multiversallogs | if god was one of us, he'd probably drink vodka

Who: ~~Benny~~ Vanessza Bernát and ~~Bruce Wayne~~ Tom.
What: Catching up, resigned side-eying, and drinks. (One of them is getting a diet soda.)
Where: Mog Hill.
When: Shortly after Benny's arrival.
Notes: UP IN DA CLUB DON'T GIVE A FUCK you guys I need to stop youtubing mixes made by random internet people.
Warnings: None expected.

Of all the people he expected to see in Baedal - hell, expected to see again, ever - Vanessza would be very low on that list. He's thought about her since then, yes; not in any pining or wistful way, but there's no two ways about it: that encounter was unique. It's something that, for many reasons, he's occasionally tempted to inspect.

(And yet he hasn't. Surprise.)

Bruce is at the Valhalla in short order, though he doesn't engage anyone and moves with the kind of purpose that telegraphs that he doesn't want to be bothered. He doesn't go any further than the lobby, and looks for the blonde-haired doctor - who is probably there?

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By the quick wryness of her expression, it certainly rings a few bells and she tips her hand over her glass; as long as she's not going to be obsolete, she can work with it, and this too is more or less what she expected. (The magical aspects of Baedal are interesting, but mostly Benevenuta is curious rather than disturbed; she'll have a lot to learn here, and that's not a bad thing.) It's what she counted on, almost, since--

"The sooner I can get work, the sooner I can reliably get out of the inn," she says, with that wryness; it's not that she isn't invested in finding out what's going on here and what the powers are (who looks in charge and who is, but she's going to need to have somewhere to investigate that from. Work, somewhere to live, a working understanding of the city's day to day...it's a place to start. "It seems like I'll have more to offer if I can learn more about xenian biology as well. Once I know where to start."

She's not a mad scientist, relax.

"Not everyone can be fixed using magic," he remarks, "And not everyone wants to be. The diversity here means there's a demand for just about everything." Built-in niches, thanks to both reality incompatibility and distrust alike. Bruce doesn't blame anyone who doesn't want to be healed with magic, personally; the lack of explanation bothers him, too. As ever, his issues with the supernatural hover between the poles of his control issues and his inherent bad temper.

A pause, then, because he's uncertain for a variety of reasons, but-

"If you don't mind the unusual locale, you're welcome to stay with me versus the Inn, in the interim."

Benevenuta doubts she'll ever be able to offer magic, but at least she might be able to get the hang of treating non-human species without it; that's worth pursuing. It's all theoretical for now, though, and she's going to need to find out what kind of medical resources Baedal has for her to work with, and in the meantime--

"Bearing in mind the entire situation," a little dryly, "I think maybe you should define 'unusual'."

Which is not a no. They may be only slightly acquainted, but it's still preferable to relying on the inn.

"The district I'm staying in is called Bonetown," he says, and the lack of italics there suddenly is because proper names are not borrow-words, not inexplicable sudden emphasis, "Supposedly it causes magical abilities and advanced technology to stall. I've seen it happen on tech, the residents swear it happens with the latter."

He sips his water, and doesn't try to justify or explain his decision to stay there, of all places. It's where he knows he's the least likely to be monitored without his knowledge, and it's a comparatively low-key area, considering the insane mix of citizens in Baedal. It's also not a hotspot for bigots, thank fuck, he'd be really annoyed otherwise. Most residents aren't human, even, just beings from other worlds who have no real use for magic or tech, taking advantage of the ratio of property value to property quality.

Some speedy mental arithmetic happens here-- she's not magic, though, that's something else and while there are Immortals who've mastered it in one form or the other (she knows of a few), she isn't one of them. Maybe the slight pause is just Benevenuta registering that he really is that much of a control-freak? Sure.

"Honestly, that sounds like the perfect place to get my bearings," she settles on, because her visits to Xanadu were brief - she's never spent any significant time outside of her own world. "I'm dropping by a pawn shop after this, so I should be able to sort out my own place this week, but I wouldn't be imposing--?"

Since they really do barely know each other.

Bruce watches her pause and calculate without looking like that's what he's doing; he has no way of knowing what she's thinking, or why. It could be any number of things, up to and including 'Is he really that much of a control freak?' (yes) and also 'Why is he even offering?' Valid questions, all.

He makes a small gesture - not an imposition. "..Someone I know from home was kind enough to let me stay with her when I first arrived. Consider it paying it forward."

There's no concrete answer for making the offer, even in his head. He wants to say it's because he's doing what he should, that Vanessza is a veritable friend. But he wonders how much of this is a desire to know more about her for strategic purposes. Should he be doing that? ... Is there a difference with him, any longer? Is he capable of separating?

The question of why he's offering is still on the table, after that answer; 'consider it', yes, but words matter. Consider it. What is it when she isn't examining it and interpreting it the way she's been given permission to?

...it's still better than the inn, and 'not asking' isn't the same as 'not wondering'. Tom is someone worth knowing (strategically, even; they both have their uses), and that's somewhere to start, too.

"I doubt the inn will mind freeing up a room, then."

A half-smile and a nod, in response. They both know they're very nearly playing a chess game, then; that's fine. It's better like that and, perhaps inexplicably, he's more comfortable for it.

(It's not a malicious affair, anyway, just a curious one.)

"It'll give me a reason to finally get furniture." ... Bruce.

He isn't the only one; Benevenuta is so much more comfortable when she knows the rules of the game she's playing (she's more comfortable when there are rules). Of course, it's not entirely out of the question that they get along so easily because they're both so fucking bad at it.

"Tom," she says, half-chiding, amused - not really surprised. She gestures at him, lightly, with her glass. "I haven't camped on the floor since I was a kid."

(That was a really long time ago.)

"There's even extra rooms," he says, casting a faint impression of sheepishness, "There's just not anything in them."

Still want to skip out on the Inn, Benny?? ... Well, probably, yes, the Inn is deeply unnerving. And he really will go get something, as it's unlikely she will be his last guest.

Benevenuta shakes her head, but she's still smiling and she'll be fine if she does in fact end up camping on the floor of an empty room; it's not like it'll be the strangest accommodation she's ever had. Maybe the strangest roommate.

"Why don't you sort that out, and give me the address, and I'll go by the pawnshop and the inn and meet you back there?"

He'd never make her camp on the floor - it's interesting, though, that she would do it just to not stay in the arrival area. Not that he would, either; Bruce didn't stay for a full five minutes. Living on the streets and sleeping in parks was preferable.

Anyway.

Vanessza gets shit done. He likes that. So he writes down the address (and a little cross-section of a map) on a napkin, neatly. "That sounds reasonable."

"Great." She examines the address and the map for a moment before sliding the napkin into her tote (this outfit doesn't have pockets) and finishing her drink, because Vanessza gets shit done in a timely fashion, thank you. "I'll get organized."

It's better than wasting time. (Not that he doesn't enjoy her company, but let's just look at the both of them objectively, here.)

"I'll see you later, then."

And yes, he pays for her drink.

if god was one of us, he'd probably drink vodka

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