Earth-52 IC

[industrious]

Lock-Up

She inclines her head, smiles, and gets up from the table. A slim arm extends and she offers her hand to Lyle.

"I would."

The dance floor is the perfect sort of crowded. Surrounded by so many people that they are essentially private, but not so many that they'd have to shout.

"So..." she says, taking on a more serious countenance while they waltz to the music. "Have you thought about what I said after lunch?"

It's been a wonderful, if slightly awkward evening up until this point. Now, it seems either one or the other description will have to be dropped.

Ra's And Talia

Colonel Kane excuses himself, as Kate's stepmother joins him on the ballroom floor. Ra's cell phone vibrates, and he stares at something on the screen.

"I apologize for the suddenness," he says, standing abruptly. "But something has just come up, and I have to depart. Colonel Kane, Ms. Kane. Ms. Blake. Detective."

Talia follows as he strides from the room.

"Mr. Lawton, I thank you, and you may consider yourself to be relieved for the evening."

Zinda

"Well, that wasn't suspicious at all," chirps the blonde. "He probably hasn't counted his money in hours."

She hops up herself, and puts her arm around Floyd as if draping it across his shoulders. Lawton, on the other hand, notices it's dangerously close to a chokehold.

"So. Floyd. How about a dance?"

Table Talk

And then there were two.

[DeafnotDumb]

Katherine Walker

Now there is nobody else here but Kane, standing next to the policewoman. Katherine looks at her empty glass, but no answer comes from there. At least there's no one around to see her acting like... this, around a woman.

Christ, she was even avoiding saying it inside her own head! What was wrong with her? She had to ask, she had to ask, but, but-

"Kane..." She says, her mouth obviously having given up on waiting for Katherine's brain to act on its own, "..about the garden, the private conversation, the - the -" Her mouth falters as the rest of her catches up with it and gags her. She stands there still, her expression impossible to read for a moment, because it's one that the Lieutenant works hard to keep from ever entering her face.

She's afraid.

She looks around to make sure nobody else is nearby, and only then does she speak. It's almost a whisper. "How'd you know?"

[Terron]

Luigi turns to Thomas. "Incredible how much help do some people need to express their feelings." he says casually. You should change your name, who needs Black Crossbow when they can have Doctor Heart? Nice. he thought inwardly. After that, his eyes focused on the tables, and the people still there, he was searching. Searching for a dance partner, Luigi loved dancing, even this nose-stretched waltz. His eyes quickly moved to Selina's table, that was one hell of a woman, if she was free, then there was no doubt as where he was going to next.

[Sophistemon]

Lock-Up

His stomach drops, and Lyle realizes that he hadn't only walked into a trap, he'd set and baited it himself. He's silent for a moment, his throat tight as they dance, his arm around her waist in a slow waltz. The moment stretches into half a minute, and he discerns that he'll need to say something, and soon. "Shondra," he begins. A good start, but essentially worthless for anything beyond getting her attention. "I..., uhm..." He sighs, and his eyes start searching the floor for a hole to crawl into. Finding none, he looks back at her face. "I've thought about it," he admits, nervously, almost ashamedly. "And... I don't know. Quitting the street-work would mean safety, security. A chance to spend more of my time in the Slammer, with the patients... and with you. But I do good on the streets, Shondra. I help people. I've personally dismantled six gangs in the last four months, thug by thug. If you add Deadshot into the mix, we've taken out over ten of them in the same period, working together. Think of how many people we've helped in the long run. Think of how many people we can help in the future." He shakes his head. "I'm not going to say that the others need me - they're a good group, and they're great at what they do. But what if I quit, and they're not enough anymore? What if one of them gets hurt, or dies because I wasn't there to take the bullet for them?" He looks away, unable to face her scrutiny. "Shondra, I lo... I care about you, a lot. But I have a responsibility to the people of Gotham to use my gifts to defend them."

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

The Question

There's a moment where Walker can see Kate's confusion. "Know? How'd I...oh." Kate gets up from her seat, and takes one closer to Walker. Her voice is quiet now, so much so that the Lieutenant has to listen closely to hear her over the polite din of the Ball.

"I'd suspected for awhile, Lieutenant. As it turns out, we both loved the same woman, though I think your relationship with her was mostly platonic. At least, you probably told yourself that about her at the time. There were...other clues, but I wasn't exactly certain until this moment. Let me assure you right now, Lieu...no, Katherine. Your secret is safe with me." Kate looks directly into Katherine's eyes as she says this, and Kate can feel the utter conviction behind her words.

"If I can ask...when did you first realize?"

