-Wednesday-
-April 14th, 2010-
-Afternoon-
"-Grayson. Master Grayson?" A voice called out to him, dragging him away from his dreams and into reality. Away from dreams of long nosed men and purple (Velvet, something corrected in the back of his head) and into the bleak reality of rain pelted Gotham.
"Wha's going on?" He asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, half dazed from the experience. Looking up to see the passive and mustached face of the butler, Pennyworth, peering in from the open car door.
"Ah, good. You're awake." He said, his voice bland but Dick could have sworn he heard a bit of snark in his dry tones. He leaned back, holding the door wider and stepped to the side. "We've arrived."
And so they did. The world outside the car was different than the rest of Gotham that he had seen. There was green for one thing. Trees, fresh grass, and bushes cut into the shapes of animals surrounded a fancy manor. Dick would even go so far as to call the building stately, large and long with elaborate decorations around each window.
And tall, did he mention tall? The place was bigger than some hotels he stayed at and all of this was for one person? It seemed a bit excessive.
"Why don't you head on in Master Grayson?" The butler half asked with a reassuring smile, closing the car door and moving to the trunk as he did. "I will grab your bags, there is no reason for both us to get wet now is there."
"I, uh, I guess." He said, already wet and miserable on top of everything else. The steps up to the manor's front door were slick from the rain but he managed easy enough, he would have been a shame acrobats everywhere if he couldn't get up a few stairs. Still, there were a lot more stairs than were possibly necessary just to get into the building. They didn't even lead to the front door, they lead to a set of patios which led to another set of stairs.
Again, he would use the word excessive to describe the building.
Walking across the patio, after he gave an annoyed sigh, he spotted something standing in front of the building. He couldn't call it a person, not even if he stretched the term with all the strange things he had seen and heard about throughout his life. And he lived at the Circus, used to anyway.
Whatever it was it stood oddly straight, as if posed, exaggerating it's NBA level height with its stance and tophat. It's too long arms clasped on top of a cane and the tailcoats of its jacket flapping in the wind as it regarded the building in front of it. At least, that's where Dick thought it as looking. He couldn't be completely sure.
The thing didn't seem to be made of flesh or blood or anything else solid or material. It was static, it was made of nothing but the black and white grain of a bad television screen. And then it flickered, snapping from one position to the next like a glitch on a screen or a grand magic trick, and was suddenly at the top of the steps looking down at him.
Staring down at him.
Familiar blue eyes burned through the static and regarded him with a cold passion. [The show is about to start] A voice that wasn't a voice said, reverbing in his head in a painful echo. Dick had to grab his head and let out a hiss.
And then, with another flicker, it was gone.
"Master Grayson?" The butler asked from behind him, bags in hand and face concerned, "Is everything alright?"
"I," Dick started, eyes flicking back to the top of the steps and found nothing but rain, "Nothing, just thought I saw something."
Pennyworth didn't say anything, he just quirked an eyebrow and gave a brief glance to the rooftops above them. "I find that new and strange place can often play tricks on one's eyes. Now, let's get out of the rain. I'll show you to your room and once you freshen up I shall give you the grand tour."
"Thanks," Dick said, feeling not at all reassured by the man's easy grin but followed him nonetheless.
Wayne Manor was as grand on the inside as it was on the outside. Immaculate carpets and finely carved statues filled the halls right next to artwork that looked like it belonged in a showcase. There wasn't a spot of dust anywhere, not that Dick could see which was odd because he also didn't see any staff besides the butler escorting him down the halls.
Still, all the fancy artwork and bright lights couldn't masks just how creepy the building was. The high windows that would usually make a building bright and inviting seemed to loom in on him with the deafening sound of rain pattering against the glass. The sound had a muffled echo to it in the near-empty building.
Seriously, where was the rest of the staff?
"Ah, here we are," Pennyworth said, stopping at a seemingly random door and opening it to reveal what was likely the largest bedroom Dick had ever seen. The bad alone was bigger than his cabin on the train was and the things didn't even take up a quarter of the room."This will be your room for the foreseeable future. The washroom and shower are to the right of the window, the closet to the left. Feel free to explore the manor at your leisure but if you wish for a more in-depth tour I shall be back in half an hour. Unless, of course, you need something now?"
"Uh, no. I'm good for now. Thanks." Dick said, taking his bags from the man and feeling a bit of a daze from the sheer size of everything in the room.
"Very well. Please call if you need anything." And with that Dick was alone.
He paced the room, dropping his drying bags at the foot of the bed as he passed. The room wasn't empty, in fact, it had more furniture in it then he expected in most hotel rooms ranging from a desk to a widescreen tv, yet he could do a whole tumbling routine in there without risking bumping into anything. The closet was a walk in and get could probably fit a two bunk cabin in there with no trouble
What was he supposed to do with all this space? Did that Wayne guy shove him in the largest room he could find? Was he trying to impress his new foster kid or something?
Dick didn't bother looking in the bathroom, it was there and probably too extravagant for his taste. He wasn't soaked enough to need a shower, a change of shirt was all he needed before leaving the room.
The butler said he could explore and that's what he was going to do. He wasn't going to wait around in a room that was just… too much
Not that the rest of the house seemed to be any better. Turned out he didn't get the largest bedroom, all of the bedrooms in that entire wing were that big. The ones he saw at least we're, the room he guessed was Wayne's master suite was locked and so was the room next to it. Pennyworth's?
