3410/From the Hip

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From the Hip
Date of Scene: 17 September 2020
Location: Level 1 - Medbay - The Roost
Synopsis: Phoebe and Tim talk in the Med Lab. Phoebe reminds Tim that nutrition is important.
Cast of Characters: Phoebe Beacon, Tim Drake




Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The Roost's Medbay was somewhat Phoebe's domain, when she wasn't semi-crashing on the couch, or fully crashed out in the barely-personalized dorm room, she was down here, researching. There are a number of notebooks piled up in front of her, each different colors with stickers in the upper right hand corners of the covers. She has several text books open on her desk, ranging from highschool math (with her homework in front of her), AP English (with notes for a report due on Monday in front of her regarding New England Themes in Moby Dick and relation to The Whale) and what looks like several doctoral text books about anatomy and medicine in front of her, including some sort of biological chemistry, which was what she was currently working on.

    She had, of course, wanted to chase down members of her own team to make sure they were all right, though it looks like 'lunch' to her was a half forgotten mug of tea (very, very strong and very, very cold) and half of a cheese sandwich.

Tim Drake has posed:
In between classes, missions, patrols, and other things that eat up Tim's time, he has been often in the lab across from the Medbay, working on any number of projects both computer and weapon-oriented. But as he's about to swing into the labs for some time on his new staff design, he notices the lights on in the medbay and pokes his head in here.

"Everyone all right?" he asks, glancing around to see if someone was in one of the beds being treated for something. It's not unheard of for someone to pull a muscle or have a training accident, after all, even if they don't cause too much damage that's part of what the medbay is here for.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Hrmm?" Phoebe inquires, leaning back with a pen sticking out of her mouth and she lifts out one of her earbuds.

    And then she looks back to the gurneys, and gives a wry smile.

    "Everything's shiney down here, captain." she gives a dry smile to Tim, and turns. She turns in the spinny chair, wearing just jeans and a sweater.

    "Though you're on my list of checking to make sure you're all right. Between angry socialites, ninja zombies and goodness knows *what* else we run into in Gotham." she states, looking up at the ceiling as if in question, then she removes the pen from her mouth, setting it down.

    "But yeah, no one's in here for now. Don't jinx it."

Tim Drake has posed:
"I'm good," Tim replies easily. "Mission yesterday was a success. Bad guys thwarted another day." He leans on the doorframe, eyeing her pile of books. "Homework?" he guesses. "I have a bit of that myself to finish up, but it can wait a little bit." He's casually civilian, jeans, plain charcoal t-shirt, red and black Converse.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Good to hear it. Even better that I wasn't called in to help with recovery." Phoebe replies, and then adds quickly " -- which I wouldn't have minded in the least because that's what I'm here to do, help my teammates recover faster and play heals for people." she states, taking a deep breath as she rubs the back of her neck.

    "And yes, yeah, and... kiiinda?" she states, looking over the homework.

    "Algebra II, my AP American Lit report for Monday, and... some voluntary free medical courses through MIT?" she states, giving a shrug and a grimmace at the last one. "I've always been interested in med, but now I've got a good reason to learn it."

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim grins a bit. "Well, I'm the last one to talk someone out of learning new things," he shrugs lightly. "Just try not to overdo it. Gotta sleep sometime." Not that he follows that advice himself, really, but still. It's the thought that counts, right?

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Well.. I figured it couldn't hurt if people started to suddenly get healed around me to say I know a thing or two about medication. Totally why I have like, eight medicinal herb books and a massive herb garden at home." she explains to Tim, and she leans back in her chair as she looks him over. "Yeah-huh. How many times have you gone to bed and actually slept, Mr. Romance?"

