12756/Your Average Night in Gotham

Your Average Night in Gotham
Date of Scene:	11 September 2022
Location:	Coventry - Miagani Island
Synopsis:	One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong. Can you tell which one of these vigilantes is not a member of the League of Assassins by the time I finish my song?
Cast of Characters:	Tim Drake, Talia al Ghul, Qira Quest, Artemis Crock

---

Tim Drake has posed:
    If there ever was a night that was the exact representation of an average night in Gotham, it would be tonight in Red Robin's estimate. Things aren't quiet because things are never quiet in this city -- and if they are, you should be VERY concerned -- so there have been a couple of attempted muggings to stop, and by the sounds of it an appearance by the Ratcatcher on the opposite side of town. Being handled by other members of the Bats who have not, as of yet, radioed for backup.

    If only Tim knew what was in his immediate future. He's too logical to believe in superstition, so it's not like he'd pause to knock on wood or cross his fingers. He's not jinxing himself by thinking that. Nothing will ever convince him otherwise.

    Even so, he's still alert as he perches beneath the edge of a building, looking down over the GCPD officers packing the second of a pair of would-be carjackers into the back of their patrol car. It hadn't taken much more than a routine application of smoke grenade and a quick physical intervention to get them tied up, and the woman he'd saved had been thankful, sort of. But mostly annoyed at the interruption to her night's plans. She's only just now stepped back inside her apartment, and Red Robin gives a quick nod as the sound of car doors slamming shut reaches him from below. One more for the books.

    He climbs back up onto the roof as he reaches for his grapple gun, preparing to fly off into the night as Bats are wont to do.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
And Talia Al Ghul is watching as well. On a different rooftop. She's just observing. Not that she actually cares about what occurred here or had anything to do with it. But she's just watching because this is exactly the sort of thing htat her 'beloved' would show up for. And Talia is content to wait and observe him if he does. The others might have heard along the grapevine that Talia had returned to Gotham after some time away, having encountered Balm and Orphan.
    So Talia waits, observing, silhouetted against the Gotham skyline and just waiting for something to happen.

Qira Quest has posed:
Just as he's about to fire off that grapple line, there's another call that crackles in from the GCPD. What looks to be a gang fight starting in Robinson Park, near Tir Na Nog. At least four individuals, maybe more, phoned in by a passerby. GCPD is at least 8 minutes out. Tim can be there in less. And should Talia be inclined, she is more than capable of following!

By the time of arrival, the fight is fully engaged. One side in torn and dirty denim, the other in green and black leathers. Rival gangs clashing over potential turf. The brawl is chaotic, grown to about six men on each side, wielding bats, knives, chains, lengths of pipe, whatever else might be handy.

For those arriving and taking in the situation, there's a third force moving amongst the other two. Small, lithe, moving with quick and deadly precision (albeit without landing lethal blows). Moving between the shadows, picking off the outliers before sliding back into the shadows to await another opportunity. Three have fallen prey to the unknown's assault, leaving 9 more still fighting.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Too early to call it a night. Red Robin's arm drops slightly as the call comes in, and then after a second of consideration he turns on his heel, aiming at another far sight to anchor his grapple line to. Within moments, he's little more than a dark shape in the sky, red against the black of the night.

    If he has any idea that Talia is shadowing him, he doesn't let on. Generally, he estimates Talia's skill high enough that he won't be able to catch her outright, so better to just assume she's already on his tail and act accordingly. Which is to say, never stay in one place too long.

    He is well-known to be one of the Bats least likely to jump headfirst into danger, though. Even during his tenure as Robin, Tim is more cautious than his fellows. So for a moment or two he stands as a solitary sentinel above the street, still as a statue but eyes scanning back and forth behind the lenses of his mask. Taking headcounts, putting names (and rap sheets) to faces, and... huh. The amount of people in the fight has changed. If Red Robin were the betting type, he'd wager that's the work of another vigilante, but not one he's aware of.

    Could be dangerous, a trap. Or could be a potential ally. As he tips himself over the edge to begin hurtling towards the street below, he thinks: only one way to find out.

