isarose2

[isarose2]

Let’s have some (family) fun tonight

So this follows Deal, during the night of the event this is a part of the fanfiction Lost and Found. 

Damian hangs up his phone in a huff. "your dad again?" Mary asks as she puts on the barest amount of makeup. "father seems to be under the impression that I will behave recklessly tonight, as if I would degrade myself. It is almost as if he believes I will show up on my bike" Damian says tartly, put off by his father's comments, of course he knew the dangers he was once killed was he not. He was not going to do anything that involved danger while at the gala, if something should occur he would ensure that Mary was safe before departing, that is what you were suppose to do. "well why don't you?" Mary calls out to him. "Pardon?" "I am not saying to go to the gala on the bike but just show up there on it, like go be car, get close enough to the building get out on to your motor bike, and ride it through the limos straight onto the carpet" she said. He looks at her question, then squinches his eyes at her, "and what would be the purpose of this" "you said your father told you don't show up on a motorcycle, well why don't you. I mean I know it sounds childish, but you are an adult and it would be so much more fun than showing up like everyone else" she explains, with a playful look on her face. "and I suppose there is a position for yourself in this farce" he says. " well yeah, I would be riding with you" "beg your pardon, but how do you intend to do so in your, chosen attire?" he said while looking her up and down. She wasn't deterred, what's the point of being a model if you get uncomfortable at people looking at your body. "you have no idea how many photoshoots I have done in Europe while on a moving vehicles, I can hold on fine, and I will look spectacular while doing it" she says confidently. "I am not going to go along with this folly just to 'make you look good' I am simply trying to garner the attention of the press by behaving in a manner befitting an heir" "but it would be so much more fun, and when was the last time you consciously did something that you were specifically told not to do" she asks Everyday,  he thinks to himself, but he can’t tell her that as that would change her opinion of him plus there was no reason to bring her into his 'grievances' with his father or family members as much as she already is. "well I suppose it is an idea, but why again would I make such an entrance" "because then you can have the attention on you and not your father. Plus it's not like he can say anything to you at the time because for all the cameras and celebs." she said. He looked at her, he never had a desire for that, but he supposed he could understand where she was coming from. His place in his family tree should be directly below his father but there were so many obstacles getting in the way of that, his other family members mistrust of him due to his obedient nature towards his father was one. But maybe this could go for his favor, sure he was directly disobeying an order by his father but so had the others and they had garnered much more respect from his father for that. Damian smirked, "Ms. Grey you do seem to be capable of capricious behavior" "if your saying that I know how to underhandly annoy people while getting away with it, then well you have seen nothing yet" she smirked at him. "you should know that the moment my father questions me I will include your involvement in this" "I can take care of myself, I am not afraid of some rich man" she said. We will see. He kept that to himself, still the way that Mary had said as much, it did seem like she could handle herself.

[isarose2]

Deal

This is a continuation of my fanfiction Lost and Found, it follows after “your inviting who?”

Mary and Damian where at her apartment again, they were cleaning up after making and eating dinner, or 'being domestic' as Mary sometimes referred to it as. Damian was at the dishes when he said, "there is a gala that is happening in five days from now." "yup" Mary said not looking up from where she stood in front of the fridge putting the leftovers away, "this you asking me to be your 'escort'?" she asked. Damian blushed, "now how could you possibly-" "what no really, I was joking" she said looking at him, "you were not seriously going to ask me to go with you?" Damian looked back at the dishes, "well if you are that bothered by the idea then maybe I won't" (no he was not 'brooding' as Dick referred to it) Mary sighed, "no dude, it's alright I mean it could be fun I have just…, it's been a while since I went to a gala, but um yeah sure I can go with you" she said sheepishly. "well if your going to say it like that" he trailed off. Mary huffed, "look I am sorry just ask me the question again?" Damian rolled his eyes, normally he would just ignore it and just go with someone else, but… he already told his family he would go with Mary so… Damian turned his head to look at Mary, "Mary would you go to the gala with me that is in 5 days from now?" "sur-, er I mean yes Damian I would love to accompany you to the gala that will be held five days from now" she said trying to maintain composure, then she thought of something "Tell you what, lets make a deal, I will be the 'proper' high society girl for you at this party and you buy us some new furniture" "Us?" "yeah well, I figured if you are going to be staying over more often then we probably need some stuff, like a book shelf for you to leave your books at so I don't end up tripping on them when they fall from the couch to the floor." Damian looked around the apartment, "I could just buy you a new apartment all together, one with 2 rooms and a bigger living space for me to stay over at" Mary hung her head down, "you did not just seriously say that you want to move in with me, don't you have a mansion, or a penthouse to live at" "I find it more comfortable to be here" "and yet you want to buy me a new apartment?" "your right, I should just buy the building and live next door" "hmm, now that you mention it there are apartments for rent in this building but I don't know how they compare to-, hey wait a minute, I have neighbors what are you going to kick them out of their homes to live near me?" "they wouldn't be kicked out, I could just relocate them to another floor or apartment, I mean in this scenario I would own the building" Mary scratches her temples, " Damian there are things called leases, besides you can't just do what you want to get your way" "but I have always done so, and I have the wealth for it" "why am I not surprised?" "so" Damián said after a moment of silence, "you are going with me to the gala?" "yes I am Damián" "and I am buying you furniture" "yes Damián" "and afterwards I am buying this building and remodeling it to make this entire floor into one home were we both will-" "no Damián, just no" Damian held his thought, although living near Mary wouldn't be bad, or with her, it would just be too suspicious after he had told his family that they weren't dating, but they could. 'lets not have that conversation just yet' he thought to himself as Mary went back to her task of rearranging the fridge.

[isarose2]

Your inviting who?

This is a continuation of my fanfiction Lost and Found, Mary won’t show up but she will be talked about. 

