multiversallogs | oh hi 8|

Entry tags:

oh hi 8|

Who: Helena and Jason
What: a rooftop meeting, vague non-apologies for flipping out and snapping at each other
Where: Bonetown
When: n...ight
Notes: this is going to end with Jason defiantly having tea at Helena's house just because it's clear she doesn't expect him to ever come over. OH? WELL I BROUGHT SOME GINGERSNAPS WITH ICING :E
Warnings: we are absurd

He does not, as a rule, patrol.

It's because he's not a vigilante and hasn't been one for a few months now, but he very specifically does not patrol. He just keeps odd hours and is tracking gang activity. And if he interferes now and then, well, that's because he's not a total bastard. If something happens right in front of his face, he'll do something about it, but it's not patrolling, and it's not his mission. He's different now.

So it's slightly embarrassing to run into Helena on one of those conveniently shadowy rooftops because it totally looks like he is and he can't deny it without looking dumb. In any case, he drops the usual tiny audio tells that pass as vigilante politeness — letting someone know you're around without letting the whole world know you're around. It's been many years since he's snuck up on anyone he considers more or less an ally and even if he felt the urge now, it's much too soon to start. After a second or two of subtle not-lurking-but-not-just-appearing-out-of-the-shadows, he drops down beside Helena with a slight incline of his head for a greeting.

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Helena doesn't move for a moment, pretending that she's watching something interesting for a heartbeat or two before returning the nod. A twitch of her eyebrow communicates her curiosity at the fact that he's chosen now of all times to drop by.

"Quiet night?" It must be pretty boring if you're breaking our unspoken agreement not to talk to each other.

"Bonetown's not that big," is all he says for a while, not really looking at her either. It's not that he has to work himself up to addressing their recent lack of communication, but there's no reason to hurry.

"Look, about Tim: it's not that I think you're a fucking newbie, it's that I know exactly how bad he could be. It's not quite Batman-gone-evil bad, but only because he was still young then."

Helena juts her lip out as she takes in Jason's words. She'd been ready for Jason to bluster as men always do, apologizing that she'd taken offense at what he'd done, rather than outright acknowledging that he'd been an ass. This explanation is... well, it's unexpected. But nice.

She's still got a whole bunch of annoyance built up at Jason, though, having nursed this grudge for a while, so while her body language reads semi-forgiveness, her response is still a somewhat sarcastic, "Your universe must be a hell of a lot more fucked up than mine. Isn't Robin supposed to be the one trailing after Batman screaming about Jumping Jalopies and Bat-Shark Repellent?"

He lets the anger build and then pass, all without looking at her; she may not even notice, except the pause where he does and says nothing is just that little bit too long. The complete failure to address her point is probably an answer in itself.

"It didn't happen there, it was an anomaly, but it's still possible, and he's hard to read, is all. But I'm sure I would have seen him make his move by now."

With a roll of her eyes, Helena smacks Jason lightly on the shoulder. "You know, it's impossible to be righteously annoyed with you when you're set on being all reasonable and mature."

She huffs, but then adds, "Look, it's snowing and I can't feel my nose anymore. Do you want to do this inside at my place?"

The weather isn't so much a problem as the fact that Helena needs a change of topic and location -- she hates apologizing almost as much as she hates talking about personal matters out in the open like this.

"Cold, bleak rooftop talks hashing out all the shit normal people talk about in normal places are traditional, Helena." Jason says as if scolding. Then he says: "Fuck tradition."

He had taken the trouble to very carefully find out where Helena lived, in case of an emergency, but had also very carefully not stalked her — that's always a dangerous line with your fellow vigilantes, and Helena-as-a-mom would definitely not have appreciated that. So he only leans back on his heels and waits for her to take the lead, as if he doesn't know.

"Pff. Yeah, I'm fine with that. Tradition never did do anyone any good."

She smiles at him, then leaps off the roof, trusting that he'll know to follow her.

When the get to her house, she unlatches a window, then slides in. As she brushes herself off, she shoots Jason a look. "Fair warning: Benny's sleeping, and if you wake him up, I will hurt you."

