I went out into the night

[controlledvariable]

Who: Stephanie Brown. Anyone who wants to meet Batgirl (Open).
What: Patrol.
Where: Starting in Mog Hill and heading towards the Spatters, passing through Bonetown and other neighborhoods.
When: Misdi/Coardi. Any time between sunset and sunrise.
Notes: Characters can run into her if they're on the rooftops as well, or if they're down on street level getting into, or up to, trouble. Rather than setting up a thread for each neighborhood, just LMK which area you're in.
Warnings: Violence/death/gore in the thread with Snape.

She had planned to wait longer until breaking out the Batgirl suit, not wanting it to be completely obvious that 'Batgirl' and 'Steph' were one and the same, but recent events have made her realize patrolling is more important than secret identities right now. And it's not like it matters if people know, they can't exactly go after her family or anything.

Even so, she was sticking to the rooftops, her aim for the night mainly reconnaissance. She's heading to the Spatters purely because the pamphlet warned against it, but she'll be making stops along the way to check things out. The city is big, and considering the distance she needs to travel, she expects to spend most of the night out. Having her grapple gun makes things easier; swinging across rooftops is quicker than running across them and she might get a lift from the El train by riding on top. She briefly wishes she had her car here, before reminding herself that she wouldn't get to see as much driving through streets as she does watching from above.

Comments

[studious_snake]

Meanwhile, Jay was on the ground. Panicking. He'd felt weird when he went around exploring the city before and came near Bonetown, and at the time, he'd left the area and decided to check back later. At night. With no one around to see. Which, he thought, in some ways might be a bad idea, but at least then he'd have privacy as he strode toward the place that was marked by a giant, looming skeleton. As he drew nearer to the bones, he felt his body shifting back into it's natural, serpentine form. Then he slithered out of his clothes, and found himself unable to change back. He panicked, slithering back and dragging his clothes with him as best he could, using his powers to transform himself halfway back into being human before staring at the bones in terror. He wouldn't be coming back here, he decided at that moment. Not ever.

And he'd have to figure out somewhere to turn back all the way and get dressed, he noted mentally.

[controlledvariable]

Steph's curiosity had been piqued at first simply because she'd recognized Jay. She was just going to follow him for a little while to make sure he didn't run into any trouble before heading on her way.

Then he turned into a snake.

Which, okay, not the weirdest thing Steph has ever seen, but it's pretty high up there. She's standing on a rooftop above Jay, not sure if she should go down to help. On one hand, Jay had seemed perfectly nice and just because he happened to turn into a snake didn't mean he was evil or anything. On the other hand, if she went down to him, it was probably gonna be pretty awkward, especially since he seemed to be caught between human and snake.

The fact he looked in need of help won out, and Steph made her way down the fire escape at the side of the building until she was crouched on the lowest level. She made sure to be quiet as she moved, not wanting to startle him before she was close enough to talk.

"Are you okay?" It's a simple question, without any fear or disgust in her voice.

[studious_snake]

Her voice startled him, and he spun around and hissed. Then he stared for a moment, frozen, not sure what to do. He honestly wasn't sure when she got so close, he hadn't noticed anyone nearby, but then, he had shed his glasses, too, when he'd turned into a snake. After a moment, he found his voice again.

"The...um...I think it's the bones doing it."

He was intentionally vague on what the bones were doing. In truth, they were making his power to turn human stop working, but he didn't want to say that. If there was any chance that she'd interpret this as something completely unrelated to anything to do with him, or his natural state of being, that would be great. However, certain insecurities made him risk a question that may lead her away from that thinking.

"You're not going to tell anyone about this, are you?"

He never actually answered her question, but he didn't really know what to say to that. Physically, he was fine. He just...had to find somewhere somewhat private to change back the rest of the way so he could dress himself, something he definitely didn't want to try while she was still there.

[controlledvariable]

She held her hands up in the universal 'I'm not gonna hurt you' gesture when he hissed. At what he says about the bones, Steph turns to look at them, frowning.

