cuddlecity | you know that you came at the perfect time

( yeah, sara's got a place in mind, alright — dinah's, the city-famous diner whose name stopped her dead in her tracks on her very first day in the city. it's a place that definitely lives up to its reputation, with food that's just as greasy as it should be and waitresses that have just the right amount of attitude.

she debates sitting at the counter, 'cause she likes hearing the cooks banter with each other while they make people's food, but nah — a cozy booth in the back corner feels more appropriate for this kind of reunion. nearly a year, he's been stuck on the waverider, miniaturized and without a clue about all of the chaos happening around him. she also debates ordering two of the dinah's standard signature burgers with a bucket of fries to share, but after eating fabricated food for so long, sara thinks that rip deserves a chance to at least give the menu a glance and decide for himself.

since he's new — like, really new, freshly arrived, it seems — sara doesn't mind waiting for him. when he does cross the threshold into the diner, she immediately stands up into the carpeted walkway to — what? hug him? give him a punch to the shoulder as a warm welcome? sara hasn't decided yet. )

[It does take Rip some time, but not only because he needs to ask for directions along the way. In the end what should be a simple reunion feels like it somehow isn't; nearly a year, and for the first time Rip will see a member of the team since that dreadful day when Eobard Thawne and his forces took hold of the Spear--thanks in no small part to a pulled-from-the-past Leonard Snart, and the betrayal of Mick Rory.

He's wondered, countless times, as to what must have happened to them.

In truth food is the last thing on his mind, even as the aroma of greasy Americana hits him upon entering. He's hungry, sure, but when he sees Sara rise upon his entry he wonders much the same as she does. A handshake feels a bit too formal for this occasion, but a hug certainly doesn't seem right either--and punching is far more Sara's thing than his own.

His mouth turns upwards in a grin, at least--so much of one as Rip is prone to ever make.]

Sara. [Not Miss Lance for this; that at least, he's sure of.] It is good to see you.

( rip smiles and that's as good enough of a cue as any for the corners of sara's mouth to turn up into a wide smile in kind, any and all worries immediately easing out of her. the answer to her conundrum? a hand placed on his shoulder, giving an affectionate squeeze, sliding down the chest of his jacket for a moment before it drops back to her side when she takes a step back. )

You too, Rip.

( and she means it, too; the last time he stood before her, it was to tell her that he was leaving the waverider and the legends team in pursuit of — what, she doesn't know, but she'd hoped then and still hopes now that it brings him some form of peace within himself.

with that out of the way, sara takes it upon herself to slide back into her side of the vinyl booth with what could be taken as a sigh of a relief, flipping her menu open. ) I'm warning you now, this is one of those kinds of diner menus that are so big, you'll never decide what you want.

[A simple, friendly touch, and yet the weight and warmth of Sara's hand on his shoulder nearly overwhelms. It's to be expected, he supposes, after so long without—nearly a year in whole, and what comes as an easy gesture for her nearly takes Rip's breath away. There is indescribable comfort to be found in even these first moments of their reunion, of knowing she is alive and well and safe, away from the influence of Thawne and Darhk and the Legion.

That they both are.

He doesn't move to return the touch—not before she steps away at any rate, leaving Rip to follow behind those few steps until he can slide across from her. There's a great deal to discuss between them, yet the first order of business would be the sprawling menu. Perhaps it's not so daunting considering that Gideon had been able to fabricate anything he wished, but he still takes his time in looking it over.]

You did make the hamburgers sound rather appealing. [And the promise of real beef would always be a source of temptation for him. He glances up towards her over the menu, as if to confirm silently that she's as well as she seems, or perhaps to himself that this is all real, that she won't suddenly vanish or he won't wake up to find himself alone once more, passed out perhaps on the floor of the Waverider's kitchen from what Gideon would deem an excess of alcohol and cake.

How can he not, when this is all so incredibly normal?]

( sara notices the way that he looks at her, nearly meets his gaze over her own menu but misses as he looks away, but she certainly doesn't comment on it, nor does she judge. she's had the benefit of experience, of time spent in a place such as this. the arrival is almost constantly the most jarring part — the shock of suddenly being in an environment likely polar opposite to that one you were pulled from, the realization that a place like this is possible.

if you're lucky enough, that also includes unlikely reunions, both tenuous ones and those on the slightly happier side of things. she's glad to err towards that side of the scale, considering how many contentious moments in their personal timelines exist with potential for disastrous consequences. )

They are, ( she confirms with an emphatic nod. ) You just have to make the decision of what toppings you want. ( 'cause there are a ton, probably twenty different sauces and thirty different possible toppings. ) I usually just go for the Dinah's Standard, which has all of the normal stuff you'd expect plus their secret sauce. Either way, we're splitting a bucket of fries, so you better be down.

