conflict and compromise / barbara gordon

crossing worlds

Was it bad that she felt more guilty about borrowing a soldering iron from Gotham University without asking than blackmailing an entire clan of superheroes? Wenlock frowned, as she strolled into the engineering building on campus. Well, she supposed, she had always been a teacher's pet, so maybe it was residual guilt.

"It is kind of interesting that you feel so bad about this, but will release that recording with no guilt," Oracle said conversationally, as if in sync with her mind. 

Wenlock gave a small shrug as she walked down the hallway, empty save for some late students working on projects. Keeping her steps light and even, she made her way to the last workshop.

"Looks empty," mused Oracle, "Well... good luck."

Rolling her eyes, Wenlock opened the door with an air of confidence, strolling past the workbenches to get to the shelves in the dark corner of the room. 

"Now what are you doing here?" 

"Harper Row, recently re-established as Bluebird," Oracle quickly informed, "Shouldn't suspect you or be suspicious... unless you're stealing from her workshop"

Internalising all the annoyance she was feeling for her robot friend, she put on a smile for the blue-haired girl behind her. 

"Stealing one of these," She smiled at Harper, "got old computer parts around the home and since exams just ended I figured I'd mess around with some of them."

"Uh huh," the girl looked unimpressed, "Do you have permission? and do you know how to work one?"

"Do you, have permission to take the stuff you take? I've seen you lug a truckful of stuff out of campus at like 3 in the morning," Wenlock replied, frowning. 

"Okay fine you got me," Harper rolled her eyes.

"Gatekeeping the equipment," Wenlock shook her head with a playful frown, "But yeah I do actually have permission," She held up her phone, a fake email generated by Oracle minutes ago showed proof from a professor.

"Does being the geology professor's favourite really get you that far?" the girl looked impressed, "Might have to suck up to my professor more." 

Wenlock laughed, "I keep on testing how much they'll let me get away with every week, well, thanks for the interrogation, I'll see you around I guess." 

As she walked out, soldering iron in her arms she heard Oracle speak up, "That one was really bad."

"I know, but its not like super incriminating, its not like soldering irons aren't used for like, everything," murmured Wenlock back, as she exited the building. 

"On the upside, you look like a more present citizen now, a more present criminal citizen but still."

"Considering I'm a broke college student, we're not doing that bad," she hummed as she made it to the street crossing, glancing quickly upwards at the red light, "Technically haven't done anything illegal yet right? Bats aren't registered on anything and we weren't caught in the mansion." 

Oracle made a noise as if checking a list, "We've been almost perfect, though it is Bruce Wayne, he could pay for us to both be killed and we could be none the wiser."

Wenlock fell into silence as she crossed the street, mixing in with the large crowd forming on the other side. She only broke the silence when she slipped into her apartment complex's elevator, keeping her voice lower than a whisper, "Okay but you can't even be killed, and its not like he'd kill us, he'd like, permanently disable my limbs or something."

"I did say, when you pulled what remained of me out of that fire that," she made a sound as if frowning, "that I created, that I'd follow you as long as you needed me."

"Awwww I forgot you said that," Wenlock stepped out of the elevator, walking to her flat, "So why would I need you when I'm old and grey?"

"You've proved time and time again that you'd die without me," Oracle said derisively, "When was the last time you ate or slept at a relatively normal time without me?"

Wenlock smiled as she shut the door of her apartment, "You're not wrong I guess," sweeping past the pile of deactivated Batwoman and Red Robin trackers on the table, she set the soldering iron down on the kitchen island, "I probably couldn't live without you."