2736/The Torch

The Torch
Date of Scene:	02 August 2020
Location:	Memorial and Meeting Rooms - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	A group of Titans gather to discuss leadership and flick peanuts.
Cast of Characters:	Donna Troy, Dick Grayson, Kate Bishop, Damian Wayne, Caitlin Fairchild

---

Donna Troy has posed:
    There hadn't been any indication of what the meeting was about, nor who was being called to it, but Kate and Damian had both received notice that they were wanted in the meeting room. That in itself is an interesting tell, because the Titans do most of their meetings on a casual basis, on the roof, or in the main room. Meeting Room meetings tend to be a little more serious.

    There isn't really anything obvious to be serious about, either. No pressing crises, for the moment. Brainiac is defeated; at least for now. Bushwick has been restored and the technology proven. There are half a dozen ongoing investigations, but nothing that seemed particularly imminent. Perhaps then this meeting is more about taking the time, now that there is some time, just to chat.

    When the two younger Titans arrive, they'll find Troia, Nightwing and Caitlin already in attendence, sitting around the table with drinks and snacks, and chatting easily. It doesn't look like it's going to be a terribly formal meeting.

    Prior to the arrival of the younger Titans, the OGs had been talking history. About the early days of the Titans, and how it was run. How, in comparison, the new Titans should be run. There was also talk of a get-together, just the OGs, so that Dick could relax and take off his mask for once. Donna had offered a room at the embassy. The delicate process of convincing Caitlin that she wasn't going to cater this one had been broached.

Dick Grayson has posed:
Nightwing was also present at the table, mildly comfortable with his gloved hand around a bottle of pop that was about a third empty. He is clearly in a good mood, for once, but the recent victories tend to help with that. There had been a few comments made in the meeting with resulted in laughs and eye rolling, but otherwise, Nightwing is having an all right day.

Kate Bishop has posed:
Kate got the notice on her t-comm while she was going through a new Danger Room program. She has been clocking a remarkable amount of hours into the new bow. It handles a bit differently than her old bow after all. Stronger pull by about five pounds. Different feel in her hands. So much of this is muscle memory so she has to practice if she is going to be consistent on pulling off the feats she manages out in the field.

Still she tells the system to save the simulation and steps off the pad there locking her bow over her shoulder and heading off to the meeting rooms. She does slow her walk looking at the Memorial and the Meeting Rooms. She really hasn't been there that often to be honest because yeah they don't really use these for anything right.

"Hey Titans... oh snacks..." great not too formal, who brings drinks and snacks to a serious or delicate meeting right. She walks over and leans against the table snagging a drink and a cookie.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian had been summoned, not knowing I exactly what it was for weighed on him a bit. He got himself fixed up with his mask and uniform and made his way to the meeting room.

  "Nightwing, Troia, Fairchild." He commented, looking around with his cape draped around him. The emerald green mask looking at everyone.

  He did not indulge in other niceties, just taking a seat at the table, and looking at the rest, expecting an explanation on the subject of this meeting.

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Hi Hawkeye, hi Robin." Donna greets the pair of them with a smile and waves them over to take a seat at the table. "Help yourselves to snacks or drinks. This isn't going to be a very formal thing."

    Donna glances briefly back at Dick before continuing. "We've told all you new Titans that the group doesn't have leaders. You've both been here long enough to see why we say that, and also wonder if that's exactly true. The reality is that sometimes someone has to make the call. You can't always stop and debate everything. So we don't have /a/ leader, but we've always had leaders."

    "In the old days our not-actually-leader was Nightwing. It wasn't like anyone appointed him to be the leader, it's just that he was the one who stepped up and lead, and we all respected his ability to do so, so we listened."

    "Nightwing had been not-leading a few friends for a few years before it became the Titans. That was shortly after I joined. I am sure he will tell you exactly how much of an annoying brat that weird foreign girl who showed up and tried to boss everyone around was, but when I got to know him I learned that he was worth listening to. That didn't mean I did everything he said. We'd argue a lot." She grins fondly at Nightwing before continuing. "But usually we argued after the fact, rather than in the field. We were the ones who had trained for this kind of things longest, who understood tactics. And were most dedicated."

