Who: jason todd (reneger), billy kaplan (wiccant), & friends What: closed starters march-april When: march~april Where: central city, excelsior, etc. Content Warnings: n/a
( bruce issued a challenge to break in, and who would jason be if he declined it? hell, breaking into one of the manor when they'd still used the manor was one of his favorite pastimes. there is a door, he can get in through the door, but doors are boring. built for nerds who can't scale walls and let themselves in through the window, or the chimney, or the numerous hidden doors bruce built-in just in case.
which is why, when bruce isn't home, he'll get several simultaneous notifications of his security system recognizing intruders. not just one area, but - a window, then a hallway, then another window down the way, then a doorway, the entrance into the cave, back up above the cave to yet another window. any internal alarm systems will quickly be switched off, as jason carries bear around as if he were a massive baby instead of the growing labrador he is, idly sauntering through the house and just.
fucking up every alarm he can find. for fun. he won't touch the cameras. won't try and stop bruce from seeing who it is, even if he'll flip off every camera as soon as he spots them.
this is for fun, not for actual break-in purposes. )
( it's the animalistic roar from the batmobile that gives bruce's arrival away. a door raising up within the shadows of the cave, he drives in a second or two later, engine hummingโ purring as he pulls in to the large spot he has for it in the new setup.
the engine just purrs for a little while before he cuts it. door popping open. the batman stepping out. cape flowing behind before he goes and shuts the door. steps heavy, boots scuffing against the cold ground, he eyes the cave and everything within it before he goes about removing his cowl, hair going a little wild as he does. he already knows it's jason here. he's not worried about an actual break in that could be considered a threat. )
Was beginning to think you weren't going to show.
( making his way over to the command center he's got there, he hits a couple buttons to reset everything. )
I told you I had other shit going on, didn't I? Life doesn't resolve 'round you.
( considering how often jason's told kyle he doesn't want to talk about bruce and then starts bitching about bruce, it just might, but that's nothing he's talking about now. instead, jason leans his hip on the command center and shifts bear so he's got his paws against jason's shoulder, and jason's got his hand just above his tail to support his weight while he scritches behind bear's ear with his now free hand.
he's not wearing his gear, but he's got the bracelets that decompress into it--so it's not as if it'd be hard to change out of the cargo pants and loose tee under his favorite leather jacket he's currently wearing into his kestrel suit.
but there's no intention of it. he doesn't look pissed off or irritated, or ready to start a fight with bruce. instead, he's just coddling bear. )
I'll find it next time. Had to take an extra couple minutes to disable the internal alarms 'cause they were loud as hell, so it took me longer than I'd planned on.
( can't have poor bear's ears suffering from jason's game, after all. )
( bear likely appreciates the care taken to think of him as well.
a glance to jason there with bear, a light flashes on the left hand corner of a computer screen and bruce reaches out to touch it with a finger. appearing, a small window. blank. until a voice starts speaking. male. roughly around the same age. )
Figured it was one of your kids. Everything good?
( bruce just barely smiles. because of course it was one of them. )
Yeah. All good. Talk later.
You got it.
( the window disappears and bruce looks over to jason again. looks to bear, before he moves away from the command center. boots scuffing against the ground as he goes. )
( bruce starts chatting with - someone, jason doesn't know. he'll find out eventually, but he listens for the moment. doesn't say a word while they talk, he's used to this part. to standing around while bruce has his conversations with what had once been the league, getting info out of informants, or the girls on the streets of gotham. but he can't quite hold back the smirk that starts at the corner of his lips when the guy says one of your kids.
lowers bear down to the ground to put him on his feet after bruce disconnects the call, because he's perfectly capable of trotting himself around the cave. )
One of your kids, huh. Damn, how ancient does your pal think you are? 'cause you sure as hell don't look old enough to kids outside of their-- what, tweens at most? ( well. actually. ) That's fair. I caused a shitton more damage as a brat.
( it's said dryly. meant to be teasing, just in typical bruce fashion.
bear wanders around the cave a little, used to it, what with his having been here a number of times already. bruce moves over to a line of lockers he has off to the side. eight of them in total. opening the door of one, he reveals the inside of it, staring inside as he does. )
I don't have much in here at the moment. Just first-aid kits, spare ear pieces, trackers if they're needed.
( gently, his finger lets go of the door. lets it slowly begin to close. he looks over to jason with that greasepaint smeared across his eyes. )
( eight lockers. bruce, dick, babs, tim, timmy, dickie, junior, jason - at least he's accounted for all of the runts running around. minus the leaguers, but jason's betting bruce is working on a separate place for them. the batcave has always been a place for bats and birds, occasionally shared with a few others but not built for them.
that's cute. that even this bruce is likely following the same logic. the locker begins to close, and jason, quick as ever, shifts his weight back onto the heel of one foot and raises a hand. throws a bo-shuriken with a piece of red fabric wrapped around the center of it into the locker before it has a chance to close. )
You're gonna want more than just first aid kits. Trackers're useless, no one's gonna take ones they know you had a hand in programming. I'd recommend starting with a few masks. Ones with lenses. Couple spare uniforms, spare clothes for when you inevitably end up with someone fucked up lounging 'round on a cot.
