Gotham's Finest

[Kian Romanov]

For the first time in a solid 4 hours, Richard leaned back into his seat and let out a frustrated sigh. Little pauses like this are what the vigilante considered breaks. His desk was cluttered maps and events that followed no pattern he could catch, a South American drug had taken Gotham by storm within the past month and the dealers seemed to be targeting vulnerable and misguided teenagers. After weeks of effort he managed to get a sample of it sent to Star Labs; its affects yet to be pinpointed. Regardless what the lab results say- the drug, he concluded, is most certainly dangerous.


Pinpointing the main supplier had been a struggle. It was absolute maze of constant dead ends -he had found no leads until he was 2 weeks into the case. Things had almost gotten miserable enough for Batman to intervene- the very thought of it made him want to cringe. But in a delightful turn of events, his insider had given him a few clues. He now knew that she was a girl, first year in college, and no stranger to the streets. After a miserable 8 hours yesterday, he had accessed the database of every university and college within Gotham. He began by listing all university freshman in all universities, removing anyone that identified as male, and then doing the grueling job of running through the bank accounts of those left in order to spot those on the less fortunate side. He knew he was taking a risk automatically assuming she came from a poor background, but the streets in Gotham were no place for anyone with a steady income. The list was still ridiculously long, but it was much less than what he started with. This morning he had already removed 10 girls from the list after trailing them; going out in midday was a risk that had to be taken.


Yet the drug dealer was hardly his only source of frustration. It had been months since Wally's dea- disappearance and even though he had devoted time trying to figure out any way to get him back, as was Barry Allen, the strain of it had him on his nerves at all times. The Criminology courses he was taking in university to please Bruce may have been easy but his attendance was what he hated most. He looked at his watch and decided he needed to leave now to catch his afternoon class. He closed his laptop and locked his apartment door before leaving. Sure, the apartment may not have been up to par in Bruce's standards, but at least his balcony had the absolute best view in Gotham. The university was only a 10 minute walk away.

 

[NightNurse]

Stella Lawson made her way across Gotham University's sprawling campus, her bag slung over one shoulder over her green t-shirt. As she walked, she pulled her shoulder length honey brown hair into a low ponytail, almost bumping into someone once or twice. She was in a hurry, she had been on the phone with one of her dealers and hadn't realized that she was almost late to her Criminology class. There had been some problem with a buyer not being able to make a full payment. Stella would deal with it later.


Taking Criminology was, in Stella's opinion, quite ironic. After all, why would a criminal need to take a class on the subject? She mainly took the class because it was easy. Reaching the building, she quickly found the classroom and entered. Taking a seat at an empty desk near the back of the room, she pulled out the textbook, her green eyes skimming it absentmindedly. She resisted the urge to wince at her sore ribs. A couple of nights ago she had gotten into a fight with a now ex-dealer. He thought he deserved more money than what she was giving him. When she refused to give him anymore, he had attacked her. She had beaten him easily, but not without a few rough hits. She sighed softly.


She listened to the class slowly start to fill up, barely looking up. Sh let her mind wander, thinking over last night. She smirked slightly to herself. One of her dealers, a guy named Samuel, had questioned her on why she wore a mask.


'If one of you got arrested, and the cops asked you what your supplier looked like, you couldn't answer them if you didn't know.' She had answered. 'I don't trust any of you enough to lie to the cops about me.'


Overall, things had been going fairly well for Stella these last few weeks. If there was one place on Earth where a drug supplier could seriously profit, it was Gotham City. And the stuff from South American was relatively cheap to get in large quantities. Stella was fairly confident in her operation. Based on her knowledge, nobody was even close to figuring out who was supplying the drug. Just because things were going well didn't mean Stella could get sloppy, but she didn't really feel the need to sleep with one eye open either.


So there she sat, in broad daylight, patiently waiting for the class to begin.

 

[Kian Romanov]

He had to run through the crowded campus in order to make it there in time- dodging people with a few "excuse mes" and "sorrys", he finally made it in and was glad to see the professor had yet to arrive. Coming in late meant the room was already flooded with students, forcing him to take a vacant spot in the back beside an unfamiliar brunette. To his dismay, being Bruce Wayne's ward meant he wasn't a foreign face to anyone here. He made his way to his seat with a few nods and greetings to people that knew him more than he knew them.


