888/You Can Take The Girl Out Of Gotham

You Can Take The Girl Out Of Gotham
Date of Scene:	31 March 2020
Location:	Pizza Joint
Synopsis:	Spatula City gets scope out for mob ties. Also, Jumanji 2 and pizza.
Cast of Characters:	Roberto da Costa, Stephanie Brown

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Roberto da Costa has posed:
Date number three or four depending on who's counting. This time in Salem. Roberto meeting Steph at the hyperloop and driving through the city to Salem, to show Steph the sleepy bedroom community where he went to school. Even if the school itself wasn't on the tour. Some VIPs go there, lots of security, wish it were different, is his excuse. But the town is definitely on the tour, and the Brazilian youth walks her around Salem. Pointing out the highlights, the pizza place, the burger place, the spatula store.

"Don't know how that place stays open," he remarked on the latter. "Probably a front."

Then finally they ended up at the Cineplex grabbing a pair of big reclining seats to watch Jumanji 2.

"Honestly though the first one was going to be crap, but it surprised the hell out of me," is his commentary as they snuggle up with drinks and popcorn.

After the show lets out the sky is getting dark, but unlike Gotham there's no dark foboding to their surroundings, the quaintness of the town as old fashioned style street lights illuminate their walk towards the pizza place as they go arm in arm.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie walked around with Roberto, after giving him a warm greeting when he picked her up. The ride up was enjoyable for Stephanie. She'd admitted, "You know, you won't believe how little I've actually been out of the Gotham area," she'd told him while she enjoyed the drive out of New York and out into the country.

Stephanie had laughed softly about the spatula store. "Seriously, it's most spatulas?" she asks. "Surprised Gotham hasn't come up with one of those," she says after the comment about it being a front. The blonde girl slips her hand into Roberto's lacing fingers as they continue on towards the movie theater.

She came wearing a pair of jeans and a nice, deep purple fitted blouse. She put a little extra time into her hair, and there might even be hints of makeup, just tiny amounts to bring out her eyes and cheekbones more.

"I know, I kind of thought Jack Black was sort of past his prime. But you can tell the difference in the acting chops when they started having to portray different characters," she comments to him. "Really though, anything with The Rock, I'm going to love," she tells him, giving a dreamy sigh and pretending to swoon before grinning over to her Brazilian date for the evening.

As they walk towards the restaurant, she says, "It's nice here. Sort of nice and homey in the good way," she says. "So do you guys spend much time here, or mostly stay at your school?"

Roberto da Costa has posed:
"I can imagine," Roberto says. "I mean not a lot outside of Gotham that Gotham doesn't have, so I could see it being easy just to stay put. Bet it's like that living in the City too." Of course he means New York, because while he might have been born in Brazil but he was also a New Yorker.

"Except for spatula stores apparently," he chuckles when Steph points out that's something Gotham doesn't have. He takes her hand when it's offered, smiling over at her.

As for what Roberto's wearing? A longsleeved patterned shirt over a white t-shirt and jeans and a pair of white and grey Jordan 1s (https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Dw1BsTIn6Y.ccvP5VAe.Dg--~A/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9ODAw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/wwd_409/8c7a6fa67c4bf2b82e88799c68de076b).

After the movie he nods, "Yeah, these Jumanji movies are the best Jack Black's been since 'School of Rock'," he agrees before laughing at her swooning over the Rock. "Okay, I can't argue that one, the Rock is dope, I totally get the attraction," he says giving Steph his best version of the People's Eyebrow. It's not quite Rock level or Spock level, but it's a good eyebrow raise.

"And yeah, a lot of us have jobs out here, and after being cooped up in the school all day long sometimes you just need to get out and have some fun and this place is way closer than New York for that."

He nods his agreement about the place. "Yeah, it's sort of homey, which is odd, because back home is nothing like this."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie lets out a warm laugh at Roberto's impression of Duane Johnson's smoldering look. "That's not bad at all," she tells him, giving his hand a squeeze as they walk along.