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim shakes his head, smirking a bit at that. "More than people think, I'd guess at this point. Actually, as bad as it may be to admit it, I sleep better than I had been." He looks a little sheepish for a moment, running his hand through his hair. "There's something nice about being able to fall asleep next to someone you care for. And besides," he points out, "now that there's someone who expects me to show up and sleep on occasion, I get pointed reminders. Sometimes of the literally pointed kind."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Good. You need sleep. You're out later than I am most nights." Phoebe counters as she gives a small laugh, and rusb the back of her neck in embarrassment. "Well, Rose is doing a good job of looking out for you is all. And good thing, because I've seen you focused on things that you forget to eat. And sleep. Both kinda important to the whole 'living' thing." she states, then leans forward "Though in case you don't have one, I have a snack drawer in here in case you need something on the quick and can't get AHAB to bring you anything."

Tim Drake has posed:
"Don't tell her that," Tim grins. "She might deny it, or get annoyed you point it out. I know, because I have pointed it out, and she..." he shrugs helplessly. "She's Rose." He shakes his head about the snacks. "Eh, the problem for me is remembering in the first place. AHAB is easy to summon, I just get... distracted and focused on my work. I'm getting better about it." Maybe. "But that doesn't change what I said... don't overdo it."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I won't if you won't." Phoebe replies in good nature, knowing that they're both going to, at some point, overdo it.

    "So... mind if I ask you something, Tim? An' it's all right if you don't answer. I know y ou're... pretty private. In general. For reasons."

Tim Drake has posed:
"Shoot. If I can't answer, I'll not answer, but you can always ask." Tim stands up straight, not leaning on the door anymore, peering at her curiously.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe takes a deep breath, and she looks up at the ceiling a moment. She purses her lips, trying to find the most polite way to inquire.

    "... after you started crime fighting, and actual patrols, and you started having to fight for real -- did... you get nightmares? LIke just bad dreams while you're trying to process what you're going through?" she questions.

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim is quiet for a little bit after she asks her question. His jaw tightens a bit, and for a moment, he looks as if he's going to decline to answer.

But then. "Yeah. Still do." He lets out a long breath. "Like I said... it's nice to fall asleep next to someone." He sighs. "I started getting them bad after Mom was killed. And again after Dad. Let's not talk about the ones after I got my ass beat by Killer Croc, or the first time I saw the Joker in person. Or any other number of... experiences."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... my dad was killed by an arsonist. I'm sure of it. I had the most awful nightmares afterwards..." she trails off a moment, then looks down. "... I started spending my nights here because I thought one of the zombies you, me and Nightwing encountered in the UNdercity... I thought one followed me home. I had nightmares about it looking in the skylight while I was half asleep, so every night I'd go out on my rounds, and then sleep here. That... sounds super lame after talking about..." she frowns. She turns her head away "It sounds super lame after what you've gone through, I'm sorry, Tim."

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim makes a dismissive gesture. "No, it doesn't sound lame. Those zombie things? They are definitely scary." And Phoebe doesn't know what Tim and Jason had seen, as well, either. Not that he was going to tell her any more of it. Wouldn't be good for anyone's sanity. "So there's nothing wrong with you for having nightmares about them, and nothing wrong with staying here if it helps."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe levels a look to Tim. "There is a world of difference between meeting a zombie in the dark and what you've been through. I'm not there yet." Phoebe states quietly, rubbing the back of her neck as she breathes out. "But at least nightmares are a normal thing, I can check that one off the 'worry' chart."

    "... but I get what you're saying. That you sleep better. My dog, Scout, sleeps on my bed at home. Didn't used to, but after the Narrows fire, he began to."

