10409/Alpha Kappa Rho Rho Rho Your Boat

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Alpha Kappa Rho Rho Rho Your Boat
Date of Scene: 12 December 2019
Location: Fraternity Row, Gotham University
Synopsis: Jason Todd and Stephanie attend a Christmas party at a fraternity at Gotham U
Cast of Characters: Spoiler, Red Hood




Spoiler has posed:
The first few days after the trip to Canada had gone about how one would expect. School and patrols needed to be done, and connecting with the rest of the family including a movie night. There was also settling into other, good chances in their lives. Earlier today Stephanie had reached out with a text to Jason. Such exchanges had become pretty frequent of late.

Stephanie>> Francisco said there's a party on fraternity row. Alpha Kappa Rho, somewhere his old roommate is pledging so he's got invites. They usually have some good dance music and I've always wanted to see the inside of the place. Feel like going?

Stephanie actually was able to see the fraternity house from her apartment window. A big stately building, with columns out front and rows of rooms. She wasn't sure what tonight's party would hold, but there were tales of them going so far as making a temporary swimming pool of the entire basement at one party.

Red Hood has posed:
Jason had been busy on his return to Gotham scoping out Blackgate prison, and trying to figure out how to get at Akahara and get the bounty off his and Steph's heads. So far there'd been no takers, but that's mostly when Jason wasn't checking out Blackgate (or getting dumplings or going to the movies) he was paying visits to the biggest names that might take the contract and 'discouraging' them from taking it up.

Steph might have brightened Jason's life, but it hadn't softened him any at least when it came to work.

He'd just thrown one such potential hit man through a third story window when his phone buzzed, he routed pulled it out with one hand, while his other one stuffed items from the potential hitman's arsenal into the bag he wore over his shoulder. Reading the message he smiles under the helmet.

Jason >> Sure. But if I need a toga, I'm fresh out.

All his college experience came from movies after all.

He puts the last of the small arms into the bag, then lifts the guy's .50 cal sniper rifle, examining it closely.

He one hand texts another message:

Jason >> Will be there in about an hour, just got to drop some toys off at the cave and get changed.

Then putting the rifle over his shoulder, he wanders out of the hitman's place to get ready for a party.

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie exchanges a few texts with other friends, asking about the party, and then sweeps over to her bedroom to check her closet for something to wear. "Christmas themed. Of course. I mean, I wasn't really expecting Independence Day, was I?" she comments to herself aloud. Ok, she actually hadn't considered it was probably a Christmas theme, but she should have.

Stephanie>> It's a Christmas theme so, red and white toga? Regular clothes are fine. I've got... ah, nothing. Ugly Christmas sweater? Friend down the hall has a red dress I'll see if I can borrow. Meet you down on the corner of Elm and 5th and we can walk over?

Stephanie looks over her poorly stocked closet again. Many of her clothes from thrift stores, some of them maintained by her own sewing. A hand goes to her back pocket, resting on it and feeling the folded envelope within as her thoughts drift.

"Worry about the dress," she says, shaking her head and hurrying back across the room in her socks, sliding across the wood floor to the door and then opening it and heading out into the hallway.

"Aw, who spilled a soda and didn't clean it up!?"

Red Hood has posed:
Jason drives back to the cave, leaving his 'toys' in the car as he hurries into his living quarters to change into something party appropriate, firing back a quick text as he does:

Jason >> Don't tempt me.

A few minutes later he's dressed in jeans, a grey hoodie, a black leather jacket and matching black combat boots. Oh so festive, right? So on the way to the sky rail he stops by the dollar store for cheap santa hat worn at a jaunty angle.

A little while later he decends the steps of the station at Elm and 5th with his hands in his pocket, shouldering a long with a pack of other Gotham U students who'd gotten off at the stop.

Spoiler has posed:
The thought of stopping to pick up a Santa hat was apparently contagious, as when Jason spots Stephanie she's got one on as well. She's wearing a stout jacket versus the Gotham winter, but as she sees Jason, she lets it slip from her shoulders and leans back against a light pole to let him see her dress.

Red fabric that nearly matches her Santa hat in color, clings nicely to her stomach and hips, and melds over the curves of her upper body with a low neckline that shows cleavage. The hem is just above mid-thigh, with slits on either side that go up past the top of her thigh to part way up her hip.

