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.
( bruce is an adult, yes, but he's still very much that child who watched his parents die in crime alley. he's vulnerable, and while he's confident in some ways, damian suspects seeing himself but different will cause him to get stuck on a lot of details he hadn't before. things another version of himself did properly, things they did incorrectly, nitpicking every detail possible to obsessively build himself the best possible outcome, despite that being absolutely insane. )
( he isn't wrong. less because of telling his brothers, and more because grayson is significantly better equipped to handle this. when they need someone with the big guns to help, they call in todd. when they need a detective, they call drake. and when there's something that requires a more gentle but firm hand, when they need someone who knows how to handle the emotional rollercoaster that is their entire lives, they call grayson.
damian raises a hand to shove his palm against his face. gives an irritated sigh. )
Connor would have been useful. He's the exact kind of person Father enjoys studying and learning from.
[Connor was always friendly and helpful, and from his own personal experiences Accelerator knows he was good at dealing with difficult personalities, so if that's what Robin thinks then he's inclined to agree.
It sucks, and bringing up Connor causes a twisting in his gut that he wants to ignore and can't.]
It's bullshit that he's gone.
[He misses him. He wasn't human, but he was better than a lot of the people here.]
It's an inconvenience. Do you know how many of my contingency plans I now need to re-analyze?
( because he'd trusted connor to remain available to him. knew he would show up if damian called him, and now he's simply - gone. this is why damian prefers to not involve others in his plans: leaning on the talents of others means leaving himself vulnerable.
his free hand raises, to press against his face, too. damian isn't one who often experiences. . . homesickness, but he certainly is now. he misses his friends. maya, kathy, jon. the titans. his father and grayson both had wanted damian to learn to rely on external forces, considering it important for someone his age. and now that damian had managed it - they're all gone. laura and connor, too. )
[Yeah, relying on Connor would've made total sense. He was smart, trustworthy, competent, and had a lot of useful skills that would have made him ideal for Robin's kind of contingency plans.
More importantly, they were friends.]
I do, too.
[He gets it. Being stuck in a place you have no control over, watching people you care about disappear into the ether. It's awful.]
[He gives Robin a small glance. They don't really have a choice here, no one needs to be dealing with some kids having a rough time with this place. From his experiences, there aren't that many adults in Etraya who could handle that properly, and the ones who could don't deserve the added burden.
Still, he doesn't like the idea of the younger kids having to deal with that stress on their own. And with so few of them being left these days, it'd feel even more isolating.]
... If you need to vent again, I'm not usually doing anything. [Let's be real, in between missions he's mostly just taking naps and poking around the library.]
( the offered assistance is noted, even if damian isn't certain he'll use it. having a safe person to talk to is - well. it's something he's only had grayson for, and there were limited subjects he could safely discuss with him. he doesn't offer a direct response, but he does look to accelerator when he offers: )
[Oh, well. Robin - Damian - isn't outright dismissing him, which seems like a big step for him. Accelerator is fairly sure they're similar in a lot of ways, and if he was in his position he could easily see himself brushing the offer off.
The only change in his expression is his eyebrows raising a fraction of an inch.]
When I'm in uniform, it's Robin. When I'm not, it's Damian. I don't hold a strong preference either way.
( a name is meant to identify oneself, it's meant to be something to call out in case someone's attention is needed elsewhere. and both of damian's names were given to him for different purposes: damian after damianos, to show he was meant to tame the world, to rule it, possess it. and robin, given to him at a crucial point of his life when he was searching desperately for an answer to who he should be, rather than following the pathway carved out for him by his mother.
they both hold significance: a tie to his past, and one to his present.
and damian's - lifting his shoulders in a little half-shrug, then raising a hand up to peel off the domino mask from his face. )
I am both Damian and Robin, which is not information I share lightly.
[Accelerator understands the importance of a name. Having had his own taken away, and eventually deciding to just give up on it has given him a unique perspective that most people wouldn't have. He's fine with using two different names for Damian, it's what he prefers so he can do that for him.
He gives a small nod when Damian removes his mask.]
( damian has no doubts about that. accelerator is clever, and he isn't intentionally harmful. he nods his head, keeping the mask in his hands. )
I don't often share. .. personal details about myself with others. ( like his name, his family history, everything they have been talking about. while damian doesn't think this particularly important to voice, he knows others may think differently. so - ) But we are friends, and I trust you.
[Accelerator can feel his jaw clench, a reflexive aversion hitting him when Damian calls them friends. Friendship isn't something he does. If asked, he wouldn't hesitate to say he doesn't and has never had friends back home. He had said that when 37 claimed they were friends, and he had gotten his foot stomped on.
