1714/The birds, and the Titans

The birds, and the Titans
Date of Scene:	17 May 2020
Location:	Main Room - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	Damian and Dick visit Titans Tower, revealing Red X's trie identity, pep talks ensue, and language flexing. ;)
Cast of Characters:	Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson, Donna Troy, Rachel Roth

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Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian had approached Dick before. When he took the Robin mask for himself, stepped up to the plate.

  The boy would need to explain a couple things to everyone, including Nightwing. Damian explained to Dick that the stealing of his T-Com was indeed because he tagged the tower. The fact that the shadows had attacked Metropolis superseded his ploy. And actual emergencies needed actual actions, and that he was now on the Titans. Now, he needed to broach the subject with the others before him. He would have to explain to Sam as well what was going on.

  Currently, Damian was in his Red X uniform, and helmet. He asked for the two of them to go to Titans Tower, and to be there when he revealed himself.

  Now that they were in the main room, and with their proper T-Coms, anyone with one would know Red X was in the main room, with Nightwing.

Dick Grayson has posed:
Nightwing had been summoned, and arrived, certainly not in his best of moods, mostly because it had originally been planned to be his day off, but as it is often the way, it didn't go as planned. So he arrives in his full costume, giving Red X a nod as he enters and appraises the situation for a moment before saying, "What's up?" in a relatively neutral tone, at this point trying to be polite.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna's armor is magical, but only in the way virtually all Themysciran metalwork is. Amazonian metalsmiths work with enchantment as well as heat, and it's the reason why their gear is so good. It's not an alloy containing a tiny amount of the shield Aegis in it, as her bracers are - it's incredibly strong, but it's basically just metal. Apart from the unique black with silver stars paint job that she wore when she made her name as Troia of the Titans, it is in fact the very same armor worn by her mother's guards at the palace. It's good armor, but she spars with Caitlin, it does tend to get a bit dented.

    This is how Donna has been spending the past hour or so - down in the workrooms, hammering dents out of her armor, and touching up the paintwork. When the request from one of the newbies comes in to meet up, she finishes touching up the black paint, and carries the breast plate over her shoulder as she takes the elevator up.

    Donna arrives in the main room, gives a nod to Red X, then tilts her head curiously when she sees Nightwing is present. He hasn't been around the tower much. She flashes him a smile, and puts her armor down flat on the kitchen table to dry. "Nightwing! Good to see you. Keeping well? I believe you already know our newest member."

Rachel Roth has posed:
    Raven is standing nearby during the dent-hammering process. It is loud, of course, but for some reason her usual noise complaints aren't being delivered amongst the thundering of cold metalwork. Instead, Raven has taken a seat on air, a few feet away, idly reading through an old tome of hers- the large book spread open upon a somewhat-familiar seemingly solid shadow, its inky blackness supporting the spine, while two wings split from its sides, and support either cover.

    When she turns a page, her hand moves, but it doesn't touch the book, instead there is this small noise, and the page delicately shifts of its own accord. Whether it is her doing, or this aged magical tome merely obeying her requests, is uncertain.

    "Hm." she notes, "It wouldn't get so dented if you were more careful." She chides, yet- when has Raven ever earnestly told someone to be careful just out of the blue? Then, her attention seems elsewhere, momentarily. "We have guests." This idle statement precedes Donna's T-com going off to signal Damian and Nightwing's arrivals by a short while. Raven only moves, though, when Donna does.

    The surprising part is that she rides in the elevator with her, instead of merely teleporting.

    Stepping free, Raven makes her way towards the kitchen, from which she fetches the mildly-complicated glass apparatus in which she intends to now make coffee. The book, at some point, returned to its shelf- in one moment, it was under her arm. The next, it was back upstairs. It would take some deep attention to understand the nuance of what she was doing- not in the making of coffee, that much is pretty simple.

    But instead that she's making two cups.

    Donna's the friendly one. She lets Donna do the greeting.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Red X looks to Donna as she arrives, then turning to Raven and nodding. "Troia, Raven." He comments, before looking to see Nightwing. "Nightwing and I wanted a moment of time. Because you were correct."

