Off the Deep End

Bee's Nest

The plane landed and Dick was standing before the pilot even managed to be on his feet.

He and Alex gave the necessary orders to the small patrol of assassins they'd brought with them, they dispersed to the necessary places to check for snipers and any other possible attackers. Slade took his place at Ra's side, hair plaited and pooling over the dropped hood of his uniform. Alex stood beside Thalia and Dick stood between, a small three-rowed parade that marched down the stairs of the plane. He noticed the shadow of Isa against the sky as she fluttered out a different entrance of the plane. Dick wasn't sure why, but he didn't want The Light knowing about her, it was a gut instinct that he was stubbornly choosing to follow.

The three guards filed behind Ra's and Thalia as they were greeted by the Light's welcoming party. Luthor smiled and over-dramatic-ised his splendour, Mercy at his side. Queen Bee levelled a cunning stare on them all.

They swept into Bee's headquarters, an extravagant mansion nestled into the growth atop a mountain. Isa sat on a tree branch in the corner of Dick's eye and he gave her a small smile as he passed- she'd fly past if anything was looking to go south. The entire front of the building flashed with tinted windows that gazed down on the scenery below. Queen Bee escorted them through elaborately decorated halls, lined with guards, wrists clanging with jewellery that draped fabric from her hands to her shoulders, as she strutted through her corridors a silk and chiffon trail fluttered from her waist.

"I'll give you a tour afterwards, Thalia, I understand you also have an appreciation for post-renaissance oil painting," Bee drawled, her voice somewhere between camaraderie and competition.

Thalia hummed as she gazed distastefully at a piece of chrome crockery displayed on a mahogany sideboard.

This all reminded Dick far too much of Bruce's manor. He fought off a sneer as he stared at it all.

Luthor leaned over to Slade and made some comment with a smile, Slade's face stayed impassive and Luthor cleared his throat as he rushed back to the front of the group to instead talk to Bee.

Slade missed a step so he could trail next to Dick, he murmured, "careful, they're practically courtiers."

Dick eyed a Persian rug strung up on a wall, immaculately cared for, "evidently."

Eventually they came to a hall with several archways, silk curtains drawn on their sides, the arches opened to a long room with a table stretched across it, chairs pushed in and several people floating around. the arches perfectly framed the wall of windows that opened up on the scenery below. Table settings had been perfectly organised across the pearly white table cloths. Waiters stood between the arches, dressed well and holding jugs of drinks or plates of finger food.

Dick almost shuddered, this physically couldn't be worse. Of all the places a meeting could be held it had to be at Queen Bee's home, she didn't know the meaning of ordinary or unobtrusive.

"ah, good to see everyone is here," Savage said. He seemed to be enjoying himself, likely a man that enjoyed higher living. But Dick figured he still found something to be distasteful about in Bee's manor.

The waiters drifted from their places and showed everyone their seats. Dick's escort was about to seat him when Luthor drifted over.

"now whoever could this new visitor be?" he glanced to Thalia.

Dick made sure he was standing straight, his hands turned tight around themselves behind his back.

"Richard, I was recently appointed a guard."

His last name had no meaning here. His last name was not important here. His mother's history did not matter, and his father had no name. he was just Richard here. He could not let that slip.