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Jason keeps a phone with one number on it, it’s always on his person, he has kept it ever since Talia told him not to kill Ra’s Al Ghul. Jason waits in the Wayne manor garden in relative silence with Alfred, Cass and Damian until that phone goes off with a confirmation that Ra’s is dealt with. The message is short and doesn’t contain any details, Jason kind of wishes that Talia would give as detailed reports as Batman.
“I will be taking my leave, the situation seems to have been dealt with and my presence is no longer necessary.” Jason’s body is twitching to run away, to allow his posture to slouch and his personality to seep through, but he can’t if he wants to make sure that Cardinal and Jason Todd remain separate. Cass gives him a nod, her posture is still very casual but it’s evident that she can strike at any moment should he try to do something. Alfred has gone inside some time earlier, cleaning up after the entire ‘assassins crashing into the manor and destroying furniture’-spectacle, and Damian is frowning from Cass’ side. “I’ll be in touch, little one.” He lets the smirk be heard as he says it, allowing Damian a little more emotion. “I told you not to call me that!”
The moment the door closes behind him, Jason crumbles on the floor. He is exhausted. He had to stand face to face with Dick and the successor, and Alfred, and pretend like they were strangers, like meeting them meant nothing. Jason might be cocky and pretend like he can handle everything, and he might’ve killed one of the things in the world that brought him the most fear—but he was far from ready to meet his family.
He had thought that meeting Drake face to face would be difficult, compared to meeting Dick, it was easier than stealing an apple from the old convenience store in the Alley. Sure, Jason had felt a slight pang of resentment and a whole lot of some strange variation of loss, but seeing Dick felt like grief.
“Who are you?” coming from Dick felt like being dunked in ice-cold water. He could feel the shivers against his spine even now, sitting on an unswept floor in one of his worst apartments. Jason had prepared a handful of answers in advance, all of them had evaporated when he stood face to face with Dick Grayson, with Nightwing. He thanked every god out there for the voice modulator in his mask, the hesitation and slight wobble in his voice would probably have ruined his act otherwise. Shouldn’t the work he did with the All Caste have been able to get rid of all this?
The fight helped, once the shadows started moving he was able to get his thoughts sorted. Focusing on not killing everything that moved, or accidentally summoning the All Blades kept his mind occupied enough that Dick’s presence couldn’t consume him.
Jason crawls over to the other side of the apartment, he had started on the other parts of his Cardinal suit in this apartment but hadn’t been able to finish before Talia’s distress signal went off. The motions of sewing and creating his suit calms him. Some of Talia’s contacts definitely would’ve been able to do a better job, but Jason needs this.
Jason’s suit is made of different shades of red and black. He doesn’t want any kind of skin-tight thing like a lot of the vigilante- and hero scene seems to hold dear, he doesn’t really want the silk and cloak combination of the League or the All Caste either. Jason wants something more personal. And so he goes in a whole other direction.
Dick–no–Nightwing had asked: “Why should we trust you?” They probably shouldn’t. Dick and Bruce hadn’t trusted him before he died, and they probably won’t this time either. If they decide to trust the League of Assassins bred Cardinal, but not the second Robin, not the little brother and son Jason Todd, Jason might not be able to take it. But in that moment, in the chaos of Wayne manor’s backyard, Nightwing and Robin trusted his judgment and followed his instructions. Jason doesn’t really know what to make of that.
He keeps the reinforced military-styled pants, he likes that they have a lot of padding and pockets, he sows in a couple of extra reinforcements as he sees fit. He also keeps the steel-toed boots, a steady boot can rarely go wrong. He sews a compressing undershirt that goes all the way up his neck like a polo and further, into a mask that goes just above his nose. The fabric on his face is really light and breathable, he doesn’t even notice that it’s there, he might even be able to put some magic there to make it even less noticeable, he’ll have to ask Essence next time he sees her.