Tim Drake has posed:
"Yeah." He nods to her regarding her dog. "I didn't really think much about it. Honestly, that's //not// why I'm with Rose at all-- but I can't lie and say it's not... something that helps. A lot more than I could have imagined it might. It's a lot easier to agree to go to bed when I know that it's not going to be..." he trails off. "What it usually was. Look, they still happen. But they aren't as frequent, or as bad, or as intense. And I don't know if that's because there's just //someone// there, or if it's because it's someone I l--," he bites that off, "care about." He twitches. "But yeah. I'd say they are normal. I haven't exactly //asked// but I don't doubt everyone else has them too. Maybe not the same, but close enough."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Eeh. Honestly, just say you love her." Phoebe comments quietly. "I'm not about to tell anyone you said it." Phoebe replies, leaning on her elbow, elbow against her desk as she folds her hands over her stomach, her eyebrows drawn up. "You and I both know that life is too stupidly short to not admit you care for someone, and if you love them, you love them. It doesn't descriminate between the sinners and the saints." Feebs adds on in a wry voice.

    "Besides, you canoodled in the kitchen, and I know it wasn't my lemon-lavender cookies that caused that."

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim flushes a bit. "It's... not that simple. Sounds like it should be, at the end of the day... 'life is short but sweet for certain'," he quotes ruefully. "But..." He sighs. "I do love her. I have for... awhile. Longer than we've been together. But that doesn't mean much." He leans back against the doorframe, shooting a glance down the hall. "She's like a stray cat in a lot of ways. Move too fast, or too slow? You'll spook her, and she may never come back again. Her story is hers to tell, but those are words I can't use with her. Not yet, maybe not ever." He shakes his head wryly. "I just need to make sure she knows I'm not abandoning her, or going to get bored with her, or too frustrated with her to keep trying. That's all I can do right now, and all I need to focus on. The rest... happens. Or not."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe gives a bit of a smile, and she gives a slight nod at the thought, and she looks at him.

    "Sounds about right for what happened at the fall gala. Not every day someone hits on your significant other, so you destroy their super expensive hankercheif to the point that they faint."

    She considers a moment, and she shrugs her shoulders. "But you admit it to yourself. Sometimes, that's enough. Love's a funny thing like that. You're either on eggshells or you're godzilla stomping, and there's never any sort of middle ground."

    She stretches her arms behind her head a little bit as she considers. "I wish there was. Eggshells are getting a bit tiresome to walk on."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Feeb's lips purse. "And now I'm just picturing Rose stomping around and like, shuriken and throwing knives and a claymore fall out of her pockets. If you were to pick her up and turn her upside-down, how many pounds of steel would come out?"

Tim Drake has posed:
He laughs at that. "Yeah, she was in fine form at the gala," Tim's eyes twinkle with mischief. Her question garners another laugh. "More than you'd like to know. I don't think she's ever unarmed unless she's naked, and even then I'd still question it." He looks more amused at this than scandalized. "But what has //you// walking on eggshells?" he queries with a lifted brow.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    It was Phoebe's turn to blush then, and she rubs the back of her head as she looks embarrassed, giving a sheepish looking grin.

    "I literally have no idea if anyone's affection for me is genuine or if it's because I have an aura of good feels. Makes any sort of relationship kept 'platonic' at best." she admits. She looks down. "I mean, I still get crushes and stuff, but it's not... I don't really get the chance to act on anything."

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim winces. "Yeah, that... could be a problem, I can see that." He's not really sure what to tell her. "If it makes you feel any better, even without an aura, sometimes it's hard to tell if people are genuinely affectionate, want something from you, or you're just reading too much into everything." He shrugs. "Okay, that probably //doesn't// make you feel better, come to think of it."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "That's just Gotham. We assume everyone wants something from us, because it's true. Companionship, attention, our wallets --" she shrugs slowly. "I just got it harder than some because people feel better around me. Must be worse for you outside the costume. You've got money. //Everyone// wants to be your friend."

Tim Drake has posed:
A flicker of a scowl crosses Tim's face for a second. "There is that," he admits. "But it comes with the territory. I think being born to it helps in that-- you learn early." He sighs a bit. "But cheer up, Pheebz. Crushes?" He grins. "Who on, if you don't mind me asking? Though I'm a terrible wingman."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I wouldn't know. I was born into... I dunno. I was abandoned at a liquor store close to the Narrows when I was two. Probably wasn't born into much." Phoebe points out, and she gives a wince and a shrug at her past, the Great Unknown, but when Tim asks her, she blushes, and stammers a moment, and he would learn that when caught offguard, Phoebe Beacon is a TERRIBLE liar.

