A new school, a new year and a new chance to prove to the world who she is. Olivia is determined to make the most of this final year in obligatory schooling and move on to bigger and wider things. If anyone can do it, a Wayne most certainly can! Her first full day was bumpy which was to be expected. There was a cluster of press ready to greet her at the heavy iron gates in the morning. She held her head high and walked in step beside Damian. Her first classes were a little rough but she was eager. When called upon to answer a question she was often correct even when unsure. Her weakest class was mathematics and one incorrect answer was not the end of the world. No one else seemed to know it either.
Lunch was a break from the whispers and pointing as she walked the halls. She had Damian and Melissa at her side to brighten her day a little more and remind her to eat. The rest of her classes were a breeze. If the only struggle she had was that morning math class she would be just fine. After school the journalist at the gates were a mob she pushed through with ease ahead of Damian. She knew she needn't answer anyone. The whole day she managed her stress and kept her abilities in check, except for when she noticed her phone had died and the students around her experienced low batteries. She'll do better!
Wednesday was training with dad after school. Target practice to test her reflexes and secretly to help her blow off steam. Easy! Friday or Saturday, depending on how the week went, was for stressors. Maintaining a certain current for however long. They were also for expanding what she could do with her natural talents.
Great! Her routine is set with a few things here and there to help. An extra helping of breakfast or discharging of energy to build up more slowly throughout the day. Noise canceling earbuds for when she has to march through the jurno-sea. Her math class was dragging her down. She felt she did everything right but her tests were coming back worse and worse. She'll ask Tim and surprisingly Victor could help too. He didn't know everything but he helped her study and showed her the methods he used when preparing for his GED.
"Don't be embarrassed to back track," he explains while holding her from behind and pointing out a few problems. "If you don't understand it, the chapters before that are meant to help you get to that point. Refresh." Coming to see Victor was always a good idea or going to Melissa to vent.
"I still don't get why they let those piranhas get so close to the school," Melissa raged while glaring over her literature homework. "Never used to do that. They need to be doing more."
"It's fine, really. I can handle it. This is just the life of Bruce Wayne's daughter. They'll get bored of me not saying anything to them."
"I hope so."
She was making friends! Or atleast other students were less afraid to talk to her. Many were apparently worried she was secretly a mean girl pretending to be sweet so her and her brother could play cruel tricks on some poor soul. Just what kind of reputation did Damian have? One half fell at his feet while the other looked over their shoulders in fear of his crossing.
It wasn't something Olivia could pull off. Not without coming off as a genuine threat. If only they knew what her brother was capable of.
Things went from good to bad and then worse in a matter of days during her second week. The people warming up to her started to pull away. It's expected. People were settling into their own little friend circles, Olivia was just not part of any new ones. This is fine. She doesn't need a horde of admirers or millions of friends. Melissa and her meta-human friends were more than enough. They made her feel normal. Victor made her feel wanted. Her family reminded her that she is loved.
Her grades were slipping in nearly every subject except literature. She had to try harder, study more and make her family proud of her. She'd study late into the night, train harder with her father and assure everyone she was fine. They kept asking and worrying but she could do this. She begged to go to this school and swore she could handle it.
When did her clothes stop fitting her as well? Her phone drained so fast now and it seemed like her grades were plummeting. Studying with Victor and Tim wasn't enough. She'd ask her dad to help too! He was the smartest man she knew. Nothing improved. What was she doing wrong? Was there a mistake while grading papers?
Olivia sat in her science class, scratching away at her notepad. Another design, another failure. How was she even going to pull off those lines? "Miss Wayne!" the teacher at the front of the class called. "If you find daydreaming and doodling more worth your time then you must know the answer to the equation." A stick of expensive chalk was held out to her.
Olivia sighed, set her pencil down and rose from her chair with a scrape. Her hair lacked that bounce it normally had, the glow of her skin was gone and there were bags under her dull yellow eyes. Even so her stride was even, her outfit flawless and her back straight. The equation was assessed on her way to the board. No eye contact with the teacher as she plucked the chalk from his hand and scrawled the answer.
