Fandom Under The Bat's Hood {TallyHoe & Ashman74}

[Ashman74]

Jason looked her over as she held a folder. He took it, hesitating. Then he finally opened it. He wasn't the fastest reader. So it took him a little bit. Going through each file, double checking everything. His mask did a good job at hiding how he felt, but the frown on his face was one of rage. By god, if his own Death hadn't pushed Bruce to off the Joker, how could this not? He held it, hard, tearing a bit of it. He looked at her, hearing her request. Once he was done he reached into his jacket. He still had a lighter. He withdrew it, let the flame ignite, and held it to the dossier. Dropping it as it burned. Though she wouldn't see it, he shook his head at what she said, taking a few steps closer. "How about afraid. Alone. Hurt. Confused. Bottled up." For once he was doing a good job at hiding the fact he was livid. "Hoping for the worst so you don't have to live with it." That was a feeling he was familiar with. His first month alive again...Was a bad one. Filled with doubt. Regret. The hate came later. By a single news paper article. The rest was history.

"I'm...Sorry." He said. Not bothering to remove his ruined helmet. "Probably doesn't mean much, not anymore at least." He continued to frown. Then sighed. Stepping next to her. "You know. When it came to hope, you probably inspired the most of it in people." He didn't really plan out what he was saying. This was pretty much out of the blue, making stuff up as he went. "Dick, me, and probably whatshisname, don't do it for most. We were, and in his case are, kids. Sure, maybe we could inspire a kiddo or two. But really we were a shadow of Bruce. I can't speak for Dick now, don't know how much of an impact he's had on Bludhaven, but there was always you. Batgirl. Sure, you were a kid to for awhile. But you were never as dark as Bruce when he put on the costume. Never gave off the 'beats up mentally disabled people, brutally' vibe. You weren't an embodiment of fear. Back when I was living in crime Alley, knowing someone like you was in Gotham. Who wouldn't break every bone in my body if they caught me stealing tires..." Granted, Bruce hadn't done that. He'd done quite the unexpected, but he never thought that would happen. "I'd seen you on the news a few times. Kind, sweet. Hell, on a couple occasions I actually hoped you would find me doing...Well, what I did. I always thought you'd be the type of person to help a kid who got screwed over in almost anyway. That feeling didn't stop when I became a sidekick, and found out who was behind the cowl." He finally finished. Shrugging. "Not that it means much But if you were going to reveal something. Thought I should as well."

sodium

 

[sodium]

Once again, she could feel tears in her eyes from watching him read. Those tears only increased as she listened to him, watching the folder burn. Even a hint of a smile on her lips. Bruce wasn't the most understanding when it came to criminals, neither was she, but she knew some of them weren't just criminals. Those who couldn't help themselves, those who needed help but couldn't receive it. She was good at finding those people. "It means more than you know," She said quietly, staring up at him and took a shaky breath while rubbing her arms slowly, a nervous habit. She had developed a few of those over the years. Afterall, PTSD was a bitch. "I'm sorry... About earlier, I didn't mean to compare you to him. I wasn't thinking straight at all. I didn't mean it." She told him quickly, watching him and took another shaky breath. After blinking away a few more tears, she began again. "If it helps, you aren't the first one I've seen him in. You won't be the last. Every time I close my eyes all I see is him with that gun. I can't imagine the hell he put you through."

The weight of that night felt lighter on her shoulders. No longer did she feel scared of him, not in the way she had before at least. One day, he was going to break her heart. And he would do it, again and again, each time he killed someone. He was a good person. He just had a bad way of doing things. Something took over her, something she hadn't allowed herself to do in so long. She moved forward to do something unexplainable, even to her. She wrapped her arms around him. Though, she was sure he was in a lot of pain. She hadn't opened up to anyone before. Yet he didn't make her feel guilty about it all or seem to hate her about it. Nor did he use it against her yet. She couldn't help herself. "I understand why you want to kill him... Trust me, I do. The first few encounters with him, Dick or Bruce had to keep me from doing just that." She told him, still keeping her arms around him. In a way, it felt odd, but overall, it felt nice. "I've never told anybody this much." She added and took a shaky breath, feeling a few remaining tears in her eyes. "No one knows about all of that. It made me seem worse than I do now after it." Her head was on his shoulder as she took shuddering breaths to try and calm down.

Ashman74

 

[Ashman74]

Jason was surprised to find her arms around him. He responded in kind. Letting his arms wrap around the smaller woman. "Be glad they did." He said. "Not everyone can take a life and stay the same. Just look at me." He said, a smirk forming that she couldn't see. "Besides, death looks better on me then it does you." He stated afterwards. The hug hurt, but he ignored it. "I think you need to get some sleep Barbie. Tonight...Doesn't seem like it's been to good on you." Ironic coming from me. He let one of his hands play with the bit of hair that stuck out of her cowl. "I noticed the bags under your eyes. You'll be at Batman level sleep deprivation soon." His eyes closed for a moment. "Do that and I'll put my morning to good use. Might even bring you breakfast. If you want." That was horribly worded. He thought. Jason's gaze went straight ahead. Thinking. Things had gotten...Interesting. He was still unaware of how soon Bruce would be coming back.

