3074/Metropolis Date day two, Planet Herowood

Metropolis Date day two, Planet Herowood
Date of Scene:	24 August 2020
Location:	Planet Herowood - Avenue of Tomorrow
Synopsis:	Val and Jay have dinner at Planet Herowood on their couple days and nights in Metropolis
Cast of Characters:	Valeria Richards, Jason Todd

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Valeria Richards has posed:
Planet Herowood-- its a thing. For some reason the Gotham location didn't work out, but the flagship location in Metropolis is hugely popular. Dressed in her Fantastic Four uniform with Jason's leather jacket over it, Valeria Richards could be just one of any number of superhero cosplayers, but she's not. After some time at Titan's Tower, she and Jason had made their way over to this kitschy and terribly over the top eatery with at best mediocre food. But no one comes for the food.

"You look just like Sue Storm!" gushes the hostess while Valeria and Jason come up to get a table. "I mean //just like//. Has anyone every told you that? You are like, the best cosplayer for her I've ever seen."

Valeria actually does bite back the somewhat cutting response she's got lined up for that one, and just smiles. "I have, actually."

"Okay, it'll be like, five minutes or so. What's the name?"

Valeria glances to Jason, letting him give his.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason had ditched the Luthor 2020 shirt after the trip to the tower picking up a Gotham Knights jersey along the way. Walking in with Valeria, he gives the place a look and grins, peeking here and there at the Wall of Fame along the waiting area, before making it to the hostess station. He stifles a grin at the whole business of Valeria's spot on Sue Storm cosplay, commenting dryly, "I was going for Reed but I got the white in the wrong spot," he says pulling his forelock.

The hostess gives him an "Uh-huh," continuing to gush over Valeria until Val looks to Jason to give his name. He grins widely, "Richards of course," giving the hostess a wink.

"Suuure," she says but writes it down anyhow. "Just letting you know now only she gets the cosplay discount."

Jason salutes, and gives Val a smile. "Well, dear, looks like we've got a few minutes to wait," he says in his best Reed impression, which is sadly not a good one.

Valeria Richards has posed:
It may not be a good one, but Valeria snort-laughs anyway. "Ugh, you're the worst. Dad? Seriously?" she snickers. "I mean, that's not for me but I'm sure there's a ton of girls you can find who might be into that kind of thing." She does slide under his arm and lean against him, looking around the place. "Wow, nothing could have prepared me for this level of tacky. It's actually a tackiness singularity."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason grins, "That's why you're with me right? Because I'm the worst, got to hold up my end of this after all." He gladly puts his arm around Val's shoulders as they observe the tackiness singularity close up. "Pretty much, can't believe I faced Bruce's scowl for running out on patrol one time to come here," he says lowering his voice so the other guests don't overhear. "Wasn't much better than it is now, but at least got the cosplay discount." He shrugs and smiles at the memory.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Mm, when you wore the ridiculous red and green thing? Honestly as rough as I know he took it when his parents were killed, I kinda like Tim's new one. It's less wretchedly tacky." Valeria purses her lips. "Which I see the new short one went back to, largely, if not with pants this time."

"Richards? Table for two, right this way!"

Valeria perks up at that and lets the overly enthusiastic hostess guide them to their table with menus and waits for her to depart with a promise a waiter will be with them shortly.

Jason Todd has posed:
"By that point I was wearing pants, I upgraded after the first time I patrolled in winter. Only Dick was stuck with the short shorts for the whole time. Anyhow Bruce made us work so hard for the damn thing we didn't question how it looked when we finally got wear it."

When called to dinner Jason puts on the Reed voice again, "Shall we?" he asks before following the hostess to their table which was on the second floor with a killer view of the Avenue of Tomorrow. Once the hostess leaves, Jason leans across the table and grins, "I bet your 'awesome cosplay' got us this table," he teases before sitting back and looking at the menu. "Oh right, the decor is only where the tackiness begins, the menu is where it reaches its final form."

All the items had some sort of hero related name. Booster Burger. Super-salad, the Fantastic Four Piece Chicken Strips and on and on.

Valeria Richards has posed:
Valeria looks at the menu and bursts out laughing. "This is absolutely awful and I love it." That sort of 'I love it' that's reserved for gifs of people falling off skateboards and having food explode onto them or something. She peruses the menu, seeming more entertained with every single terrible, superhero-themed bland offering. "Wow, really, the wings have a 'Human Torch' sauce? Have they met my uncle? We don't want anything that's got him and 'sauce' in the same sentence."

