[OPEN/CLOSED] We've gotta hooold on~ To what we've got~

[robintohood]

Who: Jason Todd robintohood and you! And special closed prompts with Jason Todd (reneger), Sleeper (solo_sleeper), Bucky Barnes (deadthenred), and Tim Drake (overlyprecocious).
What: Various antics Jason’s gotten into. Some are more legal than others and might be related to pod people.
When: Second half of April
Where: Central City
Content Warnings: PG13-level violence in the closed prompts. Will add more warnings if needed.

Descendant:

[It’s early evening and the Descendant Bar and Lounge is open as usual. However, compared to most nights, this night and this entire month has been kind of quiet. There aren’t as many customers and the ones who do show up sometimes leave early. Jason knows it’s because of the alien worms but business still needs to continue somehow.

He’s still doing what he can whenever he’s working as the bar’s owner. He’s attending to customers (especially the VIP ones), serving drinks and food, checking on the reading room, and sometimes has to step in as part of security to throw out a rowdy customer. Sometimes, he’s literally throwing them out. It’s good exercise.

Coincidentally, songs like “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Livin’ On A Prayer,” and brave attempts at “Bohemian Rhapsody” can sometimes be heard from the second floor’s stage]

This shit better not be prophetic.

[Regardless of what Jason’s doing, come talk to him. He could probably use the break]

Warehouse raid (Closed to the other Jason Todd, Bucky Barnes, and Sleeper):

[Ever since his other self told him he successfully robbed the D’Amicos, Jason sought out more of their bases with his gang. After all, it’s not often he gets a chance to further weaken a mob that was still recovering. After many nights and a lot of hard work, Jason soon enough found the perfect base to rob. He’s even going to have backup for tonight.

It’s nearly midnight and Jason’s at the edge of Central City, perched on the rooftop of an old brick building and fully dressed in his Red Hood gear. He has a plan and he trusts the rest of the party enough to not screw up the raid.

But as Jason stares at the warehouse a block away from him, he can’t help but frown under his helmet]

Another Productive Night (Closed to Young Justice!Tim Drake):

[It's another Central City evening and Jason's deep in his gang's territory as the Red Hood once again.

There are three motorcycles parked outside of an auto repair shop and the building’s lights are still on. Suddenly, there’s a loud commotion as Jason drags out a man and then slams him against the wall. He then pins his victim by having his forearm pressed hard against the man’s neck]

You were warned, Benny.

[As Benny struggles to breathe, two more men come out of the building. Both are in motorcycle helmets with the visors down to cover their faces and wearing gloves. One man has hands as large as a gorilla’s. Neither of these two men seem disturbed as they watch Jason begin to pistol whip Benny across the face]

Wildcard:

((OOC: Got something else in mind? Hit me up! I always welcome new CRs as well. My contact information is on this journal's profile and I'm in the game's Discord server. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns as well. I also have a feedback post.))

Comments

[overlyprecocious]

[Surveilling Red Hood hasn't exactly been as much fun as trailing Batman and Robin was in his younger days. It's good practice using his new power to keep from getting caught, but it's also enlightening in an unpleasant way to watch his semi-older brother/predecessor/one of his personal heroes run around playing crime boss. And yeah, he's not an idiot, he can put together the pieces and realize that Jason's taking a Lesser of Two Evils approach to crime prevention, but he doesn't have to like it.

He doesn't have to want to stand by idly and watch, either. He doesn't jump into this directly because odds are not great that it would end well for anyone, but he sends a birdarang flying into the wall nearby, finally letting Red Hood know that there's a stray Robin watching if he cares to trace it back to its origin.]

[robintohood]

[The birdarang lands a few inches away from Jason and into the wall. Benny had flinched while Jason's men immediately spin around and look in the direction where they think the birdarang came from. The gorilla-handed man looks ready to charge while the other gang member ignites his hands, ready to throw fireballs.

Jason however, remains calm and hasn't moved from his spot. He has a good guess who threw it. Damian so far hasn't shown any interest in interacting with the rest of the BatFamily. The birdarang isn't in the right shape to be Dick's. Steph uses batarangs instead and would let him know ahead of time if she was going to be in his territory. The Tim he's known for a year also knows not to interfere too much in his territory.

