making the guest list!

[justicedriven]

[It had to happen eventually. Bruce may love Lucrecia Crescent with his entire heart, but even that can't save him from the agony of making a guest list for their wedding. They ran in completely different social circles - he barely knew her friends, and vice-versa - so it made sense that they'd have to figure out who to cut and who to keep.

Only problem was, Bruce didn't really want to do this. He'd hire someone else if she weren't so insistent about doing it herself. So he's set a station at their dining table and asked Alfred to bring them tea and biscotti while they worked.]

We were planning to cap the wedding to around 250 people at most, right? I think any more would be outlandish. [It's more like big weddings bore him - how many of those people would really care for him, anyhow? They just wanted the free food.]

Comments

[formularylove]

Oh, you think so?

[Lucrecia blinked, turning sheepish as she looked up from a mountain of file folders with paperwork spilling out with the threat of taking over the entire table--not small feat.]

Yes, I think I can pare down a little--I mean, exactly. 250 is what we agreed upon.

[She cleared her throat, searching through her hair for the pen she knew she'd tucked in there as she moved to stand in front of a stack of names that was quite obviously over 250. Bruce's offer to hire an event coordinator was kind, but Lucy couldn't trust this day to just anyone. Everything had to be perfect.

Though perfect seemed to change definition every day--some days she wanted all of Gotham to behold her glorious day, others she was ready to beg him to just elope with her in some tropical paradise.]

Oh, here's the lists.

[Cue menacingly tall stack of paper.]

[justicedriven]

[How did she even KNOW that many people? Bruce knew hundreds of people from his jobs (both of them) and yet he was pretty sure he couldn't even compare to that massive list.

He stares at that list for a millisecond before he sighs.] Would 300 be a better number? [In other words, he doesn't see this list being pared down so easily.]

I've narrowed down my list to maybe 150 people at most.

[formularylove]

[She may have simply listed any face she could put with a name--and few friends from work may have talked her into invited their entire social circles just for their personal entertainment.She might have just realized that. She might be a little in over her head.]

150? ... No, I just need to... there's...

[Furious scribbling, papers flying--does she even like half these people? No, but they're important right? Great. She's already getting that tremor of anxiety and they haven't even picked out the pattern of the invitations.

It all reaches a crescendo and she flings the papers up, letting them rain down on her head.]

Where's your list?

[justicedriven]

[Uh-oh.

Bruce recognizes a melodramatic whirlwind when he sees one, and he's not entirely sure how to go about calming her down. He knows how a playboy millionaire would soothe her, and he also knows how the Dark Knight would try to appease her - but she wasn't marrying either of them, she was marrying the guy that pretended to be both of them, and to be frank, that terrified him.

He watches her silently, before he reaches for her hand and squeezes it. With his other hand, he slides forth his list, which is neatly typed up with a few marks in red ink.]

Here. All 150 names, just like I promised.

[formularylove]

[He was always terribly organized--and it wasn't all Alfred, either, as he claimed. She still was trying to figure out how he kept everything straight. She felt like she could barely hold down one identity without cracking.]

Just like you promised.

[She took the piece of paper from him, voice quiet, a tiny tremble of a smile coming back underneath thick brown bangs. She couldn't look at him, but she squeezed his hand back as she looked over the names.]

It's a good list! I like this list.

You know, really...

[She set the paper down and patted it, then wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve.]

Really we shouldn't have took many more than this, I think? There's not too many people I'm really close to, [She tried to covertly shove the other papers away] and fewer guests means less chance of one Mr. Wayne's notorious fangirls from crashing our day, right?

[Her chuckle as she smiled up at him was still a bit off-kilter, but warm.]

[justicedriven]

[In his case, it took a lot of practice, patience, and reminders from Alfred! Having Lucy around helps out too, if indirectly. Bruce's list consists primarily of various superheroes, some work colleagues, some random friends from god-knows where, and then some kids close to Dick, Jason, and Tim - they were presumably their dates.

He watches her cautiously, since he's not sure if that was her meltdown or if there was more to come...] I suppose so.

[He can't help smiling in return. His fangirls were kind of brutal, even if he pretended to ignore it most days.] Are you sure, though? We've got more than enough room for them at our venue. [It's mainly said for her sake: he suspects she doesn't want to admit she knows fewer people that well.]

[formularylove]

Yes, I know. [She pulls out her phone and starts copying down contact information for her research team. She suspects why he said what he did, but she's just grateful for the out. It's hard for her to admit she can only put up appearances and not have a meaningful relationship--because she knows how important genuineness is to him.]

I, um... I think I've seen about as much of your friends lately as anyone else. Work's been busy.

