bittybat | (no subject)

[ dextera nods as well. the archangel knows more about this… but he supposes it’s not important in the grand scheme of this task, and he doesn’t want to think about the archangel more than he must. as for a name for the goat, does damian really want another angelic animal running around? ]

…you choose.

[ dextera is afraid to touch the goat again, but he’d like to. it’s clear in his eyes that he wants to pet her. ]

Mm. [He waits in silence, allowing the name to come to him instead of searching for one. Authenticity matters, and authenticity means being patient for it.

He straightens to his full height and moves to stand by the goat's side, letting his legs be a kind of brace if needed.] You can pet her. [In indication, he rubs the bumpy crest of her skull between the ears. She bleats.] You won't hurt her.

And she won't hurt you. [Palm up, he extends his hand toward Dextera, offering to take his--he knows what it's like to have violent hands, but wanting them to offer something soft. They can pet her together.]

Capra.

No. [That's not right either. Not quite.] Capella. That'll be her name.

[ this one, he doesn’t know. dextera hadn’t ever seen—or at least, couldn’t recall—stars before he came to this town, but he understands that the name must have some significance. he pauses, considering the sound of it in his own voice, in his head, and nods. ]

What does it mean?

[ he asks this, and then places his hand in damian’s. he wants to pet the goat. he wants to learn her name. his brother asked him to name him, too, and if he can do it as sweetly and certainly as this moment, he thinks his brother will be happy. ]

It's a star in a constellation. [Dextera's hand gets a small, reassuring squeeze, and then he pulls it to place the palm against the goat's neck with his on top. After a moment, he removes his hand so Dextera can pet her like he wants.] It means "little goat."

[See? The goat is fine. IT'S FINE. Don't look at the bird parts... The goat is fine, at least.]

In Greek myth, it represents Amalthea, the goat that nursed Zeus. He broke her horn, and it became the Cornucopia. [She has little horns, see?] The horn would fill up with whatever the owner desires.

[ hmmm.

dextera slowly allows himself to stroke along her thin, wiry fur, and it’s true enough. the goat is fine, even if she seems a little impatient the longer they force her to stand here. as she recovers from the dizziness of being separated, so does her energy recover inside her.

he brushes his thumb, very lightly, over one of the her horns. she bleats at him. ]

…and what do you desire?

[For some time, Damian doesn’t answer the question. He watches Dextera pet the goat instead. Even standing in the remnants of destruction, the goat is pure and beautiful. He loves her.

And he’s glad Dextera gets to see this good part of it.] I don’t think what I desire could fill the Cornucopia. It’s not sometthing that could “fill” anything. You can’t see it.

Well, you can see it technically, but it isn’t material.

[ dextera needs to talk to his brother. it’s pathetic that seeing this goat and talking about a horn-of-plenty is making him miss his brother this much, but hey. he didn’t choose this symbolic life. ]

It sounds like a riddle.

[ he’s not petting the goat anymore, but she’s getting brave enough now to butt at his hip, still gentle because she’s just a little weak. ]

I’d… be happy with food.

[ no he wouldn’t, but also it would be nice to have a bounteous, endless supply of fresh hearts. ]

It does. [Silly goat. He's glad it likes Dextera? He tries to start leading her, if she'll follow. They can take her to the edge of the forest and, if Dextera is finished, back to town.]

You mean bones and hearts. [Strangely, it doesn't sound disgusted or judgemental. Guren tattled on Dextera... To ease the awkwardness of the conversation at hand:] I would want--

My father to be happy.

[You can "see" it, but it isn't material.]

[ …dextera can see that his reputation precedes him, but damian is just lucky that he felt too bad about the bird’s death to eat its remains. it’s too small to have provided much benefit, anyway. ]

…

[ dextera nods, helping the goat along when damian starts to lead her. he assumes that she’ll go with damian in the end, since damian named her, but hey… maybe goats are as fickle as cats. he doesn’t really know where she’ll end up. ]

I would want the same, for my brother. [ a pause. ] If only we could do it.

[It doesn't dawn on him that he could say, "Maybe he's already happy," and it apply to the both of them. Not yet anyway. One day--maybe soon? here?--he'll understand that Bruce is already happy because he has a son.

Just like maybe XIII is already happy because he has a brother.] You said you wanted food. [He's teasing.]

Like Thanksgiving. [?] It's a holiday. I'll show you--in the fall. There's cornucopias then, as a symbol of prosperity and food. But not like the mythological Cornucopia.

Heh heh. Food is realistic.

[ damian goes on to explain thanksgiving, though, and he has dextera’s interest—he understands that it must be like a harvest festival, although he’s never really seen one of those either. the town’s doesn’t count. it’s so hard, having grown up in one building all his life and then losing his memories anyway. ]

I want to see it. I want to try—new things.

[ not hearts ]

I'll tell Midoriya. He's Japanese, and they don't exactly celebrate America's Thanksgiving, but I'm sure he'd be more than enthusiastic about trying to host one. [Damian isn't... social enough... to rally everyone. But he will ask Clark and his father for sure.] We can combine them.

