Title: A Dinner and a Movie
Authors: Katarik and Yami no Kaiba
Fandom: Animated Teen Titans
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Slade/Robin

Summary: There was a truce, and then a lot of meaningful conversation.
Disclaimers: Slade and Robin are not ours, DC Comics owns the original characters, and the animation company and animators of the Teen Titans cartoon own these particular versions.
Notes: Takes place a week or so after "Apprentice".

*---* What Started It. *---*

Yami no Kaiba: heee... And the one right after that. "I killed my Master when I was an Apprentice. I'm currently looking for one. Why am I doing that when, from my experience, the Apprentice kills the Master?"

sisterjoanjulian: Yeah, really. Um--because Anakin is hot?

Yami no Kaiba: That's Maya's interpretation. I'm for that.

Yami no Kaiba: Wonder what Slade would do if he ever saw this movie. Would he need that part pointed out to him?

sisterjoanjulian: Probably not. I think he's rather more subtle than Lucas.

Yami no Kaiba: Yeah, but would he also see the flaw in his plans after the movie?

sisterjoanjulian: Possibly.

*---* The Script. *---*

Yami no Kaiba: Robin: *drags Slade into the theatre* Come on, you gotta see this. It's a ticket-box seller, and there's a part in here I think you really need to see.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *generally annoyed* Don't you want to go to the lake or something? This seems... pathetic and ordinary.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: That's so plebian. No, let's watch the movie. It's a classic.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *rolls his eye* The first three made more than a decade ago are classic. This is just a cheap way to milk fans of more money.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: ... you watched Star Wars? *brain boggles*

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Along with Monty Python. *waves a hand* It was the in-thing when I was a child, after all.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: That's so--normal. When were you ever normal?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *a bit edgy* Before I joined the military. Now do you want buttered popcorn or not?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Yes. With extra salt, please.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *grumbles and pays the attendant after setting the order* I can't believe you haven't had a heart attack yet, the way you eat.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: I'm a teenager. I run across roofs and stop criminals for exercise. When would I have time for a heart attack?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: I'm just saying you should watch your diet, is all. The way you eat can't be healthy for your lifestyle.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *tosses him a Look* Given that I've seen you eat an entire pan of brownies, I really don't think that you get to say _anything_.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *gives the Look right back.* That was only the one time! I've monitored you; I know if nothing upset your routine up in that precious Tower of yours, you'd eat pizza _daily_!!

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *defensively* Pizza satisfies all the food groups; it has grains, dairy products, vegetables, fruits, meats, fats, and sugars.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *crosses his arms, ignoring the rowdy line that's gathered behind them* Right. If you ate such a variety other than pepperoni and cheese, I'd be all for it. But you _don't_.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: I've eaten pineapple pizza. Pineapple is a fruit. I’ve eaten spinach pizza. Spinach is a vegetable.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: And again, only when the little green boy leaves leftovers in the fridge.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *glares* I take vitamins. And pizza tastes good.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *twitches and ignores the subtle babbling of the counter person for the two to leave the line* Just because it tastes good, doesn't necessarily mean it _is_ good. I'm sure every person who dies of arsenic poisoning would say the food tasted fine.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *absently* Actually, arsenic has a slightly bitter flavor.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Which would have been overpowered by whatever spices were in the food. *feeling he's won the argument, he turns to the attendant, hissing lowly.* Never talk to me that way again, you little imbecilic half-wit. Now get us that popcorn before I decide to mark this entire facility with you in it as my next little project.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *glares futilely* Stop threatening the attendant and let's go; he's not important enough to miss the movie over. *turns to leave*

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *grabs a fistful of Robin's cape* Not until we get the popcorn. I already paid for it.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *rolls eyes* Fine. *notices a group of girls watching them* Can I help you?

sisterjoanjulian: Brunette: Oh, I just think it's kind of cute how you two dressed up as Slade and Robin to go out on a date.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: .... *coughs* At least you didn't mistake the uniform as a bad reproduction of a Sith costume.

