13635/And All Through The House

And All Through The House
Date of Scene:	25 December 2022
Location:	Garage and Armory - Historic Clocktower
Synopsis:	Stephanie stops by the Clocktower to drop off a Christmas present for Barbara, and catch up.
Cast of Characters:	Barbara Gordon, Stephanie Brown

---

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs' Batmobile got pretty banged up the night of the fight against Solomon Grundy. She had to order a bunch of custom parts, the ones she couldn't manufacture herself, and they only just now started to trickle in before Christmas. thus here on Christmas Eve, Barbara is down in the tower garage level.

With 'A wonder Life' playing on the monitors, piped through the speakers, Barbara is dressed in black clothing, working on the car. She's currently leaned over it and using a socket wrench to attach a new piece to the open engine.

With her red hair tied back, Barbara is just working that wrench, listening to the movie and quietly enjoying her evening here for the holiday.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
The sound of footsteps clattering down the stairs can be heard as someone takes them quickly. Stephanie Brown emerges moments later into the room. She's wearing jeans and a nice, warm-looking sweater. Her hair is left to spill around her shoulders.

"Hey, there was a slightly overweight elderly man upstairs. I'm not going to judge who you date, but need to give us a heads up," she teases. "Loved the red velvet suit with the white fringes though. Anyway, he left this," she says, waving a small wrapped present to draw Barbara's attention to it. It's fairly small, a box a little wider and longer than envelope, and it isn't particularly thick either. It's wrapped in shiny blue wrapping paper and adorned with a silver bow. A far cry from the newspaper wrapping jobs Stephanie has done in year's past.

She walks over to where Barbara is working on the car. "Merry Christmas," Stephanie tells her with a smile. "You getting the dents knocked out?" she says, patting the Batmobile.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
There's a bunch of custom designed armor plating resting on a table behind where Babs is, and as Steph gets closer she'll quickly recognize where most of it likely goes on the mostly exposed and open car right now.

Babs looks up, having known Steph entered the building via her AI announcing the arrival. She smirks at the words spoken to her as she finishes up working on that part and straightens up.

"Yeah, he and his eight reindeer really did wear me out." Babs jokes dryly back at STeph, smirking at him. She can be feisty when she wants to! Red hair after all!

Walking over to the table, she deposits the tool in her hand back in its place, and then wipes her hands clean. "What have you got here?" She asks, eyeing that present. She looks to Steph then. "I figured you would be busy tonight. Everyone is off doing their thing."

She glances at the car, and smirks again. "Yeah, just gotta piece it all back together again. Humpty Dumpty style."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
"I -am- busy," Stephanie says, "Spending some Christmas Eve time with the people who matter," she finishes to Barbara, giving her a big grin. "Going to be heading back to Bristol after this. Dick and I are going to spend the evening with my mother," she explains. "But wanted to come see you first!"

She passes over the present to Barbara. When Barbara opens it, inside she'll find tickets to a luxury suite at the upcoming grand opening of Gotham's new expansion soccer team.

"So remember when I was dating Roberto da Costa?" she asks. "Well, he's bought this team and built a stadium for them. Floating stadium, imagine you've read about it. And the grand opening is happening, so we got a box for it and thought maybe you and Dick's brothers and people might like to come," she says with a smile for Barbara.

Glancing down at the armor, Stephanie says, "I can give you a hand if you want. Just let me change first if so. Just got this sweater. Oh my god it's so warm. It's like a... herd of cashmere... climbed on top of me to keep me warm," she says. "That sounded better than saying lambs, I figured."

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Barbara accepts the gift and looks it over while she listens to the other's spoken words. When she sees the gift she shows a soft smile. "I've heard a bit about this. Was looking over the building plans the other day..." She's always looking at building plans and blueprints, as she's always interested in the ins and outs of every location within the city... especially new ones. "Seems like a fun project, and I look forward to this." She says then as she looks to Steph and offers her a hug.

Post hugging, Barbara laughs softly at what the other says, glancing down at her sweater where she nods her head softly two small times. "It's lovely. And don't worry about helping out. This keeps me busy, keeps my mind off things. I'm supposed to see my father tomorrow for lunch, we'll see how that pans out." She adds a small smirk there before she walks over to her table once more. "I got you and Dick some stuff, but it's upstairs. I'll bring it by tomorrow too if you're fine with that? It's not anything too crazy... I know you two have a lot going on, I don't need to add to that by getting you something wildly complicated, I figure." She grins some while raising a bottle of water up to her lips to sip from it.

