SWAN SONG / damian wayne

TWENTY-FOUR, SOARING

SHE WASN'T SURE where Damian had gone. Her dance with Anthony Dexter was rather short, and they parted ways after a few more words exchanged. The Dexters were hardly the most important family in Gotham, but they were still near the top. Close enough that it was worth it to maintain good connections. She'd stay in contact with Anthony Dexter and decide what to do with him.

And he seemed sweet. He volunteered at the animal shelter. That had to speak well of him.

Odile found herself alone. But there was no time to waste. Damian would be alright. He'd likely found himself tired by standing and found some nice place to sit down. She had a mission tonight, and she didn't want her entire life to revolve around Damian Wayne. No, she was more than that.

Bruce had told her some names to look out for. She'd already noticed quite a few, but she needed a good way to approach them. Make it seem accidental. But charming. She could take an entire gang of crooks at the same time, she could handle the super-rich of Gotham City. Really, a lot of the time, the strategies were the same.

People weren't all that different at the end of the day. At the core, everyone was the same.

Perhaps she should find another dance partner. Or some group of people to join in. There was an entourage of younger people gathered in one corner, laughing about something. Two men and two women. She could join them, though it might seem a bit out of the blue. No, better attract attention to herself instead.

She spotted Bruce making her way towards her from across the room. He knew she'd noticed him too, because he raised a brow in silent question. Odile smiled sweetly, offering a small nod.

"Where's Damian?" he asked with a frown once he was by her side.

"Not sure," she admitted. "I'm sure he's alright. Do you want me to find him?"

"Give it a while." Bruce crossed his arms. "You were dancing with Anthony Dexter?"

"He's sweet. The group over there, those four, are any of them of much importance?"

Bruce surreptitiously glanced over. "You'll be introduced to them eventually. Luke's friends. No need to waste time on them tonight."

"Is he here tonight?" She hadn't spotted him yet, but Luke might just be keeping to himself.

Bruce shook his head. "No, he's still out of the country. Will be back in two months, if things go to plan."

"Right. So no point heading over to that group. Who would you suggest I approach next?"

"I'm sure you've already decided in your head."

She glanced at him, amused. "You have lots of faith in me."

He shrugged. "I'm planning on handing the entire Wayne Foundation over to you in a few years, if you want it. Of course I have plenty of trust in you."

"I don't think I'm qualified for it." She turned her head back to the ballroom, shaking her head. "It's better if you leave it in the hands of someone more experienced and more deserving, really."

"If that's what you want, I'll put someone else in charge of it instead. But if you ever want it, it's yours." He sounded quite adamant about it.

"But why? I don't understand why you're so sure I'd do a good job at it. I'm a complete novice."

"Because you genuinely want to help people." He turned to her, expression sincere. "You, Tim, Remiel... the three of you are different compared to the others. Hell, Luke too. The rest of us, there's always an element of... selfishness. We want to help people, yes, but there's a part of it that's for ourselves. To keep ourselves sane, to give ourselves a sense of purpose, to deal with the shadows of our past. You really need to give yourself more credit for all the things you do, Odile."