[Open] I'm not the only one who's waiting to be born

[modernized]

Characters: Terry McGinnis and no one get out Anyone
Date: All of February
Location: Various places listed under the cut
Situation: Many!
Warnings/Rating: None for now.


Earth Sector: Turtle shenanigans

[Let it be known that Terry is not the "parent type". Or is even thinking about kids. He's not bad with kids at the least, but forget having any of his own right now. That said, taking care of a turtle child is even a tad more complicated than taking care of a computerized egg baby for Family Studies in high school. Only a tad more though, because that egg was a royal pain.

He spends most of his time with Ryder (aka "Warturtle", because he fully expects it to be decked out in Nth metal armor any day now with Shayera as a co-caretaker) in Earth Sector making sure the precarious turtle doesn't bust its head into any stores because it wants to have fun with the locals. Earth is definitely the most "open" of the sectors in Terry's opinion, as far as moving room goes, and it has a lot of nice things for Ryder to gawk at without bumping his head around.

Not that it stops said turtle from causing trouble, as its curiosity gets the better of the child and makes him wander into the more crowded areas as Terry tries holding it back from disturbing the peace. The Kedan seem to be fond of the turtle baby at the very least, children and adults like coming near the child in awe and humble respect.]

Fire Sector: Brazen Turtle

[Working sucks, but getting juulan doesn't suck. Being Batman doesn't get him juulan, so having two jobs will have to cover his money gains on the turtle. What a life. He should demand money from Wayne-- yeah no that's an awful idea, lets not even entertain it.

So yes, he works at the Brazen Turtle as a server, taking orders and serving up the meals. He's new to the job, but it can't be harder than beating up scumbags on the street right? Right. It is different though and he's glad for the chance to be a little more social than usual. That seems to be a running theme with being on the turtle, compared to being in Gotham.

If he sees someone at the place alone, he'll go up and make try to make conversation. Or he'll be available near the bar when he isn't busying himself taking orders, though not ordering any drinks for himself. Not good to drink on duty and even then he doesn't drink alcohol at all. Not his style.]

Water Sector: Food shopping

[While he will forever at heart be a lover of junk food, pizza, chili, fizz, the works, Terry knows he needs to keep up a diet for his job. A very gross diet, but a diet nonetheless. He's made himself a list of things Kairi Tanaga ordered him to eat back when he was training with her (he still wishes he wasn't so dim and saw through Zander before it was too late) and is going around trying to get it.

Said things include eels, rice, tofu, fish (a lot of fish), green beans, leafy greens - really he's just putting in anything that looks healthy and he wouldn't want to eat on a daily basis. Expect to see him making faces of disgust and horror as he goes through the market ordering with zero satisfaction in what he plans to put in his mouth.

If he sees someone he doesn't recognize, but who might know what they're doing, he'll quietly tap their shoulder a couple times.]

Excuse me, hope I'm not bothering you or anything, but do you know what around here is good to eat and doesn't look like I'd be throwing it up?

[So enthusiastic.]

Various Sectors: Batlyfe

[Being here for a few months now means becoming more accustomed to the turtle, it's general surroundings, how to get around places while keeping stealthy and so on. It's definitely quieter than Gotham, but crime isn't non-existent unsurprisingly. Besides he isn't going to complain if someone isn't trying to blow him up with explosives or wringing themselves around him to try crushing him to death, or blasting his eardrums by amplifying sound waves - yeah he won't be exactly raising complaints.

He mainly keeps to himself in work, preferring to be out alone, but he doesn't pairing up with others so long as they play nice. No extreme rough housing, certainly no killing, and don't break the city in order to protect it. When the cowl goes on he becomes more serious along with it, deepening his voice so he sounds older and making it unrecognizable by anyone who knows him out of the suit, but he isn't completely tense and cold. Not his style.

So if you're a hero type or even if you aren't, you may notice a bat going around the turtle throughout the month at night time. Be it scouting the area or dropping down to fight crooks, he'll be around the place for certain.]

Note: If you'd like a custom thread starter or want to plot something in general, feel free to either pm or private plurk me at infiniteprayer and we can set something up! The prompts may also apply during Landfall, as Terry won't be going into the bottle, though custom starters during that period are more than welcomed later down the line.

