The Eighth Night [Action, AU Event]

[cowledcrusader]

[It's been a fairly uneventful week for Bruce Wayne, who has been enjoying himself in Luceti, despite how dull it is in comparison to Gotham City.  He's been spending most of the week wandering around town, and thankfully because Batman's not the most social of creatures, he isn't much confused by a lot of the people he's running into.

So.  For all intents, there's a comfortably dressed, tall man who most people probably haven't seen much of in the past.  Unlike Batman, this Bruce is a social creature, given that his parents never died and he was never Batman to begin with.   Bruce will be wandering around town most of the day in various places, so he might run into your character... or you can approach him and see who this guy is. 

However, after the day is done, Bruce returns to his house that he shares with the Justice League.  He'll make his way to his own room, which seems uncharacteristically bare.   It hasn't bothered him much, though when he decides to go get a change of clothes for after taking a shower, he stumbles upon a hidden compartment in his closet.

...Inside the closet is his Batsuit... or rather, Batman's batsuit... as well as several pieces of his crimefighting equipment.  Utterly shocked, Bruce takes out some of it and begins examining it.  Housemates are free to catch him making the discovery of "his" gear.]

...What is all of this?

[OOC: For purposes of tagging, I will be using nocapesorcowls  from here out.]

Comments

[nocapesorcowls.livejournal.com]

[Bruce looks back at Diana for a moment as he pulls the cowl and cape out from the compartment.]

...Batman?

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

Yes. [Er. It shouldn't be this awkward. She goes for the blunt approach.] You're Batman.

[nocapesorcowls.livejournal.com]

...What? I... don't even know who Batman is.

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

[She bites her lip.] You don't remember.

[State the obvious, will you.]

[nocapesorcowls.livejournal.com]

I've never seen any of this before in my life.

[He almost stares into the cowl as thought it was a mirror. It was... unsettling to him in many ways.]

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

[She walks into the room.]

But you know who I am. Personally, I mean.

[nocapesorcowls.livejournal.com]

Of course. We met personally in Paris... at an evening party. You were being questioned by the press, and I asked you to dance. ...Then of course there was the terrorist attack that attempted to abduct Princess Audrey of Kaznia.

[He smiles a bit nostalgically, and chuckles.]

Of course, you took care of that problem in the blink of an eye.

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

[Okay, she can't help but smile back.]

And you just stood there and stared, I recall. [It was because he couldn't reveal himself as Batman, but whatever.]

[nocapesorcowls.livejournal.com]

[His smile broadens a bit more when she says that.]

You had it under control. I may have a black belt or two, but it won't do much good if they're not close enough for me to fight.

[...Because he wasn't Batman in his world.]

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

[Now, she's curious.]

Then what happened after Paris? [Because with Batman? Absolutely nothing happened.]

[nocapesorcowls.livejournal.com]

[A smile.]

...I asked you if you would attend the Wayne Enterprises Charity Ball in Gotham a couple of weeks later. We had the rest of our dance there. ...Then there was a nice dinner.

We went from there. Sometimes it's been difficult for us to see each other, given your duties with the League and my responsibilities in Gotham. But I've enjoyed it when we've been able to manage.

[And that's stated with a level of frankness that's rare to see out of Batman.]

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

[...sob. This life. It sounds nice.]

We're dating, eh? I'm surprised that you actually showed interest in me.

[nocapesorcowls.livejournal.com]

How could I not?

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

[Ask Batman.]

Well, I come from a race of immortal warriors, for one.

[nocapesorcowls.livejournal.com]

I could see how that might be intimidating, when you put it that way.

[But instead he gives a charming smile, because he's utterly unbothered by it. Maybe the warrior thing was part of why he fell for her in the first place.]

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

[She moves further into the room and sits on the edge of his bed.] But you weren't intimidated.

[nocapesorcowls.livejournal.com]

I figured you wouldn't punch me clear across the room if I just asked you to dance.

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

I'm sure the risk was worth it.

[nocapesorcowls.livejournal.com]

[There's a nice smile as he sets aside the random gear he had pulled out, instead moving over to sit next to Diana.]

Definitely worth it.

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

[B'aww. She'd like to continue the conversation the way it is, but her code of honor is preventing her from doing so.]

Bruce...I have to tell you...we're not actually in a relationship.

[nocapesorcowls.livejournal.com]

[...Probably the first time Wonder Woman has ever seen this expression on his face: Disbelief.]

...What?

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

There's an experiment going on right now. It affects the memories of the residents. From what I remember, we're close friends and colleagues, but we're nothing beyond that. Of course, I could be the one who's affected... [She really wants to believe that, but she sounds doubtful.]

[1/2]

[nocapesorcowls.livejournal.com]

[Bruce stands up at that, and pauses for a good long moment. He's trying very hard to put these pieces together.]

[nocapesorcowls.livejournal.com]

[After a moment, he walks back over to where he left Batman's cape and cowl, then picks them up... and looks them over, studying them intently.

His voice is quiet, and probably more insecure than she's ever heard. That's new even for Bruce.]

...No. I don't think you are.

[orchidsandfire.livejournal.com]

[She bites her lip, refusing to meet his eyes.]

You've done a lot of good as Batman, Bruce.