13085/Saturdays aren't for Homework...

Saturdays aren't for Homework...
Date of Scene:	15 October 2022
Location:	Gotham University
Synopsis:	Jason Todd interrupts Phoebe attempting to lead two boneheads down an alley. The Dynamic Duo end up teaching the guys not to harass girls on campus, then have a convo in the car
Cast of Characters:	Phoebe Beacon, Jason Todd

---

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    The breeze was blowing in from Greek Row, bringing with it the scent of cheap cigarettes and beer, skunky weed and the occasional roar of someone's muscle car.

    And since it's getting close to Halloween, of course the girls are being warned to be careful, have someone walk with them -- just in case.

    Phoebe was escorting one of her college classmates back to her sorority, and the girls all pause, and look as Phoebe stands alone on the sidewalk.

    "You sure you don't us to call campus security for you? You've got a walk back to the bus sto-- oh! Right you're not using the bus anymore, right..." one of the girls gives a smile, and gives a little wave.

    The blonde gives a soft 'hmph', and attempts to just close the door without so much as a thank you.

    Which is fine. Because Phoebe knew there were a couple of guys who were about to probably make some pretty bad choices.

    So she hopped the white picket fence to the sorority house, sticking her hands into her jacket pocket as she gives a yawn, and begins to consider just what she wanted to do in the evening before going out on patrol herself.

Jason Todd has posed:
"It's not very safe for you to walk home alone, Miss."

The voice is quiet, almost menacing. The sort of voice that belongs to one of those guys about to make bad choices. Only in this case, the guy has made more bad choices in his past than in his present.

Jason looks up from the path between the sorority houses, looking at Phoebe.

"The campus isn't prepared to handle that kind of grisly situation. You'll leave a path of destruction and injured muggers in your wake."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe tenses a moment as she turns, her right hand curled at her side, left hand reaching to her backpack as she pauses and... regards Jason. She breathes out, and relaxes slightly, her lips curling up into a smile as she looks down the street, to the couple of college-age guys that are making their approach.

    "Well, a girl's got to keep herself occupied, you know." she states, and then she nimbly makes her way down the alleyway between the houses, looking up to the third stories and rooftops, and then back to Jason as she joins him in the dimness between the houses.

    "Don't tell me you're keeping an eye on me after Killer Moth's knockoff tried to kidnap me."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd looks over and smiles. Almost. It's there. At least in his eyes. "Sure. But you need to pick hobbies where others are your equal. It's taking candy from babies when a girl like you deals with the assholes on campus." He falls in beside her, matching her pace. "Don't let me stop you. Thought I'd just come along. Y'know. Just to watch the fun. Slow Saturday night. Needed a little entertainment."

He shakes his head, "No. I came to check on how you're doing over all. Since getting your voice back and all." He looks at her. "So. How're you doing?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "She went down there."

    "... she's talkin' with a dude."

    "Yo, he a dealer?"

    "With the *Wayne Chick*?"

    Phoebe leans against the wall opposite Jason, keeping a side-eye to the guys.

    "Rather them deal with me than with Madisyn, Sadisyn, Gladysin and Adisyn that I just dropped off at Phi Delta. I think throwing a punch might crack their nails, and that means they can't use 'em to gouge out eyes." Phoebe states darkly, and she looks over to Jason with an amused expression.

    "Doing all right, y'know. Awkward as ever, but at least two guys asked me if I wanted coffee. And then one asked if I can introduce him to Dick, so y'know."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd says, "Oh. Yeah. I can see that. Speaking up." He side eyes her, "Can you introduce me to Dick? He won't return my calls." Sibling humor.

He looks up, "Well. They're playing your tune. Sounds like this doesn't seem like a duet sort of tune. I woudn't want to horn in on your solo?"

He takes a step back as if to pull a "Bat" and fade into the shadows. Unless she asks him to give her a hand.

Unlike some others, he doesn't doubt or question her abilities or skills.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "You think I'm important enough I call him?" Phoebe asks quietly to Jason, and Phoebe looks to the two guys. She shrugs.

    "You want the one on the left? He looks like he might take an actual hit or two before he goes down. The other one is begging for some variation of a wedgie." she states, giving a shrug. "Quicker they go down less likely Alfred hears about me fighting in the street... again."

