I Moderate (i_moderate) wrote in we_archive, @ 2006-02-02 17:22:00 |
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Entry tags: | cassandra cain, peter parker |
i_slingwebs [narrative; open for cass]
Peter had successfully wrestled his press pass from someone he didn't recognize (but seemed to know exactly who he was) at the offices of the City Voice. He had managed, though it'd taken some doing, to sew himself a new costume, from scratch, though by the time it was done, he was exhausted and swore up and down that once he found Aunt May, he'd thank her over and over again for somehow managing to help him out.
The mousy looking camera-man slipped out of his apartment at half past eight in the evening, his backpack slung over one shoulder (costume and spare rolls of film tucked safely inside). He had been lucky - in his apartment, he'd found plenty of cartridges of webbing, which left him slightly nervous, but for the most part, relieved that he didn't have to mix any more up. Some of the materials were expensive and, well, hard to get.
Peter was snooping around. One thing that his press pass did was give him a perfectly viable excuse to go scoping out places or people, no matter how dangerous.
From: [info]i_dontspeak Date: 02/02/2006 14:54:25
The thing about a press pass was that, when you got right down to it, the thing was a wordy piece of paper. Shiny, yes, but still paper, and still covered in words. In Cassandra's eyes, no piece of paper gave Peter permission to snoop anywhere in her city.
Even if, technically, this wasn't her city, and she didn't know which city it actually was, and if she should really be patrolling. Cass was Bat-trained. Every city was her city.
In Gotham, people lurking in dark alleys were...strongly discouraged from doing so. It didn't matter what the were actually doing, really; if it wasn't illegal, it could be done in a well-lit area. Prevention was better than the cure, after all.
With a deliberate thump, Batgirl dropped from the sky, a few feet behind Peter.
From: [info]i_slingwebs Date: 02/02/2006 14:59:44
Peter hadn't heard her coming, but he had heard her leaping down. That is, he heard her just before her fit hit the ground. And he whirled around, his one blue eye bright in the darkness, sinking all too naturally into a crouch. He pressed his back up against the wall though, one hand against the brick, the other holding his camera.
Camera. Press pass.
"Uh," he said, not quite sure how to take the girl's choice of costume. Kinda creepy. In fact, she looked to HIM like a bad guy.
Still, Peter grinned. "Good evening!"
From: [info]i_dontspeak Date: 02/02/2006 15:06:59
Although she didn't move an inch, Cass was immediately on the defensive. In the few simple movements he had made, Peter had displayed speed and reflexes that were likely metahuman. She wasn't supposed to fight metas, Bruce said. But Bruce wasn't here right now, and this guy, with his one eye, didn't look too threatening, pressed against a wall.
"What are you doing?"
That was a phrase she had practised, over and over, until the tone and pitch were perfect. It was a sightly more feminine version of Batman's gravelly voice, carefully designed to freak people out.
Hopefully.
From: [info]i_slingwebs Date: 02/02/2006 15:09:50
Peter's spider-senses were going like crazy. He could tell that this girl was dangerous. She didn't exactly look friendly, and that voice, jeez! Definately a bad guy.
Definately.
"Oh, you know, same-old same-old. Being curious," Peter said, trying to keep his voice light. "Same as you."
That really was Spider-Man's method, wasn't it? Killing his enemies with kindness. And bad jokes.
From: [info]i_dontspeak Date: 02/02/2006 15:14:42
A sharp shake of her head. "No."
Argh, putting words together without planning was not fun. Still, she had to explain to this guy who was boss, here.
"You...are not like me." She paused, mind scrambling for the right phrase. "I am...fighting crime. You are..." She nodded at his camera. "Are not."
Dammit, why was this so difficult? Well, she had other ways of getting her point across.
