002

[asinisterkid]

Who: Jason Todd, and whoever wants to bother him.
Broadcast: None
Action: VRD // Waystation
When: 4/21, in the wee hours of the morning // 4/27, mid-afternoon.

{{ It's two, two, two events in one! The first will be a lovely VR romp through Gotham at night, set up for his new friends, but open to anyone who feels like crashing the party. The second, taking place a week later in honor of Jason's Death Day (4/27), will involve a lot of alcohol. OMG SO MUCH ALCOHOL. And as many fights as he can get away with starting at the nearest Waystation. }}


[ For the moment, half of the VRD has been turned into a little slice of Gotham, all gargoyle-encrusted skyscrapers and gothic splendor. There's a full moon overhead, and only the smallest shreds of cloud. Between that and the ambient light from the city, visibility's pretty good. It's a gorgeous summer night, and Jason's relaxing for the first time since he got here.

It's a cheap trick, but he's willing to be soothed by this little taste of home, especially since this place should allow him to run the way he's used to. He even went out of his way to pick a time when there would be less competition for the space, and less chance of someone turning his city into a beach mid-jump.

Robins need to fly, after all. ]



[A week later: Jason hasn't had a chance to earn much money yet, but he's spent some of the past week working security, picking up what he can. And now that he's got money to put towards things not a ship upgrade, he's gone and spent it on alcohol.

Yes, all of it.

This isn't a good day for him. This is the day that Jason Todd, Age 15, got beaten nearly to death with a crowbar and then blown up. He's been increasingly keyed up over the past couple of days, the nightmares getting more frequent, and generally he's been feeling like there's a scream trapped in his throat, getting louder and louder...

So obviously, the solution is no sleep, and lots of alcohol. He's got a few bottles of something that might be space vodka, or might be industrial strength engine degreaser with a vodka label half-assedly slapped on the bottle. It tastes foul, either way. He's sitting in the central courtyard of the waystation, already halfway through the first bottle. When not sending drunken text messages with his communicator, he's been harassing random people. ]

Hey, you. Yeah, you.

Fight me.

[ Is he talking to you? A random passerby? A potted plant and/or especially lifelike bit of statuary? YOU BE THE JUDGE. ]

Comments

VR Dome

[mysunnydisposition]

[ Steph hadn't been able to bring herself to call up Gotham herself, when she was here. But if Jason's going to do it for her... Well, she can't pass up the chance to join him.

She wore her Spoiler costume for this - it's easier to run in than the clothes she got here, blends into the shadows better... and even if there's only Jason to see her here, that still feels like it matters. She's better now than she was before Batman trained her; now, she doesn't need her grappling hooks to clamber her way from street level up to the rooftops.

She pauses when she reaches the top, grinning under her mask. It's a beautiful night, even if it's not real. ]

[asinisterkid]

[ Jason's gone maskless -- not much point when everyone knows who you are here -- but one look at Steph makes him feel naked. He rubs at what would've been the edges of his mask. Yeah, definitely naked, and the fact that he's just in his jeans and a Fleet-issue tank top isn't helping much... but he figures the near-shirtlessness might do him some good in the ratings department, even if it also shows off some scar tissue. ]

Hey. [ He grins. ]

This thing may not be able to replicate that distinctive Gotham smell, but still, not a bad copy, don't you think?

[mysunnydisposition]

[ She studies the scars that she can see - it's harder to tell when she's staring, under the mask. And she has a whole new set of scars almost as impressive, these days... but seeing his is still enough to give her pause. She shakes it off after a moment, smiles again. ]

Not bad. I didn't think I'd miss it, but... I kinda do. Especially up here.

[ She stands up on the ledge at the edge of the rooftop and walks along it like she's on a balance beam, looking down toward the street. Up here on the rooftops of Gotham was always her favorite place in the world. ]

Death Day

[princess_sparklefists]

[ Carol just wanted to get some air off of the ship. It's still recycled space station air, but at least there's more of it and more room than there is on the Heron. She did not plan to get accosted by an angry, drunken teenager, but it's not the kind of thing she can walk away from once it's happened.

She sighs, looking him up and down. ] You really don't want that, kid.

[asinisterkid]

Oh, don't I?

