Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 7, 2015 5:30:38 GMT -5
It's been another long day at the lab, and Nina is exhausted. Mentally, anyway - sitting in a lab isn't too terribly taxing physically, unless you count various aches from sitting too long. It's the sustained mental effort that's so fatiguing, and today she worked long enough that it's that which convinced her that it was time to call it a day. Or a night, as it's nearly midnight when she and Hope arrive at the apartment.
But though both women are quite eager to fall into their respective beds, even when she's this tired Nina doesn't have so short of a memory that she doesn't allow Hope to have an ample head start when they get to the apartment. The list of people who could bypass the ridiculously large number of security measures in place not only on the entire building but this apartment in particular is extremely small, but Nina's expecting one of them to possibly show up here in a really bad mood at some point. So she'd be foolish to not let her bodyguard go in first and do a quick look around to make sure that there's nobody inside.
Fortunately the apartment is tiny - 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, a living area, and a kitchen - so looking through the entire apartment doesn't take very long. It's no bigger than any number of low rent apartments in the city, but to say that it's much more expensive would be putting it mildly: the entire building is a monument to security - locked up as tightly as a bank vault. There are plenty of people in Gotham willing to pay top dollar for privacy and security, and this building caters to their needs with everything from security guards to bullet-proof glass on every window to the sound-proofing found in every apartment. Some might say that it's all a big waste of money, since she knows that Edward can break into it. But he's not the only one that she's afraid of.
But such fears aren't especially on her mind now, as evidenced by the fact that she doesn't wait for Hope to check every room first. Once the living area and kitchen have been deemed clear, she figures that it's safe enough for her to get a glass of water while Hope finishes with the rest of the rooms.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2015 1:02:23 GMT -5
Like a shadow, the Batman crept carefully about the apartment- not making so much as a sound. The security protocols installed inside the building, while impressive, are quite susceptible to being hacked. Cameras of course, can be deactivated, alarms easily disarmed, and electric locks opened with a few keystrokes, all from a device no larger than a cellphone. The price for the digital age, it seems, is that your own tools can just as easily betray you.
Of course, The Batman isn’t first to break into Doctor Stenet’s home. He would question as to the doctor’s logic as to staying in the very place the Riddler has proven capable of entering, but he well knows hardly anything he could tell her about her current situation with Edward that would surprise her- no doubt she has every base covered. And a simple look around the small apartment is very telling of where she prefers to spend most of her time. The room only contained the barest of necessities, and had a slight “staleness” about it. Sure, everything was relatively clean- but it’s rather telling that nobody has recently cooked a meal in the kitchen, or lounged in the living room. No, the doctor it seemed was always at work, the most likely place for someone to strike. Fortunately for Nina, The Batman wasn’t here for a fight, he wanted answers.
Nora Fries was missing, at least from the Batman’s eyes. He had found where Freeze was keeping his cryogenically frozen bride a few months back- hidden in deep within a modest commercial building in North Gotham. Monitoring it through the power intake, knowing approximately how much was needed to run Nora’s cryo-chamber, hoping he could use this information as a way to maybe keep an eye on her condition, and perhaps even lead to Victor. Unfortunately, the power has dropped drastically. Either Victor moved Nora, or she’s gone. Neither is a good sign, relocating may mean potential activity, and Nora’s death could push Freeze even further off the edge. The answers may come in the form of Nina Stenet, Victor’s last known associate. If she doesn’t have the answers, the trail will run even colder.
However, it was late, and Nina had yet to return home- and no doubt she’d be beyond tired when she had the good fortune to return. Her hazy state would hopefully make her more susceptible to suggestion, but if only slightly. Surprise was definitely The Batman’s side, however; typical in these kinds of situations. Hiding in the doorway of one of one of bedrooms, he melted into the shadows, becoming non corporeal, a being of pure darkness. The door in front of him opened,if just a sliver, allowing him to make out almost every detail of the darkened room. And there he waited.
