18578/Early Christmas In Bludhaven

Early Christmas In Bludhaven
Date of Scene:	14 July 2024
Location:	City Docks
Synopsis:	Nightwing encounters Selene, who may or may not be an extra from the film The Crow. They discuss vampire politics, mysterious cargo ships, and exchange early Christmas gifts to facilitate future contact or vampire slaying (or healing!).
Cast of Characters:	Dick Grayson, Selene Corvinus

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Dick Grayson has posed:
The cargo ship out of some eastern European country has been docked in the Port of Bludhaven for three days and two nights. Curiously, there are some who believe that not a soul has left the ship as of yet. It's a most curious mystery and one that has persisted well into this very night. The heat isn't horrid, but the humidity is the issue tonight. At least for those who suffer form such things. The first quarter moon in visible in the sky, although bits of cloud shield it from view from time to time.

On one of the dingy, dilapidated dockyard rooftops the lean muscled form of Nightwing lurks within the shadows. He has laid himself prone so as to cut a slighter silhouette on the rooftop and for the moment he's propped himself upon his elbows, while his hands cup either side of his jaw. He's about ten seconds away from kicking his feet behind him to some unheard song, probably. Despite that possibility, Nightwing seems focused upon the cargo ship and the lack of activity on the decks of it. Or even around it.

"Nightwing, checking in," he quietly murmurs into a comm unit. No doubt keeping someone out there informed of his status and continued good health.

Selene Corvinus has posed:
It has been a long road, in the past 4 years, for Selene. She'd seen her entire world, everything she thought she knew, crumble around her. Much of it pushed over by her own hands, after she began to tug on the threads of truth that began to poke out from beneath the lies she'd been fed for centuries. So many of her allies, for so very long, were now her enemies, while so many enemies were now allies that she had to tentatively rely upon to get through the new chapter of madness in the already darkly insane book of her life.

Tonight was just one more page to turn, and as it so happened she just managed to show up near enough to another member of the Bat family, that he may well notice her out of the corner of his eye.

While Nightwing is settled in for a moment of reprieve from a more active take on a patrol route, there is motion to his right. Something, or someone, just dropped off a higher vantage point, and nimbly landed upon the rooft to the north east of his current location. Not but half a football field away from his little perch.

A figure in black. They landed in a crouch, their figure a bit challenging to see with the naked eye, but Nightwing assuredly has other means to ascertain the info needed to see it was a woman. Someone who might initially trigger thoughts of Catwoman within the mind of the Gotham vigilante. But, the more he might look, or the closer he may choose to get, the quicker he'd see it definitely wasn't Catwoman.

She stood from her landed crouch, gracefully rising up to a fairly tall height, as she moved with a fluidity toward the edge of the rooftop, where she had her back to the vigilante, her shoulder-length hair gently flowing in the wind.

Dressed in a black bodysuit, it reflected elements of the ambient light across her lithe frame, and to Nightwing's discomfort, he'd note she had two handguns on her thighs, holstered and secured, with a few other bits of items attached to a custom rig on the back of a form-fit corset wrapped around her torso.

The woman crept about on the edge of the building, passing by some scaffolding, and slipping in to some shadows atop the warehouse roof that overlooks the stretch of docks below.

Dick Grayson has posed:
The movement doesn't go unnoticed. Mostly because despite the dock being part of an active port? The docked cargo ship had yet to show any signs of activity, both upon or beyond the ship itself. Which means that the dockyard itself has been fairly quiet. Never mind the fact that in darkness the human eye tracks movement better than something moving slowly or remaining still. He watches the agile movements for a moment, cants his head to one side, and Nightwing's mouth screws up into a look of confusion and amusement all at once. He's interrupted from his own thoughts by the quiet murmur of an acknowledgment of his check-in.

A tap to his domino mask results in the vision of the mask telescoping and zooming in on the distant figure. "You don't look like a kitty," he murmurs to himself while observing the figure that most assuredly is not the Catwoman. Another tap resets the mask's view to normal and he eases himself up and into a crouch. Nightwing being the natural gymnast that he is and second only to Batman when it comes to stealth, slips into the shadows with ease. He moves with distinct care and precision, vaulting from one rooftop to crouch atop a light post nearby. He balances there for a moment, making certain that the post does not wobble about to give away his position.

From there he watches for a moment longer. He's distinctly curious regarding this newcomer's motives and own talents that might lead one such as himself to even briefly mistake her for Catwoman.