    "The thing is, the Titans doesn't need a leader. But it does need leaders. When we started, that was generally Nightwing and me. The team is double the size now, and it's going to need double the number of leaders. That's going to mean you two. This isn't a promotion, it's a prediction. You two are the ones who have shown the most leadership potential. It's in your natures to lead. So we thought it was about time we sat down and talked a little about leadership."

Dick Grayson has posed:
"Hawkeye, Robin," Nightwing says politely as the two arrive and joins in the wave. For the time being he nods at Donna as she speaks, and snorts at the comment on disagreeing, "We /still/ argue a lot!" He actually chuckles at that, though he returns to a stonier expression. The former Robin looks to the newer members and takes a sip, appraising the two of them.

"Troia is correct. This is a guess on our end that you two have the potential to be leaders. Ones that others may look up to for guidance, especially in the field when there is no time for debate. Troia and I historically have been the ones looked to, and it is not because we possess some badge or title, but because others /trust/ us." Nightwing sets his bottle down, "The best way to cultivate that is to work with your colleagues, especially the younger members, and gain that trust. Not by commanding, but by doing no less than you would ask of them. Show you are knowledgeable without humiliating." He is ticking off fingers as he goes down the list, "Be there for them when they need you. And show a general concern for their well-being. We are not a military unit, and the trust that is required for leadership is far more easily lost than gained."

Nightwing sets his hand down, "You two show potential for this, but I am curious to hear what you each have to say on this."

Kate Bishop has posed:
Hawkeye, aka Kate, tilts her head and indicates herself with her cookie. "Hawkeye." towards Robin. Yeah it is just mild sass, she didn't go with an old acorn like what am I chopped meat or something. That is what people like dad's or gen-x say or something. Still she smiles and turns her attention back towards Troia now when she talks. Cookie done she unhooks the bow and sets it by a chair before settling into it and reaching for some fruit. Balance. First cookie. Then Apple.

She times the bite of apple and the crunch for when Donna pauses between sentances or words, so as to not be a total disruption as she listens. "Arguing in the field is a good way for people to end up hurt or dead." she notes when Troia says they argued afterwards, nodding to it there.

The bit about most dedicated and who trained longest earns a glance at Robin. Because as far as she can tell he has trained his whole life compared to her then she looks back to the OG Titans at the table. "Well it sure isn't going to be Terry, I love him like a brother at this point and trust him more than my actual sister.. but man." a tiny bit of levity even if it is true about the chaos cat not being a good leader.

She glances to Nightwing and listens to him and then nods. "There is a lot of truth to it when everyone talks about this team being like a family and not just a sports team or something like it." there is another glance at Damian there, because well, she has a tiny bit of trouble picturing him caring and consoling the team. She doesn't bother trying to be sly about the glance either or judgemental really, it just is what it is and she doesn't bother to hide it.

Still she brushes it off and spreads her hands. "I mean... I can't exactly say I am surprised on any of these fronts. Everything you said is true about battlefield leadership and tactics. I still have ... a million things to learn though." she isn't saying no, she is just being honest.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     "Hawkeye." He says back dryly. The level of snark is lower on Damian currently. But he's being as reserved as he can be right now. Probably won't last long.

  The explanation from Troia has its ups and downs. Both of whom he wears on his face in various ways.

  His brow furrowed in times where he lacked. He even caught the glance from Hawkeye. Troia and Nightwing probably see the ever-so slightly different colored points of his eyelets look right back at Hawkeye.

  After the schpiel, Damian remains seared, hands at his chair-arms.

