on the flip side

Harvey Dent; Don't call me Two-Face or I'll have to hit you.

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Drinks with Madmen. (Harvey and Jervis)

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He nodded at the man, shoulders relaxing if only by an inch as he completed marking every individual within the bar off as imbecilic and absolutely no threat to him. His posture could still make other’s hurt, but for him, it was practically unheard of for his shoulders to ever relax. “I bore of the classes.” The words were said with a sigh, shaking his head. “Tedium and repetition when there should be more practical matters under discussion…. ” He paused as someone else walked into the bar, going silent for a moment as he watched them.

“My neurochemistry course requires a lab partner. I…. do not know how…ah, successful this will be.” He was dreadful at speaking to people he had not already known. He stuttered upon his words even if he was completely convinced of what he had been doing. 

[dual-process-blog]

Harvey's grin widened. "Yeah, I'm not surprised. Maybe you could tell 'em so." he said before remembering Jervis probably wouldn't tell them anything.

"It'll be fine. Just try not to let 'em hold you back, I guess. Have you found somebody already or still looking?" he asked, genuinely interested. He'd like to see what sort of person Jervis would deem easy enough to put up with.

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Drinks with Madmen. (Harvey and Jervis)

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“We shall see.” The words may have been more curt than he anticipated as they escaped his lips, eyes focusing just over the shoulder of his friend as he watched people with rapt attention. It was interesting to watch them, really. So careless and easy in their interactions. He could see so many things that sitting in his lab or on his room didn’t allow him to notice. 

He lifted his beer up to his lips once more, taking a drink and allowing his mind to register what was being said by a couple not too far from them. Once he’d realized Harvey had spoken he actually looked back at the man, shaking his head. “Simply observing. My mind does wander… ” he was quiet for another few moments before he actually connected to conversation, eyes snapping away from who he’d been watching and back to his friend. “How has the semester been treating you, classes well?” It seemed a random topic jump, but by now Harvey should be used to how Jervis’ brain worked. 

[dual-process-blog]

"Alright, whatever you want." he said, taking out and lighting a cigarette. He was glad that things were fine, at least for the moment.

"Yeah, it hasn't been too bad. Still not too good at math, but I'm doing alright." he said, taking little notice of the change in subject. "What about you? You're probably having no trouble at all, right?" he asked with a smile. Harvey had always wished he was half as smart as Jervis, whose intelligence he'd always sort of admired.

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Drinks with Madmen. (Harvey and Jervis)

The man he sat at the small bar table with could honestly be considered his only true friend. They had known each other for so many years a this point, that he no longer remembered when they first began talking. Only that they had and from that found a sort of kinship. As much as someone like Jervis forms bonds. His hands shook just a bit less when they spoke, and his words were far more certain. The person on the other side of the table had their issues too, and the knowledge of that made their conversations less…. shielded.. than when he spoke with others. There was an honesty to shared madness.  Raising his drink to his lips, Jervis continued to scan the bar and its inhabitants suspiciously. “This place…is somewhere you frequent, then?” There was a moment of silence as he listened to the existent noise level in the bar. “Considerably more…. populated than what I would typically choose.” 

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"Yeah, kind of." he said, taking a drink of whiskey. "Yeah? Too crowded?" he asked with a frown. They'd chosen the most out of the way corner table that was available, but Harvey knew that might not be isolated enough for Jervis. "We can always go someplace else, if you want." he offered, not wanting his friend to be uncomfortable.

"So, did you wanna talk about anything, or should I just shut it and let you get drunk?" he asked with an awkward grin. He never knew what to say, or if he should say anything, when Jervis was in a mood. He was certainly his oldest and probably his best friend, but being socially inept, and not even knowing how to handle himself when he was in a bad way, it was difficult for him to know what to do in situations like these. It never stopped him from trying, though.

[dual-process-blog]

[text] Out. I need to go out. Plans?

Uh, sure thing. I know a bar you’d probably like, nearby. I’ll pick you up in about fifteen minutes?

[suitdup]

[humanoidhistory]

[dual-process-blog]

[text] So, definitely didn't get to say so at the time, but I really appreciate that you made it to the party. Thanks :-)

No problem. It was a great party. Also, I’m sorry for drinking away so much of your money.

