Bruce Wayne was an imbecile.
That was the first impression that she had gotten from the man, considering how he acted at the restaurant that Vicki had found him at.
It was one of those high society places, where the portions were small enough that a person could eat seven and not count them as a whole meal, and the prices were so bad you'd have to take out a second mortgage to afford them.
Of course Wayne was there, laughing away as he drank champagne, a pair of women in sparkly dresses and far too much makeup beside him. Wayne wasn't paying them any mind, just laughing at something a fatter man in a suit had told him.
Wayne had lingered inside that place for an hour, chatting away. Vicki wanted to try and get closer, but considering the fact that nearly everyone had a bodyguard built like a brick wall around them, she didn't like her chances. Then he finally exited the restaurant, and Vicki knew she just had to take the risk. Even if it was a poor one.
"Mister Wayne! Vicki Vale, Gotham Gazette. Could I get a moment of your time?"
Probably not her best idea, lying about her job on the first day. But like Monroe had told her, Picture News Magazine was technically a part of the Gazette. So really, in Vicki's mind it was more of a half-truth.
Wayne turned to face her, waving off another person as he approached what looked like a brand-new car, shiny exterior and all. He had this dumb sort of look on his face, like he was half paying attention to the world at large.
"The Gazette? Oh! Is that one I own?" Wayne asked her, a sort of airy tone to his voice. For the first time, Vicki could actually get a good look at the man of the hour. Clean and freshly done hair, a suit worth probably a dozen years of her salary. But his eyes were another story. Sharp, piercing blue. A hint of some sort of fire underneath them.
Vicki was about to speak up, maybe to attempt to answer Wayne's question, when a person exited the car the two were standing next to. An older gentleman, in a nicer suit than Wayne's. More dignified. He cleared his throat, and Wayne's attention went to the older man. Turning back to Vicki, he offered up a dopey sort of smile.
"Sorry, I'd love to stay and chat, miss. But I have to get going. Feel free to make an appointment with my people, get back to me then!" That same grin still on his face, Wayne stumbled into the car, with the older man giving Vicki a short nod before he entered the driver's seat.
The car sped off, and Vicki was left in the dust. Literally and metaphorically. She let out a tired sigh, head hanging for a moment before she stomped on. She wouldn't get anything from Wayne like this, so she would have to dig deeper.
And that led to her current frustration. The next week, trying to chase the man around, day after day only to get brushed off by security while he was at some function or another, or barely missing Wayne as he flew around in his helicopter. The sheer amount of just… wastefulness that came from checking over the man was driving her already frayed nerves to what anyone could see was a breaking point.
The first thing Vicki had done was try and see if there was anyone that could give her at least a hint about the mysterious Bruce Wayne. It didn't matter who the source was, as long as there was something that she could sink into. Actually, that was a lie. The first thing Vicki had done was purchase a taser, because Gotham always liked to remind her about how horrible things were.
The common person didn't seem to know anything about the wayward billionaire. It was all just the same stuff, really.
"Bruce Wayne? Rich bastard just came back and ain't doing shit."
"Wayne? I heard he's making up for lost time. Spending more money than God could have."
"Man, what I would love to get my claws on Bruce Wayne! Could you imagine the-"
That last statement really had Vicki regret asking the common people. That or pray that there was some way to bleach her brain.
However, her biggest payout was when Vicki actually went through the various companies that Wayne had his fingers in. Granted, it was easy to tell where the best places were, considering his name was plastered all over them, but seeing what they were actually spending gave her exactly what she needed.
When he first arrived back in Gotham, there were events. So many events. Everyone wanted a piece of the pie, celebrating Gotham's prodigal son. People invited him everywhere, and to everything. But eventually it all just… stopped. Sure, the money kept flowing, but Bruce Wayne had turned into a ghost. No one saw anything from him. Not his investors, not the socialites hoping to score something.
That was until last week, when Wayne had shown his face for the first time in months. Sipping champagne with his investors, and living up to the typical rich party boy. Finally, all the threads were in place, and Vicki found what she was looking for.
Wayne was hosting two different events for Halloween, it seemed. One was a charity gala, where the rich and mighty would probably drink and laugh things away. Vicki had a sour taste in her mouth of the image. The other was probably a far better thing. Word had spread that a haunted house was being hosted at Wayne Manor, and it was open to the public!
Apparently, it hadn't been done in forever, so it was the talk of anyone Vicki could get a hold of. It was certainly better than trying to sneak into an expensive gala, so with that information in hand, Vicki had at least one plan of action. No matter how desperate it might be.
