2476/Duck! in any other language...

Duck! in any other language...
Date of Scene:	16 July 2020
Location:	Sheldon Park - Bleake Island
Synopsis:	Mori Merritt fights a Joker knockoff. Tis scary. Tis dark. She has help.
Cast of Characters:	Cassandra Cain, Mori Merritt

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Cassandra Cain has posed:
When you're out too late in most cities, it's often a bad thing. Not horrible; there are ruffians, ghouls, dark places one shouldn't go. In any city, in any town, you'll find those who don't particularly like the light. Who gather in the shadows.

Gotham City has no good times to walk alone. A group of toughs ride down the street on motorcycles, revving far too loud, and many of the homeless don't even flinch. They have nothing left to lose. This is not the good part of Gotham City, if any part could be called that. A bus pulls over incongruously, letting folks out at the lightest station. People exit in a straggling line, while others wait to get on. To get out.

Nearby, some people fight in an alleyway. It barely draws attention.

Mori Merritt has posed:
It was strange leaving New York sometimes. For Mori, it meant being farther away from the safety of an apartment she felt at least some sense of comfort in. The farther away she went, the more of a chance something might happen. But she's never been one to let things stop her from living her life. Gotham had an art exhibit complete with the artists present, and it was an event she couldn't miss. The beauty of the art as well as the chance for networking were too great of an opportunity.

Finding herself alone (she didn't think to bring a friend!), Mori Merritt keeps herself at a steady pace along the sidewalk. Walk like you know where you're going, even if you don't. Don't look about. She's heard these things before, but instead of being tense, she's relaxed, her sense of purpose steady but not rushed. She's not scared. Not of this. The sound of the fighting does cause her to glance sideways in that direction as she starts to pass, however.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Unexpected things tend to come..well, unexpectedly. Mori moves well; the thugs see her and don't see a victim. She's alert enough, dressed to avoid confrontation, to get where she's going and not cause a fuss. There's one thing she fails to do, and possibly something she'll do in the future.

She fails to look up.

The body that slams into the ground in front of her hits like a bag of cement. A woman, asian in looks, one eye squinched closed already and the other open as wide as possible. She stares upward, landing on her back, and the sound of pain escapes her as all of her breath is forced out.

A laugh, male and hysterical, comes from the direction that she fell. It makes the entire city go quiet. Even the fight...stops. The sound of the bus taking off, loaded or not, heralds fear. That laugh...insane.

The woman looks broken. That fall had to do some damage.

Mori Merritt has posed:
Mori's gaze falls on the woman, her brow furrowing as she she sees the breathlessness and the pain. But the laughter gets her attention. She looks around, paranoid for a minute, but instead of just letting it get to her, she moves to the woman, offering her a hand up. Should she not be able to get up with only a hand of assistance, she's just as ready to get lower and try and help her up entirely.

"You okay?" She asks, even though she's not intending to allow that answer to be no. She's aware this is dangerous, but she's not about to /not/ do something.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
The hurt young woman's eyes flicker over Mori as she walks up to her. She's already trying to stand, her emotions a mix on her face, and when Mori offers her hand the woman's own meets it, clasping it instantly. Too fast, almost as if she were already moving to do so before Mori offered.

She stands, taking the help and it is needed; she stumbles and takes a moment before righting herself. "No," she says in a short voice, but a smile touches her right cheek as she watches Mori's face. She straightens by sheer force of will it seems, and just in time as people climb down fire escapes, pipes, all forms of things about them both. The danger is real.

Mori knows that she's hurt. Yet she stands up straight, raising her arms easily. She's hiding it so well it's as if it never occurred, and yet the lungs have yet to recover. She faces off against whomever it is, hiding her injuries. And her eyes flicker to Mori, then her head jerks behind her.

In front, a man with pale white skin walks from the shadows. Lipstick. Clown makeup. As he appears, the homeless scatter! The streets clear. Gotham knows.

Mori Merritt has posed:
This isn't exactly a great situation. Mori's aware of it. So she's doing her best to /focus/. Be there, in the moment. Act in the moment. There's no room for anything else. She can't black out after the fight like she had when the fight had gone on around her and Cecily. Blacking out would be bad. She's no native to Gotham, but there's plenty of stories around laughing men with clown makeup that are uncomfortable. She's not sure what to do here. This isn't her wheelhouse. Not her wheelhouse and there's someone else there, someone hurt.

