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Jill'd gotten through training - gotten through that and with Tim... She was tired. Really, really tired, and it wasn't even noon. She walked down the path, rubbing her hands on her face, not even seeing Bart.
But she saw him soon enough as she literally almost ran into him.
"Bart! God, you're one of the last people I want to see." She blinked, and almost cursed. "Sorry. I- I meant that, but probably not the reason that you think."
Bart blinked in reaction to her words, even as he caught and steadied her. "Uh, all right. Do you want me to go, then?"
He looked at her, seeing how she was, and couldn't help worrying, just a little. She was a titan, after all.
"Not particularly. I'd rather not be alone, after Tim just tried to get me to leave training and go home." She sighed heavily, and shook her head.
Bart frowned, running a hand through his hair, trying to think.
"I'm sorry, Jill." The situation seemed to be one where that was an acceptable response.
She sighed softly. "I can't lie."
"Then I'll try not to ask questions you'd have to answer. I guess the island crazy skips me," he said, giving a slight smile. "Tim was...unhappy."
"Tim used it as an opportunity to ask me a bunch of questions about the team." Jill shrugged. "I mean, that's what he'd said that he'd do. At least it's not any different."
"It sounds like him. Any opportunity to take advantage of a situation," Bart said, frowning slightly. "I could ask you the same question I asked him."
Jill looked up at him warily. "What's that, then?"
"Are there any questions you think I should ask?"
"Well, should and would are different. I can't say I know what you should ask, but I was thinking you'd ask me something about you and Tim."
"It wouldn't really be right, not when you can't choose how much you want to say," Bart told her, with a gentle smile. "Things are awkward enough without that."
Jill smiled, and looked back up at him. "Thank you, Bart. I... really appreciate it. It was really hard with Tim." She looked down, her mouth twisting.
"I don't think it's fair. To take advantage of you like that. It's...Robin's thing, not mine." The distinction of names meant he was talking about how Tim worked, not necessarily how he was.
"I just...worry about you."
"You worry about me? Why?"
"I notice when you're out of sorts, even if Tim doesn't. But I'm not going to ask what's been eating you."
"I feel out of place, and there's some issues going on with Xander." She shrugged, and looked up at Bart. "I mean... it just makes it worse."
Bart sighed, running his hand through his hair, wondering if he should cut it soon.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, after taking a long moment to decide whether or not to ask.
"With somebody who'd actually listen instead of analyzing me, yeah." It was obvious who she meant.
"He wouldn't be Tim if he did things differently, but yeah, it gets annoying sometimes."
"It's not annoying, it's intimidating, and worries me." She shrugged. "I'm scared of what he'll think or find."
"Tim knows a lot about me I'd be embarrassed if anyone else knew, but I'm not scared of it. He keeps things to himself, mostly. If it's a weakness, he'll train with us to smooth things out, when he figures the best way. But he isn't petty or cruel, Jill," Bart said, trying to reassure her.
"I know that he's... I just..." She swallowed. "I would like him to... just- I don't want to disappoint him, Bart. He's the closest friend that I have here."
"You don't, Jill. We're both amazed by how far you've come."
"It doesn't feel like it," she said softly, and shook her head. "I mean, yes, as a Titan. I just- I feel like I've almost taken three steps backwards as far as friendships go, and what use is it to be a Titan if I'm alone?"
Bart couldn't help feeling bad about that. He thought about what to say for the longest time, but didn't know how to not ask a question. "Are you feeling left out because...well, because of me and Tim?"
"Not because of your relationship, but because of your friendship-" She bit her lip. "You both are from the same world. You're Titans." She forced a smile. "And Tim doesn't act like he used too with me. I understand why, but he doesn't, so it seems more... distant."
"He just...is acting more himself, really. I know he's repressed in a lot of ways, but at first, when he's doing the friendly, outgoing thing, it's over the top. He isn't faking the emotions, but he's exaggerating expressions. Tim doesn't do a lot of emoting, and what he does might as well be covered by the mask.
