WHO: sami rowd, dami brat & pals WHEN: jan - feb WHERE: places WHAT: a catch-all NOTES\WARNINGS: discussions of death, dismemberment, arson, child endangerment, and someone in here will probably start a fight at some point.
[Unlike Hernan, Kirk remains tense. He doesn't doubt most of what Damian is saying. The details are too specific to be lies. But the boy's unhinged approach to confirm Hernan's race gives Kirk no reason to be easy on him. He adds his own question in an icy tone]
If he had turned out to be a Daxamite, did you have an escape plan in mind?
[Kirk wants to know if Damian really was prepared for every grim possibility or if he was just reckless and lacking self-preservation]
You are a threat. Regardless of your intentions, you are more than capable of causing harm to everyone on this planet. And you, like most individuals, are capable of lying. Why would I ask?
( he can't trust a word out of hernan's mouth - yet. but it isn't necessarily saying anything against hernan, because damian trusts no one without evidence they are trustworthy.
at the question from kirk, damian snorts. twists around just enough to look over to him, eyes narrowing. not in a threatening way. in a way that matches the twitch of his lips that almost, almost turns into a grin. )
Would you like to try that move again? See if you're able to take me down? If he had been a Daxamite, I would have still been able to escape easily.
[ Lex Luthor had been so desperate not to have Hernan emulate Zod that he'd spent too many years lying to him. Had him believing that Zod was some kind of hero, when the truth had been quite the opposite. No one had the stomach to just be honest with him. Everyone had to deal in the shadows, sneak around him and attack him when they thought he was vulnerable. All without realizing maybe all of their lying and back door dealings would be what made Hernan more like Zod in the end.
If this is how the humans want it to be though, maybe Hernan should finally stop playing nice. If they already thought he was such a terrible threat, why not just be one? ]
Kirk, get rid of the kryptonite. [ Hernan doesn't much care how. Just get it far away from him. Then he turns on Damian and there is nothing friendly in how he addresses the kid, his voice as icy as his eyes. ] You really should have asked, kid. Maybe we could have been friends. Now you can just get out of my house.
[ The easy way if Damian's feeling cooperative. Or the express if he's not. ]
[Still firmly holding the knife in his hand, Kirk walks away from Damian. He's fine with letting Hernan handle him. It was more important to get the kryptonite away from Hernan. Plus, Kirk doesn't believe Damian at all about having an escape plan if the kryptonite had failed. This was sheer stupidity and recklessness as far as Kirk was concerned.
The only flip side was now he and Hernan know there's another Kryptonian weakness besides red sun rays. It's something they'll have to watch out for here and when they go home. They'll need to study the kryptonite]
he is not a particularly nice person. being kind and personable has never been high on his list of priorities - and for good reason. he wasn't raised to make friends. wasn't born to be someone that is well-liked. he is a warrior, first and foremost.
but he remembers jon. jon, who has tolerated him despite their differences. connor, who encouraged damian to work with people rather than plotting against them. they are all trapped here together, and while damian doesn't care if these two idiots consider him an enemy rather than an ally, there are - benefits both ways. his mouth presses together into a tight line, considering his next move carefully. he could get himself up. set off a flashbang, grab onto the kryptonite knife and escape through the window to make his way back towards wayne tower. it wouldn't be difficult. if anything happened, there are numerous individuals he could call in for back up who would know how to handle these two as well as damian does. )
My partner is half Kryptonian. ( he could leave. instead, he's staying right where he is. ) He carries the same weaknesses as you. While I know he would not intentionally cause harm, he is still dangerous. Moreso than you are, most likely.
( drake didn't travel back from the future for nothing. damian disagreed with his method, and he is still angry over the mistreatment of jon, but he understands why he did what he did. )
This wasn't personal. If it had been, I would not have gone as easy on you as I did. I have met numerous Kryptonians who were active threats - I'm sure you can understand where my need to ensure you weren't one was coming from.
[Damian didn't need to mention a half-Kryptonian partner. Again, the specificity has Kirk believing that not everything Damian is saying is a lie.
Truthfully, having contingencies for each other is something Kirk has talked about before. As the weakest of the trinity and being formerly human, Kirk's more aware of potential weaknesses than Hernan and Bekka. The battle with Imperiex proved they weren't invincible and that they could be manipulated. Logically, Kirk could understand why the rest of humanity was on eggshells with the Justice League and why Project Fair Play exists. It still wouldn't take much for the Justice League to decide that they should be authoritarian rulers.
