#Mans said I stand TEN TOES in my predatory behavior!!

[cyarsk52-20]

Somebody needs to cut off his mic, we don’t care about what a person who groomed a teenager thinks . Honestly groomers and child rapists are more of a 🚩 than single mom with kids

Oh and btw, in case you were wondering, he’s #NotADragQueen either

[thedcmonshead]

All’s Fair...

WHO: Ra’s and Stephanie @itspciler​

MENTIONED: Tim Drake @cleverbxrd, Bruce Wayne @xwxynxs

WHERE: An old meatpacking facility in Gotham’s industrial district.

WHEN: The day after Stephanie’s kidnapping.

WHAT: Stephanie wakes up to find out who took her and why.  Ra’s uses the opportunity to make a statement to the Batfamily, and to get under Stephanie’s skin long after she’s sent home.

TWS: Oh, man.  Kidnapping, torture, predatory behavior, blood, threats of grievous bodily injury (not enacted), psychological manipulation and trauma.

RA’S: He’d never been the type to take ’no’ for an answer.

He liked to consider it a virtue, despite the trouble it had landed him and those he cared about in on more than one occasion–it had been a refusal to back down from a challenge that had led him to the discovery of the Lazarus Pits in the first place, all those centuries ago, and refusal to listen to Sora that had led to the events that had transpired at the young prince’s healing.  That had been, as far as Ra’s had ever been concerned, his fault, if not in the way the sultan and his pig of a son had tried to paint it.

But in all those centuries since, his refusal to accept ‘no’ had been a saving grace.  There was no resource out of his reach, now, no item he couldn’t obtain, no person he couldn’t sway or break.

Not even, despite what the boy seemed to hope, Timothy Drake.  The boy would become his Heir–it was, as far as he was concerned, an inevitability.  The only thing that was in question was how difficult the boy was going to make it for him, and how much pain Ra’s would have to cause in turn to get him to yield.

He was no fool.  He knew the training Batman gave to his children, knew that trying to break Tim’s will by attacking the boy himself was both unlikely to work and likely far too difficult compared to the other options–the boy’s genius and tactical abilities was a large part of why Ra’s wanted him, after all.  And it wouldn’t do to damage the boy too much.

But the boy did get so very attached to his friends.  Stephanie Brown, it seemed, even more so than most.  Which was why the young woman was here, wrists bound above her head and head slumped down as Ra’s waited for the sedative his men had attacked her with to wear off.

He didn’t have to wait long.

STEPH: There was a certain sense of contentment Steph had been filled with upon leaving the manor. She had been staying there with Tim since they got together, likely being on the too clingy side but she liked to wake up Tim’s entirely too cute sleepy face and be around him while catching up on her own work. Eventually she knew she had to go back to her tiny apartment, do some laundry, and let Tim have some space. She wasn’t exactly thrilled to go, but it was fine.

She really should have expected that things couldn’t stay just that: fine.

Her phone and keys had dropped from her grip the moment someone grabbed her outside her door, lashing out violently, elbow connecting with a stomach and foot slamming down on someone’s toes, but it was useless. The needle plunged into her skin and the sedative was delivered, her body swaying and eyes drooping before she descended into darkness.

The girl’s head was pounding the moment she came to. Her stomach rolled and she had to take a few moments to gather her wits about herself before it registered her wrists were bound above her head and she was definitely not anywhere near her apartment. Don’t panic. It was a cardinal bat rule, panicking got you nowhere. Steph took a few steadying breaths, raising her head and opening her eyes.

Ra’s Al Ghul, of course.

The snarl was instantaneous. Steph spat at his feet and glared. “What the hell do you want, you fucking asshole?” She snapped, jerking roughly at the bondage around her wrists in hopes of finding any sort of give or a way she could escape. Her stomach dropped down to her feet and she sucked in a sharp breath; Tim. “If you touched him then I’ll kill Batman’s cardinal rule myself.”

