5762/Is It A Secret If They Hold Hands In Public

Is It A Secret If They Hold Hands In Public
Date of Scene:	28 March 2021
Location:	Historic Clocktower - Penthouse
Synopsis:	No description
Cast of Characters:	Kate Kane, Barbara Gordon, Damian Wayne

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Kate Kane has posed:
    For a short while now, the persona of Kate Kane has been entirely unseen. For that same month-long period, she's also been harder to find in Gotham, and a little rougher on the pockets of crime she's been reported at. Of course, this isn't common knowledge: But to the Bat family, that one of their own, even someone as tertiary as Batwoman can often be, is seemingly taking less responsibility both in and out of the cowl is likely becoming known.

    Where has she been? Well, about a month ago, Kate Kane decided to somewhat secretly move into the Clocktower. It coincides, of course, with Barbara now being confined again to the wheelchair. Is she overreacting? Possibly. Oracle had and likely still has the place rigged for comfort while bound to the apparatus, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that Kate's here. That's what she considers important, now.

    Of course, the only reasonable place to look for Kate, is with Barbara. Ostensibly, this is because Barbara managing the Birds of Prey is just a good source of information. Luckily now, a search starting there is going to be more fruitful than ever.

    Currently, Kate is seated on the couch, having forcibly removed Barbara from her desk not long ago- it's probably more than a little comical that it has taken Babs needing TLC to turn Kate, swiftly, into a doting and almost overbearing girlfriend.

    She's let Barbara pick the movie- to her chagrin, usually- and has lain the woman down on the couch, Kate's legs up, and Babs' head in her lap as a pillow. As you do. It's a quiet night, and so she's stayed quiet.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Comically enough, Babs only puts up the very minimal of protests when Kate is prying her away from the dutiful observation of Gotham's vigilante super highway. The Oracle computer is designed to run almost completely autonomous of her, at least for simple things. Ping a request and it has a series of responses programmed in that would usually require her intervention. Need the power out in the Slums? dial 1 for blackout.

It gives her a lot of free time. Most of the bats are self sufficient most of the time and the Birds of Prey are only around when Babs sends them on missions, so her protests of I need to work were mostly in jest and short lived.

Now laying on the couch with a bowl of popcorn in easy reach, Barbara's legs are laid out over the arm of the couch with her head pillowed on Kate's thighs. "You're sure you don't want to watch Air Bud again?" It's a running joke that goes back a long ways. As she hits play on this romcom or that, it doesn't matter ultimately, she peeks up at the doting girlfriend gargoyling protectively above her with a grin.

"Eventually I'm going to get you in pajama pants, you realize that right?"

"there's no escaping it."

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Robin had been on patrol tonight. Oftentimes he's not actively working with Batman unless he needs backup, or specifically orders Robin to patrol with him.

  He glides with his cape, golden yellow when the light hits it, but obscures in the dark.

  There is a slight thud as he lands on the roof of the clocktower, walking up to the spot. He turns his left arm towards him, typing in commands on his gauntlet computer as the tiles shift around to let him in.

  Damian drops down through, as the roof closes behind him, landing gently inside, scrunching down as he lands to dampen the noise.

Kate Kane has posed:
    Kate has the thighs for it, at least, even if the rest of her is rather svelte. There is a shortlived pinch at Babs' cheek, a tug this way and that, to gesticulate properly and nonverbally how much she absolutely hates that movie. "No. I don't want to watch Air Bud. Again." she states, before relinquishing Babs' cheek.

    There is a soft sigh, "You know I won't wear them, I-" she pauses, hairs bristling on the back of her neck. Trained senses hear soft thrummings of processes running on the computer, of footsteps on the roof. Barely audible at all, let alone over the din of the movie- but audible enough to someone with her training.

    It's a testament to her near domestification that she isn't up and ready for the incoming visitor, but the chances that it's not someone friendly- and Damian counts on that list, even if arguably barely- are very slim.

