The Batcave:
"Diana, Raven, welcome back." Richard greets with an uneasy smile, from his seat at the computer at the two Amazon's walking up from the lower parts of the Batcave, where the teleportation device is housed, but only allowed to be used by others with prior agreement.
"Hello Richard." Raven replies pleasantly while Diana takes on a stern expression at the sight of him. "Remember what I said." Raven mentions to Diana as she comes closer to him.
"Richard, we need to have a little chat if you don't mind?" Diana says after stopping in front of Richard who has risen from his seat, while she puts her hands on her hips.
"Of course not." Richard replies nervously. "Er, Raven, Alfred is about to serve lunch if any of you want any?"
"We skipped dinner for it. Hope to see you both upstairs." Raven replies waving at him as she makes her way up the stairs, leaving Richard cornered by Diana.
A few moments later:
"Hey guys." Raven greets as she walks into the kitchen, having been up to change into a pair of black pants and a white t-shirt.
"Ah miss Raven, welcome back, I trust the visit went as planned?" Alfred asks, while Bruce and Tim nods at her, with their mouths full.
"Well it was, till a bunch of Nazis, renegade Atlanteans, Brotherhood of Evil and one demigod decided to crash the event." Raven replies, knowing Alfred already knew it had all gone pearshaped. "But we took care of them."
"I trust none of those dead I hear the UN found on the remains of their fleet was by your hand?" Bruce asks between bites but doesn't look up.
"I had my hands full with the meta-humans most of the time. And before you ask; I am responsible for Blitz, Shadow of War, some vampire and Heracles." Raven says as she begins picking out the ingredients for her own sandwich from the selection on the counter.
"And the others?" Bruce continues.
"Hippolyta is the one you need to talk to regarding Gunhild, Mallah, Brain and Brother Blood. Diana for Captain Nazi. Cassandra for the White Magician and Donna for some swordsman I didn't get the name of. Phobia and Rouge will have received their injuries from previously mind controlled soldiers." Raven shrugs as Bruce nods at the information.
"So this was the mythological Hercules?" Tim asks.
"Yes, how they got into contact with him we don't know, but it was him." Raven says having made her food.
"Do you intend to release him into custody?" Bruce asks.
"He's already in custody, in one of few prisons that can apparently hold him. And as long as Hippolyta wants him there, I am not going to move him either." Raven replies and takes a bite. "Besides the big ox wouldn't stay down."
"Heard you threw a ship at him?" Tim asks.
"I dropped it on him, unfortunately he didn't stay down." Raven sighs.
"We will need to have the file on him updated." Bruce mentions.
"I'll do it after lunch and see if some of the other goons there need updating."
"Any idea about the duration of the depowerment?" Bruce continues.
"Nope, I can feel it is still there, I just can't muster the needed power to make it work. Healing included." She says while pointing at a bruise on her right arm. "Got that afterwards."
"Burnt out mid-fight?" Tim asks.
"No, some of Hippolyta's Royal Guards didn't take it too well that I suggested their job become a rotating duty since most of our casualties proved to be of their numbers."
"Incompetence?" Bruce asks.
"Arrogance." Diana cuts in as she and a shell-shocked looking Richard walks into the kitchen as well and sits down. "My mother had to see some ugly truths about her closest guards for the last three thousand years, but she has finally allowed reforms in the military. Hopefully they will adjust to living amongst the general population without too many problems."
"You look spooked Dick." Tim notes as Richard has taken the seat next to Diana, who has Raven on the other side.
"I just didn't think Wonder Woman knew the words she used on me." Raven smirks a little, Richard was definitely in the doghouse with Diana, only those who were had to use her working name.
"I guess not everyone has been equally pleased to be brought in." Bruce shrugs, knowing that those of his who were not unconscious often resorting to swearing at him, though mostly if he was walking away or they had just been handed over to the police.
"I'm not sure how many times you have been threatened with being digested by a Hecatonchire? I actually don't even know what that is." Richard admits.
"A race of giants that live in Tartarus, every part of its body is made up of hundreds of smaller versions of the same part. It was one of those that tried battering its way out of Tartarus when I got stuck there." Raven replies, knowing that Diana wasn't a person who resorted to threats and foul language easily, but when she did it stayed with the threatened, especially if they knew Diana like Richard did. "So when do we leave tonight?" She asks while guessing that Richard had actually started the conversation with his apology, then Diana would have accepted it before going. "…but that said; If you ever…" And it would have ended with her swearing vengeance, which everyone affiliated with the League knew was a serious matter when it came from Diana.
"Around six, but you aren't expected till eight." Alfred replies.
