20426/Whats To do

Whats To do
Date of Scene:	13 April 2025
Location:	Barbara's Penthouse (Clocktower - 25th Floor)
Synopsis:	Babs and Damian enjoy some spaghetti and the prospect of Doctor Wayne.
Cast of Characters:	Barbara Gordon, Damian Wayne

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Barbara Gordon has posed:
Being that the Historic Clocktower sat at the heart of Gotham City, it was an easy fallback point for any of the Bat family, or the Birds to come to at any given time. With everything the adventurous vigilante could ever ask for all wrapped up in a secretive 25 story tall building - it was the perfect place to congregate, at any given time.

Right now, it was a mostly quiet building too, with a lone occupant up in the penthouse, crossing from the computer platform on the northwestern corner of the spacious open floor penthouse, to the kitchen done up in a style pulled straight out of a popular apocalyptic wasteland video game series.

Barbara, dressed casually in a black hoodie with bright yellow sleeves, black yoga pants and yellow, white and black sneakers, made her way in to the kitchen to check on the food she had cooking on the stove. Beside the stove, a Mr. Handy robot floated around, talking to her in his posh uppity butler British accented voice, giving her updates on the food, and its status.

Babs, at the stove, sprinkled some more seasoning in the pot, and checked her phone screen.

Damian Wayne has posed:
Usually, if Damian was to visit the Clocktower, he would be in costume and would just use a grapple gun to make his way up to the penthouse from the outside. But today, in a change of pace, it's a normal entrance. Through the front. Dressed in a pair of blue jeans, sneakers and a black t-shirt with an unzipped grey hoodie, he takes the stairs instead of the elevator. Exercise.

Arriving in the main area of the penthouse, his senses pick up the scent of food being made, which determines his path as he makes his way quietly into the kitchen. As he finds Barbara at work at the stove, he leans against the door frame for a moment, admiring the woman before he clears his throat. "It does not smell terrible, Barbara." he comments in mock-driness as he makes his way out of the doorframe and over to the counter.

He sets a small wrapped bag on the polished surface. "I have brought you a gift from my travels abroad."

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Damian found the foyer of the Clocktower to be as it should be. It was decorated and designed in the style of its roots and origins as the GCPD HQ a hundred yearse ago. Perfectly kept, clean, and preserved, it looked like stepping in to a Noir film, though it had loads of high tech elements hidden inside it, tracking everything. Including who was going up the stairs.

As such, Babs knew he was coming, before he even entered the penthouse. Her AI system informed her, and she made sure he had full access to get up here through the route of the winding wooden staircase that was lined with paintings of old Gotham, and many historic figures. When he arrived at the penthouse, he found it was as eccentrically decorated, as its owner's mind was. From video game collector's edition statues on shelves near the entertainment center, to the view of Gotham City through the balcony windows, to the massive clock faces that were looming large in the space high above, on all four sides of the open floor plan.

"Ah, Master Wayne. So good to see you!" Mr. Handy said, waving a little metal hand from his place on the counter.

Babs, turning off the stove burner, smiled back over her shoulder. "Hey. Welcome, welcome." She told him. "Feel like some spaghetti?" She asked, as she went about finalizing the dinner she'd just finished preparing.

"Where have you been off to lately?" She asked, as she sorted out the food.

Damian Wayne has posed:
The more things change, the more they remain the same. And to be honest, the homey touches (even if geeky) that Barbara has put into her Penthouse are a far cry from the Manor... and more friendly. Damian has considered moving out of the Manor home once or twice - but he's honestly not even sure where to begin. His design style if more survivalist need than fun and chic.

"I believe you have known me long enough to call me Damian." he politely corrects, but she can hear the slight amusement in his voice as he moves to the sink to wash his hands. "I will partake in your meal. Thank you for the generous offer." he responds as he lathers up his hands to wash and then dries them with a paper towel.

"I went to visit my mother and grandfather's homeland. My grandfather is trying to locate my mother and I thought it best that I throw him off of her track for the time being." Which means he's not going to be sharing where Talia may have gone since her disappearance. He may not even know himself, truth be told.

