Kei was, admittedly, a little nervous about this meeting.

It's her first time interviewing someone in an official capacity and it being at such a high class place does not help her sweaty palms.

(Well, "high class" because of the people who frequent it. But it's an open secret who owns this place and the kind of characters it attracts)

She's outside the entrance of the Iceberg Lounge on a Wednesday evening at 6pm sharp.

It's brightly lit, brighter than any building on the block—a beacon, beckoning everyone to come inside.

She has to wonder if it affects the neighbors...or if they even get a say in a matter.

Penguin has supposedly reformed, but who knows how much of that claim is true.

"Nervous?" Kei jumps at the sound of Selina's voice and turns to her left to find the woman clad in a black jumpsuit and black mask.

Kei was glad about it, actually, because she had felt underdressed for a masquerade in her purple, wide-flared slacks and purple blouse, accessorized with a matching clutch, where she kept her notebook. The only effort Kei had done to "class up" the outfit was buying a lace purple mask.

"When did you get here?! You're worse than The Bat!" Kei accuses.

Selina smiles smugly, showing off her black lipstick.

"You clearly have never met him before." She states, coming closer and revealing her outfit in full.
"Looks like we'll match." Selina says, amused by the whole situation, as she points at Kei's similar mask with a long, manicured black nail.

"Looks like we do." Kei admits, tucking a non-existent strand of hair behind her ear (she had forgotten that she had tied into a bun earlier).
"Um...do you want to go in?" Kei suggests, tapping her heels on the ground to control her nerves and Selina nods.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

It was just as bright inside as it was out. The tables were decorated with gold plates, silverware and white table cloths. A dance floor stood in the middle of the room but was indistinguishable from It was actually really nice—at least in Kei's opinion, who had never had been to an upscale restaurant in her entire life.

Tonight's party was a masquerade so everyone in the lounge was wearing masks. Kei had only mentioned yesterday, last minute, to Selina, having almost forgotten that detail from her own invitation.

The two walked up to the host's table where a young woman wearing an employee uniform stood, staring intently at a guest list book. She was wearing red lipstick and had brown hair cascading down her shoulders.

"Um...excuse me?" The woman looks up, raising an eyebrow at Kei, encouraging her to speak.
"I'm here to meet with a woman—Phoebe Bloom. Is she here?"
"Yes, she is. May I ask who you are?" The woman asks, eyeing Kei with an unimpressed look.
"Kei Nakajima. She mentioned something on the phone that I would be put under as a plus one?" The woman flips through the ledger and then shakes her head.
"No, I'm sorry. You aren't on the list."
"Really?" Kei asks, genuinely confused. "That's odd. She said I would be."
"Well, clearly her information is incorrect." The woman replies, already looking bored of this conversation.

"She's with me, Cheryl." Selina pipes up, finally speaking through this whole exchange and making herself visible by standing next to Kei instead of behind her.

The hostess glances over at The Cat and she brightens significantly.

"Oh! Miss Kyle. I apologize. I didn't recognize you! You look lovely. And look at that, you're matching! How cute." Kei tries to hide her surprise at the hostess' sudden shift in tone.

The woman, Cheryl, flips to the front of her ledger and checks off Selina's name from a list which Kei can briefly see says "VIP Guest List".

She was surprised and intrigued by how many names were on that list—all of them were, of course, Gotham criminals. But they weren't listed by their alter egos—they were listed by their names, instead. This was probably the only place they could have some dignity Kei deduced. Paige Monroe, Harvey Dent, Edward Nygma, Jonathan Crane, Jervis Tetch, Victor Fries, Pamela Isley, Harley Quinzel, Natalia Knight, Roxanne Sutton just to name a few.

The list was probably three pages long, Kei guessed, just from seeing how many names were on the first page.

"Could you check again to see if Kei Nakajima is there?" Selina coaxes Cheryl who flips to another few pages, getting to recent party attendees and finds Phoebe's name.
"Ah, yes. Here it is. Come with me, I will take you to Miss Bloom's table."

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

Cheryl smiles, taking the ledger with her and guides them to a table by the wall, near some booths.

"Thanks." Kei whispers to Selina as they are guided through the restaurant.
"No problem. Perks of being friends with the owner. Cheryl is a nice girl but can be very stingy with people."
"I can see that." Kei replies before they get to the table.

