bittybat | W3, Monday (i think)

[With his jaw tight, he is quiet for a moment or so, mostly because he's hard-pressed and too prideful to admit he is clueless. Not for lack of trying.] I don't know.

I don't know who they are or what they do, only that I have to find them.

[A beat.]

... You have a role. That's why you're asking, isn't it?

[His tone is nice and even, but. Everything else about him is tense. What the actual fuck.]

Or am I wrong? Because that doesn't sound like the kind of fucked up side-quest you spring on a random NPC, y'know.

I have a role. [His lips frown.] That's why I'm asking.

If you have any information on anything, tell me. It's important. I want to end this as quickly as possible.

Oh, for fuck's sake.

[Well, there goes that little amount of chill he had recovered. Bye.]

If I had anything useful, don't you think I would have spilled the beans already? [But another thing that concerns him:] How many have you asked, Damian? Who have you asked, or am I the first? This is important.

No. [The way his face bunches is again defensive, as if he thinks Jason is accusing him of some stupid travesty.] Why does it matter to you?

[His lips form a line, sour.] You're the first. Why is that important?

Because if someone kills you, I want to have a list of names. [Possible culprits, he means. This isn't so much about distrusting Damian as it is about being suspicious of everyone else around them.

Damian might be well trained, but he's still a child.]

You can't expect everyone you ask to tell the truth, and you can't expect them to not think twice about your motives. You could be targeted. That's why it's important.

No one is going to kill me. [Super over-confident.] I'm not going to give them a chance.

[But the frown doesn't disappear. He peers at Jason, glances away, and then looks back again.] I've asked Jackson and Papika. I didn't tell them everything. Just enough.

But neither did Jackson. He claimed recently someone told him and Chase the names of the other roles. With the ones I know, that would be eight roles. Some of them have multiple people involved. I don't know if any of these roles are the one I'm looking for.

Aren't they? I remember saying the same, right around the same time— [he was murdered] ... You know.

[He crosses his arms, furrowing his eyebrows. He's getting the gist of what Damian is saying. If he finds one specific person, the game will end. That sounds great. It really does.

But it can't be that easy. Nothing is.]

So Percy and Papika are out, or one of them is lying through their teeth and plotting your doom. Sweet. [...but.] Damian, I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to tell me the truth. No lying. You already said I was the first you asked and, what do you know, I wasn't.

[...]

What do you have to do to this person after you've found them?

Kill them.

... You're joking.

[HIS TONE HAS GONE FLAT. COMPLETELY.]

You're joking, Damian. You know that's impossible. We don't kill.

I know that already! I didn't say I was going to kill them!

[He scoffs under his breath and jerks his head to look off, lips twisted and then pursed tight.] I know. I--am going to find another way.

But you said you had to!

[God. God. He balls his hands into fists, teeth grinding together as he tries to think of something. Anything. Nothing at all.]

Is there another way, Damian? We're not Bruce. We couldn't stop three weeks of murder from happening. We've fucked up big time and you know it. [The despair sure is setting in, huh.] What is it that you're planning to do?

[Honestly, Jason is only saying the truth, but that's what hurts the most. They haven't been able to stop three weeks of murders. They haven't been able to stop anything it feels like, and that kind of hopelessness just reinforces the fact he's a Giant Fuck Up of a Wayne.

His own fists ball up, but for different reasons.] We haven't-- [God dammit. How disappointed would Father be in the two of them?] I don't need you to tell me what we have and haven't done.

I need more information before there's a plan, Todd. I need to know the role I'm hunting before I even think about what I'm going to do with them when I find them.

Yeah? Are you sure about that, kiddo?

[Bruce would be so, so disappointed in the two of them. Or, at least, Jason is sure Bruce would be disappointed in him. Doesn't listen. Rushes in without thinking. Benched. He's been the local fuck up for a while and all of this simply reinforces the fact.]

Because from what I've heard, it sounds to me like you plan to stroll up to any random chump you think is trustworthy so you can paint a big ol' target on yourself. Percy and Papika could have lied. I could have lied, y'know — not like you don't have plenty of proof that I grow up to be a murdering psychopath. [He's scared and he's worried for Damian and why the fuck would you hand such a big responsibility to a 10-year-old child? Fuck.] You don't need more information to cook up a plan. You need to cook up a plan to get more information, or else—

[Bruce is going to need another case to hang up Damian's Robin suit, man. So sad that Jason doesn't know about that to make the reference, but the end of that sentence is clear.

He'll die.]

Anyone could have lied, Todd! I could be lying just to get you to talk. You don't know what I said to them, and you don't know what I could have heard from someone else--from the Sheriff. [Too bad Jason can see right through his transparent little ass because he's a Bat.] I might not have even told them anything at all! [LET HIM LIVE HIS LIFE!!!] I doesn't--

That doesn't matter! I've already died, and dying again isn't going to matter! Dying here doesn't even matter!

What matters is we get everyone else out of this place.

W3, Monday (i think)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject