gourmetburgers | [texting repository] bc not everything's gotta be action

You're fine all the time, Ann.

[ He scoffs. ]

Okay, that was hard to say it with a straight face. But it's true.

Looking at you now... you're doing a better job of taking my breath away than, like, everyone who's ever tried to kill me.

[ Coming from anyone else, that might be a scary thing to mention. But Ann's well enough apprised of Tim's lifestyle, the dangers that he regularly plummets into, that hopefully there's no cause for alarm. One of the most recent things she heard him talk aboutt, after all, was him helping fend off the goddamn Sinestro Corps when he was still Robin. Palaces are one thing, but aliens? Evil aliens that get off to fear?

If palaces ever extend to other planets, this is gonna require more than the Teen Titans and Phantom Thieves linking up. ]

Does Morgana still hate me? Could've sworn the cat was staring daggers at me the whole time I last visited!

[ And not because Morgana had to remind him to get some sleep. ]

[ Hard to say? It was hard to hear it. One hand goes up with a snort nearly escaping. He's a nerd and it's clear that even when they're pouty... or serious, they can still have some lightness to them. ]

Hey! That's a good line! "Ready to take your breath away!" [ She's thinking Panther here, whip and all. ] Uh... minus the whole weird... strangle thing people have? Nevermind.

[ They both know what the other means, what their little dance is. It's playful and pretty innocent at times. The common thread of wanting to do well. With each other... for one another and just – y'know, for a greater good.

Fortunately, she's making note of all of his accomplishments. Bit by bit, seeing more than meets the eye. More than a fan could know. ]

Morgana is... like any other cat. Finicky and hard to please. [ Ryuji knows well. ] I think – it'll take some time but... he'll come around! Maybe!

Better have that line ready for the next Shadow you demolish.

Though I'd leave out the strangling. Then again, your whip looks pretty good for it... among other things.

[ Tim's face changes to that of a distinct inquisitiveness and wonder. Like the gears in his head are turning as certain ideas come to mind about Ann what could get up to as "Panther," if both of them happened to have some alone time in the Metaverse. Ann herself might recognize that look, because it's entirely the same look he's made while mentioning "safe room shenanigans" once or twice.

Post-nut clarity just can't be underestimated! ]

Will it help him come around if I give him an official "Bat" outfit and designation?

[ Despite destroyed dreams of wooing "Lady Ann," Morgana has to at least find that cool! ]

Last time you were here you've probably seen old pictures of Ace the Bat-Hound.

Don't make it weird! [ A quick protest was immediate. Carmen was the one keen on keeping her boys in line. The red latex suit? That betrays. For as dominating and confident she feels, she also feels she has to live up to the fires of her Lover's persona. ] It's not my fault that's what the palace gave me.

[ She'd like a bat? Or maybe like... her fists? Who knows how the Metaverse has twisted its realm due to her own thoughts and desires – the idolizations of certain cat burglars that were plastered all over the news. How cool they were, sexy and confident... Either way, she's growing use to it and she likes the way that it empowers her.

And... secretly, she may make note of this teasing for later. Divine payback. ]

I... don't know about that, but it's worth a try. He'd be pretty cute in it! [ Optimism aside... ] But, you gotta promise not to get too upset if he ...tries to claw your eyes out?

Okay, okay.

That's got me thinking, anyway. About the equipment I can make for you and the others to use outside the Metaverse.

[ They've been over this before. The escalating threats of the Phantom Thieves' newer targets. For all the Kamoshidas and Madarames of the world that generate palaces, there's the Jokers and Lex Luthors who are just as deadly - if not more so - outside of their palaces. And investigating them to successfully dispatch their palaces invites unprecedented danger.

Taking stock of these thoughts, Tim's got a hand on his chin in contemplation. He's also not sure whether to tell Ann he's already been drawing schematics. ]

I've been drawing schematics.

[ Never mind. ]

Just the base stuff, like how all the kevlar's gonna be layered and distributed.

But I want your input. How you want it all to look, for instance. Colors. Your mask.

[ Then he chuckles, his mind returning to Morgana. ]

I bet if he knew how fancy his look would be, he'd show me mercy!

Huh?

[ The shift happens quickly, back to the very... very real reality that there was a chance for them to stop "pretending" to be heroes in the Metaverse and maybe make the transition to real-world, where they were just... kids with fake guns and high hopes. Ann shows an uncertainty in her face, not to discredit Tim but to discredit herself. They make a difference in the Metaverse, they change hearts and accomplish their goals but – it's getting harder. More serious and its impacting people far more than she could have imagined.

