Unknown Chaos Duo

With one hand, Tim signaled to the others in the batcave to put on their masks and cowls as he did the same. Justice League Dark knew who they were, but they did have images to maintain.

Moments later, Constantine opened a swirling gold portal into the cave and tossed a thumb drive at Batman.

“It’s one o’ yours, there shouldn’t be any bugs.”

Bruce checked it anyways on his wrist computer before plugging it into the main bat computer.

Tim and his siblings crowded around the large screen and the magician.

“So. You met the Voice of the Crown. Probably one of the most powerful beings in the entire Realm, and you made it out alive. Well done.”

“I would assume the King would be more powerful? Or whomever wears the crown?”

John glared at Dick and took a long drag of his ever-present cigarette.

“That’s the thing, the Voice is the one who wears the Crown.”

A grunt from Bruce prompted the Brit on.

“The Crown is the ghostly manifestation of the concept of monarchy. The Voice becomes the Voice when they make an oath to uphold the virtues and values of a good monarch.”

“So this Voice hasn’t always been the Voice?” Duke spoke up. “I thought ghosts were pretty static. Unchanging.”

“The previous Ghost King- feel free to laugh, he was a Voice with delusions of grandeur who insisted on that name- broke his oath centuries ago in his pursuit for power. He took on another oath, therefore breaking both and driving him mad. The current Voice has only been in power for a decade or so.”

Constantine took the computer mouse from the desk and clicked to the first slide of the PowerPoint.

‘Ghosts and How to Respect Them’

Tim grabbed a nearby tablet to keep notes.

~~~

Danny watched his two best friends bicker with a level of disinterest honed by years of watching the same argument. He knew the argument would continue up until they reached the mall food court, and then possibly until after they had all eaten.

Part of him wondered why they were rehashing the vegetarianism vs meat eating argument again, but the rest of him knew they would be fighting over it until their death beds and beyond.

“Oh, is that Tim Drake?”

Sam’s comment stopped Danny in his tracks, and he looked up. Sure enough, Tim was standing by the Wayne Electronics shopfront, fiddling with his phone.

“You should go say hi, Danny!”

Tucker ducked around Danny’s back and pushed him forwards gently, but it didn’t take much persuasion.

Tim looked up as Danny approached, and his face lit up, which was honestly flattering.

“Danny, hey! Wild running into you here- shopping for something?”

“Yeah, Sam and Tuck dragged me out to get a birthday present for my little sister. Not that I wouldn’t have gotten her a gift, of course, but I probably would have just ordered something.”

Danny turned to gesture to his friends, but the traitors had vanished into the crowd at the food court.

Tim chuckled at what was probably a frustrated expression on Danny’s face.

“Well, I don’t know your sister, but I’d be happy to help you look for something if your friends have abandoned you?”

“I would like that.”

Grinning, Tim lifted his phone as if showing it off.

“Sure! Let me text Jason and let him know that I’m leaving him behind. Why he insists on coming to the shopfront when I literally run the company, I’ll never know.”

Danny chuckled and waited for the other man to finish his text. When Tim slid his phone into his pocket, Danny held out his arm as if to escort him.

Tim slid his arm into Danny’s, and they both blushed.

“Well, tell me about your sister, and we can start our search.”

~~~

“You got me a skateboard?”

“Yeah! Apparently there’s a really awesome skate park in Gotham, so next time you visit, you can check it out!”

Ellie Nightengale kicked her feet in the air excitedly from where she sat on the edge of the apartment building. Dan was behind her, braiding her hair and silently listening to the conversation she was having with Danny.

“That sounds great! Jazz is gonna lecture us about safety.”

Danny laughed, the sound distorted by the phone despite the ectoplasm in the inner workings.

“By the way, how was the reaction after I left the other day? Sorry I couldn’t stay at family day longer.”

“There were a lot of questions, but you know me! Obfuscate, Complicate, and Discombobulate!”

“Of course, much better than Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss.”

“Duh.”

“I hope they won’t bother you too much with their prying.”

Dan’s ring got caught in Ellie’s hair, and they spent a few moments disentangling it before she spoke to Danny again.

“They’ll pry, but it doesn’t bother me. It’s kinda funny? Like, there’s Batman, the world’s greatest detective or whatever, and he’s calling Constantine to ask about ghost culture. Instead of asking the actual ghosts- just because he’s emotionally constipated about the idea of a teenage girl having died.”

“How do you know he called Constantine?”

“Connie told me himself. Something about wanting to know why I was palling around with the Voice of the Crown? He was pretty shocked to learn I hang out with the Rage Bearer too.”

Danny and Dan both chuckled, clearly pleased that the laughing magician was bothered by it.

“Like, can’t a girl be the mirror born of the two most powerful individuals of the realms in peace?”

“You’re only Dan’s mirror-born on a technicality.”

“Hey! It would hold up in a court of law! I’m half you and Vlad, he’s half you and Vlad- it all comes together.”

“Gross. Don’t remind me of that Fruitloop.”

The window below Ellie’s feet slid open and Jazz stuck her head out.

“Dinner’s ready, you two. Say goodbye to Danny and get your butts in here.”

Ellie obliged, and she and Dan climbed down the fire escape, closing the window behind them.