Meeting the Queen of Cats.

At the New Gotham border patrol…

Sitting in the car and looking up at the guard checking him and his passenger’s IDs, Dick Grayson put on his most convincing smile as he waited for the guard to give him and his closest friends clearance to enter the city. The border guard looked back down to the trio of people in the car and back at their identifications, making a look of confusion. Finding the young man at the wheel smiling back up to him wearing jean shorts and a black t-shirt, he was waiting patiently for an answer. In the passengers seat sat a bronze skinned beauty with the fieriest red hair he had ever seen smiled back and fluttering her emerald green eyes to him in a way that drew him to her, her attire consisting of a pair of skin-tight blue jeans and a sheer white top that showed off her bust that drew his eyes between her heart shaped angelic face and her ample chest. Lastly there was the woman in the back seat who looked like she could have passed for Morticia Addams if it wasn’t for the sexy low rider leather pants and corset she wore that exposed her cleavage and those burning red eyes of hers.

“So… Reason for coming to Gotham?”

“We’re here to see the WORLD tree, Lover Dick promised us to come to Gotham to see it.” Koriand’r replied, hugging Dick’s arm and smiling up to the guard with a toothy grin. Slowly turning his attention to the pale woman in the back seat of the blue convertible, she had a look of boredom on her perfect face as her attention turned up to the guard.

“And that include you too Missy?”

Looking towards Dick and Kori smiling back to her with a nod, Talia closed her eyes and breathed in sharply before answering with a sickly-sweet smile of her own. “Yes… They told me it offered a lot of shade and I wanted to see it for myself.”

Accepting the answer, the guard returned their IDs and waved them off. “Thank you, sir.” Nodding back to the guard, Dick Grayson drove down the road as the guard waved them off, another guard at the check point stepped out drinking a coffee and looked out at the vehicle driving towards to the city.

“Who were THOSE three?”

"A couple of hippies and a goth heading in to check out the tree... Damn, that woman needs a tan!"

*

Heading through the city in the middle of the day, Dick and Kori could not contain their laughter as they looked back at Talia crossing her arms and frowning, her face turned away to watch the streets and pedestrians pass by. “Would you two STOP laughing? The indignity of it all, I should have snuck through the border on my own.”

“If you did, the lycanthropes would have known. This is the only way Talia.”

“YES, lover Talia, so much better to be greeted then to sneak in, yes?” Chirped Koriand’r, looking over her shoulder with an innocent smile that softened the vampire’s disposition. Talia started to understand why Raven warmed up to the bronze skinned alien women. Making their way through the forest filled streets, Dick looked around confused at some of the changes in the city after the war as he turned a corner and continued. Streetlamps had been replaced with fully grown forests worth of trees and overhead birds could be seen flying from one canopy to the next. The air smelled cleaner, the skies brighter. If this was still Gotham city than it was NOTHING like he remembered it to be.

“Wow, SO much has changed, I remember THAT being a parking lot where I took out my first drug ring, now it’s a grotto.”

“Yes… The red wolfess has an eye for renovation, behold the fruits of her labours.” Talia announced in an almost mocking tone, waving towards one outcrop of plants and trees that seemed to absorb the architecture around them.

“I like it, so much life and beauty.” Smiled Kori, closing her eyes and leaning back in her seat to smell the flowery scents that wafted in the breeze.

“Yeah, gotta admit, I’ve never seen the city this vibrant or alive, half the time even during the day Gotham seemed like one big mausoleum.” Stopping at a red light, he noticed some of the pedestrians crossing the road looking back at the three of them with contempt at the least and silent anger at worse. “Though I don’t remember getting such angry looks when I drove to work either.”

“They aren’t looking at YOU Dick, they’re looking at ME.” Explained Talia, tightening her arms around herself and huffing as she traded looks with a man staring daggers at her. “Five years ago, I killed and fed off of a lot of their friends and loved ones, there are a lot of people here who howl at the moon who hove LONG memories.”

“So… Do we meet up with Damien first, or…?”

“No! Before him, before ANYTHING, I need HER blessing to enter this city.” Sitting up, Talia leaned in close to whisper into Dick’s ear, patting his shoulder affectionately as he changed direction from the hotel to the New Gotham museum.

Minutes passed and Dick managed to park the convertible in the parking lot of the city museum. Stepping out and approaching the building, it did not go unnoticed that they were being watched by the guards. During the day, the werecats appeared human as did all lycanthropes. All of them wearing security uniforms as other Gothamites came and went through the front doors of the museum entrance. Heading to the doors, Dick and Kori made to enter when they looked back and saw Talia stand just a foot from the doors and refused to budge. “Talia?”

“She’s welcome inside.” Answered the tall and broad-shouldered guard at the entrance, giving the three an unreadable look as his eyes turned to look at the vampire who stood surprised by the invitation. “But the mistress will determine if she will leave or not.” Nodding back to the guard, Talia entered the museum, the three feeling more at ease until Talia felt the man rest a hand on her shoulder. Looking over her shoulder with her burning red eyes, it took all her willpower not to take his hand off his wrist, something that didn’t go unnoticed by the man as he smirked and leaned forward to look the vampiress in the eye. “You will find her in the Egyptian exhibit, she is expecting you.”

