3070/One Night in Gotham Makes No Woman Humble

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One Night in Gotham Makes No Woman Humble
Date of Scene: 24 August 2020
Location: Chinatown - Founder's Island
Synopsis: The cultish Crime Bible monks don't succeed thanks to fists, guns, and spells.
Cast of Characters: Kate Kane, Laura Kinney, Neena Thurman, Zatanna Zatara




Kate Kane has posed:
After the serial killer was brought in by Batwoman and Zatanna down in the Narrows, Kate's been keeping tabs on quite a few things. Of course, between the Owls and the JLA Watchtower opening, things have been a bit busy for Batwoman lately.

But not so much anymore. Particularly with rumors of a cult of monks devoted to the Crime Bible, burning offerings for some unknown purpose. So, naturally, for a date night, Kate got Zee flowers, and a nice romantic dinner...

And now it's the middle of the night, Kate's in her Batwoman costume, and scouting one of the warehouses where the impromptu arson is taking place. So far, nothing too incriminating yet, but it is a bunch of people chanting bad Latin from the supposed Crime Bible as they pile things onto the kindling. Which prompts Kate to whisper over her comm to Zee.

"I told you, Hamilton was going to be /way/ less interesting than this." A bit of a sly grin crosses her lips, as she watches the group do their work, trying to figure out what the angle is.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura, on the other hand, had been heading, inevitably, towards the Roost to catch up with the rest of the Outsiders and let them know about her other team, just as she had let Jean know about the Outsiders. It was, afterall, only fair.

She -had- been heading there. But as she passed the warehouse, the young, lanky, black-haired and (seemingly) very unarmed girl paused, turned her head, and seemed to stare from the street to the warehouse. It wasn't unusual to smell chemicals in such places. But, there was something different. Something off. And seemingly with 'bad idea' written all over it, the young and pretty girl dressed in simple jeans and an oversized faded second-hand football jersey she'd picked up at a thrift store begins to head towards that self-same warehouse where the monks are gathered.

Neena Thurman has posed:
Every now and then Domino found herself being led in the most unusual of places by her power. When she'd found a napkin with an address written on it she'd felt that familiar little urge to follow even if she had no idea what it was about. Something was going to happen even if she didn't know exactly what.

A cab pulls up just shy of the warehouse and it's driver is more than happy to let the pale woman out so he could drive off at a good clip. No Gothamite wanted to be in this area at night longer than they had to. Domino stands a moment tipping her head back to view the area with a thoughtful expression as she does a mental checklist of her weapons. Just in case. She was near enough to hear the chanting but not quite able to make it out--That might have to do with their complete lack of actual latin.

Just as Laura starts to head for the warehouse so does she, but from a different angle on the street.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Bad Latin, or rumours of strangely scribed graffiti, is enough to warrant interest from Zatanna. Language is, after all, her expertise in trade. Tracking down the written sources of a group of monks requires putting her ear to a different door or wall, so while Kate is out on a rooftop, the magician departs from a teahouse open late as late can be. She lacks her distinctive tophat, though the black-and-white bustier is evident, though hardly noteworthy. A recyclable cup contains a hearty portion of a Chinese tea best described as earthy like senmatcha can be, but without the bitter aftertaste, usually served in tiny cups. Her sources see her on her way.

Then it's two words to leap herself to a building not that far away. No point in standing out on the jaunt needed to thread through the warehouse district, largely abandoned after No Man's Land and never really recovering its status as an iconic port. Graffiti makes the decline evident, if not the broken glass windows or looming shadows. Probably a place avoided by the cops unless the entire neighbourhood was ablaze, so one bonfire reflecting in her bright eyes leaves a measured reaction.

"Do you think they source their robes from Broadway Costumes or The Conservatory Theater's costume shop? Because I guarantee you smoke ups the price," she tells the redheaded Batling, voice pitched low.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura moves with purpose through the building, and can be seen in the glass rooftop above by those watching from overhead, making a direct line without so much as heistation or exploration towards the noise, the ever-present chanting of the monks - and the smell of their components that they intend to use this evening. She is neither running or cautious, her stride purposeful and confident - now, perhaps, not so much a 'bad idea' as, perhaps, a member? Or, just some angry teenager who wants to correct their grammar?

The girl moves into the area where the monks are, measures a quick head-count as she says, simply, concisely, "You do not belong here. You should leave. Now."

There is, one might note if they can hear her, there's no fear in her voice. Only confidence. "While you can still leave under your own power."

However, Laura makes no other moves. She does not attack. Instead, she allows them a moment of self-reflection. To leave. Because an 18 year old girl, dressed in second-hand clothing, is telling them to. And, she seems to believe she has the ability by simply saying the words to 'make it so'.

Kate Kane has posed:
Batwoman grins, "Probably family heirlooms. You'd be amazed at all the weird shit families in Gotham get into in their history." She pauses, then adds, "Or not. Well, love, I think we move in a bit closer, then it's showtime."

