19064/Scoping or Staking out Amusement Mile

Scoping or Staking out Amusement Mile
Date of Scene:	13 September 2024
Location:	Fun Land - Amusement Mile
Synopsis:	Stephanie Brown stakes out some of black Mask's men at Amusement Mile, while Jane Roe, Amy and Caleb are enjoying the evening there.
Cast of Characters:	Stephanie Brown, Amy Winston, Caleb Dykstra, Jane Roe

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Stephanie Brown has posed:
It is Friday and Amusement Mile is hopping.

The crowds are numerous if not overwhelming. People getting out and enjoying the beginnings of Autumn weather that have come to Gotham this weekend. Music is coming from over in the arena. Some B-52s cover band headlined by actor Trevor Slattery. His vocals aren't exactly the best, but the crowd there seems to be enjoying it just the same.

The rides zip about on their tracks, inciting squeals and screams from the riders. As one walks through the area, the smells of cotton candy, of cooking meats and other savory aromas drift in one after the other to entice customers to food stalls which are doing a brisk business.

Over behind the counter of one of the carnival games, Stephanie Brown lets out a blown exhalation to dislodge a wisp of blond hair that is hanging down her cheek. "Almost," she tells the latest person trying his luck at throwing baseballs at various targets, from stacks of cans to spinning faces and other fanciful creations. "Didn't get the big prize, but you get to choose from row 3," she says, motioning to the section where prices hang from the roof.

"How about your number?" the young man asks hopefully. Stephanie gives him a smile but a shake of her head. "Sorry, that's row 1," she says, going over and grabbing a small lion plushie and holding it up for him to decide if that's what he wants. He takes it, wandering back over to his friends where he gets heckled for not coming away with the blond's number.

Amy Winston has posed:
Amy wandered through the bustling Amusement Mile, a curious smile playing on her lips as she took in the scene. The air was crisp with the first touch of autumn, and the mingling scents of roasting meats, sweet cotton candy, and fried delights tugged at her senses. She was not used to such a cacophony of noise and light, but she relished it, letting herself be swept along by the waves of joy that seemed to surge around her.

The rides whirred and clattered above, the screams of their passengers slicing through the air. Laughter echoed from all directions, and Amy found herself glancing at the groups of people who wandered past, carefree and full of life. It was a far cry from the life she had known for the last few years. Battlefields and liberations, strategies and wars. Here, in this small moment, she could simply be.

Ahead, she noticed Stephanie at one of the carnival game booths, expertly handling the crowd with her usual wit. A boy, flushed with hope, asked for her number, and Amy couldn't help but smirk at the scene. Stephanie's quick retort left the boy walking away with a small lion plushie and a round of laughter from his friends. She definitely can't blame the boy for trying.

The distant strains of music reached her ears, though she winced slightly at the sound of Trevor Slattery's attempt at singing in a live concert. The cover of the so-called B-52s was less than pleasing to her ear, though the crowd seemed to be enjoying it. Amy shook her head, her smile softening. If the people are happy, what harm is there in poor music? Better than the alternatives of the sounds of panic and war.

Her fingers drifted along the edge of a game stall as she walked, her eyes lingering on the spinning faces and stacked cans. She could win any of these games with ease, but what fun would there be in that? No, for now, Amy simply wanted to experience the joy of it all-the colors, the sounds, the overwhelming vitality of this strange but endearing place. For in its simplicity, Amusement Mile held a beauty all it's own. Plus, she is working on finishing off the corn dog she had secured.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
He's here to do a test run on something he's making, but he might as well just stop by the amusement mile, for... Well, some casual amusement. Nevermind that having a bounty on his head could come to ruin his fun, but truth of the matter is, even those with bounties on their heads can make it, even if for just one day.

Still, just as a precaution, Caleb dyed his hair in lighter colors, added a pair of stylish glasses, and is wearing a hoodie over his head. Fashion statement, right?

He looks at the booths, and casually observes the scene, and the plushie the boy goes away with. And he shrugs to himself - if you play the game, you risk getting the odd prizes. But hey, at least he got something.

He looks at the prizes that you can get at the booth - plushies, and plushies, and more plushies.

The likeliest way he'd consider playing was if he wanted to give his kid sister a plushie...

She's getting a little too old for them, though.

He goes to a stand, and gets himself something to eat.

Jane Roe has posed:
Early Autum. Or late summer. The time where people need watertight jackets against the torrents comming as well as something light because the air was at times too warm. Evenings get cool. And still, people love to be outside.