"After Scarecrow got out, he hid undercover, but Redhood and Redrobin managed to tract down where he might be hiding out. We are also sure that he has made enough of his 'gas' to affect a small convention center. We still have yet to recover either him or the gas" Bruce said to his family. "we learned from Cat woman that he is likely to attack in a very public and popularized manner. He wants the people to know he's out and he is still a threat" Cass said. "the only events this months that he could strike and instill such fear is the botanical garden opening, or the gala" Red robin said looking a his tablet. "he won't go after the garden, not after the last time Ivy spotted him near the park" Barabara said through the coms, she was still in her watch tower, just because there was a family meeting didn't mean that all of them could be offline, it was morning which less crimes happen in the day light hours but still. "right so the gala, the one that both Bruce Wayne and Damian Wayne must attend" Dick brought up. "We will have to be careful then, and try to move people out if danger is detected" Damian said. "we will also have to create covers if we have to leave early, this will be an all hands situation if there is an attack, the people in attendance will be complicated." "I will be fine, I will bring an acquaintance with me that could prove useful" Damian said. The family just looked at him, what? "you want to bring an ordinary civilian to a possibly dangerous situation" Bruce scrutinized. "it is a gala, it would be an inconvenience if I  attend by my self, there would be too many people watching me, with another person around their focus maybe on her, or at the very least the both of us, if I need to leave early then she would provide cover" Damian said curtly. "since when did you have a girlfriend?" Jason said with boredom. "pardon" Damián asked. "it's that model girl isn't it, the one you have been seeing" Tim says piecing it together. "your dating someone? And a model since when, what's her name? why didn’t you tell us" Dick asked curiously, he had been wondering why Damian was being all mysterious with his personal life, but then again he was arguably the less 'social' of there bunch. At least the others sometimes had had some romantic interests Damian didn't even seem interested in that kind of thing, or anything outside of 'Robin' things. "maybe it wasn't your business" Cass says rolling her eyes at Dick's 'hen-mood'. "Mary is the type of person to gather attention from a crowd and not ask too many questions, she will at least provide for some distraction if the case needs it. Also I fail to see how me attending with her insinuates anything more than platonic companionship" Damian said. "so you want to use her for a cover" Tim said  he could see his point. "so you aren't dating anyone" Dick said. Damian ignored his comment "I prefer her presence to those of random citizens, and she knows how to avoid public embarrassment. It is safer than going alone and possibly having to handle people who wish to gather my attention, I can focus on the mission at hand with Mary to distract anybody if need be" "and you sure she won't ask any questions or her family" Kate asked. "she was orphaned at a young age so she has no other family to speak of(at this, Dick, Jason, Tim and Steph frowned), at the same time she seems to easily put her faith in those that she 'trusts' so she won't ask any questions if I tell her I have to leave early. She can also hold out on her own if the situation requires it" Damian said calmly. "well you certainly did your homework" Cass says, she frowns, "when was she orphaned?" Damian rolls his eyes, he knew they would question is choose but he knew that he would prefer for Mary to be the one to be able through this complicated protection plan. They still weren't sure if Scarecrow would attack but he couldn't take the chance that he would have to be Robin the night of the gala. Unfortunately 'Damian Wayne' garnered too much attention for him to just 'disappear', having someone there to get the lime light off of him was important. He didn't like possibly endangering Mary but after watching her spar a couple of times, and how she defends herself he knew she would be fine if he had to leave her alone. "she's in her late teens and estimates that she was orphaned around nine or ten years ago" Everyone straightens up at this. "before you ask no I do not believe that Mary holds any intentions against the family or has any issues with high profile people" Damian said, other than himself he has never witnessed Mary being anything but cordial to any person regardless of status. Again people just look at him. "Umm Damian are you sure that there isn't something that's I don't know a little more pressing than her personality around rich people" Red robin asked. Damian swallowed, "I haven't given it much thought to be honest". "why not?" Damian looks to the ground, "yes there are apparent similarities between Mary and our own relative that was … lost, however until I can make definitively sure I refuse to speculate on that. Mary has to much going on in her life for this to occupy some of her time" People hummed, then Jason said something that he was wondering for a while. "You sure your not just trying to keep yourself from admitting the truth or in some way keeping her to yourself" Damian took offense to this, "If you are insinuating that I would let myself be clouded by the notion of hope I assure you that-" "That's not what I mean, what I am trying to say is that I don't think anyone of us here wouldn't want to have one more day with our Mar'I but involving another person could have serious consequences." Damian shook his head, "I appreciate your concern but no I am not deflecting, the Mary that I know is a decent individual that just so happened to share a lot of similarities and mannerisms to a family member but I am not trying to keep her from anyone either. That’s why when I set up a trace on her I made it available to everyone." "I was wondering where that came from, I just thought that was you trying to protect your girlfriend" red robin said. Damian rolls his eyes at the word girlfriend, seriously do these people only have one speed. (Not that he would be against dating Mary however they made the decision a long time ago that they would try the platonic friendship part first and that seemed to be working great so far, neither of them have asked for more so there is no reason to move on that.) "I was more concerned with the fact that she seemed to be going from a job that requires a lot of intensive travel to being stationary as well as her job can be complicated with the people that she meets there is no way of knowing what might be following her" People looked away some shrugged, some sighed, bringing up Mar'I always had that effect on them, some wounds just don't ever heal properly. "it does seem like a sound judgement, but Damian if she get's hurt on this mission that's on your consequence" Bruce warned effectively putting an end to the conversation about Damian and his 'friend Mary. "nothing will happen to her" Damian said with confidence.

[isarose2]

Time together part 2

This is continuation to the chapter time together part 1, as a part of the fanfiction Lost and Found. 

"You know it is considered a crime when you break into the same dwelling more than three times" Mary said drolly to the rich boy she found in her kitchen when she walked into the small apartment. "Not if you’re one of the property managers" Damian said as he prepared another plate for the girl. Mary's eyes widened, "please tell me your joking" "Well Father's company doesn't own buildings besides those of professional use but we do manufacture most of the private security systems in most commercial  and residential buildings in the city. Which means that our names are in the lease when you sign for the apartment as well." he explained. "note to self, read the fine print" Mary said tiredly, she was freaked out there for a second. "you are quiet capable of that already, with how you handled yourself in the contract signing, so why would you need to remind your self once more" "because the job I am doing and who is allowed in my place when I am not there are two different things entirely" she explained. "well you did say I that your 'door is always opened', which it a security risk I will have you know" "that was a metaphor, don't they have those is the middle east?" "I know information that is useful, not collocal dialect" Damian said curtly, it was true, though he knew a lot more stuff that wouldn't be useful for an 'average' citizen. Like when the shift change was for policeman and how to disarm a grenade with one hand. Mary sighed giving in, this wasn't the first time, there just was no arguing with the boy who thinks he is always right. Still she didn't think that Damian would take her serious when she said that. Besides this was the ninth time Damian decided to 'visit', most of the time he would have the decency to wait in the café across the street or knock on the door but this was the fourth time he was in her apartment without her knowledge at least she hopes this is only the fourth. Mary had just finished another modeling job she had taken with a sports company and she was going to take the night off to relax, maybe do a little flying, now she has to babysit the billionaire. Well he did seem to always leave before it got too late, but it was the principle. Damian had been coming over since the day he had that spat with his dad, and even though it was a three times a week occurrence, she didn't want to get involved in a rich family's issues. Those never turned out well for the protagonist in the movies, and books. The Wayne project was slowing down, she had done the shots they needed for the catalog during the trip and polished off the magazine part. Next was the 'family' shots and she was really looking forward to working with more people who knew what they were doing but it was such a slow process. The biggest thing that the toy company insisted to get the finished polished shots once they were developed, so that meant that they would be let out by almost a week while the editors worked on the photos to make them look legit, typically they had one shot and done, but this was multiple spreads so it dragged on. This was good because it allowed her free time to do her school work which if her calculations were correct she might be able to finish a full semester earlier than expected. But it also gave her time to work on other projects like the one she finished, and add to her savings. She had figured that she would be busy, on the other hand she didn't expect having a house guest. Damian was a good person,(she found out), she figured that whatever issue he had with his family they can work out fine by themselves but he insisted on coming over. On the one hand it did make her feel less lonely, and a bit safer, that feeling of being watched was gone when Damian was around. On the other other hand she did miss being able to use her powers when she wanted. Oh well, I guess I can fly tomorrow. Damian never visited the day after he already came. "so what brought you here today? 'nother fight with your brother?" she asks while going to eat the food he prepared, it was another one of his favorites. "kind of.. It's a different brother however, it's the 'eldest'" he says uncomfortably. She is surprised by that, "the one you'd take a bullet for?" she asks. "yeah, he just seems to concern himself with things that don't pertain to him sometimes" Damian says slowly. "what'd he say?" she asks after she swallowed. "he worries about my.. Romantic life, or lack there of" Damián says embarrassed. She nods, "makes sense" "you agree with him" "wha-, no what I mean is that in the two months that I have known you aren't or don't seem interested in anyone else other than family. Which you know is fine for your life and lifestyle, but for some one else it might seem a little antisocial. Not that you have an issue or anything." "and why do you not pursue someone with romantic interest?" he raises his eyebrow as he asks "haven't met 'em" "so when you do you can comment on my lack of romantic partners" "well that conversation took a turn" she rolls her eyes. "indeed, now then the food will be cold if we don't continue" he said tartly. "fine" she said. She understood, that Damian just wasn't interested in anyone right now, sometimes people aren't and she didn't mean to upset him, but she could see where his brother's concern came from. We grow stronger with our connections to others, that’s what she felt, sure she wasn't comfortable forming too close of a connection with anyone and still isn't but making friends was good right. "hey what do you say I beat you in another chest game and we call this convo, a draw" she said with a smirk "I don't see what either of us gains from that sort of wager as we both seem uncomfortable with continuing on the topic, but if it is a match of skill and minds then alright I suppose it would be more entertaining than the television I had installed in your sitting space" "which I still don't understand, I mean you don't watch television" "the news entertains me" he said cryptically "you are a strange, strange child" she said to him. "I have a perfect genetic make-up there is nothing 'strange' about me" he said. "hmm, you keep telling yourself that" she said with a smirk. "enough do you not want to continue to eat so that we might being the match" "well someone's in a hurry" she rolled her eyes at him. He didn't say anything. Truth be told he had to leave earlier tonight as there was a meeting back at the mansion, to talk about the 'visitor'. Already over a month and it seemed that this being, whatever they were was here to stick around and even though they do good, the bat-family can't afford to trust the wrong metas. It was also getting increasingly more difficult to visit Mary on his time off, even though he didn't need to, he found her presence to be calming, despite the arguments they get into. She brings another perspective, even the conversation they had. He knew that Dick was just looking out for him but he just was not interested in romantically dating anyone at the moment; and almost being set up with someone he does not know would be crossing a line. He was glad to avoid that but he knew at one point he would have to address that. They continued to eat, then cleaned up and set the chess board, they played until Mary was too tired, she called it a night after another Draw which wasn't going to end anytime soon. He said his goodbyes to her and left the apartment feeling a bit more relaxed before he let the 'Damian Wayne' persona go and became 'Robin' once more setting off to the mansion. He took one more glance at the building across from Mary's before departing. Hopefully the person following Mary got the picture that Damian wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

[isarose2]

Time together. part 1

This is a continuation of the fanfiction lost and found, following the chapter Different. 

