5066/And Some Honky Tonks Live Up To The Stereotype

And Some Honky Tonks Live Up To The Stereotype
Date of Scene:	07 February 2021
Location:	Upstairs - Red Cave
Synopsis:	Starving after a mission out of town, and stopping for chili at a country-western bar, Jason Todd and Stephanie Brown find one more fight waiting for them.
Cast of Characters:	Jason Todd, Stephanie Brown

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Jason Todd has posed:
Despite only having turned 21 the year before Jason Todd had been to plenty of bars, but most of them were NOT like this one, but patrol was done and there were only so many places open Jason was willing to drive before heading back to the Red Cave and crashing into bed.So there they were at Outlaws, a cheap Honky Tonk at the edge of Bristol, passing through the swinging double doors he takes a look around and frowns, "God, the only reason I'm here is because Alfred's already in bed." That and he didn't feel like putting together his own food tonight. "Their chilli better be as good as their sign was bragging about," he says over the sound of country music playing from the honest to god Jukebox in the corner and the clatter of balls from the place's three pool tables.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown walks up behind Jason. Her Batcycle is stashed and she pulled on her civilian clothing overtop of her Batgirl costume, ditching cape and cowl, leaving the rest covered up by a hoodie and a jacket which looks far too light for tonight. Though she has a heated costume beneath in reality.

She follows behind, seeing a long patch of ice in the parking lot on their way to the door. She takes a few short running steps and then slides across it. With grace, and raises her hands above her head like a figure skater even until she hits the far end of it and has to go back to walking. "I'm not going to miss winter. But going to miss that," she tells Jason as she steps up onto the porch that surrounds the western establishment hidden far outside of Bristol.

"Not to mention the 'cold beer' and 'hot women' that they advertised," she says, pausing there to get a look at the place. "And... ah... well maybe the beer's cold," she says after that look. It isn't exactly the most photogenic collection of customers, of either persuasion. People sitting about drinking, the men outnumbering the women four to one. The clack of balls on the pool table. She moves to follow Jason's lead in picking a spot.

Jason Todd has posed:
"Well I'm glad someone is enjoying it at least," Jason remarks of the ice and cold, his hands stuffed into his pockets. When they step inside he snorts. "Best we can hope for is the chilli and beer I think," he says in agreement about the crowd.

Still they were here and it was warm so it would have to do, he shoulders his way through the crowd like an icebreaker giving Steph safe passage to a corner of the bar. "Hey, can we get a couple of beers and a couple of bowls of chilli?" he asks the bartender before glancing to Steph to make sure that's what she was after too.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie gives a warm chuckle at Jason's grumpiness about the weather. "Winter has its bright spots. You just need to allow yourself time to enjoy it," she says as they walk in together. She pauses and motions with her hands. "You just need to stop and smell the roses," she tells him.

A /very/ large man in a red flannel shirt and a hat with a Mac truck logo on it stumbles past them, walking with the unsteadiness of a man well into his drink. He lets out a rumbling belch right as he's passing in front of Stephanie. It makes the blond's nose scrunch up and when he's passed fully she whispers to Jason. "Ok, maybe don't smell THOSE roses," she says, happy to move on past the area the man's belch lingers.

The blond follows close behind him. The men that Jason pushes through frequently give him an eye. Stranger, the look says, before taking the measure of him. Most of them move aside at least partly after seeing the muscular bulk that the young man possesses.

Stephanie slides the stool a little nearer to Jason and nods to him as he places the order. "How spicy is on a scale of clear your sinuses to stick your head in a bucket of water?" she asks the bartender. "About the middle, which we call, you'll feel it tomorrow same as today."

Stephanie settles into a stool beside Jason. "Not quite the welcome wagon in here. But it has atmosphere. I mean so does LA during a smog alert. But it's atmosphere," she says.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason snorts, "There are no roses in winter," as if he was the type to smell them literally or figuratively any other time of the year, he turns away as the big guy vomits, and shaking his head heads inside.