As he talks of schematics, she listens but... she speaks up: ]

You really think we could do this kind of stuff? We're not like you guys – don't have all this training or ... y'know, powers. Costumes and masks are just the easy stuff, even if it's just the starting point.

[ She can't even rely on Carmen for help now. Tim is stronger than her here – even if he has fleeting insecurities, he pushes through. Ann's learning that power, as herself and as Panther. Before she could even stew on it, she was laughing again over the picture of Morgana. ]

Yeah, I know.

[ He worries, now, that this was a disarming thing to bring up. But he does consider it necessary. The last palace that sprung up in Japan happened to be Lord Death Man's. Dude wasn't just a notorious crime lord, but an all-out supervillain with resurrective powers. If he was ever onto the Phantom Thieves before they catalyzed his "change of heart," they would've been in a level of danger that Tim shuddered to imagine. ]

It's not training and it's not powers, but yes. It's a start.

I want you guys ready for the unpredictable ways these threats might escalate.

Giving you cool stuff, maybe even training you, is the least I can do for the way you all... saved me.

You especially.

[ He's a little bashful to just mention that so plainly, but he doesn't hesitate. Ann's obviously never lorded this fact over him, but his life changed profoundly when his palace was cleared, with Ann happening to deliver the fateful and final blow to his Shadow self. It was a like a fog had lifted, bringing a fresh clarity to the way he views his life. There's so much more he can still do. Despite everything he's been through, he's still so young.

Then he smirks, seeing a silver lining in the rising severity of things. ]

At least I have a legitimate excuse to keep coming to Japan.

[ They met each other masked, met each other on a mission – so this was how it goes down. They both know that no amount of playful flirting, of longing and wishing they could close distances between them... it has to go back to their responsibilities. This was new to Ann, still keen that they were thieves, not heroes – but she saves that for another morally gray thief in another universe. ]

What, like we were suppose to let you have your emo moment alone? Not our style. [ She's kidding, and maybe it was childish to downplay it as an 'emo moment'... but she doesn't want him to guilt himself. To let what could be weigh on him. ] So, basically, if we go this whole nine yards into the real world... we're going to suck. I'm not saying Akira or even Makoto will - they're ... crazy good at like, everything... But! This isn't my thing. I can barely go a full class in P.E. without dying.

[ Even when Kamoshida wasn't throwing everyone into the proverbial fire and letting them burn... Ann scrunches her face and flops back – it's clear she was over there lounging in her bed by now. ]

Okay, maybe that alone sells it a little more. Enough sadtalk about it – you swear we can do it... I'm not going to be a wet blanket about it. That helps no one.

Yeah, about that. I've been left off the hook for too long about having my "emo moments."

[ Because of Ann, he's now laughing at himself-- laughing with a joy that might have been impossible to access several months ago. ]

You could say the palace was my biggest emo moment of all.

[ Tim's biggest Evo moment, though? A story for another day. Besides, the top spot on Tekken 7 was eventually taken from him by this up-and-coming streamer from Korea... ]

But Ann... I know what you're saying. I've been there.

You should've seen me before I first became Robin. I was basically where you're at, if not worse.

Thing is, the world's gonna force you to ask yourself if you wanna step up. Become a hero.

[ Now he wears a wistful look. He used to consider his path a curse, for all that he's lost... all that he's sacrificed. But thanks to Ann, he's learned he also can't deny the many lives he's saved. Lives he couldn't have saved without all his training. While not wanting to impose on Ann, or present to her some kind of gratuitous challenge, he kind of just wants to share this with her. The thrill of the superhero life, the thrill of its escalating challenges. The thrill of Bruce's mission. ]

I'm not saying you have to do it. That's all you.

I just wanna be there to help you make that choice.

...and not just because I miss Japan. But that's a perk.

And that's not ever going to be topped. [ She wants to reiterate: because the Phantom Thieves have his back, but it borders their own personal connection too. That she swears with as much promise as she can that he won't deal with this again. Maybe it was childish, but they've been flying by the seat of their pants thus far and it kind of works? ] I don't know – hero sounds like... something to aim for, but I'd be happy just keeping my friends safe and stopping people from being hurt. I never... want anyone to go through what –

[ She stops, Shiho hits her mind and she chokes up just a bit. Forcing a smile, she waves her hand dismissively. ]

I want to do good, and doing that is making sure we don't put others in harm's way while we get good. There's no doubt that you're a good teacher, though.

