One Nice Bug Per Day
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@gothambornandraised
Hiya!
I'm Ivy Wayne Al Ghul, I'm the Media Cordinatotor for Wayne Enterprises, and I'm going to school for psychology.
I've lived in Gotham most of my life but I've been traveling for work more often and it's kind of weird. I live in California now.
Anyways, feel free to come hang out.
Although I have walked many paths, I am carving my own. I am not my mother or my father. I am me.
-------
// everything below is ooc.
clarify. is this a support line FOR superheroes, or a place to come when you have a problem with one of them?
-@natnattienatalie
It can be both but it's more for civilians to call than heroes
brilliant. robin crashlanded on my balcony and almost bled out. i helped him, but then he showed up the next day IN CIVVIES while i was out buying groceries to say thanks. which was nice, but. creepy. what do you suggest i do with this
Oh, dear... We will be having someone remind Robin not to show up in Civvies...
I would simply accept this as something that happened, but if Robin continues to show up in civvies or annoys you please reach out again and we will have him stop.
I'll go tell him he has to put money in the 'stupid vigilante choices' jar.
clarify. is this a support line FOR superheroes, or a place to come when you have a problem with one of them?
-@natnattienatalie
It can be both but it's more for civilians to call than heroes
HERO, ANTI-HERO, AND VIGILANTE SUPPORT LINE
Do you have a problem with the capes? Are ypu entitled to compensation? Do ypu need a faster way to reach out for help?
Call now and speak to the representatives.
Uh yeah hi I just watched Spoiler tie a goon up and spray him with silly string
I see. What are you hoping to have done about this?
Can you get someone to send me video? My phone is broke
That is unfortunate. We will see what we can do. Expect an email in the next hour.
:)
HERO, ANTI-HERO, AND VIGILANTE SUPPORT LINE
Do you have a problem with the capes? Are ypu entitled to compensation? Do ypu need a faster way to reach out for help?
Call now and speak to the representatives.
Uh yeah hi I just watched Spoiler tie a goon up and spray him with silly string
I see. What are you hoping to have done about this?
No longer talking to most of my family because they're being stubborn little shits. So I am opening applications for replacements, I will break traffic laws if you ask me to show up :)
Alternative versions are fine it's not the first time and it won't be the last.
Bruce you know what you did I am not talking to you again until you admit I have a point
having my entire familyβs locations at the tip of my finger is too much power
dick will leave his apartment for 2 minutes to take the garbage out and iβll text him βwelcome home :)β as soon as he steps inside
the second any of my loved ones step into a corner store you know iβm blowing up their phone for a slushy. even if thereβs no way they could give it to me. get me one.
You say that like it's not a form of affection???
Personally I think you should keep it up.
It lets them know that you care AND are alive. Very important you know :)
HERO, ANTI-HERO, AND VIGILANTE SUPPORT LINE
Do you have a problem with the capes? Are ypu entitled to compensation? Do ypu need a faster way to reach out for help?
Call now and speak to the representatives.
Hey any advice for arguing with B? He's being annoying and wrong again β at least in my universe.
- @gothambornandraised
Rule 1; NEVER BACK DOWN
Stick to your point! Let him know that you're deadset on your view BUT be willing to hear out whatever he has to say cause if you're completely brushing him off then he'll be even more stubborn and determined to prove that he's the one in the right
Rule 2; DON'T LET HIM GET TO YOU
Listen. I love B, he's my closest father figure and I'll always get him a father's day gift, but we all know he's capable of dragging up old shit and beating the fuck out of multiple dead horses. In his mind, it's all just experience he has on you, reasons for him Knowing Best - so, if you can, drag up your own old shit and bring in a couple new dead horses to beat
Rule 3; KEEP COMMUNICATIONS CLEAR
Don't mince your words. He can - and absolutely WILL - use that against you. Be direct, say exactly what you mean, and he should listen to reason eventually. If he doesn't, don't be afraid to drag his friends into it (not your friends, unless you somehow share the same circle as him, because he straight up won't listen to a single gd thing any of your friends say)
Of course, there's a chance you'll both be WAYYYYYYY too angry to listen to each other, and that's fine! It happens. Just let Alfred know where you're going, keep him updated, and when B's ready to talk, he'll let you know. It's up to you to decide whether you talk to him or let him stew in it a while longer
Okay this helped a lot thank you. He's still being annoying and wrong but at least now he's brooding as he processes instead of lecturing!
I'm getting Dinah, Clark, and Zatana they'll almost definitely back me up. I'd get Ollie too but he's busy...
Seriously thank you. You're literally always the best in all the worlds.
Open rp/Rp starter!
Gotham was in one of those spurts of more crime than usual. He was only one man and dealing with it all at the same time was hard especially at this age. He scared those that he could and fixed what couldn't simply be scared. Which is why he found himself in this situation.
With the worst of it tamed and fixed. He moved on to the small stuff, successfully done.
Which is why he found this so pathetic-
He panted heavily. He slid down the wall of an alley hunkering down in a shadowed part. He needed to tend to his injuries. His armor had been pierced and he was nursing a couple bullet wounds and stab wounds. His tech was broken. He needed help outside of his tech because although he could probably make it to the batmobile he wasn't so sure if he'd make it to the cave.
He grunted as he got up, he couldn't be a sitting duck out here just hoping someone would find help him. He made his slow painful way to the batmobile hoping that maybe someone would help him not die.
His hope was meek.
Finding herself in an alternate time or dimension isn't that strange anymore, she may not be one of Gotham's birds anymore but she's never stopped being Gotham's and Gotham places her where it wants her. Or maybe Dick is right and she's just a magnet for chaos, who can say?
Ivy finds herself in the alley, drawn to the sound of someone injured. She walks like someone he trained to hide their vigilante life, casual but measured.
The strangest thing is she looks like a mix of Martha Wayne and Talia Al-Ghul with a heavy leaning towards Martha.
She sees you and nearly chokes. This was nothing on her bingo card β ever.
"Son of a - Batman? Shit... shit. Okay, hey, can you hear me?" She asks, coming closer with her hands where you can see them.
Bruce, couldn't and didnt want to deal with any multiversal bullshit. Which is why upon seeing Ivy all he could help but pray for to all the gods he didnt believe in was the hope that his injuries would kill him long before this kid became his problem in any sort of way, because he just knew this was the multiverse screwing with him. He closed his eyes and waited for death to befall him. It never did. Fuck everything.
"Yeah, I can hear you- can you pipe down?" He winced, turning his head away "Your voice is grating on my ears" Bruce took a moment to think about the irony in his statement as his Batman voice was made to sound gravely and dangerous- scary. The only reason he could think imagine why his head might be hurting from the sound of someone's voice would be the head trauma.
"If you're here to help- then just help me get to my fucking car." He held one arm out before adding to his statement "and I suppose if youre here to kill me you should just do it now- I think the torture aspect is just a bit boring though"
Ivy would be bothered by his dismissive attitude, but she's been around enough versions of her father to simply brush aside the tone. She instead starts looking him over, noting his injuries.
He sounds old β old enough she would bet money Alfred isn't with this Bruce, rest the elder man's soul.
"Come on then," She says as she lowers her voice and helps him up, taking as much of his weight as she reasonably can. Bruce's arm goes over her shoulder as she readjusts his weight more comfortably. "Let's get you to the car."
She is already going over what needs to be done. First, she'll get him to the batmobile and deposit Bruce in the passenger seat. Then she'll patch you up to slow the bleeding. Hopefully, Bruce will have something to clean the wounds, but if not, the cave will. Then she'll drive to the cave and patch Batman up more completely there.
"If I was going to off you, I'd have made it fast," Ivy says with a faintly wry tone. It's very much a distraction and a way to test your response time.
They should invent a sleep that works
You're telling me
Ivy β who in this world may or may not exist as one of your younger siblings or maybe not at all β has found herself yet again in the wrong dimension and run into you. She stumbles back when she runs into you, immediately starting to apologize before her eyes land on your face.
"I'm so sorry I should-"
Oh. Oh β she would know your face anywhere. You're older than her Damian though.
"- should have paid more attention... Damian?" She asks, unable to stop your name from coming out in disbelief.
You're older than not just her version of you β but older than her by at least two years, maybe a few more. You're so tall now β you bear the makes of the years. God β you look... well, she spent a long time worrying about assassination attempts on you in her world, so it's nice to see you make it to adulthood in any world.
Whether you have a younger version of her or not β she looks like a mix of Talia and Martha.
- @gothambornandraised
Damian steps back a bit, confused when the woman bumps into him and looking her over with a strange look. He seems confused, though there's a certain exhaustion permanently affixed to his face. He pauses, looking her over.
"It's...quite alright. I'm sorry do I know you?"
He questions, taking a hesitant step back while scanning her. She seems oddly familiar and they definitely look alike, those same more defining features from Talia. Damian looks somewhat like Bruce, if you look closely, though he's always been more similar to his mother. He's quite confused by why the stranger knows his name, and it only somewhat shows on his face, seeming to be much better at hiding his emotions from his facial expressions.
Damian's wearing light blue hospital scrubs with a satchel-like bag over one shoulder. His hair is still cut in a similar style as it was as a child though it seems as if he hasn't cut it in a while, also a bit messier than he'd usually keep it, not spending the time to anymore. He's around 26 years old now, and after 16 years of living in Gotham he's only really grown to be more exhausted with the life he lives, though he's forever grateful for his siblings, he finds himself being the main caretaker for most of them, especially Dick. He was on his way home from work when she bumped into him, needing to get ready for patrol around this time of night.
"No, I don't think so. I'm sorry you just look like my brother if he was suddenly in his twenties instead of almost a teen," she explains. "It's a little uncanny but Gotham and all!"
It's true, but there's more to it. The way she smiles politely but searches you for answers of any hint of where she is gives that much away. .. At least she knows you're not her Damian in the future somehow, he'd recognize her if nothing else.
She stands in what appears to he the same stance Bruce likes to teach, appearing casual but ready to fight any given moment. Her smile stays polite the whole time.
"You must just have one of those faces. Or maybe I'm more homesick than I thought and looking for similarities. Who knows?"
She tries to laugh it off, but to anyone who deals with capes or actors, it's hollow and flat. She's exhausted, and it shows in the bags beneath her eyes and the haphazard mess that is her barely restrained curls. She's got the same, barely there furrow in her brows that Bruce gets too.
Damian narrows his eyes a bit at the reaction, he almost seems ticked off but that's really just his usual expression, analyzing her a bit. He smiles politely however, which seems almost uncanny.
"Right...what a coincidence. You do look a lot like my mother. Might I ask your name?"
He questions, holding into the strap of his bag a bit tightly. He's not entirely certain what's going on, he doesn't have any biological half-sisters that he's aware of, though he doubts his mother would neglect to share that information and she has features that Damian recognizes from Father, and he knows his parents definitely haven't had another child.
This might be a multiverse situation, or perhaps it really is just a coincidence, though with how Damian's life tends to go he highly doubts that logic.
She doesn't outwardly react to the perceived glare or uncanny smile β she does however commit them to memory. How very Damian and how very strange all at once.
"Do I? Small world, I guess! I'm Ivy," She answers easily, but she leaves out any last name.
Ivy makes a decision in the span of one second to the next. If she wants to get home, she needs to find someone who can help, and so she supposes it's time to test whether you know enough to help or not.
"I don't guess you have the time do you? I have to get home by 10:48 tonight."
Hopefully the time is enough, or at least still the way to get into the cave from the clock entrance here.
She's going to kick Tim for this one. This is the last time she helps him test his contraptions. She has papers to turn in and a job to do.
Damian hums a little. Ivy, that doesn't ring any bells but it's nice to at least know who's he speaking with. Damian adjusts his posture a little, still keeping that polite smile. He's learned after years of doing Galas and now working as a nurse in a pediatric wing while he gets his degree, how to seem more friendly. He knows he's not entirely approachable usually, though he doesn't mean to be.
He freezes at the second part, eyes widening only by a hint at the time she gives. His smile falters only slightly before he fixes it and he nods a bit.
"Well, my name is Damian...Wayne, of course. I'm sure I can help if you're lost, per say. Would you like to accompany me to a more private area to speak?"
He speaks. He's definitely certain this is something to do with the multiverse, now, so he needs to get them somewhere that isn't in public like this, there's a small cafe nearby that doesn't have many people inside that Damian is sure would be more secure to speak about these matters.
"Would you like coffee?"
He says, looking towards said cafe and gesturing at it a bit.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Wayne," she smiles, and idily ponders how strange it is to call you Mr. Oh, well. Multiverse and all. "If you can help, I'd appreciate it."
She looks over to the cafe in question and looks to make sure it's a safe enough establishment. It seems empty enough, and it doesn't seem to be currently hosting a villain either. "I'd like coffee too, thank you."
She starts towards the establishment, trying to figure out how to even ask for help getting back... One thing at a time. She's already got a great start by finding one of the Bat group.
"Can I ask what ward you work in at the hospital?"
It's a surface level question, or it's meant to be, and in all honesty, she can't help the curiosity.
"Please, just call me Damian."
He's quick to say, making a bit of a face at the politeness. Damian's always felt odd about that sort of thing, he's not sure why. Though considering she's definitely family, regardless of being from a different universe, it just feels wrong.
"Of course."
Damian walks with her into the cafe, getting them a booth in the corner of the building, sitting with his back facing the wall. He like's to be able to scan an entire room like this, to make sure there are no threats. He's scanning the area as Ivy speaks again, making him pause for a moment.
"Oh, yes. I'm currently in the pediatric wing of Gotham General. I'm studying for my doctorate at the moment however, on top of the other nightly jobs my family tends to work. I'm sure you're aware?"
He raises his eyebrow a little, simply checking before he's too open with her. He's not entirely certain, so he seems to be double checking to make sure this is in fact what he's dealing with.
"Damian, then."
She's honestly glad not to have to call you Mister Wayne. She's just out of her depth and falling back any etiquette she learned.
