16340/Reminiscing

Reminiscing
Date of Scene:	15 November 2023
Location:	Lake House - Wayne Estate
Synopsis:	Over dumplings and glasses of wine, Stephanie and Dick talk about past happenings in front of the fire.
Cast of Characters:	Dick Grayson, Stephanie Brown

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Dick Grayson has posed:
    It's been a fairly boring day for Dick, he's been doing Wayne Enterprises work. It's something he needs to give some thought to, since Bruce won't be around forever. And so, though he'd rather be out and about, he spent the day in his office poring over documents.

    On his way home, he swings by Hot Dumpling for takeout, getting a good mix of flavors. He pulls up to the lakehouse and climbs out of his car with the bag of food in hand. Stepping inside the house, he calls "Steph, you home?" and heads for the kitchen. The bag goes on a counter as he takes out a couple plates and chopsticks.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
The house looks a little different than it did when Dick left. There are Christmas decorations out. Some holly and Christmas knickknacks. Colored lights around the corners of the room, twinkling merrily. A tree isn't up yet, they'll go pick one out to cut down together for that, probably just wandering on the Wayne estate, there being plenty of trees that are suitable there.

And there's a smell of warm, fresh baked goods filling the house. The fireplace is going and the lights and turned down low. Stephanie hurries out from the bedroom, wearing a warm sweater and tights. "You got home before I finished!" she says. The words sounding a protest, but not one that stops her from moving to Dick, throwing her arms about his shoulders and offering him a long, deep kiss.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    He slips his arms around her and enjoys the closeness and the kiss. Once the kiss ends, he teases "I could leave and come back later if your prefer. The dumplings would probably get cold though, which would be a pity."

    Glancing around he adds, "It looks like you're pretty close to done anyway, it's very Christmas-y. What still needs doing, besides the tree? I figure we can get that tomorrow if you're not busy." He glances at the takeout and adds "I did see the fireplace going though, what say we settle down in front of it and eat there? I just need a second to change into something comfortable."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
"Oh I had a few more things to set out. I got some elves, a blond girl elf and a brunette boy elf, both with blue eyes. And some reindeer. And... oh, something else that'll be a surprise," she says with a grin as she nuzzles her cheeks against Dick's, basking in having his arms about her.

"A night in front of the fire sounds great," she agrees. "Why don't you get changed, then set the food out, and I'll go open a bottle of wine and meet you there," she tells him. One last lingering kiss that welcomes him home, and then Stephanie is heading over to the kitchen.

She picks out a bottle, they are pretty much all Dick's favorites, as she really hadn't had much wine and just told him the ones that he got that she liked. She pops the cork and pours two glasses. Then brings them over to the fireplace, setting the bottle of red wine down on the coffee table along with two glasses. She fluffs up the couch cushions a bit and then settles in there.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Dick vanishes into the bedroom, returning in just a couple minutes in pajama bottoms and a tee-shirt. Dumplings and dipping sauces are put on a serving plate, two smaller plates go along for the ride, and he pads into the living room, putting down the food before sitting beside her. "Here we are, all set." He offers her one of the small plates and a pair of chopsticks.

    Settling back into the cushions, he lets out a happy sigh followed by "I know the Wayne Enterprises work is important, especially if I want to learn how to siphon off funds to build Batmobiles without the accountants finding out, but _man_ is it boring. So that was my day in a nutshell, how was yours?" He grins at her, then picks up one of the glasses and takes a sip.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown takes the plate, smiling and settling in close at Dick's side. The fireplace has been going for awhile, taking the chill off the November Gotham night. She rests a hand on his back between his shoulder blades, giving a comforting rub as Dick speaks of the frustrating tedium of his day.

