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Post by Deleted on Dec 26, 2014 11:34:10 GMT
21:07 October 17th Amusement Mile, Gotham City
Finally, some time off. Tonight Tim had been granted the evening/night off by Batman. It was needed, and well deserved. For the past year or so, Tim had rarely taken a break. He had always been there, ready and willing to fight alongside Batman against the seedy underbelly of Gotham. But that type of dedication and determination only lasts for so long, eventually things catch up to you and a break was required. Thankfully Bruce was understanding, knowing full well how Tim needed a break from not only fighting crime, but from being ‘Robin’ as well. It was a non-issue regardless. Batman was more than capable of handling things himself for one night, and if he really needed help it was there. He could call on Batgirl, or even Nightwing if he’s around for more than a day or two.
How was Tim going to spend this time as Tim Drake and not Robin? Well, he opted to hang out, with friends. That’s as much as he had told Batman, or anyone else who asked. In reality, he wouldn’t be hanging out with friends, but rather just a friend; Cassie. No doubt had he said anything more, he would have Barb and Dick tease him to no end, they were super immature like that. There was a lot more to it than that, of course. But Tim had his mind fixed on that this was just two friends hanging out, nothing more, the rest was on mute for now as only dwelling on it would make Tim feel unsure of himself.
Perhaps not the best place for anyone to meet, but Tim was in Gotham. It was a somewhat cold evening, clear skies but with a blistery cold wind blowing through each and every street. Amusement Mile is where Tim was to be exact. The carnival was in town, and well – it’s a bit of fun. Quite the crowd had gathered around the place, as the Carnival came to life. The Ferris wheel is what may stick out the most, but it was awfully loud as well. A chaotic clash of all different types of sounds, as people went about playing all of the games the carnival had to offer. There were a mixture of colored lights too, sporadic in appearance, it was quite the sight to see and perhaps not the best one for someone with bad vision to look at.
Tim was there, stood outside the gated entrance. The ‘Robin’ attire was a no-go, and instead Tim wore sneakers, dark jeans, a zipped up red hoody and of course; his shades – his usual M.O. Tim was stood off to one side as he waited, watching on as people went past him to enter the carnival. There were a few faces that Tim recognized; classmates mostly, and others whom he had saved whilst donning the Robin costume. He offered only a casual nod to his classmates as they went by, none stopping for a chit chat – thank god for that. Nope, Tim only cared for the arrival of one person tonight, and that was Cassie.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2014 6:44:59 GMT
"Recognized Wonder Girl, B two, one" the Zeta-Tube Transport alerted as it came to life at it's hidden location in Gotham City. Cassie stepped out from it dressed in normal street wear. It had been quite some time since she had been out and about with out her Wonder Girl garb but not tonight, tonight she was wearing a cute little sweater with a scarf, a pair of jeans and sneakers. Cassie made her way to one of the main streets to hail a cab.
"Where to miss?" the cabby asked. "Amusement Mile" she informed the driver. He gave her a smile as he turned on the meter and began the drive to Amusement Mile through the traffic. After a short drive made longer by the insane amount of traffic, they arrived at her destination, though she could have gotten there much quicker by flying or even walking, but she knew Gotham City wasn't the type of city a young girl of her looks should be walking around alone at night in. Although Cassie new full well that she could handle herself being Wonder Girl, but tonight she wasn't Wonder Girl, she was just Cassie Sandsmark and because of that she opted for the cab ride. "Thank you so much, keep the change" she told the cabby as she handed him a twenty after he gave her the total for the ride.
Cassie looked around at all the colorful lights and sounds, she could easily see the Ferris wheel standing out against the darkened Gotham Skyline. The smell of food instantly hit her nose, it smelled so good, she would definitely have to get something to snack on, even though she knew how bad it would be for her figure, she also knew how delicious it would be. As the cool night air whipped around she wrapped her scarf around her neck a little more as she made her way over to the entrance where she saw Tim standing. She gave a small wave and a smile as she approached him. "Hey Tim, I finally made it!" she said with a laugh, he didn't need to know she took longer amount of time than usual to make sure her outfit, hair and makeup where just right for the night.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2014 10:44:50 GMT
There was a moment when Tim had been waiting that he felt the urge to slip on the domino mask, and withdraw his Bo staff. Off to the side of the carnival/amusement park there were two gentlemen who were rather rough looking - homeless, judging by their attire and intoxicated judging by the slew of words that escaped their mouths. It was a good old fashioned fist fight, with the two locking heads and proceeding to jab at one another. When one pulled a knife out on the other, Tim knew he had to get involved, somehow. Out of nowhere a batarang would zoom through the air, and strike the hand of the man wielding the knife. He lost his grip, and the knife fell to the floor below, alongside the Batarang that had one wing stuck in the mud. The two men looked at one another, a look of fear before they each took off on their separate ways, running for the hills.