It wasn’t long before the apartment door swung open, flooding the shadowed room with light. The darkness was snuffed out a flick of a switch and the room was illuminated, fair enough, they couldn’t be expected to play by The Bat’s rules. It was then another question found it’s way into his mind, what had happened to the doctor’s bodyguard? The one named Shawty. It didn’t take long to notice the differences in Stenet’s new companion. From her height, her stance, and her general appearance, it also wasn’t difficult to discern who exactly she was. Luthor’s second best, Hope Taya, he gritted his teeth. He knew of Stenet’s history consulting LexCorp, but didn’t know their ties ran so deep as to warrant her being given a bodyguard as a gift. Or is handler the right term? To protect and keep an eye on Lex’s investment. Either way, her presence made this situation more complex to put it lightly.
The ever loyal bodyguard scans the kitchen and living room, heading for the bedroom adjacent to the Batman’s, being the door to the right- it was only natural instinct. Following after the guard, a rather weary impression about her, Nina entered the apartment. Heading straight for the kitchen in hopes of getting a drink, it was now the Dark Knight decided to make his appearance. the door creaked open, revealing a figure cut in shadow, a striking silhouette only faintly visible.
“Good evening, doctor,” He growled, if only to get her attention. “We need to talk."
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 696
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Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 11, 2015 19:02:02 GMT -5
If Nina knew of anywhere in Gotham that she could live that Edward couldn't figure a way to get into, she'd certainly be living there. She supposes that it's possible that she could come up with somewhere to live that was even more difficult, but that would probably only encourage him to go to even more drastic measures to break into the place - not something that she wants to encourage. At least if the main obstacle he has to overcome is in the form of electronic devices that means he can get in without hurting anyone along the way, and it's good enough to keep most other people out.
No, the security system she counts on more are people. Herself, because of her gift, her bodyguard almost constantly by her side, and if all else fails she's still hanging on to the little device Batman gave her in the hospital when she was recovering from being stabbed by Edward. The fact that she hasn't used it once in spite of such events as confronting Edward and being not-completely-willingly borrowed by Mr. Freeze is a bit telling - she likes to handle things by herself if she can instead of summoning someone to come save her. But that means that if she ever uses it, he can be sure that she very much needs it. She may have somewhat more ability to handle extreme situations than the average person, but she's somehow developed the habit of getting into them frequently during the last few years.
Her mind deeply into other things, the sudden low voice nevertheless catches her attention quite easily. She startles and looks in his direction, but the moment she recognizes who it is, she breaths a sigh of relief and says, "Oh, it's you." Of all the people who can break into her apartment, he's probably the one she minds the least. And aside from his ability to appear out of nowhere, he doesn't have much ability to scare her - partly because she's very rarely given him a real reason to harm her and if she hasn't managed to do that before then she doubts that he has one now. But it's also partly that she's hard to frighten in general - and that because of her confidence with her gift.
She's not sure how much Batman knows about what she can do - she's never directly told him anything more than the fact that she has 'a powerful ability', and she's never used it in his presence before. And by all accounts it's a subtle thing, so anything he does know about it is based on his knowledge of unusual things that have happened around her - there have been broken ropes and chains, and she spoke of being attacked by the Ventriloquist wielding a pipe as if stopping him was easy. But the most significant part is that it somehow helps her to heal - clearly not instantly or in a foolproof manner, as she nearly died when Edward stabbed her, but certainly a bit faster than normal and including damage not normally survivable.
Even as Nina's recovering from her startle, Hope suddenly appears from the other bedroom - clearly she was alert enough to have heard the voice, instantly decided it was a possible threat, and is now ready to do her job. But she stops the instant that she sees that it's Batman, and for a moment there's an awkward silence. Nina can hardly tell what Hope is thinking at the best of times, but the way that her bodyguard is staring down Batman gives her the impression that the large woman would love nothing more than to have a excuse to hurt him. But the bodyguard doesn't make any moves to do anything else, probably she told the woman when they first met that Batman isn't to be considered a threat.
