[reverse darkest timeline] if i'm not beyond repair

[stilljustandrew]

Composing the note takes him the better part of an hour, and a great deal of cross-outs and scribbling.

Brix,

I was wondering if y
It's been a
How hav
You said if There's been some stuff and I wanted to

If you have some time to talk could you let me know? I'm doing I think I'm still doing better but something happened and I'm not I wanted to tell you about it.

Thanks,
Andrew

He writes out two clean copies of the note, leaves one at the Security desk and one with Bar.

Comments

[gothamsheiress]

It's been a little while since Brix last spoke with Andrew. At his request -- and with her agreement -- she's been giving him space, letting him try standing on his own.

When she gets the note, though, she's quick to respond with a note of her own: Of course. I'll see you in the offices.

As hasty as her reply was, she looks calm and collected when she comes into the Security office to look for Andrew.

[stilljustandrew]

He gets a ping from Baby when Brix's note is dropped off; it gives him enough time to hastily wash his face and put on shoes and a clean shirt.

When she arrives, he's just stepping out of his cell to come look for her in turn.

[gothamsheiress]

In spite of her concern, the fact that he's looking clean and relatively put together lifts her spirits.

"Andrew. It's good to see you."

[stilljustandrew]

Andrew brightens visibly at the sight of her, and lifts one hand in a faintly awkward wave. "Hi. It's good to see you too."

He comes a few more steps toward her, hesitates. "D'you want to, uh ... " Gesturing back along the corridor, and out to the door. "In here or, or out in the bar?"

[gothamsheiress]

"Where would you be most comfortable?"

[stilljustandrew]

"I've sort of been ... working on being comfortable out of the cell? It's, it's been getting easier."

He's trying, very hard, not to hope for her approval.

[gothamsheiress]

"Excellent." She smiles. "Then shall we go out to the bar?"

[stilljustandrew]

"Yeah, let's." He smiles back.

She may or may not notice, as they head for the bar, that he's carrying a pocket-sized notepad in one hand, with a pen stuck through its spiral binding.

[gothamsheiress]

She does! As they find seats at a table, she nods to the notepad.

"Are you keeping notes on something?"

[stilljustandrew]

"Oh --" He sets it down, fingers still curled about it lightly. "Not, like, something in particular? Just, I used to keep a notebook all the time. Write down stuff I wanted to remember, or stuff I was trying to figure out. And I, I thought maybe ... it might be worth trying to do that again."

[gothamsheiress]

"Have you found it helpful? Have you used it much?"

[stilljustandrew]

He hunches his shoulders a little, oddly apologetic. "Not a lot yet? But, I mean, I only just started a couple days ago, and then ... a bunch of stuff happened. Which, some of that's what I wanted to tell you about."

A beat.

"... d'you maybe want to order drinks or something, as long as we're out here?"

[gothamsheiress]

"Certainly." She waves down a waitrat and orders her usual mint tea.

"What is it that's happened?"

[stilljustandrew]

Andrew orders a ginger ale and some goldfish crackers. "-- They aren't made with goldfish," he hastens to explain to Brix, "they're just shaped like goldfish. They're cheese-flavored."

And as the waitrat scurries off, he sobers a little to address the question. To the tabletop, apparently.

"So, um. Some ... some people from here went to -- to Lucifer's world. To look for something, I think? And, uh -- Matt was one of them, you know him. And I don't know if you know Nita? Nita Callahan? She's a friend of m, of his."

[gothamsheiress]

Her focus sharpens noticeably -- perhaps unnervingly.

"The Security officer, yes."

[stilljustandrew]

He nods, swallows.

"While they were there. She got ... possessed by a demon. They, I don't know how fast they figured it out, but they brought her back here -- I didn't know about any of this until then. They brought her to the cells. I, I saw them coming in."

[gothamsheiress]

Quiet: "This was a few days ago?"

[stilljustandrew]

"Yeah. -- She's okay now," he adds hastily, "I mean, I don't know if okay is ... she's not possessed anymore is what I mean, the demon's gone."

[gothamsheiress]

"I'm glad to hear that. It must have been terrible for her."

[stilljustandrew]

"Yeah." Half a whisper. "It said ... it threatened to hurt her if we tried to pull it out of her."

[gothamsheiress]

Her jaw tightens, very slightly.

"That sounds very upsetting."

[stilljustandrew]

"And it wasn't bluffing, I asked it later when Matt cast the truth spell --"

He rubs a hand over his face.

"Sorry. I, I'm telling this all out of order."

[gothamsheiress]

"Tell it however you need to tell it," she says. "Take your time."

[stilljustandrew]

"Okay," he says, and draws a long breath.

Which comes out in a quick "Oh -- thank you," as the waitrat returns with their order on a tray.

[gothamsheiress]

Brix gives the waitrat a polite smile. "Thank you."

She takes the time to pour herself a cup, letting Andrew settle in with his own food.