001. video;
( A sleepy Steph starts up the video, yawning a little before she takes her thumb off the camera to reveal herself. She's not messy or sloppy or anything like that, just yawning. Her voice is very matter-of-fact and she nods occasionally as she speaks to confirm how right her point is. )
Y'know I think this place needs to give newbies a warmer welcome. Hotels give you like coffee and maybe a fruit basket? We need that, waiting in our suite for us. Maybe with a cute message card saying something like, "Welcome to our city, and oh, remember you're stuck here! Have a mocha on us!" It's common courtesy to give folks some kind of compensation.
( She pauses. She's forgetting something, isn't she... Oh, right! )
Oh yeah, I'm Stephanie. Or Steph. Probably not Stephie. ( Bad memories associated with that one. ) Aaaand I really want a mocha. That actually sounds really good right now. Nice to meet you and especially nice to meet you if you know about a Turtlebucks close to the Wood Sector.
( Confirm her secret identity in this place as an ordinary and hilarious college student? Check. She honestly is seriously thinking about her situation, but for now she doesn't want that to show through as Stephanie Brown. Gotta be safe and all. )
I think that's everything? Laters.
Y'know I think this place needs to give newbies a warmer welcome. Hotels give you like coffee and maybe a fruit basket? We need that, waiting in our suite for us. Maybe with a cute message card saying something like, "Welcome to our city, and oh, remember you're stuck here! Have a mocha on us!" It's common courtesy to give folks some kind of compensation.
( She pauses. She's forgetting something, isn't she... Oh, right! )
Oh yeah, I'm Stephanie. Or Steph. Probably not Stephie. ( Bad memories associated with that one. ) Aaaand I really want a mocha. That actually sounds really good right now. Nice to meet you and especially nice to meet you if you know about a Turtlebucks close to the Wood Sector.
( Confirm her secret identity in this place as an ordinary and hilarious college student? Check. She honestly is seriously thinking about her situation, but for now she doesn't want that to show through as Stephanie Brown. Gotta be safe and all. )
I think that's everything? Laters.
no subject
[Let's be real, it's probably going to be a window.
He gives her a wry smile at the question.]
Yeah, kind of. About eight months. It's been... interesting. We should catch up.
no subject
... Wow.
( Her head moves to the side, her hand clutching her forehead in thought. She moves some hair out of her face, and tries on a smile once more. )
Catch up, yeah.
My place or yours? You could show up in my window out of the blue for nostalgia points.
no subject
Maybe your place. I have company these days, and my window skills are getting rusty. [lol] Maybe I should get some practice.
video; batcrypted
( She grins back, more cheery than before. )
I'll be waiting, Boy Wonder. ( Ignore that he is no longer Boy Wonder for the sake of nostalgia points. Steph is going to score the most nostalgia points and no one can stop her. )
video; batcrypted
Then I guess I'd better be on my way. I hear it's rude to keep a lady waiting.
video → action; batcrypted
( She smiles back. )
See you soon, Tim.
( With that she signs off, and then opens up her window. She wouldn't close it on him, but she will give him a firm teasing about being late if she ends up with flies all around her suite. Sitting nearby, she waits for a familiar head to pop in any minute now... )
action;
See, you said that like you thought a closed window would actually be a deterrent to me. I think I'm disappointed. Or maybe offended.
action;
( Just seeing him there makes her smile. A ton of old memories are flooding back, good and bad, but she pushes them out of the way to focus on the now. The nostalgia meter's already been filled, after all. )
Come on in already. We've got a lot to catch up about, right?
action;
[He smiles and climbs the rest of the way in through the window, shutting it behind him--it wouldn't do to let those flies in, after all, right?]
It's nice to see you.
[Pause.]
Well, not nice, considering the circumstances, but... you know. Nice anyway.
[Wow, okay, yeah, he still has absolutely no idea how to talk. At all.]
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I would never!
( By now she's used to dealing with him. Tim being Tim is just... the way things are. She simply waves away his awkward babbling with a smile. )
I get what you mean, don't worry.
( She gestures to the couch she's sitting on. )
Wanna sit down? I don't know how you wanna start this whole catching up thing, but I think sitting down is some kind of a start.
action;
So when are you from?
action;
( Shrug. Time stuff. )
Basically, the last significant thing to happen to me was winding up in the hospital after some family bonding time with my dad. And then I got better and things were like normal - okay, our type of normal - aaand then I wound up here.
action;
[And the less said about his travels before that, the better.]
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... Tim, did you know that the other me?
Re: action;
Yeah. And she knew a different me that had been here before, too, so I get how complicated this is. How are you doing with is all?
action;
( Steph laughs weakly before looking away. )
I dunno how to feel about this, honestly... It's a lot to take in. I think, the other me's the hardest part for me. I looked at some of her old posts to the network and she's me, but... I'm not her. Does that make sense?
And then everyone wants her. I feel like I'm... I don't know, a disappointment or something. And it's not like it's something I can help, and I can't make these people happy, I can't be that Steph...
( A pause. )
Ugh, sorry for unloading this all on you. I guess I just felt like you were the only one I could talk to.
action;
Don't worry about it. I get it. There's a certain pressure to try to live up to people's expectations, but... You don't have to be anyone but yourself, Steph. Everyone else can just deal.
I don't think you'll be a disappointment to anyone.
[Even with all the... everything... She's Steph, and he'll always think she's kind of amazing.]
action;
Thanks, Tim. I'm... really glad you're here.
( Because out of all the people here, he's kind of the one who knows her best. )
action; omg, that icon. <3
I'm pretty glad you're here, too.
[He gives her a tiny grin.]
At the very least, now there's someone around to smack sense into me when I need it.
[Pause.]
Ideally not with a brick.