15764/A Bite at Batburger

A Bite at Batburger
Date of Scene:	31 August 2023
Location:	Batburger
Synopsis:	Tim and Gabby meet up at Batburger, and Mark happens to drop by at the same time so they all chat over Jokerized french fries.
Cast of Characters:	Tim Drake, Gabby Kinney, Mark Grayson

---

Tim Drake has posed:
    Batburger is something of a local institution in the Gotham City area. There are locations elsewhere -- it's a franchise, after all -- but nowhere is it as popular as it is here, in its hometown.

    Which might seem strange, to outsiders. That a place so beleagured by villains would somehow find comfort in a fast food chain that glorifies them as much as it does the Bats. You can Jokerize your fries (for a small upcharge, of course) after all, and the Joker is likely the most frightening villain of them all.

    But here we are anyway. Tim's already grabbed a booth and his first Bat-Mite meal of the day, though the box remains closed as he taps away at his phone, sunglasses pushed up to perch atop his head. He's in jeans and a t-shirt, nothing outwardly fancy unless someone comes along who knows their fashion really well and can spot that they're expensive brands (without the expensive branding). Same goes for those sunglasses too. He is a Wayne, after all.

    Around him, the restaurant is bustling. People flow in and out, picking up to-go orders, and most of the other tables and booths are occupied, so it's probably a good thing Tim got here early to claim one.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Things had been busy enough for Gabby lately that visits to Gotham had slipped by teh wayside more than she'd wanted. When she got Tim's text for burgers? It seemed like a good enough reason to check in on her friend. It had been awhile, too, since she'd seen him. Not since his own breakup when they had met and chowed down on far too much icecream to make up for it.

The door is shouldered open, and she gives Tim a wave though she half expects him not to see or respond. Instead she just goes straight to the counter to order herself a few burgers, chicken nuggets (Penguin nuggies?) and then heads over to his table once her tray is up.

"Hey Timbo," she greets setting it down and sliding into the seat across from him. "Sorry I've been Awol. How's things going?"

Mark Grayson has posed:
Mark had spent his morning working on some training nearby in his Invincible guise. It wasn't anything related to crimefighting, instead, he had spent the morning lifting I-beams to help in a construction project after a crane had broken down.

It was a win win, the site foreman was able to continue his work while waiting for a new crane to arrive and Mark got in a good work out lifting the tonnage, moving it into position and waiting for it to be secured before repeating the process, giving him some much wanted exercise.

It had also worked up an appetite and after finding a place to change, he had arrived at Batburger. "I'd seen the reviews for this place, but I didn't know it was ... wow, this is way odd." he grins, though. Because he is something of a fanboy and this kind of helps with that.

Dressed in an Empire State shirt, jeans and sneakers, Mark makes his way over to the counter. He had worked in a Burger Mart once before, but this is theme on a whole other level. Standing at the counter, he orders a Batburger combo, Jokerized, and a Nightwing slush before moving to the side to wait for his order before finding a place to sit.

As he scans the tables, he makes note of Gabby, and lifts his hand in greetings. He had met her at the piano bar and she seemed friendly enough.

For an evil-ex.

Tim Drake has posed:
    It's that patented Bat situational awareness that prompts Tim's gaze to flick towards the doorway briefly each time it opens, so he does actually see Gabby enter. He returns her wave with one of his own and then settles back down on his phone for the remaining time it takes for her to get to the front of the line at the counter, order, and then receive her food in way too short a timespan for any of it to be cooked to order.

    "Hey Gabs," he replies, and it's only once she's seated that he opens his Batmite meal and pulls out his burger -- meat subbed for the veggie patty (again, for a small upcharge) -- and his Jokerized fries. It's the toy that he pulls out last, and he looks over at Gabby with his eyes wide as he squeezes it through the opaque plastic packaging. "This could be it."

    Unfortunately, it isn't. It's a Batman toy, not the coveted Robin figure that he's been chasing after for far too long.

    The only sign of his disappointment is a quiet sigh, and then he starts to unwrap his food. Bat-situational-awareness kicks in again, and he looks over to the counter at Mark, before he turns his head back towards Gabby. "Friend of yours?" he asks with a smile.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney had no such issues with getting meat on her burgers and she was fine with that. She does give the proper pause as he opens the toy to see if this might be his lucky day--But she can only offer a faint smile of understanding when it turns out to not be the one he wanted. "Ah well. One of these days. Are we sure they actually DO make them, or maybe it's just a kit-bash job someone did online?"

