In the end, Talya decided to attend the banquet, but she faced a very practical issue: she didn't have clothes to wear.
Pamela said, "I really like both of the long skirts you brought, they have your unique style, but usually it's not the kind that the upper class would prefer."
"Also, if my memory serves me correct, the host of the banquet, Professor Rodriguez, has seen both of these skirts. Wearing old clothes may not be welcomed."
"That was just a strategy against Bruce Wayne." Talya slipped her hair back and continued, "It does not represent my personal style, in fact, it would be even less welcomed by high society."
"So, are you going to buy a new outfit?" Pamela sat at the corner of the bed and asked, "We still have time, perhaps we can go shopping."
Pamela checked her to-dos and realised that she had nothing urgent to handle. It wasn't ideal either to use this time to gather information, even if it was just getting a bit more familiar with the layout of Gotham.
But this wasn't the best time to wander around, because roads were being blocked, mobs were everywhere in the street, and the entire city was preparing for the opening ceremony. Talya, being suspicious at instances, was marked as the prime suspect. It wasn't good for an assassin to be in the spotlight.
So, she preferred to stay at the hotel and chat with Pamela, instead of going out.
She walked over to the hotel window and looked down, noticing the traffic jam below. So, she asked, "Are you sure we can get to Commercial Street smoothly?"
"We're not going to Commercial Street, the clothes there are not suitable for a banquet. Dress customization isn't an option either as it would too late, but we could go to Green Street instead. The ready-to-wear clothes there are noticeably better than those in the shopping center."
Both of them agreed to set off. Pamela had already changed to a skirt—not for the banquet, but just a gorgeous champagne-gold halter swing dress, with hair casually tied up.
Talya didn't go for the skirt, instead, she wore a short sports top along with a pair of long pants and left her hair loose.
As the swing dress was made of silk with easily crumpled pleats near the bust, Pamela did not bring a bag. Talya carried a small bag instead, with both of their mobile phones, wallets, sunscreen sprays, umbrellas, etc. inside.
They checked out of the hotel and started heading towards Green Street on foot. The distance was approximately 600 meters, and they walked under the street umbrellas along the way.
Usually, Gotham was not a city suitable for walking, but that didn't necessarily mean its cityscape was not beautiful. It also wasn't entirely about the security issues, the main problem was the poor level of community management and insufficient infrastructure.
While walking on the street, they noticed overturned trash cans every three steps, and toppled flower pots every five steps. There was hardly any landscaping or shrubs. As there was no sun, there were no needs for sunshades. So when it rained, there was nowhere to shelter.
In preparation for the music festival, the city had been cleaned up. Especially since the entire city's renovation project had reached a point where city sanitation and appearance had to be tended to. Most of the problems had been solved before, but later on it was just about fixing omissions and making final touches.
Green Street is a historical artery of Gotham. It was once a splendid showcase of four prominent families in Gotham. At its peak, there were roughly twelve streets here, lit up every night. The elites of Gotham used to enjoy overnight festivities here, amidst the profusion of lights and revelry.
Although the grandeur of the four families no longer prevailed, the aura and the architectural remnants they left behind still offer a unique feeling. It isn't quite luxurious vintage, nor is it decadent extravagance, but a distinctively dark gothic art style.
When Talya first stepped onto this street, even though the sky wasn't filled with persistent rain anymore, ominous storm clouds still loomed overhead, threatening a torrential downpour anytime, as a swarm of umbrellas, denser than the raindrops, flooded in. Footsteps echoed on the red carpet, filled with puddles, towards the entrance bathed in golden glow.
The distant skies were a mix of lead grey and chilling blue. The statues on the outer walls of the grey buildings starkly contrasted, with a glimmering Persian dagger, the facial expressions of the statues in the Catholic-themed sculptures seemed extra cold. Looking up at the sky, it was as though they could see something even darker and more terrifying.
Shadows flowed behind the golden glow of the window curtains. The rain fell heavier and heavier. Somewhere, unnoticeable, a backdoor of a dark street began to bleed. The blood was washed away by the rain, through the drains, until it completely disappeared. No screams were heard— delicate, intricate, serene, yet dreadful.
Obviously, Talya was not the first person to be awestruck by this atmosphere. Not until tourists started to flood into this street did the city hall realise they had such a tourist attraction.
Soon, those deserted mansions were transformed into hotels accommodating tourists. In no time, tourists from across the globe started flocking in. Talya inquired about the hotel prices from the valet at the door, and got an answer that almost choked her.
"2000 US dollars per night? They might as well rob us!" Talya passed by the hotel entrance hastily, turning around to Pamela and asked, "Where are you guys finding all this money? These rooms are all filled."
"There's a special reason for that." Pamela stopped Talya outside the hotel for a moment, then pointed to a small alley and said, "See over there? That alley is a famous tourist spot; people usually call it Crime Alley."
"Seventeen years ago, a gunshot here led to the most notorious murder case in twenty years- the actual controllers of Wayne Enterprises, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne were shot dead. To this day, it remains an unsolved mystery."
