nexus_crossings | This has to be a trap...

"Are you here by yourself?"

Because color this starship captain impressed by the kid's sense of adventure if he is. He's got a mouth on him that reminds Jim of when he was that age, and his huffiness at being lost as opposed to crying about the situation really just makes Jim grin.

"What kind of important stuff?" He peers over the couch he'd been leaning against to look down at the kid.

"And if I am? I doubt any security here will be efficient enough to even be a threat." He has no problem with that. From what he's seen so far, the place really is nothing like Gotham, or any of the other places he's been to.

Damian doesn't grin back. He's far too serious, okay so he's used to putting up the front, it's his mask, much like his father's own. He looks at Kirk a little closer, trying to determine if he's an enemy. "Just important things. I don't have time to waste here." He'll just leave his shell up, for now it might just be easier.

Yeah, Jim likes this kid already. The attitude and self assuredness make him smile despite his best efforts to remain mildly amused and stoic about this.

"Not a dangerous place here, not in the way you're used to at least, I'd be willing to bet."

The assurance is no doubtedly something mystery kid with the brooding eyebrows would insist he doesn't need. Jim takes a nearby chair and crosses one leg over the other, giving a cordial shrug rather than taking offense to the kid's demeanor.

"Ah. Important things." He nods. This kid is what? Ten? Jim hasno idea, but the way he tries to square his shoulders, make himself look so much more adult. Jim gets that. He hopes blindly that the reasons this child does so are different from the reasons he had when he was that age. "Well, Unless you know what door you walked in through, fell through, or woke up on the other side of--you may find it a bit challenging to go back just like that."

He snaps his fingers to illustrate his point.

That has him pause, because really a place with no danger, no Ninjas nor themed freak from Gotham's favorite mental facility. Curiosity crosses his face a moment.

"That's easy then." He remembers exactly where the door is. would take him about five minutes to get there so there's a relief he's not stuck there. Though, he might have to inform Pennyworth that there seems to be a dimensional door that leads into One of the unused rooms, just so that the butler doesn't get lost. He may give him hell, but he has some respect for the old man and would feel bad if he got hurt.

"And there are many brought here?" Hey Jim's offering information, he may as well figure out more about the place right? "I mean, from other worlds?" He doesn't sound like he's not used to knowing there are other worlds at least. After all Father's acquaintances with a Martian, his adopted brother(s), sometimes date another alien, and the city next door's costumed hero's from another world...

"It's a pretty regular occurrence. Some of them end up staying here. Some get stuck here. I go between here and my home pretty regularly though. Job's too important to stay here full time."

If the kid doesn't seem nervous about being here, Jim certainly doesn't want to scare him.

"People here are mostly protected though. " Mostly. The field's broken more than once before but again, really not trying to scare the kid. That's something for the grown ups to worry about, and for them to protect others.

Damian thinks this over, those who stay, he doesn't want to think about what they're running from. He'll go back home, because he doesn't like the idea of Grayson possibly being the one to fill Father's shoes. It's what Mother trained him to do after all.

"Mostly?" That makes him quirk a brow as he moves to take a seat on the couch. "I take it things get a little more interesting around here then? Because really, I'm used to things happening all the time."

"Well, some people end up unable to return home. Whether they were banished here by some kind of magic, or their world simply doesn't exist anymore. Not everyone's just taking a vacation here."

He gives the child a once over. The fashion seems to line up with many people he's seen. Could be 2000s, maybe 2100s. Probably not from his time though. That eyebrow raise though. Jim wants to see him and Spock try to have an eyebrow duel.

"You and me both, kid. Nowhere's perfect. Sometimes the systems fail. Sometimes people do get hurt. But there's plenty of folks around who chip in to help out. Everyone pitches in to help protect this place."

"Aw," He seems to accept that answer at least.

Damian might actually lose that battle. But only because it would disinterest him quickly, and he'd be interested in finding out if Spock was a threat or not. If you haven't been able to tell, he doesn't make friends really.

"So, people actually don't turn and look away here?" That's so different from home where the only people who run for danger are the police or his family... At least in their town. "Are there costumed heroes here?" He's going to ask, after all most civilizations have some form of them. After all why would comic books still be popular? Or those cheesy shows Green Arrow and Flash seem to be okay with.

