tushanshu | 1 ☆ Video

[Well. Barnaby has certainly Seen Some Shit, but this easily takes the cake for the most ridiculous. Still, he can't argue against what's in front of his very eyes, even if he's still skeptical about a lot of the explanations he received earlier.

The only option is to proceed to the best of his ability, which is why he turns to network of people who have already been in his shoes. He wears a neutral, polite expression as he address the public.

By the way, he pretty much looks like a pink Iron Man, though he has the sense to show his face by lifting his face plate up when addressing a large group of people for the first time.]

Hi, my name is Barnaby Brooks Jr. A couple of things:

First, has anyone seen a Japanese man with a dark complexion, a beard, and in his late thirties/early forties? We were together before I arrived here, and I would like to confirm his whereabouts if possible.

Second, as I understand it, we're expected to find employment. My question is, does anyone here work at a bar? My prior work experience was as a hero, but I'm under the impression there isn't much money to be made from that here, so I'm considering becoming a bartender.

Also, I heard there were a lack of clothing designers here. Tailoring and sewing aren't my expertise, but I did create my own clothing line back home. Is there a demand for that sort of thing here, or would it likely be on a strictly voluntary basis?

I'd appreciate any assistance.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

We're authorized by the government to make arrests, and we cooperate with the police department, but we're technically a separate institution.

[Barnaby doesn't personally understand the idea of doing hero work on a voluntary basis, nor does he think it's a good way to live. Even so, he recognizes that it's still a possible way to do hero work, so he doesn't outright judge this kid for it if that's what he legitimately wants to do with himself.]

If there are so many volunteers where you're from, does that mean the public is comfortable with people who possess unusual powers or abilities?

That's... different. [Jaime vaguely recalls some rumor about the police in Gotham he'd heard one day-- no GCPD employees are allowed to touch the Bat-signal for some kind of bureaucratic reason, or something else arbitrary like that. The politics at work here are clearly very different.]

Uh huh. The public's comfortable-- um, mostly, anyway-- but I think that technically we're only making citizen's arrests? I don't think we're actually officers of any kind. Just well-intentioned people who can shoot lasers from their hands sometimes. [God, he should really know the actual details behind this.] It depends on the person, and the location. Some people like superheroes more than others; same for the cities.

Not all the heroes have powers, either. Batman doesn't have powers, he's just a guy with a utility belt. And a lot of conviction.

Edited (now with the relevant Gotham Central #11 page because omg world building) 2013-11-06 08:31 (UTC)

[Interesting. Of course attitudes would vary from person to person, but it still seems that most people are okay with someone who shoots lasers from their hands -- as long as they're "well-intentioned", anyway, whatever that's supposed to mean.]

Batman?

[Wow. Batman's such a well-known cape that, even now, meeting people who DON'T know who he is still throws Jaime off a bit.]

Yup. Just like it sounds: a man who dresses up like a Bat and fights crime with Batarangs and a Batmobile and a lair he calls a Batcave filled with lots of other stuff prefixed with "Bat".

He does this on a voluntary basis?

[Without getting paid? The guy is either filthy rich, or maybe just a little bit crazy. Probably both, because really...]

Why bats?

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