( arms release bruce, after another moment. this embrace has gone on long enough, and damian needs to busy himself. he turns his attention back to the bat he'd put down, who has squirmed her way over into trying to escape the makeshift swaddle. damian re-wraps her gently, then holds her under an arm. )
It shouldn't be. I know how to control myself and temper my emotions.
( it didn't help with anything when faced with grayson's corpse. when he'd felt his blood on his fingertips, felt his body go cold under him. it was his fault, he should have done better, tried harder.
and damian doesn't second guess himself like that. he doesn't get stuck on the what ifs, and yet - )
( he lets damian untangle himself from him β lets him focus on the swaddled bat in his care while he looks back to the chalk mapping he's been doing on the floor there. )
We'll all need to be better here.
( what with their worlds being on the line and all. )
( they need to be more steadfast, stronger, braver, less fallible. damian was - he was doing alright, until bruce began to try to talk to him about how he felt. maybe he should do better at holding that back, pushing it in, rather than letting his feelings get the better of him.
bruce turns back to the chalk map, and damian comes up beside him. picks up the bundle of bat, and offers it out to bruce. )
( he gives a glance out of the corner of his eye to the bat damian holds out. silent. then looks back to the chalk mapping. scribbling a few more things down on it. damian's the animal collector. apparently. )
Have you come across anyone we should be concerned about yet?
( titus was meant to give damian something else that wasn't robin to focus on. a distraction. it had been effective after damian had stopped ignoring the dog entirely.
because titus is one of his most treasured companions, the second he'd tried to bring here.
with his hands emptied, damian gets down onto his knees and takes the chalk from bruce, to start filling in parts of the map. )
I've met a few metahumans who we may want to keep an eye out for. No one who has struck me as an outright concern, but several who may become one down the line. ( well. ) No one new who is an outright concern.
Barry Allen, The Flash, is a member of the Justice League in my time. This one seems young, arrogant which isn't abnormal for a speedster, but is irritating. I would consider him more ally than enemy, but the extent of which has yet to be seen.
( bruce has the bat, so damian feels relatively safe taking his attention fully off of her and focusing on fixing a few of bruce's lines. moving buildings over, marking the distances between others, the width of the river. )
There is a woman who has befriended Goliath, and is a powerful healer. I will get her name next time we meet. Another woman with blond hair has proven herself to be a hinderance. She asks too many questions. The Avatar, a boy around my size, has proven to be a reliable ally thus far. His. . . extraordinary capabilities leave me hesitant to bring him into the fold. The younger Hawkeye is a - friend. I believe we can trust her, and she is a capable marksman. In the absence of Green Arrow or his underlings, she may be a good sharp shooter to bring in. ( with a tip of his head, teeth digging into his lower lip. ) If we are unable to bring Todd back into the fold.
( he mentally puts the names and the concerns with them to memory. will get back to them later at some point. but there's something that seems to catch bruce's attention a little more than the names given and he stares to damian. watches him add to the map. )
You're making friends here?
( there's no judgment in his tone. more like he's curious about that. )
Establishing who we can and cannot trust is important, especially in new environments.
( he is making friends. damian is still new to friendships that aren't people he kidnapped and shoved into being his friend, but--well. to be fair, he's still doing that a bit here too. )
I dislike the new, brown-haired Dick Grayson. We may not be able to trust him all too well after all.
( it must be harder for damian when he has a dick grayson he cherishes and has known for years to... compare to. for bruce, he doesn't know any of them. so there's nothing to compare. just a need to figure them all out individually. )
I have been as patient with him as I am capable of. While sharing information with me is not necessarily bad, he doesn't know that, yet he has shared so much.
( he's still drawing, using his little finger to smear lines where necessary. )
He has insulted my intelligence, refused to listen to me when I was speaking, and pushed ahead to do something completely reckless, idiotic, and unnecessary.
