15783/Meet the Faul... Waynes

Meet the Faul... Waynes
Date of Scene:	10 November 2023
Location:	Big Belly Burger, Old Gotham
Synopsis:	Tim introduces Nikki to his brother and his Brother's GF
Cast of Characters:	Red Robin, Nikki Hawkins, Red Hood, Huntress

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Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake has invited Jason to come out to meet Nikki. He made sure his brother knows she does not know about the other side of their lives. So he decided doing it at a burger joint might be the best first meeting, might be a bit less chance of Jason embaressing him. Well probably not, but hey gotta try. So, he holds the door open for Nikki as they come into the place.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
"Nikki's really excited to meet some of Tim's family... but she's also nervous that his family won't like her. Not many people like Nikki. Cause she's annoying..." It's true. It was likely one of the first things she kept warning Tim about when they first met. A soft 'thank you' given as Tim holds the door open for her and then she gives a look around. "Nikki doesn't think she's been here before... cafe, dumpling house, coffee shop..." She continues to quietly list places she's been while waiting to find a seat, or be led to a seat, hopefully a sitting down position will occur soon.

Red Hood has posed:
It's one of the last things Jason expected to be invited to, lately, if he is being perfectly honest. The Family's "Night Jobs" aside, he's the one of the kids with the bad past. Dick is the boyscout. Tim is the smart geek. Who apparently has found a girl who likes him.

There was a time not so very long ago that Jason would have teased (mocked) Tim mercilessly for finding a girl almost as nerdy as he is. But .. things changed six-some months back for him as well. It's why he asked Tim if it was okay to invite his girl along. What's not to enjoy about one of the Wayne boys dating a Mafia Princess? How could that possibly go wrong? (Any more than it already has.. but that's a tale for another day probably)

Picking Helena up, Jason offers a warning he isn't sure what to expect - just that Tim's girl doesn't know about their side gig.

A minute or two after Tim and Nikki arrive, Jason pulls his '67 GTO into the lot, the engine's rumble can be heard inside the burger place.

Getting out, he's wearing jeans, an AC/DC Highway to Hell teeshirt and a leather jacket. Walking around he gets Helena's door and falls in beside her as they had to the building. He gets the door for her again before following inside, his gaze looking to Tim and Nikki.

"Hey Tim." Glancing to his companion he offers a smile, "You must be Nikki? I'm Jason and this is my girlfriend Helena." No last name for now. Because that probably would stir some concern in the average Gothamite's soul given it's a Mafia family. But it's cool. Everything's cool. Probably.

Huntress has posed:
Helena Bertinelli isn't exactly unknown in Gotham. Her name, lately, has been in the papers more than once, associating her with the recent escalation in mob violence in the city. Unsurprising, some say, given she's a daughter of one of the most infamous Don of Dons. Fortunately, she's always been one to avoid getting photographed, so while her name is out there, her image is a lot more low key. As is the fact that she is also Huntress -- though that, at least, is something Tim Drake is already aware of.

When Jason offers his warning about 'their side gig', she snorts. "Which? Us being vigilantes, me currently being a Don, or all of the above?" She'll walk alongside Jason, slipping her hand into the crook of his arm as she goes. She has an effortless elegance in the way she dresses -- a white silk shirt, open at the neck and showing off a plain gold necklace with a cross; black skirt to her thighs, and black heels. She could easily be going to a formal business meeting as a dinner.

"Hi, Tim," Helena greets him with a sharp-eyed look but a seemingly genuine smile. "It's been a while." Years, in fact. "And lovely to meet you, Nikki." Her lips part, as if about to add something else, but Jason's voicing her of as his girlfriend is probably the first time he's said that aloud, and it feels real and present and it steals her voice for a moment.

