When Bruce returned to Wayne Manor with the three Robins, Thomas and Nightwing were in the middle of an argument.
Here's basically what had happened. The time Thomas had spent talking to Nightwing wasn't enough for Dick to finish his French homework. So, when Thomas went to check his work, Dick was in trouble.
It wasn't that Dick didn't write anything at all. It was just that what he did write was scribbled down when he was half-asleep. This was worse than not writing at all, because it showed an unmistakable demonstration of his French proficiency—Dick had somehow managed to bring France and the Empire where the sun never sets together in late twentieth-century glory.
Thomas was fuming after he read it. He thought he did his level best to suppress his rage and talk sense into Dick, but Nightwing believed Thomas was demanding too much. Dick was so drowsy he could hardly hold his eyes open. The best course of action, Nightwing suggested, was putting Dick to sleep. To him, anything else would just be torture. Naturally, this led to an argument.
Wandering off topic is an inevitable part of arguing, and so, they ended up arguing about the correlation between ballet and French.
Nightwing maintained that learning ballet and French weren't necessarily linked; there was no need to learn both together. Even if Dick needed to learn French, he didn't have to learn ballet too. However, Thomas perceived it as, "Oh, you don't know ballet? That's it! You are learning it."
Frankly speaking, it was impossible to reason with a head of family like Thomas. Ultimately, all logic would boil down to the unchanging argument of "who's the dad here" anyway. Nightwing of course, knew he had no chance of outmaneuvering Thomas, who was, after all, Batman's father.
As Bruce returned, he was already turning to Red Robin to say something.
"...Since you have a basic knowledge of surgical techniques, I think you just need two additional courses to join Harley for the second round of anatomy classes..."
"I can arrange those extra classes for you, but I'll be busy afterwards, so you can go and assist Madame No Name with Harley. She's made significant breakthroughs in skin regeneration recently, with three top tier publications in a short period. If you can become the lead author in this subject, it won't be difficult to secure an offer from Metropolitan University Medical School..."
Then he rotated towards the other side to address Red Hood, "I don't think you'll be interested in Medicine. I can put you in contact with Bane and Deathstroke, who are still living at the Island Mercenary Association Hotel. You can ask them to be your sparring partners."
"I'm not sure whether Bane in your universe uses chemical enhancers or not, but it's better to learn some chemistry if you plan on going head-to-head with him. Zatanna is learning from Professor Crane right now. I can schedule you in for a week of catch-up classes, so you stay on track..."
Thomas broke from his argument with Nightwing, perking up his ears to listen carefully, hearing Red Hood mutter a few sentences before finally saying, "Battling with Bane and Deathstroke is not something you can win just by knowing a tad of chemistry..."
"That's alright. Doll Master can sew you back together even if you're chopped in half."
Without even glancing at Red Hood, who was standing there with a pursed lip, Bruce paused for a moment to ask Damian something. He then steadied Damian with one hand on his back, "I wouldn't have thought you're the most comprehensive learner in the Batman Family. However, I believe you haven't had a chance to apply your knowledge in commerce. I think I will let you manage Villain Island for a while…"
Damian was initially stunned, but then his eyes lit up. He quickened his pace to walk alongside Bruce, "Can I really manage the entire island? Are you serious?"
"Yes, but you still have a lot to learn. Tomorrow, I'm taking you to meet two magicians introduced by Constantine, along with the demons they're contracted with. They are our prospective clients."
Three days later, we're going to Hell to attend the wedding of Beelzebub's thirty-second daughter. I have been especially invited to be the witness. After that, we're heading to Dreamworld to fetch Clark's dog and reunite them in Mexico. We also need to accompany Diana to Mount Olympus to pick up a custom-made item from her brother, which we'll deliver to her at the space station where she's currently stationed…"
As they reached the staircase, Bruce steadied himself on the handrail and said, "Alright, remember the arrangements? It's time to go to bed now."
The three obediently returned to their rooms without a word. Thomas and Nightwing stood in the living room, staring at each other. Then they turned to look at Bruce together. Thomas frowned and asked, "What kind of magic potion have you given them?"
"Why has my bank account been frozen?" Bruce brought up another concern.
"How dare you ask!?", Thomas puff out his chest and bulged his eyes, visibly irritated, "Wayne Enterprises' finances finally had a bit of an uplift, and you spent all 1.5 billion US dollars in one month. Do you have any idea of the consequences?"
"Of course, Wayne Enterprises financial status will be in dire straits.", Bruce stood behind the backrest of the couch, arms crossed, "Then we can borrow money from the banks and the state. They must lend us the money, because they cannot risk the fall of Wayne Enterprises. If the money still isn't enough, they will print money."
Thomas was at a loss for words. He looked at Bruce and asked, "So, you're saying money obtained by straining the country's finances is for your extravagant spending?"