What Now? [Nightwing, Masquerade plot]

[Detective Montoya]

((Set the night of the ball))

Renee had not had a very good few weeks. First all of the problems Joker had been causing in the city swamped her with paperwork and follow ups for weeks. Second had been the breakout from Blackgate. The third was the one that made her want to pack up and move to Metropolis. Joker had taken over Arkham.

The GCPD had scrambled to no avail. The Blackgate had set up a very impressive perimeter. A small group had found out the hard way that explosives had been planted on the grounds and would be detonated if officers got too close.

Now it was Christmas Eve and Renee was up a tree, binoculars practically frozen to her face. Surveillance had noticed a flurry of activity around the old mansion. Renee had volunteered to go investigate.

She had found a spot that gave her a good view of the ballroom and was watching curiously. Apparently the rogues of Gotham were more high class than she thought. Everyone was dressed up beautifully in masks and expensive looking outfits.

She was so focused on the activity inside that she wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings.

[Dick Grayson]

It was safe to say crime had been at it's most active peak in Gotham City. With the stress of criminals breaking into stores, patients breaking out of Arkham and patients taking over Arkham, Nightwing was put to a strenuous challenge.

But amongst all the riot and chaos, what was he currently thinking about? How freakin' cold he was. As adapt as he was to his suit, it wasn't particuarly adapt to extreme temperatures. Of course, he could make a copy that was thicker but then there would be the complication of restricting his movements and with how dynamically he moved, that was a huge problem.

Shivering, he closed in on Arkham Island. With the help of his...burrowed police scanner, he was aware of it's guarded status. What he wasn't aware of, however, was that a cop was already on the case. Unhooking his swing line from a nearby building, Nightwing took to the ground, approaching the tree that a GCPD bluecoat was in.

"Need a little help?" He spoke, an amused smile toying with his lips.

[Detective Montoya]

Renee had to cling to the tree trunk to stop from falling out at the sound of a familiar voice. She looked down and sighed slightly in relief at the sight of Nightwing.

"Don't you costumed types ever change your outfits? It's freezing out here. I'm cold and I'm so bundled I can barely move."

She readjusted herself and patted a thick tree branch next to her. "Come up here. You have to see this. They're having an actual ball in there."

[Dick Grayson]

"No, I actually like to keep it on twenty-four seven. There's a sense of power that's built in with it," Nightwing replied, his voice swimming in sarcasm.

He began to stealthily climb up the tree Montoya was perched in then once he reached the broad branch next to her he sat down, looking over her shoulder at the scene. Instead of asking to use her binoculars he adjusted the magnification settings on his eye-mask so he could get a clearer view of each face. Which was pretty useless considering the fact they were wearing masks, just as Montoya pointed out.

"We're doomed. It's an orgy." He joked before turning his tone to sincerity, "They're just giving eachother presents. You want to get a closer look?"

[Detective Montoya]

Renee rolled her eyes. "You're such a punk."

She covered her face with a hand, trying to get that mental image out of her head. "That's disturbing. Hopelessly disturbing." She looked over at him, furrowing her brows slightly. "How are we supposed to do that without getting blown up?"

[Dick Grayson]

"What can I say? I always thought girls liked the rebels."

He turned to face Montoya, forgetting to re-adjust the settings on his mask he recieved a close-up of her eye, which shocked him a little. He couldn't help but chortle at her disgusted reaction, "Well there are these handy gadgets I have called grapple-lines. Unless you have a stomach churning fear of flight then I suggest we use them."

[Detective Montoya]

Renee stared at Nightwing for a moment, then at the building. After a moment she turned to look at him once more. "Oh. Grapple-lines. Those are my favorite things, actually. I love flying through the air on something about the same width of spaghetti."

She set down her binoculars and moved closer to him, looking a bit ill. "I have a feeling I'm going to regret this, but let's go."

[Dick Grayson]

"You'll be safe, believe me." Nightwing began climbing back down the tree. Shooting grapple lines through foliage didn't always work out so well.

"Just keep a good hold of my waist to prevent you from plummeting to a possible death." He leapt on to the ground after growing impatient with descending down the tree.

[Detective Montoya]

Renee carefully climbed down the tree. Her foot slipped on the last branch and she fell into the snow with a dull thump. "Damn it!" She growled, pulling herself back up to her feet. "Stupid snow. Stupid tree. Stupid winter."

She stared over at him, slightly horrified. "Really? That's what you tell me? You are the least helpful person ever."

Still grumbling, Renee moved to stand next to Nightwing and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. "Let's get this over with."

[Dick Grayson]

Nightwing made a move to try and help Montoya after her fall but she'd already managed to get to her feet. Mentally shrugging, he fiddled with his gauntlet to make sure everything was intact - which it was.

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, you'll have me to hold onto before you fall." He flashed Montoya a charming grin.

[Suzume]

Suzume had decided to go to Joker's Masquerade Ball, mostly so she could see Harvey. The last time she'd seen him was when she threw acid on his books. Maybe they'd be able to speak tonight and he'd want to do business with her again.

Wanting to stand out in the crowd that would surely be Christmasy and light, Suzume had dressed as a plague doctor. The mask was black with silver goggles. She wore a black, steam punk top hat and black robes. Red gloves covered her small hands.

She had stashed her tanto, a metal folding fan and several shurikens in her robes, knowing that she would probably need to use at least one at some point. Several of her closest men came with her, armed with Uzis. They would get to know the other guests and the Blackgate guards while she got closer to Harvey.

As they walked across the grounds, quick movement caught her eyes. She held up a hand for silence to the others and began to creep across toward them. She recognized the uniform of a police officer and tilted her head curiously. The man with her was interesting looking. Since he wasn't already inside, she figured he was a costumed hero.

With the stealth that can only be achieved with years of experienced, Suzume and two guards crept toward the pair. When the police officer wrapped her arms around the man's waist, Suzume whipped out a shuriken and threw it deftly, pleased when it hit its mark in the woman's leg.

With the yakuza's uzis pointed at the pair, Suzume stepped into the open. "I think I'll need to see your invitations."