10947/A Walk, A Talk, a Can-- wait

A Walk, A Talk, a Can-- wait
Date of Scene:	28 April 2022
Location:	Bristol Township
Synopsis:	Phoebe and Damian have a bit of a heart-to-heart. No one gets injured. There's dogs. Damian DEFINITELY doesn't laugh at the idea of Phoebe burning her eyebrows off.
Cast of Characters:	Phoebe Beacon, Damian Wayne

---

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe had offered Idu time and baked goods and answers to any questions Damian might have had. She had a light jacket on, Idu trotting at her side as she tugs it on and attaches a very bougie leash to the dog's collar, now sparkling with a brand new tag that identified him as living at this address. So fancy.

    Her hair was wrapped up in an orange head-wrap today, too tired to bother with re-braiding, she wore a light jacket with gray and orange, denim jeans and good sneakers, looking for just a casual walk around the property.

    The fact that she had her go bag meant nothing. It has a tuppeware of cookies in it.

Damian Wayne has posed:
    Walking beside Phoebe is a rather dour-looking Damian. He has had a worse-than-usual 24 hours and he pretty much wants all of humanity to be ejected into space so he can get some peace. But also he's doing one of his very favorite things: walking Ace. The German Shepherd/Great Dane mix is trotting along, sniffing the ground, sniffing Idu, sniffing Phoebe, wagging his massive tail, and just generally doing the very opposite of Damian: thoroughly enjoying the day.

    "It's just that I had no idea what was happening in there. You could have been killed and you didn't tell me how to get you out of the circle safely," he say with a flat, exhausted tone. It's like all of his Damian-ness has been drained away. Well not all of it. There is a frown on his face, so at least we know he's having some fun.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe had introduced herself to Ace, Idu had gone through the process of sizing up Ace and decided to be slightly aloof, but Phoebe had immediately taken a liking to the larger dog, scritching on his ears as he passed her as the two humans and two canines walk.

    "Well. I'm... not really used to having to explain what I was doing. A lot of people just accepted that it was magic bullshittery." Phoebe replies with a wry, gentle tone in her voice. "I wouldn't have been killed, though. From yesterday's encounter, what did you notice about my arm?" she inquires, looking over to Damian in curiosity as they walk.

Damian Wayne has posed:
    Damian doesn't like being maneuvered. If literally any other person in the world ask him about things that he sees or hears or otherwise notices, that person would at best be ignored, at worst get an undeserved tongue lashing. But instead, Damian says a bit glumly, "The cut you made in your arm healed."

    He sighs.

    "I'm aware you can heal. I read your file in the Bat computer. Hell, I wrote most of your file in the Bat computer. But I know enough about magic to know it's unpredictable and you were showing off for us. You could have been hurt or worse. And then father would have to find another stray to live in your room."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Oh. I figured they would have imported the one from the Outsiders. Or edited the one they started on me when I was fifteen." Phoebe gives a rueful smile, and they walk a little bit.

    "My magic's not unpredictable. Not the healing magic, anyway. That's the one I've had the longest. It's intuitive, like.. I wouldn't say 'breathing', but like walking." Phoebe replies. "You learn how to do it over time, you get better at it, and then you're not shakey anymore." she compares it to something easy, and she looks back to Damian.

    "It would have happened whether or not you were all there. Someone's put a ward up around the property -- Zatanna, maybe. It was..." she considers a moment.

    "A bit like touching an electric fence, and trying to hold on. Also, I don't recall inviting anyone out" she curls her lips into a smile. "You all seemed to show up out of the woodwork."

Damian Wayne has posed:
    That last answer makes Damian stiffen. Sensing his unease, Ace moves close and presses against Damian's hip as everyone walks. That pressure does seem to get the kid to ease of a bit. "It's Wayne Manor, not the Super 8 Motel," he retorts. "If you want privacy outside of your bedroom or one of the bathrooms, you have an unrealistic expectation. Do you have any idea how many cameras and sensors cover every inch of the grounds?"

    Then he stops dead in his tracks and turns to face Phoebe. His cheeks are red and his eyes are angry. "And you don't get to just arbitrarily put yourself in danger without notifying the team!" the teen says sharply. "You're part...part of the family now. "You're our sister now," he continues, but now averting his gaze. This is the shit that Damian is really, really, REALLY bad at. "Like it or not, there are people who care about your welfare."

