etrayalogs | ( closed )

( because clearly, the clothes on his back is plenty for the mess they're about to walk into. damian raises a hand, idly tossing the bo he'd been carrying straight for grayson's forehead. it's not a hard through, and he expects dick to be able to catch it. )

We'll need to get you a uniform.

( not a question, a statement. there's not much here and damian has already spent all of his 'points' on things he'd felt were more important, so they're not getting one there. )

I figured I'd request one when I can. I wasn't exactly planning on being kidnapped when I was sitting in my office.

[stated dryly, arm quickly snagging the item out of the air without really even glancing at it. Dick is used to people throwing things at him and this is not a difficulty for him at all. Even if it had been thrown hard, Dick still would have caught it, but he appreciates the gesture for what it is. ]

I figure I need time under my belt to get things though. I don't really know how this place works, or know anyone here. Well, I've met a few people, but knowing people takes time. I mean, this is the first time I've seen you outside of a dream.

( the mention of dreams has his mouth twisting into a scowl, but damian doesn't acknowledge it otherwise. instead, he's leaning back on the sofa he's sat down on like a normal person (for once) and raises his hand again.

this time, throwing a batarang with significantly more force, in grayson's general direction but without any real intention of harming him. this is weapons sharing while being vaguely irritated, not a murder attempt. yet. )

You should always be prepared. Idiot.

[That was all Dick was going to say on the matter since he vividly recalls his promise and things like that are never taken lightly. He's done his share of breaking his word and that's nothing he cares to go through again. It's only broken his heart a million different ways.

The scowl is enough, and the force that he gets from the batarang almost makes him smile. Dick shakes his head at the words and there's a small twist of his lips, he glances up. ]

I imagine you probably do sleep in your utility belt. I didn't need to for a while. I had supplies near me, a few feet away. They weren't on my person. New life lesson learned. Thanks for this. I appreciate it.

( dick smiles, and damian throws yet another batarang. he could just as easily hand them over, or put them down on the table, or - any other number of ways to deliver items, but clearly this is working for him, and he's going to keep it up. )

I don't sleep.

( yes he does. )

[snagged from the air, and there's another twitch of lip, this one a little wider than the last. Dick is beginning to enjoy this game. It's intriguing to see how much gear Damian has, looking at his pile. It really would have been spectacular if Dick had been out working that night.

Oh to be prepared for random kidnappings. ]

Right. You never, ever sleep. Who needs to recharge, or drop dead in the middle of a mission, because that would be responsible.

[ever.]

( his next weapon of choice is a pair of shuriken, which damian is careful to aim behind dick, instead of directly at him. those are a little more difficult to catch or misdirect accurately, and he would just hate it if one caught timothy by accident. )

I rest in ideal increments to avoid dropping dead in the middle of missions.

[Watching as the shruiken go flying beyond him, Dick tips his head slightly and chuckles when they hit the wall. There's a part of him that wonders exactly how close Damian was planning on sending them toward the other person nearby. Not that Dick knows who that is, considering his Tim looks extremely different.

He moves to gather up the weapons and place them in his growing pile. He's going to need a harness to hold all this in. Dick's going to have to put a lot more thought into what he's bringing. He'd planned on seeing if he could get weapons, so this helps. ]

I hope you rest before the city closes. I will, so that I can be awake as long as I need in this damn labyrinth thing.

( grayson adds the shuriken to his pile, and damian. . reaches into his belt to pull out a couple flashbangs. considers throwing them roughly, but opts instead for a soft through. it sure would be unfortunate if those were to go off while everyone was sitting out here comfortably. )

I won't be ill-prepared. ( get some real rest? maybe not. but he'll at least aim to get some before they're ushered into another mess. damian may say he doesn't sleep-sleep, but he's still growing, he needs the rest.

and no one wants to deal with a sleep-deprived damian wayne. )

[Given the fact that Dick already knows that Damian sleeps for a fact, this whole conversation about actual sleep is a moot point, but the suggestion still is the same. He still cares for the younger male.

