J,GoB, Saturday noonish

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"The Diner's good too, but it isn't as good as it was when Priestly worked there," Dinah was telling her parents. "Which, hang on. Another photo, so I can show him what you guys look like." She lined up her camera-phone. "Smile!"

[open!]

Comments

[gothamphantoms.livejournal.com]

Larry grinned and slung an arm around Carolyn, who rolled her eyes but smiled. "Fighting Crime!"

Which made Carolyn laugh, and the picture even better.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela had said she'd stop by. This was her stopping by.

In a different hand-tailored Italian silk suit today, if anyone were looking closely.

She was most definitely a creature of habit.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah grinned up at Triela as she came by and said, "More coffee, guys? Mom? Dad?"

When they said yes, she dragged Triela with her to the counter, and said, "I'm having so much fun but I'm kind of freaking out. How's your day going?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"I'm fine." And why wouldn't she be.

"Why freaking out?" Because Triela was pretty sure that wasn't the expected reaction to parents.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Because..." Why was she? Dinah took a breath. "Because it can't last, and I'm on my best behavior, and I keep thinking--" What? "I don't know. That I'll mess it up, somehow."

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"I thought that the point of parents was that they didn't care if you messed up." Someone had learned most of her family dynamics from television and film.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"That's the theory. But real life..." Yeah, it had never been like that for her. "Although I really thought Larry would've freaked out by now, and he hasn't. Mom and I just keep poking at each other, though." She rubbed her head. "We were having problems before. I mean. We said some good-byes, but." She shook her head. "It's complicated."

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"Oh."

"Sorry."

Triela was really good at this comforting thing. When she understood the relationships involved. Which, in this case, she didn't.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

It probably didn't help that Dinah was only semi-coherent.

"Thanks. Well." She took a breath, then said, "I'm glad they're here now. That's what counts. Later is for later, right?"

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela nodded in approval. "That's a good way to look at things."

"Is there anything you want me to do to help?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah tried to think of something that would help, anything, and said, "Tomorrow? Can we go shoot things?"

She had the feeling she'd need to do that.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

"You don't even have to ask," Triela chuckled softly.

[heromaniac]

Momoko had gotten the handwavy phone call from Dinah, and, despite her intense dislike of ghosts and the eeriness of all these dead people coming to Fandom just after Obon(!!!), she was soon at J,GOB, looking around for her friend. And her friend's dead parents.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah beamed when she saw Momoko, and got up to give her a hug hello. "You made it!" She let her loose, and said, "Dad. Mom. This is my friend Momoko. Momoko Akatsutsumi, this is Larry Lance and Carolyn Lance. My parents." She squeezed Momoko's hand. "They're just here 'til this evening."

[heromaniac]

Momoko had immediately hugged Dinah back and put on her best smile. "Of course I made it!" It wasn't like she was hiding in her room from all the weirdness this time around.

Okay, she had been. But, DEAD PEOPLE?!

Dinah's parents didn't look like ghosts and Dinah was happy, so Momoko kept smiling and gave a small bow. "It's very nice to finally meet you. I'm glad you could visit!"

[gothamphantoms.livejournal.com]

Nice dead people! Non-decomposing dead people!

"Thanks, we're pretty happy we were allowed to do this," Larry said, standing up to offer her a hand. "Especially since Dinah didn't remember me."

Carolyn smiled too, and waved to the seat next to her. "Please, join us."

[heromaniac]

Momoko hesitated only a fraction of a second before shaking Mr Lance's hand.

And if she was afraid it would fall off, she didn't show that at all. Look, she'd only dealt with zombies and ghosts before. This was totally new.

"Thank you!" She looked at Dinah a moment, then sat. "Uhm. So are you enjoying your visit so far?"

[gothamphantoms.livejournal.com]

Carolyn and Dinah exchanged an awkward glance before Carolyn said, "We are, really." Which was true. "Dinah's been showing us all over the island, and telling us about her plans for the fall. And we met Jaime." Her lips thinned and she frowned. "Who seems like a nice boy."

Emphasis on boy.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Mom," Dinah said warningly. Then to Momoko, "We met Karla's parents too, and they've met Triela last night and it's just been... kinda awesome." There was a lot of wistfulness in her smile, though. "Did you know my dad was a P.I. too?"