He quite liked the leather jacket, but decides to keep it for personal use only. He sews something new instead. The sleeves are red and loose—paying respect to the cloaks he’s gotten used to wearing. The rest of the shirt is mainly black and ties together sort of like a kimono in the front, showing the black undershirt from his sternum and upwards. He separates the pants and shirt with a thermal stomach wrap that he can adjust the temperature of, it’ll surely get useful during the colder months. His mask—that’s definitely more like a cowl—is in a brilliant red and looked almost a little too much like Batman’s cowl in the beginning. Instead of bat-ears, there’s an illusion of feathers sprouting backwards from the sides. He adds on a belt as a last accessory, he will definitely enchant it later to hold all kinds of larger weapons within the smaller pouches.
He feels better once the suit is done. Better if not for the hours he’s spent without food, drink or sleep, too engrossed with sewing and creating the suit. If only Ra’s could have waited another week before going crazy, Jason would’ve had a way cooler entrance. Jason likes his new get-up. He feels like himself. He wants to show Damian.
The thing with Damian, though, is that sneaking away will be a lot more difficult than before. The bats will surely be spooked by the fact that Ra’s and his shadows got into the manor and almost scooped Damian away, and Jason’s presence as an unknown will not do them any favors. Unanswered questions and unsolved mysteries are a bat’s kryptonite, after all.
Jason needs to speak with Batman. He won’t get to meet Bruce, he doesn’t really want to, but the fact still stings. Because there is a distinction between Bruce and Batman, they are two pieces of the same puzzle, but they are different. There is Bruce Wayne the parent, there is Bruc(i)e Wayne the billionaire philanthropist and there is The Batman, all very different but also the same. Jason doesn’t want to stand face to face with any of the three, but he has to.
His conversation with Cass is stark and blinding. He can’t get it out of his head. Jason will have to be very careful with violence and eventual killing. The bats have eyes and ears everywhere and Jason is bound to make a mistake. He needs a game plan, something more distinct. He is going to talk to Batman like a small business trying to set up shop in a large shopping mall.
Would asking for the rights to Crime Alley and the Bowery be too much? The Bats barely even go there. Apparently Robin goes there at times as a tribute to Spoiler, people on the streets say that she used to care for them, at least a little, at least more than anyone else since Jason used to run around there in the Robin colors. Jason doesn’t think that it’s an impossible request, Batman might allow it, not that Jason is going to say fine and leave if he doesn’t. He can even take any potential killings out of the city, take them right outside of the “Welcome to Gotham” sign before cutting out an artery, or firing a bullet through a forehead. Jason can compromise. He can probably tone down on the violence somewhat as well. Cardinal; protector of the Alley and Bowery. Jason can definitely get used to that.
Jason was planning to talk to Batman, he really was. But then Stephanie Brown came back and Jason can’t just let things be. She is following Robin around like a shadow, oblivious to the fact that Jason is following her right back. Jason could have followed her as Cardinal and not gotten noticed, but doing it as a real bird is funnier. Jason takes turns following Damian—following Shrike—and following Robin and Spoiler. Singing like a Snow Mountain Robin is enough for Damian to know that Jason hasn’t left, that he is there. Only Damian will notice that the cry isn’t something local.
He keeps a close eye on the entire Violet-Spoiler situation, it could get messy and Jason needs to know as much about the vigilante politics happening around Gotham as possible. Knowledge is power, after all. Spoiler seems to keep things somewhat under control, her return even seems welcomed by Batman when the truth comes out. A part of Bruce even shows itself during the reunion, he looks content, almost happy but not quite there. Jason leaves, staying feels like imposing on something gentle, almost precious. Jason will give that one moment to Stephanie and Drake, they probably deserve it.
Batman was somewhat welcoming to Stephanie, that is a fact. Jason can’t know for sure what happened after, what happened once Stephanie eventually went into the cave and Wayne manor. All he knows about after is that Stephanie and Drake went to see her mother. Jason won’t reveal that he is alive, that Jason Todd died and came back. But after things like this, and during the early hours in the morning, or the late hours of the night—Jason wonders what would happen if he did.
