2014-08-23 - Opening Shots: Party Crashers

After being damaged in the Merge, Wayne Manor is back to liveable condition again. Or well, restored to its previous state of opulence. Well however it's phrased, it's an excuse for a party and in this case a fundraiser for children orphaned in the Merge. 
So the manor's ballroom is decorated to welcome Gotham's most wealthy and celebrate the restoration of one of the city's more famous landmarks. The mayor is there, as is the DA, the commissioner, and of course business leaders like Lucius Fox and (grudgingly) Roland Daggett. 
The party has been going on for some time drinks are flowing, people are talking, while waiting for their host, likely off chasing some new 'Wayne Girl' to make his appearance. Though the other members of the Wayne family are present such as Dick Grayson, and of course, Damian Wayne. The latter, despite looking dapper in his tux stands by one of the tall picture windows staring out at the night sky like he could somehow wish a certain signal to activate and bring all of this to a crashing halt. "Stupid Gotham," he mutters into his punch.
Speaking of the host, Bruce Wayne does walk in. But, he's not alone. There's a gorgeous brunette in a slinky black dress on one arm, and a ravishing redhead on the other in a gorgeous white evening gown. The brunette? One of the most celebrated "new" supermodels to hit the glamour circuit in the last few months. And, the redhead one of the current supermodels in a few of the companies advertisements. Both women are laughing at something Bruce has said as he wanders into the room in his tuxedo.
"Sorry," he tells the crowd, "To keep you all waiting. I got a little ... distracted," he says, with a lazy grin. Again, the arm-ornaments titter with pleasent laughter, telling him how awful he is in playful manner.
In a gown of violet that covers her modestly from the neckline collar to the floor length hemmed skirt, Tamara Fox tries to look less out of place than she feels. Her father has just asked her to mingle, and a-mingling she shall do. She manages to look reasonably graceful in heels, looking up as Mr. Wayne walks in. She starts to approach another group of upper class people and suddenly instead decides to get herself a drink. For the image, of course.
 
Dick, the elder of Bruce's 'sons' is of course present, preferring a blue waistcoat, and a black bowtie, along with the fitted tuxedo required for such a celebration. He has been very social this evening, talking to various individuals, floating around the party with the same glass at roughly a third full. The man had begun a conversation a redheaded coworker when Bruce arrives, Dick rolling his eyes at Bruce's arrival. 
Carrie Kelley arrives, having made her way down the stairs and into the group as covertly as possible. It was hard to do given she felt rather out of place wearing the same dress she wore to prom. Not that she was against re-using clothes, but... It was a prom dress. On top of that it was a thrift-store prom dress that was several years out of style. Thankfully it was black, and modest, and currently dressed up with some jewelry that Alfred had loaned her: A diamond tennis bracelet adorned one wrist, and a necklace with a single silver tear-drop pendant with a matching glint of diamond imbedded into it. Carefully she makes her way along the fringes of the group trying not to look as awkward as she felt while clutching to a flute of something possibly champagne-like. Spotting Damian by the window she makes her way over to mutter, "Tell me again why I agreed to do this?"
(http://www.seventeen.com/cm/seventeen/images/5r/sev-prom-blackstraigt-de.jpg)
Only the most stodgy of Gotham's old money seem to take umbrage at Bruce's late arrival. Most just seem to smile and nod indulgently, it was Bruce Wayne after all, and what can you do? Not everyone is up to being the man his father was. A waiter approaches the host and his special guest, offering them champagne from a silver tray. The man's hands seem rough for catering staff though and there are scars on his knuckles that suggests he's been a fight or two in the past. Not that Bruce's date notices as she scoops a glass off the tray and drinks before whispering in Bruce's ear. 
Damian barely notices Carrie's arrival, not because of the clothes, but because of the woman on his father's arm, he was /not/ told about this. "Hmm, because it is a family function and you're family," he answers without looking away from staring daggers at the woman. "Which I hope she isn't going to be," he adds.
Tamara Fox, for her part, approaches Roland Daggett's small refined group of associates. She considered for a moment approaching Bruce as someone she actually recognized, then realized that His time and attention was likely to be monopolized by the hoi polloi. So instead she follows her father's suggestion and tries to make the guests feel welcomed. Including the ones nobody wants to welcome.
She stands quietly nearby until that group notices her, being as much a non-threatening and curious young lady as she can manage, and when noted she begins to....not chat at all with them. That particular group considers young ladies to be ornamental at best. So she acts the part.