Jane armored herself against the weather with a thick leather jacket, the messanger bag at the side being quite watertight by design. She's just another face in the crowd, walking slowly, eyes running over stalls. There's the throwing booth, a shooting parlor, a water tank for scooping goldfish with a paper held in a plastic frame... She stopped as that thing comes into view, right next to the booth of can throwing. For some reason, she whispered "Kingyo-sukui", which that particular festival game was called in Japan, then shook her head a moment to walk on.

When she she did turn back just a few moments later, passing a lauhed at teenie with a lion plushie in arm, she stepped closer to that game to pay the five bucks for a paper scoop so she could try to maneuver a goldfish onto the easily torn paper and lift it into a bowl... because the rules said the boel can't touch the water after containing about a glass full of it.

It's a strange test of skill, requiring careful movement and yet speed. Yet... she wasn't too bad at it actually, despite telling the stall owner she couldn't remember ever having done it before... Savant? or a Lie?

    Yellow Box: Japan, years ago A single panel, printed barely visible with only outlines in light grey and blurred like smoke. A young girl, wearing a yokata, scooping for goldfish.

Anyway, even if she is good, and manages to get the fish onto the poi, it splashes on the paper as it is lifted from the basin. Promply the paper starts to tear, the fish slipping to the growing gap... only to drop into the bowl that managed to get there just in time. A tiny grin creeps on the nameless hacker's face, then she tried with another sish, but the poi desintegrates fully as soon as the second fish is brought to the surface.

"Ahw, beginner's luck I guess. can you bag it?"

Stephanie Brown has posed:
The vendor is ready to serve up Caleb any number of tasty concoctions from the menu, from fried twinkies to fried pickles and fried French fries.

Meanwhile Stephanie Brown sets back up the fallen over cans from the pyramid. She finishes, turning back to glance over at the carnival game across from hers.

A number of horses stand at a starting line. A hole for each contestant to shoot a water gun into will cause the water to propel each of the horses along the race course and to a finish line. With the winner getting a prize.

A couple of rather tough looking youths move over to the stand. The carnie glances over at them and gives a tiny nod, enough that most people wouldn't have caught it if they weren't watching for it.

Stephanie is watching for it. She pulls out her phone, looking like a low-wage worker stealing a moment to check social media or her text messages. In reality she's checking the video camera she has set up recording happenings at the other stall. Seeing it looks good, she pockets the phone and moves over to the counter. "Who's next? Do we have a Nolan Ryan? Do we have a Roger Clemens? Do we have an Abner Rothlekader?" she asks, naming famous pitchers, the last being a starting pitcher for Gotham's current baseball team. "$5 for five throws. Hit targets and win prizes!" she calls out.

The blond is wearing glasses and has her hair in tight curls to help disguise her identity. She tosses the balls into the air, turning it into juggling. Though drops one of them after a moment or two, not wanting to look too good at it.

Amy Winston has posed:
Amy Winston's eyes sparkled with a playful challenge as she stepped up to Stephanie's stall, watching the young blonde set up the cans with a practiced hand. The air was alive with excitement, and Amy felt her pulse quicken with the energy of the crowd. As Stephanie called out for a pitcher, Amy couldn't resist the temptation.

She tossed a glance at the prize section, then back at Stephanie, a grin tugging at her lips. "Tell me, Stephanie," she began, her voice light and teasing as she picked up one of the baseballs, testing its weight in her hand. "Do I get row 1 if I win?" She winked playfully, the challenge clear in her eyes. Then she set down a five dollar bill.

Amy knew she could easily knock down the targets with magic, but where would the fun be in making it too easy? This was a game, after all, and she was more than willing to play.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb gets himself a pack of french fries with a few pickles on the side, and he returns his attention to the stand both blondes are at now. He seems kinda undecided on whether or not to play...

Aw, what the heck!

Approaching, he steps withing earshot to hear the rules of the game - all the while munching on his pickled french fries.

Jane Roe has posed:
It took all but a minute to get the little fish bagged and then clipped to the messanger bag's outside, just to not risk blowing the bag on the electronics inside, but in the time, things on the side became interesting. So turning to the self-proclaimed new Star Pitcher 'Amy Winston' from Gotham, the black haired pixie cut hacker did step to look at the little spectacle that might happen there, the eyes mustering the happening carefully.

