#partial palisade

[lizzybeanbutt]

Happy Secret Samol! My giftee was @smallpolar-bear who requested some blue channel crew post ep 29 so I landed on the group reading some Strand Forum Posts™ about the stellar combuster mission at the central hangout spot!

(wips gif under the cut)

Notes: -This was intended to be the final page of a comic buut it was a little ambitious for me so I pivoted to one illustration

-This was my most extensive use of clip studios 3D system for blockout! It helped so much

-That sofa pit was quickly blocked out in blender and imported to get the angle right

-Using the 3D character models were fiddly but again super helpful and I may slide it into my usual workflow

-I was flying basically near refless (ie varying levels of sketches) for these characters, aha

[ahcoffeebeans2]

palisade 38 spoilers

snapshots

[rozecrest]

vital palisade question that i don’t think has ever been answered: what is the cooking scene on blue channel like

[planet4546b]

i love austin walker tm characters cause every fucking time i see one i go absolutely wild within about 20 seconds of meeting them. Partial palisade. Lies down

[robobrainrot]

Gonna re-render and reupload this later...

Optimus to the rescue!

We need this man in LA right now. My area is still safe but the fires are getting closer so I choose to deal with that by drawing my favorite dadbot 🚒

[mariacallous]

The giant fires that are scouring Los Angeles have officially become the most destructive in the city’s history, killing at least six people and destroying at least 5,000 buildings. But as the winds driving the inferno have slackened, experts are cautiously optimistic that the blazes can soon be beaten back.

With reinforcements from other states, California firefighters have shifted from defense to offense. Rather than just saving individual buildings, they are now trying to stop the overall advance of the flames.

“Tuesday and Wednesday our priority was saving lives and protecting as much property as possible,” says LA Fire Department spokesperson Margaret Stewart. “Now that we’re able to operate at our full capacity, we’re able to have a more powerful assault.”

In a two-pronged attack, aircraft have ramped up dousing the fires from the air while firefighters and bulldozers starve them of fuel on the ground. At times earlier in the week, planes had to be grounded because of the severity of the wind.

“I would say [the tide] is turning,” says Ken Pimlott, former director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. “Today and tomorrow are really the key windows to get through, the red flag fire weather conditions. Then I think we’ll start to see much more progress.”

Massive fires began clawing through the Los Angeles metropolitan area on Tuesday thanks to a combination of long-standing drought and a bout of strong Santa Ana winds, seasonal air that blows from the high desert of Nevada and Utah into Southern California.

The Palisades Fire east of Malibu, which has burned almost 20,000 acres, was 0 percent contained on Thursday. Celebrities like Billy Crystal and Paris Hilton were among the many people who had lost their homes. The Eaton Fire in Pasadena, roughly 25 miles to the east, was also uncontained, but the fire department has been able to slow its growth. The Sunset Fire that started in the Hollywood Hills on Wednesday was quickly hemmed in, and two others are partially contained.

“The only fire that has that potential [to grow] is Palisades, and we have 1,100 people on that,” Stewart says.

The key factor has been the winds of up to 99 miles per hour. They’ve been raking down from the northeast to the southwest, fanning the flames and throwing burning embers half a mile in front of the main fire. Canyons running largely the same direction have funneled and intensified that movement of air, creating what Pimlott called a “blowtorch” that spread the Palisades Fire. The flames have been essentially unstoppable.

“These pressurized winds literally explode out of these canyons,” says Janet Upton, former deputy director of Cal Fire. “All you can do is work to get anything with a heartbeat out of the way.”

But the winds began easing up on Wednesday and Thursday. They were anticipated to reach 15 to 20 miles per hour Thursday afternoon, before ticking up to 30 to 40 miles per hour on Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Firefighters that were helpless against virtually unstoppable wind-driven blazes have been able to return to their normal tactics.

“With those winds being very calm this morning, I believe we can actually make some progress, turn a corner, and start to build some containment on these fires,” Brent Pascua, a Cal Fire battalion chief, told The Today Show on Thursday.

So far the disaster response has been marred by disinformation and controversy. After some fire hydrants ran dry, president-elect Donald Trump baselessly accused California governor Gavin Newsom of mismanaging the state’s water supplies to save an endangered fish.

City employees have now been able to reach three water tanks on hills near the Palisades Fire to turn up the pressure. That allows the tanks to be refilled more quickly so they can keep supplying the hydrants, Stewart says. Each tank can hold 1 million gallons. “We have full flowing hydrants,” she says.