[ She looks military. Looks like she can handle herself. He's anticipating some blood if she takes him up on it, and not hers, either.

Good. ]

You don't know me. Maybe I'm just that kind of crazy.

[princess_sparklefists]

[ Oookay, that's how it's going to be. Carol's not sure what's going on with him, and isn't about to ask now, but he's clearly going to pick a fight with someone. It might as well be someone who can definitely take it, and won't damage him too badly when she hits back. If she hits back.

She steps a little closer, shoulders squared, everything else about her body language loose and relaxed. ]

Yeah, the vodka probably isn't helping with that. You planning to put the bottle down first, or you just want to hit me with it?

you get all my threads today I'm not sorry

[mysunnydisposition]

[ Steph is not exactly on board with the plan of dealing with their traumas with alcohol, but she couldn't leave Jason alone on a day like this. Sure, she barely knows him, but they're both Robins, they both died or as good as died, and... well. She'd want the company, if it were her.

She wrinkles her nose as she gets close. ] Wow, what are you drinking? It smells like paint thinner.

[asinisterkid]

It's supposed to be vodka, but paint thinner might actually be a better bet. C'mon, sit. Unless you wanna fight, but... Probably not, right? So. Sit.

[ See? He's totally capable of emotions that are not aggression. Go him. ]

[mysunnydisposition]

Gross.

[ Steph wrinkles her nose, but she does sit down to join him, close but hopefully not enough to crowd him. Her instinct is always hugs and physical contact, but she knows with batboys that's not always the most helpful thing. She has this theory that being around Bruce too long permanently damages all normal human reactions... ]

I'm not gonna fight you. Not today, anyway. Doesn't seem like it'd be fair.

VRD

[whereivebeen]

[ Rooftops. Tay likes this plan already, partially because she knows the adrenaline rush (even if it's not a REAL rooftop) will be awesome. Add on the likelihood that they're gonna get a little bloody sparring?

Yeah, she's SO here for this. ]

Nice city.

[asinisterkid]

[ Tay's remark gets a sardonic chuckle out of him. There are a lot of things you can call Gotham, but 'nice' isn't one of them. ]

Really not, but it's home.

Part one of playing on rooftops: getting to the rooftops.

[ He grins and takes off running, using momentum and the wall of a building to get himself high enough to grab the fire escape... and then he's scrambling up, but instead of continuing up the stairs, he jumps from one fire escape to the other. He'll pause there, giving Tay a chance to catch up with him... or to ask for help. Either one. ]

[whereivebeen]

Yeah, I know what you mean.

[ And then he's off! Tay doesn't follow him right away, instead watching how he gets up. She likes this, her long legs and arms will definitely be an advantage. When he pauses, she grins up at him, nods, and takes off to follow him.

She's fast, and with her long reach and strong legs, she could probably almost make it straight up to the fire escape without using the wall. That's half the fun, though, so she follows Jason's lead, and in short order has scrambled up the side of the fire escape and caught up.

This is already great. ]

i'm giving birdie a run for her money

[whereivebeen]

[ All right, Jay, Steph might be in another thread trying to get you not to fight, and Carol might be fighting you to keep you from fighting anyone else, but here comes your captain, who will fight you because she knows throwing (and taking) punches can be cathartic, and apparently you died and that's bullshit, so she's gonna help the only way she knows how.

By punching. ]

Hey, Todd!

[asinisterkid]

Captain!

[ He waves her over, then takes one last swig from his bottle before replacing the cap. Which takes him a couple of tries, sure, but he does get the bottle closed. And then he gets to his feet. He's only swaying a little bit, he's fine. ]

We doing this thing? 'cause I'm in the mood for some fisticuffs.

...Which is a great word, by the way.

[whereivebeen]

[ She's a little amused at his wobbling, and curious to see if he can actually fight like this. She's seen some of her family absolutely devastate people while completely trashed, so he might be able to put up a fight.

Either way, there will be punching, so it's a win-win. ]

You're a fuckin nerd. Bring it on.

[poetontheinside]

[He'd just been on his way back to his shuttle when he spots Jason-- drunk and disorderly, even if it doesn't like look he can really cause all that much disorder.

