A Working Holiday ((Open))

[batgirl]

Players: Open to anyone!
Location(s): A Coast City shopping mall
Plot Summary: Stephanie has come to Coast City for a last hoorah before classes start back up again at Gotham U. Despite wanting to have a nice, quiet, mini-vacation, duty calls!

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"A Working Holiday"

[/size]
(Or "Proof that I Can't Ever Catch a Break")[/size]
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Normalcy wasn't something that Steph was terribly familiar with, but she'd sworn to herself that this trip would be as utterly, boringly normal as she could manage. A little sun, a little water, a little shopping, then back to the grind in Gotham. Honestly, she wasn't sure what she was looking forward to most: busting bad guys on the mean streets of the city, or forcing herself to stay awake during classes that were holding her attention less and less these days...

Psh. Yeah, right Steph. That's a no-brainer.

The truth was, Steph was having more and more trouble being mild-mannered Stephanie Brown, college student any more. It seemed like she was only really, truly happy when she was jumping across the rooftops of Gotham, or pounding the faces of purse-snatchers or bank-robbers. It seemed to her that, more often than not, she thought of her self as Batgirl first, and Stephanie second.

Bruce once told me that's how it was for him... She shuddered a bit at that thought, and the accompanying image of herself as a dark, brooding, fearsome figure of the night. Yeah, no.

But this startling new development in her life couldn't have been more obvious than when she'd gotten to her hotel room last night, opened her suitcase, and realized that she'd left her suit at home...

Her swimsuit.

In its place, tucked neatly away and folded so perfectly she wished her mother could see it, was her Batgirl suit, the golden symbol on its chest seeming to taunt her as she stared at her reflection in it. Yeah, she needed some serious, serious help. Sighing, she'd tossed the suitcase aside and promptly face planted on the bed with a groan. She'd head to the mall to buy a new swimsuit tomorrow...

And, here she was, perusing the discount racks at a women's fashion store in the mall, her earbuds firmly in place as she tried not to dance to Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe," which was blaring so loudly in her ears that she didn't even hear the mall alarms going off, or the announcement calling for a safe, orderly evacuation. So lost was she in the music, and drive to find the sweetest deal possible on the sexiest suit she could find, that she didn't even realize the store--and the mall at large--had emptied out until the song was over, and she was met by an unusual silence before the next one started playing.

"Uh... Hello?" she called out, pulling the buds out of her ears and looking around. Hanging up the swimsuit she'd been holding, Steph tucked the earbuds into her pocket and put her hands on her hips, looking around curiously. "Holy vanishing mallrats, Batman," she said to no one in particular, wandering over to peek out into the wide corridor outside the shop.

Something strange was definitely going on, but she didn't really realize how strange until the first masked, armed man turned the corner at the far end of the corridor. Steph pulled back into the shop a little, still peeking cautiously around the open doorframe, watching as he was joined by a handful of others, all packing assault rifles and wearing the same black, military-looking uniforms.

The part of her that was Stephanie Brown sighed at was was no doubt a vacation ruined, but the part of her that was Batgirl squealed in delight, and she wasn't too ashamed to admit that as she jumped back into the shop, she did the little dance that she'd been holding back earlier. After all, it's not like there was anyone around to see her anyway, right?

"Alright Steph," she told herself quietly, looking around the shop and tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Now I just gotta find something to wear as a costume..."

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TAGGED: Open / Red Hood
NOTES: None
CREDITS: Thanks to BUNNYA! at Caution 2.0
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[Red Hood]

On layover from Dakota Jason Todd was laying low in the reaccomplished Coast City. Apparently some time before his resurrection Coast City had been completely eradicated by the likes of a space monster and some half-man half-machine. Looking at the bustling city now however Jason would have had absolutely no idea that it was once but a littered metropolis of destruction and rubble. The relief efforts must have been immense and painstaking but it spoke volumes upon volumes of these people. Jason just hoped no other space monsters paid them a visit anytime soon, that would just be most shitty icing on the shittiest cake ever. These people worked hard and loved their city, they didn't deserve it. It made him recall Gotham city, but he'd be there soon enough there was no need to visit it early within his mind.