"They're magic?" She's not sure what exactly they did to him, but she makes a mental note to keep the hell away from the bones. She doesn't want anything to happen to her.

"Nah, it'll be our little secret." She says it lightly, with a smile, trying to put Jay at ease, "Do you need help getting away from the bones?"

She's working on the assumption that he can change back into a human once he's far enough away from the bones. And she jumps down from the fire escape, landing a few away from Jay. Getting closer makes it more likely he'll recognize her, but she has blackmail material now even if she wouldn't actually use it, so it doesn't matter as much.

[studious_snake]

"I'm guessing. I don't know more than you, I just know that when I got closer, this happened, and there aren't any other major things in the area to blame on it."

And he was fairly certain it wasn't some hidden spellcaster in the shadows, unless they'd also been there earlier that day. So perhaps it was unscientific to blame the bones when he hadn't thoroughly checked the possible causes, but he hardly wanted to stick around and confirm anything. After slipping on his shirt, since he had arms again and could wear it, and his glasses, before grabbing his pants and bundling them up in his hands. With a snake tail, he couldn't put them on, and he'd want to find some place more private to turn them back into legs.

Did he need help getting away from the bones? "Not really. I can move fine like this." And as if to demonstrate, he slithered a few yards further away, moving with such ease that it hinted at the fact that he'd been moving in this fashion his entire life. He paused then, however, and looked at her. "Why are you dressed like a bat?"

[controlledvariable]

"Has the, uh... snake thing ever happened before?" Because if it's a normal occurance and the bones just triggered it somehow, Steph will feel safe enough to go take a sample of them. Sometimes even magic leaves traces that Tim or Barabra might be able to find.

She nods when he says he's fine, and he definitely seems to have control of the situation, following as he moves because it's hard to carry on a conversation otherwise. But it's not hard to guess why he hasn't changed all the way back, "There's an alley about another twenty feet along and to your left, and it doesn't have any doors or windows facing it."

"Oh, right." The question makes her smile, "Because I'm Batgirl. I'll explain once you're dressed."

[studious_snake]

He hesitated a moment before answering, but said, "No, of course not."

He hoped she wouldn't notice the hesitation. He hoped the answer sounded natural, because he was definitely lying. The snake thing happened whenever he went to sleep, or whenever he simply didn't bother turning himself human before he was ready to leave to go to work, but she didn't need to know that. He was, however, glad to know about the alley.

"Thanks."

And he was also definitely asking about the Batgirl thing when he got back. For then, though, he decided to race over to the alleyway, seeming to have no trouble moving fast without any legs, before ducking into the alley. Going behind a dumpster, he changed back and dressed quickly, soon coming back out, looking once more like his normal self.

"So what's with the Batgirl thing?"

[controlledvariable]

"That's weird." She's not sure she believes him, but there's no point pressing.

Steph stayed where she was while Jay changed and dressed, leaning back against the wall of a building. The whole situation is pretty weird and Steph isn't sure if she can trust Jay to be honest, which means she doesn't want him to figure out who she is. The cowl covers enough of her face that she's not too worried, but there is a brief temptation to disappear into the shadows. That's not the sort of person Steph is, so she stays.

"Do you have superheroes or vigilantes where you're from?" Because she needs to know how exactly how much she'll have to explain.

→ spatters.

[23rd]

Laura doesn't exactly patrol, but she does spend time in the Spatters. She doesn't care if she gets a reputation for associating with Strangers, since she so rarely speaks to anyone in the rest of the city, and it's better for the people who do know her there to fear her. She knows people here, and they know her -- like they know if she's around, to not fuck with each other. The guy whose arm she broke a few weeks ago made sure to warn all his little buddies about some crazy chick who attacked him for "no good reason." Of course, that means all his little buddies are out looking for her, but unless one of them is the Juggernaut, none of them pose any danger to her.

