[Re-l's doing her usual rounds at night, making sure everything seems quiet and safe enough. No one's had any troubles so far tonight and she almost forgoes her exploration to go flying or to go in, but she just finds one of her favorite places to perch on and sit, one of the taller buildings in the city.
A flash of black catches her attention from down below and she leans over to see.]
ACTION JUNE 14TH ETCkingofrooksJune 14 2011, 15:48:55 UTC
[ Two days since the Joker's capture and Bruce still cannot get the images out of his head. Carrie's arm is fully healed by now, partly by Raven's efforts, partly by Edgeworth's and Bruce cannot do anything to heal her simply because he isn't capable of it.
Helpless. Again. He had on this costume so he wouldn't be, damnit.
There is rage under his skin and so much energy that he can't be rid of. The monsters fear him tonight, because he was harsh and rough, half-mad with anger and frustration, all turned inwards and aimed at only one target. But he couldn't break himself, so he punched outwards, snarling as his fist went through the Mutate's chest.
[She can't feel the anger and the desperation radiating off of him, but she can see it in the way he moves. He's rushed and vengeful, not the usual cold and calculating she's seen. He's moving too fast and is bordering on reckless. Re-l's frozen as she watches him, eyes widening.
Batman is not like this. He'll tie people up, he'll hurt them, he'll incapacitate them... But even with monsters, he's never done such a thing before.
And it tears at something within her, something instinctively protective. She dives from the ledge and twists herself so she can land easily near him. She keeps his back safe from the only other Mutate left standing; a shock wave of energy just flies off of her, outwards, pushing the creature off its feet and sending it flying out of the alley.
[ He feels the approach the moment she dives from the ledge, and he whirls around, really to attack. His hands are half-clenched, turned into claws at his side as he draws his arm back- and it's only that one split second when he recognizes her, when his instincts scream at him that she isn't a threat- that he lets his arm drop back to his side.
His eyes lid behind the lenses of his cowl, and Bruce exhales very, very quietly. He has been pretending to be Bruce Wayne for two days; two days of pretending that nothing that had happened affects him, because there's no reason for it. Two days of acting as if he cannot still feel how weak the Joker's trachea feels beneath his own hand.
How easy it would've been to just snap-- god, he needs to stop thinking about it. ]
Re-l.
[ An acknowledge. He watches her, hand still clawed- but at his side this time. ]
[The line of his shoulders, the tension there, is all that she needs to see to get a confirmation. He's angry, he's entirely lost it. The cold exterior he always had has been broken. She can only guess that it's because of the other night. She saw how the Joker looked when he came in. She had hoped that Batman had simply flung him against a wall or onto the ground, but...
Well, the coincidence was too perfect. She frowns at him when he acknowledges her, but she gives him a simple nod.]
[ At those words, Bruce just jerks his hand back, out of the Mutate's chest. The sound it makes is sickening, a gloop and his gauntlet was covered in black blood. He looks at it for a moment, eyes blank and hollow, before letting it drop back to his side.
That was almost satisfying. But now he wants something else to kill.
[She doesn't react to the sound but she wishes she could show the disgust that digs into her spine when he rips his hand out of the mutate. It makes her frown as she looks up at him, into the lenses in an effort to see the eyes hidden behind them.]
What are you doing?
[He's not protecting anyone. He's killing for the sake of killing.]
[ And he turns away from her. The monsters are useful in that he can go all out on them. He doesn't need to hold back, doesn't need to kill, doesn't need to show the kind of restraint and control that he has to exercise in all of his life.
(the abyss gazes also into you, right?)
He exhales softly, shooting out a grapple and moving on. ]
[She follows him on foot and climbing, no wings. It's easier that way. And it's better to push herself than to use something potentially disadvantageous.]
No, you should be protecting people, not killing monsters. This isn't necessary.
[It's a fair enough statement. She keeps up with him just the same, only a few steps behind to give him his space. She lets that subject drop only because she has a question and she wants to know the real answer. She doesn't want something sugarcoated or something coming from Joker's mouth.
[ The answer is immediate - he doesn't want to tell anyone what happened, and the marks on the Joker's body should tell the story well enough. Bruce has never given into the urge to defend himself or wanting other people to, and he has no reason to start now.