[night-into-butterflies-blog]

Lesson-Dictata :: (Harvey and Zee)

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“Well, I don’t mind if you don’t.” She locked things up behind them as they would steer in the direction of his car. “I never really think about cars. I drive so seldom that the only car that I do have is actually still in the garage in Gotham.”  She nodded cheerfully, “I love the older stuff. We couldn’t get cable on our tourbus, so I kind of had to run with watching whatever Dad managed to have dvd’s of. Given that he was the one to buy it all- most of them were from before I was born.”  He had touched on a topic that was one of mild obsession with her. Classics and ancient mythology. “Oh? I understand that. I’m a classicist- ancient mythologies are kinda my focus. I love looking back and piecing about what we’ve lost over the generations. The Library of Alexandria…. everything. Duality, though. Meaning, Yin and Yang, or are we talking animus and anima?” After she said it she realized these could be the same thing, but the question still stood. 

[dual-process-blog]

"Really? I need mine. If I'm not in class or studying, I'm usually at work. It's cheaper getting there than a taxi and way more convenient than the bus." he said.

"Yeah, I usually didn't watch TV 'til really late at night, and that's usually what was on." he said. "Tourbus? Was your dad a musician or something?" he asked. She hadn't mentioned anything about it before, so he was curious.

"Both, I guess. Anything with any kind of dual theme to it. Those are both good examples." he said with a nod. 

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Double Down-time | | Harvey & Kitty

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“You’re welcome,” Kitty replied, pleased that she could make him happy. The conversation was going better than expected. She’d barely paid attention to the episode, although it was one she’d seen before.

Turning her attention back to Harvey, she frowned, taking a moment to think. “I’m not sure yet, maybe research? Or working for a tech firm?” she answered hesitantly. “I’ve still got a few years to figure it out, thankfully.”

[dual-process-blog]

"Yeah, you do. How old are you, anyway? Eighteen or nineteen?" he asked. She looked even younger than that, but she probably wasn't.

Realizing the conversation had turned a little boring, he decided to change the subject. "So, do you know a lot of people on campus yet? I know that's kinda hard, at first." It wasn't much better, but it beat sitting in awkward silence.

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Double Down-time | | Harvey & Kitty

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“That’s really admirable. I’ve never been to Gotham, but I’ve heard stories. I’m from the Midwest, so I’m sort of sheltered,” Kitty admitted. “And why computer science? I guess it was kinda the same thing - minus the making a difference, although it can improve people’s quality of life.” 

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"Thanks." he said, grinning sheepishly. "Sure. I bet you'll do something great with it." he said, smiling. He glanced over at the television screen, realizing they hadn't been paying attention to it at all. It was kind of nice, being able to talk to someone so easily. "You have any idea what you wanna do once you graduate?" he asked, determined to keep the conversation going.

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Double Down-time | | Harvey & Kitty

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Kitty noticed Harvey’s look down. Was it possible that he too felt awkward? She had imagined him being more arrogant, more sure of himself. It was refreshing that he didn’t have it all together. Kitty sure didn’t.

“You’re welcome”, she replied gently. Fishing around for a topic, she asked, “So, what made you want to get into law?” 

[dual-process-blog]

"I just kinda... discovered it one day, and realized that it was something I felt strongly about, and could actually use to make a difference. See, I wanna become a prosecutor one day, back in Gotham. I dunno if you know anything about it, but the place is a human cesspool. I think the crime's worse there than anywhere else in the country." he said, realizing he'd been talking an awful lot. "So, how about you? Did you always know you wanted to go into computer science?" he asked.

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Lesson-Dictata :: (Harvey and Zee)

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She smiled genuinely, nodding along with him. “I certainly hope so.” 

There was a slight release of a breath as he didn’t push the question. Good. How exactly do you explain to someone that you’re a third generation magician anyway? Not to mention the fact that you’re kinda world famous and lots of people are convinced you’re a murderer? Yea. Easier just to not mention it.  “Great,” she moved to place her books into one of the drawers in the filing cabinet next to the desk, grabbing a ring of keys off of it and locking the unit. “We can just go to that place down the street, if that’s ok? I don’t live too far from there, and I walked to campus today.” Reaching behind the door to grab her purse, she would wait until he was ready to go before locking the door to the office behind them and directing him out of the building.  “So, what do you do when  not planning to save Gotham from it’s criminal underbelly, hm?” 

