16522/One Good Turn Requires a Savior

One Good Turn Requires a Savior
Date of Scene:	08 December 2023
Location:	The Narrows - Miagani Island
Synopsis:	After visiting the Gershwin House in Gotham, Olivia finds out that being caught on the streets of Gotham at night is dangerous, indeed. She is rescued from a dangerous group of thugs by Rook, who then spirits her away to the safety of the loop station.
Cast of Characters:	Olivia Gaudin, Damian Wayne

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Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    A little before noon, Olivia arrived at the Gershwin Safe House. It's a place where teens can go when they've got no other safe place to be. The Gershwin Theater (where Olivia stars in Wicked) is of course the primary sponsor of this house. Which explains why a Broadway star is here.

    It does not explain why she blew past her scheduled time to return and stayed for dinner. Then hung out with the kids until evening. It's her night off, so she figured it was no issue. They tried to warn her that it was starting to get a bit dark out, but she just kept going!

    So it is that at nine PM, Olivia steps out onto the streets, bidding the kids a fond farewell. The farewell takes a fair bit of time, too, and she's warned many times that maybe she ought to call a cab. She didn't.

Damian Wayne has posed:
After the sun goes down on Gotham, the curtain goes up on the nightly circus that is the cycle of crime in the city. With only poorly lit street lamps lighting her way, the young woman may find herself disoriented by how the city seems to take on a completely different persona in the darkness.

As her heels click on the broken concrete, her staccato of steps is soon joined by a pair of louder footfalls. They come up closer behind her, before a figure steps out of a darkened street corner, arriving in front of Olivia. "You look lost, girlie." he offers, the well-built man stepping into the light. When he does, she can see that in the middle of his face is a large boot-print shaped scar that takes up most of his face. "But that's okay. Me and my friends? We offer a guided tour. It's pretty low priced too. The jewelry and the cash. All of it."

He holds a knife in one hand. In the other, he holds a glowing branding iron powered with electricity, showing the mark of the Bat with a no sign through it.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    The sound of footsteps behind her leads Olivia to move faster. But heels are not running shoes, and her haste only leads to further confusion. In other words, she is more lost and ends up cornered.

    "I don't really need a tou... oh. I see."

    Olivia tries to imagine a way out of this, but honestly, turning over her belongings seems like a perfectly reasonable option right now. She fumbles nervously at her bag. Her pepper spray doesn't even get consideration. It'd probably just make him angry. She opens her wallet and quickly removes her money.

    "What's that... thing for?" she asks nervously as she holds out the money. She means the brand, of course. The knife's purpose is rather obvious.

Damian Wayne has posed:
Accepting the money, the big man shoves it in his pocket. "That should just about cover the cost of this, yeah. We'll get the jewelry after." And then Olivia asks what the branding iron is for. He smiles widely, which looks gross.

"Oh. We're just gonna let the Bat know we were here, see." Bootface - yes, that's his name - comments as he licks his lips. "See, he branded me..." he gestures with his knife to the bat symbol of the boot print in the middle of his forehead. "...so I'm returning the favor. Hold her steady, boys!"

As the two flunkies move to grab Olivia by the shoulders to push her to her knees to mark her, things are looking bleak for the young woman. Could this be the end of her career?

A whistling noise, and suddenly one of the men falls back, grabbing his head and holding onto it. Out of the darkness, there's a flash of yellow, a sardonic laugh, and another whistling sound as the second henchman is taken out.

"Wrong night to haunt this neighborhood, Bootface." comes a voice, as a figure steps out into the light. He's young, possibly the same age as Olivia, if not younger. He's trim and fit, the black and grey costume with red trim fitting him well. A black domino masks covers his eyes, though his facial features are youthful. "Let the girl go and I'll only use one hand to kick your ass." Rook promises.

Bootface drops his knife, grabbing Olivia by the arm hard enough to bruise and yanks her around to be his meatshield. "Stay back, birdbrain! Without the Bat, you're nothing!" He holds the branding iron close to Olivia's face, illuminating her enough that she can feel the heat on her cheek. "One step closer, and I ruin the pretty girl's face."