More firefighters have begun to arrive from Utah, Oregon, Arizona, Washington, and New Mexico. Several dozen task forces are on their way, according to Stewart, each with five fire engines plus a command vehicle.

Aircraft began flying again on Wednesday. Twelve helicopters are filling humongous water buckets hanging from cables and sucking seawater up through snorkels. Six planes are also working the fires, including a pair of “super scoop” aircraft that have been skimming across the surface of the Pacific to pick up water. The helicopters and scoop planes dump water on spot fires, letting firefighters close in and extinguish them.

Meanwhile, other airplanes are dropping fire retardant out ahead of the inferno, coating potential fuel with a layer of nonflammable chemicals and slowing its advance. A C-130 cargo plane that Cal Fire acquired from the Coast Guard and retrofitted this summer can dump 4,000 gallons of retardant. That buys time for firefighters to dig and bulldoze firebreaks of bare soil.

With the ocean constraining the Palisades Fire to the south, responders will try to prevent it from breaking out to the east or west. “The real spread is going to be on the flank,” Pimlott says.

A red flag warning for increased fire risk will remain through Friday, with humidity at only 8–12 percent. California has been suffering an abnormally dry winter, with 40 percent of the state under drought conditions.

“Fuels remain critically dry,” James Magana of Cal Fire said at a Thursday morning briefing. “You can expect to see critical rates of spread, especially on those ridgetops or those drainages that are in alignment with the wind.”

On Saturday, the winds are expected to reverse direction. If firefighters aren’t ready, the heel of the fire could become the front and run off to the north.

Even once they’re able to contain the conflagration within a circle of firebreaks and natural barriers, that won’t be the end of the task. Firefighters will have to stamp out smaller fires within that footprint.

“That’s a critical stage, to mop up these hot spots or anything that could rekindle if the winds were to increase again,” Upton says.

Moving forward, the city will need to clean up debris, restore utilities, and analyze damage to the environment before allowing people to move back. With canyons depleted of the trees and vegetation that hold the soil, mudslides could become a threat once the rains return.

Los Angeles will face the prospect of rebuilding destroyed communities. That’s an opportunity to make them less vulnerable to the next fire, says Max Moritz, a wildfire specialist with the University of California Cooperative Extension.

Although houses are in many cases required to be built with fire-resistant materials, California law doesn’t say anything about how they should be laid out. Techniques like clustering homes rather than spreading them out among the trees can make them easier to defend from fire, and easier to evacuate, he says.

“That is part of the hope here, that we can do some of this better, smarter, and safer,” Moritz says.

[ninthprime]

in response to yesterday's polycule conversation i would like to present this chart on what i personally believe is going on with the blue channel and various adjacent characters. i am not taking questions at this time (actually i am probably). thank you @violentandmagnificent for suggestions. full id under the read more

[ID: the image depicts a relationship chart with various palisade characters. in the top left corner a color chart indicates red is "definitely romantic", green is "maybe??" and gray is "platonic but important to the dynamic here."

brnine is at the center of the largest block of characters. brnine has a green arrow pointing to lattice labeled "oh you're a nobel haha please like me." lattice has a gray arrow pointing back labeled "random person they met once." brnine and gucci share a red line labeled "most toxic primary and satellite relationship in known history." jesset and brnine share a red line labeled "mostly just friends who support each other but you can tell sometimes there is tension here." jesset and gucci share a gray arrow labeled "Rivals." brnine and asepsis share a gray line labeled "uhhhhhh." brnine has a green arrow pointing to thisbe labeled "thisbe look i'm a cool and good person now haha can we be besties haha." thisbe has a gray arrow pointing back labeled "Brnine is like everyone else." brnine has a red line shared with "Wolf who is not appearing in this season."

gur also shares a red line with "Wolf who is not appearing in this season." they share a green line with brnine labeled "we barely know each other but we almost dated the same person who died so our entire perceptions of each other are inherently fraught." gur shares a green line with figure labeled "hey is it normal for a divine to give you a ghost and for that ghost to immediately seem very invested and insist you're friends." figure shares a green line with thisbe labeled "they're like a plant to her (positive(??))." figure also shares a green line with partial palisade labeled "undead history pals." figure has a red arrow pointing to phrygian labeled "wow phrygian you're so cool i wish i was more like you" with a blushing face. phrygian has a green arrow pointed back at figure labeled "thanks figure you're my friend! (too war weary to think on this further)."

off of the main block of characters, mustard has a green line shared with the divine, arbitrage labeled "[REDACTED]." cor'rina and misericorde are on the next line with a red line labeled "Alise Breka's Among Sharks." misericorde shares a green line with routine labeled "apparently this could happen." routine shares a gray line with midnite labeled "constantly updating her on the miseri situation via text." midnite has a red line connecting her to "various women offscreen." on another line, cori has a green line connecting her to kriminel labeled "#normal #girl #friends." cori then has a red line connecting her to elle labeled "what if we were both blood powered mech pilots and i blamed you for my father's death and also we kissed." under them, a final red line connects kalar to his husband. in the top right corner is a box labeled "'Just Hanging Out' Box." hunting and saffron are in this box.]

