Okay, fair warning, a lot of Tim and Ra's relationship in this story is based off of my own headcanons. In the Red Robin comics (the first time the two of them really interact on a more personal level), Ra's and Tim mess around with each other like two geniuses might, but Ra's wanting Tim to be his successor is really just a background story arc, and Ra's pretty soon after just wants to kill Tim because he's a threat. In a lot of my works, their relationship is more complicated. Ra's sees Tim as someone to be won over to his side and is attracted to Tim's intellect (and may or may not be also attracted in other ways). Tim, on the other hand, sees Ra's as this creepy figure who randomly shows up to test him, sometimes flirts with him, and is someone that can't just be 'beaten' like other enemies. He's someone Tim has to just endure. This is all stuff I've made up, so if their interactions feel odd to you, that's why.

"Afternoon, detective."

This was the last thing Tim wanted to hear when he regained consciousness. If there was anything worse than waking up in an unfamiliar place, it would be waking up in an unfamiliar place next to the Head of the Demon.

"Fuck," Tim muttered as he came to, grinding his teeth. What better summed up his situation? His legs were bolted to the ground beneath him, and his arms were stretched behind him, chained to something far away. He was stuck kneeling, trying not to lean back onto his legs lest he further strain his already-taut shoulders. This whole situation was very 'fuck.' If there was anything worse than waking up in an unfamiliar place next to the Head of the Demon, it would be waking up physically restrained in an unfamiliar place next to the Head of the Demon.

Blinking a couple times, he lifted up his head, his eyes climbing up the body of the man in front of him. Silken sirwal, half-open changshan, rapier at his hip, high-collared Victorian-style cape—it was, like Ra's al Ghul himself, an amalgamation of cultures that complemented each other to form a distinctive yet unified look.

"Ra's," Tim said, staring into the man's Lazarus-green eyes without the pleasant smile he plastered on for most people.

Ra's al Ghul tilted his head to the side, almost endearingly, and smiled down at Tim. "It's been a while."

"Not long enough," Tim grumbled, loud enough for Ra's to hear. Ra's chuckled at this remark, shaking his head like he was watching a dog chasing its tail.

"Oh, Timothy, how I've missed you…"

Nope. Tim wasn't going to do this with him. Not today. "What happened to the girl who saw me get apprehended?"

Ra's grinned. "Oh, she and the boy are over there." He nodded to Tim's right.

The boy? What boy? Tim quickly followed Ra's directions, absolutely furious with the fact that he had failed to take in the rest of his surroundings when he'd first woken up. Standing with their backs to the cave's walls (Nanda Parbat, oh joy) and flanked by two assassins were two teenagers, both with wrists shackled in front of them and wearing nondescript tunics. In fact, Tim hadn't taken the time to look, but he knew that he himself was wearing something other than his pajamas, curtesy of the League of Assassins.

One of the teens was Aruna, and Tim was incredibly relieved to see that she didn't look like she had been injured. Her hair still wasn't up in its usual ponytail, just as it had been when she'd appeared on the staircase, meaning that about two-thirds of her face was covered by her thick mane. But both of her eyes were mostly visible through the mess, at least. She was staring right at Tim, and when their eyes met, she gave him a little wink without changing her stoic expression one bit.

And then there was the boy, this short, round-faced boy—wait a minute, Tim knew this boy. This was Neville from the D.A. Neville the Gryffindor. Neville, who looked like he wanted to cry. He couldn't seem to keep his attention on one thing, his eyes flitting between Tim, Ra's, and the various assassins posted around the room.

Tim turned back to Ra's. "Why's he here?"

"Apparently, he caught sight of one of my assassins from his tower window, so they had to make sure he wouldn't reveal what he'd seen to others."

"Sounds like your minions are losing their touch," Tim smirked.

"Oh, I made sure to eliminate the offender. There is no room for error in the League of Assassins."

