@cjk [ audio ]

[signifies]

Hello everyone. My name is Clark. I'll try and keep this brief.

Firstly, I've drawn up a blank list and placed one on the bulletin board on each housing floor. If those with medical expertise feel comfortable, they can put their name, residence here, and — if they have one — specialisation, in case of an emergency. We have several residents who aren't from the same point in time, so if you'd like to volunteer to update someone's medical knowledge, please mark your name with an asterisk.

Secondly, ah-- [ a bit of a laugh. ] I'm from Kansas, which some of you might recognise as being host to some pretty bad weather. Now, I'm not going to say I'm paranoid, but-- I like to think ahead. So, I've made up some kits with some of the usual survival paraphernalia back home and distributed them between floors. Feel free to help yourselves if you need them.

[ No one has to use them, but he’d rather everyone knows they're available. ]

Thank you for your time.

( all replies in audio unless otherwise stated )

Comments

[fingerstripes]

Wow, that's- [ probably an answer he should have been expecting by now. He clears his throat, and that conspicuous note of surprise vanishes. ] -uh, quite a difference.

Though I'm kinda getting the sense I might be more the outlier in this place.

[signifies]

How so?

[fingerstripes]

Call it a hunch. [ It comes off light, like it's nothing. ]

So how's the future shaking out, if you don't mind me asking? We knock out flying cars yet?

[ He's really kind of thinking Clark would dropped a hint by now if the name Grayson rang any bells, but hope springs eternal. ]

[signifies]

[ Clark's not entirely convinced, but willing to move on. ]

Not yet, sorry to say.

[ He can't make out a listening device or a tracker in the phone, but that doesn't make them secure. Clark doesn't want to mention making first contact with Krypton. This is the first person who's come from a recognisable world. What's he going to think?

Little does he know. ]

What do you do back home, [ Clark checks the ID. ] Mr. Grayson?

[ No recognition. Sorry, Dick. ]

[fingerstripes]

[ Expected or not, it's a solid little punch to his heart. The man he owes his name to. His life, a dozen times over.

But he's rolled with this (something like this) before. If there's a trace of hesitation there he's quick to cover it. ]

I'm, uh- well, I'm almost a cop. Bludhaven PD. [ And he's damn proud. ]

Still a few days shy of graduation.

[signifies]

Congratulations.

[ He means it sincerely. From what Clark's read on Bludhaven it's not the smoothest town for that kind of work. ]

Did they give you something similar here?

[fingerstripes]

Yeah. Passed my exit exams. [ Which is entirely the kind of thing he would have called Clark to share, in another world. The kind of thing Bruce would never understand. It's also dangerous and a little self-indulgent here. ]

Looks like I'm gonna be standing in as an agent, if you can believe that. [ And he's suddenly... very aware of what that sounds like.

There's a reason he'd wanted to do this the hard way. See the infrastructure from the inside. Start from the bottom, climb the ranks as Dick Grayson, not Bruce Wayne's ward. ]

[signifies]

[ He's nodding, and replies with a bit of a laugh. ]

I work for the Daily Planet, and they put me on the local paper here. They're playing to our strengths.

[fingerstripes]

Yeah? [ Oh, that's delightful. ]

You must have some stories. I know the Metropolis where I'm from tends to have his own brand of... weird. [ tread carefully. ]

[signifies]

[ There's a noticeable (to a detective) pause Clark's end.

Weird could mean anything. He still needs to bring up the Superman question. ]

Tell you what... how about coffee? We can talk.

[fingerstripes]

Sounds good. [ He sounds a little too relieved. ] I hear the coffee's good at [ some small place ], if you haven't checked it out.

[ And there's a few spaces there with a reasonable expectation of privacy. ]

[signifies]

Sounds good. I'll be in plaid and black glasses, probably in a corner if one's empty.

See you in an hour?

( to action? )

action!

[fingerstripes]

See you there.

[ And it's not until he's hung up that it suddenly registers that he'd forgotten to return the favor. He hadn't even told him his name.

But it gives him a little time. Time to think, to get his head straight. A sense of safety is a fragile thing, and it's little more tied up in secrets than probably a lot of them would like to admit. More than that, it's deeply personal. For all that he'd trust Clark with anything he's a stranger to this one. Is it fair to risk taking that away from him?