Jason Todd has posed:
"Think that's bad, think of the poor employees that have to harvest it?" Jason says with a grin and a laugh. Yeah, moving right along. He grins as he goes over the menu, "So, what if anything in this mess looks good? I mean the Booster Burger looks good but, Booster Gold... he makes a face.

Valeria Richards has posed:
Valeria frowns a bit, actually looking at the menu to make a decision, about the time the waiter comes up. "Hey guys, drink order? Also, slamming costume. You look just like Sue Storm. She is one of my //favorites//, but don't tell anyone. Since we're in Metropolis, obviously Superman is supposed to be the big fave."

Valeria gives him a flat look. "Unsweetened iced tea, no lemon. And yes, people keep telling me that. Can't guess why."

He grins at her, and then looks to Jason. "Drink? And let me know if you want any apps."

Jason Todd has posed:
"What about my Reed one?" Jason asks cheerily, making the waiter squirm searching for a compliment for the non-costume.

"Cool!" he settles on giving a thumbs up.

Shaking his head Jason just laughs, and when it's his turn he says,"A "Bat-Beer"," then he looks to Valeria about the appetizer "Captain Marvel Cheese Sticks? With," he makes a face, "Out of this world jalapeno jelly?"

Valeria Richards has posed:
Keeping a straight face, Valeria nods. "Sure." She looks vaguely annoyed at the waiter, probably because she's been compared to her mother twice in like, ten minutes.

"ID," the waiter says with a grin. "Sorry, you know the drill." He checks the ID and nods obliviously, obviously not versed in Gotham royalty, which is probably for the best. Currently, at least.

Then he slips off to go grab their drinks, leaving Val with an annoyed look. "Does this look like spandex?" she grumbles. She pulls a small compact out, checking her hair and makeup a bit, then tags Jay and her both in at the restaurant, but without a picture. "So, what kind of trouble do we want to get into after this?" she asks.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason puts his ID away and looks over Val's outfit, "No, but people see what they expect to see, in this case a cosplayer who looks a lot like your mom, nobody expects Valeria Richards to just show up out of the blue." Also most people think she's twelve, but that part didn't need to be mentioned. "Anyhow, if they keep doing it I can burn the place to the ground, or your bot can cover it in glitter," he offers.

As for trouble, "Well I sort of want to see if the Suicide Slums are as tough as they say they are, but that might not be your scene. Otherwise, clubbing? Maybe giving that hot tub in the room a try." He shrugs. "This is my first real vacation, so, like I proved with the concert last night, I'm pretty much down for anything."

Valeria Richards has posed:
"I mean..." Val leans over and grins at him, "I'm interested in adventure. Whatever form that takes." She settles back in her seat, as the waiter comes back to drop off their drinks and take their food order. She gets the Super-salad, dressing on the side.

Once he departs again, she sips at her tea and sighs. "You're probably right though. It's just annoying... the whole 'cosplay' thing."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason smiles, "Beginning to learn that," he replies and steals a kiss before Val settles back. "So let's do both." he offers grinning.

He orders a Booster Burger after all, still making a face at the name, and has sip of his Bat-Beer. "Not horrible," he says.

"I get the rage though, you don't want to be seen as your mom or as 'and Valeria Richards' you want to be seen as you full stop and you're not getting a lot of that in your life. Close to the mark?"

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Mm." Valeria grins a little. "And they say you're the dumb one," she teases. But it's obviously teasing. "It just gets old. Mom and I had a huge fight after you left, and I don't think she really gets it." She swirls the ice in her glass with her straw. "But it's whatever. We'll check out the Suicide Slums, and then definitely take advantage of that hot tub."

After a little while, their food comes out, but the waiter bringing it out is beaming broadly. "Oh. My. God. You didn't tell me you were VALERIA RICHARDS. The hostess says you checked in with 'Richards' and then like, Kara and Colleen said you tagged being here on your 'gram and this is SO cool. Do you think you could take a few pictures? My manager is going to come over in a few minutes about it."

Valeria blinks. "Ahh, yessss, I am." She looks down at her salad and then over to Jason. "I could... maybe?"

Jason Todd has posed:
"Wait, who says I'm the dumb one?" Jason asks in deadpan before grinning and taking a sip of his beer. "Besides family bullshit is my specialty. Gonna guess that talk is the one where she told you she thinks I'm a lizard alien or whatever?" he asks about that talk with Sue.