Donna Troy has posed:
    "We all have a lot of things to learn," Donna agrees with Kate. "And you've spent less time learning them than the rest of us at this table. The fact that you're aware of your limits is very necessary to being a good leader. "

    "Robin has been training almost as long as Nightwing and myself," Donna says, her eyes going between the pair of young Titans. "Tactically, he's a way ahead of you, Hawkeye. There's no getting away from that, but you'll pick it up in time. Also you're impetuous, but then so was I." She can't help grinning guiltily at Dick at that admission; at least it means he doesn't have to say it.

    "That's only a part of leadership though," Donna continues. "You're smart, Hawkeye. You think on your feet, and you've got a good instinct for situational awareness. Sometimes the job of a leader is to figure out the best deployment, and you'll have a bit of learning to do on that. Other times it can simply be about getting the people around to focus on the task in hand, or knowing when a debate has already stopped bringing up new ideas and it's time to make a decision. Often it's just about knowing when you need to take someone aside and speak to them quietly about something, or speaking forcefully when other people are dithering - ideally without upsetting them. Those are all areas you are very capable in already."

    "If you'll take my advice, defer to Robin when it comes to tactics." She gives the smaller bat a brief nod of acknowledgement. "He's good. He has impressed me a lot, and I'm hard to impress. Harder than I was when Nightwing managed it." Dick gets a quick wink - not intended for the others to see, but they'll probably catch it. "On the other hand Robin, don't underestimate Hawkeye. She can be an able lieutenant for you in the field, but off the field? You might consider deferring to her more often than not. You may be a better reader of a combat situation, but she's a better reader of people. You can learn a lot from each other. "

Dick Grayson has posed:
Dick listens and nods to Hawkeye, "Exactly. Understanding that is the first step, and Troia is correct, Damian has a mind for tactics, but do not sell yourself short, Hawkeye," he looks to Damian, "But also never assume that you have all the answers, run drills, run simulations, consult with the team, review, revise, repeat. While they are often a poor substitute, they are better than nothing." Donna's remark gets a quick smirk, remembering those early days. "It's a team effort, and everyone contributes."

Nightwing takes a sip, "Troia is right, though, find your strengths, lean on them, as I said, everyone can contribute. Just know how to get the best out of everybody. That makes the team stronger."

Kate Bishop has posed:
Kate nods when first Troia and then Nightwing both say that Damian has more experience and a mind for tactics. "He definitely does." she notes glancing to Damian again and taking a bite of her apple as she continues to listen to the both of them really. "I don't have any problem learning from anyone on the team. Everyone here brings a lot of talents, abilities, and knowledge that I frankly do not have yet. I wouldn't disagree about the ..awareness though and being fast on my mental feet. Have to be or I'll end up very dead.. .or probably already would be. So that is fair." a smile to everyone.

"We probably need .. like dossiers on everyone. I have kind of put a lot of that together already for the Danger Room simulations I've been working on. I wanted to be able to have it simulate people on the team in case they can't make practices so we can at least keep doing it even if some people are busy."

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian keeps rested against the chair back. He kept internalizing and holding it back.

  To as proud of a person as Damian is, its difficult to hear himself have any shortcomings. He wasn't great at humaning, never had been. Not when all you know is missions and assassinations and hundreds of ways to kill people. "Very well." He exhales, keeping himself at ease, forcibly.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Kate's talk of dossiers inspires a wry smile towards Dick from Donna, but whatever that's about, she's not saying. "The Danger Room stores calibrations for each user based on their performance each time they use it. It's not perfect and we could certainly run some tighter calibrations to improve that," she agrees. "Particularly with the newer members who haven't put in the time in the simulations. Though after how hard I drove people to train for the Brainiac operation, some might find that hard to believe. There's a limit to what the systems are really capable of, though."

    "It took Nightwing and I a couple of years to really understand each other," she says. "To figure out how to get the best out of each other, and how to complement each other's skills. The first few months I'm sure he mostly wanted to strangle me, but I think he decided that having someone on the team who could fly and punch holes in walls made it worth putting up with me. There were times I wanted to strangle him too, though probably not as many. In the end though it wasn't so much the training as the fact that we became close friends. We found things we had in common, more than either of us expected. There were things we could talk about with each other that we couldn't really talk about with the rest of the team. Perspectives we shared. We grew to trust each other's judgement."

