4345/Rooftop Conversations

Rooftop Conversations
Date of Scene:	08 December 2020
Location:	Roof - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	No description
Cast of Characters:	Gar Logan, Terry O'Neil

---

Gar Logan has posed:
Up on the roof, Gar Logan sits. There is some protective tape near the area the Milano struck, the damage yet to be repaired. The building was determined to be structurally sound, but if things were off by just a little bit, the result could have been much worse for all.

But it wasn't. Everyone got home in one piece. Everyone got home okay. There's been some catching up taking place, not a whole lot of time to catch one's breath. The day is chilly, but the sun is out. It doesn't do a whole lot to lessen the impact of the wind up here, but Gar appears to be either unbothered by it or uncaring. He's put a long-sleeved hoodie on to help, anyway.

As for what he's doing up here? Right now, the answer is nothing. He has merely found a spot to look toward downtown Metropolis.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpal isn't particularly bothered by the chill- one of the advantages of having fur. When he steps out of the elevator, he's clad in his customary tank top and shorts combo that he wears whenever not in uniform as his cat self. He's been Terry since his return, but he needs to be Vorpal now as much as he safely can, because the ace bandage around his right ankle shows that he hasn't yet fully healed from the sprain. Mostly because he was very parsimonious with the time he spent as Vorpal in the Other World.

The advantage of having, basically, two bodies meant that you could switch between them when one got injured... but it also meant that wounds wouldn't heal while the other body was shelved. An advantage, and a pain.

The Cheshire cat walks with a slight limp out of the elevator and towards the lone, green figure on the rooftop. The signs of their dramatic return to the world make the cat grin and gesture to the damage, saying "I sure know how to make an entrance, am I right?" getting closer, he deploys an arm to find its favorite resting place: around Gar's waist, if he'll let him.

"What are you doing up here all by your lonesome? Planning to throw water balloons at Robin?"

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan turns before Vorpal gets close, before anything is said. Did he sense him, or otherwise know he was there? That or coincidence, it doesn't matter now. His expression brightens at the approach, and the skyline of Metropolis becomes a distant second to his interests.

"I heard a rumor the only reason that ship almost crashed was because of you making things go haywire. I also heard the pilot is pretty..different. I've seen some of the others around, but not that one." He slips easily into the arm at his waist, then he gestures toward the side of the building. "No, I think he's hiding out. I was just..trying to focus, I guess. Is that ever gonna heal?" The ankle is singled out.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Yyyeah, it will. I just haven't been the cat long enough for it to heal. I rationed my time in the Black Hole because that place was... making me go loopier than usual even in the short time I was Cheshire. It's the reason why a whole planet now has a tatoo of a cat's chocolate starfish on their forehads. Never let me go full Cheshire."

He smiles and leans in on Gar, putting their heads together as he looks out. "Reports of me tampering with the ship are greatly exaggerated. But that little guy has a mouth, and a temper. I should go and say hi to the rest. You know, now that we're not being pursued by space zealots or crashing." He chuckles.

"I had a chat with Kian last night."

Gar Logan has posed:
"Really? It's been so long. I would have thought you'd have been you enough for that to heal," Gar remarks, surprise in his tone and words. "You don't heal faster, either?"

He lets out a little sniff. "Sometimes I wonder what you'd be like if you went full Cheshire." Play with fire, you might get burnt. You might not.

With the sides of their heads touching, Vorpal's fuzzier face meets a lighter yet similar texture, at least near the pointed ears. "So their pilot is like Robin?" he asks, before he shifts his weight around a bit at the last part. "How did that go?" he wonders, seeming..calm about it.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Hon, I was Vorpal a total of ten days during those three months. Like I said... I was being careful. But if you want to see me go full Chesh... well. Be careful with what you wish for." Vorpal grins and winks at Gar, "And yeah. He and Robin should get along great. Let's organize a play-date. And put cameras in the room. We can stream for extra income."

