Bruce Wayne, the Batman. (gothamcrusader) wrote in gothamknights, @ 2008-08-30 00:27:00 |
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Entry tags: | bruce wayne, talia al ghul |
log: bruce wayne & talia al ghul
summary. [December 1994] During his time with the League of Shadows, Bruce Wayne was introduced to Talia Ducard. However, she had to return to university after visiting the Bhutanese compound that summer but returned the following winter. After a long day, they catch up with each other over rice and chicken and try to decide how to spend their time together.Bruce. Bruce wanted to pretend that he didn't notice her the moment she returned to Ra's al Ghul's compound. By all outward appearances, he did not. He continued his sword work, training with other fellow men of the League of Shadows -- all while Henri Ducard greeted his daughter Talia briefly. It had been summer since he last seen her, since he first met her. Her presence did not distract him -- quite the opposite, in fact. Bruce became entirely focused on the exercise at hand, all to keep himself from thinking about her.
As one of very few females with access to the compound and his mentor's daughter, it should come to no surprise that Bruce watched her from his periphery the first time she set foot on the compound the previous summer. However, he wasn't expecting the attention to be reciprocated. Henri put Bruce through so many trials and tribulations, physical and psychological. Anything from Talia was more than welcomed to ease the harsh lessons. During her time at the compound, Bruce received extra practice and advice. He wanted to live up to Henri's standards, to embody all his ideaologies, but it was a tough pill to swallow. It made it easier to have someone who could relate but also kick his ass.
Outside, snow fell heavily as the sun sank over the mountains. Talia made good timing, Bruce thought. The elevation and remoteness of the compound made the climate more harsh. During the day, he would train on the ice to perfect his footing. As it grew colder, he and the others would move inside and work on agility and weaponry. In one of the open indoor practice areas, Bruce had finished the set with the man and they parted ways. He sheathed his sword, his mind already calculating if he had time before dinner to complete another task. Quickly determining that not to be the case, he set off to his bunk to return his things to their places before returning to the main dining area for the usual meal of rice and chicken.
Talia. The years her father had kept the League in the mountains of Bhutan had hardened her against its harsh weather. The climb up the mountain, while arduous, was not beyond her capabilities and she arrived well before sundown, urged on by her enthusiasm. She'd been waiting to return to the compound, ever since the summer, to see Bruce. It was almost unfair that she'd developed feelings for her father's chosen heir, a title she'd once considered rightfully her own to little avail, but it was something that could not be helped. That Ra's encouraged the relationship, unbeknown to Bruce, was equally unsettling.
After her father's greeting she'd observed the training in the open practice area, a room she knew blindfolded, unseen to its inhabitants. Long ago she'd perfected the art of being invisible when she wanted, and was still one of the better of her father's students in that respect. She didn't stay to watch the end of the set, retiring to the room that was hers whenever she returning, sparing a few moments for quiet greetings to the people she had known all her life. Her presence here was as common as the sun rising and setting, no matter how long she was away before her return. This place, this training ground, was timeless in that respect. Unchanging.
The evening meal was prepared, but Talia took her time, knowing there was plenty for all. What little she had brought with her, she packed away with quiet efficiency, and changed into more appropriate attire for her surroundings, before she made her way to the dining area. It was easy to locate Bruce. As much as he was a member of the League, he stood out, apart from the others. A different fire burnt within him, a fire that was what drew her to him to begin with. It was an easy smile that tugged at her lips at the sight of him, as she moved effortlessly across the floor. "You've gotten better," she murmured, standing beside him. A compliment.
Bruce. Bruce waited off to the side of the dining room, as he waited for the others to receive their food. He was never in a hurry to get his meals. He was more prone to let others go first while he observed the room. His eyes barely moved to recognize her; he did not tilt his head. However, a small smile tugged at his mouth. He paused, his eyes watching the crowd of warriors getting their rations, before he spoke. "You're back." He then turned his head slightly to look at her. She made him nervous, for a whole varied set of reasons. "How was the trip?"
