Daitan'na: Grit of Gotham

Chapter Seven:

Detective Work

I don't know what I'm hugging but it's really soft. My mind is awake but my body isn't. I want to open my eyes and see what I have my arms and legs wrapped around but my eyelids are glued shut. Of course, until whatever I was clinging onto moved an inch.

My eyes snap open.

It's Jason's freaking leg.

I slowly move my head up to see if he's awake. He's not, thank god. Or at least I think he's not. I feel my face grow a little hot. How much have I been moving in the night to end up like this? It could have been one of the pillows. I remove my legs first but my right one is beneath Jason's so I have to be careful. I certainly don't want him waking up and seeing me down here. Once both my feet are free I unwrap my arms from around his thigh.

I think if I'm faster, the lesser the movement. And so I swipe the rest of my right arm from under his thigh. In the next second, my next blink, I'm staring into the barrel of a gun. I sat up too abruptly at the foot of the bed, making it dip at my weight, and I topple backwards and off. Rubbing my head I look up at Jason.

"Tomoe? What—What the hell were you doing?" He asks gruffly, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. "I almost shot you. Were you…were you hugging my leg?"

"I didn't want to wake you up," I say, embarrassed. "I swear I didn't do it on purpose, I woke up in that posi—"

Jason snorts, tossing his gun on the bed.

"Yeah right."

"So, ready to lay out everything you know about Wei Zhihao to Batman?" Jason asks as we dress. He wears his outfit facing the closet and I wear my outfit facing the TV. I insisted.

"I guess?" I say, pushing my hair out of the collar. "Oh, crap, I haven't thought of my alias."

"You can just give him a random name for now, he won't judge."

"Funny because I think that's exactly what he does," I say, remembering the way he scrutinized my stance last night.

"I mean, unless you go for something stupid like Dragon Lassie."

"You suggested the name."

"Can I turn around now?" He sighs.

"Oh yeah, sorry," I say. He turns around, arms crossed. "What?"

"We should really stop doing this. You should grow up."

I glare at him. "We're the same age, same level of maturity ("Yeah right.") but I'm not experienced. If it really bothers you, I'll just change in the bathroom, no problem."

"Experienced what? Seeing the naked male body?"

"Yes! I don't change in front of anyone, not even girls."

"What, you're insecure about the way you look or something?"

"No! I'm perfectly content with the way I look. Growing up as the only child in a place where exposure to the…possibilities between the opposite sexes is discouraged, I can't help it."

"Doesn't sleeping in the same bed with the opposite sex violate your conventions?"

"You made me share the bed with you. And it was nothing indecent."

"You were groping me. Did you molest me in my sleep, Tomoe?"

"No! I wasn't groping! And I didn't molest you so stop with the jokes, you jerk."

"Geez. I don't know many girls that would pass up the chance to see this ripped body." He shrugs his shoulders, like it's a real pity. I shake my head.

"After you watched me undress the night we met, I don't feel very comfortable hearing your dirty nonsense."

"I said I didn't. I'm a man of good character and decency."

"You'd only feel the need to point it out if you had actually done it."

"Hey, keep calling me a pervert and I might just become one."

Jason and I eat breakfast down at the buffet in the hotel. Just as we sit down with our plates of food he decides to inform Batman of our strange encounter with the witch last night. I cut up my pancakes as he talks into the comm link.

"Yeah, we didn't put up a fight. It was weird, Bruce, like one look from her just froze us…no, not ice—thank god—she immobilized us. She was whispering some words that sounded like a spell and she was somewhat controlling this green thing digging into the soil. Maybe she wanted to plant a couple of giant beanstalks—yeah sorry, that wasn't funny…With Tim? Sure…Yeah, I'll tell her. See you."

He ends the call and begins buttering his bread.

"Well, what is it?" I ask.

"Oh, right. Bruce wants me to check out the spot where we met the witch. He said she could be associated with Wei Zhihao. If we find her it might just be a step closer to Zhihao. So Tim and I are going to head there and you are going to Batman to tell him some interesting facts about our foe."

I frown. "She's not my foe, Jason."

He looks at me, also frowning. "Tomoe—"

"Not until I hear her out."

I mop the last drop of maple syrup with the last piece of pancake. "Not with Nightwing this time?"

"He got business to deal with today. His business."

"What does he do, anyway?"

"Superspy, secret agent, that line of work."

"Cool."

"You done?" He says, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"Yup," I say and swallow the last of my omelet. "See you whenever."

We both exit the hotel and go on our separate ways.

"Good morning, Batman!" I yell as I trot down the stairs to the Batcave. I'm being loud on purpose so that he just appears like a normal person, not sneak up behind me. "I'm here-ahhh!"

"You're early," He comments, moving around me and towards the computer. I sigh, trying to calm my heartbeat. I really should start getting used to this. "So what is the name the people of Gotham can refer to you as?"

"Um, yes…I'm…Dragon…Girl. Dragon Girl." I cough.