[The storm seems over--for the moment. Though she's still tense. Some of the most important people in her life can't be there, whether by death or what's passed between them. Some things hurt, even in happy moments. But she keeps smiling as she show him the list: 8 more couples, and 7 more with a +1 for dates.]

Yay?

[justicedriven]

[It's hard to find meaning in things, so he can't really blame her too much for finding it difficult. If she hadn't taken him on the offer, he would've just invited some more random people to make that list fit.]

Hopefully it wasn't because your lab was in trouble. [He smiles slightly, his lips curled up in amusement. He's actually making a joke! This is a Kodak moment! He never makes jokes!

Except he realizes she probably means his work-related friends (or civilian friends, if he actually has those), so the smile doesn't last for too long.] But I understand. Lucius's had me looking at progress reports for days now.

[formularylove]

[She gives him the charity of a laugh--that was kind of adorable.]

Not too many of those friends--not working, at least.

[She leans against him with a sigh.]

Mine's all been paperwork, too.

But if we just stay focused... we're still going away for our honeymoon, right?

I mean, if you think the world isn't going to end without you or something.

[They're both workaholics--she knows this well--but they really could use a break. And what better reason.]

[justicedriven]

[Thank. God. Bruce inwardly sighs of relief - Wally and the others are decent people, but he really doesn't need them saving her from an exploding lab or anything of the sort.

He flinches at the mention of going away, for only a millisecond, before he slowly nods.] Dick said he could handle the city, so I think we should be fine for a week. [Any more, and it'd be Bruce who would explode from a combination of restlessness and "must return to Gotham."]

[formularylove]

[Her smile falters momentarily at his flinching--it still is hard sometimes to have to share him with all of Gotham. But she was used to sharing men with their work, right? At least this was for a better purpose. And he went out of his way to keep her from feeling neglected.]

Oh, good! I definitely trust him--not overly sure he trusts me, but that's ok.

[She forces a laugh. There's nothing overly adverse between them, but he seems standoffish sometimes. And even more stubborn than she is.]

[justicedriven]

[The boys still aren't used to the idea of Bruce marrying someone - and whenever he did settle down, the boys had always imagined him with Selina or Diana or even Zatanna, just someone who was part of both his civilian life and his costumed life. Lucy didn't fit that pattern - and to make it even weirder, she was a civilian to boot.

Bruce smiles, though it's much more remorseful than before.] It takes a while for Dick to trust anyone. [More quietly, just in case the boys are overhearing this conversation:] Only when he caught the flu did his partner on the force - the girl he works with all the time - realize I was his dad.

[He's pretty sheepish about this! He hadn't realized he'd raised his kid to be that aloof.] So give him - and Tim - some more time. They'll turn around eventually.

[formularylove]

[She sighs and nods. It's really endearing the care Bruce shows for the boys--and before she was around them, she never realizes she might want to be seen as a parent figure. But now she wants to know them better, and not just for Bruce's sake.]

Oh, it's--they're fine.

[Part of her still worries it's her: maybe they see something in her that they know is no good for Bruce? But her fiance's smile is reassuring.]

Much better than any child of mine could turn out, I'm sure.

/sometime after Bruce wanders off

[technobird]

[Tim had been looking forward to a relatively stress-free evening. He'd finished patrols, he'd almost finished his homework, and a new season of his TV show premiered in a couple of hours.

He grabs a snack, intending to finish it later, and passes the dining room---wait.

That was Bruce's fiancee, wasn't it? Tim'd met her before, and while she seemed like a nice person, Tim couldn't help feeling like there was some kind of catch. There had to be; why else would Bruce so willingly have proposed to her?

He's tempted to just walk by and pretend that he never saw her, especially since Bruce isn't in... But he goes ahead, plasters a smile on, and walks in.] Lucrecia? What're you working on?

Re: /sometime after Bruce wanders off

[formularylove]

[Humming to herself with the ridiculously perky smile she used to mask extreme concentration, she shuffle the invitation samples, mulling them over for the 3 millionth time.

She jumped at the sound of his voice, looking up to simply beam more brightly.]

Oh! Just invitations--hi, Tim.

[Setting the papers down, she turned just so, folding her hands in her lap. Keeping in mind what Bruce said, she was attempting to make a good impression. She still felt a bit like an intruder, and didn't want to cause tension.]

I guess you're in for the evening?

[Awkward.]

[technobird]

[He gives her a nod of acknowledgment before he takes a seat across from her and starts munching on his apple. The tension's there, alright - Tim's not making it any easier on her, and he knows it. Of Bruce's boys, Tim remembers grievances (real and imagined) forever, even if he's already forgiven people for them.]

Invitations? [He raises an eyebrow, but glances at some of the samples strewn on the table.] You two didn't hire a wedding planner to take care of that?

