Dani's To-Do List

- bond with Damian

- bond with Tim

Alfred had made an announcement over the fancy intercom system that dinner would be ready soon, so Dani started making her way towards the family dining room. But there was a problem:

The cat found her.

The cat had appeared at the end of the hall she was walking down, forcing her to backtrack and try a different hallway. It had, of course, followed her. Now she was trapped navigating the already ridiculously confusing Manor while walking backwards.

Look, she needs to keep an eye on the cat. What if it's waiting for her to turn around so it can get closer, like some kind of horror flick?

Dani is fortunately incredibly talented at navigation, so she manages to find her way to the dining room even with her handicap. She backs her way into the room without breaking eye contact with it, feeling her way to the edge of the table.

"What are you doing?" comes Dick's amused voice. Wordlessly and without breaking eye contact, Dani points at the cat. It sits just outside the door, curling its tail around its body. Dick laughs. "Dami, would you call off your cat?"

There's a short scoff. "Alfred," Damian commands, and the cat looks at him. The boy clicks his tongue, and Alfred immediately scampers off.

Now safe, Dani can look at him. He's in her/his spot, rolling his eyes at her. "Alfred is aware he is not allowed in the dining room," he says, like it's obvious or something.

"Well I wasn't," Dani defends. "And he was following me."

"Likely attempting to deduce whether you are a threat."

Dani immediately whirls and points at Dick accusingly. "I told you that cat was evil! You said he was friendly!"

"Damian's kidding."

Damian sends his older brother a withering glare. "I do not 'kid'."

Dani nods in agreement. "That cat was going to kill me."

"Are you a threat?" Damian asks, voice deceptively mild. His tone is pleasant, but it's so unlike what Dani has seen from him so far that it raises goosebumps along her arm. He's asking if she is a threat to him, to Dick, to the whole Manor.

Luckily, the answer is easy. "No." Dani takes a seat across from Damian, where Tim had been that morning. Damian studies her, then seems to find truth in her words and lets his eyes drift to the wall behind her.

"Then you need not concern yourself."

Alfred takes this time to sink his tiny little claws into Dani's pants and start to climb up her leg.

Dani shrieks and leaps to her feet, the chair falling behind her. How did it get back into the dining room?! Cats are too quiet, she knew she couldn't trust them!

She shakes her leg, trying to dislodge the cat, but it isn't letting go. It isn't hissing though — if anything, the cat seems to be laughing at her. That's even worse.

"It's on me! It's on me!" Dani keeps gesticulating wildly, wobbling as she tries to stay upright on one foot while the other swings around with a cat attached. She predictably loses her balance and topples to the carpeted ground. The cat immediately detaches and scampers onto her chest, laying down and staring at her.

Dani looks helplessly at the two brothers. Dick, predictably, is racked with heaving, soundless laughs, tears glistening in his eyes as he tries to push down his amusement with a fist in his mouth. Damian, on the other hand, is regarding the scene coolly, unbothered and unimpressed.

The cat is still looking at her with those all-seeing yellow-green eyes. The little brat looks entirely comfortable pinning Dani down, paws tucked beneath him and tail flicking idly side to side.

"He likes you," Dick gasps out between wheezing laughs. "You're his new favorite person!"

"Nonsense," Damian says, impassive as he picks up his phone from its place facedown next to his fork. "Alfred has merely neutralized the threat." He has a small smirk when he looks at his phone, but it changes to a frown as he studies something on it, looking back up at her with a puzzled expression.

"Quite effectively, if I may add," comes the voice of the cat's namesake. Dani looks up at the butler, who's holding a tray and surveying the scene with a vaguely-amused, vaguely-disapproving look. The older man sets down his tray, full of steaming rolls, and then finally releases Dani by gently shooing the cat away. "You know you are not allowed in the dining room," Alfred chides the cat. "Off with you."

The cat looks apologetic — Dani knew it could understand them — and bounds out of the room, giving one last look at Dani after it gets through the open door. Dani bares her teeth at it and it hisses at her.

"Now, up off the floor," Alfred commands, helping her up with a soft but strong hand. "Now if you'll be seated, I can return with tonight's meal."

"Qalil al'adab," Damian murmurs. Dick throws his brother a confused glance while Dani grins broadly.

"I haven't heard that term before," Dick says. "Little literature?"