Still, Nina finds herself quickly eager to keep these two apart, and says, "Hope, perhaps you should go to bed?" she asks quite calmly, but given the context it's clearly an order. Hope's eyes shift from Batman to Nina for a moment, her slightly pursed lips showing her displeasure, but since she knows that arguing that she should stay won't work she reluctantly complies. Stepping toward Batman since it's her doorway that he's decided to lurk in, she glares at him until he gets out of her way so that she can go inside and shut the door.
Once that little detail is taken care of, Nina sees no reason why she can't continue to the kitchen and get her glass of water. She's tired, and thirsty, and if Batman wants to talk he can talk to her there just as easily. As she walks, she asks, "You disabled the internal security system, I hope? She can eavesdrop on us otherwise." And clearly Nina doesn't want that. She knows just as well as Batman does that Hope probably reports anything of note she does straight to Lex, and the list of things she doesn't mind Lex knowing about and the list of things Batman could want to talk about are mutually exclusive.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2015 6:13:28 GMT -5
Nina Stenet was on shaky ground. Ever since her encounter with Edward and causing his temporary impairment, The Batman couldn't help but feel a sense of betrayal. While they were far from friends, Nina struck him as a good person caught up in events she wanted no part in, becoming putty in Nygma’s hands. While this may have been true, he felt that was no longer the case. No, instead she has shown her true colors, a spiteful woman who allowed her stronger emotions to cloud her sense of morality. Her abilities, whatever their nature, would not protect her from the Batman if she continued down this path; after all, the bigger they are..
That wasn’t his intention for being here of course, he needed the information about Freeze and he wanted it without incident. The presence of Hope Taya may cause some conflict with this plan, however; especially as she was staring at him like a lion might a gazelle, waiting to pounce. The Dark Knight simply returned the look, almost begging her to try something. His lips curled into a sneer and his fists curled, let her come, she could prove herself only Luthor’s second best yet again. They came to blows once before as Batman easily bested her, no doubt history would repeat itself
He kept the look of malice even after Nina sent her away, Taya needed to know where he stood. Slowly allowing her passage into her room, he swept himself aside, as she pierces him with her dagger like glare. No words, no action, only a look, and that was all that was needed to tell each other that they were overstepping their bounds; Batman infringing on her employer, and Taya infringing on his city. He felt this was the start of something of a conflict between LexCorp and The Batman, only time would tell.
With Hope vanished behind a door, the Batman returned his attention to her boss, who wasn’t going to let a disruption like this deprive her of a drink. As she did so, she began asking if he had disabled the internal security, which was a rather silly question to ask the World’s Greatest Detective. He didn't of course, he just rerouted the feed to the Batcomputer. If Nina was holding out on him, he wanted to be sure she wasn't going to warn Freeze, or do anything foolish about the matter. This was something of a plan B, a little insurance policy.
Disregarding the question, the Batman decided to begin with his own queries. “Now, I’m here because I have many things to ask you,” he glanced at Taya’s door as he spoke, “Many things.” He’d address the elephant in the room later. “Let’s start with a simple one, where’s Nora Fries? Or better yet, where’s her husband?” The animosity in his voice was apparent, he had just cause to be frustrated with Nina after all. “She’s no longer in my sight, Victor must have moved her,” he began, “Considering you’re one of the only people to have been in contact with him recently, I imagine you might have the answers.” He intended to find them out, one way or another.
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 696
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Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 16, 2015 2:17:07 GMT -5
Perhaps it's a silly question to ask about the security system, and Nina gathers that it is based on the fact that Batman doesn't bother to answer it, but as far as she's concerned it's better safe than sorry. It's a justified worry - later Batman will be able to see from the footage taken that Taya immediately sat down at the computer in her room and attempted to access the security system and, finding it inaccessible to her, spent the rest of the time attempting to fix that problem with an increasingly irritated expression.
