She only felt movement in passing, when Bruce initially picked her up and then again when he laid her down on the bed. The bed felt soft under her, and the covers were warm. It was the most comfort she had felt since arriving. Letting out a soft breath as her eyes half-opened, she'd blink a couple times and watch the man sitting there at the edge. "Bruce?" Clarissa said, her brows creased in concern through exhaustion. She was more tired than she would ever admit. He was feeling his own sadness, she could tell, but what about? Meanwhile a small shiver made it's way through her again and the youth tried to cover herself tighter with the comforter. He had to have a thermostat around here. Eventually the cold she felt would die down with the warmth of the bed, but for now she had to acclimate.
| Things Kept Hidden | Private w/Hopes~Wings
-
-
Bruce opened his eyes, surprised that she had woken up. He took a moment to compose himself before looking at Clarissa. "Yes?" he asked her softly, not wanting to be loud in case she had fallen back asleep. He frowned when he felt her shiver; he would have to make sure Alfred turned up the air. "Did I wake you?" he asked her a moment later. He didn't like that thought; he shouldn't have bothered her. But she needed to be put in bed. The couch was no place to sleep. He finally looked down at her. The light shone dimly in a way that created shadows across part of her face. But even though it he could see the mother he once loved reflected in Clarissa. It would take some time to get use to. It had been a long time since he had seen his mother besides in photos.
-
The girl was silwnt. She had a way about her that made her seem to be thinking deeply at all times. Even when she wasnt. Right now though, there was no intensity to her look. "You seem sad about something." She couldn't imagine what it was. Maybe something had happened at work? An intern spilled coffee on him? Someone showed up late to the meeting? Clarissa thought of these things as big problems because working life was right up her alley. She understood the simple things that could get someone down, and they were generally seen as genuine problems. Clarissa yawned as she studied him. He seemed tired from the life he lived. Whatever that meant. However, there was compassion in his gaze. It made her throat tighten and her eyes threaten to water if she thought about it for too long. Her stepfather had the same look. The only paternal figure she knew. All the girl wanted was to go home, but she had no choice but to stay here for a number of months.
-
Bruce forced herself to smile at her. "I'm fine Carissa. Just tired it all. And it seems like you are as well." he lied. He didn't want to admit to her that she reminded him so much of his mother. He stood up, and gently kissed her temple before he had a chance to think about it. "Get some rest. Tomorrow I will spend entirely with you, I promise. No business." he told her. He turned off the lamp on the table, the only source of light. It cast the room in darkness besides the doorway, which was barely lite. Here is where Bruce went. He paused in the doorway, waiting to see if Carissa would say anything.
-
"Oh." She believed him. It made sense to her for him to be tired because of a long work day and she didn't question it beyond that. Shuffling under the blankets, she'd be surprised that he was being affectionate by placing a kiss on her temple, but he might not have realized what he was doing before doing it. This was something new to her. She just had to get used to a new way of living. A new routine. "See you tomorrow." It was all she said. Her voice was already fading and it was minutes later that she fell asleep.
That night her dreams were sparse. Clarissa had not been one to experience realistic dreams, but tonight she did. This one in particular was jarring. She awakened in the dream state standing across the street from a movie theater and watching a family leave a showing. She smiled to herself. They seemed very happy. Two parents and a boy no older than 11. They looked well dressed and pretty upper class in status. That was all good and fine. Until something else happened. Around her the night, full of lights and sound, began to blur. The night sky appeared to darken and close in on her, while the sounds of people talking cars going by, and everything else grew in volume to an unbearable pitch before everything silenced. One gunshot, and then another. Blood had been splattered across the concrete and pooled around the two figures. Pearls were strews messily onbthr ground as a result of the second shot. And there beside them was a boy. At this point Clarissa bolted awake. To her this was all some sick twist of her imagination but it felt so real nevertheless. She was sweating, she noticed, and trembling from the shock. Her breaths came quick but hushed. If no one seemed to notice she would end up falling back to sleep without incident, but with the silence in the house it was possible that Bruce may have noticed anyway.
-
Bruce had indeed heard Clarissa, but wrote it off as nervousness. He was already dressed as Batman, and had to leave. That night he spent running leads, but thankfully it was a quiet night. There was no crime going on to be seen or heard, and everything was as it should be fore once. Bruce was thankfully for the break in the strain of everything. He needed it.
