─ one hundred & forty-one

[amiable]

[ This isn’t right.

Uru stares with uncertainty into the empty room. Her head is trying to process what exactly is going on. Everything that belonged to either Damian or Dick was gone. Instead of the familiar arrangements of furniture and whatever else is supposed to be in here, there’s nothing. It’s reverted back to a standard Paradisan room, as if nobody had ever once inhabited it. Every trace of proof that Damian Wayne lived here... gone.

She manages to get out her journal, tearing her gaze away from this emptiness. Desperately, her eyes scour the journal, flipping the page slowly at first before she picks up the pace and tries to find his handwriting or hear his voice.

Again, there’s nothing.

She ends up blurting it out without thinking: ]

Damian’s gone.

[ Her heartbeat begins to race. There’s an unwanted surge of emotion in her chest and making its way down into her stomach, but she pretends it isn’t there, because this is all just a mistake. ]

I mean— I can’t find him. [ A beat. ] But this has happened before. His room, it... it was just a loss. It—

[ She abruptly cuts herself off. ]

Comments

[secondchances]

[Uru's making Steph feel incredibly anxious and nervous, so she just full out runs over to Dick and Damian's. This sucks. She should have checked in with them, filtered to them, pestered them... at least then she wouldn't have to wonder how long they've been MIA.]

[amiable]

[ She's too scared to face Steph, but she didn't get very far herself. Too conflicted on whether to search or to go back home, or stay in her room in the tower. ]

[secondchances]

[It's cool, Steph's pretty distracted with staring at the lack of names on the door, then slowly stepping into the empty room.]

Okay...

[amiable]

[ Can't bring herself to look back into that room. Everything... gone in the blink of an eye. It's hard to think of even the good memories in such a cold and bare room like that.

She's not sure what she should do now. Look some more? But Steph will be worried and she's got to be feeling worse about this. ]

[secondchances]

[Dick's left before. Damian's disappeared before. These things aren't new, but the complete lack of anything after that makes Steph's stomach churn. Again, maybe that's her fault for not paying enough attention, but this feels too empty to be a castle prank. Everything was gone. Set back to default.]

Why would both their names be gone?

[amiable]

[ She has no answer to that, but she wishes she did. Instead she just stands there with her heart in her stomach. ]

[secondchances]

[Steph's not sure what to do. She's seen enough people leave to know what the signs are, and she's feeling them. That punched-in-the-gut feeling, and then not knowing what else to feel, or to think.

Sure, they could both be potted plants or action figures or statues somewhere, but everything was gone. Everything. That's what's stopping Steph from running to the Batroom or the game room or the entire castle looking for something.]

It's probably not good to panic. Panic is... not good.

[amiable]

[ She swallows, ignoring the lump in her throat and that nauseating feeling that's telling her nothing before her is a trick done by the castle. ]

They're both gone.

[secondchances]

I... [think we should look more? Think they could show up? Think maybe we're overreacting?]


I think so.

[amiable]

[ It's a strange feeling. Damian's gone. He might not come back or even remember her if he ever does return.

He might not even be back home. He could be stuck in one of those another places. And he wouldn't know any better because his memories would have been tampered with.

Too many disconcerting thoughts at once. Uru turns now, still unable to look her in the eye. ]

... Okay.

[secondchances]

[Steph's at a loss for words, torn between misery and relief. Damian had always been around. He'd been here longer than her. Paradisa without him felt... wrong. All the fights, all the progress... potentially gone forever.

But there was some sort of a silver lining, and Steph couldn't help but grasp at it.]

... he could be back in Gotham right now. With his dad, and Dick. Adults. Really being Robin, not just going stir-crazy here.

[amiable]

[ The conversation she had with Galadriel about the residents' departures sits in the back of her head. Still, she doesn't want to air out these concerns if Steph is relieved. She doesn't think she could forgive herself for upsetting Steph.

So she nods. ]

Back home where he belongs. [ She really hopes so. ] ... Sorry for making you come all the way here.

[secondchances]

No, it's alright--I'd have wanted to see this anyway. To be sure.

[She doesn't know what else to do.]

I'm sorry, Uru. I know how important Damian [was? is? was?] is to you.

[amiable]

[ She wonders how Steph is actually feeling, but she's hesitating on asking. She should, though... ]

It's okay. He's back home and... well, he wasn't really happy here anyway. [ There was always that lingering sadness around him since the events with that man who pretended to be Bruce. She can't fault him for that. It must have really shaken him up. ]

He's happier back home.

[ Then she realizes what she's just said. ]

He's important to you too.

[secondchances]

Yeah. [She'll see Damian at home, one day, but that's still incredibly vague. And their relationship at home is pretty different than what they had here.]

He'll be fine.

[amiable]

[ She pauses, still not turning to face her. ]

Are... [ No, it's obvious, isn't it? ] Will you be okay?

[secondchances]

Mm, yeah. [She sighs, folding her arms over her middle.] It hasn't really sunk in yet, but I'll be fine. I just didn't expect this.

[When do you, right? Another sigh.]

How about you, Uru?

[amiable]

[ She turns now, a forced smile on her face. ]

I'm okay! I mean... I shouldn't be surprised. Everyone has to leave eventually.

[ It's what they were striving for. ]

[secondchances]

[She knows Uru well enough to know it's forced, but Steph's doing the same thing.]

I have no idea what to do now.

[amiable]

... Sorry. I should go.

[ If it's a loss, she'll know in a week or two. But it probably isn't. She doesn't want to be anywhere near that empty room. ]

[secondchances]

[She opens her mouth to say something, but she still doesn't know what else she could say. It hurts when people leave, and sometimes the only way that's helped is by time.]

You don't have to go. But if you do, you know where I am. I'll be around if you want to talk or... just sit and do nothing. Okay? Any time.

[amiable]

There's nothing here to see. [ Why does she keep hoping it's the castle messing around? That's just cruel. ] So...

[secondchances]

Well. I'm probably either going to be here, the roof, or the Batroom, so...

[amiable]

[ Suddenly alerted by that. ]

Do you think maybe in the Batroom?

[secondchances]

[Steph thought of the Batroom too, initially.]

They wouldn't move all their stuff into there without saying anything. It's just unused equipment and dirty whiteboards in there.

[When it's not used for punishment or for Ace.]

We can check, but--