Backdated to 12th

[bodilesswarrior]

[Video]

[Barbara's in a familiar outfit - a thick dark body suit, festooned with straps and holsters and pouches. This time, though, there are symbols engraved into the fabric.

She gestures to them with a free hand; the other is busy at her keyboard. She barely looks at the screen as she goes through her files.]

It seems like our crisis has a magical component. [A slight grimace, more frustrated than anything. Magic is unpredictable, in ways that get people killed.] Not really my area, but I worked with Arthas to incorporate defensive magic into regular body armour. It won't hurt the things, but it repels them, at least until you can go on the offensive or run the hell away. [Yes, she tested it. That's why her shoulder is a bit charred.] I can do it for anything you have.

If you don't have anything defensive - or offensive, for that matter - I can give it to you. Has anyone pinpointed any weaknesses so far? [Another gesture, rough and vexed, towards the words on her screen.] They don't match anything I've got, not completely.

[Private to Friends/Family/Infuriating Inmate]

Check in. Please. [There's an edge of desperate worry to the words, now. She feels better in the midst of a crisis, but not if it costs her more of her people.]

[Spam]

[When she's not in her room, carving runes into modern armour or sharpening old weapons or crafting new ones, she's patrolling the halls. She's cautious, careful to keep her guard up and anticipate escape routes; for all her skill, she's just a woman against monsters.

But there's too much she doesn't know, and one of the better ways of finding out it investigating herself. And there are people far more vulnerable than she is.

She keeps her sticks in her lap, holding a batarang in each hand. (One electrocutes; the other freezes.) Far as she can figure, they're her best bet for effectiveness; if not, she has a lot of backups.]

Comments

Private

[takeyouapart]

I'm alright, Barbara.

I'm going to be in the Infirmary as much as I can. Until it's over. It'll be safe here [as far as he's concerned this is a fact, not an ambition] so, you can send anyone who needs that.

Private

[bodilesswarrior]

[She smiles, just a little, as she nods.] Good to know. You fought any of these things, yet?

Private

[takeyouapart]

Some. There are creatures that look like dogs - they feed on magic.

Private

[chlorophylliac]

[Ivy is sitting on the steps of what looks for all the world like the exterior of a large convention centre. Several of the people milling in the background are in costume. Guess who looks incredibly irritated by everything in the world ever.]

Thrown into port. From the sound of your situation I would frankly rather be on board.

Private

[bodilesswarrior]

[Her lips twitch. It's not quite a smile, but the amusement is clear.]

I probably would, too.

Looks like - what, 21st century?

Private

[chlorophylliac]

Yes. You're aware that there are various universes where the lot of us are characters in a comic book.

[She's not going to bother pointing out that this is one of them.]

[spam]

[tucky]

[Tiffany comes across Barbara on one of her food runs for the infirmary, where she's spending a good amount of her time holed up with Merlin. She has a knife and a fireplace poker, but wow, Barbara's weapons look extra-impressive.]

What are those? Are they for hitting?

[spam]

[bodilesswarrior]

[Barbara smiles up at her, wry and fierce.] Throwing. This one - [she shakes her hand a bit] - gives a nice shock, and this one freezes. I figure if one isn't effective the other will be. If not, well.

[She gestures to all the other weapons strapped onto her. Guns, knives, a sword slung over her chair. She'd rather keep things long distance, but it's not always an option.]

Where are you headed?

[spam]

[tucky]

The cafeteria. I been looking around for people, making sure my friends are safe, and now I'm helping out my warden and the infirmary.

[There's a definite note of pride in her voice.]

You don't got any guns to lend out, do you?

Spam (cw references to past drug use)

[formerself]

[Sunday night finds Eggsy slightly high on the blue warpaint smeared across his cheeks and up towards his hairline, courtesy of Bleu, and so far he seems to have been doing okay on it except for how he's crashing hard between fights. It feels kind of like when a mate had got him a gram for his 18th and he'd been bouncing up and down all night between bumps, except snorting coke hadn't actually made him want to deck a succubus.

(Not that he'd been living a life at the time where that would've been an issue.)

