2020-07-14 - Interesting Surprise

Summary:

Investigating a lead, Ken and Babs meet a surprise.

Log Info:

Storyteller: None
Date: Tue Jul 14 03:13:11 2020
Location: Staten Island

Related Logs

None

Theme Song

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ken-haradabarbara-gordon

It's a working night but Ken isn't in costume. That's because he's investigating a club and circumstances dictate that he do so while it is open. This does rather sadly mean that he cannot show up in a demon mask with a sword and expect to get in. He has had to resort to clubbing attire.

Fortunately for certain kinds of clubs male clubbing attire isn't too dissimilar from male business attire. It's just a lot more relaxed. So he's wearing a metallic colored button up with the top couple of buttons loose. He's wearing a jacket, open and of course pants and shoes that are less formal and more comfortable than business wear but still go well with a jacket and a button up.

All in all he cuts a good and more importantly well financed, figure as he comes up to the door.


Barbara had suggested that she play Overwatch and monitor Kens progress through the club. It had taken him some convincing to get her to dress up and accompany him. After all, Oracle played Overwatch and they did it very well, didn't they.

Unfortunately for Babs, club wear was very different to her usual wardrobe though the redhead did have an outfit or two that would work, just not something she's generally comfortable in.

As Ken approaches the door, Babs leans on her cane, walking beside him and hopefully, looking the part.


The bouncer looks at Ken and then at Barbara. There's a cover charge of course. Ken pays it. He's not in the category of obscenely rich but he's more than wealthy enough for his own purposes. They're ushered in. The place has music playing and it's heavy and bassy though not overly so. There is dancing and drinks and all the usual things that go on in a club. The lights are flashing and colored. There's a fair number of people in here.

Allegedly this is being used as a front for trading either in superpowers or information on people who have them. So they're going to have to look over this place. Two stories. Fairly large. Some private booths. They may have to get creative.

"You look nice." Ken says to Barbara. "Where shall we start?"


The music could be considered obnoxious but Babs knows this is to what to expect and really, the noise will let her, Ken and Oracle talk and not be overheard.

I have the video feeds of the establishment Oracles voice can be heard in the small earpieces they both wear. There are several black spots, I'm sending those to your phones. It would be advisable to check those out first, starting on the upper level. From what I can see of the takings for the night, that's where the big dollars are being spent.

Barbara gives Ken a look. Nice. It had taken her hours to get her hair and makeup just so. Then again, he's asian - understatement is a thing. "I would hope that if I flipped my hair tonight, you would follow…." she teases.

Listening to Oracle, Babs inclines her head. "I think you're going to buy me a drink and we're going to look for somewhere to relax upstairs to begin with."


"I most certainly would." Ken chuckles. "And I think buying you a drink is a fine idea. What will you have?" Whatever it is, he moves Babs on over to the bar to get it. Then, drinks in hand he takes a look at his phone. Many of the dark spots are in the upper floor. That's no surprise. There's somewhat greater privacy up there and if anything is going to happen that's the most likely place. Of course it could happen in the open. There's a lot of noise and movement here. Subtle things might go missed. Like he and Babs' conversation.

At any rate up they go. Ken is keeping an eye out and the slow pace - exaggerated for effect for Babs - lets him survey the room. The dance floor is quite active. Not frenzied but people are really getting into it. Upstairs there is mood lighting and spaced out tables along a railing that lets them look out over the main club floor, as well as a smaller dance floor in back and private rooms.

"What do we know of this building. It was on your list of suspected exchange places. I presume it has a history?"


"Would you now…." Babs colours slightly but looks immensely pleased. "Mmmm. A glass of sparkling white, please unless you think it needs to be more to play things up."

As they move through the club, Babs subtly looks at Kens phone as well. "A bit really. The building is about forty years old, built when this area was 'beautified'." That's a bit of a joke in Staten Island, this particular area is a hive of villainy and corruption. "About five years after it opened, the owner was charged with embezzlement. Sadly, he was found dead before any trial. After that, ownership has moved through several corporations but Oracle has traced those back to come common people."

Hence the thinking this was an exchange place.

"I think I might like to sit over there …" Babs gestures as they make the top floor. There's a booth to the side where there are several people sitting, the shadows from the lighting falling just so.


"That seems like a good spot." Ken says, nodding as Babs explains to him this building and what it has been used for. People might be doing nasty business here. He shakes his head. And all the people here, they're cover. They don't mean it of course but the desire to just get away from reality and indulge yourself can blind you to a lot.