Bruce had actually gotten a decent amount of sleep that night. Five hours. Now it was seven in the morning, and the sun was shining brightly through the windows. Bruce and Alfred were in the kitchen. Bruce was standing beside one of the windows, drinking his coffee slowly in thought, as Alfred busied himself getting breakfast ready. They were not sure what Clarissa would like, so they were making just about anything one could think of. -
Her mind was still deep in slumber while Bruce and Alfred were busy preparing breakfast. She was curled up in the comforter, snuggling a corner of the plush material into her chest and burying her face into the pillow under her head. Clarissa couldn't ever remember getting a better sleep. Well, aside from the dream. She woke up to light streaming in from the glass window facing the lake. It was beautiful, she thought while she sat up and got her bearings for the day. Slumber was hard to shake off when crawling back into bed was so enticing. She felt calm just thinking about it. Clarissa stood on bare feet and quietly made her way to the window where she pressed her fingertips to the glass. Cold from the inside and dreamlike from the outside. She spent a minute or two there, leaning her forehead against the cool surface while trying not to let her feelings get to her. /It's another day./ Clarissa was much like her father where angst was concerned.
The varied smells of food greeted her as she entered the larger part of the house. There in the kitchen stood her father and Alfred. Both busy it seemed. Clarissa allowed a small 'hello' before sitting down At the counter and resting her elbow on the surface and placing her chin in her palm.
-
Bruce turned as Clarissa entered the kitchen. He watched as she took a seat at the counter, and smiled faintly. "How did you sleep?" he asked her as he sat down beside her. He preferred to stand, but he wanted to talk to Clarissa too. Hard to stand and talk if she was sitting with her back to him.
Alfred smiled and nodded to Clarissa in greeting, but he was too busy to stop and talk. Instead, he kept busy cooking. He did however take a minute to poor Clarissa a glass of milk and hand it to her. Bruce had already told him he didn't want her drinking coffee for whatever reason. -
Clarissa would be lying to herself if she said that she knew what to think now that Bruce was acting so kind. He had been this whole time, and he had said that they would spend the day together, but for someone who had just been bombarded with the fact that he had a daughter, he was handling it pretty well. Though her chest hurt with the weight of missing her parents back home, she still felt relief that Bruce wasn't a deadbeat, or a criminal, or worse. He seemed to be a good man. No, he was, and she knew that. Thanking Alfred when he handed her a glass of milk, she then put her lips to the edge and took a sip. It was only after that she spoke; still a bit awkward and embarrassed to be in a fairly unfamiliar situation. /Bruce means the best for you. You don't need to hide or be scared./ She could tell that to herself all she liked. But would she truly believe it? "I slept well. The guest room is very comfortable." Clarissa tried to meet his eyes but she only did for a second. She was lying, but only partly. That strange dream had left her confused. It stuck with her for some reason unlike most dreams she had. Other than that? She had slept like a rock.
-
Bruce smiled, but could sense she was holding something back. Whatever it was, he didn't want to push her too hard to find out. "The guest room is yours for as long as need be. I'm glad you slept well." he tells her, being truthful. He thanked Alfred as he set two plates down in front of them; one for Bruce and one for Clarissa. It had a mixture of eggs, bacon, and several different kinds of fruit. One the side was a piece of toast. "We weren't sure what you would like, so we went with what most people ate. I hope you enjoy it?" Bruce said. He truly did want to make the girl as comfortable as possible in the odd situation. But he also needed answers. He hoped that today he would be able to get them.
-
The scent of food was enticing as Clarissa was presented with a plate. This looked healthy and it pleased her. These were things she normally ate and it reminded her of home. Who knew toast could make one so emotional? She started with the fruit and then moved on to everything else. Against knowing better she ate rather hungrily, as if all they'd given her on the ride there was a bag of chips. That was partly true. They were apple chips.
She finished without even looking at Bruce, much less responding. Once the hunger had worn off though and Clarissa realized how rude she had been, she dabbed her mouth with a napkin and cleared her throat, folding her arms on the table after pushing the plate aside. "That's alright. I'm on a strict diet back home so this was familiar to me. If you don't mind, I'll excuse myself. I should get ready."
-
Bruce had noticed she ate everything, and it pleased him to know that he had gotten it right. Well, Alfred had. He had decided to make the stuff. Hearing what she said, he nods. "Go on. I'll be in here whenever you are ready to go. There should be plenty of stuff in your room for you." he informs her. He stood up as Alfred got their plates and put them away. "Just meet me in here." he added. Alfred began cleaning the plates, humming softly. There really was an absence of sound in the place.
-
Clarissa nodded and gave a little smile before returning to her room and deciding on a shower.
