As Red Hood climbed through Olivia's window, he met Stephanie's glare with an unimpressed look. "Is she here?"

"Maybe she is. What's it to you?"

"Why are you even here? Are you moving in or something?"

"Maybe I am. What's it to you?"

"Does this mean you two are dating again?"

"Maybe we are. What's it to you?"

"Can you say literally anything else?"

"Maybe I can. What's it to you?"

He rolled his eyes and turned to Olivia's bedroom door. "Oy! I'm going to shoot your friend if you don't get out here!"

"And I'm going to steal your gun and shoot you if you wake her up," Stephanie growled.

"I'd like to see you try," he snorted, turning back to her. "Why's she still in bed? We had an early night last night. She said she was going straight to bed when I dropped her off."

"Uh-huh. Then she texted me an hour later to say she was going to bed. And then two hours after that I snuck in to steal a couple of those peppermint cookies you made her, only to find her sitting at the kitchen table, half-working on decrypting her copy of the thumb drive you stole from Black Mask and half-working on that stupid slideshow she's making for her dad that we both know isn't going to do shit."

He shook his head. "I knew I should have come in and made sure-Wait," he cut off, turning to look at the laptop sitting on the kitchen table. "When did she copy the drive? How did she even know about the drive? How do you know about the drive?"

"Bang," was Stephanie's only response.

He turned to her with a raised eyebrow, only to find her standing next to him instead of sitting on the other side of the couch. He looked further down to see his gun in her hands, pointed at his thigh with the safety off and her finger on the trigger. "What the fuck?"

She gave him a Cheshire smile and flicked the safety on. She pushed the gun into his hand, then gave it a pat.

"I hate you."

"Same."

Olivia: Im going to the skatepark after school

Hood: Alright the one off Carson way?

Olivia: … you've never been to carson have you

Olivia: What am I saying of course you've never been to a skatepark You theater nerd

Olivia: No only edgy white boys skate at carson

Hood: Is that something I need to deal with

Olivia: Nah they're not creeps or anything they're just obnoxious

Olivia: Northside was the creep park but they've all cleared out since you took over and made it clear you wouldn't put up with any of that

Hood: Good

Hood: Where are you going then

Olivia: Idk haven't decided

Olivia: Either Bayview esplanade or Robinson

Olivia: I'll let you know when I get there

Hood: Uh no those are all in different directions

Hood: I need to know where you're headed

Hood: Kid

Hood: Answer me

Hood: I swear I will track you down and drag you back to your apartment if you don't answer

Hood: Last warning

Hood: Trackers are going live

Olivia: Oh my god chill my teacher almost caught me texting so I had to wait until she stopped paying attention again

Olivia: Are you seriously threatening to ground me!?

Olivia: God your such a dad

Hood: Wtf no I'm not

Hood: And I thought you were at lunch if you're in class pay attention

Olivia: Yes dad

Hood: Shut up

Hood: Just focus on your class and text me where you're going BEFORE YOU LEAVE

"How does your hair not fly in your face all the time while you're grappling?" Tim asked. "My hair's way shorter than yours and I have to keep it gelled back."

"It seems we still have a few tricks to teach you when it comes to being a girl, grasshopper. Lesson three-fifty: bobby pins," Robin joked and did a backflip as her grapple released. She landed perfectly on the roof next to Batman. "Lots and lots of bobby pins. And just a spritz of hairspray. No gunky gel required."

"You could just pull it back," he grunted, not looking away from the warehouse he was staking out.

"But that would make the headband redundant," she said and pointed at her red, bat-eared Alice band.

"I still can't believe you talked B into the skirt, let alone that."

"Hm."

"The headband was his concession for shortening the skirt. Not that it can really be called a skirt by this point. Miniskirts are longer than this. If I didn't know he was just a weirdo, I'd think he was being a creep."

"It could get caught on something," he muttered. "Or be grabbed. It's an unnecessary risk. You're still wearing pants."

"I'm also wearing a cape."

"A cape with safety releases," Tim corrected.

"You're supposed to be on my side, Enby Wonder!" Robin huffed and knelt next to Batman. "So what'd you need my help with?"