Normally, he'd be up for a fight. It's not that difficult to provoke him, but this is a little too easy. This goes beyond 'distracting brawl', and it brings out the blue in him- patrol your neighborhood, take care of the citizens. So he walks over, hands in his pockets, and rolls his eyes.]

You're gonna get yourself beat up in this state.

[asinisterkid]

[ There's something about the way this guy moves that screams cop to Jason's Gotham-trained instincts. Cop is a dangerous category to someone like him, even with all Jim Gordon did to clean up the force... the ones who work neighborhoods like the one he grew up in tend not to be the caring ones.

Some of that old wariness shows when he looks up at Ray, though the man's choice of words does move him marginally to the side of "not corrupt". ]

I might. Might also get someone else beat up. That's all part of the glorious uncertainty of the drunken brawl.

...Pretty sure we're outside your jurisdiction, either way. [ He shrugs a little. Those words could be a taunt, but if they are it doesn't show in his tone: it's more a statement of fact: I'm looking for a fight, space is big, we're outside your jurisdiction. ]

waystation

[grabthecheese]

[Polly, having worked at an inn for most of her life, is more than used to drunk people, and to seeing drunken brawls. Usually, though, she's not the one being challenged. You're not supposed to fight girls, and she's also the one to provide the beer.

It's strange how different things are here. Then again, she's also a soldier now, so she's not exactly unused to it.]

You want to sleep it off.

[She's confident she could take him, but she also doesn't really see a point. Brawls just end in messes, and someone always has to clean those up.]

[asinisterkid]

[ Jason's an equal opportunity caller-outer. Granted, he's not going to push a fight on a girl that doesn't want one, but he's had his ass kicked by girls before, and he knows better than to eliminate half the population from his pool of potential opponents. ]

That's some remarkable insight into my wants you've got there. Exactly what are you basing that on, again? [ And this would be Jason's most infuriating smirk, known to make people try to punch him without any further provocation. It may or may not work here, but you can't say he's not giving it his all. ]

Waystation

[justamobster]

[ Ladon has spent enough time around drunk thugs to recognize the look, sound, and smell of someone picking a fight for the wrong reasons. He understands. Sometimes his fists itch and all he wants is to take his temper and frustration out on anyone willing to volunteer, but thankfully he's learned to keep that in check over the years.

Instead he gives the very drunk young man an eye roll and a disapproving frown. ] 'Cuz picklin' your insides ain't 'nough, gotta go gettin' a broken nose, too? Quit hasselin' folks, kid.

[asinisterkid]

[ Wow, disapproval. He's never experienced that in his life... ]

Broken noses heal. And I'm not hassling--

[ Yeah, not even his denial is that great. ]

Well, fine, I am. But I'm also taking no for an answer, so I ought to at least get the [ airquotes ] 'not as big a dick as you could've been' gold star or something.

Still. Nothing wrong with some good old-fashioned mutually agreeable face-punching.

Waystation

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[this is not nearly as weird to him as it should be. he stops, giving Jason maybe two seconds of a look-over before deciding that this may already be the most hilarious thing to happen to him this week.]

Who, me? Unless you meant the charming gentleman next to me.

[he points and looks over at a fake tree.]

He doesn't have much in the way of arms, though.

[asinisterkid]

[ And despite the mind-bending suck of today being what it is, that's enough to make him grin a little. Snark is always appreciated. ]

Nah, tried the tree already, and the damn thing just sat there. So rude. And you know what? [ stage whisper ] I don't even think that's his real foliage.

VR Dome

[wordmiser]

[Now this? This was a scene Jinx could get behind.

It reminded her of home. Which would be why she started wandering down streets randomly, sliding through buildings and up and down stairs. Cities were her bread and butter - easier to disappear, easier to be anonymous.

Especially when it was already empty. Come to think of it... She didn't actually like it being empty all that much. Someone must have made this place, right? Right. She makes it her night's mission to find said person.]

[asinisterkid]

[ Jason sees the kid wandering the streets below him, and there's a moment when he considers stealthing his way down so he lands right behind the kid.

But kid is the operative word here, and he's not quite that much of a troll, so instead, he heads for a fire escape a ways ahead of her, and drops down onto it, letting the rattle of the metal underneath him alert her to his presence. ]

Hey. Are you looking for something in particular, or just exploring?