[On the contrary, he quietly reveled at Damian's smile. No one ever did that around him anymore. (He could remember when he lived to make people smile, not take them away forever.)
He's not daring enough to approach Titus himself, even if the dog is remarkably tolerant of his presence after everything he tried to do. But his quiet investment persists as he listens to Damian and watches the dog demand his attention. Part of him is a little surprised that Damian doesn't spend much time with the rest of the Wayne Family, though perhaps that's why the kid bothers to spend so much time with Richard himself. Dogs probably weren't very reliable conversation partners.
He keeps in time with Damian's steps, an eagerness to his steps and his attention unable to focus on any one thing around him, no, he must look at everything around them while they're walking-- half of it training, half of it just the typical attention span of a child.]
Mm. Not really.
[His voice, though still light, grows a bit more grim-- thinking about the circus is still painful, makes his stomach flutter with unease and longing at the same time, and he lets both hands grip the edge of the coat's hood and make sure it covers what it needs to, give his hands something to hold. But like before, he can't not talk about it, is still desperate for the new opportunity to revitalize some part of his old life.]
But one of the elephants in the show, I really liked. We were almost the same age. I used to sneak her snacks before the performance. And she liked to wrap her trunk around me when I saw her, especially if I was sad. She could even lift me off the ground when I was smaller. She was my best friend.
[He wonders if she misses him at all. Wonders if she was sad when he left, and if anybody at the circus noticed and tried to cheer her up. Hopefully someone still slipped her snacks before the show, even though the animal tamer usually disapproved if he ever caught him. He wonders if she would even recognize him if he ever saw her again.]
no subject
He's not daring enough to approach Titus himself, even if the dog is remarkably tolerant of his presence after everything he tried to do. But his quiet investment persists as he listens to Damian and watches the dog demand his attention. Part of him is a little surprised that Damian doesn't spend much time with the rest of the Wayne Family, though perhaps that's why the kid bothers to spend so much time with Richard himself. Dogs probably weren't very reliable conversation partners.
He keeps in time with Damian's steps, an eagerness to his steps and his attention unable to focus on any one thing around him, no, he must look at everything around them while they're walking-- half of it training, half of it just the typical attention span of a child.]
Mm. Not really.
[His voice, though still light, grows a bit more grim-- thinking about the circus is still painful, makes his stomach flutter with unease and longing at the same time, and he lets both hands grip the edge of the coat's hood and make sure it covers what it needs to, give his hands something to hold. But like before, he can't not talk about it, is still desperate for the new opportunity to revitalize some part of his old life.]
But one of the elephants in the show, I really liked. We were almost the same age. I used to sneak her snacks before the performance. And she liked to wrap her trunk around me when I saw her, especially if I was sad. She could even lift me off the ground when I was smaller. She was my best friend.
[He wonders if she misses him at all. Wonders if she was sad when he left, and if anybody at the circus noticed and tried to cheer her up. Hopefully someone still slipped her snacks before the show, even though the animal tamer usually disapproved if he ever caught him. He wonders if she would even recognize him if he ever saw her again.]