InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Frosted Flakes is Grrrrreat"

Clockwork (clockworkmaster) wrote in clockwork_rp,
@ 2008-06-08 05:53:00

Entry tags:

agito/akito::fangking, al::sealed_soul, allen::crownedclown, amaterasu::leap_b4_think, apollo::herrforehead, asuka::antabaka, badou::gunfag, batman::gotham_guardian, bruce::wayne_ceo, chidori::lightningloli, chris::not_my_age, cloud::chocobo_head, dante::devilishstyle, elise::just_smile, fuumei::hecatoncheire, hitsugaya::hitsugayataicho, jet::hawktail_rogue, kaname::nine-orchids, klavier::guiltylove, l::sugarstacker, lara::raidandpwn, matt::ministripes, mello::bitterrosary, miles::gearheadmiles, millay::festeprez, mitsuru::bandou, near::thehermit, nero::devilbringer, nightwing::flying_solo, rabi::49thalias, sano::fabulous_clock, shuro::boybandbait, sonic::lilbluehedgie, spitfire::flamingstylist, tres::gunmetalhound, vash::stampeded, vergil::neloangelo

Masquerade Log
Who: Everyone!
What: The Masquerade
Where: The ballroom
When: 5:00 PM to 5:00 AM
Why: Because it's Clockwork's birthday!
Warnings: Who the heck knows?

The ballroom doors open promptly at 5:00 PM, revealing a lavishly, but tastefully decorated ballroom. A balcony circles the room, lined with tables for the guests, as well as a small grand staircase that leads down from the double doors to the dance floor proper. No band is seen, but music echoes through the room nonetheless, all instrumental but also some very nontraditional pieces. The buffet takes up the opposite wall from doors on the first level, seeming to have something for everyone, but the centerpiece is the cake. Large enough to feed two generous portions to every resident of the building and still have some left over. Flavor dependant on who eats it. It is an exact replica of The Building and its surrounding property. The hands on the Clocktower are set to 12:00 and around the sides of the cake, in the same perfect, flowing calligraphy as the invitations, are written the names of every person that had been brought to the world since those first few characters. The ones that had come through that first summer a year ago written in gold; the ones that had since left in black; the ones that had taken their departing into their own hands in red; and the current residents in silver.

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wayne_ceo
2008-06-09 02:29 am UTC (link)

Maybe he'd been wrong; maybe Oliver Queen didn't exist in his world. "Like Green Arrow." They'd never been as close as he and Clark were, but that didn't mean they hadn't associated at all. Bruce even missed him, at least some. Maybe it was just a party like this; it made him feel unusually nostalgic, reminded him of home more than usual. "Haven't you heard of him?"

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flying_solo
2008-06-09 03:26 am UTC (link)

So he had been following the same line of thought. "Yeah," he said quietly, looking out over the crowd again, "Green Arrow and Speedy, right? From the Justice League of America and the Teen Titans . . . " He had a pretty good idea what Bruce was doing, more research to find out just how different their worlds were, but remembering old friends that he probably wasn't going to see any time soon was something Dick would rather not do, especially in such a public place.

He turned back to Bruce instead and gave him a faint smirk. "Speaking of which, you fill out those tights pretty nicely. Not sure it really suits you, though."

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	wayne_ceo 2008-06-09 03:49 am UTC (link)
	"It's not what I would have chosen," Bruce agreed. There were worse things, of course. Costumes he wouldn't have worn at all. He stared at it again, fingering the fabric of the tights with a slightly bemused expression. "It might have been popular back home, though." More popular than a Batman costume, certainly. Clark always had been admired. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	flying_solo 2008-06-09 04:11 am UTC (link)
	"More popular than here anyway," Dick agreed with a nod out over the crowd. Not that it was their fault they had come from a world without Superman (or Batman, for that matter), but the young man did feel bad for them that they hadn't. "I think a Batman costume would've been more popular back in Gotham, though," he added honestly. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	wayne_ceo 2008-06-09 06:36 am UTC (link)
	"I don't know about that," Bruce laughed, shaking his head. "I keep hearing that he's crazy." He'd been blamed for the crime often enough as well. He didn't think Superman was the right hero for Gotham, but he wouldn't deny that he had a better public image. Not to mention a costume not designed to be frightening. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

flying_solo
2008-06-09 07:11 am UTC (link)

"Well yeah," Dick agreed without missing a beat, "they're all crazy. Anyone who runs around in tights going up against Gotham's most criminally insane's gotta be. But I think most people think he's the good kind of crazy. Most of the time." The younger man looked away. He couldn't forget his own feeling towards Bruce, especially after how things had been between them since that damn aphrodisiac gas. But at the same time, how could he possibly deny the good that Batman had done? Personal feelings aside, Batman was a hero. And there was probably something seriously wrong with Dick that it was immensely easier to tell him this when he was being Bruce Wayne.

"How can you not be grateful to the man that saves your life on practically a nightly basis?"

