( closed )

[imaginate]

Characters: Kyle & Zatanna.
Date: After this.
Location: Cafe, Wood Sector.
Situation: Zatanna has a few questions.
Warnings/Rating: None, will be added later if necessary.



[ He arrives early to scout out the place: caution is slowly veering into paranoia and the Emperor's death is no guarantee any of the other Foreigners won't be next. He's dressed simply in civilian clothes: wearing the green sweater Aya gave him, sitting at a table which affords him a good view of those approaching, as well as the interior of the cafe, looking suitably innocuous. Having to consciously be so is much harder than letting his natural outwardly amiable demeanour take over for him. ]

[ Using that now feels like a lie he doesn't want to tell. Instead, he practices an easy smile - one he's picked up from Jim - with the waitresses and orders two coffees, waving Zatanna over when she arrives. ]

Comments

[backwordscompatible]

[Zatanna, on the other hand, did not return the smile. If anything, her eyes darkened a fraction at the expression. Regardless of whatever Kyle might have meant by it, it only served to remind her of Klarion and Doctor Fate. She was a fan of neither.]

Does it always have to be one or the other?

[imaginate]

[Kyle, on the other hand, would take the lesser evil over the greater one, and while he wasn't fond of Fate, he was less fond of Klarion. However, he just keeps spoon-feeding her cake, playfully, not pushing any of the bites.]

If there's a third option besides "do nothing", I'd love to know.

[backwordscompatible]

[For reasons beyond her, she keeps complying each time. Taking another bite. And another. As if this were a perfectly normal thing to be doing, letting him literally feed her spoonfuls of cupcake at a time.]

Still working on that part.

Never really was much of a planner.

[imaginate]

Give it a try, huh?

[It's a gentle suggestion: to explore an alternative option. Hell, he knows he'd balk at it, he was so used to going by instinct. Yet it hadn't served him well here.]

[backwordscompatible]

[She shrugged in between bites.]

Spontaneity tends to work better for me.

Pretty much every thing I've ever planned has gone all wrong. I either get turned down or somebody turns out to be gay. You have no idea how frustrating that gets after a while.

[imaginate]

[Kyle frowns, puzzled.]

Who turned you down and do I need to hit them?

[A hint of play goes into the words.]

[backwordscompatible]

[She actually laughs from the irony.]

Robin did. [Specifically Robin. Not Dick.] It's kind of a long story...although I guess you might be able to guess some of it.

As for hitting him, I'd say you'd have to catch him first.

[imaginate]

[He grins.]

You really just left an opening for me to say: where there's a will, there's a way?

[backwordscompatible]

And you chose to take said opening.

If he asks later, I had no part in this, deal?

[imaginate]

Now now, I didn't want to disappoint a lady.

[He laughs, sudden, but delighted.]

Deal.

[And then he's about to hold out more cake, but cheats and eats this spoonful himself.]

[backwordscompatible]

[She had been ready to take another bite--when suddenly, the spoon was in his mouth instead. Cue the faux indignation.]

Wow. I see how it is, Kyle.

Maybe I should start stealing some of your food, hmm?

[imaginate]

[Wow rude he can totally eat her food!!]

[Sing-song:] Trying and succeeding are two different thi-ings!

[backwordscompatible]

Fortunately for me, I'm good at both.

[And she leans forward, fork suddenly in hand, and dive-spears for his cupcake]

[imaginate]

[He counter-attacks with his spoon, but it's futile.]

Noooooo!

[He keeps his voice low enough that the other people in the cafe won't stare, but dramatic enough for her to enjoy the effect.]

[backwordscompatible]

[Oh, she very thoroughly enjoys circumventing his evil spoon with her valiant fork, taking a large spearful of cake and--in slow motion, of course--bring it to her mouth.]

You know, they were right. Victory is sweet. And chocolaty.

[imaginate]

[Kyle eyes her in mock-horror.]

Curses! Foiled!

[backwordscompatible]

[She laughed. Not caring who saw. They were acting completely ridiculous, and she didn't care. She'd needed the ridiculous, after talking about the things they had.]

[And, just to show her appreciation, the next spearful--of her own cupcake, no less, she held up to him in a peace offering.]

[imaginate]

[Kyle, on the other hand, did care. Not out of shame, but they'd already been informed there was at least one enemy agent around them, watching, and this was exactly the kind of thing they did watch for. Slip-ups. Small details people didn't mind revealing, but gave you clues to the whole person. Kyle'd never been actively observant (he used instinct) but he was beginning to pick up on the patterns.]

[And there was always, always the voice in the back of his mind telling him he was getting complacent.]

[He grins and eats the offering anyway, chewing dramatically.]

[backwordscompatible]

[Ham.]

[While he was busy giving his jaw a workout, she took another bite for herself, then washed it down with a healthy gulp of the ice cold milk she had been given as well.]

I'm so glad you came out here with me today, Kyle. I really needed this.

[imaginate]

Glad to.

[He'd needed it too, but he finds himself... not admitting to that openly, and instead smiles at her and works on the cake.]