Dani raises her eyebrows in surprise. Does everyone in this family speak Arabic? "He's calling me uncivilized," Dani translates, appraising the two boys across from her. Dick looks equally surprised at her fluency as she is at his, and they stare at each other.

"Where did you learn Arabic?" Dick asks.

"I traveled through East Asia," Dani explains. "I picked it up somewhere around Egypt. Where did you learn it?"

"It's Dami's native language." Damian sniffs at that, but it's unclear whether he's irritated at the nickname or at Dick for answering on his behalf. "We learned it to help him settle in."

"How proficient is your Arabic?" Damian demands. "Even Richard did not know that term."

"Well, I was called qalil al'adab a few times," Dani brags, fully aware that's nothing to brag about. "But I'm not so great. Casual conversation is easy, but there are a lot of words I don't know." Dani looks up, studying the light fixture above her. "Like chandelier. I don't know what the word for chandelier is."

"Althurya," Damian answers. Dani saves the word in her memory as he continues to speak, "Are you a native English speaker?"

"Yeah."

"And you learned Arabic with no teacher?"

Dani shrugs. "I'm good with languages."

"What others are you fluent in?"

This is starting to feel like an interrogation. Dani is not a fan. Throughout the conversation, Alfred had been laying out food for them: a pan of vegetables fried in a red sauce, brown rice, and a plate of pork chops. Dani looks pleadingly up at Alfred, who comes to her rescue with a gentle smile her way.

"Master Damian, I would remind you that Miss Dani is our guest. Please refrain from interrogating her."

Damian tuts, glancing away.

Apparently satisfied with the response, Alfred announces their dinner — some kind of stir-fried vegetables and rice with pork chops grilled in a Dijon mustard sauce. Damian loads up on the vegetables, rice, and rolls while Dick piles on the pork chops. Dani fills her own plate with a helping of all the options.

The three diners thank Alfred before digging in, effectively ending the conversation for the time being.

The food, as Dani has come to expect from her past two meals here, is phenomenal. The vegetables in particular are delicious, rich with flavor Dani didn't know they could have. She likes the sharp taste of the bell peppers paired with the cayenne undertones. Yum.

"Movie night after dinner?" Dick asks, looking between the two teenagers after they've all finished their food.

"I would be amenable to joining after tending to the animals," Damian replies evenly.

"I want to see your animals!" Dani cuts in, giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

He's unyielding as he scrutinizes her. "I suppose you may accompany me," he says after a long pause and a not-so-subtle nudge from Dick.

… Nah, it was definitely her puppy dog eyes that wore him down.

"Alright, later tonight then. Say, 8:30? Tim might even join us."

Damian scoffs in obvious distaste. "Come. To the menagerie." He stands from his chair and starts walking briskly out the door. Dani scrambles up, glancing at her plate.

"I can retrieve your dishes, Miss Dani," Alfred assures her as he picks up Damian's plate.

"Thank you," Dani says, then darts after Damian. He's fast, and clearly unconcerned with making sure she keeps up with him. Dani catches up to him, trotting after him like a lost duckling.

On the way out of the manor, Dani catches sight of the cat. She glares at it, and it glares right back. Then Dani jogs to match her strides with Damian.

It's a decent walk to the barn, maybe two-thirds a kilometer, but Dani is sufficiently entertained by the gorgeous landscaping around her. "Does Alfred do all this, too?" she asks, staring at a bush cut to look like a square.

"We have garden staff," Damian says.

"Where are they?"

"They come in the morning on set days of the week."

Dani studies the lawn. It does seem freshly cut, and she can't picture Alfred riding a lawn mower in that nice suit he wears. It's just strange that there are so few employees here. At Vlad's, there were many hired hands, but she was always instructed to stay out of their sight. She never managed to feel comfortable with strangers in her space (which is why Dani insisted no ghost servants go into her rooms), but it always seemed like it'd be normal for a big estate like this.

The barn is not huge, but it is a decent enough size. Damian unlatches the door and swings it open. He rolls up the sleeves of his fancy sweater, climbs into some coveralls, and changes his shoes into some work boots set by the door. Dani respects his dedication.

She wanders inside, startling with the curious moo from the first stall. "You have a cow."

Damian makes a short noise of affirmation as he passes her to give the cow a pat on her head. "This is Bat-Cow."

"You… you have a cow you named Bat-Cow?"

Dani doesn't even know what to think. Other than the fact that she may love Damian. This is just too cute.