From: [info]i_slingwebs Date: 02/02/2006 15:18:05
"Fighting crime?" Peter asked, a clear look of surprise - and, well, relief - on his face. "You know, when I think of crime-fighters, I usually think of bright, primary colors. Did you ever think about adding some blue to that outfit? I mean, blue can do a lot for public image," Peter suggested, putting both his hands on his hips.
His sneakers were blue, today. Blue is a great color!
"Though I bet you come up with great tag-lines! Sonically locating the bad bugs of society! Hah!" Peter had to put bad in front of bugs, 'cause, well, ...
. . . wait a minute! BATS EAT SPIDERS, DON'T THEY?!
From: [info]i_dontspeak Date: 02/02/2006 15:22:50
"...what?"
It wasn't often that Cassandra's Batgirl persona slipped. Usually it took a crying child or something really horrific. But Peter, Peter had managed to nonplus her by talking about colours.
"Colour...that is not important!" Never mind that fact that there was yellow on her costume. Her hands flexed into fists almost involuntarily. "What are you doing?"
From: [info]i_slingwebs Date: 02/02/2006 15:28:00
"No, no, I mean it! Blue is a calming color. And it makes you look less like a dominatrix. I mean, well, unless that' the look you're going for. Batinatrix!" Peter grinned. He couldn't help himself!
The spider shifted his bag on his shoulder and laughed. "Is that your name? The Batinatrix? I bet your favorite kind of ice cream is grasshopper!"
Mmm, minty deliciousness.
Wait. Isn't Peter supposed to be feeling threatened?
From: [info]i_dontspeak Date: 02/02/2006 15:33:34
What? What?! What?!
Cassandra was not good with words at the best of times, so having someone like Peter prattle away when she was supposed to be discouraging him, dammit, from hiding in alleyways, was not fun. Very not fun.
And he was clearly nervous, and clearly avoiding questions about what he was doing. Good enough for Cass. She'd deal with a Bat-lecture later, if it meant shutting this guy up.
In a fluid move that was first, never mind second, nature, she swung a punch at him.
From: [info]i_slingwebs Date: 02/02/2006 15:36:25
Peter's head howled at him and for a moment, he felt like everything was going in slow motion. He just watched the punch come at him.
Holy shit. And he moved. His whole body reacted violently, on intsinct rather than of his own volition, and that in itself was kind of creepy.
Because after being in a coma, weren't you supposed to be slower than you'd been before? Not considerably, frighteningly faster?
Peter, in a flash, was up against the wall. Up against the wall about ten feet off of the ground.
"WOAH okay, that's not very friendly! I guess the Batinatrix is out, huh."
From: [info]i_dontspeak Date: 02/02/2006 15:41:39
Now that was fast. And she'd been right about him being meta, at least. If the rulebook was to be obeyed, now was the time to back off and contact Oracle, or Batman, or even Robin.
Sometimes Cass was really glad she couldn't read the rulebook.
"Batgirl," she said quietly, firing a zipline up to the top of the building and using it to sprint up the wall after Peter.
From: [info]i_slingwebs Date: 02/02/2006 15:47:17
"Are you going to try and punch me again?" Peter asked, as he shimmied a little further over along the wall, to put some distance between them while he scrambled in his bag with one hand. Camera, off, in check.
Web-cartridge out, on his wrist, check.
Press pass, in his back now, thanks. Here's hoping nobody wanders down the alley and happens to look up. Peter couldn't keep track of everybody who'd seen him without his mask.
From: [info]i_dontspeak Date: 02/02/2006 16:01:53
"Yes."
Well, why bother lying? She was going to punch him, several times, and possibly throw him around a bit.
As she let the zipline do all the work, her eyes were watching Peter's movements. There wasn't any thought behind her planning, really; it was much more instinctive than that. Weapon, speed, clinging, said his body. Reflexes, eye, nervousness. Unsure.
Batman would not be happy with her for this, but...
She sped up the zipline as Peter fumbled with his bag, then stopped it suddenly, using the momentum to flip herself over and smash a heel into his wrist. Weapon first, of course.