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[batricide]

@hafid.alghul| ■ ▲ ◌ ▼

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[fledges]

Everyone needs friends, Hafid.

[batricide]

[ He lets out an annoyed huff. ]

Then I'm not everyone. I'm not wired for friends, people just get in my way.

[fledges]

Get in your way how, exactly?

[batricide]

[ Damian shrugs. ]

They think the familiarity gives them more leeway than it does. They get cocky. They don't listen. Then they get dead.

[fledges]

[Kate hums softly at that, spinning her glass between her hands on the table.]

I've lost people too, you know. That doesn't make getting close to others less worthwhile.

[batricide]

This isn't about losing people, this is about people losing their objectivity when emotions get involved.

[fledges]

No one can be objective all the time. Don't you get lonely? Be honest.

[batricide]

[ . . . ]

What exactly are you looking for, Bishop?

[fledges]

[She sighs.]

I'm just trying to figure out where you're coming from.

[batricide]

[ He pinches the bridge of his nose. Give him a minute. ]

I don't need friends. I don't have friends. People don't tend to like me, and I don't tend to like them. It doesn't matter so long as they listen.

[fledges]

[Kate props her chin up on her hand.]

I like you.

[batricide]

You don't know me.

[fledges]

What else do you think I need to know?

[batricide]

[ He crosses his arms. ]

You don't even know my actual name.

[fledges]

[She smiles at that.]

Isn't that kind of a normal thing in our line of work? Are you gonna tell me?

[batricide]

No.

[ Can you really call it normal? Hiding it from even your allies? People you're supposed to be trusting and bringing into the fold? ]

I have a body count higher than some small countries.

[fledges]

[Spider-Man sure does. And speaking of spider-themed heroes...]

So do about half the people I've worked with. Are you proud of it?

[batricide]

What if I am?

[fledges]

I think you're trying to scare me off.

[Is this a Thing in their family?]

[batricide]

I'm not.

[fledges]

Okay. Why are you proud of it, then?

[batricide]

Because it means I survived. And I survived by not having friends, and bring the best.

[fledges]

[Kate narrows her eyes at that, but she doesn't say the obvious—that there's no way he's the best in his world at everything, and that she certainly proved that he's not the best at marksmanship, at the very least. She thinks he probably survived in spite of not having friends, but... Whatever.]

Okay.

[Why not!]

But you didn't answer my question before.

[batricide]

Remind me.

[fledges]

I asked you if you ever get lonely.