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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2014 21:11:12 GMT
October 31st - 20:30.
Halloween; a night where by costumes are not reserved only for the heroes and villains of this world, where children and adults alike dress up as ghosts and ghoulies to go out partying or trick or treating. It was a day more for the kids, who could be found patrolling the streets early evening in hopes of getting candy from strangers – the one day a year it’s encouraged. But there was a place in Gotham, away from the excitement that Halloween brings. That place, Wayne Manor.
Gotham had been getting colder during the nights, largely down to the fact that the winter months were fast approaching – Christmas would be upon us soon enough. It was about half past eight o’clock, and darkness had begun to descend upon Gotham. In the living room of Wayne Manor you would find Tim Drake. He wasn’t as enthused by Halloween as perhaps others his age were, or as much as he was a few years ago. He decided against joining his classmates ‘Trick or Treating’, and instead opted for a night in. He was sat on the couch in the living room, his feet propped up on a stall just in front of him as he read today’s edition of the ‘Gotham Gazette’. On the coffee table; a bowl with an assortment of various treats, along with a ‘Batman’ mask made of plastic. The television had been switched on as well, turned to the news in which the weather was currently the talking point. Tim didn’t pay the television much intention, half-heartedly listening to what was said, his interest held more by the newspaper column he was currently reading. But Tim was not alone, no. In one of the arm chair’s sat within viewing distance of television was Alfred.
Ding… dong.
The sound of the doorbell being run, and for a few moments, Alfred sat there looking towards Tim – to see whether the current Boy Wonder was going to do anything about it. Tim didn’t, he barely moved, though he did notice Alfred and his eyes rolled towards him as if to say; ‘what?’. “Oh please! Let me get it”. Alfred spoke as he got up from out the arm chair, a rather sarcastic tone to what he had said. Alfred would pick up the plastic ‘Batman’ mask, putting it on and then grabbing the bowl of sweets before proceeding to depart the room. Tim would only overhear a few things now. The children crying out with; ‘trick or treat!’, whilst Alfred had some fun with doing his best Bruce Wayne impression; ‘I’m Batman!’.
With a few treats having been given out, the sound of the door being shut was heard, with Alfred returning moments later, placing the bowl and the mask back down on the coffee table before taking his seat once more. His arms folded across his chest, he clearly wasn’t too happy. Tim saw this, and sensed it was due to him. Perhaps Alfred felt that the younger, more agile one of the two should be running back and forth with the sweets. It was a fair judgement to make. Tim lowered the newspaper slightly, peering over towards Alfred with a smile as he spoke in a bubbly tone. “I’ll get it next time, Alfred”.
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Post by Amanda Waller on Nov 11, 2014 2:43:50 GMT
Halloween was a night Barbara had rather enjoyed, when she was younger it was one of her favorite holidays as she got to dress up and run around in a sugar induced high and not much had changed as she got older. Only, now she got to dress up every night and it was rather frowned upon if she went door to door asking for candy seeing as how she was almost twenty. But, that didn’t mean she couldn’t still enjoy the holiday. Barbara took great pleasure in handing out candy on their stoop with her dad, putting on a costume herself and forcing the commissioner to wear something as well. Usually all she could get on him was those little devil horn headbands but this year she had managed a red shirt to go along with it. Slow improvements. She herself had on a fancy witches hat and some green and black stripped tights with a plain black skirt and shirt. Barbara never liked to get too involved in her costume in case she had to make a quick exit.
She enjoyed watching all the kids come up to their door dressed in cute and scary costumes. There was always an over abundance of Batman costumes…like really. At least two kids in a group was dressed as the caped crusader, some as Robin, some as Nightwing and some little girls dressed as Batgirl (she may have given the batgirls a couple extra pieces of candy but that was her little secret) and various other heroes. Also your standard princesses (and princess Batmans) ninjas, zombies, and other pop culture icons. The night went on perfectly with lots of kids up and down their street but, as it started to get dark the kids slowly began to scatter and return home with their parents. The inner city Halloween always started early and ended early as Gotham was not a safe place even on a regular night and while teens would stay out later there was no more need to hand out candy and by now her dad had been called to work.
