Sorely tempted to ghost her, Jason leaves the message on read for a good hour while he cleans one of his guns to settle himself. Common sense finally prevails after he's got it lubed and put away. With nothing else to keep him occupied, he answers the message.
[ There is the chance he was busy. At home, her benefit of the doubt would be so much bigger, more realistically magnanimous. But, back home, she'd need little more than to triangulate the message reaching any device on him. The next second, she'd have whatever closest camera feeds there were. But they aren't home, no matter how much every second without her system gauls her.
And Jason taking his time to decide to answer; that's not new at all. There's relief mingled in that snap back. Just from Jason answering. ]
[ Barbara's semi-skeptical expression probably doesn't translate from here. It's only a beat of silence for him. But. For her, it's hard to decide between it being one of a billion Jason Todd brushoffs (albiet even without any swearing or threats of violence, which, fine, she doesn't usually get even when she gets them) or if there is a person—or god knows what else, a bike, a bomb, a gun, something—he is referring to, from having been here for several weeks doing whatever things he's been doing. ]
I don't have to distract you for long, then. I just wanted you to know Dick and I were here. And it seems like just about everyone else is now, too. Cass, and Dick, and I are from roughly the same time, but Steph's from further back.
[ She'd been done, until she realized there was another. ]
Oh—and there's a second Dick. From some other universe.
[ Dick, he already stalked tracked down and confronted soon after he showed up. The rest come as a mild surprise. He promptly adds them to his growing list of bats to avoid. There's a reason why Jason's been hoofing it through the rain with groceries and avoiding the diner like the plague. He's not the type for family dinners, especially after-- ]
Batman's really got his work cut out for him with all the bats away from home.
[ He could deal with Damian and Tim. They kept out of each other's hair. More importantly, they didn't feel the need to check in on him, which is exactly what Barb was doing. I'm not some lost kid you need to-- Wait, what?!
Dumbfounded, Jason stares at the message. Because one wasn't bad enough. He starts pacing, feeling antsy, and instead of acknowledging the wave of turmoil at the edge of his thoughts, he starts making contingency plans. ]
Great. We can start collecting them. I'm sure Damian would love a game of Whack the Dick.
[ Barbara is still ultimately troubled by that, but she knows it's more in (their) Dick's corner than anyone else's. Damian's not wrong—about Batman always needing a Robin—but that doesn't make what it has to be doing—been doing for the last month—to Damian right in the slightest either.
Barbara asks the question, even knowing the answer. But there's more to asking it than the words, too.
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Sorely tempted to ghost her, Jason leaves the message on read for a good hour while he cleans one of his guns to settle himself. Common sense finally prevails after he's got it lubed and put away. With nothing else to keep him occupied, he answers the message.
Screw it. ]
Who did you hear that from?
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[ There is the chance he was busy. At home, her benefit of the doubt would be so much bigger, more realistically magnanimous. But, back home, she'd need little more than to triangulate the message reaching any device on him. The next second, she'd have whatever closest camera feeds there were. But they aren't home, no matter how much every second without her system gauls her.
And Jason taking his time to decide to answer; that's not new at all.
There's relief mingled in that snap back. Just from Jason answering. ]
no subject
It's hard to ignore you. I--He immediately backtracks and deletes the message, writing another in its place. ]
What can I say, I was busy with another lady.
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I don't have to distract you for long, then. I just wanted you to know Dick and I were here. And it seems like just about everyone else is now, too. Cass, and Dick, and I are from roughly the same time, but Steph's from further back.
[ She'd been done, until she realized there was another. ]
Oh—and there's a second Dick. From some other universe.
no subject
stalkedtracked down and confronted soon after he showed up. The rest come as a mild surprise. He promptly adds them to his growing list of bats to avoid. There's a reason why Jason's been hoofing it through the rain with groceries and avoiding the diner like the plague. He's not the type for family dinners, especially after-- ]Batman's really got his work cut out for him with all the bats away from home.
[ He could deal with Damian and Tim. They kept out of each other's hair. More importantly, they didn't feel the need to check in on him, which is exactly what Barb was doing. I'm not some lost kid you need to-- Wait, what?!
Dumbfounded, Jason stares at the message. Because one wasn't bad enough. He starts pacing, feeling antsy, and instead of acknowledging the wave of turmoil at the edge of his thoughts, he starts making contingency plans. ]
Great. We can start collecting them. I'm sure Damian would love a game of Whack the Dick.
no subject
[ Barbara is still ultimately troubled by that, but she knows it's more in (their) Dick's corner than anyone else's. Damian's not wrong—about Batman always needing a Robin—but that doesn't make what it has to be doing—been doing for the last month—to Damian right in the slightest either.
Barbara asks the question, even knowing the answer.
But there's more to asking it than the words, too.
There's a lot of onus in his choice. ]
You haven't met him?
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You can all play patty cake at the Manor.
[ Oh, yeah. He knows you're all living it up there. Made sure to be as far away from that place as possible. Makes things easier this way. ]
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Cute.
[ A beat. Then. ]
Stay safe out there.
If you need me,
you know how to reach me.
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I am pretty easy on the eyes.
If I need you, I'm basically dead. Don't hold a funeral. I rather not dig myself out of a grave. Again.
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I'm going to hold you to that.
I'm fine with basically dead over actually dead.
You wouldn't be the first near-corpse I dragged from a sewer.
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[ And that's coming from him! ]
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[ He wouldn't. Not really.
But she's nothing if not able to fling it back. ]