"Oh, sorry, I'll try to curb my clown horn habit. It's more of a tic, really." It's more dry than sarcastic (and, of course, quiet). He slides through just as nimbly as she did and shuts it behind them. Then it's automatic to sweep a casual glance around, even though he does trust her. It's just something that has to be done.

Helena nods and starts to turn, only to stop halfway through the motion. "Ah..." She glances at her dresser.

"Would you mind just turning around for a bit? I hate walking through the place in my costume. Benny's here and ... It just doesn't feel right." She trails off, letting Jason fill in the rest for himself. It's too hard to explain why she doesn't like touching Benny in her Huntress leathers unless she absolutely has to.

He nods and turns, looking out the window instead. A more thoughtful person might realize that he might actually still be able to see her via reflection, but Jason isn't thoughtful because he isn't looking. After a moment he starts talking again, while taking off his gloves. Technically, if Tim ever comes here, he should keep them on just in case, but that also seems overboard paranoia and dumb, so he's ignoring that feeling.

"How's he doing? He care much about being here?"

Helena wiggles into her clothes quickly, having had several years to practice her quick-change.

As she pulls her pants up her legs, she answers, "Well, he's only nine months, so it's not as if Benny really recognizes that anything's different between here and home, save for the fact that he wears cloth diapers instead of disposables, and I guess that he doesn't eat as much formula as he used to." Helena pauses in the middle of smoothing down her sweater, smiling the watery smile of a besotted parent. "He's pretty easy to please, though. Don't know where he got it from, but he's a pretty sweet kid."

With a cough, she adds, "Oh, you can turn around now, thanks."

Privately, Jason wonders if maybe, when certain kinds of people become parents, your body released some hormones which turn off select portions of your sanity — not just the ones directly related to rage when your child is threatened, but other things. Not that he thinks Helena is batshit, but it's a particular kind of parenting talk that he's not often been exposed to, and it's strange to him. All he does on the surface, though, is turn around and nod again. Anyway, he did ask, even though he's well aware Benny is pretty small, and the world is probably a gigantic mystery to him with or without swapping universes.

"You okay on the money front?"

Her first instinct is to snap at him for assuming she can't take care of herself, but then she realizes that he might just be concerned for her child, so Helena settles for raising an eyebrow at him as she opens the door to the rest of the apartment. "Yeah, I've got things figured out. Apparently there's a pretty high demand for tutoring, since there's not really a school system set up."

The apartment itself is dim, but warm, and a bit more decorated than it was... although that is probably more for heat than for colour. There's wide falls of fabric covering the walls now, and several thick blankets over the back of the couch. Helena gestures at said couch, indicating that Jason should sit wherever he wants.

"Um... do you want something to drink? I can put some coffee on."

"Sure." He sounds entirely neutral about it, and sits obligingly, looking neither uncomfortable nor out of place, though he is most definitely both. After a moment he tugs a stuffed animal out from underneath him and puts it aside. Sorry, Benny.

Contemplating conversational topics, he thinks about mentioning there's a guy who looks a little like Bruce wandering the city, but dismisses the notion immediately on two fronts: that's weird, and he's actually not sure if Helena is aware of Bruce Wayne.

"Did you still have Tim and Superboy over for dinner?"

"Yeah, I did." The kitchen isn't more than a few feet away from the sitting area, so Jason can probably see Helena smirk as she sets the coffee boiling and pulls out cups.

"In case you were wondering, magic and technology don't work here in Bonetown, but superpowers are also on the do-not-use list... So I'm pretty sure Superboy's going to be steering clear of here."

Though he doesn't immediately respond, the way he settles back against the couch indicates a certain relieved acknowledgment. That's what he'd hoped for. Not that he has any plans to battle Superboy, but it's good to know. It will take the cavalry away from Tim if and when it comes time for them to meet.

"What do you think of them?"

Jason keeps his voice neutral again, since he's not looking for a repeat of the conversation that necessitated this one. Besides, she's the one who met them — his experiences with various Tims does not count for shit until they figure out how similar he is to those, if at all.

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oh hi 8|

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