    And then Phoebe moves. IN spite of the fact that she's wearing cute shoes and an orange skirt with a cream T-shirt under that varsity jacket, she's every ounce the fighter her 'brother's' are. The one on the right is her target, and she comes in low, coming to sweep his legs out from underneath him and follow up with an elbow to his solar plexus.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd says, "He'd answer your call sooner than mine. Everyone loves you" He adds pleasantly.

"Long as you're sure. I didn't come to spoil your fun."

"Left it is." Stepping out, his larger form in his gray leather jacket, a crimson tee, black jeans and boots with finger less riding gloves.

He falls in beside Pheeb and looks at the guys. "Sorry. Turns out she's got friends who don't care to see limp dicked assholes like you think any girl is okay to beat up on."

He lets Phoebe strike first. "See? You chose poorly anyway."

The mouthiness ends and he steps in to knock aside the first feeble blow from Lefty before socking him in the mouth with his right fist. The guy's spine goes rigid and Jason grabs him by the the collar with his left and twists to hold him upright for a follow up blow to the mouth and nose. "It's not fun when someone else is around who can dish out more than you can, is it?""

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Pft. Not everyone." Phoeb replies as Righty goes down, curling up, eyes wide before Phoeb delivers a quick elbow, and knocks him out neatly.

    "Talk about insult to injury -- I was just going to knock him out." Phoebe comments, laying out Righty on some frat's front yard, decorated with blue and purple lights and pumpkins.

    Campus patrol was arriving, the sirens on their segways blaring blue and yellow and weakly going 'WEEE WOO WEEE WOO!', as LEfty finds out that it's not fun to be treated like he was planning on treating the girl.

    He goes down easy, bloody nosed and with his teeth loosened.

    "... don't suppose you've got a get-away vehicle handy?"

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd says, "Everyone." It's said defiantly.

A third punch to the nose, breaking it, and Jason taps Lefty on the forehead, "Hey? I know your eyes are rolling around somewhere in there with that scrambled brain of yours. But I know your ears still work." He slaps Lefty's cheek roughly, "HEY! Don't you pass out." Another smack to the cheek. "That's it. There. Get control of your eyes. Look at me. There." He jerks the nearly loopy Lefty close, "Don't fucking touch a girl on this campus again. I don't care if it's your granny coming to visit you. You. Don't. Get. To. Do. A. Thing. With. Women." He pats the guy's cheek, "If you do. I'm going to find you. And even the campus rent-a-cops will be able to save you. Now you can pass out."

Jason lets Lefty go, watching him fall backwards like a felled tree.

"....timber..." he murmurs.

Looking to Phoebe he tips his head, "I'm just around the corner. Want a ride?""

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe is actually very thankful Jason's giving the 'no touchy' lecture. After all, they hadn't touched her. If they did, she might have set them on fire.

    But she gives a snort, turning away to not laugh at Jason smacking the poor guy, and she gives a nod "Yeah, Alfred mentioned something about not taking a bus for a while. I think it was 'call me when your class lets out and I will arrange a ride', but y'know. He's so busy." she gives a slight smile, and then she motions 'Sides, technically you're my hero this evening. Who knows what Dumb and Dumb might have done if you hadn't been there to rescue me."

    She takes a couple steps back away from the cops though "Besides, kinda have a reputation to keep up."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd walks over Lefty's mostly passed out form and leads the way. He's parked in the other direction so there's a moment for them to get around the corner before the Campus PD shows up.

Around that corner is Jason's '69 Mach 1. He walks up and the doors auto unlock and it rises up off the ground to proper ride height. To those who know him, it is obviously more than just his car. But he still likes to make it a daily driver. Probably not the best low-key thing, given that Jessica Cruz figured out he was Red Hood because he rode the same bike. But he's nothing if not reckless and one ot take risks.

He opens the door for Phoebe with a smile. "Ladies first." Then he causually walks around the back of the car to drop into the driver's seat. Pulling away he accelerates away.

Free!

"That's me. Worst hero ever." He glances over with a smirk. "Anti-hero? Maybe. But I'll take credit for the rescue. I'd be upset if they'd ruined your skirt."

"So. Where to?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Such a gentleman!" Phoebe exclaims as she ducks into the Mach 1. The fact that she's not humming Speed Racer is probably a credit to her self-control, and she clips herself in (safety first!) and ducks down a little to ensure she's escaped detection!

