14190/The (Belated) Grand Tour
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| The (Belated) Grand Tour | |
|---|---|
| Date of Scene: | 19 February 2023 |
| Location: | Level 4 - Kitchen and Dining - The Roost |
| Synopsis: | After a shaky first meeting, Tim puts on his Good Host hat and gives Carin a proper tour of the Roost. |
| Cast of Characters: | Tim Drake, Carin Taylor
|
- Tim Drake has posed:
It's easiest to do these sorts of things from one end of the Roost to the other, and this time around Red Robin picks top-to-bottom. Coin flip decision, really, done on the occasion of finding Carin here and with some time available. Technically there are other things Tim's supposed to be doing right now, but putting in his weekly grocery order and writing up a report for Batman really just don't appeal to him at the moment. So let it be known that, occasionally, he can be a semi-decent host. Kinda sorta.
"If there's ever anything you want that we don't have, you can add it to the list here," he says while standing at the touch-screen computer monitor next to the kitchen door. "Standard room-sharing rules apply, so clean up after yourself and if you're one of the type to start a fire when trying to boil water," the self-effacing smile on his face is enough to suggest that is a very personal story, despite most of his expression being hidden behind his domino mask, "You can order in from a bunch of local restaurants through there too. All anonymous, so our secret identities aren't compromised."
The next area on level four is the dining room attached to the kitchen, which Red Robin breezes through because aside for it being of a size capable of supporting over a dozen people at one meal, it's just a dining room, no fancy accoutrements. The rec room is something else entirely, though.
Accounts for streaming services, nearly every video game console imaginable, and a database with thousands of movies and television shows. Along with the huge television and comfy couches, it's the kind of hi-tech home viewing setup that every nerdy teen's dreams are made of. As it turns out, dreams can be made reality if you're filthy rich, which Red Robin must be to not just build this place but maintain it on the day-to-day. He points out the side hallway that leads to the dorms (which spans two levels) before pausing, a questioning look on his face. "Is this, like, information overload?" is the question, which comes after a few seconds of hesitation.
- Carin Taylor has posed:
With recovery and repairs in progress at the Triskelion, Carin has been doing all she can to help with cleanup and recovery efforts. But sometimes, she just. Needs to get some fresh air and do 'something else' for a few hours. So when Velocity shows up at the Roost, wrapped up in her brand new costume for testing (and blending), she's more than happy to get the proper grand tour. She's taking in all of the information as it comes, and seems to just. Marvel at the wild collection of toys in the rec room.
"Whoa..." she says quietly. "I.. we... never had.. this.." she mumbles, fragmented memories of her childhood definitely not containing gigantic televisions or modern game consoles. "I mean back at SHI--home we have cool toys but this is something else..." she frowns, lips pursing as she accidentally slips a little. Though Toni had said that Red probably already knows everything necessary.
At the concern for her though, Velocity shakes her head, idly running her fingers through her hair. "uh? Oh, no, no," she gives him a lopsided smile. Then she taps her temple, "...super speed, quick mind, and... a tactical computer wired directly into my brain, remember?" she offers timidly before her green eyes scan around the rec room again. "...this is so cool..." then as an aside. "...I'll be ordering takeout yeah."
- Tim Drake has posed:
People come and go from the Roost all the time. There are a multitude of secret entrances, both above and below ground, to facilitate that. Still, Tim gets notifications when people show up, and that's why he'd pried himself from his precious computer lab to come say hello.
"We were teenagers still when we started this team," Red Robin explains, in response to Velocity's reaction to all the toys. "I had money burning a hole in my pocket and more friends than I'd ever had when I was a kid." His head tips to the side in mute acknowledgment of old memories, before they beat feat down the stairs, bypassing level three except for a brief moment of poking heads through doors to indicate where more of the dorm rooms are. "You may have a tactical computer wired directly into your brain," and yes that was an intentional direct quote, "That doesn't mean you can't get overwhelmed though, right? Some things are universal, like the various levels of whelmedness."
It must be some in-joke that has Tim cracking a smile like that, but either way, down another flight of stairs they go!