She smiles when Damian answers, and this one is all warmth and a sort of pride even she isn't able to name. Ivy has always known her brother - that Damian is brilliant.
"That's amazing, Damian, I hope you're as proud of yourself as you should be. That doctorate is hard work, and the kids probably love having a friendly face. I know the nightly jobs can be time-consuming and make getting a degree a nightmare. There's a reason I'm retiring from that branch of the family business soon. It does have the best IT branch I've ever seen, though. " She gives a little shrug at the end.
She has no idea if you have Oracle in this world or Tim, but Bruce is usually fairly good with tech anyway, so her point still stands.
"Figures that right before I retire, my brother gets me on a wild goose chase trying to make it home. But what's a little adventure?"
Damian's eyes widen a bit and he almost seems embarrassed and off guard by the compliment. He's not entirely used to that type of attention, looking away from her with a somewhat unreadable expression as she continues speaking. He's sat fairly still, his back straight and his hands in his lap, trying to seem polite if anything.
"I don't know if I'd describe my face as friendly...but I appreciate it."
He says in response, bowing his head a little to show said appreciation. Damian's a bit surprised to hear she's retiring. It's somewhat unheard of within their family, all living their lives the way they've always lived them, fighting against the evils in this city.
"Yes...well, I'm trying my best to balance things, though my siblings tend to need my attention quite a bit as well. I would agree on that yes, some of the greatest minds I know in those areas are quite young."
He says, thinking of Babs, she's a very young girl, training to be the next Batgirl with Cass and Steph of course, though the way they met was because of her hacking skills as Oracle. Remarkable for only 10. Tim...and JJ, used to be quite skilled as well, though their ways tend to be less logical and analytical after the Joker.
"What do you plan to do? After you retire of course."
He asks, curiously.
She has to fight the urge to reach over and tussle your hair or hug you. You seem uncomfortably enough as it is, and you don't really know her anyway. Ivy settles for smiling more.
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but I'm sure you're kind to them, and that goes just as far."
She sits in a far more relaxed manner, though no less aware. She wears her openness as a different kind of front, one few think to notice or look for.
"Balancing that can be... a lot, but it can be rewarding. Siblings are the best and the worst, but hopefully, your siblings are okay for the most part. The nocturnal branch does have some very talented people. Babs and Tim have been running circles around the rest of us for years."
She pauses, trying to figure out how best to answer that question. It's been a point of conflict for the last few months back home...
She looks back to you after a moment.
"I'm going to move to California, finish my PHD, become a youth therapist with a specialty in trauma recovery, and raise my son β assuming I'm able to retire smoothly," she adds the caveat as a simple possibility.
Damian sighs, nodding a bit at that. He supposes the children seem to like him, but part of that is just his practice with Dick. He hums a bit at her words, shifting to cross his legs slightly, still tense though it's mostly just how he's always held himselfβ Perhaps not how her Damian was like, but Damian has lived a much...harder life.
"They...are, I hope. I am caring for Dick for the most part right now. Barbara whenever her father is unavailable, though she spends most of her time with Stephanie and Cassandra when she's able to come over. Jason, Cassandra, and Duke are...old enough now to not need so much attention, but I try to be as helpful as I can. Tim...he- I'm not sure where he is, but I believe he's safe. But both he and Babs are very capable people."
He says, seemingly conflicted as he thinks about them. Dick has needed the attention of course, so he mostly is caring for him if anything. But, Damian is trying to be there for all of his siblings. Jason always says he's too much of a helicopter parent, or something like that. Damian just wants to make sure everyone's alright.
Damian looks up at her again, listening to her words with a layer of curiosity and nodding a bit. His eyebrows raise slightly at the mention of a son. So her version of him is an uncle? That feels odd to think about.
"That sounds delightful, I wish you luck on your studies...may I ask how old your son is?"
He tilts his head a bit to the side though it's only slightly.
Caring for Dick? Is Dick hurt? That β right, multiverse. If Damian older than maybe ages got mixed up too. Multiverse shebang make her head hurt.
"It sounds like they're doing better than they could be. I'm sure Dick has taken to you, he... has always been friendly. If you want help locating Tim I can try? Having that many younger siblings is... a lot."
It's so strange to see Damian not just older than her but as the oldest. This version of her baby brother never had anyone besides his parents and grandfather... She's seen plenty of Damians that have never known her, but this is the first to not have any older siblings she can point to.
She lights up a little, just grateful to avoid an argument about her plans.
"Thank you! I wish you luck in yours as well. Jay is about a year old now. He's a sweet kid, and most of why I'm doing what I am instead of staying with my family and their night jobs... Gotham made me, but I'm not raising my child here when it's better for him somewhere else."
Her entire demeanor is brighter when she speaks about her son. He is β well her first baby was her Damian but he is her first official baby.
Ivy turns to glance at something outside β just a bit of movement before she turns back to you. "How old is Dick? He sounds a little younger than my brothers."
"He...has after a while. Timothy and- JJ...are alright, they don't like to be found sometimes. They have a lot going on in their past, which comes with Timothy having issues with Father and the manor, I don't blame him for it."
He mumbles the last part a bit, making a small face at the reminder of it. Damian wasn't able to save his brother- or brothers, from that fate. It was quite devastating, back when he thought Tim was dead. Now it...is just simply something new they're learning to navigate through.
"It's quite a lot yes, but...I manage. I love them dearly."
Damian says. Bruce doesn't tend to look after his own children, so Damian's always been taking care of them for the most part. Alfred is a big help of course, but with being Red Knight and his med school responsibilities, it's a bit of a struggle to juggle everything and look out for them all. It helps that most are adults now, but his family aren't amazing at taking care of themselves, even now.
He smiles when she talks about Jay, his face seeming more soft and genuine than the polite smile from before. He nods along to her words.
"I...respect that. I'm sure your son will benefit from your efforts."
Damian tells her. He's not sure he could ever leave this city again, the two year period he had left after Tim was presumed dead was the longest he stayed away from this place in the past 16 years, and he'd almost died so many times he can't count them all. It was...a bad time. Luckily Jonathan had found him eventually, convinced him to come back, to stop torturing himself. He perks up at the mention of Dick.
"Ah yes...Dick is 11 currently. He has...many problems regarding his past and all. The court of owls were involved, I'm sure you know them. We found him with them, afraid and alone. But he's...healing well now, and I'm doing my best to raise him."
Damian describes, sad at the thoughts of how scared the young boy was back then. Damian sighs, brushing his hair back a little.
"Well, parents and rolemodels are complicated to live with even at the best times. Hopefully, JJ and Tim turn up to let you know they're safe. I'm sure Dick is grateful for you though."
She doesn't ask who JJ is, which says all it needs to. She's seen plenty, forever her best, and kept going. JJ will always be a sore spot β but better a sore spot than a chasm of grief.
"I can hear it when you speak of them. Even when it's a lot, trading your siblings away sounds terrible... I think I got into a fist fight over that once actually.... nevermind. I'm just glad you have them and they have you."
Ivy must be more tired than she realized if she's shring stories like that with people unpromoted... maybe a nap before she gets home, or maybe right after?
"I hope so. As much as I've come to appreciate my past, I can say it wasn't the healthiest environment to grow up in. You probably understand that, though, don't you?"
Her life is different from even that of other bats, hard but not at the same time. She's died, served in the LoA, ran her own hero team, informed her family she's retiring, and she's always had a support system even on the worst days. It's a strange feeling, and she knows she's had a lot more than her fair share of trauma, but it's hard to be bitter about her life. She chose it, over and over.
Leaving Gotham is... not something she could ever do for herself. But it's for her son, she she will.
"Dick sounds like he's had a lot of really shitty cards dealt to him. But I am sure he will be okay in the long run. Removing him from the court, letting him adjust at his own pace, and offering him a safe space and person without conditions will do a lot... a bit like a stray cat, actually. But I suppose if you're anything like my Damian, you have experience with animals too."
She gives a soft, crooked smile. You really do have such a warm heart.
She tries not to imagine her Dick in the situation you share, but she's always had an unruly imagination. She keeps her smiles in place anyway.
"Has Dick made any friends?"
"I'm...glad I have them as well. There were times I doubted my abilities to care for them- I was fairly young when I started looking out for all of them more. Father...is a busy man."
His face hardens a bit at the last part. It was certainly one way to describe him. Damian trusts his father, and his reason for being born and raised was to serve him. Even though it was at first to serve his Grandfather. His mother has said otherwise, she had him out of love, a want to have a child. Damian is still unsure if he believes that, even five years later. That always tires him, stresses him.
His eyes, notably, are a glowing green color. That of the Lazarus Pit of course. He had only been revived a few months ago after being slaughtered in that battle against Heretic. Another means of his Grandfather trying to gain control, a perfect soldier. A perfect assassin. His mother had brought him back and he...found Jason that way as well. It's always been different with him, the pit madness, it's not an anger, but more of a deeper feeling, fear maybe. He looks to Ivy as she speaks, nodding with a soft sigh.
"I hope his and your life becomes easier. I know I don't know you very well but...you seem kind."
He says softly, sad almost. The last time he'd tried to run from this life he ended up back in with his grandfather, then left to die and fight for his life in the freezing cold. If Jonathan hadn't found him...he wouldn't have lived to meet Jason, nor Dick and to find that Tim had survived. He smiles softly at the talk of Dick, nodding a little at that.
"He's learning to readjust, he's definitely more childlike than most Talons. Though, of course he's young and wasn't with them for too long. His speech can be a bit in and out, however. He...he's close with Barbara. However we're still working on possibly doing something outside of homeschooling and visiting his siblings. He mostly stays with me or Alfred during the day, as of right now. However Diana had spoken about introducing him to her younger sister, the last we spoke. I've been thinking it over."
Damian says. He's the one making a lot of the decisions in Dick's life at the moment. Bruce doesn't interact with him that often really, nor with much of the kids in general. Damian's not sure why, the man only seems to seclude himself in the cave more often than not. Damian was the one who brought Dick in anyways, so he of course is the one taking care of the boy. It's only fair.
She gives a soft snort. Busy is a nice way to put that for her Bruce, and she's pretty sure her Bruce is more present than your own.
"Isn't he always? No one feels ready or even always good at being a caretaker or rolemodel, what matters is whether you're willing to try even on the worst days... You make me think a lot of my big brothers, so I'd bet you've done a better job than you think."
Damian β this version β does make her think of her Jason and her Dick. He makes her think back to just after the returns from deaths, watching her big brothers try to salvage or destroy relationships.
She sees the green glow and has to shove her own Lazarus effects down. How dare anything do that to any version of her brother? That's unacceptable and if she could handle the problems she would.
"Thank you. I... I try. You seem very kind too."
Kind. That isn't a word she's used to being described by. She strives for it! But rarely gets told such things. No... no, it's always Ivy Wayne, the loud one. Ivy Wayne, the wold one. Ivy Wayne, the vicious one. But, if she's honest, most of her descriptors come from people who start problems that she cleans up.
Damian, however, does seem kind, taking time to help her, working with pediatrics, and just the way he speaks of his siblings says a lot. But... she is maybe a lot biased. Who knows.
She smiles, nodding as Damian speaks of Dick.
"I'm glad he's doing better and that he's made friends with Barbara. She's always seemed cool. If I remember right, Diana's sister would be Donna? That could be fun! Is it Dinah Lance or Laurel Lance here? She might have some insight into how to help him, but only if you want that. You're still the one who knows him best."
Honestly, Ivy just wants to go fight everything that has hurt you and the others before dragging you all home with her. Dad can deal with it or not. Who cares... but she knows better than that. She can't truly pull so many people through that without their consent, and Damian would likely not leave even one of the others behind. So, she will settle for being as good as she can be for Damian while she's here.
"How are you doing? Busy and tired, I'm sure, but are you enjoying any classes? Family dinners? Or maybe avoiding family dinners is more fun?"
Damian's eyes widen a bit at the compliment, not sure how to respond to the praise. His first instinct is to just curl into a ball so she won't see him, almost like he's scared of it. He just...doesn't know what to say. All he does is look down, bowing his head a bit to her in his gratitude.
"Thank you."
He says, softly and letting his hands sit on the table a bit. His hands are scarred in a way that looks violent almost, but he just begins to fidget with the various gold rings and bracelets on him. He doesn't wear them in the hospital but it's become a common practice for him to put them back on while going home. They remind him of his mother, maybe that's why.
"Dinah Lance? Yes, I do know of her. I'm not entirely connected with a lot of the JL but I will attend meetings when Father refuses to or is injured. I can ask I suppose."
He seems a bit confused, the Justice League isn't entirely connected to them really. Damian tries to maintain some sort of connection but Bruce tends to like being holed up in the cave or his study alone. This usually means Damian has to bother him about work meetings or JL things, which can be repetitive. He looks up at her, almost seeming surprised by the question, not sure how to answer, he makes a small face at the mention of family dinners.
"We don't really tend to have those...most of everyone keeps to themselves. Only me, Cassandra and Dick live in the manor. Of course and Father and Alfred...The others come and go. Jason lives there somewhat but he'll stay in safehouses around the city on occasion or sleep in Dick's room, for what Dick likes to call 'sleepunders.' I've tried to explain that they're called sleepovers but he's fairly insistent. Timothy has not returned since he...went missing of course. Father...prefers to eat in his study."
Damian describes, looking to the side a little with a soft shrug. His family has always been quite strange, and Dick also has had some eating issues in the past because of being in the court and all, so they've had to get through that process together. Damian tends to help feed Dick and eat only if the pit will let him. When he was revived everything tasted like ash for the longest time.
"I'm fine. Focusing on the others more so, they need me."
He says softly. Sure his spine still aches from being shattered and replace, and the Lazarus Pit has had some lasting effects on him, but he tries his best. Focusing on others makes it easier.
She recognizes the reaction, though seeing it on a Damian older than she is hurts more than she wants to examine. Instead of doubling down, she just keeps a smile that's warm and still crooked.
"If patterns hold, she should be a therapist here too. That might help, but it's not guaranteed."
