"I will surely look into it."
Albert said neutrally, neither accepting nor denying anything and definitely not lashing out like a wild animal each of them clearly saw him as.
'What do they take me for? Did they really think I was going to attack some spoiled heiress just because my feelings were hurt?' It was hard to not snort. Even if he were to try something, the very large and very scary guards he met out front was more than a large enough deterrent. A single scream would probably result in him being dog-piled and beat within an inch of his life. Smacking some sense into an obviously sheltered women simply wasn't worth it.
"Let's go over here, Dahlia." The other male, dressed in a pitch black suit that appeared more expensive than a normal person's rent, motioned to the staff standing like a statue holding a platter filled with tiny sausages wrapped in a fluffy pastry. "I think those are fresh out of the oven…"
"Oh!" Dahlia perked up, golden retriever energy oozing off of her in a nearly visible wave. To the point where there should've been a blonde tail wagging behind her. "I do love...what do you guys call them? Hog in a comforter? No! Pigs in a blanket! I especially love dipping them in ketchup, do you think they'll have some more?"
"Let's go ask them." The man nodded to the outsider with some degree of relief and gratitude evident on his face "It was nice meeting you, Albert."
"Bye!"
The platinum blonde waved with a wide and bright smile as she was dragged away. Leaving only the three of them to continue, silence passed for a few moments. It was an awkward thing, tense as the twins watched them disappear into the crowd. Only after they got a good distance away did their shoulder's drooped a hair in relief.
"Dahlia is a good person." Sabina didn't take anytime to defend her friend. "She's just...sheltered and a bit socially inept...but her heart is in the right place."
"It's fine." The teen waved them away, she might've been annoying and exhausting given their short interaction but that wasn't enough for her to sour things too much.
"It's not fine." Andres, despite looking ready to physically restrain him just a few moments ago, interjected. Sounding as if this this topic had been brought up enumerable amounts of time. Well, if the exasperated and heated look that flickered across the other twin's face. Ignoring the glare leveled his way, he passionately continued. "She's twenty-six for goodness sake, if she wasn't so content in staying in Gotham then she would've had the time to see how small their way of thinking is and actually grow. But instead, what does she do? Prance around like she's some sort of holy saint whenever she tosses out money or buy a meal for someone she deems less fortunate...and if it wasn't obvious, she means less fortunate than her."
"Careful there." Her face turned frosty, fingers gripping the neck of her glass. A warning clear for anyone to hear. And suddenly, Albert felt like he'd stumbled across something private. A conversation not meant for the ears of outsiders. "That's exactly what 'we' do and are known for, you're sounding a lot like a hypocrite."
"Maybe I am," The male twin took a sip, but it did nothing to hide the slight fresh to his face that had nothing to do with the wine. It was clear he was feeling called out and stumped on exactly what-else to say to break the stalemate. Eyes turning back to their outsiders, they lit up. "But that's doesn't disprove my point, why don't we ask our friend here what he thinks."
The teen froze in place, his foot barely lifted enough to sneak away as he was dragged unceremoniously into a sibling squabble. No, worse. A twin squabble.
It didn't matter whose side he chose here, as from the sound of it, this was a hotly debated topic to them. With there being years of context he had no idea of, he was clearly going to be offending at least one of them depending on how he responded.
'And pissing off a Gotham Elite sounds detrimental to my health.'
And judging from how the pair kept starring at him with heavy expectations, just bowing out wouldn't achieve anything positive.
