st_abby: (half_a_twin)
st_abby ([personal profile] st_abby) wrote in [community profile] strangetrip2017-05-28 12:14 am

[EP] The Worst Birthday

Of course, everybody had birthdays - even if they didn't know what day it was on the calendar, that didn't stop someone having them. Vax'ildan hadn't honestly thought much about it, until Joanna had got talking when to plant what one afternoon amongst the herbs in her garden. Seasons, months, weeks, days... They were different in this world from what Vax knew. Nevertheless, when he stopped to do a bit of his own math, he thought it must be very near his own birthday in Exandria.

Their birthday. His, by only a couple of minutes, and then Vex'ahlia's.

It seemed a stupid thing to get hung up about. But once it (she) had wormed its way into his brain, his heart, he couldn't get it (her) out, and it became a crushing reminder that Vex could be lost to him forever. He didn't have much in the way of distractions, and the more he tried to forget about it, the worse it had got until he sank into a drowning sulk. He avoided everyone and everything including his mirror-matched room, effectively vanishing for a few days on end, until gravely admitting that the only way out might very well be through.

Which is how he ended up sitting in the one corner of a booth in the cafe, armor exchanged for a simple sleeveless tunic and loose pants from Songrun, staring at the empty seat across from him with arms folded on the table in a bit of a hunch.

"Get us a drink," he told the passers-by mirthlessly, without so much as turning to look at them or stopping to count how many he'd had already. Did it matter? "It's our birthday."
st_upidgravity: (off the shoulder)

[personal profile] st_upidgravity 2017-05-30 04:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Stephanie's eyebrows lifted, then decided that Vax had missed the entendre in that statement, which, given how much he'd had to drink....

Either that or he was sleeping with Percy. That was also possible, though kind of confusing considering the girlfriend thing. Also the weird sibling sharing thing. Steph didn't have a sister but if she did, that would be a bridge too far.

"Uh, sure. It's good, that you're not hiding. Because drinking alone is way worse, at least according to those 'are you an alcoholic checklists.'" Which she had read many times. "I'm sorry your sister isn't here, Vax. Can I be your honorary sister for the day?"
st_upidgravity: (bunhead)

[personal profile] st_upidgravity 2017-05-30 09:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Weird? ...oh. OH.

"Oh."

It was probably wrong to feel smug.

"Okay, not sister. But substitute shoulder and celebrant for the time being." She smiled back at him. "You know, no one celebrated my birthday with me this year. It may have been because I didn't tell anyone about it."
st_upidgravity: (giggle)

[personal profile] st_upidgravity 2017-05-30 09:34 pm (UTC)(link)
She shrugged and picked up her daiquiri in an elaborate show of casualness. "About two months ago."

To be honest -- and she could be honest in her own mind -- she hadn't felt like celebrating at the time. Plus she wasn't sure that it had actually been her birthday, since it definitely hadn't been Christmas when she left Gotham. "At least by the calendar. I think it's probably more like four months from now if we're going by timeline."
st_upidgravity: (B&W / Pensive)

[personal profile] st_upidgravity 2017-05-30 11:10 pm (UTC)(link)
"If we're celebrating my birthday, there will definitely be cake." Obviously.

The trouble, Stephanie realized, with drinking when you didn't usually, is that you could feel the bad decisions taking over. And the devil on her shoulder with the rum cake had several good points about the last time they'd both ended up with compromised decision making abilities.

She bit her lip and leaned away before she did something dumb. "The question is, are you willing to put your current plans on hold or should I get a raincheck?"
st_upidgravity: (Selfie)

[personal profile] st_upidgravity 2017-05-31 10:10 pm (UTC)(link)
"It's your birthday. You get to choose what you want." Steph pulled her arm off his shoulder. "Wait here, though. I do require one thing."

She smiled, then was gone.
st_upidgravity: (giggle)

[personal profile] st_upidgravity 2017-05-31 10:38 pm (UTC)(link)
It didn't take Stephanie long to track down a cupcake in the plethora of baked goods that Dot turned out daily. She snitched it, and a candle, then headed back to Vax. As before, she sat down right next to him, her hip pressed to his, and placed the cupcake triumphantly on the table with the candle stuck in the top.

From her belt, she produced a lighter (useful on patrol) and light the candle's wick. "Okay. Birthday tradition. Blow out the candle and make a wish."
st_upidgravity: (Default)

[personal profile] st_upidgravity 2017-05-31 10:56 pm (UTC)(link)
She appreciated that he was willing to play along. "I think technically you're not supposed to tell at least until it comes true. Then it's okay to share."
st_upidgravity: (bundled hair)

[personal profile] st_upidgravity 2017-05-31 11:57 pm (UTC)(link)
"Well done." She hoped that he got it, whatever he'd wished for. And that when he did, he'd remember to tell her about the wish.

Steph picked up a butter knife from the table and neatly cut the cupcake in two. "What else should we do with your birthday? What do you and Vex do?"
st_upidgravity: (Default)

[personal profile] st_upidgravity 2017-06-01 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
"Eat your cupcake and drink a glass of water." Nothing would save him from his epic hangover at this point, but the water would help a little.

"I'll tell you a story about how I ended up doing the rooftop thing while you're eating."
st_upidgravity: (plaid)

[personal profile] st_upidgravity 2017-06-01 01:52 am (UTC)(link)
Steph picked up the other half of the cupcake and started licking the frosting off like an ice cream cone. "So, I was, like...thirteen or fourteen, I think. My dad had been in prison for a couple of years and had just gotten out again. Dad, I mentioned, is kind of an addict but not like drugs or anything. His addiction is crime. And being really bad at it. See, he would rob places but he'd leave clue - really deliberate clues - for the police."

She rolled her eyes. Being the Cluemaster's daughter was embarrassing on a lot of levels but the fact that he was a Riddler knockoff was one of the worst. "Anyway, so he'd just gotten home after the last visit to Blackgate and he swore up and down that he was really done this time."
st_upidgravity: (giggle)

[personal profile] st_upidgravity 2017-06-01 02:08 am (UTC)(link)
"Bingo. Within a month, he had his old buddies over at the house and they were talking about...oh, knocking over a bank or something. There was a theme." Steph rolled her eyes. "You know, at first, I was actually surprised. But that didn't last long. I thought...not this time. I was done with it. So I called the police and told them his whole plan."

She sucked a bit of frosting off her finger. "They blew me off. 'The tip line isn't for pranks, kid.' So, yeah, that wasn't going to work. And I thought about reaching out to Batman, get him to stop but Dad was small time. Not really in the Bat's league. Which basically left...me."
st_upidgravity: (shh)

[personal profile] st_upidgravity 2017-06-01 04:33 am (UTC)(link)
"Yep. I mean, well, armor is probably a strong word. I've mentioned that I was a gymnast? So basically it was a full body leo." The incredibly flimsy costume that had been the first Spoiler uniform was probably slightly better than being naked but not much. Still, her first Nomex-Kevlar suit had been a long way off.

"Anyway, I figured out where they were planning their heists and did my best to leave clues to lead the police to stop them. Didn't work, but it did get Robin and Bats attention. They helped me stop them and got Dad another tour at Blackgate."

She decided to leave out the bit about the sulfuric acid and having to be talked out of killing her dad. This was a fun story. "And that was the illustrious beginning of the Spoiler."

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