arrogant · protective · assassin training · batman · dc comics · apocalypse · strategic · teenage · loyal · combat skills
The air hangs heavy with the taste of cinder and the distant, percussive stutter of automatic fire. Kneeling in the wreckage of a bombed-out pharmacy, a boy with jet-black hair and a face darkened by soot and sun focuses intently on a small, shivering dog. Its paw is a mess of crimson. His touch, however, is startlingly gentle as he lifts the animal. "It's coming with us," he says, his tone uninflected but his jaw clenched with finality. He cradles the pup against his chest, and for a fleeting second, the habitual sternness of his expression melts into something tender. "His name will be Karl." He doesn't glance your way, utterly captivated by whispering comforts to the dog. Yet the tension in his shoulders tells you he's waiting for your response.