Talia. Her greeting complete, she let the smile on her face return to the usual calm indifference of the compound's inhabitants. She met his eyes confidently, knowing that it would be unsettling, even if only for a moment. "Long, and uneventful," she replied quietly. "With long stop overs." The crowd in front of them started to thin, and she took a step forward, knowing he would follow. "I'm glad I don't have to journey up the mountain again for a while. It's never much fun in the winter."
Bruce. He did follow, watching others carefully as they neared the food. He let her move ahead of him. "It'll be much easier to go down it, that's for sure." That was Bruce for you -- already thinking of the end, with Talia leaving. It wasn't ever on purpose, it was just an automatic reaction. There was no use avoiding the topic. Talia would leave at the end of her break and would return later during the next one.
Talia. If she had been away, a comment like that would have been cause for her to roll her eyes. Not appropriate in this location, but not less relevant. "I'll have you know that it is never easy to just go down it," she said pointedly. And it wasn't, for the reason standing next to her. But she wasn't about to dwell on it; she didn't focus on endings, but on the paths. "Tell me, has my father broken any bones recently?" Her father was not a subtle man when it came to his teachings. No longer a central focus of his, she was free to observe and dispense her sympathies to others.
Bruce. Bruce inhaled sharply at her question, obviously a touchy subject for him. Why it was touchy? Bruce has had bones broken before. He pressed his lips together as he formulated a response. "I cannot speak for the other men, but he's left me in one piece... more or less." He glanced out to the crowd. "Some of the new members, however, haven't been so lucky." He has been here approximately a year. He remembered how tough those first months were, when the training seemed the harshest.
Talia. Talia blew out a soft sigh. She didn't disregard Bruce's reaction, merely filed it away for future review. Of course, the first time they had met, he'd barely been here six months and was hardly a match for her father, and the recipient of many injuries. And, given the climate, and her own experiences, those injuries were not made any better with the cold. She let her gaze search the faces in the dining area, locating the new faces, faces she didn't recognise and making a note to meet them during her visit. It wouldn't do for the daughter of Ra's al Ghul to not know the names of his men. "Then you really must be getting better." She leaned in, close enough to whisper in his ear, "Did you find a better practice partner?" They were at the head of the crowd now, and she accepted her food with a murmured thank you.
Bruce. He didn't answer her -- at least, not right away. Her proximity caused him to turn his head slightly, glancing at her. He watched her as he waited for his food. "No, no partner. More motivation, though. Different motivation," he clarified. He waited to see where she led them so that they may sit. While her father may not oppose him being so physically close to Talia, it wasn't something he wanted other members to know or see. It took all of Bruce's composure to keep from touching her and he had a reputation to keep around here. He maintained a safe distance as they moved through the room and found a place to eat. Bruce tucked his legs underneath him, holding his bowl in his hands. "How long will you be here?"
Talia. As they moved to find a seat, she let herself smile. Just a tiny smile, facing away from Bruce. "Good. It'll be nice to have a challenge." She led him away from the main crowd, towards the outer edges of dining area, sitting down in one easy motion. A calculated location, away from the others so they could speak, but still in the room like they had nothing to hide. "I'll be here for a couple of weeks. I haven't decided," she told him, letting the bowl warm her hands. "The next semester is light on subjects," she explained simply. She allowed herself a moment to look at him, really look and see how much he had changed. His eyes were older, his skin hardened by the rigorous training. He was different, but still the man she'd met half a year previous. She still wasn't above teasing him. "Why? Did you have other plans that I'll have to compete with?"
Bruce. He nodded, looking at his food as he listened. It had been a few years since he was at Princeton. It seemed like ages ago. Even learning how to steal to live and the thrill of the chase was far from this place. This was his life now. Bruce let out a small laugh, barely audible. "I believe that is up to your father." Bruce was just planning on continuing his training. Just because Talia was here didn't mean he let up -- he was sure she wouldn't have it any other way, though.