[whencyclopedia]

The motte and bailey castle was an early form of medieval fortification especially popular with the Normans in northern France and Britain during the 11th century CE. A single tower was built on (or partially within) the motte or earth mound while a courtyard area or bailey at the base was protected by a wooden palisade and an encircling outer ditch. Relatively quick to build, the height of the mound made the tower difficult to attack while the wall offered a place of refuge from opportunist raiders. For these reasons, the motte and bailey castle was especially useful in freshly conquered territories where the native population was still hostile to their new overlords. As stone resisted fire better than wood and defensive designs improved, castles evolved into more permanent structures with stone circuit walls and towers enclosing a more impressive inner stone tower or keep (donjon).

[arohawke]

the tablefriends once again try to reclaim a contested term and Keith fires someone for the second time this week

KEITH (as Phrygian): [whispering] What- what was that?

ALI (as Brnine): Hm?

KEITH (as Phrygian): [whispering with more emphasis] What was that?

ALI (as Brnine): What Mourning just said or?

KEITH (as Phrygian): [whispering] No, the building.

ALI (as Brnine): Oh, oh, oh… Uhm, it uhm- I think that it- uhm, you’ve heard of the afflictions, right?

KEITH (as Phrygian): [whispering] Yes. They have minions

ALI (as Brnine): [crosstalk] I think it was- Yeah…

[Sylvi laughs in the background]

AUSTIN (as Jesset City): Is that what we’re calling them, minions?

KEITH (as Phrygian): [whispering] We’re calling them minions.

AUSTIN (as Jesset City): They’re minions

DRE: [an even quieter whisper in a minion voice] Banana~

ALI (as Brnine): Yeah

[through whisper-laughter at Dre] Shut the fuck up! [in a louder voice] We’re reclaiming it!

KEITH: [laughing] You’re fired, Dre’s fired.

[Austin and Ali laugh loudly]

AUSTIN: Dre is not fired.

KEITH: I was given permission to fire-

AUSTIN: [crosstalk] This was the- no, no, yeah. [laughs] Keith is the Stargrave, of Palisade with the power to fire one person.

DRE: [crosstalk] You know what, partially fair.

AUSTIN: Uh… If we’re gonna reclaim “minion” we can’t do banana jokes, okay?

DRE: [crosstalk] You’re right, you’re right. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.

AUSTIN: [crosstalk] That’s not reclaiming it.

DRE: I’ll do better.

SYLVI: This fucking respectability politics bullshit [Austin and Ali start laughing loudly]

ALI: [laughs] I mean, are we reclaiming it or are we being like “we’re minion heads now” cause I-

AUSTIN: [crosstalk, loudly] We’re not minionheads! [Dre laughs loudly]

ALI: If we’re not minionheads-

KEITH: I think that we should be able to reclaim minions and also steal the IP at the same time.

[Austin laughs loudly]

ALI: Okay, shush, shush-

AUSTIN: [crosstalk] That is the Millennium- right, “burn thrones.” Yeah.

ALI: Sure, okay, okay.

AUSTIN: Our minions now.

ALI: Okay, okay, yeah.

AUSTIN: [laughs loudly] Janine in the chat says Bri-nana

[Loud and prolonged laughter from Keith and Dre]

ALI: [quietly] Two thumbs up.

[thecurioustale]

Urban Fires Are Heartbreaking

Los Angeles is currently experiencing the worst fire I remember it ever facing in my lifetime. Wildfires are common in the Los Angeles area nowadays, but almost always they exist in the backcountry and at the wildland–urban interface. But today's fires—and there are two separate major ones, the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, and several smaller ones—have penetrated the interface threshold and are now inside the city proper. (The urban zone, not the city limits of Los Angeles itself.) To give you a sense of how critical the situation is, this disaster is one of those rare "all TV commercials and regular shows are preempted for round-the-clock local news coverage" moments.