That was all the help anyone was going to get tonight from the Boy Wonder. Plus, Cassie was supposed to arrive shortly, so having two drunks nearby going at one another with a knife didn’t seem appropriate. Tim appeared rather inconspicuous as he remained stood outside the front gate or the carnival. His hands were tucked away inside his hoodie to remain warm, while he gazed from side to side in hopes of spotting Cassie. At last he spotted the blonde haired heroine stepping out of a cab. And then, for a moment, Gotham City didn’t seem so bad. A smile quickly appeared on the face of Tim as his sights set on Cassie.
This is when any influence of Bruce that Tim had would wear off. Tim hadn’t caught on as of yet to Bruce’s smooth way with the ladies. Because as Cassie walked closer and closer, Tim’s nerves began to get to him, slightly. He wasn’t quite the calm and chilled out individual that he was in the ‘Robin’ costume. Tim turned away for a split second, raising his hand up close to his mouth and let out a deep breath, sniffing his hand just after for a moment or two. Awesome! His breath wasn’t bad… but what about his hai-
“Hey Tim, I finally made it!”
Where had the time gone? There was no time for Tim to assess his hair, all he could do was assume, and right now he assumed the worst. As Cassie had said his name, Tim had turned to look towards her with a bright smile. “Heyyy Cass, you look… beautiful by the way”. Tim would say as he scratched the back of his head nervously for a second or two. The tone of his voice was enough to give away just how he was feeling right now. Perhaps a chili dog or something will settle him.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 27, 2014 22:51:04 GMT
Cassie caught sight of Tim as she approached the entrance of the Carnival, but he quickly turned around and looked away from her. Had he changed his mind about wanting to spend the evening with her? Had her hair gone flat on this cold, Gotham City night? Had she smudged her lipstick on her face? These thoughts and others raced through her mind until Tim turned back around to face her.
“Heyyy Cass, you look… beautiful by the way
Cassie blushed slightly but with the already pinkish tones to her cheeks from the cold it might be difficult to tell. She did notice what seemed to be a nervous tone to Tim's voice, or it could have just been the cold, maybe he was attempting to act as if the cold wasn't affecting him. "Awe thanks Tim, you look very handsome yourself" she replied with a soft smile. " I feel a little naked dressed like this" she added referring to being in street clothes versus her Wonder Girl gear, though she had her bracelets on under the sweater.
"I hope I didn't keep you waiting out here too long" Cassie told him as she looked around at all the sparkling lights and rides that she could see running over the top of the wall, "This should be fun, it's been awhile since I've done anything like this" she added nervously as she continued to look around before turning her baby blues back at Tim.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2014 10:00:37 GMT
Tim could only wish that it was the cold affecting him, but it wasn’t. Gotham’s climate was something that Tim had grown accustom to since he was just a young boy. Make no mistake about it, his voice was a result of the nerves he was feeling bubbling over the surface. Normally Tim would have more self-control over this, but for one reason or another he didn’t have that same level of control here tonight. It became just that little bit more difficult when Cassie returned Tim’s compliment with one of her own.
“Awe thanks Tim, you look very handsome yourself”.
It simply sent Tim’s head spinning with all the more thoughts. But for the most part, Tim had a feeling of disbelief. Cassie found him… handsome? Well, Tim had perhaps thought she might have before but, she hadn’t said it up until now. Does this mean… they’re on a date? Does Cassie think that? This is when Bruce is needed, or even Dick, perhaps Barbara too. Someone to clear things up for Tim, give him the ol’ pep talk.
