X Marks the...

[felldown7gotup8]

Who: Colin Wilkes and Stephanie Brown
When: Friday Afternoon
Where: Damian's hidey-hole in the middle of nowhere
Summary: Unexpected first meetings
Rating: PG probably
Warnings: A kid dealing with mental issues.

Comments

[crossespurpose]

The last handful of days had been a blur. Since his proposed arrival in the facility and onward, every moment had been a mess of mental instability, concern and inner-demons questioning, poking, prodding and causing him to doubt everything he once believed to be true. Colin knew that he was no help to Damian at the moment he knew he was a liability first and foremost since their arrival to the new world. Only three days had passed since they arrived and the last thing he remembered was blinking, the scenery changing from the white and stark walls of the facility to the dry and arid environment of a desert, a ghost town. Yet one thing remained the same, the other boy was still there and with all of the other people around him, Colin had quickly shut down and simply followed where he was dragged to and without question of anything otherwise, he was dragged off immediately after the scenery changed

[felldown7gotup8]

It was a kid. And he looked terrified.

Without even thinking about it, the batarang disappeared back into her pouch and Steph went from tense and battle-ready to pointedly nonchalant, her arms spread in the universal gesture of 'I'm not going to do anything to you, I swear'.

"I'm Batgirl," she said, biting her lip and wishing she wasn't in costume. The kids of Gotham loved Batgirl, but if he didn't know her, she was afraid she looked a bit...intimidating. She smiled, hoping it'd take the edge off. "Sorry to barge in on you, Red."

She took a step back, wanting to give the kid his space. "Nice place you got here," she quirked an eyebrow, "Been here long?"

[crossespurpose]

There was a pause in his retreat as the female began to back up, his breath caught in his throat and he watched her with a careful gaze. Eyes looking from her attire to her face, he straightened up his posture slightly--not as hunched over, not as pressed into the corner. Quickly his mind turned until it snapped, the images in the newspaper articles, what he read about her, she was Batgirl and standing right before him. It made sense, if Damian was there certainly she would be as well but he had never seen her before, in person. If this was a fabrication then it was building off of what he had created in his knowledge of Robin, Damian. If it was not a story that he simply made up in his mind to cope with the surroundings of being forced into the an institution due to his mental instabilities, then it was a mild shock

[felldown7gotup8]

She watched him carefully, noting the changes in posture and the emotions that flickered across his face. Man, this kid was skittish. Which rather brought up the question of what, exactly, he was doing all the way out here. And what on earth Damian had to do with it.

For a wild moment, the image of Damian kidnapping this kid flashed in her mind's eyes, before she dismissed it with a only the slightest twitch of her lips at the idea of Damian hauling this boy off, tossed caveman style over his shoulder. Not helpful, Steph. Amusing, but not particularly helpful. So. That left Damian helping him. Or trying to.

Hopefully anyway. It was something to go on.

At the boy's question, the flippant part of Steph's mind wanted desperately to reply with A little bird told me. Luckily the more rational side won out. No need to compromise Damian's identity if she hadn't already, and besides, the kid seemed too deep in a mood to be joked out of it. "I was given directions," she slowly pulled her faciliberry off her belt to show the

[crossespurpose]

It was likely a good choice the other made not to joke around with him at this point in time. It could have gone either way but with the tension in the air it likely would have changed for the worse and caused the more unsettling lack of trust to broaden. If this was Batgirl though, he had no reason to fear her--even though he was terrified of bats. Absolutely, horrendously terrified, it was a phobia of his amongst many and while before he had gotten a hold on it, now was not the best time for mental stability in the world of Colin. She's thinking with her head, that much is true and while he's keeping his distance, he's not running away

[felldown7gotup8]

Okay, well that's something at least. He might not be giving anything away and he was still eyeballing the door like he was going to make a break for it, but that last statement had been pretty matter of fact. Whatever was going on between this kid and Damian, it was clear the Boy Terror hadn't managed to traumatize him yet. Still, she had to find a way to break this little stand-off. For a kid as freaked out as this one seemed to be, the last thing he needed was drawn out tension and stress.

"Well that's something. Hey, Red, I don't suppose you'd mind if I sit? The heat out there is killer," and even as she asked, Steph was already spreading her cape and plopping down onto the floor, careful to look casual about it, but still avoiding any sudden movement that might startle him. Settling, she crossed her legs campfire style and glanced up at the kid. "Have you got a name I could use? I wouldn't want to keep calling you Red if you'd rather go by something else."

[crossespurpose]

Traumatize was a word used loosely. After all, Colin had done enough to do that himself, he had fabricated his problems and allowed himself to slip back into the mental state he had been years ago. Damian was only helping him in his strange way and while telling him that he can't trust anyone around the entirely of the place likely was not helping, it was not that he was not looking out for him. It was simply in a roundabout way that might seem worse before it does better. Still, this was Batgirl. He knew of her enough to the fact that if she did indeed exist, if this world existed, that he could trust her despite remaining wary for the beginning moments.

Watching her sit down, his eyes watched her before taking another step closer, placing his hand out to rest against a wooden crate within the room. "Colin."

He paused and replied quietly, perhaps not with as much hesitance. "My name is Colin Wilkes."

Pffft, yes, Steph's headvoice is melodramatic.