"Well…." While it was pretty much impossible to suss out the details of the debate, he kinda got the general idea behind it. At least, he believed so. To him, this had very little to do with how she'd spoken to him and more seemed like two parents fighting over how to raise their favorite child. With both the twins the parents and Dahlia being the child...or maybe they were both just very protective friends. Just in different ways. Coddling vs tough love. From his first interact with the blonde, he could tell she wasn't built for Gotham. If it wasn't because of her family, this city would've eaten her up and spat out her bones well before now. The naive didn't last long without someone trying to take advantage of them. "I think she could do with leaving the city-"
"Hah!" Andres smugly barked, jamming a finger in the darkening face of his twin. "See? I told you-"
"But!" Albert quickly cut in, interrupting the gloating twin before he was forced on a path of no return. After all, a vindictive elite was a pain he couldn't afford to deal with right now. "That doesn't mean she shouldn't come back. Give her a year or two away from here. She likes charity work? Enjoys the feeling? Then get her in a volunteering corps, somewhere safe but where it'll really open her eyes to the world….at the end of the day, it's just a suggestion. You both need to remember that she is still an adult and neither of your are her parents, she's going to do what she wants and there's not a lot you can do about it."
Maybe it was a bit risky to scold them a bit near the end, but it needed to be said. There were few things worse than friends who hovered, thinking they know best and being controlling to the extreme. It was clear they both cared deeply for her, but their attitude would surely begin to cause friction in their relationship...if it hadn't already.
"Hmm…" Sabina rubbed her chin, truly taking in his advice. "I think I can get aunt Veronica to pull some strings, do you think the Peace Corps are accepting applications this time of year?"
"No." Her male counterpart denied. "Probably not them, she can barely stand too long without feeling woozy. Remember, she nearly passed out from being out in the sun for too long. She might be able to get in with a good work from our aunt, but they'll kick her out the moment they see how out of shape she is. What if we can convince aunt V to build up a fundraising event?"
"Get her to set up an excursion somewhere oversees where we get a bunch of volunteers to dig wells, help farm or build houses?"
"Right, we can make it last a year at first and with the possibility to extend it further?"
"We can even introduce it to some of the more ambition families here, if their youth's get sent then it'll look really good on them. I think we should get some reporters to go as well, preferably someone like Lois Lane-"
And on they went, like horses breaking out into a full spring at the beginning of a race, the twins charged forward. Going into deeper and deeper details, listing out a few possible families that might be interested and even a few donors who would love to have such a massive tax cut on their books.
As he was temporarily forgotten, that slight niggling feeling in the back of his mind flashed to the forefront. A puzzle piece falling into place and just like that, he knew exactly why Vreeland sounded so familiar.
Veronica Vreeland, one of the few members of the Gotham elites Bruce Wayne could call a friend. A women known for her massive fundraising events like galas and often praised for being a larger philanthropist than even the last living Wayne. But that didn't exclude her from being a trouble magnet. From being kidnapped numerous times by villains, to having her events crashed by opportunistic evil-doers, to even trying to the play The Penguin when he was trying to redeem himself.
'There's also that..'
Something within his chest flickered coldly. In one version, she was even involved in the presumed death of Ivy. Through some scheme involved marrying the trouble magnet to a plant disguised as a man to do something complete out of character for the red head. To steal money from the elites around the world. He didn't particularly know what caused her to suddenly have a change of heart, but it had turned fatal as the boat she was on exploded and presumingly caused the poison mistress to die. Either from the explosion itself or by drowning.
The creators had stated in an interview that it was likely she'd survived, heavily mutated, and just relocated to South America to become one with the rain forest.
In short, she was the type of person he wanted to have as many layers as possible to avoid having her condition rubbed on him. He didn't have the friendship of a billionaire by day and a vigilante by night.
"We're being rude." The twins spoke up in unison, something that caused the hairs on his arm to stand to attention and his shoulders to tense. They looked at each other, that creepy telepathy working its magic as a conversation quicker than sound occurred before the man nodded and took a slight step back. One hand nursing the remnants of his amber wine, another raised to tail down a wandering wait staff. Sabina turned her full attention to the teen, a small smile in place. "Sorry about that, when we get deep in brainstorming, that tends to happen...just a twin thing is all."