[Too quick to answer, Batman. He's slipping and it's making him obvious and vulnerable. She feels bad for actually taking advantage of it but she keeps pressing him for now.]
It does, considering you brought him to the doorstep of the SPPD.
[ He glances at her, but he's not stopping- oh, look, there's another congregation of monsters below. There's no one screaming for help right now, but it's a residential-type area. There might be people walking by here, so he's swinging down, feet hitting the ground. ]
[ He blinks at the sound, turning to look at her- but then the monsters are prickling up at his presence, prepairing to attack.
So he takes that as an escape. Not answering the comment, not answering to his actions, simply diving forward to throw himself into combat, into battle, batarang in one hand and a knife in the other, tearing apart the monsters.
A flash of black catches her attention from down below and she leans over to see.]
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Helpless. Again. He had on this costume so he wouldn't be, damnit.
There is rage under his skin and so much energy that he can't be rid of. The monsters fear him tonight, because he was harsh and rough, half-mad with anger and frustration, all turned inwards and aimed at only one target. But he couldn't break himself, so he punched outwards, snarling as his fist went through the Mutate's chest.
Breathe. ]
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Batman is not like this. He'll tie people up, he'll hurt them, he'll incapacitate them... But even with monsters, he's never done such a thing before.
And it tears at something within her, something instinctively protective. She dives from the ledge and twists herself so she can land easily near him. She keeps his back safe from the only other Mutate left standing; a shock wave of energy just flies off of her, outwards, pushing the creature off its feet and sending it flying out of the alley.
She turns back to him.]
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His eyes lid behind the lenses of his cowl, and Bruce exhales very, very quietly. He has been pretending to be Bruce Wayne for two days; two days of pretending that nothing that had happened affects him, because there's no reason for it. Two days of acting as if he cannot still feel how weak the Joker's trachea feels beneath his own hand.
How easy it would've been to just snap-- god, he needs to stop thinking about it. ]
Re-l.
[ An acknowledge. He watches her, hand still clawed- but at his side this time. ]
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Well, the coincidence was too perfect. She frowns at him when he acknowledges her, but she gives him a simple nod.]
Hello.
[She looks at his hand and then at the monster.]
It's dead. Just let it go.
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That was almost satisfying. But now he wants something else to kill.
He tips his head up. Looks at her. ]
What do you want, Re-l?
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What are you doing?
[He's not protecting anyone. He's killing for the sake of killing.]
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[ And he turns away from her. The monsters are useful in that he can go all out on them. He doesn't need to hold back, doesn't need to kill, doesn't need to show the kind of restraint and control that he has to exercise in all of his life.
(the abyss gazes also into you, right?)
He exhales softly, shooting out a grapple and moving on. ]
Like you should be doing.
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No, you should be protecting people, not killing monsters. This isn't necessary.
[Re-l knows he's angry.]
You're upset.
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[ But he was, wasn't he? Damn, how badly off is he that Re-l could tell even from a distance, and him with his cowl on? What happened to his control?
(And he knew that despite the Joker being locked in, he had won, in his own way. The victory is pyrrhic; what Bruce had given in order to win was--
Too much.) ]
You told me to not tell you how to do your job. I'm telling you now to not tell me how to do mine.
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She wants to hear it from him.]
What happened the other night?
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[ The answer is immediate - he doesn't want to tell anyone what happened, and the marks on the Joker's body should tell the story well enough. Bruce has never given into the urge to defend himself or wanting other people to, and he has no reason to start now.
(No reason at all, right?) ]
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It does, considering you brought him to the doorstep of the SPPD.
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[ He glances at her, but he's not stopping- oh, look, there's another congregation of monsters below. There's no one screaming for help right now, but it's a residential-type area. There might be people walking by here, so he's swinging down, feet hitting the ground. ]
To lock him up.
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He was nearly beaten to death.
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So he takes that as an escape. Not answering the comment, not answering to his actions, simply diving forward to throw himself into combat, into battle, batarang in one hand and a knife in the other, tearing apart the monsters.
Not looking at her. ]
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