DEMON'S FIST

mara al ghul nineteen leader of the demon's fist former league of assassin's

[doublcedge]

nightstcrms

“ i’m fine, ” night assures her.  and it’s true, at times like these, night falls solidly back on his own apathy.  he’s never cared about metropolis or the sanctity of superman.  why should he start now ??  as long as mara and the others are alright, there’s no reason for him to think twice  he won’t admit to the panic that rushed him, sudden and terrifying as a thunderstorm in the summer. 

     “ they’re alive.  where, i’m not sure right now. ”  he knows that, at least, even if he had accidentally shorted out his phone making sure while nerves crackled tangibly through his fingertips.  again, he won’t admit to it.  

his teeth flick audibly as he shuts his mouth quickly, thoughts moving rapidly.  there’s something bothering him, but he hasn’t quite worked out how to verbalize it best.  in the wake of what superman has done, not that nightstorm necessarily disagrees with the brand of justice, has tipped something.  nightstorm’s not afraid, but he is wary now.  “ we will need to be – more cautious.  if capital punishments are being handed out, there’s less…room for us. ”  he can’t help but wonder what batman && his disciples think of this turn of events, whether they will condemn this sort of thing.  whether they offer any kind of protection.

  the knowledge that her team is accounted for is enough to ease most of the tension that’s built up. her arms cross along her chest and she leans against the wall behind her. for a moment, she’s silent, eyes drifting to the ceiling of their temporary abode as she consider’s night’s words. he’s right, of course. there’s a change in the air, subtle as it may be. 

  “ the man of steel. ” she says the name like she’s trying it out for the first time, slow and deliberate and with just enough cynicism that it’s clear she’s growing increasingly annoyed with whatever the thoughts in her head may be. “  no better a man then the rest of us. ” batman is staunch in his morals; it’s something mara has grown up learning about him. he doesn’t kill, doesn’t torture, doesn’t hold himself above the law for most of his actions. but then superman thought the same, did he not ?? mara isn’t sure they’re safe anywhere. 

   “ their justice league is no fan of mine. the cyborg and speedster were equally intent that i be held accountable for my actions during the league’s attack. ” she pushes herself from the wall, rolls her eyes at the thought of their condescending words. the point is they know who she is, who they are. they were waiting for her to act again, for proof, but recent developments may have changed that way of thought indeed. “ we will need to keep off their radar for now. i had wanted to prepare us to leave here next week, but we may need to speed things up now. i assume you’re fine with that ?? ”

[doublcedge]

@nightstcrms | starter.

    the demon’s fist is not a particularly affectionate collection of children. understandably so, certainly, but it makes times like these difficult for mara, likely for most of them. there are things that should be said because even though they aren’t at the heart of this, the effects are felt everywhere. people are frightened at the possibility that their city is next. families are faced with the reality that loved ones in metropolis are gone. superman is  -- well. mara won’t speak on something like that, can’t speak on it. 

   her team is...a family. will they ever admit to it ?? could they ever really interact in the same ways most families do ?? it’s not likely. but it’s still significant and it still brings forth something from mara when she returns to their base and sees nightstorm, alive and well, even though she already knew that he was, even though they’d have no reason to be involved in a city like metropolis. she stops just a few feet from the threshold of the door, somber and unnerved as she considers him. 

   “ i saw damian. it seems the bats are all accounted for. ” she doesn’t know why she chooses to start on that; it’s easier, maybe, factual. but her next words feel like lead in her mouth, “ are you -- doing alright ?? where are the others ?? ” it’s uncomfortable, even in it’s simplicity, but she’s their leader and she’s doing what she can, what she thinks she should.

[doublcedge]

@bcbybct | starter.

   the truth is she has no clue what to say. she’s uncomfortable even being here because this sort of situation -- this tragedy is beyond anything that mara can put into words. she had no attachment to superman, metropolis, most heroes outside of the bat themed ones....but she is not so heartless to not see and acknowledge the grief in the air, the suffocating uncertainty and fear that is permeating gotham, the world. though she can never verbalize it, there’s something like relief that comes with seeing her cousin, broken in many ways surely, but alive. mara doesn’t know how to do this, how to connect with people, and she feels foolish in the silence permeating them. she’s trying though. she’s truly trying.

