1487/The Tolling of Silver Clockbells

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The Tolling of Silver Clockbells
Date of Scene: 03 May 2020
Location: Sheldon Park - Bleake Island
Synopsis: Shang-Chi, Catwoman, Nightwing and Batman foil the Clock King's latest caper.
Cast of Characters: Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle, Dick Grayson, Shang-Chi




Bruce Wayne has posed:
"I am growing impatient with waiting, William." The dapper, white-clad gentleman in the back of the rental van glances away from the monitors. He holds himself with a ramrod stiffness combined with the bored mien of an aristocrat. A pocket fob watch is produced, examined, and the results elicit a scowl. "We're in position now. Why do we wait?"

"One minute, eleven seconds," mumbles his companion-- a skinny fellow clad in a grungy brown business suit, a narrow face, and a bulging adam's apple. The clocks in his glasses reflect the monitors then turn to look up at his companion. Certainly not 'friends', these two. "Your watch. It's slow. I hate slow watches," he says, and bares his teeth in a grin or a snarl. "This operation requires perfect timing. It's all been scripted. We move when I say. Not before!"

Silversmith scowls at Tockman, but relents the point.

Exactly one minute and eleven seconds later, Tockman's fingers curl around the microphone and he depresses the button. "All teams, move," he orders them. There are two other rental vans blocked with a city block of the Clock King's van; goons bail out of the back and start hurring towards the Gotham Gold Repository, at the center of their little triangular arrangement. Bags, guns, crowbars, and safecracking tools are all in abundance. The first team gets into the lobby and raises a gun in the air-- a round cracks off at the ceiling.

"This is a robbery! On the floor!" he shouts. Nearly simultaneously, the other team cuts the power to the building and sets up sparkgap transmitters to block cell phone signals.

"Right on schedule," Silversmith says, looking mildly impressed. But Clock King's already tearing his hair out in frustration. "No! No! Team A was five seconds too early! I have to account for this now!" he complains, screeching irately.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Batman's not far away; a couple of blocks. What gets his attention is a sudden 'null' signal from the west of his position as the sparkgap kicks on. It blocks a wide array of signals commonly used for radios and cell phones.

Batman switches to a backup UHF frequency. "<Signal jammer just kicked on near 48th and Grove. I'm going in for a closer look,>" he announces. Without waiting to see who replies, he kicks off the building rooftop and glides silently towards the source of the interference.

Selina Kyle has posed:
Running in some of the circles Catwoman does, one occasionally gets snippets of plans that are set to go down. This is how she came to be aware of Clock King and Silversmith setting up a job at the Repository. Dusk is a bit early for her to be out in her work clothes, but sometimes exceptions can be made.

On one hand, it bothered her that these crooks were so two-bit that they had to go with strength and numbers just to pull off a heist. Amateurs. But, when you don't have talent, you just brute force it sometimes. On the other, perhaps she could find a way to benefit from it, see if there's a straggler to interrupt and make a little score for herself.

Or, she might just do something to help foil their plans. You never know with a cat, which incidentally might just be part of why she's such a mystery for Batman, who she's completely unsurprised to see moving through the air en route to the building. She's got a nice spot set up nearby, from elevation. Cats do like their perches, as well.

"Hmmm. This just got more interesting," she muses to herself, while also scowling. She's close enough that the sparkgap interruption does a little something to her own tech, but it doesn't disable any of the vision toggles on her goggles. For the moment, she watches and waits, just in case there are others in the area.

Dick Grayson has posed:
Nightwing had been on patrol in a neighboring area, the hot tip he had picked up on the scanners turned out to be a couple of idiots making more noise than anything else. and picks up Batman's call <Message received. En route.> With that, the eldest of the Robins is making his way on the rooftops of Gotham towards the interference, calling out as he gets closer, <Want me to stay on overwatch or hit the ground with you?> Awaiting instructions, he finds a perch overlooking the intersection called out.

Shang-Chi has posed:
One problem with being an ascetic is that you don't often make a habit of carrying fancy electronic devices. So it is not a sudden lack of communication capacity nor hails over a secure frequency that alerts him to trouble, but rather the distant sound of gunfire. While admittedly not at all uncommon in Gotham, it sounds close enough that he might discern its' origin, and thus what had been a simple errand for an acquaintance in Chinatown, bargaining with a landlord for a bit of mercy, now becomes something else. Ah well, be like water and all that.