"Oh, that is... correct," the nervous man said. Why was he nervous? He knew all the answers. "You may return to your seat." And on she went one step at a time. "But please be more MISS WAYNE?!"
The world went black. There was a ringing in her ear with muffled voices behind it. She left her headphones in again? She'll have to take those out. Someone she knew felt close. Damian? Maybe this was a dream and she overslept. One day late and they'll scream at her for being lazy. Was her phone charged? She needed to make sure so she could tell Victor not to bother picking her up today. She just had to study more and try harder.
Olivia gasped, her brow drenched in sweat. She sat up in her room and felt immense dread. She was late! Why didn't Alfred wake her?! She sat up quickly then swayed. Her body felt heavy and warm. "You're awake!" a groggy voice came from beside her. Victor sat up and gave a weak smile. "Hey, Sunshine."
Olivia's breathing started to kick up. "What... What time is it? I have to get up. I have another test and I-"
Victor touched her hand and she jumped. No sparks, or even the slightest hint of ozone. "Babe, it's three in the morning," he said in a hushed tone. "You've been out almost 46 hours."
She gasped. How long?! Nearly two days?! She can't miss a single day. That's time she could be catching up! She's going to fall behind! At this rate she might not even graduate! They could have her expelled! Her heart was racing, palms clammy and her breathing increasing by the second. "I can't. I have to make up for my classes. I'm going to fail. He was right! I WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH! I don't deserve to call myself a Wayne."
"Olivia!" Victor's voice snapped her attention back to him. When did he look so tired? So worn away? "You're having a panic attack," he explained, then climbed into the bed and sat behind her, holding her like he always did. "You didn't fail and you're more than enough. We'll explain after you get some rest-" Her sobs came through short breaths then rang out through the room. He pulled her in tight with her ear pressed to his chest and just...held her. "Let it out, Sunshine," he whispered to her. "It's going to be okay." His eyes rose to meet Damian's in the hall. They said nothing and simply waited for Olivia to calm.
Weeks of running herself ragged, claiming she was fine and not eating compounded in an instant. She'd blacked out in her chemistry class. One quick hand kept her from cracking her skull on the corner of a desk. The class was in a panic. The nurse was called but she had no clue how to treat a meta-human. As if there was that much difference. It would matter with Olivia but she didn't know that! The commotion Damian witnessed from across the courtyard in his own class was alarming enough and he rushed to her class.
The scene he came in on was Olivia laying on the floor, desks pushed away and one brave student with insulated electrician's gloves on trying to wake her. "Get away from her!" It wasn't a yell or a growl but no less a command and the class parted. He rushed to his sister's side. What discharge he felt was negligible. All the color in her face was gone and she was drenched in sweat. He tapped away at his phone. "Emergency, send the car to Gotham Academy, insulated. Olivia's passed out." He hoisted his sister into his arms and made for the door but paused at what he was told. His brow furrowed. "How unfortunate for them."
As Damian hurried down the hallway he muttered to Olivia that everything was going to be okay. "Wait!" an out of breath and anxious voice came from behind him and that person was quickly rounded on. Before Damian could speak a shaggy blonde boy with round glasses was holding out Olivia's school bag. It was the kid with the electrician gloves. He was still wearing them.
Damian adjusted Olivia in his arms and she whimpered. "Follow me," he said after a quick assessment and carried on. The boy fell in step but practically had to run. Students were starting to peer into the halls as they passed.
"Wait, where are we going?" the boy asked as they turned down the wrong hall and headed up the stairs.
"The roof!"
"What?!" There was no time to ask questions. Damian was practically gone. How was he that fast while carrying a person?! The boy scrambled up the steps landing after landing until they were on the roof. "I think the helipad is on a different building OH MY GOD!" He was right, it was. A narrow alleyway separated the building they stood on from an annex added decades after the other. Damian cleared it without even thinking and hurried to the Wayne Corp helicopter ready to head off.
Damian returned to the nervous boy that considered jumping across but backed down. He'd kill himself trying. Damian wasn't even out of breath and held out for his sister's bag. "Thanks. Quick thinking with the gloves. Name?"