"I never intended to go through with those threats." He finally said. "We both know how bad some of the things I've done are, and that even more things are waiting. But I don't think I could live with myself If I...You know." He frowned again. "And...Sorry about the nose...And other stuff." He added, feeling that apology had taken far to long to be made. "Hopefully my condition makes up for it...If not, well, I'm not exactly in a position to stop you from returning the favor." That was true. She could completely decimate him if she chose to. He didn't have guns to make it somewhat of a fair fight if she tried. Though what he said before proved it wouldn't be fair regardless of what he had with him. Maybe he should have kept that to himself...Stupid habit of getting caught up in a moment...

sodium

 

[sodium]

A soft, light chuckle escaped her lips as she listened to him, looking up at him as she carefully pulled away. "I don't know... My Dad's pretty strict about the whole boys thing still. Never even met Dick." She teased lightly, smiling gently up at him. Her smile had never been the same, never been as bright. The same went with her laugh, it was never as joyful. Carefully, she moved her hands to remove the red hood from his head and sighed, looking up at him. Of course, he would have never had gone through with the threats. She hadn't known that for sure, but it felt better hearing him say it. And assurance. Surprisingly, he seemed good at doing that. "It seems you got yourself pretty beat up tonight, I'll spare you for once. Speaking of you getting beat up, I don't think I ever thanked you for helping me that night, for rescuing my Dad. Thank you." She told him genuinely, still looking into his eyes. No longer was she staring into the eyes of a man her paralyzed her. She was staring into the eyes of Robin or Jason Todd.

"You don't want to talk to Bruce, I can understand it. I doubt you want to talk to any of them. But you can always come to me, and you can always come to them too if not me." Her hands moved to set the hood down on the ground beside them. Sleep wasn't easy for her. Hopefully, after tonight, it would. But that still seemed impossible. "I could fix the hood for you. Believe it or not, that time I was paralyzed I didn't just mope around all day. I've created updated tech, things that could be useful for you if you intend to continue with the Red Hood. Come by tomorrow and I can fix it up a bit for you. In the morning at the Batcave, they come back just before patrols." She offered softly. If Jason intended to keep going out on the streets like the way he was, then she wanted to make sure he was protected. But she wanted him to see what she was putting in it, so he knew what it was and how to use it.

He didn't even know anything about Tim it seemed. Jason had to know something about him at least. And he was about to receive it. "His name is Tim, Red Robin. Unlike most, Batman wasn't his idol. It was you." She told him softly before handing over the hood to him carefully and inhaling deeply. "You should get some sleep too. I'm not the only one with bags under their eyes." She pointed out.

Ashman74

 

[Ashman74]

Jason pondered her offer. It would be nice to have a unique helmet, and one that might be able to take more damage. It beat grabbing one out of a closet everyday. "I think I'll take you up on that." He said. Jason took the helmet once she offered it back to him. Sliding it back over his head. "See you tomorrow, Barbie." He said, turning his back to her. Normally he would have just gone from rooftop to rooftop, but that wasn't an option for him, and wouldn't be for awhile. Then he stopped. "If, for whatever reason, you need me. Look under the GCPD." With that he resumed, disappearing into the building. He made his way through, taking care to avoid falling down the various stairs. Which he was quite successful at considering he ended up in the lobby one both feet, with no new injuries either. There was a car parked outside he might have stolen from the kidnapper. The windshield was broken in several places, as were other windows on it. But, hey, he didn't have to walk.

He climbed inside, starting it up. It sounded like it was dying, which probably wasn't to far from the truth. Then he drove, for what seemed like hours, even though it was mere minutes. He was thinking, heavily. The car met the same fate as the motorcycle he'd stolen from the Batcave, ditched in an alleyway for some hobo to sleep in. He took a much different entryway. Another alley, closer to the GCPD HQ. He pushed a brick into the wall, and the wall itself opened up, and he stepped inside. It closing behind him as he made his way to the bunkers living room. He looked around, taking his ruined jacket off. The next hour consisted of eating, changing his bandages, a fresh dose of pain killers, and climbing into bed. He didn't take long to fall asleep. He hadn't even put anything on, aside from a pair of boxers, as it could get incredibly chilly.

Jason didn't have any dreams that night, or he simply didn't remember them. It seemed like a few seconds of oblivion, a longer then usual blink, as when his eyes opened it was morning, incredibly early in the morning, but still just that.

sodium

 

[sodium]

Of course, under the GCPD. All of it made sense now. Of course it was him. She smiled a bit to herself as he left and she was quick to disappear as well once the file was done burning. After putting the suit up when returning home, she glanced out the window before letting out a long sigh. Everything felt... Okay. Not good, but not terrible. Quite the change, actually. She still struggled to fall asleep that night, but not to the extent as she had before. It was a process. A healing process. It had to be normal after what she went through. But the dreams were the same, the nightmares that haunted her. Except, new ones came to her mind.

"Please, don't do this," Her face was pretty bloody even under the cowl. Her hands were trembling and she looked so terrified, staring up at the Red Hood. There was a gun, the exact one Joker had used, and it was in his gloved hand, pointed directly at the same spot Joker had.

He took the hood off, a smirk on his lips and his grip tight on the gun. "Sorry, Barbie... Can't have you getting in the way anymore." Hood. Red. Gun. Bang.