Urban fires are scary, like all uncontrolled fires are. But more than that, they are heartbreaking. Thousands of buildings have burned; news footage shows block after block of wreckage and ruin. I was watching the webcast of the news coverage of one of the big Los Angeles networks (FOX 11), and the scenes are so surreal: a pile of unidentifiable ruin with a charred washer and dryer in the middle; a sign that is a cheery picture of a smiling tooth, with no trace of the dental office it once belonged to; an Aldi still in good condition but abandoned to its fate by firefighters, and burning live on air as the reporter speaks; a tourist mural saying "Altadena welcomes you" on a brick wall next to a collapsed building; fire trucks rushing by houses fully engulfed in flame, without stopping.

I thought this Altadental sign was cute, and it was really sad to see it standing next to a smoldering ruin.

The same Altadental sign.

These images make me so sad. In my old age I just don't have the psychological resiliency anymore to look at it with a stiff upper lip. I know that many of these homes are affluent people's homes, and I suppose that's preferable to fires sweeping through working-class neighborhoods, but I guess the bottom line is that, first of all, most of the victims are not especially affluent (particularly in the Eaton Fire zone), and, more importantly, I'm not a piece of a shit like some of the anti-capitalist folks who are so loud on here about wishing for days like this one, or the MAGA folks who are besides themselves with glee that this is happening in a deeply liberal area. At the end of the day, we are all human beings together, and I find more humanity in the video reports on the ground than I do in the online clown show. Losing your home or your business in a fire is awful. Even the people who can easily afford to bounce back from it, do not deserve it.

In a sense, the destroyed businesses are even more heartbreaking than the destroyed homes, because small businesses are the manifestation of a community. Along with schools, businesses are the key way that individual households interact and coexist together in this social space of ours we call society. Most small businesses are the embodiment of people's dreams and much very hard work, and of the work and toil of their employees—now jobless. Even the chain stores have local workforces, and franchisees are also small business owners, even if they have a big corporate logo. Destroyed businesses are very hard on a community, and hurt its ability to bounce back, doing injury to everyone.

The fires are not contained; the dry northeast winds remain relatively high; the fire hydrant infrastructure is partially inoperative; and shortly it will be nighttime again. A very rough night lies ahead for many people, and that's before the long and painful aftermath even begins. The only good news is that the official death toll is still very low, just five people—and that's very good news, considering the scope of these fires.

[theinstagrahame]

This is the post where I show off the stuff I've gotten in the last month-ish. And it's been another good one!

(I mean it's always a good one, I have excellent taste)

Coffee and Chaos: I'm tickled by the concept of a coffeeshop AU, and I know that this game isn't explicitly for that. But it's also not *not* for that. Comes in a like conference-style folder, with all the bits you need to play tucked into the sides, which is also a great presentation that I felt deserved a shout-out!

Far Horizons Guide to Cults: I'm friendly with some Far Horizons folks, but wanted this book because it's awesome. A book containing notes and pre-made cults that have goals and drives beyond just "Be A Cult". I am intrigued by the occult, and I hope this gives me more nuance.

Neurocity: Picked this up on vibes alone, but I'm hearing more and more rad things about the creator. It's dystopic, a little cyberpunk, and the book is dripping with style. Can't wait to dig deeper.

You're In Space and Everything's Fucked: Station and Struggler's Guides: The title alone sold me, but I like what Dinoberry Press puts out in general. This is a solo survival space horror game with a cool respawn mechanic. I also splurged on the fancy version because the covers are very cool.

Dead Belt: The pleather folio for this honestly is what sold me, but the game itself is really cool. Salvage ships by laying out cards, exploring, and managing your air and tool resources. Try not to die. I haven't really succeeded at that last part yet...

Exquisite Corpse in the Maggot's Keep: Technically, this isn't a TTRPG, but it's go so many TTRPG folks in it that it might as well be. It's a choosable path adventure written by a variety of people in (if I remember the pitch) exquisite corpse style.

Best Left Buried: Throne of Avarice and In Calamity's Wake: As we already know, I'm a SoulMuppet fan (as in, I've written for their other big series, Orbital Blues). The main book, Throne of Avarice, was written by a creator whose work I've been trying to get more of. I haven't read Best Left Buried as fully as a game, but I am really excited by the excuse to dig in.

Between Clouds: I like air islands and big monsters and found family. Partially, I grabbed this because a friend got really excited about it, and it seemed like it could be fun to run a campaign with them, but I'm also curious about the Year Zero Engine, and glad to see people using it.

Kitchen Knightmares: Grabbed this as an add-on for the You're In Space crowdfund, but I'm glad I got it because it's loosely inspired by This Discord Has Ghosts In It, and that game rules. I might be able to pitch this to my friend group, who enjoyed Discord Has Ghosts.

