Inbox (Etraya)

[cantilevers]

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[cantilevers]

And you watch the back of those who you have connection with.

[He appreciated the candor. He knew Jason understood the struggles better than most, which might have been one of the big reasons that he was here having a drink with the man rather than insisting this be done over text.

It wasn't this guy's fault his family member wanted to go rogue. Much like Zaunites, he was certain they were painted with a similar brush as this family.]

The logic made no sense to me. I've played soccer with kids that could kill with a literal look or some guy in a moody castle could blow up the city if he wasn't so morose or a near indestructible man flies around. No one yells about them, but a girl with a gun? It's unfortunate choices were made that she was the biggest problem around these parts.

[He finished the last of his finger of whiskey and set his tumbler aside.]

So, where do we go from here? We stand in our separate corners and handle our own people?

[leastdramatic]

[Even with Oracle's intel, Jason knows there must be more to to Jinx's story and about what Vander's family is like. Rarely are things so black and white and even less so in places like Crime Alley or Zaun. The hextech weapon is still a concern but Jason's not interested in acting on it until there's further information and much more ideally, if they could collaborate with the Zaunites instead]

I guess so. It doesn't seem like we're in any good shape to have pints with each other for now.

[He highly doubts most of the BatFamily will be interested]

How are you holding up?

[cantilevers]

[There were plenty of details that both of them were missing about each other and their associated people. He had no doubt that the dynamics were messier than what appeared on the surface. Things were best kept behind closed doors, and he supposed that Etraya helped obscure the messier details from being discovered.]

Not yet. Perhaps in future when things settle out again, assuming that they do.

[He leaned back in his chair and shrugged his big shoulders nonchalantly.]

Not sure, honestly. It's been a busy few days, and I expect the ripples of this aren't yet fully felt by everyone. You?

[leastdramatic]

[Jason drains his tumbler before replying]

Honestly, the same as you. It's gonna be a while before the smoke from the aftermath gets cleared up.

[He shakes his head]

I love them but this is a mess none of us needed.

[cantilevers]

Agreed on both fronts. As if missions and the fate of our worlds isn't enough pressure, we now have to wrangle those close to us.

[He wasn't certain who had the harder job in that right now. Perhaps Jason has more people to keep an eye on, or maybe it was simply Damian acting out.]

Want another drink?

[leastdramatic]

If you don't mind, sure.

[Jason runs a hand through his white-streaked hair. He's definitely seen better days]

Robin doesn't speak for us about this matter.

[Maybe it was obvious now but it didn't hurt to reiterate the point]

[cantilevers]

[He pushed himself to stand, gathering both of their tumblers in one hand and looked down at Jason. He did wonder about the streak; it reminded him a little of Silco though the one Jason had was far more dramatic.]

I know. He's a kid doing something stupid because he thinks it's right, or he's angry about something, or he's bored, or because he wants attention of someone. Teens aren't reasonable and thinking about consequences isn't their strong suit.

[He was reminded of Vi who took his kids on a job topside, blew up a building and led to the crack down across the Lanes. He doubted she had thought much of the consequences, but they had come knocking, and that was a decision that she would live with the rest of her life.

He walked away to fill their glasses, this time with more than before. He again telegraphed his movements so Jason could see he added nothing to their drinks before returning again to his seat. He set the one tumbler in front of Jason.]

But I do know this problem isn't over.

[leastdramatic]

[Again, Jason carefully watches Vander’s movements as their glasses get refilled. He appreciates that civility is still being maintained.

He graciously takes his glass once it’s been refilled]

How so?

[Jason can hazard some guesses by what Vander means but he wants to hear it straight from him first]

[cantilevers]

[He took a cursory sip of his to assure Jason that it was safe. Well safe enough anyway.

He regarded the younger man for a long quiet moment to debate if his timing was worthwhile. He decided that he had enough respect for Jason to want to give the other man a heads up.]

Silco is on the move. His playbook is probably what we discussed before. That Pandora's Box is now open for real and no closing it.

[leastdramatic]

[Oh... This is going to get worse before it gets better then. Jason's expression darkens]

You're certain? Any mentions of a Dr. Jonathan Crane?

[cantilevers]

[Vander huffed a noise of amusement, swirling his drink in its glass. He appreciated that Jason took the news seriously.]

He wouldn't be so obvious as to day outright. However, he dropped enough vague comments that I am certain they have made contact. Silco doesn't cook; he distributes and networks.

[leastdramatic]

[Jason is absolutely taking it seriously. The timing of this the last thing any of them need]

Crane would cook. More than happy to and it wouldn't surprise me if he was already working on something before he and Silco called. Crane's also known as the Scarecrow so you might wanna keep your ears open to anything like that too.

[cantilevers]

So it is likely safe to assume that they have some sort of venture planned. What they would concoct I don't know, but I assume it would not make Etraya better in the long term.

[This was all something they should have hoped to avoid, but whatever Silco was working on, he intended to keep tabs on it. He had already made mistakes while emotional not that long ago.]

[leastdramatic]

[Jason nods]

It’s always bad news when Crane’s involved. Do we have a rough idea of what the timeline is?

[cantilevers]

No details. It wasn't my primary concern at the time we were speaking.

[That had been in the thick of things with expecting Damian to make a move against Jinx. He had been considering his options on that more than anything else.]

Maybe look into your Crane guy and see what he is up to.

[leastdramatic]

We will. We don't trust him to leave him alone. He's the type who doesn't like to gets his hands dirty unless he's sure the fight's already in his favor.

[Jason sips from his tumbler]

Shimmer and fear toxin sound like a hell of a combo.

[cantilevers]

Neither does Silco. He prefers to operate in the shadows, but I expect he is looking to create disruptions.

[Maybe if there were a few groups on the look out, they could limit the amount of damage the two could create. It wasn't as if Silco or Jinx would listen to him. Well maybe Jinx.]

Overpowered fast healing people infected by fear? With the power some people have here; it would be a rough ride.

[leastdramatic]

I know why Crane would want to do this but what does Silco have to gain from it? It’s not like we got a real economy here.

[cantilevers]

That's why. There is not disparity or crime, so he'll create some.

[It was about control too.]

[leastdramatic]

[Jason scoffs. Right. Some crime lords do what they do out of greed. Some believe they have a higher message to prove. Others are just sadists]

Figures. They really would be a match made in hell.

[cantilevers]

[He shrugged his shoulders as if this was not the most bothersome news.]

Perhaps. Time will tell, but we should have contingencies just in case.

[leastdramatic]

Agreed. Given what kind of work this’ll be, presumably, this is going to be underground and not easy to reach.

[cantilevers]

Hmm, potentially. Shimmer was manufactured underground, but you'd know more about the other toxin. There are plenty of labs around these parts that they could operate from.

[Would it be secretive or would they simply find a way to manufacture quickly and then protect their assets?]

[leastdramatic]

The tricky thing about fear toxin is that he can make it out of a wide range of ingredients.

[How fast Crane can whip it up is a question Jason doesn't really have an answer to]

If Crane already knows vigilantes from his world are also here, he'd want to take the most secretively lab to avoid detection.

[cantilevers]

So you know the recipe for it then? Can we cut off sources of specific ingredients?

[However, that didn't change the fact that Aurora could willingly bring items in on request. They may only delay the inevitable.]

He knows. People like that cover their basis before they make a move.