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    It all happens so fast. One moment, she's scared, the next she's being manhandled. She screams, of course, but that doesn't do much around here! She barely has time to try and beg to be spared when suddenly there's a blur of action. The grip on her loosens.

    Olivia naturally struggles, trying to get away, but before she can even recognize who is trying to rescue her, she's got the business end of the brand right in her face.

    "Let's just.. let's just not do anything hasty," she says softly, trying to act calm when she's really about to break down in tears. If her eyes were any wider, they might fall from her head.

    She finds one of her hands is free. Which strikes her as important, but she's not sure what she could possibly do about it. This man's grip on her is like a vice and there's no way to escape without that brand reaching her.

Damian Wayne has posed:
"Really? Hiding behind her. Thought you wanted to brand someone worth a damn." Rook responds as he watches Bootface, lips pulled into a thin line, eyes going between him and Olivia, just to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. Of course, when she says don't do anything hasty, Rook is planning on ignoring that completely.

"Well. Come on. Let's see what you got, big man." comes the taunt from the young hero. Bootface grows angry, his grip tightening on Olivia, before he growls. "I'm kicking your ass!" he roars, throwing Olivia to the side forcefully as he rushes towards Rook, swinging the branding iron over his head to try to drive it down on the young hero.

Rook just jukes to the side, moving quickly, as he flanks on the side of Bootface, spinning around as his leg rises in a kick, knocking the branding iron to the side.

Bootface twists, grabbing Rook and lifts him off the ground, starting to crush the young hero against him. It could be that Olivia's savior may be in trouble himself!

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    You know, in other contexts, being considered not worth a damn might be an insult. Olivia has never enjoyed being irrelevant more in her life. Honestly she never enjoyed it in any other situation.

    So he throws her! In the course of the fall, Olivia gets a few scrapes, but she also sticks a hand in her pocket by accident. And her fingers close around something.

    Seeing Rook grabbed by the man, something in her springs into action. She's still scared, but there's something else, too. She's... angry! With the big man busy, he probably can't even hear her rush in and bring her weapon to bear.

    So it is she bravely stabs him in the lower back. With a pen her father gave her as a congratulatory gift for landing her first starring role. It's one of those fancy, all metal pens with a very prominent tip. In short, it stabs pretty well!

Damian Wayne has posed:
"I'm gonna crush you like a grape and leave you for the Bat to find!" Bootface proclaims loudly, trying to apply more pressure to Rook. Rook is struggling to get his arms free, in order to try to get leverage -- when Olivia bravely (or perhaps stupidly) comes rushing in.

The pen is stuck in his back, Bootface screams in pain, the pen finding purchase. And she gets the desired result, Bootface releases Rook with one arm.

But the old addage of 'no good deed goes unpunished' is in effect as he tries to swing around and backhand the woman away from him.

But now Rook is loose. He drives both of his arms down on Bootface's clavicles, breaking them both and causing the man to scream. As he's dropped, Rook lands on the ground and uses his foot to drive it into Bootface's knee, a loud pop as he dislocates it, causing him to drop. And Rook snarls. "Night night, Bootface." he growls and a solid punch is slammed into his face, dropping the crminial to the ground as he knocks him out.

Now that he's down, he rolls Bootface over, working to get the ziptie cuffs on him before he tends to the other two and zipties them. Only after that is done does he come over, offering his hand to Olivia to help her up. "Are you alright?"

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    Olivia takes the strike with a gasp, her head turning as the strike hits her cheek. It sends her back to the pavement. That's where she stays, watching with wide eyes as Rook proceeds to positively dismantle Bootface in a matter of seconds.

    Admittedly, Olivia is still scared, but she's also soaking up this moment. She's... being saved. By a super hero! She looks at the costume, but it's not quite perfect. The R and the cape have a clear Robin vibe to them, but the colors are unfamiliar.

