2013.08.23 - So Many Layers of Awkward

It's a toss up on who gets there first. Jazmin is flying in, quite literally really, from goodness only knows where, but Justin has to escape the office. Justin knows where he's going, Jazmin is guessing based on loose directions and a stunning ability to locate and interpret signage. As it turns out, it just about comes out in the wash, with Jazmin landing and looking up at the sign to confirm she's found the right place. She is, perhaps a touch unusually for her, in costume today, all spandex and knee high boots and looking every bit the part of 'superhero', which does draw a few glances from passing shoppers on their way into the mall. She crosses her arms, lingering just outside the entrance way in the warm summer sunshine to wait on Justin to join her.
Escaping from the office was no easy task, either. Since Justin has been spending so much time at the Expo, he's had to play catch up today. This is the first day he's actually been back /in/ his office in several days, and there was a lot of work piling up. Being a CEO isn't all going to trade shows, fancy dinners and golf games. Having elected to drive himself, Hammer pulls into the restaurant's lot in a black Hummer H1. The big SUV pulls into a spot near the front of the lot, and the CEO is quick to make his way up to the front of the restaurant. He almost doesn't recognize Jazmin, since this is the first time he's seen her in her full superhero regalia. He, on the other hand, is dressed as he always is- trademark vested suit and thick rimmed glasses, so he's easy to spot. As if the truck he was driving didn't scream out his identity anyway.
"Hey, hey, Miss Cullen! Dressed for work I see," Justin says as he approaches the teen leader of the Legion of Superheroes.
"And apparently I'm still working, Mr Hammer." Jazmin grins at him and then laughs, striking a suitably heroic pose as she does. "I'm not sure if I'm glad or disappointed that I dont have a cape as part of my uniform. They really add a certain something, but they are a /pain in the arse/." She gestures vaguely and then adds. "How about we both /actually/ take a lunch break and go with Jazmin and Honey and then it wont quite feel like work, no matter at all that I've been up all night. Do CEOs get to keep normal hours?"
Costumed heroes draw a good bit of attention, even in New York. A costumed hero /and/ a high-profile CEO who just got his face all over the news for his, well, exciting Expo demo really turns heads. There's more than a few folks who have stopped to gawk at the odd pair outside the seafood place. Justin doesn't mind the attention. In fact, he seems to grow more confident because of it. Yep, that's him, the high-roller big shot who hangs out with heroes of all sorts. See? He's a good, trustworthy guy. Grinning, he nods. "Didn't I hear somewhere that capes are bad?" he asks before motioning toward the door to the restaurant. "And fair is fair. We'll keep this casual. As far as hours, it really depends on how busy I am." Being a workaholic with no real home life, he often does pull a lot of excess hours, though it doesn't bother him much.
"How busy you /really/ are, or how much of a control freak workaholic you are? And before you get all offended, we won't discuss /my/ hours even before I got elected, hmm?" Jazmin asks as she steps over to open the door of the restraurant and step inside. For her part, the attention doesn't seem to phase Jazmin in the slightest, she barely seems to notice, save for the occaisional disarming smile at someone who is staring just a little too long. "Capes aren't Legion style really. Diana has one, I think. Supes, of course.. but they're not full Legionairres. I'd end up getting tangled in the damn things, but they /do/ look good in photos."
Justin can't help but arch a brow at the accusation of him being a workaholic control freak. Is he really that easy to read? Wait, don't answer that. With a lopsided smirk he shrugs lightly. "Hey, what can I say, if you want something done right..." He trails off as the enter the building. The restaurant itself is an upscale chain place, decorated with pictures and reproductions of various types of fish. Naturally, there's a large aquarium built into one wall, with all sorts of tropical fish swimming to and fro within. There's a bar, as well as regular seating. The hostess at the front guides the pair to a booth in the middle of the dining area, leaving menus on the table. Hammer sits down, adjusting his suit coat. "Well, just use them for publicity photos, then ditch them for the real work. Nothing wrong with dressing something up for the brochure. That's pretty standard business practice." Yep, HI even has an art department within marketing and PR just for doing stuff like that. Who says big business doesn't support art?
Jazmin quirks a rueful smile at that arched brow. "I /hear/ ya on that." Takes one to know one, it might be said. Jazmin slides into her seat at the booth, tucking herself in across from Justin and then mmms softly. "Most of us, myself included really, dont' fuss with our uniforms all that much. Call it tradition, or something stable in a decidedly unstable identity and time. So I'll admire, and let Supes and Diana have them to themselves. I don't even think Booster has one, come to think of it." She gives a little shrug, reaching for her menu. "There's some interesting challenges when most of your time.. all of your team.. don't actually have much in the way of anything from home. Most of us arrived with pretty much the clothes on our back and nothing more. Besides, we skew younger in our PR than you would."