Jason nods about the atmosphere. "Seen worse, seen better," he says. "But guess I should have seen this was a country bar coming," he says making a face at the decor and patrons both.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie glances around as they sit at the bar. "I hope that worse was in The Narrows. Just because I'd like to think there's not too many worse places," she tells him. She looks down the bar as the bartender is pouring two glasses of beer. "Wow," she whispers to him, "Looks like he isn't going to card me. Nice," she tells Jason, giving him a little grin.

She drums on the bartop as she looks around. "Looks like they have live music some nights. Probably a little more fun then," she comments. The beers are set down in front of the two of them. "Chilli will be up soon," he says as he goes down to get someone else's drink order. Stephanie takes a sip of her beer and then spies a big container of peanuts at the other end of the bar, and bowls for people to help themselves. "Ooo, peanuts," she says, hopping off her bar stool. She walks down the length of the bar to fill up a bowl for the two of them. As she does, around half of the men at the bar lean back slightly, watching the blond coed's ass sway as she passes by them.

Stephanie doesn't notice, filling up the bowl and returning with it. She sets it between she and Jason, as the bartender returns with their chilli. Stephanie peels open a peanut and eats the nutty core, tossing the empty shell in a second basket she brought back for just that purpose. "Used to love getting these at the ballpark when I was a kid," she says. "Not that we went a lot, but a couple of times."

Jason Todd has posed:
"That's another perk of this place," Jason says of Steph not being carded. "Should have come by last year," he says, when he still had to worry about those sorts of things.

He takes a couple peanuts from the bowl and begins to shell them. "Don't think I ever went to a game," he says. "Just the one time my dad got his hands on some tickets, but then we just scalped them out front, we didn't watch the game."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie peels another peanut. "My dad tried to do the dad thing. A little. Now and then. Less as the years went on. Was in jail so much... eh. But there were a couple of baseball games," she says. "I think the last one he might have been casing the ticket booth."

She tosses the shells into the basket with a little bit of extra energy. "But hey, life is better now. If you ever want to go to a game, let me know. I know some people with tickets to the Gotham U football team, can normally borrow/beg/buy some off of them," she tells Jason.

Stephanie tries the chili then. "I don't know, what you think," she comments of the advertised bowl. It's at least not so bad that she doesn't go back for a second spoonful. Though she IS pretty hungry.

Jason Todd has posed:
"Oh, the scalping tickets /was/ my dad doing the dad thing," Jason explains. "Or at least his version of it, he pulled me out of school when I was ten to help him with his 'work, basically any scam we could pull when we weren't trying to turn around a package on some two bit corner in Crime Alley." He doesn't seem mad about any of it, indeed he smiles a little fondly. "At least he gave a shit in his own way," which was rare for his neighbourhood.

"I'll keep that in mind," he says about the tickets. "I don't think I've actually been to a game like that before, never went with my dad and that was never Alfred or Bruce's thing growing up."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie takes another spoonful of the chili. "Even if it's not the tastiest I've had, it's warm and my belly is screaming, 'feed me, Stephanie!'" she says, giving the last words the tone of the plant in Little Shop of Horrors.

The young woman glances over to Jason as he tells the story of her dad. She was just thinking that's an even worse childhood than her own, only to realize from Jason's smile that he seems to look back fondly on the team with his father. Maybe it wasn't as bad. Or maybe she doesn't appreciate those moments she did have with her own father?

She hrms quietly, stirring at the bowl of chili quietly for a few seconds, before Jason's comment about her offer pull Stephanie out of her thoughts. "Oh, you'd like it. The football. People hitting each other. Maybe not as much as you'd like, but it's still hitting," she says, looking over to Jason to give him a grin.

She takes a sip of her beer, sighing after. "I know beer can be an acquired taste. But I think I'm acquiring it," she comments to him.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason arches a brow at Steph's little shop of horrors bit as he shovels another spoonful of chilli into his mouth. "I've had worse," he admits as he swallows it down. A lot worse as the truth would have it but then coming from where they did that was a no brainer. Water on cereal instead of milk, Wonderbread with the government cheese all those tropes were real life for them, or used to be anyhow.

