lovemykilt | Priestly's apartment, New Gotham, Thursday afternoon

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Priestly's apartment, New Gotham, Thursday afternoon

"Come on, Priestly!" Tia called through the door to Priestly's room. "You've gotta go out sometime!"

"I for one support Priestly's newfound interest in hermitage," Mark said. Tia ignored him with the ease borne of long practice.

"Priestly!"

The door cracked open, and Priestly peered out, Stevesie perched on his shoulders and peering over his head. "A) it's negative a billion degrees out. 2) the question mark guy is on the streets again. I'm not coming out until he's been arrested and it's spring."

Tia sighed. "You have classes."

"I can turn my assignments in online and the professors are video-podcasting the lectures."

"You have laundry," Tia tried.

"Not going outside means not needing clean clothes." Priestly smirked and started closing the door.

"I'm going to call Dinah on you!" Tia said quickly. The door stopped closing. After a moment, it opened up all the way.

"Dammit, Tia."

Tia smirked back, showing her phone in her hand, the screen already set to Dinah's number. "Come out and I won't have to." She looked him over and sighed. "And put some damn pants on."

[ooc: GUESS WHO'S CAR WON'T START BECAUSE OF THE COLD TODAY. Post is open to phone calls or visits, sure.]

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"Can't we run inside?" Priestly whined. "That's what treadmills are for."

"No, Priestly. That's what my day job is for. I'm not going to look at a treadmill outside work when I have to wipe down the one at Curb Stomp." Bleah! "We're racing down the block. To that stoplight. Are you ready, First Officer?"

"No." Okay, now he was just being petulant. "It's too cold out to run. What if I slip on the ice? I'm pretty sure the traditional mode of transport in this weather is a careful trudge."

"Pleeeeeeeeeeaase?" That word was really getting a workout today. "There's a mocha in it for you. Just 'til the end of the block."

"Let me put it this way," Priestly said. "I have been hiding inside for a week. I have not had much experience moving around in potentially icy weather. I am definitely not running at least until I've had a chance to see what the conditions out here are actually like."

He meant that thing about slipping on the ice. He'd heard stories. That kind of thing could kill.

Dinah huffed out a puffy white cloud of air, and said, "Fiiiine. But once you're acclimated..." Yeah, you were going to be put through your paces, First Officer Priestly.

"...you really don't have to worry about Riddler, you know." As subject changes went it was not smooth at all. But. It needed to be said. "He's got bigger problems right now. Lots of them."

Priestly sighed and started moving with the appropriate level of resigned trudge. "I know. I mean, I've seen just who it is is protecting this city." He flashed her a grin. "It's just . . . I mean, do they even lock the doors at Arkham? What the hell?"

Dinah looped her arm through his, partly for warmth, partly for reassurance. "They do. I swear they do. It's like the place is cursed or something. Or, you know, running on a short budget with way too many inmates. Some of whom should probably be in Blackgate, not Arkham." She made a face. "But. Barbara has plans. Helena has patrols. I have plotting. I swear we'll get him before too long."

Just. Not right away. Not with about ten others on the streets with him.

"Next time Ivy goes in, though, she's going into solitary."

"She's the plant lady, right? So we've got Question Mark Guy and Plant Lady." It was a good thing Priestly wasn't in charge of naming superheroes and villains. "Anyone else I should keep an eye out for? Purely for running away slash contacting authorities purposes."

"Ermm..."

Well. Momoko had already yelled about this. And offered to show up. So.

"That guy that broke my legs last summer, Savant. Edward Durlin. Hey, look, the light's green!" And time to dash across the street!

She had plenty of time for it, as Priestly had just stopped in his tracks again.

Then he stormed across the street to catch up with her and try and drag her back to his apartment.

"Come on. We're both going to go hibernate."

Dinah planted her feet and didn't budge, even if she did lean into him.

"Helena's on it," she told him, the same way she'd told Momoko. "I'm not going after him. She's very happy to be on find-the-creep duty."

"Cool," Priestly said. "Then we won't have to hibernate for as long."

Guess who was getting revenge on that whole "belt loop dragging" thing.

"No, no, no." Dinah sighed, and considered sitting down, then decided not to. That sidewalk looked cold. "I still have to help out with the others. I'm not hiding until he's caught. His buddy is still in Blackgate, he has the whole Metro PD after him, and I have rent to pay and life to live on top if it, quit tugging!"

"Oh, so you can drag me outside, but I don't get to drag you inside?" Priestly shook his head and let go. "Just so you know, I object to this whole thing on multiple levels. Especially the ones where he broke your legs."

"And I am way down his list of problems, too!" Dinah insisted, even if her voice was tight. "He's obsessed with Barbara, remember? Not me. I am not, so not sitting this out, when he might be thinking up demented crossword puzzles to send her or cryptic stalker moves to make." She folded her arms. "And Momoko agrees with you. So. If it gets really bad, she's showing up."

And possibly trying to lock Dinah in a room with you, Priestly. Just to be sure. Girl was weird like that.

"Good," Priestly said. "And we'll drag you to El Paso where he can't get to you and there's no ice."

Why weren't they doing that, anyway? Oh. Right. School and work and all that.

Dammit.

Dinah sighed and relented, leaning in for another hug. "I know it's... bad, and if you really want to go to Santa Cruz for the duration...."

Well, she'll be upset, and sure you're not coming back, but you'd be safer, and she wouldn't stop you.

"Only if you come with me," Priestly said. He knew she wouldn't, but he reallllly wished she would. "I'm not ditching you. What kind of first mate slash sidekick would I be if I did that?"

Dinah snickered into his shoulder, then pulled back a little bit. "One that wasn't getting his own ship, that'd be for sure." She nodded down the block. "Let's get cocoa. All this arguing, makes a girl thirsty." A little bit further on, she added, "There's only one other person in the breakout that we're worried about, but she's a doozy. But also another one that probably doesn't even remember me, at least."

"So that's Question Mark Guy, Plant Lady, the Asshole, and a Doozy." Priestly shook his head. "Seriously, is there something in the water around here?"

"You gotta wonder. Barbara's even researched it a few times." Dinah looked thoughtful and asked, "Did you ever meet Hayley, back at Fandom? I think she was a year behind us, but didn't stay until she graduated. Tiny, blonde, litttttle bit crazy?"

"Sounds kinda familiar," Priestly said. "We probably hung out a time or two." He frowned. "She's the doozy?"

He was pretty sure he'd've remembered someone else from Dinah's world in Fandom.

"A version of her, yeah. She's about fifteen years younger than the one that was in Arkham here. Closer to Barbara's age than ours. 'Harley Quinn.'" Dinah grimaced. "Hayley got caught young, and they got her treatment, but she was still kind of-- obsessed with her ex-boyfriend, and she thought hitting someone with a crowbar was a good way to show her love. The one here has a psychiatric degree and no problems with killing people."

"Of course she is." Priestly shook his head and moved to run his hand through his hair -- only to end up rubbing his hat instead. Not nearly as satisfying. "She hasn't, say, latched onto one of yours as her new love or anything, has she?"

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