The Universe's Mixer

Fred was excited. Yes, she wanted to find people, and yes, she was concerned. She'd caught something about the murders when she was getting a few groceries. Of course, she'd had to look over someone's shoulder and try to listen, but she definitely knew that something bad was going on. She hadn't seen Harry in a while, but she supposed he was busy with a job. Now, if she could find a job...

So, Fred was excited. She'd gotten a flyer for a talk on time travel, or it seemed to be about time travel. "How many people could you meet in an evening if you had the right equipment? Would you go backwards or forwards to catch up with someone from your past or to meet someone new? Would you take one away with you to another time, to another place, or would you stay right there in that moment and wish the world away?" Sure, it seemed time travel was being linked to romance, but who was she to pass up a talk on time travel? Maybe the Doctor would be there; he was something of an expert on such things.

She'd gotten a little dressed up; never knew who she could see at a possibly prestigious and informative meeting. So, she looked a little like the stereotypical librarian, but she wanted to be serious yet feminine?

Imagine her surprise as she arrived at the location to find a "fashionable" restaurant that had a bit of an island vacation spot theme. When she went in with the flyer, she was handed an application. For all her intelligence, it hadn't clicked yet that she was duped. No, that didn't set in until she had been seated at a table for two and met her first speed date. He was a cowboy who liked getting to know his animals. She didn't talk much because she wasn't sure what she would say.

For a moment, she thought she'd go, but she felt bad about leaving, especially when the second guy sat down and started telling her about his favorite cat. He even had pictures. She guessed she could stay. It wasn't like she was in a place to judge any of these people, and she guessed that the City was trying to be nice. Maybe. Plus, the picture with the kitty playing with an orange knit pompom hat was cute.

"He's a very cunning cat." Fred smiled, but their conversation was cut off by the buzzer, and Fred looked to her next "date."

Dinah parked and then led Jake into the bowling alley. There was only a small sense of trepidation at the thought of bowling-not one of her strong suits. But Jake had chosen, and Dinah was glad to give Jake the chance to do something that other kids his age enjoyed, something that didn't revolve around death or crimefighting or any of the other bizarre aspects of either of their lives.

Granted, the main reason for the outing was so that she could meet his much older potential friend who just happened to be a gunslinger. So, not quite normal. But she wasn't about to tell him that he had to make friends his own age and couldn't have any friends beside that. It wasn't a fair thing to do to a kid who had seen and experienced so much more than anyone his age could imagine. This wasn't Star City, where there had been a school that nurtured children from tough, violent upbringings. Not that that had gone over so well for Sin anyway, but Dinah shoved those memories to the back of her mind.

She'd asked around, checked every possible place she could, and the Institute was the only school. There were no other choices, no programs that would allow Jake to meet others that might have more in common with him than some of the kids at school.

And the fact remained that this man had saved Jake's life. For that, Dinah was grateful. She was wary about the idea of Jake spending time with someone that might encourage him towards gunslinging, but she would have a hard time disliking someone who had gone out of his way to save Jake.

Dinah glanced down at Jake as they neared the counter.

"Let me know when you see Snake. He did say he would meet us here?"