dinah lance.

When Dinah came back to Star City three years ago, she was hesitant to accept Barbara’s offer to join the Birds of Prey. After giving it a lot of thought, and realizing she was pretty out of shape as Canary, she accepted within just a few months. Dinah was glad she did though, it gave her a close set of girlfriends that she could protect the city with. Dinah hadn’t felt that close to anyone since the passing of her father. “So, I brought lunch-- figured its been such a long day that everyone had forgotten to grab a bite.” She set some paper bags down on a table at the headquarters before collapsing in a chair next to Barbara. “Whatcha up to?” Dinah asked, tilting her head.

“Ollie and I were just talking the other night about how its been forever since we heard from either you or Hal. I almost suggested we begin a search party because neither of you can keep quiet too long.” Dinah smiled fondly as she bumped into Barry that morning while she was picking up breakfast before work. Their Justice League days felt like forever ago, but it also felt like just yesterday that had to disband due to the hero ban. “I hope life’s been kind to you lately, Bare.” 

A case that Dinah had been working for over five months had been going nowhere. She couldn’t remember the last time she got a lead that was any use, and desperately needed to track down the teenage boy who ran off this his mother’s car and jewelry. So when Zach agreed to meet with her at his place, Dinah was thrilled to finally be moving forward. “Do you happen to know anything about locator spells?” Dinah asked after she was welcomed in and settled. “His mother gave me a bag of his personal stuff-- maybe one of these things will work.” 

-

Teddy shook his head with a grin, “No! I’ve been working on this thing to detect lead and make a noise to warn when it’s around at certain levels. Took me a little while but I think I’ve got it down, made it into a nice little necklace in the shape of Booster’s sigil, I think Rani will like that.” Considering she’s got a suit herself, “Oh, Rani’s the kid I mentioned, sweet little thing. Very much a teenager though.” he added with another laugh, “I kinda totally forgot about anything else for a bit.”

“Really? Is something wrong?” he asked, tilting his head a little and blinking at her. He reached for his own coffee and took a sip, “Honestly? It’s kinda nuts but he seems happy, they both do. But I think some happened to this Booster, he’s a little older so I’m gonna grill him on it.” he smirked and added, “Also, turns out Booster’s lil’robot, Skeets? He’s been going steady with The Bug, robot love! Go figure right?”    

-

“That’s really thoughtful, Teddy, I’m sure she’ll really enjoy having that.” Dinah smiled. She loved kids, and sadly after getting caught up in the life of a vigilante, she was sure the window of opportunity had passed for her. Sure, her and Ollie never really explicitly discussed it-- but Dinah had assumed by now it was a no go. “Well, if she ever needs teenage advice-- you and Booster can feel free to bring her around here and I’ll hang out with her for a day or two.” Dinah offered.

“Just work keeping me up-- I’ve got a few cases to investigate in the morning and I’m always up the night before running them through my head.” She shrugged, having been used to the waves of insomnia by now. Her lips pressed into a firm line, “I hope he hasn’t been through anything too horrible-- no Booster deserves any of it.” Dinah let out a small laugh, “robot love? Never heard anything like it!.”

//

It was something that came along with growing old … losing the people you care about as you age. He always thought that Evan would outlive him so this really had been surprising. Maybe it has something to do with being part of this lifestyle. No matter if you were a superhero or a supervillain like himself … people will die around you for numerous reasons. He doesn’t really expect anyone to be comforting, not really wanting to come off as if there was an attempt to search for sympathy. It’s not what Leonard was aiming to get out of this. Dinah is a good listener and maybe that’s why he felt comfortable enough to open up with her. “It was quite wonderful. Thank you for the kind words. It never gets easy does it? The world taking away those we love.” He raises the drink to his lips for a sip of the drink for a moment before pulling it away to rest in his hand against his lap.