    She's mulling that over as he offers a hand. She accepts it with an uncertain smile. "I'm... alright. And you are amazing!" She starts in a quiet voice, but by the end, she's LOUD and excited. And shaking. Adrenaline, maybe.

    Getting on her feet (and fetching her bag), she focuses on her rescuer. The money she handed over is forgotten. "I'm sorry about that. It's just... you're a super hero! You saved me!"

    A breath in, a breath out. She tries to calm herself. She fails, really. "Thank you so much. I..." Olivia senses tears are coming. She wishes her emotions weren't so crazy right now, but the situation was obviously terrifying. "I'm Olivia."

Damian Wayne has posed:
Taking the money back from Bootface, Rook offers it back to Olivia. "It's fine." he offers to her, his voice curt, but apparently he made the effort to rescue her. So, might as well see it through.

"Local police will be soon. You want to stay and go through the whole thing with giving a statement and all? Or you want a ride to wherever it is that you were trying to go?" He gestures. "I have transportation near by."

If she was expecting smiles and joy, Rook's not like that. He's more serious, but at least he's offering to help. "Rook." he offers to her with a curt nod of his head, his hand releases hers. It's her decision to make.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    "I think it'd be best to avoid the whole... process. I don't want people to associate this business with the charity," decides Olivia. She accepts the money back with a nervous smile. She puts that away, then wipes at her eyes.

    "I want to get back to the loop station. I should probably head back to Manhattan. Or... no, I can't let my father know about this. He'll insist I move back home."

    Olivia stops herself and laughs. "Sorry, Rook. I'm rambling. Please, I would be grateful for transportation."

    Outside, she's showing some calm. Her acting skills are kicking in to manage that. Inside, she's so ridiculously happy to be meeting a real hero that it's becoming ever more difficult not to be a total spaz.

Damian Wayne has posed:
"That's fine." Rook offers, and he gestures for her to follow him. As he gets to the street corner, he presses a button on his utility belt. As he waits, he turns to the girl, taking in her injuries. Noticing one cut, he takes out a pack from his utility belt and applies it so that it can start to heal the injury to her face. "When you get home, apply ice to the injury, and if you have any Vitamin K cream, use that." he offers to her. He removes his hand from her cheek, his fingers exposed as they brush her skin and he turns.

A light is in the darkness, it grows and the sound of an engine can be heard as a motorcycle pulls up to the curb. He lifts his leg to board it first and then gestures behind him. Hopefully she's okay with being cozy until they reach the loop station.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    Olivia can stay still when he's working on her, but it obviously takes some effort. She nods at his advice. "I've got creams and other cosmetics to take care of it. Wow, so you... hm." Her mind is working on this. "Your costume reminds me of Robin, and you have a utility belt."

    "OH MY GOD!!"

    She can't hold it in now. "Are you... you know.."

    And then the bike just... "It's a bike driving itself. You are. Oh my god you are. You are... you are like, working with.. -him-. And you are amazing, too! Oh wow, that's so unbelievable. Nobody will ever believe it when I tell them!"

    She hesitates for all of a heartbeat before scrambling onto the bike. She holds on tight. She's never been on a motorcycle before.

    "This is like a movie!"

Damian Wayne has posed:
"That's because I was a Robin." Rook not quite deadpans. If she has good ears, she might hear the hint of bemusement in his voice. And she's geeking out over the bike and that draws a smirk. "Anything better than whatever self-driving stuff is out there." Opening one of the armored saddle bags, he pulls out a helmet to offer to her. Safety first! He pulls out his own to slip on.

His smile quirks slightly - she might notice that he just smiled at her. Rook rarely smiles. And then she's on the bike and her arms around him. He moves them so they're securely around his waist, so she can interlock her fingers.

Once she's settled, he fires off the bike and starts towards the loop station. Reaching up, he taps the side of his helmet so he can speak to her.