Batman is silent for a few seconds. "…You haven't thought of it, have you?"

"Sorry, it's hard."

"It really isn't. Are you ready to talk?"

"Uh, yup. Where should I start?" I say. He slides into the seat and opens a folder named Wei Zhihao. The only data on her is that she's a witch.

"Where is she from?"

"Kunlun Shan, Xinjiang, China."

"How long has it been since she made herself a home there?"

"She never told me."

"You said she uses her magic for good. What do you mean? What does she do for a living?"

"She sells her bewitched objects, elixirs, and medicine to the people of China. Whenever we get sick she whips up a cure. When I got bitten and poisoned by a dangerous reptile I hid it from her because she was working too hard. I didn't bother her but she found out anyway. All she ever asked of me in return for the shelter and food was that I fetch her the ingredients she needs. That's all."

"And what kind of ingredients did she require?"

"Um, all sorts of things. Very specific. She thinks very carefully about her concoctions and when I don't get precisely what she asks for she would just abandon the brew altogether. She would ask for toadstools, plants, herbs, hair, spices, shells, soil, stones, feathers, fruits—"

"Anything lethal?"

"Well…I—no but um, how do I put this? It's just another component to the mixture, y'know? She doesn't make it to kill; she just wants a particular aspect of it. Usually just the neuroleptic, analgesic, or psychedelic elements."

"How exactly does she extract the element she needs?"

"She never really…answered the question. She only said her mind is her magic."

Batman ponders for a while, his finger stroking his chin. "Her mind is her magic…alright, is she susceptible to anything?"

"Yes, she's vulnerable to diseases and sicknesses, common or rare."

"Small wonder she's always making medicine."

"Whenever she catches a cold or an influenza she makes it top priority to cure it at once. Her magic doesn't work if she's completely debilitated."

"But she said her mind is her magic. A cold and flu are not psychiatric illnesses. How is she not able to use her magic?"

"I'm not sure…maybe her body produces the magic but her mind has influence over it. There's a connection."

"Makes sense. Say, is it the coldness itself or the viral infection that really gets to her? If I am to lock her up in a freezer would it have any damage to her magical abilities right away?"

"Both. Literally anything that incapacitates her. And it takes quite some time. Her body will start giving into the change of temperature or the proliferation of the virus and after it really kicks into her system, boom—she's powerless."

"I see. That must be the drawback. Moving on, let's talk about her intentions—"

"About that, I don't know if I can help you, I don't kno—"

"Just answer a few questions," He says as he finishes typing intelligence into the computer. "Do you remember the last days you spent with her before she left?"

"Y-Yes…" The memories come flooding back. "She was…disconcerted and confused…

The dragons and I were out gliding through wispy clouds across the wild peach yonder for some fresh air. I stopped by at the village market to get some dim sum for a special dinner treat and even took the time to get myself a new outfit. I tore my favorite red one on a rock while on a task. By the time I returned the sun was sinking behind the hills.

Wei-san had been sitting at the kitchen table, bent over pieces of paper since the afternoon. Seeing her in the same position worried me. While I put the kettle to boil and took out cups I glanced over at her. She scribbled a little then stopped and balled it up.

"Anything I can help you with?" I offered, placing the cups of hot tea on the table.

"Oh, no, my dear," She sighed, tucking a grey lock behind her ear. "It's a little conundrum I have to resolve myself."

"What's it about?"

"Just something I've been trying to piece for quite a while," She murmured into her cup. "Nothing important."

"Okay, then," I decided to drop it. "Want dim sum?"

"Yes, thank you," She smiled and cleared away her notes. "What's in those bags, hmm?"

"I hope you don't mind, Wei-san," I said, taking the outfit out of the bag. "I got myself something to wear."

"It's beautiful," She said. "Lovely shade of purple and the embroidery is exquisite."

"Glad you like it." I grinned and—

"Snap out of it, Tomoe."

I blink. I look at Batman. I almost forgot I was in the Batcave, telling him what I know about Wei-san. "Sorry…I do remember the last few days. She was writing something and she didn't tell me what it was about or let me help."

"Where did she keep them?"

"I don't know, Batman, I don't pry into her privacy."

"It's time you should start. The day she left China, you did not think once of a correlation between her disappearance and the notes?"

"I was worried sick, Batman. All I had on my mind was her safety. I couldn't think straight and even if I had, what was I supposed to infer upon just seeing the notes?"

"Maybe if you had been more observant—"

"Sorry, but I'm not like you, Batman," I frown. "She made it clear the notes were only her business. So I left it at that. If you're telling me this whole situation could have been avoided if I jumped to a conclusion back th—"

"That is not what I'm saying. I'm saying even if you wanted to respect her privacy, you could have been more concerned about her wellbeing at least, if that had been part of the case. She is old, is she not? All sorts of things could have been wrong with her."

"Oh, I think she's just fine," I tighten my mouth.

