02: Dick Grayson

13:11 September 15th

The sunlight leaked through an open slit between his curtains is room. Dick Grayson groaned as he stretched, the blankets falling off his body. Only a few hours ago, he had arrived back at his tiny apartment, stripped to boxer briefs, and fell onto his bed. He blinked rapidly as his dream came back into his mind. Blue hair, creamy skin, and a wide smile. Furrowing his brows, he put a face to the features, and then hummed with appreciation. Not a bad thing to dream about, this woman. Who was she? As he got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom to shower, he thought about how to handle this issue.

The issue was that the woman was looking for him practically every night, and he found himself wanting to go to her practically every night. The woman he had seen last seemed to be able to take care of herself, but also had a side of awkwardness. He quickly washed his dark hair mentally noted he should get a haircut. Eventually. It wasn't long enough to have to pull out of his face when he went out at night.

As he was brushing his teeth naked after the shower, Dick's phone went off. The ringer for a message from Bruce was going off with urgency. It wasn't the tone that was for emergencies as Nighting, it was the tone for a text from a fatherly figure. Dick rolled his eyes as the ringer stopped yelling at him and pulled on underwear, then jeans.

Bruce Wayne

I'll be in Chicago tomorrow, lunch?

Dick Grayson

Sure.

Dick knew he was coming to check on him. The old man wasn't a fan of not being in control of a situation. He had known Bruce since he was a preteen, being raised as a son and a partner. Now someone else was under his watch and Dick was on his own. Still, Dick was glad for the time with Bruce. Catch up, war stories, that kind of thing. Speaking of war stories…

Dick Grayson

How's the thing with Diana going?

Bruce Wayne

I don't know what you're thinking about.

Dick Grayson

Not in the mood to talk about girls?

Bruce Wayne

I'm too old for this.

Dick chuckled as he pulled on a red tshirt. He ruffled his hair to get out the remaining beads of water out, then sat at his desk to do some research. Thankfully, he didn't have to work, with the small account Bruce had given to him as a going away present. He seemed perfectly happy to support Dick in his personal adventure as he called it.

Club Arctic was established in 1983 by Joseph Lyle. His grandson, Matthew Lyle, ran the club now. It started off as a sports bar then evolved into a dance club with a sports bar feel to it. In one room, there was pool tables and televisions to show a sports event when needed, which usually happened on Thursdays. Friday and Saturdays were when the stage was open for DJs and bands to perform.

Dick went to the official website while the police scanner app on his phone crackled and spoke. Always on watch, he had learned. Back to the website, Dick looked over the employees that were there with picture. A tall lean blonde - Laura - was hugging the blue-haired woman that he had ran into. Her name was Skye Lovett. Dick leaned back in his seat and put his hands behind his head, looking at her photo.

Who was Skye Lovett?

Dick's phone rang - the tone for the cop he had made friends with when he arrived a few months ago - and he picked it up, his voice lower and his tone all business.

12:17 September 16th

He was extremely glad Bruce had decided to go for a diner lunch instead of a fancy restaurant. Dick popped a few fries into his mouth and adjusted his sunglasses to keep the bright sun of his eyes. He had only gotten an hour of sleep and he was sure it showed with dark shadows under his eyes. Bruce was wearing a suit without the jacket and tie, the top button of his collar unbuttoned.

"You don't need to get a job, Dick," Bruce said. "You said you wanted to figure out -" Dick help up a hand.

"Yeah, yeah, I don't like to be your charity case, Bruce, we've talked about that, remember?" He pointed a fry at the man across from him. "Besides, only a few nights a week, mingle and get the inside scoop of the city, you know?"

Bruce nodded knowingly as he took a bit of apple pie. The waitress came over with a smile and sat down the bill. Bruce smiled and nodded back, and the woman flushed. Dick noticed that Bruce didn't notice. With a chuckle, he got Bruce's attention.

"What?"

"How's Dianna?" Bruce gave him a glare, which made Dick grin wider. He saw the hidden smile as Bruce took out one of his credit cards to pay for the meal. Opening his mouth, he was going to tease Bruce a bit more, but something caught his eye. Blue.

He blinked and shut his mouth, his eyes at the door. Skye Lovett and her friend Laura had walked in and was sitting across the restaurant from him. Dick could see Skye's face clearly. He must have been staring longer than he thought, because Bruce cleared his throat and subtly looked over his shoulder.

"You know her." It was a statement, not a question.

"Ran into her once," Dick replied, eating another fry. He glanced back at her. Today, her blue hair was down, parted to the side and a little messy, just above her shoulder. Simple jean shorts and a layered tank-top showed a little more skin and curves than her work clothes.

"As Dick?"

"Nope." He leaned back and focused on Bruce. He looked at Dick with raised eyebrows.

"Alright," was all he said. The waitress brought the card back and batted her eyelashes at Bruce. This time, the man cleared his throat and Dick saw a slight pink to his cheeks. She left with a disappointed smile.

"Gotta go?"

"Yes, I have a meeting then I'm flying back to Gotham." They both stood and walked toward the entrance.

"Say hello to Diana," Dick teased once more. The pink tint was back on Bruce's cheeks as he grunted with irritation.

Dick glanced once more at Skye as he came closer to her table, and he caught her eyes. They were light gray. It seemed she smiled at him, but Dick didn't want to get overconfident.

18:45 September 16th

"I saw him!" Laura insisted, getting the glasses prepared before the door opened in fifteen minutes. Skye felt her face heat, but she grinned. The man with broad shoulders and sunglasses had been checking her out.

"Too much of a jock," she said with a shrug, moving to restock the cherries. Matthew came in as they were organizing the bar one last time with a woman at his side. She was dressed in a LBD - little black dress - with black heels that made her at least five inches taller, almost reaching Matthew's 5'11 frame. Their manager looked a bit like a love sick puppy. Laura and Skye exchanged raised eyebrows.

"Hey, Matthew. Hello..?" Laura lifted her chin and looked at the woman defiantly. Skye took a stand next to her friend. Matthew was such an idiot, bringing a woman like that around when it's clear Laura is interested in him.

"Jasmine. Jasmine Clarke," she said with a British accent. Fantastic, Skye thought. She saw Laura swallow and nod politely.

"I need to make sure we have our stock organized. Just in case… we need it." Laura rushed behind Skye and headed toward the stockroom. Frowning, Skye put her hands on her hips.

"Can I ask why Jasmine has joined us? The doors open in five minutes." Sky reminded Matthew in a snippy tone. Jasmine's eyes narrowed slightly, but Skye caught it. Was was her game? Something was off with this woman, but Skye had no idea what it was.

"I promised to give her a tour of my little club. Drinks on my tab," he added with a strict tone. Matthew grinned at Jasmine, who gave a little giggle and followed him through a doorway and up the stairs to the office.

"Are they gone?" Laura said quietly as she came back to stand across the bar. Skye nodded.

"Time to let the regulars in," Skye said, changing the subject. Laura grinned, happy to do that. "I am so happy it's a sport night. The television is already on the football game, which will start in twenty minutes. Let's do this!"