Gotham City, The Past Few Weeks - Wednesday, Fandom Time
Robin's War Journal, Day Fifty-Eight
It's a week and a half now since we tangled with stupid insect-named crazy-assassin psycho-villain. Still no sign of where Scarab dumped the Batplane. Oh, and Batman still can't see, which means yours truly is still one seriously off-duty sidekick. The waiting is driving me crazy!
He hasn't said a word to me since then, either. It doesn't take all my fancy new detective training to know that might be a reason to worry.
On the other hand, I'm not coming home so exhausted I nearly slip up trying to make excuses to Mom about where I've been. That's kind of nice, but is it crazy to say I miss the living-on-the-edge of that?
She'd about had it with the waiting; stir-crazy was not a good look on her. But even if she hadn't heard back from Bruce yet, it was her duty as the Girl Wonder to keep training anyway. She wasn't going to complain about it after the several close calls she'd had the first time they'd tangled with Scarab.
To the Batcave then, Robin! Bet Oracle's missed making me do pushups. I'm doing her a favor, really.
Stephanie stuck her hand in her pocket to make sure she had the keys to her bike on her, and was heading for the front door when a key rattled in the lock from the other side and her mom walked in.
"Oh -- hi, Mom."
"Stephanie?" Mrs. Brown had clearly stopped at the grocery store on her way home from work, judging from the bag in her arms. "It's a Saturday -- what are you doing up so early?"
Clearly I spoke too soon about missing living on the edge.
"Mom, just because I'm a teenager, it doesn't mean I can't wake up at a normal time. It happens! Sometimes." Even with the lack of sleep that came from secretly fighting crime all night, which in her opinion made waking up at normal hours an even more impressive feat, but Mom couldn't know that. "I'm just going out to see Tim, that's all."
It seemed to be enough of an answer to mollify her mom, which was good, but Stephanie did stop to help her put the groceries away first.
***
Robin's War Journal, Day Sixty-Seven
Two and a half whole weeks out of action now! Batman still doesn't have his eyesight back so I'm still twiddling my thumbs here. At least I know Cass is out there looking out for the city, and if I wasn't under orders to stay out of it I'd be out there helping her. Shame about the orders. Who doesn't love a good Batgirl and Robin teamup?
Stephanie slumped onto the weight bench and toweled the sweat off her face (the towel, of course, had a Bat-insignia embroidered on it), blowing out a breath just as a tray with a bottle of cold water on it appeared at the edge of her peripheral vision.
"Thanks, Alfred," she told the butler, gratefully taking the bottle and swigging half of it down.
He cleared his throat, as if to remind her not to drink too fast. "Of course, Mistress Stephanie."
Boy, that's never going to get old. Who thought Cluemaster's kid would ever rank that kind of treatment?
Did Alfred sound a little bit stilted -- well, by Alfred standards -- these days? No, Stephanie decided, she had to be imagining it.
Guess the Bat-paranoia's starting to rub off. Sheesh.
"<< Oh, is Alfred there? >>" That was Oracle's voice, coming through the computer banks.
"Got it in one, o remote mysterious torturer."
I'm pretty sure Oracle doesn't like me much, anyway.
"<< That wasn't your inside voice, Robin. >>" Steph took a moment to blow a raspberry at the computer, only to get, in response: "<< I saw that. Take a break, Robin. I need to talk to him for a minute. >>"
Steph, clutching her water bottle, hopped up off the weight bench and sauntered off toward the other side of the Batcave, pausing long enough to ask over her shoulder, "And after that, let me guess. More pushups?"
"<< Bingo. >>"
"Whee."
***
Robin's War Journal, Day Seventy-One
I'm starting to get a little nervous here. Batman hasn't said a word to me in person yet, and O keeps having super-secret discussions with him and Alfred about things they won't mention around me. Well, chin up, Girl Wonder, secrecy was always part of the gig. But I can't help wondering how much of this has to do with the fight with Scarab. I know I was supposed to stay in the plane, but she was kicking Batman's butt! That's not supposed to happen! I was just trying to help!
. . . Okay, so I got held hostage for a little while there. From what I hear it comes with the costume -- which I still haven't gotten to wear since Scarab got away.
Oops, gotta go -- phone's ringing. Might be back to the superheroing business for me!
