metaheroes | ourpowers | text

Happy belated twenty first. I'll have to take you out sometime to celebrate.

( because clearly jason is the bad influence bat, he may as well live up to the title. for now, he watches the dealer below leave the alley. for the moment, it's empty. no one to watch, no one to potentially jump down and beat the shit out of for doing shady business in the dark.

leaving jason with just the rest of his nice coffee and steph's company. his free hand raises, shoving fingers through his hair before he clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. )

I'm surprised you've all settled long enough to work somewhere he's running. ( i'm not bitter, he says, bitterly. or at least his tone seems to imply. even if all of them were on fairly decent terms back home--it was the occasional team up. jason stayed on his turf unless called elsewhere. no one killed each other during their co-ops, and it's jason's own damn fault he fucked it over in the end. which just makes him more bitter. that his mini-me, despite being younger and most likely in a more fucked up stage of his life, still managed to maintain a decent enough relationship not to fuck up for however long they've been working together. )

There's a recipe for disaster.

[This is a joke. Mostly. She's fond enough of their pre-existing Jason that she's willing to extend some of that to this new Jason, even if he hasn't earned any fondness yet. So she'll make jokes and be friendly, as long as he doesn't seem like he's going to be a dick.

The whole situation is a weird one and only serves to remind her how... on the outskirts she can be, sometimes, with the rest of the Bats. None of this drama has anything to do with her, except for the fact that people she cares about have gotten hurt.]

We were poor. [said with a bit of a rueful look, even if there's still amusement there.

She shrugs, too, after a second.] It seems like he was kinda the last Robin, where he's from. His issues are with B, not us, and as far as I'm concerned the whole 'no killing' rule is kinda bullshit so...

[So while she may not agree with all Jason's methods, she doesn't have the same moral opposition that Bruce or Tim or Cass might. She understands why Bruce doesn't kill and why he's extended that to the rest of them, but she also thinks Jason should be allowed to kill the Joker.

As a treat.]

( so he's an acceptable level of batshit. not causing problems directly with any of the existing robins, just. bitching about b. he still remembers when he painted the walls with tim's blood, because he was pissed. stabbed him and left him to, potentially, die. even if killing him wasn't really the intention. when he shot damian when he and dick were running after him. the multiple times he and dick went at it. he was angry. not even necessarily at them, it was all rage focused at b, at himself, but a jason who has hit the end of his fuse doesn't make much fucking sense, even to who he's grown into now.

even if he still makes shit choices.

brows pinch together tight, lips pursing. he hasn't gone into the figure out when everyone is from bullshit just yet, some of that seems pretty pointless. he'd tried to explain to another dick grayson that he wasn't out to get anyone, but dick still looked at him like he was waiting for jason to pull a knife on everyone. )

I haven't tried to start shit in a while. B let me back into Gotham after I promised to be a good boy and not push it too far. Didn't bat an eye when I went under cover to pull Black Mask out into the open. Told 'em I could do what he couldn't. Big Bird an' I worked together on and off, same as Robin. R2's still a nosy little brat but he hasn't tried to play-assassinate me in a while. We had a nice family reunion sometime back, going after Brother Eye. All of us, including you and every other Gotham bird.

( it's only slightly a lie, because jason only just recently pissed off bruce again. at least by his memory back home. clearly that doesn't count. )

I'm not planning on starting shit here either.

[As much as she's a talker, Steph is also perfectly capable of listening, so she sits and watches Jason as he explains himself, or his history, or whatever term is most appropriate. From what Tim told her of their earlier meeting, Jason didn't reveal a whole lot. She's not entirely sure why he's telling her, of all people, but maybe she's just an easy way to disseminate information without having to wade through emotional issues first.

God knows Jason has a lot of emotional issues with the other Bats.]

First of all, I'm super glad you're not planning on starting shit, 'cause this place sucks enough without having to deal with that mess. No offense.

[She's not sure if that could be taken as offensive, so she's covering her bases.]

Secondly, you're either from a different world or the future, and I really hope it's another world because Sionis is dead in mine and I'd like him to stay that way.

[That's the part that matters. She doesn't want to contemplate the idea that he could come back.]

No offense taken.

( because jason has started shit. he has been the person causing a shitton of drama that dragged everyone else down. he did, in another elseworld, start a fight with a sadistic CEO that ended with damian matching bucky and another body. for a moment, he was contemplating seeing if he could wipe the floor with the other jason, just to let him know who is leading here. except he didn't get here first, he hasn't made any allies, and who the fuck knows how many contacts this jason has.

especially considering how many robins came to his defense. )

He's not dead back home, but he is a vegetable who chokes on his own spit whose fully conscious, even if he can't do shit with it. ( a little grin, because no rule was technically broken even if it got jason what he wanted in the end: a criminal who, while not behind bars, can never cause harm again to anyone and instead gets to suffer in his own skin. ) World got pretty fucked up. Tim can explain it better than me.

( well. )

If Tim's from the same place I am.