"The information Robin Three dug up paid off. There's a shipment of guns inside headed for Mask and Penguin. I want you on the front of the warehouse. Keep an eye on the guards and make sure we don't get some unwelcome company. I'll locate the shipment and tag it for Gordon."

"You got it, bossman," she gave him a salute then ran for the warehouse, using a jump Dick had taught her to clear the space between the two buildings. She found a space on the front of the building behind a sign to tuck herself away that had a good view of both the guards and the large sliding doors. "In position."

"I'm moving in," Batman responded.

It was silent for a few minutes, then a voice said, "You're not Robin."

She spun around to see Hood halfway out of the nearest window.

"Red Hood?" she gasped, only just remembering to heighten her voice so she sounded like Robin instead of Stephanie.

"Hood is there?" Tim asked and she heard him start rapidly typing.

"Robin, fall back now," Batman barked.

"That's me. Who are you supposed to be?"

"Uh, Robin. Duh," she said as she slowly twisted her body into position to slip past the sign. Tim might think Hood was bluffing about wanting to hurt Robin, but she wasn't so sure. "What are you doing here?"

He cocked his head and held up a trigger. "Giving Mask a message. You're not Robin."

"He's got a detonator," Tim warned Batman and the man grunted.

"Shows what you know." She leaned casually against the wall, pretending to stare at his helmeted face while keeping a close eye on the detonator.

He gave her a pointed once over. "Last I checked, Robin… had black hair."

She shrugged. "New hair, new me."

He snorted. "Nice try. What really happened? Did Batman get another bird killed? The turnover just keeps getting shorter, doesn't it? From six months to a week."

Her eyes widened as she heard Tim suck in a breath. She didn't know much about Jason Todd-Wayne or his Robin, but what she did know is that Robin Two's death was a closely guarded secret. Joker kept it to himself for whatever reason and the superhero community wasn't talking. She didn't even know Robins Two and Three were different people until Bruce finally let Tim tell her who they were, and she'd been dating Tim for a month by that point.

"Let's see how long you last, Newbie," Hood said and raised the detonator.

"Batman!" she warned and he pressed the trigger.

The warehouse shook.

Hood gave her a salute and disappeared onto the roof.

"Shit. B! Batman!" she hissed, rushing over to the window.

"I'm alright. The blast was mostly contained to Mask's portion of the shipment," he growled and she saw him leap up into the rafters near a group of smoking and melted shipping containers as a few guards rushed in, guns at the ready.

"GCFD's two minutes out. Gordon and his team aren't far behind," Tim said.

Batman met her at the window and they grappled away.

Hood ignored Olivia as the kid came up behind him.

He ignored him as he crossed his arms.

He ignored him as he cleared his throat.

"What are you doing?" Olivia finally asked.

"Installing some cameras and shock traps on your windows," Hood answered, grabbing a screwdriver.

"Why?"

"Been blowing up a lot of Mask's shit lately. I want to be sure he doesn't try to get at me through you. I already put in bulletproof glass two weeks ago, but I thought a bit of extra security wouldn't hurt."

"You put bulletproof glass in my apartment without telling me?"

"The blonde demon didn't let you know?"

"Stephanie was there? Where was I?"

"Sleeping. I think she drugged you again."

"You both are awful."

"I brought mantecaditos."

"Nevermind, you're cool," Olivia said, heading to the kitchen. "I'm going to have access to the cameras, right?"

"Yeah."

"Good." There were a few moments, then Olivia returned. "Why are you ticking off Mask anyways? Stealing business from him was one thing, but now you're just blowing up his stuff. What do you get out of it?"

"It's all part of the plan," he grunted, glaring at a particularly difficult screw.

"What plan?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, kid. Get your homework done."

He groaned and sat down next to Hood. He audibly took a bite, then said, "All I've got is some stupid book report. It can wait."

"Don't talk with your mouth full, you heathen. And book reports aren't stupid."

"Says the guy who reads period romance novels for fun," he muttered.

"Just do your homework."

"It's not even due until next week. Besides, I got Macbeth so I'm waiting until I can get over to the library to rent the modern English translation."