"I was ten when I named her," he says defensively. "And this white marking around her eyes reminds me of a bat."

He's right. The red cow has a white patch of fur that makes it look like she has a bat-shaped mask. It's adorable.

"Can I pet her?" Dani asks, voice quiet to avoid spooking the gentle creature in front of her.

"You may." Damian grabs her hand and brings it close to the cow's nose to allow her to inspect. She must pass, because Damian gently lays Dani's hand on the soft velvety fur of her nose. He lets go, and Dani only dares to give her a small pet with her thumb. Bat-Cow grumbles and pushes her nose more firmly into Dani's hand.

"Hi," Dani whispers. "It's nice to meet you."

Damian is apparently satisfied by their interaction and wanders off to do his chores. Dani lavishes Bat-Cow with scratches, the cow mooing in appreciation every so often. Her companion works around her, feeding the animals – there are chickens too – and replacing the hay and water. Dani didn't really expect the wealthy, arrogant boy to get his hands dirty, but here he is, using a pitchfork to pile hay onto the ground, scooping manure, rinsing out water pans and giving all his animals attention.

She admires him for that.

When Damian completes those chores, he washes his hands in a nearby sink and brings over a large metal bucket. "It is time for Bat-Cow to be milked."

Dani steps away, completely enthralled with watching Damian pull up a stool and deftly milk the cow. It's almost bizarre, with his fancy rich shirt rolled halfway up his forearms and a pair of work coveralls protecting his designer jeans. He goes through the motions like he's done it a dozen times, and Bat-Cow is docile and relaxed as she waits for Damian to finish.

…

Dani needs to learn how to milk a cow.

Before she can ask to try, Damian finishes up and cleans Bat-Cow's udder and his hands. He grabs the bucket and walks over to the other side of the barn, carrying it effortlessly in one hand. Dani trails after him, paying rapt attention as he folds a swath of cloth and drapes it over a strangely shaped metal bottle. Damian pours the milk in, the cloth bubbling as it catches any gunk that was mixed in.

Dani finally breaks the silence, asking, "What are you doing?"

"Pasteurizing the milk," Damian answers. He sets down the now-empty bucket, grabs the cloth, and tosses it into the bucket.

"What's pasteurizing?" Dani wonders aloud.

Damian shoots her an unreadable glance. "The milk is heated to kill bacteria before it's refrigerated and used for consumption."

Dani knows that fresh milk needs to be heated, but she makes sure to remember what the term is and why it's important. "Do you have a stove out here?"

"A small-batch pasteurizer," Damian corrects. He picks up the jug, caps it, and places it inside a metal machine Dani had taken for some kind of big mini-fridge. "This model will heat the milk, then cool it. Tomorrow, I will retrieve it and deliver it to Alfred."

"Is all your food from somewhere on the grounds?" Dani asks. "I saw there was a greenhouse, too, and I'm guessing the chickens are used for eggs? Wouldn't buying your own food be easier?"

Damian starts up the machine. "Freshly grown or harvested food is superior to anything found in supermarkets."

"But you could always get stuff from a family farm," Dani argues.

Damian starts to wash out the bucket. "The diet we feed our animals and the nutrients Alfred includes in the greenhouse soil produce far greater results than the mediocre farms nearby."

Huh. Still, it's strange that they do this all their own. They're rich. They have more money than anyone else in the world. Surely they could just… pay someone to do this for them?

Dani's still bewildered, but Damian ignores her and heads to another part of the barn. He opens another stall door to reveal a litter of tiny kittens curled up on a comfortable-looking pillow guarded by a huge black dog. The dog is watching Damian, his tail wiggling a little bit like he's trying to suppress his wags. Damian clicks his tongue and the dog leaps up and attaches himself to Damian's side. Damian rewards the dog with a single pat on the head.

The boy points at Dani. "Greet."

Unexpectedly, the dog doesn't explode into motion. He calmly approaches Dani, sniffs her proffered hand, then circles her, doing his own little investigation. Dani holds still as he completes his inspection. The dog circles her twice, sniffs her thoroughly, and then sits in front of her, tail wagging.

"You may pet Titus," Damian prompts her. "He has deemed you suitable."

Was that what "greet" meant? Well, she's glad she passed whatever test Titus had for her. She presents her hand and giggles delightedly when the dog nuzzles into it.