( when the bo-shuriken hits the one locker, he slowly looks over to jason. )
That one's yours.
( which he figured was why he did that in the first place.
the lockers are barely stocked for the moment given his not being sure what each one of them would want in there aside from the basics. he's not providing guns, for example. batarangs or grapple guns... sure. maybe knives. if they want them. but for the most part, everyone seems to have their own things when it comes to what they like to use. clothes though... well. he'll make a mental note of that. sorry, babs, in advance. maybe diana could help there.
moving away from the lockers, he heads over to a strip nearby the command center he has there and pushes a button, letting all the lights slowly begin to flicker on. illuminating the cave. it's a little more bunker than cave, but. what with it being underground and all, some of the environment is exposed which is very much cave-like. hopefully he won't end up having to deal with fending off against cave dwellers at some point. if they find their way down here. but off a ways, is a hangar of sorts. shrouded in thick shadows. hm.
he has his bike there, the batmobile, tools scattered near the bike. he makes his way over there. picks up a couple of those tools off the ground to place on the work bench nearby. )
There's a medical bay and lab. Training area.
( he glances around as he says that. hammer gently tapping against the heel of his palm. he's been busy and clearly hasn't done this all alone. yet it's still being worked on, but. almost there. slowly, he looks over to jason. )
( it's got indents from his knife in it now, clearly that's his locker. or it's tim's and jason's marking it so he can fuck with his shit later, but in a nice, brotherly way. no explosives, or at least not ones tim can't disarm in two seconds flat. maybe some slime explosives, that sounds fun. rigged to go off when it's opened. . . he's had worse ideas, he might try and follow through. later.
for now? he's pushing himself up and off the command center and making his way through the massive not-quite-a-cave. ignores the medical bay and lab area and instead heads towards the training area. )
You wanna make Grayson and Dickie happy to stick around, you might want to set up a Trapeze set. Add in a tightrope, some aerial silks. My place doesn't have a high enough ceiling for it, but I had a set up in the old warehouse. Shit's great for when you fuck up your back. Also great for keeping flippy assholes who're too wound to stay still in one place.
( his voice raises the further away from bruce he goes, and there's yet another knife in his hand, idly moving between his fingers. )
( a glance to bear, he whistles to the pup. gives a nudge of his head in jason's direction and the pup takes off running. runs ahead the other happily towards the training area where he trots his way over to the two large vending machines there. one housing various sports, energy, and caffeinated drinks along with water, while the other houses an assortment of energy and protein snacks and bars, along with maybe a few less than healthy options as well because. well. kids. no money is needed to insert inside either machine. just a press of the letter and then number of whichever item you want to be dropped down.
the training area itself is to be as expected. weights, machines, balls, bands, benches. everything a bat or bird could need to work on their muscle strength and is likely where bruce had been working up his own muscle strength again after coming back from the shadow realm. towels are also supplied, of course.
he comes up behind them, bear happily wagging his tail as he stands there by the machines, bruce having left the hammer behind. )
It's a bit of ways from here to the house and it's not as if Alfred's around to supply the snacks.
( even better than a fridge. jason goes for the drink machine first, pressing the right keys to get the red gatorade out, and then - goes to the snacks one. for a bag of chips. tucks the bottle under his arm while he rips open the chip bag and starts chowing down.
opts to leave out the alfred bit, because the last time the name had come up, it'd been jason snapping about him being dead. something he doesn't want to revisit currently. )
You're not the only one who can make friends around here.
( aka none of your business.
he makes his way over to the punching bag hanging nearby. gently pushes it with a closed fist. it swings and he lets it before he's looking back over to jason. bear having decided to sniff around a little. )
I know Dick's getting his own place together. For all of you. ( the belfry, he means. ) It's good that you'll all have a place to commune. ( a beat. ) But if you ever need anythingโ some other place. You're welcome here. All of you.
( he's got the rest of the crew from back home and a few brats. bucky's around... somewhere, but he, stark, and strange were all people he knew before arriving here. jason's been busy with his own bullshit and hasn't gone out much. but that's not a conversation he feels like getting into.
all the friends he'd made back home were either second-hand from dick, or fucked up messes that just happened to ram right into him. occasionally, both. and there's a distinct lack of them here. )
Dick's place is his, it ain't mine. ( not a place for all of them, but a place built by dick grayson for dick grayson and co. it applies to jason right now, but it won't always. he's not making himself comfortable. ) Kinda figured from the locker collection.