Are they friends? He could say he trusts Damian, and Damian trusts him, but he isn't sure if that's enough of a solid foundation for friendship. In terms of academics he could spout off a few sociological theories, he isn't sure if that knowledge would help in this situation. He feels a little lost, and he doesn't want a kick to the shin or to piss Damian off when he's actually opening up. Objectively, he knows a kid is confiding in someone and communicating it's a good thing.
He just looks away awkwardly.]
Right. Yeah. I'll keep all of this to myself.
[You can trust him, Damian! Even if he's having a bit of an internal crisis over the f-word.]
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( bruce is an adult, yes, but he's still very much that child who watched his parents die in crime alley. he's vulnerable, and while he's confident in some ways, damian suspects seeing himself but different will cause him to get stuck on a lot of details he hadn't before. things another version of himself did properly, things they did incorrectly, nitpicking every detail possible to obsessively build himself the best possible outcome, despite that being absolutely insane. )
He's. . . vulnerable.
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He thinks on this for several moments, raising and dismissing additional questions. Eventually he settles on something.]
I think you need to tell your brothers.
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damian raises a hand to shove his palm against his face. gives an irritated sigh. )
Connor would have been useful. He's the exact kind of person Father enjoys studying and learning from.
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It sucks, and bringing up Connor causes a twisting in his gut that he wants to ignore and can't.]
It's bullshit that he's gone.
[He misses him. He wasn't human, but he was better than a lot of the people here.]
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( because he'd trusted connor to remain available to him. knew he would show up if damian called him, and now he's simply - gone. this is why damian prefers to not involve others in his plans: leaning on the talents of others means leaving himself vulnerable.
his free hand raises, to press against his face, too. damian isn't one who often experiences. . . homesickness, but he certainly is now. he misses his friends. maya, kathy, jon. the titans. his father and grayson both had wanted damian to learn to rely on external forces, considering it important for someone his age. and now that damian had managed it - they're all gone. laura and connor, too. )
I hate it here.
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[Yeah, relying on Connor would've made total sense. He was smart, trustworthy, competent, and had a lot of useful skills that would have made him ideal for Robin's kind of contingency plans.
More importantly, they were friends.]
I do, too.
[He gets it. Being stuck in a place you have no control over, watching people you care about disappear into the ether. It's awful.]
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he's fine.
he's got this. )
We'll handle it.
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[He gives Robin a small glance. They don't really have a choice here, no one needs to be dealing with some kids having a rough time with this place. From his experiences, there aren't that many adults in Etraya who could handle that properly, and the ones who could don't deserve the added burden.
Still, he doesn't like the idea of the younger kids having to deal with that stress on their own. And with so few of them being left these days, it'd feel even more isolating.]
... If you need to vent again, I'm not usually doing anything. [Let's be real, in between missions he's mostly just taking naps and poking around the library.]
400 years later
My name is Damian Wayne.
s.link has ranked up
The only change in his expression is his eyebrows raising a fraction of an inch.]
.... Do you prefer that or Robin?
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( a name is meant to identify oneself, it's meant to be something to call out in case someone's attention is needed elsewhere. and both of damian's names were given to him for different purposes: damian after damianos, to show he was meant to tame the world, to rule it, possess it. and robin, given to him at a crucial point of his life when he was searching desperately for an answer to who he should be, rather than following the pathway carved out for him by his mother.
they both hold significance: a tie to his past, and one to his present.
and damian's - lifting his shoulders in a little half-shrug, then raising a hand up to peel off the domino mask from his face. )
I am both Damian and Robin, which is not information I share lightly.
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He gives a small nod when Damian removes his mask.]
Okay. I'll remember all of that.
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I don't often share. .. personal details about myself with others. ( like his name, his family history, everything they have been talking about. while damian doesn't think this particularly important to voice, he knows others may think differently. so - ) But we are friends, and I trust you.
no subject
[Accelerator can feel his jaw clench, a reflexive aversion hitting him when Damian calls them friends. Friendship isn't something he does. If asked, he wouldn't hesitate to say he doesn't and has never had friends back home. He had said that when 37 claimed they were friends, and he had gotten his foot stomped on.
Are they friends? He could say he trusts Damian, and Damian trusts him, but he isn't sure if that's enough of a solid foundation for friendship. In terms of academics he could spout off a few sociological theories, he isn't sure if that knowledge would help in this situation. He feels a little lost, and he doesn't want a kick to the shin or to piss Damian off when he's actually opening up. Objectively, he knows a kid is confiding in someone and communicating it's a good thing.
He just looks away awkwardly.]
Right. Yeah. I'll keep all of this to myself.
[You can trust him, Damian! Even if he's having a bit of an internal crisis over the f-word.]