While Dani is preoccupied by Titus, Damian tends to the litter of kittens with gentle hands and tiny bottles of what looks like milk, but probably isn't, judging by the scandalized look Damian gave her when she asked why he didn't just use the fresh milk he just got from Bat-Cow.

Titus brings her his ball, and Dani spends the next several minutes launching it across the yard, the big dog eating up the considerable distance with his long legs as he chases after his toy. Dani throws the ball until it becomes a wet sticky mass that has been chewed to pieces barely holding on to each other.

Dani is about to go searching for another ball, but Damian stops her with a firm gesture to the trash can. Dani tosses the once-ball inside, then goes to search again.

"Titus is limited to one ball a day," Damian interrupts. "Wash your hands, and let us find Richard."

"Only one ball?" Dani asks, indignant on Titus's behalf. "But he only played with it for a little bit!"

Damian regards her with a blank expression. "Titus's balls are reinforced for dogs that chew aggressively, so he had ample time to destroy it. Without proper regulation, he would go through dozens of balls in a day."

"You can afford it," Dani mutters.

"And it would be a waste," Damian replies. "Now wash your hands."

Dani scowls and does as he asks, but only because her hands are really sticky with dog slobber. If it wasn't annoying her, she would've ignored him just to make him mad.

"Is Titus going to come with us?" Dani asks hopefully, eyeing the dog that has come to sit obediently in front of Damian.

"He will watch over the litter tonight."

Dani pouts, but Damian isn't even looking at her. He runs through several tricks with Titus, clicking his tongue at each correct maneuver before snapping his fingers and pointing to the group of kittens. "Watch." Titus lays down next to the bed of kittens, curling his body around them and setting his head attentively on his paws. Damian nods in satisfaction before closing the gate and walking briskly off.

As they're walking back, Damian says brusquely to her, "Do not question how I train my animals."

"Why not?" Dani asks.

"I have done more than enough research to be qualified in taking care of them," Damian snaps. "And I do not appreciate being questioned."

Dani thinks back on her words. Did she think Damian was treating his animals poorly? No, definitely not. The care that went into each one showed with his every interaction with them. He could easily hire someone to do the chores for him, but he chose to do them himself. He took great pride in tending to his own animals. She has no doubt Damian is doing it right. Why does he think she doesn't trust him?

Well… as Jazz constantly reminds her, communication is key. Dani shouldn't let Damian form the assumption that she thought he was incompetent. "I was curious," she says after a moment. "I was just trying to understand why you chose to keep Titus from having a bunch of balls if money isn't a concern."

Damian gives her another impassive look, this time looking a tad more contemplative. "It teaches Titus to respect his possessions. He may be destructive whenever he wishes, but once his ball is destroyed, he must wait for the next day for a new one. This tactic has increased his patience and discipline in other matters."

"Cool," Dani answers. That makes more sense. "And you said it would be a waste?"

"I was referring to the ecological strain of so much destroyed rubber."

Ah. Okay, so a waste of material, not money. Dani nods at this answer.

"Do you wish to interrogate me further?" Damian mocks.

"I didn't realize I was interrogating you," Dani shoots back with a grin. "Did you feel threatened?"

Damian scoffs. "As though a lion would cower before a mouse."

"Maybe if that mouse had a revolver it would."

Damian still doesn't have a full expression on his face, but he seems confused. Which is good, that's what she's going for. "I cannot discern whether you are being serious or not."

"It's okay, I'm very difficult to read."

"You are not," Damian argues, but his time to make a comeback has run out; they've just reached the theater, and Dani's attention switches to Tim, who's curled up on one of the chairs with a laptop and take-out cup of coffee. Damian follows her line of sight and scowls. "Drake."

Tim doesn't even look up. "Brat."

Damian leaves Dani's side and settles himself on the opposite side of the room. Dani chooses a spot next to Tim, but only because she spent the day with Damian. But just in case he thinks she likes Tim more, Dani calls out to him: "Come sit by me!"

The response is expected, but still disappointing. Damian only turns away and starts fiddling with his phone.

Dani frowns, but looks at Tim. "What are we watching?"

"New comer's choice," Tim answers, still focused on whatever's on his screen.

"Oh, um, you can pick."

"I will not sit through another Star Wars movie," Damian interjects.

"Because you have no taste," Tim shoots back, finally dragging his eyes from the screen to glare at his little brother over Dani's head. "Star Wars is a classic."

"It is overdone, underdeveloped, and poorly filmed," Damian counters.

