9404/Big Trouble at Little Gotham U

Big Trouble at Little Gotham U
Date of Scene:	02 January 2022
Location:	Gotham University
Synopsis:	Roy
Cast of Characters:	Roy Harper, Helena Wayne

---

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy had...a rough night. Trouble sleeping. A restless mind. Stuff weighing on him. And, of course almost dying in the Narrows if not for a timely rescue by Nightwatcher didn't help. After returning to the Roost for some sleep, he went back out again. Idle time is the addict's enemy. But maybe Gotham University is a better choice for tonight. Classes are not back in session until Monday, but some students are on campus this weekend. How bad could it be?

Although Arsenal is not an unknown sight on campus -- plus Roy Harper attends classes here -- he prefers to stay hidden. So the masked vigilante is sticking to the rooftops of the many baroque buildings on campus. Hopefully nothing too dramatic goes down because the teenager is really lost in his thoughts. Big changes in his life of late.

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne has settled into college life better than she thought she would, to be honest. Being new to this dimension, her circle of acquaintances is pretty much limited to those with bat emblems on their clothing. Not that hanging out with vigilantes is unhealthy, but even Helena knows when it's time to branch out.

She went to a New Year's Eve party last night, and to her surprise it wasn't a total disaster. Yes, some guy tried putting moves on her but the dance floor saved her. Mostly. Not that she'd be opposed to somethign right now, but it really isn't very high on her To Do list.

This evening she hit the bookstore and grabbed dinner at a campus burger joint. Walking home, the leather bomber jacket does well against the chill.

"Well well well..." Helena hears the voice behind her, stopping in her tracks to give a half-turn of her head. Two of them, and out of her peripheral vision she catches two more eases out in front. The backpack is heavy, otherwise she might try to run for it.

"Can I help you boys?" she replies, angling so that she can see all four.

Roy Harper has posed:
Not too much is happening on campus, so even this minor situation catches Arsenal's attention. It's probably best not to go into Full-On Head Cracking mode just yet because it might be some kids recruiting for the chess club? Maybe? Probably not, but better safe than arrested for felony assault of a chess nerd.

So quiet as a church mouse Arsenal parkours down to the ground and like some sort of modern-day creeper he tucks into some high shrubs to see what's going down. His gaze evaluates all five figures present, like he was trained to do. He's planning out how to fight all of them. Yes, even the young lady. You never know.

Helena Wayne has posed:
The one behind her who spoke continues to talk for the group as all four step slowly closer, surrounding her in a loose circle. "Well I doubt we'd want what's in your backpack. Looks real heavy, though." Yeah, they know she won't run unless she leaves her bag. "Kinda late for a pretty girl to be out all by herself, though."

Helena almost rolls her eyes at the last, then she laughs. Out loud. "Y'know, I've actually heard -worse- pick-up lines." she admits. Unslinging the backpack, she lets the heavy thing slide to the pavement. "But I don't think you boys know what you're getting into, so I'll give you one chance to walk away."

All four guys laugh at that one. Loudly. A switchblade <snicks> out, then.

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy was actually quite content to stand there in the bushes and see how this young lady handles herself. Worst case scenario, he could jump in if the situation went pear-shaped real fast. But the knife came out. A knife is a bizarrely dangerous weapon, especial in untrained hands. It's difficult to control someone who has a knife. Even an amateur can deal a grievous wound with one. Nope, that's the line and it has been crossed.

From the bushes flies, of all things, an arrow. It's one of Arsenal's disarming arrows. Blunt tip but still hits with nasty force. It strikes the knife-wielder's hand, sending the weapon flying. Arsenal emerges from the bushes...but stays back. He wants to see how this plays out. "Now, now, boys. If you're going to team up four-on-one against a lady, at least have the courtesy to not use weapons." And then the masked vigilante just crosses his arms over his chest and leans back against the wall like he was lounging around on a Sunday afternoon.

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne's focus is on the knife as well, curiously enough. Not that she seems very deterred by it. She settles into something closer to a martial arts stance when the arrow knocks the knife away. The guy curses, and is still shaking his bruised hand when Arsenal steps out of the bushes.

Helena doesn't wait on the conversation. A walk-over closes the distance to knife-boy, followed smoothly by a right cross to the jaw.

As the unconscious body flumps loudly to the pavement, there's a moment of stunned silence shared by the other three.

