16 - Odds and ends

[ichoosefight]

[ Private to Scorpius ]

Hey. How you holding up, oh inmate mine?

[ She knows he's probably feeling the sting of John escaping leaving him. If he doesn't answer she'll just have to go and knock on his door. ]

[ Private to Dean ]

Hey. You like waffles, right? What am I saying, everyone likes waffles. I finally figured out how to use my waffle maker without burning everything, so you should totally help me not gorge myself on M&M waffles.

[ Private to Cass ]

Wanna spar? It'll be just like the old days, but with less barf.

[ General friends filter ]

I have a proposition for you:

Picnic.

Picnic? Picnic.

[ 'Nuff said. ]

Comments

[ichoosefight]

Who wants to rule the world? Can you imagine the paperwork? No thanks. And I can barely keep my room in order, nobody wants me at the helm of a country, much less a planet.

[ It's true, the place isn't exactly tidy. ]

[keeps_a_cool_head]

Agreed. It's troubling enough to have you as a warden, let alone in any true leadership position.

Still. I'm concerned you don't have higher aspirations for yourself.

[ichoosefight]

Hey, I never expected to live as long as I did the first time around. I have a lot of foreseeable future to catch up on.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

I suggest you begin making plans. Your life will not peak at so young an age.

[ichoosefight]

I'm getting there. Part one of my genius non-plan is getting out of Gotham. Then I might have a life expectancy to speak of.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

Have you ever considered space travel?

[ichoosefight]

Somehow hitchhiking my way across the galaxy just doesn't seem like the best way to spend my time. Maybe if I had powers.

And anyway, I think I want kids.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

I did it. I had less than you do now, and I was younger.

You can have children in space. Every Peacekeeper I know was born on a ship.

[ichoosefight]

[ She shakes her head, smiling a little wistfully. ]

I want my kids to have all the things I never had. Safety, love, normalcy. My universe is so full of danger there's a super-powered intergallactic police force, and they still have more work than they can get to. And there's so much on Earth that I've only ever read about. More than enough to fill a lifetime.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

If your universe is so dangerous, what makes your planet so safe in comparison?

And what constitutes normalcy?

[ichoosefight]

The unreasonably high concentration of superheroes.

[ Well she's not wrong. ]

If you can grow up thinking you had a pretty normal life, then you did. That's how normal works. It's local.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

What sort of normal do you envision for your offspring?

[ichoosefight]

The kind involving a dad, and birthday cake, and generally not so much fearing for our lives.

[ She pauses, setting down the waffle she was just about to bite in to. ]

Hey, how come we've only been talking about me all this time? You have a untrue too, you know.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

[Scorpius inclines his head, and chooses to take longer bites of his own meal]

I find it more productive in my graduation to talk about you than about me.

You have an untrue, Scorpius

[ichoosefight]

Hmm. Fair enough.

[ She picks up her bite again, but gestures at his plate before eating it. ]

Like your waffles?

:/

[keeps_a_cool_head]

They aren't the worst thing I've tasted.

I never sensed you were interested in any part of my life.

/sobs into much needed coffee

[ichoosefight]

I never sensed that you gave a damn about mine. Turnabout's fair play.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

On the contrary. I'm very interested in what my warden is like. Presumably I'm meant to model my own behavior after yours.

Whereas you have everything you could possibly need from my file.

[ichoosefight]

Presumably. I wouldn't put too much stock in that, though. The Admiral works in mysterious ways.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

That's hardly an excuse. I still think this pairing was poorly managed.

[ichoosefight]

Pretty sure he's crazy, too.

[keeps_a_cool_head]

Is there anything else you wish to know, Stephanie?

[ichoosefight]

[ She considers him seriously for a long moment. ]

Just what is it about my future plans that interests you so much?

[ Is he, mayhaps, considering his own future? ]

[keeps_a_cool_head]

I have an interest in watching others struggle to overcome obstacles.

It's not a personal investment. But it does pass the time.

[ichoosefight]

Hm. [ Not quite what she was hoping for, but it does explain a lot. ] If that's the case then you're late to the party.