[ There's some honesty there, trust in her voice. ]

Gooooosh, you keep bringing it up and I'm going to start making demands!

[ Tim can’t ignore the way Ann silences herself. Even now, he still only has a vague picture of the exact events surrounding Shiho, how much that time in Ann’s life really impacted her current motivations. He looks on at the camera with a slight frown, the seriousness of Ann’s silence registering. As much as he might be getting a lot out of all these plans... maybe Ann needs this. Needs this, perhaps, more than she currently knows. ]

Well, I won’t fail you. I’ll tell you that much.

[ If Tim can spar with two experienced marines blindfolded and hold the advantage the entire time, he’s confident he can handle filling in the gaps in the Phantom Thieves’ collective experience. As a group, they definitely seem more well put-together and... functional, than his last team. Leading the Teen Titans up till he became Red Robin was just a bizarre time. Unnecessary drama that he doesn’t see being possible among the Phantom Thieves, despite all their quirks. ~~and Morgana’s clear antipathy for him~~ ]

What are the demands, then? I might be training you soon, but I’m still the one who’s asking.

[ Now he’s back to smirking a tad mischievously, wearing a familiar shit-eating grin that Ann’s probably grown sick of. Admittedly, she wasn’t present for just how far gone Tim used to be, in his own darkness. Now, he feels like he’s reconnected to his more playful self— a tendency to break the rules not from some sense of his own corruption, like what he assumed to be the tainted nature of the Red Robin mantle. Rather, he’s just that much of a damn rebel. (All despite what the tabloids may say to the contrary). ]

In other words, in Japan... how do you wanna be compensated for all the hell I’m about to put you through?

[ They all had their weighted burdens. Things that make them feel rooted, unable to move forward from the past. She was fortunate to have addressed most of hers, but her steps forward were slower than she'd like – and it channels her efforts with helping Tim to make her speed up. To feel like she's doing something good. ]

I know.

[ She didn't drag it out, didn't act shy. Her confidence in him was high – and she vocalizes it immediately. ]

Maybe you'll have a list when you get here next. Wouldn't be fair to give you that much time to prepare. Maybe that's all part of my evil plan.

[ Meaning: she hasn't even thought of all the things she'd like to do when he visits. ]

Evil, in major airquotes, but you know. I don't think you'll be complaining much. Contrary to the whip, I don't crack it against people I care about.

[ :/ No one's asked. :/ ]

[ It'll always be surreal to Tim, how highly Ann thinks of him. After everything she's seen in his palace, he used to think he didn't deserve this much admiration. Seeing him at his lowest point, and getting an advance screening of the worst he can become... that wasn't enough to turn her away? Turn any of the Phantom Thieves away? The stock Ann places in him is enough to make Tim believe he's worthy of redemption. That it's never too late to prevent the future represented by the Batman of Tomorrow. ]

Eh, a curriculum of some kind wouldn't be that hard to put together.

Just gotta play to your stengths. See what you're already good at in the Metaverse and translate it all to real life.

[ Maybe all the notes he took leading the Teen Titans can be put to good use after all. As well as stuff he had for training that the team was simply too volatile for him to ever bring out productively.

He's on the serious train here, thinking diligently about how to up the Phantom Thieves' game. But then Ann has to go on and say something about her whip, which turns Tim's contemplative gaze into something more insidious.

"Contrary to the whip," she said, "I don't crack it against people I care about." ]

Well in my case, what's stopping you?

[ Now someone's asked. ]

[ How could she not? People that are born strong, people that started figuring things out in life sooner...? They weren't brave or admirable. The people who face tragedies, the one who pick themselves up and keep fighting? Ann looks up to them. She looks up to the ones that refuse to die and refuse to let the world batter them.

Shiho. The Phantom Thieves. Herself... Tim was just added to the list and there was something else that gravitates her closer to him. Endearment and attraction blend together – where she stays up late to call him, waits for his texts during class... eager to consider a true hero route. ]

I don't exactly have a giant salsa-dancing fire being to burn my enemies... but, I totally get what you mean. Maybe you'll be the one to help me figure out what I do best.