    Donna, who is a loving soul at heart, cannot quite help herself from showing it with all this remiscing, giving Dick a fond smile and a quick squeeze of his arm, but she's soon back to business. "I hope you two can develop some of that friendship, but that's not something we can mandate. We can't mandate you two becoming leaders of this team, either. We can only ask you to keep what we say in mind, and maybe it won't take you as long as it took us."

    Donna's eyes find Damian, a slight smirk on her lips. "I think it's advice worth considering. I'd say I'm a pretty decent judge of leadership material, after all."

Dick Grayson has posed:
"And we're still figuring things out," Nightwing nods to Donna, but that's friendship. He looks to Kate and says, "Donna is correct, we have data on some aspects, though we do not keep everything, there is some information that we do not risk storing." Like identities, "But that is a good idea on that." Nightwing relaxes in his seat and nods to Donna as the nostalgia hits, "We became a family. A family by choice. Trust is the currency we deal in and I'd trust Donna with darn near anything. It takes time, but that is just the way it is. It is not a bond that can be slapped together." The former Robin nods to Donna, "And yeah, we cannot make you be leaders, nor can we make the others accept you as such. This is just something that has been observed, to a degree, and that you two may consider cultivating those talents for the betterment of the team."

Dick leans forward and rests his elbows on the table, looking over to Damian, "You've got potential, but I'd like to hear what you have to say."

Kate Bishop has posed:
Kate totally looks like she is taking a mental note when Donna says that about the calibrations and performance history in the danger room. "Are those profiles stored with adminstrator access?" or with her luck in some dumb settings menu she didn't find. That would have made her life so much damn easier. "And yeah NW... definitely not talking about putting things in files that would put anyone at risk. I mean I guess strengths and weaknesses might but still... not any identity information for sure."

She grins though "I bet I can get more people to do training with me in the danger room.. we need to do a shit ton of training as a team anyways."

She considers that last bit "I think it is worth learning and trying to help. It will either come or it won't as you say." she grabs a second cookie, she will work it off later. "As for learning. I'd very much like to train with you Robin and learn better tactics from you in the field." it is genuine too, not just strategic to help win him over. Not just.

Damian Wayne has posed:
     "What would you like me to say, Nightwing?" He says, adjusting up in his chair and back again. Getting antsy, amongst a myriad of feelings he had little experience vocalizing.

  "I am not the easiest of teachers." Damian warns Hawkeye, he was not easy indeed. "I have done everything that was asked of me since I have been here. I have been proving myself every single day."

  There was a part of him that was taking this constructive criticism in a way not intended. In his first life, any weakness was unacceptable. In his case it's still that way self-imposed, of course.

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Nobody doubts your contribution, Robin. Or Hawkeye's." Donna smiles at the pair of them. Dick gets a brief flash of her smile too, just to be inclusive. "You two have been doing everything that could be asked of you, and more. Both of you have proven yourselves ten times over. Maybe I should clarify - it's not just because of your /potential/ that we asked the two of you here."

    Donna grabs a bottle of water from the table in front of her and unscrews the lid before using it to point at Damian. "Don't be defensive about this. It's not an assessment or a criticism. This is open conversation. We want to offer the pair of you our experience, because we believe in what you two can offer to the team. And because this isn't an assessment or a criticism but an open discussion, we want to hear your opinions too."

    Donna give a slight nod to Damian, and then to Kate, her eyebrows raising slightly as she does so. A gesture that says 'over to you'. Then she settles back, taking a swig of her water.

