fluxscape | ota | april log.

Entry tags:

ota | april log.

Who: Bruce Wayne / Batman, Diana Prince, Richard Gansey III, Miles Morales.
What: Various threads for the month of April! Will be edited to include more if needed.
Where: Driftcrest - Bruce's home, Out and About, Dream Time
When: Night of various days.

@ DIANA PRINCE
I'LL SELL MY SOUL TO DREAM YOU WIDE AWAKE

( continued from here )

[ It was something of a comfort that the Diana Prince on the network was the one from his own reality. That was what the deductions had led him to anyways. The way their conversation flowed, the choice words used to elude to previous conversations. She, unlike the other newest member, had seemed to of at least lived through what he had. The Doomsday fight. The funeral. The aftermath of it all.

He had considered the notion a few times of people from his reality finally landing themselves in these odd bunch of realities. It was just a matter of time by process of elimination. Had he expected Diana -- Clark? No, he couldn't say he had. He figured maybe some of those he had fought in the past... but never people that had been allies. Even if it had been temporary.

Routine took over the moment he entered the house he had now called home. The keys and communications device tossed to the small dish in the area that acted as the living room. He even turned it off. Not that he thought it would do much in the end. The damn thing could probably turn on and off. Maybe he should find Jerry and see if he could get a spare.

The interior colors were something that would be far more expected of Bruce Wayne. He had grown accustomed to the darker colors and the idea of an open viewed house. Living in one for twenty years did that to a man. He took off the suit jacket, vest, and tie as he made his way into the closet in the bedroom. On came something more comfortable for the night. No point in getting suits dirty when he had promised someone dinner.

Even if there was a mild sense of panic raging in the back of his mind as he set about preparing dinner. ]

@ MILES MORALES (BLOOD, BvS SPOILS)
DEFLATE, THE MYSTERY OF LIVING

[ Dreams of a dark nature aren't uncommon for Bruce Wayne. Even more so the sort that speak of potential dark futures. Whispers of Earth becoming a wasteland, flying demon like soldiers, and the once great Superman killing all in his way. When the dreams of ever changing landscapes and now caves haunt him? It's really of no surprise.

Bruce makes his way towards what looks like a cave. He eyes the familiar looking shadows. The words they repeat ring his ears: 'Break it, break it, break it.'

He slips down an ice patch of the cavern. Bruce catches himself in time, only to realize he's in a familiar blue suit. He stares down at himself for a moment. That's when he sees the wound on his arm that had been turned to ice at one point. It's open now, bleeding freely. ]

Shit.

[ Echoing in his ears is the sound of voices. Mother, father, Dick, Alfred, even the Crown Prince of Crime and his Harlequin. Over and over they repeat until he moves to turn a corner. Then, there's an earth shattering hum. He freezes out of instinct, a familiar distinct sound of fear running through him. The sound echoes in his head, consuming everything around him. He stumbles forward still until finally he sees a box--

--then the sound of crashing. Buildings falling, screaming, only to be replaced with new voices. 'Break it, break it, break it!'

'Bruce, PLEASE! You don't UNDERSTAND!' Clark.

He shuts his eyes tightly, turning his head away as all the sounds and voices reach an apex all at once in his head. He can feel the blood running down his arm and into the snow below him. He almost feels like he's about to fall over.

Then, it stops.

Bruce opens his eyes to find someone else in front of him then. He must look like a mess to the younger man staring at him. Dust covering the blue suit, hair wind swept, blood staining his shirt, pants, and the snow underneath him. Not to mention the heavy breathing. ]

...Miles?

@ RICHARD GANSEY III
WITH ME, DISASTER FINDS A PLAYFIELD

[ There has been a deep seated worry Bruce has had over Gansey's reaction to Evie being taken by the Unseen. He understands the rage, the fear, the sense of powerlessness. As his father figure had once said: 'It turns good men cruel.'

Bruce has walked that path and he's determined to not see someone else he knows walk it. He refuses to see someone as consumed as he had become. They don't need more martyrs or sacrifices. They don't need petty fights that rip things apart and cost the world the most precious things.

All of it is precisely why the Bat is watching as Gansey makes his way in the snow. He jumps from the small roof to land in the snow, his cloak framing his body as he stands. The Bat does nothing else. He waits for Gansey to realize he is there.

