The next evening, Tim was seated at the long dining table in Wayne Manor, having dinner with everyone.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJx3bfGF9N
He deliberately picked a seat at an angle, trying to keep the bruise on his cheek hidden in the shadows.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12AkxYuj0E
But it didn’t work—Jason spotted it right away.
“What happened, Timmy?” Jason asked, holding his son in his arms with a raised brow. “Did a woman hit you?”
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Tim pursed his lips and didn’t answer.
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Finn was in the middle of being placed into his high chair by Jason. When he looked up, his eyes widened.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmiNBPARBO
“Uncle! Your face—what happened?”
Tim tried to dodge, but the child was already leaning out of his seat.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCDWOnuZhFJ
“Uncle, crouch down! I’ll blow on it for you—”
With utter seriousness, Finn cupped Tim’s cheeks in his tiny hands and gently blew on them.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Evcmyn6tp
“Pain, pain, fly away…!”
Damian froze, struggling to keep a straight face.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjgfGT7i6I
Stephanie couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing. “That probably works better than Alfred’s ointment.”
Tim sighed and sat back down, while the rest of the table erupted in laughter.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyjtSvxOIXz
Except for him, no one really cared where the bruise came from.
He chewed his bread with a blank expression—he had expected this.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNAyEm9dqQ
And he had no intention of explaining.
Finn picked up his kiddie fork and stabbed a piece of pumpkin, but halfway through eating it, he stopped and turned his head.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtw6czv71a9
“Grandpa,” he tilted his head toward Bruce, “do you have Batman’s phone number?”
The entire table fell silent.
Bruce almost choked on a spoonful of soup, coughing lightly.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgAdTG5tVG
“Ahem… Why do you ask, Finn?”
Everyone’s attention now turned to the four-year-old.
Finn frowned, visibly upset.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEnqNnBl0h
“Ms. Nora didn’t come today. The other teachers said her house got broken into, so she took the day off.”197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWvUPyRMN5
“I think she must be really sad…”
He spoke softly, poking at the mashed pumpkin with his fork.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwSIdlWRbU
“So Grandpa,” he looked up, more serious this time,197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftNt0vHbn8
“can you ask Batman to catch the thief for her?”
Tim "Thief" Drake lowered his head, thinking about his unbearably adorable nephew—197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2gJ1OkQqF
and desperately wished he could bury his face in the mashed potatoes and disappear.
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197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazV6T7pFRC
Tim sat at his computer, writing down everything he had on Nora in his encrypted folder.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNCjHKuHLj
He opened the private page only he could access,197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckkPQmxEJ8
created a new file, and titled it: Nora V.
Below were a few concise categories:
- Writing (Batman-related fanfiction, pen name Nightnest)197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIpKtEbn0V
197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEncjDkZjoI - Preschool Teacher (legitimate, clean record)197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKP5pLDvTY6
197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGumPLs8j08 - Minimalist Lifestyle (inconsistent with disaster prep supplies)197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmAQf2o4qEz
197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7rin2aptw - Emergency Supplies (food, water, filters, backpack, sleeping pad)197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRuhsyUEFI
197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwDe5F8J0V - Firearms (research history, models, manufacturers)197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTlyfEeiZ8
197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10todfibXx - Combat Techniques (Highly concerning)197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP6tgxsFNrP
197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡByQHamSDBt
Tim paused, staring at the list with a deep frown.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNTTZYrS2n
—It didn’t make sense. This combination couldn’t form a psychological profile.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzYMV4q8Rg
It was like someone had forcibly stitched together a “character setting.”
He anxiously stared at the screen.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtconVqzJOl
He didn’t like this kind of unclassifiable presence—this unpredictable variable.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5Pwcn1SXJ
There was nothing contradictory about Nora, and yet, she didn’t match any known behavioral models.
He took a deep breath and moved the “firearms” section under “emergency supplies.”197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLw0zkhjMOI
Because if that entire guest room really was part of her survival prepping plan,197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6rfea5AYE
then researching guns could be a logical extension—a necessary defense for the end of the world.
Still, he typed out a note:
Suspect possesses moderate to advanced familiarity with firearms. Continued monitoring of actual firearm usage recommended.
