fingerstripes | IC Inbox + Friendr

definitely. I have files I can transfer, if you want.

[ why yes he has been making a studied effort to recreate the entire criminal profile database of the bat computer what of it. ]

you have a lot of enemies, and we can talk about what the means for the Clark in my world. but Lex Luther is the one I'd worry about if we're talking about reach. In my world he's president of the United States now. I can't imagine he's planning on calling it a day from there.

[ Just like that, Dick trusts him and tells him.

He already has Clark's own trust and gratitude. This seals it in stone. ]

I'd like to know about all of them. We can meet.

[ Clark doesn't want to have such a personal conversation over text. ]

I can fly us out to the forest or upwards for privacy.

sure. you know where to find me.

[ Which conveniently right now is on patrol in a bad section of town. He has the sense that something's wrong, that there's a lot more underneath the request than simple curiosity. But probably He should let him get there in his own way. ]

Edited 2017-04-10 12:17 (UTC)

[ It's telling how quickly he arrives after this message. Clark doesn't go supersonic in the city, however, he's there where he wasn't before. He nods to Dick with unusual reserve, even if he musters a friendly smile for him. It's always good to see Dick.

There's a lot on his mind after meeting Jon. ]

Thanks for meeting me. How're you doing?

That was fast. [ He's not startled exactly, but there's a quick flash of surprise in his face before he breaks into something like his signature grin. The fact that there's nothing physically, evidently wrong kind of makes him worry more.

He sheathes his escrima sticks and steps in closer. ]

I'm alright. We heading out?

[ Clark nods sharply. ]

We are. Up or out?

Let's go up. [ And he reaches out to grab onto Clark's arm. Probably better to go with the option with almost no chance of interference over the option with a small but distinct chance. ]

[ Up, up, and away.

The city's lights are tiny dots by the time Clark slows down. They're not that high up that Dick can't breathe normally. ]

LexCorp's Lex Luthor?

[ He wastes no time. ]

...Unfortunately, yeah. [ That Clark knows the name at all makes his heart sink in a way he's kind of hoping isn't immediately obvious. ]

There's some history there I'm not privy to. But I do know he's... obsessed with Superman. The ideal and the man.

[ There's a lot more he could say, and all of it feels huge. Alarming. Potentially useless, when it definitely seems like this place could bring in any number of infinite Lexes, or no Lex at all. What would it feel like to be so new to the whole deal, to be just now finding out about a multiverse filled with innumerable hostile forces?

He wants to tread carefully. He wants to help Clark. He hesitates. ]

...Are you alright?

We haven't met.

[ Clark has seen a few websites popping up claiming Superman is the messiah. There're about as many as those proclaiming otherwise. He's not surprised that he'd be a subject of controversy.

He can't imagine someone being obsessed. Luthor is by all accounts brilliant, with a thriving company. Everything that someone could possibly want, Lex Luthor has. If he doesn't, he could acquire it.

The speculation isn't making him feel better. Clark looks away, at the city. He should be forthright. If anyone will understand and help him without question, it's Dick. ]

Dick, there's a little boy here by the name of Jonathan Kent. He's half-Kryptonian, half-human.

[ It takes him a minute. ]

...Wow. So he's your- [ Son? Brother? Another version of Clark himself? ]

He's my son.

[ Dick is quiet for a moment. The idea of suddenly being responsible for a child he hasn't even thought of yet is a daunting one.

And suddenly the conversation makes starts to make sense. ]

...That had to come as a bit of a shock.

[ Clark smiles despite himself. He didn't know he could have children at all with a non-Kryptonian. When he remembers it's possible and this is his legacy, it's everything to him. ]

He's a sweet boy. I'd be proud to have him as my son if we're from the same world.

[ He shows a sliver of fear. Clark doesn't bear powerlessness well, and he's completely at a loss here. ]

That said, Dick, I have no idea what to do. How do I protect him if I don't know what'll hurt us?

Edited (tweaked) 2017-04-13 12:13 (UTC)

...That's not an easy question to answer.

[ It hadn't been for Bruce, as much as he hadn't understood that at the time. How deeply he'd been caring in his own way, protecting him in all the moments that felt so much like the opposite of that. Bruce would know what to say now. ]

But hey. Clark-

...This is- it's a lot. It would be a lot to handle no matter who you are.

...But if I've learned anything from Batman, it's that the way to lose sight of what's right in front of you is getting lost in the what-ifs. All the dozens of ways Condiment King could be one step ahead of you. [ He reaches out to put a hand on Clark's shoulder, a little awkwardly mid-flight. ]

Whatever comes next, you're not gonna be facing it alone.

Edited 2017-04-13 17:30 (UTC)

Thank you.