Hammer takes up his menu as well, idly flicking through it. He's eaten here several times, and mostly knows what the offerings are. "That I can understand," he says, glancing over the top of the menu. "Don't mess with the brand." He understands the need for stability too, as it's well known that humans are creatures of habit. Rock the boat too much and it gets to you bad. The comment about arriving with nothing but the clothes on their backs gives Justin a pause. He had read up on the Legion after meeting Jazmin for the second time, and knew that they had time traveled. However, the shock of having been displaced like that never really sank in. "So, how did you guys end up here, anyway? If you don't mind my being nosy."
By her need to actually read the menu, its clear that Jazmin probably hasn't eaten here. She also frowns a little. "What the sprock are popcorn shrimp?" She hunhs softly and then looks up and grins. "Don't mess with the brand, exactly. I had no idea I was going to suddenly be learning marketing.. I'm used to having to negotiate govermental regulations and contracts. Those are weirdly easier. I /like/ forms." She gives a little shake of her head and then a touch of a shrug. "The answer is different for each of us on how we got here.. I think every single one of us arrived seperately, in slightly different ways. I can tell you about mine.. you can be nosy into my story but I'll let others keep their privacy." She considers the menu a moment, more a ruse to stall than anything else, her attention down at the plastic covered pages. "Not that my story is all that /interesting/ really. I was in a fight, and it all went horribly wrong, and weird and just /off/. Which.. well, it wasn't going well to begin with. Not really, but .. then it went sideways, and everyone was gone, and I was here. Well not /here/, but in New York. Alone."
The CEO can't help but grin. "Popcorn shrimp are tiny shrimp, usually fried. Pretty good," he tells the Legionnaire. Liking forms? Now that gets a quirked brow. "Heh, if that's the case, lemme know if you ever want a side job. I'd be more than happy to let you take over that part of my business for me." Justin hates paperwork, it messes with his ADD. He would much rather be working in a workshop or lab, or figuring out some sort of problem. Forms are just... Forms. Jazmin's hesitation as she looks back at the menu is picked up on, and he resolves to cease being nosy. No sense in making his contact in the Legion feel uncomfortable. That would be bad for business. "Well, lemme tell ya, the 'weird' goes off a lot here too. Not shocked to hear that it's still strange in the future." He'll let the subject drop, unless Jazmin elaborates.
"Weird is an eternal." Jazmin laughs warmly, taking a breath and letting it out slowly. "And Fern is starting to think she's a weird magnet. I think it's this city, but that's just me. I mean.. it dragged a healthy chunk of the Legion out of time and space. That's a serious degree of weird. Soo.. yeah. I turned up here, had to figure out the where and when and all that good stuff. You want weird? First day in New York, I'd found HQ, found Rokk.. who handed me a beer and introduced me to a pair of gods. I was pretty confident that weird was going to be an ongoing theme in my life at that point." She smirks. "I'm still bitter that now claims I am too young to drink. Not that I have ID /anyhow/, and it would read /really/ confusing if I tried to put my /actual/ birthday on it, but still."
The CEO sets his menu aside, having decided. He nods with a chuckle. "You and I agree completely on that. I think this city is the epicenter of weird. Ya know, it's gotten worse lately too. I mean, sure we've had our fair share of odd happenings, this /is/ New York after all, but man.. I mean, frost giants, fire demons, aliens... This ain't happening in Denver or Dallas." Justin pauses for a moment. "Two gods, huh? Lemme take a wild guess here, Thor and Sif? I had my mind blown a bit the first time I met them. Crazy to think all that mythology you learned about in school may be at least partly true. And I'd be pretty torn up about the drinking thing too." Thankfully the waitress arrives just in time to end Justin's rambling for a moment.
"I'm not quite sure where Denver or Dallas /are/, exactly." Jazmin laughs and nods. "Got it in one. Thor and Sif are great people, I'm glad I met them." She turns as the waitress arrives, deciding to learn for herself exactly what popcorn shimp entails and waiting for the pair of them to have a token attempt at privacy again before she continues. "The jury is still out, by and by, on if I'm a mutant or an alien. I wasn't born on Earth, but we were at one point an Earth colony.. sooo?" She wrinkles up her nose and then winks. "Well.. private property doesn't count, so fortunately I dont have to go completely dry for a couple more years. Again though.. lack of ID. The government doesn't cope well with time displaced persons, odd enough."
