[OPEN] Maybe not a literal monster mash

[robintohood]

Who: Jason Todd robintohood and you. Also a mingle!
What: Various antics at Descendant Karaoke Bar and Lounge during October
When: Throughout October
Where: Central City
Content Warnings: N/A for now. Will edit if needed.

[There may be some changes to the timeline now but Descendant Karaoke Bar and Lounge is still open for business. There are always people looking to have a good time drinking and blowing off some steam with a good song. It doesn’t matter if they’re ordinary civilians or some of Central City’s more... colorful characters. Just be nice to the bouncers and check your weapons by the entrance first.

To reflect the fall season, Descendant has included seasonal drinks like pumpkin beer, apple cocktails, and spiced maple bourbon.

Meanwhile, some of this month's most popular songs seem to be reflecting Halloween, such as Highway to Hell and Monsters. Or maybe you want to do a more classy number like Witchcraft? Descendant looks like a speakeasy after all. And in a total coincidence, Time Warp has also shown up on the popularity chart.

If you drop by at Descendant on a Coyote Ugly Night, you’ll find the atmosphere considerably wilder and wetter. You might’ve even already seen some of the social media posts and videos of the employees performing. They certainly look like they’re having a good time.

Perhaps you’re coming in during a more normal time. Come by for a drink. Maybe rent a private karaoke room or karaoke on stage in front of others if you’re feeling brave. There are some bar games around too.

You can always just people watch as well. Those who are especially observant might notice that some of Descendant’s customers are a bit... furtive as they keep their heads low or quickly scurry to one of the private rooms.

There’s always the reading room too for those who want a more quiet ambiance.

And then there's the very select few who are allowed upstairs in the attic apartment.

Whatever the case may be, Jason will be around. As Descendant’s owner, he’s a busy guy with plenty he has to do]

((OOC: Jason will be around but feel free to mingle! My contact information is on this journal's profile and I'm in the game's Discord server. Also feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns as well. I also have a feedback post.))

Comments

[avatarfortruth]

It sounds lovely. So do the canapés, if they're available.

[ She folds her arms on the bar, watching him. ]

How are you, Jason? After... everything?

[robintohood]

All things considered, not bad.

[He pours Diana and himself two glasses of white wine and flags down one of his employees to have an order of lobster canapés ready. Then looks back at Diana]

Glad you all made it in one piece after that adventure.

[avatarfortruth]

So am I.

[ She fidgets for a moment with her glass, turning the stem in her fingers without lifting it for a drink, preoccupied. ]

Jason, have you heard from Bruce at all, lately?

[robintohood]

[At that, Jason keeps his expression neutral. He has more than enough problems with Bruce but he's well aware that Diana considers him a good friend]

He texted us as a check-in after he came back to show us he was still alive but not much else. Why?

[avatarfortruth]

I'm sorry. I know things are complicated with you both.

[ Said in response to the way his expression shifts, careful. ]

... It's not important. Thank you for letting me know.

[ He's still in the world, at least. She's learned that much. She finds a smile and lifts her glass to him. ]

A toast, to your successful business endeavor?

[robintohood]

[Jason lifts his glass in return for the toast]

And a toast to your victory and return home to us.

[Jason takes a sip before continuing]

And yeah, things are messy between me and the old man but that doesn't mean you can't talk to me about him. I get that you're friends with him. In my world, you two and Big Blue have been friends for years. So I'm already used to it.

["Messy" is an understatement when it comes to how bad things can be between Jason and Bruce but Jason wants to let Diana know Bruce isn't a totally taboo topic with him. And he hasn't missed that Diana seems to have something on her mind about Bruce]

[avatarfortruth]

Still. I don't want to put you in an awkward position.

[ She likes all of them – Dick and Jason and Tim and all their other versions – on their own merits, not only because of their connection to Bruce. ]

We were supposed to talk, but when I came back to the dorm, I found it finished and him gone. He hasn't been answering calls.

[ She looks deeply unhappy for a moment, then shakes it off to lift her glass for a sip. Delightfully, the wine is excellent. ]

I suppose he has his reasons for... all of it. Truly, Jason, it's all right. I'd rather enjoy my time here tonight than dwell on it.

[robintohood]

[Jason takes a small sip as he ponders briefly. It's depressingly easy to imagine something happening and Bruce refusing to properly process it. It's easy to imagine Bruce deciding to bury himself in his work instead]

Bruce is shit at talking about feelings and this younger version of him is even worse at it than the one we usually know. We've all gotten into fights with him partially because he didn't just say what he's really feeling. Even Golden Boy Dick Grayson has had his share of battles with him.

[avatarfortruth]

[ Desert-dry: ]

I suppose some things are a constant. Well... if he resurfaces, will you let me know?

[ She's no longer certain Bruce would reach out directly to her. ]

And thank you, Jason. For your thoughtful words. It's very sweet of you.