Which leaves the newest addition to the family. Jason hadn't met him in-person yet but he's aware the kid's been around and that it sounds like he hasn't been beaten into being a cynic yet. Even older Tim has had to make certain dark decisions at this point.

Jason pistol whips his victim two more times before dropping him]

Disrespect me again and you'll see what this "wuss" will do.

[Benny whimpers and nods before he scrambles to get up and flees. Jason then turns to his men and turns on his helmet's infrared vision to search for the newest Robin to come to this version of Earth]

[overlyprecocious]

[Once the birdarang’s hit its target, Robin retreats a short ways to avoid the attention of Jason’s associates, but he doesn’t disappear entirely. He ends up on a rooftop just far enough away for privacy but close enough that it’s a clear invitation to follow and talk, if Jason’s so inclined.]

[robintohood]

[Jason spots Tim but pretends that he's still scanning as he addresses his henchmen]

They don't seem to be around. Back to base but use separate routes. Don't make it easy for whoever threw that thing.

[The duo nod and get back on their motorcycles. Jason also gets on his. As ordered, his henchmen zoom off and split away while Jason pretends to also go back to their base.

Once the henchmen were out of sight though, Jason makes a U-turn and heads towards Tim instead. He parks his motorcycle a few buildings away and then uses his grappling gun to get up to a rooftop. Once at that level, he parkours his way to where Tim is]

Nice to see family dramatics are a multiverse thing.

Bar Cat (OTA with access to the Descendant)

[definecat]

[By now, the regulars have gotten used to the strange, talking, four-eyed cat- thing that meanders through the bar on an unpredictable schedule. They are friendly enough, clearly on good terms with the staff, and never do anything that would really cause trouble. Sleeper's just part of the atmosphere. And if seeing a cat with too many eyes makes a drunk or three cut themselves off before it's an issue, so much the better.]

[So they're fairly easy to find when they're around, hanging out on their preferred spot at the end of the bar, reading a nice book on a comfy chair upstairs, or even watching the karaoke machine wars. Just don't ask them to give an opinion on the singing.
They might just tell you.]

[robintohood]

[Eventually Jason decides to take a break and joins Sleeper in watching the karaoke machine wars]

That last attempt on scaramouch sounded almost on pitch.

[definecat]

[Sleeper flattens their ears at that.]

All that time in the firing range must be messing with your hearing.

[robintohood]

[Jason chuckles at Sleeper's reaction]

Well, I did say "almost." Why does everyone think they can handle that song?

[qualityfriend]

[Dana always gives Sleeper a scratch when they're in reach.]

Not camping on Jason's shoulder today?

[Her grin and tone make it clear that She Knows.]

[definecat]

[Sleeper does their level best at looking innocent.]

Everyone needs their space sometimes. Maybe I had to go to the litter box.

[qualityfriend]

[Giving an extra scritch]

Well, it's hard to complain if it means I can reach you. Jason's shoulder is a little too high.

Still, I'd like to see you together.

Descendant

[deadthenred]

[ The crowd tonight is thin, but it wouldn't've been hard to find Jason even if it wasn't. The kid is everywhere, and there's at least a passing resemblance to the Jason he knows. Younger, though, not by much.

Bucky basically missed the 80s, and so ballads from the era all sound the same to him. It's a funny thing, but sometimes you can't hear lyrics unless you know them already. So the omens are lost on him. All he can tell is someone's having a hard time hitting the high note. ]

Jason? [ He says it like it's a question, but it isn't, really. ] I'm Bucky Barnes.

[ He's wearing his sleeves down, but no gloves, so Jason can see the metal arm if he cares to look. ]

[robintohood]

[Jason sees that metal arm and nods. Since his older self's arrival, Jason's been anticipating people he didn't know knowing him. He also knows his older self must be having similar experiences]

Nice to meet you. We got some mutual friends I'm guessing.

[It's a light crowd tonight but there are still witnesses. Jason's keeping his tone casual as if he's being friendly to a new friend but he's also assessing and trying to get a read on Bucky.

The metal arm is interesting and Bucky looks like he could handle a fight]

Can I get you anything?

[deadthenred]

[ He raises an eyebrow, but it is a bar, after all. It'd be suspicious if he wasn't drinking. So he sits down on one of the stools. ]

Whiskey, up.