    A young lifetime of unexplored anger and frustration seems to be trembling just beneath the surface now. Ace senses it building and pushes harder against his master's body. Damian's hands ball into fists and he clenches his jaw. "People...people give a shit about you, Phoebe. What happens to *you* happens to *us*."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe continues to mild look at Damian as he stiffens and stops, and she pauses her walk as well. Idu, at her side, gives a slight whine, and trots over to Damian as well, within easy reach but giving Ace his space as well.

    "Damian, I --" Phoebe begins, and the pauses a moment, and gives a smile.

    "Take a breath, Damian," she states in a soothing fashion, though she doesn't turn on her aura. "Let go of your fists. Unclench your jaw. I know you have concern for the family. You were concerned about me yesterday. You wanted to make sure I was okay."

    She loops Idu's leash around her wrist, but there wasn't much worry about the canine running off.

    "I was working the spell in a safe manner. I wasn't in any serious danger... well, the really odd freak accident aside." she looks around, and then comes to the side of the woods, and picks out a nice, big piece of rock to sit down on.

    "Do you have any questions about what I was doing?"

Damian Wayne has posed:
    Not many people approach Damian's simmering temper with calmness and rationality. Usually it escalates to what the teen knows best: violence. It's not his fault that he was taught to deal with the world in that way, but it is now his responsibility to manage that. But Phoebe's rational, even-tempered behavior is really freaking Damian out. Now we're flat in the middle of territory that he has no idea how to navigate.

    So he tries something usual, something novel: he listens. He loosens his fists and unclenches his jaw. Then the young man moves to sit down on the ground. A very relieved Ace licks the side of Damian's head a few times then flops down on the ground too. Ace looks over at Phoebe as though he instinctively seems to realize that she's having a good affect on his master.

    "Who were you trying to scry on? What happened that led to all of the smoke and you choking?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe's been there. Idu sits on the rock as well, sniffing about before coming to sit very Sphinx-like near Phoebe.

    "In this case, I was using a cutting from a plant that Tim gave me to see if he was in the manor." Phoebe replies, and gives a small smile.

    "The larger the area is, the larger the circle has to be, see? And the larger the circle is, the more energy it needs to keep up. I used my blood to power the spell." she explains, drawing her legs up and resting her chin on her knees.

    "When it hit the wards that stop scrying at the mansion, the ward defended against it, sending it back to me. Kind of like -- feedback to a speaker. It caused the spell to go a bit sideways and hit me with a lot of nausea. Burning blood doesn't smell good, you know?" she wrinkles her nose.

    "So, that's what happened yesterday. If I tried it elsewhere, looking elsewhere, it'd have a different result."

Damian Wayne has posed:
    Damian pulls his thighs up against his chest and rests his chin on his knees as he listens to Phoebe's explanation. "So it was like a what...a test run?"

Reaching out to stroke Ace's fur while he gathers his thoughts, Damian looks back to Phoebe. "What is the worst case scenario? Could someone put up a protection that does worse than make you feel sick when you hit up against it? And if so, what plan do you have in place to deal with it?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "It was a test run. I'd never cast it alone before. Last time I was the helper on it, using my blood to try and find my other adopted dad -- Chas." Phoebe explains.

    She gives a hum as she considers 'worst case scenerios'. "With that particular circle, it's not so much of a risk, because it's just asking for information. I could put more wards on myself, too. Or find out who put the ward here and what details it has to work around it. And mostly you saw it, a bad headache and throwing up. One of the rules my first real teacher taught me about magic, in fact. Dealing with it sucks and can make you throw up." she explains in an amused voice.

    "It's different with different spellwork. An uncontroled fireball? That's a different story. I lost my eyebrows one day."

Damian Wayne has posed:
    You know what Damian hates so much? Smiling and laughing. Nothing makes him more miserable. But he downright practically *giggles* when Phoebe talks about losing her eyebrows. Ace, who is very in tune with his master, picks up on his mood lift and thump-thump-thumps his tails enthusiastically on the ground.

