Batman Beyond: Double Trouble (closed)

[Eazy]

(closed for Lily and Eazy)

Terry McGinnis had been asked to accept and deal with a lot of questionable orders and compromises since that fateful night years ago. That fateful night where the Hamilton Hill high school student had found himself stumbling his way into one of the biggest secrets to ever grace the mythology of the infamous Gotham City. Indeed, one of the greatest, best kept secrets even amongst the superhero community. Since that day where the elder son of Warren and Mary McGinnis had found out Bruce Wayne's secret life as the legendary caped crusader, the now current Batman had been asked (or rather told) to entrust the old man's judgment calls on numerous occasions. Today would be one of the many days where the pair would find themselves dealing with a butting of heads over those judgment calls.

"Bruce, you do know this is crazy, right?" Remarked the dark haired teenager as he stood behind the older male watching his monitors; arms crossed idly while continuing, "Inviting a couple members of the Jokerz into your home as part of a rehabilitation program? And not just any members, but ones who used to work for the big J himself?"

Without turning away of the console to address his apprentice eye-to-eye, the long retired dark knight calmly responded to these by now frequently repeated concerns, "I know who they are, Terry. And I know what they've done in the past. To others and ourselves. But I also know that they're a couple of kids with a mixed up life who could be put on the right path with the help of a strong hand."

Giving out a light sigh, having long since given up on changing the old man's mind when he was like this, Terry simply leaned against a nearby desk and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his brown jacket while idly gazing out into the darkness of the illusive Batcave, "Yeah, well. I just hope you've kept inventory on all of your belongings before today. And bolted down anything you don't want to find 'missing' in a week."

Hitting a few keys on the console of the hidden caves giant sized monitoring system, Bruce added with a continued tone to his voice about of not budging on this stance, "Hmph. I thought you of all people would be more receptive of what I'm hoping to do here. You know as well as I do how a troubled childhood can make a young person take a wrong turns in their lives."

"Or start dressing like a bat." Terry remarked idly, before pausing for a moment when Bruce paused at his seemingly idle keystrokes to glance over his shoulder; causing a quick "Sorry." to slip out of the current Batman's lips after seemingly having to touch a nerve on the stoic Mr. Wayne.

Giving a dismissive look over the remark, the older male returned his attention to the monitor for a moment before slowly standing with the aid of his cane while assuring his 'assistant', "Don't worry. As I've told you before, I'm no fool about the chances taken with such a seemingly simple act of charity. Now hurry up. Our guests are arriving."

Gazing over at one of the monitors on display, Terry would indeed see the gate leading up to Wayne Manor opening on its own as a vehicle began pulling up along the lengthy path toward the front door. Taking in a deep breath, the dark haired teen began following the elder male as they made their way out of the cave and up to the secret entrance to the mansion itself. Terry normally didn't stay in the manor itself, but had made arrangements with his mother about making an exception while Mr. Wayne's 'guests' were staying here. It was one of the conditions the parole officers agreed to in order for Bruce to let the girls be turned over to his custody.

Following after the slightly hobbled male as they moved up the stairway together, McGinnis couldn't help noting with a touch of sarcastic amusement to his voice, "Two Batmen and two Jokerz living under the same roof. There's a potential reality TV series buried somewhere in all of this...."

 

[Mephistophelily]

A dual set of bright blue eyes stared into the rearview mirror of the police cruiser, one pair locked upon the officer driving, the other on the old woman settled into the passenger seat. The woman held a cane against her knee, hands balanced atop it as she gave a quick smile to the officer. "Remind me to thank him for this. The girls simply can't seem to learn anything anymore... Arkham simply isn't the same as it once was." She chuckled slightly with that, closing her eyes and smirking. "Believe me. I know."

The blue eyes rolled in the back seat, both girls flopping back against the cushions. "Ugh, DeeDee," One growled.

"Double ugh indeed, DeeDee," Agreed the other. Within seconds they were both yelping and rubbing their heads as the hand of their grandmother quickly slapped their foreheads together. "Nana Harley-!," They howled in unison, cringing.

"Enough with that!," Their grandmother snapped, pointing a finger at them both. "Deidre! Delia! You both have proper names, so enough of this- this DeeDee reference!" She glared at them, nodding quickly as they whimpered out in agreement. "That's BETTER." Settling back into her seat, she gave another smile to the cop, pointing at the opening gate. "Well then. Let's get this moving along, hm?"

She didn't notice the pair of tongues being stuck out at her back.

The mocking didn't last long, however, as the two took in their new home for their rehabilitation. A stereo whistle came from the back seat, both blondes peering in awe out their windows. "Ohhh, the trouble..." "...Caused by double..."

"GIRLS!"
"OW!"

The officer let their Grandmother from the car first, opening one door for the twins secondly. As the duo tumbled out, the look of mischief was already gleaming in those blue eyes- only to be dulled as a single set of cuffs was quickly slapped to each of their wrists. "Don't trust us?" "Probably wise."

Moving up to the steps between both the officer and their Grandmother, a shared glance was given between the twins, a tiny smirk for a brief moment. "One moment...," The officer noted, grabbing one of the shoulders before him. "Let me see it. I need to know which is which."

A little shared groan, then the left and right side of the top of their skirts rolled down slightly. A "D" tattoo on each of them... but only one had it backward, on the mirrored hip of her sibling. "Ahha. Delia." Reaching up to ring the doorbell, he made sure to keep his hand on Delia's arm as he did so.

Harleen smiled as the door opened, the officer giving a nod to the two men standing there. "Mister Wayne. Mister McGinnis. Your charges.... The Dennis sisters, Deidre and Delia."

"DeeDee, pleased t' meet'cha!," The duo announced proudly, holding out their hands and giggling.

The officer, as well as their grandmother, did not seem amused at all.

 

[Eazy]

As they reached the large double wide doors at the front of the manor, Bruce took a moment to remind his younger counterpart, "Be on your best behavior. I know there's some bad blood over the past, but this is about giving opportunities for a new beginning."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. You're right." He admitted with some reluctance; still feeling somewhat sore after the direct attack their former gang had on him and Dana during one of their nights out a long ways back. Granted, with how things had gone between Dana and himself since then, this almost seemed like a lifetime ago. Still, it left Terry with a bitter taste about the notion of letting them into the mansion with open arms.

When the doors opened to greet the quartet awaiting them outside, Bruce's initial attention seemed evenly split between the girls and their grandmother. Harleen. It wasn't until after the incident with the Joker's return in Tim's body had settled down that Bruce had managed to do further background checks on the gang members he'd recruited for his own personal Jokerz. It was then that Bruce had accidentally stumbled upon one of the great unsolved mysteries about that night in Arkham so long ago.

Part of him may have wished to bring her in for past crimes. It wouldn't be hard. At the same time, however, those urges seemed more of petty revenge then anything else at this point. Especially as such a response would only make matters even worse for the troubled teenaged sisters entrusted to her care - which instead led him to extending the offer which brought them to where they were today.

"Ladies." The elder male responded with a simple nod; using the need to support himself with the cane as an excuse to not play their game as he greeted them with a formal smile while correcting, "I do believe we've 'met' before, but it's a pleasure for us to be formally introduced. Allow me to introduce you both to my personal assistant?"

Giving a small wave at first, Terry initially replied in a fairly matter-of-factly manner, "Hey. We've actually met before, too. Nightclub and such." Giving a short pause, a brief throat clearing noise from Bruce convinced the younger male to give a warmer greeting while reaching out to shake their extended hands, "But, yeah. It's nice to have the both of you with us." Glancing down at the metal cuffs linking the pair together, the teen added with a touch of cheekiness, "Loving the matching arm bracelets, by the way."

Wanting to push on beyond this exchange, Mr. Wayne took a step back while offering to their guests, "If you'd like to follow us inside? We can iron out the final details on our arrangements before leaving your girls to our care."

Each of them eventually followed up on the former playboy's offer as they entered the manor. Bruce talked with the attending officer and Harleen as they walked slightly ahead and worked out the final arrangements while double checking on a number of matters to assuage everyone's concerns. Mostly making sure they had the emergency numbers needed for if there was any trouble with the girls, along with agreed upon curfew times and the addresses or numbers of a few places Mr. Wayne could take them for counseling sessions if needed.

Stuff which perhaps held greater importance for a normal good Samaritan agreeing to take in troubled youths then it did for somebody like himself. But they were formalities which needed addressing, which left the sisters and Terry partly tagging along/lagging behind as McGinnis kept an eye on them. He didn't trust the pair, but at the same time hadn't come across as particularly worried about them being around. As such, Terry would keep an eye on them as the 'adults' would have their grown up talks, while at the same time coming off with a seemingly casual (albeit slightly cautious) approach to addressing them.

"So... which of you is the smart one and which is the pretty one?" He asked while glancing over at the duo; giving a slightly smirk afterward and shrugging his shoulders while excusing, "Just trying to make conversation."

 

[Mephistophelily]

"Place seemed familiar." one twin agreed, the other peeking around. "Quite different when you use the front door," the second noted, smirking at Bruce with her sister- only to have it immediately drop away as they realized the cop was still standing there. "Past is past, Mister Wayne." "Bygones are bygones."

Attention from both sets of eyes shifted to Wayne's companion, the smiles once again returning. "Ah, the light on his feet dancer." "Really brought the house down." "What do you say we just... kiss and make up, hmm?"

The added statement from Delia received a quick glance from her sibling, her nose wrinkling slightly at the aspect of a THIRD chime in- and especially what was said. Delia simply gave a shrug and stuck her tongue out at Deidre, refocusing her attention back on Terry.

Following the men into the house, an elbow was cast into Delia's ribs, the twins glaring at each other in various expressions that seemed to be silent conversation all their own. The duo almost forgot they had someone else along with them until Terry spoke up, glances cast over their shoulders to the young man walking with them. Delia smirked at the comment, while Deidre simply scowled.

