Laila said 8, but here she was sitting alone in the booth they'd had lunch in only hours before, sipping her shake, staring out the window, wearing street clothes for the last 30 minutes.
Sigh, you can never trust people outside of the league for anything.
Actually, you can't trust anyone.
Why do―
"Sorry, I'm late! I was trying to find this for you." An out of breath Laila slips into the booth dropping something on the table, "You weren't kidding when you said you knew street dressing and why do you have 2 shakes?" She asks as she stares at the chocolate shake she'd had earlier in the day.
"One is yours," I reply, picking up the... necklace... with some type of bird in metal on it, "Why have you brought me a choker?"
"Thanks!" Slurp "And I just wanted to make sure you fit in. I mean you don't have to wear it if you don't wanna it just seemed―"
"It is fine, thank you for bringing me one." I assure with a smile as I clip it around my neck, "How does it appear?" I ask.
That's what girls do right? Ask each other for fashion advice?
Laila looks up from her shake and stares at me.
"What?" I ask a bit defensive.
"Nothing, it looks good, you look the part. It's just the way you talk that will make you stand out." Laila pushes the straw back into her mouth (presumably with her tongue) Slurp.
"The way I talk?" I parrot.
"Yeah, I mean you're way too formal. When I brought you the choker you could've just said 'thanks' but you said something like 'thank you for bringing it', on the streets less is more. You get me?"
"Yeah I get it, I'll stand out too much," I say with a small smirk.
"Holy shît! You've been playing all this time!"
"Just because I'm rich, doesn't mean I can't interact like everyone else. And can we go now, I agreed to dance in some random dark corner of the city, not sit in this Cafe drinking shakes."
"Alright, jeez. Lemme just finish mine before we go." Laila replied with an eye roll.
I hummed continuing to stare out the window, and absentmindedly began stroking the bird on my neck.
"What is it?" I ask curiously.
Slurp. "What's what?"
"The bird."
"Oh, I think it's a blackbird, they mean lots of great things."
"Hmmm."
Great things...?
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(A/N Just imagine it on a dark blue velvet rope)
•
"Where are we? This place is so... quiet. You sure people dance here?" I ask.
After Laila had finished her shake she had led Amara into the older parts of Gotham where the bricks were crumbling and rat footfalls could be heard in alleys they passed by. Occasionally she could even hear people in the alleys, she chose to ignore whatever they were doing/saying.
"It's a couple more streets ahead. I'd take the shortcuts but I'm not in a rush to run into trouble." Laila replies pulling her hood up.
"Alright." I reply, pulling my sweater closer.
"So, you never did say why you like dancing, or how you can talk normal." she says, glancing back at me.
What should I say?
If I tell her the truth, she might see me as an equal.
Maybe gaining her trust could make her a source of info on the streets...
eh.
"I lived on the streets a lot when I was growing up."
Laila lets out a low whistle between her teeth, "Damn, you really hit the jackpot then huh?"
"I guess." I reply, slightly uncomfortable at that statement.
I mean sure, if you think 18 years of brutal training is fun.
"I'd suggest sticking to your street roots around here."
"...yeah." I replied just as we turned a corner and music began to pick up.
"Welcome to another shady building in old Gotham used for dancing!" She craned her neck to look at me with a smile.
"That's not a name." I reply, slightly exasperated.
"I'm working on it." She snapped back.
Jheez.
•
After 3 hours of moving along to grinding and sweaty bodies in tune to the heavy base (and looking for potential drug dealers), Amara was ready to call it quits. Now if only she could find Laila.
"Excuse me."
"Sorry."
"Can I pass?"
"Sorry!"
Everyone else didn't seem too happy about her quest either, no matter her polite excuses.
Maybe I should check the bathrooms? That's plausible.
After another 10 minutes of shoving I finally made it to the top floor, and moved aside to let 2 girls pass me by towards the stairs.
Wait...where is the bathroom?
And so I began searching, again. I walked down the metal rafters twisting doorknobs and pushing doorways, until I began to hear voices behind a door that was open a crack.
I swear if there's some shady shit going down on the other side of this door...
Which is when I decided to gently push the door open to metal rafters and a set of stairs, and louder male voices.
This is ridiculous, which is why I'm listening in.
Or at least that's what I'm telling myself as I leaned over the rafter to get a better look of the dark room. 4-5 men were sitting around a table playing poker, smoking, and drinking. A lady sat near the middle drinking. Is she a player or a... lady friend.
I need to think of something better than that.
"The shipment's going to come through the docks at noon, in broad daylight, that way it won't look suspicious and we won't have to deal with Batman." dumbass number one said.
"What about security checks?" number two said as he moved his chips to the centre of the table.
"Don't worry 'bout 'em." another said as he removed his cigar from his mouth to let smoke billow out.
"And your sure nobody's aware of this? Because last time..." The woman speaks up with a threatening tilt to her voice.
Well that answers that question.
"Relax Mel, its a cruiser boat, not even ours, it'll look normal." dumbass number one said.
"It better Ty." Mel hisses in his face as he rolls his eyes.
"After the drugs get there the boss fella will send one of us to pick 'em up, and then we meet up at the 'abandoned' mill, where we'll leave the package for him. He gets his package, we get our money." Ty continues.