sisterjoanjulian: Brunette: Of course not! *glares* Slade has a _great_ uniform. Way better than anything Lucas put in the prequels.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *mildly interested* See, little bird? Even the fans agree the prequels are worthless. We should just skip the movie.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *eyes bugging out* Date?!?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *amused* Well, isn't it? I do believe that's what they call a dinner and a movie these days.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: ... I hate you all.

sisterjoanjulian: Brunette: Aww. Aren't they adorable?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *glances at her, then grips Robin's chin, tilting the boy's head up to brush gloved fingers lightly over Robin's lips* I'd make the time spent worth the missed movie. *ignores the frightened counter attendant who drops the popcorn off and scurries away*

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *shivers, and even he doesn't know if it's in disgust or shocked desire* I--I want to watch the movie.

sisterjoanjulian: Brunette's friend: Spoilsport.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *narrows his eye and tries his best, most seductive purr* Really, really make it worth it.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *in his best imitation of the Batman Voice™* Movie. *mumbles something under his breath*

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *perks up* What was that last part, little bird?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: I didn't say anything. And anyway I plead the Fifth.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *hums lightly, but lets him go* As you will. Now get your heart-attack-in-a-bag and let’s go.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *mutters* Gestena (1). *louder* All right.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *moves with Robin into the theater* Security here seems surprisingly lax, all things considered.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: It's a movie theater. It's not a brothel or a drug-runner's hideout. They *want* people to come in.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Still, what’s keeping people from skipping between movies? It's no wonder the price of admission is so high.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: A concept I'm sure you wouldn't know, which some of us like to call common decency. Or, alternatively, honor.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *fast as lightning, he has Robin's shoulder and has spun the boy around* If I was indeed dishonorable, little bird, do you think we'd be standing here now? Talking instead of fighting? Know that I could knock you out right here and take you back to _my_ place, locking you away forever away from your _friends_, but I haven't. Because I'm _honorable_ enough to stick by the truce we've made for today.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *glares*

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: ... you're right. *deep breath* I apologize.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *stares for a few moments longer, before squeezing Robin's shoulder lightly and releasing the boy* Apology accepted, little bird. Onwards?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Yes.

sisterjoanjulian: Brunette And Friends: *stare* It's true love.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *enters the semi-dark theater, Robin by his side. His eye takes in the packed theatre, and he shudders from the amount of noise created by chattering fans.* This is ridiculous. Are you sure we can't leave?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: I want you to watch the movie, okay? If, after this one scene that I think you'll really get, you still want to leave--we'll leave.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: ... Fine. Come on. *takes Robin's hand and drags the boy down the slanted ramp of the multi-tiered theatre, heading for some empty seats spotted center-screen in the first row behind the handicapped area.*

sisterjoanjulian: Random Fan: Hey! I want those seats! I saw them first!

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Just go away.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *stares at the Random Fan* I suggest doing as the boy says, unless you wish to find out what it's like to fall from the roof of the Wayne Enterprises building. Without any safety equipment, of course.

sisterjoanjulian: Random Fan: I don't care, I want to see Natalie Portman!

sisterjoanjulian: Brunette: *hauls Random Fan back before he's mauled*

sisterjoanjulian: Brunette: Can we sit by you guys? Your flirting is adorable.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: ... Damn, and for a moment there I thought I'd be able to have some fun. *looks at Robin* What do you think, little bird?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *thinks for a second* Yes.

sisterjoanjulian: Brunette: Oh, don't worry. We don't mind if you have 'fun'. Just not during any of the good parts, okay?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *highly amused* Excellent. *lifts Robin up and sits down in a chair, settling the boy on his lap*

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *panicked* This was not part of the truce!

