2704/Counting Birds

Counting Birds
Date of Scene:	04 October 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	87, Robin (Wayne)

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Vorpal (87) has posed:
The Cheshire cat is perched on a rooftop, taking advantage of the dim lighting and overcast sky of your average Gotham night. It's been an eventful night, to say the least- mostly petty crookery that Vorpal was able to avert and defuse. He made a point of using his invisibility to his advantage and to not be totally overt, lest the rumor go to the Batman that one of his son's Titan friends was meddling in Gotham.

The last thing he needed was for Batman to come yell at him. But he enjoyed the sting of rebellion he got out of doing this.

Now it was time to relax. This neighborhood wasn't bad at all, and there was a coquette little cafe in the corner below that might provide a good meal. The Cheshire cat stretches his leg muscles and he begins his cool-downs, ready to wind down and make a night of it.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian was just starting his patrol, his nights lasted until the sun rose the following day.

  Swinging from ledge to ledge had him land on the same rooftop, landing in the brooding way that was a signature of his father, and him. "Nothing to report, looks like a quiet night for scum. I'll make more rounds tonight before heading back to the Cave." The young teen said, presumably to either Batman himself or an assistant of his.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal's ears twitch and he turns around mid-stretch, fllowing the voice he knows rather well.

"By the prickling of my thumbs, something broody this way comes," the cat says with a grin as he walks on the edge of the rooftop towards the perching, broody Robin, arms stretched to either side as if he were some funambulist trying to balance.

"I'm afraid I already poached some of your pigeons. Am I in trouble?" he says, grinning as he approaches Robin.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "Sneaking in on our turf, huh?" Robin retorts, looking to the Cheshire Cat. "I'm sure father will have things to say about it." No mention that Robin himself minds at all. "What are you up to here?" He asks, still in that very Robin-esque tone. "Guess it wasn't your turn at monitor duty?"

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Yeah, for once I actually get to traipse around an make a spectacle of myself across the night sky. I get to live la vida... um..." he realizes he doesn't know the spanish word for 'bat', so he lets that slip. Instead, he gracefully slides down to a sitting position right next to Damian, letting his legs drape over the edge.

"I was also checking up on the damage in Gotham with the invasion and all that. I was afraid I might run into more Unseelie here attracted by the misery like I did back in Mutant town..." he trails off. "I'm babbling."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "Murcielago." Damian says, "Like the Lamborghini car." Damian's face remains deadpan. "So, how does it feel?" Showing interest in a team member?! No. Say it isn't so!

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"At playing a bat? It's not half bad, even if I don't get to wear the primary color tights and whatnot," he says with a smirk, and gives Robin a playful nudge with an elbow. "Why does your dad dress the Robins in that in a city that makes an Ingmar Bergman movie look colorful by comparison? I mean, doesn't that make the lot of you stand out like ..." he gropes for something colorful, "Beast Boy streaking across a graveyard." Hmm. He's done better.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "Red, yellow and green were not my first choices either." Damian would have preferred his own batsuit and all. that but y'know. He is more than happy just getting to know his own father. "From what I can tell, Robin is supposed to be a check and balance for Batman. I don't really see it." He responds, not aware at all that it is the reverse in his case.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Yeah. I don't really see it, either," Vorpal muses. He glances over at the bird and remembers a recent conversation. "Say- I've got a question... Lasso of Truth on you: what do you think of us? You know. Your team-mates. You've been among us long enough that you should have some opinions about us."

