14997/Party on Patrol

Party on Patrol
Date of Scene:	25 May 2023
Location:	Kingston - Miagani Island
Synopsis:	From prior player
Cast of Characters:	Tim Drake, Phoebe Beacon

---

Tim Drake has posed:
    Kingston's always a bit of a toss-up when it comes to patrolling it. It's either a quiet night because everyone in the area has paid their mafia protection money, or the crooks is out in force to acquire said protection money. It's just the nature of the beast, even after all the work put in to clear the surrounding neighborhoods of their criminal presence.

    Well, that or it's an all-out gang war, but Tim is hoping for something a little lighter duty tonight. And so far, Gotham is being kind. Which is unusual, isn't it?

    It's kind of freaking him out, to be honest, so he's trying not to think about it too much. He straightens up from zip-tying a would-be mugger to a light post and scans the area before retrieving his grapple gun from his belt.

    Red Robin is mid-air when he says, "Evening, Oriole," into his comms-unit, having noticed the blip of her signal in the mini-map on the lower right of his HUD.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Gotham is being kind. After slinging some overly aggressive people on the wrong road to love into the ocean last night and stringing them up like bait off a crane, Oriole was running a little bit aside her usual route through the city.

    "Reeed Robin!" she sing-songs brightly, coming to a skidding stop on a nearby rooftop as she pauses to stretch her shoulders, cap fluttering slightly in the breeze.

    "How goes your evening?"

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim hums out a single note at the end of Phoebe's sing-song, and no one in the history of forever can accuse him of not taking a joke from now on. It doesn't matter that the air is whipping past him, nearly drowning him out, as he does so. Nope. Still counts.

    With a whoosh of air and the crackle of rooftop gravel, Red Robin alights on a rooftop and lifts a hand to wave across the way to Oriole. "Had a guy try to hold up a couple of folks with a switchblade. Just called it in," he answers, and then motions down to the semi-prone figure on the street below who is just now realizing the situation he's stuck in.

    "How about you?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Oriole comes in at a low slide, her arms up for balance as she skids to a stop on someone's roof, and she raises her hand as she comes to a halt, reaching up to hold a no-longer-active TV antenae.

    Phoebe almost never makes the reference. She knows what it's like to be the butt of a lot of jokes.

    "Couple purse snatchers got a very stern talking to. Someone earned themselves a 'I tried to rob a cape in Gotham and all I got was this stupid T-shirt and an updated rap sheet'." she can be *HEARD* grinning.

    "Why do people keep trying to steal our wallets?!"

Tim Drake has posed:
    "As if they could even find a wallet in all of these pouches," Tim says back, and the smile is audible in his own voice just the same, if a bit subtler than Phoebe's grinning. He puts his hands on his hips after clipping his grapple gun back where it goes, and turns his face into the wind. It ruffles his hair, and he looks out over Gotham, stretching out towards the sea.

    He shakes his head and glances Phoebe's way before shrugging, even if the motion might be missed across the distance. "Well, Gotham's criminals are nothing if not bold, that much you can't deny." With little warning he takes off at a run, leaping across the gap between rooftops to the next one, and then the next, and then the next. He's running parallel to Phoebe's location, so they're still in each other's orbits. "Cops are here," he reports, which is Bat-code for "find the nearest shadow to disappear into".

    And then, yes, the sound of approaching sirens precedes the flashing blue-red of lights by only a moment.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Mm, yeah, they popped up on my HUD." Phoebe turns, and the Oriole, with her gray and orange highlights, turns and begins to run paralell to Red Robin.

    <<Speaking of bold-->> her voice comes over the comm again <<Cu tmy hair. IT was a mistake. It is /so bad/. I haven't been able to show it even to get it fixed!>>

Tim Drake has posed:
    This is the best part of being on patrol. Free-running, parkour, whatever you want to call it... maybe it's cheating to use the grapple gun, sure, but there's nothing quite like the feel of wind on your face and the blood pumping through your veins.

    Red Robin turns on a corner and swings down to the ground, only to reappear a few seconds later via a fire escape. "<<Speaking of wallets--,">> he says at basically the exact same time Oriole remarks a similar phrase, and then he has to pause to laugh at the synchronicity, before he makes a faint grimace sound at Phoebe's predicament. "<<We can pay someone to come give you a hush-hush haircut at the Manor if it's that bad,>>" he commiserates.

    And then he holds up something, having come to a stop on the rooftop. It's... a wallet.

    Which explains why he said what he said.

    "<<Spotted this on the sidewalk just as I was about to jump across. Shall we do a good deed tonight?>>"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    <<That requires people seeing my hair. There... ah... was an accident.>> comes Oriole's embarrassed reply as she hops up and crouches, gargoyle-like, her cape picking up behind her, hood fluttering a moment.