Pulling a cup out of the cupboard, Nina fills it straight from the tap, then turns around and leans against the counter so that she can face Batman while she talks to him. But as tired as she is, her face immediately lights up when he chooses to ask about Nora first. "Where are they? Oh, I have no idea," she says first, because that's what he asked first, though there's a certain restrained quality to her words as this whole matter is clearly exciting to her but the question he asked about it is perhaps the least interesting bit of it to her, "He had a hood over my head. I tried to count the turns, but..." She shakes her head, letting that indicate her failure. "I'm pretty sure it was somewhere in north part of east Gotham - a small warehouse, maybe? But it looked like a temporary setup - he was being obviously careful," she explains, "I doubt that he's still there."
Having given him as much of an answer to the question that he asked that she could, she immediately gives the answer to the question that she wished that he asked instead, her enthusiasm now bubbling out quite freely. "But I can tell you exactly what's happened - he's done it! Nora Fries is alive! Alive and unfrozen, I mean. I saw the whole thing with my own eyes three days ago - it was amazing!" she says excitedly. While she certainly doesn't approve of Mr. Freeze's methods - including just how he'd 'asked' for her help - she can't help but be a bit overawed by the sheer science of the thing. Especially since she knows that Nora is an innocent in this situation - she's truly happy that the woman seems to be alive and recovering, even if she's also sorry for the woman to be waking up into the situation that she's in.
Forcing herself to pause to take a sip of her water, she tries to condense all the things that she could literally ramble on about for hours down to what might actually be relevant to Batman - and if she leaves something out she figures that he'll ask her more questions. "I didn't see her awake - when I left she was in a medically-induced coma - and she's in a very fragile state but all the signs were good as far as I could tell. If there's no complications my best guess is that she'll be in bed-rest for a month, and even longer until her strength is really back. Let's see, what else... and he had a lot of medical equipment - some of it pretty specialized, but the standard design with modifications - like a modified cardiopulmonary bypass machine. It looked like he raided a hospital - a good one," she adds, figuring that detail might be useful - she knows that Mr. Freeze is a genius at engineering things, as proved by his suit, but while she's more of a researcher than someone involved in actual patient care she can tell the difference between regular medical equipment and anything he would have made himself.
And clearly, in spite of her excitement and enthusiasm about the whole incident, she's quite willing to talk all about it. But that's in keeping with pretty much every conversation she's ever had with Batman - she tends to be extremely forthcoming and has never once ever told him anything that proved to be untrue. Only once has she refused to answer a question, and that was because he asked her where Edward was during the height of her infatuation with him - she'd said that she couldn't betray him, but expressed her confidence in Batman's ability to find him without her help.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2015 16:07:41 GMT -5
“A medically induced coma,” The Bat repeated - taking into some consideration about just what it was the sickly woman Nora Fries had to have endured.
And now? She had been “cured”!
Free of imprisonment and isolation. Free to be with her husband… A man she truly didn’t know existed, considering his heinous actions during her time of being comatose. The Bat lurked with glowering white slitted gaze at the metahuman doctor before him. Sure, Stenet had been a rather helpful source in information gathering when it came to Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze - not to mention, Edward Nigma- aka- the Riddler- when it came to gathering the truth behind the crime that wads being committed. Part of him wanted to go soft and lenient on Stenet simply because she really had nothing to do with the pain and turmoil such dangerous arch-enemies carried… But the other part?
Well… Simply put? She was aiding and abetting a crime. Was FULLY aware of the capable maliciousness each high-profiled villain (albeit, Victor Fries or Edward Nigma) had to offer. … In a way, he suddenly supposed, she was JUST like Catwoman. Walking that line betwixt the black and white area of good and bad. She was wholly GREY. His gleaming white teeth would grit - only to briefly flash their pearlescent white fleetingly within the embrace of the shadows he had managed to envelope himself within, inside her humble apartment. Upfront, the Bat seemed to merely discard the little parts of detail from Nina Sentet’s confession - such as:
“Where is Nora Fries?, What was her general reaction to your treatment?, etc. etc.”
