Daring young man on the flying trapeze

Kat went over to a habitat, opened it, and the kennel that had Penelope releasing her into it. "Yes I did but overtime..it wasn't all at once."

She headed over to the console. "Come here. You can press the button." She gestured for Dick to have the honors. When the button was pushed another chamber opened up releasing a hero from another Earth. Penelope went into her hunting mode stalking the female hero clad in purple and yellow spandex.

"Okay." Dick wasn't sure what a vampire dog ate – probably some type of meat, he supposed, or like a mountain of kibble. Maybe both. He pressed the button and instantly regretted it. It happened so quickly he didn't even have chance to fully understand what was happening before the hero was gone and blood was all over the glass window. Penelope looked happy.

Dick swallowed and stepped backwards. He felt sick. He never would have pressed the button if he'd known. Did this make him a murderer?

Jason aggressively scrubbed harsh disinfectant over his hands, the chemical bite cutting through the metallic smell of blood in the room. He snapped a pair of tight latex gloves over his knuckles, his heavy jaw set in a dark scowl. A messy lock of pure white hair fell into his eyes as he leaned over his brother's neck to inspect the damage. Since Dick had stupidly brushed the nasty gash off as just a bruise, Jason didn't bother arguing. Instead, he pressed his gloved thumb directly into the swollen, torn tissue, squeezing hard and unforgivingly enough to let the pain do the talking for him.

Years in the job had left Dick with a pretty high pain tolerance, but even he had limits, and it had been so sudden that he hadn't had chance to prepare himself for it. It hurt like hell, which he supposed was exactly what Jason was getting at. His fault for trying to play it off as nothing. It really wasn't that bad though. He'd had worse bullet wounds.

"Was that really necessary?" He asked once his breathing had returned to normal. "I mean, seriously, Jay. That was just mean."

He rotated his shoulder a bit, ignoring the white hot flash of pain that accompanied the movement. He could already feel it getting stiff and that'd just make it worse.

Oh boy, Nyx could just imagine what would happen if this became a permanent thing. The higher-ups needed to lose their minds to even consider it, but then again, they probably didn't care about their 'petty' arguments as long as they got the job done; and Nyx hadn't failed at gate duty just yet.

"You're right, we make the perfect team, don't we? I'm sure they wouldn't want to miss out on the opportunity to make use of our teamwork more often," he lied, smiling as he did. At least he could comfort himself with the fact that the situation made Petra just as miserable as them. If Nyx didn't hate gate duty, he'd probably be ecstatic about it all.

Snapping out of his thoughts at Dick's words, he immediately narrowed his eyes. No way that had actually worked. The other male was probably just playing along, but that would be his mistake – Nyx intended to take full advantage of it.

"Hope you know I won't let you back down now, darling. It'd be cruel to get my hopes up like that." He was getting that free drink, whether Dick liked it or not.

A faint chime reached his ears, making Nyx look down at his watch. Huh, at least time passed fast when you had pleasant company – Petra notwithstanding.

"We're finally free, pretty boy. Time to get the hell out of here before they can extend our misery," the last part was whispered so only Dick could hear. Turning towards Petra, he offered the guard a cheeky salute. "Always a pleasure, Fortis. See you hopefully never!"

Hah, a guy could wish.

His tone was friendly enough, but there was a slight edge to his voice towards the end. Fortis seemed to pick up on it too, because whilst he kept his mouth shut. It looked like it cost him a lot to do so though.

"Hey, I'm a man of my word, you're only getting one though." Dick wasn't made of money, after all. He was still close with his adoptive father, but he was too proud to take hand-outs from Bruce. He made enough to get by and that was fine by him.

He perked up at the sound of Nyx's watch going off. It sounded like their shift was done. Thank the Six. It hadn't been all that bad though. Nyx kept it from dragging too much.

Penelope let out a protest whine at being put inside the kennel. She should have listened to her Mistress and creator but her nature got her into mischief at times. Naturally she was testing boundaries and that was why Hannibal scolded her for it.

Kat glanced back over at Dick. "She is a pomeranian mixed with vampire genetics.. You're correct in your assumption since she is not a hellhound. Very astute of you." She praised him for his observation skills. Good. Dick would need those skills especially if he was to inherit a sidekick role by her side as Talon.

"Hannibal is quite fond of you. He doesn't protect much unless I command him to. Penelope is acting out because it's her feeding hour. Do you wish to participate in that so she can bond with you as well? By that I mean you won't be fed upon I will give you what she needs so you could feed her yourself if you wish..."

"Jason and Penelope were just getting to know one another...before he.. was killed." She frowned at the memory. Dick seemed to be adjusting well for his first night in her estate and she truly hoped he would wish to remain here with her. She had so much to show him if he wanted to be a part of something more than most average Gothamites experienced.

Hannibal rolled back onto his paws but kept low giving Dick a unique opportunity to get on his back knowing that Kat wanted to take them to the lab so Penelope could feed. That's where the synthetic foods were. She picked up the kennel that had Penelope inside coming to a stand as she began to walk to her laboratory.

