batmanschmatman | 040 [video]

[Dick's already spent a decent amount of time investigating the situation - always be prepared might as well be the Bat motto rather than the Boy Scouts - and the communicator's not all that hard for him to work around. So, instead of fumbling video or accidental audio posts, you get a steady image of him in his room, sitting on one of the couches in the penthouse. He looks somewhere in his late teens - he's actually seventeen, but appears a little older - and is dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans. His left arm is in a sling, but he's handling things just fine one handed.]

Whatever this is, assuming there's a shot I've just swapped places with my counterpart instead of actually just... whatever else could be going on, I would really like to know when I can get back to where I'm supposed to be. Or go back to being the correct age or whatever. I still have some things that need to get taken care of back home.

[Which basically means I need to get my life back on track, because he's just been fired and dropped out of college and tossing this on top of the pile is kind of a bummer, if you can imagine.]

How much does time pass while we're here? Is there a difference, or are we basically moving in real time?

[He looks around the apartment. It's pretty clear that he lives here, but this particular penthouse is unfamiliar to him - Bruce bought it and converted it into a safe house a while after Dick's current timeline. He hasn't investigated the closet and found his Nightwing gear yet, nor has he found Costigan's file - which is safely locked away - but he's been skimming backlogs like crazy.]

And I guess I'm supposed to be making contact with Bill Costigan?

[Private to Bruce]

~~Why did you call me Batman?~~
~~I know you're here.~~
~~Assuming you give a damn~~

[lol no real message for Bruce. :c]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Do you remember where you are?

Not really. I either fell asleep at the bar or watching movies at home. Bar seems most likely. That nice waitress will probably wake me up any minute now.

... What were you doing at a bar? How old are you?

Eating breakfast. Graveyard shift at the garage, you know how it is. Or maybe you don't.

I'm not 18 again, am I? I can show you my ID if I can find it...

[ He actually looks around in his pockets. No such luck. ]

Hah, it's one of those dreams.

Wally, this isn't a dream. What garage?

The garage where I work. Come on subconscious, you can do better than this.

Wally, I'm not your subconscious. Since when do you work at a garage?

Since the KCPD hired me to. Who're you supposed to be anyway? Dracula-Frankenstein crossover I got, but what, are you some guy I saw on the street?

[...]

Wally, it's me. Dick. Dick Grayson, your best friend since practically forever?

Is this about something from middle school? I know I did a lot of dumb stuff, but I figured if my subconscious was going to berate me for it it would be more... literal.

No, Wally, it's me. I just talked to you two days ago, remember? We were leaving the Tower because you're tired of living in Barry's shadow and I got kicked out and had to hang up the cape and everything.

I'm trying to remember this, but I just can't see myself playing superheroes in middle school.

Wally, you're Kid Flash. What happened to you?

Yeah, okay. And what were you, Aqualad? There must have been girls in this club too, why aren't they here?

I'm - was Robin. Wally, seriously, what happened?

I'm trying to remember, but you're seriously not helping. Middle school was ages ago, how do you expect me to remember whatever dumb thing I did back then?

This wasn't middle school. What do you remember?

Well it can't have been high school, because I definitely don't remember having a friend named Dick in middle school. Elementary school... I guess I can see calling myself Kid Flash. I remember I thought he was the coolest, back then. But I was just a kid.

Do you still know Barry?

Barry? Uh, I think I had an uncle named Barry.

You think?

No, yeah, that was definitely his name. I only remember because he was married to my favorite aunt Iris.

You never spent time with him?

Not when I didn't have to.

Is that what this is about? I have some sort of subconscious angst about not spending more time with my uncle before he died?

This isn't a dream. Or, if it is, then we're sharing it.

[Dick is contemplating pushing aside his massive, massive Bruce issues to ask him for help getting you back to normal. :|]