This door they don't actually go through, because it's locked. "This leads back to the exterior-facing part of the house. AKA where I live roughly... forty-five percent of the time. No costumes beyond this point." He knocks on the door and it sounds... very reinforced. Likely something to do with how well-protected the entire interior core of the building is, to keep an entire superhero team under wraps in Gotham of all places.
- Carin Taylor has posed:
"I.. I mean.. I'm still a teenager.. sort of.." Carin says quietly. She's not even old enough to drink yet. That sideways smile is still there, and she follows down to see the next set of dorm areas. The one she slept in is near here, probably. Both floors do kinda look the same to her. "I mean..." she considers, then tries to sound confident. Emphasis on tries. "...yes and no? Even if I get over.. uh.. whelmed.. I can focus and parse it. If I can see it, I can deal with it faster than most..."
That smile is weak, though. "..emphasis on most.." she says with a sigh, idly rubbing her head with the heel of one palm, other hand just folding under her bust. "A-anyway..." she momentarily sucks her lips between both teeth and takes in the information about the door. "No costumes. Got it. I .. didn't bring a change of clothes. Do... hmm..." she tilts her head to one side now, resting her elbow in her palm and resting her cheek against her fist, a finger up and tapping at her temple. "...do you guys have, like... a way to manufacture or modify clothes? I... only have a few things that can handle my uh... powers. And most of it is this suit and my...other.. workclothes."
- Tim Drake has posed:
"That's good to know," Red Robin replies with a quick nod. As he turns back to Carin his hand drops from the door, and he rests it casually on his hip, just above his utility belt. "That's a hard thing to overcome otherwise."
Before the tour commences again, there comes a faint sound from the opposite side of the reinforced wall, and with a sigh Tim steps over to release the locks that keep the door closed. A mutt with a lot of Jack Russell Terrier in him comes running through the gap as soon as it's available, and Red Robin shakes his head with a fond, "Hi Yap," as the dog spins around and then sits, looking expectantly up at him. "Velocity, this is Yap. Yap, Velocity."
After a second or two, Yap goes "Bark!" in greeting, and then he, too, is apparently coming on the tour.
"Part of the theater is still intact in my part of the building, so sometimes we do movie nights on the big screen. If you're ever interested."
Okay, now they're for real going down the stairs again. "Sure do. Once we get down to the bottom of the Roost, we can make something for you."
- Carin Taylor has posed:
Tim can see it on her face. The way her expression goes from half-confident (and half somewhere between unsure and fearful) to an almost comically bright smile. "..ohmigosh.." she manages to say at the same time she sucks in a long gasp. Immediately she drops down to sit on her haunches, reaching out to ruffle the pupper without any word or permission or, well, any warning really.
Just -ZIP!- -CROUCH!- "Lookit you! Lookit you! Who's a good boy? Who's the best boy? You are! You are!" she just turns into, well, such a little girl. Or, really, anyone that likes dogs. Gender has no bearing on cute dog love. She likes cats, too, and other fluffy animals. But. Dog. Here. Now. Good boy.
She doesn't even go superspeed on the pets. She takes her time to lavish the doggo with earscritches, chin rubs, and head ruffles. She even rubs down his flanks from forelegs to hind legs before finally registering there's more places to go. She bolts back upright and takes a short breath, cheeks bright red. "...ok. I'm sufficiently whelmed now. Um. Down stairs?" she asks.
- Tim Drake has posed:
Yap is the perfect dog for pets, as he immediately sits down right in Carin's personal space and leeeeaaaaaans into the touch. His tongue lolls out and more than once his hind leg starts to kick when that perfect spot gets just the right scratch.
But he's also very well-behaved, so when she stops, he does a little circle and then is back up on all four paws, ready to join in on the tour. His trimmed claws click-clack on the floor as he jumps down the stairs after them, and Tim's pace is slightly (but noticeably) altered to allow the dog to keep up without trouble.
"These are the labs. Most of the equipment you need training to use, but we can always set that up if you're interested." Tim gestures to the work benches that have a variety of technical tools and machines set up on them, and meanwhile, Yap stays by the door, apparently trained to not be underfoot in here. There are two rooms off of the labs, one of which Red Robin gestures to with a simple "That's the med-bay," while the other he walks towards.