    <<Can you imagine some guy worrying about his wallet and then just two of us show up to give it over? /Absolutely/. I live for the good deeds!>> Phoebe grins.

Tim Drake has posed:
    "<<...We can pay someone a lot of money to be *very discreet*,>>" Tim adds, after a moment of deliberation.

    And then he opens the wallet. "<<Bernard Dowd. Huh. Name sounds familiar.>>" He runs through his mental rolodex, then his actual rolodex, which is to say he browses through his contacts list and public-facing socials. "<<Nope, nothing.>>"

    He sits across from Phoebe, feet dangling over the edge of the rooftop. Sure, there's a street in-between, but comms means that's no obstacle to conversation. "<<He doesn't live near here. Let me do some casual stalking and see if we can figure out what he's doing in the area.>>" The light of his holo-computer screen casts stark shadows across his face as he opens it up and starts typing.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    <<Bernard Dowd. That name does sound kinda familiar, but I don't think he's involved in my crowd.>> Phoebe replies as she considers, and as Tim searches his holo-computer, she's stalking online media through her domino feed. <<I'll see if his social media has any check-ins in the area. He's not an influencer or anything is he?>>

    She lets one leg drop down, the other neatly tucked beneath her chin, searching social media.

Tim Drake has posed:
    While Tim is looking for any known associates of one Bernard Dowd living in the area, Phoebe strikes gold on social media. There's apparently a graduation party happening at Mama Mia's Italian Ristorante only a couple blocks away. And the rail station is another block in exactly the opposite direction, so their mystery wallet owner likely walked this way to get to the party.

    So off they go, to do their good deed. If Tim calls out "Race you!" after he's already started running then he's not cheating, just getting a headstart since he's on the wrong side of the street from the restaurant.

    He alights on sidewalk after sliding down a ladder from a fire escape, adjusts his cape with a quick flick of his wrist, and then scans the front of Mama Mia's. There are big open windows facing the street, and it only takes a few seconds before he's IDed Bernard; a moment more and then Phoebe's HUD will have a marker on it as well, tracking their target. "Looks like he's heading to the bathroom," he says. "Maybe we catch him in the back hall."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Huh. Looks like our Man of the Hour is attending a party at Mama Mia's." she looks across the street to Red Robin. "Here we go again."

    Finishing up the thought that no doubt was only in her mind, but as she gets up to follow, and Tim yells 'Race you!', it is /on/. She dodges along mid-level, swinging from street lamps and running along fascades of buildings but ultimately, Oriole loses out to Red Robin's experience, as she takes a moment to catch her breath.

    "If I wasn't on Bat Time I would have beat you." she mutters with playful crossness to her voice, giving Tim a shoulder nudge as they id Bernard.

    "Oh, he *is* familiar! Now I know where I know the name." She gives a bright grin beneath her hood, and she gives a nod.

    "Should we crash the party? It looks like they have bruchetta."

Tim Drake has posed:
    It is with utter horror that Tim breathes out "My my, how can I resist you," and then even with the domino mask on, the glare he sends across the way to Phoebe is *obvious*. Now that's going to be stuck in his head for the rest of the night!

    He's panting slightly by the time they reach their destination, but the adrenaline rush accompanying it is a good one, a natural high that he can appreciate. One that comes part and parcel with the vigilante experience. "We shouldn't schmooze in uniform with anyone that can potentially ID us," he points out, and then with a grin of revenge, he pings a safehouse nearby. "Quick-change time. Meet me back here in 5."

    Tim must have another bolthole that he's set up privately, because he goes left when Phoebe goes right, and he's a little bit slower to make the return in civilian clothes. Dark-wash jeans, a t-shirt, and a nice jacket thrown overtop to make it party-appropriate, he emerges from an alleyway and stands by a lightpost, the light of his phone illuminating his face briefly as he plays the part of distracted college kid trying to find where he's supposed to be going.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Mmm, good adreniline instead of the bad panicky adreniline.

    Five minutes isn't a lot of time for a girl. Luckily Phoebe considers this 'extrenuating circumstances' and is a cheater.

    So she flounces back, wearing a pair of decent flats, pedal-pusher jeans and a tank top underneath a bolero jacket, her hair spilling out of a head cover in pearl and navy blue cheetah pattern which just accentuates the dusty pink rose color of her natural kinks and coils, which are jutting about at odd angles as she adjusts the cloth for maximum bounce.

    "Okay, okay, you can tell me that the hair looks dumb and I promise that I'll tell you the *how* if you don't laugh."

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim looks up from his phone and, yeah, his eyebrows go up as he takes in Phoebe's hair situation. "So you're an anime girl now," he says, and there's a smile to go along with it. "I think it's cool. Did you go traditional dyeing or the magic route?"