[DeafnotDumb]

Katherine Walker

Katherine opens her mouth to automatically reply, and then shuts it. The precise detail of what she was going to say is probably not what was suited for this environment, or really any environment. "With another girl, at... far too young." She says carefully. She looks almost miserable as she says it, even forgetting to keep an eye out for anybody else getting too near to the conversation. "I like men fine too, but...I prefer. You know." She takes a deep breath.

"I..." She begins, and stops again as she recalls Kane's promise to secrecy. She visibly calms herself down, gripping the side of the table and breathing in one, two deep breaths. "Sorry," she says, sounding almost amused. "I'm not being too good at this. I don't suppose it was easy for you, either." Katherine's brain, aware that it should be doing some work right now, reads back on what Kane has just said and raises a flag. A bit of susipsion rises and that, better than any words, is what brings Katherine Walker back to herself. "'Suspected for awhile?' Kane, I'm too tipsy to think that through. We ain't met that much. How'd you get the evidence?"

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

The Question

"You're doing fine, Katherine," Kate whispered. She smiled softly, recognizing the awkwardness Walker felt. "If you weren't nervous right now, there'd be something wrong with you."

Her face falls slightly when Walker starts analyzing her words, then she smiles and shakes her head. "This is why Gordon put you in charge of the MCU, Katherine. Your mind won't take a night off. I'll tell you everything - but not here. Still too many prying eyes and ears. Meet me in the gardens in fifteen minutes. There's a bench by the koi pond, perfect for privacy. Normally off-limits to the guests, but I think you'll find the way cleared for you. Once you're there, I'll tell you everything."

Kate gets up, mingles her way through the crowd, stopping to make polite chit-chat with some of the guests, all the while making her way to one of the corridors off the ballroom. As she slips into the gardens, she can feel her heart pounding, and the palms of her hands sweat nervously. Jesus, she thought. I wasn't this nervous when I came out. Fitting.

[DeafnotDumb]

Katherine Walker

Walker grabs Kane a moment before she leaves, and looks her in the face. "Thanks." She says simply, and lets her go.

Katherine doesn't bother keeping an eye on the time, getting her nerves to fray while counting down the fifteen minutes. She just keeps an eye on Kane, watching her go about the party while the policewoman speaks with half a mind to those brave enough to talk to her, or just half-watches the dance when she's alone. After what feels like a bit too long, Kane slips her way out of the ballroom.

Katherine waits three minutes, and then makes a show of looking at her mobile (no reply from Babs yet: wonder how the girl was doing?) and put a concerned frown on her face. Making polite excuses to the person who'd just come up to her, she makes her way towards the same direction that Kane excited in. Being Walker, she is interrupted by far fewer people wanting to make polite conversation with her on the way.

She gets to the edge of the gardens, and stops. Looks around to make sure no-one has followed her. It really is a nice night.

Okay, Katherine, you can do this. You've faced worse. It's just a... something. A something with one of the richest women in the city who makes her feel like a street kid. With something that she's going to tell you.

Oh, well. As her grandfather would have said, once you've got a chance to trap the bugger take it. Although he was probably talking about men.

She stepped into the garden. "Kane?" She asks, quietly.

[industrious]

Shondra

"And even if you stop all of them, and keep all of them for harm, Lyle...what good would it be, if it would cost you your soul?"

Shondra's a mediocre dancer at best; time in the hospital didn't lend one to footwork well. Her timing's wonderful, but she hasn't spent much time in heels; Lyle's feet are going to ache after this.

"You go out, and fight, and fight, and all that fighting feeds the demon in your soul. There are other ways to help. Other ways to do good."

The waltz is slow, and the music soft. Other dancers are around them but they're caught up in their own conversation, their own dance, their own world. There are the two of them and the music.

"I'm not going to ask you to give it up. Not right now. Just...take a break from it. Let me help you, so that the man you are is not consumed by the man that you were."

Luigi turns to Thomas. "Incredible how much help do some people need to express their feelings." he says casually. You should change your name, who needs Black Crossbow when they can have Doctor Heart? Nice. he thought inwardly. After that, his eyes focused on the tables, and the people still there, he was searching. Searching for a dance partner, Luigi loved dancing, even this nose-stretched waltz. His eyes quickly moved to Selina's table, that was one hell of a woman, if she was free, then there was no doubt as where he was going to next.

Selina Kyle

She turns towards Luigi, perfectly formed eyebrow raised, and lips twisted in a manner both inquisitive and intriguingly delightful.

"Can I help you?"

???

The Agent of the Demon was before him. Had prevented him from his Holy Purpose.

He attacks, lunging towards the red coated figure, only to fall short. The Hellspawn (for what else could elude an Angel as he?) retaliates with a series of blows directed at his head, designed to stun and confuse him.

Theirs is a strange fight. Neither wish to disturb the mortals below. Neither intend to let the other live. They fight in silence, caught in the dance of violence, accompanied by the distant waltz below.

