14118/The Princess and the Bat(Woman)

The Princess and the Bat(Woman)
Date of Scene:	12 February 2023
Location:	Commercial District, Gotham City
Synopsis:	Batwoman and Molly meet after some bank robbers have a bad day when they pick the wrong town--and hostage!
Cast of Characters:	Kate Kane, Molly Hayes

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Kate Kane has posed:
Despite claims to the contrary, there are in fact days with genuine sunshine in Gotham. And criminals don't, in fact, take them off to go to the beach. Well, not all of them do. Which is why in one of Gotham's sunnier days, not warm enough to be t-shirt weather, but still the sort of day to remind people that Spring and Summer are seasons that will come again, there's the roar and screech of a late model sedan, one of those big, rectangular landboats from the mid 20th century. It's racing from the scene of an armed robbery, driving like a bat out of hell.

Or, more accurately, driving like mad to escape a bat. Man-Bat? No, the roar of that V8 is contrasted by the high pitched whine of perfectly tuned sports performance, a red and black blur of Italian motorcycle with a dark figure atop, details obscured by a cape flapping in the wind, and a shock of long red hair from that cowl that is so familiar to the city now.

The chase isn't destined to last long, as the car's speeding towards one of Gotham's more esoteric commercial areas, full of little niche interest stores, Batwoman guns the throttle to overtake the car, one hand on the bike, the other disappears under her cape, only for glinting metal to flash, something flying out to land on the engine hood with a dull thud, followed a moment later by a sharp hiss and a shower of sparks, whatever that thing is melts through the hood, and a split second later there's a booming thud as the car's engine thuds do the street beneath it, acting like a boat anchor, momentum nearly making the car noseplant.

That bike can't stop on a dime at that speed, which means as Kate's screeching to a stop, the back doors of the car fly open, three robbers leaping out and running towards the sidewalk, looking for the only thing they figure can save them now. A hostage.

Molly Hayes has posed:
    While Gotham might be known for its darkness and street crime, today is definitely a different sort of day! Thanks to her girlfriends, Molly is spending the weekend in Gotham while Nico checks out some of the more... esoteric shops and venues and does a few nightlife gigs. Or at least that's what Molly is assuming. As much as she adores her goth gf, both girls are capable adults, and even the adorable blonde isn't so clingy as to miss Nico -too- hard when they're away from each other for a day or two!

    As such, she's wandering from shop to shop, wrapped up in some of her favorite on-the-town attire. Thick leggings under shorts to hope for spring but stay warm, colorful sneakers, and a worn Avengers-logo teeshirt underneath that warm Pink Power Ranger jacket of hers. To say nothing of the chibi Hatsune Miku ... hat that she wears, complete with teal twintails waving about whenever her head bobs! She's snacking on some chocolate-drizzled caramel corn, still hot and fresh from one of those little treat shops while staring into the window of a lingerie store of all things.

    The sounds of screeching tires and a dying car so close by makes her jump in surprise, popcorn attempting to escape--and a few kernels do! "Ah moose antlers..." she pouts, then stares over at the rising tide of thugs--and the flash of red hair on the bike. "Omigosh omigosh... BATWOMAN?!" she squeaks, tittering in delight--unaware of her impending peril.

Kate Kane has posed:
The driver of the car staggers out as his criminal co-conspirators have a wave of humanity parting in front of them, because if you learn how to do one thing fast in Gotham, it's run away from armed robbers. But that driver struggling to free himself from the car costs Kate precious seconds as she pauses in her pursuit to drive a foot into the car door and kick it closed, pinning the Driver between the door and the body of the car... there's /some/ sort of snap, maybe a shoulder breaking, maybe his collar bone. It's enough that he lets out a strangled, animal yelp of pain and goes down.

But that means Kate's running against the clock. One robber goes down with a muffled noise as a batarang flies out to strike him in the temple with enough force that he's going to be in for an extended hospital stay. Another robber is just about to grab an honest-to-god mailman when Kate flies in, propelled by her grapple.

A gloved hand grips him by his collar and rockets up, that cape swirling and obscuring any details other than the muffled sounds of repeated strikes before he's draped over the railing of a fire escape.

But by the time Kate's dropping back down to street level, it's just in time for Molly to feel a sudden, aggressive grip on her shoulder, and the press of some sort of broad, open tube against her back.

Molly's such a good girl, she's probably not as familiar with the feeling of a shotgun barrel as your average Gotham shopper. New York might have a lot more weird magic portals and science monsters, but at least you don't get used to being held at gunpoint.

