7654/Gotham Knights vs Starling City Stags

Gotham Knights vs Starling City Stags
Date of Scene:	01 September 2021
Location:	The Knights Table
Synopsis:	The football season begins in Gotham, and a microcosm of the city's night-dwelling citizens comes out to either cheer for the Knights or consume fried goods while pretending to cheer for the Knights. A suspicious transaction involving a stoat and a gold coin happens under the cover of SPORTSBALL. Alternatively: people gather around a television for the first game of the Gotham Knights. It's a football team, people! Read a book.
Cast of Characters:	Stephanie Brown, Jason Blood, Harley Quinn, Killian Quinn, April O'Neil, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Harper Row, Barbara Gordon, Cassandra Cain, Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe

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Stephanie Brown has posed:
Different cities have different favorite sports. Some prefer baseball, others hockey. It probably comes as little surprise that football is one of Gotham's favorite sports. It fits the mentality of the city like no other sport. Unless maybe boxing, or if organized mugging became a sport.

So today is a big day in Gotham. Opening game of the 2021-2022 season. The beloved Gotham Knights are taking on their division rivals, the Starling City Stags. With Starling City just up at the tip of the bay, the two cities are nearly as close as Gotham and Metropolis are. Resulting in a lot of visiting fans coming into town for the game as well.

Stephanie Brown is ready for the game. She's got on a Knights jersey with the quarterback's name on the back, the top fitted for the female form. A pair of jeans and tennis shoes, she opens up the door and steps inside while DIck is parking the car, giving the wait staff his name since she thought ahead and reserved a table big enough for Dick and the rest of the family who said they were coming.

Jason Blood has posed:
Jason Blood had finished off a cigarette outside before stepping within. While a displaced Englishman such as Blood might more traditionally favor the other kind of football, he has lived in the United States and Gotham for several decades now and has at least some appreciation of the sport. And he does like to gamble, now and again, on the fortunes and fates of the athletic competitors.

He's definitely not fitting in terribly well, though, favoring a suit over the standard jersey and jeans combo of the average fan, but he makes his way up to the bar all the same, making sure he has a decent view of the television. "I suppose, in keeping with the proper atmosphere, that I shall have a beer," he says. "In a bottle," he says to the barkeep.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"I am tellin' ya.." Harley is making her way into the bar, gesticulating wildly as she often does and talking to April, "... It had these sweet blades instead of hands and looked right mad aftah I stole her necklace. But I mean, it's not like I could guess it was alive right, right?!" Harley going through another of her stories as they are getting ready to watch the game. Unreliable narrator and all that.

"But anyway, heah we awhe April!" She opens her arms wide as if to put the rest of the room in display. "Gotham au naturel, a prime time to watch the natives during one o' theah traditional activities! Football!" a big wide grin on her expression.

Harley came prepared, a Knights jersey and shorts, a cap with placeholders for drinks if she wants to double down on those and the usual paleness.

"Oh, I hope you ain't a Stags fan April. Wouldn't go well foh ya." a solemn tone to her. Or is it a threat?! Gotham or die apparently.

Killian Quinn has posed:
    It's not uncommon for Killian to take side jobs on his days off. It's not uncommon for Gus to ask him to do just that from time to time. It is, however, uncommon for Killian to say 'yes'. American Football? Ugh, it's as bad as American Beer, a piss watered down version of the real thing. And those *jerseys*.

He lost a bet though, so here he is, best foot and big smile forward.

"Covers a broad spectrum there, beer," Killian replies when Jason requests 'beer in a bottle'. Maybe not so broad here as the Tir, his normal gig, but broad still. "Will it be piss water? Lighter piss water? Piss water with a blue label or a red? Or a red, white and blue?" That smile of his is still open and warm as the noon day sun. So he's probably joking? Maybe?

Inside, the Irishman in him is dying a little and the fae too. There isn't even any music going on to take the edge off the dull.

April O'Neil has posed:
April is right there with Harley, even though she has no sports clothing on because she's from Brooklyn... she's just here for the booze and conversation. The young reporter is wearing a navy blue tanktop with a white hoodie tied around her waist over low cut blue jeans that have torn out knees and small belled ankles over her short heeled black boots underneath. She has some designer sunglasses that are up on her hairline and her dark auburn hair is loose around her otherwise mostly bare shoulders. She's grinning at Harley's words.

"I'll be honest..." She says while looking around the bar. "I'm a hockey girl. Football is fine'n all, but I dig the big bushy beards ya find on the playoff hockey players." She shoulder bumps Harley playfully. "Don't you die on me out on your adventures either. I'll have to pay full rent again..." She says with a sly grin.

"Nice place... sorta..." She adds upon arriving.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Coming in from the parking lot, Dick is dressed a lot like Stephanie, except his Knights jersey carries the name of the Knights star safety. He pauses just inside the door for a moment, scanning over the crowded room. Spotting Steph, he makes his way through the crowd towards the table she's at.

    Once he's managed to get to the table, he smiles at Steph and slips into a seat, saying "Reserving a table was a good call, I always forget how busy opening day is." He catches a server's attention, "Let me have a rum and coke." Looking over to Steph, he asks her, "What would you like, hon?"

Tim Drake has posed:
    There's something to be said about arriving fashionably late. Not that anyone's going to be saying that about Tim today, because he's already here, wedged into the corner of a bench in the front of the bar with his legs tucked up against his chest and his phone in his face. Like most people here today he's wearing Knights merch, which in his case is an oversized hoodie, over a non-descript t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

    AKA, outfit #2 of 3 in his continuing saga of being so boring that the Gotham paparazzi want nothing to do with him.

    It's had some decent success, though no method is perfect, not even one Tim has spent hours methodically planning. Today he's hoping to just fit in with the crowd. When he hears Dick's name being said by a familiar voice, Tim doesn't look up. Instead, he finishes typing whatever text he was in the middle of sending, and then finally he stands. He follows several feet behind Dick, wordlessly, to the table, dodging people left and right without looking up from his phone. Like any grumpy teenager you might find on whatever sitcoms are popular right now.

    But he flops into a chair, pulls his hood down, and smiles. "Hi."

Jason Blood has posed:
Jason Blood meets Killian's gaze with a raised eyebrow, "Something vaguely tolerable. Mexican, if you have it. I've always liked Mexican beer," he says, his English accent faded but present. And for once he can drink some without worrying about Aztec gods looming over the proceedings. He does tend to end up in nice places at the worst times.

Harley and April get a glance as they approach, especially Harley given her somewhat rowdy tendencies. Blood takes off his suit jacket, folding it neatly and putting it across an empty stool for the moment.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie's face lights up as she spots Dick, raising a hand to wave and help him locate her. It's a sign of how much her training has come along that the smile doesn't slip - ok it doesn't slip MUCH - when Stephanie spots Harley Quinn come in.

Her eyes go back to Dick though as he joins her at the table, and then Tim gets a big smile as he joins them as well. "I suppose I should probably stick with soda," says the young woman that is still too young to drink legally. And this isn't one of the college bars that is extra lax about carding. "Let me have a Zesti Cola," she tells the waiter before her eyes go back to Dick and Tim again. "I don't know if Barbara is going to be able to make it or not, hoping she will," she says.