"She's the smart one," Delia suddenly chirped out, pointing to her sister.
Deidre at first smiled at that, only for realization on his inquiry to click seconds later. "HEY!"

Delia giggled again. Okay, so Joker had sent them to kill the guy before. Certainly a bad way to start things... But really, she did find him a bit... cute, in a way. A sense of humor to him, too. Something she could really appreciate. Now, if only he had a thing for bad girls...

"Your drool is showing, Dee," Her sister hissed, making sure to hold out the fact it was a singular reference to only her twin. "Don't be disgusting."

 

[Eazy]

The dark haired teen raised an eyebrow at the sudden response of one sibling - Delia, if he was keeping their respective identities straight - to his tongue-in-cheek question before letting a slight smile touch upon the corner of his lips at how the other DeeDee reacted. Terry actually ended up raising a hand to pretend he was getting at an itch on his upper lip to attempt in masking the showing of amusement from the rib at her sister. The current Batman also had to remember, after all, how the few times he'd let his guard down around them in the past usually resulted in his getting kicked in the ribs or even head by one sister or the other. And what strong kicks they had, he reflected while lightly rubbing at his jaw in memory before returning to the present situation at hand.

"I see." He responded to Delia with a slight hint of amusement on his voice; having missed the singular reference between siblings before addressing both of the sisters, "Guess it would be kind of a moot point to follow up by asking which of you is the 'evil' twin, huh?"

Well, according to Bruce, neither of them were so much evil as they were misguided. A theory which Terry figured would be tested during the coming days and possibly weeks or months spent together. However long it would take for their rehab to take or they ended up back behind bars. Whichever came first, the young man mused for a moment, before addressing them in a more serious manner, "Hey, look. I realize you were making with the ha-ha's earlier about kissing and making up, but I guess since you're both going to be living here together we probably should try for a fresh start."

Reaching a hand back to lightly rub at the side of his neck, Terry added with a light smirk and semi-seriousness, "Just, you know. Don't go inviting any of your old buddies or crazy boyfriends over for any house crashing parties."

Looking them over a little here and there as they followed along with their elders, the current Batman had to admit they actually were pretty cute when not caked in clown make up or trying to get him killed. Granted, that cuteness may mean little after the attending officer removes those cuffs and they're left more to their own devices. Still, between Terry's relationship with Dana having suffered what appeared to be a finishing blow in recent months and the duties as protector of the city taking up much of his social life, it wasn't often that the young Batman got to spend any time with girls close to his age. Or, for that matter, anybody close to his age. He wouldn't forget who they were and why they were here, but maybe there was a thin silver lining in his having to help Bruce play babysitter with the pair.

A short distance ahead of the younger trio, the escorting officer seemed to be pleased enough with the exchanges of information and last minute paperwork to begin leading their own conversation toward its conclusion, "I think that should about cover it, Mr. Wayne. Be sure to let us know if the girls give you any trouble. I realize it's a lot to ask a man of your age and stature to put up with and try to correct a couple of potential troublemakers."

"You'd be surprised...." The elder male stated with a brief, almost amused smile peaking out upon his features, before turning toward the former main squeeze of perhaps his greatest enemy. Having treated her like any other visitor to his estate, Bruce gave a small nod at Harleen while addressing and reassuring her, "Ma'am. I assure you that we'll take care of your girls. You have my information. Please don't hesitate to call or visit if you ever wish to check up on their progress."

 

[Mephistophelily]

Deidre simply scowled at the young man, turning her attention back to the adults ahead of them as her sister smirked and shrugged, making a quick jabbing motion toward the other while sticking out her tongue and rolling her eyes. Delia was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, this little... exercise could be something useful. Sure, they'd been in Wayne Manor before, but not like this. To be honest, she only had vague memories on what had happened before... After everything that had taken place with Drake, Joker, and the Jokerz, it was hard to really keep her head a clear place.

As for Deidre, though... She had no intention on getting close to anyone in this place. The idea of being stuck in a creepy old house with a creepy old guy and his creepy little friend was less than amusing- and she liked to keep things interesting. Maybe that would be her responsibility now. Make this far more fun for her. And keep her sister in line.
Speaking of which.
Another jab in her rib.

"OW!" Delia yelped suddenly, grimacing as she rubbed her side, a pouting glance shot her sister's way. "Watch it, would ya?!"

"Hey, look. I realize you were making with the ha-ha's earlier about kissing and making up, but I guess since you're both going to be living here together we probably should try for a fresh start." The duo glanced over as Terry spoke up, a shared look between them for a moment, then an opposing set of a smile and frown given back to him.

His added comment on parties and old friends caused a laugh from Delia.
A snarl from Deidre.

"Oh, would you relax?," Delia whispered, squeezing her sister's hand around the cuffs. "If we're going to be here, we may as well enjoy it, y'know? Maybe Gram's right..."

Deidre made a face. "You meet a guy for 5 minutes and suddenly you want to be Miss GoodyGoody? Did Gram hit you too hard in the car?"


As the three spoke, and the twins had their hissed argument, the elders ahead finished up their talks on the duo coming to stay. Harleen gave a smile and nod to Wayne as he gave his farewell. "Thank you for this, Mister Wayne. I only want to see these two make a better turn in their lives than... well. You know." She turned back around, gripping her cane as she sourly looked over her granddaughters.

"You two." She narrowed her eyes. "You behave. You are here for a reason, and if I find out that you've gone against any of the regulations put into place, I will let Arkham do as they please with you. No more stepping in. No more attempts at salvation. Prove to me there's some good blood in those veins..."

"Yeah, yeah, Nana." A stereo response, both sets of eyes rolling. Still, Delia raised her had to give a small wave goodbye to their grandmother as her hand was released by the officer, her sister scowling and rubbing her own wrist as the cuff was slipped off her own. As the elder woman left with the cop, the twins glanced at their new caretaker and housemate. "So." "Now what?"

 

[Eazy]

The current Batman was a little surprised, and even a tad amused, by the distinctively different reactions the pair gave toward his suggestion of trying to make the best of things. It caused a brief chuckle to slip out of the teen before correcting himself almost immediately. One of the last things they needed was for him to drop his guard too much around this pair of mischief makers. Still, even if Terry couldn't tell for certain how much of it was genuine or simply an act, it was a positive sign that at least one of the two seemed relatively receptive toward this situation. Even if it did seem to spur a spurt of whispered bickering which the dark haired youth couldn't pick up on even if he'd tried eavesdropping on the duo.

As this was taking place, the elder head of Wayne Manor gave an understanding nod toward Harleen as she turned to deal with her granddaughters. It was an almost undisputed factoid amongst those who knew better that Harley could have lived a far simpler existence without The Joker there to set her on the wrong road in life. True, the often titled Clown Prince of Crime wouldn't have been able to maintain the hold he did if the seeds of insanity weren't already there from the start. Still, without a Joker around (unless he had some other trick for cheating death hidden up his sleeve), there may have been hope for preventing history of repeating itself in the two girls currently getting an ear full from their Nana.

The elder woman and police officer left the scene, with Terry briefly escorting them out the door before returning on his way toward Mr. Wayne and their new 'guests'. At the query about what came next, Terry himself was rather interested in hearing what Bruce had to say and what would happen in terms of the girls reaction. Standing there with a firm, yet not as of now threatening stance, the elder male began to lay down the law, "First, the ground rules."

"Here we go...." Terry quipped briefly, before growing silent as Bruce threw him a brief glance which said to not interrupt him again.

That out of the way, Bruce began getting the 'bad' stuff out of the way first, "You're not to leave the premises beyond the gates unless you're being chaperoned under the supervision of Terry or myself. Your curfew is at 9, which means no exiting the house itself after this hour, nor making of personal calls." Pausing there to seize up any reactions they may have, the elder male glanced toward his 'assistant' and added with a remark which showed the old man had better hearing then most expected, "Also, Terry was right earlier. You're not to invite any of your old friends near the property. If they show up for any reason, it'll be considered trespassing which means Ace here will have to escort them out."

At this statement, the large black Dane-mixed canine slowly came into view from around a corner to 'introduce' itself to the twins. There was a slight concern of the sisters recognizing Ace from when Terry brought him along to assist during the final confrontation with Jokers crew, but there were so many dogs like him out there, that it seemed an unlikely connection to make. Regardless, the large canine walked over to sit obediently beside its master while giving the Deedee's a cool stare which showed he meant business.

Despite the presence of the often intimidating canine companion, Bruce did soften his appraoch slightly while rounding up his little speech, "That said, despite the circumstances surrounding your stay here, you are our guests. There's a room set up for you both upstairs which I believe you'll find to be very spacious. You'll also find the estate itself to hold various luxuries which you are welcomed to help yourself toward prior to curfew." Mr. Wayne took a moment to reach a hand down and pet Ace in a seemingly affectionate manner while adding, "Treat my home and everything in it with respect and you'll be given the same treatment in kind. If not?" A short pause, as if contemplating the options, before giving the girls a small smile which wasn't entirely comforting as he finished, "Well, we'll cross those bridges as they come, now won't we?"

Letting those words sink in for the twins, Bruce then sent Ace away with a light pat behind the ears as his demeanor returned more to what they'd met upon entering the home with their Nana and the officer, "In the meantime, let's let the both of you get settled into your new home for the coming weeks. A number of your belongings were already sent ahead and are awaiting you in your room." Having made this known, the retired Dark Knight gave a glance toward the young McGinnis while issuing the simple instruction, "Terry, if you will?"

Looking not at all phased by the majority of Bruce's spiel of subtle (and occasionally less then subtle) intimidation, Terry gave a protesting glance toward the older man before whispering to himself in defeat, "When did I become the new Alfred?" Regardless, he did as asked, as the current Batman knelt slightly and gestured for the girls to follow in a stereotypical butler pose, "This way, ladies? And please try not to break anything along your way."

