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Post by Batgirl on Jun 27, 2017 0:22:06 GMT -5
"No, Helena, he won't follow us back to Gotham," she said, very calmly. "He has no reason to. As far as he's concerned, you're just a girl that got cold feet. And if he does find out that you're not who you say you are, he'll come to me and ask me why I didn't tell the truth. I can tell him you were in a sort of witness protection program. It's not far from the truth, after all. You're a witness and I'm protecting you." She offered her smile and offered her hand, trying to extend it in friendship, but she had a feeling Helena wasn't in the mood to take it. "I'll read him. If he seems like his intentions are in line with ours, I'll try to set up a dinner so we can meet with him. Does that sound good? If I don't think we can trust him, all I'll have wasted is a lunch. No big deal."
Her hand was still extended, but it lowered when Helena started turning on her. The smile was wiped off her face. She was told to listen, and listen she did. She owed Helena that much, at least. And Helena was right. She could have stayed quiet. She could have lived out her life in Italy. She could have moved on and pretended like everything was okay, but she was here, and she was willing to fight to avenge her parents. That was admirable. Barbara couldn't condone revenge in the way Helena was talking, but she could respect the passion she was speaking with.
And she honestly could relate to the fear she spoke of. Perhaps not the uncle and cousin disappearing, but the ransacked villa. There was more than one occasion she came back to her apartment in Gotham to find it broken into and robbed of valuables. It was a regular occurrence where she lived. But she didn't want to bring that up now. She didn't want to belittle what Helena was trying to get across.
Finally, Helena seemed to be winding down, but Barbara was surprised and honored to be regarded as a Consilgliere. It was .... weird, to say the least, for an aspiring detective to be called as such, but given Helena's background, she found herself honored at the notion.
Her smile returned and she extended her hand again, this time in agreement.
"In that case, I have a confession to make," she said.
"Last night, I went ahead and investigated one of the smiley faces near our hotel. I ran into one of the local vigilantes, Rorschach. He's ... Interesting. Doesn't say a lot, but he knows the city, and he knows how to get information."
She looked up at the police station and put a hand on Helena's shoulder, gently leading her away. She started speaking in a lower voice, and it seemed like she knew where she was going. Something that didn't seem quite right for someone that had also never been to New York.
"He took me to a place called the Wicked Suit. I met with a local gangster. Artie Cade. I gave him a story, and he set me up in a nicer hotel. I was going to help get you moved in with me after we were done at the police station. Artie, he..." She stopped, midsentence, as if she had a realization. "Shit. He wants to keep me where he can find me again. It's too risky. I can't move you into the new room. If Artie sniffs that I'm snooping around his business, and that I'm snooping for you, you'll be too easy to find. Shit. I'll think of something. I promise."
She looked at Helena, her makeup starting to come off to show the bruises from the fight she'd gotten into the previous night. She didn't seem to notice, though.
"Rorschach said he found something in Cade's office. Something Cade's people didn't want him to find. I think it's something you might need to see."
She didn't want to give her more details just yet. She didn't want to scare her away from identifying evidence.
"My plan is, we meet up with Rorschach. He can give you a better idea of what to expect. We go to the Wicked Suit. The two of you can sneak into one of the side doors. Cade should be out today for that story I gave him. I can distract his daughter. I can give you the time to find what you need. What do you think?"
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Huntress
Heroes 
Every hero has a story, not that I'm some kind of hero.
Posts: 47 
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Post by Huntress on Jul 1, 2017 22:16:48 GMT -5
As Helena wound down from her minor rant, she nodded at Barbara, thinking her plan for handling Tipton was a sound one. “That all sounds wise. We can do things that way.” If Tipton didn’t like it then that was his problem. Certainly he was the type to understand witness protection and a person fearing for her life, as well as an officer… an assumed officer… wanting to make sure her victim was safe.