    Whatever answer is given, Tim offers his arm out to Phoebe and then, ever the gentleman, escorts her across the street to Mama Mia's.

    The bell above the door dings as they enter but it's hard to hear over the noise of the crowd. The whole restaurant seems to have been taken over by the party, with tables pushed out of the way so that people can mingle while enjoying the food from an impressively well-equipped buffet of Italian bite-size appetizers. The wine is, of course, flowing freely for the event. "Keep your eye out for Bernard," he says, head turned to Phoebe and voice lowered.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I've finally fufilled all my life goals. Worked with Gotham's Finest and finally become an Anime." Phoebe rolls her eyes, and she takes Tim's arm before she leans in and whispers:

    "Main issue is I tried to cut it, but it's nicely hidden by having a hair scarf. Attempted to change the color of /someone's/ car. The car had *other* ideas." she admits softly, and taking a breath, because crowds are still not Phoebe's thing, she follows in, lost in the din of the crowd. Her hand squeezes a little more against Tim's elbow as she nimbly dodges a reveller with a full glass of something red, ducking below another elbow with her eyes wide, and then turns, looking around for the blond head of Bernard Dowd.

    "Oooh they have biscotti at that table."

Tim Drake has posed:
    More than once Tim has to steel himself against someone bumping into him, his mouth set in a firm line as they navigate the busy restaurant. It's a bit of a nightmare for Tim himself, truth be told, but he's got more experience in this sort of thing at least. He'll never be a natural like Bruce is in front of a crowd, but he's good at pretending. So after a moment or two, his expression lightens.

    And he doesn't say anything, but he gives two quick squeezes to Phoebe's arm and nods towards the back hallway, where Bernard is standing, a frown on his face as he pats the pockets of his trousers. "And that's our cue," Tim mutters, easily dodging left and then right to close the distance betweent hem and their target. "Hey, sorry, I think maybe you dropped this?" he says, voice filled with what sounds like genuine confusion as he offers up the wallet.

    Bernard, for his part, looks shocked but then immediately relieved as he extends a hand to take it. "Oh my god, you are a *lifesaver* thank you so much!"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Yeah, we found it out on the floor," Phoebe adds in, giving her happy face to Bernard at the assuredly relieved feeling of your wallet no longer being lost.

    "We were trying to find the PA or DJ or something to announce it, but geez is this place crowded! Heck of a party though!" the shorter of the Waynes in attendence gives a grin, and then she snap-points her fingers.

    "Bernard, right? Didn't I used to run into you at the Twin Pine Mall when I worked at MoonCentz Coffeehouse?"

Tim Drake has posed:
    "Thanks again," Bernard repeats as he slots his wallet back in its place, in his pocket. He looks between Phoebe and Tim and then back again, his eyes narrowing before opening wide in recognition. "Phoebe! It's been a while, how've you been?"

    Meanwhile Tim has a certain look on his face, head tilting slightly to the side. "I haven't seen you around in forever, I was wondering what happened to you," Bernard continues, even as Tim's brow furrows.

    Finally, Tim snaps his fingers, and points at Bernard. "Didn't you go to Brentwood Academy?"

    As if on cue, Bernard points to himself. "Who, me? I did, why do you ask?"

    Given that there's seemingly no recognition coming from Bernard's side of the equation, Tim only shakes his head. "We might've had a couple classes together, but it was a long time ago."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Oh, well, ah..." Phoebe stammers a moment, because how do you say 'I got fired because my adopted dad who ended up being a demon accidentally set fire to the place fighting a bunch of demon possessed Karens' and make it sound normal.

    "Personality clashes with some of the coworkers." she states, giving a small wave of her hand, "Happens, lot of prima donnas." she states, and then she looks to Bernard, and then looks to Tim, and she raises her eyebrows.

    "Ooh, look at you making the connections." she states to Tim, and then she chooses to introduce them.

    "Bernard, this is my other adopted brother Tim. Tim, knew the name was familiar. Bernard used to eat lunch with me when I worked at the mall for the experience of... working at a mall." she trails off, and then gives a soft 'bleh'. "Horrible experience really, but I still can do a mean espresso pull."

Tim Drake has posed:
    Bernard stares at Tim for a time, but nothing seems to come to him, so he says, "Ah, sorry... I usually don't forget a face. But--."

    "It's okay. Like I said, it was only a few classes, and I ended up leaving the Academy in high school." Tim shrugs one shoulder, and then shares a quick look with Phoebe before he clears his throat. "Anyway, we should get going. Great party!"

    But Bernard holds out a hand. "No way, you can't leave yet, we just got started! Come on, at least have some bruschetta, it's Mama's signature dish." He looks left and right, suspiciously, then steps in closer to say, "You didn't hear it from me, but I don't think there was ever a Mama Mia. I don't think the owners are even Italian. Still, the food's good!"