Comments

water sectooooooooor

[soulstoker]

[Wow so she's not recognizable huh!! But no really, Leia already has a smile for greeting shoppers, and when she sees that it's Terry she smiles even wider. And, y'know, sort of quirks an eyebrow at his question.]

What, are you trying to lose weight or something? [LEIA THAT'S RUDE....] But I can think of a few foods here that work for "healthy but actually edible".

[modernized]

[He deals with people who dress like weirdos so much that they all just sorta blend together ok...]

Hey Leia. Nah, just trying to be more healthy without compromising my love of all things greasy. I'm open to ideas.

[soulstoker]

[Ah so she's a weirdo then..... Okay except this is actually true oops.]

How about trying soda rice then? Rice is definitely healthy, and soda helps it not taste so plain! It's actually a personal favorite of mine. [And she looks totally healthy right!!]

[modernized]

Soda rice? [He pauses for a moment, thinking what that'd even be like, and makes a face.] I'm guessing pouring orange fizz onto rice isn't what you have in mind on that.

Jor-El (2/8)

[modernized]

[It's been a while since the turtle made a stop, but Terry hasn't forgotten the favor Jor-El had done for him that day. Jor-El said it was fine not to repay him, but Terry can't sit on that. He's a believer in carrying his own weight and if he's going to let people help him, especially strangers, then he feels the need to return the favor. But he knows Jor-El doesn't want to be repaid in juulan, so he had to think for a while on what he could do to properly repay the deed.

He figured something out eventually though and took his idea to a craftsman in Earth Sector on commission. It cost him a chunk of the juulan that was gifted to all the Foreigners to get it done, but he was informed recently that the work was finished. So with that done and out of the way he called up Jor-El over the consoles and asked if they could meet at a cafe in the Earth Sector. Terry makes it there first (because hey, he can be punctual during the day more so than the night) and waits for the man to arrive at the cafe.]

[lookedtothestars]

[Jor-El reaches the cafe shortly after, at the agreed upon time. The cafe is one he is familiar with on sight, its entrance looking out onto one of his preferred routes to Metal.

He readily agreed when Terry requested the meeting; the young man had made it evident at the auction that he would repay him back at some point for what Jor-El did (though close and personal possessions such as that photograph didn't merit a need for for it; some things were too precious to assign a value to).

When he arrives, he hails Terry, with an efficient raise of his hand.]

Terry.

[modernized]

[He pauses for a moment at the hand raise, before raising his hand back slightly and hoping returning the gesture won't offend Jor-El. Alien cultures man.]

Jor-El. [He ushers with a hand to the open seat on the opposite side of the table.] I already ordered a pot of tea if you want anything to drink. Server should be back soon.

[lookedtothestars]

[It doesn't; however alien humans may seem at times, they're similar enough in some respects to Kryptonians that he has become mostly used to their idiosyncrasies with time. Even if the vast majority of his people would find the species beneath them, that was more a matter of cultural xenophobia than anything else.]

Thank you. [He carefully takes the seat- even now, months since his arrival, most of his movements are more careful and practiced than they are natural and fluid.]

I hope you are doing well?

earth sector!

[langsyne]

[Despite having a turtle child of his own, Scott's always pleased to see everyone else's. There's something entertaining (and therapeutic) about watching a turtle that isn't his cause a commotion in a public place.

He laughs, makes his way up to where Terry is.]

Too bad they never taught Turtle Parenting 101 in high school, huh?

[Even real-life parenting experience has been a hit and miss for him, 'cause these babies sure don't act the same as human ones.]

[modernized]

[He winces at that laugh, as he tries to calm Ryder down from going headfirst into a sculpture of Eshai. Both a touching and slightly morbid gesture all things considered, but definitely one that can't be allowed.]

I took Family Studies, not Animal Studies. [He rubs his dace a little in frustration, the other hand gently placed on Ryder's shell.] These turtles need a manual or an instruction book.

[langsyne]

[Scott's smile mellows at out at the obvious frustration. The kid looks pretty young, and unless he's had a rowdy dog or a younger sibling, chances are he's never really had to deal with this kind of thing.]

Unfortunately for us, we don't get any of that stuff. Though I spent the better part of my adult life raising a kid on my own and I swear she was still better behaved than these guys.

