Tang Ri Shan
Red Wings
(Been a while since I updated this one! But I had some free time on my hands, so why not?
Recall, this is the sequal to Conundrum.)
Chapter 3
Bruce Wayne fought the urge to yawn as he glanced around the packed room and glanced at his watch. It showed ten minutes to Ten PM. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he raised his head and scanned the room once again, his gaze darting from face to face that were moving on the dance floor to the beat of the DJ. Frowning, he reached into a pocket and pulled out his phone, scanning the messages, he found the most recent one, received fifteen minutes ago, which read:
Meet me by the main door in ten minutes. I've waited a long time to see you again.
An old friend.
"Bruce Wayne!" A voice crowed, making Bruce glance up. A stout man with a top hat was walking towards him, framed by a pair of girls dressed in black. "Good to see you again!" The man came into the light and Bruce raised an eyebrow. He was short, the tip of his top hat barely came up to Bruce's chin, and he was, for lack of better word, pot-bellied. He was big-cheeked and his nose jutted straight out from his face like a beak. He squinted up at Bruce through a monocle and he carried an umbrella in one of his white-gloved hands.
Bruce tilted his head in confusion as the figure walked straight up to him and extended a hand. "Um...sorry, but have we met?"
The man frowned. "Oh come now Bruce! I would have thought a high-flying vulture like yourself wouldn't have forgotten an old bird like me" He gave a small smile as if the phrase was some sort of hint.
A light clicked on in Bruce's brain and he suddenly remembered the man. "Cobblepot! I'm sorry, I barely recognized you. How long has it been?" He chortled as he shook the man's hand.
"At least five years, and please call me Oswald" The man's frown melted into a small smile. "And how is the rising star of Gotham's elite? A little bird tells me that you have made quite a name for yourself"
"Oh well you know, business is business" Bruce deflected the question with ease, keeping his smile in place, but his eyes drifted towards the girls standing behind him. They were both dark haired and Asian in appearance, wearing matching black suits and staring at Mr. Wayne the way a mother bear with a cub eyes an approaching adult.
Mr. Cobblepot noticed him looking. "Oh them? Raven and Strix here are the latest acquisitions to my staff. You see, I've recently returned from a tour of the Orient, and snapped them up just before I returned to America. They've already proven to be worth the 'considerable investment' I made to acquire them" He explained, looking smug. "Show your respect, girls" He ordered and the girls bowed stiffly to Bruce in unison.
Bruce nodded in reply before looking back down at Mr. Cobblepot. "So, Oswald, how can I help you? Unless the only reason you sought me out tonight was to introduce me to your hired help" He shot a glance at the girls just in time to see one of them tighten her mouth in anger, but she said nothing and a second later her face was once again blank and calm.
"Ah, to the point as always" Mr. Cobblepot chuckled, sounding like a crow squabbling, before removing his monocle and cleaning it on the cuff of one of his gloves. "I sought you out, as you so eloquently put it, Mr. Wayne, because I have a proposition for you"
Bruce raised an eyebrow, but his face betrayed no other signs of emotion. "What kind of proposition?"
"You may or may not have heard this already, but I have returned to Gotham to finally create the establishment of my dreams." Mr. Cobblepot smiled widely and his eye seemed to twinkle as he screwed his monocle back into place.
Bruce allowed the faintest shadow of a smile to appear on his lips. "You're still obsessing over opening your restaurant?" He asked in a teasing way.
Mr. Cobblepot's smile faded instantly. "Bah! I will have you know this is a desire, not an 'obsession'" He spluttered angrily. "What cheek, Mr. Wayne! I never imagined that you would...!" Mr. Cobblepot paused his ranting when he noticed a teasing smile slowly spreading across Bruce's face and he suddenly chortled with laughter. "Ahh, you jest me, Mr. Wayne!" He cawed happily. "When did you acquire a sense of humor?"
"Maybe he's always had it" Both men froze as a third person spoke up and Bruce stiffened as he felt something stroke down his spine. That voice sounded very familiar.
"Kathy?" Bruce breathed as he slowly turned around to reveal a beautiful red-haired woman wearing a dark velvet evening dress with elbow length black gloves. Her red raid fell about her in waves that covered half of her face. Her free eye sparkled at him and blinked almost seductively.
"The one and only" The woman purred, moving gracefully forward to clasp Bruce's hand. "It's been a long time, Bruce" She gave Bruce a quick peck on the cheek before turning to Mr. Cobblepot. "And dear Ozzie! I thought you were still in Japan!"
"And miss an opportunity to admire your ravishing beauty once again, Kathleen? Impossible!" Mr. Cobblepot replied, kissing Miss Kane's extended hand.
This made the woman giggle, "Oh Ozzie, you shameless flatterer you!" She teased, batting her eyelashes at the short man, causing both men to chuckle. "So, are the rumors true? Are you finally going to open the establishment of your dreams?"
"A dream that will soon take wing" Mr. Cobblepot sighed happily, before frowning. "Regrettably however, I fear that in order to do so, that dream will require a certain...boost"
"And you think that Kathy and I can provide that 'boost' for you?" Bruce reasoned.
