Role Play Board: What Goes Around (Part 1)

What Goes Around (Part 1)

Posted by Nightwing on 9/11/2008, 11:44 pm
98.242.72.252

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As the fresh dew threatens to settle on the ground, I fight the weariness that has been following me for the last few hours. My body aches, my spirit wears thin from a night filled with repetitive acts of heroism, and my mind is reeling with the tension of dumb thugs who want to try and make a name for themselves on my watch. All that I care about now is getting home, downing half a bottle of aspirin, and passing out on the closest piece of furniture I can find. Unfortunately one thing remains to be done before I can rest.

Through all my pain and anguish, I know that the deed is worth the effort in the end. I brush everything aside and aim my grapple gun to the east. As I swing along the rooftops of Gotham, I can feel the air thin around me, as if the city is finally relaxing after another hard night of survival. My eyes flinch at the small ray of light that is already peaking over the horizon, causing me to squint and groan in annoyance.

In minutes I arrive at my destination, landing lightly on my feet along the flat rooftop. It doesn’t take me long to gain access to the rooftop doorway, and I quickly move down the stairway, into a small hallway. I can tell that my muscles lack the proper oxygen as my steps grow louder further down the hallway. The exhaustion of my night shift has rendered my sneaking abilities almost useless. A few seconds rest gives me the nerve to carry on, and I savor the air that fills my lungs as I take the last deep breath before continuing.

Moments later I find the location of my target. Without hesitation, I loosen the lock and slip into the apartment unannounced. The room is still dark from the night before. I try my best to make my way through the dimly lit room in search of my primary target. Almost halfway across the living room I hear a noise from behind. Before I can react, I feel the sharp pain of steel strike me across the back. The hit is strong and precise. It’s obvious who hit me has had training. I’m in for a fight that I’m not sure I am in the condition to win.

I take deep breathes and try to drag myself to a safer position. Before I can reach the wall and brace for a fight, the lights in the apartment flash on, blinding me in the process. My stress level reaches an all-time high, and I’m not sure what is going to become of me. That’s when I hear the most horrific noise of my life; the kind of shrill that causes wild animals to run in fear, the type of horrific screech that causes wallpaper to peel loose from the wall, the one noise that signifies the end for all living things.

“GRAYSON!?”

Lowering my hand, I see the face that I had expect to come with the yelling I was about to receive, “Heh…hi Babs…”

She glares at me for minutes without saying a word, leaving me to limber along her carpet to attempt to get to my feet. Finally she rolls over to me and offers a helping hand, “Geez Dick, what were you trying to do? I could have seriously hurt you. Why would you pull such a stunt?”

I stammer back to my feet and rub my shoulder where she struck me with the baton, “I…I wanted to surprise you.”

The look on her face is priceless. She has to take a moment and balance things in her mind. It’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen. She wants to feel sorry for attacking me, but she knows what I did was stupid and wants to continue acting mad at me. I can practically see the gears in her head turning.

“You’ve known me long enough to know that sneaking into my apartment at six in the morning isn’t the best way to surprise me.”

Her glare remains sharp. She’s going with the punishment choice it seems. Unfortunately for her, I have a secret weapon she’s not prepared for. “I wanted to ask you out to breakfast…”

I flash the big puffy lip and act like a whipped dog, making sure she can see my hand holding my shoulder. Babs gesture changes suddenly and she motions for me to come sit next to her, “Look, I’m…I’m sorry I hit you, ok? Just, don’t sneak into my apartment anymore ok? If you wanted to go for breakfast, you should learn to pick up a phone and just call me.”

Works every time.

“I was in the neighborhood.”

Barbara rubs my shoulder some, before frowning and looking back at me, “Wow, ok, you have to get off my sofa right now.”

I stand, unsure of what’s going on, “Huh?”

She grabs her nose and fans the area around her, “You smell atrocious!”

Letting my shoulders slump, I run my hand nervously through my hair, “Yeah, I had a homeless guy sling his last bit of rum at me as a way of saying thanks.”

Sniffing the air, Babs quickly shakes her head, “That’s not alcohol…”

“Yeah I know, I think that’s the smell of the dumpster on 5th and Spencer. Five guys tossed me halfway across the alley and my choices were concrete or dumpster,” I frown at my failure to impress her. Any chances I had at swooning her were now gone.

“Tell you what, you go grab a shower while I finish up some last minute stuff, and then we’ll talk about breakfast, ok?”

I flash the biggest grin I can muster, “Sure thing Babs, anything you want.”

She rolls here eyes at me, “I want that smell to come out of my carpet, but God knows that’s going to take a miracle. Now scoot!”

I do as I’m told and make my way to the back of the apartment where the bathroom is located. My mask is the first piece of clothing to go as I flip on the lights. The man before me in the mirror catches my attention, and I can’t help but stare. My eyes are dark and puffy, my jaw red and slightly swollen; I look like I’ve been crawling through the trenches of a war zone. Carefully, I reach up with my good arm and unzip the Kevlar suit, and begin to wiggle loose from its airtight grip. The costume falls to the floor and my body comes into focus. I can’t help but wince as I take in the multitude of bruises that litter my torso. Reaching down, I take the suit into my arms and pause just before setting them on the counter. I look into the mirror once more and psyche myself up, then with an nod of my head, I plunge nose first into them. Immediately my eyes water and I begin to gag. The costume flies onto the counter and I try to regain my composure.

“You ok in there?”

Babs calls from the other room, and I can’t help but laugh at myself. She’s right, that is going to be hard to get out of the carpet, “Yeah, just a little of that wonder night air coming back up.”

I return to my original orders, turning on the water and stepping into the shower. The jets of water spray across my tired body and instantly make me feel ten times better. In seconds the temperature is blistering hot and I’m finally at ease after a long night of hell. I toss my head back and let out a heavy sigh. What a day.

Minutes just pass by me, until what seems like an eternity, and I finally decide to reach for the towel. I dry off my head and torso before wrapping the cloth around my hip and proceeding into the guest bedroom. Rustling through the closet, I try and find something that I can wear to breakfast. After several minutes I give up with frustration and look back into the room behind me. Glaring back at me is the biggest, softest bed I’ve ever seen in my life. I try to fight my needs, but it calls to me in my deliriousness. As I feel the soft sheets of cotton cushion my fall, I think to myself, “Just a five minute nap, that’s all I need. Then we can go to breakfa…”

Seconds later I’m out cold.

***TBC***