Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 16, 2011 19:04:06 GMT -5
(OOC: To better accommodate schedules and whatnot, Batman and I decided to do his meeting with Nina live, and this is the log of it.)
The Ventriloquist finally deposited into his rightful home inside the solid, hallowed halls of Arkham Asylum, Batman had finally had a day to mull over all the events that had unraveled these last few days. It was practically a whirlwind... Isley, the Ventriloquist, the Scarecrow, Catwoman, and to top it all off, the Riddler was clearly planning something. There was so many strange little pieces all clashing, as though someone had tossed a bunch of different things into a blender and he had to sort through the mess and figure out what in the hell got tossed in, who threw it in, and why the end result smelled strangely of cheese. For now, though, there was one thing that was clear...
He had made his way to Wayne Tech clad in his Batman suit. Hiding the Batcycle in some nearby shrubbery, he used the grappling hook to get himself up onto the roof. He flipped up a screen from his left gauntlet and tapped a keyboard set underneath it; looking at the work layout downloaded from Wayne Enterprises' database, he glanced around for where her lab would be. On the outside, with a little window, even. Someone here liked Nina. Or, perhaps, Nina did some very good work, to deserve such a lab.
He latched the grappling hook on the edge of the roof just over the window and, turning upside down, slid down slowly. Stopping just at the window, he tapped at it gently. Tap tap tap tap.
Having thrown herself back into her work, Nina's life has gone back to normal. At least, it's now at what normal will be from here on out. It includes all sorts of thoughts, some unpleasant and some not, that crop up every time she lets her thoughts wander. And the occasional worry that the Riddler will show up in her life again.
And while both she and the Riddler were certain that Batman would track her down, that was only a minor worry to Nina. She can only guess at what the caped crusader thinks about the evidence he'd come across in the process of finding her. But in the end, it's nothing she can't account for and she's completely certain that what wrong she may have done is minor if viewed as a part of the larger picture.
She's at her computer, typing up some of her most recent lab notes, when a tapping at the window gets her attention. She startles and glances at it, making a few last clicks with her mouse before she walks over and opens it. Who she sees on the other side causes her eyes to go wide in alarm for a brief moment, but then she takes a deep breath as if bracing herself and comments, "I was wondering when you'd find me."
Given the fact that a man with a fancy for dressing up like a bat and beating the hell out of psych patients is currently dangling upside down at her window, Nina was surprisingly calm. Then again, Nina was not your everyday, ordinary Gothamite. "Interesting crowd you spend your nights with," the Batman greets gruffly as he looks into her laboratory. "Can I come in?" he asks, even though it's quite clear that it's far more of a demand than a question.
Nina... nighttime pal of the Riddler. She was supposedly nothing more than just your ordinary, everyday researcher, working to give him more than enough profits through his company to allow him to gallivant through Gotham at night to prevent evildoers from annihilating it. The Riddler, it seemed had taken in interest in her, though. And why that was was, perhaps, the most important question of the night.
The thing about having the ability to incapacitate any ordinary human being within a few seconds is that you're not usually afraid of anyone, even if it's not your habit to use that ability unless you absolutely have to. Then again, on an emotional level she's still a bit afraid of Batman - she knows that he has a lot of questions, many of them touching on what was probably the most painful experience in her life, and she's certainly going to answer them. In fact she sees it as her responsibility to give an accounting of her actions to someone, and would feel far worse if she could do everything she did without being questioned.
His first comment prompts a sad frown, but his question is quickly answered with, "Yes, of course." Even if he'd asked in a more polite tone, she'd have answered the same way. The window is small, but big enough for a person to fit through - probably a part of the fire code - so she simply moves so that she can stand out of the way. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions, though he also gave me a message to give to you; a riddle, of course. Would you like to hear it now, or after your questions?" she continues, not only her tone but her body projecting a certain hesitant ease: she's not very worried about Batman, but there's a certain small tension in her even so.
Most people are afraid of the Batman. He, after all, embodies that which most people fear most: the darkness, the unknown, that gray area that lingers on the edge of what is right and wrong. That true, real justice that only Batman can bring about. It would be no surprise, then, that Nina would be afraid of him. Not because of him, but because it means she must revisit something difficult.
