Who: Luke and Iris What: Meeting! Where: A park. When: Um... backdated to before some things. Warnings/Rating: None.
Even after speaking with people through the journals, visiting through Sam’s door at the hotel, things still seemed strange and off-balance for Iris. She had taken several days off from watching Gus, and that had swiftly moved into an entire week. She knew that she would have to make it up to him somehow. Maybe that trip to the zoo she had in the back of her mind. She thought about it as she walked, a habit she’d picked up on the grounds of the hospital back in Georgia. The fresh air was apparently “good for her”, and the movement of her feet kept her thoughts moving forward in an equally steady manner.
She’d chosen a park near her apartment (not the park she usually went to with Gus), and allowed her thoughts to wander (but not too far!) as she walked. Around her, the park bustled with families and runners and people walking their dogs, and she smiled at those she passed if they looked to be making eye contact, but otherwise she kept to herself. A woman in a well-cut but soft looking dress, shoes made well enough that even a pair of flats was comfortable enough for walking around in.
Luke was usually more active after dark than he was during the day, unless he was working, but the problem with living in a rather small apartment while owning a rather large dog was that the latter often became restless because of the former. Finch was no puppy, and without proper exercise he had a tendency to become cranky and take his frustration out on furniture that Luke couldn’t exactly afford to replace. Well, he could, but there were far better uses for his money and he didn’t want to waste it on a new sofa when he had a perfectly decent one already. Since Wren had been taking the dog out for lunchtime walks lately, he’d been neglecting to take him out himself, but she hadn’t stopped by for the past few days and Finch was already whining and pacing around the apartment every waking moment.
Which brought him here, on his day off, to a park that was just like countless others in the vicinity, though he’d purposely chosen one that was far away from his apartment building. The area wasn’t the best, and Luke rarely spent time there before the sun set. Finch was on a leash, ever since that unfortunate incident a couple years back that involved a man who’d become a little too touchy-feeling during a minor altercation and paid the price. That wasn’t to say that his dog was vicious; he wouldn’t have let Wren drag him off to a park full of kids if he was. Under normal circumstances Finch was friendly, but Luke had traveled a great deal during the past five years, and he’d needed a guard dog as opposed to one that would greet strangers enthusiastically. As a result, Finch was quick to react when he felt threatened whether there was a legitimate threat or not.
They were jogging along the path, keeping a steady pace with Finch a little ahead, when the dog suddenly stopped and stared across the park, ears perked up and alert. Luke came to a halt, glancing back and giving the leash a gentle tug. “Come, Finch,” he ordered, but the dog practically ignored him, and a moment later he began pulling on his leash, straining against the collar and barking sharply. “Stop,” he muttered, making another unsuccessful attempt to pull him back. He was strong enough to yank him backwards, but he didn’t actually want to exert that much force. What happened next was a blur; somehow the leash slipped from his grasp, and then Finch was off like a shot, racing towards the woman he’d spotted a few feet away--though Luke had no idea it was a person who’d drawn his dog’s attention--before skidding to a stop in front of her, all happy-canine grin and lolling tongue. Luke chased after him, hollering, while a few passersby hid their giggles behind their hands.
The sound of barking filtered into Iris’ thoughts, but she paid it little mind. It was a park, after all, and there were dogs all around. And dogs barked. This one stopped after a bit, and Iris continued along her even steps. The sound of collar and tags, approaching at a fair speed, caught her attention again though, and she froze as a blur of fur and jingle slid to a stop near her. Her training with the guide dogs kicked in, and she didn’t move much other than to look down, hoping to see a friendly looking canine face, and not one with more teeth than she could handle.
Not only was it friendly though, but also familiar. Iris found herself smiling as she recognized the dog - not as Finch, but as Monkey. She knelt down right there in the path, unmindful of her dress, and buried her hands in the fur under the collar he wore. “Hey, Monkey,” she whispered, hearing the shouts for ‘Finch’ but not making the connection between them and this dog. “Fancy meeting you here...” She talked to him like she’d talk to anyone else, even as she rubbed behind his ears.
