etrayalogs | We're taking over the world (catch all)

[ Bruce had been careful about choosing his first safehouse. Not that he'd been overly concerned about someone poking around and finding it before he'd had a chance to set up security measures. He was careful because he wanted a spot that would keep the so called Tower of Justice in view. He had no intention in antagonizing the inhabitants, but they needed to be watched and Bruce needed a space to work unhindered.

The second safehouse would be chosen with the same amount of care – somewhere he could watch potential threats.

He brings in supplies in boxes – medicinal and tools and parts for a pc he intended to build. Furniture he would sort out later.

Bruce had no expectation of company. He hadn't told anyone he would be here. But knowing his children, the likelihood that he had gained a shadow along the way was a high one.

He isn't surprised when someone decides to join him, while he worked through getting everything sorted. ]

If you're going to follow me, then you're going to help me.

[ It's almost unsettling how familiar Nova City's skyline is. Gotham architecture wedged in among the familiar surroundings of New York and Metropolis and Central City. Like the AI plucked little bits of city to make something new. Only none of it fit, like puzzle pieces crammed together to make the picture, even though they did not fit.

Bruce didn't bother trying to make sense of it. The AI is a machine. It only knew the information being fed into it and with so many Gotham natives among the population, maybe it made sense to a machine to bring in these little pieces of home. Maybe to remind them what they were fighting for. Or to unnerve them. Bruce hadn't decided which.

As Batman he sits perched high up on the neck of a gargoyle, overlooking the stretch of city in front of him, though his focus remained on a singular target: Arkham. For someone who knew him, it must be a familiar sight. Comforting in the uncertainty of it all. He looks in the direction his guest has landed in and then back at the city, unconcerned. ]

What do you think of this place?

[ In the strange jumble of buildings that make up Nova City, this Tower of Justice stands out in its cold sterility. It drew his eye first, even before he took notice of anything else and when he steps foot into Nova City, Bruce makes it his first stop.

He surveys the grounds before he attempts any kind of approach, looking for security measures – alarms to disable or potentially hazardous traps to disarm. He spies none and has to wonder why they hadn't bothered to secure the place. Maybe the Kryptonian living here really thought very highly of himself.

He's quiet as he travels the corridors and checks the rooms for signs of life. When he discovers the room housing the Kryptonian's ship, he takes a moment to access the files, reviews the footage he finds there. When he's certain there's someone behind him, he speaks up, eyes still fixed on the screen – watching Zod prevent Clark's birth. It makes his jaw tight. ]

If you don't want me in here, you should lock your door.

Edited 2025-07-03 06:02 (UTC)

[God, they really do need to do something about the Tower’s lack of security. Once again, Kirk had sensed a stranger’s scent when he stepped out of his lab. Once again, he had to follow it.

There’s no mistaking what the stranger’s pointy-ear cowl means. Kirk is not used to being on the receiving end of a break-in. But clearly these alternative universe Gothamite vigilantes care about respecting other people’s privacy as much as he does.

He also sees what record the newly arrived Batman had pulled up.

His voice takes on a cold monotone as he lurks in the dark behind Bruce]

It’s rude to come in without knocking. Looking for something?

[Kirk has some ideas on why this Batman is here and none of them put him at ease. But first he wants to assess him]

Edited 2025-07-03 14:05 (UTC)

[ Bruce doesn't acknowledge Kurt anymore beyond the greeting. He replays the footage, rotating it back to the point Zod entered the scene. It's nearly imperceptible, but Bruce could make out the faintest of cuts in the footage. It's been tampered with. Which means, this footage isn't telling him the whole story. He frowns, but powers the console down, since he imagines Kirk is getting antsy about this stranger in his home. He has what he needs regardless.

He turns and takes a moment to consider the cowl and goggles and Kirk's deathly pale skin. Batman is accounted for. Superman is accounted for. ]

There should be at least one more of you.

[ And since he's not looking at an alternate version of himself, he imagines whomever Wonder Woman turns out to be, she is not Diana Prince. ]

[The way this other Batman studied the last Kryptonian file makes Kirk even more antsy. This... human is looking for something and he's not sure if it's good. While Kirk can logically understand why anyone would consider Hernan a serious threat, emotionally Kirk still doesn't like that it keeps happening here]

And why does that matter?

