Beautiful Treasure.
A/N: A fic for comment_ fic, over at live journal. The original didn't blow up…but the thing nagged for more. I caved and gave it what it wanted…cheeky bastard.
Bruce Wayne sat at the computer down in the cave. A tip from the Penguin suggested that the European mobs were planning on extending their enterprises. Several of those extensions included Gotham interests. A charity conglomerate, based in Paris, was possibly paying off Russian mobs in protection money. Oracle hadn't found anything in the charity organisation's computer systems that suggested such payments were being made. But Bruce wasn't about to let it go, until he had solid evidence that the tip the Penguin gave, was indeed false. He heard movement behind him and glanced out the corner of his eye. Robin, also known as Damian Wayne, his youngest son. This would be the perfect mission for the Teen Titans, Bruce thought as Damian wandered over to see what his father was doing.
"Le Coeur de Donner?" Damian asked, reading the home page of the charity. "I was under the impression that they were clean, as they claim to be."
"And that's the appeal they have in Europe," Bruce responded. "That's why I linked Wayne Foundations to them."
"Yet Cobblepot insists that they have been bribed," Damian muttered. "Father?" Damian asked. "Le Coeur de Donner holds events for some of the larger charities they are tied to, correct?"
"Occasionally," Bruce smiled, knowing where his son was leading to. Damian murmured something under his breath, so Bruce continued. "I can arrange a Wayne Foundation event with them. You and the Titans can corroborate the information Barbara found."
"Or didn't find," Damian added.
"Exactly," Bruce stated. "Any idea of how you're going to play this?"
"Iris and I can attend the event as the face of Wayne Foundations," Damian started. "I can have Jai take a second look at their system…not that I lack faith in Barbara's abilities, but a second look couldn't hurt."
"Perhaps have Firewall and Oracle work in tandem?" Bruce suggested.
"That is a very good idea," Damian conceded.
"Arsenal?" Bruce asked.
"I'll have Lian work security at the event," Damian stated. "She has an uncanny knack for disappearing in crowds." Bruce nodded his approval.
"I'll set up the event with Le Coeur de Donner, and you handle the rest."
"Thank you for entrusting this to me, Father," Damian replied.
Tamara Drake-Wayne looked up when Damian entered her office at Wayne Enterprises. She smiled as he took a seat opposite her and waited to see what he wanted. "You are familiar with the Parisian event, Father has organised for next week?"
"Yup," Tam replied. "What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if I could stop by your home later and borrow some jewellery for Iris to wear to the event."
"Sure kiddo," Tam smiled. "Oh! You know that emerald and diamond set I have?" Damian nodded. "I'll let you borrow that one."
"Thank you," Damian said standing and extending a hand to his sister in law. "I'll be by later this evening to pick them up."
"I'll let Tim know," Tam said, swatting Damain's hand aside and stepping from behind her desk to give him a hug. "Now if you'll excuse me," she added. "Tim and I have to browbeat the board of directors here in a few minutes…I have to run."
"If any them need to be intimidated…" Damian suggested playfully and Tam laughed.
"Believe me, I'll let you know."
A few days later and Damian had organised his teammates and made the arrangements needed to get the four of them to Paris for the event. Lian Harper and Jai West would be flying on a commercial flight and get to Paris before Damian and Iris, who would be flying in on a W.E. private jet. Lian and Jai would be staying at a hotel near the Arch de Triomphe, while Damian and Iris stayed at a hotel next to the Louvre, where the event was being held. Once in Paris, Damian had the driver stop off at Lian and Jai's hotel so he could drop off some extra luggage. The luggage contained a computer set up that Jai would be using to nose around Le Coeur de Donner's systems. Damian left the two and returned to the car to be taken to the hotel he and Iris would be staying at.
"Got everything geek boy?" Lian asked as she polished one of her sais.
"I love Damian's money," Jai praised as he unpacked the sophisticated system.
"His Dad's money you mean," Lian corrected with a smirk.
"Whoever's money," Jai conceded. "Okay…blank hard drives…blank hard drives," he muttered as he looked through the cases. "Bingo!" he exclaimed when he found what he was looking for. Lian looked up just in time to see Jai cradling the hard drives lovingly to his chest.
