Teen Titans Roster Day Off (7)

Stand off

Marcia Bradly

Starfire threw her arms around Robin in a dramatic hug, "It was Exhausting! We caught a lot of people though, and most of the dolls are caught, we think!" She looked over the still partly bound Ringmaster, "I'll have you know, I have half a mind to throw you in with your dolls! They did a lot of damage, and I think that you need a little punishment! I think!" She declared hastily, but also apologetically.

While those three up there had happy reuinions, I checked myself, BANG!!! I barely dodged another attack, this one from the joker! BANG BANG BANG! Because of COURSE he had a pistol! It was a long-barreled thing and his first shot hit my body armor beneath my stolen clothing.

The second bang, missed completely as I ducked, then pinwheeled out the way, coming up for a dash in from another angle with my blade!

BatBoy, who had been distracted watching the alien and bird show up in the rafters, caught on and both of them parried!

A good old fashioned Mexican stand-off, with one exception. Both of us wanted the Joker, I was just happy to kill him where the professionals wanted him in prison!

A few more attacks were thrown, BatBoy trying to drive me away, then taking a bullet, BANG, himself as the Joker attempted to put distance between us! BatBoy had armor too, more than mine.

"Listen Joker! He just wants to take you in! You're best bet here is to let him get you out!" I declared brashly, "You're a monster, and if I get a hold of you I'll take your life here in front of your daughter! Give in, and you can go to jail alongside her!" I punctuated my sentences with attacks, driving him back, "Then Bird Boy up there can be with Space Girl, Bat Boy can go back to being lonely and I can Go Home!"

I refused to acknowledge that home, may not be there. That was dependent on the trial the Original was undergoing.

There's no way I would have been welcomed here however, so. Home it would be.

"What does she mean?" I was apparently sowing discourse, Bat-Boy was distracted again, watching as Starfire ferried RingMaster out the window and towards a waiting police car. "Robin, are you with Starfire?"

In a moment the boy wonder was on the ground with us, having taken up a kindly position behind the Joker's subtle exit.

To his credit, he didn't look shocked or upset, "I don't know!" He confided, putting his hands on his belt. "I think we're still working that out. Sorry to burst the bubble! Can we just nab this guy already!" Officially now the Joker was surrounded, fully. No escape!

Weirdly of course it was still a weird fight dynamic, BatBoy leaving his pursuit over the Joker to put himself squarely between me and the monster.

I clicked my tongue, "Nicely done boys!" then gave my staff a flourish, collapsing it back into a small cheer-leading wand. "All very heroic! The Boy Wonder has wrapped up yet another crime! So, what do we do now!"

~ ~ ~

The Bat Family saved their rage and pity until we were back at the lair!

"Excuse me! You think normal Hero behaviour includes using children as bait?" After the arrests and regrouping back at the Bat Family den the boys snitched to Batwoman, because of course they did.
It was the inquisition all over again, minus the thumb screws and with badly staged seriousness.

"Depending on the villain and the situation. You can't tell me you never sent your sidekick in to bait the enemy, then swept in for the kill! It's classic 101 strats!" Perched on a stool, and waiting out the nonsense I stretched, sighed, and genuinely was starting to tire from this little side-adventure! "Look, we did the mission.  We got the baddies, go team!" I clapped sarcastically. "Don't you think it's time to wrap this up! I have my own story line back home! Real work taking serial predators off the streets! This was fun but I really want to get back to work!"

The kids just looked at each other with unreadable expressions, full minutes passing before Robin muttered, "Bad Penny said she might benefit from working with us."

That got a nod from Batwoman, "Miss A, you said when you arrived that you were looking for a new team. I would like to have you join us -"

"Nope!" I waved them off, jumping from my stool. "No offence meant, but you guys are not the kind of heroes I wanna work with! Even if the Original is convicted he won't go to jail long, and I still have access to his connections!" I rounded on Starfire, "Look, hun I'd really like to head home now. I think I'm done here, please help me out?"

The mash of almost pitying dispatch from the boys, along with the confused silence from Starfire was starting to pass me off. "I don't Get you guys!" I groaned, exasperation pulling me back from them. "You Have to have trained! Gothem is the crime capital of America, with a list of sickos going back 50 years! Surely you get that Real Villains, like the trademarked, cut your face off, torture the sidekick style villains are still out there! You can't play nice, cause they won't! They'll full on kill you willingly!"

The sad look coming from Batwoman just nailed the drama completely, so I stalked around the room in a nice broad circle, trying to remember if I had any travelling spells. Once, twice, the older hero spoke over my muttering!

"Of course they exist! Of course we have to deal with them when they appear, but mimicking their behaviour isn't going to make stopping them easier and there is a real chance of becoming Alike if we do! Marcia, have you ever considered that The Original-"

"Is a bad Person!" I interrupted, if completed my third place of the room.  "Of course he is! God, I lost my V card when I was ten cause of his Tests! He's a bad person but for a good reason! Everyone has a reason for being I
In The Community, and that reason can justify the methods! There is a real threat out there,  one that I was chosen to handle! One only I can handle, and Winters is helping Me reach my full potential!" If remembered my transit spell. As usual it required blood.

They would probably try to stop me when they realised what I was doing,  so instead I stood in the middle of my imaginary circle, baton in hand.

Best option, standing in the middle of the batcave in my stolen miniskirt, Cropton and cardigan, and gesturing with my baton, I monologue.

"The world is full of actual real world vampires and demons! Real beings of malice and power! And they won't stop, they prey on the innocent and mutiply! Miss A, me, I am the only one who can harness and turn their own power against them! Winters is my Wilson, my Pennywoth, my Giles, teaching me how to harness that power!"

Taking the choice moment, I slit my hand open with the blade from my baton! Everyone moved at once with calls of, "What?" Or "Why?" but it was too late.

My eyes glazed over, and as my blackened blood dripped to the floor I vanished in a puff of black smoke.