   “ damian. ” she grits her teeth, fists clenching tightly at her sides, “ i'm -- sorry. ” she doesn’t know who he’s lost, who they’ve all lost, but there’s a change in the air that mara can recognize from a mile away and whatever comes to pass from this will assure that nothing is the same. for that, mara, for the first time in years, feels real sympathy for the cousin before her. “ my team is available for assistance, should you need it. ”

  there’s something more going unsaid, something that’s harder for mara to spit out, even now. it goes against everything she was raised on, all the hate she was filled with when she was younger. she can’t say it right now, but it’s there: she’s glad he’s alive. 

[doublcedge]

bcbybct

WHEN she takes the food he smiles to himself, it’s barely there but it’s there. he wonders if he hadn’t had dick in his life if he ever would’ve tried to be this way. tried to make nice with a cousin who wanted him dead. he – he doesn’t think he would. he picks up his sweet potato gnocchi and pulls off the lid, grabs the cutlery and takes a bite. “he isn’t, unfortunately.” he tells her with another sort of there smile, “if you ever want to come to the manor for lunch or dinner, this is an open invitation.” he doubts she will take him up on it, but if she does maybe she will scare the hell out of his brothers. that could be enjoyable. 

   she tries to imagine herself in the midst of a wayne family affair and it quite nearly gives her hives. it’s difficult to even place herself near one of them for too long. she’s not sure she could stand the idea of running into the bat himself either; mara may be trying with damian, but she’s yet to really ever warm to the idea of batman. “ we won’t be staying here for much longer. ” she says instead, carefully avoiding the invitation. it’s not be wholly decided yet where they may go, but she knows that gotham is only sustainable for the team for so long. it’s better for them to leave, find a place that’s untouched by the heroes of tomorrow. “ gotham has little left for us. ”

[doublcedge]

soulshiines

    “ i won’t take it easy on you, ” dick assures her.  for a number of reasons, that’s true.  while he doesn’t think she’ll try to kill him, she could definitely land a blow that would put him out of commission for a week or two.  and also kids know when you’re bullshitting them, and they sure as hell don’t respect it.  “ should we be using swords ?? ”

       if there’s one thing mara’s learned about dick grayson, even in the short time she’s been around now, it’s that he’s more honest than most she’s ever encountered. it’s frustrating, certainly, but at least she knows their sparring won’t be a waste of time now. “ that’s your decision. how skilled are you with them ?? ”

[doublcedge]

modecrasher

“ARE you sure?? i’m pretty sure having confidence is different from being narcissistic,” 

      “ it’s a fine line. ” she deadpans, annoyance clear in her words, “ and you’ve crossed it. long ago, i’m sure. ”

[doublcedge]

 violenceabundant

   by and far, mara’s not the scariest thing colin’s run into on the streets of gotham.  ( she’s probably in the top five, though )  he watches the sword when she draws it, trying to decide how serious the situation is, all while maintaining a bright, unconcerned smile.  it’s odd to him that someone with as sharp a tongue as mara can be so damn sensitive.  “ not something to sound so proud of, you know. ”  he fishes one set of knuckles out of his pocket, a plain, busted up pair.  when he slips them on ( just in case !!  he really doesn’t want to throw down right now ), they sit too large on his hand, but he needs the room to grow.  

“ fancy sword isn’t gonna do shit, so why don’t you back off ?? ” he’s been stabbed and sliced more times than he cares to count, and densely built, unnatural muscle always stops it from going too deep, from letting something so simple kill him.  he actually likes his odds.  maybe he doesn’t have the skill to win, but he can take a damn beating.  and one lucky punch could break a handful of ribs.  

    she can’t stand types like colin -- so good to a fault, all sheer will and inability to back down. in a lot of ways, they’re likely more similar than mara will ever care to admit, but for now it simply means colin is a consistent thorn in her side. what she wants to do is go straight for the kill; everything in her sees an annoyance ( a mild threat ) that she wants to take care of with far less conversation than what’s at hand. that said, evidently she’s turning over a new leaf, putting in effort with a cousin she’s spent her life hating. the last thing she wants to deal with is his whining because mara put a sword through his friend’s neck. 