( bruce has made himself at home by the punching bag, so jason sets his snacks down on top of a vending machine for later and follows after him. )
( when he asks tim for a hand, billy wasn't really anticipating getting his non-hero id out of it, nor really a coffee meet up, but he--well. he kind of does need to put something livable together sometime soonish, and while he's perfectly capable of taking care of himself, he hasn't been on his own. ever. nor does he really feel like putting together something livable; a bed and a few fluffy blankets he could roll himself into would be just fine for him, but he figures if he has someone else with him, maybe he'll be less of a depressed lump going for the bare minimum.
and when tim gave him a coffee shop to meet up in, billy kind of figured - he could wait a few minutes then pop in wherever tim is, that's probably close enough to the coffee shop.
what he's not expecting is going from where he had been lazing around in excelsior to somewhere that's clearly inside. and looks like it's lived in.
one moment there is no billy. the next moment there is billy, sparks of his signature blue around him and dressed in a more casual jeans and t-shirt rather than his wiccan gear, and he's. standing just a bit off to the side of tim. takes a moment to realize they're not outside, this isn't a coffee shop, before he raises his hands in surrender. winces. )
I--sorry?
( sorry i stalked you to your home on accident or. something close to that. this doesn't look like a house house but he's not looking anywhere more than where he's currently standing because he's fairly certain that'd just make it worse. )
[ Heโd seen Billyโs text and planned on tapping out a response once heโd hit the ground floor. Just a quick see you there when he was no more than three minutes from the shop, so he wouldnโt be late.
He was entering the stairwell when he heard the apology from what had been an empty hallway 2 seconds ago and nearly jumped out of his skin.
The Belfry doesnโt require constant alertness. Like the Batgym or Jasonโs apartment, Tim can breathe here, secure in the knowledge that here they are as safe as possible. The security system isnโt that of the Titans Tower, but random intruders arenโt getting in.
Or so he thought. Because Wiccanโs caught him completely unawares. ]
What are you doing here?
[ How is he here? He canโt just pop in. How did he know where here is? ]
David and I are going to have a talk.
[ No mask, normal names. Thatโs why he switched phones and made certain Billy would see his name on the new number. His life isnโt as clearly demarcated as he would like, but Prodigy belongs with Rook and Wiccan and Billy does not belong in the Belfry.
Billy also doesnโt belong outside - a t-shirt? ]
And what are you wearing? Itโs like 45 degrees out.
[ Tim was going to shepherd him out of the building as quickly as possible and pray no one was in (or watching) the lobby. Now heโs taking him by the arm and steering him down the hall. The damage is done; heโs in the building. Tim can lend him a hoodie. ]
( it was closeish to the same out in excelsior, but a little chill never hurt anyone. as long as it's not windy chill, which it wasn't. tim starts dragging him off and billy opts to follow along with his pulling. it won't hurt anything. )
I teleported. I didn't think I'd end up inside wherever this is which I absolutely do not know and am not going to write down and will try to forget as soon as I'm out because I wasn't invited in which is my bad. Sorry, again. I can let myself out without going through the door, I won't even see the street signs or anything.
( though his eyes are open which means he's noticing this isn't a house which kind of sort of makes it a little worse? oops. )
So I won't know where your secret base is or--whatever this is.
[ Tim rolls his eyes at Billy, who clearly hasnโt checked the weather today. Tim has. Read the headlines too. They didnโt say teenage vigilante gains the ability to wipe memories, so it looks like Billy is safe for the moment.
The ramble is - oh God. Itโs a compilation of the greatest hits of revealing your super identity. Billyโs not going to forget, even if Tim keeps him to the mundane areas. Hey, I teleported into Rookโs super secret headquarters. People forget where the Batcave is all the time. ]
Itโs a private apartment building.
[ Technically. The secret base is in the basement, and top floor. Tim fishes out his keys and glances pointedly at the number on his door as he unlocks it. ]
If youโd use the front door, you wouldโve seen the signs. And the mailboxes. And the death trap of the staircase if youโre wearing slippery shoes.
[ The door opens, and Tim steps inside, leaving it open for Billy to follow. Itโs useless to force him in: he can teleport.
Thereโs nothing damning in the room. Bare kitchen except for a coffee pot missing a carafe and a collection of mugs in the sink. Nearly every mug, in fact, he really needs to do the dishes.
Two tables with gamer chairs for seating, both weighed down with electronics and miscellaneous boxes.
Actually, that box has weapons. Tim grabs it on the way into the bedroom to keep curious fingers safe. He tosses it onto the bed, which looks like itโs never seen the state of being โmadeโ, because the lone end table is cluttered with glassware, a collapsed bo, and a taser.
The closet is open to the room, because Tim hasnโt bothered getting new sliding doors for it. The clothes are at least hung up, making it the only physically organized space in the apartment. ]
So do you want a jacket or hoodie? Neither isnโt an option. Youโre going to attract attention in a t-shirt, and I donโt like giving people a reason to notice me.