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *in a purring voice* Think of it as my payment for having to see this mockery of a good classic. *Wraps a hand firmly around Robin's waist.*

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: What, and working for you isn't payment _enough_? Let _go_.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: If I let go, we're leaving. Don't you _want_ me to see this?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *mutters under his breath again* *louder* If you move your hand down, I will cut it off.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: My, how ruthless of you.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Just give me the popcorn and stop playing games, Slade.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *purrs into Robin's ear* Oh, but Robin, surely you knew? I've _always_ been playing with you. You wouldn't like it if I got serious.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *shudders* Slade...*more calmly* Watch the movie. And give me my popcorn.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *hums lightly, tapping against Robin's armor* Don't think this is over, little bird. *hands Robin the popcorn*

Yami no Kaiba: Brunette's Friend: *giggles at the flirting*

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Would you please stop calling me that? *eats a single piece of popcorn* *to Brunette's friend* And stop snickering at me.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *considers for about .05 seconds* As you wish, _my_ little bird.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: That isn't an improvement. How would you like it if I gave _you_ a humiliating nickname?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *amused* It is in my book. If only to see how much you've thought of me, I'm interested in hearing whatever nasty little titles you've created for me, my little bird.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: It's rude to swear in front of ladies. *gestures to Brunette And Friends*

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *hums* How disappointing, Robin. Are curse words the only description you can come up with?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: No, bengalo gajo (2).

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *makes a note to find a translation later* I see. *glances back to the screen as the lights dim* Hmm... Too late to leave?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Yes, it is. *mentally thanks Bruce for letting him still speak Romany*

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Pity. The time could have been more well spent. *watches through the pre-views silently, still tapping away at Robin's armor*

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *twitch* I think there are some scenes which will really resonate with you.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Really? I doubt it. Especially after reading _that_ type of beginning. What was the target age for this?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: There are signs of people who actually had an education working on this; shades of Oedipus Rex, for example.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Or that could have been a reasonable coincidence, considering Oedipus Rex has become a regular archetype.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: No, I mean somebody really has read Oedipus Rex. There's this one scene with Padmẻ where I nearly forgave them for never having any chemistry...and I'm shutting up now.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: I take it Padmẻ would be the lead and most likely only major female role?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Good guess. *sigh* Lucas has _really_ gotten bad since the originals. At least Han and Leia had something. Even Luke had his believable crush. Anakin and Padmẻ read like a childhood thing they never grew out of.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: ...

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: What? I like Star Wars. Even Beast Boy likes Star Wars.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Actually, I was contemplating how that last line might have something to do with us, considering what I've heard from some of the fans here about the age difference between the two. *taps at Robin's armor*

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: ... You want to have no chemistry?

sisterjoanjulian: Brunette: Wow. Does he know he just said that?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: No, I meant how this might end up a childhood thing to you.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: ...

sisterjoanjulian: Brunette's Friend: Based on how he was reacting to you, I'd say there was nothing childish about this.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Shut up. Things change. It might well end up being so.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: ... The movie's still going.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *highly annoyed* Never wanted to see it in the first place. *lets go of Robin to place his arms on the armrests*

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: This one almost lives up to the originals. *softly* Thanks for letting go.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *in a low hiss* I might as well. You don't want _me_ touching you.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *way too loud, way too fast to be anything but true* I don't want _anybody_ touching me!

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *absolutely angry now* Fine. Than no one shall. *picks Robin up and places the boy in his own seat next to him*

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: I'm not a child. Stop treating me like one.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: You are. Stop expecting to be treated like an adult.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *hissing* I. Am. Not. A. Child! When is what I do going to be good enough for you?!?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *growls, and not in the sexy way* Why should you care about anything you do being good enough for _me_? Admit it, you'd be _joyful_ if I never appeared before you again.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *quietly* That's...not entirely true.

