The Gotham Wolf and Lamb

Our Home is Not Our Own Anymore

~Started and Completed (11-10-18 or November 10th, 2018 // 11-13-18 or November 13th, 2018)~

Tim is amused. She has not been this amused for a long, long time.

The towering cave that is closest to the surface is altered so dramatically she can barely recognize it with all the electronics and vehicles lit up with the bright white lights. There are a giant coin and card with a Jester's face, lines of costumes on display, and smaller items like an umbrella, red helmet, and question mark.

There is even a strange creature towering over the humans — it's standing on two large legs, has a thick tail to balance with, a large head and wide jaws of sharp teeth and impractical, tiny arms. Its skin was scaled, tight to the muscle......it was off simply because that's not how they had looked.

Of course, the bats are still up in the rafters, which is a blessing. She would have hated for them to lose their home.

Currently, she is sitting cross-legged on a chilled metal table watching Jason square-off against Damian out of his suit —which he goes by Robin while wearing, where Bruce is Batman, Dick is Nightwing, and Stephanie is Batgirl— on a mat used for sparring. Jason's eyes are playful as he swats the child away leisurely, again and again, far too amused by the child's steadily rising anger than he ought to be.

"So, let me go over this again," Stephanie says, pulling Tim's attention back to see her with her hands on her hips.

The blonde girl is able to look at her now, it appears — after she was given a pair of jeans and a shirt she thinks belong to Stephanie, based on the dark purple coloring and the fact they fit her rather well. This had been given to her by Alfred Pennyworth, who nodded to her thanks before giving Jason a pair of sweatpants she believes are Bruce's, and a white shirt that stretches over his chest and shoulders.

"Of course," Tim says, inclining her head to the blue-eyed girl. Stephanie pulls over a chair and straddles it so her arms are resting over the back before starting her questioning again.

"You've been asleep in the non-transversable section of the cave that was blocked off for safety reasons?" Tim confirms with a soft yes, once again. Stephanie does not look impressed, nor had she for the past seven times she asked.

"So, just to clear this up. It is the same tunnel that's been sealed for well over a decade with no food or water source as far as we know." She doesn't seem to want an answer and is simply putting that fact out there as if she hasn't done the same vein of statements the other times.

It isn't Tim's fault she needn't eat and Jason sustains himself on souls of the damned, and the occasional meet sack.

"And then you two busted out of the said wall without any tools within thirty seconds of the first hit was alerted to the computer system?"

Tim uncrosses her legs and lays her right leg over her left, resting her elbow on her thigh and then her chin on her palm. "Yes."

Stephanie nods again, muttering soundlessly to herself behind her wavy hair. She shakes herself out, putting on a masking smile. "Sure sure, chalk that up to enhanced strength, then. Anyway, let's get back on track. You two then, somehow after getting out of that maze of tunnels, knew our secret identities at first glance."

"Indeed," Tim says, "We have always known the names of those who are living, for if it draws breath..."

"...It meets us."

Stephanie shrieks, falling over sideways off the chair with a loud crash, scrambling around to look up at Jason who had positioned himself right behind her and is holding the chair wheels down with his foot. Jason who of course, barks out laughter that booms and echoes in the cave while his voice is still a deep bass that sends her skin tingling at the reminder of Wolf's laughter.

She is not so distracted as to miss when Bruce shifts and stands, whipping around in an instant, or when Damian lets out a bark of surprise, cranking his neck around in their direction —behind him— with wide eyes.

Dick is the most animated with how he bolts to his feet, darting across the cave floor at top speed.

Before anyone can reach them Tim slides down and crouches, offering a hand out to Stephanie. He feels slightly bad for scaring her when they are asking these mortals for help. "I apologize, Stephanie. We did not mean to startle you."

"That's fine, that's fine." She says, her voice far away and shaky. Tim feels a bit worse now. Jason lets off an apologetic rumble as she takes her hand. "Everything's fine."

Tim pulls her easily to her feet, leading her back to the chair Jason swivels in their direction. When she looks over to where the three males are standing, stances too wide to be casual, the feeling that had been ebbing at her comes crashing down.

Their home isn't theirs anymore...and it hasn't been for a long time.