Chloe observed him, listening rather than talking for a while. Words were her life, but she had to be a pretty good listener and able to pick up on things to do what she did and do it as well as she did. There was much more to him than met the eye. Time might dull the sharpest edges of pain, but it wasn't a cure
( ... )
Well, he was glad to hear he wasn't disappointing her, at least. Though he was curious as to whether she really wanted more face time with him. He wasn't exactly the world's nicest guy. He smiled involuntarily at her response, shaking his head ever-so-slightly. "I assure you, there isn't really a mystery behind this blue eyes to unravel."
He watched her try to get more comfortable in her seat and he shifted slightly in his, facing her a little more than before. "I suppose it does answer my question," he said, nodding.
He might not be the world's nicest guy, but he was certainly interesting. He was also putting his life on the line to stop a terrorist - Chloe respected that. "Everyone is a mystery, Oliver. Just to varying degrees. I'll take your assurance under advisement, but you know how I feel about making up my own mind on things."
Her mouth drew into a smile and she looked over at him once she settled a bit. "I wonder if it does, though," she mused, curious.
"That's true enough," he agreed, nodding and resting his head on the seat as he watched her. Or at least as best as he could in the dark anyway, smile still on his face. "It's becoming pretty clear. I have to admit, it's nice to actually meet you in person."
He arched an eyebrow. "And I can tell by your tone your curiosity is far from sated. So let me have it."
The self-deprecating slant to her smile probably wasn't visible, though her dryness of tone was obvious enough. "You say that now, but you've only seen me on my best behavior. And for relatively briefly. Give it time; you'll change your tune. Although, I am glad we're making progress on the clarity of my quirks."
She narrowed her eyes, suspicious. If he was trying for reverse psychology, it wasn't likely to work on her. "You realize you're inviting a barrage of questions, right?"
"It is an important area to have clarity in," he teased, his voice a little lighter than before. "I'm starting to worry I'm not as quirky or interesting as you are, however."
He shrugged a little at her last comment. "We're stuck on a train in the midst of a blackout. It'll be a way to pass the time. Although I should tell you up front if there's something I'm not comfortable sharing, I won't be."
She smiled at the lightness in his voice. "Is it? You keep up the flattery and I'm really going to start wondering if you're up to something," she warned, with a hint of playfulness. "Quirky, maybe not. But I sincerely doubt I'd come out the winner if it came down to who's more interesting."
"Understandable. Boredom is a pretty powerful motivator and I wouldn't expect anything less," she assured him, turning her body again to face him. "Why the interest in Batman? Like you said, Gotham is a long way from here."
He chuckled softly at that. "I'm not up to anything," he promised, holding up his hands a little in a gesture of mock surrender. "And I don't know. I think quirky makes a person interesting."
He smiled again, considering her question for a few moments, cocking his head to one side. "I guess I wanted to have a Gothamite's perspective on the guy. The whole vigilante justice thing...I don't know. I suppose it fascinates me in a way."
"Hm. I'm not sure if I believe you, but you do get points for style and execution." She reached out to tap one of his hands, still raised. Thankfully, she didn't miss and end up tapping his face. It was dark, but they were close enough for hand-eye coordination to work. "Most people think quirky is another word for 'weird.' If weird is your thing, then I applaud your tastes."
She noticed he took the time to think before responding and her lips curved upward at the corner. "I think you'll find Gotham's opinion on him is fairly divided. Obviously, you're not completely against vigilante justice, but what do you think about him? Hero or menace?"
"I'll take what points I can get," he teased again, watching her as she tapped his hand lightly. "You know, I've never cared for the word 'weird.' I prefer the term 'eccentric.' It sounds more positive." He grinned a little, shrugging.
"So it's like most things, then, I suppose." He pursed his lips for a moment. "I guess I lean more toward the hero side," he admitted cautiously. "I mean, if the police can't keep a handle on the crime in the city, what's the alternative, really? Just give in to the criminals?" He let out a breath. "At least he's doing something. Making a difference."
"I sincerely doubt you need to look for points here," she countered with a slight smile. Chuckling, she shook her head in response to the continued teasing. Given his intensity the last time they talked, it was surprising - in a good way. "Pretty sure 'eccentric' only applies for you wealthy types. Us plebeians are stuck with 'weird,' sadly, because I agree the connotations are different."
Chloe nodded, reporter senses tingling. Or they would be, if such a thing existed. "That's all anyone can do. Take a stand and do your part to make things better. In our case, there's a whole lot of corruption making an already bleak situation worse, so no. The alternative isn't an acceptable one. Not to me, anyway." Turning fully sideways in her seat, she studied him. "That's what you're trying to do, isn't it?"
"I think I need to take points wherever I can get them," he told her. "And as far as I'm concerned eccentric suits you better than weird." He winked at her without thinking about it, and then blinked a couple of times, wondering if she'd even seen him do it.