sisterjoanjulian: Brunette And Friends: *stare avidly*

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *stares for a moment, than looks away back to the movie* That's not what your actions say.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *looking intently at the screen* Do _your_ actions always mirror exactly what you think or feel?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: ... What do you think?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: I think you're more honest about wanting me than you are with anything else. I think you're a better liar than anyone I've ever met except one.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: You're correct in thinking that. Anything else, while you’re in this confessional mood?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: If you ask, I'll answer. If you don't, I won't.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: If you ask things that are mine to give. I'm not telling other people's secrets.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *amused* This country's system lost a good lawyer. Alright than. *turns to look at Robin once more* Why don't you want me touching you?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *hesitates* It's not that I dislike you touching me, it’s just that I don't like it when _anyone_ touches me. I hate being touched.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Considering our... line of work, that would seem to be a problem. Or a by-product thereof.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Not really. I like fighting, it's just...touching. It feels--wrong, somehow. It has for years.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *softly* So it feels wrong to you when I touch you.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: It feels wrong when _anyone_ touches me, even the Titans. Not just you.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Perhaps it's because you don't touch back.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Because I don't touch the Titans back, or because I don't touch you? *flick of eyes to Slade* Be specific.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *shifts* In general. When's the last time you actually touched someone on your own?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Because _I_ wanted to touch, or because they wanted me to?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Because _you_ wanted to. Not in reaction to anything else.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: When I was nine.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *nods thoughtfully* You couldn't have been much older the first time you appeared on the streets in that outfit.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: No, I--wasn't.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Much older.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *still softly* And can you say it was before then that it felt wrong to be touched?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Before that last time, or before being Robin?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Don't try to stall, Robin. You know what I meant.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *quick breath in* It was before I was Robin that I didn't want to be touched.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: And before that last time?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: I didn't like it when most people touched me. But it didn't feel...wrong.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: And let me guess. 'Most people' equaled strangers.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Yes.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Not surprising, considering your age at the time. I can speculate further, but I think you already know what caused the 'wrong' feeling, considering how much you've been trying to avoid my questions.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: ... I am not attempting to avoid your questions. Or, at least, I am not meaning to do so.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: You lost someone. Someone close, maybe family, maybe friend, but someone that touched you a lot. Someone you touched in return. And, considering your righteousness against 'evil', you lost them to crime.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *fists clench* *voice harsh* Yes.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *shudders* Please--please don't ask me about this any more.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *softly* You haven't gotten over it. You stopped touching in return, to everyone and anyone. And you know, somewhere, deep down, that you _won't_ touch them, and that it was unfair to them. So it became wrong for them to touch you.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *breathes like a hit to the solar plexus just landed on him* _Stop_.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Do you think that someone special you lost would want you to live like that? Don't answer, just think on it. *turns back to the movie*

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *doesn't have a single relaxed muscle in his body, and it shows when he talks* Slade. Why--why did you ask that?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Because obviously they and their opinion mean more to you than that of the living.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: It's not that. I think.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Perhaps. But you must admit, to the minds of those friends of yours, it would surely seem so.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: They don't know I hate being touched. Raven might, though. The others don't.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: And yet if they did, and they knew why, it would be the same. All of you are children on the verge of becoming more, and that is the jealous thought a child would have.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: I am not a child. Neither are they. And they're nowhere _near_ as jealous as you are.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *amused* I never said adults didn't have the occasional childish thought. Just look at the toy industry.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *blinks in slight surprise* I thought you'd be angry about that comment.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Why be angry with the truth? You're not children. You're teens, which means you're in the transition between childhood and adulthood. You have the thoughts of both and struggle to find the combination that's right for you. Although really, what is that great League of yours thinking, leaving you and your friends alone and unsupervised? There's a reason family units have parents, after all.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: They trust us. And they don't leave us unsupervised, anyway.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Trust can be shown in different ways, and it's still fundamentally wrong that they don't have an adult assigned to you. There's going to be something someday that requires true adult intervention. And even as fast as you and your friends are growing up, one of you is going to stumble, and bring the others down. It's a fact of life.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Then we'll get back up and fix whatever went wrong. It's another fact of life.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: And if someone's dead when you get back up? How do you fix that?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *flinches* I--can't. I--*goes silent*