Tim's shoulders flared up as he leaned forward, yanking at his chains. "What?" It was just one mistake! Surely that didn't warrant something like this. And this person would still be alive if it weren't for Tim. Their blood was on Tim's hands… Another one to add to the list, right?

Ra's watched him struggle, snickering. "Timothy, darling, I'm joking. She was injured from the fight, that's not something that warrants execution. If that was the case, I'd have run out of assassins a while ago. Did you genuinely think I was being serious?"

Tim relaxed begrudgingly, breaking eye contact with Ra's. "Ha, ha. Real funny, Ra's." If there was one thing worse than waking up physically restrained in an unfamiliar place next to the Head of the Demon, it was waking up physically restrained in an unfamiliar place next to the Head of the Demon who was in the mood to toy with your emotions.

"Can we go now? They're missing class right now." Tim nodded to his right. Neville looked between himself and Aruna as if to say, "Who, us?"

Wait, were they missing class? How long had Tim been out?

"No, I don't think I will," Ra's replied bluntly. "We have important matters to discuss."

"So let them go," Tim posited, "and you and I can have a nice, long chat."

Ra's grinned again, but this one was a little less pleasant and a little more menacing. "Oh, no. No, I think I'll keep them here with us." He approached Tim and squatted down so that they were almost at eye level.

Don't touch me, Tim thought to himself, don't make this weird, Ra's. Ra's, of course, took Tim's chin in his hand and forced it up so that they were eye-to-eye.

"If I know you, and I think I do (Tim rolled his eyes and tried to ignore how sick that statement made him feel), you respond quite well to my requests when there are lives potentially on the line." So Ra's was in a good mood but an 'I-get-what-I-want' mood. Not ideal, but better than the centuries-old man outright flirting with him.

"Fine," Tim snapped, yanking his chin out of the man's grasp. "What do you want?"

"I want," he started, standing back up and looking a little disappointed, but at what, Tim wasn't sure, "a game of chess, Detective."

Tim found himself entirely unsurprised when a figure clad in black approached them and placed in front of him a low table topped with a gilded wooden box. This had always been Ra's preferred social event and primary method of extracting information, after all.

Across from him, Ra's knelt down on a flat cushion, placed his rapier beside him, and opened the box, slowly unloading the chessmen from their velvet coffins. It was a new set, like always—Ra's was a collector of fine chess sets from around the world, and after seven hundred or so years, he had amassed a small army of figurines. This one was themed after an Indian sultanate, featuring officials riding on the backs of elephants and camels. The pawns, as usual, were foot soldiers, and the kings and queens (or, sultans and sultanas, he supposed) had the distinct honor of riding in their own personal houdahs. All ivory, all incredibly detailed.

It was a very nice set, all things considered.

"Black or white?" Ra's asked as he pulled the board from the bottom of the box.

"White," said Tim, even though it wasn't a question that really needed answering. Tim always played white, and Ra's always played black. It was supposed to symbolically reference their respective moral codes, apparently. In fact, Ra's played black against most of his opponents. The only times Ra's ever played white was against Bruce, and that was because Bruce basically owned the copyright to the color 'black.'

While Ra's placed the pieces down, Tim took the opportunity to check in on his classmates. Neville looked torn between being terrified and confused, a valid reaction to the Head of the Demon, in Tim's opinion; Aruna, however, looked as calm as ever, and she winked at Tim again. It was oddly comforting, her laidback attitude, something familiar enough to ground Tim in this horrible scenario he found himself.

"The stakes are these," began Ra's, and Tim let out an audible groan. Why did there always have to be stakes to their chess games? "If you win, I let you and your friends go at once. If I win, you all stay here until I am finished with you."

Tim rolled his eyes. "That's too vague, I don't accept."

"I never said you had a choice in the matter." The man placed down the final pawn on his own side.

"And stalemate?"

"You all stay here, same as if you lost."

"Oh, c'mon, what?" Tim shifted on his knees so that he could get a better look at the board. "Now that's just mean."

"A stalemate is as good as a failed game in my books." Ra's folded his hands in front of him, interlaced on the table. "And you, Detective, are the one person with whom I cannot tolerate failure."

