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Post by Batman on Aug 31, 2012 15:04:52 GMT -6
Players: Batman and Batgirl! Location(s): Gotham City Plot Summary: What the title says.
Dick didn’t really like putting people outside of their comfort zone. It didn’t have to do with the level of violence or necessarily what type of crime they were dealing with. He just didn’t like putting people in positions where they’d feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t strictly out of compassion for his teammates or friends. It was also because he knew that dealing with a situation you hadn’t come to terms with could compromise you emotionally and potentially compromise the mission. This was why Dick did his best to keep Damian away from The Joker and the League of Shadows. This was also why he had never taken Tim on missions that involved Dr. Hurt or others who impersonated Bruce Wayne or his father. When he had worked with Cass he also had been sure to avoid LoA and her father. He wasn’t sure how Bruce would handle it but he knew that every member of the Bat-Family had an inner darkness that could be unleashed without warning. He didn’t want to allow his family to encounter that darkness unless absolutely necessary. He didn’t trust that Damian and Cass had tamed the killer side of them and he didn’t want Tim to wind up going on an obsessive journey that could only lead to depression.
So when Stephanie had approached him about a potential mission to take down Black Mask and some B-List Arkham villains he had taken with him Dick had firmly said no. Yet one of Steph’s greatest skills were persistence. Dick knew it as being a pain in the ass. Yet persistence is what had earned Stephanie that mantle of Batgirl and as a result he had said yes. Roman Sionis was dead but since his death a new man had taken the mantle. Jeremiah Arkham was the former director of Arkham Asylum before his inner demons had driven him insane. The man had been brought to justice but as always Arkham Asylum was as easy to escape as GCPD county jail. Just two days ago a break out had fallen into motion and Black Mask had escaped with several Arkham inmates. Batman was going to round them up. He would have called Tim for help but Stephanie had approached him first. While Black Mask was a different person Dick knew that his looks alone could potentially trigger emotions that Stephanie didn’t need to remember. Black Mask was also aware of Roman Sionis’ actions and he had a feeling that the former psychiatrist wouldn’t hesitate to use that to his advantage. Yet Stephanie was confronting her fears and who was Dick to stop her?
“There are only four of them. Killer Croc, Firefly, Mortimer Drake and-“ Dick sighed. “Freeze. I just put him back in too.” Lastly there was Black Mask. Dick was guessing that the man was going to make another power play against the near non-existent Mafia. It was people like him that were responsible for taking down the Falcones. They had been battered so much that they hardly had any power anymore. As much as Dick appreciated the gesture he didn’t want to risk Black Mask managing to rally them under his control. The mafia was truly desperate at this point. “It’s the usual plan. The Bat-Mobile causes a diversion and we take them out fast. I can take Croc and Firefly. You can take Mortimer and Freeze.” He was distributing the villains based on ease. Fire killed. Ice only froze. Jagged teeth and a massive tail were much more dangerous than a madman with a rapier. Besides chances were Mortimer would either underestimate Steph or go easy on her because she was a woman.
“You sure you want to do this?” Dick questioned as the Bat-Mobile slowly hovered over the building several meters above the roof. The fight would be relatively easy if they both worked together. Facing Black Mask wouldn’t be.
