milliways_bar | (no subject)

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So, every other time I've come here, it's been while in costume. It's been as Robin, teenage vigilante, prowling the streets by night, living a secret life by day. Nobody here (well, nobody who doesn't know from before I came here) knows about my real identity.

So when I walk into the bar in my civilian clothes, no mask, no cape, I'm a little worried. I don't panic, exactly; I'm able to keep my cool, shift my school bag on my shoulder, look like I belong. There's no way anyone here knows everyone that comes in and out of this place, so I should be able to fit in without a problem. The door is, when I glance casually behind me, gone, but I've been told it can happen. I try not to worry.

On the outside, I'm just Alvin Draper (like I'd use my real name), normal teenage guy, here on his way to school; on the inside, I'm Tim Drake, Robin, and I'm flipping out.

That's my life, never a dull moment.

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She reaches out and turns the book around to read it. Looking at the book gives her a chance to formulate her response.

"You mean this one here? The one with the girl who's taking a trip?"

"Yeah, that one. It's like a whole different language or something!"

I try to look reasonably annoyed and perplexed, but at the same time, I'm trying to look like I'm not whispering under my breath to her.

"Door's gone. Know of any way to make it reappear? Being here in my civies is making me nervous."

Barbara considers for a moment. Good thing she's prepared for this possibility.

"This one's not that hard, really." She purses her lips thoughtfully, "Actually, I bet you'd find my old math notes useful. I'm pretty sure I've got them on a disk up in my room." She reaches into a pocket and comes up with a key, "You want to grab them while I get some more coffee? I'm pretty sure the disc is either on my desk, or in a box in the closet. It should be labeled."

I give her a quick look, trying to figure out what she's trying to tell me, but I take the key and nod, all Alvin again in a flash.

"Cool, cool. You're a doll, ya know that? I'll be right back."

She may break my arm for that comment, but it was worth it.

It's... bittersweet sometimes how much Tim can remind her of Dick. It's even more bittersweet that only seems to be able to relax like that when he's pretending to be someone else.

She wonders what they're doing to him sometimes.

But she's sure that he'll find the extra Robin suit in the closet. It is clearly labeled after all. And Tim's sharp enough to grab a disc from her desk and label it. He'll probably carry that in the backpack just in case someone, somehow, knows to look for it in "Alvin's" things.

I could, for the second time tonight, kiss Oracle for being exactly how she is. Almost nobody would think to have extras of someone else's suit lying around in their room in this kind of place, but her? Always prepared.

When I descend again, I've left my bag in her room. Don't want anyone seeing me descend with it in costume, and I can fetch it when I can leave. I wait around for five minutes or so before I venture over, the total opposite of the guy I was not ten minutes ago.

"You're a life saver."

"Just doing my job," she grins. It's the sort of grin that lets him know that it's a job she loves doing.

She lifts two fingers in the Boyscout Salute and mouths "always prepared" before sipping at her coffee. "So, how have you been, Boy Wonder?"

"Not bad; trying to stay alert, looking for the signs. Keeping an eye out for the right moment to change things. So far though, nothing seems to be happening, Just every day life carrying on as per usual."

I don't know if it's better or worse, the waiting compared to the fear of missing my chance or failing to do what I must to make the world the place I want it to be.

A world with Stephanie Brown.

"I've been... working on that." Barbara frowns, her plans are still delicate at this time and she's not sure how easily they might be upset if she shares them.

"I knew you would be. When and if you need me for that, I know you'll tell me when it's time, so I'll do my own thing for now."

Oracle will be Oracle; she'll plan and she'll plot and when everything is ready, then she'll tell me exactly where to be and what to do. So I don't bother wondering what her plans are.

She nods, then lets herself switch topics.

"How are you holding up? Here, I mean." With Stephanie.

"Fairly well," I reply, which is only not a lie because my real life isn't really that super most of the time anyways. Lies, deceit, avoiding loved ones for a second life. It's all relative, here and there. "Steph and I are still very awkward around each other."

Big understatement. I pause for a few moments, and then, failing to be casual, ask "Have you seen or met Steph's boyfriend, by any chance? I haven't yet."

Yet.

"Awkward," Barbara smiles just a bit, "That's a good word, even if it's probably an understatement."

"The ex-boyfriend? Zuko?" She nods slowly, "Once. He seemed... nice but boring, really. Not someone I really would have put with her."

That's what you get when you meet someone while they're in the throes of insanity.

"Ex-boyfriend?" I try and fail (utterly, completely) to sound uninterested. "So she dumped him then? I mean, nice and boring, with Steph? No way. She's not into assholes or anything, but boring guys? No damn way."

I'm not sure if this is good news for me or what, but it's...interesting...

"That's... the part I'm not sure about," Barbara frowns. "From what I can tell, it seems that he dumped her on account of her being dead. She took it pretty hard, and I think it may cause problems," she looks up, "Between the two of you."

I fold my hands in front of me and rest my chin against them, frowning to myself as I think over the encounters Steph and I have had here.

"Problems. Yeah, I can see how that'd cause a lot of problems. And before you get into it, no, I don't need to be told that the Steph here is different than the Steph I know, and any feelings I might have for her should not be expressed here in this place. It would only make things more difficult for her, especially if that's why her old boyfriend dumped her."

"Robin," Barbara frowns, "I know this is hard on you. And I don't want to make it harder, but..."

She reaches up to rub her temple, "I need you to... not interfere back home either. Things are... very delicate. We're talking about changing history in a way, and a miscalculation could unravel time itself."

Not that just such a thing hasn't happened a few times in the ol' home universe. But it's still bad.

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