"Lucky me…" he muttered.

"Now, I believe it is your move, Detective."

"Sure, sure—e4." Tim happily watched Ra's smile drop.

"Timothy," he said, "that is not a move."

"Okay then—Nh3."

Ra's placed his palms on the table and leaned over the board so that he was inches away from Tim's face. "Do not test me, Timothy. I will not hesitate to punish your friends for your poor behavior." Oh, how Tim enjoyed getting a rise out of Ra's. It was one of life's treasures.

But he was not planning on getting anyone hurt today, so he sighed, mumbled a very quiet, "Okay, boomer," and then announced, "Pawn to e4."

Ra's knelt back down, his entire demeanor changing. He was back to polite and playful. "That's more like it." He picked up Tim's pawn and placed it two squares forward.

"Pawn to e5," said Ra's, even though Tim could see him move his piece. Ra's was probably just trying to reiterate his hatred of algebraic notation.

"Knight to f3."

"Knight to c6."

"Bishop to b5."

"Pawn to a6."

Tim had just moved his bishop again when he remembered his game against Aruna in which his bishop had been passive-aggressively judging his moves. He briefly glanced over at her under the guise of checking to see if she and Neville were both all right. This time, when their eyes met, Tim winked back at her, an amazing idea forming in his mind.

Oh, I can't wait for Ra's to see this.

When Ra's finally moved his knight to f6, Tim tapped a finger on his right hand against his palm six times, and then he tapped his left palm six more times. After a good three seconds of contemplation, Tim castled, and it was back to Ra's.

"Knight to e4." Five taps on the right hand, four taps on the left hand.

"Pawn to d4." Four taps on the right, four on the left.

"Pawn to b5." Two taps, five taps.

"Bishop to b3." Two taps, three taps.

"Pawn to d5." Four taps, five taps.

A few minutes had passed since Tim had started his little experiment. Had Aruna caught on yet? It wasn't a particularly difficult code, and she was a Ravenclaw, so she should have been used to solving puzzles like the questions posed by the doorknocker at Ravenclaw Tower.

He had been watching her out of the corner of his eye after each of Ra's' moves, waiting for some sort of sign that she understood him. This time, while Tim scanned the board, he watched as Aruna quickly clenched and unclenched her fists twice, which, to anyone else, probably just looked like her trying to get feeling back into her numbing fingers. But if that wasn't a sign, he didn't know what was.

For the next minute, Tim continued to hold up the impression of him contemplating moves while he was actually watching for Aruna's sign. Every couple of seconds, he would glance off to his right and towards the ground, so that he was mimicking the eye movements of someone deep in thought. To anyone else in the room, it would look like Tim was just taking his time.

She started tapping her right finger against her leg. Four taps, pause, and then…another five taps with the same finger? And then she switched to her left hand and tapped five times.

Tim looked back at the board, his mind whirring as he tried to figure her out. Why three numbers? But he quickly recognized that e5 was a place that he could move to with either his pawn or his knight. Those first four taps must have been referencing the pawn in column d.

"Pawn to e5," he said and then watched Ra's to see if the man had figured him out.

But Ra's didn't so much as look up at Tim, only studied the board for a good ten seconds before announcing, "Bishop to e6."

Twenty seconds later, Tim received his next move. "Queen's Knight to d2."

Ra's moved the piece and then looked up at Tim and said, "Detective." Tim held his breath and patiently waited for Ra's to reveal his trick.

"I called you here for a specific reason," he continued casually, and Tim realized that he was actually just starting a conversation. The grift was still on.

"Funny," remarked Tim dryly. "You've never needed a reason to kidnap me before."

Ra's smiled, taking Tim's comment as a joke. "Well, this is a matter of great importance."

"If you start talking about me being your successor, I swear—"

"My Lazarus Pits are being targeted." He then added, "Knight to c5."

Tim snorted. "First of all, they're not your Lazarus Pits, and second of all, they're literal fountains of youth. Who isn't targeting them?"

