16952/Invitation Accepted!

Invitation Accepted!
Date of Scene:	18 January 2024
Location:	The Potters Fields
Synopsis:	Flatline and Ravager meet in a Gotham graveyard. No one dies!
Cast of Characters:	Flatline, Rose Wilson

---

Flatline has posed:
    It had started with a 'This is definitely a trap'. But Flatline had been bored after being shown up by a Titan of all people, and it was nice to get out of New York City. So she had found a billboard that had a pale girl on it, spraypainted a skull like her own make-up over it an wrote 'I ACCEPT <3 UR WORK' and a set of coordinates, leading to the Potter's Field -- the home of the abandoned dead. Most everyone here was too long gone to give her any information on their fates.

    She sits up in a tree, colored black by the winter chill. Her skull-like fascade was showing, black lips and knife-sharp eyeliner, her pinkish eyes looking over the landscape as she swings one foot in boredom.

    Flatline, the student of Lord Death Man, had come as promised.

Rose Wilson has posed:
Rose Wilson hasn't gotten this far in her career without thinking strategically. When she walked into that dive bar and left an invitation, no a dare, for Flatline to meet, it was a foregone conclusion that Flatline would expect it to be a trap. After all, that's what anyone would think, right? So it would be natural to assume that Flatline's response is also a trap.

Q.E.D.

Except Rose Wilson, a.k.a. Ravager, isn't just anyone. There is really only one way to get to the tiny cemetery, and that's from the warehouse district. That's where Ravager stashes her bike. Wearing full armor, including mask, she jogs until she is close to the edge, where she slows down.

Ravager scouts for places where -she- would hide, and she's into the cemetery a few rows when she spots Flatline in the tree. She waves with one hand.

Flatline has posed:
    It's what everyone should think. It's a trap. Admiral Ackbar would be so proud.

    However, it is not a trap. Ravager had Flatline's curiosity -- not often anyone asks to *meet* Flatline.

    At Rose Wilson's wave, the younger fighter loops her legs around a branch, and swings herself so that she's hanging upside-down. She's almost uniformly black and white, from her pale skin to her pale eyes, to her black clothes (including the black hoodie she's wearing against the cold).

    She swings back and forth a moment or two, before her monochrome outfit is broken by the bright pink of a bubble gum bubble inflating, and then snapping.

    "Yo. Ravager. You rang?" she asks, and gives a grin. "You don't seem to be the type for a team-up."

Rose Wilson has posed:
Ravager saunters closer, watching the younger woman. Analyzing. Her own steps are slow and casual, even measured. Pistol on one hip and crossed swords on her back, she stops a respectful distance away.

"You don't follow instructions." she begins, ignoring the mocking little voice in the back of her head making comparisons to her father. "I said to leave word in the bar. So you don't like rules, you're careful and smelled a trap, or you're just fucking arrogant."

She looks up at the inverted girl who is chewing bubblegum. "Early bets are on number three, but I won't call it just yet." She folds arms over her chest, cocking a hip to one side and smirking.

"For the record, if this -was- a trap I own several sniper rifles and I'm a pretty good shot. Just saying. So why are you here?"

Flatline has posed:
    "Language!" Flatline pretends to be scandalized at the language being used. "My poor fucking ears can't handle this sort of shit."

    She swings herself back up, flips, and then some snow crunches as her sneakers hit the ground.

    "Bar was too close for comfort. That and I try not to go into bars -- everyone likes to pick a fight with the kid." Flatline explains. "Also who knows if you had a bunch of friends there who are all like --" and she pushes her eyes super-wide and sing songs "'Ravager is pretty much badass and one of the most dangerous people in the world I wanna be on this girl's good side and bring her this girl's head!'" she leans back on her heels, and cracks her gum again. "And I'm kinda attached to my head."

    "Sooooooooooo I got bored and curious and decided I'd leave a calling card, see if you show, so I can ask you the same question. 'Cause if you were here to shoot me, considering I almost killed a Bat, you'd probably not be this close."

Rose Wilson has posed:
Ravager smirks at the 'language' comment, waiting and watching as Flatline swings, flips, and sticks the landing.

So the bar was too close... too close to what? File that away for later, Rose.

"First of all, I don't have any friends in that bar." At least not after she threw the bar stool. "Second, I prefer to do my own dirty work. Not that it isn't more efficient to bait people into traps sometimes, of course."

Ravager sizes up the other girl again, and she doesn't hide it. "There aren't that many people who get into fights with a Bat and walk away. The ones who can say they've beaten a Bat are even fewer, and ones who say they almost killed a Bat are in a very select group."

She pauses, unfolding her arms and shifting her weight back to center. "And of course, the ones who aren't lying about it are even more rare."

Flatline has posed:
    "You could ask the Bats yourself, though I don't think they're real keen on people poking at their weaknesses. Way less on saying 'oh hey I got stabbed in the wrist and the throat'." Flatline states. She doesn't even have to share that she's sized up Ravager, though she's casual about it, sticking her hands in the kangaroo pocket.

    "What I wanna know is why at Bat was using a blade given to the heir of the Assassin's League."

    Pause.

    "Because Talia al Ghul identified it for me, and I took the wiser route and instead of fangirling about *the* deadliest girlboss I got the Hell outta there, because -- ha ha ha--" Flatline gives a bit of a nervous sounding laugh "Like I said, I like my head where it's at. I haven't mastered the art of resurrection yet, the boss won't show it to me."

