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[ While he's known for being pretty quick to assess a situation and pick up on what's going on, there hasn't hardly been time for that before Robin John Blake is addressing the network, a rather uneasy expression wrinkling his forehead, his whole being scrunched up while he tries to get used to using a video function that is nowhere near standard in his time and place. ]

Uh... Know this is gonna sound kinda weird, but— [ Believe it or not, John Blake, there isn't much you could say that the denizen of Wonderland would consider weird, but you go ahead and give it a try, buddy. ] Well... don't s'pose I'm dreamin', am I?

[ It feels like a good guess because he doesn't remember traveling, and he certainly doesn't remember leaving home, and since the last thing he'd done was attend a funeral, it could be a strange coincidence, a fabrication of his mind that's now semi-lucid, sitting here telling him how what he sees and feels can't be what's actually happening. People don't just appear in storybooks (and even if he did, it wouldn't be this celebrated tale). ]

Barrin' that, think I might be dead... [ It's mumbled in an off-hand way, as if maybe he's already considered it, but decided not to lead with that theory. Audible to the rest, even if he's quick to move on from saying it. ] But on the off chance I'm not either of those things, think someone could help me out figurin' what's goin' on here?

[ He likes to think a uniform would have added something to this request, but having just given up his badge for good, all he can do is address everyone as a regular guy — definitely not his first choice, since it usually does him no favors.

He looks like he's done, about to end the transmission, when something else occurs to him. ] —in person, if possible. Not really— Not really much of a fan of these things, not if I can help it.

[ He can't, not here, but he'll at least be content to try for a while. With luck, it won't even matter when he wakes up from all of this... ]

Be— [ A gesture over his shoulder. ] Gonna be outside for a while — out front. So... yeah.

[[ OOC: Video, audio, or action perfectly okay, just note. Will also match style. For starters, send a PM to this account or hit me up @ blakeroo on plurk. :) ]]

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[ She raises an eyebrow at him, unimpressed by his obviously-feigned ignorance. It's a magnificent act, but she'd known him for a long time last time he was here before finding out about him. Before finding out about the other him. ]

Right. And I'd believe that if you hadn't already told me last time you were here that he came back and passed on the mantle to you.

[ Her eyes narrow. He could be from a different point on his timeline. But there aren't many people in Wonderland who go backward on their timeline.

Besides. What if that's just exactly what he wants her to think? ]

[ Bruce came back? If he's relieved, it's not quite showing through. He's carefully constructed a wall to hide behind and if he can help it, he's going to stay there until he figures all of this out.

How could any of that be possible? He'd seen the explosion, he'd even attended the man's funeral. But there had been no body and maybe that's just a coincidence, but hadn't he seen that man come back from near-death more than once? ]

Not sure what kinda— stuff I was tellin' you, but I'm just a cop. An unemployed cop. No way anyone's gonna want me to be some kinda vigilante. [ His voice lowers as if he's sharing a wild conspiracy. ] Look, my paperwork? Pretty much the only guy in the precinct doin' that stuff nightly. That sound like the type of guy that's gonna go out an' take justice into his own hands?

[ Deflection at its best, because he's sure as shit thinking about this now (but she doesn't need to know how it'll probably plague him at all hours of the day and night). John Blake as the Batman? Preposterous. It's sound like— ]

Oh, it's a joke! This was a joke we had, right? The last time...

You were a bad cop. [ Not dirty! Just... bad. ] I used to give you hell all the time because I couldn't imagine a way you were good at your job.

[ He doesn't seem to believe her. Which she understands; she's known people to use the tactic before.

Two can play the game of messing with each other, Blake. You stubborn asshole. ]

Of course we had a lot of jokes last time. Couples do that. [ She bites her tongue and quickly look away. ] Look. You already told me everything last time you were here. And I know you aren't entirely playing dumb. But you can stop playing dumb.

[ Might as well smack the guy in the face, why don't you? It's two direct hits, like a one-two punch to the chest.

A bad cop? He's never once been called that, and while he doesn't exactly have decades under his belt, he thought he's always thought he was effective at the job. Three thousand cops is a lot to be judged against, sure, but Blake wasn't taking bribes, he wasn't overstepping his duty to the people in a bid to gain power, he wasn't harassing kids in the streets just because they had nowhere else to go... He helped people every day.

And then Sharon says couples do that before he even has a chance to take the breath necessary to object and he's practically bowled over at that. They'd been a couple? His heart dips into his shoes for a second — whether he looks it or not, he feels bad. ]

I'm sorry—

[ Christ, what if she's telling the truth? What reason would she have to lie? Being one to think the best of people (despite feeling he knows better at times), he can't imagine Carter is out to make enemies of him, so it's everything at face value for now. ]

—but I'm gonna need a somethin' better'n that. Evidence.