He pauses, and feels the need to add, "As people, not just as your team-mates. I mean, is there anyone you like? Anyone you can't stand? Anyone you have tried to murder upon first encountering them?" He pulls his knees up to his chest and crosses his legs at the ankles, resting his elbows on his knees.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian only seethes a little at the question. Expressing his emotions is a hard deal for him. "Besides being annoying. A lot more nuanced than I had thought." Damian looks to Vorpal now, as serious as he can be. "Between you and me." A slight pause. "We have the potential to rival even the Justice League. And if you told anyone I told you that, I -will- destroy something you love." Damian finishes, arms crossed over his chest, he has not opened up like this to more than one person, ever.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"You wouldn't do that to chocolate, would you? Or Gar?" the cat teases, leaning in on Damian, crossing his arms so that the two of them look like the cover of an either a very bad or a very good mismatched buddy cop movie poster. "But sure, your secret is safe with me. Surely there must be something more to the whole bunch of us than an annoyance to you. Do you actually like... you know. Anybody?"

It's a valid question, because the only person who broods more often than Damian is Raven. But she has to play the unemotional side because otherwise the world ends. Or at least that's the gist of what she has said. He doesn't know how true it is, but he sure is not going to try and find out.

"Does the thought of spending time with any of us outside of the tights *not* cause you an urge to claw your eyes out?"

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian takes a slight moment, flipping up his hood and removing his mask, just to show those piercing green eyes of his. "Some of you...aren't disagreeable enough to me that I will leave if left alone in a room with you."

  "Thing is...my out of uniform face is the kind that draws unwanted attention." To day the least, he's seen a picture of himself on the cover of Teen Beat once or twice before. "You all seem to think I'm a robot or something."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"You do a good job of giving that impression, you know." The cat's tone softens a little, the mocking edge gone as he follows up with "You know that I can hide your appearance if you ask me to, right? I have to do it for my secret identity. It's no thing to do it for you, too, you know."

He muses, and scratches his chin. "I can even show you how effective it is. You know, Gar -has- suggested we go out with you. What do you say? While the weather's still nice, the three of us should go somewhere and hang out."

"Like normal people do. Because it's important to meet people who you can greet in other ways than a boot to the head. You catch my drift?"

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "At least I'm not trying to kill everyone I meet anymore." Damian retorts, not untrue. He lowers the hood, making sure his mask is secured on again. "Would you...want to do something like that with me?" he's not used to anyone wanting to do anything like that with him, at least close to his age.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Well, we wouldn't *as* if we didn't mean it, you know. Especially Gar. Doubly so Gar. You know he always tends to say what he means and he doesn't really hold back much." A red eyebrow goes up in a somewhat amused manner, "As it turns out, I tend to be more restrained than he is."

There's that for a bit of brain-bombing right there. "So, intent established, would you like to do something like that with us? We figure we know the sights around town that you might enjoy. Sights that involve more than rooftops and gutters. Not that I'm knocking that view-" he points to a corner, "That gutter there, for example, is primo gothic architecture, wouldn't diss it for the world. But there's more to that than it. Or at least there should be for people our age."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "You should see the view from Wayne Tower. From the top, the highest building in Gotham. I tried to get Goliath out here, but he scares more people than he helps." This kind of thing was what Georgie had wanted Damian to get more of, but Damian is much less adjusted than even he had thought.

  "why the hell not?" Damian almost couldn't say it, and it showed, that slight hesitation before he said it.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"That's the spirit! Let's make it this Saturday. We can pick you up in my jalopy. You'll get to see up front what a relic looks like." His first car, purchased as a student. And it's the price that a student could afford. "I swear it's a Pinto in disguise." How it actually passed emissions tests was one of those Joyous Mysteries that are celebrated in some religions.

He leans back, trying to find Wayne Tower... of course, the foggy, wet night doesn't help. "I'd love to get a glimpse of that view. I try not to go near there, though, just in case your dad catches me. I know he's not very fond of me, and that's without him knowing you told us your name."

He reaches out and pats Damian's shoulder, "Which, by the way, is safe with me. Unless you want to make extra-sure and I can find a wizard to put me under a 'My Lips Are Sealed' charm." He frowns and reflects on this for a moment before adding, "I have heard those can get pretty messy, though."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "He'd kill you just for knowing who I was." The young Robin says, almost laughing. "Of course he wouldn't. But let me take you up there sometime." Damian looks to Vorpal a moment, catching a slight blush. "Let's say it's a trust thing. I trust the Titans not to say it and to not make a big deal when they see me without my uniform on." Damian Wayne has a certain...difference to him than the ever so business-minded Damian that the team knew.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Hey, The 'T' in Team stands for Trust. And Titans." He reaches over and drapes an arm over Damian's shoulder and leans in confidentially, "You trust me not to blab, I trust you not to kill me on sight, and we all trust Kori not to put mustard in everything that is edible in the Tower."

"And then we forgive her, anyways, because you can't ever stay mad at her." For a moment he remembers Starfire's experiments with chocolate and mustard. While he is certain that some exquisite chef from Le Cordon Bleu has managed to make dark chocolate and, say, honey Dijon mustard work in the right proportions, the yellow-covered chocolate-coated orange that resulted from one such experimentations was probably its negaverse equivalent of horror.

He shudders briefly. "I know you haven't been around Gar a lot, but I have to warn you that in a social sense he is... very much like he is on the field. So... no filter, completely extroverted. But he is a total sweetheart and he means well, so if you at any moment feel the urge to murder him, just give me a sign and I'll get him off your hair for a few minutes by telling him I'm going to make out with him at the Ferris Wheel or something like that."

Because that was the one thing he was worried about the most- Gar when excited about something, could be equal parts Golden Retriever, cat on cocaine and parrot.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian's natural instinct is to reel back just a bit as Tommy puts his arm around him. A reflex that subsides very shortly after. "I appreciate it." Is all he says before he looks up to Tommy again. "I'll be sure to give plenty of notice before I try and kill him with my bare hands."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
The cat laughs and gives Damian a nudge as he stands up. "Thats the spirit! Well... I should leave you to your patrol. I need to grab a quick bite and go to bed. I've got an exam in the morning and if I'm half-asleep for it I'm going to end up writing down half of the lines for 'Jabberwocky' like I did last time."

He's joking, of course. Maybe.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "The fuck is the Jaberwocky?" Damian answers, shaking his head soon after. "I've got five more hours before it's quitting time, four hours sleep, then more studies until five, then training in the holo-cave until seven, carb load after that and then another patrol at eight."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Tommy smirks and leans forward, and deliberately messes up Damian's hair with a hand. "Yyyeah, sounds like a fun-packed jam-filled day ahead of you. Here's a thought... set aside a bit of your time for yourself. Maybe to relax, or to have fun, or to just -be- yourself. And maybe you'll have a little free time to find out who the Jabberwock is."

He pauses for a second and frowns. With Damian's identity, and the identity of his father by proxy known to him, a thought had been creeping in his mind...

"And, on the other hand, I need to not be so curious." The thought of -who- had been the first Robin did itch in his mind. His feline curiosity kept clawing at his brain like a cat wanting to be let out just when the weather is at its worst. He knows that, conceivably, he could put the pieces of the puzzle together, if he worked at it. Maybe.

And the Cheshire Cat? He WOULD have done it. Gladly. In a moment. Because he was a cat and he acted in a manner that was according to cats. But that had been then, and this was now... and he was now also part human, with morals, principles, and all sorts of inconvenient things that sometimes stood in the way of clean, ol' fashioned fun. And that part of him told hi that while he *could* do it, it wasn't within his right to uncover a secret that wasn't his at all.

And that, of course, made him antsy. Which meant he probably was going to have to come up with a prank to play on *someone* at the Tower to restore the balance of chaos in his life.

"In any case, I'm heading home. If you need backup, though, you know I'm just a Rabbit Hole away."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "I'll keep that in mind." Damian offers, drawing his sword, and grappling away. He was a prideful kid, the kind of friend you took with you to the bar just so you have someone who will draw blood for you in a fight. And not just because he had a short person complex, he knew how to scrap.

  Boy won't Alfred laugh at this turn of events. More swinging and gliding before the next stop on the fight against crime.