In a Mirror Brightly/Handbaskets: First off, plug for the RTFM podcast, because it's very good. This two-games-in-one book is created by the two hosts of that show, who are great designers and seem really lovely. But, two wildly different vibes in a single volume is a great idea.

You Meet in a Tavern, You Die in a Dungeon: I've been following the creator for this since some of my earliest days in the RPG scene, so I was happy to help make this a reality. Feels very tropey, and I mean that in the best way possible.

In Other Waters: Tidebreak: Honestly, I have barely scratched the surface of In Other Waters, the PC game this is based on. But this is a Mothership solo hack that returns to that world, and it had me curious based on that pitch alone.

Aaand because I'm a doofus who forgot to include it, here's one more book! PLUS A guest appearance from my new desk mat.

Teeth: Been into Forged in the Dark lately, and as much as I enjoy Monster of the Week, the pitch for this seemed like it was more my speed. You're monster hunters, trying to keep the occult under wraps, while keeping secrets of your own. Plus, horror comedy!

The mat is the cover art from Friends at the Table's current season, Palisade. It's an Armor Astir campaign following up on some of the characters from their Partizan series.

[eclecticopposition]

which of ur fics would you recommend to someone who hasn't read any yet? (Partially asking from the thing you rb'd partially cause I just wanna know)

a great question! a lot of our stuff is unfinished, and most of our onboarding has actually just been us infodumping in a group chat for several hours straight. why that keeps working, we don't know.

(does kalrin's playlist count? maybe the answer is we sit in a voice call together and listen to that while cal and i explain at length what each song represents. a very normal way to spend two hours.)

fic writer asks

we'll go on the record as saying that Wire Guy is our best fic. but if you don't want to commit to 74000 words and counting, you could always check out six sunday! it's got bite sized samples of both palisade and original content, so it's a solid place to start.

(alternatively, if fic compilations aren't your thing, you can check out our sangfielle fic Asbestine Infelidel. it's cute, it's pretty self-contained, and it's got a weird priest!)

we made a piece for @jupitermoths' birthday called Merry Go, Merry Gone. it's pretty good! if you don't know connor and nora, you should change that. we'd say that it has a lot in common with wire guy, if fewer microaggressions. it's full of unreality and fun atmospheric descriptions and yes, we promise the mixed tenses are on purpose.

as for other onboarding spots, standalone pieces, or perhaps some stuff involving OCs.... watch this space. :}

[haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll]

Tracklist:

Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois • The Black Hawk War, or, How to Demolish an Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning, or, We Apologize for the Inconvenience but You're Going to Have to Leave Now, or, 'I Have Fought the Big Knives and Will Continue to Fight Them Until They Are Off Our Lands!' • Come On! Feel the Illinoise! (Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition — Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream) • John Wayne Gacy, Jr. • Jacksonville (free) • A short reprise for Mary Todd, who went insane, but for very good reasons • Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother! • One Last 'Whoo-Hoo!' for the Pullman • Chicago • Casimir Pulaski Day • To the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region, I have an idea concerning your predicament • The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts • Prairie Fire That Wanders About • A conjunction of drones simulating the way in which Sufjan Stevens has an existential crisis in the Great Godfrey Maze • The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us! • They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh! • Let's hear that string part again, because I don't think they heard it all the way out in Bushnell • In This Temple as in the Hearts of Man for Whom He Saved the Earth" • The Seer's Tower • The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders (Part I: The Great Frontier — Part II: Come to Me Only with Playthings Now) • Riffs and Variations on a Single Note for Jelly Roll, Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Baby Dodds, and the King of Swing, to name a few • Out of Egypt, into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I shake the dirt from my sandals as I run

Spotify ♪ Bandcamp ♪ YouTube

[planet4546b]

gotta say that theres something wonderfully cathartic to me about the stomach turning dread of the way palisade is twisting tms legacy and history. like yes get in there. rip it up

[swallowtailed]

palisade and mythology… the paint shop constructing prophecies after the rapid evening, violet cove studying the garbled remains of crystal palace, and the crown of glass as wayward faction--three different interpretations of the same story… places named out of arthuriana, calling on that particular tradition of righteousness… the entire planet haunted by the mirage (and the season twilight mirage), and haunting itself in the form of partial palisade…

[sodaabaa]

little fox, part two

bruce wayne x OC maia agrees to help bruce. the two of them find that they have more in common than they'd expect.

tw: mentions of familial deaths, grief

masterlist

playlist

As promised, at exactly 7 pm, a sleek, black Bentley arrived outside Maia's apartment in the southernmost part of downtown Gotham. She marveled at the car, rarely did Maia ever drive to work, preferring the subway because of the crazy city traffic. Outside of her job, she was a homebody so she had little need for a car. Regardless, her uncle insisted she have one ‘just in case,’ so they compromised on a used Toyota that now sat on the side of the street, collecting dust. 

