Metagene || rp thread for a_carrion_crow and arkhams_dr
"Metagene--that stuff is real? You--your mom--you have that?" Dalia looked even more curious than when Helena had taken off the cowl.
"My mom, me. Your dad, you."
Helena seemed almost surprised that Dalia hadn't really heard about it before. Then again, she'd spent quite a bit of time researching it while deciding to become the Huntress.
Dalia was still getting over what Helena Kyle had told her the day before. She needed to know more. Aside from Helena's own research, there wasn't a lot to go off of.
Although she turned the key in the lock, Dalia still knocked as she entered her childhood home. "It's me," she called out.
Her father was on the couch in the living room and he got up when he saw her come in. "Keep it down," he said, "Your mother's asleep."
"Is she all right?" Dalia asked.
"Sure," Harvey said. "She just tires out easier these days. I think she might have a cold."
He didn't seem worried, so she tried not to concern herself with it either.
"Long time no see," he said as he hugged her.
Dalia hugged back. "I'm sorry. Work's been busy."
"It always is when you work for the City." Harvey sighed. "Just...take breaks when you need to, okay?"
"I always do, Dad. I mean, I went on a six-week vacation out of the country, remember?" Dalia smiled.
"Your mother told me you showed her the pictures," he said, tensing a bit. "How is your sister?"
"She's fine, Dad. I wish you'd just..."
"What?"
"Accept her..." Dalia sat down on the couch.
"It's not her I have the problem with," Harvey muttered. "Is that why you came over? To argue?"
Dalia refocused. "No. I came over to ask you about the metagene."
"The--what?" Harvey hadn't heard the word used since decades-old conversations with Jonathan Crane.
"The metagene," Dalia said. "How come you never told me I had it?"
He didn't ask how she'd found out. Instead, he said, "Your mother didn't think it was important."
"...of course she didn't." Dalia shouldn't have been surprised. "What do you know about it?"
"Not a whole lot," Harvey admitted. "I found out about it from Crane. Back when--the accident first happened. Occasionally...when I owed him...he'd make me let him experiment--see which ways it affected me or didn't...I don't really remember a lot about it. That was...ages ago. But you're not running from the law or jumping from rooftop to rooftop," Harvey said. "It's nothing you need to worry about. It's enhanced your night vision, made your other senses keener, probably..." She didn't need to know about the sped-up recovery times -- she wasn't going to get the injuries he used to sustain or anything like that.
"...right." Dalia smiled and changed the subject to something else. Obviously she'd have to dig deeper.
That's how, later that day, into the evening, actually, she found herself at the Crane house. She should've called first, but she was bad at that, and so Dalia rang the doorbell with a bit of apprehension.
"My mom, me. Your dad, you."
Helena seemed almost surprised that Dalia hadn't really heard about it before. Then again, she'd spent quite a bit of time researching it while deciding to become the Huntress.
Dalia was still getting over what Helena Kyle had told her the day before. She needed to know more. Aside from Helena's own research, there wasn't a lot to go off of.
Although she turned the key in the lock, Dalia still knocked as she entered her childhood home. "It's me," she called out.
Her father was on the couch in the living room and he got up when he saw her come in. "Keep it down," he said, "Your mother's asleep."
"Is she all right?" Dalia asked.
"Sure," Harvey said. "She just tires out easier these days. I think she might have a cold."
He didn't seem worried, so she tried not to concern herself with it either.
"Long time no see," he said as he hugged her.
Dalia hugged back. "I'm sorry. Work's been busy."
"It always is when you work for the City." Harvey sighed. "Just...take breaks when you need to, okay?"
"I always do, Dad. I mean, I went on a six-week vacation out of the country, remember?" Dalia smiled.
"Your mother told me you showed her the pictures," he said, tensing a bit. "How is your sister?"
"She's fine, Dad. I wish you'd just..."
"What?"
"Accept her..." Dalia sat down on the couch.
"It's not her I have the problem with," Harvey muttered. "Is that why you came over? To argue?"
Dalia refocused. "No. I came over to ask you about the metagene."
"The--what?" Harvey hadn't heard the word used since decades-old conversations with Jonathan Crane.
"The metagene," Dalia said. "How come you never told me I had it?"
He didn't ask how she'd found out. Instead, he said, "Your mother didn't think it was important."
"...of course she didn't." Dalia shouldn't have been surprised. "What do you know about it?"
"Not a whole lot," Harvey admitted. "I found out about it from Crane. Back when--the accident first happened. Occasionally...when I owed him...he'd make me let him experiment--see which ways it affected me or didn't...I don't really remember a lot about it. That was...ages ago. But you're not running from the law or jumping from rooftop to rooftop," Harvey said. "It's nothing you need to worry about. It's enhanced your night vision, made your other senses keener, probably..." She didn't need to know about the sped-up recovery times -- she wasn't going to get the injuries he used to sustain or anything like that.
"...right." Dalia smiled and changed the subject to something else. Obviously she'd have to dig deeper.
That's how, later that day, into the evening, actually, she found herself at the Crane house. She should've called first, but she was bad at that, and so Dalia rang the doorbell with a bit of apprehension.