"It doesn't mean he doesn't care. Or that I don't. You're part of the team, and that's as close, if not closer than family. I don't have many people here, but you're one of them."
"Really? You think so?" Jill bit her lip, and looked back over her shoulder, before looking back at Bart. "Sometimes I wonder. I really do. I... he knows you. You're his best friend. I mean, I know that he'd choose you over me any day except maybe with archery, but I still wonder."
"I do, Jill. And...honestly, you're better in a lot of ways because you aren't adjusting to as much of a handicap. I'm still trying to overcome a lot of bad habits that I could afford not to correct as a speedster. You're better at stealth and tracking, too. What you're seeing is just that we've been partners a long time. It's knowing that the people your working with will do what they're supposed to do when they're supposed to do it. If I lose track of where Robin is on a patrol, I don't need to stop and look for him, because I trust he's still around. But there are others I can't do that with, back home.
"I'm starting to get there with you, though. Because you will hold up your end. I can trust you, I know you're an asset to the team. What the Titans had back home tested us pretty regularly, and the island doesn't have that. So it's taking a bit longer to reach that point where the team acts as a single unit . But you are a part of us," he said, and held out a hand to her. "Titans together."
She looked at him, the silence stretching longer and longer, before she slipped her hand into his. "Titans together." She nodded once, and then looked away. "I have things I should be doing." For once, that wasn't a lie.
Bart squeezed her hand between both of his, trying to be reassuring. "Do you want company?" he asked, figuring it was a safe enough question. She didn't have to justify the yes or no answer, just give one.
But she blushed dark red. "Uh. No. I need to shower." She squinched her eyes shut for a moment before laughing. "But thanks for the offer?"
Bart couldn't help laughing himself in response. "I'll see you later, then. Don't let this get you down, all right?"
Jill nodded, but her mouth said something different. "It just depends on how it goes with other people." She stopped, and made a face. "I... I'm going to go. I'll talk to you later."
But she saw him soon enough as she literally almost ran into him.
"Bart! God, you're one of the last people I want to see." She blinked, and almost cursed. "Sorry. I- I meant that, but probably not the reason that you think."
Bart blinked in reaction to her words, even as he caught and steadied her. "Uh, all right. Do you want me to go, then?"
He looked at her, seeing how she was, and couldn't help worrying, just a little. She was a titan, after all.
"Not particularly. I'd rather not be alone, after Tim just tried to get me to leave training and go home." She sighed heavily, and shook her head.
Bart frowned, running a hand through his hair, trying to think.
"I'm sorry, Jill." The situation seemed to be one where that was an acceptable response.
She sighed softly. "I can't lie."
"Then I'll try not to ask questions you'd have to answer. I guess the island crazy skips me," he said, giving a slight smile. "Tim was...unhappy."
"Tim used it as an opportunity to ask me a bunch of questions about the team." Jill shrugged. "I mean, that's what he'd said that he'd do. At least it's not any different."
"It sounds like him. Any opportunity to take advantage of a situation," Bart said, frowning slightly. "I could ask you the same question I asked him."
Jill looked up at him warily. "What's that, then?"
"Are there any questions you think I should ask?"
"Well, should and would are different. I can't say I know what you should ask, but I was thinking you'd ask me something about you and Tim."
"It wouldn't really be right, not when you can't choose how much you want to say," Bart told her, with a gentle smile. "Things are awkward enough without that."
Jill smiled, and looked back up at him. "Thank you, Bart. I... really appreciate it. It was really hard with Tim." She looked down, her mouth twisting.
"I don't think it's fair. To take advantage of you like that. It's...Robin's thing, not mine." The distinction of names meant he was talking about how Tim worked, not necessarily how he was.
"I just...worry about you."
"You worry about me? Why?"
"I notice when you're out of sorts, even if Tim doesn't. But I'm not going to ask what's been eating you."
"I feel out of place, and there's some issues going on with Xander." She shrugged, and looked up at Bart. "I mean... it just makes it worse."
Bart sighed, running his hand through his hair, wondering if he should cut it soon.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, after taking a long moment to decide whether or not to ask.
"With somebody who'd actually listen instead of analyzing me, yeah." It was obvious who she meant.
"He wouldn't be Tim if he did things differently, but yeah, it gets annoying sometimes."
"It's not annoying, it's intimidating, and worries me." She shrugged. "I'm scared of what he'll think or find."
"Tim knows a lot about me I'd be embarrassed if anyone else knew, but I'm not scared of it. He keeps things to himself, mostly. If it's a weakness, he'll train with us to smooth things out, when he figures the best way. But he isn't petty or cruel, Jill," Bart said, trying to reassure her.
"I know that he's... I just..." She swallowed. "I would like him to... just- I don't want to disappoint him, Bart. He's the closest friend that I have here."
"You don't, Jill. We're both amazed by how far you've come."
"It doesn't feel like it," she said softly, and shook her head. "I mean, yes, as a Titan. I just- I feel like I've almost taken three steps backwards as far as friendships go, and what use is it to be a Titan if I'm alone?"
Bart couldn't help feeling bad about that. He thought about what to say for the longest time, but didn't know how to not ask a question. "Are you feeling left out because...well, because of me and Tim?"
"Not because of your relationship, but because of your friendship-" She bit her lip. "You both are from the same world. You're Titans." She forced a smile. "And Tim doesn't act like he used too with me. I understand why, but he doesn't, so it seems more... distant."
"He just...is acting more himself, really. I know he's repressed in a lot of ways, but at first, when he's doing the friendly, outgoing thing, it's over the top. He isn't faking the emotions, but he's exaggerating expressions. Tim doesn't do a lot of emoting, and what he does might as well be covered by the mask.
"It doesn't mean he doesn't care. Or that I don't. You're part of the team, and that's as close, if not closer than family. I don't have many people here, but you're one of them."
"Really? You think so?" Jill bit her lip, and looked back over her shoulder, before looking back at Bart. "Sometimes I wonder. I really do. I... he knows you. You're his best friend. I mean, I know that he'd choose you over me any day except maybe with archery, but I still wonder."
"I do, Jill. And...honestly, you're better in a lot of ways because you aren't adjusting to as much of a handicap. I'm still trying to overcome a lot of bad habits that I could afford not to correct as a speedster. You're better at stealth and tracking, too. What you're seeing is just that we've been partners a long time. It's knowing that the people your working with will do what they're supposed to do when they're supposed to do it. If I lose track of where Robin is on a patrol, I don't need to stop and look for him, because I trust he's still around. But there are others I can't do that with, back home.
"I'm starting to get there with you, though. Because you will hold up your end. I can trust you, I know you're an asset to the team. What the Titans had back home tested us pretty regularly, and the island doesn't have that. So it's taking a bit longer to reach that point where the team acts as a single unit . But you are a part of us," he said, and held out a hand to her. "Titans together."
She looked at him, the silence stretching longer and longer, before she slipped her hand into his. "Titans together." She nodded once, and then looked away. "I have things I should be doing." For once, that wasn't a lie.
Bart squeezed her hand between both of his, trying to be reassuring. "Do you want company?" he asked, figuring it was a safe enough question. She didn't have to justify the yes or no answer, just give one.
But she blushed dark red. "Uh. No. I need to shower." She squinched her eyes shut for a moment before laughing. "But thanks for the offer?"
Bart couldn't help laughing himself in response. "I'll see you later, then. Don't let this get you down, all right?"
Jill nodded, but her mouth said something different. "It just depends on how it goes with other people." She stopped, and made a face. "I... I'm going to go. I'll talk to you later."