Justin places his order quickly and precisely. An order of the calamari, the stuffed longfin, and a portion of the chocolate cake. The cake was to be brought out first, along with the calamari. Once the waitress has taken her leave and the conversation starts again, Justin returns his full attention to his lunch companion. "Not born on Earth? so we do eventually colonize other planets?" That's something that Hammer has always wondered about. If, or rather, when, that may actually happen. There's projects in the works to try and put a colony on the Moon and Mars, but it's been slow going. Still a thing of science fiction. "Unfortunately, even with all the weirdness that is going on, I think time travel is still on the far end of the spectrum. Give'em a couple more years, they'll have regulations for it, though."
"We did .. you did? I never know if its we or you.. but still.. yes. In my timeline, we colonized other planets." Jazmin confirms with a nod. "However.. that being said.. time travel gets messy quick. I may never get back to that timeline. That one may no longer exist, things that I remember might not ever happen in /this/ world's future. And.. there's a lotta time between now and my now, all sorts of things could go odd." She mmms softly and shrugs. "Time travel on /purpose/.. perhaps. But clearly there's time travel now, because I'm here."
"Yeah, that's a lesson that we learned in Back to the Future," Justin offers, though chances are Jazmin will miss the reference. "And true. Of all the things to worry about, randomly getting sucked back and forth in time is just a bit too much. But it's good to hear that we'll eventually reach the stars. Maybe I should shift some of my operations to that- working on a lunar or Mars colony. Get in on the game early." Hammer is forever thinking about business, always looking for the next profit. "Or start working on inter-planetary weaponry. I mean, it's only a matter of time..." He trails off. Probably not the best lunch conversation with a superhero.
"TV show or movie?" Jazmin asks on the reference, giving a litlte shake of her head and indeed, not getting it. She leans back a little, letting the waitress bring them drinks and Justin's appetizer and cake combo, the conversation pausing a moment to permit the inturruption of food. Once its generally just them again she quirks her head, considering him a moment. "Aren't you ever bothered by the fact that you weaponize .. basically everything?" She holds up her hands a moment, one wrapped around a glass so not nearly as effective. "Which basically is just /begging/ you to tell me what you think I want to hear because every bit of research on anything with the Legion notes us as white hats all the way. Or should, probably... but I wont stop talking to you even if you say it doesnt really phase you. I'm just curious."
Justin grins. "Movies... Three of them actually. I recommend them," he replies as the food is delivered. He pulls the cake over in front of him before customarily tucking his napkin in his shirt collar. He motions toward the calamari. "Help yourself, it's pretty good," he offers before taking a bite of the cake. The up-front question actually causes him to pause and study the teen hero for a moment. "Well," he starts, leaning back in the booth slightly. He sets his fork down and takes up the glass of white wine that was delivered with the rest of the food. "Honestly? No. Why? Because, as much as we all hate to think about it, we /need/ weapons. And always will. There's always going to be someone out there who wants to go to war. We always need to be ready for it. It's a sad, sad fact of life." Because of this, there will always be a demand for defensive, and offensive, weaponry. That means almost guaranteed profit, any time, any where. And Hammer has no problem exploiting this niche. Not to mention the fact he just likes things that go boom.
"I'll keep an eye out for them. I should drag you along to watch them with me." Jazmin threatens with a laugh. She reaches out to snag some calamari, even before he graciously offered and nods slowly at his answer to the more challenging question than movie recommendations. "Its never as black and white and uncomplicated as some wish it was, that whole weapons and war and the role of even the white hat theoretical 'good guys' in it." She offers him that wry smile she's so very good at. "Annnd.. then I get accused of thinking too much and making lunch totally less casual. Sorry about that, Honey."
Justin makes a mental note to have a copy of the trilogy sent to Jazmin. Being a real-life time traveler, she might have an appreciation for the classic 1980s flicks. He takes in her retort to his answer, nodding before he returns to eating his cake. He's a lot more reserved about it now. "True, true," he replies between bites. "And don't worry about it. Sometimes it's good to sit back and analyze these things. So, if I may, what do /you/ think of my weaponizing things?" The CEO is fairly certain that the hero isn't too keen on the main focus of his corporation, and suspects that she even thinks he's in it more for profit than for doing good in the world. Why else would she ask?
"Honestly?" Jazmin asks, almost rhetorically, she's generally got a habit of being almost irritatingly honest. She holds a bit of tenticle in her fingers, giving in a wobble that makes her smile, at odds with the seriousness of the topic and the smile fades quickly. "I'm not quite sure what I think about you weaponizing things. It's a business, a very profitable business, and I'm not quite so naive and idealistic not to grasp just how appealing that is to basically everyone except the naive and idealistic. Equally, just because /I/ don't use weapons personally.. some of my team does, ostensibly for those same white hat, do good things in the multi-verse. For all I know, some of your research was part of some crazy ass tech that I've made use of myself in my past, your future. Would it be /way/ easier on my idealism if you were the CEO of .. uhh.. I dont even know.. vaccines for starving children or /something/.. probably. Somehow, I still enjoy spending time with you."
