[Comprehensive British and American] Family Matters

"Do you think they know?" Dick sneaked up from the balcony to Jason's room. Under the threat of smashing Jason's balcony door, the occupant finally turned the door lock with a stinky face and let the triumphant put in.

"You have to be clear, Dicky, who knows what?" Jason was flipping through a thin old book in his hand. He was very interested in the book's mention of verbena's restraint on vampires. Without even looking up at Dick's question, he refused to make eye contact with the brazen man.

Dick snatched the book from Jason's hand, and met a pair of unhappy green eyes: "I said, do the El Salvador brothers know that their dream lover is not human at all?"

"Damon probably knows." Jason snatched the book back, turned back to the page he was reading, and quickly raised it when Dick reached out to grab the book again, "Steven, I won't confirmed."

"Oh?" Dick withdrew his hand resentfully, waiting for the opportunity for the next attack, "What do you say?"

Jason narrowed his eyes impatiently and glared at Dick: "When I mentioned 'vampire' in front of Damon, he became very nervous. When I told him that vampires are not unkillable, he obviously shifted It's probably because I'm afraid that I'll teach him 'Van Helsing 101'."

"Would you?" Dick tried to swipe around, but still failed to snatch the book from Jason, "Van Helsing 101."

"Well... Sam will definitely, as for me—" Jason held the book in one hand, and with the other hand, he pulled out the Great Caste Blade from an inch in front of Dick's nose, "should be enough .”

"Are you sure?" Dick wanted to reach out and touch the knife curiously. He was very curious about these two magical energy knives. As for whether he would be hurt—not all of them mentioned the blade of the big caste. It will only cause harm to evil things!Of course Dick wasn't worried.

Before Dick's fingers had a chance to touch the blade, the caste blade disappeared into the air as Jason let go: "How old are you!" Jason rolled his eyes at Dick who was pouting annoyed. .

"You're really not funny at all, little wing." Having lost the chance to touch the magical double blades, Dick simply sat down next to Jason and began to block the light of Jason's reading with his own shadow. It was a peaceful and meaningful conversation, but Jason was unwilling to give him even the most basic eye contact!This is absolutely unacceptable!

"Our definition of 'interesting' is obviously different." Jason said dryly, while elbowing Dick away, "Seriously, Dick, you worked so hard to turn over the balcony like a thief. To be a childish ghost who hasn't grown up?"

"I came to discuss the case with you with great sincerity." Dick folded his hands on his chest, and raised his chin at Jason, "You are the only one who has refused to communicate from the beginning to the end."

Jason put down the book in his hand, narrowed his eyes revealing a dangerous atmosphere, as if he wanted to punch something: "Didn't I answer every question you asked?"

"However, you don't even want to make eye contact with me. What's the difference between me and a customer service call? Everyone who answered the phone sounded enthusiastic. In fact, one or two wanted to hang up the phone in a second. That's not communication, that's coping." Dick snatched the damn book and sat down on it with Jason's murderous gaze, "Don't put on that expression, Jason, this A trip is to create enough opportunities for the two of us to communicate. This purpose will not be changed because of some time-space jump or vampire invasion. We have to face each other and look into each other's eyes... That's right, that's how it is, to carry out a meaningful construction Sexual dialogue. Start with a relaxed opening, cut to the serious content, and finally have a warm but not perfunctory ending. The paragraph just now is used as the opening, and we can directly start the topic."

Jason's eyes moved from Dick's eyes to the book protruding from under Dick's buttocks. Sensing Jason's gaze, Dick immediately moved his sitting position, covered the book tightly, and puffed out his chest to meet him. On Jason's stinky face.

"Whatever, what's your topic?" With a sigh, the message in Dick's eyes convinced Jason that there was no other option than kicking Dick out of the window or jumping himself out of the window Let him get rid of his goddamn titular big brother, he never knew the golden boy could be so annoying, are his friends blind and deaf and can't see the annoying vermin side of each other, or do they Has been completely poisoned by the golden boy out of the M attribute?

"Do the El Salvador brothers know that their goddess Catherine is not human?" Dick repeated the question without seeming impatient at all, "Since you have already stated your views on your brother Damon, why don't you share your views on your brother? Where's Stefan's?"

