Summary:Ken seeks out Babs to check in and gets some interesting intel. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Cafe Dusa serves mostly Italian coffee. They really like their espresso and the cappuccino and so on. They're picky about what they serve which means of course what they serve is quite good. Which in turn means they're often busy. Which they are when Ken walks in, collared shirt loosened, tie off and jacket draped over his shoulder. His eyes scan around the room looking for a redhead with a cane.
He'd been told she'd be here. And he'd been told that she was as eager to meet as he.
Barbara had left word where and when she might be found and has been spending most afternoons between 2 and 4 pm at the cafe. Given the mess in Staten Island, working remotely is difficult, but there's still a lot of things she can do offline. And drink coffee.
She's there, sitting at booth near the window, tablet propped up in front of her, reading something. There's the remains of a coffee beside her but it seems she's here for the duration.
Her cane rests by the bench that she's seated on and as Ken walks in, she looks up and smiles.
Ken smiles when he sees her as well and comes over to the table. "Good afternoon Barbara-san. May I sit?" It will take him a moment to get settled but once he does, and orders, he focuses on the redhead. She's working, naturally. She often is given what he's seen.
"Our mutual friend told me you had made it out. I was relieved to hear it. I imagine your work has been somewhat impacted by the goings on?"
To be fair, Barbara could be reading a novel as opposed to working, Ken wouldn't really know. After giving her assent, she waits to Ken sits, the smile still there. "Kennuicho-san. It is good to see you, I was concerned about you as well. More because I think you will be working with the others to try and … work out what's going on here."
There's been some broadcasts that have shown Ken working with the SHIELD teams.
As to her work, the redhead shrugs a little. "A little. Some of my work is inside the barrier along with my clients. It's perhaps fortunate I had others in New York proper. But what about you? You must be finding it challenging. At least two of your companies are in there. That can't have been well received back home."
"It was not, but it was also not blamed on me. Which was fortunate." Ken says with a wry smile. "It does mean my days are full of a different kind of work. Less official and less lucrative for the family but necessary. Yes. I have been working with others to try to control it. Mostly I bring the knowledge of a swordsman. I am no expert in the arcane."
Although he's no novice. He has been dealing with these long enough to recognize common threads and common threats. A shocking number of them are vulnerable to 'a sword that can cut through everything.'
"How are you holding up? And your family? I trust they were out of the zone of effect?"
"Well that's something. Maybe your family is a little more progressive than others." Babs is teasing a little, returning the wry smile. "From what I understand of everything I've read, whilst the arcane might be needed, good detective work is also required. You are being careful, though, aren't you? I wouldn't want to loose you in there, as well."
As well.
Looking down at her hands, Babs pales a little, shaking her head as Ken asks the question. "Uh … no. Dad was at the precinct when the barrier went up, along with a lot of the SIPD. I'm holding up, but I'd lie if I said I wasn't worried."
"Oh. Barbara-san. I am very sorry to hear that." The worry is understandable and visible on the redhead and Ken's eyes flash with sympathy. He knows how much she values her relationship with her father. And he knows how much this is likely making things difficult for her.
"I am being as careful as I can yes. We have what protections are available and we are trying to limit our exposure. I do not suppose in all the mayhem you have happened to pick up any information you thought might be useful to our present problem?" They had after all been investigating things related to this.
"I just hope he's ok." Barbara looks up, meet Kens eyes with her green ones. Ones so similar to ones he's seen recently. "I'm sure he will be and I know that you all doing all you can to fix this. But still …"
Yes, she's worried and it's a worry she can show as Barbara but not as Batgirl. "Our friend tells me you were going to try and find the precinct in there?"
Kens question is a welcome one, it makes the redhead focus on other things. "Oh. Maybe, actually. I'm not sure. Remember the antiquities import ring that was found? It wasn't completely shut down when the gallery was raided. There's a bit of chatter on the 'underground' about deliveries."
"I do as well. I will keep an eye out for him. Rescues are difficult but we will do what we can." The Japanese businessman says.
"We will yes. The trouble is we aren't at all sure what it's going to look like. It might be there. It might be a dungeon or a village. Or it might have disappeared entirely and its occupants have scattered to the winds." Which doesn't help matters but if they CAN find something then the people there will likely be quite helpful.
"Deliveries. Interesting. Any indication as to what? And are these deliveries just into the city or are they happening near the zone?" Or even… going into the Zone? That gets him thinking. What might those beasts in there want or need?
And who out here would get it for them?
