1332/So, Hi

So, Hi
Date of Scene:	23 April 2020
Location:	15B - AJ's Dorm Room
Synopsis:	Roy comes back from Starling City and talks to AJ about how serious he is about this whole superhero thing, comes clean about some of his past, and makes plans to introduce him to Green Arrow.
Cast of Characters:	AJ Strong, Roy Harper

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AJ Strong has posed:
AJ's room may still be set up as a double, but when you pay extra you can get it all to yourself. Oddly, it looks like he likes to sleep in the loft bed, while the other bed works as storage, mostly for homework and clothes that may be clean and not folded yet, or may be dirty. Who can tell? They don't look dirty, at least. Though what comes form his dorm room with the door slightly cracked is the soft sound of cello music. He sits in the desk chair, his instrument propped up against him as he spends a few minutes just practicing. Or to distract himself from the homework spread out on the desk, which looks like math, which Roy would have quickly learned is AJ's absolutely worst subject. So.. probably distracting himself.

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy Harper'd gone back to Starling City for a couple of days after getting a call from Oliver inviting him back home. Since they hadn't managed to talk much the last time he was out there, he'd gotten a few of his assignments done ahead of time and headed back. But now he was back at Happy Harbor. About to lift his knuckles to rap on the door, he hears the sound of the cello playing and instead just leans there for a moment outside, against the doorframe without opening it, listening to the music. He closes his eyes and smiles just a bit.

It's only at a pause in the playing that he finally does knock twice, briefly, on the door before letting it open a little and peering in. "You busy?" he asks, seeming prepared to go if that's the case, still hovering in the doorway.

AJ Strong has posed:
"Yeah?" Is AJ's response to the knock, though he smiles when he sees Roy poke his head in. There's a brief shake of his head. "Not really, just letting my mind come back together after trying this trig awfulness." He taps his bow on the cello, playing two notes that sounds almost like "Wa-waa." He turns and places the bow on his desk, then sets the cello aside delicately, he doesn't return it to its case quite yet. And despite not even being his best one, he still treats it almost lovingly.

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy Harper laughs a little at the wa-waaa from the cello and comes into the room, making his way over to the desk and leaning over it to look down at the trig on the page. Math isn't his best subject either, but he's not terrible at it. History is probably the worst. He points to one of the equations and says, "You just got the digits reversed on this one up here. That's what messed you up." Then he turns and leans back against the desk, watching AJ put the cello away. "So, uh, I gotta ask you something like.. straight up." He takes a second and then asks, "How.. serious are you about this whole wanting to be a hero? Like, really getting into this life.. training hard, building skills, getting into the whole.. thick of trouble.. thing?" He studies AJ seriously.

AJ Strong has posed:
AJ looks at his math homework, pulls his brows down, and frowns. "How did I do that?!" He grabs his pencl and quickly makes the correction, working through the rest of the problem once he has the numbers straight with a shake of his head. There's a look over to Roy and an arch of his brow. "Well, maybe at first I was just being silly about it. I mean, what else do you do when you suddenly have powers?" He scratches his head, then sighs. "But the moretime I spend doing it, the more I feel like it's what I'm supposed to be doing. It's the same when I'm playing." He nods to his instrument. "There's a part of me that just feels complete. Like a puzzle piece snapping into place when so much else doesn't make sense."

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy Harper nods and says, "It's tough, you know, and people get hurt. And sometimes you get hurt. And sometimes people you don't want to get hurt get hurt. And you're gonna see a lot of bad shit once you get out there in the middle of it. It's not just gonna be physically hard." He takes a breath then and lets it out slowly, "But uh, if you are definitely, a hundred percent decided to do this thing.. I talked to the guy who trained me. And he wants me to bring you to where we train. Basically so he can talk to you about this stuff.. and because I told him how I want to help train you, too." He glances at the homework and says, "You stared at it for too long. Trig does that to me, too. Then I miss stuff like a digit being out of order or something. Only way I can find it without someone else looking at it is to like, drop it and come back to it after a while."