    "I'm sorry that I got all shitty," he says. "I don't know. I asked Stephanie if I'm an asshole. Without hesitation she said yes. I guess I shouldn't ask questions I already know the answer to." A frown. "Attachment was practically forbidden on Infinity Island. My own mother ordered my death so many times that I lost count."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I have a picture of it, in fact. My dad snapped a photo of it. There I am, all cross-legged in the middle of a working circle, with two candles lit in front of me, no eyebrows, and the front of my hair all singed. I smelled like burning hair for *daaaays*." Phoebe admits, sensing the mood lift -- and seeing it as well -- with Damian -- but she listens as he apologizes (what?!), and she leans ehr cheek on her knee, looking over to him.

    "You are forgiven as long as you acknowledge the shitty behavior and want to change. I don't think I will ever understand, really, what it was like for you as a little kid. My adopted mom never really loved me, but my first Dad? He did. A lot." she frowns a moment, and then her brows knit.

    "So she ordered your death and... no one followed through with it, right?"

Damian Wayne has posed:
    For a moment -- for just a slight moment in time -- Damian's gaze goes stone, stone cold. In that instant, Phoebe can see what he is capable of being. Even Ace's ears sag. "No one *could*. I killed them all first."

    That...that's a mood killer right there. Damian keeps his chin resting on his knees as he glances away, looking at *anything* but his new sister who now probably thinks he's a psychopath. And if she does, is she wrong?

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... noted." Phoebe states quietly. "Because that's what was expected of you on Infinity Island?" she asks softly, and she puts her hand down on the rock, palm open, just... there. Her file had been updated to reflect why she was touch-avoidant to the point of punching someone. She had nearly been beaten to death two years ago. At the edge of what her healing powers could handle.

    She didn't like being touched, but was willing to offer a small comfort to Damian in spite of his deadly skills.

Damian Wayne has posed:
    Damian is well-informed about *everyone* at Wayne Manor. Bruce taught him the importance of knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each of his teammates and family members. Damian knows *full* well Phoebe's history and her dislike of physical contact. He knows that touching her hand will ring a bell that can't be un-rung, cross a threshold that can't be un-crossed. She, a wounded, touch-avoidant magical traveler in the world, and he a lonely, angry kid who honestly never expected to even reach the age of 16.

    He clenches his jaw for a moment. Ace looks at him curiously. The breeze blows some spring leaves along the ground. And Damian reaches out to take Phoebe's hand.

    "Yeah," he says in a soft whisper. "It was kill or be killed. Maybe I chose the wrong choice."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Given what I've learned so far... what choice was there? I don't think any of us have it in us to just give up and die." Phoebe replies, and she very gently wraps her fingers around Damian's hand. It could even just be a reaction to the pressure on her palm.

    "Apparently this family is full of thick-headed jerks. Dick. Jason. Stephanie. Barbara. Tim. Bruce -- gods, even Alfred and Julia." she comments quitely.

    "I'm glad you're here though."

Damian Wayne has posed:
    Damian wraps his fingers a bit too. He hasn't been touched in a very long time. His eyes sink shut. "I hate you so much." Ace's tail thumps happily on the ground and he starts to pant as he glances around at the spring day.

    Damian sits there quietly, unmoving for long moments, eyes closed. Who can know what's going on in that head? But after a time, he gently withdraws his hand. He doesn't open his eyes. He just sits there, otherwise unmoving. Finally, he whispers, "Thank you."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe's hand waits until Damian's withdraws fully, and then she sets it back on her lap.

    She knows he doesn't mean it. Idu gives a grumble, and moves a little closer to Damian as Phoebe gives a smile, and s fot 'mm' of acknowledgement, trying not to make a big deal of it.

    A touch that doesn't cause pain.

    "Would you like to know a secret, Damian?"

Damian Wayne has posed:
    The teen opens his eyes and reaches out his right hand to rub Idu's head. This, of course, triggers Ace, who pushes his head under Damian's left hand. So now the kid is stroking two dogs. Not even Damian Wayne, Son of the Batman, Heir to the Demon, Master Assassin of Infinity Island can maintain a dour looks while stroking two doggos. He doesn't quite smile, but he definitely lightens the fuck up a bit.