    “ what do you know of pride ?? ” she’s condescending, enough so to convey what exactly she thinks of this show he’s putting on. slowly, tauntingly, she presses her sword closer to his abdomen, surely uncomfortable to any normal person, “ has it all gone to your head so quickly?? little robin taking pity on the street rat. you have purpose now ?? you get an inkling of self-worth and suddenly you’re a threat to me ?? ” she clicks her tongue, eyes narrowed as she pulls her sword back, shakes her head, “ you’d matter only a fraction more in death than you do now and that says very little. killing you would be worth nothing. ”

[doublcedge]

nightstcrms

night’s heart is a strange staccato in his chest while he watches mara lay the map out before him.  he’s…almost shocked by the effort mara clearly invested in this.  the lists, the markings.  it’s taken hours of time to narrow it down so far.  index finger traces along the lines of the city’s name, thoughtful as he continues to stare at the map.  he turns to look at the side of mara’s face as he weighs his words.  night is not talkative by nature, but suddenly there are a thousand things he want to say.

“ then we go, ” nightstorm tells mara, and there’s a hint of optimism in it.  silly hope on his face that should have been snuffed out when he was still a child, but only for a split second.  they need this, need a new start so badly.  gotham && it’s many animal-themed inhabitants aren’t always horrible, but the demon’s fist is too big a personality to coexist.  

    night’s neck burns a little as he speaks.  “ i think it looks like a good choice, ” he offers, trying to be more level-headed about it, refuses to be governed by the sudden swell of excitement in his stomach.  “ we could…be productive there, and if it’s low-profile enough of a city, ” which it must be if vigilantes haven’t noticed it yet, “ no one’s going to look for us there. ”

   for a moment, she’s quiet. night seems pleased and that alone justifies the hours she’s pored over this, but it’s -- difficult as well. she knows he understands this too, sees the brief glimpse of hope that he hides quickly. mara doesn’t like to hope. she’s confident that this city can be everything they want, but even a shred of doubt makes her feel weak, hopeless. when there’s no way left to channel that, she wants to be angry because that’s all mara knows, really. 

   “ someone will. ” she counters quietly, fists clenched tightly as she tries to focus the rage she feels, “ it will buy us time, but it won’t last. ” she needs him to understand that, knows that instinctively he probably does, but she drives it home all the same, “ we can never get too comfortable. ” they don’t have homes. they don’t know what it’s like to have a home, not the way they should, and, even if she’d never say it, mara wants more than ever for this city to be that for them, in one way or another. she needs this place to work because if it doesn’t then what will ?? where else do they have left to go ?? 

   but it doesn’t change their reality. it doesn’t make her any less cynical about their situation, their very twisted life. “ we’ll go. ” that was never a question, despite her concerns, “ if only because there’s not much of anything left for us otherwise. we’ll do what we can there, do it our way. for now, that’s all we have. ”

[doublcedge]

@nightstcrms | starter.

   “ there. ” on the map she’s laid out before him, there’s a multitude of red and black pen marks. cities circled and then haphazardly crossed out, names of heroes in alternating colors decorate the edges of different areas. it’s a map mara’s shown some considerable attention over the last week. not all heroes are quite as mainstream as the bat; finding a city without one hint of vigilantism stirring in it’s depths was not an easy task, but she’s done it. one way or another. 

    she moves from where she’s standing behind him and hops over the back of the couch, crouching beside night and pointing once more to a city name that’s circled three times in two different colors. “ this is where we can begin once more. with less complications in tow. ” she pauses and adds, “ it is known for it’s trouble, but nothing we could not handle. from what i can gleam, there’s no hero scene, no real villain scene. simply people doing foolish things occasionally. you wanted to leave -- this is where we go. ” she waits for his reaction, values his thoughts on the matter more than she’d say aloud, but certainly he knows as much.