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake 's brow raises slightly when he sees who Jason is calling his girl friend, but they were trained to hide reactions and he is pretty good at it, he will talk to Jason about that later. He smiles and says to Nikki "The great thing about Big Belly Burgers is they are all over the place, my friend Bart loves them." He nods to Jason and Helena as they get within talking distance "Jason, Helena, it is good to see you both." He motions towards a booth that has a good view of the door, and says "We want to sit there?" And if so he will lead the three to it, and gives Jason and Helena the side with their back to the wall, where they can see the door.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
Nikki is given a reprieve from her own mind when the not-familiar voices speak familiar names. Including her own! She looks over at Jason and Helena as they approach and make their introductions, giving them a smile. "Nikki is happy to meet Jason and Helena. She hasn't met much of Tim's family so it's exciting!" The lady that speaks in the third person and looks like she could pass for a teenager shifts when Tim mentions going and getting a booth. "Happy to try new places with Tim..." Saying this as she slides into the booth where Tim directs her and has a small thought of being glad that she left Squishy at home for the night.

Red Hood has posed:
Jason Todd nods to Tim's comment about Big Belly Burger. "Plus they're the home of the Triple Belly Burger. Which isn't nearly as healthy as it sounds. But it sure is good" he says with a bit of a grin.

Looking at the booth, then to Helena, he nods, "Yeah that works great." If he finds the fact that Nikki seems to talk in the Third Person strange, he doesn't say it. He -might- spare a side glance to Helena but that's all. It could just be for her approval of the booth.

Settling into the booth, Jason looks to Tim and Nikki with a smile. "Thanks for the invite. We don't seem to get out as often lately. Things have been a bit busy I guess." A glance to Helena then back, "Are we ready to order or do we want to visit a little bit first?" Truth be told, Jason is always ready to eat. Given his large size he probably does burn through the calories.

Huntress has posed:
That Tim lets the pair put their backs to the wall says a lot. And it almost certainly wins him brownie points with Helena, as she gives him an approving smile. Unlike many in the Batfam, she's very good at reinforcing good behavior with positive reinforcement. It really is so strange -- maybe a little uncomfortable for Helena -- to hear talk of family, but she weathers it well. The look she gives Jason seems to be easy. The oddness of Nikki's self-address is accepted readily by her, it seems.

"I haven't been to one of these in... several years," she admits. She kind of does look overdressed for the location, but there's such confidence in her bearing that it just doesn't seem to matter. Helena gives a tiny little snort when Jason suggests they've been busy. "Let's order before the rumble of Jay's stomach wakes the whole restaurant. Order for me?" she asks Jay, with a sidelong look. Then she turns her gaze on Nikki with a smile that speaks of genuine interest, "So, Nikki. What do you do?"

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake being the geek he is says "We can order via the app, that way we can keep talking and such while we figure out what we want, and Jason and I can get the food when our name is called." He offers pulling out his phone to tap on it a moment. He reaches over and gives Nikki's hand a soft squeeze under the table for reasurrance. "Your the second member of the family she has met. Alfred was the first, trying to find time with the rest, well you know how that can be."

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
Nikki tries to follow the conversation as best she can. It's when Helena asks her a specific question that her attention is gained and she smiles a little, with a hint of color on her cheeks. "Well that depends. Nikki's job is to help Wayne Enterprises build robots. Specifically, she was brought on by Tim because she had a bot that she created that - with the help of Wayne Tech - can do the job that she wanted it to be used for." She begins there but then continues because...info-dumping. "But Nikki's job that makes her the most money is she is a professional gamer. She's won many tournaments locally, regionally and world wide in Smite and Heroes of the Storm. It's what she loves to do but also robot building is fun and Tim's been great in helping her get things going." Here she pauses, blinks, and then shrinks down a little into her seat since she's been talking. A lot.

"...Do they have chocolate shakes? And cherry soda? Nikki would like a double cheeseburger, with fries, and a shake and soda if possible..." Speaking this a bit lowly in Tim's direction.

Red Hood has posed:
Jason Todd smirks. "Of course you'd know about an app.." he ribs Tim, "But yeah that works." Looking to Nikki as Tim says he is the second of the family she's met he nods, "Well of all of us probably Alfred was the best choice to meet first. He's awesome. And he bakes cookies." Jason has priorities.

As Nikki begins to talk and share about herself, he listens and keeps focused on her. He had his forearms resting against the table but he leans back, slipping his arm around Helena's shoulders easily while listening to Nikki.

