Qira! You gotta let me up for air."

Qira Quest has posed:
Qira stares at him suspiciously, arms folding around herself as he stalks off. "You also KILLED me, Damian! I realize that was four years ago for YOU, but it was like TWO MONTHS ago for me. I relive it EVERY NIGHT!" She stalks over to the mouth of the aleey and glares at him, "We've interacted like -three- times since the night you killed me, and each time you've gotten cagier and more tense and then you expect me to just -trust- you completely without a single fucking thought about it." She stomps over to the bike and hops onto the back seat, folding her arms and frowning. "Fine. Lets go."

Damian Wayne has posed:
    "You aren't a regular person, Qira," Damian counters immediately. "You're hip-deep in shit and this town is closing in on you. And the only person willing to help you is the one guy who killed you. It's a shitty deal and I'm sorry that it's happening to you, but it's time to put on your big girl pants and take some risks."

    He guns the Redbird's engine to life. If any eyes are watching, they see a homeless guy and some girl riding off on Robin's motorcycle. Nobody ever said this was a simple town. The bike speeds off into the Gotham night. Damian guides the motorcycle to the docks. He makes no attempt to take a confusing, circuitous route to confuse Qira, like he might normally do for a Bat Family safe house. He wants her to know exactly where she is. The bike pulls up to an old, rundown tenement house. "Well...here we are. It's...not much."

Qira Quest has posed:
The ride over is a quiet one, with Qira set up behind Damian as they speed through the city. She marks the route they take and where they're headed. When they arrive at the docks, she glances at him and gives a small nod of thanks for not trying to pull the usual 'confuse the route' routine with her. She shoves her hands into the pocket of her coat and follows after the 'homeless' guy, probably just looking like some naive girl who's following someone sketchy on the promise of something good.

When they reach the tenement, she looks over the building, then back to Damian, "I've been sleeping on a medical-grade steel table, remember? A musty mattress on the floor would be a step up." Letting out a breath, she hops off and looks at him, "Is any of it occupied? Or do I get to pick whatever room I want?"

Damian Wayne has posed:
    "I hope this answer isn't going to get me punched again," the homeless man says, spreading his arms wide. "But I bought the whole building. So you can sleep wherever you want." Then he moves to a side door. "Heir 7931," he says aloud. There is a chirp and a click as the door unlocks.

    "We'll add your voice to the lock when we get upstairs," Damian explains, holding the door for Qira. Awww, our little hero is a gentleman!

    The inside of the building definitely does not match the outside. It's not flashy by any means, but it's clean and well furnished with simple but comfortable furnishings. "This is one of my places I can fall back to. You want to talk trust? Even Batman doesn't know about this place." Then he stops dead and scrunches up his face. "I...think he doesn't know about this place."

Qira Quest has posed:
"I'm not going to punch you just for being rich. I punched you for making the assumption that -I- have money. Or... anything." Qira quiets down as they approach the door and he enters the voice code authorization. Nodding, she murmurs, "Thanks," as she passes by him into the tenement. It is... not what she expected.

Looking around, her mouth is open and she's looking actively excited for once. "I get to stay here?!" Because this might actually be the nicest place she's ever been in.

Looking back to Damian, one corner of her mouth lifts slightly, "Let's face it. He probably knows about it and is choosing not to say anything." Not that she's going to complain either way. His show of trust is acknowledged as she watches him. "...I'm sorry. For being... hostile. The last two months have been... rough." Understatement.

Damian Wayne has posed:
    Damian gives Qira a nose-scrunch and a frown...but there's something behind it, not playfulness exactly -- Damian is not playful -- but really more of a lighthearted ball-busting kind of vibe. "Don't start apologizing now. I was just starting to like you." He can't help but snort out a light smirk as he motions with his head farther into the building.

    "C'mon, let's have a look around. You have the run of the building." He leads Qira into a room with some top-end desktop computers with mammoth wide-screen monitors. "This place has ultra-broadband internet and enough bandwidth for any research you want to do. The routers are encrypted and scrambled and routed through ALL the routers and firewalls."

Qira Quest has posed:
Rolling her eyes, she gives a light shove to his shoulder, "When have I ever been anything but a pain in your ass? I'm not about to stop now." The tone is dry but there's a teasing quality to her voice and eyes. She nods and follows him deeper into the Nicest House She's Ever Been In. Because lets face it, when will she get to be in a place like this again?!

