Though it ain't for me lately it don't faze me

[centralsgreatest]

WHO: Wally West sans costume and YOU
WHERE: All over town, on the streets, in stores, in restaurants of every kind
WHEN: Today
WARNINGS: None
SUMMARY: Wally goes for a walk. Yes, a walk.
FORMAT: Whichever you prefer, I’m not picky!

For all that he hates waiting for anything, there were some things that Wally liked to take slow. Enjoying good company was one of them. Going on a walk through town. Enjoying life when there weren’t any disasters. As he walked through the city he wore a small smile, taking deep breaths of the polluted air and occasionally catching a whiff of flowers, or something cooking in a nearby restaurant. He stopped often for food. He didn’t have to eat as much when he hadn’t been running, but the hunger was always there.

He would need a job. There was no easy way around it. Even with an allowance and the apartment provided him by Stark Industries, his food bills were going to put a very large dent in his lifestyle. He kept an eye out for help wanted signs as he walked, for anything from food service to retail. What he really wanted was to get a job in the forensics lab like back home, but he imagined that was a whole lot easier said than done. Oh well. Times were hard and beggars couldn’t be choosers. He would have to make do.

Wally would make conversation everywhere he went, talking to cashiers and the homeless and even the occasional stranger waiting in line. As long as he kept the topic away from ImPorts and politics, he did alright. Otherwise, he was getting to be very good at making a polite escape.

Comments

[cheerhealer]

"Welcome!" She was the perfect picture of a cheery blonde waitress, hair pulled back into a short braid. Her uniform is very unflattering, with the word IMPORT underneath her nametag, but she could handle the snide remarks that came her way. The fake Chipotle-esque restaurant had a very homey feel to it; it was quick service, a waitress coming to the booth or table and taking your order, then about twenty or so minutes later the food would arrive.

It was the best she could do at the moment. She handed him a menu, leading him towards a booth by a window showcasing the street. "Follow me, please. I'm Claire, I'll be your server today."

[centralsgreatest]

It was plenty for Wally. He glanced discreetly at the nametag, as much to make sure he had her name right as to frown at the "IMPORT" label. Things like that were just asking for trouble, and he resolved that she would get a good tip from him even if he couldn't really afford it right now.

"Thanks Claire," he offered politely with a genuine smile. "What have you got on special today?"

[cheerhealer]

"Today's special is a taco salad bowl with guac and steak." She stood beside the table, an arm extended for him to sit. Adjacent to him was an old movie poster from the 1960s. "It's current price is-- uh--" She glanced down at her notepad, where management always kept a handy list of weekly specials. "--$9. It's a steal, really." She leaned in closer to him, a sly grin on her face.

"It's normally like $15."

[centralsgreatest]

Wally took the seat offered, glancing for a moment up at the poster and then around the room to get his bearings. It really was a nice little restaurant. Just like back home.

"No kidding?" He laughed, surprised by how good the deal actually was. "I'd be crazy to pass that up then, wouldn't I?"

[cheerhealer]

Claire nodded with a grin, leaning back and adjusting her weight onto her left leg. "More than a little crazy."

She tapped her pen against the notepad. She was getting the hang of this waitress thing, kind of. "Would you like anything else?"

[centralsgreatest]

"A coke and a club sandwich would be perfect," he concluded after a brief glance at the menu. He was going to be broke in a matter of days, but at least he wouldn't be hungry.

[cheerhealer]

"Alright, I'll be back in a minute." Another waitress came around with the coke after she left, but a few minutes after that, Claire returned with the club sandwich on a plate, complete with the mandatory side of fries.

"Here you go."

[centralsgreatest]

Wally set down his coke and gave her a broad grin when she set down the sandwich.

"My hero."

[cheerhealer]

She grinned, placing a hand on her hip and puffing out her chest a little. "You need a hero, I need someone to save."

She laughed, a short, simple laugh. Carefree. God, how long had it been since she'd actually laughed like that? The memory of her conversation with Peter resonated in her mind, and her grin degenerated into a small smile as she laid the check down beside the plate.

"Just let me know when you're ready to pay the bill. You don't want to dine and dash here; I was defensive player of the year back home."

[retconman]

Just that morning Max Lord (and company) had returned to the City, finally, from their diplomatic world tour and now here Max was, wandering groggily into a restaurant looking for a little late lunch.

Slinking through to take a glance at the menu, he caught a familiar looking face in his peripheral vision and did a double-take, hiding behind the menu for a moment while he confirmed that he was looking at someone that reminded him a great deal of Wally West. There was something different about him, enough that made Max wonder if this was either a different Wally than the one he knew or someone else entirely, and would it be worth it to try and speak with him?