"I'm not asking you to rescue him, Kennuichio-san." Babs says quietly. "From the reports, the people in there don't remember who they are. That's what happened to us, that one time, didn't it? And they're turning into … reflections of how they see themselves. If that's true, Dad won't want to come out till this over."
Ken has to know Babs is right. "But if you can make sure he's ok, I'd be grateful."
The intense green eyes hold Kens for a moment longer "You'd make a half decent detective if you were interested." She says. "Seals, statuettes, motifs. From most mythos's through predominantly Egyptian, Celtic, Greek and Norse though. It took me a while to work out where they were going. The instructions were encoded but when we broke them, we found there were two sets of numbers with the instructions - which I believe relate to lattitude and longitude. The initial drop point and where they are to be transported within the barrier."
Who is 'we'. She definitely said that.
"We. I was unaware you had partners." Though it would make some sense. She runs a company after all and she never said she worked alone. Even if she does most of the time it would make sense for her to contract work out some of the time.
"So they ARE being taken inside the zone…"
The swordsman leans back and thinks for a moment. "Ponder with me. What do they need inside there? I would have expected food. Weapons. Metals. Gold. But maybe their working was only the first step. What would you do, Barbara-san, if you had just attained rule of your own little corner of planet Earth?"
Barbara flushes as Ken picks that up. "Oracle. I needed help breaking the code and didn't have the resources. They … help me sometimes." Ken knew she worked with Oracle, right? That had been mentioned previously.
It's also telling that Barbara thinks of Oracle as a seperate entity. Not that Ken will understand the irony.
"I've been thinking on that and with the rudimentary understanding that I have … They're converting areas, as you said, yes? Apart from resources, you need the biome to suit your type, right? Could … they be using them for that? Or to simply cement their rule over an area?"
"Ah yes. The mysterious Oracle." He did know that they worked together but he hadn't counted that as a 'we'. He's not quite sure why that would make her blush. But then Ken isn't very… savvy about these things sometimes.
"They could be using it for anything. I think we should try to intercept one of these shipments. Can you get the timing on the next one? It would deny them the resources and also give us a chance to examine and try to understand them."
It's probably good that Ken isn't all that savvy to that. "Yes. The mysterious Oracle." she agrees, still thinking about the information she has.
"They could be, yes. It's telling the range of artifacts they're … importing. Very definitve while still wide ranging." Taking a deep breath in and letting it out again slowly, Barbara nods. "I … can. There's one due in two nights. I … how can I get you the details? I can print these out, or drop them onto a data key. Can't rely on the internet out of here at the moment."
"Print them out, or if you can give them to our mutual friend, she can get them to me." Since he does plan to ask Batgirl about this. Something which may have Barbara snickering. He doesn't know. He might suspect, and she knows he has reason to, but he doesn't know.
"Where are you staying at the moment, if I may ask? Do you have arrangements? If not I would be happy to assist you in making some."
He also doesn't know where she lives.
Suspecting isn't knowing and Babs has been very careful. "I can do that. Or Oracle can, at any rate." the redhead agrees.
Babs pauses before answering the next question. She had to have known it was coming. "Are you planning on visiting me, Kennuichio-san?" There's the teasing again. "I have made arrangements to stay in an apartment in this area." That will be *another* safe house she'll burn. She might like to tell Ken where she really lives, but she can't. "Unless you think you have something better."
"I do, yes. The family owns a number of apartments usually reserved for visiting VIPs from Japan. However most of them go vaccant most of the year and there are two on Staten Island outside the Zone. I would be happy seeing as how you are being of assistance to the family, and me personally, to put you up in one of them."
At least until such time as her regular lodgings become available. After all he assumes based on her response that they are not.
Babs covers Kens hand with hers and smiles. "You are very sweet, Kennuichio-san and I'm sure what you have is better than what I have but what I have meets my needs in the short term. It's a place to put my head and where I can shower."
When had this become so difficult? Oh. It always has been. Babs just hadn't met someone outside the Bat Family she wanted to share with.
"Perhaps you would take me to dinner sometime, instead. Maybe when this is all over."
"I would be happy to. Perhaps before this is all over, if it ever becomes at all less urgent." Because honestly Ken does not know how long this is going to take. It could be some time.
"Now, shall we enjoy this coffee?" He's not normally one for Coffee but he'll make an exception this time. Besides, the tea they have here is… really bad.
The tea here truly is terrible and nothing like the tea that Ken serves Babs in his dojo.
"I will miss training with you, till this over or it becomes less urgent, Kennuichio-san. But I have two things to look forward to."
"And yes, we shall enjoy the coffee and each others company, while we can."