Baia hummed a tune as she opened the door. For some reason, when her gaze met Timothy's blue eyes, time seemed to stand still for a moment. The girl was momentarily stunned, but Tim was the first to react, stepping inside.
"Your hair is crooked."
Removing the dried flowers from the vase on the white beechwood cabinet by the door, he replaced them with a bunch of lavender, smiling cheerfully.
Baia, still dazed, exclaimed, "Oh!"
Then, feeling embarrassed, she quickly covered her head with both hands, took down the two hair buns she had made with her black hair, and shook her head like a wet dog, letting her smooth black hair cascade down like a waterfall.
"Shall I help you with it?" Tim volunteered.
"You can style a girl's hair?" Baia was skeptical.
"I learn quickly."
Unlike other superheroes with extraordinary talents, Red Robin had to learn quickly.
Tim boldly ran his fingers through Baia's hair, lifting it to watch the strands fall from his fingertips. Her beautiful long curls were incredibly elastic.
Baia was used to being petted; both Selina and Bruce liked to smooth her hair. Figuring she might lose a few strands of hair to Tim's attempts, she obediently sat in front of the mirror, waiting for Tim to help her.
The mirror reflected a girl in a soft white dress with simple lines, every pleat falling perfectly without the need for excessive decoration, making her look elegant and graceful. A pair of sky-blue contact lenses hid her bright light green eyes, making the black-haired, blue-eyed girl look almost unrecognizable.
Picking up a comb, Tim carefully detangled Baia's hair and then perfectly divided it into two buns on each side of her head.
Baia felt his sleeve brush against her neck, bringing a slight tickle. It didn't feel like fabric; it was more like a soft feather gently sweeping across her heart, causing an inexplicable flutter. When Alfred and Selina styled her hair, did she feel this chaotic inside too?
She wasn't sure.
In fact, the girl started thinking about Timothy's faint, warm woody scent, his fingers brushing through her hair, and his low, gentle laughter.
She stole a glance at him in the mirror, but in her nervousness, she met Tim's gaze in the reflection.
Of course, what small gesture could escape the world's second-greatest detective?
Baia's mind began to wander, like a stalled film projector randomly playing clips titled "Timothy Drake." She couldn't think of anything else.
Tim handled her hair carefully, his movements so gentle it seemed like he was afraid of breaking a delicate silk string. He pinned her bangs back, transforming the girl who often seemed excessively fond of black and mysterious like a Slytherin witch into someone completely different.
"Try getting into character," Tim said cheerfully. "Finished, my princess."
Baia adjusted her expression, adding a touch of worry and seriousness.
She cleared her throat and said, "Obi-Wan, you're my only hope—"
They both burst into laughter.
The tension that had been building up between them dissipated immediately. Baia wasn't sure whether to feel disappointed or relieved.
Wearing regular clothes to a convention always felt a bit lacking, so Tim and Baia decided to cosplay as Leia and Luke, the sibling duo from Star Wars. Tim wore Luke's black outfit from Return of the Jedi, his blue eyes matching the character perfectly. "If Bruce is Darth Vader, what role would Dick be?"
Baia pondered seriously, "Ahsoka."
"And Damian?"
"By height, R2."
Taking advantage of the fact that Dick and Damian weren't around, Baia mercilessly teased them.
The weather wasn't particularly good today; it was unusually rainy for Metropolis, and the sun, which usually shone on the Daily Planet, was hidden by clouds. But for these Gotham residents, it was a familiar sight.
Tim donned a golden wig and made some adjustments to his appearance. So, he never expected that despite all this, someone would still recognize him.
People had indeed heard of Timothy Drake, but he wasn't exactly a high-profile figure. ...And then he recognized her as well.
"Timothy!!" Jenny's voice was dreamlike, and she seemed to have trouble catching her breath, pressing her hand to her chest. "No, I mean, Mr. Drake!" Oh, it was that @Lovetimmy4ever, now renamed @DrakeLoveBot, a blogger he had met once at Gotham City Hospital. Her fanfics starring Tim as the main character had left a lasting psychological impact on him. "Uh, hi, Jenny," Tim said, stepping back and trying to pull Baia along. "Didn't expect to see you here." "So, so cool! I'm going to write a Jedi Timothy fanfic as soon as I get back…!" Jenny clenched her fists excitedly. "Can I take a picture?" Jenny pleaded, hands clasped together. "Please!" "Sure," Tim nodded. He had come to the convention expecting to be photographed, but being recognized so quickly was still a bit surprising. Despite noticing Baia and Tim holding hands earlier, which sent even bigger waves of excitement through her than seeing Jedi Timothy, Jenny unusually suppressed her enthusiasm and began snapping photos of Tim.
