5284/Salutations and Visitations (Also Snooping)

Salutations and Visitations (Also Snooping)
Date of Scene:	02 September 2018
Location:	Wayne Manor, Gotham City
Synopsis:	Carrie visits Wayne manor to snoop. Bruce gives her more to think about.
Cast of Characters:	Carrie Kelley, Batman

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Carrie Kelley has posed:
A little red Mazda Miata that had seen better days, yet was much loved and taken care of, scoots on up the drive to the manor. It's parked to the side as out of the way as possible before Carrie hops out to regard the mansion she'd visited only a few times before thoughtfully. There was no one climbing out of windows this time to distract her from her current 'mission'. Without any hesitation she lopes up the front steps to the large doors and jabs at the doorbell button waiting with arms crossed casually. No matter how much she might like to just waltz in and start looking around she had manners darnit.

Batman has posed:
    The delay between the doorbell ringing and the distant sound of footsteps is longer than usual. Alfred has ventured out to do some errands, and there's only one person home at this time of day. After what might seem like an obnoxious amount of time, the door opens and there stands Bruce Wayne. He's clad in a slate grey robe, pajama bottoms, slippers and what looks like just-out-of-bed hair. He blinks a couple of times in the light, clearly just woken up, and then locks eyes on Carrie.
    "Oh, hi," he says with a half-smile, highly congenial despite being woken up, "Damian isn't in, I'm afraid."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Him again. Why is it always him? Carrie smiles in return as she ignores the fact that there was a rumpled billionaire playboy standing in front of her. He was Damian's dad after all. While he was all rumpled looking, she appeared to have been up for awhile with hair and makeup all neatly done. She still wore shorts though as if defying the dying of Summer.

"I'm sorry to wake you Mr. Wayne. I just wanted to drop off some materials for Damian to look over since classes are starting up again." Lifting a hand she holds up a small ringbound notebook with Damian's name written neatly on the front in silver Sharpie.

"Honestly, I was wanting to talk to him to see if he still wanted to attend classes. It seems like his interest has been shifting some and it wouldn't be the first time one of my students grew out of it. Just one of those things I'd rather hear from him directly though, if that's the case." A small shrug is given as if this was normal for her, though she can't help but hide looking just a little dissapointed. He really was an excellent student and a great kid.

Batman has posed:
    "Just through here," Bruce answers, leading the way through the cavernous foyer, down a hall lined with expensive-looking oil portraits of Waynes long dead, and into a study flanked on three sides by wooden shelves filled with leatherbound books. A desk sits in the center of it all, and Bruce gestures towards it as somewhere the book can be left.
    "You know how teeangers can be. The most important thing in the world becomes the least in the blink of an eye. At least, that's what Alfred tells me. I can't speak for him, but maybe you'll rekindle his interest when you remind about it."
    He shrugs. In a way, Damian seems just as much a mystery to him.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley follows after Bruce letting her arm drop by her side holding onto the notebok. As they walk past the portraits she looks them over, not recognizing any of the faces, and moving on again. It's the library that causes her to glance around with the absent curiosity of someone who likes books and not someone looking for photographs or family knicknacks that might hold a clue or two. It's breif, and then she moves to the desk to set it down.

"Yeah, I know. Sometimes other things become more important as you grow up. Sometimes things you didn't even realize would be important to you." A hint of a smile creeps over her at that remark. "I did meet another one of Damian's brothers the other week. I knew about his older brother of course, but I didn't know about the other two." Two?

Batman has posed:
    "Oh?" Bruce asks, a raised eyebrow the only note of mild surprise about him. There's no shock. No gasp. No immediately turning cold. He just nods once again and leads the way back towards the doorway out of the study, making his way into the hall with the clear expectation that Carrie follow: "I'm not that surprised Damian never told you about everyone. In one case they never really met. He lived here before I ... knew about Damian. I imagine you're across that whole saga already."
    As he speaks, Bruce continues to lead the way through a side room and out once more onto the grounds.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"Yeah, Tim," Carrie responds easily about which one she met. "It's obvious there's a bit of tension between those two so I won't bring it up to Damian." Besides, she hadn't heard from Tim since that one chance meeting. For all she knew he'd slipped out of town again as he said he was laying low from the rest of the family to 'have a break.' There's a small hesitance before she ventures, "I did want to apologize for the last time I came. I guess I get a bit over-protective of my students, and given the light the media paints you in... Well I wasn't really thinking the best of you."

