ask me no questions, I'll tell you no jokes

[fingerstripes]

who: Dick Grayson and YOU
what: TDM prompts and assorted starters
when: July 20 - August 1
where: everywhere
warnings: possible violence, monster fighting, bat angst




1. "When you live by the ruler you die inch by inch"

[ He's off duty now but still in his police uniform, bearing a growing collection of corrosive holes to show for it as the first fat drops sputter from the sky.

Still, he's undeterred. For once undeterred by thoughts of secrecy and masks as he climbs roofs and roadways, rescuing belongings, clothing hung out to dry, and the occasional beloved pet left out in a high spot.

He balances carefully, one-handed, cradling a small, struggling fox under one arm as he glances back for the frantic woman below who'd been directing him a moment before. ]

I miss anybody?


2. "Tell me your story, shovel the dirt"

[ Bearing an extra layer of protective gear over the Nightwing suit feels a little like overkill, but gear up he does for another sweep of the city after nightfall. Riverview's population tends to be unusually savvy to the frequent infrastructural challenges faced by the city, but not everyone follows the crowds when they move, and he's here to round up anyone who apparently missed the memo.

And anyone he finds he descends on quickly, dropping out of the sky and directly into their intended path. ]

Come on, let's get you back inside.



3. "I'd swallow anything offered as truth"

[ He'd filed back into the jungle alongside one of the teams, bringing up the rear as the boar-like beasts started to cluster. They're fast and they're angry this time, which make fending them off exponentially harder as they learn the habits of the team. As they adjust to whatever curve balls they throw.

An hour in he'd decided to switch tactics, leading an angry cluster of them off in the opposite direction of the rest of the team. Anyone with sharp eyes might notice Nightwing isn't moving quite as fast upon his return; his movements a little stiff, his fighting style narrower. Closer to the ground.

Still he stays on his feet; bearing an unbroken focus that dares anyone to suggest he needs to sit down. ]

Comments

[fingerstripes]

I would've thought I got to be the judge of that. [ Granted he'd staked out this rooftop less than five minutes before she had, but the rules of first dibs still apply.

But his bluff is called. He needs to get to the point or risk losing the chance to find out. He tucks away the power bar. ]

You're in a hurry to check out for a girl with nothing to show for it.

[thegreatninja]

[Yuffie raises a hand in an informal goodbye before pausing and turning back towards the man in black and bright-ass blue. She has a weakness for conversation, be it gloating or teasing, and his comment draws her attention back to him.

In the new lighting her eyes shine like dark purple orbs beneath her hood.] Oh? Is that what you think? Don't you know a lady doesn't Kiss & Tell?

[fingerstripes]

See, now you really do have me curious.

[ He checks her restlessness against their surroundings again and comes up empty.

But then, she's all but admitting that something's afoot. This place doesn't have nearly enough action for the curiosity not to drive him mad. ]

The right answer would've been "absolutely not, my hands are empty."

[ Because he's betting they're not. ]

[thegreatninja]

[Yuffie laughs and turns so that she's facing her mysterious company. She takes a small step backwards and holds up her palms for him to see. He might notice that she's inching towards the edge of the roof or he might notice the brief flash of light that slipped out of Yuffie's palm and into the black belt around her waist.]

My hands are clean.

[To make her point more apparent she wiggles her fingers.]

I don't think you'd have believed me no matter what I said. [She is a stranger, in a costume, on a roof. Almost like someone else she's just met and doesn't completely trust. Funny how the world works.]

[fingerstripes]

Maybe not. [ Because okay fine, he can acknowledge that when the situation is as suspicious as it looks. When she's reading guilty as hell. His eyes flick to the little glimmer of light in her hand. There's something she's hiding, alright.

But does that make her guilty of anything? ]

Of course there's still time for you to clear up the misunderstanding. Forstall any slight to your good name.

[thegreatninja]

[Who would be up here in the middle of the night wearing a black skin tight suit with a blue design on it? While Yuffie appreciates the view the suit gives her, it's kind of weird and makes her equally suspicious of him.]

You don't know my name. [She counters with a smile.] Plus, how do I know that you're not up here planning to steal something or whatever it is you guys in skin tight suits do?

Why is my name the only one on trial? I think the snack eating blue bird needs to take a look at himself too.

[fingerstripes]

You do have a point there. [ And he does appreciate how neatly she'd turned that around. He's smirking again, hands propped on hips. ]

So what exactly am I guilty of? [ It'll give him a better sense of how her mind works. ]

[thegreatninja]

Besides, flashing anyone your spandex booty? [Yuffie smirks at her comeback. She will never understand the spandex thing nor will she let it go. You can't hide anything in it and it's sort of like walking around naked as far as the imagination goes. Not that Yuffie is currently complaining, she has a nice view, but it doesn't make any sense to her.]

I know it's late but what if I kid saw you? You'd scar them for life.

[Her grin remains in place as she continues.]

As for anything else, I can only incriminate you the same amount that you can me, which is, none at all. [Yuffie wishes she could call him out but she'd be calling herself guilty too, which she has no interest in doing.]

[fingerstripes]

Guess it takes a certain kind of person to roam the streets after dark in a bodysuit. [ The shift in his expression is subtle, but the effect is flattening. ]

I'm wondering which one you are.

[thegreatninja]

I am a ninja. [Yuffie replies with a grin despite the annoyance that has seeped into her voice.] This isn't a body suit but a ninja warrior outfit.

[Clearly they are two completely different things.]