Friday, 11 December ~* One *~

"Is she here yet?" Robin asked as he came into the kitchen. He was bringing an almost full cup of very cold tea down from his room. He had had it with his morning class, but Hibiscus tea wasn't for him. He poured the stuff out in the sink. He had seen the cup when he had been in his room, changing after work. He had switched to an early shift, directly after lunch, instead of his usual evening one, so he would make it to dinner. It had been very busy, as it tended to be on Fridays.

"Yes, Miss Carson and Master Wayne are taking a tour around the grounds," Alfred told him.

"And Slade?"

"Getting ready for dinner, I hope. I made sure he had something suitable to wear," the butler replied.

"Has he been good today?"

"I've been keeping a very strict eye on him. He's doing well," the old man said. "And apparently they have found a suspicious location. Mr. Wilson is a bit frustrated that Master Wayne seems to think that his plans with Miss Carson are more important."

"That's… not like him?" Robin said, unsure about what to think, and leaning heavily towards Slade's side.

"Well, apparently the young lady feels she has been ignored for almost the whole week," Alfred said, with poorly concealed disdain in his voice.

Robin snorted.

"Anything I can help with?" he asked.

"No, thank you, why don't you take a seat in the sitting room and dinner will be served shortly."

Slade was already in there, a glass of an amber colored liquid in his hand.

"I have to admit, Wayne has a good selection."

"I think he mostly buys them as an investment, hopefully you haven't just opened a thousand-dollar bottle," Robin smiled. "How are you?"

"Much better. I'm heading out after dinner."

"No, you're not."

"I'm just taking a look."

"No."

"Come with me."

Robin hesitated. "Slade… you know I… well, I don't do that, anymore…?"

"I'm not asking you to put on a cape, I'm asking you to take a walk with me in the neighborhood. Snoop a bit. We'll stay out of the building. We'll go as civilians and we'll be as safe as anyone out there."

"So, in a fair amount of danger, then?" the teen smirked. "I can't talk you out of it?"

"I doubt it."

He took a deep breath. "Alright. When?"

"We'll leave around midnight."

"Okay." Robin sank down into a high back chair in front of the roaring fire.

"Wear something sexy."

The teen chuckled and flipped the man off.

"So… you have a plan when it comes to Miss Carson?" Robin asked.

"Of course."
"And that is?"
"I'm just going to make conversation. Take an interest in her opinions."
"Why does that sound so ominous?"

"I have no idea," the man said innocently and sipped his drink.

They both then heard a scraping sound from the entrance hall, and Robin had to check.

"Al, what are you doing?" he asked, as he saw the old man pulling a very tall, somewhat rickety ladder towards the staircase.

"I just realized that I have forgotten to put the garlands up," he said. "I'll do that while the potatoes boil."

"You'll do nothing of the sort," Slade said behind Robin, and the teen agreed. The entrance hall staircase led up to the hallway that created a half circle framed by a carved wooden balustrade. The garland was supposed to run at the bottom of that one, and you couldn't quite reach from the top. As the ceilings were very high in this part of the house, it was rather precarious to do it from the floor as well, however.

"I agree, not without a better ladder, how old is that thing?" Robin asked.

"There's nothing wrong with some age," the butler sniffed, but looked a bit crestfallen. He wanted the place to look its best, clearly, and now something was missing.

"We'll sort this out. Robin, up," Slade said. Robin looked over at the man, saw his cupped hands, and knew at once what the man meant. He grinned, took a bit of a running start and then leapt into those hands. Slade pushed him upwards, and Robin's heart soared as he, for a moment, flew through the air, just as he loved so much to do. He twisted around and landed neatly on Slade's steady shoulders.

"Such acts…" Alfred tutted, but handed the teen the garland, and, with Alfred's patient instructions, they hung it in even 'waves' all along the balustrade, and then down the staircase.

They had just finished when Bruce and Mallory came in through the door. The woman was undeniable beautiful, and knew it too. She took a look at their work and giggled.

"Aw, garlands! How sweet! Just a bit… old-fashioned, you know?"

When the couple disappeared into the sitting room, Robin, who had long since jumped down from Slade's shoulders, pulled on his arm and got him to bend down a little, so he could whisper in his ear.

"Destroy her."

To be Continued…