Warming Up [gestalt Earth period]

[kid_devil_you_dont_know]

[OOC: As a timeline/setting note, this takes place on the gestalt Earth created after the "Crisis On Infinite Earths" event. Kid Devil and Robin II have written back and forth as pen-pals for a while, and Eddie is currently visiting Gotham City during his winter break. Eddie is... about age thirteen at this time.

I make a distinction between the universe that was created post-COIE and the "New Earth" designation that comes into use after the "Infinite Crisis" event. Most sources don't, but it's important for this particular muse.]

Eddie keeps his back straight and sips his cocoa slowly. There's something about sitting across from Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth that just... demands manners. Even if, technically speaking, Alfred is 'the help'... it's pretty obvious that the butler is really the most respected person in Wayne Manor. And Bruce is -- despite the friendly, harmless face presented to the world -- pretty intimidating for a kid who wants to make a good impression.

Comments

[soldier_on_undaunted]

Alfred, for his part, is the picture of a welcoming host -- albeit a rather formal one. But, fortunately, also one bearing snacks, mostly a large snack board with cheeses, crackers, jams, and various other cheese board accoutrements.

"Please, young Master Bloomberg, make yourself at home," Alfred says. "Master Jason has told us so much about you."

[kid_devil_you_dont_know]

Eddie glances over at his friend. "Uh oh."

"Like there's anything bad to say about you," Jason says with a huff, leaning over to grab a slice of cheese.

Eddie smiles at that, and picks out other things from the cheese board. "You'd be surprised."

[soldier_on_undaunted]

"For one thing, I appreciate your dedication to the art of literacy," Alfred says. "It's a rare youth who will spend his time writing these days."

[kid_devil_you_dont_know]

Eddie ducks his head a little, to avoid the eyes on him, and takes a drink from his mug. Getting praise is still... unusual for him. (Aunt Marla cares about him, of course, and the coursework he completes with on-set tutors gets plenty of attention, but... Eddie is still getting used to the change.)

"Thank you," is all he says.

[soldier_on_undaunted]

Alfred seems to pick up on Eddie's awkwardness, but still seems determined to draw Eddie out of his shell, because he continues, "How have your studies been going? I hear you have quite the technical aptitude."

[kid_devil_you_dont_know]

"Oh, I'm doing fine. Math and science especially," Eddie answers. "The tutors don't cover a lot of the practical tech stuff. I've got to go to the special effects teams for that."

[soldier_on_undaunted]

"Interesting," Alfred says. "But a lad with a mind like yours should have tutors who can keep up with him, surely? Have your parents had difficulty finding them for you?"

[kid_devil_you_dont_know]

"Oh, regular school isn't much a challenge either," Eddie says, with a shrug. "Aunt Marla set things up so that the on-set tutors would include me in classes with the child actors who also work for the studio. My parents don't have anything to do with m-- it."

[soldier_on_undaunted]

Alfred frowns as he catches that slip, and glances over at Jason and Bruce, then back to Eddie.

"Yes, I believe Marla was the one I spoke to when arranging your visit. She seems like a lovely woman."

"But we have an accomplished gadgeteer with us now, if you wish to expand your education."

Across the table, Jason suddenly looks entirely too innocent, as if, perhaps, he had an ulterior motive of his own in inviting Eddie here.

[kid_devil_you_dont_know]

Eddie smiles. "Aunt Marla is the best! She's the nicest relative I've lived with."

Eddie looks between all of them -- Alfred, Jason, Bruce -- and asks, "You'd let me?"

[soldier_on_undaunted]

"Young Master Edward," Alfred says, motioning to a certain grandfather clock. "Now that you've finished your cocoa, shall we adjourn to the Batcave?"

The deadpan expression he wears as he asks the question is nothing if not a testament to his stiff upper lip.

[kid_devil_you_dont_know]

He's not entirely sure what he was expecting -- he and Jason have spoken pretty openly about their 'superheroics' in their letters, and maybe he should have guessed that Batman had to approve of the exchange. But he's still surprised by the invitation -- Dan doesn't know who Batman is, and Eddie had to promise not to tell.

"Yes," he says, and he grins over at Jason for a moment before schooling his expression back to the seriousness that the situation seems to call for. "I'd like that, thank you."

[soldier_on_undaunted]

Jason slings an arm around Eddie, now extremely excited as he pulls Eddie along towards the Cave. "You're going to love it!"

And indeed, for a gadget enthusiast, there's plenty to love. The clock itself is worth study on its own, a hidden security mechanism which protects the Batcave through both steganographic and cryptographic means. The method of transportation is somewhat low-tech, but really, who doesn't love firepoles? (One assumes there must be a freight elevator elsewhere, given the items brought in and out of the Batcave with some frequency.) Along the wall stand huge arrays of monitors and CPUs, more computing technology than is assembled outside of most labs in this day and age. But for Eddie, three things in particular will likely stand out:

1. The Batmobile itself, a heavily modified car filled with new experiments in computer miniaturization and built for speed, stealth and security alike.
2. The testing range in the corner of the Cave, filled with experimental Batarangs and other gadgets, as well as areas to test them.
3. The giant dinosaur, which, upon closer inspection, appears to have secret animatronics and circuitry far beyond that required for a simple display piece.

"Isn't it so cool?" Jason asks.