17002/Sledding On Gotham's Suicide Hill

Sledding On Gotham's Suicide Hill
Date of Scene:	02 February 2024
Location:	Suicide Sledding Hill in Chelsea, Gotham City
Synopsis:	Damian, Talia, Austin, Cassandra and Stephanie go sledding on Suicide Hill in Chelsea.
Cast of Characters:	Stephanie Brown, Talia al Ghul, Cassandra Cain, Damian Wayne, Austin Reese

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Stephanie Brown has posed:
Being a set of islands, Gotham doesn't tend to have a lot of vertical relief to it. Apart from buildings that often have a decidedly gothic flare.

But one exception is Brecker's Hill that rises just north of the Chelsea community around Gotham University, visible above the tops of the trees in that direction. Geologists from Gotham U often take students there to study the harder rock that caps the hill and has eroded slower than the surrounding island.

But come wintertime, the hill takes on a different name. Suicide Hill, so named for the speeds that sledders reach while wooshing down its snow-coverved slope. A slump halfway down provides an even steeper stretch before it levels out just in time to be a natural ramp. Though normally the snow is enough to cushion a landing, many a bone has been broken going over that jump on Suicide Hill.

Four years ago, the city installed a winch at the top of the hill that continually rotates a loop of rope with handholds, providing help in reaching the top, even pulling up sleds that are attached to it.

A cold wind sweeps across the hilltop, but not enough to keep people away today after a beautiful snowfall the day before make for perfect snow on the hill. At the bottom is a parking area far enough back only the best runs have a chance of coming near to it. Vendors have set up there, selling hot chocolate, hot dogs and burgers and pretzels to those sledders who have worked up an appetite, or just seek something warm.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
It's better than the actual Suicide Slum. And it's probably not quite as bad as it could have been. Some places the college studetns would hose down the entire hill to make it be extra fast and then take their cheap mattresses along to use as sleds. Talia Al Ghul is there amongst others just watching. She wouldn't have come here if not for the indirect invite sent out by Stephanie, which had her curious. Sledding had never been a 'thing' for her.

So when she shows up, wearing a rather normal looking parka, hair underneath a hood, she's just waiting back to see who else shows and what exactly is going on here.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cass shows up late, carrying ice skates. She may not have gotten the entire memo, but she is here. She looks around at those who are gathering and starts to frown thoughtfully. Hrm.

Damian Wayne has posed:
Arriving a little late, Damian is in the middle of a text. There's a little frown and a sigh as he sends a text back. Glancing up to see who's arrived, he comes up next to Cassandra. "Hi." he greets and glances towards the hill.

"Have you ever done this before?" he asks, a glance around for Jason. After all, Damian did steal his tires (temporarily) last time he was around him.

Austin Reese has posed:
Austin was just a little bit late, but he was here. He was nice and bundled up, since it was cold and snowy. No doubt it would be packed.

Once he shows up, he makes his way over towards where the group has gathered, "Haven't done anything like this in a long time, so don't laugh too hard when I fall and bust my ass."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
A pickup truck pulls up in the parking lot and Stephanie climbs out. Some might recognize it as being a truck used around the Wayne Estate. In the back are a number of choices of sleds.

A toboggan. Runner sleds that are sleek and steer well. Two of those metal disks that all you can do his grab hold of the handles and hang on for dear live as they are nearly impossible to steer. A plastic sled that has handles that activate little brakes on either side that can be used to steer to one side or the other. And of course a trio of innertubes.

Stephanie Brown climbs out of the driver's side, closing the door and then wrapping her scarf about herself. She's got on a knit cap and gloves and a snow suit. There's a bag that she slings over a shoulder, a thermal insulated one which probably suggests whatever is inside of it is warm. Also a big thermos.

She looks around, there being a few other people out sledding, but not so many she can't spot her friends readily enough. "Hey guys!" Stephanie yells, her breath misting as it hits the cold air. "I brought sleds in case anyone needed some," she says. She looks about. "Hmm, no sign of Mary yet?" she asks. "Hopefully she makes it. Ok, who needs what?" she asks, pulling out an innertube that's on top to be able to get to more sleds beneath.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul would fold her arms together and let out an amused sigh, "Well, I suppose.." That's spoken to herself over in quiet. But, she's attempting to fit in the family, and she's been invited. So that means it's only polite to join. It's not quite the peaks of the Himalayas. Not the treacherous twists and turns of those isolated monasteries where she grew up.
    Not the passes threatened by constant avalanche, where millenia-ancient ice forged of permafrost might shatter under a single step. But.. It was still sledding. She glances over at the sleds.
    "Those look quite inadequate. Dangerous even." As if teasing.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Eyes on the hill, Cass stands there as folks gather. When Damian asks his question, she glances at him, then back to the hill. She's gauging, she's checking. Watching.