[Polar opposite certainly describes it well. Oh, certainly Gideon had done her best, conversed with Rip often so not every moment was filled with the weight of too much silence, or his own echoing voice gone unanswered. But now, reading over the menu, stealing glances upward, Rip cannot help but be aware of the din about him: hushed conversations and the clinking of silverware against plates, called out orders and feet shuffling back and forth. Normal, yet chaotic, all the noises Rip can name but not control.

He will not let it be too much, however.

Instead he listens to the one familiar voice among it all, showing perhaps more interest than he should in Sara's recommendation and her decision that they would be sharing said bucket, no questions asked, no debate brokered. Easy enough, and Rip holds up a hand in surrender before closing the menu; decision made.]

I'll defer to your expertise. [He almost adds a teasing Captain to the end, yet now is neither the time nor place, he thinks. There's a significance to that title coming from Rip's lips, one too important to be left to a joke. Instead, menu now set aside, he once more looks to the woman whose judgement he has come to trust more than almost anyone else's during their time as cohorts.]

So. What else should I know as I'm adjusting to my stay in Cadelle?

( there's a breath of laughter at his complete and utter dismissal of the menu, but sure, she'll close hers as well, considering she almost always orders the same exact thing from dinah's, even when she's getting take-out. she reaches to grab his menu and stacks it on top of hers, sliding them over to the edge of the table to hopefully signal to a waitress that they're ready. )

Well, ( sara starts, an amused eyebrow lifted in his general direction. ) You seem to have a handle on the whole okCuddle thing already, or we wouldn't be here right now. So there goes my first tip.

( not that her #1 tip has any real intention other than busting his chops, considering she can't really imagine rip casually swiping right on some hotties looking for just one casual night full of —

nope, nope, abort mission. there are more important things to talk and think about. ) Wait, serious question. Crunchy fries or squishy fries? This is important.

[Give him time, Sara. Besides, given that the diner they're in practically screams Americana, Rip doesn't truly expect he'll find a proper shepard's pie or fish and chips on the menu—and he suspects he'd be subjected to some rather unnecessary commentary should he order something sickly sweet paired with a bottle of rum, which has comprised most of his recent meals.

(Perhaps the only good aspect of Gideon not being there is that she cannot inform Sara of how poor his nutrition choices have been as of late.)

Instead the conversation can move forward, straight into talk of that ridiculous app. Rip frowns at the mention, even if he'd already made use of it in a way.]

Yes, that. [Her mind might go straight towards mockery and averted paths, but Rip doesn't truly see the point of it. He would expand on that topic as well, questioning why such a thing was apparently so popular, but instead she brings the topic back to food.

A generally safe subject, although Rip didn't realize they weren't quite done with it.]

Crisp on the outside, soft within of course. [Never mind that she had said fries instead of chips; Rip can guess at what she meant.] Though all your praise aside, I'll be surprised if this place can do them up properly.

[Not like a true chippy would.]

( sara's eyes narrow, her brow most definitely furrowed at that response. listen, sara was wary of the hype when she first got here, too, thinking it couldn't possibly be as good of a diner as she and laurel's favorite joint back in star city, but still. at least she thought they'd do it right, considering diners are universally good. probably multiversally good. )

Well, prepare to have your world rocked, buddy. ( it kind of maybe sounds like a threat. at least it's a delicious threat. ) They advertise the buckets as having the perfect crispy-to-squishy ratio and of all the times I've had them, they haven't steered me wrong yet.

( luckily for them, a waitress appears before sara can shoot more metaphorical lasers out of her eyes at rip and his disdain at american fries and she sits up a little straighter, shows an overbright smile to said waitress as she orders: ) Two Dinah's Standards, a bucket of fries, and two milkshakes. First one's a black and white, second's ...

( an important look as she metaphorically throws the question over to rip. ) What'll it be, Captain?

( she's not above captain references. )

[Skepticism posed, skepticism answered. It's the sort of easy challenge Rip had come to expect with nearly every choice he'd made during his tenure as captain, from the serious to the trivial. Truly he'd never thought he'd come to miss it--and in fact, coming from almost anyone else, he likely wouldn't.

