Jason leaned his head against the car window. Venus was gone when he got back, much to his confusion. He was only gone for ten minutes, she couldn't have possibly gone far.
There was no use in trying to find her, Jason figured she'd come back to the car when she was done with...whatever she was doing. She was probably just chasing down some petty thief; that's the only logical reason he could think of that would make her leave so suddenly. And as much as Jason hated to miss out on that fun, Venus had the head start and she was probably on her way back already.
He sighed, wishing he had a phone. He'd have to buy one soon, with the well-earned money Red Hood receives from his crime circles. Sighing, he sipped his drink. Jason was really trying to wait for Venus; he thought they'd eat together, like old times, but their food was getting cold.
Nibbling on a singular fry, he glanced around again. She was nowhere to be found. He was starting to get worried now. It's been about half an hour, and there was still no sign of her. Surely no petty thief would take her this long to catch?
Jason decided to drive around the nearby suburbs after weighing his options. There wasn't anywhere else to go, and it was clear she wasn't coming back to the restaurant anytime soon.
Considering her knack for attracting trouble, Jason was just the slightest bit worried. He reminded himself that she can hold her own, but his reassurance really didn't help. Pressing harder on the gas pedal, Jason drove through the streets faster, glancing down each alleyway. He was no detective, but he was hoping she left a trail of clues to her whereabouts. It was highly unlikely considering that she was practically a ghost, but maybe he'd get lucky.
Rolling his eyes at the cliche, creepy neighborhood, Jason looked briefly down another alleyway and spotted something shining towards the back. The car continued to roll forward, and he quickly stepped on the brakes. Reversing, he climbed out of the car and into the alley, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. It was probably nothing, but Jason figured he'd have to be as thorough as possible if he wanted to track down Venus.
He furrowed his brows as he approached a motorcycle, a new model from the looks of it. Running his hands across the seat, he frowned deeply when he caught sight of the Wayne symbol on it. What could one of Bruce's vehicles be doing out here, of all places?
Jason shook his head and snapped a picture of its license plate, just in case. He watched enough detective movies to know it may come in handy. He'd leave it alone, though. If someone stole it, it was none of his business; he's been down that road before, and knew firsthand how rough it could be living in Gotham. Kudos to whoever stole from Bruce Wayne and got away with it.
He strode back to the car, but stopped when he saw a glint of metal by the wall close to the street. It looked as if it had been kicked to the side. "Shit."
Holding it up to the light of the streetlamp, he cursed again. It was Venus's tiny silver blade, the retractable one she always kept in her clothing somewhere. Venus was always a huge believer in being armed always, so Jason was definitely concerned when he saw her knife on the side of the street. He examined it closely; there wasn't blood on it, which was a good sign. Jason pocketed it and circled around the nearby area again, making sure that he didn't miss anything.
He even tried tracing her footsteps, asking himself 'if I were Venus, where would I go?' He knew she wouldn't be caught dead in such an unsettling place like this, so he quickly threw that strategy out the window. Instead, Jason wandered around the suburbs on foot, desperately looking for more clues. He didn't find any, however, which left him quite discouraged and angry.