They formed some sort of an agreement between them, and Dick's going to do what he normally does with his younger charges, and offer the best advice he can and then let it go from there. What will be done, will be done and he knows that. He has a feeling that Damian knows pretty well about being prepared for shit. ]

It looks like you're going in prepared, and I'm glad. This is already going to suck. You sticking with Bruce when you go in, or Dick and Babs?

[Dick glances over at Bruce, his only real friend in the group, the second adult person he's decided to trust in this mess of a city, then looks back. He imagines Damian is going with Bruce, because who really wants to be stuck with the couple. ]

( another item gets removed from his belt - a syringe with liquid in it, clearly labeled EPINEPHRINE, but before damian can throw it, he's--scrunching up his nose in disgust and shaking his head. )

I'm not following them ( them. plural. because he hadn't known they were dating each other (again) before now, but he's certainly not going to be tailing behind them while they're acting gross with each other. ) anywhere. Nor would I recommend they go in together, but they're not going to listen to me regardless. We need to break into objective teams.

( which, considering they're all family of a sorts, isn't really possible as far as damian is implying. he's not going to say that. )

Father needs a partner. Unless you intend on sticking beside him, that would be me.

[Watching Damian in anticipation, Dick tries not to chuckle when he notes the scrunch of his face and the way his tone changes suddenly. Not realizing that there had been any secret about the pair, Dick hadn't meant to offer any new information-- but it looked like they were happy enough when they came in. Maybe it would be figured out, maybe not. Still. It wasn't something he meant to give away.

He shrugs, he's going to ignore 'them' for now. It's easier for him.]

No, I'm going in with someone not from this group, a ... I'm not sure what to call him, he's not exactly human. Angel is his name. I'm glad you're sticking with Bruce. I think you two make a good team.

Edited 2024-05-02 17:57 (UTC)

( the name is familiar, at least. damian has been keeping an eye on those who have arrived here, but he hasn't had a face-to-face interaction with angel yet. he notes the name, decides he'll see what he can figure out before they go into the labyrinth about grayson's new chosen partner. )

Is Angel combat ready?

( idly, while he finally does raise that syringe and tosses it towards grayson. that's probably enough, for now. damian's own supplies are limited, and he'd rather not sacrifice all of them to ensure they're all armed. )

[There's a pause there, and Dick glances up to catch the syringe noting his thanks after. He gathers them up in his own little pile now and figures that he'll see if he can find a place to store them all later.

Leaning back, he shrugs.]

He's got skills in some areas, but I don't know if a hellspawn that trades in things not particularly combative is combat ready, but he is eight feet tall, acrobatic and has four arms. It should come in handy.

[The fact that he's a pornstar in hell should not matter. Dick felt for him, and they'd met the day Dick landed. It was an odd meeting, but Angel's alone and helping Angel is one of the few things that Dick feels oddly good about.]

Hellspawn.

( sounds promising. or maybe damian's just being sarcastic, which - is a lot more likely, really. damian rolls his eyes, but settles back onto the couch. idly sifts through his utility belt, taking stock of what he has left. )

I suppose you can make your own choices.

( he'll just judge a lot from the sidelines. )

I usually do get to make my own choices, but it doesn't look like this place is allowing us the luxury of choice in a lot of ways, so we gotta do the best to help out where we can.

[He glances up, and looks over at Damian and thinks for a few minutes. ]

You know Bruce invited me to live here. I know you live here too. I'm thinking about it possibly after we get back, but I don't want to be in a place that's over-crowded or where I'm not welcome. What do you think about the idea.

( rude of bruce, considering this is damian's manor, but. the look he throws dick is more questioning why he's bothering to ask than anything else. because, well, )

It's only Father and I currently staying in the Manor. ( so it's not particularly crowded. ) Pennyworth would hate to see so many rooms unused.

I didn't know who was staying here.

[He only knew for sure that Bruce and Damian were, and that's why he wanted to run it by Damian because Damian's opinion mattered to Dick. He didn't want to just show up without warning.

This helped him feel a little more at home with the idea. He really didn't trust the apartments, and while he didn't know Bruce and Damian they were better than whatever bots and watchdogs might be roaming the hallways.]

Alfred ... [Dick goes silent for a minute. The man who was far more a role model for Dick than Bruce, and the one he kept in constant contact with during the years Dick pulled away. The thread that held his Bruce Wayne together. He can still feel the void. There's a quietness to his voice, even if his face doesn't give much away.]

