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Post by Amanda Waller on Sept 19, 2014 6:08:10 GMT
July 1st, 7 PM
It wasn't often that Barbara stayed up at the Watchtower but when she did she enjoyed it. It was like a nice little vacation from her apartment. Not that there was anything wrong with her apartment but a change of scenery every now and then was nice and she got to see a few friendly faces that she didn't get to see that often now. Usually this was something she would do every other weekend or so (really it was more when her schedule allowed) to check on the computer systems and make sure everything was running smoothly and in tip top shape. Of course there were others that were just as capable of doing just this thing but Barbara liked to work along side them and put her two cents in and she felt better knowing that she was a part of the process.
After zetaing to the tower Barbara carried her bag toward the dorms, adjusting the smaller eye mask she was wearing, her 'casual' mask as it were. It still protected her identity (which, seemed almost pointless at this point since most of the team knew each others civilian identities but, old habits but the league did employ non league members for matience and she would rather her identity be kept a secret from them) and was more comfortable than the bat mask she wore in uniform. Barbara walked along the long halls of the tower, looking out the windows and down at the earth below them. Sometimes it still amazed her that they were in fact in space, orbiting around the earth and getting to see things most people dreamed of. She would never say that the hero business didn't have its perks.
Getting to the wing that held the team dorms Barbara found the cabin that was hers and pressed the button on the door, the metal door sliding to the side to allow her access and Barbara walked in and threw her things down on the bed followed shortly after with herself. From her position laying on the bed Barbara could see the earth and the moon from her window and she sighed happily. I really love my job. She said out loud. She wasn't scheduled to run matience until tomorrow so she had plenty of time to kill before then question was...what did she do? Homework? Possibly but she didn't feel like doing that right now. Maybe she would just lie here and enjoy the quiet while she could.
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Post by zee on Oct 8, 2014 7:37:45 GMT
It was too early for bed. It was too early to really go anywhere either. It was Tuesday night but the little Zatara girl was restless. There was actually one place she had considered going but she kept herself from doing something stupid like visiting that boy since stopping by Richard Grayson's abode would do nothing for her but cause mixed feelings. Zatanna wasn't part of the team. The magician had taken Zatara's spot on the Justice League so all her attachments with the team were null. While she might have been good friends with several of its members, it wasn't the Justice League's place to get involved in their affairs. The team could handle their own situations without people like her butting in or raising questions. Still, her brain didn't get the memo. Dick, or rather Nightwing, had been on a hiatus for some time and the fact he still wasn't around almost a year later concerned her. There was one person she could go talk to about the matter. As a previous girlfriend of the male and team member, she was very familiar with Barbara Gordon. She was the better bat child since she was far more serious and made sure to complete every mission. The redhead was intelligent, beautiful, witty, and pretty much the girl he was truly in love with. It was probably why Zatanna and Dick would never work out; he already met his dream girl but was too afraid to make his move on her.
It was unfair to burden her in such a way but Barbara was the only one she felt she could ask about such things and get a truthful answer. The two girls were good friends, thankfully, but this technically was a bat matter.
Would it be considered overstepping?
"Knock, knock," she said lowly as she peeked through the door to see Barbara admiring the view from her window. "Sorry to intrude on you like this, but… do you have a second?" Zatanna awaited to be invited into the room. She made sure to close the door behind her as she stood there lingering for a moment. How was she supposed to approach the subject? Tiptoeing wasn't exactly her strong point. Zatanna was blunt and impulsive so it was probably best to say what was on her mind.
"Have you… talked to Grayson recently?"
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Post by Amanda Waller on Oct 9, 2014 5:43:33 GMT
Knock, knock Barbara heard the quiet words and she craned her neck back to look at the door of her designated room to see who it was. Obviously it was female but there were a lot of them here so that didn't really narrow anything down. Looking back she saw Zatanna standing in her doorway and Barbara smiled at her before sitting up, turning and putting her feet on the ground so she could better talk to her visitor. Sure. Barbara's brows furrowed slightly, wondering what Zatanna could need to talk about with her. Whatever it was it seemed important or at least like something she didn't want others knowing about. Come in the red head motioned for her to enter her room so she didn't have to stand in the doorway and so any passerbys didn't hear anything they weren't supposed to.
"Whats up?" Barb tried to figure out what it could be, maybe there was a mission of personal importance that Zatanna wanted help with? Maybe but that seemed unlikly that she would come to her for that, Rocket would probably be her first choice even if she was married now. When the other woman finally came out with why she was here Barbara looked at Zatanna, was Dick hiding from her as well? Not really she answered truthfully mostly just text messages but he hardly answers them these days. Have you?