    He makes his entrance via the shattering of a car's windows and the shrill scream of its alarm as he slams into it, the shock absorbers in his boots making it only a vaguely bone-jarring experience. As he stands, his cape flaring out around him, he makes a big show of looking left and right. "Time's up. You both lose." And then he throws himself into the fight.

    An important note: LEAST LIKELY to jump headfirst into danger does not mean UNLIKELY to do so. Not in the Bats.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Something in the shadows catches her attention. Maybe it's the further chatter from the GCPD radios that can be faintly deciphered in the distance. Maybe it's that shadowy figure she cannot quite pick out that's charging in. So Talia Al Ghul follows it. She goes along hte rooftops. Not with the deftness of the Bats, but of one that was born to them and considers herself their master.
    Talia arrives to a good vantage point to watch the fight. On top of a roof now, standing up without fear to get the best vantage point. Ignoring anything else that does not concern her. There there is information to be gleaned. To observe the pupiles of the Detective. To see how well they fight.

Qira Quest has posed:
Talia and Tim may well both recognize the fighting style being used by the unknown figure. League training. Advanced. The stance and moves are unmistakable to someone that knows what to look for. Quick, clean strikes that utilize a mixture of brutal force and speed. Each strike stopping at 'disabling' over 'killing'. Someone is purposely trying not to kill. Someone knows the rules of the city.

When Tim joins the fight, he certainly catches attention with his entrance. Briefly pausing to turn and stare at Red Robin, the gang members are still sneering and posturing when he jumps into the fight. Chaos resumes almost immediately with two outside influences exerting against the warring factions. Brutal kicks and punches, lashing out with bats, chains, pipes, knives. It's officially a free-for-all, even the gang sides breaking down in the melee. Friendly fire is on!

For her part, Qira notes the arrival of the Bat Adjacent and lurks in the shadows long enough to muse on how she's managed to go months without seeing any of the Bats, and is now suddenly running into all of them. Then the fight re-engages, and she's darting out towards her next target. A sharp kick to the back of the knee brings the man down to her level, a strike to the throat to silence him, then a third between the eyes to knock him out. Slipping back towards the shadows to await another opportunity.

Artemis Crock has posed:
Ahh good old Gotham. Artemis hadn't been back here in some time now, after so,e..Things grabbed her interest during her trip to New York..But then a recent tip led her here, in search of someone who might have information on someone she was looking for.

Spying the clashing gangsters, she narrows her eyes,crouched on a nearby rooftop. She's about to launch out a grappling hook to rappel down, but it seems there are already two other heroes on the case, engaging the gangsters.

But wait, one of the gang members has her attention and she really needs to ask him questions before they arrest him or haul her away. Okay then, looks like this might get messy. With a sigh she rapples down nearby, and as one of the heroes is about to engage her target, she frowns, shooting out a net arrow at her target, pulling him out of the frey..

Tim Drake has posed:
    League training is definitely enough to twig Red Robin's danger sense. Admittedly he knows a lot of good people who were once members of the League of Assassins, so he's not about to judge a book by its cover.

    He flips over top of one of the gang members that was coming at him with a bat, and as the guy pivots to swing back at him Tim smacks his wrist with his (still collapsed) staff. The hit is hard enough to disarm, likely hard enough to break too thanks to the carbon-alloy of Red Robin's signature weapon, and the guy goes down with a cry of pain.

    A quick twist of his fingers and the staff telescopes out, though as he reaches out to tap one electrified end against another gang member in the hopes of knocking him down flat, the man is pulled away in a net. This gives Red Robin pause. Well, metaphorical pause. Not safe to actually pause in the middle of a fight, after all.