“I completely believe it.” Leonard laughs, although not having many interactions with Roman himself it wasn’t hard to hear all the different stories … even those reached the Gem Cities. “I look forward to it. Let me know which nights he’s away on business and I’ll stop in. I would hate to come in to see you sing and have him throw everyone out.” He manages to smile again which is always reassuring. He doesn’t get out much as he should, sure he’ll venture out for networking but pure enjoyment? Hardly ever but that’s going to change. “Interesting way to look at it. If everything was good all the time we’d probably be bored off our asses or maybe we’d just be waiting for something to go wrong and wouldn’t be able to properly enjoy it.”

-

By now, Dinah should’ve been able to greet loss like an old friend. After losing both her parents as well as a good amount of friends and colleagues over the years, it never got any easier. Each time she lost someone, it only made her heart feel even heavier in her chest. All of their lives were dangerous, even if they never meant for it to go too far-- things in Star City and the surrounding areas were extremely dangerous for everyone. The fact that anyone could be ripped away at a moment’s notice did allow Dinah to love and cherish her closest friends while she had them. “I don’t think it ever will. It sucks, and it’s God awful-- but I think we’ll see them again one day.”

She laughed along with Leonard before finishing off her first drink. “I will, I will,” Dinah nodded, “Maybe I can get Zsasz to keep him occupied this Friday night.” Dinah smiled softly in agreement as Leonard spoke. “I’d give anything to be completely oblivious to all the bad things in the world. I just want some good for once.” Dinah sighed.

Donna was bored, bored to tears — bored to blood. The soonest job she had lined up was a few days ahead, and right now, she was losing her god damn mind. Figuratively, in this instance, and while that could’ve been quelled with a movie or maybe a jog around the park, Scream made it impossible to hear her own thoughts or sit still for too long. They urged her to go out, to take a walk, maybe something fun will happen.

A crash alerted them to a scuffle in a nearby alley, the female in question having one up on the male, who looked to be having a rather bad day. Donna smirked to herself, though her gaze piqued when the blonde’s voice pulled her into the conversation. “If I wanted a piece of the action, I would’ve found my own,” Donna returned and mirrored the smirk back, though Scream urged them to tilt their head as they looked over the injured man. Their stomach growled. “You look like you have it covered, anyway. Where are you taking him? You don’t look like a cop.”

-

“I really don’t mind sharing.” Dinah smirked as she flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and out of the way. Jobs these days for her had been rare-- at least jobs that required her to engage in combat. Most of her PI work dealt with tracking down runaway kids or gathering proof of a cheating spouse. She actually enjoyed the adrenaline rush that came with taking down a particularly dangerous subject. 

Dinah brought the man to his feet after tying his hands behind his back. “He’s going down to the station with a lovely little file full of proof that he wanted to murder his sister.” She looked back at the man and only gave him a shrug when he sighed and started cursing to himself. “Black Canary-- I’ve been running as a small private investigator. Most nights aren’t usually like this...”

A Black Canary sighting was rare these days. While Dinah continued her private investigator work, she only used her vigilante alias for particularly dangerous cases. Cases where the person deserved that inkling of fear that came from not knowing who the hell she was and how she had found them. That night, the Black Canary was brawling with a man who had attempted to kill his sister in order to receive the full inheritance from his deceased parents. After looking at his record, he’d done some other questionable acts-- but Dinah was hired by the sister’s boyfriend to bring him in. Dead or alive was never exactly specified. After she finally tackled him in an alley, Dinah tied him up and let out a sigh. 

“If you wanted a piece of the action, you could’ve just said so.” She smirked up at her audience of one.

Dinah’s bike was currently in maintenance mode, so that night she was walking home from a long night at the club. Normally she could walk back to her apartment with no trouble-- the people lurking along her route had learned to leave her alone by now. However, since everything she’d gone through after her kidnapping, she triple checked looking over her shoulder. So that evening when she saw a tall, shadowy figure standing on the street corner, Dinah decided to approach with caution. “Long night?” She figured she’d make conversation while they waited for the light to allow them to cross the street. 