After sitting down next to the girl, he took out his copybook and marveled at how empty it was. It was hilarious to think how his performance in university was nowhere close to his academic achievement in school. Not only did he graduate valedictorian, but he was a mathlete as well. He used to be the literal embodiment of the ideal student, and now he stuck with Bs and empty notebooks. He blamed the empty notebook dilemma on merely not being able to focus in class; his mind was too consumed in Wally, Batman and Gotham. He lacked the balance he had when he was Robin, but maybe that was just him growing up.


He was grabbing his pen from his bag when their monotonous professor arrived. "Here we go.." he sighed to the stranger beside him as the professor started the lecture off in a predictably tedious manner. He went off about the prevention and control of criminal behavior as Dick absentmindedly began to tap his pen on the desk. He took this idle time as an opportunity to plan his night activities. He scribbled "list-find", referring to finding the girls he had left on the list, just saw it wouldn't be suspicious if someone glances at his notebook. He subtly glanced at the girl beside him, ruling her out from being the "nosey-type" almost immediately as he listed "workout" under the first event.

 

[NightNurse]

Stella barely paid any attention to the guy who came into class late and sat down next to her. She was a bit distracted, thinking of her little business. She only looked over at him when she heard him talking. "Mm hmm." She chuckled softly, recognizing him instantly. He was Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne's ward. He was quite smart, too, if what she remembered hearing about him was correct. Something about mathletes. He would probably have quite a bit of cash to spend on drugs, she mused as she looked back at her book.


She would never actually sell somebody like him anything though. She wasn't a high end supplier. Not yet anyway. She was also still quite new to this game. If she sold to somebody like him, somebody rich and relatively well known, and they over dosed and died, there would be a big investigation. She could get caught. So instead she had her dealers sell to people who not many would miss, if something were to happen. People whose deaths by drugs wouldn't shock the entirety of the world of the wealthy and the influential. It was cruel, she knew, but it was business.


Listening to the professor's lecture begin, she leaned back in her chair. She twirled her pen in her fingers, not really taking any notes for a while. She didn't pay much attention to what Dick Grayson was writing in his notebook, figure it was probably just notes. After a couple of minutes, she figured she probably should write some stuff down, so she opened her notebook and scribbled down some of what the professor was saying. She didn't want to look like she understood what the professor was saying because she had personal experience in crime. Her name was written neatly on the inside of the notebook.

 

[Kian Romanov]

After finalizing the minimal list, he went over it one more time, making sure it made sense. He attempted to not revive the mistakes of the past by not making writing a 3,000 word essay right after a 4 hour workout. That night he vowed to never wake up in a pile of discarded criminal analysis ever again. Patrol tonight would be a bit quiet since it was a Tuesday, so a few extra hours catching up on his courses definitely couldn't possibly hurt.


The professor was now going on about the treatment of crime and delinquency, and Grayson allowed his mind to wander once again. He noticed the girl beside him leaning forward to write notes, even though the professor was already 20 minutes into the lecture. This inclined him to glance at the girl once again, and it wasn't too difficult when he was leaning back into his seat and she was leaning forwards writing notes. He found her hair color appealing and it wasn't too difficult to spot the neatly written "Stella Lawson" in the inside of her copybook. The name sounded slightly familiar even though she was the first "Stella" he'd ever met.


He looked away, having gotten carried away. It wasn't that he didn't know how to approach girls, it was that he wasn't looking for a relationship. It was that he couldn't fit a relationship into his lifestyle; or at least that's what he convinced himself.

 

[NightNurse]

Stella felt somebody looking at her and turned her head slightly, looking at Dick Grayson. She smiled at him, turning back to her notes after a moment. She had to admit, he was awfully attractive. Although she was a bit too distracted with her drug organization to pay much attention to guys. She leaned on one hand, pretending to be listening to the professor.


When the professor brought up ways to lower crime rates, Stella chuckled to herself. "A couple more Batmans and Nightwings couldn't hurt." She said quietly with a slight smirk. Actually, a couple more Batmans and Nightwings would be a major pain for her, but of course she didn't say this out loud. After all, to the rest of the world she was merely a law-abiding college student.