Everything then went black for a few moments before Barbara awoke, panting and curling up on the bed, wringing her fingers through her hair and cursing at herself. After cleaning up the tears on her cheeks, she was quick to slip into some fresh clothes. With a quick goodbye to her Dad, she headed to the cave quickly. A good morning to Alfred before she entered and looked around. The shattered display case she had broken the night before was all cleaned up. Thanks to Alfred. It would soon be replaced, she was sure of it. The first thing she did was head towards the computer, what little sanctuary she had.

Looking through a few files from the night before of nothing more than a few muggers and gang members. It was sad for that to be the usual. Reluctantly, there was a part of her that hoped Jason might be able to help. He seemed pretty good at distinguishing the bad that needed help from the worthless scum. A part of her had some faith in him. Of course, she'd never admit it.

Ashman74

 

[Ashman74]

Jason took a few moments to fully wake up. He stared blankly at the ceiling. Rubbing his eyes, and letting out a breath. He sat up, looking around. Getting out of bed was the first step. Followed by putting on actual clothes, if his armor was actual clothing. He didn't put on a domino mask this time around. Seemed odd wearing a mask to cover a mask. Not to mention it didn't really hide much. His features plus the white streak in his hair made him stick out. He ate, took a smaller dose of various pain killers, he didn't need to get an addiction. So he was slowly weening himself off them. He'd just have to take a few nights off. It'd probably screw with a few people if no news about him popped up.

Out through the hidden door and up to the streets, Jason caught a cab, he wore a backpack, with his helmet in the back. He didn't have any of his bikes in the Bunker, so he stopped by the apartment, grabbing one from a garage nearby. Then he began driving, cutting through traffic and getting god knows how many people honking at him. He didn't really care, except for that one person he flipped off. He didn't know why he did it.

He eventually got to the cave, making his way inside, not the hardest thing to accomplish when he wasn't breaking in. What exactly would Bruce do if some stranger managed to find their way in? Those were the types of questions that had kept him up at night. Bruce had contingency plans for, dare he say the word almost, everything. But he never got an answer.

He parked, where the Batcycle had been prior to him stealing it, and climbed off of it. He saw Barbara being towered over by the Batcomputer. "My god I never sat down to think of how stupid half these names were." He told himself. It made him think about another Vigilante, Green arrow, who'd blatantly ripped off some of these names. Without another word he stood behind the seated woman.

sodium

 

[sodium]

Barbara glanced over her shoulder to him and smiled slightly at the comment. It was true, but none of them really argued with Bruce about any of it. "Well, lucky for you, none of this is 'Bat tech'" She stood with a smile still on her lips as she held out her hands for the hood. "This is all Barbara Gordon." She recalled how reluctant Dick was to accept the tech. It was when he first became Nightwing, he wanted to do it all himself. That pride got him pretty beat up one night. He accepted it soon after. An adjustment to his mask, an intercom, everything down to his suit and his choice of weapons. Batons. She created an electric current in them to help. But Jason didn't seem to need help with weapons.

"Do you want me to explain what I'm putting in?" She asked as she brought up a few files quickly on the computer. Everything was designed specifically for them. The maps that were of every area and building in Gotham and Bludhaven. With just a single button, help was called for at the Batcave. All of the intercoms were connected. "It might sound complicated, but using it isn't. Most of it can be activated by just a touch or button." She assured him quickly, double checking the files and digital equipment that would be added to the red hood.

Ashman74

 

[Ashman74]

Jason placed the helmet in her grasp once she reached for it. Taking a step back. "Good to know." He said. "Is all the equipment going to have Barb in the name, or something like that?" He asked her, taking a glance around the cave for a moment. He didn't have much custom made gear, most of it was acquired Via various black markets, or just weapons dealers in the street. The ones he hadn't taken out. He did Have plan to get higher grade equipment, but it was one he decided not to tell. Might cause problems, and not the kjnd he wanted.

"Sure. Probably better if I don't go in blind. Wouldn't want to blow my head off while trying to use a map." He returned to looking around, eventually finding a spare chair. He grabbed it and returned, sitting down on it. He knew it was risky to let her modify his stuff. For all he knew she could put in a few fail safes in case he went to far at some point, what she viewed as to far at least. But she trusted him the night before. He supposed he could do the same.

sodium

 

[sodium]

There was a playful roll of her eyes hearing him but she smiled slightly. The idea of calling it 'Barb Tech' sounded ridiculous. Now she knew what he meant about calling everything 'Bat'. "The first thing I'm going to do is put an intercom in. It's the same that we all have. It doesn't work unless you turn it on. You never have to turn it on, but don't let your pride keep you from using it. For asking for help." She told him with all seriousness in her voice as she moved to put the intercom on the left side of the helmet, inside of it. "All it needs is a tap right here from your finger and only your finger." She told him, showing the side of the outside of the helmet right where the intercom was installed. Luckily, they already had Jason Todd's DNA and fingerprints, everything that would save time while installing all of this. Only he would be able to access its features.