A week after the trip Mary was in her apartment with her kitten back doing her course work for her latest science class. She kept an eye on the kitchen where her curry was stewing away, it would still be another 20 minutes for it to be ready. She peacefully did her work while her kitten napped and it rained outside(down pour), it was the weekend and she didn't have any last minute shoots to do so she took a break to learn. She was dressed in the house clothes she recently got, comfort clothing. It was quiet, she preferred doing work with minimal distractions, it was also late in the afternoon, late enough for the sun to have set but early enough not to be called night just yet. Then her door bell ran, her kitten only stretched at the sound but otherwise didn't move. She looks over at her kitten laying in a cat bed with toys, "glad to see that your always here to protect the place" she says as she gets up to answer the door. She looks through the peep-hole and does a double take, squinting her eyes she tilts her head, then shrugs her shoulders and opens the door. "Hi?" She says oddly "Hello, ( he sighs and shakes his head of the water that has collected there), this is difficult to explain but do you mind if… how should I say.." he trails off. She looks at him continue to soak her hall way with water, " do you need a towel, and maybe some tea?" she asks while he continues to attempt to 'explain'. She moves aside to let Damian into her apartment. "yes, that would be helpful, thank you, Mary" He says as he walks in. She points him to the bathroom, so that he won't continue to drip on her welcome mat, while she goes to her room to get a clean towel, after closing and locking her apartment door. She'll definitely have to invest in some sort of system to keep clean linen, she is not planning on having a lot but at least more than two clean towels should be more useful especially if she will likely have more um, visitors during storms. She also went to her new clothes and picked up a plain white shirt and baggy cargo pants. They were big on her but they should fit Damian fine. "hey, I found you some plain clothes, they are new, but also dry so you might want to change, can't have a sick billionaire in my place, I am sure it's on my lease or something" she offered a smile. He looked boredly at the clothes and towel offered, then without word took the offered articles and went back into the bathroom. "you might also want to rinse off in some hot water" she continued then turned around. She heard the bathroom door close and when to check her pot. She looked at the pot of curry cooking and the cooked rice that was resting, she didn't really expect company but it should be enough for the both of them. She mixed up the pot and smelled the spices, hopefully it wouldn't be to bad, she is more use to making food that is hot and spicy, for some reason those were her favorites. Yes she had a sweet tooth but she was more of a spice person. She took out her smallest pot that she typically used for boiling eggs and started to heat up some water for tea. She had a couple different teas she likely but right now she only had plain black tea, she was trying to budget for the frivolous expense of buying thai-tea or matcha from the café nearby. She heard the shower go on and decided to prepare a small salad to go with the curry and rice while she waited for the water to boil and Damian to finish his shower. She didn't know why he was there or what was going on but she knew enough to know that he would talk when he wanted not when others expected a response. That's Damian for you. She glanced at her kitten, she knew all too well how independent creatures worked. After a while she finished preparing a side salad, and the water had boiled. Black tea, salad, curry and rice, not exactly the most refined meal, but it was what she had and he better not say anything negative about it. She set the counter and by the time she started to seap the teas Damian had stepped out of the bathroom. "hey, glad the clothes fit fine" they did in fact fit okay on him, which was good, she didn't want to embarrass him, no matter how much he deserved it sometimes. "yes, thank you for your offer, I hope you don't mind but I left my own clothes to hang dry in the bathroom" he said unsurely. "okay just know it will probably be a while for them to dry, if you want I can put them in one of the driers down stairs" "yes that would probably be best, however I wouldn't want to impose" he said. She blinked, and held back the retort of, as much as you already are. In her head, she knew that whatever brought Damian here sarcasm probably wouldn't be best. She read the situation and decide to go and ready her stuff of a wash too, might as well get that done at the same time. Damian watched her move about when he decided to get his clothes from the bathroom he indiscreetly put the soaked pants, shirt and jacket he was wearing into a plastic bag. "is there any special instructions for drying them that we might need to follow?" Mary called out. "I am not certain" he said honestly. "well do they have tags on them at least?" she asked, billionaires. "I have no knowledge of the sort." She rolled her eyes, eventually they were able to figure out, they did in fact have instructions for how to dry them properly, there were sewed in tags. Of course Damian offered to help her down, but was completely useless once they got to the laundry room. She busied herself with the work of putting her clothes to wash and his clothes in the proper tumble sequence. She winced at the number on her laundry card once everything was in. Well that blew through her current laundry budget, it's a good thing that she had left herself a bit of excess to make sure that she would have clean clothes most of the time. And with the new clothes that she had gathered she should be fine. Hopefully. They made it back to her apartment after another awkwardly silent elevator ride, but she wasn't going to push, he will talk when he was ready. While they waited for Damian's clothes to dry and her clothes to wash they ate the food that she prepared. He winced at first, at the level of spice but didn't say anything, and continued to eat the food. After they were done Damian got up to wash the dishes. "You don’t have to do that" Mary said. "after what you have done, this is the least and probably only thing I can do at the moment" "well alright" she turned to go sit on the sofa and continue her work. There was a comfortable silence until. "Thank you" Damian said once more, he said it more to himself. She smiled, "No problem, but can you explain why you were walking around in this weather without an umbrella?" she asked politely. She wondered if she made a mistake, in asking too early when he didn't answer. "…, I had a disagreement with my father" he finally said. "what like an argument?" "that is another term to use, I suppose" Before things could get little too uncomfortable, her timer went off for the washer, those always finish before driers. "well I better go move the stuff, feel free to relax, and I don’t know play with my cat" she said standing. "you are okay with leaving someone in your home?" he asked. "well sure, we are friends, and I trust you" she said. He swallowed at that, immediately accepting that conformation, others have said that to him but he doesn't always believe them, so why was Mary's trust so different. Or maybe it wasn't really that different. She went down, and did her work, while he took a look around her apartment, there was indeed a cat napping on a bed in the corner. It must have been the kitten she took in the night that she was almost attacked, he didn't think that she would adopt the creature, especially after it was used to lure her into an ambush but he supposed that it did provide some sort of companionship for the lone girl in her nice home. Interestingly enough though he thought her to be more of a dog person but well it was not like she could have a dog as large as Titus in her small apartment. He took a seat on her couch, usually this would be the point were he would look for more information on the subject, but with Mary everything was so transparent. She didn’t seem to possess the ability to deceive or hide objectives. She truly was a unique soul, plus he could feel the ire of someone watching the apartment, if he made the wrong move then Mary could be in trouble. He quickly glanced at the window uncertainly, his movements had to be careful and planned before he did anything too hasty as his training willed him to calm his movements and relax the tension within him. In the meanwhile he started to think about what he was going to tell Mary about his, less than appropriate decision of barging into her home, especially since he still was never officially told where she lived by Mary. But the issue was, how does one explain that they had an argument with their father who happens to be a vigilante about work involved in being a vigilante himself. It wasn't even one of there worse 'disagreements' but for some reason Damian felt the need to not be in the Mansion at the moment, and the Penthouse was out of the question, he didn’t need Dick getting involved. And going to literally any of his other friends would at best involve another vigilante or at worse involve the league and he didn't have the patience to deal with the fall out of that right now. He supposed that he should work on getting himself a dwelling for times of need, it was just easier doing night work being patched up from any scuffle and then pass out. It was also convenient to have someone to handle house care and be able to go directly to work with the others in the morning, but he can take care of himself, he was self reliant and if his time traveling alone in the world taught him anything it was how to keep sane in the lonesome environment. But he suppose that he has gotten weak over the years, working with others will sometimes to that to you. He took a breath and decided to say that it was work related and if she pushed then he supposed that he could cut her off, she was respectful in that way. He looked around the small place, truly it was cozy, he wouldn't mind a place like this for his own. Maybe he could look into the district, he was not planning on getting an apartment in the building that Mary lived in, there would be no way to explain that to any concerned party. He sneezed, perhaps walking in the rain in a flimsy not water resistant sweater was not one of his better forays, but the clothe that Mary gave him to wear were comfortable enough to lounge in, he supposed they would be big on her own frame, which could be fashionable and functional in their own way, for the colder months. He decided to sit back and lay down on the couch and rest his eyes. Eventually Mary made it back to her apartment also carrying Damian's dry clothes, there was so little time on the drier by the time she got her clothes into one that she decided to stick around to wait for them and then of course she had to fold them-one would get wrinkles without proper folding techniques, she should know proper clothing handling is how she managed with just a carry-on for so long. But when she came in with the freshly laundered clothing she found Damian on her couch fast asleep. That walk through the rain really did not do his body well. She walked in and placed the clothes on one of the stools in her tiny kitchen, and went about cleaning her kitchen. Damian did the dishes and cookware but she still had to dry them properly and put them away, plus spot clean any messes or spills she made while cooking. By the time she was done the space smelled clean and Damian was opening his eyes. "…Mary… "morning sleepy, you took a nap" "I suppose I did, I apologize for the inconvenience" "how many times do I need to tell you it's not a problem, you can doze if you want to, you seemed tired anyway" "yes, that seems to be the course, anyway about my being here, it has to do with an issue with-" "save it" she said cutting him off. "pardon" he says. "It's alright, you don't have to explain, if… if you don't want to go back tonight then I guess you can stay on the couch, it won't be any comfort, not like your use to but, at least its not there" Mari said with a small smile. She didn't understand but she knew enough to know that Damian was not going to want his family around for the time being, and going to  hotel or somewhere public was soo out of the question.(technically going some where private was also out of the question given his family history but she didn't know that) Damian looked at her, and 'felt' like he could trust her; he never felt that way with people outside family or friends considered family. It was strange but comforting in a way to be welcomed by someone else, maybe he was starting to understand little bit about the connection with other people that Dick always prioritized. Maybe it was okay to have someone else you can trust, if for certain private things, like emotions and weaknesses. He swallowed, "Thank you, Mary" he said quietly. She smiled again, not needing anymore explanation. "Well, we are friends and what are those for if not to crash into your place on a weekend to avoid family obligations." she said. He smiled at that and nodded. Then Mary said something that she would soon regret, "Besides, my door is always open for friends". She ended the conversation and the both of them readied themselves for bed, Damian would in fact sleep on the couch and Mary in her room. 