    When Damian lands, she isn't scrabbling to preserve any sort of mystery. She figures they were probably past that when she showed up with suitcases and amenities. "Evening." she offers him, but doesn't do much else. Instead, she just keeps where she is.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs has an bud in one of her ears that runs to the heavily modified phone laying on her lap. A phone connected to the extensive security systems installed in the clocktower. Not to, specifically, alert her to the comings and goings of Batlings, so much as to protect her from rogue visitors baring pistols who shoot you in the spine.

Never be caught flatfooted again, not even at home.

A home that, at least in this case, is somewhat a prison for her.

She is keenly aware someone is arrived and unless Damian has done something to mask his presence on her monitors, she's pretty certain to know who it is by their distinct cowl signatures. So she's not startled. She glances at the screen, then lays her head back down following a pinchy twist of her cheek.

"Fine, fine fine... but you smiled once, I saw it." Pointing a finger up at her acusatorially, then propping up with a hand on the back of the couch. "Howdy, Damian. There's some left over gluton free pasta if you're hungry." Then back down on to Kate's leg.

She's too old and way too crippled to go diving into closets now.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian turns around, looking at the two, seemingly fine but his face had been scraped and his Robin tunic had a couple of bullet holes in them. "Hello." He says calmly, walking to the bathroom for a moment. Hearing the water running from the sink, dabbing his scrape. "So. Dropping all pretense now?" He asks, pulling out his first aid kit from his belt. "About time."

  He pulls the mask from his face, a clear outline in the dirt where he had his mask on. "I only required the use of your facilities. But thank you." He comments.

Kate Kane has posed:
    Kate's brow lifts as Damian just soldiers off to do whatever he feels he needs to, something that she can't at all disapprove of. It's one of the many lessons that she has no problem with. The more surprising thing comes a bit later, but that's for later.

    After a moment, she assists in pulling Barbara into a proper sit, even though the woman doesn't need the hand- not allowing her to finish reclining, as they have a guest. Best to be polite, probe him for some answers, find out if he needs any assistance patrolling. He won't say so, of course, but there are ways to get enough out of him to glean whether it's a rougher night than normal. The first important bit? He's actually slightly hurt.

    "He approves." she states to Barbara, nudging her slightly. "I'm going to ask, and you're going to say no, but do you need any more boots on the ground? Has there been a new flurry of activity that I'm not aware of?" It's the gratitude- outwardly displayed, specifically- that gets her attention. She doesn't comment- it's not that he's softening in the typical sense, but more that he's softening in a usable sense. More polite is usually better. She approves.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs only whines a little when she's FORCED under this DICTATORSHIP to sit up rather than lay back down. There are so few benefits of being without the use of her legs, one of them is a constant state of sympathy where nobody frowns at you if you lay around in pajama pants all day!

Still, she sits up. Even puts her legs down like a normal person would, even if it's just for show. She smirks sidelong at Kate and shrugs, "Of course he does. Why wouldn't he?" She murmurs, adjusting her glasses down from her brow to rest on the bridge of her nose when Kate goes into interogation mode. "There's a first aid kit right over there, if you want me to put a bandage on that. Got to keep those clean." Nothing he doesn't know, waving a hand towards her for him to come take a seat.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian looks into the mirror, staring at himself for a while, letting the question hang for a bit before answering. He wipes his face with the damp paper towel, cleaning himself off. "No, just a guy who took a couple of lucky shots. Apparently he did not know to aim for the head on a Robin. He will not be pulling any triggers for a long time." A little dark, yes. But this was a highly trained fifteen year old going out every night to fight crime in Gotham.

  He grabs a vial from the first aid kit. Liquid bandage, spraying it onto his face. Normally it would bring at least a yelp to someone. But he remains stoic.

  Joining the others, he takes a moment to rest. "I took care of it." He declares, looking to both of them without his mask.

Kate Kane has posed:
    Kate keeps her peace for a time, especially as Damian explains. "Good." she responds, reinforcing likely the worst thing she could reinforce, but Kate is not the most responsible of the Bats, and is happy to deliver more permanent injuries when she feels it's needed, which is far more often than most of the others are comfortable with.