[With how large the Tower is, there isn't much use hiding that there are more than two Justice League members. Kirk still feels protective though. So far, these other Gothamite vigilantes have been annoying at best and violent at worse]

[ it wasn’t necessarily that Bruce thought of them as a threat. He did, but he was only trying to assess how concerned he should be about them.

He had not been assured by what he’d read on the network from Superman. And if this Batman is complicit, then he would need to be watched closely too. ]

Because the Justice League rarely comes in pairs.

[Of course this Batman would be part of his own Justice League. Kirk finds it strange how much his world has in common with the worlds of these alternate vigilantes. Perhaps being too similar is part of why relations have not been the most amicable]

So far you’ve walked into my home without asking, snooped through our files, and now you’re asking questions as if I owe you anything and you’re not the invader.

[And more galling is this isn’t the first time a Gothamite vigilante has done that]

[ Bruce is unmoved. ]

Then lock your door.

[Neither is Kirk]

Why the interest in us?

( damian could have stepped out from the corner he's opted to tuck himself into. he could have gone to offer a hand as bruce carried in multiple boxes, quietly setting up a safehouse he can utilize on the off chance it's necessary. he understands the sentiment: it'd been on his list of tasks to do, too, once he's caught up to what he's apparently gotten behind on. multiple people have come up to him as if they recognize him, telling him he's smaller, younger, different but close enough to the same to be recognizable. and he detests it.

it's partially why he remains in hiding even as his father scuttles about. he knows he's not quite the same, but bruce doesn't fit his expectations either. and it's bruce who has the advantage. damian needs all the information he can gather regarding these - older, more seasoned versions of individuals he knows. he wants to feel less like he's at a disadvantage, as if everyone else knows him better than he knows himself. )

You don't need it.

( comes the response, low and quiet from where he remains crouched low to the ground. his hood is up, covering his face and the massive amount of bruising he'd collected during his fight with - todd. the younger one. at least he is as lost as damian feels. )

[ Nightwing is close, leaning in the shadow of the same gargoyle, and he doesn't need to look over to know that they're both looking at the same target, even if the question sounds more less specific. He's picked up a lot of information about this place from Barbara, more from Damian before he was suddenly younger, and more again from the notes that he left behind. Some of it would have been difficult to believe if it wasn't coming from two people who he trusts implicitly, and it does somewhat color his perception of an otherwise fairly innocuous cityscape. ]

I think it looks right, but it feels... disjointed. Too empty. Too quiet.

[ Clearly most of the effort went into the facade and very little into the actual function, which makes sense given how and why this is all here, at least to their understanding.

And of all the locations they could have lifted straight out of Gotham, Arkham is far from the one he would have chosen. Even if the building itself was completely empty, which he knows it isn't, it has far too much history tied up with it, and none of it is pleasant. But it's here now, they just have to deal with it.

It could always be worse. ]

It makes for a different kind of patrol, that's for sure.

A question I'm sure you already know the answer to.

[ He doesn't doubt Kirk's been interested enough in Bruce's family to look into them, even if he hadn't been bold enough to sneak into any of the properties here. ]

[Give him enough time and resources though...]

Seems you all have a problem when it comes to sharing territory.

[ The space Bruce selected isn't very large – an empty room with a row of counters lining a far wall and cabinets above them. And with so much empty space left, there'd be plenty of room for a few pieces of furniture. A small desk and chairs. A bed if he felt inclined enough to squeeze a mattress in here. From the window, he could see the Tower of Justice and near it, Arkham. A perfect vantage point so he could keep close watch on both places and a staging ground to act from if they needed to.

He continues sorting his items, aware Damian's not come out from where he is stashed himself away. From the sound of his voice, he's to Bruce's left, near the only other entrance to this place, besides the door to his right and a bit behind him. If he looks up, he'd be able to see him. But he doesn't. Not until he grabs a box of gauze and bandages and gestures for Damian to come out of hiding. ]

But I'm not going to let you stand there and watch me work. So help me. Or go home.