The reason why Stenet walked the line of grey with such perfection (much like Catwoman) went beyond her metahuman ranking. It truly shone a light upon a woman who simply and truly happened to be at the, “wrong place, wrong time” sort of ordeal. Why dole out punishment to someone who simply didm’t know any better - and WOULD’VE chosen to do better had they been given all the facts upfront? The creepy, pupils white slivered slit of his masked eye gaze now honed in directly at her. His body still and chosen to do as such remained in the darkness of the inky shadows about his well muscled and armored frame of blackness.
“You’ve gone above and beyond your duty as a doctor, Dr. Stenet.” The Bat said coldly, his voice graveled and deep.
“Just know that I’m VERY aware of the types of personalities you tend to involve yourself with…” Stark, lightning white slits against a backing of endless darkness now focused utterly upon Nina - meeting her very own gaze. “My concern is… You are confused between what’s right and what’s truly wrong. Keep involving yourself in the darker side of people? You’ll end up no better than the rest of ’em. Or worse… End up dead.”
Dark words coldly given in the stark honesty of absolute truth. If the Bat’s figure had shifted to make a silent move for exiting Nina’s apartment within the shadows, couldn’t even be detected. Only that… The Batman was gone.
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 696
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Post by Nina Stenet on Oct 1, 2015 19:18:18 GMT -5
Though the number of times that she's spoken with Batman continues to increase - now to the point where it's a sure sign that her life is not going in a direction that she's happy with - she still can't say that she knows the man that well. Still, in spite of his sometimes mixed reputation, she has seen no sign that he's either more violent than he needs to be or unreasonable. This, combined with her natural confidence in almost and situation, is why she can so calmly sip her glass of water while Batman seems to decide what to make of her words. He may see her actions as gray, and while she'd agree she's fully confident that she's remained firmly on the lighter shades. Her only worry is that he'll see it differently - if he does she'll have to cross that bridge when she gets to it - but she doesn't think that they're at that point yet.
Though when his words go from almost praising to almost accusing, she frowns. Her own eyes shift to meet his - she looks offended. "Could I have resisted - gotten Freeze captured, even? Yes. Would that have given a very dangerous man known for his habit of revenge all the reason in the world to kill me? Yes. Excuse me for choosing to help save a woman's life instead of risking mine by saying no. I never signed up to be a superhero," she says with a scowl, "I didn't 'involve myself' with him - he involved himself with me." And she clearly resents the implication that she had more choice in the matter than she feels that she did. But she doesn't think that she should have to justify herself to Batman.
The last thing that he says causes her frown to deepen further. But she doesn't have enough time for a proper retort before he seems to disappear. This causes her to give an annoyed sigh and mutter to herself, "After everything that's happened, still zero faith in me. Typical!" She shakes her head and takes another sip of her water.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2015 6:28:04 GMT -5
“That’s just what I mean, Dr. Stenet.”
He let the dark growl of his words hang precariously in the air, a grim voice echoing out from within the darker shadows of her living room. Did that little trick of his (the-“disappear-into-darkness-silent-and-unseen”-trick) ever get old? Or better yet, did it ever get any less annoying? Then again, Batman wasn’t exactly trying to earn popularity points with the citizens of Gotham. Whenever the Bat involved himself with those in Gotham City, the experience was guaranteed to be dreadfully unpleasant to say at the very least... It would be then that the Bat stepped forward into the dim lighting of the kitchen, revealing his black, sharply armored, chiseled frame to Nina. Meeting her eye to unblinking eye. Her last retort called his bluff in their little head game currently being played. He hadn’t truly left just yet (merely had made himself become silently unseen within the shadows) considering she truly seemed to have more to share with him. A gentle night breeze crept into the dimly lit apartment, flowing in through the slightly opened ajar balcony sliding glass door of the dark living room. His preferred entrance and exit for the time being. Though he really wasn’t fond of playing head games in any sort of circumstance, he did understand the psychology behind them and how effective they can be when used on those who seem to prefer that sort of method when it comes to breaking down personal walls. Nina definitely had walls – she wasn’t going to be upfront about the nature of things with him, and he wasn’t going to let up on her that easily. Thus was the nature of their current little head game in play.
