[It's a cool view! Aquarius is valid. They do have a few minutes of time to be able to look out over Gotham, churning and rolling with endless living.
He doesn't reach out to grab Aquarius to keep them from leaning, but he does keep a few hawkish eye on them to make sure they don't slip or get sucked off. He will put his hand on their shoulder if he needs to, but he trusts them not to be too stupid.
Well, not to be too stupid here.
He does lean down near their head, though, to talk above the sound:] You cold?
[thanks for trusting them, jason. they seem to know their limits, leaning far enough to look but still easily keeping their balance and hold of the bar. but they turn when he speaks up and shakes their head.]
No. This isn't bad at all. Probably moving too fast to be cold anyway. [and even if it was cold they likely wouldn't mind.]
[He laughs a little. Okay, macho man.] If you get cold, you can have my jacket. [But he leans back up since they said it was fine. Their hands were too fucking cold already, so he doesn't know whether to be worried or like "can't be worse than that."
Gently, he nudges their shoulder, then points a bit around the train ahead of them. The tunnel is coming. Aquarius can already see, peeping out from the darkness inside, a little bit of color...?]
I'll be okay. [shhhh. they are very tough!! but in all seriousness, they really don't mind. they've been in far worse places with far worse conditions, and this is...still better than being inside the hotel. reasonably, they are aware they're inside the hotel still, in a painting, in something that isn't quite real, and there's maybe a bit of dissonance with what but they're more interested in what's ahead.]
...this is that tunnel you told me about, right? The one that was tagged.
[they apparently listen to jason more than they let on, and they're also moving again as if to get a better look.
it's wild, a little, to see how more normal people live and the things they do. normally it's debatable if aquarius would care, but...it's been a while. and this is something that, whether he'll really say so or not, is somehow important enough to jason to make note of. so there's nothing but curiosity as the train zips along.]
[The illusion of the train moving too slow disappears as the front goes into the tunnel. Everything speeds up, but it isn't so fast it's over in the blink of an eye. The tunnel is a little long.
Technically, this shows up with black light, but shhh. The inside walls of the tunnel from one edge all the way overhead to the other edge are covered in different, glowing graffiti. Everything from words to more intricate art, all in places that would make anyone wonder how they were done with a train passing through from time to time.
It's very cool. And kind of trippy to speed through.]
[the tunnel is long, and aquarius falls silent as they immediately watch the graffiti pass them by. it's bold and it's bright and it's all over the place. aquarius isn't trying to jump off the train, but they're whipping their head this way and that to try and soak all of it in. there isn't enough time. it's...very different than what they're used to, they think, and they seem to be trying to memorize everything.
and if they step back into jason to get a better look of the wideview, so be it.]
[Using him as a cushion is fine. He reaches up to put a steadying but not distracting hand on their shoulder to make sure they don't flap away in the wind trying to look at all the cool graffiti.]
Tagger's magic.
[Trying to logic it out will ruin all of the fantasy and mystery of it, he thinks. So he doesn't give any explanation. Maybe Gotham fairies did it. Otherworldly beings, spirits. Things like that. The tunnel is a good two or three minutes which seems short numerically, but it's actually rather long speeding this fast.
And then it's gone. Whisked away like exhaling breath. The outside of the tunnel, on the face, has a pair of neon glowing eyes watching them move on into the distance.]
[they continue to watch, enthralled for a brief moment before there's a weird sort of out-of-place feeling of something like melancholy. the train speeds along, and then it's gone. they stare at the neon eyes for the longest time, refusing to break contact.]
I'm...not usually one for bright colors. But that's pretty awesome.
[He gives their shoulder a squeeze of reassurance, then lowers his hand. They can have a little of Jason's amusement and understanding through the mind-meld.]
Yeah? I told you. Didn't think I'd get to show you, but that's fine.
[He points around them into the distance.] You see the top of that big ass mansion out there beyond the city? The one on the hill just over the trees? [It's outside of the city, but they can see a glimpse of it through the buildings as they go along in the open air again.]
I'm more of a visual person, I guess. Showing is better than telling but I didn't think it'd be a possibility right now either.
[but they turn, peering at the place beyond the trees.]
Reminds me of...[but they go quiet, even if there's a jab of irritation in their mind-meld palace.] Is that where you went after he found you? I can't say I'm surprised it's kind of removed from everything.
[The irritation is amusing to him which they'll feel, but it's not a mocking one. It's a :handshake: one. He gets it.]
Put me in a boy's home for a while. But that's where I went after, yeah. When he came back to get me. It's his little castle he can look down over what he thinks is his city. His city, his rules. Blah blah.