"And everyone is going." Tim sighs.
"Something interesting is bound to happen." Raven adds. "No I am not planning on deliberately making something happen." She continues; cutting Bruce off before he can say anything. "I know how much this one means to you."
"Good, maybe the press will pick up that even you have limits." Bruce replies with a smirk before fixing himself another sandwich.
"Ha, they will just follow her the rest of the night waiting for something to happen." Tim adds, getting a sigh out of Raven.
"Isn't easy living a double life."
"We did suggest a timid librarian type." Alfred mentions. "But I do remember that you mentioned that Timid has her time."
"And she has." Raven replies. "And I remember you mentioning something about pretending to have fun, and then have a little by accident."
"Quite right and I still hold that to be true." The old man replies, getting a few smirks from the Bats.
"And I have, once in a while." Raven continues before biting down on her fresh sandwich.
"How bad was the fight?" Bruce asks while looking at Diana.
"Besides Heracles, it was entertaining, thought Captain Nazi was disappointing. But I wonder where they found all of their troops?" Diana replies.
"Mislead youths, many from poor upbringings or places where they were alienated. Promises of wealth, status and companionship is a strong reason for them to join. But some of those that were pitted against you seems to have been grown in a lab." Bruce says.
"General Immortus probably." Raven shrugs. "He's always accompanied by soldiers of some kind. Hold up." She says before pulling out a small buzzing cellphone from her pocket. "Good thing Themyscira doesn't have cell phone coverage. It's Conner." She says looking at the display before answering. "Hey Conner… She is all right, her skull is fractured, but she will mend in a matter of weeks… Sadly no, I managed to burn my magic out during the fight… Well I doubt even you could overpower Heracles… Yes Cassandra's half-brother… Well Wonder Woman couldn't do it physically… Turned him to stone… Look, she was unconscious when I checked last, but she is in good hands, the problems will begin when she wakes up… Well you know how she is… When she wakes up, I am sure she will very much like to be moved to where you can visit her. Just don't fuzz too much with her… Conner it's not my fault you happen to be a guy… Yes you could go look for it, but if you actually found it, you would get both me and Diana recalled to get you to leave again… Conner relax, she's a tough girl, she will pull through and the resident healers should be able to help her. I'm an empath, of course I know you love her, but Themyscira has laws so you will have to wait… I know it will be difficult, but you will manage… I will, cya."
"Boy of Steel worried sick?" Tim asks with a smile as she puts the phone away.
"He threatened with searching for Themyscira. But that clobbering you once gave him still sticks." Raven shrugs with a smirk to Diana.
"Walked in on her shower." Bruce adds, getting huff from Diana. Richard can vividly imagine Superboy standing ramrock stiff while a naked Diana sends him and equally surprised look from the shower.
"Well, a shower does sound like a good idea, since we have spent the day moving rocks around." She admits. "I trust I can have it in private."
"Of course." Bruce replies offhandedly before drinking a mouthful of water. "Will you need rest before tonight?"
"A nap sounds good to me." Raven injects. "Think Diana should have one as well."
"I am used to late hours Sister." Diana notes dryly.
"Well, we better get some uninterrupted rest now in case something silly happens." Raven continues, getting Diana to nod.
"Like Dr. Destiny makes another attempt at offing you guys." Tim adds.
"He'd have to bust out first." Raven counters before turning to Bruce. "I have been requested to bring my costume the next time I visit Themyscira, Hippolyta wants to see it."
"It's your costume, where you take it is up to you." Bruce shrugs. "Thought you told her about it?"
"Thought it would be a bad idea, in case any more from Themyscira decides to seek me out." Bruce nods at this. "But only Hippolyta seems to know so far. Anyways, I will get that report done and then retire, hopefully to have at least five hours."
"If not, I will have some herbal tea made for you." Alfred notes as she gets up, getting a nod of appreciation from her before she leaves.
Six hours later:
"Why am I not surprised?" Tim asks as he joins the group of people standing at the bottom of the stairs he's coming down from, save for Raven, they are all present. Bruce and Dick are wearing tailor-made black suits with white shirts and butterflies, Diana in a copy of the dress she once wore in France where she publicly met Bruce Wayne for the first time. Tim himself has decided on wearing a white dinner jacket with black pants.
"Well she has her reasons." Richard replies. "Nice suit Casanova." Tim just pouts at him.
"You know, I actually wonder, a victory such as hers is usually rewarded, but my mother has not mentioned anything." Diana says.
"Could be the timing, or maybe she has?" Bruce speculates.
"It would be a new thing for her to not make a show of it." Diana continues.