“I wasn’t here all that long”. Tim responded with a smile. “Plus, I don’t normally get to see Gotham through the eyes of Tim Drake”. Tim added to his other comment, referring to the fact that most of his time spent in and around Gotham was when he put on the costume of the Boy Wonder. It’s much harder to see the good qualities of Gotham from behind a domino mask. “Are you ready to head in? I’ve already dealt with the admittance passes to get inside”. Tim would say as he reached into one of the pockets of his hoodie to pull out two paper tickets that would garner them entry inside the carnival. It was best to be prepared.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2014 10:38:27 GMT
“I wasn’t here all that long”. Tim responded with a smile. “Plus, I don’t normally get to see Gotham through the eyes of Tim Drake”.
"Well that's good, I'd hate think that you caught pneumonia because you were stating outside waiting for me for an hour or two" Cassie replied with a soft smile. Though it didn't show on her face, Cassie was actually quite nervous about being here alone with Tim. This was the closest that she had come to being a normal teenaged girl in quite some time. It was also a first for Cassie, as she had never been out with out a group of friends, this was her first time alone with just a cute guy. She tried hard to not let her nerves show through.
“Are you ready to head in? I’ve already dealt with the admittance passes to get inside”
Cassie watched as Tim pulled out the passes from his hoodie pocket and smiled. "You didn't have to pay for me, I brought money to cover it" she said with a slight laugh, "I do appreciate the gesture however, it's really sweet" she added with a grin as she reached up and slide a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. Cassie reached over and took him by the hand as they started to walk through the entrance. "Let's see how much trouble we can get in to tonight" she said playfully, thinking that nothing all that bad could actually happen at a carnival aside from getting heartburn from a corndog.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2014 11:25:57 GMT
Even if Cassie would hate for Tim to be stood there for two or so hours waiting for her, chances are that he still would. Because… he just would. Slowly, but gradually Tim’s nerves were starting to settle. He had come to terms with the situation he was in, and ultimately became somewhat more comfortable. It was those first initial jitters that were a problem, perhaps brought about by the fact that Tim was a little afraid ahead of tonight. Tim hadn’t really spent any great deal of time with Cassie in a while, as part of a group or otherwise. It was only normal to be a little shaky, but hopefully that Wayne charm will kick in.
“Don’t worry about covering it – my treat”. Not entirely true. It was more Bruce’s treat, but still. It was money better spent than what Bruce would have done with it, most likely Bruce would buy himself a new ‘Bat-toy’ of some kind - as if there weren’t enough of them already. There was no need for Cassie to foot the bill for anything tonight, she was his guest, it was only right that Tim took care of her.
But before long, did those nerves start to resurface once again as Cassie grabbed Tim’s hand, pulling him along as they headed towards the gate, Tim obviously came to terms with things, walking alongside her. He had a bright smile spread across his face, for the first time in a while; Tim was genuinely happy. “Tickets?!”. The gravel like voice of the man stood at the gate who was selling and checking all tickets as people enter. He was rather plump, his attire worn and torn and his face looking like a dog’s butt. Tim didn’t say a word though, he merely held out the tickets for the man to see. “Go on in, kid”. Admission was accepted, and now the two heroes would head on inside, hand in hand.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2014 21:43:56 GMT
Cassie was like a kid in a candy store once they were allowed in by the man checking tickets. Her eyes sparkled at the sight of all the flashing lights. A rather large smile crossed her face as her baby blues scanned the area taking in as much as she could at one time. "This is going to be a great night" she said as she gave Tim's hand a gentle squeeze out of pure excitement.
"What do you want to do first, rides, or try our hands at some of the games? I mean since you are being so gentlemanly and insisting on paying for me the least I can do is win you a giant teddy bear to remember tonight" Cassie said jokingly though there was a bit a truth behind her statement.
"Ohhh we could get some hot chocolate and walk around while we try to decide what we want to do first" she tried to suggest different ideas to hide the fact that she was completely nervous and had no idea what to do and didn't want to show it.
Cassie continued to look around and take in all the sights, she hadn't been to a carnival since she was a little kid. All she could think about was how much fun she had on the rides and going through the different exhibits seeing all that the different vendors had to offer.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2014 17:59:46 GMT
A sense of reassurance came over Tim as he heard Cassie frantically make a number of suggestions as to what they should do. Why? Because Tim gathered from that, that she was just as nervous as he was and that was comforting to Tim – though he’ll be the one winning the giant teddy bear. A smile on his face, Tim would take control and make a decision for them. “I think we should… go get something to drink first, and eat, maybe”. Then there was the added benefit that no matter what they would then go on to do, that they could eat, drink or whatever whilst stood in line for whichever activity they go on to do.