[heromaniac]

Momoko totally make a mental note to ask Dinah what that was all about.

"Jaime's a very nice person, Mrs. Lance. You don't need to worry. Really!" Momoko was quick to defend her friend, though in a very respectful tone. She nodded and smiled warmly at Dinah's mom before turning to Mr Lance. "You're a private investigator? That's awesome! You must be totally proud that Dinah's going to school for that, then?"

[gothamphantoms.livejournal.com]

"I am, even though I'm worried for her," Larry said, smiling back at Momoko. "It's either boring or it's sometimes a little dangerous. I wonder how she'll deal with either of those." But he turned the grin on Dinah. "Excelllently, I'm guessing. She's awesome like that."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah grinned giddily back at him, and said to Momoko in a low voice, "They know about the, uh, other career, too. Mom used to do that." She couldn't help a proud look at her mom. "One of the first to put on a cape and go out and fight bad guys."

[heromaniac]

"The dangerous stuff, totally!" Momoko snickered. She didn't mean to, but she did. "She won't do too well with the boring parts. I'll probably get lots of text messages then."

She nodded at Dinah. "It must be nice to have family footsteps to follow in."

[gothamphantoms.livejournal.com]

"She doesn't have to," Carolyn put in, looking anxious. "I'll be proud of you no matter what you do, Dinah. You know that." She sighed, settling back in her chair. "Barbara was probably right, though. You were born for this." She sounded more resigned than happy. But she was smiling.

[heromaniac]

"She's totally awesome at it and she's really great to work with, too. And Ms Barbara and Ma Helena and Mr Alfred all take good care of her!" Momoko put in hastily. "I just meant that it's nice to have that history, some connection! I'm the first in my family to... do that kind of job. And there are only three of us in my city at all. It was a shock to come here and find so many others."

[gothamphantoms.livejournal.com]

"Are your parents okay with it?" Larry asked, studying the girl across from him. "They handle you going out okay?" He honestly couldn't say he would've handled it well, if he'd been part of Dinah's life when she chose this.

Then again, if he'd been part of her life... things would have been very different.

[heromaniac]

...

Momoko fidgeted. He had that dad look. How was that fair? "Uhm. They kind of don't know? I mean, they know I do some work for the Lab and the Professor, but they think it's just, like, helping out and stuff."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah didn't agree with Momoko's position on this, but she didn't want her to feel cross-examined, either. "She really needs to talk that over with the Professor and the two other girls first, Dad. It's their secret identities too." She looked at Momoko. "She doesn't want to worry them."

[gothamphantoms.livejournal.com]

Carolyn looked disapproving. "I'm sure if she gets hurt, they'll find that reassuring--"

"Carolyn," Larry said softly, reaching out for her hand. Carolyn looked away, then sighed and looked back at Momoko.

"Ask Dinah to tell you what happened to me," she said more carefully. "Afterward. Then really think about telling them. That's all I'm suggesting."

[heromaniac]

She wasn't feeling cross examined, just parented at. Still, Momoko shrank a little with her "Yes ma'am."

"Uhm. And while it is mostly because of my other teammates - we're friends, you see, I also don't want my family to get hurt because of me. Or to worry about me every time I leave the house, or they turn on the news and see some new monster attacking."

[gothamphantoms.livejournal.com]

"I'm not going to say Carolyn's right--" That would be too much encouragement. "But. Somebody should be worrying about you. Not the other way around. And they should get to be proud of you, too." Larry spread his hands. "And moving on, who wants cookies?"

[heromaniac]

"Thank you both for worrying. Dinah's even been trying to talk me into it." She didn't like keeping secrets, really! "The Professor is like a second father to us and worries all the time! And mom and dad think the Powerpuff Girls Z are awesome, even if they don't know I'm one of them."

Then, of course, her brightest smile came out. "And if Dinah hasn't told you already, I never turn down sweets! I'd love cookies, thank you!"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Me! Me for cookies!" Dinah sang, both hands going up in the air. "We can eat a lot of them!" She pointed at Momoko. "She runs on sugar."

[heromaniac]

"I do!" Momoko grinned proudly. "I was even a hummingbird once and all they fed me was sugar water and I survived! Of course, when I changed back I totally ate my weight in cheeseburgers."