"Why didn't you say it, I'll listen?" Jason frowned, not very satisfied with Dick's role assignment, "You were the one asking questions from the beginning to the end!"

"Because I'm a good listener." Dick shrugged. "Unlike someone, if you ask him to listen, he will definitely wander too far, thinking about how to deal with me."

Jason was tempted to argue, but unfortunately, he found it difficult to find solid arguments to defend himself.

"Okay!" Jason swallowed his displeasure, and said in a low voice, "Look, that woman teased both brothers at the same time, and for whatever reason, she didn't hypnotize Damon to forget about the vampire, and Judging from his reaction when I talked about vampires with him, Damon is obviously on the side of the vampire goddess in his heart. If this is her usual method, the younger brother probably knows it too. As for why the two brothers have not murdered The other party monopolizes the favor of the goddess...Hypnosis is a good thing."

Dick tilted his head and thought about the situation Jason said. Indeed, no one wants to be dismantled by two boats. If he can hypnotize his lover to swear to keep the secret, unless he is caught, he can continue to enjoy it. Two men paid her great attention.This explains why Dick used the opportunity of chatting with the anemic Stie to inquire about the news, and he refused to let go of admitting that he was with Catherine earlier, even though he smelled of Catherine's perfume.

But there's still one thing Dick can't understand: "But...but isn't that weird? I mean, even if neither of the brothers admits they're seeing 'her', but they live under the same roof, even Those of us onlookers can see that she and those two brothers have a relationship! Grab any maid and they will tell you some hot gossip, and the two brothers just barely pierce the window paper."

"So? What do you want to say?" Jason's patience has gradually run out. They may be facing an all-out war between humans and vampires, and he doesn't like the current lack of preparation. How does it help the situation to go over and over the question, "You're going to give them chicken soup and tell them there's no grass in the world?" Don't forget, she wants to kill us both-trust me, if she has Forty-eight hours, she's definitely going to do that."

"No! I mean... don't you think it's awkward? Falling in love with the same guy as your brother?" Dick couldn't imagine the day when he and his brothers would compete with each other for someone's attention, "Can you imagine? Like you and...er, Tim, you fell in love with...I don't know, someone at the same time."

The way Jason looked at Dick suddenly changed, as if he had never known Dick Grayson before, it was a brand new, inquiring look.

It made Dick a little confused, he didn't understand what strange things he said to make Jason react this way, but at the same time it made him a little bit amused, and that's what road trips are for - to get to know each other, if Jason starts wanting Meet Dick, isn't that what he wants?

"What would you do if it were you?" Jason changed positions, and this time it was his turn to watch Dick's every change of expression, "Don't try to throw the ball back, you've asked enough questions Now, it's my turn."

"I guess... I will quit? Being with someone you like should be a blessing, and it shouldn't be based on hurting your loved ones." Dick tried to imagine himself with Barbara or Cory Yes, he was happy then, yes, wanting to be with each other forever, but if the price of doing it is making his brothers miserable, Dick doesn't think his happiness alone is great To the extent that it is legitimate to injure another person.

Jason tilted his head thoughtfully, he seemed to be beginning to understand Dick's logic.

At least it is more understandable than a few years ago, what kind of thinking drives the individual known as "Dick Grayson" to do all kinds of behaviors that Jason can't understand, and to say things that Jason can't imagine.

Even the brothers who grew up together - the living example is just a few rooms next to them, Damon also admitted that he was jealous of his brother to the point of almost killing him, no matter how much of it was exaggeration , at least one thing is shown, that blood relatives are likely to kill each other in the dark (Jason is pretty sure there will be bloody murder on the day Damian's adolescent hormones start to kick in), let alone I'm afraid Dick Grayson's own self is not drawn into the "family" box at all.

To Dick, Jason was just a nasty brat who had been thrust into his life without warning and had taken Robin away.In the case of Jason, Dick has no choice at all.

And that's the huge difference between Jason and Dick—the choice.

In addition to the tragic death of his parents, Dick has the right to choose in many things. He can choose to simply be Bruce Wayne's ward, go to school every day, play with classmates, join clubs, apply for well-known domestic and foreign... Go to college, get a good job, get married and have kids, and live the life of a winner in the ordinary sense of the word.

