NOW,

"THAT WAS REALLY good." Jon leant back, rubbing his stomach, looking extremely satisfied. "I'm going to tell my Mum and Dad about this place."

Damian rolled his eyes. "At some point, your superhuman metabolism isn't going to be enough to get rid of all the calories you're consuming."

"Oh, who cares?" Jon offered a shrug. "Pretty sure I get more exercise than literally anyone else in the world anyways. Except you guys, of course."

Odile took the last bite out of her rice before having a sip of tea to wash it down and rinse her mouth. "Right. Are we ready to go? Or are we sitting here for longer?"

Jon grimaced, glancing down at his phone. "I did kind of promise Mum and Dad I'd be back by ten."

Odile blinked. "You're still living with your parents?"

"Hey, they're great!"

"Of course they are." She'd met Superman and Lois Lane a few times before. "Just a bit surprised, that's all. With all of us moving out now."

Jon shrugged. "You're both older than me."

"So, you're heading back to Metropolis, yeah?" Damian asked, draping an arm over the back of his chair. "About time Odile and I head back anyways. Unless you're planning on patrolling tonight, Odile?"

"No... Not tonight. Remiel's stopping by tomorrow. Want to be in pristine condition for her to inspect."

"Inspect?" That seemed to amuse Jon. "Does she not trust you to take care of yourself? You've gone off on your own before."

"She knows I'll be fine. She just likes to worry." Odile sighed. "Sometimes, she really does act like my mother. So protective older sister vibes." But then she remembered Damian's recent run-in with his own mother. Eyes darting to him, she started, "Dami, I—"

"Don't worry about it." He released a sigh. "I just don't want to think about it right now."

Jon glanced at him with pity in his eyes. "It'll get better, dude."

"It's been... ten years, more or less, since I've left the League that first time." Damian's fists clenched on the table. "Somehow, I'm still lost. I still don't know what to do."

"We're here for you." Odile reached over, placing her hand over his fist. "We're your best friends, Damian. Whatever you decide to do, we'll help you out. And if you need advice, we're here for that too. You're not by yourself. It's okay to be lost. We're all lost sometimes."

"You both have figured it out better than me." Damian shook his head. He let Odile's hand remain on his. "You're helping your dad around Metropolis, practically taking his position when he's off-world. And you know what to do, in both identities. You have a purpose. A direction."

Jon's brows were creased. "You should talk to someone older about this."

"My father wouldn't understand. He's never struggled with a purpose."

"I think you should talk to Dick."

That was from Odile. Damian glanced at her. Odile shrugged. "Or Remiel. I think they both know what it feels like. But I have a feeling Dick will know what better to say in this kind of situation."

Damian seemed to contemplate that for a moment. "They're coming over tomorrow, aren't they?"

"Yeah." Odile paused. "I don't know if Dick is stopping by our place, but I'm sure he'll be in Wayne Manor or something. Or do you want me to call Remiel and ask her to bring Dick along too?"

"It's okay. I'll see if I can... arrange something with Grayson." Damian pinched his nose. "I'll never hear the end of this."

"Hey, he's your brother." Jon tilted his head. "That's what brothers do."

A little later on, when Jon had flown off back to Metropolis, the two of them began to make their way back towards their home. They walked side by side through the streets—their apartment building was only a twenty minute walk away, and while that was a painful amount of time to be out on the streets of Gotham for most people, it was hardly dangerous to the two of them.

Odile murmured, "Seeing your mother really fucked you up, huh?"

"It gets worse as I grow up. When I was younger, I sometimes still harboured grand delusions that Father and Mother might make it past their differences one day." His eyes were glued to the ground, hands stuffed in the pocket of his jacket. "It became a little more difficult to keep up that illusion after Father married Selina Kyle."

"And after their divorce?"

"By the time they divorced, my mother was already convinced I was a lost cause. Or at least, she's already realised I'm no longer on her side." He paused. "I'm an al Ghul, but I'm also a Wayne."

"I get that." Odile spared a glance at him. "What happened this time?"

"I confronted her over her recent assassination of a Congressman. Usually, we just talked. This time, she commanded her men to attack."

"Oh."

"With or against her, she wants me by her side." Damian shook his head. "It's just confusing, Odile. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"Seraphina...?"