She considered herself lucky to have gone this long without some masked crime fighter finding her. It hadn't taken Batman very long to find out her parents were the ones robbing banks and killing the bank guards. Stella figured that the fact that she was doing so well without being caught made her smarter than her parents. Maybe that was because there were two of them, so they were distracted by each other instead of focusing entirely on their crimes. Personally, she thought having a partner would be more of a distraction than an advantage. Although having somebody to share in the irony of her taking a Criminology class could be fun, she mused.

 

[Kian Romanov]

He was glad he was met with a smile rather than a scowl, especially from a girl he saw as effortlessly appealing. His attention was once again diverted to the professor spewing bullshit about ways to lower the ever-increasing crime rate in Gotham. And once again Gotham's poorer citizens were thrown under the bus for being the "catalyzing factor of every crime every committed in this city". It's not like he could say anything to the professor to retort this; not only did he need to pass this class, but he also kept in mind almost everyone in this university was at least middle class, anyone below that was here on scholarship. Everyone in the room probably agreed and he wasn't one to bring unneeded attention on himself.


"Oh, definitely. Or maybe, you know, increasing funding for education and employment opportunities." he replied with a smirk, no longer wincing when he hears "Batman" or "Nightwing" in public. He was a master of schooling his demeanor- definitely something he learned from Bruce himself. He had almost completely severed Richard from Nightwing. He was even better at it now that he'd moved out of the mannor- he no longer needed Bruce reminding him what to do and how to do it.


He jotted down whatever seemed relevant but when you've been working along side one of the world's best detectives- there wasn't much to be learned.

 

[NightNurse]

Stella nodded at what Dick said. "Yeah, that too. Obviously." She commented lightly. She listened to the professor, thinking over what was being said. She resisted the urge to scowl. Gotham's poorer citizens weren't inherently criminal. Well, not most of them anyway. She thought about her parents. Had they been in a better financial situation, had they had more legal job opportunities, she doubted that they would have started robbing banks. And maybe, had her situation been better, she wouldn't be doing what she was now. Stella really didn't like when people, namely wealthier people, acted like Gotham's poorer citizens were the source of all the city's crime. Desperate times called for desperate measures. If only more influential people realized that.


She pushed those thoughts aside. Getting irritated with the professor wouldn't do any good. She didn't want to seem hostile and draw unwanted attention to herself. Not that challenging what was taught in class would her seem like the criminal that she was, but still. She couldn't be too careful.


So she leaned back in her chair casually, having lost interest in taking notes. She had a pretty good memory anyway. She didn't really need to write a lot down. She twirled her pen in her fingers, glancing over at Dick again absentmindedly.

 

[Kian Romanov]

Grayson leaned into his hand, only catching bits and pieces of the last extremely slow 20 minutes of the lecture. The only thing slightly entertaining was occasionally catching the brunette's or "Stella's" gaze. Mutual interest is a wonderful thing, he thought as the professor dismissed the class and left the room. Chatter had filled the room and many flooded towards the doors. He closed his notebook and calculated his next steps. Surely just a conversation can't go that bad.


He shoved his notebook into his bag, then turned towards the girl who was now getting ready to leave. "Hey," he started off, making sure his greeting had at least some air of confidence. "I'm Richard Grayson," he continued, deciding that introducing himself as "Dick" to a pretty girl wasn't always the best away to go, "do you have the time for a cup of coffee on campus?" he asked casually, as if he did this all the time. He wasn't used to putting himself out there, so rejection was very much a foreign concept.

 

[NightNurse]

Stella was relieved when the lecture finally ended. It hadn't been very interesting. Gathering her notebook and pens and shoving them into her bag, she looked over at Richard Grayson when he started talking to her. "Nice to meet you." She said pleasantly. "I'm Stella Lawson." She was picking up her bag as Richard asked her if she had the time for a cup of coffee. She paused, thinking it over. She figured she had time. It could be fun. Plus, she had to admit that she was a bit interested in him.


"Sure." She said with a smile. She couldn't really do anything for her business until nighttime anyway. And, as Criminology was her last class for today, she had some free time. She was a little pleasantly surprised that Richard had asked her out, mainly because she hadn't been expecting him too.

 

[Kian Romanov]

He put on his most charming smile as he led the way to the door, enjoying his little victory internally. He was glad at least something was going right. "Stella's a pretty name." he noted as they left the classroom, liking the way it sounded out loud. "So are you from Gotham, Stella?" he asked lightly, ignoring the curious glances sent their way. He supposed he hadn't been the most social person on campus; there was simply no time for socializing in his new lifestyle. But coffee with this Stella Lawson? Perhaps not a priority but definitely something he needed.


