Damian did not leave Dick's side as they unpacked in their own cabins. In Dick's opinion the rooms were gaudy and far too red for his taste. The gold trim paneling only seemed to bring out how dark the rooms felt. Thomas however seemed far more comfortable, already pouring himself a cup of brandy, watching as Dick and Damian unpacked some of the artwork they had brought along. Both Damian and Dick shared a deep interest in art. Thomas dismissed it as worthless and that the artists would amount to nothing, eyes fixed on Dick as he set a piece down. Harvey Dent was Thomas's right hand man, or perhaps body guard would be a more appropriate term. He stood near the boy doors, arms crossed and expression lax as he observed the rooms.
"They certainly wasted no expense." He noted and Thomas chuckled, sipping from his glass.
"It's certainly a beautiful ship." He conceded, offering Dent his own glass. The ship was far grander than Thomas had expected and he was pleasantly surprised by it. He had never expected to be the heir to the Wayne fortune but here he was, with his brother's son and ward and a future that seemed far too delightful for words.
"A ship worth a fortune I would presume." Harvey accepted the glass and Thomas hummed his approval. They watched as Damian and Dick moved around the room, Dick murmuring softly as he looked over the pieces of art he held. The boy was seventeen and still filled with such frivolous habits that both annoyed and endeared Thomas. He took a drink.
"You can't put a price on fine things, Dent. The most beautiful things in the world are priceless for a reason. A jewel or even a painting. Only a select few may ever be able to claim they lay a finger on them." He took another gulp from his glass, never looking away from Dick as he strode across the room, art in hand and expression soft.
Lunch that afternoon was a tense affair. Damian had managed to make himself scarce before even eating, telling Dick that he would be returning to the rooms as he was not feeling well. Thomas dismissed him, knowing that sitting with a bunch of adults all day was far too droll. Dick was tempted to join him but the pointed look Thomas shot him had him frozen in his seat. They had important guests with them after all. Lex Luthor had designed the ship and was now dining with them. He was a proud man, prematurely bald, but his eyes were glittering as he discussed the ship with the people at the table.
"She is the largest moving object made by man in history. Our master ship builder Master Wilson here designed her from the keel plates up." Luthor nodded to the man seated next to him. Dick's waning attention moved towards the man. Mr. Slade Wilson was a large imposing individual with prematurely grayed hair and an eyepatch that he had earned after losing his eye while in his youth. His smile was slow, he seemed half amused by Luthor's comments. He looked down for a moment as he considered his words.
"I may have brought her together, but the idea was Mr Luthor's. He envisioned a ship so grand and luxurious that it could never be challenged." He tapped the table with nimble fingers. "And here she is wielded into solid reality." There was chuckling around the table but Dick barely heard it. His own mind was wandering to places where he shouldn't think of. Was this all their was in life? The rich sitting around talking about how very rich they were? Was this going to be how things remained for now on? He had not been born into luxury. He had been brought into it by the hands of fate and now he felt trapped. Now he felt as if the walls were closing in on him. Dick barely noticed as the waiter appeared and Thomas ordered for them as he tended to do.
"We'll both have the lamb. Rare, with a little mint sauce." He turned from the waiter to look towards Richard. "You like lamb, right Richard?" He asked and Dick smiled tightly. There was a snort from across the table and Dick's eyes moved to the woman sitting across from them. She was a middle aged woman, around Bruce's age with dark brown hair and glittering dark eyes. She was what Thomas had called 'New Money'.
"You gonna cut the meat for him too, Thom?" Selina Kyle asked with a little laugh. Thomas offered her a tight smile. "So, who came up with the name Titanic? You, Lex?" Selina turned her attention to Mr. Luthor who set his glass down with a little smile, pleased to still be discussing the ship. It was something that had taken years to craft and now it was a reality.
"Yes, actually. I wanted to convey the sheer size. And size means stability, luxury... and safety-" Luthor drolled on and Dick could not stop himself from speaking up.
"Do you know of Dr. Freud? His ideas about the male preoccupation with size might be of particular interest to you, Mr. Ismay." Dick spoke up. Mr. Wilson couched out, trying to cover a laugh while Selina smiled wide. Dick heard Thomas release a harsh breath and lean in close.
"What has gotten into you? You would do well to remember your predicament Richard," He murmured, voice far too low for any of the other table occupants to hear. "I would loath to see you make a fool of yourself in front of all these fine people." His words came out as a thinly veiled threat and Dick looked away, holding his breath,
"Excuse me." Dick stood from the table and stalked out of the dining room, feeling Thomas's eyes locked onto his back.
