Owner	Pose
River Banks	The smell of seasoning, hot oil, chili sauce, tortillas and tomatoes, the warmth of certain spices hanging in the air.     The sprinkles of cheese everywhere around the bowl that missed getting onto a plate or between the walls of yellow corn shells.     The radio was playing on Gotham's only country music station softly from its place perched on top of the fridge, where the countertop/eating area that separated the tiny kitchen and pantry from the main livingroom is set up with plastic plates and taco fixings, a hotplate holding still-hot cubes and strips of seasoned chicken breast and thigh meat.     Shredded lettuce and cubed roma tomatoes, along with fresh sliced Jalapeno rounds and sour cream.     Rio was playing on a tablet, sprawled over a beanbag chair, his hair spiked up with product like some sort of hedgehog.     "Riveeeeerrrrrr when are you gonna go out an' hero again? I wanna try an' get video, for the ticktok thing!" the gradeschooler pipes up.     "Nah-uh sir, you ain't goin' on any sorta outin' when I'm doin' that work."
Jason Todd	A knock comes at the door. Standing there is one Jason Todd. He holds a grocery bag with a number of items in it. Offering a smile, he nods. "Hey. Hope I'm not too late. I stopped to pick up a few things. Didn't want to show up empty handed." He's dressed casually. A vintage Led Zepplin 1973 tour shirt, jeans and work boots. Over it he wears a leather jacket.
River Banks	River comes to the door, unlatching the several chains, and when she pokes her head out, she looks up to Jason and gives a warm smile.     "Hey, Stranger." she gives a smile, and opens the door wide to let him in. "C'mon in, chicken for tacos just finished." she smiles, and goes to clear a spot for the grocery bag.     "Rio, screen off, go wash your hands an' remember to say hi to Mr. Jason."     "Off goes the tablet and Rio groans, and then looks over.     "Hey Mr. Jason. If you brought marshmallows 'gain the gas in the stovetop an' oven's out. Landlord says it's in need of repairing." the kid pipes up, and hops up to go wash his hands in the bathroom.     "An' you know I never expect you to bring nothin'." River gives a slight smile up at Jason. "Like your shirt."
Jason Todd	Jason smiles. "Hey yourself. You look good. Things going well?" Glancing down at his shirt he grins, "Thanks" then he looks past and offers a nod to Rio. "Rio. How are you, bud?" Following River in he sets the bag down. "I know you don't expect it. That's why I do it." Because he rebels against authority and likes doing whatever he wants. Even with food. Frowning at hte mention of the gas being out, he looks to River, "Just to the stove? Or for heat too?" One is more troublesome than the other. "No marshmallows this time. But I think you'll be happy with what I did bring." He moves to get out an icecream container - Moose Tracks, and waffle bowls. Not the sort from the shelf dry as sand paper, but proper, freshly made ones from the same local creamery as the quart of ice cream. Hot fudge and caramel toppings, a can of real whipped cream, and some strawberry preserves come out as well. Glancing to River he smiles. "Figured you'll police just what and how much we have. But options are important with icecream."
River Banks	"You rebel." River gives a small smile to Jason, and then at the question about the gas --     "The lines to the apartments got... broke." she winces. "Luckily the boiler's still good. The radiators work just fine. Been usin' 'em to dry his jackets sine SOMEONE keeps getting into snowball fights."     "They deserve it!" Rio calls out from the bathroom.     "'Sides... even if we didn't have heat, we'd just turn off the water an' snuggle down with blankets an' wait it out. Not the first time we've been caught in the cold." River reminds gently.     Rio comes out and his eyes get big at all the ice cream and fixings and lets out a soft 'ohmigosh!'     River gets a similar expression as she starts plating up tacos for Rio. There are a trio of plastic dinosaur taco holders on his plate.     "Oh my goodness Jason -- that's a lot. A LOT of sugar. You gonna run him 'round down to the park to blow all that off 'fore he goes to bed?" River questions playfully.     "OHMIGOSH LOOKIT ALL THE ICE CREAM AN' I WANT ONE WITH EVERYTHING AND WE HAVE BANANAS I CAN HAVE A MOOSETRACKS 'NANNA SPLIT WITH ALL THE TOPPIN'S!" Rio gets excited, then recalls that he's the man of the house, clears his throat and then states "I guess that's fine."
