synthneon | · CALL ME OUT (SPRING) ·

[ the last 24 hours had been a whirlwind. everything had been normal, at least the normal she had been used too. it was supposed to be another normal night with one of her regular clients. he was a senator and old enough to be mia's grandfather. and then the window of the hotel room was smashed and there was a gigantic shadow. batman. and he was scary and wonderful at the same time. after he had incapacitated her client he had turned to her, looked at her. he asked her if she was hurt. if she was okay. and if she could get somewhere safe. she had nodded because what else could she do. and then she got out of there. but she didn't have anywhere safe to go, so she went back to her pimp because even that was better than the streets.

which is why she was where she was right now, dressed up like a doll at a gala for gotham's elite. it was rare a client actually took her somewhere like this, probably because of her age, there weren't many places grown men could take a teenage girl that wouldn't raise a few red flags. she knows after the gala they'll go to a hotel room and she knows exactly what will happen. which is why she's going to enjoy herself here as much as possible. it isn't often she gets to actually have fun.

she doesn't notice bruce wayne right away. there are so many people at the gala it's enough to make her head spin. her clinet hadn't really noticed when she slips away from him. he's too busy bragging about some new business aquisition to his friends and from the way they had looked at her earlier he had bragged about her (which makes her nervous about what he might expect her to do later).

she's managed to sneak a few drinks because apparently no one ids at parties for gotham's wealthiest. it's only when she grabbed her second drink from a passing train she stops to look at him. something about him is oddly familiar. it's probably just because he's bruce wayne. everyone knows who bruce wayne is even those who make their living on the street. but it's something else and she can't stop staring at him. his eyes. his chin. the way he talks to other people. and then a thought strikes her. he's still far enough away from her that if she raises her hand at a certain angle she'll cover part of his face from view. if anyone was to look at her they'd probably just think she was someone's daughter admiring one of her rings in the light (a loan from her client). instead, she's covering the top half of bruce wayne's face.

it takes her a moment. because that can't be right? can it? she glances over at her client who's still wrapped up in his story. then she sets her drink down and goes over to bruce. ]

Mr Wayne? [ she's all smiles. ] Hi.

Edited 2020-06-28 08:12 (UTC)

Yes? [ bruce turns to look at the source of the question.

he wasn't expecting to see the girl from the night before.

not that bruce acts surprised to see her. he can mask his feelings and act his way out of a paper bag. he has his usual black suit on, black tie, black shirt, hand in his pocket with a glass of champagne in his hand. there's no date for him tonight at the gala. namely because it'd be hard to find one at the drop of a hat - even if alfred insisted that he ask diana prince to go along with him.

which he didn't.

he gives her a typical 'bruce wayne smile.' the playboy of gotham who treats all his employees with care, respect, and sometimes people wonder how they're the same person. ]

Is there something I can help you with?

[ his voice isn't the same, which shouldn't be surprising but it is. but looking at him she feels even more certain and for a moment she doesn't understand why everyone isn't staring at him. do they have any idea of who was at their stupid gala?

mia smiles. she's become an expert at hiding how she was really feeling. it was probably why she was one of the favourites amongst "richard's girls." tricking all the disgusting men into thinking she actually liked them and liked what they made her do. she's not about to give up the fact that she knows at least not yet. ]

I just wanted to say hi. [ she can feel her client's eyes burning into them from across the room. ] I've heard so much about you but never thought I'd get the chance to say hello.

[ she wants to ask him - no, tell him. she wants to ask him to punch her client in the face. to tell him that she really didn't have anywhere safe to go. but she doesn't. at least not yet. ]

[ she'll find out soon enough that most rich people in gotham don't care about what the tabloids post unless it is going to hurt them and their image. especially bruce wayne. he's used to it though, he can make the papers dance in circles if he wants. though right now he's more wondering how the girl he saved last night is here at a gala he's at.

not that he's acting as if he has a clue to what is going on. ]

Get to know Gotham's favorite bachelor before you leave for the night? [ another easy smile for her before he nods over to a back door. oh, he's aware she's underage. he can say it without saying it though. one clear shot for her to get out without anyone being the wiser. ] The tabloids might get the wrong idea if you stay around too long. You know how they are.

[ mia seems unphased, mostly because she is. she's been around enough powerful men to know how things worked. she tilts her head subtly in the direction of her client who is now glaring at them over his drink. ]

That's cute. I'm already booked. And somehow I don't think my face will end up in the papers.

[ in a way it's her asking for help. it's at least as close as she'll get without openly saying it. because she had learned the hard way that asking for help never led to anything good.

her heart starts to pound in her chest. because she knows any moment now there will be a hand on her upper arm dragging her away from bruce. dragging her away for another night of doing whatever she has to do to keep surviving. this might be her only chance to ask - to tell him. she takes a step closer to him and looks up at him. her voice is barely above a whisper when she finally speaks. ]

So does anyone else here know you're Batman?

