the wall between gods and monsters; catch all for Hernan and Old Man Bruce

[sonofzod]

WHO: Hernan Guerra ( Superman ), Bruce Wayne ( the old one ) and friends
WHEN: Middle to end of January
WHERE: Etraya + Potentially Tower of Justice
WHAT: Kryptonite discovery aftermath; Bruce hiding from avoiding his kids with varying degrees of success.
NOTES\WARNINGS: Talk about murder, death, and violence mention.

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There will be open starters for anyone to tag as well as a few closed ones. If you're interested in plotting or have an idea of your own feel free to hit me up! I'm in the game server or you can reach me on plurk @ tapsters

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Hernan; OTA

[sonofzod]

[ If he's ever asked, Hernan would always say this was necessary and in some ways, it was. The companions built a near perfect replica of the Tower of Justice, an imposing shape in the mishmash of buildings cobbled together to form Nova City's skyline. Only nearly perfect because the security did not work. Neither did the power core, cutting off access to much of the tower's conveniences. And now - thanks to William Magnus - neither did Hernan's ship, sitting at the Tower's heart.

Despite it being dormant, it's consoles dark and the ship cool to the touch, Hernan's well aware that did not mean it was safe. Not with their security measures so lax as to be nonexistent. Not when just anyone - no matter their intentions - could just walk in and do them harm. If the ship is ever activated, accidentally or otherwise, Hernan would need a plan to dispose of it quickly, to mitigate the damage as much as he could. When he first arrived, Kirk mentioned throwing it into the sun, but that option did not seem feasible in Etraya, and it irked him to know more limits were being imposed on him.

So anyone looking up might catch a glimpse of him, streaking across the sky, arms extended in front of him as he barrels his way through the clouds. When he finally comes back to earth, it is near one of the coffee shops where he finds a place to sit so he can study the map of Etraya properly. It's on the table and he has a steaming cup of coffee nearby. He could have done this at home, but then he could not have stopped someone passing him by and ask: ]

Would you get me more cream? Thank you.

[ Do they work here? Probably not. Does Hernan care? Definitely not. ]

[badfengshui]

[ I'm ... outside.

It's a marvelous thought that he didn't think would be possible. How long was he trapped in his apartment? Was it really only five days? It felt ... longer. Maybe it was. Maybe time stopped mattering during his forced imprisonment.

I don't know if the nightmare is finally over, but I do know that at least these people aren't being hunted. That should be enough, right?

Henry wanders into one of the coffee shops. He peers around at everything around him, like it is foreign, because it is. Yet somehow his expression is more blank than curious. He starts to walk past a table when the occupant asks him for some cream. ]

Oh. [ He opens his mouth to say something, but he's thanked, so???? ] Okay.

[ Stepping back, he looks around the area. I could just ask the companion bots for it. Probably. Or look around the tables, but-- maybe not. It'd be fine to go back home, acquire cream, and come back, right?

Yeah, that's a normal response.

He decides to do that and returned to set the cream from his apartment on the table. Looking around the store, he felt it was just easier and avoids talking to the bots or wandering about foolishly. ]

Sorry that took a bit...

[sonofzod]

[ Honestly, Hernan had nearly forgotten about the cream before Henry set it down in front of him. He looks at it and back at Henry again. Now has to decide if it's even worth it to add to his coffee at this point. It's luke warm. ]

Did you have to milk the cow for it?

[badfengshui]

No.

[ He lightly shakes his head as he answers the question. His eyes drop as he realizes that the question is probably rhetorical. It probably would have been better to look around for cream instead -- it isn't like a coffee shop is that unfamiliar in another world. Right? ]

Sorry.

[sonofzod]

[ Hernan waves a dismissive hand and pours the cream into his coffee anyway. Just gonna heat it back up with his heat vision. ]

It's fine. They never put enough cream in the coffee.

[badfengshui]

[ He stares at the cup in question. ]

... a red light... came out of your eyes...?

[sonofzod]

Yes, to heat up my coffee.

[ Said very casually. He looks up at Henry. ]

I take it you do not have Superman in your world.

@godsandbats; closed

[sonofzod]

[ Hernan is furious.

And his fury is often very loud - screaming and gun fire and rockets and the sound of Hernan's heat vision burning into soft flesh.

