tushanshu | 003 - Besides, by and large she was having a very good time.

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003 - Besides, by and large she was having a very good time.

[AUDIO, public. Una sounds as composed and friendly as ever, her cut-glass accent as reassuring as a BBC news anchor's.]

To those of you I've not met before—hello. My name's Una Persson. I'd like to canvass the foreigner population here with just a brief question—who here is familiar with time travel, in the world from which they come? I'll be quite transparent: it's something with which I'm very familiar, and I'm curious to know who else is as well. Should you prefer to discuss this face-to-face, I live in the Wood sector. [A pause.] And if you're familiar with the technology behind it, I'd be especially interested in hearing from you.

[TEXT, separate messages sent privately to Bruce Wayne and Dorian Gray, basic encryption. Subsequent to her conversation with Iorveth, after his fail!private post.]

You may recall that there was a name in my notes that I showed you. Do not speak it out loud and be very careful with whom you share it.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He might be a little disappointed. Engineering is part of it, but only part. At least some of it depends on the user's innate talent, and there's part of it that at least a few people contend is nothing short of magic. [A slight eye-roll at that.]

Magic.

[He is oh-so-skeptical sounding about that little tidbit.]

Magic is one of those things I still have trouble wrapping my head around. Despite-- [handwave.] everything.

Most of the time I prefer not to lose sight of Clarke's Law. Which I suppose applies in this case—although that hasn't stopped at least one person of my acquaintance from looking for a black goat every time something goes wrong.

[Miss Brunner is a pain in the arse like that.]

[Bruce laughs, shakes his head.]

Why goats, of all things?

Because some people just can't let go of black-magic clichés, I suppose.

[A wry, slightly embarrassed look.]

It's arguable that adventuring in time isn't good for one's sanity, in the long run.

Then why do it?

[No, he is legitimately curious about that.]

Mm. Well, to a certain extent, I have no choice. Some of us, once we're loose in time, find it impossible to stay anywhere permanently. [She shrugs.] Don't feel sorry for me. Truth is, I enjoy it, hazards and all. I don't do well unless I have problems to solve.

Solution-oriented.

[He shifts, folding his arms.]

What do you change? Since I assume that's the purpose of the entire operation.

Effecting change is only part of it. I have a weakness for revolutions and hopeless causes, and a distaste for authoritarians and fascists. That informs most of my decisions. [That self-deprecating look again.] But there's also research and exploration—I have colleagues with whom I share what I learn. And I also try to help people who get lost in Time.

[He tips his head, curious.]

Is it difficult for you, being here?

Ask me in another six months. Or another year, if we're here so long. For now? No. Not so long as I can find myself some trouble to wade into. I flatter myself that I'm off to a decent start.

[He's been here for ten, although not publicly, and his thoughts are instantly with Gotham. The city is his heart and soul, and this is the longest he's ever spent involuntarily away from it, unless you count the year he was lost to time, fighting his way back through the eons.

He wonders briefly if that makes he and Una kindred spirits, and one lip quirks up in a sardonic smile.]

I'd think so, with those diary pages of yours. I've got no head for danger, personally.

[He waves his hand airily, almost dismissively. After all, he ran away from the quakes that decimated Gotham some years ago.]

But it does seem to find my friends with some regularity. Remind me later to introduce you to Lois Lane.

[She grins.] I'm always glad to make new friends.

[And then her expression sobers.] About those diary pages. Be careful. I've learned that the name is one of those sorts of things that's not to be spoken aloud. I know that sounds decidedly fairy-tale, but I think I'd just as soon not tempt fate. Considering how many unlikely things have converged in this place.

I'll be careful, Una.

[And there's a sense of seriousness to the way he says that that suggests he's a little more used to the idea of being careful than a businessman strictly should be, and his smile is reassuring.]

[That's a relief, even if it does add to her hunch that there's more to Bruce than meets the eye.]

Good. I'd hate for a vicious supernatural entity to show up and trash or flat, or whatever it is that it's supposed to do.

[He snorts.]

Trust me, if that happens I'll make every effort to hide behind you as soon as humanly possible.

Your confidence in me is extremely flattering, Bruce.

[So amused.]

Well, you've given me no reason to feel otherwise.

[Flirting? Definitely.]

Well, hopefully I won't disappoint in the future.

[Also flirting.]

My dear lady, I don't think you know how to disappoint anyone.

[Which is in and of itself a dangerous thought, and Bruce... he knows himself well enough to recognize when someone is becoming a threat to him. Not through violence or danger, but through his own unnecessary closeness to them. And Una reminds him so very much of Sasha.

(With a self-flagellating sort of amusement, he wonders if he could hire her as a body guard, or if that's too much like nursing a dark cliche.)

Revealing who he was to Sasha was a way of keeping her at arm's length. Of guarding his heart, which is so much less vulnerable as Batman as it is as Bruce Wayne. It was a chess move. Letting her think she had come into the knowledge due to her own intelligence and savvy (and she was intelligent and savvy, that was the honest problem) rather than him simply planting evidence for her to find.

He pulled her in close, showed her the life, trained her, and then, between Luthor and David Cain, nearly lost everything.

He's the same age his father was when he died, and he's tired of losing things. But he's too set in his ways to change, and damnit, he knows it. So he simply lifts a hand to rub against his cheekbone and up under his eye on one side.]

I can't believe I've been so remiss in my manners. Are you interested in dinner?

[She ducks her head a little, smiles. There's a quality of an intricate dance to the way he talks to her—or perhaps more of a sleight of hand or an acrobatic trick—that she finds difficult to describe, and even more difficult to resist.]

Of course. I thought you'd never ask. [Teasing, lightly.]

I don't have much to offer, unfortunately. What are your feelings on stir-fry?

[It's easy enough that he's learned how to make it even in Alfred's absence.]

It sounds delightful. But you must promise to let me return the favour sometime.

You can always help. I'm all at sea when it comes to the kitchen. My butler would probably try to ground me if he ever showed up and saw what I've done with some of his famous recipes.

[He misses Alfred more than he even has words for. It's worse than the year the man took off to go exploring.]

[She makes a small tsk noise and shakes her head.]

Terrible. Now I feel positively obligated—though that's no hardship. [She grins.] Lead on. I'll see if I can keep you afloat.

003 - Besides, by and large she was having a very good time.

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