Nina Stenet was without doubt a truly brilliant women – her work was unprecedented in its field of study. If anything? The research she specialized in has only proved to help humanity – she found a cure for MacGregor’s Syndrome! That little fact did not escape him…
But? What did come off as a little baffling was Nina’s track record of allowing herself to be used as a pawn by unsavory characters. Bullied into keeping quiet and submission, rather than going to those who wouldn’t hurt her but would instead help and empower her. Though he wouldn’t quite say it out loud, he found himself placing her into the “battered and abused wife/girlfriend” category. “You have the ability to help, to cure, to save the lives of people who would otherwise be lost without you. That ability in its own right makes you automatically appointed as a hero, super or not. After ALL that has happened – your gifts should be USED, not ABUSED.” Being who he was he couldn’t help but compulsively take study of everything he possibly could. Making mental notes. Committing images into his photographic memory. Memorizing the layout of his surroundings. Gauging and anticipating his next move to make; projecting and guessing at any myriad of moves his opponent had yet to make. He was a creature of habit. So was she.
“Taking on the task to help Victor Fries’ completely alone is a burden that no one should really have to bare. Yet, you did and good came of it. But at what cost? Wasn’t it your original intent to help Edward Nigma, alone, after he involved himself with you, once long ago? Thing is, you’re NOT alone Dr. Stenet. You ALONE don’t have to live in fear for your life just because you want to help people.”
He wrapped his inky black pointed cape around his armored muscular form – somehow managing to look both intimidating and aloof all at once. He studied her form, taking note of her posture, her body language, her facial mannerisms and expressions. Most especially the look in her eyes. No doubt she was rationalizing and justifying her own means to an end internally. Both taking pride and resentment in his acclimations for her triumphs while reprimanding her for her follies. Both creatures of habit.
“You’re right. You didn’t sign up to be a superhero. But, you definitely make yourself into a target for the supervillains by giving into their threats and demands. Fooling yourself into thinking that you’ve forged a common bond with them or that they’ll leave you in peace, once you’ve done as they’ve asked,” His tone just as firm and sharp as his jaw was. “When in fact, all you’ve truly done is let them know you are theirs for the taking anytime they want for anything they wish. You’ll forever be indebted to them.”
Unnerving silence hung molasses-thick, stifling the air between them. Then, as if to drive his point home even further came a hardball question.
“Nigma. Has he contacted you since…?”
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 696
~ Relationship Status: Single
~ Character Profile
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Post by Nina Stenet on Oct 18, 2015 21:48:49 GMT -5
When the assumed-departed voice returns, now in her living room, Nina freezes for a second or two - though the reason has only a little to do with fear. The cessation of her movements is more about being ready for anything than being unnerved and only lasts long enough for her to recognize the voice is still Batman's and not someone else. She is, after all, wanted dead by at least one person who knows how to break into this apartment, and she's suddenly aware that her bodyguard is not right by her side at the moment.
So when he steps back into the light, her expression is far from amused. She does not appreciate being messed with, at all. Especially not this late at night, after a long, hard day at the lab. Though normally quite calm in temperament, she was already quite weary and having to deal with Batman on top of it is stretching her emotions quite thin. Not that she's the type of person to just snap - at least not to the degree of many of the people Batman deals with. She merely begins to lose some of her 'cool'.
"So I'm an 'everyday hero'," she says with a frown as she sets down her glass and folds her arms, her voice becoming sarcastic as she adds, "And I suppose that you know so much about everything that's happened, everything that I could have done, everything that I chose to do, and why I made those decisions that you would have the ability to tell me if I'm using or abusing my gifts." She's angry, offended by the implications of his words - by the judgmentalism of them.
Giving an annoyed exhale, she angrily adds, "It was never my intention to help Edward. I certainly never cared for his life choices, but I was never deluded enough to believe that I could change him." Her eyes lower then look away - an indication of being somewhat ashamed of herself about it still as she admits, "I was only deluded enough to believe that he felt differently about me. And I was right - I just didn't anticipate that it would be so... temporary."