"I think she's in the dark about all of this." Damian rubbed his temple. "I haven't heard from her in months."

Seraphina's destinations had become erratic in the past few years. The base in Guilin had been destroyed two years ago. The League had too many enemies. Seraphina had survived, but from then on, no one knew for sure where she might be. Not even Remiel.

In a way, it granted her the freedom she'd always wished for. But it was also worrying.

But Odile wasn't on speaking terms with Seraphina anymore. Not really.

She thought about their last conversation and cringed.

She'd been so angry. And she'd had the right to be angry, but at the same time...

Sometimes, she wished she'd taken a moment to reach out to the woman, to hear her side of the story.

"Where did this happen?" Odile asked softly. No one had told her where Damian had gone off to for those few days.

"Argentina." Damian shook his head. "It's all behind me now."

Odile doubted it. From what she knew of Talia al Ghul, she wasn't the type of woman who'd simply let go. No, she'd come back to haunt Damian. But she was his mother.

"Maybe we should seek out Seraphina." Odile was careful with her words. "She might be able to... talk sense into your mother."

"I'll do that." He paused. "I know you don't want to involve yourself in any business relating to the League." And after an even longer moment, he added, "I am... grateful for your choice those years ago. I know it must have hurt you a great deal."

"No." Odile shook her head. "I didn't embark on my quest for vengeance for the right reasons in the first place. The main culprit is dead. There is no point chasing after ghosts for the rest of my life. I had to move on."

"I'm glad you're in a better place now. It genuinely brings me joy to see you in the state you are in now." He turned his head to study her, and then a small smile appeared on his face. "I'm happy for you, Odile."

"I want you to be happy too, Damian. If I can move past it..."

"The difference between you and me," Damian's voice was a mere whisper in the night, "is that your family is dead. My family is very much alive. Sometimes, I almost find myself envying you. But that's wrong, isn't it? If you had the choice, you'd give everything for the Eyu Sect to be revived."

"Better alive than dead. Always, Damian."

But he'd stopped dead in his tracks. She glanced at him. "Something wrong?"

"We're being watched."

Odile was sent flying before she could even react as someone swooped in from the back, landing a clean kick onto her. Damian yelled out a warning, but his voice faltered as more footsteps neared.

Odile landed on one knee, sliding to a stop a few metres behind Damian, warily glancing at the group that surrounded them.

"Guess you were wrong, Dami," she growled. "It's not behind you just yet."

—

"I DO NOT even want to start on how disappointed I am in you, Damian."

She'd seen pictures of Talia al Ghul before. Skin a few shades darker than Damian's. The same nose as well, though that seemed to be where the similarities ended. Damian took over his father more than his mother. The woman was dressed in green, two swords strapped to her belt. She hadn't aged at all since the first time she'd seen her picture, all the way back when she was eleven. Lazarus Pit, perhaps?

"Have you been following me?" Damian growled, fists clenched. He had his weapons on him, tucked under his clothes, but he was also injured. If this dissolved into a fight, which it felt like it would, they'd be in trouble. Even escape would be difficult, with the amount of assassins surrounding them. Not to mention the fact that neither of them were even in costume. The security footage could be wiped (if there were security cameras on them at the moment), but it was still incredibly risky. Both of them were relatively high-profile figures.

Silently, Odile's hand crept to her pocket. They all had special forms of communication devices. She pressed the button on the gadget in her pocket, trying her best not to attract any attention to herself.

Hopefully, it was Batman on duty with Red Hood tonight. This didn't seem like the kind of thing they should handle alone. Bruce's insight and experience would be invaluable.

"It was trivially easy." Talia almost sounded disappointed. "You didn't even try to cover your trail."

"Because I wasn't expecting to be tracked down, Mother. What do you want from me?"

In her pocket, the device buzzed. Signal accepted. Help would be coming. It was just a matter of time.

But now Talia ignored Damian, turning her attention to Odile instead. Their eyes met. Odile's gaze hardened. All these years, she'd done her best to avoid meeting Talia al Ghul. Now the woman shows up just like that. She shows up and decides she'd take away Damian.

Had she not already taken away enough from her?

Talia commented, "You're the Eyu girl." No identifiable feelings in her voice. Utter calmness. As if it was just another casual observation. As if so much blood wasn't on her hands. She might not have been the main culprit, but she was guilty.