    And as they pull away into the GOtham night, Phoebe looks back at campus, and then back at Jason.

    "You are... *definitely* not the worst hero ever." she replies, and she smooths down her skirt.

    "You're not even in the top three worst heroes in Gotham."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd says, "Yeah yeah. Don't spread it around you'll ruin my rep" he fires back.

The blacked out windows mean no one is going to see her. No rep ruining here!

"I'm not a hero, Phoebe. Just ask Bruce. I'm his biggest failure or whatever. I'm past caring but it's in his eyes every time he sees me. Far as I'm concerned I'm just me. Whatever someone wants to call me, call Red Hood, I don't give a fuck anymore. I'm just trying to do the best I know how." At least he isn't killing while doing it. That's something.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "... that's not true, Jason. He failed you. You didn't fail him." Phoebe replies quietly, and she turns her eyes back to the road.

    "At least he wanted you. Bruce adopted me because my mental state was a danger to Tim. I only agreed because I needed to have someone who would claim my body if I didn't make it. He doesn't like it when I use magic, views it as a crutch."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd snorts. "I don't want to argue about it, Pheeb. You don't need to defend him. He can do a shit job of it for himself if he cares to."

He looks over, "I don't know if I heard that, but that is a shit reason to let Bruce Wayne adopt you." He pauses, "You could have come to me you know. Talked about your concerns. We could have come up with a will or whatever to ensure your last wishes were carried out." He pauses, "But I'm glad in the end it wasn't needed. I like this arrangement much better." Being alive to talk to.

"Tim's probably the closest of all of them to a real brother to me. And the more I hear from you, the less I find I'm liking him. I was out of things too long." He turns a corner and steers onto the expressway, burying the throttle. The highly modified engine makes the car fairly leap forward to speeds far beyond the posted limits. He glances over, "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Pheeb. I.. should have been."

"Magic is a part of you. It's not a crutch any more than Bruce's intelligence is a crutch for him. It's just.. you. He can go to hell. He doesn't give Zatanna grief for magic."

"..... just more of his self righteous hypocritical bullshit.."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I wasn't eighteen at the time. The guy whose name was actually on the paperwork was... elsewhere. So Bruce stepped in because he saw I wasn't... I wasn't healthy, you know? Everything just sort of fell apart. John ended up being a demon. The real thing didn't want anything to do with me, Chas... frickin'... just left."

    And Phoebe just levels a look at Jason.

    "I was afraid of you then. Little baby mage me trying to figure out why you felt different if I tried to heal you... and... you don't have to apologize. I had a whole group that I was supposed to lead, that was supposed to help. But I wasn't ready." Phoeb gives a small smile, and then a slight 'eek' sound as she sinks further into the seat at the accelleration.

    "No one gives Zatanna grief about magic, but Zatanna's not an eighteen-year-old girl with a glowstick and just enough knowledge to really mess things up."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd snorts softly to himself when she says she was scared of him. He murmurs with more regret than bitterness, "... you and everyone else..."

"You don't have to apologize for being yourself, either. You need people who support you, not try to pressure you to hide parts of yourself. That's how bad things end up happening when we deny parts of ourselves exist. Having support in trying to understand and control those parts is what matters. Not that Bruce would know. Or fucking care."

He shrugs. "She had to start sometime, too. And her father - bio or adopted doesn't matter - made sure she was prepared. The difference here is Bruce adopted you for selfish reasons - as usual. Not to help someone as much as keep what he wants as status quo in place. Don't rock the boat. Don't upset the balance." THat part? There's bitterness there for sure.

Slowing the car down, he eases off and exits the expressway. He slows to proper speeds now. "Okay. No chance the Rent-a-cops followed that" he says with a proud grin. "Where to, M'lady? Home? Or you want to go someplace else? Just say where."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I didn't like guns." Phoebe replies to Jason, and she draws her legs up, curling into a Phoeball as she listens to Jason speak, watching his movements with her dark eyes, until her lips curl into a smile, feeling the car slow down, and she looks out the city, looking to where they are.

    "... anywhere. I should be starting patrol in a couple hours."

    And she turns to look out the window again.

