2317/A Pennyworth Reunion

A Pennyworth Reunion
Date of Scene:	03 July 2020
Location:	Archie Goodwin Airport
Synopsis:	Julia Pennyworth arrives in Gotham and is met at the airport by her grandfather, Alfred. The pair discuss their lives and her plans in her new home.
Cast of Characters:	Alfred Pennyworth, Julia Pennyworth

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Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
It's rare that Alfred Pennyworth asks for time off, but even rarer that anyone at Wayne Manor questions his comings and goings. So this afternoon, when he left on a personal errand, the butler just... didn't say that he was doing so. He has rationalized that it is hardly dishonest, that the car's tracking device is working just fine, and even made a detour to a specific cheese market near the airport so that the trip would involve some service to the household, but something in him still twinges at the sin of omission.

Still, family is family, and although Bruce Wayne and his children are certainly his family, they aren't /all/ of it. When he received Julia's call, he could hardly say no to her simple request. In fact, he's looking forward to seeing her again, although some dormant instinct warns him that the abruptly announced visit might indicate that not all is well in his granddaughter's life.

Still, he's waiting just past the baggage claim after her plane arrives, having cross-checked her flight number to assure he would be easy to find. A small part of him worries that they haven't seen each other in enough years that she might not recognize him in a crowd. So he stands, diffident and unusually nervous, with his hands folded over his suit jacket's buttons, looking more like a driver waiting for a wealthy traveler than family.

Julia Pennyworth has posed:
    Julia doesn't think she's seen Alfred outside of photographs at this point, and it's not likely Alfred's seen his granddaughter since she'd taken a group photo after joining the army. So she's out of any sort of uniform, as casual as can be, lugging a surprisingly small amount of luggage. For such a far trip and a permanent relocation, she only has a single suitcase and a duffel bag as she comes out of the claim area. The redhead's hair is held back in a loose ponytail, a pair of black sunglasses lifted up over her eyes so she can see better in the interior.

    Casual as can be meaning incognito AF, really. If someomne were looking for a burned agent, they'd instead find a woman in short green shorts over black tights, and a patchworked jean jacket over presumably a Union Jack tank top. At the least, though, she knows to look for a manservant of certain features, and it's impossible to miss the stoic gentleman awaiting the new arrival. It's not as if there's a butler convention in town, right?

    Right. "Grandfather?" comes the girl's voice as she approaches Alfred from an angle diagonal to his front, still holding her glasses up, casting a radiant smile that could pierce through even Gotham's perpetual gloom.

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
A grin is an expression that sits uncomfortably on Alfred's face, cockeyed, unwilling to commit, and watching for the first excuse to leave -- but grin he does nonetheless, turning and holding out his arms toward his granddaughter. "Julia!" he calls out, his accented, fricative baritone as strong as his posture is straight. "I'm glad to see you, dear. Welcome to Gotham."

His sharp eyes pick out her casual outfit and her limited luggage -- especially the lack of military rucksacks or regalia -- and can't help but see questions that need answers. Bruce's influence, no doubt. "Are you planning on staying long? I can secure you a hotel room easily enough, if you wish," he asks gently. "I'm afraid I would have to ask my employer's permission before offering for you to stay with me, as my quarters are a part of the estate. Although of course I wouldn't object, personally."

Julia Pennyworth has posed:
    Julia, of course, sets down her bag and accepts the embrace. Though brief it is, there's a clear strength in the woman's arms, and a hint of tension in the rest of her. She steps back, respectful, not wanting to wrinkle Alfred's impeccable suit, and takes up her bag once again. "Truth be told, grandfather, I had planned on permanent residency," she states, her accent more Irish than British, airy and kind. The smile on her face is, however, quite the genuine one. "The paperwork is in processing... and I've got a current work visa," she explains.

    "A hotel would be keen, I could really use a shower and a cup of coffee after that flight. Trans-continental travel is always a bother..." she gives a lopsided smile now, "I apologize for imposing like this. If you could help me figure out a permanent home, I'd be very grateful."

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
"Oh, there's no imposition at all, dear girl," Alfred answers, waving away the very suggestion. "I'm delighted to help you get settled. The city can be a bit difficult to navigate to those who are unfamiliar with its peculiarities, but I'm sure you will adapt quickly, and I suspect it will do me good to have relations nearby."

