7773/It was a B Minus!!

It was a B Minus
Date of Scene:	07 June 2019
Location:	Mount Royal, Queensland Park
Synopsis:	Willow sets up her remake course and runs into Kara's.. boyfriend?
Cast of Characters:	Willow Rosenberg, Darkhawk

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Willow Rosenberg has posed:
The whole Superman affair had, predictably, lose Willow her job. Her manager had been very sympathetic to the fact that Willow had had 'family troubles' but he couldn't keep her position open when she'd shown up only once an a three week period, and even then for only half a shift. Worse, she'd got a B minus in Advanced Algorithyms, which, in Willow's world, wasn't acceptable.

Even worse? While the university /did/ offer a makeup course, it was in conjunction with another university and campus altogether, this one in Mount Royal, which, when Willow looked it up, was several bus transfers and a subway ride away - not so easy to do with you'd lost your job and the current state of affairs as to /why/ you'd lost your job still wasn't squared away.

Still, she'd dutifully shown up for the first day of the makeup course, and despite getting lost on the very fashionable and ritzy campus, had made it through the morning. She was now treating herself to a tea beneath a tree, but only a tea, because did you see the price of those sandwiches?!? She'd be bringing made at home peanut butter tomorrow.

Darkhawk has posed:
Metropolis wasn't exactly Chris Powell's usual neck of the woods, but when someone you care about asks you for help, you give it. That's how he was raised, and he had been patrolling Metropolis as Darkhawk. It wasn't much of a gig. The place seemed to have next to no violent, vigilante-appropriate crime. It was almost Canadian.

Having grown bored of seeing the city from high above, he had decided to explore it as his civilian alter ego, the still high school aged Chris Powell. Knowing how much another person cared for Metropolis, he thought it might be prudent to looking into the universities, if his grades proved good enough, and his parents were able to afford it. They did all right, a crown attorney for a mother and a police officer father, but it was still a big ask, especially if he didn't get a scholarship.

He was just coming out of the cafeteria, where he had bought a grilled cheese sandwich, on whole wheat bread, some curly fries, and a soft drink. Yep, he was a teenager. He could eat that sort of thing and not worry about gaining a pound. He decided to sit and eat it on the grass, not too far from the redhead under the tree. Between chewing, and swallowing, he did have some manners, he asked the girl, "excuse me, but" and he knocked his head, "is this place worth it?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow isn't expecting company, let alone someone speaking to her, which is why her first instinct is to look and see just who the stranger is talking to. Of course there are people milling about everywhere.. everywhere except under the tree she's using as shade, leaving her in no doubt as to the fact it's her being addressed. And blushing. Lately all Willow seemed to be able to do was blush.

She blamed John.

"Uh.. I guess? But I'm not actually sure if you mean the cafeteria, or the campus." Her nose crinkles as her face scrunches in thought. "It's a bit expensive? I guess this is where the rich kids go."

The way she says it makes it rather clear that category doesn't include her.

Darkhawk has posed:
"Campus," he replied, "I'm still in high school, but checking out places. I know someone who has family out here." And he blushed at the thought of the person he knew, yeah, he was so poor at hiding his feelings. "Food's pretty good though. Curly fry?" He asked, holding up the plate.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow's eyes do light up at the offer of a curly fry. Her tummy even rumbles in that 'oh please' way, but the girl hesitates. "I don't actually know if the campus is okay. I go to Bludhaven U myself. I'm just taking a makeup course. I kinda failed one of my classes and it's pulling my average down."

She says it like she truly believes she's failed. With a B minus. Which, in the scheme of things isn't a great mark, but it isn't a fail. And in the greater scheme of things didn't hurt her average /that/ much.

Of course this is Willow, who ranks her worth on her marks, and that B is a glaring 'you suck' that she can't deal with. Thus the summer makeup session.

"You know someone out here? Oh. Who?" Like she might know the person. Not. It's like that whole joke about people asking Canadians if they know Joe from Alberta when the person they ask comes from Ontario - Americans always thinking Canada is this small wee speck on the map where everyone knows everyone. Like that. Only here. On the campus.

Willow? Not so great at small talk.

Darkhawk has posed:
"Bludhaven U," he repeats, having heard about Bludhaven, and much of it was not good. The place was kind of creepy, run down, like Gotham, of course, the city, not necessarily the university. Reputations can be a funny thing. Some are false, while others justified. He wasn't sure where Budhaven's lay.