She stepped out of the shower and onto the plush bath mat that lay on the floor of the foggy bathroom. An aroma of floral and perfume permeated the air and Clarissa enjoyed the clean feeling she so needed as she dried her hair. It was long and a little stringy in this state, but it would look way better once she was done with it. Next came the clothes. For her bottoms she decided on a pair of form fitting jeans that flared at the bottom as if she had stepped out of the 70s, and a light blue top that zipped in the back and was rather plain, though worked with the outfit. Her shoes were simple pumps with thick straps that wrapped around the toes and the top of the foot to add class. Finally, she added a bit of silver jewelry around the neck and wrists and she was good. As she exited the bedroom she ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to detangle any stubborn knots. Overall she had a simple casual taste. Her face wasn't very done up with makeup, but she looked clean and that was enough. One didn't need to be glamorous to be beautiful. Clarissa for one liked the fact that she still looked nice with a natural face.
She noticed Bruce almost immediately. "I'm ready."
-
Bruce was right where he said he would be; in the kitchen. However, he had changed out of his sweat pants and t-shirt. He was now dressed in a nice pair of dark blue jeans, and a lose fitting black shirt. He had slicked back his hair as well. He smiled when he saw Clarissa. He stood up from his chair and went over to her. "You look nice." he said. He then lead the way to the garage, and went straight to a small black car. He opened the passenger door, and waited for Clarissa to get in before closing the door behind her. He then got in the driver's seat. "Where do you want to go first?" he asked her as he started the car. It roared to life.
-
She was led to the car outside and slipped into the passengers seat with ease. Soon buckling her seatbelt, she'd adjust her top and fold her hands in her lap properly. "How about a walk around the city?" Clarissa was very unfamiliar with Gotham so far and she was curious to see where she would be living for a while. If they began driving she would eventually ask him a question. They barely knew each other after all. "I assume we'll have to get me enrolled in a school. Do you reccomend public or private? I guess I could go anywhere I wanted with your money." Clarissa immediately realized howbrude she must have sounded and played it off with a chuckle. "Oh-- I didn't mean it like that."
-
Bruce chuckled. "A walk around Gotham it is." he said. Hearing her question, he nods. "There's a school that I already have in mind. It's a private school that I am very familiar with." he tells her. Even though he didn't say it aloud, it was the same school he had sent all the boys to. First Dick, then all the others one at a time. He sighed heavily, sadness filling him. He missed his sons, he honestly did. But now wasn't the time for that. "I'll show you the school during our walk." he informs her.
(Speaking of, what has happened to Dick and Damien at this point?) -
Im not sure haha. I would think that Damian would be a bit older than Clarissa and prob living somewhere in Gotham. And Dick in a neighboring city fighting crime as Nightwing. It would be interesting for one or both to visit tbh.))
Clarissa smiled. She was now fidgeting with her hands in her lap. It was a nervous habit. Sometimes she picked at her nails so much that they bled, and that was never good. /I accidentally stained a good blouse with my damn nail blood. Gross./ She hated the sight of the stuff. She vowed never to become a police officer or a surgeon. Or a shark.
"I hope its nice. I used to go somewhere expensive. I honestly don't know how mother afforded to send me to a high class institution, but she did. A little unfair to take me away from my friends though. And what else-- I was making top grades." She would keep word of having a 'C' in English to herself. "I don't understand her sometimes. You must know how that feels?" She looked expectantly towards him, unaware of his circumstances. This was the first time grandparents had crossed her mind.
-
Yes! Family Reunion time!)
Bruce was silent as stone. His gaze was unreadable, and he kept his eyes on the road. He knew he had to tell Clarissa at some point, but it felt too soon right now. He suddenly sighed, sadness sweeping over his features. "My parents died when I was young. Alfred raised me." he told her, his voice void of emotion. But his hands shaking on the wheel gave him away. His parents' death still affected him greatly.
Bruce pulled the car over to the side of road. He turned it off before turning to Clarissa. "We can walk from here. Now, we might get stopped; a lot of people know me. But I promise that I'll try to keep them from bothering us too much. Not many people shop in this part of town anyway." He then got out, and went around to her side. He opened her door for her. -
Her brows creased in concern. It was as if a weight had been placed upon her shoulders at the realization. It must have been so hard for him. In the back of her mind she had flashes of the dream but shooed them away. Still the question lingered. Who were they? Clarissa wouldn't tell him until she was ready.
"Uh-huh. Its alright, I'd love the attention." Stepping from the car she joined Bruce at his side and gazed up at the city. Skyscrapers towered above them, obscuring the view of the sun and showing only blue skies. "Beautiful. But busy."
-
Bruce nods in agreement as he closed the door. "It's always busy here. I often leave during the summer, and go where its quiet. Would you like to join me there this summer?" He asked her. He offered her his arm, smiling down at her. Right now, there was a slight chill in the air. There was no sign of anyone else on the streets, but several stores had their lights turned on. They shone brightly, inviting people inside.