But Damian's approach does feel personal, even though he just said it isn't. The Tower of Justice isn't just the Justice League's home base, it's literally their home. It's supposed to be where they feel the safest. This was the second time now that someone infiltrated it and tried to attack from within. So Kirk's forgiveness remains rather limited and he's still holding onto the knife, away from Damian. His red eyes continue to coldly glare at him]
Funny how you define what's just business. Breaking into someone's home in the middle of the night with a weapon that could potentially hurt them specifically is rather up close and personal. How else did you think we would react?
[ It still doesn't sit right with him. That they'd have all of these ideas about how to kill him and not tell him. He didn't even necessarily need the specifics of it. Just that it exists might have been enough to satisfy. But no one ever has the courtesy for that. It feels less about keeping people safe from him were he to be...overcome again and more about making sure he knew his place. That there could be limits placed on him and if he didn't act just right, they'd kill him and wanted him to know it.
It highlights the divide between him and humanity, how very differently they see him compared to even someone like Kirk. It widens the chasm, cements the idea that he'd never be accepted.
His mother and Valentina would have disagreed, would tell him that they needed time to see what kind of man Hernan could be. But right now, Hernan thinks he's given them enough of his time. He waves a dismissive hand. ]
( an attempt was made to play peacekeeper. damian said his part, and shared personal details that weren't needed for this exchange in order to make it less - impersonal. he has remained peacefully on the floor where langstrom had left him, communicating clearly with his words rather than using violence.
and now? he's rolling his eyes, pulling himself up to his feet slowly. choreographing every muscle movement to ensure that both of them know exactly what he's doing. )
I was planning on it.
( two flashbangs, and a handful of smoke pellets get dropped to the ground unceremoniously. a kryptonian and an unknown batman warrant the use of distractions as damian makes his escape - but he doesn't just move to get himself out of there. no; as he fires his grappling gun out the still-cracked window, he's also quickly making his way towards langstrom - not intending on grabbing the knife's sheath but just the hilt itself so it doesn't become a game of tug-of-war but simply - damian slipping the kryptonite knife off of langstrom, then quickly pulling the grapple line taut so it yanks him fully through the window and out into the air.
[The flashbangs and smoke pellets are just enough to win Damian several precious seconds from Kirk. Kirk feels the knife get snatched from him. No... he and Hernan can't afford to let someone like Damian have something that could kill Superman. Kirk drops the lead sheath and uses his speed to try to follow after Damian. Kirk's goggles and helmet are off but he still has his suit on. He flies after Damian using the glider wings in his suit]
[ The flashbang does more to disorient than the smoke pellets. For a few seconds, the sound rings in Hernan's ears and his eyes see nothing but white. But he adjusts, as he's apt to do and when he does, the first thing he notes is the missing kryptonite. He can hear Kirk, as fast as he is, racing after the boy.
Meaning, the boy had the kryptonite. Shit.
It's only a split second before he joins Kirk in the chase. ]
it's quite the distance from the ground, which leaves damian with time to let himself drift further towards the ground without the need to re-balance himself just yet.
at least, that's the thought he has as his cloak wraps around him and he falls, head first, towards the ground. he's counting off the time to when he should fire his grapple and catch himself, except - there's someone else throwing themselves down along with him.
and then there's 'superman'. damian doesn't have the lead sheath, doesn't have a way to lessen it's impact any. )
You - idiot!
( it's yelled, but he doubts it's all that audible considering the speed of which he's falling at. damian twists around mid-air, quickly trying to pull his cloak out enough so it can catch his weight as he falls, the hand with the knife staying on the fabric while his other drops to his waist to grab for his grapple gun. )
[Kirk falls after Damian. Besides the knife, Kirk watches for Damian's grapple gun]
I'll take the knife and you take him.
[Kirk's banking on Hernan's super-hearing. They've worked together during countless missions. Kirk knows well what Hernan is like in action and trusts him to do what's best.