He snorts, "Think I only like violence?" he asks with a smirk. "If that's the case you could always take me to see MMA," he teases before saying, "But sure, I'll go sometime. I'm a Wayne again, so I am sure I can get the company box if we want to be all bougie about it."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie takes another healthy spoonful of chilli, and glances over at Jason's snort. She waves the spoon about as she finishes swallowing the bite, as if to express that she has a thought coming. "It's not that I think you only like violence," she says once she's able, before pausing and seeming to consider how to put the rest of her thought.

"It's more like," Stephanie says, "that I think you really like violence. Or, you know. Mostly like violence," she says, the girl's blue eyes shining with extra sweetness for him as if Stephanie feels the tiny bit of sucking up is necessary after the comment.

"No seriously though," she says. "Not that there's any thing wrong with it, but if someone called you up and said: 'Hey Jay, how's it going? Look I've got tickets to this really banging musical. You in?' Well I'm kind of guessing you would be washing your hair that night, or maybe changing your bike's oil. Or rearranging your tea set in the cabinet. Amirite?" she asks, gently teasing look on her face.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason tilts his head as if considering her point. "Okay yeah, I do enjoy a good hit," he admits before smirking about the musical thing. "Depends on the musical, Cats or Rent, god no, Phantom, maybe, Wicked, Le Mis or Avenue Q, definitely," he waits a beat before adding. "What? Do you think I could live in the same house as Alfred and not be dragged to the theatre a few times." Though he'd taken himself to Avenue Q, it wasn't Alfred's scene.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie sets down her spoon to concentrate on peeling a number of peanuts as she listens. She lets out a soft laugh. "Literally dragged I'm guessing," she says, and then grins and laughs some more. "Sorry I just have this visual of a little Mini-me, twelve-year-old Jason, with a stack of... a certain car's tires in the background, being dragged off by his ear by Alfred, with a pair of tickets in hand," she says.

"I wish I could draw better, that would make a great present for Alfred's birthday," Stephanie kids. She rips open a couple of peanuts, exposing the nutty core and sliding them over for Jason to enjoy as she gets another for herself. "Ok I admit, you are probably far more..." she says, waving a hand, "cultured and with wide-ranging interests than I give you credit for."

She pops her peanuts into her mouth, comfortable enough talking to Jason while eating. "To be fair though, that whole bad boy routine is the only side of you I've ever seen."

Jason Todd has posed:
"First time, sure," Jason says of having to be dragged after that, I decided it wasn't too bad and only put up a token effort for appearances." He chuckles, "I read too, but that's about the end of my hidden depths, otherwise the 'badboy routine' is pretty accurate and other that I'm the job."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie gives a smirking grin, but a warm one. "I don't think those kind of magazines count as 'reading'," she teases Jason. She opens up another peanut and tosses the nuts into her mouth then dumps the broken shells in the extra basket that holds the other peanut husks.

Over at the pool table, voices rise in volume a bit. Stephanie glances over, but the dispute seems to calm down after those first few louder comments back and forth. She turns back to Jason. "I wonder how many fights they average here. And whether that measure is per week or per night."

She stirs her chilli and comments, "This could use a little cheese melted over the top." She shrugs and takes another bite. "Alfred's a good guy. Glad to see that he cultured you up. A little bit. But hey, I'm as happy to go see MMA as the next girl," Stephanie says. "Probably more happy than the next girl. Because I'd be critiquing them the whole time," she decides with a soft laugh.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason takes another bite of his chilli, "Probably nightly," he says. "Or at least I hope," he says with a bit of a grin. "And haha, I read books, classics mostly, another Alfred thing, he tricked me by getting me to use the computer for him to help bid on old first editions for the library," he says with a fond smile for that memory. "Then maybe after you drag me to a football game I'll drag you to an MMA fight so we can pick apart their style and maybe learn a trick or two."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie sets her spoon down in her bowl. "That's a deal," she tells Jason with a grin. "I haven't ever gotten to see MMA except on TV. And not like they broadcast the top guys on network television, have to go pay-per-view for those."