"So you're going to have to tell me what it's like. I've seen pictures. The Jesus statue of course. And the... I don't remember the name of them but Kareem Abduljabar was just on Jeopardy the other day talking about them. The makeshift tenements that the poor live in. But I imagine most of it is more like the cities here? Big buildings and modern glass and steel?" she asks.

A wind blows in from the north, blowing Stephanie's hair about and causing her to have to reach up to pull some of it where it tried to get into her mouth. It was a present day, but turning windy despite the saying about March going out like a lamb.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto grins, squeezing Steph's hand right back.

"The Favelas?" Roberto asks, meaning the slums. "They're like their own world, not a good world, but their own world all the same. Remember when part of Gotham was declared no-man's land, like in 2010 or whatever?" he asks her like any Gothamite could forget. "It's like that, plus mutant town, and pretty much run by gangs." He shrugs. "The rest of the city though, it's great, mix of steel and glass alongside some stuff from the Colonial days. Real old school churches and cathedrals. Good food, good people. I love Rio," he says passionately of his home town, before winking. "Play your cards right, Miss Brown and I might show you around there sometime."

The wind picks up and Roberto hurries them towards the restaurant, holding open the door for Steph and ushering her inside.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown's attention swings to Roberto, listening to him speak of his home. It's not just what he says, but how he looks when he says it. That light in his eye and the smile that turns up the corners of his lips. It makes her love him a little bit, seeing that. It's how she feels about Gotham.

"I think I've managed to forget a lot of those memories," she says of No Man's Land. She would have been around eight. "But, there's still this sense of it. We were lucky, Bristol was on the shoreside of the bridge, so we didn't have it as bad. But I have memories of the tidal wave," she tells him.

They quicken their step as the foreboding wind picks up, hurrying to the restaurant where Stephanie passes inside as Roberto holds the door for her. Inside she looks around and then grins. "I should have known you wouldn't just take me to a Pizza Hut," she says at the unexpectedly nice decor. Stephanie brushes fingers through her hair to straighten it after the wind and then slips a hand onto the crook of Roberto's arm to join him in getting a table.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Rio is one of the things Roberto is passionate about and it shows how he talks about the city. He goes on a little talking about old friends and things they did there, before he nods about No Man's Land. "Must have been rough, glad your family was out of the worst of it." The Atlantic tidal wave that had laid Gotham low was no more than a ripple by the time it reached the coast of Brazil. It was very much a 'thing that happened over there' for him, even if it hit closer to home (literally) for Steph.

"What happened when it came? Did you actually see the wave?" he asks trying to get a sense of what it must have been like.

Though when they reach the restaurant the disaster talk stops and he leads her inside. "'Course not," he grins. "This place is fantastic. Despite the name."

Roberto is definitely a regular and they're happy to seat him and give over menus to the pair. "So," Roberto says. "Do we each order our own, or do we take a major relationship risk and order one to share?" he asks her with a grin.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie walks with Roberto to the table, saying, "I would like to see Brazil someday. I'd love to travel, oh God. Everywhere. So many places worth seeing."

Once she's seated she pauses as she gathers her memories. "Well, we were watching on TV, the reports of the battle. I was a huge fan of The Invisible Woman. Dressed up like her for Halloween the year before," she says.

Stephanie lets out a breath. "So, we saw the footage of the wave heading for shore. And... I don't remember too much beyond that. My mom grabbing me and running out. There was a car. I don't even know whose. I should ask her. We never saw the wave, headed inland. It didn't make it in as far as where we lived. Though I remember seeing the area along the coast later, how it was just... washed away so much of it. Wreckage everywhere.

She draws another breath and lets it out. She's happy to turn to nicer topics. Like pizza toppings. "Hrm. It /is/ a risk. You aren't going to load it up with vegetables are you? Or get one of those pizzas with chicken and bbq sauce instead of real sauce?" She asks, casting a suspicious look at him.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
"Sure, but if you had to pick your top three places you wanted to go, which would they be?" Roberto asks her before grinning and adding. "And why, answer in essay format of course."