[ He knows Jason is sizing him up, and catches him glancing at that left arm. To his credit, Jason doesn't stare. Bucky is used to stares. Those are useful, it's why he doesn't cover it up in uniform. But he isn't in uniform. Bucky isn't even armed, 'cause he didn't come to fight, and he wonders if maybe that was a mistake. The Jason he knows always comes to fight.

So he uses his polite voice. ]

You can ask about it if you want.

[ He's not sure what the other Jason has said about him, if anything. ]

[robintohood]

[Jason goes to prepare Bucky's drink]

How fancy is it?

[He's taking a guess the alloy is more than just metal at least]

And how long have you known our mutual friend?

warehouse raid.

[reneger]

( he shows up early, because arriving to a raid last minute's clearly rude, and they've got shit to go over first anyway. this isn't his raid, and playing second fiddle to junior burns in a way he hadn't expected it to. but he can play nice, he can deal with it, because they're both here and jason had started this, hadn't he? fucked with junior's gang for fun, and then he'd offered to help. so.

boots hit the rooftop several feet behind red hood, loud enough to be heard because he doesn't want to have to fight someone off from pistol whipping him, thanks. he's careful to make sure that when he walks forward, it's loud enough too. jason's habitually quiet, so walking in a way that makes noise takes--effort.

his gear doesn't match junior's anymore, but it's still close. black jacket, black armored bodysuit under it lined with red, black cargo pants, with his guns strapped to his waist instead of his thighs. he's working on that still; he reaches down instead of behind by habit, too, so this is inconvenient as fuck. and he's abandoned the hood, sticking with just the red domino mask instead. )

You got a plan? Or should I just jump in through the back window and make a lot of noise. ( he knows there's a plan. but he can be snarky about it. )

[robintohood]

[Jason hears his older self purposely making noise as he comes over. Nice of him to try not to sneak up on him, he supposes. At his older self's question, Jason snorts and looks back at him, assessing what the man's wearing for tonight's party]

Tempting but probably not the best idea. It seems too quiet.

[definecat]

[Jason's jacket writhes in a way that is both liquid and utterly unnatural as Sleeper separates enough of themself to raise a head and forepawss as if draped over one of the younger man's shoulder instead of being worn like a suit.]

We've still got one more coming. Or so I understood.

[reneger]

Bucky.

( his pal from the other side of the multiverse. another person who just gets him in a way that's both useful and irritating, because how the fuck is he supposed to start shit to unhealthily work through his problems if nobody rises to the bait.

another good reason for joining the fight: thugs to take out his aggression on.

jason's not surprised by sleeper; he's seen them shift before, and he's learned just to let shit slide by now. his own gear doesn't shapeshift into a cat, but it's--significantly more advanced than it used to be. when he told tony he'd owe him an iou, he hadn't planned on using it like this but jason has no regrets now: energy shields conveniently built into the forearms of the suit in case he needs them, mask upgraded from basic (since his hood had everything he'd needed in it) to housing his commlinks and having a few other handy tools added in. )

He'll show up when he feels like it.

( they've got time. no one's looking for them. )

wildcard~~

[faceguy]

[Since Huvrye came back to their apartment sporting a couple new holes in his abdomen, Leo has been sneaking out more often than he used to, though now instead of looking for random muggers, carjackers, or other low level thugs, he's been out looking for organized criminals. Particularly those who may be looking for someone else (and who don't seem to be pod-peopled).

He's out again tonight when he sees not quite what he's looking for, but something that catches his attention nonetheless - a guy in a red helmet that seems like the kind of scary thing someone calling themselves the Red Hood would wear. In fact, Leo has seen one like it (though he doesn't know it belonged to a different Jason Todd.

Leo's been wanting to talk to this guy.

Of course, just walking up to someone dangerous and saying hey is stupid even for Leo, so he doesn't do that. He spots him from a few rooftops away, and slips into the shadows, working his way slowly and steadily, as quietly as he can, toward him.

Hopefully he can sneak up on him without being noticed...]

[robintohood]

[Jason was trying to stalk his target for the Society when he got the sense that he was being tailed. He doesn't change his body language though. He doesn't want to let them know he's been noticed. Instead, Jason decides to play along until he has a better idea of who the tail is.

He gets up, looks to his left, goes for a running start, and then jumps over to the next rooftop. Then he starts to parkour across a few more rooftops. He's curious if the tail can keep up]

[faceguy]

[Hmm, not bad.

