ataraxion | B02: ROBIN

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B02: ROBIN > VIDEO

[ BATLOCKED 100% TO TIM AND JASON ]

[ Crap. CRAP. He's been practicing and gearing up for this forever. He was all but practicing in the mirror. Steph had vouched for them and- Hey, he liked Steph. He felt practically predisposed to liking Steph. So why was this being mega hard? ]

Hey! So- [ He holds up a hand for a moment, hesitating, and then speaks in one fell swoop. ] Look, if I know that you're here, you've gotta know that I'm here, so. Red Robin, right? And Red Hood.

[ This is nerve-wracking. He pushes his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. ]

It's Dick Grayson.

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[well, he was still Dick Grayson. Jason would have been pretty disappointed if this hadn't happened sooner or later.]

We know.

[or he assumes Tim knows. now, what the fuck is the Red Robin bullshit about?]

[ Well, that- Blunt. Dick lets out a small laugh which is admittedly a little nervous, but keeps on truckin' regardless. ]

Well, at least that's out of the way, right? Who, um. Is this?

[ Awkward, but he's only gotten what he knows via Steph's point of view, and it's an admittedly slim one so far. He's not sure what to expect here. ]

[ it was only a matter of time. he knew that. hell, everyone had to know it. but now that the moment's arrived, tim sits with the communicator between his hands and feels every ounce as wholly unprepared as he thought he would.

god. what were they in for now?

it's one beat, then another, enough for a deliberate, measured exhale, before he brings the feed up. and lowers the cowl from his face. ]

Hey.

[ Well, fair's fair. Dick pauses a moment and then snags a finger under his glasses, sliding them down his nose and off with a bit of an anxious grin. ]

Hi.

[ Mostly unsuspecting. ]

I, uh. I probably should have done this sooner. Sorry about that.

[it's bizarrely unsettling. maybe because he'd only ever known Dick to be the witty smartass that, when Jason was younger, he'd tried to emulate himself. seeing him uncertain and shy wasn't very common.

though the real punch in the gut was that Dick really had no idea who he was.

he exhales, slowly, and it sounds like a bid for patience before he clicks on the video feed. unlike Dick and unlike Tim, he's wearing his full get up (sans helmet) and makes no move to remove any of it.]

Your little bird didn't bother elaborating passed aliases?

[of course he doesn't know, Jason is well aware, but this is too much like being forgotten all over again, and maybe that's why he can't keep the sarcasm out of his mouth.]

[ It doesn't take a genius to figure out that tone in Jason's voice, for the most part. Which he is. But it still doesn't take one. The casual smile slips into more of a concerned slant. ]

I know it's bizarre circumstances. Before Steph showed up, I hadn't even heard of a Batgirl. Let alone you guys. I can't really apologize for something there was no way of me knowing.

But I am sorry I didn't say something sooner. It's complicated.

Don't worry about it.

[ the words are out of his mouth like an exhale, and quiet enough that they could very well be. it's uncanny- the persistent, nagging, clawing sensation that tells him he's out of his depth. that he needs to reassess this. reexamine the facts before this goes any further.

absolutely nothing about this situation is ideal.

but whatever discrepancies remain- those are, undeniably, dick's eyes staring back at him from across the feed. ]

We've never been a chatty bunch.

[ it's small. but where his gaze flicks up, the corner of his mouth does as well. ]

-Can't imagine why.

[ This one's going a bit better. He thinks. The other guy was a little tense. Considering how his and Steph's first conversation went? He can't say that he wasn't expecting it on some level. ]

[ Still, it's relief that bleeds into his expression then, and his grin turning into a bit more of the cocky and utterly recognizable thing that usually dons Dick's face. ]

[ There's this part of him, especially lately, that's hellbent on impressing everyone and really pushing himself to a new level than the paltry one he's at now. For some reason, when he doesn't even know Tim and Jason, it hits him especially hard with the two of them. Something to prove, he supposes. ]

Sometimes you're born with it. Aaaand sometimes you just spend too much time hanging out with a stoic masked vigilante who could use some vacation time.

[Jason scoffs, it's under his breath.]

Uh huh. [it sounds like he's 'not buying it'. in truth, Jason's just irritated. irritated that Dick has no idea, that he's hanging around some chick he'd never heard of, that he's just a damn kid.]

Nothing about this exactly screams normalcy. Just because we're all up here doesn't mean we need to buddy up.

[ Which Dick definitely doesn't understand. The 'not buying it' suits for now, and maybe just a touch of his being far too used to teamwork by now that sets him a bit off kilter about this conversation. His mind's reeling, but nothing he voices aloud. Was it something he said? Or were they just not friends for whatever reason? ]

[ He didn't like this whole one-sided conversation thing. It reminded him way too much of the Bialya incident. ]

Actually, isn't that the perfect reason to be buddying up? We don't know what's going on here, or more importantly who's doing what here. And it's pretty clear this place has its dangers. All the more reason to have someone watch your back, right?

[ he smiles, even if it doesn't reach his eyes. even if dick's words set something off inside him. tip an already precarious balance. bruce is a memory, his head tells him. not a ghost.

tim finds that he's suddenly aware of the emptiness of his own stomach in the pause that follows- unbidden, unintended. ]

I'm not sure he's ever heard of the word.