( if there were a nice pen he could raise and flash in his face so he forgot everything about tim's apparent private apartment building, he would. billy hasn't had a secret lair. but he's read enough comic books to know the value of having one, and knowing he probably shouldn't have ended up here. tim knows where he's going, and billy follows. waits for him to fish out his keys, digging teeth into his cheek when he steps inside what's meant to be tim's apartment.
lowers his eyes down to the only colorful part of his ensemble: the pride leather doc martens which are probably grippy enough to handle deadly stairs. probably. the mess isn't terrible, nor unexpected. billy's room is generally a disaster itself, with socks thrown across the floor, random comics and books piled on his desk, bed never made.
closeish to this, except without the box of weapons. he used to use a staff, but hasn't bothered with it as of late. it wasn't for whacking people anyway.
at the offer of jacket versus hoodie he opts not to remind tim he can just - wave his hand and suddenly have one of his own. tim let him, didn't need to but he's trying to be chivalrous. billy will let him have it. )
Hoodie? ( not reaching for one on his own, who knows which hoodie has important value. but he does gesture to the collection of glasses, then nods his head over towards the kitchen area. )
Mind if I take care of those? Promise I'll be cheating, so it's not like it's real effort.
[ Hoodie selection could be worse, although heโs more fond of jackets. Luckily, Timโs wearing a thrifted red varsity jacket, so the full selection is available, and he starts flipping through the outerwear section, metal hangers making shhhlink noises as they slide along the pole. Both gray and black pullover hoodies, but he only wears them if he knows heโs not going to take them off and mess up his hair. Purple zip, boring. His Jason Lives hoodie loses all appeal if youโre not in on the joke. He pulls out an ultra black zip hoodie of a thinner fabric with long arms and a strange chalkboard hoodie that he canโt make sense of but loves anyway. ]
Your choice. The black oneโs lighter, so if youโre dedicated to enjoying the crisp late winter, thatโs the one.
[ Either should fit fine. Theyโre near enough in height, and theyโre hoodies. Theyโre loose on Tim, and heโs a touch broader than Billy. ]
Are you going to magic my dishes?
[ His left eyebrow is up, because Billyโs a guest who should not be doing dishes or even staying, but Timโs not unfamiliar with not wanting to owe people for favors. Even small ones.
So hereโs a playful smirk, just in case Billyโs the sort to hate having nice gestures noticed. ]
If youโre going to magic my dirty dishes, I want full Sword in the Stone production value.
( two options, and of course billy goes for the one that looks like a weekend to-do list (cartoons, groceries, something about madonna he's not too sure of but it's whatever) before pulling it on over his head with a quiet "thanks". they're close enough in height, tim's more built than him, so it fits comfortably loose and the neck is loose enough it doesn't fuss up his hair too much.
once it's on and he's gotten his hands out of the sleeves, he returns tim's smirk with a grin of his own. raises a hand, as a wooden wand similar to merlin's own appears in the palm of his hand. )
I mean, I can, but concentrating on levitating everything is a little more difficult than just waving my hand and getting them done. I can give it a try, but I might end up dropping a dish or two.
[ It does. But that may be vanity. Itโs his hoodie, after all, and he bought it for a reason. ]
You should -
[ Tim mimes smoothing a hand over his hair. Thereโs not much out of place, just enough to be distractingly tousled. If itโs not fixed, Timโs going to keep staring at the twisted strands. ]
Iโm willing to sacrifice a few mugs to see a good show, and Iโve never met a meta that didnโt like to show off. I think fine controls more showy than dismantling giant robots.
Fine motor control's what I'd been working on back home before--this.
( being brought elsewhere without a door back to where he came from and all. but alright. challenge accepted. or it will be after he finishes fixing his hair back into place, fingers threading through brown strands to smooth them back into the flippy fringe they're supposed to be laying in.
and then he's going out of tim's room to the hallway, so he can see inside the room but also see to the kitchen easier. raises his legs up one at a time until they're crossed under him but he's levitating, not necessarily sitting.
raises his new wand, too. for the extra flair. )
One, and a two, and a three, and a four --
( tim asked for a production. the wand sparks, billy's eyes close which might have been concerning if he actually needed to see, and - the sink turns on, heating up before the drain stopper's floating down to keep the water from draining and the soap bottle tips over to drop just enough into the water. to help with the coffee stains he's fairly certain are in those mugs considering the missing carafe.
slowly, the glassware in tim's room picks themselves up out of their resting places and start towards the kitchen. )
The glee bubbles up on Timโs face at the quote. Itโs not just that Billyโs seen the movie and recalls it well enough to imitate. He can quote it. Well, so can Tim, through his laughter. ]
Gadzooks! Black magic - heh - of the worst kind!
