The elevator doors of Schiller's mind tower opened, and Pride slowly stepped out. He adjusted the cufflinks at his wrist and headed toward his room. After opening the door, he walked to the desk, intending to sort through the things on it, when someone knocked in a familiar rhythm.
"Come in."
Greed opened the door a crack but did not enter. He placed a box on the cabinet by the door, gestured to Pride, and said, "Your friend came looking for you two hours ago. You weren't here. This is his gift. I delivered it. Goodbye."
With that, he closed the door. Pride frowned, tidied up the desk first, then walked over to the cabinet by the door and carried the box to the sofa.
A matte bat emblem was printed on the surface of the black box. It was the symbol of Main Universe Batman. Schiller opened the lid and found a book wrapped in dark blue paper inside.
When Schiller unwrapped it, he saw the title written in ornate English script on the cover—Collected Birds.
Schiller gently ran his thumb over the raised gold lettering. When he opened the book, he found a letter tucked between the first and second pages.
Schiller did not open the letter immediately. Instead, he glanced at the portion obscured by the envelope. It was a poem about birds.
"Summer birds fly to my window to sing, then fly away.
Autumn leaves have nothing to sing, only sighing as they fall."
Schiller's fingertips brushed over those simple lines. Compared to Batman's inner world, they were far too plain and light.
Schiller had never imagined that Collected Birds would be Batman's reading material. This collection of clear, bright poetry would have looked somewhat out of place even on the bookshelves of Wayne Manor.
Holding