7001/Desperately Seeking Damian

Desperately Seeking Damian
Date of Scene:	23 March 2019
Location:	Titans Tower
Synopsis:	Red Robin and Kestrel seek Damian at Titans Tower. Stardust is less obstructive than she pretends.
Cast of Characters:	Red Robin, Carrie Kelley, Stardust, Robin (Wayne), Breath

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Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake has called Carrie to tell her to let her know he was heading to the tower to see if they know anything about Damian, and offers to meet her there if she wants to come, since she has been on tracking him down longer.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Of *course* Carrie was set to go. She'd been set to go before a few distractions had come up to keep her from the trip she kept intending to take. With Tim's help it would be tons faster in both travel time and getting into the tower itself. After some general organizing she meets up with him and they're off!

Stardust has posed:
It's probably been over a year since Tim Drake last visited Titan's tower. He's still a member of the team, though he hasn't been around for a while. It's a first time for Carrie, and it's quite something. Carrie's experience of the biz is in the more covert side of things; shadows and batcaves. The Titans Tower is a giant T shaped building on its own island in the East River, and couldn't really be more conspicious.

    Even without any other leads, Titans Tower is an obvious place to go when looking for Damian. It's essentially his other home. There have been a few more pointers though. Firstly, several members of the Bat Family were told by Damian that if they wanted to contact him, they should go to Stardust or Vorpal of the Titans. Secondly, there's Damian's mystery 'date' at the party. Jason's guess was that it was Stardust, who he knows of by reputation. She was the one causing Damian the most trouble during the infamous Red X incident, which Jason helped out a little at - though that little snippet isn't widely know. Physically there's not a lot to go on. There are three members of the Titans with blonde hair and blue eyes, and two Titans (Vorpal and Raven) who are more than capable of creating illusions. Damian was certainly wearing one, so it's not impossible that 'Madamoiselle Nicolette' was also an illusion. None of the Titans are known to speak with a French accent.

    Tim, however, has an advantage over the other Robins in this. His last mission with the Titans was working control on the rescue of Damian from the clutches of Doctor Light, and one Stardust, a new member back then, introduced herself to him as 'Colette'. That has to be the hottest lead.

    When Tim and Carrie arrive at the Tower and Tim ushers Carrie up to the living quarters which is the normal hangout of Titans not on patrol, he's able to check on the Tower systems to confirm that Stardust is, indeed, in the building. Somewhere.

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake will look over to Carrie, and says "Been a while since I was here with the trip and such, but I figure if he was going to travel, and not use funds that his Dad could not trace as easily, he would use resources from here. I think out best bet is to see if one of the Titans knows anything, if not will so some computer sluething here.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley tries not to look like a tourist. Really she does. But her head cranes up to examine the tower as they approach. Entering isn't much better. The level of technology and simply being out in the open about everything... It really was vastly different. When Tim explains this to her she flashes him a smile.

"He was also at the large cat charity ball with a Titan, I was told. That was right before he disapeared. That's why I figured this would be a good place to try and find a lead. Though as far as supplies?" A deep breath is drawn as she frowns slightly with obvious concern. "He got *those* from Red Hood."

It was habit to not use real names out in the open when possible. One that was being grilled into her constantly, so she opts just for the code name for now in case someone here that isn't in-the-know might overhear. The fact that she was as much 'in costume' as she could be beneath the heavy jacket she'd worn (and was regretting darn California weather!) helped that along just a bit. Brick red and black. Nothing fancy. It almost looks like motorcycle riding leathers with the jacket.

"The question is where to start. I only have a vague description of the woman he was with, I don't know her name, just that Red Hood recognized her as a Titan."

Stardust has posed:
    One of the oddities Carrie will have noticed coming up to the Living Quarters is there are two elevator shafts, but only one elevator. The other shaft is left open, without doors. It's through this shaft that Stardust appears, having been alerted by the Tower security systems to the visitors. Another difference to the muted tones and camoflage Carrie is used to, in keeping with the conspicuousness of the tower Stardust's costume is pale off-white with light grey detailing, and it's hard to be certain, but it does to glow faintly. Is this the person Carrie met at the party? Hard to be certain. Physically, she could be. The masquerade costume hid a lot though.

    "Well, well. A prodigal red bird and a mystery red head." Her accent isn't French, it's pure Manhattan. "What brings you two to the Big T? No wait, let me guess. Cat stuck up a tree." She walks over to the computer console and her fingers dance across the controls for a few moments, then she wanders over to a sofa and throws herself into it. "Who's your friend, Redbird?"