"Looks like quite a crowd. Especially over there," Stephanie says, a faint movement of her head towards where Harley and April are, though the blue eyes not adding to the gesture to keep it more subtle. "Hope everyone is on their best behavior," she says more softly.

The TV broadcast is showing on TVs all around the bar, so there isn't a spot that doesn't have a good view. The sound is turned up loud enough it can be heard, if just barely, over the sound of the crowded bar. People are in a good mood. Many have either been there drinking for awhile already, or started their celebrations before coming to the bar.

Killian Quinn has posed:
No music, Killian can deal with that. He'll just hear the stuff in his head, easy enough right? He cues up some Prodigals, Celtic Women, Dropkicks, Flogging Molly. There, that's better. Now he's in the groove. It might be something a little more exotic if this wasn't here and he was serving somewhere else, but it is here. Corona it is. Pulled from the cooler behind the bar, top popped and settled in front of Jason.

Him? His brogue is still so thick it sounds as if he just stepped off the boat, even after twenty years or so this side of things. "Vaguely is about the best I can do, sorry," he offers along with a wink before he's sliding his way down to the next in line for service, dancing a little actually, to that music in his head.

In between bar patrons, he's mixing and filling drink orders from the 'runners' out there. That rum and coke, it's served up straight away when the waitress puts the order in. Light rum, just the right amount of coke and a lime wedge clinging to the side of the glass. The Zeti's a little easier, probably fountain in a place like this. If it takes awhile to arrive, not on him.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"I mean. I play rollah derby so ya know wheah my preference is too. But ....! Doesn't mean we can't enjoy some football too!" pause, "What is it with yoh and the bushy beards though? Why is it a thing?!" The shoulder bump being returned before she lets out a cackle. "I can't die. I got plot armoouh. This is known." she jests, a smirk appearing on her expression moments later.

"Anyway, let's get some drinks. Something *strong*." A wink, "Strong like bushy beards." she sauntering over towards the bar, dodging a Tim on the way and resting an elbow on the counter, "I will have a rum ..." a look, "What do you want, Apes?"

She spots Stephanie over yonder. And she's smiling. So that means she finger-wiggles towards her, "Hi theeeeere."

Still pointing to the table where the Batsies are she says up to April. "Rich folks, seen them on a gala or three." she explains. "We should join 'em, think we weah being invited to sit!" no you weren't, Harley.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Following Steph's lead, Dick glances over to see who she's referring to, then returns his attention to the people at his table. In a low voice, he tells Steph "I've only heard good things so far, so she's doing well." As Tim slips into a seat at the table, he nods, saying "How's it going Tim? Things been going well for you?"

Tim Drake has posed:
    "Just a water for me please," Tim tells the waitress when it's his turn, and then he adds, "And, um, french fries?" He holds his hands out above the tabletop, apparently to indicate exactly how many he wants. Which is: many. Yes. Thank you.

    The waitress nods. "Do you want chili or cheese on them?"

    "No, thank you."

    She nods again. "Okay. How about ketchup? Ranch? Mayo?"

    The look in Tim's eyes briefly shifts to a thousand-yard-stare, and he blinks several times before he shakes his head. "Uh, no thanks." That earns him a little pop of the waitress's tongue but she jots down his order.

    He takes a quick, sweeping look across the bar as he folds his legs up onto the chair with the rest of him, knees against the edge of the table. The group at the bar are noted without his attention lingering, despite how much he probably wants to snoop. "I'm not too worried," Tim answers, though he tips his head at Stephanie to acknowledge the concern. His voice drops, "Things have been okay lately." Which may just be an update on his general situation per Dick's questioning, or some sort of subtly coded message about the conversation they're actually having, here.

    Given he'd just nodded his head up and down in agreement with the thing Dick said right before this, probably the latter.

    In actual answer to Dick's question, Tim just shrugs, eyeing the nearest television screen with the kind of critical apathy of someone who's only into sports when a local team is playing. "How're you two doing?" he asks, and gives up pretending to be invested in the game to look at Dick and Stephanie instead.

April O'Neil has posed:
April smirks at the roller derby part. "I'll give you that. I mean, I'd love to play that derby stuff too, but I can barely stand on my own two feet, let alone strap wheels on them and expect to accomplish anything...." She huffs a sigh and heads to the bar with Harley, not really knowing anyone here since its a long way from her stomping ground.

"Vodka and, uh, some juice, whatever you got that is red. Yes. Red is always the best flavors." She smiles at the bartender before looking to whom Harley has indicated.

"Rich huh?" She asks. "Let me get my 'single and ready to mingle' face on." She jokes with another little smirk. But at Harley in particular. "So, uh... what's the over, under, on running in to someone around here who wants to like, ya know, attack you?"

Jason Blood has posed:
Jason Blood overhears a bit of the conversation, his eyes going over towards the Bats' table. Seems he isn't the only one slumming it a bit today. They look mildly familiar, in the way that young people who've occasionally appeared in the society pages might, but generic enough that he can't place any of them particularly. No doubt they could be 'Googled', if necessary.

In the depths of his mind, Jason hears the echo of the demon Etrigan whispering in his ear from the depths of his Hell:

A place for you to relax and revel, Jason my good old friend
Reminds you of times before your devil's most wicked of ends
Pretending humanity does you some good, helps the time go by
Just never forget that deep down beneath, you're as much demon as I.

"Shut your filthy mouth," Blood mutters to himself, taking a long drink from his beer.

Killian Quinn has posed:
Killian's nose wrinkles, but only for a moment, when Harley's talking 'something strong' and then starting the order with rum *and*...

As he waits on the 'and', Killian would take a chance and serve up a raspberry martini; alas the ingredients are short here. So, vodka and cranberry it is, once again with a lime garnish.

"You all right there?" he shoots in Jason's direction. Not that he heard what was muttered, just noticed the moving muttering lips really.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Up on the TV screen, the announcers have done their fanfare and gave their keys for each team to win the game. The two teams line up and Gotham kicks the ball off. Starling City's returner catches it and makes it about twenty yards before he's tackled and the offense comes out on the field.

At the mention of things going well regarding Harley, Stephanie just keeps her face straight. Though both Dick and Tim know her well enough to probably sense the frown that wants to emerge. "Yeah. Well, I suppose that's much better than the alternative," she admits.

When Tim places his order for food, Stephanie sits up. "Oh, and chicken strips. A basket of them. And the fries, but you can put chili cheese on them," she tells the waitress. "And a side of ranch for dipping." There, that should salvage the table's reputation in the eyes of the sports bar waitress.

Stephanie's gaze goes back over to Harley and April, catching Harley gesture their way.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Nah, ya only need some good hip motion." And of course that Harley goes to demonstrate it by swinging those hips to the nearest 'victim' by the bar. Tough luck, Jason! "Oh, oops! Sorry about that, bud!" then she taking stock of the man and grinning over to April. "See, I woulda swiped right on this one foh ya, Apes." matchmaker Harley. "But anyway, you won't know until you try it." Roller derby.

