concoursec | I know want to know today, know today, know today

Entry tags:

I know want to know today, know today, know today

Character(s):Location: Outside Artemis' Dorm.
Rating: PG
Open/Closed/Finished: Closed
Summary: With Robin being gone, Wally's looking for a way to distract himself. Artemis is good for that! Plus, the two have to talk about that whole denial thing.

The week had started off with such promise. Wally was feeling pretty pleased with himself. By applying his science know how and chemistry skills, his baking venture with M'gann had been a success. Granted, he baked most of the easy stuff but he was still all for giving himself a pat on the back.

Then the week took a sudden and sharp down turn. Robin was no where to be found. No matter how many times he ran around the school, he couldn't find any trace of him. He'd been here long enough now that he had an idea of what that meant. At least one of them was back home, but that didn't help with the loneliness he was feeling. Sure, he'd eventually go home and see his best friend again, but that could be months, even years! Stupid archaic technology, and stupid meddling"magic". The more he learned about magic, the more he came to hate it.

After a day or two of moping, he decided he needed some distractions. Researching the technology in this world only left him more frustrated than distracted. Fortunately, there's one activity that's always good for a distraction; annoying Artemis. After all of the showboating she did while she had his powers, he felt like showing off to her. He still had some baked good left overs. He was pretty sure even she wouldn't be able to deny they tasted good. Then he could tell how he used his smarts and speed to make them, on top of all of the other awesome things he can do with them.

That was the plan at least.

Unfortunately she wasn't there when he arrived and his mind got to thinking about Robin being gone again. When he arrived at the dorm, he had 12 lemon bars with him. Now he was down to two. He's propped against the wall, sighing to himself, and finishing off the 10th lemon bar.

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Maybe Artemis and Robin hadn't been the closest of friends, but he'd been a teammate and someone she'd trusted. Loosing that without warning really sucked. However, she reasoned that she should be used to it by now. People have always had this nasty habit of walking out of her life after all. Why should that change just because she was a hero or on another world entirely?

So Artemis dealt with her blues in her own way. Which typically meant leaving the school and running through the forest on her own. The run always cleared her head and fighting off any monsters that approached her did wonders for keeping her mind busy. Why the forest and not the training center? That was easy, she was still trying to keep most of her skill set under wraps so she couldn't really let lose in the Training Center. So she did her acrobatics and her crazy shots in the privacy of the woods that most people seemed to avoid.

It was after one such run that she came back to her room to see Wally waiting outside of her door. She'd showered elsewhere before heading back to her room so her hair was hanging in a damp mass down her back. For once it wasn't pulled back into a ponytail which just proved that Artemis had a lot of hair. Stopping a few feet away from Wally, she tilted her head a little bit looking him over skeptically.

She'd been avoiding him lately, but there was nothing to do about it when he was right there. Even then she really did feel a little bad for him. Robin was his best friend after all and losing that had to suck. Not that she'd tell him she felt sorry for him, that was the last thing she'd admit to. Well... almost the last thing. Admitting to her feelings technically had that last spot.

"What are you doing here?"

Whoops. So much for being on the look out. Wally was so lost in his thoughts and food, that he didn't hear her approach him. Looks up at her with a startled look, not to mention some crumbs on his lips and holding a small remnant of his lemon bar. Shoves the rest of it into his mouth, swallows it, and cleans his lips off with his tongue.

"Sheesh, hi to you too."

Gets up from the ground and lifts the plate he had been carrying up with him. If he hadn't been so annoyed by her initial greeting, he might have taken the time to admire what she looked like with her hair down. Instead he shoots her an annoyed look.

"I was actually here to share some of my, uhh..."

Eyes his plate for a second to make sure there are actually some lemon bars left. If she had come a few seconds later, there would probably be all of one bite left. But since there's a couple left, he continues on.

"Of my awesome lemon bars. Some people, you know, have manners and do stuff like sharing. Instead of getting an attitude for no good reason."

Her hair was still damp so it did a good job of clinging to her for the most part. Not to mention the fact that her shirt had done a great job sucking up some of the moisture. She hadn't really cared about it initially because it was just water and it'd dry, but right now she's beginning to regret that decision. Crossing her arms awkwardly she refuses to look at him at first.

"Right... hi."

When he gets up it pulls her attention back though and she watches him awkwardly heft the plate of lemon bars with him. This confused her a little bit. Why on earth would he be there to share food with her of all people? Sure Robin might not be here, but she'd always been under the impression that Wally was friends with Conner too.

"Let me get this straight. You're here to share lemon bars. With me."

Her skepticism showed both from her words and the expression on her face.

"Right. The guy who talks with his mouth full is trying to give me a lesson on manners and sharing. That totally makes sense. So what'd you do poison them or something?"

"No, I didn't. And because they taste awesome, but I know what you're like. If I gave them out to the rest of the team without letting you try them first, you'd go on and on about how they really sucked."