( bruce just falls silent. once again, finding himself not knowing how to handle this or make it better. so he doesn't say anything. just rises from his spot crouched there on the floor, swaddled up bat still there in hand. )
( it gets him to shut up at least. damian finishes the section he was working on, then stands up. moves over to another that looks like it needs some help. )
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It shouldn't be. I know how to control myself and temper my emotions.
( it didn't help with anything when faced with grayson's corpse. when he'd felt his blood on his fingertips, felt his body go cold under him. it was his fault, he should have done better, tried harder.
and damian doesn't second guess himself like that. he doesn't get stuck on the what ifs, and yet - )
I was taught to be better.
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We'll all need to be better here.
( what with their worlds being on the line and all. )
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( they need to be more steadfast, stronger, braver, less fallible. damian was - he was doing alright, until bruce began to try to talk to him about how he felt. maybe he should do better at holding that back, pushing it in, rather than letting his feelings get the better of him.
bruce turns back to the chalk map, and damian comes up beside him. picks up the bundle of bat, and offers it out to bruce. )
Her name is Maya.
( take the bat, bruce. )
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Have you come across anyone we should be concerned about yet?
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( damian doesn't move any, keeps the bat in her kitchen towel held out towards bruce. take the bat, you hardass. )
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Aren't pets your thing?
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( take the bat. )
And I wasn't allowed pets as a child. If you want to blame someone, blame your older self. He was the one who forcefully gave me Titus.
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staring to him for a moment longer, he holds a hand out then to take the bat. )
You didn't answer my question.
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because titus is one of his most treasured companions, the second he'd tried to bring here.
with his hands emptied, damian gets down onto his knees and takes the chalk from bruce, to start filling in parts of the map. )
I've met a few metahumans who we may want to keep an eye out for. No one who has struck me as an outright concern, but several who may become one down the line. ( well. ) No one new who is an outright concern.
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Who might be a concern down the line?
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( bruce has the bat, so damian feels relatively safe taking his attention fully off of her and focusing on fixing a few of bruce's lines. moving buildings over, marking the distances between others, the width of the river. )
There is a woman who has befriended Goliath, and is a powerful healer. I will get her name next time we meet. Another woman with blond hair has proven herself to be a hinderance. She asks too many questions. The Avatar, a boy around my size, has proven to be a reliable ally thus far. His. . . extraordinary capabilities leave me hesitant to bring him into the fold. The younger Hawkeye is a - friend. I believe we can trust her, and she is a capable marksman. In the absence of Green Arrow or his underlings, she may be a good sharp shooter to bring in. ( with a tip of his head, teeth digging into his lower lip. ) If we are unable to bring Todd back into the fold.
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You're making friends here?
( there's no judgment in his tone. more like he's curious about that. )
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( he is making friends. damian is still new to friendships that aren't people he kidnapped and shoved into being his friend, but--well. to be fair, he's still doing that a bit here too. )
I dislike the new, brown-haired Dick Grayson. We may not be able to trust him all too well after all.
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the mention of the other dick, however, piques bruce's interest, as to be expected. )
Why's that?
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( he has offended damian's sensibilities, and damian is never going to get over it. )
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You're not being hard on him, are you?
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( he's still drawing, using his little finger to smear lines where necessary. )
He has insulted my intelligence, refused to listen to me when I was speaking, and pushed ahead to do something completely reckless, idiotic, and unnecessary.
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He spoke highly of you to me.
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( his voice is harsh but not loud, not yet. damian is trying to keep his temper under control. trying. )
To my face.
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Sounds like someone else I know.
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I don't like him.
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( since he's there in the manor with them and all. )
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( a wave of his free hand over his shoulder, as he fills in an area. )
I dislike Timothy, yet we have survived this long in the same space without committing too many atrocities against each other.
( or he'll throw dick out. he hasn't decided yet. tim can stay in his cottage. )
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( it's said a little nonchalantly, but. also something he's come to notice. not that he cares or anything, just. again. something he's noticed. )
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( he finishes up the outline of the new academy on the south of etraya, before standing himself up and double checking over his sketched-out map. )
And Todd is avoidant in general. He and Father have a complex relationship.
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