The World's Finest [Red X]

Barbara had spent the last few days in the tower scanning through information almost constantly. Frankly her obsessive tendencies were almost as bad as Robin's. At least she remembered to eat and sleep, unlike her male counterpart. After about 6 days of evidence gathering, she had a pretty healthy part of the city that she could hedge a bet on, and made her way out on her Batcycle.

"Don't worry about it. I'm getting the lay of the land. It's for fun." Her excuses for going out alone were endless, and relatively convincing to most people. After a quick ride downtown, she found herself pacing on a few distinct rooftops, tapping along and looking for any secret panel that might lead to the hideout of a certain thief.

She muttered quietly to herself. "The last time that bike showed up on a traffic camera was here." She said quietly, looking down into an alley. On the other side was, of course, another crossing. Which meant another traffic light, and another camera. "You're either here, or you can spontaneously stop existing." She dropped down into the alley, using her cape to slow her descent and land silently, starting to tap along the walls to try and find any secret doors the thief may have made.

Red X was a capable fighter. There was a lot of evidence that supported this fact, considering the thief had kept up with the likes of the entire Teen Titans roster, finished Ding Dong Daddy's list of racers almost single-handedly, and even in recent events had managed to fight off Batgirl and Rose Wilson, and the nefarious gang leader Weaver. But this was not because the thief was particularly strong, or even, though some people may dispute this fact, that they had acquired the Xenothium suit and Red X persona. No, this was because that Red X was a creative thinker.

Barbara would find neither door nor latch to open into the building. Perhaps it was just that well hidden, as far as she was concerned, but Red X didn't dedicate to a single lair. The thief owned dozens.

And they appeared on the rooftop as Batgirl descended from it, looking down on her from the roof. "Well, I can also spontaneously start existing whenever I want. Is it really that much of a stretch for you, Batgirl?"

Batgirl stood up straight as she heard Red X speak, glancing up at them on the rooftop. "Frankly? Yes. Your suit has a lot going for it X, but it doesn't let you warp reality just yet." She glanced down at her phone and tapped away at it, looking over the blueprints she'd pulled off Robin's systems. "It's an impressive piece of tech though. Save for the obvious, it's pretty much unstoppable. I see why you borrowed it."

She crossed her arms and locked her phone, pushing her hair over her shoulder and crossing her arms. "I've been watching your footage X. A lot of it. And a lot of things don't really make sense, ya know? She clicked her tongue and started to pace. "You know how to get around Robin's security. Which I mean, don't get me wrong, he ain't me, but that's still impressive." She reached the edge of the building and pulled her repaired rope, grappling her way up and onto the rooftop.

"You're smart enough to upgrade the suit that Robin made. To the point it can cut Batman's lines." She let the cable retract, and slid it back into the holster on her utility belt. "You don't hurt anyone unless they attack you or someone else first. And despite vehemently refusing to be a hero, you've played the part on multiple occasions. Including for me."

She sighed and stood in a very nonthreatening posture. "So what's the game? Why pretend to be Robin long after the jig is up? Why pretend you're one of the worst people in the world when you're very obviously not? Who are you really?"

She paused and shook her head. "There is no pattern or mental illness that explains any of your actions up to now. What's the point?"

Red X put their hands to the side of them, in a dramatic shrugging fashion as Batgirl said that the suit didn't let them warp reality. "I'll let you know when I figure it out." Red X would entertain her as she talked more about the suit and how impressive it was. It was a very valuable tool, to be certain. And then she started getting to the point. Saying that she had been watching recordings of them, it elicited a chuckle. When she said that a lot of things didn't make sense, the thief attempted to make a joke at her expense. "What, like how attracted you are to me-" but she powered through. Worth the effort at least.

She brought up some facts about the thief. Their usually non-aggressive manner of handling things. Their resourcefulness and intelligence. And then they asked who. And why they were.

Red X began laughing, clapping a few times. "You've got it all wrong, babe. But I'll give you props for doing your homework." Red X peered at her, jerking towards their face with their thumb. "I'm not pretending to be Robin. This is a reminder. A reminder to not make something so dangerous and then leave it lying around to be abused. A reminder of his mistake." They then relaxed their arms at their side. Another chuckle or two. "And I'm definitely not one of the worst people in the world. I'm number one. And number one has to take care of himself. That's why I steal the classy things. But the point? Why do you buy a new wallet? Or get some work done? Because you want to. Because it's new."

Batgirl started pacing on the rooftop. "So you're claiming classic kleptomania with a smattering of narcissism. How original! She was really getting into her flow now. A flow that was very classically Barbara. "But you don't always go for the most obvious scores, or the most luxurious ones. Hell, when you were given the opportunity to have something of Robin's that was one of a kind, you instead opted to let him keep it." She clasped her hands together and sighed. "Hell, you helped him get it back." Yup. She was obviously referring to Ding Dong Daddy's little race.

"But assuming that's the case, it's still not exact. When Robin locked you in the Xenothium vault under STAR Labs, you broke out. And instead of robbing the place blind of its hyper advanced tech while you had the chance, you went to save Robin and the Titans." She clasped her hands. "Literally no one that I would diagnose as a kleptomaniac or a narcissist would make that decision. Let alone both. And if I ever did? My professors would have hung me for it."

She stopped pacing suddenly. "Your demeanor in maintaining Robin's voice makes me think there's a level of calm you find in anonymity. The reason for it would have to be pretty deep seeded at this point, given how badly you've beaten the Titans in the past." She tapped her chin and started walking circles around Red X, watching for any slip up or show of emotion. "Maybe some kind of imposter syndrome? A desire to be like others or to live up to others? You feel you're unworthy of these things and therefore have to steal them in order to earn them?"

