I sat cross-legged, floating a couple feet above the ground, as I explain the situation to them. "And, um, that's about sums it up."
"You forgot the part where you don't know how to change back." Jason pipes up from where he's currently polishing his helmet a couple feet away.
"Oh right," I say sheepishly. "There's also that."
"It's like Noragami..." I hear Tim whisper to himself, his hand placed under his chin thoughtfully.
I stare at him wide eyed. "I was thinking the same thing!" I take his hands and start shaking them excitedly. "I just didn't know if you guys also had that anime in this dimension too!" Tim looks quite taken aback by my sudden outburst, but quickly relaxes and starts grinning with the same enthusiasm.
"The circumstances are really similar it's almost uncanny."
"I know, right?" I exclaim.
"Uh," Dick interrupts. "Do you mind filling in the rest of us what's going on?"
"Oh, right. Sorry." I let go of Tim's hands and start rambling about the summary of the show. "So while trying to save this guy, a girl gets hit by a bus-"
"Yeah, that's it." Jason interrupts as he stands up. "I tuned out as soon as you started talking about weeb shows." He starts stalking towards the elevator, helmet slung underneath one arm. "I'm out."
"Wait! Jay!" I start to say but the elevator doors open. With his back still to us, he flashes a peace sign as the doors close and he disappears from view.
"Hot damn! What's his problem!" I huff as I turn back towards everyone else. "I thought you guys were chill with each other?" Where the comics are now, Jason might be a lone wolf and not work with the rest of the family on missions, but at least he's on speaking terms with everyone.
"Jay's been like that ever since he got back." Dick replies with a frown. "He talked to Bruce once and hasn't been back to the mansion since."
"Wait. What? How far back are you guys in the timeline?"
"I don't know what you mean, but we can fill you in on everything that has been going on recently if that helps." Tim pipes up from where he is currently sitting at the Bat Computer.
"Yes please. I need to get a grip on what continuity we're in right now."
I hover patiently above the floor as they take turns and talk over each other trying to piece together their lives the best that they can. When they finish I just sit back in amazement and take it all in.
"Oh wow, your world is seriously messed up."
"How do you mean?" Tim asks.
"Well, it's not just one continuity," I say. "It sounds like it's just a bunch of the most popular ones all mashed into one. Like, Dick started Young Justice but then disbanded it after what happened to Wally, and then Tim started up the Teen Titans to take up the mantle or whatever. It's just totally not like any of the comics."
"And what does that mean exactly?" Damian ask, slightly bored.
"It means that I have no clue as to what's going to happen. I'm about as blind as to what the future holds as you guys are." I sigh. "I wish I could help you out by providing more information, but about all I'm good at now is spontaneously fainting," I say as I gesture over at my motionless body.
Dick comes over and places his hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry Vi, you're plenty usefull."
"Thanks Dicky," I say jokingly and crack a smile at him.
Tim laughs at us. "Since when have you two been on a nickname basis?"
"Awww, is someone jealous?" I ask and walk over to wrap him in a bear hug, lifting him slightly off the ground. "Don't worry Timbers, you can give me a nickname too." I laugh as I ruffle his hair, and he gives me a smile. Dick starts laughing too at my goofiness and Damian just looks on wide-eyed and slightly disgusted.
"Do you want a hug too Dami?" I ask with a laugh.
He narrows his eyes and crosses his arms. "-tt- Don't call me 'Dami.'" He hisses. "And you act as if I'm a child that needs to be coddled."
I interrupt him by patting him on the head and ruffling his hair a little. "I'm sorry Damian, I didn't mean anything by it. I know you still don't trust me and a hug might have stepped a little over the line."
I give him a gentle smile as he glares up at me. He swats my hand away from his head and turns on his heel. "I'm going to train," he grumbles as he stalks off.
I watch him stalk away and turn with shining eyes towards the other two. "I think I'm getting through to him!"
"Sure didn't look like that to me," Tim mutters. I just smile knowingly back in the direction the young boy went. He didn't try to kill or insult me! This is really a big step up in the Damian ladder of trust.
"So!" Dick claps his hands together breaking the silence. "Let's get to figuring out how to put Violet back in her body."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The three of us spent the better part of an hour trying every way we could think of to getting my soul back in my body. Of course, nothing worked. Like usual in my life.
Alfred called us up for dinner a couple minutes ago, so the three of us trudged to the elevator half-heartedly with Damian trailing behind us.
"I just don't understand why nothing is working!" Dick sighs, exasperated. "I was hoping to not have to involve Bruce because he has enough to worry about right now, but if this doesn't fix itself by tomorrow, we have to tell him."
All three of us sigh. I'm not particularly keen on being scrutinized by Bruce even more.
We all head to the kitchen. Alfred and the delicious smell of home-cooked chili greets us. "We're having chili tonight." Alfred says as we all eye the steaming pot on the stove hungrily. "Master Bruce is busy at work and I'm afraid he won't be able to join us tonight."
We nod as we all fill our bowls high with chili and cheese. Tim is the only one who puts on sour cream.
"Thank you Alfred!" we all chorus as we head into the dining room. As we head through the door adjacent to the kitchen, I notice Damian's bowl piled to the very brim with chili and have a thought.
"Hey Damian, I thought you were vegetarian?"
"I'm not as you can clearly see," he says in the most condescending voice motioning with his bowl, giving me a look like I'm clearly very stupid.
"Thanks," I mutter deadpan as I head into the dining room after the others. The room is completely silent when I enter as everyone stares at the figure that's halfway through the process of climbing out the window. Jason stares back at us with a whole baguette shoved in his mouth, unblinking.
"Hey guys," he says cautiously, muffled by the bread. "Nice evening isn't it?"
All three remaining Batboys walk slowly towards the table and silently place their bowls of chili down. Dick then turns calmly to Jason. "What do you think you're doing with Alfred's homecooked bread, Jason?" He asks, icily calm.
Jason's eyes widen as he realizes his mistake. "Oh shit." Is all he has time to get out before the rest of the boys pounce on him. They pull him out of the window and tackle him to the ground.
A flurry of "How could you?!" and "Alfred's home cooking is sacred!" and "Todd you bastard!" come from the dog pile on top of Jason. Meanwhile he's trying desperately to keep the bread out of reach of the others, and failing miserably.
One way or another, somehow, the baguette got flung straight out the window. But in what I can only describe as an act of God, it manages to land directly on the windowsill where everyone watches in horror as it teeters on the brink of the abyss. After two tense seconds, it stops and rests perfectly balanced, framed by the moonlight streaming through the window. The boys look at each other, and then the bread and sigh with relief. For one brief moment, everything is quiet as they collect themselves from the disaster that almost happened.
And then it is broken.
They all get glints in their eye as they scramble off the floor and reach for the bread. I see it almost in slow motion. The all reach for the golden, flaky, glutinous, prize at the same time. Their hands smack each other's as the bread slips through all of their grasps as falls out the window. "No!" Jason wails as he tries to grab for it as it falls, but to no avail.
All is quiet as the muffled thud of the bread is heard as it hits the ground. Jason's body hangs limp out the window, one arm outstretched, as if he's still trying to catch the bread.
Damian is the first to recover. "Nice going Todd," He seethes as he marches over to the table and glares at the older boy over his bowl of chili. Dick and Tim on the other hand, just head to the table crestfallen.
"Alfred's bread..." Tim says numbly as he stares into his chili.
Jason is still hanging out the window, so I set my chili down and walk over to him. I pat him on the back. "There, there," I try to console him.
He's quiet for a little bit. "My bread..." he mumbles with a sniff.
A/N - I don't know what this is, but here you go :P