You would not believe how hard Alfred had to push to get him out of the penthouse.

[i_own_this]

In Gotham, weird is relative. In comparison to the bat-themed vigilante, the scarred murder-clowns and their fangirls, the mind-control otakin, the C.H.U.D.s, et cetera, seeing one of the richest men in the world hanging out at the local cafe/bookstore, drinking a latte and coping notes out of a book on... is that Chinese herbal medicine...? is

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[ducttape_hero]

Peter is here with a job application, but the man behind the espresso machine said the manager is out and he needs to wait for her to come back if he wants to hand that in, so...

He asks what their cheapest keep-you-up-all-night drink is, and buys that to wait with. His application, if one is Batman nosy, says that he's available weekends, any weekend, and that he didn't finish high school. It also says he's nineteen.

[i_own_this]

Bruce needs a little more vanilla in his latte. Or just a little more latte. He gathers up the books and wanders up to the counter to get a refill. And there's just something about Peter, a certain familiarity that makes him pause, as he passes by. Reading over his shoulder. (There's nothing wrong with being a little nosy, right?)

"Applying for a job?"

[ducttape_hero]

"Wh? Oh, yeah." Hello, vaguely familiar-looking stranger. He taps the application on the counter, then looks guilty when the barista gives him a look and a 'one more minute' gesture. "I'm all about coffee."

[i_own_this]

"I love it, but I'm not sure I could stand to make it all day." Bruce hands the glass over to the barista, with a bright smile. Asks for another, and with a slightly nervous smile, she moves to get it. He returns to his conversation with Peter. "You don't look nineteen." Not even a gotchya tone of voice. Just remarking on a pleasant surprise. Almost giving a compliment.

[agent_m0thman]

The sleepy looking teen staring at a laptop and drinking the last shot of espresso the cafe will give him today doesn't seem to think so.

Granted, the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man could be sitting in the cafe and Dib might not notice. He's still not sleeping well and has been avoiding his apartment to hide from certain neighbors.

[i_own_this]

Whatchya doing on that laptop, Dib? Huh?

"Hey," he says -- not from behind him (not wanting to give the poor kid a heart attack), but moving into his field of vision from the right -- "Dib, right?"

[agent_m0thman]

If Bruce can understand the wall o' text on symbolic logic that Dib is looking at, he'd appreciate a tutor. When not firing on all cylinders, logic is not the best thing to study.

He jumps anyway. He's jumpy and some random person is talking at him...

A random very rich person oh my god what. "Uhm, hello. Yes, it's Dib, Mr. Wayne..."

[i_own_this]

Bruce was always fond of logic. Nice and clean and sensible. Pares the world down to A and B and therefore C.

"Good to see you again. Are you okay? You don't look too good." Bruce 'Obvious' Wayne.

[icd10f60pt7]

She was being a model patient, and then she was being a model escaped patient. Quiet and careful not to attract attention. Because who the hell wanted to go back to Arkham this fast? But sometimes a girl needs to get out, read a book about the rain forest and drink a mocha vanilla latte. All right?

Besides, a good wig is exactly like hiding. Right?

[i_own_this]

A good enough wig, and even Batman is fooled! (No, he isn't.)

She looks like an interesting sort of girl, doesn't she? Bruce thinks he'd like to go and make conversation. So he does. "Good book?"

[icd10f60pt7]

Interest? Sure. Let's call it interesting. Is Bruce interesting? "Not really. Kind of boring."

[i_own_this]

Is he ever.

"Darn. It's an interesting subject."

[bovril_and_book]

This bookstore does not have proper tea. But they do have a sale on horror novels.

So Giles is buying a small pile of King and Koontz and Butcher before sitting down with what they call a latte to try to decide which book to give to Simon first.

[i_own_this]

That's a lot -- a lot -- of schlock-horror to buy at one time. "Looking for ideas for Halloween?"

[bovril_and_book]

Why are Americans so nosy?
"They are actually for a patient. His tastes run to the more macabre."

[i_own_this]

Well, how else are you supposed to find things out? Hmm?

"Patient?"