12482/Belated Red Birthdays!

Belated Red Birthdays!
Date of Scene:	18 August 2022
Location:	Red Cave (14th Street Garage) - Park Row
Synopsis:	Phoebe comes by with Cake, Beer, and ammo for Jason Todd's birthday like any good sibling would. The pair of a very frank discussion about what being a member of the Batfam can mean, thoughts on Bruce, Dick, and Tim, and Phoebe carrying the blame for others' anger with her -- and then in true Red Hood fashion, determine that it's a good day to possibly violently fight crime. Church gets pettings.
Cast of Characters:	Phoebe Beacon, Jason Todd

---

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    There was the sound of a fine-running motorcycle coming down the alley, and then idling, the click of its headlight turning off and the sound of its engine dying. A hooded figure offloads a canvas sack, buldging with mysterious, potentially deadly items. They look up, as if checking for addresses, numbers, anything that would identify that this was the right place.

    The figure checks their side, shoulders a backpack, their gray helmet with a pink metallic stripe on it, offset from the center as the figure comes up to one of the garage doors, and gives a knock of her black gloves against it.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd was kneeling beside Red Hood's bike, currently watching the diagnostic readout on a tablet linked to the bike's computer. Hearing the other cycle roll up he taps the dislay and switches to the security cameras.

With a quiet chuckle he sets the tablet down and stands, heading for the garage door. Pressing the open button, the heavy door rattles its way open.

When he comes into view for his guest, his head is tilted in curiosty. "Sorry, lady. Private garage. We don't do tuneups" he jokes.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The figure in the helmet stares at Jason, and then turns around, takes a couple of steps away -- and then turns around to just walk into the place, finding a handy place to put the canvas sack before she reaches up to pull off her helmet, shaking out her short coils a moment before giving a 'really now' look to Jason, and leans back on her heels. She brings a notebook out from her pocket and writes in bright pink pen: <Well, then I'm taking the beer I got illegally with me.>

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd watches as the figure turns, then rolls right on past him into the garage. A smirk crosses his features, "Or, sure, go ahead and see yourself in. Make yourself at home. Feed the cat I never wiliingly adopted. Tell me about my poor life choices like my dad does." He hits the close button for the large door. It rattles its way downward again and he turns away having faith it will do just as advertised.

"Just stay away from my pineapple. I've shivved people for less than that" he warns sarcastically.

He makes his way over and elbows her gently. "Nice to see you. Even if you don't call first." No one calls first.

Looking at the notebook he arches a brow. "You? Bought beer? Illegally? I think I might shed a tear of pride that I'm finally having a positive influence on somebody in the family." he reaches up to wipe at the corner of his eye.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    -Pineapple?= Phoebe signs. And she looks at Jason, holds her hand up in a flat, mimes dialing a number and purposefully flaps her lips, with no sound coming out, then hangs up. She does give a smile and a small laugh though as she gets elbowed, and shakes her head.

    She does indeed reach into the canvas sack. First thing she pulls out is: A CAKE.

    It's homemade. In a cake carrier that has BEACON written on the top of it. This she hands over first to Jason.

    It has white frosting, with Jason's Red Hood helmet on it. She raises her eyebrows a moment, as she holds it over to him, and then from the sack removes two six packs of decent beer, some local prentensious lager and a darker coffee stout.

    They both have birthday bows on them. It's followed by an ammo box, and then she rubs the back of her head, and mouths 'Happy Birthday!' and adds jazz hands.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd signs right back speaking as he does.

PINEAPPLE

"Pineapple. It chose me. It's mine." There is still some sarcasm to his tone.

He watches curiously as she pulls something out of the sack. He frowns, "If that's what I think it is. And why. This better not be a surprise party..." his voice sound suspicious for a moment. But he takes the cake, looking at the decorations and effort she put into it.

He smiles. An actual smile.

"Uh. Thanks Phoebe. This.. it's nice. The work you put into it. Means a lot. Thanks." he clears his throat. He hasn't tasted it yet but it could take like sawdust, given his reaction, and he'd say it was good.