A man who looked to be in his seventies stepped out. His polished outfit consisted of well fitting black suit and a pair of black leather gloves. 

“Ms. Fox?” He said in a thick British accent. “That’d be me,” She replied awkwardly, giving the man a little wave.

“Alfred, pleasure to make your acquaintance Ms. Fox,” He went around to where she stood on the opposite side of the car and opened the door for her.

“Shall we?” He asked, motioning a hand to the car.

She nodded, entering the car and once again, marveling at the interior that was just as luxurious as the exterior had been. Beige seats made from the softest leather, tortoise-shell trim accented the sides – she could get used to this. 

“Master Wayne tells me you’re Lucius’ niece?” Alfred said as he himself entered the car and took off.

“I am, how do you know Luc?” She asked. He’d never mentioned any British friends to her.

“Work,” He said with a knowing smile.

“So you’re in on this whole thing too, huh?” “Indeed I am, Miss.”

The rest of the car ride was spent in silence as they passed through Gotham. She’d never been past the city limits and it seemed that she was in for quite a drive tonight. Bustling streets and towering skyscrapers faded away as they continued into the outskirts of the city.

“Does this even count as Gotham City anymore?” “Partially, there aren’t many residents in the Palisades – they’re still part of the greater Gotham County area though,” He replied. 

She peered out the window, taking in the green landscape she seldom got to see living inside the city. In the distance, she saw what could only be described as a castle (at least in her eyes). Before she could say anything about the building, everything went dark as they entered an underground tunnel. 

“What –” “A secret entrance, Miss. We’re almost there.” 

Secret entrance. That’s a bit dramatic, she thought. “Was that Wayne Manor in the distance?” “Indeed, it was.” 

“He lives there – all alone?” “If you don’t count the staff and me, yes.” 

She hummed in reply, how lonely must it be? Everyone in Gotham knew the tragic tale of the Waynes, carelessly murdered in a mugging right in front of an eight year old Bruce. She stiffened, trying not to recall the memory of hearing about her own parents' death. She did her best to block the memory, the pain. Luckily, their drive came to an abrupt stop, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“We’ve arrived,” Alfred said as he stepped out of the car and walked over to Maia’s side, opening the door for her.

She stepped out into an actual cave. The distant sound of rushing water filled the air. 

As they made their way further inside, she got a closer look at the dimly-lit cave, there was little furnishing the area, only a large black box that sat in the middle of the cave, guard rails on all four sides. Above it hung a simple lightbeam. The box was connected to the driveway they’d just entered through by a narrow, rusty metal bridge. She peered over the sides, a shallow pool of water underneath them. 

Maia scoffed, “He wasn’t kidding when he said batcave.” “No I’m afraid he was not,” Alfred ushered them over the bridge and towards an impressive set up. “Right this way you’ll find we’ve hopefully equipped you with what you’ll need.” Multiple wide monitors sat atop a large metal desk. She took a seat, the monitor coming to life before her. She looked up at Alfred who stared at her expectantly. 

“Um, I think I can take it from here,” She said nervously. 

“Right then, I’ll see to some refreshments,” He chuckled and left her to get started.

She looked around the cave, her leg bouncing up and down rapidly, suddenly wishing Alfred hadn’t left. Was Bruce coming here tonight? Maybe he was giving her some space to do what she needed to do but she felt uneasy regardless. She was casually sitting in the middle of Batman’s lair. This was definitely above her paygrade, Wayne Enterprise employee or not.

Doubt weaseled itself into Maia's mind. What if she couldn’t track Entropy down? She was no stranger to self-doubt. Going to MIT, majoring in a male-dominated field -- she constantly felt as though she didn't belong, like she wasn't as good as her peers. But she pushed through, for the sake of her parents; to make them proud.

She stared at the screen as she cracked her knuckles and sighed, “Here goes nothing.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bruce rolled his shoulder as he walked into the cave. He’d spent the night taking down a drug trafficking ring, which was an easy task for the most part except for the dozens of men armed with a myriad of weapons – including steel baseball bats. He’d taken one too many hits, the effects of which were finally settling and resulting in a battered and bruised shoulder.

