15294/Plotting the next move

Plotting the next move
Date of Scene:	05 July 2023
Location:	Living Quarters, Markovia Station
Synopsis:	Helena and Jason return to Gotham after the events of her kidnapping. They finally take a minute to address the elephant in the room regarding the amount of time they've been spending together and what that may mean going forward.
Cast of Characters:	Red Hood, Huntress

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Red Hood has posed:
Several days after Red Hood saved Helena from her unwilling visit to see "Pino" and their trip to NYC, things have returned to normal. Such as it is.

Jason is in the living area of his underground base. It's a downtime sort of day. Several loads of laundry to catch up on, dishes to wash. A place to keep clean. He may live alone, aside from the alley cat that keeps finding his way in, still Jason tries not to have a typical single guy's messy place.

Huntress has posed:
Normal is, really, a relative thing.

Helena Bertinelli is fiercely independent, and she's long adjusted to being alone -- lacking any immediate family and with her support structure of distantly related mafiosos not exactly upstanding citizen role models -- it's hardly surprising she could be considered maladjusted.

Having picked up sufficient clothes and other items from her penthouse apartment a few days ago, it's not like Helena is without the things she needs. But still, there's a sense of what can only be described as growing agitation. She's not an easy person to get along with at the best of times, but actually living with someone else -- even if it's only for a few days -- is new.

And frightening.

Not that she'd ever admit to that. No, she goes with the default Huntress mode of misdirected anger. A kind of staple.

As Jason returns, Helena's taking out her ire on his stove in particular. "The stove top burns too hot. Everything burns too quickly," the Italian woman declares, because that's totally the reason everything is burned. True, a good cook does get used to the peculiarities of their own kitchen, but after try three of what's 'merely' a tomato based sauce, there's almost certainly more going on than a temperature issue.

Red Hood has posed:
Jason Todd returns from moving a load of laundry from washer to dryer witha stop to add more food for the cat that doesn't live with him. Total freeloading moocher.

Looking over, he walks to the stove and reaches up to slowly turn the temperature dial back a few numbers.

"Yes. High is really hot. Thankfully they have invented dials with numeric values so you know what setting you're on. I've learned it works well.." It's a quiet, gentle sort of teasing rather than the usual biting sarcasm and snark.

His other hand rests on Helena's hip lightly. "You okay? Cabin fever?"

Huntress has posed:
It's possible that Helena has left a few pieces of raw fish drop occasionally for the mooching cat to eat. She'd never admit it though.

"High on /my/ stove is only medium heat," Helena corrects, like this should be obvious, and every other stove should adhere to her particular standards of heat definition. She gives an aggrieved look at him, even if he is only teasing.

When he touches her hip, Helena makes a last attempt to stir the pot of red goop, and sets it aside. "I can no longer cook on your stove, Jay. I'm sorry. It's a lost cause." That's not her problem though. Not her real problem, and even she's aware of it.

"I'm going to head back to my penthouse." She's decided, and there's a half-turn of her head to see his reaction to that. "...alone."

Red Hood has posed:
Jason Todd listens with a bit of a smirk.

"That makes perfect sense. I'll have a handyman come and break my stove so it works like yours." There's the sarcasm.

"I understand" not cooking, "That's why I get take out from around the corner usually." It works for him anyway.

When she looks at him meets her gaze and he can see the determination.

He nods. "ANy time you want. I can drive you over if you want." Unless she wants to travel alone too. Which she may.

He might be bothered or a little disappointed, but he isn't going to show it or make an issue of it. She's not so different than the cat that doesn't live here. At least right now. Things take time. If they ever change.

Huntress has posed:
"Now you're getting it." Oddly Helena kind of responds almost better to the sarcasm. It's like she's more used to it. "I'll pay him extra if he can make the little flame exceptionally hot too, for a quick saute." Even with all that though she gives him a look that is ill impressed. "You can't live on take out. It's... unseemly." She may have been young when her parents died, but her mother -- and subsequent family gatherings -- very much enforced the idea of meal creation, as much as the consuming of it, as exceptionally important.

Of course a non-small percentage of those people also probably want her dead, but who's keeping score?

Helena is expecting some kind of pushback. It's dangerous. This isn't resolved. Something. That he doesn't fight -- even offers her a lift, catches her by surprise. The comparison to the cat is stunningly apt. When she's in, she wants to be out. When she's out she wants to be in.

"I'm not good at this." It's her version of an apology.