That gets a reaction. No matter how calm and cool Hammer tries to remain, the fact that Jazmin has potentially seen the results of things he's started in the future raises his interest. He nods, trying to look unperturbed, but he doesn't cover well. "Well, Hammer Industries does make more than weapons," he offers with a light motion of his right hand, which is still holding the fork he has. "I also do security and communications technologies, as well as other things. But even the great Tony Stark got his start in weapons. Military funding often leads to the greatest civilian innovations." It's only after he's finished his piece that he realizes that Jazmin said she enjoys spending time with him. Wait a second...
"I know it does.. or wants to. I saw the look in your eye at the presentation with the prosthetic digits and limbs, and I can see you going in that direction. And probably putting a gun in it, but not /entirely/ weapons." Jazmin noms on the bit of calmari she's got before reaching her fork over to steal some of his cake. "Medical, security, communications.. all of those are kinda big deals to both your business, and my business, if perhaps from slightly different perspectives." She laughs softly. "You do know that until I landed in New York and started researching, I had no idea who Tony Stark was. I .. still don't have the same sort of fangirl reaction I think it expected from me.. for all sorts of names that get dropped, and then there's that /pause/ and I look at them blankly."
Did she just commandeer some of /his/ cake? Even Fern isn't so bold with the weapons designer. The intrusion gets a bit of a look, but Justin lets it go at that. Really he doesn't need that much sugar, but it's the principal of the thing. There's a slight look of satisfaction when Jazmin explains that she had to research Stark to figure out who he was. That is oddly vindicating to Hammer. "So how far forward are you from, anyway?" he asks rather bluntly, now curious to see how long it may be until Stark's legacy dissolves into nothingness.
Not /only/ did Jazmin say she enjoys spending time with him, but she /also/ pilfered a bit of his cake. Bold! She settles back a little, with her purloined forkful of cake and then mmmms softly as she considers the chocolate and then settles in to her own meal. She grins at his blunt question, almost delighting in the trading of blunt for blunt. "Mmmm. Just a shade over a thousand years, which not only means that I spent a month writing the date with a three at the start of the year after I arrived, but also makes the whole age thing a little weird. Technically, I'm like -1014 or something like that." She winks at him and teases. "I'm very mature for my age."
A thousand years is a long time. Chances are, Justin's name will be gone by then too. It's a disturbing thought, but one that needs to be accepted. After all, how many businessmen from a thousand years ago could he name? Not many. The forward nature of Jazmin's behavior is attributed to her being displaced. After all, when she was prodding Justin about his personal life, she had mentioned that people were more open in her time. So cake thievery and bold honesty must also be traits of the time period. He shrugs the behavior off, finding humor in her joke about her age. "No wonder they won't let you drink. I mean, it's bad enough that teens are drinking, but you haven't even been born yet." It's an attempt at humor, a crude one, but that's normal for Hammer.
"My great great great great great grandmother hasn't been born yet." Jazmin asserts with a grin and then laughs. "Unless, of course, I'm my own grandmother many times removed and then things are /really/ complicated. I find that unlikely, all in all. Granted alcohol here is .. different. We've got a synthetic varient, it doesnt give you the headache the next day." By the tone of her voice, underage or not, she's become familiar with the headache the next day. "It's /weird/. Because life is almost close enough to fake it, except when something /completely blindsides/ me, because I've been lulled into a false sense of knowing what's going on. My weird meter, not quite calibrated."
Now there's another aspect of time travel that Justin hadn't considered. He laughs lightly. "Well, other than being slightly disturbing, at least genetically it shouldn't be much of an issue. There's enough distance in the generations." He finishes the rest of his cake and pushes the plate toward the edge of the table. The rest of the meal arrives, and again leading to a pause in the conversation. Once everything has been set up and the waitress is gone, Justin picks up on the subject of alcohol. "Now there's something I outta work on inventing. Alcohol that doesn't give you a hangover, but still tastes amazing. Now /there's/ a fortune to be made!" Yep, back to thinking about profits. As if the billions he has isn't already enough. "And ya know, I don't think anyone's weird-meter is ever completely calibrated. Especially when things keep getting weirder."
"Can you imagine some geneology hobbist trying to work /that/ out?" Jazmin laughs easily and pilfers the last bit of calamari before the plate goes away to be replaced by other food. "If I'm my own grandmother many times removed? I'd totally mess with the mutant thing too." She quirks her head, in that way that Justin is soon going to figure out (if he hasn't already) as a pretty good indicator of odd questions incoming. "You don't have any powers of your own, right? Does that bug you? I think I'd be jealous. Frak.. I /am/ jealous of other people who have more useful powers than mine." She hunhs softly and then grins. "See? Now /that/ sounds like a very worthy aspect of research. I'd be /glad/ to help you test that branch of research."
