Bruce saw Jason again on the top-floor balcony of a hotel in Washington D.C.
He wasn't wearing the Arkham Knight armor, nor was he wearing any mask or hood. He was simply dressed in a jacket as he opened the balcony door to Batman's hotel suite and came in with a gust of cold air.
At that moment, Bruce had just taken off his suit jacket and undone the buttons of his shirt, preparing to change into pajamas. He needed proper rest; tomorrow would be the real battle.
Jason stood by the window looking at him, then lowered his eyes and tossed a stack of documents onto the nearby sofa.
Bruce felt an overwhelming urge to walk over, but he restrained himself and stood beside the coat rack, watching Jason.
Jason lowered his head and said, "I told you I'm not sick."
But Bruce did not ask anything like, "Did the treatment not work?" Even without carefully examining him with Batman's observational skills, he could tell Jason was much better.
The youth placed his jacket over the arm of the sofa, then threw himself into the soft cushions. With one arm draped over the backrest, he turned to look at Bruce and said, "How much did you pay that Schiller guy?"
"At the very least, it was money well spent," Bruce said.
Jason understood the evasiveness behind that answer and merely stared at him. Bruce paused while undoing his cufflinks, then headed toward the adjoining bathroom. "I need to rest. The assistant will arrange a room for you next door."
It was not a particularly polite dismissal, yet Jason did not, unusually enough, snap out a furious challenge. He sat silently on the sofa, watching Bruce until Bruce turned away and vanished behind the screen at the bathroom entrance.
Bruce