(Untitled)

[you_look_ready]

Who: Beatrix Kiddo, Stephanie Brown, any warden who feels like jumping in
Where: The upper levels.
What: Bea has stolen Randal's warden item, which was ridiculously easy. It's a cell phone, and she's got it her right boot and won't tell anyone about it unless she sees no other choice. She's using it to gain access to the upper levels, since she had

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[ichoosefight]

Stephanie is on her way back to the library from a rather disappointing stop in the CES when she sees a familiar head of blonde hair down the hall. Even if she hadn't stored the woman's name and appearance in the back of her head just in case, her current position is more than suspicious enough. She's trying to break into... the research lab?

As ridiculous as that is, somehow Beatrix is up here without a warden, without permission, trying to break into a restricted area. Stephanie has never been in the lab, so she doesn't know what's in there, but she's sure it's nothing that Bea needs to be getting her hands on

[you_look_ready]

Bea picks up on Steph's presence just before the girl speaks up, so she doesn't jump. She just straightens up and turns around, slipping the ballpoint pen wire into the back pocket of her jeans as she does so.

"Look who it is. My blonde shadow." She sees Steph's posture, and can tell that she's hiding something behind her back. Bea's guess would be a weapon. Her posture tenses the slightest bit.

"What do you mean by item?"

[ichoosefight]

She rolls her eye at the comment about being her shadow. This woman's got nothing on the Master, who she's been literally shadowing when she isn't busy with the library. She relaxes her posture just a bit to show Bea that she isn't intimidated.

"You need a warden's item to get up here. As if you didn't know."

[you_look_ready]

"I followed someone through the door. The wardens on this ship, you can't say they are of the most attentive sort."

That's a lie, of course. She'll be pretty convincing about it, though. She's a good liar. And she won't relax her posture. Instead, she'll take a slow step sideways, moving away from the door in order not to have the wall in her back.

[ichoosefight]

"Mmhmm. Sure." Fairly believable, but Stephanie is a practiced hand at lies. She's not buying it.

"And what exactly do you think is behind that door? Because if it's lab equipment, you're dead on." She's fairly certain that Bea is still looking for the Admiral, but he's not behind that door. Stephanie stands her ground, positioning herself so she's blocking the hallway. No great escapes today. She's ready.

[you_look_ready]

She's not intending to escape. She hasn't found that Admiral person yet. She shoots a quick glance around herself, making sure her surroundings are what she thinks they are--the bare end of a corridor, with a wall about six feet behind her, and the open corridor in front of her. Well. Formerly open. Now Miss Supergirl is standing in her way.

"Why don't you tell me what's behind that door? Or, even better, why don't you get me the keys?"

[ichoosefight]

"Lab equipment," she repeats, completely unimpressed by Bea's suspicious glancing. "You can't stay here without warden permission. And you haven't exactly earned that yet." It's her subtle way of telling Bea that she plans on escorting her back to the communal areas. The staff is inconspicuously tucked into the back of her pants, still ready to be used, but now Steph can cross her arms. She's a warden. She has authority. And people need to start respecting that already.

[you_look_ready]

"So what're you gonna do, kid? Arrest me?"

There's a challenge in her tone. She knows Steph is trained, and she knows she's armed, but she's still fairly sure she'll be able to take her. And since Steph is a warden, she might be carrying keys to that room. Which is not a lab. Why on Earth would anyone keep a lab on a prison ship? Unless this is the type of prison ship where they experiment on the inmates. If so, Bea would still like to take a look at the lab.

[ichoosefight]

Steph doesn't know why there's a lab or what happens there, but she's pretty sure that's where the door leads. It was on the Barge overview she'd gotten her first day. Still, she was pretty sure it wasn't anything too sketchy.

She doesn't want to take Bea by force, but she will if she has to. "I was hoping you'd just head back downstairs on your own. I'm afraid I left my handcuffs in my room," she comments a little sarcastically. She does have handcuffs in her room, but it's meant to be a joke. She doesn't need handcuffs to get Bea back where she belongs.

[you_look_ready]

A slight smile makes Bea's lips twitch. "You'll need more than handcuffs if you're planning to stop me."

She takes a quick, abrupt step forward. It's a feint; she's not planning on attacking quite yet, but she wants to reduce the space separating her from Stephanie. Also, she's hoping that she might be able to trick Steph into revealing her weapon.

[ichoosefight]

Her hand goes to her staff, but she doesn't take it out. "I'd rather not fight you," she warns, contradictory to the fighting stance she's taking now. Bea obviously speaks a very physical language, and Steph wants to make sure they're on the same page.

[you_look_ready]

"Oh wouldn't you." Bea smiles, a slow, calculating smile, and starts to move sideways, slowly, looking for a weakness in Steph's defense. "Is that why you brought a weapon?"

She knows you're armed. Stop hiding it.

[ichoosefight]

Okay, so that was really obvious. She pulls out the staff, but doesn't extend it to its full length. "I carry a weapon because I'm on a boat surrounded by criminals. Not all of them are what you'd consider 'harmless.'"

She holds her defensive position, ready to switch to offense. She can extend her staff in half a second's time if she has to.

[you_look_ready]

She can snap your neck in half a second's time if she has to. She'll have to get closer for that, though.

"Smart choice, kid."

She's going to feint again, this one a lot more convincing than the first one, as she pulls back only in the last moment. If Steph falls for it, Bea will use that opening to aim a quick kick at her legs and try to wrench Steph off her feet.

[ichoosefight]

She's expecting a feint, since Bea seems to be all about intimidation. All it tells her is that this really is going to escalate into a fight. She extends her staff and holds it ready in front of her, still in a defensive position.

"I'm not a kid." It isn't a retort, just a statement of fact. Bea is underestimating her.

[you_look_ready]

She's not, really. Gogo Yubari wasn't any more than a child, and she was almost a match for Bea. Bea realizes that Steph being a kid doesn't have to mean that she's not a worthy opponent. Won't hurt if Steph thinks she's underestimating her, though.

She pulls back and goes back into a fighting stance, smiling and giving a little beckon, not quite Matrix style. "Prove it, then."