"On the inside, the front part where you look, I can install multiple things to appear if you'd like. Maps, information, records, whatever. Dick has it in his mask and Bruce in his cowl. You can identify blood with records and face recognition. It's voice command and only adjusted to your voice." She explained, already beginning to work on that. While she worked, her brows furrowed slightly, glasses on the bridge of her nose while her hands worked quickly and efficiently. Her time as Oracle seemed to have helped everything. If only it wasn't due to such crimes. "Anything you might need, I'm sure it's on there." She said and offered him a quick smile before holding up the hood a bit to examine it. "Do you want a voice changer? Bruce has it. Dick didn't care." She explained while still examining it. "It's easier to put on this than a mask or a cowl."

Ashman74

 

[Ashman74]

Jason listened to her explanation, going into detail about each function. Nodding his head on occasion to show he was listening, and hadn't fallen asleep with his eyes open. "Intercom, got it. I'll be sure to call if I get stuck in a tree trying to rescue a cat." He assured her, folding his arms over his chest and resting a leg on part of the Bat-Computer which didn't have anything on it. He nodded and continued listening as she went into further detail, about how to work it, it was based around his fingerprints, so he wouldn't have to worry about it going off if someone grabbed his helmet during a fight. That was good. He could sometimes say some...Bad things during one, and though it'd be hilarious to see everyone's reaction to it, he wouldn't exactly be able to. So it was better if it simply didn't happen.

He thought over her next question. It'd be somewhat hard to trace the voice of someone who was legally dead. But it was still risky to go around doing it. "Sounds good, I don't want to know what it was like to have speak in a growl all the time." He said, referring to what Bruce used to do. It was pretty funny actually. My god this Vigilante family is comedic gold. That was another thought he kept to himself. "Just don't give me some stupid voice. It'd be hard to be taken seriously if I sound like Jar Jar binks or some other horrendous character." He said, making his request known. He looked at the helmet, the hole still in the side. He was hoping she could patch that up for him.

sodium

 

[sodium]

"Hmm, so you don't want to sound like Hello Kitty on helium?" She teased with a grin, already working and adjusting the voice for him to sound more robotic and deep. After making sure everything was properly installed into the hood, she stood and walked over to get some tools and red metal. "I'm going to strip the outer material of red. It won't ruin any of the equipment, it'll fix the holes and cracks, even make it look a bit shinier if I put this on it." She offered a small smile to him while moving to carefully peel off the old red material of the hood to replace it with smooth, clean red metal around it. She then handed it over to him. "Try it out." For once, she sounded a bit eager, turning in her chair to him, sitting straight as she pushed her glasses back up her nose.

It wasn't every day she was able to mess around with this stuff anymore. No, Batgirl kept her busy enough to play Oracle. But she did enjoy the hobby when she could and was always working on improvements when she did manage to get the time. Emotionally, Barbara wasn't in the best place, nor mentally. But she excelled in her wits with what she lacked there. It didn't make up for it, but it was something. At least she was still sane. Most people would have gone insane after those events, just one bad day. "When Bruce comes back, try not to make things too hectic. Robin is still learning the ropes. Don't put his life in danger, please. We don't need another Robin dying." She teased lightly, giving his arm a playful shove before she turned back to the computer. "You know, you didn't bring me any breakfast." Another tease, of course, her eyes glued to the computer as she finished a few files on the criminals she had put behind bars last night.

Ashman74

 

[Ashman74]

"I mean, I guess causing criminals to laugh to death is a good alternative to shooting them in the face." Jason stated. "Maybe paint a big pink skull on the front for added effect." He began rubbing his chin, as though he were deeply pondering such matters. He was actually wondering what he'd do today out of Costume. "Oh, boy, a shiny helmet. Make it even easier for people to shoot me." He teased. When she was done he took the helmet. Sliding it over his head. "Testing, testing. One, two, three." It did quite the job at making him sound more robotic than human. "Barbara...I am your father." He said, imitating a rather well known scene, poorly. He'd give the other functions a try later. "Good job." He told her, raising his hands to the hood to remove it.

"Fine, at worst I'll break both the kids legs. That good enough for you?" He asked, smirking. "And before you say anything, broken legs builds character. I should know, Criminal for a dad and all that." He narrowed his eyes at what she said next. "Well, Excuuuse me, Princess. Afraid I didn't know your preferred way of getting diabetes." He told her, though the reality of the matter was that he simply forgot to do that. "Well, I suppose since you did such a fine job at my helmet, I outta make it up to you." Jason began to say, brushing his bangs away from his eyes. He'd get a hair cut later. "Remember, I can't cook. So we can either go somewhere, or I can act like getting Alfred to make you something is a big deal. Don't choose to quickly, these are difficult decisions after all." He took his leg off the Bat-Computer, he was getting pins and needles in it now, really god dang annoying.

sodium

 

[sodium]

Barbara gave him a look. One of those looks with a raised eyebrow and a hint of a smirk on her lips. Jason wasn't cruel enough to hurt the kid, surely. She doubted it at least. He proved to her last night he wasn't anything like the Joker. But the thought still lingered in the back of her head, she couldn't help it. "And I guess I'm paying?" She asked, already standing up with a smile, hands on her hips. Alfred more than deserved some kind of break whenever he could. He put up a lot with all of them. "Come on, we'll go to the diner. You can finally get some real food in you." She told him, moving towards the exit. Maybe it was good to spend as much time as she could with him. Once Bruce came back, she wasn't sure how often she would see him. He didn't exactly seem very fond of all of this anymore.

