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[That question actually earns a genuine pause, Steph looking somewhat like a confused puppy as she does some mental math.]

Not to make you feel special, but congrats on being the first person to make me realize I'm technically twenty one now. If we're counting months from when I left home, not when my birthday month is.

[It makes more sense to her that it should be counted as a progression of months, rather than sticking to an arbitrary date when those dates didn't line up with how it was back home. So enough of them have passed that were she at home, her birthday would have rolled around.

It should maybe be weird that she missed it, but birthdays have never been much of a thing, in her life. Her parents would forget more often than not, when she was little, and while Crystal is making more of an effort now, it's hard to undo years of neglect.

(She doesn't think about the false memories from last month. She's gotten very good at not thinking about that.)]

Anyway, I think Robin would tell you that serving alcohol and drinking it are different. Still probably illegal? I never checked, it's not as if we signed employment contracts.

[The bar is basically for money laundering and a cover to eavesdrop on criminals; they aren't doing things by the book.]

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.

[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.]

( he doesn't follow tim and steph's relationship drama that closely. he knows about their relationship--because who doesn't, and while he's not as much of a stalker as some, jason still likes to keep tabs on everyone. but a fresh break up doesn't sound familiar--granted, he's been knee deep in his own bullshit for the last chunk of time, so it could have happened somewhere in there.

but relationship drama seems like it might be less stressful than going back to their old bit, so he'll stick here. )

Artemis, who I'd been working with for a bit and had a crush on, kissed me. Told me I was okay for a boy, then leapt into a quantum doorway.

( is this helping any. )

Should I feel insulted by the for a boy bit, do you think? I hadn't stopped to think about it until now.

Edited 2023-03-09 02:51 (UTC)

['Talking to Jason Todd about relationship nonsense' isn't something she had on her bingo card, but considering everything else about her life at the moment, Steph can't say she's especially surprised.

She does bark out a laugh, though.]

Probably a bit insulted? [She pinches her fingers together, to indicate a bit.] Is Artemis the Amazon? 'Cause if she is...

[There's just a look and a shrug; no one should be too shocked that an Amazon would add that condition to a compliment.

Actually maybe it counts as an extra compliment when coming from an Amazon? Much to think about.]

( the laugh is better. he'll take throwing in his own stupid problems into conversations to help avoid any of the awkward black mask doesn't deserve to be named shit. because he really doesn't. but even if he isn't dead, at least he's not running around hurting more people. )

Artemis the Amazon, yeah. ( he's not surprised. snorts even, before putting the cap back on the thermos. ) I'll try an' remember to be insulted when I get back. But just a little.

[It's always nice when someone is willing to gently sidestep her trauma.]

You should get a tattoo to remind yourself. Just in case.

[That's obviously the most sensible solution to this problem that isn't actually a problem, and not at all a ridiculous thing to consider.

This is why no one takes her seriously.]

Tramp stamp? Reading Only a little offended to be good at kissing--for a boy.

( everyone should take steph seriously. will he actually do it? absolutely not. )

Edited 2023-03-09 03:29 (UTC)

[Steph bites down on a laugh, the sort of laugh that means she's thought of something she probably shouldn't say out loud and is currently debating whether or not she should say it.

....

She's gonna do it.]

It'd be great reading material for someone if you're ever getting railed.

[STEPHANIE.]

( he's quiet for a moment, giving steph a look that says i can't beliebe you went there. before he's giving a loud, barking laugh. a laugh that makes him glad their thugs have left, because they definitely would have heard it. arm around his gut like he's expecting to lose it kind of laugh.

give him a minute to catch his breath. )

That'd sure impress them, wouldn't it? Exactly the kind of impression I'd be wanting to leave 'em with.

Edited 2023-03-09 03:45 (UTC)

[She's going to get a good grade in befriending ex-Robins, something that is both normal to want and possible to achieve.

The fact that she's laughing along with Jason has more to do with her being amused at her own audacity rather than the joke itself.]

Nothing says I'm gonna take this guy home to meet my mom like a confusing tramp stamp message.

( it definitely wasn't something he expected out of her mouth. the laugh dies down but the stupid wide grin stays. congrats steph, he was busy brooding, but jason's not in the mood for it any longer. )

I'll make sure to get it done by an amateur. Messy, bleeding lines. Maybe a butterfly. Just to add to it.

Oh my god.

[They're the worst at stakeouts, it's official, they'd give themselves away within five minutes from all the laughing, because it's Steph's turn at that now.]

A girl at my school got one of those and it was so awful, the butterfly looked like it was drawn by a drunk three year old. If only we could track down her tattoo artist for a repeat performance.

I'll take it.

( hold on he's gotta--raise a hand up to his eye, to shove his palm against it. )

Think we can find someone who could do a convincing temp? Not Robin, that'd ruin it.

There's gotta be someone with illusion powers or something, I'll put some feelers out.

[This is an important use of the connections she's built since arriving in this world.

She wants to ask Jason what superpowers he ended up with, but she realizes a friendly conversation doesn't mean he's going to trust her. Best not to push it in case he gets cagey.

There are more important things to address, anyway.]

Are you expecting you'll get a chance to show it off?

[Why is she like this.]

Nah. 'm all done with that. ( he's still grinning, even if it is a shit topic. at least he's feeling relaxed enough for that. ) I had someone. Not back home, somewhere else. Someone I'd wait for, for as long as it took.

( the he's done makes it pretty clear he's not expecting miracles. )

But showing up to the BatGym ( junior just said gym. but batgym sounds more appropriate. ) with a shoddy tramp stamp just to see their faces when they saw it would be hilarous.

[Add another count to the list of surprising things that Jason has told her. She glances at him with a small, thoughtful frown, trying to decide whether or not this is something she should comment on. From what she knows of Jason, he isn't the type to want pity.]

Sounds like there's a story there.

[It's a gentle opening; he can take it or leave it without needing to worry about ruffling feathers.]

That would be pretty fucking funny, even if it might get you labelled 'tramp stamp Jason' instead of like 'buff Jason' or whatever we decide to go with. Is that a risk you're willing to take?

( it's an avoid unless facts relevant to it are needed story. he already has enough people here who are aware of it, the pity party is inevitable enough as is without adding more people. )

I think the reward is worth the risk. But we might wanna work on establishing which Jason gets what name before it gets messy.

[The lack of further comment tells Steph everything she needs to know, so she just files away that piece of information about Jason with zero plans to bring it up again unless he does first.]

Well, he's been going by Jay at the bar. You can go by 'Son.

[She thinks she's sooooo funny.]

Cute.

( cute as in, fuck that. but he's rolling his shoulders in a loose shrug. so his name's been claimed. not like he uses it much in a legal sense anyway. )

Went by Mal for the better part of the year. I can go back to that.

['Mal' is... a name. Steph seems to be considering it for a moment or two, before she asks the most important question:]

Short for Malarkey?

[Who even uses that word anymore.]

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