    "Yeah," he says simply. He glances at Phoebe and in that look one can see that people like Damian don't promise to keep secrets. They simply just keep secrets.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    A dog for each hand! It is a good day!

    Idu's tail wags happily, thudding a bit against the rock the group is sitting on.

    "I've always wanted siblings, but I'm a little bit scared of being a bad sister. What would make me a good sister, to you?" she inquires, giving a little bit of a grin.

Damian Wayne has posed:
    Phoebe's grin triggers Damian to grin a little bit. He looks away.

    "We're all kinds of screwed up in the Wayne Family," Damian says. "I'm a lot of things, but a fool isn't one of them. I know I don't know how to behave or treat others right. I want you to be my sister. I want to be your brother, if you'll have me. Just...maybe forgive me when I'm an asshole, which probably will be a lot." He just keeps looking away, like he doesn't want anyone to see his face right now. Massive Ace practically crawls up in the teen's lap.

    "What about...what about me? Same question."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    And Idu, as Ace is occupying Damian's lap, curls around Damians back and wags his tail, attempting to shove his head under Damian's arm. Long nose is long.

    "I know you're not a fool, but it's a way of asking how I can best support you. You know what you want, and I can't mind-read. *Yet*. Though one of my dads was a very good conman." she gives a wry smile. "I'll forgive you your moments of being a jerk, as long as you make an effort to be nice to yourself and others."

    And Phoebe considers the question a moment.

    "Understand that I'll mess up some times, but I intend for the best. And I try to watch out for my family too..."

    Her smile turns sad. "All of my family."

Damian Wayne has posed:
    The touch of the two dogs is very welcome to Damian. Although nowhere near Phoebe's level, Damian isn't exactly a touchy-feely person himself. But animals are the exception. He makes every effort to meet the Petting Quotient Needs of both dogs.

    "I can't promise that. I know it probably sounds like a cliche or a copout, but I don't *know* how to be nice."

    The teen shakes his head and sighs. Finally he just blurts out a laugh! This makes both dog tails thump-thump-thump faster and louder. "Can't we just promise normal brother-sister stuff, like...I don't know...I'll...I'll help sharpen your knives and swords? What do normal brothers and sisters do?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I dunno. I took my little sister out for ice cream and write her letters and draw pictures of New York City for her and send her snapchats of Idu." Phoebe offers, and rubs the back of her head. "First time I met Dick I put his organs back where they belonged, and the first time I met Jason we had a violent fight in an alleyway... and then the next time we were involved with a bar fight." Phoebe gives a soft 'hm'.

    "Actually, I think you're the only one I've met when there hasn't been a crisis." she shrugs, but gives a sidelong smile.

    "You teach me how to sword then, and I'll teach you how to 'nice'."

Damian Wayne has posed:
    Damian snorts a bit. "Fine, but I'm getting the easy end of that deal. Also, I like ice cream. And my organs being in the right spots. And, if we're being honest, bar fights. I got in a really good one in Istanbul a few years ago. It was actually my first black eye. It was a really great night." He sighs wistfully.

    He glances just briefly at Phoebe, then looks away. Baby steps, right?

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe gives a smile, and then raps her hand against the rock. "Well, then in the name of being a good sibling, I'll definitely make sure your organs remain in the right place." she replies, and she rises to her feet. "Well, next time I head out for ice cream, you're welcome to ride with me."

Damian Wayne has posed:
    When Phoebe rises, both dogs do as well, followed by Damian.

    "I have a bit more to do on a paper I'm turning in tomorrow. Thanks for..." He shrugs a little. "...I don't know, just...thanks."

    Damian extends a fist for a bump, but then quickly pulls it back cuz...touching. "S-sorry," he says sheepishly as he stuffs his hands in his pockets.

    Sure, go ahead and tell everyone that Damian was being sweet, socially awkward, and sheepish. Even if there were videos they'll claim they're deepfakes.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "No, no, you're fine. This is good." Phoebe states, bringing her hand up to hold out for a fist bump.

    "I'm working on things too." she gives a little smile, her eyebrows rising up. "When we get back, I'll try and find the picture of my first fireball. You'll have to laugh."