Even as things seemed to be working out, Barbara admitting she had a confession to make was not a pleasant thought. Helena frowned at the notion that Barbara had gone off on her own. Of course, Helen herself had plans to do just that, but this was different. Barbara was strong and tough behind a desk and in a police station, but out here? Helena had her doubts. “Investigating on your own? You could have been killed,” she told the redhead as they began walking. As Barbara continued her story, Helena looked at her with more and more worry filling her eyes. But this time it was her concerned for her friend, not herself. “You met with a gangster? By yourself? I don’t know the name Artie Cade, but that doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t have done that. He could have huuur…” Helena’s words died away as Barbara explained about the new housing arrangements. “Not only does he know where you are, it’s likely that he owns part of the hotel, if not all of it. Or he has people working on the inside. If he is any good at being a gangster, they be going through your things when you’re not there. What story did you tell him?” She wanted to make sure they were both on the same playing field in case she met up with Cade. Inconsistencies get people killed. And that was when Helena noticed the bruising.
“Who did this to you? Cade? Your vigilante ‘friend’?” she asked, taking a handkerchief and wiping away the makeup to show more of the bruising. “I know you want to solve this case as fast as possible, and I am willing to support you in this, but we need to think this through first. Can you answer me these questions? How much do you trust this Rorschach? What is the layout of Cade's club? Is there only going to be his daughter to worry about? If this is his headquarters, there will likely be more people there. How sure are you that he’ll be out of the building? And what does he have that is so important I need to break in to an unknown gangster’s club with an unknown vigilante? If we are going to go through with this, I need those answers and I need them to be entirely honest. Advisors don’t hold information back, understand?” The look in Helena’s eyes was one of intelligent caution; she was weighing the options in her head, as well as planning for what could happen and thinking of what she would need to bring in order to get out of that club alive.
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Post by Batgirl on Jul 18, 2017 14:53:34 GMT -5
Well of course Barbara could have been killed. She had considered that before she went off on her own. It wasn't as though she had a death wish, but she could take care of herself. She wished there was some way she could convince ... well, anyone of that fact. She was flattered that Helena was worried about her, but she hadn't even known until Barbara had said something. And the more Helena tried to talk down to her about "You shouldn't have done that," the angrier Barbara started to get.
"I'm not an idiot," she snarled. "You make it sound like I walked in, told a gangster I was investigating murders, and thought nothing of getting shacked up in a penthouse. Helena, I know what I'm doing. May I remind you that of the two of us, you're the child. I'm the one protecting YOU. I know you want to play at starting your Family back on the right track, but you can't do that without me, and you need to trust that I know what I'm doing."
Then Helena took notice of the bruising. She frowned and shoved her hand away. "I fought Rorschach when I met him because I saw him murder someone. I'd think that'd endear him to you." She didn't know why she was suddenly in such a sour mood, but she knew it didn't help anyone, and she had to find a way to get out of it. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to gather her thoughts so she could answer Helena's barrage of questions.
"I trust Rorschach to stay on our side and help us take down the your parent's murderer. Cade's club has the main entrance that opens up into the bar area. There's a door that leads to a staircase off to the left that leads up to what I assume is the living area, and around that is the entrance to the back. That's where he took me. He took me into a conference room, not his office. I didn't see his office, but Rorschach did. That's why we need him. I know he'll be out of the building because he's a busy man and I interrupted one of his meetings. He likely has someplace he has to be, so he'll leave his daughter in charge."
She hesitated a moment before finally sighing again and looking down. "Death masks. He has death masks hidden away in his office. Rorschach and I think that if this is our guy, you might be able to recognize your parents among them." She looked at Helena with more concern on her face. "I need you to keep a level head about this. If we do this and you see the faces of your parents, you can't make a sound. You can't react until you're out of there. Rorschach and I both think Cade is a likely suspect, but we need to know for sure that we're on the right track. You're our way of knowing."
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Huntress
Heroes
Every hero has a story, not that I'm some kind of hero.
Posts: 47
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Post by Huntress on Jul 22, 2017 22:47:37 GMT -5
The snarl coming from Barbara was an odd thing, especially since it was so different from her usual perky self. Helena saw actual anger in her eyes and the woman’s tone reminded her of herself when she would argue with her uncle or cousin over getting into fights at school. “I worry, Barbara. I know you are not an idiot, but I worry. Everyone I have ever known or gotten close to has disappeared or been killed. I would hope you would understand how that makes me feel.” But, she was right; Helena was the child here. It was something hard to remember when she stood four inches taller than the redhead. Height didn’t always match age. Seven years her elder, Barbara was the one in charge, and Helena had just made her her advisor.
