Gunmetal looked between the other members of the Team. Cracking a bit of a smile, he raised his hand. "I think we should." He said. "GR and I got second chances, she deserves one too."
'Beast' looked back at the group with confusion, until Gunmetal mentioned second chances.
They were voting for Lily's freedom...
Robbie let out a faint chuckle, but it had some warmth to it. But nevertheless, he raised his hands as well. "I vote we focus on Swan." He added in. Superboy smirked to himself before raising his hand along with Kestrel.
The Boy Wonder smirked too before contacting Aqualad via comms, "We're all in agreement. We'll get whatever information we can get."
"Good work, all of you." Aqualad's voice sounded off to all members of the Team. "We'll see you when we can, Aqualad out."
'Beast' blinked, as if he hadn't expected any of them to agree, let alone all of them.
He was relieved never the less, and silently took a seat back down on the cot, even going as far as to let his Draconic features vanish again. "Where do you want me to start, then?" He questioned
"The beginning." Robin replied as he and the others sat down around 'Beast'. The younger male soon pulling up a holographic screen on his gauntlet. "I'm gonna need to record this, I'll blur out your face and disguise your voice if you want." He suggested.
"Erase this monster I've become, forgive me for all the damage done,"
He grimaced under his mask for several moments. "Yea.." 'Beast' nodded. "Please."
He had no intentions of trying to run from his past, but he didn't want to throw away his future either. Lily wasn't the only person that relied on him.
"..Erik Swan worked for the Beastkeeper for longer than I was in his care, far as I could tell. He was the moneyman. Transferred funds, took care of the bookkeeping, collected and distributed whatever bets were made on the fights. He'd also do shady work like pay off the cops, or invest in random businesses to act as a front for the fight rings and the holding cells for all the Beastkeeper's beasts." He began to explain.
"Two years ago, his daughter discovered what he was up to. The Beastkeeper doesn't like loose ends.. so.. he ordered me to kill her.."
An uneasy, cold silence filled the living room when listening to 'Beast' finally confess such secrets.
Robin continued on though, regardless.
"Do you know where her body is?"
He had a good guess that her body was laid to rest in a field, or worse... but, he needed to ask these questions. These are the types of questions Batman would ask...
"And I admit I don't want to change with it, and I admit I can't go on like this anymore,"
He took a long time to answer that question, looking lost in thought all the while. "Somewhere where Erik Swan wouldn't ever find her." He said finally. Carefully.
"There were always lots of rumors about the blood magick that the Beastkeeper used to keep us monsters in line.. If he had even a drop of your blood, then you were his slave for as long as he found a use for you. You couldn't refuse his command if you wanted to."
'Beast' continued on, moving away from the subject of where Ivory Swan was buried. "It was agony to be controlled like that, and trying to fight against it.. I grew up spending most days fighting for my life in his arenas, and I've never felt pain like that."
He sounded wounded just speaking of it.
"After... that night.. there wasn't anyone to contest Swan's word. Anyone who could have was either dead, or had fled to save their own asses. So he covered it all up. Pulled some strings to move some assets around, took as much money as he could before severing his ties with the accounts. Played the part of a sad parent who tragically lost his daughter anytime someone started asking questions..."
"But if I face my darkest days, will I finally make my peace?"
The white lenses of Robin's mask narrowed at the careful answer 'Beast' gave, but he didn't press on.
Not yet.
No, he let 'Beast' continue, finally getting the answered their mentors needed to close this two-year old case. "All the beings he captured, do you know what became of them?" The Boy Wonder soon asked.
"I'm begging for mercy, I'm only the monster you made me,"
"...I'd heard that some of them were supposed to be taken to be rehabilitated, but Swan pressured the officials to change their minds. Said that they were violent monsters that had to be.. 'put down', for the safety of Humanity.. Last I'd heard about it.. Swan's tantrum paid off.." He whispered sadly.
"The magickal creatures the Beastkeeper took were always young. Some of them he even hatched from stolen eggs. All we ever knew was those arenas.. I thought that everyone would finally have some piece once he was gone... but I'm the only one left. Eveyone I tried to save.. even their blood is on my hands.."
"Good luck killing me, 'cause I'm already, already dead inside..."
