MoM IC Contact

[khajidont]

Jaime's cell phone is more or less plugged riiiight into his brain, so he tends to pick up like 99% of the time! If not, however...

"Hey, Jaime here! Leave a message, and I'll get back to you ASAP."

Comments

voice

[khajidont]

According to --

[He starts off confident, as if he's got a real good answer. He doesn't have one. Common sense? One of those unspoken rules of propriety?]

-- I dunno. My mom?

voice

[you_tried]

... oh.

[ Well, he's not gonna argue with someone's mom. ]

Okay, so why do they keep starting this stuff before Halloween?

voice

[khajidont]

Because it makes money, probably.

[This seems to be the answer to most things.]

The longer the Christmas season, the more cash, I guess?

voice

[you_tried]

So someone out there must like it.

voice

[khajidont]

Yeah, crazy people. No one can be be sane and be festive for two months straight.

...is Christmas even still a thing in the future?

voice

[you_tried]

Ehhh. [ An audible shrug. ] Kiiinda? It's not a big deal, though. I mean, for one thing, in the future, a whole lot more people are atheists. No shopping mobs or jingle bells or tinsel. And Santa's definitely not a thing.

voice

[khajidont]

[Jaime makes a thoughtful sound in the back of his throat. He can do without the shopping mobs, but once December hits, he loves Christmas.]

I guess I can see why you'd be so into it now, then. Future-Christmas sounds lame.

voice

[you_tried]

You're telling me. Plus, you ever been to Gotham in December? The snow turns grey like the second it hits the ground.

[khajidont]

I've never been to Gotham period. It's not really a popular vacation spot.

You're from Gotham? I thought that was bat territory or something.

[you_tried]

Not in the 25th century.

[khajidont]

Oh, you mean you lived there before! [This is Jaime confessing he has no idea where Booster hangs out the rest of the time. Maybe he's just pals with Batman. Who knows?]

I never knew that. Did you not want to live in past-Gotham too?

[you_tried]

I don't talk about it a lot, but yep. Gothamite, born 'n' raised. But eugh, who'd live there by choice? Batman aside, which only furthers the case that the guy is certifiably nuts.

[khajidont]

What? You don't like Batman?

[Yes, he sounds genuinely surprised. Look, he's out of the loop.]

[you_tried]

. . . It's complicated. We have a long history.

[ They're okay-er now, but Booster did try to laser him in the face that one time. But that's not a story Jaime needs to hear, or one Booster wants to retell. ]

[khajidont]

Okay. I knew you guys were on the Justice League together. I just figured that everyone got along okay.

[Unlike the Titans. Right? Right???]

[you_tried]

Uh. [ For certain definitions of "okay." ]

I don't wanna destroy your illusions, buuuut I'm gonna. The League's pretty much just like everyone else. Or they were when I was a member, anyway.

[khajidont]

Well... I know you guys are still people. Everyone fights eventually.

[Except Jaime, but he's a peacekeeper. He always has been.]

There's just, uh, different degrees of fighting.

[you_tried]

Fighting with your friends and fighting for real. Yeah. Believe me, I get it.

[ This conversation's a little difficult when "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" is playing on the radio. A little surreal. And all he really wants to do is push the image of Batman holding out Ted's shattered goggles out of his mind. ]

... I don't hate the guy or anything. Couldn't have joined the League without him. [ Choke out that gratitude, Booster, you can do it. ]

[khajidont]

Right.

[Jaime doesn't actually know Booster all that well, no matter how well they're chatting now - and, to be honest, a lot of that is probably exacerbated by the fact that all Jaime's doing right now is hanging out at work, waiting for the day to be over.

But he can still tell when things have taken a slightly sour turn.]

Uh, sorry if I hit a sore spot. I'm not really up to date on who's a fan of who.

[God, is being a superhero like being in high school? It seems like it, looking at the Titans and realizing that everyone really does know everyone.]

[you_tried]

Hey, don't worry about it. It's a lot to keep straight even when you're not the new guy.

[ Cop-out though it may be, he's grateful for the chance to change the subject. He had a point here. What was his point? ... Wait, did he have a point? Maybe he was just really bored. ]

Anyway, you should get me your Christmas list before December gets too crazy.

[khajidont]

[...is that why Booster called? Are they even close enough to be getting each other presents?

DOES HE NEED TO GIVE BOOSTER A PRESENT NOW??? He doesn't know what Booster even likes. Hair gel? Some sort of oil to make his obnoxiously bright suit even shinier than it is? Oh, no.]

What? Oh, um.

[Oh good god how many presents is he getting for people? How has he made this many friends? Why. He's trying not to sound as bewildered by that as he is when he says, quite honestly,]

I haven't even started thinking about that yet.

[you_tried]

Well, if you want me to surprise you...

[khajidont]

Well - what would you want for Christmas, anyway?

[Hint: Booster's not going to be getting a list because Jaime is polite to a fault and would spend an age squinting at the list wondering if everything is too expensive.]

[you_tried]

[ You're not getting out of this that easily, kid. Even L-Ron got presents. THERE'S NO ESCAPE. ]

As long as it's not a tie, I'll be happy.

[khajidont]

That's a pretty wide range of stuff you could be getting, you know. I could get you socks and you'd still have to pretend to be happy about it.