Holds the plate out to her and now that he's looking at her, he gives her a quick look over. He could get used to her wearing her hair down. Quickly looks back up at her face. Focus! That is not the distraction he was looking for. If she catches him checking her out, it will lead to one heckuva a headache...and why is he even checking her out?!

"So, here you go. Try one in the name of science. Poison free and filled with delicious lemon goodness instead."

Now he's starting to wish he'd made more of them. Nothing quite like drowning ones woes in an endless plate of baked goods. Maybe he'll track M'gann down later and get the recipe from her. If Robin was still here and knew he was baking on his own, he'd never hear the end of it. As annoying as Robin can be with his trolled, he'd rather be trolled by him than not have him around at all.

You know what? One of those lemon bars is scooped up and shoved into his face. Artemis better act fast or the last remaining lemon bar is going to end up in his stomach as well.

"The only way you're giving these to the reset of the team is if they're in your stomach."

He just had to go and prove her point by shoving one of the few remaining lemon bars into his mouth. She just had to roll her eyes at that. He was just so predictable sometimes. That said they did smell really good and after her workout she's starving. So reaching out, she snatched the last remaining lemon bar before Wally had a chance to scarf it down.

"Unless you expect the rest of the team to split a few crumbs between the three of them? Because I've got to say if that's the case your portion sizes need some major work."

Taking a small bite Artemis had to admit that it's actually pretty good. Which was probably why it didn't take long after that for her to demolish the rest of it.

"Guess it wasn't that bad. Could have been a lot better."

Could have been bigger too, she was still hungry and that lemon bar just served as a reminder of the fact that it had been a while since she'd eaten.

Edited 2011-10-09 09:49 (UTC)

"Because I can't make any more of them or anything like that."

There's plenty of sarcasm to go along with those words. Though he secretly agrees with the portion sizes. Because really, how can you say no to more food?

The smirk on his face falters for a moment when she says the three of them; M'gann, Superboy, and Kaldur. Lets out a sigh without meaning to and leans back into the wall.

"Do you think anyone else is going to be sent home? Robin just went...poof. No warning, no nothing. I've heard of some other people disappearing as well, but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it."

Which is really, really aggravating for him. He likes being able to discover patterns and methods. Any time he can make sense out of a situation, he feels at least a little bit better. When there's no logic to be found, it only adds to his frustration and sense of helplessness. Folds his arms across his chest and frowns, knitting his brows together. His mind is attempting to connect some dots and rationalize some of the recent disappearances, but he's not having much luck with it.

"Different batches taste different. So then this doesn't count. Guess you'll have to come back with the next batch too"

She's almost smiling and then she registers what she said and the way his face falters for a brief moment. Then she feels bad, because it's not like she'd been trying to rub his face in Robin's disappearance.

"I don't know." Her voice is soft and there's actually a brief look of concern on her face before she's looking away again. Crossing her arms over her chest she sighs and rubs her bare arms awkwardly. "Guess we should just be prepared for more people to vanish in the future."

It's obvious that she's trying to be at least kind of nice to him right now. Because she let's the chance to rib him about how he could leave anytime pass without saying a word about it.

"I've been looking at the data and it doesn't make any sense. It's like complete and utter chaos. No rhyme, no reason, and no pattern."

"That's where science comes in. If I follow the exact method I did before, then I should yield similar results. Though there is always room for error, since there are conditions I can't control. Like having M'gann there adds a new variable to the equation."

He doesn't say it, but he appreciates her taking a softer tone and not taking a shot at him. He nods his head in agreement with her.

"Exactly. I've been doing the same thing. I mean even if this whole thing -is- magic, the magic I've researched still has some rhyme or reason to it. Look at the Chaos Lords, they just can't go "poof!" into another world. They need something like an anchor to keep them in the new realm."

Closes his eyes over and rests his head against the wall.

"It makes me wonder if there's even any point to anything we do here? I mean, if we don't remember any of this back home, which I am assuming we don't otherwise people coming from different times would have different experiences or have heard from one of their friends about this place, what's the point in doing anything here?

She takes a moment to think about it, before deciding that she might as well chance it.

"How about I be the new variable? I've never made lemon bars, but I do know how to cook."

She looks awkward for having asked, because it's not exactly the sort of thing she's used to asking about. Really Artemis talks a big game, but she's actually just as inexperienced with most of this stuff as Wally is.

"I guess we can't expect the rules to work in every world. Maybe the laws of this universe are different from ours." Not that she's really sure, but so far that's the best she can come up with from the data she's dug through.

Then he asks a question that she actually knows the answer to and it's actually quite reassuring. At least there's something she knows the answer to for once.

"Because we're not the type of people to just sit and do nothing. So we'll continue to take classes, continue to learn, and who knows maybe we'll make a difference for the people on this world before we leave. Sure beats sitting around and moping. Especially if there's a chance we'll be here for years."

Doesn't respond right away to either of the things that she says. He already knows the answer to the question he asked as well. Every word she said is true. They are heroes; whenever there's trouble they respond. Even if they don't remember it, the people here will.