"Hardly. One thing you tend to find here, is that people care an awful lot about strangers. Everyone's here for a reason, and most folks not only accept that but actively seek to help support it."

Jim gives a shrug of his shoulders.

"Like right now, for example. Did you actually expect people to stop and help you? It's common on my world, but I'm told in most places that really isn't the norm." He takes a moment to break off and look at the many doors scattered throughout the Plaza, too many to count. And not worth it, as they change form day to day or whenever the Nexus feels like fluctuating.

"Oh sure. Plenty of 'em pop in and out. I've known three separate Avengers and a couple of gods who would wander in from time to time. Understandably, they're more the just visiting type. Got a lot of responsibility on their shoulders in their own worlds."

"I was counting on the fact I'm a kid they would. If I was older... I would have doubted it honestly." He admitted.

"Avengers?" He actually is curious because only hero teams he knows back home are pretty much small city wide groups like his extended family and Justice League, which his father's one of the first members, and well Lantern Corps, but he tries to avoid one of Earth's sector's Green Lanterns, because he finds him boring, the other one though is a decent enough person.

"Nah. They helped me out when I got here first too, and I'm sure as hell not a kid."

Woop.

Should he not swear in front of the child? Eh, it's probably fine. Kid's parents can't be too controlling if he's here by himself in some weird dimensional hub.

"Lot of them seem to be local to New York City or the capital. If you're form modern Earth, that is. But there's branches all over, or so I've heard. It's not a thing where I'm from or when I'm from, so it took some getting used to. People with super human powers. Strength. Endurance, et cetra. Even some folks with magic, and that is sooooo not a thing back home for me."

"Seems foolish when adults are known to be more dangerous." He shrugged.

He has an older brother who's favorite word for everything is an F-bomb, and he fights crime. Criminals usually don't censor themselves around little ones... Or pull punches.

"That doesn't make sense. Where I'm from New York City isn't the hot spot for costumes. Or at least crime fighters. Metropolis, Gotham, National City, Starling... There's also rumors of one in Detroit." He thinks this over some. "They have Meta-humans and magic users? Real magic? Or is it advanced tech? There is a difference."

The tech comment makes Jim grin despite himself. He knows all too well the differences, and this kid is sharp as a plasmacutter. He thinks with some amount of smugness that Bones and Spock would hate this kid, and it gives him great pleasure thinking about it.

"Mm, no. Actual magic. I'm from what many consider to be the future around here, so what I've got is considered advanced tech. What I'm talking about is physical manifestations of anomalous abilities unexplained by human biology. Touch healing. Conjuration of spirit animals. Control over the elements with nothing but a thought. That sort of ability."

The answer and Jim's grin has him thinking a moment. He's seen magic first hand. Both good and bad... Though not to the extent that he's describing.

"Tough healing... Never seen that, though Grandfather had a pool of water that healed. That was how he stayed young so long." The tone he uses is a mix of aw and disgust, his grandfather was someone that he had respected for so long. "Some of the rest of it is something that only really powerful wizards on my world can do, or they're extra terrestrial or dimensional beings." He's not dismissing it at least. "It still takes a lot of energy to do such things, and if they showed off like that, they're either young, or don't know the dangers of what they're doing."

"You'll see a lot around here that you've never seen before. it's one of the reasons I keep coming back. The explorer in me loves witnessing all the mixtures of worlds going on around here."

Jim takes a moment to look out across the plaza at all of the passers by. He's glad he ended up here, no matter what the circumstances were that ended up getting him here. Unpleasant as they were.

"Neh, not really. Takes all kinds. For some here, magic is as natural as breathing.'

"Hard to believe that." Damian's seen a lot thanks to his upbringing. "Though, makes me think this may be worth while."

He watches people pass as well. "I'll believe it when I see it then."

A small green man who'd had his heels propped up on an end table clearly not meant to be a footrest and a magazine open in front of him (the cover looks suspiciously pornographic?) peers over the top of those pages. He looks deeply incredulous.

"What's a kid got to do that's so goddamn important? Gotta get home and...what, like...sort your trading cards? Throw rocks at animals? Look, I don't got a clue what kids of any species do, but I seriously doubt any of it is time sensitive OR classified as serious."