Thankfully, if there was one thing Vicki could count on, it was that cheap Halloween costumes were on every corner of the city. A gold mine for the desperate and needy, something that Vicki most certainly was at this point.
Given that most of the bigger stores were either packed or were too expensive for her at the moment, Vicki ade due with one of the smaller side stores. Vicki was in luck and came out of the store wearing an old witch costume. Honestly it barely counted as a costume, given that it was just a cheap 20 dollar dress and a pointy hat, but at this point it was better than nothing.
She flagged down a taxi, internally wincing at the fact that it was going to be more money to spend, and with that Vicki was on her way to Wayne Manor. Of course, the Taxi couldn't just drive up to the Manor itself, not when it was guarded by a massive fence, and a looming, cast iron gate.
Vicki didn't mind that, paying the fare and exiting the cab. She stared, mouth agape, at the massive structure that she could spot in the distance. If anything screamed 'old money', then it was Wayne Manor. Ornate, finely detailed, even from this distance. At the moment, the sun was going down, and that made the already imposing manor look even larger. It loomed over everything like a presence, and Vicki had to shake her head to gain focus.
Already, people were lining up to get in, so she moved along with the crowd, clutching her purse. At least she was making progress, and this time she wasn't going to be turned away.
Vicki moved forward, making it seem like she was adjusting the cheap costume she had gotten a hold of, in order to listen in on the people ahead of her. They were muttering, and maybe it was something interesting.
"Hey, you think we'll see Bruce Wayne?"
"You kidding? He's probably heading over to that fancy ball on the other side of the city. Sipping out of gold cups and eating off diamond plates. No way he's gonna be here."
"Nah, we actually might. It's his home. Not like he's gonna leave this place up for grabs, right?"
It wasn't much, but at least it was telling of what Vicki had come to expect.. Wayne was rich enough that he could afford a private army. It'd be something to worry about, sure. But maybe, just maybe, she could get the scoop she needed! Now that she was here it didn't look as promising, but it was enough!
The sun had set by this point, and the pathway that people were following along was illuminated by a large set of path lights, a nice thing to keep people moving forward. Vicki eyed the decorations scattered across the… well, lawn would be an understatement. The miniature field that everyone approaching could see. Inflatable pumpkins to give more light, an actual miniature pumpkin patch where children could be seen, taking pictures with their parents.
She found herself creeping closer and closer to the entryway, where all the guests were lining up to head inside. Vicki once again found herself staring, head going up to see the Manor itself in its entirety. Cobwebs along the door, small skeletons and pumpkins lined up alongside the edge. But the building itself looked amazing.
Marble columns, massive oak doors, countless windows, with light coming out from each of them. And judging by her count, there were at least four floors, and somehow the entire building had been decorated.
However, Vicki was brought out of her stupor and ushered in. Finding herself nearly crushed to death by the sudden bottleneck of people, Vicki followed the crowd. She bristled, trying to not get caught in the literal wave of people that had surrounded her by this point.
Finally, the group was inside the manor. If the outside was considered well decorated, Vicki couldn't be sure what to call the interior. A massive chandelier hung in the center of the room, more cobwebs and similar decorations scattered about. Off to one side, she spotted what looked like an honest-to-God knight's armor, standing guard at a door to the left. A massive staircase spiraled upwards, clearly leading to the rest of the manor.
Vicki spotted a man at the top of the staircase. He held himself all prim and proper, and was on the older side. Something about him was familiar, but Vicki couldn't spot it until he was scanning the crowd. It was Wayne's driver, from back at the restaurant. Vicki silently cursed and hid behind a man taller than her. Eventually the man gestured for the group to come forward, and he finally spoke up.
"Greetings, and good evening. My name is Alfred Pennyworth, and I would love to be the first to welcome you all to Wayne Manor. It is our hope to please and frighten you all with a short tour around the manor, though there are a few warnings. Please, do not fight the actors that are likely here to scare you tonight. They are merely doing their job, and it would be in poor taste to otherwise hamper that. Please do not wander off, the tour is meant to take guests all across the manor, but even then some areas are considered off limits. And please." At this, Pennyworth offered a short chuckle. "Enjoy the rest of the evening."
With that, he stepped to the side and gestured for the group to make their way forward. Vicki followed them, mind running wild as she thought of ways to get more information. Bruce Wayne had to be here, right?
A small part of Vicki could at least see some of the appeal of the place at least. Ghosts, ghouls and monsters popped up out of the shadows, massive fake spiders fell from the roof to scare people. But after living in Gotham for at least a week, Vicki found herself almost numb to what should have been a fun time. That dampened her mood, albeit barely.