"Your view of the city at night is marvelous." he tells her as he comes over to offer to help to carry dishes to the table if she needs it.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs knew as much about Damian's family as Batman were prepared to inform her on, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it all. She'd seen Talia do a number of questionable things, though she seemed to try and ride the line these days, not unlike Selina, or Harley for that matter. The robot butler rolled its way across the counter, and offered up silverware from the cup it was all resting within, and Babs accepted, thanking the AI-powered metal helper.

"Sounds like a fairly normal amount of family drama for this group." Barbara responded, before she motioned to the spaghetti she put in the glass bowl. "Bring it on over, can dish it out on the table." She told him, as she carried the plates and forks over, pausing to grab a little basket of fresh garlic bread laying on a white cloth napkin inside it.

"You seem like you're doing good though." She said with a smile sent his way, as she set the stuff down at the table, and walked back to the counter to grab a couple of bottles of water from the chiller on its edge, glass bottles of water no less.

She smiled at his summation of the view, as she took a seat at the six person table just off of the kitchen, a small lantern at its center casting a fake flame around within its glass cylinder body, creating a nice bit of dancing ambient light in faux fire form.

"I love the view when the Blimp comes by to stop at the tower. Seeing the big ol' thing just sweep in, park for awhile, then silently sweep off again? I feel like I'm in some weird science fiction movie. It's the best." She stated, rinning, as she settled in to her sturdy wooden dining chair.

Damian Wayne has posed:
Since she vanished, Damian has no way of knowing what contacts or what means Talia used to make herself disappear. It is probably for the best that he not know. But he's well aware that she'll turn up if she wants again. With the robot butler delivering the silverware, he took charge of the noodles as Barbara requested. "I have been well." he finally offers. "As you know from the couple of missions we've taken together. I saw your report of intergalactic weaponry finding it's way into the city. I thought it was something I could assist with."

Once he's settled, he spoons out some pasta for himself, before passing the bowl to Barbara as they prepare their meals. There's also a small nudge of the package, both to push it closer to Barbara and out of the line of dishes.

"You have done a lot for the well-being of Gotham, Barbara. I am not sure if I have every thanked you for your help with father's dream."

A glance out the window. "As dystopian as it may seem at times." he amends lightly. "And it feels like at times that we are but wardens of the wastelands."

Barbara Gordon has posed:
While Damian spoke, Babs reached for a silver pot with a pouring lip upon it. She took it up by the handle, and began to pour the red spaghetti sauce over her noodles upon her plate. she had a small smile appear on her lips, as she moved the pot in a circle above her dish, then handed it over to Damian to do the same with. "You know, I used to think I would help the city out by being a cop, like my dad." The older woman replied, as she twirled a fork around in her dinner, spinning noodles around the fork's limbs. "I was even in the Academy for a healthy stint, which is when I ended up running in to your father one night." She grinned at him. "I had a thing for the romantic nature of Gotham's Dark Knight back then, nothing like what you're probably thinking. More like, just... the strange appeal to it. The Batman was a criminal, by all rights, but he was a criminal the city needed. He changed the game, and now with the world is as crazy as it is? People like us are not as feared, as they used to be. They're even desired in a lot of cases. Be it alien weapons, or rampaging Mutants who don't know how their own mutations even work. The city, and beyond, it needs something unusual to help it survive. Something like us." She grinned at him again, and noticed the package.

Her fork was set down, her hoodie yellow sleeves pushed up to her elbows, and she pulled the package over to her.

"Gimme gimme gimme!" Was her very adult reaction, as she began to look it over, for any symbolism or scribbed words of wisdom. Were there none, she'd simply start unwrapping it to get inside!

Damian Wayne has posed:
"Or the crazies that have come to embrace their madness and use it to inflict harm on others." Damian points out pragmatically, as he spreads the sauce and starts to mix and stir the meal onto his fork. "So yes, the city needs us." He takes a bite from the fork and closes his eyes as he masticates and then swallows. "It is good." is his critique. No complaints, he instead takes another bite.

There is nothing on the outside to give it away, but the smell of it is very aromatic and spicy. When it's opened, there are two bags. One is a small bag of uncut Persian saffron, the red stems ready to be ground and used in dishes. The other? It holds bottle caps. Marked with Arabic, they are bottle caps from Middle Eastern drinks.