Jason Todd	Jason Todd looks shocked. "Not me. I'm a by the book Conservative" he halfheartedly protests. He arches a brow at the mention that the gas lines were broken but he lets it drop. "Sure, you've had to do that but it doesn't mean you should still have to." Not now that they have a place over their head. As the focus turns to the treats, he looks to Rio, "Hey, now, Ice-Cream-a-saurus Rex. There's enough for all of us. But not if you're making insane banana splits with it all. A little goes a long way. And it lasts for more than one night that way" he bumps the kid's shoulder gently with a wink. "But right now, it's time to get your inner carnivore going." Turning to River he shrugs, "I figured you had it all handled" he deadpans. "Just kidding. As long as the weather stays good, yeah we can go down to the park for a while."
River Banks	"Yeah yeah, tacoooooos!" Rio crows quietly, and takes his meat-cheese-tomato-dinosaur tacos, and hops up onto one of stools to start stuffing his faece with all the food.     "well, we wouldn't be able to tonight. He's gotta get up early, since I've got an early open at the Powder Keg, an' you still have to finish your homework. I know Mrs. Hunter told you that you had to turn in that book report tomorrow." she shakes a finger at him, which makes Rio groooaaaan.     "... why don't you take the tacos an' eat in the livin' room, Rio, so's Jason can have a seat?" she questions, and Rio rolls his eyes, picks up his plate and heads to the livingroom and the reprieve of his tablet.     River grabs another taco stand -- this one just a metal wavy one, and starts making up a trio of tacos.     "You like sour cream and jalapenos on yours?" she asks Jason, and then purses her lips "OOr you are totally capable of assemblin' your own tacos."
Jason Todd	Jason Todd pauses, "Powder Keg? Bar? Or gun shop?" he wonders curiously. He offers a fistbump to Rio. "Learning is important, bud. Don't cut corners on your education. You'll end up like me, working in a greasy garage the rest of your life when you could be working on rockets going to Mars or something." Settling into the graciously surrendered seat he lets River finish fixing her tacos then works on his own. "Yep. The whole works for me" he confirms before laughing. "Used to policing a kid, I see. You do it well." It's meant as a compliment.
River Banks	"I'm not gonna work on rockets going to *Mars*. I want to rewrite the entire information infrastructure so that I can... uh..." Rio trails off.     "So the internet's not a commodity, it's a pure utility. That's what he told Mrs. Hunt what he wants to do. She asked if he was gonna be one of the guys Batman puts into Arkham, an' he responded--" River pauses as she sits down with her tacos, and looks over to Rio.     "RED HOOD COULD BEAT UP BATMAN!" Rio bellows with all his young might.     "Ayeah, that's what he told her. So now he's got an extra book report to do, on what the internet is an' how it's used."     River looks up at the ceiling, and then mutters "My little brother's gonna be a supervillan, I just know it."
Jason Todd	Jason Todd looks on with amusement. After Rio leaves, he muses more quietly, "If that's the direction he goes. IT stuff. I do know someone that might consider keeping an eye on him from a distance. Maybe more. I'd have to talk to them first of course." Then the bit about Red Hood makes him tilt his head as if considering that strong statement. Maybe. On a really good day. If Batman has both hands tied behind his back and was wearing cement shoes. But he keeps those thoughts to himself. "That's your job to prevent" he teases before taking a bite of one taco.
River Banks	"'Sides, ain't nothing wrong with bein' a mechanic. Someone's gotta make sure the cars work, an' there's good money in it. Hard work though. An' dangerous some days." River adds quietly, and she gives a small smile. "Hey. I'm bein' the best role model I can for him. An' he's doin' all right. He likes school. He's not sure 'bout havin' any friends over on account of... well. He went to a birthday party. It was nice 'a the mom to let me know that gifts weren't expected, but a lotta people had gifts. An' expensive ones. They went fourwheelin' an' their pool was heated..." River leans one cheek in her hand.     "An' he gets that's not the life we got, but gosh does it hurt sometimes." she gives a soft snort.     "An' pshaw. I couldn't stop myself, what makes you think I could stop him?" River gives a tease back, companionable-like.
