16908/Not Alone on the Roof, or Anywhere Else

Not Alone on the Roof, or Anywhere Else
Date of Scene:	13 January 2024
Location:	Wayne Estate - Bristol Township
Synopsis:	Phoebe broods on the roof of Wayne Manor until Damian is dispatched with cocoa and cookies.
Cast of Characters:	Phoebe Beacon, Damian Wayne

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Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Roofs are so much fun in winter. With ice and snow and rain and sleet and why anyone would like to hang out on rooftops when you could literally be anywhere in the world is a mystery.

    The Roof, however, is also where Phoebe goes to think when she feels stuck in the house, and she doesn't head for the Curio.

    Or elsewhere.

    She's wrapped in a winter coat, a heavy hood over her head as she looks out over the grounds of Wayne Manor, looking nto the trees and grasses and snowbanks with her dark, tired eyes. Her hands are wrapped around an irregularly shaped bauble a bit of glass that looks like there's a bit of fire stuck in it. It glows -- very dimly -- and she quietly turns her gaze starwards in contemplation.

Damian Wayne has posed:
"Master Damian?"
"Mmf."
"Master Damian, wake up."
"Mmf, I was just... what is it, Alfred?"
The kindly British Butler smiles. "I made some hot chocolate." he points out as he gestures to a tray.
"I didn't ask for any, I was asleep."
"You didn't, but Miss Phoebe is on the roof, being quite like your father."

A blink and Damian's pushing out of bed. "Huh. Okay, okay. I'm up." he grumbles. But there's concern in his eyes as he pulls on something and takes the tray to head to the rooftop.

Coming up behind Phoebe, he's in his pajamas, a black cotton set with long sleeves and pants, a dark robe over that, a blanket over that, and fuzzy slippers as he holds the tray of cocoa in his hands. "Phoebe." he states simply. "I thought you might want something warm to drink?"

Two cups of cocoa, fresh cream, marshmallows... and two of Alfred's cookies sit on the tray.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe doesn't quite startle when Damian pipes up, though she turns as he makes his approach, and she breathes out.

    "Damian -- why are you--" she begins, and she looks at the cocoa, the cookies, and she figures it wasn't precisely Damian's idea.

    She gives a huff of breath, the chill hanging in the air as she motions to a cleared spot beside her, and bids Damian have a set.

    "You're right. I probably could use a warm drink." she states softly, and accepting a mug and a cookie, she lets it warm her hands for a minute.

    "Can I ask you something, Dams?"

Damian Wayne has posed:
Coming over to set down the tray, Damian sets it gently on one of the columns of the roof between them. And then he opens the blanket, draping it over Phoebe's shoulders, even if he has to shiver against a momentary blast of cold air.

Taking the other mug, he sips as he listens and gets a question. "If it involves love or relationships? No. I am terrible at both, despite what others may percieve."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe accepts the drape of the blanket, though she does give a look over to him quietly, but moves closer for the sake of body heat.

    "When you first came to Gotham, how much of an outsider did you feel like?" she asks quietly, her dark brown eyes set on her brother.

Damian Wayne has posed:
"I was raised to be the perfect assassin. To feel no pain or remorse. To be efficent and deadly." Damian starts before he sips from the mug again. "After I completed my Year of Blood, my grandfather realized I would not be what he wanted. I felt guilt for what I had done."

He should have never had been made to kill animals. Even dragons. Especially dragons.

"My mother decided that my father would deal with me and brought me here. To a man I never met but was only told stories about. That I was his son. I was determined to be the Batman. Be damned what my brothers felt, they did not matter. Be damned what the Titans felt. They didn't matter. I only mattered to me." Damian comments, and his green eyes look into the mug.

"I alienated everyone that cares for me now within my first year here, Phoebe. And it took a long time to rebuild some of those. Some are not yet rebuilt. Everyone had to have the patience for me to understand what it was that I wanted. Really wanted. But they remained family."

"Does that answer your question?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "A bit. A lot. It's... complicated." Phoebe replies quietly. She sips from her mug, and looks out over the woods and towards Gotham's skyline.

    "If you had told me the day I was shot in the stomach and Tim was panicking because he couldn't find the entry wound that I'd be calling the Bats my family, I probably would have laughed." she states softly.

    "Do you ever find yourself feeling outside the family, still, after your years being in Gotham?"

Damian Wayne has posed:
Damian picks up a marshmallow and pops it into his mouth. "Only every day." he responds. And then he qualifies that. "I see the efforts. I appreciate it. But I know Dick spends all his time with Stephanie. You have Robbie. Tim has the Outsiders. Jason has... whoever it is, whatever it is. Father has his mission."

He pops another marshmallow. "I am not connected. Not in the way I should be. I have tried, to have those things. With Gabby. I thouught Charlie was interested. I was apparently wrong. And... I am not wanting anyong that does not know about the family already." he explains. "That is too complicated and I do not know how you are able to do it."

"Last night? Was the first event I hosted on my own. My Father's urging. Aunt Kate showed up, which was nice. I know the rest of you were busy. But in that moment, when I was alone on the stage, making my speech? I realized I am still on the outside."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe is quiet for a moment.

    "You are not." she decides.

    "You are one of three people I have ever brought to Iaru-weyat. You are one of the few people who know that Idu can speak." Phoebe replies, and she turns her head a moment, and looks to Damian. "I have to host a lot of things on my own. Sometimes someone puts on an appearance, leaves early. Sometimes they do not. I was bullied at your father's birthday party by Janet van Dyne because Selina wasn't here to play Lady of the House, and I don't know how to be rich. No one backed me up then." she comments quietly, her hand squeezing hard enough on the mug that the ceramic creaks.

    "I saw the images from the event, though. Looks like everyone was having a good time."

Damian Wayne has posed:
"You are not alone now." Damian's shoulder bumps into hers. "I am nearly twenty-one. I think that law is silly in this country, but I am near an aduly and I know I will no longer be able to hide behind my youth." He still have two years to go, but he's addressing it. "Father expects me to be more. As does everyone else. But... this is not about me."

"I'm sorry I didn't recognize what Janet was doing to you. Selinsa is not a good fit. And it is best that she is gone. Mother's not a good fit either. I am not sure who Father would be good with. But it's not my place to decide that."

Again, off track, and he's back on it. "You have me. Robbie. Tim. That's a good base to have. We each love you in a different way, family and otherwise. And I know my life would be sadder without you in it."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe could argue, playfully, that pretty much no one was a fit for the intensity of Damian's father -- but she pauses.

    Her face softens as she looks to Damian, dwelling on his last statement.

    And and her eyes close, tearing up in spite of the cold, and she just brings her forehead down to Damian's shoulder, and refuses to acknowledge the tears.