On this sudden vaycay Jason hit the town and decided to make a run for some supplies since it was pretty much all he had to do. He was on something of a break from his work as the Red Hood but that was no reason to be lazy or get too comfortable. Being the gun waving vigilante he was Jason ran through merchandise fairly often and fairly quick, and once he'd checked his stash at the hotel he was staying in he realized it was time for a reup.

He could really use a few new grips, his knives could stand sharpening, cleaning equipment for his guns was definitely needed, and Jason felt like making an investment in some mines; those would be fun. First though he needed some new boots - titanium toed of course - and the local mall just happened to have a fleet of them on clearance. Jason slow strolled the mall in dark cargo pants and old beat up, muddy boots and a shortsleeve gray V-neck. Most of the vigilantes and heroes he could think of tended to wore their chosen uniform color while out in civvies as well; the Robins wore red, Dick usually wore blue, Bruce black or gray, and so on but Jason thought that was just stupid.

As he navigated through the busy and clustered mall Jason could feel various eyes scan him and even follow him for many steps but he paid them no attention. His hair was disheveled in a messy yet somehow well together state and obviously his muscular frame attracted the gaze of single and spoken for women alike, but Jason was not interested in their attention - unless they were a saleswoman who could get him those boots. Unfortunately when he did meet said saleswoman she spoke entirely too much and shared her entire life story with Jason before allowing him to take four pairs of black boots.

Boots purchased, bagged, and in hand Jason began his journey toward the mall's exit. He was just about to push the door open when the alarms started. "Aw hell." He mumbled to himself. Others continued to shop, a few stopped with panicked looks about them and glanced for some sort of reassurance. A voice then came over the speakers as the cheery Justin Beiber music was cut. Jason flung his bag o boots into the corner (after first pulling a pair on) by the door and turned to face the inside of the mall, listening as some mall worker order an emergency evacuation. Apparently men with guns had been spotted outside of the mall and were making their way in. Shoppers were directed to exit through the doors Jason stood at, he of course maneuvered around the ground and went deeper into the mall; toward the woman's fashion department where the gunmen were entering.

He hadn't come to Coast City for any heroics, but sometimes things just couldn't be avoided. In a full on run Jason charged toward the women's area, ducking behind a sassy posed mannequin as he spotted two large guns with assault rifles. Jason never went anywhere without his Red Hood gear (outfit and guns) unfortunately that was all in a secret compartment in his trunk, in the mall parking garage. No time to get them and come back. Jason watched, still and quiet, as the armed men split into small groups and began checking shops for stragglers to grab. When they turned he quickly dashed into the women's fashion store. The first thing he saw on entry was a wall of pantyhose. "Hm." Jason reached forward for the nude colored hose but froze, red velvet had caught his eye and a smirk crossed his face.

Jason snatched the pantyhose and ripped them open as he dove behind a rack of dresses. "Anyone in here?" The Red Hood whispered to the store as he pulled on his makeshift mask.

[batgirl]

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"A Working Holiday"

[/size]
(Or "Proof that I Can't Ever Catch a Break")[/size]
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Steph was just tugging on the last bits of her "costume" when she heard someone whispering from the other side of the shop.

Frowning, she realized that a customer must of gotten stuck in here with her, and that it would be her job, her duty to make sure he got out alive. And the easiest way to ensure that would be to make sure he stayed put and kept out of sight and out of the way.

Alright Steph, time to go make a first impression!