The sky was somewhat clear, and the sun felt nice. But everything seemed far from nice. At night, she still cried, and every time she closed her eyes she saw his face. The times she tried to imagine, to picture all that he did that night... It haunted her, overwhelmed her. There wasn't a day she didn't feel all of this, all the pain he caused her. Everything from the scarred flesh to her mind grasping onto what she saw. Of course, she had been frozen with shock that night he shot her, surrounded by glass from the table as her teary eyes staring up at the white face as she listened to her father struggling against the thugs, feeling the cool air reach her skin.

No, she wasn't about to let him ruin another day. Jason would hate her if she did. She would hate herself. He would get annoyed. She would get annoyed. A smile on her lips had become easy to force through as they walked to the nearest diner. "I can't remember the last time I did something... Normal like this. You know, going to a diner with someone who came back from the dead." She thought for a moment before smirking slightly. "So, you're like a zombie now, huh? Zombie Todd?" She grinned at him.

Ashman74

 

[Ashman74]

"I mean, if you want to, I'm not going to say no. But it's not like I'm broke or anything." Jason told her. He watched her stand, and did the same, taking a step back to give her a bit of room. "Wait, Burgers and Chinese food doesn't fall under the category of real food? My whole life's been a lie." He followed her as she walked, his hands finding their way into his jacket pockets. He left his helmet behind. There wasn't really a reason for him to bring it along. It felt odd, knowing he was going to be eating with an actual person. The closest he'd come to that was sharing a drink with some homeless man after falling through a window. This was probably better than that. Unless some criminal decided to rob the place. But that'd probably make it rather funny.

Jason couldn't help but wonder what was going through her mind. She was quiet, granted, smart people had a knack for being silent. Which was why he was rather loud, and had knack for being the opposite, in regard to both being talkative and only somewhat intelligent. He wasn't stupid by any means. Though there was probably evidence out there that would disagree. While they walked he found his gaze going to her, far to often for it to be unintentional. Luckily, she didn't seem to notice this. Which was a good thing, from his perspective at least.

Inside the Diner Jason was reading over a menu when she spoke. "Grrr. Brainz..." He said, not looking up, and making sure to put emphasis on the letter 'Z'. He mad a couple rather odd noises before going quiet. He lowered his menu slightly, so his eyes were visible, looking right at her for a few seconds. "Wait, does that mean I have to become friends with Solomon Grundy now?"

sodium

 

[sodium]

Hearing the odd noises from him only made her chuckle, watching him with a raised eyebrow as she held the menu, smiling at him. It had been so long since she had been able to enjoy company with anyone. It wasn't like she hated being around anyone, she just felt... Numb. It was why Dick and she broke up. She wasn't herself after that night, and Dick wasn't able to understand, wasn't able to help which only made him frustrated. It was better for the both of them, a mutual decision. "Afraid so," She grinned at his comment about Grundy. "It seems you two are destined for a life of true friendship." She teased with a smirk on her lips. "Who knows, it might even be love between the Red Hood and Soloman Grundy." She laughed lightly as she looked at him, holding the menu in her hands before finally looking down at it.

There were times where she still went numb. She fell silent, lost in her thoughts. Not all of her thoughts during those little times were on that night. It could be a range of things, but they were usually negative towards herself. Confidence had never been an issue for Barbara, and it still wasn't, not really. She was more than happy as herself, she just... Didn't like what she had gone through, or how she acted sometimes. Hell, who was she kidding? She had days where she despised herself more than Joker, which was definitely saying something. But no one had really helped her, she always pushed them away. She had tried to convince herself she was fine, to force herself to be fine. But she wasn't. Not even close.

"I don't know how you do it," She finally said, keeping her eyes on the menu. "Eating such crap every day, using alcohol and... Other stuff. Yet you still can run almost as fast as I can. Almost." She made sure to put an emphasis on the almost, smiling to herself. Must have been some side effect to him coming back to life. Lucky bastard.

Ashman74

 

[Ashman74]

"I mean, I always thought I'd end up with an amazon with an oversized chest, but I guess Grundy works. We can bond over dying and coming back, and poor hygiene." He said, lowering his menu to the ground. "Well, now that we got me set up with someone, guess it's we have to deal with you now." He said, smirking. "How about you and Supergirl? It'd be like Batman and Superman, but hot." He told her. "Sound good?" He asked. "I mean, I can probably think of something better." Jason's smirk formed into a full on smile after saying that, leaning forward, elbows propped on the table. Apparently he'd never learned that was impolite. He extended a hand, getting the attention of what could be considered a 'waitress' in this sort of place.

"What can I say, my body is a self purifying temple." Jason told her. "I think whatever mystical forces are at work thought: Hey, this kid got screwed in almost every way. Lets let him go down a self destructive path and remain completely fine." He mused, letting his uncreative imagination run a muck. When an overweight woman arrived he placed his order, then looked back to Barbara.

