3395/HEY YOU GUYS! Knock Knock, Where's Waspette

HEY YOU GUYS! Knock Knock, Where's Waspette
Date of Scene:	17 September 2020
Location:	Lobby - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	Val questions Nightwing about Nadia's disappearance. For values of questioning that means 'yells at'.
Cast of Characters:	Valeria Richards, Dick Grayson

---

Valeria Richards has posed:
It's a late afternoon at Titans Tower when a blue-clad blonde in motorcycle boots and a leather jacket strolls up to the front doors as if she's on a mission. Which she is. It's not the first time Valeria Richards has shown up at the Titans Tower in Metropolis, but she's usually there to see one of two people who are most certainly not present right now.

Not that this fact has stopped her.

Rocketship-shaped purse swinging off her shoulder, Val leans heavily on the door buzzer, speaking into the intercom, "//NIGHTWING I KNOW YOU LIVE HERE.//" Well, kind of. Technically, he lives in some rattrap in Bludhaven, because everything in Bludhaven is a rattrap. "It's //VAL// and I need to //TALK TO YOU//." Her tone is bratty, angry, and arrogant... so really not too far off the eight-year-old he likely remembers well enough.

Dick Grayson has posed:
Nightwing was on monitor duty, today, and so things /were/ going smoothly. He had been comfortable, things were quiet. But was that going to stay that way? Nooooo. When Val shows up, it is never going to be a boring event. As such, Dick sighs and calls over the comms, "Someone will be with you shortly." And so he does make his way towards the lobby.

Once Nightwing gets there, he lets Valeria in and says, "Is everything all right?" he inquires, some concern evident in his tone. It is still a bit farther from home than he'd expect, but with the rapid transit, nowhere is far. "But yeah, what can I do for you?"

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Is everything //all right//?" Valeria steps into the lobby, then puts her hands on her hips, scowling up at the oldest Bat-brat. "Oh, let's see. Vic's in a wormhole. Probably. Somewhere. Nadia was building a new engine to go get him BACK and then apparently the Russians took her, so now I'm down TWO FRIENDS and you're, what, sitting here juggling escrima or something?" Her tone is pretty unforgiving. "So, how's the space ship coming? First? I need to see her room and see if there's any clues as to EXACTLY who took her, because I'm not able to just scour like, the largest damn continent on the planet //for fun// in a quick enough time to find her..." she holds up one finger, then a second. "Two, I need to see how far she got on the engine, because there's probably no one here who knows what they are doing with it, since both your actual brains are GONE now..." A third finger. "And third? Logs. You have them, I know who //trained// you, so I know if she left from here you'll know //when// and if she was alone or not."

Dick Grayson has posed:
"I am fully aware of both items, I was not aware that you were informed on all of those counts," Dick says politely, trying to keep things calm. "Despite what you think, there are plans in the works, but," he holds up a hand, "I cannot let you into her private chambers. It's a security protocol that can't be bypassed, especially since we are down, as you noted, some of our tech wizzes." He frowns, "You do know that I genuinely worry for them, right?" A little frustration is audible.

Nightwing sighs and crosses his arms, "We do have some information, though, and there are plans in place regarding Nadia. She left a note." He is trying to be patient, but Valeria is not making it easy.

Valeria Richards has posed:
Valeria folds her arms across her chest. "Oh, if you need a bypass, I mean, give me five minutes with my omnitool," she snaps. She takes a couple of deep breaths. "Fine. Let me see the note." A pause. "Ugh, I know you--" she almost says his given name, but stops herself. "Nightwing. You're a giant softie, so yes, I know you're worried. So help me help you //fix it//."

Dick Grayson has posed:
"It's more the actual protocol, not the programming," Nightwing says politely. Giving Val a chance to breathe before continuing, "I will see about having a copy of it sent to you. Easier than handing over the only physical copy." He pulls out a device and punches in a few things. "I do appreciate the concern, though." He gives a nod and a weak smile. He does notice the jacket and raises a brow for a moment and then lowers it. "Just know that we are doing everything we can, it just gets wonky when it comes to organizational permissions and resources."

