5672/Clown Update Network!

Clown Update Network!
Date of Scene:	22 March 2021
Location:	Roof - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	Terry catches Dick up on the news from Harleytown
Cast of Characters:	Terry O'Neil, Dick Grayson

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Terry O'Neil has posed:
<<'Wing! Do you have time for a quick rooftop meeting? I've got a Harley update that I think is pertinent to the Bat-people>>

Why the rooftop? Well, because there's a picnic laid out. He's been doing a lot of picnics because his mother made an enormous amount of sandwiches in anticipation of a long stake-out case... that ended up being an open-and-shut case, leading to an overstuffed refrigerator.

But, since his mother is a wonderful cook and her roast beef sandwiches are to die for, Terry believes in spreading the love around, else he die of cholesterol poisoning.

The Cheshire cat is set up on one of the tables on the roof, the spread of food set out before him as well as some soft drinks. He has whittled down about one third of the stored food, he calculates, so he can probably feed the rest to Gar and it should be consumed post-haste after this!

Dick Grayson has posed:
Nightwing walks out onto the roof. Unlike the last time he was up here, he's actually in his normal suit instead of swimming trunks, since this appears to be business. Spotting Terry, he waves and heads over, grinning as he notices the food.

"Well, that's a good start to any meeting, especially one about Harley. I think I like the idea of rooftop picnic meetings, I may suggest them as our normal thing from now on."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpal leans back on his chair and grins, "Sounds good to me, but just don't assign Gar to cook. He still can't do anything more than toast..." reaching for his soda, he pops it open and takes a sip.

"So I imagine you've not missed out on those Gotham Gazette articles about That Criminal Harley Quinn and the damage she's caused with Poison Ivy recently? " the cat says with a smirk, clearly showing what he thinks of the Gazette's level of reporting, "And probably your mentor is potentially lining up a visit of some sort to check in on her."

Dick Grayson has posed:
He chuckles and moves over to take a seat, collecting a soda a nd a sandwich. Unlike Batman, he feels no need to be stoic just because he's in costume, and takes a quick bite, then smiles and says "Ok, that's good. But yeah, right, business. Yeah, I've seen a couple articles, something with an office, another at a karaoke bar, they've all seemed.. kind of incomplete. Like blaming Harley cause she was there, without really saying she did anything."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpal touches his nose, "Bingo. Those articles are... let me put it this way. If I had shown up with something /that/ sparse in detail and given it to Lois, she would have thrown something at me. This is Bugle-level character assassination the like of which they do to Spider-Man. So my nose smelled something fishy and I went to talk to Harley."

"She's been doing work as a bounty hunter, and it seems she and Ivy were strolling and came upon a very sus building project. Harley recognized an ex-member of her crew in it, which was a dead-sure sign that something was dirty about it. There is, apparently- no, get this- there is apparently some Big Wig criminal who uses a... cigarette holder."

He stares. "Like Cruella DeVil. In any case, the suspicion is that that building project was a front for something else- money laundring, whatever. Ivy and Harl busting it up seems to have put them in the hit list of whatever shadowy criminal big wig is behind this..."

Dick Grayson has posed:
Nightwing hmms, taking another bite of sandwich and considering for a minute. "Ok, I guess I can see that. The articles were kind of 'she was there, get her'. So our little Harley is bounty hunting now? That's both scary and good to hear, nice to see her on the right side for a change."

"A cigarette holder? I mean, I've seen the Penguin use one now and then, but no doubt they'd have recognized if it were him. So we have someone new trying to make a name for themselves in the underworld, eh? Just what we need, more players." He takes a drink of his soda, then pases and looks to Terry.

"And did you say Ivy too? She also bounty hunting, or just happen to be palling around with Harley? Be nice to hear that both of them were trying to go legit."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"I believe she accompanied Harl doing the bounty hunting. I can't speak much about Pam, except that if this were a D&D game, the best way I can pin her would be Chaotic Neutral." He pauses, "Harl's just Chaotic Chaotic. I don't know if she plans to go straight or not, but one can only hope Harl is a positive influence. Whatever the case may be, she's on our side in this particular thing. Especially since Harley was threatened, and you know how protective Pamela is of Harley, and vice-versa."

