cursedhyacinth | Not quite the local gym...

The gym doesn't have a lot of people in it. It's never been the most popular of settings in this place, and the folks who pass through the Hub -- or even make it a home for however long -- are more the type to set up a home gym.

But that's part of why Jacinda likes it -- quiet, but not entirely lonely, and something zie doesn't have to maintain on zir own time. Show up, work out, go.

Zie is currently fiddling with the setup on the lat pulldown machine, increasing the number of weight plates that will be engaged.

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From:

red_hood_rat

And Jason is, in fact, more the home workout type in general. Right now, though, there's one fairly substantial problem with that: namely, that his home got broken into recently by some HIVE assassins, and he's in the process of moving places. He might have a new bed and a place to eat set up, but his workout equipment is nothing like how he likes it, so currently, Jason is in search of a workout place which is quiet and where people won't ask too many questions.

"Oh, hey," Jason says, surprised as he sees Jacinda. "Wasn't expecting anyone else here."

From:

cursedhyacinth

"Hi," Jacinda says, "neither was I."

Of course zie recognizes Jason as an alternate, but... it's kind of early in the morning, and Jacinda is really not in the mood to explain things if this guy doesn't already know the situation.

Besides, people wander in and out of the Hub all the time, without fully realizing that they've done so. Maybe it makes it easier if they don't get the explanation.

"You can stick around if you want. Promise I won't chatter."

From:

red_hood_rat

"You don't need to shut up on my account, but thanks," Jason says, moving over to the leg press. "Too fucking late in the day to be hunting for other gyms. Or early in the morning. Whatever."

From:

cursedhyacinth

"Late in the day, huh?" Jacinda asks, with a little smile. "It's almost four a.m. You must be on the night shift."

An easy joke to make, perhaps. Jacinda sits down at the front of the lat pulldown machine and starts a new set. The increase in weight is a little bit of a struggle at first, but zie powers through it.

From:

red_hood_rat

Jason snorts. "Something like that," he says. "That mean you're an early bird, then?"

From:

cursedhyacinth

Jacinda lets out a long breath as zie finishes the set.

Zie grins, and responds in a sing-song tone, "Tweedle-lee-deedle-ee-dee!" a la the old 'Rockin' Robin' song from the 1950s. Whether or not he gets the reference, or recognizes it as a hint to something more, doesn't matter to Jacinda.

From:

red_hood_rat

Jason snorts at the reference, then pauses, looking Jacinda over curiously.

"... you got a name, by the way? I'm Jay."

From:

cursedhyacinth

"I'm Jacinda." Little shrug, then zie leans down to grab zir reusable water bottle nearby and takes a drink. "Call me Cindy if it's too much of a mouthful."

There. Deflecting from the similarity of their names, and doing so without a lie. That ought to pass.

"Nice t'meet ya, Jay."

From:

red_hood_rat

Jason stares at her for a moment more, then shakes his head. Being raised by Batman has got him too fucking paranoid.

"Good to meet you, Jacinda," he says. "Lemme know if I'm being too chatty for you, all right?"

From:

cursedhyacinth

"Will do."

Jacinda does another set at the lat pulldown machine, quietly. Zie looks over at Jason, and gives a little chuckle upon seeing how much weight he's working with on the leg press.

"Gee, got enough loaded up there, man?"

From:

red_hood_rat

Without missing a beat, he responds, "Gotta keep it up for my boyfriend. He likes my thighs." Jason winks.

From:

cursedhyacinth

And that chuckle turns into a full-bodied laugh. Trust another Jason to find himself a leg man, whoever it is.

"Oh, I see. Gotta give him reasons to keep showing his appreciation, then!"

From:

red_hood_rat

"Gotta find some way to keep him in bed when he wakes up at ass-o-clock in the morning," Jason says. "Don't know how Danny does it."

From:

cursedhyacinth

Danny?

'Danny Chase?' Jacinda thinks. 'He was... and into me? No way... Danny is a really common name, and didn't the Titans get him killed anyway? You're overthinking this, Johnson...'

And perhaps not schooling zir features so well. It isn't abject shock, but maybe a little too contemplative for what would otherwise be just a passing comment from a new acquaintance.

"It's always a little rough," Jacinda replies, "when you have a different sleep schedule than your partner."

From:

red_hood_rat

Jason definitely notices Jacinda's reaction. He's not quite sure what to make of it, but something's a little odd about all this. And why does Jacinda look so familiar, anyway?

But as the follow-up comment, Jason shoots Jacinda a lopsided grin. "No kidding," he says. "Even worse when he lives in a different city entirely. Either I've gotta haul ass down to NYC or he's gotta come here. Not too far, I guess, but sort of takes the spontaneity out of booty calls."

Edited Date: 2022-09-11 07:54 pm (UTC)

From:

cursedhyacinth

Jacinda nods. "Isn't it 'up' to NYC, though? You're goin' north."

Jacinda goes to stand on one leg, pulling up the other and holding it in place with one hand, so as to stretch -- in preparation for going to a new machine. "He worth relocating for, if you want that spontaneity back?"

After a moment, Jacinda switches legs, stretching the other.

From:

red_hood_rat

"Yeah, but it's a downgrade," he deadpans.

"Man, I don't even know," Jason says. "We like just made it official... but I love Gotham. I don't really gotta choose, do I?"

"Done with the leg press, if you want," Jason says, noticing Jacinda stretching. He stands, stretching his arms over his head, himself.

As he walks away from the machine, he pauses to glance curiously over the bulletin board on the wall. He tends to pay attention to local announcements, for various reasons.

From:

cursedhyacinth

"Oh. Well, probably not, if it's such a new development. Never mind me." Jacinda nods when Jason offers use of the leg press, and says, "Sure, thanks."

Zie is busy adjusting the weights on the leg press, and doesn't notice that the bulletin board has made a (rather sneaky) appearance. Most of the older, out of date messages have been taken off by now, but the explanation of what the Hub is -- as well as the two explanations of what happens to Jason Todd, in either Ethiopia or Sarajevo -- remains untouched.

From:

red_hood_rat

Jason takes a few moments to read the board, brows furrowed in surprise and confusion.

"... hey, Jacinda, can I ask you a weird question?" Jason asks.

From:

cursedhyacinth

"Yeah, go for it," Jacinda calls back. Zie is in position for using the leg press now, and adjusting the placement of zir feet.

From:

red_hood_rat

"Would you happen to be a version of me from a different universe, or?"

From:

cursedhyacinth

Jacinda can't resist being a bit of a smartass, and responds, "That's a big 10-4, good buddy..."

But zie is also stepping away from the leg press because these conversations almost always end up needing to be the primary focus.

From:

red_hood_rat

"God, my life is fucking weird," Jason says.

"So are you from one of those universes with like Brianna Wayne and Wonder Man and shit, or?"

From:

cursedhyacinth

"That is the understatement of the century."

Jacinda walks over and leans against the wall next to the bulletin board. "Nah, I know everyone you'd know, most likely. Bruce Wayne, Talia al-Ghul..." little smirk, "Danny Chase...?"