#ioracle

[warplanet]

with @ioracle, for emily kelso. — you're very distracting, you know.

she's just shutting curtains, tiptoeing around barbara's room as she steps from window to window. barbara's comment makes her pause and grin over her shoulder, giving the woman a wink. "i don't mean to be." maybe barbara, sitting at her desk all day in the clocktower, has grown weary of the multiple screens in front of her — maybe all that blinking and rubbing her eyes she's doing has gone and made her pull from her work, seeking movement beyond the maps and targets on her monitors. that's why, when emily goes to close the curtains (humming quietly to herself), barbara can't help but notice. was it ill-timed, or was it on purpose? "can i get you anything?" she asks as she pulls the final curtain closed. "tea? food? i think batman and the rest of them could wait a little while if you need a break." on socked feet, emily wanders over to the desk at the near-center of the room, her hands sliding around barbara's shoulders. she begins a quiet knead, a careful tending-to of sore muscles she finds. "mm. you're tense." oh, this is all on purpose. emily is definitely trying to weasel a kiss or two from her girlfriend. "take a break? come sit with me? let me fix you some dinner, and we'll get you away from those screens — your eyes must be hurting. poor thing." affectionate. she dips down and pecks barbara's cheek. "whatever you're working on, it can wait. promise."

[studiodrafts]

it   feels   like   they've   crossed   paths   here   more   times   than   he'd   like   to   admit.   honestly   ,   his   library   visit   never   feeling   complete   if   he   doesn't   wave   hello   to   barbara   gordon   at   least   once.   maybe   it's   a   bit   of   a   silly   thing   to   think   ,   considering   how   new   he   is   to   the   city   ,   but   it's   nice   to   have   a   friend   to   talk   to   every   now   &   then   ,   even   if   they   are   restricted   to   hushed   whispers   &   short   words.   it's   still   miles   better   from   his   treatment   before   ,   where   his   own   colleagues   would   make   fun   of   him   &   leave   him   feeling   out   of   place.   somehow   ,   in   this   dangerous   city   ,   the   linguist   has   managed   to   find   himself   at   home.   maybe   working   at   gotham   university   won't   be   such   a   bad   thing   ,   &   especially   so   if   barbara   is   going   to   be   around.

❝   hi.   ❞   milo   approaches   barbara's   desk   as   he   places   a   small   stack   of   books   he   plans   to   check   out.   all   of   them   are   brand   new   copies   save   for   one   ━━   a   copy   of   20, 000   leagues   under   the   sea   he   plans   to   re   -   check   out   again   for   what   has   to   be   the   third   time   in   a   row.   his   smile   is   vibrant   ,   but   he   always   feels   self   - conscious   around   the   redhead.   the   last   thing   he   wants   is   to   scare   her   away with too much chatter   ,   especially   when   he   has   a   reputation   for   being   annoying or overly passionate about a subject.   ❝ i   always   want   to   talk   to   you   , but   i   feel   like   i'll   just   get   you   in   trouble.   ❞   milo's   voice   is   a   low   whisper   ,   hopeful   no   one   else   can   hear   him   as   he   attempts   to   speak   to   the   librarian.   ❝   maybe   one   day   i'll   catch   you   outside   of   this   place   ,   when   i'm   not   working   at   the   university   or   at   home   with   my   cat.   ❞

˗ˏˋ     ᵗʰᵉ   ᶜᵃⁿᵛᵃˢ·     featured artist   ﹕   @ioracle   as   barbara   gordon.

[spidroins]

@ioracle : well, can i interest you in ... staying alive?

this place had always had it's way of making his senses go haywire; no longer directional and instead an overbearing buzz that left him tense due to unfamiliarity. no back of the hand knowledge, no mental map of every nook and cranny that existed between buildings. though not too different from home, gotham's towering architecture had it's way of making him feel small. combine that with distinguishable limp and a hand that refused to leave bleeding side, it was a losing and humiliating battle. still, he was here to help and that wouldn't change no matter his shape. he wasn't alone, either; inquisitive voice crackled through comms.

" yeah ... though, as far as final moments go, this is how i've always pictured it. " cold, alone in a far corner no one really knew about. it'd make for a pretty embarrassing headline, he thought. groaning quietly as he hoisted himself up onto higher ground, the spider managed a lopsided perch to survey the area. a view was still a view, even with the slow and steady saturation of newly washed suit. " you're not rid of me yet. there's still so many questions i haven't asked you. " those could wait, shadows still lurked around the corner. measured breath to test out his lungs, dull ache in his ribs went unnoticed. " so, almighty oracle. " another puff of air, he forced himself into a stand. " what's next? "

[knowthings]

“ look,  that's  not  what  i'm  saying  at  all, ”    emery  replies  as  she  keeps  her  gaze  on  the  subject  of  the  conversation,  shifting  slightly  to  the  left  to  be  closer  to  the  other  woman.  her  voice  lowers  to  be  at  least  slightly  subtle  about  their  conversation.  although,  it  didn't  seem  to  matter  much  since  they  were  more  or  less  being  ignored.   “ i'm  just  saying, ”   she  starts  again,  eyes  flitting  to  look  at  the  other  woman  briefly  before  looking  back  to  the  men  again,  “      i  think  we  can  get  what  we  need  from  them  a  LOT  easier  than  that  ...     ”  emery  let's  her  implication  hang  in  the  air  as  she  brings  her  glass  to  her  lips  and  turns  her  face  more  fully  to  the  other.

