7963/Raving Loony

Raving Loony
Date of Scene:	24 September 2021
Location:	Wetworks Bar and Distillery
Synopsis:	Dinah blocks Thomas at a price of her own stability. Rave gets a lesson about the heroic and villainous life. And learns what hard liquor tastes like.
Cast of Characters:	Dinah Lance, Thomas Blake, Naria Shepard
Tinyplot:	Theme_of_the_Crime

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Dinah Lance has posed:
No bike. Well, OK, the backup. But it's not her beloved bike. Kate promised she was tracking the Tongs and that they'd find her bike, but until then, Dinah had to make do with the other one. The almost identical other one. The one that performed about the same, that felt about the same ... but wasn't her first love!

Naturally she went out to drink.

And where do you drink when you don't want to drink alone? You drink where they make the whisky on premises, naturally. It's rye, sure, but Hell, it's not bad.

This is how Dinah finds herself at the central island, sitting in one of the stools, and telling the cocktail guys who keep trying to push girly drinks on her that she's fine with just rye.

I mean what kind of idiot offers the Black Canary, in costume, GIRLY drinks!?

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake found himself thrown out. After a day of getting his tiger settled, then discovering the poor beast had a gum infection, he had to go through a solo kidnapping of a vet to treat him. He had to return the vet to his home, provide compensation. At this point everyone had enough of his carrying on and he was unceremoniously ported to Gotham. In his classic costume. So he found himself at the bar as well and drinking and deciding he'd head back to Rasputin and those stup-id girls after the next drink... and the next drink... and the next.

He told people he was drumming up interest in Theme of the Crime, his show and it seemed to be working.

Naria Shepard has posed:
Of course, Rave had been waiting for the call. Never mind how much response she'd gotten on her 'hero feed' of her social media thanks to a couple of the shots from that encounter (the one with the exploding van had been particularly amazing), the fact she'd got to fight alongside two 'big names' had been the best part for the bluenette.

It had taken every ounce of control she had not to go running ofd and chasing the bike down, but Batwoman had specifically told her to let them track it...so she had to wait.

Was it accident or a little rumor following that guided her here? Hard to know, but there was no missing the young woman with the glowing blue locks pushing through the door.

"Oh! I'll have something sweet!" she calls as she sets herself down beside Canary without really waiting for an invitation.

Yeah, she'd drink a girly drink.

Dinah Lance has posed:
Dinah looks up from her tumbler and blinks. Does a double- double-take. Wait, Catman? Isn't he a bad guy? She remembere... No, he was going straight last she'd heard.

Still. Her eyes started to bore into him, like she's trying to laser-drill holes in his head between gulps of the precious amber.

Then the blue-haired one came in. The one that was responsible for the Russian truck blowing up by taking Dinah's target away. (That's her story and she's sticking to it. Not that she's upset because that was a GLORIOUS explosion!)

And sat beside her.

Somewhere a few brain cells click together. This was not an accident.

"Hey, Blue," she says in greeting. "Nice to see you again. You a whisky drinker?"

Her eyes slide Catman's way as she speaks. If she were the kind to watch the show, she'd do the Prisoner's "be seeing you" gesture his way...

Naria Shepard has posed:
"I mean, not really...but I'll give it a try?" Rave admits, shrugging her shoulders as she holds up a hand to hold off on the order she'd just attempted to place.

Catman, costume or no, wasn't someone the young heroine seemed to recognize, but there's a tilt of her head as she catches the staring, a tilt of her head and a grin coming to her glossed lips.

"Is that an ex of yours or something?"

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake gets a drink and knocks it back. He passes a couple of cards out to curiosity seekers. "Me get arrested? If the cops started arresting people for wearing costumes... things would get interesting? Here take a card, show's website in on the back. Oh... well thank you darling..." The darling in question writes a pone number on one of the cards and hands it back. His nostrils flare a bit as he catches the spoor of his favorite prey, girlie drinks...!

He glances over to his left. Saeko? Nah too short and tiny. And... oh for fuck's sake. The bad ass. e wonders does she want to give him the talk. He loves the talk. Even from Batman. However he is getting some legit interest in theme of the crime, especially when he drops Nick Drago's name, and Simon Trent's. He has to do right by his people. He soon has a circle around him listening and laughing.

