Dropping In
Nov. 5th, 2025 06:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
swoopyhair posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
flashpoint_heroesOnce he'd gotten word from Noah that it would be safe, Peter was eager to visit Central City and see Claire. It was nice to hear she'd finally settled down, and something he expected to happen sooner or later. What he didn't expect, however, was to hear she'd gotten herself into a relationship. At least not so soon after moving in.
But he understood all too well what it was like to fall in love with someone at first sight. He was glad that it seemed to be going much better for his niece than it had for him.
There was also some lingering curiosity about the dream he'd had. The one where he was in that weird room with Claire and a bunch of people he didn't know - her friends, he would later learn after talking with Noah. He assumed he'd meet them eventually, though maybe not today. It would make sense if she wanted to introduce him slowly and let them build up trust in him. She'd never been so open with her relationships that he could remember - the last one he knew anything about had been with Gretchen and even then he barely had met the woman. Peter didn't want to push too hard and end up distancing himself from Claire all over again. He was all too aware that his involvement with Sylar had put a strain on them, and he wanted to use this time to try and set things right.
Claire had texted her address just after moving in, so he knew right where to go. But rather than teleport directly into the apartment, Peter popped into the hallway. He was planning to surprise her, and now that he was there, he hoped she was home so he didn't have to text her and ruin the surprise.
He knocked twice, then waited for her to answer.
But he understood all too well what it was like to fall in love with someone at first sight. He was glad that it seemed to be going much better for his niece than it had for him.
There was also some lingering curiosity about the dream he'd had. The one where he was in that weird room with Claire and a bunch of people he didn't know - her friends, he would later learn after talking with Noah. He assumed he'd meet them eventually, though maybe not today. It would make sense if she wanted to introduce him slowly and let them build up trust in him. She'd never been so open with her relationships that he could remember - the last one he knew anything about had been with Gretchen and even then he barely had met the woman. Peter didn't want to push too hard and end up distancing himself from Claire all over again. He was all too aware that his involvement with Sylar had put a strain on them, and he wanted to use this time to try and set things right.
Claire had texted her address just after moving in, so he knew right where to go. But rather than teleport directly into the apartment, Peter popped into the hallway. He was planning to surprise her, and now that he was there, he hoped she was home so he didn't have to text her and ruin the surprise.
He knocked twice, then waited for her to answer.
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Date: 2025-12-02 09:16 pm (UTC)"Felicity's a bleeding heart. You'll have to excuse her." Oliver pulled into an empty parking lot to a restaurant that looked like it probably only let you in if you knew someone.
"Evos, huh? It's gonna take some getting used to, but we did adjust to Metas, so I guess we'll manage. Not that we deal with many Metas in Star City. Damien Darhk used magic. And the League of Assassins along with Merlyn have this whole supernatural power thing that can keep them alive for centuries. So, we have weirdos, but not Metas."
"Felicity." Oliver said like it was a warning. "She has her own problems without hearing about ours."
"Right! Sorry." She laughed and got out of the car, opening the door for Claire.
Barry hopped out his side and moved to meet Claire.
"So, you collect dads like pokemon?" She asked with an amused smile. "We just take in strays. Dads sound more wholesome. You don't have to train your dads not to bite the hand that feeds."
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Date: 2025-12-02 09:27 pm (UTC)Once out of the car, she grinned at Barry and took his hand to head into the restaurant. "I wouldn't wish the kind of stuff we deal with on anyone, but there's also something about the solidarity in knowing we're not alone in the weirdness that's awfully comforting."
Magic and supernatural elements? That was certainly unexpected. And yet, intriguing. It gave her another angle to consider with the stone and Savitar. Peter had said it felt mystical to him, and maybe it was.
Wait, shit. She wasn't supposed to be thinking about this now. But it was hard not to, knowing such a serious threat was hanging over her head.
"Ha, yeah, I'm gonna have a Pokémon team of dads at this rate. I've also collected my fair share of strays when I was living on the road. Or... I guess I was the stray." She laughed quietly, eyeing up the restaurant. It was far more fancy than what she was used to. Sure, the Petrellis had money, but she didn't live that way.