"The filming is brilliant. The music is revolutionary. The storyline and characterization is true to the books in a way other adaptations fail at, and you have no taste if you believe Star Wars is anything less than a masterpiece."

"Phantom Menace," Damian says.

Tim looks away. "Look, everyone makes mistakes."

Dani laughs, even though she doesn't understand the reference. Tim's expression of embarrassment and semi-defeat is hilarious.

"The whole series is a mistake."

"Okay, wait—"

"Maybe let's table the Star Wars discussion for now," Dick interrupts as he walks into the room, a large bowl of popcorn in his arms. "Please."

"But I don't know which side to take yet," Dani protests, grinning as both Damian and Tim look ready to gear up for another round, a competitive flicker in both their eyes.

"Stop instigating them. We're not watching Star Wars."

Tim groans while Damian nods in satisfaction.

Dick settles down next to Dani and gestures to Damian to move a couple of seats closer. The younger boy does it begrudgingly, folding his arms as he settles into his new seat.

"Okay, new person chooses," Dick announces, kicking up his leg rest and leaning back. The huge screen that takes up the whole wall flicks on, displaying rows of movies. Dick pulls up the search bar. "What're we watching, Dani?"

…

"Uh. Star Wars?"

Tim crows in victory.

"No, we aren't watching Star Wars," Dick reiterates, light-hearted but definitely not kidding. "I'm not having this debate again tonight. You and Tim can watch it another time."

"Uh…" There is not a single movie that comes to mind.

Listen, Dani didn't think she'd live this long. For the past year, she's lived her life like it could end at any moment, because there was a very real chance it would. Before that happened, though, she needed to experience as much of the world as she possibly could. She didn't want to waste time on watching a movie when she could be exploring the real world around her.

She's watched a total of two movies: Corpse Bride and Ghostbusters, both with Team Phantom during Dani's health retreat a few months ago. Sure, she'd seen random snippets here and there from her travels, but she'd never seen another movie in full.

Plus, the only thing Vlad ever had playing was Packers game reruns. And that was unbearable.

She'd been quiet too long: the boys had all taken to staring at her.

Say something, Dani! Choose a random word! There's bound to be some kind of movie with that title! "Something," Dani blurts.

"Something?" Tim echoes.

Damian seems to understand. "You have not watched a movie before."

Dick and Tim glance at Damian and then back at Dani, who chuckles uncomfortably.

"You haven't?!" Dick explodes, his full attention now on her.

"I've seen Corpse Bride and Ghostbusters," Dani retorts defensively.

"Two?!" Tim exclaims in outrage. "Only two?! You haven't seen Star Wars?!"

"Enough with Star Wars, Tim!" Dick demands. "I can't believe you haven't seen any movies!" When Tim and Dani both move to correct him, he waves them off, "Two, two, yes I know. Still!"

"Just choose one you think I'll like," Dani grumbles. "It doesn't really matter."

"Oh, you have to see Tangled—"

"Nonsense. We will watch The Raid."

"No, Star Wars!"

They devolve into squabbling, each arguing their point. Dani glances at the screen, scanning the titles in the space below the search bar. She picks the first one that doesn't have a ridiculously long title. "Dune!"

The boys stop. Look at her, look at the screen, then at each other.

"YES!" Tim shrieks.

Neither Dick nor Damian protest. They kinda just shrug at each other.

"That works," Dick says. "This is the second part, though. Let me pull up the first movie."

"Dune is so good, Dani, you're going to love it," Tim gushes. "I'm so excited for the third movie. The lead, Timothee Chalament, he's a brilliant actor. The CGI is phenomenal. Honestly, the whole movie fleshes out the book in a way that really brings life to the characters where there wasn't much before…"

Tim keeps babbling on. Dani is enraptured by the change in Tim. He seemed so quiet and chill at breakfast, except for that one point with the coffee. Now he's rambling on about movie effects and music with barely a breath between sentences.

"Hush," Dick says. "Movie's starting."

"Pass me the popcorn," Tim retorts. Dick obliges before clicking on the movie and letting it load, the lights dimming around them. "You are going to love this so much," Tim promises Dani as the opening music begins to play.

And he was so right.

Dani is pulled in immediately. The culture, the world building, the characters… It's amazing. Dani's always been fascinated with stories and culture, but she never considered liking fictional stories and culture! The idea that every drop of water is precious, that there's a beast in the ground that is both deathly feared and worshiped at the same time, the interesting clothes they wear over their "still-suits"? Dani is completely obsessed within the first twenty minutes.

