Frost steps up to Jason's office door and raises his fist to knock. He hesitates because he is dreading this interaction. But he's been putting it off for a week already. The clowns were pressing him, leaving him no choice but to talk to Jason. So he bites the bullet, hopefully not literally, and knocks on the office door.
"What?" He can hear Jason saying in an exasperated voice.
Frost opens the door and walks in. "Sir," he swallows as he looks at Jason sitting there, head in his hands.
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"What is it?" Jason sighs.
"It's the clowns sir," Frost begins, "They're starting to get antsy because they haven't been paid."
Jason's eyes meet with Frost's and his teeth start to clinch. Frost knows he's about to be yelled at. "Oh are they now? Then perhaps they'd like to trade places with me and figure out how to run this entire shit show without any fucking money?!?!"
Frost's hands go up, "I'm sorry sir, the clowns are my responsibility. They're asking me every five minutes and I don't know what to tell them sir."
"I should fire them for insubordination!!" Jason shouts.
"Yes sir, that's an option, but if you pull a job you're going to need men. If you fire everyone..."
Jason rolls his eyes at Frost, "Thank you very much genius, as if I hadn't realized that!!"
"Sorry sir," Frost looks down, "I meant no disrespect."
Jason sweeps his hand through his green hair and tries to calm down. "Tell them whatever you want. Buy some time. I'll see if I can find another benefactor," he says distantly, his mind trying to figure out who he could press next for money.
"Sir," Frost looks at him with a furrowed brow, "If you don't mind me asking, you have the know how and the resources to pull the biggest jobs in this city...why do you keep avoiding it?"
Jason's eyes drift over the room, "Because of my daughter," he whispers, "If Harley and I were ever caught...they'd take her from us. She'd be in the system and I know what that's like. I don't want that for my daughter."
In that moment Frost didn't see the Joker, he saw Jason Todd. A human. "Sir, I understand...but the Joker is a career criminal. Crime is what funds all of this."
"Don't you think I know that?? But when I took this job...I didn't think about how a family would factor into all of it..." Jason looks down shaking his head. "Now I know all too well why J used to say that love was a liability that made you weak."
"Sir, if you play it smart enough, you'll find a way to do what has to be done and not jeopardize Miss Lucy's happiness," Frost tries to give him a shred of comfort.
"Have those fucking clowns in Europe tracked down Jester yet!" Jason snaps.
"They haven't checked in yet sir," Frost tells him.
