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Tweak says, "This iswhat we're fighting for"

Bruce Wayne (capedcrusade) wrote in modernage,
@ 2010-06-29 10:11:00

Entry tags:

thomas elliot | hush, {alfred pennyworth}, {bruce wayne | batman}, ¤ phone calls, ∴ scenes: completed

Phone Call: Bruce Wayne to Tommy Elliot
Who: Bruce Wayne and Tommy Elliot
Where: Phone!
When: May 6th
Summary: Having gotten the package from Tommy, Bruce calls to thank him.

As it was, Bruce didn't get to the package until the day after it arrived. Batman's work is never done.

He was taking... breakfast? Lunch? Tea? Whatever you wanted to call it when your first meal of the day was in the afternoon. Suffice to say he was eating when Alfred brought in the package. Bruce opened it as he ate, examining the exquisitely crafted game pieces. They had a nice tactile feel, worn down in all the right places. Whoever had owned these last had clearly loved playing with them. He smiled a little sadly, remembering a childhood that had been cut too short.

Still, board games were sort of an odd thing for Tommy to send him, even with his tendency toward the nostalgic. Bruce found the note then, and a quick read cleared up the confusion. Damian wouldn't understand this, Bruce didn't think. Toys weren't something he was used to. Then again, military toys might make more sense to the child. Regardless, Bruce didn't have any problem with Damian having them. He'd pass them along the next time Damian visited.

One thing he knew better than to expect from Damian, though, was a thank you note. Bruce would take care of that himself. Sipping at his orange juice, Bruce pulled out his cell phone and dialed Tommy's number.

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thequietcut
2010-07-02 10:26 pm UTC (link)

Tommy was in his office, staring at a patient's x-rays when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He picked it up, amused to see that Bruce was calling. This meant the toys had made some progress, hadn't they? Bruce could have easily made Alfred write a thank you message, but instead he was taking the time to call back.

"M'yello?" he answered easily, bringing the phone to his ear. His free hand reached up to play with the jade pendant hanging from his neck.

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	capedcrusade 2010-07-08 12:15 am UTC (link)
	"Tommy!" Bruce exclaimed when the phone was answered. "I've just received an intriguing package full of the most delightful toys to ever fail a safety inspection. Really, they're charming! However did you find such things?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

thequietcut
2010-07-08 02:29 am UTC (link)

If only he were a lesser criminal--Tommy smiled at the thought--he could have laced the things with lead or chemicals. However, he was in this for the very long run. The games were just a piece of the grand chess match that Bruce didn't even know he was in.

"So gifts are what it takes to get me to return you calls?" He chuckled into the phone. "I'm kidding--really, I just saw them and had this moment of impulsive nostalgia. I couldn't let them sit in the antique store collecting dust, and I figured your son could find a better use for them than me using them as more office decor."

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capedcrusade
2010-07-11 01:48 am UTC (link)

"I wasn't aware that you two had met," Bruce mentioned. "I was planning on introducing you at the party, but then all that ridiculousness happened." He waved his hand vaguely to dismiss the kidnapping as irrelevant, not quite able to refrain from the gesture while he was being 'Bruce Wayne' even though Tommy couldn't see it.

"Glad to hear it worked out. He was polite with you, I hope? Must have been, or you wouldn't be sending him presents. We've been working on his manners without much progress that I've seen. Of course, I'm a terrible role model."

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thequietcut
2010-07-11 04:28 am UTC (link)

"Yes, well, I stuck around for a bit to help with some of that 'ridiculousness'--at least the more bureaucratic ridiculousness--and that is how I came to meet Damian," Tommy explained, tapping his pen idly against his notebook.

"He was...well, more like I was at that age than you, Bruce," he gave another good-natured laugh at that. Tommy had been terribly smart and terribly arrogant. For the most part, adults had praised him for having so much self-confidence and gumption. Few people had ever suspected the sinister side of his lifelong hubris. "He's whip smart. Cultivate that and he'll be draining the family fortune at Princeton before you know it. And I heard about another son, is that right? Never did have the opportunity to meet that one."