The burger is raised to take a bite, ducking her head down to avoid spilling sauce over herself and it's set down again to grab for a napkin. Just about the time that Tim points Mark out, and she glances over in his direction with recognition filling her eyes. Swiping over her mouth, the bite is gulped down. "Bunny's new boyfriend, Mark. Seems like a nice guy," she informs Tim.

Wait, had she even told Tim they'd broken up? Maybe not. He had been going through his own stuff.

Lifting her hand she waves back at him in greeting. "He smells weird though." Well. To HER. Something was 'not right' about him but not in the way someone might be carrying drugs or secretly a murderous koala in disguise. She'd just never smelled a Viltrimite before.

Mark Grayson has posed:
Does he approach her and say hello? Mark's not sure. After all, she's with a young man. What if she's on a date? Yeah, he's not exactly sure he's going to third wheel on that. As his tray arrives, he reaches into his backpack and pulls out a dog-earred novel

'Memories of a Space Adventurer - The Man with the Invincible Gun by Nolan Grayson'.

Setting the book on the tray, he finds a nearby booth, and deciding that may be best, he angles in that direction to take a seat so he does not interupt.

Tim Drake has posed:
    "Nah, pretty sure he's in the regular rotation," Tim's saying as he spreads out the burger wrapper on his tray so he can dump his Jokerized fries onto it next to his wee little Bat-Mite burger. It doesn't look like a lot of food for an adult, but this just means he has an excuse to go back and get another one later in the hopes of getting the toy he's seeking.

    He takes a bite of his burger and is chewing it over when Gabby explains who Mark is, and his eyes widen in understanding. Right. So it'd be awkward if they invited him over, right?

    Except then Gabby goes on to say he smells weird, and that catches his attention. Like a dog with a bone, or rather a Bat with a mystery, Tim just can't help himself.

    So he raises a hand to wave Mark over, even as he flashes a subtle, apologetic look to Gabby.

    But c'mon, he's gotta follow that up!

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Maybe she did that on purpose? Gabby did know exactly how Tim was when he got a hint of a potential mystery. Maybe... maybe it was done on purpose as a way to distract him. Maybe she was curious herself.

Of *course* she was.

Gabby gives Tim a wink, and then gestures toward Mark that he should join them as well. "Hey, come on, we're just hanging out," she explains while sweeping her hand toward Tim in introduction. At least she waits until Mark makes his way over to speak again. "Meet a good friend of mine, Tim Drake." A thoughtful look is given to his tray, "You didn't get the Batmite meal by chance? Tim's been trying to get his hands on the Robin toy for ..." There's a thoughtful pause. "LONG time."

Mark Grayson has posed:
He was really willing to find someplace else to sit! After getting the go ahead from Tim and then Gabby to join them, Mark redirects and makes his way over to the table with the others and decides to sit next to Gabby, since he actually knows her. "Hey Gabby, how're you?"

When he is settled in and asked about his meal and he looks down to shake his head. "Sorry, was too hunrgy for the Batmite, needed to go full on meal after working out this morning." he admits with a laugh. His hand extends to Tim though. "Nice to meet you, Tim, I'm Mark Grayson."

Matches the last name on the book. "Was in town because a friend from school wanted me to take a book my dad wrote to get autographed, you know, I've never actually read these."

Tim Drake has posed:
    The mention of the Robin toy earns a wry smile from Tim, and a "Too long," added on to Gabby's explanation. He pauses in eating long enough to pose Batman mid-karate chop (as is the toy's purported action feature) before he picks up a french fry, coated in purple-and-green seasoning.

    "Nice to meet you too, Mark," he says, and first wipes his hand off on a napkin before shaking Mark's hand.

    He picks up his burger but instead of biting into it, Tim's eyes settle on the book on Mark's tray. "Nolan Grayson," he reads aloud, then makes a thoughtful noise. "The name sounds familiar to me. Does he write other genres? I feel like I might have browsed through a couple of travel guides with that name attached when I was planning a vacation a while back."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Grayson?" Gabby pauses at that looking a little bemused as she grins across at Tim. "Well we *do* know a Grayson," she points out with a little laugh over it as she leans in toward Marks' side to peer down at the book in question. "Not enough butts on that one to be the one we know though."

