The awakened dead

"Damian, were they trying to rob us?"

Miaomiao curiously watched the men kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy. They were so weak, yet they wanted to rob people?

"Sorry, we're so sorry! We didn't know who we were dealing with! We shouldn't have offended you, young master and young miss! We'll never do it again!"

The two men, their faces bruised and swollen, took out everything of value they had and offered it to the two children with trembling hands.

"This is all our money. Please, let us go just this once!"

Damian eyed the pile of junk with disgust, unwilling to even reach for it. He gave each man a kick. "Get lost! If I catch you breaking the law again, you won't walk away in one piece."

"Thank you! Thank you! We swear we'll turn over a new leaf!"

The robbers fled, thanking them profusely, but Miaomiao picked something shiny out of the odds and ends they had left behind.

"Damian, look at this! It's so sparkly and pretty!"

"Heh, it's just a crystal charm. Is the old man that broke now? He needs his own son to shake down a couple of two-bit thugs?"

The speaker was, naturally, Red Hood, who had just finished his "friendly negotiations" with Penguin. As soon as he stepped outside, he had spotted the signs the two brats had left and arrived just in time to catch the end.

"Shut up, Todd. I don't feel like fighting you today."

"Neither do I."

Red Hood removed his helmet, revealing a strikingly handsome face. A few white strands ran through the short black hair above his forehead, as unruly as the man himself, while his eyes held a deep green hue.

The same green as the waters of the ominous Lazarus Pit that had brought him back to life.

Jason had little interest in arguing with children, either. So much time had passed. He was no longer the hotheaded boy who, after returning from the dead and hearing that Batman had a new Robin, had stormed over in a rage and beaten his replacement without a word.

Damian had been in Gotham for a year and had officially taken over as Robin some time ago. The two already knew each other well. What interested Jason more now was this new black-haired girl.

"What? The old man couldn't resist falling back into his old habits and bringing another chick home to the nest? Why doesn't he just change his name to 'Gotham Gu Huo Bird'?"

"Red Date Head! Watch your mouth!"

"What? Touchy already?" Jason looked mockingly at his brother, who stood two heads shorter than him. "Counting this one, how many little birds has he dragged home now? That lineup of siblings of yours just keeps growing."

Damian said something in a language Miaomiao couldn't understand. Though she didn't know what it meant, his expression made it clear that it wasn't anything polite.

"Are you two arguing?" The well-behaved Little Merfolk asked when she didn't understand. "Why are you arguing?"

Jason turned to look at the girl before him. She wore ordinary casual clothes, and her seemingly black hair and eyes showed a faint blue-violet sheen in certain lighting. With the fluffy, dim-looking penguin chick in her hands, she looked particularly "simple-minded."

Judging by appearances alone, she was an innocent, foolish little girl who knew nothing of the world. A lucky child fortunate enough to be adopted by Gotham's richest man, Bruce Wayne.

But as Red Hood, Jason considered more than that.

Was this the girl who helped the old man rescue those people last night? That newcomer...

Quan Ke?

Last night, after getting word of what had happened, Jason had intended to go help Batman-pah, he meant go cause trouble for Joker. But Killer Croc and Clayface, who had temporarily allied themselves with Joker, had joined forces to hold him back. By the time he had broken through and arrived, he hadn't gotten to meet the newcomer.

All he had heard was a report from his informant at the police station: the rescued hostages had described her as a pretty little girl who could conjure colorful bubbles.

Pretty, he could see. Not bad at all. After all, everyone in the Wayne Family qualified as a beauty, regardless of age, gender, origin, or style. As for colorful bubbles...

What was this, some magical-girl cartoon for kids? No wonder she could get along with Damian, that little demon brat with his delusions of grandeur.

Seeing him looking at her, Miaomiao gave him a slightly shy smile. "Hello, my name is Miaomiao."

Based on her previous experiences with the Wayne Family, once she introduced herself, the other person would give their name, and they would officially know each other. Miaomiao waited for his response with wide, dewy eyes, only to hear:

"Heh."

Huh? Heh? What kind of name was that?

Jason had only come to take a look at the Bat Family's newest little bird, with no intention of getting to know her. After that brief encounter, he turned away and strode on his long legs toward the motorcycle at the alley's entrance.

"Hey, Todd," Damian called. "Alfred asked me to pass along a message. There's a family dinner at Wayne Manor tomorrow night. Alfred hopes you'll come."

At the mention of the old man who had raised and cared for him like a grandfather, Jason hesitated-but only for a moment.

"Not happening."

With those final words, Jason swung onto his motorcycle and sped away.

Only a fuming Damian, a still-bewildered Miaomiao, and the penguin chick remained in the alley.

"Damian, you said it was a Wayne Family dinner. Is that handsome red fellow part of Bruce's family too? Why doesn't he live with us?"

Faced with Miaomiao's questions, Damian didn't know how to answer.

The Second Robin's experiences had been so horrific that even Damian, who had grown up in the League of Assassins, would fall silent for a moment when he thought of them.

For people like them, death had never been the most frightening thing. Watching their own faith crumble before their eyes was.

And Jason Todd had endured both physical torture and utter despair. The young hero who had died so brutally should have rested in peace beneath the earth, but his bewildered spirit had been forcibly awakened from the grave. From then on, all Gotham had left was Red Hood, consumed by rage and vengeance.

"Damian?"

What was going on? Ever since they had met that handsome red fellow, Damian had been acting a little strange. And that red fellow was strange too. She had taken the initiative to say hello, yet he hadn't even been willing to give his name. That was a little rude.

Damian irritably ruffled the penguin chick's feathers and decided to leave these questions to the professional-Batman.

"Do you have anything else to do?" When Miaomiao shook her head, Damian waved his little hand. "Back to Wayne Manor. Whatever you want to know, ask Father yourself."

"Okay."

Miaomiao the Little Merfolk was easy to satisfy. She immediately put the matter aside and turned to playing enthusiastically with the penguin chick, which had already grown accustomed to her.

"Chirp, chirp~ Chirp, chirp~"

It's decided! The little gray fluffball's name will be Jiujio!