"Me?! Oh uh, it's Arthur Deupree, sir. Mr. Wayne. I MEAN DAMIAN!"
"Relax. You're not the one that fucked up." Was that supposed to be reassuring? The young Wayne cleared the gap again and made his way back to the helicopter with a light jog. Arthur was at a loss of what to do and then he saw Bruce Wayne burst from the doors on the other roof, loosening his tie, ready to leave. The door to the chopper was barely closed as its wheels lifted off the helipad.
Victor found out what happened to Olivia moments after Melissa did. "I'll keep you posted," was his only response. He cut his solo training short and got up to Wayne Manor as fast as he could. Why didn't they take her to a hospital? Really house calls for everything? He was stopped at the doors of the mansion by the butler. Why let him through the gate if they wouldn't let him in?!
"I'm sorry, Mister Zsasz but now is not a good time for visits," Alfred began to explain.
"Let him in, Alfred!" Damian's voice came from down the hall.
"Very well sir." Alfred stepped aside. "It's best to follow Master Damian," he explained. Victor gave him a pat on the arm and rushed after Damian.
Was he carrying a car battery? No time for questions just stay in step. The mansion was massive and easy to get turned around in but the path to her room was set in memory now. Second floor facing a garden. The inside of her room just exuded Olivia. Bright colors, sketches hung along the walls, a sewing table at one of the ceiling to floor windows cluttered with fabric. There were racks of costumes and even a white screen to photograph them. On the nightstand by her bed was a patchwork octopus plush faded and worn to duller colors over the many years. Set on its head was the keychain he gifted her on their date.
In the middle was Olivia laying in bed, breathing heavily with a woman in a lab coat hovering over her. She signaled for Damian to set the car battery close to the bed and set to fetch another. Victor went with him. How many would they need for what they were trying to do for her? He could grab the one out of his bike if he needed to. It would be unnecessary.
In the garage of the mansion were rows of cars with the hood of the most recent models open. Bruce Wayne leaned over one, sleeves rolled up, tools in hand and grease smeared on his white pressed shirt. Victor looked for the nearest loosened battery and took off with Damian right behind him. The cluster around her bed grew until all they could do was wait.
The woman in the lab coat came back to the door looking relieved showing off a still charged tablet but more importantly the information on the screen. Bruce took up the device looking like he aged twenty years. "Olivia's biology is...confusing but from what I can tell in her current state she is stable. No different from when she sleeps normally she's just drained considerably. She's malnourished so her body is seeking outside sources to help recover. The batteries are doing wonderful. Perks of having a large collection, I'm sure." Bruce was attentive, nodding and handing over the tablet. "There is no telling when she'll wake up but it could be soon. An IV drip might help. Her mother got like this only once that I saw but not to this extreme. But we are in the clear. Just give her time and lots of food when she wakes up."
"Thank you, Sylvia," Bruce said in a gravelly voice. "I'll walk you out." The two made their way down the long corridor leaving Victor and Damian standing on either side of the door like guard dogs daring anyone to pass them. They stood watch in silence. Nothing changed behind them. They couldn't stay out here until she woke up.
Damian pushed off the wall and patted Victor on the chest as he passed. "Come on," he said and made down the hall. Victor was hesitant to follow but what else could he do? He was seeing more of the mansion now. They past portraits, expensive artworks painted and sculpted. These areas looked unchanged. The warmth of this family was felt the closer they were to the kitchen. Oil paintings of every member but also blown up pictures of them enjoying intimate parties. Candid moments or deliberate goofy shots. A family to be jealous of.
The kitchen was massive and clearly retrofitted for people to sit overlooking the island counter in the center. Alfred was making tea and preparing coffee. "Master Tim is on his way home," he said without looking up from his work. He offered tea to Damian and he declined. It was offered to Victor.
"I'll wait on the coffee. Thanks." The sound of water steaming filled the room before anyone spoke again. "What happened?"
"She worried herself sick. Literally," Damian explained. "Asked Mel to go around for information on what happened. She blacked out walking through class and then everyone's battery in their phone started dying."
"She was studying so much. How hard is that bougie school of yours anyway?"
