Morning Coffee

[first_lantern]

Alan looked forward to these Tuesday mornings. They alternated week to week, and tried different places. Always local coffee shops and diners, though...Sanddollars got enough of the market share.

The aftermath of the...event...had Alan in a familiar place. Deaged...again. Not his youngest, but younger than he had been. Young enough to feel vital again.

Even so...he hadn't been out in the costume recently. It didn't feel right. The Justice Society was...gone for a time...and his memories of his time in that team were scattered to the point where he couldn't lock down yet which of them to trust.

But some things...like friendship...transcends time shenanigans.

Comments

[first_lantern]

"Nothing I'm not used to." Alan said with a grin, taking a swig of coffee. "Any new insights?"

[first_lightning]

He takes a seat opposite his old friend, letting the folder hit the table to punctuate the shrug he offers in reply.

"Not much, I'm afraid, but I do have a theory. I think things are still settling into this new timeline. I've seen two or three articles that I swear changed as I was looking at them. On the other hand, maybe I just need to get more sleep."

Jay grins, but there's definitely some fatigue there.

[first_lantern]

"You're not very far off." Alan said. "I have conflicting memories of Jennie-Lynn. She died...yet she didn't...yet she did. It's confusing..."

Alan sighs. "It's hard when you can't trust over 70 years of memories."

[first_lightning]

Jay nods somberly, but brightens almost immediately.

"On the other hand, this is encouraging."

He slides a print-out of a clipping from the Gotham Gazette, dated November 11th, 1940. The headline reads 'Mystery Men Gather at White House'.

"As long as that happened, we happened. That's from the day after FDR asked us to form the Justice Society, in the wake of the foiled assassination attempt."

[first_lantern]

'Now THAT I remember" Alan chuckles. "I also remember shipping off in the wake of Pearl Harbor for a short period before we came back together as the Justice Battalion, while everyone else stateside was in the All-Star Squadron."

Alan gets a pained look. "Do you remember that? I figure that if you and I aren't on the same page..."

[first_lightning]

"I do. I also remember Al being so excited, he nearly threw up in his mask."

Jay grins, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"And I remember Ted Grant's left hook in a sparring match that I didn't take seriously enough from the start. I always was a bit of a show-off.."

[first_lantern]

"Was?"

[first_lightning]

"Touché. Though I think I've matured over the last half-century, at the least."

[first_lantern]

"I've known some very mature showoffs. Hal, despite years of wisdom, is still very much a showoff."

Alan chuckles, then raises his cup. "Here's to our future. One of these days, we'll age gracefully...maybe that time, it'll stick!"

[first_lightning]

Jay returns the toast, with a smile.

"Life's a funny thing.."