    "I'm not going to call a party foul on that given the circumstances," he says, voice elevated so that it can be heard over the various sounds of combat behind him. He spares a quick glance to the woman in green whose arrow has whisked his previous target away, and then shakes his head as he uses his staff like a pole vaulter to fling himself, feet first, onto the back of another gang member.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Now her attention is fully on current events. Talia Al Ghul knows the styles of every single member of the League. She has watched them. Trained them. Trained alongside them. Each assassin has thier own quirks. Their own flair. One might kick a little higher or a little lower than another. One might always end a combo with a flourish or a followup. This fighter.. They're using what are clearly League techniques and styles..
    But not with any of the ever so slightly personalization that Talia knows encyclopedically of every member in the League. How curious. Has someone in the League betrayed them and taken a student? Taken an outsider? Talia's eyes narrow to thin slits. If there weren't the students of the Detective present, then she would go down and engage herself. But.. For now, she just watches like a hawk. Indifference going to total engagement. Presuming that Red Robin is watching her still, he's probably skilled enough to pick out the sudden interest and surprise. Whomever the strange fighter is..
    They're not with her.

Qira Quest has posed:
The arrow trick has Qira pausing, looking sidelong. This is more variables than she's willing to deal with, too many unknowns on the field. Retreating back to the shadows, she maintains her position and simply watches the fight unfolding. It isn't likely to last terribly much longer now. With one of the Bat's people in the fight, some of the gang members are looking to make a quick exodus to avoid a stay with the GCPD. The ones still invested into the fight are starting to pull together again in the face of Red Robin's appearance.

Grouping up to face him, there's four of them, three in denim, one in leather. Two are wielding lead pipes, one with a bat, and the last one has a switchblade in either hand. And of course, in grand tradition everywhere, for some reason, only two of them come at him at once, the other two circling around him.

Qira frowns at the odds, despite knowing full well the Robinesque figure is fully capable of taking on four at once. She glances sidelong towards the archer once more, instinct warring against learned behavior for a few moments. The indecision brings one of the two circling right past her hiding spot and she can't resist the temptation of the open target. Leaping out from the shadows, she hits them full force in the back, pitching them forward into the one with the bat, who them stumbles face-first directly into Tim's waiting...

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock grins and nods to Red Robin, wondering if he remembers her as the one who assisted the Outsiders in the battle against the dragon last time. "Hey again, fancy meeting you here, don't mind me. This is necessary for the greater good. Trust me." she turns to her target, a teenager younger than the others, which is evident when she pulls off his ski mask. Just a scared, younger brother to the gang leader, struggling to fit in.

She quickly untangles him from the net, pulling him back behind her and delivering a swift side kick to the opposing gangster who rushes at her. "Cmon, is that the best you can do? You'd better run before I lose my patience." she darts towards him, grabbing his wrist and twisting him off balance, easily forcing him to drop his knife even as he shrieks in pain, falling to his knees.

"Run home kid, this fight isn't worth it." she cautions him.

Tim Drake has posed:
    This is where Spock would say "Fascinating" or Sherlock Holmes would exclaim "The game is afoot!" (ignoring the fact that it was just a Shakespeare reference by Doyle) in Red Robin's mind, because what are the implications of this unknown vigilante being League-trained and yet NOT someone Talia recognizes? That her interest is so piqued is both a mystery and a warning all in one.

    And if Tim has any weaknesses at all, it's a good mystery.

    But his head's in the fight, still. Okay at least the majority of his head's still in the fight, so he's cognizant enough of fleeing figures to toss out a bola to catch one around the ankle. Then he's surrounded, which hones his focus back in.

    "Asking for trust when I don't even know who you are is kind of a lot, you know?" he calls back to Artemis as he drops back into a more defensive stance, staff held in front of him. He's quick to press forward back into being on the offense when he catches sight of movement in his peripheral, spinning on his heel to slam his fist into the face of gang member number whichever Qira's slammed into. "Maybe we should start off with introductions? Red Robin, formerly without the adjective."

    He twirls his staff around in a move that is definitely showy, but also smacks another gang member in the side, delivering a shock strong enough to knock him out. "Not to stir the pot, but am I interrupting something here? Because I'm feeling like one of these things is not like the other, and I'm the one that doesn't belong."

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Oh even more interesting. Two individuals she doesn't quite recognize that are using the techniques of the League. That's enough for her. Talia Al Ghul goes to leap off the buliding and performs a trio of quick sommersaults to cleanly land. She doesn't brace herself or do a superhero landing,s he just lands with her legs outstretched, in a combat stance, and with her katana out.
    "That's enough. Get going. You and you.. I would have -words- with." Her katana is then pointed at the figure that is Qira, and then over at Artemis in a decidedly threatening manner. But there's no immedaite signs in her body language that she might attack or launch herself over at the duo. But she is decidedly not happy over on this.

