TLV 2 - Video

[bodilesswarrior]

[A young Barbara, thirteen at most, is sitting in her wheelchair - but her legs are drawn up onto the seat, one arms wrapped around them. She has the look of a child who's keenly uncertain and doing their best to ignore it.]

Does anyone know whose chair this is? [She'd been drawn to it, and it feels oddly comfortable to sit in, but it can't be hers.]

Or what that turbulence was earlier? [Maybe that could explain all of the weird stuff in her room. Well, it feels like her room, anyway, and she'd made sure to check the door just in case.]

((I'll be tagging with flawedgem!))

Comments

[ichoosefight]

[ Oh gosh Babs. Steph isn't sure whether this is adorable or heartbreaking. Probably both, so she's going to stick with adorable because she can't dump her heartbreak on a little kid like that. ]

That chair is for a friend of mine, but she's not here right now. Are you okay?

[flawedgem]

[Her hands tighten around her knees automatically. Barbara understands why she's asking, it's just - she's heard that question so much, in the past month.]

I'm fine. Is this her room, too? It's just my name on the door. [Focus on the questions. That's what she's been doing at home, throwing herself into learning things. That's what she's always done when she wanted to ignore everything else.]

[ichoosefight]

It's your room right now. It was her room yesterday. [ Totally true without having to explain the whole 'flood' thing. Of course, there's enough leeway there that if Babs really demands to know, she can still explain. ]

And you'll be back to your own room in a couple of days, I promise.

[flawedgem]

[Her brow furrows at that, but she slowly nods; it makes sense enough, and the woman sounds honest.]

Do you know why I'm here? [She doesn't sound that bothered about it - here seems like the right place to be - but she's still curious.]

[ichoosefight]

[ That one's a little more difficult, and she has to think about it. ]

Either some sort of cosmic accident, or a very deranged man's idea of a learning experience. [ Which doesn't sound very good, so she follows it up with, ] But you're perfectly safe with us, and we're a hundred percent sure you'll get back home and nobody will even know you were gone.

[flawedgem]

[Her eyebrows rise about as high as they can possibly go.]

Well, that's different.

[ichoosefight]

We lead very strange lives, [ She almost says Barbara, but manages to stop herself. ] kid.

I'm Steph, by the way. What's your name?

[flawedgem]

Barbara. [She considers, for a moment, and then...] It's nice to meet you, Steph.

[ichoosefight]

It's nice to meet you too, Barbara.

Have you found your way around yet? There's a cafeteria, and I bet you'd like the CES and the library.

[flawedgem]

[Yeah, Barbara just zeros in on that last word as her eyes light up.]

There's a library?

[ichoosefight]

You bet. It's pretty big, and it's got books from different universes. [ WHICH IS COOL, RIGHT? So no matter how many books Babs has read, there will be some she's never heard of. ]

[flawedgem]

[Okay, Barbara is beaming.] Wow! Where is it?

[ichoosefight]

Level five, straight down the hall past the common room. Think you can find it?

[flawedgem]

That's my floor! [Yeah, she's already moving - even as, almost subconsciously, she files that information away - is it just a coincidence, that she's on the same level as the library?]

[She pauses, looking into the screen with a warm smile.] Thanks, Steph.

[ichoosefight]

[ She smiles. It's nice to see Babs looking so happy. ]

No problem. You let me know if you need anything else, okay? I'll be around.