Nighttime fell like a film noir curtain, bringing spies from the shadows and the dames that shun the sunlight hours. From every doorway cigarette smoke curled, arcing lazily into the black. Gotham wasn't a city of starlight or moonbeams, it was cracking tarmac under storm-cloud and thick air drenched with the promise of rain.

It was on this night that yet another party was being held at Wayne Manor. Paparazzi and reporters littered the halls, along with the powerful people that owned companies that extended from Gotham to Central City, and sometimes overseas. They were sipping delicately at their glasses of expensive red wine, gossiping about one another to fellow attendants. It was a viper's nest, for lack of a better term. Every word and movement was assessed for weakness. It was a more dangerous place than the slums, in Bruce's experienced opinion.

In the corner, away from the louder festivities, a new face had spawned. It had caused quite an upsurge of chatter. Seeing new people at these events was like spotting a giant squid wash up on land - it was a rarity. Even more odd was that no one seemed to recognise her.

Rahn, instead of engaging in idle chatter, had indulged in eating more than she'd thought possible from the rows of tables filled to the brim with plates.

It had started with creamy nettle soup, and when the bowl had been in front of her white wisps had etched themselves on the cold air, stretching out to tempt her. It had been mossy green, with islands of orange floating through the broth. A handsome fish dish had followed. The waiters had laid a silver platter in front of her on top of which sat a fleshy pink strip of salmon, garnished with dashings of green herbs that Rahn didn't know, but liked the taste of.

The flavours of this world were foreign to her, but she wasn't a weak-minded thing who couldn't adapt. She had been to many worlds, and she consumed the food all the same. Partaking in cultural rituals helped in her understanding of the natives and their way of life.

Naturally, her Trynkaden heritage gave her an unparalleled biological compatibility with many different types of matter, meaning that her species could consume a wide variety of foods that may be poisonous to some but edible to others. This made them a very efficient nomadic race. Although, if she continued to sample products of Earth's culinary arts, Rahn would be distracted from her objective for tonight's outing. That being of speaking to the host of this party - Bruce Wayne.

She knew that it was only a matter of time before he noticed that there was an extra guest at his private function, but it took a lot longer than she had expected. Perhaps it was simply the efficiency of her Trynkaden brain, but she could tell the exact amount of people in the room with a glance. She could memorise their faces just as quickly.

Finally, she sensed Bruce's eyes land on her. He was near the back, cameras flashing in his face as he greeted the Gotham elite. He tensed. She could tell by the way his suit crumpled up at his shoulders.

As politely as possible in such a situation, Bruce excused himself from the chaos and made his way towards her with a dignified strut. One that he was clearly faking. Naturally, many eyes still refused to tear away from the man which meant that even more attention was drawn towards Rahn.

There was an obvious moment of annoyance that flashed across Bruce's face, but he quickly attempted to cover it up with that gleaming playboy smile. "I don't remember inviting such a beautiful woman to this gathering. You certainly would've made this party a lot more interesting."

This was the same person as the Batman, but Rahn was confused by the strange behaviour he was exhibiting. Recently during her studies of human psychology, she had learnt about a human tendency to keep secrets. From a human perspective, Batman being a secret was logical; it prevented the criminals he fought against to attack him where he lived, and all these innocents would not be in danger if they struck during one of these social events.

"The lies are not necessary." Rahn stated bluntly. "I know who you are."

"Well...most of Gotham knows who I am."

"You are the Batman." She said the last word lowly, but there was very little caution in her tone.

Bruce gave a dumbfounded look. In Rahn's eyes it was the darkest expression yet, but apparently it was enough to convince the rest of the world.

"What are you- oh, you mean, you think I'm...?" He stumbled in his words but it was much too rehearsed for Rahn's liking. "I think that might be the funniest thing anyone's ever said to me. I mean, could you honestly imagine me running around in a bat suit and breaking people's arms?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation. Not even a glimmer of it. In fact, she had answered him so quickly that he wondered whether she had yet learned the meaning of a joke. "My people have what you call an eidetic memory. Your mask does nothing to hide your identity from me."

Bruce's eyes widened without his permission. Still, he forced himself back into the calmer persona he feigned at all of these parties. Meanwhile he wracked his mind for excuses, or ways to lead her astray. Anything to shift her suspicions elsewhere... he could think of nothing.

"If you really wished to conceal yourself, perhaps you should cover up entirely." She pointed at her own chin and then motioned towards his.

"What exactly do you want?" Bruce asked, still maintaining his suave facade.

"To learn. Unless you want me to continue dispensing justice the way I was previously."

She had him cornered. If he so much as acknowledged knowing what she spoke of, he'd be outright admitting to being Batman... but feigning cluelessness was obviously not doing him any favours either. Silence was an option, but that often left the other person to fill in the blanks with confirmation.

Rahn saw his dilemma. She could practically imagine the cogs turning in his head. "I understand keeping up this charade, but there is no point in doing it with me. I have already told you that I know."

"All you've done is prove that you're an incredibly unstable woman." Bruce finally spoke, poison laced behind his words. "This joke has run its course. I suggest that you leave before security catches you."

