[Assessment. Reassessment. Bruce is in a constant state of both, where Dick is concerned. This one as much as the one in his time. He comes down hard on his oldest boy-- god knows that Dick's proved himself over and over again. That he's never given Bruce any reason to mistrust him, if he's being honest with himself.
Oh, he can find flaws if he looks. It's both a gift and a curse. 'Perfect' isn't a human concept, no matter how he pushes himself to attain the title.
Bruce comes close. Closer than most. In terms of deduction, ability, intelligence, reasoning, general knowledge of the world. He has several lifetimes worth of information tucked away in the back of his mind. But his personality is one area that leaves much to be desired. He is what he has to be. Who he has to be, to be the helmsman of his goal of a crimeless Gotham.
But while Dick falls short in every area Bruce excels, there is one spot where he's got him beat. He saw it in action, when he was observing the new Batman and Robin as the Insider. Dick brings people together in a way Bruce never could. He's been changed by this life, he's done some hard growing up and taken more than his fair share of knocks, but at the end of the day, Dick is... still one of the brightest people he's ever met.
He's never been destined for darkness and shadows. Maybe it was the circus spotlight, still a heavy presence from his youngest years.
Whatever it is, this version of him has it too. More-so, in ways that his Dick has long-since shed to stay alive.
So Bruce, perched in the shadows of a gargoyle, doesn't interfere with Dick's fight. He merely observes. If the boy needs help, of course he'll step in. But right now, he's learning. Despite his age, the fact that he became Robin younger than Nightwing shows. His moves are tighter. More studied, more practised. An acrobat's grace with a martial artist's edge. He doesn't have the outright mass to take down he kedan one-on-one like Bruce does, but he plays it smart.
no subject
Oh, he can find flaws if he looks. It's both a gift and a curse. 'Perfect' isn't a human concept, no matter how he pushes himself to attain the title.
Bruce comes close. Closer than most. In terms of deduction, ability, intelligence, reasoning, general knowledge of the world. He has several lifetimes worth of information tucked away in the back of his mind. But his personality is one area that leaves much to be desired. He is what he has to be. Who he has to be, to be the helmsman of his goal of a crimeless Gotham.
But while Dick falls short in every area Bruce excels, there is one spot where he's got him beat. He saw it in action, when he was observing the new Batman and Robin as the Insider. Dick brings people together in a way Bruce never could. He's been changed by this life, he's done some hard growing up and taken more than his fair share of knocks, but at the end of the day, Dick is... still one of the brightest people he's ever met.
He's never been destined for darkness and shadows. Maybe it was the circus spotlight, still a heavy presence from his youngest years.
Whatever it is, this version of him has it too. More-so, in ways that his Dick has long-since shed to stay alive.
So Bruce, perched in the shadows of a gargoyle, doesn't interfere with Dick's fight. He merely observes. If the boy needs help, of course he'll step in. But right now, he's learning. Despite his age, the fact that he became Robin younger than Nightwing shows. His moves are tighter. More studied, more practised. An acrobat's grace with a martial artist's edge. He doesn't have the outright mass to take down he kedan one-on-one like Bruce does, but he plays it smart.
It's... almost enough to make him proud.]