013 TEXT LIST TWO/SPAM

[deadliestviper]

Backdated to three days after the Overlook port.

[Locked to Friends (if she's ever told you anything personal, you're on here)]

That port was fucked up for everyone and it hit all of us hard. After going through that I know most of you aren't feeling up to par yet, but when I get anxious, I get antsy. I've laid low to lick my wounds long enough. For the next few hours I'll be playing pool and pretending everything's normal if you've got the energy or inclination to join me.

[Spam, Level 6]

[Rack the balls in the pyramid, set the cue-ball, chalk the cue evenly, line up the shot, break it; Beatrix repeats the pattern over and over again, sinking balls into the table's pockets before starting anew. It's not for practice or any particular love of the game, it's not even for fun. It's just that playing strikes that perfect balance of skilled focus and monotony that allows her to zone out, and the last thing she wanted to do right now was let her mind wander. It was already hard enough to push the images of Sarah and that thing in room 217's bathroom from the forefront of her mind – what she needed, wanted, was someone to talk to, distract her.

But no matter how deeply you repress it, you can't squelch a thought. So by all means, join her, but take care if you point out that she's humming "Love Me Tender."]

Comments

oh they definitely will

[theonlyresponse]

There's people here from a world where the Cuban Missile Crisis involved metahumans. I'm surprised the differences aren't more divergent.

[deadliestviper]

Right, those guys. They seem very proud.

[theonlyresponse]

[This shot of his bounces off a corner instead of going in, so he steps back for Beatrix to take her turn.] You've all been here longer than I have, you'd know better than me. [But his tone suggests he agrees with her completely.]

[deadliestviper]

[When she takes her place she gives him a skeptical look, eyebrows raised.] I don't know about that. You're obviously interested enough to read back over the network. [Lining up this particular shot is careful work; she keeps her eyes on the game as she continues, hoping to prod for a little information of her own in turn.] But I guess you can't really blame them. Play a part in a major global event and just about anyone's bound to get a swelled head, right?

[theonlyresponse]

Keeping one's ear to the ground is always useful. [He hadn't when he'd first arrived. Rookie mistake; he'd become complacent with having nobody on his level to fight back home.] Most people would. [In a tone that suggests no, he's not most people.]

[deadliestviper]

Does wonders to keep you out of trouble. [Christ, the idea that she's an old hand at this place already scares the hell out of her. It seemed like just the other week she was getting lost between levels and wondering aloud whether a death toll involved bells. When Bruce adds on that little quip she glances up with a quick half-smile, gone almost immediately.] Too bad we'll never find out, hm?

[theonlyresponse]

[He smiles back, thinly. Selina's right, he does like Beatrix. Enough to use we instead of a neutral pronoun.] We're usually not in it for the same purpose as they are.

[deadliestviper]

Not at all. [Since he's in for vigilante justice his reasons might be a bit different than hers though, something born out of a code of honor and desperate circumstances. For her it was simpler: her employer paid her and she pointed the gun (or stuck in the knife, or pulled the rope) in the direction they ordered. Her actions may have had far-reaching consequences, but the job was easier when she didn't pause to consider them.]

[theonlyresponse]

[As long as she killed people who deserved it. Otherwise, they share a strict adherence to an honour code and the desire for vengeance justice which the system can't give them, so they have to do it themselves.

He offers a hand- the first time he's done this for anyone. He already knows her name; he's just being polite.] Bruce Wayne.

[deadliestviper]

[It never was her habit to make moral judgments about her targets, not until five years ago. But a woman can change, and if not neutralize her predatory instincts at least narrow them. All her business now is personal – none of their deaths would satisfy her unless she had a hand in them. Besides, police had no chance of catching them. Rhey were the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. To them, laws were things that concerned other people.

When Bea takes his hand it's with a solid, warm grip and a steady shake.] Beatrix Kiddo. Your name sounds familiar.

[theonlyresponse]

There was a different version of me [how much he hates saying me but he keeps his feelings in check] on the ship before. [Or it could be that she knew him as a fictional character, like Omar had. He genuinely hopes it was the former, it was a little irritating when people knew details about your life from just your name, or mentioning Gotham.]

[deadliestviper]

So I've heard, but I never met him. It's just by reputation. [Gesturing for the chalk, she drops his hand and holds up her cue again.] I know Kon-El pretty well, and therefore Stephanie.

[theonlyresponse]

[He passes the chalk.] In my world, Kon-El was never created, and Stephanie led a different life. [One where she wasn't Batgirl. There's no malice in his statement, he has genuinely gotten along with Stephanie so far once the business of him killing her alternate father had been sorted out.]

[deadliestviper]

That's gotta be tough. [The sentiment is genuine, if not necessarily invested. Beatrix had been lucky enough to find people from her world on board but they had been strangers then. She can't, doesn't want to, imagine any of her former acquaintances or compatriots here, especially not from a different point in their lives.] They're good kids, though. Both of them.

[theonlyresponse]

They are. [He still does resent Clark, but he's heard enough of Kon, and he can keep his judgement on how effective the boyscouting is to himself. Stephanie too. Pure Robin material. He honestly has no idea why she's wearing the Bat when she should be wearing the R.] It's... a little disorientating when people expected someone else.

[deadliestviper]

The Admiral seems to enjoy confusing people by taking them from different but similar times and universes. He's like a kid putting bugs in a jar and shaking it to make them fight. [Smiling wryly, she gestures back toward the game.] Only he expects everyone not to.

[theonlyresponse]

It seems his hobby is driving us all insane as quickly as possible. [He steps back towards the table. It's still her turn.]

[deadliestviper]

And as frequently. We got hit by a double whammy this month. [Her smile turns self-deprecating and she turns to take her shot, hoping they won't have to delve back into Wonderland. This time her aim isn't as good and the cue ball grazes but doesn't move its target.] I'd say he occasionally throws us a bone but he doesn't, really. The one time we got an actually relaxing port was due to a hijacking.

[theonlyresponse]

Is that so? [He takes up position, taking aim carefully.]

[deadliestviper]

Yeah. The warden who did it is long gone, and nobody's been able to find the bridge since.

[theonlyresponse]

I doubt anyone can. [He pockets two balls easily, before wandering around the table, considering his next shot.]

[deadliestviper]

Maybe not anymore, but someone did. [Her tone is casual, as if she's ambivalent, although were someone to get their hands on the Admiral she'd be lining up to punch him.]

[theonlyresponse]

We might get the opportunity to tell him how much we appreciate his work. [He pockets another ball, but the cue ball goes in with it, so he takes out both and holds out the white one towards her.]

[deadliestviper]

[B takes the ball, scans the table, and sets it before aiming toward two balls lined up. They break beautifully, but that's as good as the shot gets – both spin near the pockets but never sink.] We can only hope.

[theonlyresponse]

[He leans over to aim his next shot, and takes it. In goes another ball.] So, how long does it usually take to get paired?