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

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[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.

[themightyoracle]

"Uh," How on earth can she answer that question? She doesn't even really know the answer herself, and any attempt to explain it would be quite involved.

"I'm not exactly sure," Babs begins. "It's always been complicated, but lately it's started getting clearer. We're trying to figure things out."

[fast_thrower]

Ahhh... one of them's 'on the hook'. Can't be sure which one just yet though.

"Hey, it's cool. Nice to, at least, know one friendly face in this town." Owen grins with a shrug.

[themightyoracle]

She smiled back, relieved that they'd both been spared any awkwardness. "Well, my friendly face doesn't get out of the Clock Tower all that much, but if you need a tour guide around the city, I think I could make time in my busy schedule to show you the sights. Mind you, they mainly consist of an Asylum for the criminally insane, and an island prison."

[fast_thrower]

"Clock tower? You some kind of mechanic?"

This chick... is interesting. Something... well, normally he'd tag it as 'off', but that sounds too negative for such a hottie, with a brain to boot apparently.

[themightyoracle]

She laughs - quietly, because it is a library, and at heart, she's still a librarian. "No, not a mechanic. I just happen to have the best piece of real estate in Lower Gotham. The Clock Tower had a few apartments vacant, so I bought the building." She shrugs, as though people just buy buildings every day.

"It's in a triangle with the G.C.P.D., which is where my dad works, and Wayne Towers, so you can't beat the location. Anyway, it's home."

[fast_thrower]

Owen is like 0.0

"Oh... so... you're rich?"

Yeah, it's kind of blunt to say, but he's pretty sure he's reached the point in the flirting where he realizes he might not have a shot, even aside from her or some other guy having one of them on the hook.

[themightyoracle]

"Not... exactly."

One of the downsides of not having a social life - she's rarely in a position where she's had to explain her life. "I have a benefactor. After getting paralyzed, he stepped forward and has been helping me out from time to time. In this case, I had my inheritance from my birth parents, some money of my one, and my dad had some money set aside for me, too. When the Tower became available, my benefactor was the one who suggested I buy the building, and would have bought it for me, if I hadn't insisted he only cover the difference."

Her face becomes a little sad as she thinks about her mentor - the reason she's here at the library in the first place - but she let's the wave of grief she's been keeping at bay pass by again. "So, no, not rich, really, just incredibly blessed." Her fingers glide over the cover of one of the books waiting in front of her for perusal, wondering if she'll find her answers there.

[fast_thrower]

"Hm." Owen finds himself much less concerned with the fine details of her being rich or not, compared to some kind of raw nerve he seems to have touched on.

"You need pie. Where can we get some good pie around here?"

[themightyoracle]

...pie? That hadn't been at all what Babs had been expecting, but clearly her brave front hadn't been all that impressive.

She looks at the stack of books in front of her, and then at the clock. She'd intended to spend a few hours here working,and guilt - along with a quick stab of decade-old anxiety over failing Bruce - creeps over her like a chill.

Then again, it isn't as though she hasn't spent nearly every waking moment of her life since his... disappearance, working toward finding an answer. This is the first time she's left the Tower in... she couldn't remember. Weeks? Days?

Exhaling a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, Babs smiles, nodding in acquiescence. "Okay. There's a diner down on Moench by the central precinct. It's both a greasy spoon, and a cop hangout, but they have the best pie in Gotham."

[fast_thrower]

There's a very slight hesitation at the mention of it being a cop hangout, but Owen puts on his usual grin.

"Sounds like a plan. Just lemme wrap up a couple more notes."

He unfurls a blueprint and gets to work scribbling stuff in his notebook.

Interesting girl.

[themightyoracle]

She overlooks his hesitation, understanding why such a place might cause him a moments pause, but lets nothing show on her face. When he agrees, she smiles.

"I'll just go check out." If she couldn't do research now, she could later when she got home. After all - that's what lending libraries were for.

[fast_thrower]

Owen grins and wraps up his notations while she checks out, meeting her by the circulation desk.

"All set missy?"

[themightyoracle]

"Yep." Wheeling out into the parking lot, her books in the backpack hanging on the back of her chair, Babs shields her eyes from the glare of the sun as it bounces off the shiny hoods of Honda's and BMW's.

"Uh," she looks at her car. "Did you drive? Do you want to follow me there, or catch a ride?"

[fast_thrower]

"My van's a block or two south of here. Think I'm safe enough leaving it for a while?" He shrugs. It's not as if the Owen-mobile doesn't have some security built in, but he'd rather not go into that.

[themightyoracle]

"It should be fine. We're not far from the police station, and after all - how often to you hear about robberies around a library?"

Smiling, she gestures toward the nearest handicapped spot with her keys, pressing the button to disengage the alarm and unlock the door. "This is me."