The Gotham of this universe was seldom graced with sunlight, and the guest rooms at Wayne Manor were meticulously clean. The bedding emitted the fragrance of having been sun-dried; when morning arrived, Shiller stood by the door, handing over the clothes needing ironing to Alfred.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Butler," Shiller said with a smile to Alfred, who took the clothes and briefly lowered his gaze to them, inevitably offering a compliment.
"Your taste in fabric is quite exquisite, Doctor. I've tried to get the master to accept silk garments, as they would go better with his overcoat, but unfortunately, he refused."
"Then perhaps he cannot explain why every one of his silk shirts ends up with pulls." Shiller maintained his smile and said, "He might just not want to expose the calluses on his hands in such a manner."
Alfred instinctively looked at Shiller's hands.
Despite knowing that the hands of a surgeon are paramount and beyond neglect, Doctor Schiller's hands were flawless, not even capable of leaving the slightest trace on the most delicate silk fabric.
Could it be the same in other respects? Is this really just the professional integrity of a surgeon?
Alfred withdrew his gaze, nodded at Shiller, left with the clothes, and then a figure appeared at the end of the corridor. Tim approached unhurriedly and said, "I need to talk to you."
"About Batman? Please, come in."
Tim entered the room, but his hands remained in front of him, his steps not very wide, betraying a tense emotion. When he sat down, he didn't lean back but stayed rigidly upright.
Shiller didn't sit either, turning instead to pour tea. Seeing his unguarded back should have relaxed Tim, but for some reason, he began to feel even more restless.
"I did come here for Batman; I'm a bit worried about his condition," said Tim. "I know, if it has come to the point where he must rely on an outsider for surgery, then his situation must be dire."
"I'm sorry, young Mr. Tim, but as a doctor, I have no right to disclose any information about my patients—Batman wouldn't like it if I did. Would you like tea or coffee?"
"Tea."
Shiller's movement paused, but he still reached into the drawer next to him for the tea bags. Still with his back to Tim, he said, "Batman told me a lot about vampires yesterday; it was completely beyond my expectations. I find it hard to believe these monsters have evolved to a point where they can pose a threat to the human race."
He turned around, placed the tea in front of Tim, who looked up at his movements but only saw the man move unhurriedly to sit opposite him. As Shiller picked up his tea cup, steam gathered on his eyelashes but failed to reflect any light in his eyes.
"People have been disappearing in Gotham lately; we have been investigating it. Did Batman tell you anything else?"
"He's not very good at making conversation," Shiller shook his head and said with a slight smile, "I was just a bit curious about these so-called vampires and asked a few more questions, but my time is very limited, and most of it is spent preparing for tomorrow night's surgery."
Tim wanted to speak but wasn't sure how to phrase his question. When he asked about the surgery, Shiller spoke of vampires, when he brought up vampires, Shiller switched back to the surgery.
Conversing with this man always felt stifling; you sensed he might be beating around the bush, yet felt he was being evasive. Was he hinting at something? But on closer thought, there was no concrete evidence whether it was circumvention or implication.
"I don't want to beat around the bush with you," Tim had no choice but to be more direct, "I'm against performing surgery on Batman at this time, whatever that surgery may be."
"But I also know Batman is probably more aware of this than I am. He wouldn't like to expose his weaknesses amidst troubled times, not unless he had no choice. Can you tell me, how 'no choice' has he become?"
"Too clever, young man," Shiller couldn't help but admire, putting down his teacup and staring into Tim's eyes, making Tim break out in a cold sweat.
"There was something Batman tasked me with yesterday—if anyone asked me the question you just did, I mean exactly the question you've asked, then I could divulge some truths to them."
Tim pricked up his ears.
"But I'm sorry to say, you're not the first one."
Tim was stunned. He felt he must have heard wrong because there was something indescribably mischievous in the man's tone, as if he had laid out this conversation just to tease Tim.
"Who was it?" Tim still couldn't help asking.
"A clever young lady, eloquent and hard to contend with," said Shiller with a slight sigh, seemingly helpless, "I've never had much of a solution for such intelligent girls, and I can only tell you that she seemed somewhat hesitant as she left, perhaps to consult with someone."
Immediately, Tim thought of Barbara and Dick; the clever girl must be Barbara.
While there were two girls in the Batman Family, the other was Cassandra, who was universally considered Batman's mute mouthpiece—in short, mute. The term 'eloquent' would never apply to her, leaving only Barbara Gordon, who was indeed always hard to contend with, inheriting some aspects of her father and the qualities of Batman.
And when it comes to Barbara facing a problem, the first person she would turn to was without a doubt Dick.
At this point, Tim grew restless. It wasn't that he had any prejudice against the older brother, but the results of what the two of them could figure out, from Tim's perspective, were unlikely to be good.