She's sitting on the steps of someone's house with a couple other girls about her age, listening to them talk and drinking beer, all except Navit, who's pregnant. Talking to people is a good way to get information, and she's unobtrusive enough that people tend to forget she's there and say things they may not otherwise. She knows who deals, who beats women, which Militia agents come down here and what for -- whispers about Candlelighters. Her attention is caught, though, by the sound of footsteps on a nearby roof. When she glances upward -- without moving her head -- she can see movement, heading east. Most people wouldn't notice.

Laura is not most people.

After a moment, she puts down her beer, nods at the other girls, and walks off into an alley. She's up there without anyone seeing, following this girl. Because she is a girl, yes -- not assuming that that makes her more incompetent than the boys who do the same thing, Laura herself is proof that that's not true, but girls interest her more than boys do. Laura's default response to curiosity is start stalking.

[controlledvariable]

If Steph was being honest with herself, the Spatters is the neighborhood that most reminds her of home. Which means that it's the place where she'll probably be needed most as Batgirl but she can't actually live here, she feels like it'd draw too much attention to herself. Instead, she makes a mental note to check out property market in nearby neighborhoods.

She's already stopped one mugging and the adrenalin is making her a less cautious than she should be, forgoing the grapple gun in favor of running, jumping and climbing. She's still being quiet, but she's making enough noise by herself that she doesn't hear Laura at first.

After a few more rooftops though, she hears a footstep that isn't her own and instinctively puts her hand to her ear to activate the comm device - the one that isn't there anymore. But she reminds herself that she's working without back up most of her career and picks up the pace, moving faster and more hapazardly across the rooftops.

The plan is to shake off whoever's follower her, then double back around to put herself in the role of the stalker.

[23rd]

Interesting. It usually takes them longer to notice she's there. (Generally speaking, people only notice Laura's there when it's too late.) She has to know what she's doing, and be good at it.

This isn't quite a game for her in that she's not doing it to entertain herself, nor is it really a test, but rather than just step out and let herself be known, she feels compelled to keep it up. At some point, she abruptly vanishes from the rooftops, which doesn't mean that she's given up. That would be too obvious.

She's on street level -- the streets are quiet enough even at this time of night that she can't blend in with a crowd, but neither is she easy to spot, one dark figure on dark streets in the middle of the night. She's tucked the silver raptor talon she's wearing under her shirt so it won't jingle or reflect any lights and give her away, and she moves silently when she wants to. She doesn't need to see Steph to follow her; like most of the Wolverine line, Laura is feral and uses her hearing and smell more than her vision.

[controlledvariable]

Even Batman can't sneak up on Steph these days, she's been training harder than ever to make sure she could live up to the Batgirl mantle that Cass gave her.

But she's not perfect, and when Laura disappears from the rooftops Steph takes it to mean she's shaken her pursuer and starts the 'doubling back' part of her plan. She takes out her grapple gun now, using it to bank sharply around a corner before disconnecting the line and free falling for a few seconds before she lands on the second story balcony of a builing. The lights are off, and she's quiet enough that even if someone is home, they won't notice her for the few minutes she lays low.

Steph expects to be able to see her pursuer pass, but after three minutes are up and she sees no one, she climbs back up to the roof. She takes up position between in a corner, keeping as hidden as best she can. The lenses of her cowl are flicked down now, and she pulls up the infrared display so she scan the darkness for her stalker.

[23rd]

Maintaining her relative position, Laura stops when Steph does and waits as she does, then moves with her. She sees very well in the dark, but has no way of knowing whether Steph has night vision or something else -- that level of tech isn't widely available in Baedal outside of the Militia, although people tend to make do with magical substitutes. She can see that Steph is scanning around her and she holds very still where she is, in a dark place underneath a rusty fire escape that isn't so dark that her pale skin will stand out, her breath imperceptible even with how cold it is in Ruudary.

Infrared will reveal Laura as running hotter than normal -- except for the adamantium around her claws. Her body heat warms it up a little, but the metal is always significantly colder than she is and is pretty easy to identify as some kind of weapon, two in each hand and one in each foot. They're too long to be practical for throwing and located in inconvenient places to access quickly. Then again, knives around her hands makes sense, they could be tucked up her jacket's sleeves.

