They slept in until past nine o'clock, stirring out of bed like two disoriented chicks.
Selina staggered off to get dressed while Bruce sat on the edge of the bed staring into space. It took him a good three minutes to remember to put on his shorts.
Then they gradually came to their senses, but fell into disagreement over their outfits.
"You're going to get burned to a crisp." Selina leaned against the bathroom door, pointing at Bruce's attire. "Put on your sun guard sleeves, wear a pair of pants, and don't forget your hat and umbrella."
"You're kidding, right? I'm about to enjoy the sunlight I've not had in my first 20 years of life."
Selina gave an exasperated look, raising her hands and letting them drop again. "Do you seriously not understand how strong the UV rays can get in a typical coastal city? Let me make it clear, I don't want my boyfriend to turn into an overcooked shrimp."
"Don't be like that, dear. Do you really think I'll get sunburned? Us Gothamites don't follow such a practice. We're not rednecks from the Midwest."
"But you're still a white man, and you appear to be of pure descent."
"Aren't you?"
Selina rolled her eyes: "Don't tell me you've been dating me for this long without realizing I have a touch of brown in me. Didn't you notice I'm not all that pale?"
"I thought you deliberately tanned your skin. But your facial features do suggest you're white."
"I already told you, I'm mixed race, it's just a minor percentage... I'm finding it harder and harder to reason with you. Just put on your sun protection suit!"
Selina lunged at Bruce - at least that's how it appeared from his perspective - trying to stuff him into a paper-thin, unattractive outer garment he had never worn before.
"Do you know how popular sun protection gear is nowadays? I had to ask a nun who works for my buddy Tom to get it from her husband's diving gear store!"
Under duress, Bruce donned the garment. Then Selina tossed him a hat, not a baseball cap with just a frontal brim, but a full-rounded hat.
"You're overreacting, Selina. Listen, when Clark and I were in his hometown, yes it was sunny but not this dire," Bruce replied.
Grabbing his shoulders, Selina proceeded to adjust his hat for him: "Could you use that intelligent brain of yours to think about the physics you're so fond of? We're heading to the pier! UV rays, you know?"
Just as she fastened the hat, Selina pulled out a sun umbrella from her bag, but Bruce immediately stepped back: "No, that's where I draw the line. Dear, the sun's finally out in Gotham, we don't need an umbrella."
"It's to block the sun... fine, at least change into pants."
In the end, Bruce did not change his shorts, and Selina reluctantly decided to let the sun teach him a lesson.
Some people might think that summer is the time when the UV rays are the most intense, which is not incorrect, but in coastal cities, the late summer transitioning into autumn can cause moderate sunburn just in half an hour.
The real danger lies in the peak of summer when everyone is thinking of sun protection. The burning sensation drives people to seek shade. However, once the temperature decreases, many people let their guard down, leading to the dermatology department in hospitals jam-packed within a month.
When they first stepped out, Bruce didn't feel the sunlight at all, especially since it was not yet ten o'clock, and they soon got in the car. Halfway through, Bruce even took off his hat.
Selina had given up on him and shoved the sun umbrella into Bruce's hands - his favorite amusement when they go out together was to fold the umbrella back to its original state.
To Selina, this was nothing short of magic. Once an umbrella left its original cover in her hands, she would never be able to put it back. The folded spokes might as well have concealed a portable labyrinth.
"What color dress do you think I should buy? The Op necklace is sunset-colored, maybe blue?"
"All I can tell you is that I plan to wear a vintage orange-brown suit with a dark blue tie."
Selina raised her eyebrows in surprise: "Finally giving up on your dreadful dark blue suit? I've always thought you'd look great in a colored suit."
"Actually, I wanted to go for silver, but it seemed a bit inappropriate."
"If you have no particular fondness for black, then why did you design the bat suit in black?" Selina tamed her wavy hair and asked, "You know it would be more noticeable in color."
"It wasn't designed to attract attention initially."
Selina dismissed that with a wave of her hand, clearly not believing. She took out a small mirror to check her face, then said: "But I've never seen you on duty. Will you be going tonight? Can I come and watch?"
"Not tonight, of course. Don't you remember? We have a banquet. And I really don't understand what's so fascinating about it."
"Stop pretending. You know perfectly well what the charm is. Don't think I'm not aware you read that bodybuilding guide twenty times a week. By the way, it's useless without a proper diet."
Bruce sighed heavily.
"What if I told you I'm not bulking up for the bat suit, but to avoid accusations of looking unkempt when I put on another suit of armor, would you buy that?"