She smiles a little. Sleepunders? How very Dick.
She shouldn't be surprised to hear Bruce is a recluse.
"Well, maybe you could start having them. If you wanted. Without da- Bruce. But you know your family best. Maybe a different activity would be better... Tim always liked tall places in my experience, you could check the clock tower? He may never return to the manner, but he's not the first."
Ivy knows the sentiment , she's lived it a very long time. She's seen what it does to people. She watched it break her brothers and her dad.
"I'm glad you're fine. Just... you know, someone really smart once told me that while others magic need you, you need you too. You're allowed to do things for you, and anyone who disagrees isn't someone who's worth your energy anyway."
Ivy keeps her voice gentle. She doesn't force eye contact or reach for him, but she wants to. There is no version of Damian that she can ignore, and this version of her will always be the eldest in her heart.
"I'm not saying you should stop showing up for your siblings. Just remember you can show up for yourself too..... which is easier said than done."
Damian hums at that, noting in his head to write down somewhere to talk to Black Canary whenever he's at the watchtower next.
He nods a little at the talk of dinners, thinking a little to himself about how that'd work. He doubts it would so maybe instead they could all spend time together differently. Damian's not sure, he'd have to work on it and scheduling can be a nightmare, but it does sound nice.
"I'll have to see what I can do. Timothy wouldn't like to be found I don't think, it's better I wait for him or JJ to come to me. I've only just been able to get them to start communicating with me digitally, and they have...Harley looking out for them right now as well."
He says softly, thinking over it all. Harley is a good person now, and even though she was with Joker in the past, before he was murdered, things have improved. Damian is still cautious, only worried for his brother...his brothers.
He glances up at Ivy with a conflicted expression, humming a bit as he fiddles with a ring on ring finger. That one's newer, one that Jonathan had bought him, he said it was just a gift but it always felt like something...more maybe. Damian can't think about whatever is going on there, he has too much going on really. He's just glad Jon is in his life again.
"I...I've looked after myself fine over the years. I'm not dead...not anymore. I'm alive and I can walk, I have that. I know it's not much, but I- I'm not entirely meant to do much besides take care of others and this city."
He looks out the window in thought, sighing deeply to himself. Damian doesn't really know what he'd do without all of his obligations and responsibilities. It's been like this entire life, he knows his purpose.
"Even if I'm not the Batman it needs...I still am tied to it all. I will serve by my Father's side until I die...again, I suppose."
"That makes sense. Harley will do what she can, I'm sure."
She's trying to be reassuring, but Harley can be hard to predict across timelines...
Ivy softens further when Damian looks to her while fiddling with his ring. She recognizes the conflicting - and she understands the words better than she wants anyone to.
"Being alive and able to walk sounds like it's a lot to you. I'm glad you have both those things. I think everyone is meant to follow their hearts, but I'm not here to change your mind on your own personal meaning."
She falls silent for a moment before she gives a sad, short laugh. You sound like Bruce - her Bruce. It's not a though she plans to share... but still.
"Batman isn't the end product the city needs, Damian. The city β and any person β needs hope. Batman and every hero, is a tool to give hope. I am sure you are a good Batman, but don't focus on being the most efficient version. Focus on being the version that you needed so you can have hope, too."
She pauses and then sighs. She is being rude, isn't she?
"I'm sorry if that was too... pushy or familiar. My Damian is the youngest, and he is very capable, but he is also my baby brother... He wants to be Batman, too. Which is a heavy title to carry."
"I don't..."
Damian begins to say before stopping himself. He's not even entirely sure he wants to be Batman, and part of that makes him afraid in a way. He takes a deep breath, trying to reorient himself.
"I've been Batman before, for a time when Father needed someone to fill the role. I wasn't...good at the job. I've gotten innocents killed, my family killed. People I was supposed to be mentoring and taking care of. When Father and he took back his rightful place, he was sure to let me know of this failure, in the way he tends to, and I'd left for a time. When I came home everything was...in disarray."
He bites down on his tongue a bit, trying to formulate his thoughts and what the actual point of telling her this is.
"I'm the heir to Batman, however I don't believe I can or should be. I've tried my best with what I have and all I can do now is improve further, it's all I really have, to be...worthy of my place here. If I had the choice, perhaps I wouldn't be attempting to fill my father's shoes. But that's not the cards I've been dealt."
He shifts a little, leaning his head on his heads, almost hiding himself behind them. Part Damian knows he shouldn't be saying these things, but he's a tired man, the days have only felt longer.
"I've been trained to become his successor, the same way I was trained to become Grandfather's. But I cannot be what Grandfather wants me to be, any time I spill the blood of another I only feel a deep shame that I've carried with me for all these years."
He sighs a bit, brushing some of his hair back and out of his face.
"The entirety of the time I've known Father he's told me I was created for the sole purpose of becoming Ra's Al Ghul's heir. That because of this, I was to reclaim that purpose and become his heir instead. It took me Twenty-One years before I learned this wasn't the truth...but even then, it's what I've been raised to do. So maybe my purpose still stands. All I know is that...I have to try. Even if I fail or...it's not I wish for myself deep down."
She falls silent, listening as her face falls carefully blank. Her eyes begin to turn green, something rising as you speak. Bruce always thinks he knows best, and he often costs things from others.
It takes a few moments of slow, careful breathing as she listens before she can respond in a calm manner. Damian certainly doesn't deserve her ire.
"We can't change the past. We don't have that ability. But I have one question, and you don't have to share the answer with me, but I'd like you to think about it."
She takes a careful breath before she asks, "If you're honest, was there anything else you could have done then knowing only what you knew then? Not what could you do looking back. With all the information you had, then, what could you have actually dome different, and would it have mattered?"
Ivy shakes her head at herself almost. "I can't undo the past, and I have tried. But Damian, you can't live in the past. That's what Bruce does. I won't sit here and tell you you've never made mistakes or that you're perfect because everyone makes mistakes and you deserve honesty..."
"Fuck dad, fuck his approval, fuck grandfather, and fuck the city. If you want to have an honest measure of if you are a good Batman? Ask the people you fought beside. Because the best batman I've seen was Dick in my world, he was there for the people and not the mission. He made mistakes, he got people killed, he even fucked up relationships in the family. But he was still a better bat."
She gives a sad smile, looking to her hands on the table. "If you're going to walk this path, do it your way. Because you are not your father, so his way won't work. That's the folly of grandfather, too, expecting an heir to be a replica instead of a tribute or a natural continuation."
Ivy β who in this world may or may not exist as one of your younger siblings or maybe not at all β has found herself yet again in the wrong dimension and run into you. She stumbles back when she runs into you, immediately starting to apologize before her eyes land on your face.
"I'm so sorry I should-"
Oh. Oh β she would know your face anywhere. You're older than her Damian though.
"- should have paid more attention... Damian?" She asks, unable to stop your name from coming out in disbelief.
You're older than not just her version of you β but older than her by at least two years, maybe a few more. You're so tall now β you bear the makes of the years. God β you look... well, she spent a long time worrying about assassination attempts on you in her world, so it's nice to see you make it to adulthood in any world.
Whether you have a younger version of her or not β she looks like a mix of Talia and Martha.
- @gothambornandraised
Damian steps back a bit, confused when the woman bumps into him and looking her over with a strange look. He seems confused, though there's a certain exhaustion permanently affixed to his face. He pauses, looking her over.
"It's...quite alright. I'm sorry do I know you?"
He questions, taking a hesitant step back while scanning her. She seems oddly familiar and they definitely look alike, those same more defining features from Talia. Damian looks somewhat like Bruce, if you look closely, though he's always been more similar to his mother. He's quite confused by why the stranger knows his name, and it only somewhat shows on his face, seeming to be much better at hiding his emotions from his facial expressions.
Damian's wearing light blue hospital scrubs with a satchel-like bag over one shoulder. His hair is still cut in a similar style as it was as a child though it seems as if he hasn't cut it in a while, also a bit messier than he'd usually keep it, not spending the time to anymore. He's around 26 years old now, and after 16 years of living in Gotham he's only really grown to be more exhausted with the life he lives, though he's forever grateful for his siblings, he finds himself being the main caretaker for most of them, especially Dick. He was on his way home from work when she bumped into him, needing to get ready for patrol around this time of night.
"No, I don't think so. I'm sorry you just look like my brother if he was suddenly in his twenties instead of almost a teen," she explains. "It's a little uncanny but Gotham and all!"
It's true, but there's more to it. The way she smiles politely but searches you for answers of any hint of where she is gives that much away. .. At least she knows you're not her Damian in the future somehow, he'd recognize her if nothing else.
She stands in what appears to he the same stance Bruce likes to teach, appearing casual but ready to fight any given moment. Her smile stays polite the whole time.
"You must just have one of those faces. Or maybe I'm more homesick than I thought and looking for similarities. Who knows?"
She tries to laugh it off, but to anyone who deals with capes or actors, it's hollow and flat. She's exhausted, and it shows in the bags beneath her eyes and the haphazard mess that is her barely restrained curls. She's got the same, barely there furrow in her brows that Bruce gets too.
Damian narrows his eyes a bit at the reaction, he almost seems ticked off but that's really just his usual expression, analyzing her a bit. He smiles politely however, which seems almost uncanny.
"Right...what a coincidence. You do look a lot like my mother. Might I ask your name?"
He questions, holding into the strap of his bag a bit tightly. He's not entirely certain what's going on, he doesn't have any biological half-sisters that he's aware of, though he doubts his mother would neglect to share that information and she has features that Damian recognizes from Father, and he knows his parents definitely haven't had another child.
This might be a multiverse situation, or perhaps it really is just a coincidence, though with how Damian's life tends to go he highly doubts that logic.
She doesn't outwardly react to the perceived glare or uncanny smile β she does however commit them to memory. How very Damian and how very strange all at once.
"Do I? Small world, I guess! I'm Ivy," She answers easily, but she leaves out any last name.
Ivy makes a decision in the span of one second to the next. If she wants to get home, she needs to find someone who can help, and so she supposes it's time to test whether you know enough to help or not.
"I don't guess you have the time do you? I have to get home by 10:48 tonight."
Hopefully the time is enough, or at least still the way to get into the cave from the clock entrance here.
She's going to kick Tim for this one. This is the last time she helps him test his contraptions. She has papers to turn in and a job to do.
Damian hums a little. Ivy, that doesn't ring any bells but it's nice to at least know who's he speaking with. Damian adjusts his posture a little, still keeping that polite smile. He's learned after years of doing Galas and now working as a nurse in a pediatric wing while he gets his degree, how to seem more friendly. He knows he's not entirely approachable usually, though he doesn't mean to be.
He freezes at the second part, eyes widening only by a hint at the time she gives. His smile falters only slightly before he fixes it and he nods a bit.
"Well, my name is Damian...Wayne, of course. I'm sure I can help if you're lost, per say. Would you like to accompany me to a more private area to speak?"
He speaks. He's definitely certain this is something to do with the multiverse, now, so he needs to get them somewhere that isn't in public like this, there's a small cafe nearby that doesn't have many people inside that Damian is sure would be more secure to speak about these matters.
"Would you like coffee?"
He says, looking towards said cafe and gesturing at it a bit.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Wayne," she smiles, and idily ponders how strange it is to call you Mr. Oh, well. Multiverse and all. "If you can help, I'd appreciate it."
She looks over to the cafe in question and looks to make sure it's a safe enough establishment. It seems empty enough, and it doesn't seem to be currently hosting a villain either. "I'd like coffee too, thank you."
She starts towards the establishment, trying to figure out how to even ask for help getting back... One thing at a time. She's already got a great start by finding one of the Bat group.
"Can I ask what ward you work in at the hospital?"
It's a surface level question, or it's meant to be, and in all honesty, she can't help the curiosity.
"Please, just call me Damian."
He's quick to say, making a bit of a face at the politeness. Damian's always felt odd about that sort of thing, he's not sure why. Though considering she's definitely family, regardless of being from a different universe, it just feels wrong.
"Of course."
Damian walks with her into the cafe, getting them a booth in the corner of the building, sitting with his back facing the wall. He like's to be able to scan an entire room like this, to make sure there are no threats. He's scanning the area as Ivy speaks again, making him pause for a moment.
"Oh, yes. I'm currently in the pediatric wing of Gotham General. I'm studying for my doctorate at the moment however, on top of the other nightly jobs my family tends to work. I'm sure you're aware?"
He raises his eyebrow a little, simply checking before he's too open with her. He's not entirely certain, so he seems to be double checking to make sure this is in fact what he's dealing with.
"Damian, then."
She's honestly glad not to have to call you Mister Wayne. She's just out of her depth and falling back any etiquette she learned.
She smiles when Damian answers, and this one is all warmth and a sort of pride even she isn't able to name. Ivy has always known her brother - that Damian is brilliant.
"That's amazing, Damian, I hope you're as proud of yourself as you should be. That doctorate is hard work, and the kids probably love having a friendly face. I know the nightly jobs can be time-consuming and make getting a degree a nightmare. There's a reason I'm retiring from that branch of the family business soon. It does have the best IT branch I've ever seen, though. " She gives a little shrug at the end.
She has no idea if you have Oracle in this world or Tim, but Bruce is usually fairly good with tech anyway, so her point still stands.
"Figures that right before I retire, my brother gets me on a wild goose chase trying to make it home. But what's a little adventure?"
Damian's eyes widen a bit and he almost seems embarrassed and off guard by the compliment. He's not entirely used to that type of attention, looking away from her with a somewhat unreadable expression as she continues speaking. He's sat fairly still, his back straight and his hands in his lap, trying to seem polite if anything.
"I don't know if I'd describe my face as friendly...but I appreciate it."
He says in response, bowing his head a little to show said appreciation. Damian's a bit surprised to hear she's retiring. It's somewhat unheard of within their family, all living their lives the way they've always lived them, fighting against the evils in this city.
"Yes...well, I'm trying my best to balance things, though my siblings tend to need my attention quite a bit as well. I would agree on that yes, some of the greatest minds I know in those areas are quite young."