Slipping soundlessly between the clothing racks, she made her way to where she'd heard the questioning voice, keeping low to remain hidden from the armed men out in the corridor. Spotting movement, she shoulder-rolled across an open space in the shop and came up in a crouch next to a dude wearing army boots and--

Are those... pantyhose? On his head ? Huh, and I thought my impromptu uniform was bad...[/b][/i][/color] She sighed inwardly, but bit her tongue from making any unfortunate "rookie" comments to Captain Pantyhose, or whatever he was calling himself. Like I'm one to talk anyway, right? Right.[/i]

Steph's makeshift Batgirl outfit consisted of a pair of tight, black workout pants, her white and pink sneakers, a purple short-sleeved shirt with a bat drawn poorly with a sharpie across her chest, and the dressing room curtain as her cape. For a mask, she'd found a black and pink plaid patterned bandanna and tied it over the top of her head, after cutting out eye holes, of course.

In short, she looked "suitably" epic... Pun intended.

"Uh, hi there," she said, at a loss for words, which was an altogether new feeling for her. "Look, I know I might not look it, but I'm a professional, and I can take care of this, got it? You stay here and, uh... Oh, I got it!" she exclaimed softly, snapping her fingers and smiling. "There are some really nice, lacy underthings in aisle 3 that would look just stunning on you. On your head, I mean..."

It was funny how--even though she wasn't linked up to Oracle at the moment--she could practically hear Babs slapping her forehead at that one.

Heh.

"So yeah... You just leave this mess to Batgirl!"

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TAGGED: Open / Red Hood
NOTES: Here
CREDITS: Thanks to BUNNYA! at Caution 2.0
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[Red Hood]

Jason felt like an idiot. No, not because he was crouched behind women's dresses, bikinis, and thongs. And it wasn't even because he was sporting a red pair of pantyhose on his head. The reason Jason Todd felt like an idiot was because he was completely without weapon. No knife strapped to his ankle, no handgun in his waistband. Nothing. Only weapons he had on him were his two fists and feet, and to be fair they could do a lot of damage, but Jason really missed his glocks and bullets.

Tension was alive in Jason and his instincts were on high alert, luckily he possessed strong enough will not to prematurely react when another human form rolled over to him behind the racks. Jason leaned back and blinked at this person who he was apparently trapped with. She couldn't be serious. This chick was wearing a pair of tight discount yoga pants, a purple top with cutoff sleeves, and a mask that was fashioned out of a cut up bandana. The worst part however was the painfully out of place blue curtain that hang from her back like some kind of struggle cape. And if that wasn' the worst part, then that title surely belonged to the sharpie designed bat symbol on her chest that looked to be drawn by world renowned artist Michael J. Fox.

Jason watched this thrift store Batgirl with bemusement and harsh judgmental eyes. She was talking but on the inside he was laughing too hard to listen to a word she said, though it wasn't like he'd take her seriously anyway. "Look kid you might be a hit on your block running around like some mentally ill person but right now isn't the time to be playing dress up. These guys are serious and they mean business. You stay here, I'll take care of the big scary bad men, and then I'll be back to get you out of here. K? K."

Batgirl. Jason laughed once more in his head.

Once laying down the law to the blond Jason rolled over onto his stomach and peeked around the cluster of racks he was hidden behind. He could hear the foot steps of the armed men moving around within the mall but he couldn't see any of them. Jason hoped up to his feet and quickly disappeared into thin air like magic. And not a moment too soon, as one of the masked men were now turning in to the store where Jason and Batgirl were. His head moved on a swivel as he checked the store, going in deeper and knocking over clothing racks as he went. Just as the man got closer to Batgirl's position Red Hood dropped down soundlessly from the ceiling and landed behind him. He reached through the gap between the man's right arm and torso and yanked the assault rifle from the gunman's grip.

Jason held the AK in one hand and punched the mask gunman with his other. He followed through with an elbow to the man's neck then kicked him square in the sternum, crashing the criminal over a kiosk. With the rifle in his arms Jason juggled it a little to judge its weight. It wasn't ideal but he shrugged and kept it anyway.