"She's cool. Met her one time we're members of the same club," he says of Sue Storm. Then he nods about the rest. "Sounds like some crazy disaster film," he says reaching over to offer Steph his hand. "Glad you made it out okay."

Then when it comes to pizza, he grins, "One chicken and barbeque is awesome on pizza, you heathen," he teases her with an attempt at an officious looking face that's ruined by the laughter reflected in his dark eyes. "And two, veggie's on pizza are an abomination to both man and god. I'm all for meat on my pie."

"What do you think of number 12?" It's an 'Italian Deli' style pizza, thin crust, pepperoni, salami, capicola, italian sausage, with good regular tomato sauce. "Just a little bit spicy, but not oh my god my mouth's on fire."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie gasps when Roberto says that about chicken and barbeque. "Ok, see, that's a chicken sandwich with fancy breading. That's not /pizza/," she protests to him. "Chicken sandwiches are ok, but pizza is pizza! And, ok you get a pass for the toppings. Long as it once walked under its own power it's ok as a pizza topping. Though I might at least try pineapple one day. /Maybe/."

Stephanie nods at his choice. "Sounds good," she agrees of the pizza selection. "And that's just how I like spicy things. A little bit of heat but not enough it stops me from eating it while I'm eating it."

She pushes her menu aside, letting Roberto order for them as she goes back to the travel question. "Well, I think Rome has to be number one. Just so much to see there I could imagine spending weeks if I could. And... #2 probably a tropical island somewhere. Hawaii would work, Tahiti, whatever? Number three? Some of those Mediterranean places that like, James Bond plays baccarat. With the blue water that you can't believe is real, and the gleaming white buildings along the water front. Greece of the French Riviera or Monaco. It's kind of all dream destinations though," she says. The words are out before she realizes, he's probably been to those places, or could go if not. "Rio, admittedly, is moving up the list gradually."

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto laughs at her critique of chicken and BBQ sauce on pizza. "Soooo, what I am hearing is you want a number 23?" he asks her with a grin. It was exactly that. Though there's a nod about veggies. "Mushrooms are sometimes okay, but not those out of a can bland ones, but good ones."

He snappoints on the spice, "Exactly. But then I might have a different idea of what's too spicy coming from Brazil, though Sam and Doug have had this one without any problems and they're about as American as you can get."

Roberto does a mental count off. Rome? Yep. Island? Yep. The Med? Yep. "Rome is amazing," he confirms. "A lot to see and do," he says before admitting. "I was sort of into this girl that was big on Rome," if only Steph knew how into Rome she was. "Like ancient Rome, so sort of had a motive to learn a lot about the place. Tropical islands are fun, Tahiti and Hawaii are too touristy though, my go to is Boracay in the Philippines. It's amazing, all that blue water and sandy beaches, fewer crowds, plus, your dollar goes a long way. As for the Med, can't go wrong with Santorini, in Greece. Amazing island, all those white buildings and blue roofs, definitely one of the best places I've visited."

He smiles a little sheepishly then. "And I'm totally one-percenting it, aren't I?" he says. "Sorry about that, but yeah, mom and I liked to travel on my summer vacations since it was always winter back home in Brazil." And it got them away from his dad.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown seems more than happy to try the pizza he chose. When the waiter comes by to take their order, she gets an iced tea to go with it. Stephanie rests her arms along the edge of the table, one over the other as she listens to Roberto.

"Wow, and I haven't even heard of... Boracay was it?" she asks, giving a soft laugh. "Just realizing how hard I'm going to have to work to keep your interest," she says in one of those tones that is mostly teasing but where the words also probably hold significant nuggets of truth.

"Actually I have some friends that are probably a bit more well-traveled too, so I'm somewhat used to it," she comments. "And, no, don't apologize. This is your life. You don't need to say sorry for who you are. I mean, I like who I see. And not because of those other things, but they are part of who you are and how you became who you are today," Stephanie tells him.

She rests her head on her hand. "Though if you tell me I'm not competing with an Italian girl with a knowledge of ancient civilizations that would probably do me well," she says with a soft, pretty smile for Roberto.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto orders a large for the both of them on the off chance Steph had an appetite and besides if there was more than the pair could eat leftovers were not unwelcome where pizza was concerned.

