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Post by vigilant on Sept 27, 2012 23:47:25 GMT -5
Bruce had fallen silent. He seemed pensive. Quiet and watchful. In the short time they've known each other, he had become familiar with her personality. He was no mind-reader or metahuman. But he was observant. The girl was intelligent, albeit young. So when she spoke, he listened, eyes flicking from Dick to Force inquisitively. He listened, not so much to her [because he was Batman, and Batman was, by default, always right], but to what it revealed about her. Perhaps he couldn't read her thoughts before she acted on them, but he knew given the correct stimuli, most people are predictable. It was just a matter of probablility.
"Whether you like it or not, she's here."
It was Batman's growl and there was a note of finality in it. He swiveled around to face the monitors, briefly scanning them again for visitors. It was his way of closing himself off, of snapping the discussion shut. When he spoke again, it was after a full minute of complete and utter silence. It was still clearly Batman's voice, though his fingers could be heard drumming in the background, an echo of his thoughts running rampand.
"Unless you have a better idea."
Which you don't.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2012 23:09:13 GMT -5
One thing is certain about Phoebe's personality: it's excessively full of stubbornness. Possibly because, unlike most children, she's never really had the experience of her opinion being ignored - sometimes it counts for nothing, but it's never ignored. Yet arguing with her can be effective since she's not stubborn to the point of refusing to listen, though to succeed in changing her mind she has to agree with the reasoning behind it.
And she's certainly not going to agree with Batman's reasons for wanting her to tell him what's on Dick's mind. It was a long time ago - at least in how Phoebe measures time - that she began to realize just how intrusive and abusive she can be with her mind-reading abilities. And, similar to how she has self-imposed rules about when and how she uses her telekinesis to be sure that she doesn't hurt anyone, she has a lot of rules about her mind-reading. Fortunately, they're actually pretty decent since she had a pretty smart adult help her come up with them.
But in this case, she's satisfied that where she's drawn that particular line seems to be acceptable. Or at least not worth arguing over immediately. It's not for her to decide which of a good person's problems ought to be publicly shared. She generally can't help learning such secrets (not without not reading their minds, which is unacceptable to her) but she can keep it to herself. Though Batman's thoughts at the moment actually cause her to look vaguely amused.
Her attention shifts to Dick when he turns to her, and she lights up with a smile when he mentions Victor. "He did?!" she asks, excited, "Next time you see him can you tell him you saw me, and that I'm okay, but I miss him?" She frowns slightly as she comments, "He was so sad when I left..." But then she brightens up again as she asks, "How is Kory doing?" She already has a good sense of how Dick's doing just from his thoughts, but she remembers Kory fondly and knows that Dick would be able to answer that.
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Dick Grayson - Nightwing
Registered On: Nov 13, 2010 18:14:54 GMT -5 ~
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Post by Dick Grayson - Nightwing on Sept 29, 2012 22:36:08 GMT -5
At Bruce's words, Dick was silent. To challenge his mentor over such a subject would prove worthless at this point. Once Bruce made up his mind, he would stick with it. And Dick's patience over the subject was wearing thin as he grew annoyed with Bruce treating him like a kid again.
Always deciding when the subject was closed. He'd let him win this one. A fight in front of the kid wasn't a good idea. Not with the stuff that could come to his mind. She was too much at risk of picking up on thoughts that were never to be heard by others.
"I never said anything about that," Dick mumbled. Though still loud enough for Bruce to catch what he had said.
It was always like Dick to try and have the last word it seemed. But this one wasn't a comment to start something up later. He was more of an annoyed defeat of the matter. Proving that he felt he was wasting his own time now in protest.
"Yeah, if I get the chance I can. By the looks of it, it seems that he misses having you around," Dick replied.
Then he tried to keep the thought out of his head remembering what Victor had told him about the whole people inside his head. The people only Victor could see. He let it drop, not wanting her to catch it.
Dick was a bit on edge about the change in subject now. But he kept calm over all. "Kory is well," he said.
Though he knew more so about Kory at that time than any one else. He had only seen her maybe a day or two ago.
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Post by vigilant on Sept 30, 2012 22:26:44 GMT -5
That's what I thought.