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Post by batgirl on Aug 31, 2012 19:26:38 GMT -6
[/img] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Punching Your Demons in the Face"[/size] (Or "It's Time to Nut Up or Shut Up")[/size] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [/COLOR] The truth was, Steph had been scared to death to approach Dick about going after Black Mask. She wasn't stupid, she knew that he didn't exactly approve of her being out on the streets sporting a bat insignia, in fact he and Babs had argued about it more than once. So yeah, approaching him had been nerve-wracking, but she swallowed her concerns and just did it. After all, she hadn't been particularly intimidated by Bruce when he was Batman, so why should Dick have her so worried? Of course, she could of gone to someone else for help, too. Tim, maybe, or Kara. Hell, Steph was sure that Babs could find someone to help her out too, but she was busy with some other project and had left Steph to her own devices. Even Wendy--Oracle's "stand in" Proxy--was unavailable tonight. And truthfully, Steph didn't-- couldn't--do this on her own. And yeah, okay, maybe she felt a teensy, tiny bit better knowing it was Batman that would have her back, even if it wasn't Batman-Batman... God, there has to be an easier way to say it than that... she thought with a sigh. She wrinkled her nose a bit as he divvied up the bad guys. It was obvious to Steph that he was leaving her the small fries and taking on the big guns himself. Undoubtedly he was only doing it to protect her, but it still hurt a little, and made her feel like maybe Dick still didn't trust her to carry her own weight. Whatever. She'd just have to show him differently. When Dick asked if she really wanted to do this, Steph had to swallow past the lump in her throat and nod, feeling tears well up in her eyes as the memories of her time spent with Black Mask the last time came rushing to the fore. She squeezed her eyes shut and forced the images and remembered pain aside, which was no easy task. When she opened them again, there was a hardness there that left no question as to what she wanted to do. "I'll be fine, Dick," she said, her voice trembling a little more than she'd of liked it to. "I can't be scared of him forever, right?"Even as she said it though, she couldn't stop herself from shaking. A cold knot had formed in her stomach, and her knees felt like jello. She'd never been this scared in her life, except when-- Cripes Steph, would you stop it already?[/b][/i][/color] she silently berated herself. He's not even the same person, for God's sake! And ya know what, neither are you![/b][/color] She clenched her fists and gave Dick one final nod before taking a deep breath. "I'm really ready this time. Let's do this."And remember, Steph: you're not Robin any more, or Spoiler... You're Batgirl[/b] ![/color] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TAGGED: Batman NOTES: Here CREDITS: Thanks to BUNNYA! at Caution 2.0 [/center]
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Post by Batman on Sept 1, 2012 23:18:41 GMT -6
Dick could practically sense the fear off on Stephanie. Yet he knew that wasn’t a good enough reason to cancel this mission. Even if he really wanted to. To face one fears and not be scared was unusual. Dick himself had been very hesitant to face down Zucco. Yet instead of feeling fear he had felt rage that had nearly resulted in him killing the man. So the slight tremble in Stephanie’s voice was completely normal. He was just hoping that her fear (or rage) wouldn’t consume her during the fight. This wasn’t a mission where anger or fear could control you. This was a mission where focus and precision was required. Dick wasn’t entirely sure if he could trust Stephanie to let her instincts guide her instead of her emotions. Yet he was supposed to be the trusting leader that Bruce never was. As a result he was going to give her a chance. He’d just have to work extra hard to make sure that Stephanie didn’t get herself killed. He still didn’t fully trust her but he still had faith that she could prove him wrong. Stephanie was no Cass but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“No. You can’t.” He hit a switch on the bat-mobile and it abruptly shifted from stealth mode to attack mode. “I’m proud of you Stephanie. It’s not easy to do what you’re doing.” He added this quietly. Stephanie would have to strain to actually hear him. When she said she was ready he nodded. “We’re going to get ejected in three...two...one.” He punched a button and the bat-mobile threw them from the vehicle. Both Dick and Stephanie hurtled through the air before gravity claimed them. Dick angled his body downwards and trusted Stephanie to do the same. As he did so the bat-mobile dropped to building level and let loose several missiles and energy blasts. The projectiles zoomed through the windows of the building and exploded inside the warehouse. Dick saw the bright lights inside as the missiles detonated and gas began to expand in the room. Dick clapped on his rebreather before he crashed headfirst through the skylight.
As Dick plummeted through the air he reangled his body so that he landed on the floor boots first. As he stood the smoke cleared and the first person he saw was Killer Croc. Dick didn’t hesitate to target him. He had beaten Killer Croc while they both had been exposed to fear toxin. This would be a cakewalk. Dick sprinted towards him and pulled out his claw gun. Killer Croc turned and noticed Dick and they both sprinted at each other. The creature lunged and Dick jumped over him before firing his claw gun and binding Killer Croc’s jaw shut. He landed behind the monster and executed a vicious sidekick to the flesh right above its tail. The move propelled the creature forward but Dick didn’t get a chance to follow up before he was forced to duck as Firefly let out a blast of flame. The wide arc of orange heat consumed Killer Croc and the smell of roasted flesh tainted the air. The flames also struck the far wall and soon the a portion of the wall was set ablaze. Dick stood to his feet and watched as an enraged Killer Croc sprinted towards Firefly and knocked him down. Dick smirked.
“Some problems solve themselves.”