He offers a satisfied smile. Tim found himself a girl just like himself. Good. "Robots and gaming. Well if anyone I know is an expert on both of those things, it's probably Tim. Did you two meet because of the robots? Or the game?" he wonders curiously before looking to Helena, "Any idea what you want to order?" He'll let her order first then does order the afore mentioned Triple Belly Burger, a large salted caramel shake, a large fry and a large onion ring. Because somehow he suspects Helena is going to be stealing his fries anyway..

Huntress has posed:
"Oh! Wayne Enterprises. How interesting." The glance Helena gives Tim looks almost teasing. "But yes, introducing Nikki to Alfred first was the right move. He's certainly the heart of the family." Even Helena, as anti-family as she is, is the first to admit it. "And Jason's right about the cookies. Speaking of which... I'd love some," she adds with a knowing look at Jason. Doing that would require him going home: which she's pretty sure is not happening, the corner of her mouth quirking into a definite tease. As Nikki continues, the Italian woman's gaze returns to her, looking a little confused as she mentions specific games.

Clearly not her thing.

"Well, that's what's important. You should do what you love, if you want to enjoy life." Which is probably a bit of sage advice Helena should apply to herself. She leans into Jason, maybe even unconsciously, as he settles that arm around her. "Oh, just one of the plain jane burgers will do, and a shake." She's definitely going to steal Jason's fries. Count on it.

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake will put in the order a double cheese burger and fries for himself as well, as what everyone else orders. He looks over and says "Actually Robots, I was going to a Robot wars show, looking for possible new talent for R&D, and we met, I saw Squishy a robot she had with her, think sorta like BB8." He looks over to Nikki and says "I figure even though they don't look alike BB8 is probably the closest widely known robot to Squishy." He then looks back and says "Started off just looking for a bright mind, and found a lot more. Technically she is an independent contractor for Wayne company, so I am not her boss, so thought it would be ok to ask her out.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
Nikki smiles a little. "Nikki likes making robots...they're like puzzles to her. Put them together wrong and they don't work. Sometimes you can fix it quick, but most times you have to pull it apart and start from the bottom up. But it's fun..." She leans against Tim after a moment. "We talked about that. Nikki was worried that it was wrong for her and Tim to date, but it's not." There's a glance between Jason and Helena then. "What does Jason and Helena do?"

Red Hood has posed:
Jason Todd looks at Tim as he orders for everyone and then immediately takes a hard right turn into techspeak. It's not that Jason doesn't know about Star Wars or mainstream robots, it's that he prefers to wrench on cars not robots. Just don't pat attention to the fact his car happens to have a self-driving mode and a lot of electronics he designed or installed himself. It's totally different than nerdy robots.

"BB-8 huh? So.. it rolls or something?" He has some idea and is trying to keep up at least! As Tim says he found more than a bright mind, he smiles some, looking to Helena then back.

"That's great, though. I'm glad you both have found each other. It's not easy going through life in Gotham by yourself." The voice of experience.

At the mention of being worried of an inappropriate dynamic in the workplace, he grins a little. "I admire you for both thinking of that. Considering.. Bruce doesn't..." Billionaire Playboy after all.

"Me? I repair and restore cars. I've always had a... knack with vehicles." Like stealing the wheels off the Batmobile..

Huntress has posed:
This is another moment in which it becomes apparent that Helena is so far outside geek culture that she doesn't even get the reference to BB8. She gives Jason a look as if to say 'help me out here', completely oblivious. It really is a good thing Jason has a slight understanding. She's out of her depth.

"I can't imagine Bruce is unaware. He's not exactly one to hide his disapproval when it's apparent." Helena's definitely speaking from experience, here. "If he hasn't said anything or had HR talk to you, I'd imagine you have his tacit approval." At least that's how Helena does things.

Nikki's question gets a smile. "I'm a school teacher," the lie comes easily. She still thinks of herself as one, even if she hasn't been working as one for months now, and probably couldn't get a job as one if she tried. Jason, because he knows her so well, can sense the darker timbre in her tone when she says it -- and it's present enough that Tim, with his detective skills, can also.