Talia. Somehow she always missed the simple food that the compound provided - she didn't eat the same way when she was away. Bruce's laugh, however soft, was what she wanted to hear, warming her far quicker than the food in her bowl. "Not that I'll be much company for the first week," she admitted, wryly. Upon her return her father engaged her in almost a review of her abilities, far more violent and dangerous than the everyday training; that last time she'd returned she'd been covered in bruises for two weeks after, but that was the life she had always lead. The daughter of Ra's al Ghul had to be better than everyone else. Sometimes she wondered if it was his punishment for leaving the League, despite his encouragement to do so. "Perhaps I might help with your training again?"
Bruce. He was unaware of the kind of 'review' that Talia underwent. As they only met the summer before, he hadn't gotten to know Talia until after her reintroduction into the League's training. He can't guarantee he'd react well to know what Henri did do to his daughter during these sessions. "It would be appreciated," Bruce glanced at her before taking the first bite of food. Their extra training sessions were something he looked forward to, even if he seemed otherwise.
Talia. Talia kept her face perfectly calm, replying serenely, "It's a date, then." She could remember clearly the day she had returned the previous summer to find her father's newest addition to his band of assassins, even if Bruce was unaware of the extent that the League of Shadows was capable of. Her father had made it clear that Bruce Wayne was a suitable heir to his legacy, and he would make an appropriate husband for herself to tie him to the family. Her attraction to Bruce had made it easy to play her father's game - at least at first. Now she was still trying to seduce him, but not for her father's goals. She really did like him. After a moment, she added, "You'll be pleased to know Wayne Enterprises is doing well. Still a favourite case study of many business subjects."
Bruce. Bruce's eyes darted from the food in his hand to Talia's face at the word 'date', his face is still lowered to to look at his food. He squared his shoulders and sat up a little straighter. He waited until he finished chewing to reply to her news of Wayne Enterprises. That was literally on the other side of the world and far from where he was in many ways. "I'd rather not talk about it, actually," he admitted. He left that life far behind after leaving Gotham shortly after the trial and assassination of his parents' killer. He thought he finally found a path that would allow him another fate than Gotham's favored son.
Talia. Rather than feeling ashamed for bringing up a topic that Bruce clearly didn't want to discuss, Talia let out a soft sigh. No matter how far he ran, he would always be Bruce Wayne. Even training amongst the League couldn't change that fact, as much as he clearly wanted to believe. "Suit yourself," she replied, matter-of-factly. "What would you like to talk about then?"
Bruce. Bruce pushed his food around as he thought. "Whether we'll practice in the morning or the evening." He would like to know when he would be able to see her when he wasn't training with the League as a whole.
Talia. She arched one eyebrow. "Perhaps both, hm?" Talia knew that the League trained during the day, with the occasional night training exercise, and she had already been advised that she wouldn't be participating in those sessions until later during her break. "Or perhaps we should practice in the morning, and find some other way to occupy our time in the evening?" She paused. "Unless you're so dedicated to practice that you won't allow yourself a break?" Amusement caused the corners of her lips to twitch up into a small grin.
Bruce. Bruce froze. It was really hard to try hold himself back when she made suggestive comments like that. It was a tough spot to be -- being possibly propositioned by this girl he couldn't stop thinking about who happened to be the daughter of his mentor. But at the same time, he did not want to misunderstand her. He cleared his throat. "I... take breaks." Could they go take a break right now?
Talia. Had they been anywhere else in the compound, preferably somewhere a lot less public, she might have laughed. Trying to explain it out loud to anyone, even Bruce, would have been difficult. His answer was just so... him. She knew it had to have something to do with being the daughter of his mentor - it was the only thing that could explain his reluctance to play along with her game. She leaned forward. "I don't believe you."
Bruce. She will have to forgive him for not wanting to test the waters with this one. He rather liked having Henri Ducard as a mentor and while he thought Henri liked him well enough, he didn't want to test that. He knew what his mentor could do. He flashed a half-grin, watching her carefully. "I guess we'll see, then."