tushanshu | voice post; anon location

Entry tags:

voice post; anon location

These

things are

still glitching, yeah? I

should repeat ever

ything four times

make sure

it gets

out, but that'd make

it take

four times longer

than

normal.

Voice post

cause somebody

thought it was a

good idea to

make me sit

through The Ring.

The static

creeps me out.

Everybo

dy see

how

Dumbass went and Mal

icent'ed up the joint?

Is there

something that

I never

got taught? Some rule

about

how when you

take

over you

have to

make the HQ

look

like an

evil

HQ? Interior Design

for Superv

illains 301. I mean. Seriously. Wi

th the black

and the spikes.

It's

like a vid

eo game.

Check

that.

It IS

a video

game. And I've played

about

17,000

versions

of it.

That's the

giant ass

dungeon

that you can't get into

until

you're leveled

. It's Bo

wser's Ca

stle.

It's

Ganon's Tower. It's

Ice

crown Citadel, and

I'm in

full 245s.

I know

where this is

gonna go. Can't miss

it, because

Dumbass made

it look

like Evil Vegas.

So we

walk

waltz or

storm or

sneak

into the

castle and

avoid

the lava

and the

fire and the falling

shit that's

always there. Always. Falling. Shit. Note to

self:

helmet. Get to the

throne room

and duke it

out,

only they take a

helicopter

or trap

door or

leap off the

balcony

because the

game's not

over yet.

Anybo

want to

catch

a cultist and fi

nd out where

the escape route

goes so

we can

cut

that one off?

Or they

tell us where

he really

is. Cause it ain't

under the

neon arrow

sign saying

"Evil Overlord Lives

Here." Don't

tell me

that

video games

aren't

educa

tio

nal.

Look. I

know you're

pissed. Maybe I deserve

it. That's

not even a real

maybe

. I already told you before

that I'm a

moron. So could you

at least spell

out what I did

wrong?

I kissed you. You

freaked.

You

kissed me,

and I

was still

stuck on the freaking?

But then you

act like it's fine and you

came back to

sleep over. I dunno what

I coulda

done different, but I

obviously did

something wrong so. I'm s

orry.

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[In retrospect, Hayley was pretty sure she had already known he was never married, but his love life wasn't something she exactly committed to memory. She offered him the costume as he held out his hand for it, then held up her own hands in a gesture of mock surrender.]

You're right. That's a terrible idea. [Waiting until marriage and hiding for so long. Then she dropped her hands.] Jason was a good friend of mine- sort of. I mean, not really? But we had a lot in common and.. I don't know, he just got me. It was cool. And please, that wasn't the first time I had a drink. Relax.

[She noted the correction about Batman, some part of her wondering why no one had corrected her before until she remembered: because it was Bart and who else would.] And okay, Batman. Whatever. I've seen him around, but he's ignoring me- Oh!

[She grinned unapologetically.] Remember that time I used your console and you all pissed off because you totally thought everyone would think we were like arguing or whatever? That was me arguing with him so he would meet me. The second time. It's a long story. The point is he's totally an asshole.

[When it came to Bart's powers, she paid much more attention. Hayley hadn't expected anything new after his whole preaching about being open and honest. She was right about everyone having their secrets.]

What are scouts? And what kind of vortexes? And wait, does the healing thing have to do with your increased metabolism or is that something else? Like how you can't be poisoned, right? Is that from the metabolism or from the healing power?

[There was no way to put the costume away slowly, as the chemical reaction depended on the energy of sped-up molecules. He clicked the ring shut and tried to think of things other than 'am I supposed to be jealous of Jason?' Because he almost was, and the almost was small enough to keep him quiet through everything she had to say.]

Drinking's over-rated. Doesn't work on me anyone - it's the metabolism thing. I dunno if it works on poison. I'm not about to take cyanide. Besides. The answer's probably no. I think if I got shot with a ricin pellet I'd die like anybody else. But medicines and stuff - I burn through'em too fast. It's all sped-up metabolism. I heal cuts and broken bones in no time for you, so long as they're clean. But messy stuff... I'm screwed worse than you are. Like when my knee got wrecked, it kept healing over in surgery. Healing's not really the right word though, because if it had stayed that way, forget running. Scabbing over. Scar tissue everywhere. They had to keep opening me back up to work.

