View source for 2985/Team Stick: Wrong person to mug, wrong place to mug

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2020/08/19
|Location=Suicide Slum - New Troy
|Synopsis=Two stick fighters meet in an alley, the thugs between them did not fair so well.
|Cast of Characters=568,184
|pretty=yes
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:568|Bobbi Morse (568)}} has posed:'''<br>Forced vacation. Bobbi told Hill that she had 'some mundane life things to do'. Well, that actually just means she can go out drinking and not have to worry about the hangover the next day. She can't go anywhere common for drinks either, no, she needs to stay on the down low just in case she's recognised. A holiday also means going somewhere you don't usually go.<br><br>For Bobbi it's a chance to familiarise herself with yet another seedy part of a city and in this case, Metropolis' slums. She found a medium quality dive bar to kick things off in the slums and enjoyed the whisky until she had a nice buzz. Time to move on to something worse. Though, the walk in the brisk cool air of the night has made her realise someone thinks it's a good idea to tail her. She takes a turn down a dark alley to see how committed they are to the notion.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:184|Dick Grayson (184)}} has posed:'''<br>The problem is that this is definitely not the best part of town. A few get left behind here and there and decide to make the most of the situation by carving little fiefdoms for themselves. These gangs jealously guard their territory, and today a few seem clear on that, a couple of them in windbreakers are following Bobbi while a third strolls out of an alley, though the noise might indicate a couple more might be back there. <br><br>"Bit dangerous to be out and about on your own. Might want to avoid a little trouble around 'ere," the one in front of Bobbi starts off casually, "Though, we can definitely ensure nothing will go wrong if you can afford the insurance," his hand sits in his coat pocket, though it has a shape that might be familiar to Bobbi, "But yeah, the more you pay, the more protection. Fortunately for you, we don't take only cash, jewelry and electronics are also suitable." He flashes a toothy grin and steps closer and holds out his left hand, "So I'd suggest handin' it over."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:568|Bobbi Morse (568)}} has posed:'''<br>They weren't exactly subtle, not like spies try to be. Tailing someone is an art that these thugs haven't mastered at all. She lifts up her hands a touch in front of her to manage distance and also look like 'whoa we do not want trouble here' kind of posture, though it's a subtle martial arts stance too.<br><br>"Hey guys, come on now. This is 2020, I have no jewellery and everything is done with card taps, so no cash either. I'm afraid ya'll need to upgrade your business model." Yep, she just called the muggers luddites, she is even more of a mockingbird when she's had a few to drink. The delightful little buzz going on keeps her insides warm even though the outside air is cool.<br><br>The gun is a problem, but one easily solved given they're 'pincer manoeuvre' they've pulled off puts their own people in the line of fire the moment she moves to the side. Amateurs. "And hey, trust me, you don't want to do this. I'll just go on my merry way and enjoy another bar and another whisky and you me, and your friends behind me, we all call it a night. How's that sound for ya hmm?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:184|Dick Grayson (184)}} has posed:'''<br>As Bobbi shifts over, she might catch in her vision the one that she is not putting in the direct line of fire drawing a knife, while the leader speaks up, "Well, that's the thing. It is 2020, you have at least a phone, and even an ID can have some value. So you can hand those over and go on your merry way, we'll even let you keep your cards to help our local bars out. They've paid for our protection, so we are not inclined to bother them." He snarls, as the two behind Bobbi take a couple of steps. <br><br>Above the buildings, Nightwing is on patrol and sees the current array of people and begins hustling his way over, leaping from building to building to find a suitable route to sneak in.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:568|Bobbi Morse (568)}} has posed:'''<br>Bobbi narrow her eyes thoughtfully, "Wow you're really scraping for scraps. A $50 phone and a drivers license. Good job boys." The slight lurch to the right of a drunk person shifts the aim, but she is foot weighted and dashes to the left, drawing out her staves. The technique is quick and painful, a stave locking up the arm with the knife as she puts his body between her and the gun, the other stave twirling in her hand.