When the last kid arrived at the Gordon doorstep Barbara emptied the last of her candy into the boys bag and shut her door with a sigh.
The night was still young, it was hardly even 8 yet and while Halloween may be over for most of the city there were other places around where things would still be going strong. Places like Wayne Manor. She didn’t imagine that Bruce would be there or..if he was he was probably locked away in the cave but Alfred would be and maybe Tim, maybe even Dick…but she was sure that was a long shot. The men of Wayne manor certainly wouldn’t have closed up shop by now, it was still early for their side of town and kids were still bound to show up there. Of course, she could always just go out and enjoy her night. Karen had invited her to join her at a Halloween party and a few friends from school had done the same but Barbara didn’t really feel like partying tonight, at least not yet. It wouldn’t hurt to go by the manor and see how things were there and if that proved to be a bust then well..she could always take one of the girls up on their offer.
With her mind made up Barbara grabbed her purse and keys and then walked over to the DVD stand and plucked out a few classic Halloween movies. One really cheesy ones by todays standards and a true black and white classic and stuffed them in her bag before exiting her home.
The drive to the mansion wasn’t a long one and Barbara made it there in under twenty minutes. Slowly she drove up the long driveway and parked her car out of the way of the children and waited for the current group at the door to depart with their treats before she walked up. Figuring she would get a little nostalgia out of the way Barbara pressed the doorbell and yelled Trick or treat! She still had her little witch costume on and she held out her hand for the candy when someone answered the door and she waited.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2014 12:47:54 GMT
The volume on the television had been put up several notches courtesy of Alfred as the newscast had turned to the sport news, displaying highlights of the recent basketball match between the Gotham City Gators, and the Metropolis Generals. Tim had been sat there, quietly, undisturbed. Though his attention was dragged away from the newspaper once more as he heard Alfred threw somewhat of a strop as a result of the football game. “Idiots!”. Alfred yelled at the television, as the final score was displayed on screen; 82 (Gators) - 104 (Generals). Tim was never one to follow sports all that thoroughly, but he could understand the overwhelming feeling of being let down as Alfred let out his frustrations towards his team.
“Sorry, Master Tim. It’s just… I may owe one of our friends in Metropolis a drink next time we visit”. Superman, perhaps? Wonder who that could be. Tim put the newspaper down on the seat behind him, and looked from the television to Alfred with a smile. He wasn’t at all against Alfred voicing his frustrations. He was right to do so on what had appeared to have been a weak team performance. “Its okay, Alfred. I would be mad as well if my team failed to notice that the Metropolis Point Guard was always making plays to the left side. Perhaps forcing him to play to the right would have slightly numbed the Generals attack, as their Point Guard seems to be highly reliant on his left hand over his right. Surely there should be someone in the team, a leader, who could notice that and make the team abuse such a glaring weakness”. Even before Tim had finished speaking did Alfred look towards Tim with a look of pure confusion. For as long as Tim had been at the Wayne Manor, Alfred had never known him to sit down and watch a basketball game. Yet still, his analysis was spot on, astounding for someone who seems to be a novice. “How did you…”. The tone matched the look of confusion Alfred displayed. Though Tim was quick in his response, aware of how he had caught Alfred off guard by his sudden quick analysis of the game. “I play sports at Gotham Academy, Alfred”.
Ding… dong. ‘…trick or treat!’.
As promised before, it was Tim’s turn to greet the children who came to the Manor in search of candy. Tim got up from the couch where he was sitting. His attire was certainly not in the theme of the holiday; as he sported a brick-red hoodie and dark colored jeans. He picked up the plastic Batman mask, putting it on and almost immediately drew a comment from Alfred; “Don’t forget the husky voice!”. Tim sighed beneath the mask, as he was never fond of doing ‘the voice’. He hadn’t been able to nail his Batman impression as well as Dick, and certainly not as well as Alfred. Whoever was at the door was perhaps about to witness the worst Batman impression they’ve ever heard. Still, Tim proceeded to pick up the bowl of candy and would then make his way towards the door.
