sticky

[secondchances]

Who: Stephanie Brown and YOU??
What: Sighing a lot and getting tar everywhere
When: Today!
Where: The castle grounds
Rating: PG



Tar, tar everywhere. It was black, sticky, and warm to the touch--which Steph discovered, as it clung to her arms and neck. It didn't take too long for her to realize that many in the castle were being afflicted by this, so she tried to tough through it. It would stop eventually, and she had things to do. There was still a lot to be done in the city, before she and Cass left on the expedition.

However, the more she touched, the more tar seemed to come from her hands.

She wasn't going to be useful to anyone today, let alone herself, she came to realize.

What was the logical response?

To lay down on the grass in front of the castle, of course. Maybe if she didn't touch anything for a while, the sticky goo would recede. In the meanwhile, staring at the sky seems like a good option.

Yeah, castle. She gets the irony. She messes up everything she touches. Ha ha.

Comments

[heloise]

Lucrezia is still making her rounds to and from the castle. Things are certainly easier with wishes and she was never sparing in making use of it. It helps that she isn't affected by the curse either. What would she be? Covered in bile for bitter vengeance?

Stephanie's figure is familiar, but not the tar staining her neck. Her too?

She doesn't hesitate but walks slowly over so that if her friend would rather be alone, then she can tell her. Otherwise she would just drop herself onto the ground next to her, rolling to her side so she can watch her and cuddling closer as they do. Did?

She crinkles her nose. "You smell terrible."

[secondchances]

Even the grass her hands rest on has tar on it. Steph's reached that point of frustration where she just doesn't care anymore.

She supposes that the irony is lost on someone who doesn't know her from Gotham, so she's not eager to shoo Lucrezia away once she sees that she's alone.

"And I'm sticky. Be careful."

[heloise]

The smell is somewhat familiar but she isn't sure what that is. She knows better than to ask, for now, but she ignores the warning anyway, scooting closer to wrap one arm around her.

She still tries to keep the black goo from her face, but Steph's cheek is clean so she can still place a kiss on it.

"So long as you promise not to tickle me with those hands."

[secondchances]

"Lucrezia--" Steph goes rigid, pressing her palms onto the grass as to not get anything on her. "You're gonna get messy. This stuff does not come off. Believe me."

[heloise]

She shrugs and shakes her head, still watching Steph's face. "I can always get new dresses."

[hellofist]

First people singing randomly, then earthquakes, now this. If there's one thing Cass has learned quickly it's that life in this castle? It gets kind of odd.

But she can work with odd, odd isn't really anything new. Her friend leaking tar? New. She follows the drips that go from Steph's room in the castle to find her and leans over her, blocking her view of the sky and smiling down at her. Cass is stain free, which is kind of nice. Her body's already covered in bruises, other weird marks probably wouldn't show up at all.

"Want a pillow?"

She intends to be the pillow herself, of course.

[secondchances]

The oddness is precisely why Steph isn't freaking out. She was so over this little event.

She can still smile at the sight of Cass, though.

"The grass is my pillow. I don't feel bad about getting it all gross."

[hellofist]

Cass sits down by Stephanie's head, then lifts it carefully and scoots even closer so Steph can lay her head in her lap. She doesn't really care about magic castle tar, it's Steph.

"We could swim. Are there lakes, here?" Normally she wouldn't suggest getting tar in a lake, but it's magic tar. Surely the castle wouldn't produce anything the outlying areas wouldn't find a way to cope with.

[secondchances]

"Swimming probably isn't a bad idea," Steph muses, smiling as she lays her head on Cass' lap. That's a bit more comfortable than the grass. Nothing much comes to mind when it comes to swimming aside from the duck pond, and that's gross. The onsen is kinda far, and she's not too sure she's desperate enough to soil the castle pool.

"Nothing that close, though. The beach room isn't even open today. Sucks."

[hellofist]

"Fine with walk. Not hurt anymore." Plus it's Steph, it's not like more time with her is going to be a bad thing.

If it's possible for her to spend more time with Steph. She already follows her just about everywhere she can to make sure she hasn't disappeared, to reaffirm as often as possible that yes, she really is alive and safe and here. Lightly, she runs her fingers through Steph's hair.

"Or just sit. Up to you."

[eaglet]

Connor is pretty distracted by the soot covering his hands, but not so distracted that he can't see where he's going.

Unless, of course, where he's going is also synonymous with young woman lying in the grass.

Which is to say he very gracefully trips right over her with a startled yelp. He luckily doesn't land on top of her, though he does land in a very confused heap beside her in the grass.

this is the beginning of an anime i bet

[secondchances]

It's surprisingly easy to fall asleep in the spring sun, on the soft grass, even with nasty tar covering various parts of her person.

Her dream about being in a bubble bath and eating a turkey leg with one of the members of a boyband she liked in her youth is interrupted by the feeling of someone tripping over her. That's totally a distinctive feeling. She sits up with a gasp, turning to look at the pile of Connor next to her.

... she probably shouldn't tell Ezio about this.

