13135/Hey kids. Take a seat.

Hey kids. Take a seat.
Date of Scene:	27 April 2021
Location:	Justice Hall, Watchtower
Synopsis:	Batman breaks the news to the Titans they aren't sidekicks but they still got mentors to help them improve. It went over really well. Like a brick to the head.
Cast of Characters:	Batman, Red Robin, Superboy, Wonder Girl

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Batman has posed:
Three of the Titans was summoned to the Watchtower by Batman himself. A rarity that they are invited to the Justice League's main headquarters above the world. The Dark Knight is waiting in the Hall of Justice with his arms folded across the yellow emblem upon his chest. He's in full 'uniform' and he expects the three to show up as well. He takes in a deep breath, then lets it out slowly as he gives a light rumble in the back of his throat. At times he'll glance to one of the clocks on the wall.

They have three minutes to show up, or they're late. Punctuality is important.

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake is there easily on time, and would have pestered the other two about being on time as well. Tim may not be out with Batman on every mission, but it is the guy who trained him, and without realizing it there are times, he still tries to prove himself to the Bat. He will wait outside the room they are supposed to meet Batman in, wanting to go in as a group.

Superboy has posed:
Conner is not in time. He rarely is, despite having super-speed. Although Tim might have noticed he is quick when there is a real emergency and lives on the line. But meetings? He is usually the last one in.

Maybe that is why he is not invited to the Watchtower. Although he has visited on occasion when he needed to do some research on super-crime. Maybe half a dozen times in the last three years. Then again, he has been a Titan about five minutes. Tim, Cassie, Bart and Conner used to do their own thing with a few other kids.

None of them are kids anymore, though. And Conner has long changed the colorful spandex for jeans and a t-shirt. He kept the leather jacket, though. And the big red S on his chest.

Wonder Girl has posed:
Cassie Sandsmark wasn't on time herself. Young adulthood never makes running on time easy. Classes. Field work with her mother. The occassional piece of Shine to filch because, reasons. It's just hard to be on time.

Strolling in dead last, she flits her eyes around to see who is present - or not - and falls into the mix with the two guys before looking toward Batman silently.

Batman has posed:
Giving a nod of his head towards Tim, The Batman doesn't say much outside of a rumbling 'greetings' to him. He waits, glancing to the clock, then back towards the door. When the other two file in, he clears his throat loudly. "Early is the new on-time, Superboy. Wonder Girl. I did not request your attendance to be disrespected."

That's intense and he makes sure his voice has that edge to it. "But thank you for coming. Take a seat." He says with a motion towards one of the tables as he heads for it, his cowl swaying behind him as he goes. "Superman, Wonder Woman and I had a conversation about the three of you the other day. Titans." He takes the seat at the head of the table, folding his hands in front of him.

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake will move to find a seat, he has set in the Bat's seat in the past when Bruce was away. He takes a moment, and moves to set in Green Lantern's seat he figures it is the least likely one to suddenly have someone super speed or such into it. He looks over the other two for a moment, but then back to Batman. His wrist computer opened in case noted or net access is needed.

Superboy has posed:
Conner arches an eyebrow. "Respect needs to be earned, didn't you hear? I have barely seen you in years," and before that it felt like Batman was constantly trying to push him away from his Gothamite friends.

Of course he picks Superman's chair. Some day, it will be his! Except, no, he no longer believes it. But it is fun to pretend. Then he smiles to the blonde, "Cassie, looking good, princess. Are you back to New York?"

Wonder Girl has posed:
Cassie Sandsmark has, in her mind, faced worse than a grumpy Scout Leader. Of course she hasn't seen The Batman truly displeased so maybe she would change her tune. For today she nods and smiles to Tim and Conner. A light laugh at the honorific from Conner is followed with a shrug, "For now, yeah." Who knows what will come of everything, right?

She moves and drops into whatever chair is a couple away from any of the others, sitting to face toward Batman.

Batman has posed:
"I'm sorry, Conner. I did not realize that you needed a babysitter and a phone call every two weeks." Batman says with that telltale growl in his throat as he narrows his eyes from behind his mask at him. "I may not 'be in touch' but that doesn't mean I am not monitoring everything that you do out there as a team. The entire Justice League has been monitoring the Titans. Each of you were once either a sidekick, or a hero living in one of our shadows and we understand the weight and the pressure that can be felt on one's shoulders."

Turning his attention between the three of them, the Dark Knight makes sure that his gaze is met by each of them, dark and intense. "You're sloppy. You're emotional. You cause obsence amounts of property damage. But .. for the most part, you do a good job. What you need is some guidance. We have decided to take the Titans on in a mentorship role, to bring you along on our missions and allow you to make decisions amongst the rest of the team. To give you broader experience into tactics. To mold you into the heroes that we know you will one day be."

