exsilium | 001. ✝ anonymous, voice.

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001. ✝ anonymous, voice.

( She isn't the Oracle: she has very little faith in the security of this network. Either it has to be a tool for the Huntress, or for Helena Bertinelli. All things considered, Huntress feels a little more pressing.

When Helena speaks, there are traces of Sicily, it's all very charming. With the Huntress, it's all Gotham, rough and harsh, words bitten out more than spoken. )

Any Bats in the belfry?

( A beat. )

I'll rephrase that: keep your eyes on the skyline.

( There's a brief pause and for the trained listener, they might realise that is the sound of a fight happening in the background. Don't interrupt with Huntress with an attempted mugging when she is trying to talk, okay? Okay. )

Anyone else who's washed up here from Gotham, well. On the bright side, ( that was the sound of someone getting kicked in the face ) there's not much this place can throw at us that we didn't have to deal with back home.

( Look at her, being all optimistic. If only it didn't sound so close to scathing. She's on the move, and there's a breath - maybe she meant to say something more? - before a clatter, the pained cry of a male assailant, a sharp crack, and suddenly: silence. At best, she's faintly irritated.)

Nice to see some good, old-fashioned manners. I feel right at home.

( So much derision, and then the feed cuts. One can only imagine how much information she'll try to get out of that guy. )

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Apparently it gets me unlimited supplies of blondes that talk a lot.

( Just saying.

But she can catch that undertone, and for a moment, Stephanie reminds her of a student that's been trying really hard to get something in class. From where Steph can't see her face, it makes her smile a little, even if there's something painful in it. Still a kid.

Never mind that even the Huntress appreciates some approval, from time to time. )

That's gotta be useful.

( Good work, Batgirl. A bit lighter: ) Canary would wind up with fishnets that never tore.

( East it is. East at very high speeds. )

Edited (grammar) 2013-06-03 09:25 (UTC)

Just wait till you meet Supergirl.

[Relaxing a little, that edge seeping out of her tone at Helena admitting the usefulness of a bottomloss utility belt.

And maybe, just maybe, she lets out a delightled laugh as they take off; it really has been too long since she's done something like this. She wonders if she could bring a bike back through the Transporters, though she'd have to go with an electric one, considering the fuel situation (not good).]

I think she already has those. It might be a seconary metagene or something.

Can't wait.

( Read: she could really, really wait.

The laugh is good, and it might be that Helena is enjoying exploring a new city on her bike, going faster where other people might slow down for things like corners in the rain. )

That would explain it. ( A beat. ) At least you've never had to wear them.

( The things she does for Dinah. )

[She wishes Helena could see her raised eyebrow.]

I expect to be told that story.

[Just putting that out there, even if she probably shouldn't just be demanding things of the Huntress. This feels easier, though, like they've found a sort of truce, after the punching and everything.

And she taps Helena's left arm, before pointing to a sidestreet a little ahead of them, since that's where they need to go.]

( She can imagine it. )

Expect away.

( No.

And she'll be turning, slowing just enough to check over her shoulder for more directions. )

You'll give in eventually.

[Somehow she manages to imply a silent everyone does. If nothing else, Steph knows how stubborn she can be; Cass, Babs, Tim, Dinah, none of them wanted much to do with her, at first, but she managed to make them like her.]

See the building with the half broken roof? We're in the one to the left of that.

( Huntress snorts. If Steph is implying that everyone does, Helena is countering with I'm not everyone.

She lets the motorcycle slow to a stop outside the building Steph indicated, looking for a way in with the bike. ) It'll do.

( Not dismissive, but let's face it. It's not the Birds of Prey base, and it's not a luxury apartment. Twisting a little, allowing herself to take a look at Steph. ) Got any spare civvies in there?

( Preferably ones that won't look hilariously out of place. )

Yeah, yeah.

[Both to the scoff and the assessment of the building; unlike the situation with her weapon, she's willing to take the blow to her pride here, considering what she has to work with.

And, well, the inside is a little better, which is why she's hopping off the bike after the question.]

I've got stuff in my size, I can go grab you something that'll fit a bit better.

[Since Helena has a few inches on her, and with that she's moving over to the building, running her fingers along a section of the wall until she finds a hidden latch, and then a good chunk of the outer wall turns ito a door she can pull back, just enough for Helena to get the bike in.]

( And she will be rolling the bike on in, giving Steph a nod as she brings it past her, and glancing up at the roof to make sure it's not going to have a rainwater coming through the roof. )

That might be better. ( Surprised, she hadn't been expecting the office. Acts of kindness - acts of kindess from Bats - are an awkward thing for Helena. A bit stiffly: ) Thanks.

( It would be better than trying to fit into something for someone shorter, never mind if it was sweatpants. And she doesn't feel like braving this cold and rain in a pair of shorts. She had done it before (let us never speak of that uniform again) but that didn't make it an idea worth revisiting.