RA’S: Well, that was an amusing surprise.  Ra’s didn’t bother biting back the grin that curled across his face in response to the immediate flare of fury the girl lashed out with.  "Oh, my, and hear I’d heard you were the sweet one,“ Ra’s drawled, clasping his hands behind his back and regarding her smugly. "I do believe you just answered your own question–quite correctly, I’m afraid.  But don’t worry, I haven’t touched him yet.”  He smiled, a bright expression that didn’t match up to his words or their surroundings.  "He’s a bit slippery to get on his own, and the last time I tried, I got a base blown up for my trouble.  This time I thought I’d have him come to me.  Hence why you’re here.“

He paced forward, taking the girl by the chin and forcing her to hold his gaze, fingers digging bruises into her jaw.  "Timothy may want little more than to stay away from me, but one of those few things is to keep me away from his loved ones.  If he knows I have you, knows that you’re being hurt because of him, he’ll throw himself at my feet to keep you safe.  And you know it, don’t you, Miss Brown?”

An assassin entered from behind him with a tripod, and Ra’s ignored the man as he began setting it up. “Of course, we’ll have to get the message to our little songbird first. I’m sure he’d figure it out on his own, eventually, but I think I’ve given the boy more than enough time to evaluate my proposition.  I’m not particularly inclined to give him any more.”

STEPH: Steph didn’t bother to stop the glare on her face despite the dread creeping up her spine. “I live to crush men’s expectations of me.” She snapped, eyes narrowed and flickering around to try to take in her surroundings and get any sort of clue where she could possibly be. The overwhelming sense of doom was pressing down on her, making it almost hard to breathe through the panic that threatened to overcome her. “That’s because he’s smarter than you’ll ever dream to be, asshole.”

Jolting back, the girl tried to yank her face out of his bruising grip and snarled. The crippling guilt and dread took hold of Steph’s heart. She knew he was right and hated it. If she had been better, been more aware maybe she could have gotten away, or at least got a text to one of the bats. This is why she was a failed Robin, a failed Batgirl. The thought made tears sting at her eyes, but she refused to let them fall, especially not in front of him.

Staring at Ra’s for a long moment, not bothering to reply to his monologuing, Steph jerked forward and spit right in his face. “Fuck you, you absolute nut.” She said harshly. “He’ll never take you up on whatever insane idea you’ve formulated in that wonky brain of yours. I’d rather take whatever shit you insist on throwing at me then ever letting him even consider the shit you have planned.”

RA’S: Modern young women and their resentment of men.  Perpetually tiresome–he hadn’t liked it when it had started showing up in his own daughters, and he particularly didn’t like it in a prisoner.  He oughtn’t be surprised, though; anyone that Timothy hung around with for too long was apt to have the boy’s same resentment for authority and antagonistic style to dealing with losing control.  "Smarter?  No, no. Smart in a different way, I will give you that–which is, of course, why I want him.“  Amongst other things.

He was satisfied, for a few moments, at the sight of tears welling in the girl’s eyes, but then she was spitting in his face, and Ra’s grip on her chin dropped down to her throat. While he wiped his face with his other hand, that one squeezed.  Centuries of training and use of the Pits had lent him strength enough to strangle someone with one hand, if he so desired, but he let her have just enough air to stay conscious.  At least, until his other hand came slamming into her stomach, forcing what air she’d been dragging in from her lungs.

"The detective will take me up on my offer, because he will have no choice,” Ra’s snarled, leaning in.  "I’ll tell you what–I’ll even let you see your little boyfriend give himself to me, just so you can have that image in your head any time you think of him. Him yielding to me because of a stupid little girl he thought he could have when I already laid my claim.  And he knew it would be useless, too–he could have gone for someone strong, someone better-trained, but he picked you. You made it so easy for us to get a hold of you, he can’t have expected any less.  Perhaps that’s why he chose you–the team won’t miss out if you don’t come back alive.“

STEPH: The satisfaction had lasted all of ten seconds before the fingers closed around her throat and squeezed. She jerked uselessly, and a whine escaped her as her body thrashed in an attempt to break the man’s touch. Black spots were starting to dance in her vision, then came relief, sucking in all the oxygen she could get. That is, until Ra’s hand slammed against her stomach and all air left her once more. She gasped and her chest hitched uselessly until her lungs remembered how to work and she gasped in all the air she could manage.