But Sara has often proven herself exceptional.

Not that he reveals any of this; oh no, that would be far too generous. Instead he merely raises his eyebrows at her assertion, that patented "we'll see" expression there and gone thanks to the waitress's timely arrival. Seems it's truly to be a meal of indulgence, and when prompted, Rip turns his head towards the woman taking their order.]

Malted chocolate, if you would please.

['Captain', she calls him, and Rip waits until their company has left before giving answer.] I believe we're both past the point where that title applies to me, Sara.

[It's not an easy thing to say, even assuming she'd offered up the title in jest. So many months later, and it remains a sore spot for him--but perhaps that's fitting, given that the position he'd been in has hardly given him opportunity to move on from it.]

( there's certainly a pointed silence between them until their waitress is well out of earshot, but that doesn't stop the amused smile that plays at the corners of her mouth at the notion that the two of them are about to have what's probably going to be a serious talk over milkshakes and a bucket of fries. said smile persists, even, when he rebukes her offhanded remark.

he's serious about it, too. )

Chronologically speaking, maybe. But you're always gonna be as much the Captain of that ship as I am.

( sara lance can also be serious, especially when it comes to the waverider and all that it entails. rip never actually willingly stepped down from his post — well, not as far as he is in their shared timeline — he'd simply time scattered them all to save them all (even if sara begrudged his decision to do so at the time, without even asking their permission, having undergone the stresses of making the tough decisions as captain has made her sympathetic). he'd simply become helpless phil the film student, simply been mind controlled by the legion of doom.

they'd stepped on each other's toes when they'd rescued him from the prison of his own mind, yeah, but that was to be expected, wasn't it? she wouldn't step down as captain just because he'd returned, no — she'd done a damn good job for someone with a crew like hers and with the bumps in her own road she'd had to figure out — but she'd always thought that they'd figure it out in time. stupid time. )

There's still a place for you, Rip.

( maybe she's just projecting, though, knowing that he'll soon leave them behind. maybe there's a selfish part of sara that thinks that she'll be able to change his mind, influence him in some way before they go back to their world. )

[He's had far more serious conversations over far more frivolous meals--assuming, of course, that one counts cake and rum as a meal. Gideon typically hadn't.

But she is persistent as always; Sara Lance, a woman who more often than once has told Rip exactly where he can shove it when she disagrees with his decisions. Not always in such rude terms, of course, but the words "go to hell" have certainly left her lips more than once.

Usually with justification for them.

His fingers find the wrapped silverware that had been placed at the table before their arrival. Something to toy with, and he turns the napkin-covered length in his fingers almost without thought. No, his mind is rather focused on her reassurances, that promise that he still has a place among the team, even as a captain of it.

She means well, he knows. But it hardly seems a fair assertion, after their mission to the moon and all that followed. He doesn't begrudge her that position of leadership, but she is from a point past his, and feels the need to offer this reassurance in particular. As a man who so often considers the future, who examines his place in it--why would she suddenly feel the need to tell him of his place on the team?

A question of the future--and one, in turn, that needs go unasked.]

I do appreciate that, Sara. [So instead he offers what honesty he can; it's true enough, that gratitude he feels. But for now, they should consider the present, and with that in mind? Rip glances about the diner.] As such, I feel I should ask which members of the team are also present in Cadelle. To get an overview of the situation, as it were.

( if there's one thing that rip is good at, it's his uncompromising stubbornness. yes, he thanks her for her sentiments, and sara can tell that he means it, sure. that much is genuine — as genuine as her own statement was, her innate desire for him to stick around. selfish, perhaps, considering he leaves of his own accord, surely to figure things out for himself.

he'd said that he'd taught them all he could, but sara still kind of thinks that the two of them could learn from each other in equal amounts.

nevertheless, he's keen to change the subject, so sure, she'll oblige him, even if it's with a small sigh. )

Well, Kendra is here, but she doesn't know about what we did to Vandal Savage — even though I'm sure us being here is a big enough clue that things go smoothly. Mick's from the same point in time as me, so don't try getting anything else out of him. Jax is from a little earlier than the two of us, but not by much. ( each one gets ticked off on her fingers, like she's counting chickens in a coop. in a way, she kind of is. )

Leonard's — well, I'm sure you know. He's from the Vanishing Point — The Oculus.

( right after he'd made her turn tail and drag mick out of there. right after the big ol' boom. talk about things that are sigh-worthy. )

Quite a crew.

