NOVEL WEB Side Chapter – The Bird of the Bat Family
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To: My Bratty Younger Brother, Matthias Wayne. How are you doing, Matty? Still flirting around and playing games all day? Well, I hope it is all fine and dandy over there. I don’t know how to say this, but, remember when I told you on the phone two months ago about an incident at the circus in Gotham? Well, the kid whose parents were killed from the circus sabotaging is now living in our household. I kind off became his legal ward, and I felt that taking him in is the best option for the boy. I haven’t told you this part of the story because I feel like taking someone from outside as a part of our family may somehow shock you. Well, I believe you’ll accept him as part of our family, oh and his name is Richard Grayson, by the way. He reminds me of you; bratty, hotheaded, and hard to reason at times. You might consider him as your younger brother, maybe. Well, that’s all I can say. I hope this letter finds you well, just as how I wished you well over there too. I’ll be visiting you when it’s possible. Take care, Matthias. Sincerely, Your brother, Bruce Wayne. PS: Stop sending me those weird memes or whatever they are called on my phone, they are not funny. |
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As I have finished writing the letter to my brother, who is currently studying in Metropolis, I saw Alfred coming to the study where I’m currently at.
“Have you finished with the letter, Master Bruce?” Alfred walked in with a tray on his hand.
“Yes. I feel like Matthias will make fun of me for suddenly writing a letter instead of calling or messaging him.”
“I’m sure Master Matthias would appreciate the letter, Master Bruce.”
I put my letter inside an envelope, and was about to stand up when Alfred says something to me,
“Master Bruce, the boy, Master Grayson, has been looking for you saying that you owe him some self-defense training.”
“I see,” I grabbed my cup of coffee from the tray still on Alfred’s hand, and took a sip before answering, “Please tell him to rest for today. The boy has been training too hard, he needs to recover first.”
I saw Alfred placing the tray to the table, and then he shook his head lightly. “I’m afraid, with the boy’s temper, he won’t stay silent until you gave him what he wanted, sir.”
“Figures.” I muttered. This boy, Dick Grayson, is as reckless as my own brother. “Well, let’s have a look at him. Where is he now?”
“Down at the Batcave, sir. Says he will stay the night there if you don’t comply.”
“Then I’ll go talk to him. Please prepare us some warm meal while I deal with this, Alfred.”
“Understood, sir.”
As Alfred went away to prepare some meal, I went down towards the Batcave to meet our newest and youngest member of the family.
I saw him sitting cross-legged in the center of the cave, and then abruptly sprung up as he saw me approaching.
This boy, Dick Grayson, is still young. He’s only about twelve years old, and he had just witnessed his parents killed. Just like me...
Well, maybe this is also why I took him in, because he also reminded me of myself.
“Mr. Wayne, I’m ready to train.”
“Dick, I want you to return to the Manor. Go have something to eat; I’ve requested Alfred to make some meal.”
“What? No! You said you will train me self-defense, so please train me!”
“I did say that, but not now. Not today”
“Why? I want to help! I know you’ve told me the story about how your brother was wounded when he became one of the city’s vigilantes, but I also want to help! I won’t be a deadweight, please!”
Dick Grayson’s voice echoes in the enclosed Batcave as I contemplate.
“I know what you want, Dick...” I do know what he wants, “You want revenge... justice... you want an answer from those who had wronged you.”
I kneel down in front of Dick; his face is red, possibly from holding anger, or perhaps tears.
I say to him, in my clearest tone possible, “Dick, I want you to control those emotions... before they consume you. I managed to save you on time back then, and I don’t want to know what would have happened to you if I was too late to safe you.”
Yes, I was able to save him on time, back then...
When I was on my investigation to find Dick’s parents’ murderer, I found out that he slips out from the Manor to find the thugs who sabotages the circus and killed his parents. He found the thugs... and they almost beat him down to death.
That’s when I found him, and saved him. I showed my identity to him that I was Batman, and I was trying to investigate the murder of his parents. He told me that he thought I didn’t care about helping him, so he snuck out and did the job of finding the answer all by himself.
My oversight of not considering his immaturity, as well as the fact that he wants justice for his parents’ death almost cost him his own life.
Dick Grayson’s head drooped low. “You stopped giving attention to me. I thought you don’t want to help me anymore... I’m sorry, Mr. Wayne, I know my mistake. I will not do that again.”
Sigh, now I feel guilty.
“Dick... I will train you.”
Dick Grayson’s face lit up, and he looked up to see me face to face. “Really! You will?”
“I will, but you must promise me to not use whatever training I give you to exact revenge. There’s a line one should never cross. That’s what differentiates between you and the thugs who wronged you.”
He nodded. I think he already understood my point. “Yes, Mr. Wayne. I won’t let you down.”
...
We trained for a while; about two hours, I think.
Dick Grayson is a son of a circus performer, it’s a given that his body is a lot agile, flexible, and quite well trained. What’s surprising was his ability to keep up with my training, which I can confidently say is not an easy training.
At the end of our training, I gave him a bottle of water, and threw him a towel to wipe his sweat off his face.
“Well, then let’s go back to the Manor.” I say, as I walked towards him to bring him back to the Manor.
Dick nodded, and smiled.
We walked into the cave elevator to the Manor... and then Dick asked me something.
“Hey, Mr. Bruce Wayne? Can I have my own costume?”
“Hmmm? Costume?”
“Yeah, a uniform to fight crime with!”
Hearing his request, I thought about how to respond to it. I remember not permitting Matthias, my brother, from continuing his crime fighting as a vigilante. Maybe not permitting him is the best option, but... I feel like restricting him will be bad. I feel like keeping him in a cage just like Matthias if I did the same.
“Hmmm, fine... let’s make a uniform for you.”
“Ummm, can my uniform be in the form of an American robin?”
“An American robin?”
“Yes... Ummm, my parents... they often call be ‘Little Robin’, so I want to honor them by becoming one.”
“... I see...” We walked out of the elevator, and approached the dining room, “then let us make you as ‘Robin’.”
