3443/Court of Owls: Red Dead Redemption Six - He Who Is Without Sin

Court of Owls: Red Dead Redemption Six - He Who Is Without Sin
Date of Scene:	19 September 2020
Location:	The Seat of the Court, Undercity, Gotham
Synopsis:	A fight to the death turns into a flight... from one danger into another.
Cast of Characters:	Tim Drake, Jason Todd

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Tim Drake has posed:
What time is it? What day?

The two had been dragged out of the room that had become a sanctuary for them, bags slammed over their heads and dragged down halls until being unceremoniously dumped on a stone floor. The bonds they had been clapped in were loose enough it only takes moments to writhe free once they've been released, and as soon as his hands are free, Tim rips the bag from his head, looking around.

They had been left in what looks like a small coliseum, though there is no sky overhead, only more dirt and stone. Underground. There are seats like antique theater seats a story and a half above them, mostly full, those seated there all dressed in fine clothing of one kind or another with those strange, flat, expressionless masks, watching.

The floor is cobbled stone, though there is a interlinked circle pattern made of darker and lighter stones, with writhing tentacle-patterns wriggling outside the two linked circles. The walls along the coliseum's lower level have giant bas-reliefs of Owls... and Bats.

Tim takes it all in, not saying anything, memorizing it all.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason too makes an effort to be observant even when the bag's over his head and they're being hustled from one room to the next, he listens for anything that might give them a clue of where they are, what the layout is, how many men are escorting them, and so on. That doesn't stop when the bag comes off in the room of creepy masked owls. There's no missing the implications of the room's designs. These folks had come for a show, whether that was torture, sacrifice or a gladiator fight remained to be seen. He scans the room, looking for places where the carven bats and owls might provide a foothold to let them climb to the level of the audience.

Oh, and he gives them all the finger, but that's a given.

Tim Drake has posed:
One of the Owls towards the center of the court stands. "Master Drake and Mr. Todd." His voice is familiar. "We have made our offers. And Timothy... I do wish to see you here, at my side."

Tim's face is entirely devoid of expression, as if he's ignoring the man, even though he's filed away... the voice. It's the same as the hazy projection from the room. Probably a magic user.

Disable him first, if given the chance.

There's a carved table with a pair of the long sacrificial knives laying on it, not far from where Tim and Jason are standing. Tim frowns at that.

"I've trusted you've had time to consider our offer. You will rise and become one of us. We will bend our might to restoring to you your house and your..." there's a twist of distaste, "girlfriend's life." One of the owls beside him rises and begins to protest, but she is quickly silenced. "You will also hold command of the Talon army." He pauses. "All you have to do is add one more Talon to our army's rank. Kill Mr. Todd on the floor here, and cement your ties to us. Fear not, as after he has slept in the talon's roost, he will rise again, more powerful than he's ever been and able to serve you and us for all of time."

Tim glances over to Jason. "So," he calls back up, "I kill him, he comes back to life, and I get one of those masks and control of Gotham?"

"Yes."

Jason Todd has posed:
Rage fills Jason, overlooked, an afterthought, just like fucking always, "And what if I kill your precious Master Drake?" he demands of the lead Owl. "Please tell me you come on down to the Thunderdome next and I get a crack at shutting your mouth for good."

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim moves to the table with the knives on it, taking one and testing the balance of it. "Well," he says dryly, glancing to Jason, "the problem is you'd have to kill me first. You want to die. I want to live, and I want Rose back." His voice is cold and calculating. "And it's not like you'll stay dead, after all. You haven't before."

Then Tim attacks. The blade isn't his preferred weapon of choice, but right now, Jason is unarmed, unarmored, and while it's not a staff, Tim is a capable bladesman.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason gives ground as Tim comes at him with the blade, then pushing off the wall, tries to flip over the younger Bat to get to the knives knowing Tim can likely tag him with that blade as he does. When he lands wounded or otherwise he grabs the blade off the table and then hurls the table at Tim to divert pursuit.

"You can't beat me Tim, but if you want this, sure, let's finish what we started when I ambushed you in that warehouse," he says, which was a lie, when Red Hood had been waiting for Robin to come his way, it had been on the rooftops of Park Row not a warehouse.

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim scores first blood, though the cut isn't deep. He dodges the table, though it's a close call. "You may have got the drop," Tim replies icily, "but I still won that one." His movement is fluid as he attacks again, moving into a land a blow or two before pulling back, biding his time.

His eyes flit towards one of the walls, and the hand without the blade casually and quickly flashes a handsign. 'Look.'

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason lands and barely shows sign of injury, the wound was light as it was intended to be, and he still had mobility when Tim comes for him again, this time Jason's armed too and he slashes back at Tim as he swings at him, the rage of a few moments before fading, he swallows his pride and sells the con, giving the marks what they want, the lower class boob being bested by his better, Jason selling the depth of his wounds now breathing heavy when they part.