[Her estimation of him isn't wrong, at least so far as his stubbornness is concerned. But she's equally surmised that he means to move on, and would continue to push to that end; his place on the team, on the Legends, is for the time being a closed matter in Rip's eyes.

Fortunate that she seems to agree, if only for the moment.

He listens to the rundown closely, some names far more welcome than others as she runs through them all. His grip on the silverware tightens at Mick's name in particular, again at Leonard's. To say that they had not been on good terms at their last meeting would be underselling it a bit.]

And does Leonard know what part he's played in the affair with Eobard Thawne? [He has patience enough to ask that much, at least. Although for Rip and Sara those events happened after Leonard's death, Leonard's personal timeline would run differently. The question is merely if his history has been altered yet, or if somehow he'd been brought here from a point before Eobard went back into the past.]

No. ( a hasty response — and a little premature. ) I mean — I haven't said anything to him. ( there's a displeased hum as she considers this. ) Guess I can't speak for Mick, but I'm pretty sure that he'd rather keep all that in the past.

( as would she. sure, she understands why mick would do what he did — "i miss him, too," sara had said, and her own relationship with leonard in their world paled in comparison to the bond between the two criminals. her own experiences with the spear's temptations, her sister, really made her realize how difficult it must have been.

he'd betrayed them, and sara's anger had come from the captain side of her, but her empathy still runs deep. besides, as far as sara's concerned, they've got a lot bigger, dinosaur-shaped things to worry about. )

You have a right to be mad at them, but don't be surprised when Leonard's clueless. ( especially because they'd wiped his mind after all of that happened, men in black-style. )

( this is probably the most romantic date sara lance has ever planned and executed in her life, even if she's never really had to be the one to do the planning and executing. living in a new place means doing new things, though — even if said new things are, all things considered, pretty average for a normal person.

but sara's not a normal person, and even from their brief conversation on okcuddle, she's pretty damn sure that glinda isn't either; she's more than eager to find out more about the apparent politician with the drop dead gorgeous profile picture.

she's got the works: a blanket spread out on top of the hill at the edge of the park, a bottle of moscato with two plastic wine glasses to match, and — alright, this is a little cliche, but she got one of those pre-arranged little cheese plates with a few varieties, some sliced breads, and fruit. it felt right at the time. the sun's been starting to set earlier as the seasons change, so sara's content to sit cross-legged on the blanket, boots already kicked off and set in the grass, peering down at the rest of the parkgoers and the city beyond while she waits to glinda to arrive. )

[ Glinda wasn't entirely sure what to expect- she hadn't focused much on her social life since arrival. She's only really spent time volunteering and pretending to have a social life... Well, that and spending her time with Derek at parties.

The Good Witch can't remember the last time she went on a picnic... The last time she did anything solely for herself was before ~~the second act~~ she and Elphaba visited the Emerald City.

As soon as Glinda spots Sara, she makes her way over with her hands tucked behind her back. ]

I didn't keep you waiting long, I hope?

( sara hopes that glinda will find room in her heart to forgive sara for the way her eyebrows lift as she turns her head to spot glinda, the way her face lights up, the way her mouth curls into a far-too-pleased smile. she can't help herself — glinda's even more gorgeous in person, carries herself effortlessly. )

Not at all.

( okay, god, she can probably stop gawking now. instead, she'll distract herself by lifting the bottle of moscato, tipping the next towards her date. ) As promised.

[ To be perfectly fair, Glinda's rather used to that sort of reaction- if it's not too vain of her to admit. She drops gracefully onto the blanket, ankles tucked off to the side of herself as she leans on the hand nearest Sara. ]

All of this looks splendiforous. Thank you again for inviting me.

( one thing's for sure: lucky lanes is about five million times fancier than bowl-a-rama back in star city.

sara lance and steve rogers have got themselves a lane all to themselves, a pair of swanky all-black rental shoes that miraculously don't look like clown shoes, nor do they stick to the floors, and if you think that sara typed their names into the computer as anything other than CAPTAIN AMERICA and WHITE CANARY, you'd be dead wrong. with a final adjustment to the laces of her fancy new footwear and a grin tossed in steve's general direction, she declares, ) Guess it's ladies first with this thing.

