sunday morning in the east end

[sonia_alcana]

On her days off, it's rare that Sonia gets out of bed before noon. For starters, she's a night owl, and when she's working she tends to build up something of a sleep deficit. Then there's the fact that without much of a social life, when she isn't working she doesn't really have any tangible reason to get out of bed at a decent hour.

This morning, though, she's wide awake at 8:30 am. Slipping quietly out of bed, retrieving her service pistol from the safe in her closet, and making her way to the living room.

Someone is in her apartment, and she sure as hell did not invite them in.

Comments

[alfonso_conde]

There are a few signs that this isn't a typical break-in. For example, the smell of coffee brewing. Non-instant coffee, to boot.

Bane is in her kitchen with food, and an espresso maker with an oversized ribbon on it. Clearly, it's worse than a typical break-in.

[sonia_alcana]

With a sigh, Sonia relaxes and puts the gun down.

Where to even begin with this?

"What the fuck are you doing?"

That seems as good a place as any, sure.

[alfonso_conde]

"You ask that like a young man with vast resources and a lifetime of affirmation would be doing anything else right now."

[sonia_alcana]

"How did you even get in here?"

A beat.

"And why?"

[alfonso_conde]

"I needed some lapsed Catholic solidarity this morning." Bane says. "As to how I got in here, keep in mind your home security system consists of not having anything worth stealing."

He looks over at the espresso maker. "At least it did. I might trample over boundaries, but I like to pay my way."

[sonia_alcana]

"No shit." The espresso maker probably cost more than Sonia's rent. "What am I supposed to do with that thing?"

She has not received enough expensive gifts to be entirely familiar with the protocol for receiving them.

"And how did you know I'm a lapsed Catholic?"

[alfonso_conde]

"We can smell our own."

[sonia_alcana]

Sonia laughs despite herself.

"On that note, I'm going to put some pants on. Coffee mugs are in the cupboard to your left."

[alfonso_conde]

Bane begins to steam the milk.

"I don't suppose you've seen today's newspaper headlines. The Post has a headline about the Vice President being called to testify on his company's involvement in that armed conflict in Belize a few years back. Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of the Post, just the Star-Patriot. It implies, albeit somewhat more obliquely than usual, that Harvey Dent is a member of the same Themysciran sex-cult as the Catwoman and that's why she's still at large."

[sonia_alcana]

"You're making that up," Sonia accuses from her bedroom. When she emerges, she's dressed in jeans and a tank top. Her hair is still uncombed, however, and the effect is that she looks only slightly more put together.

[alfonso_conde]

Bane says nothing, but tosses her a copy of the Star-Patriot. To be sure, it is written cryptically enough that they could deny ever claiming that Harvey is a member of a Themysciran sex-cult, but someone could certainly draw that inference.

Presently, Bane says: "Their adeptness at skating around the state's defamation laws is really something to behold. It's like looking at a Michelangelo painting of Jerry Springer."

[sonia_alcana]

Sonia snorts. "Please. I give them points for imagination, but it's probably the least defamatory thing they've printed about Harvey Dent all month."

[alfonso_conde]

"True enough, unless he actually did eat that guy. But somewhat more pressing is that the press is starting to whip up a frenzy against both the Amazons and people in masks. Mark my words, there'll be a bonfire of Residents albums in the city streets before too long."

[alfonso_conde]

Bane takes his own mug of coffee, and pours Irish Cream into it. He then offers the bottle to Sonia.

[sonia_alcana]

It is, perhaps, a bit early to start drinking, but it's Sunday, and it's not like either of them is going to church this morning, after all. Sonia takes the bottle, adds a couple fingers of kick to her coffee, and settles down at her kitchen table, which is just big enough for two (when one of the two is Bane's size).

She doesn't entertain much.

"So you're trying to ingratiate yourself with MCU, that makes sense," she says. "Why are you here, though? You think I'll be easy to manipulate because you had sex with and brought me a coffee maker?"

No one has ever accused Sonia of assuming the best of people.

[alfonso_conde]

Bane adopts a wry smile. "If my largesse were simply about buying favours from your department, wouldn't it make more sense to find someone further up the police hierarchy? The truth is that I think you are a valuable ally. You made detective without any of the social climbing that most of your contemporaries seem to specialize in."

[sonia_alcana]

She gives him a sharp look.

"And how would you know that?"

[alfonso_conde]

"You mentioned it when we were drinking that other night. And by 'mentioned,' I mean you went off on a five-minute rant about it." Bane sips his coffee.

[sonia_alcana]

"Right." She makes a face. "Please never mention that to anyone ever again."

[alfonso_conde]

"I know that Thorne has at least half the GCPD in his pocket," Bane says. "But he must have some chief lieutenants. Suppose those men were discredited, that would disrupt his control. At least until he found replacements."

[sonia_alcana]

Sonia nods, not entirely convinced, but thinking about it.

"Something like that could stir up tensions. It'd need to be done carefully."

[alfonso_conde]

"We'd need a proxy. Someone we could disavow, and whose motives wouldn't necessarily indicate our involvement."

[sonia_alcana]

Sonia frowns thoughtfully. The idea of handling things through a proxy is somewhat distatesful to her.

Her cat, a small, grumpy orange creature, ventures out from under the couch and jumps onto her lap. She scratches his ears absently while he glares at Bane, who he obviously sees as an unwelcome intruder.

"Have anyone in mind?"

[alfonso_conde]

"Only the Batman, of course. His whole plan seems to be simply to attack anyone who breaks the law. Someone in a Batman costume could wreak a lot of havoc on Thorne's operation without revealing any agenda beyond that." Bane smiles. "Of course, to have our own Batman we'd need a lot of money and a large, strong, agile man. I don't suppose you happen to know where we could find those, do you?"

[sonia_alcana]

Sonia raises one eyebrow, incredulous.

"Well, I know a guy with visible abs and a lot of money," she says finally. "I can't say as he has a lot of common sense, though."