Gar's calmness is reassuring."I need to put weight off this for a bit," he says and moves over to the edge of the rooftop railing, half-sitting on it with his injured ankle off the ground, the other foot flat against the roof. He holds out his hand as an invitation for Gar to join in. "So we talked a little about Akiar, and I had a realization. You know how people get jealous and hurt when something like this happens? Because you only have the person's words. And we play ourselves to a whole bunch of insecurities, like..."

He waves his hands "X says she lovess me but does she REALLY? Did she have a thing with Y because deep down, she doesn't and she's just trying not to hurt me by telling me? That sort of thing. That's sort of what we do here on Earth, isn't it?"

Gar Logan has posed:
"I'm a Titan. Living dangerously is in my DNA," Gar remarks after the words of warning. Chances are he isn't serious - he often isn't - but sometimes...

He does admit, "Extra cash around is always good, especially if they're gonna be cutting into our food budget as long as they're here. They really are a weird group. Kinda reminds me of all of us. The Robin one, the big guy maybe sort of like Vic, the blue one like, uh..I heard they have someone who's actually from Earth but I haven't met him so I don't know who he'd be like, then there's the actual /tree/ and I'm lost there. But the green one..uh..well, she has green skin like me, but I think that's about where it ends."

So, maybe not so similar at all, the two groups. He tried.

"So, anyway. Yeah. Akiar. And people. And us. You know..you're the first real relationship I've had with anyone that lasted more than a week or two. We've already been officially together for over three months. All it takes for me to not screw one up is for us to be completely separated for most of that time."

He does ramble. At least by that point he's come closer again.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Oh hush," Vorpal says with a smirk, "You are not going to screw this up. It takes two people to screw." He pauses. "Okay, that's not exactly what I meant. But what I mean is that there are very few things you can do to ruin this relationship. I mean, you were completely honest and told me you've been intimate with another guy. You didn't hide it from me, and you didn't do it to hurt me, and neither did he. I know that. And that's the benefit that the Akiar have. So what if your 'tenar' spends time with a special friend when you actually know you are their number one, because you can actually see it in their thoughts and not just words?" Vorpal smiles, "Look, I am honestly not hurt. I was surprised. A little confused, but I see some things clearly now. I realize this is kind of one sided because you only have my words..." he pauses, and then raises his eyebrows, "But hey. Fair is fair. You inadvertedly let me into your thoughts. I can change to human right now and you can Akiar yourself into mine. Then you'll know me as certainly as I know how you feel."

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan waves things off. "Dude, I know. I was trying to be funny. And..yeah. I guess that means Akiar are sort of polyamorous. I mean, they're just, you know, open about stuff most of us aren't, so it's sort of hard to understand but at the same time I just get it from their perspective." Since he can be one, after all. "It's just not a taboo for them, because they know where they stand with each other in a deeper way than people here could."

Shaking his head further, he leans closer. "And I don't need to do that, because I trust you. We've already been through more than most people would understand." He does consider, "But it might be a fun way to be together sometime, and if I can handle that other side in your head..." The Titan trails off, the words left there to be taken as they will.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpal laughs, "Okay, so you want me to be... your hallucinogenic toad?" he winks. And suddenly--- IT'S KERMIT. Vorpal has vanished and Kemit the Frog is sitting there in his place. "Well, they did say it wasn't easy being green!" comes the voice in a perfect facsimile of the character.

And then Vorpal is there again, no sign of the frog, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Sure. We can totally experiment. And speaking of tha--" he pauses, no doubt Gar's expression is priceless.

"Oh right. I forgot to tell you. I can do illusions now!"

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan squints. "I didn't say that," he states. The idea of hallucinating is not high on his list, apparently. "I was just thinking that's part of who you are, and if we can handle that from this side," he points to his head, "that'd be good."

