[video]

[unmantled]

[ it’s that Grayson kid this time, kneeling at a bit of an awkward crouch next to a rusting, darkness seeping dumpster. However he got the NV pointed in that direction without propping it against something, it seems a little deliberate. But not quite deliberate enough to screen out the red, fresh-looking blood drying on the front of his shirt. ]...

Comments

batcrypted tex;

[kingofrooks]

Location.

batcrypted tex;

[unmantled]

[ here have some scrambled coordinates :c ]

action; also it was text, not tex. jesus

[kingofrooks]

[ The blood, the mention of Raven - he can already guess something had happened. But 'what', he doesn't know, and immediately he starts flipping through the possible suspects. The 'rail tracer'. The Newcomer Killer. The person who caused Aslan to die and might as well have killed him with his own hands- no, that can't be. Raven can handle herself in the Darkness.

So can Dick. But not in this guise, and Bruce is Batman right now, jumping down the rooftop to land next to the dumpster, almost silent. He can land silently- but that's not such a good idea right now. ]

Dick. [ Not exactly Batman. Not exactly Bruce either. Somewhere in between, in the gap that's almost real. ]

What happened?

action; /pat pat :c

[unmantled]

[ He hasn't moved since he shut the comm off; can't move away from where Raven's lying, still covered up with the jacket he'd somehow had on him. He can feel Bruce there, already hovering somewhere behind him. ]

She trusted me. She- [ Facts. Put the facts together. ]

...It was one of those weird phone calls. You know what I mean? So I just...

I traced her.

action; ♥

[kingofrooks]

[ Bruce reaches back and unhooks his cape from the cowl, reaching forward and draping the heavy Kevlar weave over Dick's shoulders, enough for him to be covered from shoulder to feet. He shifts a little, his back to the alley's mouth and an eye on the other end.

Basic procedures. ]

What did the message say?

[ He leaves his hands on Dick's shoulders, half-curled in even as he looks at Raven, studying the corpse with narrowed eyes. They should probably get her out of here before she turns into a Darkness monster.

In a moment. ]

action;

[unmantled]

She was after something. [ He can do this. He can. He forces himself into something a little more like an upright posture, halfway imitating Bruce's pose. It's always been easier with the cape on. ]

I mean, look at where the marks are. I don't think this is regular monster stuff.

action;

[kingofrooks]

It looks calculated. [ He steps back, then around Dick, and moves in closer to Raven, his fingers hovering in the air above her body's wounds. ] It's likely to be a person.

[ Softly, then- ]

We should get the body inside and burn it, so she doesn't turn into a Darkness monster.

action;

[unmantled]

[ ...oh. that's-

It's the sensible thing to do. She wouldn't want to be a monster. Wouldn't want to turn into the thing that killed her.

-and yet... ]

...But the creep's still out here. I mean, shouldn't we- [ find it first. stop it. ]

I swear I could get changed in two seconds, Bruce.

action;

[kingofrooks]

[ He should put his foot down and tell Dick to stop being silly, to not take risks like that. But- the look in his eyes. He understands the need for vengeance and the want to stop something from happening far better than anyone knows.

Bruce closes his eyes. Nods sharply. ]

Go.

[ He'll look over the body. ]

action;

[unmantled]

[ There's a wide-eyed stare half-caught between grateful and stunned; then he's off before Bruce can change his mind. About a minute and a half is all it takes before Robin drops down without a sound, just close enough to the body to brush it a little with his cape from the motion. ]

...Now what?

action;

[kingofrooks]

[ While Dick is gone, Bruce has been moving over to the body, checking over the wounds as much as possible. He doesn't lift his head up when Robin returns - the footsteps are familiar enough - instead he slips his hands beneath Raven's neck and knees, lifting her up. ]

We bring her to the Cave.

action;

[unmantled]

[ It's what needs to be done. It's the right thing to do.

He forces a stiff little nod, and for a second he almost can't look when Bruce scoops her up. ]

...Then we're gonna find him, right?

action;

[kingofrooks]

[ He looks at him for a long while. ]

It's a lower priority.

action;

[unmantled]

...But-

[ ...This stare is a little uncomprehending. ]

No. Okay? No. She's my friend, and this thing killed her. How can you even look at her like that and say that, Bruce?

action;

[kingofrooks]

Have you seen a Darkness monster, Dick?

[ He's not stopping there to talk. He's continuing to move, Raven held tight in his arms. ]

Have you seen a person become that monster?

action;

[unmantled]

[...well.

No. Of course the answer's no. He's frozen where he is for a few long moments before it clicks that Bruce is still moving, still taking Raven away. ]

...Okay, so-

So we'll burn her like you said and then hit the streets. I mean, she's pretty tough for a girl, Bruce. How long do you think the next one's gonna last?