Chapter Text
Oliver POV
I really hate these things. First because I have to let Felicity go off on her own and that's a lot harder these days than it has been. She's fine, mostly; I'm the nervous wreck. Thank God for Digg.
We were good walking through the hall after backing up the Applied Sciences people at the booth this morning. I saw Allen by the StarLabs booth, but they were 6 bodies deep and Felicity thankfully didn't want to wade through that. I'll probably have to sit through a geek-speak breakfast tomorrow, but I'll live.
Now all I have to do is survive tonight's social swirl without choking. Myself or anyone else. It's getting harder to be the playboy instead of the CEO here, when I really want to be home putting the fear of God into … somebody. I should be moving around, chatting up the competition's tech people and head-hunting. It's why we came, after all.
Instead of circulating, I'm watching Felicity head-to-head with Wayne Industries' Lucius Fox. From everything I know of him, Fox is as devious as his name, so I'm betting he's running a serious push to get her to switch to Wayne. I'm also betting she fleeces him for more secrets than he gains.
"You keep nursing that flute, you're going to lose your party-boy status."
Without looking away from Felicity, I say "It's domestic. I'll risk it."
"Sorry we're not up to your standards, Queen." Wayne comes up on my left, leaving the bulk of the room at his back. He gestures at Felicity and Fox with what looks like whiskey but smells like tea. "Lucius thinks he can turn her. I told him he's have better luck hiring Pepper away from Stark."
I past him look down the Hall to where Tony Stark is holding court. His arm is firmly around Ms. Potts' waist and neither of them looks in any way concerned about the picture they make. Since everyone knows she's his brain and his right hand, I suspect Stark's reaction to a successful head-hunter would be scorched earth.
I know Stark outed himself as Iron Man. He doesn't have a shy bone in his body, so I can't see him being able to keep that kind of a secret at the best of times. It doesn't hurt that he's as much of a genius as he thinks he is. Aside from my Girl Wednesday, he probably the smartest body in the room.
Wayne looks from Stark to Felicity. "It's the reactor in the chest thing I can't get past."
To be that open with Felicity, it might almost be worth it. Unlike Stark, I have Thea and my mom to consider, too. There are a lot more people in my life that I protect by hiding my face.
I glance back at Stark. No way in hell I could carry off that act. The playboy run aground on Lian Yu would have had the swagger, but not the spine. Now the spine is there, but I've had the swagger cut out of me along the way. Smacks too much of whistling past the graveyard and not worth the Universe's sure and certain retribution.
"I'll drink to that." I raise my glass in salute and Wayne does the same, though neither of us actually drinks. I have my own scars, but I'm betting Stark's collection is almost as bad, if not as varied.
"I was glad to see your mother was acquitted." Wayne is still speaking to me, but his eyes are surfing the balcony in front of us.
It's the one that faces out onto the street and it's the one I'd use if I were making an entrance. I can tell the security people from the guests by the earpieces and the shifting eyes, but they're obvious enough that I take a second look and I see Sara tucked back in the far corner. She doesn't appear to react to either Wayne's glance or mine, but I know she's aware of both of us.
The world shifts a little as I process what that means. Wayne. And Sara. And I have to be an idiot that I didn't see this sooner.
Gotham's Prince they'd called him, a man who'd watched his parents murdered before his eyes. Come back from the dead to reclaim his family's company. How did I miss these ... breadcrumbs? Neon signs more like!
I carry on our surface conversation, as much to gain some time to think as keep up my side of things. "We were surprised, but yeah, very grateful." This is actually the first time someone here has mentioned it to my face, but I'm grateful for that too.
"She shouldn't have been charged like that." Wayne shakes his head. "Donner's an ass. With an eye towards higher office, I believe. Politicians with a base to cultivate shouldn't be allowed to try cases like that."
I won't argue that, but I know she shouldn't have walked so easily.
"I've been told that Malcolm Merlyn was trained by the League of Assassins. Based on the police report of the attempt to arrest him, I tend to believe it."
I had a vivid flash of the room as Digg and I moved around their corpses on our way to stop Merlyn. It bothered me that I couldn't remember whether there'd been there or four men, but I'd been focused on Tommy in the corner.
Wayne's tone hasn't changed, but his face is suddenly a lot more serious. I'm betting on Sara as his source and I can feel my face wanting to harden. I can tell that what's coming next won't be good.
"They don't like cities much, especially ones where corruption is a fixture. They've tried for Gotham more than once." He meets my gaze and I can feel the force of his personality, of his sincerity. "I wouldn't expect them to stop helping Merlyn take Starling City apart, either."
"Merlyn's dead." I know. I'm the one who drove the arrow through his heart.
"Mmm, maybe. The League are harder to kill than they seem. As in sever their heads and set them on fire just to be sure."
"That's ... not good to hear." Understate much? The only reason I'm still standing here is because I know better than to howl in public.
"So I thought when I found out." There's a world of regret in his voice and I feel a tightening in my gut. Merlyn knows who I am and how to hurt me. If Wayne's right, nothing good is going to come from this.
He catches my eye again and studies me for a moment. Whatever he sees seems to decide him. "Their training regime is vicious, but I can show you some things. Useful things." He looks down at Stark. "We can show you some things. If you're interested."
"I'm interested." As in, can we start now? Breathe, Oliver.
"Good." Wayne smiles. "Welcome to the Club."