Upon leaving the building, the nice Gotham breeze was refreshing and undoubtedly a good sign. The nagging guilt in the back of his mind telling him he was wasting time was slowly fading.

 

[NightNurse]

Stella walked with Richard out of the classroom, smiling at his compliment. "Aw, thanks." She grinned. She nodded at his question. "Yeah, I was born and raised here." She informed him. "I've left a couple times but I always end up right back where I started." She chuckled. She adjusted her bag on her shoulder, watching Richard as they walked.


Was this a waste of her time? Eh, probably. But the last month had been extremely stressful. So now she just wanted to focus on something else, on someone else, for a while. After all, all work and no play wasn't exactly a lifestyle that was too be desired.

 

[Kian Romanov]

"Left a couple of times?" he inquired, "Where to? I'm originally Romanian but otherwise a Gothamite through and through." he said, eyeing the vibrant campus around them. "I even graduated from Gotham Academy." he added with a smile, his high school years may not have been the best, but they never fail to remind him how hilarious it was that Artemis never really did find out it was him. They were much happier times, when Wally wasn't-


He shook the thought out of his head upon reaching the small coffee shop located on the very corner of the student-filled sidewalk, approaching the familiar cashier. "Black coffee, please." He ordered, looking towards Stella for her to decide on her own drink. Caffeine in a busy night like tonight would not be a bad idea at all.

 

[NightNurse]

"Central City." Stella told him. She smiled fondly at the memories. She had gotten a fake id, and some stolen credit cards, and had escaped her life for a few weeks. She didn't get caught, which had raised her confidence in her ability to be a criminal quite a bit. She had only come back to Gotham recently for school. And to start her drug operation, of course. She nodded thoughtfully at Richard. She wasn't surprised that he had gone to a school like Gotham Academy.


Upon entering the coffee shop, she glanced around, making notes of the exits. She knew it was a paranoid habit, and that nothing would probably happen to her here. That didn't stop her from glancing around before turning back to Richard. "Same for me, thanks." She said to the cashier. She looked back at Richard. "I graduated from Gotham North." She told him, waiting for their order.

 

[Kian Romanov]

He couldn't deny that there was something strange about the girl beside him. He wondered if that was what originally drew her to him. He couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was that felt strange. He was a master of body language, catching onto every glance and shift. He didn't miss her gaze wavering to the back and the front of the room- almost like she was spotting the exits. He almost wished he didn't notice because it gave him hints that maybe she wasn't too interested.


He leaned on the counter as their drinks were getting brewed. "And what exactly drew you to Criminology? It's not exactly for everyone." he asked, being polite but a bit more dry than he was earlier. He didn't want her to be somewhere she wasn't and this incidentally shifted his demeanor. He passed the cashier a 10 dollar bill when the drinks were ready, and led the way to his favorite spot in the little shop, one that was in the corner. If she didn't wanted to be here than he'd just make this pass as quickly as possible.

 

[NightNurse]

Stella found Richard's question a bit amusing. Not because there was anything funny about him asking her that though. What was amusing was Stella's true reasons for taking Criminology classes. She thought it was ironic because she herself was a criminal. Of course, she couldn't exactly tell Richard this. So instead, she lied. "I guess I've always been interested in things like Criminology." She said thoughtfully. "I've always found reading about it interesting so I figured I would learn more." She got her drink and followed him to the table.


"Also, as I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do with the rest of my life, I figured I would try and see if I would want to go into law enforcement." She said, resisting the urge to smirk. Her in law enforcement? Hilarious. She couldn't help but notice that Richard was acting a little different than he had been. His demeanor had changed a little. She wondered why. "What about you?" She asked, watching him.

 

[Kian Romanov]

He took a seat with his hot drink in hand, listening to why she picked criminology in amusement. She lacked passion for the subject, he noted as he took a sip of his coffee. "Well, I was hoping to get a gap year after high school. But of course, Bruce- my uh adoptive father, wouldn't have it. So I signed up for whatever seemed remotely interesting or useful." he kept the bitterness out of his voice well as the the coffee shop got slightly fuller with students.