"I'm not sure why you were here, Olivia, but this isn't a place to be after dark. As you already know. If you're from around here, I'd suggest being careful in the future. If you're a guest? Know when to leave." It's not meant to sound like a warning, but he's not very good at trying to be compassionate.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    She's just floored. He was a Robin. And he saved her. Olivia struggles to put that together. This may be the best day of her life!

    She needs a moment to get the helmet on, which further proves this is her first ride. But once things get moving and her hands are in the right place, it works out well enough.

    Then she hears his voice in the helmet. That's cool! She wonders if she can just reply or if she has to tap something. There's no way she's letting go!

    "I was visiting the children at the Gershwin House. I work with the theater and had a day off, so... I wanted to brighten their day." She'd normally gush about her role on Broadway, but her life feels so small right now. Rook is a hero. He saves lives every day. He probably even saved the world at some point.

    "But yes, I will be more careful in the future. I don't get to Gotham very often, so I'm not the best at knowing what neighborhoods are safe and which aren't."

    With that little detail handled, she has to ask her questions! "What's it like? I mean, being able to save people like that. To be able to really change things for the better, that is."

Damian Wayne has posed:
So from that, Rook realizes that the young woman behind him is somewhat famous. Already, the small camera that is in the passenger helmet is running a facial recognition to match her up with someone on a side-screen inside Rook's helmet.

"Gershwin House. Tt." Not a dismissive Tt, more thoughtful. "They could use the support this time of year. Thank you for being there for them." he offers to her.

"After dark, there's very few safe neighborhoods, so just be aware of that. Unless you know the Waynes." That is said dryly, a commentary on what the rich can do to feel safe.

"It is Batman's mission. We're just supporting him. I do it to make a difference. And to protect those that get ignored by the higher powered heroes." The very definition of street level.

"We're almost to the Loop. Once we get to the station, you should be able to get home safely." He doesn't ask where she lives.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    "I will keep at it. The kids were excited. They don't often get visitors from the show, and honestly... it's the least I can do."

    Olivia is taking-in everything that Rook says. "I don't quite measure up to that standard of wealth and power, though. I am happy with what I have, though. Like Ms. Frost told me, I should stick with what I love to do. Which is performing. Oh! If..."

    She trails off, feeling more than a bit silly over it. Still, she plows ahead anyway. "If you ever find yourself in Manhattan, drop by the Gershwin Theatre. I mean, if you want to see us perform. I have tickets held at the front. They kinda.. never get used unless my mom visits." And so she usually has them held for various heroes she fangirls over. They make fun of her a lot for it, really.

    "So anyway... oh. Can I get a picture with you, or is that bad for you?"

Damian Wayne has posed:
"I don't do pictures." Rook gives a little smirk at that as he pulls up to the curb of the station and brings the bike to a halt.

He waits for her to get off and hand back her helmet, before he explains. "I appreciate the effort. And Gotham needs it. But with the way it is around here after dark, any light is in danger to be snuffed out, despite all of us that are attempting to prevent that."

"Be careful when you visit. And make sure you are not alone after dark, Miss Gaudin." He finally got a hit on who she was.

Putting the helmet away, he fires up the bike and drives away, leaving her at the station so that she may find her way back home.

His patrol's only just begun and he has much to do tonight.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    She kinda figured she wouldn't get to take a picture. Still, it happened. It's real. She knows. And that's all that matters!

    Olivia removes the helmet, which is rather more awkard than when she put it on. She hands it back with a nervous smile. A few very unrealistic thoughts whisper in the back of her head. He's... really handsome.

    "I'll be more careful next time!" she promises. She strikes a rather odd pose at the moment, half giddy, half nervous as can be, and 100 percent awkward.

    He knows her name, though. That's incredible! How did he do that? Hopefully he can't read her mind. She's totally wondering if she should ask him to dinner.

    And then he's pulling away. But not before drawing some notice. The station is busy, after all, and Rook stands out. But a moment later, Olivia is alone. She lets out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, too.

    "See you around, Rook," she whispers faintly.

    Only when he's completely vanished from view does she finally go into the station. It's time to head back to Manhattan.