15126/Robin' the Banks

Robin' the Banks
Date of Scene:	11 June 2023
Location:	Tricorner Island
Synopsis:	In desperation, River opts to rob a bank in Gotham City. Unfortunately two dumbass taggers left the door open and attracted one of the local non-animal-named vigilantes as Red Hood SHOCKS everyone.
Cast of Characters:	River Banks, Jason Todd

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River Banks has posed:
    It was probably a really, really dumb decision to rob a bank in Gotham City. She'd been casing the place off and on in different clothing. Opened two accounts under two different people. Filled and then drained the accounts to give a paper trail of the physical money she had deposited. Withdrew funds and closed one account in a different branch.

    And now the prep was done.

    The alarms and redundant alarms short out. The cameras fitz, dripping with water on the floor. The door was unlocked into the lobby, which when the bank's closed really should be an indicator of something Wrong.

    And inside? There's a couple of toughs in gang colors who are tagging the place and making a mess, spraypaint on the walls and crossing over the teller windows.

Jason Todd has posed:
So what does one do when they notice unusual after hours activity at a place such as a bank? Many people would see without seeing. They wouldn't think a thing of it, not taking time to put the details together. Some would figure it out and they'd either keep their head down and pretend not to have seen anything; or they'd have just called 911 and gotten the hell out of the way before anything happened.

Then there are those who aren't bright enough to leave things to those best qualified to handle situations like this. These are the ones who make up much less than one percent of the One Percent of society. The ones who dress up in crazy costumes(armor) and take things into their own hands and work above or beyond the law.

Red Hood falls into that last category. He hadn't intended to get involved with an apparent bank robbery. In reality, Jason had been coming to use the ATM. Because he is one of that other one percent. Those who still carry some amount of cash with them.

Seeing the activity, it was clear someone else was here to make a withdrawal.

Driving past the bank, he drove around the corner before flipping the switch that blacks out the windows and changes the color of his car. Then came the well practiced quickchange from civilian to vigilante.

Just a few minutes later he steered the car back to the bank and then made his way to the front door. Because self preservation wasn't really his kind of thing.

"Pretty sure that Banker's Hours finished quite a while ago." He directs it in a threatening tone toward the two who were almost certainly just minions.

River Banks has posed:
    THe door opens with an appropriate little squeak. Man, one of those hinges needs a liddle WD-40!

    The squeak also catches the attention of the two toughs who are tagging inside the bank, who both draw up their face masks and look at Red Hood, and one grimmaces visably beneath his mask.

    "Awh shit, it's one a' da bats!" he grunts, and with a remarkable lack of self-preservation on his own part, he launches his spraypaint can at Red Hood while taking up a piece of pipe in order to try and follow up the distracting spray can with a very distracting braining on pipe!

    "I geddim!" he calls out as his compatriot is having difficulty drawing a weapon from his side, but is rushing to take cover behind the reception desk!

    "You geddim, I'll cover yas!"

    No sign of whoever is responsible for the water damage -- these two don't seem like they're the brightest of the bunch.

Jason Todd has posed:
The squeaky hinge might have annoyed some of the other Bats. The ones that make their mark on being silent. Like Batman. Who are we kidding. He'd have a can of Bat-Spray to oil the hinges before even knowing they needed oiling.

Red Hood is more of the bull in a china shop sort of stealth.

"Oh shit. It is!" he agrees with the one thug. "And now he's going to kick your fucking asses." Because he wants to. Not because he actually has to.

Side stepping the flying paint can, Red Hood steps into the swing of the pipe. Reaching up with his left arm, he blocks the blow with his forearm. Which probably hurts more than the silence the blow is given.

River Banks has posed:
    One Ringy-Dingy as it hits armor! The guy's hands vibrate and ache as he grits his teeth, looking back to Red Hood before he resquares his stance and takes another swing at Todd with the lead pipe in hand with a grunt of effort "Gonna drop you like a bad habit Red bat!"

    Meanwhile the one with the gun is taking aim at Red Hood, his eyes narrowed and... tongue sticking out in concentration...?

    "Gonna drop him like a bad habit! Ha! Good one!" he caws.

Jason Todd has posed:
Red Hood may have less respect for death these days but he isn't stupid. After deflecting the first blow, he closes in on the thug as that pipe winds up for another swing. That's when the knuckles of his armored glove seek to introduce themselves to the thug's facemask.

