4995/For Once, it's Not Pizza

For Once, it's Not Pizza
Date of Scene:	24 July 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	In which Damian and Colette share perspective and French Cuisine. Damian learns that not all sugar is equal.
Cast of Characters:	Stardust, Robin (Wayne)

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Stardust has posed:
It has been commented upon more than once that pizza is the natural foodstuff of Titans, though not everyone entirely approves. Damian has several times complained about the unhealthiness of the all-pizza diet, while Colette has from time to time made comments about the general inferiority of all cuisines to that apex of the culinary art, the French.

Of course, there's no shortage of high-end French cuisine around. It's the de facto standard of expensive dining, and as a Wayne, there's no doubt that Damian will have plenty of experience of it. However not all French cuisine is haute cuisine. There are also places, if you know where to look for them, that are more homespun. It is to one such place that Colette has decided to drag Damian, just to get away from pizza for the day. La Fontaine is a pleasant little cafe, with outside seating, a menu full of brasserie staples, a largely francophone clientele, and a very relaxed atmosphere.

Colette doesn't bother with the menu, jumping straight in to order a steak frites, with an ice cream, whipped cream and coffee confection to follow. Because for her getting away from pizza is more about the flavors than the healthy eating.

"One thing surprises me," Colette says to Damian as she waits. "After all that Red X business, I was sure you'd be giving us all notes at the least. If not diagrams and homework. Yet... nothing. Is that because it all ended so messily?"

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Of course, this was one time where Damian is being seen outside of the Tower, and sans mask and costume.

  Damian had ordered a lovely sounding confit du canard, with roasted potatoes, and served with a healthy serving of perfectly steamed veggies and a large mineral water. He was a fan of bubbles, not the sugary sweetness of sodas.

  He was dressed quite well, a vest and dress shirt ensemble, with matching slacks. It was, just as almost everything else he did, completely composed. "There's a time and place for all that. I was dissapointed with much of our members. But notice, I gave all of them a chance to confront me with all their ire, away from retaliation. No one did that. So, I've been biding my time until after this...fungal problem."

Stardust has posed:
Colette nods her approval of Damian's choices and sits back in her chair in relaxed contentment. It's true that Colette tends to come across pretty relaxed most of the time, even in the middle of fights, but this is definitely a step up in the normal level of Colette relaxation. Perhaps that's something to do with the whole civilians thing. Colette has always been very secretive about her private life, and seeing her out of costume is... well, almost unheard of.

"I wonder if you were as disappointed as I was. I really shouldn't be doing the detective stuff. We're a team largely consisting of borderline geniuses, but I'm not one of them." Colette sips her own mineral water - the same stuff Damian is drinking, as she insisted they brought a large bottle of her favorite Badoit brand to the table. "It didn't help that Moon Moon knew the answers from the start, and Rae had it almost figured out from the start too. I mean I get why both of them thought it was a good idea not to mess up a training excercise, but they both screwed up by not calling you on your screw up. Which I'm not convinced you entirely get yet, but whatever. Kori and Lyssa are the only ones I really have a problem with. Oh, and Brick. Though my problem with him is that he's too focused on this whole being on secondment thing. He's seriously good, he needs to feel more involved."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "Don't hold it against Amarok." Damian cautions, looking to Colette. "If he gave up the goose as early as he knew, the whole exercise would have been lost. And the team should be able to get along with 'detective work' without me. If I were incapacitated, the team would need someone else with detective skills to step up."

  Damian takes a sip of the water in front of him. giving a refreshed 'ahh'. "The experiment had carefully laid out plans. Either defeat Red X, or confront the one that was believed to be him. If it was correct, the exercise is a pass. The only failure on my part was giving Raven a hint that early in the game."

  Damian's green eyes look to Colette. "You did much better than I had anticipated. Everyone else seemed to just want everything fed to them."

Stardust has posed:
Colette gives a faint smile which she hides behind her glass of water. "There were several failures on your part. The biggest one was not anticipating the effects of the revelation. You weakened your position as leader significantly. Before this, everyone trusted you because of your competence. Now every decision you make will be questioned and second guessed. Which is why the co-leader thing makes sense."