Jason is content with the family he has, Talia and Damian are more than enough, he feels happier than he probably deserves. But something ugly and distorted that’s kept deep within his soul misses what he had before. Jason has changed and who he is now won’t fit within the memories he’s missing, Jason knows that, but it’s still hard to accept. Jason will not let a rapist or molester walk into prison with a smile on their face, he won’t let a monster like the Joker stay alive and well—not when he knows that they’ll get right back on the streets and repeat their crimes. In a perfect world he might have been fine with prisons, but not as they are, not when the doors to Arkham Asylum or even Blackgate are as secure as butter under the sun. These thoughts won’t fit under the same roof as Batman, and Jason has long since accepted that. It’s still not easy to let go.
Jason remembers being thirteen years old and punching a kid in school for calling a girl fat during recess. He remembers being called into the office and Bruce arriving with a wide smile and just enough charm to get him out of any trouble. It happened on a Friday and it was one of those weekends where Dick was coming home to the manor, and Jason had been so excited. Bruce hadn’t even been mad that he punched the kid, Dick had even given him a high five and ruffled his hair. It was a good weekend. Jason and Dick went to a trampoline park the day after and Jason had laughed so much that his cheeks had hurt the whole evening. Patrol had gone well that night, all three of them soaring through the air and helping people. Back when Robin was magic.
Jason remembers the week after, Dick had come back as a surprise. Dick took him out to Robinson Park and the two of them ate lunch in the grass and looked at all the rich people in suits and made up stories about them. The sky was blue and Jason was happy, he likes to believe that Dick was too. When they came back, Alfred had already prepared tea. They drank it in the garden under the sun. Dick told him about Blüdhaven and the Titans and Jason used to wish for the day when he could join a team of his own.
Jason wants it back, but knows that he can’t because he isn’t the same Jason anymore.
Jason remembers being fourteen, almost fifteen, his birthday only a month away, and fighting with Batman. He packed a bag and took a bus to Blüd to spend time with his older brother. Dick wasn’t there. When Jason sent a message to Alfred he replied that Dick had gone on a mission with the Titans a few days before. Jason didn’t have a key to Dick’s apartment. He spent the night at a 24/7 café and was only allowed to stay so long because he spent so much of Bruce’s money that the profits were too good to turn down.
When Dick eventually returned, Alfred had snitched and Dick came rushing for forgiveness. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you I was leaving, Little Wing! I’ll do better next time, promise!” Dick took him out stargazing on the roof of Wayne manor. Jason remembers seeing a falling star, the two of them turned to face each other so quickly that they almost fell, and whisper-shouted: “Make a wish!” Jason had wished that everything would stay that nice forever. A few weeks later came the Garzonas case. A few weeks after that, Jason died. Jason doesn’t believe in wishing stars anymore.
Batman and Shrike are patrolling alone, Nightwing is in his own city and Robin seems to be with his team. Jason thinks that Batgirl and Spoiler are having some kind of Birds of Prey get-together to celebrate Stephanie’s return. Jason knows that he won’t get a better opportunity to introduce himself to the bat. Damian might be able to function as a buffer if something goes terribly wrong. Jason doesn’t want to put Damian in that kind of position, but knows that Damian wouldn’t hesitate to put himself in danger to protect Jason’s honor. Jason would do the same thing and more if their positions were reversed.
No major rogues are on the loose and Jason needs to take this opportunity. He’s already taken on his suit and made sure that all weapons are in place. He is ready, but he keeps hesitating, he can’t seem to move. He knows that if he would summon the All Blades, they would be green, Jason is scared. He isn’t ready to stand face to face with Batman, he isn’t ready to see Bruce at all. He might never be.
