Bruce Wayne, the Batman. (gothamcrusader) wrote in gothamknights, @ 2008-09-17 03:31:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | bruce wayne, dinah lance |
log: batman & dinah lance
summary. Backdated a year ago. Dinah Lance moved back to Gotham after the death of her billionaire boyfriend. She finds another one dressed up as a bat lurking in her apartment. Batman took it upon himself to check on his fellow JLA member. Lucky her.Black Canary. Dinah Lance ran a hand tiredly through her hair, blue eyes scanning the kitchen wearily.
The move hadn't been too exhausting. Not much she'd had while living with Ollie had been entirely hers -- and she'd sold much of what had been hers prior to the move. She had enough baggage to take with her without adding anything physical to the load.
And what had that left her with?
Dinah would have grinned ruefully at the irony, if she was in any mood for self-deprecation. For the moment, she had next to nothing to her name: essentially a ratty old couch (blanket thrown haphazardly over it to cover up the various rips and stains in the fabric), a small kitchen table that looked as though it was going to materialize into dust at any given moment, some piece of shit carpet that appeared to have seen everything in its lifetime, and a kitchen that had no actual food.
So that left her about halfway to paradise.
She wasn't sure why she was scanning the kitchen, with so little to worry about. Dinah's black boot turned on its heel as she left the dismal scene. She'd buy things tomorrow -- at least the bed mattress was decent, and if there was one thing she wanted more than anything else right now, it was sleep.
Her shadow passed over the floor, dimly lit by moonlight, then melded with the complete darkness that was her room as she crossed the threshold.
However, something gave her pause. Dinah's feet halted their progress, and in the shadows, her eyes narrowed. The air in the room was fresher than before. Her gaze traveled toward the east wall, where the only window was situated.
It was open a crack, when the most she'd done with it was wipe off some dust.
The hairs on the back of Dinah's neck prickled even as she strained to listen for the sound of foreign breathing. She reacted accordingly, settling immediately into a fighting crouch and reaching for the light switch. The familiar energy was back in her calf muscles: the same energy that gave her such notoriously fast reflexes as the Black Canary.
She was ready to spring.
Batman. Batman had wanted to check in on his colleague, the Black Canary. That obviously meant waiting for her in her new apartment, in the dark. He didn't mean to scare but to -- ironically -- reintroduce her to Gotham life. He merely meant to welcome her back but in the process might have managed to put her on high alert.
When Dinah flipped the switch, Batman was standing in the corner of her living room, looking at her. He had been waiting for her -- not necessarily to turn on the light but for her to acknowledge him. Truth be told, if she hadn't turned on the light, he probably would've just talked to her from the shadows. She should be so glad she noticed the window.
"Welcome back," Batman said, lacking the usual intimidating edge to his throaty voice. He took two steps out from the corner and further into her living room.
Black Canary. Dinah's facial features were wound as tightly as her muscles: jaw set, eyes glinting. They softened only in startlement at the sight of the last welcoming party she'd expected to see: none other than Batman, her fellow Leaguer, and self-proclaimed protector of her hometown.
The softening lasted only a few moments, however, and as Dinah rose, arms lowering to her sides and legs straightening, she looked less than pleased at the surprise addition to her room.
'Welcome back'? Last she heard, he didn't do this. "Keeping up the creepster rep?" She acknowledged the greeting with the wariest of looks, a few blonde strands slipping into her face from the loose ponytail she'd thrown it into. "Funny story: I wasn't expecting the welcome brigade to come in through the window, so I had a door installed," she remarked pointedly, arms now crossed across her chest. Her posture suggested not so much a pained stance as hugging herself from some kind of discomfort. Most of her acquaintances had left her alone with a promise to be there for her if she needed a sympathetic ear, though here was the last person she'd have ever expected to make an appearance. As if people acknowledging the fact that she was in personal trouble wasn't awkward enough.
Batman. "I thought you might take kindly to the fact that I didn't alert your neighbors to me being here," he smirked, lacking the usual teasing edge. He, along with the other members of the JLA, obviously knew. Batman himself might have even looked into the nature of the explosion that killed Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow. "How was the move?" he asks, rather than asking how she was doing. It was obvious how she was doing -- in this apartment and given what she went through since Oliver's death.
Black Canary. Good call on possible podperson Bruce's part. Not only does avoiding the question of her own state bypass all the uncomfortable introspection required, but it keeps Dinah from envisioning punching the (likely well-meaning) idiot's teeth into the back of his or her throat.
"Nice try, but waiting in the dark makes you transparent." Despite the scare he'd given her -- which she wasn't about to admit to; her body language had been evidence enough -- something like a smile tugged at her mouth. As awkward and unfamiliar as the situation was, she was familiar with Bruce, which made the apartment slightly less forboding and bleak. Now, that was an effect neither she -- nor doubtless anyone else -- could have predicted of the biggest creeper on the block. One of her hips now rested against the doorframe. How was the move? Dinah's hands spread around her, gesturing at the vast nothingness that was her apartment.
"Everything made it," she responded, shrugging. "All six of my 'everything.' Guess that means I can't complain." Silence. She'd meant to be ironic -- she wasn't a materialistic person at all, so having only six things, including furniture, was fine by her -- but instead, it had come out sounding vaguely self-pitying. Dinah had the grace to look embarrassed, and found herself fishing for another subject.