Looking around the cafe, Colette spies a desert being served at the next table, then turns back to Damian, grinning. "Oh. Ever had Tarte Tatin? You're having one for desert. Looks good. Also that's why Vorp's the guy for co-leader. His trust in you is badly shaken. Accepting him as your co-leader will go a long way to mending that. Even if he refuses. So, how much did you actually manage learn about how to defeat your own team-mates if the need arises? Satisfied with that part?"

Oops.

She's probably saying that to get a reaction. By now, Damian will know her well enough to recognize the signs. There was no edge in her voice, it was asked perfectly casually, but her eyes are fixed on his face now. She's probably just guessing. On the other hand, Damian now has reason to know that the 'voices in her head' she talks about are real, and pretty observant. She may have been briefed. She may also have had it explained to her why it's not an unreasonable thing to do. Either way, there's no trace of animosity. Given what Damian has learned about 'Digger', the obvious point has to arise that Colette and her guests have undoubtedly learned a fair bit about what it might take to defeat a Robin, too.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "As much as I would believe you. The team knew what kind of person I am. If the Titans want to be better, they need to act it. And I will get us there. But I'm not going to wipe their asses to get it." Damian offers, looking to the dessert that was mentioned. "If you say so. I hope it's not like that 'funnel cake' thing Vorpal made me eat once." Damian sounds quite ill at lease saying that, mostly because of what had happened. "I obviously had that information already. It was enough to get you angry enough that you wanted to step up and kick my ass."

Stardust has posed:
"Funnel cake is deep-fried fat and sugar," Colette says with a wave of her arm, dismissing Vorpal's sugary confection of choice as if it were a barbaric crudity not worth a moment's thought to civilized palate, which she no doubt believes. "Tarte Tatin is art. The sugar is caramelized in butter and calvados, then apples are cooked in it and baked on a delicate puff pastry. There is simply no comparison!"

She's a bit less animated when the discussion turns to getting angry, and she slumps down in her seat. "You know, really it was the whole 'deserve' thing that made me angry," Colette says quietly. "What I said to you during the fight, that really is how I feel about it. I realize now that it was intended to motivate me by encouraging me to prove that I did 'deserve' it. Because if it was you... if you were in my place, with this thing in your head, that's how you'd feel. You've set yourself incredibly high standards. You want to be the best there is. It seems logical to you that the rest of us feel the same way, and are failing to push ourselves. I guess what you don't know about me is that I do want to be the best there is. But I never wanted to do the hero thing, so that's not what I want to be the best there is at. " She falls silent for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Maybe that's it. I mean for me. That in a way, the better I am at being a hero, the more it means I'm failing. The less time I spend trying to be good at what I really want to be the best at."

Colette takes a deep breath and another drink of water. "Anyway. I think we have a spaceship. We should be prepared. We'll need some trade goods."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian looks downward to the plate in front of him, what was left of the confit. "No one ever asked me what I wanted. It just so happens it was what I was good at. But if I wanted to do something else, paint, take care of my animals. I'd do it, and only that."

  Damian gives another sigh. "So what exactly do you want to do?" He asks, more gently than he's done before.

Stardust has posed:
Colette's finishing up the last of her meal too, mopping up the juices with fries. She ordered her steak 'tres saignant', so there's plenty to mop up. Unlike the steak fries you'd get with a typical American steak, these fries are ultra thin, almost noodle-like, and ideal for mopping. "Sing," she answers simply. "It's not that simple though, is it? There aren't many people who can do what we do. And it's very important that we do it. And that's why... why I resent it."

Colette leans back and signals to the waiter that they're ready for the desert, and in moments the plates are cleared and two small plates with modest slices of apple tart appear. The base is crisp and flaky, rustically uneven, the topping a gleaming layer of apple, coated in caramel like burnt gold. "I mean I feel like I can't just stop. Because if I do, people will die. I gave it a year, you know. That was my deal. With the voices, you know. One year of doing this, then I'd have done my bit. Then, get on with my life. Pull out the mask on rare occasions when I was really needed, maybe. That year ended a couple of months ago, yet here I am. Planning to cross the galaxy looking for mushrooms."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian's eyes glisten in the light when Colette reveals what she would rather do. He gives a small smile in retort.