AJ Strong has posed:
AJ taps his pencil on the desk, staring off into space for a moment. "I know I bring this up with you quite a bit, but you know, I should be dead by now. By all accounts my body should have given up on me. So, I feel like I need to do something with this second chance." Dropping his pencil on his notebook, he turns towards Roy. "It's like.. I dunno how to explain it.. Like someone said, here's a second chance at life, and some super powers to go with it. It just kind of screams at me what I should be doing with it. I know it's not an easy life.. but it's better than not having one at all."

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy Harper watches AJ as he stares off into space, his attention focused on him entirely, gauging his reaction. He nods, "I know. And I'm really, really glad that you're not." He grins a little lopsidedly, "I just want to make sure that when I help you get into all of this that I'm, ya know, not .. doing the wrong thing, or.. I dunno. I don't actually want to be a shit influence on you, you know?" He rubs a little at the back of his neck. "But, yeah, okay. You're in. So.." He takes a breath and then lets it out slowly, "You wanna go meet Green Arrow? He's uh.. who I trained with, who I work with as Arsenal, before I came here to Happy Harbor."

AJ Strong has posed:
"I was doing this before I met you, if anything, helping me out is doing good because I'd be out there anyway. Probably doing stupid things." AJ laughs softly. And then he's staring at Roy, looking a little dumbfounded. "Wait.. Green Arrow? Rotector of Starling City member of the Justice League Green Arrow?" Okay, AJ may also be somehting of a hero nerd, too. "I mean, with the bow thing that kind of makes sense.." He rubs the back of his neck, looking to the window for a moment, then back to Roy. "I mean, I'd be kind of an idiot to say no.."

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy Harper smiles wryly and says, "I dunno. Probably more likely to be the other way around, if I'm honest." But then AJ is staring and he shrugs, grinning a little bit. "Yeah, that Green Arrow. I used the name Red Arrow for a little bit when I was younger. But.. Arsenal's mine." That Green Arrow had a Red Arrow/Speedy sidekick at one point is probably well known enough. "Yeah, that's kinda how we met. I was uh.. shoplifting, sorta. He saw how good I was with the bow and tech and decided to see what I could do." He nods when AJ says yes and says, "Alright. Come with me next time I go out to Starling City. We'll give him a visit."

AJ Strong has posed:
"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me." AJ says when Roy admits to shoplifting. "Apparently I have a thing for bad boys. Oooo... I'm an 80s teen movie trope, except, you know, not a girl." He blinks a few tims as he looks at Roy. "Ever seen Heathers? You'd like it." He shakes his head, getting his mind back on track. "Sure, just let me know when so I can let my dad know I'll be out of town and get my assignments from the teachers." Because of cours he's not going to let a little thing like going out of town to meet a superhero get him behind in school work. "I'll even pay for the plane tickets."

Roy Harper has posed:
"And I've never blown up a school," Roy says, then glances at the semi-open door and says a little louder, "Nor do I plan to." Then he clears his throat a little bit and grins over at AJ a little bit. He's apparently seen it. "Oh, we don't need to fly. We'll just take the Hyperloop." Which is how he usually gets down there, the super high speed train that runs from NY to Gotham, Metropolis, Starling City, DC, etc.. "Alright. I'll see when he's free." He fidgets a bit, "But, seriously.. I uh, I've had some problems.. with booze, with drugs, with, stealing, anger issues.. lotta shit because of the stuff I went through as a kid. I've been clean since I've been here but.. I'm not.. " He shrugs his shoulders. "I figure you should now, you know.. since the other night.. and because I really like you. But I don't want to screw up your life, either, you know?"