The thought is quite interrupted by Vorpal turning into the green muppet, and the look on Gar's face is one of complete surprise. By the time the demonstration is done and he's figured out what to say, he blurts, "You're stealing my gimmick, you loser!" A punch at the shoulder follows before he admits, "That's..gotta be useful."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Ooww," Vorpal rubs his shoulder, "Careful there, you're stronger than you look." Mischief accomplished. "Oh, it's very useful. It's how we got the dude in that planet to tell a lie. I just illusioned his eyes open... and it shows up on camera- real images and sounds, not mental. Isn't that cool?"

He grins and then yanks Gar over to him, "Punching me like that. You've got some nerve. Good thing you're adorable, or else I'd be ... I don't know what I'd do. Hork up a hairball in your shoes or something." He puts both arms around the green Titan's waist and pulls him close. "But... like I was saying. I thought about stuff since I spoke to Kian. And you know... if that's something you'd like to do more of, I am not going to be against it. I think Kian's a perfectly great guy and goodness knows he felt less lonely. I know where your heart is." He leans ofer and kisses Gar's forehead. "I mean... I might even join, who knows? And if you ever want to do something with someone other than Kian... like I said, I'm open to it. But I only have one condition... and that is that if anything ever changes about how you feel towards me, you will let me know."

He looks at Gar, eye to eye. "I will do the same. If at any point you feel that someone else can make you happy and I no longer can... I want to know it. Because I want you to be happy, no matter how tough that might be on me."

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan doesn't seem all that sorry, for he doesn't really believe Vorpal is that hurt from the punch. Besides, maybe it was deserved for..some reason. "That's kind of clever, actually. I'm surprised you came up with an idea like that. Or did someone else tell you to do it?" Oh, burn!

Then they're side-to-side again, and he rolls his eyes at the adorable bit, the hairball threat, all that. "Dude, I'm not just gonna go around getting into things with everybody. Kian's a different story, and..I dunno. Maybe he'd be open to that. It might even be fun. But stop being an idiot and talking about someone else making me happier already. I know I'm hard to deal with and I have a lot of things wrong with me, but let's just let things grow and stop worrying about stuff that might not even happen."

He nudges back with his forehead, but Vorpal might note some tension in his body. Not /everything/ is all right in Gar's world.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Hey... hey," Vorpal's voice tries to be soothing, "I didn't mean to annoy you. Nor am I implying that you'e going to turn into the team trampoline. I'm just telling you that that's something you don't need to be afraid of with me." He raises an eyebrow. "Robin is hard to deal with. You're not. You can be stubborn, you can shut yourself and bottle up, but you are not had to deal with." He nudges back and his hands go up to Gar's shoulders in a seemingly affectionate gesture. But his fingertips immediately detect the tension. He slowly presses a thumb across the length of his right trapezius to ease the tension like he did that night in March.

"Something's bothering you," the cat says calmly, "Is it what I said or... something else?" he asks.

Gar Logan has posed:
What gets Gar to roll his eyes? The trampoline comment. "Jeez, dude," he mutters, quick to add, "I said I'm not gonna be doing anything like that, so there's no need to even think about it." Vorpal is surely joking, but it doesn't appear to be working with whatever mood Gar is suddenly in.

And, here comes that Logan stubbornness, the tight feeling of his shoulders probably no surprise considering the last few months. But there must be more to it. His demeanor has undergone a shift from carefree and lighthearted to, yes, trying to shut something away and not deal with it.

"It's nothing," he claims, and while the body reacts detectably to the effort to rub the tense feelings out, the mind is not cooperating.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Self-protection. Sometimes fear. The reasons animals hide that they're hurt. Cats, funny enough, are the kings of that.

"Gar, you've got wonderful shoulders, but I can guarantee that they weren't sculpted from stubbornly bearing your burdens by yourself." Yes, it's a joke, but it's said with tenderness in his voice. After giving his shoulders another pass with his thumb, he steps away and sits down by the side of the pool, dipping his good foot in the chilly water. Because.

"I know you're used to some things being one way. But you've got a boyfriend now, and the benefit that comes with those is that we are always free to listen, and unlike therapists we don't charge by the hour. But I do have a comfy couch."

