Meetings

Aarti peered down at the mess below her. A massive fight was taking place, superheroes and villains slugging it out. She sighed and pulled back to sit against the strut of the water tower. It had been going on for nearly ten minutes so far, preventing them from their planned assault on a nearby asset of Wayne Industries. Court had already left, looking for another avenue to exploit.

"What do you think they're fighting about?" Lucy asked absently, filing one of her perfect nails.

Aarti rolled her eyes and examined her own nails. They were in desperate need of a manicure, something she was sure her mother would disdain. Of course, her mother would disdain it. She, after all, was perfect in every way, just like Mary Poppins. Aarti bit back the growl that wanted to surface after noticing Lucy giving her a sideways look.

"I'm not perfect. I don't know," Aarti replied.

"I wasn't that interested." Lucy stood up and peeped over the side. Her eyes widened. "Wow… would you look at that? Even knowing doesn't really prepare a girl."

Aarti snorted and pulled Lucy back by gripping the back of her tank and hauling. Lucy giggled as she came, nearly falling on her. Then her green eyes met Aarti's.

"Come on, Aarti. Loosen up for me? Pretty please?" Lucy cooed.

"Aren't you frustrated, Lucy? We haven't found her, and she has the power to help them jumpstart the Project here." Aarti rolled from underneath Lucy reluctantly. "We can't let that happen."

"And what's the Project?" A husky voice asked.

Both sets of eyes widening, the girls turned towards the husky voice's origins. Stepping out of the darkness, the man was fully in costume. Dark, piercing eyes gazed at them from under a stylized cowl, and his dark cape fluttered in the wind.

"Unc—" Aarti began before Lucy slapped a hand over her mouth.

"What she meant was she going to cry 'Uncle,'" Lucy said, dragging her friend back a step. She staggered as there was a deafening boom nearby.

"Wait! Is that—?" Aarti demanded as a chunk of glowing green rock arced upwards to almost their eye-height before plummeting back down towards the furious fighting.

"Oh, ho, ho! The good stuff!" San's voice caroled as he rocketed into view.

Before the stunned combatants could register his appearance, San had his hands on the kryptonite, holding it up. He shot everyone an almost feral look before smiling at his prize.

"I've got just the thing for you, beauty," he cooed to the rock, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a small baggie.

"Oh, no, he didn't! I thought you confiscated all of that," Lucy said, peering downwards. "Aarti!"

"On it," Aarti sighed, climbing onto the ledge. "Let go of the contraband, San!" She called as she leapt off the building, one leg outstretched.

"Dawnie, Don, situation over here," Lucy said, keying up her phone as Aarti fell towards her target.

Unerringly, she hit San in the side of the head, causing the rock to fall from his hand. Even as it landed, Dawnie showed up and scooped it up.

"It's for everyone's own good," she said to San apologetically before darting away.

"That's mine," San snarled, one hand snaking out and grabbing Aarti. With another grunt of anger, he flung her towards the gathered crowd. "Dawnie, get back here."

Aarti collided with a mass of masked and costumed people, coming to a painful stop against a chest clad in blue with a giant red and yellow symbol on it. She glanced up at the man.

"Thank you for the save," she said, landing.

Aarti took two steps forward, taking deep breaths. Then she lifted her shirt and grabbed the rope wrapped around her waist. With a hiss, she jerked it free, ignoring the brief burn and the quickly healing wound.

"San, I so swear," she began even as her arm moved and a lasso obediently appeared on the end.

"I'm not in the mood for this right now, Aarti. Give me back my rock," San said, glaring at her before turning in the direction that Dawnie had left in.

With a deft twitch of her hand, the loop landed around San. Unlike a regular lasso, it unfurled upon reaching San before wrapping around him and reforming into a lasso configuration.

"That's new," Lucy said, peering down.

"And you still haven't answered my question, though now I have many, many more," Bruce snarled at her.

"Well, of course I can answer any questions, and oopsie!" Lucy dropped a small cylinder at her feet and purple smoke started billowing.

Out of habit, Bruce paused and activated his gas mask. A simple display popped up, telling him that the smoke contained a small amount of a soporific along with plain colored smoke. He frowned at the information. It wasn't even enough to make him slightly sleepy.

Then he looked around, but Lucy was already gone.

"Well, let's just break up this little party, shall we?" Lucy said, strolling up to San.

"Lucy, look, I need my rock," San said, struggling against the gleaming rope.

"I know, sweetie, but guess what? Court has a rock for you. Just come along," she coaxed, ignoring Aarti's gasp of angered disbelief.

"I thought you threw that thing away," Aarti said, walking towards San.

"He has my rock?" San asked, distracted.

"Of course, he has rocks. Lots and lots of them," Lucy replied. She glanced back at Aarti who huffed a sigh.

"Fine, just fine," Aarti said, approaching and then she stopped.

Lucy stopped as well as San straightened up and looked in a certain direction. The blue-clad man was also looking in that direction with a frown.

"I hear her," San said. "The rope, Aarti," he urged.

With a flick of her wrist, the rope fell away. San was gone the next instant.

"We got them," Lucy said. "Finally, they messed up."

"Thank goodness. I so need a fight after this, and you know he's not going to let this go, right?" Aarti said, the rope wrapping itself back around her waist.

"Eh, addicts, what can you do?" Lucy said, taking a few steps.

Dawnie and Don showed up, Dawnie bereft of the glowing green rock.

"Left it in a lake somewhere. I'm sure it'll be fine for a few hours or so," Dawnie shrugged, grabbing Aarti's hand. "Following San's sig, right?"

"Always," Aarti agreed before the vanished.

"Princess?" Don said, scooping Lucy up in a princess carry.

"Stop calling me that," Lucy complained. She glanced around the still silent crowd and flittered her fingers. "Been fun!"

And then they were gone as well, chasing after San.