The situation grinds to a halt, Batwoman's eyes locked on the robber, who's bellowing out, "You stay back! I'll shoot her!!"

That mask hides her eyes, but Kate's gaze is darting, mind whirling, calculating angles and ranges and... running down a checklist of actions, each discarded as too risky. Or, for a few, disqualified for 'Promised Batman I won't kill anyone.'

Even armed robbers holding teenagers hostage.

Molly Hayes has posed:
    The teen in the cute hat doesn't have amazing reaction times. In fact, her entire focus on watching Batwoman work is a detriment to her. That streak of literal hero worship of hers is... a distraction, at best! But such a lovely distraction. She gets to watch the mythical batarang hit hard like a prize fighter, and then that glorious grappling show. There's stars in Molly's eyes as she watches everything unfold, and she's even got popcorn to crunch on, no less! "Wow..." she mumbles, too busy crunching and watching to really notice the... fourth guy.

    Oh.

    "H-hey!" she squeaks, the blonde in the cute hat barely over five feet tall, a convenient human shield for your typical six foot and more Gotham hooligan. "...o-oh come on... hands off the goods...! Aw! My popcorn!" she ends up dropping the almost-empty paper bag of treats on the ground, startled though she is from the grab and the gun barrel at the base of her spine. She blinks, though, when he says 'shoot' and turns her head up towards him some, the tails on her hat brushing against his hands.

    "...buddy... you're... um.. you're making... a really huge mistake..." she tries to warn.

Kate Kane has posed:
Kate's cursing up a storm, at least internally. Externally she's like a gargoyle, motionless, tensed, her jaw set as those impossible to see eyes dart back and forth between the robber and his hostage.

It's when Molly turns to warn him that the hapless criminal panics. It's not even on purpose, she turns, he's jostled, his hand clenches in fear for dropping his sawed off shotgun... and the trigger is pulled. There's a deafening roar as the shotgun fires, a burst of smoke.

Kate bites back an involuntary sound of rage and sorrow, that poor girl! She's going to beat that robber to death, promise to try and follow those stupid rules or not.

Except... something's wrong. Kate's not sure what, but something hasn't proceeded the way her instincts and training tell her it should.

which, of course, is going to be bad news for the robber. Especially if Molly really liked that shirt. Plus, you know, the totally understandable irritation at her popcorn being lost. And also the noise.

Really, there's a long list of things this bank robber just did that would fully justify Molly being perturbed. For one thing, he didn't know she was bullet proof.

Molly Hayes has posed:
    Something's very wrong, and Kate's instincts are correct. Not the least of which is the lack of blood. A point-blank shotgun blast like that should've exploded the poor girl's midsection all over the sidewalk, leaving her to collapse in a pile of viscera on the ground. But. That's not what happens. What does happen is the force of the shot still does what it's intended, as if fired at a solid object. Poor Molly is blown forward several feet, tumbling to the ground. On her back, a smoking hole rising up through her jacket and her shirt.

    "Awwww c... c'mon...! My coat! My shirt! My HAT!" she whines, her cute cap all dirty now from the fall, much like the rest of her. Sunny day or not, Gotham's sidewalks aren't known for being the cleanest in the Tri-City area. That's reserved for Metropolis, clearly. But no, instead of being a bloody mess on the sidewalk, Molly is dragging herself to her feet--likely much to the bewilderment of everyone who heard the shotgun blast and saw it happen--probably not the least of which being Kate and the thug.

    "Stupid smelly horsebutt!" she snarls like a grade schooler and grabs for the nearest thing within arm's reach. Which happens to be one of those big heavy gothic lamp posts. It's comical, because for a moment, it looks like nothing's happening. It looks like this poor girl is just grabbing a light pole and tugging on it. It's hilarious, in fact, until the sound of metal creaking can be heard.

    The massive lugs bolting the post to the pavement give, the nuts and bolts popping, the wires snapping. And even as heavy and unwieldly as this object is, Molly manages to brace it just enough to swing it like a baseball bat. With a loud grunt, the tiny titan, the powerful princess, smashes the robber with probabaly several hundred pounds of lamppost. And the building she slams him into.

Kate Kane has posed:
Kate's snapped back to reality, no matter how unreal it is, when this poor slip of a girl is launched forward... that's expected. Then she yells. That's... surprising. And then things start to _actually_ register. There's no blood. The yell is an indignant shout of anger.

