(closed) a pair of meddling kids

[timboslice]

Who: Tim Drake (timboslice) & Ann Takamaki (pussywhips)
What: Investigating the source of the riots
When: Mid-March
Where: Olympia
Warning(s): Will warn as needed

[ Ever since Tim's exchange with Ann over text, they've had plans to venture forth and figure out who's been responsible for some recent arson fires (especially because Ann herself lost her new home to such an incident). It all coincides with the recent riots, whereupon Tim and Ann find themselves connected once again - this time by Simwe's gratitude for protecting her palace during the riots. Because the Guard has no clue who Revenant and Panther are beneath their masks, Tim has gone out of his way to return to the palace as Revenant - he had come to check up on the place, only to discover that Simwe and the Guard were expecting him. There, he was debriefed on what remained to be done after protecting the palace: an ongoing investigation into the source of the riots.

Tim accepted the offer, but was quick to express his disinterest in collaborating with the Guard. These were a lot of the same personnel who turned a blind eye to refugees before and during the riots - they weren't going to be any more useful for detective work, in Tim's opinion. But because the guard felt they owed Revenant a favor for protecting the palace, they gave him enough intel to start investigating on his own terms.

As such, he shoots Ann a text. ]

i was just at the palace. they've got no clue about our secret identities, but they still extended invites for us to come visit and enjoy some of the luxuries there.

that's not what's important.

what's important is... there's been a change of plans.

the guard's given me some intel from an ongoing investigation, one that practically overlaps with what we were gonna do about the arsons. we can get to the bottom of not just the fires, but the very source of all the riots.

if you're still down to be my watson, just pick a meeting place.

i'll be there.

[ For now, Tim is perched on the edge of a tall structure. Now that the Natha have returned his grapnel gun to him, moving around the city has been significantly more efficient. ]

Comments

[pussywhips]

[ Ann is exhausted. As it turns out, building almost all the furniture in a four bedroom house is a harrowing experience. The store models made everything look so nice, and she thought that it would be easy enough to follow the directions, but... her hubris was her downfall.

Instead, it's taken them all this time to get everything set up and looking nice, and even then the new place is still a mess of half-assembled furniture and unhung pictures and strewn clothes. When Tim texts her, she's halfway through an entire ice cream cake with no sign of stopping—until now.

Damn, he works fast. The source of all the riots? She quickly texts back: ]

are you for real? yeah, let's check it out!
I'll meet you by the palace.
just give me a sec.

[ First of all, she has to put her cake away. But it doesn't take her very long before she's out the door and headed for the palace. It takes her a little while to get there, since she's sans grapnel gun and has to walk the old fashioned way instead, but finally she shows up at the courtyard in front of the palace, tucked against the wall. ]

[timboslice]

[ Tim seems to appear out of nowhere, behind the corner of Ann's eye, seeming to have changed to his civvies before her arrival. it's a relatively nondescript ensemble despite a somewhat distinctive tunic. ]

Hey there. Good to see you in one piece.

[ Considering how things have been, it's getting more realistic to expect danger at every corner. ]

I hope I wasn't interrupting something by calling you here.

[ He briefly looks around, thinking it's potentially compromising to discuss anything openly - even while right outside the palace. ]

We'll talk, though. Just not here.

[ It sure takes a while, but Tim explains that he has a safe place they can use to debrief without fear of surveillance. Tim leads Ann down the most unorthodox route imaginable, taking confusing detours and the like to mystify any potential stalkers.

The entire time, Tim implores Ann to bear with him, and hopefully any test of her patience pays off once they reach the security of Tim's safehouse.

One of his safehouses, that is... courtesy of Bruce Wayne. ]

Hope you like the accommodations.

You a coffee person or a tea person?

[ The answer might determine how long they can be friends. ]

[pussywhips]

[ Yeah, there's no way that Ann is going to remember how to get to this place—he's mystified her as much as any of the potential stalkers. She has to give it to him, though—he's very thorough. It's kind of a miracle nobody ever caught onto the Phantom Thieves' real identities, considering that they would use their school roof or Leblanc's attic for their hideouts.

She's patient enough, though, to wait until they get to the safehouse. When they do, she toes her shoes off just inside the door, entirely out of habit, and looks around the place curiously. ]

Hm... I guess I could go for some coffee right now.

[ Honestly? She likes both, so it depends on her mood. You can't really live in Japan as long as she has without drinking lots of tea—and the coffee at Leblanc really made her acquire a taste for it.

Can Tim beat Akira's coffee-making prowess, though? She's about to find out. ]

Soo... what's up with the getup? [ That tunic... ]