drabblememe for ![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
brown_betty, DCU/Eroica, gen
Oct. 4th, 2005 11:19 pmjamjarShe asked for Eroica/Eel O'Brian (Plastic Man) and then changed her mind, but I'm not going to let a sudden attack of sanity on her part stop me.
It's not like he's the last guy Eel's expecting to see in Somewherezikstan, but he's pretty close. No reason to think the guy'd recognise him, no reason he'd connect Eel O'Brian from New York as one of Bruce Wayne's personal assistants.
But he does, and Eroica makes his way over, moving past the crowds of people, mostly in classic Tin Pot Military Coup uniforms and there he is, two or three times larger than life. Being around guys like Clark and Diana and Batman gives Eel a little bit of immunity to that, but Eroica's just that much more flamboyant. Batman might be a huge drama queen, but's not quite as colourful, even when he's playing at Bruce Wayne.
"Mr O'Brian, isn't it? I believe we met once, in New York."
Eel smile and gets his bones to stay solid by nothing but willpower. "Yeah. Suprised you remember me."
"I never forget a face and my time in New York was fun and productive. I see you've moved up in the world."
"Yeah." Eel straightens up, puts a little pride into it, because he might not be in costume technically, but he's still got it underneath the armani knock-off. "I made something of myself," he says.
"You're working for Bruce Wayne. A step up for you?" Said like a question, like a lot of questions, most of them to do with how legit Eel is right now.
"I got lucky. Turns out, you can live on an honest wage, as long as there's a guy like Wayne paying it." Eel looks over. Bruce Wayne's millions are being chased like the last pretty girl at the bar on New Year's Eve, and he knows that Batman's working on some way to get them in closer to the site. "You here on business?"
"Mmm. One can pick up a lot of priceless works in countries like this. Being auctioned off by people who'd trade a Vermeer for a grenade. Besides, I just wanted to get out of Europe for a while."
"Yeah?" And Eel feels kind of sleazy, trying to con information out of Eroica when the guy thinks he's talking to... well, to Eel O'Brian, but... "You running from something in particular?"
"Oh, I fell in love, which is quite disastrous for someone like me," Eroica says cheerfully. "Fortunately, the object of my affections refuses to return them, which I suppose is the saving grace."
Ouch. You don't have to be J'onn to pick up on that hurt. Eel pats him on the shoulder. "Sorry. That really blows." And because he's really not sure what to say, he pats him again. "Hey, his loss, right?"
"My loss of sanity," Eroica says.
"That's what love is, right? I figured that out when I was eight." Eel grins. "Guess you're just a little slow about it."
"Hmm. He is keeping an eye on us, you know. Your Mr Wayne."
"What?" And he knows that Eroica isn't just fluff, is one of the top art-thieves out there, but if he caught Batman staring... It takes Eel a moment to catch up to what Eroica just said. "Oh, hey, he's not my Mr Wayne. Not like that. Just the boss. Just likes to watch out for the guys under him." And that didn't come out right either.
"Really? Well, I'm the last one to throw stones about that." And now it's Eroica's turn to pat Eel. "These big, black-haired bastards will only break your heart." He makes a face. "Still, at least Wayne has some appreciation for the arts. Mine has the most appalling lack of sensibilities as well as a rather sadistic sense of humour. And not in the fun way."
Eel swallows and tries not to look at the laughing party surrounding Bruce Wayne, or at least his billions. "Yeah?"
"He has this way of smiling, just like this, but only when he's about to unleash righteous fury on some incompetent." Eroica demonstrates and Eel steps back, almost knocking into a grand high generalissimo. "And for someone who has such strict moral guidelines, he has very few ethics."
"Wow. Tough break." Eel swallows a few times, remembers he's got a drink in his hand and swallows that instead. "Hey, I gotta go. Bossman's calling."
"I understand." Eroica pats him on teh shoulder and smiles. "Good luck."