The Batman doesn't need much room to come squeezing in the window. He simply pushes back away from the wall and comes sliding into the lab and catching himself in that famous Batman kneeling pose. He pushes himself back up and looks right back to her. "Now," was all that the Batman says as he wanders around slowly, looking in faux-curiosity. He knew full well what sort of research Miss Nina was doing. But he should at least look curious.
Pausing only for a moment to recall the carefully remembered words, Nina recites: "Riddles and jokes are no fun unless they're shares with everyone." After she says that she stops and considers for a moment, nodding to herself when she's sure that she's delivered the message correctly. Everyone knows, especially Nina, that the Riddler does not mess around and she's not going to be the one responsible for one of his schemes succeeding just because she got this part wrong. In fact, she adds, "He said that you'd understand, and that the exact words were important." And if that comment provided any sort of a clue then she'd be remiss in not saying so as well.
And now that she's successfully performed that requested favor, she looks back at Batman and adds, "I hope that, whatever it means, that you figure out how to stop him. I'm sure it's for something much worse than tormenting me." She pays no heed to him wandering around the lab. Nothing questionable has ever happened here. Not unless you have something against the quick progression of medical science in general, anyway. Perhaps the only detail out of place is that the microscope looks hardly worn at all, and she's a microbiologist. Then again, perhaps it's simply new. Nina leans against one of the counters and watches him, waiting to hear what he'll say next.
Perhaps the most important thing of all was that the Batman doesn't respond at all. Instead, he simply stands there and thinks. For a good 15 seconds, even. Which is incredibly long for Batman. "I do," the Batman finally says in response, his eyes glancing over to that microscope for a long moment. They don't call him the world's greatest detective for nothing, after all. But this isn't the time for that.
"Did he say anything else?" Batman asks as he turns back to stare at Nina for a moment. "And more importantly, why do you think he is continuing to contact you?"
Batman's reply gets a nod, and there's even a small hint of relief in Nina's eyes. While she may hold feelings for the Riddler that she's not fully comfortable with, she's also not eager to see him hurt anyone else. But perhaps she simply ought to get used to her heart being at odds with her compassion.
The questions that Batman asks are complicated, and Nina hesitates before she answers. Not because she's at all reluctant to give those answers, but because she's not completely sure how to explain them properly. "He said a lot of things - we had a few very long conversations. But nothing, I think, that would be very helpful to you; I'm sorry. Nothing about what he's planning or where he might be. Most of it was about our differing views on life," she answers the first question.
But that's the easy one, and with the second she has to pause even longer before she says, "I assume you know that I was a witness when he robbed the museum? There was one thing I left out of the report: he talked to me. I think it was because I wasn't afraid enough of him. And he must have become curious about me - that's why he kidnapped me and took me to that hospital." She pauses, sadness coming over her face for a brief moment before she continues, "I don't know if he'll contact me again, but he might. I don't know if he knows it, but he has feelings for me." And that's why Nina has a reputation for being perfectly honest.
Those are the best questions, are they not? Those that are short, but so full of answers that it causes recipient of the question to stop and pause. "Things may be much more important than they seem, so the more detail, the better," Batman says before rubbing a gauntlet-covered finger along her microscope.
At her second response, Batman listens silently, taking in any information that he can. "Feelings?" the Batman responds almost instinctively, blinking once behind his cowl. That, perhaps, was most surprising of all the things he had heard today. And yet... it would make some sense. "Why weren't you afraid enough of him?"
That first statement from Batman causes an actual small scowl to cross Nina's face. "Details?" she asks in frustration, "I can give you details. I could go on all night until we're both drowning in details. And I know how important the details are when you're dealing with the Riddler - I learned that lesson very well. It's so hard to know what may be important. I'm not a detective." She gives an exasperated sigh at the end of that little rant, forcing herself to a calmer state by closing her eyes. As much as she'd actually like to give Batman all the help that she can, she has the suspicion that she knows everything but what he really needs to know.
Once she's calm she focuses her attention on that last question, and she's obviously choosing her words carefully when she says, "I have an ability. A very, very powerful one. The 'riddle' he gave me in the hospital was, in part, so that he could find out what it is." And the other part is the reason why Nina gets such a pained expression on her face every time she thinks about that room.