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capedcrusade
2010-07-11 12:40 pm UTC (link)

"Yes, Alfred told me," Bruce nodded. "Thank you for holding down the proverbial fort. Though if Damian acted like you, then I feel I have even more to apologize for. He must have been positively atrocious," Bruce teased, tutting.

Then he chuckled. "Were you really that impossible at twelve? I don't remember getting nearly so vexed with you. Maybe it's me; I'm getting cranky in my old age. Fathers need different standards than friends."

"And speaking of fathers, is that true about Dick? Have you really never been introduced?" Bruce thought back through the older parties. Had there really never been one with both Dick and Tommy? There must have been. Then again, he hadn't thrown a party in a while. "That's absurd. I adopted Dick years ago, how could you have never met? No no, I believe you, I just can't believe I'm that awful at basic pleasantries. Next time you're in town, we'll have dinner with the boys. Do things properly."

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thequietcut
2010-07-17 03:32 am UTC (link)

"I know, I know. I was a real terror." Tommy chuckled, rocking back against his chair. He flipped open a blank piece of steno pad, jotting down notes from this conversation. At the top of the page, he made a quick reminder to himself to invest in something that could securely record and encrypt his calls.

It seemed Alfred had passed on the good word about Tommy, which was step one in re-inserting himself into Bruce's life. He could now work his way through the more vulnerable parts of Bruce's world--like the silly, romantic magician and the hotheaded boy. Slow work and patience were key to everything.

"I'm probably at fault too--I postponed my education for mother, and then when she passed, I took all that time to disappear, to throw myself into my work. And now I'm Mr. Healing Hands--that doesn't come without missing some of the important stuff like meeting your best friend's kids." He affected an air of regret and loneliness. "I'd be honored to have dinner with your family."

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capedcrusade
2010-07-18 11:11 pm UTC (link)

"Oh stop," Bruce said dismissively. "You're a credit to your profession, I'm hardly one to fault you for that. Besides, no harm done that can't be repaired with an evening of Alfred's culinary delights. You're welcome to dine with us, you know that. I'm only embarrassed it hasn't happened before this. The boys are up in Blüdhaven, but it's an easy drive down to Gotham. I don't see them enough as it is anyway; it'll be a fine excuse to have them over."

"Now, it's just a matter of when next you'll be in Gotham. Do you have any plans to be here in the near future? Surely we have a medical conference or some such terribly important thing you'll be attending? If not, I'll have to hold one. The world can always benefit from more medical conferences. Yes, I'm sure it can."

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thequietcut
2010-07-18 11:18 pm UTC (link)

"No plans currently, but I guess I should make a point of checking up on the old estate," Tommy mused, looking over at his date book. "How about this: you pick the date, and I'll try and keep all the brains in skull problems under wraps around then. Sound good?

"Oh! By the way, I had the lovely Miss Zatara for a visit at the hospital not long ago. You have great taste in friends, Bruce. She was utterly charming."

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capedcrusade
2010-07-19 02:44 am UTC (link)

"Sounds perfect," Bruce agreed. "I'll have Alfred coordinate with the boys and get back to you."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. He hadn't realized Zee had been to see Tommy, and that tone in his voice... Hmm. Not that there was anything wrong with Zee and Tommy, if that's what they wanted.

Right.

Shoving down feelings he didn't want to examine, Bruce plowed on. "Yes, Zee's wonderful, isn't she? Actually, I'm certain you've met before. She came to some of my childhood parties. Sometimes her father would perform magic. Runs in the family, it seems."

But why had Tommy brought her to the hospital? Odd place for a date. No, of course, Zee's charity work. "Coordinating with her for a hospital benefit or some such thing?" he asked.

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thequietcut
2010-07-19 02:50 am UTC (link)

"Yes, I've seen her around, but it seems like the two of us never really got around to an in-depth conversation at any of your shindigs. I saw her perform at the not-so-happy birthday party and thought there was something nice I could do for my friends in the pediatric ward," Tommy explained, a hint of a grin forming in his voice. "Now I regret not pulling on her pigtails when we were younger."

A sharp sound pierced his office as his pager went off. He scowled down at it. "Listen Bruce, that's my cue. Lives to save. You keep me posted on dinner, won't you?" With a hasty goodbye, he hung up. He pounded his fist in anger on his desk before getting to his feet. That had felt so much like progress...

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