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Stephanie's smile for Jason is a very warm one that leaves no doubt on how happy she is to see him. She slips her jacket back on before the cold can get to her, and moves over to greet him with a quick peck. "Thanks for coming. This will be so much more fun with you here," she tells him. Stephanie slips her hand into the crook of his arm and motions to the stately columned building. "It's that one there. I know, one of their other members, plus Francisco's friend. Decent enough. Not really the movie stereotype, but I don't make it to a lot of these parties. They have a quite reputation she tells him as they start walking towards the fraternity house.

Red Hood has posed:
Jason's brows rise above a spreading grin and Steph let's the jacket slip from her shoulders to show off the dress for him. "Wow," he says as he joins her, returning that little kiss and holding her close for a moment before letting go and looking down at his ensamble. "I think I'm under dressed," he says.

(image: 658240bcfd2b27c694fc7467b5b4f4eb.jpg)

"But at least our hats match," he offers cheerily as Steph takes his arm and they head towards to the frat house. "Figured," he says of which one it was, there were plenty of people to be seen through the windows and plenty of bass could be heard thrumming from inside.

"Yeah, what's Mr. Decent's name?" he asks trying to get the lay of the land as they walked up the steps. "And anyone I should watch out for?"

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie is more than happy to linger in the hug, resting her head against Jason's shoulder as they embrace. "I like you just the way you are," she tells him, lips pulling back in a bright smile and giving his chest a little pat as they part and she takes his arm.

Stephanie laughs warmly about the hats. "They do," she agrees as they head up towards the building. The outside if covered in Christmas lights, and there's music playing that the lights are synchronized to as they change. Of course the fraternities are all trying to one-up each other in that regard.

Stephanie walks up the steps with Jason, "Rick is the guy I know, and Francisco's friend is named Jim. He may be working the party, bartending or something seeing as he's a pledge," she says.

The step inside and it's like stepping into a movie set. The decorations are fabulous, putting the ski lodge to shame if only for their sheer number. The entire ceiling two stories above is strewn with lights. There are decorations everywhere and music is playing from a DJ. There's a room with dancing and rooms where people are mingling, doing keg stands, and every other thing you might expect at such a party. Some people are in street clothes, but a lot dressed up.

Red Hood has posed:
Jason nods taking in the names as though he was preparing for a mission rather than a party, marking Rick, Jim and Francisco off as potential friendlies in his head. Then he steps into the din, and his eyes widen at the noise and crowds. "Wow they really went all out," he says looking around at all the decor, booze, and expensive DJ kit around the frat house's many rooms.

Another quartet of guys roll in behind Jason and Steph, and Jason lifts Steph out of the way before she's stampeded, smirking as a couple of them check out Steph in her dress, he would comment but the music was making it hard to talk. He leans close to her ear, "Let's go get something to drink," he says loud enough to be heard over the music. "Gonna need it with this many people around. Maybe we'll find your friends on the way."

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie slips off her coat, some of the pledges there to take them and even give out coat check slips to make sure people get the right ones back. She gives a thrilled laugh as he lifts her, leaning back against him and leaving no doubt in the minds of the men who came in behind them that she's definitely with Jason.

"Drink sounds like a great idea," she says. It looks like there is beer, of course, as well as a few mixed drinks, some of them hot toddies and the like for those who just came in from the cold. "Yep, we'll bump into them eventually," she says, slipping her hand into Jason's and letting him lead.

Steps lead down into a room on the other side of the double main staircase in the foyer. There's half the room that has people dancing, with strobes and Christmas lighting on them, images of snowflakes, snowmen, and Christmas trees formed by small spotlights that move back and forth over the crowd.

The other side of the room has a long bar where drinks are being handed out. Once in the door with the invites that Stephanie had, and their hands stamped, the drinks are free. "Did you see Fransisco well enough to recognize him?" asks the shorter young woman who can't see through the crowd as well.

Red Hood has posed:
Jason keeps his coat on, mostly because he's got his usual supply of shuriken and other weapons hidden away there, not something he wanted to fall into the hands of stressed out pledges. After lifting Steph, Jason wraps his arms around her waist and kisses her cheek but he's not worried about those guys, that's all for him.

Spotting the bar and leading the way through the dancers, Jason says, "Big latino guy, right?" he asks her recalling the man's face in profile and at a distance from down by the elevators. "Don't have the clearest picture, you might need to find some high ground and point him out," he says before adding. "/After/ we get some drinks."

Soon though they've wound their way through the dancers without incident except for one drunk girl who tried to attach herself to Jason, before being ushered off to a couch by the white and black haired man, and Jason waves to the guy tending bar, "Yo, a beer and a..." he looks to Steph for what she wants.

