![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[ now that he's singularly focused, the playful carelessness that he usually exhibited gone, he's sharp like a knife, almost ruthlessly. he goes between monsters for the kill rather than the joy of the battle itself, murmuring as he disappears and reappears under the invisible jacket.
occasionally he'll kick a monster Damian's way, or dodge a bit to the side to make him take care of it. ]
occasionally he'll kick a monster Damian's way, or dodge a bit to the side to make him take care of it. ]
[Shortly after their text conversation, the world explodes. It's not until the monsters crawl back through whichever hole they've come from, and Natasha's slept and showered and slept again that she texts back.]
you still there?
offer still stand?
you still there?
offer still stand?
B did? [ said with brows raised, roy meeting damian’s eyes again to make sure he heard that right. Wow, someone fell pretty fucking low. ] Even after the nuke, he still thinks Arkham’s enough to handle people like the Joker?
[ not exactly a new concept, but still a fucking aggravating one. As far as roy’s concerned, the joker should’ve been taken out days, hours, minutes after what happened to jason, but gotham has never been his city, and roy’s vote doesn’t count. ]
Welp, you don’t usually graduate from sidekick without a period of not being on speaking terms. [ as a batkid or an arrowkid, that’s just how it be sometimes. ] So, fuck Batman, and congrats on leaving the kiddie table.
[ not exactly a new concept, but still a fucking aggravating one. As far as roy’s concerned, the joker should’ve been taken out days, hours, minutes after what happened to jason, but gotham has never been his city, and roy’s vote doesn’t count. ]
Welp, you don’t usually graduate from sidekick without a period of not being on speaking terms. [ as a batkid or an arrowkid, that’s just how it be sometimes. ] So, fuck Batman, and congrats on leaving the kiddie table.
[ he stiffens at the word sidekick. ]
Arkham's gone. That was what he threw his first fit over - it being shut down and somewhere better being built. [ he scoffs, clearly annoyed. ] But that's the right attitude.
[ pity roy doesn't agree with him in his own world. a goddamn shame oliver queen had to go and get himself killed by fighting for the wrong cause. ]
Arkham's gone. That was what he threw his first fit over - it being shut down and somewhere better being built. [ he scoffs, clearly annoyed. ] But that's the right attitude.
[ pity roy doesn't agree with him in his own world. a goddamn shame oliver queen had to go and get himself killed by fighting for the wrong cause. ]
[ the word sidekick is an unpleasant feeling for most of these former sidekicks, so he gets it. it's one thing when its a semi-adoptive dad weaponizing you, another when it's the biological one that's supposed to be protecting you at all costs. but, hey, vigilante life is like that. ]
Wait wait, you're saying he got his bat-panties in a twist because someone wanted to improve the holding pen for the criminally insane?
[ if he's understanding 'shut down and somewhere better being built' correctly. makes it sound like your routine civic infrastructure boost, so what's batman's issue? ]
What, was he hoping the asbestos would finish the job on everyone he threw in there?
Wait wait, you're saying he got his bat-panties in a twist because someone wanted to improve the holding pen for the criminally insane?
[ if he's understanding 'shut down and somewhere better being built' correctly. makes it sound like your routine civic infrastructure boost, so what's batman's issue? ]
What, was he hoping the asbestos would finish the job on everyone he threw in there?
No. Far as I can tell, he liked the cycle of throwing them in and them getting out. There can't be a Batman without crime.
[ he scoffs. ]
I watched him use every single file he had on the rest of the League to try to torture them into agreeing that things were fine as they were.
[ he scoffs. ]
I watched him use every single file he had on the rest of the League to try to torture them into agreeing that things were fine as they were.
[ roy snorts, shaking his head. man, the future is a hell of a trip, isn't it? ]
Jesus. God forfuckingbid a rehabilitation system actually work to rehabilitate people.
[ and the boy in him that had his life saved by rehabilitation programs and people is deeply annoyed that bruce only cares about keeping criminals alive so long as he gets to beat them up again. yeah, sure, that's the right way to solve a crime epidemic, makes total sense. asshat. ]
Always knew Bats was a little unhinged, but I never expected he'd go that far. [ said somewhat more somberly, ] Sorry that's all been put on you to handle.
Jesus. God forfuckingbid a rehabilitation system actually work to rehabilitate people.
[ and the boy in him that had his life saved by rehabilitation programs and people is deeply annoyed that bruce only cares about keeping criminals alive so long as he gets to beat them up again. yeah, sure, that's the right way to solve a crime epidemic, makes total sense. asshat. ]
Always knew Bats was a little unhinged, but I never expected he'd go that far. [ said somewhat more somberly, ] Sorry that's all been put on you to handle.
Down, boy. I'm talking about people like Killer Croc, not the ones like Joker.
[ those can just go. he's done way more crime than any kind of rehabilitation can deal with or make up for, and after a nuke? yeah, not all criminals are the same level of hopeless, that part he won't budge on, but he can agree with the rest. ]
So he's back on the murder train now? [ roy leans back, cross his arms over his chest and tilting his head as he regards damian, trying to wrap his brain around this. ] Where's that leave you in all this?
[ those can just go. he's done way more crime than any kind of rehabilitation can deal with or make up for, and after a nuke? yeah, not all criminals are the same level of hopeless, that part he won't budge on, but he can agree with the rest. ]
So he's back on the murder train now? [ roy leans back, cross his arms over his chest and tilting his head as he regards damian, trying to wrap his brain around this. ] Where's that leave you in all this?
[ oh. well. his grandfather took care of that one. ]
In that case, I'm sure you'll be happy to hear he's married to Orca. Don't try to imagine that.
[ just don't. ]
He's not. He's pro-locking everyone who disagrees with him up and spying on them with satellites, "for their own good". [ he knows jason knows, and he also knows jason won't rat him out. ] I'm pro-permanent solutions for unrepentant murderers and shoving the rest of them where they can't hurt anyone. So's Superman.
In that case, I'm sure you'll be happy to hear he's married to Orca. Don't try to imagine that.
[ just don't. ]
He's not. He's pro-locking everyone who disagrees with him up and spying on them with satellites, "for their own good". [ he knows jason knows, and he also knows jason won't rat him out. ] I'm pro-permanent solutions for unrepentant murderers and shoving the rest of them where they can't hurt anyone. So's Superman.
Edited (broke my html) 2020-09-03 08:16 (UTC)
[ yeah fuck this monster and the ugly break in reality it road in on. he leaves them scorched husks, all fire and fury. the sword jason gave him makes clean work of them.
he's an idiot. he knows.
he should've made sure jason held onto this. he clearly needed it more. ]
he's an idiot. he knows.
he should've made sure jason held onto this. he clearly needed it more. ]
[ they traded swords and rings in a back alley during the chaos, but even a weapon didn't seem to save Jason. though Loki can guess where this stems, he's fueled purely on rage and hurt as he leaves monster corpses behind him. for all of his prissiness, he doesn't seem to mind being covered in blood at this moment.
it seems like a long time until they get to the hospital where Gene had given him the location pin, but they make it, all better for the wear. ]
it seems like a long time until they get to the hospital where Gene had given him the location pin, but they make it, all better for the wear. ]
[There's no reply to his last text. At 19:58, exactly, Natasha wanders up to the location of the dropped pin. She's dressed for sparring in loose and easy clothes, a pair of fingerless gloves tugged onto her hands to mitigate the empathy bond.
There's nothing impatient about her, but there's certainly something wary to the cut of her shoulders.]
There's nothing impatient about her, but there's certainly something wary to the cut of her shoulders.]
Page 86 of 88