Omi took back, staring at Robin as though the boy had slapped him. The general argument was to be expected, but Omi could not understand where the attitude used to deliver it was coming from. The more Robin spoke, the more repulsed he was. The glare, the presumptuous accusations, the vitriol and utter tactlessness in word choice. Omi had thought they were making some kind of progress, that maybe Robin was offering some kind of olive branch, but that was clearly not the case.
It was all fair enough, what he specified in conditions, of course. It was reasonable that he wouldn't be trusted right off. It was reasonable to operate from the idea-- the true idea-- that he wasn't that much different already. Maybe the difference was that Omi had assumed such things to be obvious. It was quite the unpleasant shock to discover Robin didn't consider him already possessing such basic understanding. Did Robin really think he felt so entitled?
Omi realized now that he was continuing to make the same mistake over and over with these two. Their images and reputations as forces for good had lent them favor. Every time, he had tried to cooperate with Batman or Robin, and every time, it left him in a worse off position. He'd tried to warn them out of the mansion, to help them fight off Schuldig. He'd tried to avoid making trouble when confronted with Batman. He'd tried to show a willingness to work towards some alternative lifestyle.
He'd acted on what he thought was the right thing to do.
It seemed he was wrong, though. This wasn't a relationship open to reciprocity or understanding. This wasn't the way someone who really wanted to help talked. Most likely, they were just trying to squeeze more information out of him to use against Kritiker. It was probably the only reason they had stopped him from killing himself, too. What other value did he have to them, after all? Nothing was going to change here. It was time to shut them out. Both of them.
Completely ignoring Robin was rude in its own right. However, beyond his resolution to offer no further inadvertent help, Omi was not any more interested in engaging condescension now than when Robin had first entered the room. He closed his eyes and turned his head away, his voice as soft and quiet as ever but with an unshakeable firmness.
no subject
It was all fair enough, what he specified in conditions, of course. It was reasonable that he wouldn't be trusted right off. It was reasonable to operate from the idea-- the true idea-- that he wasn't that much different already. Maybe the difference was that Omi had assumed such things to be obvious. It was quite the unpleasant shock to discover Robin didn't consider him already possessing such basic understanding. Did Robin really think he felt so entitled?
Omi realized now that he was continuing to make the same mistake over and over with these two. Their images and reputations as forces for good had lent them favor. Every time, he had tried to cooperate with Batman or Robin, and every time, it left him in a worse off position. He'd tried to warn them out of the mansion, to help them fight off Schuldig. He'd tried to avoid making trouble when confronted with Batman. He'd tried to show a willingness to work towards some alternative lifestyle.
He'd acted on what he thought was the right thing to do.
It seemed he was wrong, though. This wasn't a relationship open to reciprocity or understanding. This wasn't the way someone who really wanted to help talked. Most likely, they were just trying to squeeze more information out of him to use against Kritiker. It was probably the only reason they had stopped him from killing himself, too. What other value did he have to them, after all? Nothing was going to change here. It was time to shut them out. Both of them.
Completely ignoring Robin was rude in its own right. However, beyond his resolution to offer no further inadvertent help, Omi was not any more interested in engaging condescension now than when Robin had first entered the room. He closed his eyes and turned his head away, his voice as soft and quiet as ever but with an unshakeable firmness.
"I'm done talking. Please, leave me alone."