Her Robin costume was in her backpack, so as soon as Stephanie got to the Batcave she scrambled to put it on before heading over to where Bruce and Alfred were.
Seventy-one! Three long weeks off duty!
This is my first day back on the job, after the endless wait to find out if Batman would see again. I feel guilty as can be about it.
"You really can see again? No bull?" Bruce was in full costume, cowl and everything, so the question was mostly rhetorical but Steph had to ask.
"My sight's still a bit blurry," he said noncommittally, "but each day is better than the one before."
Steph could have collapsed on the floor to hear it, but that wasn't a Robin-like thing to do. "I'm so totally relieved," she blurted out instead. "I feel like it was all my fault."
"No," Batman replied, "you didn't blind me. None of that is on you, but --"
Steph bounced on the balls of her feet and cracked her knuckles, interrupting, "So when do we go after her? With all her armor and stuff destroyed, she should be easier to hunt down, right?"
"You aren't --"
"I don't mind telling you, our last day on the job was a tough one," Steph plowed on.
Batman turned to look at her deliberately, not at all unlike the way he gave criminals a Look. "They get a lot easier from now on -- for you, Stephanie."
Crap.
She froze in her tracks. "You called me Stephanie, not Robin. I'm not sure I like the sound of that." That was an understatement; just like all those times as Spoiler, Bruce and Tim calling her by her real name in costume as if she wasn't really a part of the team. It was a gut punch all over again.
"You remember the conditions of our agreement," Batman went on. "You disobeyed a direct order in the field."
"But you were in trouble!"
"No excuses," he cut her off. "That was also part of our deal."
Crap crap crap crap crap. Oh, no.
"You're not --" Steph had to swallow around the tightness in her throat. "You're not firing me, are you?"
"I should." Batman never did pull any punches with her. "You're reckless, and impulsive, and I can't trust you to follow orders. Do I need to bring up what happened with Victor Zsasz? You nearly killed him. You're a liability in the field. But I'm not firing you. You have Alfred and Oracle to thank for that, and Black Canary spoke up on your behalf."
Steph slumped back against the wall, stammering, "I know I screwed up awful bad, but --"
Batman shook his head. "I gave you a fair shot. You didn't measure up. There's no shame in that. But," he added, holding up a hand to pre-empt any further objections from her, "the one thing I don't question about you is your drive to look after this city. You want to be a part of this team? Prove it."
"Anything!" Steph exclaimed. "What do you want me to do? Just point me at it, Bat-boss, and I'm on it!"
"You can start by packing your things," Batman replied. "There's a boarding school in Maryland with a specialized curriculum, and you've got a spot on the roster for the upcoming term. Do well enough there, and we'll see."
"But Gotham --"
"-- needs someone with the skills to look after it. I can't make you quit the vigilante business. I've tried. If that costume means that much to you, then you're going to have to learn to measure up to it."
It was worse than a gut punch; it was like getting bodyslammed from the top of a building without a grappling line. But she wasn't fired. That was the important part. And if Bruce wanted her to prove herself, she'd do it.
"My mom," she began.
"We'll keep an eye on her," Batman promised, "and I'm sure Tim will, too."
He'd better. What kind of boyfriend would he be if he didn't?
Steph nodded. "I'll have to explain this to them."
"Mistress Stephanie, if I may," Alfred interjected gently, "you don't have to leave for Fandom for a few days yet. You have time to make your goodbyes."
"I will," Steph promised. "And to Cass, too."
"Yes, I daresay Mistress Cassandra would be very put out, in her taciturn way, if you didn't."
Batman's expression wasn't giving anything away -- not that it was a surprise -- as he studied her. "So we have a deal, then?"
"We have a deal," Stephanie replied. "But boss -- you need a Robin."
She didn't get a verbal acknowledgment of that; just the tiniest, most subtle nod. "Then keep your grades up," Batman answered, and turned to leave.
"And I'm keeping the costume," Steph yelled after him.
I'm taking the lack of response as approval.
[OOC: NFI/NFB for backstory establishy justice, OOC okay! Storyline from Robin 128, though only the last section is adapted from the comic. Heavily adapted. The rest is all me, with a tip of the hat to Bryan Q. Miller and Batgirl volume 3 for the Steph/Oracle banter which I love too much to not play with.