AJ Strong has posed:
Is AJ turning a little green at the mention of the Hyperloop? The dude that doesn't mind teleporting straight up into the sky looks dubious about a train. "Mmmmmmmm..... fine." As if Roy was twisting his arm. "I just.. if I freak out in the tunnels a little, just, don't make fun of me, okay. I don't like.." He makes a constricting gesture with his hands. "It brings up bad memories." He looks over to his cello and stands up to finally put it away. "I'm not going to judge you for who you were, just who you are and who you're trying to be."

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy Harper raises both brows when AJ looks a little green and then he says, "Oh, uh.. well. If you really don't like the train we can fly. I mean, I don't mind flying. It's just.. I don't.. usually. I wouldn't make fun of you for that. And if it's really bad, we can just fly. Seriously." He watches as AJ puts the cello away, slipping his hands into his pockets and studying him from where he stands. "Okay," he says, after a moment or two. "I'm trying," he says. "I've been.. better, since I've been here."

AJ Strong has posed:
AJ shakes his head. "No, the Hyperloop makes more sense than hopping the commuter jet. I'll just bring a book to read or homework to do.. I mean going over the bridges will be nice.." He takes a deep breath and shakes his head again. "I know it's silly, I just need to get over it, and it's not as bad as some things, I mean the cars are pretty open." He closes the cello in its case and slides it under the bed. "And if you slip, we'll work on it together."

Roy Harper has posed:
"Alright, we'll try it, but if you get sick or freak out or it's just too much, we won't do it again," Roy says, willing to give it a try but not seeming to want to put AJ through something that uncomfortable if they don't have to. He shakes his head, "It's not silly, man. And maybe it'll help you to get over it and maybe it won't. But I'm never gonna make fun of you for it." He smiles a little wryly over at AJ and nods, then and says, "Okay." Then he's quiet for a few more moments, studying the floor in front of me, "So like.. the other night.. that was a date, right?"

AJ Strong has posed:
"I'll just use my same trick I do when I need to ride the subway. Keep my eyes on my feet and pretend the scary man with the tin foil hat isn't there." AJ says it like a joke. He finally pushes some stuff aside on the spare bed so Roy can have a seat if he wants, before plopping back down in his desk chair. There's a look to the other teen for a moment, a curious bird like cocking of the head. "Well, I don't think it started there, but it definitely ended up being one.:

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy Harper grins a little at that and nods, "Alright. And I'll be there, so like, I'll uh, keep you company and remind you it's almost over, or something." He watches as AJ clears off some space and he settles onto it, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands lightly in front of him. He smiles a little wryly and says, "I uh, well.. no, I mean, I didn't intend it to be one when it started, but I definitely wanted it to be one before it was over."

AJ Strong has posed:
"Well, I enjoyed it, and that's actually the note I was making in the notebook. I put a question mark next to date in my list, I did cross it off later though." AJ rubs the back of his neck. "I'd really like to do that again sometime.. Mabe with dinner that isn't.. fast food, not that there's a problem with fast food."

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy Harper grins at that and says, "I was kinda hoping that's what it was." He laughs just a little and then says, "Oh, we've still got a lot more things to cross of that list of yours. Just you know, now maybe we'll do more of them as, uh, intentional dates." Then he asks, "What about that place you said we were going to go to when we go to the museum? Is that a not-fast-food thing?"

AJ Strong has posed:
"Well.. no. It's.. kinda in between. I mean.." AJ tilts his head to the side. "Yeah, I guess it would be fast food, but it's good fast food. But if we go downtown we can always do that for lunch, and then do something else for dinner." He nods, "Make a whole day out of it."

Roy Harper has posed:
"Let's do that, then," Roy says with a decisive nod. "Mystery lunch, museum, and then we'll find someplace for dinner that's like, sit down and stuff. Sounds like a good day to me." He bounces his knee a little bit idly and then nods toward the cello. "I liked listening to you play." He grins a little sheepishly. "I listened out there for a minute or two before I came in."