The girl's getting up... and well, okay, she's grabbing a lamp post. Maybe she's one of those rich kids whose parents buy their kids ballistic fibre clothes. Turns out sometimes it /is/ a sound investment?

Except that the lamp post she's grabbing for... balance? Is sheering off bolts and pinging off wires and she's just belting the robber like a goddamn beanbag.

Kate can't bring herself to wince for the entirely unpleasant sound of human flesh and bone meeting brick. But in months to come, that repaired patch of bricks when this gets cleaned up will probably be the source of many urban legends.

For now, Kate's carefully moving forward, hands up, palms out towards Molly like she's approaching a lion, "Ooookaaay... uhh.. that's... good. You definitely... he's not going to get up again... let's uhh... put the lamp post down, slugger..."

Her voice is soothing, low... and uncertain.

Why couldn't Helena give her some tips on handling teenagers instead of discussing the finer points of motorcycle tuning and crossbow line tension? The Woman's a Gotham city teacher, she can probably control a kid with one stern glare. Kate's not built for this.

Molly Hayes has posed:
    "Oops..." Molly mumbles quietly, wobbling. The balance on such a huge thing is really, really awkward. And her fingers are slipping even as Kate is approaching. Before the word 'slugger' is out of the redhead's mouth, the base of the lamppost drops with a very, very heavy -THUD- on the sidewalk. "...um... oh.. golly. Is. Is he... I didn't.. KILL him.. right?" she makes a small, tormented noise. She takes her hat off, trying to brush the dust and dirt from it and the twin tails and more.

    Then she turns and pouts at Kate. "Batwoman! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! He just.. he SHOT me...! And... and... my clothes... my hat.. my popcorn.. I.. I couldn't help... please don't put me in Arkham! It's scary there!" there's tears starting to well up in her eyes. "He's not dead is he?!" she wails. "...I didn't do anything!" She hugs her arms to her chest and shivers, the chill of the still wintry air rushing in through the holes in her shirt and jacket.

    "M-man... a-and... I need a new coat now, too... I've had this forever..." she whimpers.

Kate Kane has posed:
Kate glances over to the crumpled burglar who's laying /in/ the brick wall, shotgun on the ground under his feet which are now poking out off the ground. She walks over and picks the gun up, working the pump rapidly until it stops ejecting shells.

She /actually sighs/ like it's an inconvenience to move a couple of bricks out of the way to check his head and neck, two fingers pressing to his carotid artery for a moment, "He's breathing. He's got a pulse, it's..." She trails off for a second. "Fine. He's just fine."

'Fine' might mean 'fated for months of traction, and he might not walk again', but hey... play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

And shooting this little firecracker? Well, that's the stupidest game Kate's seen someone play in awhile.

And then Kate's fighting to maintain her cold, professional facade. "It was self defense. And I think you're too young for Arkham. And they don't have like... Junior Arkham. They'd probably have to work out some other arrangement."

It's not exactly reassuring. But then Kate's reaching up to unsnap her cape and sweep it out, wrapping it around Molly... and even after two wraps, there's an awful lot of slack the girl's going to have to handle. "Here, this'll keep the worst of the cold out until we can get you home. What's your name? Where do you live?"

That facade breaks a little, her voice warm, genuine, and then there's a faint whine of a revving engine as Kate's bike glides over under its own power to park within a few steps. It might not be Arkham, but Kate's got to take the girl somewhere.

Molly Hayes has posed:
    "Some... other... arrangement? Am... am I still being arrested?" Molly fixates on Kate's lack of, well, tact. Or attempted reassurance. But she does seem to lower her shoulders in relief when she says the robber is 'fine'. "...o-oh good... I'm not supposed to kill people... that's.. that's bad. And.. um. I'm. Probably not supposed to hurt people, either... but I've been punching bullies because they suck..." she grouses. And then there's suddenly a Batcape being wrapped around her.

    She stutters and is at a loss for words, snuggling into that length of cloth--and whatever the hell else it's made out of. "..oh.." she manages something resembling a word and hugs it tighter around herself, wobbling a little like a burrito standing on end. "...oh... um... um..." she bites her lip, peering up at the taller redhead, blinking. "...M-Molly... I uh. I live in New York. With. With my girlfriends. Downtown Manhattan. And um. Go to high school in Happy Harbor..."

    She's really having trouble keeping her composure. She's melting into the warmth of the cape, and staring up at a real life Bat-person. A Bat-person that's in her face. Talking to her. Touching her. Being. All. HEROIC at her. "...Y-you're... so cool...! Batwoman is so cool...!" she gushes quietly.