"But they are still alive."
"That's worth 1800 dollars." Pamela spread her hands wide, "People want to know the truth. Some say that Mr. and Mrs. Wayne orchestrated all this, it was for the power struggle within Wayne Enterprises, some say it was Little Wayne who did it, but his parents chose to forgive him."
"Of course, there are even crazier versions. For example, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne went to Heaven due to their good deeds, but came back to this world realizing they still have unfinished business. Also, the most popular version is that they practiced Black Magic, death and rebirth is just another stage in prolonging their lifespan."
"So, which one is true?"
"No one knows." Pamela shook her head, "That's why they all hope to find a clue, or they may already have a hypothesis. They just came here to verify those."
Pamela pointed at the building next to the alley and said, "The rooms on either side of the hotel are now the most popular, booked out long ago, and the prices of other rooms have skyrocketed, second only to the Wayne Hotel Luxury Suite that has a view of Batman."
"You make me feel like this world is a convention of crazies." Talia openly expressed her true feelings and said, "An organization of crazies, led by crazies, attended by crazies, and then, the crazies are joyful."
She threw up her hands in mild despair, "How could Bruce Wayne not mind that others treat the crime scene where his parents were gunned down as a tourist attraction, let alone the fact that the person involved could possibly not mind."
"They just don't mind." Pamela shrugged and said.
Along the way, they saw many crows perched on the black streetlights, then flocks of sparrows, and some remarkably large specimens among them.
Talya saw a group of people setting up a row of cameras on the rooftop. Not understanding what was going on, Pamela explained to her, "They are birdwatchers."
"Birdwatching is hard. Apart from some special species of water birds, most birds have an extraordinary characteristic: they are as still as sculptures when the camera lens is not pointing at them. The moment the lens sweeps over, not even Superman could possibly catch up with them."
"But the root of this problem is that birds are too small. Chasing such small moving objects requires highly advanced filming techniques. But if you zoom in 20 times, that's pretty simple."
"Fortunately, Gotham has giant versions of various birds - sparrows, black shrikes, red falcons. There are also chickadees, sea eagles, and orioles in the suburbs."
Talya could see a row of birds flying past the skyline like ducks, disappearing into the dense jungle.
"In recent months, Gotham's plant population has nearly tripled. What's your view on this?" Talya knowingly asked Pamela.
"In fact, it's far more than three times. It's the saplings, twigs, and moss that you can't see that are the main force. They will grow vigorously in the coming months and then become raw materials for horticultural landscapes."
"You saved the mayor a lot of money."
"So I have something to gain. In fact, I'm already house hunting."
As they continued on, they finally came to the first tailor shop, which unfortunately sold men's clothes. Pamela tried to assess the ties hanging on the door frame. The old man inside, his glasses slipping down his nose, glanced at them and said, "There must be a big shot throwing a party, right? That's great, Gotham hasn't seen such a grand occasion in decades."
"How much do you sell these for?" Pamela, ever the practical one, looked at the ties on the door frame and said, "You sell these to tourists for 60 US dollars each, right?"
The old man chuckled, "Silly girl, this is real silk. I won't sell for less than 200 US dollars."
Pamela scoffed, pulling Talya away. Talya looked back at the tie and said, "That pattern is quite unique. It looks like a cloud swirling... I think my father would like it."
"Don't be a sucker. I wouldn't even buy that thing for 5 dollars. About 500 meters from here, there is the biggest fabric market. There is plenty of this factory cloth there. Apart from the pattern, there is nothing special."
They continued until they were tempted by an aroma wafting out of a doorway. A neatly dressed black man kept waving at them, "Ladies, ladies, two ladies, we have fruit plates, coffee, freshly baked bread, cold drinks, hot drinks, scarves, umbrellas, suitcases behind the door, and you can rent scooters. Come inside and have a look."
Roused by curiosity, Pamela drew near. On peering inside, she discovered it was a large marketplace with closely packed stalls. Stepping back, she raised her head, puzzled, "Wait, didn't this place used to be a dance floor? How did it turn into a shopping plaza?"
"I'm actually a little hungry. Let's go in and grab a bite."
Pamela remained on guard, "Don't say anything later. Your foreign accent might make us pay double."
"But aren't you already house hunting?"
"But they won't get a dime more out of me."
They went in to find a crowd of people. At one point, people were jostling against each other. Talya wanted an iced coffee, so they halted in front of a shop.
Pamela stepped forward to haggle with the vendor in perfect local accent when suddenly a scream came from behind her. She turned around and found Talya to her surprise.
Talia felt her bag and was astonished, "Where's my wallet? I put it in my inside pocket, how could it possibly..."
Talia was so stunned she couldn't speak. She wasn't some college girl out shopping for the weekend. She was a trained assassin with at least 20 years of professional training. And here in a shopping mall full of tourists, she gets her pocket picked. How could this happen?
But Pamela pondered for less than a second, immediately raised her eyebrows, and looked around fiercely as she shouted out.
"Catwoman!! You come out right now!!!!"