"I believe," hissed Ra's, "that they are being targeted by the wizard disciples of Tom Riddle."

"Pawn to c3, and did you kidnap me because I'm going to a wizarding school? There are plenty of older and more experienced wizards out there who could probably help you better than I can."

Ra's raised an eyebrow. "Are you not at Hogwarts to specifically investigate Tom Riddle? That seemed to be where the evidence was pointing."

"No, I'm not." Tim stared at Ra's with narrowed eyes. What was he missing? "Who's Tom Riddle?"

Across the table, Ra's eyebrows skyrocketed, and he burst into harsh laughter, the cackle he liked to reserve for when he was tormenting Tim in one way or another.

"Detective, you didn't even know his name?" he wheezed, placing a hand on his chest like he was trying to literally catch his breath. "You're in far worse shape than I expected."

"Ra's…" warned Tim, speaking through clenched teeth. "Who is Tom Riddle?"

"Why, he's Voldemort, the Lord of Darkness." He picked up his pawn. "Pawn to d4."

From across the cave, Neville yelped, immediately slapping his hands over his mouth when everyone turned to him. Aruna stared at Ra's with furrowed eyebrows, the first real sign of emotion on her face since their arrival.

Tim, however, was far more composed in his response to this news.

"What?" he practically shrieked, yanking at his chains. "You know Voldemort's real name?" This was the kind of development Tim had been searching for in his case! Ra's grinned, obviously pleased to be seeing Tim so desperate. Tim, in his own defense, couldn't help it.

"Of course I do, Detective, the Demon spreads far and wide. Are you going to make your move?"

If Tim's hands were free, he'd be running them through his hair frustratedly. "Ra's, I—no—fine, Knight to g5—so Death Eaters have been searching for Lazarus Pits?"

"Is that what they call themselves?" Ra's chuckled, moving Tim's knight. "How childish."

"You're called the League of Assassins, I don't think you have room to argue."

"That's an arbitrary English translation of the name; it is far grander in Tamil." Tim would have to ask Damian about that because he didn't believe Ra's for a second.

"What else do you know about Voldemort?" Tim pressed the man.

But it seemed Tim's eagerness was amusing to Ra's, and the man smirked. "Answer my questions first, and I might answer yours. Pawn to c3." There was obviously no room for negotiation.

"Ask away," Tim grumbled, glancing over at Aruna. "Knight to e6."

"Why are these wizards in need of a Lazarus Pit?" This was what he had brought Tim here for. Truthfully, Tim had been thinking about this ever since Ra's mentioned it in the first place.

"How many Pits have they found?"

"Three."

"Which ones?"

Ra's smirked. "Nice try, Detective. Why on Earth would I tell you where my Lazarus Pits are."

Tim shrugged. "All right, then, I'll just take a wild guess. The one in Australia, one of the Pits in the Alps, and…Infinity Island…?" He continued to ramble, knowing that Ra's was watching him. When Ra's wanted a deduction from Tim, he never interrupted. "No, wait, you wouldn't be so composed if that was the case. You've stationed someone to protect that base. My money's on Lady Shiva. So, they've found two decommissioned Pits, and you either successfully protected the third, or it's also decommissioned." He took a deep breath. "That's all I've got right now."

Ra's looked at Tim with an apparent pride, which made Tim want to squirm. "Well done, Detective. Well done…" He trailed off, staring at Tim, and Tim really, really wished he was anywhere but here. Ra's was getting a little too pleasant.

"Keep going," he prompted Tim, sliding his piece across the board and capturing Tim's knight, all the while not taking his eyes off of Tim for a second. "Pawn to e6."

Clearing his throat, Tim closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to watch Ra's drool over him like he was an expensive car. "These are Voldemort's followers, so it's not for any single Death Eater's benefit. Voldemort wants a Lazarus Pit. He wants it…because…" Tim's eyes shot open, and he looked at Ra's. "Because his body is weak. He was resurrected, but that doesn't make him healthy. Like—like Jason." Tim nodded to himself. "And not only that, but he wants to stay alive. He wants immortality. Which is why you know him from before. He sought out the Lazarus Pits long before he died the first time."

