Jason's nineteenth birthday was the first and last time she visited his grave. It was much too painful to return, and life continued on anyways. It's been about a year and a half since she went to Gotham Cemetery, and she wish she could say she never looked back. She looked back, many times. Occasionally, she'd find herself crying and overwhelmed with sadness. Venus could never fully move on, but she did try her best.
It was noon on a chilly Friday in Autumn, and Venus's classes had just finished. She was currently strolling up downtown Gotham with Ryder and a few of his friends, Mandy and Jem. Venus wasn't close with them, they were just mutual friends thanks to Ryder. She's just grateful for the normalcy.
"Coffee, everyone?" Ryder chirped, offering Venus his arm. She rolled her eyes and took it, pinching him hard.
"Sounds great," Many responded, stilettos clicking on the pavement. "I'm absolutely dying for an iced chai latte."
Jem nodded, pulling his headphones down to hang around his neck. "Cool."
"Venus?" Ryder asked, tilting his head to the side.
Venus shrugged. "Sure. As long as you're paying."
"Mudd's Coffee it is!" He cheered, pulling her along the sidewalk. Venus grimaced and shared a look with Mandy who stifled a giggle. She twirled a strand of platinum hair around a finger as they strode the ever-so gloomy streets.
"Y'know, it's totally possible we can die right here, with the amount of crime going around right now," She commented, offering a piece of gum to Venus.
"Crime rates have definitely gone up a ton the past few months," Jem added, pulling his hoodie over his dusty-blond hair. "Sucks to turn on the news and it's just robberies and muggings."
"Don't forget all the murders," Ryder noted, unphased.
"Don't worry guys," Venus grinned, snapping her gum with a loud pop. "I'll protect you from the big, scary bad guys." She said it jokingly, of course, but her sixteen years of training certainly gave them an advantage. Nobody was mugging them without walking away with a bashed skull. Or not walking away at all.
"Wow, I feel so comforted" Jem sarcastically drawled. "With what, your five dollar pepper spray?"
"I don't even have pepper spray, idiot!" Venus protested, flipping him off. Jem only guffawed knowing how easy it was to rile her up.
"Anyways," Ryder said, looking down the street. "That's what you get for living in Gotham."
Mandy only shrugged. "Never a dull moment, at least."
"You say that now," Jem countered, raising his brow. "Wait until you're the one with your brains splattered on Main Street."
"Okay! We're here," Ryder announced quickly, cutting their conversation off. The two weren't wrong. Crime has been flourishing lately, and with Roy, Jade and Venus out of the picture, Dick and Robin have been scrambling to keep up. Batman has surprisingly been MIA for the past few weeks, though Bruce has kept busy with his charity galas, leaving all the work to his sidekick.
"Venus? The usual?" Ryder asked and nudged her.
"You know me so well," She said, patting his shoulder. He rolled his eyes and got in line, leaving Mandy, Jem and Venus to find a table.
"That old dude looks like he's leaving," Mandy pointed to a table by a large umbrella. "Should we sit there?"
"Duh," Jem spoke, making his way towards the black, wire table. Just as the three settled themselves down, Venus's phone rang. She looked at the two and held her phone in the air, walking away.