( start round button pushed on the lane's computer, she grabs herself a blue and green tye-dyed bowling ball — one that's 8 pounds, not that she really bothers to look, because why would she? — and saunters down to the start of the lane. this should be easy, right? she's been expertly trained at throwing stars and knives with deadly precision. surely hitting the pin at the front and sending them all clambering down should be a piece of cake. sara takes a deep breath, draws her arm back, and —

the ball, indeed, blasts forward down the wood-paneled bowling lane, except for the fact that sara's "expert" technique combined with the relatively lightweight ball she chose means that there's so much spin on the ball that before it can even think about hitting the pins, it arcs upwards and fully slams into the wall above them, bouncing off of it and into the gutter of the lane next to them. it's loud and it's dramatic and sara feels about twenty pairs of eyes on her as she sssslowly turns around to face steve, shrugging and only looking vaguely embarrassed as she walks back to him and flops back on the bench next to him, a big ol' goose egg in her column for the first frame. )

Whoops?

[ He bowled a few times before the war, but beyond that he hasn't been back in a bowling alley. This place is a lot better than the one he remembers. Then again most places are. The world hadn't quite progressed this far. The shoes are different. Not what he remembers, but they fit nice enough. Sara surprises him by typing in Captain America and White Canary on the machine. It has him smiling despite the fact that he let Captain America go when he walked away from Tony. It's nice. ]

You talked a big game. Let's see what you got.

[ Steve settles in a seat to watch Sara get ready to go. He's not sure if it's the same as throwing a shield. For one thing his shield is light. Bowling ball has different weight distribution. Heavier in different places and the stance is very specific. As is the throw.

What happens next comes as a shock even to Steve. Once the ball connects above he ducks his face behind his hand and he lets out a laugh. That was some throw. His laughter is hard to hide behind his hand as it lands and rolls down the gutter not in their lane. Clearly she's going to be just as good at this as he is. He's going to attempt not to make contact with the ceiling or the lane next to theirs. ]

That was--some throw.

[ He stands up to remove his jacket and grab his ball from where he placed it in the return funnel. His fingers dip into the holes and he holds it up. ]

Cross your fingers we don't wind up getting kicked out.

[ His ball does not go up and it doesn't land in the other gutter. It goes right down the lane thankfully, but it's not a perfect throw. It takes down four pins before disappearing into the return chute. ]

Now if you want I can help you with your aim after my next roll.

( at least she has steve and she has his laughter, so infectious that some slips past her lips as she returns to the bench at the end of their lane. she doesn't care who is looking at her, considering the way steve looks at her makes her feel like her stomach's tumbling just like the bowling pins in a lane further down.

there's a casual squeeze of her hand on his shoulder as she passes him, maybe for good luck. ) Some throw, alright.

( sara's more than happy to park herself down for a minute, watch steve take his turn; he, wisely, chooses to take his time rather than trying to overconfidently whip it down the lane, and he's rewarded for it with the sound of clamoring pins, a number 4 popping up in his first frame on the screen above them. yes!

it's exciting enough to make her jump back to her feet, give him a little round of applause, 'cause at least one of them's got at least a little bit of a handle on this. with a laugh, she confirms, ) I could use it.

( and, you know, any reason to get steve to hold her close, wrap his arms around her, is a welcome one. )

[ He's not sure if he'd say he was any better. He just happened to not hit the ceiling. She sort of set the bar very high for messing up. He simply accomplished that by not throwing it directly at the ceiling and then letting it drop like an anvil. Four pins is nothing to someone who probably bowls for a living. They likely both look like disasters to someone who knows what they're truly doing. But at the very least he might be able to help with not hitting the ceiling. ]

I'll lend you a hand. Lemme just.

[ Steve's ball returns and he goes for his second turn. But he only takes one pin this time before it rolls into the gutter to be returned. Once the pins are entirely cleared and set back up he goes to grab her ball for her. He holds it out for her with a smile. ]

Here. Take the ball and I'll hold you from behind to line you up.

[ He pauses and raises a brow when he realizes how that actually sounds out loud. ]

Sorry.

you know that you came at the perfect time

ＲＩＰＨＵＮＴＥＲ ( ᴅɪɴᴀʜ's ᴅɪɴᴇʀ )

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you know that you came at the perfect time

ＲＩＰ ＨＵＮＴＥＲ ( ᴅɪɴᴀʜ's ᴅɪɴᴇʀ )

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i love u

no u! <3

ＳＴＥＶＥ ＲＯＧＥＲＳ ( ʟᴜᴄᴋʏ ʟᴀɴᴇs )

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