[open!]

[cowled]

Characters: Bruce Wayne
Location: Whichever sector you fancy.
Situation: Bruce is braving the increasing hostility of the kedan radicals to be his usual arrogant, playboy self out in the public sector.
Warnings/Rating: None yet! To be updated if anything occurs.
Notes: I'll do action or prose with equal verve, so hit me with whatever you'd like. Just pop a note in your subject line about which Sector you want and off we go!






[Reconnaissance is more or less his superpower. He's reached the end of Devin Craig's immediate usefulness, and Batman can only do so much from the shadows. Sometimes, the man for the job is the one he feels least like being: Bruce Wayne.

The blood tests he took from the site of the executions were inconclusive. Hard to do much without the resources to run them through the proper battery of tests. The blood has abnormally low levels of albumin, but beyond that it's structurally similar to that of a human. Close cousins. It doesn't have any of the same markers in common with other shapeshifters he's encountered, and he can't do more without proper equipment.

What he does know is that the scraps of cloth he gathered from the bodies are congruent to fabric samples of the upper east side in the Fire Sector, which at least confirms their territory. A night's tracking lead him to the headquarters of the Black Kirin, formerly one of the most affluent presences in the sector. The place had been left in ruins, and was still a smouldering mess when he found it. Any insignia the gang had used to identify themselves had been smothered with graffiti, torn or burned.

Turf wars.

Not a thought he likes to entertain. Not when he doesn't know the locals, the customs, the movers and shakers of the underworld. Handling such events in Gotham takes every ounce of his not inconsiderable resources and the marshalling of everyone in his network. He has to operate differently here.

But that isn't why he's out here today. Today, he has business of a different sort to conduct. He needs to start amassing capital. Lieuen's little show of wealth wasn't impressive so much as tasteless and wasteful, and Bruce still hasn't abandoned the idea that the entire execution was staged between Lieuen and Evandau. But the question is - was it for the benefit of the kedan, or the 'foreigners'?

And what did they mean about saving? Everyone he's asked about it has been maddeningly vague, to the point that he's considering finding some unsavoury individual and holding them upside down off the tallest building in the Metal Sector.

Hm.

Still. For the time being, he's speaking with shop-owners, negotiating where necessary. He's chatty, amicable. If he happens across any foreigners, he'll smile and wave. Bruce Wayne, ladies and gentlemen. He's a charmer.]

Comments

[cowled]

Oh, yes, I was using it as a notepad, actually. I can barely read my own writing, so having one of these [he waves the phone] is generally more useful for me.

[He gives her a slightly more scrutinizing once-over now, and then there's that telltale moment where he 'recognizes' her.]

I thought I recognized you. I'm sorry, you must think my manners are awful.

[sophos]

I barely use mine, even for phone calls. Not that it's here with me. [And now her brain is just screaming at her to ask him Notes on what! But she hones it back, for once, even if she certainly looks like she wants to question him further.]

[She waves her hand dismissively] Don't worry about it. I've seen ten times worse.

[cowled]

This and my wallet are really the only things I arrived with, so... I'm just reluctant to let it go, I suppose. It has a solar battery, so at least I don't have to worry about it running out of charge. I doubt it's compatible with... whatever sort of electrical system they have here.

[He sounds so pleasantly lost by all this talk of electricity. As if he hasn't figured out exactly how to use it. Gosh.]

[sophos]

Solar battery? I don't think I've ever heard of a phone using that before. [Her interest, mildly piqued.]

The levels of technology seem to vary by sector, Metal being the most intuitive. If you looked around enough, there's probably something.

[Though how does a guy confused about electricity get a phone with a solar battery ]

[cowled]

Oh, it's just a little bit of Waynetech. My CEO cooked it up for me, otherwise he'd never be able to get a hold of me.

[He laughs, holds it out for her to take and examine if she'd like. The programs are so thoroughly encrypted that if Bruce didn't have the key himself it'd take him weeks to decipher it, and if she's some sort of technopath, the programming is set to wipe out his files entirely.]

It just seems a touch unnecessary at the moment. There's plenty of sunlight.

[And the implication, that he's got better things to do with his time than figure out compatible power sources, is definitely there.]

[sophos]

Waynetech? Company back home? [It's more of an idle question, since she's basically inferred the answer already. Though she is a little curious what kind of company has the capacity for solar powered phones.]

[With mild hesitance, she reaches out to take the phone. She doesn't show any signs of poking through the programs -- glancing at any words on the screen and reading them correctly is difficult enough. Instead she just looks for the battery and mostly assesses the technological aspects.]

It's still not something to dismiss entirely.

[cowled]

God, yes, sorry, I'm still getting used to that. Waynetech is the largest business conglomerate in the world back home, we're into all sorts of things. Medicine, agriculture, education, science-- I'm the majority shareholder, but... just between you and me, I'm not exactly into the science side of things.

[He shrugs, innocent and helpless. The blithe 'ashamed but not really' of the terminally rich and terrifically pampered. Once upon a time, it might have been more than just an act.]

[sophos]

[She gets a little distracted for a moment by the battery itself, and her response is several seconds delayed.]

