Bruce had to hand it to whoever had done the work on âRichardâsâ face, you could barely even see the barely contained rage bubbling beneath the surface. He shouldnât allow personal feelings the interfere in his work like this, but somewhere in his hollow, bat-shaped heart Bruce always found Black Maskâs outbursts and temper tantrums rather amusingâ
âAha, a I had a feeling you enjoyed using cliches just as much as I do, eh? Besides, Iâve never really identified with cats. TooâŚ.. anti-social, you know?â
Bruce stroked his chin, a smile that was only skin deep plastered across his face. âThatâs pretty cool, itâs nice that even with yourâŚâŚ obvious life experience youâre still up for learning more.â He chuckled âMe personally, the only subject I have any passion for now that Iâve left school is biology.â He winked in a manner in-keeping with the personality of douchebag playboy he liked to present while in public.
âMe? I was hoping to run into an old family friend. We grew up in Gotham, but I heard he was living here now. Thought it would be cool to see him while Iâm in town for business.â He met âRichardâsâ gaze. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were not. âHey, hereâs a fun fact. He has the same initials as you. Weird coincidence, huh?â
Shooting Bruce Wayne in the face in the middle of New York City would undoubtedly get him arrested and thrown into the most secure prison law enforcement could find. Â
He still considered whether it would be worth it for a long few seconds.
How heâd ever been jealous of this man as a child was beyond him--Wayne was the embodiment of the most grating features of all those faceless people his parents had spent their lives schmoozing. The people who looked down their noses because he had never quite understood the way someone of his âstationâ was supposed to talk, was supposed to act, was supposed to look.
It was no small pleasure to make a mockery of it all now, to slide into upper class gatherings with a fine suit and false niceties on his lips before he had everyone just where he needed them to be to drop that mask, to turn to the coarse Gotham drawl that so set everyone on edge. Â
ââSâ is one of the most common last initials in the States, canât be all that rare,â he shrugged, lifting his chin a bit, challenging Bruce to come out and say the accusation lurking under the surface if he wants to play ball. âThereâs a reason they use John Smith on all the example forms. But, ya know, thereâs something I think is just great about the 21st century, Mr. Wayne--weâve all got these great little things called cell phones. Maybe you should give your friend a call instead of trying to ârun into himâ in the biggest city this side of the planet.â He finally sat back in his seat, flexed his hand as he realized the muscles had grown sore from his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. Â
âItâs been great, but I really do have to run. Good luck tracking down your friend, Mr. Wayne.â Â