Tonight, though, it's quiet. Simmering. The kind of anger he felt when he was a teenager in the migrant camp. The kind of anger he let fester until he used his fist to crack the ground, to uproot that tree and send that stupid sheriff and his stupid posse scrambling for their lives. The kind of anger that follows after feeling such a deep sense of betrayal.

And that's what he thought of Kirk's actions - betrayal. Choosing the boy instead of listening to Hernan curdled in his gut. Soured in his mouth. Because now the boy was gone and so was the kryptonite and with that lead sheathe, he had no way of finding it again. No way of seeing it coming until it was too late to do anything about it.

So he doesn't speak, not to Kirk or to anyone else. He just...stews. Nurses his drink and stews while he considers his options now. ]

[godsandbats]

[Kirk can tell Hernan is furious and has a good idea why he is. Kirk deliberately ignored Hernan's demand and prioritized the boy's life over the kryptonite. Kirk doesn't regret what he did but he's still not happy that Hernan's angry at him. They've had their disagreements over the years but they're usually quickly cleared up. Rarely does this level of Hernan's rage get directed at him.

A tight knot has formed in his stomach as Kirk approaches Hernan. He's not sure what Hernan will do or if he'll even want to talk to him. But Kirk has to try anyway. Hernan is Kirk's most important person and if they're going to keep being friends and work together, they need to clear the air, especially while they're stuck in Etraya.

No goggles or helmet to hide his face this time. This isn't just Justice League or Batman business. This is just Kirk Langstrom, wanting to talk to his friend]

Hernan.

[It's a quiet monotone]

[sonofzod]

[ Honestly, Hernan knew this was coming. He always met confrontations head on. He is Superman after all. What did he have to be afraid of? Two things apparently. And a third if Kirk turned out to be the traitor Hernan thinks he is, even though it's a thought the mind and heart disagree on.

A decade is a long time. Too long to burn down a friendship for some kid neither of them knew. And yet. He hears Kirk long before Kirk says anything. He doesn't look at him. Not right away. ]

What?

[godsandbats]

[In a deliberate even tone]

Can we talk about what happened tonight? I know you're angry.

[Or maybe Hernan wants to keep drinking and stew some more. Maybe he's too angry to talk. The question is Kirk's attempt at giving Hernan some sense of choice. He knows Hernan is used to being in control and tonight was absolutely not that]

[sonofzod]

[ Hernan had always been stubborn and petulant. Even as a boy. It was always easier to withdraw, to leave when it became more than he wanted to deal with. Did he want to talk? No, he really didn't. ]

I am angry, Kirk. And I think I've got the right to be.

[godsandbats]

[Kirk keeps his face stoic. It's a common defense mechanism for him by way of not letting his emotions cloud the facts of the situation. He was going to need it tonight. It's tense enough as it is]

I know. Tonight shouldn't have happened the way it did.

[He'll keep his statements short for now. Hernan could decide the conversation is already over]

@brat; closed

[sonofzod]

[ For hours after Damian's escape, Hernan did not sleep, wound too tight to ever relax enough for it. The insomnia keeps the night's events on a loop in his memory, over and over and over again it replays and no matter how many times he thinks about it - concentrates on it - he cannot place the kryptonite until it is out in the open and draining him dry.

And Hernan cannot help but think Lex Luthor knew about it. He'd had unfettered access to the Kryptonian files, while placating Hernan with the idea he might be able to reclaim his past, impossible now he knows. It gave Lex the tools he needed to map the universe in a way Hernan had not even believed possible before. Damian's threat put the idea in Hernan's mind - that that bald headed bastard knew there were pieces of his homeworld that could kill him. Maybe he even had some of it himself. Maybe that's why he thought he could call Hernan an attack dog, openly insult him to his face without batting an eye.

It's all too much at once and it is something Hernan did not want to deal with at this current ungodly hour. So he did what he does whenever he did not care to deal with his emotions. He wandered.

He wandered the length and breadth of Etraya before finding himself alone on a building's rooftop overlooking the rest of Nova City. There's a bottle nearby, uncorked and half drank. And Hernan himself sitting on the edge, feet dangling and gazing out at the city while he considers all the ways he might kill actually murder Lex when he gets home. ]

You are a creepy kid, you know. [ He knows the tempo of Damian's steps by now. ] Are you going to follow me everywhere?