[isarose2]

Different

Continuation to Lost & Found, follows the chapter Here we go. 

The flight over to the location wasn't particularly long nor was the ride over to the hotel. Mari had already secured her room with one of the other models and had no issues other than her roommate screaming at the size of the crick that jumped into the bathroom from the open window. Both of them agreed to keep the bathroom window closed after Mari was able to get the crick safely out of the bathroom and back into the outside world. Other than that the modeling trip was conducted like any other that she had been on with early morning shoots to capture the best sunlight possible as well as some afternoon shots with the sunset in the background for more complex shots. Everything was going according to plan and they were right on track until a rain shower came by, luckily the director knew the rain was going to happen and had planned accordingly. On the other hand it was also a shorter day to shoot some of the photographs so the models all had some free time on their hands. It was on this day that the chess board in the lobby was discovered and the race was on to find someone who could beat Mari at chess. Now she didn't particularly think that her chess skills were all that great but I guess the people she was up against were little less familiar with the strategies of the game than she was. That was until one Damian Wayne walked into the lobby, judging by the book in his hand he was looking for some time alone but was pulled into the game when told they were playing chess. Damian to Mari seemed like the type of person that was raised playing chess but that didn't mean that an easy victory he was in for as it was half an hour later with most of their piece removed and a stand still that really was going no where fast. To be honest after 15 minutes of this most of the other models had stepped away but there was still some left that were curious as to whom would win.

Mari could see the point where Damian had gotten frustrated at minute twenty and they were still no where near a win, unless someone messed up real bad in the next five moves they may just admit a draw but Damian didn't seem like the type to leave it at a draw. Mari too didn't really want to leave it at a draw or mess up on purpose despite having an opening because that might just insult Damián more. It was at minute thirty-five that Damian messed up, Mari was looking at the board and then looked up at Damián were she could see how he realized his mistake. Being the petty girl that she was though she didn't take the win. Damian seemed to get a bit perturbed by that but kept silent even as Mari purposely made the same mistake that Damián made just a little while ago. Without saying anything Damián got up and laid his king on it's side, forfeit, hmm. Mari honestly didn't think that he would do that but he did so anyway, Damián walked away without saying anything. Throguhout the rest of the trip Damián didn't say anything to Mari outside of what he needed to tell her about the shoot or her position in the shoot. Well this was a surprise, after two weeks on location she was back at her place. But something was different. This time she felt safe. It was like the blanket of fear had dissipated. After beating Damián in chess  the two had somewhat formed an amicable relationship. They weren't friends-friends at least she didn't think they were but they managed to 'get along'. Either way, it made her feel more comfortable with her place her in Gotham. She was still apprehensive of 'that weird presence' but she was less scared and more comfortable. Still she couldn't wait for her kitten to come back and be at her place once more, the presence of her little friend always comforted her and she always felt she could say some of her more deeply personal thoughts to the kitten as it didn't really reply outside of the cute mewls.

Damian too was in lighter spirts, he felt he understood more about this strange girl. She was formidable as far as board games go, a feet that only the most respected people in his life were capable of. But that only seemed to fuel the concern he was starting to form for her. She had admitted to him about being scared(albeit not on purpose), about never really finding a place in the world she found herself in. A feeling he knew all too well, from his experience with his family. All he could do for the moment was continue his observations in silence, and from as some sort of confidant for her. What he didn't understand however was why he felt so drawn to her, as if they had a connection he didn't know of. Hopefully that didn't comeback to haunt him. Now then what was it that Grayson wanted to talk to him about?

[isarose2]

Here we go. part 2

This is a shorter follow up to what Damian's response to Mari was.

Damian was confused, so the girl had an insecure side. He knew this already, the way she handle herself in the café and at the resturant that one time. He knew defensiveness when he saw it, he could tell that she was a scared person, someone when corned would tended to lash out.

But what he didn't expect was her lack of knowledge when it came to basic interactions. She seemed to have almost everybody wrapped around her little finger by the end of the first week that he was sure that she would have some understanding of how social media and basic interactions went in this society. Perhaps all that travel made it difficult for her to really adapt well into society fully. Dipping into one place for a two or three weeks span for years meant that you wouldn't have too big of an understanding of that country or world. Also given her financial history(its really not that hard for someone of Damian's caliber and background to get access to these things) she had to know how to invest in enhancing her life style yet she seemed to have no interest in doing so. Instead finagling and restructuring her life around her finances.

Well then what was the bulk of her money going then if not to improve her current self, then they mentioned school and Damian couldn't help but admire her for that forethought.

This girl was certainly something else.

[isarose2]

Here we go. part 1

This is a part of my fanfic Lost and Found, it follows 'well this should be interesting'.

Mary awoke early in the morning, she was ready to get going to the airport, they were going far enough away to require a small flight but they were all going to find there own ways to the airport.

She knew the way by memory as she has seen almost the entire way by foot. But today she would go by cab, because she felt she deserved the extra rest while in the cab.

