That old wanderlust

[fast_thrower]

It wasn't like Owen hadn't enjoyed being part of the Titans, they were a great bunch, but he just couldn't stay cooped up in some HQ all the time. He needed to get back on the road now and then. Even if he wasn't jetting off for some wild and crazy vacation, just to be on the move felt good

Comments

[tx_instruments]

"Mr. Mercer. I thought I might find you here."

The Calculator is not usually seen out and about in person, but on rare occasions, the personal touch is necessary. And it was, after all, a library.

[fast_thrower]

Owen looks down, tucking the book under his arm and sliding down the ladder, eying the newcomer.

"Can I help you? Can't say we've met."

[tx_instruments]

"No, we have not. However, I was a friend of your father's - up until his untimely demise."

He smiles, reassuringly.

"My name is Noah Kuttler - known to some as the Calculator."

[fast_thrower]

Owen keeps his cool, but there's a definite shift in his hold on the book, as his eyes scan the room. The Calculator doesn't have much of a rep for ever showing up in person, and never without muscle.

"Well... ain't that fascinatin'. You here for the free wi-fi?"

[themightyoracle]

Barbara had taken to being just as reclusive as certain other members of her 'family', especially recently. She could get anything and find any information she wanted directly from her apartment. There were very few reasons for her to leave the house if she didn't want to, which is why forcing herself to take a break from her computers and come down to the library - once her home away from home - was so important.

After saying hello to the librarians and other staff, Babs went and found the books she was looking for and headed to a table. She pulled her laptop from the bag attached to the back of her chair, and set it up, accessing the library WiFi. She'd stay the afternoon and do some research, and who knows? Perhaps she'd actually find what she was looking for.

[fast_thrower]

Owen had some blueprints piled up in his arms, blocking his view as he bumped into something. Something metal and all of a sudden smacking into his shin.

"Oof! Sonnova..." He clears his throat loudly to keep from letting that outburst go any further.

He sets the blueprints down and leans against a chair to rub his shin. He's about to express some reasonably polite annoyance, when he sees what and who he bumped into.

"...hey."

[themightyoracle]

Babs gasped in surprise as her chair suddenly jolted. She'd been careful not to let her chair stick out too far into the aisle, but either she'd moved, or he hadn't been watching where he was going. In the interest of politeness, she took it upon herself to apologize.

"Are you alright? I'm so sorry; I try to keep this thing out of the way, but sometimes I'm pretty certain it has a mind of it's..." looking up at his face, she realized two important facts that superseded all other information she took in at a glance. First: she knew this man. Second: he didn't know her, or even that she knew him.

Babs just barely masked her surprise behind a friendly smile, holding out her hand for him to shake. "My name's Barbara Gordon, or just Babs. Sorry again about the chair."

[fast_thrower]

Owen smiles and shakes his head as he sets his foot down. He shakes her hand eagerly. "Owen Mercer, charmed Babs." He grins. "Sorry about the jolt, carrying too much."

He hesitates for a moment, then nods to the table. "Mind if I join you?" He gathers up his blueprints again.

[themightyoracle]

She might have chided him for being "helpful" with something she could do herself, but she's learned that there are still such things as manners and chivalry, and that sometimes, it's better just to say 'thank you'. So she does, electronically opening the back door and swinging her chair out and onto the ground. It snaps open with a smart clang and then it's the same process as before, only in reverse. Locking up, she starts with him for the door.

"You have quite the Gypsy spirit. My... boyfriend... has Romani blood. He has a hard time sitting still, too. I love Gotham. It gets a bad rap, but it has a lot to recommend it."

A beat cop just leaving for duty recognizes her, and holds the door open for them with a warm "Afternoon, Ms. Gordon." She thanks him with a polite smile, wheels inside, and heads for a booth three over from the wall. "This is where my dad and I usually sit when I come here to eat dinner with him. You don't mind?"

[fast_thrower]

"My adopted dad was a contract worker. Didn't have much choice to be on the move growing up. Past year or two, I've just had a lot on my mind, and travel helps." Owen shrugs as they get settled.

He shakes his head as she asks about the table. "No problem missy."

[themightyoracle]

It's an easy shift from chair to booth, and she does it without hesitation.

Babs shows him where the pie choices are on the menu, then asks, although she already knows the answer, "Must have been heavy thoughts. Mind if I ask what happened?"

[fast_thrower]

"My dad got murdered." He says it plainly. "Stuff happened to me afterwards. Long story, longer details."