Her eyes return and so does the confidence behind her words as she states, "Freeze was a different matter entirely. He may have threatened me, but I never once felt threatened. In fact, we seem to have developed a certain understanding - and don't tell me that I'm fooling myself about it. You weren't there, you didn't see it. If I had felt threatened - if at any point in time felt any concern for my life, I would have contacted you. But I assumed that you had better things to do than to rescue someone who wasn't in much actual danger." More belligerently she adds, "And forgive me if I felt some small amount of compassion for him - all the man wanted was for me to use my medical expertise to help save his wife. To provide medical care to an innocent woman. That's all. If he'd come to me wanting something actually reprehensible, I would have said no - I have my limits and they will not be crossed. And if he'd had a problem with that, I could have handled it. And if it had gotten messy, I would have contacted you. If he approaches me in the future, it will not be any different."
But it's perfectly clear that Nina believes the situation is under control - that she'd been aware that she could have used the device Batman gave her to signal him, but thought it wasn't necessary in that situation. In fact, there's almost a challenging quality to her expression - as if daring him to prove her wrong. Of course, at this point that's a fairly safe dare to make on her part. After all, all that can be said is that it turned out okay this time - what might have happened and whether or not she could have handled it is a matter of speculation only.
The only similar situation she's gotten into is her dealings with Edward - and in those she's not done very well. Then again, like she said, that's a different matter. In fact, her mood changes quite a bit at Batman's last question, the heat of her anger disappearing and being replaced by a certain serious expression that he'd be very familiar - one of someone who isn't quite afraid but is aware that they're in a difficult, dangerous position that could turn out very badly if they aren't extremely careful. "No, there's been no sign of him. But I'm expecting him - the ones who think they know the most are always the slowest learners and I don't think that he's learned anything yet. If you'd like to help me sleep at night, that is the problem I need help with - but I can't have him thinking that I need you to protect me. It's bad enough that he thinks I need Luthor," she responds quietly, picking up her glass again and giving it a brooding sip.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2016 17:25:50 GMT -5
Sure, the Bat had roughly poked a few highly sensitive sore spots dotting along Nina’s moral character and ego. Her whiplash retort of an emotional explanation was beautifully kept under careful observation so as not to lose complete control in his presence. No wonder the scum of the earth tends to like having her work for them – she definitely knew how to keep calm in a rather impressively respectful manner, at that!
Silence right back at her was his direct, immediate reply.
His inky jagged shadow wavering eerily along the dimly lit walls of the quiet apartment due to flickering traffic lights billowing in from way down below. He could easily see she was a woman who was a doctor of extreme medical talent and skill, a woman who harbored special super power gifts which qualified her as meta-human, but still at the end of the day, she was just that, a woman. One who lived with daily high stress and all sorts of life pressures. One who, despite being meta-human, still very much so felt human emotions like love, sympathy, guilt, anger, and loneliness.
“I won’t deny that due to your medical expertise you managed to create a cure which is nothing short of a miracle – despite the nature of the man for whom you created it. I’m not your parole officer. Who you choose to work with on your time is your decision. I don’t care. How you use your abilities and for what is again up to you. I still don’t care. If you cross the line from justice to injustice? Then I care. Nigma is a very real threat and you’re right to be concerned about him making an unexpected appearance in your life.”
He tightened the fold of his powerful arms crossed over his broad, muscular chest causing the jet black Kevlar armor of his suit to quietly scuffle.
“He thinks you need Luthor? What? For protection?”
A dark brow arched behind the confines of his high-tech batmask, expressionless eerie ghost-white eyes burning directly into her own, unblinking and unwavering in their thinly slit gaze.
“And you know he thinks this how…?”
Had the Bat just caught a small slip in her story about not having come into contact with the Riddler recently?
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 696
~ Relationship Status: Single
~ Character Profile
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Post by Nina Stenet on Jan 22, 2016 21:05:26 GMT -5
The silence doesn't seem to bother Nina very much. In fact, if anything she uses the time to settle herself - she's clearly a person who greatly prefers to be calm and in control of herself, and has no small skill at it, which is no doubt a trait that someone like Batman would note and appreciate. Still, she's clearly troubled by the thought of Edward - that's a difficult thing for even her to remain calm about and for more than one reason.