[Sophistemon]

Lyle Bolton

He's silent for a long while, seconds stretching into a minute or more, mulling over her words as they waltz. It's almost surreal, having a conversation like this, about a very private matter, surrounded by other people. Thankfully, everyone's attention is consumed by their partner in the dance, ensuring privacy. Shondra looks at him with expectation in her eyes, and he can't face it. He casts his gaze downwards, at their feet on the dance floor. When he finally looks back up and meets her eyes, she can see that his are bleary. "What if I can't?" he asks, and his voice is somewhat choked. "What if I can't stop it, Shondra?" He looks away, ashamed of himself, of the weakness he's showing. "What if I still like the fighting? What if I need it?" He swallows nervously and bites his lower lip. "When... when I got these gifts, when I got bigger, and stronger, and smarter... I didn't need the violence as much anymore. I didn't crave it like I used to. But I don't think that he fixed me. I think that I was just changed enough to work around it... I think the damage is still there, beneath the surface." He looks back into her eyes. "I don't know if I can stop. I don't know if I have it in me."

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

The Question

Kate is sitting on a stone bench overlooking the koi pond as Walker finds her in the garden. The noise of the Ball is audible, but distant from this place. Kate looks up at Walker, smiles, and slides over to make room for her on the bench.

"Renee," she says quietly. "She's as good a place as any to start, especially since she's the tie between us. I met her about seven years ago, back when she was still walking a beat. She pulled me over for speeding - I I was doing at least 85 down the Metropolis-Gotham run. She followed me on her bike until I pulled over. I still remember watching her walk to my Harley. There's just something about a woman in uniform..." Kate trails off, then notices Walker's unease in wearing her dress blues, and quickly resumes the story.

"We talked a bit about my bike, and that's where things began. I'm not sure if you knew, but Renee and I were...involved. She'd talked about you in passing - said that you were a hardass, but one hell of a cop. She kept her sexuality a secret, which bothered me at the time. I wanted her to come out and be proud of who she was. I understand now, though. Her parents wouldn't have been understanding, I'm sure. If she had, I'm sure they wouldn't have given her a Catholic burial." Kate's face tightens as she remembers those dark days. She takes a moment to collect herself before continuing.

"We'd fought, that night, she and I. I was going to meet up with her and try to make things right between us when it happened. I, uh...." Kate runs one hand through her close-cropped hair. "I sort of lost my way after her death. We met not long after that, Katherine. You could be forgiven for not remembering - a lot happened that day. It was five years ago. The day that we very nearly lost Mayor Dent to an assassin's bullet. What do you remember about that day?"

[DeafnotDumb]

Katherine Walker

Katherine sits and listens. It's something she's good at. It's almost like hearing a confession, except a garden is a very different place than a grey interrogation room and the person who's talking is accused of no crime. But there's the same need for something to be heard, for something to be listened to and acknowledged by another human being, so Katherine sits and listens and doesn't interrupt, and only thinks a little of the dead policewoman that it turned out she'd known even less than she'd thought.

Then the question comes, and Katherine sits and thinks on it as the night air sobers her up. She's never been the fastest thinker, her thoughts more suited to the pace of investigations and task forces and homicides, but she gets there.

"There was the Smiler," She says, "and Crane, two freaks, Lock-Up and the Crimson Avenger." She winces at how silly the names still sound to her, skipping over the whole I-saw-the-Lord-of-Dreams-I'm-not-crazy-I-swear bit. "Lock Up's still with us, but the girl became the Question, who's got training, like you might get from the army, and who I know was in -" she just avoids the word "-partners with Renee, and who acts like she's got something of a high-class background about her. Makes sense."

She laughs, a little. "This is gonna be quite embarassing if you turn out not to be her." She pauses and then, moved by an impluse, adds something. "Just.. about Renee... I couldn't figure out who she had, but I knew she had someone. And that she liked them, too."

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

The Question

Kate shares in Katherine's laugh. "Yeah, that would be awkward. 'You don't remember? I was the person on Dent's left!' No, nothing that anti-climactic. You remember it well. And I shouldn't be surprised you put the pieces together, Katherine - Gordon put you in charge of the MCU for a reason.

"I was the Crimson Avenger. I am The Question. I'm glad you figured it out. Saves me from having to put on the mask. That'd be a touch melodramatic."

She stands, placing her hands in the pockets of her tux jacket and glancing out over the koi pond. "My biggest regret is that I didn't tell you sooner. I'd hidden that part of myself to protect the people I care about, and I thought that Renee's death was my burden to bear. She died; I lived. The city had taken the best part of my life from me, like it always had, and when I found a bit of peace, a touch of sanity, I was determined not to lose it again. That meant keeping people at arm's length, doing the job and trying not to form attachments to people. Even the ones I worked with to fight the growing madness in Gotham. Even you, Katherine. Especially you. You reminded me of her." Kate bites her lower lip, pausing for a moment before continuing.