"You're working too hard and not getting anything done. Take a nap."

River Banks has posed:
    CRUNCH.

    "Uuuughhnnn..." Thug the First, last of his name states before he collapses beneath the weight of his own stupidity in taking on the Red Hood with a shake can of pink paint.

    The second one, seeing that he's not really covered, gives a squeak and a very girlish little scream before he fires three rounds at Red Hood. THe first one goes EXTRA wide and hits one of the cameras, draining it of water and causing it to spark dangerously.

Jason Todd has posed:
As further proof that Red Hood is a bit less than sane, he doesn't even flinch. He does, however, look at the now leaking and sparking camera.

"Care to explain /why/ the camera is... leaking?" he asks as he closes in on the shrieking and wildly firing Thug Number Two. The problem is that he is unlikely to get an answer as he draws his own guns and fires back at the thug, slinging taser rounds. Probably with more accurate aim if he does say so himself.

River Banks has posed:
    "ARRUGHBLE--" Thug the Second replies, as he twitches, then tilts over, twitches again, and stills from the taser round.

    Jason is much, much more accurate with his aim. Also his gun's way better quality.

    And that's when there's another footstep coming from the stairs.

    "What the sam hell happened out here?" comes a very Southern drawl, and there's a shorter figure there.

    Hooded, with a fitted jacket over an athletic frame, paintball-looking mask and a pair of goggles on their face for some ID protection. Pair of leather pants for minimum armor, and good quality boots, carrying a duffle bag over their shoulder as they turn to look to Red HOod.

    "... don't suppose this is a good time to mention they weren't with me?"

Jason Todd has posed:
Lowering his guns as the thug falls into a twitching puddle on the floor, Red Hood looks at the new arrival.

"Not buying that line at all. It's also 'Sam Hill'" he offers flatly.

"They were useless to start with. Now?" He shrugs. "So I'll ask again, because I'm feeling indulgent. How'd the camera get full of water?" He doesn't take his eues off the new arrival as he waits for what is sure to be a good story.

River Banks has posed:
    The figure at the far end of the bank looks down at the thug, and then back up at Red HOod.

    "It's whatever the hell comes outta my mouth, sunshine." the figure states evenly. "An' that's the truth. Prefer to work alone. Less questions, y'know?" the Southerner states, reaching up with their other gloved hand and pulling her hood foward, she breathes out:

    "And thank God you're not the alien or the Justice Leaguer." she mutters, and her hand moves in a smooth motion.

    She does give her answer to Red Hood. In a fashion. The water dripping from the camera puddles in mid-air into a soccer-ball sized bubble, and then comes for Red Hood's back trying to catch him unaware!

Jason Todd has posed:
"No. It's not. Using a minced oath incorrectly is just.. completely disrespectful to the bastardized language of American English." Usually it's the bad guys that monologue.

Time Was.

He also lacks eyes in the back of his head. So unless a bubble of water wiggles and jiggles like a sheet of steel being shaken, it's going to hit him. He isn't clairvoyant. For the sake of the rest of the world, that's a good thing.

River Banks has posed:
    "Almighty do y'all *ever* shut it or is that just a hero trait?" the woman asks, and as Jason gets hit with a gallon of water in a bubble straight to his back, which probably not only hurts but depending on the waterproofness of his armor and pants will make him uncomfortably soggy, the figure moves to try and make it to the door, carrying the ill-gotten gains with her as she goes to jump over one of the unconcious thugs!

Jason Todd has posed:
Seven pounds of water is a lot of momentum when it isn't expected. Even if it is, that's a lot of energy in motion.

Red Hood goes down as the water splatters across the back of his armored leather jacket. He learned long ago that water repellent fabric is a wise choice for the outer layer of armor. The amount of soakage is probably less than desired by Ms Mispronunciation. But.

It does buy her seconds to get closer to the exit as Red Hood pushes himself up.

"Okay. Now you're just being rude, bitch."

Raising his left pistol he unloads the clip toward the fleeing bank robber. who can fling water out of noplace apparently.

River Banks has posed:
    Too kind Green Lanterns who want to give you a chance? Sure.

    Too kind aliens with the Best Hair Ever and pupilless green eyes? Little more challenging.

