15563/Dem Dumplings

Dem Dumplings
Date of Scene:	07 August 2023
Location:	Hot Dumpling Restaurant
Synopsis:	Tim, Bruce and Babs meet in a lovely little Dumplings restaurant to discuss all manner of topics, mainly revolving around Tim's post-college plans.
Cast of Characters:	Barbara Gordon, Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake

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Barbara Gordon has posed:
Barbara wasn't able to make it to the graduation, she had to attend a meeting in Metropolis. She'd sent her apologies to all involved parties, and said she'd be back later in the day, and would hopefully be able to catch up with everyone then.

When the later came, Babs was already at the Dumplings restaurant waiting. She'd paid a fair amount to buy out the whole place, and have it ready for whomever came. The only people she didn't buy out were those in the corner booth playing Mahjong-- they seemed happy, and they seemed less happy the more steps Babs took in their direction, so they were allowed to stay.

In the here and now, dressed all in black, with her sunglasses up on her mop of tied-up fiery red locks, Babs is seated at one of the tables, a tablet computer in front of her as she continues to network, and do various tasks related to a wide range of 'Barbara things'.

On the table in front of her is a growing assortment of finger foods, and drinks already waiting for anyone who came to enjoy such.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
The door opens to admit two men, well known to Barbara and likely, to an extent, plenty of others as well. As Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake enter, Bruce is animated, his hand moving about as he speaks.

"I agree, I thought it was rather exceptional to have Batman intervene during your graduation," offers Bruce in a louder than truly necessary voice as they slip away from the street. "Good thing that they were there to take on..." As he realizes that, in fact, the restaurant is mostly devoid of anyone, his tone shifts, flattening. He does, however, complete the sentence. "...the Riddler."

His demeanor goes back to a more stoic one as he heads towards the table, offering a nod to the current occupant. "Barbara." He pulls out a chair to join. "You missed the excitement," he says flatly. No trace of guilting intended.

Tim Drake has posed:
    It's been... a night. What was supposed to be a happy occassion turned into a whole thing, with the Riddler, and goons, and electric shocks. Tim's out of the cap and gown now, but still in the suit he was wearing underneath, and as he walks into the restaurant his eyes are almost comically wide. "I know, it was amazing!" he says, halfway to gushing, but then like Bruce some of the demeanor drops once he's done a scan of their surroundings and found that the place is mostly emptied.

    It's something of a relief, to put it mildly, to just be himself now. "Hey, Barbara," he greets as he takes a seat at the table next to her, and then he slumps back into the chair, head lolling back so that he can stare up at the ceiling. "I got my diploma in the end, at least. Sorry that we weren't here earlier, the ceremony got... uh... delayed."

    And given that Tim is of age, a college graduate, and just survived a few shocks from the Riddler, he's going to indulge in a drink. So that's precisely what he does, given the assortment already on the table.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs looks up from her tablet computer not but a mere matter of moments after the two men step in to the joint. She knew their voices, and possibly even knew they were already outside... she knows things, for reasons afterall.

A smile starts to spread across her pink-hued lips as she sits on the edge of her wooden chair with her back straight and her shoulders perfectly poised in proper posture.

When they arrive, her tablet is laid down, and the leather folder it resides within is gently closed by her left hand. "I've heard bits about it through social media feeds already, but I'm afraid I'm still woefully in the dark about what happened." She says to both of them, her green eyed gaze upon Bruce as he sits down across from her, smile smiles at him... a smile that easily conveys her happiness of seeing him having come.

When Tim settles in on her right, she regards him, and reaches out to place a warm hand upon his shoulder to offer him a soft squeeze of happiness in seeing him too. "Happy graduation?" She asks, all things considered.

"I went ahead and ordered a variety of things." She states, motioning to the platters of finger foods, and boxes of already ready-to-go Chinese food, obviously many types of Dumplings.