Justin is starting to pick up on the tilted head cue that leads to odd questions. He pauses in sampling his meal to listen to the next query. "Me? Powers? Oh heck no," he offers with a grin and a shake of his head. "I'm as normal as they come. As for jealous..." There's a bit of a pause, a drink from the wine glass. "Not really. I mean, look at the trouble they seem to get one into. It's far easier to just be normal." There's some truth to this statement, but what Hammer doesn't say is that he isn't so much jealous, but fearful toward people with powers. Sometimes to the point of hateful. His expression turns to one of confusion at the final statement. Is she saying she's willing to help him with research into superpowers? "You mean, trying to study and create superpowers, or...?"
"Naw.. I've already done that, and I'm not doing it in the now.. Gah, I'd be /dead/." Jazmin offers almost haphazardly and then grins. "I'd gone back to the alcohol conversation, momentarily, although clearly you dont have any latent psychic powers to follow my bouncing thought train. I mean.. research alcohol doesn't count as /real/ alcohol, right? Clearly it doesn't on the whole lack of ID thing." She pffts softly, bouncing back to the previous conversation a moment. "How are you /normal/? You're a big famous CEO, and you have people basically tripping over themselves to make you happy and not irritate you. Which makes me hopeful, cause you put up with me."
Whoops. Justin gives a slightly nervous chuckle as he nods. "The alcohol, right, right," he says, starting his meal and looking down. Is there some disappointment? Perhaps. Still, it's a good idea to look into. If he got it done by the next Expo, his pavilion would be the most popular, by and large. "And true, though, something tells me that I'd still be required to use concenting adults of twenty-one and older for my test subjects." The next question gets a grin that's laced with pride. Damn straight people are tripping over themselves for him. They had better be, he's earned it. "Well, normal in the physical sense, I suppose. Not so much in the lifestyle, yes. And hey, how can I not put up with you? You're a superhero, after all. I'm fairly certain that you could kick my ass if I give you too much grief."
Jazmin reaches across the table, utterly not shy even in the slightest about touching his hand at that look away and the disappointment that she's really only guessing at. "The tech isn't there yet, Justin, for augmenting superpowers. A thousand years from now, it's risky as all get out, but yes.. it's possible." She laughs then, leaning back. "Yes. I probably could kick your ass.. I mean.. I'm not trying to be all bragging about it, but its what I do as my career.. I better not completely /suck/, and to judge by the fact that somehow I've ended up leader, I can't suck too badly." She leans her head over, giving him a comically overdone look over. "Mmmm. Yep, looks pretty normal in the physical sense. Little above normal, but hey, friends get to be biased."
Justin is starting to pick up on something in Jazmin's attitude. She's very upfront, like Fern is, but in a slightly different manner. Must be the future thing again. He doesn't draw back from the contact, though he does acknowledge it with a bit of a surprised look. "Well, it's probably best to shelve that project for now, then," he says, forcing a bit of a grin. Not that he hasn't seriously considered such technology before. While it's not really common knowledge, HI /does/ have a biological tech division that's done some dabbling under the table. "I'll take your word on that. If I end up injured, the board is going to insist that I be locked away in a vault somewhere. They're already less than impressed at how out in the open I am." He laughs at the last comment.
"Okay.. I'm going to guess that even /fewer/ people touch you than touch me." Jazmin points out as she pokes at his hand, completely teasing now. "Because you jump everytime I touch you. I swear, one of these days I'm going to find out if you're ticklish and get tackled by your security team who probably already hate me." She grins at him, bold really in her own special way.. future or not. "I'm surprised you haven't ended up injured with the weird I already know you've been around. Frost giants kicked my ass, I spent more of that fight on my face than you did."
How the hell is he supposed to react to that? This is completely different than dealing with the usual female attention he gets. Save for Fern, but she's a friend- more like a little sister. So her behavior is accepted at face value. "I- err..." Justin decides that his meal is very, very interesting. "Uh, yeah, my security detail would probably not react well to that." There's a couple bites of the main course, then a sip of wine. "I think that was luck," he finally replies in regards to frost giants. "Same thing for when I ran into the fire demons. Pure luck. I'm honestly not sure how the heck I made it out of those situations." He may have taken many combat style gun courses, but he's not a soldier. He had never been in real combat before, which is far different than the moving target courses.
