(Naturally, Batman is a product of DC Comics, Warner Bros and created by Bob Cane... you know, all the good disclaimer stuff. THANKS FOR READING!)
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CHAPTER FIVE - Chance Encounters
Catherine had alll but forgotten about the Obiken's by the next morning. Bruce had said nothing with regard to them at breakfast; she'd gone off to work and had been focused on submitting her two-week resignation to the station. She'd decided to put her energy toward independent writing projects for publication, rather than the media's torrid tales.
By lunchtime, the resignation had been filed; Catherine was exhausted. She begged off any lunch dates with her soon-to-be-former co-workers in favor of relaxing in Robinson Park which was only a few blocks away from the station.
Catherine had brought along her laptop. She found an empty park bench beneath an oak tree, sat down and began skimming over her latest writing endeavor. The piece was partially auto-biographical, exploring her own life through the soul of the character she'd created for the novel.
Her mind was fixed on a portion of Jess's life where the character had learned first hand that friends weren't always true friends and had suffered a major loss. As a result, she didn't see Kir Obiken in her peripheral vision, standing just down the walking path from her.
Kir watched and waited, seeing that Catherine Wayne was oblivious to all that was around her. She was hesitant to interrupt her work, but it was necessary that they speak. Still garbed in the loose fitting tunic and pants, Kir approached the bench.
"This seat taken?"
Catherine gasped and gripped the edges of her laptop. When she shifted, she'd nearly sent it on a dive toward the pavement. Clutching the computer, she squinted up at Kir Obiken.
"What? Oh, no. Go ahead. Have a seat," she replied, distracted.
Catherine watched Kir out the corner of her eye. With an inward grown, she shut down the laptop and replaced it into the carrying case.
"So. How are you?" Kir asked.
"Fine. I told my boss that I'm quitting my job in two weeks. So really, I'm great. How are you?"
Kir smiled. "Wonderful! Thank you for asking."
They lapsed into a minute of silence before Kir spoke again. "I'm sorry if you or your husband took offense at the soiree."
Catherine raised an eyebrow. She recalled Bruce's reaction at the dinner and his later reaction as Batman... offense? That was putting it mildly, she thought.
"The Batman subject is a... touchy one in Gotham," she said after a moment.
"Evidently," Kir said with a touch of irony.
Catherine chuckled. "What's your angle to it all, anyway?"
"What's yours?"
She paused. The vigilante questions were continually asked, but like Bruce at the charity event, she felt that the Obiken's were asking for a purpose rather than idle curiosity.
"My position is that the Bat-Team does what needs to be done. They seem to have the okay - if not full-approval - from the Police Department, so they come across as the ultimate of public servants."
"Memorized the press release, did you?" Kir asked with a bemused smile.
Catherine snorted. "Please don't go there. I have enough issues with publicity, press releases and the media as it is."
"So you said. You just told me you quit your job."
It took everything in Catherine's power not to snap, "You're really irritating, you know that?!" Instead, she nodded quietly.
"So?"
"What?"
"What is your position on the Bat-Team?" Kir repeated.
"I approve. Is that what you wanted me to say?"
"Maybe."
"Is this how your religion teaches?" Catherine shook her head, frustrated that she let the sarcasm into her tone.
Kir turned on the bench to face Catherine directly. "It's simple," she said. "I look at universal balance. What we do as individuals has an impact on the greater will."
"Very Eastern philosophied of you," she remarked. "And so you said the other night."
Kir nodded. "The Bat-Team plays that balance on a very fine wire," she continued. "We're not certain it's the wisest course of action, really."
"Why are you telling me this?"
She arched an eyebrow but said nothing.
Catherine stood. "Look. I don't know what your angle is here, Ms. Obiken--"
"Call me Kir."
"--Kir. I really don't. Out of the blue you start attacking my husband and me with your religion--"
"Intuition works in--"
"Because we're very happy with who and where we--"
"Are you?" Kir interrupted.
"And who are you to start on us like this?"
"I only speak. It's your choice to take things--"
Catherine shot off, in a growl, "Don't tell me what I am or am not doing."
"Want to go get some chocolate?" Kir asked.
