The Power of Crime (c)

Participants: Kate Kane , Zatanna Zatara
Open/Closed: Closed.
Location(s): Gotham City, East End. Bad part of town.
Time of Day: Early in the morning (around 3 AM)
Weather: Storming.
Summary: Kate returns to Gotham and wastes no time in getting herself involved in some trouble, and this time she might be in over her head. Tracking down a dead guys apartment, Batwoman finds herself lost in a world of magic.



She was back. Sitting on the rooftops of Gotham City like so many nights before, Kate Kane looked out over the monstrous architecture as rain pelted her and the landscape. She sported her Batwoman costume, cape and hair flipping around wildly behind her as the wind picked up and took the rain at a diagonal. It was chilly, but the cold woke her up, put energy into her bones, made her itch for movement and confrontation. Placing her leather boot on the edge of the building she currently perched on, Kate took in a shaking breath before throwing herself over the edge. She threw her cape out as she fell, letting the material catch on the hefty gusts and carry her across the street. Cars and people still covered the road below, umbrellas out and wipers on, creating a familiar scene for Batwoman.

The weather would make the terrain that much more treacherous, luckily her boots and gloves were designed for better grip. Side note, Kate was really ready for the adrenaline rush. It'd been a couple of days since she'd experienced such a thrill as tucking into a tight roll as she came in contact with the next slippery surface. Coming out of the roll in a sprint, Batwoman raised her grapple from her belt and aimed, firing only after she jumped off the next ledge. It caught on a flagpole a few stories up, allowing her to sail further along the street than before. Reaching the height of the swing, Kate released the trigger and let the grapple return, casting out her cape to catch the wind one more time. She'd missed the danger of even just the simple things, like trying not to plummet to an untimely death.

The next building she landed on, crouching as she did so to absorb some of the impact and better conceal herself, was an apartment complex on the upper east end. She'd picked a fine place to venture to on her first night back. Sliding the hook of her grapple-gun into place along an air vent, Kate moved carefully to the edge of the complex and stepped over the ledge. She released the grapple slowly, letting herself descend at a controlled speed. She slid right between two sets of identical balconies, a narrow gap but so dark at this point that it definitely hid her. The rain kept the residents in doors, although she could still hear screaming, a baby crying, movies being played at volumes much too loud. As she touched down in the alleyway behind the enormous building, Batwoman snapped her grapple back into place on her belt and aimed herself at the nearest entrance, clearly an access to the garbage chute, laundry units, maintenance area, etc.

It usually required a key, but a specially-crafted batarang also did the trick when she used it to pry the door open, breaking the lock in the process.. oops. The place smelled horrible and no one had attended to the hallways she crept through in ages. Dumpsters on one side, laundry on the other, Kate wasn't surprised to hear people bustling about, even though she was fairly positive it was nearing 3 AM, it just meant that she'd have to be quick on her toes. She darted across the doorway to the laundry quick as the Flash, probably, and kept it moving as she came upon the trash units, noticing the man yanking his garbage bags into the dumpster had his back turned at just the right time. Batwoman didn't have to go too far, the specific apartment that she was looking for was only on the second floor, or she might have opted for a window-entrance.

She came to the stair well and didn't stop, peaking up towards the second story to make sure that her way was clear. She was almost there now. The apartment she was looking for, unit 16C, was the last place Henry Dustman had been seen alive. Her intel came from some Religion of Crime low-lifes that she'd roughed up earlier that day. Or was it yesterday, at this point? Regardless, Henry Dustman had been under her watch for awhile now. He was a higher-up in the covens, a member for a long time and a former friend of one Bruno Mannheim. He'd been dodging her or awhile, always away, always hiding, and Kate was a little frustrated that she hadn't learned of this secret hideout of his a little sooner. Ok, way sooner.

She was at the door now, glad to see that nothing looked out of place and even happier that none of his neighbors were out to get in her way. This entrance needed to be a little more subtle, she didn't want anyone coming in to bother her as she searched the place. Instead of reaching for a batarang, Kate pulled free her lockpicks and went to work. It was a standard lock, not even changed out from what the landlords had given him, which raised a lot more questions, frankly. It took her 47 seconds, which made her feel a little rusty, but she kept it in check pushing the door open and stepping inside before quickly closing it behind her. Turning to the dark apartment, Batwoman immediately knew that something was wrong. Her eyes narrowed, her muscles tensed, ready for action as lightning cracked through the sky and revealed someone standing in the living room, someone who she would have absolutely never expected. "What the hell are you doing here?"