So while Shang-Chi does not make his presence known on comms, he is not hard to spot as he approaches the repository at a fair sprint, pausing to study it with a critical eye. Yes, this does seem to be the source of the sound. Which likely means there is a robbery in progress.

Likely time to ruin someone's day.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"<Take the west entrance,>" Batman bids Nightwing. "<I'll come in from the north.>"

Unaware of Catwoman's reconnaisance or Shang-Chi's timely arrival, the Bat and his ward take a pincer approach towards the site of the robbery.

Inside, the main team is busily zip-tying the hostage's hands together. Periodically, Clock King erupts with screaming profanities as they move too far ahead or behind his meticulous schedule. The second team is admitted into the vault by the manager and they start stacking silver boullion into steel-framed backpacks for easy transport.

Batman slips in through a second-story window and swiftly reaches the lobby's overlook point. "<Smoke,>" Batman bids Nightwing, and tosses several smoke pellets down. They start billowing immediately with a gush of thick grey fog that fills the large room rather efficiently. Bewildered cries escape the criminal's lips.

"What the hell is going on in there?" Silversmith demands of Clock King. "I knew this caper would go wrong!" he fumes.

"Quiet!" Clock King responds, harshly. "I accounted for this possibility among my variables! The Bat always sticks his nose in where he's unwanted!" Buttons and switches are pressed on the control console in the van; the heavy-duty HVAC system in the bank kicks into overdrive, threatening to burn out the motors as it sucks the smoke up and vents it at rooftop level.

"I have thought of everything!" Clock King declares, triumphantly. "Let's see how the Bat handles a fight mano y mano!"

More gunfire erupts from indoors as the criminals spot Batman lurking upstairs and start ventilating the upper levels, forcing him to withdraw from his approach point.

Selina Kyle has posed:
There's enough shouting going on that it's not possible for Catwoman to pick up on what's being said within the building, which would be difficult even under normal circumstances. Walls like those are good at blocking sound once the doors close. But, there's more of a commotion outside when the teams pile out of two vans, and as she moves around from her vantage point she spots a third that has the same look, an obvious rental. "Someone's not being very sneaky," she chides under her breath.

The sound of gunfire /does/ make it outside, enough for her to know that Batman, or at least someone else, must be drawing the attention of the people working for the thieves. It's not that she thinks Batman can't handle that. He's probably already recalculating how to systematically take down every last one of them. It's not that Nightwing can't help - she caught a glimpse of him moving in as well, probably summoned. Shang-Chi? Not on her radar just yet.

She makes her choice. It's time to go have a little chat with the ones behind the caper. They're not liable to enjoy the interruption. Knowing Clock King, he probably isn't anticipating it. The whip snaps out at a flagpole sticking out from the side of the building, and she swings her way down to street level, sticking close to the wall as she approaches their van.

Dick Grayson has posed:
<Will do,> Nightwing responds over comms and begins moving in that direction. Finding the fire escape, the former acrobat zooms up the ladder and into a door with a less-than-secure lock. Nightwing takes a breath and puts on his respirator as he gets the smoke memo and sets his mask to infrared as he enters the building, shock sticks out, ready to party, also unaware of the arrival of two other participants in this struggle.

The sound of gunfire catches Nightwing's attention and he is defensive at this point, calling out <You all right?> He spends the next few moments trying to place the sound of gunfire, though the dissipating smoke caught him off-guard as well.

Shang-Chi has posed:
Shang-Chi takes very much the opposite tack from the stealthy approach of the Bat-Clan, moving straight for the main entrance. It's not entirely a reckless gamble. The gunfire from inside could indicate anything from another target to hostages being mowed down. Either way given the bullets are not coming out the front door, it seems whatever they are directed at is within.

And so Shang-Chi is through the doors in a flash, and re-accelerates towards the nearest of the goons, firing his weapon upwards and not paying attention to much else. Who could when the fearsome Batman is in your sights?

Unfortunately that means when Shang-Chi kicks out the back of his leg, quickly strips his weapon from him, slips out the magazine, and hurls each piece in opposite directions, each towards the noggin of another would-be robber, they're pretty well caught by surprise. A quick strike renders the now-weaponless robber unconscious, and then the Master of Kung-Fu is rushing towards the fellow that just got beaned by a Submachine Gun magazine, ready to unleash another swift takedown.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
<I'm fine,> Batman responds, quite tersely. Even his armor isn't meant to stand up to rifle rounds; fortunately the kalashnikovs went wide with automatic fire, and the submachine guns merely grazed him.

