Bruce Wayne (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
batdweeb) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
heyfreemagic2015-07-27 12:35 am
batdweeb) wrote in heyfreemagic2015-07-27 12:35 am
Strike with Light
{Backdated: Can take place anywhere from July 1 to July 25, since he's going out on multiple nights.}
[ As dangerous as the Nox Carnival had been, it had at least given the Batman something simple to fight against. However, the satisfaction of helping clear the carnival of darkness had only gone a small way to alleviating the frustration of having been trapped in Freesia for months. ]
[ To that end, he'd stopped concentrating on his lost equipment and studying the city. Instead, the Batman would go out every other night and patrol Freesia, hunting down any Nox and Rifts lurking in the shadows. ]
[ They'd gone back to being roughly the size of rats and cats ever since the Nox Carnival, and both Nox and the Rifts they came out of could be dealt with in a literal flash. And since they were relatively easy to deal with so far, the Batman had felt justified in avoiding any citizens or other abductees that came out at night. Working alone was... simpler, right now. ]
[ Of course, complicating his attempts to fly under the radar was his magic. ]
[ As effective as it was against the Nox, bright flashes of light were very noticeable after dark, even from a distance. He had experimented with the visibility, changing the colors, trying to make it less glaring, but when a rat-shaped Nox was launching itself at his face, it was hard to be concerned with the obviousness of his attacks. ]
[ Eventually, anybody wandering around at night is going to notice those flashes of light in the distance. ]
[ As dangerous as the Nox Carnival had been, it had at least given the Batman something simple to fight against. However, the satisfaction of helping clear the carnival of darkness had only gone a small way to alleviating the frustration of having been trapped in Freesia for months. ]
[ To that end, he'd stopped concentrating on his lost equipment and studying the city. Instead, the Batman would go out every other night and patrol Freesia, hunting down any Nox and Rifts lurking in the shadows. ]
[ They'd gone back to being roughly the size of rats and cats ever since the Nox Carnival, and both Nox and the Rifts they came out of could be dealt with in a literal flash. And since they were relatively easy to deal with so far, the Batman had felt justified in avoiding any citizens or other abductees that came out at night. Working alone was... simpler, right now. ]
[ Of course, complicating his attempts to fly under the radar was his magic. ]
[ As effective as it was against the Nox, bright flashes of light were very noticeable after dark, even from a distance. He had experimented with the visibility, changing the colors, trying to make it less glaring, but when a rat-shaped Nox was launching itself at his face, it was hard to be concerned with the obviousness of his attacks. ]
[ Eventually, anybody wandering around at night is going to notice those flashes of light in the distance. ]
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[She drops down quite gracefully, her shoes touching the ground and then taking her weight as casually as could be.]
Are you doing well, after recent events?
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[However well that is. Celestia may have noticed that the Batman isn't exactly expressive.]
Surely this isn't the first time you've been up at night?
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Whether I go out at night or sleep, the sun must always rise in the morning. So any late nights I put in only cost me, and thus my subjects. And certainly, distances didn't allow me to travel from Canterlot to other cities casually.
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[As he speaks, the Batman turns to walk on- he hasn't finished his patrol for the night- but he moves slowly, allowing Celestia to accompany him if she wishes.]
By the way, have you seen anything of the Nox whenever you've stayed out late?
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I see them here and there -- small ones, not particularly aggressive.
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[The Batman gaze drifts around the street as they walk, still on the look out for Nox activity.]
They come out more at night, and they never seem to be far from the Rifts they came out of, but I haven't been able to pin down any patterns as to where the Rifts will spring up.
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Most likely, the Rifts obey some logic or pattern we cannot detect or perceive.
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[Which has remained the biggest problem since arriving at Freesia- not enough information, and not enough resources.]
Besides keeping track of their whereabouts, I've also been looking for any residue that the Rifts might be leaving after being destroyed. I've also tried studying the Rifts while they're still open, but the Nox are more aggressive the closer you are to the Rift, and my equipment hasn't been able to make heads or tails of the Rifts regardless.
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[Still, when the Batman frowns, it's more in a thoughtful manner than anything else.]
But then, I haven't dealt with anything quite like this before.
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You must simply find those applications and ramifications through experience, practice, and a little luck.
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[Only the smallest and pettiest of crimes, no business, no police alliance to check in with, nor anyone to train-]
[He cuts off his train of thought to attend to the matter at hand.]
How long did it take you to understand your magic?
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[And comparatively, her magic now is like having two fingers left out of five. Or maybe ten.]
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[There's a quiet clatter from somewhere down the street, like someone knocked over a bunch of garbage in a nearby alleyway. The sound makes the Batman come to a stop, and he stands there, listening for any other noises following it.]
[It's more likely that a stray animal or a slight breeze caused it, but the Batman glances at Celestia to see how she reacted.]
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[Surprisingly, the pony seems very used to danger lurking in every corner.
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[This doesn't seem the time and place to speculate about her history, however. The Batman only takes a moment to gauge her reaction, then returns to scanning the area.]
[When nothing pops out of the shadows after a few moments, he takes a few slow steps forward and murmurs:]
Think you could get a better view from above?
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[Celestia spreads her wings, which is quite a spread indeed, then lifts into the air with powerful strokes. The process is quiet but not noiseless as her feathers catch the air and propel her skyward.]
feel free to make up stuff/npc the nox if you want to, btw.
[The first few alleyways look normal, but in the fourth one he spots a garbage can spilled all over the ground, along with a scrawny white cat cowering beside a side door into the nearby building. The door itself is shut- likely locked, and leading into the storage area of some small business- and the cat hisses at the Batman's appearance. A tall wooden fence halves the alleyway, and the area behind it looks suspiciously dark, although it's hard to tell for certain.]
[The Batman glances up to see how Celestia's doing.]
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[Proof that something is out here, to be sure.]
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[He lands on a large patio covered with various tables- a quick glance around suggests it's garden for outdoor dining, attached to the back of a restaurant- and rolls forward to crouch by one of said tables.]
[It's a little hard to discern exact shapes in the gloom, but with another quick look around Batman can see things moving towards the north of the garden, in particular a smoking Nox trying to frantically ooze its way into a rain gutter that seems much too small to fit it.]
[Batman straightens enough to make a sharp gesture at the northern wall, sending a cluster of bright sparks in the direction of the Nox, then darts away to take cover behind another table.]
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