Her question took Catherine Wayne by surprise. She gaped blankly at Kir. What was this all about then?
"How about this evening? For now, I have to get back to work."
++++++++++++++
Catherine was dismayed to find that Bruce had left her a voicemail on her work phone while she was on her lunch. Had she left only minutes later, she could've met him at the coney island instead of lounging on a park bench with Kir Obiken.
She called him back at the office, using his private line so as to not be intercepted by his secretary.
"This is Bruce."
"Hey Baby... sorry I missed your call!"
"Catherine. Wish we could've met for lunch. How did the two-week notice go?" he asked.
"Alright, I guess," she replied. "They really didn't seem to care if I stayed or quit!"
"Better that you can be independent then and do what you want."
She sighed. "Which reminds me... you're going to love this. I had a run in with Kir Obiken at lunch."
At his desk with the door closed to the outer office, Bruce smirked. "You ditched me for lunch for her? when we could've gone and done something other than gone to a coney island..." He let the words just hang there, knowing that Cath would pick up on what he was implying.
Catherine grinned broadly and ducked down into her cubicle. "You tease," she whispered. "Save those promises for later, k?"
"Guaranteed." Bruce was all business again. "What did Kir Obiken want now?"
"She started on about universal balance and-- Well, no. First, she started grilling me on my position on the Bat Team again," she explained. "Then, it turned into that business about balance and disruption."
"Fun."
"We argued and now we have plans to go purusing for chocolate this evening."
"What?"
"Yeah. I still don't know how that happened," she admitted.
"I don't think it's a good idea," Bruce said flatly.
"Neither do I, really. But if nothing else, maybe I can figure out what those two are up to. Why they keep demanding such questions of us."
"We have other avenues for that."
"I realize that, hon. But what could it hurt? And besides, I could get some chocolate then," she laughed.
Bruce chuckled. "Well... if that's what you want..."
"Stop it. I don't have a quiet little office to talk in while you're going on like this," she protested.
"Fair enough. Wouldn't want you fired before you could quit your job," Bruce teased. "What time are you going out with Kir?"
Catherine frowned. "I have no idea. I just said 'this evening'. I guess we'll find out."
"Be careful."
.
.
.
.
.
.
CHAPTER FIVE - Chance Encounters
Catherine had alll but forgotten about the Obiken's by the next morning. Bruce had said nothing with regard to them at breakfast; she'd gone off to work and had been focused on submitting her two-week resignation to the station. She'd decided to put her energy toward independent writing projects for publication, rather than the media's torrid tales.
By lunchtime, the resignation had been filed; Catherine was exhausted. She begged off any lunch dates with her soon-to-be-former co-workers in favor of relaxing in Robinson Park which was only a few blocks away from the station.
Catherine had brought along her laptop. She found an empty park bench beneath an oak tree, sat down and began skimming over her latest writing endeavor. The piece was partially auto-biographical, exploring her own life through the soul of the character she'd created for the novel.
Her mind was fixed on a portion of Jess's life where the character had learned first hand that friends weren't always true friends and had suffered a major loss. As a result, she didn't see Kir Obiken in her peripheral vision, standing just down the walking path from her.
Kir watched and waited, seeing that Catherine Wayne was oblivious to all that was around her. She was hesitant to interrupt her work, but it was necessary that they speak. Still garbed in the loose fitting tunic and pants, Kir approached the bench.
"This seat taken?"
Catherine gasped and gripped the edges of her laptop. When she shifted, she'd nearly sent it on a dive toward the pavement. Clutching the computer, she squinted up at Kir Obiken.
"What? Oh, no. Go ahead. Have a seat," she replied, distracted.
Catherine watched Kir out the corner of her eye. With an inward grown, she shut down the laptop and replaced it into the carrying case.
"So. How are you?" Kir asked.
"Fine. I told my boss that I'm quitting my job in two weeks. So really, I'm great. How are you?"
Kir smiled. "Wonderful! Thank you for asking."
They lapsed into a minute of silence before Kir spoke again. "I'm sorry if you or your husband took offense at the soiree."
Catherine raised an eyebrow. She recalled Bruce's reaction at the dinner and his later reaction as Batman... offense? That was putting it mildly, she thought.
