reality_crossroads | A Trick Or A Treat

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A Trick Or A Treat

Duela is by the sign with a big basket of mixed candies.

"So, time isn't always the same from one of the portals or doors to the next, which can be fun... I went trick-or-treating last night and it's February at home, and if I found the right portals maybe I could even go trick-or-treating every single day if I wanted to. But, the important thing there is it means I have candy now. And I will share it if you can help me solve something."

"I mean, I know who in my family I should ask when it comes to questions, but given the particular one that would just be double awkward. Because it's... Ok, I have a boyfriend. Or maybe had a boyfriend, because I still don't know what happened there near the end and he didn't come back after I shoved him off the roof. And then there was all the timesoup stuff so he sort of didn't exist for a while. But tommorow... well, I'd kind of not like for any of my parents to hit him with a crowbar and then blow him up... again. Unless he did set us up, and then I call dibs."

"It hurts thinking maybe he lied to me. But it feels weird thinking maybe he didn't and then he didn't come back. And, ok, he's probably not really any more sane than I am, but he's not crazy in the same way, and I think I could use some advice on how to make it all not awkward? Because... because I'm pretty sure I still love him."

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I'm not very good at such advice as that, sai, but I'd think that a hug or summat couldn't hurt.

"Never thought of using the portals to cheese holidays," Marty comments, coming up to the sign. "Pretty cool idea, though. And did you see the candy shower? That was something else."

The actual question is pretty serious, though, and he takes a moment to think about it. "I dunno if there's any way to make it not awkward at all. . .I mean, when the last time you saw someone was when you shoved 'em off a roof, there's -- gonna be awkward." He runs his fingers through his hair. "I guess the first thing to figure out is if he did lie to you or not. Because if he didn't, and he still loves you too. . .well, it's still gonna be awkward, but at least you'll have a reason to get through the awkward?"

He shakes his head. "I think I'm gonna need a little more on what happened. Why did you shove him off the roof? What's this about a set-up?"

Duela forces on a smile, and nods. "Thanks, and yeah I guess this place likes to celebrate holidays too... though I kinda wonder how it picks what calendar to use."

"The whole 'meet the parents' thing went really badly," she says, looking uneasy. Beginning, start at the beginning. "Y'see, Jason... he kind of worked for the Owl, which was a bad thing, but I'd been a bad influence on him... or maybe something was the other way around. And... we made sure we weren't followed, but... things didn't go like I thought they would. And we left... in kind of a hurry. And then the ol' Owl's friends attacked my family's home while the Owl started chasing us, so I grabbed Talon and I went, well, kind of sideways and over to that other timeline with the Titans."

"And he said he didn't know how we were followed, and he started taking apart some of his gear looking for bugs. And then one day he said something about how we were better off anyway, and I don't know if he was just... heh, y'know Jason... open mouth, insert foot, am I right? But I didn't take at well, 'cause I thought everyone was dead, and I shoved him off the roof. And he didn't come back. And I couldn't find him. And then I got shot, and he was there when I died but it was the other Jason. And then the world ended. So, I really don't know where things are now, but they were awkward already and they're gonna be worse when he has all his memories in one basket. And not just because of the crowbar thing."

"Yeah, probably not," Duela agrees, mind full of fragments of memories, not all in the right order.

Hey there, little red robin hood.

You brought Talon here?

Girl, just how out of your mind are you?

Blame it on the genes. You know what they say... like Joker, like daughter.

You're not my daughter.

. . . you sure are lookin' good? *He shakes his head briskly. Clearing the cobwebs out, you might say.* No, that doesn't seem right.

That does get a laugh out of her. "I didn't get to that line. Partly because 'wrong' Jaybird and it was kind of awkward enough already. That's not gonna get better when he's got all his memories in the same basket, either, and not just because of what daddy did with a crowbar and some explosives."

So did I help enough ta get candy yet, sai? I be awful peckish, an' you'd not like me gettin' my own supper.

"I dunno," Marty admits with a shrug. "Maybe it depends on how many places are celebrating the holiday? I know time runs at different speeds for different places, so maybe enough of 'em gotta sync up. . .that's kinda a question for Doc, not me."

"Jason -- Todd?" Oh. Ooooh, that explains why she was worried about crowbars and explosions "again." Marty sucks in a breath. "Okay, yeah, there is no avoiding the awkward there. For -- lots of reasons, it sounds like. I mean, I knew how he -- bit it, but I didn't realize you guys had a lot of history in the 'mirror' verse." He rubs his head. "Really gotta find some of those comics. . ."