[doublcedge]

bcbybct

“I am not treating any of you like a charity case,” damian says it sincerely, he gestures to the bags with his chin and meets her eyes. “i brought them so you would not have to steal, not that i assume you are stealing for food but.” something playful comes to his eyes, “we have more then enough and i mostly took the food that the people who annoy me the most like.” it’s true, it’s mostly todd’s favourite things that pennyworth still picks up. or the few things he knows drake always reaches for. then again, he wrote it on the grocery pad of what he took so even if his brothers don’t know he had every intention of getting pennyworth to pick them up. “i am a vegetarian, and i wasn’t sure of your dietary restrictions so we have…” he pulls the containers out, “pad thai,” it’s still warm – pennyworth is a wizard in a kitchen. “or sweet potato gnocchi, you can have first choice.” he pulls out another container, “then he also packed a few slices of his vegan apple spice cake with maple icing. there is some soda or sparkling water.” he isn’t sure how she will react, if she’s going to just knock the containers out of his hands and then push him out the door but he’s making an effort. 

    she doesn’t deny or admit to any theft. besides the obvious incrimination should it be true, mara still has parts of their lives that she wants to keep to herself. her team is no open book and even if she’s -- trying ( ?? ) with damian now, it doesn’t mean she’s prepared to allow him into all aspects of their newfound lives. it takes her a moment, wherein she scans the food laid out before them, but finally mara reaches forward, albeit somewhat robotically, and grabs the pad thai. she’s silent as she opens the lid and expressionless as she moves to take a bite; see -- one of the few benefits to being in the league was the cuisine ( only the best for the al ghul’s and their mindless minions, after all ) and it’s been a fixture that gotham has sorely lacked. the pad thai, however, surprises her in just how good it really is and it sort of, maybe, ticks her off a little, as if she were hoping to be less than impressed. “ -- not bad. ” she finally admits, “ seems your butler isn’t all talk. ” it’s as much of a compliment that alfred is going to get from mara, even if the food really is good. 

[doublcedge]

violenceabundant

colin glares now.  this is what he gets for trying to be halfway nice.  he huffs audibly.  “ my bad, let me try again.  stop being so fucking bitchy. ”

   perhaps if it were anyone else, mara would be mildly impressed; as it is, something about colin gets under her skin in a way usually reserved for the likes of the bat. the grip she has on her sword when she draws it is tight enough that it would be uncomfortable if she were not so used to it. “ wilkes. i’ve killed people for less, in ways you could not even begin to fathom. keep to your games of hero, but do not let them embolden you so much that you pick fights with someone you could never hope to win against. ”

[doublcedge]

soulshiines

   “ no ?? ”  the key to comfort around people who might kill you is constantly surrounding yourself with people who could hypothetically kill you.  “ listen, i’ll be cool.  i just needed somebody to spar with.  would you please help me out? ”

     there’s a beat of silence as she considers him, debates silently if she wants to agree to this; sparring is familiar, something she knows well, but it doesn’t make this exchange any less odd in her mind. “ fine. ” she agrees, crossing her arms, “ but i won’t go easy. neither should you. ” sparring in the league was more of a -- death match, so to speak, but mara doesn’t think she’ll try to kill him. probably. 

[doublcedge]

modecrasher

BART waggles his eyebrows at her with a smile, “uh-huh! i am so charming, like it’s not just that. it’s also my smile, or my amazing hair. all of it creates the perfect package.” 

    “ the correct term for that is narcissism. ” she counters, a roll of her eyes.