There'll still be bruises tomorrow, for certain.

Batman's eyes widen marginally behind the cowl at the sight of a familiar face rushing through the lobby. "<Friendly on the ground,>" Batman informs Nightwing over the comm set. He slips out one window, drops down a story, and reaches through another window to grab a thief by the collar and yank him out. The fellow screams once and falls out the window, hung upside down by his belt and a piton spiked into the wall. "<Shang!>" Batman's voice comes from nowhere and everywhere, disembodied and speaking Cantonese. "<Nightwing is on the west approach."> Gunfire spatters the defilade the brick provides, barely doing more than making Batman pause. "<Twelve by my count. Automatic weapons.>"

Outside, Selina's approach to the van doesn't go un-noticed. Just as she reaches the rear doors, the panels fly open and a silver-edged rapier flicks through the air near her face.

"Blasted Cat! Don't you have anything better to do?" Silversmith demands, and lunges at her with a fleche attack from his cane sword.

"Catwoman?! I didn't account for this variable!" Clock King protests, and starts scrambling to try and rearrange his precious timeline for the heist (which is going swiftly awry!).

Selina Kyle has posed:
It's a good thing Catwoman has the reflexes of a cat. As the doors began to open, she was already starting to shift her weight just in case, and that moment of instinct proves beneficial as the sharp, shiny blade passes by where she'd been a moment before. Her response is to duck beneath the follow-up strike and bind the man's arms with her own, giving him an up-close look at a very annoyed Feline Fatale.

"Oh, Smithy, that's no way to greet a lady. I guess there really /is/ no honor among thieves. Now I won't feel as bad for what I'm about to do." That being a knee driven up between the legs, a notably unladylike gesture. "And is that you in there, Clock King? Are you going to be more reasonable than your partner, here? There are already two in there dealing with your boys, maybe more. This can't be going according to plan."

Dick Grayson has posed:
<Good, working my way over, and will keep an eye out for Shang,> Nightwing remarks as makes his way to an interior railing and looks down at the fray going on, noting Shang. Well, if things went according to plan or as expected, would it really be a Bat Family outing?

Nightwing takes a deep breath and elects to dive down into the fray, not wanting to get into a long range fight with the gunmen, but also banking on having not being noticed, jumps and uses one of the gunmen to break his fall as another gets an escrima stick laden with electricity to the gut, making the gunman have a few regrets.

Shang-Chi has posed:
As the next goon turns to face him, Shang-Chi drops low, sliding right between his legs and then spinning about to sweep him off of his feet. A swift chop to the solar-plexus stuns him long enough for Shang to again strip him of his weapon, smacking him in the head with the butt before once again unloading it and scattering the two parts.

<<I hear you.>> Shang-Chi acknowledges Batman's words in Cantonese, even as he avoids the gunfire of the next goon, pulling the old "Matrix" move of running partway-up and cartwheeling off the wall, landing behind a sturdy piece of furniture, to shelter for a moment or two from oncoming gunfire.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Batman slides along the exterior of the building like he's a mountain goat, grabbing for purchase with toes and fingertips. The leaps and acrobatics don't look like they inconvenience him at all. Whereas the robbers are forced to deal with multiple parties challenging their sense of direction, of human capability, and even of gravity. It's hard to fight an opponent who sees doors as barriers, windows as access points, and walls as travel lanes. Dick and Shang-Chi make short work of their opponents-- at least the first wave. Nightwing's bold aggression serves him well up until some great hulk of a gangster picks up a heavy planter and bowls it right at the former Boy Wonder!

The second group comes out of the vault, gawking in shock at the bedlam, and heavily burdened with silver in rucksacks. The one up front squawks something unintelligible at Shangi-Chi and tries to untangle his submachine gun from his backback, but the kit is irrevocably bound up in his haste.

The flash of silver catches Batman's eye and he turns to watch Selina sparring with Silversmith. The silver haired criminal gets his thigh mostly between Selina's knee and his junk, but the grazing blow still pains him. He staggers and brings his cane sheathe around to swing at Selina's legs like a club.

There's a loud *BANG!* from inside the van, and Silversmith and Selina both go stumbling at a huge impact to Silver's back. He hits the ground hard, groaning in pain.