[ He offers the box to Damian, and points to the row of cabinets on the wall. ]

Put these away.

[ Is that it? Sharing territory? Bruce didn't feel particularly possessive about Nova City or even any of the places in Etraya. Not like he would have had Kirk dropped into Gotham. As far as Bruce is concerned, this place was not real. It was a crude facsimile of places he knew back home. A gesture to make him feel at ease perhaps, but it really only made being here that much more troubling. ]

There's no reason we cannot coexist.

[ Not really. He's not particularly offended if someone else wears the cowl. He's only ensuring the man underneath it is someone worth trusting. Or at least not actively trying to fight. He closes the distance between them, though there's still space to maneuver if this got violent. ]

So, if you don't want me to perceive you as a threat, then don't be one.

[Kirk stands his ground but he's ready for this to escalate into a fight if needed. He doesn't want it to but these repeated hostile encounters with these alternate Gothamite vigilantes are aggravating]

I'm not the one doing the breaking and entering. Why shouldn't I see you as a threat as well?

[ Hostile? Bruce is being perfectly polite. ]

It would be very foolish if you didn't.

[Welp. At least Kirk knows what to add to his to-do list now. This is exhausting though. It's one thing when it's civilians or the government being suspicious or afraid of him. He's been used to that for years now. It's another when it's a bunch of other Gothamite vigilantes, all of them with a similar motif as him. It feels almost personal]

We haven't done anything since arriving here and yet you and others insist on hostile interactions. That's not much motivation in keeping the peace.

[ If there's anyone Bruce could appreciate having in a place like this? It's Dick. It's easy to fall into old habits when they're together and not fighting. Bruce doesn't feel his isolation so keenly, even if he insists on being alone. And after being displaced, there's nothing Bruce would appreciate more than the comfortable routine of someone he could trust there with them. Dick's a reliable presence and more than anything they could use a reliable presence.

Good luck getting Bruce to admit that though. He keeps his gaze fixed on Arkham, as if he's trying to commit the facade to memory. It's not the one back home, but it feels familiar all the same. Like a memory he's trying to view through a dirty, broken window. Disjointed, like Dick said.

Nova City's sprawling nature makes the quiet of it all feed into that uneasy feeling. It is a city, but it feels like a dead one. And Bruce doesn't think he'll ever feel settled here. Not truly. ]

I've been looking into some of the buildings here. I want to set up a safe house to keep an eye on Arkham.

[ He stands on his perch, sure Dick can see him and he indicates the Tower of Justice. ]

And that place.

You'd know if I were being hostile.

[ For now he is simply investigating a building that had not been locked or secured in anyway. Honestly, could you even call it breaking and entering if he could have just walked through the front door? ]

We're not friends but we don't have to be unfriendly. It seems it's in our best interest to be. Will your Superman cooperate?

[And they say Kirk is the unfriendly creep...]

Depends on what it is. A lot of good will was already squandered after someone tried to do a preemptive strike on him.

[ Kirk is scant on the details, but Bruce could hazard a guess on who might have been the one responsible for a preemptive strike. It puts Bruce at a disadvantage and how he hates that. ]

I don't care if he likes it. I care if he's going to be a problem.

[Behind his red goggles Kirk narrows his red eyes. Not a wonder where Damian gets the abrasive attitude from]

If you would all stop giving him a reason to be a problem then maybe.

[ Bruce thinks back to the footage. Thinks back to Jor-El losing his chance to have his son to the man responsible for his world's destruction and the seemingly cruel man that replaced Clark. They're not the reason Hernan is a problem.

Bruce doesn't say anything else, though he's walking away unsatisfied with this encounter. Of course he didn't expect Kirk to speak for Hernan. Only provide him with a little insight since he wants to avoid a direct confrontation. He had no kryptonite if things got out of hand. Either way, he'd give Barbara a heads up when he's outside. Let her know he's got some information to transmit to her if she needs it. He steps around Kirk without another word, intent on leaving the way he came in.

or maybe he'll just walk out the front door. ]

We're taking over the world (catch all)

@brat

@auderes

@godsandbats

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject