4036/Old Memories

Old Memories
Date of Scene:	10 March 2018
Location:	Gotham City
Synopsis:	Damian meets his mother, who he thought was dead.
Cast of Characters:	Talia al Ghul, Robin (Wayne)

---

Talia al Ghul has posed:
The meaning is almost doubtful, but the informant is operating under specific instructions these days. Which means the vigilante known as Robin receives word of a contact. It isn't a particularly good part of Gotham, but neither is it a neighborhood that's known for attracting trouble. And yet trouble seems to have found this place all on its own.

The informant provides the address of the find as well as an envelope with something heavy inside. And then he leaves. Quickly. Inside is a small figurine made of brass: a Persian soldier. It's worn in familiar places from being held so often, one of very few items that could be remotely considered 'toys' by a young boy.

Something from Damian's childhood.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian had examined the envelope carefully after leaving the scene where he met the informant. Nicky the Nose has done his duty well.

  The Persian Soldier was something Damian had thought he would never see again. A remnant of a past life. He had left it along with everything he had when he fled Infinity Island. He was sure Ra's would have had it and everything else destroyed. His eyes were both wide with surprise, and filled with contempt. The message was clear: Your family wants to speak. He couldn't simply ignore such an invitation.

  Grapples and gliding were his method of movement tonight. Both Goliath and the Redbird would have been too loud for this. He first scouted the area, watching for any sign of how much Ra's has dug himself in Gotham this time around.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
It's a bookstore. Large enough to have a second half-floor with a balcony overlooking the front door. The front door is unlocked, dispite having several dead bolts, and just a bit ajar. Were anyone to examine the locks later there's not so much as a single scratch upon a keyhole.

Either a professional or someone with the key.

And in the surrounding neighborhood? Not a single soul. Not so much as a sniper for cover or an assassin on watch. A show of good faith? Perhaps.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian had his hesitations, but they were counter productive to the situation at hand. He had something he would need to ask about, potentially bad for both himself and the League. He at least owed his family more than a simple culling.

  Robin opened the door, and stepped inside. It was finally itme for a family reunion, after a year away.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
There is a lone figure waiting for him, up on the balcony. It's quite apparent even as he steps into the room. The presence. Tall and cloaked in darkness. A light shifts, then, adding color to the shadows.

Emerald green trimmed with gold.

That's all the warning he receives before the figure draws back the hood. The Middle Eastern features are familiar; he's known them his whole life. The smile. The eyes. The hair; long and dark.

Mother

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian clutched his old toy in his hand when he saw his mother in the balcony. Half tempted to reach for the katana on his back, Damian pauses, looking up at the figure of his mother. "If you are not my mother, you just made a deadly mistake." He understood criminal's and their petty plots, in fact, Damian once figured someone may have the gall to impersonate his mother in order to catch him off-guard. "Or, you were able to get to a Pit in time afterall."

Talia al Ghul has posed:
The woman takes a single step before she answers, moving towards the steps. "I was brought there by those who remain loyal to me." The voice is a dead-on match to his ears, somewhere between 'husky' and 'sultry' even at her most natural. "I see you have found your father." She continues to speak as she slowly descends the spiral steps, the cloak trailing after. "He's had his own stories to tell you, I'm sure."

She is wearing the comfortable, close-fitting clothing of a League assassin beneath the cloak. As well as a gold-hilted sword at each hip. "If you do not believe me to be your mother, you are always welcome to test me."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian heard her voice, for the first time in a year, and he is brought to a knee. He lowers the hood on his head and removes his mask, revealing the eyes that he shared with Talia and Ra's. "I did, and so does he." He was still a might smaller than his mother, but he looked to her with the reverence he was taught, by both sides of his family. "This..." He holds out the soldier figure. "along with those..." He pointed at her swords. "Had been enough for me, Mother." Despite many people's opinions, Damian is not an angry soldier. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and this was one time a tear was brought to his eye.

Talia al Ghul has posed:
He bows and when Talia smiles it's a wistful expression, not one that is common to their family. And certainly not to her father. "The soldier is yours, of course." she replies. And as she speaks, Talia reaches out a hand to press her palm to her son's cheek. It's a tender gesture. A fingertip touches lightly beneath his chin, guiding his eyes up to meet her own before she speaks again.

"There will come a time very soon when you will need to make difficult choices, Damian. Your grandfather and I are presently... estranged. My forces are now my own, not his. I tell you this because it may provide clarity."

Talia knows who her son would choose, given the options of Ra's or Bruce. Taking her father out of the equation puts things on a much more even footing, at least in her mind.

"You look well, my son."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian offered only a small smile to his mother, before he gave a small shudder. The choice between Bruce and Talia isn't one he was wanting to make any time soon.

  "He's been making a play for Gotham, grandfather." She was right, his own loyalties were to his family. Being groomed to succeed Ra's had been a tremendous weight on his shoulders. "Father says it is because of Pennyworth's cooking."

Talia al Ghul has posed:
Talia al Ghul smiles more warmly at the information, or perhaps it's the small shudder she feels. "Alfred's cooking is certainly cause to make a play for Gotham." she agrees. Drawing her hand back a little, she leaves it at that. "The time to choose may be soon, but it is not tonight."

"I will be watching you, Damian. And I am very proud of you. We will speak again." That is when Talia bends low to kiss her son's cheek, a truly rare gesture for her. He is dismissed.

Unlike Batman, Talia doesn't disappear with with flash or smoke. She simply waits for Damian to leave the shop, and a car picks her up moments later. There are no attempts to evade or foil pursuit, even if he were to follow all the way to her Manhattan penthouse.

A sign of trust? Perhaps.