Bruce grins at whatever was whispered, and winks at the woman, before replying, "Five. And that's just what I've got upstairs." He winks, then pauses, "If you ladies will excuse me? I believe the Mayor is trying to signal me over. Don't - go too far, now," he suggests to them, in perfect playboy mannerism. He grabs another drink, hands it to the other woman on his other side, and then grabs another for himself before meandering away from the attractive ornaments. As he wanders past, he greets, "Tamara, always a pleasure to see you around. If you need anything, I'm sure Alfred is around here somewhere. Mr. Dagget, I hope you're enjoying yourself."
"Mayor," Bruce calls to the man who tries to do his best to keep Gotham running. "An honor to have you here. It's been too long." As if he were perfectly comfortable hob-nobbing with the elite, and he were greeting an old friend. "I hope you're staying for the announcement."
Carrie Kelley glances over her shoulder toward where Damian was glaring curiously--only to grin when she realizes what the 'issue' is. "Which one?" She asks simply before chuckling. "Relax. Lots of models help their career by hanging off his arm at parties," she explains, quietly, as she lifts her glass to take a testing sip of her drink. It's only a taste and she doesn't particularily like it so crinkles her nose and lowers her hand to just hold it lightly. A small sigh is let out as she murmers, "I still feel stupid wearing my prom dress here. Everyone else looks so nice."
The girls give Bruce a wave, and nod "We might not," answers his date. "So long as you don't take too long," she teases lightly. When Bruce joins the men around the mayor Daggett manages a weak smile. "Of course, Bruce," he says. "I hope you're well." Though the tone is frigid. 
The Mayor's response though is much more warm "Oh come on Roland, these things aren't so bad, just look at the view," he says gesturing towards Bruce's date and the other women around the room. He reaches out to shake Bruce's hand. "Anyhow, this is much more fun now that Commissioner Gordon has stopped cornering me about these high-tech guns popping up in robberies. The man never takes a break, it's like he's pushing for a raise." Then at the mention of the announcement the mayor raises an eyebrow "Oh, what's the big news?" 
Alfred, noteably is nowhere to be seen. 
At their end of the party Damian hmms. "Well as long as she knows her role," Damian says before he turns to look at Carrie's dress for the first time this evening. "You look fine," he remarks matter-of-factly. "And, you have the added bonus of not being useless like the rest of the people in the room, so what does it matter what they're wearing?" he asks somewhat philosophically. "Dick, Father, and Tamara excluded of course, and Alfred, wherever he's gotten off to." He holds out a hand to Carrie. "Should we go talk to Dick, he seems lonely, except for the women over there sizing him up."
Tamara Fox dips a small curtsey, barely a bend of her knees, when Bruce Wayne speaks in her direction. However the mentioning of her name directly by such a high profile person as Mr. Wayne himself gets Roland Daggett's direct attention, and the group finally begins actually speaking to her. His act had the desired effect of improving her social status to a level where she could make an opinion or be asked a question. 
"What brings you to this party, Tamara was it? I don't think I've seen you before." Mr Daggett lowers himself to actually speak to the young lady who was brave enough to approach him publically. He doesn't seem to actually care what her answer might be though, adding, "Oh look, someone more important," and turns away bluntly before she can even open her mouth.
Carrie Kelley lifts an eyebrow at such a GLOWING compliment. It only causes her to flush looking even more awkard, and she shifts uncomfortably in the dress. Lifting her chin higher she murmers, "Yes at least there's that," before turning about to walk off. This was beyond humiliating--And if her parents saw her in the news--though chances of that were slim, it would be bad news for her. When Damian offers his hand however she pauses again uncertainly only to let out a sigh as she takes his hand. "You really know how to charm a woman, Damian."
 
With the mention of 'announcement' Dick is concerned. Primarily because he is not aware of it. As such, he excuses himself politely from the company of the beautiful redhead and makes his way over to Damian and Carrie. In a whisper he asks, "Um, what is your dad talking about in his 'announcement?' Hopefully nothing too big, last thing he needs is more media attention." 
"Thank you for coming, all of you," Bruce Wayne's voice rises up above the general conversations. "To celebrate the restoration of my family home, Wayne Manor. A significant monument within the city of Gotham. A testament to the tenacity of the city that we will always perservere." He pauses, holding up his champange glass. "In that fashion, I've personally seen to it that the Martha Wayne Foundation will donate two million dollars to Gotham Hospital's Children's Ward to see that the youth of Gotham will have the aid, equipment, and care they need to become the best citizens of Gotham they can."