"Yeah. You too." Eel waves goodbye and heads over to where Batman's waiting, detouring to grab another glass of something off a waitress as he goes.
It's not like he's the last guy Eel's expecting to see in Somewherezikstan, but he's pretty close. No reason to think the guy'd recognise him, no reason he'd connect Eel O'Brian from New York as one of Bruce Wayne's personal assistants.
But he does, and Eroica makes his way over, moving past the crowds of people, mostly in classic Tin Pot Military Coup uniforms and there he is, two or three times larger than life. Being around guys like Clark and Diana and Batman gives Eel a little bit of immunity to that, but Eroica's just that much more flamboyant. Batman might be a huge drama queen, but's not quite as colourful, even when he's playing at Bruce Wayne.
"Mr O'Brian, isn't it? I believe we met once, in New York."
Eel smile and gets his bones to stay solid by nothing but willpower. "Yeah. Suprised you remember me."
"I never forget a face and my time in New York was fun and productive. I see you've moved up in the world."
"Yeah." Eel straightens up, puts a little pride into it, because he might not be in costume technically, but he's still got it underneath the armani knock-off. "I made something of myself," he says.
"You're working for Bruce Wayne. A step up for you?" Said like a question, like a lot of questions, most of them to do with how legit Eel is right now.
"I got lucky. Turns out, you can live on an honest wage, as long as there's a guy like Wayne paying it." Eel looks over. Bruce Wayne's millions are being chased like the last pretty girl at the bar on New Year's Eve, and he knows that Batman's working on some way to get them in closer to the site. "You here on business?"
"Mmm. One can pick up a lot of priceless works in countries like this. Being auctioned off by people who'd trade a Vermeer for a grenade. Besides, I just wanted to get out of Europe for a while."
"Yeah?" And Eel feels kind of sleazy, trying to con information out of Eroica when the guy thinks he's talking to... well, to Eel O'Brian, but... "You running from something in particular?"
"Oh, I fell in love, which is quite disastrous for someone like me," Eroica says cheerfully. "Fortunately, the object of my affections refuses to return them, which I suppose is the saving grace."
Ouch. You don't have to be J'onn to pick up on that hurt. Eel pats him on the shoulder. "Sorry. That really blows." And because he's really not sure what to say, he pats him again. "Hey, his loss, right?"
"My loss of sanity," Eroica says.
"That's what love is, right? I figured that out when I was eight." Eel grins. "Guess you're just a little slow about it."
"Hmm. He is keeping an eye on us, you know. Your Mr Wayne."
"What?" And he knows that Eroica isn't just fluff, is one of the top art-thieves out there, but if he caught Batman staring... It takes Eel a moment to catch up to what Eroica just said. "Oh, hey, he's not my Mr Wayne. Not like that. Just the boss. Just likes to watch out for the guys under him." And that didn't come out right either.
"Really? Well, I'm the last one to throw stones about that." And now it's Eroica's turn to pat Eel. "These big, black-haired bastards will only break your heart." He makes a face. "Still, at least Wayne has some appreciation for the arts. Mine has the most appalling lack of sensibilities as well as a rather sadistic sense of humour. And not in the fun way."
Eel swallows and tries not to look at the laughing party surrounding Bruce Wayne, or at least his billions. "Yeah?"
"He has this way of smiling, just like this, but only when he's about to unleash righteous fury on some incompetent." Eroica demonstrates and Eel steps back, almost knocking into a grand high generalissimo. "And for someone who has such strict moral guidelines, he has very few ethics."
"Wow. Tough break." Eel swallows a few times, remembers he's got a drink in his hand and swallows that instead. "Hey, I gotta go. Bossman's calling."
"I understand." Eroica pats him on teh shoulder and smiles. "Good luck."
"Yeah. You too." Eel waves goodbye and heads over to where Batman's waiting, detouring to grab another glass of something off a waitress as he goes.