Someone drops some money in the jukebox and some country music starts up. "That's... um... Reba whats her face isn't it?" Stephanie asks as the listens to the song for a moment. "Not my best genre."

She rises from her stool. "Going to go hit the bathroom. Want me to refill the peanuts on the way back?" she asks. They've done a good job working their way through the bowl of free snacks even while eating their chili.

Jason Todd has posed:
"It's alright, there's some good moves but most times it just goes to grappling around on the mats and at that point it's just two pairs of shorts away from being gay porn," Jason critiques says with a snort. "Anyhow we can check it out sometime." He looks up at the music, "Wouldn't know, not really my type of music, but at least it's not that one by Miley Cyrus' dad." He says though his fingers start to tap as the song hits the chorus. "Sure, fill 'em up," he says about the peanuts.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie laughs. "Sweaty men grappling isn't a negative in everyone's books, now," she tells Jason. "Sure I'll grab some on the way back," she says. The blond coed heads off to the restrooms on the other side of the bar.

As she goes past the pool tables, a couple of the guys watch her walking. "Best thing about Reba is seeing the sway it causes," one of them says, clearly intending the words to be heard by Stephanie. She glances back over her shoulder and laughs it off, though most anyone reading her expression would find she's making the best of the situation rather than encouraging it.

Not that the guys at the pool tables, pretty far into their drink, are likely to be register such social cues. Hell they aren't even hardly looking at her face.

Jason Todd has posed:
"Well I can see the attraction for you," Jason snorts. "Though female MMA with like what's her name that's on the Mandalorian, that I could get into," he says before Steph goes off to the washroom and Jason sips his beer, eyes never fully settling keeping his guard up out of habit rather than any expectation of serious threat. Though he does hear what the men say, he isn't bothered enough to do more than snort and shake his head at their lack of game.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie is gone for a little while. Having a Batgirl costume underneath her jeans makes for a little extra dealing with clothing at a moment like that. During it the men keep playing pool, talking and drinking. Little snatches of their conversation drift over to Jason. Talking about woman, bragging with each other as men sometimes do, about just how they would rock a woman's world. After a bit, it becomes clear enough that they are talking about Stephanie specifically.

Eventually she finishes up and washes up, emerging from the door. She's wearing jeans and a hoodie overtop her costume, just a bit of the black costume visible at her neck. She walks past the table when one of the men steps over in front of her. "I need a partner, why don't you join in with me?" he says.

Stephanie tells him, "Oh, thanks, but have a bowl of chilli getting cold." The man grins at her, "Don't gotta worry about being cold over here, blondie. I'll warm you up."

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason eyes the guys by the pool table, they ping as the predatory sort, but bottom feeders, hyenas not lions, more bluster than bite. So, when the one makes his clumsy pass at Steph, Jason just rolls his eyes, turning to watch her reaction.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Over the countery-western bar's speaks, the voice of Johnny Cash starts up.

  "And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder
  One of the four beasts saying,
  'Come and see.' and I saw, and behold a white horse."

Stephanie does her best to give a defusing sort of smile. One that's not encouraging but that tries to avoid making the man look to bad to where he might feel the need to take offense at it. "Clearly you didn't see the sign outside about just how good the chili is though," she says with that small grin that doesn't quite touch her eyes, moving to sidestep him.

The man lowers his pool cue to bar her way and moves a closer into Stephanie's personal space. His arm goes around her, hand angling down in a way that it's pretty clear he's grabbing her ass even before she jumps and steps back from him. "I got all kind of spiciness that will put that chili to shame," he assures her. Even as Stephanie backs up, he moves forward to not let her open up much space between them.

