[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/baAgPvi.png[/img]
[sub][ [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5360577]Prev[/url] ] | [color=LightGreen]Issue 1.02[/color] | [ [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5362192]Next[/url] ]
[ [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8M5IeaAkmQ]mother, i’m here[/url] ][/sub][/center]
[indent][color=silver]It was the corner of Twelve and Farnam.

It was in the East End of Gotham. The old railroad divided up the older neighborhoods of the city and this was the part of town on the wrong side of those tracks.

When he’d lived with his mom, they’d been in the brownstone across from where he was now. Third floor. He’d sit out on the fire escape outside his bedroom window and be able to see his mom and her friends as they worked the corner.

Of course, back then, he had no idea what was actually happening when mom went to work.

Two of her friends were still doing it. Well, one of them anyway. Sapphire was the madam who was managing the block. She’d been Fat Tony’s bottom bitch. Then Fat Tony had washed up in the Gotham River with a hole in his head and Sapphire had stepped into the pimp’s shoes.

The other was Cristal. Like the champagne. Cristal Fuentes. 

A girl at his school was named Fuentes. 

He hadn’t made the connection until he saw her on the street corner with Miss Cristal. 

Like mother, like daughter. What did that make him? [i]Like father, like son?[/i] Yeah, probably. Once he’d graduated high school, Bruce could just drop him off at Gotham Penitentiary. 

Who was he kidding? He wasn’t worth Bruce Wayne’s time. That [i]asshole[/i] would just have Alfred do it for him. 

God knew, Alfred would probably be happy to oblige. Drop his ass off at the jail and probably haul ass. Limo screaching tires and burning rubber on the black top.

Seated on the edge of a rooftop, the boy wonder turned his head up toward the Gotham skyline. No chatter tonight. Neither Bruce nor Alfred had even checked in on him. Something must have really stuck a batarang up the old man’s ass.

[i]Eh[/i]. It meant Jason had some breathing room. Which would be great, if there was anything going on. With school in session, Jason could only get out as Robin on weekends. Which sucked. During the week, Bruce was out there looking for missing kids, busting heads... doing the whole [i]I am vengeance[/i] thing. 

Jason didn’t really get the whole vengeance thing. He just wanted to punch something. Like now.

Except so far this weekend, not only had he [b]not[/b] punched anything, he’d been about the most lame Robin in the history of Robins. 

[i]And have you [b]met[/b] Dick Grayson? [/i]

Seriously, about the only thing the Boy Wonder had done this weekend was solve the case of the stolen baby formula. [i]Good job, Robin! [/i]

Said no Batman, ever.

Standing up, the boy slowly receded back into the shadows. If only [i]actually[/i] disappearing were as simple. He’d probably do a lot of people a favor.

[indent]His dad. 

[indent]Bruce.

[indent]Mr. Hinkley in third period math....[/indent][/indent][/indent]
[i]Aw, [b]shit[/b]. [/i]He still had homework to do.

Bounding over the rooftops, the boy’s shadow passed by Crime Alley. Then, his shadow re-appeared a moment later.

There were a pair [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5358578]of chalk outlines[/url] on the ground. [i]A double homicide? Tonight?[/i] 

Shouldn’t he have heard something about that? No sirens. No police tape. No sign that anyone had processed a scene here. Not even any blood. 

[color=#ffff00]“So weird,”[/color] the boy murmured, drawing the cape around him as he melded back into the shadows.

He passed over the old train tracks. Crossing over to the [i]right[/i] side of town. Alfred had the car parked behind in a vacant lot. Used to be a used car dealership or something. Seemed like it might have been an okay place to hang, except the GCPD had a precinct nearby. Close enough that people going there tended to use the lot for parking.

A couple was in an argument. Sounded like the wife or girlfriend had just posted bail for the dude. The argument continued as they got inside a beat up GMC, oblivious to the shadow that trailed along the sidewalk, as the rear door to the Bentley cracked open.

[color=#ffffff]“Nice of you to be on time for a change.”[/color]

[color=#ffff00]“Should’a been out tonight, Alfs,”[/color] the boy answered, peeling the domino mask from his face. Slipping out of the cape, the boy reached up a hand to relax the collar of the red tunic as he added, dryly, [color=#ffff00]“More excitement than I knew what to do with.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]“Seatbelt, Master Jason,”[/color] the butler said brusquely. 

Jason shifted over slightly, grabbing the shoulder and lap belt and pulling it over. As he did, he masked an obscene gesture with one hand toward the diver.

[color=#ffffff]“I trust that you are ready for school tomorrow?”[/color]

[color=#ffff00]“Overjoyed,”[/color] the boy answered, rolling his eyes.

The butler seemed to accept that answer. The silence was deafening. Propping an elbow against the door, the boy stared out the side window at the lights of the city as they drove along. Heading out to [i]stately Wayne Manor[/i].

As prisons went, he supposed he could do worse.

[color=#ffffff]“Your homework is complete?”[/color]

[color=#ffff00]“Yeah, sure,”[/color] the boy uttered, his dead gaze never so much as blinking.

[color=#ffffff]“Excellent,”[/color] Alfred answered with his usual note of sarcasm. [color=#ffffff]“Then when we arrive at home, I shall like to see it.”[/color]

Should have seen [i]that one[/i] coming. [color=#ffff00]“Oh, you meant [i]that[/i] homework[i],[/i]”[/color] Jason stated, at last casting a fleeting glance at the back of the butler’s head.  

[color=#ffff00]“Yeah, I’ll get right on that.”[/color][/color][/indent]