Odile had only chosen not to go after her for Damian's sake. And for her own sanity.

"You made a mistake showing your face in front of me." Odile raised her chin. "Does Seraphina know you're here?"

"My sister is busy recuperating her injuries from a recent... accident." Talia gave her sword a flourish. "She is preoccupied. I have no business with you, girl. Damian, you're coming with me."

"No."

"It was not a request, son. It's an order."

No doubt about that. They were surrounded by a squad of assassins. Talia's best, very likely. They could handle their own for a bit, but with Damian injured, not nearly as long as she'd liked. And if Talia's goal was to capture Damian, she'd have to make sure Damian wasn't snatched away in all the commotion.

And hopefully, whoever was on duty tonight was already rushing over.

"Damian's not going with you." Odile took a cautionary step forward, placing herself between Talia and Damian. "You should leave, Talia."

Talia's eyes narrowed into slits as she regarded Odile. Properly this time. Odile must look pretty ridiculous compared to her assassins—dark pink hoodie with leggings. But no doubt Talia would have at least heard of Odile. And she'd keep tabs on people around Batman, at any rate. "This is a family matter."

"Damian's my family too," Odile snarled. "I'm not just letting you take him away."

"Odile." Damian placed a hand on her arm. "It's okay. Let me handle this."

"I'm not leaving you to deal with this alone. Don't be an idiot, Damian."

Talia's eyes flickered between the two of them. And then she snarled. "Damian... my son, you've let yourself become soft. Who is this girl to you?"

"Family. She's Remiel's ward, you know. In that sense too, she is my family. And yours."

Family. That was all she would ever be with Damian. And it was enough. Better his family than a stranger. She was already eternally lucky to be held in such high esteem by a man like him.

"She is a member of the Eyu Sect."

"Who is not my enemy." Damian raised his chin. "Leave her out of it."

Talia released a sigh. "Truly, when I first sent you to your father's side, I did not foresee such a day. I should have. Seize him. If the girl tries to stop it, deal with her. Dead or alive, I do not mind."

Odile snarled. "You want to add my blood onto the Eyu blood you've already spilled?"

Talia raised a brow. No sign of guilt in her expression. Only cold calculation and mild irritation. "Simply finishing the job. Don't take it personally."

A pink sword had already appeared in Odile's hand. She cut Damian a warning look—he was injured, and should avoid a fight if possible—before turning back to Talia. "You really think you'll get away with this?"

"Seize him."

The assassins jumped at once.

Damian's staff extended into full length, and even with only one hand he was a master at it. Odile's sword sliced through the air, causing the assassins leaping at her to take a step back. She was going to stick with Damian and defend him, cover him, until help arrived. God, she hoped help was arriving. Because she wasn't sure how long the two of them could last, really.

And just because Odile was spiteful, she found an opening to throw an orb of magic towards Talia's position between the slashes of her sword. Talia dodged just in time, raising her sword towards her in rage.

Odile ducked the blades headed straight for her neck, rebuffing with a wide arc that caught one assassin in the abdomen. She followed it up with a kick to the groin, sending them flying back.

Behind her, Damian was having a slightly easier time. Those assassins weren't here to kill, but to capture, which tended to be far more difficult. But Damian's injury was holding him back. She threw an orb at an assassin who was trying to get in on Damian's blind spot, leaping towards them and knocking onto the ground, following it up with a roll to avoid the falling sword of a separate assassin.

So far, Talia was still watching.

So she snarled, "Are you just going to stand there and watch things unfold, Talia? Is this how you do things?"

Talia rolled her eyes. "If you were ever in my position girl... which you shall never be. All your clansmen are dead, girl."

A shuriken soared towards Odile's head, and she formed a shield just in time to knock it onto the ground. Past the group of assassins now coming towards her, realising they weren't about to get Damian away any time soon with her still around, Talia raised a brow. "You fight better than your clansman."

"Fuck you."

Odile formed a shield around herself. It wouldn't do much against the amount of people slamming themselves at it, but it gave her a second to recover as she turned her sword into two long knives. She allowed the shield to break, throwing herself into the group in a flurry of blades and metal.

Someone managed to slice her on the arm. Someone managed to nick her cheek. She kept fighting, moving back towards Damian, who was doing a fair enough job keeping his attackers off him, but not enough to properly defeat them.