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie keeps a hand on Jason as they move through the crowd, giving a faint grin when Jason takes care of the girl hitting on him. "I'm totally going to be like that," she promises him. "Hitting on you I mean," she clarifies with a playful laugh, though the girl with not a lot of dating experience can't manage the joke without the faint start of a blush. Or maybe that's just the red, Christmasy lighting.

"I'll take one of those," she says of a hot toddy. The fraternity brother behind the bar gets them their drinks. "Do you have any idea where Rick is? Samoan Rick. Or Jim, the pledge?" The guy, wearing a shirt that is a Christmas version of his fraternity logo glances around. "Rick's over there, stairs just above the dance floor," he says. Stephanie turns to follow his gaze. "Oh, there's Francisco with him too," she says, motioning to Jason and pointing them out.

The fraternity brother bartender says, "And if Jim had a hand in you being here, I'll be sure to give him a positive mark in his pledge book," he says with a wink, though he looks to Jason to give a nod. Silently saying he's flirting to flatter the young woman, not trying to hit on her when he can tell they are together.

Red Hood has posed:
Jason laughs, "And here I thought you meant sloppy drunk," he says of Steph's remarks. Not likely, they were in Gotham and basically on-call 24/7. "But I like the hitting on me thing better," he remarks with a smile and giving her hand a squeeze before they hit the bar.

Following Steph's gaze, Jason picks out Francisco and what must be Samoan Rick. "Damn you know some really big guys," Jason remarks of the pair. "Someone should send those two down the sewers to deal with that Croc guy, they'll have him beat no problem." Jason says playing it like he's never met the scaly man living under Gotham's streets because of course Jason Todd never has.

Jason is completely unfazed by the compliments thrown Steph's way, as he smiles and says, "Give him two," he tells the frat brother about Jim with a grin giving the man an upnod to tell him it's all cool. Jason was of the school that didn't sweat other guys appreciating his girl, besides, if he had to keep them away from her, was she really his girl?

When the brother brings them their drinks Jason nods in the direction of the pair of giants on the stairs and says, "So should we go over?" he asks. "I really want to see if they've got the goose that lays the golden egg," Jason says riffing off giants and Jack and the Beanstalk.

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie takes the drink with a grin for the bartender and one for Jason as he encourages Jim's rewarding. "Thank you," she tells him as she takes a sip and gives a soft, "Ooo. Might have to amend that 'not sloppy drunk' part," she jokes. "Yes, let's go join them. Would like to introduce you," she tells Jason.

She lets him lead the way though. Big and nicely burly does better clearing a path through the party crowd than does Stephanie. She's getting a few looks for the dress but it's a friendly crowd, if a celebratory one. Nothing over the line.

Francisco spots Stephanie peeking out from behind Jason as they get near and waving her hand towards him. "Steph, you made it," he says, sounding like it's a pleasant surprise she took him up on the social outing. "And wow, great dress," he says. Samoan Rick nods in agreement. Francisco smiles to Jason and says, "Nice to meet you, Francisco," he says, offering his hand.

Stephanie rests a hand on Jason's shoulder, sort of hanging lightly against his side. "This is Jason," she offers. "A good friend of mine," she adds, though the look she gives Jason as she says it, the smile she has, gives the impression it's a bit more than her words indicated.

"Yeah, great to meet you," Francisco says to Jason, smiling at the news. "And I'm Rick," Samoan Rick says, offering his hand once Jason and Francisco are done. "How do you know each other, class together? Steph, did you ever pick a major?"

Red Hood has posed:
Jason happily plays the icebreaker carving a path through the jubulant crowd towards Steph's friends on the stairs. When they reach them, Jason gives the pair an upnod until Steph's made introductions and he holds out a hand to shake Francisco's hand and then Rick's.

Once that's done he puts an arm around Steph's waist to add to the evidence that she was more than 'just one of the guys' to him.

"You'll have to ask her about her major, and me, I don't go to school," he says, the last a little defiantly, "But Steph and I met through her friend Barbara if you've met her."

It was easier to blame things on Babs than drop Bruce Wayne into the conversation.

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie seems quite contented to lean against Jason enclosed by the loop of his arm, her head lightly resting against him with her festive Santa hat that matches his own. "I haven't. I think the things that would be the most fun, probably would be tough to find a job in. And the things that would be best suited for a job make me want to go to sleep," she says with a soft chuckle and rueful shrug of her shoulders.