AJ Strong has posed:
"You didn't have to wait outside, I'm perfectly happy to have an audience. I'll bring my guitar with us when we go to Starling. May not have the same tone as the cello, but I'm not bad." AJ points to the case propped up in the corner." He grins sheepishly, then tilts his head to the side. "Did.. I mean.. what did you tell Green Arrow about me.. us?"

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy Harper grins a little bit and says, "I didn't want to interrupt you." Then he says, "You play the guitar, too. Damn. I want to hear that, too." He grins broadly. "Never had any real talent with music. Envy those who do." He then looks back to AJ and away from the case in the corner and says, "I told him about you, that you wanted to really go down this path, that you could pop around where you could see and were training to fight. I told him about our little deal.. fighting training for you helping to keep me on track at school. And, yeah, I told him about us."

AJ Strong has posed:
AJ shrugs. "String instruments are.. well.. once you learn one as long as the string count doesn't change too much you can usually do the others with practice. I can also play violin and not sound horrible on a piano. I just have an ear for music." He leans back in his chair, "It's one of the few things I could do without moving too much." He looks over to Roy. "Not that I think he's going to grill me or anything. Though I better save up my energy if he's going to ask me to show him my powers."

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy Harper draws one knee up and wraps both arms around it, resting his chin on top of it as he regards AJ with a little grin. "That's awesome. I definitely want to hear you play some more. You ever do performances and stuff? Or write your own music? Or do you have favorite stuff you like to play?" He's fascinated by AJ's playing, a thing that he has absolutely no skill in. He grins a little lopsidedly and says, "I mostly told him because he'll want to know how to help you use it in your fighting more effectively. He's a rough teacher. He doesn't pull punches. But I mean, neither do the folks you'll really be fighting so -- you learn how to take a hit as much as deal one." He rubs a bit at his abs where he took a pretty solid kick. "You'll be sore, but you'll definitely learn."

AJ Strong has posed:
"Write music?" AJ wrinkles his nose. "Nothing very good, I'm great at playing what I hear though, mostly classical though, because well, I can rock out on a cello but it doesn't always translate well." He grins slightly and laughs. There's a moment where he just kind of watches Roy. "Well, I didn't expect any of this to be easy. Training definitely was not on the list."

Roy Harper has posed:
"Just curious," Roy grins and then he shrugs his shoulders as AJ watches him. "What? Just.. you know, letting you know what to expect is all." He grins a little sheepishly and says, "Sorry. I mean, I know you've been doin' it on your own and all. I just.. I dunno." He trails off, losing where he was going with that, or maybe not entirely sure to begin with. "Anyway, I should go do my own homework after being out a couple days, I suppose." He pulls himself up off the bed then.

AJ Strong has posed:
AJ nods slowly. "Alright. Come get me if you need help. The history assignment is murder, I suggest getting that one done as soon as you can." He holds up one of his notebooks, "Or you can borrow my notes to help out. I simplified it and pulled out the important information so I didn't have to dig for it while writing the essay." It's not really cheating, just offering him cliff notes afterall.

Roy Harper has posed:
Roy Harper groans when AJ mentions the history assignment and lets his shoulders slump. "Okay.. well, I'll give it a shot and if it's miserable.. I will be back begging you for help." Then he blinks at the offer of notes. "Uh, yeah.. I will borrow those. Mine are.. well.. they're not terrible.." But they're definitely not that good, either. "I'll see if you got stuff I missed." He reaches out to take the offered notebook and tucks it under his arm. "Thanks."

AJ Strong has posed:
AJ grins from his chair, "Hey, I've got your back. Though, uh, just get that back to me before class." IT's said a bit more teasingly. "And ignore the little hearts drawn around your name in the margins." There aren't, but he knows Roy is going to be looking for them now, and his smile is more than a little mischievous as he tosses that joke out there.

Roy Harper has posed:
"I'll get it back to you before class," Roy grins and then he pauses at the door with it and says, "You know if there aren't.. there will be when you get it back, right?" His grin grows even more broad, and before AJ can respond, he's slipping out the door and back toward his room.