    Unfortunately electricity loves water.

    She's struck, several times, managing to shield herself from the worst of it, but she twitches, turns, and falls, skidding a bit on the floor.

    She groans. The paintball mask is cracked and it already looks like she's been in a fight at some point in the last few days. Butterfly banages are holding the skin of her chin together, and she's got bruising along the left side of her jaw.

    She groans.

Jason Todd has posed:
Red Hood stands and walks over, watching her twitch with some small bit of satisfaction.

He notes the bruises and bandaging. "Doesn't seem like this is working out so well for you. Sure this is the right line of work you should be pursuing?"

He drops down, pulling out some zip ties. He wants to get her wrists secured before she tries anything like that water attack again. Assuming she needs her hands free.

"You have a name? Or do I just call you the Water Girl?"

River Banks has posed:
    She winces visibly, and she looks up, and tilts her head back.

    "I told you -- they weren't with me." she mutters, and she reaches out, and grasps her bag before there's a rattle. Water is now floating over one of the goon's heads.

    "Thing about a Riptide is they drag you out, and you kin fight until you drown." she breathes out, one brown eye looking up at the Red Hood.

    "'Sides. This bank's insured for anythin' I'm taking. Unless you're real mad about a couple shorted cameras." she bluffs, holding the water over the goon's head, but her right hand is trembling. She's having to concentrate a lot to keep the water up in this threat. "I don't wanna hurt no one."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd says, "So you keep saying but you're all here together. Association and guilt and all that."

He looks over as she manages to get an arm free before he can secure them and sees the threat to drop water on one of the guy's heads. "You don't want to hurt anyone but you're threatening to drown someone. Pretty sure that's the definition of hurt."

He stands up. "There are better ways to make money than taking it from a bank whose customers are almost all blue collar. Most of them work the docks or construction. You're not sticking it to The Man, you're going to affect a lot of people who already don't have a lot."

He backs up, looking to the thug under threat. "You want to kill him? Go ahead. Just remember the moment you take a life you're no longer a victim, you're a predator. I'm merciless but there are far more frightening Things in Gotham that will hunt you down. Right now you're just up for attempted robbery.""

River Banks has posed:
    "Already a predator. Medical bills are a special sorta Hell when you ain't got the highschool education." she replies, "Ain't affecting no one. Bank's insurance covers the damage an' missing cash. Don't you know how beurocracy works?" the woman states, and she grunts, and flings the water to the side.

    "... couldn't do it anyway. Wuss at heart." she breathes out, but as he's backed up, looking to the thug who is now uncomfortably damp, she draws up to her knees, and she siddles away from Red Hood as well, pulling her goggles back down over her eyes.

    "Hate this stupid city anyhow. Don't plan on comin' back."

Jason Todd has posed:
The gun is in his hand again. "You want to leave, I won't stop you. But the money stays. Insurance doesn't make money magically appear. The cost gets passed on to someone. Always the ones who can't afford it.

There isn't room in his tone of voice for negotiation. The guns will be used without hesitation.

River Banks has posed:
    ...

    She looks at Hood. Her jaw sets.

    And she throws the bag at him.

    "... those two gonna be all right?" she questions, tilting her head towards the downed thugs.

Jason Todd has posed:
Swatting the bag away, Red Hood regards the two guys on the floor.

"They're idiots. You? I haven't made up my mind about you yet." He nods toward the bag. "But you may just have some smarts behind that mask after all. Highschool diploma or not. I know something about being down and out."

His voice is quiet as he says it.

"GCPD will be here to ick Bonnie and Clyde up in a few minutes." He holsters his guns.

"You know the empty lot six blocks over? Corner of Bixby and Denton. I'll be there in ten minutes. No tricks. No setup."

He then tips his masked features toward the door.

River Banks has posed:
    "... who even *are* you?!" the girl questions, and then she shoves herself up, grabbing some water to follow her, and she's out the door.

    Bixby and Denton? Shouldn't be TOO Hard to find.

    Even in Gotham City.

    ... where it's only been like her third day here and already she's pissed off a Bat.

    But she makes good time, and is out of range before the GCPD shows up with lights ablazing as one of the sergents rushes in, and goes --

    "How the HELL are the cameras dripping water?!"