He gives Gar a soft smile, hoping that it's enticing enough to get the Titan to open up. His mixture of probing is a little less direct, but he doesn't want to set off Gar's defenses.

Gar Logan has posed:
There are a multitude of reasons for Gar to be the way he is. Those who know him closest know the lengths he may go to in order to keep the things that hurt him under wraps, to prevent it from showing. For someone who has such an affinity for all creatures in the animal kingdom, big or small, is it a shock that it's become one of his own defense mechanisms?

He grunts at the remark about his shoulders, catching the intent behind it even if the response might not be what Terry was aiming for, and he coughs once into a hand upon mention of the couch. Metropolis becomes worth looking at again as he starts with, "You're lucky that couch ended up in storage."

Just when it seems that's all he's got to say, he adds, "I hate.." Catching himself with a visual shake of the head, he runs a hand through his hair. "I don't like Colette very much right now."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpal listens, and nods slowly. "... I am not surprised. She's not exactly the most tactful... and she has a way of... doing and saying things with just the right kind of edge. And the whole while she tries to remind you over and over that she doesn't care. Except she does. But she can't brig herself to admit it to anyone."

He splashes his foot a little, and then looks up to Gar, again.

"What did she do while I was away?"

Gar Logan has posed:
"She gets under my skin and won't let me be the way I am," Gar complains, crossing his arms in what can only be described as a pout.

"When you were getting evicted, she texted me to get over there right away, and most of your stuff was already put outside. The landlord tried selling whatever he thought he could get some money from, like your TV, and I hurried upstairs to make sure we didn't miss anything. Someone came by and tried to take the cloak Wonder Woman gave you, so I flew out and turned into a tiger to pin him, and I threatened him, and I tore open his pants after he gave up the cloak and started to run away." Words. All the words.

There are more. "But she kept poking at me and I blew up at her and left because I was tired of her. I want you to sell that stupid diamond..thing. Take the money and get yourself a new car, or a better apartment, or..something."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpal stands up and limps over to Gar. He doesn't hug him, but the offer is clearly there- but he doesn't want to touch Gar if he doesn't want to be touched right now. "Thank you for saving that cloak. It means a lot to me, but you knew that already."

He glances at Gar and frowns. There are two obvious conversation branches, he feels, but the direct route is one to be avoided when Gar is feeling prickly. He can try going through the scenic route. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, hon. But... why does the 'thing'... upset you so much?"

Gar Logan has posed:
"Yeah, I did." Of course Gar knew. And he was immediately kicking himself for leaving it outside to create even the chance of somebody stealing it while they were in the apartment. A lapse of judgment in the moment.

He remains where he is, unmoving except for the job the wind does on his hair, a literal miles-long stare had at the buildings in the distance once again. "Because she wouldn't fucking shut up about it, teasing me about it, and I found your diary too and saw a couple pages before I realized what it was, and she started bugging me about that too, like she was gonna tell everybody if I shared what was in it, and then she threatened to destroy me - her words - if I told you she covered some of the back rent you owed just so we could have through the end of last month to get your stuff into storage, and that's when I yelled at her and told her I didn't care what she did, and I shoved the book at her, and I said she wouldn't shut up about the diamond thing as I was leaving. Then she said she'd rather I yell at her than feel nothing, so I slammed the door on the way out."

He doesn't swear often, so when he does it's a sign he's really feeling strongly about something. It sounds like he had a moment. And..he saw the diary.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpal reaches over and gently touches Gar's hair. A light enough touch to withdraw at the sign of irritation, if he needs to. "Oh god... you found my diary." Cats can't blush. Thank god for that, because otherwise- but he makes a mental note of Colette paying until the end of the month. It's not the time to discuss that, but it is a useful thing to know, for later.

He has known Colette for a few months, and he knows that she seldom does something without a purpose. So why would she needle poor, sweet Garfield? Because Garfield is still hiding. Vorpal thinks about it- he's come out of the hole he was in, when they first met, but that was a hole-within-a-hole. Was Colette trying to goad him out of it by needling him?