Batman has posed:
    "There's a line drawn between who I am out there and who I am here," Bruce answers simply, walking up along a narrow path leading to a gated and secluded portion of the grounds, "I recognize my responsibilities to my family. I know what it's like to lose family, so I also know how important it is to keep them safe."
    Some might call that an awful lie if they knew the truth. But Bruce says it with conviction, and he doesn't seem to see it that way: "I appreciate that you're over-protective. It shows we've got the same vested interest in Damian's education - and here we are."
    They arrive at a gothic iron gate leading in to what is clearly a small cemetary. Bruce opens the gate and holds it, letting Carrie lead the way.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley knew they weren't walking the same path back to the outside as before but in her focus to spot pictures through the mansion she hadn't quite thought as to the 'why' of it. A few images were spotted that didn't appear to be any of the three 'sons' of Bruce Wayne that she knew. Was it the same man she had met months ago, though? The thoughts rattle through her mind while she walks just behind him. "Damian's smart enough as it is. I think he doesn't really need my class for education so much as he needs it for working out his emotions. That can be just as important, though."

When the gates of the graveyard appear she pauses with a hint of confusion. "What... Why are we here?" It was easy enough to see the gravestone memorials past the gate, to know WHERE they were. The why was momentarily confusing. When he steps aside to let her move through her gaze slides past him to the graveyard again. One foot falls in front of the other as she passes by letting her gaze sweep around the sight of the well-tended area seeking an explanation as to why she was brought here.

Batman has posed:
    Bruce leads the way over to a pair of large, ornate headstones. One for Thomas Wayne and the other for Martha Wayne - both dying in 2001 by the dates on the grave. He pauses a moment to look at the stones thoughtfully, and the way the graves are well-tended and the fact that there are fresh flowers laid on each suggests he spents quite a bit of time out here.
    "It can be tough to understand," he begins, "why I adopted Dick, that is. Or Tim. You mentioned the picture the media paints and yes, that's me. But I know how much it hurts to lose parents. I felt it just as keenly then as I do now. But there was someone there for me when I needed it most, and so that's what I do for them."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
It takes a moment for Carrie's mind to tick over to the here and now properly. Dwelling in her own curiosities had left her not quite matching up with the convesation at hand. Now though, she understood why he had brought here here - to explain why he had adopted his sons. It was in a way a continuation of the conversation from their first meeting to assure her he was indeed attempting to be a good father to Damian.

"I can understand that. Having someone in your corner while you work through things can be one of the most important things to a person. I've been lucky myself in that my parents are still around, but..." Her head tilts looking back up to Bruce. "Sometimes having someone there, but not having them be there for you, can hurt a lot too. That's why I was concerned about Damian. He's gone from one life to another when he moved here with you. He's on unsteady footing knowing where he fits in or who he can count on. I just wanted to make sure he wasn't being forgotten in favor of some of your... Other pursuits." Of course she means skirt chasing. Come on, the media was always showing him off with some model or another at parties.

Batman has posed:
    "He has a place here," Bruce answers, in a tone that suggests more than he is letting on, "And I make sure that he knows it. There'll be stumbling blocks, but this is all relatively new - to both of us - and as much as he needs support, he also needs to be his own person. He can't pursue his own interests if he thinks he has to emulate mine."
    He crouches next to the graves for a moment, adjusting the flowers just so, "Maybe that's why you make a good tutor to him. You let him know there are things outside."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley takes a deep breath which she lets out slowly thinking over the remarks said. "Of course he does. Sometimes it helps to be told that, though. I'll help where I can of course. He's a great student, and person." She doesn't say 'kid' knowing he's not fond of that. Even if she thinks it sometimes.

When Bruce crouches to adjust the flowers she turns away in an attempt to give him some mild privacy for that moment. It was his parents' grave, after all, and he did seem a bit melacholy. Her eyes graze over the other headstones. None were in disrepair, not up here, but some were less fondly attended than others. Older relatives, perhaps, that had gone long out of memory.

Carrie pauses as she spots an apparent 'gap' in the headstones. A few steps are taken in that direction till she finds herself standing over the empty plot frowning thoughtfully at the lack of it. Not a word is said, though.

Batman has posed:
    Bruce mentions nothing of it. In truth, he is entirely aware of the scrutiny Carrie is giving her surroundings. He wouldn't be who he is if he wasn't. He hasn't immediately drawn the conclusion as to precisely why she is paying this close attention, but already in his mind he has some ideas. Contacted by Jason, perhaps? Or someone else told her. He doesn't know. He'll find out, certainly. Batman may have warned her off fighting crime in Gotham, but there's no real harm in her looking for clues here. The headstrong desire to fight crime might as well be trained up in a situation that isn't going to end in a cackling maniac with a gun.
    "He is," is all Bruce says, and keeps his eyes fixated on the graves in a way that suggests he is barely paying Carrie any mind at all anymore.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley turns away after only a moment or two back toward Bruce offering him a faint smile. Whatever thoughts she had, she was keeping to herself. "Yeah. Well, I'm sorry for taking up so much of your afternoon, Mr. Wayne." A tip of her head is given toward him as she moves back to the path they'd taken to come up here. "I'm sure you have other matters you need to attend to. Like a shower," she suggests with a little teasing crinkle of her nose. He didn't smell bad but he was very bed-rumpled in that attire. It was an attempt to lighten the mood some.