With April asking her about being attacked here she quirks a brow and reaches over to wrap one arm around her friend's shoulder. "April, April, April..." beat, "If theah's somethin' that football fans awhe is loyal. Hell would come to Earth befoouh any Knights fan worth theah salt would let me get attacked in heah!"

And then she remembers, looking at Killian, "A rum neat and a vodka with raspberry juice." a pause, "Oooo, I would swipe right on this one too, April."

Harper Row has posed:
As her work wound down Harper Row called home and told her brother to meet her out for dinner and the opening game of the season. (Nothing selfish there, even if it did allow Cullen to bring her the hat she couldn't wear at work to accompany the Gotham Knights jersey she's worn all day.)

Stepping into the bar, the two teens are holding hands in a sign of sibling affection. "Wings and rootbeer or dogs and creamsoda, Harpster?" Cullen Row asks his sister who replies with, "Tonight? with the game? Why not both?" and a grin.

Jason Blood has posed:
Jason Blood doesn't even look at the bartender as the man checks on his well being, "As I ever am," he answers simply. He pushes away from the bar, not intending to leave, just trying to break his concentration, keep himself from slipping too deep into himself. Becoming too complacent would just leave him open to further contact with Etrigan and he wasn't particularly eager to listen to more doggeral from the Demon at the moment.

"You expecting someone to attack?" he asks, overhearing Harley's remark and seeming a bit bemused by it. "Not entirely unlikely. This is Gotham after all. Nobody ordered anything from a suspiciously festive vendor or caterer, I hope."

Dick Grayson has posed:
Dick nods to Tim, then says "Yeah, not a spot for important conversation, too noisy." Or maybe for other reasons he's not going to go into here.

He looks over the crowd again, mainly trying to make sure he's not missing anyone who might cause an issue. Since most of Gotham's elite villians seem to avoid sports bars, there's really nobody who stands out.

    Although the mental picture of the Joker in a football jersey does make him smile to himself for a moment.

April O'Neil has posed:
April nods to Killian with regard to the drink, she points at him. "Yes, that." She states with a smile before looking back to Harley as she toys with Jason and Killian both. She just smiles at the display and comments. "I'll take stock of that.... and yeah, I'd give the derby stuff a try sometime... unless I break something, then I'm OUT!" She pats the bar softly then before looking toward the tv with the sporting event upon it. "Kick it!" April shouts, then looks around to see if she said a good thing.

Killian Quinn has posed:
Now that's more like it. Girl knows how to order a drink at least. He serves up Harley's order quick, efficient and pretty perfect in regards to just the right amount of this or that. He flashes a lopsided grin that brings a dimple to his left cheek and offers, "At hotsexybartender..." Which, if checked, is totally not a profile anywhere, ever, that belongs to him. No, Killian can be found for right or left swiping at @botanicalbartender.

He pulls his cell phone from his back pocket; some standard cheap Android, not locked and slides it over to Harley. "Skip all that, aye, just drop your digits in it. Name's Killian."

He'll pick the phone up on the way back, if she vanishes, no biggie, it's a cheap burner.

"Sounds like an ear's needed, mate. Don't have time at the moment, but when it settles a bit, I've always got one to bend." That's aimed, sincerely, at Jason.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Though he sits facing forward, Tim is doing the side-eye thing that makes it obvious, to those at the table with him, that he is paying more attention to the group semi-assembled at the bar than the game, keeping them in his peripheral vision.

    He actually turns his head to look when Harper enters, holding hands with someone. Potential family resemblance, clocked. Tim's gaze continues to migrate across the crowd like he wasn't actually staring at anyone in particular, and then he leans his elbows on his knees as he looks between Dick and Stephanie.

    The way he tilts his head subtly points towards Harper, and Tim briefly meets Steph's eyes to do some variation of 'concerned eyebrows' at her.

    "Maybe we should get season tickets next year." Tim pauses, and then makes a face at his own suggestion. Pretending to get sports is hard.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Look at all the things I do for ya, April." Harley picking up the phone and starting to thumb down a number. But WHOSE number? Will Penguin get a call? Maybe the Riddler? WHO will it be? But she is grinning while typing it down. When it's done she slides it back to Killian. "Theah ya goooo..."

A look at Jason, "Attack? Oh nah, my friend was askin' what I -do- if someone came at me while heah. And I was just explainin' this is the Knights bar, you don't mess with a Knight in heah." she rubbing at her chin afterwards. "It's sorta like .., if someone messed with Red, you know you'd get all the Robins aftah yoh ass." is she talking from experience? Maybe.

But then she leans closer to Jason to add in a stage-whisper. "Not that I'd mind that Nightwing comin' aftah me, if ya know what I mean, mmm?" naughty little chuckle on Harley's lips.

Right on time for April to go with the 'Kick it!', to which she joins the chorus with a "Kick HIM!" see April? That's the right thing to say!

Harper Row has posed:
The Row siblings find a table with the younger brother leading his shorter sister while she looks around, her eyes pausing briefly on the easily recognizable Harley Quinn. Once at the table, she sits with her brother and they order the items discussed, although they settle on cream soda rather than getting both it and rootbeer.

While waiting on their order they settle into a familiar conversation with him sharing what they discussed in school and her discussing what she can about the events of her workday. And, of course, then the events of the game take over their conversation instead.

Jason Blood has posed:
Jason Blood cocks his head at Harley's faux-whisper, "He's not my type, but I definitely get your drift. Sounds like you've probably gotten a good look yourself a few times," he says. He finishes his beer and turns his head towards Killian, acknowledging the man's offer and not about to be rude about it. But Jason Blood isn't one prone to confiding in others and the few people he might make an exception aren't here at the moment.

"I imagine it's something like being part of a football team," he says, gesturing towards the television. "Gang mentality. The old Three Musketeers bit. One for all and all for one."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown is also keeping a bit of an eye on someone over at the bar, but not so much as to take her attention fully away from the game. The blond girl is an actual fan of the team and the game, and joins in with others in the bar clapping as Gotham stops the Stags' offense and gets the ball for their own offensive players.

The waitress returns with Tim's fries and Stephanie's chicken tender basket. "Oh I could eat a horse. Or a chicken at least," she says, though she pushes the basket where both Dick and Tim can get at it easily enough. The first chicken strip gets dipped into some bbq sauce and nibbled.

Something said over at the bar seems to pique Stephanie's interest, but she turns to Dick and mouths to him the words: Don't even think about it. Though she's grinning at him as she does, and gives his leg a little poke under the table.

"I've never actually been to a Knight's game," Stephanie tells Tim. "The seats are kind of pricey."

Dick Grayson has posed:
Dick catches Tim's gesture to Steph and also takes a quick glance at the Rows, but they don't trip any alarms right off, so he returns his attention to the people at the table and the game on the big screen. "Sort of surprised to see you here Tim, I didn't think you had any real interest in football."

    He looks over to Steph and asks "Have you been poking him to get out and about more? It's not a bad thing mind you, just a bit of a surprise."

    Well, you know we could use Bruce's box, right? I'll snag it for the next home game."

Killian Quinn has posed:
If Killian gets one of them? Well, he'll chalk it up to luck truly. More information to store away in his fountain of it. Has to be someone out there that would be willing to pay for one of those numbers, if only for the joy of prank calls.

