Friends with the Enemy

27) Some Advice from Bird to Bird

At last, Oswald opened the car door and got in.

"Everything alright, sir?" The driver asked.

"Yes," Oswald answered with a sigh, "I just needed to wrap some things up." What a mess that was.

"Where to next?" The man questioned politely as he put the vehicle on reverse.

Oswald had to think on that one. Maybe somewhere Dick could nibble on something in case he was hungry. He turned to the boy who was oddly silent. "Dick, do you like ice cream?"

Dick perked up and smiled. "Yes!"

Oswald returned the smile. "Good." He redirected his attention to the driver, "bring us to the nearest ice cream parlor."

The man nodded and they were driven to more familiar parts of the city. During the silent car ride Dick thought about what cool powers Ivy probably had and Oswald thought about what Ivy and Riddler had warned him about.

Oswald wasn't too concerned. Yes, he had many enemies, but none of them even knew about Dick. Even if they did, Dick wasn't always with Oswald. He around moved a lot. Either he was with Catwoman or.. who was it? Bruce? Yes, that was the name. He'd have to learn more about this man and find out whether or not he was truly going to be a good guardian for Dick. But getting back on track, if Dick ever really was in danger, Oswald always had henchmen to protect him. See? Problem solved, stress relieved.

And anyways, if something seriously did happen... Oswald wouldn't be.. too sad.. right? No, he wouldn't be sad at all! He always told himself that he wouldn't get attached to anyone because he could be betrayed at any time. Trust no one. You'll only get hurt.

Yet he found himself caring for Dick. Heck, he had to defend himself saying that he was right to involve Dick in his life to Ivy and Riddler.

Ugh, emotions were annoying. They were complicated and got in the way.

Fine, maybe he cared a little bit about Dick's well being, okay? He was only human after all. And he wouldn't consider making Dick his successor one day if he didn't care at all.

Besides, it was hard not to care about the boy when he was such a lovable bundle of joy. No wait- he did NOT just say lovable. He meant likable. Better yet: tolerable.

Dick wondered what Ivy ate. If she was technically like a plant, but also human, did she.. still eat fruits and vegetables? What about salads? That would make her a cannibal, wouldn't it? Or did she only eat meat? Maybe all she had to do is absorb the sun? Dick giggled at the thought of Ivy going outside to satisfy her hunger, getting a tan, and going back inside, feeling full.

The next time he saw her, he'd surely ask. Along with hopefully seeing her powers in action. The thing is, he didn't know if he would ever see her again.

The Riddler guy was pretty cool, too. He was still only human but he seemed really smart. It appeared that he and Oswald knew each well. They probably had a past of some type.

As interesting as they were, Dick had to remind himself that they were probably criminals. Oswald had mentioned that Ivy wanted to overthrow humans or something? She didn't seem like it, so maybe Oswald was just being dramatic as usual... still, Dick doubted that she was innocent. The same went for Edward. Then again, they were both decently nice, so Dick couldn't judge them too much. Besides, Penguin was a criminal too, and he wasn't bad. Well, actually, he had killed a person before... Oops. Scratch that.