He took off his jacket, setting it over the back of his seat. "So, Barbie Girl..." He secretly braced himself to get hit after saying that. "Come here often?" He asked, using one of the most overdone, and blatantly banal, pick up lines ever. Just for the hell of it. "If so...What in gods name is wrong with you?" He joked. Leaning a little bit ahead, the table pressing against his stomach. He took a quick look around before speaking again. "Couldn't you just hack into some rich douchbags account and get the cash for a decent place?"

sodium

 

[sodium]

At his comments, Barbara gave his shin a kick with a smirk on her lips. It was probably his bad leg if her memory served right. Nothing that would do too much damage. When he leaned forward against the table, she did the same and gave a small shake of her head. "I only know one rich douche bag and I'm not about to go criminal and steal his money." She grinned before sitting back a bit. "I'm afraid I can't do the bad things you can with a clear head. Then again, I never have a clear head." Again, a smirk appeared on her lips as her gaze remained on the menu until the waitress came over to take their orders. There was a smile on the waitresses' face, her gaze lingering on Jason. Barbara rolled her eyes slightly at it before finally ordering, keeping a sharp gaze on the waitress.

Something felt odd. As if this woman shouldn't be making those big goo-goo eyes at Jason, something Barbara knew too well from her time with Dick. It was part of the reason they broke up. Not a big factor, but they could hardly go anywhere without someone flirting with the pretty bird. Barbara realized then that she was the jealous type. It was annoying. Granted, she had given Dick the same goo-goo eyes before, but it was either at the beginning of their relationship or as a joke. But despite all those that flirted with him, he never once lost interest in Barbara. "Suck up," She grumbled under her breath once the waitress left, still glaring as she walked away. Probably trying to get a good tip out of Jason.

There was always a part of her that knew Dick had looked at her different after Joker's attack. Like Jason, Dick had seemed to assume the same but never asked. When other's looked at her differently, she looked at herself differently. Except she had to live everyday judging herself, every action she made, every word she spoke. Even now, she wasn't sure if Jason hated her. How could he not? He had to. After what the Joker had done to her, how could he possibly overlook that? It amazed her really that he had managed to deal with her this long. Maybe it was worth it to get an updated hood, maybe he really wanted it. She wouldn't let herself reveal her inner trouble at the moment to him, not again. Not when he had already seen it last night. "You should eat better." She advised her gaze now on her hands that rested on the table.

Ashman74

 

[Ashman74]

"Actually, you Know two rich douchebags." Jason informed her. Raising his index finger to hie lips and making a 'shh' noise. He managed to ignore the pain she caused his leg. He ended up sinking back into his seat, resting his arms on the back of it and crossing his legs. "You could probably get money out of him through easier ways. I'm not going to say what because you'll hit me again. He gave the waitress a short lived smile before returning his attention to Barbara. "So. What's new in the life of Barbara Gordon that isn't Batgirl related?" He asked. Reaching into his pocket for a pack of cigarettes, but upon recalling who he was with, and seeing a no smoking sign, he pulled his hand away, empty. Resting it on the top of the table.

He gave her another look over, quirking on of his eyebrows for a moment, once again wondering what was going through her mind, unaware of the mildly jealous thoughts. He tapped one of his feet against the ground, an unconscious habit. He looked around the diner again, a habit of someone who had to regularly watch out for bullets, from enemies and allies alike. The looked at her when she said something under her breath. He paid it very little heed however, if it was something worth hearing she would have said it aloud for him to hear.

"Probably. But I should do a lot of things I don't." He said, half agreeing. He smirked again. After his gaze had followed hers. "You should wear a costume that actually leaves stuff to the imagination." He began to tease, something he'd wanted to bug her about for a little while now. "I mean, back when you were younger it might have been fine, albeit mildly creepy, but now all it's doing is giving Robins going through puberty a 'Thing for Batgirl' phase." When the waitress brought their food he looked at it eagerly. Beginning to eat the moment he could, and wasn't much of a gentleman about it.

sodium

 

[sodium]

At the reference of Jason being rich, Barbara couldn't help but scoff at it, shaking her head slightly. Hearing his next words were what caught her off guard, enough to even cause a hint of a blush to her cheeks that she quickly tried to hide. God, she felt pathetic. This was Jason. He hadn't really had much power over her before. Then again, no one really had before that night. "You're ridiculous," She grumbled a bit but a hint of a smile on her lips, arms folded over her chest as she leamed back in the seat, keeping a sharp gaze on the waitress who leaned just a little too low for Barbara's liking while setting Jason's plate in front of him. Her glare remained until after the waitress was out of sight before looking back at Jason

"Well," She began, raising an eyebrow at him, leaning forward a bit. "I know Dick had that 'thing for Batgirl'. How about the second Boy Wonder?" She teased with a grin, resting her head on her hand. "Still having fantasies about Batgirl finding you stealing some tires, hmm?" A smirk on her lips before finally taking her first bite of the food. Her eyes glanced out the window for a moment, just for a moment before looking back at him. It was hard to focus on just one thing anymore. She needed to keep her mind occupied instead of focusing on the details the Joker caused on her. "And what would you have me wear out there? A red hood?" She teased.

No, Jason wasn't like the Joker. Last night proved that. She reminded herself. Maybe he regretted last night. Maybe he's rather have been the one to do what that clown did to her. These rushing thoughts caused Barbara to lean back from the table, looking away from Jason down to her plate. She felt sick. The idea of staring into his eyes as he held a gun to her abdomen. The event causing her body to fall into shock, but not unconscious. No, she was overthinking again. Self-pitying... It was idiotic of her, selfish if her. She couldn't believe how she was acting, why her train if thought was going down that way. She was still struggling at controlling her feelings, her thoughts. Still trying to somehow force these things away, to force herself to forget about all of it. But no matter how hard she tried, no matter what she did... It still lingered in her mind.

