13437/Dinner at the Roost

Dinner at the Roost
Date of Scene:	26 November 2022
Location:	Level 4 - Kitchen and Dining - The Roost
Synopsis:	The Outsiders celebrate the end of National Game & Puzzle Week.
Cast of Characters:	Tim Drake, Gabby Kinney, Phoebe Beacon, Conner Kent, Laura Kinney, Jason Todd, Bart Allen

---

Tim Drake has posed:
    It's not Thanksgiving. Totally not. Number one, it's the weekend, and number two there isn't a turkey or fall-themed decoration in sight. In fact there... aren't any decorations. There is, however, a pile of boxes in one corner of the dining room, which is definitely where those don't go, because that is the entire collection of board games the Roost collectively contains, some even stolen-slash-borrowed from private rooms for the occasion.

    Okay, maybe it is a holiday celebration. But it's a holiday celebration of National Game and Puzzle Week, which ends today. This also probably explains why somehow everyone was assigned to bring an appetizer. No, wait, correction.

    Everyone who can cook was asked to do that. The people who can't were collectively assigned to bring the beverages.

    Given that Tim is both completely incapable in the kitchen and also never one to just foist off responsibilities on others, he's supplemented the food with orders from, apparently, half the restaurants in Gotham. Of course there are dumplings from Hot Dumpling, the Emperor Palpatots from Onion Maiden, spring rolls from Pho Gedda Bout It, wings and fried mozzarella sticks from the Knight's Table, bruschetta and meatballs from Red Rose Cafe, even the buffalo cauliflower from Planted Evidence (which doesn't even DO to-go orders!), among others.

    The only thing that's missing... is Tim. All the food is still steaming, so he must have timed the deliveries perfectly to arrive at the same time. There was probably at least one spreadsheet involved.

    Above the elevator doors, the light comes on and the bell dings, and out Tim comes sprinting with two fast food bags of notably different designs. Within seconds, a huge mound of Big Belly Burger fries get dumped on a platter, and opposite to it, another plate with Batburger's signature skinny cut fries (extra on the Jokerized seasoning).

    Tim steps back, hands on his hips... only to dart forward again to snatch up the fast food bags, stuff them in the trash, and only then he can finally survey the fruits of his labor. It is the unhealthiest spread he's ever seen in his entire life.

    And it's glorious.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney for her part was not a culinary genius by any stretch of the imagination. HOWEVER--There was an excellent baker on the JLD roster that she'd helped make cookies and spiced breads with recently, so she actually does come with some baked goods all neatly lined up in one of those tin-foil trays that come with a plastic pop-on lid. It's drawn on in Sharpie with a smiley face and the phrase 'Enjoy!' from the actual baker. That, and a shopping bag filled with chilly two-liters of soda is held in her opposite hand as she steps in to view the decadent array with eyebrows raised.

They would raise further but are unable to once she sees the boxes of board games and the like. It just suddenly makes sense.

"Aaah. Epic game night?" She inquires of Tim with a broad grin. Stepping over she finds a safe spot to set the tray explaining, "I swear I was not the only person making these. They're totally safe, and even good," she assures.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    There was a massive spread. And as this was not Thanksgiving, and Phoebe can cook and has access to a giant kitchen and someone who can drive her over so that she doesn't have to try and work magic in the house. Which was frowned upon by not one, but two 'old guys' who lived there.

    So the elevator next goes 'Ding' like a Who's Line game, and in comes Phoebe with four stay-warm bags.

    "Okay! So I made stuffed mushroom caps, there's vegetarian stuffing with extra onion and mushrooms and I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Sausage, I made another round of greenbeans and I have a platter of Pink lemonade sugar cookies for the group, a platter of Pink Lemonade sugar cookies for Bart, and a small personalized platter of pink lemonade sugar cookies for our overlord -- here you go, Tim." she states, handing Tim a wrapped plate of sugar cookies made *especially* for him.

    She's at least in the fall spirit, with an orange hair-wrap and a T-shirt that has a pumpkin on it with the pi symbol.

    Then phoeb looks over the spread.

    " . . . I didn't think Planted Evidence did to-go orders."

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner went to the ESU Thanksgiving event due to, well, being one of the Outsiders that has no family to celebrate with. He doesn't expect Superman to celebrate Thanksgiving, with him being from another planet. He probably should have asked.

Also, since he is even worse than Tim at cooking, he brought the drinks. A cardboard box larger than himself that holds together only because he is applying telekinesis contains dozens of kinds of soda, beer for those who are already over 21 (damn, they are getting so old!) and a few bottles of stronger liquor. Also, a hot chocolate dispenser machine in the case someone still has space in their bellies after the expected unhealthy food feast.

"I need some place to put those," he requests. "Am I hearing Phoebe's voice? When did you get it back? Why am I the last one finding out about this kind of thing?"

Tim Drake has posed:
    "Epic game night," Tim confirms with a broad smile, eyes briefly focusing on Gabby before he returns to the overview of the table. After a moment he steps forward again, and some quick adjustment makes a perfectly sized space near the end of the assortment, where the sweeter assortment of foods on offer are already situated. Which admittedly is just a baked brie topped with fig jam and some cut fruit.

    Which means the cookies Phoebe brings also help to fill out that selection, even if Tim immediately shoves one into his mouth.

    He holds up a finger after, because he can't talk (chewing!), but he does a similar song-and-dance with Phoebe to make places on the table that fit with whatever insane grouping Tim has decided to organize the food by.

    He's still chewing -- this is why you take normal bites of food, Tim, you're not a speedster like Bart is -- when Conner arrives, so more pantomiming happens to indicate that the side-table with the coffee machine and ice buckets is where the drinks should go. Gabby's sodas go there too.

    "I may or may not be supporting some of Planted Evidence's neighborhood co-op initiatives through the Wayne Foundation," he admits as he dusts cookie crumbs off his face. "Pretty sure we can roll up in jeans and t-shirts and still get a table whenever we want, now. Also, happy," Tim checks his smart watch, "November 26th, for no particular reason. Glasses and silverware and plates are where they normally are in the cabinets because this is just a regular dinner and we're not celebrating anything." He side-eyes the Risk box but already knows no one is going to play that with him. It's worse than even playing Monopoly with him.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney can only help but grin when the room is made. She's quick to slide her tray in there as well only to pause and take the lid off. "Gingerbread, chocolate chip, shortbread and some apple spice bread," she explains without bothering to point out each one. Surely they could figure it out easily enough.

"It iiiis a Phoebe you here, Conner," she teases good-natured only to allow the woman in question to fill in the blanks on what happened. Last time she mentioned about demons eating voices she got in trouble after all. The sodas are set out next to the others. "So board game or cards? Both?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Hey Con!" Phoebe greets Conner from beneath her stack of food as she helps make room for it with Tim's chewing of the cookies made specifically for Tim. Tim's Cookies. The Cookies for Tim.

    Not Poison.

    Phoeb gives a smile, and once her hands are freed she pulls down the wide collar that shows the still pale scars of the injury.

    "Tim, Jason and Gabby decided they took exception and took the fight to the Demon. I had to stand in for Zee. Bit of a mess, but we got through it." she explains to Conner, coming in to give him a very light shoulder-bump with her own shoulder.

    She goes to grab out the plates.

    She catches Tim's look.

    "No one's playing Risk with you, not after Last Time." she states, her lips turning very Thin Lipped. "I could break out Cards Against the Justice League again."

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner slides to the side of the table and pulls out the chocolate dispenser first, setting it up near the coffee. Then the soda... so many cans. He sets them in small towers on the table. It takes him a while and that is using a degree of superspeed. There is probably enough for a month, or three days if Bart goes in rampage.

"I didn't even know about a demon," he protests to Phoebe. Then nods at Tim. "He is pretty nasty with all strategy games, that was why we ended up with the roleplaying games way back, if I remember correctly. Well, and Bart is just as bad with gaming stations." And lets not talk about Rose and poker, okay?

Tim Drake has posed:
    Fine, fine. If Phoebe's grabbing the plates, Tim will at least get the silverware out. He trudges back and forth between the table and the kitchen, and if he eats another cookie in-between, who's going to stop him?

    "Por que no los dos?" he asks Gabby, and since he is already getting shot down about Risk, he pulls out a couple of the co-operative board games from the collection.

    If they're all themed around solving murder mysteries, it's just Tim playing to type, okay?

    Though the first mystery to solve is how to not immediately topple the soda can pyramid. Which Tim handles by making himself coffee... also playing to type, here. "We can play Cards Against the Justice League in-between rounds?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney dusts her hands off on her sides while eyeing the rather lavish spread of food in general. "Honestly I don't think I've had anything from Planted Evidence before, but I'm guessing it's vegan?" So much of the things there were. She'd still eat it of course, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't opt for some non-vegan as well. She was pro-food.

When Phoebe gathers plates she reaches to take one intending to load it up with quite a few different offerings to try before they got TOO cold. "We can do that, sure. Feels weird though given I'm a leader of a branch of JL now. I mean, kind of." She pauses to consider this a moment. It only takes a moment before she shrugs it off.

"It's been a busy year. If you ever feel like helping fight magical things, lemme know, Conner. Sometimes we just help out Bigfoot though. Yes, Bart already grilled me about it."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Yeah, you didn't know any ASL, and it was kinda a personal issue." Phoebe gives an apologetic look to Conner, setting the plates down and then putting her wide choker-necklace back up to hide the scarring. "Demon stole my larynx when I was finishing a binding. I thought everyone would kinda take it really hard but so far everyone's been really understanding that I was in a bad place and lacking in help from the right resources." Phoebe gives an embarrassed sound, and then rubs the back of her head "And the mental radio thing gave us both horrible headaches, so I didn't wanna waste it on an explaina--" she pauses, and then looks over to Gabby.

    "You guys went *bigfoot hunting*?"

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner decides the drinks are all set and it seems likely a few more would have caused the table to creak ominously. There is still a few in the box, but... he looks, there are four of them. Maybe he overdid it. He expected a dozen, but it is still early.

"I had not even heard of a restaurant called Planted Evidence. Such a Gotham name," he hehs, finding an empty seat at the table and studying food display for a few seconds. "Ah, and I really will do that, Gabby. Magical baddies are... uh, a problem," mostly because he is not used to duck when he should. "What about Bart and Bigfoot? Do I even want to know?"

Tim Drake has posed:
    "Wait, for real, Bigfoot?" Yes that even gets Tim's attention, but he's probably a closet conspiracy fan. You know, the fun conspiracies, at least. Cryptids, Elvis still beign alive, New Coke being a sham to drive up sales, that sort of thing.

    He's already somehow made a cup of coffee despite not being a speedster, though he sets it down on the unoccupied end of the table where there's space to actually spread out and eat (and play games), then returns with a plate to follow Gabby's lead and start loading things up.

    "How's leadership treating you?" he asks, because that is really, actually more important than Bigfoot. Even if Tim really wants to know about Bigfoot.

    And then he nods over to confirm Conner's theory. "Yeah. It's pretty exclusive. They do the whole crime theme like Batburger, just, y'know." Tim shrugs. "The bougie version, I guess."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"What? No, of *course* not, Phoebe!" Gabby blurts out with an aghast expression that fades into a look of sheer amusement. A little twinkle in her eye comes as she explains, "I mean we weren't hunting her. We located her and helped free her from a rusty bear trap that was stuck shut. Healed her, and sent her on her way." A little torn off bit of lemonade cookie is popped into her mouth.

"Not everything is or has to be a fight. Sometimes it's just helping keep things secret. And yes," she assures the three, "It was super cool."

Settling down into a seat she leans back with a sigh considering Tim's question. "It's not too bad. Once I got things settled after the shift in leadership. I've got two others to help as well to make up where I lack. I'm not magical. I'm tactical and can help with the whole 'teamwork' angle. It's been smooth going so far."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe looks over to Gabby with a mild expression, the same sort of look Tim might get when he's trying to hide how he feels on a particular subject, and she grabs a plate and piles some food onto it, her shoulders going tense a little bit as her ears darken.

    "Glad to hear you're having a good time of it." she states quietly.

    "And yeah, Planted Evidence is super bougie. They're trying to out-cool Onion Maiden. Same restaurant group though."

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner is filling his plate with mozzarella sticks, meatballs and many, many fries, "I guess I will have to try," obviously he will do it once the old favorites are taking care off.

"Gotham has decent restaurants," and that is the nicest thing he has said about Gotham in the whole year, too. Living in New York he should be used to good restaurants, but he rarely goes looking beyond the campus immediate area. Restaurants for college people are not amazing. "So what was the Bigfoot? Magical monster or alien or Neanderthal people survivors? Spill."

Tim Drake has posed:
    The meat stuff Tim avoids, but he's not scared of piling a ton of fried food on his plate. Who's going to stop him?

    Okay maybe he glances over his shoulder nervously as he scoops some Jokerized french fries onto his plate. But Jason would probably think it's funny, and anyway, he's not here. So it's fine.

    He sits down at the end of the table and takes a gratuitous slurp of coffee, only to choke lightly on it a moment later. Thankfully there is no spit-take. "So Bigfoot is really real? And a woman? And--."

    Okay Tim clearly has so many questions, but he just takes a deep breath and opens the box for Only Murders in the Asylum. Which is sort of like Clue, except with a legally-distinct non-Arkham setting with a cast of villains who are definitely pastiches of Gotham's worst of the word. "Dibs on playing Mr. Mystery."

    Who is, of course, an expy of the Riddler.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney clears her throat lightly whyile raising a finger to ward off further questions. Or most of them anyway before she can take a sip of her drink to wash down that bite of cookie she'd shoved into her mouth after the first. "A bigfoot. There's more than one, with regional variations, and no they're entirely Earthly creatures. ... May be slightly magical though," she has to admit with a shrug. She didn't know too much, she wasn't an expert after all. "We were able to communicate with a translation spell. Intelligent but I'd say limited in conversing ability. Kind of like a chameleon too once we got the trap off. Just faded into the trees."

Phoebe's reaction garners a soften expression from her though after all that exposition. "Sorry. I know the group isn't a great topic for you. I kind of fell into things and feel obligated to keep it up some what." Lightly clearing her throat, she looks over to the game being brought out. "Okay but I'm taking Lady Kudzu," she declares leaning over to snag the little figurine for the Poison Ivy knock-off.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I'm happy that you're having a good time of it." Phoebe repeats herself, looking at the box art and looking around for a character she might wanna play "It was super chaotic when I was leading it, but I was kinda useless at the time."

    "I think I might just watch the first game. The only one I'm familiar with is Marionette and it just feels weird to play Feline Fatale or Mr. Puffin." she mumbles, and rubs the back of her neck.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner was just starting with the fries and people want to pick game board characters already. "Food will get cold if we..." he peers at the box. "I don't know half of them, but that one looks cool, the Mudman." Who is not Clayface with a more mauve-ish tone or anything. "Phoebe, you have to play and suffer through Tim making us all look dumb. It is a tradition!"

Tim Drake has posed:
    Sure, things aren't steaming hot any more, but that sort of thing only lasts for a couple of minutes. Still, Tim eyes the appetizer buffet with concern -- which includes several homemade offerings thanks to Phoebe and Gabby, as well as the best of the best from the apps menu of half of Gotham's restaurants it seems like -- as he devours a stuffed mushroom with one hand, while the other puts pieces on the board. The skinny man with no face in purple for him, the green lady with a shawl of vines for Gabby, and the mauve-ish lump of goop for "Conner's right, you can't sit out the first round!"

    Then he digs into the box for the light blue robot man. "Come on, play Doctor Defrost, he's..."

    Wait for it.

    "...pretty cool."

Laura Kinney has posed:
With food on offer it's hard to keep the super sense team members away. Especially one Laura Kinney whose nose always knows.

Although to be fair it's more usual she's trying to avoid social functions rather than raiding them for food/drinks. Today she just sort of slinks in stealthily, joins the line for food, and begins loading herself up a plate before she introduces herself. Plus a large glass of something alcoholic. Not that she can get drunk.

"What's the occasion" she muses. "... And I hope I am not intruding on something private?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney twirls the little kudzu figurine between her fingers while flashing a grin at Phoebe. "Oh I have no idea how to play either. Maybe we can gang up on him in our lack of skills," she suggests jokingly. Only to groan at Tim's little joke as well with a shake of her head.

A breif sniff comes just a second before her older sister slinks in causing her to grin broader. "Hey Laura! Naw we're having a non-denominational game night and feast of... feastiness." A gesture is given to the array of fancy takeout, baked goods, and a pyramid of drinks thanks to Conner. "Plenty to go around. Care to join in the games?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe bites at the inside of her cheek, and her eyes flick up to Tim. She takes a breath and then accepts the not-Victor, and she looks at the blue figure. And she gives a nod and then sets it down.

    "All right, Defrost it is." she admits defeat, and then looks up to Laura and gives a wave.

    "Sup, Laura. And pretty sure Tim can think around our lack of skill and knowledge. I mean, he's a Dungeon Master, Gabs."

Conner Kent has posed:
Bad puns get you tossed French fries, Tim. Conner has good aim, too. But he turns to Laura before throwing the second one. "You didn't get the memo, Laura? It is a no turkey-centered meal just for us."

Then he points to the board game, "and Tim wants us to play. It is probably a trap. Like those time when he talked us to play Risk or Monopoly with him."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd says, "Tim. Doing nerd things with little action dolls. Why am I not surprised?" Yes he's picking on Tim. It's one of his -insert your given diety here- rights in life, now. Brothers do that. Particularly when they're actually interested in the things their siblings are doing but don't want to let on that they're either interested or impressed.

Jason stands in one of the doorways and looks at the group as his stomach urges him to make a bee-line toward the buffet. Because food.

Offering a half wave to everyone, he does as his stomach bids and goes to scope out the food.

"Wait. So someone actually created knockoff bad guys for a game? Are you sure it isn't some sort of criminal plot you're playing right into by actually helping them think up the perfect crime?"

Tim Drake has posed:
    Does Tim mistake the fry-throw as an offer to feed him? Well, no, but he still tries (and fails, because Conner's faster than him) to catch it with his mouth. He does, however, snatch it out of the air after it rebounds off his forehead. And THEN he eats it.

    "Action FIGURES," he corrects with the kind of rote blandness to his voice that suggests this is a long-ongoing argument. He gestures both Laura and Jason to the food, adding a quick, "Before it all gets cold!" and then also rattles the box for Only Murders in the Asylum. Because the remaining villain pieces are still inside, while the board and the tokens for everyone who's already picked are already set up on the table.

    What Jason says does make him pause, and Tim, in said pause, consults the box. "Well if we have to take down the Parker Brothers at the end of this, it only seems fair after all the damage they've done to familial relationships with Monopoly," he says.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney loads an excess of proteins to her plate. Probably to aid with some kind of workout or training she's got scheduled.

"I don't always get memos when I'm away on deep cover operations," she admits. "I spent a little time around the school. And I don't bring any devices which can connect to our network there..." Better not to risk taking any tech to a school which could have technopaths that could learn about mission critical information.

Jason gets a nod of greeting. "To make a board game complex enough to simulate a crime you'd need to be capable enough to come up with schemes that'll be better than anything the game played by the public could generate for you." She blinks a few times. "I have no idea how the game works. Is that likely to be an issue?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney stretches her legs out which rocks her chair back on the rear legs. Just a bit, leaving her to balance in a leisurely stretch. Another stuffed mushroom is popped into her mouth with a quick bite to chew and swallow. Just as her hand lowers it swings out to pull and *SLAP* open handed across Jason's rear as he walks by.

With a grin of absolute amusement she greets, "Get in here and grab a plate already, Jason. Been awhile since you've shown your face. ... Or maybe that's me," she has to admit thoughtfully glancing up at the ceiling. She HAD been rather busy lately with everything going on after all.

"I mean. Monopoly is a pretty awful game from what I remember so that could be legit," she has to admit thoughtfully. Letting her weight rock forward again the chair legs thump back down solidly ensuring she's not going to tip over anytime soon. At least not without a helping hand to do so.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I don't think anyone knows how this game is played but Tim. Who will honorably not rules lawyer us to death for his own amusement." Phoebe states, glancing up to Laura, and giving Jason a smile as he comes to join the party, and she lobs another french fry at Tim's face. As she's slower than Conner, and in fact is aiming for his mouth, she's hoping he'll catch it.

    At the SLAP at Jason's rear end, Phoebe gets an offensive expression to her face, but she ducks her head down, nomming on the roast brussel sprouts from Planted Evidence like it was her job.

Conner Kent has posed:
"You can read the instructions or let Tim explain them to us, Laura," the picking of the second option might help explain why Tim wins most games. But truth is Conner just can't take them too seriously. But hey, if Mudman gets defeated, who cares? He has mozzarella sticks.

"I don't think the game is going to be an accurate crime simulator, it is probably just a puzzle game," he rummages around the box and offers Laura the instructions booklet. "Then again Monopoly is a very convinced capitalism simulation. Including the ruining of your neighbour life."

Jason Todd has posed:
It is incidents like this that induce full record-scratch moments. There had been one just last night amongst the Wayne Kids's Turkey Free After-Thanksgiving Dinner. Now fate has seen to have another in less than twenty-four hours.

Jason, perhaps to his credit, was in full motion and already heading for the buffet when Gabby decides his ass is worth slapping. It causes only a slight falter to his steps and a backward glance is given toward Gabby. There is perhaps a bit of a frown in the middle of his smirk. "I've been around, Gab. You've been off playing Chief Cat Herder more than you probably realize" is all he offers for the moment. Because food.

He turns to load up a plate with all the things that speak to him. Which is to say: real meat, and fried and unhealthy. What's the worst it will do? Kill him?

Sauntering back he stands near Tim. "So which dolls are left? I'm not playing Mr. Giggles. I'll take... Slayed. He has a cool gun. And a mask."

Tim Drake has posed:
    "All you do is go around to different rooms in the asylum and try to guess who killed the head warden," Tim begins as he shuffles the cards. "It's mostly about trying," pause here to just barely swat the fry out of the air before it lands in his coffee, oh god no, "to figure out who has what to help narrow down your guess. But you also have to keep an eye out for the Night Owl who can sneak into the asylum and take your villain out, sending you back to your cell for a round, and then of course there's the secret motive cards that..."

    It's like Clue. But more complicated, with more levels of detail, and more lying. Tim has launched himself into a truly impassioned explanation of the game's rules because he never gets anything less than 150% (which is not always a good thing) but he is struck silent by the sound of that slap.