No point in avoiding, he supposed. If it was Wally, it was better to be upfront before something backfired. "Wally? Is that you?"

[centralsgreatest]

Wally looked up from his meal and glanced around, lookin for the source of the voice. He didn't see anyone he recognized. He did, however, see someone looking straight at him. He did hear his name after all.

"Huh? Sorry, do I know you?" He pointed at himself as though to ask, you were talkin to me, right?

[retconman]

Max smiled, walking in Wally's direction. "Well, normally you do. I'm Maxwell Lord. I've done a lot of work alongside the Justice League International and the Justice League of America, where I'm from."

He offered his hand. "You are Wally West, right?"

[centralsgreatest]

Wally set down his sandwich and slid out of his chair to shake the man's hand. It was only polite after all, even if he was utterly confused.

"I can't say I've heard the name. But yeah, I'm Wally West. This must be another one of those alternate universe things, huh?"

[retconman]

Max shook, smiling apologetically. "I don't mean to interrupt your lunch. I see a familiar face and I think to myself, now there's--"

Then he shook his head to cut off that tangent. "It must be an alternate universe complication. I was their manager; not a Leaguer, myself. Here I manage the Avengers, maybe you've heard of them? It didn't seem like there was much in the way of an active Justice League."

[centralsgreatest]

Wally shook his head.

"Nah, it's fine. There's a lot of that going around. The alternate universe stuff." It seemed to him that he was the only one here from his universe. It was a bit disheartening, but it didn't stop him from making new friends.

"Avengers, now that sounds familiar. They been in the paper recently?"

[retconman]

Smiling, Max put his menu down.

"They usually are. Or the news. You know how super-teams get around." He idly adjusted his tie. "It's relatively common. Different universes, different timelines... you almost need a directory to keep track of it all. I don't suppose you've had any trouble adjusting, have you?"

[centralsgreatest]

"Who, me? Never." He was still desperate for work and quickly running out of money, but he would find a way to get by. He always did. Wally gestured back towards his table.

"Want to sit?"

[gevurah]

Because parking involves circling a block half a dozen times in not New York, Kate opts to walk places when it's in close distance of her apartment. It's no difficult feat for her, anyway. Once you've run thirty-six miles with broken ribs, burned lungs and a dislocated arm, everything else seems like a piece of cake.

She isn't familiar with Wally and carries on past him, holding a plastic bag in her hands. She notes the bicyclist coming at her from ahead and moves toward the side, but the other guy seems to have his attention elsewhere. He manages to evade Kate in time, but his handle catches the side of the bag and it tears, half of its grocery content spilling onto the sidewalk.

"Hey-- ugh." She rolls her eyes as the cyclist disappears down the block.

[centralsgreatest]

Wally's never heard of Katherine Kane, or Batwoman for that matter, but he knows a near-collision when he sees one about to happen and when groceries spill onto the concrete he doesn't hesitate a moment before rushing out (at a perfectly human speed, forget his secret identity being exposed on the network) to grab the items closest to oncoming traffic. Nothing will ruin a day like a carton of milk getting run over in the road.

"Hey, miss, are you alright?" He looks up at the redhead as he gathers what he can reach of her groceries. "That guy nearly hit you."

[gevurah]

"I'm fine. He didn't clip me," she collects a couple of the small cans and then the bread that luckily wasn't compacted by the handlebars. She can't say the same for the eggs she was bringing home. She pops open the box and sees three of the eggs have cracked and the yolk is leaking through the package.

"Can't say the same for the eggs."

[centralsgreatest]

Wally eyes the mess over her arm with a sympathetic frown. It was lucky more of the eggs didn't crack.

"Man, that blows. But at least nobody got hurt." That much they can be thankful for, always. He cradles the rescued groceries in his arms, not sure what to do with them now that the bag is torn.

"You need a hand getting these home?"

[gevurah]

Kate pauses, contemplating the offer. It's not a far walk and it'd be easy with two people. She didn't she needed her own purse when she went out earlier, only needing a few things from the grocery.

"I could, thanks." She smiles a little, "My place isn't far from here."

[centralsgreatest]

"Perfect," Wally answered with a grin. Hopefully they'd be able to get the rest of her groceries home without any more problems.

"I'm Wally, by the way. Wally West."

[gevurah]

She'd offer her hand, though she needs it to scoop up the rest of the items. Finding a suitable balance for the groceries in her arms, she stands up and begins walking.

"Kate Kane." Since she can't be sure if he's an imPort or native... "Hopefully I'm not prolonging any plans of yours."

[centralsgreatest]

Even if she offers her hand he doesn't have any free to shake it with because of how he's cradling her groceries.

"Oh, I don't have any plans. I'm just out for a walk anyway."