"Never," she says, a single word that says volumes. Before she starts forward, toward Stephanie's truck.

Then she starts to run.

Sprinting through snow is hard, but she's making good time. She leaps up, grinning at Steph as she does so, and grabs a disc with both hands, and as she rolls over the truck she hits the hill. A whoop of surprise comes from her mouth as she plummets, and IT IS ON!

She flips by accident, gets the disc beneath her, and is skidding out of control with a huge grin on her face, giving no shits about who's watching. If anyone were to say 'come play!' it could be no more obvious.

Oh and she's probably gonna crash.

Damian Wayne has posed:
When in Gotham.

Stephanie taking off? Expected. Any wipeout she has - well. He'll probably laugh his ass off.

But when Cassandra joins in? The young man watches her go with a cross of bemusement and attempting to find comprehension. He is in the never club as well. And it's not fear that keeps him from doing it himself.

But still, he doesn't go, instead going to stand near his mother as he glances down the hill. A quiet little nod to him as he just... tries to find how he feels about the idea.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown grins as Cassie comes and grabs the most uncontrollable (and possibly lethal) sled of all. The infamous disc with which there is almost no steering possible. And it might be that Stephanie waxed all the sleds first so they'll have an even faster run.

She lets out a whoop as Cass takes off on it, then turns to Talia and Damian. "Mother-son tandem on innertubes?" she suggests, kicking the inflated tube over at Damian, and then pulling out another one for Talia. "Austin, what do you want?" she asks.

Stephanie looks over the collection and says, "Think I'll do the Red Runner," she comments aloud, pulling out the runner sled. "We can all do a toboggan run together later maybe?" she suggests.

Austin Reese has posed:
Making his way up to the top of the hill, standing and waiting and watching a few others go down the others head down the hill. When Steph asks him what he wants, he points to one of the inflatable pool rings, "That one." He says, picking it up and kicking it with his foot under it to bounce it up and grab it.

He heads over towards towards the edge of the hill, and then takes a few running steps and leaps belly down onto the innertube, starting to slide down the hill head first.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
There's an amused look over in the eyes of Talia Al Ghul. "Are you going to be joining them or not?" She would inquire, watching over. "And how treacherous is the bottom? Are there bodies strewn about and the broken frames of those sleds which have not made it all the way down and survived?" She would playfully go.

And over to the side is a little kid with blonde hair that can't be more than six or seven, pulling along a red toboggan with him that has a stuffed tiger on it.
    "Ready to go down Murderer's Row into the Gulf of Despair where the clowns lie still!"

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra Cain can not hear Stephanie talking. She can hear wind in her ears and her heart pounding, the insanity of what she's doing completely missing her consciousness. She was born in lunacy, and raised in terror. She's spinning out of control and keeps seeing trees that try to get in her path but then she's past them and she's nearly falling off of the disc now as she holds on with frozen fingers.

Then she's approaching a snowdrift, and she manages to stop her spin just in time to be able to see it coming. Her eyes widen, and she gets this deeply satisfied snarl on her face. Bring it on. Apparently.

The POUF of snow when she hits the bottom is audible even from up top. And her left boot lands halfway up the hill.

Damian Wayne has posed:
Damian glances up at his mother and he frowns. "You paint a very colorful picture, mother." he comments to her quietly and then gestures to his shoulder. "I have not had a chance to finish treatment." he admits.

He's avoided wearing a sling, but he's still healing from the bullet wound he suffered in a bank robbery a few days back and hasn't taken back to the field yet.

Though his eyes widen as Cassandra makes a perfect imprint of herself into a snowdrift and he smiles slightly at it. A genuine smile.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown carries her runner sled over to the crest of the hill. To the little kid, Stephanie says, "I hope you made sure your affairs are in order, and your will up to date."

She looks down to where Cassandra probably just got turned into a snowperson, letting out a laugh. Then she unzips her snowsuit to dig out something from an inside a pocket.

Stephanie watches as Austin runs past. Getting up extra speed. Because that's what you want when you're facing a limb-breaking jump halfway down the hill!

Turning back to Talia and Damian, Stephanie sorts out the pair of goggles she pulled from her snow suit. They look old, like something a biplane pilot would have worn in the Great War. "To infinity and beyond!" she yells, and, then runs to the edge of the hill, jumping off it and landing on the sled a good dozen feet down already as she races to try to catch Austin.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul would look over at Damian and smile. "Just sit and relax. Enjoy the sonnets of winter. Look up at the skyline. Hear everyone enjoying themselves. Lay back and just enjoy your surroundings." She goes to pull up a full toboggan that's large enough that Damian could just lie upon it and enjoy teh cloudy winter day, the sounds of people having fun, the smell of hot chocolate and everything going on. Talia would look relaxed, and rather happy for a rare time.