He throws a batarang at the boy's hand gripping the knife, intending for it to get dropped]
[ Hernan realizes nearly too late that it might have been a mistake to follow. He feels sluggish, as if he's flying against the current of winds instead of bending it to his will. To add to the insult (and his wounded pride), he can barely hear Kirk over their wind's high whistle as he falls in tandem with Kirk. It takes effort and concentration, more than he's ever had to exert, to catch up to the falling boy and reach for him with clumsy fingers. ]
( he's still grumbling, grip tight on the knife so when the batarang hits his hand, it - doesn't release his grip, no, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out what the two men falling after him intend to do.
the frustration is clear from his reaction. rather than releasing the blade due to kirk's attempt at hitting it out of his hand, damian's quickly twisting back around so his back is towards the ground, taking the knife into the hand that hadn't just been hit at high speeds by very sharp metal(and losing his grapple gun in the process, which will irritate him later), and tosses it as far away from him as he can.
lets himself go limp after. he's relatively used to being caught at high speeds, this is no different. )
[That was not the reaction Kirk had anticipated. Whoever Damian is, he's clearly someone who has gone through extreme training]
Hernan, pull back!
[Kirk doesn't want Hernan to risk getting hurt by the kryptonite again. He doesn't know yet what the range of it is. Kirk would rather take the hit instead.
Kirk dives faster to overtake Damian and to try and catch him]
[ Kirk's voice is muffled over the roar of the wind and it takes him too long to parse it. And it comes nearly too late as the knife soars uncomfortably close. There's a sense of panic before he's able to narrowly miss being struck. ]
( this is why damian hates working with others. he tolerates some - enjoys the titans on occasion, when they listen. jon knows when to hear what damian's saying, but everyone else? idiots. his family at least acknowledges that they are all painfully human and limited in that aspect.
these idiots see a boy flying through a window with a weapon he's confirmed is dangerous to one of them and decide, to hell with it, why not follow him out? worse yet, decide that when damian throws a knife away from himself, they opt to somehow manage to get in it's pathway. it's fine.
damian's still falling, but he's not going to attempt to catch himself. they're the ones who stupidly decided to follow him and ruined his escape plan, they can catch him. if they're too busy bickering?
[There's going to be a lot to unpack and possibly some yelling from at least one person when they're done. But at the moment, Kirk is just focused on not letting a kid get killed. This was insane and much sloppier than the teamwork he and Hernan usually do. They had apparently underestimated how well trained Damian is.
Kirk swoops to catch Damian in his arms and lets his levitation ability take over to float both of them down. He'll drop Damian once they're a few inches off the ground]
He isn't used to it. From Bekka? Sure. But Kirk always followed his orders. And it wasn't like Hernan could have gone after the kryptonite himself. Just being near the stuff made him feel like he was going to throw up. He didn't want to touch it or see it or think about it ever again and the only person he could rely on to make sure that is a possibility ignored him. He could have caught that stupid brat if Kirk had insisted on it. ]
( robin makes the perfect dead weight to catch: kirk's arms wrap around him, and he remains perfectly loose in case of any jerking around - up until the ground's coming up on them. he thrashes, getting his feet under him so he can turn around towards the two of them and just, )
Idiots! The both of you!
( hernan's yelling at kirk, damian is yelling at everyone. )
You injured my hand to get at a weapon I know you don't even want! And for what? I can get another one! Do you want more of them on Etraya, where they could potentially damage your moronic Superman?! You can't kill me to get rid of me, no one stays dead here! You can't shut me up, the amount of mutilation that would take far exceeds what I anticipate either of you would be willing to do unless I was an active threat. And if you had? I am not alone, there are others who know what Kryptonite is, where to get it, and who to use it on!
( hold on, he's not done yet. robin raises his uninjured hand up, to point towards them both. )
Your ability to assess risks and communicate is garbage. Do. Better.
[Kirk’s expression is stony as both of them chew him out. It was damned that he did and damned that he didn’t. How was he supposed to respond? Argue Hernan about why he didn’t feel comfortable letting someone splatter on the ground in front of that same someone? The same person who just threatened Hernan? Talk back to the costumed kid who clearly isn’t normal and say they’re usually better about things? The kid who thought it was a good idea to break into someone’s home and threatened them with a knife?
At that moment, Kirk had no good options]
Anything else?
[Kirk’s doing his usual monotone to emotionally distance himself until tempers cool]
[ That boy had no right to lecture Hernan when it was his fault this whole thing started in the first place and if he thought he could do it, if he thought he had the strength for it, he'd have burnt him to a crisp. But as it was, he felt unsteady in the air and after a moment of staring at the pair of the them, Hernan turns and leaves them there while he tries to keep himself steady enough to fly back up to the window. ]
( but he's not leaving, not exactly. instead, he turns around on his heels, shows his back to kirk and starts off in the direction he thinks his grapple gun had fallen in. grapple first, knife second. )
[Not much else can be done tonight. Everyone's too furious with each other. With no other choice, Kirk flies back up to the Tower and follows after Hernan. He needs to talk to him first]
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If he had turned out to be a Daxamite, did you have an escape plan in mind?