Also, it always said Wednesday. Shut up.]
It's a week and a half now since we tangled with stupid insect-named crazy-assassin psycho-villain. Still no sign of where Scarab dumped the Batplane. Oh, and Batman still can't see, which means yours truly is still one seriously off-duty sidekick. The waiting is driving me crazy!
He hasn't said a word to me since then, either. It doesn't take all my fancy new detective training to know that might be a reason to worry.
On the other hand, I'm not coming home so exhausted I nearly slip up trying to make excuses to Mom about where I've been. That's kind of nice, but is it crazy to say I miss the living-on-the-edge of that?
She'd about had it with the waiting; stir-crazy was not a good look on her. But even if she hadn't heard back from Bruce yet, it was her duty as the Girl Wonder to keep training anyway. She wasn't going to complain about it after the several close calls she'd had the first time they'd tangled with Scarab.
To the Batcave then, Robin! Bet Oracle's missed making me do pushups. I'm doing her a favor, really.
Stephanie stuck her hand in her pocket to make sure she had the keys to her bike on her, and was heading for the front door when a key rattled in the lock from the other side and her mom walked in.
"Oh -- hi, Mom."
"Stephanie?" Mrs. Brown had clearly stopped at the grocery store on her way home from work, judging from the bag in her arms. "It's a Saturday -- what are you doing up so early?"
Clearly I spoke too soon about missing living on the edge.
"Mom, just because I'm a teenager, it doesn't mean I can't wake up at a normal time. It happens! Sometimes." Even with the lack of sleep that came from secretly fighting crime all night, which in her opinion made waking up at normal hours an even more impressive feat, but Mom couldn't know that. "I'm just going out to see Tim, that's all."
It seemed to be enough of an answer to mollify her mom, which was good, but Stephanie did stop to help her put the groceries away first.
***
Robin's War Journal, Day Sixty-Seven
Two and a half whole weeks out of action now! Batman still doesn't have his eyesight back so I'm still twiddling my thumbs here. At least I know Cass is out there looking out for the city, and if I wasn't under orders to stay out of it I'd be out there helping her. Shame about the orders. Who doesn't love a good Batgirl and Robin teamup?
Stephanie slumped onto the weight bench and toweled the sweat off her face (the towel, of course, had a Bat-insignia embroidered on it), blowing out a breath just as a tray with a bottle of cold water on it appeared at the edge of her peripheral vision.
"Thanks, Alfred," she told the butler, gratefully taking the bottle and swigging half of it down.
He cleared his throat, as if to remind her not to drink too fast. "Of course, Mistress Stephanie."
Boy, that's never going to get old. Who thought Cluemaster's kid would ever rank that kind of treatment?
Did Alfred sound a little bit stilted -- well, by Alfred standards -- these days? No, Stephanie decided, she had to be imagining it.
Guess the Bat-paranoia's starting to rub off. Sheesh.
"<< Oh, is Alfred there? >>" That was Oracle's voice, coming through the computer banks.
"Got it in one, o remote mysterious torturer."
I'm pretty sure Oracle doesn't like me much, anyway.
"<< That wasn't your inside voice, Robin. >>" Steph took a moment to blow a raspberry at the computer, only to get, in response: "<< I saw that. Take a break, Robin. I need to talk to him for a minute. >>"
Steph, clutching her water bottle, hopped up off the weight bench and sauntered off toward the other side of the Batcave, pausing long enough to ask over her shoulder, "And after that, let me guess. More pushups?"
"<< Bingo. >>"
"Whee."
***
Robin's War Journal, Day Seventy-One
I'm starting to get a little nervous here. Batman hasn't said a word to me in person yet, and O keeps having super-secret discussions with him and Alfred about things they won't mention around me. Well, chin up, Girl Wonder, secrecy was always part of the gig. But I can't help wondering how much of this has to do with the fight with Scarab. I know I was supposed to stay in the plane, but she was kicking Batman's butt! That's not supposed to happen! I was just trying to help!
. . . Okay, so I got held hostage for a little while there. From what I hear it comes with the costume -- which I still haven't gotten to wear since Scarab got away.
Oops, gotta go -- phone's ringing. Might be back to the superheroing business for me!