[batgirl]

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"A Working Holiday"

[/size]
(Or "Proof that I Can't Ever Catch a Break")[/size]
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Steph's mouth worked silently as she tried to come up with a really good, stinging come back.

"Yeah, well... Captain Marvel called, and he says he wants his tights back," was all she could manage, and she groaned to herself at how stupid it sounded.

Nice Steph. Way to go. I'm sure he thinks you're the real deal now...[/b][/color]

She didn't have long to worry about her what her new friend (And, perchance, future sidekick?) thought of her, because in the blink of an eye he just... vanished. Blinking--and envying his skill juuuuuuust a little--Steph took cover behind a rack of designer heels just as one of the gunmen entered the shop, his eyes sweeping the place warily.

Alright Steph, here goes nothin'. Time to show these guys a thing or t--

Suddenly Captain Pantyhose dropped down from the ceiling and laid the thug out in record time before claiming the criminal's assault rifle and handling it expertly. Steph could only sit there in dumbfounded silence for a moment, eyes as big as saucers, wondering just who it was she'd managed to find herself in a classic superhero team-up with here.

She wasn't able to stay shocked for long though, as a second gunman--either alerted to some disturbance with his companion or just seeking to back him up just in case--slipped into the shop, caught sight of Captain Pantyhose, and raised his gun, ready to pump Steph's potential sidekick full of lead.

Acting on instinct, Steph grabbed a shoe, drew her arm back, and let the $200 heel soar through the air. It might not have been quite as aerodynamic as a batarang, but it flew straight and true, hitting the masked terrorist in the hand and knocking it aside just enough to disrupt his aim. Bullets tore through the shop, missing Captain Pantyhouse by mere inches, and the gunman cursed and attempted to take aim again.

Placing her hands on the top of the shoe rack, Steph vaulted over it, her legs outstretched before her. She cleared the distance between herself and the criminal in a flash, her legs wrapping around his head as she twisted midair, flipping him and smashing him to the ground with her full weight on his chest. His breath left him in a tremendous gasp, and she could feel a rib or two break beneath her. Balling her fist, she gave the man a solid right hook to the jaw, knocking him senseless.

Glancing up at Captain Pantyhose, she grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

"Team Justice one, evil douche bags zero," she said triumphantly. "Okay Pantyhose, what say we bust the rest of these guys so the good people of Coast City can get on with their shopping bliss, yeah?"

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TAGGED: Open / Red Hood
NOTES: Here
CREDITS: Thanks to BUNNYA! at Caution 2.0
[/center]

[Red Hood]

Jason stood back as he watched the insane person dressed as a low budget Batgirl take down armed gunman number 2. For someone clearly out of their mind this chick had some skills. The moment of being impressed quickly dissipated however as the girl seemed set on calling him by the name she'd come up with in her strange, evidently twisted mind. Jason reached up with one hand and in a quick tug he pulled the pantyhose off of his head, it was hardly important to disguise who he was anyway. "Call me that one more time and I'll use this on you." He gestured with the AK in his hand. Threats had to be put on a temporary suspension however. With two of their men done away with, and not too terribly quietly, the other gunmen were coming down on Batgirl and Jason immediately. The first two in the door were greeted by hollowtips to the chest courtesy of Jason Todd. The next wave came in guns blazing and driving Jason back for cover.

"If you die, I'll kill you!" He shouted over the explosive sounds of gunfire to Batgirl. She may not have been desired company but Jason was in a sticky situation and he could use a sidekick as of right now. Hopefully the girl had gotten to cover just like he had. They couldn't hide forever though, eventually those guys would get the drop on the both of the vigilantes if they let em, which meant they need to get on their defense pretty soon. "Spread out. Spread out!" Jason could hear, who he assumed to be, the leader shout out orders and knew it was time to act. The only bad thing was he had no clue where Batgirl was or what she was doing. That meant he couldn't just jump out and start firing with the assault rifle.