In the distance, Tim could see a few places set up in one corner of the carnival that were for food and drink. They weren’t exactly restaurants, more so the type of caravans that peddle food. Not the most wide selection of food, but it will have to do. Tim will have to take Cassie out to a proper restaurant another time. “This way”. As Tim and Cassie were still holding hands, Tim would lead Cassie over to where he had spotted the food places. All of them seemed to offer near enough the same drinks, but they offered different foods. Tim wasn’t all that sure whether Cassie wanted anything to eat, but this was one choice she could make. "What do you feel like getting then?”. They would need to join one of the queues shortly. “Not too bothered myself”.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2014 19:15:48 GMT
“I think we should… go get something to drink first, and eat, maybe” “This way”. "What do you feel like getting then?”. “Not too bothered myself”.
All Cassie could do was smile, there were so many choices and so many wonderful smells in the air, from pretzels, to burgers ,to pizza to cotton candy and beyond. She followed Tim with her hand still in his as he led the way over to all the food vendors, she looked around at all the colorful menus and thought for a second.
"Maybe just a hot chocolate for now, then we can hit up some of the rides, ya know, work up an appetite then grab something to eat" Cassie suggested to Tim with a smile. It probably wouldn't have been too wise of an idea to eat greasy, vendor food then get on a bunch of rides, that could definitely end poorly.
Cassie pointed over to a vendor that had hot chocolate on their menu with her free hand. "Over there, they have hot chocolate on their menu" she informed him as they went to join the queue so they could get their hot chocolate to hopefully warm them up a bit and then they could get the real fun started.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2014 21:04:50 GMT
“Totally”. Tim would say in response to Cassie’s suggestion of them working up an appetite from going on a few rides. It perhaps wasn’t the best idea to be waiting in line and going on rides after a heavy meal. Something light would do or nothing at all – most likely nothing for Tim. Cassie had made a decision, and now the two made their way over to join the queue for the selected vendor. It was then that Tim was hit with a wave of various smells as all the varying greasy foods made themselves known. All of a sudden, Tim felt he could really go for a cheeseburger right about now.
They weren’t the only ones in the line mind you; there were a fair few people ahead of them. This of course meant that there was going to be a wait, time to kill. Now, Tim didn’t fancy remaining in line, stood beside Cassie in absolute silence. That would be awkward, very much so, and would serve only to bring back up his nerves to the surface. Instead he elected to say something, get a bit of a conversation. “So, ummm, Cassie. How have you been? It seems like ages since we actually got a chance to talk”. Of course, the conversation pieces said when battling a crazed up villain didn’t exactly count. Or did it?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2014 22:21:11 GMT
Cassie was calm as the two stood in line waiting to place there orders, there was a brief pause of awkward silence that was broken by Tim as she spoke up.
“So, ummm, Cassie. How have you been? It seems like ages since we actually got a chance to talk”. [/i]
Cassie gave kind of a shrug, as she thought about the question for a moment. "I'd love to say life is exciting with never a dull moment" She started to explain. "However, truth be told, since things have been fairly slow on the Hero front" She said in a whispered voice looking around to make sure no one was listening to their conversation. "I don't really do a lot, basically just focus on school and homework." she advised him.
"I know it sounds kinda lame, but the down time has been a good chance to recharge my batteries so to speak, but it's getting rather old now" she continued with a slight pout. There was only so much a 15 year old could do, even less when she didn't have very many normal friends outside of The Team.
"But I'm really excited about tonight, well this. It's nice to be out of the house and having a good time" she added as she gave Tim a reassuring smile. "Thank you so much for the invite".[/b]
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Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2014 10:11:00 GMT
Tim would smile back at Cassie as she finished speaking. It felt good to know that Cassie actually wanted to come. A relief to, to know that as Tim had wanted to figure out where things stand between the two of them, and this only meant things stood well.