[dual-process-blog]

"Sure, that's fine. I drove here, if you'd prefer to drive. I'd like to put my books in there, at least, anyway." he said, putting his things back into his messenger bag and following her out the door.

"Well, I like a lot of old TV shows. And I'm kinda interested in obscure mythology, too, particularly the stuff about duality. It's kind of a... hobby, I guess." he said, wondering if he should be mentioning that at all. It was more of a bizarre obsession, but he wasn't about to admit that now.

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Double Down-time | | Harvey & Kitty

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Kitty followed Harvey’s lead and took a sip of her beer, resisting the urge to gag. She’d never understood why people liked to drink it, it tasted terrible. But some things grow on you, she guessed.

“Yeah, it’s nice, thanks,” she replied, smiling back at him. God, she was smiling a lot. He probably thought she was some sort of lunatic. Kitty had to laugh at Harvey’s self-deprecation. “I don’t know you very well, but something tells me that nothing about Harvey Dent is average”, she asserted.

[dual-process-blog]

Harvey looked down and smiled; she actually made him blush with that. He was complimented on his looks plenty of times, but his mind and personality often went unnoticed, and even insulted, when he was still living with his father. "Thanks. I don't really get that a lot." he admitted, though he was a little embarrassed to say so.

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Double Down-time | | Harvey & Kitty

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“I’m sure”, she smiled, touched at his offer. “And I agree, although the Star Trek remakes have Chris Pine…”

Kitty blushed, remembering where she was and who she was talking to. Obviously a guy like Harvey didn’t go to see movies just because some hot guy was in them. “But the new Twilight Zone has nothing on the old one!” she remarked hastily, trying to change the subject. “I love Rod Serling!”

Kitty tried to get comfortable in Harvey’s desk chair, knowing he was only a few inches away from her. Hopefully this wouldn’t be too awkward…

“Oh! It’s, um, computer science. I think I might add a language minor at some point. What about you?” she asked, congratulating herself on sounding semi-normal. 

[dual-process-blog]

“Yeah? I don’t think Chris Pine really compares to Shatner. I mean, he’s a better actor, but he’s not as good-looking as he was. Now, Zachary Quinto, he’s hot.” he said with a grin. Harvey wasn’t gay, but he wasn’t exactly straight, either. There weren’t a lot of people out there that he wasn’t willing to date and/or sleep with.

“That’s definitely true. Rod Serling was great. Probably one of the greatest people who ever lived.” he said, noting her embarrassment. It was kind of cute, but he did his best to put her at ease.

“Wow, you must be pretty smart, huh? I’m just a political science major; I’m gonna go to law school after this, with any luck.”

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Kitty blinked in surprise. “Well, yeah, totally! Young William Shatner was haaandsome. ZQ is pretty good-looking too,” she admitted. It was nice to be able to talk guys with a…guy. 

“Yeah, he was a real gentleman. I wish we had more men like that these days,” she sighed. Although this Harvey Dent might just fit the bill…No! Stop thinking like that. You barely know the guy.

“Aww, thanks,” she blushed. “It just comes easily to me, I don’t know why. And psshh, poli sci and law school? You must be pretty smart yourself,” Kitty teased. 

[dual-process-blog]

"Yeah, I mean, he's not traditionally handsome. He's got an interesting face." he said. He was trying to be more open about his sexuality, even though it felt a little weird. Luckily for him, she didn't seem to mind.

"Well, I think it's really just a matter of finding the right guy. There's just a lot less of 'em nowadays." he said, taking a drink of his beer. He'd forgotten he was holding it, having gotten rather caught up in their conversation.

"Some people are just gifted like that, I guess. It's great that you can do something you're good at and that you like." he smiled. "Nah, I'm average, I guess." he said, finding it hard to accept the compliment. He was pretty insecure about his intelligence, among other things.

[night-into-butterflies-blog]

Lesson-Dictata :: (Harvey and Zee)

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“Sure, that’d be great.” he said with a grin. “Yeah, not to mention they’re almost all in bed with the organized crime syndicates, among other things.” he said. This was one of the things he truly enjoyed talking about.

“So, how about you? You have any plans for the future?” he asked. He was genuinely interested in her answer; Zee was a brilliant and talented woman, it was easy to see after only a few minutes of knowing her. Not to mention how beautiful she was.