[ It wouldn't be so much if he knew what he was doing. Clark's new at being a superhero and a father. It's harder to live a normal life like this. Jon deserves one.

He wasn't expecting reassurance, but looking at Dick, Clark's not sure why he expected otherwise. Dick has a lot of secrets but he's willing to extend trust and faith. He's the second person besides Lois.

Clark holds on to it. ]

If I do get lost, I have a friend.

[ He smiles warmly at Dick. ]

Lay it on me.

[ So Dick tells him.

He starts with the Metropolis villains, the ones who live to make Superman's life hell. He runs through a few of Lex's recent misdeeds as president, his orchestration of the catastrophic mishandling of the No Man's Land crisis, his abuses of power and his leveraging of innocent lives to hurt and manipulate Superman, Batman, and others. He moves onto Intergang and Matello and brushes past Toyman, describing the balloons and toy soldiers of their last adventure in detail, if only because he doesn't really want Clark to have the impression that the regular grind of knocking down bad guys is never any fun.

He moves on to the Joker, mentioning that he'd shot and paralyzed a dear friend of his while studiously leaving out the murder of a child Robin. He runs through the rest of the bat villains quickly - most of them are a lot less dangerous to Clark and his family, and all of them would target Nightwing first anyway. Dick will never let them get past him.

But no one is really safe from Two-Face. Mr. Freeze. Blockbuster. Clark deserves to know what the danger looks like. ]

...can't forget Killer Moth, which- you don't want to underestimate anyone with that big of a god complex, but as long you remember that he's really after attention you're golden. The downside is that I've been hauling his ass off to jail since I was nine, so you can imagine he's pretty immune to humiliation at this point.

[ And he's gonna pause for breath there. He glances at Clark, trying to gauge exactly how... well he's taking all of this. ]

...Yeah. That's... a lot, huh?

[ ooc: if there's anything in there you'd rather Clark not know about just let me know me and I'll edit it out! Also if you need more deets on specific things Dick would have shared in relation to individual people, etc. Otherwise you can assume he kept most of the details pretty vague and run with it as much as you want to! ]

( all good! I'm caught up on Superman's pre-reboot comics. I assume Dick would have mentioned Metallo's kryptonite heart and a few other people by codename only? Clark would have interrupted to ask him to elaborate. )

I asked for it.

[ These others he mentions might go after Nightwing first but they'd have to get through Superman. Clark isn't going to let them hurt Dick any more than Dick would let one of his "rogues gallery" hurt Clark or his family.

He hangs off Dick's every word. All these people are threats, and yet Superman isn't facing them all by himself. He has this Justice League, Batman, and others. There's a community he belongs to of people who aren't like him. They don't have to be to understand one another and work together.

Clark holds to this hope very fiercely. ]

I'd rather know than to have someone here who's dangerous to us.

[ Us. ]

I'll ask Lois if she knows anything about Luthor. If he's who you say in my world too, we should do what we can to stay ahead of him.

It's, uh- less complicated than it sounds, I swear. [ It's really not.

Dick lets the silence settle for a moment. It's not really his place to ask, he knows. But: ]

...So how's he been taking the change?

He knows... who you are, right?

[ ooc: yes! My super knowledge is a little bit spottier than that, so definitely assume Dick passed on anything else relevant that he would reasonably know about up to his weird 90s canon point. ]

He does. He said he's used to alternate realities.

[ Jon's taking it better than Clark.

It's hard on a child to keep a secret like this. Clark didn't mind staying in and reading instead of playing with other children. Jon is more exuberant and outgoing. It's not fair to expect him to avoid childish mischief. ]

Wow. [ It's hard not to be a little impressed by that. And probably it's a big advantage, as long as they're talking about a kid who's probably to be stuck here for a while now.

There's a cheery thought. ]

Well, he's in good company now.

He has a case worker here in charge of him. I think she's genuine.

[ He has no reason to suspect Miss Jones but he's close to paranoid about Jon's safety. Clark listens to him constantly. ]

I wouldn't mind a second pair of eyes.

Yeah? [ He looks up at Clark, suddenly warmed. It's not a level of trust he takes lightly. ] I mean, sure. Anytime.

I kind of- well, I have a kid brother at home. [ The absence of blood makes no different. Tim is his brother. He would do anything, anything for him. ] He's Robin now.

I get a little of where you're coming from.

You do?

[ He's not surprised to hear this. Dick is a good candidate for an older sibling. ]

I'd like to meet him. If he ever comes here.

He'd love that. [ And the thought brings a bright grin back to this face. ]

...It's funny. As much as I wouldn't want to see him pulled away from all the stuff we've got going on in Gotham, I actually feel like he'd be a lot safer here.

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