He gives a motion to the table before them. "Each of these people that sit here and makes decisions on behalf of the entire world has /earned/ it. Courage. Respect. Honor. Integrity. Strength. Our plan is to ensure that you will sit here as well, in our seats."

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake listens to the words of all of them, and will break in before there can be more arguing between his mentor and best friend. "So, you believe the Titans are good just not good enough." He knows no one is ever good enough for Batman. "Are you just wanting us three to come in and join in on missions or the Titans in general, with us being the examples to keep the others in line?" He does look over to the Flash's seat noticing the missing other "sidekick"

Superboy has posed:
"Doesn't that come seven years too late?" Not that his fifteen year old (in appearance, at least) self would have accepted to be a sidekick. Except... maybe he would if Superman had offered. He has to admit that -maybe- he would have. But it didn't happen.

Sloppy, emotional and causing property damage? Conner blinks slowly. He can't meant Tim. Wait, what has been /Cassie/ doing? Or are they getting baited? He narrows his eyes, giving Batman a wary look. "You gotta be kidding."

Wonder Girl has posed:
Cassie Sandsmark is no shrinking violet and doesn't pull away from that intense gaze. Not that she doesn't feel a tightness in her stomach as if being stared down by an apex predator. It's what the man does best, intimidate, after all. She listens to the comments from Tim and Conner, considering what was said and how.

"You didn't mention petty thievery" she doesn't seem terribly guilty or ashamed of herself. At least she isn't sprawled back indifferently, nor leaning forward trying to feign interest. She's paying attention, but not entirely following the plot of this little drama. "And just to be clear - I don't have a need or desire to sit in Diana's chair. She's immortal well beyond me. It's hers and hers alone."

Batman has posed:
"I feel that the Titans are good and that we can make you -great-. Conner though is right in a way. We haven't been there for you guys as much as we should have been. Superman was dead, Diana was actually imprisoned for awhile and was replaced by a clone and myself? I've been busy." Batman says with an even tone in his voice.

He gives a glance to Tim, then back to Cassie. "These seats will change hands over time. Conner may have Superman's, or he may have Green Lantern's. The point of this is to ensure that you are prepared and ready to sit in these seats. We have assigned each of you a mentor role who will check in on you from time to time. To talk. To bring along on missions. To be a friend if need be."

He sways his head towards Conner. "You will be partnered with Wonder Woman." To Tim he says, "You will be with Superman. Koriander will be with Aquaman."

And Cassie?

"You will be with me. I will enjoy seeing how you take to Gotham's streets."

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake hmms and when he spoke of mentors Tim was curious. He expected it to be a bit of a spin from their normal mentor types. He looks over and says "The type of mentorship from the Justice Leaguer, up to each ones personal choice of ways to do it?" He asks, expecting he knows the answer. He also gets the look on his face that tells the inventor side of his mind is churning too.

Superboy has posed:
"I have been a Titan just for five minutes," comments Conner. Actually a few weeks, but except for Tim, he has barely seen the Titans. In fact Conner has been working alone for the bulk of the last couple years. 'Alone' being a relative thing in a city so full of heroes like New York.

Wonder Woman was a clone? What is wrong with being a /clone/? Moreover, that might mean the Wonder Woman he knew was the clone and has yet to meet the real one. A sympathetic glance is directed to Cassie. Doubly so when he hears she got partnered with Batman. "Do you think this is going to work?" The question is not for Batman, it is for Tim.

Wonder Girl has posed:
Cassie Sandsmark looks to Conner, "Welcome aboard?" she offers quasi-reassuringly then blinks, "No. way. A clone?" She looks to Conner, "Don't get any funny ideas!" She then laughs! "Me? Gotham? Oh my god. Yeah. Sorry, Batman. This? This is -not- one of your better ideas... seriously." She tries to stop laughing as Conner asks aloud if this is going to work.

"It'll definitely work, Conner" she offers positively, then murmrs, "..give it five minutes. tops."

Batman has posed:
There is a loud 'thump' on the table as Batman's hand hits it, looking to command attention. "It won't work if you decide from the start it won't work. Superman can't teach Conner how to be Superman, just like I can't teach Red Robin anymore how to be Batman. The best way to become more well rounded in who you are as a person and as a hero is to mix things up, look at life through a different lens and learn new techniques to be successful."

His eyes narrow and lands on Cassie now, leaning forward at the table. "I may have terrible bedside manners but I am called the world's greatest detective for a reason. I look at all the angles of a situation, I look at the world tactically. I don't have /emotion/ involved. You kids are reckless and powerful and you just leap headfirst into almost everything. Some of you need to learn to take a step back and evaluate."