Selene Corvinus has posed:
When Nightwing arrives to his light post perch, he's greeted to the sight of the woman leaning forward, her hands upon the stone ledge of the warehouse's roof, her body slightly leaned over the edge, as she watched what was happening below. It certainly was at least reminescent of the femme fatale's hea's run in to for quite some time here within Gotham's colorful history, but this one was likely new to him.

It took just a few seconds of leaning there like that, before her posture went a little more rigid, and she slowly pulled her hands back from the stone.

She evened out her stance, and Nightwing would know she seemed poised to react...

And react she did. Her hands snapped to her thigh holsters, where she drew her handguns, and spun about on the knee high leather boots that wrapped around her feet and lower legs. She raised the weapons up, pointing them directly toward where Nightwing was!

Of course, she didn't fire, yet, but with a hardened stare down the barrel of her twin guns, the woman stared in to the black shadows, her cold moon hued eyes glaring in to the dark.

"The Bat?" Selene spoke, her voice ultra sultry to the ears, husky and smooth like an aged liquor. "Or is it one of his friends...?" She asked a second later.

Dick Grayson has posed:
One would typically dive for cover when someone seems to move at a blur. Let alone when they seem to move with preternatural speed in order to draw a pair of pistols. Nightwing doesn't. To the predator's enhanced senses, even his heart rate doesn't seem to alter beyond something approaching the slightly faster, deeper thumps of someone whose either amused or simply happy to see someone. The question only serves to increase the thump of his healthy heart and soon his breaks his own silence with a bit of quiet laughter, "The Bat? He doesn't tend to visit Bludhaven this time of night," Nightwing jests back. Still he doesn't dive or attempt to leave away. He continues talking away at gunpoint as though he's found a new friend.

"I'm Nightwing. A friend of the Bat," he does at least confirm with a smile that seems to push back the darkness. He stands up from his crouch, still balancing upon the post with a level of grace that would be astonishing to most. Nightwing's hands shift upward, signaling that his are in fact empty and that he seemingly means no harm, "You here to check out the ship too? I've been snooping it off and on the last couple days and nights. Strange stuff," he remarks with a little tilt of his head toward the ship in question. That tilt of his head likewise sends some of his black hair shifting to the side of the tilt.

Still Nightwing doesn't lower his hands before he gestures, still smiling, toward the rooftop which the gun-toting gothic chic dressed woman occupies, "You obviously don't have to, but if you want you can put those away. I get it though. Big, strapping guy lurking in the shadows. A woman alone in a seedy place filled with shadows and a maze of cargo containers. I'd point guns at me too," Nightwing comments with a little smile and an exaggerated shrug of his shoulders. All without lowering his hands.

One would think that someone being held at gunpoint would take it all just a little more seriously. Yet Nightwing treats it as though it's a Tuesday. When in fact it's a Saturday night.

Selene Corvinus has posed:
Selene's posture was one of experienced fighter. She did not show a shred of hesitancy, or any signal of nervousness. She simply stands there, poised, and ready to act if needs of self preservation presented themselves to her. Truth is, she was hoping it was the Bat, or one of his people. Thus, when that hope was realized, and the question- or request- to have her slip the guns back where they were was made... she did not hesitate. The were lowered, and their barrels deposited back in to the black nylon holsters on the outsides of her thighs.

Her hands simply hung then at the sides of her hips, and she drew in a light breath, as she stared at him, her hair was a light brown at their roots, slowly fading in to ebony black at the tips of every strand, creating a fade of light to dark, which gently swept across her face in the warm summer wind.

"I am Selene," she replied to him. "I have worked with one known as Batgirl... I do not know if you can reach her for confirmation, but if so, I am rather certain she will vouch for me. She... saved my life, in Hungary, a little over a year ago."

Selene takes a step to the side, so that her back is not facing the docks, since there are ship crew aboard that freighter that was marked with 'Semira' on the side. It was a cargo ship, for a company out of Eastern Europe that was labeled as a medical technology company, dealing in the cutting edge for a wide variety of medical innovative ideas in tech, and medication.

With her back given cover, and a bit more shadow to fall over her, she stands with her eyes still on Nightwing's location.

"I am here to watch the shipment, I hadn't expected others to be interested either." She states, her voice still pitched in that conventionally alluring tone of depth and rich tones, flavored with an accent that seemed to come from many parts of Europe, which hinted at just how old she was, if one knew such a thing about her, as from the visual sight of her alone, she just appears to be in her early 20s at most.

Dick Grayson has posed:
It's probably a touch exaggerated when Nightwing lets out a loud breath that seems to exude anxiousness that never quite seemed to be there. He even lifts a hand to wipe a wrist across his forehead before he tilts his chin downward and settles the white eyes of his domino mask upon Selene. He listens to the tale of past associations, along with the passive inquiry whether he could reach out to the mentioned Batgirl for confirmation of the story. Nightwing's smile returns and he takes a step forward, dropping from atop the post and falling to the rooftop below.

