How many Batgirls did you say?

[notafraidofyou]

Who: Tim Drake and Cissie King-Jones
Where: Room 214
When: February 16th
What: Cissie sent him a few texts, and now they need to have a Conversation.
Notes: Cross-universe shenanigans. Probably references to character death and/or injury.

Tim tucks his tablet-thingy into the sweatshirt pocket mostly hidden by his school blazer and makes his way toward Cissie's room. The idea of there being more than one Robin isn't exactly a new one for him, but three? That's... not right at all. And even more wrong is the idea of three Batgirls. He's sure it was hard for other people to imagine anyone else being Robin after Dick quit, but since he was the next kid in line, it's not that weird for him. But there's never been another Batgirl. It's... just Barbara, and he can't even think that there might be anyone else, because it just seems so... not right.

So he's got some questions. He knocks on Cissie's door.

Comments

[cisskabob]

Cissie feels a little like she's about to get scolded or something, which is weird, considering the fact that she started the conversation with Tim with the intention of reading him the riot act. As ridiculous as it may be, since she really has no leg to stand on when it comes to lecturing him, but... old habits die hard.

When she hears the knock, she calls out, "Come in," without getting up. It's just too cold to leave her blanket cocoon.

[notafraidofyou]

Tim lets himself into the room and immediately settles himself on the windowsill, leaning back against the glass so he can look at Cissie. She doesn't actually look all that warm in her blanket pile, but he's not all that warm in his layers, either.

And anyway, the pervasive cold that everyone's whining about isn't why he's here.

"How many Batgirls?"

Yep, cutting right to the chase.

[cisskabob]

Cissie's eyebrows shoot up in surprise; that's what's bothering him? It probably shouldn't be a surprise, given the way he said "okay Batgirl" in the same way someone might have said "okay mom," but it was through text. She pulls the blankets tighter around her, shrugging.

"Um... Three, I think? I'm guessing there aren't that many where you're from."

[notafraidofyou]

"Yeah, not really. Just the one. Like. Ever." And he can't imagine there being anyone else. It's not like Barbara would quit, right? Did she and Bruce get into a fight? Did she and Dick stop bickering? Is she Flamebird now or something?

[cisskabob]

Cissie shakes her head, smiling sympathetically. She's had her chance to be weirded out by this other Tim existing, but he hasn't really had to deal yet with how different her world is from his. "Sorry. It's weird all around, I think. The first Batgirl had retired before I even met my Tim."

[notafraidofyou]

He stares at her for a long, long moment.

"Retired? What the hell kind of universe do you have?"

[cisskabob]

Cissie reacts to that about as well as you might expect. Indignantly. She frowns and crosses her arms defensively. "Yes, retired. What's wrong with that?"

[notafraidofyou]

He shrugs, frowning. Her reaction isn't really registering with him, because he's still lost in his own world and trying to imagine just what circumstances would actually get Barbara to retire. "Just... I can't picture it.

[cisskabob]

Cissie has a hard time staying defensive in the face of his obvious confusion; she knows a little how he's feeling, after all. "...Yeah, I guess it's not something a lot of us do."

[notafraidofyou]

He huffs a little, folding his arms across his chest. "At all. I can't think of anyone who's done it. Not that I have a whole lot of contacts--that's mostly the big guy's thing, but still. Even Nightwing came back, and he was pissed."

[cisskabob]

Cissie raises an eyebrow at him, and lifts one of her hands out from under the blankets, as if she were in class answering a question. "Well. Now you know someone who did it."

[notafraidofyou]

...And now you have his undivided attention.

"What--seriously?"

[cisskabob]

Cissie rolls her eyes, and resists joking about being trained by the world's greatest detective--maybe Batman doesn't have that title in his world.

"Seriously. A few years ago, now. I, uh. Made a pretty huge mistake, and crossed a line I shouldn't have crossed. It felt like the only option."