Usually Finch was incredibly obedient, and the fact that he ignored Luke’s calls made a sudden spike of worry rise in the midst of his annoyance. If he attacked someone, or even just scared some kid, it could bring a whole lot of trouble that he really didn’t need. He skidded to a halt once he caught sight of his dog, prepared to chastise him for not listening, but then he noticed the woman crouched in front of Finch and simply stared instead. Finch’s tail was going a mile a minute, and he kept trying to lick her face every few seconds. He could be friendly, sure, but he was never this friendly with a stranger, and he thought the woman was being a little too affectionate towards a strange animal.
Unless, of course, they weren’t strangers. A frown crossed Luke’s features before it was gone, and he approached Finch and the woman with a slight, puzzled smile. “Hi,” he said, stooping to pick up Finch’s leash; a subtle sign of ownership. “Sorry about that. He gets a little excited sometimes.”
Iris didn’t laugh at Monkey’s antics, but it was a close thing. She did smile, wider than usual, and in a way that lit up her entire face. Part of her missed having a dog and the simple affection they offered. She had been enjoying the recent outings with Wren and Monkey almost as much as Gus had been, in her own way. The dog finally got a solid lick to her face, and she pulled back with a breath that almost translated to a laugh. Cupping her hand over the top of Monkey’s nose, she pushed him down and away, careful but firm, mindful but not frightened of the teeth near her fingers. “Stop that,” she told him with another curve of a smile. “Sit. …Sit.” Her commands were firm, certain, and Monkey obeyed even though his tail (and most of his back half) continued to wiggle.
She had been expecting Wren, so the male voice was unexpected, nearly ignored at first until Iris saw the masculine hand reach to take the leash. “No, that’s alright. I know how he can b--” She’d begun speaking before looking up, and when she finally raised her eyes enough to see the man’s face, her words froze in her throat. She couldn’t remember ever wondering what Gus would look like once he grew up, but if she had, her answer was staring right down at her. The eyes were wrong - not wrong, just different - but the rest of his features were an adult match for the little boy she’d quickly and easily grown to care for. Her fingers curled around Monkey’s collar as something grounded to hang on to as she tried to work things through in her head.
There were very few photos in the too-clean, too-quiet house that Iris rescued Gus from during the day, and she had yet to actually meet the man of that house. Though she began to think more and more that there would be few similarities there and that she could lay money on him not being Gus’ father, a part of her mind giving that label to the man holding Monkey’s leash. The resemblance with him was simply too strong, and Gus’ grey eyes so obviously came from Wren. The fact that this man was walking Monkey also confirmed that he knew Wren in some way. She didn’t have all the answers, not in that moment, so she simply continued to cling to Monkey’s collar and look up. “...It’s alright.”
Okay, now Luke knew something was up. Acting friendly towards strangers was odd enough, but Finch would never obey someone he didn’t know. In all the years he’d had the dog, the only one aside from himself who’d managed to coax out obedience was Wren. He hadn’t even listened to Thomas, and that man had been capable of commanding people with a single word. Even if Finch hadn’t obeyed, the way the woman acted with him suggested a sort of comfortable ease which indicated they’d met before. The only explanation that came to mind was that this was someone Wren had encountered when she’d taken Finch to the park for their lunchtime walk, but for some reason he couldn’t accept that was all there was to it. He was missing something, some puzzle piece that would tie it all together, and Bruce certainly wasn’t being helpful; Luke had the distinct feeling that the other man knew something, or at least suspected it, and wasn’t sharing.
The way the woman stared at him only served to further his convictions, rather than dismiss them as paranoia or foolish nothings. He was positive he’d never met her, so that ruled a long-lost acquaintance out, but beyond that he couldn’t be sure. Luke decided to go for the straightforward route. “I don’t think we’ve met, but you and Finch here seem to be familiar with each other.” He kept the smile, though his tone was now undoubtedly questioning.