[Bruce Wayne is Hades now. Actually, this tracks a little which is unfortunate.]
Yeah, I know. I think the worse part is he isn't entirely removed. He tries to be, but he loves people. He loves them so much he controls them without thinking about it so nothing happens to them.
[they continue to stare at Wayne manor for a bit.]
I know people like that, too. Trying to reason with them is a pain, unless you have a ton of patience and a lot of arguing. Tradition and history tend to drive their actions half the time because that's something they can control.
[the tunnel swallows them up and the outside world disappears. there's a soft noise of confusion like they weren't immediately expecting it, but they finally turn their head back to jason to stare up at him. this is a boring tunnel so they aren't missing anything.]
[They are so funny. But this tunnel is boring, so it's fine.]
Depends on you, buckaroo. You hopping off, or are you staying on? Doesn't make any difference to me. I've been on this loop plenty of times. So, what d'you say?
[Aquarius has the choice to decide. They getting off, or are they going around Gotham?]
Well, I haven't. [like that makes a difference? but they seem to be debating outwardly wanting to admit they want to keep going or taking what they got and calling it a day. their hand grips the bar a little, thinking to themselves.]
...I don't really want to go back to the hotel yet when there's still stuff to look at. We can loop back to the beginning.
[also less time outside of the hotel, the better, but they don't outwardly say that. the outside is different when it's dark out.]
[This makes him laugh, and it's easier to hear as the train stops at the platform for the few minutes of disembarking and embarking.]
Sure. We can go around. You want to ride the whole way out here, or do you want to sit comfy on the inside? Well--as comfy as a dirty Gotham interior will get you.
Yeah, you can. You can still see a lot, and maybe without the tears you have from the wind slapping you in the face. Hold on.
[He twists a bit and flings himself off the rails and back of the train toward the side and away from the tracks. Like without any hesitation, as if he’s done it a million times.
Once he stands up again, he turns around and holds his arms open at Aquarius like before.]
[they watch jason fling himself off a train. it's something he recognizes, the agility and strength of someone who does this repeated, and they think a little about what they know about jason in general.
it makes sense.
and then he pauses and he waits, and it takes a few moments for them to decide if they want to trust this. it's not like jason's going to drop them on the tracks or anything. they could manage fine alone if they needed to. but maybe they don't have to, for once.
so all of this is to say that they're essentially mimicking the movement to fling themselves off of this train and straight at jason. catch.]
[He waits for Aquarius to jump without rushing. He catches them mostly with his hands rather than catching them in a bear hug, but it's so he can plop them down on their feet quickly and usher them toward the edge of the platform.
There's a wall-mounted ladder, but their time is short, so he hefts Aquarius up at the midsection once they get there to let Aquarius grab onto the top part of the ladder and save time. All Aquarius has to do is climb onto the platform off the top. Tada.
Jason is a dorito who jumps up the ladder two at a time.]
[they don't reply immediately, jumping and letting jason set them on their feet before they head for the edge of the platform.]
Survival instincts and delinquency aren't really the same. [so it's fine? they don't mind. instead, there's an indignant little noise when they're lifted onto the ladder, but they grab on and they're moving.] I know how to climb!
[The fuss makes him laugh.] I know, but time is of the essence, 'Arius! You miss this one, and you'll be waiting about thirty-five for the next one. [He gives them a patpat between the shoulder blades.]
Race ya.
[He just
immediately takes off sprinting for one of the closest pairs of doors for the train without even letting them decide how they want to respond.]
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He doesn't reach out to grab Aquarius to keep them from leaning, but he does keep a few hawkish eye on them to make sure they don't slip or get sucked off. He will put his hand on their shoulder if he needs to, but he trusts them not to be too stupid.
Well, not to be too stupid here.
He does lean down near their head, though, to talk above the sound:] You cold?
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No. This isn't bad at all. Probably moving too fast to be cold anyway. [and even if it was cold they likely wouldn't mind.]
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Gently, he nudges their shoulder, then points a bit around the train ahead of them. The tunnel is coming. Aquarius can already see, peeping out from the darkness inside, a little bit of color...?]
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...this is that tunnel you told me about, right? The one that was tagged.
[they apparently listen to jason more than they let on, and they're also moving again as if to get a better look.
it's wild, a little, to see how more normal people live and the things they do. normally it's debatable if aquarius would care, but...it's been a while. and this is something that, whether he'll really say so or not, is somehow important enough to jason to make note of. so there's nothing but curiosity as the train zips along.]
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[The illusion of the train moving too slow disappears as the front goes into the tunnel. Everything speeds up, but it isn't so fast it's over in the blink of an eye. The tunnel is a little long.
