[closed] to Ratigan! to Ratigan!

[mrsarcastic003]

Who: Tim Drake and Damian Wayne
Where: The Bat Robin Cave
When: A few days after the helltower.
Rating: PG
Summary: Damian has a huge gap in his pop culture knowledge. Tim would like to help him fix that.
The Story:

The computer has several diagnostics to run and isn't going to need him for a few hours, so Tim pushes back away from it and goes to the closet. He'd prepared for this. He'd taken several DVDs from the library for just this moment.

Besides Damian can use a break, too. He pulls a huge bowl of popcorn out of the closet and calls over to the younger Robin. "Hey--I need you for something."

Comments

[sonofab]

Since the end of the event, Damian had been throwing himself into his work. It was the best way to avoid ones feeling after all and using a blow torch on some metal was always a fun distraction. He'd been quieter than usual, which meant unless it was metal or a question about the cave he was likely avoiding it, but when Drake called him for something, naturally Damian thought it must be cave related.

"Just a second, Drake!" He called back, finished up some welding before turning the torch off and pushing up his protective goggles. He rushed over and paused when he finally caught sight of the other teen. He was holding a large bowl of popcorn to his chest and had a sly grin on his lips. "...What's going on? Something happen with the computer?" He blinked and frowned a bit in confusion because well...how was popcorn going to help with something like that?

[mrsarcastic003]

He shook his head. "No, the computer's not going to need any help for at least a few hours." It turned out programming the Batcomputer from the ground up was a project. One that he was enjoying, but it was certainly time-consuming.

"I need to run a test on Jon's TV and game system. Mind giving me a hand?"

Test... Disney movie... it's all the same, right?

[sonofab]

Damian tilts his head because he wasn't aware there was anything wrong with Jon's television but he didn't have any reason to disbelieve Drake right now. It was different from how he was with the Drake of his world which was still a little strange for him but he was getting more used to it. He couldn't say he hated it either. Without Grayson around it was kinda nice having at least this.

"What kind of test could Jon's tv ne--?" He paused though connecting the dots of the situation by the collection of dvds on the couch. "This is a trap." He did an about face and was ready to step away.

[mrsarcastic003]

"One man's trap is another man's cleverly disguised ploy to get you to experience the wonder that is The Great Mouse Detective." He holds up the DVD case to show what is very obviously an animated adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, using mice instead of human characters. He's decided to ease Damian into it with the one that's most likely to pique his curiosity, and then move on from there.

It's adorable, Damian. How can you resist?

[sonofab]

Damian paused and looked his shoulder at that. "The great what? How is a mouse a detective?" He's never heard of this movie but he has heard the concept of Disney. They specialized in animations for children that are apparently whimsical and charming for both children and adults.

Damian didn't do whimsical or char-- Well okay he put up with Grayson. So maybe he wasn't completely immune to childlike things. Okay, Drake. He is listening. He turned back to face you, eying the DVD box.

[mrsarcastic003]

Dick is a force of nature. No one is immune. But Tim grins when he realizes he has Damian's attention.

"Maybe you should find out." He opens the DVD case and puts it into the game system, taking up a controller to start the movie. It's not one of the better known films, but it's one of Tim's favorites. For probably obvious reasons.

[sonofab]

"Hn..." Damian rubbed his eyes, feeling weary. He hadn't really taken a break since they got back. "Dunno, the last movie night ended with a rift opening up in front of the tv." He says with an airy tone but when Tim starts up the system regardless Damian figures things were already set in motion if a portal to hell decided to open up in the cave.

He sighed and took a seat. "Fine, but if a rift opens again? I'm pushing you in to teach you a lesson."

[mrsarcastic003]

"And I'm pulling you in after me for backup," Tim replied cheerfully. He handed over the bowl of popcorn as he hit play. He sort of hoped Damian would watch this one, because it was good, but it wasn't like they couldn't try again if he fell asleep. He looked dead on his feet. "You can say I told you so while you have my back."

[sonofab]

"Well then at least you are well aware that the I told you sos are the most important part in such a catastrophe. Then I suppose I can watch your back." Damian said with a casual shrug but accepts the bowl of popcorn.

The movie though was actually good for a mouse detective story. It was a retelling of one of the Sherlock Holmes tales. He quite enjoyed those when he came to the manor on those lonely sleepless nights.

He learned from Kaplan that movies were about one's suspension of disbelief so he tried not to pick apart every single flaw. Mostly because he was so tired, but he stayed awake, focused on the movie. "This Ratigan character is Ridiculous." Kind of reminded him or a PG Joker sometimes but less insane. He supposed a child's tale would dare tread on such horrors. Plus, he never remembered the Joker breaking out into song. "Why on earth would one sing their evil deeds? Is he supposed to be Moriarty? And what's wrong with being a rat. I walked through the sewers so often at one point that one of the rats actually grew familiar with me. He'd follow me around. It was nice company."

