IC Inbox for TS
Aug. 8th, 2013 09:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
backinakidflash
"If you were trying to reach Bart Allen. Well. I've got good news and bad news. Good news: this is he. Bad new: this is a pre-recorded me. Because I got bored waiting for people to call and went to do something cool. More good news though: I'll be back to check my messages before you know it. Probably. Usually. Sometimes. Occasionally. Look, it's a better plan to just post a feed that I can tap into anywhere, OK? Hang a sign in your window that says "Bart stop here" is gonna be the fastest way to flag me down. But if you must, leave one."
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Date: 2014-02-08 06:41 am (UTC)Bart makes a conscious decision to let everything related to Barry telling Hayley go. He, too, is not in the mood for an argument, and he'd like to talk about normal things normally for awhile, without their traditional haranguing over ethics and disclosure and Benjamin Franklin.
Although, come to think of it, that last one might have happened only in his head. He's surprised she hasn't pulled the liberty & safety chestnut on him yet.]
I dunno. They're cooler than I give them credit for. [Which says a lot, because Bart usually says they're pretty awesome, unless he has a bug up his butt about something.] And you're not stupid. Sorry bout the lie.
[He's technically sorry/not sorry. He'd do it again, if he had to, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't feel guilty for trying to mislead her. Anyway. He was supposed to be letting this go.]
Anything fun and exciting in the life of Hayley Stark?
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Date: 2014-02-09 09:11 pm (UTC)At his question, she snorts a single laugh at how ludicrous it is. It's an innocent inquiry from the closest thing she has to a friend. It's still ridiculous. Outside of time spent with Jason - and Bart too, on the rare occasion that they're not arguing -, Hayley has all but forgotten it's possible to have fun on this stupid turtle. That's what it feels like, at least.]
Not really. [She looks at her friend the wall again.] You?
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Date: 2014-02-11 01:02 am (UTC)The abrupt laughter catches him offguard though. He's not sure what he's said that's so funny. If she doesn't accept the apology, Bart doesn't want to know. There's nothing he can do to fix it, and it would gnaw at him forever. It's gnawing at him for now, because that might've been one of the first times he's heard her laugh and he wants to know why.]
Same old, same old. Cabin fever vs. freezing outside. Feels like I've been counting down to spring since October. Oh wait. I have been.
[He's not about to let her off the hook so easily though, because what Bart had really meant was 'how are you?' - a question that she had missed entirely. He nudges her with an elbow.]
And what's boring and dull?
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Date: 2014-02-11 09:26 pm (UTC)Looking over at Bart again, she playfully elbows him in response to his nudge. Her tone is lighter.] Nothing. I've been working and.. I mean, I told you about the thing with Kon and Superman.
[A beat.] It's nice just.. working and learning and not having to stress about everything.
Re: action
Date: 2014-02-12 12:34 am (UTC)[Bart rubs at the knee in question, considering the 'thing' with Superman. He holds his tongue, miracle of all miracles, because... it's like the Barry thing. Best to let it go, if he wants to have company to enjoy.
But Hayley never really provides a lot of topics, it's Bart who is usually the chatterbox. Outlawing so many recent happenings has caught up to him, and he finds himself with nothing to say. He wants to talk more about Barry (depressing), ask her if she's spoken to either of them since then (fastest way to a fight), and tell her about how Tim is back and how it feels almost strained, this re-arrival (so offlimits it isn't funny, given how this Tim presented himself as 'Todd'). It still weights on him, like he declared his allegiance to the prior version of his friend - when they might be the same.
All he can do is pick out the one thing she says that's only sorta boring.]
Learning? [He makes a face at this.] Don't tell me they suckered you into joining their school.
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Date: 2014-02-17 12:34 am (UTC)[Her smile widens with his question again. She knows there's more on his mind than he's talking about, oblivious to Tim but having a pretty good feeling he wants to talk more about both Barry and Clark. There are things she kind of wants to talk about too, like the way Bruce has been after Hannibal and Jason Todd telling her that it's only a matter of time until she kills people. But she somehow doubts those would help his mood and she's trying to avoid a fight as much as he is.]
I didn't even know there was a school. No, it's like.. Don't you miss learning new things? There aren't even movies here or too many books from my world. I don't want to go back and be a year behind in school. Besides, it's a good excuse to meet people and hang out, you know?
[She looks out at the wall again, more emotion creeping into her voice.] You have tons of friends here. I need to find more people too.. Have a sleepover, start dating, try drugs. The normal teenage experience.
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Date: 2014-03-01 06:22 am (UTC)I don't miss learning new things. I haven't learned new things in high school for a long time. Eidetic memory. I told you that. And nobody ever slept over my house, and the ones that I've been to - I dunno if they count as 'normal' sleepovers.
And drugs? Are you crazy? Why would you do that to yourself? [If he's going to say anything right now, he is saying this, because he can't believe she's actually idealizing it. Calling it part of the teenaged experience.] Let me tell you about drugs, ok? They're for people with self esteem issues who want to fit in, made by people who want to take advantage of them, and you have no way to know if what you're putting in your body is what they say it is until it's too late.