He says, thinking of Babs, she's a very young girl, training to be the next Batgirl with Cass and Steph of course, though the way they met was because of her hacking skills as Oracle. Remarkable for only 10. Tim...and JJ, used to be quite skilled as well, though their ways tend to be less logical and analytical after the Joker.
"What do you plan to do? After you retire of course."
He asks, curiously.
She has to fight the urge to reach over and tussle your hair or hug you. You seem uncomfortably enough as it is, and you don't really know her anyway. Ivy settles for smiling more.
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but I'm sure you're kind to them, and that goes just as far."
She sits in a far more relaxed manner, though no less aware. She wears her openness as a different kind of front, one few think to notice or look for.
"Balancing that can be... a lot, but it can be rewarding. Siblings are the best and the worst, but hopefully, your siblings are okay for the most part. The nocturnal branch does have some very talented people. Babs and Tim have been running circles around the rest of us for years."
She pauses, trying to figure out how best to answer that question. It's been a point of conflict for the last few months back home...
She looks back to you after a moment.
"I'm going to move to California, finish my PHD, become a youth therapist with a specialty in trauma recovery, and raise my son β assuming I'm able to retire smoothly," she adds the caveat as a simple possibility.
Damian sighs, nodding a bit at that. He supposes the children seem to like him, but part of that is just his practice with Dick. He hums a bit at her words, shifting to cross his legs slightly, still tense though it's mostly just how he's always held himselfβ Perhaps not how her Damian was like, but Damian has lived a much...harder life.
"They...are, I hope. I am caring for Dick for the most part right now. Barbara whenever her father is unavailable, though she spends most of her time with Stephanie and Cassandra when she's able to come over. Jason, Cassandra, and Duke are...old enough now to not need so much attention, but I try to be as helpful as I can. Tim...he- I'm not sure where he is, but I believe he's safe. But both he and Babs are very capable people."
He says, seemingly conflicted as he thinks about them. Dick has needed the attention of course, so he mostly is caring for him if anything. But, Damian is trying to be there for all of his siblings. Jason always says he's too much of a helicopter parent, or something like that. Damian just wants to make sure everyone's alright.
Damian looks up at her again, listening to her words with a layer of curiosity and nodding a bit. His eyebrows raise slightly at the mention of a son. So her version of him is an uncle? That feels odd to think about.
"That sounds delightful, I wish you luck on your studies...may I ask how old your son is?"
He tilts his head a bit to the side though it's only slightly.
Caring for Dick? Is Dick hurt? That β right, multiverse. If Damian older than maybe ages got mixed up too. Multiverse shebang make her head hurt.
"It sounds like they're doing better than they could be. I'm sure Dick has taken to you, he... has always been friendly. If you want help locating Tim I can try? Having that many younger siblings is... a lot."
It's so strange to see Damian not just older than her but as the oldest. This version of her baby brother never had anyone besides his parents and grandfather... She's seen plenty of Damians that have never known her, but this is the first to not have any older siblings she can point to.
She lights up a little, just grateful to avoid an argument about her plans.
"Thank you! I wish you luck in yours as well. Jay is about a year old now. He's a sweet kid, and most of why I'm doing what I am instead of staying with my family and their night jobs... Gotham made me, but I'm not raising my child here when it's better for him somewhere else."
Her entire demeanor is brighter when she speaks about her son. He is β well her first baby was her Damian but he is her first official baby.
Ivy turns to glance at something outside β just a bit of movement before she turns back to you. "How old is Dick? He sounds a little younger than my brothers."
"He...has after a while. Timothy and- JJ...are alright, they don't like to be found sometimes. They have a lot going on in their past, which comes with Timothy having issues with Father and the manor, I don't blame him for it."
He mumbles the last part a bit, making a small face at the reminder of it. Damian wasn't able to save his brother- or brothers, from that fate. It was quite devastating, back when he thought Tim was dead. Now it...is just simply something new they're learning to navigate through.
"It's quite a lot yes, but...I manage. I love them dearly."
Damian says. Bruce doesn't tend to look after his own children, so Damian's always been taking care of them for the most part. Alfred is a big help of course, but with being Red Knight and his med school responsibilities, it's a bit of a struggle to juggle everything and look out for them all. It helps that most are adults now, but his family aren't amazing at taking care of themselves, even now.
He smiles when she talks about Jay, his face seeming more soft and genuine than the polite smile from before. He nods along to her words.
"I...respect that. I'm sure your son will benefit from your efforts."
Damian tells her. He's not sure he could ever leave this city again, the two year period he had left after Tim was presumed dead was the longest he stayed away from this place in the past 16 years, and he'd almost died so many times he can't count them all. It was...a bad time. Luckily Jonathan had found him eventually, convinced him to come back, to stop torturing himself. He perks up at the mention of Dick.
"Ah yes...Dick is 11 currently. He has...many problems regarding his past and all. The court of owls were involved, I'm sure you know them. We found him with them, afraid and alone. But he's...healing well now, and I'm doing my best to raise him."
Damian describes, sad at the thoughts of how scared the young boy was back then. Damian sighs, brushing his hair back a little.
"Well, parents and rolemodels are complicated to live with even at the best times. Hopefully, JJ and Tim turn up to let you know they're safe. I'm sure Dick is grateful for you though."
She doesn't ask who JJ is, which says all it needs to. She's seen plenty, forever her best, and kept going. JJ will always be a sore spot β but better a sore spot than a chasm of grief.
"I can hear it when you speak of them. Even when it's a lot, trading your siblings away sounds terrible... I think I got into a fist fight over that once actually.... nevermind. I'm just glad you have them and they have you."
Ivy must be more tired than she realized if she's shring stories like that with people unpromoted... maybe a nap before she gets home, or maybe right after?
"I hope so. As much as I've come to appreciate my past, I can say it wasn't the healthiest environment to grow up in. You probably understand that, though, don't you?"
Her life is different from even that of other bats, hard but not at the same time. She's died, served in the LoA, ran her own hero team, informed her family she's retiring, and she's always had a support system even on the worst days. It's a strange feeling, and she knows she's had a lot more than her fair share of trauma, but it's hard to be bitter about her life. She chose it, over and over.
Leaving Gotham is... not something she could ever do for herself. But it's for her son, she she will.
"Dick sounds like he's had a lot of really shitty cards dealt to him. But I am sure he will be okay in the long run. Removing him from the court, letting him adjust at his own pace, and offering him a safe space and person without conditions will do a lot... a bit like a stray cat, actually. But I suppose if you're anything like my Damian, you have experience with animals too."
She gives a soft, crooked smile. You really do have such a warm heart.
She tries not to imagine her Dick in the situation you share, but she's always had an unruly imagination. She keeps her smiles in place anyway.
"Has Dick made any friends?"
"I'm...glad I have them as well. There were times I doubted my abilities to care for them- I was fairly young when I started looking out for all of them more. Father...is a busy man."
His face hardens a bit at the last part. It was certainly one way to describe him. Damian trusts his father, and his reason for being born and raised was to serve him. Even though it was at first to serve his Grandfather. His mother has said otherwise, she had him out of love, a want to have a child. Damian is still unsure if he believes that, even five years later. That always tires him, stresses him.
His eyes, notably, are a glowing green color. That of the Lazarus Pit of course. He had only been revived a few months ago after being slaughtered in that battle against Heretic. Another means of his Grandfather trying to gain control, a perfect soldier. A perfect assassin. His mother had brought him back and he...found Jason that way as well. It's always been different with him, the pit madness, it's not an anger, but more of a deeper feeling, fear maybe. He looks to Ivy as she speaks, nodding with a soft sigh.
"I hope his and your life becomes easier. I know I don't know you very well but...you seem kind."
He says softly, sad almost. The last time he'd tried to run from this life he ended up back in with his grandfather, then left to die and fight for his life in the freezing cold. If Jonathan hadn't found him...he wouldn't have lived to meet Jason, nor Dick and to find that Tim had survived. He smiles softly at the talk of Dick, nodding a little at that.
"He's learning to readjust, he's definitely more childlike than most Talons. Though, of course he's young and wasn't with them for too long. His speech can be a bit in and out, however. He...he's close with Barbara. However we're still working on possibly doing something outside of homeschooling and visiting his siblings. He mostly stays with me or Alfred during the day, as of right now. However Diana had spoken about introducing him to her younger sister, the last we spoke. I've been thinking it over."
Damian says. He's the one making a lot of the decisions in Dick's life at the moment. Bruce doesn't interact with him that often really, nor with much of the kids in general. Damian's not sure why, the man only seems to seclude himself in the cave more often than not. Damian was the one who brought Dick in anyways, so he of course is the one taking care of the boy. It's only fair.
She gives a soft snort. Busy is a nice way to put that for her Bruce, and she's pretty sure her Bruce is more present than your own.
"Isn't he always? No one feels ready or even always good at being a caretaker or rolemodel, what matters is whether you're willing to try even on the worst days... You make me think a lot of my big brothers, so I'd bet you've done a better job than you think."
Damian β this version β does make her think of her Jason and her Dick. He makes her think back to just after the returns from deaths, watching her big brothers try to salvage or destroy relationships.
She sees the green glow and has to shove her own Lazarus effects down. How dare anything do that to any version of her brother? That's unacceptable and if she could handle the problems she would.
"Thank you. I... I try. You seem very kind too."
Kind. That isn't a word she's used to being described by. She strives for it! But rarely gets told such things. No... no, it's always Ivy Wayne, the loud one. Ivy Wayne, the wold one. Ivy Wayne, the vicious one. But, if she's honest, most of her descriptors come from people who start problems that she cleans up.
Damian, however, does seem kind, taking time to help her, working with pediatrics, and just the way he speaks of his siblings says a lot. But... she is maybe a lot biased. Who knows.
She smiles, nodding as Damian speaks of Dick.
"I'm glad he's doing better and that he's made friends with Barbara. She's always seemed cool. If I remember right, Diana's sister would be Donna? That could be fun! Is it Dinah Lance or Laurel Lance here? She might have some insight into how to help him, but only if you want that. You're still the one who knows him best."
Honestly, Ivy just wants to go fight everything that has hurt you and the others before dragging you all home with her. Dad can deal with it or not. Who cares... but she knows better than that. She can't truly pull so many people through that without their consent, and Damian would likely not leave even one of the others behind. So, she will settle for being as good as she can be for Damian while she's here.
"How are you doing? Busy and tired, I'm sure, but are you enjoying any classes? Family dinners? Or maybe avoiding family dinners is more fun?"
Damian's eyes widen a bit at the compliment, not sure how to respond to the praise. His first instinct is to just curl into a ball so she won't see him, almost like he's scared of it. He just...doesn't know what to say. All he does is look down, bowing his head a bit to her in his gratitude.
"Thank you."
He says, softly and letting his hands sit on the table a bit. His hands are scarred in a way that looks violent almost, but he just begins to fidget with the various gold rings and bracelets on him. He doesn't wear them in the hospital but it's become a common practice for him to put them back on while going home. They remind him of his mother, maybe that's why.
"Dinah Lance? Yes, I do know of her. I'm not entirely connected with a lot of the JL but I will attend meetings when Father refuses to or is injured. I can ask I suppose."
He seems a bit confused, the Justice League isn't entirely connected to them really. Damian tries to maintain some sort of connection but Bruce tends to like being holed up in the cave or his study alone. This usually means Damian has to bother him about work meetings or JL things, which can be repetitive. He looks up at her, almost seeming surprised by the question, not sure how to answer, he makes a small face at the mention of family dinners.
"We don't really tend to have those...most of everyone keeps to themselves. Only me, Cassandra and Dick live in the manor. Of course and Father and Alfred...The others come and go. Jason lives there somewhat but he'll stay in safehouses around the city on occasion or sleep in Dick's room, for what Dick likes to call 'sleepunders.' I've tried to explain that they're called sleepovers but he's fairly insistent. Timothy has not returned since he...went missing of course. Father...prefers to eat in his study."
Damian describes, looking to the side a little with a soft shrug. His family has always been quite strange, and Dick also has had some eating issues in the past because of being in the court and all, so they've had to get through that process together. Damian tends to help feed Dick and eat only if the pit will let him. When he was revived everything tasted like ash for the longest time.
"I'm fine. Focusing on the others more so, they need me."
He says softly. Sure his spine still aches from being shattered and replace, and the Lazarus Pit has had some lasting effects on him, but he tries his best. Focusing on others makes it easier.
She recognizes the reaction, though seeing it on a Damian older than she is hurts more than she wants to examine. Instead of doubling down, she just keeps a smile that's warm and still crooked.
"If patterns hold, she should be a therapist here too. That might help, but it's not guaranteed."
She smiles a little. Sleepunders? How very Dick.
She shouldn't be surprised to hear Bruce is a recluse.
"Well, maybe you could start having them. If you wanted. Without da- Bruce. But you know your family best. Maybe a different activity would be better... Tim always liked tall places in my experience, you could check the clock tower? He may never return to the manner, but he's not the first."
Ivy knows the sentiment , she's lived it a very long time. She's seen what it does to people. She watched it break her brothers and her dad.
"I'm glad you're fine. Just... you know, someone really smart once told me that while others magic need you, you need you too. You're allowed to do things for you, and anyone who disagrees isn't someone who's worth your energy anyway."
Ivy keeps her voice gentle. She doesn't force eye contact or reach for him, but she wants to. There is no version of Damian that she can ignore, and this version of her will always be the eldest in her heart.
"I'm not saying you should stop showing up for your siblings. Just remember you can show up for yourself too..... which is easier said than done."
Damian hums at that, noting in his head to write down somewhere to talk to Black Canary whenever he's at the watchtower next.
He nods a little at the talk of dinners, thinking a little to himself about how that'd work. He doubts it would so maybe instead they could all spend time together differently. Damian's not sure, he'd have to work on it and scheduling can be a nightmare, but it does sound nice.