"You're right. Might as well make the best of the situation, and this world might turn out to be some weird dream to us, but it's real for the people here. They're real people with real problems."

Pushes himself off of the wall and looks at her, contemplating the whole variable situation. At some point, he probably should talk to her about what he picked up on before the dinosaur intrusion. But right now, he wants to keep his day simple. With these two, who knows if that will last, but he's going to try anyway.

"And sure. We could go make some now, if you want. I still remember some of the recipes that M'gann used, or at least the general gist of them."

Offers her a small smile. Whatever her intentions are for offering to help him, they are appreciated all the same.

It's not a matter of thinking he doesn't know the answer to his own question, but more the fact that she just needs to voice her thoughts on the matter. She's had similar thoughts herself ad voicing her conclusion out loud in front of him just makes her resolve all the more real.

"Once a hero always a hero. Once you're part of the life it's something you're stuck with no matter where you are."

When her offer to cook with him passes without any sort of barb or insult Artemis visibly relaxes. Maybe thing wouldn't be weird between them after all. At least she can hope things are cool anyway.

"Great. I could use something to eat anyway. I'm starving and food you cook yourself always tastes better somehow."

She returns the smile. It's small and awkard, but at least it's genuine.

"Exactly. And when you're next in line for The Flash mantle, you're definitely a hero for life."

Flashes the quick thumbs up.

"Agreed. It's because you can make it the way you want. Want more kick to it? Done? Want it a little sweeter? Done. Want lots and lots of it? Done and done."

Pats his stomach. He may have devoured 11 of those lemon bars, but there's still plenty of room for more.

"I'll head over to the home EC room and get stuff started up. I'm going to guess you probably want to dry off and get a change of clothes."

Rocks back and forth on his feet, giving her one last look over.

"Wearing your hair down's a good look for you."

And then bam! Off he goes in a blur. Speeds over to the room, picking up various ingredients here and there on the way.

She rolls her eyes at his talk about the Flash mantel, but she's good and skips the lecture about how legacy titles shouldn't have anything to do with the future in the long run.

"And here I thought it was just the sense of accomplishment you get for making something with your own two hands. Silly me." There's sarcasm in her voice, but it's a playful sarcasm aimed to be shared with him not aimed at him for once.

With all the talking she'd forgotten about the fact that she was standing around talking to Wally in a damp t-shirt. That's certainly something she's very aware of now. Crossing her arms tighter over her chest she frowns a little, but it's not like she's trying to chew him out or anything.

"You're right. I'll meet you there in five?" Maybe she'd been going to say more, but the way it's obvious he's looking her over nip that in the bud. Instead her mouth just slam's shut briefly before he's zipping off to the Home Ec room.

Maybe she should clean out her ears too while she's at it. Either way that doesn't matter and when she shows up at the home ec room 4.5 minutes later her hair is pulled back in it's usual ponytail.

"So is the first batch done or should I leave and come back later?"

Wally's different than the rest of the team in that regard. They all want to go on and forge their own identities. Even their code names symbolize a certain degree of independence from their mentors. There's Aqualad, but he won't be Aquaman. That title will likely be passed onto the King's son. Wally on the other hand, -wants- to be The Flash. He has his doubts and insecurities about it, but he wants it all the same.

By the time Artemis arrives, he's already got one batch in the oven and he's helping himself to a huge roll of cookie dough. He takes a massive bite out of it and swallows it.

"You know, I think cookie dough tastes even better than the cookies themselves."

Takes another bite, almost demolishing half of the roll in the process, and then sets it down. He was sitting on the kitchen counter, but now he pushes himself off of it and moves over to her.

"The first batch is the experimental batch. I wanted to try it out without any additional variables at work. The second batch is going to be the controlled batch. We'll work on it together like I did with M'gann, and then compare the two when I'm done."

Gestures towards the ingredients they'll need, and there's some additional flour and frosting as well.

"I thought we could make some extra stuff too. Maybe some brownies or cake, might as well go all out if you're hungry, right?"

Then again Artemis probably has a skewed idea of legacy and things anyway, after all just look at her family. That particular legacy is something she's been fighting in some form or another for a while. Maybe if she had the same sort of family he did, Artemis would be all for the idea too. Who knows?

She probably should have expected him to already be well under way. She's actually fine with this, though she walks over to swipe part of the cookie dough once he sets it down. Might as well get at it before he eats it all.

"I depends on the type of cookie. Sometimes the dough isn't all that." Her finger, covered in cookie dough pops into her mouth then and she makes a small satisfied sound down in her throat.

"This isn't one of them though. That's really good."

Watching him talk about experimental batches and controlled batches Artemis can't help but smile a little bit. Bring science into a subject and he really comes into his own. When he really gets going it's hard to believe he's the same awkward and annoying speedster sometimes.

"Sounds like you've got it all planned out already." She glances over at the ingredients thoughtfully and then smiles again. Really this baking thing is probably just what she needed.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's get started! We can worry about cake vs brownies later."

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I know want to know today, know today, know today

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