[It's not fun to talk about, and more upsetting to remember it vividly, so Bart looks to the side and hesitantly touches on Batman some more. He's not in the habit of talking to anyone, here or home, about Batman if they aren't wearing bright colored armor or spandex. Too much thought required to watch his mouth.]

He was one of the ones that I was worried about, y'know, when I got mad. They all read into everything you say and do. Me, I've read all the psych books, but I can't do what they do. I didn't know how he'd take it.

[That's all he dared to say before abruptly moving to power applications. Metahuman talk distracted her.]

Air vortexes. Like how you get hit with a gust of wind when a train goes fast. I run in a circle, and it's like a tornado. It'll suck all the oxygen out if it's fast enough. Scouts are. Harder to explain. They're energy copies of me. They can time travel.

[Hayley doesn't even see the blur, only the closed ring on his finger as he shifts positions. She frowns at his comment on drinking, half opening her mouth to respond and then letting him go on his ramble about his metabolism and healing instead. It's more interesting than arguing morality. Again.

By the end of his explanation about his healing, she's actively frowning. He mentioned his knee getting shot and how it still bothers him. With an ability like that, there's no wonder. She wants to try to heal it with magic, but her doubts that it will work prevent her from moving.

She manages to follow his abrupt topic change, too happy to be distracted and yet not willing to ignore the previous topics.]

That.. sounds kind of awesome. The vortexes, I mean. The time traveling energy copies? It's.. well, like, I bet they'd be totally cool, but I'm having a hard time picturing them, so it kind of reminds of that one show Johnny Quest that I never actually watched, but it was on after Powerpuff Girls, so I always say the preview or commercials. It might not actually involve time travel. I don't know.

[The more time Hayley spends around Bart, the worse her rambling becomes. It's a problem, in a way. She's noticed the natural reaction she has of mirroring herself to whoever she's around and while that's fine and dandy with people like Bart and Kon, she worries it could easily be a problem if someone like Lex or Jason came back.]

Trust me, I know what Batman's like. I didn't exactly have a choice at the time.

[Her defensive nature wins out over her need to lead Bart away from questions she's unwilling to answer. Bart seems to be handling the Superman attack by ignoring it as a one-time incident rather than dealing with the fact that maybe that's who she is. She's not sure he could handle what Batman knows about Jeff.]

And I'm sorry about your knee. Super healing sounds pretty cool until things like that happen.

[Hayley tentatively reaches out, her hands hovering in the space between them for a split second before she wraps her arms around him in a hug. He's too good a guy to have dealt with most of things he has. Those things are better reserved for people like her, Kon, and Jason. Maybe she should be protecting him.]

[Bart hugged her back, unsure of the why behind it. He chalked it up to dating perks. Free hugs.]

Hey. You had nothing to do with that. Anyway, I keep telling you I'm awesome. It's like you need more proof or something. I don't get what's so hard to picture. They're like me. Just a little glowy and yellow.

[Bart sighed a little and gave serious consideration to making one appear. Nearly did, but he meant what he said. He didn't want to be more of a drain on the turtle than he already was. He could reconcile using his own speed - whether he physically went fast or not, he himself was always on high gear. But a scout was gratuitous.]

I know all the Bats are tough to track down when they don't want to be. Not that I've tried to find Batman, but Robin can vanish if he wants to. Guess who he learned that from. Next time at least try asking me to ask him? I know it can take longer, but I'd like to keep the number of 'bad guys' and bad-guy-related people to less than the number of fingers I have. It's getting close.

[He starts ticking them off on his fingers.] Maternal grandfather's a totalitarian dictator. Killed my dad. Maternal ancestor. Worst of the worst crazy pants. Both of them would kill me if they could. I went to school with a kid called Evil Eye - like that says nothing - and his father was the lamest rogue ever. Called himself the Transparent Weapon. His grandfather was a mad scientist. I'm not making this up. Ignoring the time I accidentally wound up joining White Lightning's gang. My clone killed me. My cousin's best friend, supposedly reformed, helped. Kon got brainwashed into attacking the Titans. Another teammate went nuts and kidnapped 20 of us. I was on a team with an alien mercenary, and. I dated Mota's daughter. I also hang out with Red Robin, who is every drop as paranoid as Bats is, believe me. I think it's starting to rub off, because I got way antsy when you were calling yourself a villain.