"You are so sad," she said, shaking her head.
Jai and Lian would be breaking into Le Coeur de Donner's offices later that night to swap out a couple of hard drives. The break in went perfectly, with Jai switching the hard drives while Lian kept watch. Back at their hotel, Jai texted Damian that the switch had been made and the stolen hard drives were packed up and ready to be shipped to Gotham the following morning.
"It's just after eleven p.m. and Paris is still humming," Jai suggested after they changed out of costume. "Wanna go to a late dinner?" he asked, holding his arm for Lian.
"You're buying," Lian stated.
As Lian and Jai left their hotel, Iris and Damian were returning to theirs. They had strolled along the streets and dined at several cafes. Damian ate light while Iris ordered full meals. Her speedster metabolism sated, they had discussed what they would do in the days leading up to the event. Iris cocked an eyebrow when Damian told her that they would be going shopping the following day for outfits for the event. She loathed shopping. And the stores Damian was thinking of were definitely on the top of her list of 'avoid at all costs'.
"I give you my size and you pick it out?" Iris suggested and Damian smirked.
"We go together." Iris pouted. "Nice try, but we are enduring this together," Damian reiterated. "I enjoy shopping about as much as you do."
The following morning, Iris decided that shopping might not be such a bad thing when Damian removed his black card from his wallet. The staff at the boutique nearly tripped over themselves to accommodate Iris and Damian as they picked various outfits to try on. Iris was easy enough to please. She asked to be left alone while she perused the racks of outrageously priced gowns. Damian decided to take full advantage of the staff's hospitality and requested drinks and appetisers to sample while he and Iris decided on what they liked. Damian opted for a tuxedo in all black. He spied the dress Iris had decided on and swapped out the pocket kerchief for a red one to match her gown. Satisfied with their decisions, Damian paid for the two outfits and asked that they be delivered to their hotel.
"You're not going to make Lian suffer?" Iris asked as they headed towards a restaurant for an early lunch.
"Black Canary has already assured me, that Lian has a gown suitable for the evening," Damian replied. Iris shook her head and he smirked. "Dinah also assured me that Lian was a complete pain in the ass about the whole thing."
"I should hope so," Iris laughed. "Otherwise who will I have to gripe about all this fluff with?"
They picked a table at the back of the restaurant and their waiter took their orders. "Was it that tragic an experience though?" Damian asked.
"I have to admit," Iris giggled. "It was fun watching them jump through hoops just for the commission."
"The only pleasure Jason and I take from shopping, is making the staff work for it."
"Tim was the only one of you actually born into the high society life right?" Iris asked. Damian nodded.
"The version I was born into is vastly different than the norm," Damian admitted. "Because of my mother, I was granted respect, I probably didn't deserve…at least at that age."
"Well you have mellowed in your old age," Iris teased and Damian shuddered.
"I have considered writing to the head of Richard's church, to consider him for sainthood. He definitely deserves it after putting up with me as a child," he confessed.
"Y'know," Iris said, waggling her eyebrows. "The Vatican is literally two seconds away for me…if you ever do decide to write that letter to the pope." Damian laughed aloud.
"I'll keep that in mind." The waiter returned with their lunch orders and Iris thanked him before returning to the conversation.
"You said 'Richard's church', you aren't religious?" she asked. Damian sat back as he considered his answer.
"I could best be described as a spiritualist," he replied. "I have my beliefs, but they don't conform to any of the world's major faiths." Iris made a curious sound and shrugged, before taking a bite of her meal. "I honour the Christian beliefs of my family and celebrate accordingly with their customs, but as for myself, I really don't have any of my own."
"So Christmas…Easter?"
"I participate for their sakes," Damian finished. "What of you?" he asked.
Iris covered her mouth for a moment as she laughed. "Jai and I were brought up with a mixture of Protestant and Buddhist beliefs. It makes life interesting."
"I'm sure it does," Damian commented. "Especially considering where you both reside." Iris visibly twitched and Damian laughed. Iris went on about how most of her classmates viewed her mixed heritage and upbringing. Damian conceded and commented about he had been fortunate enough to grow up in Gotham with its more diverse mixture of cultures.