Dick Grayson has posed:
"You already answered it," Nightwing notes to Robin kindly, "And as Troia has said, you have contributed and nobody doubts that." He lets Donna elaborate more. Kate gets a raised brow, "It is a valid question, though I defer to Cyborg on all tech matters, usually." He is definitely not the scientist of the group. "But that is the attitude to have, show drive, show initiative. There is seldom enough training, work on different scenarios, but also be aware of what needs to be worked on." Though, like Donna, he is curious to hear what Kate has to say.

Kate Bishop has posed:
Kate looks at Damian for a long moment. "I wouldn't expect you to be an easy teacher. You're a badass and have obviously trained at all of this for years. I'd place money on my being better with a bow, but I doubt I am better with a sword and hand to hand. Also as everyone has established you are great with tactics and I can learn." it ends with a crook of a smile. "If you are willing to try me, I'm willing to do the hard work Robin."

She sips her own drink. "The most likely outcome is we both become better working together and I become stronger. Worst case we end up trying to kill each other.... I think we probably come out better for it."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
"May I weigh in with something?" Caitlin requests with a gentle tone. "This is just a little simple human psychology. It helps to be reminded of it," she offers. The near-gallon of protein shake in front of her is capped off while she's talking and she leans forward with an earnest expression on her face to address Kate and Damian.

"There are also more than a few different kinds of leadership. We don't have ranks here, and since most of us are the same age--" she gestures at Nightwing and Troia-- "proof by age was out the window, too. Leadership's not just about 'take charge, make calls, everyone listen'. It's about creating trust between teammates-- and that trust can take a long time to build. We've been at it so long that we've gone through all the growing pains that y'all are starting to run into. It's normal; it just takes time to work through them."

Damian Wayne has posed:
     Damian's shoulders become slightly relaxed at Donna's comments, and Nightwing's. "Okay. Then I agree." He turns to look at Kate and nods. "Then we can start working on that. Be prepared." He figured if she was so keen on trying, he could give it a go.

  Robin's eyes go back to that gold and black R on his chest. He's still working on things on his end, this isn't the League. Which is the hardest part of getting used to things, his usual way was so much different.

  Cait's words give Damian a little bit to think on. "I am not used to being around people my age. Most of my team had been older, but..." He nods to Donna and Nightwing. They knew most the details of his previous life in the League. "This team is different. I do not usually approach people for consul. I will make strides to reach out more."

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Cyborg's the go-to guy for Danger Room things," Donna agrees. "But in this case I can help. Look in entities - slash - specials - slash - evaluated objects and you'll find simulations of team members. Honestly they're next to useless for training purposes though. The AI just isn't really up to it, and you're likely to learn as many bad habits as good ones if you spend much time training with them. Honestly I'm convinced the only reason we started doing that is so that Nightwing could practice against us in secret."

    Donna gives Dick a playful grin and another wink, then shakes her head. "Saying that, we never tried to kill each other. We may have been tempted to from time to time, but we've never come to blows other than sparring. I hope the same will be true of the two of you, because killing your team-mates is really bad for team cohesion. Also it means it's your turn to do the dishes more often."

    "As for building that trust..." Donna nods to Caitlin, acknowledging her point. "The more you show people what you can do, that you are worth trusting, the quicker that happens. See, here's the thing. The Titans has been growing fast. This may come as a bit of a shock, but... I can't be certain of this because not all the groups exactly publish a complete roster, but if the Titans isn't the biggest super team in the world now, it's close. Just let that sink in for a moment. We /need/ leaders. And we don't want it to be all us original Titans. The reason this team even exists in the first place is that people who were the age we are now weren't willing to trust people the age you are now. We are determined not to make that same mistake. We want you to have the chance we had. But please, neither of you hesistate to come to us for advice, okay? It's not a sign of weakness. Everyone has different skills, different experiences. One thing we do have on either of you is our experience /as Titans/. Take advantage of that."

Dick Grayson has posed:
"If I fought fair, I would lose," Dick laughs in response to Donna's comment. But he nods to Caitlin and her input. "It takes time. It is like a plant. That goes for all of the Titans, trust is a delicate thing that can never be demanded, only earned." The former Robin drains the remainder of his bottle.