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Post by zee on Oct 10, 2014 7:22:57 GMT
Was it awkward to come into her friend's room just to talk about a boy she shouldn't have been talking about or concerned? It seemed rather odd though she refused to let her nervousness show. Of all the things in the world Zatanna was, she was not some nervous bumbling girl. She was charming and bold!
She was also deeply worried about a certain idiot.
The magician folded her arms as she shook her head somberly. "Nothing for nearly a year." After what happened to Wally, he essentially went on an extended leave. While she heard Bludhaven was having its streets cleaned up, the random calls she left a year ago were probably still on his voice mailbox. By his birthday last year, her only texts to him were to say happy holidays though he never responded to them. It seemed like a rather typical relationship an ex-boyfriend and girlfriend would have considering once a relationship was over the only thing left was ill feelings and forced civilities.
It wasn't how her relationship was with Grayson. Regardless how things ended between them, they had managed to stay friends up until that part. After being cut off for so long, she wasn't sure if it were a permanent thing or if she was one of many that had been cut from his life. "You two haven't talked or met up? I'm a bit surprised," she admitted. Considering how important Barbara was to him, it was hard to think he'd just cut her out like that too.
"Oh well. I guess if he wants to talk one day he will just show up handing from the ceiling or something."
At least he used to do that when they were kids.
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Post by Amanda Waller on Oct 13, 2014 1:12:00 GMT
Barbara sighed a little when Zatanna said she hadn't talked to him in almost a year. Dick was pushing everyone away and she understood the wanting his space but there was a line between wanting space and avoiding those that cared about you. No, not for lack of trying but you know how he can be. She didn't know if she was helping matters at all but Barbara really didn't know what else to say. Dick and Zatanna had been close, even after their relationship ended and if he hadn't come to her he went to the Magician and vice versa and he had never fully shut them out like he was now.
"I'm starting to worry, you know? But if you try to close in on him he'll run and we wont find him until he's ready to be found Dick was good about that but he couldn't keep this up and knowing the men in the Batfamily and how they are about sharing their feelings it would be never.
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Post by zee on Oct 13, 2014 6:09:53 GMT
Barbara attempted while Zatanna gave up, proving who was the better friend between the two. Her blue eyes shifted away for a moment as she tried her best not to think of further indications as to what that meant. Did she really care less for Dick than the redhead? Richard was the boy who had been there for her any time she needed over the last six years and she simply gave up on him because he didn't return a call? The thought disgusted herself. Just because they weren't as close anymore was no excuse to be a bad friend.
But he was on a naughty list too.
The other girl reminded the magician how Dick was; if he didn't want to be found then he had his ways of being invisible. As much as it annoyed her, Barbara was right. There was no way of making Grayson come here and deal with being friends when he wanted to be alone. Why did that idiot want to be alone for so long though?!
"A long time ago, he didn't mind sharing," Zatanna admitted lowly as she felt her heart crumbling. That was a really long time ago though. When they were young, they were both more honest creatures. Now, Zatanna wasn't even sure what she considered herself. There were so many facades to her personality and so many lies between the two thanks to the incident from a year ago.
"Is Tim like that too? Are you really the only well adjusted Bat?"
She plopped down on the bed next to Barbara with an unhappy expression. Jason actually wasn't too terrible but he didn't have any deep dark secrets to keep. Her heart ached even more thinking about the young lost robin. Her forehead pressed into the other woman's shoulder for a moment. "I think I want to strangle him for making me worry so much for him. I can't imagine how you feel since you two are closer."
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Post by Amanda Waller on Oct 13, 2014 17:58:14 GMT
Barbara couldn't help but laugh at the other girls statement I wouldn't call it 'well adjusted' I just handle things differently. Barbara would throw herself in her work like the others but usually it was on her computer or doing things here and people could always find her eventually but with Dick, he took some of Bruce's bad habits to levels even the big bad bat would be jealous of. As Zatanna walked over to her bed Barbara turned slightly so she could face the other woman and when she asked about Tim the red head shrugged a little. Tim has his moments but he is no where near as bad as Grayson. She made sure of that.
Since the loss of Jason, Barbara had made a point to get closer to Tim, to give him someone else to talk to other than Broody McBrooderpants and his clone Broody McBrooderpants Jr and so far it worked.
When the other brought up how this had to of made her feel Barbara shrugged a little, she was used to it. He'll come around eventually.. She wasn't so sure however but she didn't want Zatanna to know that. Sooner or later someone was going to have to go looking for him and bring him back because she was sure that unless some kind of catastrophe happened they wouldn't see Dick Grayson for a long, long time.
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Post by zee on Oct 14, 2014 2:44:26 GMT
Barbara claimed she wasn't well adjusted but Zatanna had evidence to suggest otherwise. The redhead didn't brood in the corner or ninja away in the middle of a sentence. She didn't laugh in the shadows in an attempts to unnerve her enemies. She didn't have anger issues, commitment issues, or really any of the issues Dick and Bruce had. If Babara wasn't considered to be well adjusted then Zatanna didn't want to know what she was considered.