Roberto nods, with a smile about keeping his interest, leaning forward and saying, "Not that hard, we just have to go on a trip after graduation, I'll help you catch up." Like her remark he was joking but there was a hint of a real offer there too.

"Oh? Who are these friends, maybe I know them?" he asks before smiling at her words. "Glad I don't have to hide who I am," ahem. "And just so you know, I don't care you haven't gotten out of Gotham much, you're still fun to be around, and like I was saying earlier, just means I get to show you those places one day, if all this works out." He reaches across the table for her hand. "And no, don't need to worry about Amara, it was just a crush. And very much over."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie's hand is ready to be taken, resting her fingers in his and smiling a soft, blue-eyed smile back to him. She answers the question about who she's talking about when she says, "A couple of members of the Wayne family. They live in the area," she says, making the factual statement and letting it be misinterpreted as how she might have gotten to know any of that extremely wealthy family.

Stephanie gently squeezes Roberto's hand. "So I can see why you like it around here. It's a nice area," she says, glancing out the windows towards the rest of Salem Center. "And you only have a few months before graduation. Do you know yet what you're going to do after? Will you be going back to Rio already then?" she asks, her head tilting a little bit, and trying to keep her expression from showing how much she hopes the answer is a no.

Roberto da Costa has posed:
"Wait, you know the Waynes?" Roberto asks, surprised. "I mean like, know them know them?" He says suddenly curious. He only knew them by reputation, rich as hell, but responsible corporate leaders for their city as well. Something Roberto hoped to emulate when he got the reins of da Costa International.

As for his future plans? He squeezes Steph's hand. "Nah, sticking around New York and Jersey. Got in at Columbia, but weighing my options right now. Still got a bit of time before I need to pick a school. How about you? Still working on the funding side of things? Sounded like your friend Barbara was willing to help you out there."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie gives a slow nod of her head, her eyes drifting away from Roberto as she picks her words. "Well, some of them I know better than others. I'm... still not really sure that Bruce Wayne thinks very much of me," she says quietly, in a bit of honesty that doesn't really express the situation fully. "But, his ward, Tim. The Tim I mentioned who was my Lamaze coach? That Tim," she says with a little shrug.

"But we're just friends. We still keep in touch, and actually just saw him recently," she says. "And yes, Barbara said she'd see what she could do to help out." Stephanie sort of hoped she wasn't going to hack the Registrar's Office and just put her name on the list. She wanted to earn it. But... was she that proud she'd say no?

She still wasn't sure.

Stephanie nods and says, "I put in my application. And... well, it'll depend on the financial aid, I think. I have a little bit of college savings. And I'm not really sure what Mom can do. I know we made our pact, but I know there are limits, and I don't want her in a bad way trying to make things work."

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto chuckles, "Wow, so you don't so much know the Waynes as dated one of them," he says, there's nothing but amusement there, no jealousy. "That's pretty impressive.What's Bruce Wayne like? I've never met him." He might be a little bit star struck.

As to the school business, he nods, "I get wanting to do it on your own, but hey it's your future so I say if you get a chance to go, take it, and then prove yourself once you're there.It's a really good school and graduating from a place like that could do good things for you."

He snorts and has a sip of his drink. "God, sorry, I sound like a guidance counsellor."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie hesitates and then says, "Well, yes, dated. I mean, I don't know about impressive it was... a comedy of errors. And it wasn't... it didn't have anything to do with him being a Wayne, I didn't even realize that for quite awhile," she says.

Stephanie also hesitates about how to describe Bruce. "It's kind of hard to say. There's a lot of different sides to him," she says slowly. "And, well, I don't know that I was ever in that good of standing with him," she says, in a vast understatement.

She gives a soft sigh and squeezes Roberto's hand, as if to pull herself out of those memories. She looks over at Roberto and makes intentionally goofy love-eyes at him. "You make a dreamy guidance counselor," she teases before lapsing into a soft smile. "I probably will, go to Gotham, if I'm accepted," she says. "And if I can't handle it financially, well, there's always Coventry Community College. The Fighting Beavers," she says. "I hear they have a very good badminton team too. Top notch."