"Okay," she breathes out, her tone low, her gaze shifting over to the woman. "If I distract them, can you run?" Distractions she can manage. Distractions should be simple, right?

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Though Mori may not be entirely telepathic, most people know when they're being entirely ignored. The asian lady's hands curl into fists, as she slowly forces air into her body. Her eyes are on the man in front of her, but two behind them step from the shadows as well. Then some from the sides. They may be surrounded.

The clown tilts his head back and laughs, his echoing voice cracking the night's silence with the power of a complete lack of fear. If it's deserved has yet to be seen, but the two girls are truly outnumbered at the very least.

One man jumps forward, from the right. The results are spectacular: the quiet partner that Mori's somehow adopted turns, and reaches out her left hand. She lifts under his chin with the edge of her hand, letting him get ahold of her shoulders, and hooks his foot as it comes down. A pivot in the air and he's upside-down, passing between the girls to slam into the pavement on the other side.

Unfortunately the fact that the girl's right arm didn't move isn't missed. "Not yet, you idiots!" says the clown sharply. "All at once. She's hurt, and I want a bat for breakfast! And who's THIS!" It's not really a question. He turns, leaning to look Mori in the face. "You're delicious! Have we met? Actually have YOU met? Actually now that I think of it, have any uf us truly met?" His eyes are wide, and whether that was needing an answer...is uncertain.

The men close in, grinning. They're used to the clown. ...probably.

Mori Merritt has posed:
Hard to make plans in front of your enemies. That is, at least verbally. Given that Mori hasn't communicated what she's about to do, at least the other woman should be able to unintentionally play along. While Mori doesn't look scared, she does look surprised as a nearby metal trashcan flies over out of nowhere in a motion directly towards the clown-of-a-man. Who could have done that? She looks around, even up towards the top of the buildings for the cause... while backing up, just slightly.

Her gaze shifts quickly over to the other woman unsure if she'll play along with the 'mysterious assistance from above' scenario. It's the best she's got when they're outnumbered. Well, aside from throwing trash around wildly in an alley. That could work.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
The asian's eyes turn to Mori when the ..well, it's effective. Mid-rant, a trash can slams into the clown, turning him into a more appropriate pile of trash than his usual, his laugh cut off mid-syllable. Do laughs have syllables? Moving on.

The eyes are penetrating, looking away from the incoming villains directly at Mori. The face looks, if anything, a little surprised. More emotion than she's had since this started, followed by a teeny-tiny mischievous grin that ends in a subtle nod.

Then she turns away. Apparently she's got the concept, because she steps INTO the fray, drawing as much attention as possible by hooking one incoming troll and slamming him into two more. She gets grabbed around the ankles as she does, tripped, and her wounds allow her to get pulled down. Easy prey, and the mooks spot it. Their faces light up as they see her fall, but only Mori sees her wink.

Before they pile onto her, trying to pound her into dirt. Many of their faces show signs of having taken previous damage. They may have reason to hold a grudge.

But it gives Mori a few moments of peace to concentrate, with only one thug approaching HER. He holds a crowbar, and a leer that is nowhere near as scary as the clown's.

Mori Merritt has posed:
Good. Silent partnership. Mori's only alright with the fact that the other woman went down because she saw the wink. She's giving her some trust while she looks back over to the thug with the crowbar. Given the attitude she's seeing, she gives a horrified look as if she were afraid of him getting closer, one arm moving up as if to defend herself from a blow. She's hoping it relaxes him, it makes him think she's easy prey.

That is, because she's trying to telekinetically wrench the crowbar from his hands and hit him with it. Even if she doesn't exert the force needed to take it, he's /certainly/ going to have a fight on his hands. Literally.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
The most immediate effect of Mori's mental 'grab' of the crowbar is probably not the one that was planned, but it is almost hilariously effective. The thing stops in mid-air, and the guy doesn't let go. He'd just started to rush forward, and momentum being what it is his right arm, the one holding on tightly, goes taut. He jerks and his legs go out from under him, and THEN his grip slips, and he lands mostly on his back, partly on his head, and definitely in a pile of dog crap he'd not noted...but definitely will when he wakes up again. The crowbar hangs in mid-air, having missed him entirely. Somehow still worked though..