Dinah Lance has posed:
"Ex-con." Dinah's voice is short and clipped. "I hope on the 'ex' part," she adds. "And if you're new to whiskies, take it easy. A smooth one will slip past you and explode in your head if you're not careful. And if you're not experienced..."

She lets the speedster work out the possible problem of drunk speeding.

"Oi! Catman! What's this about a show? You're going to start filming your crimes to make it easier to prosecute?"

Dinah's voice is light and playful. Her mouth is open in a broad, teasing grin. Her eyes are boring a hole still.

"If so, on behalf of the Justice League and others we thank you for your service!"

Naria Shepard has posed:
It was a thing that most speedsters couldn't get drunk, their metabolism preventing them from feeling the effects, for Rave? Well...she needed to 'heal' herself if she wanted to avoid the effects in any other way than simply riding it out like any other normal human.
     Lifting her drink as it comes, the thanks earns a broad grin, a tilt of her head before she takes a sip. "Man, I should have filmed that. That's so aweso-" she begins, only to pause her slight fangirling.

"I mean, happy to be of service!"

A moment that would have perhaps flown better as a recovery had she not immediately started coughing at that first sip.

One doesn't drink a whiskey like they would a lighter cocktail!

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake raises his drink to Dinah. "I figured televising them is the only way you'd ever know what AI was doing. Next sow is about you. Ya lose your voice after the teaser and are mute until the last commercial!" Hah. He signals to the barkeep for a glass of water and brings it over to Rave. "What are you trying to do here? Kill someone? You never heard of soda... here sweetie, take a sip when you feel you can." At that point he does sound sincere because... he's a crook, not a monster.

Dinah Lance has posed:
"Like," Dinah scoffs, "I need the Cry to kick ass on your tribe! Here, someone tie my right hand behind my back to my left foot. I'm still ready to take Catman down."

Yeah, she's about three drinks in. It's showing in the bravado.

Rave's sputtering cough engenders a bit of amusement, but, old pro that she is at this, she's already on the way with water herself, her glass clinking with Thomas' as she offers it.

"What the ex-con said." Quick flick of the eyes at 'ex' again. "The good news is that this isn't going to slip past you and make you drunk without your noticing."

Bright pot of gold at the end of every dark lining of silver cl... No, that's not how it goes. Dinah plops down her glass and signals for a refill so the burn can clear her head.

"Anyway, Catman, how are you? Keeping to the straight and narrow are we? And what's this about a show?"

Naria Shepard has posed:
"I'm good," Rave protests, perhaps a little less convincing for the flush of her face and clear attempts not to continue coughing. "I'm good, I just...inhaled a little is all."

Smooth Rave, well played.

Lesson learned, she takes a smaller sip, doing her best not to further embarass herself in front of the 'big leagues' and instead tilting her head.

"So why Catman? Do you summon cats? Or can you like, see in the dark or claw things?"

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake looks disappointed. "I'm doing a cable series. Here take a card, have someone read it to you. Oh to think I should be 'ex-conned' by the Black Canary! Well I'm hurt quite frankly. Hurt and disappointed. You're holding out on me with this lovely. Hello darlin' -what do you do besides loose men in those eyes and dress up whatever room you grace? Don't believe everything she tells you about me. Like she could beat me without the shriek."

"Why Catman? Wow I fell off the grid a while ago. Yes I see pretty well in the dark, yes I've been known to claw stuff. Cats and I get along -lions mane-ly. You know... manes? I'm good with all big cats though. What's your story? Tell me before you get a contact high from Canary breathing on you."

Dinah Lance has posed:
Dinah takes the card and looks it over. "How positively wholesome. You're getting into the entertainment industry! And ... wow! What do you have on Drago and Trent to sign on board?" She smacks herself on the forehead. "Oh, I know! You've kidnapped someone dear to them and this is part of the terms of their return!"

She steps a bit between Catman and Rave, making sure that both understand she's there to intervene.

"Aren't you living with...? oh, no, she's in Arkham. What abo...? No, she's in Ryker's. Maybe...? No, that one left for Brazil just ahead of the process servers." Hopefully Rave is getting the message about womanizing cons. "Well, whoever you're living with now, I'm sure you're very happy together."

