[OPEN Mingle] Happy Anniversary and Happy Holidays!

[robintohood]

Who: Mingle post! Jason Todd robintohood is also available in a separate top-level comment
What: Festivities at the Descendant Karaoke Bar and Lounge
When: Week of November 27th and throughout December
Where: Central City
Content Warnings: N/A for now. Will edit if needed.

[By god, the weird (and only sometimes shady) New Jerseyian karaoke bar in the middle of Michigan has made it. The Descendant Karaoke Bar and Lounge has hit its first anniversary. To celebrate, there are special discount rates for customers and even deeper ones for the repeated loyal clients.

Because Descendant’s birthday is also at the very beginning of the winter holiday season, the whole place has been decorated to reflect the occasions. There’s the usual colorful tinsel, wreathes, Santa hats, and fake holly plants but there are also special additions the Descendant’s staff did. There are hidden Santa Gritty figures and decorations throughout the building. More blatant are the Christmas trees throughout the building adorned with Gritty baubles. Instead of an elf on a shelf, behind the bar on the top shelf is a Gritty figure next to the maneki-neko figure Mayuko gifted Jason last year during Descendant’s grand opening. Both figures are there all year round but for this time of the year, they’re rocking Santa hats too.

As for the Descendant’s owner, his presence is oddly sparse despite his business hitting a milestone. Jason’s still monitoring daily operations and is still making sure tasks are being properly delegated but during these last weeks of the year, he’s not at Descendant as often as he usually is. He can still be contacted though, namely if there’s an emergency.

Meanwhile, if one were to carefully eavesdrop on some of the Descendant’s more shady customers, one might hear that the Backbreakers gang and their leader, the Red Hood, might be having… problems holding their remaining territory. The rumors have been going since mid-November after the mysterious bombings to several of the Backbreakers’ safehouses.

So come in from the cold and celebrate, be it Descendant’s birthday or a winter holiday. Have a holiday drink like a spiked eggnog, a gingerbread martini, or a wassail. The karaoke machines are full of holiday songs to sing to as well.]

((OOC: Mingle post! Go have fun, folks. Jason’s own top-level is right here. 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

[atypical_echo]

Alright. Mark needs to stop dancing around it.

"Is everything okay, Jason?"

Blunt. Not how his sister would have done it. Or maybe it was. Who cares.

[robintohood]

"I'm fine," Jason lies.

Unless it's anger, Jason doesn't like to talk about the fog of negative feelings that sometimes comes to him. Throughout his life, talking about that sort of thing was a weakness and he's had to focus on more important issues instead. It's how he survived while having little else. Though the fog feels thicker every December, not admitting what's really going on is still his default response.

[atypical_echo]

Yeah, that's definitely a lie.

"You know you can talk to me, right? That I know about the... green."

Because maybe it's related to that. Or maybe it's a family thing. That would be harder to help with.

[robintohood]

Jason's hands fidgets a little with his book. He's too used to not talking.

"I know," he says. "Just that this is something I've always dealt with."

[atypical_echo]

Yeah, Mark gets that. He nods along. This is where he should shut up and not push on it.

"Joanie would say that if you've always done something one way and you haven't managed to deal with it, maybe the same old way isn't going to help."

[robintohood]

“What I’ve done is helping me survive,” Jason retorts plainly.

But then again, Surviving isn’t the same as living. Jason is so tired of how every December is a shit time for him. Plus, Mark is one of the few people not from some version of Jason’s universe that knows a certain sensitive fact about him. Mark, for his limited knowledge about Jason, has been trying to be a good friend to him.

So after what feels like a long pause in pondering, Jason then adds something else to his statement.

“Winter is when it happened. That thing you saw.”

[atypical_echo]

Surviving isn't living, Joanie would say. Had said to Mark. But he can't say it. If only he knew how similar their line of thought was right in that moment.

But really, he isn't shocked when the words finally come out. Mark... Nods. He gets it. He doesn't like the end of May himself for certain reasons.

"What's your thoughts on project runway?"

IT seems like a pivot, but it's important in his head and makes sense.

[robintohood]

Jason looks back at Mark with a raised eyebrow. It's a strange sudden change in topics.

"You mean... the TV show?" He asks, confused.

[atypical_echo]

"Yeah," he says. "I'm a huge fan. But the friend I used to watch it with, he's gone. It's really just sad. Not getting to sit around with home cooked dinner and hot chocolate and just watching."

It's an offer without exactly being an offer. So Jason doesn't have to feel bad to just say no. Because he doesn't have to say no.

[robintohood]

Jason knows what Mark's actually offering. It's a gesture Jason's not used to receiving. He feels unsure on how to take it. There's still so much Jason feels like he has to do before he can finally feel at peace.

But on the other hand, he's so tired of feeling on edge about everything. A sense of normalcy is a luxury for him he feels he can't afford most of the time. Maybe forgetting about being a crime lord and vigilantism for even a few hours a month would be okay.

"It's not my thing usually but maybe I'll give it a shot," Jason replies.

[atypical_echo]

"Wouldn't think it would be my thing either," he says with a smile. "But you get caught up in it, whether you want it or not. Can really help you shut your mind off."

And Jason needs that.

"I tend to watch a few episodes on the second tuesday and fourth wednesday of every month," he says. "A way to unwind."

[robintohood]

Jason fidgets a little again, unsure how to handle such an offer. He still feels like he has so much to do. The balancing act between being the Red Hood and Jason Todd has been becoming more tenuous, not that he would ever admit it.

“I’ll see how my schedule looks after December,” he says. “You don’t have to do this you know.”

[atypical_echo]

"What? I don't have to partake in one of my favorite hobbies?" he says, trying to play innocent.

Mark is not great at playing innocent. Not with that hopeful look on his face.

[robintohood]

Jason snorts. Naturally, he doesn’t buy Mark’s innocent act at all.

“You know exactly what I mean,” he retorts, though not annoyed by the man’s gesture.

[atypical_echo]

Really? Mark rolls his eyes. Man, just enjoy this with him.

"What if I just want to be there for you as a friend?"

[robintohood]

Strange. Before the Confluence dropped him off onto this version of Earth, it had been so many years since anyone ever offered something like that to Jason, if ever. As much as he doesn’t want to admit it, he can feel the bone-deep emotional and mental exhaustion creeping up in him. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

“Thanks,” he says. “We can start next month.”

There was still plenty to do in December before Jason can feel like he can relax.

[atypical_echo]

"Alright then," Mark says with a smile. "You have any paper? So I can write my address down for you?"

Said as if Jason Todd wasn't completely capable of already having figured out where Mark lives.

[robintohood]

Jason makes a small smile back. It’s partially out of amusement that he has to pretend he hadn’t already figured out Mark’s address. Jason takes out his cellphone, pulls up the notes app and offers it to Mark.

“Here. Type it here,” he says.

[atypical_echo]

Mark nods and takes the phone, quickly typing it out.

"I'll look forward to seeing you."