Then, hopefully, they can talk. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Miles isn't sure where he is or how he got there. There's nothing but darkness, and the faint echo of voices that, desperate for something other than the emptiness, he moves to follow.

The voices grow louder, and he starts to recognize some of them; Peter - the Peter from his world, the one he had watched die right in front of him, Uncle Aaron, his parents, the Peter he met here (Gwen's boyfriend, who disappeared without a trace), and Gwen - his best friend who he hadn't been able to help. All the people he couldn't help or had let down somehow, calling out to him and reminding him how he had failed.

And suddenly there was a sharp pain in his side, forcing him to his knees. With a hitch in his breath, he presses a hand to his side, feeling the blood flowing from the injury he'd gotten from the Unseen - he'd been unprepared, caught off-guard, and they had almost gotten him and O'Malley. As he looked down to see his injury, though, he realized that he was in a Spider-Man suit - not his suit (the suit he had gotten from Peter's Spider-Cave), but the store costume.

"A fake Spider-Man suit for a fake Spider-Man," a voice says. He's not sure whose it is, they're all blending together and echoing in his mind. He tries to cover his ears, tries to drown them out, but he can't.

And yet, something manages to cut through the all voices screaming at him, and he looks up in time to see someone else stumble through the darkness. ]

...M-Mr. Wayne...?

[ The disorientation and worry of his own wound are cast aside the moment he sees Miles in blood. ]

Jesus, Miles! What did you do?!

[ It might be better to frame the question as 'What happened to you', but Bruce isn't thinking quite thinking straight. The adrenaline is running in his veins, his heartbeat thumping in his head, and the hum of those damned engines ringing in his ears.

In almost an instant, Bruce is in front of Miles. He's knelt down to look the teenager over. The fact the costume is store bought hasn't even crossed his mind just yet. The only thing that he can focus on is the fact the younger man is bleeding. It's instinct to want to try and stop the bleeding and to instill a sense of calm.

Maybe it's just because of the memory of Metropolis literally drumming inside his head. ]

It's going to be okay, alright?

[ He winces a little, though whether from the older man's words or from him trying to look at the wound is hard to say. Carefully Miles pulls his hand away from the gash in his side, his breath hitching a little. ]

Y...Y-Yeah...

[ The older man's presence has quieted the voices a bit, though they still echoed in his ears. ]

...Wh-Where are we?

[ It's the first time he's thought to ask that question since being here, but it suddenly occurs to him that he has no idea what this place there in even is. ]

[ It's definitely a deep wound. Probably matching the one on his arm. Bruce is lacking something to help stop the bleeding, other than the vest he has on. Damn the vest, it doesn't matter much anyways. He starts to unbutton it. ]

Some sort of cave. I've never seen it before.

[ He pulls the vest off and helps pad it to Miles's side. ]

Go ahead and hold it here for now.

[ He hisses softly, but does as he's told and holds the vest to his wound. ]

Thanks...you sure you don't need it, though?

[ Because yeah, he also sees that wound. ]

I've had worse.

[ The wound on his arm is nothing like the scar on his shoulder. Neither of those quite match up to the mental and emotional trauma he has lived through. Bruce reaches up and squeezes Miles's shoulder. It's going to be alright, son.

Bruce directs him to sit down beside him. Might give him less of a fuss with the wound if he isn't trying to keep himself upright. His eyes go back to the box. ]

Any idea what that is?

[ With a slight wince, he sits next to Bruce and takes a few breaths. At the question, he glances back towards the box. ]

No, not really...I keep hearing voices saying to break it.

[ As he turns back to look at Bruce, he frowns a bit when he notices something...strange about the shadow stretching across the ground. ]

[ Bruce nods. ] I hear them too. As well as some other things.

[ Things that Miles doesn't need to know. He pushes himself to stand back up, eyes on the box. A frown takes his face, fist clenching. The burning sensation is still in his arm as he wonders if there is a way to break it. can they do it? Do they need something more?

There's a bright light then suddenly. He raises his hand to cover his eyes. Then, a distinctive screech happens above. The sound of flapping wings--bats.