...I lost him two years ago.

( i lost him two years ago.

alfred is still back home as far as damian is aware, but he knows bruce is very, very concerned for his alfred. knows there was an incident with riddler that left him hurt. damian's expression - shutters for a moment, before he stretches his legs out under him and gets up to his feet. reaches a hand out for grayson's wrist, and grabs hold of him to drag him out of the living area.

less for grayson's well-being and more for bruce's own. hopefully, grayson hadn't already shared that information with him and he didn't overhear it. )

[After all that happened to his Bruce after he lost Alfred, one thing that Dick would never do is burden this one with that news. It's a deep wound in Dick's life and he'd never had shared it if he didn't think that Damian would have been able to understand it--, in as much as the fact that they are all exceedingly different and no one universe is like another.

Even so, Dick would never had said it loud enough to where Bruce would hear. He's already heard the younger Batman speak fondly speak of the butler. Plus, Bats tend to not deal well with loss. It's a part of who they are.

Being pulled aside Dick raises his brow and looks down, leaning against a structure wherever they end up. It's Damian's turn to speak, since he obviously called this meeting]

( damian called this meeting, and he's taking it - just a little away from the grandfather clock that still works as an entrance to the cave below. his hand releases dick's wrist, turns around to face him, and - doesn't leave much breathing room between them. it does mean damian's tipping his head back to have to look way up to dick, but he doesn't seem to mind that much at all.

he's used to it. )

I'm sorry for your loss. ( the sorry sounds a little foreign on his tongue, but damian says it regardless. means it, in this context. ) But do not say that where Father can hear you. He is already overly concerned for the Pennyworth he'd left behind.

[Dropping down to Damian's height takes nothing for Dick and so he does it in order to talk. He's sincere with his tone and the eye contact that he makes.]

I know. That's why I didn't say it loudly. I'd never say it aloud near any Bruce after watching what mine went through.

( his tongue clicks against the roof of his mouth, an irritated little tt noise when grayson lowers himself. because he doesn't need others to lower themselves to his level, thank you. he's not that small. one day he'll hit his growth spurt. outgrow drake, finally. catch up to grayson. today is not that day. today is instead the day when he scrunches his nose up in response to grayson dropping down, but doesn't voice a complaint. yet. )

There's space in the manor. Just don't invite Drake in. He's been staying in the side cottage.

( it's not that he's banished to staying there. it's that he's banished himself and damian's not going to encourage him to come inside. )

[There's that stubborn pride again that Dick feels like he knows so well. Dick doesn't know Damian's age, but god he was close to it when his own set in. They've lived totally different lives but that look, that singular look he can feel. There's a twist in his heart that makes him wish for a brief second that he'd one day know a Damian in his own world, but he knows that won't happen. His Bruce is too far beyond that, it's not meant to happen. Plus, there's no one like this Damian. He already knows that too-- no two people are ever alike, really.

Twisting his lips into a half smile, he nods. ]

I would never invite anyone else here. It's not my place. I will probably move in after the labyrinth though. It feels better than the apartments. Thank you, for everything.

[He knows he didn't need to say it, but manners are important and Damian has offered him a lot tonight.]

( there are many ways to respond to a thank you. a simple you're welcome which is obviously not what he's going to do. instead, damian stays where he's at. looks over this version of dick grayson, who is significantly different from his own. )

You are not my brother. ( it's stated like it's simple fact, because it is. this isn't the dick grayson who became batman and named him robin, this isn't the one who damian had gotten himself disowned from the al ghuls for. who had left him behind with his father, because he wasn't ready for the kind of responsibility having damian round would take. but who had considered it regardless, as if it had been an option - because grayson would have made it one, if he could have handled it. ) But it doesn't make us enemies.

( no, that's the nature of the game they've been stuck in. save your world by proving what it's worth, thus destroying - everyone who was chosen as unworthy. but they're not currently facing off against one another, and damian doesn't look forward to that happening. )

Pennyworth would be disappointed in all of us if we decided to treat each other as such.

( two years gone, for this dick grayson. damian doesn't even want to ask how the rest of them are handling it. )

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