Jason is a soldier. He has been fighting all his life and all he wants is to be able to rest and truly live along with his little brother. Life and fate has never really been that kind. Jason has always wanted to be a person first, and then a fighter. He wishes he got buried in the Wayne family plot instead of the common graveyard next to the woman who led him to his death. He wishes that they wrote ‘a good son’ or ‘a good person’ or anything better, anything kinder, than ‘a good soldier’ on his stupid memorial plaque. He wishes that vigilantes, and assassins, and stupid capes didn’t exist. But the Joker is dead, Jason is alive and Damian is living with his father—the closest thing Jason has ever had to a father. Last time Jason was standing face to Face with Bruce Wayne, with Batman, he died only hours later. If it wasn’t for Jason having come back to life and taking things into his own hands, the Joker would still be laughing—but Jason is a soldier, and so he moves.
“Shrike. Batman.” The thump of his boots is loud, Jason doesn’t bother with hiding his presence. Damian lights up at his arrival, it’s a slight thing but it still manages to calm Jason’s nerves. Batman is tense, his muscles are coiled to strike and protect Shrike if worst comes to worst. Jason’s glad that he chose the wide sleeves, he can hide the way his hands are fiddling with the fabric of his pants. “Shrike, stand back.” Damian had shuffled slightly closer, Jason mourns the lost distance when Damian listens to the order.
They stand in silence, Jason will wait until he is addressed. The air is heavy and the smog is not guilty, it rather feels like the smog is holding him in an embrace. “What do you want?” Jason would have preferred if Batman uttered his name, uttered Cardinal in that sentence somewhere, that would have made it feel less like an old argument between Batman and Robin on a bad night. “What I want is to introduce myself to my new neighbor. I’m Cardinal and I’m new to town.” Jason should probably turn down on the snark. He is supposed to be from the League and the League doesn’t really speak like that.
“The League of Assassins is not welcome in Gotham.” So many things aren’t allowed in Gotham. No metas, no magic, and no League of Assassins. Unfortunately Jason fits more or less into all three these days. “I am not loyal to the League, I am loyal to your son.” Jason is loyal to Talia and Damian, but he has never been loyal to the League. Batman doesn’t seem very happy with Cardinal being loyal to his kid, though. “I will not allow you to kill people in my city. I suggest you leave.” Jason hasn't moved at all during the duration of the conversation in fear that Batman would view even the slightest movement as hostile and start a physical altercation. “I am not going to leave your city unless Shrike leaves as well. It is my duty to protect him and I will not stop doing so until my heart has stopped beating, I have stopped breathing and my soul has left this realm.”
“You cannot kill. You cannot interfere. You cannot threaten the peace in my city. If you break any of my rules, I will stop you.” Damian still hasn’t said a word, that’s probably for the best. Jason is impressed that neither of them has messed up thus far. “I cannot promise that I won’t interfere. Your instructions are rather unclear for someone who surely knows how to run a business. I believe that we can come to an understanding, I am willing to compromise and sincerely hope that you are as well.” The jab at knowing that Bruce Wayne is Batman might’ve been stupid, but he surely already knows that Jason knows, he would be an idiot if he didn’t.
“What are you proposing?” Batman is still as tense, if not tenser than before, he looks moments away from going in for a punch. Jason tries to look as relaxed as possible. “I will keep any…interfering…to a smaller part of Gotham, you can think of it as me renting a room in your house. I’ve already checked where you spend less time patrolling and the areas you call Crime Alley, or Park Row, along with the Bowery are barely passed through at all. You won’t mind me renting the broom closet that you barely even pay attention to, will you? The only other option would be that I would walk around and interfere wherever I like, because leaving is not an option.”
“If it turns out that you have killed someone, if you have used any more force than I deem necessary, or if you have done even the slightest thing to harm this city, you will be treated like any other rogue and be promptly put behind bars.” Jason doesn’t say: “Put in a cell only to get out in a month and do whatever I like again, cool,” but he kind of wants to. “That would be acceptable, for now. Have a good patrol, little one.” Jason can hear Damian’s grumble as he leaves. Jason isn’t being followed, he had been meditating before the meeting and kept up a close range of soul detection throughout the entire conversation, and so he knows that no one is following him. Jason only needs to stay out of the range of any cameras.