<br><br>Sadly for gang members, they tend not to back down when one of their own might get hurt, there's very little solidarity there, so the threat of breaking his arm isn't going to keep them from coming at her. So, the moment that happens, she breaks his arm and warps the other stave about his neck to hold him in place as her human shield. The time for talk is apparently past and Bobbi is just drunk enough to give up on diplomacy for the night.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:184|Dick Grayson (184)}} has posed:'''<br>"Well, shit," The boss says and lets out a whistle as from the alley behind him run three others, toting crowbars and a baseball bat, "See, we don't care too much for Jim, there." Jim would say something but he is clearly in pain and holding back a scream, "So. You will hand them over, and your cards." He pulls the gun out and points it, "Or I'll shoot you. I might shoot Jim, but at least we won't have to split it with him." <br><br>As the other muggers begin encircling, this time leaving a shooting lane as they are not wanting to end up like Jim, Nightwing sneaks down a fire escape to an awning. The new arrivals are a little less polished, but one of them is soon on the ground as an escrima stick smacks him upside the head, with Nightwing stepping forward into his place, "Whatever this game is, it's over. Don't..." he parries a crowbar and sends a shock through the stick to the crowbar, causing the mugger to drop it "Interrupting me? Rude." <br><br>Nightwing then looks to Bobbi, "Saw what was going on, sorry for intruding." He grins and moves to close the distance between him and the gunman, to make him think twice about it.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:568|Bobbi Morse (568)}} has posed:'''<br>Dislocated, probably torn tendons. That's Jim's fate for the night. Bobbi smirks a little audaciously, she can't help herself. She shouldn't take these people so lightly, it's not like she's wearing her armor or Mockingbird suit to protect her from the brunt of a gun shot wound... but hey, there's, Nightwing? //squint//.<br><br>At least Nightwing is wearing armor. "I've been thinking about your generous offer and I've decided to decline. Card companies are just dying to issue you a line of credit, why not," she grunts as she drops Jim with a kick to the inner back of the knee and does an acrobatic cartwheel to a guy with a crow bow to ruin the gun line once again.<br><br>This time she parries the cross bow with one stave, while the other clubs him across the head, then the first pushes in to his gut - that doesn't hurt that much..zzzzZAP, the stave comes to life as a stun weapon too and she braces his body as her new human shield. "..talk to them. Oh hey, blue person, you're not intruding, these guys are intruding my lovely night off. Nightwing. Very cool," she says parroting the way Coulson speaks.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:184|Dick Grayson (184)}} has posed:'''<br>Jim whispers/whimpers, "Let me go, I promise you'll never see me again." But, he is soon in more pain as he collapses. He's done. <br><br>Nightwing goes for a wrist strike, trying to knock the gun to at least point down when hit in case it accidentally goes off because muggers do not have the best trigger discipline. Fortunately, the strike does not set the gun off, but it does fall to the ground, "See, never bring a gun to a stick fight." Nightwing says dryly and thumps the ringleader in the shoulder and knee, causing him to collapse in pain. <br><br>As Dick moves to face another one, he laughs a little, "I really should audition for teh Blue Man Group, eh?" He grins and thumps another one behind the knee and to the gut. "I will admit I am at a disadvantage in the name department though."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:568|Bobbi Morse (568)}} has posed:'''<br>Bobbi lets the twitching body of the thug she has held drop to the ground once the gun is disarmed. Now she stands tall and smirks at the guy thinking he's got a winning combination of knife -and- crowbar. She twirls her staves as he starts to circle around her. "I mean, you're not wrong. Bozo here thinks he's figured out who I am.. Damsel in Distress #1 for the evening."<br><br>She clips her two staves together and spins her now staff and gestures Morpheus style to the man.<br><br>He charges in, cross bow, knife combination of jabs and cuts. She begins by controlling the space, hooking the end of her staff behind his ankle and taking his legs out from under him. She does a spin with her body and a spin of her staff above her head.