Hidden behind a shelf Jason carefully peeked around to see if he could get sight on any of the men hunting him. He spotted the fatigues covered legs of one man but that was it. Taking that chance Jason gently placed his gun on the ground making the least bit of noise he could and then forcefully shoved it across the floor into a far off corner. The clatter of his gun drew the attention of the man he'd seen on the other side of his protective shelf. As the man raced over toward the noise he heard Jason quickly bound into action. He leaped shortly off of the ground with one foot and brought the other crashing down on the top of the gunman's head. The man went down and bullets riddled the wall in front of Jason.

Quickly the unmasked Red Hood broke into a run. Bullets cut into mannequins and blew up accessories as Jason ran and cut between racks to avoid the cunfire. He hoped Batgirl hadn't been caught in the hail of bullets but Jason couldn't really worry too much about her at the moment. Jason grabbed hold of the side of a shelf case just as he nearly passed it and used it to anchor himself. The shelf was filled with hats, a few designer shoes, and other miscellaneous accessories and trinkets. With his teeth gritted together Jason leaned into the shelf and heaved against it to knock the entire display over. As the shelf crashed to the store floor the side of it struck a similar shelf and created a domino effect, knocking the other over as well. Jason wasn't sure if anyone was landed on but even if not the falling shelves would provide a nice distraction.

[batgirl]

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"A Working Holiday"

[/size]
(Or "Proof that I Can't Ever Catch a Break")[/size]
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When the man pulled the pantyhose off his head, Steph blinked.

There was something oddly familiar about him, but she honestly couldn't place it. Beyond the obvious physical familiarity, there was a tone of command to his voice, and a no-nonsense air about him that put her in mind of... Well, of Bruce. She didn't have a chance to voice all the questions running through her head though, as they were suddenly under attack, and the fight was on in earnest.

When Captain Pantyhose unloaded on a pair of gunmen who were coming through the door, Steph felt her anger rise. He'd killed them! She was about to chastise him, tell him that killing was a serious no-no, but the truth was, she didn't have a chance. Instead, she pushed her anger down and rolled aside as yet another stream of gunfire tore through the clothing store. Later would be the time to confront Pantyhose about his actions; for now, all she could do was make sure she stayed alive, and pray that he wouldn't take any more lives...

Yeah, fat chance of that,[/i][/color] she thought as she ran along in a crouch, taking cover behind a rack of very cute skirts that caught her attention for just a moment before she shook her head and returned to the matter at hand. Some nut job with underwear on his head gets his hands on an automatic weapon and you think he'll take it easy with it? Good one, Steph...

Suddenly there was a lull in the gunfire as several of the criminals had to reload simultaneously. Taking advantage of the situation, Steph leaped up to her feet and ran along the the far wall of the shop, still keeping low in case any more bullets decided to come out of nowhere. Taking a deep breath, she vaulted forward and burst through the display window, hitting the ground outside the store and shoulder rolling into a crouch as shattered glass rained down around her. Steph winced at the handful of cuts and bruises she'd received from the stunt, but in the end, it was worth it.

There were six more gunmen standing outside the shop, and all of them were caught off guard by the strangely-clad young woman who'd just jumped out the window at them. Steph didn't waste any time, knowing that the element of surprise wouldn't last long. Running forward, she singled out two of the men who were furthest away from the entrance to the shop, that way Captain Pantyhose wouldn't accidentally shoot her if when he opened fire again.

Her flying tackle took the first of her chosen gunmen to the ground, and she disarmed him with a deft motion before using the butt of his own assault rifle to crack him across the jaw. He went limp beneath her, and she rolled aside just as a booted foot cut through the air where she'd been crouching atop the now-unconscious gunman. Acting more on reflex than anything else, she caught the man's leg and used his own momentum to flip him onto the hard, tiled floor of the corridor. He was down, but not out, and he leveled his rifle at her and let out a barrage of bullets, which she narrowly avoided by taking cover behind a large, concrete planter that decorated the middle of the corridor.

