Chapter 11

"You deem this activity to be entertaining?"

They were perched up in the turrets of a wall surrounding one of the Metropolis' most luxurious mansions. Below them lay two rows of the perfectly trimmed Arjunas in full blossom that surrounded a shaded terrace set with a table and pillows. On it lounged a middle aged owner whose wasteful lifestyle hadn't filled out his limbs, but a hugely protruding stomach bulged through his expensive shirt.

Diana's lips twisted in disdain upon recognition and a memory of a formal dinner she had to endure with this suitor who prattled on about the subjects that made her blood boil. His political views were summed up with the Amazons being the half-naked, virtue lacking barbarians who couldn't be counted as women because any woman's sole purpose was keeping her husband pleased as he was the pillar upholding their home. Deeming he made an irresistible impression, he kept trying to grab Diana's hand or hip under the table until she 'accidentally' jammed him with a fork.

"You're glaring like this funny specimen once tried to rob you of virtue," her companion whispered into her ear. His voice was dark and seductive. In the question lay a double edged sword of humour and veiled threat like he was bound to take offense on her behalf. From it a feeling emerged, which her independent nature usually rejected. She felt protected.

"More like made an unsavoury proposition," Diana responded.

They had to lean closely and whisper to remain invisible at the heart of a large city together. She tried to take a closer look at her companion. The hood he wore concealed his features as much as her attire kept her hidden even when they were near. The man remained secretive down to a pouch he collected for their adventure. The bag kept shifting. Diana was curious what was inside and how it was going to help them. Raising her interest more, he twisted a fine rope into in a miniature lasso. If he thought to challenge her, then he had a surprise coming. No one was better than her at using such object.

"Watch the target," he advised and she glanced back at the noble without any pleasure.

The man cracked his jaw wide open in a yawn and shut his eyes. A pebbled tossed by Al bounced off a wall and smacked him into the back of his head. The man nearly bit his tongue. He jumped to throw an angry look behind him. The lasso looped around a pear, temptingly left on the plate behind him, and got whisked away. Diana nearly giggled while the man glanced up at the sky in search of the offender and then slouched back onto his seat. Another pebble bounced off a column and wacked him from a different side. "Who's there!" he yelled, jumping to his feet and going down one step to investigate. Another pear disappeared just as well. Returning to his seat, the man regarded the fruit platter in puzzlement. He thought more pears used to be on it.

Al handed over the lasso and another pebble to Diana, challenging her with a smirk to repeat his heroics. The stone was warm, carrying the heat of his hand. She hesitated, wondering what would happen is the Princess was caught stealing pears from one of her suitors and then recalled how this worthless person who never worked a day in his life thought he was worthy of succeeding her brother. Her brows furrowed meanly and she hurled the stone as hard as she could. The pebble didn't ricochet as intended. It slammed soundly into the head of a bloodthirsty jackal that snoozed on the terrace, intimidating all thieves with his mere presence. The beast yelped and jumped, nearly turning over the table. Unkindly pulled out of the sweet dreams, he nearly sunk his teeth into his master's leg.

"Curses on your flea bitten hide, worthless mongrel! I don't waste food on your bottomless pit of a stomach to snap at me!"

Among the chastisement, two more pears were hooked together and carried off. With a low growl, the jackal retreated to the other end of the terrace. The noble fell flat back onto the pillows. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. At least half of the pears were gone. Fruits didn't disappear by themselves! With no one else to blame, the man threw a suspicious look at his pet, which yawned, revealing a set of teeth far more fitting for chewing raw meat than garden growth. Scratching his head, the noble suddenly glanced at the wall directly where the pair was hidden.

A strong, agile body pinned Diana to the wall crest, escaping being seen. The ground was far away. Her cloak folds floated off the edge. The danger wasn't what sped up her heart. It didn't settle once the steady weight lifted and she was pulled into a sitting position. How had someone she barely met, managed to slip beyond her shields so easily? "I see you are holding back. I got two in one try," she challenged to push their interaction back to a harmless game. But, if it was just game, why had she entrusted her life to a complete stranger?

Willing to continue, he shrugged, having prepared in advance to top any challenge and demonstratively picked up the squirming pouch. Like an illusionist, Al pulled a wiggly furball out and threw it at the napping beast. Screeching up a storm, the monkey flipped through the air in a messy entanglement of limbs and crashed into the jackal's muzzle. Ill predisposed after being hassled and dragged around in a soft prison, the animal sunk its teeth vengefully into the scavenger's nose.

The beast leapt several feet into the air with an enraged yowl. The carpets and pillows fell victim to the furry hurricane of teeth and paws. Having decimated the terrace, the monkey instincts launched the animal up the branches of the surrounding trees, which weren't tall enough to escape the huge teeth snapping at its tail. The enraged jackal tore through the garden like a lumberjack.

"Stop, you monstrous garbage eater! Those trees are expensive," screamed the owner, running after the demolishing duo and tearing at his hair. The roars and shouts got a reaction from the servants who emerged from the house and began chasing the bewildered animals too.

In mayhem, Wayne snuck onto the terrace and transferred the bounty into their bag. He returned to Diana's side without anyone noticing two people responsible for the chaos.

"Jump," Al ordered.