Red Hood has posed:
Jason Todd shrugs, "Maybe we should take some cooking classes together" because then she'll learn how to drive a stove. Or he'll be dead for suggesting it before he ever hits the floor.

"Turns out? You actually can live on take out. Chun's Chinese is surprisingly good. And the Pakistani place around the corner is amazing." Proved her wrong, didn't he?

He could argue and fight. But his 6th sense is tingling. He may not know a lot about women, still he has a sense of self preservation - and that includes knowing when it is unwise to try and argue with a woman. Besides, it isn't like they're actually dating or anything. Yet at least.

He smiles and reaches up to lightly brush a lock of her hair.

"You're better at it than you give yourself credit for. Whatever it is, you can tell me. When you're ready. It's not like you owe me any sort of explanation."

There could be a hint of sarcasm there.

"I'm trying too."

Huntress has posed:
There's every possibility Jason will end up dead on his own floor, given he just questioned Helena's cooking skills. The way she's eyeing that still hot pot of sauce isn't encouraging, anyway. Strangely though it doesn't manifest into violence. Instead, after a long pause, "I'll teach you. You will need a stubborn teacher, I think."

While she doesn't mind take out, it's clear she objects to him living on it. "You're impossible." There might be an exasperated smile there at the end.

When he reaches up to brush fingers against her hair, her eyes half close, and she sighs. "Being with people. Sharing." A beat, weighted: "Depending on someone else." Yeah, that's probably the closest to the truth. At least as far as she's ready to admit to herself.

Helena leans to flick off the burner entirely, apparently conceding defeat. "You've let me defame your stove, so I think you're doing better than me."

Red Hood has posed:
Jason Todd smiles back. "I am." Impossible. "It's why we get along so well." Opposites might attract but at least similar souls can understand what's eating at them a bit easier.

"I can make boiling water" he protests sarcastically.

Then he nods, "I'd enjoy that though." Besides, it's more time with her when they're not trying to kill mafia members.

As she confesses what's getting to her he listens. And he nods.

"I understand. When Bruce first took me in as a kid. I was used to living on the streets by my own wits. I guess I never really left the streets back then.." Has he now?

"My stove is strong. You won't hurt its feelings" he jokes.

Then he seeks to catch her hands to turn her attention to him. "I know.. you're not used to being around others as much as we've ended up doing lately. Hell, it's been more than I'm used to since I came back."

He searches her eyes. "If you're telling me you need space. More than just going home. I'll understand." He won't like it. So far he's like where things have been going. "I'm not trying to rush anything." He pauses, "But I'm also not going anywhere."

Huntress has posed:
"You don't /make/ boiling water, you-" Helena's eyes narrow, as she falls into the too-obvious sarcasm before she realizes. "Okay, fine. But before I go, I am teaching you how to boil eggs, at least." She makes a noise. "I don't know how you even survived before me. Maybe I should ask Alfred to come teach you instead."

She rather suspects he'd be a strict taskmaster, somehow.

Dark eyes flicker over Jason's as he takes her hands, gaze searching. "You hide it well, if it's bothering you." She doesn't ask whether it is not. He'll volunteer if he wants to.

"I'm not-" Helena answers immediately. Like most things her first gut reaction is the truth. "I'm not trying to tell you I need space. Not in the way you mean it." Permanently. "I just need to be in my own apartment, cooking at my own stove, relaxing in my own bath." A beat, and a faint smile, "I like sleeping in my silk sheets." When he says he's not going anywhere, there's a contemplative tilt of her head, and she smiles. "If you're lucky I /might/ text you for a booty call. But then I might not. Sometimes I like taking up all the space in the bed."

Her fingers squeeze his, lightly as she leans forward into him. "First, though, eggs."

Red Hood has posed:
Jason Todd laughs as he lured her into the joke about making water. "Hel... I know how to boil eggs. I can cook. I just don't do it a lot. Cooking for myself just seems... pointless" he says with a shrug. "But I would enjoy learning more from you."

"I learned from the best how to hide things. Usually my temper makes them obvious anyway" he admits. "And sure... I admit it has been odd, not being able to just.. walk into my bathroom. For hours. And hours" the impish twinkle in his eyes shows he's ready for retaliation.

With a nod as she clarifies, "Well that does make me feel better." Then he smirks. "If you're lucky maybe I'll answer that text. Unless I get a better offer.." Oh boy, he went and said that.

Still he's grinning and it's a joke.

"Eggs. If you like."