“I’m just happy you decided to even show up”. Tim said in reply to Cassie. “I was in need of a break away as well. There’s not a whole lot of fun to be had working the sidekick role”. That is all Tim was for now, a sidekick, just like the Robin’s before him. Of course he was starting to strip away that label, as he was beginning to dabble in leadership roles now as well, sometimes taking the lead on operations where he would otherwise normally take a backseat. But it will happen. The whole thought process behind remaining in Gotham for the most part of the last year was for Tim to grow into being a hero in his own right. That which he was making progress on each and every day.
It was only a second or two later that the two young heroes would find themselves at the front of the line, and the vendor asked them for their order. “What can I get you?”. Tim turned to look to Cassie and spoke. “Hot chocolate right? Think I’ll have the same”. The vendor nodded his head, and would turn away as he prepared the drinks for them. It took but a few seconds, as the vendor was well prepared. “Keep the change”. Tim remarked as he slid a couple dollar bills across the counter before taking hold of the beverages. But only for a moment, then offering Cassie hers as they walked away.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2015 21:38:13 GMT
So far it was a wonderful night being here with Tim was exactly what she needed to get her out of her own head and problems. It would do Cassie good to just get out and be a girl for a change. A girl with a rather handsome guy that was currently holding her hand at that. It had been a very long time since she had felt like a normal girl. Though tonight, with Tim, she that's exactly how she felt. Actually she felt a more than normal as Tim always seemed to have a way to make her feel as though she was always the most beautiful girl in the room even if covered from soot from an explosion.
They had been quite flirtatious in the past with one another, but with each of them being based across the country from one another they never really put too much stock in to it. Though with the Zeta-Beam Tubes , in truth they were never more than just a few seconds apart if they chose to be.
“Hot chocolate right? Think I’ll have the same”.
Cassie was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of Tim's voice. She blinked and just gave a nod with a smile across her face to let him know that it was in fact hot chocolate that she wanted, as he continued his conversation with the vendor.
The smile on her face grew slightly larger as he handed her the cup of hot chocolate he had purchased for her, the steam rolling out the top in the brisk, Gotham City air. Cassie took a sip of the hot chocolate before they started to walk off and see what else was around for them too do. As they walked around, they still held on to one another's hand.
Cassie couldn't help but feel her face begin to blush slightly despite the colder temperatures as she looked over at Tim. Though he was wearing his shades, she still knew how gorgeous those big brown eyes he was hiding behind them was. Cassie quickly looked away and took another sip of her hot chocolate, but didn't realize afterwards that she had a bit of marsh mellow foam on the top of her lip as she turned back to look at Tim.
"So any certain rides you want to ride first" She asked as they walked around. There were several different types to chose from, and given their night lives it didn't seem that any right would be off limits for being too intense.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2015 23:43:00 GMT
As they walked away from the vendor with their hot chocolates in hand, Tim took an initial sip of the warm beverage. Tim was expecting the worst, really. This was a carnival, and the food and drinks tended to reflect their price – which wasn’t very much. But this beverage was an exception to what Tim thought. With the cold climate that Gotham had been braced with recently, the hot chocolate worked first in counteracting that as it warmed Tim up, ridding him of all the cold and shivers that he had been feeling. After having drank some of the beverage, Tim’s attention turned to their surroundings as all around them was a bombardment of noise and flashing lights. There were many rides, of all shapes and sizes and undoubtedly it was expected that they would go on a few. Tim was rather fond of the odd rollercoaster really. He wasn’t a squeamish person at all, and hoped that Cassie wasn’t either.
“So any certain rides you want to ride first”
That was the decision that needed to be made. Tim’s attention turned back towards Cassie, and the smile only grew bigger as he saw what had crept onto her face. The foamy goodness that was a byproduct of the hot chocolate lingered ever so slightly on the top lip of Cassie. This was going to be tricky. Tim wasn’t entirely sure whether Cassie was aware of the foam from the hot chocolate herself, it didn’t seem so, otherwise she’d surely of got it off already, right? So, that gave Tim the tricky task of making Cassie aware of it, without causing her any embarrassment. Oh boy. “Erm… Cassie… you’ve got a little…”. Tim would whisper as he pulled his hand away from Cassie’s and pointed to his own top lip with his index finger. He didn’t want to say anymore, it was nothing a paper towel couldn’t solve.
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