He shrugged and moved on, soon finding himself in the middle of a library. The bookshelves weren't to the ceiling but they were close enough and they were jammed pack with thick volumes and first editions. Dick liked to think that he had a good head for languages, Haley's has been all over the world and back after all, but he couldn't read several of the titles lining the walls. There were coaches and desk scattered throughout the room in a tasteful manner but Dick couldn't imagine himself sitting comfortably there. Just standing near the glass cases holding aged and yellowed books made him nervous.
He left before he brushed against the wrong book.
He found a few more bedrooms, storage closets, and locked doors before finding what looked like a dining room. Like most of the other rooms, he's seen it had high windows and fascist furniture available, ranging from a golden chandelier and a long sturdy oak table. Besides a few paintings, he didn't see much of interest and went through the double doors to the far side of the room.
Turns out it less to the kitchen, go figure. Despite being one of those stainless steel commercial kitchens it had a homey feel to it. Like it was used for more than just making meals in mass. The small clothed table did a lot for that image, as did the smell of some absolutely amazing cookies wafting from the oven. Who knew rich guys could do homey?
Checking the timer he saw that the cookies still had a good ten minutes left before they were ready. He still had time to explore.
That was when he found the gym. And not just any gym, a well used one. He could see the wear and tear on the equipment just from the doorway. The barbell was bent, the horizontal bars had layers of tape, and a beaten heavy bag hung from a beam with fresh punching bags lining the wall. Dick eyed the various gymnastics equipment, if he was going to be stuck there at least he knew he wouldn't get out of practice.
Wayne wasn't going to be a stick figure that was for sure, not if the hand grooves on the dumbbells were anything to go by, but he desperately hoped he wasn't a roid head. That wasn't a headache he wanted to live through again.
"Ah, Master Grayson." The butler said, making Dick jump an inch or two off the ground. How and why was the man so quiet? "I see you found Master Bruce's Exercise Room." The man looked down at him, a single eyebrow raised. He had changed out of his driver's outfit and was in a more stereotypical butler's uniform, without the driver's cap Dick could see his balding grey hair.
"Yeah." He said, hand over his heart as he regained control of his breathing. "Would it be okay if I use it?"
"I do not believe Master Bruce would mind." Alfred said, shutting the door as he led Dick out, "Now I can give you the rest of the tour now or we can head down to the kitchen where I have a fresh batch of cookies waiting. As well as a nice cup of tea to help warm you up as I see you did not take my advice on the shower."
The butler gave a pointed look to the teen's rain soaked jeans and his new shirt collar already wet from his hair. Dick just shrugged, "Didn't think I really needed it."
The butler raised an eyebrow, cocking it in a way that screamed at that he had a few thoughts he'd like to share about that but kept his piece. Instead, he ushered Dick back to the kitchen where a tray of cookies laid cooling.
They tasted just as good as they smelled, and the team the butler gave him just made them all the better. He would have scarfed them all down himself if some weren't being set aside for 'Master Bruce', tempting him from a counter away.
"Where is he anyway?" Dick asked, scrubbing off some crumbs with his sleeve.
Pennyworth didn't say anything for a moment, it didn't feel like hesitation more like he was taking his time to put some last touches on his tea. It irked him all the same.
"Master Bruce is settling some delicate matters at the moment and likely won't be joining us until the evening, perhaps the early morning."
Dick's eyebrows quirked you, curiosity taking him. "Really?" He asked, "Something gots him so tied up he can't even make time for his, what did the foster lady call it, ward?"
"I assure you that Master Bruce has nothing but your best interest at heart." the butler defended, "His way of showing it may leave much to be desired but he means well. Would you like another cup?"
"Yeah, sure." It was better than the last cup, not as sweet and more milk. Did Pennyworth change how he made it?
"Now, tomorrow afternoon, we have a meeting with Gotham Academy's Headmaster to see about your enrollment. We need to present him a proper image, a good night's rest and a well pressed outfit should do that nicely."
The previously smooth tea went down rough, "Isn't it a bit early for school stuff?"
The olderman disagreed. "Your case worker suggested that a routine should be made for you as soon as possible. But don't worry," he started with a smile, "I believe tomorrow will just be the initial meeting and perhaps a tour. Classes should not start for you for another week or so."
"I guess that's fine…" It really wasn't. He wanted to go back to Mr. Murphy's class, he wanted the improvised classroom filled with kids he grew up with not a cookie cut building packed with strangers.
The butler hummed at a response, clearing dishes away as he did, "Perhaps you would like to see Master Bruce's home entertainment system? It is quite extensive and includes the latest video game model. Master Bruce receives them as a gift often enough."
Figures, rich guys didn't even need to pay for their own video games. "Sure, whatever."
Turns out what counted as 'quite extensive' was a wall to wall tv screen complete with movie theater seats and a dozen neatly organized devices at its base. Dick didn't even recognize some of them, though the record player was a bit obvious and made it easy to separate the music player section from the consoles and movie players.
He could think of a dozen people back at the circus who would give their left foot for a few hours in the room. He wasn't exactly one of them but it made for a very nice distraction.
Dick spent the next few hours just vegging in the room, alternating between games and movies once he figured out how to use the universal remote. The night got later and his eyes got heavier.
He didn't even remember getting back to his new room, just that his head had hit the pillows with a satisfying thump. His last thoughts before the night took him was wondering what Wayne could have been doing that was so important to leave him alone.
Outside his window bats swarmed into the night as lighting struck across the sky.