We Are Living In A Material World...

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

If Grant had any doubts about whether or not he would be accepted back into the Titans, they have long since passed. Donna's rescue mission to Newark, the flight home, the briefing with Kory and Vic, and a talk with a very happy nine-year-old almost made it seem like he'd never been gone. Almost. Certain things had changed significantly in the last few years: Lian was four years older, there was a new Tower in San Francisco Bay, and there's apparently a new Titans apprentice who makes a mean bowl of pasta. Two days ago, he'd been wondering whether he'd have to sleep on a park bench somewhere in New Jersey. Apparently, one really can go home again. Even Lian had known that he would come back.

Grant had slept, heavily, until rather late in the morning. There could be some early days around here, he remembers, particularly when Roy decided it was time for some pre-dawn outdoor training. And, somehow, Grant never got the briefing about such training sessions, so he always showed up with his hair in some rather extreme state of disorder, bleary-eyed and yawning. Those counted among the times when Grant really hated Roy. Today, however, he was allowed to wake up at his leisure, shower, change - somehow someone had found jeans and a t-shirt that fit him - and ice down his bruises.

Kory had caught him in the hallway, telling him that she was going to take him shopping and that there was no use arguing about it. Honestly, he'd only had the clothes he'd brought with him, and calling his quarters on the sixth level Spartan would be an understatement. There wouldn't be any complaining - just as long as he didn't have to shell out the cash for clothes and a new bedset.

The long-haired metahuman sits in the lobby, waiting for Kory, dressed in a dark blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans - no belt - and the same ratty, dusty boots he'd arrived in. Seated on a bench in the massive room, Grant looks around at the giant portraits on the wall, each showing an active member of the team: Nightwing, Roy, Donna, Vic, Gar, Kory, and a few faces he doesn't, including a blonde girl, a dark-haired woman with distinctly alien-looking eyes, and some kid Grant thinks he's seen before. The youth makes a mental note to ask Kory about these new recruits.

We're just going shopping...what's the hold up? he wonders, glancing up at the entrance to the room.

Comments

[starfire-kory.livejournal.com]

Kory enters, wearing a light sundress and comfortable-looking sandals. "I'm sorry to be late. But when I mentioned our plans, some of the others wanted to join us." She gives a wave to the Titans following some distance behind her.

[hugo-clone.livejournal.com]

A middle aged man with a short but full beard comes down the stairs, clad in a dark green tank top and jeans. He carries in his arms a peach-skinned toddler with solid blue eyes, burbling and giggling.

"Hello darling." He kisses Kory lightly on the cheek, and turns to the young man in from of him.

"You must be Grant." He smiles warmly. "I've heard about you."

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

Well, if he didn't know how the bearded man was before he came down the stairs, Grant has a pretty good idea now. This must be Kory's husband, and the burbling little tyke in the man's arms is, quite probably, her son. This must be what the Twilight Zone is like...Grant muses, standing from the bench, giving the man a smile and a quick nod.

"Oh, that's fine. The more the merrier and all that, right?" Grant says, looking in Kory's direction, glancing toward the door to see who else might be following behind her.

"Well, hopefully you've heard more than, 'Yeah, he's that kid that blows stuff up...a lot,'" the metahuman replies, doing his best to be good-natured. After the conversation with Aurora last night, the young man is a little on edge as far as first impressions go.

[hugo-clone.livejournal.com]

Hugo raises his eyebrows and chuckles. "That description fits quite a few people, you know. All I've heard is that you're an old freind of the Titans, and you're rejoining - and to that all I can say is" - he waves his hand and grins - "the more the merrier."

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

Grant can't help but laugh at that, nodding to the man. "Yeah, well, usually it's people blowing stuff up. With me, I explode and so does everything around me," Grant tries to explain, guessing that he's doing a pretty miserable job of that.

The young man looks over at Kory, giving her a wide smile. "Ran into Lian last night - or rather, she ran into me. 'Bout knocked me over. So many kids around here, I was beginning to think that the Titans had opened up a day care around here," he says, stepping to Hugo's side so that he might get a better look at the interestingly colored little boy. "And who's this?"

[starfire-kory.livejournal.com]

Kory radiates maternal pride. "I have the honor to present our son, Luum Simon, of the House of And'r." She kisses the toddler on his head. "Is he not beautiful and perfect?"

[starfire-kory.livejournal.com]

The trip to the mall was uneventful, except for when Starfire was recognized outside a poster shop, and invited to come in and sign their stock. Never one to refuse such a request, Kory waved the others to go on ahead of her, and by the time she caught up to them, they were three stores down. "What have you found?" she asks.

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

Looking up as Kory walks into the store - a rather horribly designed place with lots of pictures of scantily clad guys and gals larking about, bad white faux wood panneling everywhere - Grant has to nod at the woman to try and get her attention. Right, like she won't figure out where they were. He can't wave anyway - he's already carrying two bags full of clothes. "Um...well, we went to The Space and these two," he nods at Bette and Santana, "bought a lot. I got a couple of t-shirts, a pair of a jeans...and some socks."

He's not very good at this whole shopping thing, to be honest.

[hugo-clone.livejournal.com]

Hugo nods. "Sorry for abandoning you, sweetheart - fans make me nervous." His accent has shifted from soft Australian Sydney drawl to a light English Bristol lilt - the voice of "Wallace Anders".