  "I will have to remove the helmet." The face of Red X looks to Nightwing for a moment before reaching up to his helmet, disengaging the latch and the protective piece whirs open, allowing it to be removed from his head.

  The long-necked suit shows the zipper and catches for the rest of the suit, but above that piece, his light olive skin starts to show, and once the helmet is off, a green mask sits on his face. The eyelets a cold white, barely a trace of a faint blue light where he was actually looking, the HUD of the BatTech mask.

  Pieces of the Red X armor shift and move as they allow the wearer to take off the uniform, and as the zipper comes down, the golden R badge and the red and gold suit underneath are shown, until he was fully there, in most of his uniform, as Robin, the Boy Wonder, this world's fifth incarnation. The first of which, was also standing before the others. "I am Damian Wayne." He finally says, without a voice mod.

Dick Grayson has posed:
Nightwing nods to Donna and Raven "Hey, you two! Things are... busy, to say the least. Hope everything's been going all right?" His jovial tone then quickly switches to serious when Damian speaks, and then he gets a little tense as the mask is removed and his identity revealed. No matter how expected, it is still a dagger each time it is said. Dick then relaxes his posture and says, "As you can see, there have been some developments." Understatement. Of. The. Year.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna turns to Raven and points wordlessly at Robin, head tilted slightly to the side and an amused expression on her face. She rolls her eyes theatrically and then walks over to the sofa to sit down.

    "Did everyone know but me?" she says with a slight laugh. "Obvious question, Damian Wayne. Why didn't you say anything sooner? It would have saved a lot of time. Marvin?" She raises her voice, talking to the tower systems. "Alert us if any dorm doors open or elevators are used."

    The tower system's voice responds, sounding remarkably like a certain cartoon martian. "Ooh, goodie. I do so love instituting security protocols."

    "Oh you know, Dick. Minor run in with some private army with high tech equipment, some absolute jerk tagging the tower, apart from that? Yes, everthing's fine. Actually they are going rather well I'd say." She gives Raven a playful smile. "So Dick, does this mean you encouraged this little vandal? I did wonder how you managed to mislay your T-Com, it's not like you. Did you hand it over, or just let him steal it?"

Rachel Roth has posed:
    Raven doesn't seem particularly fazed- though, that could be because she is busy making some pour-over coffee, rather than directly looking at the freshly minted new Robin. However, there are some things that get her attention. When he is finally free from the costume, her monotonous voice actually pipes up for the first time.

    "I expected it sooner." she remarks, letting the coffee sit for a few moments. The entire time, her hood has been down- so it is clear that she doesn't have eyes in the back of her head. Still, though her tone is impossible to truly read, there is this light lilt. She approves, at least on some level.

    Pouring two cups of the black liquid and making sure that creamer and sugar aren't available, Raven makes her way to Donna without another word. Once the drink is delivered, she takes an idle sip, looking primarily at Nightwing. She lets Donna "lock" the tower down for a time before speaking again. Those little daggers weren't displayed on his features, but Raven- to Raven, they were in Neon.

    "You will have to accept it eventually. This is better, and while you were our Robin, you have not been Robin for a long time, Dick. He can be what you were to the new generation. The Titans need a Robin." There is, a short pause. Her attention shifts to Damian, then.

    "They need Damian -Wayne.-" The emphasis there is suspect, but only to some select few. As if there might've been another surname to put there.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     The Robin mask removed, Damian's al Ghul eyes now on full display. "I stole it off of him. Beyond a dossier of the Titans, he was not involved in my plan." His voice was very to-the-point, and always with a sense of professionalism. Though a brow raises as Raven emphasizes Wayne, knowing who Bruce is, and the Titans last with the league, he gives a slight shrug. "al Ghul is one half of my family. But it can't be denied, Wayne, is my proper family."

  Damian, for all intents and purposes, was not the heir to the League of Assassins any longer. He was simply trying to find his way.

Dick Grayson has posed:
Dick listens and says, "Fair, things have been... off, lately and for that I apologize." He gives a nod of agreement as the security to the tower is tightened, "Good call, Donna. Considering the sensitivity of this, we need to keep this as wrapped up as possible." When the eldest of the Robins hears Raven's remarks, he shakes his head, "More it's always... off, or just feels exposed when one of us reveals our names. It's the only thing keeping some of us safe, to a degree. But you are not wrong about anything else, I moved on from the mantle."