That strange little scowl actually reveals a good bit more about her interactions with the Riddler than she might have ever imagined. As for her next statement, however, Batman simply stares back at her for a moment before leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms. "Anything else you'd care to tell me?" Batman asks gruffly as he plays with the points on one of his gauntlets with his fingers.
What was going through the Batman's mind is anyone's guess. Nina may be able to take a stab at it, but it was pretty clear to see by now that he had gathered as much information as he needed. For the moment, anyway.
Taking a deep breath to help ease away the lingering frustration and pain of her last few statements, Nina waits patiently for whatever Batman has to say next. And that question causes her to pause thoughtfully. "Two things: First, if you ever have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask me and I won't hesitate to answer them. Second, I do not want you or anyone else to try to protect me. Where my own ability to protect myself does not succeed, anyone else is also likely to fail. And I don't want anyone getting themselves hurt or killed because of me," she says simply. And during that last part especially she looks directly at Batman with what is clearly a look of fear in her eyes - a very rare look for Nina indeed. But at the same time she is confident: this is a very, very brave woman who knows that she is powerful even though she's also well aware that she's not infallible.
Batman glances back over to her before almost smirking behind his cowl. "You, just like everybody else in this city, has my protection whether you like it or not. Get used to it," The Batman responds before walking back over to the window and grabbing hold of the grappling hook dangling just outside. "Don't worry, Doctor. You'll see me again soon."
And with that, he zipped back up to the roof, thoughts amany. Nonetheless, it gave him an excellent idea of what the Riddler was up to...
Batman's reply gets a small frown, but Nina does nothing except shut the window behind him. Oh, it's not the last part that displeases her - just like her encounters with the Riddler, she has very little choice in whether or not she runs into Batman again and so she just accepts it without complaint. No, it's that if he thinks that he can enforce more protection of her than she wants, she has nearly as much ability to prevent that as she does to defend herself in the first place - a lot more than he probably imagines.
But she doesn't worry about that for too long and instead walks right back over to her computer and picks up where she left off. These interruptions to her research are piling up, and she doesn't like that at all.
The Ventriloquist finally deposited into his rightful home inside the solid, hallowed halls of Arkham Asylum, Batman had finally had a day to mull over all the events that had unraveled these last few days. It was practically a whirlwind... Isley, the Ventriloquist, the Scarecrow, Catwoman, and to top it all off, the Riddler was clearly planning something. There was so many strange little pieces all clashing, as though someone had tossed a bunch of different things into a blender and he had to sort through the mess and figure out what in the hell got tossed in, who threw it in, and why the end result smelled strangely of cheese. For now, though, there was one thing that was clear...
He had made his way to Wayne Tech clad in his Batman suit. Hiding the Batcycle in some nearby shrubbery, he used the grappling hook to get himself up onto the roof. He flipped up a screen from his left gauntlet and tapped a keyboard set underneath it; looking at the work layout downloaded from Wayne Enterprises' database, he glanced around for where her lab would be. On the outside, with a little window, even. Someone here liked Nina. Or, perhaps, Nina did some very good work, to deserve such a lab.
He latched the grappling hook on the edge of the roof just over the window and, turning upside down, slid down slowly. Stopping just at the window, he tapped at it gently. Tap tap tap tap.
Having thrown herself back into her work, Nina's life has gone back to normal. At least, it's now at what normal will be from here on out. It includes all sorts of thoughts, some unpleasant and some not, that crop up every time she lets her thoughts wander. And the occasional worry that the Riddler will show up in her life again.
And while both she and the Riddler were certain that Batman would track her down, that was only a minor worry to Nina. She can only guess at what the caped crusader thinks about the evidence he'd come across in the process of finding her. But in the end, it's nothing she can't account for and she's completely certain that what wrong she may have done is minor if viewed as a part of the larger picture.
She's at her computer, typing up some of her most recent lab notes, when a tapping at the window gets her attention. She startles and glances at it, making a few last clicks with her mouse before she walks over and opens it. Who she sees on the other side causes her eyes to go wide in alarm for a brief moment, but then she takes a deep breath as if bracing herself and comments, "I was wondering when you'd find me."
