sheridan | making the guest list!

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making the guest list!

[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.]

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[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.]

[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.

[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?]

["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?

[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.]

[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.]

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.

[He goes through the motions of relaxing - Tim lets his shoulders sag, and he hunches forward as he rests his forearms on the wooden table. Which honestly is an indication that he's not relaxing: he doesn't like placing his arms over the table unless he wants to look like he's truly okay with the situation.

In some aspects, Tim really is worse than Bruce.] Then what are you planning on taking over? [It's said jokingly, meant to be reassuring even though he's incredibly suspicious.] It's not like we've got a giant lab in our house or anything.

Edited 2012-11-16 00:02 (UTC)

I know! But even the future empress of the universe needs a place to get away from work, right?

[She wiggles her eyebrows, shucking her shoes and tucking her legs up under her as she fills out order forms.]

[It's always odd to her, to watch the boys try to relax--all the boys, grown or not. They do the male version of some of the gestures she does, very conscious, forced casual motions. At least he's trying? That's good, right? Unless he really does hate her and he doesn't want her to know.]

I promise to keep staying out of your way--it's not like we need to know more about each other's business than we care to, right?

[So she wants to conquer the entire universe? How... ambitious. Grateful that his face's half-hidden by his arms, Tim raises an eyebrow but doesn't press the subject further.

Wasn't Earth enough of a planet? Why'd she want to go up against the entire Green Lantern Corps too? Did she have---wait.

Did she just say she'd stay out of his way? Step-moms aren't supposed to do that.] Really? I uh. Thank... you?

[He coughs.] It's okay, really. Bruce knows more about my business than I do sometimes.

Pffft. That's Bruce for you.

[Lucy is tearing up a piece of scrap paper, folding it into little origami stars. One of the silly little things Hojo taught her to do before he decided to turn on her.]

But he's also your father. I'm... nothing, really. Except the insidious Ice Queen who stole his heart.

[She tries to smile, but the mood is fading. Her brows knit as she starts flicking stars--trying not to hit him, but sending a few that direction by accident.]

Bruce has clearly been a wonderful influence on you. Most efforts I make will just undo that, and put the house into unrest. Whatever wars are being fought outside, I just don't think we should bring it home with us.

[That was... painfully honest. Moreso than she meant to be. It was a confession of fears about her potential parenting, and a vulnerable insight into her own background.]

[Eyebrow raise.] You really think that's how we think of you? As someone that'll undo Bruce's influence?

[She hit it on the nose for Tim, but she certainly misjudged Dick if that's the case. Dick was always the more trusting of the two, plus Dick just... well, he relied on his instincts more than Tim. Tim'd always preferred hard, cold evidence. He catches a few paper stars in his hand and stares down at them.]

You don't have to be our mother, Lucrecia. Dick and I're old enough to take care of ourselves. [he presses his lips together] But I wouldn't say you're "nothing," either. Bruce loves you for a lot of reasons, and while I may not know them, I trust his judgment almost as much as I trust mine.

... Plus, you make pretty cool paper stars. If you've got time, you should show us how to make them.

[She pauses, mask falling from her face, bright brown eyes flickering up towards his in a zig-zag way. She's confused that he's acting so surprised to hear her talk this way. And she's worried it's a trap--that he's not letting on how he really feels for her sake, or Bruce's. Still, she wants to believe he doesn't have any ill-will towards her.]

Well, no, but... Yes, you're right, he--but even I don't... Ah. Never, um... never mind, then.

[Lucy smiles just a bit, tremulously, more naturally. She hesitates just a moment, then slides a strip of paper towards him.]

Someone once told me if you make one thousand of these, you get to make a wish. I was up to 857 once, but then I... lost them.

[Set them on fire. In Hojo's trashcan. It was a messy break up.]

It's really easy. You basically just start like this.

[She pushes her strip to the middle of the table, make exaggerated, slow versions of the first few folds.]

[He's trying. As much as he distrusts Lucy, she's not stupid enough to hurt Tim in his own house (he hopes), and well... keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right? He's been proven wrong before. It'd sting if he were wrong, but it might also be better in the long run.

Tim stares down at the paper before awkwardly putting his hands near it.] Kind of like the paper cranes? Except with stars?

[He's familiar with the Japanese legends; he's just not familiar with the star variant. Still, he watches her closely before he attempts to mimic her motions.

Tim's clearly not the fighter - it takes him a few tries before his paper looks remotely like hers. Even then, it's scratched and almost to the point of disarray.]

... Yes, like the cranes.

[She smiles, hiding a laugh at his attempt when she looks up from folding her own.]

That's about how mine started out--which means you could be pretty awesome at this. The stars at least. I never did learn anything else in origami.

[Nor did she learn many of the legends, truthfully. The stars just stuck in her mind because of how much love she had for the real ones. Anything else was just the random things Hojo mentioned in the rare times they actually talked about something personal.]

So now you know one of my few and pathetic hobbies. What are yours?

Never? [There's the hint of a challenge in his voice. While Tim isn't exactly educated on Japanese legends either, he's always been fascinated by origami. He's about to ask her why not, since she's pretty good at the stars...

Then of course, she has to ask him about his favorite hobbies. Does she want to bond with him, or is she looking for a weakness that she can exploit later?] Uh...

I play a lot of video games, I guess - the kind you can bring on your phone? [He fishes out his phone and shows her his current obsession, Angry Birds.] I played console games too, but there's not much time for those when I work with Bruce most nights.

[She's trying to avoid a biting memory of locking herself in a supply closet, methodically ripping up and folding a notebook in a pocketful of a celestial light while Hojo tears through the lab shouting for her, eyes glowing with whatever he's injected himself wi--she shakes her head free of it and lights up with excitement.]

I love those games! Have you played Plants versus Zombies? They're all so cute. Even the one with the robot unicorn--Vincent showed me that one. I'm no good at it, though.

... Really, really not good at it.

[Huh! She actually knows more modern video games than Bruce does. This is kind of surprising, but in the good way. There might be another nerd in the house!]

Robot Unicorn Attack? Yeah, it's not as easy as it looks. [There's a split second where he looks torn, before he gives into his kindness and asks:] ... If you want, I could show you how to play.

Later, that is. It looks like you're kinda busy with invitations.

[Definitely a nerd. An easily bored nerd that probably plays harder than she works. And drives herself neurotic over it.]

Hmm?

[She looks back up from signing some papers and studies him. This really is going far better than she expected. Bruce will be happy! She's happy! Her face tugs in another smile.] That's really... sweet. We should sometime.

I mean, I know you're busy, too, but a few minutes--that would be nice.

Just let me know when you've got a moment. [He makes a mental note to bug the study room, just incase she tries to plan something. This way, he'll have PHYSICAL PROOF that Bruce's going insane.

... Or it's proof that Tim's paranoia has reached new heights. One of the two. He rises to his feet, double-checking that he's got everything before he takes the paper star into his hand and tosses it into the air.]

I don't usually have nights off, but I can squeeze in something before patrols - plus, you should know how to reach me.

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making the guest list!

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/ignore the masked icon

But it's so cuuuuuute.

if you say so c:

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This is starting to feel really sweet.

Tim can be nice sometimes!

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/and it's a wrap?