He paces for a moment, thinking (in a way kind of reminiscent of Doc -- seems he's picking up a habit or two). "If he's coming in through the time soup, Jeannie has to treat him like a patient, right? That means no hitting. So that's a little plus right there. And the 'better off anyway' line. . .yeah, that just sounds like him saying something stupid in the heat of the moment." He stops and looks at her. "It sounds to me like he wasn't in on anything that happened. I mean, if he was, I don't think he would been running with you from the Owl. . ." He sighs. "From what I remember of Jason as Robin, he was kinda rebellious, so I bet that would carry over to the mirror verse. . .but it's tough to be sure without, you know, asking him."

"Yeah, no smacking with the mallet." She chuckles at that for a moment and shakes her head. "Mom said I must be taking after her. That I found the most screwed up guy I could and fell for 'em. But I told her I turned Roy Harper down."

A wistful half-smile as she adds, "We wired firecrackers to the ignition of Owlsey's car once. It was a real blast! But, yeah... Sometimes, he never seems like he knows what he's running from, or to, am I right? It's like, no matter which timeline, he's always on the wrong side of the glass, wondering if he oughtta just punch it down and see what's on the other side. And sometimes he does, and sometimes he dies, and sometimes he goes crazy... and sometimes all of the above."

"Reality hated him almost as much as it did me. It never let him find where he fit."

"Aw, sure, go ahead. Though candy really isn't a good meal on its own." She'll offer the bag anyway, though she's thinking more of cheese puffs and chili dogs than candy as she starts humming to herself.

Thankee-sai! *He grabs a handful and starts eating.* I like this nexus place, say true. I even got a job o' sorts.

"Yeah, it's a real trip. I like the portals when I get bored, or homesick. Sometimes I can find other Gothams still, so that means there are versions other than ours that didn't go in the timesoup even though ours and a lot of ones did. Which is kind of weird, but cool. What kind of job? I've been trying to get a Titans group back together, though it was kind of mostly 'drafting my cousins and little brother into helping watch trick-or-treaters' so far."

"Unless they really, really deserve it," Marty jokes, then nods. "Oh yeah, PSA Harper. . .hope he's doing better these days. I never followed Green Arrow or him that much."

"Oh, bad pun," Marty mock-scolds, before nodding in agreement to the rest. "Yeah, he never got a real chance. . .I mean, back when I got yanked out of my world the first time, he was still a Dick Grayson clone, which I thought was boring, so I didn't pay much attention to him. And then I heard he was revamped after I got back and started living with Doc, so I looked him up, and. . .you know, you think givin' him his own personality would have been cool, but apparently a lot of people hated him? And, if you believe Wikipedia, one asshole who found a way to spam a phone number is the reason he died in that little crowbar incident. Reader poll, and him dying won by less than 100 votes." He shakes his head. "Frank Miller thought them killing him off was bad, so -- yeah. Screwed up."

Rescuin' children like me.

The metal folken be quite kind, givin' me a job I be good at.

"Well, the one I know currently doesn't exist these days, does that count? And I had to work with the guy... we were with the Titans at the same time. I hope he'll do better too, once he's around. Maybe he'll let me babysit. I heard he has a daughter, which... it's weird how everyone else kept having birthdays and getting older and they kind of forgot about me, haha. I can be the official team babysitter if we all get back together."

"I heard about the rigged vote. I dunno how he's gonna take that. Jaybird, I mean. On one hand, they had a vote on it like it was... ok, it was cheesy entertainment and a cheap money-grab. Which is even worse than when I heard and thought that Daddy'd somehow found out despite getting timelines mixed up in my head. On the other hand, the vote was rigged. He never should've died in the first place even going by that. And..." something in her expression shifts in a way that makes her paternity a lot more believable, "whoever that guy was? He'd better hope I never find out his name or how to get to him, or he'll wish I'd brought just a crowbar and explosives."

The momentary viciousness pops like a bubble. "But, yeah, the whole thing's a mess and all I can do is hope it'll be ok, which is a lot to try to hope for when... it's never been ok before. And I always wanted it to be. But everyone thinks Romeo and Juliet is romantic and they wanna forget it's a tragedy and they end up dead in the end. Maybe, though, we're past that part now. I mean, we can both check 'attended each other's funerals, left flowers' off the bucket lists. Kind of wish I'd been dropping by with some that other time, tho... I'd have definitely brought him a shovel." And lots of careful hugs, and called for an ambulance and all that stuff. "I mean, really, how did it work for Batsy to have alarms set up to warn of vandals that didn't go off when someone has to break themselves out of a coffin? That... that was just the writers being complete and utter kick-the-wounded-puppy jerks on top of everything else!"

