batmanschmatman | 018 [audio]

[He chuckled a little awkwardly. He still wasn't planning on actually letting his guard down, but this was starting to wander into the "Gee Grayson, probably should have thought this through a little better" territory.]

It's just embarrassing.

[Ariadne tilted her head a little to the side. She really didn't want him to feel awkward or embarrassed, especially when she'd just thrown herself and him to dodge an invisible train. She tucked some hair behind her ear and asked:] More embarrassing then freaking out over something no one else can see?

[He shrugged, grinning at that. He would have preferred elaborating and saying that no, it wasn't embarrassing for her to act that way if the Barge was screwing around with her, but unfortunately his own new trick made it hard to elaborate.]

Maybe not. But you were freaked out. That's normal.

[Clipping his sentences was starting to get really annoying.]

[Ariadne stared at Dick quietly, trying to figure out what was going on. She could sense some of the frustration and annoyance, but felt like there was some kind of wall up between them. A guard that she hadn't seen before. Sure, she knew that she hadn't been overwhelmingly open and honest with him, but it was strange seeing it from him; the architect thought that he'd been pretty open with her up until this point.

She thought back to Eames's conversation. He had a trust system built in place to prevent his trust from being broken. The architect not so much. After all, she'd trusted Cobb, Arthur, and all of them within a moment's notice. Well, okay, Cobb had taken some time, considering the fact that his subconscious had stabbed her in the gut.

Maybe she could tell Dick. Maybe she could really, truly trust him. The rational side of her mind, though, reminded her that Eames had a 3-month system and she'd known Dick for a little over one.]

You can use... [she gestured to the notebook quietly.]

[Dick was used to lying to people on a regular basis, or at least not telling them the whole truth. And already on the Barge, there were almost too many people who knew already. Besides the people who'd known about Tim or Steph because they'd been here longer, apparently he was a better known figure in some universes, and people were putting it together too quickly. Not to mention he'd told Costigan, and that was... weird. He still didn't know if the inmate believed him, and it was still hard to shake the idea that knowing his identity could endanger the people he told, or prove to be something they could use against him, so for now, he was staying quiet. It was hard, and he felt kind of like a jerk, but in his mind it was necessary and something he was actually used to.

He squeezed her hand gently before picking up the notebook again.]

Thanks.

[He scribbled down his next questions before holding it up to show her.]

You're sure you're okay? Do you need me to get you Batanything?

[Ariadne waited for his decision quietly, wondering if he would pick up the notebook or if he would speak with her plainly. She kept her gaze fixed on him and when he squeezed her hand, the architect smiled and nodded. It was okay. When he held up the notebook, she reached out for the pen with a yet brighter smile.]

[He raised an eyebrow wondering what she was up to, but handed the pen and notebook over without complaint, laughing quietly. He was willing to play along so long as she was.]

[Ariadne accepted the pen and wrote neatly, in her usual all caps, considering she was an architecture students. Her handwriting was almost completely without ornament and feminine flourishes.]

I'm okay. Really. I might have some trouble sleeping tonight is all.

[And held out the notebook for him.]

[He shrugged, nodding, taking back the pen and notebook back to write his own response.]

Holy insomnia, I think that's fair. Do you need me to do Batanything?

[He wasn't really sure there would be anything he could do, but he wanted to offer. Having something productive to do and help someone else out was what gave him focus, and he was sort of lacking in that at the moment, outside of dropping off some ibuprofen to his echolocating inmate.]

[Ariadne looked at the notebook and considered his question. She knew she had bags sitting in the kitchen and those doubts still remained. She reached for the notebook and pen, a question in her expression.]

[He handed them over again, patiently waiting for her response, still sort of hoping there was something he could do that wasn't just sitting here. Admittedly, sitting here was fine, and since he wasn't sure when she'd see another train, it probably was better they stayed put, but if she wanted to head out for a walk on deck or in the CES or something, he wasn't going to say no.]

[Ariadne smiled widely at him for a moment before writing:] I have a few more sketches.

[And handed the notebook back over before getting to her feet. This was pretty fun, surprisingly, and considering she had a TV in her room, the thought of simply hanging out kept strong in her mind.]

Okay. Sounds good.

[He picked up the notebook and pen, and once again sat on the couch, waiting for her to come back with the sketches. He still really wished the flood would hurry up and just end already, but apparently the writing back and forth thing was working pretty okay, since she wasn't freaking out again.]