In the van, Clock King starts reloading the sawed-off shotgun with quick and nervous motions from his fingers. "You'RE RUINING MY SCHEDULE!" he screeches at Selina, and the second he's loaded up, the barrel rises again!

Selina Kyle has posed:
There's still a tussling going on with Silversmith, which Batman is privy to as he seeks to reposition himself outside. Catwoman gets a foot up to deflect the blow, but before much else can be said the shotgun blast causes both to go down. Silversmith took the worst of it by far, and even she looks surprised that he went there so quickly. "You just shot your own partner in the back!" she yells, a little louder than usual because the ears are ringing.

Silversmith is now dead weight, if not literally, so she has to slip free and does so just as Clock King is bringing the gun back up. She swings one of the doors around to slam it shut, but doesn't have the time to do much else. Instead, she ducks low and crouch-walks along the side of the van closest to the building. The catsuit's not going to protect her much from buckshot, but this gives her a chance to dip into her shoulder bag for something that might help.

Dick Grayson has posed:
Nightwing is now comfortable and in a sort of rhythm, trying to avoid trouble, but then comes the potted plant. Improvised weapons are the worst, but this is not Dick's first rodeo so he is able to jump mostly out of the way, though it does manage to clip his arm, sending Nightwing to the ground as his balance is thrown off. "Fantastic," he grumbles and rises to his feet.

The offending bowler soon has the issue of a ticked off Nightwing charging towards him, brandishing both sticks, he goes for a non-direct assault and aims to run to the side of the man, bringing his sticks down both behind the left knee and at the center of the brute's back, making sure to get a good jolt into each, causing the man to collapse, still breathing, but definitely not living his best life right now.

Shang-Chi has posed:
Shang-Chi launches himself towards the new group of heavily-laden robbers, reaching out to slap down the submachinegun just as the fellow finally starts to clear it, then following up with a powerful strike to breadbasket that sends the man stumbling back amidst his fellows, threatening to topple over due to his heavy pack.

Shang follows closely behind though, putting himself right in the midst of the group, lashing out rapidly in multiple directions with a flurry of strikes and kicks, not necessarily instantly incapacitating in and of themselves, but painful and debilitating enough to keep them distracted and disoriented, and above all else to give them a hard time concentrating on their weaponry. Thankfully those heavy packs make it hard for them to maneuver.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Up close, Shang has the advantage over the robbers. Their balance is ruined by the packs, and they struggle to bring weapons to bear effectively against the Master of Kung Fu. A few interrupted bursts of fire dig holes in the stone and drywall; one man actually manages to shoot a fellow goon twice in the calf, and they both go down in surprise. Shang's superior mobility allows him to swiftly and effortlessly neutralize the entire pack team.

For Nightwing, it's much the same; he drops the brute in place, leaving no more of the intruders standing. Most are down, unconscious or broken, and the groans and protests of the injured fill the air. Terrified customers and staff cower in the corner; the first distant wailings of sirens can be heard.

Silversmith is down and wheezing in pain, clutching broken ribs; his vest can stop bullets but physics is a harsh mistress, and the flexible cloth was never intended to stop a shotgun blast at close range. He fumbles for his sword, crawling on hands and knees.

The first barrel of the shotgun erupts and digs nine neat holes in the van's rear panel. Clock King curses under his breath and tracks the barrel along Selina's path, doing the math to get the timing down to a split-second. With only the van sidewall between his gun and Catwoman's head, his finger curls around the trigger.

A batarang with a small explosive charge glides into the panel van's rear hatch and lodges against the control panel. A microsecond before Clock King tests Catwoman's nine lives, it explodes, and sends him flying against the backwall and dazing him badly.

Selina Kyle has posed:
A grimace from the damage done to the door, but it was a good move to buy Catwoman a moment. What she doesn't realize is he's tracking her, predicting her movements. It pays to be erratic with Clock King, to do things he has to continue to account for. Would it prove to be her undoing?

The sound of something within the van gets her to pause and lift her head, eyes cast up high where she gets a sighting of /him/ before she gives Batman a brief nod, if a reluctant one. The explosion may bring the scrambled tech back online for those in the near vicinity, but with the thump that follows inside, she sees a chance to get a little payback.

If Batman is still watching, he'll see her flow around the side of the van again, then into it, a figure in black moving like the animal she styles herself after. Inside, she takes advantage of Tockman's loopy conditions, leading with a chop to the face, a vertical elbow to the solar plexus. "Time's up," she scowls. "You crossed the wrong cat tonight."