  The fiest bite of the tart was for lack of a better word: heavenly. Damian considers Colette's words with a measure of ease. "I've always wanted to do what im doing. If i had the abilities you and the others have..." He doesnt say the rest, mainly because he was not sure of how it would end.

Stardust has posed:
    Colette watches Damian's first bite with an ever widening grin. "Watch out, it's more sugary than it tastes. Caramelizing it in butter gives it that difference. Rich rather than just sweet. Also, uses an unrefined sugar. Flavor over sweetness." She stops talking, takes a bite of her own and savors it for a moment. "Also alcohol. But don't worry, you'd have to eat a couple of entire tartes to notice. "

    "Powers. It's a funny thing. I mean if you think about it, a power is something that lets us achieve something. The main difference between a power and a talent is that one of them you earn. If it was all down to 'powers' powers, you wouldn't have been nearly as succesful as Red X as you were. Your talent, your training, that is a power. In a way, so is my singing. That's the one I really want to use. To prove myself at. But this other stuff gets in the way. And there it is. If you did have powers, like if you could fly, if you could punch ten times as hard, that kind of thing - what would you do differently? Anything? Probably not. You'd just do more."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     The amount of sweetnsss was at least offset by the fruit and the other components of the tarte. "It is much better than the funnel cake."

  The Red X part was if course, next. "Perhaps. But my other point stands. Many of them don't appreciate what was given to them. I fought tooth and claw for what I have. And if it came to it, most metahumans could flick a finger and incapacitate me."

Stardust has posed:
"Sure, if you stood still." Colette grins and shakes her head. "You kicked Raijin's ass. You kicked Vorp's ass. And you were holding back more than either of them were. Who knows, you might have been able to kick mine too, but we never really got to test that. I get your point though. I just don't think it applies to me. They're all just so damn eager, aren't they? So keen on being superheroes. A dream come true. Well, with downsides for some, I guess. Vorp loves it but also is a bit tortured by it. Me though? Not my dream. I appreciate it's usefulness. I don't appreciate what it's done to my life choices."

    Colette takes a break from the tarte tatin to enjoy her coffee, an intriguing layering of cream, ice cream, and black coffee that looks like it would wake the dead and give them a sugar rush at the same time. "I'm gonna save the world," she announces. "I've decided. Going to kick these mushrooms asses. Then I'm free. Not saying I'm out, just... well, if I do this, then I don't feel guilty if that's the way I want to go. I'm... I couldn't just leave you guys, to be honest. You still need my help. But I need to not have it hanging over me. Gives me options I don't have right now."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "I did. But I had time. I prepared, I studied. I did exactly what any supervillain would have done. I set traps." Damian points out. "They played into what I wanted them to."

  "Do what you want. At least youll know you can help when youre needed." Damian offers, mirroring what he had said before, albeit much nicer than before.

Stardust has posed:
"Which you wouldn't have," Colette points out. "And that's a power, of sorts. Being better and not making mistakes." She looks up over her coffee with a grin, takes a mouthful of coffee ice cream, then pushes it aside to concentrate on the Tarte again.

    "Doing what I want. Funny. Most people say 'Hey Colette, you can't just do whatever you want you know'." Colette smirks. "I just want to feel /free/, you know? Like it's my choice. I figure, save the world, then if the voices in my head claim I'm not doing enough, not doing what I could, I can point out that I've done my bit." She takes another piece of the tarte, but stops just before putting it in her mouth, to add "When I say voices in my head, I'm including my own there." Chomp.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian keeps eating at the tarte, a sip of mineral wayer here and there.

  "I'm sure its harder than I figure. But I know what you mean, somewhat. My Mother, Grandfather, and Father, all in my head. Telling me what I should be doing. I beat a would be murderer on the street, my mother says 'finish it, darling', my father says: 'We don't kill, Damian'. Its maddening" Of course, Damian speaks in his mother and father's voices.

Stardust has posed:
    "Everyone has their own..." Colette struggles for a word. "Things. Ways. Burdens. Problems. In one respect it's easier for you. What you're doing, what /we're/ doing, is what you want to be doing. It's what feels right to you. In others ways, well I'm not sure if you ever really had the choice I'm trying to reclaim. Because it's kind of all you've ever known, right?"