Technically, this shows up with black light, but shhh. The inside walls of the tunnel from one edge all the way overhead to the other edge are covered in different, glowing graffiti. Everything from words to more intricate art, all in places that would make anyone wonder how they were done with a train passing through from time to time.
It's very cool. And kind of trippy to speed through.]
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and if they step back into jason to get a better look of the wideview, so be it.]
...how?
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Tagger's magic.
[Trying to logic it out will ruin all of the fantasy and mystery of it, he thinks. So he doesn't give any explanation. Maybe Gotham fairies did it. Otherworldly beings, spirits. Things like that. The tunnel is a good two or three minutes which seems short numerically, but it's actually rather long speeding this fast.
And then it's gone. Whisked away like exhaling breath. The outside of the tunnel, on the face, has a pair of neon glowing eyes watching them move on into the distance.]
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I'm...not usually one for bright colors. But that's pretty awesome.
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Yeah? I told you. Didn't think I'd get to show you, but that's fine.
[He points around them into the distance.] You see the top of that big ass mansion out there beyond the city? The one on the hill just over the trees? [It's outside of the city, but they can see a glimpse of it through the buildings as they go along in the open air again.]
That's B's house.
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[but they turn, peering at the place beyond the trees.]
Reminds me of...[but they go quiet, even if there's a jab of irritation in their mind-meld palace.] Is that where you went after he found you? I can't say I'm surprised it's kind of removed from everything.
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Put me in a boy's home for a while. But that's where I went after, yeah. When he came back to get me. It's his little castle he can look down over what he thinks is his city. His city, his rules. Blah blah.
[Bruce Wayne is Hades now. Actually, this tracks a little which is unfortunate.]
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It's always easy to be above it all when you're so far removed from people. You can do your job but still be hands off at the end of the day.
[...but there's a vague ping of understanding anyway.]
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Yeah, I know. I think the worse part is he isn't entirely removed. He tries to be, but he loves people. He loves them so much he controls them without thinking about it so nothing happens to them.
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I know people like that, too. Trying to reason with them is a pain, unless you have a ton of patience and a lot of arguing. Tradition and history tend to drive their actions half the time because that's something they can control.
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[Aquarius gets him, and there is a feeling of adjutant fondness as the second tunnel for the next stop swallows them up.
The brakes on the train hiss as it starts slowing down for the platform yards ahead. This tunnel isn’t as cool as the other one. :(]
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...staying? Or is this our stop?
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Depends on you, buckaroo. You hopping off, or are you staying on? Doesn't make any difference to me. I've been on this loop plenty of times. So, what d'you say?
[Aquarius has the choice to decide. They getting off, or are they going around Gotham?]
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...I don't really want to go back to the hotel yet when there's still stuff to look at. We can loop back to the beginning.
[also less time outside of the hotel, the better, but they don't outwardly say that. the outside is different when it's dark out.]
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Sure. We can go around. You want to ride the whole way out here, or do you want to sit comfy on the inside? Well--as comfy as a dirty Gotham interior will get you.
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[...but.]
You can still see just as much from in there right?
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Yeah, you can. You can still see a lot, and maybe without the tears you have from the wind slapping you in the face. Hold on.
[He twists a bit and flings himself off the rails and back of the train toward the side and away from the tracks. Like without any hesitation, as if he’s done it a million times.
Once he stands up again, he turns around and holds his arms open at Aquarius like before.]
Come on, I’ve got you.
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[they watch jason fling himself off a train. it's something he recognizes, the agility and strength of someone who does this repeated, and they think a little about what they know about jason in general.
it makes sense.
and then he pauses and he waits, and it takes a few moments for them to decide if they want to trust this. it's not like jason's going to drop them on the tracks or anything. they could manage fine alone if they needed to. but maybe they don't have to, for once.
so all of this is to say that they're essentially mimicking the movement to fling themselves off of this train and straight at jason. catch.]
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[He waits for Aquarius to jump without rushing. He catches them mostly with his hands rather than catching them in a bear hug, but it's so he can plop them down on their feet quickly and usher them toward the edge of the platform.
There's a wall-mounted ladder, but their time is short, so he hefts Aquarius up at the midsection once they get there to let Aquarius grab onto the top part of the ladder and save time. All Aquarius has to do is climb onto the platform off the top. Tada.
Jason is a dorito who jumps up the ladder two at a time.]
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Survival instincts and delinquency aren't really the same. [so it's fine? they don't mind. instead, there's an indignant little noise when they're lifted onto the ladder, but they grab on and they're moving.] I know how to climb!
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Race ya.
[He just
immediately takes off sprinting for one of the closest pairs of doors for the train without even letting them decide how they want to respond.]
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