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There were hats; the paper cone kind with the elastic chin strap. It was the kind of thing that normally Dick would have been the one instigating, but there was something sinister about Jason sitting gleefully at the head of a table in a kids' arcade. Roy sat to Jason's right. He was wearing two party hats, like he had a set of horns. He slouched in his chair, chatting with ease, stirring his straw in his soda cup. Stephanie was in an animated discussion with Barbara about their gaming tickets. Damian violently colored his placemat with the provided crayons, adding his own flair and embellishments to the original artwork. Tim had completely disassociated. There was a pizza per person on the table. In the chair to Jason's left was a clown pinata the size of a small child.
Dick sat down in the empty seat next to the piñata.
"Goldie! You're just in time! We're about to have cake." Jason leaned in closer. "Where's my present?"
The invitation had requested a "thoughtful" gift in exchange for all arcade expenses to be covered. Dick handed over a small box containing some books he thought Jason might like. "Is Bruce coming?" He knew it was a dumb question.
Jason snorted and added his gift to the stack on a chair slightly behind him and covered with his jacket. "No, but he is paying."
"Does he know he's paying?"
"He'll figure it out."
Dick decided to change the subject. "Who's your friend here?" He asked, patting the pinata.
"We've been calling him Bam Pow the Clown. Wait till you see what he's filled with!" Jason patted the pinata's head affectionately.
Dick wanted to ask more questions, but the aforementioned cake appeared, being brought out by two very confused employees. It was a large sheet cake with black icing. It was decorated with artfully messy drizzles of neon icing in yellow, pink, and blue. Bunches of fake balloons festooned the upper corners. There was even a big number candle that Dick mentally noted did not match Jason's age. Once the cake was set down, Dick could see the white lettering on the cake read, "Happy Death Day, Jason! "
Everyone began to sing.