But it wasn’t just about the gun.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61kCjusSVV
It was her fighting style.
That was the part Tim couldn’t let go of.
In the Bat-family, combat followed a system.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXqC7DVeC1
Even someone like Jason, who’d gone rogue, still showed traces of Bruce’s original techniques.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8aBHSrgQR
The form might’ve drifted, but the foundation was still there—like a sword that had gone crooked, but still learned its first cuts in a dojo.
But Nora wasn’t like that.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCt22H7BQg
Her every move looked like it came straight from the streets.
She had no form, no discipline—only intent.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYWsf6ICpV
She climbed walls, flipped mid-air, punched—all aiming directly for vital points.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nosr8made
She didn’t care about style, or about hurting people. She just wanted to take you down.
Tim gently touched his still-swollen cheek—he had no desire to go through that again.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpYsx4h14r
He typed another note:
Likely exposed to life-threatening combat. Unorthodox training. Goal: neutralization, not traditional fighting. Avoid direct confrontation if possible.
After a pause, he added one last line:
These are not skills a preschool teacher should possess.
Then he saved the file and closed the encrypted folder.
As the screen dimmed into dark mode, his own reflection appeared faintly in the glass—197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJtDNj2Kal
the bruise still visible on his face.
He looked at the man in the glass, and a single sentence surfaced in his mind:197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftFVTCdvxD
—"Who the hell is she?"
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Because of last time’s failure,197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4bt0XZCQuf
Tim decided to hold back this time—197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZlFUtVAtW
to wait for the right moment.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8HJnuB3C8
He knew he’d already spooked her.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl36bbBVj12
The signs were there.
Finn had been gloomy for an entire week.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77VEwWPGID
He didn’t want to draw, didn’t want to play games,197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxpS27ggRR
and even his favorite snacks—he took a single bite and said, “I don’t want it.”
That’s not normal, Tim thought.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IdOGphyfL
Four-year-olds don’t suddenly change like that.
Then came the decisive piece of information:197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡit9JIw7GT5
Ms. Nora was moving.
She had taken a week off, stating the reason as “handling personal affairs related to moving.”
And—she didn’t report it to the police.
Tim drew a line in his notebook.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1PI2kGr4L
Moving house + not calling the cops =197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRj2tWmiMr5
She didn’t want anyone seeing that room.
She didn’t trust the police.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhX5k3om1m
Or perhaps, she didn’t want any official agency to find out about her prepper stash.
It was also possible she had long since grown used to handling everything on her own—197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLQN9RRmpp
He’d seen that pattern before,197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEWPa15II4
in war zones, in disaster areas,197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUMH1jovLm
in places where staying alive mattered more than obeying the law.
And just as he was thinking that—197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWDxP7RSjU
the perfect opportunity came.
His sister, Leila, received an invitation from an old friend—197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVDbyUtouy
to board a luxury cruise in the Mediterranean for an entire month,197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxuEEtxQleY
performing while enjoying a long vacation.
Leila hadn’t wanted to go.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ53wEmW5ofA
She always treated performing as a career, not a pleasure trip.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdk0YavQzf8
Besides, she had a child to care for.
But Jason had other ideas.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKVkiLxDns
With that damn persuasive tone of his, he told her they finally had a chance to “leave Gotham behind”197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcMOPHzIjDB
and “live like an actual couple for once.”
“This is the one thing I’m begging you for,” Jason said to Leila.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJ1Mor6IPv
“For four years, you’ve been Finn’s mom.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHBxyE7g6a
This time, just let me be a husband for one month. Please?”
And that’s when Tim got Leila’s message:
“Timmy, I’m counting on you to watch Finn.”
Tim stared at the message, then leaned back in his chair in silence.
It sounded exactly like a script—handed to him by fate.
One month.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbcb5luDuO
An entire month.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyAe62dkdr
Finn would be in his care.
He looked down at the planner on his lap.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4JxDI336a
His finger rested on that long, blank stretch of days.
—Here it is, Tim thought.197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUCSDxTUtJm
The perfect chance.
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and then Add to home screen.