Peaceful times always passed quickly. The next morning brought another busy day. When Schiller came downstairs, he found that the seats were almost entirely occupied by the Robins. They had all come yesterday to collect their equipment, spent the night resting here, and were preparing to set off shortly.
A change of gear really did make a difference. And these were not obsolete military supplies from the black market, but active-duty equipment from the Skrull Empire. The creations of a Mechanical Civilization possessed their own sense of ordered beauty. Though the Robins all had their differences, once they put on their new gear, they really did look somewhat like a professional armed force.
The workers of Crux II were no longer allowed to stay overnight outside, so not many people came in the morning. After breakfast, the Robins headed out. They chatted and laughed, and the center of their conversations was no longer entirely Batman. Instead, they talked about the new and interesting things they had discovered in space.
Schiller stood before the bar, watching their backs. He thought that perhaps Batman had gradually realized that if he wanted the birds to become independent, he first had to teach them how to fly. But without a sky vast enough, they could never soar freely.
Once, Earth had seemed large enough to them. It had many different kinds of cities, yet those cities were largely alike. After gaining their own independent nests, their lives had not changed much from before. They had merely switched to another city to be superheroes.
But they should have other paths besides that. They could remain at Batman's side and learn knowledge and skills, but they should also be able to pursue the mysteries of magic and explore Universal Truth in another way. They could become