The blond bumps into the pool table behind her, the man resting a hand on it close at her side. "Come on baby, just a game of pool with me. To start with. We can figure out what to do after that," he says, and he moves the pool cue down so it rubs against her leg, on the inside, sliding up from her calf to her knee.

Jason Todd has posed:
The pool player's lines get a laugh out of Jason as he finishes his beer and stands up. "Wow, your game is so pathetic, I bet your buddies there claim a charity tax break just for hanging out with you," he says. "How about you go back to sucking at playing pool instead of sucking at hitting on women. It's less painful to watch."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
The man, he's about 6'2" and fairly well set up even for his height, turns around slowly as he hears Jason's voice. He takes a half step towards Jason, seeing him stand up, which creates a little more space between he and Stephanie, the blond no longer pinned in.

The man points the pool cue over towards Jason. "Probably a better idea if you just have a seat and eat your food," he says to Jason. "Or were you thinking you were going to come over here and start something with me and 'defend the bitch's honor' or some chivalry shit like that?"

The quick strumming of Johnny Cash's guitar comes over the speakers, setting a quick, energetic beat prior to the song lyrics of The Man Comes Around starting up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiMXK9eDrMY

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason shakes his head as the man gets in his face, even though the guy's got two inches and several pounds on him he doesn't seem at all afraid, hell he even smiles. "Nah," he says. "Just wanted to distract you so she could have a free shot."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
The man was expecting Jason to get aggressive, to not be seen backing down by the people around them. "What?" he says, the few rounds of beers he's had already causing the words to take a few extra seconds to sink in.

He turns just in time for his face to meet Stephanie's roundhouse. A favorite punch of hers as Spoiler, but one she doesn't use as much now Barbara has thoroughly grilled in her a myriad of martial arts styles.

But it makes a nice coup de grace and that's what it is for the big guy. She lays him out, the man ending up falling onto his butt, his head ringing.

Stephanie shakes out her hand as if the punch hurt a bit. But her expression says it was well worth it as she grins at Jason. "Thanks, that was-"

Her words cut off as the downed man's friends rise. It turns out it he didn't just know the guys at the pool table. People at a couple of tables stand up as well. There must be ten of them, more of them near to Stephanie by the pool table, but some behind Jason even. Stephanie glances around. "Well, it /was/ decent chili," she says, turning to put her back towards Jason as she faces the rising men.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason just sighs as the men stand up reaching over the bar to pick up the bar phone and dial 911, before leaving it off the hook. Then he turns back to the men moving into position at Stephanie's back. "See that Cobra Kai show?" he asks her as he starts sizing up targets and making a mental list of the order he wants to take them out in. "That circle thing? That Daniel's daughter and what's his face do?"

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown giggle-snorts at the mention of Cobra Kai. "Yeah. Well they did have something about moving to keep each other's backs covered," she tells him, clearly picking up Jason's intent even if finding a little bit of fault with the execution of the actor's martial arts moves.

"Ok guys just a few ground rules before we get started," she says as the men close in a circle around them. "No crying. There is no crying allowed in bar fights," she tells them, just before the first man rushes forward towards her.

Stephanie blocks his punch and delivers a knee to his stomach, doubling him over and then shoving him into another man who was just starting forward as well. Using their bodies to block still others, she keeps herself alert to Jason's movements, ready to shift her position to keep his back protected.

Jason Todd has posed:
"Sort of what I was driving at," Jason remarks. "Second rule, if anyone does that tired, break a bottle and try to stab us thing, I will give that bottle back to you in some /very/ uncomfortable places." He takes up a position at Steph's back, he catches a pool cue that's swung at him and rips it from the man's grasp to turn it and knock him to the floor with it.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Someone picks up a pool ball from a table and throws it at them, but his aim is way off, missing Stephanie and Jason by about five feet, the ball flying across the room and breaking a mirror behind the bar. Stephanie pauses for just a moment. "Really? Crap but you throw like a girl," she tells the man, though having to cut her quips short as another man wades in, throwing a series of punches that the blond blocks one after the other.