Her Robin costume was in her backpack, so as soon as Stephanie got to the Batcave she scrambled to put it on before heading over to where Bruce and Alfred were.
Seventy-one! Three long weeks off duty!
This is my first day back on the job, after the endless wait to find out if Batman would see again. I feel guilty as can be about it.
"You really can see again? No bull?" Bruce was in full costume, cowl and everything, so the question was mostly rhetorical but Steph had to ask.
"My sight's still a bit blurry," he said noncommittally, "but each day is better than the one before."
Steph could have collapsed on the floor to hear it, but that wasn't a Robin-like thing to do. "I'm so totally relieved," she blurted out instead. "I feel like it was all my fault."
"No," Batman replied, "you didn't blind me. None of that is on you, but --"
Steph bounced on the balls of her feet and cracked her knuckles, interrupting, "So when do we go after her? With all her armor and stuff destroyed, she should be easier to hunt down, right?"
"You aren't --"
"I don't mind telling you, our last day on the job was a tough one," Steph plowed on.
Batman turned to look at her deliberately, not at all unlike the way he gave criminals a Look. "They get a lot easier from now on -- for you, Stephanie."
Crap.
She froze in her tracks. "You called me Stephanie, not Robin. I'm not sure I like the sound of that." That was an understatement; just like all those times as Spoiler, Bruce and Tim calling her by her real name in costume as if she wasn't really a part of the team. It was a gut punch all over again.
"You remember the conditions of our agreement," Batman went on. "You disobeyed a direct order in the field."
"But you were in trouble!"
"No excuses," he cut her off. "That was also part of our deal."
Crap crap crap crap crap. Oh, no.
"You're not --" Steph had to swallow around the tightness in her throat. "You're not firing me, are you?"
"I should." Batman never did pull any punches with her. "You're reckless, and impulsive, and I can't trust you to follow orders. Do I need to bring up what happened with Victor Zsasz? You nearly killed him. You're a liability in the field. But I'm not firing you. You have Alfred and Oracle to thank for that, and Black Canary spoke up on your behalf."
Steph slumped back against the wall, stammering, "I know I screwed up awful bad, but --"
Batman shook his head. "I gave you a fair shot. You didn't measure up. There's no shame in that. But," he added, holding up a hand to pre-empt any further objections from her, "the one thing I don't question about you is your drive to look after this city. You want to be a part of this team? Prove it."
"Anything!" Steph exclaimed. "What do you want me to do? Just point me at it, Bat-boss, and I'm on it!"
"You can start by packing your things," Batman replied. "There's a boarding school in Maryland with a specialized curriculum, and you've got a spot on the roster for the upcoming term. Do well enough there, and we'll see."
"But Gotham --"
"-- needs someone with the skills to look after it. I can't make you quit the vigilante business. I've tried. If that costume means that much to you, then you're going to have to learn to measure up to it."
It was worse than a gut punch; it was like getting bodyslammed from the top of a building without a grappling line. But she wasn't fired. That was the important part. And if Bruce wanted her to prove herself, she'd do it.
"My mom," she began.
"We'll keep an eye on her," Batman promised, "and I'm sure Tim will, too."
He'd better. What kind of boyfriend would he be if he didn't?
Steph nodded. "I'll have to explain this to them."
"Mistress Stephanie, if I may," Alfred interjected gently, "you don't have to leave for Fandom for a few days yet. You have time to make your goodbyes."
"I will," Steph promised. "And to Cass, too."
"Yes, I daresay Mistress Cassandra would be very put out, in her taciturn way, if you didn't."
Batman's expression wasn't giving anything away -- not that it was a surprise -- as he studied her. "So we have a deal, then?"
"We have a deal," Stephanie replied. "But boss -- you need a Robin."
She didn't get a verbal acknowledgment of that; just the tiniest, most subtle nod. "Then keep your grades up," Batman answered, and turned to leave.
"And I'm keeping the costume," Steph yelled after him.
I'm taking the lack of response as approval.
[OOC: NFI/NFB for backstory establishy justice, OOC okay! Storyline from Robin 128, though only the last section is adapted from the comic. Heavily adapted. The rest is all me, with a tip of the hat to Bryan Q. Miller and Batgirl volume 3 for the Steph/Oracle banter which I love too much to not play with.
Also, it always said Wednesday. Shut up.]