Damian is well aware that the redhead is a huge Fallout nerd.

"How have things been here with you?" he asks. "Has your personal life been well?"

Barbara Gordon has posed:
When the contents of the package came in to view, Babs just had a grin spread across her pink hued lips. She pulled each out, and nodded to each individually. "Oh, this is great. Saffron? It's supposed to boost energy and happiness levels, though I think I'm pretty happy. I guess I could use some more energy though." She shot him a grin. As she looked back to the caps, she rolled them around in her fingers, and glanced at the designs upon them. "Building an entire collection of the world's bottle caps is no easy feat, Mister. But you just made a dent in mine. I think they'll fit well on my board." She said, glancing toward her work station on the north western platform of the room, where her computer monitors were lined up on a desk, and a tack board had a number of rare caps already pinned to it. She looked back at him, and smiled. "Thanks, Dams." She told him, before taking her fork up again. His latter question had her laughing softly and shrugging her shoulders. "Between the day job, and the night job, there's not much time for anything else, ya know?" said the redhead, as she raised up a forkful of her dinner to pop it in her mouth. "How about youff?" She asked through a mostly full mouth!

Damian Wayne has posed:
"Technically, that saffron is not sold in the United States." Which means Damian probably smuggled it in. Or found some loophole. It doesn't matter. Damian's disdain for the finer points of the American system is well known. "I had hoped you would appreciate them. I remembered that you had dressed as one of their mascots last Halloween." he points out.

But then the discussion turns to the personal, and really, it's his own fault for bringing it up. He twirls his fork to give him time to think. "I have heard that Dick has gotten engaged. Again. Perhaps he will make better choices this time." he offers flatly.

"As for myself? As you said, this line of work does much to take you away from social obligations. Father handles most of it. I have... dabbled in it." The fund-raiser he threw on the Intrepid for example.

"There are few people that can understand... much less keep up with what we do in shadows."

"There was someone, but they have vanished as well. And I find myself in no rush to fill the void. If the right one comes along." He shrugs and takes a bite, opting out of continuing his statement.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
For a second, Babs tried to think back to what Mascot she had dressed up as, but then realized he had to be talking about her Vault suit, the one that she had won a contest in at the Hellfire Club in New York. It had her grinning, and nodding her head. "I have a wide collection of the Vault gear." She softly said back. "Every good Vault Dweller needs to keep their suits close by." She even designed her Bat-suit wrist computer off of the Pip-boys from Fallout, though it was obviously far more high tech than even those things were in the games.

She glanced at the saffron again, and considered the legality of it, but ultimately she didn't care if some spieces got brought in under the board. They were going to be consumed in a variety of food anyway.

She enjoyed her own cooking, and listened to him talk, before she reached for a bottle of water she'd brought to the table. Uncapping it, with a far less cool looking cap, she took a swig. With a smile on her face after, she set the bottle down. "I'd say bide your time, that you're young and that the 'right one' will come along eventually, but I'm like 33? I haven't found the right one. So maybe I'd just be lying to you, to help you think some Hollywood romance is just around the corner." She smirked at him. "Richard is looking for love in what I hope are the right places. I know Steph is still pretty distant about that stuff... I try to just let her know I'm here though, for her. I don't talk to Dick too much, but I did get his new friend's help setting some new cameras up in the Manor a month or so ago. She's nice. You should go bother them some time. Get to know her. Pester Richard."

Damian Wayne has posed:
At the mention of Stephanie, Damian gives a soft grunt. He's still never figured out how she and Richard ended up in a relationship in the first place, much less on the edge of marriage, but. "She will persevere." he finally decides to say, as far as it comes to Spoiler.

"I intend to introduce myself at some point." Probably not in the nice way. Probably in some way that will get under the skin. But he will. Another bite is taken, before he gets some water for himself to wash it all down.

"I turn 21 this year. I know that is only a milestone here in America, but I feel it is time that I find some way to start to establish myself as something other than the offspring of my father's ill-concieved romances."

"I am not sure what that is as of yet. But I will figure it out." A draw of breath.

