Raven Roth and Damian Wayne: The Walk of Life (Book 1 Of 2)

Chapter Seventeen

Damian and Raven walked down the stairs hand in hand, not speaking a word yet saying a great deal. Raven hand changed into a more, smart casual attire, she wasn't sure how formal their dinner would be but judging from the Black turtle neck and black trousers Damian was sporting she had made the right choice, though that was always Damians 'go to' outfit. As they walked into the dining room Alfred had begun to set the table for them and the rest of the attending family. "Can I help with anything Mr, sorry, Alfred?" Raven asked politely with a smile. "That's quite alright miss Roth, I shall handle the food. You find yourself a seat." He replied cheerfully. "There doesn't appear to be many places set out. Not going to be a full house tonight Alfred?" Damian asked. "I'm afraid not. Dick and Kori are dining out tonight in Gotham. Tim is off seeing a movie with Stephanie so also eating out. I dread to think what Jason and Helena are up to but they called and said they wouldn't be back for dinner. So as it stands it'll just be the four of us, unless you'd like to join us Alfred?" Bruce said as he walked in with Selina. Alfred smiled to himself as everyone turned to face him. "You always ask master Bruce, which I do appreciate, but as ever I must decline. I too must leave shortly to run a small errand and then I shall return in time to clear away." He responded as he set out the last set of cutleries. "An errand? Dear sir, why so secretive?" Selina teased with a smile. It was rare for Alfred to step out and leave the manor in Bruce's hands, though he knew nothing would happen or go wrong Alfred was nothing if not professional and the care of the manor fell to him. "Nothing so scandalous miss Kyle, just have to pick up a parcel on behalf of miss Helena and master Jason, then return home. They had planned to collect it themselves but as we know with dinner, something came up. Now then, do take your seats and I shall serve dinner." Alfred explained before walking off to the kitchen. "That's very mysterious." Laughed Selina taking her seat next to Bruce. "I happen to agree, for once Kyle. It is strange that they didn't arrange to just have it delivered here. And sorry, working on it, Selina." Damian said, clearly putting far more thought into it than anyone else. "Is it very out of character for them to do that?" Raven asked, though she'd seen their minds she didn't know a great deal about their personality traits other than what Damian had told her. "Well, yes and no. Jason hides a few things but at the same time is an open book. Helena on the other hand is a bit more..." Bruce began to explain before the rings of a phone cut him off. Everyone looked around at each other for a moment before Selina realised the zipper hoodie she'd flung on the back of her chair was vibrating and flashing. "Who could that be? Sorry, excuse me for a moment." She said as she got up from her chair. "Hello? Oh hey, this is a nice surprise. how are you? Yea. Aww. Well of course she did. Oh god. No. really? But still had a fun trip? Well that's good at least. And? What do you mean 'what do you mean by and'? And, did you say yes or no? The door? Yea course, I had moved in before you left. Oh! We're just serving dinner, Hold on. Alfred is there enough for two more mouths?" Alfred walked through carrying a full roast chicken and placed it on the table. "Of course miss Kyle, there were meant to be nine mouth and that was reduced to four, as such I shall set two more places for your guests." He replied to Selina who whispered a thank you and then went back to the phone. "Still there? Good, you're joining us for dinner. No, it's fine. Yes, I'm sure. Bruce has told you that you're welcome here. I'll come meet you. Oh and you'll never guess who brought a friend home to meet the family. Yes that type of friend. Oh yea, forgot about that, you are right but Dick isn't the person I was thinking of. What am I doing still stood here, I'm coming to the door now see you in a second." Selina continued to talk as she walked out of the dining room and to the front door. Damian and Raven looked at each other and then both turned to Bruce, who raised an eyebrow and looked to Alfred. "This one is all yours sir." He said placing a second chicken on the table alongside the first. "A few things have changed since you joined the Titans, Two, three years ago now? So just try not to freak out, ok?" Bruce said as he pushed his seat out getting ready to stand. Damian sat analysing his father's words. Why would he freak out? What had changed? He and Selina had decided to become a serious romantic couple, sure, she'd even moved in but what else could have happened? Raven could feel tension start to fill the room. There was a small amount coming from Damian as he tried to work things out in his mind. What made her nervous was the amount of tension coming off of Bruce. He looked like he was just sat relaxing in his chair waiting for the surprise guests but Raven could feel that he was coiled like a snake, ready to pounce out of the chair and strike. She could feel that he was aiming himself at Damian. Then there was a whisper in her mind, Bruce was thinking, thinking a conversation, he'd figured out how to talk to her without a mental link. "He is Batman after all, probably not that hard to work out a way to talk to me without alerting anyone." She thought to herself before concentrating on what Bruce was trying to say to her. "If that was who I think it was, Damian is going to get the wrong idea and make a move. I'm just going to grab him before he does, nothing more, no need to look so worried. Just a typical day at Wayne manor, I promise." He thought over and over until Raven looked into his eyes and nodded. She felt it best to leave the situation to Bruce, he clearly had a far better handle on things than she did. As Raven finished the thought Selina walked back in. "Look who decided to drop on by." She said smiling. "Hello Bruce." Said a red haired woman. "Heya Brucey." Echoed a blonde haired woman, slightly shorter than the first. Raven turned to check Damian but he was gone, he'd moved the second the two women had stepped into the room. Raven scanned around and found Damian cross legged on the floor, being held down at the shoulders by Bruce. "Evening, the situation hasn't