    "Oh, you know... guys. At school. No one you'd know. Being as we're filthy plebs in our public highschool, with our still water fountains and thirty-six-kids-to-a-class."

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim smirks a bit. "You know, part of superheroing, even if people don't want to admit it, is becoming a good liar." He waggles a finger lightly at Phoebe. "And that is a skill you haven't mastered yet, I see."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "If I have time to think about it I can bend the truth in an appreciable fashion, thank you very much." Phoebe gives a dour response, and she frowns, rubbing the back of her head.

    "I maybe have a crush on a teammate too, but like I said. I'm not going to act on it. If only because it'd be a whole new vein of awkward, and I appreciate that just about everyone is older than me, so..." the younger hero trails off.

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim tilts his head, considering. "Not by much. And actually, if we're technical, there's at least one that's a great deal //younger// than you." He doesn't really clarify that one. "But keep your secrets if you want. I'm not going to pry." He grins. "But if it's just the age thing, I wouldn't worry about it."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Bart doesn't count, he's from the future." Phoebe states. "Relative time he's... what, nineteen? Eighteen?" Phoebe states, and she spreads one hand out, and waggles it around. "I worry about everything. That's precisely my job, I'm supposed to be somewhere between Bones and The Tenth Doctor and some sort of Monk-Cleric multiclass from D&D." she states, her arms drawing up and giving a bit of a flail, as comfortable as she is with Tim that she can talk freely like this.

    However, since Tim Drake is a damn good detective in his own right: Phoebe has spent a significant time around several members. She mentioned specifically that Cassandra Cain visited her at home. She knew Cassie Sandmark before joining the Outsiders, and did some little training with the Amazon. She's comfortable enough to be frank around Tim himself, and she's met Dick. Who doesn't have a crush on Dick?

Tim Drake has posed:
"I more meant Conner," Tim laughs lightly. "But fair point." He quirks a brow, but doesn't say anything else for a moment or three, thinking.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Ooh. No, I don't think Conner and I would... he's kinda... I don't know him as well. Honestly? He kinda scares me." she pauses a moment. "... not as much as that Jason or Hope does, but yeah, bit intimidated by him." Phoebe recounts quietly.

    "... and the whole blood poisoning thing bothered me. I couldn't get him to heal. It kept on going bad no matter how hard I tried."

Tim Drake has posed:
"It bothered me too," Tim admits. "As much as I give him grief, he's my best friend. I really have no idea what I'd do if something happened to him. He's supposed to be the invincible one, right?" If that keeps her talking, all the better.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "No one's invincible. If they are, they're lying." Phoebe states, and there is a bitterness to her voice at the statement, edging to a memory as she turns away, and then pauses, and reaches down into her 'snack drawer' -- and procures a bag of raspberry-lime gummy sharks. She opens the ziplock bag, and offers one to Tim.

    It's not Conner. She didn't blush at the thought, but was more concerned that her power didn't work on him. Not Jason, not Hope. Intimidated by them. Doesn't lend much to attraction. She's probably equally as intimidated by X-23. Laura's scary and blunt.

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim moves forward to take one of the proffered gummi sharks, toying with it a bit before biting it in half. "Huh, this is pretty good. I had some a couple years ago with that sour powder on them, but those are forbidden in the lab now," he notes idly. He shrugs. "I mean, obviously not really invincible. But I guess I'm just used to being around people who don't really get hurt. Physically, at least."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "The ones with the sour powder make my tongue feel funny and the powder gets eveeerywhere." the dark-haired medic replies, and she bites the head off another shark. "But these ones are pretty good. I tried to make my own gummies a while back, but turns out it's just way, way easier to buy 'em." she states. And then Phoebe pauses.