One the next pass, he collects the phone and shoves it back into his pocket before asking, "Ye both good?" of Jason, Harley and April. If not, he'll fix it with refills, if they are he's off again, working his way down the bar.

Tim Drake has posed:
    As soon as the waitress returns with drinks and food, Tim pulls his phone out of his pocket and snaps a pic of his food. Typical Gen-Zer. And then he frowns, turns his phone into landscape mode, and angles it slightly differently to take another picture.

    "Oh, I love it. Go team! Throw the ball into the net!" He looks up at Dick while his fingers are still tapping away, and grins lopsidedly.

    He pokes at his phone again, looks down, frowns, and then pokes at it again. Then he snorts a little bit to himself and puts it face-down on the table. "Bruce might have a season pass already," he says as he starts to pick at his fries. Then Dick mentions Bruce having a box, and Tim nods along, as if he knew that was a thing this whoooooole time.

    Another skimming glance towards the bar, and this time Tim manages to catch a glimpse of something around Harley's neck. He's frowning as he looks away, brow furrowed.

Harper Row has posed:
As the QB for the Stags gets sacked by the Knights, the Row sibilings simultaneously leap to their feet and cheer. Their order arrives at the same time and it speaks of the skill of the server that Cullen's flailed arm doesn't knock the tray out of her hands.

"Oh my! I'm sorry," the young man says to the server who begs off the apology and lays out their tray of wings, plates with hot dogs on them (Harper's with chili and onions, Cullens with relish and ketchup) and their frosted mugs of cream soda. "Thanks," Harper says kindly to the attractive woman whom she watches walk away appreciatevely only to be jokingly chastized by her brother for the oggling.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie is up out of her seat, arms in the air as the opposing quarterback gets tackled. "Yes! Rip his head off!" Stephanie calls towards the television, before sitting down and coughing gently into her hand. "Ahem. I mean. Do tackle the fellow gently," she says, affecting a more cultured-sounding tone as she grins over to Dick and Tim.

The mention of Bruce's box causes the blond to pause, mouth open about to say something that is forestalled. "Of course he has a box," she says, as if chastising herself for not having thought of that. She smiles over to Dick and leans over to bump against his shoulder. "It would be fun to go sometime. Maybe your partner would like to go, and Liz and Danica sometime," she suggests, mentioning the detective's wife and kid.

Stephanie glances at the bar, spotting Harper checking someone out and getting a faint grin before turning back to Tim. "You should see the girl's arm. She's what, like 10? And throws a softball that I swear could go through a tree trunk."

Killian Quinn has posed:
Between serving drinks, Killian stops and whistles and all that nonsense in the appropriate places; when the Knights score, when they steal on a fumble, when they nail a field goal. At one point, he even hops up onto the bar to lead the crowed in a rousing version of the Knights' fight song. That was when they tied the score and then took the lead by one in an extra point kick.

When in Rome, right?

Harper Row has posed:
"Yes!" Harper exclaims as the field goal attempt succeeds and then she joins in on the singing of the fight song. Based on Cullen's reaction this is a cringe worthy performance but Harper's ability to carry a tune, while not an all-star performance, is nothing to cry over either... Perhaps the brother like to jab at his sister this way?

Tim Drake has posed:
    Sportsball-type revelry happens and Tim's shoulders bunch up slightly. He's not even trying to pretend anymore, but he does at least force himself to unwind enough to be... well, amused is maybe the best word. He looks from the excitement happening over at the Rows' table (and the near-miss with the waitress) over to Stephanie as he bites his lip.

    "Uh-huh."

    Tim looks down at his phone again, and then sighs at it before it gets pocketed once again. Family time, he's trying to focus. But give him two minutes and he'll be back to texting under the table.

    "You should take them to a baseball game then," he points out, while also purposefully excluding himself. He's here, and that's a big step in terms of sports-appreciation for him. An actual game... maybe too much. "I bet Bruce has season tickets for every team in the city, and it's not like he really uses them."

    And then he slides out of his seat, lightly dusting his hands free of fry-related salt before he says, "I'll be right back."

    He wanders over to the wait-stand, which just so happens to put him near the table Harper and her brother are sat at. How convenient for his eavesdropping purposes. Tim plasters on a tentative smile as he chats with the waitress about something... some sort of to-go order. Wings? The spiciest wings they have?

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Nodding to Steph's suggestion, Dick snags one of Steph's fries and pops it in his mouth, chewing and swallowing before he replies "That's a good idea, I'm pretty sure they'd all enjoy it. I'll check the game schedule and ask Matt tomorrow. I bet he'll jump at the chance, he's a big fan of the Knights.

    When the Knights make a fifty yard play, he's up and cheering with the rest of the Knights fans. Sinking back into his seat, he comments to Tim and Steph, "Looks like the team is off to a good start this year. And yeah, either Bruce or Wayne Industries has a box for every sport played here in Gotham. It's kind of expected, really."

    He just grins a little at Tim trying to be interested and failing, but replies to the suggestion the younger man makes, saying "I've already taken them to a couple ball games, it's nice to be able to take advantage of Bruce's seats. We really should try and get him out now and again though."

Harper Row has posed:
At the Row sibling's table, Tim's passing causes Cullen to flush. "That's /him/ isn't it?" he asks Harper in a whisper. The blue haired girl nods which elicits a further excited whisper from her brother: "He's cuter than I thought!"

Harper laughs, not unkindly, at her younger brother before saying, "You should see him in a suit," referencing the gala she attended months back at Wayne Manor to which Cullen says, "Tease."

And then she whoops enthusiastically at the fifty yard play, practically leaping out of her chair in excitement.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown is soaking in the environment. Having a bar full of people all, or mostly all, cheering for the same thing is always a bit of an exciting time. As Killian gets up and leads the crowd in singing the team's fight song, Stephanie joins in. Because of course she knows the words. And sings with a relish and volume that her actual singing voice probably can't quite back up. So good thing it's just one voice of many!

"That's a good idea," Stephanie agrees with both Tim and Dick. "Next year have to see about the baseball," she agrees. "Or, well, I think they are still playing but getting near to the end of the season aren't they?" She's not as big of a fan of baseball. Because they don't hit people.

Killian Quinn has posed:
This entire time, there's been a sleeping extra party under the bar in a carrier. Or so that's where Killian *thought* the little thing was the entire time. It isn't until someone is yelling and screaming something about a RAT that he takes stock of the carrier... and the open door.

"Fuck," he mutters under his breath before he's scrambling over the bar in the direction of the screaming. Just so happens it's the table behind Stephanie and Dick.

Did anyone know that a stoat can jump? Pretty high too when they're motivated enough to do so. Nothing motivates a stoat like the smell of chicken. Got any left Stephanie?

"Slink!" Killian calls out when he sees the little bugger make the leap from floor to right in the middle of the couple's table.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim gets that feeling on the back of his neck that anyone with well-honed situational awareness is familiar with. Eyes on him. His head turns so he can sneak a peek at Harper and Cullen, while the waitress talks at him.

