Willow

GothCorp Robbed!

...GothCorp was recently broken into by masked suspects. Batman intervened and recovered the stolen goods and apprehended those involved ...

Oh. Verity thought, watching Bruce fumble for his phone. He is adorable.

She shook the thought away, reminding herself that he was also annoyingly persistent and not nearly as charming as everyone seemed to think he was. But still. She found herself smiling softly.

For the first time since their meeting at the funeral, she took the time to really look at him. He was certainly handsome. Tall and broad. Messy dark falling in his crystal blue eyes no matter how hard he tried to keep it slicked back. He had a solemn air about him, though thinly masked by boyish charm.

"Sorry about that." Bruce said, turning back to her. He chuckled nervously, "Probably a scam. Never know these days."

"That's quite alright." Verity offered a small smile. It was all she could manage. She'd taken a second dosage of the pain pills before leaving, but between the humidity of the day and the bumpy cab ride she still felt rather miserable. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Mr. Wayne."

"It's an honor to have you here, your grace." He kissed the back of her hand. "And please, call me Bruce."

There was that damned charming, toothy grin again. Her stomach fluttered.

"If I am to call you Bruce, then you must call me Verity." It seemed only fair. A name for a name. A smile for a smile.

Bruce showed her up to the Bio-Med floor, giving a thorough explanation of everything Wayne Enterprise's medical and biological science divisions strived to accomplish. How he had provided more funding after a psychologist studying adrenaline and fear responses tried to poison the whole city with a toxin that caused the citizens to envision their worst nightmares come to life.

Batman, of course, had saved the day. But to her it seemed Bruce Wayne could be a hero, too.

When they reached the Bio-Med floor, Bruce led her to the far side of the research wing.

"I took the liberty of putting Dr. Kalato in charge of your, um, case." He explained, "She's a brilliant biologist and geneticist."

He knocked on the heavy metal door. A voice from the other side called for them to enter. Bruce held open the door for Verity, greeting the doctor with a smile.

"Hey, Karina! How're the kids?"

"A handful as always, Mr. Wayne." Doctor Karina Kalato swiveled around in her chair to face them. Her dark hair was pulled into a messy bun atop her head. Red-framed reading glasses dangled from a chain around her neck. Her eyes crinkled when she smiled, "This must be my patient."

"Ah, yes. Karina Kalato, meet Verity Iyer."

"Are you really a duchess?" Karina asked, standing to shake her hand.

"Are you really a doctor?" Verity returned, raising a brow.

Karina laughed, "Oh, I like you."

Bruce's phone chirped and he excused himself, citing urgent CEO business. Leaving the doctor and duchess to themselves. Karina ushered her into a chair and handed her a clipboard with some forms to fill out.

Verity filled out what she could, watching the doctor bustle about the room. It was sparsely decorated. A few awards hung in frames on the gray walls, accompanied by pictures of the doctor and her family.

"Today will be pretty quick for ya," Karina told her, "I'd like to take a few scans and get a few skin and blood samples for testing."

Verity nodded, removing her blazer and gloves with trembling hands. Her stomach flipped.