Something in the back of Jane's head did tingle though at the odd signals that came from somewhere close. Behind her? Encrypted signals on a non standard band... What... Though for the moment she looked at Amy's performance, interest was piqued.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
The food is served up to Caleb, along with a, "Condiments and napkins are over on the table," comment that directs to him all sorts of dipping sauces for his fried goodies.

Stephanie turns to Amy as she comes over to the booth. She pushes her glasses up on her nose, darn things keep sliding down, and gives her a smile. "Probably more likely to than he was," she teases, and motions towards the row of prizes that Amy would be able to select from. There are a number of big stuffed animals there. Including a purple unicorn, and purple brontosaurus. Just in case anyone likes purple.

Meanwhile, the other carnie is trying to drum up more contestants for a race. "Race the horses, win a prize. Grand prize winner is guaranteed from every race with four contestants!" he calls out. A couple stop, the woman moving to take up one of the guns while her husband pays her entry. The tough looking trio send one of their number over to play as well.

The carnie looks over and sees Caleb and Jane. "What do you say? Step right up! Five dollars and put your favorite horse into the winners circle!" he says. He demonstrates, shooting the water gun into the opening and sending one of the horses across the course. He resets it then.

Amy Winston has posed:
Picking up the five balls, Amy felt their weight. Basbeballs. Regulation size? She doesn't know, she only played once in high school and it was a terrible experience. She had a knot on her head for a week! As she starts to throw, the first three throws seem to get closer and closer to the cans. The fourth throw? She nails the cans and gives a little cheer, bounching up and down. "That's the way to do it!" she encourages herself.

And proceeds to throw the fifth ball into the dirt in front of the cans.

Amy scrunched her nose in playful frustration after her five throws, her eyes narrowing at the row of prizes, especially eyeing the purple unicorn. "Clearly, these games are rigged," she huffed dramatically, her hands resting on her hips as she stared at the prize wall. Her lips curled into a mischievous grin as she turned to Stephanie, "But I'll have you know, that one hit? Purely a display of mercy. The unicorn wasn't ready for me yet."

She chuckled lightly, stepping closer to inspect the prizes again. "Though, I think I've earned a consolation prize just for style points, don't you agree?" She flashed a wink, leaning in conspiratorially. "Besides, purple's kind of my thing."

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"I might get to that in a moment", Caleb says. He doesn't say 'maybe', observing how the game goes instead of just landing 5 bucks on the counter just like that. "Don't want to go and get grease all over your things, you know?"

He looks at Amy when she talks about the game being rigged, and raises his eyebrows with a minor nod, clear indication he's not surprised.

After all, what isn't an amusement park if not a sort of casino, only for amusement?

"...What isn't rigged in this city?", he mutters under his breath.

Jane Roe has posed:
The call to participate earns the stallkeeper a little wave over the shoulder, a 'gimmie a moment here' of sorts as Jane watches the missing of the balls. A tiny laugh escapes her as she offers an encouraging nod. "Next time, Walter Johnson, next time," she encourages, then snorting a moment. "Though I bet Captain Rodgers would suggest Bob Feller." Juuust a silly reference to some old interview the guy gave about having to catch up some decades of baseball.

Checking if the goldfish was still where it was left on the bag, she slowly moved over to the other side to the stall with the racing game, eying the thing with the heavy water pump under the machinery, and the strange signal source above. "So, 5 bucks and I get a chance for... Garfield?" she pointed to a fat cat plushie in orange before searching for the cash in the pocket, handing a fiver before carefully weighing that water gun. "It's a race, so... who's contester?"

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown gives a good natured laugh back to Amy as she huffs and suggests the game must be rigged. "Super powered magnet under the ground to attract the ball," she teases. The blond coed goes over and looks through the other prizes available, finally pulling out a purple-haired troll which she brings over to Amy.

"Purple is great," Stephanie agrees. "So that's twice now that you've shown good taste," she says, though looking away with a slight flush to her cheeks on the latter comment. She looks back to offer the troll doll over to her.

The carnie at the other game takes Jane's money and nods. "Yep, winner gets a prize from anywhere there, long as there are four people," he says. He calls out when Caleb turns down the game, and manages to get another contestant up.

"Ok, jockeys take your positions," he says. The woman gives the gun a little test fire. The tough young man just waits confidently.

"Ok, aim the stream into your target to move your horse," the carnie says. "Horses are to the line." He pushes a button to play some music like a starting bugle. "And they are off!"