After a little while of sitting there, drinking and talking he glances over.

"A lot of people have been going in and out of that private room. Kind of odd, wouldn't you say?" He nods back toward one of the 'blank' spots on the camera coverage.


aCover, yes. A way to launder the money the business is earning. It's not uncommon and gives legitimacy to otherwise questionable businesses. Babs had chosen that spot because it gave them a good angle and she watches as she and Ken chat. There's a nice little pin on the dress that she's wearing, a tiny camera that allows Oracle to see what they're seeing.

"More than that, have noticed the interaction with the table they all pass?" Babs leans closer Ken, making it look like they're intimate for the moment. "Each time someone passes, the man with the goatee watches them carefully and after tilting his head just a fraction, moves his eyes - like he's gesturing them through."

Indeed Ken will see it with the next person that passes by. "They have some sort of list … I think."


"I see that. How do we get a look inside?" Ken peers. He could just cut the wall open. He could do that with his hand. But this is supposed to be a clandestine surveillance. So… they need to find a way to either 'accidentally' get a look or else trick their way in.

"They must recognize people by sight or else they are wearing something or giving some kind of signal." He glances back. There's another one. Mostly it's single people and largely young men and though there are some groups and some women. Interesting. What could they be doing there?

"Informants do you think? Or… lackeys of some manner?"


"Oracle, are you picking up interesting communications?" Barbara murmurs, still leaning close to Ken and giving the impression they're just a couple out to enjoy each others company.

Possibly. There's a burst of traffic that coincides when someone passes that table. I believe I can reproduce it, if one of you wants to go in.

Babs looks at Ken "You should. It's mostly males and I can run interference if things go sideways." It's a risk but Babs knows that Oracle is good.


"Mmmmm. It is but I might miss things and you're the one with the Oracle camera. We should both go." Ken says as he takes Babs hand and stands up. If Oracle can get them both in then that's a very good thing. If not they can find another way. But he really does think the one who is much more the investigator needs a look. Otherwise… well. Who knows. These people are professionals after all.

The man at the table glances at them. Ken hopes Oracle will do its thing. And then he glances to the side. They're clear.

He steps inside the room with Babs and… someone has been burning incense in here. And there's a lot of sort of silky, gauzy hangings that make it difficult to see further into the room. And the light's are kind of low.


"Alright then…." Babs answers, squeezing Kens hand as she does.

Oracle gets them through and Babs slips her arm through Kens as they enter the room, wrinkling her nose just a little. She doesn't say anything but incense is not her favourite and … it's strange that they're doing it here.

"Someone is going for mood. I wonder if we haven't completely misread this…" she murmurs, trying to see into the gloom to work out what's going on.

There's only one way they'll find out though and she moves onwards. Hopefully she won't end up terribly embarrassed.


"Good evening you two." Says a woman's voice from further within. "Just a moment let me take a drink here."

"Now. People tend to only come to me when they want specific things. So why don't you tell me exactly what specifically you'd like me to… do… for…"

The woman's shape behind the silks resolves into that of a VERY attractive and rather curvy woman who is dressed in club wear. Not indecent but also rather titillating. She trails off when she sees Babs and Ken. Ken specifically.

For you see, she has horns and bats wings and Ken is known to the supernatural. And not pleasantly.

"You. You're the Silver Demon."

The swordsman curses and puts himself between Babs and the very likely demoness.


Babs eye's widen at the sight of the woman and she looks at Ken when he curses and puts himself in front of her. "You seem to know who my companion is…" Silver Demon? She'll ask about that. "… perhaps you'll introduce yourself. I confess I'm rather interested in what's going on here."

She's already sent the signal to Oracle to get them a way out. The VI will set alarms off … shortly. It might make to see what answers Babs can get.


"Everyone in this city knows who your companion is." The horned woman says backing up to grab a knife. She doesn't attack but she does keep it between her and Ken. "Everyone like me anyway. He and his Bat-Friend hunted us for months. And destroyed what we tried to build." Ah yes. That. That might explain the 'silver demon' bit.

"What are you doing here?" Ken demands again.

"Girl's gotta eat. Demon. And now thanks to you I'm going to have to find some other place to do that." Eat? Babs doesn't know of any deaths here though she'll have to check to make sure. Maybe she means something else.