So all things considered [he lifts one shoulder in half a shrug] you're not doing too bad.

[modernized]

[Worse Scott: he has a younger sibling and is part-time caretaker of the grumpiest dog ever. But neither were as excitable as this turtle at every little thing.]

Heh, thanks. They aren't bad at behaving, but they're just - I dunno, excited? Too excited. They just want to explore everything and they don't care. One of them even got into my dreams like a week ago.

NA NA NA NA NA BATSECTOR

[superieure]

[Monet sometimes takes to the rooftops of the Metal Sector. There's not that much organised crime in the area but there's usually always someone or the other causing trouble, and she keeps an eye out for strangers crossing her turf. Today she's perched on the side of the roof, legs dangling over the edge, fearless, as she sits, and waits, listening for the first sign of trouble.]

[There. A few blocks away. She perks up when she hears the distant scream, stands on the edge, and lifts off, up into the sky (never down, freefall isn't her thing), flying silently and landing just behind the kedan in question, cracking her knuckles, a smirk playing on her lips gearing up for a good fight.]

[modernized]

[Metal Sector is always a good place for scouting, Terry finds. The buildings are, obviously, made of metal and he makes good use of the magnetization his boots have installed. This means he gets to literally be a bat on a wall, suspended mid-air in a crouch as he looks out for danger.

He hears the scream and quietly pushes off the wall and demagnetizes, gliding toward the source. Only he stops short of dropping in when he catches sight of a woman going down from a rooftop, choosing instead to anchor himself to the side of a wall silently. He can't recognize her from afar, but obviously she's a meta-human. Magic? Or maybe some kind of psychics. Could just be a flight capable immortal. Sometimes he wishes everyone was just a regular human because meta-human stuff can get really complicated, too much so for his tastes.

Regardless, he flicks out a 'rang from his right hand and tosses it at the Kedan's feet. Not attempting to hit them, but to catch the assailant off-guard.]

[superieure]

[The good thing about being a literal bat on the wall is that it's an unusual place to hang out, and so Monet doesn't spot him, or even when he glides closer. She's learnt to tune out what she deems extraneous noise, and what she thinks is some bird flying overhead is less important than her prey.]

[The 'rang, however, catches her attention as well as the kedan's, and she takes advantage of their momentary confusion to step into the light, tread firmly on a few feet that were shifting into something larger and more beastlike to fight her, and pick it up. It's nothing special, actually, just means she's got a bit of a show to put on.]

Watch and learn!

[She spins and elbows the nearest kedan in the face.]

[modernized]

[His mouth twitches into a small smirk when she calls out to him, not even flinching at her attack on the Kedan, and decides that he won't get involved on the physical side of things much. But that doesn't mean he can't help even things out just a little.

He flicks his wrist and slings a grapple toward one of the Kedan, the wire tangling around an arm ready to swing a punch at Monet. The punch only makes it half way before Terry pulls the Kedan sharply back toward the wall, the thug slamming against the metal and falling to his knees. Not out just yet, but good enough for Terry to drop down from the wall and land directly on the attacker's back, sending him flat to the ground. Won't be getting up from that.]

I'm not a fan of "watching", lady.

NOT LATE Brazen Turtle

[bludhavenknight]

[Dick loves working at the Brazen Turtle. It's a little sad now that Bryn is gone (he'll miss her, she was a good friend), and while he wasn't one hundred percent sure with Jim (they didn't talk very much, but it was only by accident, not anything bad), he knew that the place was in capable hands.

And tending bar got a lot of money in his pocket, which helped things that he wanted to do (or needed) to get bought. Tips a lot, flirting, showing off acrobatic skills, who wouldn't have a blast working there?

Also it helped with the nightly outings. Oh, you want to work the afternoon shift? Sure. Oh, you want to pick up the shift that ends at midnight, and it's dark as you walk home? Yeah, this job was the best.

This afternoon was slow, but that's okay, and Dick leans against the bar with a frown.]

I need to update the bar list, we're starting to run low on about half of this stuff. How do you make anything special for the week if you don't have anything left?