Iris felt awkward continuing to kneel on the ground when there was someone standing over her, so she slowly rose to her feet, Finch standing again too, tail still wagging as he rested his head against her leg. She reached down absently to scratch his ears as she continued to study the man in front of her. Finally, she nodded. “Finch.” She angled her attention down toward the dog when his ears perked up slightly at the name. “I knew your name wasn’t Monkey.” Her voice was quiet, and it hinted at money and education but with the slightest Georgia softness around some of the vowels that may have been familiar to anyone that had known a certain billionaire several years back in Seattle. “We’ve encountered each other a few times, yes.” Finch tipped his head up and Iris scratched under his chin. “Yes, I’m talking about you, you know I am.” She addressed the dog, but kept her eyes on the man. “You’re not usually here with him,” she continued, and it was unclear for a moment who she was talking to.
Luke raised his eyebrows when she mentioned the name Monkey, which slid into place with a click of recognition. He’d found a tag on his collar proclaiming that was his name a couple weeks ago, when he’d first started allowing Wren to take the dog out, and though he had thought it strange he hadn’t asked her about it. The sticky handprints had been expected, since there were kids at the park, but he had wondered why Wren would go through the trouble of buying a new name tag for Monkey, of all things to rename him. Maybe this woman had a child, and he’d decided that he wanted to rename Finch. Maybe Wren hadn’t been able to deny him. Maybe, but why did he feel like it wasn’t that simple? “He’s my dog,” he said, feeling that clarifying that was necessary. “A... friend of mine has been taking him for walks lately, though. Maybe you ran into him when he was with her?” There was something about the woman’s voice that was familiar, bringing vague reminders of Seattle to the surface, but he couldn’t quite figure out why. “You said you knew his name wasn’t Monkey,” he added. “Who named him that? When she brought Finch back, he had a tag and everything.”
Iris nodded, fingers still in Finch’s fur as she talked to Luke, the leash stretching between his hand and the dog that still leaned against her, enjoying the attention. “Yes, we met in the park,” she started, then offered an uncertain smile, “A different park. I have a... friend...” Her wording mirrored Luke’s, albeit unintentionally, “Who wanted to name Finch, and he chose ‘Monkey’.” The smile went truer, even though it was subtle. “It was easier to just go with it than to argue.” She’d discovered that arguing with a four year-old was something she never wanted to do. “I knew his name wasn’t Monkey, but... I did think he was her dog.” She finally pulled her hand away, fingers linking together as she folded her hands in front of herself.
Luke knew that Iris’ friend was a child, though he did wonder about the vague term to describe them. Maybe it wasn’t her child, or even a relative; but he knew that pushing the issue would be crossing a line. Polite curiosity was one thing, but outright interrogation was quite another. “I see,” he said with a smile, which was admittedly more genuine than the ones he’d given previously. “Choosing your arguments is smart. I don’t think Finch minded the temporary name change.” If some kid wanted to call his dog by a different name every now and then, that was fine by him. He thought about asking to meet them, whoever they were, but left that alone for now. It might come across in a way he hadn’t intended. “Oh. I guess she didn’t mention that he was on loan,” he shrugged. “I’m Luke, by the way.” He extended his free hand, keeping the other wrapped firmly around Finch’s leash in case he decided to attempt running off again.
A smile hinted at the corners of Iris’ eyes. “No, he didn’t seem to mind the different name at all most of the time.” Which hinted that there had definitely been more than one meeting.”They got along very well.” She couldn’t help another reach downward to scratch a perked ear, but only for a moment. When Luke extended his hand to introduce himself, she did the same with another smile. “Iris,” she said, slipping her hand into his to shake it firmly but somehow also delicately, as if she didn’t have much practice with it. “It’s nice to meet you.”
It was worth noting, he thought, that Wren and this woman had likely met on more than one occasion. Perhaps he should have asked her about it himself, but Luke had no intention of doing so. In all honesty he didn’t quite trust her to tell him the whole truth. “I hope he doesn’t get too attached to it,” he said, pulling a face. “Monkey is cute, but I’m pretty fond of Finch.” It was said lightly, more as a joke than anything else, since Luke didn’t expect one random child to actually change his dog’s name permanently. The woman’s name did evoke a response, though it was quick, maybe just enough so to avoid detection. ‘Iris’ was not exactly a common name, and her connection to Wren only made him more certain that this woman carried Bruce’s Alfred in her head. Bruce was pleased, since she seemed to be well enough, but Luke wasn’t thrilled by the suggestion that he offer up who he was on his side of the door as well. “It’s nice to meet you too, Iris.” His grip was firm, yet consciously polite, and he dropped her hand a few seconds later. “If your friend is a fan of Monkey-Finch, I could bring him by whatever park you’re at sometime,” he added. So maybe it was a way to find out who this kid was, but he didn’t have very many other options available.