Bruce closes his eyes and centers himself. Even now, their flapping can unnerve him. ]

[ Despite facing away from the light, Miles still winces a little when light fills the dark space. But he still sees as the brightness causes Bruce's shadow to darken and stretch out farther, and his eyes widen a little at the silhouette that almost seems to stare back at him.

Then the sound of flapping catches his attention, and he pulls his gaze away to look up to see bats flying by overhead.

And as his minds start to race again, a conclusion falls into place that somehow makes no sense, and makes total sense. ]

...Mr. Wayne?

[ It takes only a moment for Bruce to turn his attention back to Miles. He seems unaware of the change of the shadow, but the bats is certainly hard to not notice. Especially his reaction to them. An easy smile crosses his face, that classic Bruce Wayne smile, before he gestures to the bats as they flap in the distance. ]

I used to be afraid of bats when I was a kid. I've more or less learned how to deal with it now.

[ Though he has a feeling it's something a little deeper than just that. ]

They didn't get to you, did they?

[ He glances back towards the older man, though he can't help looking at the shadow behind him, the silhouette continuing to almost stare him down. ]

N-No, they didn't, but...are...are you...the Batman?

[ Bruce pauses at that. His mind is racing to what gave Miles that conclusion--given how careful he has been about his identity. He glances down at Miles, catching the edge of his shadow and the way it has changed. Shadows don't cast that way, no matter how paranoid Bruce Wayne might be.

Which means this is either some mind share, out of body experience, or dream.

Damnit, this place. ]

Well, there's not much point in hiding it then, is there?

So you are? For real?

[ In some ways, it kind of made sense. He'd been a bit suspicious since he'd seen Bruce injured in the cafe that one time, but he didn't have any way to prove it. But now... ]

[ The expression on his face is an obvious: yes. Any annoyance comes from the fact that this space has given away his identity. He had done his best to keep it a secret--make it look like the Bat came from Wechester City, or at least, may have always gone around those areas. ]

Surprised?

I mean...only somewhat. I kinda had a feeling, but I couldn't really be sure.

It looks like it's harder to keep a secret identity secret here.

[ Bruce sighs in slight annoyance, but it's not towards Miles at all. Innocent party in the whole thing. ]

I'm guessing it should be obvious that I tell you not to tell anyone.

Yeah...

[ As he glances down, he notices the mask for the store bought Spider-Man suit he's wearing. But the eyes are...wrong. Instead of the holes to be able to see, they seem to be filled in with a kind of mesh.

And he's not sure why, but he has a strange feeling as he looks at the mask, and starts to turn it inside out. ]

Trust me...I totally get it. [ He spreads the mask out once it's reversed, revealing the red and black mask of his real suit. ]

[ Bruce's gaze follows Miles's to the mask. His eyebrows barely raise at the revelation. It explains a few things, and honestly, he feels he should have seen that coming.

He nods to it to show that he understands, but doesn't go into more detail than that for now. ]

I'm guessing that this place really hates us keeping secrets.

At least with each other. Keeping secret identities from the natives hasn't been too hard.

[ Not that anyone has really been asking. ]

So what now? We should probably find a way out of here, but...

[ The question is how. ]

How many people know your identity?

[ He figures it is probably Miles's closest social group. Maybe even his housemates. It's good to know who knows what and keep an eye on all of it. Call him paranoid, but, Bruce would rather know then be caught off guard. ]

Following the cave system seems to be the idea for now. Think you can walk with that wound?

In this world? Just one other person. There had been a couple others, but they're...not here anymore.

[ He carefully presses his hand to his side, testing it out. He winces a little, but nods anyway. ]

Yeah...I can manage.

Hm. The other ones like you?

[ Bruce nods and helps Miles stand up. He stays close though, making sure that he's there to support the younger superhero if he needs it. It's a serious wound. ]

One of them, yeah.

[ He's able to get to his feet, but has to take a moment to lean against Bruce before he can right himself. It'll definitely be slow going, but he manages to take some steps on his own. ]

[ Bruce nods to the statement. It obviously wasn't a coincidence they all had similar powers. Though, it's been awhile since he has seen the three people with spider-like abilities. Just the two. Miles and thee girl. ]

You get along with them as heroes?