[sounded like collateral damage to Jason, and he inclines his head slightly to the left. his gaze is heavy, and even hidden by lenses and through a small screen, it's something that can be felt.

Jason derails, because talk of teaming up is physically painful to him.]

That's a lot of trust you're putting in one person's idea of us.

[Jason would like to know just what the hell Batgirl said to make Dick contact him so friendly-like. Jason wasn't a good person. hadn't been since he came back.]

Probably not. It's more like delaxation. And some punches.

[ Unfortunately - or fortunately? - Dick has no reason to understand why Bruce might be a subject to stray from for the time being. Steph might have told him the very basics, but, well. Some things were probably better to leave out for the time being. ]

[ He scrubs at the back of his head instead, leaning to new territory. ]

It's probably bad form to not really know names here. But it's Tim. Right?

Why Red Hood?

[ He asks the question suddenly, without much prompting, and his brows are furrowing into more of a scrutinizing expression now. He can feel that through the screen, that equally analytical gaze- just a bit darker than Dick's is right now. He doesn't understand why, but then he's out of his element here. Completely and anachronistically. ]

Plenty of people have picked up the name and the mask before, and I figured there was pretty good reason for that too. I figured if you know him, at least, there has to be. I'm asking because it seems like there should be something stopping me from trusting you. Or you think there should be. Is there?

Yeah. [ he's not sure if he's ever considered himself a sentimental person. if that was an idea that any of them could afford to entertain, with this line of work. but the sound of his own name is as familiar as it is unfamiliar, and in it's own way, brings resolution. ] It is.

[ there was no point in running, in shying away from this anymore. ]

Listen. I know we've got a crisis situation on our hands here, and you have no idea who I am. But would you mind answering a few questions before we dive into Invasion of the Body Snatchers?

There's plenty.

[ Yeah. No kidding. It's all he can do but forcibly give himself double takes when he's at Gotham Academy. Which is strange in and of itself, because there are parts of him which are just as uncomfortable in either skin. But at least Robin's serving more of a purpose. ]

[ His nose wrinkles a little at the question, not unwelcoming, but maybe a bti wary about what's about to come here, considering the situation. ]

From what I'm understanding, there's not much we can do beyond keeping them at bay, so it's as good a time as any. Go for it.

[he's gearing up for an answer, as soon as Dick asks. he can feel it twist in his chest, uncomfortable and unpleasant and wrong, and it almost- almost- makes it into the wolfish smile he can feel itching to get onto his mouth.

until there's Tim. Timothy Drake.]

But your girlfriend seems to think highly of me, Timmy. You jealous?

Okay, hold on.

[ This wasn't fair. He was way too far out of the loop on something that felt so utterly familiar and not at the same time. -Were Steph and Tim dating? Had at some point? She neglected to mention that one. ]

What am I missing here? Other than everything?

[ there are a million places to start in unfamiliar territory. attempting to make sense of the unknown with no map to navigate by. but it isn't the most ludicrous undertaking he's ever thrown himself into- that's for sure.

even if his reply does sound lackluster to his own ears. ]

How old are you?

[ There's something in Dick's jaw that clenches at the question, which is embarrassing in itself. It's not like it's very complicated. It just used to be a point of pride, how young he was and how much ass he was kicking. Now it seems like it's constantly being held over him as his greatest weak point. ]

Thirteen. How old am I supposed to be?

[Jason sits back in his seat, like it's reflex. like he's a kid in the principle's office who'd picked the fight but wasn't going to get punished for it because he was right. his argument was better.

he tells himself it's because he's cocky and not because Dick's voice, like that, sounded like the man he couldn't decide if he admired or hated.]

Dunno, maybe we can start with why you're both wearing red and not green.

[there's something that borders on an angry sneer in his voice. Robin in red and black. Red Robin in the same when Tim was supposed to be the next in a legacy.]

[ real mature jason.

tim's mouth sets in a hard line, and while his reply is for dick, his expression is unmistakably for the second robin. ]

Red Hood considers himself judge, jury, and executioner.
[ to say the least. ]

Sorry. Next time I'll pack the color changes before I hop aboard the mysterious spaceship.

[ Yeah, his uniform's read, it's red and it's never been green. If there's some greater meaning behind that here, he's not quite following. ]

[ His expression hardens, and his eyes flicker to Jason, imperceptible behind the shades. Those words sit for a minute somewhere in his chest, heavier than he expects this answer to be. Something tells him those extracurricular activities aren't Batman-sanctioned. That's not your call, is the immediate response, but one he doesn't voice aloud, either because it's so blatantly obvious the lecture's been handed to him before, or because he can't quite get the words out right away. ]

I think my 'why' is a little bigger than the wardrobe choice one.

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B02: ROBIN > VIDEO

le batlocked ; VOICE because jason's a dick

le batlocked ; VIDEO because dick is a charismatic little hag why jason 8C

permavideo| batlocked forever

video| batlocked forever

le batlocked ; ok fine VIDEO because marsha marsha marsha

le batlocked ; YEAH VIDEO shut up jan who invited who oh wait it was me--

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