ILLUSION || Jason Todd

TWELVE

❝THE DAMAGE IS DONE❞

BON JOVI, YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME

Lorelei had to admit it, the minivan Dick had swapped his Porsche for was much more comfortable and sitting in the backseat was no longer an issue and at times, even fun. All sounds of laughter and joy were immediately replaced with groans and sighs as Dick Grayson pulled the minivan up to a shitty motel. With every new place she had to sleep at, Lorelei was missing the comfort of fluffy, soft pillows and a cosy duvet at Bruce's safehouse - with the exception of a comfortable sleep in apartment 304. But alas, it was safer here than the nicer place down the road.

With complaints about the Porsche being traded for a less luxurious minivan and confirmation of their stop for the night, the group collectively let out more huffs as they brought their things out from the minivan, ready to walk into whatever disgusting rooms they were about to endure. The young mage just prayed it was, at a minimum, clean. The last thing she needed was getting sick because of a shitty motel and having to fight the Doomsday cult in the middle of sneezing.

Plus, the motel wasn't that bad. Not in comparison to the abandoned places Lorelei had circled in Scotland when she had first left Centia. The weather there was much like in Gotham; cold, wet, and uncomfortable, even if the sun was shining in the sky and casting warmth, it was never a fun experience.

She had little food in those days, too. It was hard to get money, being from a different realm and not being old enough to work was certainly an experience. Going from multiple meals a day of food that was always on point to barely anything - scraps - was a hard adjustment. It had taken Lorelei months when she first arrived in Gotham to gain her healthy weight back. It was hard in Gotham, too. She was sixteen when she had fled to the gloomy city, barely old enough to have a job but she got one eventually and the pay was little to nothing, barely a legal paycheque at the end of every month but it was enough for food. Even if she was still staying in shitty abandoned buildings, the food would keep her going.

The first thing Bruce had done when he had taken Lorelei under his wing was give her a place to stay, making sure the young mage never went hungry. Lorelei truly owed Bruce the world, he had saved her in more ways than one.

Being on the run again was not something Lorelei would have thought she would endure, even if - on a technicality because she would always be on the run from her Archmage - she had never stopped to begin with. Lorelei also didn't think she would be anybody's friend yet here she was, standing beside Rachel, a girl she hadn't known until recently yet bonded so quickly. Who knew trauma bonding would result in a fond friendship?

"We're being hunted by sociopaths, nicer places draw attention." Dick argued with Kory, who brought up the nicer place down the road in protest of staying at the motel. It was obvious that Kory was used to lavish places, her wardrobe suggested that, but it was too risky.

"Yeah, well, they also make it easier to sleep." Kory sassed, not caring for anything but a good night's sleep.

Lorelei let out a sigh as she, too, would prefer a nice and comfortable bed. "This motel is only connected by one road, that means we only have one road to worry about." She noted, her training with Bruce easily highlighting the positives about the shitty motel. Sadly, the comfort was not one. "Eerily quiet too, we would hear any trouble before we see it."

"Impressive." Dick complimented Lorelei, glad to see the young mage take her training with Bruce seriously. "And who said anything about sleeping?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow before taking off to get their rooms for the night. Luckily, there were five rooms available for the five individuals to have their private space.