[felldown7gotup8]

At his cautious little step forward, Steph feels a tightness in her chest. He reminds her of nothing so much as stray cat, all nervous tension and caution. Poor kid. She hasn't the slightest idea what happened to make him this way, but she wishes desperately she could take it away.

And then he says his name.

Ha! Victory! A small victory maybe, but definitely one nonetheless. Steph's eyes lit up and she waggled her fingers at him in a little wave. "Hello, Colin! Nice to meetcha!"

She tilted her head thoughtfully, looking at him. If only she could get him talking..."We're awfully far from the town and all the others. What are you doing all the way out here?"

[crossespurpose]

He watches her still and leans more against the wooden crate, dropping his hand down to his side, the other mimicking the same gesture. There was no sense to hide something from her, if she was who she said she was and even though Damian said he could trust no one, even though that still lingered in the back of his mind, she seemed friendly enough, someone he could talk to even though his head was spinning with anxiety. His chest still was rising and falling heavily than usual, and his cheeks were still slightly flushed but for all the other could know it might have been from the heat.

"Hi." Comes his tentative reply, not offering up a hand but there is a the smallest of quirks upon his lips even though it fades when the question is asked.

Open hesitance, and then he speaks, turning one of his feet around amongst the dust and woodenly floorboards below his shoes. "He said it would be the safest--Damian, that is. To stay put, not to move."

[felldown7gotup8]

Steph can't help the grin, nor does she want to. Once the 'deer in the headlights' look had faded, he was pretty dang cute. Still, she made note of the flushed cheeks; yeah, it could just be a result of the recent upset, but Steph had seen enough heat illness amongst the aid workers in Africa to know that that might be a problem too. Even in the shade, in heat like this...

"Did he now?" So it looked like she was right, though she was did wonder what thought process had led Damian to that particular conclusion. A quick glance around showed that, while this place might be sparse in amenities, he had made sure it was well stocked at least. She nodded in approval.

"Did he, by any chance, happen to mention why he decided it'd be safer this far from the others?"

[crossespurpose]

His gaze does not leave her for the moment. Quietly he wished the other boy would show up so he could maybe relax a little more, not that his mind out allow him to do even around Damian. He was perpetually tense, even as he slept he was tense and right now that was no change. It was a frame of mind constantly on the brink of snapping, desperately trying to calm himself but the thoughts would come rushing back, even with the singular form he trusted was around it was relentless and even then he felt his breaths begin to increase.

A shake of his head and he looked to her. "No--I just followed him." In the blur that was his life since he arrived he had just followed him to wherever he led. He trusted Damian, the only one he did thus far unless he was told otherwise but he was too much of a mental wreck to be able to discern anything else.

[felldown7gotup8]

Unbeknownst to Colin, Steph shared his wish for Damian to show up. This would all be so much easier if she had the other kid to give her some clue what was going on. She noted the increase in breathing with concern. That was symptom number two

[crossespurpose]

She was right, he really wasn't thirsty and he honestly had not been thinking about it. The other boy had assure that the place was stocked with supplies before he came and left the premise throughout the day. Sometimes words were not shared and other times they were but it was not that he was not taken care of, he was just left alone more often than not. It made him increasingly nervous, to be left along with his own thoughts and be allowed to have his fears blossom in such an environment

[felldown7gotup8]

Steph watched him not drink and suppressed a sigh. She should have known that would be too easy. Still, even if he wasn't going to she would; that walk out here was miserable. Unhooking her own canteen from her belt, she took a gulp, swishing the water around her dry mouth as she thought.

"A few months ago?" So that meant...either he'd been in the Facility a while or...they'd met in Gotham. The first was certainly possible, Steph had only been there about a month, and she hadn't met everyone yet by any stretch of the imagination. But...this nervous little kid, she can't imagine the Facility wouldn't have eaten him alive if he'd been here that long. Unless this place was the 'cause of his twitchiness? It was worth considering, she supposed.

"How'd you meet? Was Damian grumpy? I bet he was grumpy." Her smile was amused and reluctantly fond.

[crossespurpose]

The walk was miserable and when the heat of the day broke across the sky and through the clouds, beaming down upon the small structure in the middle of nowhere, the heat could get unbearable at times but still--he rationed the water like he was told, like he knew to do. Colin was a kid, but he wasn't stupid, just a little out of his wits at the moment, struggling to make sense. Still, he notes as she takes a sip of the water that the cowl must not the most comfortable think to run around in, particularly in the heat.

A nod at her first question and he's listening again, arching both of his eyebrows slightly as he's nervous, not sure if Damian wants to be saying much of anything but honestly, would he have invited her there via the device without informing her? Likely--but she would find out everything eventually.

"By the river." He speaks up slightly, his voice on the point of wavering, his breaths still quick but he sounds more secure with a shake of his head. "He wasn't grumpy--just serious."

[felldown7gotup8]

We-ell, now. That almost sounded like the kid was defending him. Which was certainly interesting. Even if he was giving her absolutely as little as he possibly could elsewise.

"Wait, what river?" she asked, though that tidbit did help narrow things down a little, as there wasn't a river in the Facility proper. Which meant F-3 or the real world. "Do you remember what universe it was in?"

She smiled and shrugged in response to Colin's description of Damian. "Well, I have been accused of not being able to tell the difference. Though," she paused thoughtfully, "Usually by incurable grumps, so take that with a grain of salt."