As Batman outlines what he does and doesn't care about, her lips eventually shift into a satisfied expression. Well, good - if he'd given another response then she would have objected. She is one who genuinely tries to do the right thing and she has no form of insanity clouding her judgement about what the right thing is, and as long as that's the case she doesn't see how it's any of Batman's business to dictate what she does.
Because she'd had a moment, when he then goes on to speak of Edward there isn't much of a reaction - he's stating facts. Yes, Edward is dangerous. And when asked about Luthor, she simply nods and says, "Yes." But when he asks how she knows that? That's when her expression changes completely into an instantly angry scowl. "Because I know the man! I saw it in his eyes! He'd never believe that I can protect myself! Even when I shove it into his face, he acts like I'm nothing - like I can do nothing!" she suddenly fumes.
As she continues her words come quickly, with no attempt to filter them. "He acts like I'm his plaything - like he can do whatever he wants to me whenever he wants to do it and that he ought to be able to do it without consequences. And when I give him hell for that, he acts surprised - as if it's undeserved - as if he ought to punish me for not rolling over and dying when he tries to kill me. Well, I'll just have to find a worse hell to put him in won't I? If I have to make the man quake in terror of me in order to get him to leave me alone, then that's exactly what I'll do!" she rages, the normally gentle doctor seeming to have been replaced by another who looks almost exactly like her except for the fact that she looks like she means it. The only difference is the look in her eyes - that combination of anger and determination is also something that Batman has seen before, just not in this person.
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Deleted Member
Deleted
Registered On: Mar 29, 2024 8:19:56 GMT -5 ~
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Last Edit: Feb 25, 2016 3:49:18 GMT -5 by Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2016 0:59:46 GMT -5
Upon hearing the young metahuman’s words of vengeance, vowing personal justice, the Bat’s jaw tightened more than normal. The bristly feeling of discomfort and moral questioning palpated from the inky black shadow that would elsewise be known as the Batman in Nina Stenet’s Gotham City apartment.
“He is who he has ALWAYS been Dr. Stenet,” The Bat growled out, a rumbling voice of reason being pitched from the darkness. “Not ever was he the ideal version that might’ve lived inside your head.”
The Bat’s consuming presence suddenly seemed to lessen in the darkness. “And he never will be. Don’t lose sight of where you currently and what YOU stand for. Don’t let him consume you.”
His words now echoed throughout the darkness of her apartment. And in that very fleeting darkness? He was gone – never truly seen entering, never truly seen leaving.
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 696
~ Relationship Status: Single
~ Character Profile
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Post by Nina Stenet on Feb 27, 2016 1:59:25 GMT -5
What Batman says to Nina now, words that prove to be his parting words, doesn't seem to have very much of an effect on her. She doesn't bother to try to reply - first because she doesn't have much to say, and moments later because he seems to have left - but her lips do purse in grim thought. Lecturing her on how Edward is can only be a waste of time - she knows.
Her understanding of him is found in the very nature of what she just promised to do. She's not out to prove him wrong and convince him that she's not what he thinks she is. That would be a waste of time. Perhaps it's possible, but that's not something that she can count upon, and not something that she even really desires. No, she has only one goal: to get him to leave her alone. That's all. And yet she's already quite aware of what lengths she'll probably have to go to in order to accomplish that goal if Edward proves to not have learned a thing from the last time she saw him. It really would be a lot easier if she just killed him.
But the rest of what Batman says as he departs is also in a way wasted words. Well, perhaps it's a good reminder. But she knows what she stands for, and that's why Edward will continue to live to regret ever darkening her door. As angry as she is, and as much as she feels like he deserves it, it's the principle of the thing. In a way she feels like it would be some final victory of his - if he managed to have such a profound effect upon her that she would do any such thing. Well, she's just too plain stubborn to let anything like that happen.
She stays in the kitchen, sipping from her water glass until it's empty and then heads for bed.
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