Ashman74

 

[Ashman74]

"Probably. I mean, how many people can say they're an undead sidekick of Batman resurrected by one of his exes and trained by some mystic order in a mountain to come back to Gotham and start controlling various parts of it's criminal Underworld?" Jason asked her, a bit of toast falling from his mouth and getting stuck in the scruff on his chin. He wiped it away with his arm, and continued wiping to get the feeling of saliva off of it. "That could become the definition of ridiculous." He stated, grabbing the glass resting by his plate and lifting it to his lips. He gently lowered it, and rubbed the back of his neck for a second.

He took a breath as he spoke. Probably should have expected that one. But if she wanted to know, he'd give her a hell of an answer, in an incredibly simplistic form. "You really wanna know?" He inquired, a smirk of his own forming. "I think I died before I was able to get out of it." He said, nonchalantly. Taking another sip from his drink and taking a fork full of eggs. He thought her next question over for a moment. "Maybe a jacket? I think we're in the age of edgy costumes, not skintight ones that can somehow take bullets." He spoke once again with a full mouth, but had the decency to swallow before continuing. There was obviously more to the armor then that, platings and all that fun stuff. But acknowledging it would take away from his point. "I mean, if old school your thing go for it. But you're missing a key detail." Another mouth full, chewed and swallowed quickly. "Wearing underwear on the outside." He'd ignored the other portion of her previous question. Yet another answer that would get him smacked. He didn't like the prospect.

Always soften the blow of a serious answer with a stupid one. He was good at that. He got a mental image of the things he'd spoken of and had to resist the urge to chuckle. He supposed back during the days of underwear on the outside things were easier. Simpler. He hadn't experienced it. But as Robin and during one of the few times he wasn't butting heads with Dick, that sounded bad, he had heard stories. The Joker trying to copyright Fish. The countless times they'd been tied to something stupid like a giant type writer. Anti shark spray. Of course, he'd had to come around when villains decided killing was easier than toying with people. This brought back another thought. Wondering where he'd be if he had ran away from the Batmobile instead of taking it's tires. He'd probably be in prison now, or dead.

sodium

 

[sodium]

It felt like a weight on her chest, making it harder to breathe as she clenched her fork tightly in her hand. Seeming affected by his words was better than showing what she was really feeling. But she was affected by his words. Each button coming undone by a white hand, slowly turning into one of Jason's calloused hands. Staring up into the deranged face of a clown was turning into Jason. God, she did this with everyone she had been close with since that night. Afraid everyone was going to do what that lunatic did. It ruined so many friendships, ruined her life. She couldn't bring herself to look back at Jason, not now, not when all she could see, all she could feel was that clown. Her body was tense and had fallen silent for a few moments, lost in her thoughts.

Anger had been the main emotion she had allowed other's to see of her since that night. Shouting and cursing, glaring at other's while even the smallest things set her off. While other times she merely fell silent, lost in her thoughts of the events. Similar to how she was at that very moment, her mind stuck, afraid she might put herself through the same thing only to be staring up at Jason's face this time. "A jacket," She repeated quietly, perhaps mostly to herself, her hand gripping so tightly onto the fork that her knuckles turned white. A jacket. No, that wasn't the most important thing he had spoken of. He died still interested in her. Maybe death changed his view, but she was sure what Joker intended to express was anything remotely related to an interest, it was pain and suffering he was interested in causing.

"Underwear... On the outside..." She murmured quietly, taking a shaky breath. It felt as if everyone was staring at her, but no one was. Hell, she was sure even Jason wasn't noticing. Or at least that was what she hoped for. Hiding these little moments had almost become a hobby for her. No one ever noticed. Not her father, not Bruce, and not Dick. No one. Jason wouldn't be any different. Her eyes were locked on the eggs on her plate, barely touched. Everywhere she looked, that-that thing was there. Anything white, anything green, anything that could somehow be related to that night. It was everywhere, especially during these little moments. She knew she needed to pull herself together, to force herself to calm down. To forget about all of it. It didn't matter, none of it did. No one wanted to talk about it or that clown. Barbara had never forgiven herself for that night. Every night she thought of something different she could have done that would have prevented it.

Ashman74

 

[Ashman74]

Jason's attention to detail was much better now then it had been before. Marksman training made sure of it. Sniping without a spotter made sure he put attention on everything. Be it an environment, or people themselves. Expressions played a key role in knowing if people knew you were there. Helped categorize the brave and cowardly. Threats and those who weren't. We watched her gripping her fork, much tighter than before. How her face refused to meet his after what he'd said. He came to regret it. To a degree. Some truths were better left unspoken it seemed. His hand rubbed against the back of his neck, due to the new found awkwardness as opposed to an unconscious action. "You alright, Barbie?" He asked, using the Nickname which never seemed to grow old to him. "Sorry...I...Uh..." He really couldn't think of a way to make it better. His gaze went down to his food. Eating again, only in silence for several moments, until she spoke again.