The door would open up slightly, but there would be no-one there. Tim allowed the children to let their minds wonder for a few moments, before going for the element of surprise. He suddenly stuck his masked face around the door and called out in a not so deep voice; “I’m Batman!”. Without a second gone, the sound of Alfred laughing could be heard coming from the living room at the expense of Tim. As Tim stepped out into the doorway fully, he quickly realized that it was Barbara who was the one looking for candy. Tim didn’t hand any over though, holding the bowl tight to his chest. “Aren’t you a little old to be out doing this stuff? You could have at least of worn a costume”. Tim wasn’t the best when it came to the playful exchange of teasing remarks between friends. But he certainly felt proud of his ‘witch’ comment. Though now anticipated the worst, fully expecting Barbara to have a comeback of some description.
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Post by Amanda Waller on Nov 12, 2014 0:47:17 GMT
As the door opened she expected to see Alfred, so nothing could have really prepared her for Tim being the on to answer the door and in a plastic Batman mask and nothing on this whole green earth would have prepared her for the voice.
The laughs started out small but they quickly grew into something that bordered ugly laughter and she brought her hands down since he wasn't going to give her candy anyway and used them to cover her mouth. Oh. My. God. Oh man, now she wished she had her phone out to record that so she could send it to Dick. At Tim's attempt at a insult Barbara couldn't even bother to reply as she was still laughing. Does Bruce know? Somehow she doubted he was aware of this little Halloween treat.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2014 11:17:06 GMT
Tim wasn’t at all fond of the laughing. In one ear he could hear Alfred chortling to himself, and in the other he could hear Barbara cackling like the Witch she was dressed as. Holding the bowl of candy tight to his chest, Tim didn’t seem at all amused, embarrassed as his face turned red. If anything, he looked back towards Barbara with somewhat of a glare. He wasn’t fond of this holiday to begin with, even less now.
But the million dollar question he was whether or not the Dark Knight himself knew of the antics that Tim (and Alfred) were up to on this Halloween Night. Tim had no idea, really. You never could be one hundred percent positive in knowing whether Bruce knows about something or not – it’s very difficult to keep secrets from the caped crusader. “Does Bruce know? I sure as heck hope not! I was hoping you wouldn’t know… and now… (sigh) I am hoping that Dick won’t know…”. It was highly unlikely now that Dick wouldn’t find out, and as a result, Bruce would most certainly find out, probably. This was all Alfred’s fault, taking advantage of Tim’s kind nature – guess this is why Bruce acts so cold.
“No candy for you”. Tim would say as he grabbed a candy bar out the bowl, quickly removing the foil in one hand and scoffing it down. People who laugh at Tim don’t get candy. Fact.
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Post by Amanda Waller on Nov 13, 2014 0:35:30 GMT
"Dont worry, this will be our little secret Barbara wiped some tears off her cheeks, results of her laughing like she had. Telling Dick was really the first thing she wanted to do right now but judging by the shade of red on Tim's face she had thought against it. Teasing him was one thing, murdering him from embarrassment was another, Tim wasn't like Dick or Bart, he didn't really just roll with the proverbial punches as he was a much more serious kid.
When he claimed that she would get no candy as result of her behavior and guarded the bowl close to him Barbara smirked and quickly reached for the container, knowing that she probably wouldn't get anything from it but now she kind of really wanted the candy since he said she couldn't have it. Oh come on, where is your holiday spirit? Truth be told, everyday was like Halloween for them but still, it was the principal of it all.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2014 11:10:12 GMT
“Our little secret?”. Tim was less than amused. He couldn’t have complete faith in this notion. After all, Barbara talked a fair bit and it wouldn’t be mad to think she may let something slip whilst talking to Dick. But that, that’s the price one must pay for being the runt of the litter. Truth be told, the serious nature of Tim often led him into situations like this, where he was found to be the butt of all jokes. But you don’t get to become the best ‘Boy Wonder’ by cracking jokes the whole time, and that’s what Tim wanted to be. Letting Bruce down, ever, even in such throwaway situations was unacceptable to Tim.