Eventually, the trio did manage to part ways from the elder male, whom in turn had left for the cave to double check on a few security measures. As this was happening, Terry led the girls, for whatever protests or comments they may make about the place or Bruce Wayne himself, up the stairway which led to the second floor where many of the guest bedrooms were. Along the way, he glanced over his shoulder at them and, for what it mattered, tried to reassure them, "Look, I know Bru-, I mean, Mr. Wayne can come off as a little too rough around the edges. But the guy is pretty fair.... well, for the most part, anyway."Also, Terry was right earlier. You're not to invite any of your old friends near the property. If they show up for any reason, it'll be considered trespassing which means Ace here will have to escort them out.

 

[Mephistophelily]

"Lockdown." "Lights out." "Gotcha, Wayne." A set of individual responses, followed by a stereo agreement, though there was far less than enthusiasm in their words. The mention of phone calls pulled an even further frown onto the dual sets of lips, the twins exchanging another annoyed glance before rolling eyes in opposite directions. With Bruce's reminding on Terry's earlier comment, however, the two blinked in surprise. He... had caught that? Even talking with the cop and Gram?

The guard he referenced caused the duo to spook, Delia clinging to her sister and giving a sudden surprised yelp. Deidre herself seemed rather disturbed by the dog, clutching her sibling that now hung off her as they both gave the beast a horrified stare. "We get it!," They yelped in unison, nodding furiously. Neither were big fans of large dogs, and Ace here certainly hit a point past just 'large'. Looking back to the man as he continued, Delia slowly and hesitantly peeled herself from her sibling's arms before the twins nodded. "We'll behave." "Try to." An added precaution on Deidre's part.

Something about Wayne's wrap up didn't settle well on the duo.

The lead passed to Terry, the two looked to the man closer to their own age, an eyebrow each quirked as he mumbled something then bowed to them. Another tiny smirk from Delia. Another groan from Deidre.

Try not to break anything, huh? Deidre let a smirk come off that, ushering her sister off ahead of her as they headed for the rooms Bruce had spoke of. Peeking around her sibling's shoulder to see if Terry was watching, she reached out as they passed one of the tables, snatching up a little gold figure that had caught her eye earlier. Wasn't breaking. It was taking. She slid into her purse as they walked, simply giving a beaming smirk and shrug as her sister glanced back at her. Delia narrowed her eyes, then shrugged back.

"Wayne the windbag," Deidre grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Look, I know Bru-, I mean, Mr. Wayne can come off as a little too rough around the edges. But the guy is pretty fair.... well, for the most part, anyway."

"Sounds more like we've gone to a friendlier version of Arkham," Delia sighed, shaking her head. "Except for the dog. We don't do well with dogs."

 

[Eazy]

The teen raised an eyebrow at the 'windbag' comment toward Bruce, but didn't think to make anything more out of it. Much respect as Terry had for the old man, it was true he could get invested in those intimidation tactics. Though they did have their affect, more often then not. He did, however, glance over a shoulder at Delia following her comment about not doing well with dogs to lightly quip, "Really? A little surprised to hear that. Figured you two for dog people since I seemed to recall you had a furry companion of your own amongst the old crew. I'm just hoping he was house trained, too."

The current Batman had almost reached up to rub at his shoulder over the memory of Woof's bite, yet refrained at doing so as they turned a corner toward the large door which led into the guest room picked out for the twins. Opening it up and flicking on the switch, the dark haired young man held the door for them as the sisters were given their first glimpse of their new temporary quarters, "Well, here we are. A little nicer then your average cell in Arkham, huh?"

Indeed, this room in particular was chosen with consideration for needing to have the extra room to accommodate two teenage girls. It was normally used for visiting couples during Thomas Wayne's time, with a pair of queen sized beds replacing the king sized one which had previously stood in their place. Aside from this, there were many of the almost expected luxuries for a mansion such as Wayne Manor. A built in closet with enough space for a small room. An adjoining bathroom with twin sinks and a shower. Full body mirrors. Furniture which looked like it was worth more then some people made in a year. The basics.

"Your belongings are still in their bags. Closet's right over here. Bathroom is connected through there. And, well, I'm sure you'll figure the rest of it out on your own." The young man explained while gesturing toward said portions of the room; before tucking both hands into the pockets of his jacket while letting them look around as they pleased.

After a short while, Terry figured it may be best to give them a few moments of privacy to do what they will seeing if Bruce needed anything, "I'll let you two get settled in for a bit. If you need anything, I'll be downstairs to see how the old man is doing. I would say to stay out of trouble, but, well, I get the feeling doing so would have a reverse effect, huh?"

A faint smirk upon his features at this, even if he was only partially joking, before starting to turn to leave and then suddenly stopping when Deidre walked past, "Oh, by the way? It seems a little something extra managed to fall into your purse on your way up here." As he made that remark, Terry had managed to reach over and skillfully retrieve the previously snatched gold figure out of her purse before she could properly react; holding it up in a semi-taunting manner toward the one twin while giving a mock innocent smile, "An honest mistake, I'm sure. I'll just put it back where it belongs on my way downstairs."

Whirling around slowly, Terry started to make his way out while keeping the retrieved figure firmly in hand; casually whistling to rub it in just a tad as payback for the 'windbag' comment before closing the door shut to leave the twins be. Once outside, he stopped with the show and stared down at the small gold figure. This wasn't normally an item which Mr. Wayne had kept out on display, which told Terry that Bruce had left it there as a subtle test for the girls. Briefly, he considered telling the old man about it after returning the item to its location (assuming Bruce hadn't figure it out already), but decided on keeping it to himself for the time being. He had caught Delia's look toward her sister, so it may be best to let this one slide. At least until it came back to bite him in the ass, anyway.

 

[Mephistophelily]

"He was a hyena," Delia corrected him, frowning slightly as she folded her arms.
"They're closer in relation to cats than canines, you know," Deidre added, clutching her bag to her side as he opened the door, though her hand fell as they duo took in the room.

Another shared whistle from the twins' lips. "Puts Gram's to shame." "And that cruise ship." "Oh, that bed was comfy."

As she spoke, Delia flopped onto one of the beds, sprawling on her back and smirking at Terry, only for it to fade as she saw her sister over his shoulder. "Our things, huh? Anyone gone through them? No germy fingers on our toothbrushes."

"Or our unmentionables." Deidre glanced at her sibling, her arms still folded over her own chest as she looked around the room. She had to admit, the place wasn't that bad. In fact, it was very impressive- but she certainly didn't want to say anything on it... aside from that shared expression with Delia, which seemed a natural response more than anything.

Neither girl really reacted as Terry spoke of departing the room, Delia happily testing out the size of the bed she had claimed, while Deidre chose to truly ignore him, eyes focused on what must have suddenly become the most fascinating light fixture on the planet. It wasn't until he spoke up again that she even started to react, her sister merely peeking over from the bed as Terry plucked something from Deidre's purse. "Hey-!" The exclamation didn't come from the busted teen, but rather the surprised sibling who gave her sister a shocked look.

Deidre simply scowled a bit more. "Total accident. Of course." She forced a smile at him, rolling her eyes as he turned away. Now noticing the look her sister was giving her, she made a face, tapping her nose with her finger.

The door now closed, Delia sat up on the bed, giving her sister another stern look. "What is WITH you?!"

"ME?! What's with YOU?! You and that- that- display downstairs... I almost threw up! It was right here, I could feel it- right HERE!" Deidre stabbed at her throat dramatically, gagging slightly as she did so.

"Cool it, Clownface." Delia threw a pillow at her, shaking her head. "If we're stuck here, we should at least have some fun with it, shouldn't we?"

Deidre caught it, simply tossing it to the floor and dropping down to settle upon it. "Duh... Why do you think I swiped THAT...? My idea of fun." She sighed, shaking her head. "Not quite sure what happened to YOURS suddenly. Come on. A giant mansion, the richest man in Gotham, and you have NO interest at ALL in seeing what goods he's got? I think Nana was right on the blood thing. Such a shame I don't think we share any..."

"Don't share any? Uh, hi. MIRROR IMAGES OF EACH OTHER." Delia got off the bed with that, coming over to bop her sister lightly on the head with a rap of her knuckles. "Listen. Ever hear the phrase More Flies with Honey?"

Deidre paused, then smirked. "Ohhhh, DeeDee. Such a clever, sweet thing."

"Sweet as sugar."
"Or arsenic."

 

[Eazy]

After making certain neither of the girls was lingering about, Terry triggered the hidden entrance into the often sought after Batcave and began making his way down the steps toward the elder male seated at the console. "I take it you returned the gold figure to where they found it?" Bruce inquired without bothering to turn away of the numerous monitors which helped to keep tabs on the streets of Gotham criminal activities.

The seemingly rhetorical question caused Terry to pause in his steps and begin staring at the older male with an expression of obvious confusion, "How did you...."

Raising a hand, Bruce directed the teens attention toward one screen on the side which switched between showing various rooms within the mansion, "Hidden surveillance cameras. They have their blind spots, but they pick up a lot of what goes on around here."

"Huh." The dark haired youth uttered with growing understanding while resuming his approach until standing beside the seated man before letting his words get away of him while asking, "So, like, you have one set up in their bedroom, too?"

This actually caused Bruce to stop in mid-keystroke of whatever command or info he was entering, as the long retired Batman glanced over at his young successor with calm yet at the same time rather questioning eyes.

Realizing how his words may be misconstrued, Terry attempted to quickly dismiss the notion, "Don't look at me like that, Bruce." The teen tried to look away and play it off while checking the monitors, but those intense eyes continued piercing through him for a few moments which felt longer then they were as awkwardness gave way to embarrassed defensiveness, "Oh, c'mon. Bruce? You know what I meant!"