Idly, she shakes out her arms, rolls her shoulders and lets her spine crackle loudly. That's better. )

Do you have many of these? ( With a gesture around her - safehouses, she means. )

[For how decrepit the building looked from the outside, Steph's done a good job of sealing it off from the elements from the inside, though the outer rooms aren't as well kept as the inner ones. Mostly as a safety measure, in case anyone happens to stumble in.

She closes the door, locking it and wandering over to Helena, idly noting it might be an idea to change her own clothes, since civvies aren't anywhere as near as weather proof as her Batgirl suit. At least she's wearing a waterproof jacket.]

Seven of 'em, invarying conditions and sizes. Two civilians know about three of them, Robin knows about one.

[It feels weird, to call Ellie a civilian, but she hopes Helena will understand that she just means not a Bat.]

Robin's here?

( That's good news. Robin had done all right by her, in the past. Better than most of the others, really. A beat, as the rest of that sentence filters through once over, and she watches Steph critically. ) Civilians, though?

( The gentle notes of dubiousness. She might have her interactions with civilians here and there, but showing them safehouses... ) They could be compromised.

( Cautionary, arms crossed over her chest as she tries to figure out what position Batgirl is taking. Letting civilians into her safehouses? )

Um. [She bites her lip, dragging it between her teeth, because she's, well, heard things that Babs probably didn't think she overheard, and she has vague ideas about what exactly the relationship between Huntress and Nightwing is.

She's just going to latch onto the other question.]

I trust Ellie with my life. [Things are complicated, always will be, she thinks, but that much is true.] And she's not really-- she's a soldier, sort of. [A guerilla soldier, but she isn't sure how to explain all that to Helena, if she's even allowed to explain. Those are Ellie's stories.]

Saul was a bit of a calculated risk. He's, um. [well this got awkward real fast.] I'm working a case for him.

[There that sums it up...

Sort of.

Nevermind that she's not looking at Helena.]

( Silent treatment, little Bat. It works for criminals, it works for students: you leave them in the chasm of silence for long enough, and they will get desperate and uncomfortable enough to fill the void. Generally she doesn't waste the time on it for vigilantes, because they might adopt the same tactics. It's especially effective when you're pointing a crossbow at someone's kneecap, but again, that's not her preferred method for teenagers, masked or otherwise.

She can lean against her bike quite happily for hours, Steph. In fact, she positively looks like she's making herself comfortable, arms crossed as she eyes her. There are obviously things that aren't being said, and the Huntress is an expert are stalking down what she wants to find. )

[Steph knows exactly what Helena is doing, since it's something she's gotten from both Babs and Bruce. She doesn't really want to talk about either Ellie or the mess - if that's even what it can be called - with Saul, so it's lucky she's got a suitable distraction.]

Dick's here. That's who Robin is.

[And there's still a little bit of hesitation, awkwardness, because it still is a bit weird to have to tell Helena that.]

He's--what?

( It's sound more confused, bewildered, but she's Huntress and it comes out with an angry bite. )

Nightwing?

( She couldn't tell you why she sounds so angry about it; because it's Dick "Golden Child" Grayson, Nightwing, and of course he's not even Nightwing. She couldn't even stand Nightwing, half the time, the condescending, self obsessed, self righteous-- and that's a whole other can of worms.

It was easier to be angry than to potentially consider the other options, which include mortification. )

Of course.

( Angry enough to stalk away from her bike, though she turns back to Steph, jabbing her index finger her way, ) Don't think this lets you off the hook.

[The anger surprises her, but what's more of a surprise is the defensiveness that rises up in response.]

He's a good kid.

[There's something like a warning in it, the implication that if Helena directs any of that anger towards Dick, they'll have problems. Nevermind that she's a little bit terrified of the Huntress, still, and that she's simultaneously relieved to have someone reliable here; Steph will throw all that out the window if Helena is mean to Dick for one second.

Also:] I'm not on the hook.

[If she doesn't want to talk about details of her personal life, Helena can't make her.]

( He's not the Grayson she knows, or the one that might as well have forgotten about No Man's Land. The look she throws Steph's way is dark, thunderous. ) Yeah, a kid.

( Venomous, even if the word itself starts to drain out the knee-jerk anger. Huntress has never been famed for her good temper. Batman never should have thought it was a good idea to let kids get involved in his vendettas. Call them justice, but she knew better.

On the flipside, Sal had let her pick her own weapon and start training when she was eleven. That was the only reason she was able to Huntress. Robin was what allowed Dick to be Nightwing, and she's still stalking the room.

Finally, she can allow, ) No, you're not. ( And she sounds pissed about it, but it's just-- everything. It's been a day of things just getting layered over, but at least she doesn't dig into people's privacy the way Oracle does. )

[There's a tiny part of her that wants to flinch with that, and maybe it's just because last time she saw Helena the woman was trying to kill her (under mind control, admittedly), but she forces herself to stay steady.

This has already been a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions on top of a stressful day, and Steph would kind of like it to just be over already.

Some of the tension drains out of her when Helena concedes to dropping the topic. She doesn't want to think what Helena might do if Steph tried to explain the situation with Saul.

