OPEN.

[paracosmic]

Date & Time: July 4th
Location: around the city!
Characters: babydoll and you!
Summary: baby is feeling cooped up at the apartment and doesn't want to stay still. find her anywhere you want.
Warnings: none!

( option a )

[baby likes to keep her mind off being trapped in the city by doing one of several things, training being one of those things. she's in the building almost every day for more hours than the average person, though it never quite reaches six hours consistently. it's become such a routine for her that it doesn't even look like she's really pushing herself anymore, it's just something to keep her distracted. she can be seen in the gun range, doing gymnastics, practicing hand-to-hand or practicing her swordsmanship. feel free to interrupt her or find her on a break.]

( option b )

[she's out to eat ( which is rare, regular customers are likely to notice ) or picking up groceries. she isn't picky when it comes to food, even when its food in a place that often has stale things. she grabs whatever looks the most fresh ( she stays away from bread ) and does what she can. she prefers tea over coffee, and doesn't like too many sweets. find her sitting alone at a table or on her way home, or picking up the groceries.]

( option c )

[it's late, probably around 9 or 10, and babydoll can't sleep, so she's wandering ( or patrolling, it's hard to tell ) through the city. she's not paying attention to anything particular, she's more lost in her thoughts. she spends an hour or so on the streets before climbing up to the rooftops to survey the city. if someone happens to find her on the rooftops, it'll be harder to pull her from her thoughts than it would be on the streets, because she'll be more alert there.]

( option d )

[feel free to make up a scenario yourself!]

Comments

C

[100hearts]

[Law rarely found himself enjoying himself during the day. If anything, he was barely entertained by anything around him, so he tried his best to sleep when the sun was out so he could enjoy the nights. The downside of living under the clouds constantly had been that it made the dark all the more black. It made it terrifying for some people to just cross the street looking to get home from work.

In some cases, it made speaking to others more entertaining. If he spoke to someone after hours in the middle of a dark street, it really seemed to freak them out and up the level of entertainment in that conversation. In Babydoll's case, she was just somebody else passing through and Law was bored out of his mind.]

Hey. [He called from a park bench, his ridiculous nodachi leaned lazily over his shoulder.]

Busy?

[paracosmic]

[babydoll wasn't expecting anyone, let alone really sought out to make conversation with someone tonight. it doesn't bother her, though, and she stops where she is to look towards the direction the voice came from. a man on a bench. interesting.

she only takes a few steps closer so he can hear her. she doesn't trust men much, if at all, and it takes a while for her to warm up to them.]

Why?

[100hearts]

[Precaution was always something worthy of consideration, none the less implementation. Law didn't mind it at all, instead turning to look back at the street. Someone sitting in the dark with a sword wasn't often times a friendly one and he knew this. It always made the other side of the conversation a bit more interesting to listen to.]

On my part? Boredom. This new vacation spot isn't that grandiose, after all.

[It was the only place left in the world, or so he heard.]

I feel like talking.

[paracosmic]

[babydoll has a sword of her own, along with a handgun, so it's not so much that she feels threatened, it's just making sure that the other man isn't a threat. she isn't in the mood to fight anyone.

she takes a few steps closer to law, arms crossing. she believes him. sometimes people just needed someone to talk to.]

About what?

[it's said more curiously than like an interrogation. she's willing to talk as long as it's just talking.]

[100hearts]

The problem with boredom is disinterest in a pattern. [Law continued on, shifting lazily and letting his shoulder slump. In this momentary desire to remain still and relaxed, his hat came a little off of his head. Doing nothing to fix it, Law shifted his eyes to look at Babydoll as she took her posture nearby. He looked away before shutting his eyes.]

You should think of something, yourself--or else I'll get bored with myself.

[paracosmic]

[she frowns at him, brows furrowed. so far, she isn't very amused by his lazy attitude and assumption that she would want to come up with something interesting to say, when he had been the one to speak to her first.]

Then do something about it.

[he can't rely on other people all the time, after all.]

[100hearts]

[Maintaining his slump, Law didn't bother shifting his tone at all. He didn't care for being all that persuasive, but at the moment it would have bored him to death if it died there. So, he posed a lone question that he was certain had at least a sliver of merit.]

Haven't you ever heard of 'an easily gained favor'?

[paracosmic]

Isn't it what the name implies?

[she takes a few steps closer, a little more curious about law now. maybe it could be an interesting conversation, after all.]

a.

[clario]

[ she had been told she had to practice with her weapon. her "weapon" was a joke, though, and her real weapons intimidating. sweet pea had picked up one of the guns and set it down just as quickly. with little idea how to use it and no desire to accidentally shoot herself or one of her roommates, she had stowed it again with the other under her bed. the sword was a little less frightening, but not by much.

with nothing else to do, she figured she could at least see the place. as she hurried inside, sweet pea made a note to buy warmer clothes.

sweet pea pushes a lock of wet blond hair out of her face. she drops her hand when she hears a familiar sound. a short walk finds baby. she watches, her jaw set, without interrupting. baby's amazing to watch. that much she cannot deny. when baby stops for air, she speaks up. ]

So is this what you do?

[ there is a little relief there, a little sharpness. she manages to work a greeting and an indictment into a question. she had thought herself alone in her madness. but maybe baby's wasn't the most reassuring face to see when you thought you'd gone crazy. ]

[paracosmic]

[babydoll turns immediately at the sound of the familiar voice. sweet pea. she didn't think she would ever, ever see her again, let alone any of the other girls. she thought they would be safer at home than here, but then again--]

Sweet Pea.

