Dick hadn't adapted yet to the chatter of Gotham city. After all, last night had seemed so quiet.
It didn't bother him, though. He liked the noise. It meant he didn't stand out too much.
Dick looked at his hand. He had a dollar and two cents. He woke up with the money besides him. He guessed that a pedestrian found him and took pity on him, thinking that he was homeless or something. Well, technically, he is homeless...
There was a rumbling sound. Here's a hint: it came from Dick's stomach.
I wonder if there are any places nearby that sell breakfast for one dollar, he hoped.
There were a lot of stores and restaurants around. One of them had to offer inexpensive stuff, right?
Dick continued walking on the sidewalk, looking around the area to see if anything caught his attention.
He abruptly stopped when he felt something furry brush against his leg.
It was a cat. It had black fur and vibrant green eyes. It was awfully skinny.
"Oh, hey there." Dick cooed. He leaned down and hesitantly reach his hand out to pet it. The cat eagerly pushed its head against his hand. Dick broke out into a grin when he felt the adorable cat purr.
Passer-bys gave him a weird look. Is it because of my clothes or the cat? He wondered. He shrugged it off.
"I guess we both are hungry and lost, huh?" Dick pointed out.
A lady pushing her child in a stroller must have overheard him say that, because she concernedly inquired, "oh my, you're lost, Dear?"
Dick raised his eyebrows, surprised. "U-um, yes. Do you know where I can get some food? Preferably cheap?" He asked. He determined that he should take advantage of this situation.
"Hmm? I might know a place or two. There's a small business that sells noodles for little expense. Do you need any money?" She kindly offered.
Dick felt bad for accepting money from a virtual stranger, but he'd probably need it, so he said yes.
After giving him five dollars and explaining where to turn to get to the noodle place, she questioned him. "Anyways, where are your parents?"
He froze for a second, but quickly recomposed himself. "I'm not sure. We split up somehow. You see, I'm not from Gotham." It wasn't a total lie.
"I see." She sighed tiredly. "Well, Dear, I must get going, but if you don't find your parents soon, please go to the police station. They're downtown." She pointed to the direction that she spoke of.
He nodded. So basically I stay away from there, he thought; the opposite of what the woman said.
"Alright. Thank you very much, Miss." he said appreciatively.
"Oh, no problem, Sweetie." She stated while waving back at him. She made a turn right and left with her infant.
Dick was surprised she didn't notice his clothing, but in no way was he complaining.
Time for some noodles! Dick thought eagerly. He made his way there using the directions the lady gave him. It took a few minutes for him to realize that the cat was following him.
"Aww, don't worry. I'll share some with you." He assured.
The cat simply meowed.
"Before I do, though..." dick announced, "I would like to know your gender." So he gently grabbed the cat and looked in the 'area'.
It was a girl.
"So your a she, huh? Cool." He noted. "Alright, alright, I'll put you down!' He laughed as the cat squirmed in his grasp.
"Now, let's finally eat." He declared.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
"That'll be five dollars and 30 cents." The cashier said dully.
"Okay." Dick responded. He passed him the five dollars the nice woman gave him and the dollar he woke up with.
The cashier gave him his change. That left him with seventy-two cents. It wasn't a lot to work with, but for now he was just thankful he was able to get something to eat.
The first thing Dick saw as he left the store was the black cat sitting there patiently.
They sat on the curb side of the road. Dick hummed in delight as he ate. This was much better than what he has been eating for the past month and a half.
His pal ate her portion as well. She seemed satisfied at last.
When they were done eating, Dick decided she needed a name.
"I should name you." He said. He brought a finger to his chin. "How about Emerald? You know, like your eye color?"
"..."
"No? Okay, how about Midnight? You know, since you're dark and mysterious?
"Meow."
"You're right. Too overused. Hmm... what about Ninja?"
"Meoooooow."
"Yay! Your name shall be Ninja now." Dick shouted blissfully. He got up and stretched a bit.
"Come on, Ninja. Let's look around town." He insisted.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
It had rained a few nights ago, it seemed. There were a few rain puddles left. You know what that means?
SPLASH.
Dick was jumping on every puddle he could find. Ninja did not enjoy getting wet, so she kept her distance.
As he leaped from puddle to puddle, he gave little attention to his surroundings. He was having so much fun until he ran right into a wall.
"Ouch!" He yelled in pain as he fell to the ground. He rubbed his forehead to ease the feeling. He looked up to see what it was he bumped into.
There was a sign that read: The Iceberg Lounge.
"What in the world?" Dick grumbled.
He leaned onto the wall as he stood back up. Just then he noticed that there were two lines waiting to get in this blue and black building. The first line was in the entrance of the building, it was filled with rich looking people dressed in fancy clothes.
The second line was to his left. It was much shorter and moved much more quickly. It must have been a side door for the employees. The thing was, some were dressed oddly. They looked like entertainers.
"Hey, what are you doing? No skipping aloud!" A bulky man in a tuxedo accused.
I gotta leave right now, Dick nervously thought. "No, no, no, I'm not-!"
He tried to argue, but someone already started pushing him into the line. What made things worse was that he couldn't get out of line because there were already more people waiting behind him, blocking the way out.
What did I get myself into this time? Dick gulped.
Soon he entered the establishment. It was slightly cold, causing the hairs on his arms to stand. That could just have been because of his nerves, though.
It looked like it was backstage of something.
"What is your name?" A brunette woman with glasses asked him.
"This is a mistake! I-I'm not supposed to be here." Dick stuttered.
"Excuse me? What do you mean?" The intimidating woman further questioned.
"I got mixed up with the other people and was put in line. Before-" he was interrupted by the sound of people booing.
"Tough crowd. " she redirected her attention on him. "All right, kid. I get that you didn't come here intentionally, but you're here now. You go out there and entertain these people." She said. "If you bore or disappoint them, you will not like the consequences. Now go!" She shoved him onto the stage
Dick staggered a bit. He looked up and his heart stopped.
There was a crowd of people dining and drinking. Many of the men and women there didn't even send a glance his way, but the people who did notice him, whispered to each other.
He just stood there in shock and fear. He didn't like the way to lady in glasses told him that "you will not like the consequences."
Right now, he was still in his juvie uniform. If a single person in here called the police, he was screwed.
Hey!
So I felt the need to clarify that some things will be inspired by the show Gotham. I don't know, I just really like how some things are portrayed in the show! Don't worry, you don't need to have seen the show to get what's happening; I'll only be including a few minor details.
Thanks for reading!