His smile does falter, then, as he says apologetically, "I know your father and I aren't... especially close, to my regret, but from what I have heard, you have grown into quite an impressive young lady. I am eager to learn more about your life, and what brings you here -- but first, coffee. There are some chains available in the concourse" -- he wrinkles his nose, almost imperceptibly -- "but I know of a roaster just an exit or two away with much finer options. May I help you with your bag?"

He holds out a hand, reflexively, although the gesture might seem a bit silly in this particular case. Whether she accepts help or not, he'll lead her outside to the curbside pickup, and reveal a significant drawback of his minor subterfuge about the nature of his excursion. Namely, because it would be unusual for him to bring a personal vehicle on a household errand, he has instead shown up in an ostentatious silver Bentley R-Type.

Julia Pennyworth has posed:
    There's a soft laugh, that smile remaining firmly in place, "I've heard plenty of... things... about Gotham. But I'm a big girl, I'm sure I can handle whatever the grey skies decide to send my way, mmm? And a change of scenery will do me more than a little good, I wager." Julia shakes her head, "I don't think dad holds a grudge or anything, I like to think we're all glad you're doing well for yourself, yeah?" Her smile quirks just a little at the mention of learning more about her life, and she shrugs, "There'll be plenty of time for all of that rubbish later.."

    She blinks at the offer to take her bag, and she tentatively hands it over. It's not super heavy, and the way objects inside seem to move to a minimum, it's likely just clothes and some toiletries. "I've heard you know how to treat a lady, thank you, grandfather," the woman smiles and follows. "I'm much and more eager to learn what sort of brew earns your favor here of the local variety... and I'm rather famished as well. Those tiny little sandwiches on the plane never do satisfy."

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
"I should think not," he answers, popping open the car's boot and sliding her bag into place. "You must visit me at the Manor sometime so that I can prepare you a proper meal, but for now, coffee and a restaurant lunch shall have to do." He opens the passenger's-side door for her, instead of the back -- he's not a chauffeur today. Once she has seated herself, he will close the door after her, then round the car's extended hood and take the driver's seat.

The car's engine, once started, is a tamed roar, but the nearly 70-year-old vehicle's suspension is still silk-smooth as they pull away from the airport. Alfred's driving provides equal comfort, but once they're on the open road, he has a noticeable tendency to let the car open up a bit in terms of speed. "If I may ask, Julia, what sort of employment do you plan for yourself, while you're living here? I hesitate to pry, but it might help me seek a convenient and affordable home for you. I might even be able to help you connect with an employer, depending on the field. My own employer is extremely well connected, and I like to think I'm known here and there myself, as well."

Julia Pennyworth has posed:
    Julia seems like she's not quite prepared to comment on the car just yet. She's looking it over even as she helps Alfred take her duffel bag, too. Empty-handed now, she sits down and relaxes, stretching her legs. "...Cor... hell of a ride..." she says with a laugh, exhaling a long sigh as she stretches. "Feels good to have a bit of a stretch at least..." she sighs and smiles as Alfred gets in. "Your employer must be quite well-to-do to have a set of wheels like this. Do you do the maintenance on it, too?" she asks, genuinely interested.

    As for the further conversation, she looks a little distant as she stares off towards the skyline. "Saw quite a few things in the service, really. I think a lot of it ends up untold. Was looking to shift gears a little bit and dabble in photography. A little freelance journalism. Place like Gotham has got to have a lot of little hidden treasures that people rarely visit..." she says with a glint in her eye, a little romance in her tone. Of course, mentally, she's got designs towards paying visits to the seedy underbelly and doing more than just expose the grit and grime.

    "...but seeing how good you look and what kind of car you drive, I'm thinking I'd like to moonlight a bit in -your- profession, too. Room for a second butler at your manor?" she teases playfully. It might take some convincing to stick her in a maid outfit.

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
"Oh, the car isn't mine, although I am very well taken care of, financially." Alfred answers with a genteel chuckle. "I just thought you might like to be welcomed to Gotham in what style I can muster." His practiced self-effacement serves him well here, although there's a hint of a smile on his lips.