"I spent it working on our group project for pre-law. You know, the law is kind of interesting. But wow would I not want to be a lawyer, either," she says, shaking her head. Stephanie digs into the food, letting out a happy sigh as she gets a bite of her dumpling. "I've been working on my Mandarin. Though I want to study it a bit more before I try to talk to her," Stephanie says, probably meaning the owner of Hot Dumpling, who never has shown much of a visible like for Stephanie, but who responds well to the boys who all know Mandarin.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Dick shakes his head with a smile, "She's not that scary, you know. But if you like, we can put some time in speaking Mandarin to each other around the house so that you get it as more than just rote lessons. Actual conversations make you have to think in Mandarin, which improves your fluency." He takes one of the dumplings up with his chopsticks and dips it, then leans forward to pop it into his mouth so it doesn't have a chance to drip sauce on the couch.

    "I think she may just be having some fun with you because she can see that it gets under your skin. She's generally nice to everyone, so I can't imagine why she'd single you out as the one person she doesn't like." He takes another sip from his glass, then continues "But since it does bother you, we'll get you up to speed on the Mandarin and see if anything changes. I have to warn you though, even if she actually doesn't like you, we'll still be getting takeout from them, because they have the best dumplings in the city." He gives her a little grin and collects another dumpling to follow the first to it's fate.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
"Hopefully. She's probably sitting there laughing the whole time," Stephanie says with a little shake of her head. The good-natured girl is the kind that someone might enjoy teasing who had that kind of inclination. Stephanie dips her dumpling and savors the taste. "I don't know who found this place first, but it really is amazing," she comments of the food.

"I wonder if they were around while the islands were cut off from the mainland," Stephanie comments, talking about No Man's Land. "I never made it anywhere down that far south. We were living up north at the time, not in Bristol but on the islands themselves. Didn't leave Bristol until the bridges reopened," Stephanie comments. "Were you with Bruce, taking care of things then?"

Dick Grayson has posed:
    "Not exactly with him, no. I was already Nightwing by that point, but he did ask me to do a job for him. I have to admit.. it did not go well." He pauses and takes a sip of wine, eyes a bit distant, then continues quietly "He asked me to take control of Blackgate Prison to make sure the inmates didn't get out and make things even worse than they already were. I managed to break in, but eventually ended up in a fight with the Trigger Twins and KGBeast. It was not an easy fight, but I took them out. Which is the point at which Lock-Up tased me and tossed me in with the general population."

    He sighs, "The inmates chose up sides on kill me vs. keep me alive and started their own little war. It was pretty much a disaster from start to finish."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown finishes her dumplings, setting the plate on the coffee table and taking up her wine glass instead. She sips it as she listens, and presses her body against the comforting bulk of Dick Grayson.

"If I had a nickel for every time that place was trouble," she murmurs with a little shake of her head. Her father's escape during Bane's attack being one of the latest happenings at the prison.

Stephanie takes a sip of her wine, then leans her head against Dick. "I was... hrm, like ten or so," she says of her time during No Man's Land. "At first dad was with us, when things started to go from bad to worse. But then he just up and disappeared. I didn't know who or what he was at that point yet. Mom had hid what was going on with his arrests from me. Wasn't until a little after that, that kids at school made fun of me and I learned he was Cluemaster," she says, shaking her head.

"So anyway, he disappeared. Mom... sank into her addiction. Didn't do too much besides her shifts at the hospital. I was pretty much on my own. I just remember a lot of nights, cowering in my bedroom. Listening to fights. Gunshots," she says, shaking her head.

Stephanie slides her free arm around Dick, hugging herself to him. "If it wasn't for you guys, I don't know what would have happened to us, to the city," she says.

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Dick slips his arm around Steph and gives her a hug, "Ok, so we'll agree that was a bad time, and find something a little nicer to talk about on a chilly Gotham night in front of a warm fireplace. Let's see..." he then launches into stories from his early career as the first Robin, just a young kid trying to impress his mentor.

    "Oh yeah, Alfred used to have to replace windows fairly often because I kept practicing with the grappling hook to climb and rappel down the Manor. It's just a kind of hard thing to learn to aim right away, not like it has a scope or anything. And my early trials with batarangs did not go as well as one might hope, but eventually I got the hang of it."

    They continue to talk quietly as the light fades outside, leaving the room lit only by the cracking fire. Stories are told, mistakes admitted, and in the end... it was a good night.