Damian turns looking confused and a little hurt "I said you were of value, unlike these others, what is wrong with that?" he asks before he is cut off by the announcement. People around the room applaud the news of the new donation. Some of whom have to take a break from glaring at Daggett to do so having overheard his remarks to Tamara. Others remark, oh good, not another kid. 
It's then that Alfred staggers into the ballroom, bleeding from the head and forcing the door closed behind him and trying to block it with his body. "Master Bruce-" he shouts in warning before one of the caterers drops his tray and swings a punch at the butler, knocking him out of the way of the door. 
A moment later the door bursts open, kicked in by a pair of goons in clown masks and cheap suits, two more similarly dressed goons crowd in behind them but soon part to let a lean woman in a red and black jesters costume into the room. The woman grins ecstatically as she surveys gathering of Gotham's elite rich and a few of the caters yank on clown masks and move to join her goons. She points a fancy high tech gun at the ceiling and lets off a blast of green energy at the ceiling causing plaster to rain down around her and she coughs "Damn, always looked good on TV,"Harley Quinn says before she raises the gun at the guests and calls out "Alright ladies and jerks, you know what this is! Ain't like you've never been in a stick up before! Everyone gives over their wallets and jewels and nobody gets a new hole in them." The clown masked goons and caters begin producing weapons, clubs, black jacks and the sort, along with bags to gather up the valuables. 
Spotting one of the caters reaching for a club, under a table, Damian lets go of Carrie's arm and makes a grab for it. He wraps his fingers around it first but before he can turn another one smacks him in the back of the head with a club of his own, knocking him to the floor.
Tamara Fox hears the remarks from the side people. Not another kid. She doesn't understand them, but she hears them. She politely begins to extricate herself from the group when Alfred appears, and she has a lovely view of one of her favourite people in the world getting punched by a caterer. She dives to the floor where Alfred has fallen to check on the old man with honest concern on her face, murmuring, "Alfred, come on, please be alright," and wishing she'd taken more than the basic swimmer's first aid training.
"Alfred!" Bruce's features twist from playboy billionaire proud to have made such an annoucement to watching his oldest friend get hurt my a bunch of thugs. Nearly instantly, his eyes sweep the room as covertly as possible to count numbers of the would-be-caterers. He moves over towards a sidetable, quietly upturns one of Alfred's rather expensive sterling silver trays that has been in the Wayne Family for nearly two hundred years. And, with all the chaos, he waits until all eyes are off him. The tray is set down on the floor, under his foot. And, as one of the goons moves across towards Dagget, and Tamara and the others he kicks it forwards, timing it with perfection. The perverbial "banana peel", and the thug slips, flying upwards and landing smack on the back of his head, and hard. It'll create the perfect distraction.
Dick breathes a sigh of relief as the announcement is made. Perfectly good announcement. Tonight is actually going really well at this point. Then Alfred shows up bloody. There are some things you do not do in the Wayne abode. One of those things is do not harm Alfred. Dick tightens his grip on the glass and glares when Harley shows up with the lazer gun. There are two ways to do this, the easy way and the hard way. He subtly looks to Bruce for the lead on this. Yep, hard way. Dick flashes a glare to Damian, and mutters, "Don't do anything stupid." With that, Dick acts like he is fumbling about to get his wallet out, as if he can't find it, keeping his drink in his left hand. 
Carrie Kelley glances over to Dick with a look of relief, and a friendly smile. "No clue what the announcement is. This is news to me, too. Probably something good though." Before Carrie could even think to respond to Damian, or try to explain why his compliment was... not exactly worded the best... The announcement is made. And then hell breaks loose. When Alfred stumbles in, injured, her heart leaps into her throat causing her to freeze solid in place in spite of her hours, and hours, and oh god more? hours of training. Then Damian moves only to be knocked in the head by another clown-masked goon.
And then she moves.
Carrie ducks down flipping her heels off into her hands before she launches herself at the back of the attacker. One arm goes around his neck in a choke hold as she literally CLINGS to his back and begins to beat him in the face with her shoe--mashing his mask over his eyes in the process. It's all done with the brilliant battle cry of "GET OFF MY BOYFRIEND!"