Qira Quest has posed:
Qira steps back towards her hiding spot, only to get called out. Twice? maybe twice. Unclear if the Red Robin included her in his request for introductions. Bristling at the command from Talia, she sneers at the woman, "I don't answer to you, and the only you'll get from me is a painful death." She flicks a glance towards Red Robin, "Nobody. I'm nobody. And you keep bad company. Qira moves backwards towards the shadows, one hand lifting to shoulder height, clutching something in her hand.

What's left of the gang members tries to scatter when a fourth person shows up, this person bearing a sword that puts their weapons to shame. They disengage and turn to flee, making them easy targets for the vigilantes, if they choose to pursue.

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock grins and nods to Robin, "Nice to meet you Red Robin, you can call me Artemis.." she aims another well placed kick at one of the thugs moving to attack Robin because 5 vs 1 just ain't fair. "Come on, punk, don't leave a girl waiting, he's got more than enough dance partners!" as the punk rushes at her she grabs his wrist and twists it, throwing him off balance as well, before again turning back to the young punk she dealt with earlier, exchanging a few words with him before fully releasing him from the net and with words of encouragement he too flees with the others.

And then there's Talia, someone she has no doubt heard about from her parents, maybe even worked with once or twice. She gasps a bit, stepping back. In her current attire she is no longer Tigress II and does not want her cover blown.

"Sorry miss, I think you got me mistaken for someone else.." she's already backing away towards the shadows, getting ready to flee..

Tim Drake has posed:
    To be honest, Red Robin isn't sure it's the gang members Talia's dismissing, or himself. Not that he's going anywhere either way, though he does aim a heavy exhale upwards that ruffles the hair against his forehead. Even with the mask hiding half his face, the eye roll is obvious.

    "The only company I'm keeping right now is Artemis and only because she has a--limited, but existing--track record of being helpful," he points out, pointing a thumb in the archer's direction.

    Who is immediately starting to backstep... well, okay, maybe Tim's alone here. That's fine!

    He tosses a shuriken towards one of the fleeing gang members, who stumbles as it impacts but keeps running. Which is fine, as the embedded tracker appears as a small moving dot in Tim's HUD. Something to run down later. For now, though, he circles around the one with a sword, though he's careful not to pull too much of his attention away from Talia and the unknown League member.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
As Artemis goes to try and disengage, there's a flung kunai from Talia that would streak past her. Purposefully thrown to miss, but close enough that it might take out a few strands of hair if the other girl didn't move quickly enough. "That goes for you too."
    Talia would move to casually indicate Qira and Artemis with her blade. "Now, each of you clearly have a story to tell. Where you learned -how- to do what you did. Because it clearly was /not/ with my permission. So I extend to you the offer to tell me your stories willingly. Once." Blade held up clearly in a position of threat. But not advancing over on the two.
    But having fully announced herself and permitting no escape. They would give her what she wanted to know.. Willingly or not.

Qira Quest has posed:
"Correction. You brought the bitch with you. Not our fault you didn't know you were being followed. Might want to ask the Bat for more training." Qira flicks a glance towards Tim before returning her gaze to Talia. The sneer returns to her features as she mutters, "You don't recognize anyone that isn't your precious son, al Ghul. Everyone else is expendable in your world, so stop pretending that you would recognize anyone from the League that doesn't share your name."

Flicking a glance back to Tim, she shakes her head, "We'll have to meet another time, perhaps. That one gets nothing but my contempt and hatred." With that, she flings the smoke pellets at the ground at Talia's feet before turning and racing off into the night.

Oddly, for one as small as she is, she moves with incredible speed. And the leap made up to a nearby rooftop is definitely not possible through human means. But the girl is off and away, using the city landscape itself to hide.

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock arches a brow at the other retreating girl, frowning a bit as she tries to place her. Must be a reason why this woman from the League is after her. But dammit, Art is not about to have her cover blown. Speaking of, it's about time she made her own exit..But suddenly her flight is cut off by a well placed blade that wizzes past her face, too close for comfort.