[modernized]

[Terry can live with a slow afternoon, even if it does make him just a bit antsy. He can be lazy, but when it comes to work (of any kind) he's always felt the need to be doing something productive and not be wasting his time. Then again, the only job he's ever really held before coming to the turtle was his, er, "executive assistant" job at Wayne Industries, so to speak. A long night job with few benefits, many injuries, no downtime and minimum wage pay only made out as a cover.

He stands by the bar, without any customers to wait on for the time being, and cocks his head to the side when Dick speaks to him. The question gets a half-shrug in response.]

Don't ask me, I've never mixed a drink in my life. If even the faintest scent of alcohol blipped on my mom's radar she would throw a fit, interrogating me harder than any cop could dream to do.

[He breathes out a small huff through his nose and turns around to look at the stock behind the counter.]

Maybe you can just mix what you have most of and save what little you have for later? Or just take what little you have and use it up to make the specials?

[bludhavenknight]

Moms are good like that. Put a perp in a room with two cops, and they can work him over for hours. [Dick looked at him and grinned.] But bring his mom into the room? There's a lot of mothers who put the Bludhaven PD to shame back in the day.

[You have no idea. Unless you think of Batman as the father of Gotham. He's the father every kid gets scared of when their mother says 'Wait till your father comes home!'. But Dick looks considering at the bottles.]

That could work. [He looks back at Terry.] What do people usually order from you, if they're not coming to the bar?

[He could look, yes, but it's slow today, and he'd rather talk to someone instead of read a bunch of papers right now.]

ALSO NOT LATE Batlyfe

[bludhavenknight]

[Sure, there were tons of superheroes around here, but Bats and Birds ruled once it got dark out. There were so many of them, and not enough to cover the whole turtle. But the sections that really needed it; they were there.

But they were both used to fighting together, and fighting by themselves. Dick had always thought of it like a bird growing up. Because he is that guy who likes to think of these kinds of things in stupid terms, but they made sense. And if they dealt with things that could be tough to deal with, then it worked. It worked.

You have a bird, it molts, and becomes the same bird except kind of different? Kind of different. Damnit, he needed to work on the actual wording on that one. Not that he had time to do that now, crouched on a rooftop and waiting for the suspects to show up. He's got eyes and ears on it, but you have to wait it out. That's what a stakeout is, after all.

He's Nightwing. He had the Batman costume, the one that fit him, actually fit him. But there was already a Batman here. Two, sort of, and he just... it didn't feel right. He felt more comfortable as Nightwing, more at ease with it.

Suddenly a movement on a nearby roof caught his attention. Lenses flashed, and he grinned. Dare he see if he wanted to join in on a really boring stakeout? Though it might not be boring for much longer.

Bird call time!]

[modernized]

[Terry, unlike Dick, has never been fully use to fighting with other people by his side. He worked solo for the past two years, only joining forces with someone else when the situation absolutely called for it and only in that situation. There was no group meeting or partner for him.

For starters, how could he be expected to look after a partner when he himself is still in-training and learning as he goes along. More importantly, the story of what happened to Bruce's last partner, maybe a few years or so before his mentor retired, made him even more unnerved with the prospect of taking on any partners. It wasn't going to be happening any time in his future if he had a say in it.

That said, working with people more experienced than him is a completely different story. One he's more than fine with. He's not opposed to cooperating with others, but he always did prefer to go it alone in the end. Allows a little more freedom and removes the worry he has to anyone by his side.

So when he notices Dick -- Nightwing (a name the elderly Grayson of his world hasn't used in decades, so he has to mentally check himself) -- conducting a stakeout he gets admittedly curious to see what the bird is up to. The subtle flash of lenses is all he needs to know that the guy wouldn't mind some company.

He moves away from his spot, blending into the darkness and away from Nightwing's view, only to quietly come up behind the man moments later and crouch down next to him. Being able to move in the darkness and come up unnoticed is just one of the many "Vintage Batman" tricks he has picked up over the course of two years. He has this one down better than the famed Disappearing Act so far.]

Estimated time to arrival?

[bludhavenknight]

[The little tricks aren't vintage for him, but he still grins at them. The appearing suddenly next to you act is one of his favorites, though he's never been that good at it. Maybe he'll get better at it as Batman, but Dick has always been a little too loud and a little too flashy for him to be able to do that.

Still, it doesn't bother him any, as used to it as he is. All he does is glance next to him and give the same grin he gives every time.]