[robintohood]

[Jason nods]

I promise to let you know. You mean a lot to our family.

[It's another reassuring constant across the multiverse at least]

If you don't mind me asking, what happened?

[avatarfortruth]

And each one of you means a great deal to me. I'm so grateful to have you all here.

[ His next question comes as she's sipping her wine, and she gives him a wry look over the glass. It's a near certainty that Jason wouldn't want to hear about the actual situation, and she'd just as soon give Bruce his privacy. ]

We were... close. Back in the past. It's not – well –

[ She stumbles a little over her words, hoping he won't ask for more information. ]

It's nothing for you to worry about.

[robintohood]

[It's enough for Jason to get the picture and not have to ask for more details. He certainly doesn't want to hear about that side of Bruce. It's also enough for Jason to feel annoyed on Diana's behalf]

He's an idiot.

[It's all said calmly before taking another small sip]

[avatarfortruth]

A trait shared by most men, if you listen to my sisters.

[ She offers him another rueful smile, and lifts her glass for a sip. ]

This wine is excellent, by the way.

[robintohood]

Thanks. We always got plenty of the good stuff so feel free to drop by whenever.

[He raises a glass in honor of her again]

And yeah, we're all idiots but in this case, Bruce is being especially stupid. It goes back to what I was saying before about him being emotionally constipated.

[avatarfortruth]

Well. I don't know how smart I am about any of this, either.

[ She thinks again of Tom Tressor lying in a hospital bed, and sighs. The one constant in her failed attempts at romance is, after all, her. ]

But I will certainly take you up on your offer, as long as I have money to spend.

[robintohood]

[Jason waves his hand like he's shooing away a fly]

Nah. Don't worry about paying. You're always welcomed here.

[Even if Descendant wasn't already doing well, Jason wouldn't want her to pay]

The thing about Bruce is that he's spent so many years with a one-track mind that as soon as he feels something else that isn't about "the mission," he tries to lock it away. Doesn't matter if what he's feeling is a good thing. It's foreign and not what he trained for.

[avatarfortruth]

[ She suspects any protest made would be waved away just as airily, and instead gives him a warm smile. ]

That's very kind. And you're right, of course.

[ Bruce ought to be proud of how insightful all the boys are. ]

Perhaps he'll come around in his own time.

[robintohood]

[Jason snorts]

Hopefully it's sometime within this decade. The man can make dozens of contingency plans but god forbid he feels an iota of anything unrelated to the job.

[Jason never expected to talk about anything remotely close to Bruce's love life nor is he ever interested. He's helping much more for Diana's sake than Bruce's]

At the risk of sounding like a cliché, it's not you. It's him.

[avatarfortruth]

I'm much less certain of that than you are, but I appreciate you saying it.

[ She pushes herself up off her bar stool enough to lean over the counter and kiss Jason's cheek, sweetly, then sits back, smiling. ]

And now I release you from ever having to talk about this again, if you prefer.

[robintohood]

[For a moment, Jason blushes and he feels like he's 12 again when he was still easily awed from meeting any of the Justice Leaguers. He smiles back at Diana]

Nah. It's fine. I just wanna help and we know what a pain it can be to decipher Bruce. Who better to figure him out than someone from his horde of orphans?

[avatarfortruth]

You all know him well.

[ It saddens her that he doesn't yet know them as well as they deserve. But perhaps, regardless of what happens between the two of them, he'll take the advice she gave him regarding them to heart and reach out a little more. ]

You have helped, I promise. And now I would like to hear more about this establishment of yours. What gave you the idea?

[robintohood]

It was Tim's idea. He used to work a different bar before the owner left. Then he talked to me about having one for the family to run. I was the one who had the best resources to pull it off.

[Meaning Jason already had crime lord money and connections to get the property]

So far it's paid off pretty nicely. We've learned a lot.

[Meaning they've gotten considerable intel from spying on their shadier customers]

[avatarfortruth]

Tim is a bright boy.

[ Both versions. All of them. Intelligence has always been a hallmark of the Robins. ]

You seem to have done a good job with it. [ A wry twist of her mouth. ] I suppose I'll have to find some employment of my own, once my first few months are up.

[robintohood]

[It's strange to imagine Diana with a day job. Bruce has Wayne Enterprises. Clark had been a journalist for years already by the time Jason became Robin. To Jason, Diana has always been just Wonder Woman. But given their circumstances on this version of Earth, it makes sense that she would need to have one soon]

Got anything in mind you wanna try out?

[avatarfortruth]

The only job I've ever had was working at Taco Whiz. I'd... prefer not to do that again.

[ If there's no Themyscira here, she can't resume her role as ambassador, and she's still unsure about the guilds, although things seem to be a little better. ]

I'm sure there's something else I can do.