Ra’s face was entirely too close to Steph’s and despite the bruises forming around her throat and how shaken she felt at nearly being strangled until she passed out, she snarled and bared her teeth at him. His words were meant to hurt, to barb at her until she bled and lost all hope in Tim, in the bats, but despite the sting, she ignored it. "You’re one sick creep, Ra’s Al Ghul.” Steph managed to finally choke out, regardless of the harsh sting in her throat. “I bet it just eats you up inside that he can’t fucking stand you. That you left those scars on him and that not him, but we all want to see you taken down. He’ll do it do. If anyone can do, it’s him.”

Steph was from Gotham. She was used to villains, used to crime and the potential of getting hurt with her night job, but there was a deep fear in her she was hiding. She was dreading the torture Ra’s may likely inflict on her, the own scars she’d get from this, maybe even a matching one across her cheek like Tim if he was sadistic enough to do just that. It didn’t matter. Steph could do it, endure it. Anything to keep his grubby paws off of Tim. “Give me your worst, old man. You’re not touching him.”

RA’S: It was a pittance of recompense, feeling her spasm under his grip, listening to her choke for air. Fortunate, then, that he had plenty of time to punish her, for spitting on him and for Tim.

Her words earned a sneer, Ra’s leaning in to speak into her ear. “Eats me up? Oh, Miss Brown, you truly have no idea,” he breathed. “There isn’t a single part of my immortal soul that feels anything but glee at seeing those scars. Seeing my marks on him.” He pulled back, dropped his hand from her throat. “You will never know that feeling, I’m afraid. Because he will be coming with me.”

He reached into his breast pocket and drew out a sheath covered in intricate silver inlay. He circled behind Stephanie, drew the blade out with a snick. “Don’t worry. I’ll leave you some marks of your own to remind you of him. Of me.”

The blade sliced along her shoulder, the skin pulled open immediately despite the blade’s sharpness by the stretched position of her arms. “We have hours until I’m to meet him. We’ll give him something as pathetic to look at as your fighting skills, hm?”

STEPH: There was a grimace on the blonde’s face, stomach churning at his disgusting words. “You’re fucking sick. He’s not coming. I won’t let him. I’d rather you mark me up just like you did him than ever let you touch him. I would walk through hell and back for him. This is nothing.” She swallowed hard the moment the fingers finally left her throat, the moment of relief short lived as soon as she sees the blade taken out. Her blood turned to ice, dread crawling up her spine and rendering her momentarily frozen.

The muffled whine was out before Steph could stop it, biting down roughly on her bottom lip in attempt to keep it quiet, feeling the skin split open and blood start trickling down her skin. She let out a few shuddery breaths, trying not to shake with the fresh pain blooming across her shoulder. “You have a sick sense of humor, Ra’s. I’m from Gotham. You’re about as scary as a house cat.” She got out through gritted teeth, through the burn in her shoulders and arms, increased tenfold by the cut on her body.

RA’S: “Fortunately for you, my dear, it’s out of your hands. Otherwise you’d be going back to your family in pieces.” It was so very satisfying, the way the girl’s eyes went wide in fear the moment the blade came out, but not nearly as satisfying as the whine the first slash to her skin brought from her lips.

“Oh? I’ll keep that in mind.” Ra’s dragged the blade along her ribcage, next, breath warm against the back of her neck as her shirt and skin sliced open again. “Perhaps I should give the two of you some matching scars. He has quite a number. Not as careful as he ought to be.”

The next slice mimicked one of Tim’s scars with eerie accuracy, a stripe of crimson welling up across her collarbone as he circled back to her front. “Do let me know when you get bored, will you, Miss Brown? I have plenty of tools we can play with before my meeting with your boyfriend.”

STEPH: The mere thought made her stomach roll, fingers curling up into tight fists above her head where they stayed tied up uselessly. The fear was enough to practically choke her with it. She swallowed hard, unrelenting in her hard glare at the man before her. She had to be strong. For Tim. For all the Bats, but mostly, for herself. The blade sliced into her ribs, pained noise being pushed through her lips and breath hitching. Her skin felt like it was on fire with each slash. It was excruciating.

