She's putting a lot of effort into refuting his consolation attempts, and a voice in the back of Jason's mind whispers sharply that he shouldn't even try, because he's simply no good at relating to other people. He gets caught in a moment of self-doubt and considers letting the subject drop, but Jason is also incredibly stubborn, and his gut instinct tells him that backing away would be the wrong move.
"I don't believe that," he says, shaking his head as he folds his arms against his chest. "You're smart, Steph - I can tell, and anyone who's lived in Gotham knows you don't go looking for trouble unless you mean to find it. Now, I wasn't there and I don't know what all went down, but I don't need to know unless you wanna tell me all the details. Nothing you may or may not've done changes the fact that what's wrong with that city is bigger than you or me or - hell, even Batman. The conditions that led to that situation are a symptom of the sickness that has been left to fester for years - a lot longer than I've been alive." And part of the problem rests in the simple fact that - in Jason's mind - Batman doesn't understand that sickness, not the way Jason does, and without fully understanding it, you can't fix what's wrong with any real efficacy.
"Now, from what you've said, it sounds like you think you made a mistake, tracking down this Orpheus guy. And yeah, it's real screwed up that you had to watch him get murdered right in front of you, but that was Black Mask's doing, not yours. You were trying to help. And trying to help is never a mistake, Steph. Trust me." He was Robin, after all.
"So if you want someone to beat you up for whatever mistakes you think you've made - I dunno, you seem like you've got that pretty well handled all on your own. Y'don't really need my help, and honestly? I'm the last guy, on this planet or any other, who would."
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"I don't believe that," he says, shaking his head as he folds his arms against his chest. "You're smart, Steph - I can tell, and anyone who's lived in Gotham knows you don't go looking for trouble unless you mean to find it. Now, I wasn't there and I don't know what all went down, but I don't need to know unless you wanna tell me all the details. Nothing you may or may not've done changes the fact that what's wrong with that city is bigger than you or me or - hell, even Batman. The conditions that led to that situation are a symptom of the sickness that has been left to fester for years - a lot longer than I've been alive." And part of the problem rests in the simple fact that - in Jason's mind - Batman doesn't understand that sickness, not the way Jason does, and without fully understanding it, you can't fix what's wrong with any real efficacy.
"Now, from what you've said, it sounds like you think you made a mistake, tracking down this Orpheus guy. And yeah, it's real screwed up that you had to watch him get murdered right in front of you, but that was Black Mask's doing, not yours. You were trying to help. And trying to help is never a mistake, Steph. Trust me." He was Robin, after all.
"So if you want someone to beat you up for whatever mistakes you think you've made - I dunno, you seem like you've got that pretty well handled all on your own. Y'don't really need my help, and honestly? I'm the last guy, on this planet or any other, who would."