Dick Grayson 002 Ⓡ video

[usedacrobatics]

[The Pokegear snaps on, and Dick, in a nice waiter's shirt, slumps down against a wall and sighs.]

So this is, uh, ridiculously embarrassing.

[His hair's slicked back, too, and he's loosening a little bow tie with his other hand. Tugging at it with a little more force than strictly necessary.]

Exactly, um. Does anyone have any tips for how to... like, not go broke? How do people keep track of money? How do you not run out?

I plead lack of maturity, lack of understanding of the value of a... whatever the unit of currency is here, I don't even know.

And yeah, okay, if you all want a good laugh at my expense, my foster father is a billionaire, both through inheritance and being the CEO of a worldwide corporation. Go ahead, I've heard all the rich kid jokes and I don't really care, I'd just be grateful, in return, for a little--

[There's a voice yelling in the distance, something about not being paid to take breaks; Dick jumps up and shuts off the feed immediately. He does have a work ethic, okay, he was a circus performer until he was nine, but that money was all put in the bank.]

Comments

[hammerfell]

[Well now, it seems that we all have adjustments to make. Thor is old enough, has had enough economics beat into his head in preparation for rule, that he has some kind of grasp on it.

...but the truth is, Asgard largely functioned on a barter system yet, and whatever coin they had was legitimately valuable, as it was gold or silver, which was accepted everywhere. And he was a prince. He'd never had to work for money before.]

Think more carefully on how you spend it, save some of it away, do what you must to earn more. Though I confess, I have little practical experience in the matter myself.

[usedacrobatics]

[Dick has worked for money -- performing, but was too young to manage his earnings anyway. His parents had put all that in the bank, and when Bruce Wayne took custody of him, all of that, plus the payments from his parents' life insurance policies and severance pay from Jack Haly, plus whatever else Bruce deemed appropriate, had all been placed into a trust fund that he wouldn't be able to touch until he turned eighteen. Between Bruce's discretionary gift and Lucius Fox's investments, he had no idea how much was actually in there, but judging by some of the stuff Red Arrow bought with his trust fund, he wasn't worried.]

Save. [He massageshis forehead.] That shouldn't be such a revelation, but it is.

[hammerfell]

There shall be some mishaps along the way, however this place seems to be rather forgiving in that regard.

[seriously you can make money via superpowered critter cage matches.]

I confess, I do not wholly understand the concept of a 'CEO'...your foster parent is a politician of a sort?

[usedacrobatics]

Yeah, it does. And I caught it before I was totally destitute... none of my Pokemon are hungry, and that's the most important thing.

[He'll have to do some leveling up for that... the problem of mostly starting with eggs!]

He dabbles in politics occasionally, when it suits him, but no, he's just in charge of a really big business conglomerate. He has a technology firm, some hotels, private clothing labels, lots of charities and scholarships, stuff like that.

[hammerfell]

Ah, akin to one of my own companions. I do not know how he is faring with regard to his resources, I did not think to ask.

[It seems to be a private matter to him.]

It seems a worthy way to make one's way in the world.

[Even if there's not nearly enough fighting for Thor's tastes.]

[usedacrobatics]

If he's got, like, the whole nine yards like we do -- infinite credit, a butler, gigantic house -- and he's not complaining, there can't be much to complain about. I've just never been on my own before, I guess, at least not for the day to day stuff.

[Dick just shrugs.]

It is, if you do it effectively. But it can be a little mercenary. His political activism involves a lot of shoring up the infrastructure in developing countries.

[hammerfell]

You are adapting well, despite that.

[From what he sees, anyway. I mean. He's got the gift of hindsight now he's pretty sure at that age he would've thrown a shitfit weeks ago.

...also he'd be lying if he said he understood all of that. Asgard doesn't have developing countries.]

[usedacrobatics]

I have practice, I guess. This isn't the first time I ended up in wholly unfamiliar circumstances with a bunch of strangers. It comes with the territory of being a foster kid.

[hammerfell]

I wish that I could understand. I am the blood son of my mother and father, but my brother...

[Thor sighs.]

...he did not take well to the revelation that he was not.

[oops we took a sudden detour to feels land.]

[usedacrobatics]

Well, there's your problem. For it to be a revelation, that means it must have been kept secret from him, implying that it was shameful or bad somehow.

[hammerfell]

Shameful...no.

[It was just as surprising to him, because he hadn't known either.]

I fear...our parents felt it dangerous, for the truth to be known. Perhaps they merely forgot that Loki was not always their son. I certainly did not know that he was not always my brother. I cannot claim to know their minds.

[usedacrobatics]

That's the thing about good intentions. There's a certain road...

Speaking as someone who does remember being adopted, the thing that made the difference was, yes, the presence of good intentions, but also the reiteration of them. Not in word, but... action.

[He knew Bruce and Alfred cared about him, because, despite being two of the stiffest, stuffiest, most austere, boring adults to ever walk the Earth, they tried. Their stiff stuffiness actually highlighted how much they'd tried to include him in their lives, whether it was by teaching him about their own interests or just never missing a birthday party.]