A little help here (Dick & Q)

[justlikeacircus]

Dick didn't entirely know how he'd got here, if he was honest, an experiment gone wrong, an explosion, some kind of multi-verse event.. the details are all a little fuzzy. All he knows for sure is he woke up in an unfamiliar city in a world that was almost - but not quite - like his own and he had no idea how to get back.

That had been a couple of months ago now, and he'd made the best of a bad situation. It was hard to get himself set up without the resources he was used to, but he'd got himself a job and a crappy apartment and he'd done what he could. It wasn't long before he took to the streets as Nightwing, crime was just as prevalent here as it had been back in Gotham and he wasn't about to sit back and let it happen. He'd even made a few alliances here and there with other vigilante types - which came in handy when he started to run low on supplies and his favourite grappling gun broke beyond his ability to repair it. They pointed him in the direction of somebody with a reputation for supplying high-tech equipment to the discerning buyer, so later that evening Dick decided to pay this 'Q' a visit.

And if that involved breaking into his place of work and waiting for him to show up, well, he had been trained by Batman after all.

Comments

[comm]

Managing a side business under the table and continuing to work at a flourishing tech firm keeps Q busy. But he'd never back down from a challenge, and besides, the constant work keeps him from thinking about the world he's left behind.

It does make him somewhat sleep-deprived, which is what he'll use as an excuse for not noticing someone in his office when he comes in one morning.

"What—what the hell are you doing here?"

He shoves himself back against the shut door, the strap of his bag sliding from over his shoulder to the crook of his elbow.

"And who are you?" With that outfit, he's either one of those vigilantes that appear on the news or very, very insane. Or both. Q is slightly relieved that this is happening at his day job instead of his apartment, where his real work is. If he gets attacked here, someone will hear it.

[justlikeacircus]

Privately, Dick thinks this is why Bruce always does it like this. For all he never cracks a smile, it's kind of funny watching how startled someone gets when you show up somewhere they don't expect, and Bruce has a better sense of humour than anybody actually gives him credit for. He ignores the pang of homesickness that comes with thinking about his father and instead steps forward slightly - still making sure he's well obscured from any windows, but not quite so lurking in a shadowy corner as he was before. He holds up his hands to show he's not holding a weapon and tries a friendly smile.

"Sorry to startle you. They call me Nightwing, and I... I need your help." it's a tricky gambit, trusting another person, but he's going to have to do it sooner or later or he'll be all alone here, and that's a recipe for going crazy if ever there was one. "I've heard you have some skills that I can make use of."

[comm]

"Well, you startled me," Q mumbles, knowing he's being petulant. But the lack of immediate threat makes him relax enough to properly put his bag down near the door, taking no motion to get any closer. His interactions with the 00 section agents has taught him that there's a certain kind of propriety to people who act like this. And if he were to be attacked, Q doesn't stand much of a chance anyway.

He clears his throat lightly. "What skills are you talking about?" He's not going to deny his identity. It's not worth it at this point. Instead, Q positions himself near the wall, now eyeing the stranger with a more discerning eye.

Despite himself, that first spike of fear is turning into excitement.

[justlikeacircus]

Dick doesn't bother questioning his skittishness, or why he doesn't come any closer - he did surprise the guy after all, and it wasn't often that black-clad masked men just wandered into your office and asked about your 'skills'. Honestly frame it differently and it sounded like the start of a porn, but he refrains from making that joke out loud.

"The kind that means you might be able to fix this," Dick stepped forward - cautiously, slowly - and lay his broken grappling gun on the desk before stepping back slightly, giving the guy some room if he wanted to come closer "I've got some skills but... not nearly enough to make that work again. I have need of some other things too, replacements for certain tools I make use of."

[comm]

Judging by the hooks, the gun is for grappling. That suggests this unfamiliar character is of a particularly risk-taking kind. Surely swinging from building to building isn't the most efficient way to travel.

But Q's not here to critique vigilante practices if he's not getting paid to. He comes closer and starts touching the gun. The forming of the material, the main body of the gun, and grappling hook itself suggests a high production value.

"What kind of tools are we talking about? They include a secure communication network and some way to access it, I'm guessing."

[justlikeacircus]

"Most of my comms equipment is still functioning, not that I really have anybody to talk to, though if you wanted to take a look at it in case there's any improvements you can make be my guest," he's fine with sharing his tech, it's not like anybody here can make the connection between the stuff he uses and Wayne tech.

"I'm more looking for replacements for some of the more one-use items I have," he explains, tugging out one of his last birdarangs and tossing it on the table to demonstrate "I've got at least one left of most of the things I need so I'm hoping you'll be able to replicate it. Mostly weapons, a few more esoteric things, all the kind of thing I need to do what I do effectively..." some of it got more use than others, of course, but Batman had always focused on being prepared for any eventuality. Even getting stuck in some kind of possible alternate dimension.

"'course I won't say no to any new gadgets or weaponry you might come up with," he grins "Except guns. No guns. I am a strictly non-lethal sort of vigilante."

[comm]

"Does it have band switching capacities? If it does, I wouldn't have many improvements to make." The man's right; there wouldn't be anyone to talk to. If there are more people like them being thrown into this world from another, there's no need for them to talk secretly yet.

On the other hand, Q isn't so sure about not needing a gun. "I'd be glad to study these and turn out a few more instances of each. For a price, of course. I already have a day job taking up my time."

He picks up one of the pointed weapons. "Did you make these?"