"Don't worry, she has given me something, but I am not saying any more about it right now." Raven says from the top of the stairs, revealing herself to be wearing a long sleeved white dress that goes down to her feet while remaining open at her neck and upper back. But what the others notice the most is her change of hair color, black.
"Guess someone hasn't been sleeping." Richard notes. "Or did your powers return?"
"Meditating, almost as good as sleeping, while the color settled." Raven replies. "So are you ready to be revealed again?" She asks him.
"Yup, thankfully there's only going to be photographers outside."
"Lots of questions on the inside." Tim continues as they collect their overcoats and head outside to the big black Rolls Royce, where Alfred stands ready and holding the door open to the back seats for them, dressed in his gray chauffeur uniform, where the seat are arranged so the occupants sit face to face.
The ride to Wayne Tower's, where the ball is being held in the huge lobby, is an uneventful one, with mainly Richard and Tim poking fun of each other, while Diana tries to verbally grill Raven for what reward she received, only getting that it wasn't really important unless something specific happened. Bruce remains quiet as usual, but if one looked as Alfred did, you could see him drawing a thin smile at the people around him. To the old man, it meant everything to see it, because it told him how much Bruce treasured the moment.
Arriving at the main entrance of the skyscraper they can see a crowd of journalists and the curious are waiting for them, they are forced to wait in line as one white limousine waits for another car to let out its passengers. As they wait, Bruce gives them the order as how they are to exit; he and Diana will go first, then Raven, then Tim and lastly Richard as the nights big surprise. Raven also manages to enforce her own change in name to Richard before their car door is opened. Bruce and Diana are predictably almost blinded by the amount of camera's flashing at their appearance, while some hopeful journalists try and lure them in with questions, but they are ignored. Raven isn't quite as bathed in the blitz light and neither is Tim. The same cannot be said of Richard who's blitz shower rivals that of Bruce and Diana's, while the hopeful try to get his attention. Almost automatically the small group clumps up for the almost mandatory group shot before they all make their way inside, depositing their coats in the wardrobe.
If they didn't know any better, none of them would have thought that the huge lobby of Wayne Towers was during the day one of the busiest places in Gotham's beating financial heart. A room the size of a football field open to five floors above them, tonight lit by a row of huge chandeliers, that give off an almost golden glow to the room. Where possible, the usual features, such as the guard checkpoint, have been removed, leaving the room to rival any grand ballroom. At one end, in front of the dance floor, an assembly of musicians is playing a slow quiet tune that is audible but allows for conversation without having to raise one's voice. In the four corners there are manned bars and refreshment tables while rows of chairs are lined by the walls. All the while, waiters circulate the room with drinks.
All of the arrivals pick up a glass of Champaign from the waiter standing at the entrance, with Bruce, Tim and Richard fully intending on nursing theirs as long as possible. Both Raven and Diana, due to their Amazon constitution could drink a bottle of it without been noticeably affected by the alcohol, but neither of them care for the taste.
"Bruce. Good to see you." Lucius Fox greets the group a few short steps past the waiter. "And Princess Diana of course." He adds quickly before spotting the rest. "Tim, Rachel welcome, welcome… and Richard Grayson is that you boy?"
"Yes, the prodigal son has finally returned." Bruce replies as Richard shakes hands with the man. "Finally came home a couple of days ago."
"Good to see you as well Lucius." Richard says with a smile.
"Guess you must have been quite surprised when you got home?" Lucius asks.
"To which part? That Wonder Woman is walking around the house or that Bruce had a cousin?" Richard asks.
"Well both." Lucius asks with a chuckle. "Well, knowing Bruce and you, I am not putting my hopes up to get to know where you went off to this time?"
"I really was surprised, but I just had that need to travel again." Richard replies. "So how's the family?"
"Just fine, they are around here somewhere, but I guess they found something more interesting than meeting and greeting. But if Princess Diana cares to indulge; Tam, my oldest daughter, is dying to meet you." Lucius asks, turning his attention to Diana.
"I am sure we can arrange something." Diana replies with a smile, it is one of the things she enjoys; that her job also brings her a chance to talk to girls and hopefully give them guidance if needed. It also told her she was doing some good, since these meetings were always enthusiastic.
"And it helps that Tim heats up whenever she's around." Raven whispers to Richard, but loud enough for Tim to hear, who already heats up at the mention, getting a suppressed chuckle out of Richard.
"What? Nothing wrong with that?" Tim asks while pulling at his collar nervously.
"And Rachel, I see you have decided on a different style today?" Lucius notes.