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	wayne_ceo 2008-06-09 07:26 am UTC (link)
	"Most of them don't know that for themselves," Bruce pointed out, though this was dangerously close to breaking character. "For the rest, ah, I guess it's like... killing the messenger." They blamed the one who saved them for pointing out that they were in danger in the first place. It was irrational, but quite a common response. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

flying_solo
2008-06-09 07:43 am UTC (link)

Dick snorted. "No offense, Bruce, but your social network's pretty limited. The socialites you mingle with at all those charity balls are a pretty small percent of the overall population of Gotham City and half of them can't be bothered to read anything other than the society page and the stock ticker. People are grateful to him. The kids look up to him. If they really didn't want him in the city, then they would've run him out when he first showed up instead of letting him stick around for almost twenty years."

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wayne_ceo
2008-06-09 07:55 am UTC (link)

Bruce shrugged, dropping the subject. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful that Dick would defend him like this, even after what had happened between them. Of course he was. He'd just had to face some hard facts about his reputation, particularly after the earthquake and its aftermath, events Dick might not even know about. Nor was this the place to discuss it. Instead he fell silent, just gazing up at the sky. It was a nice night; enough to make him wish the costume came with the powers as well. It would be nice to fly.

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flying_solo
2008-06-09 08:29 am UTC (link)

With Bruce, silence could speak decibels. Only problem was that you had to be fluent in Batman in order to hear it and even someone as fluent as Dick couldn't properly translate everything. Instead, he turned back to the crowd once again, his mind suddenly jumping to his own first encounter with the Batman. "You know he saved me once," he said, not really sure why. Maybe he wanted to reassure Bruce that he didn't hate him (those words were still fresh in his mind, "You can barely stand to be around me"), or maybe he was just curious as to how different their worlds really were.

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wayne_ceo
2008-06-09 08:53 am UTC (link)

He'd ask if he were grateful, but that was a pointless question. Of course he was. Dick wasn't the type to wish he were dead. It was the rest of it that he'd messed up so badly with this one. Though even then, Bruce couldn't argue with most of the outcome. He was proud of Dick, believed him to be the best man he knew. He just wished they were closer and that he found him easier to talk to.

"I've always been very proud of you."

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flying_solo
2008-06-09 09:08 am UTC (link)

Dick wouldn't look at him, couldn't look at him, because if he looked at him he'd remember what they'd been doing to each other the past few days; he'd remember that Bruce apparently didn't trust his word enough to believe it about his own feelings, and all of that just hurt. Besides, it was easier to tell the truth like this if he wasn't looking at Bruce and if he pretended that he was really just Dick Grayson talking to Bruce Wayne about Batman, a completely separate person from both of them.

He still had to keep his voice low, "I always admired him. From that day on. Gotham just wouldn't be the same without him. It'd be worse. A whole lot worse."

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gotham_guardian
2008-06-09 10:12 am UTC (link)

Bruce nodded; he'd always hoped he'd made a difference. He believed he had; if he didn't, he would quit. But he'd made a promise and he did the best he could. "I always thought so." Though he'd also thought that Dick had grown out of admiring him some years ago, decided he'd sacrificed too much, did things the wrong way. It was nice to hear that it wasn't quite that bad. Maybe there was still hope, even if they could hardly look at each other right now.

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flying_solo
2008-06-09 01:17 pm UTC (link)

And that's probably more than enough weird-ass, roundabout bonding for the both of them. As much as Dick wished it could be easier between them sometimes, he also was still feeling bitter enough to welcome the end of that conversation. Besides, he knew better than wish; if things were going to be better between them, then they had a lot of work to do, moreso Batman as far as he was concerned, but at least Dick was willing to admit that he could probably work on being a little less sensitive when it came to the older man.

"Have you seen Barbara?" he asked, tone returning to something more casual, as if they hadn't just had that emotionally draining conversation (which anyone who'd actually listened might actually believe). "I wasn't sure if she'd come or not."

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gotham_guardian
2008-06-10 05:36 am UTC (link)

"She wasn't here yet when I arrived." It was possible she'd arrived when he'd been talking with Dick; their conversation had been distracting enough that he might not have noticed. Maybe. Or perhaps she'd decided she hated balls enough that she still wouldn't attend, or that her costume was an insult. Either way, after their initial talk, mention of Barbara might as well be a big sign telling him to back off. "Go and look for her." Bruce would give him time to leave before turning around and seeing if he could find someone to chat up tonight himself. Sometimes Bruce Wayne felt like more of a burden than it was worth, particularly here, where he had all the responsibilities and none of the perks.

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flying_solo
2008-06-10 06:23 am UTC (link)

Dick took another look out over the crowd, this time with a purpose, looking for that mop of red hair and not immediately seeing it, though granted the ghosts could very well have given her a costume that would cover it up, which would make the search a bit more difficult. He went to leave, to head towards the main staircase so he could get a closer look at the other attendees, but he hesitated beside Bruce, slinging the bow around him again and hesitantly lifting his hand to Bruce's shoulder. "Thanks."

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	gotham_guardian 2008-06-10 10:51 pm UTC (link)
	Bruce nodded, not shaking him off but not turning, either. After the other day, did he really deserve thanks? Even if he did, he didn't want to get in the way of Dick and Barbara. It wasn't as though he needed his company and he wanted him to be happy. If the best way of accomplishing that was staying out of his way, then that's what he'd do. (Reply to this) (Parent)

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