There, and then, Bab's eyes sweep between them. "So then... Riddler? I didn't know he was still... I haven't..." She sighs, her shoulders bouncing a little before drooping just a bit. "Isn't he tired of his silly games by now?" She asks them both as her own hand reaches for a glass of ice, red stuff, and likely vodka.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Settling into a seat, Bruce pulls up a napkin and rests it over his lap. "It was about as much as is being reported, most likely. The Riddler wanted to give the graduates a final exam, but the various protectors of Gotham ensured that the students were able to waive that requirement."

He reaches over to collect a few pieces of shumei and a couple of soup dumplings, adding them to his plate. "It was probably unfortunate timing on his part, given who was in the audience, but convenient for the students." He glances sidelong at Tim. "I suspect that one of their classmates was feeding them answers, at least until the Riddler was riddled out."

Picking up a shrimp shumei with his chopsticks, Bruce shrugs. "That is the problem with them. They never seem to tire, no matter how many times Batman and his friends take them down."

Tim Drake has posed:
    The mention of social media prompts Tim's phone to make an appearance, but he only glances at it once, snorts at some notification that he sees on the screen, and then tucks it away again. "Yeah. Someone knocked one of the Riddler's guards out with her bag and it was like... cartoon physics. ACME stuff. Pretty wild."

    Nothing to say of all the goons that the vigilantes, both costumed and not, managed to take out.

    He looks up when Barbara puts her hand on his shoulder, and he smiles back at her, an expression that shows some of his encroaching exhaustion -- not all that unusual for Tim -- but also a responding happiness. For all the trouble the evening had been, he still came out of it on the other side, with his degree.

    Not that walking across the stage or not would have actually impacted that, but symbolic things are still important.

    "Thanks," he says, head tilting downwards, and then like Bruce begins to fill his plate. He'd usually ask about the fillings, but he's been to Hot Dumpling so many times that he knows precisely what's in them... and maybe tonight is a night deserving of doing a little cheating on his usually vegetarian (Phoebe-influenced) diet.

    His smile returns when Bruce mentions something about feeding the students answers. "Yeah. I mean, most of the people from my school knew the answers, but it really felt unfair for the other Colleges. All of the questions were about cryptography, public keys and stuff like that." Tim holds a dumpling up via chopsticks but doesn't quite get it to his mouth, too busy talking as he is. "It was weird. It makes me wonder if the Riddler was looking for something specific, you know? I mean maybe he needs a new techie..." Finally, he pops the dumpling into his mouth and chews, his thoughts racing a mile a minute as he does so.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs had a little plate already emptied in front of her by the time the two of them start to dig in, clearly she'd not been able to stop herself after the food had initially arrived. She does take a sip from her drink as they explain some of what went down, and her eyes go from one to the other as they talk.

Lastly she just softly shakes her head, her eyes dropping down to the platter of food selection again as if she's considering a second run at it. "Well, of all of the most notorious nare-do-wells in this city, I'd say if anyone was doing this sort of brash show with a ulterior intention it'd be the Riddler. He's one of the few with an intellect that I'd actually put on the 'Scary' list." She dryly comments as she does grab up a small box of unopened chicken in some sweet sauce. She slips the lid ajar, then pokes at it with her chopsticks to dump a few on to her plate again before setting the box back on the platter.

"I'm glad the Bats were there though, to stop anyone from getting hurt."

She pauses then, holding one of the glazed chicken tenders aloft. "Nobody got hurt, right?" She asks, to make sure.

Behind Babs, and to her left, in the far corner of the restaurant, a small argument breaks out at the Mah-jong table, angry words being exchanged in Mandrain.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
    Allowing Tim to do most of the narration, Bruce seems content to continue to make a few selections here and there from the offerings, a nod of appreciation as he selects one or another. "Excellent selection, Barbara," he says, setting his chop sticks down to finally take a bit of a break. As if being a billionaire somehow worked up an appetite.

    "It is possible, to be sure. Although I feel like those are already in his area of expertise. Either which way, whatever his plan was, I suspect it has been foiled at this point." Bruce dabs a bit of soy sauce from the corner of his mouth with a napkin.

    "No one was seriously injured, as far as I know. Several students were shocked, and so there was pain, unfortunately, but I think whatever injuries were sustained were relatively minor, and more related to the rush to get out than to anything inflicted by the Riddler or his goons."