"Bruce threatened with grounding me if I showed up in something else." Raven replies with a smile, showing she wasn't serious.
"Ah, so no chance of you returning to the sensible young woman we met two years ago?" Lucius asks also smiling.
"Not until I stop having my fun around town." Raven continues.
"Youth nowadays, eh Lucius?" Bruce injects.
"Says Gotham's oldest child." Lucius shrugs while sending a goodhearted look at the ceiling, getting chuckles out of all of them.
"Richard old boy is that you?" Someone asks, as Richard turns around he is greeted by Fredrick's who is smiling broadly at him.
Soon enough the others begin to drift around the room, making idle chatter when they are addressed. As usual, Raven is left alone for the most part, getting a few compliments for not showing up in the usual get up. But as she reasons, the night is young and not enough alcohol had been consumed yet by the male part of the room to begin bothering her and most of the female part didn't talk to her normally, but that suits her just fine.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I want to thank you all for coming tonight for this year's annual Wayne Foundation Ball, hopefully we will all have a pleasant evening tonight." Bruce says from the podium opposite of the entrance, after the band stops playing. "Now most of you here tonight know me, but if not, welcome and hopefully you will be here next year as well. But those who do, you all know that I am lucky guy and tonight I feel lucky to have all of those closest to me here tonight… or I hope they are still here." He says, receiving a host of chuckles while looking at the audience for the faces, seemingly spotting them with no effort and points them out in turn. "Princess Diana of Themyscira who needs no further introduction, I can't tell you how privileged I feel to know you." The woman sends a smile back to him. "Tim, who I hope won't spend the evening looking out the windows." The boy rolls his eyes at the older man from his spot; it was only during his first Ball he had done that. "Rachel, whom I have, convinces to be nice for tonight, so be careful out there tomorrow." Raven smirks at the mention, while the room chuckles. "And lastly there is… now where is he? I swear if he has run off again…" Bruce mock mumbles as he scans the crowd again. "Ah there he is, Richard Grayson, who has decided to return Gotham again. Let's have some light on him and welcome him back, shall we?" Bruce's request is acted upon as Richard is singled out by a projector, getting a round of applause as he makes his way to the podium and takes over from Bruce.
"Thank you, and I can tell you it's good to be back. And yes I nearly jumped out the window when I first found Wonder Woman in inside Wayne Manor and again when I met Rachel, severely hung over." He coughs the last part, getting a number of laughs for it. "But thank you for the applause; hope you enjoy your evening." He finishes.
From here the evening progresses at its own pace, with many wanting to talk to Richard and Diana about their exploits. Eventually Tam Fox works up the courage to talk to Diana, later on, it's Tim turn to work up the courage to talk to Tam. Richard admits to Tim before that if it wasn't because of the age difference, he would have wanted to talk to her as well. Bruce goes through his usual routine of talking and slowly acting less and less sober. Raven spends most of the time with an eye out the window in hopes of spotting the signal, with her front and the current people in the room, she is just there. There are a few 'brave souls' who attempts to engage her in conversation but only the fewest of them have anything to relate to her with. Someone did in passing mention that it was a period of her life she would eventually grow out of, where she would find something to relate to everyone else with. Internally Raven had smirked at that notion, it was most likely true she would move on at a point, but most of the people would be dead at that point. At some point Raven drifts over to the buffet and starts picking out a few bits of food.
"So from the LexCorp takeover, Bruce remembered a Roth in the family and found out you were the last part of that branch?" Richard startles her slightly with his question having approached from behind. "Sorry." He says as she turns around to face him with an annoyed glare, before sighing.
"Yeah, his mother's aunt changed her name when she married my uncle." She replies. "Congratulations, you managed to sneak up on me." He smiles at this.
"I'll throw a party when I can do it to you when you are back to normal."
"Ha, I've never been normal." She replies as she turns back to the buffet.
"Not that anyone in Gotham doesn't know that." Raven freezes for a second at the sound of the female voice along with Richard, coming face to face with a group of four girls at their age three accompanied by boyfriends apparently; Richard doesn't recognize any of them. "So this is Richard Grayson." The speaker, a tall blond in a pink dress with an equally pink hair band continues, Richard somewhere thinks she seems frighteningly familiar.
"So the Arkham Brigade has escaped again." Raven sighs while glaring at them. "What do you want this time Kristin?"
"A little more respect from you." One of the others, a dark haired female, snaps.
"I'm not interested in you Rachel, you had your chance." Kristin shrugs. "You however," She says while turning her attention to Richard "that's another matter."
