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

[sonia_alcana]

Sonia takes the mug and smiles.

There's something reassuring to her about how strident Bane is about everything. Or at least, it's reassuring when it isn't pissing her off.

She discretely does up her fly when he's not looking.

"I'd recommend not casting aspersions on Gilda Gold if you want to play politics against Thorne. Harvey Dent could be a significant ally for you. Although I'd recommend toning down your... you-ness... when you deal with him."

If there's a person in Gotham who is less impressed with rich assholes than Sonia is, it's probably Harvey Dent.

[alfonso_conde]

"Don't worry, Sugarshack. I'm the very soul of propriety." Bane says, whilst trying his level best to slap Sonia on the ass. "At any rate, I know better than to diss someone's ex when they're in an on-again off-again. Is there anyone who hasn't learned that one the hard way?"

[sonia_alcana]

Sonia yelps, and returns his smack on the ass by picking up the newspaper and swatting at him with it, as though he were a particularly unruly kitten.

She doesn't comment on the remark about Gilda and Harvey's relationship. She does, however, make a mental note of it.

"If you call me Sugarshack again, I will hurt you," is what she actually says.

[alfonso_conde]

Bane pulls up a chair, and stares off in the distance, deep in thought. Finally, he says: "Sorry, I should be thinking of ways we can undermine Rupert Thorne, rather than alternatives to 'Sugarshack.' I promise I'll be more on point now, Slapshot."

"I should call Dent. I need more information on Rupert Thorne before we can proceed."

[sonia_alcana]

"Just don't tell him I sent you, he might never speak to me again."

There's a slight pause.

"And just for the record, we're not... dating, or whatever. That means you don't get nickname privileges."

[alfonso_conde]

"What does dating have to do with anything? I'm not dating Stinky or Dr. McBiscuits. I haven't even introduced myself to 'Slappy' Dent yet."

"At any rate, I'll see about getting the media off your necks. If you think I'm a complication, just imagine fifteen guys with my exuberance and cameras to boot."

[sonia_alcana]

"I try not to," Sonia says, sipping her coffee. "I have my own job to do already, and it's not wrangling the media."

Which is good, because she'd be terrible at that.

[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."

[alfonso_conde]

Bane narrows his eyes, looks off into space and says in a raspy voice, "I am the night."

He turns to Sonia and grins.

[sonia_alcana]

Oh dear god.

"Yeah, you are definitely going to get yourself killed. Possibly me as well."

[alfonso_conde]

"Oh, come off it. If someone like Bruce Wayne can do it, then surely I can."

[sonia_alcana]

She rolls her eyes.

"Weren't you just telling me the other day how unstable and dangerous that guy is, and how I should avoid him? The Batman is insane. Surely if you want to create some kind of alter ego, there's a less suicidal way to go about it."

[alfonso_conde]

"Ah, some kind of Batman Lite, I take it?" Again his eyes narrow. He says in a raspy voice: "I am the dusk."

[sonia_alcana]

She snorts.

"Well, for starters, you're not going to get anywhere by trying to impersonate Batman specifically. You're twice his size, people would notice."