InsaneJournal

Who: Gwen Oracle and Orin Arrow
What: Discussions: Baddies, the Bat and their love lives
Where: Rainier
When: Recently-ish
Warnings: None

It was starting to become a bad habit, going out, and Oracle tried to vow that this was the last time.

Finding Fawkes was on everyone’s mind these days for various reasons. For her it was a matter of letting him get away, and all the lives it had cost since then. It had made her a little more vigilant when listening on the police bands or peeking through the surveillance cameras around the city. It didn’t help any that their numbers were smaller these days. She had heard the old standbys and heard some new voices, but there were a few that she hadn’t heard in a while. And a few that were still unable to come back.

So she went out that night. To cover the patrol while she knew people were getting some badly needed rest, to fix a dead zone before one of them stumbled on it first, and to work out some of her own anxious energy. She slipped on her dark suit and mask and hit the ground running.

It was the first night he’d gone out since the boating accident, and slipping on the suit and becoming Green Arrow was cathartic in a way that it normally wasn’t. He was scared, but he wouldn’t admit that to anyone, least of all himself, but the kevlar and arrows at his back made him feel stronger than Armani did. Fear turned into anger, which was a luxury he generally didn’t allow himself when he was patrolling, but it was beyond his control that night. That night was about taking something back, power, memories, emotions and vulnerabilities. And that meant Seattle’s finest were in for a hell of a time.

He usually patrolled Bathos, sticking to the place the other Masks seemed to avoid, but he hit Rainier instead, where the criminals were harder, the situations more dangerous than screaming girls in alleys and men who thought taking advantage made them stronger. Fawkes was on his mind, because Fawkes was on everyone’s damn mind these days, but not anymore than anyone else was. He didn’t give a damn who he took down; he just needed to take them down.

He saw the other vigilante two take-downs in, and he saw her again as he jumped from one rooftop to the other, heading toward a drug ring his last take-down had squealed about when he’d been tying him up. And oh, yeah, it was a woman. No doubt about that. He ran down the voices he’d been hearing on the network in his mind. Oracle? Out, she didn’t do field work. Cipher? Out, he suspected the Bat kept her cuffed to a crib. The others? Too young. Not with those curves.

He saluted her with an arrow, and then he jumped to the next building, going back to what he was doing, stopping when he reached the building the operation was working out of. Five stories, top floor, open window. Piece of damn cake.

Oracle had seen him out of the corner of her eye. She told him that first time that green really stood out and she supposed that was part of the point. They kept the identities a secret but it didn’t hurt to have a way people could know who was the one taking them down. Bat had his motif, this man was in green, and though she wore black she kept her hair loose, a streak of red in the shadows only spotted when it was too late.

The building in question had been on her list though the drug ring bust was more a convenient happenstance. It happened to be a particularly bad spot in the neighborhood, not a camera in sight which was just how they liked it. So of course, Oracle had to fix that. When she saw Arrow heading in the same direction she knew something was up, and she landed on the building rooftop and momentarily changed the channels on her comm to listen in on a phone conversations. Well. That explained it.

She looked over at Arrow and returned his wave, jumping down to the ledge to prep herself. The building was woefully old fashioned. Very few locks that she could hold and open, hardly any alarms that she needed to turn off. But she could do this the old fashioned way too and she tethered her comm back to Arrow, an easy feat at this distance, and waited for him to shoot first.

“After you,” Oracle said in his ear.

Now that was surprising. “Bat let you off your leash?” he asked, crouching on the building ledge and peering down, into the window just below with an ease born of his ability, entirely inhuman in its grace. Five men, easy enough, though none of them were the one he was after. He moved back before speaking again, looking across at her again. “Thought you just manned a desk, honey.” There was a smirk in that, a double meaning that was audible, even if the smile didn’t reach the green eyes that were obscured by the hood.

She laughed softly, the humor a little dulled by the situation but still there. Not unlike that smirk she heard from him. “Can’t a girl stretch her legs in this town without getting questioned?” There was a certain novelty in surprising everyone, and she was glad this time it wasn’t coming with an edge of anger. At least, not toward her. “Looking for someone?”