“Hey! This has got nothing to do with my ‘holiday spirit’. No candy is the consequence you must pay for cracking jokes at the expense of me… you only have yourself to blame, Barb’. …plus, Halloween sucks and candy is the only part of it I enjoy”. Every action has a reaction, and Tim’s was a direct result of Barbara’s words. Embarrassing him like that, pfft. Could this be the start of what sends Tim down a dark path to villainy? …probably not. However, whilst Tim had spoken his grip of the bowl of candy wasn’t as tight. Therefore it would allow for Barbara to get her hands on the candy that was inside.
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Post by Amanda Waller on Nov 14, 2014 22:20:57 GMT
Her hand dug into the bowl and she grabbed a small handful of the candy inside and pushed her way past Tim and into the mansion, ruffling his hair with her candy free hand. Halloween does not suck! She protested what can possibly suck about getting free candy, dressing up and watching scary movies and scaring people? Halloween sucked..pfft, more like he sucked. Which, She spun around once she was inside and pulled a DVD from her purse is why I brought some movies over, to help get you into the holiday spirit.
She was already making plans to get Tim to come to her dads next year for Halloween. Maybe he would enjoy it more there with more kids around and if not then he and the Commissioner could go and brood and complain together while they passed out candy in their costumes. Yes, that sounded perfect.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2014 23:24:09 GMT
Ugh - the dreaded hair ruffle. Tim hated it, he despised it. It always felt so… so patronising, as though Tim was some sort of mindless puppy or something. Tim put more strength than usual behind closing the door which slammed shut – venting of frustration. Tim didn’t look too pleased when he turned around to look at Barbara as she pulled out a DVD. “Good luck with that”. Tim said in response to Barbara as he walked straight past her and into the living room where he had been sat with Alfred who was still there.
Tim only walked in as far as the back of the couch. He placed each hand down on the back of the couch, leaning forward as he looked towards the TV. On screen, the anchor was speaking over footage of the GCPD building downtown. “Whilst Halloween is usually reserved for ghosts and ghouls in costume. Gotham has its own fair share of monsters as it is. We have some breaking news, what you're seeing right now is live footage from outside the GCPD building, as we have been told Victor Zsasz has taken hostage numerous officers within the building. What he wants remains unknown, but the police already there are having trouble negotiating with this former inmate of Arkham”. One thing was always guaranteed, there is never a dull night in Gotham.
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Post by Amanda Waller on Nov 14, 2014 23:50:09 GMT
When he 'shut' the door Barbara chuckled a little under her breath. It was always fun to poke at Tim, he was like her little brother and even if she wasn't as relentless as Dick was when it came to it she still did her fair share. Barbara walked into the main living room where she heard a TV on and saw Alfred sitting watching, popping open one of the candy wrappers she had stolen from Tim and taking a bite from the candy bar.
Once she entered the room Barbara waved at Alfred and stopped just behind the couch when she heard a 'breaking news' bulletin and looked at Tim when the news broke about, a slight look for worry coming across her face, her dad was there. She knew it would only be a matter of time before the villainry started but she had been hoping for a later start tonight and she had hoped that they wouldn't start their night with a hostage situation at GCPD. Looks like it will have to wait. Barbara took her bag from her shoulder and set both it and the DVD down on the couch, it was time to work and luckily for her she kept a spare suit at the cave.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2014 10:17:20 GMT
“You should call the commis- your Dad, see if he knows anything”. Tim had grown so used to referring to Barbara’s father as the commissioner, and he still wasn’t sure which name Barbara preferred Tim call him by. Tim had always favoured ‘the commissioner’ moniker, it seemed more formal. “See you in the cave”. Tim would flash a smile Barbara’s way as he hoped to make a quick exit to the cave. Really Zsasz should be thanked. He may be the one to get Tim in the holiday spirit – Tim preferred going after real monsters.
