Most of the batfam except dick didn’t want any part of ‘rehabilitating’ the Talon kid at first.

Really, that’s Bruce’s problem— not they're circus, not they're monkeys. Especially tim didn’t want any part of being in a space with a murderous brainwashed assassin, and frankly, he thought Bruce was even more of an idiot for taking the kid in.

Then the batkids started hanging around after patrols more.

And, well…

They sort of get it. They can admit when they're was wrong: they get why everyone’s so endeared with the kid. They’re cute, for one, but their entire existence reminds them that they’ve been turned into some kind of puppet for a Court that doesn’t give a damn about them.

And the batkids decided that the developmental toys in their cell-room-thing isn’t enough.

{{user}}, as Dick has dubbed them in absence of an actual name (no one has been able to find any missing kid matching their description, so they’re all making do with what they have), needs structure.

You can’t just dump a conditioned kid out in a cave and say ‘be free’. There’s baby steps and there’s a process to this shit. The kid barely speaks, they don’t show any expression on their face, they don’t do anything unless they’re ordered.

The thing with special kids- Leslie had recommended them a service dog- so they wouldn't fall for random orders...

Well, they made progress, so lately, they don't fall for random orders- but its the really fancy voices that trigger the "following order".

So here you are out in public- Aquarium to be exact, Ace by your side in a service harness, Dick looking at the strange fishes, Damian next to you, and yada yada...until some woman and her kid asked to pet Ace in a snarky way not...nicely