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Who: Dick Grayson/Nightwing

forceforlight and YOU!
What: April catch all
When: During April
Where: Rooftops around the city; a park
Content Warnings: Updated as needed

He knows better than to complain, especially after the past few months in Blüdhaven. It's been a long time since he's had a quiet, even after coming to this world.

Which is why Nightwing sits on the edge of a high rooftop, a bag of bagels on the rooftop behind him and a cup of coffee warming his hands. After all, early spring isn't any warmer in Michigan than it is in New Jersey.

"I'm going to jinx myself if I say it," he says to whomever shows up, without looking their direction. He's just really used to listening for people coming up behind him. "But, damn, it's quiet."

The name "circusbrat" wasn't taken on TikTok. Not that Dick had any real plans of what to do with it. So far, he'd posted a few short videos of him at a local circus school, doing some tricks on the silks and the lines. There were also a few from the park, with him doing some simple, if impressive, gymnastics.

Which is what he's doing now: filming himself doing handstands.

However, every time he starts, he ends up in a heap of giggles as Haley runs in and hops up to lick his face. "Haley, no," he says, gathering the puppy up and ruffling her ears. "We really need to work on your stay, don't we?"

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"Honestly, it's been about as much of a mess as Gotham is." Nightwing doesn't seem bothered by the big bite. More amused than anything. "But I've only been here a few months. So maybe I haven't seen it at its worst, yet."

Or its best. Unless this is its best.

"It's a bit of a relief in some ways. Let's me get my bearings here."

"Oh yeah, I haven't been here that long, either. But this is about the quietest it's ever been."

It's a little strange and foreboding, but anyway...

Leo comes to sit down on the roof next to Nightwing. He lets his bare feet dangle like he has no worries about the drop below them, taking an only slightly smaller bite of bagel.

"Where's Gotham?"

Nightwing takes another sip of coffee. "Southern New Jersey. Across the river from Metropolis."

No, he doesn't know that these are both nicknames for New York City in other worlds. But that's comics for you. "Has a lot more gothic architecture than Central does, though. I miss the gargoyles."

As a result, it takes Leo a second to understand the geography of what he's being told here. But okay, he gets it: a city in New Jersey, that either doesn't exist in his world or that he's just ignored the existence of because, you know... Jersey.

"I went to New Jersey once. Never again." He says this with conviction. "I prefer to stick to my side of the Hudson." Though he is far away from it now, his hometown pride will never die. "Gargoyles are pretty cool, though - when they don't talk, anyway."

Nightwing has looked at the maps in this world. It's very weird seeing other things where the cities he knows should be, but...well, alternate universes and all that.

"New York boy, then?" Nightwing grins. "I did live in New York for a while, but I returned home because of family." They'd thought Bruce had died, but he hadn't. Which is why Dick can smile. "It was fun, but I think I'm just used to Gotham and Blüdhaven. It's home, you know?" And the grin widens. "Though I've never been answered by one of the gargoyles, so not sure if they'd be cool or not if they could talk."

"Born and raised! Well, until the whole... you know." He waves around at the fact that they are both very much in Michigan and not New York or New Jersey. "But yeah, I get it."

Leo can't imagine himself ever straying too far, even as he grows up (assuming he gets home by then, anyway).

"In my world some of them can. Don't know if they say anything worth listening to, though."

"The only time I've ever seen talking gargoyles was in a Disney movie."

Etrigan may LOOK like a gargoyle, but Nightwing's relatively certain it doesn't count.

"That said, I'm used to a certain amount of other weirdness." He tips his coffee toward the walking, talking turtle. "You might have guessed."

That makes him laugh.

"You know, I think most of the Starfallen are. I've encountered a real lack of running and/or screaming." It's mainly the locals who act wary with him around, but what can you do?

"I'm Leonardo. Just Leo is fine, though."

"I don't think you get pulled into this kind of thing unless you've seen some stuff."

Nightwing offers his hand. "Nightwing. That's not my real name, but I don't use that when wearing the tights."

He'll give that hand a shake with all of his three fingers.

"Oooh, yeah. You guys are really into the whole "secret identity" thing. I never had to do that back home since no one was supposed to know I exist in the first place."

He has started wearing a disguise here when he's not doing any active crime fighting, but he doesn't bother changing his name. Most people aren't going to equate Leo the talking mutant turtle with Leon the normal American teenager anyway.

"Some worlds, you have to be careful. In my case, it's because learning my name would end up leading back to a lot of other people and put all of them in danger, too." He shrugs. "Most of them can take care of themselves, but there's always those that can't."

Like his entire apartment building. That nobody had died was a miracle because he'd gotten warning.

"Yeah, a different superhero guy was telling me the same thing."

And Leo does get it, because he's been hiding his family name for the same reason.

"You have to do what you have to do to protect your family, right?"

"Exactly." Nightwing grins at that. "It's pretty common back home. There are a few heroes who are open about who they are, but the vast majority have family that wouldn't be able to weather the problems that come with supervillains nearly as well."

"Yeah, guess not everyone's family can be a super cool ninja clan." Like his is!

The rest of the bagel is devoured.

"So you were already doing the superhero thing even before coming here, huh?"

The Bat family is only about half ninja trained. Nightwing's not one of them. Directly, at least.

He nods, grabbing a bagel of his own. "I was. Though without the super part of it. I never had powers until I got here."

"Oh man, you got powers when you came through? Not fair."

Leo already has powers, to be fair, though they aren't working very well right now.

"What can you do? Something cool?"

"Nothing too impressive. Mostly seem to just heal faster."

The pocket dimension thing is something he's willing to tell family. But not complete strangers. Not yet, at least. "But even that's more than I've ever had before. I've always just sort of muddled through with my training."

Advanced healing is pretty good, though, or at least Leo thinks so. At least it makes superheroing a bit safer.

"Oh yeah? Me too. Been kind of regretting that recently, though..."

He's learned that his brother (and his dad) are right about a few things. It's not been all that fun.

"Like maybe I should have learned more when I had the chance."

"Ah. That's where your mistake is." Nightwing raises an eyebrow at him. "You think that you ever stopped learning. It's a process. And you won't always learn from only one person. I've had so many teachers over the years..."

He blows out a breath. "It's never too late to learn more, though. Maybe not exactly what you were learning before, but something new that you can incorporate into what you already know."

Leo’s not sure if it’s too late for him or not, but he’d like it not to be. So maybe this guy isn’t totally wrong.

“Well, I’m up for learning new tricks. The school here helps us stabilize our powers, but they’re not exactly big on ninja lessons.”

Which is obviously what he needs.

“Finding some teachers would be a good thing.”

"No, I can't imagine that ninja lessons would be that high on their list." Nightwing considers that for a moment. "I have a fair amount of martial arts training, but not much in the ninjitsu style. My preferred fighting style is arnis, or escrima." Which would track with the dual sticks on his back. "I also have a lot of acrobatic training, which comes in handier than you might think."

Leo isn't as familiar with arnis, though he's at least heard of it before, martial arts nerd that he is, so he nods.

"Hah, I bet. I'm pretty fast, but my brother's always been the one with the fancy flips." The "razz-ma-tazz" as he calls it. "And I can only do so much, since, uh..." He reaches back and raps his shell with his knuckles. "Non-bendable spine."

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