But in her feet?

[controlledvariable]

That's... weird. Steph tries to think of an alternate explanation for why there'd be a heat pattern - or lack thereof - like the one she's seeing right now, but comes up short. Maybe they're knives in the person's boots?

It doesn't really matter, Steph decides. Her pursuer is armed and possibly dangerous so she needs to stop the game of cat and mouse and figure out exactly what's going on. Her hand goes to her belt, where her collapsible bo staff is kept and she pulls it out, ready to be flicked to full length.

She starts moving again; slowly and carefully making her way to the rooftop across from Laura. If she gets there before Laura starts moving again, she'll drop down to street level. If not, she'll keep up the pursuit with the intent of catching up to her.

[23rd]

It doesn't take her long to realise that she's been spotted and that Steph is moving with the kind of purposefulness that indicates possible aggression, which was not Laura's intention at all, so she probably ought to do something to defuse that. Which, while there are a million sensible ways to do so, she chooses to vanish again -- and this time reappear on the opposite end of the same rooftop as Steph, standing very close to the edge. How she got up there so quickly is anyone's guess, since that side of the building has nothing to climb.

She pauses for a moment.

"Hi," she says finally. It's strange, there's no aggression, no outwardly threatening behaviour. Laura can look unintimidating when she wants to; she's very small, and very young, and even though she holds herself with the spatial awareness that comes with the kind of intense training she underwent, there's an awkwardness to her. It's like she doesn't know what to do around people -- which she doesn't. Even after six years of freedom, she still doesn't quite know how to behave outside the parameters of a mission.

Hence, you know, the stalking, instead of just coming up and saying hi to begin with. This is normal, right? This is what normal people do?

[joiedeviolet]

Kate knows that going to Spatters is a bad idea. After all, that's where the Venom versus her friends battle went down. But the night seems relatively calm, oddly calm, tonight. Maybe that broadcast had a side effect of scaring the perps into behaving. Not that she'd say something like that out loud, but it's crossed her mind.

If Kate knows anything about perps is that they never stay quiet for long. Sooner or later, they'll get brave or bored or anything else in between and be up to their old tricks again. But that's just fine by her. She'll be here on a rooftop overlooking a four corner intersection, ready to shut down their game.

[controlledvariable]

Kate is right, not far from the intersection where she's waiting, there's the obvious sounds of a scuffle, the calm of the night broken by a shout.

Half an hour ago Steph had come across a group of men, some armed with baseball bats, and some not carrying anything in the way that suggested they were ready to pull a knife any second. Steph had been trailing them for a while, fairly confident they were up to no good, but not ready to jump to conclusions. Her suspicions had been confirmed when a middle aged man had come out the back entrance of a bar, only to be set upon by the group. Steph hadn't wasted time jumping down the fray, providing a distraction for the older man to get away.

The shout had come from one of the men who's now on the floor, clutching his dislocated knee as Steph starts taking down the other four men. Her bo staff out and cape swirling as she fights.

[joiedeviolet]

The shout is enough to get Kate moving, sliding down a gutter pipe to head out onto the street proper. By the time she gets there, somebody is already doing her job for her, but it's nobody familiar. She's never seen this costume before or the weaponry, but Kate's not going to stand there and let what looks like another woman her age take on four grown men. Not that she thinks the other person can't handle it; she just wants in on the action too.

Kate steps up, looking like she's appeared out of thing air and punches the man closest to her directly in the face, just hard enough to distract him from trying to attack Step from the back and turn his attention to her own self. It's been a while since she's had a good fight.

[controlledvariable]

"I had him!" But it's said with a grin, and there's almost a laugh in her voice as she jabs one of the attackers with the end of her staff, striking his sternum and knocking the wind out of him. When he bends over in pain, she steps closer and brings her elbow down on the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.

[joiedeviolet]

"Sure you did. I mean, you totally have eyes in the back of your head!" A lot of trash talking here, obviously, while Kate aims a swift kick to the guy's ribcage, dropping him to his knees where she gives him a equally as swift fist to the head again.