“Anyone can kill,” Helena replied, returning the frown as her hand was slapped away. “Besides, killers are different from men who hit women.” Her father had hit her mother on occasion, an action which dwindled into nothing as Helena and her brother grew, which was a happy thought, but what little memories she had of those times were still sharp. “Did he strike first or did you land the first blow?” Details did matter, especially in this case. Helena listened and made a mental sketch as Barbara spoke and gave the specifics that she knew about the layout of the club. “And you can handle his daughter, right? What’s she like?”
Helena would have asked more questions, but the news about the death masks stopped her in her tracks. He had a collection of death masks? Perhaps they were of his family. Maybe they weren’t from anyone he killed, maybe she wouldn’t find her family among them. This was all circumstantial evidence, after all. “How? How do you know he’s a suspect?” Her voice trembled and she tried to stop it, wanting to be strong, but this was new ground for her. She would have to look at all of those faces, alone with a stranger, and see which ones, if any, were her parents. It took her a few tries, but she finally spoke. “When do we do this? I want it done and over with quickly." The sooner this was all finished the better. Of course, if this Cade was the killer, she would want to be the one to deal with him, and on her own terms too. Perhaps she could confront him later, but before Barbara could get a warrant for his arrest. But, that would only be the case if he was the killer.
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Post by Batgirl on Jul 24, 2017 14:31:22 GMT -5
"You don't need to worry about me, Helena," she said, trying to calm herself down. She didn't know why she was so annoyed with the situation, but she knew she needed to relax if she was going to get anywhere. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking at Helena. "Listen. I can promise you that I won't disappear. I won't let myself be killed. You might not believe it, but I can take care of myself in a fight. I've been taking self defense lessons for years. There's not a lot that can take me by surprise anymore. Really. You don't need to worry about me."
She pulled her compact out of her purse and used it to touch up the makeup over her bruising so it would disappear again. She'd become an expert in doing so. After all, she didn't want her father knowing about the self defense classes. He'd worry too much. "Don't worry. I got the first hit in." Sort of. It was a blur. She remembered slamming Rorschach into the wall, which she counted as getting the first hit, but he had headbutted her which also might have counted as the first hit. It was hard to tell. "I can definitely handle Cade's daughter. She's a quiet, intense kind, but I think she likes me. Maybe I can use that. We had a nice conversation on the way to the hotel. Rorschach doesn't trust her, but I think I can get her help."
She saw the change in Helena's attitude as soon as she mentioned the death masks. She softened a little bit, wanting to be a little bit more understanding and careful in her words. "Rumor has it he has a network under Coney Island called his Rabbit Hole. People disappear into it and don't come out. He's already a killer. It's just a question if he's the killer we're looking for. If we can take him out, who knows how many lives we could save."
Barbara stepped closer to Helena and took her hand. "I know this is going to be difficult, but I'd like to do this today if we can. Today or tomorrow. What do you want to do?"
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Huntress
Heroes
Every hero has a story, not that I'm some kind of hero.
Posts: 47
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Post by Huntress on Jul 26, 2017 6:07:28 GMT -5
“You are the daughter of the Gotham police commissioner, so of course you can take care of yourself.” Those words weren’t snide in anyway, rather they were sincere and acknowledged Barbara’s position in life. “And, I think that even if I didn’t agree with that statement, you would do as you pleased anyway. We are alike in that regard.” Helena actually smiled a bit. Had they met under different circumstances and at a younger age, it was possible that they would have grown up to become close friends, getting both in and out of trouble together, at least until one parent learned what the other did for a living.
“If you were my sister, I don’t think Rorschach would have been able to lay a hand on you,” she commented, watching her apply makeup once more. “Pino would have taught you all you needed to know and then found the boy and proceed to teach him a lesson good enough that he never would have bothered you again. Plus your little sister would have kicked him in the shins and thrown rocks at him if he ever even looked at you wrong.” At least that was what Helena thought would happen. Truthfully, neither she nor her brother ever had trouble with bullies, likely due to who their father was, but it was nice to dream a bit. “All right, I will let you handle the daughter, but keep in mind that family loyalties are a big thing. Daughters will do anything to defend their father’s honor and reputation, especially if they love them. Watch what you say around her.”