Steph wanted to cry out, but didn’t want to give Ra’s the satisfaction of it. The slashes were nothing compared to what he could do, what she was sure he had planned. “Cute.” She bit out through gritted teeth. “Might as well do the cheek one next if you really want us to match.” The snarky words were out and she wanted desperately to stuff them back into her mouth, swallowing hard. Sometimes she was too much of a smartass for her own good.

“Bored? Me? Never. I’m having a great time. Do you do this as a leisurely activity for all your brainwashed idiot assassins? Just curious. I mean. They’d have to be pretty stupid to think you’re someone worth following after all.”

RA’S: There were few things he enjoyed more than watching people’s instincts war with each other. Brown’s instincts to lash out with sharp tongue, to make herself seem powerful with confident words, fought clearly enough against her instinct to self preservation–the words she herself uttered often had her wincing in immediate, fear-laced regret. Action, equal and opposite reaction. Confidence and doubt.

“Do you know, Miss Brown,” he began, shifting the knife in his grip, “That I used to be a doctor? A surgeon, even, on the days it was necessary. Back then there was no difference in education, you see–the butcher down the street could serve as a surgeon in a pinch. For obvious reasons, I was preferred.”

The hand with the knife came up to cup her cheek, one finger wrapped around the tip of the blade to keep it controlled. Wouldn’t do to put her eye out on accident, not when they were so very expressive. Not given this.

“It’s easy, in the blur of battle, to get lost in the adrenaline, hm? To move on instinct, to strike out with unknown purpose but to knock one’s opponent back a step. I prefer being rather more deliberate with where I cut.”

His other hand shot up, and his thumb hooked around her chin as a finger pressed between her lips, forced her jaw down and held it in an iron grip before the thought to bite could even cross her mind. “I have half a mind to take your tongue, Miss Brown. It would probably do both of us a favor.”

STEPH: The fear was ever present. Ra’s was a dangerous man, Steph knew this, but he seemed to enjoy when she reacted as such. She could hear Tim in the back of her head, telling her to stop and have some goddamn self-preservation, but she knew it’d all end the same. Well, she had a sneaking suspicion that no matter how she reacted it was going to end the same way, bloody and her injured as some sort of sick present to Tim.

The flare of anger was instantaneous. Her eyes hardened and she watched Ra’s cup her cheek, resisting the urge to flinch away. “You talk a lot. It really is rather boring. Are you going to tell me about your childhood trauma next? Get in line, we’re all traumatized from shitty fathers, bad conditions, et cetera,” she deadpanned, a strangled noise coming from her the instant her mouth was forced open.

That is probably exactly what he meant. Steph didn’t know if this was a good idea in the slightest, but it gave Tim more time. To figure out a plan, to avoid whatever hell inducing idea Ra’s had for her boyfriend. She was a fighter, always had been even before her vigilante days. So there was a moment, a split-second decision, Steph’s hard eyes not flinching away from Ra’s. Her foot came down and slammed onto his, digging her heel in as hard as she could.

RA’S: She had the same attitude as Timothy, but not the same intelligence or self-preservation instincts. Not by half. Ra’s hissed, drew back from her and glared with a ferocity that would have any of his own men dropping to their knees in supplicant apology.

Ra’s considered the girl in silence, for a long moment, before finally moving to the winch in the wall. The building they were currently in had once been a meat packing facility, which meant plenty of useful equipment, for his purposes, and ingrained bloodstains more than ample to hide the new ones.

Her feet were pulled off the ground, leaving her weight to pull on her shoulders and wrists, where they were bound. Liable to be pulled out of their sockets, if he left her there long enough.

The smile sent her way was venomous. “That’s quite enough of that, I think.” The cuts would be pulling even more, in the new position. “Now, I think I’ll let one of my brainwashed idiot assassins keep you company for a while, hm? After all–I have a surgery to prep for.”

STEPH: Steph glared right back him despite the intense urge to shrink back and try to avoid the ferocity coming off of him in waves. Her heart was racing, the silence dragging for entirely too long. Then he was moving and she could feel her heart drop right down to her feet. The dread increased by tenfold. Her already incredibly stiff and sore arms screamed in protest the moment she was lifted off the ground, feet kicking and attempting to find purchase, only to make her wounds bleed further and ache in burning pain. She sobbed out in pain for the first time, not able to muffle it in the slightest.