Dick Grayson has posed:
Nightwing takes a breath and scans the room. He hops back up to his feet, just in case someone else is sneaking about, but after failing to see any signs of them, he calls out over comms <<See anyone else out here? You all right?>> He beginschecking the room out, until he hears the explosion and sirens and begins running towards the nearest exit of the bank to where he heard the explosion.

Shang-Chi has posed:
Shang-Chi, still in a fighting stance, quickly scans the room, making sure no thieves are still standing (The feline company outdoors notwithstanding). Seeing none left conscious, he straightens, and just to be on the safe side sets to stripping the robbers of their weapons and binding them, often with the straps of their own gear. Especially once Nightwing goes to check outside. Does the explosion concern Shang? Well, yes, but best to have someone do the housekeeping here before moving on. With Batman and his eldest protegee on the scene, the Master of Kung-fu is relatively confident matters outside are well-in-hand, or will be in short order.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Catwoman takes Clock King down quite readily; a master of timing and precision, yes, but he's a frail human and she's a lot of angry feline femme fatale. Batman drops into view just in time to see a wheezing Clock King slumping to the floor, clutching his depleted diaphragm.

"Don't lose your head, Cat," Batman bids Catwoman with his usual gruff deadpan. It's hard to tell if there's a joke in there from his tone alone.

His cowl pivots away from her as his commset activates. "<Nightwing. My compliments to Shang-Chi. We're clear out here. What's the situation in the bank?>"

Selina Kyle has posed:
Catwoman glances over a shoulder at Batman's words, then tosses Clock King out to land at his feet, near Silversmith.

Is the cat gifting a catch to the bat?

"A little mouse told me there might be a some action around here tonight, so I thought I'd be in the area to see what happened. They both attacked me, then he shot him in the back," she explains, gesturing toward one then the other. She drew no blood, and while the claws are always out, so to speak, they weren't used on either of them.

She arches a brow behind the goggles when she hears two other names, leading to her first reaction being to say, "Maybe I should disappear."

Dick Grayson has posed:
<<Indeed, seems he took out most of them,>> Nightwing calls out over comms, <<Heard sirens and an explosion so I made my way out here,>> he looks around the exterior of the bank, <<If our good friends at PD are on their way, I'll double check inside, but we should probably get scarce.>>

Nightwing heads inside to see Shang-Chi beginning to bind the prisoners, "Care for some help?" Dick asks as he begins helping without a response, "Thanks for your help, by the way."

Shang-Chi has posed:
"It was no trouble." Shang-Chi replies to Nightwing with a small smile, inclining his head towards a cluster of unbound goons when the offer of help is made. "As it so happened, I was in the neighborhood."

He glances about as he finishes taking care of his cluster and notes, "If you wish to leave me restraints, I can finish if you and yours need make themselves scarce. It will be no trouble to speak with the Police." Not having a secret identity to protect sometimes CAN be helpful.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"A.... mouse. Told you."

Batman's sightless eyes focus on Selina's face, unreadable for a few beats, then he turns his head to look at the bank. He's already breaking into motion as he steps away from her and extracts a grapnel launcher from under his belt.

"<Police en route. You've got ninety seconds,>" Batman advises Nightwing. "<Catwoman's here. Took down the masterminds in a getaway van.>"

He looks back at Selina, still speaking aloud. "<Invite the seifu to join us. Harborside Building, alley. Five minutes.>" The Bat nods once at Selina and lifts the tool to aim upwards; there's a *thunk* of compressed air as it whirls skywards and latches onto a firm surface. Batman hits the spool and it yanks him upwards in a rush of air, escaping into the middling darkness of dusk between the sun setting and streetlights coming on.

Selina Kyle has posed:
Sirens and felines do not go well together, so there are definitely reasons not to linger. Catwoman hasn't left any evidence behind aside from what may show up on security footage, and if that's the case she'll come out of it looking pretty good. Never went inside, didn't touch anything stolen, even helped bust the ones behind it. Oh, that will probably spread through the criminal underground in no time, but she'll deal.

"You have your sources, and I have mine," she sniffs in Batman's direction, giving him a haughty lift of the chin by the time he's telling them what she actually did, then that expression turns to one of curiosity. She's being included in the pow-wow? Whether he expects her to answer or not before he's up in the air again, she makes use of her whip to get her along the way toward scaling a fire escape, so she can traverse the rooftops.

