Okay. So. This... This should be easy.

[flame_bird]

(OOC Note: This scene takes place before the casting of the spell for Strangers and will likely be slow played.)

Where does all of that confidence go? What is it about this situation that makes her into a nervous and awkward moron? She loves the pressure, loves the attention, loves pulling the attention to herself... And this makes her feel as though she's never done this before.

Of course, Mar'i's little pep talk wasn't entirely a pep talk and then some bastards broke into her apartment and stole her medals. .... She's still depressed about that. What's worse, she's had to decline interview requests about it. No, she doesn't want to talk about someone else having those medals. Yes, she wants them back, damnit.

So. It's time to track down Vic.

All else fails, she could really use a hug. And he's good at those.

Comments

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

Vic's working. He's in the monitor room, with windows open displaying police evidence data.

Bette! Come on in. I'm working on the correlations between the thefts, but so far nothing.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Bette bites her bottom lip as she comes closer, wanting and not wanting to look at the evidence. She stands closer to him than she needs to, not quite reaching out to touch him yet.

"I still.. I don't know why anyone would take what they took. The medals I can sort of understand. But ... why someone would steal my diploma..." She's doing a good job. Her voice hardly wavered that time. She's still mostly trying to do this brave front thing.

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

I don't know, either. But it's the same kind of stuff they took from Jesse. Who knows what kind of head games some of our enemies...

He looks up.

This is really shaking you up, isn't it?

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Bette nods.

She looks on the verge of something before she pulls herself back, "Either someone knows who I am or I have a crazy psycho stalker. I... I don't know why..." A breath in. A breath out. "It feels personal..."

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

He puts a hand on Bette's shoulder.

It is personal. It would have to be, to take what they did. We just don't know why they're making it personal. But we'll find out.

Titans together.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Somewhere... at some point... she must have done something right.

Bette moves closer, resting her forehead against his shoulder.

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

He strokes her hair.

It's going to be all right, Bette. We're going to find this jerk, and we're going to teach him a lesson. And in the meantime, we're here for you. I'm here for you.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Bette looks up at him, giving him a watery smile. "Thank you. I... It's weird having people..." Yeah. She's saying she's getting used to having friends and people actually caring about her.

For a long time her best and almost only close friend was Gar who spent half the time hitting on her....

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

See, that's the trouble with pro tennis and Titans West -- no sense of loyalty.

He's grinning as he says it.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Bette makes an unbelieving sound as she looks at him, before reaching out and punching him.

Not that it likely makes the smallest true impact on him. "First off, I'm also a swimmer and a gymnast." She barely holds back from stickingher tongue out on him." I'll have you know I take responsibility for you all being on the West Coast now. I told you for years that this was the way to go. Better weather, nicer people, excellent surfing..."

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

...all true. Which doesn't change the fact that in order to get a Titans group to last more than two consecutive weeks around here, you had to import us from New York.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Glower. Glower, glower, glower.

"..... more than two weeks."

Wow. She's almost pouting.

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

He pulls away from her, holding her at arm's length and looking at her face.

I'm kidding, Bette. I don't mean anything by it. Holding together a Titans team isn't easy. Titans West did a lot of good in its day. It just suffered from a lack of unifying threats like Trigon.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Bette wrinkles her nose at him and grumbles some more before smiling at him a bit. "I know. I know you don't. It's just... one of those things. I don't have many sensative spots."

She'd hit him again but she'd probably hurt her hand more than she'd come anywhere near impacting him.

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

I didn't realize. I should have, and I'm sorry.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"It's okay. I'm over sensative. It's not you're fault. I'm just not used to not getting what I set out to get."

There is a small smile on her face at that.

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

And what did you come in here to get?

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Bette stares up at him blankly for a few moments, her cheeks tinging a bit red as she does so. Mar'i's words come back to her and she can't seem to spit them out.

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

...given your color, I think I can guess. But tell me anyway.

Or do I have to tickle it out of you?

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"I don't know why I'm so bashful around you."

Bette pulls a breath in and then looks up at him, "I think you're... really cute... and..." Oh dear.

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

Vic pulls her close.

"And" what?

He takes one hand off her waist, and moves it into view. It looks like he's warming up the fingers.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

She loses her breath for a few moments.

"Mar'i gave me words to say but I don't know if I can say them." God, this should be /easy/.

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

He pulls away, just a bit.

Mar'i gave you something to say? Now I am worried.

He's still grinning like a pirate, though.

Knowing Mar'i it's probably something about 'naked' or 'orgasms'.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Bette licks her lips, thoughtfully, "Yeah. One of those words is in there."

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

He knows he shouldn't, but he's having a hard time resisting chuckling, and it shows.

You could just paraphrase. I don't need a Tamaranian level of forthrightness.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"Paraphrase... I think... I can do that." Bette moves closer to him and slips her arms around his shoulders and lifts herself up. She presses her lips to his slowly, letting him stop the process at any point.

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

He doesn't stop her. In fact he kisses back.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

There is a tension that starts to slide from her shoulders as she deepens the kiss. She tightens her arms around his sholders, pulling herself closer.

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

He does stop her, then. He's still holding her, but he moves away, just enough to break the clinch.

Mmmm...what was it you were going to say?

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Bette blinks up at him and then frowns at him. "Well, it was more and less directly that, except it was a bit more in the direction of a bed.... or the floor..."

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

He does step away then.

No, Bette. You were going to say something. As nice as that was, it wasn't talking. I am not a one-night stand.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

The blood drains from Bette's face and she stands there, looking ... stunned. "I didn't... I didn't want you to be..."

She's probably about thirty seconds from bolting out of the room.

[vic-stone.livejournal.com]

He's having trouble looking her in the eye.

I know you didn't. But if we can't talk about it, then that's what it's going to end up being.

Maybe we should talk another time.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"I.... I'm sorry... I just didn't know what to say... to you... I didn't want to make it like the others where it was all words .... and none of it meant /anything/."

Bette turns and starts to leave the room.