She got herself dressed in her simple traveling outfit and had her light breakfast, she had made sure to eat all the perishable food in her refrigerator, and packed a couple of dry snacks in her bag for the trip. It would be nearing noon by the time they landed and she didn't want to be peck-ish, plus it was her experience never to buy food in an airport.

She looked around at her apartment for one last time, sighed and went out. She would miss the little spot she made for herself but she couldn't help the apprehension that came with the thought of returning. She had traveled so much she was kind of a little frightened of returning to the same place again. Even though she would sometimes go to the same city or location for shoots she would make sure that her accommodations would always be different. Never in the same place long, never in the same place twice. That was her motto, that's what kept her going, she was a social enough person to be able to adapt well enough into any location but she was still scared.

She got out of her building and went to the awaiting cabbie.

While on the car ride she looked towards the city, the cabbie was an older woman which was not that uncommon but still comforting. Mary had never had an issue with transportation but everything about the day was like waiting for the roller coaster to finally reach the top only to dive down.

She made it to the airport early, she had had enough issues with airplanes to know to come early.

She made it throguh the lobby to find the Wayne E. guide who was waiting for other models to arrive. To absolutely no one's surprise Damian was also early. He looked to be on his tablet looking through some documents and silently reading.

As soon as she informed the guide of her presence she went to sit as far as she could from the bratty billionaire. That didn't exactly meant that she didn't feel his gaze on her the moment she sat, but when she looked up she noted that he went back to his own business.

She messaged her manager, even though the woman would probably not even read the message until later on she wanted to do something while they waited. She opted not to take her laptop so she was kind of on her own for the next two weeks. She decided to busy herself by reorganizing her bag for when they went through security.

It wasn't long from that they were assembled together to go through airport security. It went as smoothly as one would expect.

Then she was seated once more this time near the gate, she had been distracted with following the guide that she didn't pay too much attention to her surroundings.

"are you normally this bored at airports?" a voice she didn't want to her sounded.

"What?" She asked politely to Damian.

"Given the 'projects' you have been a part of one would presume that you would know your way around airports and traveling yet you seem somewhat lost" he said boredly.

He was baiting her, she knew it, he wanted to get more info out of her, he had access to her previous work experience and he knew that she was an avid traveler. He wanted to know from her.

She inhaled, and exhaled. Then looked up at him with a smile, "Well I do know how to pack for the occasion, and I took extra precautions as to not strain myself. After all we models must look our 'best for the shoot' right"

Petty, she knew it, but she was hired for her experience, professionalism, and dedication. Not because some brat wanted to get back at her by making the shoot uncomfortable for her… right?

He arched a brow, "of course, yet the shoot won't start until tomorrow?"

She blinked, "yeah, but that doesn't mean that I can't get good rest today. Besides what would I need with a bunch of frivolous gadgets?"

"Pardon?" Damian asked.

Opps. Probably not the best opening line to someone who ran a tech company. "I mean…(swallow) a computer is for doing work that requires a key board or at least external drive. I don't need to do either as I have finished all my homework and class work early before coming here. As for a tablet I don't have one and my phone isn’t exactly the most top of the line for me to be playing games or going on social media with it. That being said I also have no interest in that, if I want to read the news then I could always watch the news network or read the paper, right" there she said it, as for a modern age model she just wasn't in a place with herself to be able to afford stuff and at the end of the day she just wasn't interested. She preferred to learn from written word or real life. From her trainers or books.

She looked at Damian who was mystified, no that's not it, was he surprised by her answer but not weirded out.

She sighed in relief however when the announcement came for boarding the plane. She hadn't noticed how crowded it had gotten. She got up fast and before Damian could respond or react she bolted for her group. About a half hour from that she was in the plane trying to relax herself from yet another award encounter with the rich boy.

It was something that she was uncomfortable with talking about but she was scared of making a close enough connection that could blow up in her face. Her world was already full of that. Connecting with others gave her strength but it also scared her, because the closer people got the more they saw that she wasn't like them. She looked out the window to see her reflection, only the more she looked the more she saw her differences and her 'alien' appearance showed itself to her.

[isarose2]

Well this should be interesting. part 2

This is a continuation of the chapter ‘well this should be interesting’ from the fanfiction Lost and Found

Meanwhile Damian was ensuring that his sector of the city was covered for his leave. The family have ways of stemming the entire city including its growing parts into routes for them all to cover. Seeing as there were so many of them they could streamline all the assignments. Although some people specializes on specific tasks they did patrolling broken up by person. After much grumbling, his sector was broken up but the issue still remain about his tasks. Garnering information in recon, Damian was better suited for the tasks that require a unique sense of indifference and brutality, and even though everyone was capable of that an assassins training was better suited for it. Plus he was less likely to kill the ‘bad’ guys at least at this point. He was somewhat concerned with this trip but he wasn’t planning on bringing his robin suit because it could be seen plus when would he be able to use it. There would be cameras and models with smart phones, not a good combo for a billionaire with a secret. He would still bring some weaponry for emergence purposes of course, though more discreet and hidden. His concern wasn’t on trouble with the set or people there, they were all vetted and they would be a deal away from distractions but he did have apprehension towards Mary. The girl was unassuming but, she apparently knew how to fight, and had a shadow that could or may not pose a threat. That girl was a an enigma, he held no emotion toward the brat except for annoyance and curiosity. Yet he felt as though something was off, not about the girl but of her background. Something that could differentiate the hero’s from the villains they arrest. He wasn’t anticipating anything or holding any belief that things could go wrong but with his family history, caution should always be followed, so he made sure to have a hidden baton in his check baggage. This trip could be short and simple. Or it might be a dangerous one.

[isarose2]

Well this should be interesting. part 1

This is in continuation of the fanfiction Lost and Found, follows after the chapter being productive.

The next week and a half Mary went about her modeling work as usual, while the Wayne project was getting ready she had finished the 'Be active' project and her payment for that job had already went through. Her manager had also stopped by her apartment mid-week to pick up the kitten Mary had been caring for. With the next part of the Wayne project requiring her to be away from the apartment for two weeks she wanted someone to watch over her little friend. The presence of her manager in her apartment calmed her some. The apartment was a little lonesome without the playful kitten but she figured that her work would keep her away from home for a little bit and what kind of life would that be for the kitten. Everything was planned out, she did enough of her class work so she didn't have to take her computer on the trip. She concentrated everything she needed for the trip into her travel tote, years of traveling came in handy when it came to packing for a short trip. Damian had also seemed to back off from her on work days which was a welcomed surprise. Still whenever they did manage to 'clash' at times she would somehow get into another argument. The kid was so full of himself, I mean who actually thinks that way. Unfortunately for her he was going to be at the trip as well, but she was going to try to avoid him as much as possible. She also managed to meet more of her "co-workers" throughout the first two weeks of the job, so hopefully she would be able to avoid him much more during the trip. She inhaled and looked at her apartment, she had been in this place for over 3 weeks, approaching 4 weeks, the longest she had ever been in one location since leaving the orphanage. She was worried from time to time that someone was 'watching' her but her worries with her job, online school, budget, and the weirdness of Damian made her focus on other stuff so she was able to calm herself at least a little.

[isarose2]

Being productive. part 2

Continuation of Being Productive following right after Mari went home but a little bit of a different perspective. 