The likely answer was words that started with a b that rhymed with witch.
While she claimed Dick would eventually come around, Zatanna had her doubts. He had done a good job avoiding for a year and she was sure he could do great and avoiding her for a second and third one. By the time he came back to active duty, she couldn't imagine being one of the people he wanted to see. If anything, all she imagined between them was awkward silence or vast distances. Sighing, Zatanna shook her head. "I'm unrealistic but even I can see how impossible that is. If and when he does come around, you'll be that person he comes to." Losing that connection with him did hurt. When he used to feel it was him against the world, there was a point in his life he didn't shut her out. Now she just hoped he was turning to someone.
"You're special to him like that," the magician sighed as she fell backwards on a bed that wasn't hers. "You always have been, Barbara Gordon." And for that, she'd always be jealous of the woman beside her. Even during the days she had Dick, she was sure the redhead still meant more to him than she did.
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Post by Amanda Waller on Oct 15, 2014 2:35:24 GMT
Barbara looked down at the floor of the room that had been designated hers when she stayed up here and the cold steel became very interesting at the moment as Zatanna spoke. "I don't think so" she tired to reassure the other woman, in all honesty she would probably be the last person Dick would want to see because she would come with a very lengthy lecture about where he had been and what he had been doing and that struck her as something he would want to avoid for as long as possible and was probably why he kept avoiding her now.
"You know he'll come looking for you first Barbara looked up and over at Zatanna with a smile you were always his favorite. He told me so. She hoped this didn't turn into a 'who does Dick Greyson love more' contest but both women held special places in the boy wonders heart and she was sure there wasn't a favorite among between them. At least, she hoped not. Friendships had been ruined for less.
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Post by zee on Oct 15, 2014 6:50:40 GMT
This was starting to feel similar to the conversation she had with Raquel once she started dating the dark haired male. Zatanna was some untold favorite that Dick and the magician weren't aware of. Perception was a funny thing. It was like Barbara couldn't see how much Dick looked at her and trusted her yet he didn't do the same with the dark haired woman. When they were younger he did, but those days were long gone. He didn't trust her and there were several indications of that in the last year.
"You care to make a wager on that? I think he'll find you first and when he does, you owe me tickets to the concert of my choosing. If I see him first, same goes for you."
They'd probably pick the same concert since the two had similar tastes at times. Barbara was her boy band loving buddy after all. The little joking manner helped pull away from the serious and crushing mood in the room Zatanna brought with her. They were two girls with a connection to one boy. She had been dealing with this feeling before thanks to Dick with Raquel but there was something even worse when thinking about it with Barbara. It was probably because she was sure Dick truly loved the redhead while he just had some fun with the other two women.
Zatanna was just an idiot and let memories of that fun time linger while Raquel did the smart thing and move on. She really needed to learn to let the past go and move forward but with thoughts of her father haunting her whenever she saw Fate, it was obvious she wasn't too strong. "He told me things about you, like the one time you guys were in a closet for seven minutes. I don't think I'm his favorite but just one of the girls he had fun with. And honestly, I don't mind too much." She had fun with him too. It was just her own fault to wish that fun lasted longer.
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Post by Amanda Waller on Oct 16, 2014 4:34:30 GMT
Deal Barbara was honestly surprised that that was all Zatanna wanted to wager, knowing the magician she usually went for things that would likely land the both of them in trouble with the mentors and giving a good lecture too so this was pretty tame in her opinion. But she wasn't going to question it, it was better to leave it where it was before she got any other ideas. As Zatanna brought up the seven minutes in heaven she and Dick played at one of his birthdays Barbara blushed a little and scoffed.
That was years ago! She defended, that was so long ago and the act of a hormone charged teenaged girl. They were fourteen and its not like anything ever came of that and Barbara had put that behind them and apparently Dick had too because he never made a effort to purse it. But, that was neither here nor there and Barbara sighed, trying to put that memory back to rest where it belonged. You just have to give him time Zatanna, let him get his head out of his ass....which might take a while. Knowing Dick, that was never going to happen.
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Post by zee on Oct 17, 2014 3:27:12 GMT
She took the deal, meaning Zatanna would get free tickets to a concert since she knew Grayson wouldn't seek her out. Dick would look for Babara before he thought of Zatanna. When it came to trust, Barbara ranked higher since she was let into his plans while she was used and left in the dark. Dick was likely brooding if he still felt guilt over Wally, and if not he moved on with life and wanted to exclude the parts that reminded him of what happened. Barbara would somehow become an exception but she wouldn't.