"In the meantime, there is plenty in the nightlife to keep a young person -- or young at heart -- busy in Gotham without romance." '

Barbara Gordon has posed:
What Damian says, causes Barbara to realize that the young man's wheels were turning inside his head, and her green eyes studied him while he spoke. she stared for a few lingering seconds after he finished, and she cleared her palette, used a napkin to dab at her lips, and she showed him a half smirk. 'I'd offer you an apartment here, if you wanted a place out of the Manor. But I know that you're probably pretty keen on staying close to the Cave. Of course, the Tower here has everything the Cave has too, and you'd obviously be able te use it any time you wanted, you already are." She smiled faintly toward him.

"Otherwise? I'd help you find an apartment completely separated from the rest of us. that might give you a bit more sense of being out there, on your own, spreading your man whings, or whatever." She grinned now toward him. "Maybe close to one of the colleges? So you could accidentally bump in to some fine college girls, and let them see how good you are at jiu-jitsu, or... slashing apples with swords? Whatever impresses the girls today. Probably social media view counts and followers, as sad as that is..."

Over Babs' shoulders, on the eastern side of the building and outside the large balcony windows, the GGE Blimp suddenly drew past the building, floating in to place beside it, and docking with the clock tower's power station, to transfer its solar powered batteries in to the city's power grid. The massive blimp covered the entire side of the building, blocking out the view of the city on that side.

Damian Wayne has posed:
"What, not worried that I would crash your Birds of Prey meetings?" Damian asks with a mote of amusement. "I am not sure what I want to do yet and I'm settled back into town. I'll let you know when I figure out my plan." Which means he probably already has things in motion. He just hasn't mentioned them to anyone yet. However, when Barbara teases him about his path forward and spreading his wings, he draws in a breath. As the shadow of the blimp falls over the room, it's cast over Damian for a moment.

"I have been reading my granfather's journals. Not Ras'. Thomas Wayne's. I have been brought up all my life to do much harm with my hands, with my body. With my mind. I know hundreds of ways to take a life."

"I know far less about how to save one."

"I am not ready to talk to father about this yet. I am not sure how he will react. Or if he will feel that I will be abandoning the mission."

He reaches into a pocket and pulls out a slip of paper and unfolds it, sliding it over to Barbara. It's a permission form to volunteer at Gotham General Hospital. And a form from Gotham University to major change to medicine. Which considering he was already studying Veternarian Medicine, wasn't a big stretch.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
A small chime dinged throughout the penthouse, as the Blimp arrived officially, and with it, Babs glanced over her shoulder. She'd seen it a million times by now, roughly guessing, and because of it, she did not really react beyond that. Instead, the redhead turned to look at Damian once more, and offered him a little smile. "Bruce will understand. He will know that it will make you a more well rounded person, and thus better at the things we do in the dark." She offered that viewpoint, and a light smirk to go with it.

When he produced the slip, she set her fork down, and reached her middle two fingers out to grasp it, and flip it over. She ran her green eyes over it, and looked up at him. "Really?" She asked. "Doctor Wayne?" She inquired in just two words, with a larger grin creeping its way across her lovely pale features. "I think I like this change of direction. I think you'll like it too."

She took her fork back up, and raised a measure of the food wrapped around it back to her lips, but paused. "You're not doing this for just the girls, are you?" She asked, teasing him, as she ever tried to get the young man to come out of his cold shell a bit.

Damian Wayne has posed:
While Barbara is sure that Bruce will understand, Damian is not so confident. "He will probably think that I am trying to find more efficent ways to hurt people." he comments dryly, as he finishes off his last bit of sauce by sopping it up with the bread.

However, he does assess her as she looks over the paperwork. His own green eyes are a colder shade than hers, a mirror of them, but the smile she offers can't help but to warm them a little.

"It's a thought. I am not fully committed to it yet. But I think... that maybe." He shrugs his shoulders. "We have all seen too much death. And maybe if I had been able to..."

He could have saved Phoebe. He hasn't talked about it all since her death, but the loss has struck in his craw at the loss of the adopted Wayne.

Though at the mention of girls, he chuckles. "My taste is for the more mature." he fires back, giving her a little look. "And that bar has been set far too high."