Then the beer comes out. "Now we have a party" he says with a grin. "Beer and ammo? I think we're violating half a dozen ATF regulations right now." He is entirely unrepentant.

He sets the cake on a workbench. At least it's cleared of tools and appears fairly clean?

Turning back he smiles again. "Thanks, Phoeb. Really." He walks over and offers her a hug. "You didn't have to do any of this." Given his reaction it means a lot that she did.

"So, obtaining this illegal beer, is that the limit of your hypocrisy? Or are we going to crack a few of these open?" A half grin is aimed at her. "We can head up to the apartment though. No reason to sit down here. It's not much but at least there're chairs." And a cat that will smell snacks and seek guest pettings because he doesn't get many these days.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe... does not accept the hug. She brings her shoulders up and holds up her gloved hands, giving a wince -- she's not there yet.

    She brings a hand up to her head, and she presses her fingers to her forehead.

    <Sorry,> she broadcasts, visibly wincing <... hugs aren't a thing I do. I'm pretty sure of everyone, you understand.> she 'thinks at him, and she looks at him with a mild face of amusement. It'll be worth the headache later when she tries to sleep. <I've got a pack of Pall Malls in my other jacket. Two out of three ain't bad.> she replies, and she rubs the back of her neck.

    <How did you get chosen by a pineapple? That sounds... really odd?> she replies back, and then adds, <And you deserve to have a cake. It's your birthday. You're legally my brother. You're not kidnapped after arranging your own party, you get cake.> she puts the beer back in the canvas sack to make it easier to carry everything upstairs, giving a wry grin.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd pulls up short. "Right. Sorry."

Blinking as he hears her in his head, "..what the shit..?" He aims a hard stare at her. "That's not something I knew you could do.. But yeah. I understand." Apparently for some reason he has become more of a hugger than he was in times recently past. "I'll keep them away from you" he affirms without any sort of offense taken.

"It gives you a headache?" He frowns, "We can go back to signing. It's not cool to make you do something that's going to hurt." He pauses, "Uh. Brothers don't do that." Well most don't. His? Probably do. At least some of them. But for himself? He isn't about to do that though. He turns and grabs the cake. "I'll pass on the Pall Malls. Those things'll kill you." As if the other things he does won't kill him.

Picking up the cake he looks to her, "Church will be wanting his fair share of the spoils. Better not keep him or he may take our shares too.." It has been known to happen.

"So yeah. Pineapple." He glances back toward her.

"It's. Uh. It's a story. You remember that house up in Fatbottom A?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    <Yes. Cigarettes. The most dangerous thing we face in Gotham City.> Phoebe gives a roll of her eyes, and looks back at Jason with a wry smile. <Yeah. Too long of it or too many people I'll get a headache. There's a technical name for it. Mental magic is tough. It's why I--> she cuts off a moment, and she shakes her head, winces, and gives a shrug.

    <Also I don't do it a lot. Mostly on outings. Until my larynx grows back anyway. Good excuse to ignore people at Galas.>

    <I recall the house. I'm glad someone looked into it... can't... exactly cast dismissals without voice.> she explains. <So, you went?>

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd listens to her. ".. that is so fucking trippy.." he rubs his head, "I won't tell you to stop. If it's what you want to do." He leads the way up to the loft apartmet above the garage.

Church, a huge Maine Coon cat is there. And demanding not just pettings but some of the cake. He wants what's his!

"Damn, son.. just relax!" Jason protests at the pushy cat.

"Yeah. I was up there with Cass. And Bart? Dick was supposed to go but he had a thing come up and he had to beg off. Asked me to go instead" he explains.

"Total Addams family kind of thing."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe sets the bag down and retrieves the beer, setting it in the fridge and then she sees Church.

    Kitty. Big. Kitty.

    Phoebe breathes out, and she wiggles her fingers a little bit to Church, and she wrinkles her nose and looks back to Jason as she takes her jacket off and sits. She's wearing a T-shirt that has what looks like bullet holes in it, but has three dancing skeletons with butterflies and flower crowns.

