* 𝖘𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖚𝖊 𝖕𝖊𝖗 𝖘𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖚𝖊

HELENA BERTINELLI’s gala look. 

she’s watching him idly as she reloads the bow out of muscle memory, clipping the much smaller weapon onto the utility belt that hugged her hips. her arms raise to rest loosely over her chest, an impressed nod of her own as he begins throwing the small stars. “i might give your old man shit from time to time, but he trains some good sidekicks,” her tone is teasing, mostly, as she offers tim a playful grin. “well, since i’ve got you here i may as well ask - what’s your opinion on this... brotherhood stuff? i’m keeping my distance but i’d be lying if i said all that talk wasn’t intriguing.” 

A smile of pure satisfaction is forming to the archer’s features, her bow lowering as she turns to face the dead-on bullseye. “Duh, of course I did. Look for yourself.” A hand is motioning forward as Helena is crossing the floor of the recreational room which had seemingly become a makeshift training area for those who wish to sharpen their skills for when they have to jump back into action. She grabs hold of the arrow’s end, pulling it from the target in order to reload her crossbow. “You wanna give it a try?” 

"Didn’t think pitting women against each other was a thing we were still doing, but alright."

“Believe it or not, the buzz around this brotherhood business hasn’t been all that helpful. I hear the kid trying to lead it is... well, a kid. Some hot-headed one who’s sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. I’ll get back to you on that. I’ll be keeping my distance from it, for now.”

“Hm… I mean, we’re a pretty well oiled machine on our own but if I had to… I’d take the spider-kid.”

"Why, are you interested?” 

        helena was positive that if she had to join the mission in ‘74 without her team by her side, she’d go stir crazy. but as the birds of prey take over this quaint bar in the heart of the city, she’s thanking her lucky stars that she didn’t have to go through any of this alone. “alright red, we’re up,” she motions toward babs, urging the other closer before she’s shooting a glance toward the bartender. “so it’s salt, shot…” she’s trailing off for a moment in obvious concentration as she’s wetting the hollow of her teammates collarbone with the slice of lime, a sprinkle of salt to follow. “then lime.” she holds the piece of fruit up for the other to take in her mouth, and once she does this, helena’s smile grows wider in size. with the shot glass poised between two fingers, the sicilian is dipping her head into the crook of babs’s neck, tongue trailing along the salt before she’s pressing a kiss to the same spot. once back at her height, she’s offering a wink in her friend’s direction before her shot is tossed back. the burn takes a moment to subside but helena is still leaning forward to retrieve the slice from babs’s mouth, teeth sinking into the bright green flesh of the lime as a free hand thrusts triumphantly into the air. it isn’t until her eyes are open once again that she realizes they’ve garnered quite the audience, the attention simply earning a shrug from helena. “now that’s how you do a body shot.”

Fond memories cloud Helena’s mind as she walks along the windy beach, using the brief escape from the mansion as a time to clear her head. Nothing will compare to the way the Sicilian sun would beat down on her skin as she watched crystal clear waves roll in from the low tide. It’s times like this when she misses home more than ever, so it isn’t odd of her to grasp at these memories in the only way she knows how. The other’s voice pulls her from her concentration, Helena offering a quick glance over her shoulder before turning to face the stranger completely. She’s not sure if the other was lost or was pulled back to the past like the rest of the mansion, so she’s offering a gentle smile regardless. “New York,” she’s answering briefly, giving the girl’s frame a quick once over. “I take it you aren’t from around here?”

   What was once a smile had fallen at his words, brows furrowing as she tries to figure out what might have brought on such a shift in subject. “Dick,” The name leaves her lips in a huff, gaze searching for his as her arms lift to cross over her chest, defense system unconsciously building up around her. Though Helena hasn’t really outwardly expressed it, she was grateful for Dick’s presence in her life, no matter how much she may say otherwise. “None of it was a waste.” She’s offering out a comforting hand, graced alongside his bicep. “Things in life that you learn from, that shape you as a person, could never be a waste. Just another notch in your belt, or whatever.” The hand that’s placed against his arm will then lift to pinch gently at his cheek, a smile of her own shaping to her features. “Pull some soft shit like that on me again and I’ll personally toss your ass back to 2018.” 

the sudden ripping of the door from it’s hinges takes helena off guard, although as soon as the blonde is chuckling, the archer finds herself doing the same. “well, hey, if anyone asks you about it you can just chalk it up to the fact that this place is ancient.” a gentle shrug is rolling from her shoulders. “either way, your secret is safe with me.” 

“I wouldn’t do that to Babs. So no.” 

“I can’t exactly confirm or deny. However, have you seen her? I’d be stupid not to. What do you say, Zin’?”

she’s aware there will always be this aspect of their friendship that will go unspoken... that is, until one of them decides to bring it up. though helena nods at babs’s request not to bring it up regardless, hoping not to turn what was beginning to be an enjoyable night into a sour one. “i mean... of course i do, babs.” she doesn’t press the matter any further, instead drowning out any other remarks she could make with yet another sip of her beer. when the question is turned onto her, eyes peer over the rim of her mug. “didn’t we just say we weren’t gonna dwell on this?” truth is, there really wasn’t much she’d change about the other. babs had a good head on her shoulder, a good heart, and though helena would never voice this fact, the archer often found herself admiring the other and her strengths. “just make the damn shot, gordon.” 

       the pool cue is poised between her fingers as helena makes an attempt to line up her shot. though when the other speaks, she can’t help but lose her train of thought. “right, babs. not a thing? you can’t think of just a liiiittle tiny aspect of la cacciatrice di gotham city that you’d like to change?” she offers the other an amused look before she’s leaning forward once more, shooting the shot she’d lined up earlier. “you don’t have to lie to me, bella.” her words are laced with sincerity, mostly accepting of the fact that despite how well the two worked together, they would always have this to divide them. she’ll lift the frosted mug of beer to her lips, knocking back a sip of the frothy drink. “your shot. good luck.” 

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