It felt good, if still a little strange sometimes, when Bruce called her. For so long Zatanna hadn’t heard anything from him. Then there were the reluctant calls where the job took precedence over old grudges and he had to call her for information or call on her for validation. Then he’d actually brought her in on a case, she’d almost died, and things went almost back to the way they were. She wasn’t sure she’d ever stop feeling guilt over what she’d done and she knew he’d never forget. But the palpable ease with which they’d fallen back into an old friendship felt good.

It seemed like a long time since she’d been back to Gotham but she couldn’t quite remember exactly how long it had been. Despite her nomadic lifestyle and world traveling there was something about this city, the sights the smells, the sounds… it felt like home. Even with the ever present tide of crime that seemed higher or lower depending on the season. There was something about Gotham though that brought her comfort. Maybe it was the time she spent here with her father or maybe it was knowing that Bruce was always watching, but she was glad to be back despite the circumstances.

It was dark. And very late at night. Or early depending which side of sleep you were on. Given the schedule she generally kept as a performer she tended to be more of a night person so this was still prime awake time. Although on a night like this Zatanna would prefer to be at home snuggled up in a blanket with something warm to drink. Zee didn’t mind the rain for the most part unless she had to be out in it. Especially when it was cold like this. Did you wear your rain gear or your winter coat? For Zee’s part she was cheating and using magic to keep a nice barrier around her to shield her from the icy water that stung her face like small pinpricks. No costume today, or at least for the moment. Fishnets in this weather was a big “nope” from her.

She pushed a strand of stray curls behind her ear and huddled deeper into her coat as she looked around. All around her broken down buildings loomed. The rain beat against the windows and the wind kept pushing the branches and remaining leaves around casting twisting shadows all over. Okay maybe she didn’t feel comforted or safe in this part of Gotham. She squinted her eyes to check the building number, “Ah, here we go.”

The occupants were a little more bustling at this time of night than she was hoping for but then that’s how it was in this kind of place. Trying to keep an eye on the area around her she cast a quick series of spells that quickly targeted the apartment she needed and she teleported up to the narrow balcony to peek inside. It was difficult to see much of anything but there was no movement so Zee invited herself in, teleporting just to the other side of the glass.

Thankful for her shielding spell keeping her from dripping water all over the floor she pulled her hands from her coat pockets and rubbed them together as she examined the immediate area. There was definitely something of about the air and aura of the place but nothing Zatanna could immediately put her finger on. She frowned at one of the tables where a pile of books and an athame rested.

She started to reach for it but quickly pulled her hand back, the sound of a hostile voice surprising her. Fear creeping into her chest, Zatanna turned carefully toward the newcomer, taking in her appearance and relaxing slightly at the sight of her contact, “A similarly dressed bat-like individual indicated that you might need my help.” She said placing a hand on her chest, “I’m Zatanna. And you’re Batwoman I presume?”

Tag: Kate Kane

In the past few weeks, Kate had come into contact with more "magic" than she'd ever want to deal with again. But, things weren't looking too good. For weeks she'd been haunted by crazy dreams, premonitions, visitations. She felt like the main character in a horror movie, although she might be a tad more prepared than the average actress. Staring down the woman with beautiful hair, beautiful eyes and thighs that could kill a man, Kate's mind immediately began to spin. Although it seemed to be her usual glare, Kate was analyzing the woman, taking notes, searching for connections the way that any detective would. Then she spoke. A friend of Bruce? Ah. That made sense.

"A similarly dressed bat-like individual indicated that you might need my help.” Batwoman nodded, turning her gaze now to the room that they'd both managed to infiltrate with what seemed like ease? That part didn't make any sense, someone involved with the Religion of Crime, especially the dark magic that Kate had already experienced, seemed like the type of person to have some better protection. There was a desk on one side of the family room that the entrance had lead to, it was covered in strange items and old papers, book shelves on the other side stocked with rotting books and jars filled with things that only God could identify.

"He works quick, and I do need the help." Batwoman crossed the room, sifting through the papers on the desk, eyeing the strange ritualistic decorations that hung around the room, the ragged rug on the floor, the sliding door to the balcony.

"Have you ever heard of the Religion of Crime?" She needed to see what all Bruce had told her, how much she might know on her own. Regardless of her experience with the Religion, her expertise in the occult would absolutely come in handy. "This was a secret home away from home for one of the biggest names in their ranks. He's been a member of their council, a mostly silent man. But not recently."