///

Ollie was never going to be the kind of person who was afraid of people like Roman Sionis. He was a two-bit crime lord, and the only reason Oliver hadn’t kicked his ass out of Star City yet was because of his connection to Dinah. Even so, that connection had been the cause of many fights between Dinah and Ollie, enough that it had led them to break up on more than one occasion. For the time being, Ollie had made his peace with Dinah’s involvement with Roman, but he wasn’t going to pretend to be okay with it. 

“Ooh, tonight’s my lucky night, then,” he said with a grin, kissing her once more. “You know I’m not afraid of Roman,” he replied. “Are you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close as he leaned back against the wall behind the curtain. He brought one hand to tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear before pinching her chin playfully. He kept his tone light; the last thing they needed was to get into another fight that was going to end up going in circles. 

-

Dinah cupped his cheeks with her hands and let her thumbs rub gently over his top lip. “No, no I’m not.” She whispered, a smile on her lips but a small tremor in her voice. Dinah wasn’t scared of much-- at least she wasn’t up until her kidnapping years ago. These days, Dinah was constantly looking over her shoulder and doing her best to stay in line when it came to Roman. She knew if she put a hair out of line he’d send someone much worse for her than the guys who had previously roughed her up. And while Ollie was one of the smartest men Dinah knew, Roman would do anything in his power to keep her hidden from Ollie.

“I’m done for the night-- wanna get out of here?” Dinah grinned, her tone becoming much more relaxed with Oliver now. She loved him endlessly, and while they often hurt each other, Dinah was just glad they were in each other’s good graces right at that moment. While she sometimes hated to admit it, Oliver completed Dinah. When they were apart, Dinah felt like she lost part of herself. Thankfully, nothing had kept them separated for too terribly long.

//

Those words sink in, unsure how much Leonard believed in it. He doesn’t want to dampen the mood so he considers internalizing his grief. He has never been an overly emotional guy but it always comes out eventually. He gladly accepted the drink, needing one more than ever. Dinah had a different perspective on life than most people in his life and yet they found a lot of common ground. He was always honest, not believing in sugarcoating anything. There was enough people running around this planet doing that and Snart doesn’t need to contribute to it. “I had something good. We were good together. It took us a long time to figure out that we were doing but ….” He lifts the bottle to his lips and takes a sip of the alcohol, the burn numbing the ache in his chest. “He’s dead and seems like everything good I had is gone now. So … that’s my life update.”  Leonard isn’t looking for pity, just for a friend.

He leaned back in his chair too, but feet stay planted on the rooftop. His gaze watches the streetlights in the distance for a moment before turning his head to look back at Dinah. “Roman with a tempter? I’m not really shocked by that statement.” He has no room to judge what anyone does since Leonard had joined the ranks of thieves at the same age. He had been eighteen and starting getting involved in the only thing he knew how to do for survival. “I’ll have to come see you perform. Life sure ain’t rainbows unless you’re Roy G. Bivolo.” He chuckles at the thought of Rainbow Raider and his bridges.

-

Dinah watched Leonard speak, a frown slowly pulled down at her lips as he spoke of this person. “I’m so sorry, Len.” She put a comforting hand on his shoulder for a moment before letting it rest back in her lap. “Nothing gold can stay, and I’m sure the time you two were able to have together was nothing short of wonderful.” Dinah was far too familiar with losing people. Both her parents were gone now, and while Dinah was sad for a very long time-- she was attempting to allow herself to reflect on the good times rather than waste away thinking of all that went wrong. She was still learning to follow her own advice, but Leonard was her friend and she would always be willing to help him too.

She grinned a little at his next statement, “would you believe it?” Dinah said with a playful gasp at the end. Everyone in the country knew the famously short temper of Roman Sionis. “I’d like that.” She nodded. “There are some nights when Roman’s away on business, the club’s always so much nicer those nights. I’ll put you on the list, all you’ve gotta do is say you’re my guest and they’ll let you right up to the front.” Dinah offered. “There are moments though when it all feels like it’s going to be okay. I guess if they lasted forever we wouldn’t cherish them as much.”