Dick Grayson has posed:
<<Gotcha, will give him the invitation, he wants to talk to the cops, but I'll let him know,>> Nightwing says and nods as he comments. He turns to Shang-Chi, "Batman wants to meet with us in the alley next to the Harborside Building in five," he finishes restraining a guy and tosses a couple of restraints to Shang, "I'll see you there. Thanks again!" With that, Dick slips on out of the building and sneaks on over to the assigned meeting place, waiting on a roof to keep an eye for the other party guests.

Shang-Chi has posed:
Shang-Chi catches the restraints, and nods towards Nightwing, quickly making sure the last few prisoners are secure. And with that done, he departs for the appointed meeting place. Willing to speak to the police? Yes, but eager? Not really. Spending all afternoon helping them write a report does not terribly appeal, even for one with great patience. So before long, Shang-Chi finds his way to the designated rooftop. Looking distinctly less costumed than the other individuals but no less comfortable for it.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Batman's there first, lurking in the shadows near-invisibly when Nightwing, then Shang-Chi arrive. He emerges from an alcove and nods once at his ward. A slight gesture of approval, but approval all the same. "You were quick. Good response time," Batman bids him.

He turns then to Shang-Chi, and then extends an offered handshake from under the cloak. "<Grateful for your aid,>" he bids Shang, in perfect Cantonese. "<It's good to see you. You remember Nightwing,>" Batman says by way of introduction, and gestures minutely at his ward. There is a little thawing of Batman's usual frosty, clipped language while speaking to Shang-Chi. Almost like respect in his gravel-laden baritone.

Selina Kyle has posed:
Catwoman will be the last one to arrive, doing so as quietly as she can. Steps can be silent, and shadows begin to deepen as the dark of night more rapidly sets in. She does not say a word yet, waiting for them to initiate, but although she keeps herself at a distance from the three men, she places herself such that they can see her without having to look very hard. Hands rest at her hips, and the whip has been coiled back up.

Dick Grayson has posed:
Nighting nods to Batman once he arrives, "Thanks, glad it went as well as it could have, no small part to him," Dick nods to Shang once he is there. He then nods to Catwoman when she arrives, "And the fourth member of the party is here, I did not know you were around, what brought you in on this? Already heard Shang's story."

Shang-Chi has posed:
Shang-Chi extends his own hand, shaking Batman's firmly, accompanied by a slight bow "It was no trouble. Particularly with Nightwing there as well." He inclines his head towards Nightwing, smiling just a touch and extending the hand towards him once released. "It has been some time, but yes." His eyes do track to Catwoman, but he lets her make her own introductions, or not, should she so wish.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Batman returns the bow with the same semi-formality, matching Shang's nuanced expression of respect with a courtesy just a little beyond pure professionalism. "I think he might have still been in the green and red last time you two talked," Batman agrees, and his cowl pivots sideways a fraction towards Nightwing. Those glowing, sightless eyes betray nothing of his expression, but there's a slight tightening around the corner of his mouth when he makes that remark.

He becomes aware of Selina's presence, then, when Nightwing hails her, and turns his shoulders so he can address her as well as the two gentlemen. "Catwoman," he says. "Nightwing," Batman remarks, gesturing at his former ward. "And Shang-Chi," he adds, and nods slightly towards Shang-Chi again. That round of introductions made, he turns it around, head tilting vaguely in her direction. "This is Catwoman. Sometimes vigilante. More often, thief and cat burglar."

Selina Kyle has posed:
There's a lingering show of interest from the costumed woman, with Shang-Chi the one who would stand out if they were to play the old Sesame Street song about one of these things not being like the others. He has no apparent secret identity.

Catwoman does, however, give him an appropriate bow, the sort that might be expected from one martial artist to another, then she's back to playing aloof as she takes up a spot next to a big metal HVAC unit.

"You could say curiosity got the best of me. Did I ever tell you getting rid of the short pants was a good move?" Eyes flick toward Batman and she adds, "Very questionable taste in sidekick attire."

Dick Grayson has posed:
"I do not miss that, there's a reason I made changes," Nightwing says in regards to the costume change with a snort of amusement and gestures to the lack of cape, "Thing kept getting caught in stuff, and yeah it has been a bit since we talked, Shang-Chi." Catwoman gets another nod as Batman does the introductions. "Yeah, things had to change, but I'll take that as a compliment," he flashes a grin to her.

