Re: quicklog -- steph/bruce: dive bar.
Oh, good, we'll both be hungover messes in the morning then. It's good Alfred isn't around to cluck at us but really, really bad that he isn't around to make us bacon and eggs in the morning. [And god, she missed that man immensely sometimes. Stephanie wondered from time to time if he had always been the glue holding them all together as a family. Maybe? Well, maybe they weren't meant to be a family after all. Look at what happened to she and Eddie. Bruce and Selina. Each of their relationships with the various birds. Stephanie tried not to dwell on it, on the pain blooming in her chest, but it was clear that there was something on her mind as her blues went vacant for a moment, as her mouth screwed up, as she chewed the inside of her cheek.
But, she snapped out of it when he spoke again, and she shook her head.] Yeah, I know. You're the best at beating yourself up. Better than any rogue ever was or could be. But that's what I'm here for. To stop you from doing that. And to load you up with shots. [With that, she grinned again, that grimace a distant memory from her face. Stephanie still hadn't grown out of that tendency to deflect, even amongst the people she cared about most. It was why she was alone. It was probably why she was so miserable. She was delicate, more delicate than she'd ever been in her life, and that wasn't all just the world's fault, or her father's fault, or her ex-husband's fault. It was her, too. She didn't let the right people in when she needed them most. Just like the man across from her.
She expected him, at some point, to call her out on her bullshit, but tequila shots first. She grinned, mostly suspecting that he did know, but appreciating his indulgence of her. With great showmanship, she placed one shot close to her, licked the curve of her hand, and shook some salt onto it. A smile, and then:] Here goes nothing. [And she licked the salt off of her hand, knocked back the shot with a shiver of the spine, and then sucked on that lime slice for a moment or two.] Blech. [Another shiver and she discarded the remnants of the lime onto the plate before washing down the burn with her drink. The alcohol warmed her immediately.] Cheap tequila is the devil. [And then, she nudged the other shot towards him.] Your turn.