Bruce never said it. He never had to. It was unspoken, but understood. He was Batman. That meant that he was, by default, always right. What he said goes. Perhaps Dick had a point, that it was dangerous for one man to have so much power. But he was Batman. He knew. By the faculty of his reason, he knew. Batman knew how to draw the line, to separate right from wrong, good from bad. And for years, it had brought light to Gotham, where it was once swallowed in darkness.
"You know them? Kory? Dick?"
Force would understand. She'd know that as gruff and inconsiderate as he seemed, Bruce cared about his family. That he'd throw himself in the line of fire, before he'd risk putting their lives in jeopardy. It was a question that opened up a discussion for their history: how they knew each other and from where. It was his way of collecting information, of soaking in knowledge that might someday be useful to him. Batman had to always be two steps ahead, and for that to happen, he had to know everything.
"How's the amateur crime fighter, Dick?"
He still had his back to them. But his voice sounded less rough, and more conversational.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2012 2:17:42 GMT -5
When Dick mentions that Victor seemed to miss her, Phoebe's lips purse a bit. She's still sure that she made the right choice to go with Batman. And yet... But she isn't distracted enough by her own thoughts to miss that Dick is trying not to think about something on purpose. The problem with that, though, is that the harder one tries to not think of something, the harder it is to avoid it. Though before she can react to it, he's answering her question. "Good!" she replies, before mentally adding just to Dick that, I already know about the people in his head. She would have to be a pretty poor mind reader to miss something that obvious! Especially after having lived with the guy for awhile.
That's when her attention shifts to Batman as he asks her a question. "Only a little," she replies - though of course Phoebe's 'only a little' is most people's 'quite a bit' due to the sheer speed at which she can get to know a person. "Kory threw a big costume party, and invited Victor, and I went because I was tired of being at his house all the time and I could wear a costume, and Dick was there too," she explains, frowning for a moment as she ponders if that's an adequate enough explanation. But it covered all the basics and Batman can always ask follow-up questions if he wants to.
Though when Batman asks Dick about Victor, she goes completely quiet and very attentive. Because, again, she really likes Victor so she's curious what Dick will say - she knows that Dick knows that Victor likes Kory. And if he says anything unfair about him because of that, she's not going to let him get away with it.
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Dick Grayson - Nightwing
Registered On: Nov 13, 2010 18:14:54 GMT -5 ~
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Post by Dick Grayson - Nightwing on Oct 2, 2012 20:15:36 GMT -5
Phoebe had answered before him. He was some what glad for that that she had answered ahead. Since what she said pretty much covered it.
"Yeah, pretty much the way she said it," Dick confirmed what she had said.
Dick looked back over at the back of the spinning chair. Wonder when Bruce was going to face them. And by his tone, it didn't sound like he was annoyed with any of the current subjects. One might say Bruce was actually showing some interesting in having a conversation.
"I can say still shaken by your choice to drop in on him that one night. He wasn't all that thrilled to see me either. At the most part for knowing where he lives now," Dick replied.
He did not really defend Bruce's choice of words over calling Victor an amateur. To be honest, Bruce was blunt and to the point. And Dick did not disagree with him on that aspect. This may have been the first time they agreed on something that night.
Though he knew it him and with more experience, Victor or Wulfen would at some point pick up on the work. It just took time and patience to learn the work. Gaining the experience it took to survive out there. But still...Victor was an amateur.
"Though I will say this. That from the sounds of it, he has had a run in with the Scarecrow," Dick mentioned.
He didn't give off much detail to the subject on that. He knew part of what happened. And that Victor wanted to go after the Scarecrow now, but even giving off this information to Bruce was putting a case in his hands.
Dick only mentioned it to make note that Scarecrow as becoming more active. This information alone, he knew Bruce would file the information away. Always keeping taps on everything going on. And for Bruce, it was probably nice to have people out there with this kind of information at least.
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Post by vigilant on Oct 3, 2012 23:34:54 GMT -5
Bruce's brain was a ginormous cabinet for filing away information. It was a wonder how he knew so much, and could recall even the most miniscule detail at a moment's notice. So when Force explained how she knew Dick and Kory, he merely listened. Silent. Brooding. The young metahuman was quickly becoming acquainted, if not downright familiar, with the Bat-family and its various allies. For good or for ill, only time will tell. He knew Force had good intentions, that she meant well. But he knew, just as she had to learn the hard way, that good intention means little in the face of poor execution. A little foolishness, and a well meant deed could easily turn into a disaster. Bruce's only doubt lies in her naivety and what that could possibly mean.