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: No one can, little bird. And you'll need the support of someone who has gone through that when it happens, to ease the way. The ultimate reason behind parents in a family unit.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *viciously* Volunteering, Slade? Since you already tried to kill people I loved?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *amused* Depends. Do you think the League would let me join?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: No. They have problems with criminals.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: A pity, that. Sometimes criminals are the only ones that can stop things, because others are too far up on their moral high horse to realize that their way _doesn't_ work in the long run.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *breathes* *calms down* Why doesn't our way work?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: You try to lock away the bad men, Robin. But the bad men all have strings they pull. The bad men get out by giving up lesser bad men that are in that line of work to support their families, and they hunt down the good folk that angered them and make their lives a living hell.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Speaking from experience there?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: No, only as an observer.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Since we're talking so much today, why me? Why a truce? Why--*gestures*--this?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *waves in an offhanded gesture* A chance to get close to you without fighting, to figure you out more. You picked the course it took.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: So, why tell _me_ all that you have?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *shrugs* I told you that if you asked I would answer. You asked. So I answered.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *narrows his eye* But you don't have to. All you had to do was come with me today, you could have stayed silent the entire time, used the truce to learn how I tick like you've been trying since that first day you learned my name. So I ask again. _Why_ tell me all that you have? Why answer at all?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *leans over the arm rest, gripping Robin's chin to make sure he can't look away* Why let me ask at all?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Because...because you offered a truce. So I'm offering truth. But only for today. Only while the truce lasts.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: And because I wanted you to know.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *eye widens, and he lets Robin go, leaning back* You wanted me to know.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *doesn't look away* Don't ask me why. I don't know why. But I wanted you to know.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *considering* And you say you're only speaking the truth.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: The truth as I know it.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Of course. Is there any other truth to an individual?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: No. But that doesn't necessarily make it _true_.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Ah. The old flat or round question of truth. *hums lightly* That's still a powerful weapon you've given me, my little bird. You realize I've made no such promise of giving 'truth'?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Yes. I realize that. *cocks his head* But you gave a truce. I couldn't...couldn't not give something in return.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *hums* We're missing your movie. Has that scene you wanted me to see passed yet?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *glances at the screen* No. But give it another minute thirty-six seconds. It's the scene with Palpatine and Anakin.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *watches* ... Is there a particular reason why Darth Sidious killed his Master? They don't really tell you.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: I assume they want the audience to conclude that Sith Master/Apprentice relationships don't work out well.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: But why? I still don't understand that part. What's the point of killing a person on your side when you’re against a collective as large as the Jedi? He should have just manipulated the old man.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *laughs* Because Lucas isn't that subtle and isn't a good strategist anyway. Plus, Palpatine didn't want to share power. Not even the semblance of it.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Than why does he go after making all sorts of Apprentices? Darth Maul, Count Dooku, Darth Vader. Which, when you look at it, makes you also wonder why Dooku was never titled Darth.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *looks at Slade* *quietly* An Apprentice doesn't have power. Not really. Palpatine knows that, even though Anakin doesn't. Nor did any of the others except maybe Darth Maul.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *narrows his eye at Robin* They do have power, it's just that it’s mostly potential. If they didn't have power, they would have been common, every-day people. They wouldn't have been chosen to be Apprentices.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *shakes his head* Potential isn't power; you know that. Why do you think Palpatine wanted Luke? He wanted to _break_ him, and then remold him into something new. But he didn't want to give Luke power.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Palpatine didn't want to give him more than his own, true, but he still wouldn't have noticed Luke if not for his small display of power and his large potential. *leans in* I was willing to give you _everything_. I _wanted_ you to become more than me. Why didn't you stay?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *hesitates* Because...because you threatened my friends, and they mean more than I do. Because there were people who would have been disappointed in me. Because I'm a vigilante, but I'm not a criminal. Because I--wanted to stay, and I didn't know how to deal with that. I still don't.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *softly* Why did you want to stay?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *shivers* I...I like the way you look at me, sometimes. The way you're looking at me now.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *whisper/purrs* Surely that’s not all?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: It's all I know. I don't know why I don't know more, or why I want you to look at me like that. I just do.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *purrs low* I want to touch you. But I don't want you to feel its wrong.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *inhales sharply* Why would you care if it felt wrong?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Because that means on the basest of levels that you don't want it.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *narrow-eyed* You're answering without really answering. I _can_ tell the difference.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *amused* I never agreed to tell the 'truth'.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Why would you care if I didn't want you to touch me? It's not like what I didn't want has stopped you before.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *cocks his head* But you did, on some level. I have the printout of your adrenaline levels as my Apprentice to prove it.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *says something very very quietly*