The man's gymnast background is evident based upon the way he drops and rolls, springing readily to his feet, and then promptly turning that roll to his feet into a casual stroll across the rooftop. Moving parallel and then away from Selene, he answers her own purpose for being on the shadowy rooftop with his own reasoning, "I caught wind of it late into the first night of its arrival. I've been keeping an eye on it since". He comes to a halt a few paces away from the opposite edge and then takes to a knee. There he settles in to watch the cargo ship, putting his back to Selene and showing perhaps the greatest and most wholesome version of blind trust that a man could offer to a newfound rooftop lurking shadow-clinger. "I like Bludhaven. I like other people taking an interest in protecting Bludhaven. You're here for that, right?" Nightwing asks with nary a glance toward Selene, but instead a tap of his visor has him inspecting the 'Semira' from afar.

Selene Corvinus has posed:
With Nightwing dropping down to join her on a level position, Selene just watches him as he approaches, and moves to stride past her. She stays where she is, as he speaks, and approaches only after he starts to scan the ship further. She moves in to stand on his left side, an arm's reach away. Her eyes look toward him on her right, then out toward the ship again. A deep shadow falls across her face from the warehouse's facade scaffolding that raises up off of the edge of the roof. It covers half her face in shadow, while the other half is given a soft bit of light to make her pale skin softly glow. She stares out at the ship, those pale blue eyes watching it carefully, before she sweeps her vision back to him.

"In a roundabout manner," she answers his question about protecting the city. "I was the head of Semira security since the founding of the company," which if Nightwing had looked, was over sixty years ago... which would certainly draw question in to the true age of the woman beside the vigilante.

She drew in a breath through her pert nose, and let her eyes slip back to the ship in the distance.

"We've had a falling out, you could say..." She says just barely above a whisper. After a second, she regards him again. "Semira is run by a coven of Vampires from Hungary. I was their lead protector, defender, and advocate for what I believed was a noble cause to separate from Humanity, on the urge for medical inventions that would give my people freedom from... your people. We were edging ever closer to that goal, when... sadly I discovered it was not what I thought it was."

She trails off, trying not to spill too much info on this man all at once. She had a lot more where it came from, of which the Batgirl had learned.

"There has been a lot of killing taking place, but only between monsters that you may not much care for the well-being of. I'm doing everything I can to make sure innocents are not caught up in the killing too, so in that regard... yes, I am protecting your city."

Dick Grayson has posed:
Nightwing nods once in answer to Semira's mention of being the head of Semira's security since the founding. It's a remark that causes a tilt of the vigilante's head, but he still doesn't look in the direction of Selene. He does comment on it though, his smile tugging to life once again and seeming to push back the night with its power and sheer wholesomeness, "You're going to need to do better than that if you want surprised looks," Nightwing begins. His shoulders rise and fall with a light shrug, though his amused smile still doesn't fade away, "At this point we're a world of crimefighting vigilantes, aliens, secret experiments from hundreds of years past, gods and goddesses, social media influencers, and more. Looking great for your age isn't that astonishing".

After that remark, Nightwing's chin shifts to the side and angles his gaze up toward Selene. His smile is cheeky and not lacking in playful qualities. It lasts for only a moment before the kneeling nocturnal crimefighter's attention returns to settle onto the cargo ship. He obviously hears Selene's explanation and it's one that results in his head turning just enough to be bisected by a sliver of light as his domino mask tilts upward to regard Selene with a sidelong look, "None of us are born monsters. I'll fight what needs fighting," he begins with a look cast toward the ship again, "vampires? There was a big problem with them around Gotham and beyond recently. Is this related to that or is this a separate issue?"

Selene Corvinus has posed:
Selene remained half-in, and half-out of the shadow cast by the building's sign posts, her eyes out on the ship, as Nightwing responds to her. She spares a moment's glance over, and down, at him as he gives her a cheeky response. She doesn't openly react to it, as she seems like one of 'those' types, who is rare to express levity. Instead, her eyes go up again, as she stares off at the vessel that was once related directly to her work with her people.

"You're speaking of Mary Seward, and her Blood Moon cultists?" She asks, as her winter moon colored gaze returns to Nightwing's domino mask. She shakes her head gently just once, "I know of them, but they are unrelated to my people, or our situation. I've... tracked her down, and spoke to her, when I heard about her cult operating within Gotham City. I wanted to make sure she was aware of what was happening with my people, and that I did not want her to ally with them. You could say that I allied with her to ensure this, but... under the stipulation that I would not assist her in anything related to undermining your family's interests. I am simply sworn not to help you harm her, either."

