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“This is great. Just great. Our last mission with the team and it's in Blüdhaven,” Wally grumbled, and Artemis elbowed him hard in the stomach. He grunted, and M'gann smiled, holding back laughter. Raquel just rolled her eyes, like always. Kaldur sighed. Barbara thought that the responsibilities of leadership were weighing him down. Dick was right about that, though he'd only mentioned it in passing and was distracted at the time. She didn't think he'd given much thought to it, busy as he was with academy finals and admittedly blindsided by Bruce's new Robin.
She tried not to think about that. Things were a bit strained right now, since even when they tried to be, most of them were still unhappy about Dick's decision to join the police, and Bruce had needed someone after Jason died, someone that Dick couldn't be. She knew he'd tried, but he wasn't able to go back and he wasn't even what Bruce needed. Neither was she.
“I can't believe people actually choose to live here.”
Barbara held back her reaction to those words. Sometimes Dick's decision to move here surprised her, but then she remembered his logical arguments and his fan club. Adding that in to his tendency to feel and root for the underdog, she knew what Dick saw in Blüdhaven. She didn't like it herself, but she understood it.
“You watch what you're saying about my town,” a woman said, and Barbara winced, knowing that no one should have gotten that close to them without them noticing. “It may be a bit ugly and more than a little rough around the edges, but it's home and it doesn't dress as funny as you do.”
“Um,” Wally began, but Artemis nodded, giving his outfit a sideways glance. He glared back at her and she grinned.
“Don't you agree, Rookie?” the woman asked, arms folded over her chest as she looked behind her to the other side of the black and white squad car.
“I don't know,” a familiar voice said. “Pretty sure no one's going to be asking me for fashion advice anytime soon, Rohrbach.”
The woman laughed, and Barbara had to wonder just what Dick had worn to work to get that reaction out of his companion. “True enough, Rookie. Someone want to explain to me what you kids are doing out here in the wrong part of town for a costume party?”
Dick leaned against the car, a wide smile on his face, barely holding back laughter. Barbara figured that she'd better have Bruce give him a lecture on poker faces and maintaining his secret identity later.
“We are not here for a party,” Kaldur began.
“Speak for yourself,” Wally said. “It's always a party around Kid Flash.”
Artemis elbowed him again. Kaldur gave him a look before addressing Rohrbach. “We are here seeking a dangerous criminal. He has—”
“You're seeking a criminal?”
“Hey, you're one to talk, lady. Everyone knows the Blüdhaven cops are corrupt.”
“Kid Flash!” Artemis hissed, smacking him on the back of his head this time.
“Not all of them,” Rohrbach said, restraining some obvious anger. She shook her head. “Hell of a way to start your first day on the job, huh, Grayson?”
Dick shrugged. “It's been interesting. I vote we call that one Kid Mouth, though. What do you think? Sound good?”
Rohrbach smiled. “I knew there was a reason I liked you, Rookie.”