Opening Night

Dinah was pretty sure she'd had this dream before. Showing up to Sionis's club, getting up on stage for a peformance, only to realize midway through that her dress was nowhere to be seen and the club was packed with countless people all staring at her and...

Dinah swallowed. Damn it Harley. It wasn't quite her dream though - this wasn't the same club, and it wasn't quite totally packed. Word hadn't really gotten out yet, though there were a fair few people intrigued by the new Gotham club. Still, she had her dress on. For now. It was a floor-length black number, the kind of thing she'd worn for slower numbers back at the other club.

Maybe not the normal strip show fare, but she was working up to it. Dinah stood on the stage, face hot and nerves screaming like it was her first night performing all over again, both hands on a microphone. And then the music started to play.

A couple of days ago, Harley was still trying to talk them into it, even when they were increasingly convinced it really was the only option. Harley just seemed to really want to badger them.

"I handled the publicity side," Harley said, still as eager as ever. "Posters all over the place, people are already excited."

"You only told us about this five minutes ago!" Renee said.

"Well, yeah, but show biz moves fast," Harley said. "Not long before opening night. Planned your routines yet? I had a few ideas..."

"I don't think this exactly counts as show biz," Dinah muttered.

And Renee was complaining that vigilantism hadn't lived up to her idea of it before.

"Wait, did you seriously come back to Gotham just to get Dinah and Helena in a strip show?" Renee said.

"Wouldn't you?" Harley said.

"Not the point!" Renee said. Harley winked rather obviously at her.

Helena, meanwhile, looked around, generally confused.

"Isn't not knowing how to dance a problem?" Helena said.

"Aww sweetie, I think you've got enough to compensate," Harley said. "Besides, you can probably handle the athletic side, no trouble."

"Right, she can be up first then," Dinah said quickly.

"Wait!" Helena said, flushing.

At any other time, Dinah would have been impressed at as cliche a response as a blush from Helena. Just then, though, she was fixated on other things.

"I feel like Helena's the closer," Harley said. "Unless you had some moves I really didn't get to see at Sionis's, I see you being a slower song, which is a better mood-setter. Here, I have notes!"

Harley dove back towards the bar, pulling out an alarmingly stuffed binder. Dinah blinked.

"How much thought have you put into this?" Dinah said faintly.

She took the binder, a little nervous of anything that had Harley's name attached to it. There were song lyrics, music, and images that ranged from photos to crude hand-drawn sketches in what looked like crayon. Harley grinned encouragingly.

And then went back behind the desk to hand another binder to Helena. Renee took a nervous step back.

"Ooh!" Harley said. "Let me show you the sound system!"

"Wait, we haven't agreed to..."

Dinah was swaying, closing her eyes, clearly trying to focus much more on the normal routine of her song. Helena sat by the bar, glad that the place had a liquor license. (Well, probably, it was a coin toss as far as Harley was concerned). She sat on the stool, leaning back against the bar, looking at the stage.

The place had come together at any rate. You wouldn't have guessed that it had been empty not so long ago; the lights were bright, the stage had a deep red backdrop, Dinah standing out starkly against it, black dress and gorgeous skin the center of attention.

Most of this had been planned out. Helena would mingle for a few minutes as the night opened, listen to people in the crowd talking, see if there were any would-be crooks being amateurish and obvious. It'd be nice to get an early win at any rate; it'd certainly be more motivating to get the Aerie popular.

And another thing planned was the moment Dinah's routine would start. Hers was simpler, while she was newer to it, but it was clear to everyone that she'd delay if she could. It was all very well to react to the crowd and only give them what they wanted right as they got impatient, but at the same time Dinah would make all kinds of excuses then. Helena was pretty sure she would too.

And besides, Dinah was captivating when she performed as it was. Even clothed, it'd be hard to complain.

Recognizing the lyrics Dinah was singing, Helena suddenly found her eyes glued to the stage. She wasn't entirely sure why. Only...

Dinah started the chorus, and in a neat motion, shifted her shoulders; the straps of her dress slipped down effortlessly and pooled on the floor around her feet. Ever the professional, her singing only faltered for half a note.

She wasn't wearing underwear. (Harley had insisted on checking before the performance. Helena wasn't sure how much of that just was to make sure the routine would go off fine). Dinah's grip on the microphone tightened, clinging on as if her hands were trying to move of their own accord to cover herself up. She squirmed a little, angling her body to try and hide her sex behind the microphone stand, the narrow pillar of metal the only cover she had. Her breasts, legs, thighs all bared for the eyes of the club.