Francisco and Rick give little shakes of their heads about knowing Barbara, with Rick saying, "Don't think I know her, but glad you could make the party. Good group of guys here," says the Samoan of his fraternity brothers.

Stephanie says, voice a little prideful, "Jason has a security firm, evaluations and that sort of thing, not the night watchman sort." Francisco smiles and tells Jason, "Sounds pretty impressive."

Stephanie takes a sip of her drink and looks about the crowd. It's just about four steps up from the large room with the dancing and the bar, up to the level of the main foyer. The group is standing beneath the grand double staircase essentially. It also gives them a nice view of the crowd. People are dancing to some Christmas style club music with a DJ putting down an extra beat overtop. The ceiling is hung with tinsel and decorations, and mistletoe has been strategically placed in a spots, especially the corners where couples occasionally wander over to make use of the yuletide tradition.

A girl over on the dance floor is waving over to Stephanie. "Oh, there's Christie. She was in Philolosphy with me last year. Mind if I go say hi?" she asks Jason.

Red Hood has posed:
"See, this is why I went with trade school," Jason says. "I like what I do and it was fun to learn." Of course his 'trade school' was run by Batman, with advanced courses bankrolled by Talia al Ghul so it's not really the same thing.

"She's fun, don't think she's much of the party type though," Jason says of Barbara before nodding about the brothers. "Yeah, your guy at the bar was pretty solid. You guys both members?" he asks Rick and Francisco.

When Stephanie excuses herself to go speak with Christine, Jason kisses her cheek. "Have fun, I'll be here," he tells her and then settles back to take a drink of his beer.

Spoiler has posed:
The kiss to her cheek may be just a small, warm thing, but it brings out such a smile from Stephanie. Her hand touches to Jason's about her hip, resting fingers on his before she departs then, that touch of fingers the last thing to separate from him. The smile and touch are small things, but Francisco and Rick glance to each other, obviously having noticed them, and each getting a small smile communicated between them.

As Stephanie picks her way over to her friend, Francisco shakes his head and says, "Nah, I'm a GDI. God Damned Independent," he says, the age old college joke of fraternity letters for those not in one. Rick gives a chuckle and tells Jason, "If you guys like can give you a tour of the house. I'm not sure if Steph has seen most of it before. There's a game room downstairs. Nice view up on the second floor balcony that looks over the front lawn," he says. "Have you spent much time on campus? From around here in Gotham?" he asks Jason.

Stephanie is greeted with a hug by her friend, the two taking turns leaning into the other's ear to yell to be heard over the music. At one point Stephanie points over towards the trio of men, Christine looking over and grinning at the sight of Jason before pulling Stephanie back close to shout into her ear.

Meanwhile, Rick motions towards a really thin guy with brown hair and freckles. He's carrying a couple of boxes that look like they probably hold bottles of booze, probably to the bar, though he sets his course towards Jason, Francisco and Rick first.

Red Hood has posed:
Jason gives Steph a grin at that touch and then lets her slip away as he sips his beer.

There's a touch of bewilderment at the college in jokes, but Jason's good at playing along and quickly covers that to nod and chuckle about Francisco's independent status. "Word, brother," he says holding out a fist for the man to bump. "Not much of a joiner myself, ask my family."

"And sure, tour sounds good, hell of place you and your brothers have here Rick, like straight out of a movie, figured I was going to need a toga before I got let in the door. And me? Yeah, I'm Gotham born and raised, East Park Side represent!" he says claiming Crime Alley as his old stomping grounds though with enough irony for the boys to know he didn't wasn't gang banging along with his secuirty gig. "But no, haven't been around the campus much, always looked nice though."

Catching sight of Freckles with the boxes he smiles, "Guessing that's Jim?" he asks.

Spoiler has posed:
Francisco returns the fist dap with a grin. Rick laughs and replies, "It really is a pretty great place. And there was even a movie that filmed here at our house back in the 1990s. It's popular on the playlist around here as you can guess." The Samoan, broad across the chest but not really squat like the stereotype, laughs about the toga. "Yeah, a lot of people don't know what to expect. The whole frat stereotype is hard to combat. There are definitely some that inspire it. But AKR never really felt like those to me. Only reason I joined. And it's been a great experience," he says.

They glance over and nod with grins. "Yep, that's Jim," Francisco confirms. It really only takes a glance at Jim's spindly body to think he's probably not the best coordinated. And he stumbles as if to confirm this on the way over. When he speaks he also has one of those higher pitched, raspy voices like his voice change during puberty never quite completed.