Leo's hardly worried about keeping up - bouncing around rooftops is something he's been doing since Splinter first started letting him and his brothers go out at night, after all. He easily parkours after the Red Hood, though he still keeps to the shadows as much as possible. Even without his portals, Leo's fast.]

wildcard.

[reneger]

( it's a really, really shit day. made worse by knowing what joker pulled on tim here, knowing that he could be anywhere, and they're not even playing on their home turf. neither is he. but jason knows damn well he treats that as an advantage, not a disadvantage. joker doesn't need to know where he stands, he knows where to hit regardless.

and it makes him antsy. it's been building up over the last week, the need to walk himself right out of his skin, to get himself out even if he doesn't know what he's trying to fight his way out of. it escalated when he started a stupid fight with kyle, when kyle--asshole that he is--pointed out he knew damn well what jason was pulling. didn't even rise to the bait, didn't give jason anything to feed off of. then there was the talk with dick, the bottle of whiskey, the glad you're still with us note.

he doesn't know what he needs, what he's looking for, but whatever the hell it is--it leads him straight onto red hood's territory in the still dark hours of the morning of the 27th. not his, but junior's. it leaves him geared up, fingers curled into tight fists, and chasing down lackeys he knows follow orders from hood. he opens his mouth, biting out insults meant to dig deep, starting a very public fight in a shit bar with a few goons who pull in their other goon friends. and when jason's gotten those goons down on the ground, beaten and battered hard enough he doubts they'll be getting back up any time soon, he sucks in a deep breath. waits while one of them raises a phone to his ear to call in more back up, and makes himself comfortable sitting his ass down on top of one of the bigger goonies. palms over pockets to sift through whatever he's been carrying on him, until jason finds a nice knife and starts using it to pick under his nails. none if it's hitting quite right, but he'll wait. wait for them to call in reinforcements, wait for something bigger to hit, stronger, something more satisfying.

he's waiting for himself. )

[robintohood]

[Jason had been struggling to fall back asleep when he gets a call from one of his goons. As soon as Jason answers it, the goon launches into a terrified and frantic plea that they need help. Someone's shown up to start a lot of trouble at a bar in Backbreakers territory. They're all pretty beaten up. It's not until the goon describes the one-man army that Jason's annoyed mood intensifies into real anger.

Jason thought he and his alternative universe self had a deal. He got to keep the hood and the territory while the other him can cause trouble elsewhere. Just keep each other out of the way. Plain and simple. Then Jason heard from Robin about how the teenager and his other self were right in his territory. And now there was this shit. It hasn't even been two months and it seems the older Jason intends to turn their truce into swiss cheese.

Well fuck that.

It takes less than 30 minutes for Jason to get ready, gather some available goons, and have them all meet at the bar. Loud rumblings from motorcycle engines announce the group's arrival. Then Jason kicks open the door. Ah yes. There's the bastard with his face and looking as smug as ever]

Got bored?

[As his goons quickly scramble to fetch their injured comrades, Jason glares at his other self. If the older Jason wants a fight, then fine. He's getting one]

[reneger]

( jason doesn't rely on a voice modulator, but he does intentionally change the tone of his voice. goes somewhere between batman's gravely voice and jason's smarmy tone. it wouldn't differentiate them significantly if someone was paying close attention, but who would bother here?

red hood steps through the front door while jason's finishing up cleaning the dirt out from under his fingernails, and he--tips his head back to look to him, brow raising behind the domino mask. he'll never get used to seeing his own mask facing him, his own stolen identity worn by someone else who is and isn't him. jason doesn't like it, he's never liked it. but he's never liked looking in a mirror either, so is that really surprising? )

Heard there was some group called Backbreakers lurking 'round these parts. Figured I'd make 'em the Brokebackers. ( he's. snorting at his own joke, pulling himself up to his feet as lackeys help lackeys escape from the mess jason has made. none of them are injured too badly, and he doesn't care enough to stop them from leaving. ) Surprised they're all so tactless, if we're bein' honest. You'd think with as many of 'em as they were, they would've landed at least one good hit.

( he grins, wide and feral. this isn't play-fighting jason todd, this is looking for trouble jason. )

Think you can do any better, Hood?