St. Louis: The Coffee Shop Across The Street From Francine's Dorm, Wednesday Evening

[thatsamilkshake]

Wow, a red-letter day for Francine: the first time since she'd left Fandom that she actually missed the ability to fume her way over to Caritas and order whatever the heck she wanted without getting carded.

Not that she'd ever done that while she was there and not thinking she was someone else -- she just missed the ability now. Peppermint hot chocolate just wasn't the same. Francine sighed and glanced out the window at the sidewalk; at least the drink was warm, unlike the cold, grumbling rain outside.

Oh God, someone was waving at her from the gym next door. Pigtails, leotard, bright, wide smile... Any other time, maybe, but the last thing Francine wanted to do right now was talk to someone who would bounce in her face.

Which was why she immediately grabbed her phone and held it to her ear as if she'd just received a Very Important Call. Don't make eye contact don't make eye contact don't make eye contact...

[Open for actual calls/texts, because scaring the frak out of Francie is fun. Francie, on the other hand, is not very fun at all right now. A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend. Also given the hour and my threat-level-violet headache, SP is the name of the game; pinging in late/tomorrow is fiiine.]

Comments

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"So you were feeling exposed? Kinda?" Dinah asked, sitting back on her heels. "Not like a photo, where it just shows what's there."

[thatsamilkshake]

"Well, I wouldn't want her showing naked photos of me to her art teachers either!" Francine, you left that part out. "Oh, um. Also she wanted to paint me nude, and she was mad 'cause I didn't want to. And she brought up my mom, like everything I don't want to do is because of her and I can't live my own life."

Or...possibly Francine brought up her mom, but why let accuracy get in the way of a good righteous brood?

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah winced at that and shook her head. "Okay, that wasn't fair, talking about your mom. Especially if she was asking you to do something that's hard for you... I mean." She blew out a breath, and sighed. "I gave Kyle copies of the photos from the lingerie part of the photo shoot. 'Cause he asked. But I told him he really, really can't share them with anyone. Some stuff's... well. For me anyway. It's private." She was quiet. "Do you think you'd ever want her to paint you like that?"

Dinah wasn't sure she could've done it, if it came down to it. Not even if she was wearing her Canary mask so no one would know it was her.

[thatsamilkshake]

"I don't know." She'd thought she was... kind of... maybe... not okay but willing to try it because Katchoo wanted it, but when push came to shove...push came to shove. "You're okay with Kyle having those? I'd be... oh god, I'd at least be worried what might happen if somebody else found them."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah turned red underneath her mask, and she found herself fiddling with the vambraces on her gloves. "Sort of? I mean. It felt stupid, not to give them to him, when he'd already seen me pose like that in front of a couple dozen people. At the time it didn't seem like a big deal." She let out a breath. "But yeah. I worry about him pushing the wrong button or attaching the wrong file and ... I mean, they're gorgeous pictures," she interrupted herself. "And they're not obscene. But they're not art. They're Victoria's Secret type ... demi-porn. But that's not who I am, you know? And explaining why to anyone else-- I'm not sure they'd get it. Kyle gets it, he just thinks they're pretty." Or hot. Same thing. "I try not to think about it."

She was quiet for a minute. "I'm sorry you guys had a fight about that. But I get it."

[thatsamilkshake]

"That's... yeah. Maybe, you know, if it was just for us?" Maybe. If the nudity was Francine's only problem - and just the thought of that word made her wince. "But Katchoo says art's supposed to be to show the world what the artist sees."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Like those glamour shots, for people's anniversaries." Dinah paused, and said, "I think maybe I'll ask Kyle if he'll pose. Fair's fair, you know?" It would put them kind of on equal ground. Maybe she wouldn't be so self-conscious of those photos, if he reciprocated. "Hunh. So ... yeah, she wouldn't be up for keeping that private, and it's *her* art, so I can see her being touchy about that. She wants the world to see you naked?"

Okaaaaay.

[thatsamilkshake]

"Yeah, I don't get it either. I mean that's what she mostly paints, I get that, but..." But Francine had a certain fundamental disconnect with the idea that people seeing her without clothes could be a good thing. Wonder why.

She sighed and stirred the last melty bit of whipped cream into her cocoa. "Sorry. You called to catch up and I'm all wah, wah, my life, so hard. What're you doing?" It had to be more cheerful than anything Francine had left to say, right?