"I do maintain it, though, since you ask. Master Wayne has a rather extensive fleet, so I get quite a bit of practice as a mechanic." He raises an eyebrow and spares a glance at her -- likely considering just how out-of-place she might feel as a maid -- before continuing in a dry tone, "I could probably get you a placement at another estate, although photojournalism is /not/ encouraged in most wealthy families' private residences."

He lets that sit for a second before adding, "Consequently, I am not familiar with many practitioners of the fourth estate, although I can check with Master Wayne. He manages to end up the subject of so many articles; he ought to at least know how to get in touch. For the inevitable lawsuits, if nothing else."

Julia Pennyworth has posed:
    "Well it's certainly style, that much is sure!" Julia laughs, leaning back in the seat as the car picks up speed. "Master Wayne ya say?" she purses her lips, eyes scanning the skyline again. "You mean you work for THAT guy? Bloody billionaire with his name all over Gotham? Cor..." she shakes her head, but she's still laughing.

    "...guy's about as rich as Tony-bleedin'-Stark... but I hear Wayne Enterprises is worth more in the end of it all anyway..." she sits up, grinning. "You gotta tell me, what's a guy like that do with a whole fleet of cars? Different one for every day of the week? I'm used to riding the tram around the city on my day-to-day..." she's still all smiles, though. "I'm sure I'll figure something out. It's my first day in town and all, and you really did make it big in a hell of a way here didn't you... Always busy though, I imagine?"

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
"Mr. Stark is indeed comparably wealthy, although he's considerably more colorful than Master Bruce, when the two are compared in person," Alfred comments. Then, as though worried that such scathing criticism might seem rude, he adds, "I do not mean to say that Mr. Stark's heart is not in the right place, of course."

If anything, Alfred seems lightly amused at Julia's surprise. "I've suggested to Master Bruce that a Pennyworth Building here or there might break up the monotony, but he tells me that might make the place sound cheap."

"As for the cars, it's less a matter of the calendar, and more along the lines of a gentleman with a very great number of suits. There are certain cars that are appropriate for certain events. Some that are more or less formal. Some that might match a lady's particular evening gown." He glances at Julia and raises one eyebrow, turning up an offramp that holds the café he hopes for her to try. "There is a city train system... and it does, in fact, bear the Wayne name, just so you're forewarned."

He gives a very slight shrug of his shoulders at the question about his status. "I've done quite well for myself, yes, and I work a number of very long days and nights. But... are you aware of what happened to Thomas and Martha Wayne?"

Julia Pennyworth has posed:
    There's a shrug from the redhead, "From what I know, Bruce is more the charity gala type and Tony ... had that party in Vegas last month. Colorful is..." Julia chuckles. "One way of putting it. Good men though, I'd guess. Not much interested in the personal lives of billionaires..." she says, folding her hands on her lap and looking ahead as the car exits. Of course she might have just been lying. Rich folks always have something going on, right?

    "...the day that I have enough cars to match shoes, outfits, and girlfriends is the day where I just turn in my card and say I win at life. Doesn't seem very... virtuous though..." she ponders aloud. "I wouldn't know what to do with myself anyway... I'm a smart cookie but I don't think I've got the chops to be a CEO..." she chuckles.

    Then the mood becomes a little somber, though and she purses her lips, shaking her head. "...Bruce has more than a few years on me, I don't really know his folks... why?"

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
"I'm afraid the personal lives of billionaires are a matter of interest to me, whether I like it or not," Alfred answers dryly, turning into an upscale eatery and coffee shop with, frankly, a bit of a hipster vibe: murals on the flat sections of the façade, Edison bulbs visible through the window. As he shuts off the car, he raises that eyebrow again and continues, "Girlfriends, did you say? I shall feel considerably more comfortable introducing you to Master Bruce's sons, then," he says with a touch of audible amusement. "I couldn't possibly speak to virtue, but I know trouble when I see it, and a number of them are... well, you'll judge for yourself, I'm sure."

Alfred exits the car and engages what appears to be quite an advanced lock system -- a compromise to the car's vintage authenticity, but a necessary one in Gotham. "I'm afraid Thomas and Martha... both died, when Master Bruce was quite young. There were no living relations. It was just the two of us left, and I assumed his guardianship." The switch to this somber topic is handled gravely, but Alfred's tone is calm and even throughout. "So my enviable situation is less a case of career climbing on my part than it is a matter of Mr. Wayne seeing to it that an adopted parent is well taken care of."