[Kirk wants to know if Damian really was prepared for every grim possibility or if he was just reckless and lacking self-preservation]
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( he can't trust a word out of hernan's mouth - yet. but it isn't necessarily saying anything against hernan, because damian trusts no one without evidence they are trustworthy.
at the question from kirk, damian snorts. twists around just enough to look over to him, eyes narrowing. not in a threatening way. in a way that matches the twitch of his lips that almost, almost turns into a grin. )
Would you like to try that move again? See if you're able to take me down? If he had been a Daxamite, I would have still been able to escape easily.
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If this is how the humans want it to be though, maybe Hernan should finally stop playing nice. If they already thought he was such a terrible threat, why not just be one? ]
Kirk, get rid of the kryptonite. [ Hernan doesn't much care how. Just get it far away from him. Then he turns on Damian and there is nothing friendly in how he addresses the kid, his voice as icy as his eyes. ] You really should have asked, kid. Maybe we could have been friends. Now you can just get out of my house.
[ The easy way if Damian's feeling cooperative. Or the express if he's not. ]
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The only flip side was now he and Hernan know there's another Kryptonian weakness besides red sun rays. It's something they'll have to watch out for here and when they go home. They'll need to study the kryptonite]
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he is not a particularly nice person. being kind and personable has never been high on his list of priorities - and for good reason. he wasn't raised to make friends. wasn't born to be someone that is well-liked. he is a warrior, first and foremost.
but he remembers jon. jon, who has tolerated him despite their differences. connor, who encouraged damian to work with people rather than plotting against them. they are all trapped here together, and while damian doesn't care if these two idiots consider him an enemy rather than an ally, there are - benefits both ways. his mouth presses together into a tight line, considering his next move carefully. he could get himself up. set off a flashbang, grab onto the kryptonite knife and escape through the window to make his way back towards wayne tower. it wouldn't be difficult. if anything happened, there are numerous individuals he could call in for back up who would know how to handle these two as well as damian does. )
My partner is half Kryptonian. ( he could leave. instead, he's staying right where he is. ) He carries the same weaknesses as you. While I know he would not intentionally cause harm, he is still dangerous. Moreso than you are, most likely.
( drake didn't travel back from the future for nothing. damian disagreed with his method, and he is still angry over the mistreatment of jon, but he understands why he did what he did. )
This wasn't personal. If it had been, I would not have gone as easy on you as I did. I have met numerous Kryptonians who were active threats - I'm sure you can understand where my need to ensure you weren't one was coming from.
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Truthfully, having contingencies for each other is something Kirk has talked about before. As the weakest of the trinity and being formerly human, Kirk's more aware of potential weaknesses than Hernan and Bekka. The battle with Imperiex proved they weren't invincible and that they could be manipulated. Logically, Kirk could understand why the rest of humanity was on eggshells with the Justice League and why Project Fair Play exists. It still wouldn't take much for the Justice League to decide that they should be authoritarian rulers.
But Damian's approach does feel personal, even though he just said it isn't. The Tower of Justice isn't just the Justice League's home base, it's literally their home. It's supposed to be where they feel the safest. This was the second time now that someone infiltrated it and tried to attack from within. So Kirk's forgiveness remains rather limited and he's still holding onto the knife, away from Damian. His red eyes continue to coldly glare at him]
Funny how you define what's just business. Breaking into someone's home in the middle of the night with a weapon that could potentially hurt them specifically is rather up close and personal. How else did you think we would react?
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It highlights the divide between him and humanity, how very differently they see him compared to even someone like Kirk. It widens the chasm, cements the idea that he'd never be accepted.
His mother and Valentina would have disagreed, would tell him that they needed time to see what kind of man Hernan could be. But right now, Hernan thinks he's given them enough of his time. He waves a dismissive hand. ]
I don't care. Get out.
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and now? he's rolling his eyes, pulling himself up to his feet slowly. choreographing every muscle movement to ensure that both of them know exactly what he's doing. )
I was planning on it.