Rose Wilson has posed:
Rose Wilson watches and listens, remaining casual and impassive other than the smirk. She cocks her head at the mention of Talia al Ghul. Yeah, Rosie has heard the name before.

"So you're not stupid after all." she declares. "Not many people talk with Ms. al Ghul and get to walk away. And if she identified the blade, I'm certainly not one to contradict her."

Ravager takes a couple of steps, then, as if pacing. "Flatline is your codename, but your boss wouldn't teach you about resurrection."

Flatline has posed:
    "Nope. Though I'd guess jury is still out on the fucking arrogant." Flatline gives a bright grin, putting her hands behind her head, elbows in the air.

    "Which wouldn't be wrong. I am pretty great and terrible." the girl admits. And she is 'just a girl'. Shorter than Rose, wiry, the pale young woman with the bone-white hair watches Ravager seem to pace.

    "Sooooo this *isn't* about a teamup is it? 'Cause I thought you were gonna be cool about things, and I kinda had to put off a job because of a Titan run in yesterday." she coughs a moment.

    "Apparently they don't mind people kicking puppies. Weird, heroes am I right?"

Rose Wilson has posed:
Ravager pauses, then turns lightly on her toes to face the shorter, younger girl directly. "Listen, don't take this wrong, but I've got serious trust issues. I blame them on my childhood. Not your fault. But you're really looking at this all wrong."

The smirk returns, and Ravager takes a step closer. "Don't think that I'm a dick because I didn't rush in to invite you for a teamup. You've obviously got some skills to have tangled with a Bat and walked away, not to mention crossed a Titan. Skills are one thing, trust is another. And like I said, I learned to distrust people at a very young age. Me trusting people takes a very long time."

The smirk is replaced by a more genuine smile, then. "But you may want to consider that it was at least kinda cool of me not to kill you on sight. I sometimes get paid to do shit like that, y'know. We're still talking, so that's a good start."

Flatline has posed:
    "Psh. If you were being paid to kill me on sight at least that'd make it interesting. I mean, c'mon, we're meeting in a graveyard of abandoned unknown graves in *Gotham City*. In the open. Not even in the Undercity of Gotham. If one of us weren't working with the Bats, pretty sure someone would have gloomily descended upon us and started in with the 'you're coming in'." Flatline states, her eyebrows drawing up as she crosses her arms. "Team ups aren't really a thing for people like me. I mean, the temptation to stab someone in the back is pre-ty high. Especially highly skilled and interesting people."

    She hops up onto a gravestone, and kicks her feet a little bit.

    "And it's definitely cool you didn't kill me. Because then I'd be forced to probably try to kill you. And that'd be a shame, because you are pre-ty cool yourself." Flatline states.

Rose Wilson has posed:
Highly skilled and interesting people are a temptation. File that away as well, Rosie.

Flatline hops down and Ravager chuckles. "Cool and not-a-dick. I can accept that." she declares. "I still think my initial assessment of you was correct, however. Fucking arrogant."

"Not to mention you just admitted you don't work well with others and are likely to stab a partner in the back if they're skilled and interesting. While that probably eliminates the possibility of us teaming up for Bridge on Thursdays, it doesn't necessarily put us at odds."

Flatline has posed:
    "Hey, that's really all anyone can ask for. Cool and not-a-dick." Flatline gives a smile, and her eyebrows rise up.

    "You're skilled, interesting, and considering how we're kind of bonding, probably worth not stabbing in the back. Also, because now you expect it, way more interesting to not do it. You know, 'cause now you suspect it." Flatline explains.

    "Also, who the heck plays *Bridge*? Is there like, a super secret group of defunct card game assassins? Do you play Yu-Gi-Oh too?" she asks, honestly sounding curious.

Rose Wilson has posed:
Ravager smirks again. "Who plays Bridge? I told you I had a messed up childhood." A child in an adult's world. Yes, Slade taught her bridge as well as other strategy games to sharpen her mind.

And likely as a form of abuse as well.

"And no, I don't play Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, Bakugan or any of those Japanese collector games. But that doesn't mean I don't know who has the BlueEyesWhiteDragon card."

"Tell you what, Flatline. Let's talk again sometime. My turn to choose. I'll leave a burner phone on the gravestone where you were sitting. There will a number programmed into the address book; that's where you can reach me. Text the word 'Yu-Gi-Oh' when you get the phone and I'll text you our next meeting place."

Flatline has posed:
    Flatline visibly brightens.

    Her eyebrows draw up, and she pauses in her kicking of her shoes, and then her eyebrows knit together. Her grin on her skull-like makeup doesn't change.

    "You think I'm gonna be dumb enough to take up a phone you leave? she gives a bright smile, and then she sets her chin in her palm.

    "I'll think about it. But really, the boss doesn't like me making all these social calls. Lost opportunity and everything." Flatline replies, and she hops up to the top of the gravestone, and gives a hop to another one, and another, apparently on her way back to the tree she was hanging out in.

    "Hope you satiated your curiosity, Ravager!"

Rose Wilson has posed:
Rose Wilson watches Flatline as she starts hopping back towards the tree. "Check the stone in the next couple days, Flatline. It's your choice." That's the nice thing about burner phones: no commitment.

"You answered some questions and opened up others. I hope I was just as enlightening." Rose replies. And once Flatline reaches the tree, Ravager waits for her to climb before leaving the same direction in which she arrived. Rose is careful, too, double-checking and triple-checking that she's not followed before taking a roundabout way back to her bike.