[Video]

[wherethestoryis]

[What is visible of the room is obviously in Earth Sector, both from the décor and from the view out of the large, open window over Lois’ shoulder. As for Lois herself, she’s still somewhat damp and visibly grumpy about it. Her sigh is explosive as she runs a hand through her hair.]

Kidnapping, fine. Another day in my life. Alternate universes? They’re not so much my thing. I try to leave that to the heroes. Murder and mayhem are plenty for headlines.

[Lois rolls her eyes as she says the latter. Despite the few sentences, she manages to convey even more information, even subconsciously: her face and tone are expressive. Exasperation, impatience, and the voice of experience shine through. So too does her underlying concern, though. She is absently twisting some hair around a finger. Her engagement and wedding rings glint as she does.]

Lois Lane, Daily Planet, if anyone’s heard of it.

The last time I ran into an alternate world, at least it was someone’s… misguided attempt at a paradise. Nice enough place, but even that ended in a fight. One day I’d like to get a freaking vacation with one of these things.

[Pause.]

So… are there any competent newspapers around this place?

[So much for wanting a vacation.]

Comments

video; 99% batcryptions

[controlledvariable]

Oh, right, that. You're not too far behind me, then.

[Bruce is probably going to be mad at her for this, but-] I had some trouble during the Gotham gang war.

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[wherethestoryis]

...Oh. Right. That.

[Awkward Lois is awkward.] We were all-- it hit hard. I mean, it always does, [she lost Clark once] but...

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[controlledvariable]

It's okay. [Steph's smile is gentle, despite the fact this place seems keen on dragging it up, she doesn't want Lois to feel awkward.]

But uh, just to let you know who I am. I've talked to your husband a bit, he can probably fill you in.

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[wherethestoryis]

[That gentle smile makes it hurt a little more, but Lois pushes that aside.]

I'm sure he will. Does he know about all of this?

[She won't say 'Batman' or 'Bruce Wayne' without a little more indication of what Steph knows--but the emphasis makes it obvious it isn't Clark she's talking about.]

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[controlledvariable]

Depends what "this" is? [She saw Bruce respond to Lois, which makes life a little easier.] If you mean me talking to you, I'm afraid I don't have official clearance. [her expression conveys that she doesn't really fuss about that sort of thing.]

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[wherethestoryis]

[Lois' eyebrows go up, briefly.]

What I don't know, someone can't get out of me. But if Batman and Oracle relax enough to trust the reporter?

They're worse than Clark. [Her smile is whimsical.] And it took him long enough. I usually pry up to plausible deniability.

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[controlledvariable]

Bats is way worse than Oracle. [at least in Steph's opinion, since Bruce wouldn't even let her boyfriend tell her his name, while she was allowed to hang out with Oracle at the Clocktower.]

Anyway, I've always thought that whole "they can't get hurt if they don't know" routine was a bit of nonsense. [if someone's involved with a superhero, they're a target regardless of how much they know.

At least in Steph's experience.]

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[wherethestoryis]

He's had more years of becoming paranoid.

[Lois rolls her eyes a little.] Yeah, no kidding. Even though I'm married to Clark, people still use me to get to Superman. There was this time with Dracula--

But that's only part of it.

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[controlledvariable]

Wait, like, actual Dracula? [Focus, Brown, that isn't the important part] What's the other part?

[She could make a guess or two, but it's simpler to just ask, since she's not entirely sure]

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[wherethestoryis]

It was... complicated. [Lois sounds reluctant to talk about it, now that it's occurred to her.]

The other part is-- you know the phrase 'three can keep a secret if two of them are dead?'

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[controlledvariable]

I imagine it would be. [her tone is gentle, this is Steph's way of suggesting it's okay to not talk about it]

Yeah... [this is not quite where she thought it was going] Isn't that usually about like, the bad kind of secrets?

[poor wording, but Steph knows what she means; I Know What You Did Last Summer type secrets]

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[wherethestoryis]

[It was not the best time for Lois, or for her marriage. Best left unsaid.]

You think it's any less true for heroes' identities? With all the telepaths and Lassos of Truth and the like running around...

[Her lips thin for a moment at a memory.]