Catching the hand sign, Jason looks where Tim indicates as he taunts, "I /let/ you live, Timmeh. You took everything from me, I wasn't going to kill you on our first meeting, that sort of thing deserves to be drawn out."

Tim Drake has posed:
"I think you're just saying that," Tim says with a smirk, "because like always... I'm just better at all of it than you are." He tosses the knife to his off-hand, shifting where if Jason comes at him hard, he'll be right on line for the almost concealed doorway in the wall Tim has gestured to. Jay outweighs Tim, and is a hell of a lot stronger: the brute force could force the door, if applied right.

Jason Todd has posed:
"Well we'll just have to see about that," Jason says, his grey eyes flicking to the hidden door before his chin drops just a fraction of an inch in a nod. Then he's coming on hard, rushing at Tim, blade flipped into a reverse grip, he fakes a slash at Tim, then sails past, not slowing as he drops his shoulder and slams into the middle of that hidden doorway. Either this was going to be amazing, or he was going to look like the idiot they all thought he was.

Tim Drake has posed:
The door not only opens, but breaks open and allows Jason to shoot through to the other side, leaving Jason and Tim a clear escape route. Blade in hand, Tim is right behind him.

Behind the door is a hallway running along the coliseum floor, and not far from where they broke in, another long hall leading //away//. And that is the path Tim takes, at first not caring about making noise as he is simply trying to put as much distance between them and where they had escaped as possible. But after a couple of minutes of running, he quickly dodges into an alcove, dragging Jason in with him, moving from "fast even if noisy" to "silent, even if that means slow".

There is light, though limited, from flickering lamps along the walls at distant intervals. The alcove itself has none, and the barest light from the lamps down the way. "Now what?" he asks near-silently.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason's heart is racing with the excitement of finally getting free, but the more practical side of him told him the hard truth, the trick would be staying free. Pulled into the alcove Jason glances around them. "Keep moving, slow, quiet, listen and look for escape," or any indication of where they are. "If we see someone who isn't a zombie, we ask them where the exit is," he says glancing down at his knife.

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim nods slightly, mentally trying to map out where they've come, the twists and turns of the halls on the way to the alcove. "Let's take the next left," he says finally. "Should take us further from where we broke free, at least." He studies the knife a bit, shuddering. "Jay... man, I think we're underground. Just a feeling I have. The air... everything. Keep eyes open for a way //up//."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jay follows, and then nods, "Yeah, feels like that," he agrees, keeping his words few in case the Owls were listening for then as well as looking. He follows Tim through a few more turns before their path comes to a dead end with another of those relief carvings of owls and a single lamp.

Jason cocks his head to Tim, as if to say something doesn't add up here, and tentatively he reaches up and pulls on the lamp fitting, it gives, sliding down with a rasp of metal on stone before a door like the one they crashed through pops open. He gestures at Tim, 'after you'.

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim nods, sliding through the doorway, though he stops short about two steps into the room.

Roughly three hundred of the pods like what Jason had been 'sleeping' in back in the old room fill the room, in neat lines. There is no light in the room save the faint, eerie glow from the pods themselves, all closed. A light hazy fog rolls across the floor to about knee-height.

The room is warm, for an underground room, obviously carved out of the underground as most of the walls are raw dirt and stone. There are a few rickety looking ladders leading up to a couple of catwalks above the room of pods, some into alcoves that can't quite be seen into from the ground level where they are currently, others ending abruptly. Tim fights the urge to let out a low whistle, though as soon as Jason is through he quickly shuts the door behind them before moving to put his back to a wall.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason's eyes widen at the sight in front of him, though as Tim closes the door, Jason shifts the grip on his knife and keeps his back to the wall. He leans close to Tim, "Remember these things can be opened on the inside, we need to be very quiet," he glances up at the catwalk and one of the ladders reaching up to it. "Up?"

Tim Drake has posed:
"Up," Tim agrees. Grimacing, but not having anywhere else to carry it, Tim grips the handle of the knife in his teeth and then snags one of the ladders lightly, slowly and silently as possible making the climb up to the catwalk. Once he's up, he crouches down, retrieving the knife in case, and waits for the bulkier Jason to join.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason also goes pirate style when it comes to carrying the knife, frowning a little at how the old ladder creaked under his weight. Once he's reached the top the knife is moved to his hand and he glances around him. "Forward?" he suggests gesturing ahead of them with the knife, voice still kept at a whisper despite the distance from the pods. Not worth taking the chance of being heard.

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim glances both ways. He gestures towards the way Jason suggested, which leads into an alcove, maybe a door? They can hope. But the other does too, just further away. "Check this, if nothing, we'll do the other," he murmurs in agreement, before very, very slowly (catwalks are so NOISY if you move fast) making his way in the forward direction Jason had suggested.

Once he reaches the darkened alcove, he steps off the catwalk onto a more solid ground. It's too dark to really see much.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason moves slowly, quietly towards the alcove, glancing down from time to time to make sure there's no movement in the pods below them. There's none, and Jason joins Tim on that more solid ground. "Let's go, want to be far away if these guys wake up."