"How do you know Batman?"
The question hung between them in the dark.
"What are you doing here?" the man's voice was tight. And not nearly as cocky as it had been before. "Who sent you?
Tatsu smiled. "You do know him then. And he trusts you enough to know the cave? That's… different." Unless Wayne had changed drastically the past fourteen years. "Are you going to escort me down to the cave so we can have this discussion like rational adults or are we going to continue to glare at each other until one of us gets bored and leaves the other alone?"
"Hello? Is someone there? Master Bruce?"
Tatsu's heart lightened. "Alfred?!"
She could almost hear her newfound "friend" do a double-take. "Alfred?" he echoed.
She smirked. "Alfred."
"Tatsu?" In the darkness, match struck against stone and light flared into being, revealing Wayne's British butler/chauffer/medic/father-figure. The years had been good to him, although he was definitely older than she remembered him. "Good Lord, it is you." A large smile split the man's face. "It is good to see you, dear girl."
"Alfred?" Now her greeter sounded thoroughly confused. "What's going on here?"
She turned to catch him in the new light of the lamp Alfred had lit, but the man had moved when she'd been distracted and the shadows hid him still.
"Ah." Alfred nodded. "I see that you have met Tatsu."
"She says her name's Katana. And she knows about the garage entrance."
"Of course it is, dear boy. But that is not her given name. Any more than Nightwing is yours."
Nightwing. At least now she had a name for the voice.
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Nightwing, huh? You guys going for a Bat-theme or something?"
"How did she know about the garage entrance, Alfred?" Nightwing insisted.
"She can hear you, you know." Tatsu told him sharply. She glanced at Alfred and jerked her thumb in the general direction she assumed Nightwing to be hiding. "How long has he been working with Batman anyway?"
"He can hear too, you know." Nightwing retorted.
Alfred smoothly ignored their sniping. "He started about a year after you left, Tatsu."
"Batman worked with someone else?" The before me was unspoken, but almost plaintive.
Tatsu smirked. "Is that so shocking?" It hurt a little that Batman had been so quick to replace her. Especially since it had taken so long to convince him to let her work with him to begin with.
"Actually, yeah," Nightwing growled, "Batman likes being in control. Partners can be unpredictable."
"Obviously he let you work with him," she reminded him wryly. He almost sounds like Batman. He has worked with him a long time.
"That's different." He said softly. The tone dropped even more so she could barely hear him. "At least I thought it was."
Alfred interrupted. "Now that we've established that both of you are on the same side and share a mutual bat-eared acquaintance, let us skip the customary tussle and repartee, shall we?" He took Tatsu's arm. "I am assuming that you have had quite the journey. A repast perhaps would be welcome?"
Her stomach rumbled and she laughed. "Just as long as it isn't green or lives in a cup, you're on."