He nodded his head that she failed a class and had to make it up here, following along. "Oh, uh, my girlfriend, Kara, she has a cousin who lives out here. But, you know, like, older, I don't really know the dynamics, but he's like 15 years older than her or something." He was awfully forthcoming with details. It's a good thing he wasn't trying to become a spy or anything. He wasn't much better, maybe worse, in the small talk department.

He was still offering the curly fries, and had another few bites of his grilled cheese, "you sure you don't want some? They're really good?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow's brow furrows at the name. It wasn't exactly popular, but it wasn't exactly unpopular either. "She's not a blonde.. is she?" Which isn't really all that descriptive either. "I know a Kara," Willow says carefully, because, well, how the heck does she explain how she knows Kara anyway? Especially if it is the same girl. Then again, that cousin thing, that's just a little too uncanny for co-incidence, isn't it?

"Anyway, it's probably not the same girl. And oh gosh.." Willow sighs, eyeballing those fries, because she was hungry. As it was, the tea had cost near double what it would have on her regular campus, and even then she'd only left herself enough spare change to buy a scone besides. Here the change she had left from tea wouldn't even get her a smile for tossing it into a panhandlers cup.

Not that Mount Royal had such things. But still.

Despite herself, and her resolution not to, Willow can't help herself, a hand snaking out to grab a fry, happily munching on it. "We don't have these at home. My mother says if the Jehovah wanted us to eat our potatoes in spirals he'd have grown them in that shape, and well, it's cheaper to buy a bag of potatoes than these. And we've only got the wee fridge freezer." Which, as it happened, was chock full of ice cream. Because priorities!!

Darkhawk has posed:
Figuring that there was no chance that this college girl in Metropolis would know the Kara he was talking about, he nodded his head in the affirmative about the blondness, since he knew that to be her real hair colour, rather than the wig she often wore to school and when out where she might see people she knew. "Yeah? Okay."

He does chuckle at her story though. "I think the spiral is what makes it better. More salt, seasoning, more surface area, so it tastes better, rather than more fluffy insides. The inside is basically mashed potato, isn't it?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"That's so weird. LIkely not the same Kara, because, oh gosh, the odds in a population of this size.." And there Willow stops to calculate them, in her head, and give the number. "Which is really silly when you get down to it. But people are funny that way, aren't they? We want there to be connections." Adding, "Though mine didn't say she was visiting her cousin. I mean, that's how we met, but she didn't say that."

Not that Willow had asked.

The explanation of the curly fry, versus seasoning and salt, gest another of those considered looks from the girl. "Actually, you're right about that. The surface area can be figured out mathematically, and in the space that one curly fry takes up versus a straight fry, it's nearly 1.75 times the surface area. Not so much of you're considering a crinkle fry. Those crinkles cover a deceptive amount of distance." And again, if not stopped, she will launch into the mathematical formulae.

Darkhawk has posed:
"Yeah, probably not, but still, if it helps, it's Kara Danvers." He figured the consequences were minimal. How much harm could giving a name of someone who lives in another country be? "There's this really old show called Connections that my mum showed me, uh, what was the guys name, James Burke, showing how things came to be, what inspired something else, which in turn influenced something, and you go all around, explaining how you go from a light bulb to a Q-tip or something." He said something a lot it seemed. "Heh, where were you when I needed to study for my maths test?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Well. That was a thing. There likely wouldn't be too many Kara Danvers running amok. Or at least the odds of them /both/ knowing one were becoming much smaller - so much so that the odds of it being two completely disparate people now exceeded the initial odds of them being the same person.

"Uh.. she's.." And Willow describes Kara. Only without the cape and Supergirl getup, because gosh, he probably didn't know, right? Right? I mean, Buffy didn't go around flaunting the fact of herself, though Willow had spilled those beans to Sam Winchester, but in her defense she was trying to set them up. "She's been helping her cousin. He's been.. uh, ill."

Yeah. Ill. Wasn't even a lie. Just it was an awkward truth.

Thankfully the boy launches into the television show, which sounded really rivetting. "That's neat. It's like how so many of our momentous discoveries were actually discovered by different people around the globe at the same time - thought isn't really linear - and it's only the ones who patented it first that we actually know. It's really kind of interesting, though I suppose something like Chaos theory would explain it much metter. Or maybe some sort of extrapoloation of String Theory."

It's a thoughtful Willow finishes the rest of her curly fry. "Huh? Your maths test? Uh.. You live in Bludhaven? Oh! I'm Willow, by the way." Smiling (and blushing) as she belatedly remembers to introduce herself.