[ Tim keeps out of the path of the dishes, but ducks beneath them, and Billy, to return to the kitchen, now abuzz with activity. He hops onto the kitchen counter, an armโs length from the sink, and watches the show. He wonโt say anything if thereโs a bobble in a bowl - the number of enchanted items has to be difficult to maintain, and Billyโs going to this effort for Timโs amusement. ]
I loved that movie when I was a kid. Archimedes and Wart were great. I think itโs what doomed me to swords and sorcery. Bonk me with a cup if Iโm distracting you.
( this is significantly harder than managing rocks with loki bothering him. granted, billy's also a little less - weighted here. there's no mother anywhere near this side of the multiverse to slowly leech at his magic, which means billly has significantly more power to put behind it. but power and fine control over it are two entirely separate things, as is made quite clear when a mug drops from billy's grasp just a little bit away from the sink. his brow furrows, eyes bright blue under lids instead of the gold-green they usually reflect. )
The witch-thing took me a bit. ( his words are quiet, carefully measured; billy's concentrating which doesn't leave much room for conversation. but he's working at it, even as dividing his attention leaves a few mugs drooping in his hold as they drop into the sink. a sponge raises and settles under the water for a moment, getting plenty wet and soapy so it can start scrubbing clean dishes. ) Like, I thought it might've just been. . . lightning. ( there's a spark of something off a mug close to the sink, but it fades before it drops into the water. there. that's all of them moved at least. ) Granted, that is a lot easier than this. Before I figured out the whole spellcasting thing, I went by Asgardian.
( the corners of his lips twitch up, just enough to be noticeable. )
Thought maybe I'd get a hammer. Start yelling stuff like Stay thy hand! 'Tis the God of Lightning who doth command thee!
[ The mug is saved from an abrupt end against the floor by Timโs good reflexes. He blocks the mugโs descent by kicking a leg out and catches it on the bounce.
Tim sets it down on the counter without comment. The mug (โIโm not a complete idiot. Some parts are missing.โ) is a favorite, but in the end itโs only a mug and is unharmed. ]
Nothing wrong with having to practice. I didnโt wake up a vigilante on a random Wednesday. It took a bit.
[ He hopes itโs taken as encouragement and not bragging - thereโs still more to learn. Heโll never min max knowledge. He finds some new fact to cram into longterm memory daily.
Likeโฆ that, right there. Timโs focus twitches from the magic to the magician. Heโs familiar with the term, and the formality of the speech. ]
Youโre an Asgardian? Are you going to offer to teach me Old Norse, too?
[ And the smile goes sly. ]
Shall I preface my words with forsooth for thy comfort, milord?
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( closed ) bruce - a break in
which is why, when bruce isn't home, he'll get several simultaneous notifications of his security system recognizing intruders. not just one area, but - a window, then a hallway, then another window down the way, then a doorway, the entrance into the cave, back up above the cave to yet another window. any internal alarm systems will quickly be switched off, as jason carries bear around as if he were a massive baby instead of the growing labrador he is, idly sauntering through the house and just.
fucking up every alarm he can find. for fun. he won't touch the cameras. won't try and stop bruce from seeing who it is, even if he'll flip off every camera as soon as he spots them.
this is for fun, not for actual break-in purposes. )
no subject
the engine just purrs for a little while before he cuts it. door popping open. the batman stepping out. cape flowing behind before he goes and shuts the door. steps heavy, boots scuffing against the cold ground, he eyes the cave and everything within it before he goes about removing his cowl, hair going a little wild as he does. he already knows it's jason here. he's not worried about an actual break in that could be considered a threat. )
Was beginning to think you weren't going to show.
( making his way over to the command center he's got there, he hits a couple buttons to reset everything. )
Missed one, too.
( an alarm, he means. )
no subject
( considering how often jason's told kyle he doesn't want to talk about bruce and then starts bitching about bruce, it just might, but that's nothing he's talking about now. instead, jason leans his hip on the command center and shifts bear so he's got his paws against jason's shoulder, and jason's got his hand just above his tail to support his weight while he scritches behind bear's ear with his now free hand.
he's not wearing his gear, but he's got the bracelets that decompress into it--so it's not as if it'd be hard to change out of the cargo pants and loose tee under his favorite leather jacket he's currently wearing into his kestrel suit.
but there's no intention of it. he doesn't look pissed off or irritated, or ready to start a fight with bruce. instead, he's just coddling bear. )
I'll find it next time. Had to take an extra couple minutes to disable the internal alarms 'cause they were loud as hell, so it took me longer than I'd planned on.
( can't have poor bear's ears suffering from jason's game, after all. )
no subject
a glance to jason there with bear, a light flashes on the left hand corner of a computer screen and bruce reaches out to touch it with a finger. appearing, a small window. blank. until a voice starts speaking. male. roughly around the same age. )
Figured it was one of your kids. Everything good?
( bruce just barely smiles. because of course it was one of them. )
Yeah. All good. Talk later.
You got it.
