[CLOSED]

[shorttempered]

Characters: Mark Grayson and Hayley Stark
Date: Sometime after this exchange
Location: Mark's suite (EA-2A) in the Earth sector
Situation: Mark and Hayley have made dinner plans, but plans might change when Hayley spots his costume laying around...
Warnings/Rating: None (will update if necessary)

[Mark realized about a minute after the arranged time that he was late. Hayley had agreed to meet him at his place around 6, and it was now 6:01. This normally wouldn't have been so bad, but he was currently flying around the newly enhanced barrier, enjoying its green glow (thank you whichever Kedan set up that warning system). He quickly did a flip and pushed himself back to his suite, flying at top speeds (and probably scaring some poor bird-like creatures along the way), slowing once his suite came into view so he could slip in through the top window.

It was always a bit disorienting, the first couple seconds when you stop moving at super-speeds and beginning moving normally again. He just stood there, readjusting, before moving into the bathroom to comb his hair back into submission and change into regular clothes. As he pulled the costume's shirt up over his head, he could smell the funk when the fabric brushed up against his nose.]

Ew.

[Once changed, he rolled his dirty costume into a ball and brought it downstairs, tossing it near the door with the rest of his laundry. It had no sooner hit the bin when Mark heard knocking. He quickly moved to the door and opened it for his guest.]

Hey! Sorry, were you waiting long?

Comments

[everylittlegirl]

[His reaction is sincere enough that she shakes her head to dismiss his concern. Then she forces a smile.]

Not really, but.. I will be or.. whatever. [Hayley takes a single step, testing his reaction, then continues forward when he doesn't seem to stop her. It's the first time she has taken her eyes off of him since his admission, worried more about hiding her own dismay than about ensuring his safety for the moment.]

Do you think maybe we could eat here? [She glances around at whatever knick knacks, clothes, or any other personal touches he might have in the room.] I'd really like to.. just hang out and maybe-ask-you-all-about-your-powers.

[The last bit comes out as nearly a single word, followed by a glance over her shoulder. She pulls her lower lip between her teeth, actually excited for the first time in what feels like ages.]

[shorttempered]

[How do you even respond to something like that? "I'm sorry you died" just... it wasn't enough. He could still remember all the rush of emotions that went through him when Eve--when Eve was killed. He could still feel her blood on his hands, could feel her body growing weaker as she gasped for air. He still remembered feeling the life leaving her body even as he pleaded with her not to... and he remembered seeing red when Conquest had the audacity to trivialize her death after murdering her. It didn't matter that she got better, the memory was still real, and still fresh. He could only imagine what it felt like to be on the other end of that.

But she seemed to not want to push the subject, and he's more than happy to oblige.]

...Yeah, we can definitely eat here. I'll go run out and pick up something fast--because you really don't want to eat my cooking. Feel free to look around, I'm all out of secrets.

And when I get back we can talk about whatever you want.

[everylittlegirl]

[Hayley endures by not thinking about it at all and peoples' constant concern is more biting than consoling for that reason. She understands that they mean well, which is why she's not as likely to jump on the words with anger, but she's growing tired of it and constantly trying to distract from the larger issue of her demise.]

Cool. Yeah, uh.. take your time.

[She gives a small smile, seemingly for the gesture of kindness. Truly, she's more delighted with the opportunity to go snooping about his suite and getting to know him better. Now that she knows he's secretly a hero, it bodes rife with potential for using him as a way to get to others. Like Superman or Batman. She doubts every hero gets along, but is confident other heroes hold more sway than mere mortals.]

Just.. nothing too spicy? [Because sometimes her throat ached with the memory of her death. 'Ghost pain,' she's pretty sure she had read once. Psychological pain.]

[shorttempered]

Nothing too spicy. Got it. [And with that he heads out to get something to eat.

Despite being here for months, his suite isn't very decorated. He has a few pieces of Kedan art on the walls to make the earth look a little less harsh, but it's various pieces that, while nice on their own, don't exactly go that great together. He just... sort of grabbed things that caught his eye and didn't bother to think about how they looked once he put them up.

Most of his dirty clothes are tossed in the hamper by the door, though a few odd pieces have missed its mark and lay unattended nearby. Beside his Invincible costume sits one of his reflective work vests, with the Wayne Enterprises logo on the chest. Sitting on his couch is his hard hat with the same logo as the shirt emblazoned on it.

There's a few children's books written in Kedanese on the coffee table, with notes Mark scribbled in as he attempted to translate them. Some guesses are closer than others.