They're late by ten, so ETA is ten.

[If they're late, they're going to play the whole waiting game. Twenty minutes late can look good if you're the one who already has the upper hand.]

What's the score?

Bruce Wayne (2/19)

[modernized]

[So, the time of Armageddon has come again. Or, well, close to Armageddon - fitting seeing as city is still covered in thick black fog. It sure as hell made getting a present difficult, with many merchants across the sectors closing up shop out of fear from the corruption spreading throughout. Terry doesn't fault them at all, it's the smart thing to do, but couldn't this damn fog pick another time to spread evil stuff around? Like a time that didn't fall on Bruce's birthday? Poor guy, he literally never gets a break, and Terry is sure that his boss is prepping to go into the bottle. It's been over a week since people began going in and things still haven't improved in the city - this can't keep going on.

Last year Terry dragged Bruce, or well the elderly Bruce he's more accustomed to, to the premiere of the Batman Musical. It was done partly out of genuine endearment, intent on getting the old man out of his mansion for one night, and partly to be a smartass. Unfortunately nothing like that is available on the turtle, so he'll have to settle for genuine endearment alone. He ventured through the markets in the fog a few days ago to pick something up in advance and found what he hopes is a good gift. Shopping for someone like Bruce is, well, difficult unless you have a ton of money and resources and those are not things Terry has. But he hopes the thought will come across.

So as night begins to fall, Terry gets to the safehouse he's certain Bruce is in (or the one he should be in - the guy is a creature of habit) to prep for "after hours" work. He has the present stashed in his backpack, so just a matter of getting it to the man of the day. Or night. Whatever.]

Hey, boss, you in? [He calls out as he enters through the secret passage, waiting to see if he gets a response. One of the things he liked about his old man Wayne was the guy didn't really have the physical stamina to be a sneaky guy lurking around. Ah, but life can't always be easy right?]

[cowled]

['In' isn't the half of it. Bruce is gearing up to go into the turtle, ignoring the meaning of this particular day, and has all but sequestered himself away from any visitors.

One year older. He's been in the Lazarus Pit before, so he doesn't quite look his age, but he feels it. And it's becoming markedly more noticeable. He cracked his collarbone several weeks ago, and the healing process has been... grueling. Slower than it used to be. And he's... glad, of the shift in the weather, because the cold was making his bones ache, to the point where even several hours of training a day wasn't enough to dispel it.

He's older than his father was when he died. He's been Batman in name now for almost two decades. He's lost sons and daughters to this line of work, brought them back or seen them brought back, fought gods and toppled demons, and still there is no rest. Keeliai is a respite, yes, but the last year and a half has been a calm before the storm and he can feel it building now, pressure mounting in a chaotic miasma that instinct tells him will culminate in blood on the floor at some later date.

Birthdays? He doesn't have time for birthdays. The younger, variant Dick planned a party for him last year, but he's-- gone, now, and Bruce has no interest in celebration or the lip-service thereof. So when he hears Terry's voice, he grimaces a little, but otherwise there's no indication as to his thought processes.]

What?

[If that's not a grumpy, one-word reply... Bruce is standing in the small kitchenette, and may be mixing plastique in the kitchen sink. Because that's just how he rolls.]

[modernized]

[He snerks.]

Hello to you too, sir.

[Ah yes, the typical Bruce Wayne in his natural habitat and with the typical one word response. If he knows his boss like he does, he can take a wild guess and say that Bruce isn't exactly celebrating being a year older. Growing older means a year weaker for the man - a year closer to the day he'll have to hang up the cowl because his body won't be able to take the rigors.

Not that Terry thinks old age will stop Bruce. No, he's always believed that the Bruce Wayne he knows, the old bitter man in his late 70s (possibly early 80s) retired because something drastic happened that made him quit cold and not old age alone.

So his behavior doesn't worry Terry, because he'd be much more worried if the guy wasn't acting like a grump, but he's going to think of a way to break out the gift naturally. At least in a way that won't have it immediately dismissed. Besides he isn't here just to give Bruce a present - business is business in the end.]

Just getting ready to go out for the night. I'm assuming there's no improvements with the fog? Can't go a night these days without one of those mold beasts trying to take a bite off me.