Bodies lurch forward, punches are thrown and taken. With that many people it becomes a chaotic melee, while the thumping guitar beat keeps playing in the background.

  Hear the trumpets hear the pipers
  One hundred million angels singin'.

Stephanie throws a kick at a man, knocking him back, while another darts in and hits her in the side with a hard punch. She elbows him in the bridge of the nose, breaking it and causing him to fall over backwards.

  Multitudes are marchin' to the big kettledrum
  Voices callin', voices cryin'.

A man comes in swinging a pool cue and Stephanie attacks the stick with her arm, breaking it off as she hits it. She grabs the man and throws him past her where he'll pass into Jason's reach, either to be hit, or used against someone else on Jason's side.

  Some are born and some are dyin'
  It's alpha and omega's kingdom come.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason takes the man Steph passes him and pushes him in the way of a punch before he leap kicks the man into his attacker and sends them both sprawling to the floor. Speaking of Cobra Kai, Jason isn't a big believer in mercy, so he crouches down and with two quick punches puts both men out cold. Then seeing some men headed Steph's way, he grabs a chair and slides it into her reach for her to use to take them out.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie delivers a spinning kick, her flying foot catching a man right on the side of the head and literally spinning him in the air before he falls to the ground. The next coming in is going to be too quick though as-

As a chair pushed into her hands at just the right moment. She swings it forward and hits the man in the head and shoulders, knocking him to his knees as the chair breaks apart. The man cries out in pain and then is shake by a few sobs.

"Hey! Rule one!" Stephanie yells at him.

  The whirlwind is in the thorn trees
  It's hard for thee to kick against the prick.

She sees a man coming in towards Jason, and Stephanie backs into the Wayne ward, bending forward so her back turns into a momentary platform he can put to use.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason watches as another man comes running. How this guy had so many friends he has no clue, but when stuff bends to give him a platform, he uses it vaulting up to kick the man with both feet then rolling over her back to switch sides and take on the guys expecting to be fighting Steph while she got the guys expecting him. Not that these guys had a fighting style but the change up should give them a bit of pause while they try to deal with their new opponent.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie waits for Jason to roll across her back and then she's up, hair swinging as she pivots towards a man picking up a chair, not having wanted to take on Jason bare-fisted. He sees that it's the girl now, and at least this man seems to have some pause in striking her. Or at least with a chair, as he hesitates and lowers it.

Stephanie gets a look of surprised gratitude. "Aw, thank you so much," she gushes at him, and then punches him in the stomach just as he's about to answer her. He bends over, breath rushing out and she lifts a knee to his head to remove him from the fight.

Their adversaries are quickly dwindling, those who have are down choosing to stay there rather than try to get up again, the last man rushing at Jason, his face already having a few marks and blood from his lip from an earlier punch.

  In measured hundredweight and penny pound
  When the man comes around.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason doesn't get up as the last man rushes him instead, staying low, he sweeps the man's legs sending him toppling into a table that breaks under his bulk spilling him, drinks and peanuts to the floor. Jason stands then surveying the room, before he turns to Steph. "Not bad," he says holding out a hand to clap hands with her.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
The guitar continues strumming out that beat without lyrics accompanying it, and Stephanie returns the gesture to Jason, hand against his. All around them, men lay on the ground. Some still. Some moving a hand to cover a face or hold to their head as they groan. Bits of broken chair and pool cue litter the floor around them.

The few people in the bar who avoided the fight are standing or sitting around the edges, watching as the blond girl and the dark-haired muscle-bound man walk together towards the door. The girl pulling her hood up and walking with an extra pronounced version of the swaying walk that played an unintended role in starting all this. But definitely intended now. Her arm goes about Jason's shoulder companionably as if to add insult to injury to the downed men who might still be watching her leave with him. The pair push the door open and leave the bar into the night, the guitar playing its last notes.


  And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts.
  And I looked, and behold a pale horse.
  And his name that sat on him was Death. And hell followed with him.