The girl’s blood turned to ice, the words ringing around in her head. “No, no—” The panic threatened to choke her with what that could mean. She was sure it was what he wanted to accomplish, but the fight or flight instinct was draining out of her and leaving her with an overwhelming sense of doom instead. Her head was spinning with how much her body was screaming at her, the pain practically making her nauseous.

Steph just wanted Tim, but also wanted him as far away as possible. The reminder was enough to rekindle the fire that was snuffed out. “Fuck you, Ra’s Al Ghul.” She choked out, not as fierce as she had once been.

RA’S: The kicking would only make it worse, but it was irrepressible. Instinct, to scrabble for purchase, to try to reach for some ledge to alleviate the pain. She wouldn’t find one.  She would find her company being kept by a man with an excellent propensity for handing out pain without breaking bones. Well. Too many bones.

Ra’s returned an hour later, with the blue mask of a doctor around his face and nitrile gloves snug around his wrists. Even behind the mask, a smile was evident by the expression at the corner of his eyes. “Miss Brown! How are we feeling?”

He had no intention of taking her tongue, no. But appearances could be even more valuable than the action.

STEPH: Swallowing hard, Steph could feel her fingers trembling as Ra’s left the room and left her in the hands of the assassin who looked entirely too pleased to have the reigns handed over to him. “Just you and me, ugly. I’m sure this is just thrill—” Her words were cut off by a fist to the face, a loud cry of pain as her nose immediately started gushing blood.

She lost time of it all, the hour Ra’s was gone was filled with pain and blood. Her left eye was swollen shut, likely already bruising from the ferocity of the hit she had been delivered. There was blood dried over her mouth and chin, her breathing considerably most labored due to one too many hits to her chest. She knew she had a few cracked, if not broken, ribs. Likely, at least one of her shoulders had to be out of the socket, but she couldn’t even tell. There was just so much pain she was having a hard time telling what hurt and what didn’t.

The moment Ra’s stepped into the room, donning gloves and a face mask, her stomach churned violently. A broken sob fell from Steph’s lips and she shook her head weakly, it flopping forward almost uselessly as the room spun from her movements. “No, no, no—” she groaned weakly, eyes shut tightly. “No.”

RA’S: “Shh, shh.” He closed the door after himself, issued his next order without even looking away from Stephanie. “Let her down. I can hardly do anything with her up like that."  Stephanie was winched down to the floor–all the way down, arms still suspended above her while Ra’s watched her be lowered to her knees.  He grabbed the girl’s chin, again, this time almost gentle. 

"My, you are a mess, dijaaj. Is there something you want to ask me?”

STEPH: The relief off of her arms had the girl sobbing in utter relief, practically slumping back when her knees hit the ground. The room was spinning, black spots dancing in front of her vision, her whole world threatening to fade into darkness once more. She let out a harsh breath, looking up at Ra’s when he grabbed her chin, grimacing at the feel of his hands on her skin.

Steph was having a hard time even keeping what day it was straight in her mind, blood loss and pain making her mind scrambled. This felt like a trap. She couldn’t figure out how, but it was totally a trap. Right?

“What could I possibly want to ask you?” She slurred out, the blood and tears on her face and her words tripping over each other not reaching the bite she would want in it. There was the lingering fear of what could happen to her making it sound entirely too meek. She was so tired. So very tired, but she had to keep going. Tough it out, keep Tim safe.

RA’S: “What indeed, little one,” he murmured, patting her cheek. She was clearly barely conscious, barely present in this conversation at all, let alone up for playing games.

Almost submissive, the tone, there, the way that her gaze had lost much of its heat. “I would take your tongue, for being so sharp. But say something sweet, and maybe I can let you rest, hm? Would you like to rest?”

STEPH: There was a slight flinch away from Ra’s when he patted Steph’s cheek and the mere thought of resting was so very tempting. Her entire body was screaming out in pain, begging her to take the opportunity.