"It wasn't until we met her again that I saw how much she had affected you. You loved her as well - maybe not romantically, but she was like family to you. I wasn't the only one who was wounded by her passing, and it was childish and selfish to think that. That's why I wanted to talk to you - you deserve to know the truth. You deserve to have your questions answered."

[DeafnotDumb]

Katherine Walker

"Thanks... for telling, Kane. Or is it Question?" Katherine shakes her head. "But... I didn't love Renee. I thought I did, but - you think I'm bitter and angry now? Shoulda seen me back then." She smirks at the memory. "She was the first person I didn't think was fighting me or using me or wanted me for something, so I choose to feel some emotion. It wasn't real, not like Ba- other people are."

"If we're doing the truth-telling session-" Katherine stops and stands up, picking up her cane and looking away from the other woman. She makes a decision "I was first on the scene when she died. A man called Grayson killed her, but there was another man in the room. You could likely say he caused her death."

"I - God, this is melodramatic." Katherine breaks off, and rolls her eyes at the situation. "Just don't do anything stupid, because he served his time and is working to get past it. But that guy was an ex-mob, and he works with us now. It's Crossbow."

Only then does she lower her gaze to look at Kane's expression.

[Terron]

Luigi outstretched his right arm, palm up in a flourish, aiming to Selina's hand that rested on the table. "Indeed, if you would join a humble man to dance waltz, I'll be in your debt, bella signorina." Trying your luck with the most gorgeous lady in the place was quite obviously, fated to fail rotundly. But, perhaps, she was willing to make cheap talk with a complete stranger. She however, was not a strang no one; she, Selina Kyle, was a magazine character. Luigi tried to scan his brain for more information on Selina, should a conversation arise.

[industrious]

Shondra

"And if you never try, you'll never know."

The song ends, and there is a smattering of applause at the ensemble. Shondra pulls away the two from the rest of the waltzers.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to go powder my nose."

Not really. But it's an opportunity for Lyle to think, and reflect alone for a time. And when she gets back, she'll expect some sort of answer.

Selina Kyle

She runs the largest charity foundation dedicated to urban renewal, specifically Gotham's East End. And despite her goals nearly always being against those of the various cartels and mobs in Gotham, has never been attacked that anyone knows of.

She raises an eyebrow, well.

"Well," she says, her voice lingering over each syllable. "If the gentlemen asks."

Selina dances elegantly; Degas would be in rapture upon observing her form.

She also, despite not being in the proper position, leads.

"Tell me," she murmurs, her words barely visible over the din of the crowd. "What have I done to warrant a visit from a Lieutenant of the Mob?"

[Terron]

"An outstanding observation, if outdated. I have no ties with the Mafia now, I made an awful lot of mistakes in my life, but I have served my time in jail and I'm still trying to pay for a past that hunts me. You have nothing to fear from a man like me; as I said earlier, I'm but a humble man looking to share a waltz with an outstanding woman. The small pleasures of life I allow myself to enjoy." explains Luigi, as he puts in practice his Waltz expertise.

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

The Question

Kate notes Katherine's quick verbal misstep, but brings no attention to it. "Call me Kate, Katherine. I'm not on the job tonight." Kate's demeanor changes as Katherine discusses the Black Crossbow with her. "Yes, I know about Grayson, and that fool of a made man that joined us. I remember what that psychotic man in black told us about him, and what he told us about Grayson. He can't be trusted with secrets, that much is certain, and for a man that killed for a living, he's got no head for a fight. The only reason I've been content with him on the team is because it's easier to keep tabs on him that way. It probably sounds heartless, but he doesn't recognize his limitations, and that makes him a liability in the field.

"You had also asked how I knew about...that." Kate sidesteps the obvious implication. "Again, I wasn't sure until you told me, but I suspected between Renee and the document on my alternate self I received. Looks like I was wrong with Renee, and I'm still not sure how much I can read into that document for this world. Hell, I dress like a damn bat over there. " Kate scoffs at the thought of something so preposterous. "Still, a lot of things were the same, so I wasn't sure if the fact that we were in a relationship in that world meant that you were...um, receptive here. Or even if I should pursue that. Not that I revealed myself just for that reason, of course!"

Kate stops for a second and listens to herself. "I'm rambling now. I had to tell you since I think you're one of the few people that I can trust and understands the utter insanity of what we face. There's nobody I can talk to - Rhetoric's too young, Lock-Up and Deadshot have their bromance, and I don't trust anyone else enough to keep these secrets. But...I think I can trust you, Katherine."