"The Batman subject is a... touchy one in Gotham," she said after a moment.
"Evidently," Kir said with a touch of irony.
Catherine chuckled. "What's your angle to it all, anyway?"
"What's yours?"
She paused. The vigilante questions were continually asked, but like Bruce at the charity event, she felt that the Obiken's were asking for a purpose rather than idle curiosity.
"My position is that the Bat-Team does what needs to be done. They seem to have the okay - if not full-approval - from the Police Department, so they come across as the ultimate of public servants."
"Memorized the press release, did you?" Kir asked with a bemused smile.
Catherine snorted. "Please don't go there. I have enough issues with publicity, press releases and the media as it is."
"So you said. You just told me you quit your job."
It took everything in Catherine's power not to snap, "You're really irritating, you know that?!" Instead, she nodded quietly.
"So?"
"What?"
"What is your position on the Bat-Team?" Kir repeated.
"I approve. Is that what you wanted me to say?"
"Maybe."
"Is this how your religion teaches?" Catherine shook her head, frustrated that she let the sarcasm into her tone.
Kir turned on the bench to face Catherine directly. "It's simple," she said. "I look at universal balance. What we do as individuals has an impact on the greater will."
"Very Eastern philosophied of you," she remarked. "And so you said the other night."
Kir nodded. "The Bat-Team plays that balance on a very fine wire," she continued. "We're not certain it's the wisest course of action, really."
"Why are you telling me this?"
She arched an eyebrow but said nothing.
Catherine stood. "Look. I don't know what your angle is here, Ms. Obiken--"
"Call me Kir."
"--Kir. I really don't. Out of the blue you start attacking my husband and me with your religion--"
"Intuition works in--"
"Because we're very happy with who and where we--"
"Are you?" Kir interrupted.
"And who are you to start on us like this?"
"I only speak. It's your choice to take things--"
Catherine shot off, in a growl, "Don't tell me what I am or am not doing."
"Want to go get some chocolate?" Kir asked.
Her question took Catherine Wayne by surprise. She gaped blankly at Kir. What was this all about then?
"How about this evening? For now, I have to get back to work."
++++++++++++++
Catherine was dismayed to find that Bruce had left her a voicemail on her work phone while she was on her lunch. Had she left only minutes later, she could've met him at the coney island instead of lounging on a park bench with Kir Obiken.
She called him back at the office, using his private line so as to not be intercepted by his secretary.
"This is Bruce."
"Hey Baby... sorry I missed your call!"
"Catherine. Wish we could've met for lunch. How did the two-week notice go?" he asked.
"Alright, I guess," she replied. "They really didn't seem to care if I stayed or quit!"
"Better that you can be independent then and do what you want."
She sighed. "Which reminds me... you're going to love this. I had a run in with Kir Obiken at lunch."
At his desk with the door closed to the outer office, Bruce smirked. "You ditched me for lunch for her? when we could've gone and done something other than gone to a coney island..." He let the words just hang there, knowing that Cath would pick up on what he was implying.
Catherine grinned broadly and ducked down into her cubicle. "You tease," she whispered. "Save those promises for later, k?"
"Guaranteed." Bruce was all business again. "What did Kir Obiken want now?"
"She started on about universal balance and-- Well, no. First, she started grilling me on my position on the Bat Team again," she explained. "Then, it turned into that business about balance and disruption."
"Fun."
"We argued and now we have plans to go purusing for chocolate this evening."
"What?"
"Yeah. I still don't know how that happened," she admitted.
"I don't think it's a good idea," Bruce said flatly.
"Neither do I, really. But if nothing else, maybe I can figure out what those two are up to. Why they keep demanding such questions of us."
"We have other avenues for that."
"I realize that, hon. But what could it hurt? And besides, I could get some chocolate then," she laughed.
Bruce chuckled. "Well... if that's what you want..."
"Stop it. I don't have a quiet little office to talk in while you're going on like this," she protested.
"Fair enough. Wouldn't want you fired before you could quit your job," Bruce teased. "What time are you going out with Kir?"
Catherine frowned. "I have no idea. I just said 'this evening'. I guess we'll find out."
"Be careful."