But he chose to be Robin, he created Robin, and after his conflict with Bruce, he chose to be Nightwing again, creating his own identity again.In addition, he also established the Teen Titans-now Titans, this is Dick Grayson, his life is constantly making choices (as do most people), so he deeply believes that everyone There is a choice, and this belief influenced his support for the idea that "we can't kill villains" because "it's not up to us."

For Jason, option rights were a relatively new concept.

Childhood experience told him not to let go of anything in front of him, otherwise when you are picking and choosing, others will come and eat up the opportunities that once belonged to you.So when he saw the Batmobile parked in Crime Alley, he did what no one else would have thought possible, and earned himself a ticket out of Crime Alley.When he was just an ordinary kid under Bruce's roof, he studied like crazy - because he knew that everything around him was given to him by Bruce, which meant that maybe one day Bruce would take it all back and he would Losing a warm room, a comfortable bed, clean clothes, and fresh food, only to learn what's in your head, and that won't be taken away.

Not to mention being Robin, it was never a choice, it was an opportunity, a great opportunity that had to be seized, to make himself more useful, more valuable to Bruce (if he became more useful, then less likely to be kicked back into the street).Jason can only be Robin, and it has to be Robin who is enough to surprise Batman and everyone.

Even looking back now, Jason sees life as a one-way street.Even if he did it all over again, Jason knew that he would never say "no" to Bruce, even if he knew nothing about Batman's secret identity in the past, even if he had worried that Bruce Wayne was a pervert who had evil thoughts on children. , Jason will also grab the shining spider silk in the abyss.

Jason quoted Fitzgerald's words to describe the pain of family disputes, which cannot be completely cured, and even if time passes, it will pop up from time to time to remind you not to forget it.It's like what your parents said many years ago: "Why are you not as good as that so-and-so!" Even after many years, it is inevitable to feel sad when recalling that time. Because you care about your family, all these pains and losses will be Extraordinarily profound.

Before Jason's death, Dick didn't really regard him as a family member. Naturally, he couldn't understand Jason's expectations for the role of "big brother", and the loss after the expectations were shattered, so he can shout with confidence: "We start over"!

The brothers who grew up with each other will tear their faces due to various reasons. He and Dick are so different. It is ridiculous that they blame each other for not being able to stand in their own position and imagine for themselves, but they never thought that this is like asking for a long-term It's as unrealistic for someone who lives in the desert to imagine what it's like to surf.

Perhaps this is what Daquela and her monks call a moment of enlightenment.When you rack your brains and think hard, the answer never comes, but at an unexpected moment—maybe you sneezed, or your toe kicked a stone...the answer you couldn't find just fell into your heart. in the palm.

"Jason? Little Wing? Jay?" Dick, unaware of Jason's inner activities, raised his hand and shook it in front of him, "Don't scare me, Jason, I'm starting to worry... oh my god Ah, why didn't I memorize that exorcism spell?"

"Shut up, Big Blue Bird." Jason slapped Dick's hands flailing wildly in front of his eyes, "What did you just say?"

"Uh...I...Are you sure you're okay?" Dick frowned and wanted to reach out to touch Jason's forehead, but retracted under Jason's fierce eyes, "It's actually nothing, I just If it were you, how would you choose? Do you choose your brother or the person you like?"

—Ah, it's still about choice, Dickie.

Jason shook his head in his heart, and it was rare that he didn't feel the irony that was about to move.

"Me?" Jason smiled at Dick, the kind of grin that showed his teeth, "Of course I'm trying! This is a great opportunity, who knows if the other party likes me more in his heart? ? If you don’t grasp the opportunity when it comes, who knows if you will regret it for the rest of your life.”

Dick looked at Jason, who suddenly became happy, and his aura became much more relaxed, and felt that he had also realized something——

It turned out that Little Wing wanted to get out of the singles so strongly and so positively!

As a good big brother (at least he is working hard in this direction), he will definitely help his dear brother find true love, become a winner in life, and glorify the great cause of the Wayne family's self-propelled guns!

"Little Wing, Big Brother will not let you down this time! You must trust Big Brother!" Dick sniffed, and made an inexplicably sincere promise that made Jason shudder from the bottom of his heart. The one who holds hands to share life's joys and sorrows!"

"No, thank you." As long as I think of the mother who is trying to plan an event written as "making friends" and read as "blind date" more than 140 years later, and the big blue bird who obviously made a mistake in front of me, Jie Sen was determined that he would live the life of a rough man whose sweat and gunpowder smoke are my only colognes.

