[ Jason can't begin to imagine what C.C.'s longest night must have been. He won't ask. Not because he's uninterested, but because he knows their shared investment in "justice" comes from a shared and storied pain. The collective pain of lives dealt a bad hand, leading C.C. to become the witch that she is today, and Jason... the ever-burgeoning crime lord. It's amazing how much he achieved from intimidation alone, brutalizing just the right people and then spooking the rest. It's certainly one way to gain a following aside from doing numbers, and it all paid off in how quickly other bosses' henchmen just folded. Saw that siding with the Red Hood wasn't just more profitable, but was more likely to keep them alive.

That didn't make Black Mask happy. Nor what's left of the Maronis, Falcones, and what have you. It doesn't matter who they are, Jason maintains. What matters is who they serve. Little does Gotham's underworld realize that there are two active Red Hoods, though, one posing as the other as needed. It was a recent development, having C.C. pretend to be him sometimes. Paid off better than expected when this past evening, Jason - wearing only his domino mask to distinguish himself from "the Red Hood" - garroted Great White Shark and seized all of the embezzler's assets. Killing him deprives the underworld of a big financial player, of a resource many turn to despite their conflicting allegiances. Killing him forces others to look to the Red Hood instead.

But doing so wasn't easy. Doing so required C.C. to distract Great White Shark long enough, under the pretext of a "merger" with the Red Hood's nascent empire. The escape was far less slick than the distraction, though. Mr. Shark's accrued far too many loyalists - seasoned mercenaries and killers - and while they weren't a horde of League of Assassins ninjas, they were persistent. They were deadly. After throwing a smoke bomb, Jason allowed C.C. to escape, insisting she take the long way. The scenic route. All so he could hold off their pursuers before he can later slip away at an opportune moment.

Cops, none the wiser to the source of the conflict, entered the fray guns blazing, when Jason's flight led him to the city streets. The distraction the cops caused, despite posing no threat to seasoned mercenaries and criminals, gave Jason the slip he needed to finally escape, navigating some sewers before emerging out of a manhole cover closest to his hideout. Somehow, despite the shorter route's bigger obstacles, he managed to beat her there. He won't admit to the worry he felt in wait. The idea that others could've pursued her, gotten to her before he even returned.

But now that Great White Shark's off the board, how loyal could these guys be?

It proves an irrelevant question when C.C. enters the door, none the worse for wear. ]

For what it's worth, you don't look like shit.

[ He catches the helmet with both hands, appraising it briefly before placing it on a nearby counter. ]

But you do deserve a break. To do what we did, no one else has come close.

[ It did take months of planning. Would've cost Jason years if he was less competent, less driven. But damn, did it try his patience to secure enough good will with Great White Shark: enough to get him right where Jason wanted him. He wants to argue that even Batman lacks that kind of patience... which is no wonder Shark was around for so long. ]

Pizza's on me, as ever. Might double the quantity.

[ He doesn't bother to ask her preference. He knows what she likes. ]

I can go pick it up.

[ Truth be told, he's itching to go because he's also craving pizza. ]

In the meantime, why don't you just... I don't know. I'm not your boss.

[ He smirks at his own words. C.C.'s no underling. More of an accomplice, really. ]