"Precisely," said Ra's. "Perhaps you haven't lost your wit."

"I've answered your questions, now you answer mine," Tim said hastily. Anything to take the focus off of himself.

"Very well. You've earned it after all. But it's still your move."

"R-right." Three taps, three more taps. "Pawn to c3."

"I first crossed paths with Tom a little over fifty years ago—"

"How many years?" Tim interrupted. "Don't think you can be imprecise with me, Ra's."

Ra's smirked. "I wouldn't dare, Timothy. It was fifty-three years ago. He found his way into the caverns of one of the Swiss Lazarus Pits. Only a teenager, but his command of dark arcana was incredible, and it was greatly amplified by his proximity to the Lazarus waters. He was searching for immortality. I destroyed the Pit in retaliation. Better it be destroyed than be in the hands of such a threat to myself. Queen to d3."

That made sense. Ra's was incredibly protective of his big, glowing hot springs. "You said 'first.' When did you next meet?"

"Twenty-nine years ago, at the Pit in Australia. This time, he did not approach with guns a-blazing, but with two followers of his. It became quite clear early on why Tom was not so antagonistic this time; he was building an army, and he was here to recruit. He was quick to inform me that he had already attained immortality and no longer had any desire for the healing waters of a Lazarus Pit. Knowing both that the power of the Lazarus water was not permanent and that I had a certain…well…war on humanity, he offered me his secret to immortality and the spoils of the upcoming war if I was to join his cause.

"Obviously, I declined this offer. It is not the place of the Head of the Demon to be controlled. The Head of the Demon controls all."

Tim nodded, processing all of this at a rapid pace. "But he's somehow lost that immortality? So he's going back to the Lazarus Pits?"

"One does not lose immortality, Detective. One merely loses faith in their immortality." True. The only way someone could actually know they had lost their immortality would be if they died.

"Do you know what technique Voldemort was employing to be immortal?" He glanced off to the side. "Bishop to—"

"—c2?" Ra's sneered, raising an eyebrow at Tim. Oops. That was the 'you've-been-playing-me-and-I-will-not-accept-that' face. Looks like the jig is up.

"Please, don't patronize me, Timothy," the man drawled, standing up and heading towards—

"Don't you dare touch her, Ra's," hissed Tim, hurriedly feeling around his manacles to try and find a weak spot. "Or the other kid." Ra's turned around without breaking his stride so that he was now walking backwards.

"And what will you do if I do, Detective?" He spat out that last word with pure spite. Dammit, he's enjoying this, that bastard…!

Tim growled, "I'll reveal the locations of all known Lazarus Pits, active or decommissioned, to the other wizards. The good guys." He wasn't making much progress with his escape. These were some well-crafted manacles.

"That would be rather difficult to accomplish if you were stuck here for the next couple of months, now, would it?" The longest Ra's had held Tim captive in one place was three weeks when he was seventeen. He couldn't imagine what months of being around this man would do to his already fragile mental health. Tim bit his lip. Logically, Ra's had no reason to hurt either of them, right?

Neville stepped in front of Aruna and lifted his cuffed hands up to his chest. "If you want her, you'll have to go through me first." In response, Ra's lifted up a hand and snapped. The assassin next to Neville grabbed him around the waist and yanked him out of the way, the boy letting out a small yelp.

"I don't, actually," Ra's drawled, turning to Aruna. "And who might you be?"

Even though this was Aruna, Tim was still shocked by how composed she looked while face-to-face with arguably the world's smartest terrorist. She looked up at Ra's.

"Arundhati," she told him.

Ra's nodded and offered his hand. Aruna, however, did not accept this gesture, merely continued to stare at Ra's with her stoic expression. Tim let out a very soft snicker when Ra's wordlessly lowered his hand and walked back to the table, Aruna following close behind.