"Come.."

Once they would arrive Dick would see larger creatures. A large tank containing several oceanic creatures one being a woman but her lower half had tentacles like an octopus. A merman that was on the shore of sorts reading a book.

"I like him too," Dick admitted, giving him another stroke. "I guess I can help. I feed the elephants back at the circus. Used to, I guess. I'm the only one Elinore lets feed her by hand."

He liked to think he was good with animals, but whether he was good with vampires was yet to be seen. Still, feeding an animal was usually a pretty good way to earn their trust, so hopefully she'd like him. If he could win over an elephant, he could win over a vampire dog, right?

"I'm sorry." So he'd been right about something bad happening to Jason. He wondered how old he'd been when he'd died, but he didn't want to ask. Maybe Penelope thought he was replacing Jason. Maybe he was. He didn't want to be. He couldn't help but wonder what he'd been like though.

He watched Hannibal push himself up, and after only a brief moment of hesitation, he climbed onto his back. He'd always been quite the daredevil – had to be to perform the tricks he did every day.

𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 :

➔ you're gonna be okay , just keep your eyes on me. ➔ don't move - you're going to make it worse. ➔ it's not that bad. ➔ you saved me once before , now it's my turn. ➔ you fucking idiot , you weren't supposed to take the hit for me. ➔ i told you not to do that! now look! ➔ you're lucky that i know basic first aid , or you'd be dead! ➔ stay with me, okay? stay awake. ➔ i'll be as gentle as i can be , i promise. ➔ you're bleeding - oh my god , you're bleeding. ➔ you told me it was a scratch , this is not a fucking scratch! ➔ there's so much blood. ➔ next time you want to play here , just don't. ➔ stop fighting me and let me help! ➔ you're banned from doing anything remotely dangerous. ➔ you could have died , what were you thinking? ➔ if you die on me , i'm going to be pissed off. ➔ you didn't have to be so reckless just to prove a fucking point. ➔ the wound will heal but you'll have a scar.

𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 :

"You make an excellent point. These walls are sturdy and nobody is set to arrive at the gates for the next many hours, so we shouldn't waste time," he replied, not hiding his own chuckles at the way Petra was looking. He looked like he wanted to throw up, but he was also extremely red in the face, so. Fortis would likely say it was from anger, but Nyx decided it was from embarrassment instead.

"Aw, it's such a shame, but Fortis wouldn't be able to handle the two of us. Still, I'm sure he wouldn't mind watching."

Oh boy, maybe that was a step too far. Petra looked like he was ready to storm over and hit him in the face. Hm. Maybe Nyx should let him. There were cameras out here after all, but not the kind that picked up audio – which was why Fortis always got away with being a fucking asshole.

Raising an eyebrow in challenge, Nyx was very disappointed when Fortis visibly calmed himself down. Better luck next time.

"Damn. I almost had him," he stage-whispered to Dick, enjoying the look on Petra's face when it was clear he heard him.

"Yeah, you're probably right. His loss."

Unfortunately for them, Petra eventually managed to calm down. He still looked like he wished they would spontaneously combust, but his cheeks had returned to their usual shade. It was a shame. Pissing Petra off was one of the only good things about gate duty. Oh well, at least he had Nyx to banter with.

"There's always next time. I'm sure this won't be the last time all three of us end up on gate duty. Who knows, maybe the higher-ups will decide that we make such a good team that they want us to do it more often."

As tedious as gate duty was, he thought that it was probably worse for Petra. Especially if he was stuck with both of them again.

Kat smiled at Dick's curiosity. He truly was similar to her Jason in personality, and here she thought Dick would be completely opposite. How wonderful. "He's my creation one of many...he's part Hellhound and part human."

"Are you familiar with Hellhounds?" She got up going to the bookshelf, retrieving a book as she opened it up, turning to the page of Hellhounds. "You see these creatures exist on another Earth. They are companions of demons, and they are tasked with retrieving those who made deals with crossroad demons once their ten years is up to take them to Hell."

"They have many abilities I found fascinating, and I wanted to create my own version to bring back with me here. Hannibal is extremely loyal to me, but he can also be with you, Dick."

She showed him illustrations of other hellhounds and the variations. Hannibal lowered his head, giving permission to let Dick pet his soft black fur. The act was primal and made Hannibal bond to Dick biologically as a protector.

A pomeranian had padded into view at the doorway looking at the group. The presence made Hannibal perk his ears in warning to not frighten the young one mostly because of the nature of the pomeranian.

"Penelope we have a new guest. This is Dick Grayson and he will be living with us. You are to be on your best behavior Missy...am I understood?" Kat was testing the waters on behaviors and compatibility.

"She won't harm you, Dick but her true appearance may frighten you..I'm just forewarning you because she's not a hellhound but also a creature of the supernatural.." There take it slowly on introductions. Let them feel each other out.

Penelope gave a smile showing off her vampire teeth as her jaws extended in an unnatural position. The act made Hannibal give a jaw snap at the smaller dog. It was a form of discipline to get Penelope to behave.