[DeafnotDumb]

Katherine Walker

"Your document mentioned me?" Katherine interjects at one point, curious. And a little confused. "Mine just mentioned that my life went pretty similar to here." Not really a lie, but... she'd known this woman for two years now, it turns out. Give her the truth. "Dead." She explains with a shrug. "I'm telling you this now, cause, well..."

Katherine smiles. It's an unusal expression on her. "I never really trusted The Question." She says. "I got enough issues to be free with someone whose name and face I don't know. But you gave me yours. It's different now."

She pauses a moment and then gets out her phone, presses a few buttons, and hands it to Kane. "My number. Whatever happens, you feel like the work's getting to much for you, just call. I'm a cop. I know how these things can run people through." The policewoman finishes the speech confidently, and then flushes as she realizes that she's just given another woman her number. She covers her face with her hand. "And you can also use it to arrange a date with me or something too, although it's been a long time and forget I said anything and start over."

Deep breath.

"I'm, uh, very receptive." Katherine starts again. "And I'd love to, well, date. You're rich and you're high-class and you're glamourous but on the other hand you can lay out a man with one punch and you're damn good looking and that more than makes up for the rest, but." Katherine stops, and starts again. "We're both known. And I don't think the papers would allow me to look after Steph if they knew what I was."

She sits down again, and slides out her bad leg so it can get some rest. "You got any idea how we could go about this? 'Cause I'd... quite like to, Kate." She tries out saying the name.

It doesn't sound half bad.

[Sophistemon]

Lyle Bolton

And then the song is over, and she's gone, and he's alone on the dance floor.

His head reels as he makes his way back to the table. He sits, carefully, so that the chair doesn't rock, and looks down at his plate. Could he really do it? Could he really give up the street-work, the thug-bashings, the violent confrontations with Gotham's super-criminal elite? He sometimes felt like he fed off the fighting, that the violence filled an emptiness inside him. But Shondra filled it, too, and if he retired, spending more time with her might be enough to keep him in check, keep the anger from pulling him down. She might even be able to help him find a way to bury it forever, to lock it up, away from the rest of his mind and unable to influence him further.

It was a lot to think about.

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

The Question

Kate smiles - a genuine, heart-felt smile - as Katherine hands her phone off. Kate adds the number to her own smartphone, and returns the Lieutenant's phone to her. "It wouldn't be easy, Katherine. You've dealt with the crime reporters so far - trust me, if you think those guys are bad, you haven't dealt with the society vultures. And those are the ones from respectable papers - the tabloid journalists are ten times worse. The moment we're photographed together, they'll start digging into your past, finding out everything about you. I'd almost rather deal with the Smiler on a daily basis than them. Almost." She shook her head, the disdain for these sharks clear in her brilliant green eyes.

"But I made it work once. And it was worth it then. And like I said, Katherine..." During this time, Kate has turned to face Katherine. There's a daring playfulness in her eyes now, and the corners of her ruby lips are raised in a coquettish smile. One gloved hand rests gently on Katherine's thigh. The world is quiet, but for the two of them.

"...there's just something about a woman in uniform." Then she leans slowly in, her eyes closing, and prays fervently that Walker meets her halfway.

[DeafnotDumb]

Katherine Walker

Katherine winces at the thought of the press digging into her past. There was plenty of stuff, too much, that would be - deservedly - criticized if it came to light. It's another piece of politics mucking with her life. "I-"

And then Kane steps closer and all thoughts of politics go out of the window in favour of something much more interesting. She's waiting for the policewoman to make a move, to meet halfway.

One thing that can be said about Walker is that she does not go just halfway when there's more that could be done.

It's been seven years since her last romantic contact. Walker decides to make it a kiss worth waiting for.

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

Kate Kane

Kate's surprised for a moment by the passion behind Katherine's kiss. Kate had only intended for the kiss to be soft, beautiful, tender - a taste of things to come. Katherine clearly had other plans, and Kate quickly adapted to them. Her pale skin flushes, and the two of them enjoy the moment for longer than they should.

When they finally break the kiss, Kate smirks playfully. "Damn, Katherine, you don't hold back on anything, do you?" She's tempted to return to kissing Katherine, but she's more cognizant of the party that continues in the house behind her. She frowns slightly, and sighs. "They'll be missing us soon. We need to get back to the party before the gossips start coming to the correct conclusion. I'll call you, and we'll figure out where to go from here." She embraced Katherine, whispering into her ear. "I'd run through how this whole thing would go several times in my head. None of them ended with having your number. Enjoy the rest of the Ball, Katherine." After their embrace, Kate reluctantly left Katherine in the gardens, returning to the bright colors of the Ball.