Jim stops, the box of bottles hanging from his arms. "Hey guys," he says. "Damn, saw you had a hot blond in a Santa dress with you, figured I'd come over and get an introduction," he says to Rick and Francisco, not seeming to realize Jason is with them.

Rick motions over towards where Stephanie and Christine are still talking. "Stephanie Brown. The blonde? It's Stephanie." This causes Jim to do a bit of a doubletake and look over. "Never seen her dress anything like that before," he says, not just surprised by the dress, but obviously not having ever considered she might look like that in it.

Francisco clears his throat. "This is Jason, Steph's date tonight. Jason, Jim is the one pulling his foot out of his mouth." Jim starts and says, "Oh, sorry man. Hey, glad you two came out. She never really makes stuff like this." He tries to juggle the box to free up a hand, but it's too heavy for him to have in one hand and he finally sets it down to offer Jason a hand.

Stephanie and Christine are starting to make their way back through the crowd towards the boys. In the other direction, towards the front door, a stunning brunette comes in, dressed in a way that stands out just the right amount in this sort of crowd. Expensive, fashionable, revealing, yet not quite crossing any of those lines towards being too much. She has the kind of body for walking with a sway, and that walk turns a few heads as she also spots the group of men at the top of the couple of steps and heads their way.

Red Hood has posed:
"Yeah?" Jason asks. "You got to let me know which one I'll definitely check it out," Jason says of the movie featuring the frathouse. "Always fun to see stuff filmed in Gotham, doesn't happen that often except for horror or noir movies."

Gotham had that sort of vibe, plus New York sucked up all the movie bucks.

"Yep," Jason confirms, "That's Steph," he says to Jim with a grin that tells him he's not taking any offense and he shakes the hand when it's offered and claps the guy on the shoulder. "How much longer do you have until they figure out if you're a full brother or not?" he asks with a nod towards the boxes.

Though like the rest of them his eyes go to the brunette parading through the party, hey he was still a guy, he glances to the others, "Her name isn't Jordanna is it?" Jason asks.

Spoiler has posed:
Jim looks relieved at Jason's response. "Nice to meet you," he says to Jason in his slightly off-key voice that sounds like there's probably not octave he could effectively sing in. "Middle of January, two weeks after we get back from break. I can't wait!" he says of when he'll become a full member. The clap on the shoulder gets a smile too. There's probably the sense he's not very high in social standing with most of his peers.

All three of the other young men's attention is indeed drawn towards the brunette's approach. Rick nudges Francisco at Jason's question as to the college girl's identity. "See? Infamous, I tell you," he comments as if this is part of a previous conversation. Francisco gives a wry shake of his head but nods to Jason, "Yes that is. Jordanna Spence," he tells Jason.

And the aforementioned lady reaches the boys. Rick gets a nod and Francisco a smile that would be called coy if it didn't have enough smolder in it to render that adjective inappropriate. Jim? Ignored. "It looks like another successful party, Rick," Jordanna says, getting a nod and smile back from Rick, the young woman the kind of who draws the attention of most in the group as soon as she joins them.

She looks over to Jason, eyes taking him in with a speculative look. "New brother I haven't met, Rick?" she asks about Jason.

Stephanie and Christine, having to make their way through the crowd, are still en route.

Red Hood has posed:
"Not long then man, chin up, you'll make it," Jason says remembering how it felt those first six months with Bruce training to be Robin and waiting for the day he could put on the uniform and be part of the team. He doubted Jim was going through anything half so grueling as what Bruce had put Jason through.

Jason notes that last name, he'd run her through the Batcomputer later, no real reason beyond Bat nosyiness. Though when the woman in question arrives Jason plays it cool, not looking her way taking a long swig of his beer and when she asks about him, he looks over like this was the first time he noticed her. "Me? Nah, just here with my date," he says with a shrug, keeping track of Stephanie's approach out of the corner of his eye to guage how long it'd be until she joins them before he fixes his full attention on Jordanna, offering her a smirk as he extends her hand. "Jason Todd."

Spoiler has posed:
The other men let Jason answer Jordanna's question, and as he introduces himself, Jordanna's attention falls on Jason primarily. She has vivid eyes that one could spend awhile counting the colors of, and the kind of face that a plastic surgeon might show as an ideal. There might or might not have been that kind of work done there, but if so it was work well-done.