[The goat seems to be okay being lead? Goat instincts. Sometimes stubborn, but enjoying the Good Life of herding. They can get her a bell or something.]

We'll have to come back and see if we can purify a turkey. But we can't let anyone eat it even if turkey is a traditional staple in Thanksgiving meals.

He can join us instead. We'll give him corn, if we have it.

Heheheh.

[ dextera can’t help it at all, when damian so efficiently decides everything about this hypothetical thanksgiving celebration they could have as if it’s a necessity.

he likes damian. ]

Let’s bring back corn. For Thanksgiving.

Okay. [Damian is fine with this. Corn is delicious, and he's vegetarian, so it's even better in the long run for him.] We'll bring back corn. And a few other things, if we can.

I think you'd like them better than bones and hearts. [He told Guren he wouldn't give Dex any nasty bones and hearts. There's tastier food. Like corn? Like... fruit. Cotton candy. Quiche. Chocolate pudding.

Coming out of the forest finally means he's starving thinking about all of the food they don't have. He misses Alfred...]

[ the saddest thing about eating bones and hearts and flesh is that he doesn’t like any of those things. he’d much rather be vegetarian, if he could—but his powers require blood and the visceral reminder of life to keep going. ]

I envy you.

[ what a mysterious thing to say! for dextera with his own train of thought known to him, however, it makes perfect sense. ]

[Dextera gets a strange expression. Damian never hears anyone who envies him. No one has ever told him they wanted to be Damian Wayne, and he's heir to one of the richest men in the world, holder of the most sought after secret.

If anything, he thinks people would envy someone like Jon. Superpowers, a health parental relationship, being kind and empathetic. Damian? He's garbage!]

There's nothing to envy. You're the one who purified Capella. I just stood there and watched. I've been in more trouble since I got here than I've done anything to help.

So there's nothing worth envying.

[ damian says that, but dextera… still shakes his head, gently denying damian his self-deprecation. ]

You’re focused. And kind. [ a beat, and he touches capella’s side. ] She thinks so, too.

[ he was able to talk to animals once, but he’s got it pretty well figured out that animals that will come near you in the first place are far more prone to liking you than hating you. he’s an animal whisperer. ]

[While he tries not to get embarrassed, it's unavoidable. It creeps into the edges of his face, and he tuts under his breath in disbelief. Kind. Him.

But the little goat gets a rub on the back of the neck. Look, he would say animals don't count, but he appreciates and values the love of animals almost more than he does the love of people. If people hate him, so what. Screw them.

If an animal hates him? He's failed at life.] Animals deserve kindness because they love you unconditionally as long as you treat them with respect.

You don't have to baby me. I know I'm not perfect. [It doesn't seem like he feels weighted by this admission. He looks ahead, but there's a hidden smile about him from the compliments.]

[ maybe it doesn’t mean much that dextera likes damian, when dextera’s social circle for most of his memory has been people who hated him and dextera was all right with them, but… if it makes damian feel even a little bit better about how unpleasant he can be, isn’t that a good thing? dextera smiles, just slightly. ]

I’m not “babying” you.

[ he thinks? is this babying damian? ]

Thank you… for bringing me out here.

[Yeah, Dextera is probably one of the few people who don't baby him. Or treat him like a bothersome teenager. Thanks, big bro Dex.]

Don't thank me. You did it yourself. You had to try sometime. [Before he can say anything else, Capella gives a sudden, loud (probably excited) scream as they emerge from fully within the forest. Good thing they brought back the sun.] Heh.

Are you going to keep her with you and the chickens?

[And... the chocobos, too, right. Think of the cute small goat snuggling by a large yellow chicken and sleeping. Nice.]

[ dextera lets out a breath of a laugh, too… mostly because he understands that feeling. the world has become a little warmer, with the return of the sun, but it’s mostly nice how much more alive things seem. the few colors that there are in this town seem brighter. ]

I can. [ but… ] You don’t want her?

[For a moment, he peers at the sweet, silly goat. After being able to trot, she seems to be doing better. He gives her a reassuring pat along the head between the horns, then some scritching below the chin.]

I can let her stay at Father's house. She could help them clean the area by grazing. But you helped her, so you can decide.

We could let her wander and see where she ends up, but she might get into trouble without guidance. For now, she should probably have a place to stay.

Joshua and Estelle want more chickens. We might not have room.

[ the additions to the coop are certainly… going… but in any case, by the time joshua and estelle finish making something that’s worth looking at and get to work on breeding the birds, they probably just don’t have space for a whole entire farm in bluo. ]

Does your father like goats?

[cut away flash forward to bruce wandering back up to the flavo cottage to find a goat out front eating and he's Tired]

He'll like this one.

[Because it doesn't matter whether or not Bruce likes goats, Damian is going to bring a goat back, and his father isn't going to do anything about it. Or Damian will kick his ass.]

You can come visit her. Or I can walk her to your house sometimes.

[He thinks Dex is going to be sad is all?]

[ dextera would be a little sad to not see capella after basically creating her and all. when damian proposes taking her for walkies, his expression brightens somewhat—he always looks so naturally gloomy that it’s easy to tell. ]

Come over anytime.

[ whether or not he has a goat, even. ]