Roy Harper has posed:
A low, impressed whistle comes from Arsenal. "A one-punch knock-out," he says. "Very nice." The teen vigilante doesn't even move. He just stands there, leaning back against the wall of a nearby building, arms crossed over his chest.

"Gentlemen, she just took one of you down with a single punch. Not gonna lie, my dudes, I don't like your chances."

Perhaps humiliated either by Arsenal's banter or his nonchalant, devil-may-care attitude (or both) the three remaining attackers encircle Helena. No girl is gonna shame them. This just turned personal for them.

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne doesn't adjust her stance as she's surrounded, but neither does she wait for them to make the next move. They're still jockeying for position, but no one's gotten up the nerve to attack her. Their indecision will only last a moment or so, and she knows it.

"I had a good teacher." she declares, punctuating with a spin-kick to the solar plexus. Number two doubles over with a <whooof!>, and Helena leaves him that way to turn towards the others. "You are seriously just going to watch? That was a helluva shot, by the way."

Roy Harper has posed:
Arsenal's smile broadens and his green eyes glitter with amusement. "I'm a costumed crimefighter, lady," he says playfully. "I only jump in where I'm needed. In faaaaaaact, I'm thinking about jumping in to help these dudes. They obviously need it more than you do."

One of the remaining two has managed to get around behind Helena and he just straight-up dive tackles in her direction. Roy winces when he sees it, but he's secretly rooting for Helena.

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne may see the tackle coming or she may not. It's difficult to tell, really. In any case, while he does trap her arms in his grip, she manages to brace and keep her footing. What happens next happens very fast, like one of those self-defense videos.

Stomp the instep to loosen the grip just a little. Twist the hips as she brings her right hand up in a fist. Arsenal can't see where she hits when her fist swings down, but from the high-pitched cry of the guy behind her it's a pretty good guess.

That makes two doubled-up on the pavement now.

The last one looks somewhere between surprised and horrified when she turns to face him, both hands raised in an open-handed stance. "Well?" she asks.

Roy Harper has posed:
Arsenal pushes off the wall and slowly strolls in Helena's direction as the fourth attacker counts his lucky stars as he runs away at full speed. "I'm thinking about shooting you in the ass with an arrow!" he yells after the fleeing stranger, a grin on his face. He runs even faster and yells back "Fuck off, faggot!"

"I don't think he likes me," Arsenal says to Helena as he squats down to retrieve his blunt, disarming arrow, sliding it into his quiver.

He gestures to Helena with a nod of his head. "Where'd you learn to fight like that? I been doing this long enough to know you don't pick up skills like that at the corner karate dojo." Doing this long enough? From what's visible of him, he doesn't look like he's ever shaved his baby face a day in his life.

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne is breathing a bit faster as the last one runs off. Taking a deep breath, she blows out a puff that mostly clears the dark hair from her face. Running fingers through the black locks fixes the rest. She steps over to retrieve her backpack, but not before giving the first guy a somewhat-vicious kick in the ribs.

"I might ask you the same thing about your shooting." she replies, neatly dodging the question. And no, her style is a pretty thorough mixture of many, with the gymnastics moves thrown in for good measure.

"Tell you what. How about I buy my rescuer a cup of coffee and we continue this conversation out of the cold?"

Roy Harper has posed:
Arsenal winces a bit when Helena kicks the dude. "That's gonna leave a mark," he says to the downed man as he walks past. "Nice verbal judo dodge of my questions," the teen vigilante says. Maybe he's displaying that he's more than just a pretty face? "But no worries, we all have our secrets."

He wrinkles his nose. "Coffee at this time of night? What am I, an Italian mobster? How 'bout a milkshake?"

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne tilts her head at that, lifting a dark brow as she smiles. "Well I think the custom is to offer a beer, but I'm not legal and I really doubt that you are either." Adjusting the pack on her shoulder, she adds. "And it was -supposed- to leave a mark. Assholes like that need to learn to exercise a little judgement in picking their marks."

"So you know a good milkshake joint around here? I'm Helena, by the way."

Roy Harper has posed:
Arsenal's mouth smirks up on one side. "Well I left my ID in my Apache attack helicopter," the young man replies. "So no beer for me tonight." He doesn't mention that he's an alcoholic and a drug addict. That doesn't make for good first-impression conversation. Plus he has to learn to thrive in a world where other people drink.

