Ghost King Meets Batman

Girl's Trip!

[June 27th]

Ivy was getting frustrated. She had run down any lead she could think of and come up with nothing. She'd talked to every contact she, Catwoman, or Harley had in the Gotham Underworld and most hadn't even heard of Nico di Angelo, much less had an idea of where he might be. Their information about Ghost was even more underwhelming. Most people thought they were referring to literal ghosts or that they were mistaken since 'No one like that lives in Gotham, what the hell?'. The consultant had done well to cover his tracks, that's for sure. They were running out of options and Ivy could tell that the other women were getting bored with the hunt. 

"That's the fourth empty lead of the night, Ives." Catwoman wrapped her whip back up slowly and carefully, studying the braided leather for wear. It had seen more than its fair share of use over the past few days. 

"I know. I just can't give up on this yet. It's only been a few days since he disappeared, we can't let the trail go cold." Ivy stuck her hand into a patch of ivy that was creeping up the wall of a nearby warehouse. 

"Cold? I'd say the trail is positively frozen. We got nothin'." Harley smashed a wooden crate to bits with her hammer.  Whether that was from frustration or curiosity, Ivy wasn't sure. "You know what they say about the first forty-eight hours, don't you?"

"Not now, Harls," Selina hissed.

"What? I'm just sayin'--"

"Shhh." Ivy hushed them as she tried to tune into the root network. Maybe the nearby plants could tell her something. She let her mind seep into the ground, listening to the otherwise imperceptible shifts in the soil beneath their feet. She could feel the waves of electrical energy being carried through the plant's synapses and into her own body as if their nervous systems were connected. Inhale, exhale, she pushed on through the entangled root systems until she wasn't sure when or where she was, whether she still had a body, or if she had truly melted into the Earth. It was an experience unlike any other and, if she hadn't had to worry about needing her body to carry out her activism, she would have considered melding permanently with the roots she now occupied. It felt like coming home.

 Her hunt for either Nico or Ghost came up empty and she forced herself to leave the Earth's loving embrace and return to her own mind. "Nothing..." She muttered to herself more than the two women stationed nearby. Other than a lot of trucks that were coming and going from the nearby cannery, there had been nothing of interest to her. 

"I hate to do this, but I agree with Harley on this one. We don't have any information one way or another. What we should really be doing is looking for that Ghost character. He seems to be of some interest to the Justice League, after all." Catwoman pulled herself up on top of a dumpster and started filing her nails, where she pulled the file from, Ivy wasn't sure.

"So what? What's your interest in the boy?" Ivy frowned. She didn't like the direction that this conversation was taking.

"Batman is interested in finding him. Imagine having Batman owe you a favor!" Catwoman practically purred. 

"Oooohhhh! That would be incredible! It would be the best birthday present!" Harley laughed happily. Ivy considered this for a moment. She was relieved that the girls weren't planning on leveraging Ghost against Batman or selling him to someone who would try to utilize his skills. Plus, since Ghost was Nico, they would still be looking for the same person. 

"Birthday present for Joker?" Catwoman frowned. They had all been under the impression that that ship had sailed. 

"No! For me! I deserve nice things, don't I?" Harley pouted. 

"Of course you do!" Selina cooed helpfully. 

"Alright," Ivy said at last, "though I want you all to keep on the lookout for Nico di Angelo. I'm telling you, he's a score as well."