[Bart leaned in and rested his forehead against hers.] I don't think you're trouble. Might tease you about it, but you're not. I just think I hit quorum for how much trouble I can take. People already think I'm clueless. And don't say it's not about me. I know that too, so I'm not yelling. 'm explaining. That's why I flipped that day.

Edited 2014-05-10 05:06 (UTC)

What, you're awesome thus everything you do is flawless? Not how it works. [She teases, then sighs lightly.] And I don't mean literally picture- Well, I guess that too, but, I mean.. It's hard to believe. Time traveling energy.

[There's really no more to be said for it. It's too far outside of her scope of understanding to really accept immediately. Like Kon being a clone of Lex and Clark. Like Bart and Kon both having age complexities. She's still processing some of those things and likes to kind of ignore the others.

As Bart begins listing off villains, murdered family members, brainwashing, and paranoia, Hayley progressively tenses. She's considering withdrawing from him when he rests his forehead on hers and, for one very brief moment, she blocks out his words and revels in the security and rarity of the moment. She's happy.

Then reality comes flooding back in just as quickly and she pulls away from him entirely, wrapping her hands around the back of her neck with her elbows meeting in front of her. Hayley grimaces apologetically.]

I didn't know you knew Batman well enough to ask him anything. [She says quietly, offering no explanation for her sudden coldness. Then, seemingly spontaneous with a distinct change in tone, she asks:] What if I am a villain, Bart?

[The things he talks about, they call to mind what Jason told her about the inevitability of her killing and just how well she got along with Lex. She's terrified by the idea, almost as much as she's terrified of doing nothing.]

[The tight, constrained pose, with her elbows like barbs, warding him away. It was making him almost as anxious as she was.]

Do I know him well enough to guarantee you an answer? No. Do I know him well enough to get you whatever response a lot quicker than a vague post made to the whole network? Yeah.

[Having been in someone's walk-in pantry (someday he'll be rich and have a walk-in pantry) gives the statement a certain bravado. Besides. It would've given him more of her trust, if she had asked. He craves it, really; he doesn't need to be applauded constantly, but Bart likes to be liked. To be trusted and needed. He doesn't do well ignored in the corner.

Bart reached over, intending to pry her elbows apart and let his hands follow her forearms up until they either loosed her hands or slid between them and her neck. His hands wouldn't be gripping like that, unlike hers.]

One mistake doesn't make you a villain. You don't wake up one morning and say "I think I'll be evil now". It's about how you were raised and your moral code and your ideals and. I dunno. Probably where you fall on some sort of megalomania scale. Why are you so stuck on this? Who said something?

[Hayley's gaze fell to watch his hands on her arms. She didn't resist the movements, elbows relaxing outward with his encouragement. With his hands on her neck, she looked up again and gave him a small smile before moving her own hands to rest on his forearms instead.]

No one said anything. [She replied softly, her smile falling away to a frown again. With a small pout, she tugged gently down on his elbows, trying to bend them more in order to bring her closer to him as before. Her hands didn't move from his arms as her eyes dropped to his chest.] Okay, someone may have implied I'm going to grow up to be a monster no matter what I do because I'm already too far gone, but I don't believe them.

[There was something in her tone, the way her voice caught for a split second, that suggested it was something she was desperately trying not to believe, rather than something she knew she didn't. It was strange admitting to it aloud. She had told Kon of her fears of being a villain already, but not what had inspired them or the idea that she was too broken to ever fix.]

[There's a whisper of a smile on his face, in his tone. He lets her push his arms down, but didn't let go of her neck. The more she moved him, the more he moved her. ]

You're not gonna be a monster. Not while I'm around.

[Logic would say that the statement isn't particularly reassuring, as there's no guarantee that both of them will still be in the room when he blinks next. Bart is in the practice of ignoring logic whenever he thinks of her.

