Morning tea.

Stepping out of the hideout and making sure the location remained secret as the rusty metallic sliding door slammed down, Damien ruffled his jacket and made his way out of the alley and into the streets. It was six in the morning when he stepped out onto the sidewalk and made his slow winding way back to the hotel where he and Alfred were staying. Looking around, the city was a ghost town, and almost rightfully so; when the sun came up, lycanthropes would return to human form whether they liked it or not.

With his hands in his jacket pockets and looking around himself for any dangers or attacks, Damien found none, but he could never let his guard down, his former masters would never forgive him if he did. He travelled at least 6 blocks to the high-end hotel and walked through the front sliding doors. The floor was empty save for a few ushers and bellhops and the well-dressed woman at the front desk. He heard her greet him as he passed her by but ignored her pleasantries as he made his way to the elevator. He had been sure he was not followed, his headquarters unseen, and his identity left unknown. When the doors to the elevator opened, the young man darted his eyes around the hallway and walked towards the door to his suite.

Opening the door, Damien looked up and gave a stern look to find Alfred serving guests… Uninvited guests. There siting on the couch facing away from the door were three people, a man and two women whom Alfred catered to with a smile before the elderly man looked up and smiled back at Damien closing the door behind him.

“Ah, welcome home Master Damien, your father has arrived this morning to grant us a visit.”

“I can see that…” Replied Damien as he slowly made his way around the couch, taking his seat at the lone chair adjacent with the couch and looking down at the leaders of the werewolves. Pamela Isley sat to the left of the couch in a beautiful red dress that matched her flowing red hair draped over her shoulder, contrasted by her olive-green skin, emerald green eyes and flowers blooming from her scalp. What appeared to be jewelry were in fact strands of ivy that coiled around her wrists and neck in a decorative pattern. Harleen Quinzel smirked from her side of the couch, wearing a bi-lateral coloured gown in red and black, sharing the same style with her shoes, jewelry, hair highlights and even her makeup. Despite the almost outlandish choice in style, the pale skinned woman gave off a regal air where her colour pallet accentuated the stark white of her skin and hair. And lastly Bruce Wayne sat at the center of the couch, wearing a rather expensive looking black and grey business suit, his legs crossed in front of him with his hands resting over his folded knee. “Hello… Father.”

“Hello son, how has your first few nights as the new Batman been? What have you found?”

“That Gotham is more afraid of YOU than me… The Lycanthropes keep to themselves and the rest of the city sees my arrival as a tourist oddity more than its saviour like I had planned. Why am I not head of Wayne Enterprises father? What is your game here?”

Putting down his cup of tea, Bruce shirked somewhat in his seat while Pamela and Harley stifled a giggle at their lover’s reaction. Leaning forward and resting her chin in the palm of her hand, Pamela gave Damien an almost motherly smile. “When Bruce revealed himself as both the Wolf King and Batman, he needed total transparen…”

“I want to hear it from my FATHER!” Damien answered sharply, giving Aloe Vera a contemptuous look that made the Wolf Queen frown and nearly growl under her breath.

“When I revealed my identities to the Gotham public during the war, I took steps to liquidate all our family’s assets, make it all go public.” Bruce answered, leaning back in his seat while Harley rest a hand on his shoulder and Pamela leaned against the other shoulder. “Wayne Enterprises is now what it should have been from the very beginning, in the hands of those who deserved it most to help rebuilt what was ruined or destroyed.”

“Not quite public enough… I see you helped offer your side lovers a seat or two on the head table of the company.”

“Like I said, I made the company go public, and quite frankly, those four are better suited to run our family’s legacy then you or I.”

“In the hands of a nurse, a yoga instructor, a college drop out and a hairdresser?! Bah! Wayne Enterprises was a pillar of strength in this city, it showed that WE were the rulers of this city and its caretakers. With its resources we could have cow towed the rabble of Gotham and snuffed out its criminal element once and for all. Giving it all up was a fool’s mistake father.” Taping the armrest of his chair to make his point, the wolves in human clothing frowned at his response, even Alfred’s smile dissolved.

