batmanschmatman | 035 [audio]

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035 [audio]

I guess that could have been worse.

Anyone up for doing something?

[Private to Tim]

So now I have a stuffed elephant in my room.

[Private to Wally]

You seriously didn't know I was seven years younger then you?

[Private to Hayley]

I know this is going to sound weird, but thanks for lying about knowing my dad. Seriously. It was really nice to hear.

[Private to Mal]

[Dick was seriously considering just... pretending all that didn't happen. But. He was raised to be polite.]

I just wanted to say thanks again.

[Private to Bruce]

[The feed clicks on to this song playing with maybe some Dick is thoroughly amused by how clever he is chuckling in the background.]

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Right now in the gym?

I'll be there.

Race you!

[ To be fair, she had a head start. Stephanie waits by the ping pong table, bouncing a ball with one arm while her other arm sits fully healed in its cast and sling. No need to advertise that she's been cheating on her healing process. The lack of a bruise on her face, that she can chalk up to youth. ]

Ready to get your butt handed to you by a girl with one arm?

[Dick sort of just wanders his way there, in no particular hurry. His ribs were still healing, but it had been a couple weeks and it no longer felt like someone was really stabbing him in the side whenever he took a breath, so he definitely wasn't complaining. He managed a sort of normal smile and picked up a paddle.]

Sure.

[ By now, she understands why he seems subdued. She does too, but she's done everything else on her to-do list and mostly she's just grateful that nobody has asked her about her dad. Probably because she hasn't posted on the network. She makes a mental note to wait until everything's blown over to do that as she serves. ]

I'm impressed with some of the inmates.

[Dick bats the ball back at her. It was almost impossible not to be good at something like ping pong when you did what they did.]

Anyone specifically, or just in general?

In general.

[ She plays a slower game than usual. Her reflexes are as good as ever, but she's not playing for thrills- she's playing for something to do.

And then she snorts. ]

Hoffman, actually.

[Dick's expression clouds a little, and the next swipe at the ball is maybe a little harder than it needs to be.]

Great.

Isn't it just? The one thing he's got going for him is he's good with kids.

[ She lunges a little to hit it back, but she hits too hard and it goes off the table. With a sigh, she waits for Dick to pick it up and serve it back. She's off her game. ]

At least now I don't have to worry about whatever prank the Admiral might pull for Father's Day.

[Dick doesn't say anything about Hoffman as he goes to retrieve the ball, bouncing it on the table once before serving it to Steph.]

What makes you say that?

[ She hits back, again, harder than necessary, but now she's got the aim to go with it. ]

Because the whole damn barge must know by now what a jackass he was. If heartfelt confessions come up, nobody will be surprised by 'I hate you'.

Considering people's backstories here? I don't think anyone would have been surprised anyway.

I just hate that I didn't have a choice in the matter.

In what, your family?

In showing people my past.

Half the barge-- hell, Hoffman even knows--

[ She's hitting harder now. ]

I haven't been afraid of him in a very, very long time.

[And he's keeping up, because she's right, this kind of sucked.]

Yeah, this one was kind of a real head trip.

I'm not sure what the inmates are supposed to have learned from all that.

I don't know, maybe some of them had never had to deal with kids before and figured out they could handle taking care of someone else pretty okay if they had to. That's sort of a big deal.

A lot of them didn't even try.

But the ones who did might have learned something.

I hope so, because I'm just about sick of these stupid floods.

[Dick somehow manages to shrug while hitting the ball back towards her.] It's part of the job.

[ Now she steps up her game, aiming for the corner of the table in the hopes that he'll trip up and miss it. ]

I liked my old job better.

[Dick frowns a little.] Well, can't blame you there.

So, are we still gonna do training at night? Because I'm not talking to Tim. I mean, I can train with him without talking to him, but I'm not talking to him.

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