[Ariadne moved over to her drafting board and picked up her sketches. They were stapled together as she followed him back over to the couch, sitting a little closer than typical conversation distance. She had a (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/wildmushroom/POTENTIAL1.gif) few (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/wildmushroom/POTENTIAL2-2.gif) different (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/wildmushroom/potential3.gif) designs (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/wildmushroom/potential4.gif) for him to look at.]

With a strong room, it would be protected by a combination or whatever you decide. It could be used for crisis or as a conference room for wardens if needed. Basically a place where no one but who you invite could get to.

[He didn't mind the proximity, in fact, scooting a little closer to her to look over the designs. They were pretty good, practical without being too small or too Spartan, and he stopped at the fourth one, brow furrowed slightly as he thought about it. He'd definitely have to make some modifications to accommodate his gear without her knowing about it, add in extra security and stuff like that, but the basic layout was pretty solid.

He smiled, tapping his index finger on the layout.]

I like it. Thanks. Seriously.

[Ariadne smiled widely at him, but didn't feel the need to boast or brag. She nodded quietly and looked up at him. He was sitting so close to her; the architect definitely, definitely liked him. A lot. But she waited quietly for him to make some kind of move. Plus, he liked one of the designs, what wasn't there to smile about?]

And with how regular crisises occur here, I'm sure you'll get good use out of it.

[He laughed softly, looking up from the designs for a moment to grin back at her. He was still thinking about the necessary improvements that would have to be made, and wondering how far he could reasonably take it when it came to constructing his own mini fortress. He responsibly shouldn't bring along the whole Batcave or anything, but there was probably some extra equipment he could request.

Unfortunately, this focusing on plans meant he was pretty oblivious to her waiting on him to make a move. Get him focused on something, and he could be pretty oblivious when he wanted to be.]

Probably. Does seem to happen a lot.

[Ariadne nodded, getting back into the professional mindset. She had, luckily enough, grabbed a pencil while at her desk and reached out for the design.]

It can be moved around too. Rooms don't have to stay as they look here.

[But she couldn't quite ignore how close he was to her; it lingered in the back of her mind.]

[He handed it over, watching patiently, still not really noticing or picking up on the closeness potentially being an issue or something to pay much attention to. He didn't elaborate or ask anything, still a little worried about the word vomit, and honestly he was okay with sitting quietly listening from time to time, even if he was generally pretty talkative.]

[Ariadne accepted the design and quickly began her work. She drew an arrow between the living room and the bedroom before explaining:] You can move these two if you want a larger space devoted to a strong room.

[She was completely in her element, feeling quite comfortable with explaining all of this too him. Carefully, she turned her face to him to better explain it.]

And a kitchen should help in case the dining hall is compromised. Are you okay with being a go-to spot if things get rough?

[She was pretty sure the answer was yes, but it still didn't hurt to ask.]

[He nodded, thinking that over. As someone who didn't spent a ton of time in his own place back home, a larger portion devoted to a safehouse or command center was perfectly okay with him, especially in a crisis situation. And a kitchen would definitely be helpful, considering he'd already learned microwavable soup got really tiresome after a week of eating nothing but.

He looked at her when she turned to him and smirked playfully as he elaborated on the answer.]

Yeah, definitely. So long as you don't mind sharing with Tim and Costigan, if they want in. Maybe Steph too.

[Ariadne watched him as he thought and smiled again at his smirk.]

I meant a general place for people to hole up in a time of crisis. If anyone asked.

[She leaned back a little against the couch, keeping her gaze on him.]

I wouldn't mind sharing with Tim, Costigan, and Steph.

[The cheeky smirk widened as he shrugged, leaning back against the couch too as he continued to sort of tease her.]

It'd have to be pretty big to fit everyone. Probably gonna have to prioritize.

[Ariadne shook her head, grinning ever the wider.]

That's what a room shift would be for. You could make more space if needed.

[Still, it felt good to (seemingly) be higher on the list of priorities; she liked to belong just as much as everyone else.]

[This more complicated thought clearly required the notebook, and he quickly scribbled down a question, treating her to another "are you serious" eyebrow raise.]

Holy catastrophe, You're seriously talking a panic Batroom that could hold everyone on the BatBarge? Seems kinda excessive. How do you even build one in, anyway? Just ask the Batadmiral?

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