He slides a hand up into her hair and pulls her in the rest of the way, because he doesn't know how to argue this, really. It's obviously bugging her, if she's got to talk to Batman about it.]

You made a mistake. It's not a life sentence. Kal didn't press charges. You didn't even have bad motives. Whoever told you that's an idiot.

[She looks up at him and can't help smiling at the confidence in his expression. Bart can be so oblivious and dumb sometimes, accepting her as she is. Yet that's part of the reason he's gotten as close to her as he has, because he hasn't already given up like most would.

Hayley drops her hands to wrap around his waist when he pulls her closer. They're the kind of actions she almost views objectively, calculates as things she's seen in media and witnessed of her friends. At the same time, they feel good. Maybe she doesn't have to play a role with him.

She tucks her head up in the crook beneath his chin, turning it enough so she can continue talking to him.] Forget the attack, Bart. It's not about that. It's about Lex and Jason and what I was thinking about doing to try to get the stupid rock.

['Attacking Superman was a mistake,' she wants to say, 'but I don't know if it was a fluke.' Instead, she leaves it with the ambiguity. Hayley likes her relationship with Bart - as akin to navigating a mine field as it is - too much to risk it by admitting to her other actions, the ones that weren't mistakes at all.]

[Hayley makes him feel tall, and Bart enjoys the way she fits against him. He lets himself linger in that second, racing thoughts to stay in it for a hundred moments of her hair tickling his chin and how warm she is. She is one of the bright spots of Keeliai, for him, right now. Friendship, purpose, debate, and affection in one.

Which is why he hates to hear her willingly tarnish herself. She means too much to him. With the moment shattered by her words, Bart gears up to defend her to her, but he doesn't let go of her. The hand on her neck tightens for a moment, a physical flinch at the first name, but he relaxes it and lets it drift down into her back where that can't happen again. Where it can only press her closer.]

You're nothing like Lex. I know you got along with the one that was here. I didn't know him. I didn't want to. Maybe he was OK, but I'm not a good enough person to separate them in my mind. I could barely separate my cousin from the one from home. The one on my world sucked. Almost completely. The almost is only because I'd be down a friend if it weren't for him. But whatever you did for the K or wanted to or whatever you're dancing around. It's not on his level. He's not human.

[He wants to go on, to detail parts of Kon's life and how much of a fuck head he's seen Lex be, but he won't do that. Won't risk Kon or Supes hearing him from halfway across the shell. The animosity is fervent though. Maybe this Lex hadn't been pathetic. Hayley is still worth 10 of him.] You - you still didn't tell me who Jason is and how he fits into this. Since I'm not allowed to judge'im for the alcohol.

[Hayley enjoys the moment with him. The silence, the feeling of her head against his chest and his arms around her. Bart makes her feel normal in a way she wondered if she ever could be. It's something that she both loves and hates, which scares and delights her simultaneously. But that's all it is: a nice feeling. A selfish gluttony for the comfort he brings.

She tenses when his hand tightens ever so slightly on her neck. When his hand drifts to her back, her muscles remain tense. For once, however, she doesn't withdraw or even move his hand. Hayley stays there, stiff, with her arms still around him and her cheek on his chest.]

I know. [She doesn't believe the Lex she knew is as bad as the one they all hate, the one Kon was modeled after, but that's not an argument she feels like having right now. Instead, she simply agrees that she's not as bad as he is. Then she gives a small smile.] Why? You jealous?

[She tense more noticeably as a new thought emerges and pulls back just enough to look at him.] Jason was Tim's adopted brother.

[A beat.] I mean, he didn't really consider them his family after dying, but the point is- Well, he was the only one who said I could take whatever path I wanted after the whole murder thing, without telling me what I should be doing or treating me like a victim. He empowered me. And I liked that.

[Flustered by being caught, Bart shakes his head at the question. He knows that it's not in his right to be care about anything then went on before, oh, five minutes ago, but he can't help it. Can't help the heat that's creeping into his cheeks, either, and so he gave a single nod. Yes, he's jealous. He might as well not be a liar on top of it.]

I'm not perfect.