Hood froze, then pulled himself back into the apartment to glare at the kid. "No."

"No?"

"No. Those translations take everything good out of the stories! If you need some help reading it, that's fine, but those things don't even bother to keep the dirty jokes, let alone the elegant prose."

"Dirty jokes?" Olivia said, blinking up at him. "Why would there be dirty jokes in Shakespeare?"

"… Get up, kid. It's time for a lesson in Elizabethan theater."

The kid grumbled as Hood dragged him to the kitchen table.

Stephanie perked up when she saw Tim coming down the stairs, though she didn't get out of her backbend. "Hey, Timbo. You Robin tonight then?"

"Yeah, need a night out to clear my head."

The two stretched in silence for a moment before she asked, "Did you finish the slideshow ?"

"Yeah. I, uh, sent it yesterday."

She nodded and - taking note of his tone - decided to change the subject. In a low voice, she asked, "How was the meeting last night?"

"Fine. Would have been better if the Víboras hadn't shown up. I guess Cortés is spooked by Mask's and Hood's fighting and decided it'd be best to choose a side."

"And she chose Hood?" Stephanie asked.

It kind of made sense. Hood watched out for his people, which would line up with Cortés' need to protect her son. That said, Cortés favored control over money. Stephanie would have assumed she'd choose to align herself with Mask. She'd have to kick up more money to him than she would Hood, but she'd also get almost completely free reign to do what she pleased with her territory instead of having to bow to Hood's rules.

"That's what the Víboras claim, but I don't buy it and neither does Hood. Either way, I had to deal with Ray sending me creeper eyes all night."

"It's too bad Hood didn't give you a gun."

"And it's a good thing he hasn't given you one. You do realize shooting him would cause a gang war."

"He has it coming," she shrugged. "Besides, we're already on the edge of a gang war anyways the way Hood keeps antagonizing Mask. If the fuse is going to be lit, it might as well be for a good cause. Like shooting Ray Cortés in the ass."

"No, Steph."

She shrugged and stood up to go get dressed in her Spoiler suit. "Just saying."

Jason studied the picture of the new Robin. He wasn't sure what to make of the blonde girl, except that he was pretty sure it was Spoiler behind the mask. The new Batgirl, Cassandra Wayne, was still in Hong Kong according to his sources and Spoiler had almost completely disappeared since Blonde Robin had shown up. In fact, almost all of her recent appearances line up with his cameras spotting Tim Drake coming to Wayne Manor.

Unfortunately, he wasn't sure who Spoiler was or why she'd suddenly decided to take over as Robin. Cassandra was the only kid Bruce had taken in since Jason and the blonde didn't seem to be another Bristol baby that Bruce could have lured in as he'd done for Drake. As far as he could tell, she didn't have any ties to Dick or Babs either. There were a few mentions of a blonde being spotted with Drake, maybe even dating him, but nothing conclusive enough for him to get an ID from.

He also hadn't been able to find a reason explaining why Drake had suddenly backed away from Robin. Something had definitely happened, from Jason's cameras never picking up the kid going home anymore to his sudden switch from Gotham Academy to Wayne Memorial of all schools. He thought maybe the kid's parents had gotten into trouble, but everything seemed normal with them. As normal as they could be when they were filthy rich and spent all their time hoping between business meetings and archaeological sites.

There was a rumor he'd changed schools to spend time with his girlfriend, who Jason was assuming was Spoiler, but the Drakes weren't big enough to earn the kind of spotlight needed for any real details to make it Jason's way. He'd considered scoping out the school out of mask given he was young enough to be mistaken for a student, but he didn't know how much the Robins had been told about him and didn't want to risk one of them recognizing his face. He supposed he could ask Stephanie to snap a picture of them without telling her anything. He knew she went to that school and - having been born and raised in the Bowery - she was suspicious enough of the rich that she'd probably buy it if he told her he thought the Drakes were up to shady business and he was gathering information. He didn't want to risk putting her either on the Bats' trail or in their sights, though. Especially if she brought Olivia along.

