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[ While he's known for being pretty quick to assess a situation and pick up on what's going on, there hasn't hardly been time for that before Robin John Blake is addressing the network, a rather uneasy expression wrinkling his forehead, his whole being scrunched up while he tries to get used to using a video function that is nowhere near standard in his time and place. ]

Uh... Know this is gonna sound kinda weird, but— [ Believe it or not, John Blake, there isn't much you could say that the denizen of Wonderland would consider weird, but you go ahead and give it a try, buddy. ] Well... don't s'pose I'm dreamin', am I?

[ It feels like a good guess because he doesn't remember traveling, and he certainly doesn't remember leaving home, and since the last thing he'd done was attend a funeral, it could be a strange coincidence, a fabrication of his mind that's now semi-lucid, sitting here telling him how what he sees and feels can't be what's actually happening. People don't just appear in storybooks (and even if he did, it wouldn't be this celebrated tale). ]

Barrin' that, think I might be dead... [ It's mumbled in an off-hand way, as if maybe he's already considered it, but decided not to lead with that theory. Audible to the rest, even if he's quick to move on from saying it. ] But on the off chance I'm not either of those things, think someone could help me out figurin' what's goin' on here?

[ He likes to think a uniform would have added something to this request, but having just given up his badge for good, all he can do is address everyone as a regular guy — definitely not his first choice, since it usually does him no favors.

He looks like he's done, about to end the transmission, when something else occurs to him. ] —in person, if possible. Not really— Not really much of a fan of these things, not if I can help it.

[ He can't, not here, but he'll at least be content to try for a while. With luck, it won't even matter when he wakes up from all of this... ]

Be— [ A gesture over his shoulder. ] Gonna be outside for a while — out front. So... yeah.

[[ OOC: Video, audio, or action perfectly okay, just note. Will also match style. For starters, send a PM to this account or hit me up @ blakeroo on plurk. :) ]]

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Yeah, well... [ He feels strange, disturbed, uncertain, but he thinks about Tim's confession for a second and then nods, seemingly satisfied. ] Good for you. Seems like the better way to do things, really.

[ He hadn't thought of it this time around, although once upon a time he'd waited it out before making his introductions to Wonderland, observing from a distance and getting a lot of his information ahead of time. There's no way for him to know that, but his appreciation for this tactic is clear. ]

How long've you been here?

It works for me, but I like to get as many perspectives on things as I can.

[He considers the question for a moment. It feels like longer--so much has happened--can it really only have been a few months?]

Since about February. It's May now, if no one has told you that. I have no idea when it was in your world. It was fall for me.

It was winter.

[ Which, now that he thinks about it, wasn't the first thing he thought about when he shed his long, heavy jacket, but it probably should have been. Being in a location entirely unlike the city he grew up — the reality he grew up with — certainly has done its job in making him feel askew, unobservant, cut off.

But at least there's some more tangible information being gained here. It's been quite the struggle elsewhere, particularly to not get hung up on all the stuff around them that doesn't quite make sense to John Blake. ]

So, everyone's just livin' here? What d'you do for work? How's everyone gettin' fed? There's gotta be a grocery store an' a road outta this place.

[ Surely they don't live in a world undiscovered even if this resembles a storybook setting. But, of course, that's making the assumption that everyone is from the same place, isn't it? That magic doesn't exist, that there's no such thing as a talking raccoon or an alien space princess.

As much as the suggestion of fantasy seems to be gently nudged in his direction, he seems to watch to nudge it right back until it goes away. ]

No roads in; no roads out. We're all pretty stuck here, unfortunately. But the good news is that food, clothing, and most of anything else you can think of are available from the closets. Specialized equipment is a little more difficult to obtain, but we have our basics pretty well covered.

[Is he a little cross about not being able to get specialized equipment from the closets? Yes, he is.]