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake will look over to Colette, and says "This is Kestrel, she is helping me look for Damian, mind talking to her a bit while I check on a few things via the computers. We need to find Damian it is important, he needs to talk with his dad.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley turns to let her glance rake over Stardust trying to recognize what details she could. The line of her jaw. Her profile. The way her hair... Okay maybe that wasn't going to work given the things women did to their hair to begin with when trying to look fancy. Inhaling deeply she watches Tim go off before turning her attention back toward Stardust completely.

"Or more accurately, I'd like to speak to him about his father being a complete nimrod that's incapable of communicating without assuming everyone understands his .... Nuances." Smiling wryly she gives a rolling shrug, hands stuffing into her pocket, and she steps closer at an unthreatening pace. "I work with Nightwing, and I'm a friend of his."

Stardust has posed:
    "Kestrel, huh?" Stardust says with a grin. "Well that's a relief. I was worrying for a moment I was about to be introduced to yet another Robin. The world has quite enough Robins already, so hard to keep track of them all." She gestures expansively towards the computers, giving Tim a 'be my guest' gesture. There's little to be found that way though; Damian's T-Com , if he even has it with him, is not registering a location signal.

    Stardust gestures again, this time to the couch. It's an impressive couch. HUGE. "Take a seat, Kestral. Like the view? Impressive, isn't it." Apart from the obvious accent difference, this certainly /could/ be the woman Carrie saw Damian with at the party, but she's wearing a domino mask now and was wearing a half mask that covered most of her face then, so it's very hard to be sure. Her expression seems very level; she's not giving anything away. "Nimrod?" She asks. "Well if I see a giant tower reaching up to the heavens appear in Gotham, I know who to speak to. Why not just call him a self-obsessed idiot, wouldn't that be closer to the mark?"

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"It really is. This is my first time out here. Even in the state," Kestrel admits while moving to the couch to sink down on it with a quiet sigh. One leg tucks beneath the other so she can twist toward Stardust to ocntinue looking at her as they speak. Her arm drapes over the top of the couch to help keep the posture. All she can do is smile wryly at the other's assement though.

"He's a lot of things. Most people are. They're complex, and many leveled. The best learn from their mistakes and work to improve themselves. Which is why I'll settle on childish names instead of psychologial anaylziations, because as stubborn and frustrating as he may be, he can learn. They both can."

There's a breif pause as she continues to regard Stardust. Finally she speaks again simply asking, "You were the one at the ball with him, weren't you." Whether she answers to that or not, Kestrel continues, "If it helps any I'm not here to try to convince him to come back. I just want to check up on him. Give him some new information. Let him know his cat's okay."

Stardust has posed:
Stardust returns the close regard, borderline staring, and slightly longer than is comfortable before she looks away again, glancing over at where Tim works the computers. "You're the friend he left Abaddon with," she comments. Then more quietly. "And you know who he is. Red here used his name. Don't repeat that, not everyone here knows his identity. Tell me Kestrel, how much DO you know about him? Before he became Robin. Has he told you about his mother? About his training?"

    Slouching back in the couch, she gives a thoughtful pause before nodding her head. "Yeah, it was me at the ball. Don't read anything into it. We're friends. It was a laugh. Did he tell you why he walked?"

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley inclines her head simply at the mention of being the friend with Abbadon. Though she hadn't mentioned the cats name, either. While the others might be more experienced at the vigilante thing, she was new still, and attempting to follow all the rules that had been laid out for her. "He told me. Not in detail, but he told me. If he wants to share more that's one thing but I wasn't going to push him on the topic. He knows I'll listen if he wants." At least, she hoped he did. It was better to offer an ear and let him come to that decision himself she'd figured.

"It happened quick enough I had no idea until I went to yell at his father about it. I got his side. I'd like to know the other side. His father has a way of railroading things because he sees one picture that he sometimes forgets to consider how someone else will take a view on things." A breif glance is cast toward Tim before she adds, "Surprisingly he was the one that got the right remark in to get through to him." Again her head shakes, and she lifts a hand to rake back through her hair. "I'm new to the whole group. I knew Robin first though. He was one of my student at something that's not really related to any of his current life. So I'm hoping I can just... I don't know. I'm worried, everyone is worried. I just want to make sure HE is okay. That he will be okay, and that he knows he's got people in his corner."

Stardust has posed:
"We've got his corner." The answer is quick and perhaps just a little bit harsh. Apparently Stardust notices this, because her attitude almost immediately softens. Her shoulders drop slightly, and she settles back into the sofa. "Look. He wanted to get away. From the family. And it was myself and Vorpal he trusted about that, not any of the other Robins. Not you. If I was a bat, I'd be asking myself why exactly that was, right now. He was fine last time I spoke to him. If he has a problem, he can contact us and we'll be there to help him in an instant. So, while I understand your position, and I appreciate your concern, I'm not sure I should do anything about it. I can pass on any message you have for him though."