[That surprises him. Really? He would've suspected that someone else would've done the dirty work - so it's weird for him to think that Bruce actually WANTED to do this.] ... Wait, you didn't make him do this, did you?

[formularylove]

[Her smile is a little more forced as she nods, rearranging the invitations.]

What? Oh.

[Lucy laughs as she works.]

Well, he offered! But I really wanted to do it myself--I'm... mm, kind of particular. One of the quirks of being a scientist.

[She stops, sighing happily as she looks up at him.] I was going to do it all myself because I know how busy Bruce is, but he was insistent--which do you like better: ruby or sapphire?

[She holds up two fairly nondescript ivory invitations with colored ink. She's trying to engage him, but her mind is too distracted with the wedding.]

[technobird]

[Tim raises an eyebrow. That's a quirk he hasn't heard of, and he's befriended a lot of scientists in his (relatively short) lifetime. Did she really want to do the dirty work herself? Surely it'd be easier to hire someone...

Still, she did ask him a question, and he can feign politeness for as long as he has to.] I'm inclined to say ruby, but... [He does notice that he's distracted, so he presses his lips together.] You guys weren't able to pick out what you wanted? Or let me guess: Bruce wanted sapphire and you wanted ruby?

[formularylove]

[Easier, yes, but Luce rarely took the easy way out of things: she enjoyed challenges--even the ones that made her crack. Especially the ones that made her crack. Unfortunate character flaw.]

[She stared at him, puzzled.]

No, he told me they both looked fine, and just to pick one...

[The smile looked a little nervous now.]

Do you think he wants sapphire? I mean, I really like it, but ruby has this boldness to it--it kind of makes a statement. And it goes better with the flowers I was thinking about.

The bridesmaid dresses have both, so that's not a worry--Hrm.

[She's not really looking at him anymore, but through him, lost in possibilities, forgetting why she struck up a conversation with him in the first place.]

[technobird]

[Oh god, he set her off. Of all the things he expected from her, getting her flustered about the color of the font on her wedding invitations wasn't actually on his list. And he'd even color-coded his lists!]

I honestly don't think Bruce cares which color you go with.

[It sounded a little rude coming out of his mouth, but he certainly looks concerned. Tim... doesn't exactly have much experience dealing with women, even though he knows girls like Lucy.] He'll be happy with whatever color works best for you.

[formularylove]

[Her face flickers for a moment, then her gaze wanders back to him with a curt nod.]

Right. Of course.

Ruby it is, then!

[Her face brightens for a moment, then adopts a look of concentration as she picks up her buzzing phone, reading a text and shaking her head as she answers.]

It's so hard to find good minions these days. There.

[Setting it down, she smiles up at him]

Speaking of, did you find the cookies I made? Pumpkin spice--I got the recipe from work. Alfred was just thrilled I didn't set anything on fire.

[Of course, there was no reason she had to be in the kitchen at all, but these random attempts at domesticity made her feel like she was trying to be a mother figure--isn't that what they do?]

[technobird]

["Minions?" Tim looks up, startled, before he plasters on that smile as if nothing had ever happened. He knows she's a villain - she even uses the proper term to refer to her underlings! - but what's she up to this time?

Was she planning on rewarding them for their hard work?

His questions are swirling around in his head and - oh, oh she had just asked him a question. Tim blinks.]

Those were yours? [His surprise is genuine: he remembers the kitchen fires.] They were pretty decent. Did Alfred help you out at all?

[formularylove]

[She huffs, then pretends to glare at him.] I beg your pardon!

[Her expression rockets back to a smile, this one slightly sharp for a moment before it melted into softness.] I'm sure he was standing outside the room with a fire extinguisher, but he let me take the reins--he's entirely too trusting, don't you think?

[Lucy laughed, unaware of how she was presenting herself--the worst she thought she had to fear from him is being considered too "weird" or aloof for Bruce.]

[technobird]

[Actually, Alfred can be less trusting than Tim. He doesn't let on that he is, but... if Alfred let her cook, then maybe she isn't that bad.

Tim stares at her blankly for a while before he manages the barest of smiles.] He wouldn't have let you cook if he didn't think you could manage on your own. His kitchen's one of his prized possessions.

[He still thinks Lucy's up to SOMETHING. Tim's just no longer sure what that 'something' is.]

[formularylove]

Or maybe I'm just good at fooling him... [Lucy wiggles her eyebrows and tries to stifle a giggle--good. A confirmation from someone else that Alfred's gesture was meaningful.]

[She sighs happily and goes back to the invitation ordering form--she raises her head once more, face a little more serious, like she wants to say something important. She's not exactly sure what. Maybe acknowledging how hard this must be for him? How she's glad he hasn't requested she be thrown out? Eh, all that sounds a little campy to say to a boy his age.]

But either way, you can relax: I definitely won't be taking over meal prep here.