[brat]

( he's well-aware of his more unsettling nature. damian isn't a normal fourteen year old by any means: he wasn't born to be. wasn't raised as one. by his tenth birthday, he had been one of the league of assassin's best killers.

which he doesn't do, anymore. but following others, who could potentially be a danger? is never a terrible idea. damian spends a fair amount of his time in nova city - the empty buildings are eerie, but the open space gives him a significant amount of room to run in without concern. he enjoys it, here.

and hates that 'superman' and 'batman' have taken to residing within his playground.

hernan calls damian out for lurking behind him, watching him as he broods, and damian - takes it as an opening to leave the dark shadows and show himself. the hood of his cloak is resting against his shoulders rather than up over his head, and the lead sheath containing the kryptonite knife is still on his utility belt. )

Everywhere? No. Who would have the time?

( there are two versions of his father here, in addition to several of his siblings. an old friend has reappeared, and he has others to mind. hernan is not his only priority. )

Are you going to sulk and drink forever?

[sonofzod]

[ It's just how he deals. Because he is too prideful to admit that there is something troubling him. It's weakness and Hernan would never see himself as weak. So he drinks and sits alone and broods because once again his world shrinks and expands in a way he cannot control. ]

No, not forever. Just for tonight.

[ He turns on Damian's approach, watches him with a curious eye. If he wanted, he could look and see what's underneath the mask. But he doesn't. Because ultimately, it didn't matter. ]

Why do you wear a mask?

[ It's something that has baffled him since his arrival. Since Jason explained that their Superman hides. ]

[brat]

( robin approaches slowly, moving closer until he drops down to sit beside hernan with his legs crossed in front of him, knees hanging over the edge of the building. he's a good arm's length away still, more for hernan's sake than his own. )

My father is a private man.

( it's not untrue. the league had no need for masks, damian al ghul did not need to hide himself away, he wore his visage with pride. now, his identity is significantly more - split. there is damian al ghul, grandson of the demon. robin, son of batman. and damian wayne, son of the philanthropist bruce wayne, who damian hasn't gotten much chance to explore just yet. )

The mask is to ensure his identity remains shrouded from others. Being able to place who I am would immediately expose him.

[sonofzod]

[ All things considered, it makes a certain kind of sense. For people like Damian and his father. Hernan was told to hide because his mother and his father were afraid. But he wasn't and so he didn't. Even after Fair Play, even after that kryptonite fiasco. He didn't think he would ever be afraid.

He doesn't stop Damian from sitting, even though he cannot see if he's armed with the knife. He had more room to maneuver here than in his bedroom. If he had to, he figures he can escape easily enough. ]

Would that be so terrible?

[brat]

For him? No.

( it's an odd conversation to have with someone that damian hasn't decided if he should trust yet. he's here, and hernan is, for the most part, allowing him to be. it's a good sign, even if this could all be in an attempt to gain his trust.

and yet here they are. damian turns so he's looking towards hernan, and continues, )

If Father was able to be just Batman, he would. It may not be the name he was given upon his birth, but it is the identity that he resonates with the most. Becoming just the Bat, having the freedom to save lives without any other obligations - I'm certain that would be his preference, had it been left up to him. But he has others in his life, ones who do have lives outside of their masks. Whose lives would be heavily disrupted if they were no longer able to walk among civilians as if they were one. It's these connections that tie him to his humanity, and remind him of why he's chosen the life he's buried himself so deep into, he struggles to exist outside of it.

( anyone who has met bruce wayne, batman, knows this - regardless of if his father will freely admit to it. )

@mostdangerousbird; closed

[knightowl]

[ Bruce keeps track of his days in Etraya with a calendar he pilfered from one of the storefronts in town. It helps to keep the days from blurring together, which is easy here when all seems quiet. Back home, he'd be on patrol right about now. It makes him think of Terry and thinking of Terry makes him. Miss him. Definitely not something he'd ever voice out loud though. It makes him think of Ace too and he can readily admit he misses the dog.

It helps the homesickness to know there are familiar faces here, even if he's going out of his way to avoid them. They're not his but they're similar enough they might as well be. Which means he's absolutely not trying to run into Tim and maybe it isn't fair because this Tim clearly is fine compared to his own. But really that doesn't make him feel any better about it.