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Post by batgirl on Sept 3, 2012 20:04:36 GMT -6
[/img] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Punching Your Demons in the Face"[/size] (Or "It's Time to Nut Up or Shut Up")[/size] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [/COLOR] Steph actually blinked in surprise when Dick said he was proud of her. That was... Wow. Well, that was something, for sure. Hell, the best she'd ever gotten out of Bruce had been something like "You've done admirably" or "You performed well out there." But to actually here the "P" word from Batman? Sure, maybe it wasn't Batman-Batman ( Note to self, find a better way to say that, ASAP) but still. It felt good. Before she could do anything other than stare blankly at him in response, Steph found herself being propelled upward and out of the Batmobile. From that point on, her game face was on, and she followed Dick's example by hurtling down through the darkness toward the building. As the Batmobile lit the place up and Dick crashed through the skylight (in an epic, Batman-ish way, of course), Steph shot out her grapple, the metal tines sinking into the brick of the old warehouse and holding firm. "Here we go!" she shouted as her grapple line went taut and she swung around the side of the building and smashed through a large window. Steph hit the ground with her shoulder and rolled with her momentum, coming up in a crouch and sweeping a wide arc around her with her staff. That move proved fortunate, as the Cavalier had just been about to skewer her with his rapier when the staff struck him behind the knees and knocked him to the ground. For a moment, Steph wondered if Dick had seen that awesome move, but then she realized that Freeze was only yards away, and taking aim at her with his Freeze Gun. Only her training and reflexes saved her from becoming a human Popsicle, and she rolled to the side just as a blast of ice exploded right where she'd been crouching. Springing to her feet, she ran and vaulted over Freeze with her staff as he tried to freeze her again. This time, though, the beam of ice caught the edge of her cape, freezing it solid and causing it to weigh her down considerably. Steph hit the ground hard, not having expected the added weight. The frozen parts of the cape shattered, and she looked up just in time to see the barrel of the Freeze Gun staring her in the face. Gasping, she pulled a fire-batarang out of her belt and jabbed upward with it, piercing the gun's barrel and exploding with a blinding flash of flame and light. Steph shielded her eyes and was sent flying back, striking the wall with enough force to knock the breath out of her. Shaking off her disorientation, she saw Freeze still stunned by the explosion, his gun a red-hot, melting mess in his hand. Three electro-batarangs left her hand, coursing through the air to strike Freeze in the chest, their payload sending jolts of power through his suit and effectively disabling it. Freeze teetered for a moment, then fell over sideways to lay unmoving. "One down, one to-- Eep! Steph felt the tip of Cavalier's rapier slash along her ribs, the impact shocking her and causing her to jump back. Luckily, her armor had held up to the blow, and she narrowed her eyes, watching her enemy as he approached warily. It wasn't too long ago that Steph had worked alongside Tim to take down the Council of Spiders, a group of expertly trained assassins who had been attempting to destroy the League of Shadows. She knew that if she was able to take them down, then a joke like Cavalier wouldn't be a problem. Pulling her staff out again, she charged him, the weapon spinning at her side like a propeller blade. When she was close enough, she leaped into the air and brought the staff down with all her might, grunting with exertion. Cavalier brought his own weapon up to block the attack, but the thin blade of the rapier couldn't stand up to the power behind Steph's blow; it shattered, and the staff's momentum carried it through to strike Cavalier in the side of the head, dropping him instantly. Silence filled the room after that, punctuated only by Steph's ragged breathing, and the occasional groan from one of the downed villains. Taking a deep breath, Steph looked around, meeting Dick's eyes with a steely, determined gaze. "Alright then... Where is he?"- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TAGGED: Batman NOTES: Here CREDITS: Thanks to BUNNYA! at Caution 2.0 [/center]
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Post by Batman on Sept 8, 2012 15:43:59 GMT -6
Dick stepped back and watched as Killer Croc attacked Firefly. For a moment the creature attempted to eat him but Firefly’s armor proved to resilient. So instead Croc began to tear away into his armor until the man’s chest and face was exposed. Just as Killer Croc was about to bury its claws into Firefly’s chest and face Dick shocked him to unconsciousness with a taser. Croc collapsed on Firefly and successfully pinned the arsonist to the ground. Dick assumed that the five-hundred pound berth of the massive crocodile would prevent him from moving but he was sure to handcuff Firefly anyway. He turned from his own finished battle to watch as Steph expertly knocked out Cavalier. He couldn’t help but smile in approval. She had taken him out with one swing and had demonstrated an innate knowledge of melee combat and how weapons compared to each other in an actual fight. It was a knowledge that Cavalier clearly didn’t have or else he wouldn’t have attempted to block her blow.
