ILLUSION || Jason Todd

NINE

❝CALLIN' OTHER PEOPLE ON YOUR TELEPHONE❞

CONAN GRAY, FIGHT OR FLIGHT

After a bearably long drive - definitely not the shortest but also not the longest journey she has spent in Dick's Porsche - Lorelei was happy to see the former Robin pull up into a roller rink. It was still not an ideal situation filled with leisure and fun, especially not with Rachel still missing and with a magenta haired murderer Dick had informed Lorelei about, but it was still a lot better than abandoned buildings and creepy Satanic rituals with Rachel being a human sacrifice. Well, Lorelei was not yet sure about that last part. This magenta haired woman could also be linked to the Doomsday cult, that was not something the two bat-trained people had yet ruled out.

With thoughts of getting to, at a minimum, enjoy the lights, music and vibes within the roller rink for approximately five seconds before rushing to find Rachel, Lorelei was, unfortunately, interrupted by her phone ringing. A call. From Alfred. A sigh left her lips as she told Dick that she would catch up, mentioning the call from Alfred before answering after gaining a singular nod from Dick to signify he understood and to take the call.

The call was unexpected, to say the least. The young, blonde mage had sent routinely updates to both Bruce and Alfred, the poor girl was beginning to consider the possibility of a group chat so she wasn't constantly copying and pasting the same messages over and over again but alas, decided to inconvenience herself as she realised Bruce would most likely leave the group chat anyway. Turns out that Bruce had lost all methods of fun in his old age, or was he always that way? Yet another question for Lorelei to ponder, perhaps she would ask Dick on a day that did not revolve around saving Rachel from yet another kidnapping - seriously, how was this girl so susceptible to kidnapping? It was a serious amount of bad luck, perhaps even skill, and it was only becoming increasingly worrying.

Lorelei was close to putting a permanent tracking device to latch onto the purple haired girl. Or wrapping her up in bubble wrap. Maybe both?

"I'm fine, Alfred, just a few bruises." Lorelei reassured for the fifth time in the three minute call. Apparently, Alfred was worried for the young mage once Bruce had received the call from the hospital and despite her medical records stating she was fine, Alfred - bless his heart, Lorelei was touched by his care for her - was not there to see for himself that she was fine or tending to her wounds like he does for Bruce, previously had for Dick, and for the new Robin.

One thing Lorelei was quick to learn when joining the Bat Team was how close Alfred was to everyone. He was more than a butler to Bruce; he was family. Lorelei would actually argue that Alfred was the backbone of the family, not Bruce. The older man slowly edged his way into Lorelei's heart, too, and became someone she cared for - and the feeling was mutual. The violet eyed girl was pretty sure Alfred was just thankful to have someone not test his patience every second of every day but eventually, she had that knocked out of her when Alfred very politely scolded her for thinking she was just another chore.

After that, Lorelei went above and beyond to make sure Alfred was appreciated.

Back in Centia, Lorelei was not poor by any means. She, much like Bruce, grew up in the life of luxury. Truthfully, she was selfish and entitled until coming to this realm and having to fend for herself. It was a harsh adjustment, it was an eye-opener for those who were less fortunate. But even so, despite all the help she grew up with, they were never as warm or even passionate about their job as Alfred. He was truly a butler out of love for Bruce, even with his deteriorating age - a thing Lorelei did not want to think about.