"I love the Europeans," Iris said after nearly two hours of food and conversation. Damian raised an inquisitive eyebrow behind his glass. "In the States, you go to a restaurant and it's like a rotating trough almost. You sit down, get your food, eat it as fast as decorum allows, and they're kicking you out for the next round of customers."
"Forgive me, but I assumed that you hadn't noticed that," Damian stated.
"Contrary to the need to eat ten times what a normal person does, I do enjoy sitting down and actually enjoying a meal," Iris shrugged. Damian still looked apologetic and Iris gave him a wan smile. "Hey don't worry about it," she assured him "I mean think. When do you usually see a speedster eating?"
"It was still inconsiderate of me to presume," Damian said, holding up his hand in submission.
"Damn," Iris laughed. "You have changed if you're worried about offending people," she teased.
"Perhaps I should write that letter," Damian smirked and Iris howled in laughter.
"As much as I do enjoy sitting down to a leisurely meal, I am kind of itching to get moving," she said after she sobered. Damian paid their tab and they left to wander the streets and see the sights. "You know what?" she said, leading him into a deserted alley way. "Since we are in the area, what do you say we take a side trip?" Damian didn't have time to answer her as she got a hold of him and tore off towards the east.
Damian steadied himself when they stopped and looked around to get his bearings. A large conical mountain stood against the sky in defiance, surrounded by a large coastal city. "Naples?" he asked, and Iris nodded.
"I always wanted to see Pompeii, and since we're supposed to play tourist, I figured why not?"
"Why not indeed," he admitted, holding his arm out for her.
They toured the ancient ruins of the once bustling city and Iris raced them up to the top of Vesuvius to have a look down into the infamous mountain. Evening began to settle in and Damian suggested going into Naples for dinner. Iris admitted that she would kind of need to, to get them back to Paris. As they strolled through a popular entertainment district, Iris stopped and looked on in awe at a display of jewellery in a shop window. Damian offered to buy her the cuff bangle she was admiring and Iris balked.
"That's really sweet, but you've spent loads on me already this trip. I couldn't accept this too," Iris said, as she politely declined his offer. Damian wasn't backing down.
"I want to," he stated. "You've taken me out of myself today and I truly appreciate that." Iris bit her lip as she considered what he was saying. "Consider it a gift of friendship," he added and she winced.
"I'm not winning this one am I?" Iris finally said.
"No," he declared. "I'm a Wayne and an al Ghul, I get what I want," he smirked. Iris rolled her eyes and playfully smacked his arm.
"Fine," she said, admitting defeat as he led her into the shop. "You know my mom's going to see this and up the ante on her retirement plan joke, right?" she said as they left the shop a few minutes later. Iris was admiring the cuff on her wrist as it rested against the crook of his arm.
"I'd almost be disappointed if she didn't," Damian chuckled.
As with lunch, they dined for several hours at a seaside café. No one paid attention to them as they ate and laughed together. Iris had sampled several of the pasta dishes available and purred the word 'carbs' every time a new plate was placed before her. Damian's mobile buzzed in his pocket and he excused himself to check it. Iris waved him off as she finished off a third plate of pasta.
"It's from Barbara," Damian said, having read the message and quickly replying to it. "She said that she received the hard drives. We should probably head back," he suggested. Iris nodded and gulped down her glass of wine. Damian paid their bill and they quickly left to find a deserted area where Iris could whisk them back to Paris, unnoticed. Damian had suggested that they check in with Jai and Lian so Iris stopped near their hotel and they went in.
"Hey guys," Lian greeted when she opened the door. "Room service was just here and I ordered extra since I knew you were coming," she added, waving to the dining table.
"Thanks!" Iris exclaimed as she helped herself to one of the plates laid out on the table. Lian spied the cuff bangle and narrowed her eyes.
"What's that Ms 'I loathe the very concept of shopping'," she asked.
"I tried to say no," Iris admitted. "But nooo, he responded with 'I'm a Wayne and an al Ghul, I get what I want.' I had to give in," she snorted.
