➳“Someone tried to pull a knife on you?” Roy frowned, getting up and taking stride to stand next to Jason, walking alongside him already, his bow and arrow (though still toys) lifting to sling over his shoulder. “I don’t know Jaybird, people here are odd, but I love teaching them a lesson or two. Not got to stretch my feathers yet…”
“Don’t worry too much, like I said, broke his fingers in seconds. Asshole thought that he could rob me of all people”, he laughed as they walked down the alleys, not coming across anyone so far. “Jaybird..”, he hummed to himself, replying to Roy moments later. “I took the liberty of cleaning up the streets here, just like I did back in Gotham. Gotta make the most of it before Bats shows up again.”
➳ The archer turned to Jason, lifting the peak of his cap to take a better look at him. It was surprising to hear such a soft tone from Jason, though it wasn’t a complete shock. Kori had always spoken about how Jason was surprising affectionate and undoubtedly clingy - with good reason. The guy had replacement and abandonment issues that could stretch a mile long.
“Sure. What are we patrolling? You know I love the industrial sector, lots of things to climb there; great vantage points.”
Jason observed Roy, relieved to see that he actually accepted his suggestion to for patrol together. He felt bad that he didn’t spend a lot of time with his teammate, and needless to say, he was lonely. He would hate to admit that of course, the guy who spent so long angsting and refusing to belong in any team found his match in Roy and Kori. Who wasn’t there, of course, and Roy was his only hope. That and the fact that he felt that his feelings were played with every time that Bruce would appear to disappear off the face of Earth, like usual.
“Sounds like a good start. I was there the other night, broke an asshole’s fingers when he tried to pull a knife on me.”
He’d been keeping tabs on Jason for some time now. Ever since he learned that he was in the city as a whole. He hadn’t heard much, but he did know Jason’s methods… and he wasn’t particularly fond of them. Peering out from the shadows, it was surprising to know that he hadn’t caught on sooner. And when he finally spoke up, Bruce slowly stepped from the shadows, cape acting as a curtain to hide his bulky frame.
“It’s good to see you, Jason. Even if you are sticking to your old ways.” He said simply, eyes shifting to the knife the other was holding.
It was wooden… but he could tell it had been sharpened to the point where it was more than just a toy weapon anymore. Regardless, it wouldn’t stand a chance against his suit even if the other did intend on attacking. They could have a conversation. Though his brow furrowed at the other’s words and he let a sigh drift from his nose.
“I doubt I would slow you down. Unless it was intentional. Then I definitely could. But I’m not here for that.”
“Good to see me?Hah!”, he chuckled under his helmet, fists clenched as he the night vision allowed him to clearly see the figure of the man that trained him and let him die years ago. “Of course I’m sticking to the way that makes a difference. Do you know how many pathetic wanna be criminals I stopped before they started selling drugs or stabbing people in the alleys.”
He might have always been blunt and straight forward, but he wasn’t stupid to attack Bruce when he only had a sharpened piece of wood in his hand for defense. Bruce wasn’t a petty thug either, Jason agreed, even if that would cost him his pride, that he was no match for the Dark Knight in his current state.
“Not here to give me yet another pathetic talk about morality? What are you here for then? I’m all ears and we have all night”, he finally replied, spreading his arms and casually leaning against a trashcan.
➳ Since returning to the Hive Roy hadn’t been up to much in particular asides from adapting to life without his precious arsenal at hand. Having to cope with his god forsaken toy bow and arrow was demeaning to say the least.
Instead he had taken to trying to condition his body back to the freezing cold temperatures, and what better way than to sit on the roof of his apartment complex, sunbathing - in the freezing cold.
His eyes were closed in somewhat of a meditative state as the cold air skated along his flesh. At first it was freezing, unbearably cold but the longer he spent out, the longer his body adapted to it which was exactly what he was trying to do.
Roy jumped once he felt an arm rest on his shoulder, snapping out of his meditation and staring wide eyed at Jason, curiously tilting his head at the nice words that escaped his mouth.
”Jaybird, quit yankin’ my chain. I’m trying to do some serious work here… And by that I mean trying to turn my body into a weapon, not all of us would be blessed with a dip in the Lazurus pit.“
“Blessed? That’s not exactly the word I would go for-”, he started, coughing to stop himself from going into yet another rant that Roy witnessed before. “Trying to adjust yourself in the temperature? I have better ways to help with that than laying down in a cold rooftop. Trust me, I’ve been trained enough to know”, he nodded knowingly, attempting a genuine smile but being sure that he somehow failed.
“Wanna come on patrol with me tonight? Just like old times? Seems that you could use the exercise and fun, am I right?”, he continued as he sat down next to him, not really waiting for an invitation from Roy himself.
He did look good, much to his relief, glad to see that he didn’t suffer any injuries or anything bad happened to him while he was away. He was always worried about that, he barely had any friends and losing the few ones that stuck by his side wasn’t something that he wanted to go through.
Life in that city has been quiet; he would occasionally stroll the cities at night, beating up the regular street dweller, his wooden dagger carved to the sharpest end possible, leaving a thin trail of blood behind him. The Batman and his gang had their methods, he strayed away and kept his own. He saw no point in treating common scum nicely, and he wasn’t exactly known for his patience either. If anyone tested it, he would joke about it for a few moments before placing a knife against their throat to emphasize his point.
That particular night felt no different; just when a man in a hood ran away from him, he picked up his wallet, his counting of the notes interrupted when a dark figure appeared behind him. His eyes immediately narrowed under his helmet. He couldn’t be here of all places, not him of all people. Stephanie, Damian, a younger version of Dick, now him.
“Well, well, well…Look who decided to clear up those streets. Don’t worry, they’re in good hands now. I don’t need you slowing me down.”