    -Got to know, who spoke the words?- Phoebe asks, switching back to sign, offering to give the cat his just deserves in pettings.

    She looks around the loft apartment, and gives a little bit of a smile.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd glances, "Bullet holes? 'Dad' isn't getting you proper armor?" he snorts, "Figures. We're getting you something if not. That's not cool." The idea of his sister getting shot at or shot as may be, isn't sitting well. But in typical Jason fashion he's moved on to the next topic.

"There was a lot gong on in there. Ghosts showing up in mirrors." He looks at her, "Do they -normally- stare into the ears of the living?" he doesn't go farther with that.

"Cass found the paper. But she's still working on all that, right? She wanted to be sure it was done right." He thinks back, "Pretty much Bart. I was kind of mumbling along but it was him mostly."

He looks around, "Sorry I haven't cleaned up. I kind of just crash here after long patrols or cases. I usually stay at my place in Kane Towers." He shrugs some as he grabs plates and utensils. "So.. again thank you for the cake. No singing" he glances over with a smirk. Because. Well its a terrible joke. But he's trying.

"So yeah. When the words were spoken and the worked became a bit less creepy and insane. I had a pineapple in my lap. Freaked me the fuck out to be honest. I mean.. /where does something like that even come from/ ..."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    -The dead are weird. The not-dead are weird. Death is weird. Don't dwell on it too much. I hated being dead. When I came back it felt like every one of my nerve endings was on fire.- Phoebe signs back to Jason, and then she looks down, and she winces.

    -Old Shirt. Got it from my place at the Curio. This is from a New York thing. I have armor. The smart one made it.- she gives a small smile, and at the no singing, she lights up, and flips Jason a sign that eeeveryone in the United States knows, but there's no venom behind it.

    The cake is funfetti. Except it's obviously superior because it's home made, has double vanilla and a half teaspoon of tangerine extract in it. She purses her lips a moment and then gives a nod. -Beans.- she signs, thinking about something Bart had said to her.

    -Death is weird.-

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd cuts the cake and gives a slice over to Phoebe. "Being dead does suck. Maybe it sucks less if the cause of death is less fucked up. Can't answer that one. I only know what fucked up death was like."

A laugh fills the room. "Love you too. Sis" he jokes. "That should be the universal greeting for Robins." Flipping the bird.

"This is good. Really good. Thank you."

"Yeah. Beans." He shrugs, "So I took the pineapple back to my place. Left it on the counter. Wasn't sure if it was like ghost bomb or something? I don't know. But the Tim and Lonnie came over. They refused to accept my story. Tim carved the thing up even after I told him not to."
RHe gets a couple already cold beers out. He tosses one to her when she's ready.

"While they were eating it, there's a knock at the door. No one out there but there's a fresh pineapple. Security feed just shows empty hall. Than boom. New pineapple." He looks to her, "So I put it in the 'fridge. And it started rattling loudly. Opening it up there were three in there. But all my beer was gone. A note was left by the ghosts from that house. Something about not being able to get beer in the afterlife."

He shakes his head, "Pretty sure Tim finally started to almost believe me that it was legit crazy shit. And a week after that was the park thing. With you and Tim and.. Him." Still doesn't like to say his name.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe catches the beer, but it was when Jason says the flippant 'love you', she gives a relaxed smile, and a nod to him, and she gives a laugh.

    -Tim might be scandalized. Dams would just flip it back.- she gives a smile, and she looks up at the ceiling.

    As she cracks open the beer, she takes a sip and leans back. <Don't tell Tim about the beer or the smokes, by the way. I'm already stull kind of in hot water.> she broadcasts, and she sips the beer again, taking a deep breath.

    <You can get Beer in the afterlife. Depending on which way you go, I suppose.> she broadcasts, and looks back to Jason with a wry smile. <Tim should know better. He's haunted by a dog we picked up.>

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd sits back down and opens his beer. He smirks, "Tim needs to learn to relax. Damian?" He just shrugs. "Haven't really seen him or talk to him in months. Dick. Well. He's got a new love nest and all that by the lake. At least you won't be the only sister in the family. Eventually. If Steph can actually get him all the way to the altar one day.." He grins.