    "Oh, no, it's fine. They're not for me." He shrugs. "And if he wants to suffer, that's not my problem."

    The waitress looks dubiously at him, but that at least makes sense. How would someone who enjoys plain french fries with no kind of dipping sauce manage to eat anything called 'Hellfire Wings'?

    Honestly, Tim's surprised that they couldn't come up with a more thematically appropriate name. "If you're sure," the waitress says, and he nods as she holds out the machine for him to pay. He taps his phone against it, then types a few things out, before he smiles.

    "Anything past this point is on them, though," he says as he nods over his shoulder, back to his table where Dick and Stephanie remain. And he looks over just in time to see the chaos erupting at the table behind. "You know, on second thought, can I get another order of fries to go?"

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Dick turns as the panic starts up at the table behind him, surprised by the shouts about a rat, given that this place is actually kept nice since it's right across from the stadium. Spotting the stoat on the table, he starts laughing and calls out, "It's not a rat, probably someone's pet." As Killian calls to it and hops the bar he nods, "See? It'll be taken care of in a moment."

    Grinning at Steph, he assures her, "Nothing to worry about, I'll fight the thing off if it goes for you. Cute little guy though." He takes a sip of his drink, waiting to see how the stoat situation plays out.

Harper Row has posed:
"What's that, Harper, a rat?" Cullen, having caught the motion in the corner of his eye, asks his sister as the stoat dashes into the bar (before Grayson's comment).

"What's what?" Harper replies immediately, having had more focus on the game until distracted by her brother's question. Turning her attention across to the table occupied by the blonde woman and her dark haired companion she says, "I'm pretty sure that's a weasel not a rat, Cullen," about the same time as Grayson's comment. She then observes, "He was at the Wayne gala also," to Cullen about the other speaker and rhetorically asks herself, "Is this a higher class joint then I thought it was?"

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie turns to see what the cause of the commotion is. It takes a second to spot the little critter as he scurries across the table, poking his nose at their plates but apparently not finding anything appealing. The way they lean back from the table is enough to help the blond girl spot the little animal though.

Maybe he doesn't like what they have, but those chicken tenders must look good. Because he scurries across the table and then makes a leap, landing on Stephanie's shoulder and jumping again down to the table. "Dick Grayson, protect me!" Stephanie says, laughing as the little critter is too cute to not laugh. "Go ahead, and have one. If it's ok," she says to the stoat, looking up towards Killian. "I'm pretty sure he's underage," she calls over to him.

Killian Quinn has posed:
    Far be it from Slink to turn down a chicken tender. Thing is, once he has the thing? He's off and running to find a quiet place to enjoy his meal. The little critter doesn't care if he's hopping from table to table and head to head or that people are screaming or that the brave ones are trying to grab at him.

Stoats are incredible hunters and incredibly agile. Slink is no exception to that latter rule.

"He's about to be under me fuckin' boot," Killian replies as he stops short of Stephanie and Dick's table to cut off in the direction the little animal took off. His words may have been harsh, but truly he seems to be in a bit of a panic over the thought of the little weasel-y thing getting stepped on. "SLINK! Stop!"

But now it's not just about the chicken, it's a *game*. Da's playing tag or some such! The little guy pauses here or there when it doesn't look like someone will be snatching him up, waits until Killian manages to get *just* close enough and takes off again. Catch me if you can! The chicken tender is almost as big as he is, but he's doing a fine job of holding on to that as well.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
    Babs is late, very late, but social life generally takes a backseat for her. Her eyes light up seeing her friends gathered around - and a surprise Harper too, she keeps that under wraps of course. She takes off her riding jacket, wearing a turtle neck in a mustard yellow and blue jeans. She lets her hair down and approaches.

    "Hey guys, sorry I'm so late. Have we won yet?," she asks and then offers hugs to whomever wants them. "Dick, when did you get back?" She's all smiles because she genuinely loves these people. "Tim," she says with a playful grin.

    She shoots a glance over to Harper and then back to the group with a small shrug of surprise. People get around. She also notes the antics of someone trying to catch a Stoat. "I need a drink..." She heads to the bar and spies Harper and her brother for a moment as she gets a tall ale from the bartender.

Tim Drake has posed:
    The whole payment process repeats at the wait-stand, as does the whole 'no sauces, please, yes I really do just want plain french fries' thing that Tim's already done with the waitress once, before he walks by Harper and Cullen's table again.

    "I think it's a stoat," he says as he passes the Row siblings, lifting one shoulder in a light shrug as he does so.

    Tim doesn't immediately slip back into his seat. First, he points at Stephanie's chicken platter. "I feel like something's missing." And then he smiles impishly as his eyes track the motion of the creature running off with the chicken tender. He drops onto his chair and folds his legs back underneath him again, hands on his ankles. "Never a dull day in Gotham, huh?"

    He shoots a loaded look at Dick and Stephanie, which he then turns on Barbara as she arrives, even if she probably doesn't have any context for what's got him with a typical Tim what-is-my-life sort of expression on his face. It only takes him a second to climb to his feet to give her a quick hug.

    Then he returns to his plain, no-sauce french fries. "They dunked the ball in the goal," he says, and waves a fry towards the screen.

    No, he has no idea what's going on with the game.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Watching Slink quickly leap and make his kill on the chicken tender, Dick comments to Steph, "I think you're safe at the moment, his attention seems to be taken up by chicken and not getting caught. If he comes back for you though, I promise I'll throw myself in the way to save you."

    You can pretty much follow the stoat's path by the people suddenly jumping out of the way as he scurries across the floor with his prize, and he seems to be making pretty good time despite the size of the tender he stole.

Watching this is why he actually doesn't notice Barbara come in until she speaks up, at which point he turns with a smile saying "Barbara, good to see you." He takes the offered hug, then sits back down in his seat, commenting to Steph, "Wow, we do have a lot of people here today. It's nice to see people out and about."

Cassandra Cain has posed:
It's awful. That's what Cass' face says as she sniffs at what appears to be a 'beer' that someone's given her, over a bit and a few tables down. She's such a sneaky little wretch, but apparently though she's gotten into the bar without the team spotting her, some guy who wanted a hookup has already offered her a drink.

It's when there's a lull in the game, and folks take a moment to wander or to go to their drinks, that she's seen. Somehow the crowd parts just enough, and Cassandra is 'there'.

She sees them at the same time, holding a beer and looking kind of disgusted. Who drinks this stuff? She glances about for a plant to pour the brew into.

What, you drink it? Ew.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown laughs warmly and smiles at Dick as he offers his protection against the terrifying cute little animal. "I knew there was a reason I keep you around," she tells him with a smile. Which is the point she sees Barbara approaching the table.

The blond pops up to her feet. She's wearing a Gotham Knights jersey cut for a female form, with the quarterback's name on the back. "Barbara!" she says happily, moving to give the woman a hug when its her turn. "Great that you were able to make it," she says. "We're doing pretty well, but it's been back and forth."

Spotting Cassandra, Stephanie raises a hand to wave over to the Asian girl. "Cass, over here," she calls. Stephanie eyes the beer with a curious expression, and then sees Cassandra's own expression and it brings a grin to Stephanie's lips.