Given the fact that a man with a fancy for dressing up like a bat and beating the hell out of psych patients is currently dangling upside down at her window, Nina was surprisingly calm. Then again, Nina was not your everyday, ordinary Gothamite. "Interesting crowd you spend your nights with," the Batman greets gruffly as he looks into her laboratory. "Can I come in?" he asks, even though it's quite clear that it's far more of a demand than a question.
Nina... nighttime pal of the Riddler. She was supposedly nothing more than just your ordinary, everyday researcher, working to give him more than enough profits through his company to allow him to gallivant through Gotham at night to prevent evildoers from annihilating it. The Riddler, it seemed had taken in interest in her, though. And why that was was, perhaps, the most important question of the night.
The thing about having the ability to incapacitate any ordinary human being within a few seconds is that you're not usually afraid of anyone, even if it's not your habit to use that ability unless you absolutely have to. Then again, on an emotional level she's still a bit afraid of Batman - she knows that he has a lot of questions, many of them touching on what was probably the most painful experience in her life, and she's certainly going to answer them. In fact she sees it as her responsibility to give an accounting of her actions to someone, and would feel far worse if she could do everything she did without being questioned.
His first comment prompts a sad frown, but his question is quickly answered with, "Yes, of course." Even if he'd asked in a more polite tone, she'd have answered the same way. The window is small, but big enough for a person to fit through - probably a part of the fire code - so she simply moves so that she can stand out of the way. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions, though he also gave me a message to give to you; a riddle, of course. Would you like to hear it now, or after your questions?" she continues, not only her tone but her body projecting a certain hesitant ease: she's not very worried about Batman, but there's a certain small tension in her even so.
Most people are afraid of the Batman. He, after all, embodies that which most people fear most: the darkness, the unknown, that gray area that lingers on the edge of what is right and wrong. That true, real justice that only Batman can bring about. It would be no surprise, then, that Nina would be afraid of him. Not because of him, but because it means she must revisit something difficult.
The Batman doesn't need much room to come squeezing in the window. He simply pushes back away from the wall and comes sliding into the lab and catching himself in that famous Batman kneeling pose. He pushes himself back up and looks right back to her. "Now," was all that the Batman says as he wanders around slowly, looking in faux-curiosity. He knew full well what sort of research Miss Nina was doing. But he should at least look curious.
Pausing only for a moment to recall the carefully remembered words, Nina recites: "Riddles and jokes are no fun unless they're shares with everyone." After she says that she stops and considers for a moment, nodding to herself when she's sure that she's delivered the message correctly. Everyone knows, especially Nina, that the Riddler does not mess around and she's not going to be the one responsible for one of his schemes succeeding just because she got this part wrong. In fact, she adds, "He said that you'd understand, and that the exact words were important." And if that comment provided any sort of a clue then she'd be remiss in not saying so as well.
And now that she's successfully performed that requested favor, she looks back at Batman and adds, "I hope that, whatever it means, that you figure out how to stop him. I'm sure it's for something much worse than tormenting me." She pays no heed to him wandering around the lab. Nothing questionable has ever happened here. Not unless you have something against the quick progression of medical science in general, anyway. Perhaps the only detail out of place is that the microscope looks hardly worn at all, and she's a microbiologist. Then again, perhaps it's simply new. Nina leans against one of the counters and watches him, waiting to hear what he'll say next.
Perhaps the most important thing of all was that the Batman doesn't respond at all. Instead, he simply stands there and thinks. For a good 15 seconds, even. Which is incredibly long for Batman. "I do," the Batman finally says in response, his eyes glancing over to that microscope for a long moment. They don't call him the world's greatest detective for nothing, after all. But this isn't the time for that.
"Did he say anything else?" Batman asks as he turns back to stare at Nina for a moment. "And more importantly, why do you think he is continuing to contact you?"
Batman's reply gets a nod, and there's even a small hint of relief in Nina's eyes. While she may hold feelings for the Riddler that she's not fully comfortable with, she's also not eager to see him hurt anyone else. But perhaps she simply ought to get used to her heart being at odds with her compassion.