"Ouch," Lian grimaced. "He pulled the mommy and the daddy card to twist your arm? Yeah you stood a snowball's chance in hell," Lian agreed.
Damian chuckled as he leaned over the back of Jai's chair. Jai glanced back at his sister before looking up at Damian. "You know my mom's gonna be making wedding plans when she sees that thing?" he said in all seriousness.
"As I told Iris, I'd almost be disappointed if she didn't," Damian smirked.
"Your funeral pal," Jai shrugged. "Okay, Babs you online still?" he murmured as he established a secure connection with Oracle. An icon blinked on the screen and Jai clicked it to reveal a video call from Oracle. "Like the souvenirs we sent?" he asked.
"I have Tim hooking them up to the crays right now," she replied.
"How long will it take to scan their contents?" Damian asked.
"With Tim's help, no time at all," she replied. "If they're as clean as my initial scan of them was, perhaps we should consider that the Penguin was just feeding Batman a line," she added.
"Probably," Jai agreed. "Although, I had a glance at the guest list and I know of at least two disreputable oligarchs attending the gala," he added. He pulled up the list of guests and Damian spotted the two Jai had mentioned.
"Both of them are known to have underworld connections in Russia and China," Damian stated and Barbara nodded.
"You have your scanner with you?" Barbara asked and Jai snorted.
"Duh! Never leave home without it," he replied. Barbara reviewed the plans for the gala and instructed Jai to give the scanner to Lian.
"She can snag their info and we can nose around in their files," she suggested.
"You'd have to show me how to use that thing," Lian piped up.
"Actually it's pretty easy," Iris assured her.
"Okay kids, that's settled then," Barbara said. A screen popped up on her end and she studied it for a moment. "We're definitely going with plan B," she added. "The hard drives are clean."
"Acknowledged," Jai replied. "Lian and I did some snooping earlier that we want to go over, so I'll sign off now."
"Oracle out," Barbara replied and cut the video call.
Jai pulled up a second program on his screen and showed it to Damian. "Lian and I hit the Louvre today and did a security sweep…surreptitiously of course," he said. Iris and Lian grabbed chairs and joined the two at the computer.
"I know their security plan is tight, but I did spot two weaknesses," Lian stated. She had Jai pause the video and pointed out one of her concerns. "The other area of concern is the staff areas," she added. The video panned around again until she had Jai stop it near where the Mona Lisa was on display. "However…Leonardo's girlfriend here, and a fairly large area around her, is the perfect spot to keep an eye on both areas."
"Good work," Damian complimented. "Le Coeur de Donner also provides their own security for these events. When you arrive tomorrow evening, look for a Monsieur de la Rose and coordinate with him."
"de la Rose is their public director right?" Lian asked.
"He's also in charge of security for these events and he's aware that you will be representing Father's interests in the security department," Damian replied. Lian nodded. Jai pulled up the charity conglomerate's homepage and found a picture of the man for Lian to study.
"Hey wait a minute," Jai piped up as he looked at the photo. "We saw him at the Louvre today."
"He must have been scoping things out then," Lian confirmed. "Like we were. I noticed he was rather interested in the staff areas."
"We had Barbara and Jason run a background check on him when we were given the name," Damian stated. "All they found of interest was that he is Mossad trained and used to work for Mitterrand, in his security detail."
"Try not to fangirl too hard," Iris teased.
"Oh shut up," Lian snapped, playfully smacking Iris' arm.
Damian shrugged. "Jason seemed particularly interested in the Mossad background too." Lian shot him a dirty look.
Jai laughed as he got his scanner out and handed it to Lian. "Since we're on the subject of spying and that…let me show you how this works," he said. He reached for the smart phone on the desk and held it up for Lian to practice scan. "Now hit 'send'," he instructed. Lian did so and a window popped up on Jai's screen.
"A J-Pop fan site?" Lian asked and Jai chuckled.
"I have my smart phone programmed to lead anyone to this, if they try to scan me," Jai admitted. "Damian's is set up to lead them to a site that's a loving dedication to War and Peace." Lian just shook her head while Iris laughed.