[He's really not, because somehow... he should have made the connection to Jason Todd. He was dimly aware that the man was here - hadn't Tim mentioned something about their Thanksgiving dinner? But Bart couldn't pick him out of a lineup properly, and they weren't acquainted. Given what Todd did to Tim at the tower, they could stay unacquainted forever.

Dammit. He hates another one of Hayley's friends. Hates him more now that he's hearing what the second Robin has been up to - giving alcohol to minors and basically telling her to do whatever she wanted. Bart can get behind not treating her like the victim. He's never done so intentionally. He hates it when people tell him what to do; that part is fine. But doing whatever - that's what she did, and that whatever lead to her attacking Superman. That's not an okay whatever. It wasn't even Superman's fault. He could understand going after Hannibal, but Evandau had already done that.

Part of the blame for what happened shifts over to Jason, permanently. The guy isn't exactly a hero anymore. Writing on the wall in Tim's blood is sorta deranged psycho territory. And he consoled her. Probably egged her on. Friends are supposed to reign you in.]

You could have just said Jason Todd. I know who he is. I didn't know you knew him, 's all. I'm OK with you feeling empowered.

[He actually is, despite his reservations about almost everything about it. He knows how resurrection feels. Whole and hale is wonderful, but it doesn't eliminate that feeling of. Violation. Bart is completely behind her befriending people with powers and learning magic, after going through that. There has to be a line, though. (Doesn't there?) He's not sure where the line should be, but attacking unrelated heroes like Superman - Robin, in Jason's case - is on the wrong side of it.]

Everybody - you've always got a choice. But Hayley...

[Bart has already told her that she was wrong to go after Kal. It's not that he's trying to rehash that, but he wants to refute this planted idea that anything is an option. The not-so funny thing is, he can't, and he's so used to being able to rail in righteousness that he doesn't know what to do. It's always there, at the back of his mind, what he'd do if Inertia wasn't dead.

What he tried to do that day, to supplant his death with that of his clone. Did it matter that he hadn't been able to finish it, if the intent was there? Bart closed his eyes and hugged her tighter.]

I'm sorry if I treated you like a victim. I didn't mean to.

[She smiles up at him with the shake of the head, blushing, and eventual admittance. Either Bart's already more attached than she would have guessed or he's the jealous type. The former is both exciting and frightening while the latter she suspects could lead to their ending before they even truly begin. Whatever that means.]

I don't want you to be perfect. [She replies sincerely, her smile almost admiring. Hayley leans up to give him a quick kiss before continuing.] I mean, as long as you realize I'm not going to stop hanging out with other guys, then I don't mind you being a little jealous.

[She can see the shift in him, though she doesn't entirely understand it. He's clearly upset with something and she has no idea what to say to make it better or set him at ease. She listens, watches, confused and uncomfortable with how out of her depth she suddenly feels all over again.

When his eyes slam closed and he pulls her more firmly against him, she knows she's done something wrong. Hayley wants to make it right, wants to make them go back to the light and carefree feelings of not long ago. It feels good in this place against him, but that feeling is tarnished knowing he's upset and she hates that she can't enjoy the moment.]

I forgot he was Tim's brother until just now. [She replies quietly, afraid of upsetting him again. Her arms tighten around him in reassurance as she continues.]

I didn't feel like I had a choice before I talked to him. Everyone made the decision for me. [A beat.] I told you about how I saw Hannibal, remember? How I had the chance to do whatever I wanted.. and I didn't do anything. I don't regret that. But I needed that choice. I chose not to do anything. No one made that choice for me.

[Saying it like that gives Hayley a small revelation of her own. It's an unintentional reassurance that she's not the villain Jason and Batman and others seemed convinced she'd be.]

Don't be upset, okay? Being treated like a victim isn't all bad. It's part of the reason people protected me and let me stay with them and taught me things and whatever. It was.. actually kind of how we met. But like, when everyone was trying to shelter me and find the killer for me and decide what I should do and where I should go.. It was too much. So I asked him to go out with me because I knew he was an asshole.

[She immediately rolls her eyes.] I mean, not out out. I asked him to have a drink with me and he refused. I had to talk him into it and even then he was an asshole, but it was.. cool, because everyone else was tiptoeing around it and acting like I was broken and he didn't.

