The Bird & the Blade

Gala

Damian's point of view:
I had Hunter enter first before I followed a few minutes after. When I walked in, I didn't expect almost to knock over Hunter, who was in the doorway. I looked at her confused before I saw her utterly cold face as she looked around.

    I realized why she was distant. It was because the team had immediately looked up at her as she entered and were staring. I wondered what got their attention to focus so directly on Hunter as I looked between them. I tensed as if they somehow knew what had happened between us last night.

    Even the thought of them knowing and judging her for it made me glare menacingly at everyone around the room. It took all my self-control not to hide Hunter behind my form from their watching gazes. I figured out quickly that our actions last night, while probably a bit louder than desired for us to keep our relationship a secret, weren't the reason they were staring. They were looking at Hunter only and then back at a form sitting at the table.

     Kaldur was icing a wounded face with gritted teeth, and he refused to look at Hunter. She, however, was watching him with confusion as he is sporting a pair of bruises on his face. One shiner and one along his jaw. I felt the anger burn in me again as I thought about him hurting my girl.

Raven, who seemed to be a close friend to Hunter, now seemed reassured by Hunter's confusion at the bruises. She waved her over at the other end of the table. Hunter nodded to her and joined them. I followed her further into the room. As she sat next to Raven, I took the chair on Hunter's other side between her and Jon.

    Gar chatted happily between his girlfriend and Hunter. He was animating his stories with his hands, and while Raven looked used to it, Hunter watched his movements with amusement coloring her previously cold features. I couldn't tell if Gar was oblivious to the tension or just hid his knowledge of it well and chatted to ease the hostility.

Hunter nodded to Raven occasionally as she collected some food from the large gathering in the center of the table. I turned to Jon when I caught his gaze. His blue eyes were dark with concern, and I knew he wouldn't voice them here, not with everyone in this room, either with super hearing or eavesdropping.

He wasn't oblivious as he nodded to Kaldur, though. I shrugged my shoulders lightly, but I caught his look. Jon knew me better than most, and I knew him, out of everyone, would realize my change in emotions before anyone. His blues eyes were calculating as he looked at me. I stared him down equally before I felt a gentle touch at my side.

She wasn't trying to distract me, but she was trying to help calm me. I was getting attention from the team. I tilted my head backward to Jon, and he nodded, knowing what I meant. We went back to eating in relative peace before I saw Kory fluttering in. I saw her worried face, but it wasn't me who commented but Garfield as he said, "What's wrong, Kory?"

She waved a hand as she grabbed some food before she said, "Political matters." We all waited patiently as she grabbed some food before she looked up at us. She seemed surprised by all of our watching faces before she sighed. She put down her utensils before saying, "There have been rumors going around about a local charity event being targeted by some thieves. The difficulty is, is that we aren't allowed to go with uniforms and weapons as guards for the event. The event coordinators will not even let us near the venue, as it would scare people."

I rolled my eyes as I leaned back to listen. I knew people like this. My father grew up in that social circle of those bloodthirsty bats. Lucky he spared my siblings and me from that nightmare. Only when we were either adopted or turned 16 did the media get wind of our existence.

All my siblings and I are single to the eyes of the public. Even Dick has yet to let those demons in on his life with Barbara. At those mandatory events for our attendance, my brother and I are always the top stories. My father is now considered out of the marriage market, but my brothers and I are single bachelors to his fortune. Meaning we stayed the hell away from those events as it is a living hell of single promiscuous women.