<br><br>Athletically, the goon jumps back up and takes another attempted pass at Bobbi, though this time she strikes the wrist and pushes her shoulder up underneath his arm pit of the arm holding the crow bar and throws him to the side and back. He lands awkwardly but jumps back up.<br><br>"Wow, you're easily the most street hardened of these guys," she comments to him seemingly a compliment, "One more dump on the ground and we'll see just how much the street can harden you." Nope, another jab at his insecurities. He growls through gritted teeth and attempts to come in like a boxer, being reserved with his crowbar. Bobbi smirks and parries his crow bar, then strikes him in the solar plexes and zzzzZZZap stuns him with the end of the staff and he drops twitching to the ground.<br><br>"The name's Mockin.." she hiccups, "Mockingbird."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:184|Dick Grayson (184)}} has posed:'''<br>Nightwing gives an approving nod to Mockingbird as she tends to the muggers. "Dang, well, yeah, they guessed wrong!" To tend to one of them that is moving on Bobbi, Dick races forward and with a leap lands a kick in the middle of the man's back, causing him to drop, "See, bud, play stupid games win stupid prizes." <br><br>From the corner of his eye, Nightwing sees the last one figure out his odds (spoiler alert: not great), and begin running, "You want to watch this guy?" Dick says pointing down at the man under his foot and gives chase to the runner, deciding to run up another fire escape, and using a bench to vault over the guy, landing in front of the runner. "See, running is the international sign of guilt. Just put your hands up and this can be over nice and quickly, and painlessly. Do you want to be like Jim and get hurt from doing dumb things?" The remaining mugger does not think, and just raises his hands, which Dick then secures with cuffs, "I think that's the last of them. You all right over there?" Nightwing asks as he hauls his prisoner over.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:568|Bobbi Morse (568)}} has posed:'''<br>Bobbi smirks as Nightwing pounces on the guy. She nods her head, "Sure, you got it." She laughs and plants a foot on his upper back, then reaches behind herself to grab a zip tie... woooops, not on duty, not wearing her SHIELD or Mockingbird kit. No zip ties, no cuffs, no radios, nothing. She's just a regular citizen sporting clubs right now.<br><br>As he comes back with his prisoner, she unclips her staves and slides them back in to the carefully concealed thigh pockets. "You wouldn't happen to have another tie would you?," she says and points down at the man under foot.<br><br>"Also, can I just say, really nice stave work. Not enough people appreciate the effectiveness of a pair of sticks," she nods appreciatively to Nightwing. Oh yeah, this is slightly drunk Bobbi, giving him an awkward thumbs up while standing on a criminal like a prize hunter.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:184|Dick Grayson (184)}} has posed:'''<br>"Thanks for the help," Nightwing says as he sits the prisoner on the ground within eyesight and dials a quick call to Metropolis PD. They just need the location and number, so it's pretty quick. At Bobbi's request, he tosses over a pack of them, "No problem!" <br><br>Nightwing takes the opportunity to take a breath, "Yeah, it's pretty uncommon anymore, which gives us an edge, there's also the fun side," he lights up the stick for a brief second, "They usually don't look for that. Also is oddly a little safer than cracking someone upside the head." A snort, and a return thumbsup, "Where's you learn to fight with them?" He is genuinely curious at this point, "Not too often do I run into another stick fighter."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:568|Bobbi Morse (568)}} has posed:'''<br>Bobbi puts her weight down on the man as she knees and gathers up his wrists and zip ties them. She tosses the rest of the pack back to him. "Hey, I'm on vacation, so, I'm not sticking around to answer questions to the LEO.. if you're cool with that?" Cop lingo, dropping already, almost like may be she was on the force.<br><br>"But if you've got some whisky I'm happy to talk about where I learnt to fight case o' stick," and now weapons combat lingo. Who is Mockingbird anyway. She has appeared very sparingly in news articles over the years, but she does apparently exist.. or someone existed using that name anyway. It could have been her.