010 [video]

[batmanschmatman]

[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

Comments

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[everylittlegirl]

[Hayley saw his solemn expression at his hands and instantly sobered, smile dropping into a frown. She wouldn't have liked it if he had laughed at any part of her life for how ridiculous it was and she certainly shouldn't have laughed at his. Even if it was Lex Luthor in the Bat Cave with the Antimatter Ray-- or wherever it was.] "I'm sorry, it's just.. It's hard to believe. I'm not saying you're lying or anything? Obviously. I trust you. You just talk about all these things that don't even exist in my world and it's so far beyond what I can even picture that it's either try to laugh about it or completely lose my head. I'm sorry, though. Really. I shouldn't have laughed, especially not with how serious it was."

[The inmate shifted uncomfortably, guilt clear on her face. It might have been partially intentional, that it was so much a part of her expression.] "Can I.. Can I touch the scar? I mean, I know I saw it already, but it would make it more real, I guess."

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[batmanschmatman]

[At the apology, he managed a well practiced forced smile that was pretty convincing by this point. It was a move he'd been practicing since he was a kid. It had been a vital survival skill to learn while being dragged around functions with Bruce for meet and greets with other Gotham royalty. There was only so much cheek pinching and "poor dears" he could take..] It's okay. I guess it does sound kind of ridiculous when you just... say it like that.

[The question caught him sort of off guard. He looked at her curiously for a moment before shrugging slightly.] Sure.

[He sat up carefully, wincing again as he tugged off his worn t-shirt at college, and he balled it up in his hand. Aside from the usual mass of scars, his chest and shoulders were covered in bruises and bandages from his attempts at evading the Aztecs. Most of Hayley's original patch jobs had been exchanged for new bandages, and he had an impressive mass of bruises along his ribcage from the blow that had caught him off guard enough to get whacked in the head.]

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[everylittlegirl]

[Hayley couldn't help but wonder if that smile was the same type she gave when she just wanted people to go away. Now she felt extremely guilty. The girl rubbed a hand on the back of her neck and offered a short, apologetic smile. Then she watched as he took his shirt off, glancing over the wounds and bandages before looking at the scar in the center. The girl shifted to crawl over on her knees toward him, pausing when she was near him. She looked up at him again, not really sure if she should feel more awkward about this, before finally reaching out to touch it.

Her fingers brushed gently from top to bottom, tracing along the outside edges. Then she rested all of her fingers on it kind of sideways, staring at the wound. It was a wicked scar and she felt even more horrible for having laughed now.] "I'm sorry."

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[batmanschmatman]

[Dick was sort of too tired to feel awkward about the situation, especially when considering the fact that Hayley was sort of filling in for Alfred today, and honestly, he was too distracted by the lingering issues associated with suddenly talking about stuff he had been doing his best to forget had ever happened to him to feel awkward. Confronting this was clearly taking up more of his attention, and honestly, he was feeling a little drained.

He smiled again, this one less forced or practiced, and he shrugged slightly, pointedly not looking down at the scar. He'd gotten used to it being there, but people calling attention to it was always kind of weird. Again, his method was accept that it had happened and move on, not spend time worrying about what the greater implications of it were.] It's okay. I mean, I'm alive, right?

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[everylittlegirl]

[Hayley recognized that fatigue and disconnect as she gave him a sad kind of smile. Then she nodded as she withdrew her fingers from his chest, scooting back into her little corner of the bed. She pulled her knees to her chest as before, preferring the position over most others when she was a little bit nervous. At his question, she nodded.] "Yeah. I'm glad. Seriously, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up. You're like, the only interesting, trustworthy person in my life right now."

[Yes, she was finally assigning him some expectations, but she felt like they were things he could handle. The guy was inherently interesting and being trustworthy was kind of in his nature from what she could tell. After a pause, she wrapped her hands around her legs.] "Do you want to get some sleep? You look really tired. I can.. stay here or move to the couch or the floor or whatever you want.."

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[batmanschmatman]

[Even though part of him was sort of depressed that he was apparently the only interesting, trustworthy person in her life, he smiled again at the comment. He liked Hayley, and he had always been happy to help her out when she asked for it, so if she needed someone to trust, he was more then okay with being that person.

He slowly pulled the t-shirt back on before slumping back on the pillows. Hayley was right. It had been a rough couple days, and after the events of today, it was pretty safe to say that he could do with some down time that didn't involve talking with people over the network or whatever. He probably should try and get at least a couple hours of sleep, maybe more then usual if he wanted to avoid getting sick.] Whatever you want's fine with me. Thanks for staying.

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[everylittlegirl]

[The statement was a slight exaggeration. After all, there were Capa and Merlin to consider as well, but Hayley felt like Dick didn't need to hear how he was one of many, but rather how he was one of a kind just by being himself. Then again, maybe she was just projecting her own desires onto him. The girl really didn't care at present.

She watched him get comfortable and nodded. The girl figured she could stay where she was until he fell asleep, then maybe move to the couch or something; she wasn't too worried about it. Hayley grabbed her taser from the table and set it in her lap. She unzipped her jacket, but left it on, pulling the hood up over her face. After another glance at Dick, she slid down to lay in a small ball at the foot of Dick's bed, legs extending beside the wall to give him plenty of space even with her there. It was easier, since she was tiny.]

"Any time. I mean it." [The girl laid her taser near her head, resting one hand on it as she began to fall asleep. It wasn't a guaranteed security in this case and she didn't usually sleep with her taser in her own room, but it seemed appropriate here.] "Good nick, Dick."