OOM: workshopping with Charles.

[runningred]

{{from here}}

Jay's workshop is an interesting mess of bike parts and tools. He has a couple of old couches and a cooler full of beer too. "I know it's weird but being down here is almost as private as anywhere in Milliways."

Comments

[runningred]

Jay nods and shuts down a bit, not talking for a long moment to finish his drink.

[balancingminds]

The shutting down wasn't what he wanted and he drinks his beer before standing up and walking among the bikes,

"Tell me about them. What stories do these tell?"

[runningred]

"The black one was mine when I was a vigilante sidekick. It's top of the line, best tech in the world, best money can buy. It's fast and tooled up. I use it as my spare but this one's mine." He crosses to the other bike - a post war BSA, beat-up and much repaired, clearly cobbled together but with great love. "She's my baby. Built her from scratch myself. She's been all over the world with me. And she's saved my life twice."

[balancingminds]

"I remember bikes like this from New York and England. They always looked fun and dangerous,"

He had some moments when he thought about talking to the riders, Raven usually did, but he had a different role to play.

[runningred]

"Riding's only as dangerous as you make it. I keep the Bat-bike for teaching people on because it's harder to drop. More safety features in the more resent bikes and I can set it to limit the top speed."

"I love BSAs because they''re simple. Post war design is uncomplicated, easy to repair and easy to get parts for. Anywhere in the old British Empire you can find something that'll do the job. And they're less fussy about fuel. She's harder to ride but far more practical."

[balancingminds]

"Let me know if you ever need parts. I plan on getting back to New York and I used to know the City pretty well. Simple is good, that's what makes good shields too, nothing overly fancy. What works and comes easily to you."

[runningred]

"Nar, it's all good. The Bar fixed me up with all the parts I need and there's plenty down here to scavenge."

"I don't know about shields. The only ones I've ever used are up here." He points to his head.

[balancingminds]

"That's what I meant and you've got good ones."

[runningred]

"I had a good teacher. A member of a fully telepathic race. He found the free and loud thoughts of humans distracting and sometime distressing so he offered to teach the people he worked around how to shield themselves." He shows Charles Martian Manhunter. With the image comes a sense of respect. J'onn was kind and patience and a very good teacher.

[balancingminds]

He observes and smiles,

"I understand his feeling but the world would be quiet for me without the thoughts around me."

[runningred]

"J'onn understood that in order to do what we did, we needed to be able to keep our own secrets. He didn't want to take for granted thoughts or knowledge that he hadn't been given. Real names especially. Secret identities and the like."

[balancingminds]

"I can see that. It means more when someone shares something with you, but secrets can create walls too. I'm trying to figure out what a future may look like with fewer walls and secrets."

[runningred]

Jay raises an eyebrow and lets his shields fall. Not all the walls perhaps but it's meant as a symbolic gesture, a willingness to share.

[balancingminds]

"Oh, thank you but that wasn't a request truly. I was just trying to explain how I think,"

Jay keeps on surprising him.

[runningred]

Jay shrugs, "And now you can see how I think. Just try not to get burnt, it's kinda a mess in there."

Worry, hope, regret, revenge and a sense of feeling very lost mostly.

[balancingminds]

"I think I can handle it and help you," No one's mind is that neat in his experience.

[runningred]

"Get inside and dust out the dark corners." Jay half jokes, "I'll make sure the bits that bite are well penned in." The shining corner of darkness that is his desire to kill the Joker, to see the light drain out of these laughing eyes.

[balancingminds]

"I've seen worse. So you don't need to apologize,"

He smiles and lifts his beer to Jay.

[runningred]

"I'm sorry." Not for his own darkness but that Charles has seen worse. He knows he's mostly sane and can't imagine what it would be like looking into the mind of someone who wasn't but he can hate that Charles has had to.

He raises his beer too, polishing it off. He's tempted to crack another but that was his third. Any more and he will start to get drunk.

[balancingminds]

(OOC: Maybe at an end for this session but they'll have more.)

"Don't be, its who I am. That's why I have my shields to protect me from the worst but we're all human,"

Once more he shifts forward, this time to hug Jay who looks in need of it.

[runningred]

Jay leans into the hug, his arms loose but warm around Charles' waist. Thank you. It's heartfelt and honest. Charles' care means a lot to him.

{{ooc: works for me. Thank you! This has been lovely!}}

[balancingminds]

(OOC: It has. I'll post this one. Love these two.)

He's glad that he can make Jay feel good for a time and this is just a first step.