(for inyourdreams )

[gcpd]

John had been fiddling with her card for the rest of the afternoon. He really thought about it - really thought about calling her and asking her out on a date. She couldn't have had a boyfriend, right? Otherwise she wouldn't have given him her number. But then maybe she just wanted to "hang out" with no romantic connotations...or maybe he was just over thinking it. It was so unlike John to over think things. He had, after all, been called a "hot head" by the late, great Peter Foley.

But then Bane and Batman had messed everyone up. "Fuck it," he said under his breath and dialed her number on his cell phone.

Comments

[gcpd]

"That's good to hear," he said with a nod. John walked around to his couch and laid down. "So, uh, are you busy tonight?"

[inyourdreams]

She smiled as a cab pulled up and she got in.

"56th and Dent," she said to the driver before giving her attention back to John.

"Sorry. Tonight...let's see..." she said, even though she knew she was free. "Nope, not busy. Unless you know someone who wants to change that of course."

[gcpd]

"Well, I was hoping you'd maybe join me for a drink," John suggested.

[inyourdreams]

"I would very much like that," she said as she watched the city go by outside her window. "Whereabouts?"

[gcpd]

He figured she was some hot shot business woman since she had her own business card with her number and everything so he thought of the classiest place he knew. "There's a bar by Wayne Tower you might like."

[inyourdreams]

"Yeah? Do you know any place less...stuffy?" she asked, assuming any bar close by Wayne Tower would be suitably and terribly upscale and showy. Not really her kind of place when she wasn't in a work situation. Besides, she didn't really feel like running into any of her former co-workers who liked to show off their payoffs.

[gcpd]

"There's a bar by my place that's considerably less stuffy," he suggested. So she doesn't like stuffy bars. That's definitely a good thing in his book.

[inyourdreams]

"Sounds good," she said. "When and where?"

[gcpd]

"How about tonight at eight?" He said. "You can meet me at my building and we could walk down or you can meet me at the bar. Your choice." They still didn't know each other well. He figured he'd give her a choice.

[inyourdreams]

"Eight is perfect," she said. "And meeting at your building is fine."

[gcpd]

"Alright." He told her his address. "Just buzz my apartment when you're here."

[inyourdreams]

"Okay, will do," she said. "See you at eight John."

She hung up then and made the rest of the cab ride with a small, pleased smile.

[gcpd]

John set his phone aside and started cleaning up. He didn't know why he did, he figured she wouldn't come up tonight, but just in case she did, he wanted to make a good impression with his cleanliness.

[inyourdreams]

Ari went to her hotel and ordered some room service and took a quick shower. She was happy to be able to dress down in some skinny jeans and a flowy blouse instead of whatever she would have had to wear to the other bar. Her clothes nowadays were much more expensive and neat looking, but they still reflected her artistic, bohemian side. She slipped on some riding boots before grabbing her purse and taking another cab to the address John had given her.

Once there she found the correct buzzer and hit the button.

[gcpd]

John was dressed in a t-shirt, jacket, and some jeans. Inside his jacket was his balaclava and taser, two items he started carrying everywhere with him just in case. Some nights he'd just walk around Robinson Park looking for trouble.

When he heard the buzzer, he took a quick look around and them went downstairs. He opened the building door and smiled when he saw her waiting. "Hi."

[inyourdreams]

"Hi," she said, smiling back. Her hair was down now and she was wearing a little less makeup, making her look less like a serious business woman and more like an art student.

The only thing that might give away the fact that she was really neither was the small beretta concealed in the bottom of her purse.

[gcpd]

"You look nice." He walked down the front steps and met her on the sidewalk.

[inyourdreams]

"Thanks, so do you," she said as she waited for him. She took in his appearance more, and the more she saw him move and heard him talk, the less she saw Arthur.

[gcpd]

"The bar's about a block from here," he said, hands in his pockets, as he started down the block.

[inyourdreams]

She nodded and fell into step with him.

I"ve never been to this area of the city," she said, looking around as they walked.

[gcpd]

"If we were going northeast, you'd be able to see City Hall," he said, pointing in the general direction of it with his thumb. "And southwest from here is the court house."

[inyourdreams]

She nodded.

"Sounds like a prime location for a cop," she noted.

[gcpd]

"I suppose. A mile or two from here is GCPD Headquarters," he added.

"Can I ask what you're doing here in Gotham?"

[inyourdreams]

"Client meetings," she said. "I'm an architect."

[gcpd]

"An architect?" He said. "Are you here to help rebuild?"