Barbara Gordon has posed:
The situation with Phoebe was one that Babs didn't have a lot of insight on. She knew Phoebe, but she didn't know her well. She had invited her to join the Birds, to give her a place amongst the female vigilante group of Gotham City, but it seemed as though the very concept intimidated the young woman, at the time anyway. Babs was not one to push either. She'd given the girl her space, and Phoebe seemed to enjoy hanging around the guys more. She caught Damian's intention, though, about Phoebe, and she just gently nodded her head to it. Loss was hard, and she certainly had lost loved ones throughout the past many years too.

It was the last bit that the young man said, that had Babs tilt her head, and then smile in a more knowing fashion. She let that smile turn in to a grin, and then it came out in a soft laugh, as she glanced down at her food. She raised up another fork full of it, and paused. "You really are your father's son." She said to him, firing right back, before she popped the food in her mouth, and leaned back in her chair, her hand moving toward her bottle of water. A drink was taken from it, and she set it aside again. "All full, or are you vying for seconds, Mister Heartbreaker?" She asked, still grinning at him.

Damian Wayne has posed:
Phoebe was one of the few people that understood Damian. It was much like having a sister and it was a connection he enjoyed. But he can only continue forward at this point. Because she's gone and nothing he can do will bring her back.

Plus, Barbara had just set him up perfectly. Not the father's son bit. But the whole thing about wanting seconds. There was a flirty comment, right there on the tip of his tongue. But... he stops himself. Barbara is special. In so many ways. And he values her enough to leave her on that pedestal that he's placed her own. "Your cooking was delicious. Not quite Alfred's, but good." he responds, changing the subject from the one in his mind.

"I have patrol in a couple of hours, so I shouldn't fill up on startches."

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs had folded her right leg up under her left on the sturdy dining table chair, but when he turned down more, she just nodded once toward the answer he gave. "How prudent of you." She fired back, with that edge of a tease she was so talented at. Her foot left her chair, and joined the other back on the floor, as she moved to stand up, and stack their plates. "there will be left overs, if you wish them after your running around tonight. There's not much better than a meal after sweating through your gear out there." She said, as she glanced toward the setting sun outside the many balcony windows that lined the sides of her penthouse home, save for the southern side of it where the bedrooms and bathroom and elevator access were.

As she rose up, she carried the plates back to the kitchen just a few steps away. "I'm serious though, if you do decide to get a place of your own, let me know. I'll help you find a good deal. Believe it or not, the Green Energy business has built me up quite a few contacts in all of the city's real estate, and apartment facilities."

She stepped over to the sink, placed the dishes within it, and let the robot on the counter begin the process of cleaning them for her. she turned back toward the table, and walked back toward it, and Damian, to gather up her bottle of water, and drop a cover over the noodles to keep them steamy inside the bowl.

Damian Wayne has posed:
"That's me. So very prudent." Damian repsonds with a small smirk as he sets his silverware on the dish and rises up to carry his plate over to the sink. "I have been told that spaghetti is much better cold the following morning. It's just a matter of finding the right circumstances to enjoy it. I'll keep it in mind."

As he watches the sun start to disappear from view, he considers it. All of it, really. "Thanks, Barbara." he finally says. "I'll honestly consider your offer. There is a lot to consider. Both in being close to the manor... and the menagerie I already have there. And being elsewhere." Plus he's going to be a full time student and while the bills would be covered... for now, maybe the Manor would be best.

Once upon a time, if he had wanted to kiss Barbara, he would have had to stand on his tippy-toes. Now? He actually has to lean down and gives the striking redhead a peck on the cheek. "Thanks for everything." he reiterates, before he starts to withdraw as she covers the noodles.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Barbara's fiery red hair was clipped back out of her face, so it was held back behind her shoulders in long waving curls down her back, which made the peck to her cheek come easily enough. She was picking the bowl up, when the kiss to her cheek came, and when she felt it, she had a warm smile touch her features. She adjusted the lid on the bowl, and glanced over at the taller Damian for a moment, silently watching him. "You're so much bigger than you used to be." She said softly at him, casting him a slight grin, as she shook her head, and turned to walk back to the kitchen. "Well look, whatever you decide, you know you've got help here in the city, and obviously help from all of your crazy family members." How true those words are.

