( open ) and what's the worst you take

[batsymbol]

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.

Comments

[reneger]

( jason rolls his eyes, but -- to be fair, bruce has never let jason drive the batmobile either. he has, but he'd either stolen it or it had been an emergency situation.

so he walks around to the passenger side. but not without mouthing a snarky only i drive it when he's turned away from bruce. )

There's a park close by that Joker'd snatched a kid from. Still missing.

( if bruce is chasing him down, they may as well chase leads. even if they have gone cold. )

[batsymbol]

( of course that would pique his interest. get something inside him to stir in a way that falls into the usual obsession bruce— batman lets himself fall into. )

When?

( if joker hasn't been seen in some time... )

[reneger]

It happened before I got here. Rook was following the lead. The park's where the runaways hang out.

( perfect kids for joker to fuck with, as they've been gone a while or don't have families to begin with. )

Rook was following the lead.

[batsymbol]

So it's been a number of months then.

( not good, to say the least.

sigh heavy on his lips, he opens up the batmobile and slips inside the driver's seat, closing the door behind him as he does. )

[reneger]

( bruce gets in, so jason does too. he has his bike around here somewhere, but they're sharing info currently, so. he can come back for it later.

there are buttons in here to consider pushing, which is important. )

If he'd made a move in the last several months, we would have known about it.

[batsymbol]

( a slow glance over to jason when he joins him, he looks back ahead, but. doesn't turn on the engine. not yet. he's... taking a second. thinking. trying to accept the whole having someone else in here... again. )

Do you think he's gone?

[reneger]

No.

( jason doesn't know. but he knows if he assumes joker's gone and relaxes a little, he's going to pop up again and fuck them all over, as he usually does. so he's--running on the assumption he's here, lurking in dark corners, waiting. )

And I think you showing up is going to draw him out of wherever he's been hiding.

[batsymbol]

( almost our anniversary, isn't it? he can still hear it — see the way joker grinned at him when he said it there in arkham.

jaw tight, he looks ahead. )

Then I'll deal with him when he does.

( with that, he turns the engine on and revs her up — blue flame sparking behind them as the engine purrs as it comes to life. )

[reneger]

I doubt he'll come straight for you. He'll find out that we've got more Robins running around, he'll find someone to target to hurt you, 'cause it's more fun that way for him. I'm not worried about the shit you two get into, I'm worried about who he'll drag into it.

( which is why he told bruce to stay out of central with his manhunt.

he leans forward, fingers brushing over buttons and switches. ) What's this one do?

[batsymbol]

Don't touch anything. Just tell me which way to go.

( it's not meant to scold but at the same time... it's not not a scold of sorts.

gripping the steering wheel, he hits the gas after revving the engine a couple more times and peels out of the alley, a slight drift in the way he turns sharp before they're heading down the road.

after a moment, however. )

What do you know about Riddler?

[reneger]

Edward Nygma, used to work for the Kanes. Also used to work for the GCPD when he was imprisoned. His name pretty much tells it all - pulls riddles out of his ass, likes to cause trouble. Turn left at the light.

( he isn't pressing buttons, but he is touching all of them that he can reach. )

[batsymbol]

( edward nygma. so he has a name. just doesn't do much good for him here. )

He's been writing to me — killing people and leaving behind riddles every time he does.

( coming up to the light, he makes that turn. nice and smooth. )

[reneger]

I told you, Batman is a symbol. An' that paints a target on your back. People want to destroy you, 'cause destroying you means destroying the thing people look for when they're feeling helpless.

( bruce is still early on in his career, but jason's betting it falls the same. )

Right turn after you pass the next two intersections, and the park's right there.

[batsymbol]

I don't know if I'd call myself a symbol. Just trying to save Gotham from itself.

( and feeling like he's fighting a losing battle. but still, he tries. )

[reneger]

You're young. You won't see it yet.

( robin's job is to keep batman grounded. to be there for him, to always have his back. jason hasn't been robin in a long time. )

When people get scared, they look for you. When Gotham starts falling apart, it's you who they believe in.

[batsymbol]

I scare even the people I save.

( the way they look to him in fear - asking him not to hurt them when he'd just gone and saved them. freak they sneer at him.

first intersection passed. )

[reneger]

That's what the kid bouncing 'round snarking every piece of shit Bats chases after is for.

( he hates that robins exist. he also gets why. it's a hard place to exist at. )

You're supposed to be scary. People eventually figure out that you're there to help, not cause more harm.

[batsymbol]

Gordon's about the only one who thinks so.

( and he trusts him enough to work with him and, as it turns out, that goes both ways. )

[reneger]

You'll get there. You're just a baby. It takes time.

( fingers pause over one knob in , and jason--shoots bruce a grin before he's pressing it. )

[batsymbol]

( congrats, kiddo. all that does is dial up a number there on the screen closest to jason, the words CALLING ALFRED... showing up only for there to be no answer and for bruce to give a sidelong glance to him before he's sighing and looking back ahead.

alfred's not here and he still doesn't know how to feel about that. )

[reneger]

( the "call alfred" button is an important part of any batmobile. jason can respect that. but what he can't respect is an order not to touch anything, which is why he's moving on to find another button. maybe this one will be more fun, since the other one was boring as shit. )

[batsymbol]

( when jason goes to press that button, the batmobile drifts again at the intersection there, coming to a sharp halt that might just jostle jason around a little when it does. cutting the engine, he looks over to him. not amused. )

We're here.

[reneger]

( it shoves him over enough to prevent him from pressing buttons and when jason looks over to bruce, he laughs. not the kind of laugh that sounds like it's forced or fake, but a genuine laugh full of mirth. bruce isn't amused, but jason is very, very amused.

the car stops, and jason pulls open the passenger door to climb out. between sitting inside and closing the door behind him, he manages to pull himself together enough to wipe the smarmy grin off his face. this isn't the time or place for that, especially not when there's several teens and younger standing up against trees, brown bags in hand, massive old backpacks on the ground beside them or on their backs--doing generally not advised for kids shit, because what else would they all be doing gathered like this? )

You got a strategy here, Bats?

[batsymbol]

( getting himself out of the driver's seat, when they step away from it, the batmobile disappears into the darkness of the shadows, much like bruce himself had tried to do when laying out on the ground.

a glance around them, cape flowing some in the breeze that gently drifts by, he looks back over to jason. )

You said a kid went missing from here.

[reneger]

I did.

( back to work, so jason's squaring his shoulders, looking over to the groups of kids deeper into the park then back to bruce himself while he makes his way up to--where the front of the car would have been, had it not disappeared. )

You gonna talk to them? Ask them about it?