    How... how can she slap?

    He looks between Gabby and Jason and Gabby and Jason and-- before he stares down at the board, dutifully puts the blood red Slayed figure on the board (huh, it really is fitting) and then turns slowly to Laura.

    "Who would you like to play?"

    Tim suddenly sounds like he's been gargling with gravel.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney frowns. "But if we're all villains why do we care who killed the Head Warden?" she wonders. "Wouldn't our motivation be to escape in the confusion?"

She pauses, raises an eyebrow when her Sister does her slap, and then shrugs.

"Is it a co-operative game or are we working against each other?" She considers the remaining game pieces. "The one with the goose with a monocle, the top hat and the switch blade speaks to me most.."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney wasn't really expecting such tension to be thrown around from so many variables at the table from her gesture. A single long blink comes as she lets her gaze flit to the VERY suddenly hyper-focused Phoebe. Tim who was... being Tim, that was kind of expected. Jason's own reaction which earns a loft of her eyebrows.

"Yes, I know I've been rather busy..." And the response trails off as a few things start to click into place for her as well. Again her gaze snaps over to Phoebe. Then back to Jason. A single long, deep breath is drawn, not to scent the air but just to take a deep breath in general. Unfortunately with her senses that's likely to do the same thing regardless.

"Ah. That long huh. I see." It was her turn for her attention to shift down to her plate. She'd mostly been snagging some of the sweeter things, and appetizers, and now she was just not sure which to grab a bite of. So instead she picks up her soda to empty the can in a few quick gulps. Whatever thoughts have run through her head apparently finish processing as she shrugs, and scoots her chair back to abandon her spot in favor of heading for the Tower of Beverages. "Well, you had my number, too. So who wants what to drink?" She asks while taking another few cans of Coke off the stack.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd doesn't seem to have picked up on tension, or isn't willing to dwell on it. While various expressions and puzzlements are had behind his back, he finishes piling his plate with food and turns to look for a place to sit.

Glancing to Gabby he shakes his head. Surely he has things he might say but, for the second day in a row, he shows a measure of restraint uncommon to those who know him and he says nothing.

Taking a bite from one of the cheese sticks he scored, he moves to grab the first open chair he reaches. That it happens to be beside Phoebe isn't intentional but it could easily look that way.

He looks to Tim, "Need a glass of water?" It's all he says about it before he looks to Slayed. "Man. They don't even try to hide who it's really suppose to be." He pauses, "Wait. There's not a Crimson Shroud is there?" He sounds as if he's not sure whether to be upset if there is, or upset that there isn't whatever the answer may be.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I think it's for the sake of the bragging rights, Laura." Phoebe replies, "Or I du nno, 'plot'. As much plot as these things get without a Tim Curry role." Phoebe remarks quietly, and she scratches below the hem of her hair-wrap a moment, biting at the inside of her cheek as she pushes the remainder of the fries and sprouts around on her plate.

    "There's no version of Scarecrow either." she comments, and she looks over to Jason as he sits down, and she shoulder bumps him in greeting.

Tim Drake has posed:
    "It's sort of both. One of us plays the killer that the rest of us are trying to discover, but the killer is blending in while at the same time trying to frame someone else." Boy is Tim ever holding onto the explanation of rules for this game as his only lifeline in a confusing situation. The grip on his coffee mug (which proclaims him to be a 'Freak in the Sheets' ... except there's a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet background) tightens almost imperceptibly.

    He's fine. Everything's fine! They're going to play this game and. Be. Fine. Monsieur Goose in black joins the board. "No, but you do at least have an action figure in the Bat-mite meal. Damian still hasn't gotten one."

Laura Kinney has posed:
"So we have to either decide who is guilty so... we can turn them in in exchange for rewards?" Laura wonders aloud. "Or if we're guilty to bluff and frame someone else. That seems simple enough." Her poker face is pretty much impossible to tell from her regular face. She hands the rules sheet Conner had provided her with back. "I've memorized the rules. At least for this cheat sheet."

And now she no longer needs to hold onto the sheet she returns her attention to the food. Clearly trying to get through it in quick order so she can handle various game bits without getting grease on them.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney steps back over to gently place a Coke down by Tim. It wasn't coffee she knew, but it was a full drink and something for him to use to help distract. She does offer a quietly whispered, "Relax," as she passes by after giving him a friendly pat between the shoulders to attempt to reassure him she wasn't about to go launching across tables or something.

"Right, sounds easy enough. Try to frame everyone else and figure out who really 'done it' at the same time. I think we've got the basics down now."