Shang-Chi has posed:
"And by reputation, one of most exceptional skill." Shang-Chi notes of Catwoman's thief and burglar status, but returns her bow, with all the formality intact. Neither voice nor expression gives any sense of judgment as to Selina's career path. He's hardly one to judge, given where he started. He does look back to Nightwing and chuckles, "Whatever your uniform, your skill has only grown, I see."

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"Glad you stepped in," Batman advises Selina. "Silversmith's no one of particular note, aside from being relatively wealthy. Clock King is dangerous, though. Obsessive-compulsive behaviour fixated on timing. Makes him brilliant, but erratic. And predictable. Still. Check him for shotguns next time," he suggests.

The Bat looks at Shang-Chi and Nightwing. "He's performing as expected," Batman tells Shang-Chi. From most folks it might be a low insult; from Batman, a rare compliment. His chin uplifts fractionally at Shang. "Why were you in the area? Happenstance? Or did you get a tip?"

Selina Kyle has posed:
Catwoman seems to look a little proud of herself following the remarks about her capabilities when it comes to the things she does that Batman would not approve of. "They were giving good burglars like me a bad name, just waltzing in like that and starting to shoot the place up. No subtlety at all, too many people around. Not a very smart plan, if you ask me." Smiling enough for them to see it, she shares, "If I'm going to do something like that, do you think I want to risk someone like you spotting me before I've even started?"

She gestures with a clawed hand toward both Batman and Nightwing, but Shang-Chi's presence is not forgotten. "I also don't go looking for fights most of the time, and you look like you're more than capable as well." There is definitely confidence and ego speaking, though she's quick to add, "And remember, I was behaving. I helped stop them, so there's no need to try to pack me off to Arkham or anything like that. I didn't want any of you getting shot up." Which..is probably true, at least in Batman's case.

Dick Grayson has posed:
Nightwing catches the compliment for what it is, and gives Batman a nod of thanks, and gives Shang one as well, "Thanks, it's taken a bit but glad that things have worked out so far, mostly." He grins and then looks to Catwoman, "I mean, there is an appreciation to trade craft, even if I prefer most burglars to be incompetent. You didn't do anything wrong, this time. Could be worse."

Shang-Chi has posed:
"Happenstance. I was a block or so away, representing an acquaintance from Chinatown in a..." Shang-Chi searches for the both appropriate and delicate way to put it, "Financial dispute. He does not speak English, so I spoke on his behalf. The matter was settled to both parties' satisfaction, I believe."

"An overly violent cat burglar does seem counterproductive." Shang notes with a touch of humor lacing his voice and features.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
"Arkham's for the mentally challenged," Batman informs Catwoman. "You're perfectly sane. It'd be Blackgate or Riker's. If you were to cause trouble," he amends. Sly joke, or earnest promise? Nightwing might be the only person who can readily tell the difference and discern when Batman's sense of humor comes out.

"<It's good to see you,>" Batman bids Shang-Chi. "<I'll stop in sometime.>" He looks to his ward, nods once, and then turns away, pausing only to regard Catwoman with a level look. "Cat," he says, by way of bidding her farewell. Then he's taking several steps forward and vanishes off the side of the building, leaving the others to their devices for the evening.

Selina Kyle has posed:
"I'm about as sane as you are, Bat," Catwoman points out, letting him be the one to determine what that says about the two of them. "And if I was bad at what I did, Nightwing, things would be much different, wouldn't they?"

With Batman taking his leave, she decides it's time for her to make her escape. Not, however, before she tells Shang-Chi, "I might have liked to see you in action in there. I hear you made short work of the goons." For the former Robin, she adds, "I know we often work on opposite sides, but every once in a while I do know how to play nice."

Then, she leaps off the side of the roof, into the night.

Dick Grayson has posed:
"We're all a little bananas," Nightwing says with a nod and before he can say good-bye to Batman, his mentor is gone. To Catwoman, he gives a grin, "Things would be very different indeed, but at least we get along, as you just noted." Then she leaves.

"Well, Shang-Chi, it was good working with you, but it seems that I had best get clear of this place before too many people start poking around. Thanks again for the help!" With that, the former Robin runs and jumps into the darkness.

Shang-Chi has posed:
Shang-Chi makes his farewells, and lacking the technological means of his erstwhile comrades-in-arms, he resorts to the fire escape, but either way in short order the Master of Kung-Fu is on his way back to his Chinatown home. Just another day in Gotham for all of them, it seems.