He paused when he heard murmuring. It was almost midnight. He crossed the bridge and saw Maia, her head resting against her crossed arms atop the desk. Her eyes were closed but her brows were furrowed as she spoke unintelligible words. 

He laid a hand on her back, trying his best not to startle her. 

“Maia,” He whispered. He patted her gently when his whispers didn't wake her up.

She jolted awake, clearly disoriented by her whereabouts. When realization dawned on her, she looked up.

“Oh!” She stumbled up but caught herself on the desk before she could fall.

“It’s alright, how long have you been down here – where’s Alfred?” He said, hands reaching out to steady her.

She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, “He, um,” she paused, “He came down a few hours ago to check on my progress."

Bruce nodded, "Have you found anything?"

"They’re good. I wasn’t able to track them down quite yet but I did compile a list of their victims so far and I managed to run it through a pattern recognition system to find connections between them.” “And what did you find?” He asked.

“At first it looked like there wasn’t much aside from their affluent backgrounds and their jobs but then,” She turned to the screen, leaning down to pull up what she found. She pulled up a map showing the homes of each victim. Each address connected to to create a spiral. But it wasn’t just any spiral…

“The Fibonacci spiral?” 

She nodded, turning to look up at Bruce, “and I know who their next target is.” 

Maia pointed to where the next part of the sequence would be. Wayne Tower. 

“They don’t seem to be interested in money since there wasn’t any money taken from any of the other victims. Each victim has been a member of some public entity – City Hall, the police department, even the Gotham District Court.” 

“Wayne Enterprises isn’t a public institution–” Before Bruce could finish, Maia cut in.

“But it funds every level – You provide thousands of dollars in donations to the police department, the District Attorney’s office, and you funded Mayor Loeb’s reelection campaign. I think their ultimate goal is to turn people against the Wayne name and everything it controls – it makes sense from their perspective, your family has a monopoly over this city.” A muscle in Bruce’s jaw ticked as he processed the information. The Waynes certainly had their fair share of rivals and misanthropists – it would take Bruce a considerable amount of time to figure out who’d feel strongly enough against him to go to these lengths. But what was the significance of the Fibonacci sequence? As if Maia had heard his thoughts, she spoke up.

"I was confused about what the sequence meant -- how it related to their cause but then I realized, Entropy is a gradual decline into disorder. The Fibonacci Sequence represents harmony and balance. What if they're trying to restore balance to Gotham by causing chaos, targeting the rich who they believe control the public institutions to spark a revolution?" "Creating chaos and darkness before the dawn," Bruce said.

"A dawn, they no doubt would be in control of," Maia finished.

Bruce ran a hand through his disheveled hair with a sigh. They want Gotham to descend into anarchy -- as if it weren't bad enough as it is.

His gaze returned to Maia, who looked like she wanted to say something more.

“Is there anything else I should know?”

She looked up at him sheepishly, “Since we know who the next target might be – I set up a honeypot.” “A honeypot?” Bruce questioned. 

“Essentially a trap – a replica of your personal computer systems linked to your Wayne Enterprise accounts. It’ll hopefully lure them in and when it does, it’ll send me an alert.” “Is there something wrong?” She hesitated. He raised his brows in anticipation.

“If the honeypot fails, they’ll know we were onto them. It might spook them…or it’ll anger them. There’s no telling what they’d do out of anger.” Bruce nodded slowly, “So this better work then?”

“Yup,” She said, popping the ‘p.’

Bruce huffed a laugh, “I’m putting my company’s fate in your hands Ms. Fox.”

“It was your choice – not mine, Mr. Wayne.” 

He held her gaze for a moment, admiring her intelligence and intellect. She had stayed here, working tirelessly all night to help him. She managed to figure out the group's agenda and set up a trap -- all in the span of a few hours.

She cleared her throat, snapping the two of them out of their trance. 

“It’s getting late – I’ll have Alfred set up a room for you. Have you eaten yet?” Bruce asked.

“Oh, no I can head home – I’ll call a taxi or something.” Bruce waved a hand, “Not a chance. A taxi in the middle of the night in Gotham?” 

She sighed, reluctant to accept his offer but she gave in. Gotham in the daytime was bustling and full of life but nightfall brought out the worst the city had to offer -- Bruce would be damned if he let her go out there this late.

The two of them made their way up to the manor and caught up with Alfred, filling him in on the details before he went off to prepare a midnight snack. 

Bruce rested back on a plush sofa in one of the manor’s parlors that made for the perfect late night lounging spot. Bruce himself often came here to rest in between patrols. Maia sat across from him, her eyes making their way around the room. She stopped on the painting to the right of them above the marble fireplace.