If Terry hadn't known better, he could have sworn the glimmer of a smirk had appeared on that wrinkled face as Bruce returned to his computer. "No. I don't have any set up in their bedroom. But I do have one recording for outside of their window on the off chance either of them decide on taking a late night walk." He explained while hitting a key which showed the perspective of said camera; allowing them a good view of the large window which let them keep tabs on the Dee Dee's while not invading their privacy.... too much.

"In either case. It's best not to get too close to them so quickly. Trust is an issue. But they need to earns ours as much as we need to earn theirs." The older male reminded his young 'assistant, actually sparing a glance Terry's way to make sure he understood this part.

"Come on. You know me better then to let my guard down with those two." The dark haired male assured Bruce, as memories of his experiences with Melanie and her direct involvement with the Royal Flush Gang ran through Terry's mind; lingering about just enough to draw out a light breath of melancholy prior to dismissing them as quickly, "I learned my lesson."

Bruce had caught onto the brief change from Terry, but also knew that letting the conversation stay on the subject for long would only further draw out the old scars as he returned his own work before suggesting, "In either case, you should go ahead and get started on dinner. And then tomorrow we can work on giving them a proper tour around the estate. I want us to keep an eye on them, but we aren't going to make any progress if they continue to treat their stay like a prison sentence."

"Don't you mean I give the tour while you sit down here and stare at a bunch of screens?" Terry commented with a hint of amusement, which quickly faded away as Bruce paused and gave out a rather stern look which caused the teen to back away while holding his hands in a defensive gesture, "I'm going, I'm going."

After departing from the underground section of the massive estate, Terry had gone straight for the kitchen to begin working on dinner. His position as Mr. Wayne's assistant may have been an official title intent on masking his real agenda as the current Batman, but the young Mr. McGinnis did help out around the mansion like a traditional assistant to the elderly might. Granted, this usually consisted of preparing meals for Bruce and himself, along with the bowl set aside for Ace, but Terry figured it wouldn't be too hard to add two more plates onto the daily menu. Or at least that's what he hoped, as the young man pulled off his jacket and rolled up the sleeves on the black shirt beneath before digging through the cupboards to take out the cookware along with the ingredients needed for preparing some noodles.

 

[Mephistophelily]

"Ugh." Deidre made a face as she pawed through the bags brought to the duo's current quarters, seemingly set on finding something in particular. The ocassional upward glance was given in her lounging sister's direction, another annoyed sound let out before items were tossed onto the floor.

"They weren't going to let that in here...," Delia noted lazily, her head hanging off the end of the bed so that her hair dusted the floor. Watching her sibling as more clothing flew across the room, she finally gave a sigh, kicking her legs up and flipping herself over, landing on her feet at the end of her bed. "Determined today, aren't we?" She made a face slightly, picking up some of the clothes tossed aside. "You can keep going if you want. Me... I'm taking advantage of a shower not shared with 7 other women...." With that, she wandered into the bathroom, closing the door and making sure to actually lock it.

Deidre simply stared at the doorknob for a moment, then looked to the mess she had made with a sigh. Delia was right. She had hoped that some of their old clothing had made it along, but it was now quite obvious that simply wasn't the case. A small huff was given, her chin resting in her palms a moment, surveying the piles as she sat in the overstuffed chair beside one of the dressers. Something else. Something to clear her head.

They had free roam in the place, didn't they? Just had to keep to Wayne's curfew...

Another glance was given to the bathroom as she headed out, making her way for the staircase and the front door. That yard was huge. Finding an easy path out for late night fun was going to take some investigating....



Delia, however, was doing exactly as she had said; enjoying her relaxing shower alone before changing into the new clothing she had picked up; a pair of jeans and a black tee. Still barefoot, she stepped back out into the bedroom, looking for her sister- and surprised to find herself alone. Shrugging, she made her own way downstairs, but instead of going for the door, she caught the smell of cooking foods... a scent much better than that of Arkham's kitchen. Curiously peeking in, she found Terry at work at the stove, a sight that caused a brow to raise. "You really are an all-inclusive package, aren't you?," she asked with a smirk, stepping into the kitchen and taking another whiff of his creation in progress. Coming to the counter, she hoisted herself up onto it, settling beside the stove and peering into the pot. "So what's on the menu?" Looking around again, she bit onto her lip, then added to the question. "...Anything I can do to help?"

 

[Eazy]

Terry had already started on several of the ingredients for the four person meal he was preparing for tonight, when the faint sounds of another person approaching had caught his attention. The teen had gone on alert at first, due largely to how stealthy the old man moved even in his old age and hobbled condition, which usually meant the sound of another in the manor was a sign of intruders. Just another aspect of having the duo here which the current Batman would need to get used to, as the teen glanced over his shoulder at whom he recognized as the one Dee Dee that didn't seem to want him shot.

"You have no idea..." He noted with a barely hidden smirk at her remark on his range of uses for the old man, before giving a light shrug and sharing, "I picked it up gradually with some help from my Mom after she found out I was the only other one here on most days. Said a man of Mr. Wayne's age should be treated to home cooked meals instead of having to cook for himself. Took a while for Bruce to take to the idea. He tends to be very set in his ways."

Splitting his attention between the blonde and his work as she propped herself upon the counter, Terry stepped aside slightly to allow her a better view while explaining, "Nothing fancy. Some noodles and pasta with meatballs thrown into the mix. Didn't have a chance to find out what you or your sister liked to eat and do any advance shopping for it, so figured I'd keep dinner simple for our first night together." Although the kitchen was largely filled with the scent of what he was preparing, the teen did take notice of how nice she smelt after evidentially taking the time to shower up. Not to mention, seeing her like this, on her own, without a mischievous twin dressed with matching attire? Well, it kind of made it a lot easier for Terry to forget about her past acts and drop his guard a little more then he probably should.

At her question, he paused for a moment and glanced around briefly before answering, "Umm...If you'd like, you could help by preparing the meatballs? They're still in their package over to your left." Pointing them out with his free hand, the young man then returned his attention at the moment to lightly mixing the noodle contents within the boiling pot of water. Watching to see if she would require any guidance or assistance with preparing the meatballs, Terry gradually realized how they hadn't really talked to either of the girls as of yet aside from making sure they knew where to go and about the rules of the house. Granted, part of that was due to Deidre not exactly being receptive to Terry's presence, but it wasn't like the dark haired youth wasn't partially guilty of doing the same when they first arrived.

With that in mind, the young man decided on letting his guard down a little further and trying to open a proper dialogue here. "So, uh. How you and your sister finding the place so far? I realize this entire set up has to be a pretty big change from how you're both used to living. And not just because of the size of the mansion." It may have partially been an attempt at small talk, but Terry could indeed relate, albeit in his own unique way. Aside from the size of mansion itself, there were a number of other changes thrust upon his way of living after coming across Bruce on that fateful day. Although before the conversation could run the risk of getting too serious, he did note with a slight hint of amusement on the matter, "I'm also getting the distinct impression I'm not exactly one of your sisters favorite people - especially after that little stunt from earlier?"

 

[Mephistophelily]

Delia nodded as Terry explained his kitchen skills, a little noise of agreement on the comment of Wayne's stubborn aspects. She knew that one. Though she and Deidre looked alike, and for most appearances seemed to act alike, the two were different on some smaller things. Though lately... It seemed like that list of "small things" was becoming longer.

Peeking into the other pot with the menu's rundown, she gave a little smile. "Works for us. Even just these noodles are looking better than the last dinner we had..." She closed her eyes, taking another deep breath of the sauce he was cooking up before glancing over toward his suggested spot of helping. "Hm? Oh, yeah. Sure." She slipped off the counter, moving over to help with the packaged meat. Rolling out a few small chunks, she set them onto the plate beside her, humming softly as she worked. The off glance was stolen at the young man across from her, curiously watching as he worked on his own projects. She knew their past wasn't exactly the most welcoming to friendly conversation, and that her sister's actions so far weren't reflecting well on the two of them.

Another thing for the list.

Looking back to her work, she almost jumped a bit as Terry spoke up again, smiling a little. "Yeah, it's... I'm afraid on getting lost, actually. Usually had someone leading me around..." She frowned at that comment, suddenly looking back to the pile of balls she had made. "I can find my way... Usually with Dee's help... but I think I can do well enough on my own too."

That... actually... hurt to say.

But Terry seemed to have some thoughts of his own on her sister. "Dee can be a bit. Testing. Of things. She doesn't like to settle still for too long, and she really likes to see what boundaries she can test. Even with the two of us." She paused again, rolling a last ball in her palms. "Odd thing. Usually we do things together. She left without me, while I was in the shower. I think she's sour over the whole... trinket incident." She set the meat down, raising an eyebrow as she looked at Terry. "He knew one of us would notice that thing, didn't he? I mean, looking around... There's very little left out to really show off. If anything should have been gone after, it should have been papers or a binder or-" She froze, clutching the edge of the plate. "Oh. I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't be... I shouldn't do that. I'm sorry." She shook her head, cringing again. "I"m worried about Dee..."




Deidre had decided a walk around the property would clear her head- and give her a chance to see what exactly they would be up against when it came to a little midnight fun. Wayne really had to be going senile- to tell two teenage girls they couldn't go out on the town was crazy enough... but to give a curfew to two former criminals? That was more a challenge than anything else.

Wandering along on of the garden edges, she peered up at the high stone wall beside her, a rather soured expression on her face. That seemed simple enough to get over... Peering around again, she caught sight of the camera installed on the side of the house, veering from side to side slowly to survey the property. Hm. So much for the cover of corners.

Another plan.
That shed over there, at the far edge of the pool. Maybe if they were to boost each other up, onto its roof, a little helping hand and they could cross that as well.

Wait, was that barbed wire?

"Damn it, Wayne...," She growled under her breath, pacing off a bit further.

The shed itself, however... That could be useful. Something inside it may be able to get them out of here. Going over, she tugged the door, realizing there was a small lock attached. No huge problem there.... Reaching up, she took a bobypin from her hair, twisting it into the keyhole and fidgeting it about. Smirking as it finally popped, she slipped the lock off, smugly sliding the door open and wriggling herself inside.