She doesn't shake his hand so much as slip her fingers into his, and bringing her other hand over to rest her fingertips along the back of his hand. "Very nice to meet you," she tells him. "I thought Alpha Kappa Rho had snapped up most of the handsome men on campus," she says to Jason warmly. Rick glances to Francisco, the latter's expression suggesting he's used to her doing this.

Stephanie and Christine walk up the steps together. Christine has mousy brown hair, a short and slender thing, with glasses. Overall a pretty girl. She's gone ugly Christmas sweater tonight, as have a few others. Stephanie's eyes go to Jason and Jordanna, the latter holding his hand rather than shaking it.

Red Hood has posed:
Jason eases into the grip on his hand like he was used to such attention. As a matter of fact he was, and maybe a week or so ago he might not have been playing at being interested, tonight though this was definitely a game.

Catching Stephanie's arrival he continues with the set up. "Guessed they missed one," he says before adding with a wink, "Though it looks like they did invite the prettiest girl..." he lets that linger before he slips his hand from Jordanna's and slides over to Steph, hooking her chin to tilt her head up to him. "And here she is now," he says before leaning down to kiss Stephanie slowly and passionately infront of everyone.

Spoiler has posed:
The sight that greeted Stephanie as she and Christine emerged from the crowd starts to finally register, like her brain had just outright rejected the image and refused to accept it as anything real. She's just starting to react about the time that Jason remove his hand from the beautiful Jordanna's grip, and moves to meet Stephanie instead.

She sinks into his arms as they go around her, head tilting back to turn her face towards his as Jason gives her the kind of sound kissing that every woman should get to experience at least once. Stephanie's toes curl and her arms slide up around his shoulders. Her curves, usually more hidden in her casual attire, are shown well by the dress as she presses her body in against Jason's during the kiss. When it finally breaks, she's left with a delighted giggle, and she has to straighten her Santa hat.

The others just stand and watch, the eyes of the boys most all going a little wide. Jordanna's eyes? They narrow instead, and her hands go on her hips as she watches Jason thoroughly kissing Stephanie in a way that leaves Christine just grinning. Stephanie finally remembers anyone else is there. "Um, Christine. This is him. Jason. I mean, Christine this is Jason. Jason, my friend CHristine," she says, her brain trying to restart after that awesome kiss.

Red Hood has posed:
Jason grins into that kiss and holds Steph tight through it all and when it's over he grins down at her resting his head on hers for a moment as he greets, "Heya beautiful," he says before stepping back a bit but leaving an arm around Steph's middle, he extends his free hand to Christine. "Hey, I'm Jason," he greets her. "Nice to meet you."

No look is given to Jordanna but Jason is watching her expression out of the corner of his eye a smirk on his lips.

Spoiler has posed:
Christine grins and shakes Jason's hand. "Really nice to meet you. You're as handsome as she was telling me, which is saying something!" she says cheekily. Christine has a very likeable way about her, but also seems like a bit of a wallflower from her body language.

As the fledgling couple part after the kiss, Jim clears his throat and says in his raspy voice, "Hey Steph. That's a great dress. Glad you made the party."

Stephanie smiles to Jim. "Thanks Jim, the place looks great," She says while leaning against Jason like not trusting her balance yet after that amazing kiss.

Jordanna peers at the dress speculatively. "That /is/ a great dress," she agrees. "Who did you borrow it from?" she asks. Stephanie clears her throat uncertainly. "Someone on my floor, she-"

Jordanna cuts her off with a smirk and a short laugh. "Figured so. No way a poor girl like you would have that in your wardrobe," she says. Stephanie's cheeks color a bit as Jordanna turns away. "Francisco, I need a drink," she says, taking his hand and pulling him away and down the stairs towards the bar. He goes along, glancing back towards Samoan Rick and the others with a shrug of his shoulders.

Stephanie looks back to Jason. "So, feel like taking a girl dancing? There's even some mistletoe out there I think," she tells him, cheeks still red, but a smile back on her face.

Red Hood has posed:
Jason snorts at the compliment, "Thanks," he says to Christine with a smile. Steph might tell he's not that used to compliments, or at least the sincere type with no ulterior motives attached but he hides it well enough for the others. "Like the sweater," he says with a nod to the girl's traditional ugly Christmas sweater.

When Jordanna cuts down Steph, Jason's hand loosens at Steph's waist as he starts to step forward before he checks himself. This was not the sort of crowd where you could knock someone on their ass without the cops being called. Jason just smiles instead, "You should be careful, say that to the wrong girl and daddy will need to buy you another nose."

Then he lets her and Francisco go, giving the guy a shrug, like, hey, you do you man...