Roberto da Costa has posed:
"Wow that sounds? Shakespearean, comedy of errors, mistaken identities," Roberto says leaning on his hand. "Do tell. I mean, if you want to."

There's a nod about Bruce Wayne. "Did he give you rich patriarch face?" he asks doing his best impression of his father's inscrutable expression, the one his father wore dealing with people he thought were less than him, which was most people back home in Brazil. "And of course you weren't," Roberto says. "I mean you were dating his kid, dads, especially rich dads are picky about that, they're used to controlling everything, so when their kid goes and dates someone they didn't pick for them, they get a stick up the ass. I know my dad did when my first girlfriend wasn't from a good family but was the daughter of our gardener." He shrugs.

He laughs at the guidance counsellor bit, "Not very ethical to be taking you out on a date then is it?" he says before he flinches hard hearing the name of the college team. "Yikes, you're so not going to be a Fighting Beaver, even if I have to have my dad buy the school a library or something," he says wrinkling his nose.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie gives a wry grin and shakes her head. "No, not that sort of thing, just, well his last name is Drake, not Wayne. He was adopted when he was younger after his parents died. And I didn't even know his last name for quite awhile," Stephanie says. Or that his name was Tim, and not Robin.

Another shake of her head results at the questions about Bruce. "No no, it wasn't that. Or, that is, it wasn't about money. Actually it wasn't even... I don't think he disapproved of me dating Tim. He just didn't think a lot of me, I wasn't up to his standards of what he thought a person should be. But, even so he never tried to stop me from seeing Tim. It's... hard to explain. I don't want you to come away with a bad view of him, because, that's not really it," she says, wincing at how hard it is to describe. He thinks she's a crappy caped crimefighter, not that he's not good enough for his son. But how do you say that without revealing the whole vigilante thing?

"Well, anyway," she says and then laughs about the community college nickname. "I know right? It's like, you'd think they'd already be self-conscious about being a small school, so they'd go for something a little better for a name. What about your school here, what's their mascot?"

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto arches a brow, enjoying all the hot tea that Steph is spilling about her time with the Waynes. "So wait, you guys were together, but you didn't know his last name?" he asks. "I mean, you'd know, but you're sure you guys weren't gettin' it on? Cuz, the only people I've 'dated' who didn't know my last name were random hook ups." No judgement there, just amused teasing.

Roberto's brows knit at the stuff about Bruce, that didn't really make too much sense. "So, what you're saying is he's 'eccentric'." Rich person for crazy.

"Well might as well own it," he agrees about CCC. "Though really if they wanted something relatively small and furry they should have gone with a sea otter. The CCC Sea Otters sounds way better than the CCC Beavers."

Their pizza arrives, complete with the little metal spatulas, side plates, and the shakers with peppers and parmesan, pausing the conversation until everything was squared away. After Roberto continues.

"We don't have any formal teams but I guess mascot wise, we're the Xavier's Beasts," he says with a small private grin imagining the look Hank would give him if he ever heard him say that.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
@emit A gentle laugh sounds from Stephanie even as she blushes slightly. "No. We never, you know. I did learn his name eventually, just not for awhile," she tells Roberto, shrugging. "You know, sometimes people in that situation maybe don't want someone to know about their family. Like a Tinsley. If she hadn't known who your family is, would you have seen a bit more of who she was more easily? Not that you didn't seem to catch on as it was."

Stephanie smiles as the food is brought out. She transfers her napkin to her lap. "Fighting Beavers. Because they don't want anyone to think they are some kind of placid beaver or something," she says with a soft laugh.

Stephanie serves up the food for them, putting a slice on Roberto's plate and then one on her own. "The Beasts? That's kind of ferocious sounding. Though I can't imagine the women's teams are too happy about the name," she says, pointing the fact out with the spatula.

She pauses and looks at the spatula. "That's a fine looking spatula. Think it came from that store up the road?"

