[closed] nothing is crueler than children who come from good homes

[controlledvariable]

Date & Time: January 26th, sometime during the afternoon/evening
Location: The Initiative Library
Characters: Stephanie Brown, Vanadi
Summary: h e l p
Warnings: Vanadi comes with his own warning, right? AKA likely sexual content in some form or another.


[It hadn't taken her too long to reach the conclusion that this city was crazy. Between the kidnapping, the conscription, the randomly teleporting them back to the past, and the fact that half the Transport population suddenly changed ages and people are barely batting an eye, that tells her the whole thing is insane. In a totally mature response to the entire situation, Steph decides to hole up in the library as much as possible, so she doesn't have to deal with all this crap.

She's been there for almost five hours now, and is starting to have a little trouble focusing, which means it's time for coffee. It's the awful, sludge kind that comes from a machine, but it's cheap and better than nothing, so she makes do, warming her fingers around the styrofoam cup as she wanders the stacks to stretch her legs. After a few minutes she catches the attention of a staff member and asks about an encyclopaedia that had been referenced in a book she was reading, and gets pointed towards the back of the library, where the books are a little dusty and there are very few tables for people to sit. It doesn't really concern Steph, she tosses her now empty cup into a trashcan and goes to search for her book.]

Comments

[controlledvariable]

[Wait she knows that voice. It's enough to get her to look back at them (it helps that they're both still dressed, so she doesn't feel too impolite about it) and she nearly says something, but then Vanadi beats her to it, and whatever she'd planned to say is completely lost. She might not embarrass easily, but still.]

I-- [She closes her mouth, shoots him an annoyed look, then tries again.] You didn't even ask the lady if she'd mind.

[She gestures to the girl; like hell Steph's letting Vanadi fluster her so easily.]

[outright]

[ It's about then that the lady in question has had enough. Vanadi's well-placed hand loses its effectiveness as embarrassment beats out manners, and she shoves his arm away to beat a retreat with a stammered excuse. ]

Ah— Natalie! [ He looks about ready to start after her, but — naw, not worth it, not at the speed she's going. So he sighs as she disappears, turning back to Steph with a dark look. ]

Do you know how much time I put into that?

[controlledvariable]

Sorry! [That's for Natalie - Steph does feel bad about embarrassing the poor girl - not Vanadi, who simply gets a matched dark look]

That?

[He could've at least said "her".]

[outright]

That. The event. Calm down. [ so not what he meant the first time.

He turns with a second sigh, heavier and more dramatic, to flop a lean against the book case. ]

But, truly— it was shaping up to be fantastic! She started so shy.

[controlledvariable]

I'm perfectly calm. [Maybe just a little huffy, although it's partly directed at herself for leaping to conclusions.]

Don't blame me for your inability to find somewhere private.

[Unless the point was that it was partially public, but that's still not her fault.]

[outright]

I've had "somewhere private" often enough here, it gets old.

[ He runs a hand through his hair, straightening out of place strands and smoothing it all back into place again. ]

And not even a touch remorseful. I'm beginning to think I've encountered a truly heartless woman!

[controlledvariable]

[She presses her hand over her heart, looking hurt]

And here I was going to offer to make it up to you, but if you think I'm heartless...

[She trails off, leaving the suggestion there, even if she definitely wasn't going to offer to make it up to him.

It's fun to fuck with people.]

[outright]

[ There's like a split second here where he looks excited, but it fades immediately into suspicion and narrowed eyes. That's too different a tune from their last meeting, he's not buying it. ]

Oh? What, with ice cream? Kind of you, but I'm cutting down on my dairy.

[controlledvariable]

[For a moment she considers pushing a little further, maybe getting up in his personal space and saying something even more suggestive, but she's not comfortable enough with him to try it.

So she just grins, shrugging in a sort of you caught me gesture.]

We could always get sorbet, it doesn't have any dairy in it.

[outright]

[ He glances off the way Natalie had gone, hoping one last futile time to see her maybe having a change of heart, signing her continued interest from across the library... but, no, he imagines she's probably long gone. ]

Well, it isn't like I have anything better to do anymore.

[controlledvariable]

I do.

[She walks past him to grab the book she came down here for, tucking it under her arm.]

Some of us are actually making use of our time, instead of sticking our hands up girl's shirts.

[outright]

[ He watches her go idly, attention, as always, a little more focused on her than on what she's doing. Books, shelves, who cares. ]

Why, sticking hands up shirts is precisely what I call making use of time. It's whatever else you'd be bothering with in a dusty old library that I would question.

[controlledvariable]

Research, gathering information.

[It's not really her thing; all that book stuff is more for Tim and Babs, but-] Aren't you at all curious about where we are and what's going on? About the Initiative, the Uniteed Earth and the other people that got dragged here, too?

[She doesn't like being in the dark]

[outright]

Gods, no. Isn't it enough that we're here?

[ He stretches lazily, pats all clothing back into the proper perfectly-pressed position, and starts back for the bulk of the rest of the library. ]

Come on. If I have to feed you sorbet to get you out of here with me, don't think I won't.

[controlledvariable]

What? No. [Why on Earth would that be enough???

It's also beyond her understanding why she decides to follow after him rather than just ignoring him. Maybe she does feel a little guilty for interrupting.]

Do I get a choice in the matter? [she seems somewhere between wry and amused.]

[outright]

[ A quick glance back comes with a sharp smirk. ]

Do you actually want one?

[controlledvariable]

[In a moment of childishness, she sticks her tongue out at him.]

I'm sure your ego would prefer if I willingly abandoned my studies in favour of your company.

[outright]

[ His grin twists a little wider and he stops at a table, one hand trailing lightly over the surface. ]

I'm sure it would, too. Wouldn't you care to stroke it for me?

[controlledvariable]

[Her lips press into a thin line, almost a pout, though she's mostly annoyed at herself for walking straight into that.]

Do you have an off switch?

[outright]

[ heh. lookin pretty smugly amused, here. ]

You wish, senhorita pequena.

[ And he starts forward again, in the general direction of the exit, with a beckon. ]

[controlledvariable]

[She stays where she is for a moment, trying to convince herself not to go with him but...

She's been here for hours, and she's bored, and she enjoys their banter if nothing else. Which is the only reason she hurries after him.]

Hey, just--! Can I at least grab my stuff?

[outright]

[ He flaps a hand back, not even slowing. ]

It will still be here later! Who would steal from a library?

[controlledvariable]

Every adult that's ever been in my house. For exactly that reason.

[Discounting Babs and Dinah. But she knows libraries make easy pickings because people think they're safe.]

Give me two minutes and I'll make it worth your while.

[No she won't.]

[outright]

[ A quick glance back, and he stops with a sigh to strike up an impatient lean against the outside of one of the shelves. ]

Lovely company you keep. Fine, then, but be quick about it. Adventure waits for no one, you know.

[controlledvariable]

You don't know the half of it.

[She makes a point to roll her eyes at him, then heads off to pick up her things, leaving the books with one of the librarians and with a promise to come back to them in a few hours.

It takes her just under two minutes to get back to Vanadi, where she curtseys mockingly.]

Thank you for your generosity.

[Sarcasm is her middle name.]