Boy band tickets were a nice way to ignore her feelings. They were boys serenading young women without meaning of the words they meant in those love songs. She could flail over attractive boys that didn't know she existed. It was no different than how things currently were, but at least it was realistic and acceptable for such boys to care nothing about her and ignore her existence.
When she reminded Barbara on why Dick always put her first in his heart, she immediately blushed and protested. The relaxing dark haired girl raised a brow as she smirked. "Years ago, but when you first joined the team he told me about it. 'This is my best friend. We made out once in my closet.' I was rather jealous, to be honest. My first kiss with him was me just forcing myself on him. Pretty sure it's why we dated." She was too bold and forward of a girl; it was such a bad trait. There was never a love story about a girl getting a guy because she forced herself on him. Their breakup shouldn't have been such a surprised now that she looked back on it.
Barbara attempted once again to cheer her up and Zatanna looked at her friend. "While he might have his head up his really cute butt, I don't think that's why he's avoiding me." They all grew up and changed, and she seemed to be the only person clinging to the past because she was happier there than the present. It was bad and stupid but it was how she felt.
"Just because I worry about him doesn't mean the feeling is mutual. It's not a required mutual feeling of his anymore."
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Post by Amanda Waller on Oct 18, 2014 3:53:46 GMT
Of course he did... Of course Dick would brag about something stupid like that and Barbara was making a mental note to give him a good whack the next time she saw him...whenever that happened to be. When Zatanna continued to speak Barbara had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from further protest. She new that Dick cared about Zatanna, he cared about all of them just was horrible at expressing that care. It was why (she assumed) he never held a relationship for long and why she never tried to pursue one with him despite her wanting. Barbara wanted more than what Dick could give her and she accepted that the two of them would never be.
That still didn't fix what Zatanna was feeling right now, it sounded like she thought herself replaced and Barbara knew that wasn't true and she could probably sit here and try to argue that with the dark haired girl until she was blue in the face and it still wouldn't make a difference. Maybe she had to hear it from the source.
The red head made another mental note and stored it away for later.
Maybe we just need to organize a intervention...just show up at his place and force him to spend time with us. Make him come back into society the hard way. It was probably the only way it was going to happen...
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Post by zee on Oct 18, 2014 7:02:46 GMT
She wanted to show up at Dick's house and force him back into society and Zatanna couldn't help but smile at the thought. Part of her felt the same way. Zatanna wanted to go to his house, and if he refused to open the door she had a spell to let herself in. While she was sure nothing but bad would come from her being in the same place as him, it didn't mean the feeling wasn't there. There were also a lot of other feelings in her chest that kept her from doing something insane.
"You should go to his house and force him to realize what he's been forsaking," she explained as she sat up and faced Barbara. "I'm not on the Team. He's not my missing leader or co-leader."
She was on the Justice League and the top people were heroes like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and even Martian Manhunter. They weren't too concerned about Dick taking time off because everyone mourned and recovered in their own way in their own time as far as they were concerned. There was no reason for her to try to get him back here, not in a heroic aspect.
While she had kissed him several times since their relationship ended, they weren't the same feeling as when they were together. Nothing felt like it used to and she accepted that just like she accepted his feeling changed. She might have been an idiot and adjusting slower than she should have to such a change, it only meant that something like this didn't call for her. All she would do was get wound up over a boy that moved on and that was bad. "Everything between me and him can be explained as complicated. Getting him back into society shouldn't have complications. It's why if anyone should be pulling him out of his batcave, it's you," she encouraged with a smile. Her hand rested on Barbara's shoulder for a bit. She was the woman Dick loved and a dear friend to Zatanna. Even if it hurt, feeling like a runner up to someone like her wasn't too terrible.
Not completely at least.
"And by you finding him, you'd still be losing this bet and owe me tickets. So maybe you should go take a short walk to Bludhaven tonight," she teased with a smile. If she did manage to break Dick of his bad habit and return him to this place, Zatanna would be happy. He didn't have to come see her and he didn't have to acknowledge her. Just knowing he was safe and happy again would relieve the stress on her heart.
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Post by Amanda Waller on Oct 22, 2014 7:01:10 GMT
Barbara let out a small sigh, apparently this was going to keep going in circles and she didn't know what else to say to try to make Zatanna realize that it wasn't like what she thought. It couldn't be. Dick could be a Dick but he wasnt that big of one your still his friend. This isn't Team or League business its ust being worried about someone you care about it had nothing to do with either but it had everything to do with personal relationships and friendships and it was important to maintain those relationships with the people you cared about. I still say we both go but she left it at that, there was no point in arguing this any longer.
So.... Barbara began as she stretched her back a little any tickets in particular you want should you somehow win this little bet? maybe a slight change of subject would lighten things up a bit.
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