"While Gotham Academy is prestigious it was not out of my mistress's academic prowess," Alfred explained while preparing pour-over coffee.
"Father says they were changing her answers." Victor's eyes were wide and he looked livid. He was going to burn that place to the ground! "He had her class work examined. Compared the work she did before she had it graded to what was returned. There were irregularities in the papers returned. Thanks to her making copies of her assignments so Tim could test her and check before she turned them in we found out in time. She always printed those copies off Wayne Tech stationary. It has an invisible watermark. Last week every math assignment that was turned in was copied on that paper. None of the true ones were returned to her."
Victor sighed, rubbing a hand over his head. "What the fuck do they gain from fucking with her like that?"
"The Waynes, in truth, have always been a bit of a thorn in the sides of the headmasters of the academy," Alfred explained while preparing Victor's coffee. "The late Master Thomas encouraged his parents to expand a scholarship program that was largely for show. Master Bruce keeps that program alive to this day. Master Damian incurred no such issues but is often called for disciplinary related issues."
"A Lot of spoiled brats just keep falling on their faces around me. The strangest thing."
"The campaign against Mistress Olivia started when she was a child. She attended the junior university for elementary school aged children. They looked for any way to expel her and settled on a smear campaign."
Victor sat up straight. "I heard about some mete-human losing control at one of the schools on the news when I was a kid."
"A fabrication. The classrooms are monitored for a bevy of reasons. Mistress Olivia intervened in a classmate grasping onto a livewire. Her abilities went on full display while she unplugged it but that was enough damage for them. They claimed she was wild and was not safe to be around 'normal' children. Unaware parents were outraged, threatened to pull funding. Nasty affair. Master Bruce pulled her out of school and enrolled her in the meta-human institute to save her the grief."
"So that's why he didn't want her to go. They wanted her to explode from stress like that's how her powers work."
Damian cocked a brow. "Like you know?!"
"I'm sure as hell having to learn on the fly. I should have said something. Made her relax or something."
"She wouldn't agree to it," Bruce said from the doorway. He'd changed into new clothes and combed his hair. "We all asked her if she was doing okay but she tried to power through. At some point she pulled away completely. I'm taking the car back into the city. Let me know if her condition changes."
"Of course sir."
Bruce looked at Victor and the young man felt he was being sized up again. "Prepare a room for Victor as well. Keep him out of trouble."
Victor smirked and hummed, "You know me so well. If I do slip out and break a few knees, I was never here." The look said to stay put. It was very tempting to bust into that school. He threw his hand up in defeat then took a sip of his coffee.
"Damian, stay put too and don't tell Jason. I won't need help with this." And Bruce was off to raise hell.
"I'll take the first watch," Damian announced. "Fill in Tim when he shows up. Try to keep him from panicking."
"Of course, Master Damian. I will prepare a late lunch. After lunch I will begin prepping your room for the night. Do be patient, Mr. Zsasz."
"Take your time. I'm not going anywhere." He wanted to be there when she finally woke up. See her faking a smile and trying to play off what happened as her being an airhead. Being every bit herself instead of the shadow they all witnessed the days before.
Meeting Tim while eating lunch was enlightening. He was a lithe figure with more frayed nerves over the situation. Not a single feature from Wayne. Another adopt if he remembers right. There were weary greetings and he was told to breathe before heading up to see Olivia. He explained his own experience at Gotham Academy. If he found the course load advanced enough for him he would have fought to stay instead of letting them assume they pushed him out. They were concerned with pedigree. Their eldest brother graduated without issue but one too many charity cases made them put their foot down in outrage. Even if Olivia was a normal human, unless she had Wayne blood like Damian they wouldn't want her there.
Olivia woke once more to Victor asleep behind her. She'd cried herself to sleep and needed another recharge. There were almost a dozen batteries gathered around her bed and the sun was already up. An attempt to move got a grumble from the dozing Victor and he held her tighter. Sinking back into him was tempting but she needed more than sleep and raw energy. She'd pat one cheek with the other against one of hers and gently woke him.