Dark. Really dark. Fumbling against the wall, she tried to find a switch or pull cord of some kind, grumbling still under her breath.

... What was that noise?
Something... panting.
A sudden deep growl, which she could even FEEL the heat off of.

Ace gave a snarling bark, inches from Deidre's face.

Hastily rushing back to the door, she flung it open, trying to run away from the large dog as it busted its way through the opening she attempted to slam closed. "Back off, Mutt!," She shrieked, screaming out as the dog snapped at the back of her legs. She managed to climb up onto the statue in the center of the garden, almost atop the watering man's head as she kicked a foot at Ace. "Get lost! I mean it, droolface-! Don't you even think about-" She shrieked again as Ace caught her shoe, yanking it off. "DELIAAA!," She howled, clutching to the statue as her skirt rode up around her waist.

 

[Eazy]

The young man had managed to continue working on the different necessities of preparing the real while still listening to everything Delia had managed to say. The display of pain at admitting she could do well enough without her sister hadn't gone without notice. It caused Terry to pause a bit and ponder. He wasn't an only child, but the relationship with his kid brother, Matt, was far different from the twins. It was weird how often Terry, and perhaps sometimes Bruce, tended to think of the Dee Dee's as a single entity instead of two siblings with their own distinct differences outside of a shared interest in a life of crime.

At the topic of Deidre, the teen gave a slight sound of amusement while responding, "Testing, huh? I suppose that is one way of putting it." That amusement was certainly in passing, however, as Delia moved onto making mention of her sister leaving without her earlier.

It had only then dawned on Terry to wonder where the other Dee had gone, and he could only hope she wasn't causing any trouble. Well, he got a feeling that hope was going to be in vain, but still. Either way, his full attention returned to Delia as she made mention of the trinket and how it had been placed out there for seeing how the girls may react to it. Gazing at her, listening as she spoke, seeing how she clutched the edge of the plate, Terry had turned away from the pot without another thought and stepped closer.

"Hey, it's fine. Don't worry, it's nothing to get upset about...." He assured Delia about her previous string of thought - placing his hands over her own and trying to settle them as the dark haired youth tried to meet her gaze, "Listen, I'm sorry about what happened with that trinket earlier. I guess I was kind of a jerk about it myself..." A short pause, looking away slightly at the jolt of guilt there before continuing, "But your sister will be fine. She probably just wanted to clear her head and not feel cooped up in a room for so long. I can relate to that feeling."

Keeping his strong hands over her own as he tried to assure the blonde standing before him, Terry began to take notice of how soft they felt to the touch. Kind of surprising, considering the number of acrobatics they could pull off which involved use of their hands. But he certainly wasn't complaining, as a finger began to lightly trail along the outline of her knuckles in a soothing fashion, as he assured her, "Look... I'll be honest in that Bruce and I aren't really sure on what exactly you two may...or may not be willing or capable of pulling off? But I can promise to do whatever we can to look after your sister while she's staying here. And you, for that matter."

For a split moment, they almost seemed to forget about anything else in the world. Or at least that was the case for Terry, who only thought of Delia and himself for a brief instant in time, until a faintly heard, yet still very clearly sounded reminder could be picked up within the otherwise silence premises of Wayne Manor.

"DELIAAA!"

"....Well that was pretty on cue." Terry briefly quipped while letting go of the one Dee's hands, then starting to take the lead after realizing the general idea of from where the howl had traveled, "C'mon, I think I know where it came from!"

Taking the lead, the pair made their way out one of the side entrances of the manner, before heading off toward the garden in search of the other sibling. It wouldn't take long, however, until the sounds of Ace's barking and any further noise made by Deidre had drawn them toward the sight of her clinging for dear life atop of the statue. For a moment, Terry had considered letting her sweat it out for a few seconds, since Ace wouldn't deal out any actual harm to the girl unless provoked. But then he thought back on his previous actions with the golden figure, and was quick to whistle toward the guard dog's direction.

"Ace! Heel, boy." Terry called out to the large black canine, whom then turned toward his secondary Master and gave Deidre a parting growl before starting toward the teen; shoe still held within his maw as a sort of prize catch for his effort.

Petting the dog and retrieving the shoe out of its mouth to return to its rightful owner, Terry had Ace stay several feet away before moving over toward the statue to see if the other Dee needed any help. "Hey. You can come down now if you'd like?" The teen offered, only then noticing how Deidre's skirt had rode up around her waist and perhaps stared at the resulting imagery for a few seconds longer then needed before diverting his eyes away. Making a throat clearing sound, he held the shoe out while offering, "I, uh, think you dropped this?"

 

[Mephistophelily]

"We're supposed to be here to stop that... Not stake out the place with best possible hits..." Delia sighed, shaking her head as she closed her eyes, opening them slightly as she felt Terry's hands on hers. She stared at his comforting fingers a moment, glancing up at him as he tried to calm her down. "You had your reasons to do that. Knowing you spotted it- it may have done something to keep her from doing it again."

An unlikely thing, but at least a thought that gave her a possible hope. In truth, Delia had gotten her fill of time in Arkham, and after the talks with Nana that the duo had rolled their eyes or scoffed at.... A good chunk of it had truly sunken in with her. For her sister, she doubted the same rang true... But to know what her Gram had going for her and lost when she let the Joker sway her mind- Yeah. She got that. She was afraid on it happening to herself, but never wanted to upset her sister, keeping those recent questionings to herself.

"We're influences on each other. Our own Yin and Yang. One of us always seems to outweigh the other when it comes to decisions... It's hard to explain. It's like... It's almost like we're one person with two minds that clash sometimes... We used to be on e the same page so often, but now- Now it feels more like a fight." She sighed again, a faint frown coming to her lips. Confessing all these things to him felt so strange. She barely knew this guy, and she was giving off so much about the two of them.

His fingers ran over her knuckle once more, attempting to soothe out the tension in her grasp of the plate. "Nana Harley says we're so much like her in so many ways... and that it scares her. I think I start to get it now... but I would never want to do anything that hurt Deidre. I could never do anything to go against her. I mean... we're sisters..."

Terry's hands really were starting to calm her, a thin smile on her face as she looked at him. It started to grow a bit as she studied him, curious on what was hiding behind those eyes watching her. Was this some type of test to find out more about them? Or was he... actually trying to just be nice?

"Terry, listen, I-"

"DELIAAAA!"

The shriek threw her off, jumping as Terry suddenly pulled his hand away and commented on the howl, clutching her other hand as he led her from the kitchen to hunt down her sister. "What happened?!" Delia yelped, keeping up with him as they headed out into the garden. "She's okay, right? What was that about?"

Delia gasped as she spotted her sister perched atop the statue, the large hound snarling at its feet and clutching Deidre's shoe in its teeth. "Sis-!" She started forward, hesitating as the dog looked to Terry with the whistle. "Nnn..." She stepped back again, hiding behind him slightly as Ace turned around.

"That thing should be on a LEASH! Shock Collar! Choke Chain! SOMETHING! ANYTHING! JUST KEEP IT AWAY FROM ME!," Deidre howled, deathgripping both arms around the statue's head as Terry approached. Glaring down at him sourly as he offered to help her down, she said nothing to him, looking past to her peering sibling. "Where WERE you?! How come you weren't out here?!"

"...What're you doing on a statue?," Came Delia's soft reply.

Deidre's eyes narrowed, hastily snatching the offered shoe held out by Terry and taking a reverse flip off the statue's arm. Her feet back on the grass, she readjusted her skirt, simply holding the shoe as she tossed her head. "Looking at it. That mutt decided to attack me for no reason at all."

"He is pretty scary," Delia agreed, keeping her distance from the dog.

"He bit me. That's more than scary. Look." Deidre pointed down to a small red mark on the back of her heel, jabbing a finger at Terry. "Wayne better be ready to explain that one to the cops when they check in on us." She glanced between Terry and her sister once again, a curious look coming to her face. Nothing was said, but the glance given to her sibling was enough for Delia to understand; silent exchanges between them being a part of their lives since they were children.

That look asked what they had been up to.

Delia simply raised a brow, her lips tightening as her eye twitched. A response of her own.
None of your business.

Deidre's eyes widened for a split second, then narrowed with a glance at Terry. I'll kill him.

"Let's go in and clean you up, sis." A nonchalant tone from Delia, but as she took her sister's hand, the firm grip and look on her face was saying something else.... Her sibling's threat was challenged.

 

[Eazy]

The dark haired youth had largely stuck to biting his tongue as Deidre went off about Ace's actions - albeit with an expression on his face which largely seemed dismissive of her words - before simply standing idly by with hands in his pockets after she turned away his offer of assistance by dismounting on her own. Kind of weird having two people around you who look so identical yet treat your presence with such strikingly different approaches. At least it helped in further making sure that the teen wouldn't accidentally get either of them confused so easily in the near future.

At Delia's agreement with her sister about Ace's frightening presence, Terry did speak up to assure them, "Don't worry. Ace is totally harmless when Bruce or myself are around. And even then, he's not going to going all out on somebody unless he feels any of us are threatened."

Following Deidre's finger as she pointed toward the small red mark left by the bite, the teen seemed more like he was having his patience tested with the other blonde rather then threatened as she spoke of getting the cops involved. He wanted to ask exactly what she was doing before Ace started chasing after her, but had kept the question to himself for being asked later if the matter continued.

The exchanges between the twins had nearly gone unnoticed by Terry, but he did take note of the way Deidre narrowed her eyes at him. That... actually surprised him. Granted, Terry had faced far scarier looks on an almost nightly basis. It was a considerable change in approach, however, from the way either of the girls usually looked his way when dealing with them as Batman. Terry was about to say something more to try and diffuse the situation, when Delia perhaps fortunately stepped in to take her sister away from the scene.