Sipping at his beer he looks over, "Phoebe? Why the hell would I tell anyone about what you do. Of everyone you ^should know I'm not going to give you shit. You want to drink or smoke?" He shrugs. "Just don't be stupid about it." He pauses. "Wait. You're in hot water. With Tim."

"I'll stay out of that. I have no idea what that's about but in this family? EVERY.ONE. Fucks up. And no one has the right to hold it against any of the rest of us."

Just don't ask him to not hold anything against Bruce. Because that's different.

"A ghost dog? Yeah. I'm so giving him shit over that."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe frowns, and she holds her drink a moment, and then she runs her fingers over the ridge.

    <I had a plan, I was looking at making it work. Two fold. If my heart stopped it would go off, gathering the memories of people who knew me, who liked me, and take them from others. Mental magic is risky business. I can already feel the migraine against my eyes from straining this. The memories were going to be used to basically... make it so I can't go to any afterlife. Destroy my soul was the goal. So no one would miss me.> she pauses, and she drains the beer like a pro.

    It helps when you aren't affected by alcohol.

    <So I got in deep shit with the leadership of the JLD, and there was a bit of a fight between me and one or two of them. Gabby told Tim. And it's... a betrayal of trust. So he's in the right. I'm trying to rebuild, but it won't get fixed. And that's OK. I can continue to be a disappointment to everyone around me in myriad ways.> she gives a smile, looking down at her cake and scritching at Church.

    <Don't give him shit about the dog.>

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd watches and listens. "Okay. That's really trippy. And obviously a lot of that happened when I wasn't around for a while there or whatever." He shakes his head. "I'm a simple guy. Give me guns or a crowbar and I'll kick someone's ass for you. I'll make them very dead and then go to sleep and not feel guilty about it." There's a point to this. Really.

"But even *I* picked up on the part where you said you didn't want anyone to miss you. I don't know your reasons. But what first came to mind? It's that you didn't want anyone to hurt when you were gone. I don't care if that is the wrong take away. It's what *I* take away from it." He looks to her.

"That is pretty damned noble in my book. And the rest? whatever. I've had dealings of my own, now, with JLD. It was, uh. Interesting. Some really strong Majorly Type A personalities there it seems." He shrugs. "I won't tell you you weren't wrong. Maybe you were. I'm not smart enough with this spiritual shit to know."

"But we have *all* disappointed Bruce at some point and he still talks to us. Mostly. And he's disappointed us in a lot of ways. Some more than others" He leaves that right there. "For Tim to claim you betrayed his trust but not hold Bruce to that standard for shit he's pulled over the years?" He snorts. "Guess he isn't the responsible and mature one after all."

He stands up and drops down on the sofa beside her - but not so close as to touch her. "Maybe I'm too stupid to know better. Wouldn't be the first time. But I don't care what you did. Or why. If it wasn't the reasons I think? Fuck it. It really doesn't matter to me. Tim can choose not to fix things with you. He can hold it against you. It's his loss." He tosses off his beer in several large gulps. "I won't throw you under the bus. If you did wrong? Do better. It's what Bruce tells us. I don't do everything he wants. But you're family. I haven't got enough family to cut you off over some mistake. You need to talk? A place to crash? My doors are open for you. Need someone to watch your back? I'm there. Say where and when."

Maybe that was the beer talking already. It seems like more than that.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe's quiet for a moment, worrying a little at the beer can as she works her fingers against it, feeling the metal of the can bend beneath her fingers as she breathes out, thinking on Jason's words. she looks back over to the 'older' brother, and she bows her head down a moment.

    <I'm just giving him his space. Spend a lot of time at Bruce's home.> Not her home. She doesn't want it to be home. She leans her head to the side, her eyes closing, the bridge of her nose wrinkling a moment.