A day later, a series of photos titled "The Jedis" started to spread rapidly on Twitter. With little fan Jenny's promotion, netizens quickly learned about the identity of the Luke cosplayer, but the identity of Princess Leia remained a mystery... Eventually, a Gotham user, who preferred to remain anonymous, pieced together enough clues to reveal the name Baia, a new member of the Wayne family. Thus, the photo series gained an alternate name: "The Waynes." Though technically, Tim's last name wasn't Wayne.
"There's someone cosplaying as Red Hood over there?!" Baia exclaimed, pulling Tim along. "Let's go take a picture!" Finally managing to part from the reluctant Jenny—Baia had learned she was Professor Green's granddaughter and initially considered recruiting her into Stark Industries, but seeing her craziness over Tim made Baia reluctant. It felt like... How could she share something that belonged to her with someone else?
Tim let Baia drag him around, enjoying the convention. He saw multiple Batmen, Supermen, and Robins, and bought Baia some random trinkets, like a USB stick with a chibi Batman and Superman logo, a Red Robin mug, and even a fake Green Lantern ring.
"Today—" Tim began, but was abruptly cut off by a loud crash from outside. He immediately recognized the sound of a building collapsing. The tremor caused dust to fall from the convention hall ceiling. Most attendees were teenagers, lacking the experience to handle such an emergency. Panic set in, and the crowd began to push and shove in a bid to escape.
Red Robin's expression grew serious. From Luke Skywalker's belt, he pulled out Red Robin's earpiece and put it on. The noise and chaos around him were too intense to draw much attention.
"Red Robin calling Miss Martian," Tim said. "Reporting the current situation." M'gann and Conner quickly joined the channel. "A robot called 'Amazo' escaped from a LexCorp lab. It's causing havoc in the city." "What do we know about it?" M'gann replied, "Not much, and that's bad news... This thing can replicate other people's superpowers. Superman is currently fighting it, but it's not going well. You know, it's raining today." The sun-drenched city was losing its sunlight.
"I understand. None of you should engage Amazo directly," Tim instructed, quickly organizing his thoughts. "You and Conner focus on evacuating civilians. The Justice League should be arriving soon." Conner asked, "Are you at the Metropolis convention?" "Yes, why?" Tim said, frustrated. "Damn... I didn't bring my suit." "I'll send Wolf to get you." "Wolf?" Baia asked, confused. A long howl echoed from outside the convention center. Tim and Baia ran outside, where they found a massive white wolf, taller than a person, watching them with a look of almost human intelligence. From horseback to wolfback. Her experiences in Metropolis were turning out to be even more fantastical than in Gotham. Holding tightly onto the wolf's flowing mane, Baia thought until they were dropped off at a street corner not far from her home.
"Alright, at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if you pulled a tinfoil-wrapped German engineer out of this wall." Baia watched as Tim pulled a projection screen out from the grand piano in her living room, then tapped a few times to reveal his Red Robin suit beside it.
Tim explained, "This actually used to be one of my safe houses in Metropolis." "You have safe houses in Metropolis too?"
The battle was intense. While Superman and the Amazo robot were evenly matched, Superman was occasionally hit by Amazo's heat vision and sent flying, crashing through buildings. The situation was visibly deteriorating for the Justice League. When Martian Manhunter arrived, Amazo gained the abilities of shapeshifting and telepathy.
On the top floor of the LexCorp building, Lex Luthor held a glass of red wine, watching the live feed of the battle on his screen. He seemed lost in thought for a moment, then a slight smile curved his lips. "What do you think of Amazo, Forecaster?" "It has extremely powerful hardware, sir," said the voice, cold and similar to Friday's, though much more indifferent. "But in terms of intelligence… it's still a dimwit."
Although the statement sounded odd, the AI didn't hide its disdain. "Stupid." Luthor sipped his wine. Upon hearing this assessment, the pale purple data stream representing Forecaster paused for a moment. "Amazo has an incredible learning capability. He will soon become very smart, smart enough to…"
"To lose control," Forecaster interjected. "I believe I understand your point now." Luthor waved a hand dismissively, murmuring, "No rush. Let's see how this play ends. Such dreadful weather, isn't it… Superman?"