Yes, she did just compare Jason Todd to a wounded puppy.

Edited 2017-11-21 23:20 (UTC)

She briefly imagines a room full of cribs with giant spiders in them, though she's almost sure that's not what he meant. She hasn't seen any metal people that she knows of. And her thoughts are still too much on other things anyway.

"Little kids are fun. There are lots of them on the island now. Maybe... maybe when the other Titans are back, I could be the team babysitter. Donna had a little boy, and Roy had a little girl." The writers forgot about her, and ages went wonky, so everyone else had grown up. Of course, it's hard to grow up and start a family of your own when the 'meeting the parents' stage of the relationship turns into a complete clusterfuck that gets people injured and killed.

She's trying to keep a smile on, but honestly... right now it's just hard.

The lost an’ abused an’ unwanted, I mean, sai.

. . . be ya doin’ alright, then?

"Uh. . ." Marty shrugs. "I think he'd prefer existing. But yeah, new world, new start. Probably in his best interest to get and stay clean. Especially if he has a kid. . ." He tries not to grimace at the reminder of Duela's abandonment by her teammates when reality decided it didn't like her around. She really does need to talk to her mom about that. . .but it's not his business to force anything. "Yeah, maybe."

The moment of "oh yeah this is definitely the Joker's daughter" is spooky, but -- well, Marty doesn't think it's entirely unwarranted either. "He's probably gonna be furious, and I don't blame him. Cheesy entertainment is already bad enough, but then to find out you might have made it through if it hadn't been for one dickhead. . .your Mom might want to ask for a punching bag ready on the day she tells him that. I'd want one."

"New world, new start," Marty repeats, smiling faintly. "I mean, it's kind of up to him whether it's okay or not, but the fact your parents want things to go better this time is going to have to help. Your dad's definitely all about not rocking the boat, any -- wait, what?"

He blinks as the rest of what Duela said catches up with him. "Jason had to -- okay, yeah, seriously, the hell?! Isn't the whole thing about Batman is that he's prepared for anything? I mean, it was the 80s by the time Jason kicked it! You think he'd be used to people suddenly coming back because the writers weren't finished with them!"

And for some reason that sets off a short fit of unhinged laughter. And fractured memories of being forced into straightjackets and padded rooms, and a taunting male voice saying Hey, I tried to call you, Krusty, but you were in the middle of shock therapy so they wouldn't patch me through. I'm not kiddin'!

"Alright? When have I ever been that?" She tries to slam the doors in her head shut again, suppress the memories she doesn't want to think about in favor of finding one where that was true. There's a moment in one timeline, sitting in the park with her mother. Though she couldn't call her that, because mom was still pretending she was 'crazy aunt Harleen' and she, Lucy, wasn't supposed to know the truth. But the other hers in other timelines did, so she did. She went along with the pretend anyway, and they sat there in the sun, putting tutus on toy cars... She tries to use that memory as a shield to block out the others.

"I don't know why he didn't come back." Was it because he really had lied to her, set them all up to be killed? Or was it just that he didn't want anything to do with the crazy girl any more. Hah, I know a pretty big club he could join there... And there's another hard shove at the doors, which don't want to stay shut today, what with having to literally face at least some of what's behind them loomimg on the horizon.

She laughs at that. "And a back-up bag for when he breaks the first one. Oh! And maybe we could see if there's somewhere around here that rents those clay pigeon launchers. And a few tons of clay pigeons and ammo."

She nods at mention of her parents. Wanting to get Jason out of the timesoup tomorrow was kind of showing they, well, maybe sort of approved, or at least weren't upset any more. Pending on whether or not he'd aided-and-abetted trying to kill them, of course.

"Yeah. He had to dig himself out. Nobody showed up, no medical care, nothing. I wish he'd known to call me, but, haha, we know par for that course, am I right? I guess they thought it was funny to have him stumble around homeless and brain-damaged and get picked up by that bitch Talia al Ghul. And while some of that was a good thing in terms of fixing some of the bad things, now I've gotta look forward to having words with an immortal ninja-bitch about statutory rape laws and my boyfriend. Or just figure the writer should have been on some of the meds they made me take a few times... 'cause whoever thought that was ok actually needs a straight up shot of anti-psychotics."

"And all because Batsy somehow managed to find an alarm that can't detect someone breaking out, but would have been set off by someone trying to dig their way in.

But there's still the other elephant in the room. "If.. if he didn't have anything to do with it... if he didn't set us up and trick me so he could lead ol' Owlsey right to our door... Then why didn't he come back?" He'd left her, like too many people had. Too many things she tries not to think about. And while he'd sort of come back, had been there when she died, had left flowers at her grave... that had been a different him. She's pretty sure he wouldn't have really known how much it mattered for him to be there.