"...Scarecrow? What happened?"
He swiveled around suddenly. So abrupt, that a blast of air whiplashed against them as he faced them. His eyes were locked on Dick, scrutinizing, thoughtful. The amateur vigilante, Wulfen, running into one of Gotham's top tier criminals? He scowled, and the anger only deepened as the seconds trickled by, surely a result of Dick hesitating and refusing to comply. But his young protégé would know, perhaps better than anybody, that there was no getting out of it now. You give the world's greatest detective a whiff of a puzzle, and he'd travel to the ends of the earth to make sense of it.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2012 3:33:33 GMT -5
When Dick speaks, Phoebe remains silent. Yeah, everything he said was fair enough, she supposes. She doesn't even actually object to Victor being called an amateur. Because... well, he is. She's better trained than him - though of course that's simply because she didn't exactly have a normal childhood.
Though when the Scarecrow is mentioned, her expression shifts into a deep frown. And though Batman turns to Dick for answers, she's the one who says, "I know what happened..." She takes a deep breath, because she really doesn't like thinking about it. The incident may have left Victor angry, but for Phoebe it's deeply troubling for several reasons. And she doesn't really want to explain it, but she supposes that much of it she ought to tell Batman anyway.
"Well, I sort of know what happened - we didn't really talk about it, but he... thought about it a lot," she explains, pausing again to organize her thoughts before she tells what she can of that tale, "He went out to look for bad guys - not the Scarecrow, he knows he's not good enough to fight the really bad ones. But the Scarecrow was looking for someone and caught him, and gave him a drug to make him sleep. And when he woke up he was somewhere else."
She frowns and concentrates, knowing that the details here are important, but she's remembering someone else's memory, and that's kind of... hard. "He was tied to a chair in a dark room with a big machine in it - a kind of sound machine. And there was a girl there with really orange hair... I can't remember her name, but he remembered her voice from the radio but she'd been kidnapped. She didn't look like she was in trouble though, and she wanted to interview him, and she used the machine to record it while she asked him a lot of questions. And when they were done the Scarecrow came and gave him the sleeping drug again."
There's another pause, and she looks a bit more uncomfortable as she recounts the rest, "Then he woke up on a table in a different room. The Scarecrow was there. He wasn't tied down and tried to fight, but the Scarecrow got him with a different drug... someone told Victor it was fear toxin." Phoebe suddenly stops there for a long moment, her frown turning pained and rather sad as she adds, "What happened after that is kind of complicated..." She pauses again, and shakes her head, saying, "If you want to know about it, you have to ask him - we... lost someone. The important part is that he escaped, but he can't remember where that place was." She goes silent again, but this time because she's finished.
(OOC Notes: If Batman looks it up, he'd find records indicating that the police found Victor literally naked in a ditch and babbling incoherently that night. He was taken to Arkham Asylum, where he was treated by Dr. Ledford as an apparent Scarecrow victim, but he was only held for about a day and a half for observation before being released since, once he came back to himself, he seemed to be doing uncommonly well. Also, VerMillion's interview with Wulfen was broadcast on an overriding frequency a couple days later.)
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Dick Grayson - Nightwing
Registered On: Nov 13, 2010 18:14:54 GMT -5 ~
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Post by Dick Grayson - Nightwing on Oct 4, 2012 7:26:07 GMT -5
Dick knew this had been coming. He knew Bruce. And was not surprise in the least to have finally gotten his mentor's full attention and focus.
Before he could say anything, Phoebe had stepped up to the plate. She was taking on explaining everything to the Batman. Dick was glad for that. For all he knew where more so the reasons for Victor mentioning the Scarecrow. And that was because he wanted revenge.
Something he might warn Bruce over of course. Dick wasn't about to let Victor try something like that. He may not have liked him all that much because of a few reasons, but challenge the Scarecrow at the level Victor was on could and would lead to death.
This was something Nightwing was used to. No matter what the villains denied of his skill level himself, Nightwing was still a good fight. He learned quickly and often enough thought like his mentor.
Dick was silent as Phoebe explained. Recognizing some part of what she had been saying. And taking in the rest. When he talks with someone, he doesn't push them on the subject unless it was needed or called for. And that night he had visited Victor was not a good time with the terms these two had with each other.