Speaking of succubi, he's come away bruised and - well - lashed from the last fight. He won - well, she's more dead than he is - and now he's knackered, letting the wall take most of his weight as he heads downstairs. The plan is: get back to his cabin, check on JB, few hours' kip? Maybe? Then head back out.

The long, serious contemplation of his life choices can wait until later. He sets foot on the seventh-floor hallway and oh hi, networking redhead lady.]

...alright?

[Once he might have been a bit more wheelchair + intense combat situation = ??? but she looks like she's tooled up and he's not assuming any shit about anyone. And on his one occasion fighting a double amputee, he won by basically cheating. So there's that. His gaze flicks down to her lap, and also:]

Are those fuckin' batarangs?

Spam

[bodilesswarrior]

[Barbara flashes him a grin, fiercely amused. She's managed to avoid direct combat, so far; distract, weaken, depart has been her game. She looks a bit worn, but there are no obvious injuries.] Yes, they are.

[She gestures at his face with one of them.] That just for decoration, or...?

Spam

[formerself]

Nah, don't wear a lot'f makeup.

[He grins weakly.]

Girl called Bleu [he says it blue] gave it me. It's magic or some shit? S'helpin', anyway.

[video]

[routemistress]

[Iris is in the laundry room, and has shifted three dryers to make a temporary barricade, from behind which she's firing her staser at what looks like a small pack of felhounds.]

These buggers don't 'alf take some shooting. 'Ave you seen Victor?

[video]

[bodilesswarrior]

Apparently they drain magic, too. [Her tone is wry, but there's a delighted warmth in her eyes. Thank goodness.]

Haven't seen Victor, but I'll keep an eye out. Do you need any help?

[video]

[routemistress]

And this is why we 'ave technology. I could probably do with it, aye. I think I might 'ave a rift opened up in the corridor - they keep coming and this power cell won't last forever.

Private;

[ichoosefight]

I'm starting to wish I'd taken the time out of my vacation to magically update all my gear. You know this kind of thing never happens when Zatanna is in town.

Private;

[bodilesswarrior]

She should come around more often. [There's a wry fondness in the words.] For now, though, get over here and I'll see what I can do.

Private;

[ichoosefight]

Aye aye, Cap'n!

[ She gives a little mock salute before shutting off the feed to head on down. ]

[mockinjay]

[Katniss isn't sure where she's going. Her right arm is bleeding heavily still from where the Peeta-faced Mutt attacked her. Her head is spinning with Prim's screams for help. She needs to get out of there, she needs to go home.]

Prim! [She yells, jaw clenches as she runs down the hallway, ready to fight anyone who tries to stand in her way.]

I'm coming!

[bodilesswarrior]

[Barbara is soaked in blood and viscera that isn't hers (for the most part). She's as tired as she's ever been, every inch of her aching. She means to go home - wash up, patch up, rest a while.

But she can't ignore that cry, and her head whips around to see Katniss dashing towards her.]

Katniss? [She remembers the girl's first post, remembers that she's only seventeen - ]

Hey, hold on -

[mockinjay]

Get out of my way!

[She can barely tell who the woman is, she doesn't know if she knows her at all. She has an arrow pointed at her, her hands are shaking from adrenaline and fear.

But she won't warn her twice.]

[exnihilo]

[She answers, not from her barge comm, but from the spycam Barbara gave her months ago and has only intermittently used, before others started forming their own patrols.]

On my way.

[And when she arrives, armored dress slightly scorched, hair wild, there is an irrepressible grin on her face.]

Okay, boss. Trick me out.

[private]

[heisrisen]

[She may or may not have noticed her item briefly, repeatedly flashing dead as he tries different portals and then immediately revives each time. When he's convinced that no variations are going to be any less fatal or less ineffective, he complies.]

I'll be heading to the infirmary.

[private]

[bodilesswarrior]

[She noticed. The first response was helpless rage, but then it kept blinking at her. It was easy to figure out what was going on. No rules are sacred on the Barge.]

What the hell have you been doing?

[This does not make her less pissed off.]

[private]

[heisrisen]

You've heard of the phenomenon where long captivity makes animals reluctant to leave their cages, when when the doors are opened.

I believe we agreed that sort of thing fell under 'loyalty', and you wouldn't ask it of me.