"Kori, you have to promise to come with me," Donna begged as she handed her the invitation. Kori rolled her eyes not knowing how get out of this one. One look at those green eyes, and Donna knew she had to do some convincing. She isn't going to make this easy, Donna thought. "Please I don't want to do this alone." Her usual strong voice revealing the desperation she had within her. Her dark blue eyes pleaded with her friend.
"Don't look at me like that," before Donna could respond Kori turned away from her. Kori faked interest in some flowers, trying to maintain her stand against going to this charity event. However she couldn't help but acknowledge that Donna was going to have her way eventually.
"I am tired of seeing you mope around the tower, looking like a lost puppy or something." Donna tried to get in her line of sight but Kori walked away. "You need this too," Donna paused for a brief moment. "Times have been tough lately, but this will be good for both us." Kori stopped walking allowing Donna to catch up.
"Alright," Kori closed her eyes and sighed. "I suppose it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. A distraction will be good for me" Donna sympathized with her friend.
"He still hasn't called," Donna asked, but she already knew the answer.
"No…. I haven't heard from him in since he left Jump city." Kori paused. "Its probably for the better though…"
"Kori… you know that he is going through some personal issues that he has to resolve. BUT I know he loves you," Donna sighed."…Unfortunately he isn't the best at expressing himself. He is very calculating and refuses to do things that aren't entirely in his control. Not too mention being raised by a man like Batman has to have… well its consequences," she sighed trying to catch her breath. "I think for now, don't let him get the best of you. Lets enjoy our youth" She grabbed Kori's hand and gave it a squeeze. " Who knows you might meet someone at the ball," she teased. With that both girls made their way into the garage.
Kori smiled and helped her friend into her Mercedes. "Wait I don't have a dress?"
"Don't worry about that I have the perfect dress for you," Donna opened her car door and turned back at her friend. "I'll pick you up at 8, tomorrow morning. We can just fly to Gotham, maybe rest a bit at the hotel room. Then we'll meet up with Diana and go get ready." Kori nodded and faked a smile. Donna just smiled happily trying to cheer her up. "I promise it will be fun!"
Stepping out of the Limo was surreal. A sea of lights and showered the three women violently. Diana was the first out, she wore a long red dress with a slit down the side. Class and elegance would be the best way to describe the Amazon princess. Her brown hair hung in curls perfectly gracing her face. Next came Donna, who looked stunning. Her curvaceous body was decorated with a thin black mermaid dress, she had men going crazy because it was perfectly tailored to fit her leaving little to no room for the imagination. All three of the women looked mesmerizing but it was Kori who took the cake. She wore a sheer emerald ballgown that had a low cut. Donna had insisted that she had to do an up-do so that her eyes would stand out. Truth be told She was absolutely right. Kori looked regal but sexy at the same time. The three heroines seemed to have stolen the show. Almost instantaneously, all the reporters turned their attention to them. "Wonder woman over here", "Starfire you are my favorite" , "Wondergirl turn this way for a picture." Their names were being chanted over, it was impossible to hear in the chaos. Diana stopped to chat with the famous reporter Louis Lane, she promised to rejoin them after her interview, so Donna gracefully took Kori's hand and slowly led the way inside.
The loud sounds of the paparazzi disappeared almost instantly as the walked through the entrance. They were met with the soft sounds of an orchestra, and the mesmerizing sight of the city lights. Inside the venue felt almost magical, Kori was in awe of all the wealth that surrounded her. The crystal chandeliers adorned the ceiling, and the marble floors sparkled with the reflection of their light. Even as an Tamaranean princess she still acknowledged the beauty she was surrounded by, it was one of the most elegant events she had ever attended here on Earth. From the outside the venue did not look as big as it looked now. It was an enormous ballroom with a stage, about 500 tables, and large dance floor. But her favorite part had to be the south wall which was entirely made up of glass, perfectly highlighting Gotham and all of its glory.
Bruce Wayne was known for his lavish parties, but this ball was one of the most exclusive events in the world. His annual charity ball had gotten the reputation of bringing in only the elite, the famous, and of course the rich. As a charity event, tickets for it ranged anywhere from 100,000 dollars to even up to half a million. Much to the surprise of the Justice League and the Titans they were all given invitations as well. As a way to "thank them for their services". Despite the reputation of this party, most of the Justice league and Titans were not interested in going. Mostly because of two reasons: One being that many of them had secret identities, and showing up in their costumes seemed unappealing. The second reason was because they did not want to put on a show for a bunch of rich people that would only gawk at them the entire time. This was not a problem for Diana, Donna, or Kori because their secret identities had been revealed long ago; and when it was decided that a representative had to be sent, Diana and Donna were the first to volunteer.