It is impossible to hold hands, kiss and get married on a blind date, and it is impossible to talk about a partner like this in this life.He doesn't know how to buy bags, shoes, clothes, cosmetics, just bang bang bang, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, beat and kill, this is the red hood dating show.

He didn't believe that there would still be girls who wanted to "make friends" with him. If they really wanted to, they would probably only be Amazonians.

***

Mystic Falls ushered in the founders' dinner with a subtle sense of tension. Even under the shadow of the tragic death of the body found almost every other day, this group of people can still dress up to the banquet and put all their fears and messages to rest. They were all locked outside the banquet hall filled with laughter and laughter.

Jason and Dick also wore the formal attire provided by Salvador. According to Gisep, the Founders Dinner is one of the most representative events in Mystic Falls. It would be a pity to miss it, but speaking from Gisep Jason and Dick knew that he just wanted to show off his financial power and influence in front of the "rich northern princes", and it would be better for them to say something in front of the townspeople. The words of praise make Salvadoran's status in the small town a step further.

"Although I don't like these social occasions, no matter how many times I watch them, I still admire these people's ability to play tricks." Jason used the movement of drinking to hide the sneer at the corner of his mouth. People who usually dismissed him suddenly recalled today How to write the word "politeness" is really commendable.

Dick nodded to a gentleman who happened to meet his eyes, and continued to chat with Jason in a low voice: "Hey, who doesn't have a big show in this kind of occasion? I thought you figured out that this would be an annual event." Drama meeting." Just to say a word, Dick has been forced to interrupt three times, and he took his place to greet men and women he didn't know at all.

"I miss Tibbo." Jason's situation is not much better than Dick's. On this occasion, if anyone sees guests "lonely" huddled in a corner, it must be that the host of the banquet did not entertain well, which means The relatives and friends of the host will actively deal with each other in the venue, trying to take care of every guest and not make them feel neglected.

They don't care if the guests are screaming inwardly: Please ignore me!I am also very happy alone!

"Ah, stop talking, don't talk about Tim at this time, it will hurt you." Dick's figure swayed, obviously remembering the reminder to save them from the fire and water at Wayne's banquet every time. precious.

"You know, every time this happens, I suspect that Tim is actually a superhuman. His superpower is 'you can't see me', but he didn't really disappear. Do you know what I mean?" Jason said. Hiding behind his back and secretly massaging his wrists, he held all kinds of heavy weapons, but compared to shaking hands non-stop, Jason did not hesitate to choose to carry the weapons high above his head and run around the town.

Dick nodded quickly. Tim is amazing at this point. There are so many people in the venue, and he has a golden "Wayne" signboard on his body. In theory, he should be the same as the rest of them. The venue was surrounded by guests.

Yet somehow Tim manages to swim among the guests like a fish, greet them politely, and engage in short chats about the weather and compliments on each other's attire.When he doesn't want to be disturbed, he can also unlock the "everyone is sure he/she saw Timothy that day, but they didn't have a chance to talk to each other" without leaving the venue. Sen and Dick's unmatched achievement.

"Think about how he followed you and B for so many years without being discovered at all..." If it weren't for the photo Tim showed with his own eyes, Dick couldn't believe that Batman would be killed by a child who hadn't been trained at all. Stalk and even ask the other party to take a photo.

Jason looked at Dick, who was obviously lost in his own thoughts, from the corner of his eye, and decided not to tell the other party after a moment of consideration. Compared with his huge collection of Robin photos (aka Jason), the Batman photo Tim brought out, It's just the tip of the iceberg.

That being said, Tim's stoka skills were honed entirely from Jason, and now they're all relying on Tim's skills to save them from one scary social situation after another, so Can this be counted as the good cause Jason did in the past and the good result now?

But what kind of good cause is Stoka who has cultivated a bat-level invisibly!

The theory of retribution is really too mysterious...

When another figure in a skirt swayed in front of Jason, he almost subconsciously stretched out his hand to welcome another round of "Hello, nice to meet you", only to realize that the person standing in front of him was not coming to the banquet guests, but one of the servants who accompanied those guests.