She looks to Tim then, grinning to him. "Who wants dull, right? Life's more exciting when... cute animals steal your food?" she suggests. "Speaking of, where did the little guy get to?" Stephanie lost track of Killian's pursuit of the stoat.

Harper Row has posed:
Cullen succeeds in keeping his jaw from dropping as /the/ Tim Drake talks to him and his sister.

Harper, cheerily, says, "Thank you!" to Tim as he passes by and then says, "See, its a stoat," to Cullen who playfully kicks his sister in response.

The siblings finish their dinner and Harper takes care of the bill with the waitress before she and Cullen stand up and head towards the door. As they depart, Cullen attempts to whisper but is clearly heard to say, "He actually spoke to us!"

Killian Quinn has posed:
Stoats also have an amazing sense of smell. ...and Slink suddenly catches scent of something familiar despite the stench of chicken all up under his nose. Little critter does a complete u-turn just when Killian thinks he has him almost cornered and runs back the way he just came.

"SLINK!" Obviously not working Killian. If only everyone else could hear the conversation that's really happening.

<I swear when I catch you, I'm going to turn you into earmuffs!> <Lalalalalalalalalalalala, you never will Killi! Can't catch me! Why do ears need muffs?> <Slink, you're ruining my reputation here!> <Oh, look Killi, there's gum under that table. I wonder if it's grape. I think this chicken might really be cat.> <It's not CAT, Slink, don't be ridiculous!>

It's only moments later that Cassandra finds herself with a little stoat in her lap, peering up all black beady eyes and cuteness and 'save me from the mean Da-person, Cass!

Killian knows Cassandra won't understand if he calls out to her, but he does, in his own way, something just between them, get the point across. 'Catch him, Cass!'

Barbara Gordon has posed:
    Babs slides on to a chair at the table and takes a sip of her beer. Ooh chips with no-sauce, she snags one. "They.. dunked the ball.. in the goal. Tim.. Tim.." she raises her eyebrows with a look of pure horror, "Tim.. you're in a sports bar and the game is on. This is how riots start."

    Ohh chicken too, she snags some of that - hopefully one that hasn't been touched by Stoat. She smiles as she sees Cass suddenly appear and waves to her too. "How is everyone. Long-story-short version since I'm late and you've probably already all talked about your day."

    This is the way Gotham should be - people enjoying each others company; no supervillains plotting death and destruction. Although, last year when the Knights were in the playoffs a psycho put mind control chips in their helmets and used them to rampage down main street and steal jewellery. That was quite _the thing_.

    "Slink? Cute name," she says grinning at the impressive skills of Killian's pet. Her attention goes to the screen as one of the players does a great pass and she tightens her tummy just a little bit with excitement. "Yes," she says quietly not wanting to be that person at the table who shouts too much during the game.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim does not fight any attempts to steal fries from his plate. He himself is mostly picking at them, though he'd call it savoring. Look, he eats the same thing pretty much every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Fried anything is worth taking the time to enjoy.

    "I think everyone's distracted by the game." Pause. "Or the stoat." As to Babs' question, he shrugs and looks down at his plate. "I'm fine. How're you and Charlie?"

    His attention is temporarily stolen by the smart watch on his wrist vibrating, and he swipes away a notification before looking back up. Once again his eyes scan the bar, though this time it's with a pointed look, and eventually he points the animal out to Stephanie. On top of--"Oh, it's Cass."

    The revelation of both Cassandra's arrival and her sudden involvement with the stoat has Tim biting back laughter. "First a kitten and now this. She's basically a Disney princess."

    Before anybody asks (if they even were going to) Tim pulls out his phone and shows off a selfie of him laying on a floor somewhere with a lanky ginger kitten curled up asleep on him. Though Tim-in-the-photo's expression is a 50-50 mix of 'omg cute' and 'oh no save me'.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Luckily, Cassandra was not doing anything particularly dangerous when she got climbed by a small animal. She spots the others, because of course she would, and then looks down at the stoat.

There's a moment when it looks as if she's asking its opinion about the beer. The stoat sniffs, and the clear reaction of 'okay no' seems to agree with Cass' own choice, and the beer is placed back down on the table.

She lifts the stoat with casual familiarity, a sign that she and the little thing have met, and gets up to walk over. It's odd, seeing her holding a tiny thing in her hand. But she bends and puts a quick kiss onto Stephanie's cheek before looking at the room.

Her eyes go over everyone, but finally fix on Killian. Not the game, never the game. Sports apparently suck.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
    "I'll reserve judgement on that until I see birds braiding her hair," she says with a grin and then answers, "Charlie's good. I'm good. Busy as usual. I'm researching a startup company that wants to install specialised water towers on the top of skyscrapers as a way to create ice during the night that is then used during the day for airconditioning in summer. Basically, very low carbon footprint climate control for a whole building. It shows a lot of promise."

    "Also, Charlie and I are going to host a movie night if anyone wants to come along. The movie hasn't been selected yet - I'll probably let Charlie choose."

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Taking another sip of his drink, Dick emulates Slink in stealing a tender. He does not, however, run off into the crowd with it, choosing instead to dunk it and eat it there at the table. When Cass comes over he smiles and waves hello, saying to Steph, "We might have needed a bigger table, looks like the gang's out in force today."

Fortunately Steph had reserved one of the bigger tables, so there's still room for everyone. A little shuffling of chairs ensures everyone has a little space at least. He considers for a moment, then waves the server over and orders more fries, mozzerella sticks and some sliders.

    "Sounds pretty insteresting, Barbara. Might be something for Wayne Industries to look into funding, we're always interested in stuff to make things a little more green. Shoot me their info when you get a chance and I'll talk to Bruce, unless you want to run with this one."

Killian Quinn has posed:
Killian stops, pretty out of breath after chasing that little bugger through the bar. He breathes a sigh of relief when Cassandra has Slink in hand. As he's making his way toward the pair, he's calling out, "Sorry! Sorry, everyone!"

Overall, people don't seem too upset. A few even applaud Cassandra for catching the thing, some were laughing through it, some didn't care, a few were terrified. It could have been worse.

As he approaches, he offers Cassandra a lopsided smile, that left dimple showing once again. Familiar. He doesn't say a single word, quiet and mostly still. To the outsider, to anyone just looking on casually, he's just an Irish dude standing there doing nothing. But there's something more going on, something under the surface, it's in his body language, in the occasional shift in his expression, the way his brow furrows here and there.

It's not really telepathy at play, it's a more basic form of communication, the same he uses with other 'wildlife' really, it's empathy and something else, something beyond the kin of someone without the ability to do it. Whatever it is that makes it possible, 'Thanks, lass, do you want me to take him or do you want to hold him for a bit?' is the message that comes across mentally to Cassandra - not in words, but in something she understands.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown sees Cassandra catch the little fuzzy creature, and she says in her best Die Hard voice, "The quarterback is toast..." She grabs some of the chili cheese fries, and smiles to Dick as he gets more food for the table. "Thank you," she says, leaning over against his shoulder as she flashes that white-toothed grin to him.

