(no subject)

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

Babs is seated at a table where she has a number of holographic displays set up. She looks uncharacteristically well-rested, which is to say that the bags under her eyes indicate that she's probably been getting a good five hours of sleep a night for at least two or three days. Her usual coffee is, of course, at her elbow.

She seems mostly focused on reading information from the various screens. Which is probably a lot of work since it looks to the untrained eye like an indecipherable mix of line graphs, text blocks, diagrams, and probability trees.

To all appearances, she's deeply engrossed in her work and not keeping an eye out for a specific person. But appearances, as you might know, can be deceiving.

Comments

[cutting_edgex23]

Maybe it's the glow of the screens that gets X's attention.

She is slightly more used to Babs working with a more limited number of them. (Like one.)

It could also be the fact that Babs looks a little less tired than usual. X appreciates it when people take care of themselves.

Regardless, either of those two causes are what brings her up to Babs' table, stopping a few feet away -- just in case the material on-screen is sensitive. X is polite like that.

"Babs."

Beat.

"Hello."

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"X," Barbara responds without looking away from her work. "Want to have a seat?" Just a polite offer with nothing lurking beneath it at all.

Obviously.

[cutting_edgex23]

"Okay," X says, after a momentary hesitation.

"If you are not too busy. Working."

Presumably that is what Babs is doing, anyway.

X can recognize a fellow workaholic. When it is really obvious.

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"I can manage a conversation along with all this."

Have some faith, X.

[cutting_edgex23]

Faith is something X is still not very good at.

Hope, though, that she's got a handle on. In spades.

In the meantime, she sits down. Because she was asked.

"You have been okay? At home."

It's always good to check.

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"Same old, same old." That's a lie.

"What about yourself?" Babs is splitting her attention between her screens and X. Which is actually pretty easy. Back home she has so many more demands on her attention.

[cutting_edgex23]

That is what Babs gets for being an information superhero.

Not that X knows anything about that. At all.

"My mission with Cass was successful."

Or so news reports, especially the underground ones, have indicated. And Agent Morales has tentatively confirmed them.

"It has been quiet. Here."

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"Good." On both fronts.



"Are you busy?"

[cutting_edgex23]

"No," X says, shaking her head once. Though it might not be easily apparent, the portion of her attention focused on Babs has just increased.

Exponentially.

"My Security shift was this morning."

Beat.

"It is relevant?"

[52-dropoff.livejournal.com]

Charlie's eye is, if not exactly trained, not entirely that of an amateur. He's learned, as a reporter and as a hero, how to pieces information together, no matter the source. But from his perch in the rafters, he can't exactly see what Barbara is working on.

"Hello," he calls down.

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"Hello," she calls back, turning to locate the speaker.

[52-dropoff.livejournal.com]

"Am I interrupting?" Well, duh. But he's never been one for manners.

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"Nothing that can't wait," she answers. "Join me?"

[52-dropoff.livejournal.com]

He leaps down from the rafters with a strangely clumsy grace that is unlike anything Babs might have seen in Gotham. Though maybe it has hints of Lady Shiva.

"How are you?"

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"Not bad." She manages a quick grin. "Yourself?"

[52-dropoff.livejournal.com]

"Been doing okay of late. Trying to avoiding the flu." And also the fortune cookies, since he thinks the so-called fortune is cliched and the cookie is empty calories. "Do you think I can still get the flu after death?"

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"It's Milliways, so I wouldn't be surprised if you could."

[guppy_sandhu]

A little person comes up next to Babs, looking at the screens. Ooh, glowy.

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

Babs doesn't notice. Or, at least, she pretends not to. She's not exactly good with kids.

[guppy_sandhu]

"Hi Babs." Guppy says, coming up after the kid.

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

She blinks, turning her attention to him.

"Hey, Guppy..." She glances over at the kid. "Lose something?"

[guppy_sandhu]

"Nope, I've got my eye on him." Guppy says. "This is my son Alex. He likes to be called Fry."

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"Fry?" Babs repeats in amusement.

"And, wow, has it really been that long since we spoke?"

[guppy_sandhu]

"Pet name. Little fish." Guppy says, with a shrug. "We used to call him that just for fun but he told us he wanted us to call him that all the time."

He smiles. "I think we have spoken a couple of times since he was born, but he's now just over two."

"Twenty seven months." Fry adds, glancing up at Babs.

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"Precocious," Babs grins.