Jason Todd	Jason Todd says, "You're doing exactly what he needs from you River. He needs stability. Family." Taking a drink Jason leans back. "He's a good kid. You're a great sister." He nods understandingly about the issues of not having enough or not as much compared to others. "I get it. I do. That's how I grew up at his age. But I was a drop out from school and running with gangs and chopping cars for money." His voice is quiet to keep Rio out of the conversation. "You stopped yourself. And you're doing the right things. He'll listen to you because he loves you and he knows you love him."
River Banks	"... you gave me the opportunity to stop." River replies quietly, and she rubs the back of her neck. "Ain't none of this that isn't because we crossed paths. Him getting into school. Me workin' on my GED. The apartment... all this 'cause you took a chance." River looks back over to Jason, and she gives a smile to him as she raises her eyebrows. "And I'm thankful that you did. 'Cause what we were doin', jus' surviving... that ain't no way for him to grow up. Beau would take me outta school ta panhandle and run cons an' scout banks. He'll never hafta worry 'bout none of that." she gives a slight smile. "An' that's an all right life."
Jason Todd	Jason Todd looks at her seriously. "And you made the choice." Granted he can't claim that he didn't hold a gun to her head. Proverbially. Or literally. Taser rounds or not. But still. The decision was her own. "If you were really a bad person. A hardened criminal. You'd have cut and run. But you didn't. You're still here. Fighting for a better life for yourself and Rio. And that makes you one of the bravest people I've ever known." "It is an allright life. But there is always more. If a person wants it and is driven to attain it. If they are happy with whatever life they have? That is all that a person could hope for."
River Banks	River is quiet a moment, pushing a little taco around with a spare bit of taco shell (she'd taken the broken ones), and she purses her lips a moment, and she gives a small smile.     "It's easy to pretend to be brave when you've got someone lookin' at everything you do through the eyes of a little kid." she smiles over to Jason, and then works her lips around a thought.     "Sometimes we gotta be happy with what we got." she states, a bit haltingly, "I can't give him the life his classmates got, but maybe if he grows up an' has kids of his own, they'll have it."
Jason Todd	Jason Todd watches and listens. "That's what bravery is, River. It isn't being confident and never afraid. It's being afraid but still doing what you know you're supposed to do and getting through it anyway." "There's no reason either of you have to wait till he has kids to find a more comfortable life. You're getting started on your GED, I heard." He nods and smiles. "That's the first step toward opening up better job opportunities for you. It's hard work. But it'll be the best thing you ever do for yourself. And for your brother as a result."
River Banks	"Yeah. Mr. Cash also pays good when he remembers to pay me, but he's gone for weeks at a time who knows where. I finally told him he needs to auto-pay me from an account or his store jus' ain't gonna be open while he's gone. An' yeah. Miss Helena says that once I get my GED, I could consider college. An' a degree. And hoo man, can you imagine me bein' this good lookin' *and* well educated?" the blonde asks with a joking grin, motioning to the scar on her chin, the subtle dip in her lip where it kept on being opened up, and all those freckles.
Jason Todd	Jason Todd seems interested in this Mr. Cash. He already got the name Powder Keg. It won't be hard to look into later. "You could. College and beyond. If that's what you want to do." Finishing his tacos, he leans back, "You'd be unstoppable. A veritable tsunami" he teases her. He then glances toward Rio, then pulls a credit card from his pocket. "That. Reminds me. This.." he looks back to River, "is yours. Compliments of some very bad people who won't be doing anything even a little bad for a long time. It's been cleared and untrackable." He taps the card once then slides it toward her. "They aren't going to be needing it for bad things any longer. The least it can do is help someone who deserves to have an easier time of it. I don't need it for my.. uh.. hobbies right now. So I thought of you two."