Darkhawk has posed:
Chris, clearly not on the up take of how dangerous things can be in the circles they inhabit, decides to just open up his phone, and shows off a picture of him and Kara, offering it to the girl, whom he still hadn't introduced himself to, or heard the name of. "Is this who you mean? And my name's Chris by the way."

"Oh no, I'm Canadian. I live over in Starling. Took the zetaport. I know a lot of people are scared, but the chance to beam somewhere like on Star Trek, how could I say no? Besides, a lot cheaper than an airplane. Faster too. Though no in transport movie. So, it could use some improvements."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
It's clear even before Willow hands the phone back that her Kara and his Kara are one and the same.

"You're a long way from home, then. I guess you're here because she's had such an extended stay?" She was pretty certain Kara hadn't been flitting back to wherever since Superman had gone missing initially, or at the very least not in the last weeks. They'd all been on high alert these weeks not knowing what was going to happen next and expecting attacks at any moment.

"Oh, I know. The first time I took one I was really worried. Kind of like Dr. McCoy. Only he wasn't scared, he just didn't trust them. I was really surprised how simple it was. Like one minute I was there on the pad, and the next I was in the WAtchtower like I'd never even moved. It was weird. I meant to look up the maths of it, but I've been busy with some other stuff."

Darkhawk has posed:
"You know, I heard that the science behind the ones on Star Trek are that you kind of die every time you take it, and a brand new copy of you is created afterwards. Some smarter people than I explained that the real one doesn't work that way, but it's also not as good, less range, needs a receiving pad, some other stuff that's all way beyond me, but I watched the videos and did a bit of research." He was curious, he was a teenage boy, of course he was.

"Wait, did you say Watchtower? You've been to the Justice League's Watchtower? They have a watchtower?" He repeated, trying to hide the fact he even knew they had a secret satellite station. Yep, he was going to make one hell of a covert agent someday.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Watchtower?" Willow blinks. "Did I say Watchtower?"

Willow was good at secrets.. until she spilled them. Then she wasn't. Which was to say Willow sometimes inadvertantly put her foot in her mouth. But never on purpose or malisciously. It just sort of happened. Terrible if you needed a secret kept. Really good if you wanted someone you could trust not to be lying to you, or to have your best interests at heart.

Then she giggles. "Wait. How do you know it's the Justice League's Watchtower if you don't know they have a watchtower. You're horrible at this."

Pot? Meet kettle.

Darkhawk has posed:
There was one saving grace to all this. All he had said was that his name was Chris, and that he was dating Kara Danvers, and from Starling, and yeah, if she knew Kara, well, that wasn't an issue, but still. He looked really uncomfortable at this development. "So..." Yeah, he had no idea what to say here.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow giggles again, and with that sudden burst of self-confidence in catching him out, grabs another fry, waggling it at him. "Payment for not saying anything. So, how do you know about the place anyway?"

She's not yet spilled how /she/ knows the place. And really, one might question how someone as unremarkable looking at herself had managed to score a trip to the Justice League's headquarters at all. Let alone know Kara.

It didn't take many brains to put two and two together there that the things were related. But how?

Darkhawk has posed:
Carefully eating more of his grilled cheese sandwich, he chews, looks up at her, and asks, "how do I know about what?" He smiled, but he was a little more wary now.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"So that's how it is, huh?" Willow shrugs, and slowly munches her fry. It might be the last she gets so she's going to savour it. "We could play I ask you, you ask me.." Which could run them into troubles. Unless their reason for being there was the same. Only, Willow didn't remember a pimply faced teenager at any of the altercations.

She'd have remembered that, given how outclassed she'd felt each and every time, the feeling growing with each new encounter they'd made, until the last where she'd wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Then again, that woman had been taunting her with her relationship with John at the time, so there was a little bit of that in the mix too.

"I got invited there to help with a thing," Willow declares, taking this particular bull by the horns. "I'm pretty good with computers."

She just didn't add '..and using them to scry magically'. It was a lie of ommission, but Willow could live with that. For the moment at least.

Darkhawk has posed:
"I... guess." He wasn't sure where to go with this, but he was suddenly very concerned about the whole situation. He'd given his first name, and she hadn't done the same. He'd given Kara's name, even photos, so much info, and she's given so little. It was more than a little concerning, like she was trying to get information out of him, and succeeding. "More curly fries?" He asked, having finished his grilled cheese, and now moved onto the fries and soft drink.