    "I didn't want Bruce to be 'dad'. I'm... every time I say that I love someone, something bad happens. And I don't want that to happen anymore. I'm tired of losing everyone." she states, and then Phoebe eases herself back, leaning over the shifter, and she leans her back against Jason's shoulder.

    "There's no point in loving anyone if they're always ripped away, is there?" she questions quietly.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd slows the car and shakes his head, "Nope. You've got the night off. Tim can do an extra couple rounds for you." Executive decision.

He shrugs, "Things happen. Doesn't have anything to do with love or hate. They happen. Bruce didn't love me. I still died. I'll tell you. Dying changes perspectives, Pheeb. A lot." He flicks a side glance toward her then back to the road. "Loving doesn't make bad things happen. Ever. It just makes bad things that happen in life more painful."

He turns the corner and heads down.. some street or other. There's no particular destination it seems.

"I'll tell you from first hand experience. Hurt and Happiness. Pleasure and pain? They're two sides of the same coin. You've had bad things happen, you've been hurt the last year - where you're saying you haven't loved anyone." He shrugs. "Doesn't mean loving is without risk. But living life is a risk."

He glances over. "I'm going to tell you right now, everyone you've hurt for in losing, hurt in losing you. But there is no way in hell they ever stopped loving you. Even now. Terrible things happen. You can give up or you can get up."

It's the one thing Jason will admit with certainty that Bruce has gotten right. Get back up.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe's quiet, looking out the window, looking out the windscreen, listening to Jason's surprising amount of wisdom as he drives. There's no particular destination she can think of to go, but Jason just assigning Tim extra rounds... that makes her smile a moment, and she shakes her head "I don't think it works that way..." she whispers quietly, but she leans her head back, those curls and fluffy bits squishing against Jason's shoulder.

    "I always get back up." she states quietly, "Just sometimes I want to stay down longer to catch my breath, I guess... but that's not... I do love people. I loved John. I thought he was going to be The Adult I Needed. I loved Chas 'cause he was supposed to be the rock." she adds, quietly:

    "I love Tim 'cause he's always the first one to offer me a hand back up. An' Cass because of the way she smiles when I do something right in training."

    She turns her face a little bit. "And you always tell me things without sugar coating. Sometimes... you're just the person I've got to hear, I guess."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd shrugs, "Not every blow is light. Some fucking hurt, Pheeb. It isn't how long it takes to get up. It's that you do it. Giving is is when we lose. When we betray ourselves or anyone who may love us."

"Never met John that I know of. Chas. Only met him when Jessica got the JLD leadership together. Him, Jon and Rien. To go after the sorcerer possesing her lantern ring. Didn't exactly appreciate their hard sell on joining Dark with them. Pretty big part of why I said no thanks."

He just nods as she lists of Tim and Cass. He glances over, "If I ever sugar coated anything, you'd know I was either mind controlled or an imposter" he admits with a smirk. "Being the right person, I guess that's for you to decide."

His voice sounds gruff, but at least there's a smile in saying it.

Somehow the car as made its way out of the city and up on to the hills that can look back across the bridges and islands of Gotham as darkenss falls. Parking near a small park, he glances over, "Fresh air?" Uplifting his chin to the little playground in the small part. There are a couple swings. A slide. A teeter-totter. And lawsuits-forbid - even a merry go 'round still.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "You wouldn't have. He only existed for a short while." Phoebe replies quietly.

    Her opinons on Jon, Rien and Chas are kept quiet as she looks over the park that Time and Lawsuits Forgot, and she looks at it, and then unclips herself from her seat, and looks over at Jason.

    "... ever swing yourself over the top rail when you were a kid?" she questions, her eyebrows rising up.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd clicks out of his own five point harness, shutting the car off. "Never had the weight for it. I was a scrawny assed kid. Knees and Elbows. Nothing like Dick was" he admits with a laugh. "Now.. I'm not sure I've could get my ass over the top." He steps out and walks around to get her door again.

"Suppose I could try. Make sure to take pictures when I fail before calling 911."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Don't worry, if you fall, I'll catch you." Phoebe gives a smile over to Jason as she pops the collar on her varsity jacket.

    "After all, what's the use of having a fabulous magical healer if it's not stupid Jackass stunts?" she asks, brushing herself off as she gives a smile to Jason, swinging her legs out and hopping up, looking up to Jason a moment.

    "Thank you, Jason." she smiles.