[Kon is somewhat ambivalent about the other Red Hood that's been here. He doubts he'd be okay with the dude's extra-curriculars, but he hasn't picked fights with Tim as far as Kon knows, gave him an income, and let him have a job where he can listen in on criminals all day to get leads. The last one is the Tim Drake equivalent of giving a tiger a pumpkin full of meat cubes. It's enrichment for the zoo enclosure that is Tim's current home city.]

[But that's the only one that gets a pass. He's not especially fond of his universe's Jason Todd, not after the Titans told him what he did that night he broke into the Tower. The memory is fresher for Kon, too, because Kon never got rebooted. He was in another dimension when the timeline skipped like a scratched CD two times over.]

Yeah, I recognize it. Belongs to a big bag of buttholes. Massive dick.

[Ma and the swear jar are not here right now, so he's going to use very un-super language.]

Wears a costume that looks like cheap cosplay.

[He knows he's one to talk, what with the t-shirt phase, but that had more to do with living with a farm couple on a budget and the fact iron-on decals made it easy to replace costumes on the cheap by just buying jeans and t-shirts from the Dollar General.]

But they're not the kind of person that just leaves their shit lying around so you're somebody fishing.

Also, you needed to workshop your fake persona more, Shlabethany. Seriously who uses all lowercase and that many exclamation points but also "unsavory" in a sentence? Fake. 👎👎👎

Edited 2023-03-07 15:27 (UTC)

( someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. but also: thanks for the idea, he's stealing it. )

you're unsavory :((

Does it matter?

[His tone gets sharp. He's trying to help this person and they're splitting hairs? Really?]

He makes a judgment call and he acts on it. Don't get on his radar. Put the mask back and leave.

Love you too, buddy.

[It's flippant, sure, but the underlying sincerity is tough to miss.]

( wow, testy. )

i put it back i swear!!
i just wanted to know if he's like bad-bad or just bad :((

[ Stephen arrives and clocks Jason immediately - an odd feeling, to see a familiar face he's not seen in months, one from a world that wasn't his until it was. No doubt he's been noticed right back: Stephen, for his part, looks barely a little older but so much less harrowed than he was in the time after the Aerie. Hands still scarred, no sign of a lightning scar creeping out from under the collar of his shirt.

Too bad for Jason that he arrived first or Stephen might've asked Perry for a second free coffee. As it is he keeps his cool long enough to wait for a latte, accept it with a laugh at a customarily stupid joke, then finally makes his way over. ]

You're in one piece. That's a strong start.

( he hopes stephen doesn't think he actually bought this with money he'd earned, or the card given by the alliance, because really: jason just picked the nearest, richest person's pocket and stole a few bucks out of their wallet before returning it.

fuck the alliance and also he's not getting a real job. when strange approaches, he raises a hand in a mock little wave, and rocks back on the balls of his feet so the chair's front legs come off the floor. sitting normally is for scrubs. )

But I was very intimidated. All I wanted was a nice rooftop meet up and instead I was surrounded by birds. ( the grin says he's bullshitting, why would it have been intimidating? except the grin doesn't quite meet his eyes; feels a little like being replaced with someone else, when his family appears out of the blue to protect someone who isn't him but is. clearly they've found a younger, better model, why bother dicking around with someone who's already tried to come back again only to fuck up harder? ) We've all said our hellos, so no one's gonna be surprised when they see my face around.

Good. The last thing we need is a sudden outbreak of avian attrition warfare.

[ Making himself at home with a chair pulled out and settled into, Stephen sets his cup down on the table and takes a moment to just. Look Jason over. But low and behold, he looks fine, if strange now against the backdrop of a 21st century American coffee shop. The pause breaks with a sucked in breath, Stephen shaking himself out of the easy drift into memories of another world. ]

Where are you staying?

[ Not the Diadem, obviously. First things first: get everyone settled. ]

Can't a guy have a few days to figure his shit out, Stephen? I did just get here.

( he'll likely settle with damian, if he settles at all. fuck around in kyle's apartment, because antagonizing kyle is it's own reward. and he's shown enough concern to be absolutely disgusting with it, so clearly jason has to fix that.

for now: he takes another several gulps of his coffee to finish off the cup. who knew how much he'd miss the bitter taste of bean juice. )

You'll likely get your bird fight eventually. Too many of 'em stuck in the same small space. ( read: he's here now. )

Not if it means the guy's sleeping on the streets of Central City, no.

[ Look, Jason may be a big mob boss man, but he's also the these-days-baby brother of a man who has officially labelled himself Stephen's family. If that doesn't give him the right to give a shit, what will?

He does let it drop enough for the conversation to move on, distracted with a smirk by the guzzling of coffee. He can barely remember what it was like to really miss it now, the transition not having been so abrupt in his case, but he definitely drinks more of it these days than he used to. ]

I'd rather I didn't, but I'll be ready to referee. You want another?

[ He has a feeling Jason may soon find himself on the brink of the shakes, but who's he to deny him the sweet bean nectar? ]

( what if he wants to sleep on the streets, stephen. why do you hate him and his big exciting plans. why can't he be a street rat again? he was so good at it the last time.

but no comment means that strange will drop it so that's what he goes for. luckily for both of them, jason doesn't get the caffeine shakes. but he does get the restlessness associated with them--which he's getting mildly close to. )

I'll take another. Never thought I'd be happy to find a cafe before. ( but more importantly, with a surprisingly (fake) sincere grin: ) If a bird fight does break out, you gonna take my side?