[ oh. bruce pretends to look busy by something. he reaches for his phone and makes a few swipes at it. good thing that he's paid for the security at the event. it comes with the benefits of being the host. which means that with a press of a button he can alert them to any guest he feels is putting on a bad impression for wayne enterprise's and their image...

though he'll hold off just one more moment. just enough to read the situation more. ]

Lucky. Wish I knew the feeling. [ it's a serious statement masked in a joke. something tells him that she'll get it.

he presses the button.

then laughs. him. batman? how'd she figure it out? ]

You know, just because I'm elusive and a bit of a night owl, doesn't mean I'm an urban legend.

[ she gets it. and it takes her mind a few minutes to catch up. he may have saved her from another night but she still had to go back to richard and somehow she doesn't think he's going to be happy with her. and she's learned more times than she can count what happens when he isn't happy, the hard way. the last time she couldn't see clients for weeks.

she notices security moving out of the corner of her eye as they head in the direction of her client and his friends. she doesn't look, she doesn't need to see, even if it would be satisfying. they'll cause a fuss and everyone will look and watch. people always love a scene, usually, she does too. instead, she keeps looking at bruce. even when he laughs off what she says it somehow almost makes her more certain. she isn't 100% sure what it is about him. but she's sure. ]

Maybe not. [ she smiles. urban legend, huh? was that really the best he could do? ] You don't need to worry, I'm not gonna tell anyone.

[ bruce instead keeps his eyes on the whole scene. namely because he's expected to as their boss. there's a slight nod when the head of security raises their own head. get the guy and his friends out here. bruce is pretty sure that the bastard kissed someone's ass for a plus one to the event anyways.

he pockets the phone again and plucks a glass off the server that walks by. ]

Tell everyone that I'm the stuff that gives nightmares to the lowlifes of Gotham? I'm a business man. I make sure the city keeps turning. [ he does a smooth turn then to put his back to others and motions for her to walk with him. he won't touch her or guide her physically. he knows what kind of people are in their company.

his voice powers then as they walk away. ] And, given that, I have some ties to high places that can get you out of the situation you're in. I have the right friends that will make sure they keep their hands off you. People outside of Gotham.

[ diana springs to mind. he could even ask lois lane, though he feels that might be a bit of a stretch. ]

You think it's businessmen who keep Gotham going? [ she follows him with a raised eyebrow. from everything she had seen it was people who kept the city going. businessmen didn't care about people like her or any of the other kids out on the street. they just wanted to line their pockets more and live the fancy life.

not that she was going to pass up on enjoying parts of it. a server walks by with a tray of canapés. mia pauses for a moment to take one which she instantly puts in her mouth whole so she can grab a few more. the server makes a face at her which mia responds by going crosseyed at before she continues to follow bruce. ]

What... [ she swallows the rest of the canapé. ] Gotham's Home for Wayward Girls? They say they care but girls like me aren't something most of them want to deal with.

[ because she's tried to go to other places for help before. a child prostitute wasn't' something many people could handle or wanted to deal with. it was too ugly. and mia had seen the blame in people's eyes far too often. but she did what she had to do to survive even if it meant trading one horrible situation for another. ] Somehow I doubt I'm high up on your superfriend's priority list.

[ whether she's alluding to him being Batman again or super as in more powerful businesspeople she doesn't say. instead, she eats another canapé. ]

Do rich people not eat pizza?

They feed money down into the criminals who use it to expand their empires. It comes from the top and the bottom. [ spoken like someone who may have too much information on the subject. ]

I was thinking of people in Metropolis. Maybe even as far out as Paris.

[ the expression on his face says he is deadly serious about that too. he trusts lois and diana. if they'd do him any favors is something different. lois has connections higher up into the government. they could make something happen. ]

Superfriend's? Please. We all know that Superman was the golden boy of Metropolis. Even if the press liked to write puff piece after puff piece.

[ he pauses at that and looks at her. ] Of course we do.

[ mia eats another canapé to stop from retorting. she isn't sure what richard would think of that. even if there weren't rich clients there would always be someone wanting what he provided. not that there was anything wrong with that. over the years mia had come to terms with what she had to do to survive and she wasn't ashamed of it anymore. if it had been her own choice it would have been different..

she stops mid-bite when he says metropolis and even stops walking. ]

Whoa, slow your roll Batty Warbucks you're not shipping me off somewhere. And I don't even speak French.

[ she finishes her final canapé and makes a slight face. she was done feeling powerless, she wanted to make her own decisions. besides, he was batman she wasn't going anywhere.

and honestly, the more they talk the more certain she is of who he is. ]

So bats and aliens aren't friends? [ she makes a face. ]

You know for like a plate of those things you could probably get three large pizzas.

My friend speaks French. She could probably teach you.

[ it's more as if he is testing her. if she's not willing to change her situation then there's no point in constantly getting her out of that situation. ]

So, we're willing to discuss your future over pizza? [ bruce stops and looks at her with an eyebrow raised. he won't even make comments about her bat related jabs. ]

[ mia snorts. she hasn't gone to school since she ran away from home, it had been years. but what she lacked in academics she made up for in street smarts. but she has no interest in leaving gotham as horrible as it was it was also her home. ]

What she can't teach in Gotham?

[ now this was unexpected. but she wasn't sure what she was expecting exactly when she approached him. it had been impulse mostly. the need to talk to him, especially after last night. she hadn't really planned on asking for help. and the last thing she expected for him to do what he did. ]

Pineapple on pizza. Yes or no?

The point is to get you out of Gotham. I thought you could keep up.

[ he knows she's just testing his resolve. it is only annoying because he's trying to get her in a better position and she just outright refuses to even play along. ]

Depends on everything else on it.

Oh, I can keep up. You're trying to get rid of me. But listen, Gotham is my home. Even if it's shitty and I had a lot of bad things happen to me here it's still my home. And I want to see the good it has too.

[ she crosses her arms over her chest. deep down she knows she's being stubborn and stupid. a chance to go to paris? she would be an idiot to pass that up, which obviously she was. but she was tired of other people dictating her life. whatever she did she wanted to make her own decisions. ]

Ham and cheese.

No, I'm trying to put you somewhere safe. Sometimes, you need to be away from home for awhile before you can tackle fixing it.

[ after all, bruce wayne disappeared for a few years. then came back. then suddenly wayne enterprise's was more robust than ever. he also may or may not have received ninja training. ]

Then usually pineapple goes on it.

You don't even know my name how do you know what's safe for me? You're just assuming because of who you are and what you do that you know what I need.

[ she scrunches up her face in annoyance and then sighs. taking out how she's feeling on him isn't fair. but she's heard things like this before. people who have the best intentions without fully realizing what they were doing. ]

Sorry, I haven't had a Snickers today. [ it's a joke. honestly, something she tells her that he probably does have a better idea of what she needs. but she doesn't want charity, not really. ]

Good. Hawaiian doesn't deserve the hate it gets.

Underage people don't s lip into a Wayne Enterprise's gathering unless they've been smuggled in.

[ he says it flat out and pointed. though he cracks something of a smirk at her joke. ]

So, do you need some help excusing yourself? Or do you want to take your chances?

Duh. This isn't my first rodeo.

[ it was sad because it was true. while most of her clients were dirty old men who stuck to hotel room enough of them took her out to show her off. the men bruce had kicked out weren't her only clients here. ]

I've been taking chances my entire life, bring it on.

Obviously.

[ given how he had found her... that part wasn't surprising at all. what was surprising was how much she was fighting him on i t. ]

Then, follow the waiting staff out the back. That's probably your best shot for now. I've got a friend there that can help for now.

[ aka alfred. ]

[ in mia's mind she wasn't fighting, she just wasn't going quietly. she had been pushed around enough, she didn't want him to think he could do the same. that he could just ship her off somewhere - like paris, or anywhere. that wasn't why she approached him. deep down mia knows she could have got help from one of those organizations. for all the good it would do. it would only be a matter of time before richard tracked her down. besides, mia knew that her history would always follow her and people would always judge her. it wouldn't matter she had done those things to survive, they would just see the fact she was a recovering addict and a child prostitute and that would be that.

besides, she doesn't want bruce wayne of all people to send her away, especially knowing what she knew about him. she wanted to know more about him. how he did what he did. what his secret hideout looked liked (because he obviously had a secret hideout). ]

I've heard that one before.

It's my butler. Alfred. He's family.

[ he sighs and gives her a hard stare. ]

I trust him more than anyone else in the world. Would that be enough?

[ mia matches his stare. she knows he should probably be intimidated by him, especially since she knows who he is and had told him as such. but she wants him to know she isn't intimidated. she's seen scarier things than him before. ]

Fine. But I'm asking him to take me for pizza and a milkshake. And later you're going to answer my questions.

I might answer your questions.

[ He isn't beholden to her questions. He doesn't owe her anything. Bruce simply wants her safe and out of the life she's in. Although, if it were that simple, then everyone would have moved out of Gotham ages ago. ]

Uh, how many people have figured it out. C'mon buddy.

[ she smiles then, a genuine one. because she's a little bit proud of herself, but also he's batman and that's cooler than she'll ever admit. she takes a few steps backwards towards the door. ]

See you later Batboy. [ she plucks a champagne flute off a tray off a passing server (who doesn't even blink), guzzles it and then flashes bruce a peace sign before she turns around and heads towards the door. ]

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menarebrave - 2020-08-07 02:46 (UTC) - Expand