"Yours goes to a cat macro site and mine is bird watching," Iris added.
"You are all sad," Lian snorted. "But yeah, this is easy enough to use."
"If they have smart phones on them, you'll get the info I need," Jai stated.
"And if they hot-wired them to lead to dummy sites?" Lian asked.
Jai snorted. "Please! Oracle and I can hack those so fast it's not even funny," he bragged.
"Since everything's set, I suggest we retire for the evening," Damian interrupted. "Lian…"
"Be there at six and meet up with de la Rose," she finished. Damian nodded.
"Jai, link up with Oracle as soon as Lian leaves for the night." Jai flashed him a peace sign. "Iris and I will arrive at a quarter past eight," he added to Lian.
Damian and Iris bid Jai and Lian goodnight and returned to their hotel for the evening. The following morning, Iris stumbled from her room into the sitting room of their suite. The sight that greeted her woke her up somewhat. Damian was shirtless, and doing push ups, in a hand stand position.
"That's a wake-up call," she commented, before flopping onto the sofa and looking over the selection of breakfast Damian had ordered while she was asleep.
"You were still sleeping when I went for a run," Damian commented as he finished his reps. "I took the liberty with breakfast," he added.
"And it all looks good," Iris replied. They had decided the night before to take it easy and rest up for the evening. Iris had demanded it, so she could take advantage of their plush surroundings. At around ten, a knock sounded on the door and Damian answered it.
"You're a surprise," he admitted, stepping aside to allow Jason Todd entrance.
"Yeah, sorry I didn't give ya a head's up," Jason apologised. "Oh I'm sorry," he added when he spied Iris lounging in a dressing gown on the sofa. "I'm interrupting," he turned to leave.
"Ha! Yeah right," Iris snorted, zipping over to him and taking hold of his arm. "We're having a lazy day."
Jason stared at her in disbelief. "You actually know what the word is and what it means?" he teased.
"Hell yeah I do," Iris replied. "Take a seat and have some breakfast," she offered.
"Please do," Damian added to his elder brother. Jason flopped easily into an armchair and accepted a cup of coffee from Iris.
"Not that Dad doesn't trust you," Jason stated, as he began to answer Damian's question of why he was there. "But we saw the guest list and Dad wasn't too happy with a couple of the names."
"Dzenko and Olavansk?" Damian smirked.
Jason nodded. "I offered to come in case you guys needed back up," he said.
"Your offer is appreciated," Damian politely responded.
"What he said," Iris cheerily added.
"This is still your show," Jason added. "It's just in the off chance that those two try anything, well let's just say that I have your backs."
"Titans together," Iris smirked.
"And all that shit, yeah you got it," Jason chuckled.
"Will you be attending alone, or with a guest tonight?" Damian asked as he reached for his mobile.
"Nope, just me," Jason replied. "Gotta keep the bad boy image intact as best I can." Damian nodded and excused himself to call Jai and Lian and inform them of the change in plans. "Dad already let de la Rose know I was coming," Jason called out and Damian waved his hand in acknowledgment.
"Where are you staying?" Iris asked and Jason pointed towards a small hotel through the window.
"Just across the way there," he replied. "I wanted to nab room seven at Le Petit Hotel, but it was already booked," he added with a laugh.
Iris laughed. "Lian wanted that one pretty bad too."
"I love that kid," Jason admitted.
"Something about Oscar Wilde," Iris said, shaking her head.
"It's the room he died in," Jason informed her.
"Ew." Jason laughed as she winced in disgust.
"Jason shares Lian's morbid obsession with deceased social deviants," Damian stated as he returned to join them. Iris shuddered and Jason laughed again.
"Been there, done that," Jason admitted. "Anyway," he added, changing the subject. "If I know you, you have this planned down to the second," he directed at his brother.
"If there's anything I've learned from Timothy," Damian smirked. He and Iris proceeded to go over their plans with Jason until he was as up to date as they were. Jason learned that Damian and Iris planned on arriving a few minutes late to the event so he offered to be on time.
"We told de la Rose, that I was itching to get out, so it makes sense," Jason shrugged.