Helena's throat went dry. Dinah closed her eyes, denial apparently her recourse for the fact she was singing nude.

"...us."

Helena blinked. She tore her eyes sideways to see Renee taking a seat next to her. Helena stammered.

"What?" Helena said. Renee snorted.

"Subtle," Renee said.

"What?" Helena said, just as confused. Renee chuckled.

"Never mind. Listen, those two are suspicious," Renee said, waving over to a couple of suits captivated by the show on-stage. "Overheard them talking about Falcone. Might be Huntress's cue."

"Why me?" Helena said.

Her eyes drifted back to the stage. Dinah did look beautiful with the lights centred on her, dark skin shining, unconsciously swaying to the melody and baring more than she meant either side of the microphone stand.

After a moment, Dinah seemed to realize she was doing it, her pitch off for a moment as she suddenly froze, and shifted closer to the stand to better use it to cover.

"Earth to Helena," Renee said, waving her hand in front of Helena's eyes.

Helena blinked. Harley appeared out of nowhere behind the bar to pour her a drink.

"Right there with ya," Harley said.

"Huh?" Helena said.

"Hey, aren't you normally chomping at the bit to punch people?" Renee said. "Look, they're on the move. Take the back exit."

Helena blinked a few times. Right, yes, Birds of Prey stuff. That was why they were doing this. She cleared her throat, and got up, walking quickly over to the side of the stage to slip into the staff-only door. She gestured for Renee to delay them.

That was the advantage to Renee doing admin anyway; she could keep them busy for a minute or so with 'How did you like our debut?' questions, feigning market research, while Helena had enough time to get to the private area back-stage and snatch up her Huntress outfit back up off the rack.

Mask, leather jacket that fastened up night and tight, and pants to quickly pull on to go with it. She stripped down quick in order to re-dress, mostly on auto-pilot, so used to the outfit by now, then reached for the 'prop' shelf for her crossbow. This would probably be a time to use it more like a cudgel than a ranged weapon, but she'd gotten one that could handle that.

Another glance out the door to the main club. For a moment she was distracted by seeing Dinah start the second song of her set, the sideways angle offering her a very different view of Dinah, before she remembered to check Renee. The suspicious duo were just brushing past her.

Falcone was a major player in Gotham's mobs. If those two could tell them anything about him, that was a plus. Helena quickly walked out the club's back exit, then down the alley to where those two would be coming out.

"Stop!" she said, dropping her voice to her most intimidating growl.

The two actually flinched.

"Tell me what you know about Falcone," Helena growled again.

There was something almost comforting about adopting the old-school Huntress persona, all intimidation and scoping out targets. Quickly, she lifted her crossbow, the motion a rapid one she was rather used to. The odd noise she heard was a little new though.

The two were staring at her. Helena frowned. That wasn't the fearful-yet-defiant glower she was used to. Speaking of, that noise had sounded a lot like velcro. Only taking her eyes off the duo for a moment, Helena looked down.

Her jacket was wide open, the central fastening (hadn't there been a zip?!) hanging wide open, baring her breasts to the night air. Suddenly she was very aware of the cold.

Eyes widening, she quickly brought up her other, free hand; she'd been resting it on her pocket in case she needed to withdraw another bolt, and her thumb caught in it for a moment. Normally that wouldn't have been a problem; this time, however, rather than her thumb quickly slipping out of her pocket, the front of her pants came clean away, front and back alike falling to the sidewalk, long legs suddenly bared right up to the thin black string she had on as panties ready for her performance.

Helena crossed that arm over her bare chest, trying to pin the flailing sides of her jacket together, before quickly lowering her hand again, trying to cover up what the string panties most definitely did not.

"Shit, that's a good one," one of the suspicious men said. "Nearly gave me a heart attack, but it's just one of the girls."

Helena opened her mouth to respond, and uncharacteristically just stammered. It... might be better to let them believe that for now, honestly, rather than admit the much-feared vigilante Huntress had been caught nearly nude.

She blushed suddenly, heat rushing to her cheeks as she actually processed what had happened. Ah. There might have been some downsides to keeping their costumes in among the strip club clothes after all.