"Let's put my resume up against any of yours and then you tell me that I have /bad/ ideas. I have saved the world a number of times and I am just a man in a batsuit with only my mind and my technical skills at my disposal. Can any of you say the same? The answer is no." There is practicaly a rough growl in his voice as he leans back and straightens up his shoulders.

"Now knock your shit off and show some respect while you're at /this/ table. You have one week to come to terms with this, and then your training begins. Welcome to the team, for now." He rises upwards with a flutter of his cowl, glancing to each of them in turn. "Dismissed."

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake looks to the others, and says "Ok, I am going to say my peace, and both sides of the field might not like it, but going to say it. "It is not a bad idea, best for Cassie and Myself more so than Conner and Kori. Cassie and I are used to working with a mentor type, and working with another who has different tactics would be a good learning experience, but there will be hurdles along the way. Cassie, is more used to Wonder woman's out front and center running into things head on, rather than our scare the begeebies out of them. Conner, is only used to working with us as a team, the closest he had to a mentor, Dubbilex, or the others from Hawaii, and that was still more them sending an agent out than mentor mentee relationship. Wonder woman is the best choice for Conner, as she will be more understanding than Batman to his bucking against being told what to do. Aquaman, and Kori? I am unsure about other than they will share the whole outsider from the normal folks. I am a bit worried at keeping up with Superman, as I am just a man, with technical skills and training, wearing a red Robin suit." He adds that in to show he was not a fan of Batman's last line. "We are all different, and a bit of change up who we are about would be helpful." He looks to Batman, and says "But we are all adults here, and we have been doing this for years ourselves, as you said, we used " He stresses the word "use""to be sidekick types. And after working on our own, it can be hard to feel we are in a way being demoted back to hey lets trade off side kicks fir the league. "I think we should probably each work with every member of the original seven for a bit. I have worked with two so far, and I did learn from working with the Flash. For our first mentor, I think it would have been better if we had some say in what order we work with each. To acknowledge we are adults, and have been doing a good job, that could be done better.

Superboy has posed:
"First off," this is for Cassie, although he is grinning. "I am in a relationship already and I am serious about it." Then he looks at Batman, this time without a smile. "Second, we are not kids. Cassie is twenty two; Tim will be in a few months. I am finishing college, and physically I am also about the same age. Third, we have saved the world, or at least big chunks of it, a few times already. As we have been super-heroes for seven freaking years. Fourth, Rob here is also an incredible detective and we have learned a bit from him about it. Fifth... uh, I will talk to Wonder Woman, sure. But I think if Cassie failed to teach me god-style kung-fu she is not going to have much luck either."

In her defense, Conner was a terrible student! And that was years ago. "Class is dismissed already? Okay, who is up for pizza?"

Wonder Girl has posed:
There is no transition from Seated Cassie to Standing Cassie. Her THUMP on the table is louder. But she snows more than enough control to avoid shattering the table. She looks at him, "I'm sorry. I didn't know we were having a pissing contest. Do you want to snow me how you're better because you can write your name in the snow, while we're at it?" Her eyes flare with a brief moment of godly anger. "You think we don't take you seriously? You think we play fast and loose and are reckless because we don't care?!"

Just as quickly her moment of righteous indignation is gone and she's calm. "You have no idea who we really are then." She looks to Tim, "And that's sad, for you, because you've missed out on a really great person, you seem to have only made use of as a tool." She looks to Conner, "YOur relationship status is the least of my concerns about you working with Diana" she says with a smirk. Turning as if she's dismissed the 'meeting' herself. "You have one week. To come to terms with the fact that you picked ME. And *I* am not a good little Bat-girl who follows in your shadow."

She pauses and glances back over her shoulder, that godly white-blue glow in her narrowed eyes, "You better be certain you chose right."

Batman has posed:
"I will break you by the end of our first night. Ask Red Robin if I put up with crybabies in Gotham. You have one week to report to Gotham. If you don't, then I would know all that I need to know about you."

The doors swish open and closed behind the Dark Knight as he leaves the three teens in the room to themselves and their thoughts. It seems as if Batman is done with the conversation and the theatrics.

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake looks up at the ceiling and sighs a bit to this. He looks over to the other two and says "So that went well, huh?" He sits back in his chair and just exhales slowly.

Superboy has posed:
"That was one rude bat," comments Conner, following Cassie out. "As usual. I don't know why they set him up to do this. Supes or Wonder Woman would have been much more convincing."

He is very not convinced, but he is willing to give it a shoot. Maybe.

Wonder Girl has posed:
Cassie Sandsmark snorts at Batman's threat? Promise? Guarantee? She keeps walking, but finds the moxy to actaully show Batman she thinks he's Number 1 with her upraised finger. "Good talk, yeah." She glances back to the guys, "See you guys in a week and two days after he kicks me out of Gotham."