    He settles back in his chair, taking a pause from eating for a moment. "How are you doing, Barbara? Was your trip fruitful?"

Tim Drake has posed:
    That Tim goes for the chicken after Barbara is done with the container is probably very telling for his mental state at the moment. For good and ill, as the case may be. He's still got a bit of lingering excitement from the actual ceremony, the part where he'd walked across the stage, been handed an empty diploma sleeve, and shook a few hands. Or maybe it's the residuals from those shocks he'd received, still thrumming in his nerves.

    He nods along when Bruce confirms little to no injuries, food momentarily forgotten as he adds, "I think there would have been more if the President of the University cancelled the ceremony like he'd intended to," he says, and the tone of his voice makes it seem like he's (mostly) joking. "Some of the other graduates were pretty upset by the suggestion. There might have been a riot."

    Of course, the way Tim says it suggests he would've been fine with postponing. But then again, he did spend the entire quiz trying to skew the votes for the correct answers, and all from his phone. So maybe he was just tired from all the texting.

    "Yeah, how was Metropolis? I was there last week, it's a pretty unique place." The way he says "unique" suggests Tim, if he were being less polite, might have substituted something like "weird" or "strange" instead. Given he was born and raised in Gotham, there's really just no comparing.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs listens closely to what the both of them say before the conversation is directed towards her. She spends a few moments mentally shifting gears, with her eyes dropping down to the food as she pokes at some of it, and clears her own palette. When she looks up again she has a lopsided smirk gracing her lips as she glances from one to the other. "Yeah, Metropolis is something else. I'd say it's like the polar opposite of our dear city here, but ... it isn't without its own issues. In fact, a handful of days back I was caught up in a strange jail break there. The Justice League was asking for allies to come assist with overseeing it, when everything just went haywire. I didn't think I'd even have to go in, I mean it was a heavily fortified police station, with a number of heavy hitting JLA members..." She shakes her head side to side then as she reaches for her icy drink again. "But, yeah, a lot of pretty powerful villains all breaking loose in one place."

Barbara shares all of this because she'd swept the restaurant for listening devices, and her voice was low enough that it wasn't likely carrying past the ambient music piped through the room, to those arguing people in the far corner.

She sets her drink glass down after a sip, then another smirk comes and goes from her facial features.

"But yes, I've been dealing with a lot of GGE business there, of late, traveling back and forth. We have a lot of solar buyers in Metropolis, due to there being a considerably larger amount of sunshine in that area, as opposed to here." She states with a slight grin. "Beyond that, we're doing some battery work too, helping some of the EV manufacturers in the city research ways to reduce, or hopefully remove cobalt from their vehicles. It's... it's all pretty mundane, really. I'm looking forward to being solely back here, working from home. You guys know how much I like my reclusiveness."

Another grin is flashed to them both before Babs glances at Tim. "So. Graduate. What's your career target now?" She idly teases him.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
The mention of an issue with the JLA brings a frown from Bruce, as he listens to Barbara detail the issue. He sighs quietly, picking up his chop sticks and eyeing a steamed bun. "It is disconcerting to hear that the Justice League is unable to manage such simple affairs." He selects a red bean paste bun and drops it onto his plate. "I wonder if perhaps they would be served with some more guidance with more experienced heroes." He pokes at the bun, as his mind turns the matter over in his head.

He listens as Barbara talks through her corporate work. She spends far more time actually engaging in industry than he does, even if his company is what it is. It has never been his passion. To be truthful, he never had room for any passions other than...

"Yes, Tim, what are your plans now?" Drawn back into the conversation, Bruce finally splits the bun apart, bringing half of it up to chew on as he listens to Tim.

Tim Drake has posed:
    The volume lowering on Barbara's voice prompts Tim to lean in a little bit, though he conceals it by resting his chin against his fist like he's tired. Which he is, that much is true, but he's not at the point where he'd actually be showing signs of physical exhaustion yet, not unwillingly, at least.

    "Yeah, it has its own fair share of villains. One of them attacked a gala I was attending, but I never saw him. He was taken out pretty much immediately by one of the city's superheroes." Tim takes a sip of his own drink, and then holds it there as he adds, "And there was a train derailment that I assisted with, too, before that," quietly enough that it doesn't travel past the table.