Depends. Will you still be a pigeon?

[ Pigeons: the rat of the bird world. A.k.a he hasn't, in fact, dropped it. An equally sincere (fake) smile and he leans back over his shoulder, calling over to the little place's owner for another coffee. "Coming right up!" is the peppy response, and then he's back in the convo. ]

I have room when you need. I don't think my place is your scene, but it's better than the ground.

Ouch. ( what did he ever do to you, stephen. was it the stabbing in the safehouse? he's running with it being the stabbing in the safehouse. a legitimate thing to be pissed about; less so the stabbing of himself in there, but jason being pissed off about strange being upset with him. but jason's still angry about stephen backing up clarke, too. fuck clarke griffin. if he ever sees her face again he's going to make sure she regrets stepping in his space.

maybe. )

I can handle myself, even if I've lost the edge of having a big, cushiony group of thugs to fall back on. ( hand raising to his neck, to press his palm against one of the nastier scars there. ) 've got a friend here, from back home.

Yeah? Which friend?

[ Truth told Stephen's spent relatively little time around his fellow Starfallen lately, so there's every chance they won't have met. But that leaves some chance that they will have, so it's worth the enquiry. He's interested to know what kind of a person a Jason Todd of pre-New Amsterdam fame would've deigned to call a friend.

Or perhaps that's only a title he'd reach for now. All the same, the curiosity's there.

Meanwhile, Perry behind the counter issues a too-fun "One coffee for Strange!" and Stephen, rolling his eyes in fond disparagement, throws a thanks back at him and flicks his fingers in the air. The coffee floats on over to them of its apparent own accord, settling on the table in front of Jason.

Oh, right. He's a wizard now. ]

( kyle's not a secret anyway. hasn't had a reason to be, as a spaceman who rarely sets his feet down on earth these days. all the people who made him vulnerable have already died. which is sad as fuck if jason stops to think about it.

so he doesn't. he does open his mouth to give his name, when strange just. makes their coffee float over to them and jason shuts his mouth again.

watches it. )

Pick up something new?

[ Oh.

Right. Stephen blinks, recalibrates, then - smirks a very self-satisfied smirk. ]

Regained something old.

[ Surprise, he was a wizard this whole time. ]

( why is almost everyone he knows powered. is this a club that he was shoved into as an afterthought? is coming out of a lazarus pit and eventually chilling out jason's superpower. does tony have one too. )

Green Lantern. He's an asshole. ( like attracts like. ) He can create essentially anything he can think of. An' he's one of the stronger ( strongest, but jason's not giving him that. ) ones. Essentially, an overpowered glowstick.

( he's grabbing that coffee, thanks. and drinking it. )

He's one of the good guys. Better'n me.

[It's different than talking about Sionis with the other Jason; she was able to control that narrative, to tell him exactly what she wanted to tell him with the knowledge that it never happened in his world. This Jason is from a world close enough to hers that he's likely well aware what happened during the gang wars.

The discomfort is obvious, mostly due to the fact she's making zero attempt to hide it. It'd be pointless, when Jason isn't an idiot.

So as much as there's some satisfaction in knowing that Sionis is suffering every damn day — and she does huff out a dryly amused laugh — she'd still prefer him to be dead. With all the bullshit that can happen, even death isn't certain, but it's the most definitive option there is.

She'd also prefer to not talk about it at all, so she's going to latch onto the rest of what Jason said.]

I think he is. He's mentioned the world getting all messed up, something about things kinda resetting and some people not remembering stuff. [It doesn't sound great.] It was pretty funny, he thought we were like, freshly broken up and I had no idea why he was being so weird at me.

[Will Jason think this is funny? Maybe, just 'cause it involves Tim being awkward.]

[ It's not a surprise that Jason takes that in stride. By the sounds of things, his world isn't so unlike Stephen's own: this shit happens.

Speaking of... Green Lantern. As hero names go, that one has to take a cake. ]

You Robin Hood the mafia then repurpose them, how high's the bar?

[ Jason's good, that much is irrefutable, but that doesn't mean he can't be playfully sassy about his methods. A sip of scalding coffee as a prelude, giving just enough time to either let guards down or to pull them up for the inevitable - ]

So you'll stay on his couch?

[ Turns out he's not going to drop this one, actually. ]

Heroics scale of one to ten: I get one, GL's more of a nine.

( superman gets a ten just because superman, and kyle gets half a point taken off for being a snarky asshole. but it's close enough. kyle gets high points because he's dumb and heroic and a space ranger who does space ranger shit in his dumb near-spandex hero get up. and jason gets a one for being a fuck up. )

Nah--he's more of a cuddler. Likes to be the little spoon.

( they're not cuddling. jason isn't sleeping on his couch. imagine how terrible that would go. )

ourpowers | text | public

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

anon, text

shlabethany | text

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject