[ He shakes his head, his mouth twitches. Okay, it is a little funny — anyone else might be feeling outclassed by the sheer number of people here with powers. ]
( on the go. that answer does not surprise her much, even after knowing him for a very short amount of time. )
And where do you mean to go? ( she doesn't actually need an answer for that question, nodding at the spot next to her instead. ) You've given me more than enough for both of us.
[ Sometimes, he's funny. Bruce sits down next to her. Kinship is something he's only newly found and attached to — often it's more clinging to driftwood in a storm than feeling anything like anchored. His life doesn't allow for it, nor is it expedient. ]
[ But to sit down and share a meal with her is not a waste of time, nor a weakness in his armour. ]
( she suspect around might be Clark, if checking in on her is any indication. and while she won't make the man of steel wait forever, a little while won't hurt.
Diana clearly seems to appreciate the company, offering some of the food he'd brought along as she leaves some for herself, though she samples the water first. it's only after a drink she speaks again. )
I am sharing a tent with a fairy. I did not know such beings existed beyond stories. ( that statement is at least mildly ironic, isn't it, coming from an amazon. )
( she nods, expression changing from playful to thoughtful again. )
It feels as if this place has a wider margin of possibility. ( she's encountered much she'd never have thought to expect or believe possible already. ) How does one keep up with it all?
( a genuine question; she feels rather behind, with all she doesn't know. Diana is a clever creature, yet ignorance to so much wore on her all the same. )
[ As strange as it all is, she has neither lost her composure nor her sense of curiosity about it — both appreciable qualities. Bruce isn't nearly so charitable — his desire comes from wanting to dissect and re-assemble. He'll never be satisfied until he knows absolutely. Clark and Diana aren't like him. They want to understand. ]
( adapting the phone she barely knows how to use, bringing her rations that she had not had the time or freedom to collect herself were one thing. still, there was only so much Diana would allow Bruce to do, especially when it seemed important that she learn for herself. )
If you would aide me, then hearing my questions would suffice. ( a pause, before she adds with another note of wryness, ) That, and eating something.
[ No, he genuinely just hadn't gotten around to eating yet. Bruce takes a few bites and chews. He knows from the future that her company is unintrusive to him, he's only a little surprised it feels the same way now. ]
( Bruce admittedly can slip things past her, things that speak to the fact he's had training in not being noticed. it just means she needs to keep a better eye on him. )
( the question is a bit of a change from their usual pace. they speak so often of her future, it isn't often they talk of her past. Diana doesn't mind the question, even though it turns her thoughts to the aunt she is still mourning. )
My aunt, Antiope, wanted me to be ready for anything I could face. She spared nothing in training me, as she did all the amazons. I think she might have always known what was destined for me, and she did not want me to face it unprepared.
( her tone is wistful, and a little melancholy. if Antiope could see her now, would she think that training had sufficed? Diana hoped so. )
( in secrecy, in silent, hidden from the mother who had wanted to protect her from the world she hoped she'd never see. in the end, Hippolyta had seen sense... though Diana always wondered if a part of her regretted it. )
When I was older, I was treated just the same. Harsher, I sometimes thought, but I was a girl. Girls are prone to thinking such things. My aunt wanted me to be strong. That was not an easy path, and she didn't pad it.
[ She grew up strong but not cruel, forthright but not brash or domineering. He's planned a lot for if their world's new godlike being turned against them, not accounting for her and others. The plan for failure scenarios exist: they always has to. ]
[ And he has to include himself in their number: he has his own brand of being an unstoppable force. And friends... that's a plan. ]
( that's a question her mind still stumbles over, as a girl completely dedicated to her mother, disillusioned by ugly realities she could have never imagined. she's had plenty of time to think about why Hippolyta had made that choice. )
My mother. The queen of the Amazons. She did not think men were worth saving. ( not enough to risk the happiness and tranquility of their home. not deserving of the sacred duty that they had been created to complete.