Jazmin quirks her head, watching him a moment as he studies his food and she settles in to her own. "Luck absolutely helps. Fire demons? Wow, I wish I'd of met /those/, that sounds cool. I.. probably would have done better without Loki zotting me in the head for being a smartass." She gives a little shrug and then gestures with a french fry at him. "From what I recall .. which admittedly is a little hazy.. you aren't dumb in a fight. You stay on the edge, you use a weapon, you don't get right in the baddies faces demanding they take a piece out of you. Generally there's someone like .. okay not me.. I'm not invulnerable.. who /is/ right in their face keeping their attention off us squishies."
"Lemme tell ya, fire demons aren't cool. They're pretty hot." Cue Justin's natural dorky attempt at humor. He looks like he starts to say something, then stops. Thor is back to being Thor again, but that doesn't mean that the whole body-swap thing is public knowledge. He best not say anything about it. He looks up from his food at the compliment, pausing. "I've had some training," he offers in what he hopes is a nonchalant tone, "Comes with the territory. If I'm going to design and sell weapons, I should know how to use them, right? But I wouldn't say I'm ready for combat." The /real/ reason he stayed to the edge of the battle? Because he wanted like hell to run. That crap got scary and fast, and he really wanted nothing more than to turn tail and beat feet. Alas, in the instances he's been in, there's been something that's forced him to stay against his will. At heart, he's nothing but a coward.
"Har dee har har har." Jazmin smirks at him, appreciating the humour even if it's met with her dry smirk and a snarky comment. "If you hadn't had any training, I would have had to have a serious conversation with your security detail. Sheesh, over and above having some clue with your own product. It's only /sane/. Even if you never use it, but again.. the weird factor around here is huge." She adds, after she nibbles more popcorn shrimp. "Even if the only really sane reaction to a fight is to get the heck out of there. I don't try and claim the fact that I go towards the screams is rational or sane."
Justin gives Jazmin one of those 'hey you walked into it' sort of looks before nodding. "Pretty much anyone in a high-profile position is getting to the point of needing some sort of training, plus regular details." He glances around conspiritorialy, then lowers his voice. "Don't tell anyone, I slipped mine today." He grins lightly and continues with his meal. "Given your line of work, though, you're sort of expected to take the insane reaction. Run into the fight. And speaking of, I really do appreciate you picking up the phone yesterday. I was seriously afraid that was gonna go from bad to worse. And knowing my luck, my .40 caliber wouldn't have done anything against the.. God it's weird saying it out loud- werewolf."
"I'll keep that in mind." Jazmin winks at him at that conspiratorial tone and then gestures with a hand. "I had to remind Fern a few hundred times this morning. Please. Do call me. It's what I do, and it's nicer to do it for people I care about and are friends than it is for strangers. Soo.. I'm glad you called. I'm glad you didnt have to wait for me to arrive to get rid of him as well. Although totally denied me showing off being cool and swooping in." She snaps her fingers, playful.
So there's someone else who's willing to call Justin 'Friend'. The list of people who do so is growing, and oddly, they're genuine. Sadly, it's not always reciprocated. "I was a bit disappointed too. Wouldn't mind seeing what you're capable of. So how was Fern? I hope she wasn't too shook up. I know we've both run into a lot of 'weird', but that doesn't make it any easier." He does seem genuinely concerned, something that's pretty odd for the CEO. He's not known for being the warm, fuzzy type.
"She's coping. She looked like she hadn't slept well, which isn't all that surprising." Jazmin answers thoughtfully. "She's .. she's a darling. I like her a lot. I'm glad I met her. I think she'll be alright, but she was pretty shaken up." She quirks her head and then considers Justin a moment before reaching for her water and not indulging in whatever prompted that one.
Justin braces for another question, but it doesn't come. He lowers his subconscious guard for a moment. "She is a good person. There aren't a lot of those left, it seems." Wow, that's really high praise and again unusual behavior from the CEO. He's not acting at all like the rambling idiot or vicious war-monger he's portrayed as. "She's tough too, I think you're right. Man, I feel lucky. I slept like a log last night- think it was a combination of exhaustion and Jack Daniels."
"Who's Jack Daniels?" Jazmin asks, tripped up by one of those familiar yet not things yet again. "She /is/ tough. She'll be alright, hopefully she gets a bit of downtime on the weird to let it all process. I will be doing the exhaustion thing tonight, I'm not doing two nights in a row. I hope."
Hammer stops, fork halfway between his plate and his mouth, and just looks at Jazmin. Wow, she really isn't from around here, there are very few people who aren't friends with Mr. Daniels. "Jack Daniels is whiskey," he explains, smirking lightly. "It's not the best around, but... It's familiar." Sometimes even when you can afford things that cost more than many people make in a month, or even a year, you just have to go with what you've known for years. Justin didn't grow up with money like Luthor, Wayne or Stark. Though his family was upper middle class, he wasn't high society until relatively recently. "Hope you both get an evening off, you've earned it. I'd love to take a night off, but things are more than a little backed up at the office. The Expo is flooring me."