( the window disappears and bruce looks over to jason again. looks to bear, before he moves away from the command center. boots scuffing against the ground as he goes. )
How much snooping did you get up to?
no subject
lowers bear down to the ground to put him on his feet after bruce disconnects the call, because he's perfectly capable of trotting himself around the cave. )
One of your kids, huh. Damn, how ancient does your pal think you are? 'cause you sure as hell don't look old enough to kids outside of their-- what, tweens at most? ( well. actually. ) That's fair. I caused a shitton more damage as a brat.
no subject
( it's said dryly. meant to be teasing, just in typical bruce fashion.
bear wanders around the cave a little, used to it, what with his having been here a number of times already. bruce moves over to a line of lockers he has off to the side. eight of them in total. opening the door of one, he reveals the inside of it, staring inside as he does. )
I don't have much in here at the moment. Just first-aid kits, spare ear pieces, trackers if they're needed.
( gently, his finger lets go of the door. lets it slowly begin to close. he looks over to jason with that greasepaint smeared across his eyes. )
One for each of you. If you ever need supplies.
no subject
that's cute. that even this bruce is likely following the same logic. the locker begins to close, and jason, quick as ever, shifts his weight back onto the heel of one foot and raises a hand. throws a bo-shuriken with a piece of red fabric wrapped around the center of it into the locker before it has a chance to close. )
You're gonna want more than just first aid kits. Trackers're useless, no one's gonna take ones they know you had a hand in programming. I'd recommend starting with a few masks. Ones with lenses. Couple spare uniforms, spare clothes for when you inevitably end up with someone fucked up lounging 'round on a cot.
no subject
That one's yours.
( which he figured was why he did that in the first place.
the lockers are barely stocked for the moment given his not being sure what each one of them would want in there aside from the basics. he's not providing guns, for example. batarangs or grapple guns... sure. maybe knives. if they want them. but for the most part, everyone seems to have their own things when it comes to what they like to use. clothes though... well. he'll make a mental note of that. sorry, babs, in advance. maybe diana could help there.
moving away from the lockers, he heads over to a strip nearby the command center he has there and pushes a button, letting all the lights slowly begin to flicker on. illuminating the cave. it's a little more bunker than cave, but. what with it being underground and all, some of the environment is exposed which is very much cave-like. hopefully he won't end up having to deal with fending off against cave dwellers at some point. if they find their way down here. but off a ways, is a hangar of sorts. shrouded in thick shadows. hm.
he has his bike there, the batmobile, tools scattered near the bike. he makes his way over there. picks up a couple of those tools off the ground to place on the work bench nearby. )
There's a medical bay and lab. Training area.
( he glances around as he says that. hammer gently tapping against the heel of his palm. he's been busy and clearly hasn't done this all alone. yet it's still being worked on, but. almost there. slowly, he looks over to jason. )
Anything else you think it needs?
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for now? he's pushing himself up and off the command center and making his way through the massive not-quite-a-cave. ignores the medical bay and lab area and instead heads towards the training area. )
You wanna make Grayson and Dickie happy to stick around, you might want to set up a Trapeze set. Add in a tightrope, some aerial silks. My place doesn't have a high enough ceiling for it, but I had a set up in the old warehouse. Shit's great for when you fuck up your back. Also great for keeping flippy assholes who're too wound to stay still in one place.
( his voice raises the further away from bruce he goes, and there's yet another knife in his hand, idly moving between his fingers. )
Got a fridge down here?
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the training area itself is to be as expected. weights, machines, balls, bands, benches. everything a bat or bird could need to work on their muscle strength and is likely where bruce had been working up his own muscle strength again after coming back from the shadow realm. towels are also supplied, of course.
he comes up behind them, bear happily wagging his tail as he stands there by the machines, bruce having left the hammer behind. )
It's a bit of ways from here to the house and it's not as if Alfred's around to supply the snacks.
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opts to leave out the alfred bit, because the last time the name had come up, it'd been jason snapping about him being dead. something he doesn't want to revisit currently. )
Who've you had helping put together the cave?
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( aka none of your business.
he makes his way over to the punching bag hanging nearby. gently pushes it with a closed fist. it swings and he lets it before he's looking back over to jason. bear having decided to sniff around a little. )
I know Dick's getting his own place together. For all of you. ( the belfry, he means. ) It's good that you'll all have a place to commune. ( a beat. ) But if you ever need anythingโ some other place. You're welcome here. All of you.
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( he's got the rest of the crew from back home and a few brats. bucky's around... somewhere, but he, stark, and strange were all people he knew before arriving here. jason's been busy with his own bullshit and hasn't gone out much. but that's not a conversation he feels like getting into.
all the friends he'd made back home were either second-hand from dick, or fucked up messes that just happened to ram right into him. occasionally, both. and there's a distinct lack of them here. )
Dick's place is his, it ain't mine. ( not a place for all of them, but a place built by dick grayson for dick grayson and co. it applies to jason right now, but it won't always. he's not making himself comfortable. ) Kinda figured from the locker collection.