Nightwing then turns to Damian, "It is not a mantle to be taken lightly, as these two can attest to my time in the cape. I just hope that we can move forward. We are at a crossroads at this point. I would like to know what you all think the next steps ought to be."

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna takes the cup from Raven with a grateful smile. There is perhaps just a touch more finger contact than strictly necessary in the hand-over. It very subtle, but likely not beyond the Batlings to notice. "What you were to us, Dick - one important thing is, you were the same /age/. That's something that has been concerning me, with all the new guys coming in. If they look to us for leadership, they're going to be missing out on the whole point of why the Titans was created in the first place. We should be there for them, but I hope they can make this their own. The mantle of Robin is not just a Bat thing, it's a Titan thing, too. I hope you'll keep that in mind, Damian."

    They may be highlighting the matter slightly differently, but Raven and Donna seem to be pretty much on the same page about this.

    "You bats are a confusing lot, and I see it hasn't got any simpler while I was away. But..." She raises an eyebrow towards Damian. "He adopted an al Ghul? That seems..." Donna shakes her head and takes a sip of her coffee. "Mmm. Okay, I was going to say out of character, but I have to admit I never really understood him. He's kinda intimidating, and I say that as someone who once spent a month straight standing guard on the threshold of Tarterus."

    Donna's eyes seek out Damian's. "What do you think... Robin? That little pop quiz. You impressed me... a lot. I was expecting you to miss at least /something/. I have no doubt you can be a formidable leader in the field. Do you think you can be an inspiration, too?"

Rachel Roth has posed:
    Raven made no attempt to separate her hand from Donna's before the other woman was ready. It isn't hard for the others to notice, these little affections. Donna squeezing her arm during the Red X conversation, fairly, there is no secret about it.

    Still, her attention is on Damian for a time. "It is a name that comes with more than even you might yet realize. The family has made massive strokes improving lives, and in their short history, comparitive to the -other- half, it is a legacy -worth- inheriting. All of it." There is sincerity there. She means it- and she means that Damian not only could, but should, be the heir to the Waynes.

    "Families are always confusing. Theirs is almost as extended as the Titans'." she pauses, then, looking over at Donna. "You have not been paying much attention to the intervening time." she offers, taking a sip of her own cup, her eyes peeking over it at Donna. "Damian is not adopted."

    Whether or not that was Damian's to reveal is another thing entirely- but Raven legitimizes him actively, without Damian having to do so. "But they need someone of their own age and experience. We could act as leaders, we can offer the benefits of our time... But there will always be some level on which we will be regarded as outsiders. We are not Teen Titans anymore. No matter how much some of us always cringed at the headlines. These heroes are new, and the only leadership they'll -truly- accept is one of their own."

    Her posture shifts, and she levels herself at Damian again. "It means that you are more than tactical. You -have- to be more than a battlefield commander. Maybe we are fighting a war, maybe what we do can be equated to soldiers, but you are -leading- what will always be -people.- They will look to you as more than just a source of instructions. You must inspire."

    Raven reinforces Donna's point, and stands next to her as she does so, coffee cradled and held in both hands.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian slips the mask back on his face, now no one would be able to truly see who he was. "As Raven says, I am Bruce's son by blood. Just like the tabloids know. He says, matter of factly, the Gotham papers had the archives of pictures to prove it, and aside from eye color and skin tone, Damian looked very much like his father, if not just shorter.

  "I was not in a position to show myself to you before, not with as many newer people were there. Techno included, Red X was built away from the Bat group. Knowing I am Robin, he may piece that together. But I will speak to him personally. As far as any other probationary members go, if they do not know who Nightwing is, they do not get to know who Robin is." Good rule of thumb there.