"I'll have to see what I can do. Timothy wouldn't like to be found I don't think, it's better I wait for him or JJ to come to me. I've only just been able to get them to start communicating with me digitally, and they have...Harley looking out for them right now as well."
He says softly, thinking over it all. Harley is a good person now, and even though she was with Joker in the past, before he was murdered, things have improved. Damian is still cautious, only worried for his brother...his brothers.
He glances up at Ivy with a conflicted expression, humming a bit as he fiddles with a ring on ring finger. That one's newer, one that Jonathan had bought him, he said it was just a gift but it always felt like something...more maybe. Damian can't think about whatever is going on there, he has too much going on really. He's just glad Jon is in his life again.
"I...I've looked after myself fine over the years. I'm not dead...not anymore. I'm alive and I can walk, I have that. I know it's not much, but I- I'm not entirely meant to do much besides take care of others and this city."
He looks out the window in thought, sighing deeply to himself. Damian doesn't really know what he'd do without all of his obligations and responsibilities. It's been like this entire life, he knows his purpose.
"Even if I'm not the Batman it needs...I still am tied to it all. I will serve by my Father's side until I die...again, I suppose."
"That makes sense. Harley will do what she can, I'm sure."
She's trying to be reassuring, but Harley can be hard to predict across timelines...
Ivy softens further when Damian looks to her while fiddling with his ring. She recognizes the conflicting - and she understands the words better than she wants anyone to.
"Being alive and able to walk sounds like it's a lot to you. I'm glad you have both those things. I think everyone is meant to follow their hearts, but I'm not here to change your mind on your own personal meaning."
She falls silent for a moment before she gives a sad, short laugh. You sound like Bruce - her Bruce. It's not a though she plans to share... but still.
"Batman isn't the end product the city needs, Damian. The city β and any person β needs hope. Batman and every hero, is a tool to give hope. I am sure you are a good Batman, but don't focus on being the most efficient version. Focus on being the version that you needed so you can have hope, too."
She pauses and then sighs. She is being rude, isn't she?
"I'm sorry if that was too... pushy or familiar. My Damian is the youngest, and he is very capable, but he is also my baby brother... He wants to be Batman, too. Which is a heavy title to carry."
//GUYS
so Iβm making a list of Bruceβs kids to put in my pinned post
Reblog with βmeβ or something like that if u wanna be added<3 bc I canβt name all of u off the top of my head and Iβd love to have a list
Feel free to do this if we have or have not interacted before idm
Ivy β who in this world may or may not exist as one of your younger siblings or maybe not at all β has found herself yet again in the wrong dimension and run into you. She stumbles back when she runs into you, immediately starting to apologize before her eyes land on your face.
"I'm so sorry I should-"
Oh. Oh β she would know your face anywhere. You're older than her Damian though.
"- should have paid more attention... Damian?" She asks, unable to stop your name from coming out in disbelief.
You're older than not just her version of you β but older than her by at least two years, maybe a few more. You're so tall now β you bear the makes of the years. God β you look... well, she spent a long time worrying about assassination attempts on you in her world, so it's nice to see you make it to adulthood in any world.
Whether you have a younger version of her or not β she looks like a mix of Talia and Martha.
- @gothambornandraised
Damian steps back a bit, confused when the woman bumps into him and looking her over with a strange look. He seems confused, though there's a certain exhaustion permanently affixed to his face. He pauses, looking her over.
"It's...quite alright. I'm sorry do I know you?"
He questions, taking a hesitant step back while scanning her. She seems oddly familiar and they definitely look alike, those same more defining features from Talia. Damian looks somewhat like Bruce, if you look closely, though he's always been more similar to his mother. He's quite confused by why the stranger knows his name, and it only somewhat shows on his face, seeming to be much better at hiding his emotions from his facial expressions.
Damian's wearing light blue hospital scrubs with a satchel-like bag over one shoulder. His hair is still cut in a similar style as it was as a child though it seems as if he hasn't cut it in a while, also a bit messier than he'd usually keep it, not spending the time to anymore. He's around 26 years old now, and after 16 years of living in Gotham he's only really grown to be more exhausted with the life he lives, though he's forever grateful for his siblings, he finds himself being the main caretaker for most of them, especially Dick. He was on his way home from work when she bumped into him, needing to get ready for patrol around this time of night.
"No, I don't think so. I'm sorry you just look like my brother if he was suddenly in his twenties instead of almost a teen," she explains. "It's a little uncanny but Gotham and all!"
It's true, but there's more to it. The way she smiles politely but searches you for answers of any hint of where she is gives that much away. .. At least she knows you're not her Damian in the future somehow, he'd recognize her if nothing else.
She stands in what appears to he the same stance Bruce likes to teach, appearing casual but ready to fight any given moment. Her smile stays polite the whole time.
"You must just have one of those faces. Or maybe I'm more homesick than I thought and looking for similarities. Who knows?"
She tries to laugh it off, but to anyone who deals with capes or actors, it's hollow and flat. She's exhausted, and it shows in the bags beneath her eyes and the haphazard mess that is her barely restrained curls. She's got the same, barely there furrow in her brows that Bruce gets too.
Damian narrows his eyes a bit at the reaction, he almost seems ticked off but that's really just his usual expression, analyzing her a bit. He smiles politely however, which seems almost uncanny.
"Right...what a coincidence. You do look a lot like my mother. Might I ask your name?"
He questions, holding into the strap of his bag a bit tightly. He's not entirely certain what's going on, he doesn't have any biological half-sisters that he's aware of, though he doubts his mother would neglect to share that information and she has features that Damian recognizes from Father, and he knows his parents definitely haven't had another child.
This might be a multiverse situation, or perhaps it really is just a coincidence, though with how Damian's life tends to go he highly doubts that logic.
She doesn't outwardly react to the perceived glare or uncanny smile β she does however commit them to memory. How very Damian and how very strange all at once.
"Do I? Small world, I guess! I'm Ivy," She answers easily, but she leaves out any last name.
Ivy makes a decision in the span of one second to the next. If she wants to get home, she needs to find someone who can help, and so she supposes it's time to test whether you know enough to help or not.
"I don't guess you have the time do you? I have to get home by 10:48 tonight."
Hopefully the time is enough, or at least still the way to get into the cave from the clock entrance here.
She's going to kick Tim for this one. This is the last time she helps him test his contraptions. She has papers to turn in and a job to do.
Damian hums a little. Ivy, that doesn't ring any bells but it's nice to at least know who's he speaking with. Damian adjusts his posture a little, still keeping that polite smile. He's learned after years of doing Galas and now working as a nurse in a pediatric wing while he gets his degree, how to seem more friendly. He knows he's not entirely approachable usually, though he doesn't mean to be.
He freezes at the second part, eyes widening only by a hint at the time she gives. His smile falters only slightly before he fixes it and he nods a bit.
"Well, my name is Damian...Wayne, of course. I'm sure I can help if you're lost, per say. Would you like to accompany me to a more private area to speak?"
He speaks. He's definitely certain this is something to do with the multiverse, now, so he needs to get them somewhere that isn't in public like this, there's a small cafe nearby that doesn't have many people inside that Damian is sure would be more secure to speak about these matters.
"Would you like coffee?"
He says, looking towards said cafe and gesturing at it a bit.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Wayne," she smiles, and idily ponders how strange it is to call you Mr. Oh, well. Multiverse and all. "If you can help, I'd appreciate it."
She looks over to the cafe in question and looks to make sure it's a safe enough establishment. It seems empty enough, and it doesn't seem to be currently hosting a villain either. "I'd like coffee too, thank you."
She starts towards the establishment, trying to figure out how to even ask for help getting back... One thing at a time. She's already got a great start by finding one of the Bat group.
"Can I ask what ward you work in at the hospital?"
It's a surface level question, or it's meant to be, and in all honesty, she can't help the curiosity.
"Please, just call me Damian."
He's quick to say, making a bit of a face at the politeness. Damian's always felt odd about that sort of thing, he's not sure why. Though considering she's definitely family, regardless of being from a different universe, it just feels wrong.
"Of course."
Damian walks with her into the cafe, getting them a booth in the corner of the building, sitting with his back facing the wall. He like's to be able to scan an entire room like this, to make sure there are no threats. He's scanning the area as Ivy speaks again, making him pause for a moment.
"Oh, yes. I'm currently in the pediatric wing of Gotham General. I'm studying for my doctorate at the moment however, on top of the other nightly jobs my family tends to work. I'm sure you're aware?"
He raises his eyebrow a little, simply checking before he's too open with her. He's not entirely certain, so he seems to be double checking to make sure this is in fact what he's dealing with.
"Damian, then."
She's honestly glad not to have to call you Mister Wayne. She's just out of her depth and falling back any etiquette she learned.
She smiles when Damian answers, and this one is all warmth and a sort of pride even she isn't able to name. Ivy has always known her brother - that Damian is brilliant.
"That's amazing, Damian, I hope you're as proud of yourself as you should be. That doctorate is hard work, and the kids probably love having a friendly face. I know the nightly jobs can be time-consuming and make getting a degree a nightmare. There's a reason I'm retiring from that branch of the family business soon. It does have the best IT branch I've ever seen, though. " She gives a little shrug at the end.
She has no idea if you have Oracle in this world or Tim, but Bruce is usually fairly good with tech anyway, so her point still stands.
"Figures that right before I retire, my brother gets me on a wild goose chase trying to make it home. But what's a little adventure?"
Damian's eyes widen a bit and he almost seems embarrassed and off guard by the compliment. He's not entirely used to that type of attention, looking away from her with a somewhat unreadable expression as she continues speaking. He's sat fairly still, his back straight and his hands in his lap, trying to seem polite if anything.
"I don't know if I'd describe my face as friendly...but I appreciate it."
He says in response, bowing his head a little to show said appreciation. Damian's a bit surprised to hear she's retiring. It's somewhat unheard of within their family, all living their lives the way they've always lived them, fighting against the evils in this city.
"Yes...well, I'm trying my best to balance things, though my siblings tend to need my attention quite a bit as well. I would agree on that yes, some of the greatest minds I know in those areas are quite young."
He says, thinking of Babs, she's a very young girl, training to be the next Batgirl with Cass and Steph of course, though the way they met was because of her hacking skills as Oracle. Remarkable for only 10. Tim...and JJ, used to be quite skilled as well, though their ways tend to be less logical and analytical after the Joker.
"What do you plan to do? After you retire of course."
He asks, curiously.
She has to fight the urge to reach over and tussle your hair or hug you. You seem uncomfortably enough as it is, and you don't really know her anyway. Ivy settles for smiling more.
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but I'm sure you're kind to them, and that goes just as far."
She sits in a far more relaxed manner, though no less aware. She wears her openness as a different kind of front, one few think to notice or look for.
"Balancing that can be... a lot, but it can be rewarding. Siblings are the best and the worst, but hopefully, your siblings are okay for the most part. The nocturnal branch does have some very talented people. Babs and Tim have been running circles around the rest of us for years."
She pauses, trying to figure out how best to answer that question. It's been a point of conflict for the last few months back home...
She looks back to you after a moment.
"I'm going to move to California, finish my PHD, become a youth therapist with a specialty in trauma recovery, and raise my son β assuming I'm able to retire smoothly," she adds the caveat as a simple possibility.
Damian sighs, nodding a bit at that. He supposes the children seem to like him, but part of that is just his practice with Dick. He hums a bit at her words, shifting to cross his legs slightly, still tense though it's mostly just how he's always held himselfβ Perhaps not how her Damian was like, but Damian has lived a much...harder life.
"They...are, I hope. I am caring for Dick for the most part right now. Barbara whenever her father is unavailable, though she spends most of her time with Stephanie and Cassandra when she's able to come over. Jason, Cassandra, and Duke are...old enough now to not need so much attention, but I try to be as helpful as I can. Tim...he- I'm not sure where he is, but I believe he's safe. But both he and Babs are very capable people."
He says, seemingly conflicted as he thinks about them. Dick has needed the attention of course, so he mostly is caring for him if anything. But, Damian is trying to be there for all of his siblings. Jason always says he's too much of a helicopter parent, or something like that. Damian just wants to make sure everyone's alright.
Damian looks up at her again, listening to her words with a layer of curiosity and nodding a bit. His eyebrows raise slightly at the mention of a son. So her version of him is an uncle? That feels odd to think about.
"That sounds delightful, I wish you luck on your studies...may I ask how old your son is?"
He tilts his head a bit to the side though it's only slightly.
Caring for Dick? Is Dick hurt? That β right, multiverse. If Damian older than maybe ages got mixed up too. Multiverse shebang make her head hurt.
"It sounds like they're doing better than they could be. I'm sure Dick has taken to you, he... has always been friendly. If you want help locating Tim I can try? Having that many younger siblings is... a lot."
It's so strange to see Damian not just older than her but as the oldest. This version of her baby brother never had anyone besides his parents and grandfather... She's seen plenty of Damians that have never known her, but this is the first to not have any older siblings she can point to.
She lights up a little, just grateful to avoid an argument about her plans.
"Thank you! I wish you luck in yours as well. Jay is about a year old now. He's a sweet kid, and most of why I'm doing what I am instead of staying with my family and their night jobs... Gotham made me, but I'm not raising my child here when it's better for him somewhere else."
Her entire demeanor is brighter when she speaks about her son. He is β well her first baby was her Damian but he is her first official baby.
Ivy turns to glance at something outside β just a bit of movement before she turns back to you. "How old is Dick? He sounds a little younger than my brothers."
"He...has after a while. Timothy and- JJ...are alright, they don't like to be found sometimes. They have a lot going on in their past, which comes with Timothy having issues with Father and the manor, I don't blame him for it."
He mumbles the last part a bit, making a small face at the reminder of it. Damian wasn't able to save his brother- or brothers, from that fate. It was quite devastating, back when he thought Tim was dead. Now it...is just simply something new they're learning to navigate through.
"It's quite a lot yes, but...I manage. I love them dearly."