"There should be something in the cabinet for that mark, if you need it." Terry suggested as they moved away from the garden area. The teen stood there for several moments, simply watching the girls as the departed from his line of view, then glanced down at Ace as the large dog nuzzled at his hand to gain his attention.

Kneeling down, Terry gave an assuring pet onto the black furred canine's head while speaking, "Yeah... I know it wasn't your fault, boy. But try to stick to intimidation tactics over actual biting when dealing with them for now, ok?"

The dog gave a brief whine, which Terry chose to accept as a mutual understanding between a boy and his dog. The young man had seemed content about lingering about like this for a while longer, taking the time to reflect a bit on exactly what had transpired over the past several minutes, before suddenly remembering, "Dinner!"

With even greater speed then he'd mustered when racing out to the garden, Terry had bolted back into the kitchen where the pot had been left boiling during the haste of coming to Deidre's assistance. Running through the door, turning a few corners, the teen was expecting a resulting mess to be awaiting him when instead he raced over to find the elderly Wayne already tending to the stove.

"Forget something?" The older male asked without turning toward his assistant while speaking with a calm tone which had a touch of disapproval behind it.

Trying to catch his breath, hand propped against a counter for support, Terry began to muster up an explanation for his employer, "There... there was an incident with the girls and-"

"I saw." Bruce interjected, not wanting to drag out the conversation any longer then needed as he did a few final touches of his own on the preparation of their meal, "Don't worry about what happened with Ace and just focus on finishing dinner for now. It's already starting to get dark outside."

Giving a nod of understanding, Terry moved over to retake his position before the stove to finish his cooking, as Bruce stepped aside and started to walk back to the cave. Pausing, the elder Wayne considered the glimpses of the looks picked up by his cameras of the twins out in the garden earlier. The angles of the cameras weren't able to get everything, but they captured enough for him to read into the basic challenge which was exchanged. "And Terry?" He started, giving a parting look toward the dark haired youth from the doorway as he reminded, "Be careful with those two."

 

[Mephistophelily]

"Thanks, Terry. I'll look for it." Delia gave him an appreciate smile at the suggestion on where to find things to 'help' her sister. She even doubted that the mark had come from Ace- it looked more like a scraping from whatever her sibling had been up to. A quick glance through the yard gave her enough to piece together a probable rundown on what had taken place. Not that she was going to say anything in front of him about.

"That mutt attacked me-!," Deidre wailed again, leaning against her sister and sobbing. "That horrible beast tried to rip my leg off! It was horrific, Dee, simply... terrible! And you weren't there to help me... You see what happens? Do you? This is why you can't leave me like that, Dee! Why we need each other..."

Delia frowned slightly as she opened the door, helping her hobbling sister into the mansion and back to the stairway. "Are you sure it wasn't something you did?"

Deidre glared at her, grinding her teeth. "What a thing to accuse. I suppose you'd know the answer to it if you had BEEN there, Delia..." She huffed slightly with that, jerking her head back toward the yard. "..Instead of flirting. You're being disgusting, sister."

"Can we talk about this later? Please?" Delia sighed softly, helping Deidre up the stairs and back to their room. Closing the door behind them as her sister flopped onto the bed, she ignored any further grumbling and complaints that came from her twin, instead heading into the bathroom to get the med kit Terry had mentioned. Coming back and settling on the edge of the bed, she took out the gauze and began wrapping it around her sister's ankle. "So how'd it look out there?"

"What's it matter? You won't come with me, will you?"

Delia didn't even need to look up to know there was a glare directed toward her. "I never said that. You're taking this all wrong, Dee. Terry's our key. If I can get in close with him, then maybe we can use that to our advantage..."

Deidre wrinkled her nose. "I don't really like that plan. I don't want to wait. I don't like being stuck. I want to go out and play. I'm bored, Dee. I'm suffocating..."

"We've been here two hours."

"You know what I meant." Deidre flexed her foot, yelping slightly as she turned it to the right. "See? It really is hurting."

"I guess so. That door probably caught pretty hard."

Deidre scowled. "You didn't tell him, did you?"

Delia shook her head. "Of course not. Blood doesn't tell. Sisters should never cross each other..."

"Never ever." Deidre nodded, smiling finally and hugging her sister about the shoulders tightly. "We're two of a kind, DeeDee. Just the two of us. No one will ever, ever change that. No guy will EVER come between that." She sighed, growling into her sister's ear. "Even if I have to remind you of that myself."

Delia bit her lip for a moment, slipping out of her sister's grip and nodding. "R..right. Hey... You smell that? I think Terry finished up dinner. Can we at least eat without trying to kill each other? Please?"

"No promises." Deidre smirked, sliding off the bed and flailing a hand out for her sister. "Ow! Hey, a little help here!"

"Cut the act. I know you're fine. You've taken taser guns and billy clubs to the ankle. A little scrape shouldn't be this bad."

Deidre growled again, placing her foot back on the floor and heading for the door. "Spoilsport....," She mumbled as the duo headed back downstairs.

 

[Eazy]

Despite the earlier distraction of Deidre's supposed near death experience with Ace, the preparations for dinner had continued without any real delay from their originally scheduled meal time. The plates were laid out on the rather large dining room table which was built for entertaining far more then four people - with the respective chilled drinks taken out and placed in their proper positions, which basically equated to Wayne having the only alcoholic beverage of white wine as the others were given non-drinking law breaking choices. It was actually rather rare for them to eat out here, as Bruce either normally had his meals within the cave or at his office within the manor. But they couldn't exactly invite the twins 'downstairs' to have dinner next to the giant quarter, so it was time for the often neglected piece of furniture to be made useful for a change.

Terry had just finished setting the plates when he spotted the pair making their way back down the stairs and showing themselves for the first time since earlier. "Hey. Perfect timing. I was just about to get you two after letting Bruce know the food was ready."

"I'm already here, Terry." Came the unexpected response of the elder male whom was emerging out of a shadowy corner just out of sight for the three of them. Even Terry was a bit surprised at the entrance - partially due to having his mind focused largely on the earlier incidents with the respective sisters, which prompted Bruce to add in prodding of the initially unresponsive teen, "Dinner?"

Blinking a few times, Terry shook his head and gave a slightly forced chuckle of amusement before excusing himself, "Oh, right, right. I'll be right back."

With that, the younger male stepped back into nearby kitchen to actually retrieve and serve the meal he'd prepared. Which left the twins alone for a few moments with the elder Wayne who simply gazed at the pair with calm, unassuming eyes which still somehow held an subtle intimidation factor tot hem. "Ladies." The man addressed the politely, moving his way toward the table and beginning to take his seat at the head of it while continuing, "I trust you found the accommodations of your room to your liking? Do you remember if you ever need anything, you need simply to ask Terry or myself for assistance." Seating himself, Bruce gave a brief pause before adding with adding as an amendment, "Within reason, of course."

Shortly after, Terry came strolling out of the adjoining kitchen with a cart holding the steaming hot contents of their freshly cooked dinner. "I'm not used to cooking for four people, but I think the portions should be enough for everybody." The teen pointed out as he prepared to do the serving, before noticing Delia starting to move toward a nearby chair and then offering, "Here, let me get that for you."

Pulling the chair out for the one sister, the dark haired youth then helped to push it in for her before returning his attention toward the others at the table. The current Batman had considered offering the same for Deidre, assuming she hadn't seated herself already, but something told him any such offer wouldn't exactly be treated with any warmth. Instead, Terry shifted his focus back to the actual act of serving everybody - making sure to attend to their 'guests' first as he started with the noodles before moving onto pouring the sauce and adding meatballs where desired. "So, uh... how's your foot doing?" He suddenly inquired about partway through the serving - obviously addressing the uncertain question toward Deidre, as the teen glanced her way while still carrying on with finishing his serving duties.

 

[Mephistophelily]

Delia had smiled at Terry's greeting, but Deidre just sneered. The only shared expression that finally came from the set was when Bruce spoke up, a duplicated spooked jump from both girls, Delia grabbing onto her sister's shoulders as she slipped behind her. "Mister Wayne-! Y-You surprised us...," She explained softly, trying to give the elderly man a pleasant smile.

How she wished her sister could muster one. Even if it was merely painted on like their preferred nightly attire. Giving a gentle thumping of her elbow into her sibling's side, she was at least humored with a quick forced grin at the man before Deidre simply circled the table and flopped into a chair.

"The room is very nice, sir."
"Better than a prison cell..."
"It's been awhile since we've used a shower that stayed hot that long," Delia said with a smile, trying to lighten her sister's foul mooded words.
"Oh boy, indoor plumbing. We're blessed, DeeDee."
"We ARE lucky, DeeDee," Came the curt reply and glare her sister's way. The look was dropped within moments as Terry entered the room with the food, Delia at first considering an offer to help him- but decided against as her sibling shot a look of her own. This wasn't going very well at all.

Both pairs of eyebrows shot up as Terry quickly offered Delia a chair, the 'treated' girl smirking slightly as she nodded and settled into the seat. "Um- Thanks.. Thanks, Terry."

Deidre, however, was already going for her own as her sibling blushed, a quick huff leaving her lips as she simply plopped into the chair. She glanced up as Terry moved over to her plate, her arms still folded firmly across her chest as she stared at him. "Oh, it's just wonderful now."

"Oh good, we won't need to have you put down." Delia smirked sightly, picking up her fork.

There was mostly silence from the duo, at least in regards to words exchanged between the two of them as the meal went on. Delia's gaze tended to wander from the plate to Terry, though would move at times to the older man at the end. As for her sister, however... Quite a forced attempt to avoid.

She knew what Deidre had been up to out there, and was dreading the conversation to come later that evening.


Deidre stared at her plate most of the time, barely even glancing up when she felt other eyes upon her. Her fork simply pushed the food around, questioning it. It looked good, sure... but she still had her doubts on many things. Ground up pills stuffed into the meat? Something to make them fall asleep and not even be a bother to Wayne? Earlier with that figure- that couldn't have made him feel too well on having them around.
Well, HER anyway.