The questions that Batman asks are complicated, and Nina hesitates before she answers. Not because she's at all reluctant to give those answers, but because she's not completely sure how to explain them properly. "He said a lot of things - we had a few very long conversations. But nothing, I think, that would be very helpful to you; I'm sorry. Nothing about what he's planning or where he might be. Most of it was about our differing views on life," she answers the first question.
But that's the easy one, and with the second she has to pause even longer before she says, "I assume you know that I was a witness when he robbed the museum? There was one thing I left out of the report: he talked to me. I think it was because I wasn't afraid enough of him. And he must have become curious about me - that's why he kidnapped me and took me to that hospital." She pauses, sadness coming over her face for a brief moment before she continues, "I don't know if he'll contact me again, but he might. I don't know if he knows it, but he has feelings for me." And that's why Nina has a reputation for being perfectly honest.
Those are the best questions, are they not? Those that are short, but so full of answers that it causes recipient of the question to stop and pause. "Things may be much more important than they seem, so the more detail, the better," Batman says before rubbing a gauntlet-covered finger along her microscope.
At her second response, Batman listens silently, taking in any information that he can. "Feelings?" the Batman responds almost instinctively, blinking once behind his cowl. That, perhaps, was most surprising of all the things he had heard today. And yet... it would make some sense. "Why weren't you afraid enough of him?"
That first statement from Batman causes an actual small scowl to cross Nina's face. "Details?" she asks in frustration, "I can give you details. I could go on all night until we're both drowning in details. And I know how important the details are when you're dealing with the Riddler - I learned that lesson very well. It's so hard to know what may be important. I'm not a detective." She gives an exasperated sigh at the end of that little rant, forcing herself to a calmer state by closing her eyes. As much as she'd actually like to give Batman all the help that she can, she has the suspicion that she knows everything but what he really needs to know.
Once she's calm she focuses her attention on that last question, and she's obviously choosing her words carefully when she says, "I have an ability. A very, very powerful one. The 'riddle' he gave me in the hospital was, in part, so that he could find out what it is." And the other part is the reason why Nina gets such a pained expression on her face every time she thinks about that room.
That strange little scowl actually reveals a good bit more about her interactions with the Riddler than she might have ever imagined. As for her next statement, however, Batman simply stares back at her for a moment before leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms. "Anything else you'd care to tell me?" Batman asks gruffly as he plays with the points on one of his gauntlets with his fingers.
What was going through the Batman's mind is anyone's guess. Nina may be able to take a stab at it, but it was pretty clear to see by now that he had gathered as much information as he needed. For the moment, anyway.
Taking a deep breath to help ease away the lingering frustration and pain of her last few statements, Nina waits patiently for whatever Batman has to say next. And that question causes her to pause thoughtfully. "Two things: First, if you ever have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask me and I won't hesitate to answer them. Second, I do not want you or anyone else to try to protect me. Where my own ability to protect myself does not succeed, anyone else is also likely to fail. And I don't want anyone getting themselves hurt or killed because of me," she says simply. And during that last part especially she looks directly at Batman with what is clearly a look of fear in her eyes - a very rare look for Nina indeed. But at the same time she is confident: this is a very, very brave woman who knows that she is powerful even though she's also well aware that she's not infallible.
Batman glances back over to her before almost smirking behind his cowl. "You, just like everybody else in this city, has my protection whether you like it or not. Get used to it," The Batman responds before walking back over to the window and grabbing hold of the grappling hook dangling just outside. "Don't worry, Doctor. You'll see me again soon."
And with that, he zipped back up to the roof, thoughts amany. Nonetheless, it gave him an excellent idea of what the Riddler was up to...
Batman's reply gets a small frown, but Nina does nothing except shut the window behind him. Oh, it's not the last part that displeases her - just like her encounters with the Riddler, she has very little choice in whether or not she runs into Batman again and so she just accepts it without complaint. No, it's that if he thinks that he can enforce more protection of her than she wants, she has nearly as much ability to prevent that as she does to defend herself in the first place - a lot more than he probably imagines.
But she doesn't worry about that for too long and instead walks right back over to her computer and picks up where she left off. These interruptions to her research are piling up, and she doesn't like that at all.