2012-11-07 Selina And The Commissioner

It's pretty standard for a Wednesday. The first shift cops get off duty, and those who don't have to run straight home to a wife and kids end up at Finnigan's. Rain or shine, it's always the same. The weather doesn't deter these guys, especially after a particularly difficult day.
For Jim Gordon, he's not here because of today's work day, but because of /yesterday's/ incident during the witness transport. He'd damn near lost a lot of good cops that day, but his gamble was right. He wasn't sure still how the Batman had managed to get help from others, but the important part was, his men had gotten the witness to Gotham General safe and, well, for the most part, sound.
Still, he's stressed. Seated at the bar, he isn't quite alone. Detective Benson is to the left of him, and past an empty stool to the right are three other cops, in their civvies of course, spitting complaints at each other over frothy mugs of beer. However, Gordon isn't involved in the conversation really, he's just... there.
This is by no means Selina's normal stomping grounds. But there's a need for knowledge, a quest for information that brings her to the bar tonight. It's Ivy she wants to learn about, to figure out if the plant-loving freak has been taken care of, something she probably could and should go to Batman about but isn't. No, she needs to see this from a different perspective and what better way than to talk to the law enforcement types.
Dressed casually in jeans, tee and leather jacket, she almost blends in but despite that she still gets eyes drawn to her as she pauses just inside, her own eyes scanning the room and its occupants. Takes her a moment to find the Commissioner but once she does she makes a beeline right for him, not seeming to care that he isn't alone tonight. "Gordon," she greets the older man with along with a smile, the latter warm. "I do hope you've been well." Does it dawn on her that she might be interrupting? Probably but for once she doesn't mind if she is being rude.
Gordon seems distracted by the small television perched somewhere between the tall liquor shelves behind the bar and the corner near the front window. Upon it, the evening news has just sprung to life, and the reporter speaks over a headline that reads: 'MAYHEM ON THE HIGHWAY: Gotham Police attacked last night by unknown assailant.'
Hearing his name, he's startled just a little. "Huh?" Looking to the right, he blinks twice at seeing Selina, and it takes just a moment for him to recollect how her face was familiar. Then, he catches himself and momentarily flushes. "Oh, Miss Kyle!" He turns more to face her directly, apology in his bespectacled eyes. "I'm sorry to be so rude. Things are, well, pretty normal really." A laugh forms. "Which isn't really ever normal at all, is it?"
Meanwhile, the television news story continues to tell the tale of an organized attack on the GCPD last night, which took place on one of the highways out of downtown around 9:00 pm. News footage shows an actual rocket being launched from a truck on the freeway, which strikes the tail of a GCPD helicopter and sends it spiraling toward the city below.
"And you?" he continues, only momentarily distracted by the television footage, which can be seen on a second television behind Selina, at the other side of the bar.
The news report is caught by Selina and she too becomes distracted, it taking her a moment before she blinks and returns to her mind, her face flushed to match Jim's slight blush. "You're not rude at all, Commissioner," she assures, using a more polite form of address now that she's done watching the TV. Well, mostly. The report is paid attention to with half an eye. "If anyone was, it was me. Oh, I am sorry. May I join you?"
She remains standing for as long as it takes him to either accept her company or refuse, not wanting to impose herself upon him if her company is not wanted tonight.
"Oh, sure." Gordon motions to the chair next to him, before turning around to face the bar properly again. He gestures for the bartender, then motions toward Selina when he has the 'tender's attention, before lifting his beer indicatively. Looks like he's buying this round.
"What brings you to the bull pen?" he asks, injecting a bit of humor into the conversation before taking a drink from his frothy beverage.
"Oh, just curiosity," Selina says after placing her order for a drink, her own taste running a bit more expensive than this establishment can accommodate. So beer it is although whatever is 'top shelf' and off the tap, the lesser quality beer definitely not something she enjoys. "I've never gotten to see how you and your fellow boys and girls in blue get to relax so thought I'd come out and spend some time here."
The TV distracts her again and her gaze darts towards the screen, the report causing her to frown deeply. "It seems like things are starting to get a little more crazy in this city," she grumbles, causing one of the men sitting at a nearby table to yell out an 'amen!' in agreement. She looks at him from over her shoulder and grins. "And it sounds like I am not the only one to think so."
