"Todd isn't here"
The pissed voice of Damian Wayne echoed in the vast space of the Batcave. The young man was trying to repare his belt, who broke last night due to a lucky bastard who tried to escape from him. And now he had to rest on the cave while his father and the other ex boy wonders were out to kick some villains asses. And now he had to be bothered by the one girl he couldn't really stand.
"You knew it, right?"
Elize gave him a happy look, smile on her lips and leaned against the table he was working on. Her blond hairs were tied in a bun that night, and her one earring shining in the light. She wasn't wearing her hero suit, so he assumed she might be resting. Not that he cared. He just found her weird. Not because she always appeared when he less expect her, or when something bad was coming. Not because she was dating Jason Todd. Not because she always find a way to enter the cave without being noticed, or without his father know how- or maybe he knew but kept it for him, like he always do. Ok, actually, Damian was thinking it was really weird and nerve wrecking. But what he found weirder, if it was possible, was the way she had to look at people and smile all the time. It was like a double personality. She looked happy and mischievous, but her eyes screamed for help, as sad as they were, filled with guilt and dread.
"Of course, I knew he wasn't here. He warned me before going to kick Penguin's ass. I just wanted to see you, talk to you a little bit, you know, to know you more?"
"I don't want to talk to you"
"why not?" She was whining, now, sprawled on the table, pushing away his tools, her blond hairs escaping the bun and her emerald eyes pleading him. She pouted, acting like a kid, even if she was an adult. It was something he disliked about her.
"Can you stop acting so childishly?"
"no, I don't want to. It's fun, to be a child. You don't have problems, you can rely on who you love and every little sores you have are treated like it makes your life in danger. Plus you don't have to feel guilty for what you couldn't do"
Her tone was more and more dark and muttered as she talk, looking away from him, her face frowning as she gnawed her lips. Damian looked at her, somewhat surprised. Now, she wasn't looking at him, her eyes were glued to the table and he betted he could have seen tears in them before she turned back to him, a smile crawling on her lips again, as if nothing happened. But now he knew her joyful demeanor was only a façade. That she was hiding a sad and guilty self behind the smiles and the jokes.
"Master Damian, miss Elize, would you like a cup of tea? I made scones too"
"I want some, I want some, thank you mister Pennyworth, you are the best. Oh, and you may have to call the repaired next week, there is water coming off of it"
The butler settle down the tray on the table and Elize hopped on the scones as if she didn't eat anything for two days straight.
"Thank you miss, your advice are precious. Can I assume somebody damaged it?
"naah, it's just because its rusty. There is a small water leak behind but you didn't find it"
She engulfed the scones, didn't even bothered to chew, swallow and talk. It was what he learned about her. If she had a way to do something, she made it, even if they may be an other way, more logical and civilized to do so.
"I appreciate the advice, come by the kitchen, if you are telling me that, right? And did I assume the scones are to your liking?"
"Che windowch wasch open" She gulped and added "and the scones are delicious. You are a master in the art of pastry"
"I appreciate the compliment"
"Are you really going to let her go and do as she please?"
Damian bursts in a shout, slamming his palms against the surface of the table. He turned to them, an angry look plastered in his face. The butler didn't seemed to react to the fierce reaction, but Elize looked down and began to chew her lips.
"Am I bothering you?"
She murmured. Her cheerful demeanour was gone again, and she looked at him, not with plead, but with sadness and a hint of guilt.
"You know what? Yes, you are. And the face you are making didn't makes me change my mind. Why did you keep bothering me, anyway?!"
"I… Wanted to be your friend… That's all."
She brushed her pesky hairs out of her vision field and slowly turned to the exit of the cave. Only seeing her back, Damian couldn't see her broken face, her tragic look, the sorrow in her eyes. He was just seeing that strange girl who always pop out of nowhere and make a fuzz of everything, then disappear in an instant. He didn't knew her as much as Jason Todd did, and he didn't quite trusted her. She had kept things secrets from all the league, and even the Red Hood confirmed that she didn't told him everything about her. And in the contrary, she knew a lot on him, on them. But she always kept silence on what she knew, he could at least recognize that. But then she stretched, yawned and turned back to him, her habitual smile plastered on her face, her eyes glistening with malice.
"I'm gonna head back home, I don't really wants to be here when your sweet daddy will come back. And, yeah, I know you will denounce me and all, but it's not like you never done this before."
She laughed at her own sentence and before he could respond, she then began to climb up the stairs heading to the manor, waving at him enerically.
"See you soon, sweety pie, and don't forget: stop being soo grumpy your face will stuck like this forever"
Her giggle could be heard as she goes out of the vast cave, closing the door of the elevator behind her. Damian sighed and returned to works on his still broken belt and, even with his back turned, he could feel the amusement of the family butler and friend.
"If you have to say something, do it" the young man snarled, clenching his fits.
"Well, I found her presence refreshing. SHe look a lot like master DIck, if I may say"
Damian puts his chin in the palm of his free hand and looked away, shaking slighty his head. Some times flee by and soon the roaring of an engine could be heard and the Batmobile entered the cave, stopping at his spot. It was followed quickly by a motorbike. Nightwing was riding it, and Bruce wayne and Tim exited the car, heading to him.
"Where is your repair, Damian?" asked his father, removing his mask and cape.
"I was doing it when I got distracted by a nuisance. By the way, where is Todd?"
"He is heading home. He says he had things left to do. Should I asume she find a way to enter the cave again?"
"yeah. Why don't you do something about it?"
"Because I don't find it necessary, that's why."
"Are you serious? You just can't let her goes and went like she want! Have you gone crazy?"
"Damian, don't talk like that. I think I might let her a full access to the cave, so that she wouldn't keep bothering us by using strange ways"
"She went by the kitchen, today, master Bruce"
"Are you talking about 'Lize?"
"She was here again? She's really stubborn, just like Ollie, for sure"
"Of course she is, she's his daughter. It's normal that she looks like him"
"yeah but they never knew they were related until recently, so how do you explain the resemblance?"
And the discussion between the two older boys continued on that line as Damian just rolled his eyes and was back to focus on repairing his broken belt, while his father smiled lightly when observing the three of them, two bickering jokingly and the third being all concentrated on his work, trying to ignore his elders, and Alfred Pennyworth just founded that amusing to see how a little woman could bring such joyful atmosphere into such dark place. Even if after all, she was a mystery herself.