thoughtformed | (no subject)

...the Batverse?

[Jason can't believe what he's hearing.]

The man himself isn't here, but there've been a couple folks in and out from Gotham.

[Jason rubs his hand over his eyes and lets out a long, slow breath. The caffeine is finally kicking in because he's feeling some real emotion here, even if it's muted and distant. He- he'll deal with Batman later.]

Any Gotham folks here right now?

Couple of the sidekicks, I think. There's at least one guy who helps us rescue people when they get stuck in the TV.

[Jason frowns at Dave. It's probably better to just... not touch stuff like that last part, at least until he's got a better handle on everything.]

D'you know their names? Or what handles they're going by?

Red Robin? Like the burger joint.

[Jason shrugs casually, mind racing. Red Robin? What the fuck...]

Actually, I don't know him.

Okay, well, I'm not privy to the secret identities of anyone in that crowd. My affiliation's elsewhere.

Could you-?

[Jason tries to think of what exactly he wants to ask and scratches his head in frustration.]

What crowd? I'm imagining, like, roving bands of obnoxiously colored vigilantes playing Sharks and Jets. Could you giving me the big picture? Because I don't think I'm parsing this well at all.

Uh, sure--though you might want to talk to Miss Danvers for a clearer picture. I get everything mixed up sometimes since I'm not actually from a traditional superhero universe.

[He sits up straight and illustrates his words with his hands.]

There's a few different groups of superheroes from different worlds, and they're all loosely friendly and also generally pretty bored, since there's not usually much to fight around here unless something weird's going down. Which I guess I said is pretty regular, but you know. [He shrugs.] Mostly people tend to stick to the people they know from before they got here. Miss Danvers is basically in charge of The Avengers, and there's another group that I think the Batkids are with but I don't know much about them. There's others but since people come and go, membership fluctuates. Pretty sure everyone who likes to get their justice on is at least mildly chummy with our police. We actually have a few transplants on the force, so they're cool.

[He sits back again, crossing his ankle over the opposite knee.]

But it's usually pretty quiet, so the hero thing is kind of a part-time gig. Think slice of life, not action movie.

Batkids.

[What.]

Look, I'm sorry to get hung up on this but, who else is running around with Red Robin?

Jesus, uh. Whoever they are, they kind of keep to themselves, you know? The darkness that flaps in the night, et cetera. I just know he's somewhat involved with the police, at least sometimes, and he's been here at least as long as I have.

[Jason lets the surprise show on his face.]

And he hasn't escaped yet?

[Is this Red Robin guy even a real Bat? Well, he can figure that out later, what he really needs to know is...]

Actually, do you get any villainous types here? The guy I'm thinking of specifically has green hair, wears ugly ass purple suits and has a cackle like a hyena. And he's- he's a mass murderer.

That guy's definitely not here. For sure. If someone like that were, we'd stop him.

[He folds his arms on the table.]

For the most part, we don't get too many bad guys. Maybe the island's selective. But sometimes--you know the weird shit I said happens? Sometimes that changes people.

[Jason lets out a slow breath and swirls the dregs of his coffee. He doesn't remember drinking all of it.]

I almost wish he was here. I'd like to...

[Jason trails off. He doesn't know exactly what he wants.]

[Dave levels a measuring look at Jason, just tapping his fingers against the tabletop for a while. Finally, he drops his gaze.]

Nah. I get you.

[He remembers kneeling by Bro's body on John's bruise of a planet. He remembers how he'd said he wanted to go after Jack, even as he was terrified of someone who could do this to his hero. He remembers hearing how Jack was here, once, and the thrill of fear that had run through him even as his hand had tightened on the hilt of his sword.]

He isn't, though. If there are any badguys here right now, they're the kind that can keep a low profile for a long time.

[Jason lets out a small, humorless laugh.]

Yeah, 'low profile' definitely isn't his style.

[He pushes away the cup and pulls the hood of his sweatshirt back up.]

So... this got a little depressing. Sorry.

No big. Homeworld stuff usually is.

[He takes Jason's empty cup, aims for the nearest trash can, and whoosh. Nothin' but net. Or trash bag, in this case. Whatever.]

Feeling any more human?

Ehhhhhhhhhhhh.

[Jason makes a face.]

Close enough, probably. I mean, you did say you didn't want to see any exploding hearts, right? So I probably shouldn't get any refills.

Yeah, exploding is generally frowned on in most polite societies and I'm nothing if not the most mannerly of gentlemen.

[Dave stands and stretches.]

Want me to walk you to your next stop? Again, all the time in the world, my hours are not your hours, etc.

Was housing ever discussed or am I making shit up?

[Jason stands as well and has to make a clumsy grab for the edge of the table to keep from toppling over. Everything becomes dizzy, there's a brief rushing sound filling his ears and then-

The world swims back into focus. After giving it a moment to make sure he's not actually about to pass out, Jason gingerly lets go of the table. He lets out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.]

Ohhhhkay now I'm good.

[Dave watches him nervously until it's clear he's not going to keel over all of a sudden, then drops his hands.]

You sure, dude? 'Cause I mean, you can crash on my couch until you get your notification of housing but maybe I should call my bro for a lift instead of doing the pedestrian thing.

[Jason considers his options.]

Do you have a roommate and are they awful in any way?

I do but he's basically the chillest guy in existence. He didn't even blink when I came in the first time through the window.

Ugh, if I go to sleep now I'll sleep through the night.