Batman has posed:
    "You're not wrong," Bruce says, half-smiling himself and getting up to follow her out of the graveyard. As they walk back down to the manor proper, he keeps the conversation airy, "I'm sorry if that was a bit ... theatrical of me. I felt it might be better to show rather than tell."
    As they return to the house itself, Bruce holds up a finger: "Wait here one moment, I have something you might like." That said, he takes off down the hallway to retrieve whatever it is - leaving Carrie to her own devices.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley chuckles in response to the mention of theatrical. "You're talking to a theater geek about theatrical," she points out. "I get it, trust me. Sometimes showing is easier than telling." Plus it did give her a bit of insight into him as a person. Much as she could glean from their breif encounters at least.

Then he heads off. How... curious. It presents her with ample opportunity to turn her attention toward the room though. It's looked over quickly as she reminds herself of her original secondary 'mission' of finding out more of this mysterious Jason Todd to determine if he was the same person as the one she'd met. Someone else might start rifling through drawers, or rush toward items to examine. She just looks from where she stands catching sight of a few photographs here and there.

That was definitely not Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne, or Tim Drake in those photos. Yet he was young enough she couldn't one hundred percent assure herself that it was the man she'd met. There were similarities though. The eyes. His nose. Even his hair albiet without the white stripe.

Batman has posed:
    There is ample time to look around and take mental notes. The photos are curious. Bruce is in some of them, younger than he is now. The photos of the strange young man are few and far between. The photos of Dick, Tim, and Damian seem to outnumber those of this person by a sizable margin. Eventually, Bruce returns with an old-looking book in his hand. If he notices Carrie looking, he says nothing of it.
    "Here, I thought you might appreciate this," Bruce says, handing over what looks to be a copy of 'An Actor Prepares' by K. S. Stanislavski. The leatherbound cover and the yellowed pages suggest it is extremely old.
    "Don't worry," he says with a smile, "it's the English edition."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley pivots on the ball of her foot back toward Bruce fully when he returns carrying a book. Eyebrows raise slightly with growing curiosity. It's taken in hand, the title read, and then she very gently opens the front to check the print date. It causes her eyes to widen further. "Holy crap this is a first edition printing!" Glancing up sharply at Bruce she looks genuinely perplexed. It takes a moment for her mind to work through what to say. The cover is again very gently shut so as to not risk damaging the binding or pages within.

"This is really... wow. Thank you for showing me this, Mr. Wayne. This is really, really cool." The grin she wears is broad and honest as she looks it over again with a reverent appreciation both for the topic and a book so old and well-kept. It's looked over one last time before she offers it back toward him. "I saw the library before but if it has books like this in it, it's really impressive!"

Batman has posed:
    Bruce holds up a hand and shakes his head, "I'd say borrow it, but you should never lend books. It's yours. Just promise me that you'll keep on it with Damian. Like you said, he benefits from the tutoring and not in a wholly academic way. It's important for him to remember that there's more to life than this place and a famous last name."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley purses her lips breifly. "That's very generous, Mr. Wayne, but I really couldn't accept this. It's got to be worth quite a lot. I appreciate the offer though." There's a hint of that stubborness in her again as she's torn between the awesome gift and her morals.

Batman has posed:
    "It's a gift, Carrie," Bruce says, "I'd rather it be in your hands being read and enjoyed that sitting on a shelf. It's an impressive library, but none of us have the time or inclination to read everything there."
    He looks thoughtful for a moment once again, and then adds: "It might be gauche to say it but I make a lot of money. My family had a lot of money and has since long before either of us was born. It buys nice things. It bought this house. It bought my education. It's currently buying Damian's education. It bought that book you're holding. Being given things is nice, but more often than not its better to be the one doing the giving. So I want you to take that, read it, cherish it and - when you think it's time - give it to someone else you think will cherish it the same. Can you do that?"

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"But..." There had to be a flaw in that logic somewhere. There had to be something for her to grasp on to so that she could not accept it. Everything he says was perfectly logical. Kind even. Once again she stares at the book in her hand considering it for a long moment. "I'm not used to accepting gifts. Like this," she's quick to add. "Everything I have I've earned myself. Even if it's not much." Biting the inside of her cheek lightly she finally tears her eyes away from the book to look up at him with a hesitant smile. "Thank you, Mr. Wayne. I will."

Batman has posed:
    "Thank /you/," Bruce says pointedly, reaching out to pat her lightly on the shoulder. He goes about it in a surprisingly delicate way, considering the fact that he's built like a linebacker, "And believe me, you've earned it. You don't earn everything you get in life by working hard. Some of it comes from just being a good person."
    That said, he takes his hand away and leads the way back to the door, "Now, as you so kindly suggested, I've got a shower that I need to have. And I've got to eat breakfast ... lunch ... one of those, anyway."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"It might be an early dinner at this point," Carrie suggests as she moves off, lifting her hand to wave in parting. "Have a good rest of your day, Mr. Wayne. I'll take good care of this. Tell Damian 'hi' for me." With that she heads off toward her car again left with a lot to think about in general.