The 26th floor of the Wayne Hotel boasts the most luxurious and best view restaurant in all of Gotham. Sitting by the floor-to-ceiling windows, one could take in the entire city skyline, leading locals to dub it "the Eye of Gotham".
What distinguishes this restaurant is the strict invitation-only membership system. Given Batman's suspicious nature, he wouldn't just allow anyone to behold the Gotham skyline at whim. Many food enthusiasts keen to explore this establishment have been denied entry due to insufficient status. Yet, the more people complained, the more they were curious about what lay inside the world's richest man's restaurant.
The restaurant's decor is identical to Wayne Manor, exhibiting a classical grandeur with its substantial material use, and uniquely Gotham's Gothic beauty.
The floor is a blend of black and deep purple marble, each piece separated by gold lines. Atop the bronze railing columns are sculptures of fantastical monsters. Four huge, strong Roman pillars support the Gothic dome. Curtains rustle as they fall from both the walls and pillars, and the sunlight streaming through the tall, pointed Gothic windows is filtered into a melancholic haze.
Talya has seen the interiors of countless grand buildings, but none have ever stirred such a shock within her. The darkness of Gotham wasn't just a fine rain, it was also an irresistible torrent. When within it, one felt like a bird fluttering in a dark storm, incapable of mutual dependence even if utterly reliant on the wind.
Sombre, solitary and independent, this was the dark blade that each old Gotham building thrust directly into people's hearts.
Looking at the Gothic candle holders occasionally scattered and overlapping on the walls, Talya felt her spirit sway with the flickering flames.
Sitting opposite her, Bruce Wayne was impeccably clad in a jewel-toned blue suit. His blue eyes were like portals into a snowy dreamscape laid bare for the world. When he looked at her intently, Talya forgot all the words she had prepared.
"I apologize, madam, for my audacious invitation. However, I feel it's time we had a good chat."
Bruce was the first to speak, sitting erect, cutting his food with an elegance that wasn't overly prim, and said, "Honestly, I hadn't expected you to come to this city. It's quite a courageous decision for anyone."
"I came looking for you." Talya admitted bluntly.
"I surmised that when we reunited." Bruce nodded and said, "You've been quite direct about your intentions, that's why we've ended up meeting here once again."
"What do you plan to discuss with me?" Talya's one hand rested on the table, while her other picked up a fork, mindlessly stirring the food in her plate.
It was slightly rude to do so at formal occasions, but Talya had meticulously dressed up that day. She wore an evening gown that flowed like the starry night sky, the upper part adorned with thin straps and a waist-hugging bodice, while the soft silk material on the lower half draped down like cascading black honey. At the flared end, it invoked images of deep-sea currents.
Without a doubt, Talya was beautiful. Unlike most women Bruce had met, she was well aware of her charm and had honed it into a sharp blade. Void of innocence or weakness, she aimed to tell everyone how dangerous she was proportional to her allure.
It was an incredibly unique aura, one that made it almost impossible to divert one's gaze from her. Talya always adhered to one principle: her aggressive appearance could efficiently repel any faint-hearted who were greedy for her beauty yet not courageous enough to risk her danger. So far, Talya was quite satisfied with Bruce's stare.
In the past, most people were cautious and lewd when they glared at her, and they looked away as though seeing a ghost when she glanced back, wishing they could tear their skin off to avoid any trouble with this crazy-looking woman.
However, Bruce's gaze was filled with genuine admiration and a very innocent curiosity. Not a probing inspection, just plain curiosity.
Talya wanted to be more explicit, since she believed it was time to ask Bruce for an answer. Of course, it would be better if she could win his favor and make him her vassal. But if that was not possible, getting his genes would do just as well.
But just a second before Talya spoke, Bruce opened his mouth on cue, "I've never brought any female companions here because this location holds a special significance for me. You've been to Wayne Manor, haven't you?"
This indeed piqued Talya's curiosity, prompting her to nod and say, "Yes, I discerned a connection between these two places. Their decor is somewhat similar."
"Because both were built by my parents." Bruce looked up, his eyes scanning the ceiling as he continued, "In their time, this style was popular for a long period. After marriage, they first relocated Wayne Manor from the west district to the south district without changing anything, updating the decor in the process, and then constructed the similarly styled Wayne Hotel."
"I'm not sure how to respond to such a style." Talya also turned her head to gaze at the profound darkness behind the candlelight. It hinted at a slight loneliness, desolation, and terror.