[Hayley remains uncomfortable. Her feelings of being responsible for Bart's sudden change in mood haven't waned. If anything, she worries that her honesty is making it worse.]

Bart, it doesn't.. It doesn't matter. You get that, right? He's gone. I'm with you.

[She thinks she's what's upsetting him. Shoot. He had gotten too caught up in his thoughts, only paying enough attention to keep from completely losing the conversation.

He packs up the thoughts about himself, picturing it like he's duct taping them into a shoebox and locking them away in the cellar of his mind. Walled up like Fortunato. Like Montresor, Bart is getting off scott free. Hayley never saw the worst of him. That was good. The way she looked at him - like he was something - he didn't want to lose that.]

I'm not anymore. Jealous I mean. I was, and then I found out who it was. I got over it.

[He manages a decent smile and relaxes somewhat. Pride is a great salve. He knows he's a better person than Jason, no matter how dark his thoughts run. Besides, if his poor sense of Robin age math is right - given how old Tim and Dick are, Jason's way too old for her.]

I don't care if you have friends. Any sex. There are species with more than two. But you… I kinda wish I was the one who helped you feel better. That's why. Sometimes it's hard to not tiptoe. It cut too close to things that've happened before.

[Donna Troy. Kon. Hims- No, not thinking about that. Any of it.] And I'd want to shield you anyway. Doesn't have anything to do with you, but that does make it worse. I want to shield everybody. [There is a terrible sort of earnestness to this statement, which sounds light enough until the sincerity thickens his voice at the end, and it hangs in the air like a pledge.]

[She picks up on his mention of things that have happened before, wondering whether he means their previous arguments or situations from his own life. He told her about how he'd died before the first time they met. He'd also told her about his other identity, his powers. He had drawn her in from the beginning, even when she was too distracted to realize it.]

We didn't know each other then. [She frowns slightly.] You told me that you died before. I didn't know if you wanted to talk about it.- I still don't ask because I don't want to upset you. You were doing the same for me. If I wasn't okay with that, I wouldn't be here.

[Here with him. Here, in his arms. She looks up at him again, her frown pulling at one side to be less solemn and more skeptical.] You can't protect everyone, Bart. I know you want to, but people have to get hurt sometimes. I would way rather get murdered again than to never do anything dangerous. And yeah, sure, I'd rather someone saved me than actually dying, but that's the choice I'm making and the risk I'm willing to take.

It's like how you wear bright colors and yell at universe ending creepy shadow evil. I kind of wish you wouldn't? But you need to do dumb things to feel better. I guess we have that in common.

[Bart didn't want to answer at first - or at second thought, or at anything. They could just kiss or go get something to eat or anything but talking. If it wasn't her, he knows it would work. He doesn't know what works with her, but he expects questions all the time.]

I can try. [But he knows that it's impossible to save everyone and that you don't deserve a gold star for the effort. His head hangs down at the thought. He doesn't want to talk about people getting hurt or dying, especially Hayley dying again. His options are limited though, until he comes up with a new topic.] And it wasn't stupid. I had reasons. Feeling better was one of them.

You want to get something to eat? [Not all of his subject changes are brilliant, particularly when he's mentally wound up in a mantra of change-the-subject.]

Hey. [Hayley lifts a hand from around his back to snake its way up to his chin. She does her best to try to tilt it up somewhat. Bart isn't supposed to be the type to hang his head in disappointment or shame or whatever it is he's feeling. It makes her uncomfortable to see him look so defeated.

She rises up on the balls of her feet slowly, still pressed against him, until her lips meet his again. It's a longer kiss, more meaningful than any others they've shared today. When she withdraws just as slowly, Hayley offers him a smile.]

Thanks for trying to protect me. And yes, we can go get something to eat.

[Kissing him has, in some ways, already become a tool. When she doesn't know what to do but wants to make him feel better, she kisses him. It's not as if the action is unpleasant for her and she does like him, but it seems easier to respond with the simple gesture than try to puzzle out complex emotional thoughts and express them into words.]

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voice post; anon location

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