Rahn's lips twitched into a smirk. "We both know that they couldn't stop me even if they wanted to."

Bruce's eyes narrowed at her.

Despite the threat her own words so obviously implied, Rahn rolled her shoulders calmly and took a small cake from the dessert tray nearby. "But I can sense when I'm not wanted. We will meet again, Bruce. Under less public circumstances."

She ate the tiny confectionary sweet in one bite, expression contorting at the new flavours that stung at her tongue. Then she left, wading through the crowd where she was almost a head taller than most of the guests.

The weeks that followed this encounter were clouded with caution. Bruce had the constant suspicion that he was being watched, and that the moment he engaged in his usual patrols that he would be caught by the alien that had recently visited him.

In a desperate attempt to sway her away from discovering his secret, even though she already seemed certain, Bruce didn't visit the Batcave for an entire month. He stayed away from his costume, and instead, had Alfred give all their information on current threats to Katherine Kane... otherwise known as Batwoman. She then distributed it between herself, Barbara Gordon, and Jason Todd.

Barbara Gordon, or Batgirl, took the smuggling rings down, where as Batwoman focused on the crime bosses. Jason, who was still annoyed at Bruce, decided to assist in the most limited sense possible. He had his own duties to attend to, and his own leads to follow up, so Robin simply took down the lower tier thugs.

The one suffering most from this decision though was Bruce. Every day was the same. He'd wake up, get dressed in a stuffy suit, eat, then go to work at Wayne Enterprises. It was maddening. Instead of tearing away the mask he wore, even just for an hour as night began to drape across the city, he was forced to keep it on.

The entire situation was a nightmare to him. Steering clear of crime fighting effected him so much that even his greatest attempts at politeness slowly became hollow. He lashed out in moments of built-up aggression, and unfortunately, Alfred received the bulk of it.

Despite all this effort, Rahn still never showed. Bruce only saw her in the news, intimidating criminals with that organic suit covering her whole body. As time went by, sightings of her became further and further away. It started to seem as if her intentions weren't to catch him off guard, but to simply speak with him when next he appeared as Batman.

He became exhausted. That was the only way to put it. His usual paranoia was overshadowed by how much he hated ignoring the crime still festering in Gotham. He thought, perhaps, that he could spare one night. At least then he'd know for certain if Rahn was truly waiting for the bat to appear.

He didn't have to wait long to find out. The moment he had entered the batcave, feeling a sense of welcome in its dim and dark walls, he heard a knock that made him jump around like a madman. Standing beside the Batmobile was the very woman he dreaded seeing, a smug smile presented on her lips.

"I knew you'd return here eventually." She hummed proudly.

Bruce's face dropped. A frown wrinkled at the edges of his mouth and his hands clenched into fists. Ironically, he wasn't as surprised to see her there as he should have been.

"You've been watching me, haven't you?" Bruce hissed in anger. "Waiting for me to return."

The alien's amusement seemed to amplify at his annoyance. "I was not exactly compelled to watch your disgusting human habits... So I watched this base of operations instead. I've had access to this place for several weeks; it was safe to assume that you would return eventually."

"...Get out." Bruce snarled.

"With all due respect, your city is a breeding ground for chaos and depravity. I have chosen to focus my efforts here for that reason. Of all Earth's large settlements, Gotham possesses a significantly higher rate of criminal activity." Rahn added. "From my perspective, you are in need of help. Currently, I am unable to provide such assistance until I acquire more specialised knowledge regarding Gotham's problematic occupants...as well as insight from a person experienced in their behaviour."

Bruce, attempting to appear calm, turned his back to her and sat at a desk covered by large monitors. Every movement was intentional, made with the intent of making Rahn believe that he was ignoring her. "I told you to get out."

It didn't work. Rahn could see his reflection as clearly as he could see hers. His eyes were fixed to her like prey waiting for their predator to pounce.

"Feigning disinterest, yet keeping me in your peripheral vision." Rahn said, looking Bruce's reflection in the eye. "A fine tactic when observing prey."

Bruce sneered, turning around in his chair and glaring up at her in irritation. "And you. You make it seem like I need your help, but you're the one asking for it."

"It is a mutual exchange." Rahn said, sounding a little more amused than before. He was intelligent, much more so than she's first assumed. They were entangled in a battle of words, each one assessing the other and breaking them down. The only problem was, he didn't stand a chance. "For you to possess any hold over me, you must first know me. A predator does not expose their hand until they are certain of the cards in their opponent's possession. Thus, you have nothing. You won't strike against something you're not sure you can hurt until you know for certain that you can. I know everything about you. So it seems that you are in no position to make demands of me."

He visibly gritted his teeth. She was right. He wasn't about to admit that to her, but it was true. Only a fool would play more cards than he knew how to use... It didn't matter what he said to her, he couldn't force her to leave him alone.

"I'm glad that we finally understand each other." Rahn said slyly. Her shoulders seemed to shiver, then the organic suit she arrived with started masking her entire body once more.

A growl became lodged in Bruce's throat and he immediately turned his back to her again. Just because he couldn't scare her away, didn't mean he had to be civil.

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