It feels good to be back at the apartment. He’s in the worst one again, the one with water damage and cobwebs but thankfully no mold. There is very little left of the Jason who listened to everything Batman said and followed most of it, and that Jason is never coming back. Jason might’ve agreed to Batman’s terms, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t break them and try to keep the evidence hidden enough to get away with it. It is worth something to keep the peace with Batman, but Jason won’t sell his soul to get that favor. At the end of the day, Jason is a killer and Batman won’t let a killer stay in his city without argument. But Gotham is Jason’s city too. Jason feels how her shadows and magic reach out to him, he feels the love in her soul and he returns it. Batman might not allow killers in Gotham, but Gotham herself welcomed Jason back with open arms.
There’s also the fact that Alfred and Kate have killed people, that people Bruce and Batman hold dear have done this unspeakable and unforgivable act. But the military apparently doesn’t count, very militaristic propaganda of you there, Batman. Cass and Damian have also killed people, even though Jason wouldn’t call them killers. He would call them people who have been moulded and manipulated to kill, but who doesn’t really want to do it. There is a difference there. Jason has killed people, both in sound and not sound mind, but he has done it knowing restraint. When Cass or Damian took their first life, they didn’t know what it felt like to fight without lethality. They are people who have killed, but they aren’t killers. Jason thinks that Batman hasn’t contemplated the difference, he only chooses who to believe and who he won’t. He didn’t believe in Jason when he said that Garzonas fell. Jason was believed to be a killer even before he made his first kill.
Batman probably thinks that Jason is being unfair with his request of Crime Alley and the Bowery, that the entire situation is bent in Jason’s favor because Jason knows Bruce Wayne, and Batman doesn’t know Cardinal. Jason doesn’t agree, he has lived on those same very streets that he’s asking for and knows that the real unfairness in the situation is that it takes someone like Jason for Crime Alley and the Bowery to get the attention they deserve.
Jason is glad that the conversation didn’t drag out for too long. Just hearing the deep growl of Batman was driving him insane. The nostalgia and feelings that something as simple as a voice could bring out was too much. Jason kept himself together, but it wouldn’t work forever, eventually he would break and start screaming. If Jason is face to face with Batman for long enough, anger is sure to strike, it is something inevitable.
~._.~-*-~._.~
Something changes in the manor after the League of Assassins attacked. At first Damian thought that father was simply in one of his moods and that everything would be back to normal after a few days, when day two had gone and passed he started to realize that it was something bigger than a mood. Father was not a very sociable person, he was a rather sufficient leader and great warrior, but sociable he was not. Father had been even quieter than usual, he spent more time in the Batman-suit and barely got out of the cave to eat. Damian can see that Alfred is getting frustrated with father’s behavior, the butler even gives pointed hints that father should step down and take a break. Nothing seems to work.
Drake has been very down ever since he got back from Nanda Parbat, Damian wants to know everything that happened, he feels like he deserves to know when it is his family that “went off the rails”. It is personal and Damian knows almost nothing, he can’t even go to Jason for answers because Grayson won’t leave him alone. Back to Drake, he has barely been sleeping and looks a little bit like a ghost, Damian would know, he’s seen Jason after death and before the pit. Damian thinks that he might have been crying. At times, when Drake shows his face to the world, Damian thinks that his eyes look a little swollen and almost glazed over. He definitely isn’t feeling well, yet again Damian would know, he’s seen Jason listen to Sula.
Grayson behaves like usual, walking around with an aura of falseness and deception. His smiles are too big to be natural and his voice is too high pitched. Damian doesn’t like it. He almost prefers Drake’s distance and red-rimmed eyes over the false pretences of Grayson. The ‘happiness’ feels even less real when Damian has heard Grayson argue with father, no joy could be heard in that shouting-match of a conversation. The two had been in the cave and Damian heard the shouting from the top of the stairs. Grayson was mad at father for leaving without sharing all the details and father was mad at Grayson for not trusting his judgement. Then Grayson got mad at father for not asking for help and leaving his ‘kids’ to protect Damian from his ‘psychopathic family’ which led father to get mad at Grayson for trusting an unknown source like ‘this Cardinal’. All in all, it was a train wreck. The arguments were somewhat sound, but the tones were ugly.