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

Kate Kane

Kate's surprised for a moment by the passion behind Katherine's kiss. Kate had only intended for the kiss to be soft, beautiful, tender - a taste of things to come. Katherine clearly had other plans, and Kate quickly adapted to them. Her pale skin flushes, and the two of them enjoy the moment for longer than they should.

When they finally break the kiss, Kate smirks playfully. "Damn, Katherine, you don't hold back on anything, do you?" She's tempted to return to kissing Katherine, but she's more cognizant of the party that continues in the house behind her. She frowns slightly, and sighs. "They'll be missing us soon. We need to get back to the party before the gossips start coming to the correct conclusion. I'll call you, and we'll figure out where to go from here." She embraced Katherine, whispering into her ear. "I'd run through how this whole thing would go several times in my head. None of them ended with having your number. Enjoy the rest of the Ball, Katherine." After their embrace, Kate reluctantly left Katherine in the gardens, returning to the bright colors of the Ball.

[DeafnotDumb]

Katherine Walker

Walker broke of from the embrace, still flushed from that first kiss. She nods, and taps at her pocket. "I'll pretend I had a phone call. Police business." She says. "And, Kane... you look good in a tux."

When the woman has left, Katherine waits for the sound of her footsteps to die away and mentally counts up to one-hundred and twenty. Then she quickly looks around the garden, behind the hedges, the flowerbeds, the statues and whatever else there may be to ensure that there is absolutely nobody there but her and the weird-looking fish.

Then she takes a deep breath.

If you were expecting it, and if you had very sharp and careful hearing, you might just have been able to hear it from the din of the Ball.

"Yes!"

[industrious]

Shondra

She returns after a few minutes, and sits next to Lyle. There is no physical contact between the two, and she doesn't announce her presence. He just senses her there, waiting patiently for him to speak.

[Sophistemon]

Lyle Bolton

He breathes deeply, drawing air into his chest before he exhales, slowly, deflating, before he speaks. "I couldn't do it alone," he says, staring down at his plate. "I know enough about myself to know my limits, my... my weaknesses. Even if I tried, I'd fail. I'd be back on the streets in a week, looking for trouble." He turns his head to face her, and their eyes meet. "But... I haven't been alone for a while, have I?" He's silent then, for a moment, before continuing. "I couldn't do it alone, Shondra. But together?" He nods. "I think I could."

[industrious]

Shondra

"I'm glad."

She kisses him then -chastely, and on the cheek, but it's still a kiss.

Lucius would be insufferable after this, Lyle just knew it.

The Ball Comes to An End

The ball continues for perhaps another two hours. People mingle and dance, socialize and ostracize, and none can do it better than the upper crust.

But as the clock strikes midnight, people begin to take their cues to leave, and depart gracefully, mostly in limousines, though there are some exceptions. Ms. Blake, for example, left riding a vintage Indian Chief motorcycle, a mustachio'd man riding in back and coping a feel at the same time. The wealthy disapproved, but Zinda Blake had enough wealth that they, at least in public, would kindly forget her plethora of faux pas upon their next meeting.

???

He was losing.

It had now a test of endurance; fighting for over two hours would do that. They were evenly matched, the two of them, caught in a dance of fists and feet and knees and on several occasions, their heads.

Except...

As the mortals below depart for mortal residences, the Demon takes on new strength and takes on a vicious smile. The blows are no longer equal; their movements no longer synchronized. The Demon is gaining the upper hand. Or perhaps, this was a game to the Spawn of the Pit and Hell now desired a swift end.

He is an Angel, yet the Demon is overpowering him. A fist to the inside of his knee, its twin seeking his left collarbone...he cannot hold it.

He falls.

The Departure

A window in Kane Manor shatters, as a body in Crusader's garb flies through. Falls, through rather. It impacts a rather sedate SUV with a sickening crunch, and the assembled guests scream, drawn irresistibly to the chaos and carnage.

No, not carnage.

The man is still alive.

Shondra pushes through the crowd (though it was not much of one, perhaps 10 remaining guests), flashing her credentials and proclaiming that she was a doctor. Lyle follows, his bulk granting her even easier access.

Her lips tense as she checks his vitals; he's badly injured, but not life-threateningly so. She'd be able to patch him up back at the Slammer. Or any hospital, really.

When the ambulance arrives, Shondra gets in with the EMTs, and tells Lyle, in no uncertain terms, to come with her.

"Besides," she says with a wry twist of her mouth. "He landed on your car."

Kane Manor

The police go through the floor, trying to find evidence of who the man is, why he was here, or who his assailant was. They find nothing. And furthermore, in their survey, nothing was found missing, either.

Except for Kate, who finds that something was taken when she finally goes to bed early in the morning. In the drawer of her nightstand, where a police standard issue Colt 1911 has been faithfully kept, cleaned and oiled after the death of its previous owner once was. All that now remains is a sprinkling of dust, and the slight indentation of the wood where that weapons sat for so many years.