Damian sighed as he took another spit of his tea, she was back in her apartment. He was just about to leave when he saw the figment in the corner move. Okay who was this girl, after yesterday's incident he forgot to check the security system, but this morning he made sure to have it go through their private server in the bat cave, when he found a wire tap. It wasn't something innovative, over the years a lot of different people or groups have tried to and managed to hack into the camera system at the office. It was obligatory with the job of being a famous organization. But it was a hinderance, usually this was provoked, or some people just wanted information. What made the tap strange was the timing, nothing was going on that he or his family knew of. Except for this Wayne project. It was also strange that the tap was only concentrated on footage of Mary. He didn't know why but he knew when he did his initial research on her that she was a marked person. The fact that her orphanage was destroyed after she left, and her current career field  as well as schooling was flexible enough to where she can just hop on a plane and leave the country. The way she behaved, as if she was ready to run at the drop of a hat, her defensiveness, the way she would defend herself and others. She was scared and protective, but he didn't know what she would be scared of, he wanted this project to be the completed with minimal incident, so he decide to keep an eye on her. Of course he didn’t care enough to have her followed or have the security systems follow her, she seemed wary of that so instead he just went about his day, like normal until the end. He knew enough that she would get home late, so he went to a café across from her place, did it look strange, yes, did he have an excuse, yes. He calmly sat and decided that he would leave once he finished eating whether she was back or not. He saw when she got back, and how she seemed to notice him and ease her way around the entire area. He was about to leave himself when he noticed someone else had been eyeing her apartment, from a building across the way. That seemed odd enough for him to stick around. So he stayed for a bit longer and when he notice her lights go on, he knew she was back home. So he departed as well. Whoever this Mary was she seemed to have someone following her, someone she seemed wary of. He would keep an eye on this, without informing his family, unless it's necessary and act on everything once the time comes. He wasn't sure if he should or would protect Mary or not, but he didn't know enough and for Damian that was a dangerous prospect. He went back home after that.

[isarose2]

Being productive. part 1

This is a continuation of the fanfiction Lost and Found. Follows after the chapter Work.

Tuesday, May thought groggily to herself in the morning, she woke to a mewling kitty on her nightstand. It was early in the morning and she was tired already, she wasn't looking forward to the rest of the day, honestly she wasn't looking forward to the rest of the week but that was life for now. She was only going in for today for two hours unlike yesterday, really today was just a consult, she would talk to the photographer about which angel was best for the actual shoot, or the lighting that works best for the out door shoot. It works for her but it didn't really make much sense, then again the whole shoot was more than a few projects all at once so they had to make sure that they cross their T's and dot their I's so that time wouldn't be wasted. Diligent, but a little assonance, then again from what she has seen with the son of the CEO then that made sense. As she got ready she thought more of the prick-Boss- she supposed that from what she has read she should be more fearful of the guy but she just wasn't. He was a jerk yeah, but she couldn't really see him as a 'dangerous' or mysterious person. The news always tended to blow things out of proportion so she didn't put much hope into what she read about his personality but from what she knew he seemed to be a prim and proper person, a tad on the arrogant side but nothing really scary. Then she thought about his father, from what she read she wasn't impressed, although it seemed strange, the two sounded nothing alike. But from the videos she saw and her own experiences there was something odd about the two. Not odd as in weird or strange, but familiar, she didn't think to much about it, I mean it's a job why would she need to know anymore. She went to work, dropping off another biscuit to Marge, now use to her offerings of peace, and went up to the studio. She was grateful at the fact that Damian was busier today and didn't notice her but she couldn't forget the unsure feeling she got the other day. It was gone today and for that she was happy, she went about her talk with the photographer and took some practice shots. All the models were scheduled to come in for the same things she had done on different times and different days. It would take about two weeks for everybody to be seen and the practice shots as well as reference shots to be taken and then another week for the commercial background work to be done. Mari wasn't in the commercial this time, she didn't like doing them for reasons already explained, plus it sounded like this one would be kind of like a music video. She does have some 'training'(or practice with the other models when they were bored) in singing but she is far from a professional, she can dance and honestly prefers it to standing around and Mari also knows how to play some Christmas songs on the violin(don't ask). She had her talk with the photographer and editors and was on her way almost in the blink of an eye. She managed to grab a bagel on her way out as a lunch. That was when she noticed Damian looking at her with the corner of his eye. But he didn't seem to be upset anymore. She ignored that, shrugged and left. She was able to get back to her apartment and get herself ready for the shoot on the smaller project. She figured that if she was early then she could get her part over with as soon as possible. She was correct, because thankfully she was dismissed early enough to not have to fly home. After yesterday's incident she wasn't looking forward to flying for another week at least, maybe month. The last thing she needed was some group of heroes looking at her for a 'Thank You', she had her own issues to deal with. She made it back to her place when she noticed someone in the café across from her apartment, she froze for a second. Why the hell was Damian Wayne outside of her apartment building. Talk about stalker. She turned and used a different way to get to her apartment. Never had she been so thankful for her paranoia, making her make road maps for different ways to get to the same place. As she got back into her apartment she looked at the blinds she thankfully left closed and didn't move to open them. (she like the morning sun but her paranoia was more of priority at the moment)

[isarose2]

Work. part 3

Let’s pick up where we left off in the Fanfiction Lost and Found this time from the aftermath of Mari’ getting involved. 

Meanwhile, back in the Alley Damian was standing stoic, not really quiet sure what to make of what lied in front of him. It looked to him like a blur of blue light had streaked past him knocking out the gang of drug dealers and leaving him unharmed. "hey, I thought you said you needed back up" Red Robin dropped down, "Bats is over at the diamond district, I can’t keep leaving the cave every time you need something" he grumbled, Tim had never gotten along with or even liked Damian, but the guy seriously messed with him sometimes. Damian frowned at him, "Well I did but it looks like I had some help after all" "What do you mean?" he asked. "I don't know, why don't you go play with your computers to find out, I have to cuff these criminals" Red robin grumbled and went about helping. With that done, they relayed the situation to the police and waited for them to be arrested.  While they watched them be put into the police cars Tim tried again to ask Damian. "Hey, what do you mean, I heard your call and not five minutes later and they are all on the ground." "Tt. Do you not understand anything, as I have mentioned, I did not see anything. I was corned one moment and they were on the ground at the next" "hmm" Tim ignored the condescending sound he had practice in that. "you sure, the read outs say something different" "I saw a blue flash and then they were on the ground" "Blue?" "yes, a bright blue fire, flew from the sky, past me and then back up into the sky." "okay, what, fire?" "yes, although I do find that particular, where I saw the flame coming from was more disconcerting" Tim decided to be quiet, he may get more information if he was quieter. "when I saw the flame, I saw it was in the shape of a person, a female" Tim's eye's widened, first Red Hood sees the dople ganger in the city and now Damian sees a female humanoid blue fire shape. Kori had green eyes, and green star bolts, Mari was too young to start to train more for control of her powers but she did had blue eyes so what does that mean. "Tt. Whatever it was, I would suppose this is one of those moments where one shows gratitude for the work of another" "Are.. Are you actually thanking someone you have never met" "don't be ridiculous Drake, I am merely point out the facts of the situation. However whatever happened here, father would not be pleased" he looked down at the now empty alley. Red robin looked around, "Yeah, can't have unknown Meta's flying around the city without the permission, uh heads up  from Bats" "I was not referring to that" Damian said more quietly to himself. If it weren't for the enhanced earing technology built into his ask Red Robin would have missed it but he didn't he had heard Damian clear as day And opted not to speak. Damian always held himself to a higher standard, so nothing would change even if Tim was going to say something. So he usually didn't. But this was not good, if they had another run in with this mystery then he would have to do a deep dive into who has moved into the city recently. It was safe to assume that whatever or whoever she was she lived nearby enough to reach, but just who was she. Damian himself was still out of it, his encounter with Mary at the studio did not go as planned, the impermeant girl had away out of his inquires and it bothered him that she then began avoiding him. He was typically able to win any verbal match but she was so impulsive, her words having no thought to the consequence, only one other was able to best him in conversation like that and it unnerved him the similarities that he saw in the girl were so much like that of his own family. She was nothing but a stranger and that was were she will stay no matter what he wanted to know before. Her behavior was so irritating that he had made a vital mistake and almost gotten himself in trouble, sure he would have been able to fight his way out but he was too mad to fight properly and they managed to get the upper hand. If it weren't for… well no matter he was not going to think more on the matter than he already had this month. He would go about his business as per usual and forget ever thinking about, that. He managed to calm himself tonight without messing up anymore after that. Whatever that blue light was it was, familiar. He shook his head from his shower and got into bed and had a dreamless night.