Etraya is thankfully big enough that he can move about relatively unnoticed and he's not run across any of the Bats who haven't actively sought him out. He's burned the crumpets again and off to find more to go with his tea. It's mundane, but it's something to do. ]

[mostdangerousbird]

[ Shopping, if he can really call it that when no payment occurs, is Tim’s least favorite chore. It wastes time and mental bandwidth that could be given to more useful activities. Anything would be more productive than trying to determine which type of any given item is going to taste familiar.

There was an unfortunate incident bread laden with cumin that he doesn’t wish to repeat.

He’s considering what looks like the safest, most heavily processed white bread when someone else turns down the aisle. In an effort to make himself unobtrusive, Tim steps further back from the shelves to let them pass or reach for what they need. ]

Go ahead, I’m still making up my-

[ Tim’s eyes widen, just a hair, as it registers. The man is older, near wizened, with wrinkles and tidy white hair.

But the frame speaks to a man that had once been on par with an Olympian and the features, buried under the decades - that’s Bruce.

A Bruce. It could be a time travel, certainly, but until he knows for sure… you can’t ever fully trust an unknown Bruce.

(You can’t ever fully trust Bruce. Just look at what he did to Jason. Tim trusts his mentor with his life, but his decisions can be extreme and unforgiving.)

Tim shifts his shopping basket into his left hand to free the right, which he lets fall naturally to his side. Close to his pocket. ]

Mind.

[knightowl]

[ It's another reason to miss Terry. He'd come to depend on him for quite a number of things, outside of their work together as Batman. Picking up his groceries among them. Bruce has made due since his arrival. But it would have been nice to have an extra set of hands to help carry some of this.

Really, he had only come for one thing but somehow managed a basket of extra goods. No crumpets yet. Those he finds last on the same aisle Tim is on. He recognizes him, even if he's 40 years younger, maybe before Tim realizes who he is. He doesn't say anything - no excuse me, no coming through. Nothing.

Because he doesn't know what to say and anything he comes up with doesn't feel good enough. He meets Tim's gaze though, lets it linger cause it's been too long since he's seen him. He looks good. Healthy. And that makes Bruce feel a little better.

He takes what he needs and sets it in the basket. Then he turns to go. ]

[ I'm so sorry for losing this]

[mostdangerousbird]

[ Seriously? Bruce looks at Tim, way too long to pretend that he doesn't recognize the young man, and then he just leaves.

Tim almost lets.

(Almost.) ]

I know you know who I am, Bruce. Nice to see you haven't changed in... what is it, 40, 45 years?

[ An older Bruce Wayne who knows who Tim is is still Bruce Wayne, and Tim will follow him down the aisle. He wants to know where Bruce is staying - wants to know who's looking out for him, because he's not looking spry enough for the missions - and most importantly, wants to know what Bruce thinks about this whole situation, from Aurora to the hospital. ]

Or is it because I'm not the "right" Tim?

[ After all, like he himself was thinking, you never can quite trust someone from another universe. ]

No worries!

[knightowl]

[ Bruce expects it. He let his gaze linger too long instead of pretending he didn't know the boy. He could have avoided this confrontation if he hadn't let his sentimentality get in the way. It was foolish and stupid.

Fortunately for Tim (or Bruce depending on your perspective), Bruce isn't going to make Tim chase him. He stops, but doesn't turn around. He shouldn't put the burdens of someone else on this kid. Despite their similarities, this Tim is not his Tim. ]

No. It's just been a long time.

[mostdangerousbird]

[ Fortunately for... neither of them, really. The lack of a chase or anything else, really, leaves Tim nothing to do but overanalyze that sentence. It's not hard to draw the appropriate, obvious conclusions.

After all, there's only two. Everything else is just details. ]

Am I dead, or are you indulging in one of your I don't need anyone moments and I decided to see how far you'd take it if I didn't pop the isolationist bubble?

[ If Bruce was young, Tim wouldn't phrase it that way. The magic of showing up to mentally shake Bruce out of it is, in part, the plausibility deniability that Tim knows that it's part of his role.

Tim supposes the third choice is somehow both. Dead, but brought back by a combo of magic and science and Bruce is too stubborn to talk to him. Tim files the option under the Jason option. ]