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: You'll have to speak up, Robin. The speakers are better than they look.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: I'm under no obligation to repeat that statement.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: What, truthfully, did you say in reply to the knowledge I had print outs of your adrenaline levels?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: I said--what do you think your sensors would read if you had them on me now? *softly* Vyusher.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *eye narrows* And what does that last part mean in English, my little bird?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: It means 'wolf'.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: You asked what I saw you as. That's one of them.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *eye sparkles* How very apt. And bengalo gajo means?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: It doesn't translate well into English. 'Gajo' is very specific.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: And _I_ can tell the difference when you're answering without really answering as well. What's the rough translation of it?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Of 'gajo'?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *narrows his eye* I'm getting the feeling you consider bengalo gajo to be very unflattering.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: It's not, really. Not without the connotations.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Than explain the connotation. We have another hour at least before this thing is over. *waves in direction of the screen*

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: I am under no obligation to do so.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: You do realize I'll find out anyhow? If it requires connotations to be correctly interpreted, would it not be better for you to tell me what it really means?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Yes, you'll figure it out. No, it wouldn't be better to tell you.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *absolutely intrigued now, pauses to play with Robin's mind* Hmmm...

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: I don't think you'd understand what I meant if I did translate it. 'Gajo' means something different to me.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *eye flares* And what does 'gajo' mean to you?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *raises chin* *determinedly* Not my kind. Not like me.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: That's what 'gajo' means to me.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: And what's the literal translation of 'gajo'?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Gajo is the masculine singular of gaje, meaning peasant, and is used for any non-gypsy.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Bengalo gajo means, in context, 'devilish one who is not of my kind'.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *sadly* How very interesting.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *steadily* Truth isn't always something you necessarily _want_ to know, vyusher.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *in a flat tone* And as you've said, personal truth isn't always the _truth_.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: No. It isn't.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: You had to know that was an insult. What did you think I would say it meant?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Does it really matter?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: ... Yes.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: ... I'm not obligated to answer.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: No, I suppose you're not.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *in a small whisper* I've always thought of you as my kind. Perhaps taking a different path, but still one of my kind.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *pause* Is that why you picked me? I did wonder, you know. Why not Raven or someone like her? *quietly* But you wanted me.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: ... Yes. What do I have to offer to one such as Raven? Only she can control her own emotions, and that is all she seeks.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: What made me yours, though?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *scathingly* If you haven't figured that out yet, there's no point in telling you.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: There was no point in telling you what vyusher meant, but I did. There was no point in this truce...but that didn't stop you offering it.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: ... Some things have to be figured out on your own. I'm merely providing the opportunity for the realization.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: What is it that you want me to know? *more intensely* Why can't you just--_tell_ me instead of playing these _stupid_ _fucking_ _GAMES_. *catches himself*

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *growls* I shouldn't _have_ to tell you! My actions speak for themselves! As outright as yours do! *goes icy calm and stands up* Obviously this was a mistake. I'm leaving. *jumps the railing*

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *fiercely* Didn't you say before that my actions and my feelings didn't match?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: And I also told you I might not say the truth. *starts to walk out of the theater*