[isarose2]

Work. part 2

Part two of Work, as a continuation of the fanfiction Lost and Found

Mari' had walked while eating her food, she wanted to grab some more but she supposed she could slip an apple from the table before she left. She was in one more shoot to run before she was dismissed for the day. She also had another reason for leaving, while talking with Damian Mari felt like someone was watching her and it wasn't Damian. It was something else, someone. She was kind of worried that the feeling she had all those years of travel was following her. She would be fine in a fight but she was worried for the other people on set. If they didn't know how to fight or worst the building got damaged and people got trapped…. She had mentioned her slight paranoia, right. Once she was done being done up she was able to go back to the set, while actively avoiding another run in with the Boss' son and discreetly trying to fetch some more food off the table. But at one point he moved, she didn't even see him move, to be closer to the table so. She thought that was rather rude, the shoot is suppose to be another 2-3 hours long with her barely being needed. They weren't taking final pictures, just prep photos to be used for background. Sometimes when in editing some of the pictures render oddly so the editors sometimes need reference photos to ensure that al the colors are accurate and the photos end up more 'natural'. It would depend on the type of shoot, sometimes the editor needed the reference shots to ensure the models looked as 'human-like' as possible. There was a reason why sometimes they looked so beautiful yet still airbrushed. For Mari the guy was grating on her, but she had a feeling that was his point, he seemed to be the type to hold a grudge and make people's lives more difficult just for fun. But whatever, she wasn't going to let him mess her up, the more she focused on ignoring Damian the more she was able to ignore the feeling of being watched. At one point when there was only half an hour left she could feel how upset Damian was getting, she dodged him so many times, even going so far as engaging one of the set dressers in a conversation about lighting. Finally when she felt that he had had enough she went towards his direction, then quickly turned to one of the food personnel to ask about the recipe for the potato salad. And no it wasn't like she had done that on purpose, she just noticed that they were cleaning up and needed to get that recipe, it was a good potato salad okay. After that she turned and saw the completely calm face of the company rep, but she could tell just from the way his eye twitched ever so slightly he was about to through something out a window, probably her. But before anything could occur the director called out, "Alright that was good work today everyone". And dismissed all the other models. Mari saw her chance, "Nice working with you," she had been slowly getting more acquaintance with everyone here so she was happy that when she said that some other models and workers approached her to say there goodbyes as well. She already had her bag so she used the crowd leaving as a barrier and power walked as minimally as possible to the exit. She knew that Damian wouldn't follow, he was to 'above' everyone to resort to something like, "following" a person. She jumped into the elevator and hid behind the other employees that were leaving. She had no time to deal with the upper-class jerk, she had to get to her next shoot. It was times like these she was glad to have so much focus otherwise she would still have to finish a project due Friday, but because she was ahead she didn't have to do much in terms of school. Still she brought her computer with her so while she waited on the train to bring her to where she was going she looked through the textbook to make sure she didn't miss anything in her study guide. Once she got to set she was happy she had filled up earlier because it looked like she was going to be in for a longer shoot and may not have time to sneak on over to the food table. That was fine with her she had food at home waiting for her. She was still a bit rattled from earlier and the farther she got from the center of the city the more nervous she became. It was starting to become an issue but she went through the shoot without too much difficulty. She would need to come in two more times this week and then once more at the beginning of next week and that would be it for this job. Nice and short that's what most of her jobs were like before, but this time she wasn't going anywhere, she was going to make a home for herself and that was that. After the shoot she left the studio and packed her tote bag, she usually only used this bag when she travels, it's easier to keep her laptop and everything that matters most closer by when you are carrying it right there on your shoulder. It also had a Charlie sleeve and straps to carry it like a back pack. But tonight it served another purpose. Tonight it carried her laptop and her little, 'outfit'. She wanted to make sure that her cat ate, and she wanted to get a reasonable amount of sleep tonight but that would require a faster mode of transportation, something 'unnatural'. So once she was able to sneak off into a fairly empty space she pulled off her attire to put on the black, uh outfit. Again it was not a suit just something different than what she normally wore. Finally she pulled off her earrings and there we go, something unnatural. She bolted out of the window, and dove straight up into the sky, luckily for her nature was on her side as it seemed to be a cloudy night. She was happy to be in the air once more, but part of her was also worried, she didn't want whatever was following her to catch up to her. She carried her bag on her back and flew higher, that's when she heard something. Her hearing was more acute than others so she was able to hone in on the sound. It sounded like a fight, she peaked over and, oh no, she spotted one of the heroes of Gotham fighting a gang. She didn't really quiet understand why he was taking them on alone, she could tell that he would get back up soon because she heard someone heading there way over the roof tops, but…, this is where Mary knew she was in trouble, she didn't have to help him, he had friends along the way and probably the cops. But… it just wasn't in her nature to do that. She had seen enough of these heroes to know that they either worked with each other or alone, they had seen to much happen to their friends or family when they were involved or something like that. Mary wasn't the type to second guess her choices so she dove down, she flew fast drawing on the memory of some party she was at a long time ago, something to do with her family she figured. She pulled on the memory and the strength she got from it until she was flying faster than she had ever before. She flew straight at the people who were ganging up on the lone hero, she didn't attack them, just one hit and they went down, she flew past them and then dove straight up into the clouds again. She flew faster and faster until she was able to blur her way straight into her apartment roof top, and into the building. Her landlord doesn't lock the roof access until night and even then she could make short work of the lock and get in but she appreciated that she didn’t have to do any damage. After she was behind the door she changed quickly into some more 'normal' clothes and descended the steps to reach her apartment. She went all the way down the steps then moved to go through the front door to the elevator, sure it was a long way but it calmed her to know that people probably won't ask any questions to someone entering the front door as they might someone entering from the roof access door. She got into her apartment and was immediately met with a hungry kitten mewling at her. She breathed a sigh and went about her business, luckily nothing went wrong. Still she couldn't help but wonder why that hero would be fighting all those guys alone, was he 'mad' or something. She ate and got ready for bed glad she was able to help someone today, and avoid Damian from asking questions again.

[isarose2]

Work. part 1

This is a continuation of my fanfic Lost and Found, follows after ‘Not what I expected’, part 1.

The Weekend flew by like always, this time with Mary being a bit less concerned about what the future held. She did some more research on her 'neighborhood' and made a schedule for herself so that she would be able to go between jobs and not be too tired but it wasn't too bad. She also managed to 'meal prep' as they call it nowadays by making simple side dishes to complement her 'diet'. She planned to discreetly eat as much of the catering as possible without getting caught to save on food money. She was lucky in the food department, as mentioned she definitely knew that there was something 'alien' about her eating habits. But she never thought too much about that, I mean people say the same thing about college kids, right? She was also able to get more cat supplies for her new kitten and updated her manager on the situation. Nancy was not content for she didn't want Mary to over work herself as well as care for the small animal herself. In the end however Nancy decided to let Mary keep the kitten and if it became necessary have Nancy care for the kitten when Mary is unable to. On Monday she was able to go into the studio that Wayne Enterprises uses for photo shoots, feeling better than before. She was able to discreetly drop off a scone to the attendant in front without making too much of a scene and went straight up into the 'prep' room. She was done up in plain kids clothes, with her slightly tall frame they had decided to have her sitting or squatting for most of the shoots. Apparently the toys they were releasing were based off of some kids movie made into a TV show, about the offspring of story book characters. She had done some research of the program but she wasn't too interested in the reason for the toy launch more the background for the kids who were 'playing' with the toys. Thankfully she was able to avoid ugh her boss for most of the morning, until the afternoon. They had cut for lunch and the gaffers were redoing the set. So she snuck over to the catering table that she was eyeing for a while until she felt someone looking at her. She didn't turn but tried to act completely natural, only for the figure in the corner of the room to suddenly be next to her other side. "do you normally skip breakfast for these things" Damian asked. Mari' blinked, then gave him a once over and blinked again, heh. "uh, no I did not and have not…. Today" she looked to the side. She had eaten a small breakfast knowing that she should save her home food as much as possible. Sometimes she would miss eating so she could save money but it was never about her looks. She was also very uncomfortable talking with her supposed 'boss'. "your movements seem to be slower" Damián said with a head turn like he was trying to 'fix' a puzzle. "what do you mean? We only met like two weeks ago?" Mari asked suddenly feeling a chill, was this rich white boy following her. Damian straightened, " what I mean is that you are usually quicker with your movements, you move as if you are somewhat afraid of being in one spot" he said. It was Mari's turn to react, "uh, just nerves sometimes, I don't always know where I am expected to be" "Tt.' he made a sound as if he wasn't impressed by her explanation. Typically Mari' isn't okay with being in one place for too long, she was approaching the three week mark of her travels and even though she had settled with herself that she was going to make Gotham her home she was still so very unsure of everything. It's times like these she wished she had a physical support system. People to be there to help her, and talk to her sure she had friends, classmates, Nancy, her professors in school etc. but it wasn't the same as actual people in front of you. "well why do you ask anyway" Mari asked curiously. "it just seems odd to me that a young person with your occupation would worry about their safety" Damian says. "well the world is a dangerous place, can't be too safe you know" He rolled his eyes, no one needed to tell him that, " that much is obvious but-" "you know you are starting to sound like a stalker right" she said eyeing him. Damian flushed, what was wrong with this child, "I am not-" "I have to get back to the hair dresser, please don't follow me" with that she walked away from the strange boy, with a plate of food. Damian sieved a little temped to follow her just to annoy the creatine how could that adolescent even insinuate that he would have any interest in her. Well he did but only because she seemed familiar and different all the same. He just wanted to know where, how and why she learned to fight, if she was able to actually hear him from the distance of a roof top, and why she seemed to be frightened at the concept of someone following her. Well maybe that last one was self explanatory but still she was on her own for a long time so why was she so…. ('you know you sound like a stalker', her voice rang in his head) Damian didn’t know why but he felt something wrong at that moment, he spied the cameras they seem to be acting right but he should run a wipe to make sure that no one was taping into his father's security system. Over a decade of training and assassination attempts have thought him to be wary of these things.