[ He picks up on that disdain — that's how he's interpreting it, anyway — although he doesn't bother to comment, only notes that it feels a bit strange for the conversation. Out of place. What specialized equipment could he want? For that matter, what constitutes as specialized equipment? A question for another time, assuming he doesn't come across the answer before he has a chance to ask. ]

This sound completely unbelievable. That's comin' from a guy that was convinced a couple hours ago that he'd gotten pretty used to seein' unbelievable things.

[ There's a pause as he searches for words. His version of unbelievable is so utterly mundane in comparison, all mental illnesses and class wars and escalation. Wonderland, from what he's already heard, comes from a place that defies explanation, particularly in comparison. ]

Dunno what to say 'bout all this...

I thought I was pretty used to the unusual, too--my city can get pretty weird--but then I woke up in actual Wonderland, and I had to reevaluate some of my definitions.

I'm afraid I don't have a lot of advice on that. It took me a little time, and meeting people I knew from my home but who didn't know me, to help it sink in that I'm not exactly in Kansas anymore.

Is that where you're from? Kansas? [ He's guessing not, so he quantifies the question: ] Don't go mixin' fictions or I might start lookin' for the Wizard of Oz next. Call me a traditionalist, but I'm not here for flyin' monkeys.

Uh, no, actually. Gotham City, if that means anything to you. Not a given, considering how many different universes are represented here.

[He grins at the Oz talk.]

I'm not here for that either, but at this point, I'm not sure it would surprise me.

Much. Flying monkeys are always surprising.

Don't go playin' some kinda trick on me. 'Cause no one else mentioned Gotham, but that's where I'm from, too!

[ There might be a bit of excitement behind that, which is startling uncommon for Blake. But it's probably not every day something like this happens, right? And for as many people who seem to know his name, they don't seem to know much more than that. ]

You're not kiddin', right? Be pretty crazy if you weren't...

[Tim grins. He's a little excited too, actually. There aren't many people around from home.] Not kidding. I've lived there my whole life, aside from a few weeks out in Keystone after the quakes.

Yeah, me too, me too. Never actually been outta town. [ That's just Blake's personality. He'd wanted to leave for years — the tumultuous teenage years — but he'd never managed to pull the trigger on that. ]

Quakes must've— Don't remember anything like that, but you're what? A bit younger'n me, at least. Was it before Bane's siege? Like eight, nine years ago?

[ He doubts Drake would have mistaken the explosions around town for earthquakes, but the partial destruction of the city's water system had an impact on Gotham that might have easily been re-interpreted as earthquakes by conscientious caregivers. I mean, who wants to tell a kid that someone poisoned the air to make some kind of political statement? It was literally the stuff of nightmares, after all. ]

I probably wouldn't have if it had been up to me. Dad thought Keystone would be safer, but I wasn't too good at staying away. Turned out he missed it to, though, so it worked out.

[Tim blinks into the feed, obviously a little confused.]

Uh--no, last year. Bane was... before that. I wouldn't really have called it a 'siege' but he certainly made things difficult for a lot of people.

[Tim is starting to suspect that they must be from different times. Because how do you not remember the quakes that turned Gotham into a No Man's Land for a year?]

Think that's an understatement, but maybe we're— well, you know...

[ Blake scrubs at his forehead, a frown curling down between his words. All of this is so much to take in, and while he can't say he regrets reaching out now that he's gotten all this information, it still feels a bit like he's trying to shove too much into a brain that's already warning about its at capacity for the weirdness that keeps coming at it. ]

Maybe we oughta trade stories one of these days, see where they line up. If they line up. Like what year those quakes happened, when Bane showed, that kinda stuff.

That would be good--once you get settled. I imagine things are a bit overwhelming at the moment. I know they were for me when I first got here. Same situation, too--I met someone from Gotham, but our histories didn't line up.

Well. Re-met, I guess. I knew him, but he didn't know me. So bonus fun and confusion.

I'd ask if it was someone I might know, but Gotham's a big damn city.

[ Blake would, of course, be surprised to know he was entirely wrong, and maybe even more surprised to find how much he will likely have in common with Tim in that regard.