An assassin appeared with another cushion for Aruna and set it down on another side of the table.

"If Timothy is going to take directions from you," said Ra's, kneeling down on his side, "you might as well play me face-to-face."

Aruna took one glance at her pillow and then at Tim, and she walked over to him and sat down directly to Tim's right, ignoring the seat that had been set out for her completely. After Tim got over his momentary astonishment at this blatant refusal of her captor's directions, he twisted his head to look at her. She wasn't even kneeling seiza-like; she was on her butt with her legs drawn up to her chest.

She looked back at him, and the barest hint of a smile flitted across her face. She reached over and patted Tim's leg twice in a surprisingly tender gesture.

Ra's stared at Aruna for quite a while before returning his attention to the board.

"Queen to c3," he said.

Aruna took one look at the board and said, "Knight to b3," with the casual confidence of someone who had already won the game. She did not get up to move her piece but, like Tim, had Ra's move her piece for her.

"So, Arundhati, where are you from?" Ra's asked, effectively ending his conversation with Tim.

"Chhattisgarh. Where are you from?"

Ra's looked more than a little taken aback by his captive's nerve. "Ah. Well, I've been a nomad all my life. I think I was born somewhere on the Arabian Peninsula. Knight to b3."

"Bishop to b3," she immediately responded without batting an eye.

Ra's moved her piece, saying something in another language, some dialect of Hindi, if Tim had to guess. One of the many languages he was not fluent in. If only Bruce or Damian was here to translate.

"Tim and I are in the same House. We're friends," she replied in English. "Queen to g4."

"Ah," Ra's nodded, and then asked her something else.

"Tim does not lead a double life. No one does. We just chose to show certain sides of ourselves to others. Bishop to e6." She turned and smiled at Tim, who was shocked at how talkative she had become. Usually, she gave one or two-word answers to questions. But, right now, she was overexplaining things. Tim realized that she was speaking such that he could infer what questions were being asked of her. Why else would she deliberately be replying to Ra's in English? Tim felt a sudden surge of affection for his classmate.

Though Tim could tell that Ra's was also aware of this fact, that did not stop the man from continuing his line of questioning.

"I trust Tim," she told the man after his most recent question. "If he is lying to me, he has good reason. It is not my place to judge. Bishop to h6."

So she knows I've been lying to her, meaning that Cordelia and Purdie probably do as well, seeing as they seem to tell each other everything. And yet, they decided to keep quiet about it. Why would these people he barely knew be so willing to trust him? What had Tim done to earn that?

Ra's moved her bishop and then asked her something, moving his queen at the end.

"What forced us out of the castle was not Tim's lies," Aruna said patiently, "but the actions of his enemies. Neither Neville nor I blame him for your actions." The three at the table all looked to Neville on the sidelines, who nodded fiercely at Tim, giving him his silent support. "Bishop to g7."

Why are they so faithful in me? I don't deserve it.

Her answers did not seem to please Ra's. He was staring her down like she was a biological anomaly, a claim which Tim would support. Humans like Aruna, so bold and so unflappable, so silent and so self-assured, were uncommon in this world.

She shook her head at his next statement. "Our trust in Tim is not based on the stories he has spun about his past, but on the deeds he has performed in the present. Bishop to h8." She leaned over to Tim and whispered loudly, "He is trying to shake our faith in you. His arguments are weak."

Tim grinned, watching with no small amount of satisfaction as Ra's shoulders tensed up ever-so-slightly. It seemed Aruna had managed to get under Ra's skin, which was no small feat.

But the man composed himself quickly, as he was wont to do, and he said something to her in a low voice that actually made Aruna hesitate. She turned to Tim, looking concerned, and then back at Ra's, silent.

What did he tell her? What did he say about me?

"With people like you in his life," she started, placing a hand on his knee, "it does not surprise me that such tragedy might follow Tim as you say."

Tim bit his lip. So it was probably something about how everyone he had ever loved had been hurt by virtue of being close to him. For once, Tim agreed with Ra's.