"I have grown used to your bullshit."
"Those superhumans will never understand the efforts ordinary humans have to make to maintain a sculpted physique that they're naturally born with."
"And yet you would rather play cards than hit the gym."
"Can I justify it as necessary mental labor?"
Selina turned to Bruce and pinched his arm, saying: "You might think I'm flattering you, but I think you're just right. I wouldn't want you to become a bulky classic bodybuilder. That's too much."
Bruce raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Selina added, "Your appeal to women doesn't lie in your physique alone. Of course, a great body and a good-looking face help, but what differentiates you from other heartthrobs is your brooding character. That's very unique, and uniqueness is most important."
Just as Bruce was about to speak up, Selina shifted the topic, "I heard a female assassin named Talia is after you. Is she planning to kill you?"
"I don't think so."
"Then she must want to sleep with you."
"Where did you hear that from?"
Selina glanced at Bruce, and he grudgingly admitted, "To be precise, she seems to want to have my baby."
Selina nearly choked on her saliva. After coughing violently, she growled at Bruce: "Are you kidding me?! Is she crazy?!"
"Wanting to bear my child, is that some sort of..."
"Stop talking, think about Aisha."
Bruce fell silent.
"We were together back then." Unbelievably, Selina continued, "If she doesn't want to start a family with you, is she going to raise your child alone? Has she lost her mind?"
"Aisha might be an accidental case."
"But she's the only one among all children who carries your genes, and everyone else seems normal."
Bruce had no answer to that.
Their vehicle arrived soon, parking near the marketplace's side gate. Selina checked her shoulder bag and walked in, stopping at the nearest beverage shop, head bowed rummaging for cash.
"I'm going to have a coffee, what about you?"
"I... huh?"
Turning to Bruce, Selina saw that he seemed to have his gaze fixed on something. After seeing what it was, Selina gave Bruce a potent smack on the arm. When he turned to look at her, all he got was a death stare.
"Oh, two beauties. Our Playboy seems to intend..."
"Hush, keep quiet, come over." Bruce pulled Selina behind a stall.
"Pamela?" Selina recognized one of them, but the other tall beauty seemed unfamiliar.
"Talya." Bruce uttered her name in a low voice, then frowned, "How did these two get together?"
"Little Pa?" Selina also knitted her brows, but as she turned, she met Bruce's death stare.
"'Little Pa'? How did you two meet?"
"I saved her when we first met, and then we became good friends. Anything odd about that?"
"She is a lesbian."
"I'm not."
"You better not be."
"The same goes for you." Selina immediately began to count on her fingers, "Clark Kent, Lex Luthor, Evans Falcone..."
"They are all my friends."
"So is Little Pa." impatiently, Selina waved her hand, "We don't have 'that kind' of relationship. You explain about Talya first."
Bruce, equally puzzled, peeked out and said, "I thought she left Gotham. Who knows what she's doing by staying here."
"Well, let me test her abilities first." Selina snapped her fingers, "especially her mental state."
Bruce was a second too late; Selina had already vanished. He sighed, paid for the beverages, bypassing the stall to find a table and sit.
Before long, Selina returned, a smug smile on her face, pinching a thin wallet between her fingers that was clearly not her style.
While sipping his coffee, Bruce gave her a thumbs-up. Surprised, Selina replied, "I thought you hated my thieving?"
"Let's get this straight. Talya is an assassin, her money comes from murdering people. You stealing her money is seizure of illicit assets."
Feeling immensely gratified, Selina flashed a brilliant smile, tossed the wallet at Bruce, leaned over the table to plant a kiss on his forehead, and then sat to drink her coffee.
But as she kept sipping, her eyes began to shift right. Bruce turned to look.
"Oh, two beauties. Yet our Gotham Phantom has plans for..."
Before Bruce could finish, Selina tossed her bag at him. They both moved to the same side of the table. Bruce glanced at the two passing figures, "Clark and Lex, not surprising. I heard Clark started to stay at Luthor Manor."
"Wait." Selina held up a finger, "You said Talya failed to seduce you, yet chose not to leave Gotham. Do you think she's changed her target?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you see Lex Luthor's resemblance to you? Both are rich, brilliant, even his grades are better than yours."
"Stop bringing up the grades."
But Selina had already snatched up two cups of coffee and her bag, pulling Bruce to the closest table at top speed.
"I think Lex Luthor is quite the catch," Selina spoke rapidly, "Rich, smart, single."
"You're worried about Talya this much?"
"I am worried about you."
"But I won't..."