"Right…"
"You're probably wondering why we're the only….relatively normal people here, right?" That question made him pause, thinking back on things it was pretty off putting how much different these twins were in comparison to their peers. Ever since he'd walked into that damned mansion, every elite he'd spoken to had been arrogant and demeaning as could be. They oozed privilege and the fact that none of them had ever worked a day in their lives. None of them seemed human, just creatures infused with so much luxury that it had affected their own perception of the world. Even in comparison to their naive friend, the Vreelands were both outliers in that. And with his, admittedly spotty, knowledge on their aunt, it wasn't safe to make assumptions with too much conviction. So, instead of putting his foot in his mouth, he simply nodded slightly while locking gazes with the red head. Seeing this, she too mirrored him. "Well, going into a short history lesson shouldn't be too much trouble. Our great grandfather, Stanton Vreeland, was a known big game hunter. Elephants, great elk and tigers just to name a few. If you could name it then he has probably hunted it down. But due to some of the species becoming endangered, he was one of the first to take a stance to protect the last few remaining creatures….Not for an altruistic goal, of course but simply because if they were gone, he would miss out on some really good hunts. Combine his notoriety and wealth, he quickly became a very well known animal activist. Earning more wealth and influence that he had no interest in ever using. He taught our grandfather who then went on to become a high ranking general in the U.S. military...that by itself should explain everything. As tradition stands, all us of are required to learn how to hunt at a young age, go to military school and serve for at-least four years."
"We've only really been back in Gotham for less than a year now." Her twin spoke up, and now they mentioned it, things suddenly made a lot more sense. The way they stood wasn't anything like the rest of those attending tonight, instead their gate was measured and controlled like the hired guards outside. And given how long they've been back it was likely they were given enough time to begin growing their hair back. "And honestly now that we've fulfilled our obligations, the rest of our lives are for us to decide. We traveled the world, not in luxury and gained so much life experience that it'll be pretty hard for the wealth to go to our heads...I think that's why our grandfather has everyone go through that. Looking around now, we grew up with these people and despite it being over a decade later, none of them have changed. Take Adrianus for instance, I still remember him as a child bullying some serv-wait staff while his parents did nothing to reel him in...and now over ten years later, he's still the same."
"I'm not surprised, from what I heard that might just be in their blood."
"Oh?" Albert ears perked up, picking up on some gossip had been pretty difficult before. Most groups tended to quiet down real quick whenever he tried squeezing in, making it impossible to eek out any drama or rumors that these people would consider petty but would be pivotal for someone like him. And with the twins being so willing to share, who was he to turn down such a meal?
"It's no surprised you haven't heard. I'm sure they're suppressing any news about their cases." Sabina started, gaze growing excited at being able to gossip with someone new. Especially when that someone wasn't anywhere near her social circle. At least, that's what Psychology whispered. In such an environment, the skill was getting the chance it's legs. "Recently, three adult heirs from THREE desperate families were arrested for theft! Not tax fraud, no actual breaking and entering with guns to steal money or jewels of all things! Like really?! It doesn't make much sense! Maybe if it was for the thrill of it, I don't know. And guess what their genius idea was? Wear animals masks to hide their appearance! But here this, they still wore their expensive suits! Like custom made suits that costs enough that there are very limited number of them in the world! Their family, The Hardwicks, The Lydeckers and the Lawfords, apparently had a good enough lawyer to keep them out of Blackgate, which I don't agree with. If someones waving a semi-automatic rifle to rob someone, they deserve to go there. But anyway, that lawyer was able to get them into a correctional center out of state to serve their time...and given how much land their families have been selling to keep them there, things really aren't looking good for them."
"And it's also why the Hardwicks are hosting this event." Andres winked at a passing waitress, taking the offered glass and giving her highly suggestive eyes. Giggling, she turned and walked out of sight but not without swinging her hips to entice the red head. "They're probably using this as a way to building up a few connections and even announce a new product or something."
"You're a pig." She elbowed her twin hard in the side, a scowl evident on her face. "Stop making that expression when you have MY face."
