Bruce was starting to see a pattern. Every time he wanted nothing more than to hole up away from the world, to dig his way to the deepest part of the shadows and accept death or comfort -- whatever came first, really -- that would be when he was dragged back into the light.
And sometimes, it was harsh. Sometimes it meant a great deal of time in the mountains, making friends that would later not only try to kill him, but decimate an entire city.
Sometimes, however, it was a hotel lobby.
Actually, a pretty nice hotel lobby.
His guard was up within seconds, though the rest of him was exhausted and briefly considered letting it back down again. The Clown was locked up, and if whoever had pulled this off managed to bring him here within what'd felt like seconds with no side effects what so ever, maybe they deserved to have him. Maybe he deserved to go down.
But he wouldn't let himself do it. Tense and at the ready, but still trying to acclimate, he noticed the woman and quirked an eyebrow immediately at her greeting. El Dorado. But wouldn't that mean...
Bruce was having a hard time sounding sweet at the moment. "The appropriate room?" One that he was supposed to go to, instead of getting these people the hell out of here and finding out whoever had orchestrated this so he could take them to the police?
Maybe the Joker was around here somewhere. "Where is this really?"
"Yes, Mr. Wayne, of course. As the head of Wayne Enterprises, it was only natural to assign you to one of the Mansion's most luxurious rooms." the Receptionist explained. "As I have said. You are in El Dorado, the City of the Gods. More known for it being made of gold."
Well, in her way, she was nothing if not helpful. He had to give her credit for that. "Thanks." If she wasn't going to give him anything else, he'd find out what he could on his own. "Anything else I need to know?" But just in case.
"The staff is always available to accommodate your needs. There is a hot-line back to this desk programed into your phone." She gestured to it. "If you have any other questions, feel free to call us."
He doubted he would, but it was nice to know. Bruce nodded, and glanced around, moving away from the desk to see what else he could find out on his own. "Thank you."
"Detective Carlton Lassiter. Santa Barbara Police Department. Can I see some identification?" Nothing about this made any sense, but Carlton wasn't about to let some Spencer-reeking prank get the better of him. Flashing his badge, Carlton waited for the man to respond, though he had an impatient look about him. In his free hand, he held a room key and a golden cell phone. None of this made any sense, but all he could do was keep asking questions until the answers started to make sense.
Bruce would've responded quicker, but he'd mentally stalled at the sudden appearance of a cop. From Santa Barbara. So then this wasn't anywhere near New York. That was something. And the man, Lassiter, clearly wasn't joking.
Well, that was something else. "Bruce Wayne." He felt around his pockets, and pulled out a room key first. Staring at it for a half second, he shoved it back into his pocket, and found the golden cellphone next. Bruce shook his head and found his wallet, producing his ID. "Any idea what's going on?"
Lassiter noticed the key and the phone. Something was up, but he couldn't put his finger on it just yet. He gave the ID a good glance before nodding and handing it back. "Still trying to figure that one out." He slide his own badge back into place on his belt. "Been asking around, but all anyone seems to want to tell me is that this place is called El Dorado and I'm supposed to enjoy my stay." He snorted.
Bruce pocketed his ID and gave a glance back towards the desk. "At least they're consistent." Once again, credit where credit was due. "Have you talked to any of the other people here?" He kept it casual for the time being, no reason to interrogate the guy who'd started the interrogating right back. Yet.
Lassiter hadn't really noticed that this interrogation was a two-way street just yet. He was scrambling to figure out where he was and how to get home. "Spoke to the receptionist, but she wasn't very helpful. You're the first 'guest' I found." He gestured to all the other confused people walking around. "But I don't think they're going to be much help." Carlton was quick to judge, and Bruce's appearance had definitely helped him trust the man.
"I may know who's behind it, though." He rubbed his chin. "Not sure how he did it, but it'd be just like Spencer to ship me off to a gaudy place like this." He scoffed.
Now that, even under the circumstances, sounded a little paranoid. "I don't know who Spencer is," Bruce said carefully, trying to be accommodating since he'd need as many friends as he could get right now. "But you're also not the only one here. And not the only one who doesn't know what's going on."
But then again, he could be wrong. Stranger things had happened. "And is he really capable of kidnapping this many people?"
Damn it, Bruce. That's too much logic for Lassiter to ignore. Carlton scowled and shook his head. "Still, I can't rule him out." Though, already he was recognizing that he needed to come up with another theory. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Wayne. If you see anything odd, feel free to call. My number is-" He paused, realizing that his normal cell number wouldn't exactly work. "Actually, I'm not sure how you can get a hold me."
Bruce took his own cellphone out of his pocket, flipping it open. And didn't have the faintest idea how to make that work either. "I'm sure we'll see each other around." He promised, and he meant it.
He wanted friends where he could find them, especially a cop. "Probably soon. Let me know if it does turn out to have something to do with... Spencer." But he highly doubted it. He moved on into the crowd, to see what else he could find.
The Doctor was pushing through the crowd to get back to the front desk. He had to have words with this woman, after all. Too easily distracted by the Abby girl and the woman who had this love of randomly popping up everywhere. Vala, right. That was her name.
He ended up beside Bruce. He glanced between him, and the Receptionist, realizing she was doing something for him.
"You're new?" the Doctor offered up friendly conversation, despite the tense atmosphere. "New here myself - just arrived! One moment I was with my companions, then poof! Standing in a lobby filled this lot. I'm sorry, do you have a key to a room?"
And sometimes, it was harsh. Sometimes it meant a great deal of time in the mountains, making friends that would later not only try to kill him, but decimate an entire city.
Sometimes, however, it was a hotel lobby.
Actually, a pretty nice hotel lobby.
His guard was up within seconds, though the rest of him was exhausted and briefly considered letting it back down again. The Clown was locked up, and if whoever had pulled this off managed to bring him here within what'd felt like seconds with no side effects what so ever, maybe they deserved to have him. Maybe he deserved to go down.
But he wouldn't let himself do it. Tense and at the ready, but still trying to acclimate, he noticed the woman and quirked an eyebrow immediately at her greeting. El Dorado. But wouldn't that mean...
"Excuse me?"
Definitely wasn't The Clown's handiwork.
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Maybe the Joker was around here somewhere. "Where is this really?"
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Well, that was something else. "Bruce Wayne." He felt around his pockets, and pulled out a room key first. Staring at it for a half second, he shoved it back into his pocket, and found the golden cellphone next. Bruce shook his head and found his wallet, producing his ID. "Any idea what's going on?"
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"I may know who's behind it, though." He rubbed his chin. "Not sure how he did it, but it'd be just like Spencer to ship me off to a gaudy place like this." He scoffed.
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But then again, he could be wrong. Stranger things had happened. "And is he really capable of kidnapping this many people?"
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He wanted friends where he could find them, especially a cop. "Probably soon. Let me know if it does turn out to have something to do with... Spencer." But he highly doubted it. He moved on into the crowd, to see what else he could find.
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The Doctor was pushing through the crowd to get back to the front desk. He had to have words with this woman, after all. Too easily distracted by the Abby girl and the woman who had this love of randomly popping up everywhere. Vala, right. That was her name.
He ended up beside Bruce. He glanced between him, and the Receptionist, realizing she was doing something for him.
"You're new?" the Doctor offered up friendly conversation, despite the tense atmosphere. "New here myself - just arrived! One moment I was with my companions, then poof! Standing in a lobby filled this lot. I'm sorry, do you have a key to a room?"
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