"There's probably expansion packs with more knock offs. That's how games work, isn't it? Put out a core set then an expansion later on, or a special edition with extras. Something to get more sales," she theorizes while reclaiming her chair setting down her own drink, and another few cookies on her plate. Another soda is slid over to Laura.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen had to pull a shift at work that was not on his normal schedule but now he is off, and after a quick trip by central city for a shower, a change, and a half dozen molasses cakes (Joan wants to make sure two or three get to the get together. So With a bit of wind into the entry way Bart comes walking into the room carrying five cakes. (Hey it was a couple states away) "Hey Everyone Joan sent Molasses cakes." He says as he looks for a place to sit them down.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "That's how they work NOW, didn't used to be how they worked." Phoebe protests, "Back in MY day--" she begins, and then she gets interrupted by Bart's arrival, and she gives a bright smile and a wave to the Speedster.

    "Aww, you'll have to let Joan know we say thank you!"

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd gets shoulder bumped by Phoebe as he is taking another bite of cheese stick and he suffers a Makeup Incident not unlike the woman on the flight in Airplane! when turbulence is encountered. Not an entirely unfitting analogy to the recent flow of conversation anyway.

Looking over at her he sighs. "Really?" Then the cheese stick is devoured and marinara is wiped from his cheek.

He looks to the game. "So basically we just lie and blame everyone else." Seems about right for Gotham criminals.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Bart's arrival prompts Tim to get up on his feet and help make room amongst the desserts for the cakes. "That's really nice of her," Tim says, and then gestures to where the plates are. "And I think there's enough food that you might have a hard time putting a dent in it all, but we should try to eat as much of it as possible before it goes cold."

    Then he gestures down towards the other end of the table where the game is set up. "We may or may not be starting a game of Only Murders in the Asylum, but if people want to break out into smaller groups and play other stuff, that's cool too." After that, he excuses himself into the kitchen to top up some of the cold dishes.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney watches Tim go for a moment before flashing Bart a grin. "Never heard of them, but I'll try them! Thanks!" Another faint glance is cast toward the kitchen only for her head to shake. Let him get himself together one way or another. "Okay, now here's the plan: We play a really quick round and learn all the rules before he gets back," she jokes.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen will make a rather full plate or two before he heads over towards where the others are. "Sorry I was late, had to work, and Joan said it is a bit old fashioned but they are really good." He admits "And with a glass of milk..." He makes a mmmmm noise, and then sits down looking over and says "How is everyone?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I dunno if I feel much like playing." Phoebe admits, "After the fourteen-hour game of Risk I'm not sure if Tim and I should be allowed to play board games." she adds on, looking at her Doctor Defrost. "Poor Fries. What did they do to you?" she asks the blue playing piece, and she gently sets it to the side.

    "Doing all right. Considering making a weekday trip up to a friend's grandparents' farm to go... I dunno. Sit in the woods for a while." she remarks with a shrug. "Without having to hunt down supernatural things."

    And Phoeb looks to Jason, and then looks back to Bart with a grin.

    "I bet they're fantastic. Especially if Joan made them. She's always sent good stuff with you."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd looks up, "Hey Bart." He looks at Slayed as Tim stands and steps away. Huh. Maybe games and RPGs really are just about the getting and the having rather than the playing.

He looks at Phoebe as she also admits to losing interest. "So we're not playing?" He shrugs and tosses Slayed back into the box. "I'm cooler than him anyway." Cooler. Not better. Rose is probably lurking somewhere nearby and to even consider that concept is surely to invite a blade between the ribs or a cuffing upside the head. But cooler? It's safe to make that claim, unfounded or not.

Not about to lose out on fresh cake, he stands and makes his way over to get one of those newly delivered treats. "Thanks Bart."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney pushes up to her feet again to gather up her own plate, and drink. "Well if the playing is being held off on, I'm gonna head off for a bit. I need to shoot a few emails around and other stuff. I'll pop back in later unless something blows up," she assures with a grin, and a quick salute of her drink.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods a bit and says "Yea she has been cooking for the Flashes forever so not only cooks really good but cooks for an army when she cooks." He smirks a bit and says "A farm, let me know if they need any chickens, the place, I been taking the others are getting to the point where they are not sure if they can take many more.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I submitted to peer pressure. Everyone else wanted to play and Tim is technically still capable of giving me orders so long as I'm at his house." Phoebe quirks a little smile, and she begins gathering up the pieces for the Game that Wasn't Gonna Be. "So he told me 'You're gonna be the blue one' because it would feel so weird playing the Harley knockoff after the gauntlet thing." Phoebe explains, and she rubs on the back of her neck below her hair wrap again.

