no rest for the wicked [jason todd]

ten

THE HARD BASS

of the music inside the club was hard to ignore, and as Tye wiped some of the sparkles off her cheek, she recognized that this was exactly the place she'd promised herself she would never end up. That's why she'd enrolled in the academy. She was so against doing something like this, selling herself, and she wanted to save people from having to put themselves at risk. She couldn't always do that, but she tried so hard.

She sauntered over to a man sitting in the red chair, leaning over. "Hey," she purred, fluttering her eyelashes. "You're David? I've been looking for you."

He tilted his head up and grinned crookedly at her. Her finger brushed against his stubble, scratching it, and David reached up for her wrist. "Who might you be?" He offered, and she could smell the whiskey on his breath as she leaned closer.

"Sierra," She murmured, "Jacie isn't here tonight. Just asking if there's anyone else who'd be able to fill in for tonight." She dropped a finger down to gently tap a couple fingers along his collarbone, offering a little smirk. "I'm here," she added smoothly, her eyebrows raising. He kept a gentle grip on her wrist.

Nodding, the man tilted his head up. "I'm not going to say no to a cute face like you," he murmured, "you free right now, pretty girl?"

"For you?" She offered smoothly, leaning back and sliding her hands along his shoulders from behind. "Of course. You wanna stand and follow me?" She leaned her chin on the back of the chair, eyebrows raising slightly. "Unless you need another drink first."

"Get me a whiskey?" He offered, "I'll meet you back there." He handed her a 50, adding, "keep the change after."

She gave a smile as he stood up and walked toward the back rooms. Slipping back over to the bar, she slid the bill over to Dick, taking a seat at the bar. "Not drinking on the job," she said, "just--" He nodded, leaning forward to wipe some sparkles off her cheek. "Damn it," she mumbled, "it's everywhere, I'm gonna be finding this stupid sparkly stuff for years."

"Yeah, well, it's for a good cause," Dick said, giving a little smile as he leaned forward on the counter, pouring the rest of the drink for her. He slid it over and she reached for it, lifting it close to her chest. "Don't spill," he offered, "You bringing the change back?"

"Oh, no," she said, "put it off to the side for me for after. I'm definitely keeping that for myself."

Dick raised an eyebrow, a little smile on his lips, and she wasn't going to tell him how many sparkles he had on his face. Way too many to look like he was going to be intimidating.

--

When Tye was done at the end of the night, or maybe very early in the morning, logically, she waited all the other girls out. Sophia even offered to walk her home, but she smiled politely and shook her head. She changed into a little comfier of clothes, grabbed her car keys from Dick and slipped out of the building through the back entrance.

"Have a good night," Dick called after her.

She offered a tight lipped smile and then turned the corner. Someone put a hand over her mouth, pulled her close and whispered, "Don't struggle."

She relaxed, realizing that it was Jason, and spun on her toes. "Listen," she said in a quiet, harsh voice. "Remind me why I'm helping you."

"I'm keeping the city safe in the way the GCPD can't, okay?" Jason said, and his voice was soft, understanding, even. "You have to believe me."

She did, even if she wouldn't tell him. "David-- apparently he's your friend? -- he was here tonight." Jason nodded, as if he knew that, and Tye added, "I managed to get my hands on him. Told Dick he wasn't really talking tonight."

"You got your hands on him, or he got them on you?" Jason offered. He laughed softly when she hit him, leaning against the wall. "Yeah, Davey is one of the guys that helps me handle the docks."

"The docks?" Tye questioned, "Like... Food imports?"

Jason couldn't help the snicker that left him, covering his mouth. He felt guilty when she looked at him like she'd said something wrong. "More... Illegal, usually. Busting child trafficking, making sure the guns coming in don't fall into the wrong hands." He nodded, adding, "Trust me, you don't wanna see that."

"You're right that I don't," Tye agreed finally, "But what I do want to see is the inside of my apartment, a warm thing of takeout and the disappointing lack of dogs in my life."

Jason paused, raising an eyebrow. "I'll take you back to my apartment," he offered, "and we can talk more over food that isn't the same takeout you've been eating every day."

"You got eyes on me, Jason? I don't appreciate teams of people spying."

Jason offered a little nod." Just one person -- me. Keeping a look out in case they find out and try to get you in trouble. Don't need you to take the fall for me."

"Cheesy," Tye mused.

Jason turned away from her, clearing his throat. "Where's your car?" He asked. "I'll drive."