"It sounds like it would've gotten under anyone's nerve," he says, switching tracks from digging to validating, "How come you didn't just let her have it?"

Gar Logan has posed:
"I only saw the one from the beach and your last one," is all Gar says of the diary, unapologetic about it, but also not digging any deeper than that. It's a statement of fact. No more, no less. No response to the fingertips in his hair, but there is no shying away from it either.

He mumbles, "She helped me figure out what I had to do to make sure you were probably alive, and something she said started the idea of the beacon. But..as much as she's helped with some stuff, that's how much she annoys me with some of the stuff she says. She told me some stuff when she probably thought I wasn't paying attention, and it probably explains a few things about her, but it doesn't make it okay. She's not gonna make me get through anything by making me mad."

As far as she's concerned, him showing his anger is better than him keeping it hidden away. Of course dealing with emotions rather than hiding them is healthy, especially for someone who walks such a fine line as Gar can. "And do what, bite her? Punch her through a window?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Tell her she's being a jackass. Tell her how she's making you feel. Why. You know..." Vorpal hobbles over and leans on the rooftop railing, "We all have our 'things' we do. God knows you have already ferreted out what mine are, even things I probably don't notice I do myself. But... you tend to retreat into yourself. And I can understand why, the attractiveness of it. But I also know..." he glances over at Gar, "That when you go there and stay too long in there, you start being... unkind to yourself. Stop me if I am wrong at any point, hon, okay? This is all from what /I/ gather, and I am no Sherlock."

"Colette and I... we have different methods. And she may have stepped over the line..." but maybe that was the point.

He glances at Gar in silence for a few seconds, something churning in his brain.

Gar Logan has posed:
"She did, and I don't think she really cares because she's lived so long as herself or whatever she used to be that I don't think she ever learned how to deal with other people," Gar says, flat out, with an underlying roughness to his voice that hints at that other side of him still percolating beneath the surface. "So I could tell her she hurt my feelings and to please stop and whatever, but she's gonna say what she wants if, I dunno, it gets me to do what she thinks I should be doing."

He throws his hands up in exasperation, careful enough not to catch Vorpal with an elbow or hand, then he frowns. "I can deal with my stuff. I'd rather everybody else be happy. That makes me happy, too. Okay? I don't like seeing other people sad, or hurt, or feeling like there's nothing to smile at. So I.." He gestures again, waving a hand. Vorpal knows what he's trying to say, and he just levels a look at him afterward. "May have? She jumped over the line. I told you I don't care if she threatens me. She's not gonna do anything. I live with Raven. She's a lot more scary."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
The sigh that Vorpal lets out is very eloquent. The Cheshire cat leans forward a little and says, "Gar. I am your boyfriend and I love you lots. So keep that in mind when I say that I can sometimes see why Colette would want to thwap you a little. I'm not Colette, however, so what I am going to say is..."

He steps forward and hooks an arm with Gar's, "That I think you are wonderful. I think it is incredibly kind and sweet and solicitous how you think about everybody else. Kian said that you were incredibly giving." He pauses. Because he knows that can trigger a blush from Gar.

"But the point in which he and I agree... and I imagine probably Colette, too... is that you tend to do it to the detriment of your own self. You want to make everybody happy, even if it means you have to hide that you're unhappy... because, I don't know... you think people will reject you if you're anything but pleasant, friendly and solicitous all the time?"

"And so you hide the urge to lash back, to protest... Gar. You just pointed it out... we live with /Raven/."

And now Vorpal has Raven's cape and cloak on him, and it looks NOWHERE near as intimidating as it does on the sorceress, "And we accept her in her bad days. And in her I Am Going To Destroy The World days. And you feel we're going to turn away because something's gotten to you and you feel like a pissy porcupine?" he asks, letting go of Gar's arm and turning to face him.

