batmanschmatman | 010 [video]

[Hayley shrugged, finally straightening and sitting still for the moment to look over at him. It seemed obvious, but if he wanted an outline, she was happy to provide him with one.] "What happened after I bandaged you up, how you got the rest of the cuts, what happened to your friends, how you're recovering, why you hate Roman so much, maybe some of the history there.. or, you know, why I caught a glimpse of you wearing fingerless gloves and looking like a rebel without a cause with a bunch of mafiosos when I flicked through that Black Mask comic. Whatever you want."

[She flashed him an exaggerated smile, a mixture between sarcasm and lighthearted teasing.]

[Dick blinked, processing all of that. He'd been sort of worried that the comic book she'd already mentioned was going to include that. It was really creepy knowing that just anyone could show up and tell him about all that, about Bludhaven -

So not going there right now. He'd had enough trauma for one day. He ran a hand through his hair, grimacing slightly.] It's kind of a long story. [Meaning the comic book thing. Might as well start with the worst part, right?]

[Hayley shrugged, expecting that was code for him not wanting to talk. She stood and began riffling through his things under the guise of tidying up a bit, tossing his clothes in one corner after check the pockets and stacking his books and papers on the table. When she found a batarang under a food wrapper of some kind, she gave him a pointed look, then his shuriken wound, then went back to cleaning. Hayley set the batarang on the table in its own spot, wanting to ask him about it later.]

[Dick smiled sheepishly at the look. He really should probably try to keep his space cleaner, but... he'd always been messy. Still, it was nice of her to try straightening up after him, and as weird as it was, she was kind of reminding him of Alfred with the cleaning and that look, so after a moment of trying to figure out how to explain it, he started talking. He'd already told Costigan about part of it, but he'd never really talked to anyone about this part before. He wasn't even sure if Tim knew about it, which was probably something they'd have to talk about now that Mask was around.]

I sort of... went through a self destructive period for a while a year or so ago. That was sort of part of it.

"I'm listening." [She replied in a neutral sort of tone as she continued cleaning, rather liking the distraction for her hands and her mind. Just sitting there waiting for someone to talk was awkward and it put my pressure on them. At least this way, he could talk as much or as little as he wanted while she just continued doing what she was doing. Besides, Hayley didn't mind cleaning when she was in the right mood and getting to go through pretty much everything Dick owned was a wicked enough perk to be in the right mood.]

[Dick was quiet for a while, trying to figure out how to explain it without spilling too much. He didn't want to talk about Blockbuster or Tarantula, or the gang war that Steph had started or basically trying to throw his life away at any opportunity. It was not exactly his finest moment.]

I made a lot of mistakes. A lot of mistakes. And I couldn't deal with it for a while, so I just... left. I kind of lost sight of what was important, I guess.

[He's quiet again before adding, in a sort of amused tone,] I got snapped out of it eventually, obviously, but it was kind of just one horrible thing happening after another for a while, and I didn't really know how to cope.

[She listened with a sort of impatience on her expression, though she wasn't certain whether he could see it or not. It felt like the sort of thing someone said to get you off their back without actually telling you anything. The inmate didn't appreciate that, but she knew she had to cut him some slack' the night was just beginning, after all. His last words made her freeze, however, halfway to picking up another shirt. She slowly straightened as she turned to stare at him, both hands grasping the piece of clothing.]

"Did you learn how to cope?" [Because if not, then Dick would sure as hell snap at some point on the Barge.]

[He stared at her a little defensively for a moment.] I know how to cope with a lot of stuff. This was different.

[And he's quiet again, almost long enough that it seemed like he wouldn't elaborate further, but now he'd told Bruce and he'd told Costigan, so it was... maybe getting easier to talk about. Or maybe he was just tired and needed to ramble a little.]

... There was this mob boss, in Bludhaven. He found out who I was, and started trying to rip my life apart. Everything I'd built there, he started destroying, and I was there when he died. I could have stopped her from killing him, but I didn't. We're not supposed to kill people. [And he stops again.]

[Hayley stood there, still paused, not minding his look. It was a valid question in her mind. She opened her mouth to reply, but then thought better of it and started tidying again. Another smoke bomb, a book, clothes, more cloths. When he started talking again, she slowed to show that she was paying attention, glancing over to him every now and then. In this situation, she wasn't sure whether it was better to watch him or to continue looking away more than not; she wasn't sure whether to ask questions or not; she wasn't sure whether to comment or simply listen. In the end, she realized she had to choose something.] "Who was it?"

Roland Desmond. Blockbuster.

[He shifted so he was once again sort of lying down, but propped up high enough on pillows that he was sort of sitting up too. He looked over at the girl curiously for a moment.] Can I ask you something?

[Huh. Not recognizing the name, the girl took note of it for later. At his question, Hayley froze again. After a beat, though, she continued tidying without looking at him. She didn't like where this was going. At least Dick seemed slightly more comfortable.] "Sure, but I'm not obligated to answer."

Fair enough. [He paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to say it. Straightforward finally seemed like the best option.]

How come you're an inmate? I mean, you seem pretty okay, especially compared to most of the people here.

... I'm not going to judge you or anything, just curious.

[Hayley's efforts slowed and then stopped completely. After a long pause of staring at the hat in her hands, she turned to face him. She wasn't sure she trusted him that much yet, but Hayley also had an insatiable curiosity when she felt like she was missing something about someone. There was something about Dick that wasn't clicking.]