Diana, they do not deserve you.
of all Diana has seen, sometimes even she has struggled. still, she promises herself that there is good in humanity, that it is simply Ares hold on them that corrupts them so completely. she breathes out. ) I do.
[ They often don't. Bruce looks away, into the distance, and he thinks about a body in a red shroud. The faraway sound of cannons. A world that has little hope. ]
I'll fight with you.
[ Men are still good. He believes it. But one day's belief can't overwrite the action of years. It is chosen, exercised over his nature. By doing, he becomes. ]
[ She knows his heart, knew from the first day. He doesn't need to tell her. ]
You're not wrong to believe what you do. Sometimes that's not enough, but we can't let go of it.
(sometimes that's not enough. Diana is not so naive that she doesn't have an idea of what that means. walking past victims of senseless war, hearing the atrocities committed in the name of a pointless victory, she can already understand why it would be difficult to believe in the goodness of men.
even she falters on occasion, yet it still seems so simple to her. how could humanity completely resist a god that would tempt them toward ruin?
it's a more complicated story than she nows, now. in time she'll learn. in time she'll find a way past the naiveté to a more grizzled interpretation. in fact years in her future Bruce Wayne had been a great part in seeing that men were worthy again. it's a path she has to rewalk, now; hopefully with less of the heartbreak.
she smiles, not quite as warm as before, yet still hopeful. she places a hand on his arm, and nods. ) Every fight is easier when you do not make it alone. ( and they have Clark with them, too. neither of them are alone at war with the world, though Diana suspects that's exactly what Bruce is used to. ) I won't keep you longer, Alan. I suspect there are more you intend to visit tonight.
( she can tell there's rations for more than just one in there. one for clark, and...? she wonders if there's more the Batman has collected under his wing. )
[ She smiles, and it's hopeful in a world that is mourning the loss of its symbol of hope. It is easy to pour it all on one man, he thinks. One impossible alien. But to keep it alive, it needs a deep foundation. It's not going to be the same here, but there's no point falling into old habits that lead to old mistakes. He's made too many of them, recently. ]
[ Bruce doesn't smile back, but the tranquility of it settles. ]
You're not alone.
[ As long as he's here, and he knows Clark will promise her the same. ]
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I'm not intending to pull doors off their hinges anytime soon.
[ why are you and Clark Terrible smh ]
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( what with it being mostly made up of tents and everything. Bruce could probably rip those open just fine. he still probably shouldn't, though. )
You have been hunting, I see. Have you had any of your take?
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I was planning to eat on the go.
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And where do you mean to go? ( she doesn't actually need an answer for that question, nodding at the spot next to her instead. ) You've given me more than enough for both of us.
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[ Sometimes, he's funny. Bruce sits down next to her. Kinship is something he's only newly found and attached to — often it's more clinging to driftwood in a storm than feeling anything like anchored. His life doesn't allow for it, nor is it expedient. ]
[ But to sit down and share a meal with her is not a waste of time, nor a weakness in his armour. ]
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( she suspect around might be Clark, if checking in on her is any indication. and while she won't make the man of steel wait forever, a little while won't hurt.
Diana clearly seems to appreciate the company, offering some of the food he'd brought along as she leaves some for herself, though she samples the water first. it's only after a drink she speaks again. )
I am sharing a tent with a fairy. I did not know such beings existed beyond stories. ( that statement is at least mildly ironic, isn't it, coming from an amazon. )
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You're an immortal and you're having trouble with that?
[ No, this is hilarious. He smiles briefly. ]
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We had no faeries flitting around Themyscira, except the ones in my bedtime stories.
( amazons, they're just like us
...ok no, but apparently even amazons had fairytales to whisper just before bed. )
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[ He didn't ask for aliens and all this other nonsense, okay, his world with Gotham was small, but understandable. ]
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It feels as if this place has a wider margin of possibility. ( she's encountered much she'd never have thought to expect or believe possible already. ) How does one keep up with it all?