There's a grin of approval for the plans for the rest of the night as their food and the waiter comes over with more fan bullshit.

When Val glances over, he looks back, "Say the word and I'll tell them where to stick that camera," he says, giving her the choice to shut this down here and now and if the waiter could hear him, who cared?

Valeria Richards has posed:
Valeria actually considers it for a moment, and then sighs. "No, its okay." The waiter looks thrilled, and promises it won't take long, heading off to get the manager.

Poking at her salad while they wait, she glances over to Jason. "Yeah, it was. She's really worried, and if she knew I was with you and noooooot, you know, checking out the Titans... which we totally did so technically not a lie! I think she would have already shown up to drag me home." She stabs at the salad with her fork, looking annoyed and frustrated.

Jason Todd has posed:
"Meant it you know," Jason says about the pictures when their waiter positively skips off to tell his manager.. "You don't owe these people shit."

He takes some fries off his plate and muches them down. Years after leaving the streets he still eats like a street kid, fast, before someone can come along and take it.

"Definitely not a lie," he agrees, taking a sip of his beer to wash down the fries. "As for the rest, I'd volunteer to get tested or whatever if I thought it had anything to do with me potentially being a space alien. But honestly Val, you need to get the hell out of there or your mom is gonna be running your life forever. If you want I can talk to Bruce about a job at Wayne Tech and I've got an apartment under a cover name you could use if you just want to pick up and go. Don't worry, not asking you to move in, I don't live there, but it's there if you want it."

Valeria Richards has posed:
Valeria looks like she is about to respond when the manager comes over, camera in hand. Val's expression immediately shifts to a bubbly, amiable one as she stands up and goes through the motions with the photographs and the hugs and the posing with the manager and a couple of the other folks who pop up. She is all smiles, all perfectly what she is supposed to be for these sorts of things, and by the time she finally comes back to the table its pretty likely Jay's food is long gone.

She sits back down, looking tired and just... over all of it. She eats a couple more bites of her salad in silence. "Whatever happens, I think you should let Dad check you out," she says quietly. "The rest I can't even think about right now. I'm working on something," she confesses in a low tone. "And if it works, then I will never be left behind again."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason just sits back and watches, finishing his burger in the process and ordering a second beer, while being glad his identity was secret, not that he suspected the Red Hood would get the same sort of reaction as Valeria Richards.

When Val returns he nods, "Should have figured you'd have something in mind," he says with an easy nod. "Do I get to know what it is?"

Valeria Richards has posed:
There is a small smile on her lips as she responds, "Once I get the prototype working," and she steals a quick kiss. "I'm working out some of the more dangerous bugs now. A lesser mind wouldn't be able to comprehend the details." Its arrogantly delivered but not cruelly so. More assured of the fact that whatever she has planned is beyond the capacity for any others to grasp.

She probably isn't even wrong.

"I appreciate the apartment idea, though. I might take you up on it... as a place to meet up sometimes." She grins a little bit. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind that."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason doesn't protest the kiss, but he does roll his eyes about the lesser minds thing, even if it's true. "Sure, I'll just hunt mastodons and quest for fire while you're working on it," he snarks though there isn't much edge to it. Dangers of hooking up with a super genius.

The apartment talk though brings him back to smiling, "No problem," he says about the offer, "And yeah I think that'd work, until I have a place that fits my role as the Wayne family bad boy."

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Ooh, what's that going to be?" Valeria asks, entertained. "A penthouse suite in some high rise in Gotham, with a stripper pole and a bar?" She grins wickedly. "Leopard print carpets and velvet curtains? Mirrors everywhere?"

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason grins leaning on the table, "It wasn't going to be until now," he says with a laugh. "Though if I'm going with that might as well get the bed that comes out from behind a trap door as well. Heart shaped of course. Might as well come with a banner that says, 'Hey, Sue, you were right'," he snorts and shakes his head having another sip of his beer.

Valeria Richards has posed:
"Oh, with that sign you'll just have to let me show you what alterations I can make to the costume while lounging under it," Valeria gives a straight-faced look, even if her eyes are flickering with mischievousness and entertainment. "Though I think if you had pictures of that you'd probably be wiser to keep them just for yourself."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason snorts again with a smirk for Val. "Y'know I think your mom might be worried about the wrong person doing all the corrupting with suggestions like that," he says holding out his beer to click with her iced tea. "Not that I'm complaining at all."