If there was one thing Bruce hated, it was feeling helpless. It isn't nearly so bad back home where he had Terry to do the things he couldn't do for himself. But he is alone here and at the mercy of the creature lurking in the shadows of wherever they're being held. It frustrates him endlessly.

He turns when he hears Jason and crosses the small space to see him better in the darkness. He looked unharmed and that's a relief. At least he's a familiar face.

"Jason, right? Do you see a way out on your end?"

Bruce should have known it wasn't going to be that easy. If whatever had taken them could sneak up on them undetected, breaking free would be just as difficult. He cannot judge the distance between their cages and the ground below, so using gravity wasn't a safe option.

"Sit tight, then. I think we'll be here a while."

The cage sways as Bruce adjusts himself, resting his weight up against the bars. The floor is too far down to sit comfortably and he doubted he'd be able to haul himself back upright easily. Best to stay standing for now.

"Don't tell me you're surprised," Bruce says. It's more amused than chastising. In their line of work they'd seen quite a lot. Krampus seemed a little mundane in comparison.

Par for the course, except Bruce can't get them out of it. That's the worst part about all of this. In his prime, this wouldn't have felt so daunting. He would have had just the right gadget in his belt and they would have been out of here before Krampus could make another pass to rattle their cages. Just not anymore. He felt so utterly helpless. He can't even call Terry for help.

It's any wonder that dip in the Lazarus Pit had been so appealing, even if he knew it was ultimately a mistake. Best to get away from that line of thinking.

"Sounds like your Gotham isn't much different from mine."

Etraya just seemed to have its own brand of creeps and while Bruce was unwilling to part with his secrets, that didn't mean Jason had to stay locked down here forever.

"You should get out of here. Go find the others."

"I'm not exactly in a position to brute force this open, even if I'd come prepared."

He taps his cane against the bar for the effect of it. He's strong considering his age, but he's also 80 and his heart is weak. He normally wouldn't encourage this under any circumstances. Their anonymity is what keeps them alive and their loved ones safe.

But they're in unusual circumstances and that deserved consideration too.

"Trust me. Tell me a secret and go find the others."

Bruce remembers their first meeting. Remembers thinking Jason is exactly the kind of kid he would have taken in all those years ago. The exact kind of kid he'd have put in harm's way. Somewhere, some version of him had and if Jason's answer is any indication, it ended about as well for him as it had for Tim.

Who was he to ever recruit these children, like they were little tin soldiers? None of them deserved the danger being associated with him - with Batman - brought on them.

He's quiet.

Bruce knows what it must have cost to say those words. Because he could never bring himself to say them and it cost him the people he loved dearly. He never speaks to Dick or Tim and barely to Barbara and it's usually only because Terry is involved. He never told them he was proud of them. He only made more demands and made them feel like they were never good enough.

It sounds like there was a lot of tension in Jason's relationship with his Bruce and it doesn't surprise him. Not even a little.

"I'm sure you've given him good reason to be proud, Jason." He's turned away, but only briefly.

"And for whatever it's worth, I'm sorry for what happened to you."

Neither of his Robins had a particularly good ending to their tenures either. He and Dick had a falling out they never resolved and Tim...well it was better for Tim to leave after it was all said done. Bruce suspects Jason's wasn't a pleasant parting of ways either.

"Why surprising?" He can hazard guess, but rather have it confirmed.

The pause Bruce notes and decides whatever Jason is about to say is probably worse that what he imagined. He hears Jason's confession and the only real reaction Bruce has is the sound of his cane strike the floor of his cage. He knows sometimes it can't be helped. Tim shot the Joker before he could do anything to stop him and at that moment, he wasn't sure he would have.

Sometimes saving yourself is more important than making sure everyone gets out alive. Terry's first mission as Batman saw a man drown in a sinking vessel.

But it's never deliberate. It's always a consequence of something.

"Do you still?" Because if he does there may be a problem.

Bruce is...relieved? Or at least put at ease. There were contingencies for these kinds of situations, but Bruce had never wanted to use any of them.

At any rate, he had nothing more to say about it. As long as Jason is being truthful, and so far Bruce had no real reason to doubt him. Not yet.

"You should try your door. See if it opens."

What secrets could Bruce possibly have? Jason already knew the biggest one. The rest were too personal. Things that haunted him in his sleep and sometimes in his waking hours. Nothing he would want to burden someone else with if he could help it.

He doesn't say anything. Not for a while. But then he relents. "It's been almost 40 years since the Joker died. I thought the nightmare was over. Anyone that came after would never be what he was."

And for the most part, Bruce was right. Every rogue that rose up after his tenure and during Terry's had paled in comparison. It's why even after everything Bruce had wanted Terry to give the suit back. He didn't know if the Joker was an imposter or a clone, but it didn't matter. He was...Bruce didn't Terry to suffer the same way Tim had.

"I was wrong. He knew who I was and before I got here, he gassed me."