Across the field, the clown manages to laugh, pushing to his hands and knees. He sounds actually entertained, though he's not wearing a helmet, and Mori's currently holding a GLORIOUS improv mallet.

Sounds of fists striking flesh come quickly from the other direction, along with more muffled noises. The Grand Melee is chaotic beyond belief, but suddenly a man's head rockets back, pushed by a small feminine fist...with what appears to be a pair of brass knuckles on it powering behind it.

She's not dead yet it seems. Though with only one arm, how much could she do?

Mori Merritt has posed:
Mori /almost/ laughs at the success of the 'attack'. She doesn't, however, because with the clown wannabe having some kind of association with laughter... it's suddenly not that funny. Who wants to laugh when you've got a creepy clown ruining it for everyone? She stands, the crowbar still floating mid-air, looking incredibly pleased with herself. Her attention quickly snaps back to her current ally. She's still managing okay, so she's not about to interrupt. Not when creepy clown man is laughing at them.

The crowbar is sent flying up out of sight, and Mori does her best to try and manage to bring it around /behind/ their clown 'friend' to hit him instead of just from the front. Sneaking up seemed like a better way of handling it than just sending a crowbar directly at his head.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Once again, things go well for Mori. It's almost as if she's not having bad luck tonight, as the crowbar strikes the clown leader in the skull, and his face faceplants into a puddle with a rebounding -sploosh-. This, is the one who has the city in fear? THIS?

To be fair, there is safety in numbers. Proven by the satisfied noise that comes from the thugs who are...who WERE pounding the nameless partner. Three of them lay on the ground, splayed out unconscious. But the remaining three stand up, looking satisfied, and kick her unmoving body. She appears to not be moving, talking, or anything else that's important for continuing the fight.

The three men look around, satisfied in the damage they've done, and spot both Mori and ...

"Boss!" Two of them run to his side, not spotting the crowbar in the dark. The third faces off with Mori, then grins. And just keeps an eye on her, leering, as the two pick up the clown. "Boss, you okay?" "Holy crap, we gotta get him ta th' hospital!"

Did she spontaneously develop luck? Is the girl okay?

Is her right fist showing a thumbs-up over there?

Mori Merritt has posed:
Okay, she didn't have a plan beyond this. Mori certainly didn't know what she was doing. She did at least catch the thumbs up, so her partner-in-not-crime seemed to be doing well enough. Playing dead? Not a terrible plan. Bit hard at the moment for her to follow suit. "Whoa, look at that!"

Mori points behind him, a shocked look on her face. The trick there is... it doesn't matter if he believes her and looks or not. Either way, the same trash can that flew at their boss originally is now flying at his head.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Luck is fickle. It runs out, and the other mooks yell "DUCK!" in time to let the guy brace against Mori's attack. He doesn't duck. He doesn't need to, planting his feet and tanking the hit. The can crunches against him, and suddenly Mori finds out why Cassandra was having issues with this group. He didn't even flinch.

He also wasn't quite dumb enough to look when she yelled, and then she's got not one, not two, but three enemies to deal with. Three large men, one of which pulls a knife. It's a big knife, one worth a lot of attention. Unfortunately he's not the only one, and one of them seems tougher than required for the job description.

Which is when a shadow appears behind the three. A smiling, grinning shadow, that makes the classic 'shush' motion to Mori. And it's not their boss, as her hands reach for their unsuspecting heads. From behind.

Mori Merritt has posed:
This seems more like the situation she was used to. Mori sucks in a deep breath, doing her best to center herself. It's the best she can do to keep it from being worse. She blinks a few times, but shakes it off. If she's seeing something else there, it's hard to tell. She doesn't move, noting the shadow nearby, and gives no reaction.

She stands, fairly relaxed for someone facing down three men. She does, on the offchance that the knife-wielding one gets close, focus her telekinetic energy on just holding it... so if he moves it, it won't go anywhere. It's the best she can do right now.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
It's a beautiful moment. The knife stops, the effort not wasted. The guy on that side walks into it, striking him in the chest with the pommel. He doesn't seem to know how to react, going "What the f..." when things go insane for a full second of amazing, almost choreographed simplicity.