He stirred. There came a deep inhale, the press of a kiss into the crook of her neck and a slight wandering of his broad hands. He fully came to and restrained himself. Not under her father's roof and not with her having just recovered. "Morning, Sunshine," he murmured, then leaned back to stretch.
"Morning," she yawned. "Did you stay with me all night?" She was lucid now and could properly process everything that transpired.
"Off and on. Everyone was worried about you. Your dad was on a warpath."
She looked confused. "Why? It was just stress piling up."
He kissed her cheek and gave a weak smile. "We'll explain after you eat. Speaking of!" He slid out of bed and handed her phone to her. "I'll fetch breakfast. Stay put!" She nodded and watched him jog off and out of sight.
Checking her messages there were dozens of unread ones and unheard voicemails. The only ones she cared to read were from Melissa. She was full of panic and then gloom. A quick message and a picture to let her know she was weak but going to be okay and she'll call her when she can.
Breakfast in bed was a rare occasion in the house of Wayne. It was not often a family member, Alfred included, was so under the weather they could not make it to even the kitchen counter. Victor came with Damian and Tim in tow, each carrying everything needed to prep for breakfast as well as the food itself. She felt spoiled in this moment. There seemed quite a lot of food for one girl, no matter how ravenous. And it was. Victor was joining her. As she ate they filled her in on what had gone on in the background and what the family members not home were up to.
Olivia expected the school to be on fire when she went back, if she went back. She could deal with the mean girls, students avoiding her but not a faculty actively hostile towards her. It was a relief her literature teacher was not involved. He seemed chill. "So...has Jason found out yet?" she asked and dreading to find out what damage was done.
Tim grimaced and shrugged. "No?" Olivia looked alarmed and stuffed another hunk of pancake into her mouth. "Bruce is... not not stringing up the school board?" The scent of ozone kicked up.
"Tim's talking privileges are revoked for the rest of this family meeting," Damian announced and snagged a piece of bacon. "Alfred is with father so he at least won't get arrested for assault." What kind of Bruce Wayne was Victor learning about today? "While this is getting sorted out classes are on hold. They want to see if any other students were getting fucked over and you know, find replacements for all the bastards getting fired!" On one hand she is relieved it might not have just been her being targeted but how many kids were made to feel like this?
"Can this year be even a little quiet?" she sighed.
"You're a Wayne, Liv. It comes with the territory," Tim explained then gave a pat to her leg. "Welp! These batteries aren't going to move themselves. Come on, D."
Damian rose to hug Olivia. "Don't check online for a bit," he warned and she tried to go for her phone.
Victor held it over his head. "Finish eating." She would do that. Victor cleaned up and left her to shower and get dressed but Olivia was not one to ignore something cryptic like what Damian said. What were they hiding?
Social media was buzzing with the shocking story of Olivia passing out. The usual mean comments were abound but irritatingly enough there were videos of Damian carrying her through the school and across the roof. Some were edited to look like an action movie or someone else's face superimposed on her body. She blacks out and his fanclub gets bigger. She groaned and fell over. Said brother returned for another battery and she glared. "Damian."
He grimaced and just feigned not hearing her to collect another battery and hurry off. "DAMIAN!"
Olivia was still in her shower when the last battery was cleared out and her door shut. The brothers and Victor went about cleaning up the horrible mess they made trying to cook without Alfred and getting the car batteries charged up and placed in their proper vehicles. The number of pancakes that were burned just to make a single stack for Olivia is a secret the three will take to the grave.
Victor retired to the guest room to get cleaned up and change into the spare clothes given to him that fit... a little too well. Just how many sets did that girl buy when he was in the hospital? Outside of a power nap the bed went unused.
He wanted to track down everyone responsible for this mess but it wasn't just Olivia and with Wayne already mobilized he'd get in the way. That was also a level of finesse he did not have and he didn't want to learn. His only project with the academy he did was getting rid of that creepy traffic cop. Blackmail did wonders. His "brothers in blue" turned on him quickly when they found their own children on the guy's laptop and then phone once he was under investigation. A minuscule victory but any move against a cop just has a different retributive feel to it.