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Well, if she thinks you're gorgeous and wants to show you off, I guess..."

Dinah didn't quite get it, but not for the reasons Francine didn't get it.

"No, it's cool. I like knowing how things are going for you, even if it's sucky after-fight stuff. I'm staking out a bank that's supposed to get hit-- and oh! We caught the saboteur. Finally. She's in Arkham now." She smiled a little. "I kinda had to tell Kyle about my extra-curriculars after that."

[thatsamilkshake]

"Wow, you really did mean the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, huh?"

Which reminded Francine of the moment where that line had first come in, and she glanced up to see if the Bounce was bearing down on her again.
Whew. No, there she was across the way at the gym again, visible through the window, disturbingly green wheatgrass drink in hand.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Yup. I mean, I could've tried to keep lying, but -- how long could I keep it up? Without inventing a second job or something lame like that?" She sighed. "He seems to be okay with it? I mean, worried, a little. But I figure if I don't get hurt for few months, he'll be cool with it." She paused. "It's different from dating someone on the Island, though. I'm not sure how he'll handle gender-switch day. Even though he already met me as my cousin, I haven't... uh. Told him that. Yet."

[thatsamilkshake]

That brought a laugh out of Francine, finally. "Oh man. Yeah, that's probably something you want to tell him before it happens again. Especially... well, you know how it doesn't tend to give you any warning."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Ugh," Dinah said, with feeling. "Yeeeah. Well. Maybe in another couple months..." That might be more problematic than the crimefighting. "Still having fun in Jump Club. And working backstage on this semester's play this time-- woo, catwalks." There might have been some swinging from the flies. When no one else was around. "Momoko and Jaime are starting to date. Just since last week."

[thatsamilkshake]

Francine brought her cup to her lips and glanced towards the gym again. Just in case, before swallowing and asking, "Are you okay with that?"

Sure there was the New Guy, but Francine of all people knew things could get complicated when it came to exes, especially exes you still cared about.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Mostly? I mean, it helps that they're both such dorks." Dinah smirked a little. "And... if I were an evil person, I could've totally stopped them getting together like six times already. But I'm not." That part helped too, though. Being trusted, and asked for help. "They don't want to hurt me. You know?"

[thatsamilkshake]

Francine was familiar with that situation, too. Which didn't stop her from saying, "Good, because I don't want to have to send them cookies that say they're from me and were really baked by Merlin and Karla."

She'd do it, too, see if she wouldn't.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah hooted, then had to put her hand over her mouth to stifle the loud giggles, eyes crinkling up to make the mask pull on her face. "You are evil. I love you for that, Francine."

[thatsamilkshake]

"I'd call the clinic and make sure there was someone standing by!" Francine hastened to assure her. She wasn't that evil.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

More giggling, and when Dinah got her breath back, she said, "Jaime and I broke up six months ago, we really extremely broke up four months ago, I probably saw this coming before they did, and I have Kyle." She was quiet, looking out over the lights of New Gotham. "It hurts. A little. I'll live." She smiled wryly. "Unlike the victims of Karla and Merlin's cookies, if you didn't warn them."

She stretched one arm, then the other, switching the phone from each hand as she did so. "What are you going to say to Katchoo about the posing, when you go back to your room? And about the fight?"

[thatsamilkshake]

"God, like I know?" Francine sighed. "I hate fighting with her. I always get so frustrated, and feel like I can't keep up, and say even stupider stuff because I don't want to feel stupid." Which worked like a charm, really.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"You aren't stupid, though," Dinah said, both because she truly believed this and because she got the feeling. It had been what made fighting the break-up with Jaime so impossible. "Just... I dunno. Say how you feel. And that you don't want to have to justify it." She paused. "I mean, you can change your mind later if you ever want to, right? It doesn't have to be now."

[thatsamilkshake]

"I guess, yeah."

If she, you know. Knew how she felt. Which was maybe her problem, wasn't it.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah tilted her head. "We need to get together over ice cream and talk about this more, soonish... Portalocity fun, sometime this month?"

[thatsamilkshake]

Francine wasn't sure how much more she wanted to talk about -- or even think about -- the this in question, but she definitely wouldn't mind the ice cream and the company.

"Spring break's coming up."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Plan! Planny plan." And by that time, hopefully, the ice cream would be fun more than comfort. "You'll get through this." Dinah smiled. "Call me when you know when you'll be free?"