It was probably because they had an abundance of justice and rigidity but lacked flexibility, which could potentially lead to delays.
Tim rushed out quickly, and Shiller looked at the still-steaming cup of tea on the table and shook his head gently as if speaking to the air, "I told you it wouldn't work. To your children, I'm just a stranger. Their vigilance has not dropped to the point of drinking tea served by a stranger on their first meeting."
Shiller walked over to the desk nearby, retrieved a Bible from the drawer, and a tiny cross pendant; Batman's voice rose from the depths of the drawer.
"This will protect you," he said, "There's plenty of Holy Water left. Should anyone try something, this could at least buy you some time."
"I'm confident that even if there's more than one vampire within your Batman Family, they wouldn't lay a hand on me. Same goes for what I've said before -- don't underestimate your children too much."
Batman fell silent, while Shiller picked up the Bible and flipped through it, not wearing the cross pendant around his neck but rather tucking it inside his pocket instead.
Today, he was unusually dressed in a black suit with subtle patterns, much more understated than his normal attire, save for the sparkling swordfish brooch on his chest.
Sounds of quarreling soon came from the corridor.
Tim stormed out, slamming the door behind him, with Dick following behind with an anxious expression, and Barbara close at their heels.
The noise disturbed not just Shiller but also captured the attention of Jason and Damian downstairs, and even Cassandra looked up briefly.
Everything quieted down as Batman stepped out of the room.
"Tea time has arrived," Alfred announced. He said, "Today I've prepared rich chocolate cherry cake, almond cookies, and Sri Lankan red tea. Would anyone like extra sugar?"
The Robins varied in their sugar preferences; Damian liked it sweet and would clamor for more sugar, which Dick would try to dissuade, but he would make it himself—hotter and with extra sugar—during Barbara's periods, eliciting some jeers from Damian.
Barbara gave Alfred a slight nod, and he understood. But Damian found it odd that Dick made no move, his eyes rolling about curiously.
Shiller opened the door, but didn't step out immediately; instead, he went back into the room, as if he had forgotten something, before finally emerging.
Tim, Dick, and Barbara, having had some unpleasant exchange, sat down without speaking, and Jason shot Tim a look which he pretended not to see.
Normally, the commotion would have already started, but it seemed that the sudden presence of a stranger within the Batman Family held everyone's tongues, leaving some questions unasked and the atmosphere tinged with a peculiar eeriness.
So began an afternoon tea where everyone harbored their own secrets.
Batman sat in the main seat, Dick to his right, and Shiller to his left, with the others seated according to age.
"The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow night. I won't show up after three in the afternoon tomorrow. You must manage the security of both Wayne Manor and the Batcave. Cassandra..."
"I'm here," Cassandra assured with a gesture.
"Tomorrow you'll guard the Manor, it's in your hands. Alfred will assist you from the side. Everyone else will go to the Batcave."
Batman surveyed the room and said, "Barbara will stick to the monitor room as usual. Dick will take charge of the front door, while Jason and Tim will -- one of you guard the armory, and the other wait outside the lab."
"I'll take the lab door." Jason and Tim chimed almost in unison.
Normally, Jason preferred the armory, and he knew it seemed suspicious to change duties now, so he said, "If there's anyone who'll invade, they're coming for you, Batman. Only I can take on that task."
"But the armory is equally important," Batman said, looking at Jason. "I trust Tim to protect me."
Jason's fingers tensed, but surprisingly, he didn't say a word, apparently agreeing to the arrangement.
Batman felt somewhat relieved inside, nearly ruling out Jason's possibility because Jason Todd had a million reasons to explode, yet only one reason would make him hold back—love.
Tim crossed his hands, his fingers from one hand gently tapping the back of the other, and said, "Why not keep everyone together? Being isolated just makes us easier to break down one by one."
"Broken down by what?" Batman asked.
"Let's not play riddles at this time." Tim showed great impatience as he spoke, "Since you've figured out the answer is vampires, let's not waste time on meaningless speculation."
"Why do you say that, Tim?"
"Because it's an answer that anyone with a brain could guess. We're on high alert simply because this time the invaders are more cunning and hidden than any criminal."
"I don't see it that way," Barbara joined in. "Vampires fear sunlight, Holy Water, and crosses -- their weaknesses are too obvious."
"That's exactly why I say you're not being vigilant," Tim laid bare what they had been arguing about in the room, saying, "There are many ways to shield against ultraviolet rays, avoiding Holy Water and crosses is easy, so giving up on a detailed defense plan is madness."
"Tim, don't talk to Barbara like that," Dick intervened. "No one said we'd go unprepared. I trust Batman has prepared Holy Water and crosses, and we can install more ultraviolet lights in the Batcave. They won't stand a chance."
"No need for further argument," Batman said, "Let's eat first. Afterwards, I'll prepare everyone's equipment. I believe there won't be any major problems."