  As far as the leading goes, Damian's fist clenches a bit, reflexively, before touching the R badge on his tunic. "I am new to being a Robin. And I am not exactly like the Robins before me. But I pledged to honor the position put before me. And I am true to my word." He still cannot fully say that he may not excel at it. Robin is different than Batman, and Batman never had to be a Robin. It will be the most challenging thing he has ever had to do, more than all his scars show, more than all of the assassinations and missions he had completed. This was the Trials of a Robin, and Damian will not yield.

Dick Grayson has posed:
"We were peers," Dick says to Donna, "It does create a weird situation for us original Titans, to be honest. But mutual respect is a major part of the Titans." When Raven mentions Damian's parentage, Dick does not respond, but does say, "Regardless, he is my brother, but yes, we are an interesting group." He gives a brief snort of amusement at that, though giving Raven a nod in acknowledgement on her insights, "I do think that these newer members need to be watched very closely." Raven's interactions with Donna are noted, but Dick says nothing.

When the mention of a battlefield commander is brought up, Dick gives a nod, "We are always more of a team than a unit, more than just a number on a badge. I was never more than a first among equals, to a degree." He then turns to Damian, "Wise, it was not something that I easily gave up to my colleagues, and, quite frankly, I do not trust the new members any farther than I can throw them. It's nothing personal, I just do not trust them or anyone with a secret that holds life and death in the balance, and so much more. This 'Techno,' whoever that might be, I would advise you treat him like any probationary member and keep the true secrets from them all for the time being. Once this knowledge is had, it can't be unlearned." Dick sighs and rubs his temples, "You are standing where others have stood before, and it is a heavy burden, but you must also be a beacon, knowing full well that if you need advice, many of us here have seen similar enough things to point you in the right direction."

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Okay, you've already convinced me I was away too long RaeRae. No need to find more evidence." Donna grins knowingly over the rim of her coffee cup at Raven. "Well, well. Bruce's early days as the Batman really must have been... interesting. "

    "It took us a while to learn Dick's whole story. I'm still not certain he doesn't have some /other/ surprise waiting to spring on us. In time - if you younger Titans do properly bond as a team... more than a team, the way we did - then hopefully that will change and you will be able to relax your guard. When you put your life to another's hands every day, eventually you will know how much you can trust them. For now though - they are new, unknown. I am more trusting than Dick when it comes to our new members, though to be fair I could throw them quite far. However... revealing your first name should be no problem, but yes... keep the second - both of them - quiet."

    Donna taps her fingers on the side of her cup thoughtfully. "I'll say this. Being Robin is not a key to being leader of the Titans. In my eyes, you earned your place in that conversation yourself, with a few dozen /very/ well considered words, not by wearing someone else's badge and mask. I do not believe that your father would indulge even his own son with the mask if he did not believe in your capability, but we go our own way. We would not accept a team leader being pushed on us, even by him. Even by Dick. You put /yourself/ on that path, and I think that is a very good thing. Oh, now we know, it helps. It is reassuring to know that we won't be the only ones with an interest in your development. But perhaps it also places an extra burden on you, because Dick's role here is a lot to live up to. Find your own path, but consider the legacy too."

    Donna smirks at Dick and then throws him a wink. "Don't get a big head there, Dick. This is his pep-talk, not yours."

    <<I would wish to ask, Damian...>> Donna switches suddenly to Arabic - that's not something that was in the dossier. She's obviously not fluent and she's got an even more distinct accent than when speaking English, but it's pretty good. <<How do you feel about the other trunk of your family, now?>>

Rachel Roth has posed:
    "There are those who would have understood the context, Robin." Raven rather easily snaps back to his codename when his mask is back on. "As well, we have all experienced what an abundance of knowledge does. Any one of us is a portal into the sensitive parts of each others' minds. Some have more attachments than others. Some have a home that is not the tower, and they are less free. But," she pauses. "We were respectful of these revelations when we began. While I am not saying that trust is not earned, I -am- saying that being open to it is important."

    Raven lights on that clenched fist, though she reads a different portion of Damian, something that isn't visible to the naked eye. "You have the potential, Robin." That... Might just be comforting. "You have to harness it. It can't be taught. It can only be learned, by fighting with people you see as more than soldiers. That may seem harsh- and it is the hardest step, the harshest lesson. But you have more potential than either of your families know." It is as close to I Believe In You that Raven gets.