Without giving Diana any time to doubt, he pulled her down from the wall into the outer world. His arm looped around her waist, motioning her atop of him to break the fall as they tumbled into a haystack. This didn't end the fluent motion guiding them. Without shaking off the hay, they were running once more. The emotions bubbled inside her and spilled into laughter. Left and then right and over the fences, it was a long run until Diana was led into the recess of an abandoned watchtower that enveloped them in cool darkness. An old plank crunched under her foot. Dust tickled the nose. The invisible cobwebs embraced the outsiders who advanced upwards, climbing the broken stairs. Her eyes hadn't adjusted so quickly to the light, but Wayne knew exactly where to step and guided her. A few bats dislodged from the ceiling. One of their wings brushed her shoulder.

"Can you climb?"

At the affirmative, a rope was pressed into her hands. Her companion began climbing first towards a blue square above them. He reached the roof quickly and when she got close grabbed her arm. He lifted her easily onto the rooftop like she weighted nothing.

"It's beautiful."

With the city behind them and the magnificence of the desert stretching beyond the horizon ahead, the landscape glowed gold.

"It is," Al agreed, looking at her.

Diana's pure wonder and delight beautified her motion as she approached the edge to admire the play of light on the dunes. The forces of nature held freedom she longed for.

"Have you ever wanted to fly away?" she asked.

"No. I prefer to have connection with the ground."

"Oh," Diana echoed sadly, "but the burdens are so much heavier without the air to uplift them."

"It's the most truthful existence of all."

"You must be very strong then to endure it."

Diana perched up on the edge with her feet dangling above the ground. She was lost in thought, questioning whether she could do the same. Bruce sat down beside her and nudged open the bag with pears. Diana accepted and took a bite out of the delicious fruit. They watched the sky bloom pale pink as the sun drifted towards the horizon.

"Brother," she corrected after a while, reminding Al about his guess that she had a family conflict. "He asked me to admit something very painful. Should I do so, I will be left alone."

To marry without love meant to admit that she would soon lose her only family. Wayne didn't offer advice. He did not have family to cling on to. He only clung to the memories of one. Al picked up a pear too. The juice trailed down his thumb. He didn't want to be anywhere else. He didn't want to think about anything. Thoughts always ruined his feelings. His mind was always dark. It felt strange and oddly relaxing not to be doing anything. Normally, he never ceased the activity, either strained by some tasks or relaxed by others. Or maybe he was occupied by a sole task of watching this woman and moulding into her moods. There was something compelling about her, to laugh when she laughed and fight when she tossed about thunder and lightening. She reminded him of Princess Diana, except what would a princess be doing out on the streets stealing wallets in pair with a thief? Al didn't trust himself not to seek similar traces in others of a woman who bewitched him with her goddess like beauty. But, the princess wasn't real, at least not to the likes of him, while the woman beside him was alive. She was completely still, except for a gentle rise and fall of her chest. Al had a rare moment when he felt content just by sitting beside her.

"I'm not ready to return home yet," she admitted when the first stars scattered like fireflies across the night sky.

"Then you should come with me," he said simply, rising and offering her a hand up. Diana accepted again, throwing one last glance at the world beyond the white city walls.

Wayne loved the gradual transition of twilight into deepening shadows when the air tingled with a velvety quality. It instilled a sense of security, which he passed onto his companion as they travelled above the ground where the air was cooler. A gap between the two rooftops lay wider than one could jump and spun three storeys down. He looked through junk cluttering the place, choosing a sturdy pole and traversed the distance. The motion tugged at his cloak as the ground flashed below. One of the boards on the other side looked like a decent bridge, but he needn't have bothered. A slender shadow leapt from one side to the other just like he had done.

"I'm a quick study."

There was a smile in her voice. If he had doubts whether to show her their place, they dissipated. Luckily, GL was off sulking elsewhere over a drink when they climbed in through the window rather than using the stairs. She looked around not without curiosity, but not lingering too much and then returned to the window to look at the outer world. Her shapely silhouette stood out against the background of stars. When he approached she moved aside a bit, giving him room. They looked at each other. The image of Princess Diana flashed before his eyes. It was distant like the stars worshipped above. This woman was with him; her scent was of jasmines, luring him closer. Behind the hood folds lurked the outlines of soft lips. They didn't seem to mind if he reached out to remove her hood at last and claimed them. He stepped closer and...

A flood of torchlight destroyed their isolation. Wayne lashed out at the guards bursting through the door, in vain trying to reach his date who got whisked away. Two men twisted his arms behind his back, subduing the resisting prisoner.

"What is the meaning of this?" Wayne heard his new acquaintance say. The woman's voice changed to carry a note of authority.

"The Sultan ordered me to find you and bring you back to the palace, princess."

The reply coming from the red-headed Captain of the Guard was brisk and barely impressed. The lower part of her face, not hidden behind an eagle mask, belayed tension. Scouting the city for a run away was a royal pain of a mission.

"Even so, since when does being in my company qualify as a crime? Release this man at once!"

The Captain ignored the order. Her head was turned. Wayne tracked her gaze towards the corner of the room where lay a grappling hook he had been fixing in the morning before the fight. She may not have recognised the cloaked thief, but Shayera remembered the unique contraption. As the grip on him significantly loosened after Diana's order, Wayne smashed his elbow into the abdomen of one guard and wretched free, in one huge leap crossing the entire room towards the window. The outside air brushed his face and one foot made it across the threshold where he could have leapt down and disappeared.

A mace crashed into the back of his head, putting an end to his escape to freedom.