"Movie night sounds like a great idea," Stephanie tells Barbara. "I'll have to get with Charlie to help sway her towards a classic. Spy Kids. Or maybe Herbie Goes Bananas," she suggests. How has she even heard of that movie, let alone seen it?

Barbara Gordon has posed:
    "Green Cities partnering with Wayne Industries?," she says it like it hasn't happened numerous times already. "I'll see how it goes. If the technology works as well as I hope then it could be something Wayne Industries could mass produce. That's more than my company can do." She's more about making sure green technologies see the light of day rather than being rushed under the foot of incumbent polluting technologies.

    "It's based on this technique used in Africa for thousands of years. Out in the deserts they'd build these large specially designed structures which create updrafts during the night, sapping all the heat up out in to space. During the day they'd fill the basin with water and by morning time.. ice. In the desert."

    She nods her head, she's very impressed with it all, "This group have made a smaller build-top sized version which is more efficient. Science, woo. If it works as well as they claim, it could help reduce the planets carbon foot print massively by turning off all the airconditioners world wide, but also help radiate trapped heat in our atmosphere back out in to space."

    She blinks a moment, "Sorry, I'm boring everyone with work talk when the game is on." She steals another chip and points it to the tv, "KNIGHTS!" Which is joined in by several others watching whom she has never met and never needs to - they are automatically bonded by a love of their Gotham sports ball team.

    She stares a moment at Steph and chuckles, "Spy Kids is not a clas..." shse opens up her phone and checks when it was made. "Oh no.. it was made in 2001.. it IS a classic." She draws the phone back away like it's delivered some monstrous news.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra looks at Killian, then she gives the stoat a slight upnod and places it on the table. Killian could take it, of course, but the stoat likely has other ideas in mind. Her own face isn't quite in the softness that comes of being out with friends. She looks almost, almost, like she's 'on duty'.

She looks at everyone who's NOT Killian though, and she's suddenly herself. There's something between those two. The beaming smile that she gives Steph contrasts hugely with her tongue being stuck out at TIm. She finally sits down, but only after turning a full 360 and checking for assassins.

She only spots one or two, which is totally fair for this time of night in Gotham. Break time.

She does watch the movie interaction, and frowns. She points to her own throat, and then spreads her right hand in a question.

Which is when she slips Killian something under the table. Any other crowd, that'd be missed.

Tim Drake has posed:
    "Weirder things have happened. And sure, add it to my calendar," Tim says to Barbara as he props his chin up against his hands. The last part's probably a joke. Even though it's Tim, so he definitely has a calendar for his social engagements. He watches the interaction between Cassandra and Killian without doing all that much to disguise his interest, though it could be explained away as him looking at the stoat.

    Which, well, it isn't. But pretending to do one thing while in actuality doing another is pretty standard Bat-family behavior here.

    He zones back in on the conversation as the green-tech talk continues, and subtly Tim leans forward. At least until Babs apologizes and joins in the sports revelry, and the resident Bat-nerd deflates.

    Then he adds, "Go Knights," weakly, eyes closed.

    The way he's slumped against the back of his chair is much more angsty-teen than Tim actually is, and he peeks an eye open at Cass just in time to catch her sticking her tongue out at him. Naturally, Tim mirrors her expression. Then his eyes narrow.

    Tim disguises a "Huh," at the clandestine hand-off by taking a drink of his water.

Killian Quinn has posed:
Indeed, Slink has a mind of his own. ...and that mind right now is to scurry back up Cassandra's arm, to her shoulder to the top of her head and perch there. He drops the chicken tender even. It falls to the floor. Little thing chitters and chatters and chuffs like it's telling a story or some such. Or maybe *it* thinks it's on duty? Is it actually trying to seem ... menacing?

Killian doesn't miss the paper slip. He's still standing so he dips to untie and retie his boot lace, like maybe it was too loose and snatches the paper while he's down there. He straightens again, paper palmed to be read in a moment, when he's not standing in front of everyone she seems to be hiding it from.

Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe has posed:
    Gosh if Babs was late, Charlie is like super duper amazing late. She ducks into the establishment checking her phone as she does. This is the right place she figures.

    Not like she can cheat and bounce into a public sports bar.

    It might be that she doesn't care much about sports ball honestly or bar being a minor. Regardless she showed up diligent and looks around as she anders in. "Hmm.... wait... " she squints then edges closer to the table with Tim and others and stares at Cass. "Does.. Cass have a weasel on her head or am I hallucinating?"

Cassandra Cain has posed:
There's a shout, as some kind of play happens and people on the tv screens run from left to right. Babs and Dick both get lost in the game, and it's almost like there's something going on worth noticing there!

Cassandra, who only just this moment GOT said weasel on her head, is looking up at it herself with bemusement on her expressive face. She looks down at the table, then reaches for one of the table decorations. Parsley I think it's called.

She lifts her hand, offering that to pay the stoat for guarding her and her friends, then gives Charlie a glance.

It...does appear to be so, yes.

However the look from Tim gets an interesting reaction. Cassandra actually blushes, just a little bit, then shrugs as if whatever he saw isn't nothin of nothin.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim gives up pretending to be interested in the game swiftly, even as the excitement of the home team continuing to score points starts to work its way through the crowd.

    Which is as chaotic as anyone aware of Gotham's general love of football would expect it to be during the Knights' first game of the season. So far it seems the home team is winning, judging by the generally positive mood that seems to have overtaken the place. It's a sea of Knights jerseys and various other merch, like Tim's semi-vintage Knights championship 2005 commemoration hoodie, which he's going to count as enough participation to justify his presence here.

    "It's a stoat," he says without looking up from his phone, but then he blinks, and his chin lifts. "Hey, Charlie." The platter of fries, half-eaten, gets pushed towards where there is an empty chair awaiting someone. "It stole one of Steph's chicken tenders. It was a whole thing."

    As it turns out, him moving his fries is well-timed, because it means the space in front of him is clear for their waitress to set down a paper bag with a couple of takeout containers in front of him. "Oh, thank you."

    Though he doesn't get up just yet. The food will keep. He's too suspicious of what's going on with Cassandra and Killian, and he's not even trying to hide it. Though it wouldn't matter either way for Cass, which Tim is of course aware of.

Killian Quinn has posed:
Killian stands again and his attention shifts to Slink. That odd sort of something seems to pass between him and the little critter, same as him and Cassandra really, but a little less... intense, like it takes less effort. There's definitely something there for anyone paying close attention. The way the animal's sort of frozen, all standing on its hind legs, little black eyes fixed on Killian. Finally he nods and turns away.

The little stoat stays put. Killian walks into the crowd far enough to open his hand and look down at that which was slipped to him. When he returns, he places a gold coin down in front of Cassandra and announces to everyone else, "Payment for mindin' the wee one, little luck of the Irish, straight from own me pot."

But really? It's something Killian *never* does, giving up *money*. Along with the coin, he offers Cassandra a wide grin all teeth and dimples, a wink and a slight shake of his head. 'On me, this time, lass', how many?' Relayed in that same mental combination of empathy and the rest of it. Killian holds up one finger, two, three, four, five... one at a time, a pause between each one. Stop him when he gets there, aye?.