Henry had been very vocal lately, finally speaking out enough about his mystical findings that some of the Covens had started to listen. His practice was dark, demon summoning, sacrifices, etc. Pretty on par for the Religion of Crime. "Anything seem off here, to you?"



Tag: Zatanna Zatara

Zatanna had been working with other capes for years now but there was something different about the Bats in Gotham. Even having known Bruce from a small child, once he put that cowl on he was a different entity altogether. All of them, even Batwoman, possessed this… presence that couldn’t really be described. Awe inspiring and intimidating. She was grateful that for the most part they were always on the same side.

She watched as Batwoman began rifling through the papers and searching for clues, listening as she offered information about the situation. Zatanna walked over to one of the bookshelves as the vigilante spoke, running a hand down a few of the spines. Most of them were familiar to her even if she’d never read most of them. Some were just novelty books about the occult or demons with no real information or worth but others were far more genuine and sinister. Whatever the purpose, she still hated to see books in this sorry state.

“Off? You mean, aside from this posh desirable location?” Zatanna said raising an eyebrow and casting a glance over her shoulder as Batwoman paused in her explanation. She cast her eyes around the room, taking in the choice decorations. “I can feel… a residue of sorts. Like residual dark magic that likely took place here but it is old. Barely a hum in the air. Any ritualistic magic that took place here would have been a long time ago.”

Zatanna shoved her hands in her coat pockets, “The name Religion of Crime does sound familiar but I don’t really know much about them.” She admitted, hoping her usefulness wasn’t negated by that revelation. “Anything you can tell me would probably help.” She added, glancing back at the bookshelves and the odds and ends displayed there, “It seems odd that they’d let a place like this fall into disarray. The only logical reason being that they didn’t need it anymore. That they’ve got something bigger and better to meet their needs.” She looked back at Batwoman, “What exactly are we looking for?”

Tag: Kate Kane

OOC: FYI, Zee’s not in her costume for this. “No costume today, or at least for the moment. Fishnets in this weather was a big “nope” from her.”

Seeing Henry's collection of occult artifacts and ancient literature was... underwhelming. The fact that she didn't have to wrack her brain all that hard to remember what most of this stuff was just didn't seem like a good sign. Basically, this stuff was weak in comparison to what she'd seen coming out of the Religion of Crime lately. Zatanna spoke out about the left over magic hanging in the air, something that Batwoman clearly wasn't attuned to. When Kate had went to Batman for help she hadn't really been expecting another hero to get involved, but she knew enough about Zatanna to know that she should be appreciative. She'd worked with the Justice League before, but their paths hadn't crossed until tonight.

The magician was right, this place really did seem to be abandoned.

"They're a cult, believe it or not. They've dedicated themselves to a book called the Crime Bible, a whole bunch of no-good nonsense, but these guys take it to heart." Batwoman turned to face the center of the room, looking at the door she'd come in through, the balcony to her left, a small kitchen in the corner next to the front door. There was a room on her side and one on Zatanna's, but what caught her attention the most were the scuff marks around the rug.

"I got back to Gotham a month or two ago and the Religion found me. Since then, I've been haunted. The things I've seen..." Kate shook her head as she knelt down to the floor, tearing back the circular rug to reveal a large, intricate symbol that had been roughly carved into the hardwood below.

Batwoman eyed the markings, trailed a gloved hand over the center, before looking up at her temporary partner. "We're looking for a cause of death." It was obvious that the symbol had been carved into place a long time ago. What did it mean? What did any of this mean? Kate felt a shiver creeping up on her spine, as if someone was watching her from out of sight, a feeling that she'd gotten use to in the past couple of days.

"Henry Dustman was the head of the seventh Coven here in Gotham. There's thirteen covens in this city, but the seventh have been experimenting with some stuff way out of their league." She wasn't trying to be vague, but there was a lot of ground to cover and Batwoman needed to get out the most important bits first. On top of that, she wasn't really sure what she was looking for. All she knew was that she'd almost been sacrificed by these maniacs, twice, and now she was trapped in a real life horror movie. "Henry died last night, this was the last place he was seen alive."

Standing again, Kate motioned to the floor. "This mean anything to you?"



Tag: Zatanna Zatara

OOC: Oops! Changed the previous post to make more sense.