"Oh, yes," she adds onto Jason's words. "You should see his car. She's a beauty. And she'll be mine, one day." The look look she gives Jason is full of teasing amusement. "I'm still in the will, right, Jay?"

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake smirks a bit and says "Yea, if I am not doing the work on my car, I get Jason to do it. " He admits "Oh I figure he knows, but we wanted to make sure things were good, plus I think Nikki works best when she can direct her interests herself." He leans over and kisses her cheek "So, how have you two been lately?"

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
Having answered questions and talked about herself enough, Nikki gives a smile when Tim kisses her cheek but then she's all silent. Letting those who know each other better catch up a little bit. Sometimes silence is golden and she basks in just listening to those around her. And waiting for food. Cause food is important.

Red Hood has posed:
Jason Todd looks to Helena, "Thew newer Star Wars movies" he offers about the robot. He then nods to Tim, "You're the careful and thoughtful one in the family" he says with a grin. "Yeah. He brings his car to me when it's filthy rather than cleaning it himself. Brotherly love runs deep in the Wayne family.." he adds with just a little sarcasm.

To Helena he nods at her comment about bring a teacher. She will be again. Soon. Of htat he's certain.

Huntress has posed:
"Ah." Helena grimaces when Jason clarifies the Star Wars reference. "I haven't had the pleasure." Although she probably doesn't mean the word in the strict definition.

Helena's brows flicker upwards at Tim's question. Does he really not know? She glances sidelong at Jason, questioningly. "Have you... been out of Gotham lately?" Both Helena -- and Jason, albeit in his /other/ guise -- have been in the news for their association with the recent violence in the mafia violence.

"I've uh, been distracted by family issues of late." The way Helena says 'family' has a heat to it she doesn't hide. "Jay's been helping. And sometimes doing the opposite of helping," with a knowing look. "But trying, to his credit. And thank you, Tim and Nikki, for being present to witness that Jay didn't contest that the car is going to me in his will. You'll be invaluable as witnesses." She's probably joking. Right?

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake smirks a bit and is about to say something as they hear their name called. He looks to them and says "If you will excuse me." He moves to get the food first bringing the tray with the food back and letting them sort it, as he moves to get the drinks as well.

Nikki Hawkins has posed:
Nikki watches as Tim gets up to get the food and then she'll help with sorting out...which meal is hers. That's about as helpful as she's going to be. When Tim comes back with the drinks, she again grabs her own and makes a little food nest area thing on her quarter of the table. Though she also waits until everyone is served and Tim is sat back down before she actually begins to eat anything. Still silent as ever. Only now with food!

Red Hood has posed:
Jason Todd pauses in conversation as Tim goes to get the food tray. He reaches for his burger - the largest of the order and immediately sets into a series of famished-seeming bites before coming up for air. Setting it down, he reaches for his shake finally then the fries and rings. Shooting a look at Helena, he slides the fries so they're easily within reach between the both of them. The rings? He is totally bogarting all of those himself.

Pausing after a drink of shake, he looks to Nikki, "So. Is Tim treating you right?" There's a grin as he asks. He is pretty certain the answer is 'yes' or he wouldn't have dared ask. But picking on each other is what brothers do, so it's an obligation he has to honor.

Huntress has posed:
Helena watches Tim collect the food, and her gaze falls to Nikki. Whatever she was going to ask is quelled as she sees the other woman's penchant for quiet.

Even as Jason's taking his first bite of his burger, Helena's stealth stealing a fry, so by the time he offers her his stash willingly the look she gives him is a mix of pure (not really) innocence and gratitude. She may have also stolen an onion ring, but she'll never tell.

Helena's burger is much smaller by comparison, and she eats it slowly. She shooting Jason a sidelong glance at his question of Nikki, though says nothing. Sibling rivalry -- picking on a sibling for fun -- isn't a thing she's dealt with for a while, so she doesn't get involved.

Red Robin has posed:
Tim Drake will eat with the rest of them occasionally chatting about this or that, letting them get to know Nikki a bit more, he does stir the topics to things he knows she will talk at least a little about. Over all they have a nice night out burgers and getting to know one another.