"Oh, crap! Are you okay?" She reaches out to touch him, but pulls back once she remembers her hands are gross.

stephanie-senpai noticed me

[eaglet]

Connor just lies there for a second, dazed. He's not thinking about turkey legs or boy bands, but his thoughts are pretty jumbled right now -- mostly because he just tripped over her and fell on the ground. That will do a thing or two to your thoughts.

"Yes --" he starts, then manages to pull himself into a slightly less pile-like position, lying on his back. "Yes. I am fine. You..."

He trails off, eyes widening when he sees her hands. "Are you?"

[secondchances]

"Me? I'm peachy," she replies, pressing her hands together and then pulling them apart. It's her new trick, making those slow strings of tar appear between her hands. "Just waiting this thing out and tripping people."

She looks at his hands. She wouldn't be too surprised to see something there, though she's hoping she won't.

[eaglet]

Connor sits up to get a closer look at the substance lacing itself between her fingers, brow furrowed. That's pretty... disgusting, really. He instinctively reaches out as he looks, though he doesn't really want to touch.

His own hands are relatively innocuous, no tar or blood or anything, though his palms are covered in ash and soot.

"'Waiting it out' -- it is not a permanent curse?"

[dorkwonder]

Tim spent the better half of the day running around, organizing tasks, checking in with the citizens, and helping in every and any way he can. At some point, someone stopped him and pointed out that he had some weird purplish-red ink on his neck. By the time he arrived at a bathroom, it had spread through his scalp and his neck. The design of the ink smears bared a striking resemblance to the scars he had on the back of his head when he was caught in an explosion.

To make matters worse, a stain appeared on his chest, in the exact same spot Jason sunk a batarang into him. Thanks for that, Jason. The blood and scars remind him of a lot of things. The type of things he doesn't want to think about when there's a crisis on hand.

Try as he might, the thoughts refuse to leave his mind. Eventually his exhaustion and the weight of his guilt gets to him. He drops into a kneeling position, face in one of his hands, waging a war against his memories.

[secondchances]

In retrospect, Stephanie should have probably checked on Tim as soon as this started.

As soon as she hears him, sees him, she's by his side despite the mess on her. Her hands hover at here she wants to put them, on his shoulder, on his back.

"Tim?"

The marks she can see don't really bode well.

[dorkwonder]

Tim looks up, temporarily lost in his memories. When he sees her, he doesn't so much see her, as much as he sees her how she was when he confronted her about betraying him to make him a "better" Robin. A nasty frown his shot her way, and he jerks away.

After a few seconds pass, he breaks out of his thoughts and quickly rubs his eyes. Oh boy, this doesn't bode well for him. He needs to do something about this before he does something stupid.

"Steph--hey."

[secondchances]

Fortunately, Steph didn't expect to be met with a smile. Not right away, anyway. Tim didn't always react well when suffering. So, she's not too put off by his reaction, though she does frown back.

"Hey," she responds, looking him over. "The castle's up to it again."

Her hands are held up in front of her, as proof and an explanation of why she's not touching him right now--though that's what she really wants to do.

[dorkwonder]

"Tar?" Gives her a funny look, wondering what the castle was thinking with that. Not that he's in much better shape with his ink smears all over his neck. The worst part for him is the blood that keeps oozing into his shirts, no matter what lengths he goes to, to try and remain clean.

"First the earthquake, now this. Ugh, I don't even want to think about what you'll come across on the expedition."

[assassino]

Ezio is out and about today, despite the inclination to stay in his room. After all, staying in his room to avoid being seen would likely result in too much time with nothing to think about but the nasty marks that had appeared on him this morning.

However, it doesn't mean he wants to show off. As a result, he's wearing a grey hoodie with black denim jeans, the zipper pulled high and the hood up. It's still not enough to hide the angry red rope burns along his jugular.

That is still easier to hide than black tar, though.

He sits down beside Stephanie, looking more than a little sour.

"Are the clouds really so interesting, when you can run around hitting your enemies with that mess?"

[secondchances]

It takes her a moment to realize it's Ezio next to her--sure, he wears modern clothing to humor her at times, but she definitely didn't expect to see him in a hoodie and jeans today.

She sits up.

"I don't have enemies," she says, though Joshua pops into her mind. Does he even count? Her eyes go to his hands, but are quickly caught by the red marks on his neck.

That, too, takes a moment to click.

"Oh..."

[assassino]

He doesn't reply immediately, instantly feeling uncomfortable by her gaze at his neck. He's not sure if he wants her to ask or if he'd rather she pretend she didn't see it. If there were anyone to trust with that, it would be her, at least. But for the time being, he just humors her.

"No? Not even a rival, perhaps someone who bumped into you in the halls?"

[secondchances]

"Hmm. There was this drunk that went on about his marble dick, but that's about it," she teases, but her voice is a little more gentle than usual as she wiggles her sticky fingers at him. "He was just annoying, though."

She's not sure if she wants to ask or if she should pretend she didn't see it, either. But her tone and expression makes it obvious that she's definitely aware of the mark on his neck.

[assassino]

"I plead drunkenness," he replies, managing a tight smile. To buy himself another moment, he prods, "What is this mess about?"

He gestures at her hands.