Alfred Pennyworth

Alfred is a man with many connections. He's lived a... varied life, to say the least, and one can't do the myriad of things he's done without making some useful friends along the way. It's come in handy more than once, even here in Gotham, and it's certainly a situation he appreciates - particularly when it proves of aid to his family.

However, sometimes that aid is of a more... domestic, civilian sort than might be expected. Such as, getting a call from an old army friend who has, coincidentally, found himself tending bar at one of Gotham's local dives. A friend who knows enough to recognize someone with a connection to the Wayne family, and has the sense to make a judgement call when said person might be in need of a little... assistance.

Look, Alfred's handled worse family crises than a poorly-conceived drunken night out. That doesn't mean he doesn't have opinions on the situation his wayward ward has found themselves in - he certainly does - but as far as crisis levels go? Picking someone up from a night out gone wrong in a civilian way is, at least, preferable to the calls he might receive if a vigilante night has gone wrong.

Which isn't to say he is not concerned, and perhaps a bit disappointed. He knows his family usually knows better than to engage in this sort of thing to excess. Which leaves him suspecting that something has indeed gone wrong, and quite grateful that his connections have, once again, come in handy to aid him in properly caring for his family.

Suffice to say, Alfred has made the trip to the bar in question post-haste, ducking inside the admittedly rather run-down and frankly distasteful establishment to scan around for his wayward little bird. Explanations and perhaps a lecture or two could come later, after he ensured their well-being, safety, and secure delivery home.

Alfred isn't exactly a stranger to getting calls for aid from his family. From a forgotten schoolbag to a mission-critical deployment and everything in between, he's been a go-to. He's certainly become top of the list for 'who to call in a moment of need' and, truly, this is a point of pride. As a butler, and as something of the family patriarch.

So getting a call from Oracle tonight certainly did not throw him. However, he'd expected the call to be related to one of the family members out patrolling. Honestly? On some level he's grateful that this seems to be a more... down-to-earth, 'civilian' emergency. For a given value of 'grateful', anyway.

The story as he'd received it was that Oracle had it from a trusted source that a family member was having a bit of a time at a local bar, and might be in need of a pick-up. 'Completely sloshed,' was the term she had used. Not a big enough problem to interrupt patrol for - or, perhaps more likely, something that Barbara had felt might be better dealt with by himself than by Bruce.

Alfred does tend to handle the more... domestic, sort of tasks, with a little more, shall we say, emotional intelligence and grace.

So here he is, pulling up in front of some local dive in one of the more non-descript cars, and heading for the entrance. He's not unfamiliar with the sort of antics young adults get up to. And, of course, he's not so stodgy that he can't condone a little... wildness, at times. But there is a limit, and if that limit has been passed such that Oracle thinks he needs to be involved, then he is inclined to feel it has passed the point of 'harmless fun'. Frankly, he's a touch disappointed - and also a bit concerned. Drinking to excess in a place like this rarely stems from a positive place.

Gaining entry is no trouble, of course - the Wayne name carries weight if nothing else - and soon he is inside, scanning the dark, run-down old place for his wayward little bird.