Still:]

You gonna hit me again?

[Maybe a little harsher than it needs to be, but Steph doesn't need all that anger, whether it's entirely directed at her or not.]

Is that an invitation?

( No, again, lip curled in a sneer as she shoots a look Stephanie's way. Today is full of things being an absolute mess. Her breathing is aggravated, too heavy, trying to remind herself to draw breath. Sensei had said she needed to remember how to breathe, and she certainly doesn't feel like a butterfly right now. That has certainly been an interesting time with Nightwing, when he went after her for shooting Batman ("accidents" didn't mean much).

Nightwing was a pain. He wasn't Nightwing, and he was a child, although this did put her head in something of a spin on top of an already emotionally overwrought day, and she's finally grinding to a halt as she leans her back against one of the walls and pinches the bridge of her nose. )

Are there any more surprises I need to know about?

( The wall of being overwhelmed is more contained, now, but she's still frustrated and angry; just a little less hostile. )

You can try.

[She allowed the first one, understanding how distressed Helena must have been feeling and knowing that sometimes it's cathartic to just get that frustration out, but she won't be letting it happen again.

She knows she's being kind of a jerk, but they're both not at their best right now, and she refuses to let Helena's anger get the better of her.]

We can't die. They've got some kind of resurrection tech; there's only been one person they've failed to bring back, and I'm pretty sure that's 'cause the United Earth did something to him.

[It seems like an important detail to mention.]

( It's nice to see that Stephanie has confidence in her abilities. That doesn't make it any less obnoxious, and the look she shoots her is something along the lines of disgusted. You're arrogant, she wants to say, but the next run of news effectively shuts her up.

Resurrection tech.

Sounds familiar. She's heard about the Lazarus Pits from Dinah, and her gaze narrows. She's also heard about some of the... extra features.

Watching Stephanie closely, anger filters away to something more analytical, focused. ) Any side effects?

[For a brief moment, she considers trying to lie and say I'm not sure, but that might make things worse in the long run.]

Some physical, but it depends on the level of ressurection needed. [She hadn't had much time to pay attention to her body after her own resurrections, but she's hyper-aware of it anyway, so:] If they can't get the body and heal it, they... [a pause, as she looks away, shrugs] I don't know what they do, really, but it's as if you're arriving in Exsilium again for the first time, physically. Memories intact, but any physical changes that might've been made during the time in the city is gone.

[It had taken that to realize how much muscle mass she'd put on in Exsilium, with her increase in training. She's going to have to start all over again.]

( There's no immediate tip off to suggest that Stephanie is speaking from anything other than theoretical knowledge rather than experience, even if Helena is giving her the third degree from force of habit. At any rate, she doesn't challenge her on it, and maybe it's just because there have been so many other things happening, that she doesn't interrogate the way she should. Stephanie has almost died before: surely she wouldn't be reckless. They had other things in common, and if the Huntress stubbornly clung to life, it seemed like this older, more confident Stephanie would do the same.

It's theoretical knowledge: the conclusion isn't conscious, but she's there. Standard information gathering, accumulation of knowledge. )

It seems like you've gotten parts of this place figured out.

( Seems. Parts. Tentative, but the praise is there. A sigh, and in... the worst show of an olive branch ever: ) How about those clothes?

I've done what I could.

[But she hears the tentative praise and it eases the rest of her tension, reminding her that despite everything, her and Huntress are allies. And that Helena isn't Bruce; she isn't likely to get high and mighty, the way Bruce would.

Which is why she nods, giving a lazy salute before slipping out a window to go get Helena some clothes.

It takes her under ten minutes before she's back with a bag full of clothes that are appropriately sized for Helena, though not as fashionable as she might prefer; jeans, a black long sleeved shirt and a black trenchcoat to keep the rain off.]

That's all you can do.

( She remembers, in No Man's Land, when she asked Batman what he expected her to do and the answer was a resounding more. She'd felt humiliated, felt as if Batman pushed all the blame on her. She's not interested in doing that to Spoiler - Batgirl - right now. Not when it's still so fresh that she isn't dead. They could go over things in more detail later, work out where tactics had to be reviewed.

Apparently Stephanie is stuck with her whether she wants Huntress around or not.

At least she looks good in black, accepts the bag with something of a grin as she starts to pull away her uniform, with little concern for the fact that Stephanie is there, save for turning away, making a sound of quiet relief as she pulls away the wet mask and shakes out her hair. It's quick, silent work, before she's turning with a bit of a wry grin. She's Helena, now, and slips back into that other way of speaking, Gotham with strong traces of Sicily. )

Hmm. ( Better do this properly: she extends her hand to shake. ) Helena Bertinelli. It's nice to make your acquaintance, Stephanie.

001. ✝ anonymous, voice.

let her teach you her ways grasshopper and you too can be queen of the kitchen

she is already queen of bad decisions

trying to decide where helena would fit in that particular royal court

i'm not sure i want to know tbh

better for us all lbr

most definitey

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this icon feels so relevant to her life rn

sghsdg appropriate

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