A grin comes and she explains breifly, "One of Tim's adopted brothers, we have to sass him. It comes with the territory," she explains with a finger pointing over toward Tim. HE knew who she meant. "And he may be married now, but damn, I want to know his workout. Like how many squats could he possibly do? He's a *cop* for crying out loud." Lightly clucking her tongue she turns her attention back to her own milkshake to slurp off the straw a long moment.

"Tim reads more than I do. I usually just skim the internet looking for articles that catch my interest. Or like, kitten memes."

Mark Grayson has posed:
Mark's face lights up after shaking Tim's hand and his question. "Yeah, that's him! He did travels all over the world before he retired a little over a decade ago." he explains, before picking up the other book. "He also did a sci-fi series called 'Memoirs of a Space Adventurer', but it bombed pretty hard. Critics said it was too unrealistic to even be Star Wars grade garbage."

Gabby's comment draws a look of confusing in Mark's grey eyes though. "Butts?" he asks curiously. "I mean, my dad has a hell of a chin..." he admits, peering at the book closer. "But I don't think I'd call it a butt." He's taking it in good stride though as he takes a bite of his burger. He knows he's heard Tim's name somewhere before, but he hasn't quite made all the pieces fit yet.

Tim Drake has posed:
    "I'd ask why everyone is so obsessed with him, but Gabby's already given the answer." Tim affects a put-upon sigh but it's followed up with a fond shake of the head, because it's all good-natured ribbing. And not even really aimed at him, at that.

    He polishes off his tiny Bat-mite burger in all of maybe four bites, but he still has some fries to work through before he can even consider going back to the counter for another try. In the meantime he puts his elbows on the table and leans over to peer at the book Mark lifts up. "Huh, I haven't heard of that one, and I've read a lot of sci-fi," he says. "I'll put it on my list."

    He sits back with his soda and sips on it contemplatively, before asking, "Is it your friend that's local to Gotham, or does your dad live here? I figure you're not local given your shirt but I don't want to assume."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney just turns to Mark, straw still in mouth, to give an eyebrow waggle when he brings up butts again. It's about all she can manage with a straight face as she devolves into giggling in spite of her age. Though she was 19 now she was still a kid at heart in regard to some topics. "Dick's a genuinely nice person, too, but yeah." It's shrugged off in favor of reaching over to steal a fry from Tim to pop into her mouth. Nevermind she still had another two burgers on her own tray.

Wait, where was she PUTTING it all? She was tinier than both of them.

"Sorry sorry, I'll be good," she assures only to give a sidelong glance again. "So... How's Bunny doing since the other day?" She had been in a tight spot and she was *really* hoping she was doing better now. Honestly she does sound a bit concerned.

Mark Grayson has posed:
"Yeah." Mark starts with the answering with Tim. "He's actually dating my best friend from high school, so I'm doing him a solid because she asked." he starts to say with a chuckle, before Gabby starts to talk.

Mark was just about to take a bite of a burger when Gabby mentions the name 'Dick'. Splut! A big bite was taken and ketchup and Joker sauce along with most of the toppings from his burger falls all over the book. "Dick Grayson? You mean Bruce Wayne's son Dick Grayson... wait wait, you're /that/ Tim Drake?!" he asks, shock hitting his face hard before he immediately forces himself to calm. "Sorry!" he manages in a quieter tone.

To Gabby. "She's good, we hung out last night, had pizza." He's not sure how much he can share so is erring on typical boyfriend/girlfriend talk.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Either Tim isn't fast enough to catch Gabby going for his fries, or he allows it despite her having food on his tray still. It happens no matter what, and he sends her a very lukewarm glare before he huddles protectively around his fries for a second, though it's clearly all for the sake of a joke.

    Because he knows, and probably Gabby knows too, that he's about to go back up for another Bat-Mite meal.

    "The Wayne is hyphenated, yeah," Tim explains with a smile once Mark figures out who he is, waving away the apology with a quick gesture.

    Though he does offer up some napkins to help rescue Mark's book from the unfortunate splat of burger sauce and toppings, before he excuses himself, heading up to the counter for a refill of his drink... and, yeah, another Bat-Mite meal.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney winces a bit when the sauce goes over the book. She knew from experience Batburgers were SAUCEY which is why she usually tucked down like a little curled up shrimp to bite hers over the tray. Otherwise, everywhere. Just everywhere. Tim's already offered over some napkins though so she just offers a little sigh of apology, "Sorry, my timing kind of sucks with 'big reveals' and jokes."

