CATCH-ALL FOR JANUARY

[khajidont]

WHO: JAIME REYES & FRIENDS (& YOU!)
WHERE: All over!
WHEN: Throughout January!
WHAT: Stuff and nonsense! This is just my catch-all for shenanigans for January, where Jaime's up to his normal daily routine; superhero work, work, school, etc., etc.
WARNINGS: Want a thread? Feel free to make your own starter, or contact me on plurk @ WISDOMBITCH or via PM to plot something out with me, and I'd be delighted to whip you up a starter.

Comments

FOR ERIK

[khajidont]

[ Technically, Jaime can cook, and he keeps his fridge (or, really, his freezer) stocked up well enough. It mostly crosses his mind when he notices that Yusuke hasn't eaten for a while, but when push comes to shove, he's only very good at making the effort to cook when there's someone else that needs him. It had been Minato, and then it had been Tara, but with just him and Yusuke?

He's busy. He's got better things to do with his time, which means that sometimes he goes the easy route.

Which is why, when Erik crosses his path, the Blue Beetle is sitting cross-legged on a rooftop, eating salad directly out of the bag with a plastic fork. He is a sad, sad representative of the Justice League, but he needs to eat a Whole Vegetable every now and then. ]

Re: FOR ERIK

[incogneto]

[ Erik is just passing by underneath and looks up, waving to a familiar-- mask. He's always on his patrol, it seems, and Erik likes to cordially wish him a good day.

He's about to just say hello or something, and then go on his way, but--

--But then. He sees it. ]

...Do they not feed you?

[ He almost looks offended. ]

[khajidont]

Hi, Erik!

[ Jaime, on the other hand, sees nothing wrong with this situation. It's not as though Erik caught him with fast food. It's salad! It's vegetables! It's healthy!

His brow furrows, just a touch (which looks strange in the armour, needless to say), before he pauses in chowing down on limp lettuce and very sad little carrot matchsticks. ] What do you mean, do they not feed me? I feed myself!

[ The way he says it is as though he's proclaiming his adulthood, which doesn't hold nearly as much weight when he's in the position he's in now. ]

[incogneto]

...You feed yourself out of--

[ He puts his head in his hands ]

I can't believe this.

--What are you doing up there? Specifically?

[khajidont]

...Dinner? [ Okay, not, like, a hundred percent dinner. He's probably going to grab something with a few more carbs at home. Possibly out of the box, because he'll be tired, but it's still food. ] I mean, specifically I was doing some work at HQ and on the way home I got hungry.

[ He waggles the bag of salad at Erik. ] I don't know what the big deal is! It's not like I'm eating McDonalds. These are vegetables. It's healthy.

YUSUKE

[khajidont]

[ Beyond exchanging gifts, Jaime hasn't seen a whole lot of Yusuke over the past month or so - which is on him as much as it's on Yusuke. They've both got their own lives to deal with, and even better than that, they're comfortable leaving each other to their own devices. Jaime had liked living with Diablo and Tara and Yusuke, having felt a special kind of kinmanship with each and every one of them, but he had settled into life with just the two of them happily enough. They gave each other their space, and would be there for each other if they needed it, and that was good enough for him.

Until their house suddenly started filling up. It's been an adjustment, to say the least. At some point, he and Yusuke are at home at the same time, and are the only ones home. Jaime greets him with a languid wave of his hand as he returns, glancing around (Khaji tells him, helpfully, that they're the only ones around), then takes a seat at the kitchen table across from him. ]

Hey. It's been busy here lately, huh? I'm not used to it anymore.

[lempereur]

[ At least Shinji had been coerced invited. It's not that Yusuke has anything against either of the new arrivals, he doesn't have anything for them, either. He isn't judging before getting to know them, but the shakeup alters his routine. He starts locking the door to his bedroom again, after coming to trust Jaime enough not to bother. He takes to setting up his easel on the roof, or in the yard, even with the dipping temperatures.

But so far this morning, he's inside, eating leftover pirozhkis for breakfast. ]

It was easier to focus, when it was just the two of us. What do you think of them?

[khajidont]

I dunno yet. I mean, they seem nice, [ Jaime says tentatively, his eternal optimism and belief in other people at work. He knows for a fact that some people get some really, really bad roommates. Like, serial killer vampire you have to kick out of your apartment bad. But that being said, these two don't seem like they fit into that sort of category. ]

We'll get to know them better soon, I guess. It's just... weird. Guess I forgot what it's like to have a bunch of strangers suddenly all up in your space.

[lempereur]

[ Yusuke nods, before starting to sketch something on a pad of paper. ]

Did you feel that way when I arrived?

[khajidont]

A little, yeah. I didn't know you, and all of a sudden we were living together. But... it was less weird 'cause we're closer to the same age than the guys that just moved in. I just don't want them to think that we need to be taken care of, or whatever.

[ He wrinkles his nose. It's not that he doesn't get along with people older than himself - half of his friends tend to be adults - but these guys are unknown quantities, and where Jaime had once been entirely dependent on his family, he's now fiercely protective of his own independence. He's not some kid anymore. ]

Plus, knowing about your Persona at least gave me a clue about the kind of person you are.