Turning to face Rave, then, she asks, genuine concern filtering through the haze.

"Keep off her, Catman. She's new to the scene and isn't armed for your kind of bear yet. No challenge. You're a big game hunter, not a mousecatcher."

Then a slight guffaw.

"But she's got spirit. She'll be a regular in the news before long."

Naria Shepard has posed:
Rookie or not, it didn't take a genius to realise she was being talked down to...or at least being referred to as the 'mouse'.

"Hey! I've stopped a bunch of monsters, fought mutants and superhumans and even some killer robots before! I'm not exactly helpless!"

Of course, one of those had her breaking her own leg, but at least she healed pretty quick thanks to her power.

Still, the girl lifts her hands, a little trace of neon hanging in the air as she frames her own face with a lingering 'heart' of neon left in the wake of her fingertips.

"I'm a neon rainbow of awesome after all...I just don't have as much practice as someone like Canary."

Oh she caught the warning, but odds are she was showing off for the fellow vigilante as much as the 'ex-con'.

"My name is Rave."

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake extends a hand. "Superheroes... you stay in this business and all you do is talk down to people. Pfft. Calling her a mouse. She's more a muse." He leans closer sniffing a little at the light frame she worked up.

At that moment his phone rings and he answers it. "Hello? Oh... warm up a half gallon of milk and pour a fifth of Scotch in it for him, he'll settle down. Yes... no... the good Scotch you keep stealing to drink lying around in my shirts when I'm out. Thank you, Crumpet." There is a stream of profanity from the phone that fairly shakes it out of the man's hand before he shuts it. "Sorry, I have a sick cat."

He regards Rave warmly a moment. Keep patronizing er right my way, Fishnets.

Dinah Lance has posed:
"Nobody here," Dinah says, voice a little thick and bleary, "is doubting your ability in a fight, Rave." She pauses as she tries to marshal her thoughts into something coherent. "I mean you joined Batwoman and I in one and were a brilliant asset."

Something about the way she worded that seems to amuse her and she bursts out in a momentary giggle. (It's probably 'brilliant'.)

"Best of all we got a really good fireworks display and provided a perfect 'shock and awe' situation because of your aid. It was gorgeous! And fun!"

That smile is a fond reminiscence. She seems, bizarrely, to have enjoyed getting scorched and bruised by the flames and concussion of massive explosions.

Then her face gets serious.

"But this one is something different. In a straight up fight, you and he would be like me and him. You'd have a good chance of winning. But he doesn't fight straight." She blinks owlishly through the haze. "He fights dirty. And I don't just mean with fists and elbows and knees and claws. I mean up here."

She points to her temple.

Eventually.

The first two tries miss.

"That's the kind of fight no amount of powers and chutzpah's gonna make you win. You gotta look out for his kind. He's experienced. He's ruthless. And he has a savage charm that's really appealing."

That look in Dinah's eyes isn't attr... oh, EW!

"And he knows it. Be careful."

Naria Shepard has posed:
Well, what can Rave say to that? Clearly there was a lot more going on then she'd been privy to and warnings of mind games intermingled with praise she was all too happy to recieve.

Of course, seeing Dinah take a couple of attempts to point to her temple has the younger and likely more lightweight drinker heroine giggling and setting her own whiskey down.

"Do uh? Do you want to go get a coffee or something?"

Better to stop herself while she was just buzzed, this was one 'battle' she wasn't going to try and match the Canary in.

Back to Thomas and she gives a little mouthed 'aww'. "Poor thing!"

Sick kittens are instant sympathy. Rave might be sometimes made of laser, but she was far from made of stone!

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake smiles at Rave. "See... she's sweet. It'd be a pleasure to be taken in by her. Thank you, Rave." He gives Rave a light pat on the hand in thanks. "There's 'hee-roes' think they can change things if they just punch enough of the right people. Don't be one of those, Rave. there are no heroes and villains. We're all people. Don't be too hard on yourself when you discover you're a person too."