    Stardust gets to her feet suddenly and paces over to the large window overlooking the bay. "Ever since he was born... he's spent his life having people trying to mould him. Shape him into a mask. Trying to push down the real person he is, to make him into something they want him to be. When he left all that behind... Batman put him into another mask. Another identity given to him, rather than an identity for him to discover. And then took that identity away from him. What did he expect to happen? He needs room to grow. To become his own person. Not to be shaped by others into what they want. Batman is an irresponsible, short sighted ass."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Kestrel starts to frown but catches herself when she does. Instead she shakes her head faintly. "I'm his acting teacher. He came to me because he wantted to do something that wasn't chosen for him. I think it was his way of seeing what it would be like to have a normal life. ... Then I ended up finding my own way into this life." Lightly clearing her throat, she stands from the couch with arms spread out at her side. "I'm glad he has friends like you. I do. I appreciate you want to give him space and time to figure himself out... He needs that. I knew that from before I knew he was Robin."

"So why are you making his decsions for him now?" Kestrel cocks her head to the side with an eyebrow arching. "Let him decide if he wants to talk to me or not. I'll respect his choice."

Stardust has posed:
    "Well, Kestrel. That all sounds like it went horribly wrong," Stardust says with a slight laugh. "He came to you for normal, and ended up dragging you into his world. Run, Kestral. Run and don't look back. As for choices?" Stardust shrugs her shoulders and heads back to the couch, dropping into it.

    "He trusted me to field queries for him. Gave me two names of people he would accept a request to talk from. You... and Red Nerd over there... are neither of those two names. Sorry. But I believe I did say I'd pass on any message you have. So that means it's up to him if he wants to talk. If he doesn't, I'm not going to let anyone - that means you two, or even his father - press the issue. His call. Not mine. Not yours."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "She wasn't dragged in by me, Stardust. And the decision has always been mine to field." The voice on speakers around the room ring out, Damian's voice. "You may presume that by hearing me, I am fine, Kestrel." His voice wasn't angered, and not so much the tone he uses in public. This was something all together different.

  "You have my attention."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"He didn't drag me into it," Kestrel bites off quick, defensively. Of who though? Of Robin? "That was my choice. We all have them." Blowing out a breath to knock her bangs aside she flops back down onto the couch. This was nothing more than a brick wall... At least until that familiar voice comes up saying exactly what she just said. It earns a small grin. "I should have known better. I was trying to get Nightwing to come to me, but he and Hood are having their 'stubborn brother' stuff going on so I had to shanghai the nerd into it." Nerd was one of the kindest things she could think to call Red Robin out of the usual names Damian was fond of.

"I'm glad you're okay. I would have liked if you'd have talked to me, but I can understand why you wouldn't."

There's a pause, before she says, "This is all I'm going to say in regards to him. He wants you back. He didn't mean for you to leave nor did he mean to say he'd kick you out. He just wanted you to talk to the others to gain perspective and respect. ... Then Red Robin pointed out grounding you from the title meant he would hardly be spending time with his son. So look out for him looking for you. Without the cowl."

Lightly clearing her throat she crosses her arms over her chest, and glances toward Stardust before cotninuing, "Abbadon is doing well but he keeps trying to jump out the window."

Stardust has posed:
As Damian's voice comes over the speakers, a small smirk spreads across Stardust's face. She may have been doing a gatekeeper act, but hooking in Damian's T-Com to the tower audio feed was the first thing she did on entering the room, and she'd been wondering when he'd speak up. Indeed some of what she'd said to Kestral was very much intended for Damian's ears too. Nor can she resist the opportunity to reiterate a point. Eyes rolling heavenwards, she interjects with "It didn't occur to him that if he gave his son a ready-made identity to adopt and then stripped him of that identity it might be an issue? Is this really the world's greated detective we're talking about here? Because I'm pretty sure Sherlock Holmes would have figured that out. On the other hand, Sherlock Holmes was a fictional character, so there is that. "

    Eyes back to Kestrel, Stardust gives a smile that's a lot more warm and welcoming than her posture had been so far. "If it's your choice... then go for it. So long as you're not some poor innocent dragged into this absurd business against her will, that's fine with me. Just be careful, Kestrel. The Bats are all quite mad. If you need someone sane to talk to, you know where to find me."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian stays on the line, interjecting at times. "If I had told you, he would have read you instantly. Asking you to take care of Abbadon in my stead was the closest thing I could do to let you know I was not throwing you aside."

  He keeps talking, where he exactly was, was still a mystery. "He wanted me to let others in. I started with him. I told him everything I had done since I came to Gotham. Things that two years ago I did, every transgression. I confessed to him. And he shut the door on me." The voice wavers, holding back anger and tears on the other end of the line.

