[Chiraptora: For Bryce Wayne]

[serinusniger]

The book launch Dinah so much wanted to go to is taking place in the ballroom of the Gotham Hilton, and the guest list is long and illustrious enough to warrant a large media presence in front of the hotel lobby, parting occasionally to let cars arrive.

It's into this crowd that Dinah, dressed to impress in red, with impressive slits up both sides, pulls her matching red Ferrari. She grins at the snapping photographers, pulls on her heels while still sitting in the convertible, and offers the keys to the valet who opens the door.

Then she offers a hand to her passenger, because coming out of this door will still be easier than fighting the other side.

Comments

[serinusniger]

The argument goes, that the earlier you train them, the better they are as adults.

Dinah agrees with Bryce, and doesn't feel like voicing that thought. Not does she feel like bringing up Cassandra.

"Yes," she says quietly. "I know."

[gothamsheiress]

"Sorry." She sighs. "Obviously you know."

[serinusniger]

Dinah shakes her head. "It's okay. It's a lot to take in."

Especially when dumped on by a woman who feels guilty about having kids in this life.

"They're doing better. Sin is doing really well at school."

[gothamsheiress]

"That's good."

Bryce knows how inescapable the League's training can be, though, and she can only imagine it's more intense for a child. What kind of lives they'll lead--

Well. They'll lead better lives here than there. That's the important thing.

[serinusniger]

Dinah nods. And suddenly brightens and looks about to change the subject when her expression freezes and then turns into a frown. She turns away from Bryce by a few degrees, not hiding, but also not talking to her.

"I'm busy right now."

[gothamsheiress]

--That must be how she looks when she's talking on the Suit's radio.

She raises her eyebrows, sips her coffee, and waits.

[serinusniger]

Dinah bites her lip, sending Bryce an apologetic look.

"I just sent Cassie home," she continues, and "Jason's not due back on this side of the country until tomorrow morning."

She waits a beat, and adds, "and I have company."

[gothamsheiress]

Bryce shakes her head.

"I'm the last person who'll stop you if you -- need to work," she says quietly.

[serinusniger]

"You are no help," Dinah tells her, then she sighs.

"Alright," she says, again not to Bryce. "But I'm only doing this because I love you. And you have to find me another babysitter."

After a second's silence, there's a PAFF sound from the living room, a cloud of purple smoke, and a redheaded teenage girl looking around curiously.

"Did someone call a babysitter?"

[gothamsheiress]

At the sudden sound, Bryce turns and almost gets to her feet, automatically on high alert.

When she sees it's a teenage girl, she sits back fractionally and keeps Dinah in the corner of her eye to gauge her reaction.

[serinusniger]

Dinah shakes her head. "Hi, Charlotte," she says, clearly used to this behavior. "Keep it down, will you? I just got Sin off to sleep.

"Okay," she says this while heading towards the hallway and the bedrooms.

"You know the rules. Help yourself to anything in the fridge, Don't let her trick you into letting her get back up again. If anything happens, you call me or Blackbird. Do not teleport out of the apartment until we get back."

"Got it, Dinah!" Charlotte says cheerfully, waving at Bryce, to whim she hasn't been introduced. "You go kick some ass!"

Dinah shoots her a smile, and beckons Bryce to come with her, into the master bedroom.

[gothamsheiress]

Bryce raises her eyebrows, puts her coffee down, and gets up to follow Dinah.

"Do you need backup?"

[serinusniger]

Dinah's room is large, comfortable, and littered with clothes from a couple of days not being bothered to pick up. She walks straight through to her closet and pulls out a leather leotard which she throws on the bed before pulling on a pair of fishnets.

"That's up to you," she says. "I know you didn't sign up for this, so I can just cut the evening short and send you home if you want."

But this is a can't-send-the-kids mission, so back up would be nice.

[gothamsheiress]

"I'm not exactly dressed for the occasion."

She's made do before.

"If you have anything I can borrow--"

Ideally . . . not fishnets.

[serinusniger]

No fishnets.

Dinah pulls a thinky face, eyeing up Bryce for size.

"I could ask my partner if she's got any old out... okay okay that's a no. Hang on..."

In fishnets and with her dress half off, she returns to her closet.

"This is what I get for never throwing anything away," she says, and pulls out a catsuit.

"Kevlar weave, full range of movement. I won't make you wear the jacket. We all had an unfashionable phase."

Be grateful she's not pulled out the tracksuit.

[gothamsheiress]

Bryce raises her eyebrows, accepting the catsuit.

"Black and yellow. Go Rogues."

[serinusniger]

Dinah, pulling her own black body suit on and shedding her dress without the slightest modesty (too many rushed costume changes for that), gives Bryce a blank look.

"Sports team?"

[gothamsheiress]

"Football," she confirms, starting to strip off her own outfit.

[serinusniger]

"I'm a Knights girl myself," Dinah replies.

The world differences are kind of weird sometimes.

She doesn't take long to dress, because she's not wearing much, and adds a jacket and black and yellow boots and gloves quickly.

"Alright, you've had experience with Jonathan Crane, right? Ever encountered Jarvis Tetch?"

[gothamsheiress]

"Can't say I have."

Once the suit's on -- not a perfect fit, but close enough for now -- she starts twisting her hair into a quick braid to keep it out of her way.

"Similar MO?"

[serinusniger]

"Only in that they both like to mess with your mind," Dinah says. She's about to leave when she stops, doubles back and opens her jewelry box.

Speaking again to someone not Bryce, she says, "hey, O? Will my old Canary studs cancel Tetch's device? Yeah? Great."

She glances at Bryce, "are your ears pierced?"

[gothamsheiress]

"Yes."

Why?

[serinusniger]

Dinah hands over a pair of earrings, shaped like canaries.

"Tetch uses mind control devices that operate on a radio frequency," she says. "These will cancel the effects.

"Also they're microtransmitters. The mouthpiece is in your zip pull."

[gothamsheiress]

Bryce's expression hardens, and she immediately slips the earrings on.

"I see. Good to know."

There are a few things that put Bryce extremely on edge; the prospect of losing control over her own mind is one of them.