“Not when you belong to the Bat,” he said, not bothering with anything to change his voice or obscure who he was. No damn point. But he was plenty interested in her. He’d talked with Oracle plenty, flirted with her some, been the pissed the hell off at her when she’d threatened his folks, but he’d never seen her. Even when she was around causing trouble in his maze, he’d been denied the opportunity, and now he just glanced back at her, real slow and real obvious. “Course, I might hide you away, too, if I was him,” he said, and then he jerked his head back toward the open window. “Looking to let them think they’ve got me, so I can get whoever calls their shots.” Grin. “Feel like playing, honey?”

Belonging to the Bat. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that. And when she saw him giving her the once over she returned it in kind. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen his picture before. Monarch was photographed more but Arrow had quite a following as well. Still, it was different seeing him in person and if he was going to leer, so was she. “Look all you want,” she grinned. “Touch and it’s not the Bat you’ll have to hide from.” When he looked toward the window she cast a careful glance to it, watching the men mill about. When she looked back at Arrow, her grin was firmly in place. Did she feel like playing?” “Always.”

“Someone else have ownership papers?” he asked, mouth beneath the hood definitely turned up at one corner. He chuckled, and he reached for his bow and the sheath of his arrows, which he pulled off his back and tossed at her, expecting her to catch them, regardless of the fact that it was unwieldy. He might be a misogynist bastard in some ways, but out here he expected her to hold her own. If she couldn’t, she didn’t belong in that damn suit she was wearing. “Think you can toss those in once they’ve got me surrounded?” he asked. “Don’t want to tip the boss off by going in shooting.” He came close, and he tugged on that bit of red hair that was visible. “You got something you hit or shoot with? Cause if you don’t, I might start worrying, honey.”

“Something like that,” she smirked, though it faltered slightly when once he tossed her his weapons. She nodded at his request; it would be easy enough to toss them his way. As for weapons of her own, she had her collapsible baton, a small inconspicuous thing currently strapped to her belt at the hip, and a few other devices hidden as well. Her run in with Fawkes without any projectiles had her tinkering with a few things of her own, and she immediately thought of a few throwing weapons in her belt that were packed with a small electrical charge. But when she looked back at Arrow, she looked a little surprised, green eyes blinking innocently at him. “You mean you don’t think I can take them with my bare hands?”

He grinned at her, the grin of a man who was not at all worried about her showing him up. “Now, that I’d love to see,” he said, and then he dropped from his crouch onto the open sill a few feet below. He didn’t look when he dropped; he didn’t need to. He landed loudly, intentionally, and when the five men in the room looked his way, he dropped inside, like he was visiting. One of the men threw a punch, and he took it without defending himself, and he let them tie him there, against the wall, as they talked crap and looked proud of themselves.

When the boss man started walking into the room, Arrow canted his head back, looking for his backup, and he slipped the ropes like someone born to escaping from things. He held out a hand, expecting her to be close enough to get him the weapons and offer some backup, even as the guns started firing. He wondered if her man, whoever he was, would have issues with him involving her. He found he just didn’t give a damn.

She saw the head turn and swung in immediately, letting her momentum give her kick a little something extra as her leg slammed into the man nearest to the window and sending him across the floor. She gave him his weapons as soon as his hand was open and she turned to see a man grabbing his gun, though he seemed to forget himself in favor of gaping at her. So very handy, her suit.

She took that split second and grabbed her baton, extending it as he pulled his gun out. A solid strike and he was weaponless, a few more and he was down on the ground. She heard the fight behind her but couldn’t stop to take a look. Not yet, not with one more man intent on riddling her with bullets. She just had to trust that Arrow had his three under control.

“A stick?” he asked, entertained by the balls of the little lady in red, and with a chuckle he set to work. He didn’t nudge her behind him, and he didn’t make any outward move to protect her, but he did keep an eye on her, even as he downed the leader with two arrows and a running kick to the chest. The other five men, less important and more afraid, ran, and he quirked a brow at her. “Think you can handle one?” he asked, already moving to chase and definitely teasing her when he asked the question.