Epilogue: Wayne Tower

The most powerful man in Gotham sat at his desk, his mind superficially preoccupied with patent disputes and stockholder woes. In reality, he was waiting for his associate to reveal themselves.

A minute passes, and Ra's remains seated, his head bowed over a document from his Legal department.

"Well?"

The other figure in the room carries a briefcase taken from Kane Manor, formerly used by the man now in the emergency room.

"They were aiming for your daughter. And I would agree with your other agents earlier assessments regarding her bodyguard."

Ra's nods, and sets down the paper, deigning to acknowledge the other's presence at last.

"Then the final pieces are completed."

He presses a small, discreet button on his desk, and the back wall opens into a room that would not be out of place in a wuxia movie. Racks of weapons line the walls, and the room is dominated by the center mat. A chalkboard with photographs and handwritten notes is on the far wall.

Ra's Al-Ghul tacks one such note underneath a picture of a mustachio'd man, and takes down the others clustered around him. The note reads Deadshot.

"I now know the names and identities of all of The Detective's associates."

The chalkboard is covered with pictures and faces. Lines of chalk connect secret identities with civilian names and photographs. Two neat rows of superheroes and mundane individuals.

"Your assignment, then, is to keep them occupied while the final stages are completed. With that in mind though, you are not to touch the children. Given the circumstances, this should not be too difficult Mi--"

The other figure interrupts him.

"I've actually taken on a new name. A nice little moniker."

"Really? What is it?"

The figure magnanamously spreads their arms wide, red coat billowing around them. Then, the right arm sweeps forward; a dagger is embedded in the board, it's point sunk into a portrait of a certain red-headed socialite.

"Can't you tell, Old Man?"

A cruel, ironic smile, and a hollow chuckle.

"You can call me..."


The Crimson Avenger

End of The Ball
Next Month - The Return of the Crimson Avenger!

[industrious]

Four Days Later

Luigi D'amato

So he had struck out with Selina. Oh well. Such was life.

He had gotten accepted for a PI license, and was ready to do some good. Had a little office, and even a client showing up at 8 in the morning...five minutes from now. This would be good for him. Helping people after he had hurt so many in the Mob.

A shadow appears in the frosted glass of his door. He didn't have his name on it yet, but the painter was coming tomorrow.

"Welcome to D'Amato Investigations, how can I-"

He stops short, eyes wide in horror at the person standing before him.

"Hello, Luigi. Did you miss me?"

"...you..."

He didn't have his crossbow on him, and he couldn't have a gun in Gotham. Licenses. He backs away, slowly.

"Not even going to call me by name...I'm disappointed. Maybe you forgot it, in Blackgate. But don't worry. I'll remind you."

The figure reaches into a pocket, and pulls out a pair of handcuffs.

"Let's take a trip down memory lane..."

Katherine Walker

"Victim was murdered maybe fourteen hours ago, early this morning. Cause of death penetration of skull with set of police standard-issue handcuffs. Blunt trauma to limbs and torso indicates that he was beaten with the set shortly before death."

So. This was how he ended.

They hadn't been able to have their conversation after all. In an office with walls and bookshelf still bare and still smelling of newly applied paint, the body of Luigi D'Amato lay halfway between desk and door.

The Question

It had been an unusually light patrol. One or two muggings, but no armed robbery or assault or murder or any number of creative crime Gotham was capable of serving up.

Her mind was slightly on autopilot, thinking over the events of the Ball. During and after...the stolen gun. And the kiss. It was hard to determine which one she lingered on more.

With her mind in such a state, then, it was a small surprise when a small Asian ninja girl came out of nowhere and stepping in front of her, sat on a rooftop ledge.

"Was hoping to talk. About love. Need advice. Help?"

???

((I'll leave the opening to you))

[Sophistemon]

Four Days Earlier

My defeat was nearly unthinkable. As a conduit of His will, as an Angel of Death and Judgement, it should not have been possible. When pitted against my strength and skill any number of lesser men would have fallen before my power, reaped like so much wheat before the scything edge of my blade. The Demon, then, could be no ordinary mortal, to stand against me as it had. Although my defeat was humbling, perhaps even humiliating, it was by no means permanent, and as I fell I was already considering various methods of counter-attack.

When my body struck the roof of the SUV, the sudden impact shattered many of my bones, some shards of which were driven through my skin, and ruptured several internal organs. A combination of shock and trauma drove me into temporary unconsciousness, costing me several precious seconds of awareness. When I awoke, I found myself being examined by a woman. By that point my body, blessed as it was by His divine power, was already knitting itself together, and she deemed my injuries to be far less severe than they had been.