He had to get back to work. A far more vibrant Olivia followed him to the front door and he spent quite a bit of time fussing over her. "I promise, I'm fine now, Victor," she reassured him.
"You better be," he muttered before kissing her. "You have to let me know if you get stressed like that again. I'll make you relax."
Olivia smirks and leans into him with her hands behind her back. "Oh really?"
"Mm, down girl. You're still recovering." He kissed her forehead to deactivate her. "Maybe dig out that toy if you've got an itch that needs scratching." The scent of ozone while she chewed on her bottom lip. It was a bait and he almost fell for it. It was such a relief to have her back to normal. "I'll see you Monday. Gotta take advantage of this lull in your class schedule while I can." Olivia's smile was warm as ever and he simply had to kiss her again before heading on his way.
On his descent of the mountain he passed Bruce and Alfred returning. The hard expression on the man's face softened a little upon seeing Victor. He gave a nod and carried on his way into the city. Crisis after crisis he was somehow endearing himself to that man and it didn't require him bashing someone's head in. This was so strange to him.
There was time for Victor to make it home, change and head into work at Oasis and the club was virtually empty. Only one of the usual men was at the door and inside there wasn't a soul beyond the skeleton staff of the late afternoon. They had regulars at this hour, other door men and bodyguards stopping in before they began their shifts and none were here. Victor made his way into the office on the third floor. Raymond Branagh sat with his back turned to the door and the news on.
"Zsasz, how's your girl?" he asked while turning down the tv overhead.
"She's better. Is there a parade or somethin' I don't know about going on?" he asked while looking back at the empty club.
"This is normal. Happens every time a meta-human is in the news in a bad way," Raymond explained then pointed to the screen. An incident involving a meta-human student on the west coast lashing out after fraternity hazing turned into a hate crime. "Doesn't have to be in our backyard for it to affect everyone here," Raymond grumbled. "Regardless of if he was in the right, the usual suspects are going to make life hard for them."
Victor tilted his head in curiosity. "I've been meaning to ask if you were meta as well. I've got my answer but now I want to know why you chose to open this place."
Raymond sneered and turned to face Victor. "To exploit them of course," he said and paused to see how he would react. See if he flinched, leaned even slightly in a direction that was not favored. "I wanted to give them a place where they could be themselves. A place that should have existed years ago for my son." Victor bowed his head a moment then looked back to Raymond. "No amount of fame or money will protect them from true monsters wanting them gone. Give it a few days and everything will be back to normal."
"Then I'll be back in a few days. Call me in an emergency but the boys should be able to handle a ghost town on their own. I don't work, I don't get paid," he announced and stepped out before Raymond could say a word. He'll take money from someone else for a few days or not at all. He had a solid nest egg and it's not like he had to pay rent.
A ride around the east end gave him time to assess the state of the families. All seemed well to a less discerning eye. Yes things had settled but the Triads moving into Ibanescu's territory added more tension to a slowly filling powder keg. Were they going to play ball? How long would they be satisfied with now the third largest footprint behind Falcone and Dimitrov. Rumors floated Riley's territory was next to get swallowed up if the families could not settle their own disputes to make peace with the Triad and keep the ground from shifting beneath their feet.
Messy stuff and that was fine by him. He found it amusing and lucrative. Or it would be. No more hits, no more assisting in shakedowns...perhaps the occasional interrogation. His bread and butter was in being a bodyguard and, though he never thought it possible, he had to grow beyond the east end. If Oasis' roots start reaching deep he could get hired on to straighten someone else's club out. The thought of one of the major families or even the Triad hiring him to fix their security issues instead of supplementing them was novel.
Back at home he tossed his jacket onto the counter and prepared to set up for more training. Oswald was right about him. Victor restless meant he slipped back into looking to stir shit up. In the midst of his routine, not even bothering to change into sweats he sighed and stopped the speed bag overhead to look at Red Hood dropping onto his couch. "Fucking hell. It's like you're allergic to doors," Victor grumbled then continued with his workout.
"You need to be more alert," Red remarked from behind his full mask.
"I heard you the second you landed on the roof. Sometimes you have the grace of a drunk bulldog."