But Dick did understand about that lost someone part. Dick knew about Victor's condition as far as the voices in his head he had. This was something he would not disclose with Batman. He hadn't even told him of his information on Catwoman.
"Victor said about the same, but not full out. I didn't pressure him for more answers," Dick said. Acknowledging to Phoebe that she had done right in telling Bruce this information.
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Post by vigilant on Oct 7, 2012 13:27:50 GMT -5
Batman listened silently, soaking in all the information, interweaving it with everything he already knew about Wulfen and Dr. Crane. Which was, in fact, a lot. The Scarecrow had always been a top-tier criminal, one of Gotham's whackiest and most hardened criminals. They had faced off multiple times, and he had fallen under the influence of the Fear Gas for more occasion than one. That was how he knew that Wulfen, driven as he might be to seek revenge, wasn't ready. He remembered they conversation they had. After having invaded Wulfen's apartment, he had told him that fending off Gotham's criminals was enough of a job, without needing to protect some amateur, overzealous young vigilante. This was more true than ever now.
"Sounds like I'll be paying Wulfen a visit."
He shot a glance at Dick. They would be having another talk, later. If Wulfen intended to take on Dr. Crane alone, Batman and Nightwing would have to step in and put him down. Perhaps that sounded harsh. 'Put him down.' Like a dog. Like a rabid animal. And truth of the matter was, Wulfen wasn't either of those things. Still, they'd have to put a stop to the Scarecrow's antics, and if it meant taking Wulfen aside and having a 'chat' with him first, then so be it. Batman is, after all, a terror in the night.
"We'll find him and see what he wants to do next. He's no match for Crane."
Batman knew Force could read his thoughts. And he knew, whether she agreed to it or not, she wouldn't like it. Her new guardians possibly going to blows with her friend, to protect him and Gotham from whatever scheme Dr. Crane had in mind. He didn't want her to be in the middle of it, and at this point, he felt like she would understand. Wulfen just wasn't ready for Crane. No ifs. No buts. He just wasn't ready.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2012 3:18:36 GMT -5
Phoebe doesn't take telling Batman all of this very lightly. It is, after all, Victor's memory she's recalling and in a way it belongs to him. On the other hand, it concerns the activities of a certain extremely bad guy, and she's familiar enough with Batman's mind by now to know that he may be able to make something out of these details of the Scarecrow's activities, even though it happened quite a while ago.
Her lips purse when Batman says that he's going to visit Victor, and she suppresses the urge to ask to go with him. Partly because she simply wants to see her friend again, but it's her urge to protect him from Batman that holds her back. She can't fight all his battles for him, and if she was there she wouldn't be able to help herself. Sooner or later the bat and the wolf are going to need to figure things out without her getting involved.
But that doesn't mean that she's not going to try to do something to help him. "You're right that he shouldn't fight the Scarecrow by himself," she admits first, looking at Batman. But she adds, "But you should let him help. He has some tricks that might help you. And he needs to." There's a pause as she obviously has to work hard to figure out how to say something. Finally she looks at the floor as she adds, "He has a really, really good heart, but it's hurt and it's angry. And he doesn't know what to do about it." And she knows that Batman can empathize with that feeling...
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Dick Grayson - Nightwing
Registered On: Nov 13, 2010 18:14:54 GMT -5 ~
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Post by Dick Grayson - Nightwing on Oct 10, 2012 7:28:17 GMT -5
Dick glanced back at Bruce. No words or thoughts needing to be said at all. He knew that looked. He gave slight nod. Almost a natural reaction to the look he gave him. This was something of importance. Something both of them needed information on.
An oddly enough...Something they actually would agree on!!
"That is the exact reason why we would step in. Like he said, Crane is dangerous. He may have some tricks, but Scarecrow has smarts and strategy. And that is where he can get you the most," Dick spoke up after the words that were exchanged.
That is what made Scarecrow dangerous. That and how he handles people. The fear he isn't afraid to instill on people to drive them insane with fear. That was just about as damaging as stabbing someone to a point.
A broken mind is to much for one to bare on their own. And the way Victor's mind was with the voice that was with him. That couldn't be a good thing.
"Like you said," Dick said as he looked toward Phoebe. "He feels that he needs to go up against him. That's something everyone seems to go through at times of death..."
Dick stopped their. He knew that feeling all too well. And he knew what Victor was up to. He had spoken with him over all this. it was not his place to bring it up with the two of them there. But he knew what Victor had said.