"The heck?! Are you trying to kill me? I told you, I have no business with you, now leave me be.." Oh wait, did that other girl just call her a bitch? And one of her own? "Hey how rude!" but she's already gone.

And on that note, Art pulls out her bow, aiming an arrow at Talia. "I want nothing to do with the League of Assasins, now back off before I lose my patience with you."

Tim Drake has posed:
    The slight tilt of his head is the only response Red Robin gives to the departing Qira, not rising to the bait otherwise. He has more important things to deal with than an unknown vigilante having an outburst, and given that she didn't try to stab him along with it, it's already dramatically less intense than when Damian was younger and having a bad day.

    "Following us around isn't going to get you what you want, you know," he says as he ducks beneath a sword swing and takes out the ankles of the remaining gang member with a sweep of his staff. An electrified sweep, because who doesn't love a good one-two knockout punch?

    As he stands, Red Robin leans against his staff and looks briefly between Artemis and Talia. "I know you're not going to listen to advice, though, so I'm not sure why I'm bothering." He surveys the status of the various downed, unconscious, and-or injured criminals spread out around them, as well as the indicators on his HUD minimap tracking the incoming GCPD response. "This is going to be a nightmare of a report," he mutters to himself.

    Because of Talia and the unknown League member, to clarify. Gang warfare? That's still part of your average Gotham night.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
The blade is kept in front of Talia as she would grin at Artemis, "So do tell me who you are and /how/ you know those moves. I'm not going to hurt you.. Unless you don't tell me what I watn to know. Your confederate I'll deal with later." Annoyed with herself already for having lost track of Qira while the other woman fled. Blade up and over and pointed at Artemis. But not attacking.
    "Tell me, Red Robin, how do you know her then?" Blade not pointing over at Tim, but in an en garde position. But at least willing to -listen- to things. Which was reasonable. Or at least what Talia considered it.
    Other people might disagree on the 'tell me or I hack off limbs' definition of etiquette.

Artemis Crock has posed:
Artemis Crock glares at Talia, while keeping an eye on Robin from the corner of her eye, "I..I don't know what you're talking about..Just leave me alone!" why, she seems almost scared of something as she backs off, trying to put as much space between her and Talia. But Robin has her interest still. He's a potential ally and one she could use in her corner.

"Hey Robin, let's catch up some time. Maybe we can help each other." she lowers her arrow long enough to reach into her pocket and pull out a business card of sorts, with her code name and contact number written hastily on the back, tossing it towards him like a shuriken, not to attack him but for him to catch.

"Be safe. Until then..!" she restrings her arrow and shoots it at Talia's general direction, though when it hits, whether it hits her or not, it explodes in a smokescreen, covering her tracks as she flees.

Tim Drake has posed:
    "Fought a sewer dragon with her once," Red Robin says, casually. Because it's Gotham, and sewer dragon? Not all that unusual. "Well, not with her, I was actually down in the sewers at the time, but I reviewed the footage."

    He kicks a length of rebar away from the reach of a man who has roused himself and started crawling on his belly towards a weapon. "Nope." Same thing happens with a nearby bat. "Seriously, no." This at least prompts the guy to give up and Tim bends down to slap a pair of zipties around his wrists and ankles. As he stands, he nods to Artemis and reaches to snatch the card out of the air, before smoothly redirecting the motion of his arm to tuck the card away in one of the secret pockets of his utility belt. "See you."

    And then all that's left for him to do is leverage himself up onto the roof of the semi-smashed car he landed on earlier, and waits for the smoke to clear.

    Police will be here any moment now.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia's not going to outright attack the girl - not at least when one of her Detective's little proteges is present. She doesn't like events spiraling out of control, particularly when there's no information. That reeks of sloppiness. But here her only alternative is to pursue and pick a fight without backup, without having a profile of her target, and without having an effective combat laodout for pursuit. That rankles her.
    But some things can't be helped. She'll pursue the girl at another time when she's ready.
    She'll get her next time.
    Next time.