A warning to the people, the good and the evil

[ichoosefight]

WHO: Spoiler and Power Girl
WHERE: Rooftops in Heropa
WHEN: During The Road Not Taken
WHAT: Backseat Heroing
WARNINGS: Potentially gun violence

She waits on the roof of the Porter building, two coffees in hand. One is a triple espresso, the other coffee with sugar and cream. Neither is particularly hot by this point - she had to change clothes and get them onto the roof without spilling them on herself. She doesn't care, she's just in it for the caffeine.

Her mask covers her mouth and nose, but she keeps her hood down to catch the occasional breeze. It's nice to slow down every now and again, take the time to look up at the stars. She has a few names on her watch list, but nothing urgent. She can wait.

She is also well armed, with several pistols hidden on her person. They're all loaded, safeties on, with extra ammo in her utility belt. She doubts she'll have any reason to use them as long as PG is at her back.

Comments

[boobwindow]

Peej doesn't fully comprehend what's going on with Spoiler, or anybody else for that matter, but it has her concerned. Everything Spoiler has told her over the network doesn't appear to correlate with the information she remembers from back home, particularly Black Mask's death. She might not interfere with business in Gotham (and she doesn't need to, Batman and the others have it under control), but everyone in the community talks and keeps tabs on one another to a degree.

She spots Spoiler from the distance, a splash of purple that blends in well under the night sky. She doesn't appear particularly defensive or aggressive, so Peej lands close enough to her, boots lightly scuffing the ground.

"How's the sky looking?"

[ichoosefight]

Steph has more than enough experience that she doesn't jump, even though she doesn't hear PG arrive. Instead she shrugs, holding up the two coffee cups to the woman. There's a smile under that mask, but it's well hidden.

"Clearer than Gotham, for whatever that's worth. Cream and sugar, or no?"

[boobwindow]

"Just sugar," she says, fixing her windswept hair so it's not in her face anymore. Before she can take the cup of coffee, however, she pauses and eyes it conspicuously. "It's not laced with anything, is it?"

Although, if it is, Spoiler would likely not tell her. But there isn't any reason for hostility, she hopes. They might disagree on methods, but as long as the other girl doesn't pull a fast one on her...

[ichoosefight]

"Dairy products," she answers wryly, pulling the espresso closer to herself so Power Girl knows which to take.

"Unless you'd rather have straight up espresso. I had to guess. I'm assuming you don't have any problems with caffeine." She mostly has Supergirl to judge by. Basic food allergies weren't high on her priority list when she was memorizing details from Batman's files.

[boobwindow]

"I'm a big fan of caffeine, personally." She smirks slightly before extending her hand to take the cup. There is an instant she pauses, noting the cup isn't even warm, but that probably shouldn't come as a surprise to her.

It takes her only a second or two to use her heat vision to reheat her drink, then she nods at Spoiler's cup.

"You want yours reheated? Won't taste good cold."

[ichoosefight]

"If you're offering." She takes the top off of her own drink, just in case PG needs to know how full it is. The cup is a lot bigger than the espresso itself.

"I have a thermos, but this seemed more sociable. Thanks."

[boobwindow]

"Watch your fingers," she says before blue eyes are enveloped in a red hue. She carefully uses a thin stream of heat vision to reheat Spoiler's drink, just hot enough so that it tastes fresh again and not that it'll burn her tongue.

Then she takes a sip of her own drink, now using both hands to hold onto her cup.

"Alright now... what's going on with you?"

And everyone else, for that matter.

[ichoosefight]

Steph blows on the drink, just to be safe, and takes a small sip. Ah, the bitter, wonderful taste of caffeine.

She raises an eyebrow.

"Nothing's going on with me. What's going on with you? I thought we were from the same universe."

[boobwindow]

"We are," she says, though she doesn't sound entirely convinced anymore. She hasn't pieced together that Spoiler's been here a while, so to Peej she's brand new to this world.

The more she thinks on it, the more certain she grows that Spoiler may be from another universe, one in which she apparently takes out Black Mask herself.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

[ichoosefight]

"Batman coming back from the dead, and some techno zombies." She feels like their major events match up, but Peej is out of the loop. Which she shouldn't be.

sorry! work transfer got me swept up the past few days.

[boobwindow]

"Wait..."

Peej wouldn't describe the Black Lanterns as techno zombies, but maybe Spoiler isn't describing them. What throws her off is her stating Batman (Bruce?) is back and that, maybe, there are zombies again.

"Batman... original flavor?"

Good transfer though I hope?