Damian says. Bruce doesn't tend to look after his own children, so Damian's always been taking care of them for the most part. Alfred is a big help of course, but with being Red Knight and his med school responsibilities, it's a bit of a struggle to juggle everything and look out for them all. It helps that most are adults now, but his family aren't amazing at taking care of themselves, even now.
He smiles when she talks about Jay, his face seeming more soft and genuine than the polite smile from before. He nods along to her words.
"I...respect that. I'm sure your son will benefit from your efforts."
Damian tells her. He's not sure he could ever leave this city again, the two year period he had left after Tim was presumed dead was the longest he stayed away from this place in the past 16 years, and he'd almost died so many times he can't count them all. It was...a bad time. Luckily Jonathan had found him eventually, convinced him to come back, to stop torturing himself. He perks up at the mention of Dick.
"Ah yes...Dick is 11 currently. He has...many problems regarding his past and all. The court of owls were involved, I'm sure you know them. We found him with them, afraid and alone. But he's...healing well now, and I'm doing my best to raise him."
Damian describes, sad at the thoughts of how scared the young boy was back then. Damian sighs, brushing his hair back a little.
"Well, parents and rolemodels are complicated to live with even at the best times. Hopefully, JJ and Tim turn up to let you know they're safe. I'm sure Dick is grateful for you though."
She doesn't ask who JJ is, which says all it needs to. She's seen plenty, forever her best, and kept going. JJ will always be a sore spot β but better a sore spot than a chasm of grief.
"I can hear it when you speak of them. Even when it's a lot, trading your siblings away sounds terrible... I think I got into a fist fight over that once actually.... nevermind. I'm just glad you have them and they have you."
Ivy must be more tired than she realized if she's shring stories like that with people unpromoted... maybe a nap before she gets home, or maybe right after?
"I hope so. As much as I've come to appreciate my past, I can say it wasn't the healthiest environment to grow up in. You probably understand that, though, don't you?"
Her life is different from even that of other bats, hard but not at the same time. She's died, served in the LoA, ran her own hero team, informed her family she's retiring, and she's always had a support system even on the worst days. It's a strange feeling, and she knows she's had a lot more than her fair share of trauma, but it's hard to be bitter about her life. She chose it, over and over.
Leaving Gotham is... not something she could ever do for herself. But it's for her son, she she will.
"Dick sounds like he's had a lot of really shitty cards dealt to him. But I am sure he will be okay in the long run. Removing him from the court, letting him adjust at his own pace, and offering him a safe space and person without conditions will do a lot... a bit like a stray cat, actually. But I suppose if you're anything like my Damian, you have experience with animals too."
She gives a soft, crooked smile. You really do have such a warm heart.
She tries not to imagine her Dick in the situation you share, but she's always had an unruly imagination. She keeps her smiles in place anyway.
"Has Dick made any friends?"
"I'm...glad I have them as well. There were times I doubted my abilities to care for them- I was fairly young when I started looking out for all of them more. Father...is a busy man."
His face hardens a bit at the last part. It was certainly one way to describe him. Damian trusts his father, and his reason for being born and raised was to serve him. Even though it was at first to serve his Grandfather. His mother has said otherwise, she had him out of love, a want to have a child. Damian is still unsure if he believes that, even five years later. That always tires him, stresses him.
His eyes, notably, are a glowing green color. That of the Lazarus Pit of course. He had only been revived a few months ago after being slaughtered in that battle against Heretic. Another means of his Grandfather trying to gain control, a perfect soldier. A perfect assassin. His mother had brought him back and he...found Jason that way as well. It's always been different with him, the pit madness, it's not an anger, but more of a deeper feeling, fear maybe. He looks to Ivy as she speaks, nodding with a soft sigh.
"I hope his and your life becomes easier. I know I don't know you very well but...you seem kind."
He says softly, sad almost. The last time he'd tried to run from this life he ended up back in with his grandfather, then left to die and fight for his life in the freezing cold. If Jonathan hadn't found him...he wouldn't have lived to meet Jason, nor Dick and to find that Tim had survived. He smiles softly at the talk of Dick, nodding a little at that.
"He's learning to readjust, he's definitely more childlike than most Talons. Though, of course he's young and wasn't with them for too long. His speech can be a bit in and out, however. He...he's close with Barbara. However we're still working on possibly doing something outside of homeschooling and visiting his siblings. He mostly stays with me or Alfred during the day, as of right now. However Diana had spoken about introducing him to her younger sister, the last we spoke. I've been thinking it over."
Damian says. He's the one making a lot of the decisions in Dick's life at the moment. Bruce doesn't interact with him that often really, nor with much of the kids in general. Damian's not sure why, the man only seems to seclude himself in the cave more often than not. Damian was the one who brought Dick in anyways, so he of course is the one taking care of the boy. It's only fair.
She gives a soft snort. Busy is a nice way to put that for her Bruce, and she's pretty sure her Bruce is more present than your own.
"Isn't he always? No one feels ready or even always good at being a caretaker or rolemodel, what matters is whether you're willing to try even on the worst days... You make me think a lot of my big brothers, so I'd bet you've done a better job than you think."
Damian β this version β does make her think of her Jason and her Dick. He makes her think back to just after the returns from deaths, watching her big brothers try to salvage or destroy relationships.
She sees the green glow and has to shove her own Lazarus effects down. How dare anything do that to any version of her brother? That's unacceptable and if she could handle the problems she would.
"Thank you. I... I try. You seem very kind too."
Kind. That isn't a word she's used to being described by. She strives for it! But rarely gets told such things. No... no, it's always Ivy Wayne, the loud one. Ivy Wayne, the wold one. Ivy Wayne, the vicious one. But, if she's honest, most of her descriptors come from people who start problems that she cleans up.
Damian, however, does seem kind, taking time to help her, working with pediatrics, and just the way he speaks of his siblings says a lot. But... she is maybe a lot biased. Who knows.
She smiles, nodding as Damian speaks of Dick.
"I'm glad he's doing better and that he's made friends with Barbara. She's always seemed cool. If I remember right, Diana's sister would be Donna? That could be fun! Is it Dinah Lance or Laurel Lance here? She might have some insight into how to help him, but only if you want that. You're still the one who knows him best."
Honestly, Ivy just wants to go fight everything that has hurt you and the others before dragging you all home with her. Dad can deal with it or not. Who cares... but she knows better than that. She can't truly pull so many people through that without their consent, and Damian would likely not leave even one of the others behind. So, she will settle for being as good as she can be for Damian while she's here.
"How are you doing? Busy and tired, I'm sure, but are you enjoying any classes? Family dinners? Or maybe avoiding family dinners is more fun?"
Damian's eyes widen a bit at the compliment, not sure how to respond to the praise. His first instinct is to just curl into a ball so she won't see him, almost like he's scared of it. He just...doesn't know what to say. All he does is look down, bowing his head a bit to her in his gratitude.
"Thank you."
He says, softly and letting his hands sit on the table a bit. His hands are scarred in a way that looks violent almost, but he just begins to fidget with the various gold rings and bracelets on him. He doesn't wear them in the hospital but it's become a common practice for him to put them back on while going home. They remind him of his mother, maybe that's why.
"Dinah Lance? Yes, I do know of her. I'm not entirely connected with a lot of the JL but I will attend meetings when Father refuses to or is injured. I can ask I suppose."
He seems a bit confused, the Justice League isn't entirely connected to them really. Damian tries to maintain some sort of connection but Bruce tends to like being holed up in the cave or his study alone. This usually means Damian has to bother him about work meetings or JL things, which can be repetitive. He looks up at her, almost seeming surprised by the question, not sure how to answer, he makes a small face at the mention of family dinners.
"We don't really tend to have those...most of everyone keeps to themselves. Only me, Cassandra and Dick live in the manor. Of course and Father and Alfred...The others come and go. Jason lives there somewhat but he'll stay in safehouses around the city on occasion or sleep in Dick's room, for what Dick likes to call 'sleepunders.' I've tried to explain that they're called sleepovers but he's fairly insistent. Timothy has not returned since he...went missing of course. Father...prefers to eat in his study."
Damian describes, looking to the side a little with a soft shrug. His family has always been quite strange, and Dick also has had some eating issues in the past because of being in the court and all, so they've had to get through that process together. Damian tends to help feed Dick and eat only if the pit will let him. When he was revived everything tasted like ash for the longest time.
"I'm fine. Focusing on the others more so, they need me."
He says softly. Sure his spine still aches from being shattered and replace, and the Lazarus Pit has had some lasting effects on him, but he tries his best. Focusing on others makes it easier.
She recognizes the reaction, though seeing it on a Damian older than she is hurts more than she wants to examine. Instead of doubling down, she just keeps a smile that's warm and still crooked.
"If patterns hold, she should be a therapist here too. That might help, but it's not guaranteed."
She smiles a little. Sleepunders? How very Dick.
She shouldn't be surprised to hear Bruce is a recluse.
"Well, maybe you could start having them. If you wanted. Without da- Bruce. But you know your family best. Maybe a different activity would be better... Tim always liked tall places in my experience, you could check the clock tower? He may never return to the manner, but he's not the first."
Ivy knows the sentiment , she's lived it a very long time. She's seen what it does to people. She watched it break her brothers and her dad.
"I'm glad you're fine. Just... you know, someone really smart once told me that while others magic need you, you need you too. You're allowed to do things for you, and anyone who disagrees isn't someone who's worth your energy anyway."
Ivy keeps her voice gentle. She doesn't force eye contact or reach for him, but she wants to. There is no version of Damian that she can ignore, and this version of her will always be the eldest in her heart.
"I'm not saying you should stop showing up for your siblings. Just remember you can show up for yourself too..... which is easier said than done."
Ivy β who in this world may or may not exist as one of your younger siblings or maybe not at all β has found herself yet again in the wrong dimension and run into you. She stumbles back when she runs into you, immediately starting to apologize before her eyes land on your face.
"I'm so sorry I should-"
Oh. Oh β she would know your face anywhere. You're older than her Damian though.
"- should have paid more attention... Damian?" She asks, unable to stop your name from coming out in disbelief.
You're older than not just her version of you β but older than her by at least two years, maybe a few more. You're so tall now β you bear the makes of the years. God β you look... well, she spent a long time worrying about assassination attempts on you in her world, so it's nice to see you make it to adulthood in any world.
Whether you have a younger version of her or not β she looks like a mix of Talia and Martha.
- @gothambornandraised
Damian steps back a bit, confused when the woman bumps into him and looking her over with a strange look. He seems confused, though there's a certain exhaustion permanently affixed to his face. He pauses, looking her over.
"It's...quite alright. I'm sorry do I know you?"
He questions, taking a hesitant step back while scanning her. She seems oddly familiar and they definitely look alike, those same more defining features from Talia. Damian looks somewhat like Bruce, if you look closely, though he's always been more similar to his mother. He's quite confused by why the stranger knows his name, and it only somewhat shows on his face, seeming to be much better at hiding his emotions from his facial expressions.
Damian's wearing light blue hospital scrubs with a satchel-like bag over one shoulder. His hair is still cut in a similar style as it was as a child though it seems as if he hasn't cut it in a while, also a bit messier than he'd usually keep it, not spending the time to anymore. He's around 26 years old now, and after 16 years of living in Gotham he's only really grown to be more exhausted with the life he lives, though he's forever grateful for his siblings, he finds himself being the main caretaker for most of them, especially Dick. He was on his way home from work when she bumped into him, needing to get ready for patrol around this time of night.
"No, I don't think so. I'm sorry you just look like my brother if he was suddenly in his twenties instead of almost a teen," she explains. "It's a little uncanny but Gotham and all!"
It's true, but there's more to it. The way she smiles politely but searches you for answers of any hint of where she is gives that much away. .. At least she knows you're not her Damian in the future somehow, he'd recognize her if nothing else.
She stands in what appears to he the same stance Bruce likes to teach, appearing casual but ready to fight any given moment. Her smile stays polite the whole time.
"You must just have one of those faces. Or maybe I'm more homesick than I thought and looking for similarities. Who knows?"
She tries to laugh it off, but to anyone who deals with capes or actors, it's hollow and flat. She's exhausted, and it shows in the bags beneath her eyes and the haphazard mess that is her barely restrained curls. She's got the same, barely there furrow in her brows that Bruce gets too.
Damian narrows his eyes a bit at the reaction, he almost seems ticked off but that's really just his usual expression, analyzing her a bit. He smiles politely however, which seems almost uncanny.
"Right...what a coincidence. You do look a lot like my mother. Might I ask your name?"
He questions, holding into the strap of his bag a bit tightly. He's not entirely certain what's going on, he doesn't have any biological half-sisters that he's aware of, though he doubts his mother would neglect to share that information and she has features that Damian recognizes from Father, and he knows his parents definitely haven't had another child.
This might be a multiverse situation, or perhaps it really is just a coincidence, though with how Damian's life tends to go he highly doubts that logic.
She doesn't outwardly react to the perceived glare or uncanny smile β she does however commit them to memory. How very Damian and how very strange all at once.
"Do I? Small world, I guess! I'm Ivy," She answers easily, but she leaves out any last name.
Ivy makes a decision in the span of one second to the next. If she wants to get home, she needs to find someone who can help, and so she supposes it's time to test whether you know enough to help or not.
"I don't guess you have the time do you? I have to get home by 10:48 tonight."
Hopefully the time is enough, or at least still the way to get into the cave from the clock entrance here.
She's going to kick Tim for this one. This is the last time she helps him test his contraptions. She has papers to turn in and a job to do.
Damian hums a little. Ivy, that doesn't ring any bells but it's nice to at least know who's he speaking with. Damian adjusts his posture a little, still keeping that polite smile. He's learned after years of doing Galas and now working as a nurse in a pediatric wing while he gets his degree, how to seem more friendly. He knows he's not entirely approachable usually, though he doesn't mean to be.
He freezes at the second part, eyes widening only by a hint at the time she gives. His smile falters only slightly before he fixes it and he nods a bit.
"Well, my name is Damian...Wayne, of course. I'm sure I can help if you're lost, per say. Would you like to accompany me to a more private area to speak?"