Three down, two to make regret their actions.

[controlledvariable]

"Isn't that what ears are for? Or do you have to rely on your eyes only?" Kate won't be able to see her smirk, but it's in her voice.

The last two are starting to look a little nervous, but they come at Kate and Steph anyway. Steph dodges a punch, then uses her bo staff to trip up one guy, following his momentum with an axe kick to his shoulder, sending him down hard. He's not unconscious, but he's smart enough to stay down.

She turns to make sure Kate's handling the last one fine.

[joiedeviolet]

"You can't hear a fist coming, but you can definitely hear it when it hits your face and by then, it's too late," Kate laughs as she pulls her battle staves out of the loops of her pants and connects them into a staff not too different from Steph's. One end gets jammed into the gut of the man and the other end is easily flipped over to crack the back of his head. Not hard enough to give him brain damage, but just hard enough to send him into naptime on the concrete.

Oh, she handled him just fine.

[inkdamage]

In the Spatters near Ketch Heath, where the buildings tend to run underground, some left-over colony of catacombs that are now inhabited by the darker dregs of the Strangers (and people who'd like to be mistaken for Strangers, benefiting from their isolation), there's a commotion.

It begins long before anyone is out patrolling, and is would be too much and to dangerous for anyone to stop anyway - but when the night is darkest the plains beyond those crumbling structures peeking out of the earth are finally silent. In the air, rising above the tendrils of fog that creep into the Spatters, appears a great glowing apparition in the sky: a human skull, with a snake crawling out of its mouth.

Below it are six corpses, five of them twisted and bloodied, killed through unspeakable chthonic torture. Only one is untouched - a woman. Pale skin and wild, dark hair, she lays in the center of the carnage, her face twisted into an expression of rage even in death. She has no marks on her, no bruises, no apparent cause of death - and there isn't one inside, either. She's just dead, with no clues as to how or why.

No one else is there, and for all the world, there's nothing left to suggest anyone else ever was.

[controlledvariable]

Steph's eyes go wide when she sees the apparition and takes off at run, dropping down to street level because it's quicker. Something like dread settles in her stomach, the area on it's own is creepy enough, the glowing skull and snake really doesn't help.

She hesitates briefly before entering the catacombs, putting down the lenses of her cowl and turning on night vision, and pulling out her bo staff, before heading in. Her movements are quiet, careful, but that goes out the window when she sees the bodies.

"Oh my god." She puts her staff away and runs to the bodies, checking the pulse of each one, despite the fact they all clearly look dead. The smell isn't overwhelming yet, so she knows this can't have happened too long ago. But once it's clear that no one's left alive, Steph just stands still for a long time, fighting down the horror and nausea at the scene in front of her. This is worse than what she saw on the network, worse than almost anything she's seen during her time as a vigilante. She can't imagine who - or what - would have done this and part of her doesn't want to try.

It takes her a while, but eventually she's calm enough to run though the usual procedure of checking a crime scene, her actions automatic. She takes samples, and looks for any traces of other people having been there, cursing under her breath when she realizes how little there is to find. She doubts she'll ever find answers to this.

"I'm sorry," it's spoken to the bodies, an apology for the fact she can't do anything else for them, she doesn't have the strength to dig graves for each of them, and she's not sure if she should tell the authorities about this. She's done what she can here.

Steph turns away from the bodies and starts on her way home.

[goodsoldier]

Bonetown is Jason's sometimes haunt; he lives there but tries not to do much in the area, because he knows that he'll clash with the local criminal element. Normally, that's not a concern. A bonus, really. But the Broad Arrow is extensively integrated with many levels of Baedal society. It's objective fact that he can't take them on — not now, probably not ever, not in the way he would like. He needs to be much more established himself, and that's what he's working on right now, as difficult as it is.

Helena is based in Bonetown too, and though it's the purple he sees just for a second in the slightly less dark portion of a rooftop, he already knows it can't be her. He waits a beat and a half before moving to follow, keeping back out of wary instinct that runs marrow deep.