He should've known tonight wouldn't go smoothly.

The entire day had felt off, as if some sixth sense was telling him to be wary. For the most part he had grown used to that voice in the back of his mind, always planning for something bad to happen. Yet despite the voice being with him for so long, Bruce knew when to listen to it, and he knew that the gala this evening must be in for an unpleasant time.

But it was a charity gala and he knew that he needed to attend despite the feeling. There was money to raise for those in need, and at first, the gala was fine. He put on his finest suit, his fakest dazzling smile, and took to the lavish ballroom with a tall wine glass filled with ginger ale (He was never one for alcohol), giving flirtatious looks to random women he barely knew the name of, and being tossed around the dance floor from lady to lady.

And yet as time passed, the sky began to darken. An army of Man-Bats descended on the gala, proving his instincts right. Bruce had dashed to the rooftops, thrown on his costume, and the rest was a messy blur in his mind as he had fought off as many of the creatures as possible and helped the civilians escape.

But then, some of the Man-Bats had gotten ahold of him. He thrashed and fought against their grip as they dragged him to some darkened corner of the now abandoned building. To their Master, Talia Al Ghul, a woman he once had a fling with many years ago. She had smiled coyly at him as the Man-Bats kept him restrained. Said she wanted to "Introduce him" to someone.

As she had disappeared into the shadows, the dust began to settle from the chaos. Only a lone figure remained. The small one stepped forward, lips pursed in a displeased scowl, his green eyes filled with a fire only Talia could match. His skin was rich as hazelnuts, his hair black as the night, and he looked up at Bruce with a look strikingly similar to the Bat's own.

"Tt. I expected you to be taller."

Were the first words the child said, gripping the katana strapped to his side.