He speaks. He's definitely certain this is something to do with the multiverse, now, so he needs to get them somewhere that isn't in public like this, there's a small cafe nearby that doesn't have many people inside that Damian is sure would be more secure to speak about these matters.
"Would you like coffee?"
He says, looking towards said cafe and gesturing at it a bit.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Wayne," she smiles, and idily ponders how strange it is to call you Mr. Oh, well. Multiverse and all. "If you can help, I'd appreciate it."
She looks over to the cafe in question and looks to make sure it's a safe enough establishment. It seems empty enough, and it doesn't seem to be currently hosting a villain either. "I'd like coffee too, thank you."
She starts towards the establishment, trying to figure out how to even ask for help getting back... One thing at a time. She's already got a great start by finding one of the Bat group.
"Can I ask what ward you work in at the hospital?"
It's a surface level question, or it's meant to be, and in all honesty, she can't help the curiosity.
"Please, just call me Damian."
He's quick to say, making a bit of a face at the politeness. Damian's always felt odd about that sort of thing, he's not sure why. Though considering she's definitely family, regardless of being from a different universe, it just feels wrong.
"Of course."
Damian walks with her into the cafe, getting them a booth in the corner of the building, sitting with his back facing the wall. He like's to be able to scan an entire room like this, to make sure there are no threats. He's scanning the area as Ivy speaks again, making him pause for a moment.
"Oh, yes. I'm currently in the pediatric wing of Gotham General. I'm studying for my doctorate at the moment however, on top of the other nightly jobs my family tends to work. I'm sure you're aware?"
He raises his eyebrow a little, simply checking before he's too open with her. He's not entirely certain, so he seems to be double checking to make sure this is in fact what he's dealing with.
"Damian, then."
She's honestly glad not to have to call you Mister Wayne. She's just out of her depth and falling back any etiquette she learned.
She smiles when Damian answers, and this one is all warmth and a sort of pride even she isn't able to name. Ivy has always known her brother - that Damian is brilliant.
"That's amazing, Damian, I hope you're as proud of yourself as you should be. That doctorate is hard work, and the kids probably love having a friendly face. I know the nightly jobs can be time-consuming and make getting a degree a nightmare. There's a reason I'm retiring from that branch of the family business soon. It does have the best IT branch I've ever seen, though. " She gives a little shrug at the end.
She has no idea if you have Oracle in this world or Tim, but Bruce is usually fairly good with tech anyway, so her point still stands.
"Figures that right before I retire, my brother gets me on a wild goose chase trying to make it home. But what's a little adventure?"
Damian's eyes widen a bit and he almost seems embarrassed and off guard by the compliment. He's not entirely used to that type of attention, looking away from her with a somewhat unreadable expression as she continues speaking. He's sat fairly still, his back straight and his hands in his lap, trying to seem polite if anything.
"I don't know if I'd describe my face as friendly...but I appreciate it."
He says in response, bowing his head a little to show said appreciation. Damian's a bit surprised to hear she's retiring. It's somewhat unheard of within their family, all living their lives the way they've always lived them, fighting against the evils in this city.
"Yes...well, I'm trying my best to balance things, though my siblings tend to need my attention quite a bit as well. I would agree on that yes, some of the greatest minds I know in those areas are quite young."
He says, thinking of Babs, she's a very young girl, training to be the next Batgirl with Cass and Steph of course, though the way they met was because of her hacking skills as Oracle. Remarkable for only 10. Tim...and JJ, used to be quite skilled as well, though their ways tend to be less logical and analytical after the Joker.
"What do you plan to do? After you retire of course."
He asks, curiously.
She has to fight the urge to reach over and tussle your hair or hug you. You seem uncomfortably enough as it is, and you don't really know her anyway. Ivy settles for smiling more.
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but I'm sure you're kind to them, and that goes just as far."
She sits in a far more relaxed manner, though no less aware. She wears her openness as a different kind of front, one few think to notice or look for.
"Balancing that can be... a lot, but it can be rewarding. Siblings are the best and the worst, but hopefully, your siblings are okay for the most part. The nocturnal branch does have some very talented people. Babs and Tim have been running circles around the rest of us for years."
She pauses, trying to figure out how best to answer that question. It's been a point of conflict for the last few months back home...
She looks back to you after a moment.
"I'm going to move to California, finish my PHD, become a youth therapist with a specialty in trauma recovery, and raise my son β assuming I'm able to retire smoothly," she adds the caveat as a simple possibility.
Damian sighs, nodding a bit at that. He supposes the children seem to like him, but part of that is just his practice with Dick. He hums a bit at her words, shifting to cross his legs slightly, still tense though it's mostly just how he's always held himselfβ Perhaps not how her Damian was like, but Damian has lived a much...harder life.
"They...are, I hope. I am caring for Dick for the most part right now. Barbara whenever her father is unavailable, though she spends most of her time with Stephanie and Cassandra when she's able to come over. Jason, Cassandra, and Duke are...old enough now to not need so much attention, but I try to be as helpful as I can. Tim...he- I'm not sure where he is, but I believe he's safe. But both he and Babs are very capable people."
He says, seemingly conflicted as he thinks about them. Dick has needed the attention of course, so he mostly is caring for him if anything. But, Damian is trying to be there for all of his siblings. Jason always says he's too much of a helicopter parent, or something like that. Damian just wants to make sure everyone's alright.
Damian looks up at her again, listening to her words with a layer of curiosity and nodding a bit. His eyebrows raise slightly at the mention of a son. So her version of him is an uncle? That feels odd to think about.
"That sounds delightful, I wish you luck on your studies...may I ask how old your son is?"
He tilts his head a bit to the side though it's only slightly.
Caring for Dick? Is Dick hurt? That β right, multiverse. If Damian older than maybe ages got mixed up too. Multiverse shebang make her head hurt.
"It sounds like they're doing better than they could be. I'm sure Dick has taken to you, he... has always been friendly. If you want help locating Tim I can try? Having that many younger siblings is... a lot."
It's so strange to see Damian not just older than her but as the oldest. This version of her baby brother never had anyone besides his parents and grandfather... She's seen plenty of Damians that have never known her, but this is the first to not have any older siblings she can point to.
She lights up a little, just grateful to avoid an argument about her plans.
"Thank you! I wish you luck in yours as well. Jay is about a year old now. He's a sweet kid, and most of why I'm doing what I am instead of staying with my family and their night jobs... Gotham made me, but I'm not raising my child here when it's better for him somewhere else."
Her entire demeanor is brighter when she speaks about her son. He is β well her first baby was her Damian but he is her first official baby.
Ivy turns to glance at something outside β just a bit of movement before she turns back to you. "How old is Dick? He sounds a little younger than my brothers."
"He...has after a while. Timothy and- JJ...are alright, they don't like to be found sometimes. They have a lot going on in their past, which comes with Timothy having issues with Father and the manor, I don't blame him for it."
He mumbles the last part a bit, making a small face at the reminder of it. Damian wasn't able to save his brother- or brothers, from that fate. It was quite devastating, back when he thought Tim was dead. Now it...is just simply something new they're learning to navigate through.
"It's quite a lot yes, but...I manage. I love them dearly."
Damian says. Bruce doesn't tend to look after his own children, so Damian's always been taking care of them for the most part. Alfred is a big help of course, but with being Red Knight and his med school responsibilities, it's a bit of a struggle to juggle everything and look out for them all. It helps that most are adults now, but his family aren't amazing at taking care of themselves, even now.
He smiles when she talks about Jay, his face seeming more soft and genuine than the polite smile from before. He nods along to her words.
"I...respect that. I'm sure your son will benefit from your efforts."
Damian tells her. He's not sure he could ever leave this city again, the two year period he had left after Tim was presumed dead was the longest he stayed away from this place in the past 16 years, and he'd almost died so many times he can't count them all. It was...a bad time. Luckily Jonathan had found him eventually, convinced him to come back, to stop torturing himself. He perks up at the mention of Dick.
"Ah yes...Dick is 11 currently. He has...many problems regarding his past and all. The court of owls were involved, I'm sure you know them. We found him with them, afraid and alone. But he's...healing well now, and I'm doing my best to raise him."
Damian describes, sad at the thoughts of how scared the young boy was back then. Damian sighs, brushing his hair back a little.
"Well, parents and rolemodels are complicated to live with even at the best times. Hopefully, JJ and Tim turn up to let you know they're safe. I'm sure Dick is grateful for you though."
She doesn't ask who JJ is, which says all it needs to. She's seen plenty, forever her best, and kept going. JJ will always be a sore spot β but better a sore spot than a chasm of grief.
"I can hear it when you speak of them. Even when it's a lot, trading your siblings away sounds terrible... I think I got into a fist fight over that once actually.... nevermind. I'm just glad you have them and they have you."
Ivy must be more tired than she realized if she's shring stories like that with people unpromoted... maybe a nap before she gets home, or maybe right after?
"I hope so. As much as I've come to appreciate my past, I can say it wasn't the healthiest environment to grow up in. You probably understand that, though, don't you?"
Her life is different from even that of other bats, hard but not at the same time. She's died, served in the LoA, ran her own hero team, informed her family she's retiring, and she's always had a support system even on the worst days. It's a strange feeling, and she knows she's had a lot more than her fair share of trauma, but it's hard to be bitter about her life. She chose it, over and over.
Leaving Gotham is... not something she could ever do for herself. But it's for her son, she she will.
"Dick sounds like he's had a lot of really shitty cards dealt to him. But I am sure he will be okay in the long run. Removing him from the court, letting him adjust at his own pace, and offering him a safe space and person without conditions will do a lot... a bit like a stray cat, actually. But I suppose if you're anything like my Damian, you have experience with animals too."
She gives a soft, crooked smile. You really do have such a warm heart.
She tries not to imagine her Dick in the situation you share, but she's always had an unruly imagination. She keeps her smiles in place anyway.
"Has Dick made any friends?"
"I'm...glad I have them as well. There were times I doubted my abilities to care for them- I was fairly young when I started looking out for all of them more. Father...is a busy man."
His face hardens a bit at the last part. It was certainly one way to describe him. Damian trusts his father, and his reason for being born and raised was to serve him. Even though it was at first to serve his Grandfather. His mother has said otherwise, she had him out of love, a want to have a child. Damian is still unsure if he believes that, even five years later. That always tires him, stresses him.
His eyes, notably, are a glowing green color. That of the Lazarus Pit of course. He had only been revived a few months ago after being slaughtered in that battle against Heretic. Another means of his Grandfather trying to gain control, a perfect soldier. A perfect assassin. His mother had brought him back and he...found Jason that way as well. It's always been different with him, the pit madness, it's not an anger, but more of a deeper feeling, fear maybe. He looks to Ivy as she speaks, nodding with a soft sigh.
"I hope his and your life becomes easier. I know I don't know you very well but...you seem kind."
He says softly, sad almost. The last time he'd tried to run from this life he ended up back in with his grandfather, then left to die and fight for his life in the freezing cold. If Jonathan hadn't found him...he wouldn't have lived to meet Jason, nor Dick and to find that Tim had survived. He smiles softly at the talk of Dick, nodding a little at that.
"He's learning to readjust, he's definitely more childlike than most Talons. Though, of course he's young and wasn't with them for too long. His speech can be a bit in and out, however. He...he's close with Barbara. However we're still working on possibly doing something outside of homeschooling and visiting his siblings. He mostly stays with me or Alfred during the day, as of right now. However Diana had spoken about introducing him to her younger sister, the last we spoke. I've been thinking it over."
Damian says. He's the one making a lot of the decisions in Dick's life at the moment. Bruce doesn't interact with him that often really, nor with much of the kids in general. Damian's not sure why, the man only seems to seclude himself in the cave more often than not. Damian was the one who brought Dick in anyways, so he of course is the one taking care of the boy. It's only fair.
She gives a soft snort. Busy is a nice way to put that for her Bruce, and she's pretty sure her Bruce is more present than your own.
"Isn't he always? No one feels ready or even always good at being a caretaker or rolemodel, what matters is whether you're willing to try even on the worst days... You make me think a lot of my big brothers, so I'd bet you've done a better job than you think."
Damian β this version β does make her think of her Jason and her Dick. He makes her think back to just after the returns from deaths, watching her big brothers try to salvage or destroy relationships.
She sees the green glow and has to shove her own Lazarus effects down. How dare anything do that to any version of her brother? That's unacceptable and if she could handle the problems she would.
"Thank you. I... I try. You seem very kind too."
Kind. That isn't a word she's used to being described by. She strives for it! But rarely gets told such things. No... no, it's always Ivy Wayne, the loud one. Ivy Wayne, the wold one. Ivy Wayne, the vicious one. But, if she's honest, most of her descriptors come from people who start problems that she cleans up.
Damian, however, does seem kind, taking time to help her, working with pediatrics, and just the way he speaks of his siblings says a lot. But... she is maybe a lot biased. Who knows.
She smiles, nodding as Damian speaks of Dick.
"I'm glad he's doing better and that he's made friends with Barbara. She's always seemed cool. If I remember right, Diana's sister would be Donna? That could be fun! Is it Dinah Lance or Laurel Lance here? She might have some insight into how to help him, but only if you want that. You're still the one who knows him best."
Honestly, Ivy just wants to go fight everything that has hurt you and the others before dragging you all home with her. Dad can deal with it or not. Who cares... but she knows better than that. She can't truly pull so many people through that without their consent, and Damian would likely not leave even one of the others behind. So, she will settle for being as good as she can be for Damian while she's here.
"How are you doing? Busy and tired, I'm sure, but are you enjoying any classes? Family dinners? Or maybe avoiding family dinners is more fun?"
Ivy β who in this world may or may not exist as one of your younger siblings or maybe not at all β has found herself yet again in the wrong dimension and run into you. She stumbles back when she runs into you, immediately starting to apologize before her eyes land on your face.
"I'm so sorry I should-"
Oh. Oh β she would know your face anywhere. You're older than her Damian though.