"I'm pretty interested in going into law enforcement as well.." he said, resisting a smirk at the fact that he'd been enforcing the law since he was 9- he definitely did not need a degree to do it. "Maybe becoming a detective of some sorts. I like solving mysteries." he took another sip, leaning back into the uncomfortable wooden seat. "So you're from Gotham. Lived in Central City, went to Gotham North and you're slightly interested in Criminology. What else do I get to know about you?" he asked with a small smile.

 

[NightNurse]

Stella sat down across from him, sipping her coffee as she listened to him. "Ah." She smiled slightly. "You seem like you would make a good detective." She commented, looking at him thoughtfully. She vaguely remembered reading about what happened to Richard's family a while ago. Something about them being killed, she recalled. Perhaps that was part of the reason he was thinking of going into law enforcement.


At his question, Stella smiled. "Anything you want to know." She said. Of course, that wasn't entirely true. There were things she wouldn't tell anybody, let alone somebody she just met. However, Richard didn't need to know that.

 

[Kian Romanov]

"Hmmm.." he mused thoughtfully, "Hobbies of some sorts? Into any sports? History of psychopathy? Criminal record?" he asked jokingly, sipping his coffee as he grinned at her. It reminded him of the few crazy flings of the past; being the in the hero business exposed you to the worst of the worst when it came to women, none in which he regretted though. In fact, being a hero just introduced you to the worst of the worst of everything.

 

[NightNurse]

Stella grinned at him, amused. "Hhm. I don't really have any hobbies. In terms of sports.. eh. I was on the track team for a few months in high school but then got bored of it." She chuckled. "And no, I don't have a history of psychopathy or a criminal record." She chuckled. "Terribly boring, I know." she took a sip of her coffee. "What about you?" She asked him.

 

[Kian Romanov]

"I am also appallingly lacking when it comes to having a criminal record and a history of psychopathy. I hope that doesn't scare you away." he joked, looking outside the window. "No hobbies? Really?" he asked, quirking his eyebrow at the fact nothing interested her, once again getting that unusual feeling about her. "Well my abundance of hobbies will most definitely compensate for the both us. I've had my phase with absolutely everything these past 4 years."


He took a gulp of coffee, "Acrobatics has been one thing I'm particularly fond of. I like playing with words- you'll notice that one your own eventually. I did volleyball in high school but most of my extracurricular activities had a more uh- academic approach. Video games are great when I have time to play them. Running and jogging are something I prefer to do when I have mornings off. And that's all I can remember for now." he finished with a smile, purposefully leaving out that he was practically obsessed with martial arts.

 

[NightNurse]

Stella chuckled softly. "That's actually a bit of a relief." She commented lightly about Richard's lack of criminal past. She was sick of dealing with other people's mistakes of getting themselves caught doing something illegal. That was one of the peskier things about being a criminal. Meeting somebody and then loosing them to the police. She had dealt with enough with her parents. Not to mention other people she had known. She sipped her coffee as she listened to him.


"Acrobatics? That's something you don't hear everyday." She commented. She remembered reading that his parents worked in a circus. That's probably where Richard got interested in acrobatics.

 

[Kian Romanov]

"It was a family thing," he replied lightheartedly, hoping she wouldn't dwell on the topic too much. His eyes landed onto the clock on the wall and even though he was enjoying himself, he needed to get back to work. "Damn, it's later than I thought." he stated apologetically, "I need to get started on that essay as soon as possible to get a chance of a decent night's sleep."


He gave her a genuine smile, "It was nice meeting you, Stella." He slid a napkin her way, it neatly had his number written down for the off chance she'd want to meet again. He figured it was worth a try at least. "Let me know if you need help with your thesis." he said, shaking her hand briefly before walking out into the cool Gotham air as he made his way to his flat.

 

[NightNurse]

Stella was bit disappointed when Richard had to leave. She had been having a nice time, and hadn't realized how late it had gotten either. It was about time to get back to her business. She smiled at him. "Nice to meet you too." She said pleasantly. "Will do." She said, watching him leave. She finished her coffee and tucked the napkin with Richard's number in it into her bag.


Shouldering her bag, she walked out of the coffee shop, smiling slightly to herself. Maybe she would call him sometimes. He had seemed interested in her, and she liked him thus far. She headed back to her apartment, her thoughts switching topics, from Richard to her business. She knew that her newest dealer was going to be selling tonight. She figured she would watch to make sure nothing went wrong.