The thug being stopped by the knife puts his head beside the other two's, having been in the lead. Two small hands appear on the tough guy's shoulders, in the middle of them, and the girl's legs kick out to both sides. Almost gently the heels clip their jaws and they drop. A gentle move somehow, as if it were meant to be soft; they fall without a sound, and the guy in the middle stops. Too late, he starts to reach up. She's not there.

A falling backflip puts Cassandra behind the guy's knees, and she sweeps them out from under him. And then, THEN, she's up and grabbing for Mori's hands!

"Run!" she says, grinning, as the guy finally hits the ground, almost in slow motion. Then she tugs, putting action to words.

Mori Merritt has posed:
/Now/ Mori decides it's alright to laugh, the tug on her hands easily spurring her to action. She doesn't take a second thought about fleeing, instead hurrying on her feet and letting them carry her away from the situation. She doesn't even spare a glance back, she seems unconcerned that they'll actually follow. She'll keep up and follow as long as her new friend leads, Gotham isn't her home after all and she knows little of where she's going, before she lets out a heavy breath.

"I don't think they expected that!"

Cassandra Cain has posed:
The girl's eyes flick to Mori when she talks, and she slows to let her speak. More if she chooses to do so. She suddenly slumps a little, leaning on a nearby lamp post. Her right arm is hanging mostly at her side, something wrong with it that isn't mending. She used it, but it had to be intensely painful.

Words don't come out though. She looks at Mori, her smile broad though her body radiates pain. She takes her left hand, then thumps her chest. A sound of muffled impact comes; she's wearing armour, though it looks very like a simple hoodie. Clearly how she managed the deception. Then she motions to Mori, her eyebrow raising in a question.

She CAN speak. Why isn't she?

Mori Merritt has posed:
Mori gives her a look, one to make sure she's okay, before she notices the armor. Oh, /that/ would explain a few things. Not that Mori herself had armor or would probably wear armor. "Clever," she comments, though it's more a remark to herself than anything else. But, more than most, she's aware of the complexities of language. So when there are no words, she gets the sense that there's something off. She's not sure exactly what, so she tests the water.

"Are you asking what I was doing?" There's a lot of things she could be asking, really, but if she rattles off all the things in her mind it could be incredibly confusing.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
That's when the reaction becomes screwy. The girl before Mori doesn't react to what she's asking. She instead seems to react to what she's NOT asking. She points to her own throat, then makes a 'talking' motion by opening and closing the fingers on one hand. Then shakes her head firmly and rolls her eyes. Mouth closed, she adds nothing with verbiage. Much with body language.

She then tilts her head and looks at Mori. She glances at the area they're in. Then reaches and puts her left hand on Mori's shoulder, eyes on the lady's own and face expressively warm. She turns her head to glance at the nearby road, then back to Mori. She waits then, allowing Mori to choose what to do next.

Mori Merritt has posed:
"You don't talk or don't like to talk," Mori says, but it's clear she's not talking /to/ the girl, it's a matter of her processing things verbally. It takes her a minute to figure out how to talk by not talking, and for a second it reminds her of how it is when she can see something but can't explain to people. So she watches the body language and the way things are expressed. Carefully.

She doesn't seem to shy away from the idea that /that/ is just how communication works right now and just leans into it full-stop. She studies the woman carefully, trying to determine what she means. After a moment, she nods once to her, as if to confirm she understood the 'conversation', and then second nod as an indication to proceed. It's not really great to be lingering around that part of town.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
The smile quirks sardonically, Cassandra mentally wishing she did speak. It'd often be easier. She shifts herself to lead, since the young lady she's found is at least trying to understand, and a hand held is about the most blatant message in the world.

She leads Mori to safety then, to her art show once she figures out that it's where she's meaning to go. And she doesn't leave this little lamb alone. Not in this city. She likes the kid, after all. And besides, she's effed up right now. Can't do that again.

Outwardly it's simply a walk through town. Inwardly, many things happen. But that they end with Mori safe? That's all that matters. She'll be a hero someday. Got to keep the kittens alive til they grow.