"Hello?" Jason was a little confused by the appearance of the other party, not only because Jason didn't know the young maid in front of him, but also because the other party's eyes were full of gossip, the kind of eyes that often appear in Gotham The tabloid paparazzi, especially when they think they have a gossip about a big shot.

"Oh! Yes, uh... I'm sorry to disturb you, sir." The young maid tried her best to control the expression on her face, trying to make herself very calm, "Can I trouble you to come with me, yours ...uh...friends are waiting for you."

Jason raised his eyebrows. He didn't remember who he was dating.

The little maid seemed very dissatisfied with Jason's attitude. She lowered her head and clicked her tongue. She said in a low voice while winking at Jason: "Your friend, 'she' is waiting for you."

It seemed that Jason should understand the complicated relationship implied here.

"Okay." He showed a smile of enlightenment to the maid in front of him, although he had no idea who was trying to meet him. The most suspected Catherine was flirting with Brother Salvador, and Jason decided to go in person Solve the puzzle, "Lead the way."

Jason could have sworn he heard a squeaky cheer from the little maid—she seemed genuinely involved in something big.

She took Jason to a relatively quiet corridor, but the music in the hall could still be heard as a distant background sound.

"It's here, sir." The little maid looked around exaggeratedly, made sure that no one was in the same corridor as them, and opened the door. The gossiping smile on her face could no longer be hidden, "I wish you a wonderful night."

"Thank you, ma'am." Jason watched the little maid walk out of his sight with triumphant steps, closed the door and turned around to face the woman who took so much trouble to call him, "If you want to talk to me, You don't need to be so troublesome, Emily."

Jason had speculated on various possibilities on the way here. Maybe it was Catherine planning to play her hypnotic tricks on Jason, or it could be Anna - or that Mrs. Pearl was coming to give his mother a warning: "Do not approach my daughter !”.

Besides, Jason couldn't think of another "she" who would want to meet him, let alone Catherine's personal maid Emily.

She didn't seem to feel the hostility emanating from Jason at all. She poured steaming black tea from the teapot with a smile, and handed a cup to Jason: "Thank you for your willingness to take this trip."

Jason stared at the cup of tea without reaching for it.His mind is full of question marks at this moment, the big caste blade did not respond to Emily, which at least shows that she is human, not other evil creatures, but she is Catherine's personal maid, maybe this meeting is a Catherine's instruction?

"Don't worry, Catherine is busy dealing with her overly enthusiastic suitor, it's just my idea to invite you here." Seeing that Jason hadn't accepted the teacup for a long time, Emily simply put the cup back on the low table and adjusted He sat down and took a sip from his cup of tea, "Please sit down, I think this conversation will take a while."

The only chair in the small room was opposite Emily, and the only barrier between them was a small coffee table. It wasn't that Jason was worried that Emily would suddenly attack him, on the contrary, he was quite Surprised Emily seemed pretty sure he wouldn't do anything to her.

"I believe you have done a lot of research yourself, so I won't talk nonsense." Emily stared at Jason solemnly, and for a moment she looked like a serious female teacher in the school, not a docile maid, " You know what's going on in this small town, and I recommend that you and your brother get out of there as soon as possible...before things get out of hand."

"I think whether to go or stay is the decision between me and Dick." Jason met Emily's eyes not to be outdone, "Since you have warned us so kindly, why don't you share some information with us , maybe me and Dick can help?"

Emily exhaled impatiently through her nostrils, just barely giving Jason a disgusted look.

"You two don't cause me any trouble, I already sincerely thank the Lord. Do you know how difficult it is to cast a soundproof magic secretly?" Emily took a big sip of tea, as if to Suppressing his anger with tea, "If it wasn't for me, Catherine would have discovered that you and your brother secretly discussing vampires. Their five senses are much stronger than humans."

"You speak as if you know everything." Jason considered Emily's words, his face full of distrust, "Since you know that your boss is a vampire, and from what you said, you also It's not some powerless character, you can't blame me for imagining the two of you as a cowardly female devil in your heart?"

"I'm a witch." Emily replied bluntly, with a somewhat disgusted look on her face, "Witches are the guardians of balance. Our strength comes from the gifts of nature. When we die, our souls will Reunite with our ancestors on the other side, and continue to guide our descendants to protect the balance of nature. We are not allies of vampires."