He gives a glance to those gathered and raises his eyebrows in question. If there's ONE thing Killian Quinn has? It's some damned expressive eyes and eyebrows. The expression combined with the stalled glance on each person is clearly... 'What do they know, how much can I speak of it?'

Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe has posed:
    Charlie is wearing a dark red wonder woman hoodie, zipped up, beat up jeans and sneaks. She isn't wearing any official Gotham Knights merch. Being a kid from suicide slums in Metropolis she is a bigger Sharks fine anyhow. She knows enough to not wear it here though. Also come on Shark vs. Knight. Who would take it.

    "Stoat... what is the difference between Stoats and Weasels?" she grins watching Cass though with it on her head. "Hey Cass. Hey Stoat. If it stole one of her chicken tenders she obviously wasn't doing a good enough jbo guarding it and I'm going to blame the victim here...." the take out is eyed though "Not sticking around with us?"

    The gold coin being set down down makes her light hearted kidding around everything gets a bit more reserved and puzzled there. Okay the strange factor just ratcheted up like five degrees. She squints at Cass. Then looks up and squints those Blue eyes at Killian.

    Sussssss

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra sees Killian coming back to the table, and she goes still. She slumps slightly as the Irishman puts the coin on the tabletop, right in front of everyone, and actually stares at him with what appears to be disbelief for an instant.

Right. In front. Of everyone.

She sighs, then raises three fingers herself, clearly answering the unspoken question, then waves at the group. She lifts a finger to poke gently at her head-friend, almost fondly, then eyes Tim and Charlie who're both staring at the totally not suspect activities.

Then Cass lifts her left hand, palm up, and waves it at both of them. Go ahead, apparently.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Everything about the interaction Tim's observing has warning bells going on in his head, and apparently it's just the non-sportsball fans of the group that are witnessing it. His eyes are narrowed and his mouth set in a thin line as he looks away once to Charlie as if to ascertain if she's seeing this too.

    Which, yes, given by the amount of squinting she's doing, Charlie does.

    "'Weasel' is the genus. Stoats, ermines, ferrets, and several species that have 'weasel' in their names are part of it," Tim says. Who knows why he has that particular snippet of information in his head, but it was no doubt related to a case of some kind at one point.

    He pulls the takeout boxes out of the bag. "I'm not leaving yet," he tells Charlie, with a subtle tilt of his head towards Cassandra. Though he does open the top box to check on it, and promptly releases an invisible cloud of hellfire wing scent particles that has him reeling backwards with a wince and an "Oh my god."

    Eyes squeezed shut, he contains a cough in his throat, and shakes his head. "These have to be illegal under the Geneva Convention," he says with a grimace as he closes the box and proceeds to firmly fold the paper bag closed as a second layer of protection against it.

Killian Quinn has posed:
    "The lass and me, we have a business arrangement," Killian offers casually, like he's stating that the sky's blue or the grass is green or that he's Irish, as if that horrid brogue wasn't enough. "... she needs things, I find them for her." It's the truth of it, and actually the actual truth of it, not just some twist of it that would slide under the rules of his kind.

Charlie draws his attention then, his expression curious. But all he does there is a little finger gun motion like, '.... ahhhhh, I *see* you.' Not that he's sure what he's looking at, but he knows there's *something* there. "Name's Killian Quinn, but most just call me Killi."

It's a name that's familiar to Bruce, might be to anyone gathered here, at least the name anyway. "And the lot of ye need to stop by the Tir one night, because this place is..." He YAWNS.

Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe has posed:
    There is a nod to Tim when he gives her the are you seein this look. Then well okay Cass looks more like she is caught raiding the cookie jar by Alfred. Which honestly in Charlie's experience results in more cookies is all so there is that.

    She finger wiggles at the Stoat trying to lure it a bit closer then tears her attention away from the cute animal when Tim nearly dies. "then... why did you get wings that spicy. Shesh they smell amazing.. wuss." it is very friendly banter though. Seems she is comfortable enough at this juncture to tease Tim.

    The finger gun motion gets her attention again. I mean. It could be he is flirting. Maybe he is making some sort of threat. It definitely means something and garners yet another squint. "Charlie." she notes helpfully in return though. "What is Tir?"

Cassandra Cain has posed:
Cassandra takes both of her hands and lifts the weasel from off of her head, her hair remaining perfect somehow, and upnods toward Charlie. She motions with her chin to the weasel, then back to her. It's clearly an offer. Which she must not turn away. The stoat hath spoken.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim's hands fold protectively over his to-go order. "They're not for me," he tells Charlie, without elaborating as to who they are actually for. Which is perhaps suspicious in and of itself, though he's currenly distracted by the unfolding mystery happening before them.

    He shares another brow-furrowed look with Charlie before his chin dips into a slow nod. "Okay," he says to Killian, and then Tim's turning to Cassandra. He doesn't speak further, but the tilt of his head, the pointed raise of one eyebrow, suggests he will be following up.

    Later, though. Wings and fries really only keep for a little while, and Tim is aware of the timer ticking down on their crispiness. So he stands, and pats Charlie on the shoulder.

    "Let me know what movie we're watching so I know how much homework to bring with me," he says, but then he smiles. "Enjoy the sportsball," he calls out to the rest of the table, which does indeed get a few glares from a few fans sitting nearby, but whatever, Tim's making his escape.

Killian Quinn has posed:
It's not an easy thing to do, in fact it's about as far from easy as anything Killian ever does, but he tries. A whole lot might get missed in the translation, but he *tries*, through that whatever it is he does, that nudge of thought images, feelings, little bits and such that Cassandra might understand, he *tries* to keep Cassandra up on what's happening between everyone else.

"The little guy there, his name's Slink."

Who, by the way, is perfectly fine getting passed off as long as he gets all the snuggles or some more chicken.

"Tir na Nog. My home base, bar over by Robinson Park," he explains. "This was... a lost bet, not my usual gig."

He snaps his fingers, little sparks fly from them, likely just a magician's trick, easy enough with chemicals and all. He points back to the bar and adds, "And... I need to get to it, aye?" Before he does just that, a little skip to his step and a stoat weaving through the crowd at his heels once it's escaped Charlie's grasp.

Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe has posed:
    Charlie accepts offered Stoat with a little squeek of her own and lifts him up to look at him at eye level. "You. Are. Adorable!"

    The spark though makes her loosen her grip and her eyes narrow once more after Killian as he heads to the bar and the Stoat escapes to follow him. "Well.. this is a whooole thing." she says half to herself and half to Cass. "Looks like Tim is bailing. You sticking around or heading out?" clearly Charlie feels fine abandoning Babs and Dick to root in the background for sports ball.

Cassandra Cain has posed:
And that is how Babs, Dick, and Steph ended up alone at the table with nothing but each other, their sportsball, and a room full of Knights fans. Because Cass sees the others leave, then smiles at Charlie's question. She mimics walking, then motins to the door and makes a fist. Go. Fight/Train.

Then she moves to get up herself, and smiles. Because the night is young, and even if our typists are tired (mostly) the heroes are not. And there is a lot left to do in a night in Gotham CIty.

Let the festivities begin.

I mean, unless you like sportsball. Then you just suck.