SHINJI

[khajidont]

[ Occasionally, being a superhero can be a glamorous job, one that earns him gifts and admiration and hugs and flattering write-ups in the paper. On those days, he can come home with a smile on his face and a song in his heart.

On other days, he finds out that the guy he's been hunting down for a month decided to escape into the sewers, and then release some of the zoo's rare and endangered animals there too, just to keep Jaime off his track. He had tracked down all of the animals and caught the criminal too, but he was in the sewer all. Night. Long.

By the time he gets back home, it's early in the morning, around the time when Shinji would be in the kitchen to grab whatever it is he grabs in the morning - Jaime's not entirely sure what that would be.

Regardless, as Shinji gets his whole business set up, he'll see Jaime sliding through the kitchen window (it's a bad habit of his that he'll never grow out of), looking like death and smelling...

Well. What do you expect? He smells like a sewer. He should probably say something civil to Shinji, but instead he looks at him with desperate eyes and says: ] Please tell me you made coffee.

[axeboyfriend]

[ Shinjiro's making breakfast as it turns out— steamed rice, miso soup, and onsen tamago. The smells are filling the kitchen, savoury and delicious. His head jerks over to the window when Jaime enters— his eyebrow is raised, but it's not like it's visible through the beanie that he's wearing even at this early hour. ]

Haven't you ever heard of a door?

[ But he jerks his thumb towards the coffee pot. ]

It should be finished brewing by now.

[khajidont]

Window's easier, [ Jaime grunts before moving towards the coffee pot with his arms outstretched and his eyes alight. ] Oh, thank you God. Coffee.

[ Really, he should be saying oh thank you Shinji, but his manners aren't at their most impeccable right now, especially considering the fact that he doesn't volunteer to immediately shower and get out of Shinji's vicinity. Instead, he pours himself a cup of coffee and goes boneless at the kitchen table, evidently unconcerned with everything but what's right in front of him. He holds onto his mug like it's a gift from the heavens and drinks the deep draught of someone who's been awake for far too long.

He would comment on the kitchen smelling good, but he can't really smell anything anymore. Sorry, Shinji. ]

[axeboyfriend]

[ That's okay, Shinjiro doesn't need validation for his cooking. He just needs breakfast. ]

I take it that it's a good thing I didn't go for decaf.

[ Decaf is crap, even if it's better for you. Shinjiro often doesn't sleep well, and the coffee is a good way to start the morning without wanting to attack anyone who looked at him funny. ]

Take a shower. You smell like a sewer.

[khajidont]

Who drinks decaf? Complete monsters, that's who, [ Jaime mutters into his mug, barely comprehensible, and clearly not willing to put the effort in. He's at least starting to look slightly more alive, but only slightly; caffeine can only help so much after the sleepless night he's had.

He eventually sets down his cup, and takes an experimental sniff. ] Do I? I don't think I can smell anything anymore. But, I mean, it makes sense. I spent all night in the dang thing.

I'll shower soon, [ he assures Shinji, confidently. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like he intends to move anytime today if he has his way. Or anytime this month, frankly. ]

ELLIE

[khajidont]

[ Since Jaime joined the Justice League, he's found that he has the resources to go after things that really matter, not just whatever purse snatchers he sees around. And it's good, for the most part, but it doesn't mean that he's going to stop being a good, local, neighbourhood hero too; dealing with the big problems is important, but making sure everyone feels safe is important too.

Luckily (or maybe unluckily), the monotony of his evening patrol doesn't last for long. When Ellie stumbles upon the Blue Beetle this fine evening, it's to the sound of an absolutely bloodcurling shriek from an alley as a particularly vocal, middle-aged woman rightfully responds to a few miscreants, descending upon her as an easy target.

For Ellie, though, it may not be entirely clear that the weird fellow in blue isn't tormenting her too. He doesn't look normal, that's for dang sure. ]

[epundemiology]

[Ellie generally prefers to keep to the main streets. They're always broad and well-lit, with plenty of places to hide if someone tried to mess with her, but sometimes the crowds are too much. Sometimes she has to take a shortcut through an alley just to give herself space to breathe, even though she can hear Joel's voice in the back of her mind telling her it's dangerous and she should stick to the main roads, especially at night.

Today, as it turns out, her inner Joel voice was correct. The thugs that show up haven't noticed her yet, but it's clear that they will the moment she moves, and even with all she's been through, she's not quite prepared to let some other person get fucking stabbed just to save her own neck. (Joel would probably disapprove of that, too.)

Fetching her pistol out from her waistband, she's about to charge into the conflict when the .... blue....person(?) shows up into the mix.]

Motherfucker--

[it's hissed under her breath, having been unprepared for this development, before she steels herself and makes herself known, gun aimed ... directly at Blue Beetle, currently the most intimidating-looking of the lot. Whoops.]

Put your hands up and maybe I won't blow your brains out. The rest of you fuckers too.

[khajidont]

Oh, for the love of --

[ For one, a kid this age should not have a gun, and should absolutely not be bandying it about at people before she even knows whether or not they're worth shooting. That's, like, step one of gun safety. ]

I'm not the one you want to be aiming that thing at. In fact, you shouldn't be aiming it at anyone!