His eyes widened a little at her question and he held his breath for a moment. "Not on the same level as Batman, but...I'm not sure what kind of future there is to be had in a world with Ultra-Man at large. Considering what he's been doing, and what he's capable of doing."
One blonde eyebrow arched. "You mean you're looking for points and it doesn't matter who gives them to you? That in mind, I'm not sure how to take your vocabulary choices." Or the wink she thought she might have seen, although that was quickly brushed off as a trick of the lighting. "You sure know how to make a girl feel special."
Name-dropping while in the Metropolis city limits didn't strike Chloe as the wisest course of action, so she leaned closer in order to keep her voice low enough not to be heard by anyone else. "You're doing something. Making a difference in a way you can. It might not be dressing up in costume and ziplining from rooftops, but give yourself a little credit. And actually, we should talk about that. Not here, obviously, but I've been thinking."
"Okay, that's...not exactly what I meant," he amended, grimacing a little. "Sorry. The points from you are special?" He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment.
He held his breath for a moment when she leaned closer to him and he watched her as closely as he could in the dark. "Yeah, here's probably not the best place," he agreed, his own voice lowering. "But I am looking forward to hearing what you have to say."
"You mean you're looking for points from me where you can get them?" She had to bite back a grin because really, slightly thrown and/or discombobulated Oliver Queen was both amusing and surprisingly endearing. "I won't be writing an expose on your tendency to fall asleep on the train, so you don't actually have to suck up," she assured him.
Okay, so invading his personal space might not have been her best idea ever. She had a reason for it and it was a valid reason, but that didn't make her any less aware of him. It was a lot easier to ignore the fact that he was ridiculously good looking from at least some distance. Still: reasons. "Good. I don't know what your schedule is like, but I'll be in town for a few days. We should try to arrange a time to meet and discuss things. Someplace without eaves to be dropped at or prying eyes."
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He watched her try to get more comfortable in her seat and he shifted slightly in his, facing her a little more than before. "I suppose it does answer my question," he said, nodding.
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Her mouth drew into a smile and she looked over at him once she settled a bit. "I wonder if it does, though," she mused, curious.
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He arched an eyebrow. "And I can tell by your tone your curiosity is far from sated. So let me have it."
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She narrowed her eyes, suspicious. If he was trying for reverse psychology, it wasn't likely to work on her. "You realize you're inviting a barrage of questions, right?"
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He shrugged a little at her last comment. "We're stuck on a train in the midst of a blackout. It'll be a way to pass the time. Although I should tell you up front if there's something I'm not comfortable sharing, I won't be."
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"Understandable. Boredom is a pretty powerful motivator and I wouldn't expect anything less," she assured him, turning her body again to face him. "Why the interest in Batman? Like you said, Gotham is a long way from here."
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He smiled again, considering her question for a few moments, cocking his head to one side. "I guess I wanted to have a Gothamite's perspective on the guy. The whole vigilante justice thing...I don't know. I suppose it fascinates me in a way."
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She noticed he took the time to think before responding and her lips curved upward at the corner. "I think you'll find Gotham's opinion on him is fairly divided. Obviously, you're not completely against vigilante justice, but what do you think about him? Hero or menace?"
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"So it's like most things, then, I suppose." He pursed his lips for a moment. "I guess I lean more toward the hero side," he admitted cautiously. "I mean, if the police can't keep a handle on the crime in the city, what's the alternative, really? Just give in to the criminals?" He let out a breath. "At least he's doing something. Making a difference."
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Chloe nodded, reporter senses tingling. Or they would be, if such a thing existed. "That's all anyone can do. Take a stand and do your part to make things better. In our case, there's a whole lot of corruption making an already bleak situation worse, so no. The alternative isn't an acceptable one. Not to me, anyway." Turning fully sideways in her seat, she studied him. "That's what you're trying to do, isn't it?"
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His eyes widened a little at her question and he held his breath for a moment. "Not on the same level as Batman, but...I'm not sure what kind of future there is to be had in a world with Ultra-Man at large. Considering what he's been doing, and what he's capable of doing."
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Name-dropping while in the Metropolis city limits didn't strike Chloe as the wisest course of action, so she leaned closer in order to keep her voice low enough not to be heard by anyone else. "You're doing something. Making a difference in a way you can. It might not be dressing up in costume and ziplining from rooftops, but give yourself a little credit. And actually, we should talk about that. Not here, obviously, but I've been thinking."
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He held his breath for a moment when she leaned closer to him and he watched her as closely as he could in the dark. "Yeah, here's probably not the best place," he agreed, his own voice lowering. "But I am looking forward to hearing what you have to say."
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Okay, so invading his personal space might not have been her best idea ever. She had a reason for it and it was a valid reason, but that didn't make her any less aware of him. It was a lot easier to ignore the fact that he was ridiculously good looking from at least some distance. Still: reasons. "Good. I don't know what your schedule is like, but I'll be in town for a few days. We should try to arrange a time to meet and discuss things. Someplace without eaves to be dropped at or prying eyes."
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