"It's not YOUR face." He bit back, a scowl mirroring his twin. "I was born thirty seconds earlier than you. And cut me some slack, I've been away from women for over a year! So excuse me for not being a bastion of chastity, we can't all be a prude like you."
"You split off from me, so technically it's MY face. And you mean you haven't been around women that wouldn't get you court marshaled for messing around with. As for calling me a prude? My boyfriend might have something to say about that, he's not complaining. Where's your girlfriend?"
"Over there, maybe!" Andres harrumphed, defeated and retreating with his tail tucked between his legs. "It was nice meeting you Albert, but I have business to attend… Sister dearest? Do make sure to choke on the shrimp, it'll give you practice for your 'boyfriend'."
And before he could witness the fallout from his last comment, the large man scurried away. His gate sharp and crisp, but the outline of small critter escaping a furious creature was practically overlapped over his rapid escape. Albert looked at the last remaining twin out of the corner of his eye and instantly felt his heart fall into his stomach, her face had grown icy. Gaze hard as she tracked the fleeing man, and just like that, he knew this conversation was done.
But despite wanting to skulk off into the crowd as well before that ire was drawn to him, there was no way he was going to leave without planting a seed. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out one of his cards. That printed constellations of an eye on the back didn't invoke the same level of discomfort that Steve's painting gave him but he could still feel it. A mere shadow but it was still present.
"Thank you for the conversation," He began, sweat pooling down his neck as that icy gaze snapped his way. A polite smile on his face as he continued. "I won't keep you, I'm sure you have more important things to do...and I think I see Dahlia coming this way too. So please, take this. I run private investigation agency and we do a little bit of everything. Please, call us if you need something or someone found...and one more thing, did the three of them go by a name or alias?"
"I heard they were calling themselves The Terrible Trio." Sabina snatched the card out of his hand and without even looking at it, slid it into a small pocket on side of her dress. Her voice defensive. "And my boyfriend's penis is not small!"
'A lie.'
"Of course, Miss Vreeland."
***
"Put it back."
A sharp command that sliced through the deathly quiet cabin, forcing dexterous hands to still in place.
"But-"
"No 'buts', Master Dick." That elderly voice didn't have a hint of aged fragility anywhere in sight, despite the man appearing old even when Dick was young. It was like being instructed through a new kata, strict and meticulous. Maybe a bit forgiving at the start but after the same repeated mistakes, they'd lost that little bit of warmth. Becoming a cold and almost robotic voice that didn't demand perfection but did require his willingness to learn. "This is my fifth time telling you and my tenth time redoing that tie. If you do not put back exactly how it was before, I will staple it together. You will not walk in there looking like a ruffian. Am I clear, Master Dick?"
"I was going to put it back…" The teen grumbled, re-tightening the pitch black tie back in place. He couldn't help it, all summer long he'd gotten use to not being forced to wear such stuffy attire. And now here he was, forced to dress up like a penguin all to match image of what these people thought someone of his station should be. From the well tailored suit made of a 'comfortable' fabric, with freshly made leather shoes that practically smelled of a fragrant oil. One would think that he should've gotten use to wearing such stuffy attire if his nightly spandex attire was anything to go. But, that was different.
The Robin suit didn't feel stuffy, he didn't mind how the fabric stuck tightly to his skin nor how long it took to take off. It was freeing in a way that his current outfit simply didn't.
Slumping back in the all too comfortable seat, he gazed out to the passing houses. The night had fallen well over an hour ago, the current street only illuminated by electrical lanterns in-front of every home. Reaching high above his head, and curling down like something one would see in medieval times. Inefficient but stylish.
"Dick." A voice spoke up from right in front of him, looking up he saw a small red light flicker in the small window separating the driver from the rest of the limo. If he didn't know who this man was, he would've swore he heard a smile in that tone. "Come in."
"I can hear you."
There was no way he could get rid of his annoyance so quickly and if the man on the other end cared, then it really didn't show.
