batmanschmatman | 016 [audio]

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016 [audio]

So, don't get me wrong, I appreciate that there hasn't been much mass murder and mayhem since we got back from port. Aside from all this politics stuff that I'm not getting into - by personal choice, I trust the rest of you who are actually more involved with the situation to be able to sort it out - I think it's pretty safe to say things have been pretty quiet, all things considered.

And that's fine. Seriously, I'm definitely not complaining about the apparent lack of horrible crisis situations with dozens of people dying or anything like that. Heck, I've even been kind of enjoying having some time to take it easy, I guess.

But it's the excessive down time I really can't figure out what to do with. I mean, sure, it's nice to have some time to relax and hang out in CES or watch movies or whatever, but I'm used to always having something to do with myself. And I don't just mean helping out an inmate or something, like a tangible case or something to work on. People to interview, places to stake out, paper work to file... I was basically living from one difficult case or catastrophe to the next, and without that everything's felt kind of... weird, these last couple days. I guess somewhere between being a cop and coming here I forgot how to just be used to having some free time to kill.

Anyone got any suggestions on how to cope until the next catastrophe?

[Private to Steph]

Sorry I skipped out on lessons without warning you about it. You up for some more practice later tonight?

[Private to Hayley]

This doesn't change anything.

[ooc: So this is an audio because Dick broke his nose. And it's sort of a funny/embarrassing story, the bruises are still really colorful/noticeable, and therefore no video for you, Barge. Infirmary folk would know it happened twoish days ago in CES while sparring with Costigan, who broke/fractured one of his ribs. IT WAS AN ACCIDENT. :| ]

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[Dick chuckled quietly, almost as if he was embarrassed, but not quite at the same time. He didn't back away or change his posture, still relaxed, his tone amicable.]

That's sweet of you, really. But I know how to handle them.

I mean, I'd be kind of a mess if I didn't.

[The last part was his attempt at lightening the mood. Of course, it was arguable how much of a mess he was already or anyways, but she didn't need to know that. Really, all things considered, Dick thought he was pretty well adjusted, even if there was stuff he still didn't want to talk about with anyone.]

[Ariadne watched him, his posture, anything for signs that something was amiss. Cobb, too, had seemed well-adjusted when she first met him. It was after going into his mind that she'd seen the full-on destruction happening within. She took another moment to consider, deciding that she would be keeping a close eye on Dick. He'd been dealing with these nightmares since he was a kid, so she supposed there was a chance that he did indeed have it under control, but she wasn't completely reassured. ]

You have someone you can talk to, right? [If not her, then someone else.] Tim? Steph?

[She didn't know that he'd just lost Hayley as a confidante.]

[Dick shrugged again. This was starting to get into weird territory, in that yeah, he definitely had a way to keep this sort of thing under control, he just... couldn't really do it while he was here. And seriously, he didn't see it as a big deal. So, he had nightmare sometimes. So what? Everyone did. It wasn't like he was in a bad place or anything because of it. And sure, some might argue that his method of "coping" with his parent's deaths wasn't exactly the best thing in the world to be doing, but Dick hadn't felt like that scared little kid in a very long time.]

It's really not a big deal, Ariadne. It happened when I was eight. I'm not gonna say I've moved on? Because yeah, it really sucks that it happened and I still miss them, but this doesn't define me. I came to terms with what happened a long time ago.

Besides, it's just a nightmare. It doesn't really mean anything.

[Ariadne debated relenting. He had his brother and, considering, he knew about Dick's parents. She nodded, a lingering doubt remaining in her mind, but other people knew of what happened. She would still continue to keep an eye on him, though. Quietly, the architect sat back down, nodding a little in being re-assured. If he wanted to change the topic, she'd allow it.]

[He went back to reshelving the books. This was one of the many reasons he didn't really like getting into this stuff with people. He didn't want anyone to pity him or judge him based on what had happened. It had sucked, yeah, but he'd done a lot of growing up since then, and he was more then capable of taking care of himself.]

Is everyone where you're from so interested in dreams?

[Ariadne offered a smile, wondering a little that maybe she'd overstepped a boundary in their still very new friendship, as it wasn't apparently obvious to her. On the same token, she couldn't risk exposing Arthur and Eames any more than she already had. However, she wondered if clamming up about it now would give the impression it was illegal, as so far she" only mentioned the fact that dreams are unstable the deeper the levels go. She'd not said anything about what dream sharing was mostly for and she didn't plan to either. So, she gave an answer that she thought would also imply the lack of an elaborate network of extractors. There were many thieves, architects, and extractors; she just hadn't seen any of them.]

No, just me.

[and the fact that she was easily worried by potential points of unraveling in Dick.]

[Dick chuckled softly at that, moving on from the bookshelf, retrieving a Gotham Knights hat from the coffee table, regarding it curiously for a minute before tossing it over on the bed. He sat down next to her on the couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table, looking around at the room a little pensively.]

I've been thinking about asking for a bigger place. I guess kind of didn't realize I'd be spending so much time in here.

[Ariadne smiled over at him, some excitement rising in her eyes.]

I could design it for you.

[She completely agreed with the need for a larger space when one would be spending a great number of hours in it, especially in the time of crisis. Already, she was considering a strong room of some kind, a space for emergency preparations, among others.]

[Dick chuckled again.] I was thinking of just asking for one of my old apartments or one of the penthouses or something [Because yes, Bruce owned more then one, although really they were more like safehouses when you really needed a nap and couldn't make it back to the manor.] but I guess if you needed another project to work on I'd be okay with looking over a few sketches.