“Yes.” Steph admitted weakly. “But more than anything I want…you to stay the fuck away from Tim.” Her stubborn nature reared its ugly head, her protective nature she held for those she loved dearly giving her one last ditch attempt at this. It was increasingly hard to push through it, but she trucked forward. “What do you want? Is that what you want me to ask? What you gain from hurting me? Do you need the cue for the monologue? Go ahead. Can’t promise I won’t pass out.” She muttered, held flopping tiredly to lean against her aching arm that was still suspended above her. Her eyes screwed shut tightly, tears escaping and trailing down her cheeks.

RA’S: The girl really couldn’t stop herself from talking.  Quite the inconvenient affliction for someone intending to fight Gotham’s brand of criminal (she said that Ra’s liked to talk, but clearly she’d never had dealings with Nygma).  Ra’s clicked his tongue, brushing at her tears with his thumb.  "Tt, no, you already know what I want, as you are so insistent on pointing out.  I’m just asking for the magic word, proof that you can manage that tongue of yours so I needn’t take it.“

That didn’t mean he’d be leaving her alone, of course.

STEPH: Sucking in a harsh breath, the girl flinched back as soon as his thumb brushed against her tear stained cheek. "Magic word, huh.” She muttered tiredly, her head spinning. “Is it please? I don’t beg.” She got out, knowing she was definitely making this harder for herself.

There was a quiet sense of doom, of…acceptance. She hated that. “…I want to see him.” Steph whispered after a beat. “Please.” She finally said sincerely, black spots dancing in her vision.

RA’S: “It is, smart girl,” he chuckled, the mockery in the epithet evident.  She didn’t beg, she insisted, but then a moment later, she cracked.  As he knew she would.

She didn’t beg for what he’d been nudging her toward, but that was alright–he hadn’t been specific, he supposed, and she had done what he wanted.  That didn’t mean she would get what she did ask for.  "He isn’t here, dijaaj.  And I won’t be bringing him to see you–who knows what ideas the boy might get if I did?  You’ll just have to keep what you have here, I’m afraid,“ he said, tapping her between the eyes even as he reached into his pocket for a vial.  He twisted free the cap, brought it up to her nose. "Breathe in.”

STEPH: Steph shuddered and felt something in her crack, tears starting to slip down her cheeks in earnest. Her bottom lip trembled and she let out a broken sob. “Please. Just—just one time. I don’t…please.” Here she was begging Ra’s Al Ghul of all people just to see Tim. She was sending Tim off to his death. She killed Tim. Why wasn’t she better? A better fighter? A better bat. She didn’t even deserve her Spoiler mantle, let alone any bat related one.

A truly broken sob ripped its way from deep in Steph, feeling the beginnings of a panic attack crawl its way up her spine and shake her to the core. “No, no! Please, just let me see him! One time, please!” She jerked her head back roughly away from the vial beneath her nose, shaking her head rapidly. The whole world tilted on its axis and she swayed, breathing hard and fast through it, trying to not pass out. “Please,” Steph whimpered weakly.

RA’S:  There it was, finally.  It didn’t matter how strong they started out–Ra’s had centuries of experience in breaking people on his side, and the willpower and time to keep pushing until he could tear down anyone else’s.  Ra’s moved his hand around to cup the back of the girl’s head, keeping her from pulling too far away.

“Shh, shh. There’s nothing you can do now, Miss Brown.  Perhaps next time you’ll be more careful.”  He smirked.  "Don’t worry.  I’ll leave you that little cheek scar you kept asking for, just so you have a reminder of him instead.“  He tightened his grip, bringing the vial under her nose again.  "Now sleep.”

STEPH: Next time you’ll be more careful. The words were ringing in Steph’s ears, her vision blurring with how hard she was crying. Even Ra’s could see she was an absolute failure. The words were on repeat, but nothing turned her stomach and made her heart rip apart more than the mere knowledge she was the death of the love of her life.

“No, no! Please, no—” Steph sucked in a breath rapidly, unable to catch her breath and did just what he requested without intending to. The world around her started to darken around the edges and as it closed in around her, with one last sob she gasped out, “Timmy.” Then it all turned to dark.