Shakespearean - JayTim - Camp NaNoWriMo - July 2017

Chapter 21 - Ultimatum

Jason didn't know what to think. Ra's had sent a car for him, and it was waiting outside his dorm building before he even hung up the phone. He'd taken a moment to make himself look a bit more presentable, knowing the high expectations of the man he was about to see. Jason then got in the car and allowed it to drive him away.

Having not heard directly from Ra's since he received the Wayne Scholarship, Jason was understandably caught off guard at the fact that Ra's had actually phoned him himself. Yes, Ra's was his mentor, but he was also an incredibly busy man. It wouldn't have been difficult to have an assistant call him, or to just have the driver of the car come up and get him. Something about that told him that this was a much bigger deal than the casual tone of Ra's' voice had suggested.

If he was being honest with himself, Jason knew that he was really more worried than anything else. What would have to happen for Ra's Al Ghul to call him out of the blue for a meeting, a meeting that hadn't seemed to be planned very far ahead of time. Ra's was a man of schedule, organization, and preparedness. Having an unplanned meeting was extremely out of character for him, and Jason wondered what kind of circumstances prompted a man like Ra's to deviate from his schedule.

When the car arrived at Ra's Al Ghul's mansion, something that could be called modest when one considered how rich he way, Jason reluctantly stepped out of the car. He was grateful to Ra's, and he was most certainly in the man's debt, but spending time with the man had always been... uncomfortable. He did not look forward to doing so now, but he forced himself to walk to the door. The only sign of his lack of confidence was a thick swallow as the driver opened the door to the mansion.

Walking in, Jason made his way to the library, where he knew Ra's would want to have their meeting. Sure enough, that's where Jason found him, sitting in a high back chair behind a desk by the windows. Taking a silent deep breath, Jason walked over and sat down in a chair opposite Ra's. "Good afternoon, sir."

Ra's looked up from a book, pretending to have not noticed Jason's arrival. "Ah, Jason. How are you doing today?"

Jason blinked. Ra's had done a lot for him, yes, but he'd never been one for pleasantries. This whole day was just a big bucket of weird. "I'm fine, sir. How have you been?"

Ra's was apparently done with the niceties, because he didn't answer the question. "How has school been doing? You mentioned in a letter that your favorite class was Mr. Kent's Journalism class, right?"

Nodding, Jason couldn't help but wonder where all of this was coming from. "Yes, sir. It's been the most challenging, but it's also right up my alley."

"Wonderful. And you've been getting to know Mr. Kent, right? As well as Bruce Wayne's family?"

"Yes, sir."

"Have you had the opportunity to thank Mr. Wayne for your scholarship?"

"Yes, sir, I have. I was over at his home for dinner a couple weeks ago, and I found a moment to thank him then."

"Is that the only time you've been over there for dinner, Jason?"

Jason narrowed his eyes slightly, confused by the game of cat and mouse. Ra's had usually been much more direct in their previous conversations. "No, sir. I've eaten there a few times a week for almost a month now."

Ra's nodded, and he suddenly looked very, very pleased. The almost maniacal grin made Jason extremely nervous, to say the least, and he wondered if he should start keeping some information to himself. "And have you had the opportunity to meet Damian?"

Jason's eyebrows wrinkled, revealing his obvious confusion. "Damian? As in, Damian Wayne?"

Ra's rolled his eyes. "Well, it was Damian Al Ghul." He exhaled harshly and looked away from Jason, fisting his hand tightly. "First Wayne had to own him with full custody, and then he had to own him with his surname. Typical."