She peered up for a brief moment to gaze at her sister, huffing slightly. Delia had always been the hesitant one. She'd always needed that push. That little voice to tell her what to do. Thankfully, she could fill in nicely for that annoying conscience thing, and often had her dear sister eating out of the palm of her hand. I'm your sister, Dee. I'd never let anything happen to you. We need each other. You can't tell me you don't enjoy this. I'm having fun. It's that thrill you wanted in life. This is perfect for us. We'll never be normal, and you know it. It's in our blood, Dee. In our shared blood. You're as much me as I am you. There's no way to ever change that.

The reminders had to be given so many times... It was really starting to seem dear Sister needed it once again. She'd find a way out of this house, and find a way to remind Delia on what they shared. Once that rush hit her, she'd be right back at her side- and Terry would be a distant memory.

 

[Eazy]

The teen raised an eyebrow at the girls response, but bit his tongue on saying anything directly in response. Terry did, however, allow a slight chuckle to escape from his lips at Delia's retort, before quickly silencing himself and finishing with the serving after a brief glare from Bruce's side of the table. Fortunately, so long as nobody wanted seconds, it seemed that Terry had managed to measure the right amounts while cooking earlier to make sure everyone got an even amount to eat. Lord knows they didn't wish to give Deidre another excuse for growing snippy toward him or Mr. Wayne over their treatment of the pair.

Having taken up a seat of his own on the side opposite of the girls, Terry had noticed the way Deidre was spying the food. While not wanting to say anything which may set her off or annoy the one sister at him, the dark haired youth did point out, "Don't worry. If we were going to put anything in your food, then I wouldn't have served you from the same bowl I used for Mr. Wayne and myself." Taking a glance toward Bruce, whom seemed to give a slight look of disapproval over the possible (if unintentional) antagonizing comment, Terry shrugged while finishing, "I'm just saying."

In either case, Deidre clearly had other stuff on her mind, likely dealing with her sister, whom Terry was reluctant about engaging too deeply into conversation while her grumpier sibling was sitting nearby. Amusing as it may be when the less friendly of the pair had her buttons pushed, Terry didn't wish to do anything which may inadvertently drive a wedge between the sisters. Not after seeing Delia's own concerns for her sibling, along with the dark haired teen's promise of trying to look after them. Bleh. This was so much simpler when his biggest concern was them trying to pocket or break anything expensive.

Time passed as the awkward first dinner within Wayne Manor shared by the owner of the estate, his assistant and their two new 'guests' had drawn near a close. Perhaps surprisingly, Mr. Wayne was the first to excuse himself, as he finished having a sip of his wine before starting to excuse himself. "If you ladies will excuse me? I have some last minute business arrangements to go over before calling it a night. I do hope you'll enjoy your first night in your new room." The elder male stated while pulling himself out of his chair with minor effort - then gripping at his cane and turning toward Terry prior to departing from the dining area, "Terry, I'd like to see you after you're done tending to our guests and the table."

"Sure thing, Br-er, Mr. Wayne." The current Batman responded with a nod - understanding the type of matters which the older male would want to talk about in private as Bruce made his way out of sight with a slight hobble to his step.

Returning his own attention toward the other two whom remained at the table, Terry finished with his own plate before picking it up and extending the offer to do the same with theirs, "You can just leave those there when you're done and I'll wash them in the morning."

Putting his own and Bruce's glasses and silverware onto the rolling cart, the young hero knew what the long retired former Batman would want to talk with him about. First night with the girls. First night for them to become worried on their slipping out of the mansion for their old habits. Glancing over his shoulder as they finished up, Terry never really doubted that, even if the twins did start responding to the change of environment and stricter guidance, they would still have to deal with an encounter or two with the DeeDee's and their old habits. Of course, there may be simpler ways of diverting such apparent inevitabilities.

"So, what are your plans for the first night in your mansion?" The young man suddenly inquired, staring over at the pair, but perhaps slightly more so directing his attention toward Delia as he offered, "Because, you know, I'm pretty free for the night after my meeting with Mr. Wayne is done. If you guys wanted to hang out and get to know each other better or see what's on television or anything?"

 

[Mephistophelily]

Delia glanced up at Terry as he cleared his and Wayne's plate, her own food mostly gone. Her sister's plate, however, seemed barely touched- Terry's comment on the safety of it having soured her mood even further. Once again, the expectations on the conversation that most likely would be taking place in the 'privacy' of their room later that night wasn't something Delia was greatly looking forward to. She knew that look in her sibling's eyes, and it wasn't exactly one that welcomed the typical chitchat between normal sisters.

But at the moment, the safety was found in Terry still being in the room. As long as she avoided actually looking at Deidre, the silent communication was also out of her mind. No angry glares or foul-intentioned stares could be given if she simply didn't look.

"So, what are your plans for the first night in your mansion?"

Delia had to ponder that a moment. Terry's added comments to it bright a small smirk to her lips, leaning her elbow on the table and resting her cheek into her palm. "That does sound rather inviting," she agreed with a smile, though it started to face as she felt t he look being given her way. So much for out of sight out of mind. "B-but I'm thinking maybe Dee and I need a... need a night to get adjusted to the place. Big and scary and all that, y'know?" She laughed slightly, her arm raising for her fingers to run against her neck.

Deidre smirked a bit herself at her sister's withdrawl on Terry's offer, adjusting in her seat as well. "Very big. Very scary. There could be ghoulies around here, for all we know."

"I don't do well in unfamiliar places."

"Monsters. Night creepies. Or worse. Spiders... or bats. Imagine waking to one of those in the room, DeeDee."

"Nightmarish, DeeDee." Delia cursed that habit as it left her lips, shaking her head before glancing back to Terry. "Forgive us, Terry, but we'll be taking a raincheck. For tonight, at least. We'll... we'll see about tomorrow...?"

The addition to the decline raised a brow from Deidre, a pull to her lips that showed the brief disappointment in her sibling. Still, rubbing the decline in was something she couldn't resist. "Maybe you can walk that dog of his? Go take some alone time for yourself? Seems like you could really use that, Terry..."

Delia was to her feet with that, glaring at her other half. "Let's get to bed."

"Oh, good idea. I was hoping for your help with our luggage... What's mine, what's yours?"

"Does it matter?"
"On certain things."
"Oh, right." Delia rolled her eyes, then smiled to Terry. "Good night."

"Good niii-iiight...." Deidre waved her fingers at him, making a face as she followed her sister from the room.

 

[Eazy]

There was a glimmer of hope on the matter when Delia seemed to put some actual consideration after Terry's offer, but that was soon squandered as she seemingly felt the gaze which the dark haired teen could spot while watching the pair. Terry could see where this was going, as he listened to the girls run down the reasons for their wanting to get adjusted to the place on their own. The mention of bats had brought the flash of a nervous smile out the corner of the young man's lips as he glanced away briefly. Guess he couldn't really fault them on that one, even if they were mostly making excuses.

At the suggestion of seeing about tomorrow, Terry gave a small smile and nodded in reassurance, "Sure thing. The offer's always out there on the table. You know, if you ever want to reconsider it...."

The following comments by Deidre, on the other hand, had indeed begun to annoy the young man to an extent. Just enough for him to give her a brief look before Delia got to her feet and pulled her twin away from the dark haired youth. Staying by the table as he watched them making their way, exchanging their dialogue, Terry did smile back at Delia and gave a brief wave as she was leaving... which turned to a slight narrowing of the eyes when Deidre followed suit with a final rubbing in on her 'victory' on the earlier topic.

"Good night." He called out to them both; leaving the matter at that before turning to deal with the dishes. It would only take a couple of minutes to clean up the table on his own, which meant Terry had plenty of time to get down to the cave before either of the girls would make their next move. Assuming, of course, any move were to be made.

Either way, Terry made certain nobody was around before slipping through the hidden entrance which led down to the famous batcave. Glancing out the corner of his eyes, the teen could see a few bats perched in the distance, which brought an amused noise of the current Batman.

"Something amusing?" Came the voice of the elder Wayne as his fingers idly tapped away on a few console commands as the monitors lights worked as the main source of illumination around him.

"Oh.... just something the girls were saying." The teen admitted, making his way down the steps and approaching the retired Dark Knight while reaching a hand out to pet at the large dog seated by his side.

"I see." The former playboy of Gotham responded with a curious tone of his voice before turning to address the younger male, "Terry, it's one thing to grow friendly or even feel comfortable with our new guests. However-"

"One of them, you mean." Terry interrupted with a sign of annoyance in his voice as he rolled his eyes.

Bruce simply pressed on with his previous train of thought, "BUT. You also need to keep your guard up. I've seen these type of relationships before. They can be dangerous if you start to feel at ease too quickly."

Growing slightly defensive on the matter, Terry quickly puts his hands up in a 'wait, wait' gesture while retorting, "What relationship? We're just talking and-"

"I meant between the twins." Bruce corrected in a calm, albeit perhaps slightly frustrated voice.

"....Oh." Terry uttered, then crossing his arms slightly while playing it off with a shrug, "I knew that."

"All I'm saying is to be mindful of the duo. Even if one seems genuinely interested in being friends, it could easily turn into a dangerous situation if given the right push by the other." The voice of experience summed up, as a series of loosely familiar cases, both read about and experienced first hand, briefly flashed through the mind of the man often considered to be the world's greatest detective.

Letting out a deep breath, the older male raised a hand to rub along the bridge of his nose. Looking at monitors for so long was tiring on the eyes, but so were the days earlier meetings behind the scenes check up's done around the mansion due to the girls presence. While in better shape then most his age, Bruce was an old man, whose usual sleep schedule had been interrupted enough to where it began catching up on him.