On the other hand, it's not as if he won't know exactly who Dick Grayson is the second he runs across Nightwing, which is the other half of the issue. It'll be harder to work together, harder to solve the problem of getting the hell out of here if he has to dance around this indefinitely.

Dick gives it an hour, then an extra two minutes and thirty-five seconds. Then he heads inside, looking for Clark with what he hopes isn't too much conspicuous eagerness. ]

Hey. Thanks for showing. [ He extends his hand, offering up a true, genuine grin. ]

Call me Dick, by the way.

[signifies]

[ On Clark's side, he's scanned the waitstaff and other customers for concealed weapons. It seems a lot of people here do, and while Clark isn't a suspicious person, it seems a good habit to get into.

They're unarmed, and their corner is occupied just by them. He recognises Dick's voice immediately, and returns his smile, two degrees warmer than his usual amiability. His voice call had radiated someone genuinely friendly without being overly familiar, and Clark relaxes at experiencing the same in-person. ]

You too.

[ He shakes Dick's hand warmly, the grip mindful of his strength. ]

Have a seat, I've got a spare menu.

[ Clark will only be checking Dick for weapons too, just in case. ]

[fingerstripes]

[ He'd had the forethought to leave the Nightwing suit tucked away at the apartment, along with any incriminating hidden gear he'd normally have on hand. It's not... exactly a great feeling, limiting his options in unfamiliar territory. But that's also a discussion that would almost definitely go over better if it happens on open terms.

And anyway, he'll never really be unarmed. ]

Thanks. [ He takes the seat across from Clark with an easy bounce. ] Gotta admit I haven't had a lot of time to check out the cafe scene.

[ He's just really into the secluded corners in this place. ]

[signifies]

[ Satisfied, Clark nods. If anything happens, he should be able to protect Dick, long enough for him to make it somewhere safe. ]

Me neither.

[ He pushes the menu across the table. ]

The waiter says they're known for their lattes.

[fingerstripes]

I'll give it a shot. [ Typically he's more of a black coffee guy, but that's more lack of time than taste. ]

You're gonna have to tell me if it holds a candle to what Metropolis has to offer on that front.

[signifies]

[ It sounds like he's really planning a visit someday. Clark can imagine it. ]

You'll have to tell me if it's anything like Bludhaven.

[fingerstripes]

[ That brings a bright smile to his face. ]

Can't say much for the coffee. But it has a few charms, if you know where to look. You should swing by sometime.

[signifies]

I will.

[ They have a fifteen year gap, but if there's still a Dick Grayson there, Clark's curious enough to look him up. ]

Especially if there's a story to be found.

[ He raises an eyebrow. Time to talk about weird. ]

[fingerstripes]

Well, you can count on Bludhaven not to disappoint there.

[ But it's a lead-in if ever he's seen one. Clark's a brilliant man, of course he knows something's up.

He taps his fingers on the menu. Tries his hardest not to show his hand in a grimace. ]

...So, uh- strange question. When we had that sit-down with the brass on day one, how much of that... actually came as a shock?

The multiverse talk.

[signifies]

[ A lot of it had. Clark knew there was a way into the Phantom Zone, not places like this. It's harder to adjust to people from different times, instead of different universes. If they don't know Metropolis, they don't know Superman. It gives him leeway he doesn't have at home. ]

It's all new to me. You're the first person who recognised Metropolis.

[fingerstripes]

Yeah. I've run into that too. Seems Gotham isn't exactly a universal landmark either. [ And it's left him a little lost for touchstones. For a sense of perspective on time and place. It's a dangerous place to be, alone. It's part of why it feels so important for Clark to understand. He takes a breath. ]

...But where I come from we've-

Honestly it's been weirder to run across worlds where a lot of us aren't represented. [ Wow how this must sound. ]

Uh- In some way.

[signifies]

[ It sounds like it'd throw anyone off-balance. Dick seems to have either experience or expectation. Clark can see how Riverview or anywhere else like it might mess with that. ]

... Us?

[fingerstripes]

...Friends. Sometimes family. [ Technically he's only ever met one other version of himself, but it's more than enough to know they're out there. It's never been a comfortable feeling, exactly. But it's a reality. Inescapable.

How would it feel to be hit with that without that framework already in place? ]

It's pretty far above my pay grade. But, uh- we've actually kind of met before. [ As carefully, casually as he can. ]