batmanschmatman | 018 [audio]

[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?

[Ariadne's smile took a more serious tone as she saw him using the notebook.]

A room that could grow if more people needed a place to stay.

[It made sense to her, considering what she'd heard about the Barge growing when more people came onboard.]

If the Barge can ---

[She paused, hearing the rattling as she stared at him. Oh great. She carefully got to her feet and glanced around, trying to finish her sentence.]

If the Barge can do it, so could your room.

[She was near a shout, trying to speak over the steady rumble of an approaching train.]

[Dick immediately got up, dropping the pen and notebook again to look around, still not hearing the train, but trying to figure out where it was coming from anyway.]

Holy smokes, Ariadne, it's happening again, isn't it?

[He was concerned enough that it hadn't even really registered that his own new "ability" had manifested itself, still trying to figure out where the train was.]

[Ariadne heard the 'holy smokes' and furrowed her eyebrows but didn't have long to really consider it. She reached for Dick's hand as the train pounded through the kitchen, pulling him toward the door. She really, really didn't like feeling this crazy, that any moment a train could come blazing through during their conversation.]

[He let himself get dragged out of the way, looking around, trying to get some idea of what she was seeing and how bad it was, holding her hand tightly to try and remind her that whatever it was, wasn't real.] Is it gone?

[Ariadne gripped his hand tightly as she stood by the door and the train plowed through her room. It was terrifying to see such a thing and once it passed, she simply nodded, not looking at him but instead staring out at where the living room had just been.]

[He followed her gaze for a moment, wondering what she was seeing exactly - what kind of train, how much damage - since the room still looked fine to him, before turning back to her, squeezing her hand reassuringly.] Hey, it's okay. We're safe.

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