Kori looked up to the balcony only to see a man staring straight at her. He looked at her so intensely that it almost gave her shivers. He discreetly turned the other way as soon as he realized he had been caught. He had dark black hair, and was wearing a fitted tux with a thin black tie, even from the bottom floor he looked very handsome. She also noticed that another man was standing next to him, he was more built but looked to be slightly older than the first man. Their features were very similar but the second man had a more defined jaw, and looked to be in his late 30's. The older man was talking to a group of men, while the younger one looked slightly annoyed and casually sipping his drink. After noticing Kori's interest in the balcony Donna decided to relieve her curiosity."That's Bruce Wayne," Donna said as she looked for their table. Of course, Kori thought.
"Hey Donna?"Kori stepped a bit closer towards her. "Who is the guy standing next to him." Donna gave her a teasing look, "Fine dont tell me," Kori laughed as she tried to abandon the topic, and hopefully not get any shit for bring up her interest.
"Richard Grayson," Donna whispered into her ear. "He is the Bruce's adopted son…well he is technically he is his ward, but basically his son."
"Oh does he have any other children" Kori asked.
"No…." she paused, "Well there was another boy, Jason, but he recently passed away a couple months ago,"her expression saddened almost as if she was personally hurt by it.
"Oh, thats terrible…" the walked in silence for a bit before Kori changed the subject. "How do you know all of this stuff," she asked.
Donna quickly responded, "Oh you know magazines and stuff." She stopped at a table, "Here it is." They both sat down. Kori quickly tried to review all of the things Donna had taught her about earthly table manners. They sat for a bit as Diana quickly made her way through the room toward both of the girls.
"Wow this place is amazing isn't it," Diana said as she set her clutch on the table.
"I know just look at the chandeliers, and the lights this is very beautiful." Kori agreed.
"Okay so dinner starts in an hour, but I think though we should first thank our host," Diana aimed her stare at the balcony, catching the eyes of Bruce Wayne.
As they made their way up the stairs Donna talked to Kori about the history of the Wayne family, specially their huge influence in Gotham city. Sure to any human it seemed common knowledge, but to Kori it was not, so Donna made sure to always inform the Kori of everything. Nightwing would also do the same but he hadn't been around for a while. Just the thought of him dampened her mood, she would always get sucked back in, specially when it was least expected.
"Did you get that?,"Donna asked.
"What?" Kori asked as she had obviously tuned her out.
"Don't speak about what I told you earlier."
"Of course," she agreed.
"Well if it isn't my favorite Heroines," Bruce Wayne approached Diana first, and kissed her hand. He began to introduce himself, always making eye contact with Diana, as if he was only speaking to her. Behind him stepped the man whom Kori had first seen."This is my ward, Richard," he stepped up and casually introduced himself, but he didn't say much. Kori kept catching him stare at her as the conversation continued.
"We are very happy to be here, thank you for the invitation. I am sorry that there rest of the league could not be here," Diana gracefully said.
Bruce eyed her, "Well I am very glad you guys could make it, so please enjoy yourselves. And let me know if I can do anything for you." Although he said it to all three of them, it was obvious that it was aimed at Diana. He took her hand and kissed it again, her cheeks gained a pink tint to them. As soon as he left, Donna could not help but snicker. However Wonder woman herself had been awestruck.
"I never knew men could be this straightforward," Diana mumbled as she walked through the crowd of people back to their table.
This was the first time Kori and Diana ever got to hang out. Separate teams and conflicting schedule never allowed them to achieve a deeper level of friendship. It was strange because it was almost as if they did know each other, through Donna. She always talked about one to the other, she loved both of these women as sisters and loved to speak highly of them in every way she could. Predictably Diana and Kori hit it off almost immediately.
"He was... um... very forward with what he wanted," Donna teased.
"He may want to, but that doesn't mean Diana will let him" Kori added. Diana's usual demeanor of calm and collected not stood a bit embarrassed.
"You do have to admit that he is an attractive man," Diana admitted. She wanted to change subject pretty quickly. "So I hear that you adjusting well to your new home" Diana said trying to shift the conversation a bit more positively.
"Yes. All of the Titans have welcomed me with open arms, I am very grateful" Kori said as she tried to gather her dress as they approached the stairs.
"Kori is one of the best people I know, Diana." Donna said, as she helped Kori down the stairs. Kori's ballgown made it hard to see where she was going. It wasn't huge or anything, but the material dragged making it hard to go down steps. "Ever since she came to the team, it like we all gained a sister."
"I can tell she is" Diana gave her a warm smile. "I love knowing that my sister is happy. All I can do is tell you how much I appreciate that you Kori, are a source of happiness in her life." Diana's arm reached around her shoulders and embraced her warmly.