"Not that I wanted anything to do with you lot." Raven shrugs before turning back to the buffet. Someone whispers 'looser' behind her back, but she pretends not to hear.
"So how about it Richard, I hear you are quite the party animal and me and my friends are going to paint the city red. What do you think guys, you think he'd fit in?" Kristin asks.
"Definitely." One of the guys says as Raven walks away, leaving Richard to fend for himself, one of the girls excuse herself for a bathroom break and heads after her.
"Er, sure, but I don't know you guys?" Richard replies, somehow feeling trapped by someone he should remember.
"Well, I'm Kristin. This is Tony and Sasha. That is Steve and Eva just wandered off. And here we have Andre and Alex." Kristin introduces as Richard shakes hands with them all, somewhere there is a faint sound of utensils being dropped.
"Pleased to meet you man." Tony says.
"Can see you are going to fit right in." Kristin grins, somehow Richard feels like he has just made a colossal mistake.
"Arkham Brigade?" Bruce asks quietly as Raven slumps down next to him and Diana at their table, the front of her dress drenched but not quite clean from having her meal squashed under her when she was pushed.
"Yeah." Raven grumbles. "Richard seems to have caught Kristin's eyes."
"Want me to go talk to them?" Diana asks, half jokingly, she had remarked before that Raven seemed immensely hampered when at these social events, which is true.
"Na, I'll think of something suitable." Raven shrugs, she had noted to them that with her front, she couldn't actually afford to have Diana or Bruce standing up for her.
"Richard doesn't know, does he?" Bruce asks.
"I expect him to realize it at some point." Raven says before an amusing thought seems to strike her. "He's going to be absolutely furious with me for not telling."
"True." Bruce smirks, remembering the old tale. "How bad is it?" He asks, noting the dress.
"Needs Alfred's caring hands, but it's salvageable." Raven shrugs.
"Well get home and get changed." Bruce says with a smirk. "Doubt anyone but the Brigade wants you to run around here dressed like that." Raven lights up at the suggestion.
"Well, at least they did something good, thanks." Raven says as she gets up. "Anything else I should do?"
"Come back and save Richard." Bruce says while smiling at her.
"Will do, see you two later." Raven says before leaving.
"Think she engineered it?" Diana asks after seeing Raven head out the front door.
"Possibly, but she has clashed with the Brigade often enough for them to not need any reason to do it on their own volition." Bruce shrugs.
"You know, especially after what happened back home, I think she's the only Amazon who wouldn't have jumped them?"
"She was raised to turn the other cheek after all." Bruce shrugs instantly reminding Diana of their time in Raven's head, while he had spent much his time in Knowledge's realm Diana had spent much of her's talking with Arella and Hemon both over philosophical matters and matters of faith.
Which was quite strange for Diana as the Azarathians weren't like other clergymen she had met, but she is still unsure if it was part of their faith or simply because they were that tolerant that they never once preached to her or tried to convert any of them to their ways. When she asked about why that was they responded that their ways was not something you could force on others, either the initiate would wish to follow their ways, or they wouldn't. She would ask why they did not try and spread their creed, and be replied that it was because of Trigon, the first Azar founded Azarath as a counterpoint to Trigon. Azarath had to remain separated from Earth to avoid temptation and predation and Azar only had a limited amount of time to gather those who would follow her. Bruce had equated Azarath to a huge greenhouse experiment, Azar had picked those who she thought promising and sealed them off from everyone else in hopes the future generations would produce the desired result. Diana would eventually ask what Azarath thought of her Gods in hopes to see if there was just one area they would rise to the challenge, Hemon had only smiled and acknowledged their existence and that he hoped her people would one day listen more to Eirene than they would Athena, Diana had to mention at this point that Eirene had been lost for millennia, victim of one of Ares' numerous ploys leading up to Themyscira's destruction though no one knew how he accomplished it without implicating himself.
"True, mostly." Diana replies with a smirk getting a smirk out of Bruce as they both know that while Raven did turn the other cheek to such things as the Brigade's public antics, she had a knack of returning such slights with a vengeance.
Author's notes: For my more vengeful reviewers who hoped Diana would deliver a proper thrashing, I am sorry, but that would simply not be in her character to do so, especially if Raven asked her not to (remember she is probably the most compassionate superhero ever and has on numerous times tried to reform and help those who would be her enemies). Also for those who's noticed it; Raven is actually playing a little with Richard, deliberately teasing him with the box, presenting her 'troublemaker' front and by telling Diana this late...oh, and this new bunch of people. :)
Next chapter: Raven gets even, Richard gets a surprise (or three), and Puck Rocket irritates the wrong people.