Yet when Batgirl turned to look up at him he realized that she didn’t need another compliment. She didn’t need constant affirmation that she was doing a good job. She just needed to focus on the mission. Dick had never doubted that Stephanie lacked the self-esteem necessary to be a good vigilante. Yet he felt as if he needed to make up for the times that Bruce (and to an extent he) had ignored her. Yet that one look told him that Stephanie had never become a vigilante to seek approval. And he needed to stop acting like she had. “He must have made a run for it during the confusion.” Dick paused. “Both of you put your hands up!” Dick glanced up at the balcony. “Or not.” Black Mask stood at the balcony with an AK-47 in his hands. His weapon was trained on the both of them and Dick realized that he was more or less channeling Roman Sionis. He had no doubt that Black Mask would waste them both. He just knew that he wouldn’t get the chance.
“You can’t take us both down.” Dick said as he dropped a smoke pellet. As smoke flooded across the floor he fired his grapple gun at the balcony. He pulled himself through the air as bullets sprayed across the floor. As he flew straight towards Black Mask he angled his body specifically to avoid getting shot. Yet Jeremiah Arkham was smarter than he looked. The man angled his gun at the grapple gun and fired. Somehow the round pierced the line and Dick suddenly found himself falling. He crashed into the table and grunted before he rolled off of it to avoid the hail of bullets that came moments later. It looked like he’d have to take a less direct approach. Either that or Batgirl would have to use whatever plan she had thought of. If she had one.
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Post by batgirl on Sept 9, 2012 15:09:52 GMT -6
[/img] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Punching Your Demons in the Face"[/size] (Or "It's Time to Nut Up or Shut Up")[/size] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [/COLOR] There wasn't even time for Steph to respond to Dick before Black Mask made his presence known. A cacophony of gunfire echoed throughout the warehouse, and Steph wasted no time in rolling out of the way. When Dick dropped the smoke pellet, she switched her cowl to thermal vision, which would allow her to see through the thick, roiling curtain, an advantage that Black Mask didn't have himself. As Steph readied her grapple gun to reach the villain, she was a slit second too late. Dick had apparently decided to do the same thing, and she watched through her thermal vision as he soared upward out of the smoke, heading right toward Black Mask and expertly avoiding the hail of bullets... Well, for a little while anyway. It seemed like Dick had barely had a chance to rise before suddenly he came crashing back down again. Rather than rushing to his side to make sure he was alright--Steph was a little more disciplined than that, at least--she pushed her concern aside and turned her attention to Black Mask, who continued to shoot erratically into the still-expanding cloud of concealing smoke. Drawing a pair of batarangs from her belt, Steph let them fly. They struck the old metal supports of the balcony and embedded themselves, a faint red light flashing on each one the only thing to reveal their true purpose. Black Mask didn't seem to notice the batarangs, or he didn't care; either way, it was good for Steph and Dick. If we can't get up to him, she thought with a humorless smile, then we'll just bring him down to us...A high-pitched whine preceded a sudden explosion as the timers on the batarangs ran out. The concussion of the blast wasn't necessarily all that powerful, but it did it's job just the same: the balcony supports were blown to pieces, and the ground beneath Black Mask's feet seemed to lurch forward. He barely had a chance to cry out in surprise before the entire balcony came tumbling down with a crash that shook the room, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris that completely overshadowed Dick's smoke pellet. Using her thermal vision to her advantage--and wanting to get a jump on Black Mask before the smoke cleared--Steph rushed in, fists clenched and ready to do some serious damage. All of her earlier fears seemed to be swallowed up by this sudden anger, this urge to face her demons and prove to herself that she wasn't afraid any more, that she wouldn't be a slave to the memories and nightmares that still plagued her sometimes. This was something that she had to do to move on, to leave her time as Spoiler and Robin behind her so that she could finally, truly embrace her future as Batgirl. It wasn't hard to find Black Mask amid the rubble, his heat signature glowing to her vision and easily standing out against the grey and black nothingness around him. He was obviously disoriented and in pain, but as he attempted to stagger to his feet, Steph was already upon him, leaping on him and tackling him back to the ground. What happened next was like a blur to her, like she was removed from her self and watching someone else. Her fists rained down on Black Mask, battering him senseless over and over. She could feel bone cracking under her blows, but she couldn't stop. It was like some other force had possessed her, and it was calling the shots now. And as she continued to batter this ghost from her past, Steph was completely unaware of the hot tears that ran down her cheeks. She was killing him. But she just couldn't stop. And, in a way, maybe she didn't want to... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TAGGED: Batman NOTES: Here CREDITS: Thanks to BUNNYA! at Caution 2.0 [/center]
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Post by Batman on Sept 11, 2012 12:41:45 GMT -6
The oaken table Dick had fallen on was much harder than one would think. The fact that he had broken it in half was a testament to how hard he had fallen. Unlike Bruce, Dick didn’t have back braces in his armor that could protect him from damage. He was confident that he would wiggle himself out of a back-breaking situation that someone like Bane could cause. He also knew how to fall properly. He had barely managed to angle his body in a way to injure his back but he had managed to do so. Unfortunately that meant he had absorbed most of the damage with his shoulder and while it wasn’t dislocated it still hurt like hell. He was looking forward to a fist sized bruise when he got back to the cave.
