16101/Downtime

Downtime
Date of Scene:	03 March 2024
Location:	Markovia Station, Old Gotham
Synopsis:	Barbara checks in on Jason. Jason helps make sure she doesn't eat so much Chinese food her costume won't fit. It's family. It's friendship!
Cast of Characters:	Oracle, Red Hood

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Oracle has posed:
Barbara Gordon's not great at 'me time' or relaxation or cutting her cords as it were. If she's not out keeping in shape to leap across rooftops and kick some ass, it's only because she's busy actively doing it. If she's not doing either of those, there's the entire world's data traffic, digital traces of crime, the worst of humanity to track and take down.

Which is why she's coded some failsafes into her own system. It won't lock her out entirely, but it will start restricting her access to non-essential cases. And begin pinging her with popup reminders about just how long it's been since she did take some downtime.

And really, if she's going to suffer at her own hands and have to ease up and take a break? Well, someone's going to suffer with her. And she knows someone who's even more focused on 'The Job' than her. Which is why she's approached his lair in civilian clothes, a dark grey turtleneck, a pair of dark tan slacks and ankle boots, she looks like a librarian on a mission, with a stapled shut brown paper bag large enough to contain an alarming amount of chinese food being carried with grace and determination as she goes through the entire ritual needed to clear herself and enter Jason's place, before calling out, "Food delivery! General Tso's and extra egg rolls!"

Red Hood has posed:
Some wise, or at least marginally insightful, person once said that you can tell the mood of a person just by the kind of music they're listening to.

Classical? Calm and collected.

Ballads and Easy Listening?? Wistful or introspective.

Rap? Angry and violent, surely.

Yoko Ono? Call 911 and the self-harm hotlines. IMMEDIATELY!

What, then, does the fact that Jason is currently listening to Megadeth's Symphony of Destruction with the volume turned up to 11 and the bass up to 20 mean?

For One it means that the stone ceiling, walls and floors of the nearly 150 year old subway station are vibrating just as empahtically. And for D: It means he is currently wrenching on his car. The 1967 silver GTO is up on ramps, his legs emerging out from underneath the car behind the left front tire. Maybe the car is broken or maybe Jason just likes to keep a clear head while he works. (Insert 4th Wall breaking straightfaced shrug of innocence here)

Somehow, over the din of angry guitars and guteral, er, singing, Jason hears his guest announce herself.

There comes a metallic clatter of a wrench being dropped to the floor and some shuffling around as the music drops to an easily conversational volume setting of 8.

"Hey Barb. You heard my stomach growling from the clocktower?"

Oracle has posed:
Cheerful whistle echoes out as Babs adds a little spring to her step... not that she can hear the whistle _herself_ with the music blaring, but hey, if you didn't want a little hearing damage, you didn't become a costumed crime fighter. Or visit Jason without calling ahead.

And at least he turns it down to 'Loud bar' from 'Bones turning to jelly' before she's letting her gaze sweep around for a clean and empty spot to set down the bounty of food, and tug the bag open before its contents steams to mush.

Lips quirk in a little grin as Babs shakes her head, ponytail swinging as she sighs out, "Oh no, nothing like that. But I did that whole 'Realized I hadn't eaten in a day, ordered takeout and thought with my stomach' thing? And since I want my costume to fit without it being a whole issue..." Shoulders shrug again and she bobs her head towards the car, "And you? Brakes feeling squishy?"

Red Hood has posed:
Jason Todd slides out from under the car and taps on his phone, turning the music down to "what's the point if it won't give you a brain bleed" levels. Grabbing a rag he wipes his hands before shaking his head.

"Clutch this time. Felt like it was slipping last time I was out." Standing he glances toward the car. "So rather than play games, I'm replacing the clutch plates now rather than have it fail some night while I'm out working y'know?"

He looks to the bag, "Thinking with your stomach? You're my kinda girl" he says with a grin. "Thanks for thinking off my stomach too." Upnodding toward the living space he has built into the old station, he smiles. "C'mon. I think I even have some clean dishes.." (of course he does, he's not a total slob. Yet.)

Oracle has posed:
Babs quirks an eyebrow and tilts her head, arms crossing downright sternly, from librarian to disapproving teacher. "Slipping while you were out for a leisurely drive? Or slipping while you were out running down some cartel members? Huh? Huhhhhh?" Eyes narrow. Intent slits that show she already knows the answer. Not because of her surveillance, but because her and Jason really are beasts of the same nature.

And Babs knows if she was working on her computers, it wouldn't be because their latency was up a little bit when she was binging a season of TV.

But hey, Jason's focusing on the food and cracking wise, and that's a good sign! And she's pretty sure he can't hear her stomach rumble as she's reminded of the food after a moment, carrying it along towards the living space and sighing out heavily, "Fine fine... but the odd numbered egg roll is mine. Just because I don't want to not fit in my costume doesn't mean I'm not famished... and yes. Plates. I definitely wasn't going to just eat out of the containers."

Babs also is not a slob. Because if you just eat out of the containers, you don't need to worry about dishes!

Red Hood has posed:
Jason Todd looks at the brilliant redhead as she switches into Interogator Barbie Mode (Now with Chinese Take-Out Willpower Breaking Action!). He can't help but laugh. "Look lady. If you -have- to ask? You're not the Real Barbara Gordon." His eyes narrow. "Wait. Prove you're the real Barbara.." He studies her suspiciously before he smirks.

"Yeah. I went to grab fifth gear and it just didn't feel right. I caught the punk. But the last thing Red Hood needs is anyone thinking they actually might outrun him." The horror.

"Containers are fine with me, too. I'm easy." He still heads in to confirm what he has for drinks. "I've got... Red Brahman. More Red Brahman. Even more.. no. That's Dr. Soder. I've also got Cheap Beer. Really Cheap Beer and.. just how Broke Are You To Buy Beer This Bad And Cheap?" He pauses. "And Milk. It's even still good."

He can dress himself -and- shop for groceries. He just.. doesn't get around to the later as often as he probably should.

Oracle has posed:
Babs quirks one eyebrow slowly. Which means that it's at least to 'Really cheap Beer' before she simply can't perk it any higher as she's portioning out the food... which is to say, arranging the containers and pulling out disposable chopsticks and sauce packets and the whole environmentally destroying bundle of extra.

"I think I'll go for... Cheap Beer. It's my... one for the month." Does she really stick to that rule? No. Probably not. But really, you try telling Dinah Lance you don't want to get a drink with her to discuss her latest romantic misadventure.

And as Babs settles in for a night of commiserating with Jason over the particulars of the vigilante lifestyle, she can't help but hum thoughtfully, "And please, of course I'm the real me. They'd never manage to get my mind into a Life Model Decoy without me figuring it out, and then I'd be on some sort of killer robot revenge spree."

Yep. That's the start of a totally normal dinner conversation between friends and family.