serinusniger | [Chiraptora: For Bryce Wayne]

"You're too kind," mutters Bryce -- who's attending the party as one Roberta Grey, to avoid any questions about her surname -- as she accepts the help.

Her dress is long-sleeved, low-necked, short-skirted, and velvety black. Is anyone surprised?

"A total gentleman, that's me," Dinah replies brightly, ignoring the reporters at first.

"Ms. Lance! Ms. Lance!" a female voice carries firmly through the hubbub. "When are you going to give a statement about your husband's involvement in Batman. Inc.?"

Dinah glances quickly at 'Roberta.' "Do you mind? It'll take a second."

Bryce's eyebrows shoot up.

"Please, be my guest."

This sounds like she something she wants to hear.

(And in the meantime, she's taking in the fact that this is a different world -- a different version of her own world, actually. If she didn't know, would she even notice?)

"Thanks," Dinah says. She holds Bryce's upper arm for a second before leaving it and grabbing the Dictaphone the redhead had pushed forward, leaving a second for everyone else to collect their stuff.

"Well," she starts, "you all know who I feel about costumed vigilantes What my ex-husband chooses to spend his money on is his own problem. Of course, I had no idea, but I must say I'm delighted that he's finally chosen to back the funds available to the GCPD. And I'll be happy to talk more about it at a more convenient time, but for now, I should want to make it plain how disappointed I am."

A pause, and she clarifies: "all this time I was married to someone who funded members of the Justice League and he never introduced me to Superman."

There's laughter, she pushes the Dictaphone back to the reporter, and reaches for Bryce's hand.

"Quickly, before they run out of canapes."

"You have got to tell me what that was about," she says under her breath, following Dinah and smiling professionally at the press. "Later on."

"There are no words for how much I want you to meet the Boy Scout," Dinah says cheerfully, deliberately picking the wrong 'all that' to focus on. She wraps her arm around Bryce's elbow, exactly like they were the oldest friends in the world, and turns away from the press.

"God, look at me, turning up with a gorgeous stranger. I can't wait to see the tabloids."

No really, it will be hilarious.

She pulls invitations from her clutch purse and shows them to the concierge, who directs them to the ballroom, which is packed with people as wealthy and well dressed as the two of them.

A big banner reads "Tongue in Chic!" and there are, among the towers of champagne glasses, tables covered in glossy hardbacks.

Dinah grabs two of those champagne glasses, and tips a good part of the contents of each into an unattended empty before handing Bryce one of them.

"So I have a confession to make," she says. "I'm not a fan of the book."

"If we make the front page, I hope you'll get me a copy for my scrapbook."

Bryce accepts the champagne, grinning.

"Luckily, being a fan isn't a requirement. Do you know the author or something?"

"I know of her."

Dinah pauses to wave and blow a kiss to a gentleman across the room. To raise her glass to someone else.

"Siobhan Logan. Daughter of a completely respectable businessman in Metropolis. She says she wanted to have the launch in Gotham because she's considering moving here. So it would only be polite to greet her, I thought."

"Always nice to have a friendly face greeting you when you move someplace new."

And it's always nice to know who's coming into your city. You never know what might be hiding under a completely respectable exterior.

. . . What?

"That's what I think," Dinah agrees, glancing around.

To all of it.

"I don't see her yet, though."

She also doesn't see the rakishly handsome young man in the Armani Suit coming up behind the two of them. Taller than them both, he has black hair, shining blue eyes, and a handful of tiny little shrimp pastries.

"I think she's decided to arrive fashionably late," he says. "Obviously no one told her about the quality of the food around here."

He ignores Dinah at first and just smiles warmly at Bryce.

Bryce turns and gives him a bright smile in return.

"To her own event? A little gauche, don't you think?"

Dinah lifts her glass to her mouth as she watches him fix his eyes on Bryce, give a cheeky wink and pop one of those shrimp canapes in his mouth playfully.

"Or she's perfectly on time and we're just in the wrong hotel," he says. "but with company like this, I don't want to be right. Dinah, you didn't tell me you had friends like this."

Dinah lowers her glass and says lightly:

"Oh come on, Dick. You can't expect me to introduce you to all my friends."

Bryce giggles behind her hand, then offers a handshake.

"Especially not the ones from out of town. Roberta. Hi."

Dick refuses to take the handshake. In total knowledge of how cheesy it is, he bends and kisses that hands.

"Delighted to meet you," he says.

Dinah grins at them both. "Roberta Grey, this is my step-son, Dick Grayson."

She'll just throw that out there.

. . . Dinah, you're terrible.

Well, it'll be more awkward for him if he flirts with her without knowing who she is than it is for her.

"Really!" she says brightly. "You're Jason's brother?"

"Oh, you've met Jason?" Dick says, glancing up at Dinah first, not particularly sure he likes her tone.

"I hope you won't judge the entire family based on one bad boy."

Dinah smiles sweetly at him.

"Oh, no, he's a sweetie."

Somehow she is able to say this with a straight face.

Dick gives Dinah another look. And looks from one of them to the other.

"Always falling for the bad boys," he says sadly. "I should have brought our youngest brother. He'd have you bowled over."

"Three boys?" Bryce gives Dinah a sidelong look. "How do you do it?"

Dinah just holds up two fingers. "And two girls," she says. "I do it by being very careful that they don't come into my life until they're ten at the very least."

Dick is quiet for now. Still grinning lazily, eating his pastries.

Edited 2012-10-22 23:47 (UTC)

"You're a stronger woman than I. I could never raise kids."

"Roberta," says Dinah, "I am absolutely certain that if an orphan landed on your lap with no one else to turn to, you'd change your mind."

She wraps an arm around Bryce's shoulder to steer her away from Dick, to whom she says:

"Don't you have countless young hearts to break, Dick? You don't want people to notice you chatting to your evil gold digging step mother."

He grins lazily at both of them. "Hey, my trust fund is out of your grasp, remember?"

But he takes the hint, and retreats to get himself something else to eat.

"What an interesting young man," Bryce murmurs as they move on. "Grayson? The name sounds familiar."

"Don't let him fool you," Dinah says. "That charming flirtatious act? Not an act."

Unlike with the other Bats, as they both know.

She's looking around the room, again, for Ms. Logan when she answers the next question.

"The Flying Graysons. Haley's circus. John and Mary - You'll keep an eye out, won't you?"

This is as much a favor for Bryce herself as for Dick or Dinah. She sometimes thinks that if Bruce could go back and save one set of parents, it would be those two.

"John and Mary Grayson." She nods. "Of course I will."

One more name to add to the list of alerts on her computer. She suspects there are going to be quite a few of those this evening.

"But honestly, Dinah -- five kids? Are they all in the family business?"

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