With that, she pulls out the grapple gun from her perch on the building across from the warehouse, and fires it over, making sure it snags as she then hooks it into her belt. Then, she puts her arms around Zee and the two of them are being reeled in to the top of the warehouse!

Sure, Zee could magically *woosh* them around, but this is way too much fun. And Kate might enjoy showing off the cool toys a bit, at least to Zee. Upon landing, she lets Zee go, giving her a wink before moving to a convenient skylight. And blinking a bit.

"Hold on, looks like there's a girl in there. Something definitely up down there." She frowns, retrieving her grappling hook as she watches the scene unfold down there. "Might need to bust in there a bit earlier than I planned."

Neena Thurman has posed:
Domino starts to whistle to herself quietly a tune that had been stuck in her head awhile. As she does, she reaches down to tap her fingers off the side of her gun holster to flick open the leather strap that kept it safely shut. She watched the figure of another girl go inside and tips her head with a shrug. When in Rome...

Her path veers to the side down an alley though after a slight mis-step off a broken bit of concrete almost sent her ankle rolling. It's a smooth recovery with no actual damage done. The new path is accepted as she finds herself near a fire door. "Perfect. Let's hope it's not locked," she muses aloud even as she reaches to try it. The old lock, rusted through, breaks with just a little crunch of crumbling metal allowing her inside to see the monks, the fire, and the girl at the front door.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
"Knowing how old Gotham is?" Zee shakes her head a bit, dismissing the notion of surprise. Her cup goes to her lips, a final sip taken before work calls. She harbours a wry smile that slowly fades as the shadows become thicker and mildly smokier with precious items hurled into the growing flames. With a girl not wearing the dingy brown robes with a deep cowl suitable for hiding damn near anything about a person, short of having a proboscis or impressively long beak.

"Remember where I put this," she warns, putting down the cup. Time to earn her keep, not that she hasn't done the work with the Justice League for a bit. Batwoman gets a nod to affirm she is ready to begin, and then the street flows beneath them on a wire. It never ceases to be a bit breath-catching, but she's too cool to give more than a suggestion of a smirk when they get down.

She drops to a crouch from up there and squints into the darkness a bit. A slight gleam at her throat dances terribly red on that creamy skin. "You don't say. What is she doing down there? Doesn't look like any kind of moll, at least."

Laura Kinney has posed:
As eyes turn towards Laura, a few cries are raised up by those towards the back - perhaps those in the front are too busy chanting to have overheard Laura's demand. Yet, the girl just looks at the ones who have spied her defiantly.

No moll indeed, one of the group cries something in bad latin, and rushes towards her, a stick in his hand and clearly intent on beating the girl down, and likely senseless for her warrantless intrusion upon their Holy Ritual. Besides, what better way to feed the inferno they're preparing with the beaten body of a seemingly innocent girl?

As the man charges, Laura moves with effortless grace, not only disarming the man of the improvised weapon but also using it to move upwards into the soft part of the underside of his chin, even as she does a leg sweep, and finishes off the singular fluid motion with a crack of the stick across the temple as he falls to the ground. She drops the stick, and repeats herself.

"Leave. Now."

And several more eyes are on her, now. Several more monks prepared to take up arms, and feet, and hands, against this infidel.

Kate Kane has posed:
Batwoman hmmms, "Well, whoever she is, she's got some game. But not sure if she has enough to deal with all these clowns." With that, she secures a grapple line behind her and then jumps /through/ the skylight.

As the glass shatters and rains down on the cultists, they look up and see the black-and-red figure of Batwoman descending down. Some break and flee, screaming about the Twice-Dead, others get out some improvised weapons... or guns, for the not-so-improvised. Shots are taken but either miss or get deflected off of Batwoman's body armor.

Once she's down most of the way, she unhooks her grapple line to drop the remaining few feet and land in a crouch. Slowly straightening to her full height as she regards the cultists with a menacing glare.

Neena Thurman has posed:
As the cultists or wanna-be cultists start to freak out, Domino by the side door pulls out her gun. "Ah ah," she calls out drawing attention to herself as well. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." She didn't know who Laura was but it was clear that this girl might need a hand. Likely why she came here. Just as she does this though, drawing the attention of a few most likely, Batwoman crashes through the glass above.

"Oh this is going to get interesting."

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Whether she means to be impressed or not by Laura's immediate takedown of a cultist, Zatanna frowns slightly when the man gets smacked, punted, and bopped on the nose like a bad dog. No signs of blood pooling around his head, worthy of an upnod.

Several of those monks bear the signs of gym bros more than swarthy assassins inheriting their place from the Old World. Glass crashing down on them presents a safety hazard as much as the black-clad vigilante, forcing them to scatter if they want to avoid nasty impaling wounds or gashes opened on their sides. Arms raised to bring guns to the fore catch her eye, sharp and quick.