"If you need to acquire attire for this evening, might I suggest Boutique Paris, two blocks from here," Damian suggested.
"You black carded them didn't you?" Jason smirked. Iris laughed.
"Of course."
"Thanks D, but Alfred already got my tux primed and ready to go," Jason added. He stood and stretched. "I'll leave you two to enjoy your lazy day," he said. "I'm gonna catch up on some sleep. If anything comes up, give me a call."
"Of course," Damian replied, rising to his feet. "If not, we shall see you tonight."
"Sure thing," he said as Damian escorted him to the door. "Have fun kids," he added. Iris waved her fingers at him from the sofa.
"I do appreciate your offer to assist us," Damian said as he held the door for Jason.
"It's in the big brother job description," Jason smirked. Damian chuckled and Jason left.
Initially Damian hadn't been too certain what Iris' idea of a lazy day was. As it turned out, she spent most of it lounging around and enjoying his company. Iris had taken an hour to soak in the large tub in their bathroom, so he took the time to catnap. When she finished, she ordered an early dinner from room service and woke him when it arrived. He laughed when she fetched a pair of chopsticks from her room. She insisted that she never left home without them, as she used them to eat her dinner. For nearly a year now, Damian realised, her easy nature and cheerful outlook on life had begun to work through his tough exterior. Mijin, in Korean it meant 'beautiful treasure'. It was also Iris West's middle name. And if he was honest with himself, she was indeed a beautiful treasure. He'd loathed her when he'd first met her. Well not loathed, he admitted. Found her annoying definitely, but then he had viewed all females as annoying at the tender age of ten. He was just shy of nineteen now and women were most definitely not annoying. Iris West was bubbly and perpetually cheerful, even through several universe damning crises she had maintained her upbeat personality. Nothing seemed to faze her.
His jaw dropped a while later, when he saw her emerge from her room dressed for the evening. The Iris West he knew was a tomboy. Fashion and make up and the things that girls apparently gushed over meant nothing to her. She liked fast cars and rough sports. Jai had told him once that Iris' passion for ice hockey was only rivalled by their mother. None of that fit as he observed the vision in red standing in the doorway smirking at him. Seeing her, he was grateful that he'd asked his sister in law to borrow a jewellery set for Iris to wear to the party. Tam Drake-Wayne had handed the emerald and diamond necklace and earrings over with a knowing smirk, he recalled.
"I feel like that chick in that old movie," Iris giggled as he presented her with the set.
"And like the jewellery in said movie, these are just on loan," Damian replied as he placed the necklace around her throat.
"Which sister in law do I thank later? Babs or Tam?" she asked as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.
"Tamara," Damian replied, offering her his arm. They switched on their ear pieces before leaving and informed Jai that they were on their way to the gala.
"Lian and de la Rose, have already thoroughly sussed each out," Jai told them. "Apparently he spotted us at the Louvre too and remembered us."
"Did he ask about your whereabouts?" Damian queried.
"Yeah, Lian told him that I work for Tam and that I was attending a financial meeting on her behalf," Jai replied.
"So what kind of vibe are you picking up from Lian?" Iris asked.
Jai rolled his eyes back in his hotel room. "Oh God, talk about mutual admiration," he groaned. "de la Rose is as impressed with her attention to detail as she is his."
"She's fangirling," Iris laughed.
"Not quite, as she hasn't brought up his past, but I can tell she wants to," Jai chuckled. "Lian's definitely in a good mood right now."
"You do know I'm linked up as well right?" Lian muttered over the comm link.
"So?" Jason interrupted over the link. "I've only been at this party for ten minutes, and I can vouch for everything they've said."
"Drop dead," Lian snorted.
"You too, sweetheart," Jason smirked. It was a morbid joke the two shared that tended to make others around them uncomfortable when they heard it.
"We're coming into the Louvre now," Damian murmured over the link.
"Holy shit, what did you do to my sister?" Jai asked when he got a look at them from the security cameras.
"Treated her pretty damn well from the looks of it," Jason murmured when he spotted the couple.
"Sad but true," Iris sighed. "I can be girly occasionally."
