December 25, 2015:
Dinner on a rooftop for Babs and Rowan
Wayne Tower - New York
Characters
![class="image1"](http://cmbeta.wdfiles.com/local--resized-images//class="image1"/medium.jpg)
NPCs: None.
Mentions:
Plot:
Mood Music: None.
Fade In…
It's Rowan's second Christmas on the surface and he knows that Babs has been working hard. As usual he doesn't know what on, but it's Christmas Eve and he's decided she should have a break.
Since most restaurants are closed on Christmas Eve, the dragon-Blue has secured… groceries. And dropped by to appropriate Babs Kitchen and make what he hopes will be an acceptable dinner with the help of the surfacers mysterious 'Google' system.
Even Christmas Day has it's challenges… between Gotham and the JL:A the redheaded Information Goddess has been kept busy. Finishing up the last active call, she transfers the feeds to her tablet and heads down to her apartment where Rowan is … apparently slaving over hot oven.
As the elevator doors open and she wheels herself towards him. "Sorry, that took longer than expected. Something smells good though." Stopping not far from Rowan she watches, waiting for an opportunity to greet him properly.
Rowan has a ham in the oven and a few things on the cook top. Potatoes, some vegetables. He hasn't attempted anything particularly daring. There's some sparkling drink chilling in some ice. He's just washing up as Babs comes in. "Good timing." The Blue warrior smiles as he leans over to hug the redhead. Tight. "Almost ready. How are you doing?"
Hugging back, letting her head rest on Rowans shoulder for a moment, Babs sighs happily. "Busier than I expected, to be honest. The odd burglarly I'd expect, but there's been an unusual amount of 'high' level crime across the board." Not anything anyone might notice, but Babs systems detect a lot of thing. "Most of has been digital, so no need to bother the teams of the ground, yet."
Looking at the oven and hotplates, she cants her head "Getting adventorous, aren't you. The ham smells divine." Casting a look in Rowans direction, she adds "What about you? How are you?"
"Uh, I don't think so. This is… traditional right? Ham?" Rowan likes ham when it's cooked well. The blue leans back as he watches Babs with a smile. "I'm well… there are… well, there's thing going on underwater that may call me away soon and I don't know how long… so I wanted to be here. Is there… anything you need help with?"
She'd been teasing … adventurous for Babs in the kitchen means more than opening a box of cereal or a tin of something to cook. "Very traditional." she smiles as she watches him lean back and watch her.
"Nothing I particularly need help wi… " she trails off and considers for a moment "Maybe … I'm considering moving. As you've pointed out previously, this isn't safe anymore. If I do, it will be mobile, I could do with some input from a military mind … "
It'll be a few more minutes before dinner is ready and Rowan leans back and considered. "Mobile center for your work? Sure. If I can help. What kinds of questions do you have?" Rowan's dealt with mobile command centers before. Usually Blue but still…
Handing her tablet to Rowan, which has the designs of three different wheeled vehicles, Babs shrugs a little. "All of these appear good, but I'd like to know how you would try to compromise them physically. The tech stuff, I pretty much have covered, but if the vehicle is attacked, I need to think of contingencies."
Collecting flatware and cutlery, Babs starts to lay out the table "Without the use of my legs, my options may be limited … but knowing what I might expect, and any thoughts of mitigating that, would help."
"The best way to compromise anything mobile is to immobilize it." Rowan says as he looks through the designs and then smiles. "Uh, pack those up, Babs. We'll have this… some place with a bit nicer view. Anyway, what you'll want to start with is something with tough and redundant motivator systems."
Glancing up from laying the table, Babs gives Rowan a searching look. "Are you taking me to the rooftop again?" They've done that before, when he's wanted to get her out of her tower.
Collecting the items and moving to put them away, Babs considers his comments about the vehicle "I'd already considered an EMP taking out the electrical systems." she murmurs making a mental note to consider what Rowan has said.
"Will I need to change?"
Rowan smiles. "Not the roof, no. Bit further than that. Some place high up with all the lights laid out before us." He starts to take the food out and put them into insulated carriers to keep them hot. Fortunately, burning him is a lot harder than it might be for a person. "Almost ready?"
She had been teasing a little and his words have her smiling. "Well then, colour me intrigued." With that she heads off to get a jacket to wrap herself in and a blanket for her legs… just in case. When she returns, there's a gift resting on her lap. "I'm ready, when you are. I'm going to assume you have everything organised here."
Rowan just about has the window open and he's starting to change. When Babs returns he reaches out to pick her up. And then they're off. Soon he has her settled on his back and he's headed for the top of one of the tallest buildings in town… which happens to be Wayne Tower.
Settling on Rowans back, jacket pulled tightly around her, the redhead watches the lights of Gotham bleed into each other, and become one multicolour blur.
As they head to the roof of Wayne Tower, her eyes widen in surprise. "Do I need to … tell the security systems we're friendlies?" she asks the dragon, tapping on the screen of the tablet.
There's certainly areas they shelter up there, out of the wind at least … but perhaps Rowan has done something more …
"There's security up there?" Rowan hadn't particularly noticed the rooftops of tall buildings had those systems and he's never landed on this one before. After all, you'd need to have wings to get up there. He just… has wings.
He circles around and starts to descend on a sheltered spot that faces north, toward the city and the lights of New York. You can see a lot from up here. City lights. Christmas lights. All of it.
"Maybe… " Babs responds, already accessing the security systems via the Clocktower. "Best to be certain, right? We don't want to be interrupted." Peering down over Rowan's shoulder as they circle, her face lights up in delight.