“I can do a lot with a stick,” she grinned, punctuating her assessment with two strikes, sending on man down to the ground and out instead of running out the door. Now it was only four running and she deftly reached into her belt. “One of them or one of you? Because from here,” her hand shot out, moonlight from the window catching the edge of metal as they soaring through the air, “I’m betting you all handle the same.” On contact, the weapons released their electric charge and both men gave a surprised cry before falling to the ground and atop each other.

Well. He chuckled, crossed one ankle over the other and motioned to the remaining two men. “Ladies first, honey. Better view from over here, anyway.” And, yes, that was accompanied by a lewd sweep of green eyes. That suit really was something

She rolled her eyes as she picked up her thrown charges from the backs of the now unconscious men and quickly slipped them back into her belt. It wasn’t like she could really afford to just leave them. “You’re a real gentlemen, all right,” she smirked, the laugh cut short as she passed him in favor of chasing after her last two. She pulled out another two projectiles and tossed, one zooming past the man’s face, startling him and slowing him enough for her to close the distance and give him a good hit that had him crashing into the wall. The other missed her target by a mile, crashing uselessly into the wall. “You’re really going to make me do all the work tonight?” she teased behind her as she gave chase.

His laughter carried to her. “Honey, I’m perfectly happy to take out your trash.” Which was, in fact, exactly what he was doing. He’d strung up the three men she’d taken down, and he’d carried them to the center of the room where, with the crime boss, he’d wrapped them all in green cord with arrows at the end. He went to “collect” her third victim, dragging him back easily and standing over him as he trussed him up like the others. “You allowed to be out here?” he asked, because he still had his doubts, and there was less tease in the question that time.

She laughed as he cleaned up her mess. So maybe he was a gentleman after all. She finally caught up with him, though she suspected he slowed in hopes of being able to overpower her, maybe use her as bait for Arrow. That had been an easy enough mistake to correct. After small struggle, a few good hits on both sides, she dragged him back towards Arrow, though she didn’t look particularly pleased about having to haul. Must work on upper strength. She dropped him with a huff and then frowned slightly at the question. “Did you ask for permission to start shooting arrows in Seattle?”

“No, but I didn’t belong to a big black bastard of a Bat,” he said, tipping her chin with two leather-covered fingers and a devil-may-care grin.

She didn’t bother to disguise her eye roll, or her smile, and her own gloved hand came up to pull his away. “You need to stop thinking that I belong to anyone. He knows I’m out.” An understatement, and a very big one at that. “And this isn’t exactly a routine I’m establishing here. So don’t go think you can slack off.” She looked down to draw his attention, gently nudging the man she dragged up with the toe of her boot before she lifted her face to grin at him. “You missed one.”

He laughed, even as he stepped back and tied the remaining man up. “Is this the part where you defend his impossible damn self to me?” he asked, winding the rope around the group of restrained men, and then pushing the button on the comm that rang the police desk. “Pick up,” he said, rattling off the coordinates and then disconnecting. “Three minutes, tops. Think you can change my mind that quick?”

She folded her arms over her chest and regarded with a curious little look. “Think so. But it’ll help if I know what I’m defending.” Oracle could defend Bat and what he did and said until she her voice gave out. “What did he do to you?” Knowing Bat, and knowing how Arrow could be, it really could be anything.

He grinned. “And the other guy? The one who does own you? As quick to defend him?” he asked, moving toward the window. He shook his head. “Woman, the Bat’s heavy handed, emotionally distant, probably doesn’t know where to find his dick with both hands, and he’s unforgiving as a man can be. That’s all fine for a Mask. Not so good for the people around him.” He gave her a look that might have been concern, and then he climbed on the windowsill. “This other guy. Choice two. He better?”