"I'm trying to get help from you in trying to find out her intentions by listening to the moments you share with her. This is what I do, link events, actions, feelings, words," He turns from his computer and faces me. He scrutinizes me through his cowl. "Are you going to help me with that, Tomoe?"

I stare back at him apologetically. I guess I wasn't as over this as I thought.

"Okay…okay," I breathe deeply. "I'm sorry. I'm letting my emotions cloud my thinking. I'll help you, Batman."

He nods. "I'm glad you understand. Continuing, has she ever been upset about anything? Angry?"

"One time…" I frown upon the memory. "It was just a couple of months ago, if I remember right. She was talking about how much trouble the villagers were giving her."

"How? You said she sells her work to the village, right?"

"Yes but it's all hush-hush, y'know? She doesn't have a giant company or even a small one, it's just her…there for those who need her."

"Like a drug dealer," Batman leans back in his chair. "This smells suspicious. Shouldn't someone with such extraordinary magic be happy to promote her products in the city even?"

"No, she was very…clandestine. She said people wouldn't understand her magic."

"Because whatever she was doing was illicit and going public would mean a security check?"

I don't say anything. Batman is incredible. The man is calculating faster than I would have ever on my own. The questions I never thought of asking are surfacing.

"She…She always wore a cloak whenever she went out," I say. "I always assumed it was simply her travelling cloak but…if she really was doing something illegal—"

"She had to stay hidden…" Batman muses. "Has she ever told you about her history? How is that she's all alone in between those mountains?"

"She said her husband died and she couldn't bear to continue living in their house, in the city. So she used some of the money she and her husband shared to make herself a little home away from the rest of Xinjiang."

"That could be a lie," Batman says. "Everything she told you could be a lie."

"I hope not all of them are…" I say, touching the necklace.

"What did she say to you?"

I close my eyes. I see her benign face in the blackness, the crinkles around her eyes as she smiles. I quiver. The remembrance of her hug felt so real I almost feel her arms around me.

"It's…nothing."

After we're done, Batman tries to contact Tim and Jason to update us on what they've found but they're clueless. He turns on the speakers so that we both can hear them.

'We got nothing, Batman,' Jason speaks. 'I remember the exact spot the green thing crawled into but it's not there. I dug it up deep enough.'

"Where's Tim?"

'I told him everything about what she said to us last night. He ran off and told me to stay here and continue investigating.'

"You didn't tell me everything, Jason. What did she say?"

'Well, she called herself the Thaumaturge—'

"Thaumaturge?" Batman repeats. "A worker of wonders…performer of miracles…I remember her."

"Who is she?" I ask.

"An old magician with a blemished status. She was renowned for her fantastic shows back in the days until she took a bad turn in her life. When I caught her, she was working with Joker, another criminal, to produce clown toys that can suck the life out of the buyer and into the toy. It was beyond the Joker and the procedure was only half done, for I intercepted. I don't know whether he blackmailed her or threatened her but she was in on it. It was only a few months after she retired. Not long after that she worked with other malefactors of the underworld and each time I exposed her. Her last deal was with Penguin and she's been off the radar for several years."

"She was never imprisoned?"

"I couldn't chase her down. She teleports her way in and out. She's never murdered or hurt anybody herself directly, just lent a hand to the crime lords. I don't know why she "retired" but it could simply be because she's getting old or she had a change of heart."

"Do you think she's helping Wei-san?"

"Likely," Batman says. "When Tim comes back we'll discuss what we do next."

It's evening when Tim returns to the Batcave. Jason, Batman, Robin, and I study over every bit of intel we have on the Thaumaturge. I can't predict what we do next but Batman seems to have everything laid out in his head.

"Tim, where have you been?" I ask.

"I went looking for her trailer. I would pass by it every time I walked to school and stop for a while to admire the flashy sign and furbelows. I thought maybe there's something left behind but there's nothing. I've been to one of her shows as a young child," Tim explains. "I believe it was her last. Though I enjoyed it tremendously, until today, I still remember how tired she looked."

"But why would she turn to crime instead of retiring for good?" Robin raises his eyebrow.

"It doesn't matter why now. Let's link her to Wei Zhihao…" Batman turns to the computer. "The Chinese witch may have an ulterior motive behind her destructive sojourn in Gotham. She could be here to look for the Thaumaturge."

"Because…" I remember the way Wei-san looked days before she left. "Because she shouldn't figure something out herself."

"Possibly," Tim says. "But what did she need help with?"

"That's one thing that doesn't add up. She's been responsible for certain events in this city but how does that benefit her?"

"If we find the notes we'll know," I suggest. "But she might be carrying them on her."

"Maybe not. Her decision to come here and find the Thaumaturge was a deduction, if she had trouble thinking of what to do. Wei Zhihao doesn't need her notes if she'll get her answers from her. Be that as it may, it's worth looking."

"So what are we doing? Going to China?"

"Exactly."