Example: I used to have this friend named Rose. Til one day, she shot herself up with chemicals because her dad didn't love her. And they messed her all up. And for what? [He almost spits that question out. It still burns him, what happened to her.] Her stupid, crazy father? She was better off without him. He's the one who put a shotgun to my knee. Which answers your first question. I have an artificial knee.
[He turns to look at her now.] So c'mon. Tell me how you don't mean anything hardcore. Just a little pot, right? Only how do you know it's not laced or dipped? Gonna carry around a lab kit?
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Date: 2014-03-02 02:38 am (UTC)Her smile fades appropriately with the gravity of the anecdote though and then she's defensively and unconsciously pulling her arms and legs more tightly against herself. The idea of Rose's father shooting Bart begs more questions, but she remembers Mark's words about always pushing too much.
Meanwhile, her feelings about Rose are frustrating; it makes her angry that the girl got pushed to that level and doesn't fault her for it. But that means her dad won. If Hayley was in Bart's world, Rose's dad might be someone to look into. But she's not.]
Okay, I won't do drugs. [She answers simply. It's not like she cares that much. Drugs, like getting drunk or breaking into a stranger's pool, are just one of these teenage experiences she expects to encounter at some point in her life. Hayley is rarely one for escapism.] But I'm still going to date and have sleepovers.
[And look at all those questions she's not asking about why Bart didn't mention dating or what happened to Rose or her dad or any of it. Mark would be proud.]
Re: action
Date: 2014-03-05 03:49 am (UTC)The reason why he didn't mention dating is simple, really: he has no argument to it. Dating is nice - when it's not frustrating - and he's got no reason to tell her not to. He wasn't arguing against sleepovers; he had only meant to point out that they aren't part of everyone's teenage years.]
OK, date and have sleepovers? I'm not gonna talk you out of those. I'm your friend. Not your dad.
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Date: 2014-03-13 05:16 pm (UTC)And hey, I slept here once. Doesn't that count as a sleepover? Or is that one of those less than normal ones you were talking about?
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Date: 2014-03-13 08:55 pm (UTC)That was not normal. Unless your normal includes asking friends to let you crash in their room because you're scared. I know mine doesn't include sleeping on a mattress on the floor cause there's a girl in my bed. There's not even girls in my < I>room that often.
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Date: 2014-03-13 09:49 pm (UTC)Almost immediately after dismissing the nearly automatic response of before, she realizes it's Bart, the friend that she kind of wants to know everything about.]
If I'd known it was so abnormal that you were on the floor, I would have offered to share the bed. So, okay, next time, we do it without a crazy killer, we'll share the bed, and- wait. Are you a virgin? Is that why you don't have girls in your room and you-
Wait, are you gay? Oh my god, are you crushing on Tim or Kon and that's why.. oh my god. I mean, I'm not judging you. I think that's awesome. But you mentioned Valerie, so I kind of thought.. wow.
[Boundaries: 0, Hayley: 1. She mocks a surprised face, half teasing and more than half genuinely curious.]
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Date: 2014-03-13 11:37 pm (UTC)I - Look. Everything after 'share' is way off track.
[Which only makes it sound like he's dodging the questions, and, so, he has to press on, because he doesn't want her to think that he doesn't like girls. It's not that there'd be anything wrong with that; it's that it's the wrong assumption.]
But. No, I- just no on the first one. And on the second. Then all evidence to the contrary, and then definitely no. Just because you're good friends with someone doesn't mean 'ohmygodsecretcrush!!' We're friends, and it's not like that. And. Yeah. I dated Val.
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Date: 2014-03-14 12:08 am (UTC)There's something about his insistence that friends don't mean crushes that rubs her the wrong way, but she can't even begin to figure out why. Well, there are lots of reasons why, most having to do with feminism, but she's not sure which it is.]
Wow. Way to go, Bart! [She nudges him again.] Who was the lucky girl? How old were you anyway? And what like, magical evidence is there here? Because I haven't seen you dating anyone.
[Not that she's paying attention to his dating life, but Hayley feels like it would have been mentioned by now. At least she has the respect for him not to bring up how he didn't even tell Val he came back to life.]
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Date: 2014-03-14 12:43 am (UTC)There's not any evidence here, I guess. It's not really... I dunno how to put it. Nobody's dating anybody. Not that I've heard about anyway - not any of us. I'm sure the kedan do, but they live here. We're tourists.
[He can only hope that she leaves the other things alone, because they make it complicated and weird. He liked being normal with her, and, every time he had to say something like 'it happened when I was older than I am now, it only highlighted that he was a bit of a freak.]
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Date: 2014-03-14 02:04 am (UTC)[She wants to bring up an example, but her memories are failing her. Because he's right. The only people she knows that are dating here are the ones who were already together before they arrived. It makes her frown a little and his avoidance doesn't help. She's not upset, but this isn't quite going how she'd hoped.]