Jason was unmoved by Emily's speech. He had seen this kind of character who spoke righteously but secretly collude.

"Maid, vampire boss. I'm sorry, but you are just a vampire servant in my eyes." Jason knew that he shouldn't provoke the enemy by speaking out before he understood the strength of the enemy, but he had endured it for too long in this aggrieved era, Now in this small room, he didn't want to bear it any longer.

"Please pay attention to your words, sir. A witch is not a vampire's follower." Emily looked like she had been slapped hard, and after taking a deep breath, she continued with a much stiffer smile: " The point of this conversation is to get you to understand where you are, stop doing things that put you and your brother at risk, and get out while you have the chance."

This was already a blatant warning to Jason not to meddle in his own business. If he didn't leave now, he wouldn't be able to leave if he wanted to.

"Thank you for your warning, but the town of Mystic Falls helped us when we were most lonely and helpless. Our strength may be limited, but we go away and pretend that we don't know anything..." Jason didn't intend to tell Emily about the The blade of the big caste and the training of the Batman, he must have some cards hidden in his sleeves, "This is not our family tradition!"

Emily looked like she wanted to rush up and grab Jason by the shoulders and shake him wildly for a while, or even knock his head open to see if it was full of tofu.

"It's a very straightforward and admirable sentiment, but there are many things that can't be achieved only by blood, sir." Emily was still trying to get Jason back to reason, and patiently hinted that this was a little bit more masculine. It didn't matter, no one was going to make him a coward just because he left town.

The more important reason was that she had no way of guaranteeing how long she would be able to take care of the brothers. It was not like helping cast some small spells.When the townspeople mobilize to wipe out the vampires, Catherine is by no means the type to sit still.Emily didn't want to find out when she came to her senses that the brothers had their blood drained out of their bodies for saying the wrong things, seeing the wrong things--they weren't even residents of Mystic Falls, just To avoid disaster.

"I receive your kindness, ma'am." Jason bowed slightly to Emily. No matter what purpose she arranged for this meeting, Jason got a lot of useful information, "Our brothers They still have the ability to protect themselves."

"I've already said this, you can believe it or not, it's up to you." Emily seemed to give up, but she still added worryingly, "If it really happens, it will be hard to deal with it." In this situation, please be sure to follow up with the founding family of the town, they will protect you."

After finishing speaking, Emily got up and walked towards the door without waiting for Jason to respond.

"Wait!" Jason was the first to stop the maid who had reached out to the doorknob, and she half turned around to wait for what Jason would say next, "Assuming what you said is true, and You claim that witches are not allies of vampires, why would you become Catherine's maid?"

"It's... very complicated. To put it simply, I owe her a great favor." Emily's expression showed a trace of helplessness, "Besides, I'm black, female, have children, and I'm a witch. These conditions make I have no basis for bargaining."

After saying this, Emily left the lounge quickly without giving Jason another chance to stop her.Jason was left alone facing the black tea that had lost its temperature.Open the lid of the pot, apart from the black tea, the brown tea soup is also mixed with a few pieces of verbena.According to Jason's understanding, verbena is like poison to vampires. If humans ingest verbena, their blood will also harm vampires within a certain period of time. It can be said that it is a plant that completely restrains vampires.

Jason won't touch this pot of tea, but it does remind him that he should help Dick prepare some verbena to take with him, and drink more water soaked in verbena - he doesn't want to be the winner and die at the end Allies hypnotized by vampires.

Estimating that it had been about ten minutes since Emily left, Jason quietly left the lounge and walked around the corridor before returning to the banquet hall.It's still as lively here as it was when he just left. It seems that no one has noticed that Jason has been away for a while, which is good.

There was only one thing that Jason didn't quite understand——

That's why Dick was staring at him with the same gossip-like eyes that the little maid Emily had just sent to run errands?He didn't do anything okay!

Didn't he just go to have a private conversation with the witch hiding in the crowd... Oh, no!

"Little Wing, don't be shy about this kind of thing!" Dick said with an expression of "I understand, I understand everything".

Jason quickly found Emily's inconspicuous figure huddled in a corner among the many guests. The witch seemed to sense his gaze, and turned her head to show Jason a model smile, but Jason still understood The meaning behind that smile:

"Let you experience one percent of my old lady's headache during this time, you're welcome."

...damn witch.