Damian scanned the crowd as he and Iris were introduced and was pleased to see that Lian was indeed difficult to spot initially. She did make it easier for him, by brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Please forgive our tardiness," Damian said addressing the audience. "My lovely date has already chastised me for my obsessive attention to my appearance." The audience laughed. Having spotted Jason standing out prominently in the middle of a small crowd, he continued. "I don't know what, if anything my brother may have said upon his arrival, but on behalf of Le Coeur de Donner and Wayne Foundations, I thank you for attending this evening." The audience applauded him and Jason raised his glass in acknowledgement.
A few minutes later, the first of their two targets made his appearance. Dzenko made a small speech about how he enjoyed supporting global charities, before slipping into the crowd and mingling. Lian gave him a few minutes to get comfortable in his surroundings before strolling in his general direction. When she was close enough, she reached into her purse and by feel alone, aimed the scanner at him and hit the send button.
"He's definitely got a smart phone," Jai relayed as the information popped up on his screen.
"And he was dumb enough to link it to his mainframe," Barbara added, as she and Jai proceeded to scour through the oligarch's personal files.
"Olavansk's here," Lian informed them. "And he's heading my way…incoming." Lian scanned him as he walked past her.
"Also linked to his mainframe," Barbara commented when the information popped up.
"And these dudes are supposed to be the bad asses of the Russian mobs," Jai snorted.
"Firewall," Barbara asked suddenly. "Tell me if I'm reading this file right?" she asked, highlighting a file for Jai to take a look at.
"If you mean Dzenko is planning a move on Ivanov in Bulgaria, then yes…you're reading that right Oracle."
"It'll be a fun time in Sofia when that one goes down," Jason said over the link.
"Fireworks galore?" Iris asked, as she and Damian joined Jason near the bar.
"Ivanov's a big time gun smuggler, mostly Soviet surplus," Jason nodded. "His main client is Chechnya."
"He sees himself as something of a Robin Hood, ironically," Lian told them over the link.
"Yeah, him and his merry band of Bulgarian goons," Jason laughed.
"Guys, other than the usual oligarch shenanigans," Jai said. "I'm not finding anything that suggests extortion, bribery, or anything else the Penguin led Batman to believe."
"Oracle?" Damian asked.
"What the kid said. The attempt to muscle in on Ivanov is the most hardcore thing I've found so far," Barbara replied.
"Sounds like Dad will be paying Cobblepot a visit later," Jason murmured.
"I'm sorry I will miss it," Damian sighed. Iris elbowed him.
"I'm going to play around here for a while," Barbara informed them. "Behave and don't make Bruce look bad," she added.
"Yes Mom," Jason teased.
"Smart ass," she retorted before cutting the transmission on her end.
"I'm gonna play with Oracle and just listen in on you guys in case something comes up," Jai added. "Enjoy the rest of your night, Firewall signing off."
"Easy night," Jason shrugged, before wandering off to mingle.
"Oh well," Iris said as Damian led her to the dance floor. "Might as well make a night of it and see how much money we can swindle out of the Parisian elite, for Daddy Bats and his charity buddies."
"I like that plan," Damian purred.
"They're totally making out," Lian said later, when Jason wandered over to keep her company.
"According to Timmy, Damian's head over heels for Ms Fleet Feet, there," Jason smirked. Damian and Iris cast the pair a look and they responded by waving pleasantly back.
Later they had retired to their hotel and Damian watched as Iris doffed her shoes and loosened the chignon her hair had been in. Iris had been relentless at the gala, charming both the attendees and Damian. He stepped up behind her and caressed her bare shoulders. Iris shivered at the unexpected contact. She turned to look at him and stared into his smouldering eyes. She smirked and took his hand in hers, leading them to his bedroom. Iris surprised him with the leisurely pace she set as they divested each other of their clothes. The easy confidence Iris had possessed when she took his hand earlier had faltered slightly. Damian quickly discovered why, when he learned that she was as new to this as he was. He stilled as she adjusted to him before they slowly began to rock against each other. "My beautiful treasure," he murmured into her shoulder. She replied by sinking her fingers into his hair and guiding his mouth to hers.
FIN