Looking down to see the Cassandra shaped landing that was on the ground far on down. "I'm surprised no one has tried to make a loop de loop yet."

Watching Steph rocket on down. "She's definitely prepared herself. I think that she's the happiest of everyone."

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Down the hill, a snowpile sits silent. It recently ate, and is digesting the human that it took into its mass. It feels odd though, and there's something going on. Which is when a fist appears, punched upwards through the snow into the free (and freezing) air! Cassandra Cain is not so easily beaten! Yay!

Austin Reese has posed:
Whipping down the snow hill, Austin is going to be able to get caught, because he starts to turn sideways as he slides, and then after a few moments ends up rolling over, tumbling through the snow for several feet before he comes to a sliding stop in the snow, on his back, looking up at the sky. He's laughing though.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown shoots past Austin. "Watch out below, slowpoke!" she yells at him with a laugh. Though then she hits a thicker patch of snow which flies up into her face resulting in a bunch of coughing. Perhaps a little overly dramatic, hamming it up.

The runner sled caroms down the hill, Stephanie steering from side to side, carving out S-shapes on it. It's one of the more maneuverable sleds, but then if you're lying on it on your stomach like Stephanie, your face is about 6 inches above the snow.

And up ahead? The dreaded jump. She catches a little air dropping into the depression, and then shoots across the nearly horizontal part until the hill drops away beneath her!

At least ten feet up on the air, Stephanie looks down, perhaps imagining Gravity rubbing its hands together in gleeful anticipation. She falls and hits the snowy slope and wipes out. The sled goes flying from her and continues on down the hill without a rider. Stephanie tumbles and finally rolls to a stop on her back.

"Oooooof," she groans. And then slowly starts making snow angels.

Damian Wayne has posed:
Leaning back on the tobogan when asked, Damian just looks up into the sky, breathing in the cool air, letting it chill his lungs before he lets it out, he focuses on the feel of it all.

And it seems that is what he's going to be doing for now - being zen and relaxed and just vibing at the whole thing.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Going to crane her neck on down, Talia Al Ghul goes to watch those far, far on down. Musing to herself. "Very well.." She would cross her arms together, give a wink at Damian.. "But, another thing, Damian.." His mother would go on calmly.

"I really hate silence." Then she goes to take out her foot and -press- hard on the end of the toboggan, shoving it down the side of the Suicide Shotgun!

Tongue firmly in cheek, Talia Al Ghul goes to put on a pair of ice skates, and lacsadasically goes to hop on down to barrel along!

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown finally sits up after making the snow angel. Which is probably a good idea, because that kid in the red cap with the stuffed tiger go zooming past. Stephanie does a double take, she could have swore the tiger's stuffed arms were around the kid's head hanging on, blocking his vision.

She turns to look back up the hill to make sure that she's not going to get run over by anyone else in the immediate future. She'll have a walk, or tumble, down the hill to get her sled.

She moves her hand to shade her eyes, looking up as Damian's toboggan starts over the edge.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
And Damian gets hit with a snowball. From where exactly, is not immediately obvious. Because his reflexes are very good, after all. Where did that even come from?

Way down the hill, Cass is sneaking up on Stephanie next, her shirt full of snow so she's not short on ammunition. Though she's certainly flirting with frostbite.

Damian Wayne has posed:
Have you even seen someone lose all of their trust with a simple push of a foot? Talia will suffer a major setback - Damian had made it clear he wasn't interested and she forced him into it anyway. It was much like his childhood.

And down the hill he goes. He tucks in his bad arm, unwilling to rish further injury to it. But despite that, as he hits the bump, he catcfhes some major air. Going up high, he keeps the tobogan straight as he lands on the snow, throwing it up as he smashes through a snowbank and out the other side, twisting the rope rudder to the side as he twists it hard into a drift - that builds up a wave of snow and slush... that misses Cassandra Cain entirely.

Because it's better to get revenge on her when she can react.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Sliding on down after Damian, his mother, unaware as tot he depths which she has shaken his trust, is arriving down on her skates. As she goes to hit the bottom, she's moving to keep on going, moving to skid along in an arc that would take her over and past Steph. If Steph or Austin were at an angle where they could hit her with a snowball, it would be glorious..

If only in retaliation for Damian's honor!