This door is all glass, but the room beyond is darkened, only the glow of runner lights along the floorboards visible beyond. But a simple tap on the door illuminates the room.
Multiple screens at various heights and angles all looming above a lone computer chair. "This is usually where I am if you need me."
- Carin Taylor has posed:
"Who in the group is good at... making... stuff..?" Carin asks as she looks in on the benches, lips pursed in a small frown. "I.. don't really have any kind of technical abilities like that.." she says with a rueful smile. "..I just want a pair of jeans and a cute hoodie that won't tear to shreds when I'm doing mach1. Wind resistance is a beast and..." she grumbles. "...I dunno if I said this but... unlike the Flash an' Rave an' stuff, I don't have any kind of... protection against.. my own powers.."
Her head shakes slowly, "...kinda sucks but doing mach3 over a still lake is... really really cool..." she laughs. "..and at least my body can take it.." she turns that rueful smile into a more playful, lopsided one. "I'll be really careful running in the Roost, though, promise." She glances over to the medbay as they pass, at least being intimately familiar with that one. Then, finally, the dark room that doesn't last in being dark. "..whoa... is this... like... some kind of Bat Computer?" Surely she's heard the legends.
- Tim Drake has posed:
The question makes Tim smile. "Wellllll, Bluebird and Sparrow are both tech whizzes, but I don't think they're in at the moment. Guess you're stuck with just a Robin." He looks towards the computer setup, then taps the door again, subsuming the room in darkness as it was before. "Come on, let's hit up the manufacturing lab. It'll take a while to print stuff, but we should at least be able to get you something a little more casual than your costume for day-to-day."
They go to the elevator this time, which Red Robin has already summoned via the control panel set into his left gauntlet. The door dings just as they arrive, and it parts open smoothly. "It's the Roost computer," he explains as they ride down past ground level, into the sublevels a good ways below the building. "It's wired through the entire complex, as well as into the HUDs for any of us that wear domino masks out on the field. So, yeah, it's kind of like a Bat computer."
- Carin Taylor has posed:
"Oh noooooo how horrible..." Carin bemoans playfully, smiling. "...just.. friendly faces are nice to have. Even if one's yours," she jabs without any kind of teeth or malice. Maybe she's at least comfortable enough here to be jokey like that. She lingers and looks at the screens a little more. It's a really cool setup. And she's seen what they've got in the SHIELD labs!
"Really? That... would be awesome. I... well, I have the costume..." she counts on her fingers. "...the... work uniform... um... some... work-labeled workout stuff... and... one cute top and some capris? Ugh, shoes. I need shoes. These--" she points to her SUPER SNEAKERS. Or. Whatever the strange looking tech-footwear is exactly isn't... entirely stylish. "--aren't... pretty...? But, I mean, they work really great... so... shoes are.. complicated.." she mumbles and realizes her supersuit lacks external pockets to shove her hands into.
"This is... all okay, right? I don't want to be like... mooching... or have you feel like I'm stealing or something..." she asks, seeming worried now as they drift deeper into the complex.
- Tim Drake has posed:
The ribbing seems familiar enough that it rolls right off Tim's shoulders. Like water off a duck's back. He quirks a half-smile and rolls his eyes, clearly not bothered, as they head for the elevator.
Which, sure, they could've taken the stairs. But it's a longer way down between level 1 and sub-level 1 than it is between, say, level 2 and level 1. Gotta take the Gotham sewers into account when building secret bases!
"I'm not exactly up on fashion but I think between the two of us we can design you something decent," he says as he leads Carin out into the manufacturing lab, which hosts several large machines. 3D printers (that print more than just plastic or resin), standing drill presses, lathes, and the like. The machine shop of the future. There's also a computer setup here, if smaller than what's upstairs, and Red Robin immediately installs himself at it.
After cracking his knuckles, he nods at Velocity. "This might take a few hours of printing, but let's get some of the prelim stuff out of the way. We'll need a scan for measurements, and maybe an analysis of the shoes you're wearing now to try and replicate something similar." He nods to an x marked in the floor below a sophisticated 360-degree camera setup. "Just stand there, and we'll get started."