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

"Oh please. That is so not a lot." Bette rolls her eyes at that comment from Grant. "I'm just going to end up donating about half of it once I've decided I don't really like it after all anyway."

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

"I think I've got pretty much everything I need," Grant says, looking from Bette to Kory again, frowning a little bit. "I'm uh...I'm not very good at picking things out. The only other stuff I think I need are some bedsheets, maybe a comforter." Grant looks down at his feet then, frowning a little. "Come to think of it, I could probably use some new shoes, too."

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

The clerks are professionals. The customers aren't always. Right now, they are looking at Kory and Bette and doing an intense and very involved game of "ask her/no you go ask her..."

[hugo-clone.livejournal.com]

In the dressing room, Hugo silently counts to twenty in Tamaranian, and then even more softly than before, gently asks "Grant?"

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

Pulling his t-shirt up over his head, Grant tosses the garment onto the bench, then takes the shirt off the hangar, frowning a little. This hadn't been on the clearance rack and it's...rather expensive, at least as far as he's concerned. Still, Kory was a model for quite a while, so if anyone knows style, it'll be her. Emerson hears Hugo speaking to him through the door of the changing room as he takes the shirt off its hangar, pulling it on. "Huh? Oh, yeah...I'm alright," he replies quickly, maybe a little too quickly, fastening the cuffs, then buttoning the shirt up.

"Just haven't been around for a while. I'm just not used to so much excitement all at once, that's all," Grant continues, tucking the shirt into his jeans. His explanation is only a half truth - it is more excitement than he's seen in a while, but that doesn't explain why his demeanor changed as quickly as it did.

Opening the door, Grant steps out, holding up his arms, giving the older man a silly grin. "Think Kory will approve?" he asks, trying to move on to a topic that isn't so heavy with the gravitas.

[hugo-clone.livejournal.com]

Hugo casts a professional eye over Grant, and nods slowly.

"I think so - personally, I think you could stand to leave the top button undone. Not many can pull that one off, but I think you have the right build and demenor."

He smirks, and gestures to his own undone top button. "Unless, of course, I'm deluding myself."

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

Putting his arms back down to his sides, Grant stuffs his hands into his pockets, looking a little less uncomfortable now that it's just him, Hugo, and Luum; the distance between the two doesn't hurt, either. "Oh, right," Grant says quickly, lifting his hands to his neck, unbuttoning the top button, trying to flatten out the collar.

"This sort of thing just really isn't me. I never wear this stuff. Kory's pretty good about this sort of thing, though, you know?" Grant asks, giving the man a lop-sided grin. Yeah, of course he knows, you dolt. They're married.

He doesn't say anything else for the moment, feeling a little awkward wearing a shirt that isn't his, waiting for Kory, Bette, and Santana to come back with whatever they've found.

[starfire-kory.livejournal.com]

Kory looks over at the customers and smiles. "Hello!"

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

"Uh..." Both the males look up to her. "Excuse me, but...um..."

[starfire-kory.livejournal.com]

"Are you all right?"

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bird_of_flame_/]

Bette looks up toward the two and then toward Kory with her brows raised.

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

The young metahuman looks over at the bearded man, giving him a lop-sided grin, doing his absolute best to try and look at least a little less uncomfortable. "Honestly, with Kory's fashion sense, I'm not too worried. She can pick stuff out, then see whether it looks good or not, right?" Looking briefly at himself in the wall-to-wall mirrors of the changing area, Grant's smile falters a little. This could take some getting used to.

Stepping out into the main retail area again, Grant turns his head, looking for Starfire and Bette - not like it's really hard to miss them or anything. One's tall with fiery red hair and golden skin, the other is a rather cute blonde about his age. Glancing over at the two guys oggling Bette, Grant moves to stand near Kory, spreading out his arms, wearing the green shirt tucked into his beaten-up jeans. It's probably not the nicest looking ensemble.

"So - what do you think?" Grant asks, spreading his arms, giving Kory that same goofy grin he gave to Hugo a few moments before.

[starfire-kory.livejournal.com]

Kory eyes him critically, walking around him. "You will need new pants," she finally pronounces. "Those you should save for occasions when you will be getting dirty."

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

Lowering his arms again, his hands finding the pockets of his worn jeans, Grant nods at Kory's suggestion, the grin relaxing somewhat. "Uh, well...I think I'm a thirty-three thirty-two, so whatever we can find in that size, I guess," he replies. Emerson turns to look at Starfire again, looking a little wary. "Kory, I...I don't like my jeans all that tight, so just keep that in mind when we're picking things out."

[starfire-kory.livejournal.com]

"No?" Another critical look. "Your body would support tight pants very well, though if you are concerned about restriction of movement, that is understandable." She begins rumaging through the pants section. "Black, and gray, I think...."

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

"No," Grant replies flatly, noticing Kory's cursory examination of his physique. "This," he gestures to his shirt, "is weird enough for me as it is. I don't think I could really handle tight jeans and collared shirts." Following her toward a rack with jeans in all manner of different cuts and washes, Grant simply lets the Tamaranean work, fairly confident that she'll come up with something he can actually feel comfortable in.