Valeria Richards has posed:
Val scowls at him. "Are you seriously going to tell me that you're giving me the Red Tape and Bureaucracy excuses on--" she reaches up and rubs her temples. "Fine. FINE. Forward me a copy. Forward me the logs of when she left so I have a better timeframe. And don't install that engine until someone with a brain has had a chance to look at it." She steps forward, poking the acrobatic hero in the chest. "I'm not doing any more funerals, you understand me? None. And if you blow yourselves up because of substandard engineering protocols this is NOT my problem nor concern."

Dick Grayson has posed:
Valeria's phone should go off quickly as the file is sent. Nightwing raises a brow again, "Some protocols are written in blood. Security ones, especially," he frowns. "You will see more explanations in the note. And trust me, if I do not go to a funeral in the next eighty years, it will be too soon. I know loss, as do the Titans and we are doing everything we can. Just read the note and you will get more information that should explain a lot more."

Valeria Richards has posed:
Her phone chirrrips, and Val looks down at her purse, pulling out the device and scrolling. "My friends," she mumbles to herself, reading, "By the time you're reading this I am probably already somewhere over the Atlantic ocean on my way to Russia. I'm sorry, I know this is the worst possible time but there's no other way. They have my Dad. They're not going to stop targeting those I care about, until they have me. Please, use the upgraded T-Jet to find our friends. It's ready. I wish I could do more, but I've placed you all in enough danger already. I have to face my past. No more running. I promise I will return once I have dealt with this." Val looks up at the ceiling and rolls her eyes with the eyeroll of a thousand annoyed teenagers.

"ARGTHHGHGHHGHGHGH." She points to Dick. "YOU GET VIC BACK. I'm going to Russia, and if I have to DRAG HER OUT BY HER EARS I will do it. UGH! All this stupid nobility crap just... arghhhh! It never helps, it never works, and //make sure whoever is piloting the damn sublights does NOT use the secondary engines at the same time as the primaries, because it WILL cause a spontaneous separation unless Nadia fixed the issue with the--" she pauses, huffing. "Look, I just need to go murder some people right now," she's //probably?// exaggerating?... "Let me know if you hear anything else."

Dick Grayson has posed:
"That's the plan," Dick says. The problem with being an official organization is that messing with foreign states becomes difficult, especially with official channels. "So you understand our difficulty in dealing with one of our problems, but I will be sure to make your concern about the sublights is entered into the notes because, like you, we are concerned for safety."

"My first bit of advice is to take a breath," Dick says, "Jot everything down, and get any anger out of the way first. You know my position on killing and what I think of it." His tone hardens a little, "Whatever you are going to do, think through it carefully before you do anything. I get the frustration, I really do."

Valeria Richards has posed:
Val huffs. "Do you really think I can //actually// hurt anything? Remember, me, little miss 'stay home with the babysitter'?" She scowls. "But nothing says I can't throw some of these idiots into the Negative Zone and make them think about what they've done." Her expression hardens. "Think //hard// about it. I'm more than sure they've lied to her, and I know they are manipulating the US State department. And //that// is going to come to a very very bitter end very quickly." She gives him a quick hug, assuming he lets her. "Be careful. Make sure you... vet any information coming in. Don't trust anything. Or anyone."

She sighs, and her phone makes a loud ping. She looks at it. "Hrm... what are you up to, Pierre...?" she murmurs to herself. "Look, I should probably go. ANYTHING you get, forward to me. I mean it!"

Dick Grayson has posed:
"Yes, because you are capable, I'm not stupid," Dick gives a snort, "Trust me, I'm not too keen on these guys making our peoples' lives hell. Though let's avoid sending people /there/." He remembered enough from his lessons, "You are one of the smartest people I know." Gotta appeal to her ego, "Regarding communication security and verification, you know I don't half-ass that. Hence the protocols. Nadia will come home, safe and sound." His tone is firm, but he takes a breath before speaking again, "I know you can find an answer to this, but if we are going to be sending stuff your way, you gotta promise to return the favor. On this thing we are all on the same team."

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Don't worry. I'll send you what I have, too, when I get it." Val wrinkles her nose. "I'll even mostly play nice with the idiots. Mostly."

Dick Grayson has posed:
"Sounds fair," Dick snorts, and even gives a chuckle. Knowing that Val may be arrogant, but she's not out to get them. "Be careful out there, and who is Pierre?" He has to ask, because there is no way that this does not end in an interesting way.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"My Doombot." Because of course she has one of those. Of course. But that's probably NOT an answer Nightwing wanted to hear.