16382/Rooks and Riptides

Rooks and Riptides
Date of Scene:	20 November 2023
Location:	The Narrows - Miagani Island
Synopsis:	Rook (Damian Wayne) makes acquaintence of Riptide (River Banks). Neither wants the other's help.
Cast of Characters:	River Banks, Damian Wayne

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River Banks has posed:
    It wasn't easy to operate in New York City under the nose of the Bats. For one thing, they have eyes everywhere in the sky. They have informers. They have abilities to simply know.

    That was part of the reason why Riptide rarely made her way to the rooftops. Vigilante, guerrilla tactics, quick changes and one-offs. Less investigation and more hit-and-run.

    She's landed muggers in the hospital here and there, and most recently someone whose arm looks like it was boiled.

    From the inside out.

    And when people asked who they should thank, she's always just said 'a friend'.

    Most of her operations were in a three block radius of one of the poorest sections of Gotham City, where the locals tend to keep to themselves.

    And right now she was leaning in a blown-out window to stay out of the rain, wearing an airsoft face protector that gave the visage of sharp teeth and gaunt features. Her blonde hair was pinned back and kept under a wrap, and she wore a waterproof outer shell in dark blues and grays, with good quality boots.

Damian Wayne has posed:
The problem with many parts of the Narrows is that now that they know that they are pretty much on their own after dark and that the Bat can't be everywhere - while the criminals are more brazen, the citizens have done more to try to protect themselves. The arrival of extra help, even in the form of a 'friend', is welcomed by a local populace that is weary of being the victim.

That's why when one of windows of a pawn shop blows out, there's sporadic gunfire as a large man and his sidekick come running out of the building, carrying wads of cash in their hands. "Damn fool had a claymore behind his counter! Why didn't we see that when we cased the joint?!" the large man yells at the smaller one.

"I DON'T KNOW-- did I remember bread-- I DIDN'T BOTHER TO ASK!" the smaller man is yelling, even if he doesn't need to considering how close together they are. He looks over his shoulder and yelps as the shop owner comes stumbling out of the shop, aiming his shotgun and /CLICK/. He's out of ammo.

They may get away clean after all!

River Banks has posed:
    That's such a nice sound to hear, back in the day. Click.

    The shotgun being out of ammo is her cue, she hadn't been casing the joint -- she knew that it was a place she's brought her refurbished small appliances to be sold, and she didn't approve of someone taking advantage of the man behind he counter.

    Ripetide thuds to the ground ahead of the bigger guy in the lead, and she draws water from a puddle nearby to form a beatin' stick.

    "Bit early for Christmas shoppin', ain't it fellas?" she asks rhetorically as she surges forward to try and take out a kneecap on the bigger guy!

Damian Wayne has posed:
Just as she comes in on the bigger one, Riptide will see it. This is no common criminal. He's large and well built -- and in the middle of his face, in a permament scar -- is the shape of one of Batman's boots where it had smashed in his face while on fire and branded him permamently as -- BOOTFACE.

He takes the hit in the kneecap and grunts, stumbling, but not falling as some of the cash spills out of his hands. As he turns on her, he snarls, "You the gift, girlie, cause I'll unwrap ya!" A large hamfist swings around, attempting to connect to her. "You ain't lookin' like no 'Bat!"

He's not the threat to her. The smaller one, he's quick and nimble as he launches at her after Bootface swings. "SHE CAN'T BE I'M BATMAN-- would you like fries with that-- AND SHE CAN BE TOO!" This one - on the right side of his head is the point of a batarang. It goes all the way through his head, where most of the batrang sticks up like an antenna... he's BAT HEAD! And he's armed with a large electric branding iron that is shaped like Batman's logo that he is going to try to brand onto River!

HOLY COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT!

Just before he can strike, a much smaller birdarang comes flying in and strikes the branding iron, sending it skittering away. From the shadows, the lining of a yellow cape can be seen. Robin? This one is in all grey, black and red as he lands, a sword drawn. "Tt. Common trash." Rook grouses. At which one? He doesn't say. They all could be!

River Banks has posed:
    "Y'all gotta take a girl for a few drinks first, an' I ain't interested in no boot-face!" Riptide replies as she nimbles a turn, letting her beatin' stick draw down and hten back up to try and catch Bootface's ankle!

    "An' no, ain't Batman,." she adds calmly, and then she turns, ready to catch the branding iron -- when it launches t out of Bathead's hand and skitters across the pavement -- to which Riptide turns to regard her unlikely hero-slash-cohort.

    "Just so we's square -- Ah'm a good guy."