[Though she does frown a little at the 'ashamed but not really' implication.]

Not everyone is, I suppose. Science isn't exactly my strong suit, but I'm still familiar enough. What do you do, then?

[cowled]

I call the shots, mostly. I spend a lot of time overseas brokering deals, and I've been known to let children drop me in a dunk tank for charity every now and then. I wouldn't want to bore you with the gory details.

[He smiles a little, spreads his hands. He's got nothing to hide.]

[sophos]

[A final glance on the phone, then she holds it back out to return it. The Hephaestus kids would probably kill to get their hands on it.] Thanks.

Exciting. [Except her tone is flatter than she intended. She is not particularly... impressed? She'd rather be talking with the inventors of the company, to be honest. Negotiations she understands well enough, but not so much on the business-scale.]

You must be pretty bored here.

[cowled]

[And now he has your fingerprints. ty, Annabeth.]

Not particularly. I'm going to speak with the Emperor about starting up a business here, and I've been working just about anywhere that'll take me. I haven't had this much fun in years.

[Because it's just a game to him, after all.]

[sophos]

[FFUUU except she probably wouldn't care that much.]

[He gets a slightly pleasantly surprised head tilt. Then a nod.]

It's better to keep busy like that, however possible. Have you had any trouble with the kedan?

[cowled]

[Hey, he's Batman. You never know when the random fingerprints of some stranger could come in handy okay.]

Nothing overt. But have you noticed they're in the habit of stopping whatever they're doing as soon as you come in a room? Or is that just me? It doesn't leave me with the best impression, though I've found them all nice enough. I wasn't around for that business at the last day of the festival, though.

[A bit of a shrug.]

[sophos]

[Let him find her demigod DNA it will be full of questions]

I've noticed. It's worse in some sectors than others. I think it'll probably get worse before it gets better -- if it even does get better.

[cowled]

'If'?

[What is this 'if' you speak of, missy? What can he say. He's an optimist.


that was hard to type.]

[sophos]

Realistically, the gang violence is only likely to escalate. It'll probably increase tensions all around -- friendly kedan versus hostile, new arrivals versus kedan, etc. The unclear purpose we've apparently been brought here for too will likely come into play.

[cowled]

[His expression 'falters' for a moment. She doesn't know the public history of Bruce Wayne, but if for some reason she ever finds out, this moment is important.]

I'm, ah, not really a fan of gang -- or any violence, really. But there has to be a reason for it. Crime doesn't exactly spring up for no reason. The lack of resources has probably made it difficult for them to survive, and I bet that the majority of them haven't received much of an education.

But unclear? Really? I thought they made it quite plain that they think we're here to 'save' them.

[sophos]

[She notices, but makes no sign that she did.]

No, it doesn't. There's always a reason. The kedan also mentioned blowing resources on welcoming us here -- that's probably got a lot to do with the hostilities. But a lack of formal education doesn't necessarily make for gang initiation.

Well, yes, but it's still very vague. What are we saving them from? And how? It could end up being something none of us are willing to do.

[cowled]

It's possible, I suppose. The apartments they're housing us in are incredibly extravagant, especially when contrasted against the majority of the buildings they live in.

[His lips quirk downward briefly.]

It doesn't necessarily make for gang initiation, no. But people who are educated and informed are less likely to give into peer pressure, which is often a huge factor in that initiation. At least that's how it is in Gotham.

[He makes a little gesture of concession.]

I guess we'll have to ask the Emperor about that, won't we? I mean... it could be something as simple as building a better mousetrap.

[sophos]

Exactly. Not to mention some of the sectors are more well off than others.

[She frowns.] Keeping informed isn't the same as education, in the schooling sense. I'm not really disagreeing in theory, for the record, but learning and gaining knowledge can be done in so many ways. I don't believe that's the only major deciding factor.

I plan on it. Whether or not I get an answer is another story.

[cowled]

Mmhmm.

[He shakes his head.]

I didn't mean to imply that it's the only way. It's just often the easiest or most widely available. Most people don't have the patience to be autodidacts, and things like apprenticeship have fallen into relative obscurity.

Have you ever spoken to an Emperor before, curiously?

[sophos]

[Annabeth nods, appreciating the understanding.] Sometimes the option isn't always available either. Circumstance is important, both of the individual and society.

[She takes some time to think that over -- gods, yes, but to consider them emperors in the sense that the ruler of Keeliai is?]

No. Not exactly.

[cowled]

You're right. I'm sorry, I probably sound like an arrogant yuppie. I'm not exactly used to thinking about alternatives-- I fund the IHAD program and hope for the best, but it's not always that easy.

[O-ho, interesting. He quirks a brow.]

Not... 'exactly'?

[sophos]

You do. [No fucks given, no words minced.] But I guess it's a little more than most people care to do.

Not Emperors.

[cowled]

[Kanyeshrug. He accepts the judgement without rancor. Because that's just how he rolls. As far as Bruce Wayne is concerned, it's true.]

Something else? I've met the royal family in Japan a few times, and I danced with the Spanish Infanta, but I'm not sure how they compare to someone who has this kind of power.