As for the question of Bunny? She knew she didn't have the right to pry or ask for more details. What little was offered is taken with a nod, and a quickly flashed smile. "Good. Glad to hear it then." Awkward? Just a bit. Either way, once Tim goes back up to get his second Batmite meal she watches him go before dropping her voice a little.

"Look, Mark..." Her nose scrunches just a bit as she clearly debates over something. Usually her secret identity didn't mean much. She was a nobody outside of being a hero... but those in Gotham had more to worry about. She picks up one of her own fries to fiddle with before glancing back toward him.

"Pretty sure you know from Bunny, but I'm not 'normal' and I rarely live a 'normal' life. Tim and the other Waynes, well they hire me at times to be a bodyguard to events. Or just for going out without having to worry everyone is going to swarm them for being who they are," she adds at the end with a softer grin. In otherwords? Shhh.

Mark Grayson has posed:
Mark doesn't realize that Gabby already knows something about him. After all, Bunny did tell her that Mark took her flying. Also, Bunny mentioned that Tommy was a speedster when she and him first met. So it was not hard to figure out that Gabby was special as well.

But Mark is still playing his cards close to his chest. "The word is mum." he offers in response to her. "You have your things to do, I get that. I was caught off guard, is all." he admits as he looks down at his tray and uses the napkins to wipe at the book.

"Nothing to apologize for. Bunny told me about it after we met at the piano club. I didn't tell her about the Scott Pilgrim thing, though. As far as I know, you're only one of two evil-exs I need to worry about." he comments with a soft smile of his own.

Tim Drake has posed:
    It takes a little while for Tim to get his next order in. There's been a line basically the entire time, so he has to wait his turn like everyone else. Even if he is Gotham royalty, nobody else in here pays him much mind.

    After all, these are just regular citizens, not the papparazi.

    When he does return, it is with the expected Bat-mite meal on his tray, and this time around he doesn't wait. He tears right into the toy bag, revealing...

    ...Batgirl.

    Who gets posed kicking Batman from behind, so at least he doesn't take the continual letdown too seriously. Or maybe he's just used to it, at this point. Resigned to the fact he'll never find Robin.

    "You sticking around in Gotham for any length of time?" he asks Mark. "If so, I could recommend a few places for you to check out, if you want to do the touristy thing."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Well on the plus side you can probably buy off both her evil exes with food," Gabby suggests jokingly. "Speedsters eat a ton, and I self heal so I also go through *so* many calories," she explains breifly.

"Nothing fancy like flying, though."

With that she takes another bite of her burger starting to make short work of what was left of it. Just as Tim comes back with the Batmite toy. It earns a litle grunting nod, and she gulps down her mouthful.

"I'm telling you, they must be saving the Robins for other cities or something. Should try hitting up Batburger in Metropolis or somewhere."

Mark Grayson has posed:
"Naw, was just visiting said friend. I go to Empire State and live in the dorms there. In General Studies, because not sure what I want to do with my life yet." Mark admits with a small chuckle. "Wanted to get a quick bite to eat before I head back home and saw there was a Tik-Tok challenge for eating the fries with like... 10 pumps of Joker sauce. So not trying that." he admits. "But I'll keep it in mind if Bunny ever wants to come down here on a date." It is a good compromise, in his opinion.

Gabby gets a sideye and a smirk. "I mean, flying would be neat." he admits as he eats some fries without the sauce. "But if there's a Batburger near campus, I will check to see if they have it? Anyway... I should get this back home for dad to sign and hopefully clean it off a little. Maybe he has a better copy at home."

Little does he know there's a whole storage shed with the series in it, because well... Nolan thought they'd be a hit. "It was nice meeting you, Tim. Gabby, I'll see you later?" He assumes he will. For reasons. With that, he's on his feet, taking his tray to dump the trash in the can and making his way out with the book.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Despite having a degree of his own, Tim can only answer Mark's statement about not knowing what to do with his life with "Mood." Because he feels that. He ducks his head down and tucks into his food, which is the exact same meal as his last one down to the Jokerized fries and the veggie patty for the burger. It takes him about the same amount of time to polish off the burger as it did before, which is to say: no time at all.

    He nods his head when Mark gets up, saying, "Sure! See you around," with the same surety that Mark does, though perhaps for different reasons. Aside for him knowing Gabby, Tim has no reason to suspect Mark of having any sort of superpowers. After all, Tim himself knows Gabby and his only superpower is obsessiveness.

    "Sorry if that was rude of me," he says to Gabby afterwards, but he doesn't look particularly embarrassed about it. Instead he just offers up his fries for her to steal from again.