You don't know how you got here; you just know you want out.

[chiroptophobic]

WHO: Batman, Bruce Wayne and an all star cast (will be OTA threads, but if you want something in particular pm me)
WHERE: Heropa would be my guess
WHEN: All month
WHAT: There's a lot to adjust to, introspection to be done, sparring, explanations and a man who has never thought about being a father suddenly having way too much responsibility. It's going to be a rollercoaster.
WARNINGS: V...violence? That would be my guess. And brooding.

Threads to follow, including open to all!

Comments

[slingshots]

[ After she catches her footing on the branch of her choice, she goes still. There are no telltale whispers of noise, no scrape of boot agains branch or brush of cloth. She bites her lip, waiting, tensed but unsure of herself. Will he attack? Does he have something planned? Should she make a move? But what kind of move?

The moment drags on, and she's sure that her advantage of the flash is rapidly fading away. Finally she speaks, her voice sounding high and disruptive to her own ears in the silence of the arena. ]

You... want a spar, or what?

[ She doesn't like that she has to ask, it throws off the rhythm entirely. What kind of Robin can't seamlessly interpret Batman's moves and go along with it? But this is new ground to her, and she doesn't like the uncertainty of it. ]

[chiroptophobic]

[ He waits for only a moment longer, letting the ringing question hang in midair, and then there's a chink of metal on wood as the grapple violently releases, and the whoosh of the line as it returns back to the launcher. His own flash pellet goes back into the belt at his waist, the one piece of his costume he'd deliberately worn.

Bruce visibly disengages in the darkness below, takes a single breath to expel some of the battleready tension in his muscles, then raises his eyes back up to the canopy as at last the fog behind them clears. He still can't see Carrie, but he knows she's there. ]

How about an appraisal? You can come down.

[slingshots]

[ That feels like failure — she hasn't lived up to some expectation, so the game is over. She hesitates a second or two, then leaps into open air. She lands lightly, straightens from a partial crouch, and stands at the ready. Like a soldier awaiting orders. Or a chewing out, as the case may be. Either way, she's silent and readied. ]

[chiroptophobic]

[ If Bruce knows that she's disappointed he doesn't show it. Instead he checks her over to make sure none of his traps have caused her any harm. The thin light from the candle reaches them well in this part of the clearing, and his eyes have finished readapting to the light by the time he speaks. ]

I didn't understand before. I was taught how to care for myself, to disappear as though part of the darkest shadow, to use my surroundings, my mind, as well as my body. But I was also taught how to fight; eye to eye, fist to fist, blade to blade.

Most importantly I learned to use distraction to build an advantage. That's what you are, isn't it? You're the distraction--you're the flash pellet. ...When I had become too slow to move too quickly enough to not be seen.

[slingshots]

[ Save for a few scrapes and bruises, which are mostly indistinguishable in the darkness and around her clothes, she's unharmed. But as she listen her posture shifts a little, less ramrod straight. That's right. She'd forgotten again. Obviously this is not the same Bruce, obviously he's from a different world with different memories... but he's different, too. It's hard to keep that in mind, especially in the wake of an exercise like this one.

She nods, though there's the crease of a frown in it. ]

More'n that, too.

[ Not that she contests being a distraction. What else is the bright yellow cape for? Still, she has her pride in her usefulness to stick up for, here. But how do you define your whole purpose in a couple words? ]

Robin's the... the backup. Batman's got a plan, so Robin takes care of all the extra details on it. [ And sometimes it's Robin with the plan instead... but she'd rather have that discovered for himself than explained. She cocks her head, trying to see if he's got it, or she's done a terrible job with words. ] Anywhere the boss needed an extra hand, I had two.

[chiroptophobic]

[ Bruce processes the extra information quickly. Backup, not take down. He'd been able to work out the distraction element from the pursuit, he'd known there was a problem-solving element of it from when Carrie had followed him down by the beach. But he's still new to the idea of a partner, and it's a lot to process at once. Or rather, it's been a lot to process. He's had time to work through it.

At the bottom of it all, though, standing pro to con with 'I work alone', is one very simple fact: if he'd had a partner when he'd been taking on the Joker, someone to follow Harvey, what had happened to him might have been prevented. And before that--maybe with a partner, he'd have been able to save Rachel, too.

Anywhere he "needed an extra hand." ]

I can adapt to that, though it seems obvious to me that this can't be the last test. [ He had to know how she performed with research, first aid, urban reconnaissance. But maybe he could discover that in time. ]

If you're going to manage any of this with any independence, you'll have to learn how to perform a takedown on your own. I have a few ideas for how you can do that without losing your distance.

[slingshots]

[ Of course she expects tests, that's not news to her — but she definitely perks with interest at the idea of a takedown with distance. That's the kind of thing the boss never taught her much about. Not after Todd's empty suit displayed in that silent glass case in the cave. ]

Yeah? [ Brightly, enthusiasm restored. ] So lay it on me, what's the ideas?

[chiroptophobic]

[ He removes his grapple gun from his belt, stepping in toward her with the grip turned in her direction. ]

I'll have to put my mind to some of the others--I'm thinking some sort of magnetic net, but maybe there's a way to use your slingshot as a launcher. Of course we'll have to find a way to get hold of carbon monofilament cable, but we're in the right place for salvage tech.

[ Bruce could innovate with the best of them, but he tended to leave invention to other people, and instead adapt the technology he found to suit his plans. If they could find the cable in sufficient lengths, Bruce was certain that he could build an explosive projectile that would wrap unbreakable cable around an assailant and with some luck, snap closed with strong magnets thereafter. ]

Do you know how to use this?

[slingshots]

[ A magnetic net? That sounds awesome. Her eyes go bright, even if she doesn't actually voice the enthusiasm, and she steps forward to reach for that proffered grapple gun. ]

Sure. Got my own, too. [ Not quite like this one, though. This one is good, but a little... old. She looks over it curiously, noting similarities and differences. ] Figure like I can keep an eye out for stray tech — couldn't pay me to do summer school, so I got the time.

[chiroptophobic]

[ An extra eye being kept out for 'stray' technology is more than appreciated. Even if he doesn't pick up the cowl again, Bruce knows he'll need to be surrounded by technology just to feel safe. While he'd already set up a certain amount of pressure pads and switches and recording devices around his residence, so far most of it had been salvaged from his suit--he'd have to replace them. ]

You'll need to manage your time better than that. You should be able to hold your own against an assailant like me in straight up combat, too. Sometimes you won't be able to run. I'll teach you as much as I can.

Now show me. [ A nod toward the grapple gun, and he stepped back. ]

[slingshots]

Kidding. [ She glances up at him from the grappling gun, a small smile in place. ] Place like this, with superpowers all over and the government playing friendly? Gonna need loads more training. Wouldn't have time for school anyway.

[ She doesn't say it like it'll be a chore, though. She sounds outright excited about the prospect. And on that note she fires off the grappling hook to let it catch in the trees above. She takes an instant to test her weight on it, then hits the retraction and zooms up and out of sight. The thing runs pretty good for an older model. ]