<br><br>"Because I'm trying to make the best of my vacation by earning a good an' proper hangover," she twirls her hand waving an offer to join her on her quest. "Company is good, Nightwing. Bluest? member of the Titans." Well that's not the biggest secret in the world, but she is at least more informed than the average street stick fighter.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:184|Dick Grayson (184)}} has posed:'''<br>"Fair," Nightwing says and nods, he gets it, definitely understanding not wanting to be around when cops start asking questions. "I don't have any whiskey, don't really drink on duty, while fun it definitely can cause problems." He looks to the wingdings on his belt, "Yup, definitely can cause problems." Dick chuckles and sets his prisoner with the others ones and takes a step closer and extends a hand, "Likewise, Mockingbird. And definitely bluest. I work hard for my reputation!" The latter bit is clear sarcasm, "Gotta do what you can in a group full of metas when you fight with sticks. Heard the name before, but only here and there. Once the cops clear these guys out, be more than happy to chat, but if you want there's a liquor store just up the road a tick, just let them know you roughed these guys up and they'll prob give you a 750 on the house. By the time you get back, these goofs should be hauled off."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:568|Bobbi Morse (568)}} has posed:'''<br>Bobbi winks at Nightwing and says, "See now that's Bat-thinking right there," she says dropping a bit more knowledge and shoots a finger pistol at him. "I will be back!" This night had turned out better than she expected. Normally she has to go to the middle of no where and attack an AIM facility for a bit of a scrap.<br><br>The walk down the street is accompanied by sirens and police cars tearing down the other way. They're far more responsive in Metropolis than Gotham. The local liquor store is where Nightwing had advertised. She doesn't mention the mugging, but buys herself a bottle of whisky.<br><br>The walk back has the small pattering threat of light rain. She doesn't mind, this is how a vacation should be. She approaches the alley from the other end and peeks around the corner. The police are loading the last of the downed gang members in to their wagon, one of them yelling, "You're going to regret this, we have powerful friends!," in to the darkness of the alley, presumably at Nightwing or where he thinks Bobbi might be.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:184|Dick Grayson (184)}} has posed:'''<br>Nightwing gives a salute and waits for the cops, who haul off the muggers quickly enough, though the one that rattles off the threat gets an eyeroll. He shakes the hand of the sergeant that responded with the other beat cops and sneaks back off to the alley to join Bobbi. <br><br>"If I had a nickel for every time someone said they had powerful friends and that I'd regret it, I'd have a sock full of nickels to beat the snot out of the next person who said it," Nightwing says with a chuckle, "Glad you found the place. They do the best they can around here. Maybe someday their fortunes will change." He looks around and does not see any other threats, "But yeah, don't see a ton of people fighting like that in the streets, definitely isn't the most popular style you see being taught around here."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:568|Bobbi Morse (568)}} has posed:'''<br>Bobbi is a spy. Yep, plenty of threats like that, but she lifts up her phone and takes a picture of his ugly mug. There's no sanity in not exploring all angles of paranoia. What if this one is telling the truth? she'd rather waste 15 minutes finding out then be blind sided by a new threat. She has enough of those in her life already.<br><br>"It's a shame, single and double stick are fantastic. Though, I am a bit biased." She peels back the seal and opens up her whisky. A small sip and a grin to Nightwing. "I see your name all the time," she comments casually, "You're a popular one. There's whole websites devoted to you." So, she's a superhero fan perhaps?<br><br>"I first learnt stick fighting at college in Georgia," she smirks, not at all the place one expects to begin learning that kind of fighting style. "Sensei Jethro, fun guy. Also a medievalist. He tried to get me hooked on swords too, which are fun mind you, but a little too fatal for my liking."