the most wonderful time of the year

[batmantled.livejournal.com]

WHO: BATFAM and friends!
WHERE: The Bathouse
WHEN: Thanksgiving Day
WARNINGS: batangst, family drama, look who’s in this log
SUMMARY: holy shit Dick invited everyone now what do
FORMAT: words



[ When all is said and done, the place really does clean up pretty nicely. No visible cluttery mess aside from that half-assembled Christmas tree in the corner of the living room, and there’s appropriate mood music on in the background. Make yourself at home and grab some food before it’s gone. ]

Comments

[futurebatwoman]

[She's brought rolls, and is sort of hoping to maybe slink in and get established somewhere. Maybe she'll feel less awkward about this whole thing then.]

[batghoul.livejournal.com]

[Cass, never one for socializing, is also sneaking around the outskirts of the gathering when she practically runs into Max. She blinks a few times in surprise, wondering who exactly this person is.]

Oh. Um. Hi.

[futurebatwoman]

[Max is a little bit taken aback too. She doesn't know who this person is, and that this Batfamily is so much bigger than the one she knows is kind of unsettling. She smiles a little weakly.]

Hi. I'm Max.

[batghoul.livejournal.com]

Cassandra.

[She smiles awkwardly and sticks out her hand.]

You know, um... [She points a finger toward Dick. He's the type of person who knows everyone. Surely that's how she got invited!]

[futurebatwoman]

[She takes her hand and shakes it, looking over at Dick.]

Yeah. Sort of. It's complicated.

But yeah, he invited me. You know him too?

[batghoul.livejournal.com]

[She nods in understanding. Things are always complicated in the Bat Family.]

Yes. He's, uh... part of my family.

[futurebatwoman]

[Definitely Bat Family then, and one she doesn't know, so alternate universe.]

He's got a pretty big family here, huh?

[batghoul.livejournal.com]

Yes.

How do you... know him?

[futurebatwoman]

From an alternate timeline future. [Sounds weirder every time she says it, she swears.]

It's kind of complicated.

[batmantled.livejournal.com]

[ Yeah, he figures she might be feeling a little out of place. But it's Thanksgiving, and nobody should be by themselves. He'll head on over when he catches sight of her and offer a hand to shake. ]

Max, right? Glad you could make it.

[futurebatwoman]

[She takes his hand and shakes it firmly, standing as straight as she can. She would kind of really like to make a good first in-person impression.]

Yeah, I'm Max. Thank you for the invitation. It. Means a lot to me.

[batmantled.livejournal.com]

Hey, don't mention it. We're glad to have you. [ He lets go with a grin and then glances back over his shoulder. ]

So who all here do you know already?

[futurebatwoman]

No one, really. But I'm a champion mingler. I'll be fine.

[batmantled.livejournal.com]

Winning policy. [ But really, he'll feel bad if he doesn't try and help out a little. ]

How you been settling in?

[futurebatwoman]

Pretty well. It's been interesting. I mean, I could have done with the Scarecrow thing, but mostly things are going fine. How are you guys doing?

[batmantled.livejournal.com]

[ He... almost can't help but tense up a little at the mention of Scarecrow. He hasn't really found a way yet to grill her on how many pieces to the puzzle she might have picked up from Terry, and now doesn't seem to be the best time either.

But it's not as if it wasn't a public, dramatic, city-shaking event. It could just be nothing. ]

Things have been a little rough since we lost Bruce, but aside from that I think we're okay. Trying to make the city a better place any way we can.

[futurebatwoman]

[She's just going to smoothly pretend he didn't just get a little tense give her that look.]

A Wayne specialty. It's nice to know someone's looking out for it.

[foreverbouncing]

Dude, girl I don't know! Hi!

[Suddenly there is a very nosey redheaded teen standing next to Max, peering at her and almost vibrating in place. She's got a can of Pepsi Throwback in her hand, so someone was foolish enough to give her sugar.]

[futurebatwoman]

[Max smiles. This level of hyperactiveness is familiar to her from her many hours babysitting Matt, and she finds it kind of endearing. She sticks out her hand.]

Hi! I'm Max. Sort of new, which would be why you don't know me.

[foreverbouncing]

Cool. I'm Charlie. [The offered hand was taken and shaken probably slightly too fast, and Charlie at least managed to look a bit embarrassed as she tugged her hand back and took a swig of her soda.]

Sooooo...who do you know? [She gave a vague sort of hand wave at the crowd in that 'so how'd you get invited, new blood' sort of way.]

[futurebatwoman]

[Max just grins. She can deal with hyperactive. The question, on the other hand, is kind of complicated to answer. She decides to go for the white lie.]

Dick and Tim. [There's a short pause as she tries to decide whether she could say more safely.] In a complicated alternate timeline way.

[foreverbouncing]

Oh those are the best. We've had... [A little pause as she thinks about it.] Future alternate timeline Batman, Future alternate timeline Huntress, Future Alternate timeline old ba-

[She cuts herself off and frowns for a sec. Oh right. Secret identities. Crud.]

Old...bruce wayne...guy. Who is completely unrelated to all of those other people.

[Good recovery, or BEST recovery?]

[futurebatwoman]

Wow. [She doesn't feel quite so awkward suddenly.] Wait, there was an old Bruce Wayne here? [Her Bruce? She sounds almost wistful.] I wonder if he was from my timeline.

[She's just going to valiantly ignore Charlie's secret identities slip up and let her have her awesome recovery.]

[foreverbouncing]

[Charlie looks rather grateful about that.]

I didn't really talk to him. Just saw him around and stuff, he wasn't here very long. [She shrugs.] That happens all the time. People turn up but only for like, a week or sometimes a month.

Or they'll be here and gone in days.

[futurebatwoman]

[She is, however, putting two and two together and realizing that Charlie knows Batfamily secret identities, which indicates she's Batfamily too. There just keep being more of them.]

That's got to weird to deal with. How long have you been around here?