slowly, the hood is lowered, revealing a maskless face. green eyes tentatively meet blue as the boy shifts.

shit, bruce has them dressed better than she is. not that she's much competition right now, considering she's wearing nothing more than one of his oversized tee shirts and a pair of fluffy rabbit slippers. she'd accepted that while they aren't rodents, they were too comfortable to toss, ( and too cute .. )

❝ ohhh my g'awd, ain'tch'a jus' soooo han'some! ❞ odette's delight is anything but manufactured, the toothy grin lighting up her face evidence enough. the now dapper rat she cradles is brought to her face, where she could pepper him in lil' kisses. ❝ y' like y'er sweat'a? daddy got'cha' feelin' y'erself? ❞

of course, she can't forget bruce. a kiss of the man's own, pecked gratefully upon his lips. ❝ y'er real sweet, baby. pumpkin's diggin' it, ain't'cha? ain't'cha! ❞ her tone of voice, raised, the same way one does when talking to their newborn baby.

❝  he  may  be  selfish  and  cowardly,  and  sometimes  he’s  hard  to  understand,  but  his  intentions  are  good.  ❞

❝ you're starting to sound like me, b. well, maybe without the backhanded compliment. usually you want to say the good things first, little tip for later. ❞

his smile grows at his words, giving his dad's shoulder a playful nudge with his own. something could also be said about @agcraphobic's delivery, because only bruce could make a compliment sound like a critique, but it was a start. hell, he's surprised bruce was willing to even give that much, because unprompted praise was rare when it came to him. when it didn't even his kids, that is. maybe it was a luxury afforded to dick on the basis of being his closest friend besides clark, and the child who bore witness to the cruelty of gotham and still came out alright on the other end. he just hums in thought for a moment, looking out at the justice league members before turning his head to look back at bruce.

❝ maybe the next step is telling him that ? i think he'd like getting praise from batman. maybe not that first part, though. ❞

     who is bruce wayne?

" almost makes you wish you'd stayed away, doesn't it? " Lex says, making his presence known to the other man after having sidled up to him. the metropolitan mogul had kept to the periphery at first, watching bruce attempt to navigate the all-too-eager socialites and public figures looking to bend his ear. if nothing else, their conversation will at least offer bruce a moment's reprieve; the other attendees know Lex Luthor well enough to give him a wide berth.

" metropolis might be more to your liking. we don't have nearly as many people running around in animal-themed costumes, for one. "

bruce’s gift to lestat for valentine’s day, walker’s and louis’ coming soon

:3

@agcraphobic ▸ nonverbal prompts !!

while she may not be a rogue anymore, that doesn't stop her from having a nasty streak in the form of her rather bratty attitude. even in a situation such as this one; where she's found herself tied to a chair, wrists bound and ankles restrained. breathing is laboured, the bag atop her head keeping her from getting much in the way of oxygen. it probably isn't helping that the woman won't stop thrashing around.

or screaming. ❝ - let me 'da fuck outta' here! it ain't a joke, y' fuckin' hear me?! i know y' do, i know y' fuckin hear me! i know one'a youse is jus', waitin' an' listenin'! well, y'er a FUCKIN' LOSER! FUCK YOU! UGH! ❞ chest is heaving with every muffled insult she hurls, knuckles going white from how hard she's dug nails into the arms of her seat. odette wants out, god damn it.

bruce had kept her out of everything since identities were revealed to one another. it was both a safety precaution, and a newfound boundary. he worried, didn't want her getting roped into something that would lead to .... well, this. she shouldn't have to suffer anymore from this vigilante bullshit, she shouldn't have to be some damsel in distress hostage. for bruce, or for batman.

yet, here she was. head hangs, eyes flickering about in the darkness of their sack as she listened to what happened to prove her hollering right - yelling, outside wherever she was. posture shifts, woman perks. it had to be bruce. it had to be. nobody else in this shit hole city would come for her. he'd probably been looking for her since she hadn't returned from the shops. he was astute like that.

the creaking of a door. ❝ ... b ... bats? ❞ it's clear she corrects herself in the middle of her call out, doesn't wish to reveal his identity to any prying ears. she deflates at the sound of his voice - relief, washing over her. admittedly, tears sting her eyes a lil'. she couldn't help it. you think she enjoyed this, getting roughed up and used as bait? ❝ t'ank fuckin' god. ❞

bag is removed from her head, and she smiles at the sight of him. he might have a mask on, but it was still her man. ❝ eheh, my hero. ❞ she muses, bruce questioning if she was alright as he goes about removing her restraints. she answers in the form of a hug, arms thrown around him. she's quiet, barely above a whisper. ❝ t'ank you. ❞

her hand is taken. she's told to keep behind him, that he isn't sure how clear the warehouse truly was. odette obeys, glancing down as they step over unconscious body of the hired guard he'd bodied to get into this room. she can't help but spit on him in passing. what an asshole.

a shout for ratcatcher. odette instinctively turns, eyes widened at the sight of a shotgun in her immediate range. there isn't chance for her to react - but amble time for the batman to do so. she's yanked out of the way, muzzle flash a blinding sight as vigilante takes the goon down. ❝ - bruce! ❞ she does it thoughtlessly, scampers after pair as they scuffle down the hall. she can smell the stench of fresh gunpowder, assailant knocked out cold with a final punch to the jaw. ❝ fuck, jesus - ❞