The other contestants start shooting their guns at the openings, and the horses start to move, propelled by the water.

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb Dykstra finishes his pickled chips, and throws away the box into the nearby garbage bin. He bends his neck to the left, then to the right, to loosen up his shoulders, and he approaches Steph.

"Hi there!", he says. "What're the available prizes for knocking down the cans?", he asks.

Jane Roe has posed:
Jane gets her row on the tracks, raising the water gun. Then the bell sounds, the game is on. Two kids do their best to shoot into the target hoops, Jane isn't far behind, the higher angle making it a little more awkward and a late teen or young adult... well, he doesn't seem to be trying too hard, almost looking bored, but his horse is racing to the front, staying there and finally crossing first, just in front of the young boy in pink shirt while his best buddy ends up beaten by Jane with about the noodle's width, or so the screen above claims... Rigged? maybe...

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown gives Caleb a smile as he comes over. She motions to the rows of prizes hanging above the booth. "This row is for hitting one target. Each of the next rows for an additional target. The first row you need to hit more than 5 targets, which since there are only 5 balls, you pretty much need to knock down a whole set of the stacked cans," she says, motioning towards them to show him what she means.

Meanwhile, the horses are off! The guns are not exactly accurate, nor even consistent, and it takes continually adjusting to keep the stream of water on target.

At first the young tough's horse is lagging behind, but he must get the knack of it as it begins to surge from the back, overtaking the others and making it to the finish line first!

He grins and puts the water gun back in its holster. "Nice job," the second place finisher says. The one woman gets consoled by her husband's arm around her. "I think we just picked a slow horse," he tells her.

The carnie gets a big stuffed bear and brings it over to the winner. "Here you go buddy, nice job," he says.

Stephanie quietly takes note. One more courier they can track back. After having followed some of Black Mask's men delivering some boxes to Amusement Mile, it took awhile to track things to this carnival game that seems a dissemination point for the illicit goods.

Amy Winston has posed:
Accepting the troll doll, Amy giggles. "It's not quite as you. But. If it helps you remember me..." She turns the doll over, and writes 'Amy - 555-XXX-XXXX'. With that, she hands the doll back to Stephanie with a wink. "When you don't feel like playing with balls." she says tauntingly to the other girl.

As she starts to walk away, as she notices Caleb approaching the booth, her hand reached casually and scraped over the balls, a little magic inlaid into them to attract them to the cans as she glances over at the concessions. Or the watergun game.

Funnel cake can wait, she makes her way over to the booth that Stephanie is keeping an eye on. "Oh! I like horses!" she says cheerfully, a bright smile as she takes a seat. "I have to wait for others to join in, right?"

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
Caleb Dykstra pulls out a fiver to, "Alright... Hit me, then!"

He looks at the game Jane's playing. He casually looks at the guy that wins and heads out with the prize, saying nothing. Having been a drug-runner, he's familiar with the scheme.

"Some folks are naturals, they don't even show enthusiasm anymore...", he mutters to himself, smirking, after the guy's gone with his 'prize'.

He turns back to the others, Jane and Amy, "Let's see how much I suck at this...", he chuckles jokingly.

Jane Roe has posed:
On the other side of the aisle, Jane doesn't even get a little tear-covering price - but then again, she's old enough... at least she thinks. Shouldering the bag properly again, looking around where to go next, when the shattering sound of cans happens behind her, causing her to turn the head back to Steph's booth. All in one? She did miss the phone number-flirt of Amy to the undercover blonde, but the 'I love horses' does make Jane cringe a moment before looking back to Amy. Black haired Pixie cut in Suzuki jacket, black T-shirt with neon green title screen of CBBS looking at golden long hair in bold poppy gamer shirt. Like two sides of internet culture clashing.

"Ok Space Invader, you me, these guns and now. Let's once and for all cement if the 1978 mother of all BBS' beats an Arcade from the same year."

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
And, as he throws - which by itself would not have been a poor throw at all, mind you - the ball, infused with Amy's magic, hits squarely dead-center in the middle of the pile of cans, knocking them down right at first try.

"Damn...", he mutters, definetely not expecting that.

Looking back to Stephanie, he shrugs, "I got four more still... This means I get multiple prizes if I hit again?"

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie looks at what was written on the doll, and gives a smile to Amy as she departs over to the other booth. The blond turns her attention to Caleb then as he knocks down the cans. "Nah, it's just the top level prize if you get enough knocked down, which you did," she says.