However, in the chaos that was slowly going on, from the screams of some of the group she was a part of, to the dimmed lights, there was an opening! Vicki spotted a door, ever so slightly ajar. All the other doors had been shut tight, and all the other hallways had been cut off to keep the group going, but this was it!
Glancing around, she saw that the group she was with had practically jumped out of their costumes because of the sudden change in lights. They blinked, the hallway went dark, and after five seconds they blinked on again. Vicki mentally counted, waiting for the perfect chance. The lights would dim in three, two, one-
Just as they shut off, Vicki made her move. She put on a face of horror, faked obviously, and moved back, against the slightly opened door. As the lights flicked back on, Vicki found herself moving back, through the doorway. Quickly closing the door shut behind her, Vicki turned around to see where she was.
The hallway was different than the rest of the Manor's areas. Clean, proper, with bits and pieces of what looked like fine furniture and pictures decorating the area. But none of the Halloween things, not this place. Vicki moved forward, thankful that she had worn sensible shoes for this plan, and tried to see if anything stood out. Or at least, that would have been the plan,
Instead, just as she turned around a corner, Vicki found herself face to face with Bruce Wayne himself.
He was leaning against this massive grandfather clock, a beautifully made one at that. For a moment, there was something else on his face, besides the dumb and charming smiles that Vick had grown accustomed to in the last week. It was a scowl, an intensity that she really hadn't seen on anyone else before. But after a second it had passed, and back was the charming, dumb grin.
"Oh wow, I didn't think Alfred would let anyone else back here. How's the haunted house so far?"
Vicki had to shake herself back into focus, once again. Wayne wasn't dressed up in some costume, not like the rest of the staff. Instead, he was in a fine tuxedo, far better than the hastily put on suit he wore the first time they had met.
"It's been interesting, so far. Mister Wayne, I'm not sure if you remember me. I'm-"
"Vicki Vale. I remember. But I did a bit more digging. You're with Picture News Magazine, right?"
Vicki's stomach dropped, and it took all the willpower she had to not let out a noise of surprise. She was a fool. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Of course, Wayne would have investigated anyone claiming to be from the Gazette. He was rich, he could afford to! But Vicki was here already, she couldn't stop now. Seeing how she was caught, well… this was better than nothing.
"You're right, Mister Wayne. I work for Picture News Magazine. Technically, however, it is an offshoot of the Gazette. I'm just trying to get a quote here, because I feel people want to hear what you have to say. If it's not me, it's gonna be someone else printing things, without hearing your side of it. This way you get a chance to get in front of this. Give me that and I'm gone. That work?
Desperation. It had really made Vicki a fool. But even as she ignored the pit forming in her stomach, there was a glimmer of something in Wayne's eyes. Not the intensity that was there before, but more… amusement?
"You always did have a way with words, Ms. Vale. You used to work in Metropolis, right? I swear I've seen your old articles, lotta nice work there. How'd you end up here in Gotham?"
Vicki let out a huff, almost instinctively rolling her eyes.
"Tell you what, Mister Wayne. If I can get at least a few quotes from you, I'll gladly spill."
Wayne hummed, and Vicki was… unsure of what was going to happen next. Would he actually agree to this? Was she just quite literally about to get thrown out, along with the rest of her dying career?
"That sounds like a fair trade, but maybe I can offer something better. Listen, after this I'm heading to this gala. If you're willing, I'll gladly take you along. You get your interview, and I at least have some pleasant company. Seeing as how you've been so willing to try and talk, I might as well give you the benefit of the doubt. Sounds like a plan, Miss Vale?"
Vicki wasn't sure whether to laugh or slap him. Did he honestly think she was that desperate? She was in a tough spot, but it would never get that bad. Never. Instead, she let out an almost unladylike snort.
"You're aware if I do that, anything I write is null and void, right? Conflict of interest, and all that fun stuff. Maybe we can just start with a quote, and after that we can finally discuss a meeting. How's that for a plan, Mister Wayne?"
He chuckled, and now the amusement was clear as day. He reached into one pocket, pulling out the latest WayneTech Phone.
"In that case, Miss Vale, why don't I just get you a proper invitation to this gala? I'm sure there's a lot of people who'd like to speak to the Gazette." He offered her a wink.
Vicki smirked back at him. "I think we can work something out. But please, call me Vicki."
"I'd be delighted, Vicki. Please, call me Bruce."
Next Chapter: 26th December