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: _Coward_.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *absolutely _freezes_* ... *turns around slowly to glare fiercely at Robin* What did you say, _little_ _boy_?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *calmly* *clearly* I said that you were a coward. Are.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *growls low in that sexy but dangerous way* You have no _conception_ of the sheer _torture_ and _pain_ I'm currently envisioning applying to your _weak_ little _insolent_ frame, boy. I have offered to you _everything_ I have, everything I _am_, and all you do is spit in my face at _every_ turn. What the hell I was on when I thought a boy like _you_ was _my kind_ I shall never know. This truce is _over_. I'm leaving before I become the dishonorable bastard you so _obviously_ think I am.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Ask me a question.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: No. *turns around and continues to stalk out*

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Deathstroke the Terminator. Why are you running away?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *stops dead* You figured that out. *turns around, eye narrowed*

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Yes.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: And yet you insist on taking me on with a group of teens. You know I could and would kill them without a thought, just for a contract. Why?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Because if you wanted us dead, we'd be buried by now. Because if I told the Justice League, you'd leave. *pause* I didn't want you to leave. Not really.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *hums lightly as the pieces click into place* You've played them, haven't you? That's why there's no League member supervising your little club in a material form. You pulled the trust card to get them away from the city, because they would have recognized me from the League files.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Yes.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: ... It still doesn't matter. You haven't figured out the rest.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: And you _have_? I can't possibly be the only person you think is 'your kind', so what the hell made me so special? *standing up now* What made you look at me and think me _yours_?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *hums a bit and relaxes* Consider figuring out the answer to that as our new game. Perhaps than you'll find the right answer, seeing as you can't seem to find it when it's not a game.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *flinches* I don't play that kind of game. You do.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: I really wish you'd figure out the answer to that question, Robin. Because only then can you find the answer that needs to be returned.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: You asked a lot of questions, Slade. Which one didn't you like the answer to?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: You stopped touching people when you lost that someone special, little bird. What did I do tonight? *slips out of the theater into the lobby*

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *utterly shocked*

sisterjoanjulian: Slade: *in his new lair* I knew that was a bad idea.

sisterjoanjulian: *quiet voice* It was my parents. The special people.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *spins around to find Robin lurking in the shadows* ... I see.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Is the truce still in effect?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: Does it matter?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Yes.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: ... As much as I had wished it could have been nullified at that point of time, we did agree to a full 24 hours.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Then ask me a question. *beat* If you still want to know.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: What's your answer in return?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: To which question?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: There was no question. Only a puzzle.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: I still want to know.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: I still…I still want you to know.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: I already know part of the puzzle. The question, then: What is the name of what I feel for you? Which leads to the second question: What do you feel in return?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: I don't know what you feel for me, only what I want you to feel. And I don't know what I feel for you. Not completely. But--I dream about you. And I can't stop. And I came here, didn't I?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Doesn't that tell you enough?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: No. To you, I'm not special.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: You think I see world-class assassins and don't tell the League all the time, apparently. What is it that you want from me that you don't think I can give anymore?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *frustrated* Think back to the _earlier_ conversation we had involving the word 'special'.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *freezes* You--want me? *eyes _huge_ behind the mask*

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *whispers* More than that.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *soft, unsure* but--why?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: To me, you're the opposite of gajo.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *quietly* Phral.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *walks up close to Robin, but doesn't quite touch him* And that word means?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Literally, or to me, or both?

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: To you. Always what it means to you.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *shudders* *closes his eyes* True Rom. *opens them again* My kind.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *moans* I want to touch you.

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: Then touch me. On one condition.

Yami no Kaiba: Slade: *pauses his hand* Which would be?

sisterjoanjulian: Robin: *whispers* Let me touch you back.

--Fin.

*---*---*---*

1.) Gestena means thank you.

All information on Romany words and their meanings came from
Site 1 and
Site 2 and
Site 3

2.) Except for how Robin would translate bengalo gajo in that particular context. That came from Katarik.