"I.. have never had whiskey." Jazmin admits thoughtfully. "Yeah yeah yeah.. give me /that/ look. You have /no idea/ what the first grocery store I went into was like." She tucks a leg up under her on the bench and then gestures. "So take a night off. Or a couple hours off and watch a movie with me. Hammer Industries isn't going to keel over because you watched a movie, any more than the Legion is going to keel over if I don't take a second night shift in a row."
Justin arches a brow. Did Jazmin just ask him out to see a movie? He absolutely doesn't mind her company, she's one of the more pleasant people he deals with, but it's still odd to be hanging out with a 19 year old. Superhero or no. "Well, if it wasn't for the fact that I would be contributing to the deliquency of a minor, I'd treat you to a Jack and Coke. It's a decent drink, good way to get introduced to whiskey." He sits back, taking a drink of wine. He's done well, and the one glass will last through lunch. "I don't know about that, though... It may just come apart at the seams."
That look makes Jazmin cough, and likely blush, as hard as it might be to see a flush of her cheeks. "I dont think I'm /technically/ a minor for anything but alcohol, because that particular dichotomy makes /no/ sense at all. And.. uhh.. okay, if you're giving me /that/ look.. yes, I asked you to a movie, and I think I've about hit my end of subtle, which I'm stunningly /not/ good at. Say no if you want, I won't get all weird. Well.. no weirder than the time travelling thing already makes me. And yes, I'm younger than you.. but have you /met/ most of the people my own age? Yeeeah. Not a feature by and large."
"Gambling," Justin adds as he looks down toward his plate again. "Alcohol and gambling." The look on Jazmin's face isn't missed, not by a long shot. You don't get to run a major corporation without being able to read people at least a little bit. Falling silent he occupies himself with finishing the last couple bites left on his plate, then pushing it aside. "So, then, what's playing?" he asks. Was that a yes? Apparently.
"I didn't gamble in my other life, I havent even tried in this one. I mean.. anything beyond card games while on call, and that was for whoever had to go do the next coffee run from the commisary." Jazmin muses on gambling a moment and then ers softly as he doens't say no. An important distinction, that not saying no part. "Well you did suggest I should see Back to the Future. We could watch that."
Justin chuckles, leaning back in the booth and stretching his arms across the back of the bench. "That's not actual gambling," he comments idly. "The restriction is on actual wagering in casinos and the like. Unless you're good at budgeting and knowing when to walk away, I don't recommend it. As they say, the house always wins." Without moving his arms he shrugs. "Could do that, I have a copy of them somewhere. I could always try and track down a copy of the film, too, and rent out a theater. Nothin' like seeing the classics on the big screen."
"I expect casinos in the now are another place that I probably have no real clue on what they're like." Jazmin points out with a shrug and a rueful little smile. "Which, I'll point out, has nothing to do with age." She watches him, that stretching out and relaxing and then she laughs. "I tend to hunt it up on Netflix and watch movies on the screen in my suite, which isn't anything at all like a theatre, but is really very effective. And.. I suspect having you over to my place for a movie would be stunning levels of awkward on all sides."
So she knows what Netflix is, but not Jack Daniels? Kids these days. Justin can't suppress a snorted little chuckle at that. "Yeah, just a little awkward," he comments, recalling Imra's reaction to Jazmin calling him 'Honey' when they ran into each other at Anita Bella. "So theater it is. I'll start work on tracking one down." Which translates into having Jack track everything down and set it up. Why else do you have a driver/assistant? "So what night are you thinking? And if I'm gonna rent out a whole theater, feel free to call up anyone else you want."
"After I survive camping with my team." Jazmin points out and then gestures. "Your schedule.. okay no.. I lie.. both our schedules suck. Friday?" She offers on a whim of starting the schedule challenge. "Ahhh, I see how this works.. whole theatre means you've a /perfect/ excuse to have some buffer people around so it's not /actually/ a date sort of date?"
Justin reaches into his suit coat and draws out his phone. He unlocks it and pulls up the calendar app. "Darn it, got the Wayne presentation at the Expo on Friday night," he offers, scrolling through the dates. Jazmin's accusation gets another look, this one semi-guilty in nature. "Well, ya know, just didn't want to jump to conclusions or anything..." Maybe he's trying to be a gentleman about this, or maybe he's still just feeling a bit awkward.
The true sign of their respective leadership as Jazmin reaches for her own omni to dig up her schedule to offer an alternate. "That was my first offer, traditionally you get the next volley in scheduling." She quirks a brow at him and there's a chuckle. "Perhaps we should call Fern to chaperone us through a movie? I'll be the only one who hasn't seen it, most likely."