Robbie's out the door a full minute after 'Beast' gives his explanation, the door slamming shut a moment later. Kestrel sighed shakily, "I'll keep an eye on him." She whispered and quietly followed afterwards.
Superboy wasn't fairing much better, for he began pacing on the other end of the room, his hands curled into tight fists.
Robin was the only one who soldiered on. "... as important as this information is. Is there any concrete proof this happened? Paperwork? Files? Video? Audio clips?" 'Beast' may be telling the truth, but any jury wouldn't be able to come to a decision unless physical evidence was presented.
"How much can I take, when I know that it hurts you..?"
The one eye they could see from his broken mask narrowed. After a moment he sat up straighter, and motioned for Robin to pause the video.
Gunmetal, who had been glaring at the floor, arms crossed tightly and tears threatening to dampen his mask, looked up and frowned when 'Beast' motioned for Robin to stop.
What was he doing?
Robin paused at 'Beast's motion to stop recording, and the Boy Wonder did just that, soon making the screen vanish for a moment to properly face the older male.
"Whatever you're about to tell me, we need to be able to take this into court. Otherwise Swan is going to walk away a free man." He explained.
"How long can I wait, when I can't go on like this anymore?"
"I know. But before I can say anything else I need permission." 'Beast said gravely.
"..Permission from who?" Gunmetal asked after a few moments. 'Beast' paused for an even longer time. "..From a dead girl." He whispered. "She deserves a say in what happens next.."
"Mirror, mirror on the wall, I see you and my skin crawls..."
Robin looked at 'Beast' in confusion, talk to a dead girl? "You have a way to contact the dead...?" He muttered out in disbelief.
This world was filled Meta-Humans, Mutants, Aliens, Dragons, and all other manner of beings... but to actually contact ghosts- spirits- whatever the correct term was... that...
"The last thing I heard was you whispering goodbye, and then I heard you flatline,"
He seemed apprehensive suddenly. Torn over some decision. "Come on, man, you've told us this much already. No point in getting cold feet now." Gunmetal urged as gently as he could.
"..She wanted to be free just as much as I did.. and the only way to do that.. was to make the whole world think we were both dead.." He addmitted finally.
"The Beastkeeper wanted Ivory dead.. It was the only command I was ever strong enough to disobey. And I had to kill him to do it. We both almost died that night too..."
The Boy Wonder froze as everything clicked in place.
"Is that why all of Swan's buildings burned down?" He finally managed to get out. "She had someone do it for her?"
No wonder Swan was so paranoid it was Terrence Black coming back to haunt him, no, instead it was someone who was very much alive and held a very deep grudge against him.
"No, not gonna die tonight, we're gonna stand and fight forever,"
"..Not exactly." 'Beast' sighed remorsefully. "Ivory and I were hurt pretty bad that night.. The girl that's been burning Swan's properties found us. She saved our lives, and she's always been so warm and kind.."
There was suddenly a fond look in his eye. "She stuck Ivory's side like glue until she was back up to strength. But it wasn't until very long ago that she ever knew about my past.. or Ivory's.."
"..And she was so angry and sad for you that she her fire cranked up to full blast..." Gunmetal muttered out, now realizing what 'Beast' had meant before.
She was burning up empty buildings because she had more anger and magick than she knew what to do with..."
"Reaching up from the ground, but your hands are tied... "
"So what better way to kill two birds with one stone." Robin muttered under his breath in thought.
With such magick out of control, why not take advantage of it and use it to burn off some buildings of the man who ruined the lives of two people you cared about?
"Let it be enough to reach the truth that lies, across this new divide,"
"Okay, so you need Ivory's permission before you go telling the world she's alive, right?" Gunmetal refocused on the matter at hand.
"Yea.. anyone got a phone I could borrow?" 'Beast' asked. Gunmetal didn't waste a moment taking his phone from the side pocket of his pants and handed it to the red eyed male.
'Beast' nodded his thanks, stepping away from the group a bit to make the call.
Robin looked deep in thought, barely paying any mind as Kestrel and Robbie came back inside. Both paused at the expression on everyone's faces, more so when seeing 'Beast' on the phone.
"Did we miss something?" The masked brunette questioned. "Apparently Ivory Swan faked her death." Superboy regarded bluntly, earning a choked noise form Kestrel- and a wide eyed look from Robbie. Albeit the whites of his domino mask widened.