Jason, Roy and Tim managed to find their cabins with ease. It was far less luxurious in the third class quarters but still comfortable. There were people everywhere, bumping into each other and trying to find where they would be staying. Roy had already been distracted by another third class passenger and Tim had to drag him down the hall away from the young woman who was smiling after him. The halls were narrow and stark white but very warm with all the people bustling around. Finally, Jason found their door and pushed it open with whoop of mirth.
"Home sweet home, boys." He called out, tossing his bag to the floor. Tim nabbed the top bunk before Roy or Jason could claim it, throwing himself down with a blissful little sigh. It was surreal to be able to say that they were here. One hour ago they were poor street rats that happened to take a bet, and now here they were. They were the luckiest sons of bitches in the world. After they had made themselves comfortable they decided to explore the lower decks and enjoy the open water. The ship was far larger than Jason could have ever imagined. It seemed to expand on and on, its own little world within the world. It was something out of a fairy tale and Jason had always enjoyed reading.
While Roy and Tim laughed and playfully wrestled a few feet away, Jason sat leaning forward, charcoal in hand and eyes intently watching the father and daughter pair overlooking the ocean. He barely looked away from the pair as he sketched them out, shading in the child's eyes with careful movement. The girl was smiling as he father pointed something out to her, face eager and curious as she followed her father's pointing finger. Jason moved to shade in the shape of her mouth, the grin she shot her father. Her father smiled back at her and Jason wished he could manage to capture the moment for all eternity.
"The ship's nice." Jason heard Tim muse from where he was standing. Tim was easily impressed by the ship. He had come from a poor family same as Roy and Jason and had lost them young. e was still young enough that he saw the world as full of opportunity. He had not yet reached Roy's level of pessimism and truth be told, Jason had still not reached it either.
"It's an Irish ship." Roy proudly stated, his grin wide. "Irish hands built this ship." Roy was Irish and proud. He never failed to remind Jason or Tim about this. Roy looked over towards Jason with a wry grin as he watched him draw. "I swear Jason, you could make a profit off your work." He noted. Jason snorted, looking away from the pair he was sketching to offer Roy a slow grin.
"I suppose having all the rich folk falling over themselves for my poor boy work would be a sight." He and Roy turned their heads to watch as what was obviously a first class man walk by with his leashed dog. Roy rolled his eyes, leaning against the ship railing, he took a cigarette out of his coat pocket and lit it up, blowing a puff of smoke into the afternoon air.
"Typical. First class brings their dogs to third class deck to take a shit." Roy muttered, watching as the man continued on. Jason snorted, shutting his sketching book and leaning against the railing to look at Roy properly. He squinted against the sun, wind harsh but comforting on his face. He nearly closed his eyes just to enjoy it. He was returning to America. He was going home.
"It reminds us of our places in the scheme of things." Jason offered Roy a wry grin that was easily returned. Tim settled down beside Jason, looking over the railing towards the water below. The wind whipped around his face, throwing his dark hair into a disarray. He didn't seem interested in what Jason and Roy were talking about, much more fascinated with the water below, watching as it lapped against the ship. He had never been on a boat before and this was far too exciting for him.
"Like we could forget." Roy snorted. He flicked his cigarette aside. He said something else but Jason's attention was ripped away by movement on from up above. A young man had walked out onto the upper deck, striding across to the railing. Jason watched transfixed as the man leaned against the metal bars, arms draped over them as he gazed out towards the open water. Roy turned to follow his gaze and when he spotted the young man he snorted, shaking his head and looking back at Jason in disbelief.
"Ahhh, Jason. Not this again," Roy sighed. Both he and Tim knew of Jason's preferences. They had known for sometime. Neither cared. Nothing changed between them. Still, it didn't help that Jason was gawking at another man out in the open. "You'd sooner have angels fly out of your ass before you get close to the likes of him." Jason barely heard him. The young man was beautiful. Dark wavy hair and eyes that even from this distance shown a bright blue that the sky envied. Tim waved his hand in front of Jason's face, laughing as the older boy didn't notice. The young man was staring out morosely at the open water. For a moment their eyes met and it was as if everything else had melted away. The voices, the people. It was just Jason and this young man, eyes locked. The moment was ruined however when an older man strode up behind the younger, taking his arm and pulling him back. Jason could not hear what was being said but the young man stalked back towards the ship while the elder watched him for a moment before following at a more leisurely stroll.
So an update! I mixed Tommy and Fabrizio's character with both Tim and Roy. Also I could not resist adding Slade and Selina to the mix!