    "Normal gummies. These are just organic and vegan. Nothing special about them other than that."

Tim Drake has posed:
It takes him a second, but then he laughs. "Yeah, I didn't really peg you for the other sort of gummis type, Pheebz." He hops up to sit on the end of the nearest medbed after swiping another gummi. "You know, I built AHAB so we weren't living on sugar and empty carbs." He grins a bit.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "These aren't empty carbs. There's fiber in these, and like, B vitamins and C." Phoebe states wryly, though she knows precisely the protest. "I've got bags of mixed nuts and protein bars if you prefer." she gives a wry grin, and she leans back a moment.

    "You wouldn't beleive how many people ask me for 'medicinal' stuff when I say I garden. I got asked for peyote once. Peyote!" she states, incredulous. "I grow echinacia, I grow horehound, like eight kinds of mints but no, I get asked for //peyote//." she gives a soft 'humph'.

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim frowns a bit in thought. "...would that even grow in Gotham? I mean, I've never really looked into it, but I thought it was something from the southwest, right?" He does perk up at the mint, though. "Fresh mint, in tea, is great. Alfred sometimes does that, and it's really great when it's been a long night."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Depends on the mint and the tea. There's an orange tea I really like, that when you add chocolate mint to it tastes like a chocolate orange... and tea. Fresh sweet mint and plain black tea... lemon balm and Earl Grey where it sweetens and can kinda mellow the bitter orange..." Phoebe gives a grin. "Should I grab some cuttings and keep some in here? Pretty sure I can nab a grow light from my nursery in the basement and bring it over, and then you can have fresh sweet mint in the tea."

    And then she purses her lips. "Who's Alfred?"

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim winces at the last question. "My adoptive father's butler," he mutters. Because normal people don't have butlers, Tim, not people ones and not pirate robot ones either.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Neat. So while Bruce Wayne was out doing other rich person stuff, Alfred raised you a bit? Sounds like he's a pretty decent guy. Must have made a good impression." Phoebe replies, not surprised by the butler, but a little amused at the wince.

Tim Drake has posed:
"Alfred is the one who reminded me that I need to make sure I'm not living on pizza and sodas since I moved out," Tim grins a bit. "I actually programmed a lot of AHAB's recipes based on ones he'd make." He shrugs, popping the other half of his remaining gummi in his mouth and swallowing. "He's kind of like a very stern grandfather who is not going to take any guff, but loves you anyway."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe gives a slight grin, and rubs the back of her head.

    "That... actually sounds really nice. He sounds like he cares for you a lot, and is absolutely right that you should not live on pizza and sodas. Sooo much sugar." she gives a bit of a grin as she gives a side eye over to Tim. "At least you're augmenting with gummy sharks. They're practically a salad. A seafood fruit salad."

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim laughs at that. "I think he'd disagree with that assessment," he notes with amusement. "But we'll go with it." He leans back on his hands. "So I've more or less narrowed it down to like, three people, and honestly, Phoebe, I'd just tell whoever it is you like them. Speaking from experience, spending a couple of years kicking yourself over it really doesn't do much except make you a little bitter and really unhappy."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Who are your three guesses?" Phoebe inquires, honestly curious about who Tim thinks it might be. She cracks a little bit of a smile as she crosses her arms, interested in what Tim has to say. Obviously, he's smart.

    "But I told you, I can't act on it. The whole aura thing, and who wants to live a life where you're not sure if it's you or your power that they like? What kinda relationship is that?"

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim doesn't give his guesses. "Well, the easiest way around that is that your aura is finite. So talk to them where you aren't influencing them... text, or message them. Or call." He shrugs. "Then you're out of their zone, or they are out of yours, right?" He seems fairly relaxed, speaking of her 'comfort zone', since he's inside the bounds of it where he's sitting. "You can even say as much, because no one on the team would even think anything of that. We all have powers. It's like M'Gann saying she's not reading your thoughts or whatever, right?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "You don't. You're just stupid smart. Pretty sure Carrie is just terrifying... all of the redheads on our team are scary. Tim, why are the redheads scary?" Phoebe asks, as a way to try and segue away from a delicate subject, but then she gives up.