But Aruna continued, "All true heroes are plagued by tragedy. It is a burden he bears for being so selfless. I would be more than willing to risk my safety to help support such a symbol of virtue as him." She then tacked on, "Bishop to f6."

Don't cry, don't cry, not in front of Ra's… How—why? Why was she so supportive of him? Surely, this was just because she didn't know about what happened to his parents or Steph or Kon or Darla or Bart… Surely, if she knew the extent of the tragedy he brought with him, she wouldn't be defensing him so fiercely…right…?

"Bishop to e7," Ra's countered. "Believe me, you will sing a different tune when you see the horrors he is capable of bringing upon you."

"No, I won't," she told him bluntly, and then added something in Hindi before switching back to English. "Bishop to e7."

Tim finally looked back at the board to see how things were going. He stifled a gasp. Aruna was winning. Ra's had backed himself into a corner, and things were just going downhill from there. Her king was protected by an iron wall, and she had two bishops clearing the way to victory.

"Queen to g4—"

"Bishop to g4," she said right away, just as he was finishing speaking. Tim snorted, watching Ra's reluctantly set his queen to the side. Oh, he was furious.

"King to e7," he replied, almost as quickly.

"Rook to e1."

"Pawn to c6."

"Pawn to f4."

Things were really speeding up, as though Ra's was trying to put on an air of confidence. It didn't fool Tim. It never fooled Tim. The man was losing, and he was trying to get this over with as fast as possible.

While the two exchanged blows on the chessboard, Tim took a moment to check in on Neville. The boy was focused on the chess match, grinning madly despite being flanked by armed assassins. Even he could tell that the victor had already been decided. Tim was glad to see that the boy was focused on something other than his present captivity.

"Pawn to b4."

"Bishop to d1."

"Pawn to a3."

"Pawn to g4."

"Oof." Tim winced. "Not doing so hot today, Ra's."

"Quiet, Timothy," he hissed, chin resting on folded hands as he surveyed the board. "Rook to d5."

"Rook to c4."

"Pawn to c5."

"King to e4."

"Ra's, you've bested the World's Greatest Detective in chess, but you can't beat a fifteen-year-old kid?" Tim added. He pretended to look genuinely concerned for the man.

"My patience is growing thin, Timothy," he growled through clenched teeth. "Rook to d8."

"Rook to c5." Aruna's face remained impassive amidst this banter.

"Oh, believe me, I can tell."

"Timothy, if you continue to speak out of turn, I will have no choice but to gag you like an obstreperous whore."

Though the threat was real, Tim had to stop himself from bursting out laughing. Seeing Ra's al Ghul, the Head of the Demon, lose his composure, was totally worth it. When his voice got all jerky like that and he started using complex words like 'obstreperous,' it was a sure sign that he was frustrated.

"Knight to e6," he spat out, placing the piece on the board a little more forcefully than necessary.

"Rook to d5."

"Rook to c8."

"Pawn to f5."

"Rook to c4." Ra's smirked at Tim, like the boy was supposed to be impressed with the fact that he had Aruna in check.

Tim grimaced like he was watching a video of someone embarrassing themselves. "Ouch." He looked at Ra's with the utmost pity. "I think you're about twelve moves too late to be trying for a comeback, Ra's."

In one swift motion, Ra's stood up, rounded the table, and grabbed Tim's jaw, yanking it forward and putting even more stress on Tim's poor shoulders.

"Give me one good reason why I should not cut off your tongue right now," Ra's hissed, slipping a dagger out from his sirwal and placing the tip of it under Tim's chin.

Tim would have probably panicked if Ra's had kidnapped him out of the blue, but since the man had a need for Tim's cooperation, Tim didn't particularly feel scared for his own life.

"Because it'd piss me off," Tim told him, careful not to move his head while he spoke, "and then I wouldn't want to work with you."

Ra's al Ghul narrowed his eyes, making an overly-obvious scene of looking over at Aruna.