"Two things..." Victor stopped what he was doing. Everytime he tried to discuss more personal things he always seemed to hesitate. And they say Victor is poorly socialized. In truth Jason had to keep himself from using a more familiar and protective tone when it came to discussing Olivia. "How's your girl? Heard on the news about exhaustion or something."
"She's better now. Some shady shit happened at that pretentious school and she got caught up in it." He rolled down his sleeves and opened his white button down. Now was as good a time as any to take a break.
"Good. One less thing to worry about. I need you for a merc job."
Victor paused at the fridge. "Inside the city?"
"No. Out of state. We'd leave tonight."
"Well fuck me, thanks for the short notice. When would we get back?"
"If things don't go sideways, Monday."
Victor groaned and bowed his head. "She's gonna be upset about that. I had a date with Olivia on Monday."
"Very cute! Reschedule or don't come," Red suggested in a flat tone.
"Yeah, I know. Have to think of a way to make it up to her. Lock up for me while I get ready," he said then dipped into his bedroom kicking off boots and clothes and balancing his phone on his shoulder.
Olivia answered, sounding a little out of breath. "You pick just the worst time to call," she laughed.
"Mm, I see, with your side piece. Should have known I wasn't enough for you," he teased and laughed at the squealing and huffing at how she's not that kind of girl.
"Besides unless that side piece runs on batteries."
He grinned while continuing to get dressed. "Ooo, well don't let me interrupt you. Hope you don't mind if I listen in but uh, I called for a reason. Gotta reschedule our date."
"Aw, why?" she asked a little more composed.
"Work's taking me away for a bit. Should be back by Monday. I'll make it up to you after, I swear."
"Aw, okay. Is...No. I probably can't ask what kind of job."
"Yeah, that's a no go. Sorry babe."
"It's okay. Come back in one piece or I'll have to fight you or something."
"Threatened by a marshmallow! Will do," he chuckled. They said their goodbyes and Victor returned to the living room with a bag loaded down with gear and dressed from neck to toe in black. His apartment was turned into a fortress on their way up to the roof. Shuttered windows had heavy doors dropping around them along with the garage downstairs. Nothing got in without him knowing.
"Here," Red said, tossing a black version of his minimal mask to Victor.
Victor caught it in a gloved hand and turned it around. "How the fuck do you even see through this thing?" he asked while examining the overall make of it.
"Just put it on already." The inside of the mask where eyeholes should have been appeared to be black screens. Once set over his eyes they turned on giving him a wider range of vision than he would have without them.
"Oh this explains so much now," he said in aw then continued adjusting the mask. It secured following his jaw and latched around the back of his head below his ears. There was an overlay to the world now and text would fill one side if he focused on something long enough. As they made their way across the roofs Victor acclimated to having this expanded vision.
"This feels like cheating," he chuckled. Falling in line behind Red he was doing his best to keep from getting distracted. It wasn't every day you got a new toy that lets you monitor the heartbeats of the people around you to see who is most scared.
Their rooftop trek ended in them being picked up by a sleek helicopter. Once stationary the information on their mission appears before Victor's eyes. "I see, an actual kidnapping." It was a reflex to raise a hand to try and swipe and he quickly kicked that. "Complete with a severed finger! By the cut they look like they've done this before." Victor narrowed his eyes at the picture of the captive. "I've seen him. Racked up huge gambling debts and got banned from every casino and den in Gotham."
"Mom and dad cut him off a year ago. They refused the ransom when he turned up missing. Apparently he faked being taken before just to pocket the money and run to the nearest poker table."
"Blackjack and roulette. He may be good at lying to his parents but he was shit at lying to anyone else."
"Well he gets it from his parents. All they're good at is lying through omission," Red added then sent over one last bit of information he had to dig up for himself. "They failed to mention they did try to pay up but no one showed."
"...This should be fun. Never dealt with anyone like that before." He wiped his screen and realized he could access his phone through his mask. A smile lept on his face and he crossed his arms. "Wake me when it's time to roll out." He can multitask. Familiarize himself with the location they were hitting and plan out a date with Olivia. Maybe even find her a gift.