You're seriously not going to tell me how old you were? This is what friends do.. Ask ridiculous and personal questions and banter about school and dating and whatever else there is to talk about. I won't judge. I mean, this girl I know, Dana, lost hers at thirteen and she's still cool. So unless you lost yours at like, twelve, there's really nothing to be embarrassed about.
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Date: 2014-03-19 05:11 am (UTC)I'm not not telling you. You're not asking a specific enough question for a one word answer. I dunno how old I am. Not really. So it's like. I guess 21, physically. Mentally si- let's go with seventeen. And chronologically. Um. Anywhere between 5 and 10. It depends on how you wanna count.
[Pocket dimensions can be tricky that way.]
So. How does that fit in with your nothing-to-be-embarrassed-about? I'm not. I mean. I am. But not because it happened. It's more the abstract age and having this conversation with you.
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Date: 2014-03-22 05:41 am (UTC)Truth be told, she tries not to think too much about the age thing. In some ways, Bart is years older than her and thinking about that gap makes her uncomfortable. Instead, she tries to tell herself that he's seventeen or eighteen or whatever it is and leave it at that.]
Girlfriend, casual, or one night stand? [Her curiosity is too strong to ignore entirely. While Hayley separates sex from affection in ways she knows aren't exactly normal, she has a suspicion that Bart might be the romantic type. As a compromise, she adds:] Answer me that and I'll stop asking for details.
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Date: 2014-03-22 06:39 am (UTC)Despite the reassurance, Bart squirms at the question. It's not a topic that comes up often with his friends, except with Griffin who was an anomaly, and he didn't like the topic of his sex life being on the table then either. He almost tells her to mind her own business, but... it's probably not Griffin and Hayley and all of their other friends that are the anomalies here. He - and most of his friends - don't make the cut for normal. Maybe that's what everyone else is doing while the Teen Titans are fighting Doctor Light.
... normal totally wins that one.]
Girlfriend.
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Date: 2014-03-22 07:09 am (UTC)Figures. [She replies playfully.
As promised, the girl asks no more questions on the subject. Instead, she stretches her legs out from her chest, feeling considerably less vulnerable now, and plants her hands on either side of her.
After a brief pause, her smile dissipates to something natural and her tone is free from humor. Hayley's not great at this friend thing.] Do you want me to stay for awhile? Or should I give you some time alone?
Re: action
Date: 2014-03-24 06:36 pm (UTC)[He doesn't know why it sits so poorly, but he doesn't like this feeling easily pegged. Gawwwwd, the last thing he wants is to be that boring, and he is fighting a legacy of square.
Besides, the other choices are about as appealing as a pet rock. Maybe casual. Maybe. But one night stands? He can't even get a girl's fake number at a club.
Bart still doesn't know why his sex life is news, but it's better than moping.
Of course, if he tells her to stay, the questions could get even worse, and he is so unqualified to be the ambassador for the male sex.]
Hnh. Whatever you wanna do.
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Date: 2014-03-24 07:55 pm (UTC)After that, she thinks for only a brief few seconds before she answers.] I'll stay.
Re: action
Date: 2014-03-24 08:38 pm (UTC)[It was only that, thus far, sex hasn't been one of them. The opportunity hasn't presented itself, as far as he's concerned. In reality, he hasn't put out more barest hint of effect to get people off his back with girls.
He also can't see Carol or Valerie going home with someone they met that night. It… wouldn't still be them, and he's not sure he'd be interested in who they were. He doesn't think he'd have taken them home, that's for sure. It takes him longer than that to figure out that he's interested, let alone act on it.
Even speedsters are slow sometimes.]
I don't think you can make it unintimate. Not intimate? However you wanna say it. There's a reason why intimacy and know are euphemisms for it. You can ignore how personal it is, but. Can't change what you're actually doing. It doesn't have to be all crazy intense. It's fun. But if it wasn't totally intimate and kinda… I dunno. Vulnerable? We'd all have sex with everybody.
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Date: 2014-03-24 09:08 pm (UTC)[Hayley gives him a smile. It's her opinion and she's not looking to prove him wrong or argue it.] But hey, I'm a fifteen-year-old virgin, so what do I know anyway?
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Date: 2014-03-24 11:12 pm (UTC)[Theres a quick handwave accompanying this, indicating that he wasn't any of those.]
But I think it's somewhere between everything and nothing. People get jealous of tons of stuff that doesn't involve getting naked. It won't fix things there if you don't make it mean as much. Might make it harder to track guys down for child support. Might up the spread of STDs cause people are morons about condoms. You should've seen my schools' idea of sex ed. I went to high school in Alabama and Kansas. They gave out bent Snapple caps that made this tick-tick sound when you pressed them. Called 'em conscious clickers. I dunno how that was supposed to help. Follow each other around and annoy anyone trying to talk to anyone else? Stupid.
I guess religion has a lot to do with what people think. I'm not religious. I don't know if people are are lobsters and penguins or bunnies and turtles. I dunno a lot of things so it's not like sex makes you smarter. All I know is the people I know that've made the "til death do us part" thing work - they're just happier than the ones that didn't.
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