A blonde woman with blue eyes wearing a green dress accented with gold with a matching mask sits at the table. She looks to be early 30s or mid 40s Kei observes.

"Miss Bloom? Your guest is here." The woman looks up, from where she's been nursing what looks like a small shot of tequila.

"Ah, you must be Kei. And you must be...Selina Kyle?" Phoebe questions.
"You're very sharp." Selina replies, presumably a compliment from her tone.
"Well, you rogues aren't as conspicuous as you seem to think." Phoebe explains, taking a sip from her drink before she turns back to Kei.
"I wasn't expecting you to bring a plus one."
"I wasn't expecting to either." Kei admits. "My boss insisted so my hands were tied."

"So you chose...the cat burglar of the East End?"
"It seemed like the most logical choice...she has...connections. Does it bother you?" Kei asks and Phoebe smiles mysteriously before shaking her head.
"Believe me, I don't have any right to judge. I'm not exactly on the right side of the tracks either, being connected to The Court of Owls." Phoebe explains before changing the subject. "Anyway, enough chit chat. Please, both of you, sit." Phoebe extends her arm to the two chairs in front of her. They both sit down.

Kei gets out her notebook and pen as a black haired server comes over.

"I thought I saw you across the crowd!" The server says as she comes over.
"Raven! How is the lounge?" Selina asks, making casual conversation.
"Well business—as you can see—is booming." Raven replies, gesturing to the crowd of filled tables.

"And...yourself?" Raven's expression changes as she rolls her eyes, clearly annoyed.
"I would be great...if only The Bat hadn't ruined everything! He's trying to find Ed when he's clearly not here. No one's seen him for a few days. Have you?"
"I might've...but it might not be the thing to discuss in front of...civilians." Selina replies, choosing her words carefully, and Raven glances at Phoebe and Kei before scoffing.

"Sorry. Me and my big mouth. Anyway, can I get anything for you, ladies?"
"I'll just a drink at the bar. Kei?" Selina replies and she turns to her companion expectantly as Raven brings out a notepad.
"I don't drink, but do you have any appetizers?"
"Mm-hm. We have seasoned fries, burger sliders and a platter of meat and cheese."
"I'll take the seasoned fries, then." Kei decides and Raven smiles.
"Lovely. Anything else?" The table shakes their head.
"Great! I'll be right back." Raven says before leaving.

"I guess we should get started now. Are you ready for the interview?" Kei asks, clicking her pen and opening her notebook.
"Yes...I think so." Phoebe replies, glancing over at Selina.

She seems to take the hint and gets up.
"I think I'll go to the bar and get that drink now."

Selina leaves the table and Kei turns back to Phoebe.

"Okay, let's talk."
"Sure. Ask me your questions."

"Okay. First off, for formalities sake, what's your name?"
"Phoebe Bloom."
"Ok. Pheobe, May I ask your job title?"
"Why is that necessary?" Pheobe asks, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"It's just a formality, something for the article."
"Alright. I work freelance as tech support."
"Alright. Tell me, Phoebe, how do you know this 'Court of Owls' is real?"
"When I was young my parents were a member of The Court. And as a result, so was I."
"Really?"
"Yes. But one day...I left."
"Left?"
"My family and I aren't on the best of terms. But...it was more than that. I needed to get out of there and...well...Miss Nakajima, can I be frank with you?" Kei tears her eyes away from her notebook for a moment to nod.
"The reason I wanted to do this interview was because I wanted to expose the truth of The Court. Expose that they were real...and I wanted to tell you about one person in particular. Violet Windermere."

Kei stops her scribbling dead in her tracks and looks up at Phoebe. She recognizes the name.

"Violet Windermere?"
"Yes...have you heard of her? I know that you're new to this city so it's understandable if you haven't."
"Actually, I saw her name on an article I was looking at the other day. She's some kind of tech mogul, right?"
"The head of Windermere Technologies, yes." Phoebe confirms.
"She's a member of The Court of Owls?"
"Yes...and she's quite powerful. The reason I want to talk to her specifically is because...she's dangerous."
"Dangerous how?"
"...she ruins lives. And several years ago...she ruined mine."
"How...exactly?" Across the table, Phoebe Blooms rubs her hands together nervously.
"I..." Pheobe trails off and tries to start again before she shakes her head.
"I'm sorry, Miss Nakajima. I...I need a moment to collect myself." She explains, her voice brimming with emotion as tears blur her vision.