"So how is Roberto? Doing well, I hope? I always thought he'd be the one to pop the question at you first."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie leans against the table, half-sitting on it while they talk. After returning the hug that is. A hug which is given a tight embrace back. Barbara has become family and it's clear from the hug just how precious family like Barbara are to the younger woman.

"Sure, tomorrow or whenever. I'm off school and Dick actually has a little time off from work. Long as, you know, nobody goes on a killing spree and he gets called in," she says with a sigh. It is Gotham after all. Rough place to be a homicide detective.

The question about Roberto makes Stephanie pause in thought. "You know I'm not quite sure. We haven't done the best job of keeping in touch. Months between talking to him," she explains.

A soft chuckle is given about the Brazilian popping the question. "His family," she starts, before pausing and then amending. "Check that. His father is rather... focused on that Roberto should be with a girl from the right kind of family. And the right country. And the right religion. I didn't realize, for awhile, just how much he was put through, dating me," she says.

Stephanie sighs and gives a tiny shrug. "In the end I made it kind of easy on him to split. I mean maybe he'd have chosen me. But I didn't want to see him lose his family like I think would have happened. You wouldn't believe what it was like when we went down for his cousin's wedding," she says, shaking her head.

"And it worked out for me at least, in the end. I think he's still single though not positive. He hasn't mentioned anyone special though," she says, shrugging again. "So on that topic, assuming you're not going to make Santa and the Reindeer Eight a long term relationship, what's up with the Love Life of Barbara anyway?"

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Barbara lowers down on to her stool in front of her computer station, her back to the four monitors all showing different information about the garage, her car, and the tower around them.

She grins at some of what Steph says, gently nods her head to it. "Well, the guy is his own person. He doesn't have to do what they want him too, but maybe that's why he's kind of quiet about it all. Hard to say though..." She says of Roberto. "And hey, you and Dick probably have more in common anyway..."

Another swig of her water is taken then before Babs sets it down on the table to her side. She hears that last question and smirks once more. "I've ... had interested parties, but ... yeah, it's never what... I'd say... feels like something I'd want to do all the time, like what you and Dick have. I don't mind small bursts, but... I dunno." She shrugs her shoulders lightly then inside that black jumpsuit she's wearing. "I think I'm destined to be in the hookup culture, until I'm old and undesirable anymore. Then I'll... get cats, I guess? That's how that works, right?"

Her computer flashes something and Babs turns to check it out. She clicks on the button displayed, and a pair of robotic arms raise up out of the platform beside the Batmobile vehicle. They start to lean in and begin a bit of work in Babs' absence. "It's programmed to take over for me if I get pulled away..." She explains to Steph with another small smirk.

"So what did you get Dick for Christmas? Spicy stuff?"

Stephanie Brown has posed:
"Well," Stephanie replies, "if it's not right then it's not right. Just hope you're not giving up. Not that there's anything wrong with becomes... a... Catwoman? Ok, yeah, there's something wrong with that!" she says, breaking out in laughter as she mentions the felonious feline burglar.

The blue eyes swing over to the robotic arms. "Oh wow. I so need a few pairs of those," she says. "One in the kitchen, one in the laundry room, one in..." Stephanie says, letting her words trail off as if there's just too many other places that also need them.

The question about her presents for Dick draw a laugh from Stephanie, and enough of a grinning, guilty look as to suggest at the answer before she says anything. "Oh, there might be some spice," she admits, a little color coming to her cheeks. "I think we're going to go down and hit a beach for a few days while we have the time off together, get away from the cold for a little bit. There might be a few things I could wear there," she admits with that grin.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Barbara slow nods a pair of times to the other woman before looking to the robotic arms again. She grins at them as they work on either sides of the car. "Yeah, I mean, they're faster at this stuff than I am, but... the cost of design is pretty damn high still. I think I can get an AI program to write the code that would make them adapt to something like kitchen, and laundry, but I dunno if the world is interested in putting these things in their homes yet..."

She looks back over to steph then from her perch on the edge of that tall metal stool. "Ah yes, the addiction to beaches. Not great for us pale skinned gingers... but I do get the appeal. For me? Indoor pool time is where it's at." She adds in that dry sense of humor she inherited from her father.