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Yeah," Willow says quietly. "Probably better just to let it be." Brightening. "But I really am good with computers. Probably better than I am with maths."

She shakes her head at the offer of another fry, despite protests from her stomach. Another would just lead to another, and well, then she'd really be half-full instead of just gnawing around the edges of hunger, and besides, she had tea, right? She could make it until she got home.

"What I don't get is why you're here on campu-- oh. I guess you were checking it out for next year? It looks pretty. I didn't even apply here. I had some scholarships, but my beste was doing to Bludhaven, so that's where I went. It's pretty good. I'm still trying to decide on a major, though."

Darkhawk has posed:
"Maybe for the best," she knew more than she was letting on, and so did he. They both knew it. But they didn't know each other. Like, he had mentioned his girlfriend by name, yet she hadn't given her friend's name, or even her name. "Come on, they're so good, and there's plenty." Yep, he offered her more curly fries. "I'm probably going to end up going pre-law myself, or maybe history, because there's so much you can do with an Arts degree."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Despite her resolve, Willow reaches for fries - because fries. And curly fries at that.

"I was thinking pure maths with a side of computer science, but then there's applied physics. Or even astrophysics, but I don't think I really want to go into space. But I like theory." Her head tilts at him, lips bowed into a smile. "Law? Don't you think that's kind of.. well, I mean, I guess they help people. But sometimes they have to be so bad to do it. Buffy is taking General Studies. I don't think she knows what she wants to be either. I don't think it bothers her as much as it bothers me. I feel like I Might explode at all the choices and not being able to make them all."

Darkhawk has posed:
Chris's eyes briefly lighted up when she mentioned going into space, even if she didn't want to do that. He loved going to space. Space was so much fun, plus the views, they were spectacular. "I guess I like the job security, as, everything is illegal... from a certain point of view. But yeah, really, it's all about helping people, order, society, we're built on rules, laws, and respect for our fellow uh, person. Buffy? That's a name I haven't heard before. First or last?"

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
"Space isn't all that you think it is," Willow says with a shudder of memory. Apokolips hadn't been all that pleasant a trip - and that was before she'd gotten attacked.

"Hrm? Oh, Buffy is her first name." Willow flushes faintly, looking pleased, "She's really nice. Like one of the strongest people I know. And not just in the physcial way. She's like strong inside. She makes you want to do better, you know?"

Darkhawk has posed:
He had enjoyed visiting Chandilar, but then, it was a far cry from Apokolips. "Sounds a lot like Kara," and he meant that. "I guess you know that too though."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow starts to say, "I don't know her so very..." But her voice drifts off as she considers what she had witnessed, and what could be gleaned from that. "Yeah. I guess so. She's kind of like Buffy that way. Sometimes I wish I were Buffy - but don't tell her that if you ever meet her. She'd laugh and think that was silly. But sometimes I wish it. I mean, then people would think I was special too."

Insecurity threatens to rear it's ugly head, leaving Willow no choice but to push boldly past it, her words a flurry, "Anyway, don't worry. I'm not trying to convince you to like her or anything. She'd kill me if she thought I was. I tried to set her up with this friend of mine and they almost - well, I was worried I was going to have to step in and break things up."

Half a fry is munched before she speaks again. "They were really alike, though. I mean, they like the same sorts of things. I guess it goes to show that sometimes that's not enough. Anyway, it didn't work out and she made me promise not to set her up again. Besides, you have a girlfriend."

Darkhawk has posed:
Even if he doesn't know her that well, what he just heard concerned him greatly. "We are all special in our own way. In all the world, in all the galaxy, there is only one you, no others, just one, and that is precious... you're not a twin are you, because that would totally mess up that thought. But you are special. Never forget that."

Willow Rosenberg has posed:
Willow's head cants again, "Oh, it's okay. I mean, she is actually special. I'm okay with that. Not everyone can be her." Willow actually had more problems with how awkward she'd felt in the company she'd kept while helping to rescue Superman. She still wasn't sure how she'd gotten involved in that, and more, how, surprisingly, she'd helped. Like actually been useful. It didn't really seem possible.

Darkhawk has posed:
"Actually special, as opposed to non-actually special?" He didn't understand, but it didn't sound like she was going to shed any light on the subject. "So, how do you know Kara?" He decided to ask, curious, "and does Kara know Buffy? Am I totally out of the loop on this Metropolis-Bludhaven thing?"