[isarose2]

Not what I expected

This is a continuation of my fanfic Lost & Found, another short piece based in Damian’s preceptive of what this week was like. 

Damian had gone out on patrol that night, he was with Star fire tonight, who wanted to stretch herself out, he didn't quite understand the alien as she could fly anywhere but she chose Gotham. His father wasn't too keen on the idea but Star was technically family in a way, she bore the granddaughter of Batman after all and even without her here Star was still connected to the family in her lost. "so how is your interactions with the girl going" Starfire asked. Damian sneered as he peered down, even without the enhanced eye gear in his mask he could see Mary, she was pretty unique that way. "We had a run in the other day" he said nonchalantly. "really?, do explain" Star titled her head, a mannerism she got from Greyson no doubt. "I-it was merely a coincidence, an unfortunate cashier at a coffee shop had the ignorance to insult my 'foreign name'. She was there and apparently she doesn't take to kindly to that kind of behavior. Although I doubt that she knew it was me she had defended" Damian said. Starfire smiled kindly as she continued to watch the girl, "so she doesn't like ignorance, or rudeness" Damian made a "Tt." Sound. "It would seem so, although she never quiet explained herself" "May be she's different" Starfire said. "possibly" Damian said. They watched as she got to her apartment safe and went back to work, the business district was never really an issue except for the occasional mugger but those were easier to deal with now with more people carrying pepper spray around. They called it a night before dawn and went back to their respective homes, Kori would be back come Monday for the start of the shoot then be gone and only come back every once in a while, she would only be responsible for a hand full of shots so they were going to see less of her in the coming months. Kori did have her own responsibilities to tend to as well. As Damián laid down he thought back to his week, in particular he thought back to Monday, when he saw Mary at the coffee shop, her attitude and behavior towards the cashier reminded Damian of something but he wasn't sure. It was strange, it was like he was looking at someone he knew but the face was off. Then she got nervous and left. Then there was Wednesday's incident, he wasn't sure what to make of it, he had seen the girl walking down the street and was going to ignore her until he saw she turn down an alley. Stupid girl, what are you thinking in a city you don't know. He could see the trap from a mile off, and was going to grab the mugger, but the sound of the kitten gave him a slight pause. That second of hesitation cost Robin time to jump in and dispense of the criminal before Mary could see him. According to his friend Abuse, Damian wasn't too good at the whole 'secret' identity thing. The mugger had gotten close, but before he could blink, Mary struck backwards, kicked her would-be attacker and hit him in the jaw, he could here the crack of bone even from up on the roof. Then she turned picked up the kitten and walked away, with her head up. Damian watched her go, was complete focus, watching to make sure she got back to her place safety. Then he took his hand cuffs and cuffed the mugger before handing him over to the authorities, he was still unconscious. Damian couldn't help wonder how she knew, could it be knowledge she picked up, thee were other questions Damián had like if she knew she was followed into the alley, why had she gone. Did she want the kitten for some reason or how did she know that the mugger was close, sure he wasn't quiet but, with the echo someone with normal hearing wouldn't have been that precise. Also she seemed to hit pretty hard as the conformation that she had broken the guys nose, and sprained his rib was any indication of her strength, yet she looked delicate, and unharmed, as if that amount of strength was normal for her. Damian couldn't quiet put his finger on it, there was definitely something 'different', as Kori had said, about Mary Grey.

[isarose2]

What was that? Part 3

The final part to the Chapter ‘what was that?’ from my Lost & Found fanfiction. 

So that brings us to Friday where she would be measured and looked closely at by the hair and make-up team. It would make the whole thing run more smoothly if they already knew her hair type, length, skin type, any 'problem' spots and her size. The clothes would be neutral, a more homey type, but that made sense for a kid's toy manufacture.  Her make-up had to make her look, 'less-airbrush model' and more 'random kid'. Which sounded easy enough except Mary had exceptionally long luxurious hair that no normal high schooler would be able to deal with, she was also really fit, not thin like some other models but also not with a layer of fat on her, she was healthy and 'robust' which would mean that her wardrobe had to be looked at with care. This was a process she never understood, it was part of natural process to make older people look younger and younger people to look older. But some of the model's here would possibly be considered full time models for Wayne, they had to go through an even more through process. Her only consolation was that other than the photographer, no one else would be here, the director had final say on the looks but it was up to the photographer to get everyone looking the part. She had considered being a full time model for a company before, but ultimately decide against it because it would limit the work she was given. Plus after their prime models were replaceable, they serve their purpose and then there off. It was why she wasn't looking at this as a permanent future. Also she had other pursuits that 'fit' her better.   She went through the motions of the measuring, fitting, styling and re-styling process until they had all the models looking the way they wanted them to. This process actually takes a long time, as it's a lot of setting and resetting, but it's better to have the information beforehand so that on the day of the shoot everybody can come in and be streamlined into their 'roles' for the shoot. They would have all the products they needed and be able to have everybody ready by the time shooting began. Nearly 50 models, 25 male and 25 female would be fitted and unfitted for multiple shoots and multiple campaigns. The whole thing would last for more than six months, because of the traveling to different areas for some of the shoots as well as some commercials. Mary had done a hand-full of commercials in the past, in one of them she even sang but that was way too much work, time, and attention. It messed with her getting away-traveling schedule, once for a commercial she had a feeling someone was right on top of her, and she had been so scared that right after she finished the shoot she asked a friend that was sharing her hotel room with to get her stuff for her and meet her at the airport as she 'needed' to change her flight plans because of a 'last minute shoot' after that she focused on smaller projects . After that you would wonder why she would be okay with settling now, whether it was truly a good idea. But she meant what she said, something about Gotham relaxed her like for the first time in a long time she was safe, like someone was in this city protecting her. So long as you avoid the 'dangerous places' you were actually pretty safe, just make sure that you wouldn't be followed around and were always what in front of a camera. She didn't avoid them outside when she takes off, she prefers to be seen on camera at all times even though she panics at the idea of her hologram shutting down by accident, it's never happened but still it's a valid fear. After everything was done it was late in the day, she had eaten the catering for the shoot for lunch, and she took some extra home with her, for dinner. Even now as she walked the streets of Gotham, the sun having set minutes ago she was calmer, steady. She had a feeling someone was watching her but, she didn't fear any danger from this one, just a careful watch. That feeling you get when your parents are behind you making sure you don't trip or fall. Strange but she continued on her way home.