[ One thief takes the opportunity to scarper, but Jaime thrusts one hand out, and a blue forcefield blocks his way. He runs into it nose-first and bounces off with a howl of pain, but somehow, Jaime can't muster up too much sympathy for a dude who sees a big ol' blue wall and thinks: yeah, I'm gonna run into that. ]

Put the gun down. We don't gotta escalate this.

[epundemiology]

[Back in her world, you typically shot first and asked questions later. The only reason she hadn't started shooting was because she didn't know what kind of weapons those thugs might have, and shooting was an invitation for someone else to fire back. She didn't want that woman to get caught in the crossfire because her trigger finger got too itchy.

She is, however, a bit embarrassed when she realizes that yeah, she was pointing the gun at the wrong guy, though she gives him an odd look at "you shouldn't be aiming it at anyone," because really, dude?

Ellie hesitates before actually lowering her gun, only complying because of that weird blue force field thing. Probably no one would try any funny business with that in play. She does not, however, tuck it back into her waistband. It stays in her hand, finger still on the trigger, just in case.]

So what's your plan, blue guy?

[khajidont]

I mean, usually I cuff 'em and talk to them like --

[ One man takes that exact moment to lunge at Jaime with a switchblade extended, which Jaime is, unfortunately, more than used to. One day, he's going to be out in his civvies and forget to dodge when someone comes at him with a knife, but it's not a problem today. Patiently, he reaches out, and the man convulses in mid-air after receiving a direct shock, as though doing some perverse mid-air jig before crumpling to the ground. ]

-- like civilized people, [ he says, exhaling through his teeth in exasperation before turning to face the remaining two muggers. ]

So, that dude made a mistake. You guys gonna put your hands behind your backs, against that wall there, or are you gonna get a visit from Mr. Zappy?

[ Mr. Zappy isn't too bad, really. It's supposed to be for suppressing riots of justifiably angry sentients (and thanks for that one, Reach, that totally isn't absolutely horrifying), but Jaime tends to whip it out on people when he's worried about the situation escalating. For all that its origins are macabre, it's nice having something that'll just knock people unconscious for forty minutes or so. ]

CASS

[khajidont]

[ By now, it's common knowledge that no matter what city you find yourself in, if it's populated by imPorts, there will be some freaks in capes (or in other, equally as freaky costumes) loitering on rooftops. Some people rightfully complain about them trespassing on their property and occasionally making a mess, but this is one rightful complaint that Jaime happily ignores. He's technically out on patrol, but he's taken the evening more or less off in favour of going for a fly across the city, indulging himself in as many loop-de-loops and obnoxious speed as his heart desires.

Batgirl could have very well noticed him zipping across the sky like a lunatic, or perhaps she's only taking to the skies now - either way, she'll run into Blue Beetle, sitting back on his haunches, wings spread out behind him, and staring up at the sky from the vantage point of a rooftop so high that it's usually only occupied by fliers.

But Bats don't tend to pay any mind to limitations like that. ]

dreamwidth why do you do this i am MORTIFIED

[cassassin]

[she needed a vantage point to refresh her mental layout of this part of the city. simple as that. batgirl's grapple line anchors on the roof and she launches upwards, gliding slightly with the material of her cape -- spread out into the silhouette of a bat, of course--before she drops into a three point landing on a higher point on the roof.

she sees jaime, and can't help the smile behind her mask. she can't be sure if he remembers her, but she moves forward, silently, cape closed around herself.]

Slow night? [batgirl definitely does something with her voice when she's working, more or less what batman does to his. it's in the tone, mostly.]

IT'S OKAY, YOU'RE FORGIVEN (and i'm slow anyway)

[khajidont]

[ Jaime yelps. ]

You guys have got to stop doing that to me. And Khaji, you've gotta start warning me. [ Jaime rolls his eyes with a quiet, somewhat self-effacing laugh. ] Got an omniscient computer strapped to my back, and he still doesn't tell me when a bat's sneaking up on me.

[ Which is to say, Khaji never bothers - they're not a threat, and Jaime can hear that weird staticky sound, a whine of feedback, a sense of mirth running down his spine that means that Khaji's laughing. ]

Yeah, it's a slow night. It's nice, though - peaceful.

[ He remembers her, though they never spoke at length. He's not sure if she remembers him, though. People tend not to. ]

[cassassin]

[She laughs a bit, and the natural dryness of her voice mixed with the slight Bat growl makes it a somewhat rattling sound--heh heh heh heh--but it's genuine.]

Not... a lot of those. [Especially in Maurtia Falls. Cass takes a seat next to Blue Beetle. She's small, practically swimming in her cape before she splays it out behind her.]

Remember me? Know it's... been a while.

[khajidont]

You remember?

[ Jaime does a double-take, but when he looks at her, he's looking decidedly pleased. It's not about the awkwardness of reintroducing himself but it's always a welcome surprise when someone comes back after so long and still remembers. He's gotten into the habit of assuming that they don't, straightaway. ]

Hey, that saves us a few introductions, doesn't it? [ He grins at her. ] Yeah, I remember. I never left.