Slowly pulling himself up from the monitors, Mr. Wayne clutched at his cane while standing before and addressing the current Batman, "In either case. Even if they tried sneaking out tonight, it'll likely take them a while to make their first attempts."

Understanding what was being asked, the dark haired teen gave a simple nod to the older male while reassuring, "Right. Go ahead and get some rest, Bruce. I'll keep an eye on the mansions security cameras along with the newsfeed on the city in general. Will let you know if anything important comes up."

With that being said and done, Bruce began to make his way out of the cave and back upstairs toward his chambers. While the often stubborn old man could be hard set against leaving the nightly monitor duty completely out of his hands for even a short while, he had grown to trust Terry enough to take the reigns on his own and even fly solo when needed. As such, the current Batman was left alone, as the teen sat back onto the chair, idly eyeing the screens which covered the activity of the manor and any criminal activity which may have fallen toward the more 'super villainy' side of things.

Letting out a bored sigh as he again wondered how Bruce could do this for so many hours without growing bored, Terry glanced to his side where Ace had remained seated and looking up at the younger human. "....Don't suppose you want to go for a walk?" He inquired, which earned him a confused little tilt of the head from their large canine companion, before the teen let out an amused little 'heh' before reaching a hand down to pet at the black Dane-mix's head, "Never mind, boy. Inside joke."

 

[Mephistophelily]

"You didn't have to do that," Delia grumbled as the door closed behind her, not even bothering to turn around to face her sister. "I had already told him that we wouldn't be able to join him tonight. You didn't have to be so mean about it."

"Mean? Oh, whatever do you mean, Dee? I was simply having fun. Remember? Fun? We used to have it all the time. OUR version of fun. THAT type of fun." Deidre snaked her arm about her sister's shoulder, smiling warmly as she peered at her. "I'm sure you recall. You used to love it so much... Think about it, DeeDee. We've been given a Freecard with all this. Wayne's got some good security out there, sure- but it's nothing we can't get through. Together, we can do anything... You know that." Letting go, she flopped down onto the bed, twining her hands together and looking up at her sister pathetically. "All I want is just one little night on the town. Pleeeeease. I promise. No body counts."

Delia frowned, chewing her lip as she stared at her. The idea of doing anything at all left her stomach in knots. The whole talk with Nana, everything they'd gone through at Arkham, and most recently... Terry...

But this was her sister.
If she went out without her, who knew what would happen to her? They'd never done anything like that alone. They always relied on each other... They were DeeDee. Not just a single Dee.

"Just... just a night to stretch our legs."

"Oh, my wonderful, darling, beautiful little sister!," Deidre squealed, hopping from the bed and hugging her tightly.

"You're only 3 minutes older," Delia choked out, reluctantly hugging her back before pulling away with a realization. "Our stuff's not here. We certainly can't go out like this..."

"Not a problem, not a problem. Desperate times, desperate measures." Deidre moved over to the bags quickly, smirking as she pulled out some basic black clothing. "At least until we can get some shopping in, DarlingDee." Tossing one of the outfits over to her sibling, she smirked again, trading off her shirt for the black tee. "Lose the frown, sweetie. We can go play. Tell me you haven't missed that. You can't. There's no way you can.... It's the time when we're at our closest. We're almost one person... Two sisters, so perfectly in tune with each other..."

"...Batman had us fighting."

"Well. Yes. That's true." Deidre shrugged slightly, frowning. "We just learn from our mistakes. And you learn to keep your feet off mine in the middle of a fight."

Delia sucked in a sharp breath, readying to retort- only to hold it in a moment and let it out slowly. "There won't BE any more fights. You just promised."

"Did I? Maybe I did. I'm not really sure..." Deidre smiled again, pulling her hair up into a bun before tugging on the black cap she had fished from her bag, tossing a second to her sister. "Something to consider for later I suppose, hmm?"

Another sigh, the hat gripped in her hands as she played with the brim. She really didn't want to do this... but she also didn't want her going out alone... "Yeah... Later."

"I remember where most of the cameras are. Together, we can get over that wall without a problem. It's that dog, and getting the second over that wire, that will be the problem. With my ankle still a bit out of whack, you'll need to be the loner. Just give me a good boost and I can make it, then you take the long jump. It seems fairly high there, but a good start and cat vault should pass it. Seem easy enough?"

Delia nodded, frowning again as her sister stood and made her way toward the window, starting to open it. Deidre cocked a brow at the one camera openly viewed from the overhang across from it, making another face. "Wayne's a voyeur, DeeDee," Deidre noted, pointing to the camera. "Think I should reclaim our privacy?"

"That is a touch frightening, DeeDee," Delia agreed, peering over her sister's shoulder a moment. "However shall we have our halfnaked pillowfights with him watching?"

"Indeed, DeeDee." Deidre peered around the room, smirking as she spotted the alarm clock on the dresser. Yanking the cord free, she took up the clock, hucking it at the camera. "There we are. Free to go as we want. Until Wayne fixes it." Deidre started to slip out the opening, pausing as she noticed the look on her sister's face. "Oh, what NOW?"

"Couldn't we have just... used... the door?"

Deidre stared at her, a dumbfounded and disgusted look on her face. "Dee."

"Right." She sighed, following after.

The cameras were as her sister said, easily avoided with timings and side passes. Wayne's yard was sparse when it came to ground cover, but between the statue and the darker clothing, it wasn't as impossible as it first seemed... Though Wayne had certainly given a good deal of thought to security on his property. Instead of being the quick 'run to the shed' that Deidre had made it out to be, it took the two what felt to be hours to actually make the short distance. Delia could almost feel the frustration radiating from her sibling as they worked toward it. Finally making it to the shed, Deidre impatiently waited for her sibling to get into position, shoving her foot into the braced hands presented to her and climbing up onto the roof.

"Looks pretty rickety and rotted, DeeDee...," Delia warned as she started to hoist herself up.

"Oh, like Wayne, DeeDee." Deidre smirked at her own little joke, readying once again for her sister's assistance.

With a roll of her eyes, Delia took a lowered version of the earlier stance, her hands locked and ready for her sister's jump. As Deidre's boot found her hand, she pushed up hard, giving her sibling the extra clearance for the acrobatic leap over the wired wall. Taking a breath as she heard her sister's landing, she stood up, moving to get herself enough room for her own jump. A hesitant glance was given back to the mansion, that knot in her stomach growing even bigger. "I'm so sorry, Terry. I really wanted to try...," She whispered, biting her lip as the low whistle came from the other side of the wall. Sprinting as best she could on the small roof, she gave a leap, stretching herself over the wire and curling over it. A wince was given as she landed, a hand clutching at her stomach and finding a small trail of red dotting her palm. "The wire got me... My shirt..." She glanced back up, frowning at the tiny shred of black hanging from it.

"I'll get you a new one, come on!" Deidre grabbed her sister's arm, yanking her to her feet and yanking her off into the night's lights of Gotham.

 

[Eazy]

A long yawn escaped out of Terry's mouth as the teen leaned back in the chair, feet propped up on one corner of the monitor while fighting a losing battle against letting his mind wander. Monitoring duty may have been something he was more then capable of handling in general, but the teen still lacked the type of patience and persistence which Bruce held where it related to the duller moments. The night had been relatively quiet so far. Nothing of real note being reported, at least, as the young man's attention gradually drifted in and out as time ticked away. So much to where the monitor outside of the girls room had flashed with a static screen several times until

"Hmm?" Came the half-lazy response of the teen as his attention quickly shifted toward that static filled image. Sitting up, Terry began tapping away at the keyboard, the gears in his head quickly putting together the very likely worst case scenario as he failed at bringing the screen back online, "....Oh great."

Jumping out of his seat, Terry made a dash toward the exit of the cave, while only sparing enough time to make sure Ace hadn't followed after him for the time being, "Stay put, boy! Think I may have screwed up big here..."

Making his way out the hidden entrance to the cave, the teen took on a brisk pace up the stairs and toward the girls room, while at the same time being cautious enough on not making any noise to awake Bruce. Slowing down as he neared their room so as to not appear like a sex crazed madman bursting in on two a couple of blondes, Terry took a few seconds to catch his breath, before knocking at the door to be certain, "Delia? Deidre? Are you two still awake?"

Terry didn't wait long after the lack of a response to open the door and check inside. And check he did. Both for any sign of the girls around the room, along with checking for where the monitoring camera should be set up. The lack of either girl and the sight of one smashed camera later had sealed the deal.

"Delia...." Was the only word which escaped his lips at the sight of the girls absence; spoken with a tone of disappointment, while also containing a mixture of concern behind it as Terry made his way out of the room.

A short time later, Terry was outside with Ace at his side and a bag slung over one shoulder. There was always the chance neither had left, either by choice or due to an inability of getting around the security measures. "Got a scent, boy?" He inquired as the large dog let out a low bark, then hurried toward one portion of the large wall where it seemed the scent of at least one of the Dee's had remained strong. Both owner and dog seeming to know how not to set off the alarm triggers, they made their way past the shed, where Ace stopped and looked upward to point Terry's own gaze toward the easily missed piece of cloth hanging onto the wire.

"Fantastic. Can only imagine what Bruce is going to say to me about this one. Or to them." The teen stated rather gloomily. Not that Terry wasn't used to the occasional lecture from Mr. Wayne, but it never really got any easier. More so, he wondered how Bruce may react toward the girls for slipping away on their first night. Or if anyone else caught them violating their probation. Bruce wasn't one to give up on a troubled youth so easily, but keeping them free of Arkham may be out of even his hands after this type of slip.

Letting out a sigh, the dark haired youth started to pull the bag off his shoulder while instructing the large black canine by his side, "Ace? Wait back inside." The dog almost seemed to look on with a touch of confusion - albeit more so out of wondering what the younger human was going to do rather then a lack of understanding the order, as Terry gazed into the bag which contained a by now all too familiar looking uniform inside, "I'm going to have to handle things on my own from here."