Damian Wayne has posed:
"That remains to be seen." comes the dry reply from Rook. Has Jason updated anyone on Riptide and her status, or is she still just listed as some low-rank super-powered criminal in the Batcomputer?

Fortunately, Tim put in a small entry once. So he has something to work off of. Not enough for Damian to just outright trust - but who does he really trust?

With Riptide focusing on Bootface, Rook's attention falls fully on Bat Head. Bootface grins at Riptide. "Good, ya got the name right for when I break your legs!" There's a growl as the stick comes down on the ankle and there's a loud crack, but it just seems to anger him more as he swings his arm around to try to catch her in the side and knock her away from him - as well as knock the breath out of her.

Bat Head, on the other hand, is launching at Rook. "Ha! Hyah! I'M GONNA TAKE YOU DOWN-- I need to pay my water bill." his speech pattern is all over the place as he tries a series of karate kicks and punchs on Rook, the young man able to block them easily as he backs up, judging for an opening and then drawing up to strike the heel of his palm into Bat Head's chin!

River Banks has posed:
    Riptide is pretty agile; she's dodging Bootface's swings, knowing she's light enough that one of those blows hits and she goes down -- or into a wall -- and she really didn't like that comment about being unwrapped like a gift. Sounds too close to being degloved.

    No one wants that, and that's probably way more horrific than what he actually meant.

    She ducks low beneath one of the blows, drawing herself to his back and wheels around with a heel-strike to Bootface's kidney!

    "'Remains ta be seen'? All you Bat-types as dry-humored or do I jus' keep gettin' peculiar ones?!"

Damian Wayne has posed:
Bootface gives a gasp of air and pain as Riptide strikes true to his kidney, and he falls forward on a knee, his back to River as he tries to catch his bearings to turn around and strike at her. But she has plenty of time.

Bat Head goes stumbling back with the strike to his chin. "YOU'RE NOT BATMAN-- did I floss this morning?-- I AM!" he howls and tries to leap at Rook. Using his momentum against him, Rook twists, grabbing Bat Head by the arm and slings him around, sending him headfirst into a pole and knocking him out, leaving only Riptide and her dance partner.

Rook /hnhs/ at Riptide's statement. There was no humor really in his statement, really - but he assumes now that Riptide is speaking of one /that/ does use humor. Which really narrows down who she's referring to.

River Banks has posed:
    They all use humor except for Damian and Batman.

    People be weird.

    Riptide turns hard on her heel and brings her elbow up to strike at Bootface, expression set in grim determination as she gives a breath out, following up with the delivery of a punch, shifting her weight around as she breathes off to finish her dance with Bootface.

    She doesn't answer Rook back about his lack of statement. She figures once this is wrapped, there'll be zip ties and a parting of ways -- suits her fine.

Damian Wayne has posed:
And down goes Boot to da Face. As he hits the ground, Rook is already using his batcuffs - zipties, pfeh - to lock down Bat Head as his attention turns to Riptide as she tidies up and drives Bootface into the ground, leaving him there.

But if she was expecting him to just walk away...

"Your help is not needed." comes the comment from the figure, lips pulled into a thin line. "I do not trust you. And I do not believe that you will not return to your previous ways if given opprotunity." Don't take it personal, he barely trusts his own mother.

River Banks has posed:
    "Yeah well Ah don't need you ta trust me. I'm satisfied with jus' lendin' a hand. Sometimes you an' your lot don't show your faces 'round here." she states. She zipties Bootface securely, with all the gentleness what Jason Todd might have been known for, and she turns to look at Rook.

    "But ah take exception ta the expectation I'd go back to what Ah was. Red Hood's been good 'bout keepin' tabs on me. I ain't gotta justify nothin' ta no one 'cept him."

Damian Wayne has posed:
"Tt." Rook responds. Anything that he might want to say on the angle of Red Hood being involved in Riptide's life is set aside as he considers her for a moment. She just wants to lend a hand. And that she's doing what they sometimes miss. Those are two facts that he cannot rebuke.

And with Jason keeping tabs on her - he does not. "We'll see." he says dryly, flatly as he takes out a batgrapple. "And if he doesn't handle you? I will." he fires off the grapple, and like that, he's back off into the dark. Because he has a lot of the city to cover. And there's not an inch of it he's trusting to anyone else.

River Banks has posed:
    "Well. He's a charmer." River murmurs to herself, and then she turns around to make sure Bootface and Bathead are indeed secure, and she disappears into the darkness herself.

    THis was her last one of the night. She's still limping slightly, something she'd hid, and there was always the threat of Sabertooth comingby for another chat -- she had to make sure the neighborhood didn't have that cat problem before she went home.