[ He stirs awake at the sound of Titus whining from the foot of his bed. No alarm, no danger; as fast as his mind wakes up, he can let his body catch up a little slower this time, peering blearily against the early morning ray of sunshine that's somehow made it through a crack in his curtains. The mutt moves, toenails clacking against the floor as he circles around the side of the bed to nudge some unfamiliar object into Damian's hand.
He brings the thing up to his face, and frowns -- it's Richard's old mask, goggles gleaming in the light. Grunting, he shoves it back at Titus. ]
I don't want it.
[ Ugly thing. He much prefers Richard without it. But Titus whines again, nudges the mask up onto the bedspread, and Damian reaches out to shush him, running a palm along his head and scratching behind an ear.
He understands half an hour later. Titus is whining because there is an absence, and Damian's bursting from the caves like a bat out of hell, motorcycle revving as he slams down the street. Richard is damnably good at hiding his tracks, so there isn't much to go off of, but Damian has help this time; Oracle, scanning the city, watching exits and entrances and cameras and flights, facial recognition software chewing through the data.
It'd been risky, pulling her into this, but a greater risk not to. Gotham is still rife with danger, especially with threats from the Court and from his mother both, and Richard is out there alone. He's not Robin for this, not acting in Robin's capacity and therefore not subject to Batman's orders, and there's just a mask slapped over his face and a utility belt slung at his waist. Hopefully that will keep other attention off him.
Gordon pings him, HUD popping up with the notification, and his eyes narrow as he takes a sharp turn left, on the chase.
no subject
He brings the thing up to his face, and frowns -- it's Richard's old mask, goggles gleaming in the light. Grunting, he shoves it back at Titus. ]
I don't want it.
[ Ugly thing. He much prefers Richard without it. But Titus whines again, nudges the mask up onto the bedspread, and Damian reaches out to shush him, running a palm along his head and scratching behind an ear.
He understands half an hour later. Titus is whining because there is an absence, and Damian's bursting from the caves like a bat out of hell, motorcycle revving as he slams down the street. Richard is damnably good at hiding his tracks, so there isn't much to go off of, but Damian has help this time; Oracle, scanning the city, watching exits and entrances and cameras and flights, facial recognition software chewing through the data.
It'd been risky, pulling her into this, but a greater risk not to. Gotham is still rife with danger, especially with threats from the Court and from his mother both, and Richard is out there alone. He's not Robin for this, not acting in Robin's capacity and therefore not subject to Batman's orders, and there's just a mask slapped over his face and a utility belt slung at his waist. Hopefully that will keep other attention off him.
Gordon pings him, HUD popping up with the notification, and his eyes narrow as he takes a sharp turn left, on the chase.
Richard, you ass. ]