Barry spoke at breakneck speed, trying to cover up the awkwardness:
"Sorry, sorry! I meant to follow the proper procedure for visiting, but I'd been waiting outside for ages...
Then I happened to see this young lady, so I used a slightly unconventional method to follow her in. I'm really sorry for disturbing you-"
Bruce turned and tapped a few keys on the control console, bringing up his email.
There was indeed an email from Barry Allen in his inbox, dated three days earlier.
Bruce received huge volumes of email year-round. With Alfred on vacation recently, there was no one to sort through them for him, leaving him with absolutely no motivation to open his inbox.
He rubbed between his brows and turned his head to glance at Barry.
"You're from Central City? What do you need?"
Since Clark had referred him, there had to be something special about him.
Barry's eyes lit up.
He took a step forward and spoke even faster.
"Mr. Wayne, I've admired you for so long! When Clark told me you were Batman, I honestly couldn't believe it..."
Bruce's brows knitted even tighter. He hadn't expected that muscle-bound Superman to give him away just like that.
He took a deep breath and steered the conversation back. "Tell me what you need first."
Barry immediately reined in his overly enthusiastic greetings:
"Here's the thing. I'd like your help making a new combat suit. Because of technological limitations, my current uniform can't withstand the abrasion caused by running at faster-than-light speed..."
Bruce's expression changed when he heard "running at faster-than-light speed."
He gestured for Barry to sit in a nearby chair, then pulled up a chair himself.
"You can exceed the speed of light?"
Ririko folded her arms and watched as they began discussing possible heat-resistance limits