"Well, I wouldn't quite call this relaxing," points out Gordon. His eyes flick around, finding a bit of humor in the way the cops around them rant and rave about the news story, many of them telling tall tales, exaggerations about what actually happened. "More like... letting off steam," he adds with a grin.
The news broadcast goes back to the anchor, but it's so noisy in the bar that her words can't exactly be made out. Not that it wouldn't be on YouTube later.
"It's always something," remarks the Commissioner. "Only this time it was... rocket launchers and semi-automatic weapons."
"As long as it isn't misplaced Agent Orange and a crazy..." Sel stops herself and looks back towards Jim, a brow arched. "Sorry. I just... well..." A hand comes up and is drawn through her short, dark hair, sending it slightly askew where it had been perfectly styled just moments before. Thankfully the beer comes when it does as she needs a drink of something cold to get her face to cool off. "How is that going, anyhow?" Yes, she's trying to be subtle but whether Jim buys it or not remains to be seen.
Pausing, she leans over to whisper into Jim's ear, "You know, I have to say that I admire a man like you. You do what has to be the world's most difficult job and you manage to still look very handsome." Whooops. Bad form, Selina. Do not flirt with the Commissioner of the GCPD!
As soon as the words 'Agent Orange' escape Selina's lips, Gordon's eyes can't help but dart her way. He's half way through forming the first syllable of a question, when she routes the question back to the news story. He glances at the TV, then back to Selina.
And she's whispering in his ear.
Now, Jim Gordon may be the incorruptible, but that doesn't mean flirtations from a beautiful younger lady aren't tempting, if not at least disarming. There's a momentary, awkward silence as heat fills Jim's cheeks. "Uh..." He shifts just slightly, so that his wedding band may become more visible. Okay, obviously visible. "Well, thank you, Miss Kyle," he offers, while pointedly stiffening and refusing to give in. He has this way of shutting that down without growing cold, but it manifests as more of a professional courteousness, rather than something more veiled. "Trust me, this isn't the world's most /difficult/ job," he quips. "You said something about Agent Orange," he deflects. "What's a young lady like you doing talking about old Vietnam weapons?" He seems most curious now, as if her flirting a moment ago was, well, something that never happened. Had she ever sat in the interrogation room of a police precinct, well, it might feel somewhat similar.
With different surroundings, of course.
She expected the deflection but not the blush and the sight of the flushing is noticed and even enjoyed a bit. Ah well. She'll try that again later. Preferably somewhere when there are not so many of Jim's co-workers around. "It was on the news," she points out while shrugging, trying to make it sound casual. "It worried me is all. You know. Concerned citizen? She smiles at the Commish and shakes her head, suppressing the urge to laugh. "As long as everything is alright now..."
One of the boys-in-blue come up and to Selina's side, bumping into her in his rush to grab another drink and a fresh bowl of beer nuts. That causes her to bump into Jim as a result, it causing her to almost fall off of her seat at the same time. "Hey, careful," she hisses while glaring, her hand now resting on Gordon's knee for support unless he manages to move his leg out of the way.
Gordon shakes his head and replies, "Well, you know I can't talk about an ongoing investigation. But I wouldn't be worried. The boys are doing-"
And then one of his own has bumped right into Selina! He looks over as well, though not nearly as glaringly, only frowning a bit. "Try not to be so excited about your next beer, huh, Smithson?"
The officer looks over at the Commissioner and immediately freezes. "Oh, sorry boss."
"Yeah, yeah." Gordon waves his hand dismissively at the officer. "If I knew you didn't take the train home, we'd be having words later."
He doesn't seem to even /notice/ the hand on his knee. Incorruptible, indeed! However, once the officer is gone, he does indeed acknowledge it. Without looking down, he settles his eyes on Selina and smiles pointedly. "Miss Kyle?"
Well. That didn't exactly go over as planned, the lack of information given to her blamed on the collusion with the police officer. Totally threw her off of her game. "It's alright. No harm done," Selina says with a wry grin and a wink to Jim's subordinate.
Once Smithson's gone she turns slightly, looking at her drinking companion for the evening right in the eye, her expression neutral. Does she realize where her hand is or is she as clueless about it having been rested upon his knee as he had been initially? Hard to say as there's nothing given to indicate one way or another.