    "We're watching... What was this again? Love, Actually? I... Zoned out." She did. She'll pay for it later, but dissociating swiftly and for long periods is one of the skills she picked up in the Corps. "Take some time, catch your breath, let the adrenaline filter out." Unbidden, and in some level of penance for zoning out on Babs' chosen film, Kate taps the button on the side of the couch that unleashes the footrest in the middle, so that Babs has one too. Fancy.

    "If he'd aimed for the head, he probably wouldn't have had the time to fire. I've found that they can only process the one thing at a time, so it was an especially clear-headed goon to multitask enough to properly fire in any way." It's less a comment on goons and more a comment on Damian's speed- sort of a shaded compliment if ever there was one.

    "Does anyone talk?" she asks, turning her attention to Damian and drumming up any sort of conversation so as to make there as little movie as possible. Clearly she's asking about, well. What he'd commented on when he landed.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs frowns at Kate's zoning out, or was it her reinforcementing of those worestest of all possible lessons. She gives her arm a slap, rolls her eyes, and offers up some level of forgiveness when the foot-rest extends out beneath her legs. Much sighing, quiet, pleased, and with a nod. Sacrifice accepted.

There will probably still be some form of punishment.

"Do they ever throw their empty gun at you once they run out of bullets? I read somewhere that they did that to Superman, but I've yet to figure out what the mentality behind it is. I just want to meet someone who does it so I can ask them." Fingers lock behind her bun of wild red hair. Looking from Kate to Damian and back again when she asks if anyone talks.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian gives what sounds like a morbid chuckle with Kate's veiled compliment. "I have been shot at before. And shot for that matter." Just one of many scars he has. But he doesn't dwell on the thought.

  Barbara's question gets a similar answer. "Once. But I caught it and the guy almost shit his pants after I field stripped it in five seconds." His green eyes close for a moment before looking at the pair again. "I do not think they see it. Other than Father. Besides. Most of them aren't as good as they think they are at deduction when it comes to this side of the team. I practically confessed to Grayson and he didn't even say a word."

Kate Kane has posed:
    Kate is better at the combat portion of the job than the detective work, but she operated as Batwoman alone for a long time before she was let into the fold proper. She wouldn't be so vain as to rank herself; But if anyone else is doing so, it would be unwise to rank her below the upper echelon.

    This is why she nods along a few times, taking in Damian's statement but following it with a calm question- "Confessed?" she asks, though at the same time, she doesn't have a truly inquisitive tone. Something akin to a question to which she already knows the answer.

    Her focus is of course on Damian- Barbara she's placated, and the movie is all but forgotten.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Babs isn't a detective in the same way that Batman is a detective, but she picks up on clues as good as anyone. Especially where it pretains to people. More so with people she's close to.. With a handful of popcorn, tossing one into her mouth at time, she nods to Kate, "It makes sense if you think about it. Dick not getting it, I mean." Another kernal tossed into her open mouth, then absently picking full unpopped kernals from her palm. Nose wrinkled.

Hate those.

"He's the perpetual ladies man. Always has been, even when we were kids. That's why him and I didn't work.." Dick, that is. She grins slightly and nods to Damian, "It also doesn't surprise me that you're not as keen to hide it as some your age would be. That doesn't surprise me either. Good on you, Baby Bird."

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian gives a nod. "I told him Sam left for...wherever he went off to. And he just...glossed over it. In one ear and out the other."

  "So if they do talk. Fuck them. Does it affect anything? Or does it affect them in any way? No." So, his stance on the matter known.

  "As for me. I am fairly sure no one would even ask. It is not like I attend a school like normal anyway. And the Titans...no. The prospects now that Sam is gone...are slim to none."

Kate Kane has posed:
    Kate wouldn't have said Baby Bird, but Barbara probably gets away with a lot more than she does for various reasons. Regardless, she lets Damian speak, and she listens- because that's what she ought to do right now.

    "Dick is... Fine with himself, and that's okay. I imagine it can be frustrating sometimes, but the opposite would be worse." she shrugs, setting one arm behind her head and the other behind Babs.

    "You'll find someone, Damian. Maybe you'll need some help along the way, but there's someone out there for everybody. It might not be easy to make that journey, but you have to look one of these days. Probably won't be close to home, but you're a detective- You'll find 'em."