"I'll trade you. One question for one question. You either answer honestly or you refuse to answer, in which case, new question."

[That seemed fair enough, and he'd done this enough times with other people to know the dangers and benefits of exchanging information this way, so he nodded after only a couple seconds of hesitation.] Okay. So, that's my question. Or, do you want to ask me a question before you answer that one?

Edited 2011-01-11 06:59 (UTC)

"Because the Admiral doesn't like the way I tried to help people." [It was honest, if a bit vague. But he had as many questions as he was willing to share answers, so she was hoping it would be enough to start him on a long path.] "You said you let 'her' kill him. Who's her?"

[The inmate set the hat on his dresser and then maneuvered her way back around to the couch to take a seat. Now this was interesting.]

[That got a sort of cautiously amused smile, because seriously, should he be concerned that she'd taken an interest in him? But it fell at her question.]

Tarantula. She was... [How did he even begin to explain that fiasco? He caught himself before he elaborated further, mostly because he really didn't need to spiral. He was already trying to push away the memories of the gunshot that had haunted him for weeks afterwards.] What do you mean, tried to help people?

[...Tarantula? Seriously? Hayley tried to ignore the ridiculous name in favor of focusing on her next question. It clearly was not something he was happy about, but that made her all the more curious. After all, no one was proud of their dark secrets, of the things they tried to hide from everyone about who they really were. Even Hayley, if she was honest with herself.]

"I mean.. tried to help people. I tried to stop people from getting raped, abused, and murdered." [She said it as nonchalantly as possible, even though she still wasn't sure whether or not to tell him the truth. If she could reach his secret before he could reach one of hers, then maybe she wouldn't have to reveal it.] "Why did you let her kill him?"

[Well, that was curious. After all, Dick tried to stop people from getting raped, abused, and murdered too, but he wasn't an inmate, which probably meant Hayley used lethal force or something. And while Dick himself was against killing? He had friends with slightly looser moral codes, so that wasn't really all that shocking.]

Because I didn't want to save him. [It was the same answer he'd given Bruce and Costigan too, and if he kept it vague and led her away from asking about Tarantula, that was fine by him.] So, you're a vigilante. Do you have like, a codename?

[He was leading her down a path the same as she was leading him, even if he didn't realize it. She smiled slightly at the idea, tilting her head in an innocent fashion. Sometimes, the inmate couldn't help but feign naivety.]

"I wasn't a vigilante. It had nothing to do with law. So, no, I didn't use a codename. I didn't even lie about my name most of the time." [She gave a mischievous little smile then, enjoying this way too much.] "Why didn't you want to save him?"

Because in that moment, he was everything that was wrong with the world. So I just walked away. [And she'd shot him, and he'd had an emotional breakdown in the rain on the roof of the building and Tarantula had come out and - ]

So, why'd you do it, if it didn't have to do with the law? [He had a feeling this would be a 'pass' question, but it never hurt to ask.]

[Hayley considered what he was saying, wondering how it was he could seem so calm talking about these things that were supposed to be secrets. Unless she was on the wrong track, but they weren't supposed to use violence.. There had to be something.]

"Right and wrong." [She replied to his question with a shrug, then picked up her coffee from the table and took a sip. After a thought, she set it back down.] "Mm. How do you know he died if you just left?"

[Keeping it flat and detached was really the only way he's able to talk about any of this. Getting emotionally involved and remembering everything that happened as it happened would be like ripping a bandaid off a wound that hadn't and probably never would really heal.]

Because I heard it happen. [And it had seriously haunted him. He had thought the worst noise he'd ever heard was his parent's bodies hitting the ground in the circus tent fifty feet below them, but he'd been wrong.] Why do you want me to like Harvey?

[Hayley's brows scrunched together in confusion for a second. She was expecting him to continue down the same path, asking who and how rather than jumping to a new topic entirely. Still, it wasn't like he couldn't do that as part of their vague arrangement, so she scratched at her hair and answered with the confusion in her voice as well.] "Because I like him and I don't like people I might be friends with hating people I-- people I'm close to."

[Then her face returned to almost neutral to skip to her next question.] "But how did you know he died? How do you know she didn't miss and get hurt or that she didn't help him get away or something? I mean, you walked away, right? How do you know?"

[Dick didn't say anything about Harvey, staring blankly at the opposite wall. He was consciously trying to keep himself in control. The problem with not really dealing with stuff that happened to you was that when it came up again, it really kicked your ass.]

I was only like, ten-fifteen feet away from her when it happened. I know what happened.

[And he was quiet again, not even bothering to ask her a question. He felt tired and kind of tense.]

[Hayley stared at him in silence for a long time. There was still something there she was missing. She waited for another question to come, but when none did, she slid forward to the edge of the couch and looked at him with concern more than any excitement. Dick was her friend, after all, or something like it.]

"Did you give her the gun, is that it?" [Her voice wasn't probing anymore. It was sincerely questioning.] "What aren't you saying? I mean, short of you raping her or something? I'm not going to judge you. You have secrets. I get that. I do. But you have to tell someone, Dick. You have to tell someone or they're going to haunt you forever. I'm not going to tell anyone if it's something you did, not as long as you try to make amends for it. If it's something you.. didn't do, or something you let happen? I won't tell anyone, but you have to tell me."

[Her voice was nearly pleading by the end.]

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