batlanguage (batlanguage) wrote in newalliance, @ 2012-10-10 14:07:00 |
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Entry tags: | batgirl ii |
You and I Collide
Who: Batgirl and Doug Ramsey
NPC: Dr. Leslie's Thompkins
Where: Doug's abode above Leslie's Thompkins' Park Row Clinic.
When: October 9th, following Doug's magical misadventure.
What: Batgirl goes to check up on Doug. They have words. And gestures. And so on.
Rating: Adult, eventually.
Batgirl's patrol route took her into Park Row, so of course she had to check up on that neighborhood. Crime Alley and Leslie's Clinic in particular. Leslie was doing well; it was a slow night for her, and they had the clinic to themselves. Batgirl even had her mask off, both because Leslie disliked talking to it and because Cass could simply vanish if anyone walked in.
Predictably, the conversation was nudged in the direction of Doug. Batgirl was rather coy on the subject, but no, they hadn't talked. They'd been going through a rather rough patch ever since she stopped training him and urged him to stop being a crimefighter.
"You already know my feelings on the subject," Leslie commented about crimefighting in general. She was a staunch pacifist who had objections to Batman's methods on general principle. "So many of you young people haven gotten drawn into that life, and just once in the years I have left, I'd like to see one of you walk away from it in one piece." She laid a hand on Batgirl's shoulder. "I know you can't be that person, but Doug ... he has a whole life ahead of him that shouldn't involve this."
She nodded, still feeling like she'd taken something away from Doug. "He wants to ... be with me."
"And he thinks he'll get that by being a part of your world. He thinks he'll lose you if he doesn't adopt the same life you have."
"Doesn't ... have to."
Leslie tilted her head to the side, her eyes revealing years of worry, concern, experience, and wisdom. "But Cassandra. You're proving him right."
She blinked at Leslie.
"You've withdrawn from him, haven't you? In this past month, you haven't seen him as much."
"I ... hurt him. When I see him ... we argue. Can't make him ... see."
"And now that he's not on the rooftops with you, you see him less. When you come here to check on me, you avoid him."
"He ... still goes. On rooftops. Caught him."
"He's told me he goes up there because he likes watching and listening to the city. He says it talks to him. Something about his power, I think."
Batgirl pondered this. She'd certainly gotten that impression, but somehow she'd forgotten that aspect amongst all the drama. "So he ... can watch city. No need for mask."
"But when you took that life away from him, you took yourself away."
Cass frowned.
"Cassandra, I'm saying, go to him. He's up in his room last time I checked. Prove to him that he doesn't need to wear a mask like you or fight like you in order to have you in his life."
Cass was suddenly antsy. "But ... patrol."
Leslie folded her arms. "You're getting your personal life in order so you have a clear head for patrol," she reasoned. "And if Batman has a problem with that, he can take it up with me."
Cass' eyes widened, and she couldn't help but smirk. Leslie was known for being every bit as stubborn as Bruce and Batman. "Okay."
***
Within minutes, Batgirl was peering through Doug's window. "Slow night," she told Oracle over her commlink. "Going to be with Doug." She quickly added, "Leslie's idea," before any counter-argument could be made. "Tell Batman." She turned off the commlink.
She could see Doug in his room. He definitely looked as if he'd been having a rough time, and while there was a lot of 'missing my girlfriend' in his body language, there was also quite a bit of 'I've just been put through the wringer' and 'I'm injured.'
Behind her mask, her eyes widened with outrage. She knocked on the window, loudly and angrily.