batmanschmatman | 010 [video]

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010 [video]

[Dick still looks, as Costigan so eloquently put it, pretty beat to shit. Also, angry. Quite angry.]

Nice to know the track record of one horrible thing happening after another followed me here too.

[Private to Tim]

You saw.

[Private to Steph]

~~You okay?~~

Where are you?

[Private to Costigan]

~~... NEVERMIND~~

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[ Good luck finding her. She ran the whole way up, and she just kept running through the forest that appeared in the torrential rain that, based on the mud, had been falling for a long time. She's happy for it, because it helps her tell herself she isn't crying. She runs and runs and runs until she can't run anymore, and then she starts wailing on a tree. And screaming. Finally, legs thoroughly bruised and knuckles thoroughly cut up, clothes thoroughly soaked and filthy, she gives up and curls into a little ball. ]

[To be fair, Dick's not called the World's Second Greatest Detective for nothing, so he'll be stumbling upon her eventually. Still, by the time he does, he's totally soaked, a little muddy and kind of cold. He's not really sure what he wants to do once he actually approaches her though, since this is kind of... messed up. And he wouldn't be shocked if she just wants to be left alone.

So, he takes a couple cautious steps forward, still a safe distance away in case she wants space, and speaks loud enough that she should be able to hear him over the rain.] Steph?

[ She doesn't move. If anything she grows a little more still than she was before. Still shaking, but more from the cold now. ]

[Aw hell. He closes the distance between them and carefully kneels down next to her, gently putting a hand on her shoulder.] Steph, it's okay.

[ Still not moving, she growls, ] It's not okay.

[He bites the inside of his cheek for a second. Of course it's not okay. He should know better then this.

He reaches up and pulls off his jacket, which is... slightly less wet then the rest of him and holds it out to her.] Here. You look like you're freezing.

[ She finally uncurls enough to look at him, then the jacket. Grudgingly she wraps it around her shoulders, too tired to try actually putting it on. ]

I don't understand why he's here. [ Speaking in full sentences like this, you can probably hear the rough, congested quality of her voice from the screaming and crying. She doesn't care anymore. ]

[He really wishes he had an answer for you, Steph. But he's really been wondering the same thing. Then again, why is anyone they know here? The Joker had been here, and he sure as hell wasn't redeemable, and Harvey Dent had been there and -

Dick didn't really want to go there right now, so he's just going to sit down next to you without actually looking at you.] I don't either, Steph.

[ She sits quietly for a long time, staring down a tree more or less in front of her. ]

Wish I could quit.

[Oh how he gets that.]

I know. But you're not going to. You would have quit a long time ago if you were that kind of person.

[ She just hides her face in her knees again. She may not have quit back then, but she sure did a great impression of it. ]

[Dick's just going to sit there quietly for a minute, trying to figure out what to say.]

... Did anyone ever tell you about when I almost got killed by Two Face?

[ She peeks one eye at him and shakes her head. ]

[He smiles slightly before starting to explain, looking away from her. His voice is kind of flat, clearly a defense to distance himself from the less then pleasant memories.] My first year as Robin, Two Face kidnapped a judge. Bruce benched me, but of course I didn't listen to him, and we both ended up getting kidnapped. Two Face tried to get me to choose between the judge's life and Batman's, but I thought I could trick him into sparing both of them.

[He stops for a moment before continuing, still staring off at a tree in front of them.] The judge died, and Harvey tried to beat me to death with a baseball bat. Bruce got me out of there, but I was pretty messed up. He fired me as soon as I woke up, and after I healed up enough, I ran away. Ended up falling in with a group of kid assassins in training and almost preformed a hit on Two Face. I knew I was in over my head, but I didn't want to go back to the Manor because I felt guilty for leaving in the first place.

... Obviously everything worked out, but. I've been there, wanting to run away from everything. More then once, honestly. But I've always come back. And you have too. You're Batgirl.

[ She sniffles rather pathetically, just as touched by the story itself as by the effort he was putting in to making her feel better. After a minute she scoots over enough to hesitantly rest her head on his shoulder. ]

Yeah, I am.

[He smiles slightly again and puts an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a one armed hug.]

You'll be okay. It might not seem like it now, but you will be.

[ She leans into him more since this has the distinctive feeling of not being weird. ]

I hate walking through the halls, knowing he could be around the corner. I don't... I don't know how I can do this.

[He definitely doesn't mind. Somewhat unshockingly, he sees a lot of himself in Steph, and he'll be happy to sit here with her as long as she needs it.]

Take it slow. You know. Baby steps. No one expects you to just suck it up and deal a couple hours after finding out about it.

[ Might be a while :| ]

Of course. It's only been two years. [ This sad attempt at a joke falls so flat it's almost funny. ]

[Resident older sibling of the Batfamily is prepared to take that risk. 8| ]

Please, you think I wasn't crapping my pants every time Dent broke out of Arkham after it happened? I still have nightmares. [Really, it would probably make more sense to talk about everything that happened with Blockbuster, but... he's not ready to talk about that yet. See Steph, it takes time.]

Maybe he'll vanish like some of the other people did.

He has to. There's no way he can redeem himself.

No, there isn't. [He means it too. He really doesn't know why he's here.]

The Admiral's an ass. [ And she definitely means that. ]

[He chuckles despite the gravity of the situation.] Yeah, I don't think anyone's going to argue with you there.

[ There's another long moment of silence. ]

My knuckles are starting to sting.

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