inbox (etraya)

[theknightshift]

UN: Bruce T. Wayne ceo | UN: Batman
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text; un: j

[copsormasks]

We should talk.

[Attached is a ping of his location.]

[theknightshift]

Should I be concerned?

[ he’s still making his way to Jason’s location ]

[copsormasks]

Not unless you plan to attack me.

[theknightshift]

I’m on my way.

action

[copsormasks]

[Jason has a fire going and he's sitting on the ground next to his makeshift firepit, cooking some hot dogs on the end of a prong. He listens for any sign of an approach until he recognizes the sound of footfalls.]

Figured you might be hungry.

[Jason's face is still a big bruise, but it's not nearly as severe. His posture, too is more relaxed and perhaps this time in the woods alone has helped him calm down.]

[theknightshift]

[ bruce honestly wasn’t entirely sure who would be waiting for him when he got the ping for Jason’s location. The appeal to get him out here didn’t seem hostile, but when it came to Jason, that didn’t seem to matter much. It made deciding how he would approach this situation a little more complicated than perhaps any other time.

Its a risk coming here unarmed, but he does (save for the batarang in his pocket. If his guess is correct he won’t need it. If it isn’t, he’ll only need the one). And he approaches Jason directly, not as Batman. But as Bruce Wayne. ]

Thanks. How long have you been out here?

[ he knows how long, but figures this would help break the ice. ]

[copsormasks]

About four days. [Jason flicks his gaze over to Bruce before returning to the hot dogs, which he's deemed are cooked. He busies himself with putting them in buns and then holding out one of the dogs to Bruce.

His Bruce would never eat a hot dog, much less one cooked over a fire like this. So Jason watches, silently testing how close this Bruce is to his.]

[theknightshift]

[ hot dogs aren’t his favorite but he’s not above eating them. Especially if it helps put Jason at ease. He takes the bun and sits down to bite into it with an appreciative hum. ]

Looks like the outdoors have been kind to you.

[copsormasks]

[Jason releases a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding when Bruce bites down. Okay, so maybe he's not so stuffy as his Bruce.]

Whole lot better than the city.

[Jason puts his hot dog in a bun and starts chewing. Not bad. He swallows down his bite before considering how best to approach the subject of the belfry.]

Look, I didn't have a good relationship with my Bruce. I was hurt and he didn't fucking bother to fly back from Spain or wherever to make sure I was okay. I started to have nightmares and he fired me.

[Which is to say,] I don't trust you and I don't trust the belfry. If you guys could back the fuck up, life would be a lot easier.

[theknightshift]

[ He can sense the tension ease from Jason at something as simple as biting into a hotdog. The relationship could be difficult; Bruce isn't a stranger to that. But it makes him wonder what happened to make the relationship fall apart so quickly.

The bits Jason's been willing to reveal helps piece the picture together, but there are still so many empty spots. ]

If you want your space, I won't object. My door is open if you ever need me for anything. But, I do object to disregarding your health.

[ He gestures to the bruises on Jason's face. ]

I don't care what started the fight. All I will ask from you is that you do not ignore serious injuries like that again.

[copsormasks]

[Jason watches Bruce but then rolls his eyes at what he sees as false concern for his health.]

Oh like you give a shit. Missing your jet here? Can't run away, can you.

[Nevermind that Jason went off on his own with a fucked up nose and a concussion.]

[theknightshift]

[ Bruce lowers his half finished hotdog and gives Jason a look. He isn't angry. Just slightly annoyed and a little frustrated. ]

You need to stop blaming me for what he's done, Jason.

[copsormasks]

[Jason clenches his teeth as he regards Bruce.]

What makes you any different?

action.

[brat]

( bruce was out and about. doing what, damian had observed but deemed it relatively unimportant in the moment given his own intentions, so he had watched. waited for the perfect moment, the perfect opportunity to leap from his own hiding place straight down onto batman himself. he could have been polite, offered a warning noise, any indication that damian had been coming for him, but batman should always be prepared for anything, and if he manages to get surprised by a robin leaping down from above him to attempt to throw their weight onto the back of his shoulders and knock him off balance - well. that sounds like an issue batman needs to resolve sooner rather than later, which clearly means this attack is just here to ensure the man prepares himself. )

[theknightshift]

[ Bruce has been on high alert since he got here. Not that that's anything new or novel or different, but there's something about being plucked up out of his life and plopped down again without even a hint of a warning that sharpens his awareness. So when Damian is drops from what feels like nowhere, Bruce isn't caught off guard. He shifts instinctively the second he feels Damian's weight hit him, compensating for the sudden impact and countering Damian's momentum before it could tip him forward. ]

Too slow, Robin.

[brat]

( bruce shifts his weight, and the lack of him stumbling is as good of a sign as any that damian isn't knocking him off balance. it's alright. there are multiple ways to hinder someone regardless of if his first tactic failed, so damian moves on to the second.

one arm wraps around bruce's shoulder, fingertips gripping onto the batsuit to support his weight while legs wrap around the man's waist, holding himself upright while he reaches for a small blade with his spare hand - not to use it against bruce, but simply so he can attempt to press it to the curve of the man's jawline where the cowl doesn't quite protect skin. )

Yet I am still significantly faster than you.