 
Dick breathes a sigh of relief as the announcement is made. Perfectly good announcement. Tonight is actually going really well at this point. Then Alfred shows up bloody. There are some things you do not do in the Wayne abode. One of those things is do not harm Alfred. Dick tightens his grip on the glass and glares when Harley shows up with the lazer gun. There are two ways to do this, the easy way and the hard way. He subtly looks to Bruce for the lead on this. Yep, hard way. Dick flashes a glare to Damian, and mutters, "Don't do anything stupid." With that, Dick acts like he is fumbling about to get his wallet out, as if he can't find it, keeping his drink in his left hand. When Damian goes down and Carrie jumps onto the clown-masked caterer, Dick realizes that he has to do something and throws the contents of his cup, sending perfectly good booze into the eyes of one of the masked robbers, slamming the thick glass into the head of another, dropping him. While he usually prefers to use speed, Dick uses brute force to punch the temporarily blinded one in the face, sending him to the floor.
"What's freaking wrong with you people? Do ya wanna get shot or something?" Harley exclaims when Damian makes his move. "'Cause that's how people get shot." 
Harley raises the gun and stalks across the just in time for all hell to break loose. First the red head jumps one of her goons, then the cutie in the tux hits another one. She turns to look for one of the others only to see him slip and go down hard. She can't help but giggle before she waves a hand over her face to make it serious again. "Okay ENOUGH!" she points the gun at Carrie and the goon she's assaulting "Red, love your spirit but play time is /over/ settle down or I'm gonna hafta put a hole in ya," she looks to Dick. "And cutie, try to make a move and it goes for you too," She looks Dick up and down "And that'd be a shame." 
Over by the door Alfred waves off the attempts to help him and nods towards the nearby light switch. "Turn off the lights," he whispers to Tamara eyes fixed on the nearby goons.
Tamara Fox, no hero and no more brave than an average person, gets up from where she was trying to help Alfred. She got the comment and knowing the value of darkness for Mr. Wayne, she gives a subtle nod to Mr. Pennyworth and walks with her hands behind her back to the lightswitch. Luckily she's not been the most overt so far, so attention is elsewhere. And her little finger flicks, and the odds change as the lights go down.
Carrie Kelley stops when Harley calls out to do so. She's STILL on the guy's back but looking up. He's clawing at her arm around his throat barely managing to stay upright and currently the mask was wedged up his face. The heel of her shoe was inside his mouth pulling his cheek out to the side in what would be rather comical if this were a movie or skit but the guy likely was not enjoying it at all. As the gun is pointed her way she releases the shoe flipping her hand up palm out toward Harley to show she was being good. The shoe drops hanging a moment from the guy's mouth before just falling out thanks to gravity and his struggling. But he was injured, gasping for air, and not going to recover quickly as she steps away to move toward Damian's side.
There's a brief scowl that touches Bruce's features as Carrie jumps on the goon's back like an angry drunk woman. But then, it is Alfred. Bruce moves over to a side-cabinet, and depresses a hidden button. One of the 'new improvements' he made to Wayne Manor. Without telling anyone. He does that. But otherwise, he remains utterly still, lifting up his hands to show Harley, and the Goons, he's not going anywhere.
10. 9. 8. ... Those who know the Batman know he's counting down. To something ...
Dick does not regret what he did, but now there is a lazer pointed at him, so doing something stupid would be a poor choice. He opens his hands, displaying his bare palms, the broken tumbler now on the floor. More worried about protecting Carrie and Damian, he edges just a tad towards them, still keeping an eye on Harley. 
The goon Carrie grabbed turns and raises a hand "Stupid bitch!" he gasps, still having trouble filling his lungs, before a shot goes off at his feet. "Hey! What did I say about that sort of language?!" Harley demands before she sighs with frustration annnd the lights go off. "Craaaap," she laments before she fires off another shot in the air. "Nobody better be running for the door!" she shouts and fires off another shot in that direction. "Now, where's Mr. Wayne? You want your guests to live, you better tell em to stop screwing around," she says as she gropes in the darkness for a guest and grabs Dick, pressing the gun to his back. "Or I am going ta hafta leave some bodies here. Ya want that Mr. Wayne?" 
On the floor by Carrie's feet Damian comes to, he sits up "What happened, why is it dark?" he whispers sidelong. 
By the door Alfred stands, and quietly moves to stand beside Tamara, a hand on her shoulder in support. "Now we wait," he says quietly.
... 7 ... 6 ... 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...