Tim relays commentary to her whenever she asks a question, filling in blanks with book knowledge and director edits. When the first movie ends, Dani immediately snatches up the remote so Tim can put on the next one.

They're so in their own world Dani doesn't notice when Dick nods off in the first, or when Damian leaves somewhere during the second movie. She and Tim just chatter along, shutting up at the tense parts and then geeking out when it's done.

By the time the movie's over, Dani is presenting her own theories about the next movie and Tim is nodding along with a secretive smile. Dani scratches the cat behind his ears while she rambles on about what she thinks will happen next and—

"How long has this cat been here?!"

Dani picks the cat up and tosses him off her lap. The cat goes with an evil hiss, glaring at her from where he lands on the floor.

"Since the sand worm scene," Tim replies. "I'm surprised you didn't notice."

"Devil cat," Dani hisses. The cat returns the hiss, then stalks off.

"I can't wait to show you more movies," Tim announces, effectively breaking Dani's glare after the retreating cat. "There's Lord of the Rings, which I know you'll just love, and Inception, Pirates of the Caribbean, District 9, Harry Potter, Star Wars, obviously…"

"Ooh, I want to see Jurassic Park!" Dani adds. Now that she wasn't on the spot, she suddenly remembered her urge to watch it however many weeks ago. "Dinosaurs seem cool!" She'd only seen a couple of their skeletons here and there, and hadn't really done much research besides, but they must've been so sick.

"Oh, that's a good one," Tim agrees. "Not much story in the movies, though. Mostly just chase scenes."

Dani scrutinizes him. "Good chase scenes?"

"Oh, the best."

And that's how they end up watching Jurassic Park.

Tim points out the CGI mistakes as they go, and Dani laughs as she watches some of the cringier parts, but she's overall in love with the energy.

"In the books, they had til dawn since there was a shipment of raptors heading to the mainland," Tim explains when Dani wonders aloud why they're running around instead of just finding a high place and waiting it out. "If they didn't warn them, they would escape on land and start reproducing."

Dani nods along, completely absorbed.

Once the first one finishes, Tim is immediately pulling up the next one. "Second one?" Tim asks rhetorically, but the remote is plucked out of his hand by Alfred, who turns off the screen and turns the lights back on to half-brightness.

"Master Tim and Miss Dani," Alfred chides gently, "It is two o'clock in the morning."

Dani glances down at her watch before realizing it doesn't actually show time. Tim checks his phone with a grimace.

"Off to bed with you," Alfred orders, shooing them off. He rearranges the chair Dick is in to be more horizontal, then covers him with a nearby throw blanket.

"Here, I'll show you to your room," Tim says, and Dani nods, following after him with a final glance at Dick. He's sleeping like the dead, and Dani would know, you know, given her unique situation. He must've been really tired.

Tim shows her to the room Dick gave her earlier, pointing out the bathroom and the extra toiletries Alfred set out for her.

"Twenty minutes," Tim whispers to her, then heads off in the direction of his own room.

Dani grins. She's pretty sure what's going to happen in twenty minutes.

After showering and dressing in her very own thawb (she needs to steal one of Damian's pronto, she can't stand wearing one that belongs to her), Dani crawls into the too-comfortable bed and waits in anticipation for twenty minutes to roll around.

She isn't disappointed. Soon, she picks up on a subtle tap-tap on her door. Tim opens it, likewise freshly-showered and dressed, and grins at her.

"Second one?" he asks, waving a tablet.

Dani nods eagerly, and Tim joins her on the bed, the second movie already queued up. They get comfortable in the dark and settle in for the movie marathon.

They fall asleep somewhere around five in the morning at the beginning of the first Jurassic World.

I'm tired lol, it's been a busy week. Thanks for the reviews, though, they really gave me the energy needed to crank out most of this chapter the day after I updated, so I could focus on my school assignments. (just kidding, I played phasmophobia instead) Yeah these past three chapters are all from the same day. Next chapter should see Dani going to Gotham tho

If any of you are looking for a good fic to read, go for Broken Bonds by SleepingDead (PolarBearSeals). A lot of little things in that fic inspired some things in this one. It's just, like, the best. No Dani though, sadly. L.

I have more to say, I'm sure, but I'm sleepy lol. Til next week!