He takes a bite out of his sandwich, "I'm figuring the Gazette journo must be on the take. He seems to be the most solid lead that doesn't involve infiltrating the underground. Tell me what you think: Gar and I stake him out. He has to get his pay-outs somehow, and I doubt he's a crypto-enthusiast. At some point, he's going to have to meet his payer to get his next influx of cash, and that's when we can nab him after he is on his way back. I thought it better not to nab him and the contact... because a missing contact will alert that someone is on the trail. "

Dick Grayson has posed:
"Ok, well, we can hope. I'd rather have them on our side than locked up somewhere, or worse, out there being criminals again." He chuckles, "Somehow, Harley Quinn as a positive influence just... makes my brain itch. I mean, I'd love to see it happen, but it kind of makes my worldview go sideways."

Another bite of the sandwich vanishes before he nods his head and adds, "That actually does sound like a good plan. Follow the money and see if it will lead you to the organization backing it. If you need a hand, let me know. The Batman and I kind of specialize in the whole investigation thing."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Well, I was thinking. I know The Big Guy probably wants to pay her a visit- you can save him the time of asking questions by catching him up to date. But it /is/ important that he go ahead with paying Harley a visit. Especially in a way that is publicly visible so it comes across that the Bat-Family believes she is guilty and is going back to her villainous ways. No bats on her trail would tip off the big goons to the fact that we're smelling a rat."

He gestures with his napkin, "My mom's a pretty good PI, so I know the basics of stake-outs... except I don't need to bring a plastic bottle because I can Rabbit Hole to my bathroom at home and still keep an eye on the target, but if you'll take me under your wing, I am eager to learn the advanced stuff!"

Dick Grayson has posed:
Another bite of the sandwich goes down while Terry talks, then he nods, "I'll check in with him, or for that matter, I can just pay her a visit (OOC, I have a far easier schedule), which is effectively the same. Long as one of us confronts her publicly, she's covered as far as that goes, so we can keep up the charade." He wipes his mouth with a napkin, then takes another drink from his soda.

Nightwing chuckles, "Well, it's not exactly a quick study or anything, but we can certainly start going over some of it."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Sure thing, drop on her sometime, she likes you, I think. You can bring Robin along to make it look extra-official. He has a very impressive angry face, so it'd be believable."

He drums his fingers on the table, "I'm game. Is there anything I should read first? Or are we going to be doing practice stake-outs, or tracking someone? Oh! Oh! Or are we sneaking into someone's place and look for evidence, or wear fedoras and yellow rain coats-"

He's clearly excited by the prospect.

Dick Grayson has posed:
Nightwing starts to laugh, "Whoa there Terry. I think we can skip the raincoats, at least. Where we start is by my getting an idea of what sort of things your mom has taught you already, so I know where we need to start. Once I know that, we can decide on a lesson plan and take it from there."

He considers, "I might take Robin, cause yeah, he does angry better than anyone I know. At the same time, he probably thinks Harley should be locked up and the key thrown away, and wouldn't be afraid to tell her that, and if she's thinking of turning a new leaf, I'd rather not discourage her."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"You make a good point. Maybe no Robin for now. We don't want to set Harley off on the wrong foot, and he seems prone to believe the actual wost of everybody." Or maybe just you, Terry.

"Alright, then. We can go over what I learned from mom later. Let's call this meeting adjourned and instead focus on chowing down and having a bit of a relax before going back to cime-fighting. These sandwiches won't eat themselves, you know!"

Dick Grayson has posed:
"Now that's a motion I can second happily. Where did you get these sandwiches anyway? They're awesome! I could eat these every day for weeks and br both fat and happy." Nightwing grins as he takes another big bite of the sandwich in question.

"But yeah, think over what you've already learned, but remember, we're also covering combat and acrobatics, so decide what's most important to you, cause I only have so much time. Gotta spend some time doing things in Gotham too."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Oh, my mom makes 'em. She made a ginormous batch in preparation of at least a week of stake-outs, but she cracked the case in two days because the guy was a total idiot. I'll tell her you love 'em, but I gotta warn you- you might end up with a personal delivery every week. When Gar was almost dead, she came and delivered food every day until he was doing better."

He ponders, "Yeah... limited time. It's a pity we can't go to a place where time runs faster so we can get more bang for our buck." If only he could spin himself something like Nadia's lab! Alas...

Dick Grayson has posed:
Nightwing shakes his head, "Let's not play with time stuff, that always gets messy. We'll just do our best with what we can manage, not like we hero types are all that much for sleep anyway. And I wouldn't mind, they'd make great meals for the job I do whan I'm not Nightwinging around, so feel free to let her know."