There is a crash, another crash, the sound of glass smashing open. The sounds of ... wings? Screeches, cries, faint - but so many of them they're nearly deafening amongst the wing-beats. Bats. Tens. Hundreds. Thousands? It might seem so. They've suddenly taken interest in Wayne Manor. And this room.
And bats? Can only mean one thing.
Dick would do something once the lights go out, but suddenly there is a gun pointed at his back and Harley's distinctive voice coming from point-blank range. There is a distraction, which with his luck will only be brief, but fortunately, Dick is quick, quick enough to swing his arm down at her gun-hand to hopefully get it pointed away from his back, and then tries to rip himself away from her grip. If he gets free, he tries to trip her with a leg sweep, trying to avoid contact with the new arrivals the entire time. 
Tamara Fox is shivering with suppressed fear under Alfred's hand, though her primary response is to say, "Thank you," in a soft voice to the elder gentleman as she and he both wait for the outcome of this particular, and her first, attack. After a moment she does show a little bit of moxie though, not the innocent little waif she's pretended to be all night, by saying, "I counted ten of them," to Alfred with a private bet to herself if she managed to see them all.
Carrie Kelley hunkers down by Damian's side much the doting girlfriend worried for her boyfriend and... then the guy hauls back to hit her. Oddly it's Harley who keeps that from happening with the well-placed shot, but she pushes her hand against Damian nudging him down to protect him as well. It might be unnecessary, but she does it without thinking. THen the lights go out and she grins. The question asked of her earns a murmer of, "Because we're lucky," in response. The touch of her hand moves away from him as she stands striking out in the darkness with far more appropriate moves--The goon is hit across the throat causing him to choke and fall to the floor gasping for breath which can be heard in the dark as a heavy thump.
The gun slips away from Dick's back as he makes his move "Hey!" Harley says as the gun goes of then, she's on her back the weapon skidding across the floor. Harley lands well though and springs back to her feet looking around worriedly in the darkness. "Aww crap, the Bat is here," she says trying to find him in all the chaos. 
All around the guests are panicking and ducking and so too are some of the goons. "Seems right by my count," Alfred says to Tamara before he grabbing the goon who slugged him and punching him out cold. He grabs the guy's club and strikes a second one who turns to face him. "Two less now," he adds to Tamara primly as he adjusts his tie and drops the club. 
Damian protests as he's pushed down, but soon forgets it when Carrie replies and then vanishes to finish off her goon. Damian grins and quickly gets to his feet, finding the goon who's slipped on the silver making for the door, he quickly disarms him and uses his club to beat him to the ground. 
The remaining four goons look around in a panic for the Bat. "Crap, let's get out of here," one says b-ling for the door the others grope in the dark for hostages or cover.
Bats, bats, everywhere. Slamming into faces, getting into hair. Wayne Manor won't be holding a party for some time, but -- it'll be the talk of the town for quite awhile. Guess Bruce is getting that media coverage, anyways.
But it's not Bruce that speaks, now. "You've been a bad girl, Harley." There's a cracking of a fist into a skull, a body thudding into another body, and two goons groaning. "Joker isn't going to like this." Yes. Batman knows she's here without his consent. Acting on her own. With his goons. Another clown-masked goon goes down, as Bruce, in the dark, admist the bats he's so comfortable with hits a guy in a chest with enough force to knock the wind out of him, and then drops his skull into the hardwood floor below.
 
Yep, now the party's really begun. Without his mask, Dick is pretty much blind in the dark, as such, he makes is way towards the light that is the door, since he has dealt with Harley for now, he may as well try to help people get out. 
Carrie Kelley deals with the man she had felled, and then she falls back into the darkness. A bat catches in her hair almost causing her to yelp but she refrains from doing so as it would give away her location. Then again... by now it was utter chaos in here so maybe it wouldn't matter.
Harley lets out a nervous chuckle. "Sure Mistah J knows I am here, why /wouldn't/" she lashes out with a kick "He?" A punch follows, then another kick in the darkness, none of them connect with anything that isn't a bat and not the bat she was aiming for. "Huh," Harley says really believing she'd hit. " Guess it's time for plan B," she grabs a ball off her hat and tosses it at the ground causing it to explode in a burst of white light. By the time the light is fading Harley is hitting the road like her namesake, leaping through one of the now broken windows and making tracks. Her goons? Left behind for the GCPD and the Batman along with her gun.