Cain has been a little weird, but nothing too odd. She has been hanging around a little too much. At first Damian thought that she, just like Grayson, wanted to make sure that he was safe or something equally patronizing, but then he realized that she might be curious about Jason, about Cardinal. The two had actually had a somewhat normal conversation, it had been civil, even. But, no matter what she says, no matter how much Grayson begs or father grumbles, Damian won’t say a word. He trusts that Jason has a plan and doesn’t want to accidentally ruin anything. He will uphold the little piece of information that Jason has already shared, that Cardinal had been the shadow in charge of Damian’s safety and protection, but nothing else.
Grayson would say: “Dami, could you tell me something about Cardinal? You two must have been rather close from how you two seemed to interact.” His voice would be too smooth and his eyes would close with a wide smile, kind of like a character in a cartoon or comic. “Like Cardinal said, he was in charge of protecting me in the League. It seems those duties are still upheld.” Grayson would laugh a little and at times try to touch his head or shoulder, Damian always dodges. “He seems to care for you, though. Did you two train together, or what did you do?” Grayson was persistent and the interaction would always end with Damian saying something along the lines of ‘that is none of your business’ or ‘I do not believe that is relevant’ before retreating to his room to read or paint.
Father is more difficult, any information given could be used as leverage. Damian feels like he needs to be careful. It feels a little like being interrogated by grandfather. Father would threaten him by taking away patrol and forbid Damian from going out as Shrike. Damian chooses to keep his mouth shut and not utter a single word. He will take the punishment over possibly hurting his brother. He is almost surprised when father never physically hurts him.
Cain is different. She is different because she knows the League and she understands Damian. “He told half-truth when he said he would try not to kill. Cardinal will kill people, but he would stop if you wanted him to.” She said this when they were eating dessert on the patio one morning. “What will you do about it?” Her answer would decide everything, it was important, Damian felt nausea grow at the base of his throat when he asked the question. “He is not a bad person, but he kills people. A lot of people in the Justice League have killed people, I have killed people. I don’t know.” Damian didn’t answer, he also didn’t eat any more of his dessert. She kept going after a few minutes of silence, “If I think he is being stupid, I will stop him. You love him, and he loves you. Tell him to not be stupid.” Her smile was genuine. Damian respects her. If Jason for some reason can’t be here, Cassandra might be good enough as a temporary replacement.
Then Brown shows up. Things get better, people are more relaxed and even happy. Damian didn’t even know that someone named Stephanie Brown had been in the picture. Cassandra and Drake are both overjoyed. Father and Grayson look content, Grayson looks genuinely fond. Damian asks Cassandra about Brown, he receives answers. No one gave him answers when he asked about Jason.
Apparently Stephanie Brown had died for a couple of minutes before her heart started beating again. She had died, and came back. She had been robin, and she died. She was from the bad parts of town, her father was a crook and her mother used to be an addict. There are so many parallels to Jason. Jason killed Black Mask, it was Black Mask who killed Brown, a Robin. Jason avenged her, no one avenged Jason.
Drake and Brown used to be lovers and best friends. Cassandra tells him to not use this information to somehow ‘get-at’ Drake, he will oblige only because she is the one who asked. This knowledge kind of puts one of his interactions with Drake in a new light.