-

Teddy just grinned like a goofball up at Dinah when she recognised him and couldn’t help but be a little relieved he wasn’t going to get punched in the face. “Hi.” he said a little dopily, “Uhh, what time exactly is it?” he asked, “I’ve been in the Bug for about three days and it was light went I went in so I’m not exactly sure on the time right now.” And he’d been so excited to get over and see Dinah he’d not bothered to check his watch of phone on the way. As usual, once he got an idea in his head he had a one track mind.

“Nothing’s wrong, I just wanted to see you.” he said with a smile, getting up and pointing to the floor behind him, “I brought coffee! Which you may not want if it is really late and I’m judging by the robe, excellent by the way, you’re as pretty as ever, that you won’t want it.”  It wouldn’t go to waste if that was the case though, he’d happily have two coffee’s and get back to work when they were done meeting. Safe to say, Teddy wasn’t great at looking after himself. “Hey! Did you know Booster’s in the city! With a kid too! Nuts right?” he asked, laughing is ridiculously infectious laugh.  

-

Ted’s laugh was infectious, so Dinah couldn’t help but smirk as he pushed herself off him and helped pull him to standing. “Three days? It doesn’t get boring in there?” Her head tilted. The only amount of technology she was familiar with was the device on her choker that simulated her scream after she lost the ability to do it herself. Dinah was intrigued that her friends could get inside things, time travel, or even go to different universes. None of that had been for her, she much preferred her feet being planted to this Earth.

“I’ll have some coffee, Teddy, it’s alright. I was going to be up all night anyway-- my sleep schedule’s been shit.” Dinah offered him a seat at her small dining table. She nodded before taking a long sip, “So I’ve heard-- what do you make of that?” Her brow raised. Ted and Michael were two of her closest friends, and she hoped the air between them would remain clear. 

\

This friendship Leonard formed with Dinah was unexpected. They come from two very different worlds but that never bothered him when it comes down to forming these connections. He might be a super-villain but even HE has a heart. The Rogues were different because they all agreed on following a set of rules that reflected their moral code. Ever since his favorite speedster told him what happened to Evan … he hasn’t left his apartment much the last few days. How do you begin to mourn someone you loved and lost? Snart is in denial about the whole thing. The older man is currently UNAWARE of the fact Mirror Master DIDN’T actually die. Until this is discovered he’ll have to go through the motions. So when Dinah called him he jumped at the chance to have company.

He stepped forward, leather jacket covering a plain white shirt over a pair of blue jeans. “It looks like you got the good stuff. I’ve met people who buy shitty beer but not you.” He compliments before taking a seat in the other chair. Leonard takes one of the bottles and cracks it open for a swig while listening to Dinah talk about her night.  “It must have been one hell of a fight to kick everyone out. What were they arguing about?” He couldn’t help being a little nosy. “That sucks though. Does it happen often?” He couldn’t imagine what it was like to work for Roman. This was a good distraction from his own bullshit.

-

“People like us deserve something good.” Dinah made an attempt at a smile as she handed Leonard the drink. While she loved her friends and family from the League desperately, everyone had some sort of hero complex about themselves. Dinah had too for the longest time until she figured out she wasn’t Star City’s perfect little savior-- she had darkness in her too. She easily gravitated towards Leonard, they were real and honest with each other and his friendship was definitely one of the most comforting.

She leaned back in her chair and kicked her feet up onto the ledge of the roof in front of her. “Roman’s got quite the temper-- so maybe.. twice or three times a week he sends everyone home so he can go upstairs and cry to Zsaz.” Dinah had been in business with them since she was eighteen. They helped her get back on her feet after her father passed, and while Dinah didn’t always agree with them, she was grateful for what they’d given her. “But I get to do what I love every night, so I can’t complain too much. Not everything’s going to be rainbows and sunshine.”