His kitchen is practically spotless, mainly because he's barely touched it since he moved in. There's some non-perishable food in the pantry, mainly of the junk variety, and some empty water skins that he hadn't refilled yet sitting on the counter.

The downstairs bathroom is fairly clean... though the toilet seat is, of course, up. Same with the upstairs bathroom, though it's a bit more cluttered with dirty towels on the floor from a recent shower, with several bottles of shampoo stacked in a corner.

Mark's bedroom is relatively unchanged from when he received it, though he's rather crudely tacked up a tapestry he thought looked interesting on the wall opposite the window. Speaking of windows, the one on the left is much dirtier than the other, and judging from the foot marks all over the ledge, it's the window Mark exits from whenever he's Invincible. In his closet are several additional Invincible costumes in varying stages of disrepair, some Kedan clothing, and his work clothes (also in varying stages of disrepair).

The only room with any degree of personalization is the bedroom on the first floor. This is the room where Mark and Bruce put Eve's belongings after Mark rushed them from Eve's suite. The closet is filled with her clothes, including multiple versions of her Atom Eve costume, and Mark gave a place to all of the various knickknacks she had collected since arriving. He had thought about displaying some of them outside of that room, but it was still too painful... so he left them all in there.]

[everylittlegirl]

[Hayley passes over his laundry and most of the art, more interested in the personal things. She has done a full sweep of his room and of the room he seems to be holding for someone else before he begins to return, also taking note of the Wayne Enterprises gear, her own internship at the pharmacy belonging to the same ultimate CEO.

She flips briefly through the books with her excess time, having taken a peak in each room at least briefly. Her search is fast and thorough at points of interest, exhibiting the grace and proficiency of someone who has performed a search like this more than a few times before.

As a form of social experiment, she takes one of the miscellaneous knickknacks left sealed away in the unused room and sets it on a side table in the living room. It's not meant to be immediately noticeable, just a way to test his response if or when he should see it.

She hears the sound of the door just as she's moving from the table and maintains her composure perfectly, taking a seat on the arm of the couch as he enters.]

A hero killed me.

[Because nothing is ever easy with Hayley, she drops the important and heavy comment as though offering a casual greeting at his return. A faint smile is on her lips, as if trying to maintain a higher level of nonchalance than she actually feels.]

Well, okay, not a hero exactly. Someone with Superman's powers.

[shorttempered]

[Thanks to superspeed, Mark was able to catch the bag he had let go of when Hayley made that bombshell announcement before it even came close to hitting the floor. What do you even say to that?

He didn't even try to come up with anything until the bag was placed on the coffee table.] ...From when Zatanna made everything all screwy? [And at that mention, he looked up at the ceiling where some of the scorchmarks from receiving Korra's powers still resided.]

[everylittlegirl]

[Hayley watches his reaction with interest, as intrigued by his complete shock as his superspeed. She can already tell that Mark's going to make for an awesome ally, though she's not entirely sure how she can go about using him for what she needs right now. But with Invincible, Kid Flash, and Superman on her side.. All she needs is to get in the inner circle.

When he sets the food onto the coffee table, she slides from the arm of the chair and plops down to sit on the edge of the couch instead. She continues to watch him.]

Well, if not, then it was Superman who did it.. So I guess I'm hoping it was the whole Zatanna thing, yeah.

[She remembers enough now to know it wasn't Kal-El or Jor-El, but it's kind of more fun to suggest Superman may have been involved.]

[shorttempered]

[Jokes on you then, Hayley, he doesn't have one.]

Superman would never... but I didn't think anyone else would here either.

[Sits down and opens the bag.] Is there any leads?

[everylittlegirl]

I don't know. Superman's great and all, but everyone has something that could make them do things they wouldn't normally do, you know?

[She shrugs. Hayley doesn't really have a point and she's not entirely sure she believes Superman would ever do something like that, but Mark seems to know him fairly well and she's keen on getting any information about him that she can. After all, his 'I don't want anyone having my weakness' defense continues to bother her.]

Not really. Hopefully we can find something.

['We' because she's not alone in searching.]

[shorttempered]

[He knows. He knows all too well. So well that he's just going to focus on this food that he brought and not the question.]

I'm sure you guys will find something. There's too many smart people here not to.

[everylittlegirl]

[Hayley gives a soft smile, one that's automatic but actually sincere in this moment. As ridiculous as he seems in some ways, Mark seems like a decent guy and his concern sounds genuine. It's kind of nice to be worried about by a superhero that's not busy playing god.]

Thanks.

[And then she's reaching forward to help him with the food, all too eager to begin eating and avoid the rest of where this conversation could go.]