"It's not a decorating style newlyweds would typically choose. When I first came here as a child, I had the same question. Their response was that this style was something they chose after much discussion and were very fond of it."
Talya turned her head back and gazed into Bruce's blue eyes, finding a sincere apology in them.
"Sorry for beating around the bush. What I am getting at is perhaps the meaning of family. Its greatness lies in the fact that when both parties agree on something, they see in each other the courage to endure hardships together. And people call that love."
"This is starkly different from the initial hormone-induced impact we feel from someone's looks and background. Choosing a family is like throwing a candle from a candlelight dinner into the fireplace, trading a night of romance for lasting warmth and peace."
Talya didn't realize how long she had been staring at Bruce. When she finally spoke, it wasn't her usual flirtatious banter, but a speech marked by uncontrollable contemplation.
"So, you've already thrown the candle in?"
"It's the price you have to pay for making a decision," Bruce said, looking intently into Talya's eyes. "I have been moved by countless stunning beauties like you, been equally attracted to brightness and vitality, and chased a cat in this city regardless of the cost."
"But what truly made me choose was her leaping first from the heights, diving from freedom and joy into the annoyance of nitty-gritty. She doesn't fancy children, she just likes me."
"I hold in awe the love anyone who is struggling has to spare for me, you included, madam."
Talya looked back at Bruce as if insulted, and in a tone of absurdity, asked, "Why would you think I'm as destitute as your thief girlfriend? We are completely different people!"
"Are we?" Bruce put a piece of okra in his mouth, slightly cringing at its sticky texture, and softened his brow to say, "You don't have many choices, madam. If I were to disrespect you, reject you publicly in an utterly degrading way, could you still convince yourself that sleeping with me would be revenge?"
"You know you can't." Bruce cut off Talya's attempted rebuttal. "You know very clearly that under a patriarchal society, the way you look at me can't pressure me. Whether your aim is to steal my genes or whatever else, people would just think you're promiscuous."
Talya gripped her fork tightly, staring hard at Bruce and said, "I don't care..."
"But I must consider the reputation of my daughter and I," Bruce continued, lowering his head to cut his food. "I chose family, and therefore must consider every member of it. Because of the existence of a patriarchal society, some of the moral pressure I endure inevitably affects my wife and daughter. For adults, this is just another affair of mine, but Aisha just started elementary school this year. Children will magnify their misunderstanding into a larger malice. I must absolutely prevent such events."
Talya was beginning to feel confused. She couldn't fully understand Bruce's words, mainly the concept of family.
The jewel in the crown of the Assassin's Union master, she understood most things in the world through unimaginable talent and determination. Yet if there were a blank spot in her knowledge, it would probably be family and kinship.
In Talya's childhood, her mother was murdered, so her memory only held her father. But for her father, Ra's al Ghul, all she remembered were endless brutal training and various daunting tasks.
Talya had never experienced any normal kinship. As for a family unit in human society, she had no understanding. The assassins of the Assassin's Union mostly came from orphans that Ra's al Ghul cultivated around the world. They did not have a concept of family. This topic had never appeared in the first half of Talya's life.
Just as the saying goes, you only realize the importance of something when it's gone. In a moment when Talya needed to speak the most, she faced a topic that could make her mind go blank. She had only read about typical American blue-collar families in magazines. She didn't know if that was normal, so she couldn't even make a few teasing jokes.
"You love your daughter very much," Talya said dryly.
"And I'm surprised that your father would ask you to do this," said Bruce, looking up at Talya. "Usually, a father would do everything in his power to keep his daughter away from such a scandal. Even if there was a slight inclination, they would eagerly grab a gun and blow up the little bastard responsible."
"I..." Talya hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's not his command... I just... need your help."
"Why do you want my genes?"
"I need an offspring."
"So why do you need offspring?"
After a pause, Talya twirled a lock of hair around her finger and said thoughtfully, "I am the daughter of the devil. The blood of the devil Ra's al Ghul flows in me. They say it would give me great power, but it's not enough."
"Not enough for what?"
Talya remained silent for a long time. She wasn't thinking, but rather seemed reluctant to answer this question.
But Bruce said what she was hesitating to answer: "Not enough to create a new order for this world, not enough to affect the history of the entire human race. So, you hope to have an offspring powerful enough to rule humanity, to shape history."
As Talya's gaze met Bruce's, she heard him say, "Because your father is never contented with you, never contented with his progress in changing the world. He is always yearning for an end, and to end this torment, you are eager to give him one."