"We can't last forever," Damian hissed. "Go. You can get help. Wherever she brings me, you guys can track me down."

"I'm not about to leave you behind, Dami." Odile's voice was full of conviction. "That's not what I do. I'm not leaving anyone behind ever again."

"Odile—" he cut himself off with a sigh, which was followed with a grunt as an assassin got a lucky punch to his cheek. Odile retaliated with a whirlwind of moves, tripping the assassin onto the ground and slamming her foot into their chest.

Three shurikens came flying in her direction, and Odile leapt upwards to dodge them, then using her temporary momentum to launch herself towards another small group of assassins enclosing in on Damian. She landed in the middle of them, sweeping out with her leg, successfully knocking two onto the ground, though they quickly got up. A sword slammed down on her head, and Odile raised her knives to block it. Through gritted teeth, she managed to stave off the attack, dodging the following few slashes with a combination of twirls and spins.

Damian let out a yelp of pain, and from the corner of her eyes, Odile saw an assassin send his sword right through Damian's left thigh. Her eyes widened. "Damian!"

She launched herself towards him, disregarding the assassins who stood in her way. God, she must be all bloody now. The hoodie was ruined, that was for certain, and the leggings were probably going to have to go into the trash too. But she didn't care about all that at the moment. She sent her bodyweight slamming into the assassin on Damian and they were knocked back.

There were still too many left standing.

And that was when a shadow appeared above them. No, not just one shadow, two. Rubber bullets rained down, slamming into the ranks of the remaining assassins. Meanwhile, the Bat went straight for his ex-lover.

Talia was slammed onto the ground, though she quickly got back onto her feet. And then she and Batman were locked in combat, while Odile threw Damian's good arm over her shoulders. "Can you walk?"

Damian nodded, face contorted in pain. "Fucking hell, not how I expected to end the night."

"We have to get you out of here first."

"Father... Help Father."

"Batman can handle Talia! Damian, you're bleeding. You're already injured. Batman and Red Hood can handle this. I'm getting you out of here first."

With Red Hood covering them, Odile was able to successfully drag Damian out of sight. She eyed the fight—Damian wasn't completely wrong. Batman and Red Hood did need help. But before that, Odile rumbled through her pocket and stuffed the calling device into Damian's hand.

"Don't drop this. Just in case. Scream if you need help."

And then she used the wall as a launchpad to rejoin the battle. This time she formed a staff, just in case Batman decided to get prickly about weapons, which allowed her to attack more fluently, without having to worry about accidentally killing an assassin.

Batman was still locked in combat with Talia al Ghul. But that was his fight. Unless he asked for help, she'd let him handle it.

She turned her attention to the other assassins.

"Incoming!"

Red Hood leapt off the bus station roof he stood on, landing a few metres away from her. "Bad night?"

"My hoodie is ruined. I didn't even have time to change into my costume."

"Boohoo. Cry me a river. Don't worry, Delphi's already wiping the footage. Your identity's safe." Assuming none of these assassins told. But it was an unspoken deal between the League and Batman, regarding identities.

"Is it Delphi on duty tonight? Say hi to her for me?"

Red Hood was silent for a bit, slamming the barrel of his gun into an assassin's head to knock him out, and then kicking another in the stomach. But then he said, "Delphi says hi. And that she can't believe you still haven't visited her."

"I've been busy!"

"She says that's just an excuse and you know it."

Odile grunted. "Fine. Maybe tell her to stop attacking my hair and squishing my cheeks every time she sees me, then."

Red Hood was quiet again, listening to Cecily's response. In the process, he managed to knock out another assassin and headbutt another, causing them to stagger backwards. "She says no can do."

"And she still expects me to go visit her?"

Red Hood shrugged. "Hey, don't shoot the messenger. Batman, you need some help there?"

There was no response, because Batman was busy dodging Talia's relentless attacks. Red Hood sighed. "This, kid, is why you don't date supervillains."

"Wait, didn't she literally help revive you back in the day?"

"Still a supervillain."

"Are you telling me you've never dated a supervillain?"

With almost smug-like satisfaction, he replied, "Nope."

"Yeah, I don't believe you." Odile tilted her head. "We should help Batman."

"You do that. I'll finish these guys off."

slight focus on modern day storyline bc dami and odile have too much to talk about