"Yeah, right," He said reluctantly, not quite believing her. "You'll be there though? You'll come with me?"
"Of course," She assured, smiling sweetly. Guilt. She felt guilt for the first time in...well, it's not a very familiar feeling for Venus. Anyways, she hates lying to Jason, especially since she literally just got him back yesterday. But it's necessary, and it'll be over in a few short days. Besides, she's a spectacular liar, he won't suspect a thing.
It wouldn't be the end of the world if he found out, she has good reasons for keeping her plan from him. This was her business, her vendetta, and she'll be the one to end it. These are dangerous people, and he'd only underestimate them, dismissing them as an irrelevant, practically dead gang like Dick did. And underestimating them would only get her friends killed, so her reasons are valid. It's not like she's going in alone, she has Jade. And Jade really counts as like two people; she's just that good.
"Do you want t—" Jason was cut off by Venus's ringtone. She declined the call; surely, whoever it was could wait. She motioned for Jason to continue, but her phone rang again, Dick's caller ID on the screen.
"I'd answer that if I were you," Jason remarked, brow raised. "Somebody could be dying." He was only half joking, of course, but a sliver of panic rushed through her.
And so she answered. "What?" She snapped, more rudely than intended.
"Woah," Dick chuckled. Venus could imagine the easy-going smirk on his face, the one that annoyed the shit out of her. "Easy, tiger. I know you've given up on the superhero lifestyle, but I need all the help I can get right now."
Venus frowned and clutched the phone tighter. "Wait, what? What do you mean?"
"We've got a hostage situation, and it's bad. Field trip gone wrong. 25 students and two teachers at the Museum of Antiques. GCPD is doing the best they can, but the group holding them hostage is getting antsy. They want Batman," Dick said, slightly more serious.
"Okay," She drawled, not seeing the problem. "Call up Bruce or something." Jason's head snapped up at the mention of Bruce, his untamed hair smacking against his forehead. He cocked his head, silently asking if everything was alright. She smiled reassuringly; it would be, hopefully.
"He's...out on League business. Nobody can reach him," He sighed. "Gordon wants me to go in and handle them, but I'm going to need some help. Clearly, something's up with these guys if they think they can take on Batman."
She stayed silent for a moment. "Should I bring Roy? Or Jade?" Jason was getting up in her face now, wildly gesturing for her to tell him what was going on. She pushed at his chest, shushing him.
"Not Roy. Our success will largely depend on stealth. Jade would be helpful..." Dick trailed off, sounding uncertain. "No, we need someone intimidating. These guys definitely refer to themselves as 'alpha males,' and a woman wouldn't scare them into compliance."
"No offense to Jade, though! She's scarier than like most of the male population! We just don't have time to prove that to them, and I don't think complete violence is an option here. And women are great! They totally could beat any dude's ass! And she'd definitely be my first choice in any other situation! But I've worked with these types of guys before and they don't see it that way, which won't work in our favor, you know?" He added frantically.
Venus rolled her eyes. Smooth. "Then why do you need me? I'm definitely not an alpha male." Jason snorted loudly as she spat the last words. He leaned in closer, attempting to eavesdrop on their conversation. She shoved his head away and set her phone on the counter, pressing the speaker button exaggeratingly.