[ A hint of smokiness descends and while he's clearly on the back foot now, it doesn't bother him that she'll probably be able to tell. Because one or none of those things is true, and he'd like to get to the bottom of Carter's peculiar behavior before he decides for himself. ]

[ Oh, Blake. The look on your face? The only regret she has is not having a camera with her.

She watches him out of the corner of her eye, trying not to appear remotely amused. She doesn't look at him full-on until he asks for evidence, and then she raises her eyebrow and holds up her hands. That's right, Blake. She's going to count the ways. ]

First off, you do not recognize the authority of federal agents.

Second, I'd like to see your reports, because your notes - or lack of them - has given me nightmares.

Third!

[ Here, she grins and shrugs. She'd look so sheepish if she weren't so proud of herself. ] Yeah, you got me. We didn't date. But I totally had you for a minute there.

Yeah, you totally got me.

[ Which is to say, for a second he was wondering, yes, but not so much as he was about someone coming to the conclusion he's a bad cop. At least now he knows her gripes are mostly personal. ]

You're the federal agent, I take it. [ The last couple of those he'd seen had gotten themselves killed, and guess who they didn't bother listening to? Hm. Curiouser and curiouser. ] What do your reports look like?

[ Any sign of malice or irritation are gone, but she still holds up a finger to correct him. ] Notes. Not reports. You didn't show me your reports, just your notes. Which were things like, "BB 2" and that's it.

[ She huffs a sigh and sets her hands on her hips. ] But yeah, I was SHIELD and CIA back home. I know- you don't have SHIELD back where you're from, so we don't need to waste time talking about that.

So to recap you on Wonderland - the place has a lot of magic going on. You can rearrange your room and unclaimed spaces with your mind, which is how we have a sparring facility, training center, gym, and other stuff on the first floor. The closets are magic and will provide whatever you need. Not the exact stuff from home, but close. There are events every so often, and they vary from pleasant to people-will-die.

We don't know how to get home. So far, when we've tried to get home, things haven't ended well. We can only go back when Wonderland lets us. Sometimes we go home briefly and retain our memories of Wonderland - sometimes we go home longer, like you, and forget everything.

[ She pauses and looks him up and down. ] You want to spar while we talk more? [ They hadn't sparred after he'd revealed that he was Batman. What could she say? She was curious. ]

Hold on, hold on, lemme write this down—

[ Fishing inside his coat (which has been set aside — it's far too hot for winter clothes), he pulls out a small notebook and a short pencil, making a spectacle of readying himself to take note of this information.

Blake narrates as he writes, his face a chiseled image of concentration, his words coinciding with his notation in a slow, stilted manner. ]

Double-u ell equals em gee kay. Cee i a comma little shield drawing equals cross-out symbol...

[ All this with a straight face, too! ]

[ She crosses her arms, perfectly willing to wait while he takes some notes. She's had to pause while speaking so people could take notes before - she might not like it, but she can handle it. She doesn't even mind that he's exagerrating everything while he does it, making a show of it. And yes, that makes her suspicious, but come on. How bad can it possibly be?

And then he talks. While he writes. And it is bad. It would be bad even if she couldn't remember spending so much time trying to understand his previous notes. ]

Think you're reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeal funny, don't you.

Let's see how funny you think it is when I drop you on the mat later, Batbrain.

[ For the record, she didn't spend a lot of time on the nickname. Insults were never her forte, Blake. Ugh! ]

You this hostile to everyone you meet?

[ He doubts it, but then again, he knows that he can occasionally inspire this behavior in others. From what he's gleaned, John has a way of making people see him as particularly pedantic and decidedly unfriendly. It's not really the case, of course, but that's not usually resolved until a person's had plenty of time to get to know him. ]

No, just the ones where I know they're going to be a pain in my ass.

[ At least she knows he isn't a total pain in her ass. Toward the end of his last stay, she'd known he was trustworthy and capable. He'd annoyed her, but she'd eventually seen him as more than just an annoyance.

She shifts her weight from foot to foot. ]

Anybody given you the tour yet?

Coffee shop, directions to the kitchen, a room off in the middle of nowhere...

[ John holds out his hands, spread like he's showing all of his cards. The magical construction of the mansion unsettles him, makes him uncertain that he won't fall down a hole around the next corner. ]

So, no. Not really. Not the grand tour— [ Jazz hands! ]

Edited (Spelling...) 2017-06-08 05:04 (UTC)

[ She stands there as she watches him do jazz hands, and then continues to stand there and stare at him.

Her eyes raise to meet his. ]

Really?

Really.