( two flashbangs, and a handful of smoke pellets get dropped to the ground unceremoniously. a kryptonian and an unknown batman warrant the use of distractions as damian makes his escape - but he doesn't just move to get himself out of there. no; as he fires his grappling gun out the still-cracked window, he's also quickly making his way towards langstrom - not intending on grabbing the knife's sheath but just the hilt itself so it doesn't become a game of tug-of-war but simply - damian slipping the kryptonite knife off of langstrom, then quickly pulling the grapple line taut so it yanks him fully through the window and out into the air.
it's a long fall, but he won't hit the ground. )
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Meaning, the boy had the kryptonite. Shit.
It's only a split second before he joins Kirk in the chase. ]
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it's quite the distance from the ground, which leaves damian with time to let himself drift further towards the ground without the need to re-balance himself just yet.
at least, that's the thought he has as his cloak wraps around him and he falls, head first, towards the ground. he's counting off the time to when he should fire his grapple and catch himself, except - there's someone else throwing themselves down along with him.
and then there's 'superman'. damian doesn't have the lead sheath, doesn't have a way to lessen it's impact any. )
You - idiot!
( it's yelled, but he doubts it's all that audible considering the speed of which he's falling at. damian twists around mid-air, quickly trying to pull his cloak out enough so it can catch his weight as he falls, the hand with the knife staying on the fabric while his other drops to his waist to grab for his grapple gun. )
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I'll take the knife and you take him.
[Kirk's banking on Hernan's super-hearing. They've worked together during countless missions. Kirk knows well what Hernan is like in action and trusts him to do what's best.
He throws a batarang at the boy's hand gripping the knife, intending for it to get dropped]
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( he's still grumbling, grip tight on the knife so when the batarang hits his hand, it - doesn't release his grip, no, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out what the two men falling after him intend to do.
the frustration is clear from his reaction. rather than releasing the blade due to kirk's attempt at hitting it out of his hand, damian's quickly twisting back around so his back is towards the ground, taking the knife into the hand that hadn't just been hit at high speeds by very sharp metal(and losing his grapple gun in the process, which will irritate him later), and tosses it as far away from him as he can.
lets himself go limp after. he's relatively used to being caught at high speeds, this is no different. )
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Hernan, pull back!
[Kirk doesn't want Hernan to risk getting hurt by the kryptonite again. He doesn't know yet what the range of it is. Kirk would rather take the hit instead.
Kirk dives faster to overtake Damian and to try and catch him]
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Puta madre! Forget the boy, Kirk! Get the knife!
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these idiots see a boy flying through a window with a weapon he's confirmed is dangerous to one of them and decide, to hell with it, why not follow him out? worse yet, decide that when damian throws a knife away from himself, they opt to somehow manage to get in it's pathway. it's fine.
damian's still falling, but he's not going to attempt to catch himself. they're the ones who stupidly decided to follow him and ruined his escape plan, they can catch him. if they're too busy bickering?
it's grayson's fault, somehow. )
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Kirk swoops to catch Damian in his arms and lets his levitation ability take over to float both of them down. He'll drop Damian once they're a few inches off the ground]
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Kirk ignores him.
He isn't used to it. From Bekka? Sure. But Kirk always followed his orders. And it wasn't like Hernan could have gone after the kryptonite himself. Just being near the stuff made him feel like he was going to throw up. He didn't want to touch it or see it or think about it ever again and the only person he could rely on to make sure that is a possibility ignored him. He could have caught that stupid brat if Kirk had insisted on it. ]
What the hell are you doing?!
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Idiots! The both of you!
( hernan's yelling at kirk, damian is yelling at everyone. )
You injured my hand to get at a weapon I know you don't even want! And for what? I can get another one! Do you want more of them on Etraya, where they could potentially damage your moronic Superman?! You can't kill me to get rid of me, no one stays dead here! You can't shut me up, the amount of mutilation that would take far exceeds what I anticipate either of you would be willing to do unless I was an active threat. And if you had? I am not alone, there are others who know what Kryptonite is, where to get it, and who to use it on!
( hold on, he's not done yet. robin raises his uninjured hand up, to point towards them both. )
Your ability to assess risks and communicate is garbage. Do. Better.
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At that moment, Kirk had no good options]
Anything else?
[Kirk’s doing his usual monotone to emotionally distance himself until tempers cool]
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No.
( but he's not leaving, not exactly. instead, he turns around on his heels, shows his back to kirk and starts off in the direction he thinks his grapple gun had fallen in. grapple first, knife second. )
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