“Why don’t you train more, Drake?” Damian had been watching Drake spar with father and had not been very impressed. It is rather odd now, considering how well Drake fought when the League came to the manor. Drake had responded with: “Huh? I’m training just as much as anyone else?” Damian still remembers every word of their conversation, how he had been polishing his katana as he waited for Drake and father’s spar to finish. “Your form is lacking and your strength does not measure up to your peers. If you were even two percent less intelligent you would have been dead ages ago. Although, I guess strength doesn’t really matter considering who’s died before you.” Damian had been thinking about the fact that Jason had died, and, from Damian’s perspective, about how Jason must have been stronger than Drake and that he died anyway. Damian wasn’t aware that Brown had also died and that his words might have seemed like an insult to her memory.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Damian had immediately thought that he messed up. That he somehow showed that he knew more than he should. Because Damian should not know about how strong Jason had been, he shouldn’t know anything other than surface information about his ‘dead’ brother. It hadn’t even crossed his mind that Drake would think of someone else before Jason. “Never mind. I only thought you should make sure to keep up.” Damian remembers that he had started to leave with his katana back in its sheath and the polishing tools back in its kit when Drake replied. “No. You don’t get to just say that and then just leave! Who do you think you are mentioning people you don’t even know, and use them to taunt me? I don’t care about how you treated each other in the League of Assassins, but here? Here we treat each other with respect. Especially the dead.” Damian had walked away without saying another word.
If he had been aware of Brown’s ‘death’ he might not have said something like that. The others might not believe him, but Damian isn’t actively trying to be cruel. Things are simply different from what he’s used to and he doesn’t know all the information. If father and Drake are supposed to be so smart, shouldn’t they be able to figure that much out?
If things got better after Brown returned, they get worse again after father finally meets Jason. Drake and Cass are still happy and nothing seems to be able to stifle their happiness with Brown’s return, but Grayson and father are both back to being overbearing and tense. Grayson is back at trying to coax answers out of him about Cardinal, and father will not let him back on the streets until he has given up something useful. Damian only gets to breathe when Cass intervenes and takes him out to properly meet Brown. He knows that it is only an excuse to get him out from under father’s scrutinising gaze, but he is thankful nonetheless.
Brown is crass and annoying but Damian doesn’t hate it. He can almost appreciate her annoying side because at least it is genuine, unlike the annoying-ness of Grayson. She talks with her hands and is far too loud, but she talks about animals and how she learnt how to take care of elephants and even got to help an injured lion. She puts some whipped cream on Damian’s cheek—on purpose—but she gives him a napkin afterwards and shares a picture of Drake with whipped cream all over his hair. She is annoying, but she makes Cassandra smile. She is crass, but so is Jason. Brown insists that all three of them buy some extra waffles and pass by Gordon’s place on the way back because it would be rude to leave Babs out.
Father is annoyed when they get back and questions why they took so long. Cassandra smiles, and Brown giggles and father lets it go. They are good allies, if nothing else. Damian might have to keep them around. He only wishes that Jason could have been right there with them. At least he heard the cry of a Snow Mountain Robin when they walked from the waffle place to Gordon’s apartment. At least he can replay the footage from when Cardinal and Batman first met. At least he can keep a recording on Jason’s distorted voice and study the way his body moves. “Have a good patrol, little one.” At least Alfred offers the same flavor of tea as the one Jason keeps in his apartments.
There are so many unknowns, so many uncertainties, but Damian knows that he’s got his big brother. Eventually everything will be alright because his brother is strong, and he can accomplish anything, he even came back from the dead. Jason still hasn’t shown Damian his magic swords and Jason promised. Jason is doing his best, and Damian trusts him wholeheartedly. Whilst he’s waiting, having Cassandra and Brown around might not be so bad, it might even be enjoyable. Damian looks through the book on Indonesian birds and picks out the ones that fit best, they also deserve to be Indonesian robins. Brown gets to be the Banded yellow robin, and Cassandra gets to be the Smoky robin.
The banded yellow robin or olive-yellow robin (Eopsaltria placens) is a species of bird in the Australasian robin family Petroicidae. The specific epithet is Latin meaning “charming” or “pleasing”. The banded yellow robin is threatened by habitat loss. It has a high mortality rate due to its inability to traverse across a matrix.
The smoky robin (Melanodryas cryptoleuca) is a species of bird in the Australasian robin family endemic to West Papua, Indonesia. The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek κρυπτος/kruptos meaning “hidden” with λευκος/leukos meaning "white".