"- should have paid more attention... Damian?" She asks, unable to stop your name from coming out in disbelief.
You're older than not just her version of you β but older than her by at least two years, maybe a few more. You're so tall now β you bear the makes of the years. God β you look... well, she spent a long time worrying about assassination attempts on you in her world, so it's nice to see you make it to adulthood in any world.
Whether you have a younger version of her or not β she looks like a mix of Talia and Martha.
- @gothambornandraised
Damian steps back a bit, confused when the woman bumps into him and looking her over with a strange look. He seems confused, though there's a certain exhaustion permanently affixed to his face. He pauses, looking her over.
"It's...quite alright. I'm sorry do I know you?"
He questions, taking a hesitant step back while scanning her. She seems oddly familiar and they definitely look alike, those same more defining features from Talia. Damian looks somewhat like Bruce, if you look closely, though he's always been more similar to his mother. He's quite confused by why the stranger knows his name, and it only somewhat shows on his face, seeming to be much better at hiding his emotions from his facial expressions.
Damian's wearing light blue hospital scrubs with a satchel-like bag over one shoulder. His hair is still cut in a similar style as it was as a child though it seems as if he hasn't cut it in a while, also a bit messier than he'd usually keep it, not spending the time to anymore. He's around 26 years old now, and after 16 years of living in Gotham he's only really grown to be more exhausted with the life he lives, though he's forever grateful for his siblings, he finds himself being the main caretaker for most of them, especially Dick. He was on his way home from work when she bumped into him, needing to get ready for patrol around this time of night.
"No, I don't think so. I'm sorry you just look like my brother if he was suddenly in his twenties instead of almost a teen," she explains. "It's a little uncanny but Gotham and all!"
It's true, but there's more to it. The way she smiles politely but searches you for answers of any hint of where she is gives that much away. .. At least she knows you're not her Damian in the future somehow, he'd recognize her if nothing else.
She stands in what appears to he the same stance Bruce likes to teach, appearing casual but ready to fight any given moment. Her smile stays polite the whole time.
"You must just have one of those faces. Or maybe I'm more homesick than I thought and looking for similarities. Who knows?"
She tries to laugh it off, but to anyone who deals with capes or actors, it's hollow and flat. She's exhausted, and it shows in the bags beneath her eyes and the haphazard mess that is her barely restrained curls. She's got the same, barely there furrow in her brows that Bruce gets too.
Damian narrows his eyes a bit at the reaction, he almost seems ticked off but that's really just his usual expression, analyzing her a bit. He smiles politely however, which seems almost uncanny.
"Right...what a coincidence. You do look a lot like my mother. Might I ask your name?"
He questions, holding into the strap of his bag a bit tightly. He's not entirely certain what's going on, he doesn't have any biological half-sisters that he's aware of, though he doubts his mother would neglect to share that information and she has features that Damian recognizes from Father, and he knows his parents definitely haven't had another child.
This might be a multiverse situation, or perhaps it really is just a coincidence, though with how Damian's life tends to go he highly doubts that logic.
She doesn't outwardly react to the perceived glare or uncanny smile β she does however commit them to memory. How very Damian and how very strange all at once.
"Do I? Small world, I guess! I'm Ivy," She answers easily, but she leaves out any last name.
Ivy makes a decision in the span of one second to the next. If she wants to get home, she needs to find someone who can help, and so she supposes it's time to test whether you know enough to help or not.
"I don't guess you have the time do you? I have to get home by 10:48 tonight."
Hopefully the time is enough, or at least still the way to get into the cave from the clock entrance here.
She's going to kick Tim for this one. This is the last time she helps him test his contraptions. She has papers to turn in and a job to do.
Damian hums a little. Ivy, that doesn't ring any bells but it's nice to at least know who's he speaking with. Damian adjusts his posture a little, still keeping that polite smile. He's learned after years of doing Galas and now working as a nurse in a pediatric wing while he gets his degree, how to seem more friendly. He knows he's not entirely approachable usually, though he doesn't mean to be.
He freezes at the second part, eyes widening only by a hint at the time she gives. His smile falters only slightly before he fixes it and he nods a bit.
"Well, my name is Damian...Wayne, of course. I'm sure I can help if you're lost, per say. Would you like to accompany me to a more private area to speak?"
He speaks. He's definitely certain this is something to do with the multiverse, now, so he needs to get them somewhere that isn't in public like this, there's a small cafe nearby that doesn't have many people inside that Damian is sure would be more secure to speak about these matters.
"Would you like coffee?"
He says, looking towards said cafe and gesturing at it a bit.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Wayne," she smiles, and idily ponders how strange it is to call you Mr. Oh, well. Multiverse and all. "If you can help, I'd appreciate it."
She looks over to the cafe in question and looks to make sure it's a safe enough establishment. It seems empty enough, and it doesn't seem to be currently hosting a villain either. "I'd like coffee too, thank you."
She starts towards the establishment, trying to figure out how to even ask for help getting back... One thing at a time. She's already got a great start by finding one of the Bat group.
"Can I ask what ward you work in at the hospital?"
It's a surface level question, or it's meant to be, and in all honesty, she can't help the curiosity.
"Please, just call me Damian."
He's quick to say, making a bit of a face at the politeness. Damian's always felt odd about that sort of thing, he's not sure why. Though considering she's definitely family, regardless of being from a different universe, it just feels wrong.
"Of course."
Damian walks with her into the cafe, getting them a booth in the corner of the building, sitting with his back facing the wall. He like's to be able to scan an entire room like this, to make sure there are no threats. He's scanning the area as Ivy speaks again, making him pause for a moment.
"Oh, yes. I'm currently in the pediatric wing of Gotham General. I'm studying for my doctorate at the moment however, on top of the other nightly jobs my family tends to work. I'm sure you're aware?"
He raises his eyebrow a little, simply checking before he's too open with her. He's not entirely certain, so he seems to be double checking to make sure this is in fact what he's dealing with.
"Damian, then."
She's honestly glad not to have to call you Mister Wayne. She's just out of her depth and falling back any etiquette she learned.
She smiles when Damian answers, and this one is all warmth and a sort of pride even she isn't able to name. Ivy has always known her brother - that Damian is brilliant.
"That's amazing, Damian, I hope you're as proud of yourself as you should be. That doctorate is hard work, and the kids probably love having a friendly face. I know the nightly jobs can be time-consuming and make getting a degree a nightmare. There's a reason I'm retiring from that branch of the family business soon. It does have the best IT branch I've ever seen, though. " She gives a little shrug at the end.
She has no idea if you have Oracle in this world or Tim, but Bruce is usually fairly good with tech anyway, so her point still stands.
"Figures that right before I retire, my brother gets me on a wild goose chase trying to make it home. But what's a little adventure?"
Damian's eyes widen a bit and he almost seems embarrassed and off guard by the compliment. He's not entirely used to that type of attention, looking away from her with a somewhat unreadable expression as she continues speaking. He's sat fairly still, his back straight and his hands in his lap, trying to seem polite if anything.
"I don't know if I'd describe my face as friendly...but I appreciate it."
He says in response, bowing his head a little to show said appreciation. Damian's a bit surprised to hear she's retiring. It's somewhat unheard of within their family, all living their lives the way they've always lived them, fighting against the evils in this city.
"Yes...well, I'm trying my best to balance things, though my siblings tend to need my attention quite a bit as well. I would agree on that yes, some of the greatest minds I know in those areas are quite young."
He says, thinking of Babs, she's a very young girl, training to be the next Batgirl with Cass and Steph of course, though the way they met was because of her hacking skills as Oracle. Remarkable for only 10. Tim...and JJ, used to be quite skilled as well, though their ways tend to be less logical and analytical after the Joker.
"What do you plan to do? After you retire of course."
He asks, curiously.
She has to fight the urge to reach over and tussle your hair or hug you. You seem uncomfortably enough as it is, and you don't really know her anyway. Ivy settles for smiling more.
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but I'm sure you're kind to them, and that goes just as far."
She sits in a far more relaxed manner, though no less aware. She wears her openness as a different kind of front, one few think to notice or look for.
"Balancing that can be... a lot, but it can be rewarding. Siblings are the best and the worst, but hopefully, your siblings are okay for the most part. The nocturnal branch does have some very talented people. Babs and Tim have been running circles around the rest of us for years."
She pauses, trying to figure out how best to answer that question. It's been a point of conflict for the last few months back home...
She looks back to you after a moment.
"I'm going to move to California, finish my PHD, become a youth therapist with a specialty in trauma recovery, and raise my son β assuming I'm able to retire smoothly," she adds the caveat as a simple possibility.
Damian sighs, nodding a bit at that. He supposes the children seem to like him, but part of that is just his practice with Dick. He hums a bit at her words, shifting to cross his legs slightly, still tense though it's mostly just how he's always held himselfβ Perhaps not how her Damian was like, but Damian has lived a much...harder life.
"They...are, I hope. I am caring for Dick for the most part right now. Barbara whenever her father is unavailable, though she spends most of her time with Stephanie and Cassandra when she's able to come over. Jason, Cassandra, and Duke are...old enough now to not need so much attention, but I try to be as helpful as I can. Tim...he- I'm not sure where he is, but I believe he's safe. But both he and Babs are very capable people."
He says, seemingly conflicted as he thinks about them. Dick has needed the attention of course, so he mostly is caring for him if anything. But, Damian is trying to be there for all of his siblings. Jason always says he's too much of a helicopter parent, or something like that. Damian just wants to make sure everyone's alright.
Damian looks up at her again, listening to her words with a layer of curiosity and nodding a bit. His eyebrows raise slightly at the mention of a son. So her version of him is an uncle? That feels odd to think about.
"That sounds delightful, I wish you luck on your studies...may I ask how old your son is?"
He tilts his head a bit to the side though it's only slightly.
Caring for Dick? Is Dick hurt? That β right, multiverse. If Damian older than maybe ages got mixed up too. Multiverse shebang make her head hurt.
"It sounds like they're doing better than they could be. I'm sure Dick has taken to you, he... has always been friendly. If you want help locating Tim I can try? Having that many younger siblings is... a lot."
It's so strange to see Damian not just older than her but as the oldest. This version of her baby brother never had anyone besides his parents and grandfather... She's seen plenty of Damians that have never known her, but this is the first to not have any older siblings she can point to.
She lights up a little, just grateful to avoid an argument about her plans.
"Thank you! I wish you luck in yours as well. Jay is about a year old now. He's a sweet kid, and most of why I'm doing what I am instead of staying with my family and their night jobs... Gotham made me, but I'm not raising my child here when it's better for him somewhere else."
Her entire demeanor is brighter when she speaks about her son. He is β well her first baby was her Damian but he is her first official baby.
Ivy turns to glance at something outside β just a bit of movement before she turns back to you. "How old is Dick? He sounds a little younger than my brothers."
"He...has after a while. Timothy and- JJ...are alright, they don't like to be found sometimes. They have a lot going on in their past, which comes with Timothy having issues with Father and the manor, I don't blame him for it."
He mumbles the last part a bit, making a small face at the reminder of it. Damian wasn't able to save his brother- or brothers, from that fate. It was quite devastating, back when he thought Tim was dead. Now it...is just simply something new they're learning to navigate through.
"It's quite a lot yes, but...I manage. I love them dearly."
Damian says. Bruce doesn't tend to look after his own children, so Damian's always been taking care of them for the most part. Alfred is a big help of course, but with being Red Knight and his med school responsibilities, it's a bit of a struggle to juggle everything and look out for them all. It helps that most are adults now, but his family aren't amazing at taking care of themselves, even now.
He smiles when she talks about Jay, his face seeming more soft and genuine than the polite smile from before. He nods along to her words.
"I...respect that. I'm sure your son will benefit from your efforts."
Damian tells her. He's not sure he could ever leave this city again, the two year period he had left after Tim was presumed dead was the longest he stayed away from this place in the past 16 years, and he'd almost died so many times he can't count them all. It was...a bad time. Luckily Jonathan had found him eventually, convinced him to come back, to stop torturing himself. He perks up at the mention of Dick.
"Ah yes...Dick is 11 currently. He has...many problems regarding his past and all. The court of owls were involved, I'm sure you know them. We found him with them, afraid and alone. But he's...healing well now, and I'm doing my best to raise him."
Damian describes, sad at the thoughts of how scared the young boy was back then. Damian sighs, brushing his hair back a little.
"Well, parents and rolemodels are complicated to live with even at the best times. Hopefully, JJ and Tim turn up to let you know they're safe. I'm sure Dick is grateful for you though."
She doesn't ask who JJ is, which says all it needs to. She's seen plenty, forever her best, and kept going. JJ will always be a sore spot β but better a sore spot than a chasm of grief.
"I can hear it when you speak of them. Even when it's a lot, trading your siblings away sounds terrible... I think I got into a fist fight over that once actually.... nevermind. I'm just glad you have them and they have you."
Ivy must be more tired than she realized if she's shring stories like that with people unpromoted... maybe a nap before she gets home, or maybe right after?
"I hope so. As much as I've come to appreciate my past, I can say it wasn't the healthiest environment to grow up in. You probably understand that, though, don't you?"
Her life is different from even that of other bats, hard but not at the same time. She's died, served in the LoA, ran her own hero team, informed her family she's retiring, and she's always had a support system even on the worst days. It's a strange feeling, and she knows she's had a lot more than her fair share of trauma, but it's hard to be bitter about her life. She chose it, over and over.
Leaving Gotham is... not something she could ever do for herself. But it's for her son, she she will.
"Dick sounds like he's had a lot of really shitty cards dealt to him. But I am sure he will be okay in the long run. Removing him from the court, letting him adjust at his own pace, and offering him a safe space and person without conditions will do a lot... a bit like a stray cat, actually. But I suppose if you're anything like my Damian, you have experience with animals too."
She gives a soft, crooked smile. You really do have such a warm heart.
She tries not to imagine her Dick in the situation you share, but she's always had an unruly imagination. She keeps her smiles in place anyway.
"Has Dick made any friends?"