She shut the fridge door, and walked back to the counter island, where Pip-boy and Pip-girl bobble heads were positioned around a Nuka cola bomb in the center of the island counter, she placed her hands upon it, and looked back at him.

"You want some company out there tonight?" She asked him. "I hadn't planned on going out tonight, but... maybe I am in the mood afterall?"

Damian Wayne has posed:
"Oh, that's what you're in the mood for." Damian can't resist giving her one last tease. "I didn't bring my costume with - and I think my spare here is a little too small. Let me grab my gear, I'll meet you back here and we will head out?" he asks Barbara.

He doesn't mind the company. And the fresh air - even Gotham's - will at least keep him on task.

"If that's okay with you?"

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Barbara raised her chin up, as she stared at the younger man with a sparkle in her eyes. She softly shook her head, and released a light sigh, before she walked toward him, and reached a hand out to pat the side of his arm. "Moods are ever shifting, ever changing things, Master Wayne." She said with a teasing grin for him.

She stepped over to the back corner of her plush leather sofa in the center of her penthouse living area, and looked toward the large television situated in the center of the floor, almost as though it was floating in mid air somehow. "Oracle." Babs said. "Begin evening protocol scans. Pick up on everything that has gone down today in the news, social media, and otherwise. Formulate a rundown on hot spots that need to be investigated, and get them routed to my Batmobile, and our suits." She instructed her AI, who chimed back with a soft affirmative.

Babs looked back to the young man, and moved to walk beside him. "Why, what were you in the mood for?" She fired back, bumping shoulders with him.

Damian Wayne has posed:
It may be the first time Damian may realize how affectionate that Barbara can be. She's got to be teasing him. Just to see how far he's willing to play the game between them. "Ever-shifting moods comes part and parcel with the work that we do, Miss Gordon." he responds to her as she pats his arm, his own arm moving to give her side a brief squeeze before letting it go.

As she sets the tasks on Oracle to work, he listens to them and lifts a brow. "It sounds like we will already have a list when we head out for patrol." he says idly. "It doesn't take that long to get to the cave from here, especially if we use a plane." She's got the wheels turning. And when she bumps into him again, he chuckles, heat rising in his cheeks. "I don't know if you're trying to get a rise out of me, or if you're serious." he finally admits to her.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
The reaction that she got out of him, drew Babs to a stop, her hands were in the side pockets of her hoodie, and her green eyes were up on his now. She showed him a lopsided smirk, and shook her head gently from side to side. "Just toying with you." She said back at him. "Certainly not trying to confuse, or upset you." She rolled her eyes at herself, as she shifted on the balls of her feet, her brightly colored running shoes turning her to the east. "Blimp is still here. Got my Batwing parked on top of it. You're welcome to use it to get home. You've gotten good at flying those things, haven't you?" She asked, as she was turned half-way away from him now, her eyes coming back to consider him again.

Damian Wayne has posed:
The breath that Damian releases could easily be considered relief. "You are too good at it." he retorts to her. A little poke is offered into her side, but he steps away, a smirk offered in return to her. "Not confused. Or upset." he promises. "You will always be a valued partner. Even if your tastes in men are questionable."

And that includes him.

He leaps at the offer to take the Batwing. "I will do that then. And will be back shortly for patrol." He heads towards the window to open it and climb up the ladder of the blimp before it undocks. "Back shortly!" he promises.

And with that, he heads out of sight.

And to take another breath to still his racing heart.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs just stood there, her hands in her hoodie pockets, as she swayed gently from side to side, after he poked at her, mocking as though she were a balloon left to sway in the wind from it. When he moved to leave, she just cast him a grin, and gave a soft nod of her head. "Tell me about it. Ten years of my father trying to guilt me for not giving him grand kids. It wears a girl out..." She lamented, as he departed. A hand left her pocket, and a finger waggle chased him. "See ya in a bit."

After he left, she rolled her eyes at herself, and started toward her bedroom doorway, the redhead releasing a light sigh. "Creepy aunt vibes, Babs. Good job." She told herself, vanishing inside her bedroom to get changed.