  Damian's voice comes back after a pause, clicking his tongue. "That cat. He probably saw a bird."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"Actually I think he's hunting the cars," Kestrel offers. "I'm not on the first floor so the difference in size is altered, and I'm sure he hasn't seen many driving by at your place. I just try to keep him from bumping his head. He's just being a good little hunter." As all cats were.

She shifts on the couch, lacing her fingers together behind her head to stretch just a little where she sits. It was odd talking to apparent thin air but at least it was talking. Glancing toward Stardust she offers the other woman a smile. "I will, thank you. I do have others to reach out to. I should catch up with my sifu soon. It's been awhile with everything considered." Shaking her head lightly she lets her gaze drift off to the side. That was not an issue for now.

"I don't think he's aware of the time issue there. You're right, though: He shouldn't have reacted that way. Especially if he was asking you to open up in the first place. I'm sorry you went through that."

Stardust has posed:
    "Your father sees the world in black and white," Stardust says to the voice in the air, folding her arms behind her head. She seems quite unbothered speaking to the air. Then again, she does that a lot. Most of the people she meets aren't actually there. It's a strange life being Stardust. "That's why he needs a colorful bird by his side. And that's why he has trouble seeing you for who you are, because you're shades of gray. He shouldn't expect you to learn how to be colorful, he should be willing to meet you half way. His mistake. He thinks you're the one who needs to adjust, when you both do."

    "But..." there's a but. This is the first time Stardust has said anything in this debate that wasn't wholly critical of Batman and supportive of Robin, and the shift is evident in her voice. Less forceful, less absolute, more considered. "That's hard for both of you to do when you're apart. You won't resolve this without him resolving this too, you know. Understanding yourself is only half the battle. You need to make him understand you too. Who you actually are, not who he thinks you should be."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "Makes sense. He's nice to humans but also instinctively a vicious hunter."

  Damian's voice was serious, but not flying off the handle. He was still angry, wounds still fresh on his mind. "If he did not jump to thinking his son was everything he feared, he could have heard me tell him it was a year ago. I am not the assassin that came to him with the severed head of a gangster as a tribute." Yes, he did that. "Both of them, Mother and Father, in my head, telling me what to do and I cannot hear myself think. That's why I left, away from the League, and away from the bats, I have finally begun to hear myself over the others. And what he wanted me to do in the first place."

Breath has posed:
Breath wanders in from upstairs with a towel wrapped around them, damp from an exercize swim, and freezes when there are guests present. Stops. Listens for a little bit. She(?) swallows awkwardly, making sure the towel is adjusted, and wanders in.

"Hey. The Breath here. Just stepped in." To Stardust, "Quick summary?" then nods to everyone present, listening to the broadcast and furrowing their brow a bit.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"It's what he is. Even if there's more to him than that, t's his nature. It's up to him to act on it or not though. I'd feel bad if he ran out into the street and got hurt." Was she talking about Abbadon still? Or hinting at other things?

Kestrel smiles faintly though at the talk of finding himself. In spite of him not being able to see she gives a nod of apparent understanding.

"That's good then. As long as you're getting to figure out who you are. That's important. I'm proud of you, you know. I might not have known you as long as others, but I see you improving all the time. In more than just fighting skill." No, she was the newb at that.

Anything else she might say though is silenced when Breath walks in to blink at the unexpected person. It wasn't a face she knew, and she reaches up to make sure her own mask is in place. It is. "H'lo," she greets simply.

Stardust has posed:
    "Hey Breathy. Robin," is Stardust's response to Breath. Apparently she deems that a sufficient summary. "Oh. This is Kestrel. She's a Batsociate. She's a new one, don't break her. And Red Robin is around somewhere. He's another Robin. He's actually a Titan, but hasn't been around much since... well. Before you joined. Kestrel, meet the Breath. That's not her crime-fighting costume, if you were wondering."

    "A demon on one shoulder, a bat on the other," Stardust continues with a grin. "That's not exactly how it's supposed to go, but we all have to run with the cards we're dealt. Voices like that need to understand they don't get to tell you what to do, they only get to advise. If they don't understand that, they need to learn."

    Stardust hops suddenly off the couch and floats (a sharp reminder to Carrie that the Titans are not quite like the Bat Family) through the air to the kitchen area to raid the fridge. "You know, if you two want to talk some more, I can bring Kestrel to a neutral ground if you like, Robin." There's something about the way Stardust pronounces 'Robin'. There's a hint of extra emphasis there. Perhaps Carrie will remember her earlier warning not to use Damian's real name in front of the other Titans. "Might be easier than doing it like this. But maybe she has what she's come for already." Stardust looks over to Carrie, eyebrow arched quizzically. "Soda? Or water if you prefer? We've got the pizza place on speed dial if you're hungry."