Another, more awkward subject. Great going, Dinah. "Look," she admitted uncomfortably, "you have to admit, you're not known for housewarming parties. Extending a welcome, asking me how my move went? You could have been Clayface. The only thing missing was a fruitcake offer." It had really been a long time since Dinah's last romp in Gotham City. A long, long time.
Batman. Would Dinah prefer everyone in her building knowing that she had business with Batman? Maybe that would give her a reputation -- what sort of reputation, though, would be left to her neighbors' imagination.
He did not remove his cowl as a formality, allowing himself to get comfortable. This was a brief check-in over the course of a long night.
"No fruitcake, not Clayface," Batman admitted. Was Dinah disappointed? That would be awkward if she was looking forward to having her home infiltrated by one of the local bad guys. And fruitcake was not one of Batman's favorites, sorry. "I only wanted to see how you were settling back in Gotham." But if she really wanted, he could go get Clayface and they can have some fun.
Black Canary. "Shame." Despite her own continuing reservations about Batman suddenly being almost friendly, Dinah managed a small, dry wisecrack. "I could have used one. Not much stays open past ten around here, does it? Forgot about that." Yes, there was really nothing in her kitchen at the moment. "Would've gladly taken down Clayface, too. It's been a while." She meant since she'd last fought. She'd taken a hiatus from the JLA following Ollie's death, and she didn't plan to return soon.
Inwardly, Dinah grimaced at her own lack of words to say. Maybe it was everything that had happened recently, or maybe it was just the fact that although she was familiar with Bruce, the two had never actually been best friends.
Batman. Batman watched her quietly for a moment, taking mental notes about her behavior. It would be some time before she would be back on the top of her game, given recent events. On the JLA, Batman interacted differently with his fellow members than he operated in Gotham City. Even if Black Canary hadn't lived in the city for awhile, Batman was glad to have her back. The circumstances were unfortunate, however. "Perhaps Bruce Wayne can take you out for a good meal later this week. Or he can have something sent over if you couldn't stand his presence. Clayface might be a little short notice."
Black Canary. Billionaire Bruce Wayne, spotted with no-name Gothamite in tank top and jeans. "That'd go over remarkably well with the press, I bet," Dinah commented wryly, picturing the scene. Until she had a decent dress or set of pants to wear, she probably wasn't socially acceptable for any halfway decent restaurant around town. "Thanks, but --" she straightened, hands sliding to her back jean pockets, "-- you'd be risking more exposure, and I'd get my face plastered all over page 5 for clinking glasses with a billionaire. Dressed like this, I'd fit in much more easily at a bar fight." She grinned. "Believe me, I'll be instigating those, intentionally or not." Fistfights and beer she could do, but the option of sipping wine with the richest man in town was firmly classified as Out in her current state of affairs. She also felt uncomfortable accepting monetary kindness in any form at this point, whether it came in the form of paying the rent or buying her dinner -- though she couldn't remember the last time she'd been treated to something nice. Dinah's expression suddenly appeared farther away, as if her thoughts had decided to wander elsewhere.
Batman. "I don't bust up bar fights, so no worries," he smirked. "Well, I don't mind. You could come over to the Manor. The press tends to stay away from there." And Alfred would probably like it if he had a friend over that wasn't some random date or part of the Batclan. Alfred would feed them well. He watched her again, noticing her distant look. He took that as his cue to leave, so he'll talk business for a second. "I notified Oracle of your arrival in Gotham. If you need assistance, it will be there." Dinah would remember working with Oracle on some information with the JLA.
Black Canary. Dinah's gaze unglazed at the mention of Oracle, and it took her a few seconds to recall what else Bruce had said. Finally, she nodded. It was difficult to accept, but it seemed he genuinely was making an effort to go out on a limb and offer to help her out, whether it was through Oracle's information or giving her a decent meal. She supposed she had to become accustomed to the fact that he wasn't a looming terror all the time.
"My God," Dinah admitted in reference to her thoughts, "you've shattered my worldview." She reached up behind her head to undo her ponytail, allowing the blond tresses to flop back onto her shoulders. "I --" she hesitated. "I'd appreciate that." Given that she was still adjusting to this decent version of Batman, she had a hard time believing they would actually get down to dinner (and if they did, well, she didn't know what there was left to shatter), but it was a nice hypothetical thought. "Been a while since I've eaten something that wasn't a TV dinner, too."
Batman. Hey, Batman was just being nice because her boyfriend recently died and he was an... alright guy (even if Ollie and Bruce had their issues). Don't worry -- he will go back to his usual asshole nature soon enough. He smirked at her, giving her a nod. He didn't say anything but turned to return out the window as he came.
Black Canary. "And hey." Dinah crossed her arms again, feeling out of place. "Thanks. For the check --"
But he was gone. Dinah stood in silence for a moment, gazing at the open window. Now that was more the typical Batman she knew -- in and out. Skipping out on everyone the moment they meant to interact with him in a way that actually wasn't verbally abusive or mocking. Then again, maybe it was better that way. If he didn't know she was grateful, they'd saved themselves a heavy dose of Awkward. Alone once again, she crossed the floor to tug the window closed, then turned the bolt to lock it. Hopefully, Batman's visit was the last shocker in a string of surprises, because Dinah planned on getting the first good night sleep she'd had in weeks tonight.