@ioracle   ↬  starter  call  ♥︎

[greenelight]

it's   natural   to   want   to   know   what's   going   on   in   any   situation   ,   but   maybe   knowing   too   much   can   classify   one   as   incredibly   nosy.   when   dropping   by   the   library   to   look   for   some   composition   books   to   read   ,   he   wasn't   expecting   to   see   barbara   gordon   here   of   all   places.   is   he   supposed   to   know   about   her   connection   to   batman   ?   he's   not   so   sure   &   of   course   he   wouldn't   out   her   here   like   that   out   in   the   open.   bruce   was   very   open   about   things   once   they   decided   to   progress   in   their   relationship   ,   but   that   doesn't   mean   that   everyone   is   aware   ,   so   he   isn't   going   to   assume   &   try   to   keep   things   casual.   still   ,   seeing   the   once   former   batgirl   is   akin   to   like   seeing   a   celebrity.   he's   heard   stories   about   her   work   when   she   was   younger   &   maybe   he's   a   touch   starstruck   ,   even   though   he   appeared   in   gotham   many   years   after   she   had   left   her   mantle.   despite   loving   the   theatre   ,   the   pianist   has   never   been   good   at   hiding   what   he's   thinking.   it's   also   possible   that   barbara   is   just   that   good   when   she   posed   her   statement   to   him   ,   already   pointing   out   exactly   what   mason   was   thinking   in   his   head.   how   she   managed   to   do   that   ,   he   has   no   clue.   do   her   glasses   scan   his   vitals   &   make   him   easy   to   read   ?   or   is   she   just   able   to   read   him   based   on   his   expressions   ?   either   way   ,   it's   very   impressive.   no   wonder   why   she's   so   integral   to   the   whole   batman   operation.

❝   answers   ?   like   where   to   find   more   music   books   ?   i   guess   that   could   be   nice   ,   if   you're   willing   to   guide   me.   ❞   mason   doesn't   want   to   do   anything   stupid   that   could   ruin   her   safe   ,   mundane   job   ,   so   he   keeps   things   simple   ,   standing   beside   her   as   he   looks   through   the   shelves   ,   mindlessly   skimming   through   the   titles.   he   already   has   what   he's   looking   for   ,   but   he   isn't   just   going   to   up   &   leave   ━━   that   would   be   awkward   &   a   bit   rude   of   him.   ❝   it's   nice   to   finally   meet   you   ,   by   the   way.   ❞   he   means   it   too   ,   his   smile   a   touch   softer   now   ,   appreciation   deep   in   his   eyes.   ❝   your   work   is   really   important.   it   helps   so   many.   ❞   anyone   who   overhears   them   would   think   mason   is   just   thanking   her   for   her   librarian   work   ━━   how   wrong   they   would   be.   still   ,   mason   just   clears   his   throat   &   turns   his   attention   back   to   the   books   ,   giving   barbara   the   out   to   leave   if   she   wants.   ❝   i   just   wanted   to   say   that.   i'm   not   here   to   be   nosy.   in   fact   ,   i   had   no   clue   you   worked   here at all.   i   was   just   in   the   neighborhood   &   decided   to   go   to   the   library.   very   nerdy   of   me   ,   i   know   ,   but   i   am   ,   in   fact   ,   a   nerd   ,   sad   to   say.   ❞

˗ˏˋ     ⁱⁿᵗ·     the   gotham   library   ﹕   i   can   tell   you’re   just   itching   to   get   answers.   co   -   starring   @ioracle   as   barbara   gordon.

[wineassassin]

"this is pretty nice," he remarks to @ioracle, casually strolling about the warm space with light in his eyes. sebastian is happy to spend more time with his newest friend, and even happier to find that their hanging out comes with secret hideaways in abandoned gotham clocktowers. "and it's perfect for you, too. it's got a great view of the city... it's nice and peaceful and out of the way of all the disarray down below. probably pretty, safe, too. i might have to sneak up here more often, come visit when i'm in town. you might have found the best spot in gotham, barbara." sebastian refills both of their glasses of water before rejoining his friend at the sitting area of the open room, smiling warmly when their eyes lock. she's always friendly, always gifting him the types of smiles that feel like a warm sip of tea or a bear hug in winter. she's reassuring. he doesn't know too many people in the world who feel like that when you meet them. "thanks for showing me this place. how did you even..." his eyes go darting around the ceiling, then over to the large clock face at the end of the room. staring, he watches the hands tick by. "do you think anyone would notice if i did this to big ben back in london? took it over? made it my hideout?" he beams.

[warplanet]

with @ioracle, garrus and barbara. — i thought you promised to behave.

"mm. must have happened in your dreams, because i'd never promise a thing like that." he slips past her on the bridge, giving her a pointed look as he meanders over to speak to shepard. when he returns, his mandibles flare in barbara's direction — a turian smile. "looks like she's taking thane and samara down to thessia, so. i'll be stuck on the ship with you. not exactly a bad deal, really. gives me time to go over the new cannon schematics again." he leans against the hub at the center of the room, the normandy projected behind him. a thin glowing line points to the newly installed cannons he's referring to. thanix cannons. "did you know these were turian made?" he asks barbara, still beaming at her. his blue eyes shine with mischief. "my people, we... might have salvaged what was left of sovereign's gun back on the citadel. pulled from the rubble, studied... it's got an element zero core and everything, and now, so do ours. i'd like to take a look at the schematics down in the battery and see what we're working with. and since shepard is leaving me here, and leaving you here, maybe..." his browplate lifts. "you'd care to join me, miss gordon?"

[helblazes]

@ioracle liked!

" fancy that, got all these gadgets and you still need ol' john to offer his expertise, eh, love? " he snorts, far too satisfied with himself. " runnin' around with your lot, i don't know if i'm ever too fond of that but a bloke likes to be needed. "