[ As in, he really hasn't had the grand tour and this is your opportunity to change that, Sharon Carter. You've won the worst lottery in the entirety of Wonderland this day. ]

Unless you'd rather gimme a tour of my alleged last appearance instead.

[ He's not asking for proof, but he's... kind of asking for proof. ]

[ She's just about to grudgingly show him around when he mentions his "alleged" last appearance, and she ends up looking at him - with a hint of glower - instead. He doesn't believe her?

Why the fuck would she lie about this?

Crossing her arms, she tries to reign in the slight surge in her temper. She did tease him about the possibility of them being in a romantic relationship, and it isn't as if she hasn't lied to other people here. His suspicion isn't without merit.

It's just annoying.

Just like he's annoying. ]

What tour of your alleged last stay here can I give you? [ She could give him his notes, if they weren't missing. As it is, she hopes he doesn't ask to see any past notes he might have left behind. "Mirrors stole them" will likely go over as well, "My dog ate them." ]

The information I have on you not enough? The fact that other people will respond to your network post, also recognizing you not enough?

[ Typical cop. All this evidence that she's telling the truth, and he still can't see it. ]

[ Fff. Typical government agent. As soon as he asks her to pony up something tangible, she goes huffing and puffing and acting like he's stepped over a line.

Jaw tighter than it should be, he watches as she goes from unimpressed to peeved, and for a second he almost congratulates himself for managing it. If she's been helpful, it's only been at his expense, and he's not quite a sore loser, but maybe pretty darn close.

He ticks some examples off on his fingers. ]

Information that's wrong, misinformed, or would be easily accessible if we happened to come from the same place. And the words of strangers — people I've never put my eyes on before.

What evidence is that? Honestly, I wanna know. You act like it makes some kinda sense to just believe all this, but I'm not that kinda guy. Gimme somethin' concrete, not a buncha public information and wild predictions.

[ She sighs loudly, irritated and unable to hide it. She doesn't look at him as she pulls out her communicator and starts poking at it. ] I forgot how fucking annoying you can be.

[ She extends the comm to him. ]

There. Messages from the last time you were here. Read through it yourself and tell me if that's evidence. Your own words, your own face.

[ And she isn't wrong. She knows him well enough to know that he's lying to her. He is Batman. The lying asshole. ]

[ Annoying. Right. It's not the first time he's been called that, but if it's annoying to ask for details, then he's fine with it.

He takes the comm and eyes her warily for too long before he starts concentrating on what Sharon's offered to him. There's a list — so much to choose from — and the one he picks happens to be a question and answer session.

It plays like a movie in front of his eyes, otherworldly in that sort of Pod People way. Almost immediately, he shoves the device back toward Carter, clearly disturbed. ]

Okay, yeah, fine — I believe you...

[ That was fast. But at this point, John's willing to say anything to end his instant exposure to this unknown past. ]

[ She crosses her arms, waiting for him to look over the entries. She knows he was more active on the network than the posts that are listed, probably responded to others, was here long enough to have personal attachments and people who would have privately contacted him. But she would have to go through all the entries to find them, and she doesn't think he's enough of a threat where she would track down his comments. He may annoy the shit out of her, but he's always seemed to have the residents' best interests at heart. He investigates, he's calm under pressure...

And then he shoves the communicator back at her, and she fumbles a little to take it back so soon.

Her eyes fly to his face. To say he doesn't look well is an understatement, and her eyes fall back to her communicator. She drops it in a pocket. ]

The Rabbit Hole Diner has the best burgers. And they have milk shakes. Want to check it out? [ Maybe food will help him feel better. If not, at least she'll get something to eat. ]

[ John thinks this might be what if feels like to find out he'd been impersonated, except unlike most people, he can apparently face this right on. And it's too uncanny, too much like a mirror for him to want to keep looking on. What if he doesn't like what he sees? What if that person is utterly unrecognizable to him?

He pushes a hand through his hair and eyes Carter, somewhat haunted by the image of himself. ]

Ah, that's— [ Grasping for words, he shakes his head. ] Um, raincheck? I'm not— not feelin' all that hungry... And there's apparently a lot to do, so—

[ She looks at him in concern. He's been in Wonderland before. He's already gotten used to it... He can't be that freaked out.

And he'd asked for proof, damn it. ]

Uh... Sure. Raincheck. I'll... head back inside. You've probably got other people to meet up with... So... I'll see you around.

[ She turns back to the mansion and shoves her hands in her pockets awkwardly. When she nods good-bye, she gives him another look-over. He'll be fine until someone else comes. He isn't too shaken.

But she might hang out in the foyer for a while, just to be safe. ]

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File Z5287452 - No Context

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