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[controlledvariable]

I guess. [Steph's expression is something between rueful and unsure] I mean like - I'm not trying to say everyone should go shouting their names from the rooftops, but...

[a shrug; she rubs the back of her neck] I'm a pretty good example of what happens when people don't have complete information. [she doubts Lois knows the specific details, but she's sure the other woman can guess it had something to do with the gang war.] I just think we sometimes focus too much on desperately keeping secrets instead of taking the time to actually weigh up the risks versus the benefits.

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[wherethestoryis]

[Lois' lips thin a little, and she looks away briefly. She doesn't have nightmares about Manchester Black anymore. It still took her longer than him to recover.]

How's this for risk versus benefit: if Joker knew who Oracle is. [That Joker-anything is bad news, but... Barbara.]

Besides, there's other forms of 'risk' besides life-threatening-danger.

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[controlledvariable]

He'd be dead. [the answer is so simple she doesn't have to think about it, doesn't even care that Bruce is probably watching. If Babs didn't kill him, Steph would.]

But I really don't think it's a 'one extreme or the other' type situation. There's a middle ground, and I don't think people put in enough effort to find it. Maybe I'm just biased. [hours of torture that could have been avoided had she known Bruce = Matches will do that to a girl]

I know there is.

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[wherethestoryis]

There probably are. And it's probably different in teams, where everyone has to work together.

[Like the League, which she knows has shared before--and, then again, she knows about Bruce. Not always the details of Gotham's crime-fighting force, but nonetheless...]

Admittedly, my angle on it is based entirely on paranoia not related to getting physically hurt. I leave that fretting to Smallville.

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[cowled]

Yes.

[And we have a deviation from the playboy demeanour, his expression is now closer to the usual hyper-focused, 'I am Vengeance/The Night/Etc' deal.]

It's fine, Lois, she's with me.

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[wherethestoryis]

Good to know.

[Even Lois doesn't usually get to see that Bat-mode expression outside the cowl.]

My sources in Gotham can't keep straight who works independently. I should really get new ones.

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[cowled]

[A Look.]

Is that a hint?

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[wherethestoryis]

If you'd rather I prove I don't need to make the hint, I'm happy to.

[She grins. Never let it be said she isn't arrogant.]

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[cowled]

Is that so.

[His tone is so very wry. Arrogance is a door that swings both ways, here. And while Lois is every inch the reporter that Vicki is, she doesn't have the same history that lead Vicki to learning his secrets. And Bruce gets a touch territorial about his secrets.

Still. This is Lois, and despite his knee-jerk reaction to having someone imply they can just ferret out vital information, he trusts her. If he's being perfectly honest, he probably trusts her more than any other non-League individual he didn't handpick for his line of work. Part of that, of course, is the measure of reliance he has on Clark.

But part of it's because Lois has proven herself. Maybe in less sturm und drang than your average vigilante, but she has earned his esteem in other ways.

He sighs. It's a... tolerant sound, all things considered.]

Tell Kent I'd like to speak with him later.

[He raises an eyebrow.]

And Lois? Welcome to Keeliai.

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[wherethestoryis]

[Lois looks visibly surprised for a moment. After all, this is Bruce; more to the point, this is Batman. Somehow, despite his having a larger adoptive family than Clark has ever had, she always finds the insular nature of the Gothamites striking. Bruce himself?

Fond as she is of him, he's compulsively paranoid. Justifiably, true, but nonetheless. And for all that she knows some of the most sensitive identities, for all that she shares Superman's life, she's still a civilian.

Knowing that as she does, though, she feels the weight of that trust.

Then again, she trusts Bruce with Clark's life. He's earned it, maybe more than anyone outside herself and Martha.

After a moment she nods, smiling sincerely.]

I will. Thanks, Bruce.

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[cowled]

Mm. Once you've had a chance to settle, come see me about some coffee.

[They've got some catching up to do. If nothing else, he'll tell her about Damian.]

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[wherethestoryis]

Will do. You get to buy.

['Get to.' She can't help it.]

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[cowled]

[It's a rare woman that can stand up to both Superman and Batman. Bruce's expression is dangerously close to a smile.]

Hn.

[Of course he'd buy the coffee what sort of barbarian do you think he is, Lois, honestly.]