"You guys should really give up while you have the chance!" she shouted over the roar of gunfire. "Drop your weapons and let us take you in! Nobody wants to hurt you... Uh, except maybe Captain Pantyhose. I think he might actually, really want to hurt you..."

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TAGGED: Open / Red Hood
NOTES: Here
CREDITS: Thanks to BUNNYA! at Caution 2.0
[/center]

[Red Hood]

He and Batgirl were doing a good job of knocking down some of the gunmen but the problem with that was; they could get back up. That was why Jason so often went for the kill strike, now he was trying to be a little more reserved though. Still, he was sure he was going to end up killing these guys - if he didn't they would probably just end up killing him. Jason only spent a short moment examining the destruction he'd caused by knocking over the shelves, afterward he spun around and caught sight of Batgirl outside of the shop taking on a number of gunmen. He groaned to himself, positive that she was getting herself in over her head and was going to need someone to come to her rescue.

Guess who that someone would have to be.

Jason ran through the store toward the exit, and as he went collected a pair of women's shoes, one in each hand. Once outside of the woman's fashion shop Jason tackled one of the masked gunmen to the ground. He had gone for one of the men who was just standing around, unfortunately that man just so happened to be 'just standing around' with three other guys. Gunfire opened and Jason immediately rolled away from the man he tackled. Blood splashed up onto his new boots. A firing squad of three faced Jason with their bullets riddling anything in their path. With steady agility Jason darted through the hail of lead like it was a simple walk in the park.

He neared the shooter to the far left and knocked the man's rifle upward. With quick swings of the women's shoes in hand Jason assaulted the man's face with pointed heel over and over. Aware of everything around him Jason quickly rolled around the first of the firing squad as his buds turned their guns to get their target back in sight. Rolling around behind them Jason slammed the heels of his two shoes into the back of the men's necks. The shock of the blow made them squeeze their triggers down and fire erratically before Jason swept their legs out from under them.

Both men slammed hard into the ground, their heads hitting the tiled floor with enough for to give them pretty bad concussions. By this time the first shooter Jason had gone after had whirled around and now had his gun leveled on the crouched Jason Todd. Thinking quickly Jason plunged the heel of one of the stilettos into the gun barrel. The unexpected move confused the gunman and while he wasted time eying the end of his rifle Jason's legs powered him from the floor and drove him upward to deliver a hard uppercut right under the man's chin. Shoryuken!

[batgirl]

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"A Working Holiday"

[/size]
(Or "Proof that I Can't Ever Catch a Break")[/size]
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [/COLOR]

Hearing a lull in the gunfire, Steph leaped out from her cover and prepared to lay the smack down--

Only to find the rest of the gunmen littering the tiled floor in various states of hurt. She blinked, then pouted a little and put her hands on her hips, heaving a long, theatrical sigh. Fixing her eyes on Captain Pantyhose, she scowled and walked over to him.

"Seriously? I had 'em right where I wanted 'em," she lied. But really, she couldn't admit that they'd had her on the ropes, right? Right. "You messed up my entire plan, but... Well, at least they're all down. Nice job, for a rookie. Can't say as I approve of the murdering though."

Steph locked eyes with the young man, letting her obvious anger at his actions show through. Sure, they'd won the day and the bad guys had been stopped, but at what cost? How many men had lost their lives today, when this could've ended just as easily with no fatalities. Part of her wanted to stay and make sure she handed Pantyhose over to the police along with the remaining gunmen, but at the same time, she wasn't keen on the idea of having to explain herself...

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't put you down right along with these scumbags, huh? You're a murderer."

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TAGGED: Open / Red Hood
NOTES: Here
CREDITS: Thanks to BUNNYA! at Caution 2.0
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