Dick didn’t have much of a chance to worry about himself. As he rolled off of the table to avoid gunfire he heard the shrill whistle of bat-a-rangs flying through the air. It looked like Stephanie was going to blow him off the balcony. It was a strategy that had crossed Dick’s mind yet he had feared that it might kill Black Mask. Jeremiah Arkham was no gymnast and he was concerned the psychiatrist would wind up falling improperly and dying. Dick’s concern about the man was purely professional. Jeremiah Arkham was no Roman Sionis but Dick was certain that the man had the potential to cause as much violence. The explosion that occurred moments later threw up a cloud of smoke and debris that was nearly three times thicker than Dick’s smoke pellet.
Dick held his cape over his mouth as he blinked rapidly to keep dust from getting in his eyes. The lens in his cowl couldn’t stop everything after all. He blinked again before toggling the thermal sensors in his cowl. He was so used to throwing smoke pellets that he had learned how to rely on other senses to navigate through a smoke field. Yet it was nearly impossible for him to see through the cloud of dust that permeated the warehouse. Yet Dick soon realized he didn’t need thermal sensors. The dull sound of fist meeting skin soon became apparent. Dick sighed heavily. He had seen this situation coming. It was something he had seen dozens of times before. In a way of speaking it was just another rite of passage. It looked like it was Dick’s turn to play the role of the understanding mentor.
He stepped through the thick clouds of dust and stepped over rubble and saw the prone form of Jeremiah Arkham. Stephanie hadn’t stopped. She would stop. Dick knew that. As vital as he felt it was for her to come to her own senses she would need some nudging. Jeremiah Arkham was a frail man and could end up getting pummeled to death before Stephanie garnered the willpower to stop herself. Hopefully Dick would only have to say one thing. She needed to be back in reality right now. She was reliving memories that weren’t the fault of Jeremiah Arkham and something told him that she had yet to come to terms with her near death experience. Yet it couldn’t be this way. Dick had hoped that Stephanie would handle Black Mask’s arrest in a different way. Of course she hadn’t but could Dick really blame her?
“Stephanie.” He said that one word clearly and firmly. As he said those words he discreetly pushed a button on his wrist that would call the police. Even if she stopped now Jeremiah Arkham would be looking at a long weekend in the hospital.
