[Thread] The Stuff Legends Are Made Of

[gonnaloveme]

Characters: OU Bruce Wayne / Batman, Open to the Bat Family, Persephone can find him if she wants
Where: more or less secluded area of the park
When: the night after everyone is "revived"
Summary: Bruce/Batman is not exactly pleased and he's out there just... thinking.
Warnings: Bats are the best worst at being emo. 'Nuff said.

Comments

[poppingseeds]

The Entropi had done their job with Persephone -- she was terrified. They hung now in the sky above them all and it wasn't just the chill in the autumn air that sent shivers through her body. To run meant death and to stay seemed to be the same. How the mortals did it, Persephone would never know, but dying had unnerved her beyond anything

[gonnaloveme]

The mask was slipped on before Persephone reached the clearing, her footsteps calling out to his keen ears well ahead of time to warn him of someone approaching. But he did not move from his position on the ground, although he must realize how utterly ridiculous he looked--like a broken bat sitting there with its wings on the ground. The image almost made him laugh--and want to cry again.

At the same time it occurred to him that he really probably only looked like a big, black blob sitting on the ground, what with his cape spread out behind and underneath him over the grass. His head turned slightly as the goddess neared the clearing and her distinctive light steps told him it was her before his eyes picked her out.

"Persephone..." His voice was soft, almost inaudible, and it sounded closer to Bruce Wayne rather than Batman speaking.

[poppingseeds]

The face Persephone made was somewhere between disgust, pain, and sorrow. She stayed by one of the trees, leaning against its trunk while bits of her thick sweater stuck to the bark -- she didn't think her legs could support her much longer now that she stopped moving.

"Batman." It was only out of respect for her friends' identities that she didn't use his true name.

[gonnaloveme]

His head ducked slightly, almost imperceptibly, and whether it was acknowledgment for her using his persona's name or something else was hard to say for sure. They stayed like that for a long moment, what probably felt like hours to both of them yet was likely just the longest minute either had ever spent in cold silence. She was fearful to move because she was uncertain of her footing; he was warring with too many emotions within himself to even begin to move. And which identity within him right now was in control was impossible for even him to tell.

Eventually he moved. It was a slow movement, meant to keep Persephone from starting at anything sudden, but it was still eerily smooth and precise. He stood and turned enough to be considered facing her.

"I--" he began softly, and it was probably obvious that the two personalities were battling out which one got to speak with her, which one had the right to speak with her. "I tried..."

He wasn't even sure what he was trying to say.

[flipping_bird]

Maybe it was because everything was simpler in black or white -- maybe the shadows meant there was less to notice, the overt similarities to the traumatic events of the day were lessened by the quiet invasion of night. Maybe it was just that Robin was a more apt pupil than Batman had ever imagined, or possibly they had more in common than they knew.

Either way, Robin was not entirely surprised when he found that the shadow in the clearing before him was familiar. He wasn't sure how to read its posture, however, and he hung back, waiting to be greeted before approaching.

[gonnaloveme]

The mask was on now and he was standing when Robin came upon him. His head was bowed down in deep concentration on the thoughts swirling through his mind. The Batman didn't even move as he heard the boy approach. It was such a light step he knew it could only be one of three people in the entire compound: one of the Robins or the grown up no-longer Robin.

There was a long moment of silence as neither spoke, Batman not acknowledging the other's presence. Finally though the Bat raised his head and turned it ever-so-slightly in the direction of Robin, although he did not look directly at the boy.

[flipping_bird]

Robin read the gesture, minute as it was, as acknowledgement, even permission, and took a couple of steps closer. In the shadow, the differences in the suit were less visible, the man before him could have been any Batman. Robin knew this Bruce wasn't the man he knew, barely knew him, but

[gonnaloveme]

The statuesque Bat became even more stony as the hand touched his arm. His whole body tensed uneasily and there was a distinct twitch to the muscles of the arm that indicated something more. That the twitch was all his arm did, that he didn't jerk the arm away quickly, was an effort of will alone.

The fact that this was the Robin Batman dreaded seeing the most did not help matters in the least. Bruce wanted to apologize profusely for what he had done--what he had allowed happen under his watchful gaze. That Persephone had died--in front of him, not anyone else, but him--that was a low blow and he could not face Robin right now for it.

The Bat could offer no comfort. He could barely stand the touch of the young hero. He stood passively, silently, a stony expression on his face and in his eyes as he stared straight forward, unmoving.

[little_wing003]

Tim left his apartment--without telling Cissie. He needed some space, and to not have to pretend to be all right. When he was with people he felt like he needed to be... at least mostly okay. Especially since he'd failed so epically at it in the immediate moment of the attack.

He eyed the Keepers warily as he walked. He didn't like seeing them in the sky. Not after...

He shook his head to clear it, almost surprised when he found himself in the park again. And Bru--Batman was just over there. Alive and obviously whole.

Tim hadn't even realized how much tension he'd been carrying over the man's "death" until it eased a little. Seeing that he was all right was a lot better than the surly communications over the PDAs.

[gonnaloveme]

Though Batman heard Tim's approach he did not react to the sound. He stood still, his cape hardly moving at all even when a stray breeze made it through the foliage almost as if it knew better than to annoy its sullen master. The Bat knew it was one of the Robins, or maybe Nightwing, just from the step. Even if the teen wasn't trying at the moment, his approach was nearly silent.

[little_wing003]

Tim paused in his approach. Bruce was clearly in a mood and generally--at home--that meant "do not approach under pain of excessive rudeness or extra-nasty training before patrol tonight." But they weren't home, and... this wasn't the Bruce Tim knew, so he took the last few steps forward, placing himself deliberately into Bruce's line of view.

"Hey," he said blandly, folding his arms across his chest under his cape. He was still... kind of mad, after all, now that the relief was done with.

[gonnaloveme]

Batman merely blinked once as the teen stepped deliberately into his line of sight and the purposeful act was not lost on him. Neither was the tone of voice, nor the gesture of crossing his arms on his chest. That last, however, was a distinctly defensive move and the Bat acted accordingly.

"I'm not in the mood for your games right now, Robin," the Bat answered in an almost similarly bland tone. But his was deeper, always darker.