She motions towards the row of prizes, mostly stuffed animals. Large ones. Not obnoxiously large, as big as you are. But a nice big stuffed animal that would stand out enough to help draw attention to the games when other people see them. "Which one would you like? Ruckleberry Hound?" Stephanie asks. "Pepe Le Skunk?" she asks, avoiding the copyrighted names with a slight eye roll. There's a Bat Person hanging up there too.

The horse race carnie moves over to take money from Amy and Jane if they are going to play. No courier that has to win this time so the game will be on the up and up.

Amy Winston has posed:
Amy arched a brow, spotting the woman with the pixie cut and the Suzuki jacket across the aisle. The challenge in her stance was clear even before she spoke. When she did, Amy's smirk deepened.

"Space Invader, huh?" Amy mused, folding her arms, eyes gleaming with both amusement and curiosity. "Looks like you're spoiling for a challenge."

She glanced at the neon-green text on the stranger's shirt, taking in the clash of styles-one part retro, the other part rebellion. Perfect.

"Alright, let's do this." Amy rolled her shoulders back, her golden hair catching the light as she locked eyes with her new rival. "You, me, and these water guns. Let's see if your vintage CBBS can keep up." Her lips curled into a sly grin. "Hope you're ready to lose, because this blonde plays to win."

Jane Roe has posed:
"Hack the Planet, Girl." Jane counters as she slaps her bill onto the table, pulling the water gun from the holster and points it over Amy's head for a moment, as if to cross steel before they go for the actual fight. No need to throw back hair with the short cut.

Moments later the hacker trains the gun over to the target hoop, waiting for the pump to be thrown on and allow the participants to give their horses the speed they need to win. "Don't you dare to cheat, Applejack." comes a last mocking remark to the blonde as the machine goes on and water sprays...

Stephanie Brown has posed:
The carnie takes their money. An observant person might notice half of it is slipped into his pocket during the race itself, though he's pretty discrete about it.

The bugle sound starts the contest! The water is flying fast and furious. Amy is showing a steady hand, the arc of water making it into her target most of the time, while Jane is finding more difficulty with her own water gun. Lots of splashes around the target before she finally settles it down.

The carnie calls out like a race announcer. "And it's the grey horse, leading by a length. Coming down the stretch, gradually pulling away. And the grey takes it by a length and a half!"

Caleb Dykstra has posed:
"Well, my kid sister always liked supers, so...", he points at the Bat-plushie, smiling some. "I guess she'll like this one!"

Smiling a bit more broadly to Steph. "Thank you!", sayuing as he makes to leave. He looks at Jane and Amy, and would nod to them, but they now got their attention elsewhere. A small, silent - and most likely unnoticed - nod to them, and he heads off.

Amy Winston has posed:
After crossing water guns with Jane, Amy smirked. "Sure thing, Twilight Sparkle."

Amy's eyes lit up as the sound of the bugle filled the air, her focus narrowing in on the small hoop as water surged from the gun in her hands. Her grip was steady, precise-years of battles and training showing even in something as simple as a carnival game. She could hear Jane's taunts, but they were distant, like background noise to the rhythm of the race.

With a confident smirk, Amy watched her horse pull ahead, the announcer's voice fueling her determination. Every splash Jane made only solidified her lead. Amy wasn't just playing; she was winning.

"Looks like the planet's already been hacked," she teased, her voice rich with amusement. "Guess Applejack's still got a few tricks up her sleeve. Even if I'm more a Rarity~" Amy flipped her golden hair over her shoulder with a flourish, savoring the sweet taste of victory.

When the race ended, and her grey horse took it by a length and a half, she couldn't resist a triumphant grin. Slowly, she turned toward Jane, her violet eyes gleaming with playfulness. satisfaction.

After she wins, she points at one of the Ugly Dolls. "That one, please." she says with a pleased grin. It'll look great when someone pulls back the blankets and sees it there!

Jane Roe has posed:
Jane Roe says, "I ain't no Twilight Sparkle... and the hose of this watergun is kinked. No wonder it doesn't pull ahead ever." Jane blames the establishment for the poor performance with a shrug. But there's no malice in the face, a hand reaching down to pet the goldfish.

"At least I got Magicarp here and some day it'll turn a dragon. So unlike a certain pony in distress. So seems the space invaders win for memes.""