However, he only looked up. "The worst boy wonder ruins yet another meal." Was all he had to say. Looking back down and pulling his cellphone from his pocket? He had a few emulators on it. As a kid he'd never been able to do much when it came to video games. Being poor and all that. He had an old Sega and Super Nintendo, and was lucky for that. After his parents had died he occasionally went to an arcade, if he had extra cash. It was a good way to forget his bad situation and actually feel like a kid.

"You've never seen Bruce's, or even Supermans old costumes?" He asked. Somewhat surprised, wasn't she around in the good 'ol days of Superhero...Ing? He gave her another look over, letting the screen of his phone go dark. Then he stood, getting out of his seat and walking over to her side. Resting a hand on her shoulder. "Barbie, is something wrong?" He inquired, again. Not moving. There was something there, but he wasn't sure what. "If it's what I said...Well, I guess I could hit you over the head until you forget, or something." He wasn't really sure what to say, again. That probably wasn't it though. "You want me to...?" He gestured towards the Diners exit. Maybe she needed alone time? He'd never been good with women, let alone those with problems that rivaled, or perhaps even surpassed, his own.

sodium

 

[sodium]

Most of his words fell to closed ears, her gaze remaining on the eggs on the white plate. She was quick to nod to only one question, the question asking if she was alright. Of course she was. Yes, she was. She wouldn't let herself not be, even with how the feeling of fear was slowly creeping up on her. Hell, she hadn't even noticed he moved beside her until she felt his hand on her shoulder and suddenly moved quickly to grab his wrist to pull it off, dropping her fork on the table as she stared up at him now, swallowing hard before carefully releasing his wrist. "Sorry... I'm sorry..." She mumbled, letting her gaze linger on him for a moment before following his gesture towards the door and shook her head. If she acted like something was wrong, then it wouldn't only make her look worse. Even more pathetic to him if it was possible.

All she could think about was the slow process the Joker had gone through. In her mind, it almost seemed inevitable that Jason would do the same due to her state of mind. "Don't..." She began quietly and took another shaky breath, keeping her eyes on her plate again, trembling hands hidden in her lap. "Don't make it hurt like he did... Please." Jason wasn't much of a special case. Countless times she had herself backed against the counter while Dick tried to calm her down, a knife in her hand defensively. How many times had she had to be forced to calm down? Being helpless was something she hated... No, she despised it. So being shot where Joker had shot her only made things worse. She couldn't move. Could barely breathe, barely see straight. But she felt all of it. Jason knew her better than that clown ever did, knew how to get under her skin, her weaknesses, her strengths. He knew how she fought, how she acted, he knew so much. All of which he could easily use against her.

The ghost of his hand on her shoulder was still there. It wasn't a rough gesture. Then again, none of that clown's gestures would be considered rough on her either besides the gun shot. "I can take it, it won't get to me, you know." She spoke defensively now, though perhaps sounded as if she was talking gibberish to someone who didn't know her. "Even if you did everything he did and worse, it still won't get to me." She was determined to seem strong, so strong she refused to show her vulnerability the best she could. Her words were lies though. It would get to her. It would probably hurt more than that night, but it wouldn't break her. "If you're planning to do it just get it over with, don't wait it out." She snapped at him quickly but kept her gaze on the plate.

Ashman74

 

[Ashman74]

"...What?" He asked, though his voice was barely audible, quieter than a whisper. Don't make...? The hell was she going on about. He bit the inside of his cheek, looking at her. Listening. Not speaking. Putting things together. What could she take? What wasn't going to get to her. She was getting defensive...But why? Each thing he added made things even more confusing initially. But as he gave it more thought things came together. Did she really think he was going? Sure, past evidence might support that. He did break her nose...Threaten to kill her...Alright...Fair enough thinking that. He guessed what he'd told her on the roof hadn't gotten through to her. He didn't realize he'd drawn blood from biting his inner cheek. When he realized another thing. That was when the hate came. Rage. The Clown. He wanted to wrap his hands around the mans throat at this moment, more then he usually did. Wanted to watch the life fade from those twisted green eyes. Wanted to leave his head on her doorstep. Sure, that'd probably be the last straw, doing what none of them would. But at least.

He shook his head. "No. I'm not going to do that." He wasn't referring to offing the Joker. "Keep thinking whatever it is that makes you think that. Despite what I've done." He looked down for a moment. "I'm not going to hurt you. Not again. Not after what you've been through." He reached into his pocket. Grabbing his wallet. He opened it, taking a hundred dollar bill out and leaving it on the table. Then he turned his back to her. Luckily they hadn't gotten any attention. Somehow. Nowadays people seemed to be drawn to any drama that there was. "My words probably wont mean much to you. Not after what I'm going to do tonight, and not after what I'll do after. See you around." His hands went into his pockets as he walked towards the door, despite what she'd said previously. The typical dinging noise people would expect when someone came in. Or in this case, left.

He took in the fresh air once he felt it. Walking away from the diner. He had to get ready. Bruce would be back, and things were already going the opposite as he'd planned. He zipped up his jacket for once. Moving down the street. If the clown was still at the carnival that would make life much easier, but if he wasn't, well, that would do little to stop Jason. He'd just remove a few garbage human beings from the world.

sodium