"Repeat your objectives."
"Bruce, I already kn-"
"Repeat your objectives."
"…." If Dick didn't know better, he would've thought that his mentor's long lost funny bone had returned just to screw with him. He already knew what needed to be done tonight. Knew a full week ago, and frankly he was going to be glad to just get this night over with. But he also knew how important this event was. Not only for Bruce to be able to provide support to the newly minted Commissioner but also for him to be able to spend more time with Barbara without people asking too many questions. That part, he would keep to himself. And so, breathing in enough air to cause his lungs to expand to their full size, he let it out in a steady stream. Feeling all that anger, annoyance and little bits of anxiety come flowing out. Leaving him in a more stabilized state. "My primarily objective is to make first contact with Barbara Gordon. Appear friendly and make sure everyone can us interacting at least three times, but keep each instance less than ten minutes to avoid unsavory rumors cropping up."
"My secondary objective," He continued after receiving nothing but silence from the other end of the call. "Is to make contact with the younger brother of Gunther Hardwick, the leader of The Terrible Trio. See his stance on his brother being incarcerated and see if he has access to his brother's inventions. If he does, offer to buy the rights and due to his family's situation, he's more likely to agree. Do this with anyone other family members related to The Terrible Trio while also looking for any hidden accomplices."
"Next, make contact with the twin Vreelands. Accept any invitation they might send my way." He'd met Veronica Vreeland a singular time and swore to never be in the same room with her again, the woman was just so exhausting to be around. Fluttering around to one thing or another, it was a fruitless effort to keep her. And combine that with the fact she called him 'The Brooding Prince', it was safe to say he did not like her in the slightest. Sometimes, he just wished all that charity work was just a facade to hide a villainess. Hopefully, these twins aren't as tiring as their aunt. "And only after I've completed those three objectives, I am to make one on one contact with Nelson. Feel him and his goals out. Acquire one of his business cards and inquire a bit about his past. Do not try to form a friendship."
"Why?"
It the was the first question he'd received and completely threw off his tempo. This was new.
"Because he's...skittish." Dick started slowly and only continued with a bit of confidence after not being interrupted. "He trusts very little and highly observant...He would see through my duplicitous intentions if I were to pry too hard. If I tried, he would know someone was up and would quickly avoid me for the rest of the night. Barbara...Barbara is able to get so close because he's shown to have a crush on her."
That last bit felt like dipping his tongue in battery acid. Tasting of pain and revulsion. Just thinking of that skinny prick's hands anywhere the red head was enough for that cool he'd fought so hard to collect nearly fly off the handles. A light tinge of red entered the corner of his vision as he tightened his fists hard enough to let out an audible pop.
"Continue."
"…." Gripping a hold of those spiraling thoughts in a firm grip, he squeezed along with his breathing. Eking out the volatile emotions to be blasted by a few moments of deep exhales. "After, after that, I am to disappear with Barbara for a maximum of five minutes one final time near the master bedroom and we're to look for any lingering signs of Thomas Elliot."
The limo became deathly quiet, something sad and morose cutting through the air. There was no answer this time, nor were there any questions asked from his side and he continued with a suddenly parched throat.
"When the time is up, we are to appear on opposite sides of the mansion and wrap things up….I am to mingle with anyone who approaches until ten o'clock in which I'll leave."
"Good." Bruce sounded as if he was nodding. "In the glove compartment to your left, there is an earpiece. Wear that. It'll allow you and Barbara to coordinate...and there's one more objective I have for you."
"Oh?" Dick leaned over and opened the sleek black glove compartment, finding a device just small enough to slide into his ear colored in just the right way to be nearly invisible to a casual inspection. "Must be pretty important."
"It's new." His voice grew flat, a warning clear for all to hear. "Avoid Angeline Gramercy and her plus one, a girl by the name of Marceline, otherwise, your ear piece will not work."
"….Magic?"
"Magic."