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Last Edit: Oct 11, 2012 21:36:33 GMT -5 by vigilant
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Post by vigilant on Oct 11, 2012 21:35:50 GMT -5
He shot Force a sharp look. His scowl deepened visibly, and his aura - that stately aura of Batman mystique - grew tense, like a bunch of strings pulled taut. It was almost as if the little girl was challenging him. Reading his mind, invading his thoughts, and using it against him. Even though he knew Force enough at this point to be sure that she was doing no such thing, that she only meant well, he still felt his anger rise, like a crackling flame suddenly turned on high. There was a moment of intense silence, so quiet that they could almost hear the cogs of Batman's massive brain churning rapidly. Then he spoke, in little more than a whisper.
"He needs closure."
Suddenly, his back was to them again. But the tension had eased imperceptibly. His fingertips could be seen fluttering over the keyboard, like a butterfly indecisive regarding where to land. Then the profile of Scarecrow could be seen being pulled up. His picture, framed in a small box and slid aside. Information, mountains upon mountains of information, pouring down the page like a landslide. Batman skimmed it silently, seemingly preoccupied, though Force [who could read minds] and Dick [who knew Bruce] would know he was really thinking of something else.
"Hurt and angry isn't an excuse to run around in a costume, untrained and unprepared. You go out there, no training, no discipline, and face the likes of The Joker and Scarecrow and you get mauled and left shredded behind a dumpster. No one will ever know you existed. No one will care. No difference made."
A brief pause, then Batman muttered quietly.
"That is why he needs us."
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2012 4:48:29 GMT -5
As Batman glares at her for her words, Phoebe avoids the look by keeping her eyes on the floor. She knew that he wouldn't like her saying that - it was really quite manipulative, after all - and a part of her feels badly for that. But she didn't like them talking about Victor as if he were wrong and they were right when it's all pretty much the same. Yeah, upsetting Batman is totally worth it if it means that her friend will be treated with the understanding that he deserves.
She gives a side glance to Dick though when she catches thoughts indicating that he relates to Victor's situation as well - she didn't know that he would. But though it's a feeling she can sense and explain, it's not one that she's familiar with directly. She considered Lupin a friend herself, but see has no particular desire for revenge against the Scarecrow. Naturally, she'd be all too happy to defeat him in a fight, but that's because he's a bad guy and not because she feels the need to do so for Lupin's sake. Would that bring Lupin back or do anything at all to fix that loss? No.
Yet she does need her own form of closure to the situation, though since her feelings on the matter are different her form of closure is different. Instead of feeling a need to avenge his death, she simply feels the need to do things that she know would have make him proud. And that, knowing Lupin, is mostly a matter of being a good kid and a good friend to Victor.
When Batman speaks again, she agrees with him by remaining silent. While Victor may not be completely green, and she's seen very little of him 'in action' and none of the Scarecrow, she could tell from Victor's own memories that his fighting skills need quite a bit of work if he doesn't want to repeat that. She has enough fighting experience herself to know that Batman is absolutely correct about what his fate will be if he's not ready, though she also knows that the dark knight is underestimating her friend a bit - but he can find that out for himself. It's probably the only way he'd believe it anyway.
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Dick Grayson - Nightwing
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Post by Dick Grayson - Nightwing on Oct 13, 2012 4:50:05 GMT -5
Dick listened. Forever silent in that moment. Letting his mentor take charge once again. He may be stubborn and argumentative with him at times, but Dick knew when to back off. He had a good mind.
And he knew Bruce was already sorting out what the next move was. No words needed to be spoken. It was something of ever knowing between them.
Scarecrow wasn't a joke. This was a serious matter. But Bruce still did not know who Victor had lost. Dick knew who it was. And would not say anything of it. To someone like Victor, it probably made no difference. Who ever was inside his head was like family. Sure it was a weird thought, but that's how he had put it.
And not with Bruce and Phoebe, all their concern was on one person. Victor. But the underlying matter was the Scarecrow.
There was more to these attacks. Scarecrow didn't usually make random attacks with out a reason. For test subjects. Something new. Something that caused more damage.
Dick looked to Bruce. He would let him in one what he knew. But not all of it. Every person had a right to have their secrets.
"He knows not to go after Scarecrow alone by warning. But seeing how he is and how he was acting...That warning won't hold well against him," Dick said.
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