    <And it's different. Tim picked me. He's kept my secrets and my thoughts, and more than anything else I miss just goofing around and sending him Star Trek and Lord of the Rings stupid stuff and yelling in Elvish just to confuse everyone. When Bruce broached adoption to make sure if something happened to my mental state, I had somewhere to fall back on, I thought it would be an opportunity to get better. To get over stuff that happened last year, but I had to impress upon him that I... didn't want another family. Not another set of parents and siblings that I would thoughtlessly put at risk. And what use that Bruce have for *magic*?> she asks, raising one hand and letting a little swirl of light draw from her finger tips. <He's freaking Batman. It was my *dream* as a kid to work with Batman and Robin and fix Gotham... but there's not a place I really fit. In any family, except the one that never existed.> she frowns, and releases the beer can, letting it pop back into place.

    <This is an awful thing to discuss on your birthday. I should be asking you what you want for Christmas or something. Or what you want to do instead of listening to the new kid whine.>

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd listens to Phoebe as she dares to open her thoughts, literally, with him. He's an ass a lot of the time but even he gets that this is not the time or place for it. For once? He just shuts up and listens to her.

When she finishes he starts by draining his beer. He stands up and walks back to the fridge and grabs the four left on the ring. It's going to be one of those brithdays. It isn't a bad thing.

Sitting back down, he cracks open his next and sets the three left on the beat up coffee table. After another drink he stares out at the room.

"There are things about this "Family" that no one is ever going to understand from the outside." He doesn't blink, as if he can stare through the wall and see whatever is going on outside. "The biggest thing that others fail to understand? It's one fucked up mess run by a guy that is more fucked up an any flow chart can ever sort out." He shakes his head. "Of all of us? Tim -might- be the most stable. On a lot of fronts. But he is still part of this dysfunctional family and that means he can be just as much of a bonehead as the rest of us."

"You say there isn't a place you fit in. Family isn't about how well you fit in, Phoebe. You were adopted. Like the rest of. We all got the "square peg, round hole" treatment by Bruce. We have all had to try and fit that narrative. Trying to figure out how to make that work, play vigilante sidekick or associates of Batman, and attemping to reconcile life in Bruce Wayne's screwed up lifestyle? It's never going to be a simple thing. There is no single answer."

He looks to her, "You belong here as much as I do. Probably a hell of a lot more than I do if we're being honest. That you have magic? Bruce accepted that coming into this whole thing or he wouldn't have adopted you." A half snort.

"We all dreamed of fighting alongside Batman. It's everything we imagined. And a hell of a lot of shit we never expected."

Draining half the can of beer, he shrugs, "If this is my birthday party, we're doing what I want to do. Spending time with someone who gives a damn to talk to me. Someone who deserves to have someone to talk to. Even if the advice she's getting is as shit as the beer she's been offered."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    <Bruce adopted me because he saw how badly I was destroying myself for the JLD. That I was mourning four parents already. He told me that he couldn't fix me, but he would help me be more whole, and that he wasn't going to be a replacement for the four... five. My real mother counts now, I guess.> Phoebe tilts her head back.

    Her eyes close a moment.

    <All superheroes are messed up. All of us, to the one. Trauma after trauma and never enough *time* to just sit down , because if we do process it -- we'd leave it. Shit's about as healthy as a pack-a-day habit.> she admits, and at the mention of it she taps her light jacket, and then frowns.

    <You know, half the reason I learned flight is because I could never get through those two pillars on Second street to get on the bus? Like, how come *that* part isn't advertised? 'Be a sidekick! Learn how to calculate how hard you have to swing your legs in accordance to how windy it is coming through downtown!'>

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd shrugs. "It's never that simple with him. Never." That he adopted her 'just' because of the path she was on. "We see through a straw, the real picture of what he's doing. Why he's doing it. I'm not sure even he understands actively why he does a lot of things. He avoids pain as much as any of us. More. All of us? We were an attempt to help himself feel better in a lot of ways. Helping us" He pauses to air quote it the second time, " "Helping" us. It's about how it makes him feel better. Not how he can help us heal."

"Not sure Wonder Woman is messed up. But she's probably the only one I'd say has her shit together. The rest? Hell yeah we're all messed up. To do what we do? We have to be more than a little off."

