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[batricide]

@hafid.alghul| ■ ▲ ◌ ▼

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[reneger]

If you wanna make a team, it's your call. But I'm not gonna be responsible for them.

( he doesn't want that. doesn't want the guilt of failing them, of being the piece of shit who couldn't protect people he was supposed to. )

I won't get involved with it.

[batricide]

I don't need you to be responsible for my team, Todd. [ he snaps, bristling. like jason maybe just insinuated that he's not competent enough to run it even if no such thing was said or even thought. but he's a little older, a little wiser - at least wise enough to realize when someone maybe isn't really about his shortcomings.

Maybe.

but that maybe... sounds like there's something else there.

hm.

aw, hell. ]

What happened?

[reneger]

( he gets what damian's asking even if he doesn't like it. damian's onto something, and it's something that jason doesn't want to share just yet. his big old mistake. )

I don't like teams. You should know that--despite whatever discrepancies there are in our universes.

[batricide]

You killed Amanada Waller and took her Suicide Squad in my universe.

[reneger]

That's not a team. That's a bunch of assholes I can use.

[batricide]

Isn't that the definition of a team?

[reneger]

No. Teams are people you work together with. People you trust to have your back, whose backs you'll watch over.

( god, damian. how are you this dark. )

Teams are friends. People you use are just that.

[batricide]

Teams are little more than coworkers. You don't have to be friends with them, you just have to work well together to accomplish your goal.

[reneger]

If I'm gonna work beside someone, you'd better be damn sure I trust them not to fuck shit up. That I know if shit goes south they'll have my back. That's a team. Coworkers, whatever you wanna call them.

( tbh he's not all too happy about possibly being responsible for the deaths of whoever the hell damian wants to drag in, but. )

There's respect between coworkers. An' I'm not gonna let anyone I don't respect fight with me.

[batricide]

[ i don't respect anyone but MYSELF. well, that's a lie. he'd call one of the justice league a friend. two are family. the rest are annoying, but trustworthy enough. enough that he'd care to keep them alive. ]

Hence why anyone I would recruit would have to pass rigorous testing. I'm not a novice at this. I've been at it longer than you have at this point.

[reneger]

Then I'll leave it up to you.

( with a hand raising to wave to the bartender. do they usually come over here? probably not. but he's determined. )

Just don't kill anyone yet.

[batricide]

Tt.

[ What do you take him for? A chump? He's got this. ]

[reneger]

( a child, more like. but whatever. jason waits for the bartender to come over, leans in close and orders an "AMF" along with another two shots of whisky. and once that guy's gone, his attention turns back fully to damian himself, lips pursed. )

How steady are your fingers?

[batricide]

What?

[ What kind of question is THAT i am ROCK STEADY good sir ]

Steady. Why.

[reneger]

Wanna cut me open, figure out what the hell the blue glow in our chests is?

( you know. just a casual little mauling. no big deal. absolutely nothing to it. )

[batricide]

Were you not just speaking about how dangerous it is to trust people.

[ I mean yes, but. ]

I don't think it's surface level. We'd need a clean space and anesthesia.

[reneger]

I trust you. That's why I'm asking this here, to you, instead of some random as fuck asshole doctor.

( there's a wave of a hand, idle. is jason stressing over it? yes. but it's better this way than the other way around. )

I'll find a clean space. But we won't need anesthesia. ( like he trusts damian but maybe doesn't trust himself to be unconscious. )

[batricide]

[ There's a brief look of surprise at that. ]

Jason [ his voice maybe loses some of that biting edge, a little more concern. what if he thrashes? what if he bleeds out? he's already accidentally killed one brother. ] we don't know how deep that goes. That's a bad idea.

[reneger]

( there's a pause when jason goes silent, watches the bartender comes back and slides the very, very blue drink over towards damian and takes the glass of whisky.

uses whatever credits he's managed to get to pay for both. )

So we'll get someone strong enough to hold me down. No big deal. You know what you're doing, right?

[batricide]

I know what I'm doing but there's only so much the human body can take before it goes into shock. [ He stares down at the drink, jaw tightening. he could probably do it. he's definitely had the time and the experience... and had procedures far worse done to himself.

he rakes his fingers through his too short hair and lets out a sigh through his nose, taking the drink. ]

You're an idiot.

[reneger]

And you know what you're doing, don't you? You know how hard you can push before it becomes too much. Hell, even with multiversal differences--you know my body better than anyone else here.

( that sounds a little weird, but damian gets it. )

You know what I can and can't take. I wouldn't trust anyone else to cut into me, and I sure as hell don't trust myself to try it the other way around.

[batricide]

[ He rubs his temples, taking a sip of the drink (actually tolerable, what the hell is this mix?) and considers. ]

Fine. But we do this on my terms. You'll need to be well restrained and the environment will need to be pristine. The last thing we need is a foreign infection we might not be capable of treating to present itself, or for you to cause a mess. [ He stares into the glass, momentarily angry and annoyed that all of his actual resources are so far out of reach. ] And I don't need to be the only Robin left standing again.

[reneger]

( yes good, drink it. damian's smart enough to sip at it which is. great. jason's proud. )

I'll find a good place. Already got the restraint figured out, probably. And I'm not gonna die, D. ( with one of his legs scooting over on the booth, nudging against a thigh. ) If it's too deep to get to safely, stop. I know you will. Family, and all.

[batricide]

[ He's quiet. No sharp retort, no stomping on Jason's foot for getting too close.]

... I'm not that great at keeping family alive.

[reneger]

It took a crowbar, several hours of beatings, and an explosion to kill me off the first time, y'know.

( he's tough, is what he's getting at. )

I'm not going to die. Especially not on your watch.