( mostly because he isn't carrying around a heavy suit of armor nor is he two hundred pounds of pure muscle, so he does have that going for him. )

[theknightshift]

[ It's true. It's so damn true and Bruce wonders would Sam Kristof still be alive if it had been Damian chasing him in that tunnel instead of Bruce. He would have reached him. He would have stopped whoever it was that had gotten to Sam first.

It's not a thought he lets linger too long. Not when he has a gremlin climbing on his shoulders.

He lets Damian press the knife against his jaw. Lets him think he's gained the upper hand, until Bruce reaches for Damian's wrist, and yanks him forward, aiming to drag him clean over his shoulder. ]

[brat]

( it's play fighting, not anything serious. bruce drags damian over his shoulder, and damian gives an oof as he lets himself go slack. it's less trust, and more - he knows how to land without causing too much injury to himself when it comes down to it. if bruce opts to throw him to the ground, damian isn't going to end up with anything too hurt. if he's opting to throw him forward and catch him in the same breath - he has a slack damian to wrangle however he pleases. )

[theknightshift]

[ he doesn't wrangle Damian so much as he gets him into position to be dropped safely to the ground. ]

Did you get that out of your system?

[brat]

( a truly wise decision, given how without bruce trying to wrangle him, damian is at a loss for excuses to further attack his father. he drops down onto his feet easily enough, and - contemplates twisting around to try throwing bruce to the floor once more, but he isn't dick grayson, and damian has get to discern where his limitations lie when it comes to playfighting with him. )

No. But I will allow you continue on your way, for now.

( while damian instead drops his hands to the ground behind him and does a backwards cartwheel in the direction bruce had been going. he's feeling slightly less out of place, now. and batman benefits by gaining a shadow. )

[theknightshift]

[ The thing is, drop Robins only work when the victim is unsuspecting. And Bruce? Paranoid enough to think someone's always about to fall out of the sky and land on his back. That the culprit this time is Damian doesn't change that. He knows his kid well enough to expect a second strike. Or third. Or an ambush.

It doesn't matter. It wouldn't work. Bruce never drops his guard. ]

Allow me? How very generous.

[brat]

( he considers, briefly, if he should make an attempt at stopping his father from continuing on his way. less out of a desire to do so and more out of a need to prove the snarky how very generous comment to be correct: damian is well-trained, he should at minimum be able to delay the man in front of him, if not prove himself to be a worthy adversary. he has spent his entire life proving himself, fighting at every turn, to continue to be a son talia al ghul could be proud of.

but as quickly as the thought occurs to him, he dismisses it. fighting at every turn just to show he is worth another's attention has not proved to be effective within the wayne household, and he's learning to work around years of league training. even if he feels as if some of his efforts have proven to be futile.

instead, damian rights himself. stays facing bruce as one corner of his mouth twitches up into a little half-grin. it's not quite as confident as damian would prefer it to be, but - he's trying. )

I am significantly more agile. Give it a few years, and I am certain I could overtake you.

[theknightshift]

[ He can't help but give the kid a look. The Sangraal had done more than fix the knee. Fixed more than that. Faster reflexes. Sharper focus. He moved faster. Thought faster. Like he'd de-aged 5 years in 11 hours. He's agile, could move like a younger man again. But all of this required more treatments and he doubted Etraya would be generous enough to slip him a few vials of the stuff to keep the edge.

So Damian isn't wrong. He just didn't need a few years. He needed a bit more confidence. That little smile of his almost pulls one out of Bruce. Almost. ]

Try right now.

[ He points in the distance, across Nova City's skyline toward Big Belly Burger. ]

I've set up another safe house over there. Beat me to it.

[ It'd give them a chance to get to know one another again. And for Bruce to test the limits of this Sangraal now that he's been cut off from it. ]

[brat]

( the smile fades into confusion when bruce tells him to try it now because he knows his own capabilities well, just as he's well-aware he's nowhere near capable of hindering grayson, let alone his father. but a challenge has been issued, and damian knows better than to turn it down. there's a jerk of his head that's meant to be a nod of sorts, and damian turns to look in the direction bruce pointed. )

Alright.

( confirmation more than anything else, because the challenge has been issued and damian's taking off at a quick pace in the direction of big belly burger. he's not quite certain which safehouse his father is referring to, but he has time to figure it out - and if it comes down it, it's not as if he can't wait for bruce to direct him toward it before shoving the man over to beat him to it. )

[theknightshift]

[ Damian not knowing where the safehouse is exactly is the only advantage Bruce will allow himself. It's a lesson in deduction. And in learning how his father thinks. He's a smart kid. Bruce has no doubt Damian will piece it together without much trouble.

There's no signal, no warning that the race is starting. Bruce just moves - a sprint and running leap off the building. He fires his grappling line with a snap toward the next rooftop, momentum carrying him forward without stopping. He lands hard, tucking into a roll, and comes up already running toward the edge. Another leap. Another line. Another rooftop.

Keep up, Damian. ]