    Colette looks down at the remains of the tarte on her plate, shuffling it about with her spoon. "I think you made the first step though, Damian. With the Titans. Stepping out from the shadow of your parents. Ultimately you have to make your own choices. Be your own person. Both your parents are wrong for one simple reason. They're not you. I'm sure they both think they have your best interests at heart, but when they say 'do this', or 'we don't do that', they are trying to shape you. Make you into copies of themselves." The grin reappears. "Yeah. Just like my voices. You're right. But you know what? Our lives, our choices. Listen to their advice, but demand reasons, not orders."

    She digs her spoon into the tarte and leaves it standing there like some confectioner's Excalibur. Whomesoever draws forth this spoon from this tarte, they shall be rightful born taster of deliciousness. "If I go... I'm not going completely. I'll still be around to help. If there's a big problem, you'll be able to call on me. But also, well. If /you/ guys need me. Not the world. Not fighting monsters, but you guys. You're my friends as well as my team mates. At least some of you. I want you to know that. If I give up this life, I'm not going to abandon you."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     The black haired boy with the crew cut finished his piece of tarte. "Thats good to know. You're a part of the team. We dont feel complete without you. Just as we dont feel complete without Vorpal." It was as emotional as he would allow himself to get right now.

  The ghoulish green eyes of Damian looked to Colette as he attempted to form a retort to her commentary on parents. "He isnt as bad as everyone makes him sound. Father, I mean. He at least acknowledges my existence as more than the next Demon's Head." If he was honest with himself, so was his mother, but...that was more complicated of a situation.

Stardust has posed:
"I'm not criticizing him." Colette smiles wryly and shakes her head. "Not that I wouldn't if asked. But really Damian, all parents are like that. I don't mean the whole..." she glances around, checking nobody's listening too closely. "You know. Obviously that's not normal. But all parents want to make their kids into an improved version of themselves. Because they see their own failings and want us not to have them, and they're going on what they know. He's a good man, I know that. But also he's kinda narrow. Narrow focus. Take what you admire, from both of them. Then make it your own."

    Colette takes the spoon from the tarte, proving that she is indeed worthy of the wondrous taste. "I've got a brother. Seven years older. Kind of reminds me of you in a way. Whatever he wants to do, bam, he's great at it. Like, effortless. He doesn't even bother keeping all the trophies. So you know what I get? 'We just want you to be happy, Nicolette.' Sounds nice, huh? No demands, no expectations. Except half the time it feels like being written off. Like one success is enough, they feel greedy asking for more. Well." She looks up grinning. "I'm going to save the world. And I'm not even going to tell them I've done it." She pops the last piece of her tarte in her mouth and eats, content.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian's face turns slightly sullen at the comment of it being effortless. "It isn't effortless. With ne at least. I was taught, and taught hard." He offers, if she's ever seen him without a shirt on, shed see the evidence of such. Lessons learned hard, and without prejudice. The mountain he was forced to climb at four, and the fall he took that broke his arm. Then the climb up anyway because it was expected of the heir to Ra's al Ghul. The countless lives he snuffed out for the League. The swordsmanship lessons, with sharpened swords. Miss a block? You got slashed, and wouldnt make that mistake again. Pain wasnt an issue with him, because he had already felt so much of it, he was numbed. Instead he turns it into an advantage, to take the upper hand, seize it from his opponent.

Stardust has posed:
Colette raises an eyebrow. "I'm sure it's not really effortless for him either, Damian. That's not the point. The point is that you make it look effortless to us mere mortals. Because you achieve /so much/. Is that why you resent the powers thing?" She shakes her head. "You think just anyone could go through what you've been through and come out the other side the same? If I spent the next fifteen years learning swordfighting, I wouldn't be as good as you. And that's not even taking into account the acrobatics, the painting, the languages, the technical skills, all the other things. You think if Raijin had your training instead of his powers, he'd be another Damian? You think he'd even be still alive?" She pushes her empty plate to the side and shakes her head. "It's not the training, Damian. It's /you/."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Perspective was an interesting thing. Yes, Damian was full of himself, and often didnt think of what others thought, unless it was an animal. But his features softened, perhaps her words did reach somewhere deeper in him. "Thank you" a quick moment, and he had to cover his tracks. "For the meal, it was exquisite." He meant more than the meal though, of course.