He tosses the now empty beer can across the room to land int he trash. Three points!

"Yeah. Learning to use a decel line? It was a bitch until my equilibrium sorted itself out." He smirks, "Then after I had a crowbar through my sinuses and got better, trying to re-learn. That was..." he shakes head.

He looks over. "The point of all this? I suck at advice. I give shitty advice. But don't you ever forget you have a family. Whatever the reasons you were brought into it? You're a part of it now. And if you fight with a sibling? That happens. But in the end? It takes two to have a conflict. It isn't just your fault that Tim's got issues over ... whatever it is between you two. You don't get to carry that half of the burden. That's on him. And if he never gets his head out of his ass?" he shrugs. "That's his loss, wasting time he should be spending building new memories with you. moving forward. We all have scars and wounds. Some never fully heal. That's what they call Life. We make mistakes, sometimes bad ones. And we learn to do better."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe's quiet for a moment, and she gives a n od, curling her fingers around the can again before she finishes the last dregs of it, and then she crunches it flat, and gives a toss. It bypasses the trash, rattling along the floor. Church might even go after it.

    <Diana has her demons. She just tends to fight them in person. She's a badass. i think when I realized I'd never be an Amazon, that's when I sort of gave up on the whole thing.> she gives a snort.

    <You give good advice. You're frank, you don't sugarcoat shit or try to reason yourself out of how you feel about it. I think if Tim's the least-messed-up, you're probably the most real. Dick's the prettiest I guess? Damian's the dark-side Jungian shadow.> she remarks.

    And she looks over to Jason, and gives a smile.

    <Thank you for giving your good advice.>

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd throws his hands up in disbelief when she talks about Diana with familiarity.

"Jesus christ! Is there anyone you *don't* know?! Shit."

He smirks. "You don't see it? Really? You know fucking -everyone- from the sound of it. Don't you see how you've actually had influence on all of us? Even those who you think may not think favorably of you. We hadn't talked in how long? And the moment Dick asked me to give Cass a hand because it was to help you? I went. I complained because that's what I do when the family asks me to do a favor. Hell. You've got me sitting here trying to actually be a human being. Trying to be a.. uh.. a brother." It still seems odd for him to admit it. "And not just a self centered asshole who doesn't want to care about anything or anyone."

He looks at her intently, "I'll deny it all if you tell anyone that last part." He's probably joking since there's a faint smirk involved.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    <Superman. I've never met Superman, but had a crush on Supergirl.> Phoebe replies with earnesty, and then gives a smile. She draws up her leg as she listens to Jason, and she tilts her head. She breathes out a moment, and makes a vague hand gesture... and she then gives a small shrug of her shoulders.

    <Who'd believe me?> she asks, <And you're not trying to be a human being, you *are* a human being. You're not trying to be a brother... you are one. And...>

    Phoebe's brown eyes look back to Jason.

    <I'm thankful for it.> she replies. <I honestly thought your advice would be 'beating badguys who always makes me feel better' followed by an anticrime spree.>

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd would like very much to dispute her claim that he is human but it isn't the point of the conversation, whatever he thinks of himself.

"Well, sure. Everyone has had a crush on Supergirl. That's not so unusual" he says matter-of-factly.

"Anyone who knows you would believe you. Except the parts about me. No one will ever believe that and that's the way it should be" he says with a half grin.

"Look. I don't pretend to understand the shit you've been in and through. But *you* have a impact." He shrugs. "We're all better for having you in our lives, Pheeb. You may not always see it but it doesn't change the truth."

With a smirk, he adds, "There's still time to go beat up some bad guys and go on an anticrime spree. It isn't even Three PM yet.."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    <Oh good. At least no one is phased in the least by it.> she replies quietly, and she looks towards Jason. Her lips press together, and then she shakes her head <Maybe.> she replies, and she curls her fingers, and hops to her feet to go get the erstwhile beer can and pet Church.

    <I'd have to swing by the Roost to grab my armor. I've been doing the wandering mage thing so long that I keep forgetting it there.>