Kat sighed at this as she scooped up Penelope into her arms. "Bad girl..You're going in your kennel..I'm sorry Dick. Penelope hasn't had guests in the manor since Jason..my last ward." She put the dog into the kennel.

He wanted to ask more questions about him, but honestly he didn't know where to begin. Kat had said Hannibal was part hellhound and part human. She'd also said she'd made him. He also wanted to ask how she knew so much about them and what she meant by another Earth. Oh, and if other things existed.

For now though, he was content to look through the book. At least, he had been until Hannibal shifted his head in silent permission. He smiled and gently ran his fingers through the soft black fur. He'd always been good with animals, though most of his experience was with...bigger animals. Zitka and Elinore were the elephants back at the circus. They were his friends. He hoped they'd be okay without him.

He'd bonded with Hannibal pretty quickly though.

"Um, hi Penelope," Dick greeted with a small smile, his fingers still tangled in Hannibal's fur. She didn't look particularly scary – less scary than Hannibal who had turned out to be a softy. "Woah!"

Don't judge a book by its cover, Grayson, Dick internally chided himself, taking half a step back behind Hannibal. The hellhound seemed to want to protect him if the way he snapped at her was anything to go by. She made no move to attack him though, so maybe Kat was right about that.

Dick opened his mouth to ask about Jason but thought better of it. The way she'd called him her 'last ward' made Dick think that there was something painful there. Maybe they'd fallen out, or he'd moved on, or worse. It was Gotham City, after all.

"It'll take time for you to navigate this place. I used to get lost myself a few times didn't I Hannibal?" She mused outloud.

The black haired man only nodded as he finished his piano playing before coming to a stand to greet Dick. "Shall I bring you some food Master Dick?"

She set her teacup down on the saucer. "Don't be afraid to ask whatever you need Dick. It's yours. In fact, I rarely say no.. don't I Hannibal?"

The man gave a soft hum slash growl in reply. His red eye shimmered almost inhumanly. It was the hellhound DNA side of him showing more as he was comfortable within the manor.

Hannibal left for the kitchen to retrieve whatever nourishment Dick desired to have and returned with it to the dining table. He looked at Kat as he asked silently permission.

Kat glanced at her creation before giving a soft nod.

Hannibal sighed in relief as he shifted back to his natural form taking on a black furred canine appear of a hellhound. He padded over to Kat obediently as his fluffy tail swished pleased as he wasn't fond of being human. It was uncomfortable for him.

She reached over petting Hannibal behind his ears giving him a scratch. "Good boy.." She praised him for his loyalty to her. Not that he had a choice in the matter. She made him after all.

"If you choose to stay Dick you can have a companion too if you wish.. it's healthy to have a companion or friends really." Kat offered to him. She was going to give Jason his own the day he was murdered.

So he'd asked for something simple. Something that would be easy on the stomach and that he could eat later if he couldn't finish it.

Dick blinked as Hannibal turned from human to hellhound, taking a nervous step backwards before relaxing when he showed no signs of hostility. In fact, he looked friendly if the tail wagging was anything to go by.

"What is he? I mean...how'd he do that?" He asked, taking a cautious step towards Kat, both for a better look and for safety. He didn't think that she'd let anything hurt him – not after going through the effort to bring him here. "Can I pet him?"

He wouldn't have asked, but Hannibal seemed to enjoy the way Kat was scratching him behind the ears.

"Thanks. I...yeah. Thanks."

today? not so much.

for now, he paces the blood and sweat stained floor or the interrogation chamber. a quick march back and forth, the hulking general huffing smoke with every step. the thought lingers that he's perhaps due to end this little session as distraught as his subject - for heidegger - has been betrayed.

pressed lids squeeze his eyes into slits, a frown bore down at the soldier ( ex-soldier now ) as the man begins to stir awake. desserters? heidegger hated. cowards? he despised. but SPIES-?! ifrit's fire has his blood boiling; and from one so promising too-

"disappointing-" he finally huffs. his tone steady but not without the edge that comes with unbridled anger. "more-so when i think of just how incredible you could have been." his words end with a sigh, a hefty breath unhindered by the choke of smoke that now fills the room. he holds the breath for a moment after, tightens fingers around the metal baton caught within his grip. a second of silence before anger aches through the muscles of his arm and sends the weapon crashing down on the younger man's knee. a harsh strike with intent not quite to crack bone but certainly make it feel as much.

"Now that's high praise. I'd be flattered if I actually gave a damn what you thought." His voice was a little rough from pain and lack of use, but there was a level of amusement there that would no doubt infuriate the man further. Dick smirked and gave a slow, almost patronising shake of his head.

"That's where you're wrong, General. I'm not a traitor. That'd imply I had any loyalty to you in the first place." Dick mused, lightly shifting his leg. Testing it. It hurt like a bitch, but it wasn't broken. He probably wouldn't be able to put any weight on it any time soon though. "I didn't."

Blue eyes slowly lifted to meet the General's. Cool and unflinching. He wasn't scared of him.