Tim had been so focused on everything else, but not Alfred who had stepped out in front of Tim as he was about to leave the living room. Alfred looked Tim up and down, brushing down his blazer as he spoke. “Would you like me to inform, Master Bruce?”. Tim had never lacked in confidence, at least not during the early stages of a mission, hence why he quickly replied with a simple one word answer. “Nope!”. Tim would then move past Alfred and make his way towards the Bat Cave in order to get ready. He figured that if they knew, Bruce knew. And that if he didn’t think they could handle Zsasz, then they would see Bruce there. Probably late, gliding in with some movie blockbuster type entrance to steal all the glory away from Tim… yeah, that’s how it works.
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Post by Amanda Waller on Nov 16, 2014 3:03:44 GMT
When it had been suggested that she call her dad Barbara already had her phone out, but her main priority had been to check on her father. Given that he was the commissioner he was probably inside, but, he had also left earlier so maybe not, maybe he was helping negotiate. The phone rang and rang and eventually went to voicemail and Barbara clicked her phone to lock after the call hung up. Either way he wouldn't be able to answer so it was up to them to find out the situation when they arrived.
Putting her phone away Barbara followed behind Tim to the entrance of the cave and went down, heading directly for the armory once she arrived to change into her suit. It took only a few minutes before she was suited up and Barbara quickly went over her inventory of bat goodies. This was bound to be the start of a long and eventful night and she wanted to make sure she was prepared for anything. Running through her mental list Barbara exited the armory and went to see where Tim was at. Let's do this. she told him when he was ready, heading over to where their bikes were stored and picking up her helmet.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2014 10:27:13 GMT
Tim had made his way down into the Bat Cave along with Barbara before splitting up momentarily as they each had their own space within the cave designated to them as their armoury. Putting the Robin attire on had become second nature to Tim. It was a quick process, helped by the fact that Tim needed to be quick when working with Batman, who never seemed to like waiting. When it came to choosing gadgets, it wasn’t a test of his mental capabilities. After heading out, he always made sure to have his Utility belt ready for the next outing. Everything he ever needed was in there, and then it’s just a matter of carrying the Bo Staff.
“Hang on… just a second”. Tim was ready, yes, well… to a degree. Suited up and weaponized, you would think he was good to go. But that wasn’t the case, as Tim was stood before a small mirror within his armoury, just fixing his hair a little bit. You never know who you might run into, and if the worst was to happen; you want to look good when you bow out. ”And done!”. Satisfied, Tim departed his armour to go find Barbara.
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Post by Amanda Waller on Nov 17, 2014 3:09:55 GMT
Barbara mounted her bike and rested her helmet down and her forearm across it while she waited for Tim, using the time to type their destination into the GPS system on the front panel of the bike. Both of them were very familiar to the route they would take but this would let them know of any traffic or other roadblocks, both physically and metaphorically and provide them with the fastest way around should a obstacle come up. Looks like the way is clear. Barbara called behind her as soon as your done primping it should take us ten minutes to get there. She teased just as Tim came out of his armory, ready to go.
Everything as it should be? She kept on with her tease, she had caught him fixing his hair once a while back, he was as bad as her in that department. With her teasing smirk Barbara picked up her helmet and pulled it on to her head, starting her bike and giving the engine a good rev or two. It was time to go kick some butt and make sure her dad was safe.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2014 10:14:11 GMT
“It’ll do, for now at least”. Tim would respond, calling out as he stepped out from his armoury and headed over to where Barbara and the bikes were located. It was okay to assume that after the bike ride, wearing a stuffy helmet for near ten minutes that things would be less than perfect come the other end. But, thankfully Zsasz was enough of an issue to divert Tim’s attention away from ‘helmet-hair’.
Tim proceeded to mount his bike, and would place over his head the dreaded black motorcycle helmet. He then gripped one of the handlebars and kicked away the kickstand – balancing himself. A glance towards Barbara, he smirked beneath his helmet. “Race you there”. Tim flipped the visor of his helmet down and looked front and centre, gripping both handlebars tightly. A quick rev of the engine, the land vehicle exit of the Bat Cave would begin to open up in front of them. He very second there was enough room to get through did Tim go speeding forward, ducking down to squeeze beneath the door out, off into the streets of Gotham.
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