[doublcedge]

cyvicc

“oh please,” he said, pressing his palms together in prayer, bouncing them a bit for extra measure. “please, be my guest. i’m just waiting for you to pull something. so go ahead. make my day.”  his eyes (or eye, rather) narrowed at her flippancy. he did indeed have a public image to patch up. it was part of the reason he was here. the other part? making sure she didn’t get away with a single thing ever again. a tall order. arguably an impossible order. “i’m exactly where i’m supposed to be. what about you? have a secret meeting to go to where you can discuss all your fucked up prerogatives?” …he was more than a little salty that she’d gotten away, and he couldn’t do shit about it.

     for the most part ?? mara’s annoyed. her day had been going just fine until this man had shown up on his moral high ground. she’s sick of these cities and their heroes. night was right to want the team out of here. that said -- there’s a small part of her that’s amused. perhaps it’s the idea that he could ever catch her to begin with, but most likely it’s the sheer audacity of what he’s hailing her way. “ i’ve never claimed to keep my actions secret. would you like an invite to one next time ?? ” mara doesn’t joke too often, but she’s feeling smug. “ or perhaps you would like to wait for the next invasion ?? was the body count this time not enough ?? are there not enough people displaced from their homes to justify any action from your league of justice ?? what does it take ?? ” it’s taunting, more than anything, but she feels -- justified all the same. she killed an assassin. as far as public opinion goes, she’d be favored more than this man and his friends are currently. “ continue to praise yourself for being weak all you want, but i do believe your time would be better spent elsewhere. ”

[doublcedge]

modecrasher

“NAH i mean it’s definitely part of my charm,” bart explained with a smile, “have you ever considered not offering random people advice?” 

    “ no. ” she deadpans, a quiet click of her tongue following her words. “ and if that’s your idea of charm, you must be exasperating to deal with. ”

[doublcedge]

bcbybct

“MARA,” he replies, before walking forward putting the bags of groceries in front of her before holding open the other bag. “i was thinking it would be best of me to bring food by for you and the others,” he explains as if it’s obvious. he tries to change his tone, to resemble something nicer but even nice damian is sort of short with his words. “but i guess pennyworth was snooping through my calendar again – as i had written today for a visit and he’s provided me with lunch for the two of us.” he explains the last part rushed – not sure how she will feel about this. 

      she clicks her tongue, eyes narrowing suspiciously as she takes in the bags he’s set down. mara hates pity and she’s seen more of it in gotham to drive her up a wall. damian’s gesture, while perhaps not intended, has her digging her nails into the palms of her hands as she balls them into fists. “ we are not a charity case. ” she grits out, a subtle warning that if he means to treat them like such, it would only be messy. still, there’s an odd curiosity that grips her when he brings out the lunch. she hasn’t eaten yet today ( not that she’s ever had much in the way of appetite as it is ), but the idea of the butler being invested enough in this meeting that he’d go out of his way to do such a thing is ---- discomforting. “ is that so. ” it’s not a question, really. she’s considering her next move here. “ and what is the lunch ?? ”

[doublcedge]

bcbybct

@doublcedge

DAMIAN has every intention of going to see his cousin. some part of him feels responsible for her (he of course blames grayson). but he starts going through the pantry and pulling food out and packing it into bags. pennyworth must know something of his plan because there is a lunch on the counter that is packed up. there’s even a note. the butler must’ve seen the day marked on his calendar. he puts the bags into the compartment on his motorcycle along with the lunch before driving over to the hideout. he doesn’t bother to knock – why would he? 

“hello, cousin.” he says as he enters the main room, bags of groceries in hand their lunch in another. 

    it’s a weird feeling, to hear the words cousin leave damian’s mouth now that they’re -- past things. sort of past things. it’s complicated. mara’s initial reaction to his presence is to sneer, an insult on the tip of her tongue, a gut instinct to fight, to prove something; but she doesn’t have to do that anymore, doesn’t have to base her worth on her grandfather’s approval. so she schools her face into something more neutral, swallows her words, and exhales quietly. “ damian. ” she greets, channeling some of night’s infamous apathy; she sort of wishes night were here, actually. alas, she’s alone, for the most part, which, given her inability to process most emotions in a healthy way, may be better for everyone. “ what -- are you doing here ?? ” she eyes the bags in his hands, another question she has.