[notafraidofyou]

Oh, he does. Tim's just not quite as dedicated a student as his other self. And he's also just surprised. As far as he's concerned, this is pretty much the best life anyone could ask for, and retiring just seems so out of the question that he can hardly conceive of it.

Even if she crossed that line. He knows what that line looks like, because the only reason he's kept from crossing himself it is Batman.

And he's not sorry.

"What's it like?"

[cisskabob]

It's not the question she expects, and it surprises her momentarily. Not that she's really ever had to tell anyone she retired, because the people who are in positions to know were there when it happened, but...

She's not sure anyone's ever asked her that.

She gives him a wry smile. "...Honestly? It sucks. And it's hard. I do manage to go whole months without concussions or crazy bruises to cover up, though."

[notafraidofyou]

He grins a little at her. "Weird." He's teasing, though. Even he can tell this is kind of a sensitive topic for her. And he can't really imagine how it feels to just turn off that part of yourself. Does it even work that way? Can it?

[cisskabob]

She smiles, appreciating the effort on his part. "You know what's even weirder? Getting a full night's sleep."

[notafraidofyou]

He snickers. "Pft. Who needs a full night's sleep when a few hours will do?"

[cisskabob]

"You only say that because you've forgotten what one feels like."

[notafraidofyou]

"I sleep!"

[cisskabob]

"Yeah, a few hours at a time. When was the last time you got a full eight hours--sedation and head injuries do not count, by the way."

[notafraidofyou]

He opens his mouth to argue, then closes it again. "I get benched for homework sometimes," he says finally. Which is so not an answer, but at least those nights he has the opportunity to sleep.

"And I can sleep in here as late as I want."

[cisskabob]

Cissie barely pays attention to that last statement, although he certainly has a point there, and she really should say something about that--she remembers all too well how hard adjusting to "normal" life was when she quit, and clearly Tim is having issues adjusting himself. Considering he got himself strung up in a stairwell.

But she's too preoccupied by what he said first.

"Homework?" she repeats, raising an eyebrow. "What, do you just get an obscene amount of it?"

[notafraidofyou]

He gives her a Look.

"All homework is obscene."

[cisskabob]

She resists--barely--the urge to laugh, raising her hands in surrender instead. "Okay. How does it get you grounded, though?"

[notafraidofyou]

He huffs irritably. "Well, you know. You don't turn it in for a few days or a week, and suddenly teachers are sending notes home to your guardian about how you're 'not applying yourself,' and then your guardian says you can't play outside until your homework is done."

[cisskabob]

Cissie stares at him. "...A week?"

[notafraidofyou]

"Yeah?" He raised an eyebrow at the look on her face. "Oh, gross. I bet you do your homework every night. How are you even standing not having school right now?"

[cisskabob]

She makes a face, shaking her head. "Oh, I'm not thinking about me."

[notafraidofyou]

"What--" He stares at her for a long moment. "Wait, you mean other me?" The expression on his face is pure dismayed horror.

[cisskabob]

The look he gives her makes it hard for her not to laugh, but she manages it. Mostly because it would be rude,not just to this Tim, but to her Tim. "He's a bit of an overachiever. To put it mildly."

[notafraidofyou]

"...I can't even express how disgusted I am."

[cisskabob]

"Hey," she gives him a quick warning look. "He's my friend. And his brains and tendency to overplan have come in handy more than once. He almost tested himself out of high school."

[notafraidofyou]

"...Well, that would be cool," he admitted. "I guess I'm not that much like him, though, am I?"

[cisskabob]

She gave a thoughtful hum, eyeing him. "...Maybe not," she admitted. "But I don't know you as well I as I know him, not yet. And you are like him in some ways--like that curious streak that gets you strung up in a stairwell," she said dryly. "And getting yourself down without help."

[notafraidofyou]

He waved a hand dismissively. "That was easy. I learned how to do stuff like that, like, day one. Or two. There wasn't even a vat of acid or anything like that." Of course the three story "pit" wasn't something to be ignored either, but. Whatever.