Iris pulled her hand back once they were done introducing themselves, and twined her fingers together again in front of her stomach. It was an awkward sort of position, but it was better than crossing her arms. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. We don’t seem him enough for him to get too confused, I don’t think.” She offered Luke another smile, unaware of the internal reaction that her name had caused. She still wasn’t certain of all the names of the others that had alters through her door, so while something about Luke may have seemed familiar, it wasn’t anything she or Alfred could put a finger on. The offer of additional meetings made her pause, running the possibility through her mind and then shaking her head slowly, trying to cover it with a smile. “I think he sees the dog enough, but thank you. If I’m not careful, he’s going to start asking for one himself.” She didn’t know what the situation was, why Wren and Luke had given up Gus, who knew what, no idea of what the full story was. So she would continue on, keeping the things that she knew close to her chest.
Luke nodded, unaware that his smile had become a touch warmer thanks to Bruce’s influence. As Batman, he was the epitome of cold and untouchable, hard metal and sharpness, but as Bruce Wayne there were a select few for whom his usual facade would drop. Alfred and Rachel were among that number, and Damian might eventually get there; though he and Iris might never properly meet face-to-face, he liked her as well. “You’re probably right,” he said. “I shouldn’t worry.” He did wonder just how often Iris and her friend had seen Finch, but it would be easy to keep track of how many times Wren took the dog out for ‘lunchtime walks’. Part of him felt vaguely guilty for hiding who his Alter was, but Luke wasn’t quite ready to share yet. Iris R. was on the journals, and if he ever did decide to change his mind she was easily contacted. Whatever disappointment there might have been when Iris politely declined his offer was fleeting, barely there at all, more because he would now have to pursue other avenues rather than because he knew who the boy was to him. He was very much in the dark on that front. “Fair enough. I’m sure I drove my parents crazy too as a kid, constantly asking for a dog of my own.” He could always follow Wren to the park one day, to find out where she went, or simply request that he join her; if she said no, then he would know that there was something she didn’t want him knowing. “We should probably get going,” he said a moment later, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. “But maybe we’ll cross paths again sometime.”
Iris returned Luke’s warmer smile with one of her own, less subtle than hers usually were, something that traveled to her eyes. She may not have had the same connection of knowing who Luke was on this side of the door, but something about him reminded her of other people she had known and cared for - mainly relatives and closer friends that had managed to inch past the boundaries she almost always kept around herself. Her smile went sphinx-like and enigmatic when he talked about asking his parents for a dog, still giving away very little of her relationship to Gus.
She nodded at Luke’s need to leave and reached down to give Finch one last scratch behind the ears. “Be good,” she whispered to him, and then returned her attention to Luke. “Maybe we will,” she smiled, something seeming right about them finding each other again, even in a city as busy and bustling as Las Vegas. “You be good too.” Her final words were delivered with another smile, an amused edge to her voice as she turned away and continued her walk.
Bruce was faintly amused by Luke’s failed attempts to coax out information, and while he had his own suspicions he wasn’t yet convinced that there was anything of substance to be found. Luke, on the other hand, knew so little about Wren’s life during the past five years--and even now--that anything connected to her immediately had his attention, and considering the fact that she’d gotten a stranger to do a background check on him he thought it well within his rights to do a little digging of his own. Wren clearly cared enough about this kid to keep bringing Finch back to see them, going so far as to buy the dog a brand new name tag, and sooner or later he’d meet them.
Finch barked in farewell, tail wagging, and reluctantly moved back when Luke tugged on his leash. “I’ll try,” he said with a laugh. “See you around, Iris.” He turned, Finch following suit, and headed in the opposite direction.