"'Sknom redwopnug ot dnas," she says from up on high, perched perfectly to see the selection of less than holy brothers and sisters, and manages to separate out the prospect of limiting Kate or that other woman with the black hair pulling something. Maybe she sees Domino, maybe she doesn't, but professional courtesy. Those bullets are going anywhere with the sea's gifts pouring out from the chambers.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura has no guns, but as two of the monks descend towards her while others might focus on Kate the once-assassin shows anyone watching why she approached this group alone, and unafraid like any Bat might.

The first monk-gym-bro takes a meaty swing at her, and the girl, possibly half or less than his bulky size takes the swung arm as she neatly dodges it, and hip tosses him straight into the other guy also moving to attack her.

She does not wait for them to get up, she presses the battle forward, landing on the heap of entangled flesh and slamming both fists simultaneously into their meaty necks, then grabbing their heads and clanging them together like a pair of cymbols, before slamming them back into the ground. Nice, and unconscious.

She registers Kate, sees the Batsymbol. A flicker of her glance there.

A flicker of her eyes to Domino's position.

And one, to Zee.

"It would seem others have arrived. You should have left when I gave you the chance." And, fearlessly, Laura walks into the 'Lion's Den', striding with purpose further into the fray.

Kate Kane has posed:
Batwoman leaps into action as Laura moves in, spinning a roundhouse kick to the nearest cult-bro as she growls, "Nice moves," to Laura. Of course she growls, she's wearing the cowl.

Look, it's a /thing/.

Then she wades into the fray, no guns used or needed here on her part as she smirks a bit as the gunpowder in the cultists' hands seems to be misfiring. But in this case, she punches her way through the melee, working with a brutal efficiency in taking down cultist after cultist that comes after her.

Neena Thurman has posed:
A few quick shots are squeezed off from Domino's direction as she keeps in mind that the protector of this city (one of whom had just crashed donw) wasn't really the sort to like killing. Plus they were mostly kids and just-out-of-being kids age level from what she was seeing. It's their guns or knives or other makeshift weapons that are shot right out of their hand. Maybe causing a sting but no real harm done. If any get too close she just hauls back to punch them right in the face as she moves into the room herself.

Zatanna Zatara has posed:
Shots can't fire and every missed opportunity forces the befuddled "monks" used to relying on their firearms to choose another route.

Backhand a woman in modern armour with the butt? Pistol-whip Laura? Fling the piece aside and hope they can dodge out of there? All chosen by four different participants, running for Kate and Laura or a door.

The fire crackles merrily, consuming what it can from the items thrown in there. This Zee knows, murmuring in that precise chant. It's very different from the bad Latin. "But Romans, go home is an order. So you must use the..." A pause, and no one hears her, but the flames already spark to the pull of her fingers. "semalF emoceb a ezeerb. Imperative, which is..."

Yes, she's quoting 'The Life of Brian,' and the leaping orange fire vanishes into a mournful wind pulling at robes and setting capes flapping, rushing around the building in hopes of finding a way out.

Zatanna shakes her head slightly.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura, much like Batwoman, seems to have little issue putting the monks down that assail her; she is their superior in all ways in combat. Those that can recognize them will see that Laura is fighting in a variety of martial arts styles, moving between one and then another, or blending forms together to create a savage beatdown.

That is, until one of the remaining few draws out a katana and begins to move towards her with clear indication of his ability with the blade. The very unarmed girl still doesn't look the least bit intimidated.

It all happens so fast. The draw. The slash of the weapon aiming to slice her body in half sideways and split her open. And, the girl is going to die, clearly, in front of the other three heroines.

It all happens so fast.

A full heartbeat before the blade is going to connect against her flesh twin blades pop out of the back of Laura's hands, twin claws, and they slice the katana's blade clean off it's handle like a hot knife through butter.

Laura spins, slamming a boot in a roundhouse kick to the jaw of the dumbfounded monk and comes 'round, pointing her claws at his wobbling and unsteady form as he backpeddles from the force.

Two more claws pop out of her other hand. She points her right hand at the man, staring him down with the eyes of someone who has killed before. And who will kill again.

"I have promised my new associates I will not kill," Laura states, flatly, indifferently. "However, if you value your limbs, and do not wish to lose them, I suggest you surrender now."

Kate Kane has posed:
Batwoman has a batarang in hand, having seen the katana coming out towards Laura... but, well, she didn't have to do anything about that. Then she looks carefully at her, putting two and two together as she says, "Not bad, kid. Police are on their way, so it's best that you make yourself scarce."

She pauses, "I'm sure we'll meet again." With that, she shoots the grapple line back up, hooking it to her belt as she ascends through the broken skylight, making a fairly theatrical exit as the distant sounds of sirens can be heard.

Once she's up, she gives Zatanna a wry look, "So Life of Brian at my place?" Her lips curve into a cheerful smile beneath the cowl as she regards the magician.