[Of course, anything she did come up with would definitely have to be modified to accommodate his gear, and while he liked Ariadne, he wasn't planning on telling her about all that until he knew he could trust her, or until it became necessary to include her. The space they were currently in wasn't something from back home, which was what he had initially requested. After Blockbuster had destroyed his apartment building, he hadn't really had a permanent place to call home, and he didn't want to focus on the memories of what had happened to Bludhaven or just ask for his room at the manor or something.]

[Ariadne already had a few projects sitting on her drafting board back in her apartment: designing a dream level, failed sketches of the Barge, and now she would try to fit another one on top of it. She wouldn't feel it to be too much, and even would look forward to the model building.]

I'll come up with some sketches and if you don't like them, you can ask for one of your old apartments.

[She smiled wider at him.]

But you have to look at them.

[She wouldn't do the work for him to dismiss it after a glance.]

Sounds fair.

[The idea of creating something new that was a little more functional wasn't really a bad one, especially if there was another invasion situation or something. And besides, he still wasn't sure he wanted to ask for his old apartment in the 'haven or something, so if she was willing to give it a shot, well, why not?

He sat back a little farther on the couch, sighing softly, trying to resist the urge to rub at his nose.]

I know this is supposed to like, summon the wrath of the powers that be or something, but... I'm bored.

[Ariadne raised an eyebrow at his statement of being bored. She was pretty alright with not having a crisis every week, even if she did have a knack of getting knee deep in the hoopla.]

I thought you said you had your hands full.

[She's smiling though, not offended at all.]

Not right now I don't.

[He held up his hands as evidence.] See? [It was accompanied by a playful smirk.]

[Ariadne couldn't help but chuckle at that. It was true, Dick didn't have anything in his hands and she swatted his fingers lightly.]

Okay, so you don't.

[He chuckled quietly, looking over his hands before putting them back in his lap.] It's just weird, you know? I mean, like I said, this is way better then being in some kind of constant war zone or something, but I kind of miss having something to do with myself on a more regular basis.

[And once again, he was suddenly pretty enormously grateful to have the cop thing to fall back on as an excuse for missing crime fighting. He didn't really know how someone like Steph or Tim would explain away antsy-ness in this kind of setting.]

[Ariadne smiled wider at him, glad for the lightened mood in their conversation. She loved talking to him like this.]

There's the CES. Or you could swim laps in the pool.

[That was something she'd been considering, even with how busy she seemed with projects. Arthur ran, and she was half decent at swimming.]

Yeah, I've done that. Where do you think I broke my nose?

[Running and doing laps in a pool weren't really what he meant. He'd been doing all sorts of stuff to try and keep busy, to make sure he wasn't getting soft, but that wasn't enough. And it wasn't just an "I'm an adrenaline junkie" thing, it was a "I've been doing the same thing basically every night since I was thirteen" thing. It was weird not having a city to roam and people to protect. It was what he was good at.]

[If she knew, she would start designing him a dream level. But Eames would never approve and the architect knew she could never bring Dick into the dream. It was illegal on most parts, even if the Army used it for fighting simulations.]

My door's open for ex-cops who are bored too.

[Not that she had much interesting she could offer besides her company. Still, she eyed his broken nose again, recalling when she'd snapped the towel at his fingers earlier in the week. But she didn't think that a kiss on the nose would actually help it any.]

Be careful what you wish for Ariadne, I keep weird hours and apparently break people's ribs when I'm bored.

[Which was... actually one of the most arguably true things he'd said all night, even though he said it in that well practiced teasing deflection he was used to using if someone started getting too close to the truth.]

[Ariadne raised an eyebrow, pretty sure he wouldn't break her ribs.]

And here I thought you were pretty safe to hang around.

[She smiled brightly, the idea of kissing his nose growing in her mind.]

Here, hold still.

You'd be surprised.

[It was another "I'm teasing" thing, but at the same time? It was really true. Living this kind of lifestyle meant your friends and family were almost constantly in danger, even if they knew how to defend themselves, and he'd seen too many people get hurt or killed on the job. Throw in everything that had happened with Bludhaven and Slade and Blockbuster? And Dick might as well have a sign that said basically everything he touches gets ruined.

Still, he sat still, not really sure what she was planning on doing.]

[Ariadne took a breath and shifted so her feet her underneath her. The last person she'd touched this intimately was Fischer, to make sure he was alive, but this was different. The architect placed a hand on the side of his face, perhaps a little less than gently. And then, ever so carefully, pressed her lips to the bridge of his nose; she didn't want to hurt him after all. However, she didn't linger too close, sitting back on her heels.]

Did that help?

[Dick held still, still not really sure what she was doing, but not pulling away either. As she moved towards him, his mind flashed to Babs, and then to Hayley - who had just said him and Ariadne getting involved would be basically the worst thing ever, but she had tried to make him pick and didn't want him around anymore, she'd kicked him out when he tried to make things work - but then he was focused back on Ariadne. He didn't know what was happening but he didn't really care either. He was good with rolling with the punches.

Besides, the intimacy was nice. He liked this kind of thing, affection, and honestly kind of craved it - probably something a therapist would have a lot of fun with, diving into issues presented by not having a home life focused on affection and attention, if he ever bothered sitting down with one, which he wouldn't - and almost all too soon she was pulling away. He gave her a small smile.]

Yeah. Thanks.

[Ariadne hadn't been quite so sure about it, worrying that she had been stupid to think that kissing a broken nose was appropriate. The smile reassured her and she echoed it with her own as she shifted her weight, moving her shoes off his couch.]

Don't break my ribs.

[She didn't expect him to get violent but she still teased.

[He snickered appreciatively at the joke.] I'll see what I can do.

[And he let the conversation lapse into a fairly comfortable silence. He was still sort of confused about everything that had happened, and he wasn't sure how he was supposed to be feeling or doing about it, and right now, he was trying to mull things over without actually really thinking about it too much. It was complicated.]

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