"Dang, this place is swanky. Looks like you have good taste, Oliver."
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Date: 2025-12-02 11:31 pm (UTC)"Then Ollie threatened to shoot me." Barry sounded amused.
"Back then, I didn't know if you could be trusted." Oliver defended. "And I never really did thank you for that." Barry just smiled in return.
"Oh, come on. You can say what you were actually thinking. He has expensive taste." Felicity teased and Oliver rolled his eyes. He held open the door for his three guests. The inside was dimly lit with lots of glass aesthetics and golden trim. Hues of maroon were augmented with white marble. There was a man, dressed in a three piece suit standing behind a podium waiting for them with menus in hand.
"Mr. Queen. Please, choose where you and your guests wish to sit and I'll have settings brought to you." The man said formally.
Oliver nodded at him and took them to a table that seemed arbitrarily picked, but Barry knew Oliver well enough to know why he picked it. It was defensible if, for some reason, they were attacked. There were two walls without doors, it gave them a clear view of the entrance, and meant no one would be sneaking up behind them. Oliver pulled out a chair for Felicity, then took his own seat beside her so he could see the door. Barry followed suit and pulled out a chair for Claire.
"I feel so under-dressed." Barry said with a flush.
"I let them know we wouldn't be obeying dress code. They didn't seem to mind." Oliver replied quietly.
"When Oliver throws money at a place, they usually don't complain." Felicity said airily. "So, Claire, what drew you to Central City in the first place?"
The waiter brought over the menus and set them in front of each of them. Barry noticed quickly that everything was in French... "Why is it always French...?" He muttered softly and pulled out his phone to translate.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-03 12:05 am (UTC)Claire had spent enough time with her dad to know at least some of the significance Oliver's seating choice. Noah would have chosen similarly. As Barry pulled out her chair, she flashed him a grin and took her seat. Her jeans and blouse weren't exactly shabby, but they certainly weren't the type of attire that would usually fly in a place like this.
Expensive taste, indeed. She would try not to get distracted thinking about Barry in a suit and tie. Browsing the menu, she considered Felicity's question and stubbornly refused to use her phone to translate any dishes. Poulet was chicken, and she knew a few other food terms.
"Mostly I think I just wanted to live somewhere I hadn't already been. Somewhere I didn't know anyone, and no one knew me. Traveling as much as I had before I settled down tends to leave a trail, even when I was trying to lay low and use aliases." Which... sounded very suspicious. "Going public as an evolved human the way I did wasn't the best idea."
But now she was running around as a masked hero. How long before someone recognized her, even with the mask?
"Pommes de terre means potato. It literally translates to like, ground apples," Claire said to Barry as if she was extremely pleased with herself for knowing this information. But in a delighted way, not a know-it-all way. "I... have a few friends who speak French."
In pre op. Sorry for short tag
Date: 2025-12-03 05:46 pm (UTC)Barry flushed and offered her a smile. "I never took any language classes. Kinda wish I had. Caitlin speaks French. Cisco speaks Spanish." Wells/Thawne spoke Latin. But that didn't count anymore and he didn't ask Harry if he did as well. Without Hartley around it didn't matter much. "Ground apples." Barry repeated with an amused smile. "They don't look like apples."
Don't be sorry! Thinking of you, hope it's all going well. <3
Date: 2025-12-03 08:24 pm (UTC)The sentiment around evolved humans wavered in the public eye, but other events and individuals popped up to take away the attention. All of the initial hubbub around her jump had died down. Now she rarely got recognized.
She grinned at Barry, utterly adoring. He was just so dang cute! "I took some Spanish in high school, but the whole regeneration thing led to a lot of stuff happening that made me miss school, so I don't really remember much. I ended up just getting my GED." There was always a small sense of shame and regret over not getting to have a proper high school graduation. It wasn't really her fault, but that didn't stop her from blaming herself and seeing it as a personal shortcoming.
"My dad's last partner at the Company, René, taught me a little French. And a couple friends I met up in Canada." She gently bumped her shoulder against his, giggling. "Do you know what you're going to order? I think I've decided."