"Sure," Jason says about the dancing. "Though, Rick, don't want to leave you all alone here man, but think you could spring Jim here to take Christine to the dance floor? You can put his ass back to work after," he gives Jim a wink. "Unless you want to do it and let Jim take those boxes over to the bar, and get us all a drink,"

Spoiler has posed:
Rick grins and says to Jim, "Why don't you get the box over to the bar and then come join us?" He looks around to see if this sounds good to everyone. Christine nods her agreement, and Rick offers him her hand as they both introduce themselves. Apparently she's someone Steph knows from class then, not part of this group of friends already.

Stephanie's arm goes about Jason's waist, hand gently patting his side after the comment to Jordanna. "Thanks. But, not worth it," she says with a sigh. She rests her head against Jason's shoulder, a soft smile at how he stood up for her.

When everyone is ready, the dance floor awaits! Jim will rejoin them soon enough. The lights flash overhead and the music has a nice sultry beat that people could dance in groups or as couples to. Stephanie moves to dance close with Jason, facing him and leaning close, her head against his shoulder and mouth moving near to his ear. "There was something I wanted to mention. That happened the other day, after we got back," she tells Jason.

Red Hood has posed:
Jason gives a shrug and finishes his beer. "Sounds good," he says casually of the arragements, though all he mostly cared about was getting out on the floor with Stephanie.

"Probably not, last thing I need is to have to explain to Bruce why I laid out Bitchy Rich at a college party," Jason allows. "Should really invite her to a party down East Park Side, if she tries that shit there she'll get cut."

Then with a cleansing breath he lets it go, focusing on the dancing, and what Steph has to say.

"Oh?" Jason asks her, more of his attention going her way. "What happened?"

Spoiler has posed:
Stephanie dances close, one of her arms resting along Jason's shoulder, fingers light on the back of his neck. She glances over at her friends. Rick is one of those dancers who makes up with sheer enjoyment what he lacks in skill. Christine is just... cute. Cute looking, cute dancing. She could have a neon sign above her head blinking "Cute". Jim rejoins them and smiles, happy to have a break from playing party gopher.

Stephanie softly brushes her cheek against Jason's, nuzzling for a moment. "Nothing bad. I was at the manor. Checking on Bruce. His recovery and everything. He and Diana went to the Greek islands. I have a feeling she's going to be a good influence on him," Stephanie tells Jason.

They dance a few more seconds and then she says, "So, Bruce decided to give me a Christmas present early. I sort of was trying to keep out of my head that I am going to have ask him at some point if he's ok with me dating his son. Dreading it a little bit. And... yeah, well the present," she says, letting out a breath.

Stephane clears her throat a little. "He wants to make me part of the Wayne Trust," she says softly. It's a small, simple sentence. But that would have such profound implications on the girl too poor to own the beautiful Christmas dress he has on.

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Jason spares a glance for Rick and Christine, 'hehing' softly and smiling faintly. His arms are low wrapped around Steph's narrow waist, his fingers sliding along the fabric of her dress.

The nuzzling against his face gets his attention back on Steph and he says, "Yeah? Did she kidnap him? Not like Bruce to go on vacation." He says of the impromptu trip with a bit of a smile. "And I guess, still weird though, Bruce dating someone, like the sun rising at dusk."

He snorts about her worries about telling Bruce. "He let you be part of the family, he cares way more about that than who I date," he says even before he knows about the Trust. "He'll probably give us both a speech about not making out when we're supposed to be and being careful that our relationship doesn't get in the way of things and we'll be fine. Oh and the ironic talk about using protection from the guy who knocked up his assassin girlfriend. Man, I wish I knew about Damian when Bruce first gave me that talk I'd have laughed so hard."

That last bit of news though gets an "Oh," out of Jason. "You going to take it?" he asks her his expression hard to read.

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The arms wrapped around Stephanie could be magic in the way they can cause so much of what is going on around her to fade out. The music is still going on, and people are dancing. Jim is making Rick look like he's been on Dancing With The Stars by comparison, while Christine just seems amused with them both, and casts little approving glances towards Stephanie and Jason.

Stephanie nestles close, her fingers on the back of his neck just softly brushing. She gives a few soft chuckles at Jason's comments. "Well, he was speaking from experience then I guess," she tells him, a little amused.

But after she shares the big news, Steph doesn't answer anything for awhile, foreshadowing her eventual answer of, "I don't know. I just don't know," she says, shaking her head.