"Your situation is your own," Dick says to Damian, fully understanding, "But trust also has the upside of when you need a team, it will be there for you. Though at times they may give you grief for things," he raises a brow to both Caitlin and Donna. They know what they did. "It's a family. Though, Troia raises the valid point of killing people is hard on morale and just means fewer hands for chores." He sighs, "But there will be hard choices to be made in time, but please speak with us if you have questions, any of you, and you can inform those not in this room that we'd rather answer questions here than having to make a call in the field that could have been solved earlier." Another nod to Donna, though, "Everyone is a different tool in the toolbox. You can drive nails with a screwdriver, but a hammer works a lot better."

Kate Bishop has posed:
Kate nods to Caitlin "Hear you." she acknowledges with a nod.

"Well if you count the people on super secret probation but without all the keys to things like the danger room.. yeah I think you might be right Troia. I mean... maybe... is the JLA a team again... it is so hard to tell. The avengers though I think we eclipsed them."

Honestly Xaviers may be bigger but Kate has no clue about them really and that whole school full of super teams.

"Anyhow... I track what you guys are saying. It all makes a load of sense... glad you provided snacks though." she can't help but sass a bit. "All you get is water and a lecture would have made hearing all this rough." yup sass.

To Damian though she turns more fully "I'll be as ready as I can be and looking forward to it actually." she pauses "Can you teach me how to use those throwing bat knife things?" yeah that has her actually excited at the prospect.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin blows a raspberry at Nightwing. "Friends also save friends from questionable fashion choices," she mutters with feigned indignation. Is there photo evidence being saved as blackmail material? MAYBE!

"Thanks, guys. For coming in," she bids Kate and Damian, more seriously. "We don't mean to make this a lecture. I know it's not been the easiest thing in the world figuring out a new balance-- new people coming in while we're still lurking around the Tower." There's real sympathy in her tone. "And sometimes we need a reminder, too, that we don't know everything. And that we need to get out of the way for you guys to tackle stuff. Like Troia said--" she makes a back and forth gesture. "Two-way street, here."

Damian Wayne has posed:
     "Throwing knives will be better." He comments. "Batarangs are varied and all are differently made." Damian says with a smirk.

  The young teen steps up, and gives a nod to all. "If there's nothing else?" He says, looking to all involved. His tone wasn't contemptful, he just feels the conversation coming to a close.

Donna Troy has posed:
    "Tell that to Cait," Donna says to Dick with a grin. "Give her a nail to drive and she'll use a thumb. She's such a show-off like that." She raises her bottle to her lips to take a drink - or at least to hide her smirk - and waggles her eyebrows to Kate and Damian where Caitlin won't see it.

    One thing the two younger Titans will have picked up is that the older ones certainly like teasing each other a lot.

    "You survived a horde of Brainiac drones, Hawk. I'm sure you could survive water and a lecture. But yeah, it's like Caitlin says." Donna grabs a cookie, grinning a little and gesturing with it. "This is supposed to be a meeting, not a lecture. We are a team of equals. I hope you guys will take advantage of our extra experience, but at the same time don't be afraid to call us on our BS if you see it."

    >CHOMP<

    Donna nods to Damian as she finishes her mouthful of cookie. "I think we've covered what needed to be covered. Anyone got anything they need to add, or shall we call it?"

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin lines up a peanut on the desk like a tiny football and flicks it right at Donna's ear.

"Maybe wouldn't be the worst idea to approach folks one-on-one, either," Caitlin suggests as an afterthought. The redhead gets to her feet and picks up her protein shake; the gallon jug was emptied over the course of the meeting and she scowls at it as if personally offended. "Get to know people personally. Make friends. This isn't a 9-5 job. We're a family here," she points out, and starts dithering towards the door with the other Titans. "Family comes with baggage. It's a little harder to do the job sometimes, but it's a lot easier to love the work."