Although I heal far more quickly than any mortal man, my limbs were too mangled to prevent my being strapped onto a gurney and loaded into an ambulance. I remained silent, biding my time and allowing my body to repair itself. When we reached the hospital, I planned, I would escape my bonds and return to finish the job that I had started. The whelp of al-Ghul would die, as commanded by On High, and... two lefts and a right. We were not going to any hospital. A few more turns later and I concluded that our destination was the docks.

I struggled against the straps - the damnable straps! - but they held tight against me, preventing escape. Despite my power, I was weak, the process of healing such grievous damage having drained my energy. My calm gave way to righteous fury and I ranted against my captors, condemning their sins and promising swift and painful Judgement. My thrashing outburst prompted the application of increasingly powerful sedatives until, at last, my over-tasked body was unable to cope with the chemicals and I was forced, again, to sleep.

~*~Later, at the Slammer~*~

After the assassin had been safely disarmed, and following a series of revealing evaluations, the would-be killer of Talia al-Ghul was locked into one of the Slammer's most high-security cells, reserved for only the most dangerous of Gotham City's super-powered criminals. Lyle Bolton was nothing if not a cautious man, and he refused to take any chances with someone as dangerous as his new inmate had proven himself to be. After the locks clicked into place and the door was pneumatically sealed, Lyle breathed a long sigh of relief.

After composing himself, he made his way to Shondra's office. Although it was late, deep into the early morning, she still appeared to be wakeful and alert. He noted that she had changed out of the finery that she had worn to the ball and into a set of casual civilian clothes, topped by a white lab-coat. He decided that she was just as beautiful dressed like that, if not even more so. She smiled when he entered, and motioned to an empty chair. "Sit," she said. "You look tired." He nodded, thankful, and then obliged by lowering his bulk into a seat.

"I've learned a lot in these last few hours," he said. When she motioned for him to continue, he did. "Under the mask and armor, he's a graduate student at Gotham University. He studies computer science, if you can believe it. It was hell getting the armor off, by the way - it looks primitive, and it is old, but it's comparable to modern combat armor. I've never seen anything like it before." He shook his head and moved forward. "Anyway, without the armor, he's more or less a regular person. Well, not really, but psychologically he's pretty normal, if maybe a little reserved and soft-spoken. Actually kind of a milquetoast, really. With the armor, he becomes... that thing that fell on my car. Psychologically, a completely different person." He leaned back in the chair and sighed, almost unwilling to believe it. "He thinks that he's an angel - a real one, sent from Heaven. More specifically, he thinks that he's the Angel of Death, come to Earth to deal out God's bloody judgement. His civilian personality only knows the basics of the transformation. I had to use drugs to access the other half, but I got him loopy enough to sing like a bird. I almost wish that I hadn't."

Shondra looks at him, her eyes wide. "Why?"

Lyle chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. "See, there are things that he knows, there are things that his other half knows, and then there are things that his brain knows, but that his two personalities can't access. For example, he knows that he's a grad student in Gotham City, and that he should put on the costume to become the angel. Once the costume's on, the angel knows what his mission objectives are, and how to go about them. The angel is also aware of how to access certain special abilities, like the power to heal after splattering all over the roof of an SUV." He shifted in the seat. "But his brain knows things that not even the angel knows. His brain knows that he's not actually an angel - of course - but an assassin that has been made to believe that he's an angel, a man that has been genetically modified, psychologically conditioned and physically trained since he was a fetus to turn him into a mortal representation of God's wrath on Earth. Someone took this... this baby, and turned him into a theologically-motivated killing machine, an organic murder-robot who believes, absolutely truly believes, that he does God's will."

Shondra looked sick. "Who could do that? Who did this, Lyle?"

He breathed out through his nose a short, irritated gust. "I wish that I could tell you. I wish that I knew, so that I could get my hands on them. But I don't know. The angel knows, but that's his most closely-guarded secret, and not even the drugs could get it out of him." He looked up at her, his eyes meeting hers. "Shondra, I need you to help this kid. He's so... God, he's so damaged that it makes me look normal, he's so thoroughly screwed up. Could you... could you do for him what you do for me? Could you help him get his sanity back? Go inside his head and rewire it so that he's free from them? Free from what those bastards did to him?"

She looked hesitant, unsure, but nodded. "I could try. It doesn't always work."

"I know. Like the Joker. But this kid has a sane personality: the grad student. Maybe you could, I don't know, make it so that he's the dominant personality? Give him some measure of control over the angel so that he won't dive head-first off into the deep end every time he puts on the mask. He's got a lot of power in him, he's trained to a degree that I've never seen... he could be a major force for good - actual good, not what he's been conditioned to believe is good, but not the way he is. Never the way he is. Can you try?"

"Yes," she answered. "I can try."