( bruce has made himself at home by the punching bag, so jason sets his snacks down on top of a vending machine for later and follows after him. )
It the guy on the phone?
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( openish ) a belfry invasion
and when tim gave him a coffee shop to meet up in, billy kind of figured - he could wait a few minutes then pop in wherever tim is, that's probably close enough to the coffee shop.
what he's not expecting is going from where he had been lazing around in excelsior to somewhere that's clearly inside. and looks like it's lived in.
one moment there is no billy. the next moment there is billy, sparks of his signature blue around him and dressed in a more casual jeans and t-shirt rather than his wiccan gear, and he's. standing just a bit off to the side of tim. takes a moment to realize they're not outside, this isn't a coffee shop, before he raises his hands in surrender. winces. )
I--sorry?
( sorry i stalked you to your home on accident or. something close to that. this doesn't look like a house house but he's not looking anywhere more than where he's currently standing because he's fairly certain that'd just make it worse. )
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He was entering the stairwell when he heard the apology from what had been an empty hallway 2 seconds ago and nearly jumped out of his skin.
The Belfry doesnโt require constant alertness. Like the Batgym or Jasonโs apartment, Tim can breathe here, secure in the knowledge that here they are as safe as possible. The security system isnโt that of the Titans Tower, but random intruders arenโt getting in.
Or so he thought. Because Wiccanโs caught him completely unawares. ]
What are you doing here?
[ How is he here? He canโt just pop in. How did he know where here is? ]
David and I are going to have a talk.
[ No mask, normal names. Thatโs why he switched phones and made certain Billy would see his name on the new number. His life isnโt as clearly demarcated as he would like, but Prodigy belongs with Rook and Wiccan and Billy does not belong in the Belfry.
Billy also doesnโt belong outside - a t-shirt? ]
And what are you wearing? Itโs like 45 degrees out.
[ Tim was going to shepherd him out of the building as quickly as possible and pray no one was in (or watching) the lobby. Now heโs taking him by the arm and steering him down the hall. The damage is done; heโs in the building. Tim can lend him a hoodie. ]
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( it was closeish to the same out in excelsior, but a little chill never hurt anyone. as long as it's not windy chill, which it wasn't. tim starts dragging him off and billy opts to follow along with his pulling. it won't hurt anything. )
I teleported. I didn't think I'd end up inside wherever this is which I absolutely do not know and am not going to write down and will try to forget as soon as I'm out because I wasn't invited in which is my bad. Sorry, again. I can let myself out without going through the door, I won't even see the street signs or anything.
( though his eyes are open which means he's noticing this isn't a house which kind of sort of makes it a little worse? oops. )
So I won't know where your secret base is or--whatever this is.
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The ramble is - oh God. Itโs a compilation of the greatest hits of revealing your super identity. Billyโs not going to forget, even if Tim keeps him to the mundane areas. Hey, I teleported into Rookโs super secret headquarters. People forget where the Batcave is all the time. ]
Itโs a private apartment building.
[ Technically. The secret base is in the basement, and top floor. Tim fishes out his keys and glances pointedly at the number on his door as he unlocks it. ]
If youโd use the front door, you wouldโve seen the signs. And the mailboxes. And the death trap of the staircase if youโre wearing slippery shoes.
[ The door opens, and Tim steps inside, leaving it open for Billy to follow. Itโs useless to force him in: he can teleport.
Thereโs nothing damning in the room. Bare kitchen except for a coffee pot missing a carafe and a collection of mugs in the sink. Nearly every mug, in fact, he really needs to do the dishes.
Two tables with gamer chairs for seating, both weighed down with electronics and miscellaneous boxes.
Actually, that box has weapons. Tim grabs it on the way into the bedroom to keep curious fingers safe. He tosses it onto the bed, which looks like itโs never seen the state of being โmadeโ, because the lone end table is cluttered with glassware, a collapsed bo, and a taser.
The closet is open to the room, because Tim hasnโt bothered getting new sliding doors for it. The clothes are at least hung up, making it the only physically organized space in the apartment. ]
So do you want a jacket or hoodie? Neither isnโt an option. Youโre going to attract attention in a t-shirt, and I donโt like giving people a reason to notice me.
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lowers his eyes down to the only colorful part of his ensemble: the pride leather doc martens which are probably grippy enough to handle deadly stairs. probably. the mess isn't terrible, nor unexpected. billy's room is generally a disaster itself, with socks thrown across the floor, random comics and books piled on his desk, bed never made.
closeish to this, except without the box of weapons. he used to use a staff, but hasn't bothered with it as of late. it wasn't for whacking people anyway.
at the offer of jacket versus hoodie he opts not to remind tim he can just - wave his hand and suddenly have one of his own. tim let him, didn't need to but he's trying to be chivalrous. billy will let him have it. )
Hoodie? ( not reaching for one on his own, who knows which hoodie has important value. but he does gesture to the collection of glasses, then nods his head over towards the kitchen area. )
Mind if I take care of those? Promise I'll be cheating, so it's not like it's real effort.
