![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[ ... ]
This isn't a conversation to have here.
[ Or one he can let sit. He needs to get out anyway - given the fight with his brothers, and the party in his room. He wants distance, and he's not good at just dropping something. ]
Find somewhere we won't be overheard.
This isn't a conversation to have here.
[ Or one he can let sit. He needs to get out anyway - given the fight with his brothers, and the party in his room. He wants distance, and he's not good at just dropping something. ]
Find somewhere we won't be overheard.
[Proper reaction from a Keith who is actually sick right now: I'm sick. I can't.
Actual reaction:]
I'll put on all that stupid snow gear and we can take a walk. It's not like anyone's outside anyway.
Actual reaction:]
I'll put on all that stupid snow gear and we can take a walk. It's not like anyone's outside anyway.
[ Fine, whatever, fine.
On the plus side - Damian's body temperature is higher than most peoples, thanks to his fire powers. It insulates him from the cold and makes the frosty little storage closet a few degrees warmer than it is outside. He's there before Stephen, looking pissier than he usually does. Which is honestly a fucking feat. ]
On the plus side - Damian's body temperature is higher than most peoples, thanks to his fire powers. It insulates him from the cold and makes the frosty little storage closet a few degrees warmer than it is outside. He's there before Stephen, looking pissier than he usually does. Which is honestly a fucking feat. ]
[ it's fine, he's expecting it. isn't expecting the small raise in temperature in here but that's at least a plus. the cool air swoops in with him, whisks out some of the newly generated warmth, but it'll soon settle again.
more importantly, to business. he wears an expression that makes none of his usual concessions to Hafid's moods. ]
I understand that you'd rather not talk about this now. But you understand that it's necessary. [ or he wouldn't be here. ] Thank you for coming.
more importantly, to business. he wears an expression that makes none of his usual concessions to Hafid's moods. ]
I understand that you'd rather not talk about this now. But you understand that it's necessary. [ or he wouldn't be here. ] Thank you for coming.
[ He makes a low, annoyed sound in his throat.
Might as well barrel into it. ]
I can't speak to the details of her fascination. I only know what I've heard, and what I've experienced. She's after my brothers and I because we pulled one over on her. [ 'we' not jason, pulling ownership over all of them. ] She sent men after us to attack us, put us in our place, and we bested them - now she bets on my fights and sends her goons after me. I've been trying to work my way in closer to find out what she actually knows, but...
[ He blew that, but he couldn't have done it if it meant that he'd give over any sign he'd hurt his brothers to do it. ]
This is my problem. Happy?
Might as well barrel into it. ]
I can't speak to the details of her fascination. I only know what I've heard, and what I've experienced. She's after my brothers and I because we pulled one over on her. [ 'we' not jason, pulling ownership over all of them. ] She sent men after us to attack us, put us in our place, and we bested them - now she bets on my fights and sends her goons after me. I've been trying to work my way in closer to find out what she actually knows, but...
[ He blew that, but he couldn't have done it if it meant that he'd give over any sign he'd hurt his brothers to do it. ]
This is my problem. Happy?
[If it were anyone else, Keith might not look sick. But Damian's been trained to observe, so there are the little signs: the area underneath his nose is dried up. His eyes are a little bloodshot. He looks tired. And it's not because he's hungover, because this is Keith.
He falls into step beside Damian, swallowing down some of the sickness. The cold makes his body ache.
But he'll be fine.
Maybe he'll even adapt.]
Let's get moving.
He falls into step beside Damian, swallowing down some of the sickness. The cold makes his body ache.
But he'll be fine.
Maybe he'll even adapt.]
Let's get moving.
[ yes, actually. no, this really isn't good news for Hafid - Damian... that's another question to ask - and his brothers, but it takes some of the weight off the immediate scope of the problem. ]
So her knowledge of you and your brothers came from an exercising of her resources. [ it's not a question, rather a statement of probability. and then, to Damian proper: ] She didn't know your real name. I'm not unhappy.
[ things are dangerous, but it's not as bad as it could be. maeda isn't imbued with infinite knowledge, whatever her involvement it doesn't run as deep as he initially feared it might. ]
So her knowledge of you and your brothers came from an exercising of her resources. [ it's not a question, rather a statement of probability. and then, to Damian proper: ] She didn't know your real name. I'm not unhappy.
