Don't normally do this but two perspectives in this chapter because they're shorter
She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to be here with him. But there was a sense of satisfaction that arose when Bruce could only blink at Oliver's request. He seemed stunned and didn't know what to say.
"I…I…uh…wha…why?" the billionaire finally managed to get out. Beside him, Dick's penetrating stare had also dropped, and he too was speechless.
Oliver took a breath before beginning. "Star City has become unsafe within the last couple months. Er, more than before," he added when Dick raised an eyebrow. "Maisie was entrusted to me, but things are getting worse and I need her to stay safe."
"And you want her here?" It was Bruce's turn to raise an eyebrow. "In Gotham? Where crime is even higher than Star City?" He was suspicious and knew that Oliver wasn't telling the truth. Even though she didn't know Bruce very well, she could tell that he wasn't believing what Oliver was selling. He was raising his eyebrow the same way she did whenever she didn't believe someone's garbage.
Oliver knew it too but obviously didn't care. He just shrugged his shoulders and stuck to his story. "If she stays under your roof, no one is going to know. She'll be fine. But in Star City, she works at city hall, and everyone knows her because they know me. If she's here in Gotham, no one will know."
Maisie could tell that Bruce and Dick were still not convinced. Bruce looked at his mentee and raised an eyebrow. They seemed to have a silent conversation before Dick shrugged. Bruce looked at her before turning back to Oliver and sighing. "Fine. She can stay here."
Oliver smiled and moved on to a different topic, but Maisie tuned them out and didn't pay attention to the new topic. She stared at the table separating her from the famous billionaire and his adoptive son. The Wayne manor had bad associations for her and was the last place she wanted to be. But if she was going to find her mother, she was going to have to compromise and work with Oliver to get what she wanted.
Dick stood in the entry of Wayne manor and watched Alfred help Oliver and Maisie unload the car they had driven in. Apparently, Oliver had been pretty confident that Bruce would agree to the girl staying and had had the girl pack what she needed so that they wouldn't have to make another trip. Beside him, his adoptive father stood with arms crossed and barely covering his signature Batman scowl.
"Do you really think it's a good idea for her to stay here?" Dick asked, his eyes never leaving the girl by the car. She was a mystery. She didn't react to anything he did, but she was witty with Roy back at city hall earlier that day. She barely had a reaction just a few minutes ago in the living room, but now she was laughing at something Alfred said to Oliver. The butler had most likely scolded the Star City billionaire and mayor if Oliver's scowling face was any indication.
Dick sensed more than heard Bruce breath in deeply. "I honestly don't know. We don't know anything about her, but if Oliver trusts her, I think we can trust her…at least to a certain degree. There's something more to this girl…" he trailed off pensively.
Dick raised an eyebrow. Bruce was acting strangely, and it had something to do with the girl and whatever he and Oliver had been talking about earlier, before the attack on city hall. He looked back at the brunette by the car. He narrowed his eyes. He would find out just exactly who she was.