really been explained to Damian here just yet, wasn't expecting a visit so soon." Bruce said trying to keep everything as calm as possible. "Hey there boy blunder. How ya doin'?" Joked the blonde. Raven sat at the table unsure of what to do, she could feel anger brewing in Damian but she didn't feel any negativity coming from the two new arrivals. "Harl, stop teasing. I'm sorry for the sudden appearance we didn't know you had come back home already. This is probably a very strange scenario to find yourself in. Two of your father's villains just walking into your home." Said the red head. "Yes, it is very strange. Stranger still that you were invited in for dinner. Father? I'm calm and won't do anything like you asked, but why, when and how come Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are welcomed into our home?" Damian asked with more restraint than Bruce had expected. "They have been friends with Selina for a long time, granted that alone wasn't enough for me to trust them. Approximately nineteen to twenty months ago Bane came back and he beat me, beat me and then some but I also took him out of commission. To do so I lured him to Arkham and released some of the inmates to slow and wear him down. It did and didn't work but in the end I was spent had nothing left and as predicted found myself surrounded by the now free from their cell inmates. Selina jumped in between my next to lifeless body and those inmates. Ivy and Harley were there, trying to get to me. Selina convinced Ivy for old time sake to use her pheromones and knock out everyone else. Luckily, she did. While they spoke and Selina tried explaining the situation, I made a choice. I chose to widen my cycle of trust. I asked if they'd hear me out, and they did. We spoke of our fights, the connections between Catwoman and Batman, about how well the Sirens worked together, how we could help each other and then without them asking I removed the cowl. I was a wreck anyway and wouldn't have been able to defend myself if I needed to." Bruce explained as Ivy stepped forward. "Your father, he put a lot of trust in us there and then with no guarantee that we wouldn't just turn on him. Selina freaked. It was a little hilarious. But with that I saw what she meant to him and what he meant to her. It also helped that Wayne Industries was and is the top donor for rainforest protection and reforesting, among other things. Bruce Wayne was stood there dying in front of me, not batman, not anymore. So I put him to sleep. Selina freaked, Harley restrained her and I wrapped him in my plants and flooded the cocoon with nice healing chemicals and he was on his feet in about ten minutes. After that he brought us here. We all talked. I made a public statement about reform along ide new sponsor Bruce Wayne, who explain to the gathered press about how connected to the green, well environment we said at the time, I am and how after time in Arkham if I did well we'd work together to better understand each other's world. I was in Arkham for nine months without incident and was allowed visits from my friend Selina and my sponsor Bruce, who I see as a friend now too. When I came out we did a lot of P R work and regrowth of local woods as a start and show of good faith. Then I was brought into the fold so to speak and have worked with Jason to start with and we got on well, then worked with Tim and we reinforced the cave with thick sturdy trunks within the rock and wrapped vines along the steel cross beams to help take the strain. And now we're here." Ivy finished. Damian stood calmly listening to what Poison Ivy was saying. Raven was impressed at how well behaved he was being, she'd figured out that these women were big players in the Gotham underworld just by the way Damian reacted but she could feel the truth as Ivy spoke and knew that she had changed or at the very least dedicated herself to change for her friend. "Ok, I can believe that. I can understand why you would reveal yourself in that situation. And I can understand the decision to commit to a mutually beneficial partnership to help rebuild the rainforests. That all makes sense to me. I don't understand one thing though, and that's how Harley Quinn fits into things. No offence but there isn't a single person I can think of who is more unstable than you." Every turned to face Harley who had a taken to sitting on the floor while Ivy spoke to Damian. "Me? Unstable. Well yea, that's fair. But, I am the only person here with a PHD ya know. But Brucey bat said that he would help me too as I was a good friend to kitty and told me about all the times she felt that I had helped her and felt it was only right to help me in return. I wasn't sure ta begin with but he was true ta 'is word n helped me out. Came in ta see me at Arkham as well. Helped me ta see what me n mista J had was wrong and toxic for me. Red came in too and we'd all have little group chats. It was fun. Now red thinks he can be trusted. He kept his word about helping her fix the life of her plants and when red's happy, I'm happy. I had ta stay at Arkham thirteen months and although I was sad at first, thinking that I'd be forgotten about and left behind but good 'ld B W kept coming in with kitty and then came in with red too and it was good. I felt good and wanted to help. I haven't worked with Timmy and it was a long hard road ta work with hoodie but we found our groove and do well now. I got a place in Brooklyn and started living there away from all the bad and Pam started coming out to see me a lot. And now we're here and lovin life, lovin each other. All roses, right red?" She said hopping to her feet and skipping up to Ivy. "Exactly Harl." She replied placing a kiss on her cheek. Damian took in a breath and thought quickly about what he was told and then looked to Raven. "Their words ring true. I didn't detect any attempt to lie. I can sense the mistrust and why it's there but your father has given them a chance, maybe we should too." She thought to him telepathically. "Okay. I hope you understand why I was a bit hostile when you first walked in." Damian said causing Ivy to smile and Harley to giggle. "It be more surprising if you weren't to be honest." Ivy replied sincerely. "Well then, Do you enjoy roast chicken?" He asked politely. "Yay, chicken." Harley cried as she jumped with excitement. "Yes, indeed we do." Said Ivy.