[OPEN]

[shorttempered]

Characters: Mark Grayson/Invincible and OPEN
Date: Backdated to shortly after Eve left
Location: All over
Situation: Eve has gone home, and Mark isn’t taking that too well.
Warnings/Rating: None (may be subject to change)

A.
[Eve was gone. It was the only thought that occupied his mind, no matter how desperately he tried to change it to something anything otherwise. Thanks to Bruce he had finally gone outside for the first time since being evicted from his… Eve’s apartment. And now that he was out, he just simply no longer felt like there was a good reason to go back. Mark took up to wandering aimlessly, as if he could find some new purpose by stumbling onto it. He barely notices that there is anyone around him as he stops every so often at a place that reminds him of Eve and screws his eyes shut as he tries to push the memory from his mind, before ultimately giving up and letting the tears flow.]

B.
[Eventually Mark does make his way back home… but only long enough to grab his costume and he was gone again, this time taking to the air as Invincible. He had slipped back into the anger… angry she was gone, of course, but angrier at himself. He and Eve—most of the people here, really—all wanted to go home. How could he have been so selfish to want to keep her here, when she was needed at home? When she was where he always wanted her to go back to after all?

Mark pushes himself faster, barely registering the wind against his costume, making a beeline for the barrier. Not on purpose, but at the speed he was going it was only a matter of time before he rammed right into it… or more specifically rammed into it then plummeted into the water.

And he didn’t care.]

Comments

[shorttempered]

I'm going to guess you're Robin.

And I've heard of Batman before. [Actually, he suddenly can't shake the feeling he's met him before...

Nah.]

[demon_brat]

I already told you that I am. Not Oliver. Robin.

[A moment, and Damian wraps one gauntleted fist in the opposite, also gauntleted hand.]

Even in Gotham, there are people who need to be kept in line. Or, I should say, especially in Gotham.

[shorttempered]

Yeah, I see that now. You're totally the wrong color. [Seeing as his brother was currently... purplish?]

And no offense, you could have told me you were the Queen of England and I wouldn't have remembered. I kind of thought I was drowning at the time.

But... what about like... Gotham suburb? Or the next town over? What if they need help? [Because the thought of staying in one town to help people is just mindboggling to him.]

[demon_brat]

[Oops. And the boy looks at him in surprise.]

You haven't had to act - or think - when you thought you were drowning, before?

[Spoiler: this kid has. For him, not remembering something just because he thought he was about to die is not an excuse. ... then again, he's so often in situations when he might be about to die that it'd be really stupid to forget things just because of that.]

And - we go as far as necessary. Nightwing, and then Batgirl, were in Bludhaven, but then it got destroyed. Then there's Superman in Metropolis - of course, Metropolis is more complicated, and so is Superman. Nightwing was in New York for a while, too - I think there are different heroes there, off and on.

But few ever bother with Gotham.

[Also: not everybody can fly as you do, Mark.]

[shorttempered]

[Shoots Robin a look.] You clearly have never hit the barrier. You ram into it and it's pretty much lights out. It's not like you get any warning before you hit it, either.

...Again, why does anyone live there? I mean, it sounds like Midnight City, and when that city went dark permanently, most people got the hell out of there.

[Shhh he forgets that.]

[demon_brat]

I did, actually. Though not at a speed where it could cause damage. Unlike some, it didn't take me long to realize that the thing protected us, as much as it - trapped us here.

[Robin shrugs.]

No idea. But they are still people, right? And their kids are still children.

[shorttempered]

I already told you I didn't do it on purpose! I can fly from Ba--the US to Africa in 5 minutes. I was kinda flying a little fast okay?! [Deep breaths, Mark...]

I didn't mean you shouldn't protect them...

[demon_brat]

Touchy.

I remember that you said you didn't do it on purpose. But you're not the first person I've fished out of the ocean in this state. [Beat.] For the record, Superman went straight up.

[Damian pauses for a little longer, then nods.]

Exactly. And now I'm here.

[So he protects people here.]

[shorttempered]

It's not like we can see the barrier. You just... hit it. [Straight up? Really?]

[demon_brat]

[Well, apparently Supes thought that nobody had actually tried that. Which... nobody had. Exactly. It just makes no difference.]

Some can detect the energy intensity, I believe. And, no, it can't be seen. That was... established.

[In a boat with Father, as the then-only-two bats did their own exploration of the barrier, a long time ago.]

[shorttempered]

Key word there being some... And even if I could on a normal day, I really wasn't paying attention.

[demon_brat]

Hhn.

[That's why he said some, all right? But Damian looks out over the water.]

It doesn't matter, anyway. The reason for the protection's already in the city, now.

[shorttempered]

[...Well he wasn't feeling crappy enough.] Yeah, but maybe it will keep other things he needs out.

[demon_brat]

[Actually, Damian's point was to make him not feel as bad, since... there's less damage he can inflict, now? But, then, he also kind of sucks at this.]

That'd be more of a problem if we were underwater right now.

Both because of the water and pressure, and because of the possibility of more jiangshi.

[shorttempered]

You're just a barrel of laughs, aren't you?

[demon_brat]

[And the simple comment makes the boy's shoulders tense, even if his voice doesn't go hostile.]

Clearly not.

[shorttempered]

...That was sarcasm.

[demon_brat]

I know.

[Sarcasm doesn't stop a thing from occasionally being true, or from true things to have different meanings to people.]

[Robin shakes his head, firmly.]

Are you sufficiently recovered, now? Or do you need more time, or something else?

[shorttempered]

[How, r u d e much?] ...Ican take a hint. I'll be leaving now, thanks for making sure I didn't drown. [And with that, he flies off.]

[demon_brat]

[Damian. Rolls his eyes behind the mask. He wasn't trying to chase him away, more get information, for now, but this works.]

Hhn.

[And he sets off, back to what he was doing before the encounter.]