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Post by batgirl on Sept 13, 2012 18:25:29 GMT -6
[/img] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Punching Your Demons in the Face"[/size] (Or "It's Time to Nut Up or Shut Up")[/size] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [/COLOR] That one, single word, spoken as it was by Dick, seemed to instantly pull Steph back to reality. She stopped, one fist still pulled back to deliver another blow, blinking in confusion. It felt like an eternity had passed since she'd started dealing out her beating, but from the way the dust was still settling, it couldn't of been more than a few minutes at most, maybe even less. But in those few moments, Steph had relived hours of torture, fear, and agony. Looking down at the man beneath her, Steph slowly lowered her hand. The fight was obviously over, for Black Mask lay mostly unmoving other than an occasional twitch or spasm. His breath wheezed in and out of his probably-broken jaw, and he let out a half-whimper, half-groan, in an attempt, perhaps, to beg for mercy. Suddenly, Steph felt very, very sick. Staggering up, her legs shaking violently, she managed to shuffle a few feet away before throwing up, shame and sickness both rolling over her at once as the implication of what she'd done--and what she'd almost done--fully and truly hit her. Placing one hand on a half-destroyed metal support beam, Steph squeezed her eyes shut and tried to stop the shaking in her knees. "I... I almost... I mean..." Shaking her head, she turned to face Dick, tears continuing to cut clean paths in the dust that lay upon her cheeks. "I almost killed him..." she finally managed to whisper, eyes wide with terror and disbelief. "I'm sorry, Dick... I'm so sorry..."- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TAGGED: Batman NOTES: Here CREDITS: Thanks to BUNNYA! at Caution 2.0 [/center]
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Post by Batman on Sept 17, 2012 9:33:18 GMT -6
As Dick predicted Stephanie stopped as soon as he said her name. Black Mask went limp in Stephanie’s grasp and for a moment the only sound in the warehouse was that of blood dripping from Stephanie’s glove. Then there was the sound of Black Masks’ ragged breathing and Dick watched as Stephanie stumbled away from Mask and threw up. Dick pushed the button that would summon the police and strode towards Black Mask. He knelt by him and saw that Jeremiah Arkham’s had shattered in several places. He could see bruised and purplish skin under the man’s mask. His jaw was clearly swollen and one simple touch told Dick that it was broken in at least two places. His eyes were swollen and it was quite simply a miracle that he was still alive. Yet it wasn’t Black Mask that he was worried about. It was Stephanie.
From a purely scientific standpoint the vomit on the ground was the biggest problem. While the police trusted Batman they were always looking for a reason not to. Seeing a near-dead Black Mask gave them a reason not to. On top of that there was a chance that some hotshot policeman would be looking for a sample. If Stephanie’s identity was found she could wind up arrested. Naturally it wouldn’t be for long but he reputation would be ruined. Yet that wasn’t even the problem here. Clearly Stephanie hadn’t come to terms with her death as much as they had all assumed. The fact that she had stopped was a good thing. The fact that she had started was not. Dick would do what he could to help her. They all would. But the only person that could defeat her personal demons was Steph.
“C’Mon here.” Dick engulfed Stephanie in a hug. It seemed like it was the thing she needed the most right now. Dick wasn’t trying to reward her for what he did nor was he trying to tell her everything was going to be ok. He was just consoling her because he knew how difficult this life could be. For the first time in a while she had become truly unhinged. Dick hoped that this would be the last time that would happen to her. At some point in all of their careers as vigilantes they had all had the choice of revenge. They had all said no. Stephanie had made the right choice. After a few moments of awkwardly patting her back Dick gently disentangled himself from the hug. Not long afterwards the sound of sirens permeated the warehouse. “Let’s get out of here.” [exit Dick]
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Post by batgirl on Sept 23, 2012 11:25:27 GMT -6
[/img] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Punching Your Demons in the Face"[/size] (Or "It's Time to Nut Up or Shut Up")[/size] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [/COLOR] Steph watched from the roof of a nearby building as paramedics and police officers swarmed the warehouse. Dick had long since left, and though he'd offered to take her with him, Steph had declined. Instead, she'd come here, took a very Bruce-like position on the head of a stone gargoyle, and watched the events unfold below her. Everything seemed strangely distant and clouded, as if she hadn't really experienced the events of the past hour or so, but had rather just been observing them from outside herself. In short, Steph was in a rare, introspective mood, and one that she didn't particularly care for. She had no doubt in her mind that had Dick not been there to stop her, Jeremiah Arkham would be dead right now, and that was on her, and only her. But she hadn't been able to stop herself, when she'd seen that all-too-familiar mask... It didn't matter to her that the man beneath it wasn't the same one who'd nearly killed her; all that mattered was the mask, and what it represented for her. Sighing, she wrapped her cape around herself and watched as the battered, broken form of Black Mask was wheeled out on a stretcher, accompanied by an unnecessary contingent of armed guards. It was pretty obvious to Steph that Arkham wasn't in any shape to be fleeing the scene or making some grand escape, but oh well. Better safe than sorry, right?[/b][/color] Once the ambulance was gone, roaring off down the street with a wail of sirens, and only the police were left to secure the other escaped inmates, Steph finally turned away, leaping down from the gargoyle and grappling to the next building over. It would be a long journey home tonight, but it would give her time to clear her head, which was something she desperately needed right now. {Thread Finished!} - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TAGGED: Batman NOTES: Here CREDITS: Thanks to BUNNYA! at Caution 2.0 [/center]
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