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“You’re completely right though, that’s the sad thing,” she nodded along with him. “If they’re not in bed with the mobs, they’re basically knuckling under to them out of fear. It’s a really bad situation.”  She knew exactly what he meant when it came to Gotham. Sure, Dad and she didn’t spend much time there, but she knew what it was like.  She rubbed the back of her neck just slightly, taking a moment of silence to look at her text book. It was only a quick moment, and she looked back to him again,”Hey, do you want to get out of here? I usually try to get out of here before too late, otherwise campus security comes to make sure that I haven’t fallen asleep in here again.” Anything that had to do with her career made her hesitant. She knew her father’s high profile status was mostly in europe, but anyone from Gotham would’ve known her last name at least a little when….everything happened. “We can go get a drink or something, maybe? Do you drink? I don’t want to be incredibly rude and suggest that to someone who may be completely against it…..” She realized she was rambling, both a moment of anxiety toward the question and genuine bumbling because the man was attractive, and bit at her lip, unwittingly blushing a bit, waiting for a response.

[dual-process-blog]

"Well, if we're lucky, I'll be able to do something about it in a few years time." he said with a nod.

"Sure, if you want." he said, slightly surprised at her avoiding the question. He wouldn't push it, of course, but it seemed a little strange. Maybe she was a professional criminal or a spy or something. Probably not, but it was fun to think so.

"Yeah, I drink. That sounds like a great idea, actually." he said, trying to put her at ease. He wouldn't admit it, and he didn't necessarily like making anyone uncomfortable, but he really enjoyed having that effect on people. 

[dual-process-blog]

Double Down-time | | Harvey & Kitty

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“I’m sure”, she smiled, touched at his offer. “And I agree, although the Star Trek remakes have Chris Pine…”

Kitty blushed, remembering where she was and who she was talking to. Obviously a guy like Harvey didn’t go to see movies just because some hot guy was in them. “But the new Twilight Zone has nothing on the old one!” she remarked hastily, trying to change the subject. “I love Rod Serling!”

Kitty tried to get comfortable in Harvey’s desk chair, knowing he was only a few inches away from her. Hopefully this wouldn’t be too awkward…

“Oh! It’s, um, computer science. I think I might add a language minor at some point. What about you?” she asked, congratulating herself on sounding semi-normal. 

[dual-process-blog]

"Yeah? I don't think Chris Pine really compares to Shatner. I mean, he's a better actor, but he's not as good-looking as he was. Now, Zachary Quinto, he's hot." he said with a grin. Harvey wasn't gay, but he wasn't exactly straight, either. There weren't a lot of people out there that he wasn't willing to date and/or sleep with.

"That's definitely true. Rod Serling was great. Probably one of the greatest people who ever lived." he said, noting her embarrassment. It was kind of cute, but he did his best to put her at ease.

"Wow, you must be pretty smart, huh? I'm just a political science major; I'm gonna go to law school after this, with any luck."

[dual-process-blog]

Double Down-time | | Harvey & Kitty

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Kitty smiled in relief. Harvey seemed nice and so far she hadn’t made a fool of herself. She accepted a beer from him nervously, thinking to herself: Be cool, be cool. Kitty had been telling the truth when she said that she’d hadn’t done much drinking before - in high school, she’d always been the good kid. But now she wanted to have the “real” college experience, drinking and all.

“No, I walked over,” she reassured him. Kitty wouldn’t have been stupid enough to drink and drive, and besides, she didn’t have a car at school anyway. 

She took a seat on his chair. The bed felt too personal. 

“Oh, it’s fine, I ate before I came,” she protested. Kitty didn’t want Harvey to go to too much trouble for her. She always felt awkward when other people did nice things for her.

“And anything’s good with me, as long as it’s the original,” she grinned. Kitty had grown up watching all the old 60s sci-fi shows with her dad, so it felt like coming home again to see them now. 

[dual-process-blog]

"You sure? I've got five bucks and I'm feeling ritzy." he said with a grin. "That's fine, though, I should probably use it for something else, anyway." he said.

"Great! Nothing against the remakes and spin-offs, but nothing's as good as the original. Same goes for most everything." he said while he popped in a Twilight Zone DVD. He'd been re-watching the series in his free time, anyway, so it seemed like a good choice.

"So, I don't think I ever asked what your major is." he said, trying to get to know her a little better so they wouldn't just be sitting there awkwardly staring at the screen.