Considering one was a rogue's kid and the other was a black-haired pseudo-orphan, he was pretty sure he knew what would happen if they landed on Bruce's radar.

"What are you working on?"

"Well, hello to you too," he huffed, turning around to see Olivia ducking into his fridge. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"Bomb threat. It was a prank call, but they still let us out early."

"So you decided to break into my safe house. What if I hadn't been decent?"

"This is one of your garbage safe houses. One trash enough that even Jacob knows about it. You're not going to take your hood off here."

"Alright, fine, but that doesn't mean you can just break in whenever you want. Are you the one who's been raiding my fridges?"

"No, that's Kay. They finally broke up with their boyfriend so they've been couch-surfing your safe houses until they find a new place to live. Or a new boyfriend. I'm not sure which."

Jason was going to shoot someone. Not Olivia, obviously. Probably also not Kay, though he did need to sit them down to congratulate them on cutting off the dead weight and help them find a stable place to live.

Maybe he'd track down one of Mask's operations once he got done finding out what Olivia wanted.

His Little Red came first, though. "So why are you here?"

She shrugged and turned to him with a bottle of water in hand. "Heard you got into a big fight with some masks last night. Not the Bats. Wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine. The Fearsome Hand of Four wasn't as fearsome as their name implies. Besides, I got some backup from the Bat."

"Batman was there?" she asked, trying to sound casual while clearly fishing for information.

Information Jason was not going to be giving her. "That's nothing you need to worry about. Assassins and Bats are way above your pay grade, kid. Stick to digging up info on what Cortés is planning."

She rolled her eyes and closed the fridge.

"So," Stephanie said slowly, dragging out the vowel. "Hood blew up Mask's HQ."

"Apparently," Tim sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Maybe it's time to tell the others what you've been up to."

"Not yet."

"Tim, he's losing it."

"He's got a plan. I don't know what the plan is because he's keeping it close to the chest, but he's adamant that the plan exists and it seems to be going the way he thought it would."

"Or maybe he's just as crazy as his namesake and eventually that crazy is going to get you hurt," she countered, flopping onto the couch to lay her head in his lap.

"You're kidding, right? You do realize how much security he's put up in my apartment specifically to keep whatever he's up to from backfiring on me." He started playing with her hair. "I'll be fine, Steph. I know how to protect myself and I'm never without a panic button or a set of trackers. And you've been around Hood enough. You know he won't hurt me."

She hummed, closing her eyes. "Just be careful, please."

"I will."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, then she asked, "So is Cass coming home this week or next week?"

"Next week."

Hood rolled his shoulder as he landed on a roof that overlooked the working women. He figured he could take a short break, then he'd check on the ladies and continue his patrol.

He'd just sat down and started digging through his jacket for some nutrient bars when a familiar figure climbed onto the roof from the fire escape. "Hood!"

"Hey, kid."

Little Red skipped up next to him and joined him on the parapet. "Are you taking a break or is something happening with the girls?"

"Break." He wrapped an arm around him, nervous the kid would slip over the edge. "Did you get your homework done?"

"Yes, Dad, " Little Red groaned, rolling his eyes. He grabbed a nutrient bar and leaned into the half-hug. As he opened it, he smiled up at Hood. "Guess who got 110% on their book report?"

"Nice job," he said, squeezing him.

"Yeah. Does this make me a theater dork like y-"

"Brat," Hood cut him off and shoved the snickering kid off the parapet.

He landed on his back on the roof, still smirking up at Hood.

"Get out of here. I need to finish patrol."

Little Red stood up and gave him a salute before passing him a folder and leaving the way he came.

Hood made sure he made it safely to the ground, then flipped through the folder. He frowned when he realized it was information on a trafficking ring that was beginning to sprout up on the very edge of his territory.

He quickly scanned through it, then tucked it into his jacket and dropped down amongst the working women. "Hey, Cherry."

"Hood!" quite a few of the girls greeted while a specific redhead stepped forward to pull him into a hug.

"You just checking in or do you need info," she asked after kissing his cheek.

"A little of both."

"Well, we're all doing good, so ask away."

"Have you heard anything about some new guys hanging around the northeastern edge of the Narrows?"