She sat cross legged on the rooftop, directly across from Red X and patting the concrete in front of her. "C'mon. Sit down. I'm not leaving until I figure this out." When she saw the masked figure refuse to move at first she sighed a very annoyed sigh. "Dude, I found you once. I'll do it again."

Red X listened to her spiel. Great, she was ranting now. But unfortunately, Red X didn't really have anywhere to be. The thief was working on Xenothium, after all. And all these interruptions really put a pin in whatever progress they were making. "You're making this a lot more complicated than it is. Ding Dong Daddy's race was a gamble. It was fun until I almost died. I don't like owing anyone anything. So I made the race easier for him and left."

"At STAR Labs, they were going to die. I'm not about that. I don't kill. Why should I let someone kill on my job? Besides, the Xenothium was up there." Red X shrugged.

She was beginning to get annoying, but she was in rant mode, and it was pretty clear the best solution would be to wait. The thief kept an eye on her as she paced around, watching them like a hawk. Red X chuckled again. "I don't need to be anyone but me, baby girl. And I don't need anyone's approval for that. Let alone yours."

Red X turned and began walking for the other edge of the rooftop, sighing lightly as she called out that she would be able to find the thief again. "Then do that. I'll bring dinner and a movie next time. We'll make a date of it."

Barbara listened closely to what X was saying. She pressed her fingers together in her little thinking pyramid and bit her lip, nodding as he spoke. There was an underlying theme to the responses that were given by them, and Barbara had definitely noticed it. "Yeah, sorry. I don't fuck until I know what's under the mask. I don't entirely take after the boss man."

She sighed and got back on topic, tapping her fingers on the concrete roof she was sitting on. "You have an interesting relationship with death, don't you, Red X?" She asked, looking up at them very seriously. "You have much more of an aversion to it than anyone else in our line of work. Is this why you keep up the voice modulator and suit? So no one you steal from can track you down? Because you're afraid of dying?"

Red X made a gesture that was very clearly meant to be rolling of the eyes, but of course, that was impossible to portray through a mask. But the thief tried to the best of their ability. "I don't either. But glad to know where your mind is. Who's your boss anyways? Can't be any of those kids."

But of course, Batgirl continued on with her line of questioning. She pursued the lead about the thief being afraid of death, and that caused the thief some confusion. She claimed that they had an aversion to death more than anyone in their line of work. "You're saying you don't fear death?" the thief asked solemnly. "I'm not in your line of work. I steal to live the way I want. If I die, that's all for nothing." She wasn't giving up, so the thief thought they may as well entertain her while thinking up new locations for the hideouts. It was the damned motorcycle. They just needed it for the race, but it made them more vulnerable.

Batgirl blinked as Red X asked who she answered to. There was literally no way anyone on Earth was that out of the loop, right? ...Right? She gestured at the pointy bat ears on her cowl. then to the cape and the bright yellow bat symbol in the middle of her jacket. "You're joking, right?"

She sat back and listened as X spoke, shrugging. "Fearing death is...questionable. It happens eventually one way or another. And if the way I end up dying is saving 20 people, I'm gonna call it worth." She crossed her arms again, leaning back against the ventilation system of the building they were on. "And, no, you're in our line of work. Or at least you were, if you're quitting. This giant game of cops and robbers we keep playing."

Red X listened to her imply that it was obviously Batman that was her boss. "Obviously. And the Batman has you all the way here in Jump City? For what? Why aren't you back in Gotham helping him out?" Red X leaned against the stairwell wall that led down into the building. Not making any movements for the door. At least not yet.

And then she said that she meant the game of hero and criminal that they were playing. "I see." The thief would cross their arms as they thought over Batgirl's words. "Again. I'm just living for myself. I've achieved a lot. I own a lot of other people's crap. I have more money than I need. But I still don't have what I want. I'm not ready to die yet." The thief leveled their gaze upon her once more. "Is that answer satisfying enough for you?"

Batgirl clicked her tongue. "What I'm doing here is very...classified. I don't think Bats would appreciate me trumpeting it. But in the meantime I'll take care of my baby bwuver." She gestured back at the giant T in the bay and leaned forward as X spoke of the feats they'd accomplished.

"Interesting. What is it that you want, X?" She asked simply.

Red X put a little thought to her question after she said that she was going to protect her little brother in Titans Tower. Presumably, that was Robin. So she was based out of the Tower for now. That was good information. It might come in handy later. "Let's see...maybe GOAT status. Red X, Legendary Thief. Never Caught! That'd be pretty cool," the thief answered her honestly. "And what about you, Batgirl? What is it that you want?"

Batgirl casually shrugged. "If that were what you wanted, you'd have dropped the suit by now. A legendary thief who defeated the Titans and robbed the most wealthy people in Jump City before fading away into legend. I think you want something else."

Suddenly the thief asked what Barbara wanted. She clicked her tongue and and looked upward, uncharacteristically goofy and nonchalant for what her response was. "Revenge."

Red X shook their head as she said that what the thief had already accomplished should have been more than enough for them to hang up the cape and retire. "No. That's not nearly enough. Someone would find me. Or try and take my money. Try and make me normal. I will never...ever return to the streets. Begging for food. Getting...that look. The pity." Red X was almost muttering at this point, but caught themselves, straightening.

Batgirl said that she was here for revenge, and there was something...odd about it. "...on whom?" the thief asked seriously. Not making any moves but remaining ready for anything she might try.

Barbara looked like she was making mental notes as Red X spoke. "So you come from poverty? That's interesting, X. How did you get to the point you're at now?" It was an honest question. Between Red X and Selena Kyle, she was starting to see way too many orphans becoming master thieves.

When X asked who she was after for revenge, she didn't seem prepared to respond to that, and just stared, smiling calmly as she waited for a response to her own question.