"Well over on the south end of campus there's Scoops. They make all their ice cream homemade. Their coffee ice cream is /incredible/." He shrugs. "They're a little pricy, but if you're buying then I'm in."

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne smirks at the mention of pricey ice cream and she chuckles. "I think I can manage, although I -did- just sink a small fortune into text books." She lets him lead, falling into step. For a moment it looks like she might try slipping her arm through his, but Helena knows that not everybody is comfortable with touching.

"So what's your costume-name, if you don't mind? In case I need to send up a signal flare next time I'm being mugged."

Roy Harper has posed:
The young man snorts. "Whaaaaaat?" he says, expression and tone relaxed and playful. "You haven't heard of the great Arsenal? I'm crushed. I will /literally/ cry myself to sleep tonight."

He leads the two of them through campus like he knows the place well. That might be a slip-up on his part because it might suggest to someone that he's a student here, narrowing down the list of candidates of who he is under that hood and mask. "So what's your code name?" he asks slyly. See what he did there? Trying to catch Helena off guard based on his suspicion that her fighting style is a lot more than just YMCA women's self defense.

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne chuckles softly at that, shaking her head. "I'm... not really from around here." she replies, keeping half an eye on him. "But I've heard of you now." Which is apparently good enough for her. And for her part, Helena keeps up pretty well as he leads the way.

Does she notice? Probably.

She chuckles at the question. "Uh-huh. I'm not -that- easy." the brunette quips back. "Annnd, I didn't mean for it to sound like that, either. Milkshake first, then 20 questions." She pauses, then asks casually. "So what's your major?"

Roy Harper has posed:
"Major?" Arsenal quips, silently realizing his mistake. "School is for losers." He knows he's been caught. His tone remains light and playful.

"I have two predictions," he offers. "First, we're going to become good friends."

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne snorts softly when he dodges the 'major' question, mischief flickering in those blue eyes. "You figure that out with your crystal-ball arrow?" she teases back, angling closer for a light elbow jab as well. While she's close, Helena offers in a lowered voice. "My colors are purple and black, but I don't shoot arrows."

Roy Harper has posed:
Finally the pair arrives at Scoops. That campus has a fraction of the usual students present so it's a perfect time for a vigilante whose mask is, let's face it, not all that big to be hanging around in a public place. Plus those full lips just go on for miles. Anyone who knows Roy surely would recognize the mouth.

He opens the door and holds it. "Crystal ball arrow. Dammit! Now I want want of those. Fire the arrow, win the Power Ball, retire in style to a tropical island and a yacht."

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne chuckles at that, waiting for him to hold the door before slipping inside. Yeah, she was raised properly alright. And she looks pleased that he was as well. "You boys and your toys." she replies. Spotting a table with a good view of the front window and also close to the back entrance, she slides into a seat and leaves the one with a better view for him.

Good tactical thinking, there.

"So what's your poison, Arsenal?"

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy Harper slides easily into the booth. He gets more than his fair share of looks from students and the shop staff. "Well," he says with a bit too much enthusiasm to be fake, "they have an unbelievable malted chocolate peanut butter pretzel shake." Based on what can be seen of his face, he might be late teens, maaaaaaaaybe early 20s at the very most. But in that split instance he's 10 years old. I guess our hero likes ice cream.

He sits back and studies Helena. "Let me take a crack at this. You're a badass who likes to be in control. But there's a wild side of you to that maybe you don't show to very many people. So I'd saaaaaaaaaaay..." He face screws up on thought and then he makes a brief popping sound with his lips. "...chocolate fudge with extra whipped cream." It is, of course, a shot in the dark. But he looks smug all the same.

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne gives him a peculiar look. "... malted chocolate peanut butter pretzel... I'm not sure all those words belong in the same glass with ice cream." But she watches his masked face all the while. And when he guesses chocolate fudge with extra whipped cream, she doesn't object.

"I'm not a control freak, but I'm a big fan of chocolate fudge." she replies. "So help me out, here. I'm new to the Gotham thing and still figuring out the team roster. You're not wearing the Bat symbol, so I'm not entirely sure where you fit in. I've met two Batgirls, Batwoman, and Red Robin."