“I see Ras Al Ghul’s teachings still shines through… Despite my best efforts.” Taking a sip from his tea, Bruce gave his son a harsh look. “I created the Batman to put fear in criminals, NOT Gotham itself, the only priority now is to rebuild the city and heal those who suffered the most.”

“You may have disagreed with the League of Shadows methods, but you cannot deny the results we’ve achieved father.”

“Plague, Famine, War and Death… Ever considered where crime comes from little boy?” Piped in Harley in her thick Brooklyn accent, fluttering her eyes comically to Damien.

“If I wanted to speak to one of my father’s harlots, I’d…”

“NO! This time YOU listen for once.” Harleen snapped, her voice smooth and calculated as she glared back at the confused young man, the personality of Dr. Quinzel now taking her turn to speak and her eyes went from a soft sky blue to a deep ocean blue instantly. “Take it from a woman that stared into the abyss a LOT longer than you have and seen it laugh back in you face, your grandfather was a sociopath who only grew worse the older he got, anyone who thinks killing an entire city to bring peace on earth loses the argument by default. The League of Shadows had NO interest in helping anyone, if you can’t bother yourself to save a single life, you can’t claim you’re here to save humanity!” Breathing in sharply, Harley leaned back and waved her hand over her face as if to cool off, her eyes sky blue once again. “WOW! Been a while since the Doc got that riled up.”

“More tea Miss Quinzel?” Offered Alfred, stepping over to the table between them to rest the post over his gloved hand.

“Please! And its Doctor Quinzel! I didn’t attend 8 months of online medical school to be called Miss, thank you.” She joked with a tilt of her shoulder.

Breathing in sharply and gripping the arm rests to his chair, Damien relented that he would not win an argument with the woman. Turning his attention back to his father, Damien reached into his jacket pocket. “You wanted to know what I’ve been doing. It would seem there is someone shipping in contraband into Gotham, the type the rest of the lycanthropes would not be pleased with.” Plucking the item out and resting it on the coffee table, the leaders of the wolves recognised the material of the metal washer all too well.

“Silver…”

“Someone is shipping pounds worth of silver as plumbing washers into the city, I managed to capture several now under police custody but the rest managed to escape.”

Reaching down to touch the slip of metal, Bruce recoiled his finger when it sizzled contacting it. The moment he brought his hand back, Aloe Vera gently took his hand and kissed his finger. “Do you have an idea of who is gathering the supply?”

“Not yet, but I believe it may have to do with the string of murders in the city, the last two victims certainly stand out.” Damien explained, leaning back in his chair. “Two lycanthropes killed together on the same night… It was either happenstance, or a test.”

“You think one of the tribes is gathering silver?!” Asked Pamela, her voice low as she narrowed her eyes.

“No… The way you are reacting to THAT on the table, you can’t even bring yourself to look at it, let alone touch it.” Damien explained, pointing back at the shiny metal circlet the shape of a quarter on the coffee table. “No… I think its either someone new, or an old player wanting to make a name for themselves again.”

Nodding at the information, Bruce finished his tea. “I’ll let the rest of my wolves know, AND the others.” Giving their farewells, Bruce shook Alfred’s hand, followed by Pamela and Harley kissing the elderly butler on the cheek as they made their way out the door. Before they left, Harley looked over her shoulder to smile back at Damien. “Oooh! Heard on the grape-vine Bastet banned you from the museum, don’t forget, you’re welcome at OUR place any time.” She winked playfully.

“I’ll remember to bring a flea collar…” Muttered Damien under his breath.

Catching everyone off guard, Harley’s eyes turned yellow, and it took everything Bruce had to hold the woman back as she started barking back at the young man like a junkyard dog. “HARLEY! HARLEEN please!” Looking back at Pamela who shook her head with a smirk, Bruce rolled his eyes and sighed. “Settledown…Princess Floofy Butt.” Instantly the albino woman stopped and turned her attention to Bruce with a panting smile, before kissing his face and nose and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Breathing in sharply, Bruce looked to Alfred and Damien and bid them good day and closed the door behind them.