The young woman draws a slow breath as if hoping it will be a cleansing one. "You have any idea how many times I wished I was rich? And now it's there in my grasp... it doesn't feel right to me," she tells him, shaking her head. "It's probably stupid. Being as much a part of the family as I am has meant SO much to me. It's what I've wanted. I should be... ecstatic. Shouldn't I?" she says. "I ended up crying. Not because of the money, but just... that I figured he'd accept me. Us, I mean," she tells Jason.

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All the dancing hijinks of the other three is missed right now with Stephanie in Jason's arms. Right now they were all that mattered.

"Heh. True I guess," Jason says of Bruce's lecture.

"I know how you feel," Jason says when Steph comes clean with her feelings. "I never really thought much about it when I was working with Bruce, it had just been one more form I signed when he adopted me, never really spent much money, I was fifteen and in love with the job, I really didn't do much else..."

He frowns, "But after, when I came back, I didn't sign back on again, for different reasons, didn't want to be dependent on his money to live, to do the work, figured if I signed I was on his leash for good. I know that's likely not your issue with it, but anyhow just saying I get not wanting it, despite growing up the way we did."

He brushes her lips with his, "And of course he accepts you," Jason says. "He signed off on you being..." he doesn't say it here, but he means Batgirl. "That's way more important than the money to him."

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The blond college student's confliction is easy to sense as her head moves back enough her blue eyes can focus on Jason. Her fingers move from Jason's neck to his cheek as he gives Stephanie new insights into himself. She gives a tiny nod, "Not the same issue," she says, but softly so it's not like she's focused on that part. "But you understand the... I feel like I must be crazy for feeling this way about it," she agrees. And she can't go this long without some sort of smile, and gives the one that sometimes seems to signify she's going to make it and go on no matter how surreal something seems.

The kiss means everything to her. Helps Stephanie push the other thoughts aside just for a moment. Gives her more clarity when their lips part after Stephanie returns the kiss just as tenderly. "I know it's dumb. None of this would have happened if he didn't trust me. I just..." she says, shaking her head and trailing off rather than letting herself voice the conclusion she might reach.

Stephanie clears her throat. "I mean, I could be a dress like this. Probably even too. I never really focused on the amount, but it would probably cover it," she says, giving Jason one of her little goofy grins. "You're more important to me than any money," she says quietly.

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"Nah, I get it," Jason says. "We've been poor all our lives, it's hard to suddenly believe holy shit I've got all this money, and not have it throw you off. Look at Carrie, she got a six figure job, a cave and a penthouse and she's still struggling to process it all. Got to imagine it's the same for you, we've all had to struggle for everything we've got, so suddenly having it all handed to us doesn't seem real. Plus you and I come from homes where gifts can't be trusted, they've always got strings."

Well at least Jason's home was like that, but he was willing to bet Steph's Dad was that sort of asshole too.

Jason smiles after the tender kiss, nodding about the dress, "Knowing Bruce, more like a dozen of those dresses, or more," he says. "And shame about the dress being borrowed," he says before he leans in to whisper in her ear. Though her words about Jason and money get their own nod and a kiss to follow it, "I know, you're more important to me too."

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The music keeps flowing, fueling the dancer's bodies as they let the beat and the energy of the music infuse them. The DJ is doing a great job of finding versions of Christmas songs that work with the beat he lays down overtop of them.

Stephanie sways in time with Jason, a soft smile growing at the mention of Carrie. "Yeah. She really deserves it though," Stephanie says, obviously pleased to see all of that happening for Carrie. "Bruce offered me a job at Wayne Enterprises too. I really don't know what I'd do there though. And if I did, I'd never finish school. It's tough enough staying above water on my classes with everything else that takes up time," she says. Like punching Joker. Oh she'd love to punch Joker.

She lets out a soft laugh. "Probably a dozen," she agrees as Jason amends her earlier figure. She looks up into his eyes, smiling and then leaning her head towards his whisper. She looks back to him after and gets such a pleased, beautiful grin. "I'll find something else for that. I -promise-," she assures him, laughing. Stephanie leans into the kiss, her lips warm and soft against his own. After, she's content to just look up into his eyes for awhile. "Thank you, by the way. For Jordanna," she says. "That... was quite the kiss, too."

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"You deserve it too," Jason assures Steph with a smile. "Really." Though he nods for the time constraints involved with working for Wayne enterprises and going to school. "Better to make your own way," he agrees.

He grins at Steph's promise and nods, "You're welcome," he says about Jordanna, "And the kiss was pretty great for me too."