( a genuine question; she feels rather behind, with all she doesn't know. Diana is a clever creature, yet ignorance to so much wore on her all the same. )
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Let me handle that. You just keep an open mind.
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( adapting the phone she barely knows how to use, bringing her rations that she had not had the time or freedom to collect herself were one thing. still, there was only so much Diana would allow Bruce to do, especially when it seemed important that she learn for herself. )
If you would aide me, then hearing my questions would suffice. ( a pause, before she adds with another note of wryness, ) That, and eating something.
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[ No, he genuinely just hadn't gotten around to eating yet. Bruce takes a few bites and chews. He knows from the future that her company is unintrusive to him, he's only a little surprised it feels the same way now. ]
I make it a point to have answers to questions.
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( Bruce admittedly can slip things past her, things that speak to the fact he's had training in not being noticed. it just means she needs to keep a better eye on him. )
Good. I suspect I shall have many.
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[ Not many people would have picked up on his following them — admittedly, harder on the station where he had no shadows to conceal him — but still. ]
What was your training like?
[ She matched his level of strength during training without hesitation or discomfort — Clark has trouble with that, but not her. It's intriguing. ]
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My aunt, Antiope, wanted me to be ready for anything I could face. She spared nothing in training me, as she did all the amazons. I think she might have always known what was destined for me, and she did not want me to face it unprepared.
( her tone is wistful, and a little melancholy. if Antiope could see her now, would she think that training had sufficed? Diana hoped so. )
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[ Diana speaks in the past tense. For the first time, he wonders what can kill an Amazon. ]
Were you trained separately from the other Amazons?
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( in secrecy, in silent, hidden from the mother who had wanted to protect her from the world she hoped she'd never see. in the end, Hippolyta had seen sense... though Diana always wondered if a part of her regretted it. )
When I was older, I was treated just the same. Harsher, I sometimes thought, but I was a girl. Girls are prone to thinking such things. My aunt wanted me to be strong. That was not an easy path, and she didn't pad it.
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[ And he has to include himself in their number: he has his own brand of being an unstoppable force. And friends... that's a plan. ]
Why didn't they come with you to fight Ares?
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My mother. The queen of the Amazons. She did not think men were worth saving. ( not enough to risk the happiness and tranquility of their home. not deserving of the sacred duty that they had been created to complete.
Diana, they do not deserve you.
of all Diana has seen, sometimes even she has struggled. still, she promises herself that there is good in humanity, that it is simply Ares hold on them that corrupts them so completely. she breathes out. ) I do.
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I'll fight with you.
[ Men are still good. He believes it. But one day's belief can't overwrite the action of years. It is chosen, exercised over his nature. By doing, he becomes. ]
[ She knows his heart, knew from the first day. He doesn't need to tell her. ]
You're not wrong to believe what you do. Sometimes that's not enough, but we can't let go of it.
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even she falters on occasion, yet it still seems so simple to her. how could humanity completely resist a god that would tempt them toward ruin?
it's a more complicated story than she nows, now. in time she'll learn. in time she'll find a way past the naiveté to a more grizzled interpretation. in fact years in her future Bruce Wayne had been a great part in seeing that men were worthy again. it's a path she has to rewalk, now; hopefully with less of the heartbreak.
she smiles, not quite as warm as before, yet still hopeful. she places a hand on his arm, and nods. ) Every fight is easier when you do not make it alone. ( and they have Clark with them, too. neither of them are alone at war with the world, though Diana suspects that's exactly what Bruce is used to. ) I won't keep you longer, Alan. I suspect there are more you intend to visit tonight.
( she can tell there's rations for more than just one in there. one for clark, and...? she wonders if there's more the Batman has collected under his wing. )
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[ Bruce doesn't smile back, but the tranquility of it settles. ]
You're not alone.
[ As long as he's here, and he knows Clark will promise her the same. ]
Sleep well, Diana. I'll talk to you soon.