[ And he's looking up from his work, visibly surprised. She's not a person to be easily taken aback- so he's leaving whatever he's making on the table, moving to her office. He knocks. ]
Re-l? [ Palm flat against the door, and he pushes against it. ]
[The knock itself is nearly enough to push her heart into her throat and her hand goes to her hip. She's taken to stashing her shotgun away in her office, though, for Bruce's sake and-- Well, it's not there.
She swallows, turns, and goes to the door. She opens it. She's pale and looks about ready to be sick right then and there. There's an odd smell in the office, faint, but he'll pick up on the change immediately. There's an opened box on her desk.
[ Formaldehyde. That's the first thing he notices about the room when he steps in and closes the door behind him. Formaldehyde and the sickly sweet smell of rotting flesh. His eyes narrow, and Bruce Wayne's carefree facade falls away, replaced by the Bat. He doesn't need the cape and cowl to be him.
He looks at her for a moment before he places a hand on her shoulder very briefly, barely brushing against the skin before he goes over to the box.
Fingers. Bruce reaches for the top and shuts it with finality. ]
[For all the times that Shinji's gotten in her face, has drifted close enough for her to smell his goddamn cigarettes and remember the day he and the others hurt her, it was never this bad. She's always been able to ignore it, and while her thoughts may have been wrapped up in the things he said and the memories they brought back, it's never gotten to the point that she's felt this sick.
She's also never seen her own body parts in a box.
Re-l looks away when he touches her shoulder, biting her lip when he goes over to the box.]
Unmarked. Shinji had them but he died a few days ago.
[Either he's enough of an asshole to have it rigged to be sent after his death or someone did it for him.]
Nishizono Shinji. Who shares the body with Amamiyo Kazuhiko and another personality named Murata.
[ It's murmured quiet and low, as if to confirm it himself. And also to run through his veritable mental database of people connected to them. That he knows of, anyway.
Not many. Liquid Snake. But his reply to Re-l in that post doesn't make him the sort to do this kind of thing. ]
It might be part of his will. [ The fingers are obviously cut off during her torture. There's a cold part of Bruce that notes the strength of her regenerative powers. The human part of him is entirely horrified and sickened.
He shoves the emotion into a corner, Focusing on Re-l as he squeezes her shoulder, stepping close- but not too close. ]
[She stays where she is, trying to calm the beating of her heart and the tightening in her stomach. She feels sick. She closes her eyes for a moment to center herself, trying not to breathe too deeply...
The smell is what's getting to her. It's the smell of rotting flesh. Her rotting flesh. In a box. On her desk.
Her shoulder tightens under his hand. She swallows, and then:]
I want to get rid of it. They're of no use to anyone, anyway.
[ He can guess. Bruce looks at her for a moment, then at the skies outside. The sun is still out, so he walks over to the windows and throw them wide open, and then he walks over to the controls of her office and switches on the fan at full blast. Then the air-conditioner. Also at full blast.
Ventilation. ]
I'll take care of it. [ He looks at her as he stands next to the door. ]
Go out. Go to patrol. There won't be a sign of it being here when you come back.
[Outside. She looks out and immediately wishes the sun was down, not that she's in any sort of condition to go traipsing around on rooftops. She'll do it anyway. She needs the run.]
They won't burn.
[If his intention is to let them burn up in the sunlight...]
The Amrita Cells are long gone and don't affect the skin itself. Just...take them somewhere.
...Don't apologize for something you couldn't control. The Core chooses who it wants and when.
[She's glad he's here now, but--]
I'm glad it was me and not anyone else. I could handle it. So many others would have died. Others might have broken down. At least, this time, it was me.
Reply
Re-l? [ Palm flat against the door, and he pushes against it. ]
Let me in.
Reply
She swallows, turns, and goes to the door. She opens it. She's pale and looks about ready to be sick right then and there. There's an odd smell in the office, faint, but he'll pick up on the change immediately. There's an opened box on her desk.
Re-l looks up at him.]
Bruce--
Reply
He looks at her for a moment before he places a hand on her shoulder very briefly, barely brushing against the skin before he goes over to the box.
Fingers. Bruce reaches for the top and shuts it with finality. ]
Who sent this?
Reply
She's also never seen her own body parts in a box.
Re-l looks away when he touches her shoulder, biting her lip when he goes over to the box.]
Unmarked. Shinji had them but he died a few days ago.
[Either he's enough of an asshole to have it rigged to be sent after his death or someone did it for him.]
Reply
[ It's murmured quiet and low, as if to confirm it himself. And also to run through his veritable mental database of people connected to them. That he knows of, anyway.
Not many. Liquid Snake. But his reply to Re-l in that post doesn't make him the sort to do this kind of thing. ]
It might be part of his will. [ The fingers are obviously cut off during her torture. There's a cold part of Bruce that notes the strength of her regenerative powers. The human part of him is entirely horrified and sickened.
He shoves the emotion into a corner, Focusing on Re-l as he squeezes her shoulder, stepping close- but not too close. ]
What do you want to do with this?
Reply
[She stays where she is, trying to calm the beating of her heart and the tightening in her stomach. She feels sick. She closes her eyes for a moment to center herself, trying not to breathe too deeply...
The smell is what's getting to her. It's the smell of rotting flesh. Her rotting flesh. In a box. On her desk.
Her shoulder tightens under his hand. She swallows, and then:]
I want to get rid of it. They're of no use to anyone, anyway.
Reply
Ventilation. ]
I'll take care of it. [ He looks at her as he stands next to the door. ]
Go out. Go to patrol. There won't be a sign of it being here when you come back.
Reply
They won't burn.
[If his intention is to let them burn up in the sunlight...]
The Amrita Cells are long gone and don't affect the skin itself. Just...take them somewhere.
Reply
Oh, I think they'll burn, alright. [ Dryly. ]
I'm bringing them to the incinerators. Don't worry about it.
Reply
That's a good idea.
[She looks grateful.]
Thank you, Bruce.
Reply
Don't worry about it. [ He pauses, then, with his back to her: ]
I'm sorry. For not being here when it happened.
Reply
...Don't apologize for something you couldn't control. The Core chooses who it wants and when.
[She's glad he's here now, but--]
I'm glad it was me and not anyone else. I could handle it. So many others would have died. Others might have broken down. At least, this time, it was me.
Reply
It shouldn't have happened at all. [ Quietly. Then- ] I'm not glad he's dead.
But at least like this, that's one less reminder.
Reply
[She nods, though.]
I'm not glad he's dead either, but... I wish he wasn't such an asshole even in death.
Reply
He was an asshole in life; many of those choose to continue to make life difficult for so-called enemies even in death.
[ He pauses, looking at her. She doesn't need to see the box anymore. ]
I'll be right back.
[ Annnnnd gone. ]
Reply
Leave a comment