"Then give me one good reason why I should not relieve your dear friend of her tongue right now."

When facing off against Ra's, confidence was key, so, even though Tim's heart had skipped a beat when Ra's had switched his target, he didn't back down.

"Well then I'd be super pissed," he admitted, "and you'll probably end up with another Istanbul situation on your hands." Ra's didn't want another dozen bases blown up, did he?

Ra's removed the dagger from Tim's chin, opting instead to yank the boy's head forward further, eliciting a small grunt from Tim as his shoulders protested their treatment.

"You are lucky that I still have use of you, Timothy," the man growled, his face only inches away from Tim's.

Before Tim could stop himself, he shot back, "I'm also lucky that you apparently suck at chess."

Ra's immediately released his hold on Tim, who leaned back to regain some feeling in his shoulders. He ducked his head down, waiting for the inevitable backhand to the face. However, after a couple seconds, it became clear that this was not happening. He looked back up to see an arm outstretched from his right, hand blocking his face.

"King to e3," said Aruna calmly.

For a moment, Ra's made no indication that he had heard her. But then, Tim watched through Aruna's fingers as the man silently backed away, kneeling back down on his cushion and moving her piece for her.

She only lowered her hand when Ra's announced, "Knight to c5."

The things Hogwarts students were capable of doing would never cease to amaze Tim. Finding out his secret identity, standing up to crime lords…what was next? Beating Cass in a one-on-one fight?

"Pawn to g5," she replied, folding her hands back on her lap.

Ra's stared intently at the board for a full minute before saying, "Rook to c1."

"Rook to d6."

Tim looked at the board now. Ra's wasn't actually in check, but Tim knew from one glance that this fight was over.

Ra's apparently recognized this as well, for the man wordlessly pinched his stained ivory elephant between two fingers and set it on its side.

"Well played, Miss Arundhati," he declared, extending his hand for a handshake like this was some official match.

Aruna made Ra's wait an uncomfortable amount of time before she got up out of her seat and returned the gesture, her other hand dangling uselessly below it.

"Well," Tim announced loudly, his own chains rattling as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other, "looks like it's time to head out, Ra's. I'd love to stay and chat, but we're on a pretty tight—"

"Now, now, Detective," Ra's interrupted as he began to pack the chess pieces away, "whatever do you mean by that?"

Tim tried to shrug, though the attempt was inevitably in vain. "Hey, you were the one who made up those stupid stakes before we started playing. You said you'd let us go right away if we won."

Ra's looked up at Tim with that fire in his eyes that indicated that he was enjoying this interaction far too much. "Ah." He nodded. "But that's not what I said, now, was it?"

Great, he's getting into semantics. I knew he'd pull something like this…

"I believe I said I would let you go if you won the match."

Of course, of course he'd turn it on me like that.

"But you did not win this match, Detective," Ra's continued. "I believe your friend Arundhati here was the one to make the final move."

Tim rolled his eyes. "Give me a break, Ra's, we both know that's bullshit."

"Timothy, you know how I feel about the usage of coarse language—"

"Fuck you, Ra's!" Tim spat, leaning forward as much as he could. "Just let them go already!"

"You know, Detective," he replied coolly, closing the lid of the gilded box, "I don't think I will."

"But that's not fair!" Everyone turned in surprise to see Neville take a step forward with clenched fists. "You're just making excuses!"

Ra's chuckled, standing up. "Oh, I'm willing to make any excuse that affords me time with my dear Timothy." He signaled to an assassin, who silently came over and grabbed Aruna's arm, forcing her to stand up.

"Now then," Ra's started, walking over to Tim and having the nerve to pat him on the head, "Let's see how much you've progressed in your training."

Ra's and his 'technicalities' always win in the end, that's how he gets you. You'll just have to wait and see what he has in store for Tim...

Also, I hear you all asking "how did you come up with an entire chess game for them to play?" and the answer is, I totally didn't, I just looked up logs from chess matches until I found one that suited the circumstances surrounding this scene.