Small wonders. ]

Any tips on gettin' settled? Someone said to pick a room, maybe that's a good start — seems a bit easier than tryin' to figure out what I allegedly did last time I was here...

It is, yeah, but I'd imagine you've at least heard of him. Bruce Wayne.

[Not that he's expecting that to register any more than the "Oh, yeah, that guy" reaction that anyone in Gotham would have.]

Yeah, that's a good place to start. I went with an upper floor... mostly because I just like being up high. Nice view. I don't think I can offer any advice on that second part, though. As far as I'm aware, this is my first trip to Wonderland.

Bruce Wayne? Wayne Industries Bruce Wayne?

[ Forget about the rest, that's where Blake's attention stays. He tosses up a hand. ]

Who else would it be? 'Course that's gonna be the guy you mean...

...I'm going to go ahead and assume you've both heard of him, and you know him.

[Why else would he have that reaction?

They really need to talk.]

[ ... ]

We really need to talk.

[ Because Blake is making the same assumption now about Tim. Why else would this suddenly be such a big deal? Or is John making it a big deal? He shakes his head, not willing to give into even the most understandable paranoia. Wayne's a whatever-aire. Or, his estate is, and that's a big deal all on its own. His family has been integral to Gotham's development. It wouldn't be Gotham without that family, would it? But there's more, so much more... ]

Does he ever come out? [ He's supposed to be dead. ] Have you actually run into him in person? [ Sharon has told him as much, hadn't she? She'd said he'd survived. He hadn't believed her. ]

Where can I meet you? Do you have time now?

[ Suddenly, John is very enunciated, very careful with every syllable, every expression, every breath. This is important. He can feel the gravity of it where he stands, and you don't have conversations like this over a video feed and out in the open. You just don't. ]

[There's a lot in there that doesn't really make sense to Tim--it's not like Bruce is recluse, but Blake seems to think he is, which is... kind of weird.

Yeah. They need to talk. In person.]

I have time. I'm on the tenth floor, but I can find you, if you'd prefer. It's a lot of stairs.

Wherever we can talk. You'd know better'n me.

[ Which is to say, if there's anywhere they won't be overheard, that's where John would prefer to be having this conversation. ]

You said you didn't have a room yet, right? I'm sure I can clear all of the mirrors out of mine by the time you get up here. I'm in room three.

See you in a bit, then.

[ And while he means it, it's actually much closer to Tim's room on the tenth floor than it was to go to Peter's room way off in the distance on the first floor. The mansion is expansive and already Blake's annoyed with how none of it makes proper sense.

When he arrives at room three on the tenth floor, he's feeling it in his legs. It's a lot of stairs and he's not out of shape, but he's not used to all this up and down he's been doing, either.

He knocks quietly, not interested in drawing any more attention than necessary. ]

[Tim is expecting the knock, and he's right there to open the door. The mirrors are banished--he doesn't really keep any around anyway, but he's been doubly sure that they're gone for this conversation. The Mansion will eventually replace them, of course, but for now they'll have their privacy from any listening ears.]

Hey--come in.

[ John steps inside, careful to step out of the way of the closing door. He hasn't picked a room for himself just yet and has to wonder if they all look like this.

Of course, that's a secondary concern considering the reason he's here, so John shoves his hands into the pockets of his trousers and turns a circle around just to make sure there's no one lingering, obvious or otherwise, beyond himself and Tim. ]

He's not... here-here, is he? In this room?

[ You wouldn't do that, would you Tim? Spring a surprise Bruce Wayne on a guy like Blake? No way. That's a mostly uneducated guess, but one John feels might just be on the spot anyway. ]

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[Video] You did that just for me, didn't you?

[Video] It felt right! ;)

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[Video] I am excited!! Mish-mash of canons ftw

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[Video] oh my god trying to nail down years in comics.

[Video] I AM SO SORRY, I know how this is lolol

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