mind_blown | (no subject)

Right. You don't have to answer anything you don't want to.

[ There's an amused note in his voice when he states this, like he's a little used to cagey people. ]

We've been on some missions together. You stand out for a few reasons.

Edited (wording) 2020-01-13 14:45 (UTC)

Sure, a little flattery never hurts to grease the wheels.

[ he’s aware. And there’s a part of him wondering if this has to do with curiosity based off of Bruce, or genuine curiosity about his skills.

Either works, he supposed. Bruce would find a way to be more cagey about things, if it were the former. ]

Don't let it get to your head.

[ Jay's right, but only tangentially. The only clue he's had that they're associated with each other was Jay's conduct when the feast went pear-shaped. He was reminded about how he had tried to protect Sora, from a distance and from the shadows, once. ]

A lot of people with weird abilities learned quickly that they don't always work as expected. Gadgets don't seem to get the same treatment. And that grappling hook of yours has come in really handy.

So you mean to say... that the original call for who had magic abilities was flawed In some way? My oh my, how could we have predicted that.

[ at least the sarcasm should come through. ]

It’s not as handy as it is back home, but I never leave without it. [ and a few other things. ]

Everything's flawed in some way.

[ So few answered the call to experiment and find out how effective their healing abilities were here, but instead they established some kind of first aid training, so Riku considers that a win. ]

...Really? Could've fooled me. How's a guy come to need that? You a burglar back home?

[ he sees what he's doing. and there's a bit of a half laugh-- slow walking the actual questions, huh. trying to puzzle him out.

he's never particularly cared-- most often, he was just "the Red Hood." it was only recently that he even tried to reclaim his actual identity. most people back home knew him better as his moniker, than Jason. ]

Something like that.

Are you trying to play 20 questions to work around something I might not want to answer, or is there a bigger fish to fry here, Riku?

Edited 2020-01-13 16:01 (UTC)

You got me. I'm not good at this... beating around the bush stuff.

[ He's too direct when he wants something; guy who drove a bike right into a crowd of angry spirits, remember? As little as he shares about himself, he can't fault people who do the same. ]

But you bring a lot of utility to these missions. I want to know more about it. Where it comes from, why it's there. More than that, we're on a world with people from other worlds, other universes, each of them with completely different experiences.

[ It's not often that Riku gets... animated when he speaks, and when he realizes that's what he's doing, he pulls back audibly. ]

Just curious.

[ bruce, you cagey motherfucker. so he is hiding the full extent of his capabilities, even from his friends. whereas, Jason had no such excuse. he was too flashy-- the one damn page he took from Dick Grayson's playbook. ]

If you're wanting my full playbook, it's probably not gonna happen. Not everything's useful here. Or, better answer is I hope it's not useful.

The rest, sure.

[ It might say quite a few things about how Jay views himself if he's coming from a baseline that assumes that he's being perpetually measured up against Bruce. It hasn't gone unnoticed that they both use a few of the same tools, but that's not what this is about.

It's some common ground. Riku needs that, because he's not very good at socializing the way his best friends were. They could be fast friends with anyone. Not so much Riku, who was often suspicious of people's motives, possessive of his few companions, and prickly to strangers. ]

No thanks. If hallucinations and dreams are proof of what the spirits can do, digging around in memories to learn about each other's capabilities isn't a far stretch. I wouldn't want that much knowledge.

...You're sure? I'm not asking without expecting you'll want something in return.

Most of what you've seen is what I'd consider a good baseline for not being completely useless here. It's less warm and cuddly, less making everyone feel like they belong, and more "don't hold me back." If powers get completely turned off, how fucked do you think this place is, otherwise?

[ maybe that's sharing too much of his motivation. things that drive him. but the statement's out of his mouth before he can stop it. ]

That's worth sharing.

[ Riku doesn't protest his assessment because he's right. Maybe Riku doesn't feel that abilities like theirs are something that can be turned on and off like a light switch, but the green eyed spirits do seem capable of influencing what they see and feel.

Encouraging them to believe their abilities don't work anymore would wreck a lot of havoc. ]

Yet you haven't done something public like Javert's lessons. You don't trust everyone with that information, but it's not like you're withholding it if someone's interested.

Sound about right?

Close.

It's more mundane than that.

[ A beat ]

I'd be an awful teacher, and I hate people.

Sounds to me like you've been let down.
If you hated people, you wouldn't be open to sharing anything with them.

...But your secret's safe with me.

Edited 2020-01-14 02:09 (UTC)

Enough of that sap.
Come on. What about your world? What was it like? What was it called?
Destiny Islands was about as tiny as they got. What was it like?

[ he doesn't have to answer any of that, and he's going to neatly side step the disappointment. but he does consider what he wants to say on where he's from. How does he want to handle this...

like he doesn't have anything to hide. ]

my world? or my hometown? because we're talking a much different scale here.
a 10 million people vs. 7 billion people difference

Sorry. My world's smaller than yours.
A LOT smaller.
I've seen bigger ones than Destiny Islands. Yours sounds like one of the larger worlds, like the Grid.
In that case... your town?

Edited 2020-01-14 22:34 (UTC)

city.
how big is your world, exactly?

TOO small. Lemme put it this way.
A city has a mayor, right? And a world with billions of people in it probably has an army of mayors.
Our world has one. Most people live in the same town on the main island.

an army of mayors.
well that's one way to put it. you probably could make a decent army with the number of mayors on earth, sure.
sounds nice and quiet, though.

And your city wasn't?

gotham?
hell no.
it's a shitshow at the best of times.

So Gotham was dangerous. Puts the gadgets in perspective.

[ so bruce hasn't mentioned Gotham at all. he's kept it that much under wraps. there's being closed mouthed, and then there's being paranoid.

makes him wonder what would have happened if everyone knew about their city. ]

pretty common joke among the cabbies is when tourists ask them where to go in the city, the answer is to leave.

[ Riku has met doubles of himself, has visited reimagined variations of familiar worlds and people who don't remember him, he's kept a secret since he was five from everyone, including his best friend. There could be lots of reasons, but the one Jason thinks of is the most likely one. ]

Ouch. And not everybody can just leave home.
Do you ever miss it? Even if it was as bad as you say?

miss is a loaded term.
but i'm, what, 5 months off from having been there?
i've been away for longer stints.

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