metalogs | ( open ) and what's the worst you take

Entry tags:

( open ) and what's the worst you take

Who: Bruce Wayne/Batman

batsymbol
What: July Catch-all, Bruce assimilating to things, Batman being Batman
When: Throughout July, some August things too
Where: Primarily Central City, will mention otherwise
Content Warnings: TBD but let's just say Bruce being Bruce and Batman being Batman.

BRUCE or BATMAN

open to both [brackets] and prose, i'll follow your lead if you have a preference. if you want something else with bruce or bats, shoot me a PM or PP at

telekinetics to discuss. otherwise things we've planned/discussed can be dropped in here as well. starters in comments.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Dick lets out a quiet laugh.

With a wry smile: ] Are we going through a drive-through dressed like this?

Probably not a good idea.

( unless it were halloween maybe and even then.

they drive for a little longer until he ends up going down a bit of a slope, heading for a dark patch of shadows there stretched out across the road. a glance over to some of the controls there, he begins to speed up a little then. faster. faster. clocking in close to 100mph. he doesn't look away from the road — doesn't even glance over to dick.

racing for the stretch of shadows ahead, he plunges them into it and they seemingly disappear into the darkness, a strange sort of black sheen flowing around them, breaking out of it then and into what looks like an underground station of some sort.

tires hitting the ground hard, they bounce a little and bruce effortlessly swerves the car until it hits an abrupt stop, engine humming, before he shuts it off.

without saying anything, he pops the door up and slips out, expecting dick to follow. )

[ Dick pushes down his hood and takes off his glasses, but he's not seeing things. That unnatural darkness is there and Bruce is speeding right into it. Bruce wouldn't do something this reckless if he thought there was any kind of real danger, but Dick still braces himself.

And then they stop in an underground station. Dick blinks, a little perplexed. It reminds him a little of Jason's power over shadows.

He gets out of the car, looking around. ]

Is that your power? The one you got from the Confluence?

( no. he wouldn't put dick in such reckless danger. not willingly, at least.

a slight glance back to dick over his shoulder, he keeps walking. )

Seems like it.

( because he sure doesn't have any sort of superpowers back in gotham.

the station they're in is clearly abandoned and has all the telltale signs of having been so for some time now. flickering fluorescent lights hang above with a few extra strung along to give a little more light to the area he's walking towards, where there's a bit of a setup that's been done, though nothing in the way of the batcave he has in gotham or that dick might be used to.

his laptop is there on the table, open and running some sort of encrypted program, while power cords, screwdrivers, tools, and other things are all scattered across it. all of this looks very temporary, as if he might be gone should dick try and find this spot later.

standing there at the table, he pulls his cowl off and sighs, setting it down on the table. his hair's a mess [if cowl hair is a thing] and the black greasepaint around his eyes has smudged some, hands wrapped in white bandages after he removes his gloves which join his cowl there on the table. even without the paint smeared around his eyes, he looks tired. there's a chair there for dick to sit on if he wants, bruce reaching over across the table he's standing at for a briefcase of sorts that he drags closer, popping it open. pulling a few things out. )

[ Dick follows along, occasionally walking backwards so he can look around better. It's very bare, and their lack of resources are really emphasized here. He's gotten so used to the seemingly endless resources of Batman and the League.

(Don't become reliant on your tools. He's pretty sure Bruce said that once. And now he knows why.)

Dick doesn't sit-- he's feeling too antsy right now-- so instead he just stands across the table from Bruce. A polite but friendly distance.

The tired eyes and messy hair aren't an uncommon sight for him after a night's patrol in Gotham. Still, he doubts Bruce is anywhere near ready to go to sleep. ]

Can I do something to help?

( bruce gives only the faintest of glances up to dick there across from him, fiddling with something for a second or two longer before he holds it out for dick to take. )

Here.

( a batarang. one similar to the one on his chest and folds inwards as a means to carry it on yourself — tucked into a pocket or small compartment, for example.

he watches as dick takes it — figures he has experience with them, then reaches into his utility belt, pulling out a small tracker which he sets down on the table and pushes towards him. )

I want you to keep that. So if anything happens, I know where you are.

[ Dick turns the batarang over in his hands. It looks close enough to what he's used to that it wouldn't be a problem to use in a pinch.

It also makes him miss his Bruce for just a moment. He puts the batarang in his pocket and pushes the thought away.

When he picks up the tracker, he gives Bruce a half-grin. ]

Not gonna try to stick it on me when I'm not looking?

Not unless you give me a reason to.

( so he's willing to be honest about that. at least just this once.

looking down to the various things scattered across the table, he goes about unfastening and then removing his cape, draping it over the table before he steps away from it. boots still heavy. eyeing dick, he comes to stop then a little ways from the table, rubbing over the bandages wrapped around his hands. )

I want you to try and hit me.

[ That just makes him laugh. He slips the tracker into his other pocket.

But he doesn't expect a sudden test. Which is ridiculous because this is Bruce. There's always a test. Dick sets his glasses on the table and pulls off his hoodie to sling it over the back of the chair. He has a set of throwing knives strapped to one of his biceps, which he removes as well. It's not so much disarming as removing what he doesn't need so he has better range of motion. ]

Uh. Okay?