[ And – then he has to ruin the whip comment. Her face was burned red in embarrassment, stumbling over her words – ]

H-Hey, don't even – don't even joke! I don't think I could ever – ... that has to hurt, okay?

[ And kink or not, she never wants to hurt him. :/ ]

[ It goes both ways, then. He sees himself in Ann (not like that) as much she does in him (also not like that). They've both been through hell, however disparate the contexts. And despite the low points that the world has taken them to, they've both risen from it in their own ways. Now, though, together-- they'll rise above it. Not just for their own sake, but for all those they've helped and will help. Including each other.

Besides, now that they're dating... it'd be kinda weird for them not to. ]

And you won't need her. But Carmen does bring something to mind: the possibility I might not be your only coach.

I have a sneaking suspicion you've got an affinity for something that'll require an entirely different teacher... but let's table that.

[ Tim hasn't failed to notice just how potent Ann's magic is in the Metaverse. With the right teacher, who knows what she can eventually do with fire as soon as she knows how? Looks like he's gonna have to give Zatanna a call, but broaching that to Ann might be too much too soon. It's already enough to process that there's more she can do outside the Metaverse. Of all people, Tim definitely knows how staggering possibilities can be.

Besides, there's the thing about the whip he simply had to embarrass her with. ]

Depends on the way you use it.

And you know it goes both ways. [ Not to reiterate the narration. ] I've got some pretty versatile grappling gear, myself.

[ Wires that Ann must suspect are difficult to escape from. ]

[ There's countless studies out there... how broken people find kinship through one another. Where they find strength they otherwise can't get in simple therapy or ignoring their own feelings. Figures that they would get stuck in each other's gravity and... things happen. Not that she'd complain... ]

Oooohkayyyyy... just don't leave me in the dark. I trust you.

[ That much was clear. If she had any idea that there was really some connection to the Metaverse and the outside world? Maybe she'd feel more confident. She thinks that if she could utilize Carmen's strength, that fire she feels inside... but she has to be responsible with it. The difference between her and the shitty adults willing to burn the world down? Restraint. God knows she showed enough with Kamoshida...

When he shifts the conversation to other means – to keep it light, she scrunches her face up and rolls onto her side. The camera clearly was obscured and her muffled voice just lets him know he is being nuts. ]

You're seriously not going to start bondage talk on – what? Our fifth phone date? What kinda girl do you take me for?

[ There's a deep 'ughhhh' past her lips, clearly teasing and not accusatory in the slightest. ]

Edited 2021-06-08 04:13 (UTC)

[ Old habits die hard. Tim would've told himself that before his palace cleared, when he was still stuck in his ways of keeping secrets from those he cared about. He distinctly remembers Stephanie seeking him out to understand what the hell was going on with him, back when he was wandering the earth searching for answers to the mystery of Bruce's fate. The misery of such a state is behind him. Keeping people in the dark, especially among his network of heroes... is unconscionable.

There may come a day when he needs them. All of them. And they have to trust him. ]

It's not so much a secret as it is... too tentative. I just don't wanna make promises I can't keep.

[ He doesn't doubt Zatanna would be willing to help. He just knows that entering the world of magic comes with a set of challenges he's not fully apprised of. What he wants, before proceeding further, is to have as much information ready for Ann as she may need. Quite the opposite of leaving her in the dark, though currently he leaves her suspended in wait. ]

Look, I'm just thinking ahead for the future. You know how I am about fancy and elaborate plans.

[ He knows it's a tendency, and hell-- they were literally just talking about one such plan. But at least all this self-satirizing is his attitude about it compared to, say, a whole bunch of other self-proclaimed master planners out there in the superhero cosmos. ]

I might need to know every detail of what you can do. To inform my expectations.

Not for the express purpose of strategizing a way for me to come out on top. No siree!

[ Trust was something she was just starting to give... starting to have in return. Tim's one of them, she feels, who faces the same shitty adults who make the world a horrible place. Fearful that he'd become one too. The last strike she took against him would ensure that'd never...ever.. happen on her watch.

Haha, unless? ]

Oh, the same plan you had for all the routes to get to the breakfast place if traffic was bad?

[ She teases him a bit, but she knows what he means. And for a girl who goes by her heart, by her will – that damn fire? He balances her out pretty okay. ]

Like, right now?! No way! Maybe we'll discuss these plans in person first! I'll just hold the details hostage. Hmph.