Waiting until they land, the wind being cut by the shelter, she waits for him to help her alight. The blanket she'd gathered draped over her thighs… it might be suitable to sit on. "It's beautiful up here, Rowan."
Rowan lays out the blanket, then the food and the drink. It doesn't take him long to hand Babs a plate of hot ham, potatoes and green beans and a cup of sparkling drink. And then serve himself. "Not so bad from up here right?"
The dragon knows that Babs deals with awful things regularly. Sometimes it's good to be reminded that's not all there is in the world.
"It's beautiful…" Babs repeat, holding the plate on her lap and taking a sip from the cup. It takes a little juggling, but she manages start eating as she looks out over the vista.
After a few moments of eating, savouring the food… a luxury she doesn't often allow herself, Babs looks up and smiles at the Dragon Warrior "The food is lovely and this …." a careful gesture to the view "is wonderful."
"Glad you like it." Rowan is also admiring the view. Up here, with the wind, you can't even hear the sirens tonight. "How are you holding up? I know you're not sleeping well. And I know you've been busier than ever this time of year."
Moving, so she can lean against him, Babs continues to look out over the city. Quiet, contemplative, as if she is working something through. "I never sleep well, you know that." She's just come to accept that as part of her lot.
Taking another mouthful of food, she lets the silence between them grow before continuing "I'm busy, but I'm also worried, Rowan. The Clocktower used to be my haven … I felt safe there … and now…" she blows out a breath "I don't and I have to move. But I'm worried it simply won't be enough."
"You have a lot of people looking for you, Barbara." Rowan says quietly. "You'll be safe. If you need me to, when I'm around, I'm more than happy to just… be near. Just in case." No better protection than having someone right there right?
"You already are around when you can be." Babs nudges the Blue "I can't ask for more than that." He's always welcome to spend more time with her, of course "Besides, from what I understand about your issues, you're going to be needed away for longer periods."
"You asked me once about how I felt about not being able to walk…" the redhead speaks quietly "… at that time I said I was used to it. I … want to change that now…"
Rowan looks over at Babs. He wonders what… would have happened to her to cause her to change her mind like that? He doesn't know. "Are you looking into options?" Surely there must be options though he has no idea what they are. "Magic? Augmentics?"
Babs looks at Rowan and see's the look on his face. "You weren't here … " she murmurs and looks down at her plate. "There … have been more attacks. I was caught in an explosion and … they had evacuate me. I couldn't help my friends." and that had rankled…
She's not going to mention the dreams she's been having. Dreams where she's been walking and running and then waking up to the reality of being reliant on her chair.
"A number of things and I have enough contacts to consider many options. But I'm starting my research again, technology - all sorts - has come a long way." The redhead rests her head on the blue warriors shoulder, food nearly finished. "There's pros and cons for many options. But I might be leaning towards cybernetics … " Which Rowan himself might have some feelings about.
"I don't know how those work in this world. In mine, only the Psyborgs had access to them…" So he's used to seeing them on enemies. "If we lived elsewhere or things were better between the land and sea here I might prevail upon my people to work with magic or biotech… sadly I don't think that's going to b e possible."
"I've some idea. But they're still specialist technology." Babs has been doing a little research "Very specialist… " at his mention of the Seafolks involvement, the redhead shakes her head sadly "I don't think so either. But I will continue looking." and will speak with him as she finds out more.
Rearranging his shoulder, making him more comfortable to lean against, she turns her eyes up "And what about you? You say you are well, and I believe it, but what of your investigations, how much danger are you in?"
"A lot. What's going on under the waves is very dangerous right now. For us and for the whole world potentially. But there's little that can be done about it up here." And little that Babs can do herself. It's difficult, Rowan knows, not being able to help.
"I can listen…" Babs shrugs, clearly worried for the danger he's exposed to. Not that she doesn't think he can look after himself … she knows he can. And it is difficult, feeling helpless but sadly, she's getting used to it.
Taking the gift up, a small package, she hands it to him. "Merry Christmas, Rowan." she murmurs.
Rowan looks down and smiles. He's gotten used to this part. The giving of gifts. It seems like a nice custom. He's even remembered one of his own this time. He'd hidden it away in the food back and now produces a small box and offers it up. "It's not much…"
Taking Babs offering he sets it in his lap and starts to unwrap it.
It's a knife, a dagger if you like, excellently crafted and if Rowan looks closely at the design on the hilt, he'll note a stylised Oracle avatar and six winged dragon..
"I know you have you're own weaponry, I thought this to be more ornamental than anything else … " Although, it is extremely usuable.
Taking his offering, her green eyes meet his, a slight smile touching her lips, before they drop to the package in her hands and she starts to unwrap it…
It's a bracelet. Well, bracer, really. It's made of the same hard coral that his weaponry is made of, polished to a sheen with sea and dragon motifs etched on it. Rowan seems quite pleased with his dagger… "It's beautiful Babs."
Turning the bracelet over in her hands, running her fingers over it, Babs smiles up at Rowan. "It's lovely… " she speaks quietly, as she fits on her wrist. A perfect fit, and she holds her arm out so she can see it.
"Do you have to leave soon? Or can we spend sometime here, before heading back?"
"Depends on when the news of the next move comes. We're waiting at the moment. I expect it within a week… or so." So no, Rowan isn't leaving right now, but he might have to leave soon. It just depends on how things shake out.
"Alright." Babs settles in, turning her gaze out over New York "Then we can watch the lights for a while and then head home." Unless she gets a call that she's needed. "In the morning, I'll cook breakfast and we can see what we want to do after that."
Seems that the redhead is settling in for the evening. "Thank you for dinner, Rowan. It was a nice change."