Her smile was a touch warmer as she thought of Nightwing, and she shook her head as she followed him towards the window, ready to climb out after. “Why does a man have to own me to be with me?” As for the Bat, Arrow was right on most points and she nodded, and grimaced, at all the appropriate moments. His demeanor was fine for the mask portion of his life but he was coming around in his personal one as well. “Let Bat worry about his people. They’re always well within his reach now.” The recent situation with Robin aside, it didn’t take away from the fact that his whole family was under one roof again. He could take better care of them now.

“I had a dream about that boy of his,” he said plainly, making it clear that it was not a good dream, because she knew damn well who the Bat was and who his kid was, and they both knew it. “And about his sister-in-law, and I think my cousin’s making moves on his woman.” And all of that said he wasn’t so damn sure about the Bat’s family. He climbed back onto the roof, and while he watched to make sure she was okay, he didn’t offer help unless she asked. “You happy?” He didn’t ask who she was with, because he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. It was either someone real, or she was just covering for the Bat, and he’d rather steer clear of it if he could.

She frowned as he spoke of the dreams, though she wasn’t surprised. She doubted anyone in their line of work had pleasant dreams. “Glad no one made it into my nightmares,” she muttered as she scaled the side of the building. Her dreams had been harmless that week, a miracle honestly, when she more often than not woke up to the sound of a gunshot and laughter in her ears, or the feel of a kiss as something tight wound around her neck. “Going to step in and save your cousin or are you going to sit with me at the sidelines and watch as Bat scares the pants off of him?” She didn’t need any help getting to the roof and she was glad he didn’t offer any. His question made that mysterious, happy smile return, a telling answer though it faded slightly. “I’m enjoying it while it lasts. While he’s still around.” She looked at him over her shoulder. “You happy?” She wasn’t exactly sure what he was up to, not keeping that close of a tab on his personal life, but since he was asking personal questions, she thought she might.

“If I tell Jonathan the woman’s off limits, it’ll just make him more interested. Don’t know the Morgensterns real well, do you? Thought you and A were buds? He should have given you some damn indication of what they’re all like. Hell, I’d even be scared to go up against Ro, and she’s a tiny thing.” He shook his head. “Wants to take Laura running, too, my cousin. I think I’ll sit on the sidelines and wait for the Bat to put him out of commission.” He glanced over at her when she smiled that happy smile, and he shook his head. “Man, you got it bad, woman,” he said, sounding like he wasn’t opposed to someone having it bad. At least if she was involved with someone in this life, well, no civilians were getting hurt. “I’m getting by. Not real good at choices, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“I don’t know your cousin all too well and I, strangely, thought that was just his way. Who knew there were plenty more like him. They all just appeared overnight.” Hardly a day went by without another Morgenstern showing up on the forums. “Laura will run circles around your cousin. She needs someone who can keep up but I think it’ll be fun to watch.” She blushed under her mask as he poked fun at her. “Maybe. We’ll see how it goes. I’ve got a good track record of chasing men away and it’s not like I’m the only one who’s noticed him.” She shook her head. “Are any of us good at choices?” Some days it seemed that the better a Mask was, the worse their personal life was.

“Competition’s a bitch, honey,” he said, giving her a look over one last time. “Don’t think you got anything to worry about, though, not in that department. And my whole damn family’s come west.” He sounded fond, even as he complained. The sirens neared, closing in on the men in the building. “As for Laura, I burnt that bridge years ago. Now I’m just looking out for her, and Jonathan’s the kind of man to love ‘em and leave ‘em.” Once the police cars parked, he stepped back from the edge of the roof, and he tipped his hood forward in salute. “Think you can manage without me?” he teased.

She laughed and since she was close enough to, she gave him a little bump with her hip. “How sweet of you to notice.” As for Laura and bridges burnt, her expression looked a little sadder. “Between the two of us, she’ll be fine. I’ll make sure your cousin keeps it in his pants.” Now the police were here, she was moving to the other side of the roof, planning on taking a different route back home. “Somehow I’ll find a way,” she winked and a second later she was off, swinging away.