[it's a sigh of relief and happiness. babydoll normally doesn't hug people, she saves them for special occasions, and she would have given sweet pea a hug immediately but something told her no. so she doesn't. she takes a few steps closer to her, making sure that yes, it's really her, before speaking up. there is a quirk of her lips to indicate a smile.]

Yes. This is what I do. What everyone has to do.

[but really, never mind that right now.]

Are you okay?

[clario]

I'm fine.

[ isn't. far from it. when she dreamed of freedom, this was not what she thought about. to start, her sister was with her. but now's not the time. she crosses her arms in front of her chest. ]

I've been here a few days. You?

[paracosmic]

A month.

[she doesn't believe sweet pea when she says she isn't fine, because it's just like her to deny any sort of weakness. not that she had that many, she's incredible that way.]

Do you want to talk somewhere else?

[clario]

In the rain? No. Thanks. [ she looks away from baby to cast another glance around them. sweet pea sighs. ] This is as good a place as any. Let's just find a place to sit.

[paracosmic]

[well, she was thinking about maybe going back to one of their apartments, but it looks like they'll be sticking around here. baby doesn't like to think about who may be listening.]

Fine.

[she leads her to a (somewhat) secluded resting area, sitting down on one of the chairs provided.]

Where were you when you were taken?

[clario]

What do you mean? Lennox House. [ to keep from saying madhouse out loud. ] Where else would I be?

c

[gevurah]

[ Today would have been a long day of festivities were she back home. Unorganized armies kidnapping and enlisting them in their cosmic war made it so Kate's Fourth of July is spent in this miserable weather. She misses the sun, she really does.

She's out early in the city tonight, hitting it by eleven. She moves with purpose and control, scaling and somersaulting across buildings to get from point A to point B.

She sees Babydoll from a distance. While she prefers to avoid interaction when she's got business to take care of, she does make a stop on the girl's roof, boots clacking with just the right amount of weight to indicate she's not alone. ]

[paracosmic]

[normally, babydoll would have heard kate around her, or at least seen her scaling the rooftops. it's only when she hears the boots against cement that she turns around to face her, giving her a quick once-over, making sure she's not an immediate threat. most women aren't, but she always has to confirm.]

Hi.

[the situation is a little humorous to her, meeting another woman on a roof. she's probably doing the same thing that babydoll will be doing, jumping from roof to roof.]

Sorry, I've never seen you before.

[gevurah]

[ If she has any weapons on her, they aren't visible, even in the dim light provided by the streetlamps.

But who says anyone needs a weapon to be a threat in this world?

She's never seen this girl before up here. While she avoids the interaction, it's never a bad thing to have these faces and voices engraved in her memory for the next time. ]

I do try to avoid the crowds. [ She jokes back, although it's hard to tell from the way she says it. There's truth in that humorous answer. ]

[paracosmic]

[there is a fraction of a smile on babydoll's face when kate jokes, though she does understand the underlying meaning of it. she doesn't much like crowds, either.]

Do you do this a lot?

[she's asking because there are so many people from an unlimited amount of worlds out there that she wants to know what's normal for some and what isn't normal for others. it's interesting to her. she doesn't move forward to introduce herself, mostly because this doesn't seem like the right time. people didn't meet casually on the tops of buildings in order to meet and greet. no, she'll only say her name if it's really necessary.]

[gevurah]

Who wants to know? [ She stays rooted to her spot as well. The pouring rain doesn't seem to bother her. Her hair is soaking wet, but her body is protected thanks to the cowl and its insulation. ]

[paracosmic]

Babydoll.

[she's watching kate closely, quieting for a moment before speaking up again.]

You?

[gevurah]

[ She quirks a skeptical eyebrow underneath the mask, not that it can be seen. Babydoll is one heck of a code name. Ascertained that's not her real name, she lets it go. It's not as if she's about to give out her civilian name to the girl anyway. ]

Batwoman.

beeeeee

[aphrodisiacs]

[ she stays away from the bread, too. ]

[ alisha's out shopping. it's a normal thing to do, right? alisha's trying to slip into the role of normal. while simon isn't here to cook or feed, she has a few roommates she can supply for. one of them isn't half bad, either. ]

[ her hands are empty, though. her trust in this place hasn't grown an inch since she arrived. she suspects everything to be poisoned or something, or ready to explode like a bomb. she doesn't think back to those days. she doesn't want to. can't. ]

[ so it's then she bumps into babydoll, as cliche as it is. her hands automatically go to her arms, a reflex she had thought she had long since grown out of since skin to skin contact became dangerous for her. ]

Oh shit -

[ she drops her hands as soon as she realises - even if babydoll's arms are covered. ]

- Hey. Sorry about that. Don't really pay attention to where I am these days.

hay gurrrrl

[paracosmic]

[babydoll stiffens when someone grabs her, reaching for her gun automatically and unclipping it from its holster -- until she realizes that it's just alisha. luckily, she hadn't been carrying anything either, so no groceries were lost in the process.]

It's okay.

[she clips her gun holster again, sighing to herself. she almost shot someone she knew.]

Are you doing okay here?

sorry i am way early for the party

[aphrodisiacs]

[ she sees babydoll's reaction. she might seem as though she's someone who can only see herself and nothing past her own nose, but she notices. and while a part of her seizes up, as guns and her never have a good relationships, she doesn't react. or she hopes she doesn't. she's not quite sure if babydoll notices how tense she is before babydoll seems to relax. ]

[ alisha shrugs. ] Trying to shop. Not quite sure what to shop for when it's just me and people I don't really know.