    "Nightwing was good on camera. Don't let him fool you." There it is.

    Raven takes another sip of her coffee, at that point. <<Are we speaking other languages now? Is that what we are doing?>> Her Arabic is formal, like one would see in text. It is, though, fluent. Raven is Pride, and one-upping Donna is all too important. <<I believe we all speak multiple languages.>> She continues, in Romanian. <<I do not suppose that we're just flexing.>> If anyone speaks Latin, it has a way to express the word, though it's awkward. It includes 'flex' though, so her meaning is clear.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     "Anyone stepping up as a Titan after you loses their anonymity when the originals are concerned." Damian says to Dick, but aloud for everyone to hear in this room. "Which is why I appreciate the security measures. It was not something I could have done with others present. Even Sam."

  "Techno, Sam Morgan. His background is much like mine. But as an agent, no, weapon of HYDRA. We...are together." Dick would have heard Sam's name before, of course.

  As Donna suddenly starts talking in Arabic, after a short flaring of his brow, answers. <<The League of Assassins is not the same to me.>> Then back to English. "But I am not ashamed of them. The League is misguided. I do not think Grandfather is going to change. But that family is a topic for another day. I do not even know how I feel truly."

  Raven's words are much more than even his mother had said to him. Even if it is not an 'I believe in you' the amount of praise is staggering to a boy who was always pushed to be better, never reaching the carrot. "I believe it was meant as a way to be honest, if I wanted an out to Arabic." He's slowly understanding everyone on the Titans, of course, not everything can be learned via dossier.

  "So that is all. Next time you see me, I will be in Robin's uniform. Red X...has uses. But this is best." He says, not smiling, he hardly ever smiled. His face does soften though, if that counts.

Dick Grayson has posed:
Dick nods to Donna, "Duly noted." When the conversation switches to Arabic, a language Dick is not actually conversant in, but he does pick up enough on the Romanian from his other language backgrounds to respond in Hindi <<Are we really going to be playing this game?>> He grins in amusement, "But Robin, you should be aware that they are both right. You are a part of a legacy, and have a chance to make it your own until you no longer bear the mantle."

When Sam's name is dropped Dick frowns, "Then that creates other problems, adding layers already existing ones. Do not tell him you are the new Robin. That is my strongest advisement to you. Trusting him with that knowledge comes with more than a name. Red X was yours alone, Robin is interconnected." His tone is serious, but not stern, "Just trust me on this."

Damian's last comment gets a nod, though, "Good, embrace the mantle. As has been said a lot, already, you are now part of something bigger, and the Titans are a key part of that. Just remember the legacy and the trust extended to you, and you will do great work." While Damian may not smile, Dick will grant one, "You got this."

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna throws back her head and laughs when Raven starts her flex. "mi me ka-ne-wu na che-se-pa kwo ah-khi-ja-wo," she says impishly. It sounds /kind/ of like Greek in places, but then it's not a form of the language that has been known outside of Themyscira for three thousand years. If any students of linear-B were listening, they'd probably have a heart attack.

    "No we are not playing that game, because Rae will win. It was /meant/ to be an option for privacy, but I can see that was a wasted effort with you two smart-asses!" Donna shakes her head, grinning to herself.

    "Embrace the mantle," Donna agrees with Dick, her face growing serious. "But make it your own. Leave it a greater legacy than it had when you accepted it. It is better to achieve greatness for yourself than to be born to greatness. We are building something big here, Damian. /Robin/. The Titans... the /new/ Titans are going to be some very heavy hitters. You'll see. You will have a big task ahead of you, if you are going to step up the way you wish to. Big challenges. But they will give you all the opportunity you could wish for."

    The seriousness fades again into a gentle smile. "I'm looking forwards to seeing you face those challenges and beat them, Damian. I think the Titans have a very exciting future."

    Her eyebrow raises, a slightly teasing look on her face. "I think I would like to see how well you do in combat. Perhaps we should move this conversation to the danger room. Hopefully your prowess will match your tactical smarts. Maybe I can introduce you to some Amazonian techniques that will interest you, yes? Not a word, Raven. Not a word."