River Banks	"Is that so?" River questions, and she quietly accepts the card, and she slips it into her back pocket on the sly, rolling one shoulder.     "... look, Ah know Mr. Cash ain't all on the up-and-up, but he hired me on, an' only way I'd be makin' more money is if I could sell firearms in Gotham. I take a lotta messages for him. An' he doesn't pull me into any trouble."     She rubs her side a moment. "Find enough of that on my own." she leans back, turning so that she can l ean against the counter.     "Though I ran into a Mr. Kord who offered me a position, but had to move back south for it, likely. 'Nother person offered me a position in a private eye agency but... Ah don't think that's gonna be the wise move."
Jason Todd	Jason Todd nods. "Well.. whatever your past is, that's yours. You've made the choice to do the right things now. That's what matters in my eyes. But keep in mind. If you're working with firearms. There are a lot of government agencies with a lot of investigative power behind them that are involved in validating background checks and weapon transfers." He looks to her, "Anyone with a felony conviction can't possess or work with firearms. Just.. keep that in mind with what Mr. Cash has you doing. It may not be intentional but it could come back on you in unexpected ways." That's the part that matters to him. Not that he, also a convicted felon, cares about rules. But.
River Banks	"Ah know. Which is why Ah don't handle the guns or the register. I clean, I occasionally pick up lunch, an' I take a lot of messages for Mr. Cash and leave 'em in a pile in his office." River states with a small smile, "Anythin' more than that, that's his business." River gives an upnod. "An' most of the payment's under the table, so that Ah can keep working there." River states, and she gives a small shrug. "Otherwise it's just labeled under 'Cleaning Lady'." she purses her lips in amusement, and she looks back over to Jason.     "So, your side hustle still doin' good?" she asks innocently.
Jason Todd	Jason Todd nods. "I'm glad to hear it." He nods more at the method of payment. "Well I didn't hear anything about that. So keep doing what you're doing." He looks toward Rio then back. "Ups and downs. Some less than good things have gone on. But I've been okay. At least since getting back from my three hour tour."
River Banks	"Threeee h-our-tooour." River mutters under her breath. She gets the joke.     "Well, you know that if you need me for anythin', even if it's just someone to nod an' make sure you don't pass out in a muddle of your own shit, piss or vomit, I'm here." River states. "I figure we keep each other's secrets pretty well." she states gently. "Or if you need an ego boost I can take Rio to the park an' he'll just continuously tell you how great you are." She gives a wry smile.
Jason Todd	Jason Todd nods grimly. "Something like that. You do know how to paint an appealing picture, don't you?" a smirk. "I'll still go to the park. The ego boost whether or not it happens isn't any part of the equation for me."
River Banks	"Hey, only man I'm responsible for is the one who's figured his way around the parental locks on the tablet." River points out grimly. "I'm *offering* on account of --" River pauses again, and then she closes her eyes, tilting her head down a moment and she rubs the back of her neck. "An' you're not a small fella, Jason. Might be in service of that favor I wrench my shoulder or something." she tacks on, bypassing her thought entirely.     "Look, he thinks Jason is kinda cool too. Even if your car ain't as fancy."
Jason Todd	Jason Todd chuckles quietly. "Got it. I'll keep it in mind." More quietly he adds, "Someone needs more training and experience before much more of that happens." Finishing his drink, he looks at her, "My car is just the way I like it. Both of them" he jokes with a smirk. Then he asks, "What's the family rule on dessert after dinner? wait a little while?" He doesn't want to upend rules by showing up and stomping all over them. That's just bad behavior.
River Banks	At the training an experience part, River's cheeks color a moment as she holds up her hand, and then drops her hand, works her mouth around an idea and then settles for a quiet sort of throwing-her arms-in-the-air in unable to form words before she turns around so she can hide her pink cheeks.     "We don't usually do desserts unless someone brings 'em. Jus'.. not a habit of ours." River admits.     Rio, however, is directly under Jason's elbow.     "Gimmie the goods!"     Pause.     "Please!"