Shrugging her shoulder and moving quickly to join Dick and Kori, the three made their way through the museum, heading their way to the exhibit they were pointed towards, only to find it closed off with a black curtain and a small sign stating ‘closed for renovations’ standing in the middle of the exhibit entrance. Looking behind them, they snuck passed the curtain when no one was present to see them. On the other side of the curtain, the scene was a FARCRY from the busy museum with insightful tour guides giving lessons and shop owners offering t-shirts or memorabilia. All around them they found the area draped with massive red curtains and palm trees, that the sunlight gave an ambient red hue to the room. In the background music was being played and all around them cat people lounged or talked on cushioned seating on the floor, surrounding a podium where their leader and caretaker sat and laughed with a tall hulking cat man. The entire place looked like the royal chambers of some ancient palace or an exotic pleasure resort.

The moment they entered; Bastet immediately caught their attention. Even as a tall and lean werecat, the woman was exquisitely beautiful, her body athletic and shapely as she sat up and approached the three visitors, her steps methodical and alluring as she sashayed towards them with a hand to her waist and her long black flowing hair billowing behind her. Unlike the others, she wore a white silk slip around her waist and a folded cloth for a top embroidered with gems and gold thread that gave the impression that the werecat was a queen or deity. The analogy was not far off. “Well, well, well, so few visitors to my temple, not unlike the OTHER museum goers outside.” Bastet purred, eyeing the three up and down with her feline eyes, smirking.

“Hello, my name is Dick Grayson, this is…” Quickly interrupted with a clawed finger to his lip and a shush from Bastet’s pursed lips, the tall queen of the werecats cupped his chin in her hands and gently pulled him close to look into his eyes. She may not have been as massive as a werewolf, but at her 7-foot-tall height, she was still imposing. There was something strange in the way she would stroke her thumb across his cheek or comb her fingers through his hair, acts that seems almost maternal as she smiled down at him.

“Dick Grayson, the first Robin, the Boy Wonder now grown into a man. So much like the Wolf King who raised him and yet… Not. Not bound by tragedy.” Smiling warmly down to the man in her embrace, she had the man stare into her eyes, eyes that seemed to draw him in like a kaleidoscopic well that made him feel numb and at peace, falling into her spell. “You need never ask for permission to come here Richard Grayson. Unlike the trueborn son, you are your adopted father’s true heir.” Leaning in close to whisper into his ear, her smooth voice made his skin shiver pleasantly. “Your parents are proud of you Richard Grayson, never forget that.”

Moving away from the stone stiff man as he continued to look up where she was standing last completely entranced, Bastet turned her attention to Talia Ghul and scowled. Crossing her arms, her tail snapped back and forth behind her, locking eyes with the vampire woman in a threatening manner. “I have come to request permission to enter the city, ach!” Suddenly going stiff, Talia’s eyes darted around her until she locked sight with Bastet glaring back at her with such intensity that she could not look away from her feline eyes.

"So, the undead bride of the betrayer comes to my home to ask permission to be here... I can still hear the voices of your victims in the afterlife demanding you be killed, as a goddess of the underworld I feel compelled to offer them such catharsis by slaying you here and now... You AND the siren!” Approaching Talia, she grabbed hold of the pale woman’s chin and forcefully looked deep into her red eyes. Using her full power to burrow into Talia mind and shatter her resistance. Not being gentle in her intrusion of the vampire’s thoughts like she was with Nightwing, Bastet took total control of Talia’s mind with sheer inhuman will, but then her demeanor softened after reading Talia’s memories, and let go of her chin. “But... You seem to be on a path of redemption, not as profound as the OTHER bride out in the stars, but baby steps after all."

Stepping away, Bastet folded her arms under her bust and gave Talia a haughty look of contempt before answering. “So be it, you shall stay in Gotham until your… Errand is completed.” Seeing to the final visitor, Bastet’s eyes went wide.

“Uhm… Hello, I am Koriand’r of Tamaran, I am friend Robin and friend Talia’s lover and…” Starfire waved with a smile, her other arm behind her with a coy look as she stared up at the queen of the werecats.

Wide eyed with surprise and cupping Kori’s cheeks lovingly as if dotting over a child, Bastet looked the woman over, not even bothering to peer into her eyes as she explored the woman’s bronze skin with a gentle touch and gently combed her clawed fingers through her luxurious hair, snapping her fingers back when she felt almost burnt by the ambient energy the woman gave off. Finally deciding to look into her eyes, Bastet’s smile grew wider, giggling to herself to which Kori joined in, finding the Cat goddess’s amusement infectious.

“YOU my dear, such a fountain of joy and peace and free love in you, I can see why THIS one has remained amicable in your presence for so long and why the Wolf King’s true heir has so much hope.” Gestured Bastet to the still frozen Talia beside her.

“Thank you, friend Robin says I make him very happy, especially in the morning before our calisthenics when he is most energetic in bed.”

Chuckling to herself and shaking her head in disbelief of the woman’s innocence, Bastet pulled Starfire in for a warm hug and kissed her on the forehead, eliciting a smile from Kori who thought she had done something rather impressive to win the goddess’s favour. Keeping the bronze skinned beauty in her arms affectionately, Bastet turned to the rest of her pride still enjoying themselves around her podium. “CHILDREN!” Getting their collective attention, the group of werecats looked straight to their queen, hugging the smiling woman who out of the three were not hypnotised but still completely oblivious to what was going on. “SHE is one of the good ones! You treat her with kindness and respect, NEVER abuse her for she is a treasure!”

Seeing her pride of werecats bow and mutter a shared agreement to their queen’s request. Bastet gently clutched at Koriand’rs hands and guiding her into her court where Talia and Dick followed almost mechanically. “Welcome to my court Koriand’r of Tamaran, would you like some wine? Perhaps some of our delicacies?”

“Do they have mustard?”