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Your choice. The black oneโs lighter, so if youโre dedicated to enjoying the crisp late winter, thatโs the one.
[ Either should fit fine. Theyโre near enough in height, and theyโre hoodies. Theyโre loose on Tim, and heโs a touch broader than Billy. ]
Are you going to magic my dishes?
[ His left eyebrow is up, because Billyโs a guest who should not be doing dishes or even staying, but Timโs not unfamiliar with not wanting to owe people for favors. Even small ones.
So hereโs a playful smirk, just in case Billyโs the sort to hate having nice gestures noticed. ]
If youโre going to magic my dirty dishes, I want full Sword in the Stone production value.
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once it's on and he's gotten his hands out of the sleeves, he returns tim's smirk with a grin of his own. raises a hand, as a wooden wand similar to merlin's own appears in the palm of his hand. )
I mean, I can, but concentrating on levitating everything is a little more difficult than just waving my hand and getting them done. I can give it a try, but I might end up dropping a dish or two.
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[ It does. But that may be vanity. Itโs his hoodie, after all, and he bought it for a reason. ]
You should -
[ Tim mimes smoothing a hand over his hair. Thereโs not much out of place, just enough to be distractingly tousled. If itโs not fixed, Timโs going to keep staring at the twisted strands. ]
Iโm willing to sacrifice a few mugs to see a good show, and Iโve never met a meta that didnโt like to show off. I think fine controls more showy than dismantling giant robots.
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( being brought elsewhere without a door back to where he came from and all. but alright. challenge accepted. or it will be after he finishes fixing his hair back into place, fingers threading through brown strands to smooth them back into the flippy fringe they're supposed to be laying in.
and then he's going out of tim's room to the hallway, so he can see inside the room but also see to the kitchen easier. raises his legs up one at a time until they're crossed under him but he's levitating, not necessarily sitting.
raises his new wand, too. for the extra flair. )
One, and a two, and a three, and a four --
( tim asked for a production. the wand sparks, billy's eyes close which might have been concerning if he actually needed to see, and - the sink turns on, heating up before the drain stopper's floating down to keep the water from draining and the soap bottle tips over to drop just enough into the water. to help with the coffee stains he's fairly certain are in those mugs considering the missing carafe.
slowly, the glassware in tim's room picks themselves up out of their resting places and start towards the kitchen. )
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The glee bubbles up on Timโs face at the quote. Itโs not just that Billyโs seen the movie and recalls it well enough to imitate. He can quote it. Well, so can Tim, through his laughter. ]
Gadzooks! Black magic - heh - of the worst kind!
[ Tim keeps out of the path of the dishes, but ducks beneath them, and Billy, to return to the kitchen, now abuzz with activity. He hops onto the kitchen counter, an armโs length from the sink, and watches the show. He wonโt say anything if thereโs a bobble in a bowl - the number of enchanted items has to be difficult to maintain, and Billyโs going to this effort for Timโs amusement. ]
I loved that movie when I was a kid. Archimedes and Wart were great. I think itโs what doomed me to swords and sorcery. Bonk me with a cup if Iโm distracting you.
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The witch-thing took me a bit. ( his words are quiet, carefully measured; billy's concentrating which doesn't leave much room for conversation. but he's working at it, even as dividing his attention leaves a few mugs drooping in his hold as they drop into the sink. a sponge raises and settles under the water for a moment, getting plenty wet and soapy so it can start scrubbing clean dishes. ) Like, I thought it might've just been. . . lightning. ( there's a spark of something off a mug close to the sink, but it fades before it drops into the water. there. that's all of them moved at least. ) Granted, that is a lot easier than this. Before I figured out the whole spellcasting thing, I went by Asgardian.
( the corners of his lips twitch up, just enough to be noticeable. )
Thought maybe I'd get a hammer. Start yelling stuff like Stay thy hand! 'Tis the God of Lightning who doth command thee!
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Tim sets it down on the counter without comment. The mug (โIโm not a complete idiot. Some parts are missing.โ) is a favorite, but in the end itโs only a mug and is unharmed. ]
Nothing wrong with having to practice. I didnโt wake up a vigilante on a random Wednesday. It took a bit.
[ He hopes itโs taken as encouragement and not bragging - thereโs still more to learn. Heโll never min max knowledge. He finds some new fact to cram into longterm memory daily.
Likeโฆ that, right there. Timโs focus twitches from the magic to the magician. Heโs familiar with the term, and the formality of the speech. ]
Youโre an Asgardian? Are you going to offer to teach me Old Norse, too?
[ And the smile goes sly. ]
Shall I preface my words with forsooth for thy comfort, milord?
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