[ things are dangerous, but it's not as bad as it could be. maeda isn't imbued with infinite knowledge, whatever her involvement it doesn't run as deep as he initially feared it might. ]
[ There's that, at least - he should've seen if she knew his codename. The name Damian Wayne had ceased to mean anything in his own world. He was Nightwing before he was a person. ]
... There's no way she could have known who the old man was to me without knowing something about who I am.
[ Some of the aggression eases off. He's not giving innate details of the encounter and her issues with them, that isn't fair to his siblings, and he's not sure he wants to deal with Stephen knowing why he'd gone for the dog as a final Fuck You. ]
Names mean a lot less than people think they do.
... There's no way she could have known who the old man was to me without knowing something about who I am.
[ Some of the aggression eases off. He's not giving innate details of the encounter and her issues with them, that isn't fair to his siblings, and he's not sure he wants to deal with Stephen knowing why he'd gone for the dog as a final Fuck You. ]
Names mean a lot less than people think they do.
They mean enough to let us know she doesn't have everything. She didn't have yours, she didn't have mine. You have two brothers she's aware of and she's insanely rich. If there was ever any even slightly publicly accessible sign of a tie between him and any of them, she would've found it, and then she knows he's linked to you.
[ if there wasn't, then we need to start assessing the ins and outs of what she might know and how. but even that isn't as worrying as it could be. there are ways. none of them simple, but they have options. ]
[ if there wasn't, then we need to start assessing the ins and outs of what she might know and how. but even that isn't as worrying as it could be. there are ways. none of them simple, but they have options. ]
Edited 2019-05-02 09:16 (UTC)
There was none.
[ Damian takes in a breath. Lets it out. ]
Pretty sure he didn't even leave the safehouse. Matches and Dick aren't exactly going around talking about him. He didn't use his name as his ID, either.
[ ... ]
I should have kept pressing her. This could've lead to something. [ He shoves his hands through his hair, frustration clear on his face. That, and regret. ] I'm sorry.
[ Damian takes in a breath. Lets it out. ]
Pretty sure he didn't even leave the safehouse. Matches and Dick aren't exactly going around talking about him. He didn't use his name as his ID, either.
[ ... ]
I should have kept pressing her. This could've lead to something. [ He shoves his hands through his hair, frustration clear on his face. That, and regret. ] I'm sorry.
No. If you hadn't got out I would've pulled you out.
[ so don't apologise, don't dwell on it. they already came away with more than he had any idea they would.
but "don't apologise" is never going to be worth much alone. so he quantifies. ]
Besides, you got plenty. And you gave me time to get what I could.
She doesn't fully understand who or what we are. Knows of the word displaced but doesn't understand its meaning, knows yourself and your brothers and your father but not me, and I didn't hear any other names she immediately associates with us as a group.
It's possible we have or had a leak in the safehouse. Sentiments around us weren't good for a while. Maybe a Morningstar representative or one of the refugees created by the UNA raids picked up a little extra money on the side - if you knew he was here, he must've had some identifying conversations with you or the others. All it would've taken was someone inside primed to keep an eye on the three of you.
If it's more than that, we'll find out. But if whatever it is that we don't know hasn't come back to bite us yet, I don't believe it's an immediate danger to anyone other than you and your brothers. What we have now is a focus for our efforts. It's certainly more of a lead than I had before.
[ so don't apologise, don't dwell on it. they already came away with more than he had any idea they would.
but "don't apologise" is never going to be worth much alone. so he quantifies. ]
Besides, you got plenty. And you gave me time to get what I could.
She doesn't fully understand who or what we are. Knows of the word displaced but doesn't understand its meaning, knows yourself and your brothers and your father but not me, and I didn't hear any other names she immediately associates with us as a group.
It's possible we have or had a leak in the safehouse. Sentiments around us weren't good for a while. Maybe a Morningstar representative or one of the refugees created by the UNA raids picked up a little extra money on the side - if you knew he was here, he must've had some identifying conversations with you or the others. All it would've taken was someone inside primed to keep an eye on the three of you.
If it's more than that, we'll find out. But if whatever it is that we don't know hasn't come back to bite us yet, I don't believe it's an immediate danger to anyone other than you and your brothers. What we have now is a focus for our efforts. It's certainly more of a lead than I had before.
Page 46 of 88