"Hope you guys have fun though. Make sure to take a lot of photos and share them, so we can all judge you two from up here in winter's cold embrace."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
"You should go skiing then. I mean not that you can't get a bunch of sun doing that, but you're going to be all bundled up at least, so just your face," she suggests. "I've never been to any of those... Aspen or... I don't even know the names of all the great resorts. I bet you'd thrive in somewhere like that though," Stephanie says as she resumes where she was half sitting, half leaning against the table with the parts for the Batmobile.

"Also I think they have a law, what happens in Bermuda stays in Bermuda," she teases. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind coming back with a tan though. I can't stand to use the machines, but I do like having one," Stephanie tells Barbara.

She snaps her fingers. "Will have to find someone to watch Hazelduck," she reminds herself. "Which I won't try to push her on you, unless you'd enjoy having her for a few days. I mean, it's another option to become Cat... Lady."

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs is sipping her water, glancing at the monitors, and then looking back to Steph again. She smirks once more. "Oh, there's some nice skii places way closer than Aspen. I did it a few times prior to the paralization, back in my teens. Really did enjoy it back then..."

The last part has Barbara laughing softly. "I actually got my first cat last month. Found him while out on patrol. He kept following me... making sad little noises. I had to get him outta the cold, and well... I've just kept him around. He's upstairs, probably passed out in my sheets. You'll love him. But yeah, feel free to bring yours by. I don't mind another somebody to ramble to, I mean talking to cats is better than talking to myself, or my machines, right?"

The arms continue their drone-like work on the Batmobile just a few paces away... clearly not offended by that comment, maybe!

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown gives a quiet, "Awwww," sound. "And I haven't met him yet!?" she complains. "Never got to have a pet as a kid. I feel like I have to make up for lost time now or something. I mean, not Damian kinds of pets, but, you know. Normal stuff. I should get a dog," she says.

"Hey, if Roberto isn't seeing anyone, I could try to set you up with him. I mean there's a few years difference. But he's got like, fit soccer player body." Stephanie pauses a moment. "Ok maybe that would be awkward. Nix that. But we can get him to introduce you to some of the players on the team. Who also, then, would have fit soccer player bodies?"

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Barbara sets her water bottle down and rises up to walk over to the table with the armor plating and assortment of other parts for the car. She laughs softly at the soccer body part. "Yeah... I don't think I want to date a guy who has that kind of rich kid baggage attached to him. I don't feel like trying to justify myself to some snooty parents. Plus, I'm about as white a girl as you'll find, they'd extra hate me. But... soccer players do sound nice, so long as they're not the 'faking injury' types." She glances over at Steph to shoot her a grin.

"Hand me that?" She asks, pointing to a strange looking device that is shaped like some kind of robot elbow joint.

"Honestly, can you imagine me having to date someone who wasn't already in the know on who I am, and what I'm about? I don't want to deal with hiding it either..."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie picks up the part and brings it over to Barbara, examining it while she does, up until the moment she passes it to the other woman. "Yes, it did make for some frustrations," she says of having a secret identity while dating. "Though since he lived up north of New York City, it helped quite a bit. We pretty much had to plan ahead to see each other. Not as much time together so it was easier to pull off. But, that is one of... many... nice things about Dick," she says with a smile.

She also doesn't mention Roberto having learned she was Spoiler. It was by accident. If she did mention it, it would be one step closer to sharing that she learned he was a mutant that same night. Better to just not say anything when it's someone else's secret.

"Well, there's always Jason," Stephanie says, and quickly skips out of hitting range of Barbara.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs accepts it with a soft 'thank you' uttered before she goes around to the front of the car to slip it in to place where one of the two robotic arms quickly joins her to help attach the piece in to its proper place. She'd just smirked at the Jason bit.

"I think he only likes biker chicks. You know, the kind with a sleeve tat arrangement. Kate. If Kate weren't... you know." She adds with a little smile there at the end.

Once that piece is attached, Barbara leans back and puts her hands on her hips. She watches the robotic arm do its work to the car, then glances over at Steph again. "Besides, you working for my father on this?" She asks. "I think he wants me to end up with a cop husband... He's offered to set me up with a few before... I need to take him up on that though. I need to put up a better public face, like Bruce used to."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
"Ooo, there's a nice looking guy at Dick's precinct. I don't know his name, but I pass by his desk on the way to the elevator or stairs. Maybe you could see if he's available then?" she suggests. "So did you ever think about going down that road yourself? Working for the police I mean," she says.

Stephanie's major is forensic investigation so she's likely going to end up at least working there or at least closely with them depending on what exactly she ends up doing.