    Two instances of emergencies in Metropolis. Three including Babs' encounter. "So maybe Metropolis isn't completely different to Gotham," he admits with a bit of a smile, though it fades a little as Bruce talks about the JLA.

    Another sip is had and then he sets his glass down, listening as Barbara goes over the progress she's been making with her company. "Hey, mundane is good. Progress is progress even if it's not exciting, but all of that sounds great!"

    He flashes Babs a smile at the end there, about her wanting to be back in Gotham, that communicates how much Tim would like that too. They're similar in a lot of ways, and Tim looks up to her as a source of inspiration especially in some of his more cerebral focuses, like the stuff he was just doing to try and stave off the Riddler. WWOD? What Would Oracle Do?

    "Plans?" he asks, playing up the uncertainty in his voice. "Oh, you know..." He loosens his tie a little bit and sits back in his chair. "Maybe get rid of the 'Junior' part of my title at Wayne Enterprises. I dunno. Nothing big, really." Tim throws a look Bruce's way. "What do you think, boss?"

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Another bit of the chicken is popped in to her mouth before she-too dabs at herself with a once-folded napkin. She takes another sip of her drink before she eyes Bruce when the JLA is focused on for a moment after her last words. She has to afford him a warm smile at the subject to, along with a gentle shake of her head from side to side. "I can barely managed what I manage. I can't imagine trying to run a team like the League. Dealing with the global threats, and influences from other realities, or worlds... I did travel with the Green Lantern a couple months back to... some other place, and even after he brought us back, I still don't even know where we really were, or how far away we even were. It's surreal. Kinda been influencing my dreams at night a little too, like, well, I mean, what doesn't influence our dreams in all this that we do?" She asks both of them, not really expecting an answer though.

She has to grin at their back and forth about Tim's job, and when the timing is just right, she has to chime in. "Don't make me poach him." She says to Bruce. "We need these young upstart college grads to keep our company 'hip' and 'fresh'." She says in a truly teasing fashion.

"We're lucky to be surrounded by so many smart people, though. I mean, Carrie Kelley has me dabbling in robotics of-late too. Since she moved in to the Clocktower, she brought her armies of little robots, and well, they've infected my curiosity, so to speak. Always have to try new things, right??" She questions, casting a look between the two of them.

She smiles then at Tim and reaches out to pat his arm lightly again. "I'm proud of you though, just so you know."

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Frowns abound as Bruce listens to the mishaps in Metropolis, the journeys of the Justice League, and then the shift to the talk of business. He endures it, of course, although Tim earns a speculative raise of the eyebrow at the talk of a promotion. Or the lack of a junior. Bruce shrugs slightly at that. "Bring it up with HR," he says, suppressing a little bit of a grin.

He lets Barbara reassure Tim, much as he did. Well, not much as he did, because he did not pat Tim's arm. But he did tell him he was proud of him. Sort of, right? Not in those exact words, but...

"Why try new things when the old ones work so well?"

Bruce stabs at another bun with his chopstick, as if using the ancient implement as an example.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim shrugs demurely at Bruce's frowning, and then manages a quiet laugh at the command to take it up with HR. "Sure, sure, you got it," he replies easily, and then returns to his plate of food.

    There's some time spent just eating quietly, a lull where Tim can just sit and exist in the moment, before Babs has him laughing again. "Hey, maybe I'll send out my resume, now that I'm officially a college grad."

    And maybe he will! Who's to say what Tim will do. He's got his whole life ahead of him now, and a degree under his belt. Part of him never thought he'd make it to this day, but here he is.

    "Carrie's really smart. She understands tech in a way that surprises me and every time I se her, it's like she's come up with something new and unique," he says.