[ Still no telling what the future holds. That's the scary thing about all the planning Tim gets carried away with, the manner of escalation he's keen on seeing through, as much as it's all for a good cause. Things still fall apart unexpectedly, and things will. Bruce, who set Tim on this path, whose own meticulousness and perseverance was a model for Tim's... didn't have a plan against Darkseid that involved Batman's survival.

So what's gonna happen when the stakes get too high? What's gonna be demanded of Tim, of the Phantom Thieves? ]

Hey, I know Gotham like the back of my hand!

I also know it well enough to know when to just use a grappling hook. Or the Redboard.

[ He's thought about rush hour making things desperate enough for them to need the Bat-plane... but goddamn, that's too conspicuous. ]

Is that so? Because I'm all for clandestine exchanges of information.

Could be the first thing we do the moment I land in Shibuya.

Better hope you're free next week, because I'm starting to see where I can clear my schedule.

[ Whatever the future holds... he'd now have to contend with Ann's involvement. A text message checking in on him every so often... a suggestion here that maybe he didn't think of. Ann was a variable that was now a constant – and she wants to keep it that way to keep him and the people she cares about safe.]

I'm just saying... those plans of yours... tsk tsk. Makes me wonder if you ever just live in the moment.

[ She's totally teasing – but... it's not likely he'd spring up tomorrow to visit her or solve all his problems this week. Things take time and she just likes to make sure he knows she's here... whenever. ]

Exchanges of information for the greater good or....? [ Selfish, teasing like the talk of whips and wires. Ann blushes too much for her own good and she looks away, trying to act as if she wasn't bothered by the thought of him showing up within a week. She wants it – badly, missing the nerd himself each day that ticks by. ] I think I'm free but... I can move some things around too, y'know. For you.

[ Good. Because Tim's Achilles Heel has always been getting lost in his own head, getting carried away with high ambition. The kind of stuff that gives him all the potential Bruce saw in him. Not just a great capacity for good, but as a different Batman has shown... a great capacity for evil. And if Ann saved Tim once, she can save him again. Plus, why would he resent the idea of her sending memes every twenty minutes? ]

Funny, I was just about to say.

There's always more you can teach me, too.

[ Not just about modeling, though he understands that she's still gauging her commitment to the hobby. More... about living in the moment, like she said. ]

Doesn't have to be just that, [ The "greater good," that is. ] but knowledge is power for a reason.

[ Tim's gonna act like he doesn't notice Ann getting all flustered like that. Like him dropping into Shibuya from the sky, Red Robin suit and all, wouldn't be cool as hell. And that immediately after, Tim Drake would be around for Ann to hug and kiss and, well. ~~Torment with a whip.~~

It heartens him, at least, to hear her talk about making time for him in return. ]

You do that. Meanwhile, I'm--

[ A transmission sounds from another monitor. But from the angle of the webcam through which Ann can see Tim, she has no view of the other screen. On it, though, is Batman. Dick Grayson. Visibly in the cockpit of the new Batmobile, which is currently soaring through Gotham City.

Red Robin. We've got a problem. The Flash is in town, pursuing Gorilla Grodd to Gotham Harbor. Weird machinations we don't know the full extent of.

Monkey business.

As you know, Robin's still out with the Teen Titans. But Flash could use the extra assist. ]

You don't have to ask, Batman. Be there in five.

Uh... Panther.

[ After Dick hangs up shortly thereafter, Tim turns to face Ann's screen with something of an apologetic look. Duty calls after all, but as a Phantom Thief, at least she knows the drill. ]

You mind if I take this?

[ Having been in-costume this whole time, except unmasked, he rises from his computer chair. Once on his feet, he cloaks his visage in the hood that becomes his Red Robin cowl. ]

We'll see what I can teach you when you get over here.

[ One more string of insistence reflects her own want. While Ann was nowhere near as clingy of a girlfriend as she could be... there's still some clear want: that having him here makes her feel safer? Happier? He was her safety net now, as much as the Phantom Thieves were too. Ann was learning to depend on others, not just carry burdens and weight of being 'strong' for them too. It was weird, but... it felt nice? Enough to make her look forward to late night or early morning calls from Gotham. ]

Like, how we c– oh?

[ She stays quiet for a moment, awkwardly scrunching her face and just waiting. When he gets back to her, she understands. There's a quick wave and a nod that follows – ]

No, I take total offense right now. No, go ahead. Just text me later. Bye, birdboy.

[texting repository] bc not everything's gotta be action

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