Helena looked at Barbara as she took her hand, a wry smile on her lips. “Don’t forget who started this whole little scheme by throwing a brick through a window. I would have eventually come to this point, no matter what. Your police work just got me here faster. And with less property damage.” And likely kept her alive, but Helena wasn’t about to mention that. “We can do this today. Why wait for tomorrow? In that time I could decide against it or, following the lead of some redheaded Irish girl I know, go there myself without telling anyone and get into fistfights with strangers while sneaking about,” she smirked. “Let us go investigate this Cade man. Maybe he is who we need. If so, I’ll insist you get a commemoration or plaque or some sort of recognition.”
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Post by Batgirl on Aug 27, 2017 21:22:12 GMT -5
There was some part of Barbara that still took Helena's words as snide. She couldn't help it. It seemed her only identity was that of the commissioner's daughter. It was all anyone ever knew her as. It seemed it was all anyone was ever going to know her as. She grit her teeth and and pursed her lips, taking a deep breath before letting it out slowly.
She wasn't going to let this bother her. She was going to let it roll off her back.
But then Helena went off on her tangent about her family. She wondered if the other woman was being intentionally offensive or if she was just emotionally stupid.
"I know all I need to know," she reassured her, trying to keep her temper under control. "I've studied three different kinds of martial arts and two other kinds of self defense on top of that. But Rorschach is ... well, he's like a junkyard dog. He's scrappy and he's vicious. And on top of that, he's useful. I wouldn't have wanted Pino, or whoever, to go after him because right now he's the only ally in this city we have. We need him on our side."
And it was true, at least from her standpoint.
She truly thought that Rorschach was the only person she could trust. The more she was talking to Helena, as a matter of fact, the less she was sure about her. She wasn't sure she could trust her as much as she thought she could as when they left Gotham. It hurt to admit, but Helena was losing her trust with every word out of her mouth.
Or maybe she was just being paranoid. Who knew anymore?
When Helena took her hand, Barbara took her hand back and gave Helena a look. "You would have gotten to this point, but you would have put your life at risk, and you would have no way of putting this man in jail," she said.
But then it dawned on her. Maybe there was no plan for her to put Artie in jail. She was going to have to keep her eye on Helena.
"Alright, so we look for Rorschach today. Or tonight. Depending on when we find him."
Without waiting for her companion, she started off toward the slums, knowing that was probably where Rorschach spent most of his time. Or, at least, it would be a good place to start looking.
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Huntress
Heroes
Every hero has a story, not that I'm some kind of hero.
Posts: 47
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Post by Huntress on Aug 30, 2017 22:22:04 GMT -5
Helena arched an eyebrow at the news that her companion was well versed in fiver different forms of fighting and self defense. “Remind me never to make an enemy out of you, Barbara Gordon.” So, they had a brawler that was Rorschach, a brainy distraction that was Barbara, and….. Helena, who was bent on revenge, but also hoping to not find her parents’ faces cast in plaster on this gangster’s office wall. She took Barbara at her word on trusting this junkyard dog. “I’ll treat him with proper respect and I hope he’s good enough to watch my back and not run if the going gets tough.” If the latter did happen… well, Helena hoped it wouldn’t, but she would need to be prepared for anything and everything.
“My life has been at risk for ten years, why change things now?” she asked with a smirk, not really expecting to get an answer. “As for putting him in jail? I would find a way. You know how crafty mafia people can be.” That last bit was meant to be a joke, to lighten up the mood that had descended on both of them. But before Helena could say anything else, the redhead was already walking away, intent on finding Rorschach. It wasn’t hard to catch back up, but damn, the woman was fast for her size. “I’ll let you do the talking for the both of us. If this ally is a junkyard dog, he likely only trusts people he knows. Whatever plans the two of you concoct, I’ll go along with.” Having said her peace, Helena kept quiet as they walked, letting her mind prepare for what they might find and learn tonight.
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