A red-haired waitress was moving towards Phoebe with a tray of drinks in her hand as she stood up. Before Kei could even say Watch out! The woman bumped into her and there was the unmistakable sound of shattering glass.

"Oh my god!! I am so sorry, ma'am! I did not mean to do that! I didn't even see you! I am so sorry!" The waitress says, frantically, apologizing profusely.

"It's fine! It was an honest mistake." Phoebe replies, seeming to want to be anywhere but in the lounge at that very moment.
"I...here! Come with me and let me get you cleaned up." The woman suggests, whisking Phoebe away to the bathroom.

Kei waited for a couple of minutes, sneaking in a few pieces of the fries she had ordered.

Then, Phoebe came out. But something was clearly off. She looked forlorn, despondent...and had a note in her hand.

She didn't even seem to notice Kei sitting a few feet away at their table—or that she had reached the table at all.

Phoebe bit her lip and then folded up the paper, placing it in her purse before speed-walking the few feet to their table.

"I'm sorry, Miss Nakajima. I can't continue the interview! Something just came up."
"Are you alright?" Kei asks, concerned by the nervous energy she was giving off.
"I—" Phoebe stops herself, looking down at her shaky hands and letting in a breath to still herself.
"Yes, I'm fine. I just have to go. Just...keep my name out of the paper if you decide to print this." Pheobe explains, her voice deadened as she looks Kei straight in the eye. The reporter nods in understanding.

Phoebe seems to be satisfied by this, quickly grabbing a coat left, hanging behind her chair and going over to hostess to clear the check.

Kei sighs as she looks at her notes. She had gotten a bit of information. But she wasn't sure how much of it was useful, especially when her interview had been cut short so abruptly.

Seeing no other option, Kei left the table to go and went to find her companion.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

Kei finds Selina at the bar, just as she said she would be.

"Hey...you alright? Did something happen?"
"Something like that...my interviewee just bailed on me. She bumped into an employee and they went away so she could get cleaned up. But...the waitress handed her some kind of note and Phoebe...she looked scared." Kei explains with a frown.

"Do you think it had something to do with your investigation?" Selina whispers, leaning forward.

Kei hesitates to answer.

"I...I don't know." She looks down at the bar top table before deciding what to do next. "I think I'm going to go home. Figure out what to tell my boss. Um...thanks for coming. I enjoyed this despite, well, the circumstances."
"Likewise." Selina replies, a mysterious smile on her lips. "Stay safe, Kei. Gotham is dangerous at night—you never know who could be lurking out there in the shadows."

Kei finds this ironic, coming from a cat burglar. But she doesn't mention it. Instead she goes to where she parked her car and drives home ready to retire for the night.

Author's Notes

Not to roast my own writing but we spent more time getting into the restaurant than doing the actual interview lol

So this woman, Phoebe, she will become important later on so keep an eye out for her👀

(AKA she's going to be a love interest in a couple of books!)

I didn't expect her to turn out so mysterious, but I don't hate it. She just wrote herself on the page basically I guess.

In case it wasn't obvious, I'm not of the legal drinking age yet so I have know idea what's a good drink lol

(Could've consulted my dad but I wrote most of this in school and I feel like that'd be suspicious)

Other than that, I made this as an excuse to include a masquerade because it's a trope I love...A LOT!

And is very convenient for Kei and Phoebe's meeting :)

Unrelated to anything but I kind of feel like my characters range from confident/no nonsense/sarcastic people to naive/happy go lucky/optimistic people (not necessarily all at once). I don't know if it's boring but my only guess is that they all stem from my personality/aspirations because all my OCs have chunks of me in them somehow—

Anyway, apologies for the wait. I had tech theater rehearsals/the show about a week ago. This was supposed to come out the weekend before but I couldn't so it's here now. Oh, and I finally (FINALLY!) got out of my horrible math class🥳 No more algebra 2 for me!!

But now that the play is done, I can get back to writing :)

BatgirlGeek❤️