Roy Harper has posed:
Arsenal holds up a hand. "Oh I'm not a Bat person at all, actually. I'm a crimefighting ally of Green Arrow in Starling City. But mostly I operate in Gotham with a group called the Outsiders. In fact, Red Robin is actually our leader."

A small-framed, effeminate young man who works at Scoops comes up to the table. "You're Arsenal, right?" the boy says with a shy grin. "Could you sign this for me?"

With a warm smile Arsenal says, "Sure thing, bro." He takes the Scoops placemat and Sharpie from the kid and signs: I gotchu fam! Arsenal

The young man takes the placemat and murmurs, "You're so hot." He also gives a quick look to Helena like 'back off, lady, I saw him first!' and then he hurries back to work.

Arsenal looks at Helena and starts laughing. "Okay that just happened."

Helena Wayne has posed:
Green Arrow. Okay, so that's another new one. "Right. I'll file you under 'Miscellaneous', then." she replies, thoughtfully. "The Outsiders? Red Robin is your leader?" Brows lift at that. "I should probably apologize for almost shooting him, except he had it coming. And I didn't fire."

For a moment it looks like Helena is going to go into more detail, then the fan-boy approaches to get his autograph. And to give Helena a glare.

Arsenal looks at her and she looks right back, laughing as well. "That's a first for me, too." she offers. Then she adds casually in a lower voice. "Definitely not like -my- Gotham..."

Roy Harper has posed:
It takes a bit but Arsenal finally manages to flag someone down who actually wants to, you know, do their job. He orders the two kinds of milkshakes.

He absently toys with the Sharpie marker that the kid forgot to take with him. "Look, free marker!" Then he gestures to Helena with a nod. "So what exactly do you mean by /your/ Gotham?"

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne waits until they order, then she leans in closer and rests both elbows on the table across from him. "Oracle knows, and so does Huntress and Batwoman." she offers in that still low voice. "I'm from an alternate version of Earth, actually. And before you question my sanity, I left a DNA sample for Oracle and Batman."

Leaning back a little, she watches his face almost intently. Helena looks to be about his age, actually. "I learned from Batman in my home dimension, among others. He died before I got slammed into this dimension."

Roy Harper has posed:
If Roy is at all fazed by the claim of being from an alternate dimension, he doesn't show it. He's a cool customer, this one. "That doesn't impress me," he says deadpan. "I met a guy last week in the subway who could read the minds of cigarette butts. He told me himself."

He uncaps the Sharpie and starts drawing the bat symbol on a napkin. "I'm not trying to brag with that story. Just sayin', we have cool shit in this universe too."

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne smirks at that, chuckling softly. She also relaxes visibly, letting out a breath she wasn't aware that she was holding. "Thanks." she replies, expression softening as well. "My arrival wasn't exactly planned, and I've been making it up as I go. So I sorta put down stakes at the Amusement Mile for starters."

"So that's me." Except for the caped identity thing, but he can get that from Tim.

Roy Harper has posed:
The milkshakes come and they are magnificent! Helena's chocolate fudge with extra whipped cream has shaved chocolate sprinkled generously on the home made whipped cream, and the straw is actually a huge shaved chocolate curl that has been frozen. Arsenal's has a regular straw but there is a big chocolate-dipped pretzel rod sticking out of the milkshake that's made with malt, chocolate, peanut butter, and crushed pretzel bits.

"Well assuming I buy this alternate dimension thing, generally the first thing I would do is arrange a meeting with you and Red Robin or maybe with Wonder Girl. But you're saying you already know Red Robin."

Helena Wayne has posed:
Helena Wayne nods slowly, pausing to take a long and slow sip of her milkshake. "I... oh yeah. This is now my new favorite place." she replies. Another sip follows, almost long enough to induce brain freeze. "And actually, whether you buy the alternate dimension thing or not, I'm still here. You've seen me fight and Red Robin has seen me fight. Pretty sure Oracle has security cam footage as well."

Okay, so maybe she's got a point there.

"But I'm good with meeting whoever you want me to meet. Not sure about the initiation, but I've already given blood as well." She shrugs before leaning in for another sip. "It's your call."

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy snags another napkin and slides it closer to Helena along with the purloined Sharpie. "You got some kind of number you can be reached here in this dimension? I dunno if Verizon has an interdimensional plan where you're from. I'll talk to some people and get in touch."