"What's going on, Dick?"
"It's Nightwing, tonight, Valkyrie." The man smiled. He was dressed in his full costume, masked and ready for action. Behind him stood Beast Boy, Blue Beatle and Starfire, also dressed for combat.
"What-"
"You are going to...
Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return. ~ Leonardo Da Vinci
Valerie's hair was ash blonde, wavy, and grew to just below her shoulders. Her face was heart shaped, and only just starting to loose the traces of childishness that clung to her cheeks and wide eyes. Eyes, which she considered her best feature. They were large and almond shaped with thick, blonde lashes framing them. Her irises themselves were a vibrant cobalt blue, just like her father's, and stood out from the rest of her soft features with a sharp contrast. Her cheekbones weren't particularly prominent, but her neck was long, and her figure was small and obviously feminine.
She'd never actually felt ugly, not in the way the media tried to portray her. Valerie Wayne knew she was beautiful, she always had.
But the way she felt with the wind under her wings and her fingers in the sky, she felt more than beautiful. She felt powerful, like she could conquer the world and fix all its problems. It was freedom. This pure, joyous feeling in her heart and her mind, this had to be what freedom felt like. This feeling was something she never wanted to have to give up.
"How're you holding up?" The green kestrel asked from her right. Valerie smiled and pulled her wings close to her body, diving downwards before she extended her wings again suddenly, pulling herself back up with a jolt.
"Amazing!" She laughed in reply as she rose higher into the air. Valerie heard Starfire laugh from behind her, and saw Jaime zooming around below her.
This must've been what it felt like to have friends, Valerie thought. Maybe now, Damian's leaving made a little more sense to her.
The Valkyrie squinted down, looking for Dick's bike, and when she saw nothing, extended her senses, attempting to feel his presence. "Guys" She yelled over the rushing wind, calling the three Titans to her. "Nightwing stopped a few miles back. We should probably go find out what's up." The others agreed, and then changed direction, heading back the way they came.
It wasn't until they had almost reached Nightwing's location that Valerie felt another presence.
She shut her eyes and muttered a few choice curse words under her breath before she landed softly on the road between Dick's bike and her Father's batmobile.
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"Hi Batman!" Blue Beatle squeaked. "We were um..."
"Don't even think about reprimanding them, Batman. It was my idea." Nightwing cut into Blue's awkward rambling, much to the Hispanic kid's relief.
"No, you're all to blame. You all made the conscious decision to follow Nightwing." Batman answered coldly, his gaze never leaving Valerie's. He stood beside the sleek black car, his towering frame threatening to everyone except Starfire and Nightwing who stood at the same hight, if not taller than, the Dark Knight.