[ He takes a few steps back and drops into a low stance. In an instant, he shifts his weight to build momentum and uses it to lunge forward quickly. He tries for a kick, but he's not putting too much force behind it. Bruce can probably take the hit, but there's no reason to go all-out. ]

( of course there's a test. he wants to see what sort of skill level dick is at when it comes to all this. especially when running around in a hoodie and glasses.

at least he's willing to go along with it and doesn't need to be talked into it.

when dick lunges for him, bruce twists in a way that's fluid, hand reaching out to both block and grab dick's leg there. he's not looking to hurt him after all. which is why the bulk of his own moves will be more defensive for the most part.

for the most part. )

[ He's never beaten Bruce in a fight. Even getting a clean hit on him that isn't immediately blocked is a big ask. Because Dick is very good at what he does, but he's not Batman good.

Still, he's not one to half-ass training and he won't start now.

The grab is good, actually, because it gives him something to work with. He kicks off the ground with his other foot, throwing his weight back and kicking up toward Bruce's chest. ]

( this isn't just to see where dick is at in terms of skill in combat. it's also a way for him to test his own skills against someone who's a little more of a challenge in terms of combat. the ones he ends up pummeling into the ground... a lot of the time they're not trained in various styles like he is. so this is a good opportunity for him as well.

though mostly curiosity.

the kick is good even if bruce leans back from it, grabbing dick's foot there with his other hand, and spinning him, essentially. in doing so, he'll let him go — let him drop to the ground in whatever way he might land. )

[ He catches himself with his hands at the last moment, turning the landing into a backwards roll. Not wanting to lose any momentum, he darts forward again, trying to throw a punch but side-stepping at the last second to throw off his predictable trajectory. ]

( there's a blink of surprise that's fleeting when dick goes and side-steps like he does, but it's replaced easily enough with a huff of laughter just barely there on his lips as he brings an arm up to block. )

Quick thinking.

( he commends, twisting around swiftly and throwing a pulled punch towards dick.

defensive for the most part after all. )

[ Dick flashes him a smile. He sees the punch and decides to duck it, dropping low to the floor, leaning back on one heel and going for a leg sweep. Or hit, rather, since he doesn't intend to put his full force on it. There's no way he could knock Bruce down like this, but he did say "hit" not "knock down."

Bruce will notice, over time, that Dick prefers to dodge rather than block, simply because his style relies on momentum. Blocking breaks his flow. Falling does the same. His fighting style is a unique blend of several, carefully improved upon and refined over the years. ]

( he's picking up on dick's style with this little exercise of theirs and it's exactly what he wants to see. where his strengths are — what maybe needs to be worked on, and how he handles himself in a fight.

seeing that sweep coming, he uses dick's shoulder — grasping it with a hand — and pushes himself over the other, letting his hand drop down quickly to grab at the back of dick's shirt instead when he lands behind him. )

[ He turns toward Bruce instead of away, trying to twist and duck under his arm to force Bruce's arm to bend unnaturally. While he's twisting, he aims an elbow at Bruce's stomach. ]

( he'll give him that. he'd expected him to turn away from it rather than towards, so. when dick's elbow gets him at his stomach — thankfully padded from the suit — he gives a bit of an oof as he releases his grip on dick and lets himself fall back onto his ass.

even so, there's a huff of laughter there on his lips. )

Alright. I surrender.

[ Dick looks surprised for a moment that Bruce actually took the hit. Did he do it on purpose? Or perhaps Dick's unconventional style caught him off guard. Regardless, he doubts that move will work again. Bruce rarely makes the same mistake twice.

He gives Bruce a lopsided grin and holds out his hand. ]

I graciously accept your surrender.

Not bad.

( he offers, taking the other's hand as he pulls himself up slowly. you've got his weight, right, dick? when he's up, he takes a breath. )

You still need something better than what you've got on, though.

( at that, he drops a hand down against the top of dick's head as he passes him by for the table again, steps heavy as he goes. )

[ Dick leans back to maintain his old on Bruce who is obviously just messing with him at this point. ]

Thanks. I have an overwhelming amount of practice.

[ Again with the hair-ruffling. Both Bruce and Jason are lucky that he hasn't been putting gel in his hair. ]

Jason said he and the others will sort it out. [ He sighs. ] My gear not coming with me has been an issue.

( if there's a silver lining to any of this for him, it's that he at least came in with his suit, as well as the batmobile. everything else he needs to figure out and build up from scratch again, but. at least not those two things. again, silver linings.

a glance over to dick as he stands there at the table and sorts through some things, he looks back down, putting together something before he sets it aside. )

I'm sure they will.

( it's said a little softly. he and the jasons not exactly on the best of terms, apparently, out of the others. )

Before you get any ideas, this isn't where I'm settling down. ( he gestures with a look around. ) I just needed some place for a day or two.

[ Dick observes Bruce as he walks over to the table. It's hard to read this Bruce like he usually does with his own. It's weird, but it's actually a relief. It separates this Bruce from the one he knows back home. It makes this all a little easier.

Dick snorts. ]

I'm not going to bug the place. I don't have any and, even if I did, I'd use it against the bad guys not... [ a friend? family? an ally? ] ...you.

I didn't mean that.

( he looks down as he says that — gives a shake of his head. hands coming to rest on the table, he leans on them as he looks across it to dick. )

I meant if you came looking for me. If you... ever needed to.

( he looks down again, face scrunched up some. he's not really sure dick would need to, what with having jason and the others, but. he figured he'd let him know either way. )

I'm still looking around.

Oh. [ Dick shrugs. ] If I need you, I can just call. Don't worry, I can hide messages within messages easily. If I had my usual gear, I might be able to set up a comm but...

[ And he's not sure if TJ or the others set Bruce up with the 'family' communicator. ]

What's wrong with this place? Bad location?

[ Not that he knows exactly where they are, given he couldn't see out of the windows for most of the trip here. ]

( open ) and what's the worst you take

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