The Jacksons are Friends | DC & PJO

Wayne Gala

An influx of guests comes through the front door: friends, acquaintances, and strangers. The doors are open for everyone. Brucie's parties are for everyone. Most choose not to go.

Clark Kent and Oliver Queen, with Jon, Kon, and Roy, had arrived on time, never late, unlike a certain speedster or two. Diana, however, was unusually late. She could have been caught up on the way, but there was no news about Wonder Woman in action, so it could be something else.

If their wards were together as a group, they would huddle up with each other, attracting more attention. They would ignore everyone while politely greeting those who approached them but generally closed off. The large group of boys tended to be the center of attention. However, if they spread out, they'd be less noticeable. The usual duos were Kon and Tim, Jon and Damian, Roy and Jason, Dick and Wally, the latter being late as usual. Every group stood at separate corners in case an emergency were to occur.

Other money-rich children were all asked by their parents to interact and, if not better, become friends with Wayne's or their acquaintances, in a way, having a connection to the family. This request had been going on for ages, and only those who grew up with the Wayne boys since a young age and stuck around had a decently better relationship than most.

They tried going for the youngest first, seeing them as easier to trust. To a certain extent, this was true. Jon was very open and smiley, very inviting, but it was Damien Wayne's glare, not wanting to interact with insignificant civilians, that mostly scared them away.

Then they would aim for Tim, the second youngest, but Kon's glare would scare them away even before they could approach. Tim would pat Kon's shoulder every time or give him a handshake. He wasn't like Damien, who had a reputation for scaring off others. He had connections to keep and cutting them just because he was rude to their children was stupid. Having Kon do the job for him was very valuable.

They wouldn't even try Jason's group. Jason and Roy had an eternal scowl stuck on their faces. It would be even more creepy and scary when they smiled threateningly due to their eyebags. They were the 'steer clear of' group.

Therefore, it was nothing but a shock to everyone who had attempted to converse with them when Timothy Drake-Wayne took the initiative to approach someone seemingly new to all the rich extravaganzas. The heirs' and heiress' mouths were agape, and they could tell that the girl had reluctantly greeted the Vice CEO of Wayne Enterprises. The guy next to her took his hand instead. Even Damian, who was disinterested, took a glance at their direction. He instantly glared and warned Jon to pay attention to the girl.

Most hadn't paid attention to her entering, so everybody was whispering to each other, trying to figure out her identity. It was said that people saw her walk in with a tall man. It could have been her brother based on the similarities they had seen. Samuel Matthews was close behind, walking in next to the girl. And later, it seemed that Diana Prince, a friend of Bruce Wayne, walked in with them. They all came together, or was it a coincidence? Were they Diana's wards? Obviously, without Samuel, he was part of the Kingston.

When the gala attendees had new information, they looked for Diana Prince and the mysterious man, only to find the former conversing with Bruce Wayne and her friends. At the same time, the mysterious man was chatting with other influential figures. He didn't seem as out of place as the unknown girl was.

"So, are you regretting this now?" Amused, Sammy asked his friend.

"I came for the food," She responded, plopping a macaron in her mouth.

"Why do you look like you are being tortured, though?" he asked again.

"Hey!" Nina now sounded offended. "Just because the food is good doesn't mean it is proportional to the place."