Kate Kane has posed:
Kate bites her lower lip for just a moment, "Well, once they have a gun, they're not a bully anymore, they're an armed criminal. And those need punching sometimes before they try to hurt anyone." She frowns thoughtfully... well, the cape's flexible. It should rise up enough for Molly to be able to get on her bike.

And then she frowns and eyes the time on her heads up display. Her bike's fast... but there's 'Fast' and then there's 'Safe to have a teenager riding passenger', and... the latter speed isn't going to get this kid home at any reasonable time. "Can you give your... folks... a call? Let them know you ran into a little trouble and you're okay, but you're going to be late getting home? I can take you back to NYC tomorrow morning, no problem."

She can't help the soft laugh at Molly's fawning, "Oh, I'm not that cool. Batgirl's cooler. She owns- ...A really fancy computer. And she uses it to do all this really cool hacking stuff."

Damnit, Babs. of course you bought a blimp and now she can't even brag about it second hand because it might get traced back to your public identity. She bets Wonder Woman doesn't have trouble bragging about her invisible jet or whatever.

Still, with a hand on one cape-covered shoulder, Kate guides Molly over to the bike, long leg easily kicking up and over, settling forward and leaving the rear portion of the seat for the petite teen. "Oh! Do you want to call your parents and your... girlfriends? You're not under arrest, you don't just get the one call. But I figure you probably don't deserve having to deal with trying to find a hotel after... all this."

Molly Hayes has posed:
    At the mention of her parents, Molly shakes her head quickly. "Nuh uh. My parents were supervillains. I ran away from them years ago! I think they're dead now. Bad stuff happened in California..." she says quietly. "...and... and I'm 18 now! So. I moved out of my foster home... and I live with my girlfriends!" she beams proudly. "...they're awesome! So cool! So pretty! Like you!" she nods, speaking quickly. "I um. I can text them when we... get to... wherever we're going?" she looks at the bike she's being led to.

    "Cuz.. cuz it's not safe to text and drive! I mean. I need both arms so I don't fall off, right?" she asks with a smile. "...Nico's here in Gotham, we were doing some shopping an' stuff an' I think she's got some work late tonight... so... going home tomorrow is fine! I'll just. Send a text. And... oh! Maybe take a selfie with you? Be like. 'Hey! I got shot! But I'm okay! And Batwoman saved me! She's so cool!' and use one of those heart filters..."

    She stops babbling for a moment to carefully climb up onto the bike, wiggling herself in and pulling her hat tight atop her head so it doesn't fly off. "...but um. Yeah. I'm good. I'll let them know. They'll be soooo jealous..." she giggles. "Batgirl's cool too but... I haven't met her. And. You're right here. But I bet the reality is you're both equally amazing. So where we goin'?"

Kate Kane has posed:
Kate lets out a low, slow breath. "I... oh. I'm sorry."

Although that constant little sarcastic voice in her head is sure to needle her about how now she's go ther _own_ orphan she could train as a sidekick. Instead she just keeps silent, pointedly not reacting to Molly's flustered rambling about her pretty girlfriends, or comparing them to her. Instead, she gives her best solemn nod. "Yes, texting and driving is a crime. And crime is bad."

It's delivered with all the gravitas and emotion of a PSA by Robocop. Intentional and humorous? Or an attempt to actually be serious? Kate's not sure herself. And so it will linger in uncertainty.

"Oh, we're just going to... well, not the Batcave. That's Batman's hideout... I.." Her lips press into a thin, serious line for a handful of seconds. "I don't have a name for it. It's my base. I'll... try to think of something."

And then, once she's sure Molly's arms are hooked around her, and the girl's secure, the bike thrums to life, from idling purr to an almost bone-shaking thrum before the bike zips forward, smooth and controlled... and not nearly as fast as it could be going.

Kate's not going to risk the girl losing her adorable hat after her jacket and shirt were shredded. But those she can at least do an Amazon same day order for, since Molly's not going to fit any of /her/ stuff.

The ride through Gotham is uneventful, into another non-descript avenue that leads to the bike hooking into an alley behind a dry cleaner, where the alley splits open to reveal a ramp descending into a long, narrow tunnel lit with periodic strips of LEDs. Well off from Kate's home, though anyone who did find it and map it would realize it ends under the R.H. Kane building. Because having to commute from your home to your secret hideout would suck.

And Kate will make sure to scrub any GPS info from Molly's selfies just in case.