"What if you two end up with another Aisha?"
"Your worries are reasonable."
"And Lex's grades are better than yours."
"I said stop bringing that up!"
The Green Street Marina Bazaar had barely opened its gates for a short while, yet due to its highly peculiar geographical location and the already significant crowd on Green Street, it welcomed its first wave of customers just a few days after opening.
At this moment, the entire bazaar was shoulder to shoulder, with rows of people lining up at the edges of the crowd, squashed in and seemingly endless.
Bruce, holding two coconut drinks, took a seat, while Selina toyed with her wallet in hand. After taking a sip of her coconut juice, she said with a sudden realization: "So, it's Talya."
"What about her?"
"I didn't remember until I saw her face. I think I've met her before. Honestly, she is quite pretty. No wonder Little Pa is into her." Selina twiddled her wallet with her slender fingers, drawing Bruce's gaze.
"Wait here, I'm going to meet her." With a sly smile, Selina put her wallet back into her bag and disappeared into the crowd.
Talya was using her height advantage to scan the crowd when a familiar figure darted past her. Like a hawk-eye and swift as lightning, she wasted no time in pursuing the figure.
Being close to the beach, many women were dressed lightly. Selina's belly-baring and short-sleeved outfit was by no means outlandish. Weaving through the crowd, Talya quickly lost sight of Selina.
Suddenly, she saw a shadow race past beside her. Reacting instinctively, she reached for her fanny pack - her phone was gone.
Talya wasn't well-versed in handling such situations. As assassins typically commit premeditated murder, they can lie in wait for several months, even a year, until their target is alone.
Being alone is crucial: less defense makes an ambush easier, and to execute a deadly blow accurately and ruthlessly, some space is needed. No assassin would choose to kill in a crowded subway during rush hour. Even if they intended to poison someone, they would first need to be able to lift their arm - blending in like a piece of luncheon meat won't do.
Talya wanted to take long strides to catch up, but people and crowds were constantly blocking her way against the flow. She wanted to throw a dart, yet every time she lifted her arm, she was bumped into, which led her to lose her balance.
But Talya was neither impulsive nor riddled. Her choice was to first get out of the crowd and run towards the nearest gate, circling around the outside of the marketplace to catch up.
The bazaar had eight large gates in four different directions. Mentally determining Selina's direction, before long, Talya caught sight of the damned thief through one of the main gates.
"Halt! Stop running!"
Talya promptly charged in, taking sight of Selina standing behind a snack cart, swinging her stolen wallet against Selina's wide grin.
Talya lunged at Selina with one hand, but Selina, showing agility not fitting her figure, grabbed the bar on one side of the food truck to dodge Talya's reach and swung to the other side.
As Talya attacked from the other direction, Selina turned to face the opposite side. Talya threw a knife towards her, but Selina avoided it by diving over the food cart's countertop. As Talya rounded the cart to pursue, she was struck squarely in the face by a flying object.
The object turned out to be her wallet and phone, which had fallen into her arms. In the short span of a few seconds, Selina had made her way to the top beam of the market roof. Mat-like, with her hands aligned between her feet on the ground, she exposed her teeth at Talya.
"Keep your damn hands off my man, you slut," she hissed.
With a whoosh, like a fish, Selina disappeared into the crowd.
When Pamela found Talya again, she was fuming like a cabbage, so Pamela sat her down at the nearest table and handed her an iced coffee.
"You knew this day would come when you started going after someone else's boyfriend. The price of being the other woman..."
"But I wasn't the other woman!!" It was precisely this that infuriated Talya so much. She retorted, "What did I do? Did I date Bruce Wayne? He fucking drugged me on the way to the date!! And look at that bitch, she even scratched my face earlier!"
Pamela sighed and said, "Haven't you noticed that your professional attributes have been diminishing ever since you came to this city? Which assassin would get worked up over this kind of thing?"
Talya froze, then pressed her fingers against her forehead and took a deep breath, acknowledging that Pamela had a point.
Ever since she came to this city, she had become somewhat emotional, which was not how things were supposed to be.
From a professional point of view, Talya had always been willing to do anything to complete a task and was well aware that the goal of these actions was solely to achieve the objective.
If any of these actions were unsuccessful, she would evaluate the efficiency of giving up or changing her strategy. Throughout the process, emotions were never a consideration in Talya's decision-making. Typically, Talya was an emotionless person.
This may sound strange, but the fact was that Talya never felt happy or unhappy about her assignments. She would work on the task, finish it, then move on to the next one—this cycle shaped her life.