"Help Father keep our city safe." He stated matter of factly. "And only small minded people read rubbish like that." It's not like he's seen a skin mag before. He has older brothers after all, and he's pretty sure two of them leave them around just to annoy Pennyworth.

"You're brain is probably too simple to understand anyway."

"Hey, you're like. What? Seven? Save judgement on the nudie mags until your balls have dropped, huh?" Shark takes the time during this statement to roll the magazine up into a tube and shake it in admonishment at the boy before tucking it into his back pocket. He sits forward now instead, elbows on his knees and hands hanging between his legs.

"You usually make snap judgement on who's smart and who's not just going on looks? Sounds a little racist to me, kiddo."

"Ten," He corrected.

"And I don't think you understand the meaning of the word racist. I was going by what I saw. And most of it, looks about the same kind of people that the costumed freaks back home hire as muscle." He was stating it matter of factly because he didn't mention anything remotely insulting due to race. He has a few associates that are alien after all, and a few that are naturally green. "I just find that those who have a lower IQ seem to like simple things. I have seen that there is other reading material here."

Shark won't pursue the age because, technically, this kid is older than he is. Being an artificially aged clone is a complicated matter.

"Okay, whatever. You got me, I'm mad dumb. I mean, I only head a massive corporate legal department back home and run my own independent business here, but you're right. Cuz I got a healthy appreciation of the natural splendour of sexuality, I'm a goddamn idiot. Man, I never thought I'd get found out this way." Don't argue with children like this, Shark.

He pulls out a silver cigarette case from inside his jacket and extracts a hand-rolled black cig. In the process of fetching his lighter and getting it lit, he asks, "The hell does a kid do to protect a city anyway? You run errands?"

"Add childish to that." He countered.

He frowns at the smoking. "Take out villains for one. Though, some of the local cops call us just as bad."

"If being outrageously successful is childish, I'll wear it. Better than being an actual child who thinks acting snotty is endearing or, worse, mature. I bet you're a big hit on the playground, huh, Junior? Oodles of fun."

He exhales streams of blue smoke through his shark teeth and snorts. "Villains? Who the fuck says that word in any seriousness. You mean lawbreakers? Opposing factions? Foreigners? Said cops?"

"I'm not trying to be enduring, it's a waste of time. As is a playground. It's a waste of space as well." Oh yeah, he's a blast at kid parties too!

"Of course I mean law breakers. Though some of them are cops as well. Father's city is quite dangerous to most civilians."

"Of COURSE I mean law-breakers," he mimics in a whiny falsetto. God, Shark, grow up. "Look, should I be calling CPS or something? You sound like your dad locks you in a closet. Forces you to watch true crime series until you come out talking about villains and how playgrounds are for chumps."

At the threat of CPS Damian glares. "Those people are idiots. They don't protect anyone. And Father doesn't force me to do anything. It's what I was trained to do."

"Haha, right. And who trained you? Dad, right? I dunno if there's a CPS for the Nexus, but I bet I could hit up some kind soul who'd take in a little brainwashed tot. Teach him how to have fun like a normal person." Shark definitely isn't that person and of course he'd only offer to do something helpful by a kid when the help is extremely unwanted.

"Mother and Grandfather." He stated simply. "And I'm not brainwashed." He doubts CPS would know what to do with him even on his world.

"You sure? I'm not a kid expert, but I don't meet many with such a goofy sense of justice and conviction. Shouldn't you be playing video games? I mean, damn. I tell everyone to have a good time, but you'd think that's a child's default, right? What the hell was Mom even trying to prove, making a little tiny workoholic who's got it out for villains."

He's silent on that one. After all she was training him to be an assassin. Pretty sure Shark wouldn't understand that one. That side of his family... Take the cake on fucked up.

Explanations of being an assassin, age appropriateness aside, would probably get a lot of talk about how the costs of that works. Who's footing the bills? Does he take payments on it at all? And boy, would that be a lecture if he wasn't.

"Okay, so there's mom issues. That's cool. Figures, since she's out of the picture now and your weird dad has the reigns now. What do you do for fun, then? I gotta know now."

This has to be a trap...

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject