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Tess is still very much herself. Perhaps this place has taken pity on her for being so new and left her alone. Not that she would be aware of such feelings, but appreciates them nonetheless. The other versions of herself she knows of were not terribly impressive.

For the time being she's seated at the bar, a scotch - neat - close by. A notebook is in front of her and she busies herself jotting down ideas now and then as they come to her.

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Knox is Knox. (He's the sort of person who would probably be the same in any reality, for good and for bad.) And he's drinking a beer and reading a few of the day's papers (since in his day smartphones are still a tinkle in Steve Jobs's eye and his laptop lacks wifi). He looks at the woman and nods a hello.

[ooc: not around long today, but since you asked for Knox...]

Is one of those papers the Daily Planet? Tess is checking to see if it is.

"Avid reader?"

Indeed, there is a Daily Planet with a date from the late 90s. The so-called "national edition."

"I love to see how the papers covers the same stories. And what one or two might have missed." He has one of the Gotham tabloids open to a juicy rumor that Commissioner Gordon is in the cusp of retiring. "And what they got wrong."

Interesting, though Tess is going to sneer slightly at the tabloids.

"The Daily Planet is all you need. They cover what's important, not just what fits the latest trends."

"And if I lived in Metro, that would be true for the most part. But since I live in Gotham, and since no one has ever seen fit to put a local bureau from the Planet in Gotham, and since I work for PM, I need other papers." He is in a good mood today. Good enough that he's not razzing on the Planet just yet.

"The Planet is a national paper, so it shouldn't matter where you live. We cover it all." Then she has to ask, "PM?"

"We?" he asks in return.

"PM is the smart tabloid in Gotham. Founded in 1940 - well, part of it, at any rate - and still going strong in the niche between the snooty papers and the dumb tabloids. Best national coverage in Gotham, and a great staff of young beat reporters." A few of whom he trained. "Young reporters who know Gotham better than anyone. But me."

"I own it." She gives him a glance over, then extends a hand. "Tess Mercer."

"Alex Knox." He shakes her hand and looks pretty impressed. "Young to own any newspaper. Especially that one.

"Last I heard, in my Gotham the paper own by a group of local businessmen and Perry White was publisher. Anything like that happen in your past?"

"Luthorcorp bought the Planet several years ago. I own Luthorcorp, so I own the Planet. Perry White is my editor in chief."

She glances him over again. "Gotham? You don't publish stories about a big,black bat, do you?"

"Tess, I was the first to write about him. The one and only Batman." He smiles like the cat that ate the canary.

"And you are from a very different reality, since in mine Luthor is no businessman. He's self proclaimed criminal genius who spends four out of five days in jail."

"That's quite a coup for a tabloid."

She almost laughs. Almost. "Lionel or Lex?"

"I was still at the Gazette then. But PM's had a lot of Bat-news over the years.

"And Lex. 100 percent Lex. Not one of my favorite people." How can someone so dangerous also be such a preening clown?

"Ah, so you were respectable in your youth. I've sent Lois up there a few times to get an interview but he never agrees." She doesn't much too upset about it.

"I should have known. From what I've heard Lionel would never admit to being a criminal."

"I honestly have no idea if the Lex we have is the son of a Lionel. I'll have to look into it. But yeah, he seems like the sort who would have a reprobate dad.

"And good to know you have a Lois on the staff. I've known my world's Lois for years." Longer than she might admit. "There's also been one here. Different, but not that different."

"If he isn't, he's lucky. But then he always was the golden child."

Tess nods, pushing her notebook aside. "So I've heard. Dare I ask what she's like where you're from?

"Brassy. Tough. I have never seen anyone chase after a story more than she does. I met her in '77, when there were a few of us young cubs in Metro to cover the Son of Sam murders. She was our native guide. All of us were hitting on her big time, but she never let us cross the line, drank with us at all hours, and was the only one not cowed by the chaos during the blackout.

"She's still like that. Or I think she is. Haven't seen her that much." He should call her. Or maybe e-mail her, since the Planet is bound to have e-mail by now.

"'77? It seems you're a bit behind us. But that does sound like her. Along with being stubborn as hell." Tess and Lois get along. Mostly.

"I'm usually behind the times here. Still playing out the 20th century. The dawn of the Internet Age!" he says that with a mix of annoyance and anticipation. "But '77 was twenty years ago. Before Superman. So that's like another time."

"The internet you're going to have to jut go with the flow and the flow goes pretty fast."

Then Tess raises an eyebrow in mild surprise. "What do you know about Superman?"

That Superman is secretly Clark Kent? No, that is one thing he won't ever say, at home or here. Even if he hasn't seen the Bar's Clark in a while.

"The usual things. Native of the planet Krypton, came here some time after 1948, showed up one fine night in the early 80s and started saving lives and fighting crime. Flies damned fast, is nearly invulnerable, is a complete boy scout, and seems to have some connection to Lois and to Clark Kent, since both of them get all the Superman stories." OK, that much he can say. "And the guy hasn't aged one day."

Yeah, he says that and Tess is going to shoot him.

"They have a rapport with him. I'd be a fool not to use it." She relaxes slightly. "So you don't know anything more than what's been reported."

"I'm on the superhero beat, but never got any interviews with him. And I respect his privacy. Man saves the world that often, you really should treat him better than you would a politician or businessman." Knox's cynicism hits a brick wall when it comes to heroes.

"I treat him exactly as he should be treated." Which means she mother hens him, over protects him, respects him and is probably her only true friend.

"You've met him?" That makes sense. The Planet and Metropolis are practically one thing. And Superman protects Metropolis above all else.