    Phoebe leans back a moment, and weighs the thought.

    "As... nice as the idea is... it'd still bother me. /I/ could never be sure. I'm already unsure about so much in my life. Like, what if I was only adopted because I had this aura as a kid, and it wasn't that I was an adorable kid? What if my best friends are only my friends because this power influenced them? At what point does the power stop and friendship start? What if everyone who has ever cared about me only does so because I give them the warm fuzzy feeling regardless of their actual like of me?" she questions, and she leans back in her chair all the way, her arms in back of her head. "I hated philosophy class for this reason. Utterly depressing to think my dad only wanted to adopt me because I magicked him to do so."

Tim Drake has posed:
Tim lifts a brow. "I mean... not to sound trite, but isn't that everyone? What if they only like me because I'm tall, or because we happened to be in the same history class? Because we went to the same school or the same church? What if it's not me, but my looks, or my smarts, or my whatever?" He sighs. "Eventually? You have to accept that some people like you for you. And some people only pretend. You're a pretty great person, Phoebe, and that's not the aura talking, because I think you're pretty great even when you're not anywhere nearby. So there's one person, at least. And I am pretty sure everyone else on the team feels the same."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Yeah, but you're a Bat. Pretty sure you're partially immune to warm fuzzies." the girl replies as she sticks her tongue out at Tim being trite.

    "Nah, look, if I were to be in a relationship, it'd be a reverse Eros and Psyche. I would //always// question it, and that's not fair to the other person. Keeping things platonic? That's fine. I mean, you're like the older brother I never had. You're as close as I get to people, Tim, and I can accept that being kinda... the limit of how far I go with anyone." she sets her chair back. She laces her fingers, and she leans forward.

    "And I'm okay with that, because if I love someone, I want them to be free to make their choices and live their lives, even if that means I have to love them from a distance of fifteen feet at any time." she gives a slight smile, and looks down and away. "Well. This got awful maudlin and philosophical for a conversation involving Raspberry Lime Gummy Sharks!"

Tim Drake has posed:
"Ha." Tim smirks, shaking his head. "I am absolutely not immune, but I'll continue to pretend otherwise. It's good for my aura of scowling and general Bat-likeness. Once you get past the armor, all Bats are actually made out of cotton candy and glittery rainbow wishes. It's our dark secret, you can't tell anyone." He hops down off the end of the bed. "But... I do have some more work I need to at least get started before I get to bed."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... I have a hard time thinking about /the/ Bat being cotton candy and glittery rainbow wishes." Phoebe gives a grin, and she stretches.

    "And yeah, this course on reactions between NSAIDs and some other drugs is only free for the next like, week, so I've got to finish it and take the final by Wednesday so I can fill out my notes."

    She turns back to her books. "Don't forget to ask AHAB for a real meal, or I'll tell Alfred on you."

Tim Drake has posed:
"When I wake up," Tim chuckles in agreement. He heads towards the medbay door, and then glances back. "No pressure, but there's something else I've learned really fast about having feelings for someone on your team..." he pauses. "Judgment can... lapse. Keep that in mind. When emotions get involved, things can get a lot worse once they start going sideways." He shrugs. "Something to chew on." He has been. "Night, Pheebz." Even if it isn't, Bats tend to keep really weird schedules... one normal person's midday is a Bat's sleep time.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I know. Even more reason to keep things platonic; I've gotta keep everyone living long enough to get them back here if I'm in the field. I know my role." Phoebe states, and gives him a wave. "G'night Tim, get a nap." she calls back to him, and tucks her earbud back in to go back to studying.