He turns to Canary. "As for you... anytime any place... when you can't blame losing on being hammered. Or... we could get some lunch at the Hellfire Club and talk things over like adults. Resolve some conflicts..." He steps closer to Canary and says the last part softly with that damned smile again. He pulls his cowl back revealing reddish auburn hair that isn't even messed up. Thomas pulls a business card out and after a moment hands it to Rave. "My show is always looking for new talent. I'm sure we could find something for a talented young meta-human like you, behind or in front of the camera. "

Dinah Lance has posed:
"He's right, of course. There's no 'heroes' or 'villains'. Just people. Good people and bad people." Dinah's eyes bore into Thomas'. "He's in the latter half, stealing from people, killing people, and when not doing it himself, helping others to do it."

She turns toward Rave. "He claims to have gone straight now, but ..." A cold smile breaks over her face paired with a sidelong glance at Thomas. "... I've never heard of a tiger changing its stripes, have you? Don't get involved with this one. No matter how reasonable he may sound."

The invitation is ignored. With visible difficulty. Though Hellfire is a hard sell to a working class hero...

Naria Shepard has posed:
The card is taken, a blink and a slight furrow of the bluenette's brow. Most 'villains' or badguys she met tended to offer her bullets rather than numbers.

Whatever the 'show' offered, Rave seems a little lost, or maybe it's because she had her own performance and commitments.

As the man steps away, Rave actually cleans over to Dinah, clearing her throat and speaking quietly. "I'm confused, was he threatening you or trying to ask you out? Whatever happened to threats and monologues?"

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake is not going to let Canary anger him. He thinks, -Yeah stick with Canary. Se'll show you how to entrap, do illegal search and seizure, and perform breaking and entering to assault people. Only her kind do it under the guise of making the system work.- I have no delusions about what I do.

Thomas makes his way to the previous circle of fans and resumes in mid story. He tries to shoot Rave a smile when Canary is taking a slug.

Dinah Lance has posed:
"Why couldn't it have been both?" Dinah asks. "He's a good-looking guy and he knows it. I'm drunk. I'm known to have a train wreck in my personal life. The best way to sabotage me is to get involved with me."

For all her reputation, Dinah isn't dumb. She's just impetuous.

"As for threats and monologues, it's up to the villain. Those come from the megalomaniacs. Catman there isn't one of those. He's ... like ... a working-class villain. Kind of like I'm the working-class hero."

Naria Shepard has posed:
"Isn't that like...dangerous?" Rave muses before shaking her head. "I mean, drunken pickups are always a thing and...you're right, he clearly knows what he looks like but..."

She trails off, wandering about the likelihood of heroes and villains getting 'black widowed'.

"I guess it's trickier than 'save people and look good doing it' huh?"

Dinah Lance has posed:
Dinah snorts and laughs. "What makes you think danger isn't the whole turn-on? There's not a single person, goodie or baddie, who goes out dressed up in fancy dress to perpetrate or fight crime who's not broken. And the most common shear line is thrills. The danger is the whole point."

Well, that's what it sounds like in her head. Out of her mouth it's significantly more slurred with some of the words requiring three tries or so.

"Look, don't get me wrong here. For the villain crowd, Catman's not the worst. Not by far. That's one of those things you gotta get used to. There's a whole spectrum, not just hard good, hard bad."

Naria Shepard has posed:
Well damn, that was some introspection fuel if ever there was one, but Rave only really needs a minute to shrug. She knew she liked the rush as much as the reward, a thrill from helping people and from dancing between bullets.

Yeah, that was probably a -little- broken.

"I mean, I guess I've seen sicker, or like...actual monster zombie horror things, so they're a little worse than a mugger. I think I get what you're saying."

Thomas Blake has posed:
Thomas Blake is a gambler. He is a pro at keeping a neutral expression. Broken? Sure. Who isn't. Rave as some harsh lessons to learn. All the more because she's a female. He doesn't pick on women, since his mother entertained him by slapping his mother around, throwing her around, ripping her clothes. He hope whatever hell his father was in, mom was rubbing salt in his wounds.

A soft spot for women. He has to work on that. He continues his story...

"So I say to the guard, 'Lissen, Scultz, I didn't draw that door on the wall, honest. It was the Joker.' So Schults ponders this a minute and then asks me, 'Well then, where the fuck is the Joker?' I shrug and say, 'I dunno, he went through the door after he drew it.' That earned me three days in solitary. Worth it." Yes we were all drawing doors. Some us do find a way through them.