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan gives Vorpal a look that is both questioning and...warning? At least that's the way it begins after the idea of thwapping him. Even taking his arm reveals a tightness to his body language, like a coiled spring waiting to release. There is actually no blush as what Kian says is shared. Gar..knows this, whether it's meant in an innocent way or not.

The muscles Vorpal can feel tense again as he's reminded of doing things at his own expense, and he says, "I don't think it's about people rejecting me." But it's hard to be sure, even for him to be sure.

The appearance of Raven's spooky attire on Vorpal leaves him staring, almost enough to break the outer shell. A corner of his mouth twitches. But, he still doesn't crack all the way. "I'm not a...whatever. But sometimes it's like..I don't know if I can control it if I let it out."

Raven might say something like that.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
It has definitely been a day for that, what with Silver Banshee and...

"Then maybe you should let it out. The longer you fear it, the more it can control you."

He steps in close, very close, and asks quietly, "Are you afraid of the beast inside, Gar? That part of you that is connected to..." he waves a hand, "You know? Maybe you're afraid of losing control. The same kind of fear that keeps me from going 'Full Cheshire'... and you said you wanted to see that." He tilts his head. "Fair point. Gar... maybe you should trust your boyfriend and just... let it out." He reaches up to touch Gar's chin, "I am strong enough. I am not going to turn away from you in your low moments. But I think... although you /say/ you know my feelings and trust me, there might be a part of you, an emotional side, that doesn't quite feel that way and you haven't realized it? I could drop on my knees right now and propose marriage, and that part might still doubt that I'd be able to take you 'warts and all.'"

He drops his hand. "Maybe you should Akiar up and come into my mind. Then you'd see I how much I love you. And perhaps... that I already know how hurt you can feel inside, and how much that makes you want to cry out. And all I want to do is to be there and hold you when those times come. But my wounded lion, I can't be there if you shut that cave door in my face, you know."

He pauses. "I know caves don't have doors. I was going somewhere and realized I painted myself into a figure of speech corner."

He limps towards the barbeque area, because there's usually a container with water bottles in there.

Gar Logan has posed:
"I'd have to find a safer way to," Gar says, not immediately thinking of a good way to do such a thing. "And it's not that I don't have control. But sometimes I can feel a stronger pull. Every animal still has instincts, and some are more, you know, prominent than others. A mouse is gonna be scared of a cat. A tiger is gonna see most things as prey, even if it's used to avoiding people. So if I'm already feeling a certain way, it can loop back on me a little."

This is not something Gar discusses with many people, if ever. It's one of those 'keep it to himself' kinds of things. Before he goes on with that, the word 'marriage' is just casually dropped in there and /that's/ the part that gets him blushing. It leaves him silent, not out of revulsion but a lack of something he can put into words right now.

Once he gets through that interruption of thought, he shakes his head. "The Akiar thing is a good idea, but..let's do it later on. I have to be in the right mood to be one, and there's too much going on in my head right now." His eyes sharpen on the 'wounded lion' remark again, but the image given snaps that train of thought. "Yeah, that was a pretty bad analogy, you have to admit. Look..I'm getting hungry, so why don't we get something to eat and come back to this in a few days?" At least he's still got that appetite.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Of course, hon." He sips from his water bottle and limps over to Gar. Putting an arm around him, he says "I'm just gonna have to lean on you while my ankle is recovering. I know you absolutely /hate/ it when I touch you, so I will try to find a way to compensate for it later." He leans over and kisses Gar gently, one hand reaching out to caress his cheek. "I swear that when I have some money, I'll take you out to a nice restaurant. But for now... how about some cheap sushi?"

He puts a pin on the discussion. He will come back to it, when they're both ready. But he figures dinner is a good time to tell him that Lois has come around and actually thinks him going public could work for the Planet...

Provided, of course, that Perry goes for it. Still, it's a step in the right direction. Soon he won't have to hide who he is, and pretend that he is not with the green guy for half of the time. And that's just fine by him.

"C'mon, I'll Rabbit Hole us somewhere."