    "Oh... ah. Well. I mean Nana and Gramps are like in their seventies and have farmed all their life. I'm not sure if they're looking to get more animals. Matter of fact, they were considering selling the farm. A developer wants to put a Thing-Mart there and--"

    Phoebe pauses.

    "... I can buy the farm."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd looks at Phoebe. "Tim doesn't get to order anyone around" he mutters. He bumps her shoulder, "You're more than able to make your own decisions." He takes a drink of whatever random adult beverage from the selection he'd grabbed without really paying attention. He'd been otherwise distracted at that point.

"You should buy the farm." He pauses. "Just don't do it like I did." Yes, he went there.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen looks over and says "Where is it at? If it is anywhere near the preserve you can come by it and spend time and help if you want. Damian took over the majority of backing it so it is still in the works, and already working for more mundane animals.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe chokes on her fizzy water drink, grabs a napkin and covers the bottom half of her face as she goes 'ohmigod Jason'.

    "Tim gets to order me around because--" not because she likes it "-- he's the team leader. This is his house. I owe him for all the times where I didn't listen to his good and decent well-thought advice and ended up trying to rip my emotions from my memories so I could cheat on the whole grieving process." Phoeb lifts a bite of cake to her mouth, and she points at Jason "If I had listened to him I wouldn't have scars on my throat and be struggling accepting that I'm just not fit for any sorta big role in any group, you know?" she monches cake.

    And she looks over to Bart.

    "Upstate New York, in the Catskills. About... five hours? Maybe?" she states. "It's one of my normal friends' grandparents place. Frell it. I've got Wayne money. I'll buy it through a shell company and reverse-mortage their retirement."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen 's brow raises a bit at the last big about groups from Phoebe. Jason's comment does get a brow raised, but coming back from the "dead" is not unheard of with the flashes. Heck Bart is not sure the afterlife aint just part of the speedforce. "It is a bit away from the place, but your still welcome to come up and visit. Trying to get something built up there for non ordinary animals "Like our Shark friends below."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd says, "That's not how it works Phoebe." He looks at her directly. "When we're on a patrol or a mission if Tim's leading, sure. Here? We're all friends. Family. Just like last night. No one gets to boss anyone else around. We're not indentured servants." He shrugs, "You're going to be trapped in your past until you figure out how to move beyond it. Yeah you made mistakes. But that's life."

He stands up to clear his now empty plate. "It isn't like I've been the bastion of perfect choices. But it isn't that you make mistakes, it's how you own them and move on. As long as you're convinced you 'have' to listen to anyone because you feel you owe them?" he shakes his head, "That's how someone gets manipulated whether intentional or not."

Once he's tossed his paper plate in the recycle, he looks back and shakes his head, "I've told you - and I'll keep on telling you. You have worth and value. You have to trust yourself and that you -can- make good decisions regardless of things you haven't done right. We learn more from our mistakes or failures than we ever do from success. That's what being human -is-. It isn't about perfection. It's about living with our flaws and becoming better. Not about doing what someone else wants us to do.""

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I am absolutely not saying I'm worthless. I'm an excellent example of bad leadership skills, poor emotional intelegence and horrible situational awareness!" Phoebe states, and almost puts her elbow in some green beans.

    At least it's not a pineapple. And she tilts her head back. "I'm not going to fight you. Not tonight. I have zero emotional spoons and less giveacrap." she states, pushing herself away from the table, and then she calls out: "I'll be back to wash dishes. I've gotta get some fresh air." she calls to the folks in the kitchen, and goes to set her plate to the side, and rolls her left shoulder.

    And Phoebe stalks over to the elevator to head to the roof.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen sighs and says "Your also a good friend and caring person." He tells her, but he does give her space. He looks to Jason and holds up a finger a moment, and at speed he makes a plate of desserts and some strawberry soda, and moves it to the roof so it is waiting on Phoebe when she gets there but comes on back down stairs to look to Jason "She can be stubborn and see good in others but has problems seeing it in herself."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd stands there and listens as Phoebe refuses to listen and turns everything back on herself. His jaw works as she announces her desire for fresh air. He doesn't try to argue or stop her, just watching her go.

When Bart is back he nods. "Yeah."

Pulling his keys out, he glances back to Bart, "I'm going to go. I don't really belong here anyway. It's Tim's Place after all."

He turns and makes his way outside. Probably around the time Phoebe has made her way to the roof, the sound of Jason's heavily modified Mustang roaring to life echoes off the buildings in the area followed by the whine of tires spinning before catching hold of the pavement to propel the vehicle at speeds beyond posted limits for the city.