She follows him around, looking everywhere, checking intot he UV and IR spectrum now adn then, determining where certain parts of the house are by their heat level and items that spark off in the UV spectrum. When they hit the computer room, her brows lift. "I could actually... learn things. Like, instead of just trying to fumble around and pick stuff up as I go. That's going to be a welcome change." Letting out a breath, she wanders around, checking out the rooms, then the bedrooms. Qira ends up at one of the smaller rooms, motioning, "I'll take this one, I think. Good placement to the stairs, window doesn't have drainpipe or firestairs, so not easily breeched. And the bathroom is right across the hall."

Damian Wayne has posed:
    The teen vigilante snerks. "If somebody breeches this place, they were always going to get in anyway and your choice of bedroom wouldn't stop them. The windows are armored glass. Bullet proof, shock proof, explosion resistant. The windows themselves only open by voice command, just like the door, and you can tint them." Damian walks over to the window. "Heir 7931. Window 90% tint." And right before Qira's eyes the window darkens." He looks at Qira with a grin. Maintaining eye contact with her the entire time, lashes out at the window with a savage side kick -- a cinderblock-smashing, spine-breaking, spleen-shattering side kick -- against the window. It barely even vibrates in response.

    He leads Qira back to the computer room and sets her voice up in the computer. Her spoken-ID code is 'Friend 1'.

Qira Quest has posed:
"Hey, we were taught to always pick our places with an eye towards ambush and escape. The proximity to the stairs means I can get the jump on anyone coming up, and the window means I can eascape easily while they, hopefully, cannot." Qira gives a small sniff, though the strength of the window IS impressive. She glances back to him, "And I like being across from the bathroom. The voice control is cool though." She flickers a brief, faint ghost of a smile towards him.

Dropping off her pack on the bed, she turns and follows him back to the computer room to get her voice control input. That he sets her up as 'Friend' has her glancing sidelong towards him. Not smiling, but the expression is far less harsh than it usually is, and she jostles him lightly with her shoulder in an almost playful manner. "What all does the voice control do?"

Damian Wayne has posed:
    Damian actually gets a rare, slight grin on his face as he shoulder-bumps Qira. Then he looks upward, recalling. "Let's see. It will turn on and off the alarm, turn on and off the intruder defense systems, set the tint level on any windows, lock or unlock any windows and doors. Do NOT use verbal command Zero Zero Zero Destruct Zero! It's the self-destruct sequence and it can't be reversed."

    The little Star Trek nerd is joking.. right? He must...he must be joking.

Qira Quest has posed:
A smile! Progress! Qira returns the smile to him, proud of herself for successfully socializing, even if its with another socially inept person. The last one has her blinking at him in confusion, "I... would never have even thought to use that one in a million years. But okay." It's clear the popculture reference goes over her head.

Still, she seems much more relaxed now, no longer all tensed up. "Is there food in here or should I go grocery shopping?" After living off of fast food for two months, she's probably starved for a real meal.

Damian Wayne has posed:
    "There isn't any food here worth eating. In the pantry there are a few hundred bottles of water and several months worth of MREs," Damian answers candidly. "Look, is it going to offend you if I leave some cash here for you to buy supplies? It isn't charity because it isn't even my money. I didn't earn it, I didn't do anything to deserve it." He watches Qira's face for some type of reaction. "We just broke a little ice, I really don't want to take any steps backward over some little pieces of green paper that neither you nor I did anything to earn."

Qira Quest has posed:
Making a small face over the MRE's, Qira gives a small shake of her head, "I'm not going to complain, no." She lets out a breath and looks at him, "The only reason I got upset at you over money was because... you assumed that my basic necessities were covered just because yours are. You understand that I'm not in a position to really... buy much right now. Most of these guys don't carry a ton of cash on them." She lifts a small shrug and winces at the tug to her ribs, "But you're offering me a place to stay that's going to more than cover my basic needs so... no. Not gonna get mad."

Damian Wayne has posed:

    "I always have a packet of cash in my utility belt," Damian explains. "Sometimes cash can get you things that a fist can't." He reaches down in the homeless man disguise and tugs out a slim, shrink-wrapped packet of ten 100-dollar bills and flops it on the counter. "That's a thousand, it should keep you eating for a while. If you run low, I'll replenish it."

    It's a startling contrast, the difference in their financial status. He just indifferently plopped down the equivalent a dollar to most normal people, but it might be more money that Qira has seen in a long time. "I'm not trying to be your sugar daddy or anything. I killed you and that set off a shit storm in your life. Father tells me that I should make amends to those I've wronged. I'm going to help you solve this mystery so you can find some peace. It's the very least that I can do."