❝you know who I am…who the world needs me to be❞

He’d never liked New York.  It would shock no one, undoubtedly–civilization as a whole has increasingly grown to grate on his nerves, especially since the industrial revolution and its plague of pollution and consumerism had descended upon the planet, and New York is the less than shining monument to those very problems.  Where Gotham is a cesspool of its own making, an island of crime unto itself, New York acts as a beacon, drawing people in.

Apparently, even people Ra’s had never anticipated leaving their nests for very long.   That made things interesting, to say the least.  Being resurrected by those most steadfastly loyal to him in the League through one of the many Lazarus Pits left insufficiently protected for those with motivation had not only brought back his life, but a bit of his youth, as well.  He looked a good few years younger than he had when Nyssa had driven a knife through his chest, which meant that it should be slightly easier to remain unrecognized in his temporary role while he learned what had changed in his absence.  

He could be patient. Besides, he’s actually quite enjoying getting his hands on some ancient treasures–and some less-ancient forgeries.  The knock on the door comes after hours, while he’s translating a text in his office, and he doesn’t look up from his magnifying glass.

“ If this is about the forgery report I made with the NYPD yesterday, I would appreciate your coming to ask about it while we’re open.  You can come back at 9 o’clock tomorrow morning.”

It had not been easy -stepping back into the fight- she had been full of hope once, a long time ago, and little by little had managed to bring her down. But she would be lying if she said it did not feel good to put on the armor again, to fight to make this world a better place, as she had once dreamed.

The war was never going to stop. Humans hated other humans so much. And where she had once believed that love could save the world, the world had taught her that sometimes you need to be a lover and a fighter. But not right now, no right now she wasn’t Wonder Woman, she was Diana Prince trying to save these antiquities from ending up on some rich dumbass instead of available to the public to be seen and admired. 

If she could only get proof they were not from a private collection, but rather belonging to an entire tribe. That’s how she ended up here, one of her colleagues who also wanted to protect the collection got her the information.

❝My name is Diana Prince❞ she responded to the accusation of being with the police, ❝I’m here because I need your help❞ Diana continued to say to the door, ❝evaluation and appraisal...❞