Hey, Persephone, [ Jaime says, lighting down in front of her. They've attracted more than a few probing stares in a busy area like this (and, likely, a few photos taken to be sold to one tabloid or another), considering that neither of them are particularly subtle. For once, Jaime elects to ignore it. They're here to meet up and fly away, that's it. ]
You ready? I can carry you or you can piggyback it. Your choice.
[ Carrying's better, though. You can go faster that way, and tonight, Jaime's definitely feeling the desire to put figurative pedal to figurative metal. ]
[ Huh. Having someone greet Khaji every time they meet is... new. It's nice, though. Jaime doesn't think Khaji cares very much (though he does chirp back a hello in the back of Jaime's mind), but Jaime does. It's been so long that he's always impressed when people remember he's a person. ]
Cool, that's what I was hoping you'd say. Khaji says hi too, by the way, [ Jaime says, flapping his wings a few times to get them airborne before his wings change seamlessly into a jetpack, because of course they do. They're covered with a translucent blue forcefield before Jaime jets off at what isn't top speed, necessarily, but at a pretty fast clip. ]
Let me know if you want me to lower the bubble. I dunno if god powers prevent you from getting crap in your eye.
Eyelids aren't enough for most people at this kind of speed, but you're the boss. Tell me if it gets to be too much.
[ Which is to say: no, he does not want to talk. What he wants to do is fly really, really fast until he can't feel his face anymore and then blow up a bunch of rocks where nobody can see him and ding him for being a scary, destructive imPort. He wants to let Khaji fly free and do what he wants to do, slip into the back of his mind and become a passenger, content to leech off of the sheer, animalistic joy Khaji radiates when he gets to do his thing.
So that's what he does. He drops the shield, and it's nearly imperceptible when he lets Khaji share the reins, save for another burst of speed as they rocket higher in the sky for what seems like the sole purpose of having a better point at which to indulge in constant lifts and falls, like the world's fastest, most terrifying rollercoaster. Even with the foul mood that brought him here in the first place, he can feel Khaji's delight singing through his veins, and he reminds himself to do this a little more often, let them both fly loose like they were meant to, let them both take control simultaneously in the sort of way that's only ever feasible when they're in the air.
They reach the desert soon enough and Khaji yanks the reins away from Jaime entirely to do a triple loop-de-loop before stilling, still at a great height. Jaime snorts, rolling his eyes. ] Show-off. [ Then, to Persephone: ] Here it is. Home sweet home.
[ It's a big, empty desert with a bunch of big rocks in it. It looks like a wasteland with nothing to recommend it, and it's Jaime's favourite place in the world. ]
[ Holy FUCKING shit. She thought she'd known flying, but Inanna's starlight was nothing like this. And yeah, maybe there was an extra vine or two around Jaime by the time they arrive but never once would she let him slow down on her account. ]
Shut up about your stupid desert a minute. Was that you? Was that Khaji-da? Tell him he's an absolute legend. No, wait, statement adjustment, his legendary status is irrelevant but his flight prowess has been noted as- uhm- prowessful.
[ He grins, though, still coming down a little from the thrill of flying. He's been able to do this for years and, somehow, it's never gotten old. ]
That was both of us - or as close to it being 50/50 as we ever get. [ Which is a fantastic feeling in and of itself, and one he's incapable of putting into words. It would be difficult for even the most gifted poet to put into words, and Jaime still occasionally has a hard time getting a whole sentence out with the words in the right order if he's sleepy enough. ]
So thank you, we accept our legendary status. Oh, except for the whole loop-de-loop thing, that's one-hundred percent him. [ He pauses. ] I mean, I say thank you. Khaji just says that he knew that already. Dude's totally preening, though.
[ Going to El Paso here is an exercise in futility. It's too sad, too strange to see all of the differences there, but the similarities as well, knowing that there are no familiar faces in those familiar houses. The desert, though? The desert's the same, no matter what world you go to, just a reassuring ocean of sand and rubble, vast and peaceful as ever. He used to come here to do his homework, back home.
Now, he comes here to think, or to let off some steam, or just to be alone, a quiet, personal place that's all his own. He'd brought Bart here, before. Now he's bringing Persephone.
He descends until his feet hit the ground, and he lets Persephone off - or, at least, he does after she's through with disentangling him from her vines. ]
That, and there's a bunch of big rocks that nobody gives a crap about, which means I can blow up as many as I like.
[attached: a picture of a batsuit in black-and-darker-black, with a yellow utility belt and kneepads. gold lenses in the cowl, along with gold tips to the fingers, around the edges of the gauntlets' blades, and generally just used for detailing in places.
and of course, a full face cowl.
the mannequin it's on looks smaller than Bruce--about Cass's size. Batgirl's size. silhouette is fairly androgynous-to-masculine, though, compared to the suit she'd been wearing when she met Laura. then Cass's voice, a moment later.]
[ It's the middle of the morning—maybe a little too early for Persephone to even be out of bed yet. But whether she's up or not, there's a familiar swirl of purple and white stardust fading into existence. ...Smaller than usual though. Much smaller. And settling on her bedside table. ]
[ Fair... Fair. After all that sure is her best friend's disembodied head just. Sitting on her table now. Does it help that it...they??? Are moving? That head is moving, and in fact grimacing in a mix of discomfort and something like regret. It would be so much better if they could figure out how to hold onto that new power of theirs, but luck has never been in the favor of these divine kids. ]
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