Edited 2017-11-25 16:29 (UTC)

*He puts an arm around her shoulder, then does his best to hold her mind together.* Praps he had to, sai. An' even if not, it be better not to think about such until he's in front o' ya.

Have ya spoken ta thy parents of late? It seems like that might help thy mind a bit, at least ta me.

"Clock's countin' down to that fast," she says with a chuckle that has no real humor behind it.

She looks away for a moment. Her mom's been trying to get her to talk about the Titans. Everyone's suspicious, and she's seen them giving each other looks when she mentions her days with the team. They notice the gaps and the things not said, but the doors are there for reasons. She doesn't want to know what's behind them. Why should anyone else know?

"I was kind of homesick when I got up, so I went through a portal and found another Gotham. And it was Halloween, so I... I tried to be a normal person, because that's pretend dress up for me. I talked to Dr. Thompkins, 'cause her clinic was near the portal, and she was worried about kids getting hurt trick or treating... drunk drivers and stuff. There's nothing funny about that. And I had my old communicator, but... they never answer. Not even in a different universe..."

Hey, who's the mime?

"People forget, and they forget being a hero isn't always big saving the world stuff. But I had a backup plan, right? I was the only Titan around for the new world so far, so... that should mean it's ok for me to start things up again."

Some psycho who used to hang with the Titans. Duela Dent. The Harlequin. She thinks she's the Joker's daughter. Or is it Two-Face?

"So I called Enigma, and told her to get the others and we could get the tinies in on it too cause it wouldn't be over their heads. They couldn't get Jon out of his room though, which is sad. Halloween's always been especially his, but he's just not ready yet."

I live for the laughter, I live for the crowd. Without them I am nothing. What am I?

"And we split up a bit but it was fun, and we got candy too," she waves a hand at the bag. "But it... it kind of felt..." Wrong. Off. Like she cheated. How could she start a new Titans team when they didn't want her. When all she could do was get some of her younger relatives to show up because there might be free candy.

Look, Creepella, you take the comedy show on the road - or I'm gonna get tough.

"And we got home and that's when they told me Mom was going to get him... Jason... out next. And I was happy at first, cause I miss him bunches and it meant they weren't upset any more, and Mom thought it was funny and I was just taking after her in falling for the most screwed up guy I could find, and I told her I turned Roy Harper down... And... and then a bit later..." Too many things brushing against too many memories, and they just started to sneak their way open on her and refuse to shut.

"And then I came here, because... I dunno." Because she'd just ran and then she'd been by the Sign and why the hell not...

Duela suddenly bolting from home in a state of mental breakdown hadn't gone unnoticed, as there's a blond woman listening from behind a tree. She hadn't wanted to interrupt when Duela was actually talking about this, but... "Oh, baby girl..." She'll just make her way over to hug Duela. Even if that means hugging Mordred too.

*Mordred is as worried as he can get about anyone other than himself, so he's doing his best to hold the worst doors shut. Which doors are the worst is something of a guessing game, though, and for all his strength he has only so much he can bring to bear per door. It's a huge relief when Jeannie arrives and he doesn't have to hold it all together by himself.*

Her mind be fracturing, doors be openin' ta Red an' painful thoughts. Help her, for all our sakes!

If he gets a chance he might well notice there is some sort of pattern to the doors, and thankfully the very worst, the deepest-buried, haven't tried to open yet. It's almost as if these would have to collapse first, as if there's some order to the madness, or an order of events... The worrying part is that if these are that bad, what's behind those definitely isn't nice.

Noticing her mom's here seems to help calm Duela, which in turn calms the memories behind the doors and helps them be a little easier to shut for now. Family's an easier thought than friends. After all, so far they've all come back. And she knows none of them meant to leave or forget her.

"It's gonna be ok," Jeannie says. And when Duela tries to hide her face she frowns slightly. "Y'know, if I ever find out who told you clowns ain't allowed to cry, I'm gonna have words with them... with my mallet."

That gets a brief snicker from Duela that turns into a fit of hiccups.

I've seen sad clowns afore, sai, though not firsthand. Cryin' be all that keeps ya sane sometimes in any case.

*Mordred carefully lets go of the least dangerous doors, once things seem safe enough that he can stop and see the pattern. He's not used to keeping minds together, but he'll do his best until it isn't needed.*

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A Trick Or A Treat

Only just saw this, but what the hell

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Re: Only just saw this, but what the hell

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(Not wrong journal, just used Jeannie's)

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