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:184|Dick Grayson (184)}} has posed:'''<br>"Georgia? Clearly you didn't come here for the weather!" Nightwing jokes and leans up against the wall. He knows something is up, but can't put his finger on it, and there is no present benefit to prying too much. He is comfortable though, sensing a sort of kindred spirit, to a degree. <br><br>"Yeah, people sleep on the sticks. Until the sticks put them to sleep." A nod from Dick, "Besides, I've seen those quarterstaves go through facemasks. Though, admittedly, I stick to double stick, out of habit, but it translates well. Though swords definitely are just too dangerous if you are trying to /not/ kill somebody." <br><br>Dick is surprised by the mention of the fan sites, he is not one to search himself too often, save to just do intel, "I knew there were a few, was not sure it was /that/ prevalent." He blinks, but is happy to at least be viewed as his own hero, instead of the Boy Wonder. "Well, hopefully they have mostly good things to say?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:568|Bobbi Morse (568)}} has posed:'''<br>Bobbi laughs, "That's a good one. Sleep on the stick, until the stick put them to sleep. I'm stealing that." She grins and can see from his posture that he's confused as to how she knows all this. It's unsettling to know someone has been spying on you. "Oh well, some of them would probably make you blush, but there's definitely a teenage girl following out there."<br><br>Is she teasing? he'd have to search himself to find out. She holds out her hand to him though. This is Nightwing and he has Batman at his disposal. The secret of who Mockingbird is won't stay so for long and she's already made enough of a mystery of herself.<br><br>She offers her hand to him, "I'll put your mind at ease, I spy on all the heroes, or, people spy on them for me. I'm also known as Bobbi Morse, Agent of SHIELD." She winks again, amusing herself immensely. This is a person she believes she can trust with this knowledge. Everything she knows about him, he is not her enemy and likely never will be.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:184|Dick Grayson (184)}} has posed:'''<br>Nightwing raises a brow at the fansite. Definitely not going to look there! He does grin and nod, "Well, I am a little surprised at it, but I'll take it as a compliment?" A beat to ponder, "But I guess it could be worse." <br><br>"Feel free to steal it, always good," Nightwing nods in regards to the phrase and accepts Bobbi's hand, "Glad to meet you, also good to know I didn't just help the someone else take out competition, just kidding," Dick jokes with a wide smile, "Also surprised to see you poking around here, but I guess SHIELD has its reasons."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:568|Bobbi Morse (568)}} has posed:'''<br>Bobbi shakes her head and grins, "I told you. I'm on vacation." It's almost like he doesn't take a spy at her word. Weird. "I've never been to this part of Metropolis before. It's a mess. I thought Metropolis was meant to be our most advanced city.. but I guess even here people get left behind."<br><br>Another sip of whisky and she says, "Hey. Thank you though. That could have been a lot messier if you hadn't turned up. And yeah, Team Stick, very cool. We should do this again some time. Share techniques too. I know you're an excellent fighter, you'd have to be.." what's left unsaid is 'after learning from Batman'.<br><br>"So, thank you. I owe you one. Not SHIELD, me."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:184|Dick Grayson (184)}} has posed:'''<br>"Forgot, sorry," Nightwing says, "But yeah, this side needs a bit of love, but hopefully soon the people might get a little bit of help or a boost to get things moving in the right direction. It takes time and delicacy, but it is doable." Nightwing looks around, knowing full well. <br><br>"Not a problem, it's literally my job to do this, and I'd rather be mildly inconvenienced by some goofs and get some stick practice in and nobody get hurt than the contrary." A nod, "But yeah, definitely should spar at some point, and if I need anything I'll let you know. At least I'm pretty easy to find when needed," he pulls out a card and hands it over, with contact information for Nightwing proper, sadly nothing to trace back to Dick, but at least it's something. "Probably can't meet you guys on base, but let me know sometime. And if I need a favor, I'll let you know." He may not have her card, but he has people who can get that info.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:568|Bobbi Morse (568)}} has posed:'''<br>Bobbi tucks the card in to her pocket and nods her head, "Very cool. Oh gosh I've been hanging out with my boss too much. I'm starting to talk like him. They were right, I do need this vacation." She lifts up the bottle of whisky, "Cheers Nightwing."<br> <br>
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