"Ah Bruce, your keen eye has shattered my disguise" Mr. Cobblepot moaned, slowly shaking his head. "'Tis true. I lack the monetary funds necessary to bring my dream to life"
"And you believe we will give you the funds you need?" Kathy asked, raising an eyebrow. But Bruce could see a small smile forming on her lips
"Tis was my hope" Mr. Cobblepot admitted, his eye darting from Kathy to Bruce and back again. The two looked at each other, and Kathy winked.
Bruce gave the tiniest of nods and turned back to Mr. Cobblepot. "Well, I can't speak for Kathy, but I certainly am intrigued by this establishment of yours. However, I would like a little more time to consider the benefits"
M. Cobblepot looked disappointed, but he nodded, showing that he understood. "You are a cautious bird, Bruce, and I commend you for your hesitation. I assure you, however, that in this case, you should consider...jumping in" He chuckled as he snapped his fingers. One of the girls strode forward and Bruce just now noticed that she was holding a briefcase. "If you have a moment, I have brought with me the plans for my new establishment, the Iceberg Lounge."
"Iceberg Lounge?" Kathy repeated, shivering dramatically. "Sounds chilly" She commented as one of the girls cleared a table and the other one placed the briefcase upon the table and opened it, pulling out a rolled up piece of paper.
Mr. Cobblepot chuckled. "Despite the frigid name, I assure you my restaurant will be the hottest attraction in all of Gotham." He boasted as the paper was unrolled.
Leaning over the plans, Bruce felt his eyes widen as he took in the detail. "Well, I can certainly see why you would need a 'boost'" He commented.
"So can I count on your support then?" Mr. Cobblepot asked hopefully, his eyes moving from Bruce to Kathy.
"Well, I'll be happy to provide you with a 'small' boost to kick things off" Bruce finally nodded as he pulled a checkbook out of his breast pocket and wrote one out.
"Likewise" Kathy purred, pulling her own checkbook out of her purse. "And if you still run into 'trouble', then give either of us a call."
Mr. Cobblepot beamed as he took the checks from the two socialites "Excellent! I knew I could count on the two of you!" He shook their hands graciously. "Please excuse me, I must go inform the work crew. We break ground tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow? You're moving that fast?" Kathy asked as Mr. Cobblepot turned to leave. The two girls scooped the plans back into the briefcase and locked it.
"What better time to start preparing for the future, than in the present?" He exclaimed over his shoulder as his girls made to follow him. Chuckling to himself, Mr. Cobblepot vanished into the crowd, flanked by his female associates.
Watching him go, Bruce shook his head. "He seems pretty determined, doesn't he?"
"Well, he has been dreaming of owning a fancy restaurant for a long time now, remember?" Kathy answered, then placed a hand on Bruce's shoulder and leaned into him, causing Bruce to glance at her. "I see you got my little text" She purred.
Bruce raised an eyebrow. "That was you?"
"Mm-hm" Kathy nodded slowly, deliberately so that the overhead lighting bathed half of her face in shadow. "It's been a while since we've seen each other, Bruce." She purred, tracing her gloved finger over Bruce's chest, her touch just tickling his skin.
Bruce smiled and gently clasped her hand. "Okay Kathy, enough with the act" He chided gently.
"Act? What act?" Kathy blinked innocently.
Bruce rolled his eyes. "It may have been a while, but I remember how you work. Now, what do want from me?" He asked teasingly.
Kathy sighed and some of the light seemed to dim from the one eye that was visible. "You are such a spoilsport Bruce, you know that?"
"I've been called worse." Bruce chuckled in reply. "But I've also been 'hoodwinked' by a beautiful woman before, and lived to regret it more than once. You can't blame me for being careful."
Kathy giggled and slowly shook her head, allowing her long red hair to fan out behind her head as it moved. "No, I guess not" She glanced down at the floor for a moment, then she glanced up, no longer smiling "The truth is, there is something I want from you too"
"And what might that be?" Bruce asked. But instead of replying, Kathy suddenly leaned forward and kissed Bruce on the lips. For a moment, Bruce just stood there, then he slowly wrapped his arms around the woman and returned the kiss willingly. For a little while, they both just stood there, locked in each other's embrace.
"That, for starters" Kathy moaned when she finally broke away from him. "It's been so long since last time!"
"I seam to recall that you were the one who stopped this practice, not me" Bruce teasingly corrected her, causing Kathy to grin.
"Touche" She purred, stroking Bruce's shoulder with one gloved hand. Bruce gazed down at her happily, then his eyes were drawn to the necklace she was wearing, a necklace that looked familiar.
Bruce's smile faded. "I'm sorry about what happened to Carlton" He said mournfully.
"What?" Kathy looked up, then followed Bruce's gaze down to her necklace, her mouth quivered. "Oh yes, my husband's accident. Thank you, Bruce" She sighed and closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them again, there was a hint of tears building in them. "Actually, that's another reason I wanted to talk to you." Kathy looked down for a second, then back up. "You see..."
"RRROOOOOAAAARRRRRRR!" Kathy was interrupted by a deep-throated roar that boomed from the other end of the room followed by a piercing scream.
And that's it for now! As always, let me know what you think!
Until next time!