Selene offers Nightwing a very faint smirk at that. "For that, I am sorry. the politics of the Vampire covens is challenging, at times." She says, as she steps up to the ledge, her hand raising up to delicately place fingers against a rust covered metal support pipe behind the sign's edge.

"I'm here to specifically attempt to recognize any faces that come aboard, or disembark that ship, as I am hoping to have a few words with some key actors in the ongoing drama within our circle."

She glanced again toward Nightwing. "I wouldn't ask you to get involved. I do not expect anything to happen tonight, of a violent nature. The cargo board the ship, should be mostly entirely legal. Though there could be weapons aboard that would not exactly be within your laws. However, they're not likely being sold to your citizens, but simply being used to bolster defenses of the Semira holdings," She paused a beat then. "From me."

Dick Grayson has posed:
"Her and them, yes," Nightwing answers with a little nod of his head before he suddenly springs up to his feet from his kneel. It could surely set some on edge. Yet he still doesn't look toward Selene even when he's now sprang to his full height. He doesn't begin to pace, but judging by the way that his body begins to angle itself away from the roof's edge it's very likely that he may be preparing to depart or otherwise wander off to more secluded or shadowy territory. He's not finished with the conversation though and that continues underway, without Dick rudely walking away without warning, "While I'm not one for turning away help," he says with a renewed smile and a glance toward the mysterious old lady-that-doesn't-look old, "I don't place demands for people's help either. We'll manage without the help."

Nightwing slips his hands together. Though it's largely a move to permit his right hand to pluck at something near his left gauntlet. He offers the small device out toward Selene as it rests pinched between thumb and forefinger. The small device looks like some sort of metallic matchstick. The vigilante's domino mask finally moves to rest upon Selene fully as he offers her the object, "It'll signal me. If you want the help? I'll give it. If you don't, then you can use it another time to signal me if you need a hand. If you're keeping the city safe, then we're on the same team, and that's good enough for me."

Selene Corvinus has posed:
Selene draws her eyes back from the ship, when Nightwing offers that contact beacon. She looks at it, then up at him, and he might note that her eyes are no longer that ice blue hue, but instead a deep brown shade, almost black in this absence of much light. She reaches a pale hand up, and accepts the device, which then he'll see her show a rare lopsided grin at what he says. The facial expression is vague, a ghost of emotion upon a somewhat ghostly woman.

"Thank you..." She says in that rich voice, as she rolls the item around between her fingers. "And if we're exchanging things, take this..." Selene states back, as she draws something from her left holster, but not a gun. She raises up a magazine, filled with ammunition for her gun, and with it a silver spike. She offers them both to him. "Ultra violet rounds. They'll kill the vampires the second they enter their bloodstream." She says of the magazine of bullets, while she then indicates the separate silver spike. "Twist that open, and it contains a synthetic blood. With it, you can feed a Vampire, without needing the blood of a Human. It will help you sustain a Vampire, should you need to." A way to kill them, and heal them.

Selene gives a seconds glance toward the Semira shipping vessel in the distance, before she regards Nightwing again. "My goal is to end the war within my coven, and after that... I hope to finish my original plan, what I thought was my people's plan all along. Find a place to slip away to, and not ever deal with this type of shit ever again."

She shows him another faint expression, that same little half-grin. "Good luck, and I promise not to personally be a bother for you, or yours..."

Dick Grayson has posed:
A magazine and a silver spike. It's not even Christmas! Nightwing's gloved hands move to accept both however and he doesn't stash them away, but instead simply holds them up like a kid who's just received a new Nintendo from mom back in the '80s. Probably chainsmoking a Marlboro and with ungodly big hair, too. He smiles a big, beaming smile as though he's showing off the gift for the photos that'll end up in an album later. Then the smile begins to fade as more serious thoughts seem to arise and are promptly given a voice, "I promise to use them responsibly. I'll not give in to mischief". The assurance is given and Nightwing slips the magazine into a pouch within his sleeve. The spike is stashed away within a pouch hidden within the right thigh of his skin-hugging suit.

He lifts his hands, palms outward to show them empty before he gives a playful smile and a little, "Ta-daaa!" Before his showcased hands begin to waggle with sheathed fingers spread wide in the standard variant of 'jazz hands'.

"I'm going to get some ice cream. I'll be back soon. You want any?" The question is presented and Nightwing seems deathly serious.