Well, this is awkward.
The Commissioner half smiles, then looks down and gently reaches for her hand, making to move it, back, perhaps, into her own lap. "I don't want the boys to get the wrong idea," he offers, though it's with a quite pointed tone. His politeness, it seems, would only go far enough. He'd made that mistake before... it almost had costed him everything.
It might be awkward for poor Jim but Selina takes it all in stride, her demeanor as unflappable as always. Her hand is moved with no resistance from her, it allowed to be placed back on her lap without so much as a blink in reaction. "I do apologize," she offers sincerely. "But it would have been a whole lot more embarrassing for us if I were to fall off of my seat entirely." She leans away now, letting that sink in.
One last look is given to the TV but there's nothing interesting now, the report having ended quite a bit ago. Sports is what's on now with something about the Gotham Knights being the current clip being aired. "I never understood sports," she says to try and move things past the uncomfortable moment poor Jim was put through. "Maybe someday someone will take pity on me and try to explain football to me."
"You have a point there." Perhaps he was reading her wrong? Perhaps Gordon is a bit too sensitive given his history? Regardless, he could sure use a cigarette now... damned smoking bans. "You know, there are probably half a dozen - no, more than two dozen boys here who would /love/ to take you up on that challenge." He reaches again for his beer to take a long sip of it. Longer than his other sips, to be sure. "I dunno, Smithson might even be able to compete. He just... drinks too fast." He eyes the troublesome cop, who is already yelling and screaming obscenities at the television. "Christ," mutters Gordon under his breath.
The drunken cop is looked at and Selina sighs, the breathy sound following right on Gordon's verbal reaction to Smithson's state. "I think I'll wait until someone sober and gentlemanly makes the offer," she grumbles before turning, shifting in her seat to face Jim while pointedly putting her back to the rest the room... at least that part of the room, at least. "It sounds like an intervention might be needed," she suggests. "At the very least, I'm sure his wife would appreciate it if you put him in a cab and send him home." Assuming a lout like him is married.
"What wife," scoffs Gordon. Then he looks past her again, and rolls his eyes. "Alright, hold on a second." He stands up, holding out a pausing hand toward Selina before crossing the room and grabbing Smithson. "Alright, man, you're done. Get in the car with Mark here and go home."
Another officer, Mark Hinsley, blinks. "Huh? Hey, what did I do?"
"You only had /one/," answers Gordon. "Now come on. Hinsley, get him home, okay? I'll make it up to you."
Hinsley scowls, and grabs Smithson by the arm. "Come on, man."
Smithson waggles his hand at Gordon on his way out. "Hey don't do nothin' I wouldn't do, Commish! Hahahahahahaha!"
Jim returns to his seat next to Selina with a sigh. "Sorry about that. Hey, listen." He seems to have just thought of something. "You're a bit of a socialite around this town, from what I understand, right? Suppose I might ask you a favor?"
At least the evening can continue in peace. Selina smiles at Jim while he takes care of everything and then returns, the Commissioner given a bit of applause from her when he returns. "Nicely played," Sel compliments, truly impressed with the way he handled not only the problem but himself. When asked for a favor she raises a brow, that not being something she's used to being asked by anyone who isn't part of a charity in need of funding. It causes her to pause a second, not exactly sure how to go about replying to this. "I might be able to," she eventually murmurs. "What is it I can do for you?" Whether or not she can make it happen remains to be seen.
To the compliment, Gordon mimes tipping an invisible had to Selina, before grinning. It's short lived though. "Well, this is, sort of unorthodox, but. We do have a problem. This Agent Orange stuff. If you hear anyone talking about it... I mean /talking/ about it, like they might know something's up... will you tell me?" He studies her for a moment, frowning as he asks such a question.
Ah. Of course. She should have known, yes? Selina smiles sweetly while nodding, her eyes narrowing slightly as she takes her beer in hand. A drink is taken before she sets it down and she rises from the bar. "Of course, Commissioner. I will let you know." She can only hope he won't ask for her sources if she does come to him with anything she might hear. "I can call you directly or meet you in person... whichever you prefer."
The Commissioner nods his head slowly, before producing a business card. It has his name, office number, and e-mail on it. "Anything you find out, we'll do our bet to keep it confidential."
FTB
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