Julia Pennyworth has posed:
    "Aye... hope that's not a concern for you, grandfather?" A slightly concerned Julia tugs on her jacket sleeve, there's a rainbow bracelet on her wrist that she flashes before letting the cloth cover it again. The loyal manservant is a... vintage sort, after all. "...so I've a taste for th'fairer sorts... Maybe you can teach me some of your charms? An' with that, t'weren't worryin' about havin' a gaggle of kids, neither..." she chuckles. "...especially since it seems ya got your hands full. Bruce's sons you say...? How many lads living there you have to tend to?" she quirks her brow this tie.

    She steps out of the vehicle and glances over the car as the lock engages, then frowns as the topic returns to the late Wayne family heads. "Cor... You always were a good man, Alfred. Shame they passed. Trauma like that will leave a man to focus on anything to keep it in the back. Can easily see why Bruce put his all into business and he's blessed for having you there nearby," she rests a hand gently on Alfred's shoulder.

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
Alfred favors Julia with a quiet, sincere smile as she describes his presence as a blessing to Bruce. Although she might not know it, such a compliment is deeply touching to him, reaching to the bedrock of who he hopes to be -- and perhaps who he regrets not being for her father. Still, he doesn't dwell long on the matter, he just reaches up to fondly pat the hand she places on his shoulder and then opens the café door for her.

He also has to earn that compliment, when she shows concern about his reaction to her orientation. "My dear girl," he assures her as they enter, "I hope you do not think so poorly of me that you would expect me to think less of you for such a thing." He pauses to reorient from sincerity to wry humor and adds, "If nothing else, I did work in theatre for some years. My only concern is that you are treated well, and treat others well in turn."

As to the question of sons... "Master Bruce, perhaps because of his own upbringing, has grown into rather an enthusiastic adoptive father himself. Not all of his wards still live with us, but there are four young gentlemen and three young ladies. It's far too large a house to be considered crowded, but it is certainly lively."

Julia Pennyworth has posed:
    The pat is a good signal, really. That her touch is not only accepted and appreciate, but also just how long her hand should linger. She withdraws it as the door is opened, nodding. And then she laughs softly. "...you will have to tell me about your theater days, grandfather. I am interested in the productions you starred in, and wondering if I might be familiar with..." and she steps inside. She seems to be very comfortable in Alfred's presence, despite the gulf of years--and water--long since keeping them apart.

    "...and you handle all of them all by yourself?" she asks, wide-eyed. "...surely you must ask Bruce if you can at least take on an assistant... I'm not joking when I sad I wouldn't mind offering you some help. Even just part-time between my own endeavors..." she says with a bright, sincere smile. "At the least so many people can benefit from your energy, if it's so lively."

Alfred Pennyworth has posed:
"I would be delighted for you to come for a visit, my dear," Alfred answers. "Also, early next week there is an event at a distillery that I will be attending with some of the gentlemen. That might be an opportunity for you to meet not only the family, but perhaps some other new friends. I hazard a guess that you might have inherited a taste for fine spirits?" He's only deflecting slightly; the invitation is certainly sincere. But the truth is that he's simply a bit too proud to entertain the idea that he might benefit from assistance in his work.

"To my relief and occasionally even pride, several of Mr. Wayne's wards are now young adults in their own right. I wouldn't say that they need 'handling' -- at least, not all of them, or not anymore," he explains. "Furthermore, all of them have, in their own ways, been remarkably independent individuals."

Julia Pennyworth has posed:
    Ah the joys of being of mixed blood, where the stereotype allows Julia to not only be able to hold her liquor, but appreciate the finer spirits as well. "I can take a pint of black or sit back with a glass of Louis XIII, grandfather. I take it I have you to thank for the latter?" she teases gently, smiling warmly still. She is quite happy to take turns listening, speaking, going back and forth with the man that feels more like a best friend than an estranged family member by this point. "Well, pleased to hear you're not rushing about taking care of eight people on your own... that's a relief at the least..."