    Then his cheeks go a little pink, at the compliment from Babs. "Thank you. Really." Tim downs the last of his drink and then looks into the empty glass, glass clinking about inside it. "I have no idea what this is, but do you think I could have another one?" He puts on his best Wayne-appearing-in-the-press smile.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
A big happy expression lights up Barbara's face then at Tim saying he might release his resume upon the world. She glances over at Bruce, his 'boss' to see that reaction. But, then she's glancing back to Tim upon his request for another drink. It is then that Barbara turns to make eye contact with the restaurant staff. She speaks something out in Chinese, loud enough to garner their attention. With a few hand gestures, it's clear that Babs is ordering up a new round of drinks, but who knew she spoke that language?

When she turns back, she is grinning at them once more. "Yes, I mean... Drones. Computers. I live inside them, basically. But I haven't done a lot of actual engineering in the robotics style. I've gotten pretty great at car mechanics, if I might say so myself, and since I bought a Blimp, I know a lot more about dirigible avionics and operations that I ever thought I would... But Spider robots? Cat and Dog robots?"

She draws in a deep breath, and slowly lets it exhale back out through her pert nose. "If I design the ghosts in the shell, I guess it's only fair that I start to design the shells too, right?"

The drinks arrive, another tray of each type being set down on the table in the middle of the trio of diners here tonight.

And Babs thanks the server, in Chinese.

Bruce Wayne has posed:
Glancing back and forth between Tim and Barbara, Bruce arches an eyebrow. "If you make the kid a better offer, he'd be a fool not to take it." He looks back at Tim, a bit of a grin on his face. "Keeping it in the family, in some manner of speaking." He leans back in his seat. "But do be aware that I will likely try to match any offer, so really, all you would be doing is impoverishing one of us to enrich him." As if Tim were not sitting right there.

Bruce nods as Barbara outlines her latest interests. "Fascinating technologies, really. I am glad to see that more of us are investigating them. I think there is real potential for use in the future, with someone who understands our unique needs."

It appears to be dessert time, as Bruce claims one of the small egg custards. He glances sidelong at Tim as he looks to reload on drinks, but for the moment, reserves comment.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Technically, Tim has his own wealth from the Drakes. He shouldn't be swayed by better offers... assuming those better offers only include a bigger paycheck. But both Babs and Bruce could certainly offer other, cooler perks that would make Tim's nerdy little heart flutter, like all the awesome tech they have at their disposal.

    This is all theoretical, though. Who knows what Tim will decide to do, once the day is over and he has to actually give some critical thought to his plans.

    For now he's just going to get tipsy on the drinks Barbara orders for him, because he just graduated so it's his special night (and he's a total lightweight).

    "We should totally get a robot dog," he says, and then his whole mood shifts for a moment. Juuust a moment, but his expression goes a little shuttered. Tim's breath comes out in a little puff, and then he's all back to normal, claiming the same beverage as before from the tray with a grin towards Bruce. "Not that the Manor isn't already overloaded with animals, but I mean... we have the space, right? Why not?"

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Barbara's first drink was almost done by the time her second showed up, thusly resulting in the redhead taking a swig enough of which to down the remaining before her glass is deposited once more near to the tray of the newly arrived. She plucks up her new beverage, drawing it toward her on the table as she listens to them, a smile still residing on her expressionate face.

"We have a few of them." Babs chimes in then, with regard to robotic dogs. "I'd say you're welcome to one, but Carrie is pretty attached to them. Maybe I'll ask her to make you a new one?" She says with a smile over at Tim before she glances down at her tablet computer when it chimes a message that very nearly gets her to flip it open again to look, but she doesn't! She resists!

"You should see the Mr. Handy robot she made me, for my kitchen decor." Mr. Handy being the robot from the Fallout game series, of which anyone whose been to Barbara's penthouse would know her kitchen is nerdily decked-out like one of the kitchens from Fallout 4 specifically, Nuka-Cola to Pip-Boy and Girl figurines adorning the 1950s sci-fi aesthetic.

She gently shakes her head from side to side then. "But, yeah. I'd be intersted to know what kind of offers you got when you did release that resume. I mean that's the fun of it, just seeing what kind of options exist out there..."

She regards Bruce then, across from her, and her forearms fold together on the edge of the table in front of her. "And what of you? How's Alfred and the home life? I haven't been by very much, not since the Nerf night, I think... Sorry about that."