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto nods, reaching over to place his hand on Stephanie's arm in reassurance. "I didn't think you did, I was mostly teasing, it's just odd not to know a guy's last name, especially for a girl like you," a good girl. "But hey, things are weird sometimes and it sounds like you and Tim were one of those times. Glad he stuck around as your friend though."

"Right?" he says of the Beavers. "And yeah but then, we don't have any serious teams, mostly because there's not a ton of students. Broke my heart there was no soccer team when I came to the school. I was top ranked back home, y'know for thirteen year olds, but alas, higher education got in the way of my soccer dreams," he says before grinning. "Kept the soccer abs though as you know."

"I'd hope so, this place and the Burger Joint getting their spatulas from that place lowers the odds it's some sort of front for evil."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
He just had to bring up the place being a front for evil. Stephanie's investigative side is wondering. Not like Penguin would be running something like that out here, but the mob is everywhere.

Though she pushes the thought out of her head and instead just smiles across at the Brazilian, the gentle lighting of the place providing a rather romantic ambience. "Yes, but then you'd be off on some international pitch somewhere, with adoring girls throwing their bikini tops at you. Or whatever soccer groupies do. And... wait I'm not making that life sound unappealing now, am I?" she asks.

Stephanie glances down Roberto, towards the aforementioned abs. "That was probably wise, keeping those," she tells him with a small smile. "Is there a thing like that for gymnasts? It's our butts isn't it? Gymnast butt?"

Roberto da Costa has posed:
Roberto cocks his head when Steph seems to disappear into her thoughts, he smles at her, asking "Where'd you go?" when she seems to come out of it.

He laughs at the ideas of girls throwing their bikini tops at him. "Well, I don't need to be a soccer star for that, there's topless beaches back home so..." he says with a devilish grin before shaking his head about making things sound unappealing. "Nah, not at all."

As for soccer abs, vs gymnast butts. He just takes a diplomatic sip of his drink and answers, "No comment." Remembering the picture she had in her phone in her gymnast gear.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
The blond teen just gives a little shake of her head at the question about her thoughts. "Was just thinking about mafia fronting your spatula place. Honestly it seems to farfetched for a front, doesn't it?" she says, laughing softly. "Almost more of a tourist destination."

Stephanie takes a bite of her pizza as she listens to Roberto. "Ok, now I know where your inexhaustible drive for certain things comes from," she says with a warm laugh.

The 'no comment' gets a curious look from Stephanie. She looks at Roberto, and then tries to peer over her shoulder at her behind where it sits in the chair. Back at Roberto. Back over her shoulder.

She grins to him and takes another bite of pizza. "So I still have awhile after we finish dinner, before I have to head back to the HyperLoop," she says. "Any other interesting places in town to show me?"

Roberto da Costa has posed:
"Ah," Roberto says with a smile at how Steph's mind works. "Maybe it's the lair of a spatula themed villain?" he suggests. "Barbara would be happy," he says remembering her remarks about a lack of food themed villains. "I mean that's food adjacent." He gives a nod for it being a tourist thing. "And likely an homage to that Weird Al movie," he says. He means UHF with the fake ad for Spatula City (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BUDwj_mXKE).

Roberto shrugs innocently as he piles on some chili flakes onto his pizza, taking a bite and mmming to himself. Still no comment on the butt thing.

He swallows down his bite of pizza. "Breakstone Lake is nice, it borders on the school grounds so you can see our boat house," a beat. "God that sounds bougie, but there's a spot that's on public property I could drive us around to."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie watches the chili flakes get added to the pizza. "You spicy Latin men," she says with a shake of her head and a grin as she takes another bite of her pizza. "That sounds nice. Let's do that," she agrees of the lake.

Stephanie glances around the restaurant. "Thanks for taking me out tonight," she tells him. I've had a good time. Good movie. Good company. Good food." She reaches over and finds his unoccupied hand to give it a little squeeze. "I might even be willing to call this a fourth date," she says, her eyes flitting about as if she'll have to make up her mind.