"How about Sunday night?" Justin knocks the ball back in Jazmin's court in the game of 'Schedule Match'. He glances up from his phone to look at the heroine across the table. "Only if you want to. She may want to bring someone as well, which is perfectly fine." Does he sound like a complete ass for mentioning that? God, it's so much easier to deal with the groupies and gold diggers than it is someone who is actually sincere...
"Sunday night could work, if I can trade off my monitor shift, which should be fine." Jazmin nods and then looks up at him and nods. "Works for me. You know you can just turn me down, right? If you're not interested? As much as I'd rather not y'know.. suggest it as an option, I'd rather get over myself earlier than later if you are completely not interested."
There's still half a glass of wine on the table... Well now there's closer to a quarter. Justin sets the glass back down. His lack of social skills coupled with the fact that he hasn't dealt with a situation like this in... Has it really been that long? The divorce had taken place in 2001, so it's been a long, long time. "It's not... Well, it's just..." Justin rubs at the back of his with his right hand. "Heh, what the heck, huh? Sunday night works. I'll find a theater, shouldn't take much." He's got connections and money, which goes a long way, so it shouldn't be a hard task to find a good place and a copy of the movies.
"It's just..." Jazmin prods lightly and considers his glass of wine. "If I didn't figure it would make the waitstaff freak, I'd steal some of your wine rather than just some of your cake at this rate." She notes softly, more quietly.
Justin lets off a heavy sigh, leaning his elbows on the table and interlacing his fingers. Ah, crap, he's really gone and screwed this up. Is there really any wonder why he's been single the last 12 years? "Look, I'm cool with hanging out, having lunch and stuff. But I-I'm not the type you're gonna want to try and go after. Trust me on that." Not only is there the wide age difference, but she's a heroine, and Hammer's had his hand in more than one shady business deal. And after the rather messy marriage and divorce, he's not really interested in relationships.
Jazmin leans in, a mimic of his posture. "Why not?" She asks simply enough. "Which.. okay.. I /get/ the age thing. But I think we can both agree that I am not exactly typical of most nineteen year olds. Weapons vs white hat.. challenging, but not insurmountable.. And.. y'know, this is totally not cool on my side. Not interested is not interested and I said I'd be alright with that, so I had better hold up to my end of that." She smiles a little. "I do still wanna see the movie. And I'm not sure I'm quite ready to stop flirting at you, cause.. well.. I /do/ enjoy spending time with you."
This has gone from bad to worse. "Yeah, the age thing is a little odd," Justin admits, looking back at the glass of wine again. If he would have had Jack drive him over in the limo he'd order another glass. Or something else entirely. "Alright, alright. Not interested." There, he said it. Bluntly. God, if she starts crying or something, he is going to order something stronger. Laying his palms down on the table he leans back, looking more than a little uncomfortable. If Jazmin hadn't been genuine, and a friend of Fern's, this probably would have gone a lot differently.
Not a tear to be found, just Jazmin holding up her hands. "That's fine. I think this is where I say something about being sorry I bothered you with it.. but I'm not really, cause hey.. you might have said yes. But you didn't, and that's fine. And hey, you didn't change timelines or forget me entirely, which is a glorious step up from the /last/ times I considered asking a guy out. Really, you dont know the /half/ of the weird in my life." She does let her eyes drift down to her phone.. not quite a typical looking smart phone, but not so far off, and the alert blinking there. "Although I think you just got a reprieve in the form of my meeting turning up." She looks up at him. "I will be sorry if this means you totally avoid me in future, even just for hanging out."
Justin forces a bit of a chuckle. "Nope, still here, still know who you are," he offers with a mild grin. "And no, no, not going to avoid you entirely. Why would I do that? You're the only person out there who calls me Honey." He grins a bit wider, then takes up his wine glass to finish what's left. "I hope your meeting goes better than mine usually do, and I'm still open for Sunday. I really do think you'd have a fine appreciation for Back to the Future." Or else she's going to pick it apart six ways from Sunday. Either way, would be entertaining.
"My meetings often have that delicious edge of wondering if I'm going to get squished like a bug. Mmmm. Adrenaline." Jazmin quips as she pushes herself to her feet and stretching a moment or two. "I'll see you Sunday, if not before. Try nto to get eaten by any more werewolves." She leans over to collect up her phone before she forgets it, putting it goodness only knows where in her costume and then reaches out to give Justin's shoulder a squeeze. "Later, Honey."
Justin looks up at the young heroine as she stands. He doesn't pull away from the hand on his shoulder, and doesn't flinch either. There's at least an understanding here now. "Well, no getting squished, then," he says with a grin. "See you Sunday."
Category:Log