[mrsarcastic003]

"Just wait." The Great Mouse Detective was positively tame in terms of musical numbers and absurdity. "Besides, you know how it is. Some bad guys just have to tell you their evil plan, and how better to do it than with a rousing musical number?"

He got up to switch the DVD for something else, giving Damian a little grin. "You make furry friends wherever you go, huh?"

He'll definitely like this next movie, then.

[sonofab]

"Tt, no. I'd rather they just stick with torture or monologuing. Something tells me the criminals of Gotham wouldn't have very good singing voices and I'd rather not have to sit through a cringe-fest before my possible death." Damian made a face and leaned back in his beanbag chair, setting the bowl of popcorn down between them to share. "...They might be good dancers though." He shrugged at the afterthought.

As for the animal friends? "I suppose. What can I say? Sometimes patrol gets dull and a sewer rat is a pretty good listener."

[mrsarcastic003]

"So is a gargoyle." Which was usually Tim's choice for a patrol heart-to-heart, but hey. They all have their quirks. He settled back in his own beanbag chair with the controller. "And I'm not sure I want to see Dent and his pals tapping and doing jazz-hands, do you?" He made a face as he reached for a handful of popcorn.

[sonofab]

"Gargoyle is cliche, Drake. Now if you can get a rat to stay near you long enough to have a conversation, then you know he's really interested in what you have to say." Damian points out then thinks about his next statement. "Depends. He might be good at it and him distracting himself with dance while we escape might be less painful than a monologue."

[mrsarcastic003]

"The cliche wouldn't exist if we didn't have a habit of being creepy and weird and hanging out with gargoyles a lot, so I like to think I'm keeping the brand going." He tossed a piece of popcorn at Damian. "And I really don't think it would be less painful than a monologue. Much more likely to be the opposite."

[sonofab]

"What's so creepy about talking to a statue?" Damian grunted and caught the piece of popcorn being tossed in his mouth. "No appreciation for the art dance, Drake?" He murmured with a smirk, but looked at the screen when the movie started.

This one was about lions and all kinds of African creatures. A son trying to live up to his father's legacy. Raised to inherit a kingdom only for it to come crashing down. He leaned in at the scene with the father dying. Seeming completely transfixed. "He's dead?!" Damian said, sounding outraged.

No. NO. Father cannot die! What is this?! He throws popcorn at the screen. "Get up...I don't like this movie." He says but never takes his eyes off the screen.

[mrsarcastic003]

"If I turn it off now, you won't know how it ends," Tim pointed out. He remembered his own reaction the first time he'd seen this movie. It hadn't been much different than Damian's.

[sonofab]

"Is the ending worth waiting for?" Damian huffs, leaning back in his seat, shoving a hand full of popcorn into his mouth. "I thought this was a father an son film. I don't appreciate false advertising, Drake."

[mrsarcastic003]

He made a considering noise. "I can't promise you won't be disappointed, but I don't think you will. I've watched it from beginning to end more than once, and I don't hate it." He paused. "Despite the obvious."

[sonofab]

"The obvious? Do you oppose to the death of the lion father as well then?" Of course, you do. You'd be a monster if you didn't, Drake! Nothing in movies were obvious to Damian since, well he hasn't really seen many.

[mrsarcastic003]

"Anyone who doesn't is a monster," he says, unconsciously echoing Damian's thoughts. "Mufasa's death was deeply traumatizing to children everywhere when this movie first came out."

[sonofab]

"That's a sinister Hollywood trick and to traumatize children for profit? The true villains are Hollywood writers." Damian mutters but watches the rest of the movie in silence.

Then when it was over... okay, that wasn't so bad and had a fairly satisfying ending. He lets out a yawn though as the strain of staring at the tv starts to wear on his eyes. "Play it again. I want to see something..."

[mrsarcastic003]

Tim bit back a smile. And hit the button to start the movie again. He had a feeling Damian was going to fall asleep during the second time through the movie, but that was fine.

It had been a long few days for him, and they had all the time in the world--he hoped.

[sonofab]

Damian didn't like to think about the possibility of anyone disappearing. He knew they could of course. It happened to Supergirl shortly after his and Jon's arrival, but even as adaptable and clever as he acted. Damian hated change.

The idea of Drake disappearing? He just couldn't let that happen again. Not while he was actually here to do something. Not like back home. Where Drake just left with Father for a mission, only for Father to return days later to announce that Drake was just...gone. No warning. No nothing. He was just gone. Died on his mission and left nothing but a bo staff. The memory filled him with a strange cold feeling he didn't fully understand, but he did not like it.

His eyes droop and he starts to lean a bit sideways as he starts to doze off.

This scene ended so cute I got a toothache.

[mrsarcastic003]

Tim grinned a little to himself as Damian started to doze, and settled in a little more comfortably, turning the movie down--but not off. He didn't want to wake him up.

And maybe he'd fall asleep, too.