[ichoosefight]

"The first and most paternalistic of them all."

She sips her coffee, thinking bitter Bruce related thoughts.

yes, thank you!

[boobwindow]

"That's —" Great news, as far as Peej feels. Everyone in the community had been under the impression that after the last Crisis, Bruce was not coming back. It's not as if people like him hadn't come back before, people who were plain human, but it seemed... a rarity, sometimes.

"I should have figured. Nothing keeps Batman down." Her smile fades quickly looking back at Spoiler. "How do you feel about it?"

[ichoosefight]

She shrugs.

"It's great. He does good work, and a lot of people depend on him." A lot of people that she cares about deeply, even if Bruce himself wasn't on that list.

"For my part, I could still feel his disapproving stare from beyond the grave. Or time distortion, or what-the-hell-ever."

[boobwindow]

A sigh follows Spoiler's response.

"You know his stance on killing — all of ours."

[ichoosefight]

She restrains the urge to roll her eyes.

"I may have heard something in passing, yes."

[boobwindow]

She wrinkles her nose, the lines on her forehead more prominent as she frowns.

"This isn't the time to joke, Spoiler."

[ichoosefight]

"Have you met me? It's always the time to joke. Put a gun to my head and I'll ask what you're compensating for."

It's true. But mostly she's just tired of having this conversation. She's had it so many times in the past two years she could do both sides by herself.

[boobwindow]

"Luckily I don't do guns," she snorts quietly, tapping the rim of her cup with a gloved finger.

She doesn't know what Spoiler plans to do here, but she can't and won't have someone putting bullets in locals of this world, even if they are criminals.

"You try and pull that here, I'm going to step in."

[ichoosefight]

"I don't doubt it." She watches the street below, a cool expression on her face.

"And I'm sure it won't come to that." But if it does, if she really thinks it's necessary, she'll be planning for people like Karen. Until then she'll play nice.

"So you can unclench. This is a regular patrol, nothing special."

[boobwindow]

The corner of her mouth tightens, but she keep a lid on her temper. At least until things make a little more sense she won't blow her fuse on Spoiler.

Hopefully.

"Any unusual activity tonight?"

[ichoosefight]

"Not so far. No word on any big heists, and it's still too early for most muggers." She's positively thrilled to get back to shop talk. She downs most of the rest of her espresso before getting to her feet.

"Better start making the rounds." She doesn't wait for PG's approval before stepping off the building's edge. If the woman wants to tag along she'll have to be happy in the passenger's seat.

[boobwindow]

She's been eavesdropping on the town every now and then while talking with Spoiler, but she hasn't picked up on anything unusual or suspicious so far. Heropa is such an oddly quiet town when it isn't an imPort trying to blow something or someone up.

Though she might wouldn't mind a bit of excitement about now...

Peej sighs and follows after her, coffee still in her hands.

"I'm not even done my coffee," she says, though it's not as if she hasn't gotten used to drinking and eating on the go. She chugs the rest of her coffee and tosses her cup, getting it directly into a recycling bin far below them. "So where do you normally start?"

[ichoosefight]

"Not like you have to worry about spilling it," Steph points out, just a touch of envy in her voice. Invisibility is incredibly useful, but flight would be cooler.

"I start at the center of downtown and work my way out in a spiral. There are plenty of other people out patrolling at all hours, so we might actually make it to the city limit tonight. You have a bed time?" She's not sure kryptonians even need sleep.

[boobwindow]

Her eyes narrow in return.

"Try not to push your luck with me, Spoiler." It's growing sorely tempting to smack her upside the head for that comment, but she follows behind her still, eyes sharp and on the lookout for anything unusual or suspicious.

"Gothamites might not sleep, but I can keep up no problem."

[ichoosefight]

"We sleep," she corrects, grinning and utterly unphased. "We're just nocturnal. Hear anything interesting? You're a little more visible than I prefer to be."

[boobwindow]

"I don't really do that whole 'sneaking in darkness' thing," she says blandly. Someone like her, with this bright a costume, probably couldn't anyway. Most of the time she doesn't sneak up on people as much as charge them anyway.

She tilts her head toward the side, listening closely.

"I'm hearing glass shattering about two kilometers east — oh, there goes the alarm."

[ichoosefight]

She may not have had company on patrol in some time, but the habits are ground into her bones. She changes directions, heading east with more deliberate speed. It isn't that she wants to lose Power Girl, but that she trusts the woman to follow - or even lead the way.

"Any civilians?" She doesn't hear screaming, but from two kilometers she can't hear the alarm either.

"Have the police mobilized yet?"