“Your parents?” She said softly.

Bruce nodded. 

“What were they like?” He drew in a breath.

“I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer that,” She quickly added.

He exhaled, “No it's alright."

He thought for a moment, trying to string together some words that would do his parents justice.

"My father was a doctor – often being the one to clean my scrapes and cuts from playing outside,” He paused, the corners of his mouth lifting into a smile, “He was a healer. The kind of person you'd run to for help, certain that he'd always have the right words to say, the perfect remedy to prescribe to make you feel good as new.” 

She nodded, a knowing smile on her face. No doubt she was thinking of her own parents. Bruce wasn’t sure if he should bring it up. He opted to play it safe and stay away from the topic.

Another time, he thought.

"What about your mother?" She asked.

He let out a breathy laugh, “As a kid, I always thought my mother was a queen. She had this regal air to her, always dressed to the nines. But it was her grace and kindness that made her beloved to the people.”

Before he could continue, Alfred came in carrying a tray with an assortment of snacks; fruits, a variety of cheeses, crackers, and cold-cut meats. Grateful for the interruption, Bruce leaned forward to help himself, wincing at the ache in his shoulder.

“Oh, Alfred this is too much,” Maia said.

“Speak for yourself, I need the calories,” He replied in between bites.

Maia laughed, taking a slice of watermelon onto her plate.

“A room’s been prepared for you in the guest wing, Ms. Fox.” "Thank you," She said, looking between the two of them.

Alfred nodded, leaving the two of them be. They ate in comfortable silence.

As Bruce reached forward to place his plate down on the table between them, he hissed in pain and grabbed his shoulder.

"That's the second time you've winced in pain, let me take a look," Maia placed her own plate down and walked over to Bruce before he could protest.

She pressed gently on his shoulder, feeling for dislocated bones or swelling.

"It doesn't feel like anything's misplaced or swollen. Here, let me help you out of your suit so we can see what it looks like underneath." She helped him out of his batsuit, a difficult task to manage since he could barely lift his left shoulder. He sat in front of her, torso fully bare. Bruce suddenly felt too vulnerable -- every scar and bruise fully exposed under the warm lights of the parlor. Bruce watched her wince as she took in his battered skin, running her feather-soft fingertips over the newly formed bruises on his shoulder.

"Alfred!" She called out.

Almost instantly, footsteps could be heard from the hall.

"Is something wrong --" He paused when he saw Bruce's bare chest, "Oh! Master Wayne. Why on earth didn't you say something earlier! I'll fetch some ice."

He left as fast as he arrived.

"I'm alright, really," He said, returning his attention back to Maia.

"You need ice. And rest. And maybe a hospital -- how have you survived all these years?" She rambled, her hands trailed over the scars across the top of his chest. He tried not to shiver under her touch.

"Alfred does a pretty good job at patching me up," He replied.

"I'm serious," Her eyes shone with concern.

He took her hands in his and looked up at her, "I'm fine. I swear."

He held her gaze, both of them unable to look away. Caught in a trance for a second time that night. There was something about her that hypnotized Bruce. Her brown eyes flitted between his, their breaths syncing with each other.

"How hard is it to refill the bloody ice. I swear I'm going to fire somebody one of these days--" Alfred muttered as he returned, snapping them out of their trance.

Bruce inhaled, sitting back, putting some distance between Maia and him. She did the same, stepping back and stumbling into the coffee table behind her.

"No ice but I managed to dig up some packets of peas from the back of the freezer," Alfred said, handing it to Maia.

"Thanks, Alfred. This'll do," Maia replied. She placed the pack gently on Bruce's bruised skin. He sucked in a breath through his teeth as the ice assaulted his sensitive skin.

Maia winced, "Sorry." "It's not a problem," He waved off and took the pack from her. She took the opportunity to sit on the edge of the coffee table in front of Bruce, the look of concern still plastered across her face.

"It's late, you should get some sleep." "Are you gonna be okay? I can stay up and help if--" "I'll be fine, I've handled much worse than a few bruises. I'll have Alfred carry me bridal style if it makes you feel better," He laughed, trying to put her worries at bay.

She smiled, amused at the image he painted. Bruce's gaze lingered on her lips, the lack of sleep and the events of the night must have been getting to him.

She cleared her throat and stood up, "Good night then, Mr. Wayne."

He bid her a good night, leaning back on the sofa with a sigh as he watched her leave the parlor. He shut his eyes to get some rest himself but his mind replayed everything that had passed between him and Maia that night. Mesmerized, even by the memory of her.