The woman throws a stick into a small brazier. The one burning incense. Ken starts to cough and a thick smoke starts to fill the room.


"Eat? And you haven't introduced yourself…" Babs says as cooly as she can. Hunted them? Well … maybe. She'll check later about deaths but there's other things she'll check as well. Like illness or injury. But that's for later.

When the room starts to fill with smoke, she drops, dragging the man down with her.

"We need to get the environmental system active …" That's not for Ken, that's for Oracle. Fans and smoke suppression would be good about now. "I think it's time we went, though …"

Unless, you know, he wants to catch the bat demon-woman.


Ken does not want to chase the demon woman. This is not what they came for and he thinks its an excellent time to not be involved in it. They can deal with whatever this is later.

"Activating vents, Batgirl." Oracle says into Babs comm piece. The smoke starts to swirl and it will vent out but at the moment it's just moving in that moment before it starts to then.

And then something touches them both. Light hands from the woman. "I don't need you following me. And you have better things to do anyway. Look at her, Silver Demon. Isn't your companion so very lovely in that dress. The way it flows about her? The way her hair falls down over her shoulders?"

"And you. This Kennuichio is handsome is he not? Square jaw. Toned physique. Just look at him. You came with him here for a reason didn't you? You like looking at that. You should look at more…"


Babs is good for leaving this place. She doesn't want to fight, there's too much at risk. Oracle can do some tracking and they'll worry about this later - when they can regroup and strategise.

She's already urging Ken towards the exit, expecting Oracle to feed them a route to get out. When the hands touch her, she goes to strike out but stops, her mind fogging as she looks towards to Ken. She's right - he really is quite nice to look at and …

Oh dear.


The winged woman knows that she has an advantage when Babs stops struggling. She expected both of them to stop moving. People are usually pretty easy to push. But success is only to this degree when there's something there. So she presses her advantage.

"That's right. Go ahead and look. He doesn't mind. He's looking right back. You know what you want. And you know that I'm leaving. That's not important. What's important is that you two will be alone and no one will bother you here. And you've been looking for so long. Now it's time to taste…"

And with that last bit and another whisper in Ken's ear the winged, horned woman quickly makes an exit as the smoke and strong incense start to clear just leaving the hanging silks and mood lighting.


Babs does look, with the smoke clearing it's easy to do. Wasn't she doing something else… that shirt really does fit him well. Babs reaches out to run her hand down his arm, looking up into his eyes as she slowly draws to feet.

It really is just them here now …. and … the redhead takes a step towards the Samurai, hesitating for just a moment before she kisses him. On the lips.


Ken comes to his feet and looks at Babs. Just looks at her. Whatever that parting whisper was from the woman he meets the kiss. There's enough pressure that she'll feel it. Just as she'll feel his arm snaking around her waist to support her. And to draw her a little bit closer. He had something else to do didn't he? And this is such an odd room to be doing this in.

But she's here and she's so very lovely. Her dress. Her hair. Her eyes. The way her lips feel. Everything is just… perfect.


What was that parting whisper? He had heard what the woman had said to Babs, what had she said to Ken.

Melting against the asian man, Babs looses herself in the kiss. It's …. heavenly, really. Just perfect. Not that she does more than that … the kiss is everything at the moment.

Batgirl! Samurai! I have an exit for you. Oracle speaks in their ears. Judging by the 'tone', as much as tone can be thing, this isn't the first time it's spoken.


"Do you hear something?" Samurai says. Well. Ken says. And then he kisses Babs again. Someone is talking. Is that important? It might be. But they don't appear to be in any danger here and Babs is right here and it's not THAT loud so… is it that important?

What was that parting whisper? Something to keep him busy and prevent him from chasing her, most certainly.


"No …" Babs answers and melts into the kiss again. He's here and … well… yes.

This is certainly distracting and the demon-woman has left - Oracle is probably tracking her. Maybe.

For heavens sake you two. Anyone would think you were teenagers. Oracle actually sounds disgruntled. Don't make me shock you…

Babs ignores the voice and continues to kiss Ken, wrapping her arms about his neck and tangling her fingers in his hair. Nope. She doesn't hear a thing.

It's then that the sprinklers come on.


Ken jerks when the water hits him. It's smelly water too. Water from systems like this isn't usually regularly flushed. He makes a face and looks at Babs. "Lets… get out of here." They can sort everything out later. Right now the most important thing…

Is not being where this water is.


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